wagmag November 2011

November 2011

HÉlÈne Grimaud’s rhapsody for wolves Sole Mate

Manolo’s George Malkemus

passionate

Joseph Abboud The Yoda of fashion

A doctor among Giants Greenwich’s Russell Warren

Leisure luxe on Spain’s ‘Orient Express’

pursuits

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Love a little every day.

November 2011

passionate pursuits 14 FROM THE SACRED TO THE PROFANE 16 THE unending pursuit of THE QUEST MYTH 18 SONG OF MYSELF 20 PARKS AND RE-CREATION 22 FASCINATING RHYTHM 24 DIVINE GRACE 26 A PASSIONATE SOLE 30 THE CASHMERE PHILOSOPHER 33 tabling cultural exchanges 36 DORA THE (COOKIE) EXPLORER 38 picture perfect 40 CLAY FEAT 41 LOVE DUET 42 mixing it up 44 ROMANCING THE STONE 46 THE WOLF AT THE DOOR 47 PLAYING TO THE WOLVES 50 A HOWLING GOOD TIME 51 CALL OF THE WILD 52 SUSAN OF THE WOLVES 56 MONEY MAVEN 58 RUN, RUN FASHION BABY 60 TWO FOR THE (HORSE) SHOW 62 PASSION ON THE MENU? 64 russell f. warren, gridiron md 74 DRIVE, THEY SAID

Hélène Grimaud at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

速

november 2011

Features 54 way

Restoration period

66 wear

Vince Camuto’s swoon-worthy fragrance

68 whims

The class menagerie

70 wine&dine

Sicily’s vintage moment

72 wheels

A car out of “Star Wars”

76 wayfarer

Re-orienting the express

78 wise

The stock market as a field of dreams

80 well

More men turning back the hands of time

82 well

Not so hot? Might be hormones

84 watch

We’re out and about

92 worthy

Unique gifts

93 when&where Upcoming events

95 wit

We wonder: What – or who – is your secret passion?

96 class&sass

With Martha Handler and Jennifer Pappas

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WAG A division of Westfair Communications Inc. 3 Gannett Drive, White Plains, NY 10604 Telephone: (914) 358-0746 Facsimile: (914) 694-3699 Website: wagmag.com Email: ggouveia@westfairinc.com All news, comments, opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations in WAG are those of the authors and do not constitute opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations of the publication, its publisher and its editorial staff. No portion of WAG may be reproduced without permission.WAG is distributed at select locations, mailed directly and is available at $12 a year for home or office delivery. To subscribe, call (914) 694-3600, ext. 3020. All advertising inquiries should be directed to Susan Barbash at (914) 358-0746 or email sbarbash@ westfairinc.com. Advertisements are subject to review by the publisher and acceptance for WAG does not constitute an endorsement of the product or service. WAG (Issn: 1931-6364) is published monthly and is owned and published by Westfair Communications Inc. Dee DelBello, CEO, dd@wagmag.com Michael Gallicchio, Chief Operating Officer Marie Orser, Chief Financial Officer

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Mat Hennek, a photographer from Germany – whose photographs of his partner, Hélène Grimaud, appear in this issue – has made portraits of many other classical artists, including the pianist Lang Lang, conductor Simon Rattle and opera stars Anna Netrebko and Bryn Terfel. His works have appeared in such publications as the BBC Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Five to Nine, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, GQ, Marie Claire, Max, Playboy, Stern, Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin, Vogue and ZEIT Magazin. He and Grimaud make their home in Switzerland.

Spencer Wilhelm, operations manager at the Wolf Conservation bob rozycki

Maggie Howell

10

erika schwartz

mary shustack

Zoë Zellers

Center in South Salem, was born and raised in Wyoming and received his bachelor’s degree in zoology from the University of Wyoming. Previously, he was with the Bronx Zoo Mammal Department and Out of Africa Wildlife Park in Arizona.

He lives in Danbury with wife, Maggie Howell, managing director of the Wolf Conservation Center, and their daughter.

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From the editor

true colors.

Georgette Gouveia

. .

)

The editor with one of her sculpted heads of Alexander the Great.

Photograph by Bob Rozycki

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Welcome to a very special WAG. In the past few months, our thematic magazine has plumbed people (April’s People Who Care), places (clubs, March) and things (water, July).

But this is the very first issue in which we’ve explored a pure idea – passion and how it can lead you to pursue your dreams.

As you’ll see in these pages, passion can take many different forms. Perhaps in the most obvious sense, there’s sexual passion, and if you’ve been reading us, then you know we at WAG are never shy about sex and nudity. This month is no exception as Dr. Erika gives us the sex talk (related to hormones and libido) and our own Martha and Jen dish sex (while talking turkey).

We also explore the cultural meaning of wolves partly as an excuse to feature the hunky new breed of werewolves.

But our wolf package isn’t just about “Twilight’s” Taylor Lautner and “True Blood’s” Joe Manganiello. Our look at the people who conserve, film, write about and just plain love this vital endangered species was really inspired by one woman, the otherworldly pianist Hélène Grimaud, whose encounter with a highcontent wolf hybrid (more wolf than dog) led her to found the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem.

As you’ll see in Martha Handler’s piece, Hélène is passionate in that Romantic, Brontë-esque sense of the word – independent of mind, wild of heart and untamed of spirit. Her first dance with a wolf was an electric experience – which is how many music lovers feel about encountering her pianism.

And maybe that is the point of passion – it enlarges and transforms you, pushing you to seek what poet Alfred Lord Tennyson’s called “a newer world.”

“Whether you’re a great writer or a

you’re a great artist, or chef, I think it all boils down to passion,” Manolo Blahnik CEO George Malkemus tells our galabout-town Kelly Liyakasa. Kelly beautifully captures a man who’s as fervent about the dairy farm he owns in pastoral Litchfield County as he is about the luxe footwear he promotes. But I don’t think he started out envisioning himself in either business, anymore than Chappaqua’s Dan Biederman imagined himself as a 21st century Frederick Law Olmsted. But as Mary Shustack, our house and garden maven, demonstrates in her textured story, by refashioning Manhattan’s Bryant Park and Boston Common, Biederman refashioned his career and his life.

The kind of passion doesn’t always lead to such fruitful pursuit. (There is such a thing as thwarted passion.) But there can be no pursuit without it, as our quest-forthe-quest myth story illustrates. Being a passionate person who has pursued the life she sees in her head, I’ve always been attracted to people and historical figures who have done the same, like Alexander the Great, risking all to conquer the Persian Empire and fulfill the Homeric ideal of arête, or excellence, as embodied by his ancestor Achilles.

But when I think of passion, I think, too, about Achilles’ comrade-in-arms at Troy, the wily Odysseus (Ulysses), and the sentiments Tennyson has him speak in “Ulysses:” “Though much is taken, much abides; and though We are not now that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are; One equal temper of heroic hearts, Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”

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Passion,From the sacred to the profane

By Georgette Gouveia

What is passion?

Is it all heaving bosoms and throbbing loins, Stanley howling for Stella or Cathy calling to Heathcliff across the moors and time?

Or is it something larger, grander, more mystical than sex?

“It’s a very difficult question,” says Sarah Forbes, curator of the Museum of Sex in Manhattan, which takes a socio-cultural, historical approach to that subject. “It’s an overwhelming desire. For me, it’s about drive. We talk about drive at the museum and all the things that propel you to create, to do something.”

To Wendy McKenna, a Westchester-based psychologist and expert on gender and sexuality who is also a professor of sociology at Purchase College, passion, too, involves an acuteness of emotion that leads to action.

“Passion is about intense feeling, really strong feeling and not only intense feeling, but it gives great pleasure. Passion involves some kind of intense longing for something or someone, as in the person who has a passion for football or baseball and is longing for the season to start… Passion is also associated with some kind of fulfillment.”

It was the Roman general and historian Arrian who described Alexander the Great as having a special kind of yearning for something outside himself – or “pothos” in Greek – that drove him to conquer the Persian Empire, says James Romm, the James H. Ottaway Jr. professor of classics at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson and editor of the superb “The Landmark Arrian: The Campaigns of Alexander.” But Alexander’s passion was also fueled by an idea – the quest to live up to the Homeric ideal embodied by his ancestor Achilles. (See related story.)

In passion, then, an intense idea/emotion leads to action. But does that mean there’s a correlation between intellectual and sexual passion?

“Sexual passion is related to intellectual passion, because the strongest part of our sexuality is our imagination, particularly for women,” Forbes says. “The potent part is the ability to explore, fantasize and create. Passion is a mental-physical relationship.”

Perhaps nowhere is that mind-body connection more vibrantly illustrated than in India, land of the sensual temple sculptures and erotic illuminations. While sexual passion has been sublimated to spiritual pursuits in yogic and Hindu traditions, there was a blossoming of erotic secular literature in the 16th through 18th centuries, says John Guy, the Florence and Herbert Irving curator of the Arts of South and Southeast Asia at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan, where “Wonder of the Age: Master Painters of India, 1100-1900” is on view through Jan. 8. Among the works is a tenderly passionate 18th-century watercolor of the god Krishna and his wife, Radha.

Often, though, such works leave less to the imagination. There are no romantic fade-outs in Indian art.

“Everyone knows ‘The Kama Sutra,’” Forbes says.

“But it’s not just about sexual positions. It’s about sex being tied to your total well-being. I don’t think we always appreciate that in our Western capitalist society.”

Indeed, there is a long tradition in the West – beginning at least with the ancient Greeks and Romans and continuing through the rise and dominance of Christianity, even into 14

our present times – which holds that passions such as anger, hate and especially sexual desire must be subjugated to reason, morality or some higher purpose.

“Theologians and philosophers…were caught up in a dualism that only saw the world as a battle between good and evil,” says the Rev. Philip P. Tah, a parochial vicar at Sacred Heart Church in Hartsdale. “Often these scholars saw the flesh and whatever was bodily as sinful and saw the spirit/reason as pure… Vestiges of such reasoning are still seen today in our view of sex and expressions of other passions that are considered rather worldly.”

of her crucified savior. (The word “passion” comes from the Latin meaning “to suffer, to endure,” and in that sense survives in the Passion plays, movies and oratorios based on the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ last earthly days.)

“Passion is about intense feeling, really strong feeling and not only intense feeling, but it gives great pleasure. Passion involves some kind of intense longing for something or someone … ” — Wendy McKenna

It’s a sports cliché, for instance, that athletes forego sex before the big game. Similarly, we speak admiringly of artists who channel their sexual energy into a creative pursuit.

So ingrained is our sense of the need to corral passion that it can still be shocking to see the marble sculpture “Christ and Mary Magdalene,” by one of the greatest purveyors of the erotic, Auguste Rodin. Here Rodin melds passion with the Passion of Jesus that culminated in his Crucifixion, just as surely as the body of Mary Magdalene melts into the slumping form

Few artists encapsulated sexual passion the way Auguste Rodin did. Here’s his iconic “The Kiss (Le Baiser).” Courtesy Bruce Museum, Greenwich.

In recent times, however, there has been a reconsideration of passion, one that has unleashed it from the prison of prejudice. Here context becomes the key to perception.

“Passions are indifferent, meaning they are neither good nor evil in themselves,” Tah says. “When used inappropriately they can drive us beyond the precipice (as when admiration for a loved object becomes an obsession, or when anger drives us to bitterness and hate). But when used modestly, they are vital for surviving and thriving through every difficulty (as when anger toward a practice that abuses women and children or some minority group forces us to engage and fight for its eradication).”

Tah’s comments raise one of the most tantalizing aspects of passion, which is its relationship to obsession. Is it a question of semantics – one man’s all-consuming passion is another’s obsession – or of the circumstance or degree of the passion?

Was Antony and Cleopatra’s love for each other, which helped bring down an empire, an all-consuming passion or an obsession? What of the soul-mate bonding between Cathy and Heathcliff in Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights,” which leaves a trail of destruction that ultimately subsumes them?

While these questions may be challenging to try to answer, there are those experts who see a clear distinction between a passion, which can be shared, and an obses-

sion, which is imposed.

“A passion expands you, an obsession constricts you,” McKenna says. “A passion makes you feel better. It’s about the other, whether a person or an activity.

An obsession is not outward. It’s inward. It’s driven by anxiety. Passion is driven by desire.”

Opera, so often said to be about grand passion, is filled with obsession. Think of Athanaël, the fervent monk in Jules Massenet’s “Thaïs,” who successfully struggles to convert a celebrated courtesan in ancient Alexandria only to end up yearning for the sensual beauty he destroyed. Or Don José in Georges Bizet’s “Carmen,” who sinks to murderous depths in his desperate attempt to control the self-possessed gypsy he adores. His is what the tabloids would call a “crime of passion.” But we might call it a “crime of obsession.”

One of the most haunting portraits of obsession comes not from the world of opera but from that of the movies, Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 masterwork, “Vertigo.”

What begins as the story of acrophobic ex-detective Scottie Ferguson’s passion for suicidal Madeleine Elster quickly becomes a tale of obsession as Hitchcock strips away every layer of illusion until the viewer is left with only the realization that what Scottie fell for was not Madeleine but his idea of her. His passion for another is nothing more than an obsession

In Indian culture, mind and body are one, and so it is with passion as exemplified by “Krishna With Radha In A Forest Glade.” © The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

with himself that leaves him literally on a precipice.

For all its challenges and dangers, however, passion is indispensible. And it can lead to its noble cousin compassion, which transcends sympathy and empathy with action.

“Life would be deprived of zest, beauty, inspiration, spark and charm if we didn’t have our passions,” Tah says.

And one thing more, in a world ruled by the bottom line, “passion has intrinsic value,” McKenna says.

It is a joy in itself. n

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15

The

unending

pursuit of the

quest myth

By Georgette Gouveia

I

n the sparkling 1995 adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility” by Westchester auteur Ang Lee, the ardent Marianne Dashwood peppers Sir John Middleton with questions about the character of the Byronic John Willoughby, who rescued her from a fall. Middleton, however, is more observant about what kind of rider and hunter Willoughby is. Finally, the exasperated Marianne blurts out, “What are his tastes? His passions? His pursuits?”

They do go hand in hand, don’t they?

Without passion, there can be no pursuit.

But passion can be thwarted. It alone is not enough. For any pursuit, you’ll need other P-words – perseverance, persuasion, pluck. Fortunately, there are plenty of guidebooks and road maps to help you on your way, though you won’t find them at any service station. Rather, they are the great quest myths of world literature – which play out in myriad forms even today.

“The quest myth is the classic comingof-age story,” says James Romm, the James H. Ottaway Jr. professor of classics at Bard College in Annandale-onHudson and editor of “The Landmark Arrian: The Campaigns of Alexander.”

A young man – it’s almost always a young man – sets out to find the seemingly unattainable object that will somehow transform his life or that of others (Jason and the Golden Fleece, Sir Galahad and the Holy Grail). He goes off to war to win eternal glory (Achilles in Homer’s “The Iliad”), or flees its ravages to seek a new life (Aeneas in Virgil’s “The Aeneid”). Sometimes, he is not a myth but a man in pursuit of a dream (Alexander conquering the Persian Empire, Ponce de Leon after the Fountain of Youth).

In any event, he endures many trials, accompanied, if he is lucky, by his trusty friends and aided – and often hindered – by the woman he loves. Sometimes, he ends as he began (Jason again). And sometimes, the starting place is the point of the journey as he tries to make his way

16

“The Hunters Enter the Woods,” part of the turn-of-the-16th-century Netherlandish “Unicorn Tapestry” series at The Cloisters, The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s medieval branch in northern Manhattan. ©The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

home (Odysseus in “The Odyssey”).

The quest myth is as old as writing and permeates virtually every culture.

The aboriginal walkabout – in which a youth goes off to live in the bush for up to six months, emulating the heroic deeds of his ancestors – is a quest myth, Romm says.

In the West, the quest for the quest myth begins with the great Babylonian epic “Gilgamesh,” says Samuel B. Seigle, professor of classics at Sarah Lawrence College in Yonkers. Here the tyrannical king Gilgamesh is exiled by the people, befriends his rival, Enkidu, and loses Enkidu, which spurs him to seek the key to eternal life.

The Greeks, who had a lot of quest myths, played with the form, Seigle says. The self-centered Jason – who later pays and pays for accepting the sorceress Medea’s help in obtaining the Golden Fleece – is not anybody’s idea of a hero.

The tough, wily veteran Odysseus is still tough and wily when he finally reaches the shores of his native Ithaca. His is not

the quest’s transformative experience, Seigle says.

In the Middle Ages, Dante’s “The Divine Comedy” underscored the quest idea by sending the poet on a Cook’s tour of Hell, Purgatory and Heaven with no less than Virgil of “Aeneid” fame. Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales” sent up the quest with its plot about travelers entertaining themselves with a story contest.

So did Miguel de Cervantes’ “Don Quixote,” with its spindly country gentleman reimagined as the knight Don Quixote de la Mancha, forever tilting at windmills. By that time, the age of realism, the quest was on the way out, Seigle says, although there were satiric elements of it in the 18th-century in Henry Fielding’s “Tom Jones” and Voltaire’s “Candide,” with the misadventures of their respective amorous heroes.

Things would heat up nicely again, though, in 19th-century England. Walter Scott’s stirring “Ivanhoe” and Byron’s sensuous “Don Juan” gave a nod to the quest framework, while poet Alfred Lord

Tennyson paid tribute to two of the greatest quest subjects in “Idylls of the King,” his take on the Arthurian legends, and “Ulysses,” in which an elderly Odysseus longs for his old adventures. On this side of the pond, Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” saw the title character evolve from a brutalized boy to a sensitive youth willing to help the slave Jim escape his cruel bonds so he can reunite with his family.

Not only was the quest myth not dead. It was about to undergo the kind of twists and turns found in its stories as it moved into new media in the 20th and 21st centuries. “The Odyssey” got a ground-breaking, modern retelling in James Joyce’s stream-of-consciousness novel “Ulysses.” The hero became a heroine in L. Frank Baum’s “The Wizard of Oz,” made into one of the most beloved films with Judy Garland as an ingénue Ulysses. Truth be told there have always been quest myths starring women, including the Sumerian goddess Inanna’s descent into the underworld – lots of

underworld action in quest myths – and Psyche’s performance of Herculean tasks to regain the love of her spouse, Cupid.

But these are the exceptions, not the rule.

Without passion, there can be no pursuit.

The Great White Way has been a beneficiary of several quest myths. Voltaire’s “Candide” was reinvented as a Leonard Bernstein operetta, a Broadway failure in its day that has since become an opera-house and concert-hall favorite. “Camelot,” the Lerner and Loewe musical, revisited themes explored in “Idylls of the King” and Thomas Malory’s nostalgic 15th-century “La Morte d’Arthur.” And the satire of “Don Quixote” gave way to the idealism of “Man of La Mancha” amid the social changes of the 1960s.

But by far the greatest revivals of the quest myth were in the movies, specifically George Lucas’ “Star Wars” series, which now begins with the rise and fall

of Anakin Skywalker and his redemption by his son, Luke, and “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels.

With its powerful, seemingly elusive title object, “The Lord of the Rings” owes much to Richard Wagner’s operatic “Der Ring des Nibelungen” cycle, while “Star Wars” was heavily influenced by “The Hero With A Thousand Faces,” a nonfiction work in which Joseph Campbell, professor of mythology at Sarah Lawrence, considered the parallels in the world’s great quest stories.

While there are certainly any number of explorers and travel programs – Michael Woods’ engaging PBS series “In Search of Myths & Heroes” comes to mind – the quest in our own day seems to have moved into the realm of reality TV and sports. Novak Djokovic’s pursuit of tennis’ Grand Slam and Olympic gold as well as swimmer Ryan Lochte’s bid to top Michael Phelps’ eight gold medals in one Olympics are 2012 quests in search of a Homer to tell them.

Perhaps the sports heroes of today will find their bards amid the students at Sarah Lawrence. Seigle says many of his want to be creative writers. “They want to reach into memory as it should be, as it had been.”

For the greatest journey, of course, is the one within. n

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Song of myself For Mike Horyczun, it’s all about the music within

By Georgette Gouveia Photograph by ©David Bravo Everyone has a song within him. Mike Horyczun has many such songs.

“Melodies come easily for me,” he says of his passion for music. “I always have a tune going in my head.”

It may be just a melodic fragment – or a rhythm or a verbal phrase. But Horyczun (pronounced “HOR riz un”) will work on that in his free time and turn it over in his mind as he’s running errands or making his way to Fairfield University, where he’s publicist at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, the Bellarmine Museum of Art and the Thomas J. Walsh Art Gallery.

Horyczun has fashioned enough tunes to come up with a five-song demo CD called “Nashville Souvenir.”

There he talks of love and having no regrets about what might’ve been in songs that evoke James Taylor’s blend of country, folk and pop.

The country music capital has always been close to his heart. It’s where he proposed to his wife, Michele, an art director, at Love Circle, a strategic spot for viewing the city.

It’s also where he cut his teeth as a singer/songwriter, performing at The Bluebird Café during the invitationonly Writer’s Night on Sundays.

“The songwriting is so superb there,” he says, adding that there’s also a real audience for the singer/songwriter amid the contemporary folk scene in Boston, Philadel18

phia and Washington D.C. as well as New York City, where he has performed. He’s played Austin, Texas as well.

But Horyczun doesn’t just write and perform music.

He’s an advocate for all kinds. On alternate Fridays from 4 to 7 p.m., he’s the host of a radio show on WPKN89.5 FM in Bridgeport, where he plays an eclectic mix of folk, country, rock, funk, jazz, blues, bluegrass and world music. He’s also music columnist for The Norwalk Hour.

Indeed, there are few Connecticut towns that don’t figure into his life. He was born and raised in Stamford, where he and his sisters listened to The Beatles on the old 45s. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English/journalism from the University of Connecticut in Storrs. He wrote about music for the Stamford Advocate and the Greenwich Time and did a stint at the Westport Country Playhouse.

It was at the Stamford Center for the Arts that he served as publicist to the late, legendary impresario Alexander H. Cohen, who was not one to shun the limelight and whom Horyczun once described as “a character.”

Evidently, though, Cohen was also a master’s degree in public relations, for during 14 years as director of public relations for the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Horyczun earned this reporter’s admiration – and that of many others – for the graciousness, compassion and humility

he brought to the museum’s semiannual press luncheons and day-to-day encounters with the media.

The good news for the fourth estate locally is that Horyczun has no plans to quit his day job or the state of Connecticut. He and Michele make their home in Trumbull with 13-year-old daughter, Lia, adopted from China.

“Ideally, what I’d like is for one of my songs to get recognized in Nashville.”

But he is looking forward to doing some gigs at The Good Folk Coffeehouse in Rowayton and in Norwalk.

“Ideally, what I’d like is for one of my songs to get recognized in Nashville.”

Now that would be one country song with a happy ending. n

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Parks and

Dan Biederman’s career is not just a walk in the park

By Mary Shustack

20

F

or too many years, Bryant Park was a Manhattan landmark that New Yorkers knew to avoid.

It was a crime-filled hangout where drug deals and other unsavory activities thrived.

But thanks in large part to the efforts of Dan Biederman back in the early 1990s, Bryant Park was restored to a seven-acre gleaming oasis that draws New Yorkers and tourists no matter the season.

And while Bryant Park may be his most visible success, the Chappaqua resident’s dedication to managing an array of public spaces with private funds both in New York and beyond has led to his being called the Frederick Law Olmsted of his generation – a nod to the 19th-century landscape architect known for Central Park and his passion for public places.

Biederman, now some 30-plus years into his self-designed career, takes it all in stride.

“I started this as a half-government, half-business person,” he says, soon adding real estate to the mix.

He didn’t have a clear path to follow.

“I kind of pioneered a different route. I manage these public spaces with private funding.”

It’s been quite a ride for the 1971 graduate of Scarsdale High School who spent his days there as a member of the track team, as a writer for the local newspaper and not surprisingly, as a devoted history and government student.

Biederman went on to graduate, magna cum laude, from Princeton with an A.B. from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs in 1975. He earned an M.B.A. with Distinction from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Business Administration two years later.

He got his start in New York City government with an internship with the City Council. It was when he was active in the city’s community boards that he became involved in his signature work, Bryant Park, which the Rockefeller family was interested in revamping.

“They said ‘Let’s hire someone,’” Biederman recalls. “I got the job out of nowhere and it turned out to be the perfect fit.”

Already, Biederman knew he wasn’t suited to the 9-to-5, behind-a-deskall-day life or the straight-ahead arena of government. He was intrigued by the idea of using his business skills to create a model in which public spaces could thrive without burdening the taxpayer.

Biederman knew he’d need more

“I’ve got to stop myself. The normal tendency is to write things down. I have to slow myself down and be ‘a normal person’ and enjoy the park the way (others) would.”

— Dan Biederman

skills so he began to study real estate then moved on to architecture and design.

“I said ‘I’ve got to train my eye,’ so I started going to lectures.”

Even with the major success of Bryant Park, a project that was under way for more than a decade, Biederman didn’t realize he had begun the work that would fill his professional life.

“I didn’t see any real career path,” he says.

In a matter of a few years after the park’s unveiling in 1992, though, he certainly recognized he had one.

By the mid-1990s, he could look back as the co-founder of the Grand Central Partnership, the 34th Street Partnership, the Bryant Park Restoration Corp. and the Chelsea Improvement Co., all projects that transformed New York City landmarks and districts into refreshed destinations.

He was making his mark – on his own terms.

“It’s exciting to have varied responsibilities.”

Over time, his success led to some tussles with city leadership, most notably with then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

While Biederman would continue to work with New York, he knew it was time to branch out and founded his own firm, Biederman Redevelopment Ventures, as the year 2000 approached.

Now, in addition to works throughout the city, Biederman can point to projects that have taken him to cities ranging from Los Angeles to Atlanta, Pittsburgh to Miami, sprucing up their parks, plazas and business improvement districts. The firm also does work around the world.

