Athleisure Mag NOV ISSUE #59

Issue #59 | Nov 2020

- 1 - AthleisureMag.com

ISSUE #59

PHOTO CREDIT | CARMEN GONZALEZ

@AthleisureMag

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PUBLISHER

Paul Farkas

EDITORIAL

Kimmie Smith

Co-Founder, Creative + Style Director

Paul Farkas

Co-Founder, Artistic Director + Tech Director

FASHION CONTRIBUTIONS

PHOTOGRAPHER | Paul Farkas | Matt Sayles |

STYLIST | Kimmie Smith |

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EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS

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HOST

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MIXING

Athleisure Studio Team

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table of contents

issue #59

nov 2020

90

STYLE FEATURES

HOW TO DRESS WHEN

YOU’RE HOMEGATING

94

95

45

STYLE FILES: SS21

ROCK THIS WHEN CREATING

SPA AT HOME VIBES

BEAUTY FEATURES

THE PICK ME UP

GOOD VIBES ONLY

with SOFI TUKKER

We talk with this month’s cover, Sophie Hawley - Weld and Tucker Halpern of SOFI

TUKKER. We talk about this duos love of music, the Freak Fam and their econcert.

16

88

CAVIAR BEAUTY

97

ATHLEISURE BEAUTY

Smoking and Grilling

with Chef David Rose

Now that we’re in the holiday season, we talk with Chef David Rose on how we can

create our Thanksgiving and Christmas meals over the next few weeks. He gives us

some tips and ideas on what we shoudl have on hand.

46

76

LIFESTYLE FEATURES

ATHLEISURE LIST

PERSONA NUTRITION

She Empowers

Cheslie Kryst talks about being Miss

USA 2019, EXTRA and social justice.

54

Art of the Snack

64

This month Chef Ruben Rodriguez talks

about Amigo Nia in NYC.

78

ATHLEISURE LIST

STICKY’S FINGER JOINT

AthleisureMag.com - 10 - Issue #59 | Nov 2020

9PLAYLIST

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SOFI TUKKER

SOFI TUKKER shares with Athleisure Mag their 9PLAYLIST. Athleisure Mag also hosts

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their 9PLAYLIST 9MIX . Enjoy watching their enchanting flow and cool vibes to rock

out with.

80

Bingely

Books

108

This month, we’re reading about making

perfect pies, modern cider and Harper’s

Perry.

Unstoppable

with Tracy Tutor

116

We talk with BRAVO’s Million Dollar

Listing LA broker, Tracy Tutor about

working in residential luxury real estate,

closing deals and more.

Athleisure

Studio

Listen to Athleisure Mag’s podcast network

Athleisure Studio on Apple Podcast,

iHeartRadio, Spotify, Amazon Music or

wherever you enjoy listening.

9LIST STORI3S

TM

128

This month, we find out some of entertainment

star, Normani’s must-haves

and why.



GOOD VIBES ONLY

SOFI TUKKER

This month's cover story features 2X

GRAMMY nominated musical duo that we

have been a fan of for awhile now. SOFI

TUKKER's music can be heard in some

of your favorite Apple commercials, TV

shows and even when you're hopping on

your Peleton. This group is known for their

jungle pop vibes and continuing to expand

their footprint in the world through their

creativity. We talked with them about how

they began working with one another,

how they got into the industry, their body

of work and what they have been doing as

they have navigated this time of quarantine.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Prior to becoming the

powerhouse duo that you are, when did

you fall in love with just music in general?

TUCKER HALPERN: I have always been in

love with music. I played the drums and I

was in garage bands growing up. But it always

took a backseat to basketball. That

was my whole life for such a long time until

I was like 20 – 22. For me, I didn’t really fall

in love until the way that I am today until

I got sick in college. That’s when I started

turning my attention to something else. I

really just fell in love with dance music and

house music and stuff.

SOPHIE HAWLEY-WELD: I can’t really

point to a specific period in time where

I fell in love with music. It’s always been

something that I have enjoyed listening to

and I have always been dancing. I would

always dance and be in musical theater as

a kid. I started writing as a means of music

therapy actually in middle school. I would

play the guitar and I would write about

my feelings. I found it so therapeutic to

honestly just write about my experiences

as opposed to thinking about it. It was my

primary way of getting through my angst.

I was really into jazz and I took jazz singing

lessons. I started to realize that I liked

Brazilian jazz more than any other kind

of jazz. I started taking Portuguese and I

said, “hey, if I love this music so much, I

should probably start taking lessons in it."

So I really started loving the music and I

moved to Brazil for a bit and I just kept

it going. I think it’s a long story but

music is just such an experience in the

way that you fall in love with it.

AM: We’re big fans of jazz music in our

team and our co-founder’s great uncle

was Joe Henderson, tenor saxophonist.

SHW: Cool!

AM: We love bossa nova as a form as

well, what is it about this genre of music

that pulls you in?

SHW: I just find it so intimate and sexy

and soothing. I think that the language

is perfect for jazz and singing. I think

that it’s very vowel-y. I think it’s perfect

and when you’re listening to it,

the singers are whispering into the microphone.

AM: Pretty much.

SHW: Yeah and I just really enjoy that

whole vibe.

AM: How did you guys meet one another

and was the moment when you realized

that you wanted to work together

and that you had those traits that

would be really beneficial together?

TH: Well, I think that I had to convince

Sophie to do that – that I had traits to

add to her repertoire. But the story

goes, I was DJing after my basketball

life in college during my senior year. I

was DJing tons of house parties – like

college stuff, but it was cool underground

stuff. One of my friends asked

me to DJ after this art show. We went

to Brown and it was at this show in

Providence in downtown like at a

warehouse thing. I went early to set

up and Sophie was the acoustical performer

at the art show and I think that

there was only 10 people there. But I

was sort of setting up and watching

her perform with a couple of friends

that I knew from my music classes at

school. She was amazing and she was

only singing in Portuguese and it was really

beautiful bossa nova music which I

had never really heard much of before.

I thought that it was really cool but it

was really slow. Like REALLY slow – like 4

BPMs – I swear! I was like, man this would

be so much cooler if it was more upbeat

and had a house beat behind it. When she

sort of finished and it was supposed to

be my turn to play, I actually said casually,

“hey keep playing and I’m going to bring

in a beat with it.” So like, looping the intro

with a house music track and I put it really

slow at the tempo that they were playing

at and then I started speeding it up and

I said, “just follow the tempo.” She started

singing the song at a faster beat that

was behind it. So I said, “ok this is going

to work.”

After that, I think she stayed for my set –

did she?

SHW: I did.

TH: You must have – you had to. She was

probably hitting on a guy that was there

ha.

SHW: Of course haha.

TH: So the role reversed. I had to introduce

myself to her after I played and I was like,

what were you singing. She told me that

they were original songs that she made. I

asked her if I could do a remix of the last

one that she was singing. She agreed but

told me that there was no real recording

of it. I said, “cool, come over to my apartment

tomorrow – a dorm apartment and

let’s rerecord it and I’ll make an electronic

version of the song. She did come over

and we did start making a different version

of the song and –

SHW: We just started working every day

and making new projects. It was so easy

to work together. Were we even friends?

We started working with each other for a

long time but we weren’t hanging out socially.

We just had a great work friendship.

AM: That’s mind boggling! You’d think that

the two of you started this as being best

friends or at least really good acquaintances.

SHW: Yeah we didn’t even hang out with

one another outside of making our music.

We were just making music. Eventually,

Tucker convinced me that I should come

to NY. Then I thought, “wait, who is this

guy?” I talked to people that I knew that

we had in common and I was like, “do you

vouch for him and should I move to NY

with him to create a band with him?” They

were like, “oh yeah, he’s a great guy – you

should go with him.”

AM: What is your process like when you

do sit down and create music together? Do

you guys have designated roles?

SHW: Yeah. Every song is very different.

But for the most part, Tucker is at the

computer and I’m on the guitar and writing

most of the lyrics. Now he’s singing a

lot more which is cool. It’s also because as

the band has evolved we have done the

same as well.

AM: You guys have worked with so many

artists over the past few years, what are

you guys looking for when you are deciding

on collaborating with people outside

of yourselves?

TH: Honestly, I think that we’re just looking

at people with good vibes. We love

working with friends and people that we

admire and look up to. That actually has

a lot to do with the vibe that they are put

ting out into the world. We enjoy working

together. One of the coolest things about

collaboration is about putting out like a

baby into the world that you created together

and then being able to celebrate

that together. Then being able to perform

it together. You’re sort of bonded with

that group forever. It will sort of always

be a part of who you are. It’s just fun and

it also gets you to have that opportunity

for that music to have a little more freedom.


Because you’re able to work with another

artist who has their musical sound, we

don’t have to worry about whether that

music has the SOFI TUKKER sound and if it

is really in our world, having that aesthetic

and that palette because it’s a collaboration.

So it can also live in Icona Pop’s

world or someone else’s world. So it can

have a little more risk and it can be a little

more out there. Maybe not more out

there as I think SOFI TUKKER songs are

out there.

AM: Oh yes in the best possible way.

TH: Right I love out there. In a way – the

collaboration has a way of being able to

be out there – you know what I mean?

