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N OV E M B E R 2 02 6

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LIFESTYLE LETTER

With Gratitude

November 2026 PUBLISHER

November feels like the perfect time to recognize the people, traditions and stories that bring joy and meaning to our lives. We begin with our cover story featuring Scott Foley and Marika Domińczyk, whose Thanksgiving shopping reels have become a holiday tradition of their own. We loved getting a glimpse into their family life and hearing what makes Thanksgiving meaningful to them. Family is at the heart of many of this month’s stories. We meet a Weston family who took a leap into the amusement park business and hear how their story unfolded. We also look at the special place pets hold in our families as Spot On Veterinary Hospital shares what is next in pet medicine. This issue also introduces us to people and organizations helping others live fuller, happier lives. Make-A-Wish Connecticut celebrates four decades of making dreams come true for children and families across our state. Consultant and author Nick Propper shares insights from his new book, Stressed Self to Best Self. And Jodi Rabinowitz offers her perspective on changing the narrative around job loss. We also make room for the things that bring us together. Our editor, Sara Gaynes Levy, explores our community’s growing love of mahjong and canasta. Zac Mathias shares the accessories that will help you play the game in style. And comedian Maria Bamford brings her unique sense of humor to the issue. In the spirit of the season, our national giving campaign is now live. Each year, City Lifestyle supports individuals and families across the country, and this year, our parent company is giving a record amount directly to those who need it most. If you know a deserving local family, we hope you will nominate them. I’m incredibly grateful for our amazing team of writers and photographers, our rockstar editor, Sara Gaynes Levy, and our talented social media manager, Sophia Andersen. I am also deeply thankful for our advertising partners. Your continued trust and support make it possible for us to create this publication, share meaningful local stories, and deliver Westport Lifestyle to our community each month. We are proud to showcase your businesses, celebrate your successes, and connect you with our readers. And, of course, we are most thankful for you, our readers. Thank you for giving us the motivation to do what we do, for sharing your stories, and for allowing us to celebrate the people, businesses, and traditions that make our community so special. Wishing you and your family a very happy Thanksgiving! M A R I SA M AC L E A N , P U B L I S H E R @WESTPORTLIFESTYLE

Marisa MacLean | marisa.maclean@citylifestyle.com E D I TO R

Sara Gaynes Levy | sara.gayneslevy@citylifestyle.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Ali Schwartz Balbes, Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Zac Mathias, Madison Vitale C O N T R I B U T I N G P H OTO G R AP H E R S

Bevy Rutledge, Bruce Smith, Marika Domińczyk

Corporate Team CEO Steven Schowengerdt President Matthew Perry CRO Jamie Pentz CoS Janeane Thompson AD DESIGNER Rachel Chrisman LAYOUT DESIGNER Rhiannon Coffman QUALITY CONTROL SPECIALIST Megan Cagle

Learn how to start your own publication at CityLifestyle.com//Franchise. Proverbs 3:5-6 Westport Lifestyle™ is published monthly by Lifestyle Publications LLC. It is distributed via the US Postal Service to some of the Westport area’s most affluent neighborhoods. Articles and advertisements do not necessarily reflect Lifestyle Publications’ opinions.

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No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without written consent. Lifestyle Publications does not assume responsibility for statements made by advertisers or editorial contributors. Information in Westport Lifestyle™ is gathered from sources considered to be reliable, but the accuracy of all information cannot be guaranteed.

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inside the issue NOVE M B E R 2 0 2 6 | TH ANK F U L

Print Prestige Meets Digital Power.

28 38

Featured

38 60

Departments

For the Thrill Of It

Lifestyle Letter

A peek behind this Weston family’s dive into the amusement park business.

City Scene

Business Monthly

Hot Spot HEALTH + WELLNESS

40 Years of Wishes

Pet Care HEALTH + WELLNESS

Connecticut’s Make-A-Wish celebrates four decades of making dreams come true.

Giving Back LIFE + CULTURE

Culinary Creations FOOD + BEVERAGE

Mental Wellbeing HEALTH + WELLNESS

A Very Foley Thanksgiving

Must See ARTS + CULTURE

Trend Setter SHOPPING

Eat Right FOOD + BEVERAGE

Back Stage LIFE + CULTURE

Career Advice PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Inspired By LIFE + CULTURE

Events

Local’s Choice LIFE + CULTURE

Holiday traditions from their family to yours.

On the Cover Marika Domińczyk's cottage kitchen, where she makes bread for her family's favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. Photography: Bevy Rutlege

WHY CHOOSE BETWEEN PRESTIGE AND PLACEMENT? With City Lifestyle’s co-branded print + digital packages, your business captures attention wherever our community is looking. Build unmatched local credibility on the page, and drive immediate action online. Ready to double your local reach? Contact your local publisher by scanning below.

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NOVEMBER 2026

city scene WHERE NEIGHBORS CAN SEE AND BE SEEN

7 6

1: The launch event for The Card Room, a new Westport-based canasta brand. 2: Founder Bess Rotowsky at the event. 3: The event included instruction and a round robin tournament. 6: The event was held at Wakeman Town Farm. 7: Coffee, matcha, and light bites provided by Lyfe Cafe. Photography Courtesy Bess Rotowsky CONTINUED >

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D R . M A S H A KO G A N & D R . V I R G I N I A R O M A N O

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city scene CONTINUED

MARK SAGLIOCCO / SHUTTERSTOCK

12 JERRI GRAHAM

MARK SAGLIOCCO / SHUTTERSTOCK

8: Celebrity golfers at the 5th annual Bottoms Up Invitational, benefiting the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. 9: The Bottoms Up Invitational, presented by Craig Melvin and Lindsay Czarniak, pictured, on September 13. 10: Lindsay Czarniak and Craig Melvin speaking at the Bottoms Up Invitational for the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. 11: With Chris Barron. The event has raised $5.7 million for colorectal cancer research over the years. 12: Craig Melvin, Lindsay Czarniak, and Dylan Dreyer at the Bottoms Up Invitational, held at Shorehaven. 13: Ryan Cabrera at the Bottoms Up Invitational. 14: Wyclef Jean performs at the Bottom Up Invitational. CONTINUED >

C I T Y SC E N E

city scene CONTINUED

21 20

15: Shank It For Shea, a golf and tennis fundraiser supporting the Hearts in Harmony Foundation. 16: The event was held at Birchwood Country Club 17: Lauren Braunstein, Kira Greenfield, Danielle Felice, Rebecca Fischer, and Carly Rome. 18: Golfers at the event. 19: Tennis players at Shank It for Shea. 20: The inaugural canasta tournament at Shank It For Shea. 21: Tennis players at Shank It For Shea. Photography by Emily Rackear CONTINUED >

C I T Y SC E N E

city scene CONTINUED

22: The Catch-A-Lift Fund Gala, held at The Inn at Longshore, on September 9. 23: The Catch-A-Lift Fund helps combat wounded veterans improve their lives through physical fitness. 24: Coach Jason Smith with Christy Charise from Saugatuck Financial, one of the event sponsors. 27: Cynthia Vengrow and Andi Sklar. Photography by Vito Ciambriello/AFC Media Group CONTINUED >

C I T Y SC E N E

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city scene CONTINUED

29: Ben Stiller appeared at the Stew Leonard's in Norwalk to promote Stiller's Soda. 30: Hundreds of fans lined up to meet Ben Stiller. 31: Ben Stiller at Stew Leonard's in Norwalk. Photography by Stiller’s Soda

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NOVEMBER 2026

business monthly A ROUNDUP OF NEWS F R O M LO C A L B U S I N E S S E S

Restore Hyper Wellness Turns 9 November marks nine years in business for Restore Hyper Wellness, and they will be celebrating with Westport all month long. "We'll also be talking about NR (nicotinamide riboside)— it helps your body make more NAD+, which dips as we age," says Felicia Sale, Restore's CEO and co-owner. "A lot of our members use it for an energy boost, especially heading into the holidays." To learn more or make an appointment, visit restore.com

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B USIN E SS M ON T H LY

R E S O R T

LIVING 6 3 N E P T U N E AV E | E A S T N O R WA L K

TAKE WATERFRONT TOUR

Kawa Ni Denver Makes Michelin Guide 2026 For the third year in a row, Kawa Ni in Denver, Colorado, the sister restaurant to Westport's Kawa Ni, has been recommended by The MICHELIN Guide in Denver. Kawa Ni is owned by Bill Taibe, who appeared on the October 2026 cover of Westport Lifestyle in celebration of the opening of his new restaurant, hi'Amba. For more, visit kawanidenver.com Photography by Connor Stehr

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your life. your home. your realtor. MICHELLEANDTEAM.COM | 203.454.4663 (HOME) NOVEMB ER 2 0 2 6 | C I TYL I FE STYL E . C OM / W E ST P O RT

business monthly CONTINUED

Lux Bond and Green Celebrates 30 Years in Westport The Main Street fine jewelry shop is celebrating its milestone with four weekends of special events: a Roberto Coin Trunk Show with the Le Bon Marché Candy Truck on October 23–24; a “Toast to 30 Years” with Champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries on October 31; a Mark Henry Trunk Show with Bridgewater Chocolate samples on November 7; and a Lutece Jewelry Trunk Show & Sell Day with Meriano’s Cannoli Truck on November 14. luxbondandgreen.com for more. Photography by Alyssa Schroen

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Let our award-winning team give your financial planning a second look! www.saugatuck-financial.com | 203-221-5275 Justin Charise uses Saugatuck Financial as a marketing name for doing business as a representative of Northwestern Mutual. Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, Milwaukee, WI (NM) (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Justin Charise provides investment advisory services as an Advisor of Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company®(NMWMC), Milwaukee, WI, a subsidiary of NM and federal savings bank. Justin Charise provides investment brokerage services as a Registered Representative of Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS), a subsidiary of NM, registered investment adviser, broker-dealer and member FINRA and SIPC. Justin Charise is an Insurance Agent of NM. Northwestern Mutual Private Client Group is a select group of Northwestern Mutual advisors and representatives. Saugatuck Financial and Northwestern Mutual Private Client Group are not registered investment advisers, broker-dealers, insurance agencies, federal savings banks or other legal entities. Forbes Top and Best-In-State Top Financial Security Professionals and Best-in-State Wealth Advisors research and ranking provided by SHOOK Research, LLC. Northwestern Mutual and its advisors do not pay for placement on 3rd party rating lists, but do pay marketing fees to these organizations to promote the rating(s). Rankings and recognitions are no guarantee of future investment success. Westport Lifestyle Magazine Readers Choice Award for Best Financial Advisor (2021, 2022) is based on online voting, September & October each year. No compensation is provided for eligibility.

