CoralGables-June2018

CORAL GABLES 

THE MAGAZINE 

Artists in Residence 

ARTISTS WHO LIVE AND WORK IN THE CITY BEAUTIFUL

ARTIST CONCEPTUAL RENDERING 

ARTIST CONCEPTUAL RENDERING 

PHOTO COURTESY: BID OF CORAL GABLES 

PRICES STARTING FROM $1.175 MILLION TO $2.25 MILLION 

VISIT OUR SALES CENTER FOR MORE INFORMATION: 

LIVING BEAUTIFUL 

Offering a rich union of English and Spanish architecture with the soul of a European resort, The 

Ponce is simple and timeless. With its ideal location on one of Coral Gables’ main thoroughfares 

and walking distance to Merrick Park as well as Miracle Mile, residents of The Ponce can also enjoy 

trolley rides through the bustling business district of The City Beautiful. 

With its historic and Caribbean aesthetics, The Ponce offers 

a modern twist to living in the city’s finest enclave 

“BUILDING THE CITY BEAUTIFUL” 

718 VALENCIA AVENUE, CORAL GABLES, FL 33134 

305.460.6719 #BUILDINGBEAUTIFUL 

ORAL REPRESENTATIONS CANNOT BE RELIED UPON AS CORRECTLY STATING THE REPRESENTATIONS OF THE DEVELOPER. FOR CORRECT REPRESENTATIONS, 

MAKE REFERENCE TO THE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED BY SECTION 718.503, FLORIDA STATUTES, TO BE FURNISHED BY A DEVELOPER TO A BUYER OR LESSEE. 

IMAGE AND DESIGNS DEPICTED ARE ARTIST CONCEPTUAL RENDERINGS. PLEASE SEE BROCHURE FOR THE FULL LEGAL DISCLAIMER. 

PHOTO OF THE CORAL GABLES TROLLEY COURTESY OF THE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT OF CORAL GABLES.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE 

Departments 

June 2018 

GIRALDA PLACE RESIDENCES 

STARTING FROM $899,000 

www.GiraldaPlace.com 

9 Streetwise 

20 Shop 

23 Bites 

29 

35 People 

63 Home & Garden 

66 

Living 

Dining 

68 Real Estate 

20 

23 

35 

EWM REALTY INTERNATIONAL 198 

TRANSACTIONS 

BROKERAGE #2 

102 

BROKERAGE #3 

96 

BROKERAGE #4 

59 

BROKERAGE #5 

48 

CORAL GABLES’ CONDO & 

SINGLE-FAMILY HOME SALES 

BY TOTAL NUMBER OF TRANSACTIONS 

PAST TWELVE MONTHS | 05.01.2017 TO 04.30.2018 

72 Voices 

76 

Social Seen 

80 

Time Machine 

66 

76 

GATED LUXURY ENCLAVE OF GABLES ESTATES 

We are a classic kitchen... We are 

not working in oriental flavors or 

Japanese or ceviche. We just cook… 

Chef Jan Jorgensen, 

Two Chefs Restaurant 

p66 

CORAL GABLES CITY HALL 

EWM Realty International’s #1 ranking is based on total number of transactions (198) and total dollar volume of sales ($237,359,000). Data was extracted from the Miami Association of Realtors, The Greater Fort Lauderdale 

Association of Realtors, and the Southeast Florida Regional MLS on 5/22/2018 for single-family homes and condos sold in Coral Gables in all price ranges for the period beginning 5/1/2017 and ending 4/30/2018. 

2 thecoralgablesmagazine.com

INSIDE THIS ISSUE 

Features 

Vol 1. Issue 3 

WILLIAMSON IS CORAL GABLES 

Treating you like family has made us 

Dealer of the Year for 2017. 

43 

A Portrait of theArtist as a 

Gables Resident 

Coral Gables is known for its art galleries, but what 

about its artists? In this feature, we profile four visual 

artists who live and work in the city and have 

been featured in its galleries, gardens, universities or 

private collections. 

43 

52 

Confessions of an Urbanist 

If its scaled down and appropriate for the Gables, 

there is a good chance that Venny Torre’s firm is 

building it. The rest of the time, Venny is busy enhancing 

the city as a model for new urbanism. 

56 

Historical Showcase 

The Coral Gable-based Junior League of Miami 

pulled out all the design stops in their recent display of 

interior makeovers of the Deering Estate, the former 

1920s mansion of industrial titan Charles Deering 

56 

There’s something fresh happening 

downtown. Before, you saw more suits. 

Now, you see all ages... 

Patricia Van Dalen, Coral Gables Artist 

p44 

WilliamsonCadillac.com 

LOCATION 

7815 SW 104TH St. 

Miami, FL 

SALES 

1-800-539-8849 

Mon.-Fri. 9am - 8pm 

Sat. 9am - 6pm 

Sun. 11am - 5pm 

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Sat. 8am - 5pm 

Sun. Closed 


Editor’s Letter 

YOUR CORAL GABLES 

NEIGHBORHOOD SPECIALIST 

Too 

High 

Tech? 

On the cover: A Portrait of the Artist as 

Gables Denizen, Patricia Van Dalen. 

PUBLISHER 

Richard Roffman 

In our first issue, we ran a story called “Eye 

See You,” about the city’s new surveillance 

cameras that are designed to reduce 

crime. Some of these cameras are mobile, 

powered by solar panels, and placed in areas of 

high crime – such as parking lots at fast food 

restaurants where there have been frequent 

break-ins. The result is a drop off in crime. 

Other cameras installed by the city are 

what’s called “license plate readers,” and have 

been placed at the intersections where major 

roadways enter the Gables. These cameras 

create what the city calls its ‘Geo Fence,’ 

designed to monitor every car that enters and 

leaves the city. The idea again is to reduce 

crime by surveillance, both as a deterrent and 

a way to track down suspects after the fact. 

After we published the story the Miami 

Herald picked up on it and ran a front-page 

article about how Coral Gables was headed 

in the direction of Big Brother, that the 

license plate system allowed the city to track 

the movements of every citizen from the 

moment they drove out of their driveways to 

the moment they returned. They got various 

people from civil liberty groups to chime in 

about this threat. 

First, that is not true. Those license 

plate readers don’t follow you home. But that 

misses the point. The fact is that you can’t 

have it both ways. If you want to have a door 

man at your condominium, watching people 

come and go for the sake of security, well 

then, they’re going to know when you come 

and go as well. 

In a way, the Geo Fence is an attempt to 

make all of Coral Gables a gated community. 

It’s also part of an overall agenda to push 

Coral Gables into the 21st Century with 

innovative solutions to its problems. 

In a subsequent issue, we will explore the 

city’s high tech agenda in depth. But for now, 

even in this issue, it’s hard to avoid, from 

Fairchild’s space gardens program to UM’s 

use of robots to teach health care to aspiring 

nurses to one Coral Gables high school student’s 

experiment in cyber-currency ‘mining.’ 

Coral Gables is both steeped in its rich 

past and determined to become a city of the 

future. Whenever that kind of evolution takes 

place, there is bound to be some friction. Just 

keep in mind that new technology is not 

inherently nefarious. 

J.P.Faber 

Editor in Chief 

EDITOR IN CHIEF 

J.P.Faber 

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS 

Monica Del Carpio-Raucci 

ART DIRECTOR 

Jon Braeley 

PRODUCTION MANAGER 

Toni Kirkland 

VP SALES DIRECTOR 

Sherry Adams 

SALES EXECUTIVE 

Gloria Glanz 

SENIOR WRITER 

Doreen Hemlock 

STAFF WRITER 

Lizzie Wilcox 

WRITERS 

Mike Clary 

Julienne Gage 

Andrew Gayle 

Kimberly Rodriguez 

Kenneth Setzer 

Kylie Wang 

Cyn Zarco 

PHOTOGRAPHERS 

Jonathan Dann 

Nick Garcia 

Robert Sullivan 

SENIOR ADVISOR 

Dennis Nason 

CIRCULATION & DISTRIBUTION 

CircIntel 

Coral Gables Magazine is published monthly by 

City Regional Media, 2051 SE Third St. Deerfield 

Beach, FL 33441. Telephone: (786) 206.8254. 

Copyright 2018 by City Regional Media. All 

rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part of 

any text, photograph or illustration without prior 

written permission from the publisher is strictly 

prohibited. Send address changes to City Regional 

Media, 2051 SE Third St. Deerfield Beach, 

FL 33441. General mailbox email and letters to 

editor@thecoralgablesmagazine.com. BPA International 

Membership applied for March 2018. 

thecoralgablesmagazine.com 

NEW ADDITION AND TOTAL REMODEL BY GIORGIO BALLI 

640 SAN LORENZO AVENUE, CORAL GABLES 

5 BEDROOMS · 4.5 BATHROOMS · 4,760 SF · 14,300 SF LOT · $1,875,000 

JO-ANN FORSTER 

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305.778.5555 

6 thecoralgablesmagazine.com 

©MMXIV ONE Sotheby’s International Realty, licensed real estate broker. Sotheby’s International Realty® is a licensed trademark to Sotheby’s 

International Realty Affiliates LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each Office is Independently Owned and 

Operated. The information contained wherein is deemed accurate but not guaranteed.

Streetwise 

Tech Med 

p14 

Attorneys at Law Since 1910 

Shutts & Bowen is a full-service law firm that has provided leadership and 

high-quality legal services to businesses and individuals for over a century. 

With more than 280 attorneys in eight offices in Florida, our attorneys focus 

on more than 30 distinct practice areas nationally and internationally. 

Bowman Brown, Partner 

Co-Chair, Financial Institutions 

BBrown@shutts.com 

Francis E. Rodriguez, Partner 

Co-Chair, Tax & International Law 

FRodriguez@shutts.com 

Steven M. Ebner, Partner 

Co-Chair, Business Litigation 

SEbner@shutts.com 

Florentino Gonzalez, Partner 

Co-Chair, Real Estate 

FGonzalez@shutts.com 

Bryan S. Wells, Partner 

Co-Chair, Financial Institutions 

BWells@shutts.com 

Ricardo J. Souto, Partner 

Co-Chair, Tax & International Law 

RSouto@shutts.com 

Alfred G. Smith, Partner 

Co-Chair, Corporate 

ASmith@shutts.com 

Aliette DelPozo Rodz, Partner 

Chair, Diversity Committee 

Member, Business Litigation 

ARodz@shutts.com 

FORT LAUDERDALE | JACKSONVILLE | MIAMI | ORLANDO 

SARASOTA | TALLAHASSEE | TAMPA | WEST PALM BEACH 

shutts.com 

What Does it Take to 

Create a Park? 

Powering Puerto Rico 

Space Plants 

Bitcoin Boy Genius 

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI NURSING 

SIMULATION HOSPITAL 

9

Streetwise 

Powering Puerto Rico 

Space Plants 

Okay, so we don’t have the 

zero gravity of a spaceship. 

But that didn’t stop Fairchild 

Tropical Botanic Gardens from 

coming to the aid of NASA 

by drafting students from 120 

Miami-Dade schools to test 

possible food plants for deep 

space. 

The program, which has 

expanded to include another 

30 schools in Broward and 

Palm Beach counties, Ohio 

and Puerto Rico, has now tried 

106 veggies. Of those, four are 

currently being tested at the 

Kennedy Space Center, all varieties 

of Chinese cabbage and 

Japanese mustard greens. 

“It’s citizen science, but 

it’s citizen science at its best 

because the kids actually see 

their work come to fruition,” 

says Fairchild’s education 

director Amy Padolf. The 

criterion for the plants was 

straightforward. They must 

produce a “large amount of 

edible biomass,” grow with 

low resources (limited lighting 

and water), and have a high 

vitamin content, including 

vitamin K, which preserves 

bone density. The plants must 

also be stress resistant – perfect 

for students who don’t always 

water on time. 

The next step is for 

Gables-based Fairchild is to 

use a new $750,000 grant from 

NASA to create a public space 

at the gardens where the community 

can view the project 

and help with the study. 

