Fall 2013 pdf single

FALL 2013

SOUTH FLORIDA

Willard Wigan’s

Amazing Micro-sculptures Master of color-splashed attire

Robert Graham MIAMI'S 26-YEAR-OLD

SUPERCAR CEO Luster & Tragedy

the history of fabergé eggs

John Loring Leading Tiffany Design Into The 21st Century Fall 2013

South Florida OPULENCE

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Murano at Portofino Miami Beach, Florida

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South Florida OPULENCE

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Fall 2013

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T o p F E AT U R E S

FALL 2013

SOUTH FLORIDA

61 The Amazing Mr. Wigan A whimsical true-life tale of English micro-sculptor Willard Wigan. Get ready, because you won’t believe your eyes!

Willard Wigan’s AmAzIng mICro-sCuLpTures BehInD The sCenes AT

Celebrity apprentiCe

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gilded age galant henry FLAgLer

Exclusive Interview with Founder of THE ECLECTIC Robert Graham Clothing Collection

The 26-yeAr-oLD

superCar Ceo

John Loring Leading Tiffany Design Into The 21st Century Fall 2013

South Florida OPULENCE

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Find out how mild-mannered but larger-than-life designer Robert Stock shot to the top of the men’s apparel industry with his Robert Graham clothing line.

Cover PHOTO From Tiffany in Fashion

by John Loring, published by Abrams

92 JOHN LORING

122 The 26-Year-Old Supercar CEO An exclusive interview with Brett David, CEO of Prestige Imports in Miami.

LEADING TIFFANY DESIGN INTO THE 21ST CENTURY

124 Gilded Age Gallant: Henry Flagler The story of how Henry Flagler, captain of industry, turned Florida into the American Riviera.

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©2013 CHANEL®, Inc.

18K YELLOW GOLD AND DIAMONDS

SOUTH FLORIDA

features

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28 The Ever-Changing

Mikhail Baryshnikov One of the most famous names in dance, world-renown for his incredible jumps in classical ballet – is also famous for his film acting and stage performances. Find out what Mikhail Baryshnikov surprised theater fans with in Europe this past summer!

34 OFF the wall dining If the idea of dining in a “safe house” or dangling 15 stories in the air for a gourmet getaway makes your mouth water, use a passcode — or strap in a seat — at these most unusual brasseries.

38 Reviving the Historic Vodka of the Tsars Rare, formely unobtainable elixir from Tsarist Russia has made an inaugural appearance in America.

40 Imperial Legend of FabergÉ Eggs eter Carl Fabergé’s intriguing story of brilliant P design and historic tragedy.

Mystery of the Missing Mona Lisa Few are familiar with the mysterious disappearance of the Mona Lisa in 1911 – nor that it went missing for more than two years. Catch the details of this compelling caper!

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46

King Richard III — Found!

How forensic facial reconstruction recently identified King Richard III.

48 Napoleon’s Canvas of Lies History records the many accomplishments of Napoleon Bonaparte.

But the diminutive ruler exhibited a more modern skill that’s often overlooked.

See for yourself.

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C ontroversy in Chicago: Pablo Picasso This year marks the 100th anniversary of Pablo Picasso’s artworks being shown in the United States. Who would have guessed that viewers once thought the Modern Age marvel was unorthodox. Find out why.

56 The Aquatically

Colorful Patterns of Artist Stephen Hall The work of New York painter Stephen Hall will have you taking a double take of his unusual mixed message style.

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Taking Chances Discover what makes Marc Serota one of the most sought-after sports and celebrity photographers of our time.

68 Stephen Baldwin How Celebrity Apprentice changed my life. Discover the lessons learned in this exclusive interview.

72 Celebrities

Recall Their Mentors Learn who made a difference in the lives and careers of James Earl Jones, Diane Sawyer, Martin Sheen and Kenneth Cole.

Town Center at Boca Raton | 561.367.8970 www.robertgraham.us

SOUTH FLORIDA

features (continued) 80 Ultra-Luxury Bathtubs –

And a Related Historical Hoax Elite home buyers today don’t think twice about dropping a fortune on hand-made European tubs. Find out how they were once the focus of an international hoax.

84

Top-Star Spa Treatments Discover the Forbes four- and five-star-rated spas in your own back yard!

96 Life Aquatica Living Color Aquarioums brings extreme aquariums to your home and on television in Nat Geo’s Fish Tank Kings.

104 Luxury Custom

Golf Carts Check out the latest super-car style golf carts turning heads on the links.

106

Meet the Hot Fireman Behind the Engine 2 Diet An exclusive interview with Rip Esselstyn and his intense story about how he launched his heart-healthy diet plan.

114 The Bespoke Travel Experience: Peter Island A breathtaking glimpse of this ultra-exclusive private island destination.

118 first Solar Powered Flight Around the World dventurer Bertrand Piccard has a life straight out of a Jules Verne A novel – and true-life story of making history in a solar-powered airplane.

130 Deering Bay: South Florida’s

Hidden Gem iscover what could very well be South Florida’s D best kept secret in luxury living.

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departments Gadgets 20 Calendar 22-23 Theater Spotlight

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Dining Guide

30, 32

Landscape Design

76

Condo Interior Design

78

Women’s Fashion

86

Women’s Beauty

91

Men’s Grooming

95

Cultural Insights: Q&A With Ava Roosevelt

110

The Tinder Box

116

Community OUTREACH

128

The CSI Difference 135 Condo Law

136, 140

Condo Living

138, 139

Executive Health

142

Social Living

144

For the Love of Food. For the Love of Life.

Where the story of Greek Yogurt began.

Editor’s Letter Rising Above the Odds Amadeus Mozart. Albert Einstein. Sir Isaac Newton. Thomas Jefferson. Andy Warhol.

What do these men have in common? The obvious answer is they were all exceptional in their respective professions – music composer, physicist(s), government leader, artist. But there’s another similarity among them not found in traditional history books: they were all, most likely, on some level of the autism spectrum.

None of the distinguished men was officially diagnosed with the disorder (autism was first identified as a medical disorder in 1944 by Child Psychiatrist Dr. Leo Kanner.) Some clinical experts who’ve studied these famous men agree that each showed characteristics that were probably symptoms of autism.

Dr. Kanner described autism as the ‘’innate inability of certain children to relate to other people.” He once said, “With these extremely detached children, you must give them the chance to relate to a limited number of people and to come into the world — to thaw out.’’

According to the National Institutes of Health, autism is characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors. Some on the spectrum are severely disabled, but many others are highly functional – as indicative of the historical geniuses previously mentioned.

Historians have noted, for brief example, that Mozart would become physically ill from loud noises. He made repetitive facial expressions and was unable to participate in intellectual conversations. Einstein didn’t speak until he was 3 and wasn’t fluent until he was 9. He had learning difficulties at school. Sir Isaac Newton had little interest in people and sometimes focused so intently on his work that he forgot to eat. He would rehearse lectures incessantly and then insist on delivering the talk even if no one showed up to hear it. Thomas Jefferson was extremely shy. The American Founding Father had an obsession for writing letters and remodeling his home over and over. Notably socially awkward, he often showed up at meetings wearing house slippers and with a bird sitting on his shoulder. As for Andy Warhol, a leading autism diagnostician suggests the artist’s simplistic, repeating pattern of painting soup cans over the years was a symptom of autism.

Currently, one is 88 children is diagnosed with autism. Sadly, the unemployment rate among adults with autism averages 90 percent. In this issue, we recognize two local employers who are leading by example by hiring people with autism who have skills well suited for jobs they have available. The experience is making a positive impact not only for the businesses, but also in the lives of the employees. I encourage you to turn to page 128 and see for yourself.

TAKE OPULENCE WITH YOU! SCAN THE QR CODE WITH YOUR SMARTPHONE TO FIND US ON FACEBOOK AND RECEIVE UPDATES ON NEWS AND EVENTS!

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HORIZON PUBLISHING Executive PUBLISHER & Owner Geoff Hammond, CEO Jayne Hammond, President Associate PUBLISHERS Mark Blackburn P U B L I S I David Hammond

N G

EDITOR IN CHIEF Robin Jay editor@southfloridaopulence.com CREATIVE ART DIRECTOR Adriana Naylor artdirector@southfloridaopulence.com 954-331-3912 PR AND MARKETING MANAGER Chantal Forster marketingmanager@southfloridaopulence.com 954-331-3390 Business Development John Terboss jterboss@southfloridaopulence.com 954-308-4300 Editorial Assistant Melissa Bryant CONTRIBUTING WRITERS John. D. Adams Julia Hebert David Arce Dale King Eddie Balaban Kristen Mager Michael Bender, Esq. Johana Rabinovich Donna Berger, Esq. Andy Rand Melissa Bryant Ben Rapaport Carolina Cardona Ava Roosevelt Matlida Raffa Cuomo Alex Starace Hope Gainer John Stroemer Jule Guaglardi Nicole Tufts Ashley Hammond Mary & Hugh Williamson Photographers: Jule Guaglardi Douglas Lance Marc Serota PROOFREADERS Melissa Bryant Susie Shaw EVENT MAKEUP ARTIST Alena Klenot South Florida Opulence Magazine is published quarterly by Horizon Publishing LLC. Copyright © 2013. All rights reserved. Horizon Publishing LLC, 6700 North Andrews Avenue, Suite 400, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309 – Vol. 3, No.3, Fall 2013 (ISSN # 2157-5274) Subscription Rates: $40 per year, $10 per issue.

For subscription inquiries or change of address, contact the subscription department, (954) 308-4300 Ext. 4312, Fax: (954) 331-6028. Horizon Publishing, LLC, its affiliates and contributing writers have exercised due care in compiling the information contained herein, but with the possibility of human or mechanical error, cannot assume liability for the accuracy of this data. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in part or in full in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording and any information storage and retrieval system without first obtaining permission from the publisher.

Gadgets The Land Sailor This is the three-wheeled craft that harnesses the wind's power for speeds up to 25 mph, enabling rank amateurs to sail effortlessly across any open, flat surface without the need for prior sailing experience. The craft quickly breaks down into four 4' long bags that easily fit into a car's trunk for easy transport. www.hammacher.com. $899.95 Uno III Scooter This real-life transformer scooter has three wheels – two side by side at the rear and one in front that hides between the other two when necessary. It operates in two modes – motorbike mode and Uno mode (the front wheel pulls itself back into the rear wheels and remains hidden). www.cnet.com. $7,000 GolfSense Swing Senser

The GolfSense sensor clips to a golf glove and connects to an Apple or Android tablet. You’ll see a precise rendering of your swing that shows finer details, such as the twist of your wrist and your club posture. www.golfsense.me. $129

Available exclusively at Santa Maria Novella Bal Harbour! The ultimate Santa Maria Novella gift for the home: • A hand painted ceramic water jug, a replica of those used by the Dominican Friars of the 12th and 13th centuries.

• A collection of Santa Maria Novella Soaps – pomegranate bath bar, box of 3 almond soaps and floral cologne soap.

• Items to fragrance the home – potpourri candle, potpourri silk sachet and relax wax tablets. And a few things for oneself – pomegranate bath salts and orange blossom water.

• These items are in a brilliant blue leather buckle bin, handmade in Italy from Arte & Cuoio. $2,054

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South Florida OPULENCE

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with a charming detached guest Cottage. the lush gardens were designed by stanley matz, with interiors designed by anil Kakar of Kakar House of Design.

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Out and About SEPTEMBER

SEPTEMBER

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october

october

Lionel Richie

Lisa Lampanelli, Comedy’s Loveable “Queen of Mean,”

Festival Miami The University of Miami

BEETHOVEN & SCHUMANN

The Phenomenal Multi-Genre Music Celebration Showcases A Stellar Lineup of Award-Winning Artists from across the globe. www.festivalmiami.com

New World Symphony, Miami Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor Emanuel Ax, piano Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 Schumann: Symphony No. 2 http://www.nws.edu/events.aspx

october

november-december

CHICAGO

The Book of Mormon

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Hard Rock Live, Hollywood

Hard Rock Live, Hollywood

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9-20 After 1987, Richie fell silent, taking an extended break from recording and touring before beginning a comeback toward the tail-end of the ’90s. Now Lionel Richie will be at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood to perform old classics and newer hits. www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com

Heralded as “more than a standup — a standout,” by comedy legend Jim Carrey, Lisa Lampanelli is a cross between Don Rickles, Archie Bunker, and a vial of estrogen. Lampanelli’s raunchy, gut-busting performances are wildly popular at theaters across the U.S. and Canada. www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com

Condominium Community Association Educational Classes for Board Members October 23

Margate – Board Member Certification Series This course covers the basics of serving on a Florida community association board of directors. Held at 5297 West Copans Road, Margate. To RSVP, call 855-542-3476.

Broward Center for the Performing Arts Fort Lauderdale “‘Chicago’ still GLITTERS HYPNOTICALLY.” Ben Brantley, The New York Times.

A true New York City institution,

CHICAGO has everything that makes Broadway great: a tale of fame, fortune and all that jazz; one show-stoppingsong after another; and the most astonishing dancing you’ve ever seen. www.broadwayacrossamerica.com.

Pompano Beach – Condominium Board Member Education Course Learn about current laws affecting Florida condominium associations. Held at 1200 Park Central Blvd. South in Pompano Beach. To RSVP, call 954-928-0680.

A new Broadway musical that Entertainment Weekly calls “the funniest musical of all time.“ www.broadwayacrossamerica.com.

December

10-15 Adrienne Arsht Center, Miami

OCTOBER

11-13

November 16

Bonita Springs – Board Member Boot Camp® (half-day course) Learn how to assess risk, negotiate contracts, pursue collections, prepare budgets and negotiate with vendors.

Held at the Elks Lodge 2753 located at 3231 Coconut Road, Bonita Springs. www.boardmemberbootcamp.com

November 20

Tamarac – Townhall Seminar Series

A course on the 2013 legislation affecting community associations in Florida. Held at 6:30 p.m. at the Tamarac Community Center, 8601 W. Commercial Blvd., Tamarac. For details, go to www.kbrlegal.com.

South Florida OPULENCE

Broward Center for the Performing Arts Fort Lauderdale

WE WILL ROCK YOU

October 25

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26-12/22

Fall 2013

MAMMA MIA!

Adrienne Arsht Center, Miami Broadway in Miami 2013 - 2014. The ultimate feel-good musical filled with ABBA hits. www.broadwayacrossamerica. com. 305.949.6722

From London’s West End, the worldwide smash hit musical by Queen and Ben Elton comes for a limited engagement! www.broadwayacrossamerica.com.

Up & Coming Events DECEMBER

february-march 2014

march

march-April 2014

ELF

Memphis

Israel Philharmonic Orchestra with Zubin Mehta

American Idiot

31-1/5 25-3/9 23 Adrienne Arsht Center, Miami ELF is an original musical that brings to life the heartwarming and hilarious tale of Buddy, an orphan who mistakenly believes he’s really one of Santa’s elves.

Broward Center for the Performing Arts Fort Lauderdale From the underground dance clubs of 1950s Memphis about a white radio DJ who wants to change the world and a black club singer who is ready for her big break. www.broadwayacrossamerica.com.

Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts Miami

THE WIZARD OF OZ

Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Fort Lauderdale

Tony Award® winning hit musical AMERICAN IDIOT tells the story of three lifelong friends forced to choose between their dreams and the safety of suburbia.

Their quest for true meaning in a post 9/11 world leads them on the theatrical journey of the season. www.broadwayacrossamerica.com. 800.764.0700

march

4-9

WARHORSE

Adrienne Arsht Center, Miami The 2011 Tony Award-winner for Best Play based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo comes to a city near you. www.broadwayacrossamerica.com. 305.949.6722

“We’re off to see…“ The most magical adventure of them all. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new production of The Wizard of Oz is an enchanting adaptation of the all-time classic, totally reconceived for the stage. www.broadwayacrossamerica.com.

Broward Center for the Performing Arts Fort Lauderdale

Of Israel’s oldest and most influential cultural institutions, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra is an eloquent voice for peace as well as Israel’s powerful, most exquisite cultural ambassador. 305.949.6722

January 2014

7-19

25-4/6

April-May 2014

29-5/11

GHOST The Musical Broward Center for the Performing Arts

Relive the iconic and magical moments from the Oscar-winning movie GHOST in a brand-new Broadway musical. GHOST The Musical follows Sam and Molly, a young couple whose connection takes a shocking turn after Sam’s untimely death. www.broadwayacrossamerica.com. 800.764.0700

february

4-9 SEASON 2013/ 2014

Program I: First Ventures

ONCE

October 18-20, Adrienne Arsht Center, Miami October 25-27, Broward Center, Fort Lauderdale November 15-17, Kravis Center, West Palm Beach

The Tony-winning musical based on the Academy Award-winning film. www.broadwayacrossamerica.com.

305.949.6722

Program includes Ballo della Regina (Balanchine/Verdi), Polyphonia (Wheeldon/Ligeti), and Serenade (Balanchine/Tchaikovsky). www.miamicityballet.org. (305) 929-7010

Adrienne Arsht Center, Miami

Fall 2013

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Spectators of Cirque du Soleil shows have come to anticipate that each new show will sweep them into an imaginary realm of fanciful, larger-than-life characters. However, South Floridian theater buffs this summer were in for a surprise: Quidam is an examination of our real world – inhabited by real people with real-life concerns.

The story

Unequivocally Clever!

By David Arce

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South Florida OPULENCE

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Quidam is intricately designed to bring the imagination of a little girl onto the stage and then into the audiences’ heart. It touches the heartstrings of anyone who knows what it was like to be lonely as a child and who wanted to run away into their own world where magic is real and the characters you conjure are a resemblance of who you really are.

The Aviator has skeletal wings, but doesn’t look quite ready to take off. Perhaps he doesn’t know he has wings. Perhaps he knows, but can’t fly. Perhaps, he has tried and failed or perhaps he simply wants to escape this world and its problems.

Zoé is an average little girl, bored yet curious, and she longs for fun and excitement. To her right is John, a different kind of ringmaster. He is eerie yet charming, part television personality and part teacher with his own renegade lesson plan. Next is Target, who chooses to live in empty space, present and absent at the same time, and is a companion to Zoé.

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In the story, young Zoé is a bored young girl who feels forlorn.

Her father, entrenched in his den and enveloped by his newspaper; her mother so stuck in mundane monotony of daily life that she’s numb to feelings of joy and hope. Zoé longs for fun and excitement. She dreams up a whimsical world as a means of escaping “the Quidam” – where she meets characters who encourage her to free her soul.

What is a Quidam?

A “quidam” is said to be the embodiment of both everyone and no one at the same time. According to Cirque du Soleil, “Quidam refers to a nameless passer-by, a solitary figure lingering on a street corner, a person rushing past … one who cries out, sings and dreams within us all.”

Zoé’s imaginary world is the Quidam that allows her to speak. It’s a place that beckons — a place for dreaming and genuine relations where all quidams can proclaim their individuality and emerge from anonymity.

The Resolution Characters in Quidam are enchanted by the music in the unfamiliar new world, dazed by the dazzling spectacles of acrobatic cloud swingers, rope climbers, human webs, jugglers, aerial hoop performers and contortionists.

Through the magical world of Quidam and Zoé’s journey, her father eventually opens his eyes to find himself among his family and loved ones. Zoé’s mother re-discovers the courage to feel alive again — to laugh, play and love.

Quidam plays this summer at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, then tours Europe for the remainder of 2013. Upon the show’s return stateside, it’s certainly a spectacle worthy of any theater buff’s bucket list!

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South Florida OPULENCE

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The Ever-Changing

Misha

By Ashley Hammond

A modern-day eclectic Laurel and Hardy, dance star Mikhail Baryshnikov teamed up with actor Willem Dafoe for a European tour of The Old Woman — a quirky, absurd vaudevillesque show written by avant-garde Russian playwright Daniil Kharms.

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Just like many Russian dancers before him, Baryshnikov defected and became a member of the National Ballet of Canada, American Ballet Theatre, and New York City Ballet. He also performed with other dance idols, such as Gelsey Kirkland and Natalia Makarova.

Mikhail Baryshnikov – one of the most famous names in dance, world-renown for his incredible jumps in classical ballet – is also famous for his film acting and stage performances. This past summer, Misha (as he’s known in close circles) wowed audiences in the Manchester International Film Festival’s performance of The Old Woman in England, which he costarred in with actor Willem Dafoe.

The 90-minute production of The Old Woman is based on a 1930’s Russian surreal novella. This obscure performance contains a variety of artistic influences, including vaudeville acting, music, and Picasso-inspired décor. Baryshnikov even had a few speaking lines that were in his native Russian tongue.

“The essence of all art is to have pleasure in giving pleasure.”

– Mikhail Baryshnikov

In an interview, Baryshnikov was asked if stage acting made him miss classical ballet. “No, I don’t miss it,” he said. “There was a natural progression in my quest for something different.”

It is to no one’s surprise that the once great dancer has now moved on to another form of live entertainment. Now performing in white face and a black suit, he is on stage once more exhorting just as much as he did years before to bring his personality and energy to the stage. Baryshnikov said in a press conference that he wanted to find something more thrilling, out of curiosity, and certainly found it in this play.

The Old Woman continued on tour throughout Europe – stay tuned to see if it will be coming to a theatre near you.