FOR THE Thrill OF IT A peek behind this Weston family’s dive into the amusement park business. ARTICLE BY ALI SCHWARTZ BALBES PHOTOGRAPHY BY BROWN BAG MARKETING

If you had one superpower, what would it be? Telepathy? Invincibility? For Weston resident Rob Cannon and his family, the answer was taking flight. “Everybody loves to fly,” Rob tells Westport Lifestyle with the conviction of a man building an adventure park empire to prove it. The Cannon family—Rob, his wife Lisa, and their daughter Caroline— has become the proprietors of a quickly-expanding amusement park business, Thrillz Indoor Adventure & Amusement Parks. “When our children were young, we took them to a local trampoline park and thought, ‘we could do this, but better,’” Lisa Cannon says. So she and Rob, who was “semi-retired” from Wall Street, began ideating. “The concept came to me of trying to create an indoor water park with no water,” Rob says. After finding 25,000 square feet that fit that lofty plan of giving people the opportunity to fly (into stuntman airbags, of course), the family opened their first park in Danbury in 2018. The adrenaline-pumping, freefalling obstacles at the inaugural Thrillz park went viral not long after. “We were open before New York during COVID, and these four girls from the Bronx came in and made a TikTok that got 6 million views in 24 hours. We sold out for the next nine months,” Rob explains. Boosted by the virality, the Cannons opened their second location in King Of Prussia, Penn., in 2023, at which point their Caroline quit her New York City tech job and joined her parents full-time in the family business. “My dad is an absolute visionary,” Caroline says. “He can walk into a space and immediately picture what the potential could be.”

H OT SP OT | HEALTH + W ELLN E SS

The Cannon family.

Their third, and latest, park in Atlanta is the most adventurous yet. “We wanted to make everything bigger, and actually expand upon the Thrillz footprint,” Caroline says. “We had our airbag elements, which is our bread and butter, but we doubled the size of our facility to almost 60,000 square feet.” The state-of-the-art park includes a 35+-foot Mega Slide Tower (the only one in the country, though you can find similar rides in Switzerland and Dubai), a Drop Tower, and a VR Coaster (with a 360-degree upside-down flip). And for amusement traditionalists, the attractions are aplenty: think laser tag and duckpin bowling. CONTINUED >

Kassonjewelers.com 203-319-0021 393 Pequot Avenue, Southport NOVEMB ER 2 0 2 6 | C I TYL I FE STYL E . C OM / W E ST P O RT

As far as scaling a business goes, the Atlanta park wasn’t without challenges. “It’s easier to get a Harvard degree than to get permits in DeKalb County,” Lisa admits. But the family—close-knit, ambitious, adventurous and creative—persevered, and after over a year of construction delays and unexpected building hurdles, Thrillz Atlanta had its grand opening in July. Rapper Lil Baby visited when the doors opened, declaring Thrillz “the place to be.” “We all have very clear paths of how we impact the business, and the three of us actually come together to form one whole: managing the business, day-to-day operations, and charging forward with our growth,” Caroline says. “I'm so grateful that we have been able to find this balance as a family.” So what’s next on the Cannon family agenda? Caroline is getting married and closing on her first home in Weston this fall. Alongside wedding planning, the family is preparing for a massive renovation to their original location in Danbury later this year. Like jumping into freefall, starting a family business takes a brave leap of faith. But the thrill along the way for the Cannons has been nothing short of exhilarating. Thrillz High Flying Adventure Park is located at 5 Prindle Ln. in Danbury. For more information, visit thrillzparks.com

Moments Of Gratitude With The Cannons On Caroline joining the business: “I thought, I can collaborate equally with my parents—what an incredible opportunity. I’ve never worked in a setting where people’s egos aren’t coming into the workplace.” —Caroline “She made that decision on her own, we didn’t even pitch her on the idea. It’s actually the best thing that ever happened to Thrillz.” —Rob

On collaboration: “There are a lot of tender moments behind the scenes as a family that have been woven into this process, despite all of the stress.” —Caroline “We design everything ourselves, and we do everything in-house. We’re a small but mighty team. And I’m grateful for that.” —Lisa

H OT SP OT | HEALTH + W ELLN E SS

Thankful

for our Loyal Clients and Their Loved Pets.

Dr. Jessica Melman Dr. Allison Duman Dr. Carolyn Quagliata 105 Woodrow Ave, Southport

bespokevetservice.com | (475) 888-9039

What 's Nex t In Pet Medicine Dr. Putter and Peanut. Photo by Bevy Rutledge.

Scientific advances in medicine are happening more frequently—and with more powerful results—than perhaps they ever have in our lifetimes. And this isn’t just true for humans. For our pets, veterinary medicine has also adopted cutting-edge technologies that can improve longevity and wellness for our four-legged friends. In Westport, Spot On Vet is offering many of these new treatments and therapies with the goal not just of extending an animal’s life, but of giving them healthier, more comfortable years, too. In honor of our Thankful issue, Spot On introduced Westport Lifestyle to three local pets who have had transformative quality-of-life changes thanks to these incredible new technologies.

P E T CA R E | HEALTH + W ELLN E SS

Izzy.

Izzy’s Story The problem: Izzy is a Westport dog whose owners noticed that she was limping on her left front leg after playing. “Izzy was visibly struggling with everyday mobility and comfort,” explains her owner, Jessica. “Her front legs carried a subtle or sometimes pronounced limp that became noticeably worse after any activity. Because of the pain, she began actively avoiding movement: she could no longer go on walks, play with other dogs, or attend puppy daycare. Her appetite was noticeably off, and she hesitated or flatly refused to jump up onto the couch, her bed, into the car, or tackle the stairs that she used to navigate with ease.” They initially thought she had injured her shoulder. She remained active, but the limp continued, despite treatment with an anti-inflammatory pain medication. Further evaluation and X-rays showed that the problem appeared to be in her elbows rather than her shoulder. The suspected diagnosis was fragmented coronoid process, an elbow condition that can cause joint damage, pain, and arthritis. The treatment: Izzy initially received PRP, or platelet-rich plasma, which is prepared from a patient’s own blood. The blood is processed to concentrate platelets and natural signaling substances that may help reduce inflammation and support healing. Unfortunately for Izzy, she was still limping after her PRP, so she then received stem-cell therapy. A small amount of fatty tissue was surgically collected from her abdomen and used to prepare her own stem cells, which can then be injected into affected joints or other treatment sites. (PRP and stem-cell

therapy are often combined like this as part of a larger orthopedic treatment plan.) The cells were injected into Izzy’s affected joints in January 2025 under the supervision of Spot On’s Dr. Alistair Chapnick. At her next documented visit in February, her owners reported that she was doing great. “We saw her natural playfulness return,” says Jessica. “Seeing her move without pain and take off running at full speed again has brought a huge sense of relief, giving Izzy back a normal life and allowing us to worry less about her health.” The current recommendation is for periodic reassessment and approximately annual repeat treatment as part of the ongoing management of her elbow disease. Who else might benefit: Stem-cell therapy is most commonly used in veterinary medicine for arthritis, joint injuries, and other orthopedic conditions, but regenerative medicine is also being explored for a wider range of inflammatory, immune-related, and degenerative diseases. It may be worth discussing when conventional treatment is not providing enough relief, when long-term medication is difficult for the patient, or when a family is looking for additional options as part of a broader treatment plan. Stem cells can also be collected and banked proactively while a pet is younger and healthy, sometimes during another planned procedure when the pet is already under anesthesia. Those cells are preserved for that individual animal and may be available later in life if a condition develops for which regenerative therapy is appropriate. CONTINUED > NOVEMB ER 2 0 2 6 | C I TYL I FE STYL E . C OM / W E ST P O RT