Top right: Teachers learn how to set 

up mini botany labs 

Bottom right: Students dialogue with 

astronauts earlier this year 


I 

f you want to find a 

company to rebuild an 

electrical grid demolished by 

a hurricane, then go to a city 

where they have experience 

with hurricanes. And that 

would be Coral Gables. Mas- 

Tec, Inc., the Gables-based 

infrastructure powerhouse 

(2017 revenue: $6 billion) was 

just awarded a $500 million 

contract to complete the repair 

and restoration of Puerto 

Rico’s mangled electrical grid, 

taken down by Hurricane 

Maria last year. 

CEO José Mas said in a 

press release that MasTec has 

been “proudly performing services 

in Puerto Rico for over 

50 years” so is familiar with 

the island. MasTec recently became 

the first company created 

by a Cuban American (Jorge 

Mas Canosa) to make it to the 

Fortune 500 list of top publicly 

traded companies in the U.S., 

ranking at 428. 

Coldwell 

Banker® 

Has 

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Coral Gables, FL 33146 

*Klout, December 31, 2017. Real estate agents affiliated with Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate are independent contractor agents and are not employees of the Company. ©2018 Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate. All 

Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Owned by a subsidiary of NRT LLC. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker Logo are 

registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. 354174FL_5/18

Streetwise 

Bitcoin 

Boy Genius 

We’ll be the first to 

admit we have no idea 

what cryptocurrency is. But a 

16-year-old at Coral Gables 

High School does. Richard 

Smithies just won $1,500 for 

his business idea, Helios Mining. 

The prize money comes 

from the Regional Youth 

Entrepreneurship Challenge 

of the national non-profit 

Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship. 

Helios Mining is 

a mining company for Bitcoin 

and other cryptocurrencies. 

Jeannine Schloss, the Senior 

Director of NFTE, dumbed it 

down for us. Cryptocurrency 

is sent from one person to 

another via the Internet. Along 

the way, the currency generates 

value, and the “miner” helps 

to buy and sell it. Smithies’ 

venture is called Helios Mining 

because the machine is powered 

by solar panels. 

“For a 16-year-old to 

understand [cryptocurrency] 

is mind-blowing to me,” said 

Schloss. Also to us – especially 

how Smithies says his virtual 

mining company is already 

making $30 per day. This fall 

Smithies will compete with 

nine other regional winners for 

a $25,000 grand prize. 

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For more information, please contact: 

Brutalism is a style of architecture 

that flourished 

in the 1970s and then died, 

for obvious reasons. The term 

originates from the French 

phrase béton brut that means 

raw concrete, but has become 

synonymous with ugly: raw 

walls, few windows. Coral Gables 

possesses but one example 

of this style, the police and fire 

building at 2801 Salzedo St., 

built in 1973. Gables-based 

real estate development firm 

Codina Partners will take over 

the building after swapping 

land with the city, with plans 

to demolish it once the city 

relocates its public safety offices 

to a new building. Or should it 

be saved? You make the call. 

— Karelia Carbonnell 

Call it an exercise in international 

relations. Last 

month Coral Gables photographer 

Alice Goldhagen held a 

special exhibition of her work 

at Sant’ana restaurant in St. 

Laurent du Var on the French 

Riviera. “I like to have interesting 

venues,” says the lifetime 

Gables resident, who recently 

wrapped up a year-long show 

at the Coral Gables Museum 

entitled “Coral Gables/Mediterranean 

Dreams.” Goldhagen 

says she wanted to illustrate 

“how Coral Gables had been 

influenced by Italy and France.” 

Her show in France was 

put together by the editor 

of French culture magazine 

La Strada, Michel Sajn, who 

thought the images would act as 

a “bridge between the U.S. and 

France.” Coral Gables does have 

a sister city in France, Aix-en- 

Provence, about 100 miles away 

(photo of its flower market, 

above, from her museum show). 

John Harris 

Managing Director 

D: 305.443.2544 | C: 954.864.9441 | jharris@cgtrust.com 

255 Alhambra Circle, Suite 333 



Streetwise 

MORE LISTINGS AT WWW.SHELTONANDSTEWART.COM 

Tech 

Med 

UM’S NURSING HOSPITAL: 

ROBOTS WANTED 

by Kylie Wang 

NEW LISTING! South Miami 

5990 SW 80 St. Rare-find one story, one year-new 

contemporary on oversized 17K plus sf. lot! 

5/4/1 | 4,852 adj. sf. | 17,388 sf. lot | $2.649M 

NEW LISTING! South Miami 

7010 SW 71 Ct. Built to perfection! Great one 

story smart house. Impact windows and doors. 

5/5 | 5,832 adj. sf. | 23,750 sf. lot | $2.285M 

NEW PRICE! Cocoplum, Coral Gables 

321 Costanera Rd. Contemporary home. Bright, 

open floor plan! Completely remodeled/expanded. 

4/4/1 | 5,935 sf. | 15,950 sf. lot | $2.599M 

Upon arrival at the University of Miami’s 

Nursing Simulation Hospital, 

one might think it’s an actual hospital 

on-campus, complete with operating 

rooms, birthing suites, and an ER. Student 

nurses in mint green scrubs hurry from 

room to room. 

Upon closer inspection, the patients 

on the operating tables look curiously like 

realistic mannequins. And that is because 

they are. 

“From the moment anyone walks 

through those doors, we want them to feel 

like they’ve already entered a hospital,” 

says Director of Simulation Hospital Special 

Programs Susana Barroso-Fernandez. 

“It’s our job to put [nursing students] in 

situations very similar to what they would 

be encountering in a hospital.” 

The simulation hospital is populated 

by “simulators” that can do everything 

from breathe to sweat to cry. They range 

from babies to adults, female and male, of 

all different ethnicities – and all manifesting 

different illnesses. Controlled by 

operators in a separate room, they can even 

speak back to students. 

The idea for the hospital, which went 

“live” last fall, came from former Dean of 

the School of Nursing and Health Studies, 

Nilda Peragallo, who envisioned a “place 

where students could come and immerse 

themselves” in a realistic hospital setting, 

says Barroso-Fernandez. With robots that 

can complain, that sounds pretty close. 

What: UM’s Nursing 

Simulation Hospital 

Where: UM Campus 

Number of Floors: 6 

Number of Robots: 40 

Operators in a special room 

can make the robots talk 

back to students 

Online Since: Fall 2017 

NEW LISTING! Cocoplum, Coral Gables 

7423 Vistalmar St. Great home on oversized lot. 

Large yard, terraces, gazebo, pool deck. 

5/5/1 | 5,173 adj. sf. | 22,712 sf. lot | $2.575M 

JUST SOLD! Our Seller/Buyer | Sold for $3.370M 

Cocoplum, Coral Gables - 7223 Monaco St. 

Move-in perfect! Rarely available, one story. 

6/6 | 6,251 adj. sf. | 21,763 sf. lot 

NEW PRICE! Cocoplum, Coral Gables 

166 Isla Dorada Blvd. Updated two story home 

ready for move in. Great eat-in kitchen and family. 

5/5/1 | 5,363 adj. sf. | 17,597 sf. lot | $2.628M 


Gables by the Sea - 1561 Bella Vista Ave. 

Updated waterfront home, corner lot home. 

4/3/1 | 4,330 sf. | 16,566 sf. lot 


Coral Gables - 5320 Riviera Dr. 

Enjoy the boating life in this gated 2001 villa! 

5/4/1 | 3,995 adj. sf. | 9,120 sf. lot 

#1 TEAM IN COCOPLUM & TOP 5 IN CORAL GABLES BY THE REAL DEAL 

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NEW LISTING! Cocoplum, Coral Gables 

7125 W Lago Dr. Tropical contemporary, both cool 

and cozy. Great for entertaining & family privacy! 

5/6/1 | 6,913 sf. | 14,200 sf. lot | $3.195M 

Shelton and Stewart Realtors, LLC - Luxury Real Estate 

6301 Sunset Drive, Suite 202, South Miami, FL 33143 

Office: 305.666.0669 I Fax: 305.666.6674 


Streetwise 

What Does 

it Take to 

Create 

a Park? 

Shop 

CORAL GABLES NOW HAS 29 PARKS 

THANKS TO THE ADDITION THIS YEAR OF 

THE BETSY ADAMS CORAL GABLES GAR- 

DEN CLUB PARK AT THE INTERSECTION OF 

ALHAMBRA AND MERCADO. JUST WHAT 

DOES IT TAKE TO CREATE A NEW PARK AND 

HAVE IT NAMED AFTER YOU? WE INQUIRED. 

By Mike Clary 

THE HONOREE 

When Betsy and Larry Adams raised 

three sons on Mendavia Avenue, 

their home’s ample yard became the 

neighborhood playground. On its 

lawns were swings and a tree house, 

room to play tag, volleyball and soccer, 

a basketball court, even a small 

baseball diamond. Over the years, 

Betsy welcomed dozens of youngsters, 

made them countless pitchers 

of lemonade, and went on to become 

a civic activist. “I loved every 

minute of it,” says Adams, 89, a Coral 

Gables resident for 58 years. 

The neighborhood park dedicated 

to her name on March 17 is just a 

fly ball away from her former home. 

“I had no idea this would happen,” 

says the North Carolina native. “But 

I’m grateful for it, I really am.” 

HOW IT HAPPENS 

The process to develop a new park 

and decide its name can take years. 

Suggestions come from city officials 

or residents who bring their ideas 

to the city commission. The next 

stop is approval by the parks and 

recreation advisory board. Funds 

to buy and build typically come 

from the city’s capital improvement 

projects budget. 

What became Betsy Adams 

Park traces its roots to 2010 when 

the owner of the only house on 

the west side of the block asked 

city officials if there was interest in 

acquiring it. There was. “It was a 

double lot on a corner, located in an 

area that did not have a neighborhood 

park, so it was an attractive 

property…,” recalls parks director 

Fred Couceyro. The city paid $1 

million. 

NAMING IT FOR BETSY 

City officials take nominations on 

names for a new park. If it honors 

an individual, that person must 

have: made a significant contribution 

to the city’s quality of life; had 

a significant historical or cultural 

connection to the city; and/or had a 

residence associated with the park. 

Adams checked all boxes. 

As president of the Garden 

Club, Adams partnered with the 

city’s Adopt-an-Entrance Project 

that in the 1990s raised $1.4 million 

in cash and in-kind contributions to 

build Mediterranean-style gateways 

to the city at Coral Way and Red 

Road, Miracle Mile and Douglas 

Road, and Ponce de Leon Boulevard 

and Southwest 8th Street. 

Adams and the club were also 

prime movers in commissioning the 

bronze statues of George Merrick at 

City Hall, and of his mother Althea 

at the historic Merrick House. 

The 

Softer 

Side 

A Gold Coin for 

Your Thoughts? 

OWNING A PIECE OF HISTORY COSTS 

LESS THAN YOU THINK 

p18 


17

Shop 

AT EBERJEY IN MERRICK 

PARK, A CULT CLIENTELE 

FINDS SOFT, WEARABLE 

AND FASHIONABLE 

PIECES, FROM LINGERIE 

TO LOUNGEWEAR 

It’s where our 

community is 

already shopping. 

It was a 

natural fit. 

Eberjey Coral Gables 

at Merrick Park 

360 San Lorenzo Ave. #1530 

(305) 763-1215 

Ali Mejia, co-founder 

The 

Softer Side 

Mariela Rovito & Ali Mejia 

at the Coral Gables store. 

By Kimberly Rodriguez 

When Eberjey opened 

its doors a year 

ago in The Shops 

of Merrick Park, the brand 

already had quite a following, 

providing women some 

of the softest, wearable and 

most fashionable lingerie for 

more than two decades. Local 

co-founders Ali Mejia and 

Mariela Covito have nurtured 

a bit of a cultish clientele that 

looks to Eberjey for not just 

everyday lingerie but for their 

loungewear, travel pieces, and 

bathing suits; even their “mini 

me” companions can find pieces 

that match mom’s. Honestly, 

I love to just go into their 

stores and peruse their affiliate’s 

products of books, home 

goods, and delicate jewelry, all 

while surrounding myself in a 

beautiful, feminine, chic setting. 

