04012022 WEEKEND

Friday, April 1, 2022

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Weekend

OSCAR FASHIONS Pages 08+09

Taking flight

Local songbird finds her voice and her words pages 04 + 05

02 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 1, 2022

HOME

Bold pattern on a single wall adds pop to any room Photo: Serena and Lily)

Even small spaces provide opportunity for big ideas (Photo: Blue Copper Design)

Family photo gallery makes a great accent wall.

(Photo: By Sincerely Sara D)

An accent wall can MAKE ANY ROOM POP

E

ver walk into a paint store on a Saturday morning when all the DIY-ers, maybe you among them, have that perplexed look on their faces trying to choose one shade of wall colour out of hundreds available?

What may surprise you is how easy it is to add pop to a room not by the main colour of paint or the wallpaper you choose, but the one odd wall out. We call it the accent wall and creating one is easier than you think.

The good news is that options to create the perfect accent wall are limited only by your imagination.

For more neutral spaces you can use shiplap or board-and-batten to add texture without overpowering the space. For those who love colour and pattern, a solid bold colour, wallpaper or an original handpainted mural that pulls from other colours in the space adds drama, interest and intrigue.

Collectors of unique objects or

books may choose it is behind the TV or where to create a wall with your seating would be floating shelves to facing, and in a bathroom, display their collection. it would be the wall that For a family home, the vanity is against. Check you might want to for outlets, wall switches think about creating and a natural stopping a gallery wall with point for the end of the framed photographs accent wall so that it won’t of different sizes end up looking unfinished and arranging with an abrupt end. them on the wall to A good practice when balance each other. designing an accent wall BROOKE PYFROM There is an endless is to get samples of the with Dyah Neilson number of materials wallpaper or paint colour you can choose from to that you intend to use and put create the perfect feeling, from it on part of the wall. Live with this glazed tile to sisal wallpaper. It sample for a few weeks at least to is important, however, to keep see how it makes you feel before in mind that this wall should deciding. Once the wall is completed, complement the style and feel of find ways to pull the colour and the room to ensure harmony. pattern into the space with pillows, When choosing the space, you wish rugs, throws and smaller accessories to make the accent wall, decide first to give a sense of balance throughout what you want your focal point to be. the room. You can also play with In bedrooms this is most often the layering accessories on the accent wall behind the bed, in living rooms wall to give it more interest. This

LIFE BY DESIGN

A vanity in even a small bathroom is perfect backdrop for an accent wall. (Photo: Serena and Lily) might mean hanging a rattan mirror over a jungle print wallpaper, or hanging a photo gallery wall over shiplap. For busy accent walls, try to place an artwork print or wall hanging that is more neutral to give your eye a place to rest.

• Brooke Pyfrom is the proprietor of Oasis, Sandyport, and Oasis, East Shirley Street.

She sources exceptional pieces from around the world to combine trendy with traditional.

The Tribune | Weekend | 03

Friday, April 1, 2022

COMMUNITY

Six-year-old hopes to inspire kids to draw with release of

COLOURING BOOK

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net

S

ix-year-old Caerwyn Turnquest hopes to inspire other children to release their inner creativity and start drawing, even if they are not quite confident in their skills.

He is doing this with the release of a drawing book entitled “Sketchy”.

Caerwyn recently paid a courtesy call to the Minister of Youth Sports & Culture Mario Bowleg where

he shared details about book.

“Sketchy” is an add-content drawing book with prompts.

Caerwyn maintained full artist control on this publication, from the cover to the content. He rejected almost all the suggestions by his author-mom, B Jane Turnquest, as he fixed on what he wanted in his book. He illustrated the rough child-like art on the cover that authenticated the concept and message of the book.

“First, I did a race to come up with ideas A to Z. I did it super fast. Then my mom gave me a few category ideas and I decided on what I wanted. It was great to be

in charge of making the book,” he told Tribune Weekend.

And with a little help from art videos on YouTube, Caerwyn’s concept and cover art were solidified.

“I would like other kids to feel like it is great book. It is for kids who are not great at drawing yet. I want them to draw the sketchiest thing and feel good about their work,” he said.

The message of “Sketchy” is to inspire beginners. It was also designed to minimise the amount of time kids spend watching television and using tech devices, according to his mother.

“This book was designed as a holiday project to help minimise daily screentime consumption.

It was a fun, stress-free project.

Caerwyn loves challenges and

competitions, so when he was challenged to come up with things to draw from A to Z, he completed in minutes,” said Ms Turnquest.

Added to the art prompts are several other categories that appeal to a young child, including teeny tiny things, making a monster, under the water, high in the sky, happy-makers, seen scene, mystery, something with a pattern, huggables, and more.

There are over 100 footnote prompts to inspire and challenge young artists, even those at the scribble-sketch stages, to grab a pencil and draw.

The book recently hit number in best-seller list for the New Release in the Conceptual Art category on Amazon.

Bahamas-Charleston connection celebrated at

By JEFFARAH GIBSON Tribune Features Writer jgibson@tribunemedia.net CHEF Simeon Hall Jr wrapped up his participation at the recent Charleston Wine + Food Festival in South Carolina more enriched and inspired to present more events that focus on worldclass chefs whose stories can be appreciated by Bahamians.

Chef Hall was invited by host Chef BJ Dennis to participate in the event.

Chef BJ participated in Chef Hall’s “Ignite” event back in 2019 in Nassau.

