Managing Menopause
The Holiday Season is not only about giving to other’s but is the best time of year to finally invest in you. Give yourself the gift that will have you looking and feeling your best. Don’t just show up this Holiday, arrive with a new breast augmentation, breast lift or breast reduction which can be combined with liposuction, a tummy tuck or other non-surgical procedures to produce the look you have been dreaming of. With the Greenberg Rapid Recovery System, many breast and body procedures will have you back to your. daily routine in 24-48 hours while facelifts and eyelifts in many cases will have you restaurant ready in just a matter of days. Body contouring can also be the answer to reshaping those undesirable areas and produce the results you are struggling to achieve at the gym.
Our innovative Rapid Recovery Breast Augmentation System utilizes sophisticated mini-incision techniques to provide patients with a true 24-hour experience. Using 3-D computer imaging, our surgeons work with each patient to select the appropriate implant size for their unique shape. Patients experience minimal pain, swelling, and bruising, coupled with a notably decreased recovery time. Breast Lifts and Breast Reductions are performed to reposition and reshape the breasts and are often combined to provide a more youthful look. Adding labiaplasty and vaginal rejuvenation is a popular treatment that improves laxity, urinary incontinence, and sensation.
“There is no better time than now to give yourself the gift of a younger and more vibrant looking and feeling you!”
We apply our modern surgical approach to eyelid lifts, facelifts, mini face lifts and Dr. Greenberg’s proprietary micro mini facelift. Many times, we combine these advanced facial procedures with deep laser resurfacing, and facial fat transfers. An eyelid lift only takes about an hour and provides a very youthful appearance to both the upper and lower lids. A facelift, whether it is mini, micro-mini, lower, or a full lift, takes years off facial appearance. A face lift addresses excess skin, rejuvenates the neck and lifts the jowls. Mini, or modified facelifts are often performed on younger patients before the signs of aging are advanced. Overall, a natural look is of utmost importance.
We individually design a treatment plan tailored to each patient’s unique goals and to enhance natural beauty. The fleet of lasers and high-tech devices at our state-ofthe-art facilities ensure a rejuvenated and more youthful appearance. Treatments such as RF Microneedling provide resurfacing, skin tightening, collagen remodeling and facial contouring on all skin types. This advanced treatment addresses concerns on the face and body such as skin laxity, crepey skin on the chest, hands, arms, abdomen, thighs, and knees. For facial rejuvenation, the technology targets smoker’s lines, crow’s feet, deep lines, and wrinkles and tightens loose jowls. CoolPeel® resurfaces the skin to improve skin quality, scarring, skin tone and texture. Coolsculpting® and Emsculpt® are nonsurgical body contouring treatments performed to reduce fat and tone the body when diet and exercise are not providing desired results. We remain committed to educating patients on the importance of overall health, diet, exercise and maintaining a positive state of mind. A comprehensive assessment of each patient’s individual needs provides for a positive and realistic result as well as a natural and younger look. Whichever procedure or combination of procedures that we use to create your customized treatment plan, will enhance your appearance and give you the results that you desire. There is no better time than now to give yourself the gift of a younger and more vibrant looking and feeling you!
STEPHEN T. GREENBERG, M.D., F.A.C.S.
EVE LUPENKO, M.D., F.A.A.D.
JESSICA NEWBURGER, D.O., F.A.A.D.
Dr. Stephen T. Greenberg is a double board-certified celebrity plastic surgeon who along with his esteemed team specialize in cosmetic, plastic, and reconstructive surgery. He is the director of the Leading Centers for Plastic Surgery in Manhattan, Woodbury, Southampton, Smithtown, and Scarsdale in New York as well as Princeton, New Jersey and Boca Raton, Florida. Join him and his award-winning team for your complimentary surgical, injection or med spa consultation. Plus visit his full-service Dermatology Division, accepting most insurance plans. To schedule call 516.364.4200 or visit www.GreenbergCosmeticSurgery.com.
Catching Up With Carol (Silva)
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What books have you been reading lately?
The Good Left Undone by (Italianamerican novelist) adriana trigiani, who has become a friend. and, because I still think of my mother, Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief by David Kessler, and On Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief Through the Five Stages of Loss by elizabeth Kübler-ross, which is a great book for anybody that’s lost someone they love.
If you could share a meal with anyone alive or dead, who would it be?
In terms of celebrities, I’ve already cooked for Presidents: (george W.) Bush, the Italian President, and two Popes–Benedict and Francis. so maybe it would be fun to talk to and cook for tchaikovsky—with his own music playing in the background. Other than that, it always goes back to my family. My mother and my grandmother. Just to evoke those
special times that made me who I am.
Favorite painter I love r afael. the skin tones… it’s almost alive. For contemporary painting, I like Jenny saville. Her work focuses on the sensual body and reminds me of Michelangelo’s etchings. But just to be different, I also like gustav Klimt.
Good Advice
The Art of Permanent Cosmetics
by Olga Lucia
As an optometrist I care very much about the health of the eyes, but I also love being able to showcase their natural beauty.
The shape of our eyes and eyebrows are essential for our facial expressions and for our total natural look. This is one of the many reasons I got involved in the cosmetic industry.
I specialize in micropigmentation, or permanent cosmetics, for eyebrows, eyeliners, and lips. I have been doing this since 1993, and in that time I developed a true artistic ability. The inquiries for eyebrows increased so much in my practice that it compelled me to research and understand the importance of how the eyebrow is shaped. I design and use all the different techniques available for natural looking eyebrows including Microblading and 3-D eyebrows.
I’ve also learned that permanent cosmetics, or cosmetic tattoos, are not only used to en-
hance eyebrows, eyeliner, and lips. Paramedical tattoos are now being used to provide services to cancer survivors with hair loss and to those who have undergone a mastectomy. For those with alopecia who fully or partially lost eyebrows and/or eyelashes, I am here to provide them with confidence and beauty through permanent cosmetics.
For breast cancer survivors the breast reconstruction process can include areola tattooing to create the illusion of a natural nipple areola complex with appropriate skin tone, shape, size, position, and color.
Olga Lucia is a Licensed Esthetician, Makeup Artist and Optometrist Doctor. Her credentials include: Fellow American Academy of Micropigmentation (FAAM), Certified Micropigmentation Instruction (CMI) and Certified Permanent Cosmetics Professional (CPCP). Call 516-627-0722 for more information or visit us at permanentcosmeticsbyolga.com. 1129 Northern Blvd., Suite 301, Manhasset. The shape of our eyes and eyebrows are essential for our facial expressions.
Permanent Cosmetics
december/jAnuAry
Showstoppers
It’s worth two trips to Manhattan to marvel at two music men while they’re at the top of their game. First, two-time Tony award-winner Hugh Jackman takes the stage in From New York, With Love, starting Friday, Jan. 24 at the iconic Radio City Music Hall, 1260 Sixth Ave. An accomplished actor in major motion pictures as well as a multi-instrumentalist and dancer, he has been praised for his showmanship and stage presence. Purchase tickets at fromnywithlovehj.com. Next, playing just five dates from Wednesday, Jan. 29 to Sunday Feb. 2, charming crooner and jazz pro Harry Connick Jr. performs A Celebration of Cole Porter onstage at
f y i
the Metropolitan Opera. Purchase tickets for the Grammy and Emmy award-winning singer/musician/actor’s show at metopera.org, 30 Lincoln Center Plaza, or call 212-362-6000. Earlier in the month and closer to home, in Port Washington, Darlene Love, called “one of the greatest singers of all time” by Rolling Stone, brings her gracious stage presence in Love for the Holidays to Landmark on Main Street’s Jeanne Rimsky Theater at 232 Main St., on Sunday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. Find tickets at landmarkonmainst.org or call 516-767-6444.