Their decision to open in 

Coral Gables was a no brainer. 

“It’s where our community is 

already shopping,” says Mejia. 

“It was a natural fit.” 

After traveling to Italy and 

always admiring her mother’s 

lingerie drawer, Mejia knew 

she wanted to live a creative life 

in fashion – and without any 

formal design training, dreamt 

of creating a lingerie brand. 

While she was creating her 

vision, she met her soon-to-be 

co-founder, Mariela, at their 

day jobs in marketing at an 

advertising agency. Eventually 

they would leave the corporate 

world and begin creating 

and validating the vision for 

Eberjey, right here in Miami, 

Mejia as Design and Creative 

Director and Rovito as CEO. 

The Eberjey contemporary 

lingerie brand today is known 

for its high quality, ultra-soft 

fabrics coupled with beautiful 

color palettes and great attention 

to detail. The clientele 

loves to dress beautifully but 

comfortably, and appreciates 

versatility in the fabrics and 

styles that lead to functional 

and effortless dressing day 

and night. This summer their 

clients will find rich, earthy 

colors in bathing suits, both 

solids and modern prints, with 

beautiful details such as ties, 

twists and knots. The color 

palettes change seasonally 

within the core loungewear, but 

you can always find neutrals for 

all your favorite pieces in stock 

year-round. Their current price 

points generally range from 

$18 for underwear to $249 for 

a resort cover up. 

Since launching in 1996 

the brand itself is now sold 

in over 25 department stores 

and 1,400 specialty boutiques 

across the country. But most 

exciting for us is their brick-andmortar 

store right here in Coral 

Gables, as well as their outposts 

in Miami Beach, NYC, and 

Newport Beach, California. 

Kim Rodriguez is a Personal Stylist 

and Shopper whose clients include 

many Coral Gables residents. 


Photography by Nick Garcia 

19

Shop 

A Gold Coin for 

Your Thoughts? 

OWNING A PIECE OF HISTORY COSTS 

LESS THAN YOU THINK 

By Doreen Hemlock 

Greek coins from 300 years 

before Christ. Notes from 

Confederate states during U.S. 

Civil War days. Money from 

pre-Castro Cuba. Step into 

Gables Coin & Stamp Shop 

on Miracle Mile, and you’ll 

find special items like these. 

History buff John Albright 

started the business 52 years 

ago and still enjoys telling the 

stories behind the currency. 

Consider the bronze and 

silver coins from the Roman 

Empire. The coins often depict 

emperors to highlight their 

authority and power, Albright 

says. One bronze coin from 

316-326 AD shows Emperor 

Crispus, a wreath of leaves 

around his head. It sells for 

a mere $60. Albright’s own 

collection features every Roman 

emperor, “except the son of one 

who was a co-emperor and only 

in power for two weeks,” he 

says. 

Or check out the ancient 

coins in gold. Some from the 

Byzantine Empire curve like 

tiny bowls for easier stacking, 

says Albright. One Greek coin 

dates back nearly 2,300 years 

to 278-276 BC, when King 

Pyrrhos ruled Syracuse in Sicily. 

That coin shows Athena, the 

goddess of reason and the arts. 

With 4.3 grams 

of gold, it sells 

for a slightly 

heftier $2,400. 

Among 

Confederate notes, 

I gawked at a pink 

$100 note from 1864 

that shows Lucy Holcombe 

Pickens, wife of the South 

Carolina governor. She’s the 

only contemporary woman 

ever pictured on a Confederate 

note. That envelope-sized bill 

retails for $95. 

Confederate notes 

of smaller denominations 

are tougher to find, 

Albright says. “People 

saved the 50s and 100s 

thinking they might be 

valuable one day. But 

they used the ones and 

twos to line the inside of 

their log cabins, because 

paper then was scarce.” 

Cuba aficionados 

can see the strength of 

U.S. ties in the Cuban 

coins minted in Philadelphia 

from the earlyto-mid-1900s, 

adds 

Albright. One silver peso 

from 1953 marks 100 years 

since the birth of Cuban independence 

leader Jose Marti 

and sells for $35. 

Above: John Albright, owner 

Gables Coin & Stamp. 

Left: A silver peso with the image of 

Jose Martí; a 2,300 year old Greek 

coin showing the Goddess Athena. 

Below: A $100 Confederate note 

depicting the wife of the governor 

of South Carolina. 

20 thecoralgablesmagazine.com Photography by Lizzie Wilcox

Bites 

MONDAY - FRIDAY 

The Frozen Kings 

of Coral Gables 

p24 

The Final Puzzle Piece 

The Breakfast Club 

GILBERT ARISMENDI, PARTNER AND 

MANAGER, MORELIA GOURMET PALETAS 

23

Bites 

The Frozen Kings 

of Coral Gables 

A QUARTET OF LATIN AMERICAN ENTREPRENEURS IS 

TAKING THEIR CORAL GABLES SUCCESS WITH FROZEN 

TREATS ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA – AND BEYOND 

This is the only 

sweet stuff I can 

eat that doesn’t 

make me sick... 

Margarita Mesones, 

Coral Gables customer 

May, it launched in Miami’s Wynwood. 

Later this year, it plans outlets at Aventura 

Mall and in Surfside, plus one at a 

Fort Myers mall in southwest Florida. An 

associate in the Dominican Republic this 

spring opened the first Morelia in that 

Caribbean nation and plans more there – 

part of a larger push overseas, Arismendi 

says. 

The founders chose the Morelia name 

to honor the capital of Mexico’s Michoacan 

state, known as the birthplace of paletas. 

Some say the treats earned their Spanish 

moniker for their shape as little shovels. 

At the Coral Gables locale, Margarita 

Mesones is a frequent customer, sometimes 

visiting daily. She suffers from an 

ailment that makes it hard to eat many 

foods. But she finds Morelia’s paletas so 

clean and natural – their sugar content so 

low – that she can easily digest them. 

Among her favorites: the top-selling 

flavor cookies and cream, dipped in white 

chocolate. Sometimes, she enjoys them as 

dinner. “This is the only sweet stuff I can 

eat that doesn’t make me sick,” said the 

41-year-old paralegal who lives nearby. 

Cookies and cream takes the longest 

to make. To spread the cookies evenly, 

every paleta is produced in stages, with 

crumbles placed on each layer and then 

frozen, a process repeated five or six times. 

Some customers finish off the popsicles 

with a “s’mores” treatment: dipped 

in marshmallow, toasted with a flame and 

then topped with graham crackers. 

Like most gourmet foods, Morelia’s 

paletas don’t come cheap: $4.65 each, plus 

toppings starting at 50 cents and dippings 

at 75 cents. But quality ingredients cost, 

too: fresh berries, tropical fruits, nutella, 

Italian chocolate, among others, all prepared 

without adding artificial colorings 

or flavors and without gelato mix. 

The Coral Gables shop now produces 

all the paletas for Florida, using refrigerated 

trucks to transport them. Expansion 

in the state means staff on Miracle Mile 

likely will keep growing, already up from 

about six employees a year ago to more 

than a dozen now, says Arismendi. 

The venture exemplifies “glocal,” a mix 

of global and local. The founding trio met 

in Brazil but came from Argentina, Mexico 

and Venezuela. They reached out to the 

Venezuelan’s friend, Arismendi, who was 

living in Florida. He helped fine tune recipes 

for local ingredients, including sweeter 

strawberries and less creamy milk. 

“Although new to being entrepreneurs, 

the discipline learned in a corporate environment 

for so long was extremely helpful,” 

says Arismendi, 37, who used his software 

skills to ensure strong business processes. 

But corporate backgrounds were of 

little concern to Mesones, as she picked 

up paletas to go on a recent weekday. “The 

quality, the freshness,” she says, “I love it.” 


With its smiley-face logo 

based on a traditional 

Mexican doll, Morelia Gourmet 

Paletas looks like a snazzy neighborhood 

ice-cream shop. But it’s more 

than just a hip Miracle Mile locale making 

handcrafted popsicles. 

Founded by three executives from 

Procter & Gamble and run by an experienced 

software project manager, the 

business has been carefully planned. 

And it’s now expanding beyond its home 

base in Coral Gables. Morelia’s four partners 

studied the art of fruit-pop making 

in Mexico, surveyed how Mexican paletas 

went gourmet in Brazil, and took classes 

in gelato, sorbet and ice-cream making in 

Italy, Argentina and other countries. They 

then applied their corporate know-how 

and refined the details at the Miracle Mile 

shop that opened in late 2016. 

The results were immediate: From 

sales of 4,600 paletas its first December, it 

now averages 13,000 monthly, with spikes 

in the summer. “Nothing is improvised,” 

said Gilbert Arismendi (above), partner 

and general manager. There’s even attention 

to how the treat hits the tongue: not 

freezing or icy, but cool and refreshing with 

rich texture. “We want to do this for the 

long-term and get the right culture from 

the get-go.” 

In November, Morelia debuted at a 

mall in Winter Garden near Orlando. This 

There isn’t one list for top 

chicken wings in Greater 

Miami that doesn’t include the 

Sports Grill on Sunset near UM, 

and usually they are at the top. 

One big reason is that they’re 

grilled, not fried. We tried an order 

of 20 Special Grilled Wings 

recently (for a mere $23.99) and 

Wing Nut 

became converts. 

Yes, it’s a true sports bar, 

with 15 screens and retro poprock 

music, but get past that 

and you’re in wing heaven. A 

return trip for their Jerk Style 

and Dale Style (both hot) 

wings kept us in the fan club. 

1559 Sunset. 305.668.0396. 

Good News... 

They’re Back! 

Any place that calls itself 

“the best” had better mean 

it. And for 45 years, Miami’s 

Best Pizza did its best to vindicate 

that moniker. Nonetheless, 

when its lease ended in 2015, 

the perennial favorite closed its 

doors. Now, three years later, 

MBP has reopened not far from 

its original location. 

So, head over to Ponce 

to one of the first pizzerias to 

open in Miami, and enjoy a 

slice of 305 history. 

24 25 

thecoralgablesmagazine.com

Bites 

The 

Final 

Puzzle 

Piece 


Anyone who has spent time 

on Giralda Avenue – especially 

on the now pedestrian 

mall of Giralda Plaza – will 

have noticed the odd-ball on 

the block: The Church of Scientology 

between Miss Saigon 

Bistro and Mara’s Basque Cuisine. 

For years, it has quietly 

processed converts to its unique 

vision on a retail street devoted 

mostly to dining. 

Now the 1947 building, 

a former U.S. Post Office, is 

being converted to four restaurants, 

including the block’s 

first rooftop eatery. Purchased 

last year by the Gables-based 

Maven Real Estate group for 

$3.9 million, the renovation is 

revealing 19-foot ceilings and 

fluted 25-foot columns that 

had been covered up. 

“Most of the older 

buildings [on Giralda] are like 

bowling alleys, narrow and 

dark,” says Maven’s managing 

partner Marc Schwarzberg. 

“We have towering ceilings 

and wide spaces, and we’ve 

The Breakfast 

Club 

The rumors that you can 

breakfast all day long at 

ThreeFold Café on Giralda are 

true. If you go to their website, 

their breakfast and lunch 

menus are in fact identical, 

and there is no dinner menu. 

Then again, who needs it when 

you can get shrimp tacos for 

breakfast, along with salmon 

scrambled eggs, chicken parma, 

worked to preserve that.” The 

transformed building will be 

sheathed in glass to let in the 

light, and, so far, will house 

a Catalonian-style tapas bar, 

a Coyo Taco outlet, and an 

Italian restaurant. Opening is 

scheduled for Q1 2019. 

Other restaurant transformations 

in store by the Maven 

Group: A former architect’s 

office next door at 116 Giralda, 

and the historic La Palma 

building on Alhambra Circle. 

Stay tuned. 

and that Millenial favorite, 

smashed avocado toast? 

The brainchild of Australian 

Nick Sharp, ThreeFold is also 

popular for Sunday brunch, for 

obvious reasons. “All-day breakfast 

cafés with locally roasted 

coffee are big in Australia, it’s 

what we do,” says Sharp, whose 

hometown city of Melbourne 

has 3,500 such places. 