AM: Yeah. It’s about blending. When you

have two collaborators that you know

their work separately, come together it’s a

hybrid that’s undefined and gives you the

space to create. That’s so exciting when

you see that come together.

TH: You get me.

AM: Yes! Our team has done fun projects

outside of Athleisure Mag. Our Style Director

had the opportunity to style Nile Rodgers

a few years ago and her style has its

signature and Nile is known for his. So the

two coming together to create a look really

took the pressure off of her as they both

had a united vision without her wondering

how it would go against her aesthetic. She

could just sit back and enjoy the work and

embrace his vibes and interests while adding

in her touches.

TH: Exactly, it’s fun to have the other create

fingerprints on it as well.

AM: Prior to COVID-19, you guys had a

number of tours that you were on and creating

a number of amazing shows. In prep

for this interview, when we have told people

that you guys are the cover, everyone

would tell us about their show experience

when jamming out with you guys and how

it was the best night of their lives. So many

people have painted a picture for us about

your shows, but for those that have yet

to go, what is it like for one of your in

person shows?

TH: I don’t remember.

AM: It feels like so long ago!

SHW: It’s like a electric orgasm!

TH: It’s all that energy coming together

on one wave length. It’s like losing your

shit. You know when you’re like 13 with

your friends and you’re listening to music

on your boombox in your room and

you’re like dancing on your bed – like

losing it? I try to bring the adult back to

that – to that primal nature.

AM: Do you guys have pre-show things

that you do to get your mind ready for

the show and then things that you do

when the show is over? You guys are

pushing through so much energy that it’s

unimaginable how much you guys must

hype yourselves up and then come down

from that whole affect.

SHW: It is a p-r-o-c-e-s-s.

TH: We have different processes.

AM: Assumed!

TH: I’m going to let Sophie go as it’s such

a process.

SHW: I’m really sensitive to stimulus as

a person. I have to warm up to and then

cool down from it or else I would never

be able to survive. Basically, hours before

the show my prep begins. 4 hours

prior to the show, I will have my last

meal. About an hour before the show,

I start my vocal exercises. They are very

physical and funny. That will go for about

an hour and a half. Down to the hour, I

know exactly what I am doing. After

my vocal warm up, I will do my physical

warm up. It’s about rolling out my body

and it’s intricate. For the last 5 mins, we

will dance around and psych each other

up. You know, just jumping around with



nervous energy.

After the show, then I have a vocal cool

down and then ideally, there’s a bathtub

or a shower that also helps me to come

down.

AM: Although that was an unexpected answer,

love hearing this and knowing that

there is such a thing as a vocal cool down

is something new to us!

SHW: It doesn’t take that long. It’s just

learning about putting the vocal in the

right place in your mouth if that makes

sense. That way you don’t get hoarse.

When you talk right after singing, it can

be really draining on the voice.

AM: Totally. Tucker?

TH: Mine is a little simpler. Before the

show, we both pretty much treat it like a

basketball game. It’s all about the warm

up, being able to blast music – usually

dance music. It gets more intense as it

goes. The first hour may be a bit more

chiller. By the end, it could be trance by

the time we’re ready to go out so we’re

losing it. I’m really big into warming up

because if we don’t do it or don’t do it

long enough, my hamstrings will just be

done and then it’s all over. Right before

we go out, we really hype each other up

and Sophie gives me a 5-star on the back,

like a really hard one. And it always hurts,

but it stings and it gives me a little extra

jolt which I like – but I don’t miss it that

much haha!

SHW: What?

TH: I call it the 5-star. Sophie didn’t know

that that’s what I call it until now! It’s a big

slap on your back – it’s a 5-star.

Afterwards, I ice up my knees and my feet

with bags of ice or an ice bath type of situation.

AM: Um truly like a basketball player!

TH: Yeah, it’s very similar to my routine

when I was a basketball player. We kind

of run around and go nuts on stage.

When I come off stage, my shirt is entirely

dripping in sweat. It’s like a full

hour and a half of going nuts. So I really

have to ice but I don’t have to do the

wind down, when we go back to the hotel

after shows, I can just lie on the bed

and fall asleep a minute after raving.

Sophie has to do like a full 2 hour yoga

wind down. When we used to share a

hotel room for the first couple of years

because we had smaller budgets, it

was not ideal to share a room. I’d want

to put the TV on so that I could watch

SportsCenter and fall asleep to it and

she could not have any light stimulation

or noise or she would not be able to fall

asleep. She has like ear plugs and an eye

mask. If I had the TV on even in silent,

she’d be like, “nope the light flickering is

fucking me up.” I was like, “this is ridiculous.”

AM: You guys have had such a successful

career, you have 2 GRAMMY nominations,

you’ve played a number of festivals, I always

love hearing your music when it’s

on an Apple (Best Friend) or Peleton (Purple

Hat) commercial – we’re huge fans of

HBO’s The New Pope. So when we heard,

Good Time Girl as the opening song –

that was amazing. What does it mean to

you guys to have so much of your music

placed into so many pop culture areas?

SHW: I think that we feel really lucky to

be able to be in that space! It’s a great

way for people to be able to connect to

our music and it’s just such a great opportunity.

AM: Even as we navigate COVID-19, you

guys have continued to stay connected

with your fans. How did your daily concerts

from home start and how impactful

has it been to be able to provide this

to your fans? Especially when we’re in a

moment where you can’t really, travel,

tour etc?

SHW: It started very organically and by

accident. Tucker was DJing and I was

working out. Our friend came down and

started live streaming what was happening.

People were watching and it was really

fun and we said let’s do it again. I think

on the 3rd day, Tucker was like, we’re going

to do this everyday until COVID-19 is

over. Obviously, little did we know that

we would still be at it. What we’re doing is

different than our live shows as this is a DJ

set and has been so much fun. Honestly,

it’s been one of the most meaningful moments

that I would say of my life. We’re

in this moment in time right now where

people are feeling loneliness and are suffering

and we are able to bring people together

every single day. Everybody that is

coming together are our friends and our

community is now called the Freak Fam

and it’s grown to be this big community

outside of ourselves. They have come together

and they’re so inclusive and warm

– it’s been great to see and gives us hope.

This year, we’ve seen a lot of things about

our world that hasn’t been great so to see

that there are people like this has really

been something that I have loved being

able to be a part of.

AM: Are these shows thematic by genre,

country or dedicated to specific portions

of your fan base? Do you guys just free

flow everyday?

TH: The Freak Fam is really so world wide

that our music is really for everyone out

there. It’s interesting because there are so

many different time zones and languages

that for those, it would feel odd to be specifically

towards just one place because it’s

so diverse. We have done specific shows

like an all Australia set for Australian radio

where it livestreamed and it only featured

artists from Australia. We’ve done some

Mexico specific ones – we’ve done it. But

for the daily streams, we just try to keep it

inclusive for everyone.

AM: When you guys created Treehouse,

there are so many good songs on it. How

long did it take you to make it and what

was that like?

SHW: It’s so different now versus then.

When we made Treehouse, we didn’t

have real time off. We basically used the

time in between our tours. We would

go to the studio, work on the songs etc.

Since it was done that way, it probably

took a year to get that album out. There

would be gaps where we couldn’t work

on songs for a number of months as it

would be a couple of days here and a

couple of days there.

AM: Last month we interviewed you and

Icona Pop about the release of SPA which

we loved. We just caught the video recently

as we have it on repeat.

What was the thought behind having

Jordan Firstman and Mia Khalifa also being

including in this video and how did

that come about?

SHW: I think it started out with Icona Pop

as they were friends with him. We’re so

lucky that we were able to have them in

their as they are so iconic and I love their

videos. They’re both so cool and iconic

in their own way.

AM: You guys have the interactive e-concert

coming up on Yoop on Mar 12, 2021

at - live from their eSPACE in Nashville.

How did this come together and how are

you working in terms of being prepared

for that one?

TH: We’re so excited about this one.

We’ve been waiting for the right kind of

virtual experience that would fit what

we would want that would be really

unique and would be different from going

and watching one of our live shows

from YouTube or something. We were

looking for a platform that had a real

two way traction. One of the main parts

about our show is the connection between

us and the fans and the real give

and take and not just for our enjoyment

although we definitely do have that. But

the shows have a real live effect as it

gets everyone on the same wavelength

which is an important part about our

show. To try to do that in a virtual world

through technology, we thought that

this platform would be a great way to do

that. It has no lag between communication.

People can clap at the end of shows

or scream and we can hear that. There are

these 3 big movie like screens in front of

us where the crowd would normally be

and there’s the ability to scroll through

thousands of people who are listening in

from their house. We can even pick them

out and hear them with no lag time.

It’s the first thing that we have seen that

is close to a real show and being able to

get that real energy. We watched a couple

of them as they were getting their platform

going and just watching the kinds of

interaction between the artist and their

fans, talking through the songs and seeing

everyone interact – it was such a cool

experience. It made me really thing that

you were there in that experience all together.

You know it’s live. I’ve seen some

livestreams and it looks like it was just

pre-recorded shows that you’re watching.

That’s cool, but for us we want to try to

really have that live feel.