Beloved Ballets
“To
by Annie Wilkinson
It’s a tough decision, deciding which performance of the holiday favorite The Nutcracker to attend. The Eglevsky Ballet’s The Nutcracker, with Jeffrey Cirio and Ji Young Chae of the Boston Ballet, is at Tilles Center for the Performing Arts at LIU Post, 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville (purchase tickets at tillescenter.org or call 516-299-3100). And the Ohman School of Ballet, with former Northport and Plainview resident/New York City Ballet Soloist Erica Pereira starring in The Nutcracker, is at the John Cranford Adams Playhouse, 118 Hofstra University, Hempstead (purchase tickets at ohmanballet.org or call 631-462-6266). Both ballets are on the same dates: Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 21-22.
Happiness Hack
For many, when the winter holidays roll around, life’s difficulties bring sadness rather than joy. Here’s a new strategy that may serve as a mood-booster: During the pandemic, author Jessica McCabe came up with a life hack she calls the “dopamenu,” a list of the types of activities designed to produce enjoyment and meaning. As reported on aol.com, the dopamenu increases the body’s production of dopamine, the feel-good hormone. “Engaging in mood-boosting activities like spending time near water, exercising, journaling, or calling a friend can all increase dopamine, and if done consistently, can enhance overall happiness measures,” psychotherapist Rachel Goldberg, L.M.F.T., told aol. The technique hasn’t been scientifically studied — yet — but having your personal happiness menu nearby may help you choose the activities that make you happy. s
To submit info for FYI consideration, please send it to fyipick.liw@gmail.com.
In the 2020 presidential election, Democratic U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris made history by becoming the country’s first woman vice president. But in 1984, Geraldine Anne Ferraro had campaigned for that same office. Ferraro was born in Newburgh, New York in 1935, and raised by a single mother, an Italian immigrant. “Gerry” attended Marymount Manhattan College on scholarship at 16 and taught in New York City public schools. She earned a law degree in 1960 and married real estate broker John Zaccaro, working at his law firm part-time while raising three children; the Zaccaros spent time at a vacation home in Fire Island’s Saltaire. Her career moved swiftly, when she became an assistant district attorney, then worked at the Special Victims Bureau investigating sex crimes and child abuse. She left four years later to run on a successful platform for the 9th Congressional District, becoming the first Congresswoman from Queens; she was re-elected twice. In 1984, Ferraro was the first woman to chair the Democratic Party Platform Committee, and presidential candidate Walter Mondale picked her as his running mate. In her acceptance speech, she said, “It isn’t right that every year, the share of taxes paid by individual citizens is going up, while the share paid by large corporations is getting smaller and smaller,” and “It isn’t right that a woman should get paid 59 cents on the dollar for the same work as a man.” But accusations against her husband tying him to organized crime, tax evasion, and more, although most of them were unfounded, handed the presidency to the Republicans. After that, she ran twice — unsuccessfully — for the Senate; President Bill Clinton later appointed her U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Commission. She campaigned for presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton and co-hosted CNN’s political talk show Crossfire for two years. She died of cancer at 75 in 2011.
succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funny bone.” reba
mcentire
Unforgettable Long Island women who made a difference
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december/January
Seasonal Shopping Pick
Santa Photos and More
Q uick P icks
Get in the holiday spirit at the Christmas Market & Holiday Lights at the Gazebo with craft vendors, food, beverages, and free photos with Santa. Celebrate at 244 W. Main St., Babylon Village, on Saturday, Dec. 14, from 10:30 a.m.- 3 p.m. Rain date Dec. 15. Details at babylonbeautification.org.
Togetherness Pick Couples Bistro
Enjoy a fun night with your partner or friend(s) while creating a meal together at Couples Date Night Bistro. Held at Western Suffolk BOCES Wilson Tech, 17 Westminster Ave., Dix Hills, on Thursday, Dec. 19 from 6-9 p.m. More info at wilsontech.org or call 631-6676000 ext. 320.
Painting Pick
Mastering Monet
Bring out your inner artist while enjoying wine and snacks at Paint Like A Master Paint & Sip, drawing inspiration from Claude Monet’s Snow at Argenteuil at the Islip Arts Council Gallery, South Shore Mall, 1701 Sunrise Hwy., Bay Shore. Takes place on Saturday, Dec. 21 from 5-7:30 p.m. See specifics at isliparts.org or call 631-888-3525.
Chanukah Pick
Grand Menorah Lighting
Celebrate the lighting of the menorah on each night during Chanukah, starting Thursday, Dec. 26 at 6:00 p.m. at Kennedy Plaza, 1 Chester St., Long Beach. Find out more at longbeachny.gov or by calling 516-5743905.
Product Pick Perfect Pies
Apple Raspberry. Apple Peach. Apple Blueberry. These are just a few of the many fresh pies you’ll find at this neighborhood treasure. Order your holiday baked goods early at Jericho Cider Mill, 213 Rte. 106, Jericho. See the selection at jerichocider.com, 516-433-3360.
Snow Pick
Cross-Country Ski Adventures
All are welcome to enjoy skiing and nature with the Long Island Cross-Country Ski Club, from beginners to advanced. Coming up in January and February are trips to Garnet Hill, New York, and Stowe Vermont. The next meeting is in Plainview on Jan. 16; see details at liccsc.org or call 631-897-1001.
Local Shopping Pick Made on Long Island
From Little Bird Chocolates’ syrup snacks in Plainview to Hamptons hand-poured candles, shop from a wide variety of local goods at the Long Island Welcome Center, 5100 LIE Eastbound between Exits 51-52, Dix Hills. See more at taste.ny.gov or call 631-254-0414.
Veterans Pick Club Socializing
The Veterans Social Club is a morning program where veterans and military members can engage and interact with other veterans and military members. The facilitated meetings are held once every month from 9:30 a.m.-11 a.m. at the Lindenhurst Memorial Library, 1 Lee Ave., Lindenhurst. Find out schedule and register by calling 631-957-7755.
Medicare Talkspace Online Therapy
If you have health insurance with Medicare or Medicare Advantage you may have access to Talkspace therapy, which pairs you with a therapist to talk through anything that’s on your mind, from the convenience of your home. See details at talkspace.com or contact the Talkspace support team at 888-846-4821.
Performance Pick
Sutton Foster at the Staller Center Gala Broadway and television star Sutton Foster performs show tunes and timeless classics on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 8
“Goals
by annie Wilkinson
p.m. at Staller Center for the Arts, Stony Brook University, 2032 Staller Center, Stony Brook. Order tickets at stallercenter.com or by calling 631-632-7235.
Caregivers Pick Help and Support
The Alzheimer’s Association offers many caregiver support groups throughout Long Island, both in person and via Zoom. Suffolk County virtual groups meet every second Tuesday and every fourth Tuesday from 2-3 p.m. See the groups list at www.alz.org or call 800-272-3900.
Homebound Mail Services Pick Library Delivery
Local libraries offer free book delivery and pickup for homebound patrons who can’t come to the library because of a temporary or permanent illness or condition. Residents can find a nearby library by googling “homebound services long island libraries.”
are dreams with deadlines.” diana Scharf Hunt
Submissions for Quick Picks should be sent to fyipick.liw@gmail.com for consideration.
