Saratoga Living 2021 "I Do!" Issue

SPECIAL REPORT:

THE NIGHT(CLUB)S WE’LL NEVER FORGET

*{five horses to get excited about in 2021}

T HE W INT ER IS SUE 202 1

TH E CIT Y. THE CU LT U R E. THE LIFE.

Free

FLIP Edition!

“I2021 Do!”

MaryJane Anderson and Sam Dienel’s sunrise elopement after a pre-dawn hike up the second-highest peak in the Adirondack Mountains.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY THE PINCKARDS, JUNE 12, 2020

Tying the knot (outdoors!) in the Adirondacks THREE COUPLES HEAD FOR THE MOUNTAINS TO MAKE IT OFFICIAL, PROVING THAT EVEN A GLOBAL PANDEMIC CAN’T CANCEL LOVE.

Take it from the Pros Down Memory Lane: Canfield Casino

&

Prenups

(yup, we went there)

saratogaliving.com | @saratogaliving

sl’s ode to

Jeopardy!

Tacos, two ways

plus

our new fashion column’s debut!

ADDISON, KINDERGARTEN

EDEN, KINDERGARTEN

We’ve been thanking essential workers for nearly a year now, but that doesn’t mean they deserve our praise any less.

CLAIRE, KINDERGARTEN

BRYSON, KINDERGARTEN

So saratoga living called in some friends to help us show our gratitude.

We collected more than 100 pieces of handmade artwork from Capital Region kids, thanking doctors, nurses, farmers, mailmen and more for the amazing work they’ve been doing during the pandemic. Here are a few of our favorites sent in by Geyser Road and Greenfield elementary art students.

Go to saratogaliving.com to see the full collection of Art from the Heart submissions.

THANK YOU TO OUR ART FROM THE HEART SPONSORS: KAIRA, KINDERGARTEN

h MAXWELL, 1st GRADE

CHARLIE, KINDERGARTEN RYLIE, 1st GRADE

IANNIELLO ANDERSON, P.C.

ADDISON, 1st GRADE

ATTORNEYS-AT-LAW

MARIA, 1st GRADE

MARGAUX, 1st GRADE

NATHAN, 1st GRADE

JAYDEN, 1st GRADE

OLIVIA, 1st GRADE

VIVIAN, KINDERGARTEN

KEIRRA, 2nd GRADE

PAITYNN 4th GRADE

AMELIA P., 4th GRADE

KEIRA, 2nd GRADE

ALEXANDRA, 4th GRADE

ALAINA, 2nd GRADE

CLAIRE, 2nd GRADE

CASSIDY, 2nd GRADE

h

DRAKE, 4th GRADE

BRADEN, 2nd GRADE

NICHOLAS, 4th GRADE BORDY, 2nd GRADE

ANNA Y., 4th GRADE

h

ARIANNA, 4th GRADE

JADEN, 4th GRADE

GRANT, 2nd GRADE RYENN, 2nd GRADE

CIENNA, 3rd GRADE

EV ELYN, 4th GRADE NATASHA, 4th GRADE

DECLAN, 3rd GRADE

AMELIA A., 4th GRADE

STELLA, GRADE 4

MIA, 4th GRADE

DANIELLE, 3rd GRADE DAVID, 3rd GRADE

LILAH, 4th GRADE

JONATHAN, 3rd GRADE TANNER, 3rd GRADE

FINNIAN, 3rd GRADE

ELENA, 3rd GRADE MADILYN, 4th GRADE

AIDAN, 4th GRADE

BYRENELL, 4th GRADE

DEANDRE, 4th GRADE

OLIVIA, 4th GRADE

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FE AT U R E S

27 ESCAPE TO THE ADIRONACKS BY

48 TAKE IT FROM THE PROS BY

NATALIE MOORE

54 SPA CITY NIGHT FEVER

28 C E R E M O N Y AT THE SAGA M OR E p h o t o g r a p h y by

R O B S P R IN G

BY

32 E LO PE M E N T ON ALGO N Q U I N

36 WE DD IN G ON THE WATE R p h o t o g r a p h y by

BY

M E AGHAN A L D R I D G E

BY

WILL LEVITH

TONY CASE

NATALIE MOORE

62 5 HORSES TO GET EXCITED ABOUT IN 2021

40 100 YEARS OF CANFIELD CASINO I DOS 46 SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED I’M (NOT) YOURS

WILL LEVITH

58 COFFEE WITH A PURPOSE

p h o t o g r a p h y by

THE PIN C K A R DS

BY

NATALIE MOORE

BY

“I Do!” 2021

p h o t o g r a p h by

T H E P I N C K ARDS

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row, row, row your bride Newlyweds MaryJane Anderson and Sam Dienel take a rowboat out on Lake Placid after getting married on top of Algonquin Peak.

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Stem Cell Therapy

}

The Body’s Secret Weapon

Non-Surgical Treatments offered: • Exosome Therapy • Joint Nerve Ablation • Amniotic Protein Treatments • Viscosupplementation (Joint Gel Lubricants) 69

First turn

75

83 Horseplay Crossword: Bridle Party Overheard

Photo Finish

84 Saratogian of the Month: Gordon Sacks

24 In Memoriam Matt McCabe 13

84

Ce tem ll

&

24

80 Off Track 2nd Annual Capital Region Gives Back

Performed He re PR

13 Panel: Ready, Set, Binge!

14 #TBT: Dashing Through the Snow 15 The Other Saratoga: Saratoga Springs, Utah 15 Made in Saratoga: One Potato, Two Potato 16 Power Player: Michelle Tsao 17 Hot Date: National Cereal Day 18 Anniversary: ‘Discovering’ Saratoga’s Springs 19 FYI: Ice, Ice Baby 19 By the Numbers: Saratoga Winter 20 Television: This is Jeopardy!

22 Government: Commission Statement

Fashion: Saratoga Gets Cozy-Chic Hunger: The Battle of ‘Al Pastor’ Thirst: Whiskey for the Win Design: Lee Owens What to Do: Valentine’s Day

P

T her ap

y

69 70 72 75 78

(24) JACOB VEITCH; (69) DORI FITZPATRICK; (75) ELIZABETH HAYNES PHOTOGRAPHY; (84) KATIE DOBIES

Home stretch

10 From the Editor

S

• Platelet Rich Plasma Injections

Learn why professional athletes are taking advantage of this exciting breakthrough Lorem in medicine to heal rapidly.

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Abby Tegnelia CEO

Will Levith EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

MANAGING EDITOR

SENIOR DESIGNER

SPORTS EDITOR

SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHERS

EDITOR AT LARGE

EDITORIAL INTERNS

Kathleen Gates Natalie Moore Linda Gates Brien Bouyea Francesco D’Amico Katie Dobies Dori Fitzpatrick Susan Gates Meg Gray Jared LaBrecque

WRITERS

ON THE COVER

Karen Bjornland, Tony Case, Field Horne, Katie Navarra, Daniel Nester Tom Pedulla, Corinne Sausville

Clifton Park native MaryJane Anderson and her husband, Sam Dienel, photographed

by The Pinckards at their mountaintop wedding ceremony on Algonquin Peak in the Adirondack Mountains.

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Kyle Adams, Terri-Lynn Pellegri Susie Raisher

Annette Quarrier PUBLISHER

saratoga living is published six times a year by Empire Media Network, Inc. subscriptions: Domestic, $24.95 per year; Canadian, $44.95 per year (non-refundable).

CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER

SALES DIRECTOR, CAPITAL REGION LIVING

DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER

ART DIRECTOR, MARKETING SALES ASSISTANT

Tina Galante Tara Buffa Steve Teabout Tracy Momrow Alyssa Salerno Rachael Rieck

saratoga living 422 Broadway, Suite 203 Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 Volume 23, No.1 Winter 2021 Copyright © 2021 Empire Media Network, Inc. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without written permission from Empire Media Network, Inc. All editorial queries should be directed to editorial@saratogaliving.com; or sent to 422 Broadway, Suite 203, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. saratoga living assumes no responsibility for unsolicited submissions.

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Anthony R. Ianniello CHAIR

Abby Tegnelia PRESIDENT/CEO

Tina Galante CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER

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F R O M T H E e d i to r

Eat, Drink and Be Married

I

’m dedicating this first editor’s letter of 2021 to all of the beautiful people out there that were supposed to get married last year— and then, in many cases, had to call the world’s most disappointing audible. Lord knows if my wife and I had been stuck in the middle of the pandemic pandemonium that was 2020, neither the tiny unitarian church in Barneveld, NY, where we exchanged our vows, nor the 19th-century theater down the street, where we hosted our reception—’90s cover band and all—would have been able to accommodate our gathering of the tribes. No covering The Jayhawks’ “Tampa to Tulsa” for my new wife in the middle of a crowd of family and friends, or hours later, jumping onstage to take lead vocals on Oasis’ “Don’t Look Back in Anger.”

While many couples decided to reschedule their weddings for this year, others took the wedding plunge in 2020, come hell or high water, getting creative with how and where they did it, as you’ll see in our cover package that begins on page 27. On a related topic, we’ll dig into the history of the Canfield Casino as one of Saratoga’s premier wedding venues, hear how wedding pros got hitched and maybe talk you into signing a prenup (hey, you never know).

On the non-nuptial front, you’ll find a hat-tip to some of Saratoga’s hottest clubs of yore, a look at the city’s countless connections to the game show Jeopardy!, a primer on some of the top horses to watch this summer at Saratoga Race Course, and three (count ’em, three!) whiskey-based “quarantini” recipes.

Lastly, I’ll ask you, dear reader, to keep your eyes peeled for some nips and tucks we’ve made to the magazine’s design and its contents—something that our editorial and creative staffs have been hard at work on for months.

While the changes aren’t all that sweeping, we think they’re for the better.

And we hope you do, too.

Will Levith EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

@Mediawill

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10 saratoga living

⁄ THE WINTER ISSUE 2021

@willlevith

wedding belle Editorial Director Will Levith, with his beautiful bride, Laura, on their wedding day in 2011. (Yes, this year is their 10th anniversary!)

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{ first turn }

Redefine the Way You Live Surround Yourself with Excellence!

PANEL

Ready, Set, Binge!

T H REE SARATO G IANS W EIG H IN O N T H E MOVIES , T V SHOW S, B OOKS AN D GAME S T H AT ARE G ET T ING T H EM T H RO UG H T HE PAN DE MI C. Knives Out This lighthearted mystery is a joy to watch, and it’s only gotten better with each viewing.

M

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M TV B G

TV The Great British Baking Show I always feel like the contestants are my

key Movie TV Show Book Game

friends by the end of each season.

Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson This epic fantasy tome makes for a great escape to another world.

Basquiat A great depiction of artist JeanMichel Basquiat’s journey and the struggles of fame and fortune. Being human is messy.

M

B

New York Zoo This satisfying puzzle of filling enclosures with animals is relaxing and cozy on winter days.

G

Peter McPherson BOARD GAME DESIGNER AND BOOK REVIEWER

Dawn Oesch ARTISTIC COORDINATOR, HOME MADE THEATER; OWNER, SARATOGA CANDY CO.

Ready or Not This comedy-horror movie is thrilling, quick-witted and funny as well. It’s a great (albeit a bit gory) break from reality.

M

TV Breaking Bad I rewatched my favorite show during quarantine.

There’s something to be said about staying in your comfort zone when things around you are hectic.

Rogues This collection of short stories by various authors (including Gillian Flynn and George R.R. Martin) kept my attention when I needed to be socially distant from others.

B

TV The Mandalorian Baby Yoda...what else is there to say?

Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis I had to go back to a classic, and Zorba is all about one’s zest for life. This comedyhorror thriller is quick-witted and funny as well.

B

G Saratoga Springs Monopoly I had to try to buy the bookstore…

Chris Morrow OWNER, NORTHSHIRE BOOKSTORE

G Clue Clue is my goto game-night favorite and has been perfect for the winter lockdown.

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{ first turn } M ADE IN SARATOGA

One Potato, Two Potato…

BY NATALI E MOOR E

W

#TBT

T

his past fall, Saratoga Springs’ Gideon Putnam Resort & Spa announced that, in part because of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, its historic hotel would adopt a seasonal operating schedule and close down from November 9, 2020 until March 31, 2021.

But enough with the depressing news: Let’s look back to the happier times depicted in this photo from the George

S. Bolster collection, taken on the hotel’s grounds when the colder months were a wonderland of wintery fun. “According to the Knickerbocker Press, the Gideon Putnam was one of the few hotels open in the winter,” says Lorie Wies, local history librarian at the Saratoga Springs Public Library’s Saratoga Room. (The Knickerbocker Press was a newspaper that operated out of Albany from 1910-1937.) “It offered a full range of winter activities—skating, tobogganing, snowshoeing and sleigh rides among them.”

Hopefully, next year, when the pandemic is better contained, the Gideon Putnam will be able to stay open throughout Saratoga’s winter months. And maybe, just maybe, it’ll bring back those popular sleigh rides because, as every Christmas caroler knows, “Oh, what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh.”

3 Horse-drawn Sleigh Rides to Take This Winter cider. Make it a weekend getaway with Loon Meadow Guest House’s “sleigh and stay” option.

1. Loon Meadow Farm GREENFIELD CENTER Journey through the fields and forest of Loon Meadow’s 153-acre Greenfield Center farm in a private antique sleigh and follow the trip up with a warm mug of mulled

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2. Circle B Ranch CHESTERTOWN Let Circle B Ranch’s three teams of horses—Jack and

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Daniels, John Wayne and Tiny, or Tony and Riley—drive your sleigh through the Adirondack forest this winter.

Afterwards, head to the barn for refreshments and a makeyour-own s’mores bar.