Benjamin’s Story The problem: Benjamin is a six-year-old Labrador Retriever whom Spot On’s Dr. Philip Putter had known since he was eight weeks old. He had severe orthopedic disease at an unusually young age, including hip dysplasia, arthritis affecting his hips, knees, and spine, and early spinal disc disease. His family pursued nearly every option available, including anti-inflammatory and pain medications, gabapentin, acupuncture, supplements, integrative care, and stem-cell therapy. Some treatments helped, but his mobility continued to deteriorate. His family eventually moved, in part, to give him a home with fewer stairs. The treatment: After Benjamin had tried an extensive range of conventional and integrative treatments, he received SeneX therapy. Spot On is currently the only veterinary site able to administer this investigational gene therapy. For more than a decade, Dr. Putter and Spot On have collaborated with Mount Sinai embryologist Dr. Efrat “Effy” Eliyahu on research involving SeneX, which is a gene therapy for osteoarthritis and other diseases associated with chronic inflammation. In simple terms, aging or stressed cells can accumulate too much of a fatty substance called ceramide. When that happens, some cells stop functioning normally and begin releasing signals that contribute to ongoing inflammation and tissue damage. The SeneX treatment uses an engineered virus as a delivery vehicle to carry a therapeutic gene into the affected tissue. That gene helps the cells produce more of a naturally occurring protein called acid ceramidase, which helps control ceramide levels. The goal is to help the cells function more normally and interrupt the cycle of chronic inflammation. This is gene therapy, but it is not gene editing. It delivers a therapeutic gene to selected tissue rather than rewriting the animal’s existing genetic code. In Benjamin’s case, he was given four injections targeting his hips and knees. Within two days, Benjamin appeared to have less pain, walked more easily, and was able to climb stairs. After two months, he was reportedly running, jumping, and using stairs. Dr. Putter also remembers arriving for a follow-up house call several weeks after treatment. Benjamin’s owner had deliberately avoided telling him how much had changed, because she wanted him to witness it himself! Benjamin ran to greet him, jumped up with enough enthusiasm to knock the medical equipment from his hands, and then raced across the property after a gardener he loved. For a veterinarian who had watched Benjamin struggle and had known him since puppyhood, the moment was unforgettable. Who else might benefit: Because the treatment is investigational, it is not offered as a routine arthritis therapy. Every potential patient must be evaluated individually. The most likely candidates are dogs with clearly documented osteoarthritis and substantial pain or mobility limitations despite appropriate conventional treatment.

P E T CA R E | HEALTH + W ELLN E SS

The research team must review the dog’s diagnosis, medical history, previous treatments, overall health, and available imaging. Owners interested in learning whether their dog might qualify can request an investigational gene-therapy evaluation with Dr. Putter at Spot On and learn more at senextx.com

Peanut’s Story The problem: Peanut is Dr. Putter’s own small dog. As a young dog, she developed months of gastrointestinal illness and repeated episodes of pancreatitis. Because she belongs to a veterinarian, Peanut has access to extensive testing and treatment. Her family investigated parasites, Giardia, bacterial abnormalities, pancreatic disease, and other common causes. Whenever something abnormal was identified, it was treated, but Peanut kept getting sick. That led to a different question: Why did the problem keep returning? Advanced gastrointestinal and nutritional testing identified abnormalities that could be addressed and also raised concern about Peanut’s intestinal microbiome. The intestinal microbiome is the community of bacteria and other microorganisms that normally live within the gastrointestinal tract. These organisms play important roles in digestion, nutrient absorption, and immune function. Dysbiosis means that this community has become significantly imbalanced. Advanced microbiome testing can help characterize that imbalance in selected patients with persistent or recurrent gastrointestinal disease. The treatment: This is not simply a matter of choosing a generic probiotic. The purpose of testing is to better understand what may be abnormal in that particular patient before deciding how to address it. Instead of continuing to try nonspecific medications and supplements, the results allowed Peanut’s treatment to become more individualized. Her plan included addressing her nutritional needs and using a selected fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), intended to introduce a healthier community of intestinal microorganisms. Peanut’s gastrointestinal problems improved dramatically. She began eating, gained strength, and started acting like herself again. Who else might benefit: Advanced gastrointestinal or microbiome testing may be worth discussing for dogs with persistent or recurrent gastrointestinal flare-ups that continue despite appropriate initial testing and treatment. It may also be useful for selected dogs that repeatedly cycle through medications, antibiotics, probiotics, or diet changes without a clear explanation for why their symptoms keep returning. Microbiome testing is not necessary for every isolated episode of vomiting or diarrhea. It does not replace a physical examination, routine fecal testing, bloodwork, pancreatic testing, imaging, dietary evaluation, or intestinal biopsy when those are indicated.

The bottom line: You do not need to know which test or treatment your animal needs before making an appointment. You can begin by scheduling an exam and describing what has changed. Routine examinations can reveal subtle pain, weight changes, a new heart murmur, a mass, or early evidence of disease before a pet appears seriously ill. Dental disease can cause considerable daily pain while remaining easy for owners to miss. Screening blood and urine tests can establish a pet’s normal baseline and identify meaningful changes over time. Animals cannot tell us that climbing the stairs has become difficult, that chewing hurts, or that they have gradually stopped feeling like themselves. Often, the earliest clues are small changes in movement, appetite, digestion, sleep, behavior, or energy. At Spot On, longevity medicine is ultimately about healthspan: preserving the years when a pet can move comfortably, eat normally, play, engage with the family, and enjoy being themselves An advanced treatment may be appropriate for one patient. For another, the most important longevity treatment may be the careful examination that discovers a problem while the family still has more options. You do not need to know which treatment your pet needs before scheduling. To make an appointment with Spot On Vet to review your pet’s history, symptoms, previous treatments, and goals, visit spotonvet.com or call (203) 303-9933. Benjamin.

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40 Years of Wishes Evie Herman.

Four thousand eight hundred. That’s how many wishes Make-AWish Connecticut has granted for critically ill children since the chapter opened in 1986. The last 40 years of wish-granting have made some incredible moments happen for kids and teens across Connecticut, and so we at Westport Lifestyle thought that this milestone anniversary was one to celebrate in our pages. We are taking a look back at some of the incredible dreams the Make-A-Wish team has brought to life over the last four decades. Here’s to 40 more amazing years.

EARLY WISHES

Connecticut’s Make-A-Wish celebrates four decades of making dreams come true. ARTICLE BY SARA GAYNES LEVY PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY MAKE-A-WISH CONNECTICUT

G IV IN G BAC K | L I FE + C ULT U RE

Michael Vigeant was one of MakeA-Wish Connecticut’s very first Wish recipients, back in 1988. At 14 years old and in remission from cancer, Michael and his mom received a trip to Disney World. As Michael tells it, there’s a good reason Disney trips have become so closely associated with the Make-A-Wish Foundation: back when Michael was sick, that was the default wish. “One of my nurses called and said, ‘There’s this group from your town that raised some money, and they want it to go to a local kid. The organization is called MakeA-Wish, and they want to send you and your family to Disney,’” Michael tells Westport Lifestyle. “Everything was covered. Everything was taken care of. I remember being treated amazingly well.” The experience had a profound impact on him. “The wish is simply the vehicle,” Michael says. “The emotional connection, the feeling of relief and support, the chance to be the star of the show—to me, that’s really the gift of the organization.”

Michael stayed connected with Make-A-Wish Connecticut and joined the board in the mid-2010s. (He was the first Wish recipient to serve in a board role.) “I got to be there when they granted the 100,000th Disney wish,” he says. “It was a 12-year-old boy. I walked up to the family to introduce myself, and the mom just broke down in tears. I asked her, ‘Did I say something wrong?’ And she said, ‘No. I just hadn’t thought about my son as an adult.’ To be a healthy adult and show these families that there’s a future for them 30 or 40 years down the line is just wonderful.”

Jack Salafia receiving his wish.

THE SKY’S THE LIMIT Since those early Disney days, the experiences have become more personalized. Jack Salafia, a 17-year-old with a serious blood disorder, found out he was receiving a Wish just before undergoing a bone marrow transplant. While enduring a grueling, nine-month-long period of isolation due to immunosuppression during his recovery, Jack began brainstorming what his Wish would be. “It gave him a spark during some very long, boring days,” his mother, Lesley, tells Westport Lifestyle. Jack ultimately chose meeting the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team, “through daydreams of rejoining his own soccer team on the pitch,” says Lesley. “It gave me something to look forward to, to get through treatment,” says Jack. In classic Make-A-Wish fashion, Jack didn’t just meet the team. He got to step onto the field to deliver the official match ball, and when he toured the locker room, he found his own personalized kit with a jersey, sneakers, and team backpack. This kind of above-and-beyond Wish granting has become a hallmark of the organization at 40. Evie Herman was living in N.Y.C. during her leukemia treatment, and originally corresponded with the Make-AWish team in New York. Years later, when her family moved to Westport, she got a call from the Make-A-Wish Connecticut team.

“

“The wish is simply the vehicle,” says Michael

Vigeant, one of MakeA-Wish Connecticut's first Wish recipients.

“The emotional con-

nection, the feeling of

relief and support, the chance to be the star of the show—to me,

that’s really the gift of the organization.”

CONTINUED >

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“They reached out to us and said, ‘oh, you never got your wish.’” In the years that passed, Evie’s wish evolved: at 15, she dreamed of becoming a pediatric oncologist. “I had a lot of time to reflect on the Wish, and how I could use this opportunity to give back,” Evie tells Westport Lifestyle. “I thought: why not use this experience to step into the place of my doctors—who I’ve been so inspired by—and bring a little hope to some of the patients?” Over her fourday-long Wish, Evie shadowed doctors at Connecticut Children’s Hospital and Jackson Laboratory. “Those four days really cemented my desire to go into medicine and become an oncologist,” says Evie, who is now a freshman at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and pursuing a path toward an MD/PhD. “I was able to live out my dream of helping other kids affected by cancer and shadow amazing doctors like the ones who treated me.”