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Dining Guide Miami

Fort Lauderdale

TONGUE & CHEEK 431 Washington Avenue Miami Beach (305) 704-2900 www.tandcmiami.com Restaurateurs, Chef Jamie DeRosa and partner Michael Reginbogin, dreamt of creating a restaurant capable of enticing guests through Long Island scallops unconventional American cuisine, while capturing their playful sense of humor. Their dream came to fruition when Tongue & Cheek, a neighborhood restaurant combining a creative menu and locals-friendly setting, opened on April 15, 2013.

And they’re not being cheeky about its name. This casual watering hole for locals and tourists alike actually serves a beef cheek burger with cheddar pimento cheese, sweet onions and house-made brioche and a spaghetti n’ meatballs topped with parmigiano reggiano; and the meatballs are made from pork and beef cheek.

For those who have a less-than adventurous side, Tongue & Cheek offers treats unable to bite back, for instance the Long Island scallops are served alongside hearts of palm and roasted mushroom. “They mixed some very unique dishes, such as lamb belly and barbeque octopus, which was surprisingly scrumptious,” said John Terboss , VP Business Development for South Florida Opulence.

Happy hour is every day from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and features a take on a frozen margarita using liquid nitrogen to freeze its blackberry garnish and make a bubbly froth— a visual delight without a culinary fright.

GRILLE 401 401 E Las Olas Blvd Fort Lauderdale (Downtown) (954) 767-0222 www.grille401.com This trendy dining destination in downtown Fort LaudFresh beets and goat cheese salad erdale Grille 401 can be best described in three words — fresh, innovative and contemporary. A passion for fresh ingredients and distinctive flavors drives a carefully selected menu of ingredients and supplies sourced from local farms and businesses. The grille is locally owned and operated by Rainmaker Restaurant Group, a South Florida based restaurant group who believes in supporting local communities and residents.

For those looking for fun bar food or a quick bite to share, Grille 401 has introduced a new Happy Hour Small Bites menu featuring mouth-watering BBQ Chicken or Veggie Sliders; a generous portion of Garlic Crab Claws sautéed in garlic, white wine, olive oil and fresh herbs; Chef’s Classically made Hummus Duo; Steamed Edamame sprinkled with kosher salt; and Truffled Sweet Potato Fries, fried golden brown and tossed in a light truffle sauce.

What’s more, happy hour and its Small Bites menu have been extended from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. — making it a perfect gathering spot for locals, business executives and leisurely visitors for lunch, dinner, happy hour and late night.

MPP Brickell 141 SW 7th St, Miami (305) 400-4610 www.mppbrickell.com Mi Propiedad Privada, named after a very traditional and well-known Peruvian song, has been a successfully established restaurant in Lima, Peru for over 12 years. Prided for their authentic cuisine and efficiency in customer satisfaction, MPP has crossed the border into the states, making Brickell their new home.

As ambassadors of Fine Peruvian Cuisine, MPP brought their own chefs directly from Lima, so visitors and South Floridians could enjoy Peru’s world-famous dishes. “I had an array of culinary delights that included a ceviche appetizer that was light and fresh, and octopus that was grilled to perfection,” said Melissa Bryant, Lomo saltado

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Editorial Assistant of South Florida Opulence. “I will definitely be back to MPP in the near future. It was by far the best high-end Peruvian restaurant I have been to in Miami.”

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Dining Guide Boca Raton The Addison

Quattro Gastronomia Italiana

Photo courtesy Munoz Photography

2 E Camino Real Boca Raton (561) 372-0568 www.theaddison.com

1014 Lincoln Rd Miami Beach (305) 531-4833 www.quattromiami.com Quattro Gastronomia Italiana, an Italian trattoria and gastronomic oasis, brings savory tastes of Northern Italy, 5,200 miles across the Atlantic to Miami Beach’s stylish Lincoln Road. Chefs Nicola and Fabrizio Carro, identical twins from Alessandria, Italy, perfectly execute Northern Parmigiana di Italian cuisine, awakening palates and stimulat- Melanzane in Forma ing senses with their genuine Italian cooking.

A view of the stately Addison Dining Room. Room décor by Benny Ofer of Daniel Events.

Boca Raton’s Historical Crown Jewel, The Addison, is an architectural masterpiece steeped in Old-World elegance and charm. The architectural masterpiece has come a long way from being Addison Mizner’s headquarters real estate development operation in 1926. It was converted into a dorm for Boca Resort staff for a period of time, after Mizner was forced to abandon his home during the Great Depression, before ultimately being abandoned.

Empty and neglected, this magical Triple Mousse Torte estate with its now famed banyan covered courtyard and delicately restored detailed woodwork lay deserted until 1983. “Knowing that I was dining in the former home and office of iconic Addison Mizner provided a nostalgic charm — it’s quintessential Old-World Boca Raton!,” said Robin Jay, Editor in Chief of South Florida Opulence.

The Addison was recently honored with the prestigious Five Star Diamond Award during a lavish ceremony June 25, when the landmark restaurant was transformed into an enchanting secret garden reminiscent of Shakespearean play, A Mid Summer Night’s Dream. “Walking into the courtyard at the Addison, I immediately feel swept back into the romantic gilded age era,” said Jay. Stunning property, exceptional service and mouthwatering cuisine attract hundreds of visitors from all over the country each year – but the venue is open only on select days to the public. Private bookings are available, exclusive to weddings, religious and holiday celebrations, as well as social and corporate events year-round.

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You don’t have to parlare Italiano to savor their Parmigiana di Melanzane in Forma, translation: baked organic eggplant layered with tomato sauce, melted mozzarella and torn basil. For dessert try Italian doughnuts filled with custard and apricot jelly, or Bomboloni Della Casa as the natives would say.

With its beautiful interior and authentic Northern Italian fare, Quattro transports guests to Italy while embracing the warmth and style of Miami Beach.

BLT Steak 1440 Ocean Dr Miami Beach (305) 673-0044 www.thebetsyhotel.com Indulge in their signature Gruyère Cheese Popovers at the start of your Tuna Tartare with Avocado meal when dining at BLT Steak — a modern interpretation of the classic American steakhouse. Located within the exquisite environs of The Betsy, BLT Steak showcases a variety of beef including USDA Prime, Wagyu and Certified Black Angus. Weekly “Blackboard Specials” highlight seasonal flavors and local ingredients.

BLT Steak offers a variety of high quality cuts of beef and fresh fish, including tuna tartare with avocado and soy-lime dressing, and New York strip steak. Generous side dishes including roasted tomatoes, creamed spinach au gratin grace the table in Staub cast iron cocottes, and freshly prepared desserts vary seasonally to provide the perfect finish.

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If the idea of dining in a “safe house” or dangling 15 stories in the air for a gourmet getaway makes your mouth water, use a passcode — or strap in a seat — at these most unusual brasseries.

Dinner in the Sky — worldwide Discover a new meaning of cloud nine, but hold on to your appetite. For a slim $40,000, you and 21 of your closest friends (make sure they aren’t afraid of heights) can be treated to a skyhigh culinary excursion. Buckle in your seat, then up you go, as a crane lifts your 30-foot-long dining platform 150 feet or higher in the air. Feel the wind at your feet as you sip Dom Pérignon and enjoy the panoramic splendor. Savor gastronomic goodies your personal chef prepares like filet mignon medallions with Bordelaise sauce sautéed in mushrooms. Dinner in the Sky has suspended diners in more than 40 countries in locations such as Paris and the Las Vegas Strip. You, too, can experience the red carpet treatment in the clouds. Countryside or city, the choice is yours to dine in style above a vineyard, skyline, castle or golf course. One thing’s for sure: Your love of fine dining will soar to new heights during this spectacular sky ride. (305) 392-0983 • dinnerinthesky.com

By Melissa Bryant and Kristen Mager

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ICEBAR – Orlando It may not snow in Florida, but it can get pretty chilly at the largest permanent ice bar in the world, located in sunny Orlando.

ICEBAR is built with 50 tons of carved ice and is kept at a glacial 27 degrees in order to preserve the spectacular frozen sculptures, walls, furniture and, of course, bar. Visitors will be wowed by the state-of-the-art lighting, enchanted by the music, and stay for the drinks that never need to be ordered on the rocks like The Billionaire Martini, a mixture of Stolichnaya Elite Premium Vodka, White Grape Juice with a splash of Champagne and the New Age Cosmo, a combination of Grey Goose L’Orange, Cointreau Orange Liqueur, Roses Lime and Cranberry. A thermal coat and gloves are provided for bar patrons to keep warm while chilling on ice seats.

Whether it’s summer, winter, or fall you can enjoy a drink at the coolest bar in Florida, ICEBAR Orlando. ICEBAR is located at 8967 International Dr., Orlando. (407) 426-7555

Ciro’s Speakeasy & Supper Club – Tampa

Have a roaring good time at the 1920s-themed Ciro’s Speakeasy and Supper Club in Tampa, a restaurant that embodies the Prohibition-era style of discreetness and seduction. Walk up to the door at this speakeasy and whisper the password through a slot in the door to gain access into the glitzy club reminis-

cent of Gatsby decadence. Everything about Ciro’s is classic, from the elegant cuisine to the employees who serve meals and cocktails adorned in dapper suits and flapper frocks. What really gives Ciro’s lasting appeal are the unique tastes it features from black truffle popcorn and duck fries, to classic cocktails like Russian Spring Punch, made with shaved ice and garnished with fresh fruit. Ciro’s Speakeasy and Supper Club is the Real McCoy and you don’t want to be left high and dry, so call ahead for reservations and the password of the day for a night to be remembered. Ciro’s Speakeasy is located at 2109 Bayshore Blvd, Tampa. (813) 251-0022

Moto - Chicago For foodies seeking a bit of intrigue during their dining experience, guests at Moto in the Windy City can expect the unexpected – an interactive, futuristic, artistic culinary adventure. Creative culinary concoctions are whipped up daily at The Michelin-starred restaurant. Take, for example, their edible cigar. The innovative dish is a play on the Cuban sandwich, with a grape leaf wrapper, roasted red pepper embers, ground white and black sesame seed “ash,” and shredded pork filling all served on an actual ashtray. Chef Homaro Cantu applies molecular gastronomy to his works of food art that boggle the mind and please the palate. This adapted food science physically and chemically alters ingredients, giving Moto’s an unconventional approach that will never cease to amaze you. The menu changes nightly and seasonally, which means you can indulge in new delights Photo Courtesy Sergio Coimbra from this Chicagoan jewel year-round. Moto is located at 945 W. Fulton Market, Chicago.

(312) 491-0058.

Whether you decide to grab a modern martini at an ice-cold bar, get an unexpected surprise for dinner or mix and mingle over delicacies in a converted studio, one thing is certain: your dining experience will definitely be off-the-wall.

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Copperbox Culinary Atelier – Miami

Don’t be surprised if you’ve never noticed the incognito coppercolored cement building in Miami’s Wynwood Arts District that houses Venezuelan-born Chef Gabriela Machado’s dining masterpiece.

Her “hidden dinner club” is on an unassuming street that boasts no signage, just a small copper plaque that reads “Copperbox Culinary Atelier Private Dining.” At Copperbox, everything is delightfully unusual, from the communal dining setup to the seven-course Chef’s Table menu that has included Hudson Valley Foie Gras with Seared Foie Gras and Gold Leaf; and Crème of Granny Smith Apples with Mousse of Ricotta, Cilantro, Pickled Apple and Scallions. Individual parties can make reservations Thursday and Saturday evenings for Atelier Nights, when the restaurant opens its venue to a maximum of 24 guests per night. The cozy space makes for intimate conversation with the eclectic company of musicians, artists, and authors known to fare there. And don’t even think about using your smart phone or camera, it’s not allowed. The ultimate epicurean experience at Copperbox is about living in the moment. Copperbox Culinary Atelier is located at 3328 North Miami Avenue in Miami’s Wynwood Arts District. For more information email info@copperbox.com. 305-392-0983

Safe House — Milwaukee, Wisconsin Psst — you better know the secret passcode before entering this one-of-a-kind hideaway that combines espionage with scrumptious eats. You won’t find a single sign advertising Safe House anywhere. Diners aka “secret agents” stumble upon the joint mostly by word-ofmouth. Once inside, agents are greeted with espionage-decorated rooms that house weapons, gadgets, and even a piece of the Berlin Wall. Keep your guard up as you unwind at the Interpol bar with a themed libation like the Great Spytini. Once you’re ready to zero in on the main course, try spycialties like the Soviet Defector—tender baby back pork ribs slow-cooked in spy’cy BBQ sauce — or the Bourne Identity Salad. Complete your mission with one of the sinfully sweet like Diplomatic Immunity — an extra-creamy cheesecake with strawberry sauce. Safe House is located at 779 N. Front Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

414-271-2007.

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Reviving the Historic

Vodka of the Tsars

By Hope Gainer

a

rare, formerly unobtainable elixir from Tsarist Russia has made an inaugural appearance in America.

This recipe was exclusively reserved for the Russian nobility of times past, and now has been resurrected by an American entrepreneur. This vodka is like none other in today’s marketplace. The elegant 24-carat gold veneer labeled bottle is filled with a refined cognac-colored product designed to tantalize anyone’s refined palate.

“My Russian father-in-law introduced me to this style of vodka 15 years ago, even though it was not in production any longer,” said Mark Owens, Spirits of the Tsars Founder and President. “After years of searching, we found the formula that was 500 years old and was exclusive to the Tsars until 1917, at the time of the revolution when all things Tsars were buried, so to speak, by the Soviet government. When we discovered the formula, we immediately started to try and legally protect It, which was difficult for an American to do. Discovering and protecting it was luck or an act of God. However, we have it now and have resurrected the formula to its original glory as Spirits of the Tsars.”

The unique quality of this fine spirit has its origin in the hand-picked fruit leaves that blend in harmony with pure spring water from the most fertile southern region of Olde Russia, now the Ukraine. It is a ryewheat grain vodka, distilled six times and infused with all natural and organic ingredients, twice fermented, then aged in oak cognac barrels (which provides its soft light caramel color), and finally triple filtered for smoothness. It is topped with the highest quality cork available. The Spirit of the Tsars logo is reminiscent of a Fabergé egg holding an antique image of Tsar Nicholas, along with the Romanov Family Crest.

Because this special infused golden vodka can only be produced in limited quantities, it will only be found in select places, starting in South Florida. Distinguished venues carrying Spirits of the Tsars include Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, The Forge in Miami Beach, Zuma in Miami and renowned nightclubs like SET, SLS, and Wall in the W Hotel South Beach, plus LIV in the Fontainebleau, among several other select upscale venues.

Only a few liquor stores, including Sunset Corners in South Miami, carry this elite vodka.

International distributors have recently been signed on in the United Kingdom, France, Monaco, Spain and South Africa to enhance its global presence, and that list is growing fast.

“Being new to the liquor business, we have experienced a long learning curve, and continue to learn,” said Owens. “We have purposefully not advertised, preferring grass roots opportunities and successfully partnering with luxury brands like Ferretti Group Worldwide plus Fendi, Dior and Neiman Marcus locally, to name a few.”

For now, South Florida residents are the first in the world to experience this royal Russian vodka resurrected for the modern era. This one of a kind sipping vodka is best tasted in its very own crystal glasses just as the Tsars once did. So raise your glass high and toast to an elegant bygone era brought back for present day spirits connoisseurs to enjoy. For more information: www.Tsars.us

Vodka History in Review Rewind in time and you’ll find the first documented production of infused vodka in Russia in the 9th century. Spirits of the Tsars formula appeared in Russia during the 15th century. Tsar Ivan III in the 16th century granted nobility exclusivity to produce and distribute this vodka in their respective territories. The Romanov Dynasty reigned from 1613 – 1917 in Russia and continued to control the formula until the fall of the dynasty. “Clear” (colorless) vodka, made in Poland, first appeared in the latter half of the 19th century. Spirits of the Tsars premium infused vodka is not clear. Rather, it is a supreme grade golden vodka.

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Imperial Legend of Fabergé Eggs

By Dale King and Julia Hebert eter Carl Fabergé, a master jeweler and Russian native, created the first Fabergé egg for Tzar Alexander III as an Easter gift to his wife, Tzarina Marie Fedorovna, in 1885, possibly to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their betrothal.

On Easter morning – the most joyous holiday in the Russian Orthodox religion – the czar presented her with what appeared to be a simple enamel egg. To her amazement, inside was a golden yolk, and within that yolk was a four-color golden hen. Concealed within the hen was a gold and diamond miniature of the imperial crown and a tiny ruby pendant.

The tzarina was delighted, and Alexander named Fabergé “a goldsmith by special appointment to the Imperial Crown.” The master jeweler was commissioned to craft an Easter egg of his own design every year. The sole requirement was that it contain a surprise.

Imperial Eggs Following the death of Tzar Alexander III in 1894, his son and successor, Nicholas II, continued the practice by presenting a Fabergé egg each Easter to both his wife, Alexandra Fedorovna, and his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Federovna.

“It’s interesting,” said Barry Shifman, curator of the Sydney and Frances Lewis Family Collection of Decorative Arts 1890 - present, at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. “Some of the eggs reflect the horrific political climate” of the time. “Some are very simply designed.” But all, he said, “show extraordinary workmanship and quality.” The museum owns five Imperial eggs – more than any other art institution in the U.S.

Tradition and Tragedy “Not only were Fabergé eggs a staggering tourde-force of the jeweler’s art, but [are] most intimately

The Coronation Egg from 1897 is the most famous and celebrated of Carl Fabergé’s creations.

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associated with the whole tragedy of Nicholas and Alexandra and that incredibly beautiful family,” said the late Malcolm Forbes, former publisher of Forbes magazine and a one-time owner of nine Imperial eggs.

Political upheaval ended the Fabergé egg series.

Dismal economic conditions in the early 20th century collapsed the government by 1917 and Nicholas II, his wife and five children fled. They were captured and, in 1918, executed. It was a tragically violent end to the Romanov dynasty and to the House of Fabergé, the workshops and gems of which were seized by the Tsar Nicholas Romanov and family, Bolsheviks, causing Peter Carl Fabergé to flee from the last Russian Imperial family to exchange custom Fabergé eggs.

Russia with his family.

The Fabergé family was stripped of its right to make and market high jewelry under their own name in a legal battle ending in 1951. But it didn’t end their resolve to perpetuate the noble legacy.

Of the 50 known eggs Fabergé made for the Imperial family from 1885 through 1916, 42 have survived. Most are in museums in Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom, or in private collections.

“They were the absolute summit of craftsmanship,” author and Fabergé expert, Géza von Habsburg said about the Imperial Fabergé eggs. “They were unbelievably made. They were sort of the apogee of what Fabergé was able to do, and he lavished everything he could on them.”

A New Chapter for the Fabergé Family Honor and reunification of the Fabergé brand and the Fabergé family was restored in October 2007 when new ownership was announced. High jewelry crafted with the original legendary aesthetics, values and philosophy was re-launched in 2009, paying homage to Peter Carl Fabergé’s refined artistic genius under the guidance of his great-grand-daughters Tatiana and Sarah.

Photo courtesy of Elton Rabello

Red Fabergé Imperial Egg

Photo courtesy of Dolores Kelly

Photo courtesy of Elton Rabello

Bay Tree Fabergé Imperial Egg – Photo courtesy of Elton Rabello

Malcolm Forbes formerly owned the largest private gathering of Imperial Fabergé eggs – nine – along with 180 other Faberge objects. They were put up for auction by Sotheby’s in February 2004 by Forbes’ heirs. But before the bidding even started, Russian businessman Viktor Vekselberg purchased them for a sum estimated between $90 and $120 million.

Clock– Fabergé Imperial Egg Fabergé Imperial Egg of Alexai (right)

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Mystery of the Missing

Mona Lisa

By Alex Starace

M

any people are familiar with the mystery of Mona Lisa’s smile. Far fewer are familiar with the mysterious disappearance of the Mona Lisa – nor do many know that it went missing for more than two years. But, alas, it did.

On an unassuming Monday in 1911, on August 21, the Louvre in Paris was closed for cleaning and general maintenance, which was customary at the time. Workers in white smocks went to and fro, even as the Mona Lisa was not hanging where it should be: the Louvre had been periodically removing and photographing some of its more prominent works for promotional purposes.

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Thief in plain sight Certainly, no one noticed that a man named Vincenzo Perugia had left the Louvre carrying something under his white smock. He was an Italian workman who’d previously helped Louvre officials install a protective glass cover over the Mona Lisa. And he’d just completed a mind-numbingly simple plan: the preceding day, he entered the museum during regular hours dressed as a worker, hid himself in a utility closet, slept the night there, and walked out with the painting early that Monday morning.

However, it wasn’t until mid-day Tuesday that officials realized that it was missing. A painter named Louis Beroud had planned on

Pablo Picasso – Arrested!

It was an embarrassment to the French, “a national scandal of the first magnitude,” according to a contemporaneous New York Times report. Conspiracy theories flew: some accused the Germans of orchestrating the heist as a form of humiliation, while the Germans accused the French of an inside job. The American industrialist J.P. Morgan was a suspected mastermind. Others believed that poorly paid workers at the Louvre had done it out of spite. Some clung to the hope that the theft was a prank – and that the painting would be returned shortly.