The Charleston Wine + Food Festival featured top chefs, winemakers, authors, storytellers, artisans, experts, and food enthusiasts from around the globe for a five-day event.

More than just great food and wine, the festival is represents a platform to share stories, elevate people and celebrate the city.

Not only did Chef Hall follow through on preparing his steamed chicken and Haitian pikliz dish for the festival, he took things a step further.

“We had to use fire exclusively. I made jerked chicken then braised it in the traditional Bahamian steam way and served my version of extra hot pikliz,” he said.

And by the response from those who had Chef’s Hall dish, it was a hit.

His selection of dishes, he said, was to demonstrate the plural culture in the Bahamas.

“The jollof by 2022 James Beardnominated Chef Serigne Mbaya was the most memorable for me.

This authentically made dish is the ‘grand-aunt’ to Bahamain peas n’rice and Chef Mbaya was kind enough to allow me to watch the entire process. Also mentionable was the dinner I had at Chubby Fish, a neighbourhood eatery that some

eo

FOOD and WINE FESTIVAL

nH a ll J r

the Gullah presence seems to be even more prevalent in the chefs and mixologists and the events – a true sense of Charleston’s history,” he said. friends took me Apart from the clear to that celebrates i m connection between the S f Charleston’s Che Bahamas and Charleston what abundant seafood, also stood out to Chef Hall which truly is a mirror image of a restaurant I would love was the need for more varied to have here in the Bahamas,” culinary experiences locally. he told Tribune Weekend.

“We need more events that invite One of the reasons Chef Hall fellow Black celebrity chefs with said he was also delighted to similar stories to the Bahamas to participate in the festival was cook and story tell through their because of the Bahamas-Charleston food. We very rarely see celebrity connection with the Gullah Geechee chefs that look like and sound people from South Carolina. He like the majority of us here at the said this connection was highly visible during the festival. forefront in the Bahamas,” he said.

Geechee is the term used for “That diasporic food and the true African descendants of Sierra Leone, indigenous needs a voice in our Liberia, Gambia and Senegal who culture… that we are indeed a plural reside in coastal South Carolina. culture nation with a heritage that “Even our tone and dialect made runs very deep. The Bahamas is it hard for me to distinguish who revered the world over as a country was Bahamian or Gullah. The and known for its sun, sand and sea, farmer that owns the venue where and it is high time we are known we cooked sounds and looks like he is from Cat Island. This year, for our amazing food as well.”

04 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 1, 2022

INTERVIEW

Nishie

LS

An immigration officer by day and songstress by night. This singer-songwriter tells Cara Hunt how she is finally spreading her wings and singing about her own stories using her own words.

N

ishie L S has always had a passion for music, but it took the pandemic for her to take the bold step and find her voice.

“I have had a mic in my hand since I was two years old,” she told Tribune Weekend. “Growing up, I was very active singing in church, I played clarinet in my school band and so I always knew that I wanted to make a career in entertainment.”

Nishie’s music career, so to speak, began in church, where she performed at conferences and concerts and was a member of numerous gospel groups and choirs.

She then branched out to her performing as a vocalist in some of the county’s most popular bands, including the Ira Storr band, Visage and others.

“I always knew that eventually I wanted to launch a solo career. Band life can be very exciting, but at the same time you can be a bit caged in, because you are performing with a group and you have to be very versatile in your performance because often you are singing for a variety of audiences and you are required to sing a lot of songs in a lot of different genres,” she said.

It took the COVID-19 pandemic for Nishie

to realise that it was time to really her sing her own songs in her own voice “I definitely have what can be considered a more aggressive style of singing,” she said.

“I would say my style is a combination of R&B, soul and gospel. I love Aretha Franklyn, Anita Baker and Kim Burrell, Patti LaBelle, Jazmine Sullivan, Nina Simone, Jill Scott, Adele and Yebba; they really influenced me. But I idolise Brandy because of the way she sings her runs and riffs and just her style of music.”

Some of Nishie’s past notable performances include the Royal Bahamas Police Force

The Tribune | Weekend | 05

Friday, April 1, 2022

“The songs I write are my story. It hits home and when I sing them; there is a passion and a sense of pride that, hey, I did that.”

Christmas Concerts in 2918 and 2021, the Bahamas Top Music Awards in 2019, the Mega Soca Christmas Concert in Turks and Caicos in 2019, the BTC Versus Concert in 2020, Blackbox Live 2020, the ‘Loose Me’ concert in Turks and Caicos in 2021, the National Youth Awards Nomination Special 2021, and the Dubai Expo this year; in addition to numerous Family Island events, and events hosted by various government ministries throughout the islands.

She has represented the Bahamas as a cultural ambassador in countries such as Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba and Dubai.

She was also featured as a solo artist in this year’s Royal Visit’s Cultural Show.

Currently, Nishie can be found performing most weekends at Nassau hotspots such as The One and Only, Traveller’s Rest and Studio Café.

It was in June of 2020 when she was approached by a fellow band member with some music and asked if she could write lyrics for it.

This ended up being the start of her debut song. For the first time, as she took pen to paper, she allowed herself the opportunity to express

herself in her own words and in her own style.

“At the time, we were in the height of the pandemic. I am a a frontline worker (an immigration officer), so the airports were pretty much closed at that point. I was able to listen to the music and the words just came out,” she said.

“The song was called “Loose Me” and the song depicted life in the pandemic and remembering the days that we were free before the restrictions and just wanting to

This weekend in history

• In 1976, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak found Apple Computer (now Apple Inc) in the garage of Jobs’ parents’ house in Cupertino, California.

