Athleisure Mag NOV ISSUE #71

ISSUE #71

PHOTO CREDIT | UNSPLASH/BROOKE LARKE

@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 | Kyle McKenzie |

ADVERTISING

info@athleisuremag.com

@ATHLEISUREMAG

CONNECT + VISIT

E-mail: info@athleisuremag.com

Website: www.athleisuremag.com

Athleisure Mag

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, a Division of Athleisure Media LLC.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS

Paul Farkas | Kimmie Smith

HOST

Kimmie Smith

MIXING

Athleisure Studio Team

ATHLEISURE STUDIO

PODCAST NETWORK SHOWS

#TRIBEGOALS | ATHLEISURE KITCHEN |

BUNGALOW SK | THE ROAD TO TOKYO 2020

@ATHLEISURESTUDIO

CONNECT + VISIT

E-mail: info@athleisuremag.com

Website: www.athleisureStudio.com

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table of contents

issue #71

nov 2021

53

STYLE FEATURES

THE PICK ME UP

62

IN OUR BAG

111 ROCK THIS WHEN YOU’RE

INVITED TO HOLIDAY DINNER

King of the Ring -Ryan Garcia

This month, we talk with phenom WBC Lightweight boxer Ryan Garcia, who is 21-0

with 18 knockouts. He talks about his passion for the sport, his career, partnerships

and being the Co-Owner and Chief MARLOWE. Officer of MARLOWE.

16

108

BEAUTY FEATURES

VANILLA BEAUTY

115

ATHLEISURE BEAUTY

TM

9DRIP

Miles Chamley-Watson

We catch up with 2X Team USA Bronze Medalist Olympic Foil Fencer and World

Champion, Miles Chamley-Watson as he shares his 9DRIP from things that he purchased

when he made it, his go-to look and how he gifted his family.

27

58

LIFESTYLE FEATURES

ATHLEISURE LIST

PUA MANU CLUB

Talking GHOST

32

We talk with Method Man and Larenz

Tate about season 2 of STARZ’s GHOST

Athleisure Studio

Check out our latest podcast episodes.

60

ATHLEISURE LIST

JUICERY HARLEM

AthleisureMag.com - 10 - Issue #71 | Nov 2021

9PLAYLIST

Idris Elba

TM

Actor and DJ/Producer Idris Elba shares his picks with us for this month’s 9PLAYLIST.

42

Art of the Snack

Tasca

44

This month’s The Art of the Snack takes

us to Tasca in NY to enjoy Spanish Caribbean

flavors.

9LIST ROUTIN3S

Troy Aikman

TM

65

NFL Super Bowl Champion, Hall of Famer

and broadcaster, Troy Aikman, shares

his 9LIST ROUTIN3S of what he does

Morning, Afternoon and Night.

Better Beauty

Lexi Thompson

80

We talk with LPGA golfer, Lexi Thompson

about her passion for golf, upcoming tournaments

and her skincare line, Lexi Skin.

TM

9LIST STORI3S

143

Matthias Dondias

9X BMX World Champion, Matthias Dandois

shares his 9LIST STORI3S with us on

his must haves in grooming, fitness and

style.

Issue #71 | Nov 2021

- 11 - AthleisureMag.com

KING OF THE RING

RYAN GARCIA


This month's cover is WBC Interim Lightweight,

Ryan Garcia who has held the WBC

interim lightweight title. WIth a record of

21-0 and 18 KOs, he is known as having

one of the fastest hands in the sport. In

addition to making waves in the sport, he

shares how he has navigated boxing from

training, meeting fans, being signed to Oscar

de la Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions, his

appearance on Celebrity Family Feud and

taking them with him to his fights via his

social media. His passion and love for the

sport also allows him to diversify his brand

between his sponsorships with Gatorade,

1800 Cristalino and Gymshark to name a

few. We talk about how he got into the

sport, his career and being the Co-Owner

and Chief MARLOWE. officer.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you start

boxing and fall in love with the sport?

RYAN GARCIA: I started boxing at seven

years old. I fell in love with it because I was

shy as a kid. Boxing gave me confidence

inside and outside of the ring.

AM: When did you realize that you wanted

to go pro?

RG: I got to the point my life where I had

to decide either go for it all or give up on

my dreams and I decided to pursue my

dreams. It was right around when I turn

17.

AM: You fight in the interim lightweight

class, are 21-0 with 18 being by knock out,

you’ve held the WBC interim lightweight

championship title and are signed with

Golden Boy Promotions. What are you

looking forward to for upcoming fights?

RG: I’m looking forward to the big fights

against top competitors. I’m looking forward

to showcasing that I am the best

fighter in the world of my division.

AM: You’re trained by Eddy Reynoso. What

is a typical day like for you in terms of training

and staying ready for your next match

– can you walk us through what training

with him is like and what you do?

RG: We stay in shape by going on

morning runs, eating healthy, sparring,

strength and conditioning, and

reviewing fight tapes.

AM: Is there a difference between your

working out/training when there isn’t a

fight coming up versus when you’re in

preparation for an upcoming one?

RG: Big-time when I’m not training for

fight my workouts are much lighter

and I like to do things that are fun for

me like playing video games or playing

poker. When I’m getting ready for a

fight it’s completely different. It’s like a

switch is turned on and I’m completely

focused and locked in. I don’t know

anything else that’s going on it’s just

tunnel vision and I’m super hyper focused

on that fight.