In September of 1911, the outspoken surrealist poet Guillaume Apollinaire was arrested; he’d previously stated that the Louvre should be burned to the ground. Upon questioning, Apollinaire implicated his friend Pablo Picasso, who was also arrested. However, nothing came of either arrest: both artists were exonerated.

With no obvious leads, the public assumed that the Mona Lisa was lost forever. Nervous jokes were made about the Eiffel Tower being next to go.

In fact, the masterpiece was mere blocks from the Louvre, stashed in a trunk, at the boarding house where Perugia lived.

The Pursuit As the months rolled by, the authorities were no closer to recovering it. Instead, it was Perugia’s own foolishness that led to its return.

In the fall of 1913, more than two years after he’d executed the heist, Perugia responded to a Florentine art dealer’s newspaper ad,

painting a still life of the Mona Lisa in the gallery. Frustrated by its absence, he asked the guards when the masterwork would be returned. The guards inquired, only to learn that no one knew where it was. Almost instantly, all the exits were locked, the police were called, and visitors were searched. For a week, the Louvre was closed so each nook and cranny of the 650,000 square-foot former palace could be inspected.

Vincenzo Perugia, an Italian workman at the Louvre, stole the Mona Lisa in 1911.

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saying he would like to sell the Mona Lisa. The art dealer, Alfredo Geri, offered to pay 500,000 lire for the piece, provided Perugia came to Florence to have it authenticated. A month later, in December 1913, Perugia showed up. Geri persuaded him to leave the gallery while the Mona Lisa was formally examined – and then called the law.

By all accounts, Perugia was shocked when police knocked on his hotel room door. He’d stolen the Mona Lisa to return it to Italy,

mistakenly assuming it had been ransacked by Napoleon. In actuality, the King of France, Francis I, had acquired it directly from da Vinci in the early 1500s. Regardless, Perugia was hailed by some Italian nationalists as a hero, and the Mona Lisa toured Italy before it was returned.

The following summer, Perugia stood trial and pled guilty, receiving eight months imprisonment. Less than a week later WWI began – and the affair of the missing Mona Lisa lost much of its heft.

Leonardo Da Vinci: Artist, Engineer, Procrastinator

By Alex Starace

stagecraft, places da Vinci as the godfather of animatronics.

He is also considered a forerunner to modern anatomy. As an artist, he was allowed access to unclaimed corpses at local hospitals, to examine the human form. Da Vinci took these studies seriously: he dissected over thirty bodies and filled notebook after notebook with sketches. His drawings were easily the best anatomical drawings of his era – and they hold up even today as remarkably accurate depictions.

Did you know that despite his forays into anatomy, flight, and engineering, Leonardo da Vinci was a notorious procrastinator? His famous painting The Last Supper was so late that his patron threatened to stop supporting him, unless he finished. Which he finally did – three years after starting. His entire adult life, creditors hounded him for artwork he promised but never ended up delivering. In fact, only fifteen completed extant paintings are attributed to da Vinci – though he painted for over 35 years.

One could argue that da Vinci was simply otherwise engaged. In the early 1500s, to honor his then-patron the French king, da Vinci developed a lifesize mechanical lion that walked ten steps forward and, after being whipped by the king, opened its chest to reveal flowers. The creation, a feat of incredible mechanical acumen and brilliant

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But scholars had to find his sketches in his notebooks after his death: In his defense, da Vinci meant to publish a treatise on anatomy during his lifetime, something that would have forwarded the field and allowed others easy access to his work – though, of course, he never got around to it.

Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper

Da Vinci’s anatomical drawings were the best in his era and were remarkably accurate.

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King Richard III – Found!

How Forensic Facial Reconstruction Identified King Richard III

By Dale King istory has been harsh on England’s King Richard III. Even playwright William Shakespeare’s drama based on Richard’s life portrays him as a villainous, deformed demon who killed to maintain his throne until he died a painful, but apparently righteous death in the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.

Historical portraits painted after his death show a scowling despot with clawed fingers and misshapen body. No paintings created during his lifetime survive.

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But a computer-generated image of the despised British ruler created early this year depicts a young man with a kind and gentle face.

“It doesn’t look like the face of a tyrant,” says Philippa Langley, an activist with the King Richard III Society, on seeing a bust of the ruler created by a computerized facial reconstruction program of the late king’s skull which was located along with the monarch’s remains during a 2012 dig in central England.

“He’s very handsome. It’s like you could just talk to him, have a conversation with him right now,” adds Philippa.

“It is very different from the way he has been depicted, [but] we may never know what kind of person he really was.”

– Caroline Wilkinson, professor of Craniofacial Identification

Skeletal remains of King Richard III shows a condition of scoliosis, but not hunchbacked as once was rumored.

at the University of Dundee, Ireland

“It is very different from the way he has been depicted, [but] we may never know what kind of person he really was,” says Caroline Wilkinson, professor of Craniofacial Identification at the University of Dundee, Ireland. She led the reconstruction effort for the Richard III Society whose goal is to vindicate the 15th century monarch.

Hunchback Hype To Richard’s benefit, both Wilkinson and art historian Pamela TudorCraig say the king was the victim of “propaganda” by members of the House of Tudor. While the king suffered from scoliosis (curvature of the spine), he was not actually a hunchback. Yet he was often depicted as such to make him seem more threatening. “I think there was a sense of propaganda and bias,” says the professor.

“They made great play [of his spinal condition] as if it were a disfigurement, which they said was due to the vengeance of God,” adds Tudor-Craig, scoffing.

Forensic Facial Reconstruction To remake the face, Wilkinson says, she began by using a threedimensional CT scan of the skull, which she described as “strongly masculine,” though she never saw the actual cranium. With her computer, she added layers of muscle and skin.

Photo Credit: ©Wilkinson/Aitken, University of Dundee.

The resulting image was made into a 3D plastic model. It was painted and glass eyes and a wig were attached to create what she calls “a realistic and regal appearance.” Then, a bust and a painting were made.

The History King Richard III died fighting Tudor forces, which afterward took over the throne with the ascendance of Henry VII. Richard’s body was interred in a shallow, short grave in Gray Friar’s monastery in Leicester, which was later destroyed.

Using a medieval map of the site, the King Richard III Society embarked in 2010 to raise money for an excavation of that location, which had since been covered by a municipal parking lot. In September 2012, the dig led by a team from the University of Leicester Archaeological Services located human bones.

The remains were identified positively as King Richard III after analysis showed that mitochondrial DNA extracted from the bones matched that of two 17th-generation matrilineal descendants of Richard’s niece.

News Bulletin: Stone Sarcophagus at Richard III Site Set to be Opened At the former Gray Friars Monastery site where King Richard III’s remains were found in Leicester, archaeologists have uncovered an intact casket they believe holds the body of the knight Sir William de Moton of Peckleton, who died between 1356 and 1362, or one of two high-profile Friars, Peter Swynsfeld or William of Nottingham. In the 16th century, during the Protestant Reformation, the monastery was destroyed — and essentially lost in history, until now. "Stone coffins are unusual in Leicester — and this is the first time we have found a fully intact stone coffin during all our excavations of medieval sites in the city," said Mathew Morris, University of Leicester Archaeological Services.

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Napoleon’s Canvas of Lies

By Dale King

Coronation of Emperor Napoleon I and Coronation of the Empress Joséphine in the Notre Dame de Paris, December 2, 1804.

Joséphine kneels before Napoleon during his coronation at Notre Dame. Behind him sits Pope Pius VII. Oil on canvas, located at the Louvre Museum, Paris.

History records the many accomplishments of Napoleon Bonaparte: Emperor of France, conqueror of Europe and one of the world’s greatest soldiers. But the diminutive ruler exhibited a more modern skill that’s often overlooked.

“This is a propaganda painting,” says Martin Kiefer, exhibition coordinator at the Louvre in Paris where hangs the 20x32 foot work showing 191 people on 500 square feet of paintable canvas. Kiefer says Napoleon ordered artist Jacques-Louis David to alter his work “to cheat history, to make it seem more ideal and to show [Napoleon] as someone of importance.”

He was a “master at spin” – fictionalizing, that is, says author David Markham, who translated Napoleon’s less-than-accurate military bulletins into English. They were so packed with mistruths that the phrase, “To lie like a bulletin,” quickly entered the lexicon.

The monarch commissioned David in 1807 to paint the huge canvas which showcases the splendor of the emperor’s coronation at Notre Dame, while conveying its political and symbolic message.

Repainting history The Paris Muse says Napoleon was not above revising history to benefit himself. Essentially, that’s what he did some 200 years ago when he directed the painter of the massive Coronation of Napoleon to insert people who weren’t there and change the behavior of those who were, to suit his own fancy.

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Centrally located in the painting is Napoleon’s mother, seated serenely in the VIP gallery. The problem is, she wasn’t really there, says Kiefer. The French leader’s crusty Corsican mom had gone to Rome, and was intentionally late getting back because she objected to the grandiose ceremony.

What lies beneath Also, in pencil drawings that neo-Classical artists like David typically made before finishing their portraits, Napoleon is shown holding the crown above his own head. But in the final portrait, his hands are forward as if to place the imperial headpiece on his wife, Joséphine.

Napoleon’s spouse got something of a facelift in the painting, says Kiefer. Her visage is aglow with youth and beauty. But “she was not that beautiful.”

In the pencil drawings, David shows Joséphine more realistically – double chin and all. The Paris Muse says that when a visitor to his studio said Joséphine seemed too young in the final painted version, the artist retorted: “Eh, bien, allez le lui dire!” (“Oh, yeah?

Go tell her that!”)

Some modifications are more subtle. Napoleon’s sisters stand immobile, though they actually held the train of the empress’ garb at the ceremony, says the Paris Muse. Pope Pius VII, who traveled from Rome for the coronation, was initially depicted as sitting with his hands in his lap. When the French emperor saw it, he fumed, “I didn’t have him come so far to do nothing.” So the artist “lifted” the Pope’s right hand to extend a blessing.

Standing on the lip of the altar, Napoleon is shown to be taller than his reported 5-foot, 7-inch frame. David also adopted another modern technique – downsizing – to make the cathedral smaller so everyone inside would appear larger.

Napoleon is shown holding the crown above his own head, as if placing it on himself.

David’s artistic trickery satisfied the emperor: “What relief, what truthfulness! This is not a painting; one walks in this picture.” The artist, realizing the significance of his work, said, “I shall slide into posterity in the shadow of my hero.”

The Coronation of Napoleon hangs in the Louvre Museum, Paris.

See references to the numbers on the painting on the next page.

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1

4

Napoleon I (1769–1821), is standing, dressed in coronation robes similar to those of Roman emperors in the original pencil drawing (shown page 49), Napoleon is shown holding the crown above his own head, as if placing it on himself.

Joseph Bonaparte (1768–1844), who was actually not invited and did not attend the coronation because of an argument with Napoleon. After the coronation, he received the title of Imperial Prince. Then he was King of Naples in 1806 and Spain in 1808.

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2

Joséphine de Beauharnais (1763–1814), is kneeling in a submissive position, as called for in the French Civil Code.

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6

Maria Letizia Ramolino (1750–1836), mother of Napoleon, was placed in the stands by the painter. She occupies a place more important than the Pope. Actually, she did not attend the ceremony to protest the friction of Napoleon with his brothers Lucien and Joseph.

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Pope Pius VII (1742–1823), was content to bless the coronation in order not to jeopardize the new balance between Church and State. The original sketches (as was typical in those days) showed the key subjects - including the Pope - minus their clothing, which was added in the actual painting. The Pope was originally pictured with hands crossed on his lap, but Napoleon, supposedly claiming that the Pope was not present to do nothing, instructed that the painting depict him anointing the proceedings.

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The painter Jacques-Louis David is depicted in the stands, as well.

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Pablo Picasso. Woman with Book, 1932

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“Everyone wants to understand art.

Why don’t we try to understand the song of a bird? Why do we love the night, the flowers, everything around us, without trying to understand them? But in the case of a painting, people think they have to understand. If only they would realize above all that an artist works of necessity, that he himself is only an insignificant part of the world, and that no more importance should be attached to him than to plenty of other things which please us in the world though we can’t explain them; people who try to explain pictures are usually barking up the wrong tree.”

– Pablo Picasso (October 25, 1881-April 8, 1973)

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S A C Controversy in Chicago: Pablo Picasso

Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Pablo Picasso’s work in the United States and the little-known controversy that almost banished him

By Alex Starace There was a time when Modern Art was just that: new, unusual, and thoroughly modern. Impressionism was still edgy; the American public was getting used to the idea that fine art could include non-representational, fantastical creations. Names like Brancusi, Matisse and Duchamp had yet to break through the U.S. popular consciousness. So, it was with a splash that Modern Art first landed on American shores, a hundred years ago this year. The event was the 1913 International Exhibition of Modern Art, now commonly referred to as The Armory Show.

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Of the over 300 artists represented, one was a Spaniard named Pablo Picasso. Picasso, who was already the co-founder of cubism (along with Georges Braque), had a reputation in Europe. However, other than at a small 1911 exhibit at Alfred Stieglitz’s gallery, he had yet to have his work shown in the United States. The Armory Show was, in a sense, his American debut.

The show’s first leg took place at the 69th Regiment Armory on Lexington Avenue in New York, where approximately 1,300 pieces were on display. At the time, the United States was very conservative, artistically speaking. Most American painters and connoisseurs still favored traditional images, such as a still life, portrait or landscape that was painted in a painstakingly figurative style, where the artist’s brushstrokes (and personality) were hidden.

Breaking the Mold with Modern Art However, the Modern Art at the Armory was anything but figurative and anonymous. It was instead based on an attempt to capture the emotion or truth of an idea using new modes of expression. This meant new techniques, new ideas, and new materials; instead of hewing the Academy’s rules for art, artists were free to do as they wished. Traditionalists found this overwhelming and outrageous. For example, Picasso’s Cubism was seen by some as incredibly hubristic and amateurish – after all, his paintings didn’t even look like their titles!

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and “criminal misuse of line,” among other infractions. As we now know, however, Modern Art was here to stay.

Picasso, in particular, would grow to become an art world giant. Though he never set foot in the United States, he had a long and peculiar relationship with the city of Chicago. His U.S. museum debut was at the Art Institute of Chicago, at the second leg of the Armory Show. His first U.S. solo exhibition was in 1923, presented by the Arts Club of Chicago. Picasso’s famous blue period painting, The Old Guitarist, entered the Art Institute of Chicago’s collection in 1926, and remains to this day a staple of the museum’s permanent works on display.

Other works were soon to join the AIC’s collection, including: Mother and Child, Red Armchair, and Head of a Woman (Fernande).

In the 1960s, Chicago itself, long at the forefront of art and architecture, took a chance on Picasso. The city’s newly constructed Civic Center was in need of a monumental public sculpture. Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, the firm that had built the Civic Center, settled on Picasso, and sent an architect to France to woo him. Gifts, including White Sox memorabilia and a Sioux headdress, were given. Picasso, who claimed

Dora Maar Au Chat, 1941. In 2006, the Chicago Gidwitz family sold the Picasso painting for $95 million to an anonymous buyer at Sotheby’s. This is a portrait of one of Pablo Picasso’s mistresses, Dora Maar.

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any critics found the show so unorthodox that they mocked it, or concluded it was the manifestation of insane or anarchic tendencies in the artists. Even President Theodore Roosevelt wrote a review of the exhibit. (Roosevelt had mixed, though mostly negative, feelings.) While there was no overriding consensus (and some visionary critics did hail the Armory Show as a creative breakthrough), the show received plenty of attention and more than its fair share of scorn.

Picasso’s Work Sparks Controversy in The Windy City The Armory’s next leg was at the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC), the only museum in the United States forward-thinking enough to display such controversial art. Six hundred fifty of the most novel pieces were selected from the Armory and hung in the galleries. In Chicago, as in New York, there were some howls of dissatisfaction: on the last day of the exhibit, students from the traditionalist School of the Art Institute of Chicago put Henri Matisse on mock-trial. Matisse was found guilty of “artistic murder” 54

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Pablo Picasso's sketch of the 50-foot "Chicago Picasso" (above) on display in the Daley Plaza courtyard (to the right).

he never accepted commissions, was finally convinced, though he refused a $100,000 payment for his work. Instead, the sculpture was to be a present to the citizens of Chicago.

The 50-Foot Chicago Picasso Unveiled Four years later, after some cajoling of Picasso to hurry up, it was ready: On August 15, 1967, Mayor Richard J. Daley pulled a sheet off the 50-foot-tall, 162-ton artwork as thousands of Chicagoans looked on. What they saw was described alternately as an Afghan dog, an insect, a slum owner, or a woman. One alderman suggested it be replaced by a statue of Ernie Banks.

Mayor Daley (after whom the plaza would eventually be named) showed more foresight in stating, as reported by the Chicago Tribune: “We dedicate this celebrated work this morning with the belief that what is strange to us today will be familiar tomorrow.” And so it was – the untitled sculpture worked its way into the hearts of Chicagoans through the years. It’s now colloquially referred to as the “Chicago Picasso,” and children climb on it while tourists snap photos – it’s a defining image of the city.

However, way back in 1913, when the Armory Show took America by storm, one doubts that Picasso could have imagined his work would be so celebrated a hundred years hence. Such is the peculiar relationship between Picasso and Chicago – and the rise and acceptance of Modern Art.

The Red Armchair, 1931. The Art Institute of Chicago, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Saidenberg. © 2013 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Photo Courtesy of Shutter Runner

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REASON The Colors and Patterns of Artist

Stephen Hall

By Alex Starace

Like many great painters, the affable Stephen Hall has an immediately identifiable style: his work typically features a painstakingly rendered, brightly-patterned figure in the foreground, situated in front of a contrasting (but equally vibrantlypatterned) wallpaper-like background.

A self-taught painter, Hall uses no digital assistance – his paintings are completely by hand.

Stephen Hall

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or not Swordfish

outh Florida Opulence had an opportunity to speak with Hall about his “Future Nature” series, how he got his start, and his thoughts on the creative process. He came to the interview charmingly flustered, explaining that he’d been in a different mental space, totally lost in his work of painting a hummingbird.

Once settled, he described his interest in drawing as a child, and all through high school. However, despite this, he explained, he didn’t consider a career in the arts until he was on a Kibbutz, where

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it was suggested that he hang his drawings in the dinning hall, to give the room some cheer. Soon thereafter, a New Yorker arrived, saw the work, and exclaimed that he was an artist. He was surprised – and all of a sudden it seemed possible. Not long after, he left for the East Village.

Hall’s style, which is evident in even his earliest works, reflects his interest as a painter. “I like the fact that I’m playing around with perception of depth using light and color,” he said, “I feel I’m continually evolving, but using this same vocabulary to explore different avenues. It was pretty early that I said, ‘Okay, this is going to be mine.

I’m going to use this language.’”

Hall got his idea for the Future Nature series while in Spain, where he was painting a commissioned piece in situ, at a collector’s home. The collector, a keen scuba diver, happened to have a chart of Mediterranean fish. As Hall explains: “And I went, ‘That would be really cool to paint’ … and I also thought [images of fish] would be easier for people to look at and get drawn into the colors and patterns and shapes.”

When asked about how he chooses his patterns, Hall used Shark and Shrimp (Hummingbirds) from the Future Nature series as an example. “In the shark painting, I saw some aboriginal paintings [with] an abstracted leaf pattern . … So I lifted that particular shape, adapted it, and put it in the background. Sometimes there’s reason and sometimes there isn’t.”

Reason or not, Hall’s patterns and images combine to form complex, arresting art; whatever his next project may be, it’s well worth following at www.stephenhallart.com.

Shark & Shrimp

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John Dory

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The

Amazing

Mr. Wigan

By Robin Jay

A whimsical true-life tale of English micro-sculptor Willard Wigan, whose art fits inside the eye of a needle.

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The Greubel Forsey Art Piece 1 Watch will feature a Willard Wigan micro-sculpture that can be fully appreciated through specially created optics. The finished creation will be a veritable tour de force in terms of art, innovation, architecture and technical complexity.

The befuddling riddle of Mr. Willard Wigan: What’s not visible to the naked eye but has been called the eighth Wonder of the World?

The answer: The micro-sculptures of Willard Wigan – artworks so tiny they fit in the eye of a needle; so unbelievable they have microsurgeons scratching their noggins; so brilliant the artist has been invited to speak on the same stage as President Bill Clinton, Apple’s Steve Jobs and Microsoft’s Bill Gates; so priceless they adorn the private art collections of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, and Elton John; and so breathtaking they now embody the exclusive horological brand of Greubel Forsey.

Many people find the story of Willard Wigan scarcely believable. If you still can’t trust your own eyes, grab a microscope, pull up a chair and check out the exclusive interview we have for you with Mr. Wigan himself. But take a deep breath. When Willard works, he enters a meditative state to slow his heartbeat and steady his hand so that he can sculpt in between pulse beats.

South Florida Opulence: Mr. Wigan, when did you discover that sculpting was your passion?

Willard Wigan: As a child, I suffered from learning differences. To escape being 62

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ridiculed at school, I would play truant, usually hiding in the shed at the bottom of my mother’s garden. It was during this time that I started to create small objects – like tiny houses for ants. It was my release, a way of doing something that was so small that I could not be tormented or criticized.

I adopted the view that people could not criticize what they could not see. My passion grew from this time, as did my desire to sculpt as small as possible.