The name “Apple” was inspired by the time Jobs had spent at the All One Farm commune in Oregon working in the apple orchard.

April 1

April 2

• In 1700, the April Fools’ tradition is popularised by English pranksters who play practical jokes on one another. Some historians believe the tradition reaches back to 1582, when the start of the new year was switched from the last week of March through April 1 to the new January 1 date.

• In 1513, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon comes ashore near present-day St Augustine and claims the Florida territory for the Spain crown. He was searching for the fabled Fountain of Youth at the time.

• In 1748, the ruins of Pompeii are rediscovered by Spaniard Rocque Joaquin de Alcubierre, although he does not realise what he has found. The ancient Roman city, located near Naples, was buried in ash in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. In 1763, an inscription reading “Rei Publicae Pompeianorum” was found and the city was identified as Pompeii.

• In 1877, the first human cannonball act is performed by 17-year-old Rossa Matilda Richter, better known under her stage name “Zazel”, at the Royal Aquarium in London. She toured Europe and North America with circuses, including the famous Barnum & Bailey.

• In 1978, the iconic primetime TV series “Dallas” premieres on CBS. The show, starring Larry Hagman as JR Ewing,

be able to be free and have fun again.”

Nishie said she surprised herself with her unexpected ability to write an actual song.

“It was something I had thought about doing, but just never done before. Maybe it was something that was inside me all along, just waiting to come out,” she said.

“I think that was the case with so many people during COVID-19 who found themselves doing things that they never thought they would or had the time to do. I think that before the pandemic we just never had the luxury of time, or being tested or having to make a decision, or doing something you had always dreamed about.”

Nishie said she has since written and released three additional songs: “Gimme De Music”, “I Don’t Care”, and her most and her recent single, “Reflections.”

And after years of singing other people’s songs in a band setting, Nishie said she is embracing her own style and singing her own words.

“There is definitely a difference,” she said of singing covers compared to her own songs.

“The songs I write are my story. It hits home and when I sing them; there is a passion and a sense of pride that, hey, I did that.”

While she feels she is finally on the right track, Nishie said she is still defining her style.

“I am definitely still finding my true sound and that will include figuring out what my audience enjoys. I want to reach people on a global stage, so that will include finding those songs that can move up the charts. But I also want to connect with my audience on a personal and spiritual level. I want them to have that connection with me, so that when they hear my music, they feel my voice and my lyrics as opposed to just the beat,” she said.

starts as a five-part mini series and is immediately a ratings success, resulting in the show running for 13 years.

April 3 • In 1721, Robert Walpole becomes Britain’s first Lord of the Treasury - essentially the first Prime Minister. But that title is considered an insult and is not used until many years later.

• In 1922, Joseph Stalin is appointed General Secretary of the Russian Communist Party by an ailing Vladimir Lenin. Stalin consolidates his powers and becomes a dictator by the 1930s; he governs the Soviet Union until his death in 1953.

• In 1930, the second Academy Awards are held. It is the first time they are broadcast on radio. The musical film “The Broadway Melody” wins Best Picture. Mary Pickford, one of the 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Acts and Sciences, wins the Best Actress award for her role in “Coquette”.

vase (5) 4 Dispassionate; 22 Row about Gran’s first cat (5) Imagine; 7 Scenery; 24 Course 6 right for ship (5) Friday, 8 Safari; 13 Perfect; April 14 Outlook; 15 Retail; 16 Vibrate; 17 Leaflet.

06 | The Tribune | Weekend

e t o ncu i rn

Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so the each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

● The Target uses words in the main body of Chambers 21st Century Dictionary (1999 edition)

HOW many words of four letters or more can you make from the letters shown here? in making a word, each letter may be used once only. each must contain the centre letter and there must be at least one nine-letter word. no plurals.

Verb forms ending in s permitted.

TODAY’S TARGET Good 27; very good 40; excellent 53 (or more). Solution tomorrow

Yesterday’s call 0907 181 2585 Sudoku forAnswer today’s target solution

*Calls cost 80p per minute plus your telephone company’s network access charge.

BATTLESHIPS CRYPTIC PUZZLE Down 1 Unusual for vipers to be so frolicsome (8) 2 Seek help concerning something on the menu (8) 3 Innocent abroad? (4) 5 A moving experience that will not take one far (5,7) 6 Takes a set dish? (4) 7 Start breeding a bird dog (6) 8 Threaten to get money (6) 11 Scene of military operations? (4,8) 15 He overrules his brothers (5) 16 Settle in or out of court (5) 18 Act when some came in late (8) 19 Liberal urge one’s developed (8) 21 High rise central block (6) 22 Insane sort of pigment (6) 26 A high speed piece of film (4) 27 Boat to swing off course to port (4)

Across 1 Bound to be a time for shooting (6) 4 See lambs rounded up and put together (8) 9 It may be buttonholed or rebuked (6) 10 Agree to get less (8) 12 Make a trip to Abraham’s hometown (4) 13 Unhesitatingly the monk provides soup (5) 14 A slight mark on the music (4) 17 Upset when given an open transfer (7,5) 20 Harmonious plan to brighten up the home perhaps (6,6) 23 Similar to a family group (4) 24 The going rate (5) 25 Loathe articles in disorder (4) 28 Habits found in one back street (8) 29 Work with a needle and do lacework as well (6) 30 It enables one to raise the standard (8) 31 They cut some of the grass (6)

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Yesterday’s Easy Solution Across: 1 Caste, 4 Trumpet, 8 Par, 9 In silence, 10 Conceal, 11 Adopt, 13 Thatch, 15 Shinto, 18 Cameo, 19 Offhand, 21 On the rack, 23 Air, 24 Topiary, 25 Rally.