Virtual Picks
Sutton Foster
Photo: Jenny Anderson
Good Advice
Financial Independence for Women
by Barbara Magor Deel, CFP®,CHFC, MBA – Vice President of Financial Planning
On average, women are living longer which impacts a woman’s savings and investing patterns. For many unmarried women over 65, including widows, Social Security comprises about 50% of their income. Many women file for Social Security early in their retirement, potentially reducing their benefit and the opportunity to increase the income Social Security provides. Women need to address this looming gap in later retirement years with increased scrutiny in their personal financial planning.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, women currently control 2/3 or about $12 trillion in annual spending and now make up 57% of the labor workforce! Approximately 80% of women will be
Educating yourself about finances is the first step towards financial independence. advertisement
solely responsible for household financial decisions at some point in their lives. With all these overwhelming facts, it should be easy to convince women of the vital importance of creating a PERSONAL financial plan. Educating yourself about finances is the first step towards financial independence. Build an emergency fund- since without one, the loss of a job or a large unexpected bill could force you to take on high interest credit card debt. Do not let the fear of losing money stop you from the investment process. Creating a diversified portfolio consisting of stocks and bonds is a key element of providing future retirement income.
Call Barbara at 866-932-5130 or email Barbara@americaninvestmentplanners. com
Stella Sands’ Wordhunter Book Corner
Stella Sands’ latest book, The Wordhunter, intoduces us to Maggie Moore who owns one thousand seven hundred and thirty-eight books. To say she is a wordsmith is too timid. She’s a badass savant who loves language and wishes she could’ve had breakfast with Hunter S. Thompson. Forensic linguistics is her thing as she says, “If only life were as formularized and unsurprising as diagramming the parts of speech of a sentence.” Maggie is confident in her abilities but distrusts nearly everyone because when Maggie was 14, her childhood best friend, Lucy, disappeared. As a graduate student studying forensic linguistics (she describes newspaper reporter Jimmy Breslin’s famous line that Son of Sam “was the only killer who knew how to use a semicolon.”) her professor recommends Maggie help the police department crack a case. When a political dignitary’s daughter is abducted, Maggie turns professional. Detective Jackson is in awe of this Mescal-drinking, tattooed, multiple-pierced college PhD candidate as she analyzes all styles of communications. She tells him, “This guy (suspect) speaks in long run-ons . . .The Heidi guy (kidnapper) writes tight, neat, short sentences. “When Maggie zeroes in on a suspect, it shocks the south-Central Florida small town. Stella Sands is the author of six true-crime books: Baby-Faced Butchers, The Dating Game Killer, Behind the Mask, Murder at Yale, Wealthy Men Only and The Good Son. She also wrote a children’s book Odyssea and many educational books. Sands was editor-inchief of the award-winning magazine Kids Discover and appeared on the shows, People Magazine Investigates, ABC’s 20/20 and Investigation Discovery Long IsLand Woman caught up with Stella Sands in her Sag Harbor home. (StellaSands.com)
“I always wanted to have a lot of tattoos and piercings. She (Maggie) is who I would’ve been if I had the guts!”
by Mary Ellen Walsh
How did you become a true crime writer?
My daughter, Jessica Soffer the author of Tomorrow There Will be Apricots, used to play with a young girl who lived up the street from us named Daphne. In 1997, I was gutted when I learned Daphne was involved in a crime and subsequentially sentenced to manslaughter for murdering 44-year-old real estate worker Michael McMorrow. I became obsessed with it and wrote the true crime story: Baby-Faced Butchers Then I began to investigate and write other true crime
books, often visiting prisons and victims’ families. After my sister died a few years ago, I was in a dark place and decided to write my way out of that darkness, taking a leap into fiction.
Is it possible to pick a favorite out of your true crime books?
I would say, the Dating Game Killer about the serial murderer Rodney Alcala. He was a brilliant psychopath. He had killed a few women, went on The Dating Game and then killed more afterward. He was fascinating. I corresponded with him.
What exactly is Forensic Linguistics? How did you discover this profession? I drew inspiration from the reallife impact that forensic linguistics had in solving the Unabomber case. Ted Kaczynski’s family members recognized key words and phrases in the Unabomber’s manifesto that were words Ted had sent to the police. They fingered him.
Maggie is an unforgettable character— tough, edgy, and unique. Was she based on anyone you knew? Walk us through her development.
Maggie started as a morbidly obese woman who solved crimes at her computer in her apartment. She morphed into this badass chick filled with tattoos and piercings. I love spending time with her, wondering what she will do next. I always wanted to have a lot of tattoos and piercings. She is who I would’ve been if I had the guts! Florida as a setting provides almost a mysterious background character in the novel. Do you know a lot about Florida?
Yes. I was born there and everyone in my family lives in the state. But one never really knows Florida. It’s a wonderfully weird place. The kind of place where a body can wash up on the shore.
It’s clever to use sentence diagrams in the novel. Were you that kid in school who loved language and dissecting sentences?
Yes. I was always a writer and a grammar nerd. I love to research. The actual sentences Maggie diagrams, support and enhance what is going on in the story much like a metaphor. I had to make sure that it made sense.
What is the difference between writing a true crime book and a novel?
True crime stories are vetted and all about court cases. It’s not as creative. In fiction, you have to create scenes that are imaginative. Writing a novel is so freeing! Before I died I wanted to write a novel. Next on the horizon?
Wordhunter has been optioned by a film studio. Perhaps there will be more of Maggie. l
Photo: Beowulf Sheehan
Lidia Bastianich
by David Lefkowitz
Land-of-opportunity Cinderella stories don’t get much better than that of Lidia Bastianich. The renowned restaurateur whose dining successes and TV appeal elevated her name recognition to the ranks of Ramsay, Batali, Flay, and Puck, continues dominating the field of traditional Italian cooking with her numerous books, a line of sauces and cookware, and a new season of her long-running PBS show, Lidia Celebrates America
Not bad for a woman who was born in a section of post-war Northern Italy that, the very month of her birth, transferred over to Communist rule. The silver lining was Lidia’s grandparents’ rustic home in the country, where she learned the basics of farm life and food preparation. However, when relations further soured between Italians and the Slavs, who still harbored resentment over Italy’s wartime fascism, it was time for the Matticchio family to flee. Lidia, her mom, and her brother all traveled to Trieste on the pretext of visiting a sick relative. Papa was able to escape and meet them soon after.
However, a warm family welcome did not await the clan. They were held in a refugee camp at San Sabba, a five-story brick compound. If that sounds only mildly forbidding, note that the place was built in 1913 as a rice-husking plant but during WWII became a Nazi detention and death camp, complete with crematorium. Still, Lidia’s time there was not without hope. She and her parents were hired to do various housekeeping jobs by a wealthy local family, and after two years, papers came through to bring the Matticchios across the Atlantic.
With teenage jobs at an Astoria bakery (owned by Christopher Walken’s parents, no less) and at an Upper West Side pizzeria, Lidia was able to hone her restaurant skills until, in 1971, she, her mom, and her then-husband Felice Bastianich, opened a small eatery in Forest Hills, followed by a larger one in Fresh Meadows. The next decade would see the trio launch Manhattan’s Felidia restaurant, and a star was quickly born.
A divorce from Felice and a couple of reputation-denting lawsuits against Bastianich and her son Joe aside, the ensuing years have generally brought Lidia from triumph to triumph, be it nearly 200 episodes of Lidia’s Kitchen or more than thirty years running midtown Manhattan’s Becco.
Long IsL and Woman caught up with Bastianich in early autumn and chatted with her about her past, and the present.
Your mother Erminia, who lived with you and appeared on many of your programs, passed in 2021. Do you have a special memory to share?
The courage she and my father had to escape communist Yugoslavia, back to Italy, and then spend two years in a refugee camp... This was when I was 10 and my brother was 14. And then us going to America, not having anybody here, not having money, not knowing how to feed us all. It took courage to take a step for a better life and a belief in being free.
