Delray magazine September/October 2021

THE NEW DELRAY 2021: FOOD, POLITICS & DOWNTOWN NEWS

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Two Leading Organizations Come Together for Better Cancer Care Lynn Cancer Institute and Miami Cancer Institute Make a Powerful Team Delays in cancer treatment can lead to less favorable outcomes — and an even greater chance of death from certain cancers.

The ability to expedite care is one of the strengths of Boca Raton Regional Hospital’s Eugene M. & Christine E. Lynn Cancer Institute.

That’s why integrating the programs of Lynn Cancer Institute and Miami Cancer Institute is the key element in the further expansion of Baptist Health South Florida’s cancer care services. Together they offer patients treatments with a multidisciplinary approach based on physicians’ clinical expertise, advanced technology and innovative clinical trials.

The medical director of Lynn Cancer Institute, Louise Morrell, M.D., says, “Our common goal is to ensure that every patient with cancer, or at high risk, has access to the very best care available.”

Lynn Cancer Institute is the largest provider of cancer care in Palm Beach County and one of the largest in Florida. Miami Cancer Institute is Baptist Health’s cancer care anchor and is Florida’s only member of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Alliance.

Both institutes feature personalized care driven by the latest molecular testing and state-of-the-art technology. Our patients and families are supported by a full range of psychosocial services, including dietitians, social workers, exercise physiologists, psychologists and psychiatrists, along with wellness, survivorship and other cancer-related programs.

Those in Palm Beach County who need specialized services available only at Miami Cancer Institute can receive an expedited referral in order to fulfill their needs. Some of these services include stem cell transplantation, CAR T-cell therapy and highly targeted radiation therapy among others.

are able to define the best evidence-based standards of care,” says Leonard Kalman, M.D., deputy medical director and chief medical officer at Miami Cancer Institute.

The two facilities share the philosophy that multidisciplinary clinics that allow patients to see multiple specialists in their disease in one visit provides the greatest convenience to those needing input from various doctors. “When possible, we will digitally connect family members who are not in the room so that the patient’s support system is also kept informed,” says Maureen Mann, assistant vice president of Lynn Cancer Institute.

The integration of both institutes will also allow greater support for the expansion of Lynn Cancer Institute, including the addition of cancer services at the outpatient facility — Bethesda Health City. In addition, this integrated program will make Baptist Health’s cancer care services a more attractive clinical research partner to the pharmaceutical and device industries.

Integration has also helped each institution deal more effectively with the COVID-19 pandemic. The teams have been discussing the pandemic’s ever-changing implication for cancer patients. “We ensured we had a common approach and standard safety procedures,” says Dr. Morrell.

Cancer does not stop for COVID-19, and for that reason, we would like to remind you to stay up to date with your cancer screenings. For more information, visit BRRH.com.

Another advantage of integration is having joint standards of care in order to find the best patient outcome. “By combining the insights, knowledge and skills we have at both facilities, we

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contents september/october 2021

12 editor’s letter

As its last vestiges go gentle into that good night, we take a minute to remember the Old Delray— before it became the year-round party city of South Palm Beach County.

BY MARIE SPEED

15 hot list

The Ray raises the roof with elevated dining, nightlife spot Warren achieves nirvana for whiskey aficionados, and a blockbuster art exhibition immerses visitors into the heart of Machu Picchu.

Plus, Biba is back, local frozen custard hits the spot, and a colorful crosswalk celebrates the LGBTQ+ community all year long.

BY CHRISTINA WOOD

21 snapshots

Delray has been popping this year, from Jimmy Buffett’s historic residency at Old School Square to Coco Gauff’s cameo appearance at the Achievement Centers for Children and Families to the opening of a new “HUB” for those struggling with substance abuse.

24 top 5

After a cackle-free 2020, the Witches of Delray ride again, founding members of the Grateful Dead keep the jam alive, the Norton exhibits the most influential Mexican modernist of her time, and more cultural happenings.

38 dine

67 home

BY CHRISTIE GALEANO-DEMOTT

BY ROBIN HODES

42 delray beach: 2021 report

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Creating rich flavor profiles from simple ingredients, Vic & Angelo’s remains a leading purveyor of authentic Italian cuisine.

It has been a year of unprecedented change and tumult in just about every facet of Delray Beach— from city politics to the population surge to new and renovated institutions—much of it burbling under the radar. We bring you up to speed on the good,the bad and the ugly.

BY JAMES BIAGIOTTI, RANDY SCHULTZ, MARIE SPEED AND JOHN THOMASON

Our review-driven dining guide showcases great restaurants in Delray and beyond.

The “Alpha Witch” of a beloved Halloween tradition has been casting two-wheeled spells on downtown Delray for the past 10 years.

56 noise makers

PHOTOGRAPHY BY AARON BRISTOL

Despite a year and a half of few live performances, five South Florida musical artists—from an iconic jam band to an all-female garage-rock trio— continue to innovate.

32 up close

BY JAMES BIAGIOTTI AND JOHN THOMASON

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103 dining guide

In this special addition to our 2021 report, we spotlight the hottest new chefs and coolest new restaurants on the city’s culinary map.

trends in delray dining

28 style

BY JOHN THOMASON

BY JAMES BIAGIOTTI

BY CHRISTIE GALEANO-DEMOTT

BY CHRISTIE GALEANO-DEMOTT

The ex-spouse of the world’s most famous motivational speaker finds her own spiritual path through maximalist paintings, while an awardwinning Boynton Beach teacher shares the insights and philosophies that led her Title 1 school to excel even through a trying pandemic.

out & about

At Delray magazine’s Mixology event, craft spirits paired swimmingly with artisanal apps from Delray Beach Market. Plus, local pickleballers slammed and dinked at Delray Beach Tennis Center, and more.

50 delray 2021: top

BY JOHN THOMASON

We may not see it in our trees, but these autumnal tones from Delray retailers bring fall alive with a harvest of style and color.

With its bespoke pool hugging a floating gazebo, the sprawling backyard of this Delray Beach home is a model for sun-kissed outdoor living.

112 community connection

BY RICH POLLACK

50

ON THE COVER: Chef Akira Back, photography by Greg Samborski courtesy of Four Seasons – Seoul, Korea

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group editor-in-chief marie speed managing editor john thomason web editor james biagiotti senior art director lori pierino graphic designer oscar saavedra photographer aaron bristol production manager joanna gazzaneo

2 great locations: downtown and the beach

contributing writers christie galeano-demott, robin hodes, margie kaye (promotional writing), rich pollack, randy schultz, christina wood director of advertising and marketing nicole ruth manager of business development reba larney director of home and design sherry goodman-ash advertising consultants karen kintner, bruce klein jr., joe klein, tanya plath special projects manager gail eagle

561/997-8683 (ph) • 561/997-8909 (fax) bocamag.com editor@bocamag.com (editorial)

525 East Atlantic Avenue, Delray Beach 561-276-4123 800-552-2363 thecolonyhotel.com 8

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Delray Beach magazine is published five times a year by JES Media. The entire contents of Delray Beach magazine are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the expressed written consent of the publisher. Delray Beach magazine accepts no responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts and/or photographs and assumes no liability for products or services advertised herein. Delray Beach magazine reserves the right to edit, rewrite or refuse material and is not responsible for products. Please refer to corporate masthead.

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SERVICES DIRECTORY

To see or be seen...

Delray Beach magazine is published five times a year, with bi-monthly issues in-season and combined issues in the summertime. If you have any questions or comments regarding our magazine, call us at 561/997-8683. We’d love to hear from you.

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For any changes or questions regarding your subscription, to purchase back issues, or inquire about distribution points, ask for our subscriptions department at 877/553-5363.

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Take advantage of Delray Beach’s prime advertising space—put your ad dollars to work in our award-winning publication. For more information, contact our sales department (nicole@bocamag.com).

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Create a magazine tailored to fit the needs and character of your business/organization. Ideal for promotions, special events, introduction of new services and/or locations, etc. Contact Marie Speed (editor@bocamag.com).

[ story queries/web queries ]

Delray Beach magazine values the concerns and interests of our readers. Story queries for the print version of Delray Beach should be submitted by email to Marie Speed (editor@bocamag.com) or John Thomason (john. thomason@bocamag.com). Submit information/queries regarding our website to james@bocamag.com. We try to respond to all queries, but due to the large volume that we receive, this may not be possible.

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Your thoughts and comments are important to us. All letters to the editor may be edited for style, grammar and length. We reserve the right to withhold any letters deemed inappropriate for publication. Send letters to the address listed below, or to Marie Speed (editor@bocamag.com).

[ calendar ]

Where to go, what to do and see in Delray Beach. Please submit information regarding fundraisers, art openings, plays, readings, concerts, dance or other performances to managing editor John Thomason (john.thomason@bocamag.com). Deadline for entries in an upcoming calendar section is three months before publication (e.g., to list an event in March/April, submit info by December 20).

We've got you covered.

[ dining guide ]

Our independent reviews of restaurants in Delray Beach.

A fine, reliable resource for residents and tourists. For more information, contact Marie Speed.

[ out & about ]

A photo collage of social gatherings and events in Delray Beach. All photos submitted should be clearly identified and accompanied by a brief description of the event (who, what, where, when); photos will not be returned. Email images to people@bocamag.com. Or mail photos to: “Out & About” Delray Beach magazine 1000 Clint Moore Road, Suite 103 Boca Raton, FL 33487

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president/publisher margaret mary shuff group editor-in-chief marie speed controller jeanne greenberg customer services/video editor david shuff 1000 Clint Moore Road, Suite 103 Boca Raton, FL 33487 561/997-8683 bocamag.com publishers of Boca Raton Delray Beach Mizner’s Dream Worth Avenue Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce Annual Florida Style & Design Salt Lake, Utah Bride and Groom Utah Style & Design

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Ch-chchanges The new Delray continues to evolve: Here’s what we know

I

n this issue we take a look at the state of the city—where we are now in terms of everything from politics to downtown.

In fact, we’ve been talking about change a lot in the past few issues, because sometimes I think we are just trying to get our arms around it. When I was talking about all this with Laura Simon for this issue, we were resolute in seeing this as evolution—which it is—but I have to list the ways I have tracked it, at least personally, over the past 30-some years.

If you wanted a special dinner, you might go to Damiano’s. Now there are something like 80 restaurants downtown, many of them way special.

Tomatoes were from Neal’s; now we have a Saturday green market.

If you wanted to do downtown, you walked. And walked. And walked some more. Now we have Freebee rides. We didn’t have a Pineapple Grove back then or a big parking garage or the Arts Garage or a movie theater. (Of course, we did have the Colony Liquor store, Hand’s, Elwood’s—with Elvis on Thursday nights—and Ken & Hazel’s. OK, so I have to digress into nostalgia a little bit.)

But still. Now there is music everywhere, Sunday brunch with bottomless Bloodies, rooftop lounges, outdoor dining, pinball, karaoke and drum circles. There is nothing that is not going on.

So hold on to your seats as the village by the sea fades away like Brigadoon. You can still see it here and there, but the little town is moving fast, and we have to hang on.

FIVE (MORE) THINGS I LOVE ABOUT DELRAY [ 1 ] Ceasar’s Barbeque [ 2 ] The peacocks in the Barwick

Road neighborhood

[ 3 ] The new bike lanes [ 4 ] The tuna poke bowl at Tanuki [ 5 ] A whiskey tasting with John

Fitzgerald at Warren

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Coastal Gift Shop ☼ Local Fine Art ☼ Tea House ☼ Pastries & Coffee ☼ Recovery & Spiritual Products ☼ Gratitude ☼ Kindness ☼

424 E Atlantic Avenue, Delray Beach, FL 33483

(561) 894-8637

hot list NEWS AND NOTES FROM DELRAY BEACH

Fall kicks into gear Delray ramps up with new

pride, a side of custard, a Ray of light and a whiskey or two

STUDIO MUNGE

BY CHRISTINA WOOD

The Rosewater rooftop lounge at The Ray

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[ hot list ]

AMERICANS AND THE HOLOCAUST

The Delray library takes a serious look this fall at 1938, when a whopping 94 percent of Americans disapproved of the Nazi treatment of Jews in Germany; only 21 percent thought we should allow more German Jews to emigrate to the U.S. When we think about the Holocaust, we usually think about what was going on in Europe, not what was happening here at home. “Americans and the Holocaust”—an exhibition mounted by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum—sheds light on this often-overlooked aspect of history. From Oct. 6 through Nov. 17, the 1,100-square-foot, interactive exhibition will be on display at the Delray Beach Public Library.

The library will be partnering with the Delray Beach Historical Society, Florida Atlantic University and Atlantic High School, among others, to help us explore this important chapter in our history. 100 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, 561/266-0194, delraylibrary.org.

Part of this fall’s exhibit at the Delray Public Library, “Americans and the Holocaust”

BIBA IS BACK After 30 years of dressing and accessorizing women, Biba has reopened on the Avenue, in its biggest and best location yet.

Biba specializes in fashion-forward casual and contemporary clothing for all ages, body types and occasions. 404 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, 561/562-8785

STUDIO MUNGE

MORE OF A GOOD THING

Art is top of the house at The Ray

UP ON THE ROOF

With its collection of original art, design-focused luxury and floating-glasscube event space, The Ray will be making a generous contribution to the creative vibe in the Pineapple Grove Arts District. The display of large-scale sculptures and immersive art installations found throughout the boutique hotel, which is part of the Curio Collection by Hilton, was designed to appeal to the international arts community as well as art-loving locals. But let’s be honest, most of us are just dying to check out the 22,000-square-foot rooftop pool deck, which has a bar and restaurant as well as a rooftop forest. 233 N.E. Second Ave., Delray Beach, 561/739-1700, therayhotel.com.

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If you’ve never had frozen custard, you’ve been missing out. We have nothing against ice cream—in fact, we love ice cream—but frozen custard is even creamier, richer and, well, more of everything we love about ice cream.

What makes it so amazingly wonderful and dear to our hearts? It is made with egg yolks and with less air and more butterfat than ice cream, giving it a thick, velvety lusciousness. But you don’t have to take our word for it. Now that Whit’s Frozen Custard has opened in Pineapple Grove, you can discover the joys of freshly made frozen custard for yourself. 200 N.E. Second Ave., Suite 114, Delray Beach, 561/865-7857, whitscustard.com.

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COURTESY CITY OF DELRAY BEACH

GO FOR THE GOLD

TAKING PRIDE

The LGBTQIA+ Pride Streetscape that has transformed the intersection of Northeast Second Avenue and Northeast First Street in Pineapple Grove has a beautiful meaning as well as beautiful visual appeal. The colorful street mural was unanimously approved by the Delray Beach City Commission as a celebration of Pride Month and of the city’s diversity. The project was sponsored by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and Palm Beach County Human Rights Council and supported by local nonprofits like Compass as well as stakeholders from the LGBTQIA+ community. The design includes the six colors of the traditional Pride flag and the five additional colors of the Progress Pride flag, which represent people of color along with trans and non-binary individuals.

Eleven legendary Andean lords will take up residence in the Boca Raton Museum of Art when the world premiere of “Machu Picchu and the Golden Empires of Peru” opens on Oct. 16. In addition to 192 priceless artifacts—including gold and silver crowns, breastplates, bracelets and the stunning royal burial garments of those 11 Andean lords— the exhibition will feature audio and video projections to create a multisensory, immersive experience that will take over the entire museum. At this point, Boca Raton is the only city in the U.S. that will host this state-of-the-art exhibition, so don’t be surprised if your family and friends up north want to visit you. (On the bright side, maybe they’ll invite you to join them on this journey to the ancient kingdoms of Peru.)

501 Plaza Real, Boca Raton, 561/392-2500, bocamuseum.org.

One of the treasures on display at the upcoming Machu Picchu exhibit

WARREN,

AMERICAN • WHISKEY • KITCHEN

AFTER DARK:

Since Warren opened in West Delray, doing research in the library has taken on a whole new spin. The restaurant—which is named after Jeff John’s Uncle Warren, an illustrious collector of distinctive art and artifacts and a lover of fine whiskey—boasts a library of some 1,000 whiskey bottles! If the care and sophistication on display in the collection of bottles lining the shelves, the artwork on the walls and the contemporary American cuisine on the menu is anything to go by, John, the CEO of Damn Good Hospitality Group, must have loved his uncle very much. But Uncle Warren isn’t the only member of the John family to have an impact on the offerings at the restaurant. Not long ago, Jeff John became a father, and he wanted to make sure Warren would offer a warm welcome to families like his own. So, in addition to things like Wagyu beef, crispy calamari and vegan farro risotto, you’ll find a kids menu with all-time favorites like chicken tenders and mac ‘n’ cheese. 15084 Lyons Road, Delray Beach, 561/455-4177, warrendelray.com

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The whiskey tasting bar at The Warren

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[ hot list ]

SPOTLIGHT: JULIE TRAVIS

J

ulie Travis has been living in Delray Beach for 30 years—and she’s seen more than a few changes in that time.

She was sad to see Hand’s end its 87-year run downtown, and she admits she misses the days when the crowds melted away in the summer, but she’s pragmatic. “I did like it when it was kind of slower in the summer,” she says. “But hey, we need to keep the economy going, keep everybody working.”

One change that she’s not been willing to accept, however, is the ever-increasing amount of trash piling up on the beach.

Which is why you’ll find Travis there practically every weekend armed with a bucket and a grabber and a mission to pick up trash.

Knowing she needed help, she created Trashy Mermaids, an informal organization with a goal of keeping the beach trash-free— and having fun while doing it. The first official Trashy Mermaids beach cleanup was held in May. Since then, monthly cleanups have been hosted, usually on the first Saturday of the month. (For details, check the Trashy Mermaids Delray Beach Facebook page.)

“Bring a chair, bring your lunch, bring some water and enjoy the beach after you clean it up,” Travis says. “It’s a great way to meet like-minded people who care about the community.”

WHY MERMAIDS: I have loved mermaids since I was a little girl.

I was way ahead of the curve on the mermaid thing. Mermen, mer-babies and mer-kids are all welcome, but as we say, it’s B.Y.O.B. — bring your own bucket.

AARON BRISTOL

WHY SHE DOES IT: The sound of the waves is so calming, especially if I’m in a bad mood or have a bad day at work. Just going there and looking out at the ocean, it’s so peaceful. The sound of the waves is like a lullaby.

FAVORITE PLACES: The French Bakery on Federal Highway has the best bread I’ve had since I’ve lived in Florida. The GreenMarket is great on Saturday mornings. And they have all the concerts at [Old School Square], I love that place.

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PLACES SHE TAKES COMPANY: There are so many cute little secret spots that I’ll share with people who come to stay with me. The Delray Hideaway is a little sports bar almost at the beach. If you don’t live here,

you’re not going to find that place. The other place I always take people is the boardwalk at Green Cay or Wakodahatchee.

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snapshots

This year, the 13th-annual Boating & Beach Bash for People with Disabilities became the Beep Beep Bash to ensure social distancing. The event’s 2021 iteration was held in memory of its founder, Jay Van Vechten, who passed away last year.

More than 125 animal advocates gathered at The Addison in Boca Raton for the inaugural Moms & Pups “Bark & Brunch” event benefiting Tri-County Animal Rescue. Pictured: Jay DiPietro, Robert Weinroth, Sharon DiPietro, Francesca Daniels, Pamela Weinroth and Jeri Caprio.

Adriana Steighner, Elisa Beardsley-Dodd and Avery Throckmorton from Olympic Heights High School show off their awards at the Junior Achievement of South Florida Patten Reception, which was held at the Boca Raton Yacht & Country Club.

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World-renowned tennis star Coco Gauff partnered with Microsoft to provide new computers and funding to build two additional labs in Palm Beach County’s Achievement Centers for Children and Families.

PAULETTE MARTIN

Jimmy Buffett and his famed Coral Reefer Band rocked Delray’s Old School Square for four sold-out concerts in May, marking Buffett’s return to live performance since the beginning of the pandemic.

Community leaders came together to celebrate the ribbon cutting of Palm Beach County HUB, a facility in Delray Beach that will serve as a local resource by and for the community to support people recovering from substance abuse and behavioral health disorders. Pictured: HUB Board of Directors Staci Katz, Robin Tupper, Melvin Clark, Joyce Matera, Steve Farnsworth, Sharon Burns Carter and Cindy Singer.

