Greenwich Magazine - April 2025

Create Where

GREENWICH APRIL 2025 contents

68

STATE OF REAL ESTATE

Our annual report is here. The goods news is that we are still reaping the rewards of a highly in-demand Greenwich market. But low inventory has created some new rules for buyers and sellers. Here’s what you should know.

by chris hodenfield

76

PROTECT & SERVE

The YWCA has long served as a beacon of hope for individuals escaping domestic violence. Through its dedicated support services, advocacy efforts and community partnerships, the organization provides survivors with the tools they need to reclaim their lives. We explore the YWCA’s mission and the powerful impact it has had on thousands of individuals.

by jamie marshall

68

MAGAZINE

18 EDITOR’S LETTER

20 FOUNDER’S LETTER Of Houses and High-Rises

23 STATUS REPORT

BUZZ On a trip to China in 1993, Dr. Robert Michler’s eyes were opened to the need for global medical training and outreach. And so Heart Care International was born.

SHOP Kelley Frey, the fashionista behind Fred, sets up shop for the guys. We welcome Gray to Old Greenwich. GO Venture into the jungle of Mexico and experience a luxury natural escape that feels a world away.

HOME Stroll through a breathtaking English garden that harmonizes with nature and promotes sustainability. DO A recent transformative gift of $5 million will help ensure that Greenwich Library will continue to foster open discussion and diverse perspectives; We meet up with Scotty Royster, a physical education guru who can help you navigate the world of kids’ sports. EAT Traditional Japanese cuisine comes to Norwalk; The James Beard Awards honors the careers of local chefs Brian Lewis of the Cottage and Chef Michelle Greenfield of Allium Eatery.

52 G-MOM

We’ve got tips and tricks for decluttering that make organizing easier—and, dare we say, more enjoyable; Spring is in the air so mark your calendars to explore.

61 PEOPLE & PLACES

Hospital for Special Surgery; Moffly Media’s Light a Fire Awards; Grace Farms

67 VOWS

Stavropoulos–Di Russo

85 CALENDAR

95 INDEX OF ADVERTISERS

96 POSTSCRIPT

Get daffo-dazzled!

2025, VOL. 78, NO. 3. GREENWICH MAGAZINE (USPS 961-500/ISSN 1072-2432) is published ten times a year by Moffly Media, Inc 205 Main St, Westport, CT 06880. Periodical postage paid at Westport, CT, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes (Form 3579) to GREENWICH MAGAZINE PO BOX 9309, Big Sandy, TX 75755-9607.

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LIFE TO LIFESTYLE SINCE 1 9 47

editorial

editorial director

Cristin Marandino–cristin.marandino@moffly.com

social editor

Alison Nichols Gray–ali.gray@moffly.com

founding editor

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contributing editors

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Samantha Yanks–editor, westport

copy editors

Liz Britten, Dave Johnstone, David Podgurski

senior writers

Timothy Dumas, Chris Hodenfield, Jane Kendall, Bill Slocum, Riann Smith

contributing writers

Eileen Bartels, Beth Cooney Fitzpatrick, Valerie Foster, Chris Hodenfield, Mary Kate Hogan, Layla Lisiewski, Jill Johnson Mann, Jamie Marshall

editorial advisory board

Susan Bevan, Susan Moretti Bodson, Alyssa Keleshian Bonomo, Bobbi Eggers, Kim-Marie Evans, Muffy Fox, Lisa Lori, Jessica Mindich

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SUBSCRIPTION

editor’s letter

SCAN TO EXPLORE OUR DIGITAL SIDE

BUY, SELL, COMPETE

If you’ve tried to buy or sell a home in Greenwich lately, you already know that the rules of the game are changing. Fast.

The days of leisurely browsing listings and mulling over an offer are long gone. Today, it’s all about speed, strategy and—if you’re lucky—cash. With fewer than 90 properties on the market to start the year (compared to the 450 that used to be standard), buyers are scrambling, sellers are calling the shots and off-market deals are more common than ever.

In this month’s “State of Real Estate” (page 68), writer Chris Hodenfield breaks down what it really takes to compete in this frenzied market. From speed sales closing in under 48 hours to brokers negotiating high-stakes bidding wars, we take you behind the scenes of our red-hot housing market.

For those looking to buy, the message is clear: Be ready. Mortgage contingencies? Not ideal. Preapproval? A must. And if you’re in the under-$4 million market, prepare to move at lightning speed. As one broker put it, “You’ve got to be ready to fly.”

And sellers? Well, let’s just say this is your moment. But even with the advantage, the process isn’t as simple as picking the highest bidder. With so many transactions happening

off-market—where discretion is key—having the right connections and strategy can make all the difference.

Beyond the fast-paced deals and soaring prices, we also explore the larger trends shaping Greenwich real estate. We look at how legacy wealth is fueling family trust purchases, why luxury townhomes are the new “Holy Grail” for downsizers and how shifting buyer preferences are redefining what’s considered hot (hint: bright interiors, high ceilings and seamless indoor-outdoor living).

And then there’s the Zillow factor. The once-helpful listing site has sparked controversy by steering buyers toward agents who may have never even set foot in Greenwich. We unpack how this is reshaping the industry, and why savvy buyers are bypassing the algorithm to go straight to the source.

Whether you’re in the market, just curious or simply love a good inside peek at the housing scene, we’ve got plenty to dig into.

HOW TO SCAN: OPEN, AIM & TAP

founder’s page

“No, you can’t play the drums, because we’d get evicted,” my mother told me. “Besides, you’re a girl.”

APRIL 2025 / DONNA MOFFLY

OF HOUSES AND HIGH RISES

It’s spring. The real estate market is waking up, young people are moving up, old people are scaling down, but I’m staying put.

I’d always wanted to live in a house, and I’ve lived in mine in Riverside for 63 years. But until I was 23 and married Jack, I was a cliff dweller in Cleveland. My mother grew up in an apartment there, too. Real city people, us. When she was five, she disappeared one day, and my frantic grandmother found her sitting on the curb on Ford Drive eating onion sandwiches with the ditch diggers. She was never much of a cook; but ’til the day she died, she could make a mean onion sandwich.

On the second floor of a tall building in the Moreland Courts complex on Shaker Boulevard, our apartment 2B had lots of windows—a great source of entertainment for us kids. We used to put apple slices on the sill of the bay window in the living room for Sammy the Squirrel, who turned out to be a Susie because she pulled the fur from her chest to line a nest for her babies—a high-rise nature lesson. When I was 10, we celebrated the end of The War by hanging out of those windows and banging on pots and pans. At 17, when I was leaving the building on a first date with a major heartthrob, my mother threw all my dirty laundry out that window onto the front path at our feet—a high-rise lesson to clean up my room.

Using Dad’s huge Navy binoculars, my brothers and I could see what the people in the studio apartments across the way were having for dinner—and then some.

One time, when we were roaming lowerlevel rooftops peeking in windows, we came face-to-face with the superintendent, of all people. Of course, Mr. Van Fossen called Mother and told her to get her reindeer off

his roof. Little did they know that our favorite sport was climbing around fire escapes and balancing on ledges nine stories high.

Elevators were great for quick escapes after gumming the doorbells of old grumps who wouldn’t give us Halloween candy. We knew how to stop them between floors, and there was a little phone in there so we could annoy the apartment operator if we got bored. We could even work the freight elevator with its big crank handle.

Do country kids have as much fun?

Noise was always an issue. “No, you can’t play the drums, because we’d get evicted,” my mother told me. “Besides, you’re a girl.” When I had friends over after a prom, she’d make us promise to keep the noise level down and leave a light on in the library. (We chose the bulb inside the Capehart record player with the lid closed.) Eventually, the apartment phone would ring and the operator would report: “Donna, there’s been a complaint. You’ve got to turn down the music or send your friends home.” It took us forever to realize that the spoilsport was actually my mother in her bed calling the Moreland Courts switchboard to silence us.

My father kept saying that after The War we’d buy a house. All my classmates had them, complete with grass; Alexandra Rigg’s lawn was a lovely yellow carpet of dandelions. But that never happened. He liked being able to call the garage to bring his car around; my mother liked to call for wall washers; and the Rapid Transit ran right past our door so I could ride it to school.

But many summers, we’d pack up and move out to The Country Club for a month—Dad’s idea of vacation, where he could be close to work but still play golf. Well, it was sort of a house, I guess. And no upkeep! G

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by liz barron

ONE BEAT AT A TIME

Cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Robert Michler was invited on a mission to China in 1993, where he lectured and operated on a half dozen complicated heart surgery cases. Michler quickly found himself wondering how he could use his skills to reach a wider group of those in the most dire need.

“What struck me were the questions asked by senior Chinese surgeons related to what I considered to be standard technical maneuvers that I performed during the operation. These maneuvers were, for them, novel,

helpful and very much appreciated. In that moment of helping them, I realized the importance of training and communication irrespective of my own preconception of someone else’s skill set,” says Michler.

Upon his return to the U.S., Michler lectured around the country on his experience, and during one of his speaking engagements he was approached by a colleague asking whether he’d consider operating on children in Guatemala. The timing was just right, as Michler’s passion for expanding

HOW A TRIP TO BEIJING LED A HEART SURGEON AND HIS WIFE TO START A CHARITY THAT HAS SAVED THE LIVES OF MORE THAN 3,000 CHILDREN

above: Dr. Michler on his first mission trip to Guatemala City in 1994 with many of his patients

his ability to help others in a global way had been piqued. He sought the advice of his minister, Rev. Ron Allison at The Second Congregational Church in Greenwich, and upon sharing his idea, Rev. Allison said “without hesitation, that I had to do this program,” says Michler.

ON A MISSION

Michler held a meeting at Columbia University, where he was on the faculty, to detail his pursuit, and 30 doctors and nurses attended. “I explained that in addition to performing life-saving heart surgeries in Guatemala, we also wanted to teach and train the host countries’ medical teams,” says Michler. “One nurse said she’d love to be part of the initiative but couldn’t afford the airfare, at which

moment, Rev. Allison leapt to his feet and said, ‘I’ll make sure we can cover the airfare for everyone.’”

Rev. Allison not only delivered on his promise, but thanks to an incredible pool of donors, over 30 years later, every volunteer’s airfare and hotel has been covered for every mission trip to date.

The team, including Michler’s wife Sally and nurse Betsy Tirado, took its maiden trip to Guatemala City in October of 1994. They traveled with thousands of pounds of donated equipment and saved the lives of nearly 40 children. When asked about Sally’s role in those early days, Michler says, “She was the CEO, COO and CFO. She took care of everything from storing equipment in our garage to doing the bills.” Sally adds, “As we started to grow, we realized that we needed a board and an

office, so we officially became a 501c3 nonprofit.” Heart Care International was born.

In the ensuing years, the organization expanded its reach to El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Peru and Chiapas, Mexico. Every country that HCI partners with receives a minimum five-year commitment that the team will return annually to perform screenings and surgeries and teach. HCI’s surgical results match the best pediatric heart surgery programs in the U.S., and the native doctors in each country are able to communicate on a daily basis with the U.S.-based doctors whenever needs arise. They can share information, images and videos for second opinions and input.

“We have heart surgeons from the finest medical institutions from all over the country working

“ the nurses and doctors volunteering are the cream of the crop and super-specialized in this area of healthcare. it’s just such a pure way of sharing skills and saving children’s lives who wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

—dr. bob michler

with us. The nurses and doctors volunteering are the cream of the crop and super-specialized in this area of healthcare. It’s just such a pure way of sharing skills and saving children’s lives who wouldn’t be here otherwise,” says Michler.

The other key component that Michler hopes to instill in each partner country is how critically important it is to create a strong

above: Henry-Alex Rubin, Sarah Michler Rubin holding Beatrice, Sally, Robert, Lizzy Michler, Allie Michler Kopelman holding John, Will Kopelman top right: Dr. Michler being honored by the President of the Dominican Republic bottom right: Sally and Bob Michler in El Salvador

LIFE-SAVING STATS

HCI comprises 350 active volunteers from 81 hospitals in the U.S. and seven other countries.

The pro bono work of HCI and its donors allows doctors to perform life-saving surgeries for around $3,000, roughly 1/20 of the cost for the same surgery here in the U.S.

Five to six two-week mission trips are taken annually.

In a five-to-six-day period, HCI performs 20 to 30 heart surgeries, with the most being 64 surgeries in six days.

team culture. “All egos are checked at the door,” he says. “Doctors pick up mops and clean operating rooms. We all do whatever it takes to get the job done.”

WHAT’S NEXT

Heart Care International is working to create a 24-7 consultation service accessible to any doctor, anywhere in the world, where clinical information and imaging could be used to communicate with the team in real time. “We have such wonderful expertise, and we want to be able to continue to share our knowledge and experience,” says Michler. G

Interested in learning more or donating? Visit heartcareintl.org.

above and below: With 350-plus volunteers, Heart Care International has cared for more than 3,000 children worldwide. Part of its mission is to help develop self-sustaining pediatric caridiac centers in partner countries via in-person and telecommunications training.

shop

HEY, FELLAS!

During the three decades Kelley Frey has owned and operated women’s fashion boutiques from Boston to Greenwich, she’s learned a few things about the retail habits of men— including the fact that most of them don’t particularly like to shop.

When she founded Fred, her popular Old Greenwich women’s boutique, Kelley kept a small section of on-trend men’s apparel, but it was largely ignored. “Even when the men came in shopping with their wives, they seemed uncomfortable just looking at it,” she says.

Kelley realized part of the problem was that despite its masculine-sounding name, nothing about Fred—from the décor to much of its apparel and

accessories—made guys feel especially welcome.

So, when she launched Gray Clothier, her latest foray into the local retail scene, she conceived of it as a kind of man cave, a place stocked to fill a void in the Greenwich market. “I think the guys were really being overlooked,” she says. “I’m hoping they’ll feel more at home shopping here.”

From its textured gray flannel wallcoverings and distressed leather furnishings to the putting green, she leaned into masculine elements to outfit the Arcadia Road storefront, once home to Linen Press. Kelley, who also co-owns Fred in Westport and founded the Wish boutique in Boston’s Back Bay, worked closely with Courtney Gault, founder and

creative director of Greenwich Play, to weave in creative merchandising elements—the ping-pong table, where luxe jeans are displayed, a full beer and wine fridge and the vintage arcade game where guys can play Pac-Man (and other retro favorites) in between trips to the fitting room.