Right now, he’s spending a lot of time in Boston, where the company is working on a series of projects, including a revitalization of Boston Common. Closer to home, Biederman is getting involved in the future of Playland in Rye. It’s serious work, to be sure, but Biederman approaches it with an enthusi-

asm that’s more than evident.

“This is not a boring career,” he says, noting he now has skills that range from knowing “how to appoint a restroom well” to what type of music or flowers to select for a public space.

“There’s nothing I don’t have to work on.”

With city and state governments feeling the economic pinch, it seems the ideal time for Biederman’s publicprivate partnership ideas to thrive.

No matter where his work has taken him, Biederman says he’s long relied on a most trusted adviser, his wife. Susan Duke Biederman is a fine arts lawyer

and together they have raised 25-yearold Robert and 19-year-old Brooke.

He can’t tell how many times she’s listened to him rant about a project.

Or has himself been inspired by a random moment.

“There’s no aspect of knowledge that’s not useful,” he says.

He could see a movie on a Saturday night with his wife and be hit with an idea he’d like to incorporate into a project.

It’s an enthusiasm that he is proud of passing on.

“Most of the young people I’ve trained say they can never look at a city the same again,” he says.

For Biederman, he knows the feeling – all too well.

“I do notice every single thing,” he says, mentioning lamp posts, for example. “I can’t turn it off.”

These days, Biederman finds himself in Bryant Park often, sometimes three times a day. He might cut through to go to a meeting or actually pause to do some reading in the Southwest Porch area, watch a game of pingpong or marvel at the carousel.

“I’ve got to stop myself. The normal tendency is to write things down,” he says. “I have to slow myself down and be ‘a normal person’ and enjoy the park the way (others) would.” n

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Fascinating rhythm Emily Tabin took up the saxophone and found a calling

By Mary Shustack

E

mily Tabin knows good jazz when she hears it.

And it’s not when she’s on her alto saxophone.

“I play jazz … poorly,” she says with a laugh.

Of course, you know she’s probably joking. After all, the Chappaqua woman is part of a small group that does offer the occasional public performance.

But Tabin will readily admit she’s nowhere near the level of the professionals who make up the Westchester Jazz Orchestra, the nonprofit group for which Tabin is both a founder and executive director.

Jazz, you see, is her life.

“I’m lucky to be passionate about my vocation and my avocation, because they’re the same thing.”

It wasn’t always this way. Tabin began playing classic piano as a child, something she continued for years, picking up guitar and singing along the way. It was always a hobby, nothing more, and fell out of favor over time.

With a background in both business and law, Tabin worked in advertising as well as in litigation and real estate law in Manhattan and Westchester County before devoting herself to nonprofit work. She was president of the Chappaqua PTA, served as a fundraising coordinator for the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville and was heavily involved in several other efforts devoted primarily to children and the arts.

With a 40th birthday coming up, Tabin felt it was time to bring something back into her life.

“I just felt I needed to make music again.”

She started with the flute and took lessons with a jazz musician.

Soon, she was transitioning to the sax. Wind instruments, she says, simply felt right.

“You make the sound with your air, with your breath, and that was very powerful spiritually for me.”

Within a year, she was part of an amateur quintet, even though she felt it an extreme challenge.

“It’s incredibly daunting at first,” she says, remembering how depleting it was. “Jazz whipped me.”

But she kept it up and soon was thriving – and finding a focus that resonated beyond the simple composition.

“The only note that matters is the one you’re playing at that moment.

It really forces you to be connected to your sound.”

Tabin talks of being the only woman (and adult) at jazz camps filled with students, but never second-guesses her devotion to jazz, something that has just continued to grow.

When her teacher talked about forming a group, Tabin was ready to lend a hand, if not an instrument.

Soon, contacts led to the creation of the WJO, giving area professionals a creative outlet on their home turf.

“It’s local artists who just happen to be among the best players in the world,” she says. “It really morphed into a truly professional band.”

And the WJO has certainly carved out a niche.

The group features 16 musicians, ranging from their 30s to their 70s, led by artistic director and conductor Mike Holober. The concert series, at Irvington Town Hall Theater, features the orchestra performing WJO-commissioned arrangements.

“We never program music we don’t think is great,” Tabin says.

The orchestra’s ninth season kicked off in September with a show spotlighting Grammy Award winner Joe Lovano, the saxophonist and composer. It continues with

Emily 22 Tabin speaks at a Westchester Jazz Orchestra concert.

“Master Keys: Music of Bill Evans, Ahmad Jamal and Herbie Hancock” Dec. 3, while “Bossa! Tango!

Flamenco!” follows on Jan. 28.

The group’s latest CD, “Maiden Voyage Suite,” is inspired by Hancock’s 1965 classic, “Maiden Voyage.” Its first CD, “All In,” was named among the best of 2007.

The WJO also offers programs for teachers and jazz students. In fact, those who arrive early for the Dec. 3 concert will be treated to a short set by students from the Lagond Music School in Elmsford.

Tabin is pleased that the group

has so many opportunities to introduce jazz to a younger audience or what she calls “the next generation of jazz performers.”

She says sometimes she finds that people still are intimidated by attending a jazz concert.

“They fear that they don’t have the background.”

But she says they shouldn’t worry.

“What you need to enjoy jazz is ears.”

The Westchester Jazz Orchestra’s full schedule and new CD are available at westjazzorch.org. n

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Sharing a passion for a Chinese dance troupe

By Georgette Gouveia

Fashion designer Donna Karan admired its authenticity. Princess Michael of Kent found it haunting.

And Oscar winner Cate Blanchett was startled by its power.

What they and everyone from Nobel Prize winners to just folks have been bowled over by is Shen Yun Performing Arts, a classical Chinese dance company, based in the Hudson Valley, that is attracting audiences worldwide with its richly textured, dynamic presentations of China’s history and folklore.

Among the Shen Yun aficionados are Jeanne Mitchell, a former psychotherapist and visual artist from Pelham, and Levi Browde, director of product development at EcoSys in Rye Brook and a West Nyack resident. So moved were they by their experience of Shen Yun that the two decided to help get the word out.

Mitchell is now vice president of media relations for Shen Yun Promotions International, which presents Shen Yun Performing Arts locally. The dance company itself actually consists of three touring troupes of 100 performers, designers and crew members each as well as a training center in Cuddebackville, Orange County. Browde is Shen Yun Promotions’ 24

vice president of over the mainland, marketing. much of the tradiFor both, the tional culture shifted love affair with to Taiwan,” he says.

Shen Yun (roughly “When Shen Yun translated “the goes there, they’re beauty of divine belike rock stars. (The ings dancing”) was troupe) captivated a seamless segue. the island. It spoke “I used to do a lot to the authenticity of human rights is- Jeanne Mitchell and Levi Browde and the quality of sues,” Mitchell says, Photograph by Bob Rozycki Chinese culture. It “and I had a lot of attracts the absolute Chinese friends in the human rights field.” best from around the world.”

She saw a Shen Yun performance in ManPerhaps what enthralls audiences and hattan and was profoundly moved by it. acolytes alike is the way Shen Yun brings “It’s both educational and entertaining,” together various traditions, bridging East she says. “It tells stories from 5,000 years ago and West in the process. The performancof different dynasties. Heroines, generals, es blend the rigorous discipline, technique monks, tigers, monkeys all come to life.” and formalism of classical dance with ethSo fascinated is Mitchell that she has nic and folk works. Some of the pieces been studying Chinese everywhere from a were inspired by Falon Gong, a popular local Taiwanese school to Columbia Uni- meditation practice first embraced and versity and is good enough to do some now suppressed by the Communist Chitranslating. nese government.

Browde was also well acquainted with The choreography is both graceful, the Chinese community, as his wife, Viv- Mitchell says, with female dancers appearian, is Taiwanese. He knows the effect the ing to be walking on water and powerful, troupe has had on the island nation. with large-scale pieces in which an ensem“When the Communist Chinese took ble moves in unison like one body.

The orchestra is a traditional Western orchestra with an overlay of Chinese instruments such as the erhu, a kind of two-string violin whose sighing sounds so haunted Princess Michael, and the thundering Tang Dynasty drums.

But the dance and the music, which include singers as well, are only two components. The brightly colored, intricately patterned costumes and panoramic backdrops of blossoms, lanterns, fans, mountains and fields are like Chinese landscape paintings come to life.

Since its founding in 2006, Shen Yun has grown from one orchestra and troupe to three companies that tour simultaneously in winter and spring. The rest of the time is spent preparing a new show at Shen Yun’s Orange County base. That means new costuming, choreography and music.

But the stories and their messages are old and resonate today.

“The protagonist always struggles with a moral dilemma,” Mitchell says. “But people also come out of the performance with a sense of hope.”

Shen Yun Performing Arts is at Lincoln Center Jan. 11-15. For more information, call (800) 818-2393 or visit ShenYun2012.com/NYC. n

Shen Yun Performing Arts, "Manchurian Elegance," 2011. Š Shen Yun Performing Arts

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26

November at The Center

schola cantorum de Venezuela sAt • nov 5 • 8Pm

crafts on stage sAt & sun • nov 5 & 6

the star Keeper théâtre de l’Œil sun • nov 13 • 3Pm

Paul taylor dance company sAt • nov 19 • 8Pm

talk cinema tues • nov 29• 7Pm

George Malkemus, CEO, Manolo Blahnik and a “collector item” of a shoe.

A passionate sole Manolo Blahnik’s CEO loves the two Fs – footwear and farms Story and Photographs by Kelly Liyakasa

O

n weekends, George Malkemus entertains ladies who live and die by their shoes.

But on a weekday, he might be in Madison, Wis., showing his cattle at the World Dairy Expo.

The bubbling business mind behind the Manolo Blahnik luxe footwear label, George Malkemus, CEO, welcomes breaks from his first love – a transcontinental fashion road show – at his retreat, Arethusa Farm in the bucolic hills of Litchfield County.

“I think they’re certainly both products of love, and I think that if you follow your passion, then it sort of comes together,” Malkemus says, propping his knee on a cream leather couch cushion in a less chaotic corner of Neiman Marcus at The Westchester in White Plains. “I really try and represent quality, which obviously our footwear does, and the best of my breeding, which is at my farm.”

“Your cows are so taken care of,” you say of the life of comfort his cows lead.

“They are! Have you been on my website?” he gushes, a glint in his eye.

For a second, you forget he runs a pop-

culture phenomenon that sent millions of women shopping by “Sex and the City’s” Carrie Bradshaw in her Manolo Blahnik Something Blue Hangisi pumps.

The story of Malkemus’ farm is also as fabled as they come.

“I owned with my partner Tony (Anthony Yurgaitis, also a senior Manolo Blahnik executive) a house on one side of the road and my view was this old horse farm,” he says. “When it was going to be turned into tract housing, I bought it. I studied what it was 100 years ago, and it was a dairy called Arethusa. So I went to the town hall, bought the name Arethusa for about $25, I think, and named it Arethusa again.”

Malkemus began his study of embryonic engineering and top pedigrees of cattle and began expanding his operation through breeding, old-fashioned vat pasteurization and showing.

“I now have about 400 cattle of my own and we’ve opened a dairy store, so now I sell ice cream and cheese and yogurt. If you come to the dairy store, sometimes I’ll be in the back making waffle cones.”

Malkemus recently began marketing Arethusa Farm Dairy milk at Fairfield County Whole Foods stores.

914.251.6200 www.artscenter.org 735 Anderson Hill roAd • PurcHAse, nY the center’s 34th season is made possible, in part, by the Basic Program support Grant of artswestchester with funds from Westchester county Government. major sponsorship for the 2011-2012 season is provided by tHe viviAn And seYmour milstein endoWed Fund. the Great orchestras series is made possible by generous support from the tanaka memorial Foundation. the tour of the Paul taylor dance company is made possible by grants from mid Atlantic Arts Foundation with support from the national endowment for the Arts.

27

But when it comes to selling, it’s shoes he sells best.

“Our biggest and longest partnership is with Neiman Marcus, and Manolo Blahnik taught me 30 years ago in the

“I keep using the word ‘passion,’ but whether you’re a great writer or you’re a great artist, or chef, I think it all boils down to passion.

very beginning that at that time, our shoes were the most expensive shoes on the market. They were probably $295 then.

“Manolo said to me, ‘There are only a certain number of women across the country and across the world who can afford those shoes, so we teamed with people who we thought could sell those shoes, Neiman Marcus being the prime example – the greatest luxury store in the world.”

He gestures at the pre-program setup where the well-heeled women he adorns will be pampered with Champagne, mini cupcakes, a fall catwalk and personal dialogue with their industry god.

“I mean, I only do this for Neiman Marcus,” he says with a playful smile. “I’ve done eight of them … Boston, Atlanta, Chicago.”

What’s so incredible about Malkemus is his clout in the company and with the designer of the Italian-manufactured masterpieces.

“I keep using the word ‘passion,’ but whether you’re a great writer or you’re a great artist, or chef, I think it all boils down to passion. For me, this is going to sound incredibly strange, but I draw great inspiration from Mother Teresa. Her humility is something I try and live my life to everyday. And Manolo and I… sometimes when we get kind of ‘crazy’ I always say, ‘Remember, humility, humility, humility’ because it keeps you grounded.”

After Malkemus wraps up his parade of meet-and-greets and returns from his trip to Wisconsin, he’s off to report his investigative findings to Blahnik – whether the industry forecast of “pump, pump, pump” held true for the clients he met along the way.

“One of the things Manolo stands for is timeless, elegant shoes,” he says. “His philosophy is – you should be able to get seasons and seasons if not years and years of wear. He doesn’t believe in trends. You’ll never see Manolo doing a platform.”

Of wedding the business strategy of the Manolo Blahnik empire to the creative design, Malkemus pauses.

“It’s very funny you should ask me that, Kelly, because I just read a story about a lot of fashion houses and they believe that there’s one side that’s the business and one side that’s the creative. I think in order to do the job well, you can’t divide it … if you don’t have a sense of the feel for the creative and a sense of appreciation for that, it doesn’t work.” n

Fall forecast Here are edited highlights from Malkemus’ trend presentation: The Hangisi mule, $895, Neiman Marcus “This is a mule that was based on the ‘Sex and the City’ shoe, one of our most famous shoes that Sarah Jessica Parker wore in the movie when she was getting engaged. Manolo’s very famous for mules. This is (part of) a group of shoes exclusive to Neiman Marcus that we brought in as an evening package for your September, October, November party season.”

Oppure Sandal, $945, Neiman Marcus “This is like a collector’s item. It’s a favorite of Manolo’s. This is like a real piece of art for me. It’s one of those shoes where you start with the shoe and find something to go with it.”

• All “in.” Animal prints, embellishments and lace.

• Flannel is hot. “Manolo loves gray flannel and trimming it with bright colors.”

• Less is more. “Nude continues to be a very big fashion influence, the way it just disappears on the leg. It’s something Manolo really likes. It started in fashion some time ago and just elongates the leg.”

• Back to classics. “The interesting thing that’s happened in the collections right now in Europe is it’s all about single sole shoes again – pumps and sandals – it’s all the rage again.”

• Patent pending. “Patent leather is something we continue to move more of.”

• Booty call. “An Audrey Hepburn-inspired booty is very, very in.”

George Malkemus and Anthony Yurgaitis own Arethusa Farm in Litchfield County. Photograph courtesy of Arethusa Farm.

28

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The cashmere philosopher Joseph Abboud understands clothes and his place in the universe

By Zoë Zellers Photographs by David Bravo “I was walking up Fifth Avenue,” fashion designer Joseph Abboud says, “and I’m watching this guy walking towards me, and I see one of my older sweaters.”

Seeing vintage Joseph Abboud pieces on the streets is like seeing “old friends,” he says.

“Now, it was a natural linen sweater that I remember from one of my first collections. It had to be 20 years old.

And I’m walking, and I’m just looking. And I go, 'God, that sweater still looks great!'”

A natural tastemaker with an affinity for American classic-cool style, Abboud chose to step away a few years ago from the men’s and women’s lines that still bear his name and slip into a new role, running a retail powerhouse as president and chief creative director of the HMX Group’s portfolio of brands, including standout lines such as Hickey Freeman and Hart Schaffner Marx. With an extensive career that began at legendary specialty store LouisBoston, Abboud knows what men want and sells more investment pieces than edgy quickly come, quickly go garments. Indeed, his appreciation for top-notch quality is apparent in everything from his design work to his stunning Bedford Village office and nearby home in Bedford.

“I have an obligation to anybody that buys anything that I design to give the best product, the best quality, the best design. I don’t want to design sensational clothes, and so I will never put anything in my collections where I think, ‘Oh no, don’t let me say I’ve designed that!’”

There’s an undeniable art to what Abboud does. Yet it’s not just art for art’s sake. He takes real pride in “putting in an honest day’s work” and teaching his kids, Lila, 20, and Ari, 17, to do the same.

“This is not about celebrity and this is not about fame.

Maybe for some people it is. But for me, it’s about being good at my job.”

The man behind the brand

Joseph Abboud pictured at his Bedford Village office, wrapped in a cashmere Hickey Freeman Mahogany sweater.

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At the HMX Group, Abboud has once again gained creative control of his work, something that was missing during his last years at his own company. Joseph Abboud, the brand, was highly successful. With it, Abboud became the first designer to win a Council of Fashion Designers of America award for best menswear two years in a row.

But, that’s just it. While great at design, Abboud found himself spending 95 percent of his time on business issues, leases and employee contracts. In 2000, he sold his trademarks, “idealistically” thinking, “Maybe I could just get all of that operational and organizational stuff off my plate and just focus on what I’m good at… With so many young entrepreneurs and designers, who have to manage both, it’s really difficult, and in today’s economic climate, it’s virtually impossible.”

Abboud strikes a Scottish gong, originally used to call dinner.

A coffee table showcases objects of curiosity.

Yet designing for the company during the five-year agreement period that followed, Abboud found he “couldn’t be as effective in that environment where there’s always tension and dynamics.” So he sold his namesake and moved on. “I look back on it as a way of giving me the creative freedom I really needed.”

Today, his mantra – borrowed from an Inc. magazine headline on Robert Redford and the Sundance Film Festival – is, “Creativity drives profit.”

“Look at Steve Jobs. It wasn’t that he built a business plan. He built a dream, he built an idea and then the rest of the support surrounded it. It wasn’t that the support system was there and then he came up with the idea. Creativity drives profit. To me, it’s all about doing that, and that’s what I love doing, driving ideas that build businesses.”

Now happily creative and business-savvy at the HMX Group, Abboud has learned to “separate out personal taste for the integrity of the brand.” While he adds his own flavor to brands, he knows “if I made everything look like me, Joseph Abboud, it would all be one thing.

We need to make each brand have its own DNA.” Abboud doesn’t talk about being inspired by icons, but by visions of “who is that guy?” wearing each of HMX’s brands.

“Hickey Freeman Mahogany is our ultimate luxury American collection. We own a factory in Rochester – think about this – we make our tailored clothing in America still. It is the crown jewel of American manufacturing, akin to what comes from Savile Row,” he says with gusto.

“It is a dying art and yet our business is growing.”

The Mahogany shopper is “worldly. He’s not boyish.

He’s mannish. He’s not über-preppy, but more sophisticated and more establishment.”

Then there’s Hickey Freeman Sterling, a new and less expensive division.

“It has a more forward, more spirited, let’s say, a more international approach to American style with more washed fabrics and interesting color palates.”

Abboud thinks and designs in terms of “psychographics” rather than demographics, noting that a lean fit could appeal to “a 45-year-old or 52-year-old guy who’s in great shape.”

But as with mothers who make the mistake of dressing like their daughters, Abboud says the same rule applies to men.

Suzy Hart’s “Avalon” oil painting of Abboud’s daughters.

“They have to say, ‘I want to be modern, I want to be contemporary. But I don’t want to dress like I’m 21,’ because our brands are really for that 35- to 55-year-old guy.”

Meanwhile, the more all-American, traditional Hart Schaffner Marx is for “the 30-something young executive who’s not the boss yet, but who’s wanting to be the boss in Greenwich and Rye or a great young lawyer in Westchester.”

“I’m a Taurus, so I need to be grounded with this solid feel of materials around me that envelope me.” It is truly a “warm, inviting” spot to come home to after tireless business trips, with its all-natural colors of cinnamon, chestnut and amber and comforting fireplaces in every room.

The line will ring in its 125th birthday with a limited edition collection of iconic menswear pieces, including the perfect double-breasted navy blazer, black and tweed jacket and gray flannel suit every man should own.

“People forget those things are what make a closet great… It’s so relevant. All we need to do is give it a twist for our time.”

And good design comes out of a good workplace, he says.

“One key thing for me, and I think for most creative people, is that surroundings are so important.”

Gaston’s lair

The HMX Group’s Park Avenue office offers Abboud an impressive and rare direct view of the top of Grand Central Terminal, its Beaux Arts sculpture of Mercury, the god of commerce, atop the entrance. But this native Bostonian has never been a city boy. When he briefly lived in Manhattan, he said, “I can’t think that there’s 17 apartments above me where people are doing exactly the same thing!” He often retreats to his private office, his “sanctuary” in the Herringbone building in Bedford Village.

“Having an office that’s separated from the city is a really great thinking place. I can go there on a Sunday night in a rainstorm and put the fire on and just think.”

The two-story office, which was once a gas station, has an eclectic decor. There’s the set of 150-year-old Italian leather chairs found at an auction in Chicago that surround a long table with a zinc finish – the conference area. There are wrought iron and mahogany gates from a Savannah plantation that just happened to be the perfect fit for the high-ceilinged space. Abboud scored a massive mirror that used to rest outside the Rialto Theater down on Broadway and 42nd Street. Atop the mantle, there’s a gong Abboud will play if you ask him.

Says the designer, who had his struggles as the son of a chronically ill engineer, “I enjoy learning the stories behind eclectic objects we’re not used to… This gong was used to call dinner.”

His custom-built shelves are filled with honey-hued, wax-coated Danish books, which he can’t read, but certainly contribute to the polished-earthy feel. Throughout the office are Susan Fitzsimmons’ watercolor portraits of horses, found at the Armonk Outdoor Art Show and mounted by the Mount Kisco Frame Shop, each in a different but equally strong frame. He loves her interpretation of “the architecture” and movement of the species; and the brown tones are so very Abboud.

In his hilarious, oft self-effacing book, “Threads: My Life Behind the Seams in the High Stakes World of Fashion,” written with Ellen Stern, the reader instantly understands that Abboud really “gets” who he is, and is willing to poke fun at himself. In one scene, he depicts the 31

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fashion set during a runway show trying to guess at his garments, Is that the barley? Or is that the wheat? And, is that the chrome? Or is that the aluminum?

Looking up past the exposed beams, there are the antlers hanging in nooks just about everywhere.

“When my daughters were little, guess who I was? Gaston!” he says, referring to the macho suitor in “Beauty and The Beast.” Then Abboud even halfway-sings what is perhaps Gaston’s most famous line: “I use antlers in all of my decorating.”

Sometimes he finds things like a silver horse bit and asks himself, “Now what can I use this for?” The bit is nailed to a wood column and holds a gorgeous, sophisticated black and tweed jacket. There are also those other items that do not need practicality. They simply carry sentimental value and stories. Before his first-floor fireplace is a coffee table, whose sole purpose is seemingly to display awesome, sometimes ironic pieces like gold dice, an alabaster jar given to him when he opened his store in Rome and a dagger presented by the royal family of Saudi Arabia. Next to this collection is a small stand with framed black-and-white photographs, including one of his mother, a nurse from Boston who wore great lipstick.

Home, snug home

Abboud’s passion for chic, thoughtful presentation is apparent in his dream house, a French country-style, eight-acre estate on Swallow Lake just down the street.

If he weren’t a fashion designer, he says he’d be a landscape architect designer. His favorite rooms are outside.

“I sort of built the property to have these places to escape, like private gardens overlooking the lake, fire-pits and stone benches and this wonderful iron archway.” (Think Maxfield Parrish.)

The house has an old, lodge-like feel to it, featuring interior stonewalls and South American ipe, or ironwood. This wood is so sturdy that saws kept breaking during construction, so most of the beams are all hand-hewn.

“I’m a Taurus, so I need to be grounded with this solid feel of materials around me that envelope me.” It is truly a “warm, inviting” spot to come home to after tireless business trips, with its all-natural colors of cinnamon, chestnut and amber and comforting fireplaces in every room.

“You know what it’s like in Westchester when it’s snowing and all you want to do is get home and tuck yourself in.”

In his home decor aesthetic, as with apparel design, Abboud says, “I don’t like formula. If I were to do a Southwestern house, it’s very easy to say, I know what all the Southwestern accents are. But for me, my house is really about the color and texture of things.”

Expect the unexpected, like a Japanese bronze lion – found at his kids’ Rippowam Cisqua School’s antique show – perched atop an Italian-carved table, or an Indonesian-carved table next to an English barrister’s desk. He relishes that “it’s unpredictable and yet there’s this wonderful harmony to it.”

Part of the thrill of decorating is the quest for “it” items, that, unlike trenddriven fashion, do not change seasonally but ideally last forever. It took him years to fill the house; not that he’s finished.

He doesn’t like the idea of impatiently, thoughtlessly filling it for the sake of having a complete house right away.

“That’s kind of like instant oatmeal. I mean, I like instant oatmeal when you need it. But to me, part of the beauty is finding those pieces and going, ‘Oh my God, that works!’”

Abboud fell in love with three Dutch paisley shawls, in black, russet and brown and had them mounted on suede and framed in his stone dining room.

“Are they priceless? No. Are they expensive? Yes. But to me, my kids can have them if they want, and they’re just so unique.”

So, what goes on inside that stone dining room? Well, when Abboud does entertain, he and wife, Lynn – to whom he gives all the credit in the world – have the party catered by Bedford Gourmet so she can enjoy it, too, and friends like NBC’s Tom Brokaw stop by. Abboud designated Brokaw, in his cashmere jacket and turtleneck, “the perfect prop for the house.”