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154 NE 5th Ave. Delray Beach Starting September Tue-Sat 11:30am to 6pm • 646.498.8867

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[ calendar ] B Y J O H N T H O M A S O N

Top 5

THIS FALL, CHURCHILL PONDERS, WITCHES CACKLE & THE DEAD HIT THE ROAD

September/October 2021

David Payne as Churchill

Self-portrait by Frida Kahlo

CHRIS LEE

Yoko Miwa

[5]

[4]

[3]

“Churchill” Starring David Payne

Yoko Miwa Trio

“Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and Mexican Modernism from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection”

Where: Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 N.W. Ninth St., Delray Beach When: Oct. 2, 4 and 8 p.m Cost: $50 Contact: 561/272-1281, delraybeachplayhouse.com David Payne has plenty of experience slipping into the headspaces and costumes of influential Britons. For as long he’s been an actor, the former structural engineer has been touring theaters across the globe in solo, duo or trio shows in which he portrays theologian and “Narnia” scribe C.S. Lewis. It has all added up to more than 1,000 productions in front of nearly 750,000 people, so you can’t blame the guy for wanting to try something new. Thus, “Churchill,” Payne’s latest solo stage outing, in which he inhabits the U.K.’s most consequential prime minister, complete with pin-striped suit and signature cigar. The premise: Churchill has just been awarded honorary U.S. citizenship by President Kennedy, and has been asked to speak about honor to the AmericanOxford Society—aka us, the audience. He’ll hold court on topics ranging from his tenure in the Boer War to his relationship to America’s leaders to the women who drove him—his wife Clementine and Queen Elizabeth.

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Where: Arts Garage, 94 N.E. Second Ave., Delray Beach When: Oct. 16, 8 p.m.

Cost: $40-$45 Contact: 561/540-6357, artsgarage.org Endowed with a more harmonious tone than that other famous musical Yoko, this versatile pianist from Japan has released nine albums of mellifluous melodies across a wide range of genres dating back to her auspicious 2000 debut, In the Mist of Time. It all began with a stint waiting tables for a Japanese nightclub owned by popular television organist Minoru Ozone. Fascinated by the 88-key talents who performed at his club, she picked up the practice herself, serving as accompanist and piano instructor for Ozone’s musical school, and working her way up to a full scholarship at Berklee College of Music. More than 20 years later, Miwa is a top-charting jazz artist who has shared stages with Arturo Sandoval and Esperanza Spalding, and whose style has earned comparisons to Oscar Peterson and Bill Evans. She is touring with her trio in support of their latest release, the aptly titled Songs of Joy, featuring Miwa originals and inspired covers from Thelonious Monk, Richie Havens and others.

Where: Norton Museum of Art, 1450 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach When: Oct. 23-Feb. 6 Cost: $15-$18 Contact: 561/832-5196, norton.org The Boca Raton Museum of Art may have its blockbuster Peru exhibition this fall, but the Norton is not to be outdone. The museum’s own high-season exhibition is also rooted in Latin America, offering more works by foundational Mexican-American artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera than it has ever presented before. Drawn from the coveted collection of Jacques Gelman, a film producer who lived through the Mexican Revolution of 1920, and his wife Natasha, this comprehensive survey of the country’s postrevolutionary art features some 20 paintings from Kahlo, the godmother of magical realism, and another 13 from Rivera. It’s supplemented by works from 11 of their contemporaries, candid photographs of the artists, and examples of their period clothing. Seven Kahlo self-portraits are among the exhibition’s gems, including her ravishing 1943 painting “Diego On My Mind.”

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DANNY CLINCH

Dead & Company

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Witches of Delray Ride

Dead & Company

Where: Downtown Delray Beach When: Oct. 30 Cost: Free, but donations support the Achievement Centers for Children & Families Contact: 561/266-0003, witchesofdelray.org You know Delray is fully back to normal when hordes clad in fairy wings, wizard hats and alien antennae hit the pavement in a two-wheeled parade of whoops, hollers and cackles. The abnormal scene in Delray was the one last year, in which this campy/spooky fundraiser was postponed in favor of smaller-scale scavenger hunts. This year, it’s fully on, so expect the action on All Hallow’s Eve Eve (yes, you read that correctly) to present quite a spectacle, as teams in themed costumes go all out in this most eccentric of charity rides. At the end of the course, which traverses both A1A and Atlantic Avenue, prizes are typically awarded for Best Decorated Bike, Best Witch Costume and Best Witch Cackle. For participating witches, the fun really begins Friday, Oct. 22 at Tim Finnegans Irish Pub for the annual Witches Brew, which involves potions of a more conventional sort.

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Where: iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, 601-7 Sansbury’s Way, West Palm Beach When: Oct. 6, 7 p.m.

Cost: $96 and up Contact: 561/795-8883, westpalmbeachamphitheatre.com The idea of Dead & Company not touring is sort of like a Kardashian not posting on Instagram, or the Large Hadron Collider not smashing atoms: This is simply what they do. Playing to live audiences is a process as natural and life-giving to former members of the Grateful Dead as photosynthesis is to a plant. So the idea that they were off the road for 19 months borders on the surreal. To quote one of the Dead’s most famous compilation albums, what a long strange trip it’s been, indeed. But now that much is right with the world, former Grateful Dead elder statesmen Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann are once again hopping on the bus, along with John Mayer on lead guitar and two other bandmates, all of whom share a freakishly encyclopedic knowledge of the 13 studio albums of the Grateful Dead, plus select solo discographies of Weir and Jerry Garcia, and thus are able to construct wildly different set lists for every performance. Tiedye attire is not required to attend, but you don’t want to be the only square without it, right?

The witches ride again this year

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NEST of DELRAY VINTAGE and HOME We buy, sell and consign.

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Help keep your Emergency Services ready.

Are you prepared for a medical emergency? At Bethesda Hospital, a part of Baptist Health South Florida, we are always ready to treat you and your family.

Now we ask for your support for our Bethesda Hospital Capital Campaign as we raise $15 million for our Emergency Services department to serve you better. The department will be completely redesigned for greater efficiency, with private rooms, smart technology and optimized patient care. These improvements are vital to keep up with rapid advances in healthcare and a growing Palm Beach community.

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Sweater, $98, jeans, $198, from Morley; crossbody bag, $680, from Isabella Kron; animal print clutch, $125, from Vintage Tess; scarf, $130, bootie, $225, both from Wish and Shoes; straw hat, $25, from Serenity and Tea by the Sea

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8/6/21 10:25 AM

Style Harvest Fall sweeps in with a burnished color palette and promises of cooler days to come PHOTOGRAPHED BY AARON BRISTOL

LaFont Paris sunglasses, $690, from Grove Opticians; calf hair flats, $460, print scarf, $285, both from Isabella Kron; ribbon pin, $60, from Vintage Tess; silver ring, $56.80, from Serenity and Tea by the Sea; pearl tassel necklace, $218, black shell & wicker bag, $140, both from Morley, brown suede sneaker, $189, from Wish and Shoes

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Sunglasses, $68, from Vintage Tess; belt, $189, snakeskin clutch, $895, denim skinny jean, $179, all from Wish and Shoes; suede pumps, $425, print t-shirt, $72, olive pant, $325, black pant, $325, all from Isabella Kron

STYLISTS/ART DIRECTOR: LORI PIERINO, AVA ZUM TOBEL

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8/6/21 10:25 AM

Straw hat, $25, Lovely To Look At braided bracelet, $16, both from Serenity and Tea by the Sea; Boucheron sunglasses, $1,310, from Grove Opticians; vintage brooch bangles, $90 each, from Vintage Tess; scarf, $170, from Isabella Kron; rattan bag, $168, from Morley; lizard clutch, $595, sandals, $189, both from Wish and Shoes

WISH & SHOES, 16850 Jog Road, #112, Delray Beach, 561/638-7700, wishandshoes.com VINTAGE TESS, 154 N.E. Fifth Ave., Delray Beach, 646/498-8867 ISABELLA KRON, 522 N.E. Second St., Delray Beach, 561/865-5224, isabellakron.com MORLEY, 415 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, 561/270-7745, shopmorley.com GROVE OPTICIANS, 5250 Town Center Circle, #139, Boca Raton, 561/394-5551, groveopticians.com SERENITY & TEA BY THE SEA, 424 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, 732/895-3064

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[ up close ] B Y J O H N T H O M A S O N

Becky Robbins A former spouse to the world’s most famous life coach reinvents herself as a maximalist painter

I

t’s an occasionally tortured idiom— “behind every great man is a great woman”—but Becky Robbins has embodied it in the most literal sense. Few knew her name during the 14 years she managed back-of-the-house operations for then-husband Tony Robbins, the (in)famous motivational speaker.

“We started it from the beginning of the beginning, when there was nothing and then there was everything,” recalls the seasonal Delray Beach resident, in a Zoom conversation from her light-filled studio in California. “It was a co-creation from the very beginning,” but with a clear delineation of labor. “We had a confrontation where he was like, ‘you need to handle the sound system stuff.’ I was like, ‘I’m not a sound tech.’ He said, ‘let me get this straight. My job is from the front of the room, and your job is everything else.’”

Becky Robbins accepted the backstage role. She believed in Tony’s vision; she was a patron of his seminars before she became his life partner. “I felt like he had so much leadership skill, and I felt like this guy could be the president in the year 2000. It was a really good experience to push myself to the extremes of my capacity to manage people, to inspire people, to train the trainers.”

The Robbinses finalized their divorce in 2001.

According to Becky, “our values started to shift, and he was interested in things that I wasn’t.” It took a period of adjustment to reorient her life from being surrounded by thousands of people to enjoying an unprecedented autonomy, which she filled with sundry pursuits, from Spanish classes to piano lessons.

She eventually found her new calling, in oil and canvas.

Without much formal training beyond a couple of community art classes in La Jolla, California, Robbins has, over the past 10 years of

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development, honed a signature style that’s as rooted in Pop Art maximalism as it is in eastern concepts of universal awareness.

Inspired by the Golden Ratio and sacred geometry, works like “Teach Peace” and “Love is Still the Answer” contain myriad points of entry: blossoming flowers, a bleeding heart, music notes, a chrysalis. “Pale Blue Dot” is an absorbing collage of the planet’s multitude of life forms,

“Not that I’m trying to be lofty, but my life has a purpose. ... If I didn’t, if I thought it was just Becky having a joyride with her art, I couldn’t keep doing it.”

connected by ropes and threads of varying color and thickness. In Robbins’ work, more is more.

“In one of my paintings, I have the microscopic view of a human shinbone,” she says. “It’s so fascinating—it looks like the Gaudi Cathedral in Barcelona. It’s so incredible what this body has within it.

“Those things end up becoming the next thing I paint, and then at some point, I start tying all these seemingly disparate images together, and they start to come up with a theme and a story, which is really exciting.”

Robbins describes her process as intuitive; she plans nothing when she first puts paint to factorygessoed Masonite canvas. It’s an approach that essentially precludes mistakes; as a result, each painting can take up to a year to complete. “It’s not like I’m such a perfectionist in my whole life, but definitely in the painting. I have to be mindful of what I’m doing.”

Robbins has enjoyed a few gallery shows, and at the time of this writing her work is on view at the Shelborne Hotel on South Beach. Yet she understands that this venture, like her career as a nurse and then as back-of-the-house co-creator of a worldfamous speaking empire, may not last forever. “My life has predominantly been cyclical,” she says. “I’m 100-percent involved in something, and then when it’s done, it’s done.”

For now, though, she is continuing her methodical process of revealing the positive sides of nature and existence through her paintings— including in Delray Beach, where she’ll return this fall. “I love what’s happening there,” she says. “The nightlife and restaurants seem to have taken off. … The Ray is a great addition. I think it’s a quaint place; it’s not Miami or South Beach. It’s got its own personality and authenticity, and a cross section of people I really enjoy.”

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COURTESY OF ANGIE GALAN OF THE DANA AGENCY

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[ up close ]

BY JOHN THOMASON

Full Circle

Award-winning educator Laquandra Golf on her third-grade transformation—and transforming the lives of third-graders today

W

hen Laquandra Golf was in third grade at Belvedere Elementary School in West Palm Beach, her teacher, Mrs. Johnson, had a motto for her students: “Good, Better, Best: You never let it rest until your good becomes better, and your better becomes best.”

This philosophy stuck with the impressionable Golf, and decades later, the 35-year-old math and science teacher at Boynton Beach’s Rolling Green Elementary says, “it’s all over my stuff.” But it was more than Mrs. Johnson’s phrasing that inspired Golf to think beyond her horizons.

“She just took my hand; I don’t think I really enjoyed school until third grade,” Golf recalls. “She introduced me to poetry. She would come pick me up at extracurricular activities. She introduced me to the concerted cultivation part of [school]. … I don’t know what it was about me, but we just connected.

Because of her, I was like, ‘I’m going to do the same thing for kids like me.’”

This past spring, Golf, who has been teaching at Rolling Green since 2012, was recognized for her tireless efforts at the Title I school, winning the Elementary Education category at the Dwyer Awards— the Oscars for Palm Beach County educators. Golf was one of just seven recipients from a stable of more than 450 worthy nominees.

“My emotions got the best of me” during her virtual acceptance speech, she says. “I think the only thing I was able to say was thank you to the Economic Council [of Palm Beach County, which operates the Dwyer Awards], and I thanked my students. I didn’t get a chance to do my whole speech.”

Nominated by her colleagues, Golf has been a standout educator throughout her tenure at Rolling Green but particularly during the disruptions of COVID. While attendance at many classes, particularly in underserved districts like Golf ’s, declined with the transition to remote learning, Golf achieved 100-percent attendance early on. She credits this in part to being a designated Google Classrooms “Trailblazer” at her school, meaning she was among the first to adopt the technology, even pre-pandemic, and could instruct her fellow-teachers and students on how to navigate it.

“The good thing about Palm Beach County, we were already shifting toward [virtual], especially with the referendum dollars,” Golf says. “We had the smart boards in our classroom. Students have had laptops for the past three years. Each year I taught, we had Google Classroom; we had a classroom website.

“The most challenging part was the engagement piece. I had my kids do scavenger hunts and explore their backyards and their houses. I had categories: ‘Find an item that had four sides,’ which could be a book, a paper, a napkin. Or find a comb, find a remote, find a toothbrush, something you know that’s common, that all students have. I work in a Title I school, so I couldn’t say, ‘go find an iPad.’ You try to keep it basic.”

Additional COVID-era assignments included requiring her students to join their parents on grocery-store trips and analyze the receipts. “I like to take what I’m teaching and relate it to the real world,” she says. “I tell me kids every day, everything you’re learning, you’re going to use it someday.”

She rewarded her kids with pizza and ice cream delivered to their doors via Instacart and Delivery Dudes. She also started an after-school program, engaging 65 students in virtual dance-off ballets. “You’ve just got to be creative and think quick,” she says. “I just tried to stay connected, keep them motivated.”

Golf ’s personal story is just as inspiring. She is not only the first in her family to graduate high school; as of this year, Golf is a doctor of education.

Unique among her peers, she earned this advanced degree from Lynn University. Every day, she essentially lives her thesis: “Preparing Elementary School Teachers for the Multifaceted Profession.”

“Teachers wear many hats,” she says. “Our job is not just to educate.

Sometimes we’re a friend, sometimes we’re a counselor, sometimes we’re the legal guardian. So it’s a multifaceted profession.”

Golf ’s success remains rooted in her humble beginnings. “My thirdgrade teacher inspired me,” she says. “Just to have it come full circle, and me win an award as a third-grade teacher, is like, wow. It all made sense.

The pieces of the puzzle came together.”

“Teachers wear many hats. Our job is not just to educate. Sometimes we’re a friend, sometimes we’re a counselor, sometimes we’re the legal guardian.”

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8/5/21 5:00 PM

AARON BRISTOL

Joe Mullings

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DOWNTOWN DELRAY AND THE SURROUNDING COASTAL COMMUNITIES Allyson Sullivan Realtor® Specialist for 20 years With over 20 years of experience, Allyson is one of the top Realtors in South Florida. She credits her success to understanding the importance of solid relationships and is extremely well respected by her clients and peers.

Allyson has worked hard building her reputation as one of the pre-eminent “OG” Realtors in Palm Beach County and one of Delray Beach’s top-selling agents. Allyson provides world-class real estate representation and has earned the loyalty and respect of thousands of buyers and sellers, from highnet worth executives, sports personalities and celebrities to new families looking to purchase their first home. Allyson is constantly perfecting her craft while staying current and thinking outside the box. Some of Allyson’s clients have described her as “brazen” and “blunt.” Her extensive knowledge of the local area and her impressive marketing skills and contact list makes her the first choice for anyone looking to purchase residential real estate on our sunny shores.

A Boston native, Allyson has called South Florida her home for most of her life. She loves all things real estate and gets her thrills by closing deals, watching families turn a house into a home and assisting seasonal residents in finding the perfect piece of paradise that they can enjoy for years to come.

Allyson is a thrill-seeker who loves adventure and has an enormous amount of energy. She typically wakes up before the sun to walk her dogs and gets her daily inspiration by watching our beautiful South Florida sunrises unfold. Allyson is an avid runner and one of her greatest accomplishments is completing the Boston Marathon in 2015. She is an active member of the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches, National Association of Realtors and is a Certified Educator for Florida Realtors. In addition, Allyson is very active in the community and is the President of Inlet Communities of East Boynton Beach (INCA) and a long-time sponsor of the Live Like Jake organization. She is a firm believer in the idea that when you do the right things, the universe reveals your path and provides you with an arsenal of karmically correct energy and good intentions.

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[ dine ]

BY CHRISTIE GALEANO-DEMOTT

VIC & ANGELO’S

290 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; 561/278-9570 PARKING: Next door valet, nearby lots or street parking HOURS: Mon.-Thurs., 3-10 p.m.; Fri., 3-11 p.m.; Sat., 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sun., 10 a.m.-10 p.m.

PRICES: $18-$43 WEBSITE: vicandangelos.com

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Four-cheese tortellini at Vic & Angelo’s

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Margherita pizza; below, J’s Vesper Punch

Vic & Angelo’s The “new” Vic’s maintains the long tradition of great Italian on the Avenue

AARON BRISTOL

T

he sidewalk tables that sit under the shade of the terra cotta-hued building are bustling with patrons. People watching is a staple ingredient here, a complement to the Italian fare that’s coming out of the open kitchen inside at the center of the restaurant. The wine menu is robust, mainly grounded in Italy but with choices from around the world. If you’re more of a cocktail enthusiast, try J’s Vesper Punch, a vodka sip with muddled berries, lemon juice, St-Germain and simple syrup that’s not too sweet and quite refreshing. Plus it comes in a delightful glass.

The service was on point, and our pizza came out of the coal oven piping hot and brimming with cheese. We kept it simple with the margherita pie to really appreciate the fresh basil, homemade mozzarella and Italian imported Parmigiano-Reggiano and

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San Marzano tomatoes. Larger than a personal pie, this is a family-friendly shareable thin-crust pizza. It was hard to choose which homemade pasta to try, but we settled on the Quattro Formaggi Tortellini, fluffy purses filled with al dente pear and topped with truffle cream.

The sweetness from the fruit combined with the savory sauce made this our table’s favorite dish.

For our protein, we chose the traditional chicken parmigiana. It was a hearty portion of paperthin breaded chicken breast topped with a subtly sweet San Marzano sauce under a gooey layer of fresh mozzarella, and a substantial side of linguine pomodoro. If you have room for dessert, the classic sweets include cannoli, New York cheesecake, chocolate cake and the spongy tiramisu that we had, which was flawlessly moistened with espresso. For an extra-special treat, ask for the cotton candy and get your camera ready. delray beach magazine

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October 6 - November 17, 2021 Exhibition and programming suitable for all ages. For more information or to view the exhibition program guide please go to delraylibrary.org

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CITY & POLITICS

DOWNTOWN

REAL ESTATE 42

september/october 2021

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Delray 2021: Top Trends in Delray Dining

As things ramp up to normal, the city is Here are a few people—and places—that poised for unprecedented growth and change this year; here’s where we stand are shaking up Delray’s dining front on several fronts

Written by Christie Galeano-DeMott

i

Written by James Biagiotti, Randy Schultz, Marie Speed & John Thomason

IT’S IN THE AIR throughout South Florida, and n 2021, Delray restaurants Delray is no moved exception:from change is coming, yesterday’s “village soft post-pandemic reopenings to fullby the sea” is a growing city, and we’ve got a downtown that’s bore dining service, they hadhot. New residents are streaming gonewhether from buzzy to white enough help or not. wentareout in up, businesses are relocating intoPeople Delray, hotels springing here and pricesReservaare going through the roof. It’s been only droves. New places opened. since summer. we started easing tions were a must,months well into As out of the pandemic, but late 2021 is making up for lost we look toward another busy season, time, by all appearances.