CELEBRATING LONGEVITY As 2026 comes to a close, Make-A-Wish has taken opportunities to celebrate its four decades of impact throughout the year. In March, the annual Taste of Wishes event brought star chefs together with Wish kids in the kitchen. In May, the “Once Upon a Wish” gala celebrated the powerful stories of Wish granting at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, and was attended by Wish

G IV IN G BAC K | L I FE + C ULT U RE

recipients from each decade of operation. And in July, the organization hosted a Wish Family Reunion on their campus, where they brought back 167 Wish recipients—nearly 600 people in total, including family members—for a summer festival. “We tracked down as many of them as we could find,” explains Kris Moran, the director of marketing and communications for Make-A-Wish Connecticut. “It was a big task, but so amazing.” Almost every person who has come into contact with Make-AWish is inspired to further its mission. “I’d like to donate my time when I’m able, and maybe even be a Wish Maker for others,” says Jack. His parents, Lesley and Brett, have the same vision. “Brett and I always plan to be supporters and donate our time, talent, and treasure to the organization. Make-A-Wish gave Jack a light at the end of the tunnel, and we want to pay it forward,” Lesley says. More than anything, it’s a joy to see what Make-A-Wish will do next. “No matter how impossible you may think it is, if it’s a dream of yours, or it will bring a suffering child some joy, the Make-AWish team will put in everything they have to make it happen,” says Evie. “And somehow, they’ll bring it to even greater heights than you ever imagined.” To support Make-A-Wish Connecticut, visit wish.org/ct

Evie Herman at Jackson Labs.

The Taste of Wishes.

This summer's Wish Family Reunion.

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Photo courtesy Flour Water Salt Bread

Sourdough from Flour Water Salt Bread Photo by Clay D. Rodriguez

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ARTICLE BY MADISON VITALE

PHOTOGRAPHY BY FLOUR WATER SALT/CLAY D. RODRIGUEZ

Snack of the Month

Madison Vitale, one of the eponymous sisters behind the food-review social media brand @sistersnacking, recently moved to Fairfield County. (A Connecticut native, she and her sisters were on the cover of our 2024 Food Issue.) She’s been tasting and trying restaurants and cafés all over the area ever since. In her column for Westport Lifestyle, Madison will be sharing a small bite she’s been loving lately. For more of Madison’s Fairfield County recommendations, follow her on Instagram @madi. snacks or on TikTok @madi_snacks. If you follow me, you might already know that this is the year I became known for my slight butter obsession. (My bio may or may not say I'm a "butter mom,"

ever since my husband bought me an 11-lb. basket of the best butter in the world as a push present after delivering my son.) But what's 11 pounds of butter without some phenomenal bread to eat it on? I'm so thankful I found Flour Water Salt Bread. The bakery, with locations in Darien, New Canaan, Greenwich, and now Fairfield, makes an almost unrivaled sourdough loaf that is exactly as described: just King Arthur flour, water, and salt. Voila: the perfect vehicle for a slather of the world's best butter. Flour Water Salt Bread is located at 1215 Post Road in Fairfield. For other locations and more information, visit flourwatersaltbread.com

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Photo by Heidi Curran.

Stressed To Best Westporter Nick Propper began his career in consulting, where he saw firsthand just how quickly that kind of work can burn out the people who do it. That observation eventually led him out of consulting and into the human performance world and, now, to writing his first book, Stressed Self to Best Self (Wiley, October 13), which he co-wrote with his business partner Kevin Kachin. Nick sat down with Westport Lifestyle to talk about the book and what inspired them to write it.

WESTPORT LIFESTYLE: TELL US ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND.

Nick Propper: My first career was in consulting at a global professional-services firm, first in the UK, then running businesses across Europe, and eventually leading a global division, which is what brought my family to Westport. Those businesses run on high individual billing targets to meet the revenue goals, and I saw firsthand how quickly this utilization pressure could wear our people down. You'd look at the business and think: we've got the right people, the right skills, the right headcount to hit our targets. But if everyone's operating at 70 percent because they're so squashed by stress, you've got an invisible problem that you

M EN TA L WE LLB E IN G | H E ALT H + WE LLN E SS

can't quite put your finger on. That question sent me looking for ways to actually support the humans inside these organizations. I found a company doing really interesting work in energy-management training, brought them in to train our people, and got so drawn to what they did that I eventually left consulting to join them. When that company was later acquired, and its training work folded into an internal-only program, my now-business partner and I felt the work still needed to be in the market. We launched Impact Human Performance in January 2021 — right as COVID hit, which turned out to be more of an accelerant than the bad timing it looked like. Almost overnight, this kind of training went from a "nice to have" to something organizations felt they urgently needed.

WL: HOW DID WRITING A BOOK COME ABOUT?

NP: After nearly every training session we did, whether in the corporate, military, or government environment, someone would ask if we had a book, because they wanted to hand it to a spouse, a friend, a kid away at college—people who'd never otherwise

get access to the material. About eighteen months ago, my business partner and I decided it was time. Everyone who now goes through our training gets a copy, so it's become a way for people to keep working the material long after the session ends. And now people outside of organizations we work with will be able to access our content.

WL: WITHOUT GIVING TOO MUCH AWAY, WHAT CAN READERS EXPECT FROM THE BOOK? NP: There are really four parts to our system. The first is reconnecting people to what their best self actually looks like: the emotions, behaviors, and characteristics they need more consistent access to in order to maximize their personal and professional performance. It sounds obvious, but most people haven't slowed down enough to actually answer that question. Once you know what you're aiming for, you can see the gap between that and where you are today, creating a nice linear approach. From there, we work on three things that tend to separate people from their best selves: a limited skillset around emotional regulation, ‘coping’ with stress rather than ‘managing it’, and a lack of intentional recovery. Intentional recovery is the piece most people get wrong. It doesn't have to mean a weekend or a vacation. It can happen in bite-sized chunks, even 30 to 60 seconds at a time, in the middle of a busy day. That oscillation between stress and recovery is really the research-backed foundation of how people build resilience. We have also filled the book with real stories we've collected from the thousands of people we've trained over the years, which helps visualize the practical application of the content.

WL: THIS IS OUR THANKFUL ISSUE. DOES GRATITUDE PLAY A ROLE IN WHAT YOU TEACH?

NP: It does, and we teach it a little differently. The usual advice is to list two or three things you're grateful for in the moment, and there's good science behind that. But gratitude is really

an emotion, not a list. Instead, we have people recall a specific memory of a time someone showed real gratitude toward them for something they did, and replay that memory until they can actually feel that emotion again. When you're stressed, your brain is sending what we call a danger signal. Replaying a memory like that sends a safety signal instead, and it's one of the most effective ways to downregulate the nervous system.

WL: ON A PERSONAL NOTE, AFTER FIVE YEARS BUILDING THIS COMPANY, AND NOW WRITING THIS BOOK, WHAT ARE YOU GRATEFUL FOR? NP: Getting to be in these rooms with people, and now, with the book, getting to reach even more of them. If we can give people something practical that helps them be at their best for the people and things that matter to them, that’s what it's all about. This interview has been edited and condensed. To learn more about Stressed Self to Best Self or buy the book, visit amazon.com

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FOR LOVE ARTICLE BY SARA GAYNES LEVY

of the

GAME

One of the hottest trends in Westport right now is actually quite old: classic games like mahjong and canasta. These games are, of course, booming all across the country: this summer, I went on a mahjong retreat at Canyon Ranch Resort in Lenox, Mass., where attendees from places as far-flung as Dallas and Atlanta spent three days playing on beautiful tile sets strewn around the property by Gold Coast Mahjong partner Claire Mohamed. But we didn’t travel to Canyon Ranch just to play—this was an educational experience. Beginners were learning for the first time, and experienced players were getting expert tips from the ladies at Gold Coast Mahjong, a (coincidentally) Darien-based business that specializes in high-end experiences relating to the 100+ yearold American variation of the game. As I began investigating, I learned that the real story of these games’ rise in popularity is not just that we are learning, but how we are learning. Sure, you could Google the rules, or tune into a YouTube video that breaks down how to play with strategy tips. But there is an incredible amount of demand for in-person experiences that teach gameplay and offer structured socialization (and, it must be said, do so in a social-media-friendly way). Gold Coast Mahjong, which was founded in June 2025 by Emily Brown and Jamie Dalton, noticed this almost as soon as they launched. “People are craving connection,” says Emily. “With mahjong, you are all coming around the table for a common goal. The game takes away the social anxiety of not having a place to belong.” Here in Westport, The Haus of Mahj was founded by friends Dana Bernstein and Jessica Prince Erlich, also in June of 2025. The demand for what they offer—lessons, yes, but also events—has skyrocketed in the year and a half since they launched. “We’re

M UST SE E | ARTS + C ULT U RE

not the first teachers in Fairfield County—there have been people teaching here for a long time,” says Dana. “But I think what we really brought was our events and the community around it. That’s what we wanted to create.” They’ve hosted instructional events with national brands like Hotel Lobby Candle and Loews Regency New York, and put on their own events, like this summer’s Camp Mahj at the Weston Field Club. “It’s the idea of doing a retreat, but in a few hours,” explains Jessica. “Not just playing, but making the day special.” Those differences are what keep them engaged with the people they work with: these aren’t just one-off lessons. “Yes, there are still people to teach, but so many people have their own sets, and tables, and know how to play,” says Dana. “Now, they want more curated experiences, which is what we’re trying to provide.” It’s not just mahjong, either: canasta is lined up to become the next game from the greatest generation to make a comeback. Native Westporter Bess Rotowsky founded The Card Room for this very reason. During the pandemic, she, along with her husband and her parents, started playing the card game (which she’d learned from her grandparents) every night. “It was amazing, because we got off our phones, and we all felt connected,” she says. When the world opened back up, and as mahjong began to rise in popularity, she started teaching friends canasta. She saw that pretty, photo-shoot-worthy mahjong sets were partially behind the game’s resurgence, and thought why not offer cute canasta cards and racks too? "A big part of the inspiration was watching mahjong get this modern, design-forward refresh and wondering why canasta couldn’t have the same moment," she says. "At the same time, I felt like a lot of the newer game brands had a very specific aesthetic,

“Games like mahjong and canasta is that they have a beginning, a middle, and an end. There are so few things in our lives like that.”