LIVE PASSIONATELY. DRINK RESPONSIBLY. 

©2018. BACARDI AND THE BAT DEVICE ARE TRADEMARKS OF BACARDI AND COMPANY LIMITED. RUM - 40% ALC. BY VOL.

The 

French 

Mediterranean 

Lives in 

Coral Gables 

Living 

Le Provençal Restaurant was established 

in 1988 with the simple goal of bringing the 

flavors of the French Mediterranean coast to 

Coral Gables. 

Now, three decades later, Le Provençal has 

become a multi-generational restaurant and 

landmark in the City Beautiful. 

Following a significant and striking redesign 

in 2018, Le Provencal continues to maintain 

its tradition while simultaneously drawing a 

new generation of diners. 

Le Provençal aims to stay true to its 

Mediterranean culinary roots and strive to 

bring gastronomic innovation to Miracle 

Mile with the use of local and sustainable 

ingredients. 

Venice 

in the 

Gables 

p30 

Spanish Boots 

Master Pianist 

W(h)ine About It 

Lunch: Tues-Sat 12:00 – 3:30p 

Dinner: Tues-Thu 6:00–10:00p 

Dinner: Fri-Sat 6:00-11:00p 

Brunch: Sunday 12:00-3:30p 

Dinner: Sunday 6:00-9:00p 

266 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables 33134 

+1 (305) 448-8984 

www.leprovencalrestaurant.com 

GABLES ARTIST MONIQUE LAZARD’S 

GONDOLA POST, FLAMINGO FANTASY 

29

Living 

Venice in the 

Gables 

PUBLIC ARTS INITIATIVE TURNS 

THE GABLES INTO VENEZIA 

In a celebration of the completion of the 

city’s Street Scape Project, which widened 

the sidewalks of Miracle Mile and turned Giralda 

Avenue into a pedestrian promenade, the 

city curated a public art project: Venice in the 

Gables. For the next month or so, 33 Venetian 

palines – aka gondola posts – will adorn the 

downtown. Each painted by a different artist 

and sponsored by a different business or organization, 

they will be auctioned off for charity 

when they come down. 

Here is a glimpse of the colorful posts. If 

you want to conduct your own scavenger hunt 

you can get a complete list of locations from 

the city at coralgables.com. 

30 31 


Living 

Spanish Boots 

FLAMENCO DANCING IS ALIVE AND 

WELL ON SATURDAY NIGHTS 

BANKING & FINANCE • CORPORATE, MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS • IMMIGRATION 

LITIGATION & ARBITRATION • REAL ESTATE 

By day it is a narrow 

restaurant with painted 

walls of dark orange, peacefully 

serving traditional tapas 

with a tilt toward the northwest 

region of Spain – which 

means more things like fried, 

whole anchovies or peppers 

stuffed with black squid rice. 

But on Saturday nights it’s 

raucous and packed with fans 

of flamenco. A small stage at 

the end of the restaurant lights 

up with (most recently) the 

trio Tres a Compáss, pounding 

(and clapping) out spirited, 

floor-stamping dance, along 

with high-spirited guitar and 

song that a Gypsy King would 

admire. Reservations are suggested 

for this slice of deepest 

España. And don’t forget to 

order the crunchy eggplant 

slices drizzled with honey. La 

Taberna Giralda, 254 Giralda 

Ave. 786.362.5677 

Proudly Located in Coral Gables Since 2007 

Master Pianist 

Who among us hasn’t 

heard a prelude, étude, 

nocturne, or waltz by the 

famous Polish piano composer 

Frédéric Chopin? Now is your 

chance to soak up more of his 

19 th century genius at UM’s 

Gusman Concert Hall. While 

there will be performances all 

week, the big events are Friday 

and Saturday nights, June 

29 and June 30. That’s when 

the stars of the Frost Chopin 

Academy will perform two 

concerts for free. The first will 

be primarily piano, but the second 

– and grand finale – night 

will witness the performance of 

a Chopin piano concerto with 

the help of the Amernet String 

Quartet. 

The music plays from 7:30 

p.m. to 9 p.m. both nights. 

305.284.6168. 

W(h)ine About It 

Whether you’re a connoisseur 

or tend to play it 

safe and stick to rosé, this event 

is suited for wine drinkers of all 

kinds. Travel to wine regions 

around the world without leaving 

Miracle Mile during the 

Coral Gables Wine Walk. Pick 

up your wine glass at Kettal 

Furniture Showroom and stroll 

through The Mile, where you 

will find designated tasting 

stops and special offers, promotions 

and prizes from participating 

stores, including Jae’s 

Jewelers, Pilates ProWorks and 

Wolfe’s Wine Shoppe. Tickets 

will not be sold at the door, so 

be sure to register on Eventbrite 

in advance (just Google “Coral 

Gables Wine Walk”). 

Thursday, June 28, 5–8 

p.m. Kettal Furniture Showroom, 

147 Miracle Mile. $45. 


2525 PONCE DE LEON BOULEVARD, PENTHOUSE 1225, MIAMI, FLORIDA 33134 | 305.779.3560 | ARHMF.COM

T h e C i t y o f C o r a l G a b l e s a n d T h e B i l t m o r e H o t e l P r e s e n t 

FOUR TH OF JULY 

C E L E B R A T I O N 

People 

Come and enjoy this 

classic American tradition 

WEDNESDAY, JULY 4 

O n t h e G r o u n d s o f T h e B i l t m o r e H o t e l 

1200 Anastasia Avenue 

G R O U N D S O P E N 5PM 

LIVE CONCERT 7PM 

FIREWORKS SHOW 9PM 

David 

Hernandez 

CHIEF RISK OFFICER, BAC FLORIDA BANK 

p36 

for Parking Information visit 

W W W.CORALGABLES.COM/JULY4 

Christine Arce 

UM ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF SPANISH 

J. Antonio Villamil 

FOUNDER, WASHINGTON ECONOMICS GROUP 

Please submit requests for accommodations to Raquel Elejabarrieta, the City’s ADA Coordinator E-Mail: ADA@CoralGables.com Phone: 305-722-8686 TTY/TDD: 305-442-1600 

35

People 

David Hernandez 

CHIEF RISK OFFICER, BAC FLORIDA BANK 

FIBA was first formed in 1979 

to foster and support international 

banking in Miami, and 

along with that international 

trade, primarily in the Americas. 

Today it has 61 member 

banks and 51 members from 

‘allied professions’ – i.e. lawyers, 

accounting firms, etc. 

Originally from New York, 

David Hernandez has worked 

for eight years as Chief Risk 

Officer at BAC, a Coral 

Gables-based bank with $2 

billion in assets. In this role, 

his familiarity with international 

risk management and 

compliance with U.S. banking 

regulations made him the 

perfect candidate to chair 

FIBA for the coming year. 

LATEST ACHIEVEMENT 

WHAT HE SAYS 

We are the 

thought leaders 

in anti-money 

laundering and 

cyber security 

Recently named the chairman 

of the Florida International 

Bankers’ Association (FIBA) 

“As Latin American economies 

begin to mature, and 

offer as much export as import 

opportunities, they have to go 

through a bank to finance that 

international trade. We see fostering 

this as a noble cause. If 

we can facilitate international 

trade between Latin America 

and the U.S. [now $1.6 billion 

annually] we are helping the 

economies of the region,” Her- 

nandez says. When it comes 

to regulatory compliance, “We 

[FIBA] are the thought leaders 

in anti-money laundering and 

cyber security. 

In the world of international 

banking, we support 

the rule of law and the fight 

against money laundering and 

corruption – and that will be 

good for all the economies and 

people of the hemisphere.” 


People 

UM’s Department of Modern 

Languages and Literatures 

hired Dr. Arce in 2008 to 

broaden its regional focus, 

teaching students about 

another Latino community in 

South Florida that has consistently 

flown under the radar: 

the Mesoamericans. Growing 

up in Los Angeles, Arce made 

frequent visits to her father’s 

native Mexican homeland. 

That experience contributed 

to her doctoral studies 

at University of California 

Berkeley, and today helps her 

build a more relatable Mesoamerican 

curriculum around 

literature, music, movies, and 

art from that heritage. 

What I’ve done 

with the students 

is put Mexico into 

a larger context 

that they know... 

Christine Arce 

UM ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF SPANISH 


Recently published the book, 

“Mexico’s Nobodies: The Cultural 

Legacy of the Soldadera 

and Afro-Mexican Women” 

WHAT SHE SAYS 


“There’s a cultural competency 

[in Miami] that’s always 

mitigated by the Cuban 

experience,” says Arce. “Mexico 

is part of the greater Caribbean, 

so what I’ve done with the 

students is put Mexico into a 

larger context that they know.” 

At the classroom level, 

she’ll present her research 

by playing Mexican music, 

such the 1958 rendition of 

“La Bamba” by Richie Valens. 

“I’ve developed community 

engagement courses that align 

Latin American migration with 

actual practicum in the field, 

where students are translating 

for undocumented workers or 

people seeking to regularize 

their immigration status,” says 

Arce, noting that Mexican and 

Central American migrants 

pick Florida’s produce, clean its 

hotels, and clear its tables. 

Reported by Julienne Gage 

STEM CELLS AND THE BIOLOGICS: 

The Fast and the Furious 

When Tony drove around a curve during 

a training of speed car racing, he realized 

that one of the back tires of his car 

was taking the wrong direction, but the 

powerful engine roared like a wounded lion and the 

car ended up crashing against a retaining wall to get 

stuck there. Tony felt an acute 

pain on a shoulder that lasted 

a few seconds. Other than that, 

everything seemed to be all 

right. 

This is the real story of one 

of the greatest speed car racers 

nowadays, several times champion 

at well-known international 

races (champion at the 

Formula Europa Boxer; at the 

Indy Lights Series; at the Indy- 

Car Series; winner at the U.S. 

500, at the Indianapolis 500, and absolute 

champion at the 2015 Daytona 

24 Hours, just to mention some of his 

achievements.) The shoulder of the Brazilian 

racer Kanaan got seriously injured 

and recovered its functioning with the 

assistance of my PROMETEO procedure 

based on stem cells and biologicals. 

After consulting the most famous doctors 

and orthopedic specialists, most of 

them recommended surgery, that is, a 

big incision on the shoulder to explore 

the causes of the damage. The inconveniences 

were the surgery’s risks and almost 

a year of estimated recovery time. 

Tony decided that there should be an 

alternative, and contacted me through 

Sergino, a common friend who 

had successfully gone through 

the PROMETEO procedure. 

Dr. Ramon Castellanos, MD (left) 

and race car driver, Tony Kanaan 

Ramon Castellanos, MD 

StemCell USA Founder and Medical Director 

Regenerative Medicine/Stem Cell, Pain, PM&R Board Certified. Sport Medicine 

Assistant Professor Neurosurgical Science at FIU School of Medicine 

Stem Cell USA 

7000 SW 62 Avenue, PH-S • Miami FL 33143 • 305 250-CELL (2355) 

www.stemcellusa.net 

If you are interested in being evaluated at StemCell USA by Dr. Castellanos and his team to undergo the PROMETEO procedure, 

please call 305-250-CELL (2355). The evaluation of your MRI is free. Latin America or outside Miami please write to contact@stemcellusa.net 

Follow us at StemCell USA in Facebook and Instagram 

After assessing the injury through my T3 MRI, I concluded 

that through an implant of his own stem cells 

and biologicals, he could have the broken fibers of his 

shoulder regenerated. 

Six weeks later, Tony was back at the speedway, to 

the surprise of his team, the rest of the racers and 

even myself. His pain had gone 

one hundred percent and his 

abilities at the wheel were completely 

back to normal. 

However, at my institute, Stem- 

Cell USA, you will not only find 

famous sports people and musicians 

but a variety of persons of 

multiple background, sex, and 

age. The PROMETEO procedure 

is successful as opposed to surgery, 

therapy and medications 

because it modifies the illness 

and, as in this case, it regenerates 

the damaged tendon. 