I did not have any tuition in micro sculpting. I am self-taught. As a child, the first medium that I worked with was with shards of wood, matchsticks and cocktail sticks. This developed to the materials I use today - gold, Kevlar, nylon, etc.

client. Otherwise, I usually group my work into collections. For example, I have just finished a piece called The Last Supper. This will form part of the ‘Biblical Collection,’ which will be on exhibition in Jerusalem later this year. There will be either 6 or 8 pieces in this collection. The medium is governed by the complication of the piece. The main materials I use are cable tie, nylon, gold and Kevlar. The tools I also manipulate to suit the piece that I am working on. Depending on the piece of work, the time from start to finish can be between 6 weeks to 12 weeks. The finished work is presented in a microscope display case, which is very sophisticated and state-of-the-art viewing apparatus that can be mounted on the floor, wall or table.

SFO: How do people react the first time they see your work?

WW: When people first view my work, they are amazed. They appear almost transient like. First they inspect the side of the microscope to see if there really are any mirrors or camera trickery.

SFO: What sort of tools do you use to create your masterpieces?

WW: I use tools commonly found in microsurgery and, more so, in watch making. I am now very fortunate to be involved with watchmakers Greubel Forsey, with whom we share many common factors, particularly tools. But, wherever I get my tools from, I must manipulate them to fit the art piece that I am working on. I’ve used eyelashes or hairs from a fly to paint, for example.

SFO: Walk us through your sculpting process.

WW: If I have been commissioned, then the subject matter is determined by the

Hummingbird

making company in the world. The awards they have won are testimony to this. Their timepieces are considered works of art. In 2009, Robert Greubel contacted me to consider entering into a co-creation with him and his partner, Stephen Forsey. They informed me of Greubel Forsey’s wish to collaborate with various leading artists around the world to create a new and unique timepiece.

The first of such projects was Art Piece 1, a new timepiece exposing one of my micro-sculptures within it. The encounter was like a meeting of two different worlds, but two worlds that interpreted their work using the same language, the miniaturist.

Willard Wigan at work.

SFO: Are there any surprising challenges you face with such a rare art form?

WW: Accidents do sometimes happen when creating the artwork. The following are examples of little mishaps!

a). When I was creating the Mad Hatters Tea Party, I inadvertently inhaled Alice whilst answering the telephone to my then girlfriend.

b). Because of my dyslexia, I sometimes confuse my right for my left.

Therefore, when I completed the piece called ‘You cannot be serious’, John McEnroe arguing with an umpire, I placed the racket in his wrong hand, right and not left. I had to redo the entire upper torso.

c). When creating the elephant on the head of a pin, I lost the elephant. I later found it embodied within the fingerprint of my right hand.

Top: 9 Camels; Bottom: The Last Supper

Close-up of art inside head of needle.

SFO: Tell me about your most rewarding creation.

WW: My most rewarding piece to date is the Galleon that I created in collaboration with fine watch maker Greubel Forsey. The technical challenges that Greubel Forsey encountered and overcame to insert one of my sculptures into their horological artistic timepieces was incredible. It was necessary for them to create an all-new base platform, operating structure, tourbillon and adjustable microscope lens. The lens was then inserted into the side casing of the watch with one of my micro-sculptures.

The end result is truly phenomenal. Greubel Forsey is without a doubt the leading watch

The technical challenges, the research and development that went into the project took almost four years. The result is the creation of Art Piece 1. The piece does not yet float on water. I don’t think Greubel Forsey have worked this out yet. But, I am sure they could!

SFO: What do you have on display at your own home?

WW: I actually do not display any artwork in my home. I am very fortunate that my home overlooks a river. Looking out of the window is therapeutic enough for me.

SFO: What do you personally love most about what you create?

WW: I love the finished product. As most artists will confirm, the pleasure an artist derives is when they witness the enjoyment others get from their work.

At the end of the interview, there is still one more conundrum I have yet to answer: Which is more compelling – Willard Wigan’s micro-sculptures or the remarkable life story of obstacles he overcame to create them. To see more captivating Willard Wigan art pieces, go to www.

Willard-Wigan.com. For details about the Art Piece 1 Watches by Greubel Forsey, visit www.greubelforsey.com.

And to watch a videotaped interview with Willard Wigan and Conan O’Brien, go to www.southfloridaopulence.com.

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Taking Chances

By John D. Adams

Marc Serota’s fearless zeal for new challenges has made him one of the most successful photographers in the country.

f you’ve never heard about a young man landing his first professional photography gig thanks to a spot of petty theft and deception, then you’ve never spoken with Marc Serota.

Just two quarters into his career at the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale, Serota was already longing for the real-world excitement of his pre-college days when he would slip into concert halls and arenas to photograph bands like Styxx, Boston, and Aerosmith. “My first real feel for photography came when I was shooting REO Speedwagon with my 110 instamatic from the front row,” remembers Serota. “We’re talking 15,000 people, no air conditioning… pretty much a death trap. And it was probably the most exciting time of my career.” In school, Serota immediately gravitated towards the older students. “I was not interested in waiting two years to get out in the real world. I talked with a buddy who was interning at the Miami Herald. He managed to get me an interview with the paper’s photo editor, Joe Elbert [Elbert would later become assistant managing editor for The Washington Post]. I told him, ‘I don’t have a portfolio, I just started art school.’ He laughed and said that I reminded him of himself, ‘Because you believe in yourself but you haven’t done anything yet.’ He said, ‘I’ll give you an assignment. Tonight there is a wrestling match at the James L. Knight Center. We’ve never run a wrestling picture and probably never will. But if you can get there, get in by yourself and bring me back a picture that I could publish, all by 9 p.m., I’ll give you an internship.’”

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Gloria Estefan

“On my way out, I noticed a row of Motorola radios that said Miami Herald. I grabbed one and went to the Center. I marched up to security and said I’m here from the Miami Herald to shoot this event. They asked for my pass, which I didn’t have, so they wouldn’t let me in.” Unfazed, Serota showed the radio, told the guard he would call his boss at the Herald to let him know he wasn’t allowed in, and make an early night of it. Remarkably, the guard let him pass. Serota got the shot, made it back to the paper, developed the print, and delivered an incredible action shot of Randy “Macho Man” Savage leaping from the top rope. Elbert was impressed, said it was an awesome shot, perfect for the paper.

One big problem though. It was 9:02 p.m. “You blew your deadline,” said Elbert. “Thanks for coming in.”

Serota drove home in tears. He’d taken a chance and blown it. “The next morning I got a call from Joe Elbert. I thought I was going to be in trouble for taking the radio. He asked if I’d seen the Sunday paper yet… I picked it up, and there was my picture on the front page of the sports section. I did back to back winter and spring internships and my career took off. After that I was on AFP, Reuters, and every major wire service since then.” And Serota hasn’t shied away from taking chances the entire time and embracing whatever the latest photographic technology comes his way. It’s this willingness to take a leap, to “fake it til you make it” that has allowed him to cover everything from the Elian Gonzalez saga to being in Guantanamo with the Al Qaeda prisoners after 9/11.

Paul & Linda McCartney

“I’ve never been afraid to move on with the times and that’s why I’ve been more successful than many of my peers,” reflects Serota.

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From live action to portraiture But after his storied career filled up with four Olympic games, a dozen Superbowls, NBA finals, World Series’, Stanley Cups, MTV Awards, and even shooting inside the Superdome the day after Katrina hit New Orleans, Serota was ready to take another dramatic chance. “I had come across Michael Jordan’s coffee table book Rare Air. I immediately got the idea to do something similar with Dan Marino, who at the time was on his way to breaking four NFL records as a quarterback. I wrote a letter to the Marino Foundation and included a picture of him running in a touchdown, which was rare for him. His father called me and arranged for me to meet Dan and do a family portrait at a Marino reunion. I went to their home, shot the portrait, which was really my first try at this kind of portraiture. While there, I brought up my coffee table book idea, and Dan said, ‘yeah, let’s do the book.’” Marino: On The Record would go on to sell 100,000 copies and open a new chapter in Serota’s career. He became a portrait photographer, collaborating on books for Troy Aikman, Britney Spears, Brett Favre, and others.

Fashion shoot

Still taking chances Now living with his wife and two children in Islamorada, Serota continues to push the envelope. With the proliferation of iPhone photographic technology, he is now involved with the new Polaroid Fotobar labs. “It is a modern one-hour photo lab,” he says. “You walk in with your smart phone or tablet, transfer your images, and they are immediately on a screen and available to print, edit, and create photo products on the spot. I’ll teach workshops, do instruction videos. But the coolest thing I’m involved in with them is their Las Vegas opening in September. Their Fotobar is on the first floor, and the new Andy Warhol Polaroid Museum is located on the second, which will feature Warhol’s amazing original Polaroids as well as works

by Ansel Adams, Timothy Greenfield, Edward Land, and me!

They will have some of my early Polaroid image transfers I did when I was touring with Paul and Linda McCartney.”

Serota is also working with PhotoXpedition.com offering exclusive photographic workshops. The next will be held in

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Turks & Caicos November 2-8, offering one-on-one time with Serota to learn about lighting, working with subjects, editing time, and giving portfolio reviews.

“I’ve never been afraid to move on with the times and that’s why I’ve been more successful than many of my peers,” reflects Serota. “I was recently testing out the latest Canon cameras in London at the Olympics, and I met with probably 50 photographers and asked what they thought of the new video functions. Not one of them had even tried it. That was astonishing. I’ve never shied away from something new, and I can’t imagine I ever will.”

See more of Marc Serota’s work by visiting his website at: www.marcserota.com Learn more about Photo Expeditions at: www.photoxpeditions.com And to see more about Polaroid’s new Fotobar establishments, visit: www.polaroidfotobar.com

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StephenBaldwin: How NBC’s All-Star Celebrity Apprentice Influenced My Life

By Ava Roosevelt “I feel exactly the same way,” said Baldwin. “There are no losers on that show when you’re standing next to Donald Trump. It was a good run. I learned a lot and was with, mostly, celebrity friends on the show.”

The Motivation for Appearing on Apprentice Winning $250,000 for his mother’s charity, The Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund, was a predominant reason why Baldwin agreed to participate on the show. “Mr. Trump has created a terrific vehicle for people to learn about and contribute to charities. You agree to go on Celebrity Apprentice with eyes wide open; it truly is a reality show. Things unfold with no script and in ways you can’t necessarily plan for or expect.”

Ironically, as I am about to conduct this interview with Stephen Baldwin – the controversial, provocative television and film actor and staunch conservative Christian – I became the last to learn about the huge impact All-Star Celebrity Apprentice has made on its participants, but also on its audiences. It is without a doubt a brilliant show, masterfully engaging social media while bringing back many fan favorites to compete, head-to-head in the name of their designated charities, while simultaneously promoting a host of different brands. The show’s extraordinary ratings and its worldwide popularity have touched the hearts and the pocketbooks of the most admired celebrities. It has also catapulted Donald Trump and his children into the TV reality game show’s Hall of Fame for six consecutive seasons.

The way I see it, there are no losers on the show. I am certain the previous winners, being Piers Morgan or Joan Rivers, who ended up with their own TV shows and multimillion-dollar contracts, may defer. But being there trumps the alternative and learning how to cope with defeat is paramount and often rewarded generously, as it is in real life.

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“It certainly has made a difference in my life! This is my second time on the show and, as you’d expect, each time you learn more and more. You make a difference in other people’s lives by winning money for the charity, having Mr. Trump be a teacher about business, and, of course, entertaining the millions who tune in. I was keen to win and incredibly disappointed when I was let go,” Baldwin said.

“Two of the lessons I learned were about trust and strategy. More than people might expect, ‘The Apprentice’ is a mirror of real life.

In the movie business and the entertainment world in general,

Photo Courtesy NBC

Photo Courtesy NBC

Obviously, Baldwin was very keen on winning this past season.

Was it for career reasons? Or would making a difference in other people’s lives be reason enough?

“Two of the lessons I learned were about trust and strategy.

Photo Courtesy NBC

More than people might expect, ‘The Apprentice’ is you have to be on your toes, to say the least. It’s more than just looking for opportunities or projects that suit you. It has a lot to do with knowing others. There is no greater laboratory for this, in my mind, than All-Star Celebrity Apprentice.”

a mirror of real life.”

In the Heat of the Moment The show is a monument to Donald Trump’s marketing and PR genius. Unpredictable confrontation and emotional outbursts keep viewers on the edge of their seats and tuning in season after season. Baldwin was irate when Trump fired him – again. He responded by saying, “My advice to the remaining contestants is: Be like Mr. Trump. Be willing to absolutely disregard your morals and your character in order to be successful.”

Did Baldwin regret saying that? Was it yet another publicity stunt? Will he ever be invited back? I asked Baldwin what affected him most when he stood up to Mr. Trump.

Photo Courtesy fadil Berisha

“This wasn’t planned in any way. Because this is a reality show in ‘real time,’ it was quite a shock to me to be sitting alone in a boardroom with Gary Busey, and I was the one who was fired! So, my comments came right from the cuff,” recounted Baldwin. “Because my words were disrespectful to Mr. Trump, I did apologize in the media about the way I phrased my discontent. I’ve since seen Donald Trump.

He has been kind enough to fully embrace me and let bygones be bygones.

I think this, more than a lot of other things you might read about Mr. Trump, shows what kind of man he is.”

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Photo Courtesy NBC

Brett Michaels, Stephen Baldwin and Brande Roderick

There are lots to pick in this blue-eyed maverick, underdog extraordinaire who grew up in a Kennedy-clan-like fashion of sibling rivalry, matriarchal dominance, political differences and emotional and financial ups and downs worthy of a true celebrity.

Trust me, even at Michael’s, a popular New York eatery full of literary and political notables, Stephen was asked for an autograph. Watching Stephen’s kindness and patience with his fans made me sympathetic to his life’s challenges. Simply put, I wanted to be like him.

Photo Courtesy NBC

Frank Talk with HollYwood’s Bad boy My luncheon with Baldwin (who is perfect to play the part of the duplicitous Secret Service Agent Sean Ives in the movie version of my book The Racing Heart) was a brain child of Matt Rich, of Planet PR, who shares both Stephen and I as clients. Our get-together was initially meant to engage Baldwin, who loves The Racing Heart, in the preliminary ‘talks’ about how to adapt my novel into a movie. Simply put, we wanted to pick his brain.

Donald Trump Jr., Donald Trump Sr., and Eric Trump To read more of my interview with Stephen Baldwin – including a chat about his political differences with Alec, go to www.SouthFloridaOpulence.com.

I told him it seems like he has lived in the shadow of his older brother, Alec, a notable actor and a staunch Democrat. “Do you feel this helped you, or deterred you, in life,” I asked.

“Early on, because we didn’t know how much talent he had, we couldn’t be sure about the outcome that obviously has been very positive for me throughout the years,” Baldwin responded. “No matter what, we’re still a bunch of jocks from Long Island who just keep pinching ourselves about our success.”

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Editor’s Note: Ava Roosevelt is the author of The Racing Heart, a romantic thriller set at the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans Endurance Race (www.theracingheart.com). She is also a Palm Beach philanthropist and wife of the late William Donner Roosevelt, grandson of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Ava Roosevelt

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The Person Who Changed

My Life

Celebrities Recall Their Mentors

Excerpts edited by Matilda Raffa Cuomo

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ormer First Lady of New York, Matilda Raffa Cuomo, wanted to help reverse a significant problem in the state her husband governed: an alarming school dropout rate. “The three pillars of support for children are the home, the school and the community,” Matilda said. As part of her plan to help build awareness about the importance of mentoring, she asked prominent celebrities to recall the Person Who Changed My Life, a compilation of essays from Prominent People [Who] Recall Their Mentors.

Photo Credit: Eva Rinaldi

James Earl Jones: Self-Reliance Outside of my family, my most influential role model was my high school English Teacher, Donald Crouch…Growing up, I had a hard time speaking and felt selfconscious. Professor Crouch discovered I liked to write poetry, a secret I was not anxious to divulge. One day, I showed him a poem I had written, and he responded that it was too good to be my own work, that I must have copied it from someone. To prove I hadn’t plagiarized, he wanted me to recite the poem, by heart, in front of the entire class. I did as he asked, got through it without stuttering, and then from then on I had to write more and speak more. This had a tremendous effect on me, and my confidence grew as I learned to express myself comfortably out loud.

On the last day of school, we had our final class outside on the lawn, and Professor Crouch presented me with a gift — a copy of Ralph

Waldo Emerson’s Self-Reliance. This was invaluable to me because it summed up what he had taught me — self-reliance. His influence on me was so basic that it extended to all areas of my life. He is the reason I became an actor.

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Isn’t it strange how mentors arrive unexpectedly? Sometimes from completely different corners of your psychological and geographical world? Sometimes, complete strangers. After all, family comments – and directives – come freighted with so much history and tender nerves.

Too intense. Too much seems to be riding on their opinions. I don’t have a single turning point – just hundreds of small ones. Add them together and they are a road, a path. And often it’s the truth from an unvarnished truth from an outsider that can blast you like a jet stream from one path into another.

I think of Don Hewitt, the executive producer of 60 Minutes, who said once, “I love you, I hate that piece.” It was thrilling to be knocked down and affirmed at the same time. It almost felt like praise and reminded me that criticism can wake you up – when it’s backed by support.

Photo Credit: NBC

Every one of my mentors has made me more confident by treating me as if I could grow. I think that’s a gift to give someone at any age – including in their 50s.

Martin Sheen: When the Student is Ready, the Teacher Will Appear

and careful not to offend my father, loaned me enough money, out of his own pocket, to get me started, and soon I was on my way.

Several months later, when I was settled in New York, building a life for myself in the theatre, my father very lovingly came around and became my greatest supporter. Although my journey took me far away at times, I became lost, he [Father Al] was always there like an anchor, reminding me to continually ask those two key little questions: Who are you? Why are you here? As long as I can answer at least one of them, I always know where I’m going, and Father Al will always remain with me.

Kenneth Cole: Maybe Someday I Can Fill My Father’s Shoes

Courtesy: Kenneth Cole

Photo Credit: Asterix 911

Diane Sawyer: Be Honest with Yourself

My father, Charles Cole, would wake me up at 5:00 a.m. many Saturday mornings, starting when I was 10. Then we would go to his shoe factory in lower Manhattan, and I would sit with him in his office and watch him while he worked…

As I was about to embark on my legal education, my father’s right-hand man left the factory to start a competitive business. To help my father, I put off law school to learn the business as quickly as I could. I became fascinated with transforming an idea into a new style of shoe. With my father’s encouragement, I took it upon myself to create my own collection of footwear, different than anything the factory had ever made… I made great strides in a very competitive field, but I reached a point when it all started to become a little empty. So early on in [my] company’s development, I decided to make the awareness of meaningful social issues an important part of the company’s culture, so that what one stands for is more important than what they stand in.

“The three pillars of support for children are the home, the school and the community.”

– Matilda Cuomo

Father Al arrived at Holy Trinity for his first Parish assignment when I was 14. He was an energetic young man with an innate wisdom who believed our personal relationships were reflective of our relationship with God. I served Mass with him regularly, and he was my confessor. Even as a boy, I dreamed of going on to New York to pursue an acting career, but my father was determined that I attend college. A deformed left shoulder at birth made me, in my father’s eyes, incapable of earning a living as a laborer. When I flunked out of high school in my senior year, my father was disappointed and angry. Father Al advised me to go to summer school and graduate. He also suggested that to appease my father I agree to take the entrance exams at the University of Dayton. I did both… I purposefully failed the exam. My father got the message but would still not bless my dream. Father Al stepped forward again,

My father, my mentor, by his example, was a testament to the value of hard work and the concern for one’s fellow human beings. He did everything with all of his heart and with all of his “sole”.

To read more inspiring mentor stories from celebrities such as Alan Alda, Cindy Crawford, Harry Belafonte, Andrea Bocelli, and many others, read The Person Who Changed My Life available at www.amazon.com.

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architecture for the art of living

designs for every room 305.623.8282 Miami 900 park centre blvd.

Photo Credit: Al Whitley

KoiPools Living Kaleidoscopes Art In Landscape: Series Part III

by Mary and Hugh Williamson

O

f all the possible elements that can appear in your landscape, none is more dynamic or ever-changing than a koi pool. While not suitable for a balcony, they can be very effectively incorporated as Kaleidoscope Art in a garden, the lobby of larger residential buildings or the entrance to a residential tower.

History of KOi

Koi are ornamental carp, bred for color and pattern. Carp were first “aquacultured” in China as a food source more than 1,500 years ago, and because they were so adaptable to varying climates, their popularity spread. In Japan, the practice of breeding for color that began in China continued and became very popular. Many varieties have resulted, fascinating gardeners around the world since they first came to world attention during the 1914 Exhibition in Tokyo. That was when appreciation of these beautiful creatures burgeoned. Many flamboyant varieties have continued to be developed, enjoyed and coveted.

Entrancing Colors Many landscape designs such as Zen gardens invite contemplation, but interestingly designed Koi pools provide a constantly shifting mix of color and movement. The inclusion of “marginal plants,” which do splendidly in a few inches of water, along with floating plants such as water lilies, frame your views and support a sound living environment for the fish, without chemicals or excessive use of energy.