AM: In these times that we’re living in right

now, how are you spending your time in

quarantine when you’re not doing your

daily shows? Are you working on your next

album or finding new hobbies that you

didn’t know that you had?

SHW: We’ve never had this much time before

ever! It’s really interesting. We have

been working on a lot of new music. I’m

not going to announce anything specific.

AM: Thought so.

SHW: But, there is a body of work!

AM: Nice.

SHW: But we have never had this amount

of time where we could work on songs

like this. So we’re really excited about that

process. I mean, we try to get outside a

lot. I’ve been DJing everyday. I wasn’t really

DJing before this time. So I spend a lot

of time practicing DJing now and I spend

a lot of time doing tutorials. I take guitar

lessons as well to take the time to work on

my craft. I love being able to do that and I

also play things in our DJ set of things that

our Freak Fam is doing. It could be poetry

or things that they are doing and so I will

work on that. There’s a ton to do!

AM: How do you guys stay inspired?

SHW: I’d say that the DJ sets that we’re

doing right now are really inspired. It’s

energizing and it’s fun to try out a set or

song and see how it works. Then we can

go back and work on it more and then try

it out on a set again. It’s really cool to be

able to have that feedback when we’re

working on something. We can go directly

from studio to set to play it.

AM: A lot of people are thinking about

what next year will look like in terms of

returning to IRL events and things of that

nature. Have you guys begun to sketch out

what plans to doing something like that

will look like? Or are you looking at circling

that date in hopes that you can actually do

that show or particular event?

SHW: I would say that we’re trying not to

get our hopes up!

AM: Same!

SHW: I think that we actually haven’t even

gone there. Like obviously our team is

there creating plans, but in our hearts we

just believe that today is what today is and

tomorrow is what tomorrow is. But it’s really

hard mentally to go past anything like

a month. I mean how the world is right

now and what it will be, we know it’s really

unpredictable right now and that’s all

we can predict!

AM: We’ve literally had the same conversations

on this end. When can we do IRL

shoots, attend events etc. To be able to

think about that and to think about the

safety around those elements is just a lot

to take in because the plans become so

fluid and it’s definitely hard to predict. It’s

too soon!

SHW: Yeah.

AM: What do you guys think about the fact

that because you have had so much virtual/digital

engagement and even hearing

about this new platform that your show

on the 4th will be on, everyone regardless

of their vertical has embraced these concepts.

When things at some point in life do

get back to being in person, will you guys

maintain some of these virtual nuggets

that you have been playing around with

and that people have enjoyed even when

they can move around more freely?

TH: For sure! I think that he whole world

has definitely embraced the virtual element

in all industries. I’m sure a lot of

companies are saying, “you know, we

don’t really need that office space. We can

do it from home and save all of this money.”

I think that it will be the same in the

music industry. We can’t get everywhere

and there are still places that we have

never been able to go. We have played in

a lot of places but there are so many places

that we haven’t been able to play for

many reasons. Sometimes it’s just as simple

as the currency of that country as doing

it would mean that we would financially

lose money and people can’t afford the

show. I think there is such a good use of

virtual shows and our DJ sets whether it’s

geo-targeted or geo-locked and can only

be seen in certain places, I think it’s going

to be really useful.

You can have people watching you from

all over the world and be united and that

doesn’t have when we have our in person

shows. Only people in that space/that

town get to be in that moment. It can accomplish

something sometimes bigger

and sometimes more broad. Because it’s

free (not the Yoop show,) but what we

have been doing is, hopefully it’s just a

1-click for free mouse move as the barrier

into entry. Those who may not have

known us well enough to pay for a ticket

or two to make a plan in their week to

see us can do it now because of this platform

when they wouldn’t have prior to.

So there is always a good use for some

thing like this and I think it will get creative

when the world is back to the new

normal or whatever it is.

AM: What do you guys see as being next

in terms of the SOFI TUKKER brand?

Launching a fashion line, getting into

acting – are there other areas that you

want to be able to embrace in addition

to your successful music career?

SHW: Tucker is a thespian!

TH: No not really! Haha

SHW: Haha I don’t think my sarcasm

translates well to print haha!

AM: Haha we caught it!

SHW: So we have our body of work

that we are working on right now and

I don’t think that we have ever been so

proud of the music that we are making.

We definitely are interested in launching

projects of course.

TH: If you have anything in mind, we’re

around!

AM: Of course!

SHW: We don’t have any booking plans

right now to get in the way of that.

TH: We want to be able to continue to do

what we’re doing and to grow the Freak

Fam as well! When live shows return, we

want to be able to do it in a hopefully bigger

and more exciting place than where

we left off. It’s exciting and we’ve loved

being able to find ways to keep growing

and to work with so many great people.

SHW: It’s been a really tough time as I’m

really far away from my family. So that’s

tough so to have the work that we do –

our music and our purpose and to have

a community that is so vibrant it really

helps. It takes a time that is really tough

and difficult and helps me and others

get through it. It makes it a lot easier to

focus on things and to be able to be ex-

cited about them.

AM: Clearly you guys inspire people with

everything that you do. So we always like

asking people who are 3 people that you

know or admire from afar that have inspired

who you are today?

TH: There are so many people and I think

when you think about the people that we

have learned from – when we started the

group or band or duo – still don’t know

what to call it 5 years later ha! We started,

we were really uncomfortable taking

photos, being on social media and we

wouldn’t take selfies because we thought

it was lame. Then something as simple as

seeing other friends of ours do what they

did and were amazing at social media,

that was inspiring to us.

For me in short, it would be Larry Bird.

AM: Yes! Our Co-Founder loves Larry Bird!

TH: Is she from French Lick?

AM: No, Indianapolis but she’s all about

him and you can never say anything wrong

about him – his work ethic and focus is

amazing.

TH: Exactly. I’m from Boston and as a

sports guy, I grew up idolizing his work

ethic, how hard he played and how hard he

practiced. When I watched him play, that

was always instilled in me and I learned

it from sports. I knew that if you’re not

working, someone else is getting better.

It’s not like everything is a competition

but it is competitive and that is motivating

for me.

AM: In our Style Director’s home state,

they believe in Life is Sports and Sports is

Life. How you are in sports is how you’re

going to go about life. So it is a competition

and in many ways that competition

will be with yourself. And the reality is that

someone else is also doing what you are

doing so you need to be ready to perform.

It’s a great point!

TH: A lot of what I learned there, we

have brought into our world here. Being

a captain on a college basketball team

and working together – a lot of those

skills are also applicable in what we do

now and it was great to bring it in here.

SH: I’m going to give you an emotional

answer because my grandfather passed

away recently. I would say that he is one

of the reasons why I am who I am today

and he inspired me. A – he always treated

me like I was the most special person

in the world. The thing about him is

that I think he actually treated a lot of

people that way so it wasn’t just about

me. That’s how he was with people and

when he interacted with them, he made

them feel that way. Feeling seen and

having that kind of love in my life made

me believe in myself and made me want

to give that back to other people so that

others could be seen and feel special.

The other thing is that he was always

jolly and I never heard him complain and

I think that that value is something that

we have also brought into the community

and the band.

@SOFITUKKER

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS

Athleisure Mag's virtual cover shoot was

shot by Co-Founder + Celebrity Photographer

Paul Farkas. Throughout this shoot,

Paul used an iPhone 11 Pro, iPad Air 2,

Facetime and Clos.

STYLE CREDITS

Athleisure Mag's Celeb Fashion Stylist,

Co-Founder, Creative + Style Director

Kimmie Smith shares what she used to

create the cover editorial with SOFI TUK-

KER for a number of fun vibrant looks.

LOOK I | LOUNGE STYLE

FRONT COVER, PG 16 + 19 | SOPHIE: DIP-

PIN' DAISY'S Show Off Bralette + Next

Weekend Pullover | MAISON MIRU Halo

Oval Hoop Earrings in Sterling | EXPERI-

MENTAL JEWELLERY CLUB Gold Pyramid

Stud Bracelet | Nike Sneakers | TUCKER:

RUSSELL ATHLETIC Tie Dye French Terry

Hoodie + Short | PUMA Rs-2K Messaging

Sneakers | SOFI TUKKER Yellow Choker

Chain |

LOOK II | SPORTY STYLE

BACK COVER + PG 20 - 25 | SOPHIE: L'OEUF

POCHE Cloud 9 Crop Pullover | L'ETOILE

SPORT A-Line Skort | MAISON MIRU Halo

Oval Hoop Earrings in Sterling | Nike

Sneakers | BABOLAT Pure Aero Tennis

Racket | TUCKER: ALO YOGA Idol Hooded

Runner + Chill Short | MATADOR MEG-

GINGS Cubed Meggings | PUMA Rs-2K

Messaging Sneakers | SOFI TUKKER Yellow

Choker Chain |

LOOK III | WEEKEND STYLE

PG 27 - 32 | SOPHIE: BALANCE ATHLETICA

Tie Dye Hoodie | PANGAIA Lightweight

Recycled Cotton Track Pants | MAISON

MIRU Halo Oval Hoop Earrings in Sterling

PUMA RS-Fast Sneaker | TUCKER: MUNIC-

IPAL Standard Issue 300 Hoodie | PUMA

X KIDSUPER STUDIOS Track Pants | Nike

Sneakers | SOFI TUKKER Yellow Choker

Chain |

LOOK IV | STUDIO STYLE

PG 35 - 39 | MUNICIPAL Sport Utility Hoodie

+ Jogger |

LOOK V | CASUAL STYLE

PG 40 + 41 | KALORE Ivory Satin Top +

Stretch Pants | MAISON MIRU Halo Oval

Hoop Earrings in Sterling | STELLA MCCA-

RTNEY Holographic Sneakers |

LOOK VI | CHILL STYLE

PG 42 + 43 | BALANCE ATHLETICA Tie Dye

Hoodie | MUNICIPAL Crossover Short |

@PVFarkas

@Shes.Kimmie

Hear EDM musical duo SOFI TUKKER on

our show, #TRIBEGOALS - which is a part

of Athleisure Studio, our multimedia companion

podcast network! Subscribe to be

notified when the episode drops. Listen

on iHeartRadio, Spotify, Apple Podcasts,

Amazon Music, Google Podcasts or wherever

you enjoy your podcasts.