Down: 1 Copycat, 2 Strong-arm, 3 Elite, 4 Tussle, 5 Unleash, 6 Pen, 7 Treat, 12 Of no avail, 14 Cholera, 16 Orderly, 17 Romany, 18 Clout, 20 Fakir, 22 Tip.

Yesterday’s Cryptic Solution Across: 1 Muffs, 4 Midriff, 8 Ill, 9 Thumbnail, 10 Insipid, 11 Child, 13 Glider, 15 Behalf, 18 Light, 19 Delayed, 21 Cast about, 23 Ali, 24 Deposit, 25 Overt.

Down: 1 Mailing, 2 Full swing, 3 Set-up, 4 Moulds, 5 Debacle, 6 Ida, 7 Filed, 12 In any case, 14 Entraps, 16 Faddist, 17 Adroit, 18 Laced, 20 Lotto, 22 Sop.

EASY PUZZLE

Across 1 Lethal (6) 4 Divert attention of (8) 9 Poignant (6) 10 Excessive adulation (8) 12 Good fortune (4) 13 Joyful (5) 14 Incinerate (4) 17 Supreme (6,2,4) 20 Demagogue (6-6) 23 Evaluate (4) 24 Imagine (5) 25 Extol (4) 28 Phraseology (8) 29 Leapt (6) 30 Sharp witty retort (8) 31 Indisposed (6)

Down 1 Completely destroy (8) 2 Pleading of a cause (8) 3 Solitary (4) 5 Self-government (12) 6 Cultivate (4) 7 Crafty (6) 8 Hard to endure (6) 11 Unlimited authority (5,7) 15 Go stealthily (5) 16 Vex (5) 18 Wild adventurous exploit (8) 19 Recklessly wasteful (8) 21 Respectable (6) 22 Incite (4,2) 26 Adequate (4) 27 Extend across (4)

FIND where the fleet of ships shown is hidden in the grid. The numbers to the right of and below the grid indicate how many of the squares in that row are filled in with ships or parts of ships. The ships do not touch each other, even diagonally. Some squares have been filled in to start you off.

Solution tomorrow 1

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D H D Q R I

G R A B L X

L A H C Z S

1, 2022

T N E P N T

F A O A E A

T V U B J O

J H A P N B

THE ALPHABEAT

TARGET Best described as a number crossword, the task in Kakuro is to fill all of the empty squares, using numbers 1 to 9, so the sum of each horizontal block equals the number to its left, and the sum of each vertical block equals the number on its top. No number may be used in the same block more than once. The difficulty level of the Conceptis Kakuro increases from Monday to Sunday.

K P B D C V

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The Tribune | Weekend | 07

Friday, April 1, 2022

FOOD

Stepping into the ‘Lime’ light with new

FISH FRY VENUE

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

B

eing laid off from a job is never an easy thing. But for the more resourceful among us, the following creed often kicks in: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

Well, Adrian Wildgoose took it one step further and made Lime Wedge – the newest restaurant at Arawak Cay Adrian, who has worked in the food or beverage business for over 15 years, from flipping burgers on the grill at McDonald’s to working in high-responsibility positions for employers like Atlantis, Baha Mar and Bristol Wines and Spirits, started his new venture in the midst of the pandemic in March 2021.

“I took the risk and bet on myself,” the Grand Bahama native told Tribune Weekend. “My Christmas of 2020 was spent painting the deck floor at Lime Wedge, imagining it being opened and booked out.

It was a long journey, but with some faith, a good team and the support from people that believed in the vision, Lime Wedge has now come to life,” he said.

At his restaurant, Adrian implements a three-pronged formula: good food, good drinks and good vibes.

“We all know that Bahamians are some of the hardest critics you can find, especially when it comes to food,’ he said. But so far, Lime Wedge seems to have passed muster.

“We have gained some very loyal customers that make us a part of their schedule every week or every visit, which is awesome to see. Even when things don’t go perfectly, the feedback helps us to grow and get better,” he said.

Adrian said he and his chefs have come up with a menu that has something for everyone; all the

Bahamian favourites like conch, fish, calamari, shrimp, chicken wings and burgers. He said they are also having a lot of success with their different pastas – all the seafood and vegetarian options.

“I always believed that good food

and drinks help people to enjoy precious moments a lot more. I think that’s where the idea started.

I honestly never saw myself being a restaurant owner. Even though I’ve always been in the industry in some way, the combination of my

experience sort of prepared me for this. My first job ever was as a dishwasher at a restaurant. My previous job was in the beverage business. It’s almost as if I couldn’t run away from it. When the opportunity came my way via a very good friend of mine, I started the business plan. I was so excited throughout the process that I barely slept. The motivation came from wanting to build something that would be a place for people to go and get away from everything,” he said.

In the future, Adrian would love to see Lime Wedge become a franchise with multiple locations.

“We are not located on the main Fish Fry, so we are perfectly situated for those who want the Bahamian dining experience away from the crowd,” he said.

On March 30, Lime Wedge will celebrate its one-year anniversary and on April 5 it will host its Spring Cocktail Party.