Koi are both entrancing to look at and surprisingly interactive. They have very definite and individual personalities. When selecting Koi for a pool, look for pleasing color and a “friendly” disposition. It is easy to train a koi to eat commercial food from your fingers and to await feeding time every day. There are guidelines used in the competitive judging of koi; pattern variations, attention to the preferred oval shape, and the proportion of body to fin size that reflect the great diversity in appearance.

As you warm to the theme, it is likely that you will seek high-quality, rare specimens.

If you decide to undertake a Koi pool project, seek professional services to develop the right eco-system for the fish, as well as for a strong visual setting that embraces and enhances this spectacular example of art in the landscape. You’ll need advice on skimmers, pumps, filters and lights; all worth the effort for the beauty and entertainment that is the result.

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If you have visited the Imperial Palace Gardens in Tokyo, you have seen hundreds of quite large koi in the expansive water gardens. While playing exclusive golf courses in Japan, one sees the use of koi in lakes and large ponds that creates incredible sparkle and fascination.

Koi varieties feature much more impact than their distant relative goldfish that you might have enjoyed as a child.

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Modern Bovine

Sophistication

By Melissa Bryant A stunning three-story penthouse with white glass agglomerate flooring spanning across 9,000 square feet, accented by espresso-stained Brazilian cherry wood and stainless steel could only be an interior by Steven G. When Steven G. first surveyed the sprawling space inside of the raw penthouse he knew it had potential. “I immediately started to think of who the buyer of such a spectacular penthouse would be, and what the interior would look like,” says Steven G. The design guru and his team had eight months to complete construction and design of this sky-high manor, which required round-the-clock labor in order to meet their deadline. The result — a striking, sophisticated penthouse with a subtle hint of “moo.”

This featured room showcases a Mies van der Rohe chaise lounge set closest to windows that provide the perfect vantage point for a panoramic view of Ft. Lauderdale. A Brueton cocktail table is set upon a custom designed carpet flanked by sofas dressed in soft white velvet, while the modern wing chair and ottoman are covered in a pattern hide.

To see more stunning designs by Steven G. go to www.interiorsbysteveng.com.

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Luxury Bathtubs: Oasis Today, Hoax of Yesteryear

By Robin Jay

A home is one’s sanctuary. More than ever before, especially in upscale real estate in South Florida, a luxurious bathroom, with a glorious spa-like bathtub, provides a must-have oasis in residential interior design.

Elite homeowners rarely think twice nowadays about investing thousands of dollars in a custom bathing basin hand crafted in Europe or South America. The value of lavishly soaking away stresses of a busy day seems practically worth its weight in gold. (Browse the stunning examples South Florida Opulence showcases in this issue.)

Historic fiction about the bathtub In hindsight, however, those who today view an opulent bathtub as an investment may find it amusing that in 1917, a hoax printed about the history of the bathtub caused political mayhem.

In an article called “A Neglected Anniversary” published in the New York Evening Mail on December 28, 1917, journalist Henry L. Menken wrote about the curious history of the bathtub in the United States. He said the first American tub, installed in a Cincinnati home, was made

Clawfoot bathtub by RECOR

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Luxury bathtub by Italian designers Linearte

from mahogany and lead – and that bathtubs were an undemocratic epicurean luxury that posed health hazards. Menken indicated they were highly opposed by the general public until President Millard Fillmore popularized them by having one installed in the White House in 1850. His article caused uproar and numerous national news sources and medical journals recounted the story over and over.

After Menken’s fictitious bathtub story circulated for eight years, he decided it was finally time to “come clean.” On May 23, 1926, in a cover-page article in the Chicago Tribune, he confessed, “I printed… in a paper now extinct…an article purporting to give the history of the bathtub. This article, I may say at once, was a tissue of absurdities, all of them deliberate and most of them obvious.”

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1. Gitta by Nostalgia 2. Arabella by Aquatica 3. Anna by Nostalgia 4. Copper Leaf by Epoque 5. Dual with Asre Feet by RECOR 6. Sensuality by Aquatica

The Truth The real story about the history of bathtubs is this: Documents dating back to 3300 BC support findings of early plumbing systems used for bathing in a palace in ancient India. As for laymen bathtubs, the earliest surviving five-foot pedestal tub made of pottery was found on the Isle of Crete.

When it comes to residential bathing bathtubs, we’ve come a long way baby!

Editor’s Note: All of the luxury bathtubs shown in this feature are available through Steven G. at www.interiorsbysteveng.com

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Top-Star Spa Treatments

Discover these Forbes four- and five-star-rated spas in your own back yard!

After a long hot summer in subtropical South Florida, it’s a spectacular time to take advantage of our region’s top spas and the refreshing, rejuvenating body pampering.

The Spa at Mandarin Oriental Miami Miami • 305-913-8332 Spread over three floors and enjoying an idyllic waterfront setting, The Spa at Mandarin Oriental Miami offers an indulgent spa environment.

Adopting a different approach to the traditional spa experience, The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Miami offers a series of innovative and restorative treatments inspired by the elements of life, and the ancient traditions of Chinese, Ayurvedic, European, Balinese and Thai cultures.

Must-try treatment: Kundalini Journey. Combining over 100 years of experience in different modalities, the therapy team at The Spa at Mandarin Oriental has created a unique treatment that combines 120 minutes of advanced massage techniques with aromatherapy, color and gemstone therapy, as well as sound therapy to guide you toward a state of inner peace and physical balance.

Performed in a luxurious Spa Suite or Treatment Room, this amazing experience ends with a gift to help you stay balanced. The Kundalini Journey is best enjoyed as a single treatment for the day.

Acqualina by ESPA Sunny Isles Beach • 305-918-6844 Drawing traditional beauty and wellness treatments from every corner of the Earth, the internationally renowned ESPA makes its American home in Miami Beach with a Five-Star pampering paradise at Acqualina. An ice fountain outside the large crystal steam room, Finnish sauna and experience shower adds a dramatic flourish, while outside, a Roman waterfall spills into the spa’s private pool.

Must-try treatment: Refining Enzyme Facial. A powerful and highly effective 80-minute facial to boost cell regeneration and give an instantly smooth, radiant, complexion. An intense cleansing and skin brightening treatment to dramatically improve the appearance and texture of the skin. A fruit enzyme containing pumpkin and botanical extracts is applied to deep exfoliate and remove dead skin cells. A tone and firm mask is then applied, containing concentrated seaweed extracts, argan oil and menthol to give skin a more plump, firm appearance.

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Turnberry Isle Spa & Fitness Center Aventura • 305-933-6930 Discover why the Forbes Four Star Spa & Fitness Center at Turnberry Isle Miami is an annual fixture on Condé Nast Traveler’s highly coveted “World’s Best Spas” list. Conceived by renowned resort architect Tag Gaglyean, the Turnberry Day Spa links three levels of relaxation, health & wellness with a stunning spiral staircase accented by a glass dome skylight and dramatic 40-foot curved glass floor-to-ceiling windows, beaming natural South Floridian light.

Must-try treatment: Intense Nourishment Body Experience. Enjoy a full 90-minutes of heavenly bliss in this deep treatment for dry, devitalized skin that will leave your whole body intensely nourished and smooth. The experience includes a booth bath and body scrub, followed by the layering of hydrating marine algae and a velvelty moisture body butter.

Lapis The Spa at Fountainebleau Miami Beach • 305-674-4772 Lapis The Spa at Fontainebleau is a sleek oceanside refuge. Guests are far removed from the action at the iconic hotel — the 40,000-squarefoot spa features calming rooms outfitted in cool tones and sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean. The complimentary wet areas set this spa apart; you’ll find a steamy jet bath, a cool rain tunnel and a 75-foot mineral pool.

“It's the most beautiful spa in America," says Martha Stewart of the hotel's Lapis Spa. Treatments include outstanding facials and oceaninspired wraps, but what stands out are the amenities you enjoy afterward: mineral pools, massage-jet showers, eucalyptus steam baths. And then "you lie on a marble chaise or bench by the pool," she says of the room modeled after the hammams of marrakech.

Must-try Treatment: Cleopatra’s Massage. Famous for her beautiful skin, legend has it that Cleopatra bathed in milk fragranced with sacred lotus blossom. This service includes a 40-minute milk hydrobath, plus a relaxing massage.

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Fall Into Fashion

Stella McCartney Elisabetta Bell-Sleeved Brocade Dress $1,630 Stella McCartney Stretch-Wool Slim Jacquard Pants Stella McCartney Suede & Mesh Pumps Please call 1.877.551.SAKS (7257) to inquire about availability

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Key to the cure Get the shirt.

Shop the weekend.

Show your support.

Join Saks Fifth Avenue in the fight against women’s cancers.

Get the shirt, designed by emilio Pucci, available exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue this october. then shop Thursday to Sunday, October 17 to 20, when Saks will donate 2% of sales to local and national women’s cancer charities.* Special thanks to Jennifer Aniston, the 2013 Ambassador for eIF’s Women’s cancer research Fund and Saks Fifth Avenue’s Key to the cure.

*Saks will donate 2% of participating vendor sales up to $500,000 from thursday to Sunday, october 17 to 20, along with 100% of Key to the cure t-shirt sales from october 1 to December 31, to the entertainment Industry Foundation for the Key to the cure campaign.

Visit saks.com/Kttc to learn more.

CALL 800.429.0996, VISIT SAKS.COM, DOWNLOAD THE SAKS APP OR FIND US ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND SAKSPOV.COM.

Akris Harrison Leather Moto Jacket $4,400 Akris Silk Banded-Cuff Shirt $1,190 Akris Silk Ruched-Front Pencil Skirt $995 Please call 1.877.551.SAKS (7257) to inquire about availability

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MANOLO BLAHNIK Exclusive to Saks Suede two-tone T-strap pumps.

Dark blue.

Raspberry/purple.

Purple/turquoise. $755 each

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Etro Asymmetrical Colorblock Silk Top $550 Etro Cady Paisley Cigarette Capri Pants $1,065 Please call 1.877.551.SAKS (7257) to inquire about availability

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Beauty Pixi Eye Glow Cube by Pixi Packed full of spring & summer colors in a glowing formula, the Eye Glow Cube is all you need to transform and update your look for the season! Daylight natural eyes are achieved with coated 3D pigments that blend together seamlessly. www.pixibeauty.com

Super Clarins

Restorative Serum An intensive breakthrough treatment that helps replenish, lift, and renew skin challenged by natural hormonal changes due to the aging process. saksfifthavenue.com

The Skin Care Makeup® by Jane Iredale A honeysuckle rose complexion is so sweet this season and can be all yours with three simple steps from Jane Iredale The Skin Care Makeup®. Simplify your beauty routine by reaching for these makeup multi-taskers – A facial primer & brightener, an original CC cream, and a juicy lip & cheek stain to create a look that’s bright, yet effortless. www.janeiredale.com

IT-O2 Ultra Repair Liquid Oxygen Foundation Packed with anti-aging ingredients and formulated to deliver oxygen directly to the skin, this foundation gives sheer to buildable coverage while improving your skin naturally.

Clinically proven to increase skin hydration by 71 percent after just 10 minutes, the IT-O2 contains: antiaging peptides, hyaluronic acid, hydrolyzed collagen, niacin, grapeseed oil plus vitamins A, C & E, IT Costmetics Drops of Light Technology.® Available on QVC & QVC.com. $38

Carven Le Parfum Eau de Parfum

Discover Carven Le Parfum, a new fresh floral fragrance from the Carven.

Simplicity, freshness, and charm are expressed through this couture scent.

A burst of spontaneity and gracefulness are carried by Neroli, Mandarin Blossom, and the delicacy of White Hyacinth. www.saksfifthavenue.com Fall 2013

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John Loring:

Leading Tiffany Design Into The 21st Century

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By Dale King

n 1979 when Tiffany & Co. hired John Loring as design director, chairman and principal owner, Walter Hoving gave him clear direction: “Lead Tiffany design into the 21st century.”

A prolific artist and writer on the arts whose works are in the permanent collections of New York’s Museum of Modern Art and Whitney Museum of American Art, as well as those of the Chicago Art Institute and Boston Museum of Art amongst many others, Loring took Hoving’s challenge to heart. He moved forward with the“back to basics” approach he had mastered in the world of American art – an approach he notes was propounded by Tiffany’s founder Charles Lewis Tiffany (father of Louis Comfort Tiffany) when he launched the firm in 1837 on a capital investment of $1,000.

“There can be no compromise on the quality of design or on the quality of materials and craftsmanship. You can’t give an inch,” Loring says. And clearly that pronouncement still works.

Tiffany & Co. expanded from a seven-store, $70 million operation in the 1970s to the vast network of more than 200 stores in more than 20 countries with annual sales of $3.5 billion that it is today.

John Loring’s original sketches for the design of Tiffany & Co. Atlas Jewelry, clock and watch.

Loring’s Heritage Loring was born in Chicago in 1939 to an English father and an American mother. After graduating from Yale and post graduate studies at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, he began his career in luxury goods at 27 as co-owner and manager of an Yves Saint Laurent in Venice, Italy. Some years later and back in New York where he was in the “stable” of the Pace Gallery and writing for a number of art and design magazines, he got a call from Van Day Truex, his predecessor at Tiffany’s who planned to retire after 25 years as design director.

“I went to a design world ‘power lunch’ with Van where there were all the ‘old sorcerers’ of American design – Billy Baldwin, Albert Hadley, Kenneth Jay Lane and so on. I suggested a few people in the room who might be able to take over from Van. He said they were ‘ridiculous’ suggestions and could never do his job.’ Loring recalls, “I guess he was hinting that he wanted me.”

A phone call later that day from legendary fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert sealed the deal.

She was never indirect. “When I saw you talking to Van at lunch today, I realized that you’re the only right person for that job at Tiffany’s. You go get that job!” (End of conversation.) He immediately called Truex to pursue the position.

Seriously Back to Basics

Exclusive photo by Marina Garnier

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and John Loring lunched at famous Manhattan restaurant Le Cirque (on East 65th Street until l996) in April 1993.

photo LEFT: courtesy Harry Benson

As design director for 30 years, Loring dwelt at the heart and nerve center of the firm. At the start, working with Walter Hoving’s long-time friend Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis - who was then an editor at Doubleday – he began a series of books (there are now 21 of them) detailing Tiffany’s role in the progress of design, jewelry, luxury goods, timepieces, sports trophies and the decorative arts. He worked with his illustrious editor and friend for 14 years producing the first six volumes of the series. “They’re really more about the progress of American society over 150 years than about Tiffany’s,” she liked to note. Perusing the previously unexplored Tiffany archive of Fall 2013

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over 1.3 million drawings, photos and other documents, she once observed that the resource was so unlimited that “I suppose at 80 we’ll be writing a book called ‘Tiffany Mushrooms’.”

“There can be no compromise on the quality of design or on the quality of materials and craftsmanship. You can’t give an inch,” Loring says.

Throughout his Tiffany career, Loring maintained the “back to basics” tenet in the design department. “You don’t start off with a ‘sophisticated’ concept, but rather with simple symbols or markings or details of nature that are understood by everyone whatever their culture. Ideas that I like to say ‘fall like rain on everyone’. Sophisticated concepts don’t travel. The simplicity factor was Charles Lewis Tiffany’s explicitly stated foundation of his worldwide success in the 19th century. It’s still ours today. Simplystated design finds immediate acceptance. It’s recognizable. People say to themselves, ‘That can be a part of me.’”

Peretti and Picasso Elsa Peretti’s iconic “Floating Heart”, “Teardrop”, “Bean”, “Bone Cuffs” and “Diamonds-by-the-Yard” at Tiffany’s are masterpieces of refinement and simplicity, Loring maintains, and have brought a natural sensuality and fluidity to jewelry that changed the course of jewelry design and showed the way into the 21st century. Paloma Picasso’s “X”s and graffiti “Scribbles” moved that course forward.

(Loring brought his friend from his Paris years, Paloma Picasso – whom he admired for “her imagination, talent and personal presence” – to Tiffany’s in 1980.) His own iconic designs for the Tiffany “Atlas” watch and the “Atlas” jewelry collection exhibit the same dedication to the simplicity of “basics”.

To this day, Loring has a deep emotional attachment to the firm.

“Tiffany never gets old,” he says. “I still get a rush of excitement whenever I enter a Tiffany store anywhere in the world – as though it’s the first time!” And he still delights in any gift in the Tiffany signature Blue Box.

tied with its white satin bow Ensconced in his 1920’s “Med-Rev” bungalow in the historic section of West Palm Beach, Florida, Loring retired – sort of – in 2009 but still holds the title of “design director emeritus, meaning, “I’ll be back at the office in New York on Monday.”

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Loring’s books about the history of Tiffany & Co. can be found at www.abramsbooks.com Fall 2013

Men’s grooming

Jack Black Core Collection The new Core Collection delivers immediate and noticeable results. Perfect to take on vacation, use at home, or even leave in the gym locker room, this essential kit keeps guy’s looking and feeling great. The set includes three must-have shaving necessities; Pure Face Daily Cleanser, Beard Lube and Double-Duty Face Moisturizer SPF 20 that lead to one simple solution - clean, healthy skin in five minutes or less. $52 at Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue or at www.GetJackBlack.com.

Swiss Brass Stays Brass Swiss Stays provide a heavier alternative to steel collar stays and age with style, while providing excellent durability. The extra body delivered by brass Swiss Stays fills out the collar for crisp presentation. Our patented adjustable stays can be adjusted to fit the 24 dominant collar sizes in use, and so can be adapted to any shirt in your collection. Swiss Stays are presented in a convenient, stylish and robust carry case that provides ideal travel and storage protection for your Swiss Stays. $90 at www.swissstays.com.

JB Eau de Parfum

by Jack Black

Tie Society This new approach to what the neckwear ownership experience should be, Tie Society was conceived as an alternative to the overpriced and stagnant neckwear retail model. Membership in Tie Society provides luxury-quality, betterlooking neckwear for less by circumventing traditional supply chains, allocating costs more efficiently and directly engaging with their customers. Special offer for readers of South Florida Opulence: Go to www.Tiesociety.com and “TRIAL2013” for 50 percent off your first month’s membership (3 item plan).

Inspired by the iconography of the American man, Jack Black introduces JB Eau de Parfum – a distinctive, handcrafted, uniquely masculine scent. Building on the authentic spirit of the Jack Black brand, natural notes reminiscent of a comfortable grooming past are mingled with unique, exotic aromas to create a complex, modern, wearable fragrance. The result is a seamless, effortless integration of fine fragrance and grooming – reinforcing the simplicity, masculinity and authenticity embraced by men today. A 3.4 oz. bottle: $70.00 at Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and www.getJackBlack.com.

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Living Color Aquariums brings exceptional skill to the art and artistry of custom aquariums

By John D. Adams There are thousands of homes around the world that have those “million dollar views.” Far rarer is a view looking back inside, towards something that is unique, exceptionally beautiful, and full of life and light and motion. Custom built “extreme aquariums” have begun to take honored space within today’s luxury homes, resorts, offices, and commercial spaces. Ft. Lauderdale-based Living Color Aquariums has blazed this trail in the industry by creating and installing some of the most fascinating and beautiful aquatic living environments throughout the world. A true slice of the ocean. With their own reality television series on Nat Geo WILD, “Fish Tank Kings,” (check local listings) Living Color has given even greater attention to the beauty and complexity of these extreme aquariums.

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Where engineering meets art For 25 years, Living Color Aquariums has designed and built world-renowned aquarium exhibits for high-profile clients like Disney, SeaWorld, Universal Studios, Major League Baseball’s Miami Marlins Ballpark, Loews Hotels, Rainforest Café, Bass Pro Shops, Nordstrom and many distinguished celebrities and individuals. President and COO Mat Roy has been with Living Color for the last 20 years. “We were a well-respected aquarium maintenance company that maintained those big beautiful aquariums you would see in homes, offices and theme parks.

But as those aquariums got older and it came time to begin redoing or rebuilding, we saw an ideal opportunity to take Living Color to the next level, using acrylic as the medium for building the aquariums where most of our competitors would use glass.”

While weight is less of a factor (as is commonly thought), the durability and malleability of acrylic allows the greatest advantage. “We purchase sheets of acrylic, put them into an oven and create almost any shape… where with glass, you’re limited. We’re at the forefront in developing large, beautiful residential aquariums,” says Roy. “Our clientele afforded us the opportunity to develop Living Color Aquariums to where we are today.”

The company can boast producing projects anywhere from 150 gallon tanks to an astonishing 1.5 million gallons out of their 43,000-square-foot factory in Fort Lauderdale. And they do it all. Design, manufacturing and installation teams specialize in creating iconic, awardwinning aquariums, custom cabinetry and woodwork, life support filtration systems, artificial coral reef structures and themed environments. No other aquarium manufacturing facility in the world has the turnkey capabilities to execute complex, customized projects like Living Color.

“We are a very special team collaborating together. We have engineers,

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“The show follows our entire process: excitement, artistic and logistical challenges… you even see us picking on each other a little bit,” he chuckles.

– COO Mat Roy

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artists, marine biologists and fabricators who all do a great job of balancing the production side and giving our product that artistic, one of a kind, touch. Everything we do is made by hand. There are no two simulated reefs that look alike in any of our aquariums.”