SMOKING AND GRILLING

with Chef David Rose

It has been quite a year and yet, 2020

continues to roll on. In the midst of

a lot of uncertainty, there have been

things that remind us how life was

prior to living in the pandemic that

has taken place across the globe. This

holiday season will be a bit different

than what we have experienced with

us socially distanced and not partaking

in holiday parties and events that

we have been used to in the past. We

caught up with Chef David Rose to

hear some tips on how we can tackle

this year's season.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We enjoyed seeing

you as a finalist on Season 13's Food

Network Star, being a Food Network

personality and a number of shows.

How do you define your cooking style?

CHEF DAVID ROSE: My cooking style

is kind of a mix of a couple of different

things. First off, my family is Jamaican

and I am from the tri-state area so

there is a huge cultural melting pot. I

would say that I cut my teeth in terms

of cooking in the South. So you see a

lot of Southern influences and twists

on my recipes. But I was also classically

trained in the French arts at Le Cordon

Bleu where I graduated summa cum

laude back in 2006 – very proud of

that one right there! I would say that

my cooking style is elevated Southern

with a Caribbean French Twist and a

bit of international influences. So I’m

sort of a man of mystery and a chef of

mystery! I like to keep people on their

toes and to keep them guessing.

AM: The Athleisure team throughout

quarantine has enjoyed a number of

the dishes from Omaha Steaks so we

know that they are more than just steak

and chicken as they have sides and desserts.

As the Executive Chef for Omaha

Steaks, what is the synergy between

you and the brand and what can we expect

to see between you and them in

this partnership?

CHEF DR: Defintiely. I am a huge smoking

and grilling fan and fanatic! I have

about 4 or 5 grills so I think that smoking

and grilling unleashes the natural amazingness

and flavors that you can find over

at Omaha Steaks. From one of my favorites,

the Tomahawk Ribeye that nice luscious

bone eye and then there is the filet

as well as the strips and the T-bone. You

also can’t go wrong with a lobster tail as

well. I’m pretty sure when offered a surf

and turf, nobody ever ever said no! A lot of

those things go really well together. As far

as being Jamaican, you know we eat everything.

Whether it be chicken, it’s beef,

turkey – whatever. We love everything

and you can find so many assortments

of proteins from ready to eat sides and

ready to eat desserts. It’s all on the website

and I’m excited to be able to bring my

Southern influence and Caribbean influence

to an incredible company known for

their meat and protein portfolio in order

to exude and explore and to showcase my

style of cooking with Omaha Steaks.

AM: We’re in holiday mode and obviously

celebrations look a little different this year

with virtual get togethers and gatherings.

What tips do you have especially for veteran

hosts that will be putting on dinners

that are slightly scaled back then what

they’re used to.

CHEF DR: I think that 2020 is a year that

nobody has experienced and I’m pretty

confident in saying that. According to a

new Harris Poll, more than half of Americans

are planning to celebrate with 5

or less people and 1/3 of Americans are

opting or are considering Zoomsgiving

which is through the joy of Zoom which

I’m pretty sure that everyone has become

acclimated with during quarantine. You

can celebrate that experience of cooking

and eating even if you’re not able to do

it in person but can through the magic of

Zoom or other virtual platforms.

The holidays can be very anxious especially

if it is the first time that you have ever

cooked a turkey. We have a 10lb pre-basted

turkey that gets shipped to your doorstep.

What I recommend is that the #1

mistake that most rookies make when

they are tackling a turkey is not allowing

enough adequate time for the turkey

to thaw. You always want to allow

for at least 3 days for that turkey to

thaw. If it’s a 10lb one, you want to give

it the full 3 days and if you want the

crispy skin that we all love and is indicative

of a turkey, you want to uncover

it in a roasting rack for an additional 24

hours. By doing that, it’s going to dry

the skin out and give you that golden

brown crispy turkey skin every single

time. As far as doing all of that. We

also suggest making your turkey a day

ahead of time. It allows you to have

a stress free, anxiety reduced day on

Thanksgiving. When you do that, you

want to take the turkey out, remove

the breast, the thighs, the legs and the

wings. The key thing is to allow the

turkey to rest and come to room temperature.

What you do then is put it

inside of the fridge. When you remove

the turkey from the fridge on Thanksgiving

day, you just need to reheat it

and then you’re just focusing on the

sides, the appetizers and my personal

favorite – the desserts. Another way

to shave some time from the prep is

to buy some mix and match sides from

the site as there are a lot of options.

We also have a great partnership with

Wine.com where we have some packages

that can be purchased.

I always say, that being ready, being

prepared and keeping your freezer

stocked with a plethora of goodness

means that you’re always going to

be the hero at any Thanksgiving or

Zoomsgiving table.

AM: What are your go to mains and

sides that you enjoy having around?

CHEF DR: One of my favorite things

is a Prime Rib Roast. I think that this

reigns supreme at any holiday dinner

table. I just love to eat that bone when

I’m done. I’m a gnawer Athleisure, I’m

a gnawer. If you have dogs, the dogs

will appreciate that as well. The great

thing about a Prime Rib Roast is that it

can be shared with families, it’s great for

leftovers – you can make a prime rib sandwich

the following day. To me, nothing

screams celebrations, nothing screams

holidays more than an amazing Prime Rib

Roast. We have an amazing selection of

those as well.

PHOTOS COURTESY | OMAHA STEAKS

AM: What are some recipes that we should

keep in mind as well as we are navigating

this holiday season?

CHEF DR: What I would recommend is

that you want to go and brine the turkey

to add additional flavor. These pre-basted

turkeys are already pre-brined. They have

their brown sugar, their honey and so it’s

not just about the flavor but the color so it

has that golden brown deliciousness. Now

some of my personal flavor recipes is that

I love doing compound butters. They’re

great for steaks, they’re great for roasts

and I recommend if you want to get that

juicy lush turkey breast, is make that. A

compound butter is a fancy way to essentially

say a butter with herbs like thyme,

rosemary, sage and garlic. To get that really

juicy and luscious turkey breast, you

take that compound butter and you slide

it under the skin and slather it all over the

breast. Now what that does is that when

that turkey slowly cooks and we know

that that fat of the butter is where the flavor

comes in – it just makes it taste amazing

with great texture 10 out of 10 times.

Hear Chef David Rose on our show, Athleisure

Kitchen - which is a part of Athleisure

Studio, our multimedia companion

podcast network! Subscribe to be notified

when the episode drops. Listen on iHeart-

Radio, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon

Music, Google Podcasts or wherever you

enjoy your podcasts.

AM: Like you said earlier, 2020 no one can

say that we have ever seen anything like

this! How do you plan on ringing in the

New Year?

CHEF DR: I think everyone is looking forward

to ringing in 2021 and what I’m planning

on doing is having a nice Prime Rib

Roast, maybe a filet or Ribeye on the grill

– one of these amazing food packages

where you can’t forget about your libations!

For me, a nice glass of bourbon and

just enjoying one of my favorite pairings

– steak and bourbon. You can’t go wrong

with that.

@ChefDavidRose

Go!

crispygreen.com

facebook.com/crispygreen @crispygreensnacks @crispygreen

Inspiration

doesn’t just occur.

It’s created.

Perfection isn’t simply achieved.

It’s worked for.

Reserved for those who get out and go. Fueled

by nature. Motivated by spirit. How do you go?

We enjoyed talking to Miss USA 2019 Cheslie

Kryst who recently crowned Miss USA

2020 Asya Branch. During her reign, she

competed at the Miss Universe 2019 competition

and finished in the top 10 representing

the United States. She was also a

part of a historic period where for the first

time, all 4 major US based pagent holders

were black women including Miss Universe

2019's Zozibini Tuni of South Africa, Miss

America 2019 Nia Franklin and Miss Teen

USA 2019 Kaliegh Garris.

We talked to the longest reigning Miss USA

on how she got into the pageant world, her

platform, being an attorney and her work

as a correspondent on EXTRA.

ATHLEISURE MAG: So what drew you to

wanting to be in the pageants?

CHESLIE KRYST: My mom actually was

Mrs North Carolina US 2002. She won this

pageant for married women and I was 10

or 11 years old. I just remember feeling like

my mom was famous. There were kids in

my middle school who would ask me for

my autograph. People who didn’t know

my name before or who I was – I just remember

saying that there was something

cool about this. I knew at some point that

I would compete.