From then on, we were always very close. She lived in my house until the day she died in my arms. She helped me become the success that I am by encouraging me all the time. Once the grandkids were away at school, she would even come to the restaurant in the morning and help open up so I could sleep a little longer. Her support and love were endless, and I miss her very much. What’s the best piece of advice she gave you?
Whenever I encountered a wall in my life, she would tell me, ‘You can do it! You must be positive and have faith in yourself, but you can make it happen.’ This was very important coming from a woman who’d had a lot of adversity in her life.
What about your dad?
My father was more of a quiet individual, pensive. Whereas my mother really got into the American way of life, my father always missed his home. And remember that when my mother, my brother, and I left, he couldn’t come
with us; the officials wouldn’t give him permission because if the whole family left, they knew we wouldn’t come back. My father did ultimately reach us in Trieste. We were in my aunt’s house sleeping at night when the doorbell rang. My mother was crying. My aunt was crying. There was my father at the door, all muddy. He told us, ‘You know, when I was crossing the border, there were the police, but they also sent dogs after me. So I saw a puddle and rolled myself in the mud so the dogs lost the scent.’ I can’t help but remember his ingenuity—the things a human mind can figure out, even under pressure—and how determined he was to get us all together again.
But your troubles weren’t over. You were all put in a refugee camp.
“From the beginning of being an immigrant in America, I wanted to put my two homes together: my new home and the home I left.”
After the war, there was an area occupied by the Allied forces until they decided where the border would go. In 1947, the year I was born, the Paris Treaty decided that Trieste would be for Italy and Istria would be given to Tito and Communist Yugoslavia. We spoke Italian at home but weren’t allowed to use it anywhere else. We couldn’t go to church. Food was scarce, but my maternal grandmother had a little farm with rabbits, pigs and goats. My mother wanted us away from the city, which had much more of a military presence, so we stayed on the farm helping my grandma. I’d milk the goat and help her in the garden to get the potatoes and pick the beans. When the pigs were slaughtered—I mean, you use everything from the animal—she’d make sausage. I’d have to bring this bucket to catch all the blood. I remember using a big wooden spoon to mix the pot on the fire. We’d put cornmeal in it and raisins. Then I’d shell the peas, shell the beans, bring grandma whatever she needed. Doing all that, I really learned a lot about food. When my parents decided to leave Istria, my brother and I thought we were just going to visit family, not realizing we weren’t coming back. So we didn’t say a real “goodbye” to my grandma. So those times have a special place in my heart for me. Food is memory—the flavors and aromas. We’ve all had the experience where you smell something and it takes you back to a place you’d forgotten about. So food became my connector.
But have you actually gone back to Serbia/Montenegro (the former Yugoslavia)?
I go every year, even twice. I still have cousins there. And I go back to that little courtyard by my grandmother. I feel comfort from that and get a complete sense of calm.
Oh, I have to share this story: When you have so many animals, you have mice and owls. I remember the owls would hoot at night, which can be scary to a child. But when I went back, although the animals were all gone, I heard the hooting. The owls are still there, maybe from the same family generations later. Like food, it brings you back to the moment.
One of the people who really let you know you’d arrived as a chef was Julia Child, who visited your restaurant the day after it opened. Some memories of her?
We remained friends until the very end. She was in Santa Monica, and I saw her two weeks before she passed. She had her little black cat, and she loved her martinis. But she was such a unique individual and partly the reason for me being on television. Around 1980, she came in and wanted to learn how to make risotto. (Risotto wasn’t familiar here yet.) So she came over to the house
for a regular family meal. My husband started playing the accordion to make things festive, and we all started singing Italian folk songs and swaying to the music. It was wonderful how Julia just inserted herself into our family and our culture. But that was Julia.
As a world traveler to places like Mexico and Vietnam, are you able to incorporate dishes (or parts of dishes) into your own cuisine, or do people expect you to stay northern Italian?
Well, it’s my commitment to stay Italian. From the beginning of being an immigrant in America, I wanted to put my two homes together: my new home and the home I left. I do that by sharing my food, my culture, the Italian culture. It’s not about me “inventing” or creating. I just try to keep up with that culture as it is evolving. I realized soon enough that America loves Italy—because of art, music, La Dolce Vita, and whatever. Luckily, I was in a comfortable place with resources, through television and books, to keep getting information and bringing it to America.
That said, I do travel a lot because I’m very curious. I love Asian food, Thai food and more. I love seeing how these food cultures compare through history, anthropology, and so forth. But on television? I stay on track with Italian traditions.
How has Italian cooking evolved in the recent past?
Italian food is about seasonality, regionality, and simplicity. Traditional ingredients, like the oil, the Parmigiano. Those are the key elements you need to make a detailed cuisine, to cook, and also to transport. It comes down to spaghetti and pomodoro (tomato). There’s not much you can change there. The spaghetti has to be made out of good, dry durum wheat; and the sauce must use good olive oil and garlic, and, especially, plum tomatoes.
But even the portions and duration of serving a meal in Italy are a consideration. On the plate, you usually have one-third proteins with the rest of vegetables, legumes, and starches. That balance has remained the same. In America, the plates are more than three-quarters protein.
Honestly, the main change I see now versus what my grandmother used
is that because of the pigs, she used lard. Today, olive oil really permeates cooking in Italy, which just makes sense. And though grocery stores do have frozen foods, there’s still some consciousness of home cooking, rather than buying things to last for weeks. Some foods are sort of prepared, but they’re left to be finished at home. It’s a kind of halfway mark.
Famously, Gordon Ramsay has said he enjoys the occasional In-N-Out burger, and other notable chefs have confessed to being fast-food foodies and junk-food junkies. Do you have Taco Bell cravings we don’t know about?
Honestly, when I come home, it’s easy to make a pasta quickly and just have it. It’s easy to make and store recipes for, say, the base of a soup. From there, you can develop a stracciatella or buy tortellini and make tortellini en brodo. I also make a pesto, though I warn people that pesto oxidizes and becomes black. You have to line the top with olive oil to make sure air doesn’t get to it. But if you do, it stays perfectly fresh in the freezer. So for women or men who work, make these things, freeze them in portion sizes, come home, pull out that pesto, cook your pasta, and it’s easy.
Yes, I will have a sandwich now and then, with prosciutto or whatever. But I always like a little salad next to it or a sliced tomato. I want to stick to the real stuff.
Do you read cookbooks?
I try to get them all because now cookbooks have stories about the author, the chef. I want to know what makes them tick.
Do you watch other cooking shows?
I get asked this question a lot. Some shows are ridiculous and buffoonery. But some have validity, like Chopped. I like that one because when they open the basket, I think, “What would I do?” It stimulates my own ideas. I’m also amazed to see these young chefs really coming out with things. Also, I like historical food shows, where you get to observe another chef of a different ethnicity and their history or tradition.
Do you listen to music when you cook?
I love contemporary music but stay in touch with Italian music, like songs by Domenico Modugno that were contemporary when I was young. But mostly I love classical music: operas, violin and cello compositions and certain arias. For example, the chorus “Va, Pensiero” from Verdi’s Nabucco. It’s very relatable to the area we come from because it tells of the Jewish immigrants being chased out of Egypt who sing, “Our thoughts go on golden wings to the place we’re leaving.”
Have you tried dishes that many of us would look askance at?
Well, it was interesting seeing the market in Mexico and all the insects. Like chocolatecovered ants. I was given ant eggs—little white eggs that looked like caviar. They were delicious. We don’t have that in Italian culture. We might use, say, chicken feet and every part of an animal you can think of, but not insects.