10 | The Tribune | Weekend

Friday, April 1, 2022

GARDENING

G

BLOOMING BRILLIANCE

ood day, gardeners. Today I am sitting down to write the 100th article in this gardening column!

I am grateful to have the opportunity and I hope that in what I have written up to this point, that there has been something that has been somewhat useful to you, or at the least, somewhat entertaining for two minutes of your time each Friday.

There are days that I feel uninspired as to what to write about. On those days the typical solution for me is to simply step out into the garden, be present, and observe. I find my own personal peace in two places, one is on the ocean and the other is in the garden, and usually any garden provides me with all the inspiration that I need. This week it has been quite easy to choose a topic related to the garden.

Of particular note that is hard to miss, is the brilliant display of showiness that is provided by a couple of the flowering trees that grow readily in our climate; the yellow poui (Tabebuia caraiba pronounced Tabeh-bew-ee-ah ca-ray-bah) and the apple blossom cassia (Cassia javanica). I am not sure where the idea of choosing the yellow elder as our national flower was conceived, but the yellow poui (pronounced like pooey) would certainly have trumped the yellow elder as an option in my opinion.

Neither the yellow poui or the yellow elder are native to our specific region, nor is the Cassia javanica, but thanks to the global plant market they’ve all landed on our shores, and they are all suitable for small to large garden spaces. The

Yellow poui in bloom

blooming brilliance of the two noted trees, yellow poui and apple blossom cassia, are both a garden highlight of late winter and early Spring, which is technically where we are in the year.

March 20 is the official date of the end of winter and the beginning of spring in this year, 2022. Both the poui and the cassia begin their blooms in early to midMarch, and while the cassia typically gives one main show, the poui can bloom sporadically through the spring and summer months.

Both of these trees lose their leaves before flowering, and both are highly attractive to pollinators and wildlife, those flying and crawling creatures which are crucial to the circle of life. Neither

tree of note is difficult to maintain although the fact that they drop leaf can be a nuisance to some, I imagine.

Some folks are finicky and particular in what they seek to have in their garden space, and leaf litter is understandably something

that some wish to not deal with. Then there are those of us who cannot help but grow or collect beautiful trees and plants, despite the labour of love or maintenance bills needed to keep them or the area they are in, “clean”.

Either way, both mentioned trees are a great addition to any garden space and can be kept within bounds by a simple annual pruning to maintain shape or size.

Neither tree is demanding in relation to nutrients, water, or the condition of the soil they’re planted in. Both trees mentioned give a fabulous display of color and both bring a particular charm to gardens, community spaces, and just about anywhere that they can be seen, in my opinion. While neither tree is

fragrant, for those of us with eyes to see, the showiness of both makes them valuable additions to bring colour and joy to the landscape. Thank you for reading, to all of you that do, and I hope to keep writing so long as you all keep reading! I ask of you to share the gift of gardening and also to tell your friends to pick up a daily copy of the Tribune! As always, I wish you happy gardening.

• Adam Boorman is the nursery manager at the Fox Hill Nursery.

You can contact him with any questions you may have, or topics you would like to see discussed, at gardening242@gmail.com.

The Tribune | Weekend | 11

Friday, April 1, 2022

FOOD

CELEBRITY CULINARY experts have fun in the Bahamas

By ALESHA CADET Tribune Features Writer acadet@tribunemedia.net

N

ot just one, but two prominent names from the culinary world visited the Bahamas last weekend.

Renowned Ethiopian-Swedish Chef Marcus Samuelsson, who recently celebrated the opening of his Marcus at Baha Mar Fish + Chop House at Baha Mar, returned to join Ray Isle, the wine editor for Food and Wine magazine, for a special

event at the Cable Beach resort.

Graeme Davis, president of Baha Mar, said their team was excited to partner with Isle in welcoming resort guests and members of the local community to a weekend of tasting events throughout the property.

Highlights of the weekend included the Vintage Champagne Affair at Café Boulud, Rosewood with sommelier Joaquin Torres and the Sunset Rosé and Rosé Cocktail tasting with Chef Samuelsson on the Marcus Up Top terrace. Isle was joined by Chef Samuelsson

Chef Marcus Samuelsson and Ray Isle, wine editor for Food and Wine magazine

for a fun, interactive cooking demonstration accompanied by specially selected still and sparkling Rosé wines and cocktails.

Speaking with Tribune Weekend at last Friday’s event, Chef Samuelsson said tasting and cooking demonstration he took part was immense fun.

“First of all, to have the band create incredible, not just calypso, but also true rake n’ scrape music, I love that. It is not just something you see or hear. We brought the band in so that our American customers who are not that familiar (with it) can see that culture. Also bringing someone like Ray Islem who has amazing knowledge about wines and bringing a world-class wine curator into an event like this, and then cooking local, is amazing,” said he said.

The cooking demo included the creation of dishes like smoked wahoo dip, conch salad, lobster roll, yakitori, chicken meat balls, pork, shrimp, and shiitake mushrooms.

Earlier in the week, Chef Samuelsson hosted an interactive cooking demo attended by a group of culinary students from the University of Bahamas Culinary School. He said it was truly humbling to be a part of the event.

“I see myself when I see the young local chefs. They have vision,

they have a dream, and I was a young Black chef at some point. I understand how challenging it can be to navigate to a certain position.

So, when I spoke to the students about their vision and dreams, I could really relate to them. And hopefully, when they see, say Chef Garrett (the Bahamian Chef de Cuisine at Marcus at Baha Mar Fish + Chop House and Marcus Up Top) and myself, they can see there is a path of role models,” he said.