AM: What drew you into wanting to stay

in the pageant system in terms of initially

competing and whether you plan on still

being involved in activities that took place

during your reign after the crown?

CK: Yeah! I think what kept me involved

was seeing that pageantry could be a

spring board into other places and that

it could be a platform that you wouldn’t

have otherwise had access to. I remember

seeing photos of Halle Berry for years

competing and she was the first runners

up and then she was Miss USA and

I was like, “oh my God. She’s an Academy

Award winning actress, I want to be that

one day. How cool would that be?" Or seeing

careers that people like Kenya Moore

has had and to see how people who have

been in this system, competed and how

they have gone on to be these incredible

public figures and I wanted that. I continued

to compete not only because I wanted

to reap the benefits, but because I

was reaping the benefits. You prepare for

interviews so your skills in that area are

sharpened. You're thinking about what to

wear on stage so you’re constantly thinking

about styling so you have that more

than someone else who may not be focused

on what they’re wearing like that.

It’s a big high level goal that even if you

don’t win you don’t lose either.

AM: You were recently the co-host of the

Miss USA Competition as well as being

able to crown the winner, what was that

like especially as we’re navigating things

in this time of COVID-19 that you were still

able to put on a great show that people

enjoy watching – especially with it being

Graceland in Nashville as well as knowing

your reign was over as you passed the baton?

CK: It was so much fun and it was a great

transition out of my role into what my

new life would be. For the final Miss USA

Competition, I was an analyst and it was

really cool to be able to go back and forth

between the co-host interviewing me

on stage and then back of house to talk

about what we just saw on stage as well

as to hear who I thought would continue

to advance. It was so much fun and it

was a literal translation of what my transition

would be from being on stage and

being a title holder to being the person

who assesses what is happening on stage

guiding the viewers through what is happening.

That was incredible for me and it

took away those feelings of what would

be sadness for the end of my reign.

AM: You have had the longest reign. What

was the platform that you focused on

during your time that you wanted people

to be aware of?

CK: I focused on Social Justice and also became

the Global Impact Ambassador for

Dress for Success. I talked about on one

hand as Dress for Success as an organiza-

SHE EMPOWERS

with Cheslie Kryst

tion and on the other hand, criminal justice

reform as a topic and continuing to

advance on this issue obviously on the

criminal federal level as well as the state

level. Both of these topics were important

to me. For Dress for Success, I got to go

on a nationwide tour where I would meet

with local affiliates and their clients, talk

to professional women and to attendees

about how important this organization is

and how they could continue to support

it. I got to see first hand the people that

were being benefited by it and that was

really important to me.

AM: Clearly you had a lot on your plate.

How were you able to do the duties of Miss

USA, you’re an attorney as well and also

being a correspondent on Extra! How were

you able to do all of that at the same time?

Doing the prep for this interview, busy for

you was an understatement!

CK: I was busy and it was quite a year and

a half. Lucky for me, Miss USA is a full time

job. So as soon as I won, I took a leave of

absence from my law firm so I wasn’t actively

practicing law while I was fulfilling

my duties as Miss USA. I think that if I had

been doing both, it would have been impossible

for me to do both well. I did take

the time away and now that I have ended

my reign, I have decided to refocus on my

career as a correspondent in working with

EXTRA full time and have been placed on

inactive status in North and South Carolina

where my licenses were previously active

so I’m not practicing law right now.

I mean, it was craziness when I was trying

to go from appearances for Miss USA and

then sprinting to red carpets to cover for

celebrities for EXTRA like Gayle King.

AM: How did EXTRA come about as that’s

such a fun show and you’ve been there for

over a year!

CS: One of the producers for the show

saw me win and she saw some of my interviews

and had formed a close relationship

with the President of the Miss Universe

Organization, Paula Shugart as well

as knowing others in the organization and

she had served as a judge for us as well.

She talked to them about being able to

meet me and we talked about being able

to do special correspondence. My first 3

interviews were Zendaya, Lizzo and Millie

Bobby Brown. I just remember thinking,

“wow you guys couldn’t start me off with

someone that was less famous?” But Iike

that they had confidence and me and in

those interviews, they went well and kept

bringing me on for assignments and eventually

brought me on as a regular correspondent.

AM: What have been some of the most engaging

things that you have done in your

time as an EXTRA correspondent?

CK: There’s so many! Some of the red carpets

have been really cool with actors and

celebrities. I think it can be overwhelming

sometimes when it’s your first one. I

remember my first red carpet it was for

a television show that had been turned

into a movie. I just remember that there

were so many celebrities and I remember

Martha Stewart being on the carpet and

she was randomly taking a picture on her

phone in my direction while I was interviewing

someone and I thought, “Martha

Stewart is aware of my existence possibly.”

That was a cool moment. I have been

able to interview some great people like

Oprah Winfrey, Tom Hanks, Henry Golding

a couple of times and he was so sweet.

I remember asking him who he was wearing

and he said, “my wife dressed me.”

She was literally standing behind me and I

said, “thank you, you did a great job.” I’ve

learned that the celebrities that I meet,

they’re just real people and a lot of them

are so kind and giving of their time and

cool to talk to.

AM: How is it for you to prepare when it’s a

one on one interview where you have a set

period of time with someone versus something

like a red carpet scenario where it’s

one right after the other?

CK: For sure. You still try to research on

the red carpet and to be aware of celebri-

ties who could possibly be on the red carpet

from background information, the

movie that they are involved in etc. If it’s

an event or a release, you want to know

that as well so that you have that general

knowledge. For smaller one on one inter

views, I have more time to just focus on

that person which I like. You don’t have

to worry about having that publicist who

grabs their client to get them into the

next interview or that they’re really really

tired after doing 7 interviews on a red

carpet. It’s always great when you get a

relaxed environment and people feel that

they can take their guard down to talk to

you. There’s also junkets where they are

more like to red carpet and you have that

back to back. So you just always have to

do that prep.

AM: Tell us about White Collar Glam. It’s

such an interesting concept and our readers

would love to know more.

CK: It’s a blog that I started years ago as

workwear fashion for women. I started it

because I remember being in law school

and there was a competition that I was

preparing for for trial bar. We made it

through our regional competition and

made it to nationals. I made it to nationals

for this multiday competition and I

brought 3 suits with me and one by one

they were ruined while I was there. There

was no air conditioning in one court room

so I sweated through my suit and you

could see the sweatmarks from the outside.

The next day, I wore a different suit and

it ripped while I walked to the court! So I

was left with my last suit which was a little

too big for me and it was drowning me. I

remember just being frustrated and I was

like, “I have this important competition

and I need to focus on that, but I’m thinking

about this suit and I don’t even know

where to get another one.” My trial coach

offered to take me to Brooks Brothers to

get another one. I didn’t know a lot about

it at the time except that it was expensive.

My coach offered to buy it for me and I

was like, “you can’t buy me a $600 suit.”

Luckily, my fellow competitors who were

on my team from my school had banded

together and fixed my first suit and we

ended up winning the competition. After

law school, I wanted to think of a way to

create a resource to other women who

may have been in my situation. You ruined

a suit and didn’t know where to shop,

you didn’t know where to get a suit that

was affordable, accessories questions etc

– I researched this and started to put together

my blog. I wrote articles to answer

questions that I think every woman has

had at some time.

AM: It’s very cool – unfortunate that you

ruined your 3 suits!

CK: Right? But it had a happy ending!

AM: Right and it’s something that people

definitely could use!

What do you look at in terms of the legacy

that you want to leave behind not just with

your involvement in the Miss Universe Organization

but also just what you’re doing

with people?

CK: I hope that people remember that

women are multidimensional. This can’t

be hammered into society enough! We

constantly have to be reminded that just

because a woman is beautiful doesn’t

mean that they can’t be smart and have

an interest to do business ventures. For

some people they look at Kim Kardashian

who is a beautiful woman and a reality TV

star and she built from that but she is incredibly

business savvy. She has built this

empire because she is driven, works hard

and wants to provide for her family. Women

are these beautiful creatures who have

varied interests and it shouldn’t be limited

because society can’t broaden their own

perspective! That’s what I hope people

will remember about me. I am an attorney

but I also like walking around in swimsuits

and competing in pageants. It’s one

of my favorite areas of competition but in

my free time, I will advocate for Dress for

Success and love spending time with my

family. Women are multidimensional and

shouldn’t be limited.

AM: Are there other projects that you have

going on that you are able to share?

CK: For sure! Besides working with EX-

TRA, I have also signed with a few Speaker’s

Bureaus that I really love doing. With

Miss USA, I loved speaking on women’s

empowerment and social justice issues

which continue to be important to me. I

will continue to do this traveling – well not

traveling so much now, but talking largely

virtually now about this. Beyond that, I’m

also a Diversity Advisor for the law firm

that I previously worked for as an attorney.

I knew that in the immediate future, I

didn’t want to practice law but I connected

to my firm in this new capacity so that

I could work on inclusion and diversity

plans with the firm and helping them to

make sure that they are achieving that especially

in an industry that lacks diversity

and needs help. I’m talking about the entire

legal industry as a whole in terms of

inclusion, diversity and equity.