As for the clothes, Gray Clothier’s apparel lines have been sourced to reflect the sartorial habits of men

who don’t live a suit-and-tie life but still need to look polished, like her husband, Brad.

“When I buy for Gray, I’m thinking of the guys I see picking up their kids at the school down the street,” she says. “Even if they have corporate jobs, they’re dressing more casually. They may work from home more than they go into the city. Suits are less important than they used to be. But it doesn’t mean they live in sweats. They still need something nice to wear to meet someone for coffee or hop on a video call.”

No surprise, sales of Gray’s high-end denim by brands— including Frame, A.G. and Paige— have been brisk along with the ultra-soft Rails button-downs and elevated daywear by Greyson and Criquet. The latter two, Frey notes, have emerged as menswear trendsetters by taking golf apparel and transforming it into elevated everyman looks that wear well beyond the country club. (Her husband, a golfer who played professionally and now works in finance, is a big fan.)

“I’m not doing graphic Ts or shiny, cuffed jeans,” she says. “I’m less about trends and more about the lifestyle I see people actually living here.” As Gray gets established, Kelley hopes to eventually add a whiskey bar, making that man cave complete.

16 Arcadia Road, Old Greenwich

left: There’s even a putting green where guys take a break from the shopping (after visiting the beer and wine fridge).

above left: The shop is named after Kelley’s youngest daughter, Grayson. Her first shop, Fred, is named for her daugheter Gillian, who is nicknamed Fred. above right: One-stop shopping for trendy casual apparel right: Kelley with daughter Grayson and husband, Brad

by beth cooney fitzpatrick

Tel: 203.489.3800 | IG: @charleshiltonarchitects | hiltonarchitects.com

Dazzling Anniversary

CELEBRATING A QUARTER CENTURY OF JL ROCKS AND OF SPARKLING GEMS

by samantha yanks

Greenwich Magazine: In 2025, JL Rocks marks an impressive milestone—its 25th anniversary. Over the past quarter-century, the business has evolved into a significant player in the fine jewelry space. Tell us about the early days of JL Rocks and where the passion came from. Jamie Camche: We first introduced our fine jewelry concept in a home furnishing brick-and-mortar shop, which was the brainchild of Wende Cohen of Bungalow Decor. It started as an experiment, which blossomed into the brand that is JL Rocks.

GM: Share with us some early success stories and what stands out from the start as you shaped your business.

JC: As the jewelry counter at Bungalow gained traction, we were given Wende’s blessing to open up our own free-standing store in Westport. This was the true definition of women uplifting other women. After 25 years, we still maintain cases of jewelry at Bungalow.

GM: You’ve always made a concerted effort to include a broad range of prices and a wide spectrum of designs. Is that the DNA of JL Rocks?

JC: We began as a word-of-mouth trade before social media by customizing and designing specific pieces for local clients. We had—and still maintain— a very competitive price point based on precious metal and semi- and precious stones. The direct-to-consumer concept began by importing the jewelry from factories that we still work with.

GM: Do you have a signature look? Bestsellers?

JC: Our signature look and concept is fine jewelry that is worn everyday as well as some of the “black tie” jewelry, which can be worn on a Saturday evening or a special occasion. The concept of wearing the jewelry day in and day out has always been our “anthem.” »

above: Gold Caviar band with diamonds • Blue Topaz and diamond bands • 14k diamond and gold link Bracelet • London Blue Topaz and diamond huggies

above: Assorted gold link and diamond bracelets • Enamel Ring Collection (top left) • Tower Earring Collection (top right) • Assorted gold bands

Jamie Camche

Make Your Next Move

GM: In terms of expansion, why and when?

JC: We have always had roots in Greenwich as many of our customers have traveled to Westport to support us. We opened up our Riverside, Greenwich shop in 2020 at the height of the pandemic. Our small team became smaller. Our brick and mortar transitioned to an online business through the perseverance of our lead stylist, Tracy Houle.

GM: You have continued to evolve with your customer. The company embraced the digital age, making its mark with cutting-edge online platforms and integration of social media strategies. Has this helped you create more direct connections with your customers?

JC: We have always embraced technology and with the assistance of Instagram, we continue to maintain an impressive online presence.

Looking Ahead: The Next 25 Years

GM: As JL Rocks enters its next chapter, the company’s future is as bright as its past. What are you excited about?

JC: We are excited to introduce JL Lab diamonds into the mix as they gain momentum in the fine jewelry space. We have never been afraid or shrunk from progression, and this is clearly one of the most impressive changes to the current diamond industry in centuries.

IN THE LOUPE …

The 25th anniversary of JL Rocks is not just a celebration of its past successes, but also a testament to the enduring power of jewelry itself. As the company looks forward to the next 25 years, its mission remains the same: to connect the customer with unforgettable pieces and experiences.

As we raise a glass to JL Rocks’ incredible journey, it’s clear that the best is yet to come. Here’s to the next 25 sparkling years.

5 Riverside Lane, Riverside; 292 Post Road East, Westport

Assorted 14K diamond and enamel charms and link chains

Blue Sapphire Bubble Studs

Gold Hoops

Enamel diamond band, square round bands and blue sapphire Song Ring

Emerald and diamond charm on gold-link chain and gold elongated link chain

Limitless Link diamond earrings

Assorted rings: Emerald cut blue topaz, micro-stacking diamond enamel bands, white topaz Love Knots

SALE IN BACKCOUNTRY 2024

DESIGNER-APPROVED DESTINATIONS

WILD AT HEART

Welcome to the jungle, where a new four seasons concept has captured the spirit of magical Mexico

by megan gagnon

Naviva from above, with a glimpse at the three-level Selva Pool

T“ent-living” and “all-inclusive” aren’t ordinarily the first things that come to mind when planning for an ultra-luxury getaway. But there’s nothing ordinary about Naviva. Spanning 48 acres on the edge of a private Punta Mita peninsula, Four Seasons has reimagined the resort experience with an immersive escape that celebrates Mexico’s natural beauty.

A quick five-minute ride from its larger sister property, Naviva feels a world apart. A cocoon-like lattice bamboo bridge forms the connection to this new world, where guests emerge into an environment left mostly untouched. Architecture bows to nature, with curved rooflines and winding pathways that follow the contours of the land, while open-air structures allow for uninterrupted views of the surrounding flora and fauna. Greet your guide, who will

Naviva’s luxury tents are hybrid structures that take glamping to the next level.

Risco Terrace is the perfect spot for sunrise yoga and an intimate sunset dinner for two.

left: Capullo Landing anchors the entrance into Naviva.

left, below: From Copal’s dining space, guests can view the copperclad bamboo lounge.

give a tour of the walkable grounds and explain the ethos of Naviva’s mission. Here, everyone is on a first-name basis, and the team is eager to deliver an unforgettable stay.

Available to adults only, there are just 15 bungalows nestled into the lush landscape, blurring the line between indoor and outdoor living. Each nightly rate includes all meals, drinks and experiences, plus two spa treatments per trip, eliminating any transactions during your time away. There are no menus, no front desk and no room keys (replaced with discreet corded bracelets) and most of the time, no other guests in sight, making it feel like your own personal paradise.

Days unwind at your own pace and leisure, free from rigid schedules. A pre-arrival consultation ensures every activity is tailored to your getaway goals, from spiritual

renewal in a temazcal ceremony to invigorating hikes or paddleboarding. Everything is flexible, casual, but without sacrificing any of the service expected from five-star hosts.

In between your morning yoga or training session at the Flintstones-style outdoor gym, get acquainted with your new friends at Copal Cucina—more of a gathering place than a traditional restaurant. Choose from daily specials—which range from sushi to molcajete tacos—or simply ask them to prepare whatever you’re craving that day. Take the chef up on an invitation into the open kitchen to see ceviche prepared with freshly caught fish and vegetables grown nearby. Or pull up a seat at the bar for a masterclass in margarita making and sample some locally crafted raicilla (a tequilaadjacent agave spirit).

All of these excursions assume you’ll venture out of your private oasis overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Designed by Luxury Frontiers—the creators of Amangiri’s Camp Sarika pavilions—each tent embraces Naviva’s biophilic design principles. But calling them “tents” hardly does them justice; they feel more like grand treehouse villas. A centrally positioned king bedroom is flanked on either side by a safaristyled living room and generous bathroom, with the option to open all the canvas walls for unobstructed views. Outside, a large patio awaits with a hammock, chaise lounges, a fire pit, a plunge pool and an outdoor shower. From sunrise to sunset, you’re enveloped by the sights and sounds of the jungle.

And if after all that enlightenment, you feel like emerging from your Naviva sanctuary and escaping into the fantasyland that is Four Seasons Punta Mita, you’re free to do that as well. Because sometimes, a visit to the churro cart and a day on the lazy river are good for the soul, too. G

fourseasons.com/naviva

A dedicated curandero guides guests through a temazcal ceremony in the house of heat.

The design for the spa pods was inspired by flowers from local ceiba trees.

The soaking tub is positioned to capture the Pacific coastal view. above: Welcome the day with open walls, embracing the beauty of Naviva’s serene setting.

by jill johnson mann

home IN BLOOM

A DAZZLING ENGLISH GARDEN THAT’S AS GOOD FOR THE SOUL AS IT IS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

April showers bring May flowers … especially in this garden, designed by Rich Granoff and his team. Granoff Architects, established in 1989, now employs thirty professionals and covers four disciplines: residential and commercial architecture, landscaping and interior design. Granoff, a Syracuse University graduate, is passionate about sustainability and has been a trailblazer in green building practices. He also actively gives back to our community, offering pro bono design services to organizations like the American Red Cross, United Way and Neighbor to Neighbor, earning his place as one of our Light a Fire winners in 2012.

Here, Rich shares his inspiration and approach to designing this glorious garden and pool house, which are sure to be buzzing with excited pollinators and serene sunbathers this summer.

Classic English garden shapes and a garden bench welcome you into natural coastal vistas. Boxwoods and paving maintain the structure and keep an elevated feel. Shades of purples, whites and greens act as the palette, providing continuity throughout the property with peonies, astilbie, nepeta, salvia and geranium providing the show.

“Classic English gardening inspired the design, along with clear, simple shapes.”

—rich granoff

Where is this house located, and what were the owners looking to do? This property is on the Connecticut/New York border. The client wanted a garden room to help create a sense of entry into the pool area, which had pollinator value and continuous bloom. It serves as a nice gathering point for the yard and gives the homeowner or guest some wonder in choices on which direction they’d like to go to next. Maybe you want to go to the lawn and play, maybe the pool for a swim and sun, or you can always sit on one of the four benches and experience the garden.

above: A poolside garden welcomes you into the backyard and the pool area with bursts of colorful flowers.

left: Midsummer perennials offer welcome blooms for the pollinators, which are so vital to the ecosystem.

below: A classic iron fountain provides interest and a central focal point.

Describe the pool house and what inspired the design. Classic English gardening inspired the design, along with clear, simple shapes. Being able to have a flourishing garden with hedging to define the edges helps soften the entry experience to the pool area. The garden gives a nice opportunity to prune a few garden flowers and make bouquets to bring color into the home and connect back to the garden. Warm brick for the pathways creates a nice contrast to the pool patio bluestone and gives a subtle hint you are entering into a new activity space.

Describe the landscaping and gardens you designed, surrounding the pool house. The gardens are full of life and color. They create a welcoming entry sequence into the pool area while inspiring some wonder. It also gives a nice soft backdrop from the pool view, and the hedging creates framed vistas inviting users to explore. The pollinators love the native plantings, and it’s always nice to shine a light on the importance of having these areas for our pollinator friends, as they are so important not only to our well-being but also to the birds and beyond.

What were the biggest challenges with this project? The natural complexity of a garden can be difficult to convey rest and simplicity. The clean lines of the walkways and hedging help that. Simple shapes in the pool area, walkways and containment of hedging allow opportunity for the garden to have a little bit of fun.

What is your favorite element? The Conversation Garden. It gives a quiet space to talk or sit and look at the garden while still being able to see the pool. It also gives an opportunity for the eye to rest. As you relax on the pool chaise in a more active pool area, you can put your mind in the gardens as you watch the bees, butterflies and bird visitors. My secret favorite space would be the bocce court—it’s hidden, but wow! What a fun, simple activity to find sunken behind the pool house, as you explore the yard and enjoy it with your family and friends. G

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do

WHERE MINDS MEET

GREENWICH LIBRARY'S SIGNATURE SERIES

SECURES ITS FUTURE by valerie foster

What do historians Doris Kearns Goodwin and Jon Meacham, journalists and authors Tina Brown and Fareed Zakaria, business leader Indra Nooyi and athlete Pete McBride all have in common?

They, along with others, have been featured in Greenwich Library’s Signature Series programming, which offers four headline events annually, bringing speakers to the community discussing topics pertinent to living in our world today.

Now, thanks to a transformative $5 million endowment from Greenwich philanthropists Lynne and Richard Pasculano—the largest endowment the library has received in 20 years—the newly renamed Lynne and Richard Pasculano Signature Series will be a sustainable event for generations to come.

“This gift works with our mission of fostering thoughtful discourse and discovery,” says Joseph Williams, director of the library.

“The Pasculanos' generosity underscores the changing role of libraries as cultural and educational cornerstones of the community.”

The gift is in alignment with the Pasculano’s support of education and the arts. “We are committed to the programs for the community at Greenwich Library,” says Lynne.

“Supporting the Signature Series means that the library will be able to continue to bring in incredible thought leaders and encourage important conversation for many years to come.”

Lisa Mandel, the library’s director of development, explains that the Signature Series came about during the library’s Reimagine Renovation project, a multiyear endeavor that began in 2019, which, with the help of community input, impacted every floor of the library.

“Greenwich is an incredibly dynamic community with a desire to keep abreast of the world and the issues we face,” Lisa says. She

explains that since up to 50 percent of the library’s collection is digital, it is no longer just a home for books but a place where people come to connect with ideas and each other.

The Signature Series takes place in the 288-seat Berkley Theater, part of the Reimagine project, with stateof-the-art audio and video, tiered seating, more aisles for easy access and a raised and extended stage.