3. Country Dreams Farm LAKE PLACID Enjoy the crisp Adirondack air and views of Whiteface Mountain from beneath a cozy blanket on a sleigh ride at Lake

Placid’s Country Dreams Farm. Be sure to snap some photos with your tour guides—two Belgian Draft horses—before heading to the cabin for a hot cocoa after your ride.

THE OTHER SARATOGA

5 Things to Know About Saratoga Springs, Utah

1

Saratoga Springs, Utah, is located 35 miles south of Salt Lake City on the shore of Utah Lake.

2

The city, which wasn’t officially incorporated until December 30, 1997, was named after its historic springs resort, Beck’s Saratoga Springs. In 1884, German immigrant John Beck purchased the land that included the historic warm springs, naming the surrounding 27 acres after our world-famous home in the Capital Region.

3 AVIA SAGRON

BY N ATA LIE M OORE

springs cleaning The Saratoga Hot Springs are located in a park on the northwestern shore of Utah Lake.

(Gideon Putnam) COURTESY OF THE GEORGE S. BOLSTER COLLECTION, SARATOGA SPRINGS HISTORY MUSEUM

Dashing Through the Snow

Beck’s Saratoga Springs resort changed hands several times, and eventually came to be known as just “Saratoga.” Throughout the years, it featured attractions such as baths (which were said to be therapeutic), swimming pools, a dance pavilion, a baseball diamond,

two Ferris wheels, a miniature train, a mini golf course and a $150,000 waterslide. In 1995, Saratoga was sold to a group of investors to be converted into a housing development.

4

In the vein of its nowclosed Saratoga resort, the City of Saratoga Springs, Utah, throws an annual, multi-day community festival called Saratoga Splash Days, which in past years has featured a carnival, “splash bash water party,” parade, concert and fireworks.

5

Saratoga Springs was the fastest-growing city in Utah from 20002010, with a growth rate of 1,672.8 percent. Its current population includes nearly 38,000 residents, and that’s expected to increase by 35 percent over the next five years to 51,000 people.

hile the myth that George Crum created the potato chip on the shores of Saratoga Lake in the 1850s is just that—a myth—there is one tuber-tastic invention that actually did come out of the Spa City (or should we say the Spud City?). In 1905, Saratogian Samuel B. Archer—who three years earlier helped incorporate the Saratoga Specialties Company, which manufactured, among other things, Saratoga Chips—applied for a patent on his new and useful improvements to the potato-peeling machine.

While similar machines already existed, Archer’s creation was the first to use substances like granulated flint and emery as abrading surfaces, and in 1911 his patent was approved.

What are the chances that two potato heads (and we mean that in the best way possible) made major advances in the carbohydrate consumption industry peel of approval right here in small-town In 1911, Saratogian Samuel Saratoga Springs?

B. Archer was awarded saratoga living a patent for his potatoturned to self-proclaimed peeling machine, which “Toga Chip Guy” and utilized abrasives such as granulated flint and emery. local historian Alan Richer to ask him if Archer’s potato peeler could’ve been related in any way to the alleged invention of the potato chip at Moon’s Lake House in 1853. “I guess indirectly it was,” Richer says.

“Because while the potato chip probably wasn’t invented in Saratoga, it was definitely popularized in Saratoga. The first generic name of it was actually the ‘Saratoga Chip.’”

So there you have it. Archer’s carb-cutting contribution may seem like small potatoes to some, but spud lovers everywhere should be forever grateful for what the City of Saratoga Springs did for everyone’s favorite source of starchy sustenance.

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saratogaliving.com 15

{ first turn } principal player Michelle Tsao worked in the Ballston Spa, Shenendehowa, Queensbury and Averill Park school districts before becoming principal of Saratoga High.

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16 saratoga living

Therein lies the problem. All these years later, I’m still wondering what exactly a principal does. “The role has changed over time,� explains Michelle Tsao (pronounced Tzow), current principal at my alma mater, Saratoga Springs High School. “The role of the past used to be primarily managerial, and over the last 20 or so years, it has shifted towards instructional leadership in addition to the other managerial and

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W E PO L L ED 4 00- P LUS SARATO G IANS O N T H EIR FAVOR I T E SU GARY C E R E ALS.

W

ere you one of those kids who wasn’t allowed to have sugary cereals growing up? Did your best friend have a big bowl of Cookie Crisp every morning, while you had to suffer through a measly bowl of Grape Nuts (all the while wondering why it’s called Grape Nuts when it contains neither grapes nor nuts)?

You’re in luck: National Cereal Day is on March 7, and now that you’re an adult, no one can tell you that you can’t celebrate it by starting your day off with four bowls of Lucky Charms. To toast the big day, we surveyed more than 400 of our Instagram followers about what their all-time favorite sugary cereals were. The results?

They’re grrreat!

55%

60%

Reese’s Puffs

78%

Frosted Flakes

59% 79%

Froot Loops

21%

Apple Jacks

Cinnamon Toast Crunch

45%

40% Cocoa Puffs

Rice Krispies

22%

Frosted Cheerios

Cocoa Krispies

41%

Golden Grahams

fruity

W

hen you’re a kid, principals get sort of a bad rap. At least in my day, they were the ultimate designated disciplinarians, whose offices you would wind up in if you were caught being insolent. Sure, they led assemblies, made announcements and visited classrooms, but the less you saw of them, the better.

Snap! Crackle! Pop!

Squares

BY W ILL LE V ITH photo g r a phy by KATIE D OBIES

HOT DATE : M AR CH 7

Krispies

SA RATO GA HIGH’S PRINCIPAL , M ICHE LLE TSAO, LE A D S BY E XAMPL E.

able to return to school full time, they wouldn’t be skipping a beat.

As organized as it all may sound, by no means has this year been a walk in the park. “Educators are planners,� Tsao says. “The hardest part has been having to be so flexible in a time of uncertainty.

We’re all Type A personalities, and we’re

living in a Type C situation,� she says, with a chuckle. “You have to just laugh and go with it.� Thankfully for Tsao, this isn’t even close to her first rodeo.

Tsao, who grew up in Oneonta and is the daughter of Chinese immigrants, earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University at Albany before serving as an economics and social studies teacher at Ballston Spa High School for six years. She then switched gears to high school

Frosted

Winning a Blue Streak

the a team “We’re all Type A personalities, and we're living in a Type C situation,� says Saratoga High Principal Michelle Tsao, seen here with assistant principals (from left), Stacey Ralston, Johanna Friedman, Kevin Wolpert and Cody Conley.

PUFFS

P OWER PL AYER

operational functions.� For instance, the principal of old might’ve been in charge of teachers’ allocation, distribution and enforcement of bathroom passes. That runs in stark contrast to the types of hands-on tasks Principal Tsao has been executing since COVID struck, which include getting students and teachers up to speed on the school’s virtual platform, Canvas, and helping set up the complex latticework that is Saratoga High’s hybrid school week (it’s still hybrid at press time). She’s even helped set up a self-care module in Canvas, specifically for teachers, who’ve had it particularly rough during the pandemic. “It’s been a lot to shift to, mentally,� she admits, “but our students and teachers have done an amazing job.�

Speaking of that hybrid schedule, Saratoga High has separated its population of a little more than 2,000 students into two main groups (or “cohorts�). Each group meets on a staggered schedule, two times a week in person and three days online. There’s also a “priority� group, which comes to school four days a week, and yet another made up of all of the students whose parents opted to either hold them out of in-person classes entirely or switch them to virtual at some point during the year. While one might expect this to be a logistical nightmare, Tsao says that the transition to a hybrid model has been a relatively smooth one. She offers up the all-virtual kids as an example: “Our virtual students follow the normal schedule, so they ‘go into’ their classes as if they were in person, except they’re online,� she says. “It’s not a separate school or teachers; it’s their regular schedule, and the reason we created it this way was for fluidity between different instructional models.�

So, hypothetically speaking, if students were all vaccinated by this April and

administration, landing an assistant principalship at Queensbury and then Shenendehowa. She was eventually named principal at Averill Park High School in 2015, before taking on the role of principal at Saratoga three years later.

Call it a hang-up, but I couldn’t help but wonder if Tsao still gets a steady string of Saratoga’s naughtiest ne’erdo-wells sent to her office—even during a global pandemic. Thankfully, she says, it’s a rarity these days. Sure, students do get “referrals� (educationspeak for “in trouble�) and might have to speak to an assistant principal or even Tsao herself (virtual screw-ups might get a phone/Zoom call to a parent or even an in-person visit), but overall, Saratoga’s kids are all right, despite the lot they’ve been handed this year. “Our students are wonderful,� she says. Phew.

What’s your favorite sugary cereal and why?

Oreo O’s!!!!!

Best cereal ever.

Chocolatey, crunchy and stands up to milk without going soft. –@acd920 Cap’n Crunch, a golden treasure chest. Can feel my teeth rot while eating them. —@davidkeenan33

đ&#x;¤Ş

Rice Krispie TREAT cereal!

OMG there is just nothing like it! –@kati0154

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saratogaliving.com 17

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A

ccording to legend—and this is the founding legend of Saratoga Springs we’re talking about—Sir William Johnson, a British-born friend to the Mohawk Indians of Upstate New York, was carried to High Rock Spring by said Indians to nurse wounds he’d sustained during the French and Indian War, thus making him the first European to lay eyes on the healing mineral springs for which Saratoga would come to be known.

And while this legend is rooted in fact—Johnson did, indeed, write a letter in 1771 stating that he had “lately paid a Visit to try the Effects of a Spring lately discovered to the Northward of Schenectady”—the particulars are questionable.

Johnson had been wounded more than a decade beforehand in 1771, so why had the Mohawks, with whom he had worked closely as the superintendent of Indian Affairs and whom most sources agree knew about the springs long before Europeans came to the region, not brought him to High Rock earlier?

Regardless of the validity of the story, 1771 was the year the survey of the Kayaderosseras Patent—a huge tract of land that included present-day Saratoga—was completed. The springs, Dr. Samuel Tenney wrote in 1783, “were unknown (except to the Mohawks, in whose country they are found) ’till about thirteen years ago; at which time they were discovered by some surveyors.” Tenney’s estimation lines up perfectly with the completion of the survey in 1771, making this year, 2021, the semiquincentennial of Europeans “discovering” Saratoga’s springs.

Ice, Ice Baby

SARATO GA’ S IC E WAS A H OT C O MMO D IT Y IN T HE 19T H C E N T U RY. of ice and men Ice harvesters at work on Loughberry Lake.

COURTESY OF THE GEORGE S. BOLSTER COLLECTION, SARATOGA SPRINGS HISTORY MUSEUM

250 Words About the 250th Anniversary of Europeans ‘Discovering’ Saratoga’s Springs

FYI

fountain of truth The bas-relief artwork on the facade of the Saratoga Springs Visitor Center, depicting Mohawk Indians bringing Sir William Johnson to High Rock Spring, tells a story that is dubious at best.

DORI FITZPATRICK

ANNIVERSARY

I

n the days before electric refrigeration, Saratoga Springs was a hotspot for the coldest of industries.

Each winter, the ice that formed on Loughberry, Geyser and Granite lakes was “harvested,” and 250-pound ice “cakes” were then sold throughout Saratoga and as far south as New York City. In fact, in the mid-to-late 1800s, the ice harvested from the upper Hudson

{ by 0

Number of official weather stations in Saratoga Springs

63

Average snowfall, in inches, Saratoga sees each year

River and surrounding lakes supplied the ice for most of the Eastern US. In the 1920s, Saratoga’s ice trade melted away with the advent of electric refrigeration, and the Saratoga Ice Company, the last remaining operator of its kind, was purchased by Stewart’s Shops’ founding brothers, Percy Dake and Charles Dake, who began making and selling artificial ice.

t h e n u m b e r s : S a r at o ga W i n t e r 35

Inches of snow that covered Saratoga on December 17, 2020

1500

Tons of salt used during said December 17, 2020 snow event

58

Inches of snow that covered Saratoga on March 12, 1888

400

People who died in the Blizzard of 1888

24

Number of snowplows that service 366 miles of county roads in Saratoga County

15

Weight of one snowplow in elephants

} 18

Maximum tons of salt a Saratoga County snowplow can carry

1000

Tons of salt used per “snow event” in Saratoga County, on average

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{ first turn } THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

AND THEY’RE OFF!

MYTHOLOGY

POTPOURRI

$200

$500

$200

$400

YOU’RE OFF TO THE RACES IN UPSTATE NY WITH THIS DRINK OF GINGER ALE, SUGAR, BITTERS & LEMON JUICE

SOME CREDIT THIS BACON, TURKEY AND LETTUCE CREATION TO THE SARATOGA CLUB OF NEW YORK STATE

ONCE KNOWN FOR ITS CASINOS AND SPRINGS, THIS CITY IN EASTERN NEW YORK IS NOW HOME TO SKIDMORE COLLEGE

1988

1999

1993

$1000

$600

$1000

AFTER HELPING THE AMERICANS WIN THE BATTLE OF SARATOGA, HE WENT HOME TO FIGHT FOR POLISH INDEPENDENCE

A SUPERFECTA AT SARATOGA INVOLVES CORRECTLY GUESSING THIS NUMBER OF HORSES IN ORDER OF FINISH

I COULD EAT A WHOLE BAG OF THIS TYPE OF SNACK INVENTED IN SARATOGA SPRINGS IN 1853

1999

2013

2007

TWO YEARS BEFORE TURNING TRAITOR, HE RALLIED THE AMERICANS TO VICTORY AT THE SECOND BATTLE OF SARATOGA 1999

TELEVISION

This Is Jeopardy!

SA RATO GA’S COUNTLESS C O N N E CTIO N S TO TH E EMMYW IN N IN G Q U IZ SH OW.