AM: For those who want to workout

like a boxer, what workouts do you do

that we should incorporate into our

daily/weekly routines?

RG: I think that the cardio element in

boxing is super important for people;

things like hitting the Mitts or hitting

the Fierce reflex bag would be great

for non-boxers to do to get in shape

because it will really tone up your arms

and help your cardio.

AM: Nutrition is essential to optimize

what you do in the ring. What do you

eat when you’re in training mode and

what foods do you like to splurge on to

treat yourself?

RG: In the past I did not optimize my

nutrition but now I really understand

the importance of eating right. I work

with my chef to make sure that I’m eating

the right foods especially during

training things; like lean proteins fish

chicken etc., rice, and vegetables are

typically staples. Ultimately it’s about

finding what works for your body and

sometimes that means not eating. I

found that when I skip breakfast in the

mornings I tend to work out better.

I would say my one guilty pleasure is Mc-

Donald’s. Two cheeseburgers with a large

fries and a large soda.

AM: After a fight, what do you to unwind?

RG: I’ll have a couple shots to celebrate

with 1800 Cristalino tequila and then right

after look to take my family on a nice little

vacation where we can all relax and unwind.

AM: Who are 3 people that have been mentors

to you in the sport?

RG: Manny Pacquiao and Canelo have

been mentors that I look up to within the

sport. There are also boxers who I like to

watch like Roy Jones Junior, Floyd Mayweather,

Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Robinson.

AM: You have a large and engaged digital

footprint, how important is using social

media in terms of reaching out to your fans

and letting people know about you inside

and outside of the ring?

RG: I think it’s very important. Social media

allows me to connect more intimately

with my fans. Because of Covid, I haven’t

been able to see a lot of my fans in person

or do meet and greets so this really helps

us to keep connected and engaged with

one another. I love my fans. I want to stay

connected with them and keep them updated

and this is the best way to do it.

AM: You are the co-owner of MARLOWE.

Can you tell us about the brand and what

your role of Chief MARLOWE. Officer entails?

RG: MARLOWE. provides men with high

quality, easy-to-use, perfectly formulated

skin care and grooming products without

all the fuss and high price tags. We believe

that life is complicated enough, looking

good and feeling amazing shouldn’t have

to be. As the Chief MARLOWE. Officer, I

am excited to be the face of the brand

and to help spearhead the digital marketing

content strategy along with my content

partners Liquid Light. I have been

very involved in the entire process from

the second I came onto the brand. Everything

you see on the packaging for my

signature SKU's is all me -- from the exact

gold color we used, the thickness of the

carton and the overall design. I have so

many creative ideas - this partnership was

beyond a great fit.

AM: How important is your skincare routine

to you?

RG: I have always had an up and down relationship

with my skin. During training, I

get right into it at the gym with hours of

sweating - it can take a toll on my skin causing

some breakouts. Also, during training

I am constantly taking multiple showers a

day, burning through so much product.

When I first discovered MARLOWE., I was

so impressed by the effectiveness of each

product and the affordability. I wanted to

make sure the product was affordable to

my fans and following so they could enjoy

the products just as much as I do.

AM: Why did you want to be involved with

this brand and what can we expect to see

from you and the brand as we go into the

holiday season and into 2022?

RG: The quality of MARLOWE. products is

what attracted me to the brand right away.

The No. 102 Body Scrub Soap Bar was by

far the greatest soap I’ve ever used and

it's a true experience. I found that to be

true with almost all of their products. The

No. 102 bar is the only soap tough enough

to get me clean after a hard training session!

I liked them so much I knew I had to

be a part of the brand in a bigger way as

co-owner & now Chief MARLOWE. Officer.

We have a lot in store coming down the

pipeline - stay tuned for some greatness.

As for Holiday, we have some cool virtual

bundles launching on marloweskin.com

in December including all my faves in one

exclusive bundle! This is perfect for those

who want to give a gift with 1 click - perfect

for any guy on your list.




AM: What are your 3 go-to products that

you enjoy using from MARLOWE. that we

should think about using?

RG: By far, my favorite product is the No.

102 Body Scrub Bar. It is a true experience

and has become my solution for getting

clean after training and working out super

hard. I also love using the No. 171 Classic

Pomade for my hair and the No. 002 Extra

Moisturizing Body Lotion for my dry skin.

I am taking so many showers after working

out multiple times a day while I train

and it can take a toll on my skin. The 002

lotion gives me the replenished hydration

I need.

AM: From a fashion perspective, how

would you define your personal style?

RG: I like to stay classy and gentlemen like

it’s important to add a little nuance to your

style and some uniqueness that’s you. So

I like to stay classy but for me add a little

edge, maybe wear an oversized T-shirt, or

add a little bit of jewelry that really pops.

AM: When you’re not in the ring or working

on other projects, how do you take

time for yourself?

RG: I’ll take the time to study other things

that interest me, things that I’m passionate

about, because ultimately that’s what

keeps the fire going. Whether it’s a business

passion like MARLOWE., or learning

about Poker strategy, or playing tennis.

@KingRyan

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | MARLOWE.

We caught up with 2 co-stars from STARZ’s

2nd season of POWER BOOK II: GHOST

which premiered on Nov 21st! We sat down

with Method Man and Larenz Tate. In the

first half of the podcast, we catch up with

the legendary performer of the Wu-Tang

Clan, and actor in a number of TV series

and films, Method Man. We talk about his

diverse career and what we can expect on

the latest season. We delve into the writer’s

room and the phenomenal cast which

includes his co-stars and musical collaborators

– Mary J. Blige and Redman. We

also talk about his commitment to fitness

and how he continues to increase expanding

his business into the cannabis industry

and NFTs.