“I was terrified of the responsibility and rigor” of the role, admits Clark. “Especially because itʼs such a beautiful gift of a show that I didnʼt want to ruin it.”
When I was in Thailand, trying street foods, I saw these banana leaves. On each leaf was this big insect with shiny green wings, though its head was removed. People were buying this, scraping it off their teeth, and eating it just like that. I didn’t try that, though. That was too much for me. But the reality is: that’s the future. If we look at our environment and how people are multiplying, insects might be perfect nourishment. They’re 100 percent protein with very little fat, and they require very little input to grow and develop.
On a recent episode of Lidia Celebrates America we went to Minnesota and found a husband and wife that I call “the cricketeers” because they were raising crickets. They asked me, ‘What would you do with crickets?’ I said, ‘Pesto.’ So we used crickets instead of nuts, added basil, and we had a pasta that was crunchy and delicious.
Maybe not the best question to ask after that last answer, but do you have advice for opening a new restaurant?
Oh, my God—don’t do it! Restaurants are really tough. When I started, it was mom and pop, an extension of my home and memories. You form a bond because you know the local customers that come regularly. Now everything has
to be an institutional, high-end. And the failure rate is so high. When we opened our first restaurant in 1971 it had nine tables. We did it on something like $20,000 plus $50,000 we borrowed from my mother. Nowadays, without a few million, you’re nowhere. The one silver lining is that many people make money elsewhere and want to be investors. They think a restaurant is a charming place to be a partner: ‘Oh, I can show my friends, `Look, this is my restaurant!’ But you still must be prepared, do diligent research and get yourself a good team. Going to a restaurant has become an event for people, not a usual thing. But we try. Our Becco, on West 46th Street, is kept pretty reasonable with good fresh food. It helps that pasta has a people element—people love it—and a good profit element. We can serve it a la minute (quick n’ fresh) and at a good price. If you intend to open a restaurant, make sure you know your craft. If you are a businessman and front-ofthe-house person, know how to set things up: menus and service and decoration. Find a good partner in the kitchen. Even if you’re in the front, you need to know the recipes,
how the food tastes and how you want to serve it. Collaborate with someone who can stay up to date, execute the food and who’s honest, good and sincere.
Is that your secret?
I don’t know if there is a secret, but I recommend hard work, commitment,and passion.
What does being an American mean to you?
I’ve lived here most of my life, and for all intents and purposes, I’m an American. I appreciate the greatness of this country, especially now, when it’s not so recognized. But there’s no place like this one, and we’d better just appreciate it and make sure everybody gets that message.
A proud contributor to Long Island Woman since 2008, David Lefkowitz (davelefkowitz.org) is an adjunct English professor and award-winning playwright whose comedies, Restoration Playhouse, and Three Percent, were both produced virtually in theater festivals. His weekly video podcast, Dave’s Gone By (davesgoneby.com), is now in its 23rd year.
photo: Erica Pelosini Leeman
Depression Is Far More Sinister Than Sadness Health
by Kimberly Blaker
Iwas first diagnosed with major depression at the age of 31. I was married, had two beautiful kids ages seven and three, and owned a thriving business. Yet, despite having so much to live for, my mood plummeted into despair. I lost all motivation to do anything. The most simple everyday tasks suddenly required an extraordinary effort. At night, I’d lie awake ruminating over every minor thing I had ever said or done wrong–or less than perfect. My life felt utterly worthless, despite all evidence to the contrary, and I became engulfed in sorrow and hopelessness.
As days turned into weeks, I continued to spiral downward. I became increasingly focused on death. I wasn’t suicidal, per se—though thoughts of the least painful methods of ending my suffering swirled around in my mind. I wanted nothing more than to fall asleep and never wake up again.
Unable to endure the pain and emptiness any longer and terrified by my thoughts, I finally sought help. My doctor prescribed an antidepressant, and within a few weeks the darkness lifted. I was once again, my usual happy, energetic self.
But this was only the beginning of a lifelong battle with depression. Over the past couple of decades, I’ve had far too many bouts of depression to even count. Some are mild and short-lived, having minimal impact on my functioning, despite the bleak and gloomy outlook that looms over me. Other episodes are major and impact all areas of my life.
Unable to endure the pain and emptiness any longer and terrified by my thoughts, I finally sought help.
with one depressive disorder often suffer from various forms. I’ve been diagnosed with major depressive disorder, dysthymia, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and either cyclothymia or bipolar II (hypomania, rather than mania), with the depression component being the more severe problem for me.
Women Are Particularly At Risk For Depression
Depression does affect both women and men. But women are twice as likely to experience major depression, according to Harvard Medical School. Women also experience higher rates of dysthymia, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and the depressive side of bipolar disorder. Depression, unlike the normal sadness everyone experiences from time to time, is a soul-sucking darkness that’s debilitating. It causes feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, and worthlessness. Depression can affect every aspect of life, from work and school to parenting, friendships, and the very basics of living. most women who’ve been diagnosed with depression in the past, the feeling is unmistakable when it begins to set in. But those who suffer from milder forms of depression and sometimes, even those suffering from a first major depressive episode, don’t immediately connect all the dots. So, some people can experience depression and not realize they’re suffering from a treatable illness.
Recently, I experienced my first dysthymic episode–a depression that lasted two years, cycling between mild and severe. I had become resistant to my longtrusted friend, Wellbutrin, and none of the other medications I tried gave me any relief. Finally, I found a psychopharmacologist who knew just the right cocktail (a combination of medications) for me, and my depression went back into remission.
Signs of Depression
Symptoms of depression can range from mild to severe. Not everyone experiences every symptom. But several symptoms must be present for at least two weeks to receive a diagnosis of depression. The exact criteria for specific types of depression vary slightly. But the following are all indicators:
• Feeling depressed (sad, empty, or hopeless) nearly every day for at least a couple weeks
by Kimberly Blaker
• Unusual irritability or difficulty controlling anger
• Ongoing trouble sleeping or sleeping more than usual
• An increase or decrease in appetite or significant unexplained weight loss or gain
• Loss of interest or pleasure in all or most activities
• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
• Feelings of fatigue or loss of energy
• Excessive or inappropriate feelings of guilt or worthlessness
• Visible psychomotor slowing down or agitation
• Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide, with or without a plan, or attempted suicide.
Types of Depression
There are quite a few classifications, or types, of depression. The following are a few of the more common.
In any given year, major depressive disorder affects nearly 7% of the U.S. population, according to the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH). During a major depressive episode almost all aspects of a person’s life are affected. Someone suffering from major depression may lack the motivation to do anything, including such necessities as taking a shower. Because of the impairment both work and personal life suffer. In addition to the symptoms noted above, 20% of those with major depression will also experience psychosis (hallucinations or delusions).
Dysthymia is diagnosed when someone experiences depression for most of each day and on most days for at least two years. It’s often a lower level yet enduring depression. But those with major depression who are treatment-resistant can also meet the diagnosis of dysthymia. So, impairment from dysthymia can range from mild to severe. Women, according to HealthFundingResearch.org, are three times more likely than men to suffer from dysthymia. Those with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) become depressed only or primarily during a particular season. For most with SAD, it’s during the fall and winter months resulting from the shorter days and reduced sunshine. But some people experience SAD during the summer months instead. The onset of SAD is typically around the age of 20 and affects 10 million Americans each year.
are twice as likely
Bipolar disorder affects 2.6% of American adults, according to the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH). This treatable, but lifelong disease typically develops in women in their mid to upper 20s. For men, the onset is usually in the teens to the early 20s. Bipolar is signified by its bouts of both mania (or hypomania) and its opposite extreme, depression. Though an individual with bipolar will experience both sides of the spectrum, in women, depression is often the most problematic. For men, it’s the mania. Those with bipolar often experience psychosis during bouts of mania and sometimes with depression.