CONTINUED > NOVEMB ER 2 0 2 6 | C I TYL I FE STYL E . C OM / W E ST P O RT

“In a world where we’re always thinking about what Jessica Prince Erlich and Dana Bernstein, founders of The Haus of Mahj, lead open play mahjong at The Clubhouse.

we have to do next, especially

whereas my goal was to create designs that could appeal to many different styles: minimal, modern, traditional, colorful, playful, bold." Thanks to an entrepreneurial spirit— Bess’s background includes starting and eventually selling Bessties bakery and a side hustle selling acrylic diaper caddies— she decided to launch a business herself. Bess’ own style tends more toward the chic and minimal, so the first collection of The Card Room cards and racks featured tortoise-shell prints and clean lines—and it sold out three weeks after she launched earlier this year. Since then, she’s added more styles and designs, and teamed up with canasta influencers to offer co-branded collections. She’s also, to her own surprise, started teaching canasta and hosting in-person events. “What started as a product idea has really become about bringing people together," she says. "The more the brand has grown, the more I’ve realized people aren’t just looking for beautiful cards and accessories, they’re looking for a way into the game and a community to play with. The events and lessons have become such a natural extension of that. It’s still a product-based business at its core, but now we’re creating the experience around it, too.” So why is everyone opting to learn IRL? I posed the question to the women behind all these brands, and a through-line emerged: we are all looking for connection. One beautiful thing about these classic games is they keep us engaged with one another, rather than glued to our phones, doomscrolling. Making it into an event just adds to that experiential component. “It’s soft socialization, which I think is bigger now than ever,” says Dana. “People are looking for things to do beyond eating out, or going to a book club, or centered around alcohol.” Bess agrees, adding that the strategy challenge of the games is the kind of distraction that’s good. “In a world where we’re always thinking about what we have to do next, especially as women and moms, it’s nice to take your mind out of that for a minute,” she says. “What I like about games like mahjong and canasta is that they have a beginning, a middle, and an end. There are so few things in our lives like that. But when we play, we have fun, we accomplish something, we catch up with friends, and then we can go back to our lives. It feels

M UST SE E | ARTS + C ULT U RE

as women and moms, it’s nice to take your mind out of that for a minute,” says Bess Rotowsky.

Jessica Prince Erlich and Dana Bernstein at the Hotel Lobby Candle event.

A Gold Coast Mahjong event.

really good.” Emily points out that part of what they love about hosting events and retreats at Gold Coast Mahjong is the ability to curate an experience for someone. “We pull research on people that are coming. How experienced are they? What do they like to eat? We want to build those connections.” It might sound obvious, but a big part of the appeal of events and retreats is the chance to make friends. And, these experts agreed, it doesn’t hurt that mahjong has gotten so photogenic, thanks to gorgeous tile sets, mats, and accessories from brands like Oh My Mahjong, which you can find locally at The Post. After all, that’s why Bess launched The Card Room to begin with. Canyon Ranch has more mahjong ahead, too: their new property in Austin is hosting a mahjong tournament this month, and Gold Coast Mahjong will be there for a retreat January 4-7. Bess says she plans to offer canasta retreats too. The beauty is that once you’ve learned one of these games, you really can play them as a lifelong hobby. And, maybe, teach your grandchildren to play one day, too. NOVEMB ER 2 0 2 6 | C I TYL I FE STYL E . C OM / W E ST P O RT

CULINARY• EVENTS • LIFESTYLE

203.658.8659 NikkiGlekasCollective.com team@nikkiglekascollective.com

A MERRY Mahjong There’s something about the holidays that puts me in the hosting mood, and I love to decorate. While I love a big holiday party, I’m also craving more time around the table with my closest friends playing mahjong. That’s what makes mahjong such a great category for holiday gifting: whether you’re shopping for the seasoned player or the friend who has been begging you to teach them, there’s something for everyone. A beautiful

tile set that maybe they wouldn’t buy for themselves, fun mats, cordless lamps, or playful accessories make perfect gifts for the person who already has it all! And unlike another candle or bottle of wine, a mahjong gift comes with an invitation: pull up a chair, put down your phone, and stay awhile. So, for the mahjong lover on your list, I’ve rounded up my favorite gifts worth wrapping this holiday season.

Accessories in holiday hues to start your season right. ARTICLE BY ZAC MATHIAS

T R E N D SE T T E R | SHO P P IN G

BURGUNDY CROC TILE POUCH The perfect pouch for mahjong tiles does exist! You can embroider it with “mahjong” for a great gift. $128, abbode.com

DOMINO OXBLOOD MAT One of my favorite mats: it reminds me of one of my favorite fabrics from Pierre Frey. You can actually leave it out in your house. $175, tigredetartan.com

SAINT-RÈMY MAT I love giving personalized gifts, and with the option to add a hand-painted monogram, this mat feels like a special gift for the mahjong-obsessed. $175, faitamainstudio.com

BLUSH PORTO MAT A new mat company founded by the girls behind Gold Coast Mahjong (see page TK), this is my personal favorite from the debut lineup. $190, goldie-home.com BROOKLYN MAHJONG X BCA TILE SET In celebration of 30 years of breast cancer awareness, this set represents the strength amongst survivors of breast cancer (and proceeds benefit BCA). $295, bkmahjong.com

ZAC MATHIAS

Photo by Bevy Rutledge.

Zac Mathias is a Connecticut-based interior designer, content creator, reality TV personality, and avid mahjong player. Known for his refined, sophisticated aesthetic and fresh take on classic design, Zac brings a modern sensibility to traditional style. Through his design work, digital platforms, and lifestyle content, he shares inspiration for creating beautiful spaces and living well. Whether designing interiors, hosting gatherings, or documenting everyday moments, Zac offers a thoughtful perspective on style, entertaining, and design while showing his audience how to make life feel just a little chicer.

TINY TERRI ROUND ACCENT LAMP The chicest cordless lamp for your mahjong table, but also your home! Truly elevates any game table. $499, visualcomfort.com

BEECHWOOD RACKS I love that these racks come with interchangeable magnetic pushers, allowing you to switch up your table without having multiple sets of racks. $175, loandcoshop.com

MERRY MAHJ TILES Personally, I think any holiday calls for a new set of tiles. I love these for Christmas! $195, thedailycheermahjong.com

NOVEMB ER 2 0 2 6 | C I TYL I FE STYL E . C OM / W E ST P O RT

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A VERY FOLEY THANKSGIVING PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARIKA DOMIŃCZYK Back in May, actor Scott Foley appeared on the TODAY show to promote his new Amazon Prime series It’s Not Like That. While chatting with anchor (and Westporter) Craig Melvin, the conversation turned, as it often does for Scott, to his annual Thanksgiving grocery runs with his wife Marika. “It just became a thing,” he told Craig of the viral holiday content. “Every Thanksgiving, we document this fantastic, terrible time that every person in the United States has shopping for food. We love doing it, and people really get a kick out of it. I get more people coming up to me in the street saying ‘oh my God, I watched your Thanksgiving program’ than I do Scandal fans!” The legendary Foley family Thanksgivings began about 10 years ago. “Thanksgiving has always been Scott’s favorite holiday,” Marika tells Westport Lifestyle. So Marika, a gifted cook and baker, set out to master the Thanksgiving menu. She took a cooking class with celebrity chef Jet Tila, and received a stack of his recipe cards as a part of the class. She put them together in a binder, along with a spreadsheet of needed grocery items and cooking schedules, which became her Thanksgiving bible. As the lists grew each year, so did the grocery runs, which now include a whirlwind tour of Stop & Shop, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, HomeGoods for place settings and trinkets, Double L Market for specialty items, and, much to Scott’s chagrin, sometimes more. Here, Marika shares her Thanksgiving roadmap with Westport Lifestyle, from her grocery route to her cooking schedule to her genius day-after tradition. MAKING THE MENU Marika starts from the same spreadsheet each year, which has groceries listed out by category, and a timeline for when she plans to make each dish. She starts shopping on Monday of Thanksgiving week, and starts cooking on Tuesday, making pie crusts, cranberry sauce

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(homemade, but she gets jellied too), stuffing prep, and pie prep. She also makes focaccia and sourdough rolls on Tuesday. Wednesday is for pies, stuffing, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts prep, and gravy, as well as her turkey and pumpkin individual sourdoughs (for more on these, see p. 62). On Thursday she does the mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts, the turkey, and makes ciabattas and focaccia for Friday (see p. 63). It’s a lot to keep track of, which is why she carries around her trusty sparkly clipboard with all her notes.