MET

ATHLEISURE MAG: As one of the stars of

POWER BOOK II: GHOST, what was it about

the series that made you want to be involved?

METHOD MAN: Well I mean, that first series

was great and the way that they ended

it in that season finale, it was unheard

of!

AM: You play Davis MacLean. What’s your

process like in playing him and how do you

get into that mindset?

MM: Well now it’s just throwing on the

suit. Of course, in the beginning, you do

your due diligence. You do your research,

you try to find their voice for this character.

You want to know his intentions and

all of this stuff that goes into building a

character. But once you get into it and you

and the writers are on the same page, it’s

just all hitting the ground running after

that. It’s all pretty easy.

AM: Did you find that you added more into

the character than what was in the script?

MM: No, I give all the writers 110% credit!

I mean, outside of an ad lib here and

there like a motherfucker or something

like that, they get all of the credit. They

know exactly who this man is. The only

time that I would ever say something is

when I feel like they're not being true to

TALKING GHOST

HOD MAN + LARENZ TATE

the character which hasn’t happened.

AM: Last year when it launched, many

of us were so excited to see that you and

Mary J. Blige (she plays Monet Tejada)

were in the show. This season, Redman (he

plays Theo Rollins, Davis’s older brother)

has joined the cast! How exciting is it for

you to be on set and to have all of these

cultural moments with great people that

you have worked with?

MM: I’m glad we made our music quota,

we needed it. It’s great. I mean, Mary’s

great. The days that I see her on set, it’s

always fun and she likes to laugh and I like

to joke which is the perfect combination

right there. What can I say about Redman?

I’ve been working with dude for like

most of my career. They knew they had

something there – it was instant chemistry

when they brought him in. So it was

pretty simple and pretty cool.

AM: To catch our readers up on what’s

taken place, where did we leave Davis last

season and what’s coming up that you can

share with us that we can expect?

MM: Last season, Davis kind of ended

on riding a high because he won one of

the biggest cases of his career. He got his

nemesis fired in the process which is icing

on the cake. But where other people

would be gloating, Davis sees an opportunity

and he hires the former US attorney

on his team. There’s a bit more layers

there that I am not at liberty to say right

now, but I think that Davis being as calculated

as he is – there is a reason for him

in hiring Cooper Saxe (Shane Johnson) at

this moment, so just stay tuned!

AM: We are excited to see how it all plays

out this season. Here at Athleisure Mag,

when we’ve watched your IG, we know

that you are always in the gym and staying

ready!

MM: I mean with everything that I do,

that’s why!

AM: Exactly! In the SEP ISSUE #69, B-Real

said that he gives it up to you that you are

always working out. So that was his shout

out to you.

What are 3 moves that you love doing

when you hit the gym?

MM: Deadlifts, bench and squats are my

favorites.

AM: As someone who has had such a great

body of work, a successful career in TV,

film, being a member of the Wu-Tang Clan

and you’re going into NFTs and cannabis,

how do you take time for yourself because

you are a busy man.

MM: I don’t. I never have any time anymore.

But, I could be doing a hell of a lot

worse!

AM: Exactly!

MM: As a matter of fact, I take that back.

When football season starts, they occasionally

interrupt my Sundays, but usually

Sundays is all football from 1:00 through

11:00, so you know where to find me!

@MethodManOfficial

After catching up with Method Man and

finding out more about how his character,

Davis MacLean ended the last season and

what we can expect from this season, we

had to talk to Larenz Tate to find out about

Councilman Rashad Tate! Larenz joined the

original series of POWER in the last 2 seasons

of this show. He talks with us about

how his character continued in the premiere

season and what we can expect in

this season! We also talk about what drew

him to this show, his character and how he

has maintained longevity in this career.

ATHLEISURE MAG: You were in the last 2

seasons of POWER, the flagship and you

also joined the regular cast in POWER

BOOK II: Ghost as well. What does it mean

to you to not only have your character continue

on into the series, but also to just be

part of this cast?

LARENZ TATE: I love it! I signed up because

I wanted to continue and the fact

that the incredible Courtney A. Kemp

which is the creator of the show, found

value in incorporating me into the show

– just meant a lot. As you said, I was able

to be a part of the original POWER series,

which was a fabulous show. To be

able to find my character in this show is

great. I mean, the writing is fantastic and

it’s probably the closest thing to POW-

ER. The demographics are a little different

and there are some that are a little

younger, there are some new people and

there are some similarities. But certainly,

the fact that there is some value in seeing

that Tate is still surviving from the original

show! I mean there are so many people

who didn’t make it out of that show

and they didn’t make it. So we get to see

a show and a storyline where there are

a lot of wins, some losses and there are

some good people with good intentions,

but bad decisions! I think that life is kind

of like that, so it’s relatable when people

watch our show. They get a chance to either

see themselves or how they would

interpret or react to the characters that

they are watching. As an actor, it’s great

to have words, dialogue and stories that

are really multi-faceted and multi-dimensional.

When they write, they’re not paint

in trope or painting by the numbers. It’s

truly gratifying and I’m excited!

AM: What drew you to want to be in the

amazing show?