As concepts we escalate into here are a few dining thatDelray’s are high season, here’s where we stand in terms of politics and the arts, development and enlivening our culinary landscape.

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downtown.

It’s a new day in Delray.

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CITY & POLITICS CITY MANAGER Since David Harden retired at the end of 2012, after nearly two decades on the job, mail to the city manager’s office in Delray Beach might as well have been addressed to Occupant.

Louie Chapman, who succeeded Harden, lasted 19 months. Don Cooper made it through two years before resigning, burned out at the end of his career and in poor health. Mark Lauzier was around barely more than a year before the city commission fired him, allegedly for charter violations. The commission suspended George Gretsas on dubious charges after only six months and fired him in November 2020.

As Leif Ahnell nears retirement after 22 years as Boca Raton’s city manager, Terrence Moore just became the ninth person in that role for Delray Beach in the last eight-plus years.

That includes all those who had the job on an interim basis, most recently Jennifer Alvarez.

Will Moore fare better? He had unanimous support from the commission. There are no elections next year. The COVID-19 pandemic might be winding down.

So what could go wrong? Hey, it’s Delray Beach. Anything.

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COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY DAVID HARDEN RETIRED

LOUIE CHAPMAN 19 MONTHS

Pompey Park makeover, which will cost about $20 million.

During the first meeting after she became mayor in 2018, Petrolia led the charge to abolish the seven-member, independent CRA board.

Now the five commissioners and two appointed members make up the board. This year, commissioners rejected a proposal by Ryan Boylston to have only commissioners on the board.

Before 2018, commissioners regularly complained that the CRA sucked up money that should go to the rest of the city. Given all the capital improvement needs in Delray Beach, expect that push-pull over spending to continue.

DON COOPER 2 YEARS

42%

MARK LAUZIER ONE YEAR +

BELOW MEDIAN INCOME

24%

77%

LOWER GRADUATION RATES

BELOW RATE OF COLLEGE DEGREES

WEST DELRAY VS REST OF CITY

GEORGE GRETSAS 6 MONTHS

TERRENCE MOORE

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In Boca Raton, the CRA only includes downtown. In Delray Beach, the agency includes 20 percent of the city.

In some ways, the CRA—formed to eradicate blight—has been a huge success. Witness the transformation of East Atlantic Avenue over the last three decades and the emerging neighborhoods north and south of the avenue. CRA policies had much to do with that.

West of Swinton Avenue, however, the results are much more modest. During the March elections, Mayor Shelly Petrolia especially touted what she considers the agency’s greater focus on minority neighborhoods. Petrolia cited the

Politics infects much of Delray Beach, and West Delray is no exception.

Not until last fall—after several failed attempts—did the city commission approve the updated West Atlantic Redevelopment Plan. Holdouts demanded that the plan remove any mention of those who had criticized members of the city commission.

Past the politics, though, is a shift in policy. There is less emphasis on big redevelopment projects. Good thing. As of deadline for this article, plans for the three blocks east of the Fairfield Inn are on hold because of a lawsuit.

As the introduction to the new document notes, previous plans produced “multi-family and single-family housing, infrastructure improvements and public and private development” where 92 percent of the population is Black or Brown. The new plan “builds upon those prior efforts but with an ultimate goal of aligning the West Atlantic neighborhoods with the success of the rest of Delray Beach, not just in terms of appearance but more importantly equitable access to economic opportunity, wealth creation and health.”

The differences are stark. Unemployment in West Delray is twice as high as in the rest of the city. Median income is roughly 42 percent below what it is elsewhere. The rate of high school graduation is 24 percent lower, and the rate of college degrees is 77 percent lower.

Inequity remains the big issue in West Delray.

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8/2/21 2:05 PM

HOME RULE Delray Beach and Boca Raton are different in key ways, but their elected officials have one thing in common—they don’t like Tallahassee telling them what to do.

Yet it happens every year, to one degree or another. A vested interest gets mad at a city or county rule and goes to the Legislature seeking state preemption on that issue. Under preemption, the Legislature makes rules that apply statewide. Not surprisingly, those laws favor the particular industry.

Tallahassee hasn’t targeted Delray Beach the way it has other cities. This year, legislators overturned Key West’s vote last year to keep large cruise ships out of the city’s port. Delray Beach passed its ban on single-use plastic straws before the Legislature prohibited such bans. Gov. DeSantis vetoed that bill.

Delray Beach and other cities also have followed the regular attempts to take regulation of vacation rental properties away from local governments. Exploitation of such properties can harm traditional neighborhoods. The bill failed this year. It will be back next year.

13

YEARS DELRAY ACCUSED OF WATER VIOLATIONS

$3 MILLION

INITIAL FINE BY HEALTH DEPT.

$1.8 MILLION

AMOUNT OF FINE AFTER DEP REVIEW

WATER LAWSUITS Delray Beach may be on trial next year.

Three key lawsuits stemming from controversial personnel incidents are scheduled to go before a jury. Some or all could settle. If they don’t, the testimony could reveal a lot about the internal workings at City Hall.

Like a combined entry in a horse race, two of those lawsuits are linked. They come from Michael Coleman and Jamael Stewart. They were the two top officials in the Neighborhood and Community Services Department when they resigned in mid-2019. In their lawsuits, Coleman and Stewart allege that they were intimidated and forced out after they complained about their supervisor—then-Assistant City Manager Suzanne Fisher.

The third lawsuit is from former City Manager Mark Lauzier. He claims that his firing in March

Plaintiff

Year Sued

Status

Michael Coleman

2019

Pending

Jamael Stewart

2019

Pending

Mark Lauzier

2019

Pending

Juan Valdez

2020

Pending

George Gretsas

Not yet

TBD

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Delray CITY TRENDS SO21xxXX.indd 45

2019 stemmed from his refusal to allow the city to pay for Mayor Petrolia’s son to accompany her on a trip to Tallahassee. The judge dismissed one of Lauzier’s complaints but rejected the city’s motion to dismiss the case entirely.

And speaking of those water problems, a former employee in the Utilities Department also has sued. Juan Valdez said he was fired for telling the Department of Health that the city wasn’t putting enough chlorine in the water to kill bacteria.

Another fired city manager, George Gretsas, also is likely to sue. Gretsas claimed that the commission made him the scapegoat for the water problems, even though the problems predated him and he shut down the reclaimed water system that caused the problems.

Delray Beach politics—the Lawyers Relief Act.

Few municipal services are as basic and vital as clean, reliable water. Yet the Florida Department of Health has accused Delray Beach of multiple water safety violations over 13 years.

In January, the state sent the city a draft of its proposed consent order. It called for a fine of nearly $3 million and for Delray Beach to post a public notice acknowledging that the city can’t verify that its water was safe between 2007 and 2020.

That proposal went to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for review. The DEP is the state agency charged with enforcing the federal Clean Water Act. After that review, the fine was down to $1.8 million, but the requirement for the public notice remained. So did the long list of alleged violations.

At deadline for this article, the city’s outside attorney was negotiating with the state. Whatever the outcome and the wording of the final order that the parties sign, Delray Beach residents still don’t have the full picture of how this happened.

They don’t know how a well-meaning program to use reclaimed water for irrigation and thus conserve potable water caused people to get sick because one system contaminated the other.

We do know enough, however, to see that the failures were institutional—the result of poor management and inadequate oversight. Rather than seek to shift blame, the city commission should request an outside investigation.

And the top priority for Delray Beach is a new water plant.

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REAL ESTATE THE GREAT REAL ESTATE BOOM How crazy did the COVID-19 pandemic make the local real estate market?

This crazy.

In May, fewer than one half of one percent of all the homes in South Florida were for sale.

According to Related ISG Realty, that was a record low inventory rate. In raw numbers, only about 5,800 homes were on the market. Palm Beach County was even tighter than Broward and Miami-Dade, with just 0.3 percent of homes available. For more than a year, it’s been boom times for Realtors and some sellers. For locals seeking more room and latecomers from outside Median Sales Price the area, however, it’s a problem. Even though mortgage rates had remained very low through mid-June, home prices had begun to take buyers out of the local market.

Consider Delray Beach. Prices in areas east of Swinton Avenue were about 12 percent higher on average than they were a year ago, and they already had been rising. The median home price in Palm Beach County hit nearly $470,000, a 27 percent increase year over year. After looming first as a disaster, the pandemic juiced the market. Residents of large cities faced lockdowns and saw their apartments as prisons. Remote work showed executives that they could live anywhere.

The 2017 federal tax bill limited how much of their state and city taxes residents in the North-

east and Midwest could deduct.

Though some New Yorkers long have called South Florida “The Sixth Borough,” the pandemic influx from New York has been startling.

According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, roughly 34,000 people exchanged New York driver’s licenses for Florida licenses between September 2020 and March 2021.

Of those new Floridians, 95 percent live in Palm Beach, Broward or Miami-Dade counties. Even as the pandemic market was sizzling, those benefiting and watching wondered how long it would continue. Would higher interest rates cool things? Rates ticked up in late June after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell noted higher inflation. Or would it be as simple as demand easing? New York began to reopen in midsummer. Vaccinations have become widely and easily available. Would New Yorkers start reconsidering because of summer heat in Florida and forecasts for an above-average hurricane season?

It will take more time to determine the duration of the pandemic boom, and some of the effects already are showing themselves.

For all the people moving into South Florida, many people are leaving. Some are willing to make a longer commute from, say, Port St. Lucie to Palm Beach County if they can get a much larger house for less money. And if more

SINGLE FAMILY HOME SALES Median Sales Price

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employers go to a hybrid system—some days in the office, some days at home—the commute matters less. According to the Census Bureau, Palm Beach County grew by just 0.65 percent in 2020. Broward and Miami-Dade barely registered gains. Meanwhile, growth in the Tampa Bay area and Southwest Florida was between two percent and three percent last year. Analysts said lower home prices were the main factor. Eddie Blanco, a Realtor in Miami, said to the Sun Sentinel, “With all these people moving to Florida, many people are also choosing to move out because the pricing doesn’t make sense.”

As of late June, deadline for this article, Lang Realty President Scott Agran said he wasn’t seeing “the same velocity” as he did in February.

Out-of-state buyers were still calling. Homes that were “priced correctly” still were “going pretty quickly.” Some sellers, Agran said, were “getting a little greedy.” But the low inventory was continuing to push up prices. There was much more demand than supply. Inventory, Lang said, was “the big question.” Labor and supply costs were making construction more expensive. At some point, “There will be a stare-down between buyers and sellers, and the buyers will say they aren’t paying that much. That’s when the inventory will increase.” And things will get less crazy and stay that way. At least for a while.

Traditional Single Family Home Sales Short Sales Foreclosure/REO

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NEW AND ON TAP

THE HUB

Delray Beach is changing right in front of our eyes—and not just because the pandemic is closer to being in the rearview mirror. From Menin Development’s hospitality and dining takeover to the installation of tangible progressive landmarks, our city isn’t what it used to be. For once, that might just be for the better.

The Palm Beach County HUB has officially opened in Delray Beach, and will serve as a local resource by and for the community to support people recovering from substance use and behavioral health disorders. A Recovery Community Center (RCC), with the goal of supporting those in need of help fighting addiction in Delray Beach, the HUB bills itself as a “one-stop shop” for individuals in the community who need help, and don’t know where to turn. Construction began in July 2020, and the center celebrated its ribbon-cutting this past May. “The work that went into this is just the beginning,” says Ian Stone, the HUB’s Recovery Community Organization Site Coordinator. “The focus of the HUB is on the individual who has nowhere else to turn and feels like they have lost all hope. They are who the HUB will fight and move mountains for, to ensure they realize the simple truth: Recovery is possible, you are not alone, and as long as an individual has breath, there is hope.”

Rendering of Sundy Village

SUNDY VILLAGE Barring a questionable incident involving the removal of some trees—classic Delray drama—this mixed-use development from Pebb Capital is aiming for a mid-2023 launch. It promises retail, office and dining spaces—and a much-needed underground parking area—all built around the historic Sundy House restaurant, with the goal of revitalizing Downtown Delray’s burgeoning commercial sector.

“The location of Sundy Village, at the intersection of Atlantic and Swinton avenues, makes it the gateway to Downtown Delray Beach,” says Todd Rosenberg, co-founder and managing principal of Pebb Capital. “We are honored to be delivering a project that will serve as an ambassador to the bustling corridor, and knew that in doing so, we must honor its history. That’s why we updated the name from Midtown Delray to Sundy Village, paying homage to the Sundy House. … By weaving together the old and the new, Sundy Village perfectly meshes with the fabric of Downtown Delray Beach.”

OPAL GRAND The beachside hotel that was formerly the Delray Beach Marriott reopened this year as the Opal Grand, joining the ranks of other resorts in the “Opal Collection,” which range from Key West to Maine. The two-year renovation revitalized and upgraded the iconic oceanfront Delray hotel, which now boasts two restaurants—Cascades and the Monkey Bar—with a new two-story venue overlooking Atlantic Avenue on the way.

The Ray

THE RAY The Ray hotel is set to become yet another crown jewel of Delray’s rapidly growing hospitality scene. Two blocks off Atlantic Avenue and just a mile from the city’s beachfront, the boutique luxury resort will feature 141 “smart” guestrooms, cutting-edge architectural design and, perhaps most notably, a rooftop pool, restaurant and bar that can accommodate upwards of 450 guests.

“It’s probably the first project in history where the construction is all done, but we’re not opening,” said Jordana Jarjura, President of Menin Development, in late June. Like much of the hospitality industry nationwide, supply chain issues have hamstrung the project, causing a delay in its opening from July until Labor Day. But when it does finally open its doors, guests are in for a treat. “We’re hoping to put Delray Beach on the map as more than just a ‘let’s go out on Friday night and party’ town,” Jarjura shares. “What we’re missing in the Delray hotel market is a luxury product.

It’s only 141 rooms, so it’s a boutique hotel in size, but in terms of the finishes, the interior design, the art and the architecture, it’s truly a luxury hotel.

“Our goal is to really elevate the type of product we have here in our city, from a use perspective as well as a design perspective. So we encourage other developers to make the same investments that we’ve made in our town.”

Opal Grand

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DOWNTOWN Laura Simon

3 TIMES

of 2021 may be losing its charm with all the DELRAY WON changes. Simon begs to ALL-AMERICAN disagree.

CITY AWARD “The blessing is that we have rules in place to help manage the fabric, we have plans from a city perspective to help manage our growth. We can’t build skyscrapers and cast shadows on DELRAY POPULATION our city,” she says. “Our 1910 sunshine’s still bright here, we still have walkable streets, we still have trees lining our streets. Things are growing up, the trees are bigger ... But it looks the same in a way. There is definitely a different DELRAY POPULATION, feeling, because you just 2021 can’t walk down the street and see Mr. Wenzel standing outside the Mercer-Wenzel building like he was for 55 years; You won’t see David Cook when you walk into what was Hand’s. People are retiring; we are all growing up. That’s part of life.”

Simon sees the change as a normal rhythm of a growing city, and all the added pressures as signs of “managing success.”

“The neat part is that now you have [the older generation’s] kids who are working in these spaces, your friend’s child is now the bartender at this one place. Delray still has the people and that energy. … It still is one of the great places that has held onto that hometown spirit.”

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IAN DAGNALL / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

Downtown Delray has entered a new phase of life in the past two years, starting with a renewed surge in activity post-pandemic due to the opening of the new Delray Beach Market. Combine that with its growing complement of apartments and some new hotels, and what was only 20 years ago a relatively sleepy beachside town is now one of South Florida’s most visited hot spots.

There are very few older businesses still in existence; the departure of the old Mercer-Wenzel department store a few years ago and the recent closing and sale of Hand’s art supply and gift store, which had been there 84 years, signal a new era for the city. The demographic is younger, the draw to downtown is now regional, and there are also some big city issues like homelessness and petty crimes on the uptick.

Parking meters replaced free parking, and traffic along the main drag, Atlantic Avenue, is reminiscent of Ocean Drive in South Beach.

Reservations are a must in popular restaurants, even in summertime, and “The Avenue,” as most people call it, is hopping on weeknights as well as weekends now.

“We are at about a 15 to 25 percent increase in activity—sales and occupancy rates—over 2019 numbers,” says Laura Simon, executive director of the Delray Downtown Development Authority, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. “We had half a million in 2019 who were doing a two-night stay.”

Simon says the last two years (not counting the pandemic shutdown) have been marked by infill

development and “connecting some spaces,” like the Atlantic Crossing Development which was in a transition zone between downtown and the bridge, or the new Aloft and Courtyard Marriott hotels and sleek apartments transforming the area south of Atlantic Avenue.

“We have a brand-new state-of-the-art food hall that was a vacant lot for most of my tenure year at the DDA. … and is now a sparkling piece of art. It’s the same with the IPIC theater—another piece of art that is now a signature building in our downtown.”

(Simon added the theater is a small part of the building, which also comprises Class A office space, a retail base and 250 parking spaces.)

These days, Lyft and Uber and the Freebee golf carts are everywhere, Brightline speeds through on the tracks, and the beachside Promenade has been completed. Tin Roof is action central for a younger crowd that now defines late-night Delray. Younger families are moving in; new retail is replacing longstanding businesses.

But there’s more.

Coming up are The Ray Hotel and Shops in Pineapple Grove, the new Throw Social restaurant in what was the old Il Bacio and Prime, the opening of phase one of Atlantic Crossing, the Opal Grand’s completion of its Drift restaurant, the renovation of the Seagate and the Sundy Village closer to breaking ground. This fall will also mark a return to bringing events back, like the popular Halloween Witches’ Ride, and perhaps even an updated version of Art & Jazz on the Avenue.

Still, many worry that the “new” downtown

AARON BRISTOL

TOWN TO CITY

Downtown Delray Beach

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DELRAY BEACH MARKET

A&E: THE REBOOT

Perhaps the most notable new dining facility to crop up in not just the county but the entire state, Delray Beach Market certainly made a splash upon its arrival off Atlantic Avenue this past spring. Boasting nearly 30 vendors spread out over 150,000 square feet, it’s the largest food hall in Florida, and it does not disappoint. From burgers at Dad’s Favorite to poke bowls at Tanuki, this dining destination is reinvigorating our taste buds and our sense of culinary exploration.

“Old School Square has been the center of

Downtown Delray for some time, with the GreenMarket and events, but we didn’t really have an interior landmark that everybody could come to,” says Jordana Jarjura, president of Menin Development. “We wanted it to be a community gathering spot not only for our city, but also for the state and the tri-county.” Menin plans to add up to seven more vendors to the food hall now that social distancing requirements are being relaxed.

COURTESY CITY OF DELRAY BEACH

DELRAY BEACH PRIDE INTERSECTION

This year’s Pride Month saw the installation and dedication of the Delray Beach Pride Intersection at Northeast Second Avenue and Northeast First Street in the Pineapple Grove Arts District. The street-level artwork features the colors of the traditional pride flag—violet, blue, green, yellow, orange and red— along with pink, white and blue for transgender people and black and brown to honor the community’s people of color. Conceived of and executed by the Delay Beach City Commission in partnership with the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council and

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the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the streetscape was launched and dedicated on Saturday, June 12.

“Delray Beach was not always as welcoming of the LGBTQ community as it is now,” says Rand Hoch, president of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council. “When I visit the Pride Intersection with friends, we talk about the progress that has been made and appreciate how an incredible group of elected officials, city staffers and civic leaders all came together to create this welcoming public art installation.”