Should you feel in doubt – since this 

procedure with stem cells and biologicals 

are rather new and controversial– 

just think that someone as famous as 

Kanaan would not have risked his career 

if this procedure would not work and 

would not be significantly safe. 

The procedure has many variants, some 

of them partially covered by medical insurance 

companies, others available to 

different sectors of the population, and 

specially to Latin American patients because 

it is a one-time procedure, and 

the patient may travel back to his country 

a day after it is performed, but all 

variants have something in common: 

The success is absolute!

People 

J. Antonio Villamil 

FOUNDER & SENIOR ADVISOR, 

WASHINGTON ECONOMICS GROUP 

IT’S ALL ABOUT 

THE DETAILS. 

OFFICE CATERING 

IT’S ALL ABOUT LUNCH 

Tony Villamil is a nationally 

recognized economist 

who founded the Coral 

Gables-based Washington 

Economics Groups (WEG) 

in 1993. He was the founding 

Dean of the School of 

Business at St. Thomas University 

from 2008 to 2013, 

afterwhich he returned to the 

WEG as senior advisor. He 

is also the immediate past 

Chairman of the Governor’s 

THE DETAILS. 

OFFICE CATERING 


LUNCH 

THE DETAILS. 


THE DETAILS. 

Council of Economic Advisors 

for Florida, and previously 

served as Undersecretary of 

Commerce under President 

George H.W. Bush. He is a 

SIMPLE & FRESH 

long-time resident of Coral 

Gables. 

Passing Amendment 

4 would result 

in important 

positive economic 

benefits to Florida 

taxpayers. 


Recently produced a report on 

the economic costs of Florida 

Gov. Rick Scott’s 2011 fasttracked 

law to require a 5-year 

waiting period for non-violent 

offenders to have their civil 

rights restored. An amendment 

to end the law is up for a vote 

in November. 

WHAT HE SAYS 

“The Washington Economics 

Group estimates that passing 

Amendment 4 would result in 

important positive economic 

benefits to Florida taxpayers,” 

says Villamil. 

“These benefits will come 

from two sources: reduced 

court and prison costs through 

a decline in the recidivism of 

eligible individuals who have 

completed all the terms of 

their sentences, and increased 

earning power for them 

through improved employment 

opportunities. ” Villamil and the 

WEG estimate that if Amendment 

4 is passed, it will have 

a positive economic impact of 

$365 million per year – $223 

million from reduced court and 

prison costs, and $143 million 

due to increased income from 

3,800 new jobs. 

Sacha’s at 

Blue Lagoon 

701 NW 62 Ave 

Miami, FL 33126 

701 

Sacha’s 305.269.1996 

NW 62 Ave. 

Sacha’s at at 

Miami 33126 

Blue 305.269.1996 Lagoon 

701 NW 62 Ave 


305.269.1996 

Sacha’s At Blue Lagoon 

I 

sacha’s cafe SIMPLE & FRESH 

Sacha’s at Sacha’s in 

Brickell sacha’s cafe Coral Gables 

sacha’s 

1450 Brickell Ave 

cafe 

2525 Ponce de Leon 

Miami, Sacha’s at 

FL 33133 At Brickell 

Sacha’s in 

Brickell 

Coral Gables 


305.358.0660 

1450 Brickell Ave Ave. 2525 Ponce 

Sacha’s at Sacha’s 305.569.1300 

de Leon 2525 Ponce de Leon 

Miami, in 

FL 33133 

33133Coral Gables, FL 33134 

Coral in Gables 33134 

Brickell 305.358.0660 305.569.1300 Coral Gables 

305.358.0660 Coral Gables 305.569.1300 

1450 Brickell Ave 2525 Ponce de Leon 

1450 Miami, Brickell FL 33133 Ave Coral 2525 Gables, Ponce FL 33134 de Leon 

Miami, 305.358.0660 FL 33133 305.569.1300 

Eurotable Catering 


305.358.0660 


119 Madeira Avenue 305.569.1300 

119 Madeira Ave 

Coral Gables 33134 

Eurotable Coral Gables, FL Catering 

33134 

305.448.0048 

305.448.0048 

119 eurotablecatering.com 

Madeira Ave 



sacha’s cafe 

Sacha’s at 

Blue Lagoon 

701 NW 62 Ave 


305.269.1996 

I 

I 

Blue Lagoon 

701 NW 62 Ave 


305.269.1996 

I 

119 Madeira Ave 



j 

Sacha’s In Coral Gables 

j 

j 

j

A 

First cast in 1974, production initiated in 2002 at Fundición R. Buchhass (inscribed with foundry mark). 

Exhibited in 

Mario Carreno - Retrospective Exhibition, 1939-1993, Museo de Artes Visuales, Santiago de Chile, Chile, 

March-May 2004, and illustrated in the catalog, page 54. 

Illustrated in Important Cuban Artworks, Volume Nine, Cernuda Arte, Coral Gables, Florida, 

November 2010, page 70. 

Portrait of the 

Artist as a 

Gables Resident 

CORAL GABLES IS KNOWN FOR ITS ART GALLERIES, BUT WHAT ABOUT ITS ARTISTS? 

IN THIS FEATURE, WE PROFILE FOUR VISUAL ARTISTS WHO LIVE AND WORK IN THE CITY AND 

HAVE BEEN FEATURED IN ITS GALLERIES, GARDENS, UNIVERSITIES OR PRIVATE COLLECTIONS. 

TWO OF THE ARTISTS COME FROM CUBA, ONE FROM VENEZUELA AND ONE FROM JAMAICA. 

ALL FOUR APPRECIATE CORAL GABLES FOR ITS WALKABILITY, GREENERY, CULTURAL OFFER- 

INGS AND DIVERSITY. ALL WORK AT LEAST PART-TIME FROM THEIR HOMES. HERE ARE OUR 

CONVERSATIONS WITH THE FOUR ARTISTS... IN THEIR OWN WORDS 


Photography by Jon Braeley 

INTO THE BIG BLUE by JACQUELINE GOPIE 

43

Patricia Van Dalen 

Ideas on art: “I celebrate colors, lines and forms in space and 

the infinite ways you can combine them. All my works have 

a sense of joy behind them – joy that we have colors and can 

differentiate blue from green from orange, can see lines horizontal 

and vertical, can distinguish a square from a circle, and we can 

find this everywhere, all over the world. 

“I’m interested in finding as many ways as possible to create 

something new from scratch – from a white canvas, white paper, 

a sheet of aluminum or wood – by combining colors, lines and 

forms. I’ve been working for more than 35 years in different 

media and series. I can be working simultaneously large canvases 

in a very expressive way, with gestures, and small pieces with 

geometric forms. I use a vocabulary that has common elements. 

It’s all abstraction.” 

Pictured with When in Les Masses 08, 36 inches by 72 

inches, acrylic on canvas, $21,000: “This work is part of a series 

from 2017 after an unexpected trip to a chalet in Switzerland in 

Les Masses. It holds all the energy and power from that spectacular 

gift. I never dreamed of being in such a pristine landscape 

in winter. I fell to my knees it was so beautiful. I was in a state of 

indescribable joy. 

“The work is an abstraction of the landscape with snow, 

pines, signs for the skiers and a blue in the sky I’d never seen before, 

a new blue. It’s very informal, made with gestures, [painted 

not with brushes, but] with my hands only. It’s expressionist like 

my previous work before I became more geometric.” 

BORN: Maracaibo, Venezuela in 1955. 

EDUCATION/TEACHING: Graphic design at 

Venezuela’s Instituto de Diseño Fundacion 

Neumann; Trained in Paris with kinetic artist 

Yaacov Agam from 1980-86. Has taught at the 

Universidad Central de Venezuela. 

KNOWN FOR: Abstract, often colorful work 

in painting, collage, site-specific installations 

and diverse media. Venezuelan works feature a 

nearly kilometer-long tile mosaic on Prados del 

Este highway. 

IN CORAL GABLES: Since 2015. 

WEBSITE: www.patriciavandalen.com 

LAST EXHIBIT: Abstract Cabinet, with artist 

Emilio Narciso, at Imago Art in Action in Coral 

Gables through June; Ride the Rail solo show at 

ArtMedia Gallery in Wynwood, 2017. 

Top: Installation at Luminous Gardens. 2003 

I’m interested in 

finding as many 

ways as possible 

to create something 

new... 

44 45 


Ruben Torres Llorca 

Ideas on art: “If you go to the doctor with a pain in your chest, 

he’ll tell you the cause – cardiovascular, muscular – and what 

medicine to take. I work the same way with what worries me 

or interests me. The idea tells me how to do the piece. Sometimes, 

it needs photography, painting or a three-dimensional sculpture. 

And I follow very strict rules. [American writer] William Faulkner 

once said in art, ‘You must kill your darlings.’ So, I don’t get 

married to any craft, no matter how pretty it may be. 

What interests me most is not to tell you my opinion, but 

just to create a space where we can question together some 

subjects. It’s like I create this bull arena, I let the bull go out, and 

you need to deal with it – to the point where sometimes, I don’t 

recognize a piece I did 15 years ago.” 

Pictured with Better Days Ahead, 86 inches by 86 inches, 

mixed media, $25,000: “This is a very simple piece. At first 

glance, it’s very comfortable. I paint it like a 1950s illustrator, sort 

of Norman Rockwell. (I studied 11 years in a Soviet academy 

in Cuba to avoid the military.) But at some point, you realize 

life is not that pretty. So, I tried to create a dramatic arc like in 

literature, some type of paradox, by saying ‘Better Days Ahead,’ 

because this one is horrible. They’re running scared, trying to find 

a better future. The newspaper in the background is a reference to 

the crazy amount of information we have - to the point that we 

get lost in it. The round, floating shapes show this piece is not as 

solid as you think, art need not be forever, this piece is alive, this 

is going to change.” 

BORN: Havana, Cuba in 1957. 

EDUCATION: Cuba’s top art schools, Escuela 

Nacional de Bellas Artes San Alejandro from 

1972-76 and Instituto Superior de Arte from 

1976-81. 

KNOWN FOR: Painting, drawing, sculpture 

and collage, often with social commentary 

and wit. 

IN CORAL GABLES: Since 2004. In the US 

since 1993. Also lived in Cuba, Mexico, Brazil 

and Argentina. 

WEBSITE: www.condecontemporary.com/ 

ruben-torres-llorca-1 

LAST EXHIBIT: “New Works: Ruben Torres 

Llorca” at Conde Contemporary in Coral 

Gables, 2017. 

Top: Another Happy Ending, 72x32 inches. 2014 

What interests 

me most is not 

to tell you my 

opinion... 

46 47 


Aurora Molina 

Ideas on Art: “My dad is a painter, so becoming an artist, I had 

to find my own identity. I found a voice in fibers and textiles, 

which have been linked to women’s history, to quilting circles. 

You can narrate the history of the world through textile trading. 

I really got engaged in drawing with thread and painting with 

thread. And with that, I travel around the world, work with artists 

and learn about cultural heritage. I’ve done projects in India, Indonesia, 

Morocco and Mexico. For the past three years, I’ve been 

going to Europe. I’m seeing how colonization has informed other 

cultures. For example, in Mexico, you get the hand embroidery 

from the Spanish, when really their tradition was weaving. 

Pictured with Seven Years of Dreams and Nightmares, 60 

inches by 55 inches, fiber art, not for sale, similar pieces $9,000: 

“This piece is about my first seven years adjusting and trying to 

find comfort in a new place, after we arrived from Cuba. It started 

with the doodles I made on the first pillow that I got here. Some 

writings are in Spanish. I made those doodles into embroidery on 

the pillow I used to sleep on. The spider-web part is the weaving 

of the dreams, all the connectedness. The chain is crochet of the 

days in those years – 365 times seven. The burlap is a reference to 

the fabric you’d find in Cuba for coffee or sugar. I cried every day 

when I first got here. This is about meeting the end to those years. 

“All my work in the beginning was trying to detach from my 

dad. His painting uses a lot of vibrant colors, it’s whimsical and 

has magic realism. My early work was monochromatic. When I 

went to Mexico and India, color started to come in, because color 

there just hits you.” 