But typically, “and this might not sound so glamorous,” entertaining just means a nice family dinner, whose guests include feline Penny, “the queen of the house.”

And what does a fashionista wear about town? “Half the time I’m running around in my bike shorts.” Are they cute? “I hope so!” He digs Bedford’s casualness, only dressing up for dinner or the movies.

“And then, you know what? I’m all about cashmere sweaters.” He always wanted to use this line for advertising and marketing: Buy cashmere, get hugged. “There’s just something warm and sensual about it in a very natural and easy way.”

Natural ease is a reoccurring theme, in conversation, in decor, in apparel, even in relationships.

“Don’t ever take yourself so seriously, because there’s always going to be someone more famous, more celebrated and richer than you. It’s not about that,” he says. “The one thing I do know is my place in the universe and I wanted my kids to know that you have to know who you are and try to be the best at whatever it is that you want to do. I sound like Yoda – and – and, I don’t mean to – but it’s true.”

The bottom line then, for Abboud, is simple. “Who you are as a designer is a reflection of who you are as a person.” n

Samuel and Donna Smith

Tabling cultural exchanges Samuel and Donna Smith’s Casafina reflects more than just tasteful tabletop design

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hen attending trade shows in Europe, Samuel and Donna Smith will sometimes be addressed as “Mr. and Mrs. Casafina.”

The husband-and-wife team behind Casafina simply accepts this as a compliment.

After all, the Katonah couple have spent decades importing hand-painted ceramic tableware and gifts from Europe to build Casafina, the company they bought in 1988.

Housed in a Brewster office/warehouse that occupies more than 18,000 square feet, Casafina is a well-known name in the home-decor and tabletop markets.

And it’s all come about thanks to the passion – and frequent-flier miles – of the Smiths.

Those countless trips overseas, up to six times a year, clearly have become more than simple business trips.

Story and photographs by Mary Shustack Spend any time with the Smiths and you’ll hear about memorable drives on narrow country roads, of discovering out-of-the way sources for intricately detailed new products, of working with small factories to develop signature pieces and, more often than not, of how those business associations long ago turned into friendships.

As Samuel says, “This business has really been a stimulating part of my life.”

Clearly, it’s about much more than the bottom line.

For every tale of discovering a new factory that would create best-selling work for Casafina, there’s a story about a memorable party or the serendipitous discovery of a source for fantastic olive oil.

It’s all wrapped up in the way the Smiths approach their business – respecting the local culture, creating ties based on fair business practices and having fun along the way.

For a time, when their children were young, the couple would rent a house in Portugal as a home base when they sought out business and attended trade shows. One year, they even took Stew Leonard steaks, frozen, on the plane to host a Fourth of July party complete with the “these American filets” and lots of American flags flying. They were simply bringing a taste of their homeland to their new friends.

The Smiths know how to immerse themselves in the culture. They are not stiff tourists who seek out the places that cater to Americans. They see the way locals live – and eat.

“The wine is fantastic and the food is beyond,” Samuel says.

Of course, it’s not all fun and games.

“Since we’ve been traveling to Portugal for 25 years, we’ve probably met every family owner,” Donna 33 says.

Casafina specializes in importing distinctive ceramics, primarily tabletop items, from countries including Portugal and Italy.

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“They know us. When there is an opportunity for something we can bring in to this country… we can do this.”

They might ask a country’s trade commission to suggest companies they might work with. They’d go on to meet the manufacturers. Decades later, they are still working with the same companies.

Over the years, there has been a real dedication to the artistic and unique. There’s no interest in being a massmarket supplier to big-box stores. Instead, Casafina is sold through independent specialty retailers.

It’s designed, as Samuel says, for “folks who want something a little different than fast food.”

Casafina also gives the couple, known for their playful banter and wry humor, a way to expand their business horizons.

Donna had a long career with IBM while Samuel was in food-service equipment, providing “front of house” products.

“I knew what a plate was. I knew what a cup was,” he says.

They teamed up for the new venture, not knowing how it would become their life’s work.

What began with travels to Portugal to seek items to import quickly expanded throughout Europe. Casafina goods also come from Italy, Romania and various other European markets. Some are even from further afield, culled from contacts made at major trade fairs, including the most prestigious, held in Frankfurt, Germany.

“It’s the melting pot of where business gets developed and transacted,” Samuel says.

Over time, the Smiths came to know what would sell best back home.

“There’s your own instincts and own personal experi-

ences,” he says.

And it’s not based on book knowledge but real life.

“What fuels our passion is we like to entertain,” Donna says. “We love to cook.”

They know what works, not only what looks good but what is practical.

Donna, for example, sets a few tables for each of the company’s famed warehouse sales, showcasing how products can work together.

“Ladies, when they come in here, want this whole table,” Samuel says.

Next month, the doors to the Casafina warehouse will open again. It’s only then, during their massive warehouse sales held four times a year, that they sell directly to the public. And thousands, literally, flock there to stock up on deeply discounted examples of discontinued patterns, colors and styles, along with samples, products with slight irregularities, overstocks and special purchases. Donna, for example, shows off a collection of sought-after Blanc d’Ivoire tableware, a Parisian specialty that’s rare to score on these shores.

The company sends out tens of thousands of reminder cards for each event (the next starts Dec. 6), as it draws what Donna calls the “savvy, savvy shopper” from the region in search of some fabulous finds at a great discount.

And it’s no surprise that Casafina dinnerware finds its way into the Smiths’ own home.

As Samuel says as he points to Donna, “She’s got 14 sets in her cabinet.”

For more on Casafina, including full details of the next warehouse sale, visit casafinagifts.com. n

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Dora the (cookie) explorer Designer’s love stretches from baked goods to baby clothes

By Kelly Liyakasa Photograph by Bob Rozycki

Dora Witte proudly displays her Biscuit de Francie confections.

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Children’s clothing designer Dora Witte, who has transferred her passion for fashion to one for a cherished family recipe, has her own dossier.

In one hand, she cradles a perfectly prepared platter of Biscuit de Francie cookies.

Slung over the other arm is a bag filled with her vintage-font Blue Jean Baby designs, sewn with such French phrases as, “Je suis très sweet” and “Mon Amour.”

“I am a little crazy sometimes,” admits the charmingly accented Irvington blonde, a hint of a smile surfacing as her eyes crinkle. “My friends, they say, ‘You don’t want to do fashion anymore?’ and I say I do, but I want to combine different concepts. Kids – they absolutely love these cookies.”

This closet confection-lover with Magnolia Bakery brand-loyalty can see why.

Witte’s recipe, 120 years old and passed down by French-Swiss four-timesremoved Great Aunt Francie, combines pure vanilla butter cream frosting with a succulently sweet, yet delicate cookie that rendered us wordsmiths wordless.

Spoken like the savvy woman she is, “It’s not low-fat (250 calories a cookie) and certainly not high-fat (black-andwhite cookies are double the calories).

But a little decadence in moderation is the spice of life, no?”

“Kelly, I never, ever thought I would bake,” is the first phrase she utters as we sit for coffee.

A Diploma de Styliste graduate of the attention to detail in everything. That’s what 1841-established French fashion school I’ve done with my packaging.”

ESMOD, L’Ecole Supérieure des Arts et Everything “Dora” begins with a love.

Techniques de la Mode, Witte began her Her love of fashion led her from her career designing baby clothes at Burberry native Poland to France. Her love of aniin 2001. mation led her to specialize in children’s Design posts at Givenchy, The Gap, Old design, a world where she could create Navy and the most recent, OshKosh B’Gosh, “surreal, crazy, fun creatures” for kids. followed.

Her love of her work led her to the love “For me, combining fashion and food of her life at a downtown New York City – I can realize both office building. Her my passions,” Witte love for her husband says. “Designing in led her to test baking corporate America a family recipe. And was great. But (with now, her love for that the economy) the cookie concoction way it is, trying to eshas her pounding the tablish your own line pavement and peris really hard.” fecting party favors.

So Witte took Witte bakes out to baking with her of Geordanes Food mother-in-law, MarWorld on Main garet, and perfect- Great-great-great-great-Aunt Francie Street in Irvington. ing a skill she never She does frequent thought she’d acquire in the first place.

Biscuit de Francie tastings at events like “It actually turned out to be quite a lot of Children’s Book Day at Washington Irfun,” she says. “Baking is like being into design ving’s Sunnyside in Tarrytown and Hisand like the French – about food and art.” toric Hudson Valley River Day. France is indeed her muse.

“For me, I want to make sure my pack“Nobody ate very fast,” she remarks of her ages are really elegant, because I feel like years spent in university. “They take small we eat with our eyes first,” Witte says. “I bites. Love is the culture. It’s about personal, love packaging and conceptual work.” small little pleasures and indulgences in life.

Witte designed the silhouette of a black The French know how to do it. They pay Cupid for her logo to represent love and

the whimsical notion that one bite of the storied cookie would pierce one’s heart like the famed angel’s arrow.

Though cookies are polar opposites of clothes, Witte has plans to artfully mix the two.

“I can imagine cookies with multicolor icing and children’s T-shirts that match the cookie,” Witte says of her plans to open a concept store where, of course, each child would walk away with a pastel balloon. “Where I live, a lot of the young kids speak French… I do speak French so I have to use my skills.”

But Witte’s not limiting her cookies exclusively to the kids.

“I create (party favors) for adult birthday parties,” she says. “A friend of a friend said, ‘I love Juicy Couture. Could you do something really lovely in pink?’ and I designed packages for her that were very Bloomingdale’s, Juicy Couture-inspired, a taste level that goes well with the cookie.”

Like Witte, Great, Great, Great, Great Aunt Francie had a knack for baking and a passion for couture hats.

“I know that if she were still alive, we would be best friends and create amazing food and art together.”

Look for designer Dora Witte on the artsy streets of Irvington or around town at tastings and community days. To special order Biscuit de Francie cookies for your next event or special occasion, visit biscuitdefrancie.com. n

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Picture Perfect At the office of Matthew Teich, dentistry meets photography

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By Zoë Zellers

ometimes a trip to the dentist’s office is like pulling teeth – literally – conjuring a familiar nervousness left over from childhood.

But at White Plains’ Westchester Dental Group, Dr. Matthew Teich is trying to “break the ice for patients” by giving them a treat for the eyes. Teich’s framed photographs are displayed throughout the dental office, a suggestion made by a designer redoing the office three years ago.

“My dream is to go to Africa on a safari to shoot.

I’m working on it.

That’s definitely on the bucket list.”

“She saw two of my photographs that were up and really liked them so she went and got all of these framed to hang … I have thousands of photographs, but there are about 20 hanging here,” Teich says.

This gives the lifelong photographer a place to showcase his artwork, with his office doubling as a gallery.

“Some of my patients are photographers so they’ll give me constructive criticism.”

Patients enjoy his work so much they’ve been known to ask for prints to hang in their own homes, which he’s happy to do for free. One woman requested a print to display in her wine cellar of an image he took in California’s Napa Valley.

“I was sitting there eating lunch and I kept staring at these giant, old wine barrels… They had to be 10 feet tall,” he says. He “just had to capture them,” something that’s become a habit on many of his family vacations.

Teich’s perpetual snapping “probably annoys my family,” he admits, but his passion for photography is such an important drive in his life that he now plans vacations to picturesque spots such as Bear Mountain, Charleston and Yellowstone National Park with his avocation in mind.

“My dream is to go to Africa on a safari to shoot. I’m working on it,” he says with a laugh. “That’s definitely on the bucket list.”

Teich likes that his evocative images also become real “conversation pieces” 38

It’s not all landscapes for Matthew Teich, sometimes he shoots dental procedures.

Photograph by Bob Rozycki.

in this setting, inviting uneasy visitors to dream a little.

“It shows that I’m proud of my work.

Sharing excites me to do more… and the biggest thing is that this shows I’m not one-dimensional. I’ve got a strong outside interest, and it lets (the patients) know a little about who I am.”

Clearly, Teich has a talent for landscape photography. Ansel Adams is among his inspirations. Hanging in the office is his picture of a barn bathed in natural light shot in Jackson Hole, Wyo. “I left the Four Seasons (there) at five in the morning to go shoot this,” he says.

“My favorite lighting, and most photographers would agree, is really early in the morning or at dusk.”

Teich thinks it’s important to go out

on shoots like that one in Jackson Hole, and sometimes, he says, “I’ll shoot a thousand photos and like three.” He’s his own toughest critic, but it’s worth mentioning that some of his work has received recognition in online competitions judged by professionals.

You get the sense that shooting nature has become a personal escape and ritual for Teich.

“I don’t listen to music, just the birds and the wind.” He says he appreciates “the chance to get outside, to de-stress, to relax… It’s a way of pulling me back.”

This ritual began when he was growing up in the fishing community of Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn, where he’d photograph boats for hours.

“The passion for photography defi-

nitely came before dentistry. When I was 8, I had my first camera, a Kodak Instamatic. But my first real camera was a Minolta SRT 100. I got that when I was 12.

My dad gave it to me.”

The photography fascination, it turns out, runs in the family.

“My dad was a photographer when he was very young and then he sold photography equipment and then he owned a photography store in Bronxville for a short while before he got drafted.”

Exposed to the equipment and culture as a kid, Teich remembers falling in love with one camera.

“He had what they called a plate glass camera that I never got to work, but was completely enamored by…. It was mahogany on the inside with leather. It was

gorgeous. I was always just obsessed with that camera.”

Teich says, “I thought I was going to be a photographer when I grew up,” and even had his own darkroom, a bar mitzvah gift. But shooting was “put on the backburner” and only rediscovered during his senior year at SUNY at Stony Brook when he did all of the print work for medical journals and presentations for a professor doing research on neuroimmunology, “a precursor to AIDS work” in 1981. This is when Teich learned the science of photography, before once again taking a “break” from his hobby to complete his doctorate at New York University.

In Teich’s case, his work and his passion totally merged when he started to document dental procedures, with the hopes of “educating patients to help them make good decisions.” And then the final moment that sealed the deal, making this a true lifelong art form, came when his children, Jordan and Sarah, were born.

Around the same time, he began to photograph with a digital camera.

His sharp eye and strong attention to

aesthetic details naturally go beyond dentistry, he says, and he’s grown as an artist.

“I’ve become more confident. I don’t use automatic settings… I am able to see things in a different way now and focus tighter rather than having too much going on at once in a photo. It shows maturity.”

Teich is also growing out of his Olympus E-3 camera, eyeing the Nikon D7000, with more advanced technology, perhaps for a present to himself.

This year, Christmas Day happens to be his 50th birthday, which he’ll spend on a cruise to St. Martin, Puerto Rico and Nassau in the Bahamas – what a destination to shoot.

Impressively, he finds time for sunrise shoots and advanced cosmetic and implant procedures while raising the kids with wife, Jill, at their South Salem home, and keeping up with other hobbies like fitness training, skiing and cooking.

It’s all part of his “vision of having a balanced life with work, play, love, worship and family.”

To view Matthew Teich’s photographs, visit mattteichphotography.smugmug.com. n

One of Matthew Teich's many landscape works.

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Clayfeat Thomas K. Libby is an ace of glaze

By Mary Shustack Photograph by ©David Bravo

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alking into Thomas K Libby in historic South Norwalk is like stepping into a quaint specialty museum.

Shelf after shelf and case after case burst artfully with an array of what the storefront’s business card calls “exceptional 19th & 20th century ceramics.”

Indeed, there’s a dazzling selection of pieces that range from the fancifully ornate to the deceptively simple. It’s a varied collection that invites investigation.

And it’s easy to do that with the guidance of a passionate proprietor Thomas K. Libby himself. (Unlike his business, Libby does put a period after the “K,” which stands for Kelway.)

Despite his boyish looks and reserved manner, Libby is the well-versed curator, who can easily point out what makes his pieces interesting, important and in many cases, valuable.

One moment, he’ll pick up a vase and talk about its “sunken shoulder” or how it’s “sort of drawn in the waist a little bit here, which gives it a very organic feel.” Next, it’s on to examining a vintage repair completed on a porcelain-based lamp from early-19th century France. Then, he’s off on a discourse about the quality of the glaze on a piece of 20th-century art pottery.

“I can recognize pretty quickly if it has some age or was handmade or has some sort of substance as a piece of history.”

Get Libby really going and you’ll be treated to an informal lesson about his devotion, pieces of the ever-more-collectible Awaji pottery from Japan.

“They’re attracting more collector interest than they might have 20 years ago.”

Fashioned during the period between 1830 and1939, the pieces are known for their various shapes and brilliant tones.

Libby was hooked when he bought his first Awaji piece some 15 years ago for just $15.

“I think I was really drawn to the pure form and the color,” he says.

Libby went on not only to study and amass what’s believed to be this country’s largest Awaji collection, but also to delve into its history firsthand in his travels to Japan.

This pointed interest has been a natural progression for Libby, who grew up in Ridgefield and now lives in Easton.

He began restoring antiques as a teenager when working with a local dealer after school and during the summer.

“We had a little workshop to patch things up there. I had an interest and sort of a knack for it.”

Libby then studied fine arts in college and went on to work with a number of 40

Thomas K. Libby

restorers to hone his skills. He was also doing further research on his own, exploring history and literature to help place the antiques in context.

It was back in 1997 when he opened his own restoration business, which he says is based on “meticulous attention to detail.”

“Even just doing basic repairs, I could see the possibility.”

The restoration of both ceramics and glass has remained a key component of his business – a repair studio fills the space just beyond the gallery floor. Dealers come to him for repairs of potential treasures as often as family members hoping to restore a favorite piece that tumbled off a shelf.

For years, Libby operated as Cannondale Antiques and The Studio in Cannondale Village in Wilton. Two years ago, he made the move to SoNo, while continuing to sell online through TKLibby.com.

These days, Libby’s restoration tools include a variety of glues, solvents, paints, plasters and sandpapers, with attention paid to conservation-quality materials.

It’s that combination of modern materi-

als with traditional craftsmanship that has earned Libby his reputation.

Sometimes, it also earns him projects vast in both scale and effort. Libby lights up telling the story of a recent challenge, a massive sculpture on which more than 20 of the 100 figures were broken in some way.

“There had to have been at least a thousand pieces or more… We had this pile of arms and legs.”

It was a long-term project that provided both a challenge and a great sense of accomplishment.

“It eventually started coming together, and eventually, it looked surprisingly good.”

For Libby, he doesn’t leave the world of ceramics when he shuts the gallery door at night. A member of the venerable Connecticut Ceramics Study Circle, he has spoken on restoration and conservation at a number of museums and to antiques and collector groups. In addition, his booth at the New York Ceramics Fair has been deemed “one display not to be missed” by The New York Times.

As with most established dealers, Libby finds his merchandise through a variety of channels and networks.

The thrill of acquiring a new piece, even if it needs work, has yet to fade.

“I think my favorite is to find something I’m excited about, bring it back and fix it up sort of to my own tastes.”

From there, he will do the research and then he’s ready to “present it.”

“I tell my customers that we scour the earth, which is pretty much true.”

Sometimes, though, a piece can be unearthed closer to home.

“I’m not above going to a tag sale or flea market. I really like being out there on the front lines. … There’s nothing more fun than finding something really great at the flea market.”

And for Libby, the quest to learn more about his specialty never ends. He’s recently started to examine British art pottery and its possible connections to the Far Eastern creations.

“A lot of the dots are still being connected for me.” n

Loveduet For one Waccabuc couple, a musical passion led to marital bliss Photographs and story by Dana Ramos of two years.

“We ran into each other again at a gathering of different choral groups, and by then, we were both available.” And they’ve been together ever since.

“Naturally, our wedding featured singing. Actually, you could more accurately describe it as a concert,” Linda says. “We married at John Jay Homestead because it was where we sang our first song together.”

“Naturally, our wedding featured singing. Actually, you could more accurately describe it as a concert. We married at John Jay Homestead because it was where we sang our first song together.”

Linda Broudy and Dave Eggers

They invited 150 people to the wedding-concert and the attendees were entertained not only by the bride and groom but by many other members of the wedding party as well, close friends who shared their musical passion.

“I wore a red Italian-silk ball gown,” Linda recalls. “I walked down the aisle tossing out carnations and when I arrived at the front, I sang ‘The Jewel Song’ from the Gounod opera ‘Faust.’” The two-hour production stopped only for 20 minutes so that Linda and Dave could exchange vows.

Even though the couple doesn’t earn money singing, it is more than just a hobby. They perform for themselves, in choral organizations and sometimes at nonprofit venues.

“We have a professional attitude and a strong work ethic,” Linda says, highlighting how seriously they take their singing.

For many years, they focused on opera and other classical music but have expanded their repertoire to include a wide range of styles, including show tunes and modern standards.

However apt, it is far too cliché to end by saying that Linda and Dave “make beautiful music together.” Instead, as a coda to this little ditty, let us simply hope and wish for the couple to enjoy a “neverending song” of … happiness. n

The B

— linda broudy

Little Hai t r es

lon Sa

It started with a song. Although that sounds like the title of one, it is how Linda Broudy and Dave Eggers of Waccabuc met in the early 1990s.

Most people who hear them could swear they are professional singers, but that isn’t the case.

“We are avocational singers, meaning we don’t have union cards and this isn’t how we earn a living,” Linda says of their passion, “although I have performed opera with professionals.”

For instance, in 1985, she auditioned for a role in Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” which was being fully staged by The Little Opera Society in Westchester.

“Much to my surprise, I was cast in a starring role,” Linda laughs. She had studied music in college. But it wasn’t her major. And although she knew she could sing, she felt she lacked confidence.

“I was shocked when they gave me the role of the Queen of the Night,” she says of the part, which requires both a commanding presence and the capacity for bewitching coloratura. “I performed as a volunteer singer, but there were paid professionals in the production.”

Dave was involved with musical theater since high school and earned a bachelor of fine arts in theater and music at Windham College in Vermont. After graduating, he focused on scenic design and worked as a shop foreman for many years. By then, he had a young family and didn’t feel he earned enough money, so he began his own carpentry company and has been remodeling homes for 30 years now.

You know you are in the home of a craftsman as soon as you enter. Dave renovated the couple’s 1920s bungalow several years ago, using beautiful quartersawn white oak throughout the kitchen.

Other fine details appear throughout the home, which they share with a rescued Greyhound named Burn. Linda holds a day job as an office manager for a small hedge fund in Greenwich.

But back to that musical first meeting.

“It was at a Bedford choral group called the Random Choristers. I was brought in as a ringer singer for a duet with Dave,” Linda says. Not missing a beat, Dave adds, “At that time, I was a single father raising two young daughters. There was an immediate attraction between us, but we were both involved with other people at the time.” So they sang their song and parted ways.

In musical terminology, a “fermata” is a hold of undetermined length. In Dave and Linda’s case, the pause between their first and second meeting was an interval

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Co-owners Brandon Durham and Chad Weiss sparring at Westchester MMA-Fit.

mixing it up Brandon Durham gets his kicks teaching martial arts

T

here is a kind softness and warmth in Brandon Durham’s eyes, smile and handshake. He seems far too gentle to be the sort of guy who has such a passion for martial arts that he could floor you with a swift slice of an arm and finish you off with a perfectly placed kick.

His students – from the cute little barefoot 3-yearolds in their bright white gis to a large range of teens and adults – call him “Sifu,” a Chinese name of respect for master teachers.

He has worked hard his entire life to earn that title.

“My mother has photos of me in diapers making karate moves,” Durham says, laughing. “It’s all I ever wanted to do, for as long as I can remember. I’d see cartoons and movies that had martial arts moves and tried to mimic them.”

To keep him from dueling with lamps and kicking the stuffing out of pillows, his mother put him in YMCA classes on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, where

42

Story and Photographs by Dana Ramos he was raised. “By the time I was 5, I knew this is what I would do for the rest of my life.”

Durham went on to become a certified master in several self-defense styles, including Brazilian jujitsu, Muay Thai kickboxing, karate, kung fu, and the Haganah system of Israeli self-protection. He is also an Army Combatives certified instructor and a defensive tactics instructor for the Bedford Police Department.

By the time he was in his mid-20s, he opened his first self-defense studio on Long Island.

“I took all sorts of jobs since I was a kid, saving money for my studies and my own studio. I borrowed from friends and family, did whatever it took to become a martial arts master and owner of my own place,” Durham says.

His good looks and physique beg the question and he humbly admits, “Yes, actually, I did do some modeling.

I was discovered by one of my self-defense students and that led to a modeling contract for Eddie Bauer.”

Thirteen years ago, Durham met Chad Weiss of

Westchester, who was working in the financial industry but was also a serious martial arts student. Eventually, Weiss began teaching part time in a martial arts school Durham owned in Bedford Hills. They formed a close friendship.

“When Brandon showed me the space and plans he had for moving the business and building the best mixed martial arts school in Westchester, I went all in,” Weiss says. “I quit my suit-and-tie job and now I’m invested in the school and working on the dream with him here.”

“Here” is the brand-new Westchester Mixed Martial Arts and Fitness facility in Mount Kisco – 8,000 square feet of gleaming, polished floors and freshly painted walls of silvery gray and Chinese red – the same colors featured in its dragon logo. The optimistic scent of new construction still floats in the air. Here you’ll find self-defense, cardio and kickboxing classes where famous martial artists from all over the world come to give demonstrations.

“We’re also hosting health and food seminars, belt testing, guest teachers and amazing kids’ birthday parties,” Durham says.

This isn’t just a studio, or “dojo,” it is more rightly described as a super-school for martial arts. “We are now the largest MMA facility in Westchester,” Durham says confidently. He can’t swear it is the largest in New York, but says, “It might be, unless someone has an empty warehouse somewhere in the state and calls that a studio.”

Weiss and Durham are equally proud of the new raised-platform padded professional fighting cage. “We don’t want to give the impression that parents bring young children down here and we unwillingly throw them in the combat cage,” Weiss says. “That being said, if they’re up for it and want to, they can go in.” Rather than being intimidated, people are naturally attracted and inspired by the cage’s presence. Like an actor performing on a stage for the first time, it’s a big step in the progress of a student who wants to be competitive.