JULIA ROSE PHOTO

SSTEFFEN CHERRY

After a year and a half of uncertainty, two of downtown’s cultural staples look ahead to a thriving season If there were silver linings to the plague year, Old School Square found them.

The venue’s outdoor Pavilion, led by COO Holland Ryan, managed to not only open safely—thanks to its swift restructuring into pod seating—but to attract bigger names than it had

Jimmy Buffett

ever booked pre-pandemic. The Pavilion’s Jimmy Buffett residency will be remembered as a historic milestone for the mid-sized stage, and it would be followed months later by prog-rock giants King Crimson. Hopefully, even when the larger amphitheaters open and the pods are dismantled, Old School Square will continue its run of good fortune and farsighted management—even without, at the time of this writing, a director and CEO. The Old School Square campus used its quarantined downtime in other productive ways, too: namely a $1.5 million facelift to the Crest Theater, funded by a private donor, which will transform the historic building into a fully 21st century performing-arts venue. When the building reopens for live performances, patrons will experience a modernized box office system, redesigned lobby bar and much more. Many of the venue’s bookings from two years prior, including Lucie Arnaz, Beatles historian Peter Asher, and folk troubadour Loudon Wainwright III, are back on schedule, so score one for loyalty—and perseverance.

In Pineapple Grove, the Arts Garage has also proved its resilience. Marjorie Waldo has proven to be an intrepid leader, transitioning to streaming-only programming, then to a hybrid option, and now to full-capacity, in-person concerts. Its now bustling schedule—full of touring bands from an eclectic array of genres, comedians, poetry readings and more—is restoring its status as a lynchpin for the community’s most diverse and emerging artists. “We’re seeing larger audiences every show,” Waldo says.

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Delray 2021: Top Trends in Delray Dining

Here are a few people—and places—that are shaking up Delray’s dining front Written by Christie Galeano-DeMott

i

n 2021, Delray restaurants moved from soft post-pandemic reopenings to fullbore dining service, whether they had enough help or not. People went out in droves. New places opened. Reservations were a must, well into summer. As we look toward another busy season, here are a few dining concepts that are enlivening our culinary landscape.

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EMBER GRILL & ROSEWATER

STUDIO MUNGE

BILL MILNE

Pineapple Grove’s newest additions, both inside The Ray Hotel, are bringing style, glamour and delectable dishes to Delray. Helmed by prominent chef Joe Zanelli, each restaurant has its own personality. Ember Grill features a modern twist on American cuisine, while Rosewater Rooftop is serving up global street food in a lively atmosphere.

“To see Clique and fellow top chefs and restaurant groups relocating or taking interest in elevating South Florida’s culinary scene is exciting to me,” Zanelli says. “In Vegas, we’re used to serving new tourists daily. In South Florida, there’s an opportunity to formulate a closer connection to the local resident and tourist, as there’s more frequency in their visits to a local restaurant. So I’m looking forward to doing that with Ember Grill and Rosewater Rooftop, and I’m looking forward to presenting a unique array of dishes for people to experience and for them to become new neighborhood favorites.”

Above, Ember’s 38-ounce Porterhouse; bottom, Ember Grill; right, Chef Joe Zanelli

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“To see Clique and fellow top chefs and restaurant groups relocating or taking interest in elevating South Florida’s culinary scene is exciting to me.”

-Chef Joe Zanelli

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The Warren; below, one of its whiskey concoctions

THE DELRAY BEACH MARKET The locally headquartered, commercial real estate developer Menin created the massive 150,000-square-foot space, and its vendors have brought Delray a slew of refreshing, new and exciting options for locals and visitors alike to enjoy. Bringing an international culinary scene to Delray, here you’ll find Southern fried chicken and good ole’ American smashed burgers alongside sushi rolls, Indian bowls and Mexican tacos.

And a few of its top women chefs…

LEE MAZOR After leaving her corporate gig behind to invest in her passion for baking, Lee worked at notable venues including the Four Seasons, the Fontainebleau Miami Beach and the dearly beloved 32 East before opening up her own bakery, Lovelee Bakeshop, in Fort Lauderdale. Her cakes, famous for their Italian meringue butter cream, are her signature, and are prominently displayed at the Delray Market.

RAQUEL ABOU As the owner of Ferdos Grill, a family-owned restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, Raquel has brought her Mediterranean fare north to Delray. Here diners can choose from creamy hummus, an array of kabobs, gyros and warm kibbi stuffed with sautéed meat and onions.

AMBER BENJAMIN Food has always been a big part of Amber’s life.

Growing up in New York, her father owned an Italian restaurant and cultivated her passion for good food. Five years ago Amber, with her partner Carson Bennett, started a catering company and opened the first Guaca Go location in Boynton. Now Amber, who grew up visiting her grandparents in Delray every winter, has expanded her guacamole empire to the Ave.

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WARREN AMERICAN • WHISKEY • KITCHEN This contemporary space effortlessly blends the feel of a refined whiskey lair with the cuisine of an elegant yet comfortable restaurant. Starters like jumbo lump crab cakes, St. Louis ribs, crispy calamari and smoked fish dip share the menu with favorites including juicy burgers, Wagyu steaks and soaring seafood towers.

But the singular feature that distinguishes Warren from other new entries in Delray is its 900-bottle whiskey library that includes rare golden-hued sips of McCallan 50, Double Eagle Very Rare and Pappy Van Winkle. Damn Good Hospitality Group CEO Jeff John looked to his legendary uncle Warren for inspiration, and now honors his life with his newest west Delray Beach concept.

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DELRAY’S DINING FUTURE

Delray Beach is indeed welcoming its own share of star power, with celebrity chefs and big-name hospitality firms descending onto its sands to share the spotlight with established and beloved local chefs. We sat down to chat with Michelin-starred chef Akira Back about what his new concept means to Delray’s dining scene as well as local darling Jimmy Everett about his thoughts on our foodie future.

AKIRA BACK AT THE RAY, DELRAY BEACH: Akira Back, the namesake restaurant by world-renowned Michelin-starred chef and global restaurateur Akira Back, opens this fall in the arts district of Pineapple Grove at The Ray Hotel Delray Beach, Curio Collection by Hilton. This multisensory modern Japanese dining concept, designed by Celano Design Studio, will become Delray Beach’s first Michelin chef-led dining experience, incorporating Back’s diverse culinary influences acquired from his childhood, Korean heritage, and travels throughout the world.

The custom menu will be composed of cold and hot “small plates” served in multiple courses, and the space features a semi-open kitchen and two dining counters, one featuring sushi and one featuring a charcoal robata grill.

“The restaurant will be a melting pot of culture with a focus on my life experiences from traveling the world as a professional snowboarder and chef,” Back says. “It represents the roots of my culture, along with the roots of my culinary training. My passion is to provide a food and beverage experience that is unique and leaves people emotionally connected with aspects of my food, personality and life.”

GREG SAMBORSKI

Akira Back

“The restaurant will be a melting pot of culture with a focus on my life experiences from traveling the world as a professional snowboarder and chef.”

-Chef Akira Back

The Ray’s Rosewater rooftop deck

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“As far as the future goes, it’s going to depend on how much the businesses are really putting into it and listening to what people want.”

-Chef Jimmy Everett

AARON BRISTOL

As a Delray native who grew up visiting his grandmother at her Atlantic Avenue office, Jimmy Everett has seen firsthand Delray’s evolution from its small beachtown roots. At 17 he left Florida in search of culinary enlightenment and worked his way up through the ranks until he worked under Michelin-starred chef Michael White in both his New York and Hong Kong restaurants. He returned to South Florida with his wife Ilia to open their dream restaurant. After exploring Atlantic Avenue space options, the couple quickly realized that venues were garnering New York City-like rents. Driftwood recently celebrated its three-year anniversary in its Boynton Beach location while Jimmy was busy opening up the fast-casual pasta concept Sorella’s inside the Delray Market.

As for Delray’s dining scene, he appreciates the New York companies coming down. He sees the bar being raised as diner expectations are being refined.

While he doesn’t love being stuck in traffic, he likes that he’s seeing better quality food available. He just hopes these new companies aren’t fickle, and really invest in the city.

“As far as the future goes, it’s going to depend on how much the businesses are really putting into it and listening to what people want,” he says. “It seems like they are, but with everything else reopening, what’s going to happen in a year? But I would love to see it continue to grow, and I would love to see that competition. It’s good competition. It’s the type of competition that forces everybody to do better. I thrive off that. I hope to see a good balance of places that can preserve what Delray is and also bring a more elevated and quality-focused product, including service.”

He doesn’t want to just see a New York transplant here. An example he notes is Lionfish, which in his opinion is bringing something better to the area while not simply replicating a concept. The seafood-centric restaurant is working with local fishermen and products, making it feel like it belongs on the Ave.

Driftwood’s chicken and dumplings

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Public Sounds

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GOING PUBLIC

At the closing weekend of this year’s Mini South Florida Fair, amid the aromas of chocolate-dipped bacon and red velvet funnel cake, the West Palm Beach jazz-funk collective Public Sounds set up for its first concert in nearly 12 months.

Typical Fair entertainment slants toward washed-up ‘70s rockers and mid-tier country acts, so it was an incongruent venue for this sextet of sonic sophisticates known for its complex time signatures, classical training and influences like Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea. But this is just peachy for the band, which relishes any opportunity to expand its audiences’ tastes.

“I like playing for audiences that aren’t ready for us or aren’t expecting us,” says trombonist/percussionist Kevin Cripanuk. “Even though they might not know the tunes, we want to keep it palatable and draw people in. Even if, yeah, we do try to push the limits of our audiences’ ears a little bit, we also want to serve them, and play stuff that will surprise them and they can relate to, at least in some way.”

Public Sounds formed around 2011, when co-founder Markis Hernandez, saxophonist for South Florida’s institutional reggae act Spred the Dub, sought a project to explore different musical avenues. Hernandez formed a jazz duo with electric bassist Chris Patsis and soon recruited Cripanuk to form a trio.

They solicited other musicians through Craigslist. It would take a good six years of rigorous vetting for the present lineup to come together.

“It was tough sculpting the sound for this band, and what that meant,” Hernandez recalls. “We realized very quickly how important it was to have people with very specific skill sets, and also people with pretty strong self-discipline, that are going to work on their own.

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Public Sounds

“Whatever we do, it needs to sound palatable to some degree, and not too heady. When we play a show, it’s not for ourselves; it’s for everybody that’s there.”

—Markis Hernandez

“You can’t just play rock ‘n’ roll and be in this band,” he adds. “There’s got to be a lot of foundational things that are important. The most important thing is the immense study of jazz music. In a weird way, if you can’t play swing music, it’s hard to be in this band, even if we don’t necessarily swing. That feel, or that cadence, underneath it all, is what enables us to be on the same page.”

The group’s newest member, Harley Galeano, can attest to the band’s exacting work ethic. “Rehearsals with Public Sounds are harder than actual performances with Public Sounds,” he says.

“Rehearsals are very serious. Everyone’s so smart, I feel like I’m in a classroom.

Everyone’s a teacher, too, and this is the most challenging material I play. … I try my best to keep my ears really open.”

Their efforts paid off in 2019, Public Sounds’ most important year to date, which

saw the release of its debut album Irregular Prime and an expansion of its YouTube output. The pandemic put that momentum on pause, but the comeback performance at the 2021 Fair was anything but rusty. Theirs is a tight, fulsome sound, played with breathless speed and improvisatory innovation, as danceable as it is intellectual.

They even spiced up the set with unexpected covers that belied the group’s uber-serious bona fides—particularly an elevated take on Britney Spears’ “Toxic.”

“It’s almost a humorous choice,” says Cripanuk. “Because when you see 30-something dudes playing jazz instrumental, you think Britney Spears right away.”

Find music from

Public Sounds at publicsounds.bandcamp.com or on your streaming service of choice.

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CHASING THE DREAM

In January 2021, Boca-based singer-songwriter JD Danner released her first new recording in five years. Titled “Nothing But Faith,” it captured the essence of the past year and a half.

“There’s a fear in the air tonight/It keeps us apart,” Danner sings, on the alternately plaintive and hooky four-minute track, solo piano building toward a crescendo of guitar, bass and drums. “We’re a world interrupted/Our lives are disrupted/Believe that we’ll see better days,” goes the chorus, colored by a hint of twang.

“I was inspired to write it from seeing

albums of original material, Danner hopscotches between country, folk and blues.

“Earlier in my career, that was an issue,” she says. “People didn’t know where to put me. I would meet with a manager or an agent, and they’d be like, ‘Are you country? Are you rock? Are you blues?’

And my answer is always, I’m a little of all of that.

“The way the music business is now, especially if artists can promote themselves online, you can do your own thing. When I recorded my [debut] CD House Blend, [I decided] I’m not worried about fitting in a genre. I’m not worried about a record la-

“There’s a magic in music, because it can be healing. It can move you emotionally in ways that you can’t explain."

Find music from JD Danner at reverbnation. com/jddanner or on your streaming service of choice.

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the way the world was, the quiet streets, signs of things being closed ... and I thought people needed a song of hope,” she says. “Music brings that. There’s a magic in music, because it can be healing.

It can move you emotionally in ways that you can’t explain.”

Danner has been chasing this brand of magic professionally since 1992, when she quit her workaday career as an accountant to pursue music more seriously. “I didn’t want to be just waiting for Friday every week,” she says. “I missed family occasions, dinners and things because I needed to make deadline for papers that end up in boxes in a room that no one cares about a month later. … I needed to feed my soul.”

So she enrolled in music and guitar lessons, formed her first band at 28 and hasn’t stopped since. Her punky bangs and shoulder-length black hair instantly conjure one of her major influences, Joan Jett, but crunchy rock anthems are only part of her diverse oeuvre. Across four

bel thinking these songs go well together.

I’m just going to write what I like.”

Though she mostly tours around Florida, Danner has amassed a national audience playing on military bases and on USO tours. She performed at an NFL halftime show in Indianapolis, and earned rave reviews for her sets at Nashville’s legendary Bluebird Café.

There have been setbacks, too— carrots dangled, only to be yanked at the last minute. One of her swampy country songs, complete with a preliminary contract, nearly made it onto the soundtrack of HBO’s “True Blood.” She was also in talks to have her music sold in Cracker Barrel stores, which would have instantly elevated her profile.

“That was a set thing until it wasn’t,” she recalls.

But if her songs teach us anything, it’s that hope is always around the corner. “It has not stopped me from continuing to dream, and to try for the next opportunity.”

AARON BRISTOL

—JD Danner

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FUZZ WORTHY

With a story that begins as a solo bedroom project and leads to backing up Iggy Pop just a few years later, the ascent of Miami rock trio Las Nubes has been rapid to say the least.

Formed in 2015 as the solo project of singer-songwriter-guitarist Ale Campos under the name “Smvt” (pronounced “smut”), over time the project evolved into Las Nubes, a three-piece that now includes Nina Carolina on bass and Emile Milgrim on drums. The group’s Bandcamp page succinctly describes its sound as a “Miami fuzz-worshipping power trio churning out undeniably catchy garage pop hits in English & Spanish.”

The trio is held together by the glue of Little Haiti’s Sweat Records, where Milgrim is a co-owner and Campos works.

“One day a friend of ours came into Sweat,” Campos says of the band’s beginnings, “and mentioned to me that he was booking a show for [Japanese indie-pop act] Shonen Knife and he needed an opening band. He asked me if I wanted to play, because I had shown him some of the songs I had been working on, but I was like, ‘eh, I don't really want to play by myself, that would be kind of weird.’ And Emily was there and she said she would play drums, and that's basically how the band started.”

The venerable record store, which shares a wall with legendary Churchill’s Pub, also put out the group’s first full length—titled SMVT, after its original moniker—on its own imprint, the cheekily named Sweat Records Records.

Since that impromptu first gig, the band has strung together a run of successes that included releasing SMVT, making a split EP with fellow Miami rockers Palomino Blond, and the aforementioned gig backing Iggy Pop as the Stooges—the first all-female group to perform as the seminal proto-punk outfit—at a Miami Art Week event.

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Las Nubes

While the group’s brief stint as Pop’s backing band may have been surprising to those outside of Miami’s music scene, it wasn’t a shock to the band. The group is familiar with the renowned rocker through his visits to Sweat Records, and Campos even had a starring role in one of his music videos. “We know Iggy, but we didn’t expect him to ask us to play with him,” Milgrim shares. Also, she says, “he hadn't played any Stooges songs in a bunch of years. … So it was extra pressure to live up to this legacy artist and this legacy band he’s so famous for.”

One of the defining characteristics of Las Nubes’ songs is that they are bilingual—some sung in English, others in Spanish. The language of one of the group’s songs is usually determined by “rhythm and cheese factor,” as Milgrim puts it, with Campos adding that “there were actually a couple of songs that I had written the lyrics originally in English,

and I just thought, ‘Wow, they sound really stupid in English.’”

The group is now branching out to become even more multilingual. Bassist Nina Carolina, whose family has roots in Brazil, is working on a song in Portuguese.

The group, like so many others, had plenty of plans sidelined by COVID-19.

The pandemic nixed a European tour that was slated for late 2020 and may impact a set of dates planned in Mexico late this year. But Campos harnessed the early weeks of lockdown as a creative flourish, pumping out songs the group hopes to bring into the studio soon.

For now, the group encourages listeners to do what they can to support the local music scene until the pandemic subsides.

“Bands like us rely on shows and merch and touring and all this stuff to keep the band going,” Milgrim says. “If fans are able to support the bands in their community, they really help them grow.”

Find music from Las Nubes at lasnubes.bandcamp. com or on your streaming service of choice.

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“We always liked headlining our own shows from the start, because we had a lot of material. ... We wanted that two-hour slot where we can get up there and do everything we want to do.”

—Mike Garulli

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PET PROJECT

The Heavy Pets

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What happens when a handful of kids from Upstate New York make their way to South Florida to start a band? In the case of the Heavy Pets, it marks the beginning of a 15-years-and-counting jam-band odyssey.

And yes, that is “jam band” as in the Grateful Dead, Phish and other polyphonic improvisational outfits known for their marathon live sets and dedicated followings. The Heavy Pets’ unique fusion of rock, funk, reggae and performative spontaneity fits the bill perfectly.

Formed in late 2005 by Mike Garulli and Jeff Lloyd, who had been playing music together for nearly 10 years before relocating to Fort Lauderdale for work, the band found early success when its music fell into daily rotation on the XM satellite radio station Jam On, and won a fan vote contest to play on the bill at Central Florida’s dearly departed Langerado Music Festival. As Garulli puts it, “once we had those two things going for us, we just branched out and started booking gigs all over the country, and kind of chose to put the band first in our lives.”

And the members of the Heavy Pets never stopped putting the band first.

Following that early spark that ignited the group’s rise, near-constant touring over the next 15 years elevated its notoriety within the jam-band scene at large. During that time, the group played an untold number of shows around the country and released eight critically acclaimed studio albums.

Though the group did occasionally support larger acts in the earlier stages of its career, as Garulli puts it, “we always liked headlining our own shows from the start, because we had a lot of material, and we just felt like we had a lot to say musically. We wanted that two-hour slot where we can get up there and do everything we want to do.”

A particular favorite of the group’s is a regular multi-gig stint at the Green Parrot in Key West, in which the band plays nearly 12 hours of music over three nights without repeating any songs.

“Throughout the years that has been just an epic showcase for us, and an epic experience for our fans,” Garulli shares.

The Heavy Pets currently consist of Lloyd (guitar/vocals), Garulli (guitar/ vocals), Jim Wuest (keyboards/vocals), Jamie Newitt (drums/vocals) and Tony D’Amato (bass), and each of its members brings compositions to the table.

This unorthodox structure has led to the group operating as something of a creative collective that doesn’t seem to have (or need) a sole bandleader.

“We’ve always been a fan of music like that, where we can support each other and put multiple harmonies on a song, and switch off on lead vocals or lead guitar,” Garulli says. “It’s a great way to grow together, and support each other, and figure out our strengths.”

These days, the pandemic and its accompanying effects have separated the band’s members by distance, but they intend to get back together as soon as it’s safe to tour again. In the meantime, its members have remained musically active.

Garulli released his first solo record, “Caribou,” this year, and plays frequently in and around Boca Raton.