BORN: Nueva Paz, Cuba in 1984. 

EDUCATION/TEACHING: Coral Gables High 

School. Miami-Dade College, Associates in Art 

and Photography; Florida International University, 

BFA; Spain’s Universidad Europea de Madrid, 

Master in Contemporary art in 2009. Also teaches, 

including workshops this summer at Bakehouse 

Art Complex, Miami. 

KNOWN FOR: Fiber art and soft sculpture, often 

with cultural commentary. 

IN CORAL GABLES: Intermittently since 2001. 

Also lived in Spain and has done residencies in 

Mexico, India, Indonesia, Morocco and other 

nations. 

WEBSITE: www.auroramolina.com. 

LAST EXHIBIT: Group shows this summer 

include Rocking Chair Sessions at Bakehouse, 

Miami; Solo show The Decline of Rationality in 

American Politics, Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, 

Miami, 2018. 

I found a voice 

in fibers and 

textiles, which 

have been linked 

to women’s 

history... 

48 49 


Jacqueline Gopie 

Ideas on Art: “Having come to art late, I had a long time to 

think and observe. There’s not a lot of imagery of young, black 

children simply playing that doesn’t disclose their socio-economic 

environment. It’s often about kids in the ghetto. And the 

majority of ways that black people are portrayed in the media are 

negative. 

“My background in the Army was nursing, so I have some 

understanding of physiology. The way your visual cortex works is 

to simplify information, to process it quickly to survive. So, when 

you see repeated negative images of black people, your response 

to black people becomes negative. 

“With my art, I’m creating a different image, a counter to the 

negative. I’m keying into a time in everyone’s life that is pure and 

innocent – childhood, seaside. What could be more delightful! I 

want to change the narrative.” 

Pictured with Jamaica Day at Port Royal, 72 inches by 36 

inches, acrylic on canvas, $8,000: “I went with my sister to Port 

Royal on Jamaica Day, and all these schoolkids were there, dressed 

up in shorts and T-shirts in Jamaican flag colors. There had to be 

20 busloads of kids running around. This one little group of boys 

was off to the side of the fort. I usually take photographs of kids 

from a distance, and I try to get a group, so I can move the images 

around and paint them later. This group was chasing each other 

around a tree, and the way the light was hitting them, it looked 

like they were glowing. What I wanted to capture was the light in 

their movement. I added a mineral called pearl mica in the paint, 

which helps create the illusion of light shimmering.” 

BORN: Kingston, Jamaica in 1960. 

EDUCATION/TEACHING: University of 

Miami, BFA in 2005 and MFA in 2012. 

Mentored by late professor Walter Darby 

Bannard. Has taught at UM. 

KNOWN FOR: Painting, often using color in 

broad strokes and portraying black children 

playing seaside. 

WEBSITE: www.jacquelinegopie.com 

IN CORAL GABLES: Since 2002. In the US 

since 1972. In U.S. Army for 21 years. 

LAST EXHIBIT: Pleasure and Play solo 

show, Wirtz Gallery, South Miami, 2018. 

Top Left: Foot Race, 78x93 inches. 2018 

Top Right: Girl in White, 9x3 inches. 2018 

Page 49: Into the Big Blue, 40x28 inches. 2018 

I’m keying into 

a time in everyone’s 

life that is 

pure and innocent 

– childhood, 

seaside... 

50 51 


Confessions of an 

Urbanist 

IF ITS SCALED DOWN AND APPROPRIATE FOR THE GABLES, THERE IS A GOOD 

CHANCE THAT VENNY TORRE’S FIRM IS BUILDING IT. THE REST OF THE TIME, 

VENNY IS BUSY ENHANCING THE CITY AS A MODEL FOR NEW URBANISM. 


Call him Mr. Downtown Coral Gables. 

You’ll find him leading the Business 

Improvement District, on the board 

of the Community Foundation, working 

with the city museum, helping with historic 

preservation, or just strolling downtown 

from his townhome to his office and local 

restaurants. 

Builder and real-estate developer 

Venny Torre can’t pinpoint why he’s so 

driven to enhance urban living in Coral 

Gables, his home since 1995 and hub for 

his Torre Companies. Perhaps the passion 

stems from his youth in Cuba’s small city 

Cienfuegos, where his dad owned and ran 

a hotel on the main square and Torre liked 

walking to school under covered colonnades. 

Or maybe it came from the year the 

family lived in cosmopolitan Madrid in 

Spain before moving to South Florida. 

After college, Torre also drew inspiration 

working for the Graham Cos., developers 

of the planned community Miami Lakes. 

He lived upstairs and worked downstairs 

on the new main street there, cementing his 

love for a walkable, urban lifestyle. 

Whatever the source, the 57-year-old 

relishes the challenge to energize urban 

centers, especially in his adopted hometown. 

“I call them puzzles,” says Torre 

about urban buildings and community 

efforts he takes on. “I like solving puzzles.” 

A COLLABORATIVE STYLE 


Associates say Torre gets others excited 

about urban puzzles too, making projects 

with him collaborative and fun. “He’s 

inclusive,” says global business consultant 

Carolina Rendeiro, who has served on the 

board of Business Improvement District 

with Torre for years. “He listens.” 

The same skills Torre uses for construction 

he brings to community building, 

says architect Maria de la Guardia, 

who’s worked with Torre for more than a 

decade. “He creates a strong foundation by 

establishing good relationships with team 

members,” she says, describing Torre as 

low-stress, positive and open-minded. “He 

finds a way to rally support and enthusiasm 

around the projects he’s involved with.” 

That’s key, because Torre has been 

steeped in real-estate ever since he moved 

to Florida. His lawyer-mom and hotelier-dad 

worked with a fellow Cuban who 

turned a tract of western Miami-Dade 

County into a residential community. 

Starting at 15, he did manual labor on 

that project during summers, “hammering, 

moving steel and blocks, going up 

and down ladders. I got nails in my feet,” 

recalls Torre. 

Always keen on drawing and art, Torre 

figured he’d study architecture to make his 

mark in urbanism. But two years into the 

University of Florida he switched majors 

to construction, tapping his entrepreneurial 

side. A bachelor’s in hand, he found a job 

with South Florida’s respected Graham Cos. 

By age 30, Torre was on his own, parlaying 

the skills and contacts from his Graham 

years. He worked in Coral Gables with 

partners to build a Dutch colonial-style 

community, the award-winning Campo 

Sano Village, and another compound in 

Bermuda-style – both in the spirit of the 

architecturally detailed villages developed by 

the city’s founder George Merrick. 

He’s been building in Coral Gables 

ever since, most recently creating luxury 

townhomes in the urban core, some for 

MG Developer led by Alirio Torrealba. 

The idea of the townhomes is to fill a gap 

in the housing profile of the city, something 

that’s in-between today’s vogue of 

mid-rise condos or large Mediterranean 

manses: Multi-story townhouses that are 

luring empty-nesters from larger houses in 

the suburbs to live near downtown shops, 

VENNY TORRE IN HIS DOWNTOWN 

CORAL GABLES’ OFFICE

estaurants and cultural offerings. “I try to 

be different and not follow the trend,” says 

Torre. “I like to be more of a trendsetter.” 

His renovated office building at 208 

Andalusia Ave. shows that progressive 

streak. The private offices offer public art 

exhibits and feature a mural by a graffiti 

artist. Torre now has an installation outside 

consisting of large, blue butterflies he 

painted himself. 

FROM POP-UP GALLERIES TO FUNDRAISERS 

In civic circles, Torre also is known for creativity. 

He came up with the idea for popup 

art galleries in empty spaces on Miracle 

Mile for this spring’s debut of the Street- 

Scape project, says Mary Snow, executive 

director of the Coral Gables Community 

Foundation. “Some people thought he was 

overly ambitious, but he did it,” she says. 

“He got the landlords to donate the space” 

for the temporary galleries designed to 

activate the street. 

At the Community Foundation, Torre 

has been expanding the Tour of Kitchens, 

a fundraiser he’s chaired for three years, 

adding more kitchens at more diverse 

homes. For next year’s 10th anniversary, he 

plans a rooftop kickoff with a band – all 

to help fund scholarships and programs 

for Coral Gables High School’s culinary 

program, says Snow. “He’s a thinker of the 

big picture, not just for his interests but for 

the betterment of the city,” she says. 

Torre’s community involvement grew 

partly out of real-estate. Seeking zoning 

amendments in the 1990s, he got to know 

then-Commissioner Jim Barker, eventually 

helping with his re-election campaign. He 

got involved with city groups, enjoyed it, 

and soon joined the board of the new museum, 

drawn by his love of art, architecture 

and history. 

Today, Torre heads up the Business 

Improvement District that represents 

downtown merchants and property owners. 

He finds puzzles worth solving in amplifying 

that unique voice – which is sometimes 

drowned out, Torre says, because many 

owners don’t live in Coral Gables and can’t 

vote in the city. Yet he believes city invest- 

Above left: Townhouses on Valencia Avenue 

Above right: Dutch-style Campo Sano Village 

Opposite: Venny Torre in a pop up gallery 

If the city invests 

in the downtown, 

it goes right back 

to them... 

ments in the business hub can provide big 

returns to local government. “If the city 

invests in the downtown, it goes right back 

to them. And here’s why: the residential tax 

dollar is capped by your homestead,” says 

Torre. “If the downtown is booming, the 

tax increase potential is greater.” 

Downtown business owners aren’t 

always unified either, adds Torre. Some 

landlords were against the transformation 

of Miracle Mile, which pinched immediate 

profits in exchange for making the 

downtown a more sophisticated destination 

long-term. “We have to educate people 

to have more of a combined self-interest 

than an individual one,” he says. “In 

the long-run, we’re better off with quality 

retail and restaurants.” 

To foster quality, Torre also leads the 

city’s historic preservation board, a group 

that works to maintain such 1920s gems as 

City Hall and the Biltmore Hotel and uphold 

the city’s original urban plan. “What 

makes Coral Gables so special is our history, 

architecture and master plan, so well 

defined by George Merrick,” he says. “The 

founders knew what they were doing. They 

set the rules and standards, and we need to 

protect that.” 

EXPANDING INTO CENTRAL FLORIDA 

Nowadays, Torre’s biggest real-estate project 

is not in Coral Gables but in Central 

Florida. The lakeside city of Sanford asked 

for proposals to redevelop three downtown 

blocks, and Torre’s team won the competition. 

His group is now designing a mixeduse 

project with apartments, offices, retail 

and other features – a development slated 

to cost more than $50 million. 

Torre’s proposal calls for using brick 

and other architectural elements already 

common in Sanford’s historic downtown. 

New structures in the city’s Heritage Park 

also will be varied, “so buildings feel like 

they’ve been done over a period of time, 

not by a cookie-cutter developer,” he says. 

As in downtown Coral Gables, Torre 

aims to create a “sense of place,” the New 

Urbanist vision of somewhere folks want 

to live, work and enjoy a meal – a walkable 

area that can be a catalyst for the whole 

city, he says. He sees his developer’s role as 

“being involved, tied to the project, considerate 

to the community, and giving back. 

That’s how we’re approaching this project 

and that’s how we are.” 

To be sure, Torre’s zeal for cities, 

urban travel and renovation can have 

downsides. His teenage daughter Olivia 

recently bemoaned an upcoming family 

trip to Barcelona in Spain, because “all 

you’re going to do is look at architecture,” 

she told her dad. And Torre’s wife Coco 

has learned to live with him buying, 

renovating and selling their homes – about 

10 so far, starting after Hurricane Andrew 

with a 1936 Mediterranean-Art Deco 

house. “My wife says, ‘I know we’re moving 

when they put in the chandelier in the 

entrance-foyer,’ ” he jokes. 

Still, Torre can’t fathom not being 

involved in business and civic efforts to 

energize downtown Coral Gables: “What 

I do, it’s not work for me. It’s like being 

with friends all the time.” 

54 55 


Historical Showcase 

The Deering Estate 

56 57 


What better way to bring 

to life the past than with 

contemporary design? 