Living Color goes “WILD” The company’s sterling reputation and stories of them travelling the world installing their elaborate aquariums for very special clients caught the eye of reality show producers for National Geographic’s Nat Geo WILD. The result has been the successful show, “Fish Tank Kings.”“It’s been a perfect fit with us,” says Roy. “The show follows our entire process: excitement, artistic and logistical challenges…you even see us picking on each other a little bit,” he chuckles. “We have much more going on than the few projects that the show will cover. We are operating with 30-40 projects at any point, all in different phases of completion.

When filming, we only show 2 projects running. But the reality is that there are many projects running and it becomes a very interesting challenge keeping up with all of it. We have a bunch of great episodes coming up for the second half of Season 2, which premieres in late fall, early winter. Then, it is off to a 3rd and 4th season.”

With a true global audience, Living Color Aquariums continues to delight and inspire. “It’s incredible,” says Roy. “Our fan base runs from around Europe to the Middle and Far East. We have a lot of dedicated fans who watch the show, many true hobbyists at heart who just love aquariums. It’s quite humbling that people take time out of their lives to watch our show. At the end of the day, we’re just a bunch of aquarium guys.”

Visit Living Color Aquariums online at: www.livingcolor.com.

Learn more about Nat Geo Wild and “Fish Tank Kings” at: http://channel. nationalgeographic.com/wild/fish-tank-kings.

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Robert Graham:

spinning desire into wearable

art

By Dale King and robin jay

n top of his game, Robert Stock, founder of the Robert Graham collection, has created a fashion frenzy in American eclectic design.

“Since the very beginning, we strove to take a more eclectic approach to designing menswear. We felt menswear was somewhat boring and thought developing a more lively, vibrant collection would certainly help spice up the American men’s market, ” said Robert.

“Through the years, we've stayed true to our design aesthetic, but now we have a much larger team and more time to put into creating very intricate, handcrafted prints from the most luxurious fabrics. There is no one else out there who adds color, texture, detail and art, all in one. We fill a craving and a niche market of followers who have shrines in their basements dedicated to the brand (sometimes, collecting shirts that remain unopened in the package, simply to own a piece of the adventure we create!)”

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PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL NAGLE

Robert Stock, co-founder of the iconic Robert Graham collection

Eclectic Aesthetic In South Florida's affluent social circuit and party-filled nightlife, there's no doubt that throughout an evening, one will hear over and over amongst the fashionconscious crowd, "Hey, that’s a nice Robert Graham!" (referring to the instantly identifiable color-splashed shirt or other head-turning garment).

“To both maintain such enthusiasm and ‘raise the bar,’ we continually design collections season after season that are rich in uncompromised style with a distinct eye to true quality,” explained Robert. “My design team and I are always working tirelessly to tell a cohesive story with

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classically

each collection. Each piece tells a story that speaks to our client base and entices them to come back and want to add a new Robert Graham piece to their collection. We are in tune with their lifestyle and what they admire/ collect/covet. We spin these desires into wearable artwork.”

What’s next for Robert Graham connoisseurs?

“We will continue to grow the brand by expanding with more Robert Graham retail locations in affluent communities across the country, like Boca Raton,” said the master of color-splashed eclectic attire. “As Florida provides a loyal client base, we’ll also be opening

a retail shop in The Gardens Mall later this year to meet demand in this region. We want to provide our clients with the full Robert Graham collector experience and lifestyle.”

“Our loyal customers can look forward to the growth of new product categories, new retail locations and our continued commitment to the most unexpected details and creativity that will keep you riding on the irresistible thrill of the treasure hunt,” said Robert. “We are superheroes who crusade against the brand forces of bland.”

“We fill a craving and a niche market of followers who have shrines in their basements dedicated to the brand.” — Robert Stock

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Tw o P r i v a t e 1 8 - h o l e l e g e n d a r y G o l f C o u r s e s E a s e o f Te e T i m e R e s e r v a t i o n s • C h a m p i o n s h i p L a y o u t s S p e c t a c u l a r Wa t e r F e a t u r e s • Fa m i l y E n t e r t a i n m e n t

C O N TA C T M E M B E R S H I P A M B A S S A D O R S TA C E Y P E R S I N G E R AT 3 0 5 - 9 3 3 - 6 5 9 5 P R I V A T E B E A C H | M I C H A E L M I N A’ S B O U R B O N S T E A K | S P A | T E N N I S | P O O L S

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CARTS Sensational super-car style golf carts for those who want to turn heads on the fairway.

The ivory beauty on which you’re humming through the woods of the16th hole makes for convenient transport as you crack the pine needles searching from your errant tee shot from 18. It’s reliable.

It serves its purpose.

But why settle for ignominy in plainness when you can do it in style?

The blue hairs squaring up their balls on the 16th fairway will be far less chagrined when they see you rattling over the tree roots in a custom Pennwick “Brooklyn” ride shaped like a Bentley. And as they stare after you with mouths agape, you can retreat to 18 with your head held high.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF mercedes-benz

Cool CUSTOM

(Above) Mercedes Electric Vision Golf Cart — Mercedes-Benz recently unveiled the electric Vision Golf Cart that will be powered by an electric motor and battery pack charged automatically through a roof-mounted solar module. The golf cart is controlled with a joystick, which means it can also be driven by the passenger.

The console also has a multimedia panel with a rotatable docking station for an iPhone/iPad and support for USB cnnection. From this panel, the driver can control the AC, audio system, head-up display and also communication with other golf carts or the clubhouse. Beneath the center console is a small refrigerator.

What do we have here? Custom golf carts, that’s what. And not just your multiple cup-holder variety. We’re talking about souped-up Escalades, roaring Corvettes, elegant Porsches, (extra) Mini Coopers, humming Hummers, bodacious Bentleys and beauteous Benz’s.

The world of custom carts is akin to a men’s golf outing – colorful, fun-filled with surprises and, on some occasions, a real marvel. Check out these coolly equipped vehicles, from on-course to on-road, outof-sight to out-of-this-world.

PHOTO COURTESY OF Pennwick

F5 — Adam Sandler's New Custom Ride at the Studio Lot: A Pennwick F5 replica of a Ferrari.

No one really needs an Italian sports car, but life is sure better when you have one. The F5 is the first custom golf cart chiseled from classic Italian sports car architecture. Pennwick’s craftsmen have sculpted this custom golf cart with perfectly balanced design in mind. The result is the most exotic, desirable and simply awe-inspiring luxury custom golf cart around. www.pennwick.com

The F5 and Brooklyn golf carts shown on this page are custom crafted by Pennwick in Utah: www.pennwick.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF Pennwick

Brooklyn — Nothing says custom luxury golf cart like a Brooklyn. The distinctive twin headlights and matrix grill will remind you of a British luxury automobile. You will notice familiar lines, but with a definite Pennwick styling.

The perfect fusion of luxury and practicality make this custom golf cart a landmark masterpiece. www.pennwick.com

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Me e t

th e

Fireman Behind the Engine 2 Diet

By Melissa Bryant

South Florida Opulence sat down with Rip Esselstyn, a former firefighter turned healthy-eating activist, to hear firsthand how he convinced a group of Texan firemen to eliminate eggs, dairy, animal products, and processed foods from their diet.

“The Engine 2 Diet originated at a firehouse in Austin, Texas, of all the crazy places,” said Rip. Ironically, his Save-Your-Life eating plan began with the fight for another man’s life.

The Chilling Story It all began on a quiet winter evening at Central Station, a firehouse in Woodlands, Texas, jokingly referred to as the “Animal House” because of bizarre antics for which the men were notorious. The heavy box alarm sounded at 4:20 a.m., alerting firefighters­ that a local building was burning.

Rip’s senses went into overdrive as he prepared for the worst – an adrenaline rush not unlike the start of an athletic competition. When the firemen of Engine 2 arrived on scene, they were told the apartment fire was already extinguished. But Rip’s good friend and fellow firefighter, Josh Miller, wasn’t convinced the danger was over. He told Rip to put on his bunker gear when – moments later – the building exploded into flames wildly more virulent than Rip had ever witnessed. He and fellow firefighter Alphonso “Ax” Dellert raced into the inferno, following the screams of a victim, “Help me, I’m burning!”

Rip and Ax surmised the cries were coming from a room off the balcony, so they raced up a ladder.

There they found Fire Captain John Butz lying paralyzed on the apartment floor. The explosion had flung him across the room where he lay crying out for help. Ax and Captain Butz narrowly escaped the fire by following Rip’s shadowy silhouette waving in front of the window signaling escape.

This terrifying real-life drama proved an epiphany for Rip. “We can’t take anything for granted – especially our health,” Rip thought. He decided it was time to take action in another important issue besides fighting fires.

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Rip Esselstyn

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diet. “The standard American diet is loaded with deleterious things. According to USDA Economic Council, 94 percent of American’s calories come from a combination of processed and refined foods – which prove little more than empty calories virtually stripped of vitamins, minerals and fiber.”

The Engine 2 Diet After the cholesterol scare, the Engine 2 firemen implemented a plant-based eating schedule during their 24-hour shift.

Rip formed the basis of the diet from findings in his father’s 12-year research study showing a plant-based diet significantly reduces heart disease risk. The eating plan eliminates dairy products and meat, as well as processed and refined foods. “Right now, only about 6 percent of the average American’s diet comes from fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans – but that’s the mother source right there.”

Rip no longer fights house fires, but he does fight another danger: an unhealthy diet.

Using his father’s dietary research, along with data from two additional studies Rip initiated himself, the firefighter has written two books: The Engine 2 Diet and My Beef with Meat. He is the Healthy Eating Ambassador for Whole Foods Market, and he currently travels the country educating others on how they can improve their health through good nutrition.

Rip Esselstyn is the author of the Engine 2 Diet, which is plant-based and heart healthy.

The Intriguing Challenge: Good Nutrition An All-American swimmer in college and world-class triathlete, Rip was not one to turn down a challenge. He relished friendly competitions at the Engine 2 firehouse.

Tussles ranging from ping-pong matches to climbing the fire pole without using their feet kept the burly firefighters entertained in-between calls.

So in 2003, it’s no wonder that a conversation about cholesterol among fellow firefighters quickly turned into a competitive challenge. Rip and James “JR” Rae and Josh decided to make a contest out of who had the lowest cholesterol level. Rip focused 108

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on winning. He knew from a young age – having grown up with a cardiologist father – that a low cholesterol level (less than 200 mg/dL) was heart-healthy. He felt certain his cholesterol level was the lowest among the competing firefighters.

The next morning, Rip and his friends went to the pharmacy to test their cholesterol levels and were blindsided – not from the fact that Rip did not win (his cholesterol level was 199 and Josh’s was 168), but because JR’s was a walloping 344! He was virtually a walking time bomb.

From that moment, instead of fighting a fire, the two men were put in a battle to save a friend’s life. A battle caused by a poor

A Manly Man's Diet It’s no small feat to give up meat, eggs, seafood, dairy, and processed and refined foods even when you are aware of their hazardous effects. In fact, giving up those “manly” foods has made the brawny firefighter the butt of an occasional joke – which he gladly lets roll right off. “If you’re ready to give up a few things to embrace a healthy lifestyle where people are gonna make fun of you, then the Engine 2 diet is for you.”

Want to eat like Rip? SFO asked Rip about his favorite E2 recipes. “The first recipe in the book, “Rip’s Big Bowl,” has been my mainstay breakfast for the last 25 years,” Rip said. “My other favorite is the Sweet Potato Lasagna, which my wife and I served to 150 guests at our wedding.”

See recipe on next page.

Raise-the-Roof Sweet Potato - Vegetable Lasagna

By RIP ESSELSTYN Ingredients: • 1 onion, chopped • 1 small head of garlic, all cloves chopped or pressed • 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced • 1 head broccoli, chopped • 2 carrots, chopped • 2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped • 1 can corn, rinsed and drained • 1 package Silken Lite tofu

• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper • 1 teaspoon oregano • 1 teaspoon basil • 1 teaspoon rosemary • 2 jars pasta sauce • 2 boxes whole grain lasagna noodles • 16 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained • 2 sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed • 6 roma tomatoes, sliced thin • 1 cup raw cashews, ground

Preparation: Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Pre-heat oven to 400°. Sauté onion and garlic on high heat for 3 minutes in a wok or nonstick pan. Add mushrooms and cook until onions are limp and mushrooms release liquid. Transfer to a large bowl. Reserve mushroom liquid in pan. Sauté broccoli and corn until softened. Add to the bowl. Drain the tofu by wrapping in paper towels.

Break it up directly in the towel and mix into bowl. Add spices and mix.

To assemble the vegetable lasagna: Cover the bottom of a 9x13 inch casserole with a layer of sauce. Add a layer of noodles. Cover the noodles with sauce. Spread vegetable mixture over sauced noodles. Cover with a layer of noodles and another layer of sauce.

Add spinach to the second layer of sauced noodles. Cover spinach with mashed sweet potatoes. Add another layer of sauce, the final layer of noodles, and a last topping of sauce. Cover lasagna with thinly sliced roma tomatoes. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle with cashews, and return to the oven for 15 minutes. Let lasagna sit for 15 minutes before serving. Makes 10 - 12 servings of sweet potato lasagna.

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By Ava Roosevelt

An exclusive interview with Internet pioneer...

James H. Clark

How his insights in 2001 compare to his perspective today

Back in 2001, I interviewed James H. Clark – the American entrepreneur and computer scientist who founded Netscape, MyCFO, and Healtheon (now WebMD). At South Florida Opulence, we thought it would be interesting to interview Jim again–12 years further into the computer revolution – asking him the same questions to see whether his predictions have come to fruition and what his industry outlook is today.

James H. Clark: By 1994, I had made about $30 million at Silicon Graphics, which I started after leaving Stanford 13 years earlier, so Netscape wasn’t completely new wealth for me. But within six months of Netscape’s IPO, my net worth had increased by a factor of 100. The magnitude of wealth was pretty overwhelming, but the wealth was very concentrated in one stock, was not liquid, and later fell by a factor of ten before recovering by a factor of eight – quite a roller coaster ride. Not until the company was bought by AOL did I have the chance to liquidate and diversify, which I have done, but about half my wealth is still in the technology sector. As for a place in history, yes, I knew that what we were doing was very significant, but candidly, no one could have predicted its immense impact.

I doubt that I’ll ever again have as significant an impact on history.

2001: When on August 11, 1995, Netscape stock opened at $71 it was a major leap for an associate professor of electrical engineering at Stanford University. Were you aware that you had made history and had forever become part of the computer revolution?

2013: Looking back, how do you feel about that today?

James H. Clark: I still feel the same way. We don’t often get the chance to have such an impact. My biggest future contribution to

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society will likely involve biology. I am migrating back to Stanford over the next few years to work as a consulting professor in the Clark Center, which was created through my funding. I hope to be involved with several projects there and help them to achieve maximum fruition.

2001: You said that even when you became a billionaire on paper you did not feel like one. Why not?

James H. Clark: Because the stock price was too volatile, its value was not real at the time. I think because I created my wealth on my own, from nothing, it gives me a great deal of confidence that I could do it again. Thus, I probably am less concerned about preserving it than someone who might have inherited it, because they did not make it from their own initiative, and thus, are probably not as confident about their ability. Maybe the fact that it has fluctuated so much makes me think of it as less real. As I get older, however, I do wish to ensure that I don’t lose it all.

2013: Has your prospective on being wealthy altered in the last 12 years?

James H. Clark: I continue to try to be humble regarding wealth.

The financial services industry helps me with that, because in my experience people in that industry for the most part are trying to take wealth away from those who’ve made it. The meltdown in 2008 is a great example. I’ve just recovered a bit from that, but the banks that caused it are still awash in money.

2001: What do you plan to do with your money?

James H. Clark: I’m inclined to “spend” my money on such things as yachts, airplanes, and real estate, instead of thinking of preserving it. The last thing I plan to do is give it to my children. They’ve got $20 million or so each, which is more than enough to encourage bad habits, but not so much that they become completely reckless. Whatever is left when I die, I will give to some educational purpose. I have already given $150 million to Stanford University to enable research into biomedicine, bioinformatics, bioengineering, and biosciences. We will see cures for such things as the common cold and the AIDS virus via genetic alterations, either to the virus or the invaded host. Further possibilities include direct connections between the nervous system and computers, enabling things speculated only in science fiction at this time, such as direct control of robots, prosthesis, telepathy, etc. Much of this will come about in the next 20 years, I believe.

2013: What has happened to these ‘investments’ in your children and others mentioned above?

James H. Clark: Some of these things are indeed happening now.

The $150 million to Stanford was reduced in 2002 in response to George W. Bush’s posture of government funding of stem cell research. Nonetheless, I continue to support Stanford and will continue to give there. I have been asked to join the “billionaire’s pledge” – give half of my money to charity when I die. Different people give in different ways. I’d prefer to give it along the road to death rather than wait until the end. I actively support music, education, and other things, and this gives me much satisfaction.

2001: Where is the Internet headed?

James H. Clark: The Internet enables all of the computers in the world to be connected and exchange data in real time. By analogy, consider how limited the world would be if people could only communicate in writing, that is, they could not speak to each other. This is what the computing world was like before the Internet became popular — computers were islands that exchanged data by transporting a copy of a diskette from one to the other. The richness of this network of computers grows in proportion to the square of the number of computers connected to it, yielding vast implications for many industries. The world’s telecommunications infrastructure will grow in speed, wireless connections, and ubiquity. Ordinary voice communications will become insignificant in cost as we increasingly use the net for image transmission, video on demand, transactions, etc. Every business relies on communication with its customers, and the Internet and the World Wide Web have enhanced this dramatically. But this new medium also enables many more efficiencies: person-to-person communications as with email, but enhanced with higher bandwidth for moving images; retrieval of information from anywhere, anytime, without requiring that an “operator” answer the phone; shopping and other commercial transactions. The possibilities are practically boundless.

The term “Internet” will probably become somewhat like the word “telephone.” It will be assumed, as in “I’ll call you later.” The implications of the Information Revolution will fade no more quickly than have the implications of the Industrial Revolution.

2013: It must feel good to have made such an accurate prediction.

What’s next? Is there a “next”?

James H. Clark: A lot that has happened I would never have predicted. Social networks are much bigger than I thought, although it is still unclear how they profit from making connections between people. Google has become the Microsoft of our times, with a tendency to copy Facebook and Apple. I fail to understand how Google benefits in proportion to the effort in producing and giving away Android. I would be much happier if an American company benefitted from it, rather than a host of Asian companies who make all the profit.

2001: What do you think about the retrenchment of the Internet stocks?

James H. Clark: It was inevitable, but just because there was a bit of “uncontrolled combustion” doesn’t mean the fire is out. The Internet is a revolution with an unbounded impact on the efficiencies on business.

2013: What do you make of the fall of the Apple stock? And is there ‘bubble’ of the stock market in general?

I think Apple has a few challenges, especially in competing with Android, but I am quite confident that they are much undervalued at this time ($400B). They will come back quite a bit by the end of the year, I suspect. I think all of these companies ebb and flow a bit in value. Much of this is due to the nature of short-term investors and high frequency trading.

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I wish our government were farsighted enough to tax short-term activity like this. I’m sure it would lead to less volatility in the market.

We should reward people who invest in American companies for the long term, not be talking about raising taxes on investment income. Make the long-term holding period 2-3 years, rather than a year, and make rates go down the longer you hold a security, and then you’ll see more stability, I think. Make hedge fund managers pay ordinary income taxes rather than capital-gains on carried interest on other people’s money. What a failed policy. It just makes the rich richer while ordinary people who do take some risk in the market are taken advantage of. The deck is stacked, people are afraid to invest, and thus the market fluctuates wildly. It’s simple to see why.

I hope to give her as much equipment as possible to do it, in the form of education and training.

2001: How do you see the world in 30 years with regard to science and technology?

James H. Clark: Let’s hope it still provides people with the incentive to work productively, because otherwise they will surely get bored and destroy the world. But I am optimistic and believe what is happening today is enabling the world to communicate and find out about other cultures, which means people and nations will work together more effectively. As for working, I think everyone should, whether they have the financial need or not. It’s important for mental health and it will always be a part of life.

2013: I understand that you’ve decided to sell your house in Palm Beach. What has prompted that decision?

James H. Clark: I will sell my home here within the next few years, as I move back to California. For the moment, I will continue to reside here; California is a high-tax place. But ultimately, I think my daughter will get a better education there. That’s the main reason I’m moving back.

2013: Does having a 19-month-old child change your perspective on life? Do you wish you could live forever?

James H. Clark: Great joy comes from seeing my daughter develop.

I spend lots of time talking to her and reading to her. Like any parent, I want her to be able to achieve great things if she’s inclined, so

I have no desire to live forever. I just want to be healthy so long as I am alive. I exercise intensively for an hour every day, and these things keep me pretty alert.

2001: To change the subject–why did you choose to live in Palm Beach of all the places available to you?

James H. Clark: I chose it because Bill Koch lives here, and I like him very much. Initially, I didn’t care for living in Palm Beach, but after spending several years here, I’ve met some very nice, grounded people. I need to escape to Silicon Valley often, however, for the business and technology stimulation that is missing here.

2013: There is clearly a life after the Internet for Mr. James H. Clark. Does what you’ve said 12 years ago have the same meaning to you today?