Williams says that more than 2,200 programs are offered annually at the library, including author talks; children’s early literacy programming; technology, entrepreneurship and investing programs; book groups; business services; meeting spaces; 3D printing and robotics workshops and concerts. There is also a café— a perfect place to work or meet.

“We live in a divided time, and part of the answer is to draw people together—neighbors and the community—into one space,” Williams says. “This is the chance to mitigate some of these divisions.”

CENTER STAGE

The first 2025 event of the Lynne and Richard Pasculano Signature Series took place in February and featured Thomas Friedman, the award-winning New York Times columnist and political commentator.

To honor Earth Day, the next event will feature Nikon Ambassador and National Geographic photographer and filmmaker Ami Vitale. Her career is a testament to her dedication to documenting and addressing global crises, focusing on the stories of individuals living on the front lines of war, climate change and extinction.

The next Signature Series will take place Thursday, April 24, at 7 p.m., in the Berkley Theater at Greenwich Library. Tickets are free; contact the library at (203) 622-7900 for more information.

Richard and Lynne Pasculano

GAME, SET, MATCH!

HELPING YOUR CHILD WIN AT SPORTS (EVEN AFTER A LOSS)

by layla lisiewski

Whether your child is trying a new sport this season, is on one or more travel teams or is somewhere in between, spring is a big sports season. The pressure to do more—more travel, more practice, more sports—can feel overwhelming.

Not sure when your child should focus on a single sport? Do you force them to stick with something they aren’t loving? How do you console your child after a tough loss? To answer some of these common questions, we turned to Scotty Royster, an elementary school teacher specializing in physical education and health (as well as a popular lacrosse influencer—follow him @laxguyscotty).

At what age should a child specialize in a sport?

I believe that kids should be playing multiple sports for as long as they possibly can. It makes the child a better all-around athlete, which in turn makes them better at their main sport. Specializing in a sport too early also makes the athlete more prone to burnout. A reasonable time to start specializing in one sport would be around junior year of high school

Should most kids be playing more than one sport each season?

One sport a season is better for them. I played football in summer/ fall, basketball in the winter and lacrosse in the spring up until my junior year of high school. If any of those sports overlapped, it became overwhelming not only for me but also for my parents. One sport each season is plenty and keeps each sport fresh.

What should you do if your child wants to try a sport but everyone in their peer group has been playing already?

Let them play. Make sure they are cognizant of the fact that they will be behind their friends skills-wise. If they can handle it, it’s fair game. Another factor is do they like the sport, or do they just want to be around their friends? If they truly love the sport, a recommendation would be to get private lessons. It’s important that private lessons are are also supplemented with training at home.

What’s the best way to encourage a child after a tough loss?

Different children handle losses differently. But all kids like a parent being attentive and listening to them. The last thing any child wants

is a parent to tell them what they did wrong or what they could’ve done better. There’s a time and place for instructing—after a tough loss certainly isn’t it.

What should you say if you sign your kid up for something, and then they don’t want to do it?

I think it serves as an opportunity for a lesson about commitment, especially if they asked you to sign them up. My parents never let me quit anything after I signed up, and to this day I thank them for that.

What spring sport do you think every child should at least try, and why?

In my completely non-biased opinion [said with sarcasm], every child should at least try lacrosse. Lacrosse is the perfect blend of finesse, physicality and strategy. The lessons I gained from lacrosse are lessons that have stuck with me.

There’s chatter on TikTok that if your child isn’t really focused and getting expert instruction by age eight, they will never catch up. Is that true?

Don’t believe that for a second. Charlotte North is the best women’s lacrosse player in the world right now, and she did not start playing until she was in eighth grade. Also expert instruction for an eightyear-old isn’t needed, because at that point the child is still going over the fundamentals. G

Scotty Royster

Scan here for more great places to EAT & DRINK!

Norwalk’s New Destination

A PASSION FOR JAPANESE COOKING DRIVES

by

Aer months of not-so-patiently waiting, the day is here. Je Taibe and Steph Sweeney, co-owners of Taproot, o cially opened the doors to their new restaurant, Bar Bushido, a traditional Japanese izakaya. While the restaurant is new, the idea isn’t. Taibe actually has been working on the concept for Bar Bushido for over ve years.

e name originates from Taproot’s former pop-up series, called “Bushido,” that took place prior to COVID. Taibe introduced the oneSunday-per-month experience as a way to fuel his passion for Japanese cooking, something he missed dearly from his days at Kawa Ni in Westport. Bar Bushido has been years in the making, but it wasn’t until the 51 Wall Street space opened up that it became a reality.

ere are two ways to dine at Bar Bushido. First, there’s the front room: it’s straight out of Tokyo, relaxed and playfully appointed with Japanese prints and Miyazaki-style anime graphics, making it a great spot to hang out and share delicious food and drinks. You can grab a seat at the bar, standard tables or one of four cozy reservation-only booths or around the two old-school arcade games to indulge in some friendly competition. e main inspiration was to create a space that Taibe wanted to hang out at every day, a place that is centered around great food and drinks, but warm and inviting for all.

Taibe describes the menu as “out-of-thebox." It’s pairings you wouldn’t think would go together, that work in perfect unison. ink

pork katsu stu ed with oaxacan cheese and curry mayo or wagyu with smoked cheese and sake-cured cukes.

“By making it small plates and shareable, it allows us to keep the per-plate costs lower. ere is nothing on the menu over $18, but you can add some high-end ingredients to change that very quickly,” Taibe says. And you can add caviar to anything! en there’s the back room, which features an elegant bar and small dimly-lit dining space, exclusively serving temaki and a sakebased spirits menu. You can sit right at the handroll counter or at one of six tables along the Japanese bamboo-panelled wall. It’s a little more upscale, compared to the front room and is by reservation only. In the future,

CHEF JEFF TAIBE 'S NEW VENTURE, BAR BUSHIDO

stephanie webster and sam schwab

left: Hamachi Sashimi middle: Steph Sweeney and Jeff Taibe, co-owners of Taproot right: "Gingers Have No Sole"

Taibe has visions to transform it into a latenight vinyl bar.

“When I lived in the East Village back in 2003, and when Alphabet City still had a bit of a punk edge and St. Mark’s was primarily basement yakitori shops, we would start the night off on Avenue A with a bucket of PBR during happy hour and conclude the night on St. Mark ’ s for some yakitori and a beer. Bar Bushido would be a mash-up of that, with a bit of our own style, edge and creativity,” says Taibe.

But regardless of which room you dine in, we can guarantee you will eat exceptionally well. We were truly mesmerized by how much attention to detail went into each menu item. And, of course, none of this would be possible without Taibe’s tremendous team, including Chef Rob Haidar, who runs the day-to-day operations and Bar Manager Kylie Keeley, who has put together a creative, playful and wellbalanced cocktail menu.

Nearly everything on Bar Bushido’s menu is made in-house, with many ingredients requiring a multiday process. The tare (Japanese seasoning), broth, seasoned soy sauce—the list goes on and on—are all made from scratch. When we spoke to Taibe about the menu, he radiated enthusiasm. The

chicken wings, for example, take four days to make and are sourced locally from either Gottleib Farm (Wyckoff, NJ) or Hudson Valley Farm (Ferndale, NY). The team respects the Japanese culture by following proper technique and not taking any shortcuts, but they inject their own background and heritage into it to create a unique dining experience.

“Not being of Japanese heritage, there is a very thin line to toe to make sure you’ re respecting their proud heritage but still keeping your own spin on things. So, by doing that, we do everything the way it would be done in Japan, but with our own ingredients and twists that make it unique to us,” Taibe explains.

While the back room is exclusively temaki, the front room’s menu has eight sections to choose from—snacks, pickled and cured,

handrolls, fried, on rice, grilled, sandwiches and noodles. It’s an extensive menu, but rest assured, there is no “wrong” order. However, we’d probably say that no visit to Bar Bushido is complete without ordering at least one temaki. Among our favorites are the fried oysters, which are topped with smoked ikura, kasuzuke tartare and shiso and the hokkaido scallops, which have yuzu tobiko, brown butter kewpie and shiso kombu.

Then, there’s also a classic spicy tuna or a wagyu beef/uni handroll for non-seafood eaters. If you’re dining in the back room, you’ll want to look out for the cucumber black goma hand roll. It’s topped with a plum paste and furikake and was so flavorful it was hard to believe it was vegetarian.

If you find yourself at Bar Bushido with

a large group of friends, there’s a ton of shareable items to choose from. The koji beef jerky topped with togarashi is a mustorder, as is the okinawa potato salad. It is made with purple potatoes, so it’s vibrant and showstopping. Even if you’re not vegetarian, you’ll certainly enjoy the pillowy agedashi tofu with onion tentsuyu, wasabi zuke, onion and sesame. Then there’s all of the grilled skewers. Each one was an absolute hit, but the pork belly with chimichurri was a standout for us. The meat was so tender, it practically melted in our mouths.

Last but not least, there are some larger dishes under the rice, sandwich and noodles sections, which we thought might be better as mains or shared between two. The ramen at Bar Bushido is probably unlike any other ramen you’ve had before, since they make the tares, broths and flavor oils/animal fats from scratch. Taibe shared that one day he also hopes to make the noodles in-house.

It’s going to be tough to narrow down your order, but to start, let us steer you toward the handrolls, a favorite among us and Taibe.

“I love raw fish and just the simplicity of perfectly vinegared rice, crunchy nori and different textured fish. Nothing better. As simple as it is on the surface, the technique behind it is amazing,” he says.

Bar Bushido is at 51 Wall Street in Norwalk and open for dinner at 4:30 every day except Monday. Happy hour, which recently started, is a more casual way to enjoy boiler makers, PBR and ramen, an array of drink specials, yakitori and fried items. baarbushido.com

above: Okinawa Potato Salad

below: Hokkaido Scallop Handroll

above: Chicken Wings

above: Pork Katsu Pocket

Award-Winning Bites

MConnecticut chefs Brian Lewis and Michelle Greenfield score James Beard semifinalist nods, bringing our culinary scene into the national spotlight by samantha yanks

ichelle Greenfield and Brian Lewis have both been named semifinalists for the 2025 James Beard Awards’ Best Chef in the Northeast. Greenfield is the chef at Allium Eatery in Westport, while Lewis leads The Cottage in Greenwich and Westport. The nominations highlight their contributions to the vibrant New England culinary scene. The final list of nominees will be announced on April 2, with the winners revealed at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on June 16 in Chicago.

left: Sport Hill Farm honey nut squash, ajo blanco, red watercress and herbs right: Great bites and refreshing sips—The Cottage life at its best!

An Introduction Worth your Time.

With deep roots in Greenwich and a commitment to delivering exceptional results, we’re here to guide you through every step of your real estate journey. Whether you’re buying, selling, or just exploring your options, our personalized approach and Compass’s industry-leading tools ensure a seamless experience. Let’s connect and start the conversation.

Ready to get started? Get in touch today, scan the QR code to visit jennyallenhomes.com!

jenny.allen@compass.com

jennyallen_greenwich

Questions with ...

2 What inspired you to blend global flavors and techniques in your cooking?

‘Inspired by the seasons, rooted in tradition’ is what I feel best describes the heart and soul of my approach to cooking.

I am passionately driven and inspired by the rhythms of the seasons, which will always guide me in the creative process while exploring new ingredients and creating new dishes. I love studying food history and understanding the provenance of ingredients and techniques, interpreting this all through my personal cooking style.

organizations over the years, and I have always found this very rewarding. I am excited to be in a position where I can collaborate with changemakers in the community and learn how to best utilize our accomplishments and the resources which restaurants can provide and how we can make a real difference with both our food and our actions.

4

You recently started your own foundation: Tell us about it.

THE COTTAGE , Greenwich and Westport 5

Chef Brian Lewis

1How did your experience at OKO and The Cottage shape your approach to modern dining, and what key elements do you bring from one to the other?

My approach to modern dining has truly been redefined in the past 10 years, beginning with the creation of The Cottage and, a few years later, the birth of OKO. It was in Westport where my decades-long cooking experiences throughout the U.S. and the globe have all come together as a true expression of who I am as a chef. The amazing people I work with and the farmers and artisans who provide our incredible ingredients are truly the lifeblood and identity for The Cottage and OKO.

I am grateful to have cut my teeth as a chef coming up through the ranks in some of the best restaurants in the country and Europe. From an early age, I have trained under exceptional chefs who adhered to very strict culinary discipline and standards. These early years working in such high-pressure and highperforming kitchens, with such

uncompromising chefs, made an indelible mark.

When I made the leap from chef to chef/restaurateur in 2015, I wanted to create an exciting and memorable dining experience which held to the highest culinary standards and commitment to seasonality, pushing myself creatively to the highest level possible. I wanted to be sure that I balanced my “serious” style of cooking with an environment and dining experience that was all about our guests and what they desired, appreciated and deserved—worldclass food with small town charm and gracious hospitality.

Creating a warm and caring culture with my staff throughout both The Cottage and OKO has been the most valuable shared characteristic between the two restaurants. Creating a culture where all staff can thrive and grow professionally and personally, while providing exceptional service with a true human connection with the guests, I feel are the fundamental keys to our success. Cooking is the reward.

When I first opened The Cottage, I was always asked, ‘What is the cuisine?’ I had such a hard time answering this, as the standard modern, new or contemporary American designations were all fashionable, if not tired and ambiguous, and did not connect with what I wanted to ‘say’ with my cooking. I truly didn’t have an answer, until I finally simply said ‘It’s just me, cooking my heart out’ and, more specifically, constantly evolving and embracing the very best ingredients, both near and far, while using age-old and modern cooking techniques.

3

As a James Beard semifinalist, what does this recognition mean to you, and how has it influenced your growth?

Blessed, grateful and overjoyed are, to name a few, on a long list of incredible emotions which this nomination has given me. I am immensely proud of both myself and our team’s passion and dedication to our craft to be recognized amongst such an esteemed list of fellow chefs in the Northeast.

This recognition is especially meaningful to me on a personal level, as we are also celebrating our 10-year anniversary at The Cottage Westport in 2025. All the incredible, hardworking people over the years, my business partners’ trust in me, the incredible memories and relationships made, experiences shared and, of course, all of the delicious meals enjoyed, have all made the story of The Cottage such a beautiful one; and this James Beard nomination has made our story that much more special.