What exactly is mixed martial arts?

“It is a fusion of Asian-derivative self-defense systems,” explains Durham, “kung fu, karate, tae kwon do, jujitsu, Thai kickboxing and Israeli krav maga and so on. The techniques work together to involve three major aspects – striking, takedown, and submission.” Submission is the nice way of saying “finishing them off so they can’t keep attacking.”

The school also coaches students who want to enter competitions.

“Some worried parents have seen the rise of MMA competitions on television and get the wrong idea of what this is all about,” he says. “A lot of what they show on television is for entertainment.

The amateur competitions our students attend require protection with helmets, mouthpieces, shin guards and gloves.”

Stressing the safety aspect of the sport, Weiss adds, “Far more teens are injured in football and other intercollegiate sports than in martial arts sports.”

Durham and his instructors have led individuals and teams to medal wins in amateur competitions. In April 2009, Durham’s Team Black Dragon, composed of several students from Westchester high schools, took home medals at the NAGA World Championships, a two-day event in New Jersey. They also took 10th place in overall rankings, out of more than 70 participating teams.

Many more of Durham’s students have achieved medals and awards at various competitions.

Durham points out that martial arts are not about starting fights but preventing them. “These disciplines are essentially pacifistic. They are focused on protecting yourself, disabling an attacker and preventing a situation from becom-

ing deadly.”

Weiss adds, “Think of it this way: We are the nicest guys in the world until you won’t allow us to be.”

When the discussion turns to the spiritual aspects of martial arts, Durham says, “Some people have the misconception that they indoctrinate people into Eastern religious thought or that the students are bowing to some deity. But that’s not true. The martial arts are about personal achievement and discipline as well as respecting others. We bow to show that respect – to teachers, to fellow students, to the school or ‘dojo.’ It’s compatible with all religions, but we keep religion out of the school.”

“...The martial arts are about personal achievement and discipline as well as respecting others. We bow to show that respect – to teachers, to fellow students, to the school or ‘dojo.’...”

— Brandon Durham

Instructors at Westchester MMA-Fit also do a lot of community outreach, teaching kids in schools or adults on college campuses how to be aware of their surroundings, defend themselves and escape from confrontational or life-threatening situations. Durham considers learning self-defense as an “essential life skill.” Naturally, that means his 8-yearold daughter has been learning from Dad since she was in diapers, too.

Kids are still watching the kind of shows and cartoons that captivated Durham nearly 40 years ago and the proliferation has made martial arts some of the most popular youth-based sport pursuits.

“A lot of adults also get involved after taking our cardio-based kickboxing classes,” Durham says. “They originally come to get a solid workout then discover other great programs we offer.”

Another great thing about studying self-defense, there are no age or physical limits and anyone can learn how to defend his or herself. You don’t have to jump and kick or grapple on a mat.

Simple moves can be very effective – and if you carry a cane, you already have a weapon in hand. Anyone, at any level of skill or ability, can get one-on-one, custom-tailored instruction in private rooms at Westchester MMA-Fit. So there is no excuse not to learn how to protect yourself.

For more information, call (914) 2448888 or visit WestchesterMMAFit.com. n

A kickboxing class led

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Romancing the stone Pam Older has crafted a second act in jewelry design

P

By Mary Shustack

am Older opens the door to her Larchmont home dripping in jewelry.

With a laugh, she shares that she did indeed wear more than usual, layering several necklaces in anticipation of a photograph.

But here’s the clincher – it doesn’t look even slightly overdone.

That is the beauty of Older’s passion for making jewelry.

Fashioned out of an array of semi-precious stones and set in various metals, the creations of Pam Older Designs are distinctive yet delicate.

They are classic and feminine, but still feel contemporary and fresh.

And since their launch in 2003, they have provided Older with a creative outlet that combines her passion for art, travel, design and yes, jewelry.

No one can fault Older for wearing her lovely creations. What woman could resist an unlimited selection of necklaces and earrings that boast garnets or amethysts, whiskey quartz or tanzanite, chalcedony or pearls, moonstones or turquoise?

For Older, it’s all about breaking out after many years in an environment that was more about nuts, bolts and blending in.

“I worked in a corporate setting. I was wearing pearls and gold.”

44

Pam Older. Photograph by Mary Shustack.

And she was becoming quite the success in magazine publishing. Her decades in the field included stints as the worldwide production manager for Time magazine and as a senior vice president in charge of production and technology for The New Yorker. Older left the field when a corporate takeover meant an assignment that took her out of her element – and took the fun out of her job.

Searching for something new, she returned to an old love.

It was back during college days at the University of Miami in Florida that Older, who grew up in the Hartford area, came to learn about making jewelry.

One day the art major was playing around with some of her decidedly amateur pieces and decided to take them to a local boutique to see if they might like to sell them.

“I was supposed to be studying for my finals,” she says. “I walked in and showed off these ‘masterpieces’ – and they said, ‘We do need a salesperson.’”

Despite the unintended slight, she did take the job and worked there during her last two years of college, learning professional jewelry skills such as lost-wax casting along the way.

After graduation, Older headed to New York City, got into publishing and didn’t look back.

“I didn’t think about jewelry for 25

years. Now I can’t believe it, because everything I do is creative.”

At the start, she says she was encouraged by her husband to try jewelry-making as a new career path, not knowing they’d be divorced a year later.

A beading class at Mamaroneck High School got Older on the way.

“It just started exploding. All my roots, all the experience started coming back.”

She was making pieces all the time and once took something in to show to a boutique in Manhattan. The owner bought it on the spot, leading Older to believe “This is something.”

From the start, she felt her work stood out.

“I thought I had something a little bit different,” she says.

And it has caught on.

Older has drawn on her business background to expand her company’s reach.

She sells online (pamolderdesigns.com) and exhibits at trade shows, street fairs, arts festivals and charity events. Shops that carry her collection range from Dovecote in Westport to E.B. Barrett Inc. in Larchmont, from Glass Onion Originals in Pleasantville to Fred in Old Greenwich.

Older’s work is also carried in national catalogs such as Arhaus Jewels. She’s especially pleased with a nearly three-year association with the Sundance catalog.

Since 1989, founder Robert Redford has helmed the company that showcases the creations of artists across America.

“I’m really proud of that,” she says.

Older launched her company using

high school students as her first assistants.

Today, assistants allow her to focus more on design.

“It’s really about blending colors. It’s the stones I have on hand – and I have millions. It’s just coming up with new colors.”

And those designs are constantly coming.

“That’s my problem… I go to bed thinking about it.”

Older is inspired by the exotic locales – and the stones themselves – that she comes across on travels to Thailand, India, Nepal and Morocco.

Carved tourmalines found on her last trip to India, for example, led to another new design, as did a series of photographs she shot on that journey.

“I don’t limit myself at all. Whatever I like I make.”

Customers, she says, respond.

“Something that’s handmade, there’s some intrinsic value to it.”

Lately, she’s been captivated by the glittering crystal bits found in the various colors of druzy quartz.

And even with the addition of new elements, Older says, “somehow it comes out looking like my stuff.”

Stone by stone, she’s found a way to make her passion part of her daily life.

“I do it because I love it and I can’t think of anything else right now I’d want to do.” n

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45

Hugh Jackman's Wolverine.

The wolf at the door The sexy danger of the predator in all of us

By Georgette Gouveia In “Moonstruck,” one of the great romantic comedies of all time, ardent but loveless Loretta Castorini confronts her fiancé’s Brando-esque brother, Ronny Cammareri, who blames his clueless bro for the accident that maimed him and cost him his chance at marital bliss. Loretta, however, sees things differently.

You’re a wolf, she tells Ronny. “And now,” Cher, er, Loretta presses on, “now you’re afraid, because you know the big part of you is a wolf that has the courage to bite off its own hand to save itself from the trap of the wrong love.”

Whereupon Ronny proves her right by knocking the plates from the kitchen table and sweeping her off to his bedroom, where they make ravenous love to the soaring strains of “O soave fanciulla” from Puccini’s “La Bohème.”

Yes, the wolf is never far from the heart’s inner door – the better to hear, see and eat you, my dear.

It has been thus since the dawn of agriculture and literature.

“Aesop used the wolf in his fables,” says art historian Titia Hulst, co-curator with Barbara Mundy of “Lovely Dark and Deep,” a 2007 Pelham Art Center show that riffed on fairy tales like “Little Red Riding Hood.” “The wolf appears in Germanic cultures. Of course, there is the she-wolf who nurtured Rome’s twin founders Romulus and Remus. But most of the time, the wolf is associated with the masculine in a predatory sense. Wolves are marauders, attackers. They’re wily.”

In this, the aloof wolf stands in sharp contrast to its ego-stroking cousin, the dog, with whom it nonetheless shares a whopping 98 percent of its genetic makeup. It’s a too-close-for-comfort relationship that William Wegman played with brilliantly by dressing up his beloved Weimaraners as Red and the Big Bad Wolf for a photographic series that’s part of Purchase College’s Neuberger Museum of Art. Still, that 2 percent biological difference between man’s best friend and one of man’s favorite enemies is all that’s 46

been needed to cast the wolf as the solitary emblem of unfettered nature – the lone wolf howling in the night – and the gregarious dog as the defender of civilization. Rarely has this been more heartbreakingly portrayed than in Fred Gipson’s 1956 novel “Old Yeller.” Here civilization squares off against nature as Old Yeller protects the family homestead from a rabid wolf. But civilization pays a heavy price for its victory when Old Yeller turns rabid and must be put down by the man-child who once loathed him and now can’t bear to lose him.

“Old Yeller” is one of fiction’s finest sob-fests, one in which nobody weeps for the wolf. The lupine intruder is, after all, a masquerader, Hulst says, one that dons the garb of his victims, be they Grandma or some unsuspecting sheep.

It is a small leap from that masquerader to master seducer and ravisher, the moonstruck male animal that must sate its lust and bloodlust, à la Lon Chaney’s “The Wolf Man.” “The wolf stands in for unbridled male passion,” Hulst says.

Her exhibit – as well as the recent “Red Riding Hood” movie and Catherine Orenstein’s book “Little Red Riding Hood Uncloaked” – allude to the cautionary nature of the folk tale: Females need to be careful in the metaphoric woods and beware of manipulative, rapacious males.

Along the way, however, the wolf man, or werewolf, has been transformed from the hirsute beast of Chaney’s creation. Today’s lycanthropic lovelies are not your grandma’s werewolves. The hunky Jacob, who offers Bella a romantic alternative to the wan, bloodsucking Edward in the “Twilight” films, the studly Alcide Herveaux, who protects Sookie Stackhouse on her otherworldly adventures in HBO’s “True Blood” and the well-endowed Richard Zeeman in Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake novels – a kind of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” for the S& M set – all allow us to experience sexual danger within the comfort zone of art and entertainment.

In some cases, the sexy predators are heroic even, like Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine in the “X-Men” movies and

the werewolf embodied by the great British actor Michael Sheen in the “Underworld” film series. As Lucian, who pays a terrifying price for his defiant love of the vampire princess he’s enslaved to protect, Sheen even manages to be epic.

He’s Spartacus in wolf’s clothing.

While the werewolf has become nobler, the “She Wolf” has loosened the bonds of maternity to display her sexual side, as in Shakira’s 2009 song and video of the same name and artist Alison Ward’s “Into the Woods” video, which portrays Red Riding Hood as the Big Bad Wolf in go-go dancer’s clothing.

Hulst credits a return to the Gothic preoccupations of the late-19th century – the age of Dracula – for today’s fascination with the potential danger in sexuality, as symbolized by the werewolf and she wolf.

At the same time, the newly tender image of the werewolf displayed on the big and smalls screens may echo a revision in our attitude toward the wolf. That began in the 1960s with biologist L. David Mech (“Meech”), creator of the International Wolf Foundation, whose research demonstrated that wolves, while predators, are highly social animals – within their pack. Unlike dogs, they are generally uninterested in engaging humans. Mech’s work and a trip to Alaska inspired children’s book author Jean Craighead George to write “Julie of the Wolves” in which a wolf pack helps a lost Eskimo girl to live in the wild.

George, a Chappaqua resident, has no interest in werewolves and the like. “I prefer the beauty of the reality,” she says.

The reality of the wolf – and our fear of it – lies in a duality that is not unlike our own, says Susan P. Todd, who’s making a film of “Julie of the Wolves.” (See related story.)

“Wolves can be military-like as hunters,” she says.

“They can be deadly. But they also raise their young cooperatively.”

So the next time the wolf knocks on the door, there’s no need to be frightened but also, no need to answer. Just look in the mirror.

The wolf at the door is us. n

Playing to the wolves Pianist-conservationist HÊlène Grimaud follows the tune within

By Martha Handler

Photograph by Spencer Wilhelm

47

I

t was more than 10 years ago that I first laid eyes on the world-renowned pianist Hélène Grimaud. I distinctly remember the moment. From across the room she approached me, and as she did I could feel sparks flying. There was no denying that she was physically captivating – her skin translucent and her voice as deep and yet as ethereal as the pianism that has captivated concert-goers worldwide. Her eyes were a haunting shade of steel-blue – one might almost say more wolf-like than human – which is not surprising, considering she is the founder of the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem.

But the electrical charge I felt had nothing to do with her appearance and everything to do with her soul. Hélène is simply otherworldly. She vibrates at a higher frequency than most. In her wake, one is left feeling both mesmerized and enchanted.

Which is exactly how Hélène felt after a chance encounter with a high-content wolf hybrid (more wolf than dog) at age 22.

“She came up to my left hand and sniffed it,” Hélène recalls in her memoir, “Wild Harmonies: A Life of Music and Wolves.” “I merely stretched out my fingers and, all by herself, she slid her head and then her shoulders under my palm. I felt a shooting spark, a shock, which ran through my entire body. The single point of contact radiated throughout my arm and chest, and filled me with gentleness… which awakened in me a mysterious singing, the call of an unknown, primeval force.”

Photograph and cover by 48 © MAT HENNEK

That primal encounter led Hélène in 1999 to open the Wolf Conservation Center on an 11-acre parcel of the Oldfield Preserve in South Salem to educate people about the vital role a keystone species like the wolf plays in a healthy ecosystem and to correct the centuries-old misconceptions about wolves that still abound today.

The WCC has three “ambassador” gray wolves, a pair of Mexican gray wolves and four red wolves on exhibit as part of its education initiative, which reaches thousands across the Northeast every year. The center’s 22 red and Mexican gray wolves are endangered and part of the federal government’s Species Survival Plans (SSP), in which the WCC participates. Most of the SSP wolves are off-exhibit to ensure they have a greater probability of being successfully released into the wild.

In a sense, the Wolf Conservation Center is a variation on the theme of Hélène’s early dream to become a veterinarian and later a biologist. But it isn’t her only passion.

aged her father to start piano lessons immediately – fearing that at the ripe old age of 7, it might already be too late.

Through music, Hélène found not only focus, but freedom.

“I had the physical sensation of an opening, the impression that a path opened in front of me, as if a door had opened in the wall and a luminous, straight path led from it toward a harmonious revelation.”

Determined and driven to understand herself on a deeper level, Hélène progressed very quickly. At 13 she was accepted to the Conservatoire de Paris, becoming the school’s youngest student.

Three years later, she won first prize at the conservatory and the Grand Prix du

her playing. Conversely, she will not play a piece by a composer who doesn’t speak to her, regardless of the stature of a particular conductor.

Those fortunate enough to have attended one of Hélène’s performances are left feeling spellbound and breathless.

Even though she’s a powerful presence at the keyboard, you sense that she’s operating outside her body on another dimension altogether. Perhaps this is because Hélène has synesthesia, a rare condition in which one sees and attributes colors to numbers, letters or music.

“I cannot predict when it will happen.

But it seems to occur when I’m fully occupying the moment, when my body,

Disque of the Academie Charles Cros for her recording of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2.

Two years after that, feeling both stifled and bored, she graduated a year ahead of schedule, choosing against convention once again to set her face to the wind and chart her own course.

mind and soul are harmoniously united.

Each note has a distinct color and this hue never changes.”

When Hélène isn’t on the road performing at 90 concerts a year, she splits her time between South Salem and Weggis, Switzerland, where she shares a home with her partner Mat Hennek, a photographer, and their German Shepherd, Chico. While in Westchester, she spends a good deal of her time either at or on behalf of the Wolf Conservation Center. A typical day might include observing the wolves, talking with staff and then attending meetings with current and potential supporters.

But no matter which continent she’s got her feet on, she’s never far from a piano.

“Even a day of rest involves the piano.

I try to practice for at least four hours because the repertoire I’m playing at the moment is very demanding, and even if you’ve been working on something for weeks and everything’s going well, you still need to keep considering it,” she told

Music in her soul

She has played with the world’s greatest orchestras and conductors, performing around the globe and winning numerous awards, including a Grand Prix du Disque, or French Grammy, for her recording of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s sublimely melodic Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18.

Her pianism was a talent first nurtured in Aix-en-Provence, a city in southern France where Hélène, who was born in 1969, grew up as an only child. Built by the Romans, Aix has historically been a cradle of culture – think Cézanne and Van Gogh – and so would’ve been an auspicious starting point for any budding artist.

But Hélène’s parents, both teachers, had their work cut out for them from the very beginning. She not only was unlike other children, she didn’t particularly like other children. She exhausted those around her and says in her memoir how she vividly recalls hearing herself described by her parents and teachers as “uncontrollable,” “unsatisfied,” unmanageable,” “undisciplined,” insubordinate,” “agitated” and “unpredictable.”

Realizing she needed an outlet for her excess energy, her parents enrolled her in numerous sports programs, martial arts courses and dance classes. But nothing soothed her insatiable restlessness. Hélène remembers feeling as though she was “ill at ease and uncomfortable” in her body.

“If my problem was surplus physical energy, sports and dance would have done it,” Hélène says. “But it wasn’t. I needed something that was mentally captivating.”

Her parents persevered. At age 7, Hélène was introduced to her first music class, where she demonstrated a “strong rhythmical sense.” Her teacher encour-

Photograph by © MAT HENNEK

Dancing with wolves

Throughout her career, Hélène has stayed true to herself and played by her own unique set of rules. She calls Chopin “my composer,” not only because she loves his music, but also because he liberated the pianist’s left hand.

“Chopin invented ambidextrous music,” she says in her memoir, “a tremendous door through which Liszt, Scriabin, Ravel and Fauré would subsequently pass.”

She also favors Brahms and Beethoven, both of whom speak to her and with whom she can have a dialogue through

Claire Wrathall of the Financial Times.

Perhaps the only thing more moving than seeing Hélène perform is observing her in the presence of her beloved wolves – Atka, Alawa and Zephyr – all of whom she has helped raise and socialize. There is an invisible yet undeniable bond that exists between her and them – even after the long absences required by her musical career.

I can’t help but wonder if it’s because Hélène is closer to wolves than to humans, if she and they are soulmates that “play” on the same frequency.

The importance of wolves

As a keystone species, the wolf has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance and plays a critical role in maintaining the structure and balance of the ecology. A prime example of this can be seen in Yellowstone Park.

By 1926, all the wolves in Yellowstone had been eradicated, because park officials believed that killing them would help the elk and other big game prosper. The elk and deer population did rise but in numbers unsupportable by the ecosystem, causing thousands to starve each winter and many more to be killed to keep their numbers manageable.

In the absence of wolves, coyotes became the top predator. But they fed mostly on small rodents, which made it harder for other small predators, like foxes and badgers, to thrive. In addition, because the large grazers (elk, deer and bison) no longer had the scent of fear in the air (i.e., the scent of wolves), they stood and grazed in one spot rather than grazing as they moved, which decimated the young tree shoots and bark. Before long there were no young aspen, cottonwood trees or willow shrubs to replace the old ones that died. This in turn caused the songbirds that lived and nested in these trees to vanish. Additionally, without trees, the beavers began to disappear and so did the ducks and moose that depended on the beaver ponds for survival.

Scientists studied the failing Yellowstone ecosystem and concluded that wolves needed to be reintroduced.

Against the objections of many ranchers, they were returned to the park beginning in 1995. There are now approximately 12 wolf packs, or about 150 wolves, occupying Yellowstone. The coyote and elk populations are healthy and under control, and the underbrush and young trees have returned, which has in turn led to the return of the birds and small creatures.

Yellowstone is working its way back to being a healthy, vibrant ecosystem more quickly than any scientist had imagined possible – all due to the presence of wolves.

For more on Hélène’s career, visit helenegrimaud.com. For Wolf Conservation Center information, visit nywolf.org. n 49

a howling good job

By Georgette Gouveia

Maggie Howell knows just what you’re thinking – a woman who works with wolves and her last name is pronounced “howl”? What are the chances?

“I get a lot of raised eyebrows,” says Howell, managing director of the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem. Here she puts on a high-pitched voice for effect: “I’m so into my job that I legally changed my name. I’m sooooo passionate.”

Then she laughs a marvelously throaty laugh.

“I’ve always had a passion for animals.

I grew up in New York City where I had limited access to them. But I knew always I wanted to do something with animals.”

At Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, she was premed with the intention of becoming a veterinarian until she realized she loved animals but, medicine not so much.

After two years on Wall Street, she wound up “an indentured servant” at Cat Tales in Spokane, Wash., where she learned to be a zookeeper for big cats. From there she went on to Out of Africa Wildlife Park, an Arizona attraction where she realized she had a feel for predators.

Out of Africa was good for Howell in

R

many ways. She met her husband, Spencer Wilhelm, now operations manager at the Wolf Conservation Center, there. And she had the opportunity to educate the public about predators – carefully.

“I’ve learned to be cautious,” she says.

“I’ve had my share of stitches. These big animals play rough.”

But Out of Africa didn’t do conservation work.

“I felt I wasn’t giving back to the animals. It was almost like we were rodeo clowns.”

The most interesting species she says she was introduced to during her time at Out of Africa was the wolf. She worked with one named Echo, who died last spring at age 17. When a position opened up at the Wolf Conservation Center, Howell pounced.

“I felt I had had fun in other places. Now it’s time to do something for these animals. I like to think I’m doing this in part for Echo.”

At the 27-acre center, where she’s been for six

years, Howell oversees a program that contains 25 gray and red wolves. Nine of the wolves are on exhibit, including 9-year-old Atka, the center’s sleekly beautiful senior ambassador, and 6-month-old sibling pups Alawa and Zephyr. Howell, who lives in Danbury, is responsible for booking Atka’s appearances. Together they have been to 150 venues throughout the Northeast, mainly schools, where Howell strives to debunk the myth of the wolf as lone predator.

At the center, 16 wolves live off-exhibit, and Howell and company don’t venture into their domain except to bring in the collected road kill that the wolves eat.

“Yes,” she says. “It’s the most glamorous part of my job.”

Eventually, some of the wolves at the center will be released into the wild in the Southwest, a decision that is based on the genetics, health and behavior of the animal and made in conjunction with the federal government.

Founded in 1999, the center is part of the government’s Species Survival Plans for the Mexican gray wolf and the red wolf. It isn’t easy: Two center wolves previously released in the Southwest were shot and killed.

Compounding the challenge for conservationists is the recent removal of the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act in the northern Rocky Mountains (Montana, Idaho, eastern Oregon and Washington state and northern Utah), which will ultimately result in the deaths of some 200 wolves.

But Howell remains committed to education, conservation and the reintroduction of wolves into the American landscape – a dream that has seen the wolf population of the lower 48 states grow from a low of 500 to 1,000 in the 1970s to some 7,000 today. There are between 7,000 and 11,000 in Alaska.

So committed is she that the couple’s 4-year-old daughter thinks of the center as a second home and knows the difference between the sound of a red wolf and the call of the gray.

“If she didn’t, we’d have to give her back,” Howell says.

And with that, she “howls” with laughter. n

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Call of the wild

By Georgette Gouveia

Atka, the Wolf Conservation Center’s senior ambassador wolf, loves visiting schools, says Deborah Heineman, the center’s executive director.

“It’s his milieu,” she says. “He understands the space. He understands that he is part of something bigger.”

Heineman, too, has always had a sense of belonging to something larger.

“It’s the whole way I was raised. You’re responsible for looking out for your fellow man, animals and the planet. Those with more should write out a check. But that’s not enough.”

If you really believe in something, she says, then you need to put your entire self into it.

And that is just what she’s done at the center, combining a passion for nature with her advertising savvy.

The call of the wild is in the Heineman DNA. Her grandfather was one of the original members of the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, donating not only his butterfly collection to the museum, but stone quarried from his Picton Island on the St. Lawrence Riv-

er, which borders Canada. The family has been honored by the Thousand Islands Land Trust for creating the Heineman Family Nature Preserve on neighboring Grindstone Island.

Following a family tradition, Heineman went to Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. – part of the second class containing women.

Like Maggie Howell, her managing director at the Wolf Conservation Center, with whom she shares an East Coast pedigree – Heineman was pre-med with the thought of becoming a veterinarian. Instead, she wound up working for Time-Life Books, writing for the “Wild World of Animals” series. That writing ability led to a successful career in the advertising and marketing world.

Heineman developed business for Time Warner Inc. in Manhattan and Reader’s Digest, formerly of Chappaqua, and built a promotions subsidiary for Griffin-Bacal

Advertising, also of New York City.

When she came to the Wolf Conservation Center four years ago, Heineman looked for ways to stretch the organization’s $500,000 operating budget. The staff includes four full-time employees, a part-time registrar/ bookkeeper and an intern. She transformed the center’s Wine and Wolves event, booking the barn at the Waccabuc Country Club at the member’s rate and persuading local eateries to hold an event sampling. Another Wine and Wolves fundraiser is scheduled for Dec. 1. Heineman also introduced magical gala evenings at the Bedford Post, which is owned by actor/humanitarian Richard Gere.

While funding is important, Heineman says education is key, particularly at a time when the northern Rocky Mountains wolf has been removed from the Endangered Species Act, a move that Heineman

calls “dicey, naïve and cavalier.”