LT: Well, I can take it all the way back to

the original POWER. I loved the show and

when I saw it, I said, “I dig this!” These

characters should be materialized and this

representation should be there because

it’s more that what people may think on

the outside. It’s a show about the underworld,

drug dealing and so much more.

It’s a show about family, brotherhood, sisterhood,

deceit, deception, big decisions,

people finding a way out of their circumstances,

empowerment and all of it! Originally,

I was cast to portray a different

character who was in season 4 through 6

– the lawyer, Terry Silver (Brandon Victor

Dixon) who helped Ghost (Omari Hardwick)

when he was going to jail. He also

falls in love with Tasha St. Patrick (Naturi

Naughton). I was away working and it

didn’t happen. Long story short, I called

Courtney and I said, “listen, I love this

Black excellence. I’m down – whatever

you want me to do. Let’s do it. I’ll come

and do an episode, whatever.”

AM: Just get me in there!

LT: Yeah. I told her that it was me talking,

not reps, agents and managers – all of

that stuff – it was just me. She said that

there was a really cool character that she

was about to start filming on. She let me

know that it was a politician and that his

last name was Tate and I was like, “ok

let’s go this is dope!” She didn’t give me a

whole lot to go from, but we talked about

it and she wanted to see what I would

do with him. She gave me the setup and

she trusted me and I was able to come in

and to dispel the idea that this politician,

as soon as he walks into a room has this

stigma that he’s not trustworthy. So to

combat that and to finesse it, he comes in

with a high five and he’s smiling. He’s got

all of the cool things to say and he throws

people off.

AM: He diffuses everything!

LT: Yeah, yeah, yeah. He lets you know,

“I’m welcome and you can invite me to

the barbecue.” That being said, it’s been

a joy. Unlike a movie, unless you’re doing

sequels – you get in, you get out and you

do your job. You live with that character

for a period of time. With this, you’re able

to really lean into it and you get a chance

to be able to find different things that the

writers are creating for you. They can take

you in any kind of direction and you have

to be willing to do it. Especially when the

writing is good. So, I have been very fortunate

to be part of this and to just see

where the value is and in telling the story

along with Rashad Tate.

AM: Where did we leave off with him last

season and where do we see him this sea-

son? What can you tell us about what is going

on for some of our readers that need

to catch up?

LT: Season 1, you find him going for the

Gubernatorial race. He’s trying to be the

Governor and he’s trying to win. Where

we find him in season 2, literally, he’s in

his brother’s basement, on a couch, hiding

under a rock from the world because

he lost the gubernatorial run. He’s out of

it and his brother Kamaal Tate (Lahmard

Tate) who is played by me real life brother.

AM: Which is really awesome!

LT: Yeah it is, I love it! He’s telling him that

failure is not acceptable and that he is a

Tate. Rashad knows that he should not

look at this as a failure, but as a lesson

learned and how he can find a way to get

back into the game and to climb that political

ladder. He can also incorporate some

of the things that he has learned along the

way and he’s going to cross paths with another

St. Patrick – more St. Patricks! It’s

3 – 3! This young boy Tariq St. Patrick (Michael

Rainey Jr.), once he crosses paths

with him, he’s looking at how he can utilize

him to be an ally or will he ultimately

be an enemy?

That’s what’s nice about the storytelling.

There’s always this duplicity and duality

that’s going on – you know, it’s the tug of

war of power.

AM: That’s amazing! You’ve had such an

amazing and dynamic career that has included

so many movies and so many films.

We’ve enjoyed seeing you in them and

yet, you never age! So how do you stay in

shape, stay positive and optimize yourself?

LT: You know for me, I just want to be the

best version of myself. I’ve been in the

game for a long time and I have been in

this industry for 3 decades and I have seen

how it has taken a toll on a lot of people.

For me, I want to run the marathon as opposed

to a sprint. So I try to avoid all the

pitfalls that would cause self-destruction,

that would cause a situation where I am

aged before my time. It has an affect on

your life all together. I decided to go the

other route – I don’t want that other

route, I’ve seen it. The demise of so many

people that I respect. So now for me, I

just want the best version of myself and I

have to be mindful of my health, my mental

space and my body and mind and conscious.

It all plays a part in it. It’s all about

responsibility and accountability!

@LarenzTate

PHOTOS COURTESY | STARZ POWER

BOOK II: GHOST

Hear STARZ POWER BOOK II: GHOST costars

Method Man and Larenz Tate now 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.

THE ART OF

THE SNACK:

TASCA

This month, we head to Manhattan's Tasca

which focuses on Spanish-Caribbean

flavors which include spices and recipes

from Spain, the Domincan Republic, Puerto

Rico and Cuba. We talk with restaurateur,

Jay Espinal about what we can

expect from this restaurant, dishes that

we can enjoy and how this has become

a family affair. He also preps our taste

buds with what we should enjoy when

swinging by with family and friends.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We know that as a

restaurateur who had great success with

your restaurant Don Pedro, you’re back

with Tasca and have made this a family affair

with your wife Norisa as well as your

son Justin. Can you tell me about your

background, what led to the creation of

Tasca and what are the roles that the 3 of

you have at the restaurant?

JAY ESPINAL: That’s a great question,

and it’s funny because I was completely

out of the business when Justin one day

approached me and said that he wanted

to get into the business. I said "no you

don’t," and proceeded to tell him of all

the reasons he didn’t want to be in the

restaurant business. The long hours on

your feet, the responsibility, the fact that

he would be working holidays and weekends.