MARIKA'S MARVELOUS BISCUITS “I’ve been trying to perfect biscuits for almost 20 years, and I believe I’ve finally achieved it,” Marika says. “You tell me!” Makes 10-12 smaller biscuits or 4-6 sandwich-sized biscuits INGREDIENTS • 3 c. all-purpose flour (plus 1-2 c. of flour for dredging) • 3 t. baking powder • 1 t. salt • 1/4 c. + 1 T. sugar (or more to taste) • 8-10 T. frozen (or very cold) butter (grated, enough to butter the pan) • 1 1/4 c. buttermilk • 1 c. heavy cream EXTRAS • 2 T. of melted butter DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 2. In a bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Grate the cold butter over the top, and use your fingers to rub it into the flour mixture until it resembles sandy pebbles. 3. Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk and heavy cream. Mix until the batter is thick, but do not overmix. You should still see streaks of butter/flour. 4. In a separate bowl, place 1-2 cups of flour. Scoop the dough with two spoons or your hands and dredge it in the flour bowl, swishing it around to coat the dough thoroughly. 5. Shake off any excess flour and place the biscuit “balls” into the prepared buttered baking dish. Continue this process until all the biscuits are formed and placed in the dish. (I usually place mine in a circle and make two larger ones in the center. Just make sure they are all touching, doesn’t have to be perfectly shaped!) 6. Bake for 20 minutes. Close to the end of the baking time, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Open the oven door and pour the melted butter over the hot biscuits. Bake for an additional 5 minutes. TIPS: • Don’t be afraid to experiment with the size of the biscuits. • You can pour hot honey butter instead of regular butter for a sweeter top. • I use a deep dish 9-inch pie plate, but you can use any small baking pan with sides. Just make sure the biscuits are touching! • Don’t skip the chilling and grating of the butter! It’s what makes these biscuits truly marvelous. CONTINUED >

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GROCERY RUNS Last year, Scott posted a whopping 29 videos of himself and Marika #thanksgivingshopping all over Fairfield County. Here, Marika breaks down where she goes—and for what—while she’s prepping for the holiday.

WHOLE FOODS: “I always get the turkey here.”

EDIBLE DECOR Westport Lifestyle readers know Marika’s bread is legendary: her cottage bakery, Sourdough 17 by Marika, was featured on our October 2025 cover. For Thanksgiving, Marika takes her sourdough and hand-shapes it into turkeys and pumpkins for a bread course that doubles as decor.

DOUBLE L MARKET: “New, and only for specialty items, like celery root or kohlrabi for my Friendsgiving soup stock.”

TRADER JOE’S: “For pre-cut things like onions, and some produce.”

THE GRANOLA BAR: “For a coffee break. Love those ladies!” THE LIQUOR STORE

“THE POLISH STORE” (AKA POLISH DELICATESSEN IN NORWALK): Marika is Polish, and this hidden gem carries some of her family’s favorites. “I get Polish spices, pantry items, Polish flour and sugar, and kielbasa.”

HOMEGOODS

STOP & SHOP: “Some produce, the canned cranberry sauce, the German egg noodles I like to use for Friendsgiving soup, and basically anything else we forgot along the way!”

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MUST-HAVES There are certain things every Foley Thanksgiving has to have. For Scott, it’s the jellied cranberry sauce from a can, and the turkey, which he now deep-fries. “It cooks for 45 minutes and tastes better than the kind that takes all day,” Marika says. For Marika, it’s her sourdough. For the couple’s three kids, it’s her focaccia stuffing, her sweet potato casserole, and her biscuits, although "really, everything." Hard to beat that kind of compliment!

The Foleys Thanksgiving table.

Games at Friendsgiving.

Ciabatta and focaccia for next-day sandwiches.

FRIENDSGIVING One of the best parts of a Foley Thanksgiving is the next day. Dozens of neighbors and friends all bring their leftovers, and Marika makes fresh focaccia and ciabatta for leftover sandwiches. Everyone gets to taste each other’s holiday meals, they play games, and enjoy Marika’s turkey stock soup. It’s become a treasured tradition for their neighbors and friends. CONTINUED >

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DAY-AFTER SOUP This day-after-Thanksgiving turkey stock soup will turn your leftovers into something new and delicious. Adapted from Chef Jet Tila TURKEY STOCK Makes 2-3 quarts INGREDIENTS • 4-6 turkey wings • Turkey necks, giblets, etc. (from inside turkey) • Olive oil • 2 leeks, chopped • 2 carrots, chopped • 1 head garlic • Handful of fresh parsley stems • 4-5 fresh thyme sprigs • 1 T. peppercorns • 1-2 bay leaves DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 400. Rinse turkey pieces and pat dry. Spread turkey pieces on a parchment-paper-lined pan and cook, 20 to 30 minutes. Set aside. 2. Place a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add just enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Add the turkey pieces and brown them. 3. Add the vegetables, parsley, thyme, peppercorns, and bay leaves. Add cold water, to almost fill the pot. Bring to a boil, then immediately lower to a simmer. (Avoid boiling the stock.) 4. Simmer for 2-3 hours. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, then return to pot.

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CONTACT US TODAY FOR YOUR COMPLIMENTARY CONSULTATION! IMPECCABLY CURATED INTERIOR DESIGN LINDSAY BILCHIK & JODI RYAN WESTPORT, CT • NEEDHAM, MA 646.567.8375

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R ADICAL HONESTY WITH MARIA BAMFORD

Meet your favorite comedian's favorite comedian.

ARTICLE BY LAUREN BROWN WEST-ROSENTHAL PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRUCE SMITH

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Earlier this year, Maria Bamford’s brilliant, hilariously eccentric world was captured at the Sundance Film Festival in the documentary Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story, co-directed by Judd Apatow and Neil Berkeley (and now streaming on Netflix). But if you try bringing any of that glowing praise up to Maria herself? She’ll just shrug it off with the sweetest, most grounded dose of reality.

“Someone has already found the funny in your absolute worst nightmare.” “I think it’s just like any other thing in life—extreme highs, extreme lows, and then all the boring stuff in between,” she tells Westport Lifestyle with a laugh. “If I believe the extreme highs, that means I have to take the extreme lows personally too. It’s all very arbitrary. I love reading biographies of artists like Van Gogh, who never sold a painting his whole life. I have so many friends who are genius comics and can't get booked. It’s unfair and stupid! Hopefully, after they die, someone opens a comedy Van Gogh museum in their honor and puts their jokes on tote bags.” Luckily for Fairfield County residents, there’s no need to wait for a museum gift shop to experience her genius comic mind. On November 20, Maria brings her national tour to downtown Fairfield at the Sacred Heart University Community Theatre, with her signature (and lovable) style of radically honest storytelling.

A Peaceful Uncoupling Maria’s trademark grace and openness carries over into her personal life, even when navigating major life transitions. After 11 years together, she and her husband Scott Marvel Cassidy amicably split about a year ago. While celebrity divorces are often riddled with drama and expensive attorneys, Maria wants to show that parting ways can be as simple as being fundamentally wrong for each other. (And having a sense of humor about it!) “We’re good friends,” Bamford explains cheerfully. “I wanted to try being married, but we were totally untenable as a romantic couple after 11 years. My dream was always to keep the great memories and just say, ‘Nothing bad happened. It just didn't work.’ People told me, ‘You’ve gotta lawyer up!’ But I set a vision that it was going to be peaceful and hilarious. And we used a mediator! She loved us so much she CONTINUED >

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was like, ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do when you guys stop coming in!’ When your divorce mediator is bummed you’re finalizing things, that’s pretty funny.” As for dating again, she is keeping the logistics strictly within her comfort zone: “If I'm manifesting a partner, he has to live within two miles of my house,” she says. “I cannot do long-distance. It’s gotta be easy.” Talking Money If there’s one thing Maria refuses to tiptoe around, it’s the messy stuff polite society avoids. In her bestselling 2023 memoir, Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult, she opened up about psychiatric wards, family dynamics, and the 12-step support groups she’s a member of, like Debtors Anonymous. Tearing down the secrecy around money in show business remains a passion. She recently taped a brand-new stand-up special with director Dominic Delbene that puts comedy finances front and center. “It’s all about money—what I get paid, what the opening acts get paid, what the club makes,” Maria explains. “I love open-book accounting. Nobody talks about it! Stand-up is non-union. You get terrified to speak up and ask, ‘Wait, what is everyone else making?’ Nobody wants to be labeled the squeaky wheel. I love the idea of radical transparency so people actually know what rate to ask for.” Her own rule for setting the fee for her gigs is hilariously simple: “My friend Jackie and I always say: three grand plus air and hotel, minimum! Now, my agents handle the big negotiations, but if someone reaches out directly, that’s my bottom line. I’ll do tons of charity stuff for free, but it has to be less than a mile from my front door and fun. If you want me to drive more than 30 minutes? Forget it. I’m old!” The 9 AM Stand-Up Most comedians live like vampires. They’ll wake up at noon, linger around green rooms until the wee hours and live on adrenaline. Maria, on the other hand, made headlines in comedy circles for flipping the script and doing sets at 9 in the morning. “I just want to get it over with!” she laughs. “I book them two blocks from my house, do the set, and then you have your entire day ahead of you.” The thought of waiting around all day for a latenight curtain call genuinely stresses her out. “Oh, it just sucks,” she admits. “I hear about people doing Broadway runs and I think, I could only do that if the curtain went up at noon.”