@CheslieKryst

PHOTO CREDITS | PG 55 Sage Media Group

Photography | PG 56 Miss Universe Organization

| PG 60 Blue Method Films | Editors

Note: Photos in She Empowers with

Cheslie Kryst were taken prior to COVID-19

Hear Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst on our

show, Bungalow SK - which is a part of Athleisure

Studio, our multimedia companion

podcast network! Subscribe to be notified

when the episode drops. Listen on iHeart-

Radio, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon

Music, Google Podcasts or wherever you

enjoy your podcasts.


THE ART OF THE SNACK

Amigo Nai

This month's The Art of the Snack focuses

on a savory destination from Chef Ruben

Rodriguez who has taken culinary inspiration

from his home in Galicia, Spain. NYers

have the ability to enjoy a number of the

dishes he grew up eating from his mother's

kitchen in Spain. In addition, he gives

us the scoop on the restaurant group that

he is creating as well as a bit on Nai Tapas

and his newest venture, Amigo Nai.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Chef Ruben Rodriguez,

tell us about your culinary background

and the influence for your style of cooking?

CHEF RUBEN RODRIGUEZ: I spent my days

growing up in my mother’s restaurant

Merendero Cave in Galicia, Spain, where I

learned some of my mother’s coveted secret

recipes. Being from Galicia, you will

find that in any of my menus I make sure

to highlight my culture in some way. Nai

Tapas is my first restaurant and I opened

it ten years ago after working in numerous

NYC kitchens around the city. My style

of cooking continues to change and now

I’m really focused on clean flavor profiles

with strong presentations. I like the ingredients

to speak for themselves on the

plate.

AM: Before we talk about Amigo Nai,

you’re currently celebrating your 10-year

anniversary with Nai Tapas. Tell us about

your menu and the ambiance here.

CHEF RR: Nai Tapas is my ever-evolving love

letter to my mother and grandmother, as

I spotlight a number of their traditional

recipes. However, I am constantly experimenting

with flavors and different techniques

to continue to grow as a Chef. My

menu is divided into modern tapas and

traditional tapas with an option to do a

tasting menu, which I always suggest as it

allows for our customers to really get the

full Nai experience. I’m a serious chef, who

doesn’t take himself too seriously, so at

Nai it’s all about playful presentations and

flavors that pop and surprise my guests.

AM: What was the moment that you realized

that you wanted to create Amigo by

Nai and when did it launch?

CHEF RR: Amigo by Nai has always been

in the back of my head, as I knew I wanted

to create a fine dining taqueria while

infusing my Spanish heritage into the tacos

served. I found a spot that I loved,

which is just a few blocks away from

Nai Tapas and then ironically enough a

few months later I came across a video

of Billy showcasing his tacos and speaking

about his heritage and the tradition

behind the famed carnitas recipes.

I jumped on a plane to Los Angeles to

meet Billy and discuss a collaboration.

From there, the Amigo vision began to

take form and we launched in October.

AM: This restaurant is a collaborative

one with Carnitas el Momo – how did

this come about and why have you guys

combined your efforts in this venture?

CHEF RR: We just got together to talk

about the collaboration after I saw his

video and the stars just aligned. On the

menu you will see his carnitas as well as

our collaboration taco with the Amigo,

which is pork belly, citrus gastrique and

red salsa brava. Apart from those, as

mentioned I always want to incorporate

my Spanish heritage into each of my

menus, so you will find the four other tacos

feature those kinds of ingredients.

AM: What can guests expect when they

come in to dine at Amigo by Nai?

CHEF RR: At Amigo by Nai you can expect

a completely different taqueria

experience. We are trying to push the

envelope and create tacos that have

more of a fine dining feel complete with

incredible signature cocktails from our

Beverage Director Niko Hagerty, who

I have literally seen grow up in my Nai

Tapas kitchen.

AM: When creating this menu, can you

tell us about where the inspiration for

your dishes came from?

CHEF RR: My inspiration will always

stem from my heritage and consistently

playing with different flavor combinations

and techniques. Something that I love to

do too is I will draw the dish before trying

to create it in the kitchen. The menu at

Amigo By Nai was something that took a

while to formulate, always ensuring that I

was paying respect to the culture.

AM: What are 3 signature dishes that you

suggest that we should enjoy?

CHEF RR: I would suggest you try the

Rabo, oxtail, red mojo and shishito peppers

with an optional side of consommé;

Gambas, shrimp, garlic sauce, aioli and

red cabbage; and a vegetarian taco with

the Coliflor, shawarma roasted cauliflower

with avocado lime chimichurri and marcona

almonds.

AM: What are 3 appetizers and/or desserts

that we should try when at Amigo by Nai?

CHEF RR: When it comes to my new apertivos

menu the Esquite De Maiz Gratinado,

husk sweet corn, Panela, Oaxaca and

Manchego cheese with panko crunch, applewood

smoked bacon, Serrano pepper

and cilantro; Taco Crujiente De Cordero,

braised lamb in a nixtamal hard shell tortilla

with majorero cheese, garlic aioli, salsa

brava and cilantro; and Pescado Frito,

fresh Atlantic cod and squid with Pedro

Ximenez sherry vinegar and garlic aioli

are all a must!

AM: What are 3 cocktails that you suggest

we should have when visiting?

CHEF RR: Everything that Beverage Director

Niko Hagerty serves is truly amazing,

but if I had to pick three, I would say the

Hunt for Red October with Michter’s bourbon,

apple brandy, allspice, apple, lemon,

honey and cinnamon; Athena Goes To The

Market with Green chili infused vodka,

Greek feta washed singani 63, pistachio

oil, fresh dill, lemon, ginger and celery

salt; and What Happened To 8th Street

with wasabi infused Dewar’s white label

scotch, sea salt and sesame seaweed,

green chartreuse, matcha, coconut and

Aztec Chocolate.

AM: During COVID-19, many restaurants

have had to pivot on how they serve the

guests and neighborhoods with pickups,

delivery, reduce indoor dining, outdoor

dining etc – what methods are you doing

to ensure that you’re available?

CHEF RR: We are available for delivery

on GrubHub and pick up, and we have

a great selection of tacos by the pound,

which are perfect for game days or small

home get-togethers with friends. We

also offer bottled cocktails and bottles

of wine.

When it comes to our outdoor space,

we have a beautiful set up of tables that

guests can feel safe and secure in, which

are equipped with heaters as we head

into the colder months.

AM: You’re launching a new restaurant

group, Nai Management LLC. What

restaurants are currently within this

brand and are there new restaurants

that we should keep an eye out for?

CHEF RR: Nai Management LLC will encompass

Nai, Amigo by Nai, the Spring

2021 launch of Avoa, meaning grandmother

in Gallego that will serve as an

all-day café plating farm to table tapas

in the back with coffee creations from

Coffee Project at the front, and a number

of other concepts that I have already

started to lay the groundwork on.

@RubenBoilsOctopus

@NaiTapas

@AmigoNYC

How to Safely Wear and Take Off a Cloth Face Covering

Accessible: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html

WEAR YOUR FACE COVERING CORRECTLY

• Wash your hands before putting on your face covering

• Put it over your nose and mouth and secure it under your chin

• Try to fit it snugly against the sides of your face

• Make sure you can breathe easily

• Do not place a mask on a child younger than 2

CLOTH BARRIER

USE THE FACE COVERING TO PROTECT OTHERS

• Wear a face covering to protect others in case you’re infected

but don’t have symptoms

• Keep the covering on your face the entire time you’re in public

• Don’t put the covering around your neck or up on your forehead

• Don’t touch the face covering, and, if you do, clean your hands

FOLLOW EVERYDAY HEALTH HABITS

• Stay at least 6 feet away from others

• Avoid contact with people who are sick

• Wash your hands often, with soap and water, for at least

20 seconds each time

• Use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available

PHARMACY

TAKE OFF YOUR CLOTH FACE COVERING CAREFULLY,

WHEN YOU’RE HOME

• Untie the strings behind your head or stretch the ear loops

• Handle only by the ear loops or ties

• Fold outside corners together

• Place covering in the washing machine

• Wash your hands with soap and water

Cloth face coverings are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators, both of which should be saved for

health care workers and other medical first responders.

For instructions on making

a cloth face covering, see:

cdc.gov/coronavirus

CS 316439A 05/18/2020

Symptoms of Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Know the symptoms of COVID-19, which can include the following:

Cough Fever

Chills Muscle pain

Shortness of breath or

difficulty breathing*

Sore throat

New loss of

taste or smell

Symptoms can range from mild to severe illness, and appear 2-14

days after you are exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19.

*Seek medical care immediately if someone has

emergency warning signs of COVID-19.

• Trouble breathing

• Persistent pain or pressure

in the chest

• New confusion

• Inability to wake or

stay awake

• Bluish lips or face

STOP THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS:

MAINTAIN SIX FEET

OF DISTANCE

All New Yorkers must wear a face covering when

outside their home if unable to maintain at least

6 feet of distance between themselves and others.

New York State Executive Order No. 202.17.