“Our main purpose of building a restaurant is to create more opportunities and jobs for local chefs. When we are doing cooking classes like that, we are really feeding our purpose.”

He believes what makes a Bahamian kitchen so unique is its multiple-island cuisine.

“That means there is different agriculture, different types of seafood, different types of climates that you have to work with, and that is unique. It is beyond conch.

Conch is the main staple of course, but there are a lot of different things,” he said. “I just think that the Bahamian kitchen is very rich in terms of fruits, seafoods, vegetables, and it is something I keep learning about, and also keep incorporating into the menu at Marcus.”

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LITERARY LIVES – Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe

A musical partnership

FOR THE AGES Sir Christopher Ondaatje writes about the partnership between the librettist Alan Jay Lerner and the composer Frederick Loewe, who were responsible for creating the stage successes My Fair Lady, Brigadoon, Camelot and Gigi.

“Coughing in the theatre is not a respiratory ailment. It is a criticism.”

film, which was not received with the same acclaim as the original with Lerner and Loewe as the creators. The film lost some of the magic of the original which included the song “Wand’rin’ Star” and “They Call the Wind Maria”.

– Alan Jay Lerner Frederick “Fritz” Loewe was a child prodigy concert pianist born on June 10, 1901 in Berlin – the son of Viennese operetta star Edmund Loewe. After moving to New York City he worked occasionally as a pianist in German clubs, and got part-time work as an accompaniest for silent films. Alan Jay Lerner was born on August 31, 1918 in New York City, went to Harvard University and made his first musical theatre contributions to Hasty Pudding musicals at Harvard, where he sometimes collaborated with the famous Leonard Bernstein.

Rumour has it that the 43-yearold Frederick Loewe met the young 24-year-old Lerner at the Lamb’s Club in New York when he accidentally took the wrong turning to the mens’ washroom and asked him if he wrote lyrics.

Upon affirmation, he invited Lerner to work with him and the immediate partnership was born.

Their first collaborations were not successful. Life of the Party (1942) ran for nine weeks in Detroit, and What’s Up (1944), despite making it to Broadway, closed after 63 performances. They achieved a little success with The Day Before Spring (1945), which closed a year later at the Shubert Theatre in Boston.

Brigadoon was their first significant hit. They spent an inordinate amount of time finding investors to back their

Frederick Loewe (left) and Alan Jay Lerner production, whose plot centres on two New York natives who happen on a village in Scotland that is enchanted by magic and appears only once every century. The idea was inspired by the stories of JM Barrie of Peter Pan fame. The original Broadway production opened at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York and won the Drama Critics Award for Best Musical of the Year. In 1949, it opened at the West End Theatre in London and was followed by a film starring Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse.

Paint Your Wagon opened at the Shubert Theatre in New York in 1951 to mixed reviews and was not a hit. Based in California during the Gold Rush, the musical focuses on the relationship between a mining father and his daughter. The show made its West End debut in London in 1953 and ran for nearly five hundred performances. A film version was produced in 1969, for which Loewe gave permission to Lerner to work with André Previn to write a few new songs for the

My Fair Lady opened on Broadway at the Mark Hellinger Theatre in 1956. Both Lerner and Loewe were interested in adapting George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion into a musical. Gabriel Pascal, the film producer, owned the rights and brought the opportunity to the duo. They struggled with creating it, gave up and looked for other opportunities. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein had also tried and given up. They said that Pygmalion had no sub-plot.

But in 1954, Lerner and Loewe persevered and wrote songs that retained social commentary and that built the main characters of Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle, eventually played by Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews. They rejected the idea of having any sub-plot.

It took many failed attempts.

Lerner has said that Loewe’s style was to enter a dreamlike state where he would play continuously until he achieved a musical moment that pleased them both. It wasn’t until previews for the musical were scheduled that Lerner discarded Loewe’s choice of “Fanfaroon”, saying it was too much like “Brigadoon” and they chose “My Fair Lady” as the title they disliked the least. It stuck, and the musical set box-office records in New York and London. It won six of the ten Tony Awards for which

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it which it was nominated. When it was brought to the screen in 1964, the movie version won eight Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Rex Harrison.

addicted to amphetamines; during the 1960s he was a patient of Max Jacobson, known as “Dr Feelgood”, who administered injections of “vitamins with enzymes” that were in fact vitamins with amphetamines.

Lerner married eight times: Ruth Boyd (1940-1947); singer Marion Bell (1947-1949); Nancy Olson (1950-1957); lawyer Micheline Muselli Pozzo di Borgo (1957-1965); editor Karen Gunderson (1966-1974); Sandra Payne (1974-1976); Nina Bushkin (1977-1981), and Liz Robertson 1981-1986).

Lerner and Loewe’s run of success continued with their next project, a film adaptation of stories from Colette, the Academy Award-winning film musical Gigi, starring Leslie Caron, Louis Jourdan and Maurice Chevalier.

The film won all of its nine Oscar nominations and a special Oscar for co-star Maurice Chevalier.

The Lerner-Loewe partnership in 1960 cracked under the strain of Lerner’s ambition to direct as well as write Camelot. The play’s director, Moss Hart, had a heart attack in the middle of previews.

He died soon after the premiere.