James H. Clark: Everyone should work, whether they have the need or not… It’s important for mental health. Money won’t make you happy…work will.

I’ll stick with that.

Read more online! Read in-depth details of James H. Clark’s interview with Ava Roosevelt. Go to www.southfloridaopulence.com

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Experience Makes Us Experts.

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I N S UR A N C E

The

Bespoke Experience that is Peter Island

By Jule Guaglardi

Poised like a well-groomed schoolboy, properly attired and well-behaved, Peter Island lies elegantly, luxuriously and reliably perfect to the naked eye. However, like the curious twinkle in the schoolboy’s eye, and beneath his unpretentious air of sophistication, Peter Island bears secrets of mischief, pirates and fabulous buried treasure.

The 1800 acre island rests along the Sir Francis Drake Channel, named for the buccaneer who frequented these waters, concealed in secret bays awaiting the opportunity to strike the Spanish ships bearing cargo steeped in riches. In the 17th century, however, pirates and their hidden treasures gave way to European owned cotton plantations – albeit short lived with the eventual abolition of slavery. With a brief revival in the 1920’s in the way of tobacco farms, much of the island remained uninhabited until the late 1960’s.

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Meet Peter Smedwig It was during this time when Norwegian millionaire, Peter Smedwig, fell bedazzled with the island, purchasing the majority of the land to execute a most luxurious hideaway. A brave and cumbersome task, Smedwig dredged vast amounts of sand and rock mounted atop a coral reef to reclaim the land of Spray Bay. He crafted a water supply, electricity, carved roads and shipped in A-frame chalets and building materials from Norway. He adorned the grand ensemble with a clubhouse and marina – and this would birth the epitome of privacy, tranquility and unpretentious luxury that defines Peter Island.

Smedwig sadly passed in 1979, leaving behind an elegant, however unstuffy, 32room hotel and a vision of a secluded, tranquil paradise to be enjoyed by a select few. The resort was eventually purchased

Spectacular sea and landscapes to captivate the senses on Peter Island.

by a Michigan-based company, which had thankfully honored Smedwig’s image.

desired experience, the warm and engaging staff is always one step ahead.

A Heavenly Escape

It is hard to say whether it’s the private island experience, the sinfully indulgent and magnificently relaxing spa, a menu that can be tailored to your liking, your own private island host catering to your every whim, the outrageously beautiful scenery that abounds in every direction, the mystery of lost pirate treasure, or the long, fabulous list of bespoke features that make Peter Island Resort & Spa such an ideal escape – that is for every individual to decide. Either way, your island paradise awaits, tailor-made just for you!

Today, the Peter Island Resort & Spa is genuinely a heavenly escape — with its raw, natural beauty intact. With a 2 to 1 staff to guest ratio, guests are cared for every step of the way. In addition to spectacular sea and landscapes to captivate your senses, the property has taken the liberty to invent the “Island Host” program to captivate the rest of you. This brilliant concept assigns a personal caregiver to bring to life your every Peter Island wish. From unpacking your island necessities to organizing your holiday itinerary – to planning your private island picnic, lunch, candlelit dinner or a champagne sunset escape – no matter the

For more information about a holiday on Peter Island, visit www.peterisland.com.

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The Tinder Box

Jasperware Pipe Bowls:

Little-known Nicotian Nécessaires

By Ben Rapaport From the collection of Dr. Sarunas “Sharkey” Peckus.

Photography by Darius Peckus

Wedgwood, the quintessential English company, has been in operation since 1759 and, today, around the globe, hundreds collect its ornamental wares with their high-relief, neoclassical and mythological scenes. Josiah Wedgwood, considered the father of all English potters, opened his first factory in Burslem, Staffordshire. His pottery created the industrial model for the next century, and Jasperware, also written Jasper Ware, which began production in 1775, became his most popular invention. Some claim that Jasperware was the most significant innovation in ceramics since the discovery of porcelain by the Chinese some 900 years earlier.

Jasperware is high-fired, creamy-white, finely grained, unglazed stoneware, and metal oxides are added to color in various shades. Today, there are more than 30 colors, but in the early years, just six: dark blue, light blue, black (basalt), lilac, and two shades of green. To produce solid jasper, the metallic oxide color is incorporated into the mix for the entire white body. For jasper dip, the surface in tinted, and the object’s back and inside are uncolored, a process used more for large ornamental objects. Both have white designs on a colored background and appear similar to the inexperienced eye.

Ms. Miranda Goodby, Ceramics Collection Officer of The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent, offered: “My understanding is that these pipe heads were made for the non-European markets and so are less likely to be found in British and American museum collections.” However, there’s other evidence: “Wedgwood, that most artistic of potters, lavished his ceramic skill for the delectation of smokers” (“The Bragge Collection,” Cope’s Tobacco Plant, No. 129.— Vol. II., December 1880, 556).

Wedgwood products were divided into two categories: “useful” and “ornamental,” but smoking-related wares were considered miscellanea or sundries. The illustrations in this essay vividly demonstrate that Wedgwood produced a respectable assortment of pipe bowls in blue Jasperware, in the occasional basalt, and in the much-less-encountered rosso antico, Wedgwood’s term for terra cotta.

The annals of pipe history are replete with criticism of the smoking quality of the china pipe, which has been ignominiously labeled ‘a veritable sink of iniquity,’ ‘a reservoir of disgusting poison,’ ‘a fetid cauldron,’ and worse, because it is not porous and is unpleasant to smoke. Nevertheless, for those who appreciate finely made ceramic pipes, Josiah created many ingeniously attractive, fashionably elegant, and sensuously tactile Jasperware pipe bowls that surely please the eye, but probably not the tongue!

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Solar-Powered Flight: Across the U.S. and Beyond

By Alex Starace

Adventurer Bertrand Piccard has a life straight out of a Jules Verne novel. In 1999, he and Brian Jones were the first to complete a non-stop circumnavigation of the world in a hot air balloon. The trip, which took nearly 20 days, used 8,200 pounds of propane. Piccard, motivated by such an incredible waste of resources, decided to better the endeavor: develop a flying machine that’s powered entirely without fossil fuel.

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Photo Courtesy Jean Revillard

Pilot Bertrand Piccard

The Solar Impulse Project Piccard teamed up with the engineer and former Swiss Air Force pilot André Borschberg to launch the Solar Impulse project in 2003. The duo’s goal: fly around the world fossil-fuel-free in 2015.

So far, they’re on pace. In 2010, their first plane, the HBSIA, flew for 26 consecutive hours (including through the night) using only solar power – and it had four

Photo Courtesy Jean Revillard

Solar Impulse flies over Switzerland.

Main Photo Courtesy Jean Revillard

Across America 6th Test Flight from Moffett Field, Solar Impulse flies around the San Francisco Bay area.

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Photo Courtesy Jean Revillard

European Solar flies over Belgium. hours of banked energy when it landed. In 2013, the Solar Impulse team flew across the United States, from San Francisco to New York, in a five-leg journey. According to Piccard, their plane can fly forever – the only limitation is the pilot’s stamina.

The Secret to Solar Flight The HB-SIA minimizes the energy needed to keep it aloft by being incredibly light – its wingspan of 208 feet matches that of a jumbo jet, while its weight of 3,527 pounds is only that of an average car. And its cabin is miniscule – it has room for one pilot and no passengers. For the planned 2015 flight around the world, which will likely last over a week, Piccard and Borschberg are developing the HB-SIB, a model that has a cabin accommodating two pilots, allowing them to take turns.

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Despite this immense progress, solar flight is currently far from commercial viability. Aside from having only one passenger, the HB-SIA flies at a pokey 45 miles per hour, has no cabin pressure (meaning the pilot is subject to extreme temperatures and must breathe using imported oxygen), and cannot take off or land if ground winds exceed 11.5 miles per hour.

However, immediate commercial flight is not the goal, according to Piccard. Instead, he wants to inspire others to implement solar energy in ground-based activities; and to show that the seemingly impossible – flying using only the power of the sun – can be done.

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Vertical Stabilizer (2) Propeller (3) View of cockpit instrument panel (4) Solar panels on wing (5) Fuselage (6) Engineers testing the cockpit structure (7) Image of pilot Betrand and nose cone.

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Miami’s

26-Year-Old

Supercar B

CEO

By Dale King

rett David, CEO of Prestige Imports and Lamborghini Miami, gets a buzz from driving the exotic vehicles his company sells. But don’t be surprised if you see this down-to-earth executive tooling around in a Ford F150 pickup. “I still want to be the kid that drives a Tonka toy,” he said with a laugh.

For Brett, now 26, the term, “kid,” was at one time an obstacle. When he was 19, his father, Irv David, the founder of Prestige Imports, died unexpectedly, leaving his son with the decision either to take over the multimillion dollar firm or walk away.

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“I heard gossip like ‘the kid will never be able to continue’ or ‘this is the end of Lamborghini Miami,’” Brett said. Even his mother, sister and his late dad, in a letter written months before his death, urged him to put the dealership on the market.

But he chose to stay. “I lost my father to the stress of this business,” he said. “I couldn’t let this business go. I needed to continue my father’s legacy.” And here we are, seven years later. It’s been an amazing ride.”

The Drive To Excel The younger David showed early on that he had the guts to lead. In his first full year at the

helm of Prestige Imports, he boosted sales of Audi from 500 cars in 2006 to 2,000 cars in 2007. In 2010, 1,610 customers drove off in Audis.

Irv David passed away on his 56th birthday in 2007 after suffering his fourth heart attack.

Brett deeply wishes his father were still around so they could work together. “As a father-son team, we would be unstoppable,” Brett said.

A Family Affair When he took the reins along with his sister, Brooke, Brett broadened his focus to include service and creative marketing. He also has “a great team” supporting him. “Nothing can be executed without the proper team. They believe in my vision. It was my mission to become Number 1, and since 2007, I have maintained that title.”

a BlackBerry.” Dad was so impressed with Brett’s sales figures that he took him into the business.

Extreme Marketer, Passionate Philanthropist Brett David is no stranger to “shock value” marketing. He commissioned Artist Jona Cerwinske to “paint” a white Lamborghini Gallardo with a black Sharpie marker. The “Sharpie” Lambo has won raves and awards – and put Brett solidly on the innovation map.

A devoted supporter of charitable organizations, Brett created the Ride2Revive Foundation to aid children with life-threatening diseases, run by his mother, Valerie. He also supports Kids with Cancer, Make-A-Wish and the American Heart Association.

A Noble Mission In a high-tech, fast-moving world, Brett takes his inspiration from a simple man – Mahatma Gandhi – who said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

The creative marketer also produced Project Au79, a yellow gold-wrapped Lamborghini LP700-4 Aventador – his favorite car.

Brett says he’s always been a car guy. “After school when I was a teenager, you could find me in the parts department or washing cars.”

He always wanted to sell vehicles, but his dad cautioned his young son that “no one buying a $400,000 car is going to take a kid seriously.”

It didn’t take long before the teenage Brett proved to his family that his sales skills were a force to be reckoned with. Celebrity singersongwriter Missy Elliot dropped into the dealership to buy a Lamborghini from Brett a day after he helped start her stalled Ferrari. The teen also sold customized tire rims and ran 305 Imports “out of a bathroom using

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GILDED AGE

GALLANT

By Nicole Tufts

The story of how Henry Flagler, captain of industry, turned Florida into the American Riviera

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n 1873, Mark Twain dubbed the time of unequalled technology growth as The Gilded Age. It was a captivating time in history when American culture leaped to life and captains of industrial commerce – like Henry Morrison Flagler – believed anything was probable with American inventiveness and hard work.

Henry Morrison Flagler was born January 2, 1830 in Hopewell, NY. He was an American Industrialist, founder of Standard Oil and was a key figure in the development of the east coast of Florida with the Florida East Coast Railway. Structures he built included the Overseas Highway (to Key West), Seven Mile Bridge, Royal Palm Hotel, the Biltmore Hotel and Whitehall, his home.

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As a pioneer of The Gilded Age, Flagler created the foundation for Florida’s scenic destinations through the construction of hotels and a railway that would connect the entire east coast of the state. The period’s business entrepreneurs believed it was their duty to uphold a strong public responsibility, and this is just what Henry Flagler aspired to do.

“In all my life, the ‘future’ has had more in store for me than the past,” said Flagler, who followed the European Gilded Age principles of wealth and expansion in order to transform Florida into the American Riviera.

The Birth of Standard Oil Originally from New York, Henry Flagler was introduced to John D. Rockefeller in the 1850’s and soon became his business partner in the Standard Oil Company, which by 1892 held a monopoly over all refineries in the United States.

“Flagler first built the Standard Oil and then built the state of Florida,” said John Steele Gordon from Audacity Magazine in 1996.

Whitehall was Flagler’s winter estate located in Palm Beach. He designed the Beaux Style architecture and interior to resemble the Italian Renaissance. In 1913, Flagler fell down a flight of marble stairs at Whitehall. He never recovered from the fall and died in Palm Beach of his injuries on May 20 at 83 years of age. Today, Whitehall is Flagler Museum.

The Ponce de Leon Hotel, St. Augustine, Florida

Building Florida Flagler then made his first trip to Jacksonville, initially sparking his growing interest in Florida. After the death of his first wife and second marriage, Flagler visited St. Augustine, a town he found charming, but knew it lacked tourism. As a result, Flagler constructed a stunning hotel in St. Augustine – he called it The Ponce de Leon

Henry Flagler was introduced to John D. Rockefeller in the 1850’s and soon became his business partner in the Standard Oil Company, which by 1892 held a monopoly over all refineries in the United States.

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In 1896, Flagler built his second hotel, The Palm Beach Inn, on the beachfront of the Royal Poinciana. Soon guests requested rooms “over by the breakers.” When Flagler redoubled the hotel’s size, he renamed it The Breakers. During an expansion project, The Breakers burned down on June 9, 1903. Less than a year later on February 1, 1904, it reopened to universal acclaim. Rooms started at $400 a night, including three meals a day. (part of Flagler College today) – and expanded the railways to reach the South. His venture would become the Florida East Coast Railway. In 1894 Flagler founded the city of West Palm Beach and built the iconic Breakers Hotel.

development anywhere else in the world,” said George W. Perkins of J.P. Morgan and Co. about Henry Flagler in Everybody’s Magazine in February, 1910.

Flagler went on to extend his railway to Miami in exchange for land.

The magnate encouraged farming in the area and donated money for the creation of hospitals, schools, and churches along the railway line. By 1896, the railroad reached Biscayne Bay and Flagler began to develop the city of Miami. By 1912, the railway reached Key West, allowing it to become the tourist destination it is today.

“Henry Flagler not only was present at the creation of the modern economic world but was one of its prime creators,” said Steele.

Ironically, Flagler often downplayed his impressive feats. “It was perfectly simple,” Flagler said to Dr. Andrew Anderson. “All you have to do is build one concrete arch and then another, and pretty soon you find yourself in Key West.”

The Overseas Railroad was an extension of the Florida East Coast Railway to Key West, located 128 miles beyond the end of the Florida peninsula. Work on the line started in 1905; the railroad operated from 1912 to 1935.

“I can understand how, for instance, James J. Hill built his railroad into the uninhabitable prairies, for he knew what the soil was capable of, and it was a country similar to what man elsewhere were used to.

But that any man could have the genius to see what this wilderness of waterless sand and underbrush was capable of and then have the nerve to build a railroad there, is more marvelous than similar

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Preserving Flagler’s Legacy at Whitehall As a visionary, Henry Flagler’s accomplishments are preserved in his winter estate of Whitehall located in Palm Beach. Built as a wedding gift for his third wife, the 75 room home is fashioned after the Beaux Style of architecture and its decor is designed to resemble the Italian Renaissance. As an educational institution, tours and events take visitors through Flagler’s life during The Gilded Age. A series of lectures provide details of Flagler’s contributions to Florida, and visitors can experience The Gilded Age during events such as holiday festivities, Gilded Age style tea and music concerts.

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Making a Positive Difference:

Employers Who Hire Adults with Autism

By Melissa Bryant

Marc William Pulver holding his book Living Life with Autism: The World Through My Eyes

ou may have heard the alarming statistic: An estimated 1 in 88 chidren are diagnosed with autism in the United States. But what you may not have heard is that nearly 90 percent of adults with autism are unemployed – and 500,000 more adults on the spectrum will enter the workforce in the next decade. Fortunately, some savvy employers in South Florida are making a positive difference. Businesses like Lee & Marie’s Cakery in South Beach and Rising Tide Car Wash in Parkland have hired adults with autism – an endeavor that improves not only their businesss, but also the lives of some very exceptional people in our community.

Lee & Marie’s Cakery – Miami Beach Andrea Travaglia, founder and CEO at Lee & Marie’s Cakery, witnessed the obstacles that her best friend’s son, Ted, faced when he was diagnosed 20 years ago with autism. As Ted grew older, his challenges evolved into adult issues — finding employment, gaining independence and sustaining his living. “People on the spectrum of autism don’t currently have a lot of opportunities,” Andrea said. “They get aged out of the system at 21. It made me realize that at some point I wanted to employ people like Ted.” Lee & Marie’s employs five adults on the spectrum working in sales and the retail and production kitchen. To train them, Lee & Marie’s utilizes technology and visual learning tools such as iPads — aids tailored for autistic employees. Lee & Marie’s collaborates with The University of Miami Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, which partners with the Easter Seals for guidance and training support. Many employers, unaware of these resources, tend to put people on the spectrum in a figurative box because they presume an autistic person may not be emotionally or intelligently suited for a position within their company. Lee & Marie’s Cakery is proving that theory wrong.

Two employees at the cakery who shatter this common misconception are Lazarro Quintane and Marc William Pulver. Lazarro is the Executive Assistant. His job is to ensure projects run smoothly. He checks inventory and makes sure all tables are waited on as quickly as possible — even if it means rolling up his collared dress shirt sleeves and performing the duty himself.

“We autistic people wish to work in the most dignified way possible, to work with honor, to work with pride, to work with our heads held high, and to carry on like every normal law-abiding citizen would,” Lazarro said. His colleague Marc similarly enjoys the sense of responsibility that working at the cakery gives him. Marc’s daily tasks include stocking, organizing, running the register, making deliveries and serving customers — an area in which he excels. In 2010 he wrote a memoir, Living Life with Autism: The World Through My Eyes. In the book, he describes how he utilizes his exceptional memory at work, an attribute Marc’s parents could see in him from a young age… and one that prevented them from institutionalizing him despite a doctor’s recommendation.

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“My customers feel honored when they get to hear the stories of Marc and Laz because it makes them look at their own life and say ‘wow, I’m very blessed and am now able to meet somebody that I would never have met.’ It’s very rewarding for all of us,” said Andrea.

Melvin Breedlove cleaning the exterior of a car.

Rising Tide Car Wash — Parkland At Rising Tide Car Wash in Parkland, father-and-son team John and Thomas D’Eri had a personal interest in their venture. John’s son and Thomas’ brother, Andrew, has autism and his reality of achieving gainful employment was virtually zero. As a member of the business community, John D’Eri wanted to create a business where he could employ not only his son, but also other adults with similar conditions. The family duo created a car wash with a business model designed to match tasks with the sensitivities and abilities of the employees.

Rising Tide implements a 1-2 week training course where potential employees are shown a 42-step process of how a car wash operates.

Employees on the spectrum work in every aspect of the job — a component John says helps build community. “The task of training is integral to our approach,” John said. “Our approach is one of a structured work environment. People with autism enjoy structure, and the car wash’s aspect of repetitive tasks gives them comfort and confidence in their ability — producing a quality product that is consistent.”

Rising Tide Car Wash is the largest single store retail employer of individuals with autism in the area — yet their competitive advantage comes more from their knowledge of the disorder. Thomas said the problem with the way autistic people are treated comes from a distorted perception. “It’s not so much a capability perspective, it’s a perception and communication error,” Thomas said.

“What we’re trying to do is change that perception by producing a product that is very tangible. People with autism can do a great job. They can be the best employees.”

The search for autism’s cause, prevention, treatment and cure is ongoing. However we as a society can make a push to become more conscious, educated and proactive in our personal efforts to work with rather than against the disorder.

Lee & Marie’s Cakery is open seven days a week from 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.

40 S. Pointe Dr., Miami Beach, FL 33139. Rising Tide Car Wash is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. 7201 N. State Rd. 7, Parkland, FL 33067.

WALK NOW FOR AUTISM SPEAKS RESEARCH | AWARENESS | COMPASSION

Broward Walk Now for Autism Speaks NEW DATE Saturday, October 26, 2013 Nova Southeastern University – Alvin Sherman Library Green 3100 Ray Ferrero Jr. Blvd., Davie, FL 33314 Registration and Resource Fair: 8:00 am Walk begins: 10:00 am Contact us at: Broward@autismspeaks.org or call (954) 421-9997

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photo courtesy of coralgablesrealestatevault.com

photo courtesy of IM. Prescott

Deering Bay:

South Florida’s Hidden Gem Welcoming more associations at Deering Bay to the luxury management services team of CSI

D

eering Bay could very well be the best kept secret of paradise-style residential living in South Florida. The region’s little-known history is as rich as the lush tropical fauna that adorns it. Historians say the land where Deering Bay now lies was discovered in the late 1800’s when a Massachusetts surgeon by the name of William C. Cutler happened upon it. Cutler was said to have been instantly enthralled by the untouched high ground of hardwood hammocks and captivating flora. No surprise why the area first became known as ‘Cutler.’