$2000

P ⁄

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2002

2016

BY N ATA LIE M OORE

icture yourself getting this Daily Double clue: “This small city in Upstate New York may not seem to be in any way associated with ‘America’s Favorite Quiz Show,’ but it’s been the subject of dozens of Jeopardy! clues, the home of several contestants and even has a connection to Alex Trebek, the beloved former host who passed away last November.” If you made it a “true Daily Double” and answered What is Saratoga Springs?, you’d be twice as rich and better yet, right.

A HORSE RACING HALL OF FAME IS RIGHT ACROSS FROM THIS FAMOUS TRACK IN EASTERN NEW YORK

ANSWERS THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION Benedict Arnold; Thaddeus Kosciuszko; Saratoga AND THEY’RE OFF! A Saratoga; Four; Saratoga

SHOW HORSES

ALEX TREBEK’S HORSE RACING CONNECTIONS.

W

hen he wasn’t busy being one of America’s most iconic game show hosts, Alex Trebek dabbled in horse racing. It all started

when he fell in love with and purchased a 700-plus-acre horse farm in Paso Robles, CA, in the 1990s. “Alex didn’t have a lot of horses,” says Trebek’s then-trainer Dan Hendricks, who has since retired to Malta. “He got into [horse racing] because of buying the farm. But he loved it when he was there and he liked the atmosphere.”

Though he only owned a handful of horses, Trebek’s Reba’s Gold, which

THIS LARGE TRUNK WITH A CURVED LID IS NAMED FOR A CITY IN NEW YORK 1995

$1000

$800

AN AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL QUARTER DEPICTS GENERAL BURGOYNE SURRENDERING HIS SWORD IN THIS 1777 BATTLE

(contestants) SONY PICTURES

’pardy time Alex Trebek, who passed away in November 2020 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, led Jeopardy! to 39 Emmy wins in his 37 years as its genial host.

$500

$2000

HOME OF THE TRAVERS STAKES, THIS NY RACETRACK IS NORTH AMERICA’S OLDEST CONTINUOUSLY OPERATING TRACK

“HEALTH, HISTORY, HORSES” IS THE MOTTO OF THIS CITY IN UPSTATE NEW YORK 2000 & 2008

2007

ANSWERS MYTHOLOGY Club sandwich; Potato chips; Saratoga POTPOURRI Saratoga Springs; Saratoga (Springs); Saratoga Springs

competed in a number of graded stakes races and won the Grade 3 Seabiscuit Handicap at Bay Meadows in 2003, went on to garner more than $700,000 throughout his career.

“What I found out about the guy is he’s a very nice person—amicable with anybody,” Hendricks says of his former client. “The funny thing was, when he got in a crowd, he became the host of Jeopardy!. Even when we did a press

conference for the [Grade 1] Japan Cup Dirt race—it was a very stoic, typical Japanese event where they ask a question, you give an answer. Almost everyone’s answers were the same. But Alex got up there and for about half an hour, just had a great monologue. They were taken aback at first, but they knew him in Japan—he had so many fans over there. It was fun to see him really enjoying himself on that trip.”

Let’s Meet the Contestants Three Jeopardy! contestants with Saratoga ties.

Ian Pickus, the news director for WAMC, is originally from Saratoga Springs, NY. What did you talk about in your interview with Alex? “I used to be a hawker outside Saratoga Race Course, which I did from the time I was 14 until I was 23 after grad school. I sold sheets out there, and we ended up talking about that. He asked if I ever brought my money into the track after work was over and of course, I answered honestly, and the answer was ‘yes.’”

EPISODE AIR DATE: April 29, 2011 FINISH: 3rd Adam Perrotta is a Los Angeles–based writer originally from Saratoga Springs, NY. What was your Final Jeopardy clue? “The son of an Oscar winner, this prince is also a 5-time Olympian.”

(Answer: Who is Prince Albert?)

EPISODE AIR DATE: October 7, 2011 FINISH: 3rd Cindy Conaway is a professor of media studies at the State University of New York, Empire State College, in Saratoga Springs, NY. What was Alex like in person?

“He was just like you expected, if you spent a lot of time reading about the show. He came up behind me and he sang that ‘Cindy, Oh Cindy’ song that I hadn’t heard since I was 6 years old.”

EPISODE AIR DATE: January 13, 2012 FINISH: 3rd

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COMMISSION FORM OF GOVERNMENT One source of the controversy regarding Saratoga’s governmental structure is the fact that, in the grand scheme of things, it’s relatively rare.

Only three percent of US cities use a commission form of government, in which voters elect multiple commissioners—each of whom are responsible for a specific city department

and one of whom is designated “mayor”—to a small governing board. The commissioners, who are elected every two years, also constitute the legislative body of the government.

DEPUTY MAYOR (Lisa Shields) Civil Service City Attorney

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER (Maire Masterson)

(Michele Madigan)

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER (Deirdre Ladd)

Human Resources Planning/ Economic Devel.

Building Inspector

ASSESSMENT

IT

Misc.

COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC SAFETY

COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC WORKS

(ROBIN DALTON)

(SKIP SCIROCCO)

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER

Recreation

disaster, a commission was appointed to govern Galveston while it was being rebuilt, and eventually, the commissioners came to be elected by popular vote, instead of being appointed.

(JOE O’NEILL)

(EILEEN FINNERAN)

The new form of government spread in popularity across Texas, and then the rest of the country between 1907 and 1920, during which 500 cities, including Saratoga, adopted it.

DPW BUSINESS MANAGER (MICHAEL VEITCH) engineer

MAYOR-COUNCIL 38%

The History The seeds of Saratoga’s governing style were planted more than 1,800 miles away in Texas. Originally called the Galveston Plan, the commission form of government debuted in Galveston, TX, following a devastating hurricane there in 1900. In the aftermath of the natural

(John Franck)

COMMISSIONER OF FINANCE

WaterPlant

charter’s structure such a divisive issue, despite it having seemingly worked since 1915? saratoga living wanted to get to the bottom of it.

Of the 30 most populous cities in the US, Portland, OR (No. 29), is the only major city with a commission form of government.

(Meg Kelly)

COMMISSIONER OF ACCOUNTS

Casino

L

ast November, for the sixth time in 20 years, Saratogians voted on whether or not to change the city’s charter (or how elected officials at City Hall govern), and for the sixth time in 20 years, Saratogians voted “no.” Charter reform has become a hotly contested issue of late— back in 2017, it came within 10 votes of being passed.

What has made the Saratoga

COUNCIL-MANAGER 48%

MAYOR

Garage

W H AT E X ACTLY I S SARATOGA’ S FORM O F GOV E R N M ENT? n BY NATAL I E MOO R E

Cities in New Yor k That Hav e a Commission For m of Gov er nment • Saratoga Springs • Mechanicville • Sherrill (also has a city manager)

Utilities

Commission Statement

TOWN MEETING 8%

PUBLIC SAFETY GARAGE

GOVERNMENT

t W o r k s i n S a r at o g I w a Ho

FIRE DEPARTMENT

{ first turn }

REPRESENTATIVE TOWN MEETING 3%

POLICE DEPARTMENT

COMMISSION 3%

Now that you’re familiar with the structure of Saratoga’s city government, be sure to pick up our next issue to read our first commissioner profile.

{ in

memoriam

}

Guitar Hero

SA RATO GA PAYS TRIBUTE TO LONGT I M E SA R ATO GA GU I TA R OW N E R A N D TWO-TERM FINANCE COMM I SSI O N E R M AT T M cCA B E .

BY W ILL L EVI TH

T

n

and in the end Matt McCabe, who ran Saratoga Guitar for more than 25 years and served as Saratoga’s finance commissioner for two terms, was one of the city’s most beloved small business owners.

p h otograph by JAC O B V E I TC H

he year was 1993, and I had just spent a decent chunk of my bar mitzvah money on my first electric guitar—a lipstick red Fender Stratocaster Squire. Back then, you had to have your mom or dad drive you to The Only Guitar Shop in Clifton Park (where I bought the guitar) or Drome Sound in Albany to try out the latest models, and let me tell you, that was about as uncool as it got.

The following June, though, Matt McCabe, who was this every-dad type of guy, opened Saratoga Guitar on Caroline Street in Saratoga Springs, and suddenly, local guitarists didn’t have to leave town to worship at a six-string altar. It wasn’t just any old shop; Matt treated everyone that came through his front door the same way—like an old friend. He had this good-natured way about him, the type you just wanted to be around.

While I never did end up buying a second axe from Matt, in my early punk years, I sawed down countless picks on vigorous downstrokes and bought loads of replacements from him, got my Strat set up there a number of times and “test drove” more than my fair share of hardware. Matt would always oblige; he was just what the guitarists of Saratoga needed and deserved, and we all miss him greatly.

Saratoga lost Matt, who also served for two terms as the city’s commissioner of finance in the early aughts, on January 12, and we asked some of his family and friends to pay tribute to him.

“Matt McCabe was a model citizen of Saratoga Springs, a real community leader in multiple ways: as a businessman, as a musician and as an elected official. He was the kind of person who made Saratoga Springs the vibrant, successful city that it is. His death is a great loss to the community, but he will be remembered by all who knew him for his energy, dedication and commitment to public service.”

–KENNETH KLOTZ, former mayor of Saratoga, who served with McCabe

“My father cared deeply about the community. As a small business owner, he felt that he was meant to strengthen the community and provide opportunities for the people in it. He took a personal interest in the success of his employees and loved to support local causes. It’s been good to see just how many lives he was able to touch during his time in Saratoga.

“Matt knew everybody, and everybody loved him. He operated from a place of public service in everything that he did. Every small or large gesture was about making the world a little bit better through music. He just gave and gave and gave.”

–SARAH CRAIG, executive director of Caffè Lena “Matt did everything in a quiet way. He was a gentle giant. Every time there was a benefit in town, he donated a guitar. He probably gave away hundreds of guitars. He was one of the good ones. They’re few and far between. He wasn’t big about blabbing about all the good that he did, he just went out and did it.”

–RICK BOLTON, longtime Saratoga musician and music organizer “He really played a huge part in this community and the music scene. When my daughter was born a couple years ago, Matt gave me a guitar—one of the nicest guitars I’ve ever played. That’s my main instrument, the one I play every day.”

–ALEX GRANDY, former manager at Saratoga Guitar

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CREDIT

–CHARLIE McCABE, MATT’S ELDEST SON CREDIT

“All musical journeys in Saratoga Springs led to Matt McCabe and Saratoga Guitar in one way or another. Purely foundational!”

–GARLAND NELSON, lead singer of Soul Session and owner at Soul Session Edu-tainment

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EMBRACE YOUR FUTURE without financial doubt.

When you look ahead, what adventures do you hope to experience? Maybe it’s a career that gives

into the wild A private family property in the Adirondacks was the perfect COVID-safe venue for Francine Pinheiro and David Stott’s August wedding.

you purpose. The travel of a lifetime. A home of your dreams. A family to provide for. Whatever your future holds, it’s important to have a financial partner who knows your goals and then does the work to get you there. We’ll use our financial planning and investment management solutions to ensure you’re on the right path. Give your money concerns to us and enjoy the adventures that await you.

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When the pandemic hit last March, many couples opted to postpone their nuptials until it passed. But not these wedding warriors. They made the magic happen, COVID be damned. The result? Three intimate Adirondack ceremonies that prove that love needs no audience.

30 N Sara & Tim N Ceremony at the Sagamore 34 N MaryJane & Sam N Elopement on Algonquin 38 N Francine & David N Wedding on the Water

MAY GO DOWN IN VALUE

© 2021 Adirondack Wealth Management

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CEREMONY at

the SAGAMORE p h oto gr a p hy by R O B SP R IN G

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ust how do you hold a wedding with no venue, no officiant, no wedding gown, and with government offices closed for COVID, no official paperwork? Newlywed Sara Bosek knows. Shortly after getting engaged in 2018, she and her now-husband, Tim, booked the Museum of the City of New York for their dream New York City wedding, which was scheduled to take place on May 30, 2020. When the pandemic hit last spring, they decided to push the date forward to 2021—until Tim’s mom swooped in to save the (wedding) day. “My mother-in-law felt very passionately that we should still get married,” Sara says. “Kind of like a ‘screw COVID’ kind

(saga)more than a feeling The Sagamore Resort allowed Sara and Tim Bosek to get married on its lakeside property in May, despite being closed to weddings; (opposite) Sara had to buy a new wedding dress online, because the shop from which she purchased hers was closed due to COVID.

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Sara and Tim

PHOTOGRAPHY

Rob Spring, Saratoga Springs, robspringphotography.com VENUE The Sagamore Resort, Bolton Landing, thesagamore.com FOOD The Sagamore Resort CAKE Praneeth Perera, executive pastry chef, The Sagamore Resort FLOWERS Susan Cady, Finishing Touches, Bolton Landing, finishingtouchesflowers.com DRESS BHLDN, bhldn.com MUSIC Cafe Wha? House Band, New York City, cafewhaweddings.com

of thing, to show some resiliency. She had grown up going to Lake George every summer, so it was really special for her, and Tim had grown up going there, too. She called up The Sagamore and basically hounded them and then convinced us to do this very small, socially distanced wedding ceremony on their property.” (At the time, The Sagamore was closed to weddings, but its staff agreed to let Sara, Tim, their parents and one sibling each hold a micro-wedding down by the lake.)

So, venue? Check. Officiant? Easy. Tim’s dad stepped in and got his license online. Wedding gown? That was a bit trickier.

Sara had already bought a wedding dress, but she couldn’t pick it up because the store she bought it from was closed due to the lockdown. “I literally bought a new wedding dress online,” she says. “Tim’s mom and sister legitimately cut it with scissors to hem it and sewed me into it. The whole thing was crazy, but it worked out—the dress ended up being pretty good.”