“Ask any school-age child and he or she knows what a wolf is,” Heineman says.

“The wolf is part of our milieu.”

But the wolf will not continue to be so if it’s open season, she warns.

“The key we try to teach in our educational programs is balance in nature.”

Heineman’s own love affair with nature continues at home in Chappaqua, where she and husband Ralph Scaglione, a special effects editor, are the parents of three boys. Still the picture on her cell phone is of Mack, the fourth Belgian Tervuren she’s owned.

“I’ve been a lover of dogs since the day I was born,” she says, adding that as a child, “I used to accost every dog I would see.”

The Tervuren, a member of the Belgian Shepherd family, looks like a cross between a German Shepherd and a Collie.

Heineman thinks Mack resembles Zephyr, the 6-month-old wolf pup that is one of the center’s ambassadors.

“I love large dogs,” she says. “I love Shepherds.”

For her, four-legged critters are all in the family. n

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Susan of the wolves Croton filmmaker combines love of movies, nature

By Georgette Gouveia Photographs by ©David Bravo The couple communing with nature, one of their favorite film subjects.

Q’orianka Kilcher, who played Pocahontas in “The New World,” has the title role in “Julie of the Wolves,” set to shoot next spring.

Courtesy of Archipelago Films.

52

S

usan P. Todd is as passionate about nature as she is about filmmaking.

In a 25-year career, the Croton-on-Hudson resident has made more than 20 feature-length films, many of them on nature subjects that have taken her to the Congo, Madagascar and Glacier Bay, Alaska.

She’ll be heading back to our 49th state next spring to shoot her latest film, “Julie of the Wolves,” based on Jean Craighead George’s 1972 Newbery Medal-winning book about an Inupiat girl who gets lost in the tundra and learns to survive and thrive through her connection with a pack of wolves.

Q’orianka Kilcher, who played Pocahontas in Terence Malick’s 2005 film “The New World,” stars as Julie. Calgary animal trainer Andrew Simpson is supplying the wolf pack.

“I’m getting excited just talking about it,” Todd says. “I want to make this film so bad.”

Author George – a Chappaqua resident who was inspired to write the book after an Alaska trip for Reader’s Digest – is just as enthusiastic, even though many have tried and failed to adapt “Julie” for the screen. She believes, however, that Todd – along with award-winning cinematographer Andrew L. Young, her husband and partner in Archipelago

Films – is just the one to do it.

Certainly, Todd’s résumé inspires confidence – Harvard University (by way of Cincinnati), where she first fell in love with filmmaking; a producing stint at WNET, one of PBS’ flagship stations, and a teaching one at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville. Among her credits are: “The Last Royals,” a National Geographic special; PBS’ “Glacier Bay: Alaska’s Wild Coast;” and the centerpiece film for the Congo Gorilla Forest exhibit at the Bronx Zoo. “That was a blast to make,” Todd remembers. “I got to go to the Congo and work with the gorillas. That’s the adventure part of filmmaking. I really love that I get to go out in the world.”

For Todd, the adventure continues with “Julie,” only this time it will truly be “a family adventure story.” The couple’s 11-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter will be going along on the journey, while Andrew’s father, Robert M. Young, serves as writer and co-producer. The executive producers are Michael Hausman, whose credits include “Twilight” and “Brokeback Mountain,” and Edward James Olmos, whose name needs no introduction to the many fans of “Miami Vice,” “Battlestar Galactica” and “Stand and Deliver.”

The adventure will begin in April, when Simpson’s wolf pups are scheduled to be born. Unlike their dog cous-

ins, wolves only give birth once a year, in the spring. As the story unfolds, the pups develop, with one eventually becoming the leader of the pack.

But Todd doesn’t want her children alone to have this adventure. She’s concerned about the children of others, who have lost their connection to nature in the passive digital age. “They don’t understand how the natural world works.”

For Todd, nature is not just a job. It’s a way of living. At her seven-acre home, there’s a pond, a garden, woods and a beaver lodge. For nine years, she served on the Cortlandt Planning Board and was instrumental in getting the biodiversity ordinance enacted so that when property comes up for development in the town, abutting parkland or wetlands can be preserved.

She stresses that she is not anti-development.

“It’s about figuring out the best place for development. It’s about saving human habitation, too.”

The way to do that is to preserve the diversity of the environment and that includes understanding the complex nature of the wolf as fierce hunter and social animal.

“It’s worth our effort to get people to care.” n

Susan P. Todd and husband Andrew L. Young, the filmmakers behind “Julie of the Wolves,” at their Croton-on-Hudson home.

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Restorationperiod Bedford Hills couple brought a neglected mansion back to (a very lively) life

By Mary Shustack Photographs by Bob Rozycki and Tim Lee When Keir Kleinknecht and his wife, Jessi, came to Scarlet Hall nearly seven years ago, the sprawling Bedford Hills mansion was in disrepair, to say the least.

Keir remembers unruly vines crawling up the oncestately façade, spindly dead trees obscuring the front lawns and a backyard that was what he calls a “sloping disaster.” And that was without even opening the majestic front doors just beyond the marble columns.

But the couple, passionate about restoration and renovation and fresh off a major revamp of a midtown Manhattan brownstone, was undaunted.

“We came up to this house, and this was it,” Keir says.

“We didn’t look at anything else.”

The seven-bedroom home, with roots that Kleinknecht says date from the 1860s, captivated them just as much as the challenge of the project excited them.

And today, with the Kleinknechts ready to move on, they can look back on a massive effort that not only retained and restored the property’s historical details and architectural integrity but updated its amenities to embrace what turned into a warm and welcoming home base for a growing family.

It was a long road, though.

“The bones were all here. But there weren’t any basic functions in the house that worked. …It was a disaster.”

But, “you expect that in a giant house.”

The early days, Keir says, witnessed not only major electrical issues, but a water situation so bad it ended in waist-high flooding before they officially moved in.

While most might run, the Kleinknechts simply dug in their heels, spearheading years of work they often did themselves. Jessi, for instance, did the faux painting and decorative touches throughout.

“You kind of have to in this day and age,” he says. “It’s really hard to get things done.”

Still, it was always prudent to have “professionals come and do the professional stuff.”

The home, it must be said, cannot fail to impress in any way.

Walk beyond the stately marble columns of the front door and into a formal foyer. The marble flooring, Keir says, is made of tiles 2½ inches thick. Surrounding it all are signs of his many collectibles, swords and armor, including a knight in full dress.

Arched doorways lead seamlessly from room to room.

Dark woods, ornate carvings, fireplaces, original curvedpane glass windows and period-suitable light fixtures – often scored on eBay – are found throughout.

A formal living room and a lush formal dining room

• • • • • •

•

SCARLET HALL at a Glance

Bedford Hills 12,770 square feet 4.64 acres Bedrooms: 7 Baths: 7 full, 2 half Amenities: Alarm system, balcony, eat-in kitchen, fenced yard, fireplace, guest cottage, high ceilings, patio, pool, privacy, private laundry, security, separate caretaker’s facility, walkout basement and wet bar.

Price: $5,995,000.

Keir and Jessi Kleinknecht

any guest would love to sit down in lead one through the main floor.

But for every crystal chandelier or dining chair upholstered in tapestry, there’s a family friendly element like a tire swing in the yard or a gaggle of toys on a couch.

It’s clearly a home, not simply a house, which reflects that the couple, who moved in as a duo, now have three children under age 6.

Keir, a venture capitalist who works primarily from home when not traveling for his companies that include Mythic Paint, has a large main-floor office complete with leather couch.

He admits to being a bit of a techie. Elaborate security and control systems are signs of the attention to detail, just as readily as the delicate gilding on the plasterwork in the ballroom.

“I put in 120 miles of cable in this house,” he says.

It even extends to the main garage, which features hydraulic lifts for his car collection and space for 11 vehicles.

The main floor’s showcases include a formal family room and dining room, along with a “long gallery” space that is really the family headquarters.

Keir points to the “three sets of French doors going out to the … veranda. We’re not very formal people so we try not to use formal words.”

Go up a few steps and you’re in the ballroom, a space of white plaster, gilding and mirrors. It houses a pool table, model ships and a wet bar and is perfect for entertaining.

Wander past another area to get to the kitchen, a large and airy space complete with elaborate ceiling plaster that truly resembles a wedding cake. An adjacent wine cellar features a former pocket door from the couple’s brownstone.

The upper floors house the master suite, as well as the children’s bedrooms (they share a Jacuzzi tub), guest rooms, sitting rooms, a library and a10-seat home theater complete with authentic movie memorabilia.

The master bedroom is vast, anchored by a sultan’s bed

from Indonesia and a massive armoire. Adjacent is a walkin closet that seems to go on for miles. Just when you’ve passed what has to be the end, there’s a turn and suddenly you find areas dedicated to his wife’s shoes and handbags.

“I don’t know how it got full,” Keir says with a laugh.

“I don’t know how that happened.”

The master bath is a study in understated splendor – white with pumpkin accents and steps leading up to a freestanding tub. There is light from the windows as well as the cupola perched atop the slate roof. Even a window near the commode has been replaced with backlit stained glass.

Depending on the buyer’s taste, Kleinknecht says, he may or may not leave the fish tank downstairs – or the shark tank in the master bedroom.

Reflecting on the years there, Keir says the house has come a long way from his first impressions of it being a “haunted mansion.” The home, he adds, also got a bit of unwanted attention back in 1982 when then-owner, actress Jennifer O’Neill, accidentally shot herself while checking her husband’s gun.

Well, what house of more than 100 years doesn’t have a colorful history?

Now, the Kleinknechts are about to write a new chapter in their own personal history, relocating to North Carolina.

The move, Keir says, is to “make a change in terms of weather and things like climate. …Lakeside living sounds nice.”

It is, he says, simply time.

“I get antsy. A project’s done and it’s like ‘What do I have to do now?’”

But no doubt, the next owners of Scarlet Hall will reap the benefits of the Kleinknechts’ “restoration period.”

For more information, contact Cynthia Jaffee at (914) 610-6206. n 55

Money maven 'Today's' Jean Chatzky gets fired up over finances

By Kelly Liyakasa CNBC may have its “Money Honey,” but NBC’s “Today” show has its very own financial force in Jean Chatzky.

And Chatzky has a passion to change the world through the wallet, with special consideration paid to young women and the empowerment that financial freedom brings. I caught up with the Briarcliff Manor resident and guest host at a recent spectacle of the senses, Girls Inc. Westchester’s “Power of the Purse” gala at a fashionable LIFE The Place to Be in Ardsley.

It was a design expo meets girl’s-nightout-with-a-purpose, decked out with a runway and pink strobe lights.

Chatzky has built a name for herself through books, motivational platforms and myriad journalistic endeavors. But it wasn’t always that way for the businessminded brunette. Here are excerpts of our conversation:

What made you attach yourself to this cause?

Chatzky: “Well, I’m a mom and it’s very important to me that my kids know about money. But I think in general, the world would be a better place right now if more people knew how to handle their money, and women in particular, because we are still earning less money than men.

We’re still the ones who take a break from the workforce.

We’re still the ones left to care for the older parents, and so we have to make more with less and getting at a generation of girls when they’re in their teen years and they can learn how important it is to save at least 10 percent of whatever they make and just put it away, is huge, and Girls Inc. does a great job of that.”

Did your journalistic endeavors cultivate your desire to be a moneycounselor?

“No, not at all, believe it or not. I think I came at this as a journalist. But I also came as a woman who didn’t do an especially good job of handling her money. I have former roommates when I was in my 20s who 56

would attest to how bad I was with my money. I was an English major in college. I was a journalist who wanted to be a journalist, which means when I graduated, earning $11,000 a year. So for me, learning to handle my money was a necessity and once I figured out that I could actually do it, I knew that anybody could do it. It’s not difficult. It just takes a little bit of effort.”

What’s the biggest misconception of money management? That it doesn’t make sense?

“I think we do that with everything.

You should see me throw a remote control across the room when I can’t understand how to make it work. We all have ‘those’ things and for a lot of people, that thing is money. The problem is, with technology, you can get through life not understanding how to program the remote. But you can’t get through life without learning how to deal with your credit cards.”

Being that the recession made us watch our money more closely, did you experience a surge in your business?

“Yes and no. We started doing the ‘Money 911’ segment on the ‘Today’ show, both Sharon Epperson and I, when the economic downturn took place.

There was a total need for it. But I think this is a life skill more than it’s a money skill and people need to know it in good times and in bad. What the recession has done is shed a huge light on the fact that we just don’t know, and we understand for the first time in a long time that we really need to know.”

Enough talk of money. Any other passions?

“I love to run … we’re so lucky in Westchester to have the Rockefeller Preserve. We live right near it. We run there all the time. So I love to run, I love to cook, I love my kids, and I’m rooting for the Phillies. By the time you go to press, it’ll all be over, but my life will be better if the Phillies win!”

You’re a Midwest gal. Any advice for young city-seekers?

“Moving to the city right now is hard because whatever you earn, unless you’re working on Wall Street, it’s not going to be enough to pay your rent. You’re going to need to get a second job … but go for it. Go for it. Because if the city’s in you, it’s totally worth it.” n

Run, run, fashion baby Tim Geaney is a nonstop photographer, musician

T

his is what it’s like to hang out at the Wilton playground-home of Tim Geaney, a fashion and advertising photographer with a passion for playing keyboard in two Connecticut-based blues and reggae groups.

He’s jumping up from his Korg SV-1 keyboard before he can finish saying, “I forgot to show you….”

Then he’s reaching up to the studio windows to note the importance of shooting with maximum natural light. (He uses a Canon Mark III.) He’s crouching down into his giant backyard teepee, which serves as the guest room. He’s hopping onto his roaring ATV with an attached front-loader (his version of a fast tractor for his composting side biz, The Entre-Manure).

Next, he’s digging in his garden for a homegrown treat, a Nasturtium flower, with color nearly as saturated as an Hermès box. (“They’re spicy and go great with avocado, mango and butter lettuce.”)

Later he’s stretching to help his wife, former supermodel Nancy DeWeir Geaney, extend their patio umbrella for a homemade, gourmet lunch break and bending to coo over his dog, Cheech, named after second cousin Cheech Marin (whom he’s never met).

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By Zoë Zellers Photographs by ©David Bravo Did we mention that he recently injured his leg during a photo shoot in Brazil?

The man doesn’t stop moving. It could be attributed to the energizing effects of the protein-laden Caveman diet that 21-year-old son, Jack, a model-slash-actor, got the family into. The foursome is completed by Genevieve, 23. Yet more likely, the perpetual motion stems from Geaney’s lifelong urge to “live in the moment and believe in the moment,” whether it’s through spotting or creating an unexpectedly great photograph or practicing Ray Charles’ crowd-pleaser, “I Got A Woman,” anticipating a funky, high-energy gig.

“Photography and music serve different purposes but still totally feed and work off each other,” Geaney says. “I always joke that there are a lot of tones in photography and there are also a lot of tones in music.

The passion for photography came first as a 14-yearold growing up in California.

Ten years later, he was an assistant photographer at Seventeen Magazine and got his big break when he wrangled an introduction to fashion photography great Bruce Weber.

“I said I wanted to meet Bruce and the next thing you know, I’m moving to New York (in 1978) to work

as his assistant. I was ready to hit the streets.” (The Geaney-Weber collaboration continues with son Jack, who as a Click model just did an Abercrombie & Fitch ad with Weber.)

After getting his chops, Tim Geaney decided to go solo.

“Well, it was a really easy transition, because I had a really rich girlfriend,” he says of his supportive wife, who would later found Dark Horse Farm Designs, which retails her charming quilts.

It was a good move for Geaney, who has since done gorgeous portraits and campaigns for clients such as Ralph Lauren Kids, Victoria’s Secret, Macy’s, Yummy Tummy, Saks Fifth Avenue, J. Crew, and Nautica and who has the honor of being listed as an artist with Ford Models.

Tim and Nancy have a bond that permeates so many of their interests. A woodworker most of his life, Geaney tells a sweet story of how he “made Jack a boat bed when he was a kid and then Nancy painted it and it became a total team thing… And no matter what, it’s the only one.”

Here’s another darling example of the Geaneys’ teamwork. At his recent performance at Brennan’s,

back in their old Shippan Point neighborhood in Stamford, “the crowd was screaming for Nancy to sing ‘Caledonia,’” a tradition of sorts with the couple.

Geaney reveals a fun fact about his days in Stamford.

“Harry Connick Jr. had given me some lessons when he lived in our neighborhood. We’d trade darkroom lessons for music lessons. He was trying to teach me that you don’t really sing, you kind of speak it. You know the story, and you try to tell it and don’t think so much about really singing, which is so interesting.”

And what was his lesson to Connick?

“I told him to keep his precious fingers out of the developer and use the tongs. Ha! Ha!” In January, Geaney was thrilled when he was asked, after a successful jam session, to join two bands, which share some of the same members – the blues group Dirty Rice and the reggae group VibroTap. Most of the guys are from Fairfield and Westport, a real homegrown troupe, with the players ranging from 30-somethings to 50-somethings, all contributing their own tastes from the Grateful Dead to Phish to New Orleans-style jazz.

Because of this diversity, “I’ve had to re-expose myself to all this music and really listen. Now that I can hear differently, I listen completely differently… and I’ve become better and faster at learning to (transpose to) other keys,” says Geaney, who took jazz piano lessons on and off. “Now I know 30 reggae songs.”

He can only chuckle in amazement when he says, “I can’t believe that all of the sudden, after all of these years, I’m playing with a group. But I’m really enjoying it and learning a lot right now.”

“A new focus in my life scares me a bit, because I know what it takes to be a professional musician. But

it’s the same thing with photography and art. At a certain point you have technique, you know? And we all know that people with very little technique have come up with very stylized, beautiful art that passes for greatness, and it does become a style in the end.”

“Sometimes people will look at a picture of mine and maybe it’s not a fashion picture at all, and someone will say that it makes them feel really good or it brings back memories.

It does something to them. They really get a strong emotional feeling and that is the perfect compliment.”

— Tim Geaney

“My taste is above my talent right now,” Geaney says, idolizing Hermeto Pascoal, an icon of his favorite style, Brazilian jazz.

“I like the Brazilian rhythms, the samba and the bossa nova, just love that feeling and the way they sing, all their harmonies. I’d like to play that. But it’s harder to get other people to want to do that with me.”

“For me, this is the dream … if I could be playing like him someday, and I don’t care where really. But if I

could have that kind of freedom and be able to do that in front of somebody and have people know that it’s just coming out of me where nothing has really been worked out before this particular hour of music.”

Though he juggles music with his photography schedule, Geaney is becoming more and more keen on practicing “virtually every day,” with real ambition to impress his band-mates and the crowd.

Clearly, he has a real sense of humor about himself when he talks about audience reaction.

“Well, I haven’t had any food thrown at me yet. But I’ve deserved it!”

He continues, “It’s been fun to loosen up enough that I can look out at the audience and see them tapping their feet.”

Geaney says the compliment he loved the most was when “Some woman at Brennan’s came up and said, ‘You guys are tight!’ and I remember thinking that, growing up as I listened to rock bands, like, ‘Man those guys are tight,’ so it was really fun to hear.”

He draws another connection between his passions, pointing out that, “You get those same kinds of emotions through music that you do through a photograph.

“Sometimes people will look at a picture of mine and maybe it’s not a fashion picture at all, and someone will say that it makes them feel really good or it brings back memories. It does something to them.

They really get a strong emotional feeling and that is the perfect compliment.”

To view his portfolio, go to timgeaney.com. Dirty Rice performs Nov. 12, at Jeff ’s Cuisine in South Norwalk, and Dec. 3, at the Redding Road House in Redding. n

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TwoThefor the (horse) show Dignelli brothers share their love of horses and riding

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By Jane K. Dove Photographs by ©David Bravo

asking in the bright glow of a perfect autumn afternoon, the meticulously maintained Heritage Farm in Somers bustles with equine and human activity.

Horses and riders come and go along the pathways linking the immaculate barns and indoor and outdoor riding rings. A Welsh pony works out on a treadmill under the watchful eye of a groom. Riders practice equitation in the large indoor riding ring. And, at the hub of it all, renowned trainer Andre Dignelli commands the central outdoor riding ring, schooling his clients over jumps for a crucial upcoming United States Equestrian Team (USET) competition in Gladstone, N.J. Andre’s older brother, Michael, looks upon the scene with justifiable pride.

“Andre and I have shared a focus and a passion for horses that started in childhood and has grown stronger over the years. You are looking at the result of our joint efforts.”

Starting out

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Those efforts had their origins right here.

“We grew up in southern Westchester County, not far away from the Pelham Bit Stables,” Michael said. “Both of us rode there as kids and worked in the barn. We developed a real love of what we were doing and somehow convinced our parents to move north, which they did, to Cortlandt. We finally had a small amount of acreage and converted some buildings on the property to a backyard barn. We also put up some fencing for two horses and a pony.”

As they grew a bit older, the two boys, nine years apart in age, started riding in local shows, paid for by funds from a small riding lesson business they had started on their family’s property.

“It soon became apparent when Andre entered his teens that he had real talent as a rider,” Michael said. “I knew that to go to the next level we needed an excellent trainer, even though we were on a shoestring budget.”

Michael took the lead, visiting several large establishments in the area and finally found the mentor they needed in Judy Richter, who headed the well-known Coker Farm in Bedford.

Under Richter’s skilled tutelage, Andre quickly advanced, winning the USET competition in 1985 on a jumper she loaned him for the event. He was 18 and his future career was launched.

Andre went to work at Coker Farm as a trainer and rode competitively for several years. He was ranked number three in the United States and number 26 in the world and was part of the Equestrian Team, winning a bronze medal in the Pan Am games.

While Andre’s equestrian career was blooming, Michael had taken a different route.

“I married, had two children and was running a dry cleaning and tailoring business in Chappaqua,” he said. “But the idea of working with my brother to achieve our childhood dream of our own large, successful farm never left my mind.”

Richter was in full support of the idea.

“She encouraged Andre to go to the next level and open his own business, giving him the chance to start out of Coker Farm. He took advantage of her generous offer and trained clients at Coker Farm for a while. But both of us still really wanted our own independent facility.”

Dream to reality

Michael began scouting out properties and in 1994 found the site that is now Heritage Farm.

“Even though it was run-down, we saw the potential and purchased it a year later with the help of a loan from the Small Business Administration,” he said.

Realizing the enormous task that was before them, Michael decided to keep the dry cleaning business going while they worked on renovating the farm.

“I had a wife and two sons to support and felt more comfortable keeping it operating. My wife was a big help,” Fortunately, Andre was becoming increasingly sought after as a trainer and had developed a reputation for guiding his students on to win major national competitions. The clients kept on coming, the business kept on growing and major renovations were completed, creating a magnificent facility.

rings and paddocks to perfection and adding on when needed.

“We have a crew of groundskeepers that constantly groom the facility,” Michael said.

“Business and property management is my end of the operation, and I am meticulous about physical maintenance. I want everything in perfect condition at all times. My goal is to have anyone who visits Heritage Farm say, ‘This is the place I want to ride.’”

late and have large box stalls for clients’ mounts. The brothers have additional stabling for horses they buy and sell.

Adjacent paddocks are enclosed by classic horse fencing, and walkways have plenty of deep footing for horses and humans alike.

Inside the barn complex, a comfortably furnished lounge area is separated from the indoor riding ring by a large plate glass

Andre and Michael Dignelli

Horse lover’s paradise

Today, Heritage Farm is one of the premier establishments in the area.

The 40-acre farm can board 104 horses and has 45 staff members, including top trainers and professional riders Patricia Griffith, Laena Ramond, Dottie Barnwald and Erin Stewart.

The Dignelli brothers have spent a substantial sum renovating the existing barns,

A walk around Heritage Farm reveals the fruits of the brothers’ hard work.

A large indoor riding ring, two outdoor rings set with colorful, freshly painted jumps and a grass Grand Prix jumping field provide more than ample room for training for local and national events. The interconnected yellow barns are immacu-

window. Several tack rooms for everyday and competitive equipment and horse washing stalls, complete with overhead heat lamps for drying, are a few of the other features at Heritage Farm.

Michael lives on the property with his wife, Joanne, and sons, Justin, 24 and Dean, 22, in a stately colonial home over-

looking the Grand Prix field.

“I am pleased with the way everything looks, but it is still a work in progress,” Michael said. “We are always looking toward improvements.”

A partnership that works

Looking back over the road that led them to Heritage Farm, Michael said he and his brother have had a solid partnership since childhood.

“Andre was always very driven and focused from the time he started riding,” Michael said. “I have been happy to help foster his talents and help bring us to the level where we are today. Now he does the horses, and I do the business end. It works to keep the ball rolling.”

Michael said the partnership could not have worked out without their mutual drive, determination and dedication.

“We are both passionate about what we do and both of us love the lifestyle. It’s a lot of work, but very rewarding.”

Michael said he is very proud of his younger brother and gratified that he now has the recognition he believes is so well-deserved.

“Andre has walked the walk. He’s done it. He is incredibly responsible and a very positive role model. He serves as a mentor in many of his students’ lives and is totally dedicated to what he does. He has earned every bit of what he has achieved.” n

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61

Passion on theWe’llmenu? take seconds

By Mary Shustack

Chocolate-dipped strawberry. Photograph courtesy Godiva

Pomegranate.

Photograph courtesy POM Wonderful

Oyster. Photograph by Gil Williams

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There are those who are passionate about food and those who simply savor passion.

Combine the two and the result can pack a potent punch, as history – as well as many a movie scene – has long illustrated. Think Kim Basinger in “ 9½ Weeks” with Mickey Rourke in front of that open fridge. Or maybe Albert Finney and his female dining companion in “Tom Jones” seductively playing with chicken bones, oysters, pears and apples.

And speaking of apples, wasn’t that the bad boy fruit that started it all in the Garden of Eden?

Don’t just think of strawberries and grapes, there are plenty of other morsels you might never have associated with the proverbial roll in the hay.