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When tour dates force her onto a traditional evening schedule, Maria’s tour strategy is all about conserving her energy. “My friend Jackie travels with me, so we’ll wake up, go grab a fun two-hour lunch somewhere in town, and honestly, that’s our big outing for the day,” she says. But Maria’s favorite part of touring is being able to gift her friends plane travel. “I love accumulating frequent flyer points and giving a trip to a friend,” she beams. “I’ll be like, ‘Oh, I heard you needed to go to see your family in Guam. Guess who has a million points?’ I don't want to travel outside of work. I'm good. It makes you feel really powerful.” The Four Year Approach to Comedy When she arrives in Fairfield, audiences at the SHU Community Theatre will get a front-row seat to Maria's very deliberate, fouryear creative clock. While the internet era pushes comics to crank out a shiny new special every twelve months, Maria prefers to let her comedy bits breathe. “Some comics drop a brand-new hour every single year, and I have no idea how they do it unless they have a staff of writers,” she chuckles. “I work on a four-year cycle! I just wrapped a set I toured for four years, so now I get a blank slate. Probably about 15 minutes of the Fairfield show will be completely brand-new jokes I haven't done anywhere else.” And if returning fans recognize a storyline or two? Maria doesn't sweat it. “Sometimes people say, ‘Hey, you told that one last time you were in town!’” she laughs. “Which I get! But it’s like going to Cirque du Soleil—Are the horses going to run in a circle again? Yes! It’s Cavalia, they’re doing the routine! Jay Leno famously avoided making specials because he never wanted to retire a joke he loved. For me, I just like chipping away at real, personal things that bother me until they make people laugh.” Comedy is Therapy Behind all the goofy characters, what makes Maria so iconic is how fearlessly she de-stigmatizes severe mental illness. Having navigated bipolar II disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and psychiatric hospital stays, she has spent decades showing audiences that the scariest, most isolated corners of our minds can actually bring us together. When Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult came out, Maria went so far as to include her real email address in the book. Aside from a few strict 12-step members grumbling about breaking group anonymity, the response blew her away. “I got hundreds of the sweetest, most supportive emails from artists and creatives,” she shares. “People saying, ‘I’m just trying

“I love accumulating frequent f lyer points and giving a trip to a friend. ‘Oh, I heard you needed to go to see your family in Guam. Guess who has a million points?’” to make my art and put my little potholders out into the world.’ We all get terrified that someone’s going to say, ‘Well, I hate blue and tan potholders.’ But that’s what you make! You just want to make blue and tan potholders.” For anyone feeling alone, overwhelmed, or anxious right now, Maria’s advice is simple, funny, and surprisingly comforting. “Whatever weird thing you think nobody else deals with—the thing you feel like a total creep for thinking and swore you’d never tell a soul—just go Google that exact phrase with the word ‘comedian,’” Maria advises. “I promise you, someone is already talking about it on stage. Someone has already found the funny in your absolute worst nightmare.” “It’s always better to talk about it than keep it bottled up,” she adds. “Go to an open mic and talk about your weird thing. At least you’re up on a stage for three minutes releasing it instead of suffering in silence. We don’t have enough affordable mental health resources right now; you call a hotline and wait 45 minutes just to reach a human. If an open mic is available to you tonight? Just go.” Maria Bamford performs live at the Sacred Heart University Community Theatre (2046 Post Road, Fairfield) on Friday, November 20. For tickets and details, visit shucommunitytheatre.org.

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY JENAÉ WEINBRENNER

ARTICLE BY LAUREN BROWN WEST-ROSENTHAL

Westonite Jodi Rabinowitz wants to change the narrative on job loss.

CONGRATULATIONS, YOU’RE FIRED.

Career transitions are tough, personal, and deeply emotional. Maybe you are looking to pivot but feel stuck; maybe you’ve been out of the workforce for years and feel intimidated watching peers climb the ladder; or maybe you’ve landed in one of the most vulnerable positions of all: fired. In those moments, calling up an executive coach feels like the obvious move. But Weston's Jodi Rabinowitz isn’t interested in the obvious. “I’m not a coach. I am a wingwoman,” Jodi tells Westport Lifestyle. “Everybody and their mother is a coach. And that’s great. But I have a lifetime of experience, and I do not leave my clients’ sides from the day they hire me to well after they place.” As the founder of Congratulations, You’re Fired, Jodi is focused on reframing what many view as an irrevocable gut punch into a professional renaissance. Her path to her now-calling of “career wingwoman” was circuitous (but of course). Armed with a master’s degree in social work from the University of Pennsylvania, she cut her teeth in the psychiatric ER at N.Y.C.’s Bellevue Hospital. That experience taught her crisis management skills, coupled with what it really means to exhibit empathy. She took those lessons into her next life, in corporate America, debriefing executives after national crises, training leaders, climbing the ladder at financial firms, and leading talent development at Zoom as it skyrocketed through the pandemic. CAR E E R A DV IC E | P RO FESSION AL SE RVICE S

Along the way, she was fired five times. “I have the best career story,” she says. “Every single time I’ve been fired, I rose higher and higher.” While standard career services obsess over optimizing resume keywords for an algorithm, Jodi zeroes in on the human behind the cover letter. “I can do a resume rewrite or a LinkedIn profile like nobody else,” she says. “But the power of what I do is work with the whole person and that relationship. Every person comes with a story and a history.” Acting as an unflinching sounding board, she helps job seekers unpack their past

missteps and align with what genuinely matters in their next chapter. “I am very much a mirror, an accountability buddy, helping people understand the choices they're making consciously,” she explains. When it comes to explaining career gaps or terminations, she works with clients to own their narrative on their own terms: “I help the client find the truth they are comfortable telling, embrace it, and recite it like it’s a chocolate chip cookie recipe.” Here, Jodi shares her top five strategies for navigating career transitions with honesty, openness, and confidence, CONTINUED >

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1. OWN YOUR NARRATIVE

Getting terminated is an emotional shockwave. “You absolutely have to honor and make space for what I call a ‘sniper attack,’” Jodi explains. “Even if you see it going on around you, you don't think it’s going to affect you. You have to make space for the anger, the feeling of deceit, the ‘what did I do wrong?’ Honor that space, get it out of your system, and then we get focused.” Once you’re ready to re-enter the market, drop the shame. Whether you choose full transparency about a misstep or frame a gap around caretaking, find the narrative you can stand behind without flinching. “There’s a range of ways we can tell the truth,” she says. “The kind of employer I’d want to work with would be proud of my courage, appreciate my transparency, and champion my journey.”

2. RELATIONSHIPS ARE EVERYTHING

Endlessly tweaking keywords to beat automated software is a losing battle. “Sending your resume in with the perfect keywords still only has a 7 percent chance of getting an interview,” Jodi notes. “You get your job through relationships. Period. Full stop. Relationship trumps everything; likability trumps competence.” Instead of rewriting your credentials for every single job posting, keep your resume at an aggregate “90 percent fit” for your target role and put your energy into people. “Networking happens everywhere—in the grocery line, from your friends, at a dinner party,” she says. “The number one thing about networking is you are not asking for a job. You are looking to build a relationship, to be curious, to learn something.” Jodi empowers people to network in whatever way feels authentic to them. Did an acquaintance post an insightful article on a topic you’ve been dying to explore? Drop them a note explaining why it resonated. “You're looking to build a relationship. You don't know where that relationship is going to lead. Maybe it'll lead to a job, maybe it'll lead to something you never even knew to expect,” says Jodi. “Your ask is about that connection. It shouldn't be, ‘Can you help me find a job?’”

3. FOLLOW YOUR GUT

When a new role goes south, it's rarely due to a sudden drop in competence. Most of the time, the warning lights were flashing from the start. “When I talk to clients who come to me with what they consider a failure, we look back at the interview process, and they say, ‘I knew during the interview I shouldn’t have taken it. There was a red flag, and I ignored it,’” Jodi says. Don't let a lucrative offer make you abandon your non-negotiables. “My job is to help clients root their search in their values and stay true to them,” she explains. “If you want autonomy and creativity, but this sexy job

CAR E E R A DV IC E | P RO FESSION AL SE RVICE S

comes up with double the salary and a micromanager, let’s talk about the price. If you swap out values, let’s talk about the consequences.”

4. EVERYTHING IS NEGOTIABLE

Even in a tight job market, candidates often feel so grateful just to receive an offer that they forfeit their leverage before the ink is dry. “It doesn't mean that they're worth less,” Jodi emphasizes. “I remind people what they are worth and get as much as they possibly can.” When recruiters press for your salary expectations, flip the script to uncover their actual boundaries. “Instead of getting pinned down, say: ‘I see the range. Can you tell me the difference between someone who gets paid at the bottom of the range versus the top of the range?’” she advises. “Now you’re getting intel, and you know where you calibrate. And remember, compensation is more than base salary—it’s equity, title progression, tuition reimbursement, or unlimited vacation. Companies expect a counter; arm yourself with information and ask.”