Postpartum depression will affect 10 to 15% of women, according to the NIMH. Postpartum depression shouldn’t be confused with the “baby blues,” which is milder, short-lived, and related to the worry and fatigue of parenting a new baby. Instead,
postpartum depression results from hormonal changes. During pregnancy, a woman’s hormone levels increase. Then immediately following childbirth hormone levels rapidly drop to normal levels. This ultimately results in depression in some women. Like other forms of depression, it can be mildly to severely debilitating.
Causes
The exact cause of depression is unknown. But several factors likely contribute to the condition. According to the Mayo Clinic, those with depression have physical changes in their brains. These changes in the brain may eventually help researchers determine the exact cause of depression.
Depression is also genetic. A higher incidence of depression has been found in those with blood relatives who suffer from the condition. Brain chemicals called neurotransmitters play a role in depression. The Mayo Clinic explains that the way neurotransmitters function and their effect on the neurocircuits involved in mood stability plays a significant role both in depression and its treatment.
Hormonal changes can also play a role in depression, particularly for women. During pregnancy and for several months following pregnancy, women are especially vulnerable. Menstruation cycles and menopause can also trigger depression.
Treatment
In some cases, depression results from an underlying medical condition such as thyroid problems or low vitamin B levels. For this reason, it’s essential to visit your primary care physician for blood work to rule out other causes. If the cause of depression is an underlying medical condition, treatment for that condition is likely all that’s needed to cure the depression.
If medical causes have been ruled out, then it’s best to consult with a psychiatrist. Although primary care physicians can treat depression, psychiatrists have specialized training in diagnosing the various forms of depression and experience in treating them. Psychiatrists often know which medications will work best for a particular patient based on various factors. In fact, depending on the type of depression and the specific set of symptoms, some people with depression require a combination of antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, and mood stabilizers. Psychiatrists know how to tailor treatment to each individual for optimal results.
For those who are treatment-resistant, look for a psychiatrist with the special ‘psychopharmacologist’ designation. Psychopharmacologists have gone through additional specialized training in how drugs affect the mind and behavior.
In addition to medication, many psychiatrists recommend cognitive therapy with a psychologist or behavioral therapist in conjunction. This can help people cope with the effects of depression as well as dealing with any underlying trauma or events fueling the depression. Finally, for those with SAD, sitting under a light therapy box is often recommended and can be helpful. You can order one online, and depending on your doctor’s recommendations, you can sit under it for 20 to 40 minutes each day. l
Alphonso James: Birth of a Soul Behind Bars Catching Up With Carol
by Carol Silva
Iwill never forget the day I met Alphonso James. He was on a Zoom from Milwaukee, among ten of us preparing to share personal stories on a new story-telling platform called SPEAK.
We each summarized our tale in a paragraph, but Alphonso’s sounded impossible–the stuff of TV crime shows.
“At 17 years old I was incarcerated, convicted and sentenced to 105 years in prison for a murder I did not commit.” We heard the rest of Alphonso’s saga three weeks later from the SPEAK stage.
On the morning of July 27, 1985, 17-year-old Alphonso was eating bacon and eggs on his mother’s Milwaukee porch, waiting for his two monthold daughter to be dropped off when a police car stopped by. The officer asked his mother, “Who’s that boy?” “My son.” The officer said Alphonso was not in trouble, so she let him approach the squad car. In a minute Alphonso was locked in the back. He saw his mother collapse as he was driven away, thinking, “I’m being lured into a grave.”
At the Milwaukee police station, Alphonso’s deep secret caught up with him. He couldn’t read or write, not even the Homicide Division sign. After 12 hours of interrogation in a windowless concrete room, a detective told Alphonso to “…sign this permission slip” and he’d be released to Mom, waiting in the lobby. “I signed that document. An hour later I was told it was a confession.”
When Alphonso told his desperate story to his public defender, his lawyer said, “Alphonso, these things don’t happen in 1985.” But it did happen. To him.
Alphonso James was convicted of murder and sentenced to 105 years in Green Bay Correctional Institute for a murder he did not commit. Alphonso relived it between deep breaths on the SPEAK stage. “I was mad at my mother because she wasn’t able to protect me. I shook my fist at God saying, ‘If you’re a God of love how could you allow my life to be taken?’
“Then I decided I’d be the baddest, meanest, toughest–and become the person they said I am.” For that, Alphonso spent five years in solitary confinement.
Alphonso James was convicted of murder and sentenced to 105 years in Green Bay Correctional Institute for a murder he did not commit.
For five straight months the prison chaplain passed Alphonso’s cell asking, “How’re you doing?” Alphonso wiped a tear from his cheek remembering, “The best way I could answer was with anger. So, I got urine. I threw it on him. The only thing he said was, ‘Alphonso, I love you and so does God.’ The chaplain returned over and over and over again. My main purpose was to hate everything he offered me. How could your God allow this to happen to me?”
Until the day things changed. “We went through our usual ritual. I threw urine on him. ‘Alphonso, I love you and so does God.’ But this time he brought a chair and an extra towel. So, after I ‘dashed’ him, he wiped himself, grabbed his chair, sat in front of my cell and repeated, ‘Alphonso, I love you and so does God.’
“At that moment I knew this pastor, this man of God had a word that was meant for me. When I was in the most troubling (place), the belly of the whale, a prison within a prison, at the darkest moment of my life, God sent this man to pull me out of the pit.
“I stopped talking about being innocent. I started believing there was something greater in my life. There was a reason I had to suffer the way I did.”
Alphonso told the pastor he was in prison because he couldn’t read or write. The chaplain began bringing coloring books and eventually brought words that Alphonso connected to the pictures. “But more important, he brought me the King James Bible.”
However, the chaplain didn’t know that just the night before, Alphonso had tried to hang himself. When his bedsheet knot ripped, Alphonso fell into the toilet. “I said, ‘God, I can’t even kill myself!’”
Unaware, the chaplain brought the bible that next day. “He told me, ‘Alphonso, you are a powerful man. A great man of God. God has a purpose for you. I believe you.’ From that one person, who spent time, year after year, with unconditional love, I could see what was available on the other side. I said, ‘OK God, there’s a reason why I have 105 years. Why I struggle with reading and writing. Why I was born for this moment.’
“In the fifth year, I was released from solitary. My mission was, that the men out there need help. There’s trauma. They need somebody to listen. I became that catalyst, an example. I began to create programs in the penal system.”
Alphonso put more focus on them and less on his own misery. “I stopped focusing on being imprisoned falsely. There was still work for me to do on myself. I remembered the child within who needed to be loved. I loved that child. Told that child, ‘You are greater than what the system tells you you are. You are a conqueror. Now that you’re aware, what are you going to do with it?’”
On February 14th, 2017, after 32 years behind bars for a murder he did not commit, with the help of the prison warden and the Innocence Project, Alphonso James was freed.
“The suffering I had to go through was for me. It was for growing me up. It was for developing character. Developing purpose. And allowing me to have a platform where His word can be manifested.”
A miracle? “Many of us don’t believe in miracles. We think we never saw a miracle. But you waking up in the morning, it’s a miracle.
“What you do from that point, it’s up to you.”
You can see Alphonso’s full story on SPEAK. bit.ly/3Y7nVR5 l
Carol Silva is the Emmy Award-winning veteran News 12 Long Island news anchor, TedX and motivational speaker and creator of The Silva Lining Podcast, available on Apple Podcasts, Audible. com and wherever you hear your podcasts.