6 FEET DISTANCE

Text COVID to 692-692 for real-time updates

or visit nyc.gov/coronavirus.

Call 311 to report harassment or discrimination.

Call 888-NYC-WELL, text “WELL” to 65173 or chat online

at nyc.gov/nycwell to connect with a counselor.

*Messages and data rates may apply. Check your wireless provider plan for details.

ATHLEISURE LIST: NUTRITION

PERSONA NUTRITION

We all know the saying, "health is

wealth." Now more than ever, we know

the importance of staying healthy and

taking vitamins and supplements so

that we stay on top of it. When you're

looking at what's the right vitamin, it

can be confusing to know what we

need, if what we're taking is right for

us or if we are consuming the right

amount.

Persona Nutrition is a personalized

supplement subscription service that

allows you to have 2 packets a day for

morning and night that are based on

what your needs are. To get started,

you fill out a questionnaire about your

age, health goals, lifestyle, diet, allergies

and even the medication that you

are currently taking. This information

is compiled to create a map of your

specific needs.

The doctor designed algorithm then

creates a wellness supplement plan

with you in mind. It's based on the latest

research and is customizable. Each

month, you will receive daily supplements

that are delivered to your door

without having to worry about refills,

picking them up from your pharmacy,

etc. Should you decide to stop taking

them, you can stop the subscription at

any time.

We love the ease of taking these supplements

as everything can be done

through the app as well as having a nutrition

team available to you. Whether

you have questions on what you're

taking or would like to talk about other

concerns, their staff is there to ensure

that your needs are met. Access

to them is free of charge.

For those that are on medications,

the doctors with Persona Nutrition

are connected to expertise from their


Medical Advisory Board as well as insight

from peer-reviewed research

which has created a database of over

2,500 drugs that may interact with

your nutrients. This has been built into

the algorithm as well as a solution

against adverse reactions.

PERSONA NUTRITION

www.personanutrition.com

@personanutrition

If you're focused on key areas such

as prenatal, mens, womens, bariatric,

fitness, sleep, energy, stress and anxiety,

weight support, immune defense,

healthy ageing, digestion, detox and

joint health - they have programs targeted

specifically towards these goals.

It's easily portable that you can rip

off each day and night that are clearly

marked with your name - this is the essential

way to ensure that your body is

getting what it needs.

PHOTOS COURTESY | PERSONA NU-

TRITION



ATHLEISURE LIST: NJ, NYC, PICKUP + TAKEOUT

STICKY'S FINGER JOINT

During the summer of 2019, Athleisure

Mag's team headed to the Liberty National

Golf Course for The Northern

Trust tournament. The night before the

tournament launched we were treated

to a fun party at the course and got our

first taste of Sticky's Finger Joint which

is known for their sauces and chicken.

Since 2012, this eatery has grown from

it's Greenwich Village location and now

includes 13 locations between North

Jersey and an array of neighborhoods

in Manhattan and Brooklyn. They have

also been featured on Food Network's

3 Days to Open with Bobby Flay. This

month, they will be opening their 14th

location in Philadelphia.

It's worth noting that their fried fingers,

grilled fingers and bite-sized poppers

are made from farm-raised, antibiotic-

and hormone-free chicken (and

their mushroom poppers are made

from crimini mushrooms, vegan tempura

batter and panko breadcrumbs).

They use local ingredients to make

their 18 different homemade sauces

inspired by cuisines from around the

world. Between all those choices, plus

sandwiches, wraps, salads, nachos

and French fry baskets, there are literally

quadrillions of different theoretical

options on the menu.

SFJ also offers vegetarian fingers that

are made with a mushroom based protein.

They have the following sauces

that are vegan: Nashville Numb, Salsa

Verde, and Thai Sweet Chili.

SFJ is available for delivery and take-


out at all our locations.

Earlier this year, SFJ started RandomActofStickys

where they donated

individually packaged meals to first

responders. In addition to sending

meals on behalf of their own guests'

inquiries and local hospitals, they partnered

with NoshesforNurses, led byJill

Zarin and Ally Shapiro to send meals to

nurses and first responders that were

nominated by their fans. From this initiative,

they donated over 800 meals.

For their most recent store opening,

they ran a campaign called Basket-

4Basket and matched the number of

small baskets sold in partnership with

Boys and Girls Club of Harlem. They

donated over 300 meals to kids going

back to school.


STICKY'S FINGER JOINT

Visit Sticky's Finger Joint for locations.

www.stickys.com

@stickysfingerjoint





Stay connected and follow us across our

social channels on @AthleisureMag!





1 in 4 kids

may face

hunger

because

of the

coronavirus.

With schools closed and parents’ paychecks cut, countless children

in America don’t know where their next meal is coming from. You

can help feed them during this crisis, and in the recovery to come.

Find out how you can help at NoKidHungry.org

Bingely Books

THE GOOD LORD BIRD

Riverhead Books

James McBride

If you enjoyed watching Showtime's

limited series, The Good Lord Bird starring

Ethan Hawke (Training Day and The

Purge) as John Brown and Daveed Diggs

(Hamilton and Snowpiercer TV series) as

Frederick Douglass, you will enjoy

the novel that it is adapted

from.

We meet Henry Shackleford

who lives in the Kansas Territory

in 1856 - a battleground between

those that are pro and anti slavery.

Henry is a slave and meets

the infamous abolitionist, John

Brown, and ends up joining him

in his vision of freeing slaves - doing

so as a girl. Their exploits result

in working with one another

leading up to the events of the

historic raid on Harper's Ferry

in 1859 which is a catalyst in the

start of the Civil War.

MODERN CIDER

Ten Speed Press

Emma Christensen

The concept of drinking and creating

cider has had a renewed

interest over the past couple of

years. Back in the 1700's cider

was considered a medicinal beverage

that people consumed. Today,

there are restaurants that

are creating menus around this

and a big growing movement to

even make these at home as opposed

to buying subscriptions to

have them on hand.

Homebrew guru Emma Christensen

created this book to talk

about this movement, sourcing

the fruits and juices as well as

instructing us on bottling these

beverages.


She creates an easy to follow cookbook

with a focus on using locally sourced

ingredients. In addition, her step-bystep

instructions take the stress out of

making her creations. Recipes include

pies that are made from fruit, custard

and cream. She even has savory pies

which is perfect as we continue to go

through the upcoming winter season.

This book includes an array of recipes

along with pictures. In addition she

looks at the world of cider by also sharing

the cousins which include perry. In

addition, she shares techniques that

beer brewers use that are perfect for

those working with cider.

PIE FOR EVERYONE

Harry N. Abrams

Petra "Petee" Paredez

If you have yet to enjoy pies from Petee's

Pie Company and/or Petee's Café,

then her new cookbook, Pie For Everyone

has 80+ recipes that you can enjoy

learning to make. She breaks down how

to make her sweet treats and focuses

on her prime goal - creating the perfect

crust that's tender and flaky. Once you

have the crust down, it's about making

the perfect balance of filling so that

each bite has the intended textures together.



Bingely Streaming

SCAM GODDESS

Earwolf + TeamCoco

Spotify

We've followed Scam Goddess for quite

a while, but it was seeing the podcast's

host Laci Mosley sharing her insight on

scams on a recent episode of ABC's The Con

which looks at scams that are known and

unknown that intrigued us even more. After

hearing her commentary of The Varsity

Blues Con, we began listening to her show

which breaks down a variety of cons in this

true crime genre with her comedian guests

that appear on the show.

Each week, she talks about the scam of the

moment, digging deeply into the scam of

the week and then looks at the historical

ones and how they have manifested. They

even share anecdotes of scams and rackets

that they engaged in and the lessons

that they learned and why

they no longer doing them.

GHOST TAPE

QCode

Apple Podcast

As we have navigated quarantine,

we got to know about the

immersive audio focused podcast

network, QCode and have shared

a few of their shows on previous

Bingely Streaming inclusions. This

month, their latest Ghost Tape

dropped and we're hooked without

a doubt.

If you enjoy military conspiracies

with a sci-fi component, this show

is something that you will enjoy.

We are introduced to a cast that

is in the throws of grief as well

as being confused about the circumstances

of how Tessa Dixon's

grandfather died. Her desire to

know more about his unexpected

death sends her to signing up for

the military to be able to understand

more. Along the way, she

comes across a tape that creates

havoc on the lives of anyone that

listens to it.

This tape takes over aspects of

her life and puts her in a scenario

of being accused of killing a fellow

soldier. In addition, her psychiatrist

in an attempt to help her

listens to the tape and begins his

own journey with it. He also realizes

that not everything he is being

told by military staff is in fact

true. As we navigate the death

of Tessa's grandfather and her

charges - we get closer to what


DEAD EYES

Headgum

iHeart Radio

We've all been in an interview scenario

where we thought we had the job,

had to go back and maybe it didn't

go as well as planned. In Dead Eyes,

actor Connor Ratliff tells us about auditioning

for HBO's Band of Brothers

and his excitement for getting one of

the minor roles. Although they had

seen his tape, his agent calls him suddenly

and asks him to come back in

to read in front of the director, Tom

Hanks as there is a concern that he

has "dead eyes." Although this audtion

happened 2 decades ago, this

podcast explores those who were

connected to this show, Tom Hanks

or, Connor. We get to hear his conversations

with the actor who ended

up playing his part - Adam Sims (Lost

in Space), the actors he would have

worked with Ron Livingston (Office

Space and Sex in the City TV series)

and Stephen Stephen McCole (Rush-


more and Outlander) and friends Seth Rogen

(Steve Jobs and Neighbors) and Bobby

Moynihan (The Secret Life of Pets and Saturday

Night Live). In the second season, we

continue to delve into this story and to see

if we ever get to hear Tom weigh in on what

happened.