Before Tim and Sara could tie the knot, though, they needed to make sure their marriage would be official. And for that, they needed a marriage license. And for that, the town hall in Bolton Landing would need to be open. And it was not. Luckily, when Sara called to get her marriage license, Jodi Petteys, the Bolton town clerk, overheard the conversation and asked to speak with Sara. She offered to meet the couple in the parking lot at 8am on the morning before the wedding and issue them their marriage license.

“We woke up super-early Friday morning, met Jodi in the parking lot, and she gave us our marriage license,” Sara says. “If it weren’t for her, after we had done everything else, we wouldn’t have been able to get married.”

Marriage license in hand, the couple woke up Saturday morning and began texting family members and friends to invite them to watch that day’s ceremony on Zoom. They ended up getting almost everyone who had been invited to the wedding on the video call, and after all that, finally made

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it official. “It was very thrown-together, very last-minute,” says Sara, “but it ended up being so beautiful and wonderful. We might still do something next year to honor the date, like a vow renewal or anniversary party. But this was our main wedding, which ended up being really nice. Unexpected, but it couldn’t have turned out any better.”

day of our lives Scenes from Sara and Tim’s unexpected wedding day, which included an emailed video performance by their would-be wedding band, the Cafe Wha? House Band; a ceremony live-streamed on Zoom; takeout food from The Sagamore; and Tim’s father stepping in as the officiant.

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ost brides don’t have to worry too much about transporting their wedding dress to their wedding venue— wherever they’re going, their garment bag can come, too. Clifton Park native MaryJane Anderson was not one of those brides.

Like many bridesto-be, Anderson had a big, formal wedding planned for 2020 but was forced to push it back because of COVID. She and her now-husband, Sam Dienel, officially changed their Gideon Putnam wedding from May 30 to October 2 of last year, but even before the original date arrived, they were making alternate plans. “As events began to unfold in the spring, Sam and I looked at each other and said, ‘You know, the one thing that feels safe and predictable and trustworthy this year in the midst of all this chaos is the partnership we have with each other and the love that we share,’” Anderson says. “One day I turned to him and said, ‘I never in a million years would have considered this, but let’s make it official now.’”

So the couple began planning an elopement.

Anderson had been following Schroon Lake–based husband-andwife photography team The Pinckards, who specialize in “adventurous elopements” on Instagram, and reached out to them. While most of the elopements The Pinckards photograph (and officiate— Dan, the husband, is an ordained minister) take place on fairly short hikes in the Adirondacks, Anderson immediately started thinking bigger. “Sam and I were daydreaming together and I was like, “Oh, it’d be so cool to hike one of the High Peaks,’” she says. “I said that one of my favorite mountains that I’ve hiked many times is Algonquin, which is

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ELOPEMENT on ALGONQUIN peak happiness Weathering 30-degree alpine temperatures, MaryJane Anderson and Sam Dienel changed into their wedding clothes and tied the knot on top of Algonquin Peak last June.

photography by The Pi nck ards

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family matters After their early-morning mountaintop elopement, MaryJane and Sam spent the rest of the day in Lake Placid, rereading their vows to their families and taking a rowboat out on the lake.

the second-highest peak in the High Peaks range. And Sam’s eyes lit up.” Then, as if a 10-mile round trip hike to the secondhighest point in New York State wasn’t enough, the outdoorsy couple decided to do it at sunrise.

After pushing the date back one day due to rain, Anderson and Dienel met Dan and Laura Pinckard at the Algonquin Peak trailhead at 1:15am on Friday, June 12. Dienel’s suit and Anderson’s dress were carefully rolled—not folded— in their packs, and the bridal bouquet was poking out of Dienel’s pack. “I had my hair done the night before, and just put the headlamp on over top of that,” Anderson says.

“And then we set forth.” They giddily scrambled up the mountain, kicking it into high gear when they saw the sun coming up as they approached the summit, and changed out of their hiking clothes on the top of the mountain.

“We exchanged vows, which was truly out of this world, as the sun rose,” Anderson says. “It was also comical because it was, like, 30 degrees with the windchill and so imperfectly perfect—very 2020 to be in that environment.”

When they got back to the trailhead, it was only 10:30am, and they still had the rest of the day to celebrate. They took a rowboat out on Lake Placid, had a second, mini ceremony where they reread their vows in front of their immediate families and feasted on Korean barbecue at an Airbnb. “It was ridiculous and funny—a party of nine people eating takeout in this totally unexpected environment,” Anderson says. “Nothing was at all how we had envisioned it, but it was so fun and so perfect to be reminded that, at the end of the day, it’s all about partnership and family and finding support for one another.”

MaryJane and Sam

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PHOTOGRAPHY

The Pinckards, Schroon Lake, thepinckards.com FOOD Bar Vino, North Creek, barvinonorthcreek.com CAKE The Cookie Factory, Clifton Park, cookiefactoryllc.com FLOWERS Field and Hand, Pittsburgh, instagram.com/fieldandhand DRESS Luxe Redux Bridal Boutique, Pittsburgh, luxereduxbridal.com HAIR River Rock Salon, Lake Placid, riverrocksalon.com

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WEDDING on the WATER p h oto g ra p hy by M e agha n A l dr idge

ith restrictions on large gatherings and social distancing guidelines, the pandemic made some 2020 wedding plans virtually impossible. Francine Pinheiro’s wedding on the other hand?

Now that one was made for a pandemic.

Ever since Pinheiro began vacationing with her then-boyfriend, David Stott, at his family’s cabin in the Adirondacks, she knew she wanted to get married there. When Stott proposed to her at the cabin, there wasn’t even a question: That’s where they’d eventually tie the knot. The couple planned a wedding for August 2020 for 80 people, some of whom would be traveling from as far away as India and New Zealand for the occasion. “It was pretty apparent by March that none of my family was going to come from abroad,” Pinheiro says. “The guest list got cut by more than half. People were getting scared, and then we were like, ‘Oh, should we cancel this?’ I think it was in April when I said, ‘You know what? I don’t care if five people come. We’re doing this, because we’ve been planning this for a year.’”

canoe feel the love tonight? Francine Pinheiro made her way to the altar on a floating dock in a canoe, where her husband-to-be, David Stott, was waiting.

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Francine and David

PHOTOGRAPHY

Meaghan Aldridge, Saratoga Springs, aldridgephotography.com

CAKE Classy Cakes by Andrea, Utica, classycakesbyandrea.com

FLOWERS Sacandaga Flowers, Mayfield, sacandagaflowersny.com

DRESS Tidebuy, tidebuy.com MUSIC Harpist: Karlinda Caldicott, thelivingharp.com; Guitarist: Scott Sanchez, scottsanchez.com Aside from the reduced guest list, Pinheiro and Stott’s wedding plans barely needed to be altered. “Everything just got simpler and less expensive,” Stott says. A few days before the big day, the couple picked wildflowers on the side of the road for centerpieces, and for food, they cooked a dinner of smoked salmon, roasted potatoes, curried vegetables and blueberry muffins themselves. Dinner was served on the cabin’s wraparound porch, which Pinheiro says felt plenty crowded with their 18 guests.

And, as if their big day wasn’t already COVID-safe enough, the ceremony itself was held in socially distanced style on the property’s floating dock, with Pinheiro making her way to the altar in a canoe that belonged to Stott’s grandmother, as a harpist played Wagner’s “Bridal Chorus” (a.k.a. “Here Comes the Bride”) on the shore. “The timing that day was unbelievable,” Pinheiro says. “When the ceremony was over, David and I did a little canoe ride and as soon as we got back to shore, it started drizzling. Basically, as soon as the harpist put her harp into her car, it started pouring. But it blew over—it was only an hour—and it made the air really special.”

Some things are just meant to be.

simple man “Everything just got simpler and less expensive,” David Stott says about planning his wedding in the middle of the pandemic.

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WINNING THE MARRIAGE GAMBLE C R AC K O P E N T H E W E D D I N G A L B U M : W E T R AC K E D D OW N 1 0 0 Y E A R S ’ WO R T H O F W E D D I N G S AT C A N F I E L D C A S I N O .

(Fitzgerald) GEORGE S. BOLSTER; (Aldridge) NIKI ROSSI

BY W I L L L E V I T H

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now and then Meaghan and Stuart Aldridge got married at the Canfield Casino in 2014; (opposite) former Saratoga Springs City Historian Mary Ann Fitzgerald and her husband, Michael, got married at the historic venue a half-century earlier in 1964.

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(opposite) TRACEY BUYCE; (Fitzgerald) GEORGE S. BOLSTER; (Kelsey) MEAGHAN ALDRIDGE

canfield of dreams (from left) Dr. Michele Smith and Shaun Looney’s 2017 wedding at the Canfield; Mary Ann and Michael Fitzgerald cut their wedding cake; Kelsey and Erich Haun got married at the venue in December 2019.

B

efore the pandemic hit, it seemed as though everybody and their sister got married at Saratoga Springs’ Canfield Casino. After all, it’s located in picturesque Congress Park, its stately building having been erected

by John “Old Smoke” Morrissey (cofounder of Saratoga Race Course) himself, in 1870 as a gambling hall. And if you’ve ever been inside it, the venue’s got “classy” written all over it, what with its parlor, bar and grand ballroom.

After anti-gambling laws swept the nation in the early 1900s and threatened later owner Richard Canfield’s business, he sold the property and park to the

Village of Saratoga for $150,000 in April 1911. A year after that, the casino’s upper floors began being used as a museum, and locals were able to rent it out for a nominal fee.

So when did it officially become a wedding venue? That information seems to have been lost in space—or trapped in the decent chunk of the city’s archives that are still closed because of COVID. But when I polled the good people on the “I Love Saratoga” Facebook group, a daily repository for all things vintage Spa City, I got an instant shower of responses. One group member told me that his grandparents

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in the ’50s—and well, my post caused enough of a stir to get some members to reminisce about their nuptials in the late 1990s.

When Mary Ann Fitzgerald, who up until recently was the Saratoga Springs City Historian, held her wedding reception there on September 5, 1964, “the rental fee was only $50, which gave us the ballroom, the parlor and the bar area,” she says. “We purchased

the wine, liquor, beer and soda for the bar, and hired a bartender to stock the bar and serve drinks. The ballroom had lovely decorations provided by the Turf Writers Ball that was held at the end of the racing season.”

Of course, the “Queen of Saratoga” herself, Marylou Whitney also held her wildly popular annual summer galas at the casino, and in the mid1980s, as a birthday gift from then-

NIKI ROSSI

were married at the Canfield Casino in the mid 1920s—the earliest instance of a wedding taking place there, at least that I could find. One woman said that her mother had had her wedding reception there in 1944 or ’45, while another remembered her sister’s wedding reception taking place there in August of 1946. A number of others remembered wedding receptions happening there

MEAGHAN ALDRIDGE

wedding perception While the rental fee for the Canfield Casino was only $50 when Mary Ann Fitzgerald got married there in 1964, today, it’s $2,800 for Saratoga residents and $3,000 for everyone else.

husband Cornelius Vanderbilt “Sonny” Whitney, she had him install an air conditioning system there, to make it a more pleasant experience for partygoers of all kinds (one can only imagine what that August 1946 wedding reception must’ve felt like with no AC).

Even after more than 100 years as a wedding venue, the Canfield Casino is still one of Saratoga’s hottest spots to tie the knot.

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1706838

1706838

State Farm Bloomington, IL

THE CASE FOR GETTING A

PRENUP BEFORE YOUR B I G , F AT S A R AT O G A W E D D I N G .

BY TONY CASE successful businesswoman who has lived in the Capital Region her whole life, Madeleine was overjoyed about walking down the aisle. After her first marriage fell apart when she was younger, she’d finally arrived at a place where she fully knew herself—and, she thought, the man she was about to promise to love forever.

That is, until two days before the ceremony, when her fiancé surprised her with a prenuptial agreement that would leave her with little more than rent money for a couple of years. “It wasn’t good, and we fought about it,” says Madeleine, who had shut down her business and put her career on the backburner for her soon-to-be husband. “All the power was his. I’d given up my whole life for him.”

She briefly considered calling the whole thing off. But then, even with so little time to spare, she hired a lawyer. “We changed things to make it more equitable,” she says.

Corrine, also a successful businesswoman, has a very different story. She married “for love,” she says, when she was 30. The marriage, in which she was by far the primary breadwinner, would end 15 years later—and her husband would take half of everything and then some. “It never crossed my mind to ask for or even consider a prenup, and I came to regret that,” she says. “That was a very expensive mistake for me.”

By now, most of you are probably familiar with the concept of a prenup, a contract a couple enters into prior to a marriage regarding assets. And yet, prenups remain the exception rather than the rule. That shouldn’t be the case, though, according to Teresa Donnellan, a divorce and family law attorney at Donnellan Law in Ballston Spa. Donnellan says there are many misconceptions about prenups—mainly that they are for rich people. “When you get married, you are combining your financial responsibilities and obligations no matter how much money you have,” she explains. Others feel a prenup is a sign of a weak relationship. “That is just not the case,” she says.

Another misunderstanding is that prenups are about only what happens in the event of a divorce. Donnellan stresses that they also provide guidance on “how to structure a marriage.” For example: Who’s going to be responsible for the bills? If one spouse buys a big-ticket item, who owns it? What if one of the parties comes into a large inheritance? Prenups can address such issues, says Donnellan, who also advises that each spouse has his or her own lawyer available for negotiations. “You have to look at it this way: marriage is binding and lasting, hopefully,” she says. “But marriage is also about compromise, and your financial picture and future are a compromise.

Isn’t it better to have these conversations before you get married?”

Everyone enters into a marriage hoping for a happy ending, but with more than half of marriages these days ending in divorce, it would be folly not to prepare for the opposite. “We make preparations for all kinds of disasters—hailstorms, broken windows,” says Donnellan. “It’s crazy to act as though when we get married there’s no chance that marriage will end. Statistically, that is ridiculous.”