Alphonso James with Carol Silva
december
1
LIMEHOF 20th Anniversary Holiday Celebration: 11am. LIMEHOF
Great Balls of Fire (Jerry Lee Lewis tribute): 3pm. Madison Theatre
The Beach Boys: 7:30pm. The Paramount
The Atlantic Wind Symphony Holiday Show: 3pm. Patchogue Theatre
2
Blowage Big Band: 7pm. Jazz Loft
3
Just Wild About Harry (Harry Chapin tribute): 7:30pm. Landmark On Main
Theresa Caputo: 7:30pm. The Paramount
An eEvening with Peter Billingsley & A Christmas Story: 7:30pm. Patchogue Theatre
4
David Benoit: 8pm. My Father’s Place
Theresa Caputo: 7:30pm. The Paramount Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet: 7pm. UBS Arena
5
Tom Manuel’s Egg Nog Romp: 7pm. Jazz Loft
Glen Philips: 8pm. My Father’s Place
Theresa Caputo: 7:30pm. The Paramount
6
Stanley Plays The Dead: 8pm. Boulton Center
The Bad Little Big Band Holiday Show: 7pm. Jazz Loft
Ent E rtainm E nt
Pete Billingsley will be on a limited tour this holiday season hosting a series of screenings of A Christmas Story. The evening will include a pre-show meet and greet, screening of the 1983 film, and a moderated Q&A where Billingsley will share stories from the movie set, behind-the-scenes photos, and memories from the Christmas classic. Audience questions are encouraged, and each screening will feature a Toy for Tots fundraiser, and a leg lamp giveaway to one lucky winner.
Jessica Kirson - Comedy Show!
Jessica Kirson is a powerhouse on stage. She was awarded “Best Female Comic”by the MAC association in NYC and the prestigious Nightlife Award for “Best Stand-up Comedian.” Her one-hour special, Talking to Myself, was executive produced by Bill Burr and debuted on Comedy Central. Additionally, her comedic character videos received over 200 million views on social media. Jessica is also a regular contributor to The Howard Stern Show, where she produces and stars in prank calls for the show.
When: Saturday, December 28 at 8pm Where: Landmark on Main Street, 232 Main St., Port Washington Tickets: 516-767-6444 or landmarkonmainstreet.org/ event/jessica-kirson
When: Tuesday, December 3rd at 7:30pm Where: Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts 71 East Main St., Patchogue Tickets: PatchogueTheatre.org. 631-207-1313. advertisement
Cherish The Ladies: 80pm. Landmark On Main
Screaming Orphans: 8pm. My Father’s Place
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy: 8pm. Patchogue Theatre
Anthony Nunziata: A Broadway Italian Christmas: 8pm. Staller Center
Blind Boys of Alabama: 8pm. The Suffolk
A.J. Croce & John Oates: 8pm. Westbury Music Fair
7
Eileen Ivers: 8pm. Boulton Center
Ray Anderson’s Seasonal Solstice: 7pm. Jazz Loft
1964 The Tribute (Beatles tribute): 8pm. Landmark On Main
Steve Forbert: 8pm. My Father’s Place
Kev Herrera: 7pm. The Paramount
The Last Waltz celebration featuring The THE BAND Band: 8pm. Patchogue Theatre
SBSO - Symphony Orchestra: 8pm. Staller Center
Cherish the Ladies: 2 & 8pm.The Suffolk Sinatra Meets The Sopranos: 8pm. Westbury Music Fair
A Celtic Christmas: 7:30pm. Tilles Center
8
Darlene Love: 7pm. Landmark On Main Calliope Wren: 3pm. LIMEHOF
Ray Lambiase Holiday Jamboree: 7pm. My Father’s Place
The Allman Betts Family Revival: 8pm. The Paramount
Fairytale of New York Irish-Inspired Christmas Concert: 7pm. Patchogue Theatre
Kerry Kearney and Guests: I’ll Have A Blues Christmas: 7pm. The Suffolk Engelbert Humperdinck: 7pm. Westbury Music Fair
Pattil Labelle: 7pm. Tilles Center
9
Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening: 7:30pm. The Paramount
10
Shakey Graves & Buffalo Hunt: 8pm. The Paramount 11
The Bell Ringer: 8pm. The Paramount 12
Big Cash Holiday Bingo: 7pm. Boulton Center
The Argyle Theatre
34 W. Main St., Babylon. 844.631.LIVE (5483) argyletheatre.com
Boulton Center
37 West Main St., Bay Shore 631.969.1101 boultoncenter.org
CMPAC (CM Performing Arts Center) 931 Montauk Hwy., Oakdale. 631.218.2810 cmpac.com
John W. Engeman Theater
250 Main St., Northport. 516.323.4444 engemantheater.com
The Gateway
215 S. Country Rd., Bellport. 631.286.1133 thegateway.org
The Jazz Loft 275 Christian Ave., Stony Brook. 631.751.1895 thejazzloft.org
Landmark on Main Street 232 Main St., Port Washington. 516.767.6444 landmarkonmainstreet.org
Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF) 97 Main St., Stony Brook. 631-689-5888 limusichalloffame.org
Madison Theatre 1000 Hempstead Ave., Rockville Centre. 516.323.4444 madisontheatreny.org
My Father’s Place at The Roslyn Cellar 1221 Old Northern Blvd, Roslyn. 516.580.0887 mfpproductions.com
Paramount 370 New York Ave., Huntington. 631.673.7300 paramountny.com
The Patchogue Theatre 71 E. Main St., Patchogue. 631.207.1313 patchoguetheatre.org
Staller Center 100 Nicolls Rd., Stony Brook. 631.632.2787 stallercenter.com
The Suffolk 118 E. Main St., Riverhead. 631.727.4343 suffolktheater.com
Westbury Music Fair 960 Brush Hollow Rd., Westbury. 516.334.0800 westburymusicfair.com
Anthony Nunziata
Join celebrated world-renowned tenor, songwriter, entertainer, Anthony Nunziata in A Broadway Italian Christmas. The Carnegie Hall headliner brings a feast of Italian holiday classics, fresh for the season. Nunziata’s glorious voice will serenade you with timeless songs from the Italian and American songbooks, Broadway, jazz, and pop repertoires.