I love where I am in my career. I have been active with various fundraising and charitable

The Family Meal Foundation, where we offer comfort and support to those in need in the restaurant industry. By delivering nourishing meals to individuals during times of healing—whether coping with the loss of a loved one or facing medical and emotional challenges—the foundation fosters community, compassion and care, bringing the heartfelt gift of food directly to those in need. I can’t wait to see how far our reach and impact can go.

5 What’s your vision for the future of dining in your restaurants? Any trends or concepts you’re excited about? I am so excited for all the future holds. I believe defining and refining our culture throughout the company will allow us all to reach our fullest potential, unlocking our creativity with our culinary and beverage programs and continuing to seek original ways to create exceptional memories for our guests. We are building something very special with my company, Full House Hospitality Group. And while my vision and direction is the driving force throughout the restaurants, it is our people, cuisine and culture of gracious hospitality and how we connect with our guests that will truly be the future of dining in my restaurants.

I am very excited to begin to our what’s-next chapter with another passionate restaurant concept. There is a special cuisine and culture which I love and have a deep respect for, and I'm excited to immerse myself and my craft of cooking in it. I would like to create my expression of this exotic cuisine in a unique, exciting and heartfelt way, providing a beautiful escape for our guests to experience the cultural celebration of a cuisine from a land far away, right in your own neighborhood. Stay tuned! thecottage.kitchen.com

5 Questions with ...

Chef Michelle Greenfield

1

How did your experience at Allium Eatery shape your approach to modern dining, and what key elements do you bring from one to the other?

The motivation to open Allium Eatery in the fall of 2021 was to create a space where care, hospitality and nourishing food could take center stage. I wanted it to feel like that welcoming spot next door, where familiar faces and laughter abound—like guests are dining at our home. The kitchen was always the heart of my home growing up, a place where love and warmth radiated. I hope that’s what our guests feel when they join us for a meal.

2 What inspired you to blend global flavors and techniques into your cooking, and how do you balance innovation with maintaining traditional culinary roots?

It’s all about creativity. We challenge ourselves to look at ingredients from different angles. I’m a big believer in cooking with methods rather than strict recipes. It’s about asking, “What else can we pair with this ingredient?” and “How can we prepare it in a way that’s unexpected, yet still familiar?” There’s always one surprise element in each dish that ties it all together.

3

As a James Beard semifinalist, what does this recognition mean to you, and how has it influenced your personal and professional growth in the culinary world?

Honestly, I’m still in shock! Becoming a James Beard semifinalist wasn’t on my radar when I opened Allium Eatery. I never expected a fourteen-seat restaurant to get this much attention. What matters most to me now is staying true to what we’ve always done. As a small, women-owned business, I’m incredibly proud of our dedicated team who makes it all happen every day. We’ve already welcomed many new guests for lunch and dinner, and it’s an honor to serve them and have them become part of the Allium family. As we continue growing, I’m focused on centering joy, care, nourishment and excellence in everything we do.

4

Sustainability is becoming increasingly important in the food industry. How do you integrate sustainability into the menu at Allium Eatery, and what challenges have you faced? We’re deeply committed to seasonality. Our menu changes weekly to reflect the best ingredients available at the time. Patty Popp at Sport Hill Farm in Easton has been an incredible partner. We’re fortunate to have access to produce grown just ten miles away, and it’s a privilege to work with her and support small, women-owned businesses. I take great pride in knowing that the food we serve is the best we can offer— grown with care and love. We all rely on each other, and I’m passionate about lifting up the farmers who prioritize sustainable and authentic agriculture.

5 What’s your vision for the future of dining in your restaurants? Are there any trends or concepts you’re excited about exploring in the next few years? I’m curious about how we can make Allium Eatery and future restaurants feel even more like a second home— like gathering around the kitchen table with loved ones. Trends will always come and go, but I’m more interested in the timeless value of breaking bread with the people who matter most. In our fast-paced world, we’re losing those essential moments of connection, and I believe food can be a catalyst for joy, laughter and nourishment for the soul. We’ll continue hosting events like wine dinners and tasting menu nights, which fuel our creativity and spark curiosity. I hope to see you at our table soon! alliumeatery.com G

by eileen bartels

CLEARCLUTTER the

EMERGE FROM THE WINTER LIGHTER AND REFRESHED WITH A LITTLE SPRING CLEANING

Lose ten pounds in a day! Sounds like clickbait, but in reality a few hours spent organizing your closets and drawers will leave your house, body and soul feeling lighter. Cleaning does not have to be a lonely solo task. Kids of almost any age can be included in sorting, storing and cleaning. Cue a good playlist and, yes, cleaning can be fun. The key is to start with the right tools and a plan.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

Pantry Wonder

Label Makers

Invest in a portable label maker. Brother makes versions with colors and fancy fonts. Nimbot is simple and works right off your phone. Labeling drawers, bins and cords is a great way to find things fast and make organization last. Nimbot and Brother label makers start at $30.

Tie It Up

Grouping like items is key. Gather chip clips, clothes pins and rubber bands for inexpensive ties. Or order magnetic wraps that can tie up cords or other various items. A dozen typically cost $10, but stock up, as you will find a myriad of uses for them.

Seeing what’s in your cabinets, refrigerator and pantry is a game changer. Lazy Susans and tiered plastic shelves are a great way to make sure things don’t get dusty and hidden in a corner. A pantry should be reviewed seasonally for expired items as well as the things you no longer use. Every May, the annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive comes to your Greenwich mailbox. Your postal carrier will pick up donated non-perishable food from your mailbox and donate it to our local food pantry, Neighbor to Neighbor. Look for dates but it’s usually the second Saturday of May.

Light It Up

Even if you built your dream house yesterday, eventually you will find that one cabinet, pantry or corner that's dark. Inexpensive rechargeable LED lights are easy to install anywhere. Starting at $19, these lights can be adjusted in brightness, light and warmth, and set for motion so they only come on when a pantry or cabinet door is opened. A magnetic strip holds them in place for easy installation and charging.

Drawer Dividers

Dividers are an excellent tool for a quick and easy drawer makeover. From plastic to wooden, adjustable dividers start at $9. Arguably better than built-ins, they can be changed and adjusted for your needs.

Bedding Bands

For a simple linen closet makeover, go with large elastic bands to wrap sheets, comforters and bedding. Starting at $5 and available in different colors and sizes, these bands wrap around bedding to create a quick and easy system to group items by bed size. If you have a closet full of crisp white sheets, no matter how you intend to keep all the twins separated from the queen sheets, things get mixed up. These bands are an easy way to keep your linens sorted.

Cotton Zip-Up Wardrobe Bags

When storing seasonal items, nothing beats neutral zip-up cotton storage bags. Add some cedar chips if moths are a concern. Plastic is an option but does not let finer fabrics breath and may yellow items.

Bins

Whether you’re grouping pencils or kitchen utensils, bins create order and keep drawers tidy. Order clear, plastic or wired. An inexpensive and eco-friendly option is to reuse the cardboard and plastic boxes that things you buy come in. That plastic box your Trader Joe’s kiwis came in might be the perfect size to hold highlighters and markers in the drawer.

WINNING STRATEGIES

ONCE YOU HAVE THE TOOLS, YOU'RE READY FOR SPRING CLEANING.

MAKE IT FUN.

PLAY MUSIC AND LIMIT YOUR TIME. Slot a few hours in a week, and be specific in what you hope to accomplish. Best practice is to go room by room. Make one day the kitchen day or mudroom day, and pick a few goals. Decide on your spring-cleaning goals and go forward with intention.

A five-minute kitchen drawer clean-out can be done while the pasta is boiling. Pick a section, cabinet or drawer, and as dinner cooks, tackle it. Be ruthless. You only need so many spatulas. Look for wear. Concerns about plastics in our food should have you eyeballing all kitchen supplies. Keep a list nearby or on your phone to keep track of what needs to be replaced and restocked as you purge.

Pick One Thing

Despite their complaints, kids appreciate the sense of accomplishment that chores can bring. Putting things away is like completing a puzzle. Include kids in spring cleaning, and look to create systems that are age appropriate that they can use going forward.

Good-Bye Winter

THE RUMMAGE ROOM, run by the First Congregational Church, accepts gently used clothing, shoes, kitchen and tableware, books, videos, linens, sports equipment and other items.

191 Sound Beach Avenue, Old Greenwich fccog.org

Goodwill Greenwich Donation Station accepts donations Monday to Saturday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 1212 East Putman Avenue, Riverside

You know your pet-peeve messy cabinet. Tackle it. Mine is the electronics drawer. Cords and charges wear out and lose their efficacy. All chargers are marked with the wattage output in small print, so if you’re wondering why your phone takes forever to charge, it could be that your new iPhone 16 is being plugged into an old charger. (Belkin chargers are affordable wellrated options to replace old chargers and cords.)

Simple things like hampers with dividers can help kids learn early to sort their laundry by colors and whites. Yes, it takes longer, but you are setting up lifetime habits. Same for toys and books. Bins in playrooms and bedrooms allow kids to make clean-up simple and a regular part of playtime.

Consider making a game of spring cleaning by setting up colorful index cards with simple cleaning projects and tasks. Pick one at a time so they have a sense of play and adventure. When including children, keep tasks simple and bite-size so the chore doesn’t become a bore.

Nothing is as refreshing as saying good-bye to winter wear. Before packing away boots, gloves, hats and coats, do a review. No matter how cute an item is, if you didn’t use it these past two seasons, consider giving it away. The catch is that many organizations do not have the space to hold seasonal items off-season. The solution is to pack up give-away items in a well-marked box to store for a later donation date. Set a reminder on your calendar to take in seasonal items at a time when they’re needed.

Room Swap

When kids groan at the prospect of cleaning out their own room, pitch the idea of a room swap. Ask them to swap cleaning their room for a sibling's and vice versa. Kids often find cleaning and helping out another much more appealing than cleaning their own room.

Holly Hill Recycling Center accepts gently used books for the Book Swap and gently used medical equipment for Wheel It Forward, a nonprofit lendinga library of durable medical equipment for people in need. greenwichct.gov

Closet clean-outs often yield worn, torn and stained items. The GRAB Textile Recycling Donation center at Holly Hill facility takes stained and torn textile items.

4 Holly Hill Lane greenwichct.gov

If you’re not sure what can be given away or recycled, check out the Town of Greenwich Waste Wizard tool online. Type in an item, and it will tell you if it can be recycled at the Holly Hill Recycling Center and give you resources of other area organizations that may be interested in your items. greenwichct. gov/265/WasteDisposal-Recycling

Mini Clean-Outs

Family Affair

SECOND ACT Smart Moves for Your Extras

Resale

Your giveaways can be worth money. Encourage young entrepreneurs in your house to help sell some of your items. Make an appointment at a consignment store, or set up an online retail account. A little work is involved, but you’ll be finding new homes for your items, making money and upcycling.

Someone somewhere has always wanted your daughter's nowforgotten Aviator Nation sweatpants—so make someone’s day and a few dollars. Poshmark, eBay, the RealReal and dePop are all great ways to sell your items to others online.

If you aren’t looking to turn a profit on those loved but outgrown items in your playroom or garage, there’s the Facebook Marketplace “Free to You” section where Facebook users can post items they do not want and arrange a location for pick up.

Tell The Story

Take time to sit with your children and look at the items you decided to keep. Pass down family folklore about why you keep the things you do. From grandpa’s pipe to an aunt’s old music box, you keep some items for special memories so share that with the kids. Also, model how you part with things. You may love that navy peacoat, but if you haven’t been able to button it for years, it’s time to give it a new home. If your library is overflowing, it’s time to pass along some of your beloved books to a new audience. Sharing the joy you feel at the thought of someone new staying warm, enjoying a coat, blanket or book you once loved, is a great way to instill giving in children.

A good spring cleaning instills the simple lesson that there is only so much you really need, and yet so much need in the world, so pass it on.

Create a Keepsake

For those the pieces of clothing you or your children may not be ready to part with, consider creating a keepsake. Favorite but no longer fitting T-shirts, blankets or children’s dresses can be crafted into other items, thanks to the artists on Etsy. Instead of recycling that stack of team, school and camp T-shirts collecting in a storage bin, have a keepsake quilt created. Etsy is full of craft artists who will take your t-shirts and make a one-of-a-kind quilt starting at $75. Same holds true for those precious baby pjs and dresses that you can’t part with for nostalgia's sake. Several artists can craft stuffed animals like keepsake teddy bears out of pieces of beloved childhood clothing and baby blankets.

Westy Mover Concierge

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SPRING IT ON!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS TO GATHER, CELEBRATE AND SOAR

by layla lisiewski

No. 1 EVERYBUNNY LOVES A PARTY

Register for the annual Greenwich Moms Easter Eggstravaganza! Enjoy Easter fun on Good Friday, April 18, at the beautiful Greenwich Historical Society. The afternoon will include a visit from the Easter Bunny, egg hunt, DJ, bubble show, Chicken Joe’s Food Truck and activities galore. greenwichmoms.com

No. 2

FLY, BABY, FLY

The annual Kite Flying Festival returns to Greenwich Point on Saturday, April 19, from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. (Rain Date: Sunday, April 20, 12–2 p.m.) The festival is sponsored by the Greenwich Arts Council and the Department of Parks and Recreation. Participants are encouraged to bring kites of all shapes and sizes, made of plastic, paper or fabric. Everybody is encouraged to join in on the free raffle for gift certificates to Smart Kids Toys. Special awards are given to all high fliers. greenwichct.gov

No. 3 THE INNER CIRCLE

CircleMoms provides support and connection for mothers in the first three months after birth. With location-specific support groups, CircleMoms is an essential, built-in village that every mom needs postpartum. The program is designed to connect moms in the community to discuss real, honest and common concerns in the early days of motherhood. Local specialists support new moms with postpartum healing and baby development. By the end of the weeklong session, participants walk away with strategies, solutions and resources to help them thrive in motherhood. circlemoms.com

APRIL/MAY Greenwich $525

Meets weekly for six weeks on Wednesdays, beginning on April 30

Time: 10:30 a.m.

Doula: Allegra McBane

Location: Kaia Yoga, 328 Pemberwick Road

APRIL/MAY Old Greenwich $525

Meets weekly for six weeks on Tuesdays, beginning April 8

Time: 10:00 a.m.