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Phil Pandori,

trombonist, New York Players

W

S I X S A R AT O G A W E D D I N G P R O F E S S I O N A L S T E L L A L L A B O U T T H E I R OW N B I G D AY S .

BY N ATA L I E M O O R E

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(crowd, opposite) ROB SPRING PHOTOGRAPHY

TAKE IT FROM THE PROS

hen Niskayuna High School band teacher and Saratogian Phil Pandori got engaged, he knew he had to have the New York Players at his wedding.

“The first thing we booked was the band,” says Pandori, who had seen the self-proclaimed “dance party experts” perform around town many times. “And then we did everything else from there—we looked for a venue that could hold the band well. We really liked the Canfield Casino, because it had the stage.”

What Pandori didn’t know, though, was that the New York Players would become much more than the band that performed at his wedding. “At the time, I was pretty good friends with the trombone player in the band,” Pandori explains. (His name is Chris, and he and Pandori have since become good friends.) “He contacted me and was like, ‘You’re going to play a tune with the band.’ And I said, ‘Oh, probably not.’ And he said, ‘No, that wasn’t a question. You’re going to play a tune with the band.’” So Pandori learned the music to “Uptown Funk”—a far (and funky) cry from the classical music he was used to performing—and when the time came on his wedding day, joined the Players up on stage. “He was leading me through all these dance moves, which was really funny,” Pandori says.

“People thought it was all planned out, but it wasn’t.”

Pandori’s wedding night performance must’ve impressed the rest of the band because later on, when Chris went away on his honeymoon, Pandori was asked to fill in. He became the band’s go-to substitute, and when Chris left the band in 2018, Pandori became a full-time New York Player. But he hasn’t forgotten the night that started it all: “It was a great party. People still talk about it.”

a star is born Phil Pandori’s wedding guests watching him perform with his wedding band, the New York Players; (opposite) Pandori (at left) with his friend Chris, the New York Players’ trombonist whose job he would eventually inherit.

two’s company Makayla and David Harris, co-owners of The Harris Company, on their wedding day in September 2010.

Makayla Harris, co-owner, The Harris Company

T

he photos from David and Makayla Harris’ wedding are in focus and edited nicely. They clearly depict what went on at Jiminy Peak on that mid-September day, and the couple received a nice, big digital album from the photographer, so they could keep them forever, saved to a hard drive. They are, in a word, fine.

But is “fine” really how you want to remember the best day of your life? “When I look at my wedding photos, I don’t feel the same emotion I felt on that day,” Makayla says. “We ended up going with a company that had photo, video and DJ all in one package. The photographer was super high volume, so we never really got a chance to know her before the wedding.

It was like someone showed up on our wedding day and just took snapshots of everything that was going on.”

A few years later, when Makayla picked up photography as a hobby, she gravitated toward wedding photography.

“I wanted to make sure that people didn’t make the same mistakes that we made,” she says. So, she began shooting weddings on the weekends, with David tagging along as a second shooter. When brides began asking if the couple shot video as well, David learned how to shoot video. “We just kind of turned it into our thing, and David came on full time in 2015, and now this is all we do.”

With their own wedding photography in mind as an example of what not to do, Makayla and David now run The Harris Company, a Saratoga-based photography and cinema business, whose work has been featured in publications such as Martha Stewart Weddings and The New York Times. Each of their clients gets a physical photo album, in addition to a digital one, and, yes, Makayla and David make a point to get to know couples before showing up to shoot their weddings.

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Samantha Nass,

Alissa Woods,

W

T

owner, Samantha Nass Floral Design

owner, Cake by Alissa

SPECIALIZING IN THE

HEATHER BOHM-TALLMAN

hile Samantha Nass wasn’t yet a regionally renowned florist on her wedding day, it certainly helped shape her into one. “I interviewed a number of people here in Saratoga and ended up using a small florist, who isn’t in business anymore, that I just really gelled with,” Nass says. “I had a very clear vision in my head of what I wanted. I felt like she really understood my vision, and that’s really important. That’s how I conduct my business with my clients—I try to get inside their heads.”

What, exactly, was Nass’ vision? Natural and autumnal, with caramel and burgundy tones. “I wanted [the flowers] to feel as though they were picked from the garden. And I feel like that also reflects what we do as a business: We tend to imitate nature in our arrangements, instead of going for the orchids with the hydrangeas that would never be next to each other in real life.” Nass even took part of her wedding vision and integrated it into future clients’ nass mutual nuptials. “We had all-silver vessels holding Samantha Nass, who is now all the arrangements,” she says. “I actually a Saratoga-based florist, provided the vessels myself, which I still have with her husband, Jeremy, now. From time to time, we use them for other on their wedding day. people’s weddings, which is pretty cool.”

here’s not much that Alissa Woods, owner of Schuylerville bakery Cake by Alissa, can’t do with a piping bag and sheet of fondant; her online gallery features everything from a cider doughnut–topped masterpiece to a three-tier cake that literally looks like it was made out of birch bark.

But Woods didn’t discover her wedding cake–baking skills tiers of joy One of until after her own wedding Cake by Alissa’s wedding in 2002. “To be honest, I didn’t cake masterpieces; give the design much thought,” (left) Alissa Woods’ Woods says about her own own wedding cake. wedding cake. “I just wanted it to taste good.” And did it? “It wasn’t the best carrot cake I ever had, but it was good,” she says. “Looking back, I would have requested to do a cake tasting.” Indeed—an excuse to eat cake is never a bad thing.

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Marissa Mackay,

was thinking about selling her shop.

Nothing came of the conversation, but owner, Something Bleu Bridal a few months later, Mackay saw that hen Marissa Mackay walked Saratoga Elegance, the store located out of Something Bleu Bridal below Something Bleu, was for sale, with her wedding dress—a and she started looking into buying strapless gown by the designer it with a friend who was in marketing.

Cymbeline—she was leaving with “I called Denise and told her about much more than her outfit for her big the prospect of [buying the business] day. The shop’s then-owner, Denise downstairs,” Mackay says. “And before Eliopulos, and other employees I could even offer and ask her if she had given her recommendations for was interested in selling, she was like, a venue (the National Museum of ‘Why would you even look at that?

Dance), caterer (Lily & the Rose) and Why wouldn’t you buy my store?’ So I florist (The Posie Peddler), all of which was like, ‘Yes, thank you, that’s what I gown payment Marissa Mackay, who she ended up taking. But Mackay was was trying to get to.’” ended up buying Something Bleu Bridal also leaving with what would become a So Mackay left her family’s water years after she bought her own wedding decade-long friendship with Eliopulos, utility company to run Something dress there, with her husband, Adam Taylor, at their Saratoga wedding. which, in 2018, turned into a business Bleu. “The way people [interpret] the opportunity she couldn’t pass up. bridal industry as couture and fashion “When I moved back to New York eight years ago, some as this luxury industry—that was not the pull [of buying the of the first people that I reached out to were the people that business for me],” she says. “It was just a business decision. It helped me with my wedding: Kim [Klopstock, from Lily & the was an opportunity to have a creative part of me also have a Rose] and Denise,” Mackay says. In February 2018, Mackay business and have it be an investment and a retirement plan went out to dinner with Eliopulos, who mentioned that she kind of all wrapped in a tidy little bow.”

W

lord of the rings Evan deJonghe proposed to his wife while rowing on the Charles River in Boston; (inset) deJonghe’s wedding ring (at left) with his wife’s engagement and wedding rings.

Evan deJohnghe,

jewelry designer, deJonghe Original Jewelry

SANDRA LYNN PHOTOGRAPHY

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t’s pretty stressful picking out the perfect engagement ring for your significant other.

If you’re a jeweler, though, it’s a whole different kind of pressure. But Evan deJonghe, jewelry designer and son of deJonghe Original Jewelry owner Dennis deJonghe, was less worried about whether his fiancée-to-be would like the ring than about dropping it in the Charles River. “We’re both rowers—that’s how we met in college,” deJonghe explains. “I was able to rent a boat on the Charles River in Boston, and we went for a nice little row.

We pulled over to the side for a little break—I had the ring hiding in my water bottle. I pulled it out and proposed, and she was shocked. We had our family and our friends on the bridge pretty

much right above us as it was happening.”

The ring itself is one deJonghe, who at the time had just graduated from the Gemological Institute of America, designed and created himself.

“The design showcases the center diamond very nicely, but in a very functional way, because we’re both active people,” he says. “I wanted her to be able to wear it all the time without risking damaging the setting or the diamonds.”

Even now, more than five years later, deJonghe frequently uses his wife’s ring as an example for other customers.

Clearly, deJonghe didn’t end up dropping a .9-carat, excellent-cut, G color, Sl1 clarity diamond ring into the Charles.

But did she like it? “She loves it,” he says.

Frank Gallo & Son Florist since 1920

Serving the Albany, Saratoga, Lake George Region www.frankgallo.com

time capsule

The last time clubbing occupied an

The Rafters

(The Rafters) LARRY ST. PIERRE; (Golden Grill) KEVIN VEITCH

scene, e f i l t h ng nig i l z z i s th i v ga’s e o L t a r l l a Wi y ry of S B o t . s s i 0 h l 9 ’ An ora to the s 0 6 ’ he from t

The Embers

(people) PETE LEKOUSIS; (bumper sticker) DON HAMILTON

y t i C a p S T H G I N R E V FE

active portion of my social life was more than two decades ago, when I was studying abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland for the year. On Wednesday nights, I’d pull on my tightest jeans, don my flashiest button-down, slick up my hair, David Beckham–style, and take a cab to this club called The Cavendish. As soon as you’d walk in, your entire body would be enveloped in the thump-thump-thumping of the bass from the DJ booth, the air thick with machine-made fog and smelling sour-sweet of sweat, booze and puke. My drink of choice: double-vodka Red Bull. My song of choice: Kylie Minogue and Robbie Williams’ “Kids.” My hour of exit: preferably, when the sun was coming up.

Stateside, an equally young and hedonistic club scene had been present in Saratoga Springs since the 1950s and would blossom into a modern heyday between the ’60s and ’90s. Sadly, I missed the tail end of it, being just a year or two too young. (The closest I ever got was being hired as the bar-back at 9 Maple Ave. in the late ’90s.) But, luckily, I found plenty of nostalgic former party people clamoring to reminisce and fill me in on the best of times. Below, you’ll find an oral history of five of the Spa City’s most legendary clubs. young DJs. The Albany pimps often brought their strings of rather glamourouslooking young women there on what they (1950s-1960s) described—within my hearing, anyway—as “I got to [Skidmore College] in the fall of their ‘nights off.’ If you arrived down there 1960, and one of the things that everyone on a Thursday or Friday night around 11pm said was, ‘There are 98 bars here in town.’ or midnight, you would encounter some of We didn’t date on campus, because we the sleekest, shiniest, most elaborate pimphad to be in by 10:30pm at night. But when mobiles lined up along the curb.” gentlemen would come, we’d go to The Jim Kiehl, Kiehl retired Skidmore College –Jim Embers. It was this low-slung barn type professor, who first arrived in Saratoga in of place outside of Saratoga. It was very 1969, the year the Golden Grill opened dark and very smoky, because everybody smoked. And we drank beer. I remember seeing couples out there swaying or dipping to Ray Charles’ ‘Georgia on My Mind.’ That song must’ve played at least (1970s-1980s) three times a night.”

“The place was so big. On a summer –Val Val Marier, Marier freelance journalist weekend, we put 1,500 people through and Skidmore class of ’64 the door there. It’s important to recognize (Editor’s Note: Skidmore didn’t go co-ed until 1971, that the drinking age in New York State hence no men being on campus during her era.) at the time was 18. From where I was on a little stage as a DJ, sitting on an empty beer keg, I’d say three-quarters of the crowd was under 21. I’d get things started about 9:30pm or 9:45pm with dance music, and we’d go right up until 3am.

(1960s-1990s) One Saturday afternoon, I remember driving around to all the record stores in “The thing that we loved about The Golden the Albany area trying to find The O’Jays’ Grill was that it had a really great dance floor— [single] ‘Love Train.’ The first time I played it was small but far and away the best one in it, I turned up the volume, and heard all Saratoga. It was a raised-up, wooden floor the chairs upstairs sliding back from the that had some disco light arrangements built tables, because people were streaming into it and a disco ball overhead. The Golden down the stairs to come and dance to it.”

Grill also had a superior sound system: a big –Don Don Hamilton, Hamilton overhead speaker system, a DJ booth at the DJ at The Rafters, 1973-74 end of the room and very knowledgeable

The Golden Grill Tavern golden gate The Golden Grill Tavern had one of the best dance floors and sound systems in Saratoga during the Disco Era.

hey nineteen When the legal drinking age was 18, The Rafters pulled in a rather babyfaced crowd.

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“I was a Long Island native, working in the horse racing community at the time. I was in Saratoga the summer of 1982 and 1983. The Rafters was just a magical place, and I think anyone who

DJ Tom Lewis’ Setlist at The Rafters 1. Donna Summer, “I Feel Love” and “Last Dance” 2. Gloria Gaynor, “I Will Survive” 3. Thelma Houston, “Don’t Leave Me This Way” 4. The Bee Gees, “Stayin’ Alive” and “Night Fever” 5. Chic, “Good Times” and “Everybody Dance” 6. Michael Jackson, “Thriller” and “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough” 7. Kool & The Gang, “Celebration” 8. Madonna, “Into The Groove” 9. The Trammps, “Disco Inferno” 10. The Village People, “San Francisco (You’ve Got Me)”

set foot in there felt that way. You can’t forget it. The night before Opening Day at the races was a huge night.

Everyone you knew was there. It was,

that played people’s parties to feeling like The Who at the Monterey Pop Festival.”

–Pete Pete Donnelly, Donnelly vocalist/bassist, The Figgs

like, the place to be in ‘the August place to be.’ I remember going there [every Wednesday], Friday and Saturday the entire four weeks of the racing meet.