When: Friday, December 06, @ 8PM
Where: Staller Center for the Arts, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook
Tickets: stallercenter.com • 631-632-ARTS (2787)
Nutcracker: 7pm. Jazz Loft
Leslie Medelsohn: 8pm. My Father’s Place
FOX Nation’s Night of Comedy: 8pm. Tilles Center
13
Nutcracker: 7pm. Jazz Loft
Hot Tuna: 8pm. The Paramount New Millennium Jazz Band (Frank Sinatra tribute): 7pm. The Suffolk
Herman Hermit’s Peter Noone: 8pm. Westbury Music Fair
14
The Slambovian Circus Of Dreams: 8pm. Boulton Center
Nutcracker: 7pm. Jazz Loft
The Hot Sardines: 8pm. Landmark On Main
Jessie’s Girl: 8pm. The Paramount
The Atlantic Wind Symphony Holiday Show: 3pm. Patchogue Theatre
A Christmas with the New York Tenors: 3pm. Patchogue Theatre
Caroline Campbell with Chloe Flower: 7pm. Staller Center
Louis Prima Jr. and The Witnesses: 8pm. The Suffolk
Mickey Dolenz: 8pm. Westbury Music Fair
December / January
Ent E rtainm E nt
Tilles Center
The Nutcracker: 12 & 7pm. WHBPAC
15
Lumiere Ballet’s The Nutcracker: 4pm. Boulton Center
Mountain Maidens Holiday Show: 3pm. LIMEHOF
Laurie Berkner: 11am. The Paramount
Andrew Dice Clay: 8pm. The Paramount
That Motown Band Holiday Show: 8pm. Patchogue Theatre
Rockabilly Christmas: 7pm. The Suffolk
David Foster & Katherine McPhee: 8pm. Westbury Music Fair
Big Band Holidays: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra: 7:30pm. Tilles Center
Mariah Carey: 7:30pm. UBS Arena
The Nutcracker: 12 & 5pm. WHBPAC
19
Nutcracker: 7pm. Jazz Loft
Nefesh Mountain: 7:30pm. Landmark On Main
Celtic Woman: 8pm. The Paramount
20
Interplay Jazz Orchestra: 7pm. Boulton Center
Nutcracker: 7pm. Jazz Loft
Jimmy Webb 8pm. My Father’s Place
Mark Tremonti Sings Frank Sinatra: 8:30pm. The Paramount
Long Island Concert Orchestra: Classical Christmas: 8pm. The Suffolk
21
Interplay Jazz Orchestra: 7pm. Boulton Center
Nutcracker: 2 & 7pm. Jazz Loft
The Weeklings: 8pm. My Father’s Place
Let’s Sing Taylor: A Live Band Experience: 7:30pm. The Paramount
Preacher Lawson: 8pm. Patchogue Theatre
Eglevsky Ballet The Nutcracker: 1 & 6pm. Tilles Center
22
NYC GMC Tonewall Acapella: 7pm.
CMPAC
Somehow Sorry: 3pm. LIMEHOF
Eglevsky Ballet The Nutcracker: 2pm. Tilles Center
23
Shadows of the 60s (Holiday tribute to Motown): 8pm. Argyle Theatre
Nicole Zuraitis’ Jazz Christmas Party: 7pm. Jazz Loft
26
Get The Led Out (Led Zep tribute): 8pm. The Paramount
27
Get The Led Out (Led Zep tribute): 8pm. The Paramount
Yellow Brick Joel (Elton John/Billy Joel tribute): 8pm. Westbury Music Fair
28
One Hit Wonderers: 8pm. Boulton Center
Jessica Kirson: 8pm. Landmark On Main
The Everly Set: 8pm. My Father’s Place
Sal Vulcano: 7 & 9:30pm. The Paramount
Long Island Disco Fever: 7:30pm. Westbury Music Fair
29
Lydia von Hof: 3pm. LIMEHOF
Elon Gold: 7pm. The Paramount
31
New Year’s Laughin’ Eve: 6 & 8:30pm. Argyle Theatre
New York Bee Gees: 10pm. The Paramount
That 70’s Band: 8pm. The Suffolk
New Year’s Laughin Eve: 6 & 8pm. Theatre
Three
Billy Joel: 9:30pm. UBS Arena
Anthony Rodia: 7pm. WHBPAC
january 3
4
The Kyle Petty Show: 8pm. CMPAC
Zakk Sabbath (Black Sabbath tribute): 8pm. The Paramount 9
Dear Evan Hansen: 7pm. Tilles Center
10
Professor Louie & The Crowmatix: 8pm. Boulton Center
Yacht Rock Revue: 8pm. The Paramount
G.E. Smith & The American Blues/Jimmy Vivino: 8pm. The Suffolk
11
Reckoning (Grateful Dead tribute): 8pm. Boulton Center
Smooth Dre: 8pm. Madison Theatre
Love Amy (Amy Winehouse tribute): 8pm. My Father’s Place
Yacht Rock Revue: 8pm. The Paramount
In Conversation with the Sopranos: 8pm. The Patchogue Theatre
Classic Stones Live: 8pm. The Suffolk
Taylor Nation: 7:30pm. Tilles Center
12
Fearless: The Taylor Swift Experience: 8pm. The Suffolk
15
Silverstein: 8pm. The Paramount 17
Andy Gross: 8pm. Boulton Center
Four Way Street (CSNY tribute): 8pm. My Father’s Place
Unforgettable Fire (U2 tribute)/Fix You (Cold Play tribute): 8pm. The Paramount
All You Need Is Love (Beatles tribute): 8pm. The Patchogue Theatre
Magical Mystery Doors (Beatles, Zeppelin & Doors tribute): 8pm. The Suffolk
Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular: 8pm. Westbury Music Fair
18
Us and Floyd (Pink Floyd tribute): 8pm. Argyle Theatre
The Machine (Pink Floyd tribute): 8pm. Boulton Center
Hollywood Nights (Bob Seger tribute): 8pm. The Patchogue Theatre advertisement
The Bogmen/Chamber Arkestra: 8pm.
Jazz Nativity: 5 & 7pm. Jazz Loft
Cold Beer On A Friday Night (Zac Brown, Buffett & Chesney tribute): 10pm. The Paramount
Albert Lee/The Cryers: 8pm. My Father’s Place
EntErtainmEnt December / January
MJ The Illusion (Michael Jackson tribute): 8pm. The Suffolk Taylor Shines Laser Spectacular: 7:30pm. Westbury Music Fair
19
Janis Joplin Experience with Lisa Polizzi: 7pm. My Father’s Place
23
The Parlor of Mystery: 8pm. Theatre Three 24
Fleetwood Macked (Fleetwood Mac tribute): 8pm. Boulton Center
Black and Blue (Rolling Stones tribute): 8pm. My Father’s Place
Destroy Lonely: 8pm. The Paramount Long Island Comedy Festival: 8pm. The Suffolk 25
The Fast Lane (Eagles tribute): 8pm. Boulton Center
Acrobats of Cirque: 2pm. Landmark On Main
Fan Halen (Van Halen tribute): 8pm. The Patchogue Theatre 512: The Selena Experience: 8pm. The Suffolk 26
The Great DuBois: 3pm. The Paramount 29
Dancing with the Stars: 7:30pm. Tilles Center 30
Adrenalize (Def Leppard tribute): 8pm. The Paramount 31
Big Laughs In Bay Shore: 8pm. Boulton Center
Tom Manuel’s NYE Extavaganza: 7 & 10pm. Jazz Loft
Kathleen Madigan: 7 & 9:30pm. The Paramount
Michael Feinstein: Because of You, My Tribute to Tony Bennett: 8pm. Tilles Center
ONGOING
A Christmas Carol: thru Jan. 5. Argyle Theatre
Jersey Boys: Jan. 23-April 6. Argyle Theatre
Jam Session: Wednesdays at 7pm. Jazz Loft
A Christmas Story: December 7-22. CMPAC
Rock of Ages: January 18-Feb. 1. CMPAC
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: thru Dec. 29. Engeman Theater
Heartbreak Hotel: Jan. 16-March 2. Engeman Theater
White Christmas: thru Dec. 29. The Gateway
Back in the Building (Elvis Tribute): Dec. 31-Jan. 5. The Gateway
The Addams Family: Jan. 24-Feb. 16. The Gateway
The Nutcracker: Dec. 6-8. Madison Theatre
The Madison Theatre Christmas Celebration: Dec. 20-22. Madison Theatre
A Christmas Carol: thru Dec. 28. Theatre Three
Crossing Delancey: Jan. 18-Feb. 9. Theatre Three
Children’s Theatre
The Happy Elf: thru Jan. 5. Argyle Theatre
Frosty’s Big Day: Dec. 8-23. CMPAC
Frosty: thru Dec. 29. Engeman Theater
Barnaby Saves Christmas: thru Dec. 28. Theatre Three
Hansel & Gretel: Jan. 25-Feb. 8. Theatre Three
Great American Family Christmas Festival: thru Dec. 29. UBS Arena