I didn’t paint a pretty picture yet he

said this is what he wanted to do.

AM: Chef Rene Hernandez was previously

at Don Pedro and is now the chef here. Can

you tell us more about Rene’s background

prior to coming to Tasca?

JE: Chef Rene has worked at many of

Puerto Rico’s top restaurants and also

spent time at El Bulli under the guidance

and leadership of Ferran Adria.

AM: Tasca’s cuisine is a Spanish-Caribbean

in flavor. Can you tell us about what

regions this incorporates and what diners

can expect?

JE: Spanish and Latin Caribbean, we focus

on the Latin Caribbean islands of Cuba,

the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico

along with Spain. The three islands mentioned

have similar shared histories and

influences with Spain.

When dining guests will have one of

the US’ Premier Spanish wine lists and

from our menu, they can expect dishes

that take a cue from old world Spain

and the new world. Dishes like the thousand

spice duck breast over sofrito goat

cheese and Zinfandel plantain tower. Or

of course, a classic paella.

AM: What is the ambiance of Tasca for

those that are dining in as we know this

is a multi-level space?

JE: The ambiance is pretty chill, soft lowkey

lighting. We do have a more energetic

bar with a relaxed vibe. We also offer

a wine cellar with fireplace for a date

or special occasions.

AM: What seasonings and spices should

we expect to see at Tasca?

JE: From Saffron to the chefs' special

house adobo and mojos. We are all about

different flavors and combinations. We

make over thirty different house infused

olive oils.

AM: What are 3 appetizers that you suggest

when we come into dine?

JE: The octopus in varied forms is said

by many "it's a must." I have been told

on many occasions that it is our guest

favorite in the city. I think the zetas y

gambas is another that truly showcase

our Spanish- Latin Caribbean roots and

one of my favorites is the croquettas

de maduros over sun dried tomato slaw

and Manchego lime zest.

AM: What are 3 main dishes that you

suggest that we should enjoy when coming

in with friends and family?

JE: The duck magret, filet mignonette

special, and any of our fish specials.

AM: What are 3 desserts that we should

have?

JE: Passion Fruit Cheesecake, Tres leche

- coconut three milk cake and Trufa de

chocolate - Belgian chocolate and coffee

truffle

AM: In looking at your beverage program,

you have over 100 varieties of premium

rums and a number of wines. What are 3

cocktails that we should have when there

and what are 3 wines that we should pair

with our meal?

JE: City of Gold - Blanco tequila with cara

cara orange, garden peppers and tiki spices,

Green Smoke - Refreshing cucumber

juice and peppery ginger beer in a vibrant

mezcal long drink and TASCA Manhattan

- Sweet vermouth, Santa Teresa 1769, bitters.

3 wines - Cosmic, Xarello Estrecho, Monastrel

Gratavinum gv5, Carignan, Grenache

AM: For those that may be popping in to

grab a bite at the bar, what are 3 dishes

that they should have?

JE: Pulpo a La Parilla - Grilled octopus, Peruvian

potatoes. mojo Gallego, Croquetas

de marisco - Seafood croquette, roasted

garlic foam and Empanada trio - Chicken,

beef brisket or vegetable cheese turnovers

with smoked paprika aioli.

AM: With the holiday season being underway,

are there special events coming up

and do you have items on the menu that

are specifically for this season?

JE: Large format Villogodio (slow cooked

pork shank), Cochinillo (10-hour slow

cooked baby suckling pig) and Lechazo

(slow cooked suckling lamb).

IG @tascanyc

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Tasca

What New Yorkers Need to Know

About COVID-19 Vaccines

New York City is committed to keeping everyone safe and healthy by ensuring that access to

COVID-19 vaccines is fair and equitable. COVID-19 vaccines will likely be available for most

New Yorkers by mid-2021. Some people, such as health care workers, essential workers who

cannot separate from others, and older adults and other people at increased risk of severe

illness from COVID-19 can currently get vaccinated.

When you get vaccinated, you are helping to protect yourself and your family and friends.

You are also helping to make your community safer. We know New Yorkers care about their

communities, including health care workers and small business owners.

Do the vaccines work?

• Two COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) have been approved for emergency

use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In clinical studies, both vaccines were more

than 94% effective at protecting participants from COVID-19.

Are the vaccines safe?

• Yes. You cannot get COVID-19 from the vaccine.

The vaccine does not contain the virus. It teaches your body’s

immune system how to fight the virus, so it can fight the virus

if you are exposed to it.

• The COVID-19 vaccines have gone through large clinical

studies involving tens of thousands of people of various ages,

races and ethnicities. The evidence from those studies was

closely reviewed by the FDA and independent organizations.

• Researchers have been working on vaccines for coronaviruses

for years, so they did not start from scratch.

Are there side effects?

• It is normal to experience side effects after the first or second

dose of the vaccine. Common side effects include soreness

in the arm where you got the shot, headache, body aches,

tiredness and fever.

• If you have any questions or concerns, call 311 or talk to

your health care provider.

• Side effects can be unpleasant, but getting vaccinated

helps protect you may help protect and other New Yorkers.

Founded in 1997, Paradise Helicopters

is the leading locally owned and operated

provider of air-tour, charter and

commercial service flights in Hawai‘i.

Paradise is an award-winning, veteran-owned

company that is widely recognized

for safety practices and exclusive

tours that immerse guests in the

awe-inspiring natural beauty, history

and culture of Hawai'i.