I remember dancing through the fog— they had a fog machine—to the Steve Miller Band song “Abracadabra” in 1982 and “Maniac” in 1983. It was like the Studio 54 of Saratoga.”

–Serena Serena Jade, Jade author and speaker

(1980s-1980s)

The Bijou (1980s-1990s)

“The Bijou was an old, dark, dingy Saratoga bar on Broadway with cover bands playing in the front room. One day, when The Figgs were looking for gigs, someone told us there was [also] a back room. We asked if we could do a show, and the guy brought us back, and it was this amazing live room with a full PA system—it was like a proper club. We promoted a couple of shows there, and we went from being a band

back, and it was the dance club.

And then you’d go up a floor, and that was the jazz bar. There was usually a live jazz band, and you had to watch your decorum. Some of the bouncers that we had were Saratoga policemen. I still have dreams about busy nights at The Metro. It was insane.”

–Kelly Kelly Hamik, Hamik former bartender at The Metro

The Metro

(The Figgs) COURTESY OF STEVE SMITH

“I moved up to Saratoga from New York City in 1974 and got a job bartending at The Rafters through a friend of mine.

I was always into music, so I asked the owner whether I could take a shot at DJing. I was really scared because I stuttered pretty bad from my youth until my 40s. But as a disc jockey at a nightclub, you didn’t have to talk.

You had to say, ‘last call at the bar.’

The Rafters used to have over 1,000 people every Saturday night for almost 10 years. When the drinking age shifted up from 18 to 21 [in 1982], that hurt The Rafters a certain amount.

It was a great club, and it was perfect for young people.”

–Tom Tom Lewis, Lewis former bartender and DJ at The Rafters, 1974-1980s

“The scene inside The Metro door prize (from left) Saratoga band The Figgs was a good mix; I wouldn’t say it played some of their earliest gigs at The Bijou; unruly was a kid’s joint like the places “In the summer of ’94, my first customers sometimes paid former Metro doorman Bill on Caroline Street nowadays. It summer out of college, I would Nykorchuck bribes to get into the popular Saratoga club. was comparable to the type that frequent the upstairs at The you’d get in 9 Maple Avenue: Metro most weekends to hear people who wanted to be out and be “There used to be lines to get in that Jill Hughes and Carl Landa tear up soul seen. There were one or two small building. People came from everywhere classics. The cool thing about The Metro incidents I remember at the door, in the Capital District to go to The Metro. back then was it was like a hip food court where I basically extorted people, I was a bartender there for several years for music...upstairs you had jazz and because they were being assholes, up in the jazz bar. There were three soul, downstairs was straight-ahead rock and if they wanted to come in, they had different bars there: The first bar was and in the back was a disco for dancing. to shape up. That usually involved bills built into this green room, and there In retrospect, it was the one venue that in large denominations.” was a widescreen TV where people satisfied the mind, body and soul.”

–Bill Bill Nykorchuck, Nykorchuck could talk and they also might have a –Jim Jim Mastrianni, Mastrianni chairman of the former doorman at The Metro small rock band there. You’d go to the board of directors at Caffè Lena

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local biz

O N Y E

D

B

W

hile the pandemic has ground many industries to a halt, the coffee industry isn’t one of them. In fact, coffee is being ground (oh yeah, we went there) and brewed in homes at a greater clip than it was before COVID hit: A poll by the National Coffee Organization published last October found that while out-of-home coffee consumption decreased by nearly 20 percent during the pandemic, overall consumption remained consistent, meaning that more people were making and drinking coffee at home.

And while this at-home java-guzzling trend has been brewing since last March, there’s another coffee craze that’s been in the percolator for much longer. “Specialty coffee,” a term for the highest quality cup of joe on the market, is exploding in popularity around the world as consumers become more conscious of where their beans are coming from and what they taste like when roasted, ground, brewed and sipped. “I think there’s a wave of consumers in the market that are happy to forego the convenience or simplicity factor for higher quality and sustainability,” says Matt Pfeifer, co-founder of local coffee club Upstate Coffee Collective. (More on him later.)

In sum, even though 2020 will always be remembered as the year of the pandemic, it was actually a pretty darn good one to launch a specialty coffee company. But you don’t need to tell that to the these three Saratoga County coffee-sseurs.

BASIC BREWS

Grimble Coffee Co.

N

T H E S E T H R E E S A R AT O G A C O U N T Y S P E C I A LT Y C O F F E E E N T R E P R E N E U R S A R E U S I N G T H E P OW E R O F J AVA F O R G O O D .

BY N ATA L I E M O O R E

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tryin’ reynolds Grimble Coffee Co. owners Nate and Becca Reynolds hope to make the coffee industry more environmentally friendly; (right) Nate and Becca with their two kids, Emerson and Noah.

THISTLE & STONE PHOTOGRAPHY

ate Reynolds always knew he wanted to start his own business. Having spent his entire career in the beer industry (he’s currently a market sales manager for Sierra Nevada), the Malta resident assumed that business would be in the brewing of beer. But then he and his wife, Becca, began exploring a different type of brew: specialty coffee. “It was pretty clear as I was going through my MBA program,” Nate says, “that starting a coffee business was going to be a little bit more practical for us, for our family life.”

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All of Grimble’s single-origin coffees and blends are available online at grimblecoffee.com, and every bag of coffee is roasted to order. “When you put in an order, we guarantee that it’s roasted, packaged and sent out within three business days,” Becca says. “We’re trying to get people coffee that’s as fresh as possible.”

Moxxi Coffee Co.

S

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brews brothers Upstate Coffee Collective co-founder Matt Pfeifer at work on the club’s podcast; (inset) Pfeifer’s partner, Kevin Miner, roasting All Day ADK, a collaboration with Knockabout Coffee Roasters.

message that we’re sending is really what this is about,” Swedish says. “We’re using coffee as the language to share our stories and let everybody know that we’re here.

There are so many wonderful, ambitious women out there doing amazing things.”

Upstate Coffee Collective

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KIERAN MANGELS PHOTOGRAPHY

ure, Leslie Swedish was a coffee lover, but never the type who would’ve thought of founding her own coffee company. “It was kind of my husband’s idea,” the Mechanicville native says. (Her husband is Scott Swedish, owner and general manager of Saratoga Coffee Traders.) “He was like, ‘There’s not many woman-owned coffee companies out there—I think that it would be a really fantastic thing.’

And I was like, ‘Cool story, but I’m a hairstylist.’”

However, Leslie’s interest in the idea grew, especially when she started thinking about branding her hypothetical coffee company. When she came up with the name Moxxi—a play And so, in January 2020, the couple launched Grimble on the word “moxie”—she became even more excited, and Coffee Co., an organic coffee roasting company dedicated to when she landed on the concept of funding a foundation the environment. Grimble partners with Saratoga Tree Nursery through sales of her coffee, she was all in. And so, on and onetreeplanted.org to plant one tree for every bag of September 1, 2020, the hairstylist became the full-time owner coffee sold, and also donates one percent of its annual gross of the Stillwater-based Moxxi Coffee Co. Moxxi’s two types of coffee—Blonde sales to environmental organizations.

Ambition and Bold Ambition, a light and (The Adirondack Mountain Club was dark roast, respectively—are available Grimble’s 2020 beneficiary.) Nate and on moxxicoffeecompany.com, as Becca are also very cognizant of where well as at 19 wholesalers, including they get their beans. “We only focus Roma Foods and Crafters Gallery in on organic,” Nate says. “We try to buy Saratoga. But Moxxi has been about from ethical sources. We’re buying a lot more than coffee from the get-go. of our coffee from a group in Central “I love coffee, but I don’t love sales,” America called Café Feminino. That’s Swedish says. “It wasn’t enough for a women’s cooperative that’s changing me to just have a fun name and good the industry and allowing women to coffee and cute logo—I really needed have their own farms and crops to sell [in order to] make their own money. something else.” That turned out to be Traditionally it was always a malethe Moxxi Women’s Foundation. “The dominated industry.” foundation is really about [making] Even the name Grimble is a nod to sure that ambitious women are getting the environment and sustainability— an opportunity to do things that they’d it comes from Grimble Crumple, the like to do if finances are the only thing strong ambition Moxxi Coffee Co.’s Earth-loving main character in the song that’s getting in the way for them.” two roasts—Blonde Ambition and Bold “The Gnome” by Pink Floyd. “I once To that end, for every item Moxxi Ambition; (top) Moxxi owner Leslie read [that] gnomes are so in tune with Coffee Co. sells, $1 is donated to Swedish is using her coffee company to shine a light on ambitious women. the Earth that they can walk through it the Moxxi Women’s Foundation, like humans walk through water,” Nate and Swedish hopes to begin issuing says. “I thought that that was a really cool philosophical look grants within a year or two. Until then, Moxxi will continue at things. So with that in mind, we were like ‘OK, we want its Friday’s Fearless Females blog series, which shines a to start a coffee company.’ Coffee is generally not a very spotlight on a different ambitious woman each week. Past sustainable business because of growing and transports and Fearless Females include MMA fighter Kaytlin “Katniss” Neil, exporting. But we figured we could try to make the industry K-9 police officer Jennifer Gambino and Piper Boutique a little bit better by only [engaging in] sustainable practices.” owner Alessandra Bange-Hall. “The foundation and the

on’t get him wrong: Matt Pfeifer loves his job as a software engineer.

But like many people who work a 9-5, the Wilton resident felt like his life was missing something. That something turned out to be coffee—or, more accurately, a coffee club.

When Pfeifer’s friend, Queensbury native Kevin Miner, began working in the coffee industry, he told Pfeifer about all he had learned. “I was immediately drawn to it,” Pfeifer says. “It’s an entire world that I had never really known about.” But it didn’t stop there—Pfeifer and Miner wanted to share their newfound interest with others.

Enter: Upstate Coffee Collective.

“Our whole intention from the beginning was to spend more time with our community and use learning and something that people love—a.k.a. coffee—as sort of a nexus or center point for conversation and creativity,” Pfeifer says. In 2019, Pfeifer and Miner began hosting meetups at different area coffee shops during which people could listen to a guest speaker or have a conversation about a specific coffee-related topic.

When the pandemic hit this past year, the two business partners switched gears and introduced Highlight Roasts, locally produced coffees that they wrote about and sold on their website, upstatecoffeecollective.com. It was through Highlight Roasts that Pfeifer and Miner met Nick Furnia, owner and head roaster at Knockabout Coffee Roasters. “When we worked with Nick, we got a different vibe from him,” Pfeifer says. “He’s hungry, he’s enthusiastic and he’s super, super smart. We asked him, ‘Hey, would it be cool if we made something together?’”

The answer was yes. Last September, Upstate Coffee Collective and Knockabout Coffee Roasters co-released All Day ADK, a collaboration roast that Pfeifer sees as a perfect introduction to specialty coffee.

“I wanted to create a coffee that was both approachable and high quality—to sort of bridge that gap,” he says.

This year, Pfeifer and Miner hope to continue that mission of making specialty coffee more approachable. They plan to feature more Highlight Roasts, release another collaboration blend and even begin exploring roasting themselves.

But Pfeifer is especially excited about their podcast. “It’s not just a coffee nerd podcast, digging into the nitty gritty,” he says. “It’s a podcast that uses coffee as a focal point for conversation amongst people all across the spectrum— entrepreneurs or people who don’t really drink a lot of coffee but love art. It’s just a way to engage with people in our community. And it’s only going to get better.”

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on track

HORSES TO GET EXCITED ABOUT IN 2021

lthough the news came five days after Christmas, it nevertheless had all the bad vibes of a Christmas Eve raid on Whoville

BY B R I E N staged by the merciless Grinch.

On December 30, Saratoga Springs– based Sackatoga Stable announced that its prized Thoroughbred, Tiz the Law, who had won the 2020 Belmont and Travers Stakes—making him a cult hero in the Spa City—had suffered a leg injury and was being forced into early retirement. The injury occurred less than a month before Tiz was slated to begin his 2021 campaign in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park.

Sackatoga Managing Partner Jack Knowlton was dreaming big with the New York–bred son of Constitution, and those dreams

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were shattered in an instant.

“It’s sad to have to end it,” says Knowlton. “We certainly had a great run for a year and a half, and all the people in our group had BOUYEA a great time. For me, the Travers was the highlight of his whole career. To win the way he did at my home track, at a classic distance, in a fast time, it was pretty exciting.”

With Tiz sidelined—he’s settling into his new Kentucky home at Ashford Stud as a stallion—locals will have to find new heroes in 2021. And the sport certainly doesn’t lack star power or emerging talent. With Kentucky Derby prospects bound to emerge in the next couple of months and other returning standouts cranking up for a new season, exciting times are ahead. Here are five horses to keep an eye on this year.

WENDY WOOLEY

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EVEN WITH THE UNEXPECTED RETIREMENT O F L O C A L FAVO R I T E T I Z T H E L AW, R AC I N G WO N ’ T L AC K S TA R P OW E R THIS YEAR.

quality hardware The Godolphin-owned horse Essential Quality was the winner of the 2020 Eclipse Award for 2-Year-Old Male.

Learn how your thoughts not only create your world but how you can have more peace in your life.

Charlatan on the sidelines for more than seven months. He returned in December to win the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita and looks to be in top form with a target of the world’s richest race, the $20 million Saudi Cup, scheduled for February 20 at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh, as his 2021 debut.

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ESSENTIAL QUALITY

Bred and owned by the mighty Godolphin operation, this son of Tapit was an easy choice for the Eclipse Award for Champion 2-Year-Old Male in 2020.

Essential Quality won all three of his starts as a juvenile, including Grade 1s at Keeneland in the Breeders’ Futurity and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Trained by Brad Cox, Essential Quality is the early Derby favorite based on his 2-yearold form. He is expected to begin his season in mid-February in either the Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds or the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn.