Doula: Elise Abbruzzese

Location: Greenwich Play, 180 Sound Beach Ave.

No. 4 SHOP ’TIL YOU DROP

Best way to make sure you get what you want for Mother’s Day? Pick it out yourself. Stop by the Local Moms’ Mommy and Me Shopping Day, and browse fun offerings from local vendors. The event will take place at Third Place by Half Full Brewery in Stamford, which means you can sip a coffee or cocktail while you shop. Be sure to bring the kids to participate in the fun activities that will be set up in the Barrel Room.

Sunday, April 27, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

Third Place by Half Full Brewery, 575 Pacific Street, Admission is free greenwichmoms.com G

Every month Layla Lisiewski, Greenwich mom of four and founder of Greenwich Moms and its parent company, The Local Moms Network, shares some of her favorite things to do—from seasonal activities to can’t-miss events. Follow @greenwich_moms on Instagram, sign up for the newsletter and check out the calendar at greenwichmoms.com.

During tumultuous times, the law firm representing you matters.

Parrino|Shattuck, PC has a well-earned reputation for assisting clients in complex and high-asset matters. We will work together to identify your concerns and achieve your objectives.

Our experience includes the valuation of complex or unique assets, such as businesses, deferred compensation, stock options, art and automobile collections, and other similar assets. We also act as rescue counsel in situations where you are not satisfied with your current representation.

people&PLACES

ople

The Sky Is the Limit

The Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) recently held its annual Pediatric Benefit at the Rainbow Room in New York City in support of the Lerner Children’s Pavilion. It was an inspiring evening led by cochairs Mary Kathryn Navab and Alexander Crisses, honoring Darien resident and paralympic silver medalist Ali Truwit with the HSS Children’s Champion Award. The evening raised $2.6 million to further HSS’s mission to provide the highest-quality musculoskeletal care to young patients. hss.edu »

1 Dr. Bryan Kelly, Ali Truwit 2 Dr. Sheeraz Qureshi, Lynette Buck, Dori Solomon, Robert Yaffa 3 Dr. Douglas Padgett, Patsy Warner 4 Alexander Crisses, Ali Truwit, Mary Kathryn Navab

5 The iconic view from the Rainbow Room 6 Sara Weiner, Peter Sabbeth, Lara Schwartz Lerner, Dr. Daniel W. Green 7 Justin Oppenheimer, Mary Cassai 8 Dr. Bryan Kelly, Lois Kelly

Community Champions

Recognizing local heroes who bring positive change through volunteerism, Moffly Media held the 17th-annual Light a Fire Awards at the Westport Country Playhouse. Winners were feted during a Celebration of Giving, which included a cocktail reception and awards ceremony hosted by actor and director James Naughton. Honorees are nominated by the community, and the final ten award winners are selected for their important philanthropic efforts. The goal of Light a Fire Foundation is to inspire greater volunteerism in the community and make our towns better places. mofflylifestylemedia.com/lightafire »

LIGHT A FIRE AWARDS / Westport Country Playhouse

1 Light A Fire honorees with event emcee James Naughton and Moffly Media President Jonathan Moffly (left), Westport magazine editor Samantha Yanks (right) 2 Stephanie Dunn Ashley, Andrew Amill, Abigail and Lauren Walsh 3 Ann and Keating Hagmann 4 David, Deb and Nate Checketts, Dionna Carlson 5 Adam Vengrow, Andi Sklar 6 James Naughton, Marie Rocha 7 Kim Forcier, Jonathan Moffly, Victoria Whitcomb, Michael Kazakewich, Jeffrey Kalapos 8 Sheryl Braun, Nora Campbell 9 Eileen Murphy, Venera Alexandrova, Samantha Yanks, Megan Gagnon, Melinda Anderson 10 Light a Fire signature cocktail

11 Sydney, Nicole and Larry Heath 12 Amanda Castellano, Andre Sawyers 13 Gazi Adiguzel, Catherine and Canan Erol 14 Gabriella Mays, Donna Moffly, Kristina Herman 15 Leo Karl, Marianna Sarkisova 16 Dede Thompson Bartlett, Jim Bartlett 17 Jalynn and Edith Presley 18 Dayna Checketts 19 Amir, Ahmad, Karimah, Samad and Linda Mickens 20 Desserts from Gabriele’s of Westport

DOUGLAS WRIGHT Douglas C. Wright Architects HEIDE HENDRICKS Hendricks Churchill

JOSH GREENE Josh Greene Design

MELISSA REAVIS Hollander Design

1 Jazz performer and composer Andromeda Turre, Venera Alexandrova, Joshua Greenwald, Lucia and Sarah Bamford 2 Justin and Indré Rockefeller, Jake and Vanessa Burns, Ali Galgano, Dan Zaccagnino 3 LPO performs in the Sanctuary

The Sanctuary at Grace Farms in New Canaan packed its 700-seat amphitheater for a performance by the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO). Led by 2023/24 Conducting Fellow Luis Castillo-Briceño, the chamber ensemble played for Grace Farms’ ninth anniversary. After the orchestra explored the themes of “Architecture Moves Us” and “Moments Remembered,” there was a cocktail reception catered by Four Forks and decorated with flowers by Longfield Farm. The annual event benefits the ongoing preservation and sustainability of Grace Farms. gracefarms.org G

Egrand ntrance

vows

Alexandra and Christian met through mutual friends on the Jersey Shore during the summer of 2020. They instantly connected and began dating soon thereafter. Four years later, Christian popped the question at the couple’s favorite spot in town—Tod’s Point.

Father George Khitiri officiated at the ceremony at Ss Nicholas, Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church in Roseland, New Jersey. The reception followed at Pleasantdale Chateau in West Orange. As the couple headed to the party, they toasted to a lifetime of love in their vintage Rolls-Royce getaway car.

The bride, daughter of George and Maria Stavropoulos of New Jersey, graduated from Hanover Park High School, Penn State University and Kean University. Alexandra is an occupational therapist with the NYC Department of Education.

The groom, son of Dominic and Marisa Di Russo of Riverside, graduated from Greenwich High School and Villanova University. He works in wealth management in Manhattan.

They honeymooned in Grand Cayman with a summer trip to Greece to follow. They call Manhattan home. G

1 The newlyweds 2 John Stavropoulos, Maria Stavropoulos, Christian and Alexandra, George Stavropoulos 3 Mark and Marisa Di Russo, Christian and Alexandra, Dominic Di Russo 4 The wedding party 5 Christian and Alexandra 6 Sealed with a kiss

ALEXANDRA STAVROPOULOS & CHRISTIAN D I RUSSO

by alison nichols gray

STATE REAL ESTATE CASH DEALS, SPEED SALES AND LUXURY LISTINGS—

IT TAKES TO BUY AND SELL IN GREENWICH TODAY

By Chris Hodenfield • Photograph By Kyle Norton

Itshould be easier to buy a house in Greenwich. For years, the market here was a finely tuned machine, one that dealt with the occasional rude shocks in the economy with calm fortitude. But the rules seem to change every year. Outside forces have infiltrated our quiet world and made it shockingly competitive. Talk to the brokers here, and everyone naturally decries the miserably-scarce inventory: Fewer than ninety properties were available to start the year, where there used to be about 450. This situation alone should make about half the market very happy, i.e., the folks actually putting a house up for sale. Oh, the suitors will be lining up at your door, clutching carnations and snapping open checkbooks.

But, brother, that leaves the buyers as grimly determined as gold prospectors staking out a claim in the territory.

Even with the inventory squeeze, last year’s home sales racked up the usual $2 billion total. “Even though everybody says there’s no inventory,” notes Jeff Jackson of the Corcoran Group. “Shocking, right? And this does not include all the offmarket sales, the number is actually bigger.”

Who knows how much more business was conducted in secret? “Off-market” has definitely become a thing. It’s clear that the times call for a serious game plan. We consulted with the top authorities here to share their insights and strategies. »

CURRENT MARKET

he numbers today appear quite exalted, so much so that the year started with nothing available under a million and only eight houses available under $2 million. And should a fresh house appear in the listings, it’s not there for long.

“The average days on the market last year was twenty-four days,” reports Pam Pagnani of Sotheby’s. “In 2023, it was thirty-five days. So things are moving more quickly.”

“If you’re dealing in the $4 million-andunder market, you’ve got to be ready to fly,” says Jennifer Leahy of Douglas Elliman. ”I’ve seen deals close in forty-eight hours.”

Anyone involved in this market is doing speed drills. “Even the mortgage brokers are stepping up to the plate,” says Jen Danzi. “They have to in order to stay in the game. Mortgage brokers are getting them done in fourteen days versus the forty-five to sixty days that we saw in the past.”

Of course, in this market, you certainly don’t want mortgage contingencies. Ideally, you don’t even want a mortgage.

“It’s hard for buyers to win in a multiplebidding situation with a financial contingency,” says Ellen Mosher of Houlihan-Lawrence.

In this gung-ho market, every deal is a bidding war. And brokers here have become accustomed to the clients whose final bid is eyes-open-wide large.

“Greenwich is unique,” says Eric Bjork of Berkshire-Hathaway, smiling. “When your client’s aircraft is worth more than their real estate, that’s kind of an unusual situation.”

It was the Covid crisis of 2020-21 that brought about a renewed obsession to own a home here. Folks barreled out of the city as

BUYER’S PLAYBOOK

Be Prepared

Listings can disappear in a day—have your game plan ready.

Know Your Budget

Understand your financial limits before falling in love with a property.

Prioritize Location

Think beyond the house— consider schools, commute times and neighborhood offerings.

Trust Your Instincts If a home feels right, make the offer!

fast as possible to look over our gardens and civic amenities. While the crisis has diminished, the market is still being pushed by a host of other pressures: Manhattan and Brooklyn prices continue to skyrocket, and Europeans are looking for a safe place to park money. Greenwich brokers are already hearing from Los Angeles people needing to relocate quickly.

As this is happening, millions of retiring Boomers are creating family trusts. Those who can built legacy properties.

“Such a tremendous amount of family wealth is being transferred through generations,” observes Shelly Tretter Lynch of Compass.

“We’re seeing that pour out into real-estate market. People are looking for family homes for generations. When people buy these large assets, they are keeping them within the family.”

Kevin Sneddon of Compass reports that there were 502 sales last year of single-family homes. “The transaction volume is probably down five percent, whereas the median price is probably up 18 percent.”

“It’s obviously a seller's market,” says Ellen Mosher of Houlihan-Lawrence. “Your property is desired by a large number of people, because inventory levels are so low. One of the biggest

challenges sellers face is understanding, when presented with multiple-bid situations, who the best buyer really is and making sure the deal actually goes through. We saw far more buyers walking away from deals than we should have.

“There are plenty of people who want to bid high on a property. But are they actually going to transact? That’s really when you have to rely on your agent and make sure they are vetting people properly and making sure people are truly financially capable.”

“If you’re serious about buying,” says David Wilk of Raveis, “you have to know you’re competing with other buyers on most properties. You need to be ready across the board. If you’re going to be a cash buyer, you need to have that verification-of-funds letter. If you’re getting a mortgage, have preapproval in place. And you have to anticipate multiple bids and be prepared that you’ll need to bid higher than the asking price.

“The sellers need to price houses competitively and let the buyers get the price up. I liken it to going to an auction. That used to be a bad word in real estate, but if you’re creating excitement, that’s how you’re going to create it.”

4 Cherry Tree Lane West-facing water views offer gorgeous sunsets at this Harbor Point Association home.

OFF-MARKET SALES

ne of the biggest surprises in the Greenwich scene is the rise of the “off market”— houses that are neither advertised nor put on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). But maybe it’s not a surprise. Greenwich has always had a secret history of the “shadow inventory,” houses known only by the brokers and the realty illuminati. This was especially true in backcountry, where the rarefied, baronial estates sometimes took years to sell. It just wasn’t seemly to have your palazzo on the open market for so long.

Now, many offices admit that up to fifty percent of their sales are occurring off-market.

Why do it secretly? Shelly Tretter Lynch sees it as people are trying to protect their identity.

“Over the years, we’ve seen many more LLCs

and trusts put into place.”

Sneddon adds, “Some people are so securityconscious they don’t want floor plans on the internet.”

Going off-market makes it all the more important for the seller to have a savvy-as-hell broker on their side. The sale will only be as good as their connections.

How’s about going it alone? “Being an unrepresented buyer just makes no sense,” Sneddon says. “You have no access to the offmarket. If you’re in a multiple-bid situation, and other bidders are repped by top brokers, they’re going to clean your clock.”

Being off-market, of course, will always mean a tighter pool of bidders. “To get the optimal price,” maintains Ellen Mosher, “I’m still a big believer in putting it out there on the market for the whole world to see. How else will you know what you could have achieved?”

hat’s pushing people into the off-market domain?

One factor might be that ubiquitous old website with the weird price estimates, Zillow.

It was once known as a simple website for cruising real-estate possibilities. As the site gained power, however, it began to use it.

“Zillow takes our photographs,” says Shelly Tretter Lynch of the Compass company, “puts them on their site and then in turn tries to sell back a lead for that property and then charges for it. They’re taking our information without us knowing anything about it.”

Instead of directing browsers to the listing agent, it steers them to their “select” troupe of brokers, who might well be based in Perth Amboy or Parsippany. Zillow will sell that lead to anybody, Sneddon says, regardless of your experience or knowledge of that listing.

“Most of the time, the buyers are thinking they’re getting the listing agent. They call and say, ‘Hey, I want to see 123 Main Street.’ And the agent says, ‘Fine, I’ll meet you at one o’clock.’ They meet them outside and tell them they’re not the listing agent, actually. It’s like a bait and switch.”

Instead of directing browsers to the listing agent, it steers them to their “select” troupe of brokers, who might well be based in Perth Amboy or Parsippany. Zillow will sell that lead to anybody.

But now, especially with last summer’s NAR settlement breathing down everyone’s neck [see sidebar, page 74], “You cannot go out with a buyer now unless you have them under a buyer contract,” he says.

The Zillow strategy strikes Sneddon as grimly amusing. “You’ve never met them, and they’re saying, ‘You’ve got to sign a contract with me and pay me two-anda-half percent if the seller is not willing to pay me’? The likelihood that you’re going to convert that buyer is really low.”