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At the turn of the century, however, a quaint inn known as Richmond Cottage opened to accommodate other Cutler admirers, including Charles Deering, the farm-equipment-industry mogul who eventually built the nearby Deering Estate and Villa Vizcaya, and whose surname ultimately became the namesake for the region now called Deering Bay. Today, Deering Bay is a luxurious residential hideaway of high rises, mid rises, townhouses and estate homes, with a master association and the adjacent Deering Bay Yacht and Country Club.

For the past four years, one of the Deering Bay condominiums – Siena – has entrusted CSI, the leader in luxury residential condominium property management, as their professional management partner.

The success at Siena has since led the Deering Bay Master Association and several additional associations – including Venice, Grand Marina and Deering Bay Estate Homes – to call upon CSI to manage their properties, as well. CSI executives welcome the opportunity.

“We are honored to have been selected. We are committed to providing the best-

photo courtesy of diego quiros

in-class services and support bringing Deering Bay to its full potential,” said Mark Blackburn, Chief Operating Officer of CSI Management Services. “We were able to identify significant efficiencies in the overall scope and scale that association board members saw as a benefit – not only for their associations, but for their overall way of living.”

CSI Director of Operations Jason Kaye agrees. “During our tenure at Siena, residents could see a tangible difference that the hospitality-oriented staff of CSI brought to their association. Compared to other property management companies with order-taker-style business models, we took a proactive approach to the success of the association. Critical to this success was that the Board and all of the members were, and continue to be, very

photo courtesy of coralgablesrealestatevault.com

open to this approach. After four years of this level of ongoing service, other Deering Bay associations decided it was time to trust us as their management partners, too. We couldn’t be more pleased.”

The same sentiment holds true for Glorian Leach, President of the Deering Bay Master Association. Glorian, a Miami native, and her husband (who serves as President of the Deering Bay Yacht and Country Club) have lived at Deering Bay since 2007. She joined the board of directors of the MPOA in 2009 and later that year was named President.

“In years past, businesses took my husband and I all over the southeast United States, but in 2005, we decided we wanted to be back in South Florida,” Glorian said.

“We began looking for a community on the water with a marina and club. From the

photo courtesy of coralgablesrealestatevault.com

moment we found Deering Bay, we described it in two ways to our friends - the best kept secret in South Florida and an absolute paradise. But I would think perhaps the best is the way I described Deering Bay in a welcome line I recently used at a chamber event held at the Club: Deering Bay is the only private gated community with a full service Country Club, a deep-water marina and a championship golf course between the Keys and Palm Beach County. How could anyone want anything different when you can have it all?

“Living at Deering Bay is a gift,” Glorian continued. “Every day, I wake up and see the sunrise from one balcony, and in the evening I see the sunset from our other balcony. Between me and that sunrise/ sunset is the most breathtaking view you

PHOTO COURTESY OF Diego Quiros | Photo Title: Ciel Rouge

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PHOTO COURTESY OF IWilly Gil

can imagine. My beautiful community, with its lush landscape, the best golf course imaginable, and Biscayne Bay as its backdrop – is a dream come true. I love living here and get immense satisfaction by giving back through my volunteering [on the Board of Directors] at Deering Bay. My personal goal is the same one it was the first day: To serve my community selflessly. It is imperative that, as President, I balance the needs of everyone and know how to listen. All while using my background in business to counsel management in the running of a successful property. My overall goal for the community is to continue to preserve its value and beauty.”

When asked why the Deering Bay Master Association board of directors selected CSI as their property management provider this year, she replied, “From the first moment we met CSI, those of us on the selection committee felt that we were going into a partnership versus just a vendor relationship.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF douglas lance

One of several condominium buildings located at Deering Bay.

Deering Bay CSI Team, L-R: Dan Brooke, VP of Operations; Jordan Rea, Property Manager; Frances-Marie Puente, Assistant Property Manager; Jason Kaye, Director of Operations; Paul Javenes, Director of Building Services.

We wanted a management group that could take us to the next level of service and efficiency. Both of these add even more value to living at Deering Bay. CSI epitomizes luxury management, and those of us who live here expect no less. So far as President, CSI has been exceeding my expectations.”

Editor’s note: In the next issue of South Florida Opulence, don’t miss our followup feature as we delve even further into the history of Deering Bay – and also give you the inside glimpse of the amenities at the Deering Bay Yacht and Country Club.

"Living at Deering Bay is a gift," said Glorian Leach, President of the Deering Bay Master Association. "It's the only private gated community between the Keys and Palm Beach County with a full-service Country Club, a deep-water marina and a championship golf course."

Deering Bay Marina

PHOTO COURTESY OF I.M. Prescott

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The CSI Difference

The Power of One

By Geoff Hammond, Founder and CEO of CSI International, CSI Management Services and Horizon Publishing I have been fortunate over the years to be able to indulge my passion for building businesses. And it is that passion that keeps me motivated to try new things, to look at business models in different ways and to explore why some approaches work while others fail. I’ve heard claims from one after another of those business gurus who espouse the secrets for creating successful enterprises. Indeed, there are no shortages of theories and management principles to guide one toward that golden rainbow.

And early on in my own career in Corporate America, I became fully immersed in many of these exercises and even subscribed to some of the more popular themes.

The Answer To Success But it occurred to me, somewhat down the road, that while theories and guiding principles on developing sound practices for beginning, building and sustaining viable and efficient business models are essential, the one key ingredient that actually determines success is quite often under-emphasized. More often than not and especially today, the major focus of most entrepreneurs and even larger established companies is on technology

and process. In the ever-changing business environment of what’s new and innovative, we’ve somehow lost focus on the one common denominator in every scenario.

And if there’s a single element that can dramatically change outcomes from borderline mediocrity to unbridled prosperity, it is … people!

It’s a normal inclination to aspire to finding the best and the brightest to fulfill our staffing needs. But I’ve found that reality lies somewhere in the middle. Usually, the best and the brightest are off doing what comes naturally to them . . . finding their own way and fulfilling their dreams for business glory.

It is rare to be able to corral a few of these uber-talented types and motivate them enough to want to stay around under someone else’s roof. I’ve been very fortunate to have had my fair share of them. However, for the most part, it’s the process of identifying qualified people who have a passion and an interest in applying it within the structure of a solid team. Providing them with an environment to grow their passion and to flourish is as important as incentivizing them financially.

Our Company’s Key Asset: Quality People I believe that the most important asset in any company is its people. And the ability to retain loyalty and commitment to a common set of goals is directly attributable to the long-term success of any enterprise. I’ve heard it said, in various quarters, by those same management experts, that if your structure is sound and your processes are well-defined, it really doesn’t matter how often turnover occurs . . . no one is unexpendable. Nothing, I’ve discovered, could be further from the truth. It just may be that one person who may be the important cog in the team and the lynchpin that makes it all work. As planful as we may think we are, the dynamic of every team within a business structure, no matter its size, may be a more determinant factor in the outcome than best practices. And the addition or subtraction of any one single element can be, more often than not, the key to success or the cause for failure. The power of one … person!

“if there’s a single element that can dramatically change outcomes from borderline mediocrity to unbridled prosperity, it is … people!”

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Condo Law

By Michael S. Bender, Esq., Kaye Bender Rembaum, P.L.

LEGISLATION AFFECTING FORECLOSURE PROCESSES

O

n June 7, 2013, the Governor signed House Bill 87 into law, effective immediately, amending portions of the Statutes governing residential mortgage foreclosures in Florida. Although many of the amended provisions within this Bill, and in particular in Chapter 702 of Florida Statutes do not directly affect community associations, a change to the legal procedures which govern how mortgage foreclosure cases can be moved through the court system offers possible benefits to those associations which have been burdened by lagging lender foreclosures, under certain circumstances.

Statute Changes Section 95.11 F.S., has been changed to reduce the time period within which a deficiency in a lender foreclosure case can be pursued, from five (5) years to one (1) year.

This change applies only to a one-family and four-family dwelling unit and commences on the day after the certificate is issued by the clerk of the court or the lender accepts a deed in lieu of foreclosure. This change also only applies to a foreclosure case that commences on or after July 1, 2013. For older cases, the deficiency must be commenced within five (5) years or by July 1, 2014, whichever occurs first.

Section 702.015 F.S. has been created to identify specific criteria that must be included in the complaint filed in a lender foreclosure.

In addition to the allegations that must be included in the complaint, the new Statute more specifically addresses the requirements involving the original note.

A new Section 702.036 F.S. has been added to address proceedings for attempting to set aside, invalidate or challenge the validity of a final judgment of foreclosure of a mortgage or to establish or re-establish a lien or encumbrance on the property contrary to the final judgment in foreclosure.

Section 702.06 F.S. has been revised to limit the amount of a deficiency that may be pursued in the case of an owner-occupied residential property.

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The newly amended provisions of Section 702.10 F.S., appear to attempt to create a “fast track” procedure for residential mortgage foreclosure cases. Unlike prior versions of the Statute, the amended Statute now expressly provides that community associations that have been named as a defendant in a lender foreclosure case now have a procedural method with which to force the case to conclusion.

An association may now request an order from the court that the other parties to the case (both the lender and the homeowner) provide evidence to the court why a final judgment of foreclosure should not immediately be granted to the lender and the foreclosure sale scheduled. This request may be made by the association at any time and, according to the Statute, must be immediately reviewed by the presiding judge for the case, in chambers without a hearing, who will make a decision regarding the status of the case and whether a final judgment hearing is appropriate. If the court agrees with the motion, the changes outline what the order is now required to include. This expedited review process could potentially save an association from months of unpaid dues in situations when a lender foreclosure case is uncontested but has stalled due to lender inactivity.

Take Caution Although Section 702.10 F.S. has created a new tool for associations, it is important to note that the amended procedure is not a “panacea” and may not achieve the intended results. As with all newly enacted legislation, it is likely that there will be both legal and practical issues arising during its implementation which were unforeseen, and certainly not covered in the new provisions by the Legislature.

For example, it is unclear whether the already overburdened state court system in South Florida will be able to handle a large volume of these requests without significant delay. Further, the Statute requires the moving party (the association) to submit a proposed final judgment form with the motion, but from a practical perspective, the association will not have sufficient information to fully complete the form, which creates a basis for the lender

to vacate such an order at a later date, causing more delay in the case. Additionally, it is also unclear what options are available to an association should a lender delay its case after final judgment has been entered in its favor, such as cancelling the sale without sufficient basis or vacating the judgment without dismissing the case. The new provisions expressly do not apply to a foreclosure of an owneroccupied residence.

Despite the uncertainties, however, it is suggested that community associations review the pending lender foreclosures on a case-by-case basis with legal counsel and, on those matters that are appropriate, consider taking an aggressive approach under this new procedure.

A new Section 702.11 F.S. has been created to provide adequate protections for lost, destroyed, or stolen notes in a mortgage foreclosure. Lenders are provided with specific methods to address these conditions sufficiently for the foreclosure to be completed, including options of providing security.

The Statute also addresses methods of resolving competing alleged interests in the same mortgage note.

The new legislation in this bill is remedial in nature and expressly applies to all mortgages encumbering real property and all promissory notes secured by a mortgage, whether executed before, on, or after the effective date of the act, except for the requirements of new foreclosure complaints in Section 702.015 F.S. Those new requirements apply to foreclosures filed after July 1, 2013. The “fast track” provisions of Section 702.10 F.S. apply to existing cases, as well.

Need Clarification?

Kaye Bender Rembaum dedicates its practice to the representation of community associations throughout Florida. Mr. Bender can be reached directly via email at mbender@KBRlegal.com.

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Condo Living

By John H. Stroemer, CPA, CFST, CAM, GRI Managing Partner, Stroemer & Company

PROTECTING YOUR ASSOCIATION – SHELL COMPANY SCHEME

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hey say “if you’re not happy with it, fix it,” so when you are not happy with your Association, you join the Board. You have now volunteered to play contractor, lawyer, and accountant...oh my.

With this comes great responsibility, protecting your Association and all the homeowners.

One of the first steps is hiring a reputable management company. Not all management companies are the same. A quality company is vital in overseeing the finances and economics of the Association. One of the major reasons Associations are subject to high fraudulent activity is inadequate checks and balances, meaningless segregation of duties, and fewer basic accounting controls. Although no one wants to believe they employ deceitful people, sometimes temptation or personal financial pressures can push even the most trusted employee into perpetrating fraud. There is little control

over employees’ motives to commit fraud, but it’s the management company’s job to limit the opportunities.

We have seen the number of fraud cases rise substantially. The most common are accounting related, one being the “Shell Company Scheme.” An employee sets up a shell company and bills the Association for goods or services it does not receive. We have seen this first hand. An accounts Payable clerk set up a corporation online. He created a name that was very similar to one of the Association’s largest vendors. He then installed QuickBooks on his home computer, created false invoices and mailed them to the management company. The receptionist would check the mail, open the invoices, and put them in the accounts payable inbox. The mischievous AP clerk would then process the invoices, cut the checks and give them to management to sign off. Management, trust-

ing this AP clerk who had been with them for years, never even looked at the checks. He signed them and gave them back to mail out.

A couple days later, the clever AP clerk had a nice check.

We discovered this fraud while performing the Association’s annual audit. However, audits are not intended to uncover fraud. If you believe fraud is occurring in your Association, we would be engaged to conduct Agreed Upon Procedures (forensic work), where we would dissect the books and records to discover misappropriations. There are patterns to every fraud case. The best way to protect your Association is to surround yourself with reputable vendors, starting with a respectable management company. For more information on preventing or identifying fraud, contact Stroemer & Company at 1-855-STROEMER.

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Condo Living

Hurricane Reserves: Narrowing the Gap Softens the Blow

By Andrew Rand, Director of Association Accounting at CSI Management Services

As a board member, planning for windstorm contingencies could be thought of as part of your fiduciary duty. An established hurricane reserves fund will demonstrate how effective planning can soften the financial blow to members of the Association when the damage from a storm wreaks havoc on their property.

The fund could be set up to allow for immediate repairs and cleanup after a storm and it could also be used toward the insurance deductible. Your windstorm deductible is typically 3 percent of the insured value of the property. That amount can easily be in the hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars.

Establishing a fund to offset windstorm related expenses is a planning tool that can reduce future assessments and assist in returning the Association operations back to

normal, faster than an Association that is not as well prepared. Property values could also benefit. An Association that has an established hurricane reserve fund is more attractive to a potential buyer than an Association that does not.

There are several different ways to create and maintain a Hurricane Reserve. Both require line items in the annual budget. One way would be to add it to your annual operating budget as a specific line item. Another way is through the reserves portion of your annual budget, also as a specific line item.

By including the Hurricane Fund as part of your reserve budget, once approved, the funds become restricted and can then be used only for that specific purpose.

Siena at Deering Bay Condominium Association is the perfect example of an Association

that has effectively planned to narrow the gap for their insurance deductible. Eric Adams, Association Treasurer, said, “The idea is to try to narrow the gap over time. Of the Association’s $955,000 windstorm deductible, if assessed all at one time, the amount would work out to a special assessment of about $23,000 on average per unit. But because the Association has been budgeting for a Hurricane Reserve for several years, that per-unit amount is now down substantially, to around $14,000.”

For industry-related education events sponsored by the Community Associations Institute SE Florida Chapter, please scan the QR code at right for our Calendar of Events or visit our website at www.cai-seflorida.org

What is it about your community’s risk management program that keeps you up at night?

Does the D&O policy we purchased fully protect the board?

Will our Disaster Preparedness/ Recovery Plan be effective when we need it?

Is our Insurance Program in compliance with our bylaws?

With all these recent natural disasters, how do we effectively budget for next year?

If we have a claim will we be adjusted and paid correctly?

We have the answers.

Serving South Florida for 90 years • 800.683.8664 • www.slatonriskservices.com

Condo Law

By Donna DiMaggio Berger, Esq.

The 2013 Florida Legislative Session and Your Community

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he 2013 Florida Legislative Session is a wonderful example of what can be accomplished when the many board members and owners representing Florida’s more than 60,000 shared ownership communities come together to collectively form one voice on the issues that impact their communities.

rights to collect past due amounts from a third party purchaser at a subsequent mortgage foreclosure sale. Moreover, homeowners’ associations and cooperatives alike witnessed a general movement toward symmetry with Chapter 718 (Florida Condominium Act) with the importing of several key components such as director certification requirements and provisions relating to official records. Laws affecting timeshares and manufactured/mobile home communities also underwent important changes. The new Fair Foreclosure Act created a useful tool for all types of communities to move stalled bank foreclosures forward. Overall, the 2013 Legislative Session provided something for everyone in terms of shared ownership communities.

The common theme among the vast changes to laws affecting shared ownership communities can be summed up by the terms “fairness” and “equality.” Condominiums were provided with several changes and clarifications to existing laws, such as the removal of the deadline for compliance with Phase II Firefighters’ Service upgrades on elevators, and clarification of board eligibility requirements.

Homeowners’ associations saw significant My law firm, Katzman Garfinkel & Berger, is changes to Florida Statutes Chapter 720, proud to release our 2013 Legislative not the least of which includes a much Guidebook which can be downloaded needed clarification that an association’s for free at www.legislativeguidebook.com. own foreclosure does not jeopardize its The Guidebook is categorized by community

type which makes it convenient to turn directly to the section pertaining to condominiums, homeowners’ associations, cooperatives, timeshares or manufactured/ mobile home communities, to find all of the new legislation that impacts your particular type of community organized by subject matter. It is our pleasure to provide you with this comprehensive and easy-to-understand outline of the substantive legislative changes affecting shared ownership communities, and it is our hope that this latest Guidebook in our Law and Learning Guidebook series assists you in successfully navigating those changes.

Do you have a legal question about Florida condo law? Send your questions to editor@southfloridaopulence.com.

Donna DiMaggio Berger, Esq. is one of the Founding Partners of the statewide law firm, Katzman Garfinkel & Berger (KG&B), a firm that devotes its practice to the representation of community associations. Ms. Berger can be reached directly at 954-315-0372 or via email at dberger@kgblawfirm.com.

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Take Back Control of How you Age Creating a Lifestyle Change with NuLife Institute

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ave you noticed that your sex drive is lacking? You’re tired and your energy level has decreased? Can’t gain that muscle mass and get rid of that extra belly fat that was so easy to lose when you were younger?

NuLife Institute, now located in Downtown Miami, can help. The state-of-the-art facility is a patientdriven concierge medical program tailored to each patient through hormone therapy, esthetics, and overall well-being. The facility encompasses the entire eighth floor of the building, featuring a 25,000-square-foot luxury spa located in the upscale Ten Museum Park high rise overlooking the breathtaking views of Biscayne Bay. NuLife Institute’s Medical Director, Luis Dominguez, D.O., and the NuLife team specialize in the prevention and remediation of age-related conditions through proven, transformative treatment.

“Getting older is inevitable, but how we age is now in our control. By using innovative medicine and the latest techniques in hormone replacement therapy and esthetic procedures, we can transform your mind and body. Our goal here at NuLife Institute is an all-encompassing approach to patient care, emphasizing the patients’ need for specialized care from a concierge medical

By Johana Rabinovich program. NuLife Institute’s Vision is to offer an all-around lifestyle transformation and therefore giving the patient an opportunity to experience a more enjoyable quality of life,” said Dr. Dominguez.

NuLife Institute is a leader in Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy for both men and women, including Testosterone Therapy for Low-T, Human Growth Hormone (HGH) and Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT). Your executive plan can include fitness and nutritional counseling, and vitamin/herbal/prescription medications. You can also experience medical grade esthetic treatments, including body contouring, facials, detox body treatments, and Injectables. Unlike the stereotypical rushed doctor appointments that people complain about, at NuLife Institute you could find yourself receiving VIP treatment from your physician and team.

Call for a complimentary tour at 305-400-0005 or visit our website at www.nulifeinstitute.com.

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*Greenguard Certified Products are certified to GREENGUARD standards for low chemical emissions into indoor air during product usage. For more information, visit ul.com/gg.

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BRAVO-Miami Housewives • mini-night out

Social Living

Patricia Zelman; Steven Zelman, Founder and Owner of Zelman Style Interiors; Lea Black of The Real Housewives of Miami – Season 3; Yosi Gil, Principal of J. Milton & Associates; and Regina Micheloni Lea Black of The Real Housewives of Miami – Season 3; Gina Milton, Executive Vice President of J. Milton & Associates; and Alexia Echevarria of The Real Housewives of Miami – Season 3

Joanna Krupa of The Real Housewives of Miami – Season 3 with a 2014 Jaguar F-Type from Warren Henry Jaguar, a division of Warren Henry Auto Group

Miami HEAT star Mario Chalmers poses Gottex Cruise Spring Summer 2014 Mercedes Benz Fashion with a young guest of the MVP All-Star Week Swim after autographing a basketball for her.

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UrbanDaddy and MINI Cooper continued their national event campaign, MINI Night Out, where guests had the opportunity to reserve a ride in the brand new MINI Paceman and be taken on a nightlife adventure, curated by the UrbanDaddy editors.

Village of Merrick Park and Neiman Marcus Coral Gables Hosted Fashionably Conscious Collection Party 144

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Image provIded courtesy of BomBardIer Inc.

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