Make Your Mental Health Stronger One swiss miss Eclipse Award–winning filly Swiss Skydiver is slated to kick off her 2021 racing season at the $20 million Saudi Cup.

Female last year, Monomoy Girl won all four of her starts as a 5-year-old, including the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Following the Breeders’ Cup, it was expected that she would be retired to broodmare duty when Spendthrift Farm paid a whopping $9.5 million for her, but the farm surprised everyone by announcing that she’d race as a 6-year-old. Trainer Cox couldn’t be more thrilled; in 15 career starts, Monomoy Girl has won 13 times, including six Grade 1s. She is currently in training at Fair Grounds and is expected to make her 2021 debut there on February 15 in the Bayakoa Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

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LIFE IS GOOD

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Trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, this chestnut son of Speightstown had an uneven 3-year-old season in 2020. Bred by Stonestreet Farms and owned by the breeder along with several partners, Charlatan won his first two starts with ridiculous ease. He then crossed the finish line first in a division of the Arkansas Derby but was later disqualified after testing positive for a banned substance. An injury then kept

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5

MONOMOY GIRL

One of racing’s best stories of 2020 figures to again garner big headlines this year. After an 18-month absence due to injury, Monomoy Girl returned to the track and her winning ways. The Eclipse Award winner for Champion Older

NYRA

1

CHARLATAN

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Historic Photographs of Saratoga Springs The George S. Bolster Collection

SWISS SKYDIVER

JESSICA MORGAN

girl on fire Spendthrift Farm surprised the racing world when it announced that Monomoy Girl would race as a 6-year-old in 2021.

This son of Into Mischief looks like a prime Derby contender with the same connections as 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify (owners WinStar Farm and China Horse Club, trainer Baffert and jockey Mike Smith). After impressively breaking his maiden in November in his career debut, Life Is Good won his 3-year-old opener in January at Santa Anita with a geared-down victory in the Sham Stakes. Baffert will, as usual, have several contenders on the road to Louisville, but Life Is Good appears to be at the head of the class for the Hall of Fame trainer.

Thought at a Time!

It will be intriguing to see what type of encore Swiss Skydiver is capable of after winning the Eclipse Award for Champion 3-Year-Old Filly in 2020. In an old-school campaign that included starts at nine different tracks, Swiss Skydiver became the first filly to win the Preakness Stakes since Rachel Alexandra in 2009. Her other wins last year included the Alabama Stakes and Santa Anita Oaks. Trainer Ken McPeek is swinging for the fences early in 2021; he has entered Swiss Skydiver in the $20 million Saudi Cup.

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Lights, Camera, Action! s soon as local businesses realized that digital-first marketing plans—creative video series and livestreamed events—were the “new normal” during the pandemic, guys like Frankie Cavone quickly became a red hot commodity.

Cavone, who owns a pair of Albany small businesses, F.Cavone Productions and Mirth Films, has been offering his video production, photography and digital marketing services to a growing number of satisfied local clients. And he has big plans for 2021.

Born and raised in Lake George, Cavone graduated from the State University of New York in Plattsburgh with a double major in TV production and digital media. He first worked for Spectrum News, later getting F.Cavone Productions and into concert photography and Mirth Films owner Frankie shooting hundreds of nationally Cavone has been working renowned artists such as Metallica, his magic around the Capital Phish, Weezer and Beck. At the time, Region, producing for clients he was also working as a video such as the Palace Theatre, the City of Albany and producer. This past December, he Empire Media Network. expertly navigated saratoga living and CAPITAL REGION LIVING’s fundraising event, Capital Region Gives Tell us about F.Cavone Productions Back, acting as both videographer and and Mirth Films. What types of “pilot” of the program, which volleyballed services do you offer? Who are some back and forth between pre-recorded of your clients? material and live shots beaming in from F.Cavone Productions is my freelance all around the Capital Region. In other videography, digital marketing and words, he’s a highly versatile multimedia photography company that offers producer who’s able to tackle any task private services to clients across New thrown his way.

York State. We work with everybody saratoga living caught up from financial advisors and real estate with Cavone to talk about the many companies to boat-makers on Lake services his companies offer.

George and even the City of Albany.

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As part of F.Cavone Productions, Frankie Cavone offers multi-cam video productions and livestreaming services for weddings and other special events; (inset) F.Cavone doing a shoot with Thoroughbred Advisors.

that the production we’re giving you represents that. We even livestreamed a wedding last summer, too.

With the impact of COVID, livestreaming became something that everybody needed as part of their marketing plan, and we were able to produce events for a number of companies.

Mirth Films, on the other hand, started out as a passion project and has become a live music and entertainment media outlet, specializing in everything from livestreamed musical performances and original video content to documentaries.

RAMON SANCHEZ

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F.C AVO N E P R O D U C T I O N S A N D M I R T H F I L M S ’ OW N E R , F R A N K I E C AVO N E , IS BUILDING OUT HIS CLIENT LIST FOR 2021.

We hear you also offer wedding services, too.

We do multi-cam productions of the full wedding ceremony, the speeches and all the big highlights of the day. We’ll have four or five cameras set up, so when you and your significant other are watching the video of your ceremony later on, you’ll feel like you’re watching something cinematic. Your wedding is obviously the most important day of your life, and we want to make sure

What was one of your favorite moments from 2020?

While a lot of small businesses suffered, 2020 was a really busy year for us. Justin Miller, who owns Lark Hall in Albany, wanted to do a livestreaming event every Friday, so we would go there and do a threehour livestream of a musical act. The Palace Theatre caught on, and we eventually started doing the Palace Sessions, which is a monthly online fundraiser to help keep the doors open there. We got to work with great

bands such as Eastbound Jesus, Wild Adriatic and one of my personal favorites, moe. We’re devising a plan to grow this year and keep our line on the graph going up.

What sets your companies apart from the local competition?

We do this because we love it. Not only do we want to provide our clients with the highest quality content, but we also make sure they get it on time. In a world where everything is “now,” my biggest concern is getting something done right away. It’s really all about customer service: As long as my clients are happy, I’m happy. That’s the only thing that matters to me.

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hunger || thirst || design || what to do

Saratoga Gets Cozy-Chic

LO CAL MO D EL C O RINNE SAUS VIL L E ST Y L ES T H E ULT IMAT E WO RK- F RO M- H O ME O UT F IT F RO M L IF EST Y L ES O F SARATO GA. p h otog ra p h y by D O RI F IT Z PAT RIC K

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azy Sundays spent lounging in PJs are always good for the soul. But when they turn into lazy Wednesdays or Thursdays, those PJs can start to have the opposite effect on your mood. That might seem inevitable for many of us, who are spending a lot more time at home, so I wanted to showcase an outfit that would both boost your confidence and keep you in maximum comfort. The key is the wrap, which looks polished and chic but feels like you’re wrapped up in your downiest blanket. (The shirt is unbelievably soft, too.) This really is the perfect outfit to make you feel like a million bucks—even if you’re only commuting from your bedroom to the living room.

—Corinne Sausville

@rinnesaus

• ROXIE & CHOU GEODE NECKLACE | $30 • LA CERA BANDED CREW LOUNGE TOP | $49 • LA CERA REVERSABLE WRAP IN TAUPE AND GRAY | $74 • JAG STRAIGHT-CROP JEAN WITH RELEASED HEM IN THORNE BLUE | $84 Go to saratogaliving.com for three more comfy winter weather looks.

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hunger

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thirst || design || what to do

Capital Region Cook-Off: The Battle of ‘Al Pastor’ W E’R E PITTIN G TOP CH EFS FROM SARATO GA AGA I N ST O NE S FR OM TH E GREATER CAPI TAL REGI O N I N O P E N , D E LICIO U S COMBAT. n BY WILL L EVI T H

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here’s this memorable patch of dialogue in the 1992 Quentin Tarantino film Reservoir Dogs, in which Mr. White (Harvey Keitel) describes to Mr. Orange (Tim Roth) how to deal with a disagreeable person. (Let’s just say there’s some

ultraviolence involved.) When he’s done with his matter-of-fact diatribe, there’s a rather pregnant pause, before Mr. White says, apropos of nothing at all, “I’m hungry…let’s get a taco.”

Yes, this winter of COVID and cold has been extremely unpleasant, but instead of breaking its nose, let’s all somethin’ to taco-bout Kareem NeJame’s Carnitas Al Pastor masterpiece is the best-selling taco at his Tatu Taco & Tequila in Downtown Saratoga.

forget about it for a minute and go out and get a taco. But not just any old taco. The best damned taco money can buy. Or that we can make at home.

In our latest series, Capital Region Cook-Off, we’re pitting one chef from Saratoga Springs against another one from the greater Capital Region, having them whip up their single best dish from a particular category—in this case, tacos—and letting our audience decide whose plate ultimately reigns supreme.

For our first Battle of the Stomach Bulge, we’re pitting Chef Kareem NeJame from Saratoga’s Tatu Tacos & Tequila against Chef Yair De La Rosa from Troy’s La Capital Tacos.

Tatu Tacos & Tequila Chef NeJame’s pick: CARNITAS ‘AL PASTOR’ TACO We chose our Carnitas “Al Pastor” taco first and foremost, because it’s our best-selling taco—a real fan favorite at Tatu. Additionally, it’s somewhat of an iconic bridge between the cultural influences that are represented in our Yucatecan Mexican menu.

INGREDIENTS

5-7 lbs boneless pork shoulder ¼ cup achiote paste 1 tbsp dark chili powder 1 tbsp garlic powder 1 tbsp dried Mexican oregano 1 tbsp ground cumin 1 tbsp kosher salt 1 tbsp ground black pepper ¾ cup white vinegar 1 cup pineapple juice ¼ cup cooking oil 1-2 cups pork stock (water may be substituted) corn tortillas pineapple slices, grilled cilantro lime wedges

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mex appeal Mexico City native Yair De La Rosa of Troy’s La Capital Tacos creates his “Alpastor” taco by using a simple, traditional Mexican recipe.

INSTRUCTIONS

• For the marinade: In a blender, combine achiote paste, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper, vinegar and pineapple juice.

Puree until smooth.

• Score fat side of pork shoulder, place in a large container and cover with marinade. Seal container, refrigerate and marinate for a minimum of four hours and up to eight hours.

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

• In a large pot, heat cooking oil over medium heat. When ready, remove pork shoulder from marinade and sear pork shoulder fat side down until it’s golden brown and crispy, approximately 8–10 minutes.

Reserve marinade.

• Flip pork shoulder over and sear one minute on flesh side. Add reserved marinade to pot and deglaze, using a wooden spoon to scrape any bits stuck on the bottom. Add pork stock (or water) to fill just a couple of inches up sides of pork. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover, remove pot from heat and place in 300-degree oven for six hours until pork is tender.

(If using a pressure cooker or slow cooker, the braising process may be reduced by three hours.)

• Remove pot from oven, and transfer pork shoulder to a large platter or bowl. Using two forks, pull the pork apart, discarding as much of the remaining fat as desired. To serve, place pork on tortillas, top with a strip of grilled pineapple, a squeeze of lime and a sprig of fresh cilantro.

(Sorry, the cherry-arbol chile sauce is a Tatu secret…but feel free to add your own favorite hot sauce if you’d like!)

La Capital Tacos

INSTRUCTIONS

Chef De La Rosa’s pick: “ALPASTOR” TACO

• Place the peppers in a saucepan and cover with water. Simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes.

Let them cool and drain.

I chose our “Alpastor” taco, because back in 2019, it was recognized as the most popular dish in the world— more so than pizza. Plus, I brought the same type of spit-roasting machine to Troy that my family uses to make the tacos in Mexico City—and I use an authentic Mexican recipe.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup diced pineapple, plus pineapple rings for serving 2 oz guajillo peppers (about 6) 1/4 cup white vinegar 3 cloves garlic 1/2 tbsp ground cumin 11/4 tsp salt 1/2 onion 2 lbs pork butt (1/3-inch steaks) 12 corn tortillas mild or spicy salsa cilantro

• Put vinegar, cup of pineapple, garlic, cumin, half of the onions and all of the guajillo peppers in a blender.

Blend until you have a very smooth sauce. Salt to taste.

• Season the meat with salt and place it, along with the sauce, in a bowl.

Marinate the meat for one hour and then grill or cook it in a skillet or pan with oil, grilling or cooking the pineapple and remaining onions along with the meat.

• Chop up the meat, onions and pineapple and place the contents inside a corn tortilla. Serve with onions, cilantro and salsa verde.

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Whiskey for the Win

sugar, a brandy cherry, an orange slice and your choice of spirit. We wanted to preserve the traditional ingredients of an Old Fashioned while capturing the flavors of root beer.

S E N E CA BA RTENDER NICK CASWEL L OF F E R S U P A TRIO O F WI NTER ‘QUARANTINI’ R E C I P E S THAT YOU CA N MAKE AT H OME.

SASSAFRAS SIMPLE SYRUP:

P H OTO GRA PHY BY RYAN MANNING

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s COVID cases continue to spike across the Capital Region, many bars and restaurants are being forced to shut down either temporarily or for the entire winter. But Saratogians still need to get their cocktail fix. A safe bet? Homemade “quarantinis.”

To get you off to the races, saratoga living asked Seneca bartender Nick Caswell to dream up three, easy-to-make cocktails, all featuring the wintery-est of spirits, whiskey.

INGREDIENTS

Emerald Simply put, this is a single-malt Irish whiskey Manhattan. The combination of the sweet vermouth and mellow characteristics of single malt Irish whiskey— compared to an American bourbon—makes for a smooth and pleasant cocktail that will impress even the most discerning Manhattan aficionado.