Aphrodisiacs, it seems, can be found in most any refrigerator … if you only knew.

Asparagus, for example, is said to stir desire and was often served as part of wedding dinners.

Caviar reportedly stimulates testosterone. Ginseng supposedly increases desire, while almonds have long been considered symbols of fertility.

Chocolate is said simply to create happiness. Sharing it can only increase that effect.

Other items, from bananas to figs, have been associated with passion as their shapes evoke thoughts of the male and female organs.

Then there are food-related tales tied to love and passion that transcend time.

While various myths and legends touch on the idea of aphrodisiacs, there’s one fruit that offers a wealth of detail when it comes to its sexual powers.

The pomegranate, a delicacy that has burst onto the food radar in more recent years, has quite the storied history.

It’s been said that it was a pomegranate and not an apple that Eve used to tempt Adam back in the Garden of Eden.

Its red seeds, or arils – which despite all vaunted descriptions actually do resemble gems – are said to be a symbol of love that dates from ancient times.

POM Wonderful, the California-based company that has brought the pomegranate to a wide contemporary audience through its juices and related products, has compiled a detailed history of the fruit that both tickles the fancy and shows just how powerful the idea of food and passion

can be. (And it just so happens to be National Pomegranate Month, with the fruit at its peak).

It was Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love (Venus in Roman mythology), who was said to have introduced the pomegranate to her homeland, marrying the fruit with eros.

And then there’s the Greek myth of Persephone, daughter of Zeus, the king of the gods, and Demeter, goddess of the earth.

The pomegranate, a delicacy that has burst onto the food radar in more recent years, has quite the storied history.

It’s been said that it was a pomegranate and not an apple that Eve used to tempt Adam back in the Garden of Eden.

Persephone was abducted by her uncle, Hades, and taken to his Underworld kingdom. She refused to eat, insisting she be returned to her mother. In time, though, she weakened and had some of the pomegranate’s ruby seeds.

Unbeknownst to her, the eating of the fruit had created a bond, since the pomegranate was a symbol of marriage. Indeed, it appears at Greek wedding feasts even to this day.

With the loss of her daughter, Demeter used her power to stop the earth from bearing fruit until she saw the girl again.

Though Persephone could not return home permanently because of the pomegranate, a compromise was reached. Persephone would live part of the year with Hades and the rest with her mother. Her return to this world is marked by spring, when things bloom and thrive, while her sojourn in the Underworld corresponds to the stark winter months.

It’s a tale of lust and love, food and consequences that has survived the centuries.

And one to relish as surely as these delectables. n

OM

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mag 63

“What makes what I do so interesting to me is that I’m always learning, doing something different.”

Russell F. Warren, surgeon-in-chief emeritus at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan, at his Greenwich home. Photograph by ©David Bravo.

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Dr. Russell F. Warren in his gridiron glory days.

Courtesy of Warren

Russell Doctor F. Warren, Gridiron MD combines love of medicine and NY Giants

By Patricia Espinosa Is Russell F. Warren more passionate about football or medicine?

For the Greenwich resident, the two are so intricately woven that they almost seem to be one in the same.

Whether he’s teaching at Cornell University’s Weill Medical College, performing orthopedic surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan, treating members of the New York Giants as team physician or coaching grandson Oliver’s football team, Warren brings with him the same passion he discovered as a boy playing football on the family farm in Northampton, Mass.

But even though he played briefly with the Giants and in semi-pro ball, there’s no question which love takes precedence as team physician.

“I see the football players as my patients first and foremost and as players second. That has guided my decisions all these years, and the New York Giants organization has always been extremely supportive.”

The team has also backed his “coaching” of other orthopedic surgeons. Each season, Warren brings with him a couple of fellow physicians receiving sub-specialty medical training to study and treat the players.

“The advantage is that you can see injury at its inception,” he says with enthusiasm. “The team provides an ideal lab where a lot can be learned.”

Indeed, Warren has trained some of the best orthopedic surgeons in the country. Many have gone on to become physicians for other NFL teams.

While the good doctor’s love affair with the gridiron began in the sixth grade, the relationship was almost sidelined as quickly as it began. A dislocated shoulder took him out of the game during his sophomore and junior years of high school. The following year – what should have been his senior year – was spent sick with pericarditis, an inflammation of tissue surrounding the heart. For a promising young athlete, the injuries and illness were devastating.

Warren describes this period of his life as transformative.

“It was then that I first became interested in medicine and felt that sports medicine needed considerable improvement.”

Back on his feet and determined to play, he returned to school to repeat his senior year, becoming all-state in football and baseball. Soon both Big Ten and Ivy League schools came knocking at his door. In the end, he chose to play football for Columbia University because “after growing up on a farm, I decided if I was going to move to a city, why not go to the biggest city,” he says with a smile on his face. Even back then, this man-in-motion had big ideas.

Four years later, the New York Jets drafted him as a running back, but he instead chose to sign on as a free agent with the Giants, a childhood dream of his.

“Back in those days, the New England Patriots didn’t exist, so the Giants were my team,” he says proudly.

Another running back by the name of Frank Gifford had made quite a name for himself playing for those Giants. During a 1960 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Gifford was knocked out by a passing play, suffering a severe head injury that led him to retire from football.

However, in 1962, he came out of retirement, returning to the Giants, coincidentally at around the same time that Warren was cut from the team. Yet, no hard feelings exist between these two men. Rather, Gifford has been a patient and friend of Warren’s for years.

“In those days, NFL salaries weren’t what they are today. Players made about $25,000 a year.” So after being cut by the Giants, Warren decided to go to medical school. For fun and to help pay his way, Warren played semi-pro ball with such teams as the Providence Steamrollers while attending the State University of New York Medical School in Syracuse.

Though the medical community then considered sports medicine and orthopedics “very low brow,” he wasn’t deterred. As an athlete who had sustained many of the injuries himself, he thought that insight would help him be a better doctor. Intuitively, he seemed to know that if he took his passion for football and applied it to

medicine, he could achieve great things, believing with the philosopher Aristotle that “pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.”

Indeed, after joining the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan in 1977 (which is ranked the top hospital in the country for orthopedics, according to U.S. News & World Report) and then becoming surgeon-in-chief in 1993, he established himself as a leader in sports medicine through his work with the Giants as well as his clinical and research-based contributions in the field.

If that weren’t impressive enough, he is professor of orthopedics at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University. Warren, now surgeon-in-chief emeritus at the Hospital for Special Surgery, has published more than 250 peer-reviewed scientific articles and is co-editorin-chief of the publication Techniques in Shoulder and Elbow Surgery. A number of his inventions to treat orthopedic conditions of the knee and shoulder have been patented. His numerous awards and honors include the prestigious Charles S. Neer Award, which is given by American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons to the best paper in basic science.

Warren credits much of his success to surrounding himself with a lot of talented people.

“I’m very good at delegating and that’s why I’m able to accomplish so much.”

At 70 years old, Warren shows no signs of slowing down. He attributes his career longevity to daily workouts in his training room he built at the hospital.

“Most people don’t realize, but as we get older we actually need to exercise more.”

He then shares an inspirational story about a very physically fit patient of his, who at age 94 came in for a knee replacement. The following year, the same patient came in and asked him to operate on the other knee.

For Warren, such patients and his continuing relationship with football help give life its zest.

“What makes what I do so interesting to me is that I’m always learning, doing something different.” n 65

With this fun, flirty fragrance, Greenwich shoe designer Vince Camuto “steps” into a new arena.

wear

Vince Camuto unveils swoon-worthy fragrance

By Zoë Zellers Photograph by Bob Rozycki

I

t’s November and by now every good fashionista has debuted her fall trends with messages of Bordeaux, fur, color-blocking, cashmere, leopard print, snakeskin and lady-chic clutches. Some ladies have even remembered to fall-proof makeup with beautiful updates of rich, plum-stained lips, clean, soft brown eyes and bold brows. But the edgy will go the extra mile and swag it out with a fresh new scent this season.

It’s a fun and flirty fall with the debut Vince Camuto fragrance, released this September by the noteworthy shoe designer, co-founder of Nine West Inc. and founder of the Camuto Group, a Greenwich-based developer and distributor of women’s footwear. The first “affordable and accessible luxury” from Camuto is certainly sexy and playful, but at the same time, this perfume won’t overwhelm company as signaled by the onset of that all-too-familiar group throatclearing that heavy scents inspire.

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This floral won’t enter the room before you do – the cardinal sin of scent. Top notes of rum absolute and osmanthus nectar make for a sweet nod to the changing seasons, with complementing Bulgarian rose and night-blooming jasmine, and a base of vanilla absolute, patchouli, Brazilian amber, leather and musk. And yes, it does smell as swoon-worthy as it sounds.

It’s easy to imagine how this perfume could attract the party girl, but sales associates at the ultra-new Vince Camuto retail space at Grand Central Terminal (go!) actually found the biggest buyers, so far, have been the sophisticated working women of midtown, itching for a spritz en route to the office and later, to after-work cocktail gatherings.

It’s such a tendency to say, if you do shoes and handbags well, stick with that, and if you sing, well, sing, in response to the inundation of fashion designers, stylists and celebrities branching out to launch

lines of their own. (Has anyone actually smelled that Heat by Beyoncé scent? And now, we’re hearing she’s launching a maternity line. Does it ever end?) But surprisingly with this new venture, Vince Camuto has expanded his brand in a way that strays from excess, giving women a fragrance that’ll suit their inner sophistocrat and their inner flirt all at once.

Vince Camuto comes in a glass flacon with an ornate gold cap shaped like the company’s logo – a very solid bottle. The scent’s also available in a pursefriendly, on-the-go roll-on fragrance and in softening body lotion. A 3.4 ounce bottle goes for $78, while the 1.7 ounce size is $60. If it’s truly the scent du jour for you, invest in the gift set for $85, which includes fragrance, lotion, bath and shower crème and roll-on fragrance. It’s available at department stores, including Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Lord & Taylor, Dillard’s and Belk, at the Vince Camuto store in Grand Central and at vincecamuto.com. n

whims

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Stacked leopard-print rings of 18kt white gold with diamonds; 18kt white gold lion pendant with diamonds on an 18kt white gold and diamond chain.

The Precious class menagerie jewelry by Stenzhorn goes wild

C

reepy crawlers have slithered and prowled their way past childhood imaginations and onto the counters of couture precious jewelry. For several seasons, owl figurines dangling on chains and zebra prints striping layered bangles have popped up everywhere from hip retail spots like Urban Outfitters to jewelry stands at local arts festivals. But it’s the Stenzhorn fine jewelry brand that’s taking the wild fascination 10 steps past the norm.

Stenzhorn’s luxury line features pieces that are ornate and entirely original, like a gorgeous bedazzled leopard-print necklace and a precious but powerful 18-karat white-gold and diamond panther ring. Or to spruce up a suit jacket, try an 18-karat white-gold panther brooch encrusted in diamonds with piercing emerald eyes.

The more charming than chilling return of the reptiles isn’t just hitting the closets with snakeskin pumps and crocodile purses starring as seasonal must-haves.

Stenzhorn presents quirky iguana necklaces with tsavorites, elegant brown diamond and ruby snake rings wrapping eager fin-

By Zoë Zellers gers and oversized diamond frog rings to add character to your look.

For the diva, there’s the diamond and 18-karat white-gold lion pendant hanging from a solid yet feminine white-gold chain laced with diamonds (sold separately). It’s meant just for the perfectly plunging neckline. The necklace is one more example of the way Stenzhorn offers unexpected “roar” to nighttime couture and executes color gradation, mimicking the palette of the animal kingdom.

Stenzhorn designers travel the world to get inspiration from nature, the original artist. The company’s brooches of sparkling fall leaves were created by duplicating a set of leaves a designer collected at a park in Tokyo.

Stenzhorn keeps an exclusive distribution worldwide. In the United States, the pieces are sold primarily at Neiman Marcus, which so appropriately showcased them during WAG’s recent “Evening of Fashion and Music” event benefiting the Wolf Conservation Center.

This fall, dance on the wild side with jewelry as strong, stunning and creative as you.

18kt white gold panther brooches with black or white diamonds. Items like these are available at Neiman Marcus.

Visit stenzhorn.com to see more. Prices available upon request. n

Bottom left:18kt rose gold snake ring with brown diamonds and rubies; 18kt rose gold snake ring with brown diamonds, rubies and tsavorite eyes. Top: 18kt rose vgold snake pendant with brown diamonds and emeralds on an 18kt rose-gold chain.

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wine&dine

Sicily’s vintage moment

By Geoff Kalish, MD

When you think “Sicilian,” you think of the trademark thick doughy pizza and the kind of grand passion found on the stage of the Teatro Massimo Bellini, one of the largest opera houses in Europe. But wine?

Sì. Cultivation of grapes in Sicily dates from 500 B.C. and the area produces more wine than even Tuscany.

But until recently, most exported brands were considered to be rustic quaffs at best, with too many oxidized whites and bitter, fruitless reds. Now, it seems like more than a few Sicilian bottlings are the latest great oenophilic discovery – akin to the situation with California vintages beginning in the late 1970s.

What’s accounted for this major upgrade in wine quality? It’s a substantial philosophic shift by a growing number of producers away from an ”easy money” situation fostering mass quantities of characterless, high alcohol plonk.

This new brigade of vintners espouses commitment to wines that show the character of the soil and climate as well as winemaking skill. In general, these wines are from indigenous grapes like Nero d’Avola, Frappato and Zibibbo, often blended with one another or more well-known varietals like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.

What we’re finding is that Italians and the rest of the world will pay a premium for such wines.

To provide consumers with some insight into the Sicilian renaissance, I recently took a busman’s holiday to the sensuous isle and visited some producers at the forefront of movement.

Planeta

Owning a number of vineyards throughout Sicily has allowed this family run company to determine which soils and climates yield the best grapes.

The results of more than 40 years of such experimentation have led to production of a wide range of premium wines from both indigenous and nonnative varietals. In fact, many other producers feel that it is the work of this company’s consistent production of top-quality wines and its determined marketing effort that have been instrumental in the heightened reputation of Sicilian wines. At $14, the 2010 La Segreta Bianco (a blend of Grecanico, 70

Sicily is home to good pizza, grand opera at the Teatro Massimo Bellini, and yes, great wine.

product is Cerasouola di Vittoria – a blend of 60 percent Nero d’Avola and 40 percent Frappato ($34). The 2008 vintage has a ruby red color, a fresh floral bouquet, a rich taste of fruit and herbs and a touch of tannin in the finish. This wine mates well with grilled tuna and swordfish as well as with game birds and blue-veined cheeses.

Moreover, based on a tasting of this wine from the 1981, 1990 and 2000 vintages, the 2008 vintage can be expected to drink well now and over the next 30 years, with a complex flavor of violets and berries that is more pronounced the older the wine. Another COS wine of note is a berry-scented, rich 2005 Syre Nero d’Avola (100 percent Nero d’Avola) at $40.

Donnafugata

Cultivation of grapes in Sicily dates from 500 B.C. and the area produces more wine than even Tuscany. ...

Now, it seems like more than a few Sicilian bottlings are the latest great oenophilic discovery – akin to the situation with California vintages beginning in the late 1970s.

Chardonnay, Viognier and Fiana varietals) has a pale yellow color and a bouquet and taste of lemons and melons, with a hint of vanilla in the finish. The 2007 Santa Cecilia (100 percent Nero d’Avola) at $22 shows a fruity bouquet and taste of ripe plums and raspberries. Other vintages include a sweet, delicate 2009 Passito di Notto (100 percent Moscato Passito di Pantellenia) at $30/500ml; and a 2009 Chardonnay (100 percent Chardonnay) at $25 that has elegant flavors of toasty oak, vanilla and pineapple, with a touch of grapefruit in the finish. It’s perfect to pair with grilled salmon, shrimp and calamari.

Fattorie Romeo del Castello

This producer, located near the northeastern town of Randazzo, produces one wine, Vigo Etna Rosso ($40) from 90 percent Nerello Mascalese grapes grown in a small vineyard miraculously spared from the wrath of the 1981 Mount Etna eruption. The

philosophy here is to produce a small amount of handcrafted wine and then only when the grapes have the perfect balance of sugar and acidity and have fully extracted the mineral flavors from the volcanic soil. Unfortunately, because of these enological demands, there will be no 2009 vintage produced. The excellent 2008 vintage bottling shows a deep garnet color, an intensely fruity bouquet of freshly picked raspberries and peaches and a complex taste of ripe fruit, herbs and earthy minerals, with a long memorable finish. It pairs perfectly with pasta with red sauce, mushroom risotto and dishes containing eggplant, like the Sicilian favorite, pasta Norma.

Azienda Agricola COS

Founded in a garage by three friends in the late 1970s, this winery near the southwestern town of Vittoria produces a range of vintages, all made organically, biodynamically, and using sustainable techniques. The flagship

The Rallo family that owns this winery (in the northwestern town of Marsala) originally made Marsala but sold off that business in the early 1980s to produce only premium wines with a focus on sustainable agricultural techniques. At $70, the 2007 Mille une Note (90 percent Nero d’Avola) is exceptional, with fruity flavors reminiscent of a premier cru red Burgundy that marry well with veal, chicken and fresh goat cheese. For less demanding palates there’s a 2007 Tancredi (70 percent Nero d’Avola and 30 percent Cabernet Sauvignon) at $36, with a bouquet and taste of berries and cassis.

The 2010 Lighea ($14) is a newly developed wine from the Zibibbo varietal that shows a straw color, a perfumed bouquet and a taste of ripe peaches and figs with a crisp finish. It makes an excellent accompaniment to hors d’oeuvres and mild cheeses. And for fans of sweet dessert wines, there’s rich 2008 Ben Rye Passito (100 percent Moscato di Pantellenia) at $42/37ml that has honeyed flavors of orange blossoms and melons with a touch of lively acidity in the finish.

Almost all of these wines are available in the metro area, with a good number on the lists of at least two area restaurants – Moderne Barn in Armonk and Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills. Prices are typical U.S. retail for a 750ml bottle, unless otherwise noted. n

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wheels

Unplugged and unforgettable Tesla delivers an electric need for speed

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By Ryan Doran nne Sumers might be one of the most passionate car owners on New York roads today and not because she was born and bred as a follower of the grease and muscle of Motown. Rather she is the owner of a new breed of all-American roadster

– the electric variety.

Those of us who frown at the prospect of an all-electric option for fun on the highways might have second thoughts as Anne goes from zero to 60 in 3.7 seconds.

Her battery-powered vehicle is a Tesla Roadster – named for the physicist-engineer who inspired the motor and nicknamed “Torquey.” Anne can be found any given morning whipping the humming engine around the winding roads of Bear Mountain looking more in her element than any Bond beauty ever could.

“Everybody turns and looks from truck drivers to bicycle riders,” she says. In fact, Torquey turns so many heads that she keeps a stack of Tesla fact sheets beneath her driver’s seat for interested adults and a stack of foldout posters beneath the passenger seat for gawking teenagers, some of whom are family.

“Needless to say, since getting my new car I have most definitely become the cool aunt from New York.”

She even recently organized a rally of Tesla owners to tour the Hudson Valley and visit engineering cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

The base price for the Roadster is $109,000, though the federal government offers a $7,500 tax credit with the purchase of a new Tesla acquired for personal use. Previous to buying the still lofty priced Tesla, Anne actually drove an aged Toyota Camry with more than 150,000 miles. She essentially made the jump from one of the

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most common and utilitarian of cars on the road to one of the most uncommon and exciting. Her enthusiasm for her new ride is indicative of what the car means for the future of automobiles.

“I drive it an hour each way to work every day and love every minute of it,” says Anne, a surgeon in Ridgewood, N.J. The roadster gets about 244 miles on one charge.

She plugs her car in each night as she would with her cell phone, using about $6 worth of electricity to fill up.

The roadster’s charger is incorporated into the powertrain system, enabling her to use any conventional 110-volt or 220-volt outlet for charging.

It’s an amazingly straightforward process to get used to, Anne says. Harder is the patented leg-butt-leg maneuver she recommends for getting into the car.

But when you do sit in the low-slung cockpit of the Tesla, press the elevator-like “on” button and push it into reverse, you get the sensation of taking off from the driveway, rather than pulling out. The roadster affirms the feeling of driving a craft rather than an auto as you accelerate. The high-pitched hum and lift of acceleration will bring a driver old or young to one conclusion: This was not designed by engineers but rather pulled from the multimillion-dollar dreams of George Lucas.

Anne pauses and smiles. “That feeling is instant access to torque.”

Think of that concept for a moment. There is no revving, no warming up, no tiny explosion happening beneath your hood but rather all “go.” Instant access.

We have arrived at the point in our society in which explosion- or combustion-propelled vehicles just don’t cut it. The brilliance of the Tesla, though, is that it is far from a self-imposed martyrdom of the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight. The Tesla is based on the theme that elec-

trics have way more fun.

Today the Tesla Roadster is the only all-electric vehicle that is highway legal in all 50 states. As of June, the company had sold 1,900 Roadsters since it began production in 2008.

One of the most interesting things about the Tesla’s production process is that its creation was engineered to be brilliantly simple with only three general pieces – the battery pack, the motor and the carbon fiber body. Tesla actually sells electric powertrain components, including lithium-ion battery packs, to other automakers such as Daimler and Toyota.

The Silicon Valley-based company was named after electrical engineer and physicist Nikola Tesla because the Roadster uses an AC motor that is a direct descendent of his original 1882 design.

The company has recently developed its second allelectric vehicle with its sedan Model S, which will be built at its California factory starting in 2012. Not all of the company’s future pursuits, however, will be based around luxury vehicles.

Recently, Elon Musk, co-founder of Tesla and of PayPal, spoke with Chris Paine, the director of the movie “Who Killed the Electric Car?” on a WNYC public radio segment called “Revenge of the Electric Car” and told him that Tesla initially had to produce a luxury automobile to combat the economics of scale imposed on a fledgling concept automaker. He said the intention of Tesla is very much to produce a car that can be driven by anyone and that the company would work backwards toward a mid-range vehicle next and then on to an economic option.

Anne has no doubts about that.

“When you’re driving it or even looking at how it works, you can see that this is really a large step in the future of how we drive.” n

Anne Sumers in her Tesla Roadster.

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Drive, they said Newman, McQueen and Dean led intersecting lives

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hey were a trio of fair-haired boys from the Midwest who worshiped at the altar of the Actors Studio in Manhattan and who for a time in the 1950s led intersecting professional lives.

Paul Newman, Steve McQueen and James Dean were part of a thrilling generation of actors who brought a visceral new intensity to the stage and screen, conjuring past experiences and remembered emotions.

But the three shared more than a love of Method acting. They had a passion for cars and racing that they lived off-screen as well as on.

Newman – who was the only one of the three to see his senior years, dying at age 83 at his Westport home in 2008 – was a late bloomer when it came to racing. He didn’t take it up until after he made the 1969 racing movie “Winning,” when he was already in his 40s. But he quickly made up for lost time, moving through the amateur ranks of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), America’s oldest club racing organization, to the pro Trans-Am series. His racing credits include four national championships and class wins in the 24-hour endurance races at Daytona and Le Mans. He also co-owned Newman/ Haas Racing, which took eight titles. Amazingly, he won his last SCCA race at age 82 and visited Lime Rock Park, his home track in Connecticut, for one last spin, albeit as a passenger, just weeks before his death from lung cancer.

What drives stars like Newman to the razor’s edge of racing? Film critic Marshall Fine said racing is both a counterpoint to acting and a completion.

“They’re actors pretending to do stuff,” said Fine, who reviews films at hollywoodandfine.com.

“When you’re racing, you’re in the moment. As an actor, you’re in the moment, but as somebody else. … The whole thing about being in the moment is that there are not many moments when we’re not thinking about something else. When you happen to be in the moment, it’s very mind-cleansing. It’s liberating and freeing.”

The irony, Fine added, is that to attain the status of a Newman, you have to be a thrill-seeker. Yet once that status is attained, thrill-seeking becomes a liability to the star and those around him.

Newman himself alluded to that in Matt Stone and Preston Lerner’s “Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman.”

“I just didn’t jump in then and there, you know,” he said of “Winning” and racing. “I had commitments that argued against it. And the possibilities of an accident or even death were there from the start….Yet I really felt drawn to the sport. I needed something like racing to offset, if you want, the thing called acting, at least the way I viewed it back then.”

Stone and Lerner’s thorough account of Newman’s racing life includes a fascinating comparison with McQueen, who died of mesothelioma at age 50 in 1980.

Both were SCCA members. Both did well in major endurance races at the wheels of Porsches – McQueen at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1970 and Newman at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1979.

Both made racing movies – Newman’s “Win74

By Georgette Gouveia

Paul Newman at the wheel of a 1951 Hudson Hornet. Photograph by Jeff Siner/Charlotte Observer/MCT via Getty Images.

ning,” set at the Indianapolis 500, and McQueen’s “Le Mans,” although the latter is also known for the fabulous car-chase scene in the detective drama “Bullitt” and the motorcycle run in “The Great Escape.”

Both owned racing teams. And both were associated with the 1958 Porsche Speedster. McQueen owned one, while Newman’s detective character drove one in “Harper.” Newman, who was just one of the guys on the track, favored souped-up Volkswagens and Volvos.

There the similarities ended. McQueen never really took his avocation to the pro ranks the way Newman did, although racer Dick Barbour, who drove with both, said in Stone and Lerner’s book that McQueen was the more intuitive wheelman.

“Paul was a very methodical driver. He wasn’t a natural like Steve was. McQueen picked it up immediately.”

Both would star in the blockbuster “The Towering Inferno” and form a production company with Barbra Streisand and Sidney Poitier called First Artists. But back in the 1950s, the two were chasing professionally after another young actor, James Dean. Indeed, Dean even once brought his motorcycle into the Manhattan garage where McQueen worked as a mechanic to make ends meet.