The Coral Gable-based Junior League of 

Miami pulled out all the design stops in their 

recent display of interior makeovers of the 

Deering Estate, the former 1920s mansion of 

industrial titan Charles Deering. 

The 1,000-woman volunteer organization, 

itself founded in 1926, raised more 

than $185,000 from admission fees and donations 

paid by 2,000-plus visitors to the 

estate. The money will go toward the Junior 

League’s mission to empower women and help 

families at risk. Deering himself lived at the 

eponymous estate for the last five years of 

his life, but probably with interiors a little 

more restrained than what this year’s participants 

put together. 

Where: The Deering Estate (on the southern 

edge of Coral Gables on Biscayne Bay) 

What: Junior League of Miami’s 2018 Showhouse 

Who: South Florida’s Hottest Interior Designers 

Why: To Raise Funds for Women and Families 

at Risk. Amount Raised: $185,000 

Entry Foyer and Breakfast 

room in the Richmond Cottage 

by Errez Design 

58 59 


Charles Deering’s Study in the Stone House by RESA, Real Estate Staging Association 

Charles Deering’s Bedroom in the Stone House by AC Styles Designs 

The Grand Salon in the Stone House by Elizabeth This Interiors 


61

Home & Garden 

Bring on the 

Flowering Trees 

NOW IS THE TIME OF YEAR TO PLANT FLOWERING TREES 

FOR YOUR ELEGANT TROPICAL GARDEN LANDSCAPE 

Words and Photos by Kenneth Setzer 

The Tabebuia aurea 

drops its leaves before 

flowering 

63

Home & Garden 

With the heat and frequent rains of summer, now is the best time of the year to 

plant new trees. And what better than the tropical flowering tree option? They 

are many and varied, and provide a magnificent point of interest in an elegant tropical 

garden. Just keep in mind to choose them not only for beauty, but for storm resistance, 

troublesome roots, and whether the tree is exceedingly messy. Meeting those 

criteria, here is a selection of the best. Just imagine any of these lining a driveway, 

street, or as an accent tree in the garden. You can combine colors and trees that blossom 

in different seasons to ensure your tropical paradise is always in color! 

1. Classic red royal poinciana, a Miami favorite for over a century 

2. Flowers, buds and cascading foliage of Colville’s glory 

3. Jacaranda cuspidifolia’s flower color differs based on soil pH 

4. The Long John tree, an underutilized tree with hot pink fruit 

5. Cassia fistula x javanica, a hybrid with yellow and pink in its blooms 

6. Ceylon Senna’s fall tropical color and shade 

THE TREE OF FIRE 

No mention of tropical trees is complete 

without the royal poinciana, Delonix regia. 

A Spanish name for it is Arbol del fuego, 

certainly more evocative of its hot tropical 

beauty. They’re a common sight along 

South Florida streets, and for good reason. 

They are drought tolerant once established, 

preferring very little water in winter, so 

are nearly maintenance free. They’re also 

tough; at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, 

one planted in 1974 is thriving still. 

The flowers, of course, are what we 

are after. The umbrella-shaped poinciana is 

just afire with them in late spring, especially 

after a period of dry weather. Different 

trees range from crimson to reddish orange; 

there is even a golden yellow variety, 

Delonix regia var. flavida, and cultivars 

including ‘Kampong yellow’ and ‘Smathers 

gold.’ The fruit are woody seed pods a foot 

or so long, and a little messy. The roots 

are shallow and spreading, and the trunk 

produces buttresses, so plant the poinciana 

well away from structures. 

Tabebuia is shallow rooted and flowers 

in late spring after a winter dry season. 

Plant in full sun and they may reach 20-35 

feet. Tabebuia ‘Carib Queen’ is a hybrid to 

consider if you prefer deep magenta flowers. 

The tree will reach about 20 feet. For 

a splash of grape-purple try a Tibouchina. 

A smaller tree than Tabebuia (those in 

cultivation probably won’t exceed 15 feet), 

purple Tibouchina may flower throughout 

the year, more in warmer months. These 

trees prefer some shelter from the wind 

and the harshest midday sun, and some 

soil-acidifying fertilizer. 

STRAIGHT FROM MADAGASCAR 

Coleville’s glory (Colvillea racemosa), like 

the royal poinciana, is native to Madagascar. 

Unlike poinciana however, Colvillea is 

rare in cultivation. But it is well worth trying 

to find. Its foliage is pinnate like a fern, 

very wispy and fine, providing enchanting, 

dappled, rippling shade. Preferring full 

sun, Colvillea will reach 50 feet, a stunner 

with long, cone-shaped racemes – flowers 

attached along a stem – clustered with 

bright yellow and orange blooms that appear 

in fall. It truly is a glory, and drought 

tolerant! 

1 

2 

lia (pictured) for sale. The last can reach 

30 feet or so and seems to be the most 

common. It should flower in drier months, 

because it likes dry climates – anyone who 

has travelled through Spain has seen them 

flower profusely. The one pictured flowers 

in April, the tail end of Florida’s dry 

weather. Its foliage is feathery and fernlike, 

and its fruit are seedpods that look 

like 2- to 3-inch-long turtle shells. Needs 

direct sun. 

VERTICAL RED 

There don’t seem to be many Long John 

trees in private gardens, but Triplaris 

cummingiana (also called the ant tree) 

fits beautifully into areas of full sun to 

some shade; and like many of our trees, it 

prefers dry winters and wet summers. It 

flowers and fruits in winter, an unexpected 

delight. The Long John tree can attain 50 

feet and higher, but is more pyramidal and 

less spreading than royal poinciana, for 

example. 

SMALLER TREES 

Finally come the cassias, slightly smaller 

tropical trees. There’s a good deal of variability 

in some Cassia species with hybrids 

available. Cassia fistula x javanica, the 

rainbow shower tree, is one such hybrid. 

Its parents produce yellow and pink flowers, 

so you may see a bit of both colors in 

this one. Thriving under full sun, it’ll reach 

about 20 feet maximum, and forms a nicely 

compact tree of colorful blossoms along 

racemes in spring and summer, fading to 

creamy white with age. 

CASCADING CANOPIES 

Cassia roxburghii, or Ceylon Senna, is 

native to Sri Lanka and southern India. It 

forms a large, cascading canopy up to 30 

GOLDEN AND PURPLE BELLS 

feet tall of fine, feathery foliage. When it 

Tabebuia species of trees (photo page 73) 

flowers in late summer/early fall (photo 

can produce shades of pink, magenta or 

taken in November), the deep pink and 

yellow flowers. The yellow is less cold tolerant, 

red flowers carpet the waterfall of weep- 

but more eye-catching. They seem to SPANISH PURPLE 

ing branches. It’s a wonderful shade tree, 

glow from within. Both Tabebuia chrysotricha 

Is it blue or purple? Opinions differ, but 

preferring full sun to part shade. 

and T. Aurea (Caribbean trumpet Jacaranda flowers are affected by soil 

We are lucky to also be able to grow 

tree) are yellow flowering, the latter more acidity, with more alkaline soil like ours in 

Cassia bakeriana, sometimes called the 

common. The flowers are bell shaped and South Florida producing shades toward 

pink shower tree. From Southeast Asia, it 

especially showy because the tree usually blue. You are likely to find Jacaranda 

prefers a sunny, sheltered area, but is worth 

sheds its leaves before flowering. 

mimosifolia, J. caerulea or J. cuspidifo- 3 

6 

it when the flowers appear. 


Kenneth Setzer is a writer for Fairchild 

Tropical Botanic Garden 

65 

4 

5

Dining 

Two Chefs Restaurant 

8287 S. Dixie Hwy 

305-663-2100 

$$$-$$$$ 

GOURMET 

HIDEAWAY 

TWO CHEFS RESTAURANT, NOW IN ITS THIRD 

DECADE, CONTINUES TO IMPRESS 

What could be better 

than a restaurant 

that started as a 

cooking school? Answer: That 

same restaurant, years later, 

still run by its master chef 

and founder – who still runs a 

cooking school next door. 

Chef Jan Jorgensen is 

now in his third decade as the 

resident culinary wizard at Two 

Chefs, a quiet, elegant hideaway 

in what is an otherwise 

unremarkable pocket mall on 

U.S. 1 about a mile and a half 

south of UM. 

The fact that Jorgensen 

has been the at helm for some 

25 years is a testimony to the 

inventiveness of his dishes. 

A native of Denmark trained 

in classic European cuisine, 

Jorgensen cooks what he calls 

American food, albeit with his 

own unique spin. 

“We are a classic kitchen, 

but some would call it an 

American kitchen. We are not 

working in oriental flavors, or 

Japanese, or ceviche. We just 

cook,” says Jorgensen, who 

By Andrew Gayle 

updates the menu every few 

weeks to reflect whatever is 

fresh, available, or interesting 

to him. “Of course, we keep 

certain things on the menu that 

are favorites for our customers.” 

The interior of Two Chefs 

has a golden glow, created by 

alabaster saucer chandeliers 

overhead and enhanced by the 

flames of oil lamps at every table. 

The décor is 20th Century 

retro, with a long curvilinear 

bar that defines the space. The 

kitchen is partly open, but also 

dimly lit where it brackets the 

dining room, with a brick oven 

that adds its own warmth to 

the space. The brick oven is 

also where Jorgensen makes his 

popular flatbread appetizers, 

ranging from one with salmon 

and caviar to one with shitake 

mushrooms, goat cheese, caramelized 

onions and truffle oil. 

Both excellent. 

Another Jorgensen menu 

perennial is the tuna tartar 

with hand cut potato chips and 

yellow pepper sauce, a perfect 

balance of salty crunch, buttery 

We are a 

classic kitchen, 

but some 

would call it 

an American 

kitchen... 

Resident culinary wizard, 

Chef Jan Jorgensen 

(top) 

Left: Brick oven flatbread 

appetizer with salmon 

Middle: New York strip 

steak with bourbon glaze 

Right: Soufflés, the house 

signature dish 

tuna, and just the right zing. We 

also tried a tasty baked, almond 

crusted goat cheese atop heirloom 

tomatoes, but it was upstaged 

by a lump crab cake on a 

bed of roasted red peppers and 

marinated green beans. It had a 

thin, crisp exterior surrounding 

a rich and creamy crab interior. 

Light and flavorful. 

In the entrée realm 

Jorgensen offers a round robin 

of what he calls “larger plates” 

– and they are generous – of 

meats and fishes. His salmon 

dishes use salmon only from 

Denmark’s Faroe Islands, and 

ours was perfectly broiled atop 

a mound of toasted spaetzle 

with basil pesto. This is classic 

Jorgensen, coupling different 

foods to produce a new medley 

of flavors. 

Other standouts from 

our dinner were the ‘chicken 

thigh chop’ with mushroom 

risotto and the New York strip 

steak with bourbon glaze and 

steak fries. Both were flavorful 

and moist. For dessert at 

Two Chefs there is but one 

choice: the soufflés that are its 

signature dish. Jorgensen has 

mastered the art of this delicate 

puffery. We tried the bitter 

sweet chocolate soufflé served 

with chocolate ganache sauce 

and the stone ground pistachio 

soufflé served with crème Anglaise. 

Both were wonderful. 

The other elements of Two 

Chefs earn equally high grades, 

including an excellent wine 

cellar and a loyal wait staff that 

apparently never leaves – our 

waiter Brian had been there 

for 20 years. Why leave this 

elegant enclave of fine food 

cooked with such creative flair? 

66 67 


Real Estate 

What $4-5 Million Will Buy in Coral Gables 

Coral Gables has some of the most valuable real estate in 

South Florida, with a median price per square foot ($423) that 

is almost twice that of the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area. Average 

prices over the last five years have risen 43 percent. 

Listing Price 

$4.89M 

To see what $4-5 million would buy today, we asked four real 

estate agents to submit one of their homes for sale in that price 

range – give or take a few hundred thousand dollars. Here is 

what they came up with, in different Gables locations. 