INGREDIENTS

1 oz Carpano Antica formula vermouth 2 oz Red Breast 12-year-old Irish whiskey (or your favorite Irish whiskey) 2 shakes orange bitters 2 shakes cherry bitters

6 cups water 3 oz sassafras root 1 tsp coriander seeds 1 whole star anise 1 whole clove 1/4 cup dark molasses 4-5 mint leaves 3 cups sugar

strained liquid to a pot, add the sugar and heat until sugar is dissolved.

Once it completely cools, the liquid should be a light, syrupy consistency.

ANGEL’S ROOT BEER: INGREDIENTS

2 dashes root beer bitters 1/4 oz sassafras simple syrup 2 oz spirit of choice (I’m currently using Angel’s Envy bourbon, because it’s aged in ruby port casks, which add a touch of sweetness) INSTRUCTIONS

Combine all ingredients into a mixing tin with ice and stir to ensure proper dilution.

Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice and garnish with an orange peel.

Cranberry Apple Whiskey Sour Whiskey Sours can be found on our menu in one form or another based on the season. Here’s a perfect cold-weather version.

CRANBERRY APPLE SIMPLE SYRUP: INGREDIENTS

2 cups granulated sugar 2 cups water 12 oz fresh cranberries (reserve a few for garnish) 2 Granny Smith apples, chopped (remove the seeds) 1 cinnamon stick INSTRUCTIONS

Add all ingredients to a pot and bring to a light simmer for 15 minutes.

Carefully strain into another container and allow to cool completely before covering.

CRANBERRY APPLE WHISKEY SOUR: INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 oz whiskey of choice 1 oz cranberry apple simple syrup 1/2 oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice 1 egg white INSTRUCTIONS

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker without any ice and shake vigorously for about 15 seconds. (This method is called “dryshaking,” because it whips air into the cocktail to give it a foamier, mousse-like texture.) Add one scoop of ice to the cocktail

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine the sassafras, coriander seeds, anise, clove and water in a pot and bring to a light simmer for 15 minutes. Add molasses and mint and simmer for another five minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let cool.

Once the mixture is cool, strain through a fine mesh strainer, cheese cloth or coffee filter. Return the

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine all ingredients and garnish with an orange peel and brandy-soaked cherry.

triple play (from left) Seneca’s Angel’s Root Beer, Cranberry Apple Whiskey Sour and Emerald.

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Angel’s Root Beer This is a twist on our house Old Fashioned, which consists of demerara

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shaker and shake again for another 10–15 seconds.

Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with dots of angostura bitters, a sprig of rosemary and a skewer of cranberries.

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Fine Dining At-home beer tasting with Northway Brewing Co. FEBRUARY 11

CAPI TAL R E G I ON I N T E R I OR DE SI G N E R LE E OW E N S G I VE S YOU T HE I N SI DE SC OOP ON T HI S F OR MAL, Y E T HOME Y, T R OY DI N I N G R OOM.

Valentine’s Day Silent Auction!

photo gr aphy by E LI ZAB E T H HAY N E S

Bring the Co lo r U p The ceiling (a.k.a. “the fifth wall”) is an unexpected place to add some drama. In this case, the homeowners wanted to incorporate dark blue into the design, so we kept the walls light and bright and painted the ceiling navy. Traditional thinking is that a dark ceiling will make a room seem smaller, but it actually creates a big impact by bringing the eye up.

DIS-LODGE & RE-SORT

GET THE LOOK:

Hale Navy from Benjamin Moore

design of the times A navy-colored ceiling, mixed patterns and a perfectly positioned potted plant come together to make this Troy dining room truly eye-catching.

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Showcase a Collection as Your Everyday Centerpiece Grouping several similar items, like a collection of ginger jars, is a great way to

decorate your table for the average day, when it’s not dressed up for the holidays or hosting.

offset their traditional pattern with a bold striped rug in a coordinating color palette.

GET THE LOOK: 11” Lion Hexagonal Tea Jar in blue/ white from One Kings Lane

GET THE LOOK: Rift Stripe

Mix Geometric Pat terns With Traditional Motifs Add a graphic rug to create a fresh balance between traditional and contemporary.

Here, my clients already owned the beautiful floral drapery panels, so we

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Rug from West Elm

Invest in Good Lighting Ceiling and wall fixtures should be considered part of a home’s architectural elements, just like crown molding and millwork. A quality light fixture that you love will never go out of style.

GET THE LOOK:

Farlane Small Chandelier from Circa Lighting

Think Outside the Picture Frame A potted tree is a great way to add three-dimensional texture to your room. If

you have wall space to fill, consider using a tree in place of traditional wall art.

GET THE LOOK:

Faux Potted Ficus Bushy Tree from Pottery Barn

designing woman Capital Region–based interior designer Lee Owens (opposite) specializes in upscale residential and hospitality design.

home stretch:

The Ultimate Guide to Celebrating Valentine’s Day (at Home) in Saratoga

I M PR E S S YOU R SPECIAL SOMEONE WIT H T H E SE W IN E , CHE E S E AND CH OCOL ATE PAI RI N GS O N FE BR UA RY 14 . n BY NATALIE MOORE

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his Valentine’s Day may look a little different than you and your boo are used to. But while the pandemic may be keeping you from going out to your annual V-Day dinner extravaganza at Prime or Osteria Danny, it hasn’t canceled love. So a suggestion: bring romance into the safety of your own

home and do it while supporting local. And yes, by “romance” we mean New York–produced cheeses, chocolates and wines.

plate night Putnam Market’s Local Cheese Plate; (above) Saratoga Chocolate Co.’s Bar Collection.

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what to do

What You’ll Need • Local Cheese Plate from Putnam Market ($20; comes with three types of New York cheese, marcona almonds, almond-fig spread and a baguette. Available to order on DoorDash.)

• Bar Collection from Saratoga Chocolate Co. ($64; comes with nine different chocolate bars: Dark Horse, Fleur de Sel, Genmai Cha, Latte, Milk, Salted Caramel, The 70%, Toasted Sesame and Velvet. Available for in-store purchase or to be shipped.)

• (At least) four bottles of wine from Purdy’s Discount Wine & Liquor.

Paul K. Parker, the store’s wine consultant, has provided two options for

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Chocolate Co. flavors that come in the Bar Collection • NY WINE: Atwater Estate Vineyards Celsius Ice Wine ($17.99) • WINE OPTION 2: Domaine du Dernier Bastion Maury Rancio ($26.99)

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play off the fattiness of the cheese. In the case of the Chignin, it’s kind of the other way around. The Chignin is a floral white that’s not going to play against the cheese—it’s going to play with the cheese.”

each pairing: one New York–produced wine and one from outside of the Empire State. (Available for in-store purchase, curbside pickup or delivery.)

PAIRING #1

• CHEESE: 3-Year-Old Cheddar from Adirondack Cheese Company • NY WINE: Red Tail Ridge Pétillant Naturel ($28.99) • WINE OPTION 2: Perrier Jouet Blason Rosé ($69.99)

PAIRING #3

• CHEESE: Kunik from Nettle Meadow Farm and Artisan Cheese • NY WINE: Lieb Cellars Estate Pinot Blanc ($17.99) • WINE OPTION 2: J. Bouchon Pais Viejo ($14.99)

Paul says: “Both of those wines have this beautiful acidity that will set the cheese off really well.

The Pétillant Naturel is just a little bit wild and exotic, but in a really nice, comfortable way. It’s not wild and funky—it has a touch of funkiness that makes it interesting rather than weird. And the PJ’s a classic. Just an absolutely, dead-on classic.”

Paul says: “The Pinot Blanc has really good fruitiness,

brightness and acidity, and this wonderful combination of leanness and length. It’s going to set the cheese off—it will operate like a jewelry setting. It will make the cheese just kind of pop.

The Pais is going to function very, very differently. That particular grape has these hot tequila notes, and

I mean that in the best possible way. In the case of the Pais, it will feel a little bit like you’re having a full meal, I suspect. That will just ring so many bells. That’s going to be a celebration.”

PAIRING #4

• CHOCOLATE: One of (or all of) the nine Saratoga

Paul says: “Maury is a dessert wine that’s made from the Grenache grape varietal. And Grenache, on its own, has this slightly spicy character.

Think chocolate and raspberry. With the ice wine, you’ll get a very different kind of spiciness coming from the Gewürztraminer, and you’ll get this bright fruitiness and acidity. In this case, think more of a combination of raisins and chocolate.”

Your Classical Companion

PAIRING #2

• CHEESE: St. Stephen from Four Fat Fowl • NY WINE: Hosmer Cabernet Franc ($17.99) • WINE OPTION 2: Charles Gonnet Chignin ($15.99) Paul says: “Both of those wines will be absolutely gorgeous with that cheese for very, very different reasons.

The Hosmer’s got great elegance and really great herbal notes. In this case, its tannic structure is going to

(love) WALLACE BEESON

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wine about it Your at-home tasting can’t go wrong with these wines from New York State and beyond.

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{ off track }

Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop

saratoga living A N D CA P I TA L R EG I O N LI VI NG H O N O R E D 10 LO CA L H E R O E S ON DECEM B E R 10,

AT OUR SEC O N D A N N UA L, H YB R I D LI V E -V I RT UA L CAPI TA L R E GI O N GI V E S B AC K E V E N T.

BY WI LL LE V I T H

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h, what a night—even during a pandemic. In a first for both magazines, saratoga living and CAPITAL REGION LIVING teamed up to host the second annual Capital Region Gives Back event, honoring 10 local heroes, each of whom represented a local charity or nonprofit.

The event was a first in the Capital Region, with a hybrid virtual-live format that featured COVID-safe, limited entry, in-person viewing parties held at Putnam Place and the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, as well as 677 Prime in Albany. Dozens of ticketholders, among them many of the night’s

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honorees, tuned in live from the comfort of their own homes via YouTube, too.

The evening, which was hosted by CBS 6 anchor Heather Kovar, featured videos on and live checkins with each honoree, pre-recorded mini-concerts by musicians with local ties, and a virtual silent auction.

Food, drink and auction items were provided by 30

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Lake, Darling Doughnuts, Albany Distilling Co., Purdy’s Discount Wine & Liquor, The Bread Basket Bakery, One With Life Tequila, Harvest2Homes.com, Bare Blends, My POLY LED, Fré Skincare, Fig Tree Furniture, Capital Roots, Fat Paulie’s Delicatessen, Saving Face Barbershop and former Friends Executive Producer and Director Kevin Bright.

In all, the event raised more than $15,000 for the 10 charities represented by the honorees (half was an Empire Media Network match). Not only did the event bring in much-needed funds for organizations that have been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, it also brought people together. And that, during these socially distanced times, is certainly worth celebrating.

ALYSSA SALERNO

virtual reality Event-goers enjoyed dinner plated by 30 Lake at socially distanced, restaurant-style tables at Putnam Place, which served as the Capital Region Gives Back headquarters; (inset) many Gives Back honorees “attended” the event via Zoom.

it takes a village Just a handful of the many people that helped make the second annual Capital Region Gives Back event a success, including musical guests Angelina Valente (first row, second from left), Annie Dressner (second row, second from left), Kelly Glyptis from Opera Saratoga (second row, far right), Garland Nelson (third row, far left), The Sea The Sea (fifth row, second from left) and Warden and Co. (fifth row, second from right).

{ horseplay } Bridle Party

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overheard SOMETHIN’ TO TALK ABOUT...

“You’re spending less money and doing more in the shower.”

“Get your under wear out of my kitchen.”

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saratogaliving.com 83

{ photo finish*} sacks in the city Gordon Sacks opened 9 Miles East’s first brick-and-mortar cafe in Saratoga Springs last June.

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What’s one thing you wish more people knew about 9 Miles East’s food offerings?

There’s a false narrative that you can have really delicious things or, at the other end of the spectrum, really healthy things. We don’t believe that. We think that the most delicious things can also be the healthiest if you’re willing to do the work. And we do that work for you.

THE HEART OF THE EMPIRE STATE

Which of 9 Miles East’s meals is your favorite?

Which of your kids is your favorite?

CAPITAL REGION LIVING

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he did. In 2006, Sacks, a Connecticut native, and his wife, Mary, started a CSA-style business out of their Northumberland farm—only instead of providing customers with vegetables or sides of bacon every week, they offered them freshly prepared meals made with local ingredients.

A decade and a half later, the couple presides over the local health food empire known as 9 Miles East, which

FIRST COLUMBIA

hen Gordon Sacks realized, in the early aughts, that there wasn’t a quick, easy and affordable way for people in the Capital Region to eat healthy, locally sourced meals, he decided to do something about it. The English major had zero experience as a farmer or restauranteur, but he figured he could learn on the fly. And learn

MEDIA NETWORK, INC.

PH OTOGRA P H Y BY KAT I E DO B I E S

MEDIA NETWORK, INC.

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9 M ILE S E AST’ S CO-FOUNDER GORDO N SAC KS I S B R I N GI N G ‘HE A LTH Y’ TO SARATOGA WH EN WE N E E D I T T H E M O ST.

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Green Giant

Has 9 Miles East had to make any demonstrable changes due to COVID? We’re now serving faculty, staff and teachers at school districts in Upstate New York. That service is also really well suited to offices where there are just a few people, which is pretty much every office right now.

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You opened a restaurant in the middle of a pandemic. How’s it going?

It’s unfortunate that it was timed that way, but we’ve been extremely grateful for the support that we’ve gotten from the community. Our first full quarter was ahead of our projections, not even taking into account the pandemic.

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delivers its pre-prepared meals (and pizzas!) to hundreds of homes and workplaces across the Capital Region and the Boston metro area, and now has its own production kitchen and cafe in Saratoga Springs.

Named for its farm’s physical location, which happens to be about nine miles due east of Saratoga (go figure), 9 Miles East opened its first brick-and-mortar cafe last June. saratoga living caught up with Sacks to find out how business had been faring during COVID.