5. WHY THE HOLIDAYS ARE PRIME TIME TO POWER UP

The widespread assumption that corporate hiring goes dark between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day is one of the costliest misconceptions in the job market. While the stress of being unemployed during the holiday season can easily trigger anxiety, Jodi urges candidates to flip their perspective. “This is a time to give back, meaning give people the opportunity to help you. The more you share your experience, the more opportunities there are for people to help you—and during the holidays, people are feeling particularly generous and giving,” she explains. That goodwill creates an under-the-radar advantage for anyone willing to stay engaged while competitors check out. “Most candidates think that nobody is around for the holidays, so they power down,” Jodi explains. “But that's an opportunity for people to actually power up. There is more time for hiring managers to sift through their inboxes. Things get slower internally in companies, and managers have more time. Also, at the end of the year, there's a lot of planning for Q1, so sowing seeds for jobs that will open in Q1 is good timing.” Layer that corporate lull onto a packed social calendar, and suddenly reconnecting feels effortless. “Holiday parties, family gatherings, meeting people for drinks gives you a great excuse to say, ‘Happy New Year, let’s reconnect,’” Jodi says. “Think of it more as an opportunity than a dread, because things definitely happen during quiet times.” To learn more about Congratulations, You’re Fired, visit congratulationsyourefired.com

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C I T Y L I FEST Y L E G I V ES BAC K

GIVING TOGETHER A Community That Shows Up

Every year, City Lifestyle sends checks to hundreds of families in need across the country through our annual Giving Campaign and our non-profit arm, Kingdom Building Foundation. But none of it would be possible without you. We can only help the people we know about, and

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that’s where our readers come in. If you know someone quietly struggling, whether it’s a single parent, a senior citizen, or a family facing something they never saw coming, we want to hear their story. Nominations are what make this whole campaign possible.

We provided a chair lift for a teenager paralyzed in a gymnastics accident so she could move freely through her own home again. We helped a child who lost an eye to cancer get the prosthetic because insurance wouldn’t cover it. We covered dental work for a man who needed his smile back just to walk into a job interview. We got heat turned back on for a family who had spent part of the winter without it. We helped a family keep up with bills while a husband and father fought pancreatic cancer, and we helped another family cover medical expenses after the unimaginable loss of a child. These are just a few examples of some of the hundreds of individuals that have been helped through nominations from readers like you. None of it happens without someone noticing first and speaking up. "We don't just send checks," says Steven Schowengerdt, CEO and founder of City Lifestyle.

“We send a message: You are seen, you are loved, and you are not forgotten.” Together with City Lifestyle President Matthew Perry, Steven has helped shape this into a tradition that goes far beyond the holiday season. "This is about community," Matthew says. "We believe we've been blessed, so now we get to be a blessing." Often, the person making the nomination gets just as much out of the experience as the recipient. There's something powerful about being part of the reason someone else's burden got lighter, especially when that need might have otherwise gone unnoticed. The campaign is completely confidential. No names are ever shared or publicized, and nominating someone is as simple as telling us their story. We are looking for those in our communities who fall between the cracks of getting help, and together as a community, we can meet those needs.

Nominations open November 1st and close December 3rd. To nominate someone in your community, follow @CityLifestyle on Instagram and find the form in our bio, or visit KingdomBuildingFoundation.org.

This season, giving starts with you. Let's do it together. Nominate someone in need today.

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NOVEMBER 2026

From the files of the animal doctor...

events A SELECTION OF UPCOMING LO C A L E V E N T S

NOVEMBER 1ST

Ken Ludwig’s Pride and Prejudice, Part 2: Napoleon at Pemberley Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Ct. | 3:00 PM The Westport Country Playhouse hosts the world premiere of this imaginative sequel to Jane Austen’s novel, in which life at Pemberley is turned upside down when an unexpected houseguest arrives: Napoleon Bonaparte. Through Nov. 7. Tickets, from $50, at westportplayhouse.org NOVEMBER 5TH

Late Fall Farm Dinner with Chef Genee Habansky Wakeman Town Farm, 134 Cross Hwy. | 6:30 PM

Animal Doctor of Weston 202 Weston Rd, Weston, CT (203) 221-1440 80

EVE N TS

Join Wakeman Town farm and Chef Genee Habansky of Herbaceous Catering for a farewell to fall, featuring menu elements from local farmers and fishermen. This is a hyper-local event celebrating the best of the local harvest, and guests will choose from a fish, beef or vegetarian entree. Tickets, $150 per person, include the full meal, service, and taxes, at wakemantownfarm.org

Your best round ever took planning. So does your legacy.

N OV E M BE R 8T H

TEDx Westport: Ideas Worth Spreading Westport Town Hall, 110 Myrtle Ave. 4:00 PM TEDxWestport is bringing together bold, original voices from across the region and beyond for a day of inspiring conversation. Tickets, from $95, at eventbrite.com N OV E M BE R 1 3T H

Phillip Phillips: Let’s Go Far Tour District Music Hall, 71 Wall St., Norwalk | 8:00 PM Phillip Phillips, who won the 11th season of American Idol and is best known for his smash hit "Home," visits Norwalk in support of his new EP, Let's Go Far. Tickets, from $50, at districtmusichall.com

Life insurance helps protect what matters most your family’s home, your children’s education, and the life you’ve built together. I’ll help you understand your options so you can make confident decisions. It may be more affordable than you think. Let’s talk now - rates increase with age, and tomorrow’s health isn’t guaranteed.

Let’s plan your best legacy.

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NOVEMB ER 2 0 2 6 | C I TYL I FE STYL E . C OM / W E ST P O RT

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CHILDREN | ADOLESCENTS | FAMILIES

COMPASSIONATE CARE MEETS REAL CHANGE NOVEMBER 20 TH

Maria Bamford SHU Community Theater, 1420 Post Rd., Fairfield | 8:00 PM Maria Bamford is revered for her deeply personal and experimental comedy about mental illness. She’s the author of the New York Times-bestselling memoir Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult, is the star of four hour-long standup specials, and created and starred in the surreal, semi-autobiographical Netflix comedy series Lady Dynamite. Tickets, from $58, at shucommunitytheater.org NOVEMBER 3 0 TH

Script In Hand Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Ct. | 7:00 PM At a Script in Hand playreading, actors come together for one day to rehearse and perform a play on a bare stage, with simple lighting for a one-night only experience. November's Script in Hand play is TBA as of press time. Tickets, $35, at westportplayhouse.org

Office Locations

Licensed Psychologists

15+

Years in Practice

Westport | NYC citypsychologygroup.com | 646-668-0945 info@citypsychologygroup.com 82

EVE N TS

Want to be featured? G E T I N T O U C H AT CIT YLIFEST YLE .COM/ WESTPORT

Practice your swing. Throw some darts. Stay for dinner. Scan below to book an activity, or visit us at theclubhousewestport.com to learn more!

Planning Something Bigger?

The Clubhouse is available for private parties, corporate events, holiday gatherings & more. Visit theclubhousewestport.com/private-events to inquire!

(203) 292-3169 | theclubhousewestport.com | 1620 Post Road E, Westport, CT

WESTPORT - NOW OPEN! 1252 POST ROAD EAST (203) 292-3510 FAIRFIELD 2480 BLACK ROCK TPKE (203) 576-1455 WWW.ALINASCAKES.COM

SCAN & SAVE

$10 OFF ANY PURCHASE OF $75 OR MORE

LANDSCAPE DESIGN MASONRY LANDSCAPE DESIGN

PROPERTY MAINTENANCE MASONRY LANDSCAPE DESIGN PROPERTY MAINTENANCE MASONRY

PROPERTY MAINTENANCE 3369 Fairfield Ave, Bridgeport, Connecticut (203)923-2648

jpphilbinlandscapes@gmail.com

1174Fairfield BronsonAve, Rd, Bridgeport, Fairfield, Connecticut 3369 Connecticut (203) 259-2722 (203)923-2648

jpphilbinlandscapes@gmail.com jpphilbinlandscapes@gmail.com

COME VISIT OUR 2ND LOCATION!

The Post 8 Sconset Sq.

HOME DECOR | GIFTS | DESIGN SERVICES 1799 Post Rd East · 203.292.5700 I 8 Sconset Square · 203.349.5190 www.thepostct.com · @thepostct

E DITOR’S PIC K: SOUND COFFEE

ARTICLE BY SARA GAYNES LEVY

s we gear up for the holiday season, there's nothing more important (in my humble opinion) than having excellent coffee on hand. One, for serving guests who may be staying with you—nothing says "I'm a world-class host" like offering freshly-brewed coffee to people waking up in your home. And two, because we need all the extra energy we can get this time of year. Bridgeport's Sound Coffee offers some of my favorite beans in Fairfield County, and they've recently started popping up at the Westport Farmers' Market, selling both their whole-bean varietals and drinks-to-go. If you happen to catch them on a day they're there, I highly recommend stocking up. Sound Coffee, from $18 for 12 ounces, at the Westport Farmers' Market on select Thursdays and at soundcoffee.com

LOCA L’S CH OICE | L I FE + CU LT U RE

Lev Herskovitz Registered Client Service Associate

Michael Wein Financial Advisor

Victor Pena

Financial Advisor

Tax-smart investing. Available all year long. Help keep more of what you earn by choosing a tax-smart strategy. Total Tax 365 may help improve your after-tax investment returns and support your long-term growth. We can help you find solutions to potentially lower your current tax bill, and help diversify your portfolio. This may help you stay on track with your investment plan. Contact us to find out more about how you can be tax-smart with Total Tax 365.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”) and its Financial Advisors and Private Wealth Advisors do not provide any tax/legal advice. Consult your own tax/legal advisor before making any tax related investment decisions. Diversification does not guarantee a profit or protect against a loss in a declining financial market. ©2026 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC Member SIPC.

CRC - 5725644 07/26.

Michael Wein

Portfolio Management Director | Senior Vice President Financial Advisor 500 Post Road East, 3rd Fl, Westport, CT 06880 +1-203-221-6071 | Michael.Wein@morganstanley.com NMLS # 1261751

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