In the last quarter, brokers have reported a concerted movement among buyers to search out the actual listing agent. Customers seem to have lost that zest for the Zestimate. »

21 Vista Drive

At $31.5 million, this estate is one of our largest sales on record.

WHAT’S HOT?

e don’t hear much talk about that “hot neighborhood” anymore. With fewer options comes a diminished choosiness.

“What we’ve found post-Covid is that the neighborhoods are less important,” says Jeff Jackson. “Now it’s the property itself and not the location. That’s a big shift.

“It used to be what school you went to. Now it’s driven more by the age of the house, new construction, ceiling height and finishes. These are things the drive demand. Location is still important, and if you can command all, you get astronomical results.”

“It used to be what school you went to. Now it’s driven more by the age of the house, new construction, ceiling height and finishes. These are things that drive demand.” — JEFF JACKSON

The location for which there is just one answer is the waterfront. Jackson had a customer extend his search south to Rye until finally finding a property up the coast on the shores of Southport.

One of the biggest sales (at least among the publicly discussed) was the waterfront Robert Steinberg mansion that went for $31.5 million. It had been on and off the market over the years, and a decade ago the ask was $54 million before the reductions. Perhaps its provenance proved decisive. Back in 1982, the 5.8-acre estate was bought by Donald Trump and then-wife Ivana. After their 1992 divorce, it was Ivana’s until she sold it in 1998. (Joseph Barbieri of Sotheby’s International brought the buyer, and Rob Johnson of Brown Harris Stevens represented the seller.)

But most often, prices rise, and sometimes to surprising amounts. Viewing the price histories of properties can lead to some confounding revelations. Raveis handled both sides of a sale at 248 Round Hill Road, a 3.41-acre, 9,800-square-foot estate that closed in late fall for $11.4 million. That is not an unfamiliar sum for mid-country, but, wait a minute, the property sold a couple years ago for $3.5 million. That would be called adding value. Another intriguing price history was seen at 543 Stanwich Road, which Jen Danzi Real Estate was happy to move for $16.2 million; the listing agent was Jesse Marinak of Serhant. But didn’t that property sell ten years ago for $2.8 million?

“That house was torn down, and they built a brand new one,” Jen responds. “That shows what you can do when you invest in a new home.”

Round Hill Road Nearly 10,000 feet of luxury living

Stanwich Road

A modern colonial filled with grand spaces

o not get the idea that folks are now able to foist some tattered hovel on the market and get set to pull in the long green. Today’s buyers, more than ever, demand move-in-ready homes.

The favored style? Call it Classic Outside/ Modern Inside.

“People want a bright house,” says Ellen Mosher. “People are looking for sunlight. They like an open floor plan with some traditional aspects. They want the indoor/outdoor California-living vibe.”

“Lifestyle is a big part of the interior design, today more than ever,” says Shelly Tretter Lynch. “Because homes are now so well insulated, it means that people can include large slabs of glass and have continuous light streaming through their house, if that's what they’re looking for, because it’s still energy-efficient.”

Besides plenty of light, Jeff Jackson notes that

DESIRABLE BY DESIGN

people these days are looking for spacious ceiling height. “People want nine feet,” he says. “Even the $2-3 million buyer is looking for nine feet.”

The business of staging that sunlit house is now so well established that sometimes it might get too refined.

“So often, you’re showing an interior that looks like a white cube,” says Jennifer Leahy, “but now there are colors, and people seem to like them. I love all the new colors.”

The staging is still critical, she says. “More and more buyers are buying the furnishing, too. So, sellers should get that interior really prepped.”

High-tech demands continue to rise. Today’s new homeowner wants to do everything through their phones, including house temperatures and having, you know, a plate of waffles waiting.

While security measures are the top obsession, Jen Danzi sees other applications of new tech: “One of the big trends we are seeing in customization is the infrared saunas.” »

The Summit Club Sweeping views and sleek design are the hallmarks here.

The newly complicated homes are now watched over by newly concerned insurance agencies. “Insurance has become a big issue,” says Pam Pagnani of Sotheby’s International. “Once it was easy to shift insurance from a former property to the new one. Now you’ve got water issues, flood issues, you’ve got

carriers who will come to your house with a drone and look at the roof and tell you,‘Sorry we’re not insuring you, that roof needs to be replaced. ’ And roofs can be anywhere from $20,000 to $300,000. So, this has had a major impact on transactions.”

Who’s Paying

For Realtors, one of the most nettlesome stories of last year was the NAR settlement, which changed the way commissions are paid. Suddenly, deals were fraught with negotiations.

“That was the last thing our industry needed,” says Eric Bjork, Senior Vice President at Berkshire Hathaway. “It was seemingly a small lawsuit in Missouri that reverberated across the industry and had some companies settling for something that frankly we never did.”

In the long-established system used by the million-plus members of the National Association of Realtors, the buyer’s broker earned a commission that came out of the sale price.

“The lawsuit alleged that sellers didn’t realize that, which I find hard to believe. I’ve been in this business for longer than I care to admit. Has there been price fixing? Not to my knowledge. In Connecticut, we’ve been fortunate to have mandated buyer brokerage since 1997. Commission terms are in writing. It’s taken a transparent system and made it less so.”

Seventeen states had mandated rules similar to Connecticut’s, but those that didn’t, such as New York, have discovered new learning curves.

“For purchasers who have plenty of assets, it’s not a concern,” adds Bjork. “But a lot of first-time buyers don’t have extra money to pay their broker commission.”

North Street

This Hamptonsinspired home combines modern craftsmanship with timeless design across four light-filled levels.

This is happening, when buyers' emotions are already running high. Things are running pretty hot in real estate offices, too, especially as some have had to pay penalties to settle the lawsuit. Most suggest that the matter is far from over.

CONCLUSIONS

t’s clear that people are willing to pay a lot to live in Greenwich. And that does not make it easy for the newcomer trying to get a foot in the door. At present the supply of condos is not vast. This creates equal pressure on the newcomer’s opposite—the empty-nester rattling around in some big digs. About half the transactions in Greenwich come from locals moving up or down.

“A lot of people are sitting in beautiful homes in mid-country and Old Greenwich and backcountry,” Ellen Mosher points out, “and they’re not selling, because they don’t have an opportunity to downsize.”

Although the median price for condos is about $1 million, it is now not rare to see the grander units going for $4 million. Mark Pruner of Compass calls the luxury townhome “the Holy Grail.”

Folks might be downsizing, but they’re not necessarily downpricing.

The intriguing story for 2025 will be, What happens with all those big-ticket projects getting proposed and heavily debated? Many are right now in various states of development. The downtown area, in high demand for its “walking distance” position, sees a number of big-ticket projects in the works. Some residential buildings are offering affordablehousing units in order to secure approval.

Greenwich Crossing, the massive downtown project branching off from the new train station, is leading the way and set to be finished by end of 2025.

In the neighborhood, there are enough projects afoot to just about triple the population. On Benedict Court, just off Greenwich Avenue, there are plans for a sixstory, 120-unit building. Then there is the four-story building set for 581-585 W. Putnam to offer 44 units. Then north of Westchester Airport there is a proposed residential layout

Folks might be downsizing, but they’re not necessarily downpricing.

of 198 units. Then, right off 240 Greenwich Avenue, there are hopes to erect a six-story, 60-unit building. How many of these make it to welcome-mat stage deserves a close watch.

Meanwhile, “Greenwich buyers are heading over the border to Armonk,” says Jen Danzi, “where I have the Summit Club Residences designed by Granoff Architects listed. Pricing is competitive to Greenwich and with tons of amenities, including golf, pool, tennis, pickleball and a fitness center.”

In a troubled country, Fairfield County has been singled out for its special élan vital. There is a reason besides proximity that brings so many Europeans here. All those folks who migrate to Sarasota or Austin and then quickly wheel back, it’s for a reason.

So, why this town? “It’s always been the schools, the libraries and everything else that makes Greenwich wonderful,” says Shelly Tretter Lynch. “Many people who have great wealth have definitely given back to the community for the enjoyment of all. The donations of land to the Land Trust. The tremendous support for the Bruce Museum. There is just a lot of funding that comes from the public. There are triple-A services that you cannot find in other areas of the country but are available here.”

Now, if only the inventory would rise, more could enjoy it. G

Greenwich Crossing The major downtown development near the train station is set for completion by the end of 2025.

By JAMIE MARSHALL

It was more than twenty years ago that Deborah Royce and Christina Vanderlip, longtime Greenwich residents, put their heads together and came up with a novel idea for a charity luncheon based on an event they knew about in Palm Beach. Called the Old Bags Luncheon, its mission was simple—raise money for the town’s Family Services program by auctioning off gently-used and new handbags. The two women were on the board of the Greenwich YWCA at the time, and they’d been tasked with finding new ways to fundraise. “We were leading the charge to create a fundraiser that would support the really extraordinary domestic abuse facilities there and the staff,” Deborah recalls. “We knew we couldn’t just have another luncheon,” Christina says. “It had to be unique, and it had to be really compelling. We knew that the Y’s domestic abuse services received thousands of calls a year. We were shocked at how busy it was and realized they needed and deserved the spotlight.”

The Old Bags Luncheon hit all the right notes. “The play on words, light and festive and fun for a very serious cause,” says Deborah. “I met with the woman who created the original event, and the Y bought the franchise rights. Then we really made it our own.”

The two friends enlisted help from a core group of women to pull together the town’s first Old Bags Luncheon in May 2005. They had plenty of benefit-planning experience and knew their demographic. “No one wants to come to a lunch that is all doom and gloom,” says Christina. “We needed to make it a joyful experience so that people would want to come back.”

And come back they have—year after year. May will mark the event’s 20-year anniversary. Traditionally held at the Belle Haven Club, it has become the cornerstone of the spring luncheon circuit, raising more than $10 million in the process. It is also the Y’s biggest annual fundraiser. “The OBL is profoundly important in terms of financial support and creating awareness,” says Mary Lee Kiernan, YWCA president and CEO. “After every single luncheon, we get a bump in calls to our hotline and people literally coming forward to talk to the speaker or talk to the staff to disclose their own experience of abuse or a friend or family member’s.”

HEEDING THE CALL

The YWCA established its domestic abuse support services in 1981 after a majority of respondents to a United Way survey said it was an issue that needed to be addressed. For years, the program operated on a shoestring budget. The focus then—as it is now—was to support clients while they explored their needs and safety concerns and to give them a safe space to make the best decisions for themselves and their families. Over the years, that focus has grown and expanded.

Today, the Y’s program (rebranded the Harmony Project in 2023, when it folded in sexual assault services) helps nearly 700 people— mostly women—annually. Its staff of 14 certified counselors, many of whom are bilingual, provides an array of services from a 24/7 crisis hotline and temporary housing to legal and financial services. (See sidebar, page 82) “Our aim is to continue adapting to the needs of anyone who comes to us for help,” says Jessie DiMuzio, Director of Harmony Project Programs.

Those needs encompass a wide spectrum. Domestic violence is the town’s No. 1 violent crime, with the police conducting more than 200 family violence criminal investigations annually. “That’s the tip of the iceberg,” says Mary Lee. “We know there are many in the community who have not come to us for help or called the police.”

Domestic abuse comes in different forms— from verbal and emotional to financial, sexual and physical. While it can follow a similar pattern, each survivor’s experience is unique. “The cycle of violence theory by Dr. Lenore Walker [a psychologist specializing in domestic violence] describes

“After every single luncheon, we get a bump in calls to our hotline and people literally coming forward to talk to the speaker or talk to the staff to disclose their own experience of abuse or a friend or family member’s.”

—Mary Lee Kiernan, YWCA President and CEO

Founder

years ago, Deborah Royce and her friend Christina Vanderlip were on the board of the YWCA and given the task of finding new ways to fundraise. During that time, they created the annual Old Bags Luncheon to benefit the Y’s domestic abuse support services (now the Harmony Project). The luncheon, which marks its 20th anniversary this May, has become the Y’s biggest annual fundraiser. Though it was modeled after the original Old Bags Luncheon first held in Palm Beach, “we really created our own take,” she says. “We created our own unique graphic and invitations and the rhythm of the event, which was a lot of fun.”

Though Deborah continues to support and attend the luncheon every year, she has long since passed the torch to a new generation of women. These days, the empty nester spends the bulk of her time writing novels, the most recent of which was Reef Road, published in 2023.

“That first year we worked on it was very uplifting. It took a year to plan, and that was a lot of fun. Over the years, there have been multiple iterations of younger and enthusiastic people, and it’s kind of cool to have played a little part in getting that going.”

Cristina Vanderlip has chaired numerous charity events over the years, and she knows one thing for sure. “You can’t have an event that’s a drag, because nobody will come.” But even she was blown away by the response to the Old Bags Luncheon that first year.

“We were turning people away. The capacity at Belle Haven with a tent is 350. It was beyond our expectations. It’s a great problem to have. But you don’t want to do it.”

Though she is no longer involved in the planning process, she still attends the luncheon every year and points to the ways each co-chair and committee member puts their own spin on different facets of the event. “The displays and merchandising have been ramped up,” she says. “It’s really good.”

She says the addition of a featured speaker—a domestic abuse survivor—is another appropriate touch. “It shows that it’s possible to come out the other side.”

And then there’s the auction itself—both the live and silent. “It’s a feeding frenzy,” she says. “I have a friend who buys several of the live auction bags a year, and then she turns around and donates them back.”

Founder

Twenty

Purple Purse Honoree 2025

As the public face of her family’s foundation, Lauren Walsh spends a lot of time working for and in the community to help foster the benefit of its philanthropic gifts. “It’s easy to write a check,” she says. “But it’s showing up and rolling up your sleeves and doing the work that is required and valuable.”

One cause that is close to her heart is the Old Bags Luncheon. The current vice chair of the YWCA board (she will step down in June) has attended every OBL since the beginning. She has been on the organizing committee for 17 years and cochair nine times. “It’s such a powerful day,” she says. “It’s the most feel-good event I think I’ve ever been to.”

During the pandemic, when in-person events were cancelled, Lauren went to the Belle Haven Club and stood on the terrace with an orange Hermès Kelly bag and vowed that on the first Thursday of May every year she would be there for victims of domestic violence and the OBL.