In those days, the three were far from well-off, and Dean would window-shop at the Jaguar showrooms with his sometime girlfriend, the dancer-actress Liz Sheridan, who told me she would also bring him up to visit her family in Larchmont, where they would stay at the Bevan House and Manor Inn near the Horseshoe Harbor Yacht Club. In a great six-degrees-of-sep-

aration moment, Sheridan would go on to co-star on “Seinfeld” as the mother of comedian and car collector Jerry Seinfeld, who owns a Porsche 550 Spyder, the very model that James Dean died in on the way to a California race in 1955. He was 24 years old.

Before his too-brief life ended, Dean was able to indulge his passion for racing not only as the iconically troubled Jim Stark in “Rebel Without A Cause,” but with a membership in the California Sports Car Club and a stable of vehicles, including a used MG TD, his first sports car, a 1955 Triumph T110 motorcycle, a 356 Porsche Super Speedster that he raced in San Luis Rey, Santa Barbara and in Palm Springs, taking the novice title and, of course, the ill-fated 550 Spyder, nicknamed “Little Bastard.”

With Dean’s passing, Newman was signed to fill two of his roles, Billy the Kid in “The Left-Handed Gun” and juvenile delinquent-turned-boxer Rocky Graziano in “Somebody Up There Likes Me.” The latter featured McQueen as one of Rocky’s hoodlum pals.

Ironically, Dean had filmed a public service announcement for the National Safety Council just two weeks before his death.

“Take it easy driving,” he told viewers. “The life you save may be mine.”

Dean, McQueen and Newman, though, were driven to drive.

McQueen’s official website, stevemcqueen.com, quotes Michael Delaney, the character he played in “Le Mans.”

“Racing is life… Everything before and after is just waiting.” n

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wayfarer

El Transcantabrico Gran Lujo moseys through northern Spain from Santiago to San Sebastian. Inset, Ali and Mike McCarville

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Re-orienting the express Spain’s El Transcantabrico Gran Lujo offers leisurely luxury travel

here’s something about luxury trains that never fails to capture the imagination. Just ask Ali and Mike McCarville, whose passion was to take northern Spain’s newest and most luxurious train, El Transcantabrico Gran Lujo. Spain was one of their must-see places as the Briarcliff Manor couple had been attracted to Ernest Hemingway’s detailed descriptions of this area. Aside from passing through some of the most stunning landscapes in the world, trains like the Orient Express or the Blue Train in South Africa transport their guests to a bygone era that exudes luxury and romance. For the McCarvilles, it meant celebrating their 10th anniversary on one of the world’s top 25 trains.

The Gran Lujo travels slowly between Santiago de Compostela and San Sebastian, along northern “Green Spain,” stopping for lunch and dinner held in the finest restaurants and paradors, with local wines and culinary specialties of each region. Members of the tour dine together, and a real sense of bonding develops within the group, which is never more than 28 people.

The exclusive guided trip begins in Santiago, where thousands of modern day pilgrims have completed their journey along the path of St. James the Apostle for more than 1,100 years. After a tour of the city and lunch, you travel by luxury coach to Ferrol, where the train will be

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By Cappy Devlin with Ali and Michael McCarville waiting for you and where you will be personally greeted by each member of the Gran Lujo staff. After you get settled and make a Champagne toast, you travel to the lovely walled city of Viveiro for dinner and overnight.

Unlike other luxury rails, the Gran Lujo train stops each night, allowing time to explore the surroundings or enjoy a comfortable night’s sleep uninterrupted by motion.

The Gran Lujo winds its way through the provinces of Biscay (Bizkaia), Cantabria, Asturias, Leon and Galicia over eight days and seven nights. En route, guests are treated to views of stunning coastlines, gushing rivers, picturesque meadows, beautiful beaches and impressive mountains. Daily excursions encompass visits to the historic towns of San Sebastian, Cantabria and Oviedo and world-famous attractions such as the Guggenheim in Bilbao and the spectacular Picos de Europa (Peaks of Europe) National Park.

Each suite on the Gran Lujo takes up half a train car and contains a large double bed, sofa, two televisions, computer with Internet access, air conditioning, mini-bar and a full bathroom with shower and sauna. The train only travels during breakfast, served onboard in one of the two elegant dining cars, and during the evening before dinner, allowing you to observe the gorgeous Spanish countryside from your suite’s multiple windows, or relax with a drink and mingle with the other travelers in the

elegant picture window-lined lounge cars. The four original 1923 Pullman lounge cars are true railway jewels that have been especially decorated for the Gran Lujo. Guests can enjoy TV, a video library and board games. The pub car, which has a dance floor, offers live music and parties at night.

On the first third of the trip, Mike and Ali tasted the local cuisine, centered on fresh Atlantic seafood of endless variety. By midpoint of the week, they entered the mountainous region of the Picos de Europa range and the fare turned to hearty bean stews, sausage, lamb and an alcoholic cider. The towns they visited in this region have an almost Swiss alpine feel to them and at this point they realized how different northern Spain is from the rest of the country. The final days of the trip passed through the Basque region of Spain, which is close to the French border and world-renowned for its famous chefs and a concentration of Michelin star-rated restaurants. The famous resort of San Sebastian, with one of the most beautiful harbor and beach combinations in the world, marked the end of their journey with unforgettable memories that captured their hearts.

Gran Lujo Tour Itinerary*:

Day 1 – Santiago de Compostela Welcome to Santiago de Compostela, whose cathe-

“my favorite annual

holiday tradition”

A Roman bridge over the river Sella in Cangas de Onis within the Picos de Europa National Park.

Johanna Weber

The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall

Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage

Friday and Saturday, December 16 and 17, 2011 at 8PM

Every suite aboard the luxurious Gran Lujo takes up half a train car.

overnight in Llanes.

Day 5 – Llanes-Cabezon de la Sal Visit Saint Toribio de Liebana Monastery. Lunch in Potes. Continue to the marine village of San Vicente de la Barquera.

Have Dinner and overnight in Cabezon de la Sal. Day 6 – Santander Spend the morning and lunch in medieval Santillana del Mar, including a visit to Altamira Cave and Museum. The site features a reproduction cave with wall paintings done 14,000 years ago. Take the train to Santander for dinner, a city tour and an optional visit to the casino.

Day 7 – Santander-Bilbao Breakfast on the train while traveling to Bilbao. The city tour includes the Guggenheim Museum. Lunch on board the train en route to Balmaseda. Have Dinner and overnight in Villasana de Mena.

Day 8 – San Sebastian Breakfast en route to San Sebastian, a charming city of beautiful beaches, posh restaurants and shops. The sightseeing includes a tour of San Sebastian.

Then it’s time for a fond farewell to the Gran Lujo and your newfound friends as this memorable journey comes to an end. * El Transcantabrico Gran Lujo also goes from San Sebastian to Santiago. n

Steven Reineke, Music Director and Conductor John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey, Guest Artists Essential Voices USA, Judith Clurman, Music Director and Conductor The New York Pops annual holiday concerts are one of Carnegie Hall’s most festive traditions. This December, jazz power couple John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey swing seasonal favorites from the era when Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole and Rosemary Clooney ruled the airwaves.

Purchase Tickets Online at www.carnegiehall.org Or call CarnegieCharge at 212.247.7800 Johanna Weber

dral was the destination of the important ninth century pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James. Santiago is like a jewel in a crown, with the Plaza del Obradoiro and the Platerias. Enjoy lunch in Santiago before boarding the coach to Ferrol, where El Transcantabrico, your hotel on wheels for the next seven nights, awaits. Settle into your suite as the train travels to Viveiro, a lovely walled city. Enjoy dinner and overnight in Viveiro.

Day 2 – Viveiro-Luarca Continue by train east through scenic river landscapes. Visit the spectacular Lugo Coast and the Beach of the Cathedrals. Tour Ribadeo and lunch. Then travel to Luarca, “the White Town of the Green Coast,” for dinner and overnight.

Day 3 – Oviedo-Gijon Cross green lands to Oviedo, capital of Asturias, a city known for its traditional gastronomy and the most remarkable array of pre-Romanesque monuments in Spain. After lunch and a city tour, continue to the seaport of Gijon for dinner and overnight.

Day 4 – Gijon-Llanes Travel to Picos de Europa National Park, a highlight of the journey. Visit lakes and the historic Sanctuary of Covadonga and lunch. Travel by train to the beautiful fishing town of Llanes. Have dinner and

John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey Wish You a Swingin’ Christmas

The New York Pops is the largest independent pops orchestra in the United States and the only orchestra of its kind in New York City. Led by Music Director Steven Reineke, the orchestra performs a concert series at Carnegie Hall with a variety of music from the Great American Songbook to Swing and more.

newyorkpops.org Official Airline of The New York Pops

77

wise

The stock market as a field of dreams

By John Roque

A

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t the end of “Ball Four,” Jim Bouton’s irreverent, ground-breaking look at life in the big leagues, the former New York Yankees pitcher observes, “You spend a good piece of your life gripping a baseball and in the end it turns out that it was the other way around all the time.”

You know, he was right. I won’t bore you with my love for baseball (I’ve only got 600 words) but I think baseball gives the fan everything you can want in a “pastime” – seven months of daily in-season action, wonderful history peopled with colorful characters, constant discussion and dissections of the day’s games and great nicknames.

Can you beat St. Louis Cardinal Pepper Martin’s “The Wild Horse of the Osage”? And just imagine, he was already nicknamed “Pepper.”

That’s the way I feel about the market, too. Investors often say, “Mr. Market always seems to behave in a way that will screw up the most people it can.” Actually, they’re more profane than that. But consider the market’s daily and sometimes incredibly volatile action, the innumerable and often unsolvable inputs – including currency as well as economic, fundamental, geopolitical, technical and trading data – and the likely out-of-left-field comments by central bankers, high-profile investors, lawmakers and politicians. It’s enough to make an investor long for a money-market fund.

I’m lucky enough to travel for work to meet clients and, I think, most of them by now know that I am a baseball (Yankees) fan. It helps that my presentation package is called “Big Bases” and has a photo of the baseline between first and second showing both bases. In addition, I use baseball-inspired metaphors whenever I can to help illustrate a market point. For example, I often equate stockprice performance to a player’s performance, and it goes like this: Client – “I’m thinking of selling XYZ. It’s performed well for me.

What do you think?”

Me – “If XYZ were (Yanks’ second baseman) Robinson Cano, would you sell?”

Client – “I get the point.”

There’s another thing that I like about my baseball/market tie-in. Let’s say you’re in Boston, a baseball-mad city where a client once gave me a Red Sox hat. (I promise I never wore it.)

It’s always a good idea to start a conversation by saying, “Whaddaya think about the Sawx?” And you know you are going to get a critical and wellinformed answer. Similarly, when in Boston to meet an institutional investor and you ask, “What’re you thinkin’ here about the market?” You know that you are going to get a critical and wellinformed answer. In fact, if you travel enough and speak to enough people on the buy-side (folks at hedge and mutual funds) you can, very often, come up with enough anecdotal evidence to frame investor sentiment. This, in some respects, is one of the holy grails of investing. Getting investor sentiment right is sort of like getting a big hit in a tight game to put your team ahead. Both skills have great value.

Lastly, what kind of a baseball fan/ market analyst would I be if I didn’t mention the obsession with number/ figures that pervades both baseball and the market? Numbers/figures like 714, 56, 2130, .366, 511, 4256, 792, 309, and 2297 all mean something to baseball fans. And numbers/figures like 1370, 950, 12 percent, and $1,921 should mean something to investors.

Here’s the skinny on the market stuff: • 1370 was the 2011 high for the S&P 500.

• 950 is my idea about what could be the downside for the S&P 500.

• Twelve percent is the long-term market cap weighting for the financial sector in the S&P 500.

• $1,921 is gold’s high price for 2011.

I’m not going to give you the answers to the baseball figures I listed above. However, the first reader email I receive telling me what each of those figures represents will receive “The Art of Fielding” sent to his or her home address via Amazon. Good luck.

You can respond to John at jr@wagmag.com. n

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well

More men turning back the hands of time

By Michael Rosenberg, MD

W

ith the increase in cosmetic procedures available and with the emphasis on shorter recovery periods and less down time, the number of men seeking consultations with plastic surgeons has increased dramatically. Statistics released by the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons confirm double-digit increases in the percentage of men seeking plastic surgery in the last five years.

Facial rejuvenation is the most common reason men seek out plastic surgery; the motivating factors are professional as well as personal. Men want to keep a youthful, vigorous appearance at work and our economic problems have only served to bolster this motivation. Botox is used around the eyes and brow to counter the tense look associated with anger or agitation, and

fillers are used around the mouth to soften deep lines.

Surgically, eyelid lift, or blepharoplasty, is the most common facial surgical procedure as it can replace a tired, baggy look around the eyes with a fresher, more rested appearance.

There is little pain after the procedure, and any bruising or black and blue areas under the eyes can be covered up within a week after surgery. Patients can resume normal exercise about three weeks after the surgery and the results should last seven to 10 years. Rhinoplasty, or a “nose job,” remains popular, and facelifts too are on the rise in men, as short scar techniques allow the surgeon to minimize and hide the surgical scars even in individuals with shorter hair. Add the reduced time away from work and one can understand the appeal to men.

In the area of body contouring,

treatment of gynecomastia, or extra breast and fatty tissue in men, is the most common contouring procedure we perform. With the new techniques of tumescent liposuction and Smart liposuction (laser-assisted), we can often limit the scars when men have their breast tissue reduced and shorten the recovery period as well. If there is extra hanging skin that needs to be removed, we can often limit the scar to just a semicircle at the lower half of the areolar area. If liposuction alone is performed, patients can return to work within the week, while two weeks is a more realistic time frame if there is extra skin to be removed. Liposuction of the abdomen and hips is also extremely popular among men and works best for active men who simply cannot lose their love handles of lower abdominal fat despite exercise and maintenance of a steady weight. With

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the tumescent approach, the procedure can be done without general anesthesia and downtime can be limited to a few days, fitting in with a man’s schedule and needs.

Each of the available procedures has its own risks. Anyone interested or thinking about a procedure is well-advised to consult with a trained surgeon experienced with these techniques in men. In addition to discussing any risks associated with these procedures, be prepared for the expense associated with surgery. On average, Botox starts at $300 per injection, liposuction around $2,000 per area treated, eyelid surgery at $2,500, treatment of gynecomastia at $3,000 and rhinoplasty at $4,000. A facelift ranges from $5,000 to $10,000, depending on the extent of the surgery.

Please send any questions or comments to mrosenberg@nwhc.net. n

well

Not so hot? Might be hormones

By Erika Schwartz, MD

When we think of passion, and passionate sex in particular, most of us envision a young couple. Sex is an activity associated with the young – tight, glowing skin and, of course, no sagging parts.

It isn’t often that you find someone who thinks passionate lovemaking in middle age is sexy.

Why don’t we model our sexuality after middle-aged people? After all, they certainly have experience and wisdom. And there are millions more people in the over40 category than in the under-30.

As I sit in my office and listen to patients talk about their libido and sexrelated issues, I can’t help but notice that the loss of hormones occurring in the middle years is consistently associated with loss of interest in sex and, for that matter, an overall loss of passion.

Here’s a perfect example.

When I first saw Kathy and Brett, they

were in their late 40s and early 50s, respectively. They were a good-looking, happily married couple with a healthy decade of togetherness behind them. He worked while she tended to their home. They were not carrying some of the usual baggage or boredom one might attribute to the 30plus years relationship most 50-year-olds are in, and yet they were both complaining of fading libido. They unequivocally stated they were in love and even in lust with each other. They were sure nothing had changed in their relationship except for the sudden and dramatic loss of interest in sex.

Upon closer scrutiny, both Brett and Kathy suffered from what I believe to be the plight of all humankind over the age of 40 – loss of hormones.

What can we do to save ourselves from becoming disinterested observers in the world of passionate sex?

Here are my tips: 1. Make sure your relationship is not the culprit. If you no longer love each other, admit it and either get help to develop the tools to fall back in love or call it a day. Do not delude yourself and don’t fake it. Life is too short just to give up on your opportunity for happiness.

2. If the relationship is not the problem, keep passion high on your priority list. Go out as a couple, do sexy things together every week and don’t forget it all started with the two of you not being able to keep your hands off each other. Use it or lose it is certainly applicable to passionate sex.

3. Have your hormone levels checked.

If you are over 40 and a woman, have your estradiol, progesterone, testosterone and thyroid levels (TSH, T3 and T4) as well as FSH, LH, prolactin, DHEA-S and cortisol levels checked.

If you are a man, have your testosterone (total and free), DHT, PSA , LH, thyroid ( TSH, T3 and T4) and estrogen levels checked. Even if they appear normal for your age, they may not be.

Adding the correct balance of hormones in bioidentical (molecularly identical to human hormones) form will help you feel better and regain your sex drive.

At the Age Management Institute in Manhattan, we use testosterone cream, gel or shots for men and either FDA-approved or compounded estradiol, progesterone and testosterone for women. But ask your doctor and know that scientific literature confirms the safety and efficacy of human-identical (bioidentical ) hormones in keeping us young, healthy, vibrant, sexy and passionate.

For more on hormones and passion, visit drerika.com. n

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A model for retailer Fashion to Figure

Retro fashion show looks melded silks, some sparkle and perfect pleats.

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It were as if the gods of autumn had smiled upon us granting clear blue skies, crisp winds and warm sunshine Oct. 16, when Cross County Shopping Center closed its celebratory week of RElaunch events that marked the completion of a $250 million redevelopment project. WAG models slipped into retro-themed looks, paying homage to the “Mad Men” mod era that shows like “Pan Am” have seriously popularized. Local Girl Scouts followed in fall fashions and Halloween garb.

Hair Dimensions in Bronxville and Yonkers dolled up our locks and Benefit Cosmetics and Bare Escentuals from Macy’s took us from “9 a.m. on a Sunday” to nighttime chic in seconds. DJ Mike Allan of Extreme Music Productions entertained the crowd that gathered and kept the retro beats coming as models glided down the catwalk. All we have to say about that day is Betty Draper and Peggy Olson woulda been proud.

—Kelly Liyakasa Photographs by Toby McAfee Margi Urbanczyk

Ashlée Casertano and Allegra Deeley

Models in sparkling party dresses.

Models and dancers got the Cross County crowd moving.

at cross county center relaunch

There were a few good men (and adorable kids) among the models.

Marcia Pflug

AshlĂŠe Casertano

Kathy Basil and Emily Schimelman

Gennifer Pflug

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A AT ANY AGE geless

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JOIN US AND BE INSPIRED AS THE MYTHS OF ANTI-AGING ARE DISPELLED RIGHT BEFORE YOUR EYES. THURSDAY JAN. 12, 5:30 TO 8 P.M. AT THE BARONIAL REID CASTLE MANHATTANVILLE COLLEGE IN PURCHASE (PLENTY OF PARKING; IT’S STUDENT WINTER BREAK.)

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Premier Sponsor

watch Fine-tuning for fall

Warren Tricomi and WAG joined together to present a night of fall fashions and trends at the Warren Tricomi Salon in Greenwich. Models from the Rye and Greenwich area transformed the salon into a runway, with hair and makeup looks styled by Warren Tricomi. Guests savored gourmet hors d’oeuvres by David Cingari, owner of David’s Soundview Catering, and drinks by Robert Petz of AOC Fine Wines in Old Greenwich.

Among the presenting sponsors were Dr. Desiree A. Clarke, Vein Clinics of America; Equinox Fitness Club; Richards of Greenwich; and Dr. Oz Garcia, “nutritionist to the stars.”

Photographs by David Bravo

Standing, Lachers Leese and Susan Monahan. Sitting, Terri DeSalvo.

Joni Tussing, Barbara Fecci, Jacqueline Reyna, Nicole Zillito and Lisa Coons

Amy Mack, Scott Mitchell, Mimi Sternlicht and Nancy Yih.

Kris Ruby

Denise Cox

Zoë Zellers

Marcia Pflug and Cheryl Jordan, director, Warren Tricomi

Maddie d’Etiveaud and Maddie d’Etiveaud Vanessa Donaldson and Anders Hebrand

Robert Petz

Tracy Eck and Tania Jaffe

Noel Rosenstein, Kristen James and Kara Federowicz

Joel Warren of Warren Tricomi and presenter Dr. Oz Garcia.

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watch

WWE Superstars Diva Kaitlyn and Alex Riley

Brittany Decker, Nick Curci and Linda McMahon

Stars align

The ninth annual Comcast Connecticut Women’s Expo drew thousands to the Connecticut Expo Center for a day of massages, health screenings, fashion shows and fitness demonstrations. Actor Galen Gering, “Rafe Hernandez” on NBC’s “Days of Our Lives,” joined in on the fun, as did WWE Superstar Alex Riley and WWE Diva Kaitlyn. Political powerhouse and WWE magnate Linda McMahon and Miss Connecticut 2010 Brittany Decker also lent their support.

Galen Gering

Sean Radlien, Eric Dewes, Nelson Caitan, John Starks, Jim Monaghan and Lori Lewis

Steak-ing out scholarships

The crew from Morton’s The Steakhouse in White Plains fed hungry and generous golfers at the halfway point during the recent John Starks Foundation Golf Outing. Morton’s also donated a “Morton’s in Your Home” for eight, which was auctioned off for $3,800, in support of the foundation’s drive for student scholarships. A former player for the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz, Starks was named alumni and fan development adviser for the Knicks in 2003.

Photograph by Risa Hoag

Rita DeBenedictis and Susan Warsaw

Matthew and Sara Fiorillo

Quite ‘Ann’ experience

Lucy Sykes

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Ann Taylor recently unveiled its new concept store at The Westchester in White Plains, showing off a posh private lounge area, luxe decor and feminine fixtures designed for the chic, sophisticated, modern working woman. Designer and New York socialite Lucy Sykes – twin sis to “Plum” – slipped into fall fashions and mingled with party guests.

Michele Geller and Dr. Mark Fialk

Celebratory style

Kat McKee

A number of supporters came out “In Celebration” of Hospice & Palliative Care of Westchester at Westchester Country Club in Harrison recently. It was the health care agency’s 10th annual gala cocktail reception and party patrons were treated to dinner, drinks and music in the club’s Mediterranean-style ballroom. Funds raised that night will go to The Anna and Louis H. Shereff Caregiver Program.

Photographs by Kelly Liyakasa

Diana and Otto Naumann Charles and Peter Sutton Revson

Patricia Chadwick and Leora Levy

Yes, Rembrandt

One of the advantages of having Dutch art expert Peter C. Sutton head Greenwich’s Bruce Museum is that you get the kind of shows in your own backyard usually reserved for The Met or The Morgan Library. No doubt that crossed guests’ minds as the pored over the ravishing works that make up “Drawings by Rembrandt, His Students and Circle From the Maida and George Abrams Collection” at the recent opening. Sutton was on hand, along with lenders George Abrams and Otto Naumann, representatives of sponsor JP Morgan Chase and director of exhibitions Anne von Stuelpnagel, who contributed the sedately beautiful design.

Photographs by Elaine Ubiña Marei von Saher and Michel Witmer

From left, gala co-chairs Cheryl and Ron Howard, gala co-chairs Ben Cheever and Janet Maslin, Steven Spielberg, JBFC founder and executive director Steve Apkon and gala co-chairs Agnes and Gerald Hassell.

Cinema soirée

The Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville toasted 10 years with a spectacular evening honoring director – and new board member – Steven Spielberg. Fellow director and board member Ron Howard was on hand to present Spielberg with an award for his cinematic achievements. In all, 600 film buffs attended the “Tribute to Steven Spielberg,” whose proceeds will go to the center’s education and outreach programs.

Photograph by Lynda Shenkman Curtis

Presidential occasion

Our own Dr. Erika Schwartz, chief medical officer at Manhattan’s Age Management Institute, attended the Clinton Global Initiative reception at The Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan during the UN celebration week. She is pictured with former President Bill Clinton of Chappaqua and Christopher Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax Media.

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watch La Bella (e la rapida) Vita

Stephen Veneruso, former County Executive Andy Spano, Jim Veneruso and Michael Caruso

Rome’s Marco Mattiacci, president and CEO of Ferrari North America, charmed guests recently at the Westchester Italian Cultural Center’s pre“Concorso d’Eleganza” party, hosted by the center’s Westchester Italian Business Circle. Mattiacci revved up the conversation with talk of Ferrari design and strategy.

Photographs by Dan Stockfield Photography

Lucio Noto, Maria Masciotti and Richard Koppelman

Dominick Evangelista, Marco and Anna Berardi and Daniel Evangelista

Vincent Greco, Aldo Portolano and Adriana Greco

Domenick Ciaccia, Marco Mattiacci and F. Bailey Vanneck

Tails, but no top hats

Amanda Goetz, Crystal Mettel and one of the many adoptable pups at the event that night provided by The Mayor’s Alliance.

Rye resident Mitch Marrow hosted a pooch-friendly party this fall at his Upper West Side Spot store, an upscale experience for New York dogs, offering expert training, grooming, daycare, cagefree overnights and concierge services.

Concerned canine parents can even keep tabs on Fluffy via webcam, thanks to the many video cameras installed throughout Spot locations.

Photographs by Roger Kisby

Michael Ross, Mark Lamos, Anne Keefe, Lucie Arnaz, Kim and Niv Harizman

Max von Essen and Andrew Rannells perform “I Can See It” from “The Fantasticks.”

Note-worthy gala

Ron Trotta and Schmitty “The Weather Dog”

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Mitch Marrow with wife Hilary Marrow, daughter Reese Marrow and Reggie, their St. Bernard.

Westport Country Playhouse recently marked “80 Years of Musical Theater” with a gala retrospective of musicals that have been produced at the playhouse since its founding in 1931. Broadway star Bernadette Peters received the Distinguished Dedication and Service to the American Musical Theater Award.

Photographs by Kathleen O’Rourke Want to be in WagWatch? Send event images and info to KL@thewagonline.com.