Lerner was hospitalised too with bleeding ulcers, and Loewe had heart troubles. Nevertheless, Camelot – inspired by T H White’s book The Once and Future King – was an instant hit following an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show and a comment by the assassinated John F Kennedy’s widow that his administration reminded her of the “one brief shining moment” of Lerner and Loewe’s Camelot. Even today the production continues to be associated to the idealism, romance, and tragedy of the Kennedy years.

Frederick Loewe had told Lerner that Camelot would be his last show before retirement and, true to his word, he retired to Palm Springs.

After Loewe retired, Lerner went through a series of musicals – some successful and some not – with composers like André Previn (Coco), John Barry (Lolita, My Love), Leonard Bernstein (1600 Pennsylvania Avenue), Burton Lane (Carmelina), and Charles Strouse (Dance a Little Closer) – which closed on opening night. Biographers blame Lerner’s professional decline on his inability to coordinate with a strong director in partnerships like Mike Nichols and Stephen Sondheim had with Harold Prince.

In 1965, Lerner collaborated again with Burton Lane on the

Four of his eight wives – Olson, Payne, Bushkin and Robertson – were actresses. Bushkin was also the director of development at Mannes College of Music.

The musical ‘Brigadoon’, which was later turned into a Gene Kelly movie, was Lerner and Loewe’s first big success

Lerner had four children – three daughters, Susan (by Boyd), Lisa and Jennifer (by Olson), and one son, screenwriter and journalist (by di Borgo).

musical On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, which was adapted for the film in 1970. Film producer Arthur P Jacobs hired Lerner to write the script for Doctor Dolittle, but after several non-productive months, procrastination and little communication, he was replaced by Leslie Bricusse.

Lerner’s multiple divorces cost him much of his wealth, but he was primarily responsible for his own financial woes.

Lerner was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1971, followed by Loewe in 1972.

In 1971, Lerner coaxed Loewe out of retirement to augment a score for a musical stage adaptation of Gigi, and in 1972 they collaborated on a musical film version of The Little Prince based on the children’s classic

by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Sadly, it was a critical and box office failure.

Lerner’s autobiography, The Street Where I Live, published in 1978, was an account of three of his collaborations with Loewe: My Fair Lady, Gigi, and Camelot. In 1986, the last year of his life, he published The Musical Theatre: A Celebration, a well-received and well-reviewed history of the theatre with personal anecdotes and much humour.

Loewe had an acerbic sense of humour and a good command of the English language.

At the time of his death, Lerner was working on a musical version

Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison in the original run of ‘My Fair Lady’

of the film My Man Godfrey. He was also invited to write the lyrics to The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

He wrote Masquerade, but then told Webber that he wanted to leave the project because he was losing his memory. In fact, he was suffering from metastatic lung cancer, and he was replaced by Charles Hart. He had also turned down an invitation to write the English language lyrics for the musical version of Les Miserables.

Lerner also struggled with writing his lyrics and was said to feel insecure about his talent. He spent months on each song, and was constantly re-writing them.

For nearly 20 years, Lerner was

Lerner’s pattern of financial mismanagement continued until his death from cancer in 1986, when he reportedly owed the US Internal Revenue Service over $1,000,000 in back taxes and was unable to pay for his final medical expenses. He died on June 14, 1986 of lung cancer in Manhattan at the age of 67. At the time of his death he was married to actress Liz Robertson who was 36 years his junior. One of his exwives reportedly said: “Marriage is Alan’s way of saying goodbye.”

His longtime theatrical collaborator Loewe outlived him and died in Palm Springs on October 14, 1988 of a cardiac arrest at age 86.

• Sir Christopher Ondaatje is the author of The Last Colonial. He acknowledges that he has quoted liberally from Wikipedia; The Street Where I Live (1985) by Alan Jay Lerner; We Danced All Night: My Life Behind the Scenes with Alan Jay Lerner (1989) by Doris Shapiro; and The Musical Worlds of Lerner and Loewe (2005) by Gene Lees.

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HISTORY

This visual pollution in the foreground cannot be blamed on private enterprise for once

Interfield

ROAD

Before World War II, Farrington Road was much longer than it is today. It stretched all the way to the south side of Lake Cunningham.

When the RAF turned Oakes Field into a military field, and Windsor Field (originally called Satellite Field) was being built, a long stretch of Farrington Road was extended westward to connect the two RAF bases to each other and to the deep water at Clifton, so a new road (Windsor Road) was built to join West Bay Street (opposite Old Fort) and continue to Clifton.

After the war, Windsor Field was abandoned, Oakes Field returned to being our international airport and there was little traffic on Interfield Road, except to get to the former RAF Hospital, which government had inherited and was using as the Bahamas General Hospital while the one on Shirley Street was being modernised.

Harrold Road (now Tonique

Williams–Darling Highway) was a dirt road, barely wide enough for one vehicle and the only thing on Gladstone Road was a ‘machine-gun nest’, though I never understood why it was there.

The only trace of buildings between Harrold Road and Satellite Field were ruins from the 1800s, once owned by JS Johnson, which were demolished in 2012.

Originally, Blake Road connected West Bay Street to Lake Cunningham. The northern portion was improved for military traffic, but for many years I drove along the southern portion, a dirt track, to show the lake to friends.

In the road improvements of 2012, the Blake Road roundabout cut off access to the lake and the former path is hard to see from the air.

From December 17-21, 1962, US President John F Kennedy and the British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, were at Lyford Cay for a conference, and Interfield Road was rechristened John F Kennedy Drive.