Historic Urban Home 

1033 CORAL WAY 

Listing Price 

$4.9M 

Modern Waterfront 

4510 GRANADA BLVD 

6 bed/6 bath/1 half bath. 6,602 sq. ft.; 19,884 sq. ft. lot 

Resting on the Coral Gables waterway, with access to the ocean, this 

sun-filled modern mansion has a pool, boat dock, 3-car garage, marble 

and wood floors, enormous walk-in closets, a wine cellar, Chicago-brick 

driveway and an array of expansive verandas and terraces. 

7 bed/7 bath/2 half bath. 9,858 sq. ft. 

In Coral Way’s historic district of tree-lined streets, this manse is 

a block from George Merrick’s home, six blocks from Miracle 

Mile. On a triple lot with private courtyard, high ceilings, stone 

floors, pool, gazebo, outdoor kitchen, gym, covered terrace. 

Listing Agent: Iliana Abella (Greater Miami Investments), 305.505.0488 

Listing Agent: Monica S. Betancourt (EWM Realty), 305.632.7248 

68 69 


Listing Price 

$4.4M 

Plantation Style Estate 

4550 SUNSET DRIVE 

Listing Price 

$4.5M 

Modern in Cocoplum 

7810 LOS PINOS BLVD 

6 bed/5 bath. 6,204 sq. ft.; 49,223 sq. ft. lot 

South Gables home nestled in lush landscaping, with vaulted 

ceiling foyer, wood floors, wood pub-style bar, ground floor 

master bedroom, upstairs family room with balcony. Traditional 

kitchen with farm-style pantry, pool, backyard with stone floors, 

covered terraces, full cabana bath, and lit basketball court. 

7 bed/9 bath/8,370 sq. ft. 

This custom-built home stands out from the typically traditional 

and Mediterranean homes in the community. Open floor 

plan and large windows overlook an oversized pool patio area. 

Oversized Snaidero kitchen with state of the art appliances, 

double dishwashers and wine fridge. Third floor guest quarters. 

Listing Agent: Dennis Carvajal (Sothebys Realty), 305.666.0562 

Listing Agent: Josefina Delgado (Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate), 

305.219.3153 

70 71 


Voices 

From Main Street By Mark Trowbridge 

Meet Florida Poly 

NEARLY 900 PEOPLE ARE MOVING INTO FLORIDA 

EACH DAY, WHICH REQUIRES US TO THINK BOTH 

STRATEGICALLY AND DISRUPTIVELY WHEN IT 

COMES TO INDUSTRY CHANGE AND FUTURE JOB 

GROWTH. FLORIDA POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY IS 

WELL POISED TO TACKLE THESE CHALLENGES. 

Mark Trowbridge is the president and CEO of 

the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce 

This past month, our Coral 

Gables Chamber of Commerce 

hosted Dr. Randy Avent, 

Founding President of Florida 

Polytechnic University, as keynote 

speaker for our signature 

monthly networking breakfast, 

Good Morning Coral Gables. 

Florida Poly, as it is affectionately 

known, is our state’s 

only accredited public university 

with an exclusive focus on 

the core STEM disciplines of 

science, technology, engineering 

and mathematics. Their 

new campus is located between 

Tampa and Orlando in the 

heart of Florida’s high-tech I-4 

corridor. Founded in 2012 by 

the Florida Legislature as our 

state’s 12th university, Florida 

Poly graduated its first full 

class of 200-plus students just 

this past May. 

As Florida Polytechnic 

University’s inaugural president, 

Dr. Avent is committed to 

strategically developing Florida 

Poly as a research and jobs 

university, an agent for growth, 

and a beacon for the economy 

of our state. His background at 

MIT and NC State suits him 

well for this role. 

Florida Polytechnic 

University prides itself on 

offering a rigorous curriculum, 

small class sizes, and faculty 

with experience both in the 

classroom and in business and 

industry. It distinguishes itself 

from other STEM schools by 

offering six degrees, including 

computer engineering, 

electrical engineering, mechanical 

engineering, computer 

science, business analytics, and 

data science, across 19 areas of 

concentration. 

Graduates have the skills, 

education and confidence to 

quickly integrate into any work 

environment in the fast-evolving 

labor market. They are 

highly trained, highly skilled 

and well positioned to be “lifetime 

employable,” as Dr. Avent 

describes, and not just prepared 

for the first job. 

As we learned during his 

presentation to the Chamber, 

Avent’s career exemplifies the 

qualities of innovation, leadership 

and entrepreneurship the 

university seeks to instill in all 

its students and graduates. An 

accomplished academician and 

research scientist, Dr. Avent 

has an extensive background 

teaching and directing research 

at higher-education institutions, 

and connecting with the 

business community via partnerships 

and collaboration. 

Not a day goes by in our 

Gables Chamber and peer 

groups when we don’t talk 

about talent development 

(and retention) here in South 

Florida, especially in STEM 

industries that often struggle 

to compete for experienced 

professionals and recent graduates. 

Dr. Avent is committed to 

providing talent state-wide and 

assessing our future needs to 

remain competitive. 

Avent and Florida Poly 

have developed partnerships 

with 200 companies around 

the state, crucial for a required 

internship program for each 

Poly student. It is no surprise 

that 94 percent of Poly 

students have a job offer or 

acceptance to an advanced 

degree program on graduation 

day. And, with 75 percent 

of the graduates staying in 

state, Florida Poly is a future 

force as economic growth in 

Florida will be driven by the 

workforce’s ability to design, 

implement, test and generate 

innovative ideas, products and 

services that involve science 

and technology. 

Ultimately, STEM education 

in Florida is focused on 

generating new ideas, concepts 

and theories that address 

real-world challenges and spur 

scientific breakthroughs. Our 

local economy depends on 

meeting today’s needs, as well as 

preparing for the next generation 

of jobs and industry that go 

far beyond a traditional curriculum. 

The graduates of Florida 

Polytechnic University are our 

future and that future is now. 


Voices 

Your Money by Eileen Santana 

The importance of 

financial planning 

for hurricane season 

HOW TO AVOID A CATEGORY FIVE FI- 

NANCIAL CRISIS WHEN A STORM HITS 

Eileen Santana, CFP®, is a Senior Vice 

President at the Coral Gables Trust Company 

With hurricane season 

upon us and the aftermath 

of Hurricane Irma on the 

City Beautiful still fresh in our 

minds, now is the time to start 

your disaster preparedness. 

Forecasters are predicting another 

busy season this year and 

as residents of Coral Gables, 

most of us know to stock up on 

food, water, batteries, gas and 

other preparation items. But 

ensuring that our finances are 

well-organized and protected is 

not always top of mind. 

Do you have an emergency 

fund in place? Do you 

have adequate insurance on 

your home and businesses? Are 

your documents protected? 

The following tips are critical 

to avoiding a category five 

financial crisis in the event of a 

hurricane. 

Establish an emergency 

fund: With any emergency 

comes additional unexpected 

expenses. Having an emergency 

fund in place can ensure that 

you don’t have to sell securities 

or assets at an inopportune 

time, like when the market is 

bearish, and having to incur 

short-term capital gains taxes. 

An emergency fund consists of 

a savings account with enough 

funds to cover the cost of 

hurricane supplies, evacuation 

costs such as hotels and gas, 

home repairs (while you wait 

for insurance reimbursement), 

cash in the event of a power 

outage (as ATMs and banks 

will not be accessible), and 

a credit card designated for 

emergency use only. 

Review your insurance 

coverage: Make sure you 

understand what is covered 

under your homeowner’s policy 

as well as any automobile, boat, 

business, or renter’s insurances. 

Make sure they haven’t lapsed. 

And remember that Hurricane 

deductibles are based on a percentage 

of the home’s insured 

value. If you have coverage for 

$766,000 for example (Zillow’s 

median value for a home in 

Coral Gables) and have a 5 

percent hurricane deductible, 

that translates into a $38,300 

deductible. Also keep in mind 

that flooding is not covered 

under your homeowner’s policy, 

and that you may want to consider 

a comprehensive umbrella 

policy if you are a high networth 

family with additional 

liability exposure. 

Protect your documents: 

It’s important to keep a digital 

backup of all important documents 

and a printed copy in 

a secure, fire and water-proof 

container. Important documents 

include copies of ID’s, 

social security cards, birth certificates, 

passports, insurance 

policies, mortgage deeds, car 

titles, estate plans, health care 

proxy and durable power of 

attorney, among others. These 

documents will help you verify 

your identity and ownership of 

assets if necessary. 

Protect your business: 

Ensure you have a continuity 

plan for your business that will 

include information about your 

employees, vendors and suppliers. 

The City of Coral Gables 

website offers several useful 

checklists and surveys on hurricane 

preparedness for your 

business. A well drafted continuity 

plan for disaster recovery 

will not only keep you, your 

staff, and your customers safe, 

it will also help you and your 

business recover promptly and 

minimize any loss of income or 

sales. Your city and community 

will thank you for it. 

Financial preparedness is 

an essential part of hurricane 

season and a comprehensive 

financial plan should always 

provide for unforeseen events. 

A few simple steps now can 

help prevent financial headaches 

later. 


Now that you’re here, you 

should visit the real tropics 

Experience the Tropical Magic for Yourself 

Visit Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden: 

An exceptionally beautiful tropical garden featuring collections of rare, unusual and just plain outrageous exotic plants. 

Like orchids. Orchid Odyssey is a two-acre epic exhibit featuring orchids, the world’s most coveted plants. Or our Wings of 

the Tropics exhibit featuring thousands of exotic butterflies fluttering all around you alongside an award-winning café whose 

Caribbean infused flavors will surely have you saying “ ¡ Qué rico!”. And when you visit, you’ll enjoy our art collection, tram 

tours, walking tours and events all focused on bringing the magic of the tropics to the Magic City. 

We’re a short Uber ride from Miami International Airport and Miami Beach to beautiful, historic Coral Gables. 

save $5 

on admission 

Us promo code CGMAG18 

@FairchildGarden 


Social Seen 

Coral Gables Magazine 

Launch Party 

1. Coco Torre, Rosario Bejar, Alirio Torrealba, 

Roberto Bejar, Venny Torre 

2. Walter Defortuna, Alirio Torrealba, Mary 

Snow, Israel Kreps 

3. Michael Moore and Leslie Lott 

4. Juan Bergaz Pessino with mother 

5. Jorge Martinez and Amy Donner 

6. Carlos Duarte and Vivianne Medina 

7. Richard Roffman, Alirio Torrealba, Mayor 

Valdez-Fauli, Juan Bergaz Pessino 

8. Jeannett Slesnick and Don Slesnick 

9. Belkys Perez and Francesca Valdés 

At the end of May, Coral Gables Magazine celebrated its launch in 

the art-filled atrium of the Biltmore Parc condominium. Among the 

speakers was Coral Gables Mayor Raul Valdes-Fauli and Juan Bergaz 

Pessino, the sixth-generation Bacardi scion appearing on the cover of 

the May issue. The event was attended by 275 people, sponsored by 

Infiniti of Coral Gables, and hosted by MG Developer CEO Alirio Torrealba, 

whose company built the Biltmore Parc. 

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79

Time Machine 

THE COLONNADE 

In November of 1926, the magnificent Colonnade 

building on Miracle Mile was completed 

by famed architect Phineas Paist. Now the 

Hotel Colonnade, the building was originally 

designed as a sales center for Coral Gables, 

and became the center of the shopping district. 

Since then it has housed a pilot training 

facility, a movie studio and a World War II 

parachute factory. This image comes from the 

early 1940s. 

IN 

1940 

World War II was 

underway in Europe 

The movie Citizen 

Kane was filmed 

1940 

Hemingway published 

For Whom 

the Bell Tolls 

Franklin Roosevelt 

was president 

Campbell’s Tomato 

Soup cost 25 cents 

for 3 cans 

2018 


ENDLESS SUMMER 

ON CELEBRITY EQUINOX 

Sailing in the Caribbean — all year long. 

Contact one of our Holidays In Motion 

cruise specialist at 1-800-871-1777 

or 305-443-3090 

For exclusive offers visit: 

CruiseLeaders.com 

©2018 Celebrity Cruises. Ships’ registry: Malta and Ecuador. 18062273 • 5/2018

CoralGables-June2018

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