In 2021, she and her co-chairs organized a hybrid event, during which 70 people gathered in the ballroom at Belle Haven and committee members hosted small groups in their homes—all connected by Zoom.

Among her many contributions over the years was coming up with the Purple Purse Award. “The idea is to honor someone who has gone above and beyond for the event and the cause, without needing the notoriety but with just integrity and pureness in their heart,” she says. That sums up Lauren Walsh, this year’s Purple Purse honoree, in a nutshell.

The Old Bags Luncheon is held the first Thursday of May at the Belle Haven Club, but planning starts a year in advance. Among the most pressing tasks are gathering, inspecting and tagging bags— everything from handbags to golf bags. The event starts at 11 a.m. with guests mingling upstairs to preview the collection of gently used and new silent auction bags. The live auction is held during lunch, when members of the Greenwich Police Department and GEMS model the bags (think Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Hermès) as the bidding gets underway.

During the luncheon, typically a domestic abuse survivor tells her story, but this year’s speaker is Michelle Horton, whose memoir, Dear Sister, is about her experience with her sister, a survivor of domestic abuse and her journey through the justice system. The event ends with the presentation of the Purple Purse Award. This year, Lauren Walsh, receives the award, “which is the honor of my life,” she says. ywca.org

28,000 An OBL Record

a common course that can take place in many domestic violence relationships,” says Jessie.

This includes the honeymoon phase, when a future domestic abuser often puts their partner on a pedestal and may engage in behavior that’s described as “love bombing.” Over time, an abusive partner typically begins to assert power and control through coercion as well as emotional and verbal abuse—limiting who their partner can see and talk to, criticizing what they wear, accusing them of cheating and other gradually escalating behaviors.

The abusive partner strategically chooses to increase their aggression as a way to demonstrate the need to comply. This might include physical violence, screaming and throwing things. A de-escalation phase follows, in which some might express remorse or try to atone for their actions with extravagant gifts. Or it may just be a period when the violence lessens or goes into a neutral period.

Each time the cycle repeats itself, the phases intensify. It can take time for abuse to manifest, and by the time someone realizes what is happening, they may be so deeply enmeshed in the relationship that getting away from their perpetrator can feel daunting—if not impossible.

“We have clients who earn six-figure salaries. And they are just as vulnerable as those who live in public housing,” says Jessie. “Domestic violence happens to all types of people from every walk of life.”

The pandemic was a tipping point for at-risk individuals. “It was extraordinary in terms of the number of calls to the hotline and the complexity of the cases,” says Mary Lee. In a “normal” year,

the Y’s hotline gets 3,800 calls. The peak during the pandemic was 7,000. At the same time, there was a significant drop in walk-ins. Since then, they are back to pre-pandemic levels.

“Families were cooped up together, and there was very little privacy. Some clients called from a car or a closet,” says Jessie. “Or they would wait for their partner to be on a Zoom call.”

Children paid a high price, too. “They were suffering more being at home all the time where domestic violence was present,” she says. “And they weren’t socializing as well.”

As a result, the Harmony Project has since doubled down on community outreach. Staff members speak to local school children on such topics as dating violence. They also provide educational workshops for local businesses, including hair salons. And they work with the local police, who are usually the first responders when a crisis call comes in.

“We know abusive relationships don’t start out this way,” says Jessie. “If on a first date, one partner said to the other, ‘Hey, this is going great. In a few months, I’ll start preventing you from leaving the house when you want, control what you wear, take your paycheck,’ there would be no second date.”

Such was the case for one former client, who came to the YWCA five years ago. Grace was a successful business executive who had married in her early twenties. Her now ex-husband was a well-respected, even venerated member of the community where they lived. (Her name has been changed for the story, and the details of her living arrangements kept private out of concern for her safety.) “If you’d told me on the day I married that I would be living in fear for my life a few years down the road, I would have said you were crazy,” she says.

According to a 2017 CDC report, almost one in two women and more than two in five men, report experiencing some form of intimate partner violence. “It’s impacting women at a greater rate than heart disease and breast cancer combined.”

—Meghan Scanlon, CCADV Executive Director

could never win. I always used to acquiesce to whatever it was he wanted to do,” she says. If they had plans with friends, he came up with a list of talking points. After each social encounter, he insisted on a debriefing, so she could praise his participation in the gathering and he could point out all her mistakes. These could go on into the night.

“It got to the point that we stopped seeing our friends,” she says. “It was too stressful.” Her world—their world—got smaller and smaller. She felt isolated and alone. The physical abuse escalated. He would push her against the wall, threaten to get her fired—or worse. After every incident, she promised herself she would try harder, just a little harder to please her husband.

“The Greenwich Y’s domestic abuse services gave me everything. Without them, I would not be here to talk to you today.”

—Domestic Abuse Survivor

The abuse was subtle at first. Mostly verbal slings and arrows. Then came the physical. “He slapped my face during an argument,” she recalls. “I had told myself if he ever hit me I was out of there.” But when he turned up the next day with flowers and apologies and promises to never do it again, she forgave him.

Then things got worse. Even though she was the sole breadwinner, he used intimidation to keep her in her place. “He’d start a fight that I

“People will often say ‘Why don’t they just leave?’ It’s a common question. The better question is, Why does their partner think it’s OK to hurt them?” says Jessie. That’s because leaving is complicated. “Sometimes the victim is married with children. She may be financially dependent on her abuser. She may fear for her children’s safety,” says Mary Lee. On average, it takes a victim seven tries before they are able to successfully leave.

And when they do? “Often, that is the time of greatest danger,” she adds.

ON THE FRONT LINES

According to the most recent statistics compiled by the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 19 people in the state (18 women and one man) were murdered by their

Each time the cycle repeats itself, the phases intensify. It can take time for abuse to manifest, and by the time someone realizes what is happening, they maybe so deeply enmeshed in the relationship that getting away from their perpetrator can feel daunting—if not impossible.

intimate partner in 2023. The annual average is 14. The Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence (CCADV) data also says victims of domestic violence are five times more likely to be killed if there is a gun in the home. “There’s this rule—unspoken or not—if I can’t have you, no one can,” says Jessie.

The Harmony Project is one of 18 organizations that receive funding from CCADV, a nonprofit whose mission is to bring awareness to what the Surgeon General has called a national health crisis. The organization serves about 40,000 people a year, a number that hasn’t increased or decreased over time, says CCADV Executive Director Meghan Scanlon. “These are people who are reporting and seeking services for help. So, we know the issue is more prevalent than that.”

The statistics are grim. According to a 2017 CDC report, almost one in two women and more than two in five men report experiencing some form of intimate partner violence in their lifetime. “It’s impacting women at a greater rate than heart disease and breast cancer combined,” says Scanlon.

For Grace, the breaking point came on a cold rainy night in April. After a particularly violent incident, she realized that if she didn’t leave her husband, he was going to kill her. She had gotten into the habit of keeping shoes by her bedside in case she had to make a quick escape. She had also gotten into the habit of disconnecting the electric

YWCA Greenwich has been serving victims of domestic abuse for more than forty years. Responding to the needs of the community, the Harmony Project at YWCA Greenwich provides the following free services to victims of domestic and sexual violence and their children:

A 24/7 hotline 203-622-0003

Crisis Intervention, including safety planning

Emergency shelter for at-risk individuals and those who are in fear for their lives

Individual and group counseling for adults, teens and children

A civil legal clinic with lawyers who work pro bono to help victims navigate the court system—whether they are filing for divorce, claiming financial assets or petitioning for an order of protection

Victim advocacy at Stamford Superior Court, a service unique to the Harmony Project, with an advocate on hand to go to court on a victim’s behalf

An FVVA (Family Violence Victim Advocate) meets with clients before and after each court appearance

Sustainability service, including housing and financial empowerment to ensure a survivor's long-term independence

The work doesn’t stop there, however. The Harmony Project sponsors violence prevention programs, which are offered through local schools and businesses. It also offers training programs to its partner organizations, the Greenwich Police Department, GEMS and Greenwich Hospital.

garage opener so he wouldn’t be awakened by the noise. Once her husband had fallen asleep, she threw her little to-go bag into the car and pushed the car into the driveway. It was about 4 a.m., and with nowhere else to go, she headed to her office. In her purse, she found a card her therapist had given her the week before. It had the crisis hotline number on it. She never imagined she would make the call. Nor could she imagine how dramatically her life would change after she did.

It didn’t happen overnight. Years of trauma takes its toll. At one point she had a restraining order in two states. “It was five years before I could walk barefoot in my apartment,” she says. “It took me a year to stop sleeping fully clothed.”

In 2021, Grace was the keynote speaker at the OBL. And this past year, she spoke at the Y’s annual domestic awareness Candlelight Vigil. “The Greenwich Y’s domestic abuse services gave me everything,” she says. “Without them, I would not be here to talk to you today.”

For Rosa, another former client, the process of healing from years of abuse has brought her back to her first love—music. “I loved singing for others more than anything, and one day I just couldn’t sing anymore,” she says. Though naturally outgoing and gregarious, she hid the details of her husband’s abuse from her friends and family. Her life got smaller. She continued to show up for work—the only respite she had.

She remembers the day she noticed a flyer on a bulletin board. It had the Y’s number on it. That was in the fall of 2020. She ran from the hallway, overcome by fear and anxiety. Two weeks later, she peeked at the flyer, and though she still ran out of the building, something inside her had changed. While in her car on the phone with her best friend, she broke down. Her friend insisted Rosa call the Y. “This kind woman answered and said, ‘I’m going to have someone call you right back.’ And a crisis counselor did,” Rosa says. “I couldn’t believe it happened so quickly.” She refers to that moment as her divine connection. She says it started her healing journey.

“The most important thing you need to know is that you can get out and that you can change your life, and there is help, and you are strong enough because of what you survived,” Rosa says. “I am a prime example of it’s never too late.” G

Purple Purse Recipient 2024

Purple Purse Recipient 2023

Purple Purse Recipient 2022

In a long line of OBL co-chairs, Alease Fisher Tallman was among the first. “Deborah and Christina co-chaired it for the first three years, and they brought me, and I co-chaired for the next two with Bonnie Levinson and the late Susanne Frank,” she recalls. “Deborah and Christina had laid such a strong foundation. It was nothing but easy for me to put a tiny little icing on the cake they had baked so well.”

Among those flourishes— Alease turned the event into a hat luncheon. “It was a way to differentiate the OBL from the other important spring lunches in town,” she says. She also launched the annual handbag collection luncheon, to help ease the workload of the Y’s staff, and came up with the idea of draping different colored pashminas over each chair. As a member of the decorating committee, she and some friends baked hundreds of cupcakes topped with sugar florals to use as centerpieces.

“Flowers are a huge expense for any luncheon,” she says. Last year, Alease received the Purple Purse award in recognition of her years of service.

“I was deeply honored to be singled out by a group that does such important work,” she says. “I feel so lucky that everyone who works in the OBL keeps doing it with such passion. It thrives because it hits all the right marks.”

Courtney Combe doesn’t much care for the spotlight. She’s happiest working behind the scenes for the causes she supports. Case in point? The YWCA’s Harmony Project and its primary source of funding, the Old Bags Luncheon.

Courtney attended the first luncheon in 2005 and shortly after was asked to join the organizing committee. She hasn’t missed a luncheon since. These days the job she enjoys most is helping with the set-up for the silent auction and selecting the high-profile bags for the auction.

If she has time, she might listen in on a committee meeting, “and put my two cents in.” But she believes strongly that the time has come for the next generation to take over.

As for what attracted her to the Old Bags Luncheon in the first place: “I wanted to spread the word. I thought it was an issue that was being overlooked in town, and in society, too.”

The self-identified “worker bee” was the 2023 recipient of the luncheon’s Purple Purse award. Her message to attendees was short and fast. “Support each other, be kind to each other. You don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors, and if you do find out someone is in trouble, help them.”

Although she missed the first Old Bags Luncheon for reasons she can’t remember, Cindy Leaman has been to every one of them since. “I was hooked,” she says. As a former RN and current YWCA board member, she says the luncheon’s mission “filled that void in me for wanting to help people in trouble. The idea of these people being trapped in their own homes and having no voice for themselves was very upsetting.”

For Cindy, the most welcome change to the Y’s domestic abuse support services is offering services to victims of sexual assault and sex trafficking. “Now that we have both, I feel so much better that we don’t have to turn women away.”

As a former co-chair and frequent member of the luncheon’s various committees, the 2022 Purple Purse recipient is most excited about plans to add on to the existing building, which will provide Harmony Project clients with more space and more privacy.

“Right now, they are down in a tiny room. That’s where they come from. We want something better for them,” she says. “It’s a testament to the staff that they have been able to create opportunities for these women in difficult facilities.” »

JOIN US

SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 2025 |

6:00 p.m.

HONORING

Charles Goldstuck

Cocktails and Silent Auction

Red & White Ball 2025

RIVERSIDE YACHT CLUB

Followed by Dinner, Program, Live Auction and Dancing

HUMANITARIAN HONOREE

CORPORATE LEADERSHIP HONOREE

Brescome Barton and the Magliocco Family

LIFETIME SERVICE HONOREE

Ross Ogden

To purchase tickets, sponsorships and journal acknowledgments, please visit scan the QR Code or visit redcross.org/mnynball

calendar

APRIL 2025

Focus on French Cinema

Focus on French Cinema, the annual festival of French and Francophone films presented by Alliance Française of Greenwich, celebrates its twentieth anniversary on Thursday, April 24. The festival features the U.S. premiere of Monsieur Aznavour, the biopic about the life of singer, songwriter and actor Charles Aznavour. The film will be screened at the AVON Theatre, Deborah and Chuck Royce Cinema Arts Center. For more information visit focusonfrenchcinema.eventive.org/welcome or call 203-629-1340.