FAST AND FABULOUS

More than 2,000 car enthusiasts, collectors and curious onlookers were treated to some luxurious eye-catching models Oct. 2, at The Westchester Italian Cultural Center’s Second Annual Concorso d’Eleganza in Tuckahoe. Visitors gathered under Mediterraneanblue skies for a taste of some of the most exclusive classic and modern Italian cars in the world. The biggest brands in the luxury car business, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Alfa Romeo and Lancia, to name a few, turned out in flashing reds and yellows and sleek, suave blacks. And what would an Italian festival of the senses be without some good, old-fashioned gelato?

Photographs by Dan Stockfield Photography and Anthony Carboni

Chris Celentano with a 2012 Lamborghini LP 550-2 and his kids, Matthew, Kaitlyn and Joanna.

Auriana Racing team member, Joe Colasacco of Greenwich, hops in the restored 1962 Maserati Tipo 151 he recently raced at the 2011 Goodwood Revival in England.

Kathy McCreery and Mary Beth Beasley

Domenick Ciaccia and Larry Auriana

Werner Pfister , Michael Schudroff and Miss Columbus EastchesterTuckahoe Lauren Piacquadio

James and Alex Louis with a 1998 Lamborghini Diablo

1952 emerald green Chrysler coupe, a special prototype

by Ghia, owned by Michael Schudroff.

2003 yellow Ferrari 360 owned

by Gerry Alessi

John Minuto and Greg Calderaro (owner) with a 2006 Ferrari F430 Spider.

From left, Lars Noble, Ned Burns, Alex Tuff and Nick Risom, chairman of Hope in Motion

Sippin’ in support

Hope in Motion, the year-round fundraising initiative benefiting Stamford Hospital’s Bennett Cancer Center, launched its Wines of the World event at the Norwalk Yacht Club in Rowayton. Select sponsors Napa & Co., Wineport of Darien and Stamford, Worldwide Wines, Voss and Travel Sommelier made the charitable night possible.

Photograph by Mad Studios, Stamford

Tom Gullikson, Elaine Fier , winner of the Eastern Adult Tennis Foundation Service Award and EATF board member Steffi Krasner

Serving an ace

Former doubles champion Tom Gullikson was keynote speaker at the Eastern Adult Tennis Foundation’s (EATF) annual luncheon in Mamaroneck recently. The foundation awarded more than $14,000 in grants to 15 members of the USTA’s Eastern Section in New York and New Jersey to benefit a range of tennis players – from underserved seniors to developmentally disabled adults.

Photographs by Susan Woo Wagner 91

worthy Places to buy unique gifts AOC FINE WINES Artisanal and organic wine and classes 268 Huguenot St. New Rochelle, NY 10801 (914) 355-2690 195 Sound Beach Ave. Old Greenwich, CT 06870 (203) 637-4541 aocfinewines.com BARCELONA WINE BAR Wine classes 4180 Black Rock Turnpike Fairfield, CT 06824 (203) 255-0800 18 W. Putnam Ave. Greenwich, CT 06830 (203) 983-6400 222 Summer St. Stamford, CT 06901 (203) 348-4800 barcelonawinebar.com BEADS Beads and jewelry-making classes 96 Westchester Ave. White Plains, NY 10601 (914) 437-7666 beadswest.com BEEHIVE CO-OP Handmade jewelry and handbags 337 Main St. Mount Kisco, NY 10549 (914) 248-8700 beehiveco-op.com BETTERIDGE Fine jewelry and accessories and repair service 117 Greenwich Ave. Greenwich, CT 06830 (203) 869-0124 betteridge.com BLUE BUS MUSIC Guitars and accessories 24 Parkway Katonah, NY 10536 (914) 301-5619 bluebus.myshopify.com CAKESUITE Cake and cookie-decorating classes 47 Saugatuck Ave. Westport, CT 06880 (203) 557-0247 cakesuite.com CONSIDER THE COOK Kitchen accessories 26 Village Green Bedford, NY 10506 (914) 234-8880 considerthecook.com EDEN FOR YOUR WORLD Luxury travel packages 5318 E. Second St. Long Beach, CA 90803 (562) 856-8603 edenforyourworld.com EILEEN GODFREY MINIATURES Antique miniatures 56 Westchester Ave.

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Pound Ridge, NY 10576 (914) 764-1950 eileengodfreyminiatures.com EQUINOX Personal training package 16 Old Track Road Greenwich, CT 06830 (203) 863-0070 72 Heights Road, Darien, CT 06820 (203) 655-2300 1053 W. Boston Post Road Mamaroneck, NY 10543 (914) 777-1919 800 White Plains Road Scarsdale, NY 10583 (914) 472-9000 equinox.com FIELD Eco-friendly handmade gifts 2095 Boston Post Road Larchmont, NY 10538 (914) 834-0601 fieldny.com HANDCRAFTED SOAPS L.L.C. Custom bar and liquid soaps 31 Tuckahoe Road Easton, CT 06612 (203) 767-0765 hcsoaps.com HOUSE OF FINS Corals, saltwater and freshwater fish 99 Bruce Park Ave. Greenwich, CT 06830 (203) 661-8131 houseoffins.com IT’S ALL ABOUT DOGS Handmade dog accessories and homemade treats 31 E. Tuckahoe Road Easton, CT 06612 (203) 767-0765 Itsallaboutdogsonline.com JAAFAR TAZI A day of beauty 149 Greenwich Ave. Greenwich, CT 06830 (203) 340-2525 jaafartazi.com LANDBRIDGE TOYS

BY GRAHAM’S Fine quality children’s toys 60 Greenwich Ave. Greenwich, CT 06830 (866) 572-8697 landbridgetoys.com LUISA INC. Handcrafted and natural skincare products 137 Pleasantville Road Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510 (914) 762-7337 luisanewyork.com LUX BOND & GREEN Collectibles, brooches and pins and more 169 Greenwich Ave. Greenwich, CT 06830 (203) 629-0900 lbgreen.com

MANHATTAN BONSAI INC. Bonsai plants 212 Alpine Place Tuckahoe, NY 10707 (914) 793-1093 manhattanbonsai.com MARCH BRIARCLIFF Trendy retail by emerging and established designers 1250 Pleasantville Road Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510 (914) 923-2100 marchboutique.com MEM’S TREATS Cookies in creative baskets 159 Lexington Ave. Mount Kisco, NY 10549 (914) 607-1187 memestreats.com MITCHELL/RICHARDS Personal shopper consultation with gift certificate for designer collections 359 Greenwich Ave. Greenwich, CT 06830 (203) 622-0551 670 Post Road East Westport, CT 06880 (203) 227-5165 mitchellstores.com NIELSEN’S FLORIST AND GARDEN SHOP Sophisticated home décor, gifts and floral designs 1405 Post Road Darien, CT 06820 (203) 655-2541 (877) 464-3573 nielsensflorist.net

PEORIA EMPORIUM Artisan jewelry, home and clothing designs 10 Park Place Bronxville, NY 10708 (914) 337-1823 peoriaemporium.com PIMLICO Interior design service, home décor and costume jewelry 48 Elm St. New Canaan, CT 06840 (203) 972-8166 pimlicohome.com SEA BEANS STUDIO Custom creations and products made from recycled materials 86 Old Ridgefield Road Wilton, CT 06897 (203) 563-9384 seabeanstudio.com THE SKI & SCUBA CONNECTION L.L.C. Lessons and equipment 26 Saint Roch Ave. Greenwich, CT 06830 (203) 629-4766 skiandscubaconnection.com SMALL JOYS Zulu grass beads from Africa, graphic image leather accessories, designer baby attire and home decor 11 Court Road Bedford Village, NY 10506 (914) 234-9738 smalljoysbedford.com

OBJECTS OF ENVY INC. Unusual glass décor and limited edition works 330 Railroad Ave. Greenwich, CT 06830 (866) 866-3689 objectsofenvy.com

SOLEIL TOILE Swimwear and fine lingerie from luxury designers 24 Post Road East Westport, CT 06880 (203) 454-8688 44 Elm St. New Canaan, CT 06840 (203) 966-2887 soleiltoile.com

ORGANIC BOUQUET Olive Bonsai plants 555 Winderley Place, Suite 129 Maitland, FL 32751 (877) 899-2468 organicbouquet.com

SUGAR & OLIVES Cooking classes 21 Lois St. Norwalk, CT 06851 (203) 454-3663 sugarandolives.com

PATRICIA GOURLAY FINE LINGERIE Luxurious lingerie 45 E. Putnam Ave Greenwich, CT 06830 (203) 869-0977

SWEET REXIE’S More than 200 candy and gourmet treats, and candythemed clothing and accessories 1552 Post Road Fairfield, CT 06824 (203) 254-3254 sweetrexies.com

PENNY WEIGHTS Original gemstone and sterling silver jewelry 124 Elm St. New Canaan, CT 06840 (203) 966-7739 pennyweights.com

SWEET TEEZ Gourmet and innovative sweets 157 Larchmont Ave. Larchmont, NY 10538 (914) 630-1744 401 Greenwich Ave. Greenwich, CT 06830 (203) 340-9616 sweetteez.com THAT PERSONAL TOUCH Engraved gifts 102 Main St. New Canaan, CT 06840 (203) 966-8409 tptengravers.com TURKEY RIDGE Accessories, home accents and gifts by occasion 1 Bailey Ave. Ridgefield, CT 06877 (203) 431-1255 turkey-ridge.net VEIN CLINICS OF AMERICA Vein treatment service 500 W. Putnam, Suite 435 Greenwich, CT 06830 (866) 923-VEIN veinclinics.com WARREN-TRICOMI Beauty packages 1 E. Putnam Road Greenwich, CT 06830 (203) 863-9300 warrentricomi.com WESTPORT PLAY HOUSE Gift certificates for live theater productions 25 Power Court Westport, CT 06880 (203) 227-4177 westportplayhouse.org

when&where TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1 FESTIVE EVENING

ANTIQUES & DESIGN

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2 CHEFS WITH HEART

CRAFTS ON STAGE

Westhab celebrates 30 years with a recognition program, wine and hors d’oeuvres, 5:30 to 8 p.m., Westchester Broadway Theatre, 1 Broadway Plaza, Elmsford. $50. (914) 345-2800, westhab.org.

A benefit for the American Heart Association, featuring chefs and a range of cuisine, dancing, bass and vocals by The Bruce Coviello Group, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. cocktails; 7:30 p.m. dinner and dancing, Westport Inn, 1595 Post Road East, Westport. $150. Newenglandculinarygroup.com.

The Chappaqua Antiques Show features appraisers and interior design consultations, to benefit The New Castle Historical Society, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Westorchard Elementary School, 25 Granite Road, Chappaqua. $10. (914) 238-4666, newcastlehistoricalsociety.org.

The 17th annual show features fine American crafts including baskets, ceramics, fiber, glass and more, to benefit The Performing Arts Center, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 5; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 6, Purchase College, 735 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase. $10; $9 seniors. (914) 251- 6200, artscenter.org.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9 GALA FOR MARTHA Danny Meyer, CEO of Union Square Hospitality Orthopaedic Foundation for Active Lifestyles in Group and author of “Setting The Table,” serves as AUTHOR! AUTHOR!

guest speaker for the Connecticut chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s luncheon, which features an auction, networking and book signing, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Dolce Norwalk, 32 Weed Ave., Norwalk. Tickets start at $75. (203) 665-1400, lls. org./ct/starwrite.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4 VISIONARY GALA

African American Men of Westchester hosts a blacktie affair featuring a cocktail reception, awards dinner and dancing, 7 to 8 p.m. cocktails, 8 p.m. to midnight dinner and dancing, The Fountainhead, 55 Quaker Ridge Road, New Rochelle. $150. (914) 949-3530, aamw.com

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4 – SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5 HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE

More than 30 tables of fashion, jewelry and crafts for sale, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Nov. 4; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 5, The Manor Club, 1023 Esplanade, Pelham Manor. (914) 738-1528.

Cos Cob hosts its seventh anniversary gala honoring Martha Stewart, featuring cocktails and a dinner menu prepared by celebrity chefs, Harvard Club, 27 W. 44 St., New York City. (203) 869-2002, ext. 403, jbahar@ofals.org.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10 NOT JUST FOR KIDS

Kids X-Press Inc. celebrates its 10th anniversary with a cocktail reception, awards ceremony, raffle and performance by the Steel Band, 5:30 to 8 p.m., Westchester Hills Country Club, 401 Ridgeway, White Plains. (914) 261-0815, kxpevent@gmail. com.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12 CENTENNIAL GALA

The Women’s Club of White Plains hosts a dinner and cocktail reception, 6:30 p.m. cocktails; 8 p.m. dinner, C.V. Rich Mansion, 305 Ridgeway, White Plains. $200. (914) 948-4096, croithmayr@optonline.net.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5 AUTUMN BALL

A professional ballroom show with dance lessons, music, hors d’oeuvres and wine, 7 to 11:30 p.m., 627 Post Road East, Westport. $85 first row table; $80; $90 after Nov. 1. (203) 454-9400, ballroomdancewestport.com.

A multi-venue dinner party fundraiser for the New Rochelle Council on the Arts, at 17 private homes around the city, followed by dessert and dancing at Wykagyl Country Club, 1195 North Ave., New Rochelle. Tickets start at $110. Info@newrochellearts. org, newrochellearts.org.

UNITED RUN

United Way of Westchester and Putnam hosts its third annual five-mile run to raise funds for health initiatives in both counties, 7:30 to 10:30 a.m., Purchase College Cross Country Running Path, 735 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase. Five-mile run: $25 on Nov. 12; $20 pre-registration; one-mile run/ walk: $15; spectators: $10 donation welcomed.

(914) 997-6700, 5krun.eventbrite.com.

An awards luncheon hosted by Community Housing Innovations, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Greentree Country Club, 538 Davenport Road, New Rochelle.$250. (914) 683-1010, chigrants.org.

A fundraiser for AIDS-Related Community Services featuring cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, dinner, dancing, silent and live auctions and music by Superior Sounds, 7 to 11 p.m., Whitby Castle, 330 Boston Post Road, Rye. $150. (914) 785-8283, arcs.org.

CELEBRATING WOMEN

The Greater New York City Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure hosts a luncheon and fashion show featuring clothing from Saks Fifth Avenue of Greenwich modeled by breast cancer survivors, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Doral Arrowwood, 975 Anderson Hill Road, Rye Brook. $150. (212) 461-6195, komennyc.org/Westchester.

STAMFORD HOSPITAL’S ‘DREAM BALL’ A black-tie affair featuring cocktails, dinner, dancing and silent auctions, 6 p.m. to midnight, Tully Health Center, 32 Strawberry Hill Court, Stamford. $250 to $400. (203) 276-2554, dreamball.org.

Professional expertise offered in jewelry, fine art, furniture, books and documents, coins, pottery and China, silverware, sports memorabilia, toys and more, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mathews Park, 295 W. Ave., Norwalk. (203) 838-9799, lockwoodmathewsmansion.com.

DINING FOR THE ARTS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17 AWARDS ON THE MENU

HARVEST OF HOPE

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 5 – SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6 TREASURE OR JUNK?

Robin Frankel and Greg Varian dancing at last year’s Dining for the Arts event. Photograph courtesy of Cristina Cerone

FOR THE CHILDREN CHAMBER SOUNDS

Pianist Adam Kent opens Westchester Chamber Symphony’s 15th season, 8 p.m., Iona College’s Christopher J. Murphy Auditorium, 715 North Ave., New Rochelle. $50; $40 seniors; $15 students.

(914) 654-4926, westchesterchambersymphony. org.

A guided wine-tasting and charity auction to benefit the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, 6:30 p.m., Ritz-Carlton Westchester, 3 Renaissance Square, White Plains. (914) 493-2575, westchestermedicalcenter.com.

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when&where FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18 EVENING OF HOPE

Dinner, dancing and an auction to benefit the American Cancer Society, 7 p.m., Trump National Golf Club, 100 Shadow Tree Lane, Briarcliff Manor. (914) 397-8842, cancer.org.

STRIKES AGAINST CANCER

Spins Bowl hosts a fundraiser to benefit Support Connection, 8 to 11 p.m., 40 Radio Circle Drive, Mount Kisco. $35 at the door; $25 in advance. VIP bowling access: $45 at the door; $35 in advance.

(914) 358-3624, info@gpny.com.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19 ANYTHING GOES

ArtsWestchester hosts a gala and silent, online auction, 6:30 p.m. cocktail reception; 8 p.m. dinner and dancing to live music, 1133 Westchester Ave., White Plains. $600. (914) 428-4220, ext. 326, artswauction.cmarket.com.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20 SOME ENCHANTED EVENING

“Apple Blossoms,” 1880, oil on canvas, by Theodore Robinson.

A celebration of Oscar Hammerstein II, the memorable lyricist behind Broadway’s “The Sound of Music,” “Carousel,” “Oklahoma!,” “South Pacific,” “The King and I” and “Show Boat,” with musical performances, and food catered by Abigail Kirsch to benefit the Katonah Museum of Art, 5 to 8 p.m., Tappan Hill Mansion, 81 Highland Ave., Tarrytown. $200 nonmembers; $175 members.

(914) 232-9555, katonahmuseum.org.

THROUGH JANUARY 29, 2012 MAKING AN IMPRESSION

The “Divided Light and Color: American Impressionist Landscapes” exhibit brings together two dozen works from our country’s answer to French Impressionism, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich. $7; $6 seniors and students. (203) 8690376, brucemuseum.org.

“Rooftops, Pont-Aven, Brittany,” 1897, oil on canvas, by Childe Hassam.

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“Indian Summer in Colonial Days,” 1899, oil on canvas, by Childe Hassam.

Courtesy Debbie and Russell S. Reynolds Jr.

Ferrell

Fine

Fredrickson

Hayman

Holiman

Horowitz

wit wonders: What – or who – is your secret passion?

“I don’t have many ‘secret’ passions, but I have always had a passion for cooking and more specifically, combining interesting flavors together. Experimenting in the kitchen has always been a creative outlet for me, and it led me to start my business, Suckerborne, a couple of years ago. I now channel that passion into making unique lollipop flavors. Combining bacon with maple syrup was one of the first lollipops I tried.

It’s now a best-seller. Basil and lime has also been a hit.

The list of ingredients to try together never ends.”

– Megan Ferrell founder/creative director, Suckerborne, a subsidiary of Communication Ink, Darien resident “My secret passion is cooking and it’s all thanks to television, for a couple of reasons. In 2004, I started writing about TV as a critic, which meant spending many of my days at home. Since I was home all day, it was only fair that I take over the task of cooking dinner from my wife. I also became enamored of such TV shows – which I otherwise might never have watched – as ‘Top Chef ’ and ‘Hell’s Kitchen,’ which introduced me to concepts and foods I have never been curious about previously. Now I find myself giving The New York Times’ food section – as well as my wife’s subscription to Bon Appetit – a close read to find recipes that appeal to me. My biggest challenge was learning how to get all three elements of the meal – meat, starch, vegetable – to come out at the same time. At this point, I’ve built up a sturdy repertoire of dishes – and I make a mean pot roast.”

–Marshall Fine film critic, hollywoodandfine.com, Ossining resident

ing hard until eventually these two desires become a reality as well.”

– Kirsten Fredrickson licensed aesthetician and makeup artist, Owner of MakeupByKirsten.com, Yorktown Heights resident “My secret passion is interior decorating on a budget. I recently was looking to update the focal wall in my family room. I found cute woven placemats for $3 that added texture and a pop of color. I like to use everyday items in unexpected ways to keep my home fresh and inspired.”

– Meredith Hayman makeup artist, Yorktown Heights resident “My secret passion is collaborating with other people. Collaboration is the great multiplier of intelligence and talent.

AND there is someone there to catch your mistakes and hopefully, gently dissuade you from folly. A good collaborator is the best of friends, the most insightful critic and more devoted to you than your mother. What could be better?”

– Shauna Holiman artist, Old Greenwich resident “No one knows I have a secret passion for salsa dancing. It’s a great stress reliever workout and requires lots of practice. I’m hoping ‘Dancing With the Stars’ gives me a call to be on the show.”

– Reina Horowitz owner RY Studios, Purchase resident

“My secret passion has already become a reality... After being a stay-at-home mom for five years, I went to skin-care school and followed a longtime desire to become a licensed aesthetician and makeup artist.

The core of my passion was to be a freelance makeup artist and have my work published around the world.

Though I’ve had some major accomplishments since I started, I still long for the cover of a major fashion magazine and to work Fashion Week in New York City at least once in my life. I’ll keep manifesting and work-

“I have to confess that my secret passion is behavioral economics and that I am a groupie for guys like Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky. Surprisingly small fan club. I am fascinated by the economic choices we make and what motivates them. My favorite book on this topic at the moment is ‘Nudge’ by Richard Thaler who posits that we can all be motivated to make better choices just by more carefully framing the question.

Such simple, elegant solutions. Very cool.”

– Kim Jacobs executive director, Community Capital Resources, Ossining resident

Jacobs

Martin

Lynch

“My secret passion is Andrea Bocelli. His music is very inspiring for my choice of work.”

– Robin Lynch aerialist, Harrison resident “Gardening is my passion although I am not too sure that it is a secret. I’ve been known to get up before sunrise to put in a few hours of weeding and watering before work. I am happiest with soil under my nails.”

– Maryann Martin vice president of CBS consumer products, and publicity chair at the Women’s Club of White Plains, White Plains resident “What calls to me in my free time is my love of photography. Elliott Erwitt wrote ‘To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place ... I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.’ I keep this quote with me since so often we take for granted the sights we see in looking about our world while missing the important but simple expressions of daily life.”

– Craig Perry photographer, Norwalk resident “My obvious passion is for food and cooking, but my secret passion is for painting and art. Before I ever picked up a chef ’s knife, I was an avid painter and (draftsman). Today, cooking satisfies much of my need for creative expression. (I think I love cooking with vegetables so much just because they are so darn colorful.) But I have dreams of converting my attic into a painting studio...One day!”

– Nicki Sizemore food writer, stylist, culinary instructor in Westchester and Fairfield counties, Cold Spring resident

Perry

– Compiled by Alissa Frey Contact her at afrey@westfairinc.com

Sizemore

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class&sass

By Martha Handler and Jennifer Pappas

... as you sit round the (Thanksgiving) table with your loved ones preparing to enjoy your impossibly largebreasted bird, say an extra prayer of thanks for the poor fella who’s been jerking around with your turkey.

I got to thinking the other day, (because I do that on occasion…think, that is); about the breasts of our turkeys. They’ve gotten so enormous as of late, how in the world do they successfully mate? So, I did a little research. Come to find out that they don’t actually!

Not by themselves anyway. Farmers manually “extract” the Tom Turkey’s semen and artificially inseminate the hens. Imagine that. It’s referred to as “semen sucking.”

Hmmmm. I sure wouldn’t want to be that dad on “Kindergarten Career Day.” So this Thanksgiving, as you sit round the table with your loved ones preparing to enjoy your impossibly large-breasted bird, say an extra prayer of thanks for the poor fella who’s been jerking around with your turkey. jerkers! Dear Lord, what is this world comM Turkey ing to? Only in America would we genetically modify these animals to such a degree that they can no longer have sex – the one enjoyment I imagine they might experience in their pitifully short and tortured lives (free-rangers excepted). Which reminds me of a quote attributed to Arnold Schwarzenegger: “I love Thanksgiving turkey. It’s the only time in Los Angeles that you see natural breasts.” Wrong again. And I’m sure the scientists won’t stop there. There’s probably someone in a lab as I write this who’s busy developing turkey Viagra. Bad enough that all the “porn fluffers” have lost their jobs due to Viagra. Now the poor turkey jerkers will be joining the ranks of the unemployed.

J

Viagra. Yikes. Did you know that it was originally developed for women? It didn’t work very well though. It basically helps with blood flow, not with desire. And when it comes to sex, women’s heads are more involved (evolved?) than men’s, at least the one above the shoulders. Viagra is also one of the leading causes of divorce in couples married more than 30 years. It goes something like this: The husband’s feeling a little “down,” so he goes to his doc and gets the little blue pill, pops it, dons his “randy” hat and starts chasing his wife around the house. Meanwhile, camped out in the bathroom, waiting for the storm to pass, she’s thinking, “What happened to my Scrabble partner?” A responsible physician should definitely take both partners into consideration before he or she starts messing around with one’s libido.

After all, it takes two to tango!

I wonder how many guys who use V actually have M ED versus those that just want a fix-it pill for their mid-life crisis. I read recently that Viagra’s so prevalent, it’s being distributed at college parties. Can you even imagine a 20-year-old male on Viagra? What a frightening thought. If it were up to me, I’d suggest the pharmaceutical companies focus on developing drugs that benefit both sexes. How about Directra, a drug that causes men to ask for directions? Or Neva-Sportagra – a drug that makes men turn off televised sports? Or Buyagra – a drug that makes men spontaneously buy presents and flowers for their sweeties?

J

Email Class&Sass at marthaandjen@thewagonline.com.

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You’re right. If men indulged their partners’ romantic notions every now and then (even though they may be considered trite), I bet the naughty lingerie and high heels might just come into “play” some night…

J

Wag Up: • Grail Springs (grailsprings.com) - This reasonably priced, transformational spa, located three hours outside Toronto, is a true oasis. Connect your mind, body and soul, relax, cleanse, detox. Whatever you need, you’ll receive (with a smile!) – M • Suzanne at The Steven Mancini Salon in Wilton – For all of you “natural” blondes out there who’ve been every shade of brass to ash and back again, book an appointment with her. You’ll be thrilled with the results. Not only does she do a brilliant blonde, she’s consistent. – J Wag Down: • People who say, “I saw that you’re writing for WAG and leave it at that. Tell me you hate the column or love the column but please don’t leave me hanging. – M • People who, after waiting in line at Starbucks for 10 minutes, still don’t know what they want when they finally get up to the barista. Seriously? And DON’T ask what the difference is between a cafe latte and a cappuccino when there’s an angry mob behind you. First of all, where have you been for the last 10 years, and why are you even AT Starbucks? – J

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