Tours are offered from Kapolei West

O‘ahu and Turtle Bay Resort on O‘ahu,

Lana‘i, and from Hilo, Waimea and

Kona on the Island of Hawai‘i; custom

charters are available statewide; and

specialty flights on an authentic WWII

aircraft are available through Pearl

Harbor Warbirds on O‘ahu.

In 2021, Paradie opened up a luxury

membership service to the Pua Manu

Club that provides VIP amenities and

ATHLEISURE LIST: Kailua-Kona, HI

PUA MANU CLUB

priority access to private flights on its

Bell 430 twin-engine helicopter.

This service is across O‘ahu, Maui,

Lana‘i and the Island of Hawai‘i. The

membership offers guests an exclusive

package of benefits on flights, retail,

catering and ground activities, as well

as helicopter access throughout the

year. Luxury SUV ground transportation

in West Hawai‘i is included. Membership

starts at $40,000 per year.

Guests can sink into comfortable

leather seating and enjoy an incredibly

smooth ride in Paradise's Bell 430. It is

the best choice for island hopping and

overwater sightseeing by virtue of its

reliability and stability. The Bell 430

also offers the largest cargo capacity

of any tour helicopter in Hawai‘i, and

seats up to seven guests.


Members enjoy safe and experienced

operations, access to Paradise-exclusive

landings for statewide excursions,

direct transportation between Paradise's

network of private terminals and

convenient heliports. Automatically

check-in en route with heli-side service

and no delay in boarding, carbon

offsets for each flight with Paradise's

Green Your Seat program which supports

the reforestation of native trees

in Hawai'i, seating of up to 7 guests

with enhanced cargo space for 4 golf

bags and in-flight beverage and gourmet

snacks as well as access to Paradise's

private VIP airport lounge. You

can arrange for an interpretive guide

(such as a world-renowned volcanologist

on a visit to Volcanoes National

Park), as well as private heliports to

minimize wait and travel times.


Guests can use their flight time on custom

flights or select from air-tour and

charter experiences across their Romance,

Cultural, and Malama Collections.

Paradise Helicopters

Kona International Airport

73-341 Uu Street

Kailua-Kona, HI 96740

puamanuclub.com

@paradisehelicopters

PHOTOS COURTESY | Pua Manu

Club


ATHLEISURE LIST: Harlem, NY

JUICERY HARLEM

Juicery Harlem came about in the pandemic

year of 2020 when everything

got shut down and the world was

struggling to reopen. Sasha Hart and

her husband Jay Vallo saw that their

neighborhood needed a healthy juice

bar option that would offer lunch specials

as well and a safe comfortable

space for the locals to hang out. They

brought in their friend and trained chef

Jappy Afzelius—who was awarded a

New York Times review for his work at

TSISMIS (he worked and trained under

Alain Ducasse at Chez Allard Bistro in

Paris and Benoit Bistro in New York) as

a partner to help with the menu and

bring his expertise from years in the

culinary industry. They soft-opened on

November 1st and so far the response

from the locals has been amazing!

They are loving the fresh juices and

smoothies, acai bowls and avocado

toast.

The starter menu is 5 juices, 5 smoothies,

2 shots and 3 food items. They

worked with a nutritionist to make

sure the mixes are not only tasty but

also give the best nutritional value!

For example, when it comes to juices,

Rise n Green (Green Apple, Cucumber,

Pineapple, Mint) is delicious, refreshing,

and energizing, a perfect way to

start your day. Golden Goodness (Orange,

Baby Carrots, Red Apple, Ginger)

is not only very tasty, but it also

brings up anti-inflammatory properties

and helps stimulate a healthy immune

response. Having one juice or

smoothie a day can bring invaluable

health benefits in the long run. As for

additions to the menu, they will be add

seasonal items, like apple cider for the

cold season, and offering new exciting

juice and smoothie recipes every few

months to their customers. There are

plans for juice cleanses in the future.


We suggest that you try their signature

Harlem Shake, Mangonana and

Power Berry. In terms of shots, you

should try the very popular Ginger Jolt

as some stop by daily to get it. Another

great option is Sweet Revenge. In

addition to ginger and lemon mix, it

also has strawberries, which give it a

hint of sweetness.

They serve acai bowls, avocado toast

and a tuna melt. The latter 2 items

come with a side salad with coconut

cream dressing and have been very

popular.

They have a buy 10, get a small item

free promo. It could be a 8oz juice or a


shot. When customers tap to pay, the

system automatically checks them in.

In addition, they offer a 10% discount

to our seniors.

Juicery Harlem

370 Lenox Ave

New York, NY 10027

juiceryharlem.com

@JuiceryHarlem

PHOTO CREDITS | Juicery Harlem


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?

This month we catch up with 12th ranked

LPGA's Lexi Thompson. We talk with her

about how she came to golf, her passion

for the sport representing Team USA at

the Olympics and her career. We also talk

with her about her skincare line, Lexi Skin

and why she has included this within her

portfolio.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you fall in

love with golf as we know that both of

your brothers are professional golfers as

well?

LEXI THOMPSON: I first fell in love with

the game when I was 5 years old watching

my brothers begin to compete in local

junior golf tournaments.

AM: When did you realize that you wanted

to go professional?

LT: By the time I was 9 years old, I was

consistently winning junior golf tournaments

and was encouraged by my family

to continue the process of improving my

game with the hopes of one day playing

professionally.