ART & ANTIQUES

ALDRICH MUSEUM, 258 Main St., Ridgefield, 438-0198. Tues.–Sun. aldrichart.org

AMY SIMON FINE ART, 1869 Post Rd. East, Westport, 259-1500. amysimonfineart.com

BRUCE MUSEUM, 1 Museum Dr., 869-0376. brucemuseum.org

CANFIN GALLERY, 39 Main St., Tarrytown, NY, 914-332-4554. canfingallery.com

CARAMOOR CENTER FOR MUSIC AND THE ARTS, Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah, NY, 914-232-1252. Caramoor is a destination for exceptional music, captivating programs, spectacular gardens and grounds, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. caramoor.org

CAVALIER GALLERIES, 405 Greenwich Ave., 869-3664. cavaliergalleries .com

CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY PRINTMAKING, 299 West Ave., Norwalk, 899-7999. contemprints.org

CLARENDON FINE ART, 22 Main St., Westport, 2930976. clarendonfineart.com

CLAY ART CENTER, 40 Beech St., Port Chester, NY, 914-937-2047. clayartcenter.org

DISCOVERY MUSEUM AND PLANETARIUM, 4450 Park Ave., Bridgeport, 372-3521. discoverymuseum.org

FAIRFIELD MUSEUM AND HISTORY CENTER, 370 Beach Rd., Fairfield, 259-1598. fairfieldhistory.org

FLINN GALLERY, 101 W. Putnam Ave., 622-7947. flinngallery.com

GERTRUDE G. WHITE GALLERY, YWCA, 259 E. Putnam Ave., 869-6501. ywcagreenwich.org

GREENWICH ARTS COUNCIL, 299 Greenwich Ave., 862-6750. greenwichartscouncil.org

GREENWICH ART SOCIETY, 299 Greenwich Ave. 2nd fl., 629-1533. This studio school offers a visual arts education program for kids and adults. greenwichartsociety.org

GREENWICH HISTORICAL SOCIETY, 47 Strickland Rd., 869-6899. greenwichhistory.org

KATONAH MUSEUM OF ART, Rte. 22 at Jay St., Katonah, NY, 914-232-9555. katonahmuseum.org

KENISE BARNES FINE ART, 1947 Palmer Ave., Larchmont, NY, 914-834-8077. kbfa.com

LOCKWOOD-MATHEWS MANSION MUSEUM, 295 West Ave., Norwalk, 838-9799. lockwoodmathews mansion.com

LOFT ARTISTS ASSOCIATION, 575 Pacific St., Stamford, 247-2027. loftartists.org

MARITIME AQUARIUM, 10 N. Water St., S. Norwalk, 852-0700. maritimeaquarium.org

MoCA, 19 Newtown Tpke., Westport, 226-7070. mocawestport.org

NEUBERGER MUSEUM OF ART, Purchase College, 735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase, NY, 914-251-6100. neuberger.org »

PELHAM ART CENTER, 155 Fifth Ave., Pelham, NY, 914-738-2525, ext. 113. pelhamartcenter.org

ROWAYTON ARTS CENTER, 145 Rowayton Ave., Rowayton, 866-2744. rowaytonarts.org

SAMUEL OWEN GALLERY, 382 Greenwich Ave., 325-1924. samuelowen.org

SILVERMINE GUILD ARTS CENTER, 1037 Silvermine Rd., New Canaan, 966-9700. silvermineart.org

SANDRA MORGAN INTERIORS & ART PRIVÉ, 135 East Putnam Ave., 2nd floor, Greenwich, 629-8121. sandramorganinteriors.com

SORELLE GALLERY, Bedford Square, 19 Church Ln., Westport, 920-1900. sorellegallery.com

SOROKIN GALLERY, 96 Greenwich Ave., Greenwich, 856-9048. sorokingallery.com

STAMFORD ART ASSOCIATION, 39 Franklin St., Stamford, 325-1139. stamfordartassociation.org

STAMFORD MUSEUM & NATURE CENTER, 39 Scofieldtown Rd., Stamford, 977-6521. stamfordmuseum.org

TAYLOR GRAHAM GALLERY, 80 Greenwich Avenue, Greenwich, 489-3163. taylorandgraham.com

UCONN STAMFORD ART GALLERY, One University Pl., Stamford, 251-8400. artgallery.stamford.uconn.edu

YALE CENTER FOR BRITISH ART, 1080 Chapel St., New Haven, 432-2800. britishart.yale.edu

YALE UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY, 1111 Chapel St., New Haven, 432-0611. artgallery.yale.edu

YANKELL LEGACY GALLERY, 61 Studio Court., Stamford, 610-213-2749. yankelllegacygallery.com

Waste-Free Greenwich

Let’s all come together and help our planet on Saturday, April 5, at Christ Church Parish Hall. Bring items to recycle, and stay for all the fun activities.

Americares

Be a part of a spectacular organization and gala, Americares Airlift Benefit, on Friday, April 4, at 6 p.m. at Pier Sixty in Manhattan. The evening will include cocktails, dinner and dancing. The next morning, a group of guests will depart for a 48 hour journey to El Salvador, where Americares operates a family clinic that provides low-cost, quality health services. Guests on the airlift will see Americares health programs in action, take part in volunteer activities and meet health workers, patients and community leaders. For sponsorship opportunities and more information, visit americares.org/ airlift2025 or contact events@americares.org.

CONCERTS, FILM & THEATER

AVON THEATRE FILM CENTER, 272 Bedford St., Stamford, 661-0321. avontheatre.org

CURTAIN CALL, The Sterling Farms Theatre Complex, 1349 Newfield Ave., Stamford, 329-8207. curtaincallinc.com

DOWNTOWN CABARET THEATRE, 263 Golden Hill St., Bridgeport, 576-1636. dtcab.com

HARTFORD HEALTHCARE AMPITHEATER, 500 Broad St., Bridgeport, 345-2300, hartfordhealthcareamp.com

LECTURES, TOURS & WORKSHOPS

ALDRICH MUSEUM, 258 Main St., Ridgefield, 438-0198. aldrichart.org

AUDUBON GREENWICH, 613 Riversville Rd., 869-5272. greenwich.audubon.org

AUX DÉLICES, 231 Acosta St., Stamford, 326-4540, ext. 108. auxdelicesfoods.com

BOWMAN OBSERVATORY

PUBLIC NIGHT, NE of Milbank/East Elm St. rotary on the grounds of Julian Curtiss School, 869-6786, ext. 338

BRUCE MUSEUM, 1 Museum Dr., 869-0376. brucemuseum.org

CLAY ART CENTER, 40 Beech St., Port Chester, NY, 914-937-2047. clayartcenter.org

CONNECTICUT CERAMICS STUDY CIRCLE, Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Dr. ctcsc.org

FAIRFIELD MUSEUM AND HISTORY CENTER, 370 Beach Rd., Fairfield, 259-1598. fairfieldhistory.org

FAIRFIELD THEATRE COMPANY, On StageOne, 70 Sanford St., Fairfield, 259-1036. fairfieldtheatre.org

GOODSPEED OPERA HOUSE, 6 Main St., East Haddam, 860-873-8668. goodspeed.org »

at McArdle’s Greenhouse

Tree Party Sponsors

Greenwich Magazine

Mr. & Mrs. Peter L. Malkin

Senator Richard & Cynthia M. Blumenthal

Greenwich Association of Realtors

Bartle Tree Experts

Emerald Tree & Shrub Care

John & Kim Conte

Hon. Livvy & Douglas Floren

Urling & Robert Searle

April 25, 2025 with this co-chairs,year’s Emmi Aryeh & Hayley Zelina and the GreenwichConservancy!Tree

6:30pm - 8:30pm

We are looking for fantastic photos of Greenwich and Greenwich people to feature every month on our new back page. If you would like a chance to be published in Greenwich magazine and win $100 here’s what you should know:

• Photos can be whimsical, historical, serene, funny or beautiful but they all must be taken in Greenwich.

• Photos must be submitted digitally to photos@mofflymedia.com and be 300 dpi and 7 inches high or larger.

• We will need:

1 Photographer’s name, address, phone number and e-mail

2 Subject of the photograph (identify people in the photo)

3 Location of the photograph

4 Inspiration behind the photograph

5 Any interesting anecdote about the photograph or featured subject We can’t wait to see your view of Greenwich!

GREENWICH BOTANICAL CENTER, 130 Bible St., 869-9242. greenwichbotanicalcenter.org

GREENWICH LIBRARY, 101 W. Putnam Ave., 622-7900. greenwichlibrary.org

JACOB BURNS FILM CENTER, 364 Manville Rd., Pleasantville, NY, 914-773-7663. burnsfilmcenter.org

KATONAH MUSEUM OF ART, 26 Bedford Rd., Chappaqua, NY, 914-232-9555. katonahmuseum.org

LONG WHARF THEATRE, 222 Sargent Dr., New Haven, 787-4282. longwharf.com

RIDGEFIELD PLAYHOUSE, 80 East Ridge, Ridgefield, 438-9269. ridgefieldplayhouse.org

RIDGEFIELD THEATER BARN, 37 Halpin Ln., Ridgefield, 431-9850. ridgefieldtheaterbarn.org

SHUBERT THEATER, 247 College St., New Haven, 800-228-6622. shubert.com

STAMFORD CENTER FOR THE ARTS Palace Theatre, 61 Atlantic St., Stamford, 325-4466. stamfordcenterforthearts.org

STAMFORD MUSEUM & NATURE CENTER, 39 Scofieldtown Rd., Stamford, 977-6521. stamfordmuseum.org

WESTPORT COUNTRY PLAYHOUSE, 25 Powers Ct., Westport, 227-4177. westportplayhouse.org »

Tod’s Point

Spring has arrived. Get out there and soak up that vitamin sea—and maybe even fly a kite! Lucky for us, Tod’s Point is open 24/7/365, from sunrise to sunset.

ALISON NICHOLS GRAY

KIDS’ STUFF APRIL 2025

ALDRICH MUSEUM, 258 Main St., Ridgefield, 438-4519. aldrichart.org

AUDUBON GREENWICH, 613 Riversville Rd., 869-5272. greenwich.audubon.org

AUX DÉLICES, (cooking classes), 23 Acosta St., Stamford, 326-4540 ext. 108. auxdelicesfoods.com

BEARDSLEY ZOO, 1875 Noble Ave., Bridgeport, 394-6565. beardsleyzoo.org

BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF GREENWICH, 4 Horseneck Ln., 869-3224. bgcg.org

BRUCE MUSEUM, 1 Museum Dr., 869-0376. brucemuseum.org

DISCOVERY MUSEUM AND PLANETARIUM, 4450 Park Ave., Bridgeport, 372-3521. discoverymuseum.org

DOWNTOWN CABARET THEATRE, 263 Golden Hill St., Bridgeport, 576-1636. dtcab.com

EARTHPLACE, 10 Woodside Ln., Westport, 227-7253. earthplace.org

GREENWICH HISTORICAL SOCIETY, 39 Strickland St., 869-6899. greenwichhistory.org

GREENWICH LIBRARY, 101 W. Putnam Ave., 622-7900. greenwichlibrary.org

IMAX THEATER AT MARITIME AQUARIUM, 10 N. Water St., S. Norwalk, 852-0700. maritimeaquarium.org

KATONAH MUSEUM OF ART, Rte. 22 at Jay St., Katonah, NY, 914-232-9555. katonahmuseum.org

MARITIME AQUARIUM, 10 N. Water St., S. Norwalk, 852-0700. maritimeaquarium.org

NEW CANAAN NATURE CENTER, 144 Oenoke Ridge, New Canaan, 966-9577. newcanaannature.org

RIDGEFIELD PLAYHOUSE, 80 East Ridge Rd., Ridgefield, 438-5795. ridgefieldplayhouse.org

STAMFORD CENTER FOR THE ARTS, Palace Theatre, 61 Atlantic St., Stamford, 325-4466. palacestamford.org

STAMFORD MUSEUM & NATURE CENTER, 39 Scofieldtown Rd., Stamford, 977-6521. stamfordmuseum.org

STEPPING STONES MUSEUM FOR CHILDREN, 303 West Ave., Mathews Park, Norwalk, 899-0606. steppingstonesmuseum.org

WESTPORT ARTS CENTER, 51 Riverside Ave., Westport, 222-7070. westportartscenter.org

WESTPORT COUNTRY PLAYHOUSE, 25 Powers Ct., Westport, 227-4177. westportplayhouse.org G

STOMP

Reach New Patients Showcase Your Expertise

Over 1/4 of ALL Moffly Media magazine and website readers use our annual Top Dentists list as part of their search for providers.

16th Annual

TOP DENTISTS

Dental Profile Special Section

• Special section following our annual Top Dentists editorial feature, within our popular July/Aug Best of the Gold Coast issue

• Annual guide to Fairfield County’s dental experts & cosmetic specialists

• Custom profile created for your practice

• Reach an audience of 200,000+ families and local residents

• One year inclusion in our online dentist directory

• Bonus issue distribution to local events reaching health-conscious families, charitable organizations and community influencers

Issue Date: July/August 2025

On Newsstands: July 1, 2025

Commitment Date: May 12, 2025

Contact Gina Fusco at Gina.Fusco@moffly.com for more information.

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SPRING FLING!

April doesn’t just bring the showers that give us May flowers. The annual Daffodil Show will take place at Christ Church on Wednesday, April 23. Considering we’re writing this as the Northeast has been plunged into arctic temps, we couldn’t be more excited at the thought of colorful blooms and warm spring days. See you there! Visit connecitcutdaffodilsociety.org for more information. G

Have a photo that captures a moment in Greenwich? Send it to us at editor@greenwichmag.com for a chance to win $100. Please write “photo submission” in the subject line.

photograph by garvin burke

Internationally recognized surgeons caring for you, their neighbors

Diego R. Camacho, MD

Director, Minimally Invasive & Endoscopic Surgery; Site Director, Bariatric Surgery, Weiler Division, Montefiore Einstein and Associate Professor, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Diego R. Camacho, MD, is an expert in advanced laparoscopic procedures for general surgery, bariatric surgery, hernia treatments and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Dr. Camacho completed his general surgery residency at The Ohio State University Medical Center and completed his fellowship in minimally invasive surgery at Baylor College of Medicine. He has shared his expertise in minimally invasive procedures through books, peer-reviewed articles and more than 60 international presentations.

He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and an active member in several professional societies. In 2019, he was recognized by the Fairfield County Doctors of Distinction for his international work. He was recognized by the Latin American Federation of Surgery (FELAC) as the most accomplished Latino surgeon in the United States. Dr. Camacho is fluent in Spanish and has been a Greenwich resident since 2008.

1455 East Putnam Ave. | Greenwich, CT 203-SURGEON (203-787-4366) specialtysurgeons.com