As our long time readers know, a number

of our cover photoshoots have taken place

in phenomenal luxury residences here in

NYC as well as other locales around the

country. So it's no surprise that we love

reality shows that focus on luxury real estate.

The OG of these programs includes

BRAVO's Million Dollar Listing. Both NY and

LA focuses not only on the housing market

in those cities, but also follows the brokers

to understand what their lives and interactions

are like as they are closing multi million

dollar deals.

Tracy Tutor is the first female broker to join

the cast of MIllion Dollar Listing LA. Her

non nonsense ability to wheel and deal,

put her clients in check when needed and

her belief in empowering those around her

comes through the screen every week. In

addition, her understanding of the industry

due to her years of work within residential

as well as her work with her father,

Ronald Tutor of Tutor Perini on the commercial

side of the business makes her

someone you enjoy watching. While she

has had successes in her career, and in the

show, we saw her navigate divorcing her

husband and being a mom of 2 daughters.

We took some time to catch up with Tracy

to talk about her work, balancing being a

mom, how she has embraced fitness into

her lifestyle and what she thinks about the

current market in these times.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We have enjoyed seeing

you on BRAVO’s Million Dollar Listing

LA by shaking it up as the show’s first female

multi-million dollar real estate broker,

with your industry know how, business

savvy and amazing outfits! We know

that your father is noted civil and building

contractor, Ronald Tutor, I’m sure that you

were aware of the industry from a young

age but, what was the moment when you

realized that you wanted to work in real

estate?

TRACY TUTOR: The truth is, that it was not

at all what I had planned. I was an actor

and had studied theatre in college. After

a couple years of auditioning post graduation,

I realized that I didn't want to wait

around for someone to tell me I had gotten

the part. I knew I was good at selling

myself, so it wasn’t much of a stretch to

sell houses. Candidly, I knew I could sell

anything, so I’m glad I picked a product

that happens to have the highest return

on my investment.

AM: Prior to focusing on residential real

estate, what was your path in this industry

and what is it about residential that

speaks to you?

TT: Residential sort of fell into my lap, after

making the decision to stop pursuing

being an actress. Residential is about an

emotional connection but it’s still a business.

I love the marrying of the two! As

we know, emotion and business (one is

not quite like the other) so when you are

able to navigate between the two, that is

what excites me.

AM: As one of the top agents at Douglas

Elliman Beverly Hills within their Sports &

Entertainment division. You’ve represented

noteworthy brands, iconic architects,

consulted for luxury five-star hotels as well

as serving as a US Ambassador for the Royal

Atlantis Resort and Residences in Dubai

– just to name a few. How has it been juggling

all of these roles, projects and opportunities?

TT: I always say if you are not striving for

something new and pushing yourself, you

are just surviving.

AM: What is your process when it comes

to deciding on upcoming projects that you

and your team will participate in?

TT: I rarely turn down a project, but when

I do it will be about one of two things.

1. Unrealistic price expectation.

2. Ego. I think ego is the toughest to get

beyond. I have learned how to get around

unrealistic sellers and price, and have

many have strategies to get around that

in most cases, but ego….well, at my age, I

don’t have time for it.

UNSTOPPABLE

with Tracy Tutor

AM: Tell us about how you joined the cast

of Million Dollar Listing LA and why you felt

that this was something that you wanted

to do with your brand?

TT: I was on season 9 showing a property

of Josh Altman's and we were able to put

a deal together on the listing. During the

course of shooting, we had great chemistry

on screen together. After the show

aired, the producers approached me and

asked if I had any interest in discussing

joining the cast. The rest is history.

AM: What is it like filming each season

with you and your team as well as with the

other brokers that are also in the cast?

TT: It is a lot of work for all of us. Remember,

we already have full time careers and

the show generally shoots for 12 months,

so there are days where a normal 10 hour

day becomes a 13 hour one. It is hard to

juggle the clients and shooting, but we

get out there and do it because it is the

best marketing tool we could ask for and

we are all grateful for it.

AM: One of the things that we have enjoyed

watching you on the show is how

you speak your mind, you demand more

and how you’re not willing to settle. Have

you always been this way and how can one

get that mindset when they are in their

boardrooms in their life?

TT: It really is about fear, isn’t it? That is

what truly holds us all back from achieving

our highest potential. I have always

had the instinct to challenge the system

and push back. But to be truly good in

the proverbial “boardroom” you have to

embrace fear every day, feel and acknowledge

it and then put it away, so that you

can trust your instincts to guide you when

you need it the most. If you can’t hear

what your gut is telling you because there

is so much noise and insecurity in the way,

then you can’t win the room. It’s that simple.

AM: How important is it to you to empower

women to own their space, handle egos

and deflect power plays?

TT: I love women. I believe we are the

stronger sex. Period. Mentally, emotionally,

spiritually. We have unfortunately

for centuries been told we are the weaker

sex, so believing in our power, doesn’t

come naturally to us. I love that discussion

and reminding women that they are all lions,

they maybe just haven’t heard their

roar yet. We should listen to our intuition

more. It’s our greatest gift and trusting it,

learning how to use it to our advantage

and giving it a real voice is what separates

us from our male counterparts.

AM: What led you to creating your bestselling

book, Fear is Just a Four-Letter

Word: How to Develop the Unstoppable

Confidence to Own Any Room?

TT: I knew that I was lucky to have the

platform representing women on a show

dominated by men. I was hyper-aware

of my industry and felt particularly passionate

about sharing my experience as a

woman in this business.

AM: Do you think that you will continue

to write additional books in this area?

TT: I think the next one might be a more

personal journey. Who I am in business is

greatly affected by my personal experiences.

I want to take my own advice to be

fearless enough to talk about it.

AM: What words of wisdom do you have

for women who are navigating their careers?

TT: Read my book and don’t let anyone

tell you what you are capable of. Only you

can define that.

AM: How do you balance the demands of a

full career, filming, being a mom of 2 girls

and your personal life – how do you take

time for yourself?

TT: I forgive myself everyday for the

lack of perfection and I am honest. I am

stretched as most working moms are; add

in a divorce and the desire to have love in

your life again and you have to be forgiving.

I schedule time to not do anything.

I mean really. I will say I am booked on a

Sunday so that I can have that time to do

whatever I feel like doing and sometimes

that is absolutely nothing and it is fantastic.

AM: We know through the show that you

went through a divorce while still having

a very full schedule. How did you take going

through this process and putting those

emotions into focusing on health, fitness,

and wellness?

TT: I don’t think that divorce propelled me

into health/wellness and fitness. I think

owning my truth and finding happiness

within myself propelled me there.

AM: What is your preferred method that

you enjoy to do when working out?

TT: I love to mix it up but what I have found

with my body now is that I don’t try to kill

myself with anything too high intensity. I

love weight training because you have to

be mentally strong to push up weight beyond

your comfort zone. I like that challenge.

It’s a time where I don’t think about

work or friends or family or stress. I focus

on my goal for that hour and give it 100%.

AM: Our readers are always looking for

routines to add into their workout. What

are 3 workouts you do for arms, 3 for abs,

and 3 for glutes that you do?

TT: Arms: when I am walking on the treadmill

(which I do 5 days a week for an average

of 45 minutes,) I carry 3 lb weights

and do arms. 4 sets of 30 reps of each exercise:

o

o

o

o

Curls

Tricep kick backs

Bicep extensions

Shoulder press over head

ABS: 3 sets of 30-45 seconds each – upper

ab first:

o Slow bicycles

o Toe touch with 10 lb db

o Suitcases

o Then lower – grab a pilates ball and

place under small of back

o Out an inch and in an inch

o Single leg toe taps with ankle

weights

o Both legs toe taps

Glutes: 4 sets of 20

o

o

o

o

Hip thrusts with band – warmup

Hip thrusts with 20 lb ball on hips

Barbell squats

RDL’s

AM: 2020 has been quite a year to navigate

from COVID-19, social justice and the election

to name a few. How have you been

dealing with this especially as a parent of

children?

TT: Lets just say that I am welcoming 2021

as are my children.

AM: In terms of the real estate market,

what do you think the impact of COVID-19

will be as we close this year and transition

to 2021?

TT: Despite a couple month shutdown, we

have rebounded quickly and I anticipate a

strong 2021

AM: What is your advice for those that are

debating on whether they should buy a

personal home or even one for investment

purposes?

TT: Interest rates are at an all time low

and that gives someone attempting to

get into the market strong buying power.

So my advice is get out there and speak

to your banker or financial advisor and discuss

your options.

@TracyTutor

PHOTO CREDITS | PG 119 + 120 Matt Sayles

| PG 123 Tracy Tutor |






Athleisure Mag NOV ISSUE #59

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