AM: I know that your schedule in the LPGA

is busy, what is a typical week like when

you’re on the course and in the gym when

you’re preparing for your next tournament?

LT: Weeks out on the LPGA Tour can

sometimes be long and strenuous. I often

arrive to a golf tournament on Monday

of tournament week with two practice

rounds prior to the first round of competition.

When I’m at home, I work out twice

in the gym daily. I always like to work out

in the morning as I am an early riser and

typically will do cardio later in the day.

AM: With a number of tournaments

throughout the year, when does the golf

season start and end?

LT: The LPGA tour schedule is very busy

between the months of March and October.

I used to travel globally for many

years. As I'm now entering my 12th year

on the LPGA Tour I don’t play as many

events as I once did, and I try to stay in the

United States as much as possible to focus

on my other interests outside of golf

like my skin care line.

AM: What is your next tournament that

we should keep an eye out for? When will

this be published?

LT: November 11-14th, it’s the Pelican

Women’s Championship.

AM: When it’s tournament time, do you

have a series of routines that you do to get

into a mindset that optimizes your play?

LT: My routine is extremely important

to my success on the golf course. Prior

to leaving for a tournament, I typically

play multiple rounds of golf at my home

course before leaving. I try to put the

least amount of stress on my body during

a tournament week, so I am prepared to

go for round one and maintain my energy

through the final round. By keeping a

consistent routine, I am able to perform

at the highest level consistently.

AM: What’s your favorite tournament to

play?

LT: The ANA Inspiration is my favorite

tournament – my win there in 2014 was

special!

AM: In doing research for our interview

with you, I saw that you are considering to

play on the PGA Tour! Only 7 women have

done this previously. Are you still thinking

of doing this and do you have a course in

mind?

LT: I’ve always wanted to play a PGA

TOUR event to see how my game stacks

up against the men. I've always thought I

would have a chance to make the cut on a

golf course that is close to 7000 yards.

AM: You have great partners/sponsors

including Red Bull, Puma Golf, Rolex and

Bentley to name a few, how important is

it for you to have these relationships and

their support?

LT: Partnerships are an extremely important

part of my success as a professional

golfer. Over my eleven-year career, I have

had the opportunity to work with some

of the biggest brands in the world. They

have helped me grow as a person and develop

great relationships.

AM: You are a 2X Olympian, what’s it like

representing the US on a global stage?

LT: There is nothing like representing your

country on a global stage like The Olympics.

Being a two-time Olympian is one of

the greatest honors I’ve had in my career.

AM: During the off season, what can we

find you doing?

LT: During my off-season you’ll most likely

find me in the gym. Fitness is an extremely

important part of my routine and has

become an extremely important part of

my overall life.

AM: Last year, your website Lexi Thompson

got a rebrand with Lexi Golf, Lexi Fitness

and Lexi Skin. Before we delve into

Lexi Skin, what can your fans expect when

they come to your site?

LT: For the first time in my career, I decided

to develop my own brand. The Lexi brand

is coming to life and I’m excited to have

three different components to the brand.

Lexi Golf, Lexi Skin and Lexi Fitness will all

be different avenues that I will focus on as

I enter the next stage of my professional

life.

AM: Last month was National Women’s

Small Business Month and the third week

of the same month is National Business

Women's Week, what led you to launching

Lexi Skin and partnering with Dr. Swift?

LT: Skincare has always been a passion of

mine. Playing golf and outdoor sports my

whole life, I have had a ton of sun exposure.

I have really had to learn how to protect

my skin and as I have become a little

older, prevent it from premature aging. I

was introduced to Dr. Arthur Swift and Dr.

Stewart Davis, and together we have developed

unique anti-aging skin care products

that are highly effective and priced

appropriately for active women like me.

AM: Copper is known for its antimicrobial

properties, but copper peptides for potential

age-defying benefits may not be as

known. Do all of the products have copper

peptides which penetrate and stimulate

collagen in the skin? Tell me a bit about the

assortment that is currently available in

Lexi Skin and what are your 3 go to products

that you enjoy using?

LT: All of our products have copper peptides

and our proprietary delivery system

for these copper peptides. That is what is

so unique. We can get our copper peptides

into the skin to work their magic. Copper

is naturally antimicrobial for sure, but it

also naturally stimulates collagen and is

anti-inflammatory. That is what makes it

so special for skin care. I really can’t pick

just three. I love them all and use them

all. We have our 5 targeted products. Eye

cream, face cream, neck cream, hand

cream and foot cream. Then we have our

silky-smooth facial cleanser. And finally,

our amazing scar gel that works great for

all new cuts and burns.

AM: It’s worth noting that the brand is

Leaping Bunny certified and makes annual

donations to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

How important was it to you to create

this kind of impact by the brand?

LT: The Susan G Komen Foundation has

an important tie to my own life. My mother

was diagnosed with breast cancer five

years ago. I’ve always felt it’s extremely

important to give back to a foundation

such as Susan G. Komen as they work to

find a cure, as well as comfort and support

those living with breast cancer, and

advocate for access to care for all.

AM: When you’re not playing or working

on your skincare line, how do you take

time for yourself?

LT: Spending time with family and friends,

and my dog, Leo. I also love laying by the

pool or the beach.

AM: You were the youngest golfer to ever

qualify to play in the U.S. Women’s Open

and have received 11 career victories, what

legacy do you want to leave on the sport?