He assures that the group isn’t going away. “We really never stopped putting the band first. We’ve been working all these years on it. … It’s definitely become our lives.”

Find music from the Heavy Pets at theheavypets.bandcamp.com or on your streaming service of choice.

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10 Essential South Florida Albums

SOUL MEN, SAM & DAVE (1967) Miami-based duo Sam & Dave took the burgeoning R&B world by storm in the 1960s, and the singers reached their commercial peak with sophomore effort Soul Men, from which the title track reached No. 2 on the Billboard charts and went on to inspire generations when it was covered by the Blues Brothers.

A WHITE SPORT COAT AND A PINK CRUSTACEAN, JIMMY BUFFETT (1973) Though Jimmy Buffett is known to Parrotheads the world over as an artist who got his start on the Gulf shores, this sophomore studio effort was his first following a move to Key West that preceded his superstardom and had a profound impact on his sound.

KC AND THE SUNSHINE BAND, KC AND THE SUNSHINE BAND (1975) This seminal disco outfit got its start in Hialeah, and this self-titled sophomore effort was the highest-charting effort of the group’s career, peaking at no. 4 on the Billboard 200 and receiving a Platinum certification from the RIAA. It boasts the group’s two biggest hits: “Get Down Tonight” and “That’s the Way (I Like It)”.

HOTEL CALIFORNIA, THE EAGLES (1976) Yes, we’re fully aware of the irony here, but much of this mega-smash hit by the venerable ‘70s soft-rockers was recorded not in its namesake state, but in North Miami’s distinguished Criteria Studios, where the group also recorded One of These Nights.

LET IT LOOSE, GLORIA ESTEFAN & MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (1987) Though this record would end up being the last to bear the Miami Sound Machine name before Gloria Estefan launched her successful solo career, it was the influential group’s most successful. The record went triple Platinum and contained the band’s biggest hit, “Anything for You.”

AS NASTY AS THEY WANNA BE, 2 LIVE CREW (1993) The record that put Miami music on the map for all the wrong reasons, this third effort from Miami Bass hip-hop group 2 Live Crew went double Platinum, but it was also the first record in history to be deemed legally obscene. It featured the cringe-worthy lead single and opening track “Me So Horny,” and things only got more salacious from there.

A MARK, A MISSION, A BRAND, A SCAR, DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL (2003) Boca Raton’s own emo heroes Dashboard Confessional recorded this record, its third, in Miami, and it proved to be an unlikely success that catapulted the group to stardom. The record peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart, and lead single “Hands Down” remains the group’s biggest hit.

ASTRO COAST, SURFER BLOOD (2010) The debut from West Palm Beach indie rockers Surfer Blood took the blogosphere by storm upon its 2010 release, and more than a decade later its sunny, infectious hooks still resonate with the same gritty beachside charm.

PLANET PIT, PITBULL (2011) For a time, Pitbull was on top of the world, and the Miami-born rapper was the unofficial ambassador for the Magic City. This record boasts two top-10 Billboard hits and went double Platinum, helping Pitbull complete his transformation from “Mr. 305” to “Mr. Worldwide.”

ZUU, DENZEL CURRY (2019) This fourth full-length from Miami Gardens-born rapper Denzel Curry takes its title from a nickname for Carol City, the neighborhood where he was raised. It makes up for a lack of commercial success with heaps of critical praise, and Curry poses on the cover in an old-school Marlins jersey.

Does it get any more Florida than that?

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LOUNGE ACT

Guitarist and composer Russell Mofsky’s formal training began at age 11, but even before that, he was making music—or something akin to it—in ways that still resonate.

“As a kid there was a piano in the house, and I used to bang away at it, not knowing what I was doing,” he says. “I would step on the sustain pedal, and it sounded like I was in a cave, and when I hit the low notes, it sounded like thunder. It was a sort of primal, formal relationship with making sound.”

Since 2010, Miami’s Mofsky has recorded under the moniker Gold Dust Lounge, an instrumental collective with a rotating cast of players and a peripatetic approach to genre. Like his earliest experiments in sound, Gold Dust Lounge’s music is prized for its evocative ambience, and the memories, textures and places it suggests. Inspired by primitive surf rock, tiki music and vintage cinema, Mofsky has produced four albums of unclassifiable gems, ranging from the immersive Polynesian shimmer of “Lost Sunset” to the nocturnal drone of “No Doze” and the gutter blues of “Barfly.” The sleeve of its 2014 breakthrough LP Lost Sunset depicts an Old West gunslinger—carrying a guitar instead of a pistol—confronting a four-eyed alien on a red planet. It’s no wonder Mofsky coined the term “soundtracks for imaginary films” to describe his project.

For Mofsky, the road to Gold Dust Lounge was as winding as his repertory. In 1988, while in high school, he co-founded Quit, a Kendall punk band that would influence a generation of followers. But Mofsky, who had begun studying music at the University of Miami, left the group after two years to dive deeply into jazz.

“I was meeting other kids at UM, in the jazz program, and they were showing me things,” he recalls. “I was always really driven to learn, and to be able to play what I heard in my mind’s ear.”

Mofsky describes his 20s as “like I went to seminary. I was hyper-focused, I had no social life, and I was determined to make

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Russell Mofsky

the best use of the time and really practice. … Andre, the drummer from Quit, says I went on a 10-year jazz odyssey.”

The improvisatory spirit of jazz would inform Gold Dust Lounge years later. But the roots of GDL really germinated in Boston, when Mofsky attended graduate school at the New England Conservatory of Music.

Frequenting the city’s vibrant live music scene, he would hear sounds outside the commercial rock and jazz paradigms—like the surf group the Fathoms, the rockabilly trio the Crank-Tones and the western swing band the Spurs. “I thought, I relate to this more than jazz. … It was something you could move to.”

Mofsky wove these musical threads, and others, into Gold Dust Lounge, founded after he moved back to Miami around 2007, and he soon cultivated an unorthodox touring schedule. While most local bands played late-night gigs in clubs, Mofsky, who was raising an infant, sought out op-

portunities to “maintain dad hours.”

Gold Dust Lounge became the resident band at the Harold Golen Gallery in Wynwood, playing at the Second Saturday Art Walks from 7 to 10. Eventually, GDL became the house band at the idyllic Standard Hotel on Miami Beach.

These days, though Mofsky expects to release more GDL material post-COVID, Gold Dust Lounge concerts are less frequent. The composer, who recently turned 50, lost his mother to lung cancer following the release of Lost Sunset, an event that changed him.

“You lose a parent, and it reshapes your world,” he says. “You’re not truly an adult until you’re the adult. So it wasn’t anybody’s fault, but it changed what I wanted. I wanted to be with my family, and I wanted to keep making music on my terms. That’s really what I continue to do now.”

Find music from Gold Dust Lounge at soundcloud.com/ golddustlounge or on your streaming service of choice.

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SHOWROOM & MANUFACTURING 2880 NW Boca Raton Blvd., Suite 1 Boca Raton, Florida 33431 561.750.3177 canamcabinet.com

[ home ] B Y R O B I N H O D E S

This South Florida home by Canatelli Builders and C.S. Pool Designs is an oasis for R&R.

Pool, Patio, & Playtime in South Florida

Summer may be over, but the living is still easy this fall as we bring you the best in outdoor spaces, pool and patio ideas and South Florida showplaces of design— so let the fun in the sun begin! september/october 2021

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[ home ]

This Delray home by Canatelli Builders, C.S. Pool Designs and KWD Landscape Architecture was inspired by the homeowners’ travels to places like Bali.

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VING PROOF REAL ESTATE PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY OF DOUGLAS ELLIMAN

Staycation Home

With all the stunning features of a luxury resort, this South Florida residence is a veritable tropical paradise—neither plane tickets nor passports required

DANNY PETRONI

T

here’s nothing quite like a vacation getaway, but for the Delray Beach family that lives in this 21,000-square-foot home, their backyard is unquestionably the next best thing. It’s a house that has all the elements of a luxury resort, and better yet, those who get to enjoy it get it all to themselves!

Inspired by the homeowners’ travels, this spectacular outdoor environment offers tranquility and intimate moments, but easily becomes the ultimate venue for a killer pool party when the occasion calls for it.

“They brought back photos from their vacations to Vegas and Bali, then asked us to combine various features they loved,” says Edward Canatelli, founder and chairman of Canatelli Builders, a luxury homebuilder based in Pompano Beach. “Our goal was to re-create that vacation feeling for them when they’re in their own backyard.”

Cascading water walls, multiple elevations, extravagant lighting features and even a koi pond were among the facets his client wanted to replicate. But just as not many people can build this kind of home, not many contractors can build this kind of pool. Several worthy candidates bid on the enviable project, but it was C.S. Pool Designs, Inc. of Boynton Beach

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that ultimately landed the gig. “It took between two and three years, multiple crews, 257,000 gallons of water, and a tractor trailer load of Pebble Tec,” explains C.S owner Charlie Stoetzel, “but they just send me the plans and I make it.”

Following the brilliant “map” laid out for him by landscape architect Stephanie Portis, who at the time was the lead on this elaborate project

by KWD Landscape Architecture of Delray Beach (she’s since broken out on her own to form Boca Raton’s PLA Design Studio), he engineered and executed two sun shelfs, a gazebo and bar, an upper and lower spa, a conversation pit and a sun deck—all of which surround the expansive black onyx Pebble Tec-lined swimming pool.

And when the sun goes down, the light show begins. Using the latest technologies, Stoetzel installed 127 LED color-changing lights that illuminate the space in a multitude of colors and modes, all conveniently controlled via smartphone.

As evidenced by this pictorial, a successful collaboration of stellar talents, a visionary homeowner and a generous 9,000 square feet of space to “play” with are the recipe for a resort-like outdoor oasis of one’s dreams.

Just add water.

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Their talents amaze and inspire. They share their resources and expertise to transform our homes and lives with style, color, comfort and functionality.

Discover new ways to surround yourself in the beauty of it all through their visions.

FLORIDA

Style&Design

Cover photo provided by Kitchens Renovations Perfected located in Boca Center (561) 441.6008 kitchenrp.com

The Face of GLAMOROUS INTERIOR DESIGN PERLA LICHI Perla Lichi Design

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erla Lichi has made her awardwinning mark in the luxury interior design world since 1984, with her unique signature creations adorning spaces from magnificent turnkey residential and commercial projects to those just needing a glamorizing touch-up for an exciting new feel.

As evidenced by her eclectic taste, Perla has lived her life setting trends rather than following them. Gaining inspiration from her wanderlust, love of people, astrology, numerology and her multicultural roots, Perla keeps extremely busy with a roster of clients who know she will work her design magic to beautifully enhance their lives.

“My home reflects my soul and my history.

My clients have their own unique soul that I reflect theirs in each job I do. People need a breath of fresh air in their homes and offices, especially now that so many have recreated the spaces where they do business. They must love the environment and be inspired in every room. I know where to put the money so it looks extraordinary and expensive,” says Perla.

954.726.0899 Perlalichi.com

EMILIANO BROOKS

With over four decades in the business, Perla still considers herself a workaholic. With no intention of slowing down, she has found that the secret to her enduring success is doing what she loves while finding the work/ life balance spending quality time with her family and grandkids. “They are my greatest inspiration by far,” she says.

The Face of THOUGHTFUL INTERIOR DESIGN DAWN CAUSA Causa Design Group

H

igh-end luxury interior designer Dawn Causa has been “designing the art you live in” since 1986. She considers herself an artist and an interior designer—a curator for the home.

“I start with a blank canvas and pull inspiration from the homeowner and the surrounding environment. There is so much beauty in Florida from our million-dollar ocean views, lush golf courses and tropical landscapes,” Dawn explains.

“Then there’s my design role, where I interpret my clients’ desires and transform their homes, creating a beautiful, modern style that embodies elegance, functionality and harmony. A lot of focus is given to what I call ‘thoughtful design,’ as each client’s lifestyle is different. In some cases, that requires me to consider things like environmental sensitivities, medical equipment, mobility and handicap accessibility.

“There’s an intimate side to this profession. By developing close relationships with my clients it makes it easier to help with very personal needs.

I’ve worked with a paraplegic client, people with neuropathy, and some so sensitive to their surroundings that special mortars, glues, grouts and paints are used.

“What it all comes down to is that I truly care about people,” she reflects. “I’m fortunate to be spreading joy through design. It’s a pretty amazing job having the chance to impact people’s lives in such an artistic and meaningful way.”

954.652.1714 Causadesigngroup.com

The Face of STUNNING DESIGN SOPHISTICATION JEANETTE HUBLEY-LASHER Associate ASID, Principal Hubley Design Interiors

C

reating interiors in New York and throughout Southeast Florida, Jeanette Hubley-Lasher embraces her craft with a modern sensibility by using traditional elements and classical motifs, infusing them with a modern aesthetic resulting in sophisticated, timeless, unique environments.

Her passion for fashion and art are reflected in her diverse range of projects from homes, condos, lofts, casual weekend retreats, and residential building lobbies.

She believes each design tells a unique story. “I thrive on developing that story with my clients’ personalities and tastes, with each space presenting the perfect combination of lighting, color, form and authenticity,” she says.

“I transfer my passion and vision for detail and beauty into people’s homes with a hands-on approach to every project. I am always sourcing unique furniture, fabulous accessories, works of art from fine to funky, and all things home to create the finished look that makes a stunning statement. As a result of my commitment, my design work has expanded the quality of my life and for that, I am grateful,” says Jeanette.

With the many challenges the past year presented for her extensive travel schedule, Jeanette sheltered at her Boca Raton design studio. Exceedingly common projects became transforming outdoor spaces as the quintessential extension of the home, creating a newfound ambience of reflection, recreation and relaxation.

561.961.4696 Hubleydesigninteriors.com

EMILIANO BROOKS

Jeanette anxiously awaits resuming her worldly exploration personally selecting artisan pieces to enhance her designs, from the souks in Marrakesh, the markets in Istanbul Paris flea markets and shops and villages in southeast Asia to name a few adventures.

The Face of SPECIALIZED INTERIOR DESIGN CARL VASILE and JOY PAHLAVAN Principal Owners Palm Beach Design Masters

T

he artistic DM logo gracing the luxurious storefront at 326 Peruvian Avenue engages passersby and, as you’d expect, attests to the creativity going on inside at Palm Beach Design Masters. This contemporary design studio is where Carl Vasile and Joy Pahlavan work for their high-end residential, commercial and luxury real estate clients.

With more than 30 years of combined design industry experience in Palm Beach, New York and Atlanta, their approach is to make every design project reflect the individual tastes, personality and vision of their clients, always with a clear understanding and respect for their expectations and timelines.

From sprawling idyllic Palm Beach mansions to quaint cottages and corporate headquarters, their projects are diverse and in demand. An astute attention to detail and unique masterful design collaborations have earned them great standing in Palm Beach, renowned the world over for prestige and perfection.

Carl and Joy combine a hands-on workshop and a retail home furnishings store at their coveted address. Clients fall in love with the eclectic collections of accessories they can take home with them that day, while plans are set in motion for custom made furniture, window treatments and floral arrangements the design team will create on site with their signature style to accentuate any space.

Any trip to historic Palm Beach is a memorable one. One stop at Palm Beach Design Masters and Carl and Joy can make those memories live on for a lifetime of beauty and enjoyment.

561.318.8142 Palmbeachdesignmasters.com

The Face of EXCLUSIVE ITALIAN TILE AND MARBLE MICHAEL HUMMEL Just Tile & Marble

F

or the last 33 years, Michael Hummel has immersed himself in the latest styles and trends in tile, marble and glass. His exquisite variety of artistic and unusual offerings has earned him a prestigious standing in the industry. Just Tile & Marble offers an exclusive line of imported porcelain slabs and other beautiful natural stones, as well as unique glass and metallic tiles from around the world.

“I pride myself on offering only the best to my clients. Every time we do selections for a home, whether it is a 3,000- or 30,000-squarefoot project, I treat it as if it was my own, and create an environment that my clients would love to live in,” explains Michael. Just Tile & Marble specializes in the use of porcelain slabs for exterior cladding, main flooring and bathrooms. Whether you want to add a stunning kitchen backsplash or a dramatic feature wall, Just Tile & Marble offers countless styles of book-matched slabs that add a luxurious element to any project.

Michael strives to bring only exclusive products to the forefront of the marketplace.

Eighty-five percent of Just Tile & Marble imports are from Italy’s finest factories, including the premier Sicis Art Mosaic Factory in Revenna. He offers boutique quality service at wholesale prices. With unmatched diligence, Michael collaborates with his clients and their designers to achieve incredible custom spaces.

Just Tile & Marble is South Florida’s premier supplier for designers, builders and developers looking for the highest quality materials.

AARON BRISTOL

561.272.4900 Justtilenmarble.com

The Face of the FINE ART OF KITCHENS AND BATHS BARBARA GELLER, ACSD, PKBD The Place For Kitchens and Baths

“I

t’s not enough to have a kitchen or bath just look good. If they don’t function, they have no purpose in the home,” explains Barbara Geller, president of The Place for Kitchens and Baths. Her undergraduate and graduate education in Fine Arts provided her the aesthetic foundation to visualize the potential beauty in her clients’ spaces. Her decades of expertise as a Certified Kitchen and Bath Designer has enabled her to meticulously decipher every detail of how she is going to use that space.

“In these changing times, kitchens have evolved from a gathering place for meals into a home office and often a classroom. When I go to the client’s job site I am focused first on delivering a functional floorplan for the lifestyle they lead now—and will—in the future of the home.

Then, the style choices come into play, from modern clean lines to the gold tone hardware and faucets that are making a comeback.

EMILIANO BROOKS

“The same applies to bath design: function first.

I want my client to be able to reach the on and off controls in the shower without having to get wet. With a movement toward freestanding tubs, I often have to design a deck so they can enjoy the ambiance without mobility issues.

After all functionality considerations are mastered, the beauty evolves from my arsenal of endless design possibilities,” Barbara explains.

“My work is very gratifying. Making my clients happy is what I love to do.”

561.338.7171 Theplaceforkitchensandbaths.com

The Face of LEGACY FINE ART PORTRAITURE LUANN WARNER-PROKOS Warner-Prokos Photography

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uAnn Warner Prokos is an award-winning master photographer who has been serving South Florida with her premier photography artistry for over 10 years. From individual and family portraiture, including maternity and newborn sessions, to headshots and branding, her passion and awe-inspiring work and product spans far beyond the digital file. Portrait sessions are personally stylized for each client, designed to capture their unique personality, style, or emotion.

Her retouching artistry assures a flawless, natural looking result.

LuAnn’s luxe studio is known for the experience she offers, her attention to detail, and exquisite heirloom quality legacy products from folio boxes and albums, to contemporary wall art and unique fine art wall prints that showcase artistically edited images, using top product creators sourced throughout the US, as well as Italy and other countries.

“I tell my clients, ‘You may have a library of digital images and selfies of yourself and family, but you may not have a single quality photo taken. The time is now to capture those moments and milestones in print that will be cherished today and for a lifetime as a priceless work of art. Portraiture that captures your place in time and is an investment that holds immeasurable value and enjoyment from generation to generation.’”

LuAnn will be relocating her studio to Boca Raton in early September. Her camera lens is poised to welcome you for a truly artistic and lasting experience.

561.264.2442 WarnerProkosPhotography.com

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The Face of CONTEMPORARY INTERIOR DESIGN KEN GOLEN Ken Golen Design

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ow that people have been spending so much more time at home, Interior Designer Ken Golen is busier than ever. “Clients are turning to me to upgrade their most important investment.

A single room make-over easily turns into a total home remodel once they see the results,” says Ken. “I listen to what clients want, explain what I envision, and often end up fixing the mistakes they’ve made thinking they could do it on their own.”

Ken prides himself on over-delivering understated contemporary design by utilizing natural stone and wood and subtle earthy tones. Not one for over-the-top glitz and glam, he will adapt to a client’s wishes and tastes while incorporating sophistication into whatever style they choose.

“Even with the backlog of inventory overseas due to the pandemic, clients don’t have to worry about waiting months to see a transformation. I source local artists and vendors for the finishes, flooring, tile, countertops and fabric that my clients need.