If you have read “1066 and All That”, WC Sellar’s and RJ Yeatman’s version of English history, you will agree that changing JFK Drive into a four-lane highway was a good thing, but it seems that most of the slower-moving traffic

sticks to the right lane.

Since we drive on the left, it is logical that slower-moving traffic should stay in the left lane and we should copy Freeport, where there are neat signs saying so. They are small and inoffensive to the eye, which is not the case with the multitude of unattractive signs, both large and small, that detract from the natural beauty of our landscape.

The worst offenders are the big advertising billboards.

Close behind them are the proliferation of small signs advertising gambling houses and political posters put up prior to the 2021 general election. To give credit where credit is due, on September 17, the majority of those posters had been removed, but too many are still there and make me see red.

When the Duke and Duchess of PAUL C Cambridge ARANHA visited the FORGOTTEN FACTS island last

A highway sign in Freeport week, the government was right to put up temporary, attractive billboards in their honour, but they would have been far more eye-catching if they had been the only signs along their route.

In 1955, during his first visit to Nassau, Dr Gilbert Grosvenor, president of the National Geographic magazine, gave us this advice: “The atmosphere of antiquity in Nassau is your best asset…don’t lose it.”

• For questions and comments, please send an e-mail to islandairman@gmail.com

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ANIMALS

ANIMALS and INTELLECT

By KIM ARANHA Animal Matters

L

ately, I have been thinking a lot about birds and where they build their nests and how they cope with weather challenges.

I remember an industrious little bird who built a nest in a church a few years ago, in the perfect spot, high up in the rafters, totally protected from the wind and rain.

She had to fly in and out through a window that was kept open. ‘Wow’, I thought to myself, ‘that really shows thought and purpose.’

Bird brained? No, I don’t think so.

Have you ever followed a nesting bird over a series of weeks, watched them choose a location where to build their nests – they then fly tirelessly back and forth foraging for the right materials and twigs to construct their family home.

As Spring makes its presence felt, we will see nesting birds all over the place in the Bahamas for these next couple of months.

I am of the opinion that all that time and effort denotes thought, intelligence and purpose.

They invariably always choose awesome places to build their nests, elevated and sheltered from the elements. When my son was at the tennis academy in Tampa a long time ago, I was always amazed at the enormous and intricate structures the cranes build for their babies. Of course, as big birds they needed big nests but such labour intensive structures!

The other detail that astounds, is that, they will keep returning to the same nest year after year. How do they know where to go if they can’t and don’t think?

The experts tell us their brain is too small to think as we do, but, really? How do we actually know?

We are humans and can only understand things in the context of our understanding. Our comprehension remains within our

human parameters. I think it is impossible for most of us to imagine animal comprehension and communications.

When I look at that shambles at the Academy Awards night - what a display of human failure and frailty, I wonder why we accuse humans who behave badly of “behaving like animals”; animals would not behave like that. So many humans with their allegedly superior brain size and capabilities appear to waste their potential; failing to use what nature gave them for good.

A friend a couple of days ago posted that she had found a large snake in some water, so cold it wasn’t moving. She pulled him out of the water and moved him to a warm rock in the sun. She made three observations: “He looks like his doing better in the sun.” “He is

year to escape the cold weather and migrate to warmer climes to pass the winter in comfort and then, come Spring, they metaphorically pack their bags and bid their Winter home adieu and head back north. No plane tickets, no compass, they know exactly where they are heading.

Birds understand the importance of travelling as a group, there is always a leader and their formation flying would rival any air force squadron.

I watch my dogs and I am absolutely convinced that they think about their actions. Potcakes totally know what a pillow is for, they watch us and then they copy us and find it is pretty comfortable. They think when they want something and bark a magnificent specimen.” And the to demand it, they think, I know, I saddest and the most true: “I hope watch them do it… sometimes they someone doesn’t kill him.” decide “better not” and back down. It So we return to the puerile is all there, and they have the power human theory around here that all snakes should be killed, all because to make decisions.

All animals are amazing. We need a “talking snake” had a deep conversation with a naked lady in a to put more time in to learning about wooded garden and persuaded her them, we could learn so much more to eat a “magic apple” that caused about ourselves. her to be aware of her sensualIf people realised what animals are ity ….pretty far out! And that my capable of, I believe that they would friends is why snakes are vilified! not be abused and mistreated as All over the Bahamas snakes that do they are.

Many people do not know no wrong, snakes that help control the rat population are being killed animals have feelings, sadness, know because of a literal misunderstand- loneliness and pain. From the smalling and superstition. est bird, to the largest elephant or Animals possess so much more whale, they are capable of so much intuition and intelligence than we more understanding and emotions give them credit for.

Thinking of birds again, so many than most people ever give them of them fly thousands of miles every credit for.

pet of the week

A SUPERSTAR in waiting

By THE BAHAMAS HUMANE SOCIETY Coco Superstar is a corgi mix currently at the Bahamas Humane Society and looking for a home of her own. This lovely lady is about five years old and a little bit selective as to which humans she likes or doesn’t, but once she’s decided she likes you, you’ll be her friend for life.

Coco Superstar is friendly with most other dogs and seems to like the cats, so she’d

be okay in a multi-animal house. Do you have the right personality for Coco Superstar? Give the BHS a call at 323-5138 to find out more about her. Coco Superstar looks forward to getting to know you.

If you can’t adopt, foster.

If you can’t foster, volunteer.

If you can’t volunteer, donate.

If you can’t donate, educate!

Help make a difference!

Photo/Linda Gill-Aranha

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