They can come to my Weston office and look at samples or I come to their home with an arsenal of choices. Then we can start small and go crazy,” he laughs.

EMILIANO BROOKS

For his out of town clientele, Ken offers turnkey design service. “I buy the furniture, set everything up, and they just move in with their toothbrush. Their reactions are priceless, and most claim the results are beyond their wildest expectations,” he says.

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954.217.7388 Kengolendesign.com

8/8/21 11:55 PM

The Face of ESTHETIC AND FUNCTIONAL CLOSET DESIGN LORI HOYT California Closets

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ne of the main features people care about in a home is ample closet space and storage. And even when it is limited, with expert organizational tools and spacial design provided by Lori Hoyt and her family team at the California Closets’ franchise serving Broward and Palm Beach, there’s a place for everything!

“As you grow with your home, and the world changes as it recently has, we are reinventing our spaces to suit or new reality. We rely on our customers understanding our expertise to create organization that matches their unique settings and lifestyles,” explains Lori.

“There are certainly better prices out there, but there’s no real competition. I am proud to say that California Closets is the prototype people try to duplicate. What we do sets us apart with proprietary products only available to California Closets. Our designers have a design background, go through rigorous systematic training and must know organization down to a science, which will benefit the client for years to come. Spacial design knowledge is key and by us utilizing the latest 3-D technology, clients can see every detail before the project begins.”

954.946.2218 Lhoyt@calclosets.com

AARON BRISTOL

Lori says that people now want a furniture look.

“Since you visit your closet more than any place in your home, why not have beautiful functional furniture surround you instead of your closet looking like a jumbled Tupperware drawer with things scattered all over the place?” she asks.

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MEDICAL EXPERTS

Gain valuable insights from an esteemed group of medical experts whose skilled hands and years of specialized training have made them invaluable resources in their fields, our community and our lives. Learn about the latest procedures, practices and state-of-the-art technology to enhance and protect your most valuable asset: your health.

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DR. FREDERIC J. NORKIN, DMD

DR. EITAN GROSS, DMD

DR. JEFFREY GANELES, DMD, FACD

DR. LILIANA ARANGUREN, DDS, MDSc

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SOUTH FLORIDA CENTER FOR PERIODONTICS & IMPLANT DENTISTRY

3020 North Military Trail, Suite 200 Boca Raton (561) 912-9993 Flsmile.com

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outh Florida Center for Periodontics & Implant Dentistry is one of the country’s most highly respected periodontal practices, with a team of Board-Certified doctors offering the highest standard of care and advanced treatment. Patients can call directly to see a doctor without needing a referral.

Q. What are the strengths of your practice?

A. “Radiant smiles reflect confidence and health, and our mission is to preserve and restore smiles. Each doctor is Board-Certified in Periodontics and Dental Implant Surgery and we keep current on the latest procedures and technologies.” – Dr. Jeffrey Ganeles, DMD, FACD Q. What is your philosophy when it comes to patient care?

A. “We believe that people should have fixed teeth for life. Our doctors control or reverse problems that can lead to tooth loosening or loss, and permanently replace teeth, transforming smiles and changing lives.” – Dr. Liliana Aranguren, DDS, MDSc Q. What kind of services do you offer?

A. “We manage periodontal (gum) disease, correct esthetic gum problems and replace failing or missing teeth, focused on regenerative procedures. Everything we do is centered on patient experience and we focus on minimally-invasive techniques, optimizing healing and reducing recovery time.” – Dr. Samuel Zfaz, DDS Q. How do you implement the latest technology in your practice?

A. “We utilize today’s most sophisticated dental technologies. This includes LANAP dental lasers, in-house cone beam and intraoral scanners, Yomi® Robotic Implant surgery and sedation options. We are committed to integrity and share collective wisdom and resources.” – Dr. Frederic J. Norkin, DMD Q. How do you manage patient comfort and safety through sedation?

A. “We use anesthesia to be able to safely treat patients with complex medical problems or those requiring deeper sedation for their treatment. I also work with special needs patients, dentistry-phobic patients and those requiring extensive treatment in order to ensure the best possible experience with us.” — Dr. Eitan Gross, DMD

DR. SAMUEL ZFAZ, DDS Sponsored Content

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ERIC SHAPIRO, MD

Sports Medicine – Arthroscopy Surgery and General Orthopaedics

BRANDON LUSKIN, MD Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery

CHARLTON STUCKEN, MD JONATHAN COURTNEY, MD DANIEL BALUCH, MD Sports Medicine – Arthroscopy and Fracture Surgery

Total Hip and Knee Reconstructive Surgery

Spinal Reconstruction Surgery

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ORTHOPAEDIC SURGERY ASSOCIATES, INC

1601 Clint Moore Road, Suite 125 Boca Raton (561) 395-5733

2828 South Seacrest Blvd., Suites 104 & 204 Boynton Beach (561) 734-5080 Ortho-surgeon.com

MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM OF ORTHOPAEDIC SURGEONS

F

or nearly 40 years, the world-class trained team of physicians at Orthopaedic Surgery Associates have been providing head-to-toe orthopaedic care for teens to seniors, athletes to weekend warriors, patients who have experienced failed surgeries elsewhere and those seeking the latest techniques in minimally invasive procedures.

All physicians are Board Certified and Fellowship trained with specialties including hand, knee, hip, spine and sports medicine. Services include comprehensive evaluation and testing procedures; total knee, hip and shoulder joint replacement, spinal surgery including Kyphoplasty, arthroscopic knee surgery; repair and reconstruction for torn knee ligaments and cartilage; hand and wrist surgery; and a full scope of physical and occupational rehabilitation and pain management ancillary services.

Q. How does the telemedicine appointment option work?

A. Patients can go online or call to schedule a telemedicine video consultation and may be asked to download an app and install it on their phone, tablet or computer. For reference, essential health documents should be handy. Depending upon the case, the patient may be seen for pre-op and post-op visits online or may be advised to visit the office in person if the situation requires.

Q. What are the newest procedures patients are seeking?

A. The minimally invasive spinal procedure, Kyphoplasty, is used to treat back pain from compression fractures, osteoporosis or trauma. It is done under local anesthesia in the office, using the precision C-arm computer navigation device, and allows patients to get back to their active lives within days.

Q. Are all services available at both office locations?

RODRIGO BANEGAS, MD ELVIS GRANDIC, MD Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery

Total Hip and Knee Reconstructive Surgery

A. With a combined expert physician staff of two orthopaedic sports surgeons, two total joint reconstruction surgeons, two hand surgeons, a spine surgeon, a podiatrist and full onsite x-ray and rehabilitation services, patients can see their desired specialist within a few miles of each other at either OSA’s Boca Raton or Boynton Beach office.

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GAZELLE ARAM, MD PAIN MANAGEMENT

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r. Gazelle Aram is a respected physician specializing in innovative and non-surgical solutions for patients who suffer from chronic pain conditions. Double boardcertified in pain management and anesthesiology and trained by leading institutions, Dr. Aram received her medical degree from Albany Medical College at the top of her class. She completed a three-year residency in anesthesiology at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, followed by a fellowship in pain management at the University of California San Diego.

Expert Care Center accommodates patients without wait times, makes room for urgent appointments, and, to simplify communication, can be reached by text message.

Q. How do you approach patient care?

A. My team and I are committed to making sure patients have a stress-free and positive experience, shown by their enthusiastic five-star reviews. I evaluate and treat the patients personally and take time to listen to their symptoms and concerns. My goal is to get to know my patients on a personal level and develop a treatment plan that fits their goals. In short, we treat our patients like family; we chat, we listen to music, we laugh, we heal.

Chris Headshots

Q. How do you incorporate the latest technology in your practice?

GAZELLE ARAM, MD Expert Care Center

4675 Linton Blvd, Suite 102 Delray Beach (561) 203-5160 Expertcarecenter.com

A. We use the latest technology and practices so our patients can be confident that they are receiving the best possible treatment. We offer traditional treatments such as epidurals and nerve blocks as well as advanced treatments like radio frequency ablation and spinal cord stimulators, silencing pain with electrical pulses.

Q. Who should seek treatment with a pain management specialist?

A. For any individual suffering from pain, we should be the first stop on their journey. We are highly specialized in diagnosing and treating various pain conditions. We can aid in developing a multi-specialty treatment that incorporates physical therapy, chiropractic, neurology, and surgery if appropriate.

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ROBERT P. NORTON, MD, FAAOS ORTHOPEDIC SPINE SURGERY

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killed in the most advanced surgical techniques and emerging technologies, Dr. Robert Norton specializes in all aspects of comprehensive spinal care.

His expertise and excellent surgical outcomes have earned him the nickname “Miracle Worker.”

His prestigious academic training combined with a passion for teaching and research allows him to take an individualized approach to every patient. His high-quality care is backed by research and evidence-based medicine, with proven and expected results. Dr. Norton has authored multiple publications on a variety of topics related to spine surgery in peer-reviewed journals and textbooks. He has also received several research grants and has presented his research at both national and international conferences.

A. Yes, it is my true passion and the future of spine surgery.

With this new technology I am able to perform minimally invasive spinal decompression or fusion in an outpatient surgical facility and have patients walk out an hour later in amazement at how functional and pain-free they are.

Disc degeneration, herniations of the neck and back, or spondylolisthesis can all be fixed with just a small one-inch incision. Patients recover at home and are often walking several miles just a week post-op!

Q. How do you treat a painful compression fracture?

A. As the author of the book teaching surgeons how to perform a Kyphoplasty, I can gently do the procedure in about 10 minutes. After numbing the area, a small needle is placed into the broken bone under x-ray guidance. I then inject a small amount of bone “glue” to stabilize the broken bone. This permanent fix serves to relieve broken bone pain and prevent further collapse of the bone so patients don’t become deformed and hunched over.

Photo by Paulette Martin

Q. Do you perform minimally invasive spinal surgery?

ROBERT P. NORTON, MD, FAAOS Orthopedic Spine Surgery

670 Glades Road, Ste. 200, Boca Raton 7200 W. Camino Real, Ste. 104, Boca Raton 5210 Linton Blvd., Ste. 304, Delray Beach 11135 South Jog Road, Ste. 5, Boynton Beach 1414 S.E. 3rd Ave, Fort Lauderdale (561) 495-9511 FloridaSpineAssociates.com Sponsored Content

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DR. LEONARD BERKOWITZ

PRIMARY CARE / FAMILY MEDICINE

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r. Leonard Berkowitz is the lead primary care physician at FAU Medicine in Boca Raton and board-certified by the American Board of Family Medicine. As part of a team of university faculty, Dr. Berkowitz is dedicated to improving the wellbeing and longevity of his patients through compassionate and personalized care.

Previously, Dr. Berkowitz served at Heart and Vascular Associates and Primary Care Medical Associates in New Jersey and at Medical Associates in New York. He is a graduate of Cornell University and New York College of Medicine.

Q. What makes FAU Medicine unique?

Bristolfoto

A. FAU Medicine physicians, teachers, and researchers at FAU’s Schmidt College of Medicine are up to date with the latest clinical innovations. FAU Medicine offers on-site diagnostic services, including full laboratory, EKG, and vaccinations.

Services include adult preventive care, routine check-ups, management of acute and chronic health problems, and geriatric care. Recently, we launched the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health, and now occupy the entire fourth floor of the Galen Medical Building. Together, FAU Medicine’s Primary Care practice and Marcus Institute of Integrative Health provide complete health and wellness under one roof, combining evidence-based, patient-centered approaches.

DR. LEONARD BERKOWITZ FAU Medicine Primary Care Galen Medical Building 880 N.W. 13th St., 4th floor Boca Raton (561) 566-5328 Faumedicine.org Sponsored Content

Q. What is the facility like and how would you describe the quality of care at FAU Medicine?

A. FAU Medicine’s 7,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility offers patients both primary and integrative healthcare to oversee all aspects of adults’ healthcare. In addition to a conventional clinic setting, the Marcus Institute houses a demonstration kitchen, community wellness activity space, and infusion suites.

We spend quality time with our patients, focusing on prevention, and coordinating specialized care to keep you healthy.

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MEDICAL EXPERTS

PLASTIC SURGERY

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r. Vivian Hernandez, MD, FACS is a board-certified plastic surgeon who is known for creating natural, aesthetically pleasing results for her patients. With more than two decades of experience and trained by some of the world’s leading surgeons, Dr. Hernandez provides individualized treatment plans combining proven methods with the latest techniques.

Throughout her career, Dr. Hernandez has been widely recognized for her attention to every detail of patient care, and she is committed to personally help patients fulfill their goals. She has received numerous accolades for her work, and her rise to one of the top facelift surgeons in South Florida is a testament to her artistry and skill.

Q. What is your philosophy when it comes to patient care?

A. Each patient is unique to me, and I strive to care for them in the same way I would want to be treated. Therefore, evaluation is very personalized to each patient’s needs, and I spend a great deal of time getting to know my patients on a very personal level to understand what will make them happy. From that point on, I am there as their doctor every step of the way.

Q. How do you approach treatment for your patients?

A. The aging process takes a toll, not only physically, but also mentally and emotionally. I want my patients to feel good about themselves again, and my goal isn’t to make them look different, but help them look fresher, healthier, and more vibrant. I strive to help each individual find the right procedure to recapture a radiant self-image that reinforces their confidence and self-esteem.

Q. What services do you offer?

A. As a plastic surgeon, I specialize in surgical rejuvenation of the face. Some patients, however, are not eligible for surgery.

With that in mind, I offer a variety of non-surgical options like injectables, dermal fillers, neuromodulators, laser treatments and more. Even for nonsurgical treatments, I apply the same care and artistry to make the outcomes as natural and pleasing as possible.

VIVIAN HERNANDEZ, MD, FACS Plastic Surgery

4799 N. Federal Highway Boca Raton (561) 750-8600 DrHernandez.com Sponsored Content

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DR. RAFAEL C. CABRERA

AESTHETIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE PLASTIC SURGERY

D

r. Rafael C. Cabrera is board-certified in general surgery and plastic surgery. He has been practicing plastic and reconstructive surgery in Boca Raton for over two decades and is on staff exclusively at Boca Raton Regional Hospital. Dr. Cabrera received his BA with Distinction from Cornell University in 1985 before graduating from New York University School of Medicine in 1989. He completed his Surgery Residency and Plastic Surgery Fellowship at the New York University Medical Center Institute of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and the prestigious Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital. Dr. Cabrera also completed the Research Fellowship in Scarless Wound Healing at New York University Medical Center.

Q. What defines a good facelift?

A. A good facelift means you look beautifully natural without anyone knowing you’ve had work done. Tightening the muscle layer and ligaments are often necessary to get a more youthful contour. Adding volume with natural tissue, like your own fat and stem cells, will augment and rejuvenate your face by replacing facial deflation associated with aging.

Carlos Aristizabal

Q. How do you achieve natural looking results?

RAFAEL C. CABRERA, MD, FACS

Aesthetic & Reconstructive Plastic Surgery 951 N.W. 13th St., Suite 4-A Boca Raton (561) 393-6400 Pssbocaraton.com

A. No chipmunk-cheeks or duck-lips allowed! Using the correct technique ensures natural-looking results. A multitude of tools are used to regain a more youthful appearance. Over-lasering the face or over-filling the cheeks and lips to hide every last wrinkle is not flattering. Ultimately, patients rely on my expertise, esthetic judgement, trust and integrity.

Q. What procedures are popular for men?

A. Since men now work longer, retire harder, and can maintain muscle mass by exercising, it is important to have their face match their body. Droopy eyes and a sagging neck is a stark contrast from their otherwise sharp, on-the-ball appearance and physique. An eye and neck lift can greatly improve their appearance.

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GARY J. WAYNE, DMD

ORAL & MAXILLOFACIAL SURGEON

S

pecializing in face, jaw, and mouth surgery, Dr. Gary J. Wayne offers the full scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery, which includes dental extractions, wisdom tooth removal, oral pathology, treatment of traumatic injuries of the mouth, face and jaw, single and multiple dental implant surgeries, and grafting procedures for bone and gums. His practice has an emphasis on dental implant surgeries.

Dr. Wayne is an Adjunct Clinical Professor at Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine and is board certified by the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

Q. What improvements have been made in dental implants?

Q. How does your office differ from other practices?

A. As a solo practitioner, I offer personalized care that seems to be lacking in some of the larger, corporateowned practices. When patients come to see me, I will be the only one who examines them, designs treatment plans, and performs the surgery and follow-up care.

Patients respond to this level of care, and I have seen several generations of many families due to this practice model.

Emiliano Brooks

A. The base implant material (titanium) has been consistent over the past 25 years because the success rate is 98%. The advances are in computer-aided guidance systems and designs. Before we touch the patient, we have already done the implant surgery on the computer. Teeth are designed and, in some instances, made prior to surgery. We use these advanced techniques to improve the surgical experience and diminish the pitfalls of the surgery. We also offer ceramic implants for those patients allergic to titanium.

DR. GARY J. WAYNE

Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery & Dental Implants 2500 N. Military Trail, Suite 308 Boca Raton (561) 443-7001 Wayneoralsurgery.com Sponsored Content

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Cars • Waverunners • Motorcycles • Trucks • Boats

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Gabriel’s Auto Sales 2660 NW 2nd Ave • Boca Raton • FL 33431

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561-271-9423 rosesdaughterdelray.com 169 NE 2nd Ave. Delray Beach, FL 33444 in Pineapple Grove

Executive Chef / Owner Suzanne Perrotto 561-274-2046 brulebistro.com 200 NE 2nd Ave. Delray Beach, FL 33444 in Pineapple Grove

[ out & about ]

Destiny Beck, Maggie Hanson, Meredith Watkins

Danny Bollitt, Amber Clark, Shaina Wizov, Roger Brown Esq.

MIXOLOGY 2021

WHAT: In early May, guests gathered at the brand-new Delray Beach Market in Downtown Delray for Boca magazine’s annual Mixology, South Florida’s premier craft spirits event. Attendees enjoyed cocktails crafted with more than 20 different types of spirits and light bites from each of Delray Beach Market’s food vendors. Sponsors included Delray Beach Market, Republic National Distributing Company, PEDEGO Electric Bikes, South Florida Golf Carts, Anna Zuckerman Luxury, Baciami, Basis Medical, Dash Medical Spa, Just Tile & Marble, SaVi H2O, Scott Jeffries Art, and Space of Mind Schoolhouse.

WHERE: Delray Beach Market

Guests were treated to live music from AA Musicians

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Reps from Bribón and Dos Maderas preparing to serve up cocktails for guests

AARON BRISTOL

Michele Kerrigan, Grego Coker, Lisa Golitz

september/october 2021

8/2/21 3:33 PM

Rebecca Gollin, Karlie Friedman, Lara Brown

Caitlin Fitzgerald and Sara Fox

Kaitlyn Rhoda, Lauren Guagno

Reps from South Beach Syrup and Prescribed Spirits

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Scott Jeffries of Scott Jeffries Art

AARON BRISTOL

Lindsey Swing, Angela DiGiorgio

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[ out & about ] DELRAY BEACH PICKLEBALL OPEN

WHAT: This spring, for the second time, the Delray Beach Tennis Center hosted the APP Delray Beach Pickleball Tournament. The event included players of all ages—more than 800 in total, including more than 100 professionals—from all over the world, and was aired on CBS Sports.

Boca Raton resident Abe Grohman won the gold medal for both singles and doubles in the 60+ age group.

WHERE: Delray Beach Tennis Center

BIONIC PICKLEBALL

Professional player Simone Jardim

Anna Leigh Waters, the tournament’s youngest professional player

Professional player Dekel Bar

JLBR DIAPER BANK GIVES AWAY FIVE MILLIONTH DIAPER

WHAT: Since 2011, the Junior League Of Boca Raton has used its Diaper Bank to distribute diapers to families in need in Palm Beach County. The program is aided by the Boca Raton Innovation Campus, which donates space for storage. In spring 2021, the initiative gave out its five millionth diaper, having since reached 5.2 million distributed. More than 15,000 local families have received aid from the Diaper Bank since its inception, and in 2022 it will become a standalone nonprofit organization.

WHERE: Boca Raton

Dre Garcia, Margi Cross, Alexis Lannan and Ashley Craig

Bailey Harfmann and Jamie Sauer

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Colleen Tuttle and Jennifer LaMont

september/october 2021

8/5/21 5:28 PM

Tiffany Busch receiving the award for Best Pony

11TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL GAY POLO TOURNAMENT

WHAT: This spring, the Lexus International Gay Polo Tournament Presented by Douglas Elliman Real Esate took place in Palm Beach.

For the first time ever, the Senator Cup Final was played on Field 1 of the International Polo Club Palm Beach, and both teams competing in the Senator Cup Finals were comprised of LGBTQ+ polo players. At the end of competition, Cherry Knoll Farm players Andres La Placette, Gustavo Larrosa, Ryan Cronin-Prather, Peter Secor and MVP honoree Ryan Cronin-Prather took home the coveted Senator’s Cup trophy.

WHERE: International Polo Club Palm Beach

Winning Team Cherry Knoll Farms (from left): Andres (Lala) La Placette, Gus Larrosa, Lexus Representative Ayiko Broyard, Ryan Cronin-Prather & Peter Secor

SARA COLE

Riders and their horses in competition

Jennifer Nolan-Jones, Ayiko Broyard, Chip McKenney, Keisha Dixon and Janella Sellars

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[ out & about ] WALK LIKE MADD 2021

WHAT: Nearly 1,000 walkers and runners participated in this year’s Walk Like MADD and MADD Dash 5K, either in-person at Fort Lauderdale’s Huizenga Plaza or virtually.

Altogether, more than $215,000 was raised to benefit Mothers Against Drunk Driving of Broward and Palm Beach Counties.

The event was sponsored by the Salah Foundation, UKG, UBS Financial Services, the Sheriff’s Foundation of Broward County and Memorial Healthcare System.

BSO DUI Task Force: Brittany Armstrong, Jose Guzman, Scott Popick, Heather Geronemus, Robert O’Dor and Ryan Clifton

Tracy and Jonathan Gulbranson

WHERE: Huizenga Plaza in Fort Lauderdale

Meredith Clements and Ben Sorenson

Team Miami Dolphins: Katie Navas, Katharina Nowak, Sloane and Javier Sanchez, Brett Brecheisen

Heather Geronemus and Vice Mayor Udine

Bella, Keith and Jennifer Staffen

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Ed, Benjamin, and Susan Galante

DOWNTOWN PHOTO

Trooper John Gresheimer, Auxiliary Captain Dwight Clodfelter, Joy Clodfelter, Lt. Yanko Reyes

Team Kaitlyn’s Footsteps in Memory of Kaitlyn Ferrante and Marisa Catronio

september/october 2021

8/2/21 3:34 PM

AN EVENING OF MUSIC AND ART IN THE GARDENS

WHAT: This spring, supporters of West Palm Beach’s Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens came together to celebrate philanthropy, music, art and nature at the Gardens Conservancy’s seventhannual Evening of Music and Art in the Gardens.

At the event, Palm Beach resident Audrey Gruss was presented with the Ann Norton Award for Philanthropy, which is bestowed each year to an individual who supports the Gardens and the legacy of Ann Norton.

Eleanora Kennedy and Robyn Joseph

Jim and Sara McCann

WHERE: Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens

Cynthia Sulzberger and Steven Green

Melinda and Tom Hassen

Bill and Christine Aylward

Shelly Newman, Lauren Kesselman and Patricia McLaughlin

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CAPEHEART

Sam Carroll, Bob Bishop and Perri Brenner

Audrey Gruss, Susan Wright, Frances Fisher and Diane McNeal

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[ out & about ] K9S FOR WARRIORS WHAT: In late March, the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens hosted “Heroes in the Gardens,” an event to raise awareness and funds for Ponte Vedra-based nonprofit K9s for Warriors. The organization is the nation’s largest provider of service dogs to military veterans suffering from PTSD and other military traumas.

WHERE: Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens

Carlos and his service dog Hanna

Damian and his service dog Shai

Greg and his service dog Utah

Linda and her service dog Bama

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Sarah and her service dog Major

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257 NE 2nd Avenue, Delray Beach 561-274-0190

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he first thing you notice when speaking to Christina (Christina’s Restaurant) and Joseph (From Roehm with Love Florist) is their humility.

It’s evident they have huge hearts. These two downtown Delray Beach business owners have brought joy to thousands of locals and visitors for 25+ years, one through delicious food and one through gorgeous flowers. They are neighbors and true friends as well.

More than 20 years ago, Christina began her business as the Twilight Café in the Starbucks space near 2nd and Atlantic serving Italian dinner and eventually breakfast, lunch and dinner. A couple years later, Joseph opened his business, From Roehm with Love, a few blocks east on Atlantic and recalls, “she saved my life”. In exchange for a rose at each of her tables, she would feed him and his husband meals that sustained them in the early years of his business.

263 NE 2nd Avenue, Delray Beach 561-278-3200

Christina recalls, “I set a table for them outside on the sidewalk, to draw people in”.

It was not desirable to sit on the sidewalks of the Avenue at that time. Christina would hand out menus as people passed by and in time both of their businesses grew. And so did Delray Beach. This growth led to a move for Twilight Café and a new name, Gleason Street Café. She relocated to the property now claimed by the Seagate on Atlantic.

The continued new development of the downtown led to another relocation to the Ocean City Lumber property across from the Arts Garage.

After some turns in the road, she made a move in 2009 to her current destination at the Esplanade in Pineapple Grove. Joseph had already landed at the Esplanade in 2007, and at a time when there was very little business in the Grove. Joseph recalls the elation he felt when someone said to him, “we now have our anchor in Pineapple Grove”.

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Christina continues to be driven by her loyal and new customers, especially the kids, giving them chocolate coins and flowers when they visit. You see, Joseph still provides flowers for Christina’s to this day and the arrangements are so grand they have earned their own special location in her newly remodeled restaurant. Joseph continues to delight in designing incredible arrangements for the residents and businesses in Delray Beach, Boca Raton and beyond.

These two business owners exemplify the hard work, commitment, and fortitude it takes to survive in a city that continues to experience significant expansion.

Christina says, “I love the old Delray and also look forward to the future, especially the addition of The Ray which has transformed the landscape of Pineapple Grove in the best possible way”.

says

The Palm Beach Post says “Delicious in Delray!” says The Palm Beach Post “Delicious in Delray!”

“I heard about this place from a friend, some famous “I heard about this place from a friend, famous chef with a little casual place with a fewsome tables, chef with a little casual place with a few tables, nothing fancy but the food, I was blown away, never nothing fancy but the food, I was blown away, never had chicken that inthat myinlife. andand juicy had like chicken like my Crispy life. Crispy juicy burstingbursting with flavor and the with flavor and sides!” the sides!”

4/1/2021 4/1/2021 StuartStuart E. E. Everything here is delicious and homemade

Everything here is delicious and homemade I feel like I want to get everything on their menu!!!

I feel like I want to and get great everything on their Amazing prices. Friendly andmenu!!! clean!!!

10/14/2019 Caro P Amazing and great prices. Friendly and clean!!!

10/14/2019 Caro P

“Best Chickensin s ayDelray!”

“Best Chicken in Delray!”

“This place is delicious and excellent customer service.

“ThisI place deliciousbeen and excellent service. haveisalready 3 timescustomer in a week and a half!”

I have already been 34/4/2021 times in aJoseph week and a half!”

S. 4/4/2021 Joseph S.

“WOW WOW WOW!!!

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Privately Privately Delray! chicken is tender - delicious! owned with amazing grilled chicken & homemade sides owned with amazing grilled chicken & homemade sides the sandwiches are EPIC! “ the sandwiches 11/13/2020 Christina Tare EPIC! “ 11/13/2020 Christina T

561 243 1111 | 335 East Linton Blvd | www.flybirdfood.com

dining guide

Your resource for Greater Delray Beach’s finest restaurants

The Mezzanine at Delray Beach Market

STAFF PICK

Leave it to the Experts With the holidays coming up, our food critic picks three options for your next private dinner party.

PISTACHE FRENCH BISTRO Transport your guests to Paris in this private dining room that can host up to 70 for lunch or dinner and 85 for passed hors d’oeuvres and cocktails. Choose from French favorites like steak tartare, croque monsieur, quiche Lorraine and steak frites. There are prix-fixe menu and bar packages for every price point, and the room offers audiovisual capabilities including a screen and projector.

101 N. CLEMATIS ST., WEST PALM BEACH; 561/8335090; PISTACHEWPB.COM september/october 2021

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FARMER’S TABLE

With two locations in Palm Beach County, you have several options to enjoy the seasonally inspired menu and “feel good food.” Its Boca Raton location has six private spaces, from the Grand Ballroom and charming Oak Room to an outdoor space overlooking the pool and smaller breakout boardrooms. In North Palm Beach, you’ll find a conference room for up to 12 guests and the Grand Ballroom, which overlooks the verdant golf course, and can host up to 350.

can offer your guests more than 20 cuisine options by giving them Market Cards and letting them sample the vendors downstairs before heading back upstairs to the party.

33 S.E. THIRD AVE., DELRAY BEACH; 561/562-7000; DELRAYBEACHMARKET.COM

—Christie Galeano-DeMott

1901 N. MILITARY TRAIL, BOCA RATON; 561/417-5836 951 U.S. HIGHWAY 1, NORTH PALM BEACH; 561/6913430; DINEFARMERSTABLE.COM

THE DELRAY BEACH MARKET

Host a buzz-worthy private dinner in the upstairs mezzanine. The space, complete with private bar, ping-pong table, demo kitchen and a spacious outdoor balcony, can accommodate up to 175 of your closest friends. The unique draw here is that you

GYORGY PAPP

F

or some of us, hosting a gathering at home is exhilarating, while for others it’s exhausting. These restaurants give you the option of celebrating a festive occasion with loved ones in an intimate space while being pampered by expert staff members and celebrated chefs in a relaxing atmosphere.

The Farmer’s Table Oak Room

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DINING KEY $ Inexpensive: under $17 $$ Moderate: $18 to $35 $$$ Expensive: $36 to $50 $$$$ Very expensive: $50+ DELRAY BEACH 3rd and 3rd—301 N.E. Third Ave. Gastropub. This quirky, individualistic, obscurely located little place is one of the most important restaurants in Delray. The menu changes frequently, but hope the evening’s fare includes plump scallops with caramelized mango sauce, stunning delicious roasted cauliflower with Parmesan mousse and bacon, and wicked-good espresso panna cotta on it at your visit. • Lunch Wed.-Fri., Brunch Sat. and Sun., Dinner Mon.-Sat. 561/303-1939. $$

50 Ocean—50 S. Ocean Blvd. Seafood. The former Upper Deck at Boston’s on the Beach is now the more upscale, seafood-oriented spot. The menu ranges from familiar to slightly more inventive, from a classic lobster bisque and crisp-tender fried clam bellies to rock shrimp pot pie and baked grouper topped with blue crab. The cinnamon-dusted beignets are puffs of amazingly delicate deep-fried air and should not under any circumstances be missed. • Lunch Mon.-Sat. Dinner nightly. Brunch Sun. 561/278-3364. $$

Angelo Elia Pizza • Bar • Tapas— 16950 Jog Road. Italian. Nothing on the menu of Angelo Elia’s modern, small plates-oriented osteria disappoints, but particularly notable are the meaty fried baby artichokes stuffed with breadcrumbs and speck, delicate chicken-turkey meatballs in Parmesan-enhanced broth, and Cremona pizza with a sweet-salty-earthy-pungent mélange of pears, pancetta, Gorgonzola, sun-dried figs and mozzarella.

• Lunch Tues.-Sun. Dinner nightly. 561/381-0037. $ Atlantic Grille—1000 E. Atlantic Ave. Seafood/ Contemporary American. This posh restaurant in the luxurious Seagate Hotel & Spa is home to a 450-gallon aquarium of tranquil moon jellyfish and a 2,500-gallon shark tank. Savor inventive cuisine that takes the contemporary to the extraordinary. Bold flavors, inspired techniques and the freshest ingredients make every meal a culinary adventure. • Lunch and dinner daily.

Brunch Sat.–Sun. 561/665-4900. $$

Beg for More Izakaya—19 S.E. Fifth Ave. Japanese Small Plates. The large sake, whisky and beer menu here pairs beautifully with the small plates full of everything except sushi. No sushi. And that’s fine.

Try the takoyaki (octopus balls), the crispy salmon tacos and anything with the addictive kimchi, such as the kimchi fried rice. There are pasta, teriyaki and simmered duck with bok choy dishes—or 16 varieties of yakitori (food on skewers). You’ll be back to beg for more. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/563-8849. $$ Brulé Bistro—200 N.E. Second Ave. Contemporary American. The regular menu of this Pineapple Grove

favorite always has satisfying dishes. Its specialties include crab tortellini with black truffles, chicken meatballs with coconut broth and cashews, plus signature dessert pistachio crème brùlée. Spirits and house cocktails steeped in speakeast style are paired with an ever-changing menu. Outside tables offer the best option for conversation. • Lunch and dinner daily.

561/274-2046. $$

Burt & Max’s—9089 W. Atlantic Ave. Contemporary American. This bastion of contemporary comfort food in west Delray is approaching local landmark status, forging its own menu while borrowing a few dishes from Max’s Grille, like the hearty chopped salad and bacon-wrapped meatloaf. Other dishes are variations on the comfort food theme, including a stellar truffle-scented wild mushroom pizza. • Dinner nightly. Sunday brunch.

561/638-6380. $$ Cabana El Rey—105 E. Atlantic Ave. Cuban tropical.

Little Havana is alive and well in Delray. The menu is a palette-pleasing travelogue, including starters like mariquitas (fried banana chips) and main courses such as seafood paella (think mussels, shrimp, clams, conch, scallops and octopus). • Lunch and dinner daily.

561/274-9090. $$

Caffe Luna Rosa—34 S. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach. Italian. This multiple Delray Beach-award winning restaurant has sparkling service, comfort food taken to a higher level, and a setting just steps from the Atlantic. Open since 1993, and a success since then, they dish up big flavors in a tiny space, so call for reservations. Try the calamari fritto misto, then the rigatoni pomodoro and leave room for dessert. Or come back for breakfast. • Open daily from breakfast through dinner. 561-274-9404. $$ Casa L’Acqua—9 S.E. Seventh Ave. Italian. You’ll get what you pay for here: very good Italian food in the cozy converted house that is a refreshing change from busy Atlantic Avenue. The antipasti (bread, balsamic/honey dipping sauce, Parmesan chunks, bruschetta) are so good, they could be dinner. But save room for the pollo Parmigiana, the scallopine piccate al limone, the four kinds of risotto, and dessert. • Lunch and dinner daily.

561/563-7492. $$$

City Oyster—213 E. Atlantic Ave. Seafood. This stylish mainstay of Big Time Restaurant Group serves up reasonably priced seafood that never disappoints, such as shrimp and grits with a jumbo crab cake. This is the place to see and be seen in Delray, and the food lives up to its profile. • Lunch Mon.–Sun. Dinner nightly. Outdoor dining. 561/272-0220. $$ Fish tacos from 50 Ocean

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Cut 432—432 E. Atlantic Ave. Steakhouse. Hipper decor, a more casual vibe and an inventive take on steakseptember/october

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DELR AY PL ACE 1841 S FEDER AL HIGHWAY LOCATED NE AR TR ADER JOE’S 561.266.3239 H ARVESTSE ASONAL.COM

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house favorites make this sleek restaurant just different enough to be interesting. Starters such as ceviche (prepared Peruvian style) and ultrarich oysters Rockefeller are first-rate, while the wet-aged beef is appropriately tender and tasty. • Dinner nightly. 561/272-9898. $$$

Dada—52 N. Swinton Ave. Contemporary American. The same provocative, whimsical creativity that spawned Dada the art movement infuses Dada the restaurant, giving it a quirky charm all its own. The comfort food menu has its quirky charms, too, like shake-n-bake pork chops with sweet-savory butterscotch onions, and a brownie-vanilla ice cream sundae with strips of five-spice powdered bacon. The wittily decorated 1920s-vintage house-turned-restaurant is, as they say, a trip. • Dinner nightly. 561/330-3232. $$ Deck 84—840 E. Atlantic Ave. Contemporary American. Burt Rapoport’s ode to laid-back tropical dining is like a day at the beach without getting sand between your toes. Though the restaurant is casual, the kitchen takes its food seriously, whether the stellar flatbreads, the thick and juicy 10-ounce special blend burger or homey seasonal cobbler. And the waterfront location just seems to make everything taste better. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Brunch Sat.–Sun. Dinner nightly. 561/665-8484. $

El Camino—15 N.E. Second Ave. Mexican. This sexy, bustling downtown spot is from the trio behind nearby Cut 432 and Park Tavern. Fresh, quality ingredients go into everything from the tangy tomatillo salsas to the world-class fish tacos clad in delicate fried skin, set off by tart pineapple salsa. Cinnamon and sugar-dusted churros are the perfect dessert. And check out the margaritas, especially the smoky blend of mezcal and blanco tequila. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/865-5350. $$

fried chicken to flatbreads and hefty composed salads. • Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner nightly. 561/638-1949. $$

Il Girasole—2275 S. Federal Highway. Northern Italian.

If you want Northern Italian in a low-key atmosphere, and nobody rushing you out the door, this is your spot.

Start with something from the very good wine list. Try the yellowtail snapper, the penne Caprese and the capellini Gamberi, and leave room for the desserts. Reservations recommended. • Dinner Tues.–Sun. 561/272-3566. $$ J&J Seafood Bar & Grill—634 E. Atlantic Ave. Seafood. This local favorite on Atlantic Avenue—owned

by John Hutchinson (who is also the chef) and wife Tina—serves up everything from burgers and wraps to a menu brimming with seafood options. Don’t forget to inquire about the stunning array of 10 specials—every night. • Lunch and dinner Tues.–Sat. 561/272-3390. $$

Jimmy’s Bistro—9 S. Swinton Ave. Contemporary American. This small gem off noisy Atlantic Avenue is big on taste and ambience, and has been busy since 2009. You can travel the world with dumplings, conch fritters, pork schnitzel, rigatoni Bolognese, étouffée and more. Reservations are recommended at this laid-back, comfortable venue. • Dinner nightly. 561/865-5774. $$

Joseph’s Wine Bar—200 N.E. Second Ave. Mediterranean-American. Joseph’s is an elegant, comfortable, intimate nook in Delray’s Pineapple Grove, and an ideal place for a lazy evening. This family affair— owner Joseph Boueri, wife Margaret in the kitchen, and son Elie and daughter Romy working the front of the house—has all tastes covered. Try the special cheese platter, the duck a l’orange or the rack of lamb. • Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner nightly. 561/272-6100. $$

The Grove—187 N.E. Second Ave. Contemporary American. Chef and sommelier Michael Haycook and Dining Room Manager Paul Strike change their menu biweekly, turning out dishes exhilarating in their freshness, creativity and elegant simplicity. An appetizer of octopus with olive oil, crushed potato aioli and lemon is outstanding. • Dinner Tues.–Sat. 561/266-3750. $$

La Cigale—253 S.E. Fifth Ave. Mediterranean. Popu-

Harvest Seasonal Grill & Wine Bar—1841 S. Federal Highway. American. You don’t have to worry about calories (most dishes are under 500), you don’t have to worry about finding something you haven’t tried before (new items are added every three months) and freshness is the silent ingredient throughout. Try the pesto Caprese flatbread, the supergrain salad and the steak or salmon or chicken. Desserts offer big tastes in small jars. • Lunch and dinner daily; brunch on weekends. 561/266-3239. $$

Latitudes—2809 S. Ocean Blvd. Modern Ameri-

Henry’s—16850 Jog Road. American. This casual, unpretentious restaurant in the west part of town never fails to delight diners. Expect attentive service and crisp execution of everything—from meat loaf, burgers and

Lemongrass Bistro—420 E. Atlantic Ave. Pan-Asian.

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lar venue since 2001, with Greek and Italian dishes and more. Highlights are seafood paella, roasted half duck and grilled jumbo artichoke appetizer. Lots of favorites on the menu: calf ’s liver, veal osso buco, branzino, seafood crepes. Nice outdoor seating if weather permits.

• Dinner Mon.–Sat. 561/265-0600. $$

can. You should come for both the sunset and the food. This oceanfront restaurant is a gem tucked inside the Delray Sands resort. From the airy, bubbly interior to the raw bar, the décor is soothing and fun. Try the lobster and crab stuffed shrimp, the miso-glazed Skuna Bay salmon, the branzino or the veal Bolognese. • Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.

561/278-6241. $$$

Casually hip ambience, friendly service, moderate prices and a blend of sushi and nouveau pan-Asian fare make this a popular destination. The quality of its seafood and

The famous Office burger

care in its preparation are what gives Lemongrass its edge.

• Lunch and dinner daily. 561/278-5050. (Other Palm Beach County locations: 101 Plaza Real S., Boca Raton, 561/544-8181; 1880 N. Congress Ave., Boynton Beach, 561/733-1344). $

The Office—201 E. Atlantic Ave. Contemporary American. Your office is nothing like this eclectic gastropub, unless your office sports more than two dozen craft beers on tap and a menu that flits from burgers and fries to mussels. Don’t miss the restaurant’s winning take on the thick, juicy Prime beef burger and simply wicked maple-frosted donuts with bacon bits and two dipping sauces. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/276-3600. $$

Park Tavern—32 S.E. Second Ave. Contemporary American. Check out the high-top seating or bar stools during an excellent happy hour menu that includes deviled eggs, pork sliders, chicken wings and a happy crowd. Entrees are generous and well executed. Try the fish and chips, one of six burgers, fish tacos and more.

• Dinner nightly. Brunch Sat.-Sun. 561/265-5093. $$

Prime—29 S.E Second Ave. Steak/Seafood. Prime is aptly named for its heart of the action location, neo-supper club decor, extensive wine list and roster of designer steaks. Starters and desserts fare better than entrées, especially the Maryland-style crab cakes and luscious chocolate bread pudding. Service is strong so with a bit of work this restaurant will fully live up to its name. • Dinner nightly. 561/865-5845. $$$ Racks Fish House + Oyster Bar—5 S.E. Second Ave. Seafood. Gary Rack, who also has scored with his spot in Mizner Park, certainly seems to have the september/october

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restaurant Midas touch, as evidenced by this updated throwback to classic fish houses. Design, ambience and service hit all the right notes. Oysters are terrific any way you get them; grilled fish and daily specials are excellent. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/450-6718. $$$

Rose’s Daughter—169 N.E. Second Ave. Italian.

While not your traditional Italian trattoria, it is a place to find new favorites and revisit old standbys updated with delicious ingredients and high standards.

Try the Monet-colored lobster risotto, or housemade pasta, pizza, bread and desserts. From the mushroom arancini to the tiramisu, you will be glad Owner/Chef Suzanne Perrotto is in the kitchen. Indoor and outdoor seating. • Dinner Wed.-Sun. 561/271-9423. $$

Salt7—32 S.E. Second Ave. Modern American. All the pieces needed to create a top-notch restaurant are here: talented chef, great food, excellent service. From the pea risotto to the crab cake to the signature steaks and a lot more, this is a venue worth the money. Thanks goes to Executive Chef Paul Niedermann, who won TV’s notorious “Hell’s Kitchen” show, and his talent is displayed here on the plate. • Dinner Mon.-Sat. Brunch Sunday. 561/274-7258. $$$

Sazio—131 E. Atlantic Ave. Italian. This long-lived venue on crowded Atlantic Avenue is a reason to sit down and take a breath. Then take up a fork and try the linguine with white clam sauce or the ravioli Sazio or grilled skirt steak or pretty much anything on the menu. Prices are reasonable; leftovers are popular. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/272-5540. $$ Sundy House—106 S. Swinton Ave. Contemporary American. It’s fine dining with a new chef and rave reviews here, served in arguably the most beautiful restaurant and gardens in Delray. Menus are seasonal and imaginative. Try any of the fresh local fish dishes.

• Lunch Tues.–Sat. Brunch Sun. Dinner Tues.–Sun. 561/272-5678. $$

Taverna Opa—270 E. Atlantic Ave. Greek. Yes, you can order a side of belly dancing and napkin tossing with your moussaka and baklava at this chain. But the moussaka and baklava are very good; so is the rest of the food at the downtown Delray outpost.

Also worth your while (and appetite) are appetizers like melitzanosalata, whipped eggplant with orange zest and roasted red pepper, and tarama, a creamy emulsion of bread, olive oil and salmon roe. Whole

grilled bronzino is finished with lemon and orange juices for a citrusy flavor boost, while tongue-tying galaktoboureko goes baklava one better by adding vanilla-scented custard to golden, flaky phyllo. • Dinner nightly. 561/303-3602. $$

Terra Fiamma—9169 W. Atlantic Ave. Italian. The pleasures of simple, well-prepared Italian-American cuisine are front and center here. Enjoy the delicate, pillow-y veal meatballs in Marsala sauce; lusty chicken Allessandro with mushrooms, spinach and artichoke hearts; and a finely crafted tiramisu that’s as satisfying as it is familiar.

• Lunch and dinner daily. 561/495-5570. $$

Tramonti—119 E. Atlantic Ave. Italian. In a world where restaurants chase trends with the relentlessness of Casanova in full Viagra heat, Tramonti stands out as a classic outpost of authentic Italian cookery. Not trendy hardly means stodgy, however, as evidenced by expertly crafted, robustly flavorful dishes like the signature spiedini di mozzarella Romana, spaghetti al cartoccio and braciole Napoletana. Torta della nonna is a triumph of the highly refined simplicity that lies at the heart of true Italian cuisine. • Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner nightly. 561/272-1944. $$$

OFF the Avenue, but always on top of fashion!

Anita Casey, raised in France, brings fresh, yet classic styles to South Florida. She oversees manufacturing with the help of her associates in Paris, where she has worked as a model and buyer for over 40 years!

The fashions Voyage Boutique carries are truly made in France. Each item is inspected for quality assurance before it is shipped.

New shipments come in every week to help you stay on top of the latest trends. So, stop on by and bring your friends. Voyage Boutique has thousands of unique fashions to fall in love with. Wendy will help you find the perfect outfit, and Niki will make sure you get the perfect fit.

400 Gulfstream Blvd, Delray Beach FL 33444 Open 10:00AM to 4:30PM Mon-Sat

561-279-2984

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Veg Eats Foods—334 E. Linton Blvd. Creative Vegan. This is comfort food for everyone; the dishes will impress carnivores, too. Smell the fresh coconut vegetable curry soup, which tastes as good as it sounds.

Try the grilled brawt sausage, the Ranch chixn, the banh mi and a Ruben—all from plant-based ingredients that will fool your taste buds. You’ll want to take home some of the prepared meals after you’ve visited, too. • Lunch daily. 561/562-6673. $ LAKE WORTH BEACH Couco Pazzo—915-917 Lake Ave. Italian. Despite the name, there’s nothing crazy about the cooking at this homey eatery. It’s the hearty, soul-satisfying Italian cuisine we’ve all come to know and love. Spaghetti Bolognese is a fine version of a Northern Italian classic. • Dinner nightly.

(Tues.–Sun. during summer). 561/585-0320. $$ Paradiso Ristorante—625 Lucerne Ave. Italian.

A Tomasz Rut mural dominates the main dining room, and there is also a pasticceria and bar for gelato and espresso. Chef Angelo Romano offers a modern Italian menu. The Mediterranean saltcrusted branzino is definitely a must-try. Plus, the wine list is a veritable tome. • Lunch and dinner daily.

561/547-2500. $$$ PALM BEACH Bice—313 Worth Ave. Italian. Bice continues to hold the title of favorite spot on the island. The venerable restaurant offers a marvelous array of risottos and fresh pastas and classic dishes like veal chop Milanese, pounded chicken breast and roasted rack of lamb. The wine list features great vintages. • Lunch and dinner daily. Outdoor dining. 561/835-1600. $$$ Buccan—350 S. County Road. Contemporary American. Casual elegance of Palm Beach meets modern culinary sensibilities of Miami at the first independent restaurant by chef Clay Conley. The design offers both intimate and energetic dining areas, while the menu is by turn familiar (wood-grilled burgers) and more adventurous (truffled steak tartare with crispy egg yolk, squid ink orrechiette). • Dinner nightly. 561/833-3450. $$$

Café Boulud —The Brazilian Court, 301 Australian Ave. French with American flair. This hotel restaurant gives Palm Beach a taste of Daniel Boulud’s world-class cuisine inspired by his four muses. The chef oversees a menu encompassing classics, simple fare, seasonal offerings and dishes from around the world. Dining is in the courtyard (not available during summer), the elegant lounge or the sophisticated dining room. • Dinner nightly.

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Sushi boat at Echo in Palm Beach

Café L’europe—331 S. County Road. Current international. A Palm Beach standard, the café has long been known for its peerless beauty, the piano player, the chilled martinis and the delicious Champagne and caviar bar. Try one of its sophisticated classics like Wiener schnitzel with herbed spaetzle, grilled veal chop and flavorful pastas. • Lunch Tues.– Fri. Dinner nightly (closed Mon. during summer).

561/655-4020. $$$ Echo—230A Sunrise Ave. Asian. The cuisine reverberates with the tastes of China, Thailand, Japan and Vietnam. The Chinese hot and sour soup is unlike any other, and the sake list is tops. This offsite property of The Breakers is managed with the same flawlessness as the resort. • Dinner nightly (during season). 561/802-4222. $$$

HMF—1 S. County Road. Contemporary American.

Beneath the staid, elegant setting of The Breakers, HMF is the Clark Kent of restaurants, dishing an extensive array of exciting, inventive, oh-so-contemporary small plates. Don’t depart without sampling the dreamy warm onion-Parmesan dip with house-made fingerling potato chips, the sexy wild boar empanaditas, chicken albondigas tacos and Korean-style short ribs. The wine list is encyclopedic. • Dinner nightly. 561/290-0104. $$

Imoto—350 S. County Road. Asian Fusion/Tapas.

Clay Conley’s “little sister” (the translation of Imoto from Japanese) is next to his always-bustling Buccan.

Imoto turns out Japanese-inspired small plates with big-city sophistication, like witty Peking duck tacos and decadent tuna and foie gras sliders. Sushi selection is limited but immaculately fresh. • Dinner nightly.

561/833-5522. $$

Leopard Lounge and Restaurant—The Chesterfield Palm Beach, 363 Cocoanut Row. American.

The restaurant offers excellent food in a glamorous and intimate club-like atmosphere. In fact, it’s advisable to make early reservations if a quiet dinner is the objective; the place becomes a late-night cocktail spot after 9. The menu is equally decadent. • Breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner daily. 561/659-5800. $$

M.E.A.T. Market—191 Bradley Place. Steakhouse.

“Meat Market” may be an inelegant name for a very elegant and inventive steak house but there’s no dissonance in its food, service or ambience. Multiple cuts of designer beef from multiple sources can be gilded with a surprising array of sauces, butters and upscale add-ons.

Whole roasted cauliflower is an intriguing starter, while a meaty Niman Ranch short rib atop lobster risotto takes surf-n-turf to a new level. Cast your diet to the winds and order the dessert sampler. • Dinner nightly.

561/354-9800. $$$$ Renato’s—87 Via Mizner. Italian with continental flair. This most romantic hideaway is buzzing in season and quietly charming all year long with Italian september/october

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classics and a Floridian twist—like the sautéed black grouper in a fresh tomato and pernod broth with fennel and black olives and the wildflower-honey-glazed salmon fillet with crab and corn flan. • Lunch Mon.– Sat. Dinner nightly. 561/655-9752. $$$

Trevini Ristorante—290 Sunset Ave. Italian.

Expect a warm experience, complemented by a stately but comfortable room and excellent food. • Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner nightly. 561/833-3883. $$$

The Sandwich Shop at Buccan—350 S. County Road. Takeout stop. Like big sister Buccan Italian restaurant, The Sandwich Shop is full of flavor and builds your favorite sandwich with just a touch of delicious creativeness you won’t find elsewhere. Owned by celeb chef Clay Conley and partners, the menu has hot or cold sandwiches, salads, sides and drinks (both alcoholic and non). Good-sized portions mean the Italian and prosciutto subs include leftovers if you have some willpower. • Lunch daily. 561/833-6295. $$

PALM BEACH GARDENS

Ta-boo—2221 Worth Ave. American. This selfdescribed “American bistro” is less typical “American” restaurant or classical French “bistro” than it is poshcasual refuge for the see-and-be-seen crowd in and around Palm Beach. The eclectic menu offers everything from roasted duck with orange blossom honeyginger sauce to dry-aged steaks and an assortment of pizzas. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/835-3500. $$

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Café Chardonnay—4533 PGA Blvd. Contemporary American. This longtime stalwart never rests on its laurels. Instead, it continues to dish finely crafted American/ Continental fare with enough inventiveness to keep things interesting. The popular herb-and-Dijon-mustard rack of lamb, regular menu items like duck with Grand Marnier sauce, and always superlative specials reveal a kitchen with solid grounding in culinary fundamentals. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner nightly. 561/627-2662. $$

WEST PALM BEACH Café Centro—2409 N. Dixie Highway. Italian. There are many things to like about this modest little osteria— the unpretentious ambiance, piano Thursday through Saturday during season, the fine service, the robust

portions and relatively modest prices. And, of course, the simple, satisfying Italian cuisine. The kitchen breathes new life into hoary old fried calamari, gives fettucine con pollo a surprisingly delicate herbed cream sauce and gilds snowy fillets of grouper with a soulful Livornese. • Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner nightly. 561/514-4070. $$

Grato—1901 S. Dixie Highway. Italian. “Grato” is Italian for “grateful,” and there is much to be grateful for about Clay Conley’s sophisticated yet unpretentious take on Italian cookery. Anyone would be grateful to find such delicate, crispy and greaseless fritto misto as Grato’s, ditto for lusty beef tartare piled onto a quartet of crostini. Spinach gnocchi in porcini mushroom sauce are a revelation, so light and airy they make other versions taste like green library paste. Don’t miss the porchetta either. • Dinner nightly, Sunday brunch. 561/404-1334. $$

Leila—120 S. Dixie Highway. Mediterranean. Flowing drapes and industrial lighting complete the exotic decor in this Middle Eastern hit. Sensational hummus is a must-try. Lamb kebab with parsley, onion and spices makes up the delicious Lebanese lamb kefta. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner Mon.–Sun. 561/659-7373. $$

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Experience Great Wine One Taste at a Time!

As you stroll on Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach, you might not realize what a plethora of Experiences awaits you behind the mahogany doors of The Wine Room Kitchen & Bar. From the breathtaking Wine Barrel Ceiling and top to bottom Glass Wine Cellar to the original Speakeasy of Delray it is a True Wine, Spirits and Culinary Journey for any taste and budget.

MAKING WINE APPROACHABLE, AFFORDABLE AND UNPRETENTIOUS s you walk through the doors you are immediately entertained by endless choices and possibilities. Start with the wine-tasting experience unparalleled to anything you have ever seen before-more than 200 self-served wines on the dispensers throughout the restaurant to sample from. As you discover your new favorites (assisted by friendly and very knowledgeable staff), you will have the freedom to enjoy a bottle of wine at your table or take it home for the same price. This is the only establishment in South Florida that offers Retail Pricing in a restaurant setting with no corkage fee.

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WINE SPECTATOR “BEST OF AWARD OF EXCELLENCE” 2 YEARS IN A ROW Owner Bruce Simberg has been collecting wines for more than 40 years and some of them have found a deserving place in the Rare Room Cellar. It contains over 2,000 Rare and Unique wines from all over the world that are accessible to every guest at an unbelievable price.

JAMES BEARD AWARD AT THE WINE ROOM KITCHEN & BAR Great Cheese always leads to good conversation The Wine Room Kitchen & Bar takes its Cheese Program Very Seriously having a Maître Fromager leading it. Max McCalman James Beard Award Winner will be happy to make personalized recommendations for your Cheese and Charcuterie Platter based on your preferences. Flavors from the very mild to strong and funky, cow, sheep or goat milk cheeses from all over the World will impress even the most sophisticated Palate.

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411 E. Atlantic Avenue Suite C Delray Beach, FL 33483 (561) 243-9463 thewineroomonline.com

THE MARRIAGE OF WINE AND FOOD IS A NATURAL PAIRING So, when The Wine Room Kitchen & Bar partnered with Chef Blake Malatesta, holder of the South Florida Food and Wine Top Chef award, they both realized that the perfect pairing was made. Chef Malatesta

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brings his local farm to table flair to what he likes to call “Wine Bar meets Modern Chop House.”

The new menu highlights local meats, sustainable seafood and unique vegetables from all over the Sunshine State. Chef Malatesta will also be featuring some not so local ingredients such as his version of a caviar tasting along with a list of premium quality conserva’s from overseas for the new Happy Hour. Malatesta says, “It’s a no brainer! Dozens of champagnes to choose fromof course we need caviar.

Delicious Burgundies- yearn for a Coq Au Vin (wine-braised chicken), Big Napa Cab’sscream for grilled Tomahawks.

We are not here to cook pretentious food; we are here to present delicious and unique dishes that highlight the world of wine. The goal: make it evident that there is love, dedication and care in every tasty bite.”

With so many options, you wouldn’t think there is so much more to discover. The Wine Room Kitchen & Bar also offers a Craft

Cocktail Program featuring Premium Spirits and fresh ingredients. If the Main Bar action is not for you, sneak away to the Best kept secret in Delraythe Original Speakeasy. Dark wood and candlelight will put you in the mood for an Absinthe drip or Smoked Old Fashioned.

As if all of the above wasn’t enough, treat yourself to Happy Hour 7 days a week, a killer Brunch with bottomless deals. Expand your knowledge at regular events throughout the month such as Wine and Cheese pairings, Chef Tasting Dinners and Spirit Classes.

Get the Best deal for Ladies Night every Wednesday and enjoy the beats of a live DJ on Weekends.

There is always something new for you to discover every day at The Wine Room Kitchen & Bar in Delray Beach.

8/7/21 9:57 AM

[ community connection ] B Y R I C H P O L L A C K

Andie DeVoe Alpha Witch Witches of Delray

THEN:

Ever since she was a little girl growing up in a small Missouri town, Andie DeVoe has always claimed Halloween as her favorite holiday. “I love the costumes, the parties and the energy around it,” she says. “I always felt it was my time of year.”

Now a Delray massage therapist with a medical-related specialty, DeVoe’s well-known love of Halloween continued, and in 2011, while attending a yoga class, she was invited to be one of 10 women who would dress up as witches to ride past Delray Beach elementary schools on their bikes during Halloween week, in what would be the initial ride of the Witches of Delray.

“The Witches Ride brings 300 women together in a creative and magical spirit. It’s a chance not only to have fun but also to give back to our community with an event that could only happen in a town like Delray Beach.”

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AARON BRISTOL

NOW:

Since that first gathering a decade ago, the Witches Ride has become one of the most talkedabout events in Delray Beach, bringing together approximately 300 women who decorate their bikes, create elaborate costumes and compete in categories including “best cackle” and “best team.”

After taking over as Alpha Witch in 2013, DeVoe arranged for the ride to end at the Delray Beach GreenMarket, which helped raise awareness of the event. She has since overseen the growth of the Witches of Delray, which now hosts an annual Witches Brew party at Tim Finnegans Irish Pub that comes complete with a silent auction, drawings and other fun activities. In 2019, the last year before the pandemic canceled the ride, the event raised $16,000 for the Achievement Centers for Children & Families. Another $9,000 was generated last year, even though there wasn’t a ride.

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So fresh it ought to be slapped!

7959 West Atlantic Delray Beach, Florida 33446 Curbside take-out and delivery available

561-501-6391

Tuesday - Sunday / 5:00PM - 9:00PM Friday - Saturday / 5:00PM - 10:00PM

www.yellowtail-sushi.com

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goldsmithandcomplications.com 411 E. Atlantic Ave, Suite 200W Delray Beach, FL 33483 561.332.3747

UR-220 CARBON Urwerk’s unconventional satellite system rotates to indicate the time.

Only 15 pieces are made each year.

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GOLDSMITH & COMPLICATIONS

BOCA & DELRAY MAGAZINES

2021-SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

9X10.875” + BLEEDS

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