LT: I want to leave the sport in a better

place than it was when I first started by

growing the game and being a role model

for young girls who have the same aspirations

that I did when I was their age.

@Lexi

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | PG 80 + 90

Lexi Thompson | PG 82 - 89 Red Bull |

TASTING JOURNEY

DUFF GOLDMAN


This month, we caught up with founder of

Charm City Cakes and Food Network/Discovery+

Host and Judge, Chef Duff Goldman.

As a favorite of Athleisure Mag, we

talk about him hosting No Kid Hungry’s

Thanksgiving Bake-A-Thon which took

place this month! Viewers were able to

watch Duff as well as noted bakers and celebrities

create holiday dishes and answer

questions that enthusiasts have when creating

their own works of art! We explore

why he is so passionate about working

with No Kid Hungry and how he has been

involved with them for well over a decade!

We also talked about his show Holiday

Baking Championship and how important

it is for him to provide feedback to contestants

while also taking people through

the culinary journey of enjoying a bite of

your favorite treats! You will never look

at your Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup in the

same way! We also talk about 3 items that

bakers should be gifted or gift themselves,

upcoming projects and being a new father.

ATHLEISURE MAG: It’s always great catching

up with you! The last time we talked

with you, you were preparing to do Chefs

Cycle with No Kid Hungry.

DUFF GOLDMAN: Oh yeah!

AM: Yes and you were talking about how

you were getting ready for that. Why is No

Kid Hungry so important to you?

DG: You know, we all kind of look at the

world and we see problems and a lot of

the times, it can be frustrating because

generally, on the by and large, people are

good. They want to help and people want

to do things. Most of the problems that

you see on the news or whatever – you

have no idea how to help and you’re just

so helpless. I want to make a difference

and I can’t. I think that when as individuals,

we’re presented with opportunities

where we can actually and truly make a

difference and we know it, then it feels so

good to be doing it and doing something,

you know!

AM: On Nov 13th you will be hosting the

Thanksgiving Bake-A-Thon for No Kid Hungry.

That seems like it’s so much fun. Can

you tell us more about this event which I

know is livestreamed and it’s going on for

4 hours.

DG: Yeah it’s definitely more up my alley

than riding a bicycle for 300 miles! Doing a

bunch of baking, telling jokes and making

a bunch of people laugh – that I’m good

at. Riding a bike, not so much!

What we’re going to do is have 8 different

bakers and everyone is going to do a half

hour demo showing their stuff. Throughout

the whole night, I am going to be emceeing

and making a Dutch Apple Pie.

AM: Like you’ve said, there have been so

many ways that you have supported and

participated in No Kid Hungry – are there

going to be future things that you’re doing

that we should be keeping an eye on

whether it’s directly in this holiday season

or even early next year?

DG: I am constantly doing stuff with them.

A lot of chefs work with them because

you can see where No Kid Hungry is operating.

When I first started with them, I

was in Baltimore and my shop is still there

and I got to go to a school where No Kid

Hungry was providing a breakfast for all

of the kids. I got to hang out and we all

had breakfast together with all of the kids

right in downtown Baltimore. Then we

were all in the gym together where we

ate and we got to play a bunch of different

games. I was like, “this is actually happening

right now! I’m seeing the benefits

of No Kid Hungry right here, right in front

of me In my community.” For me, that

was just so big and it’s big with a lot of

chefs because wherever you are, there’s

a chance that No Kid Hungry has done

some work. It’s great and I will definitely

be doing lots more with them. I have been

working with No Kid Hungry since 2006 –

it’s been a long time.

AM: During the thick of the pandemic, and

I’m sure you were as well, a number of people

were baking and doing hobbies and all

of these things because who knew what

we thought would be a couple of weeks inside

would turn into much more.

One of the things that we enjoyed watching

was your YouTube channel for Charm

City Cakes where your team was actually

sharing their creations. How important

was it for you to be able to provide that

type of relief to people whether they were

bakers themselves or just looking for escapism?

DG: Honestly for me, it was great and it

was really good. But it was really for my

staff! I was like, listen you guys, I don’t

want to let anybody go so instead of just

closing up shop and hoping that one day

we will be able to go back and start making

cakes again, let’s figure out different

ways to get to work. So everybody started

making videos and I was doing stuff

and other people were doing stuff and it

really turned into a really fun thing and it

was kind of a win-win-win situation. Everybody

at home got to see cool cakes,

I got to keep my staff employed and everybody

got better! Everybody was trying

new things. Because a lot of times in decorated

cakes, you tend to see a lot of the

same things over and over again. Here,

everyone got to stretch their wings a little

bit and to show what they were made of

which is good.

AM: That’s pretty exciting! One of the

things that we enjoy is that you’re so

busy on so many different sides, but when

you’re just looking at the TV shows that

you do with Buddy vs. Duff, Spring Baking

Championship, Holiday Baking Championship

etc. It’s always fun to see you enjoying

the treats, but also giving your feedback to

the bakers when they are competing and

those elements are happening. What does

it mean to you to be able to show your love

of baking and pushing the boundaries of

creativity through all of these shows that

you are a part of?

DG: You know, I think I had to make peace

with it funnily enough. When I was filming

Ace of Cakes, I was in my shop doing what

I do, but here I had to think about and

figure out what I do – I’m eating these

brownies and I’m telling people what I

think about it. Then I had to figure out,

what was my motivation. One of the

things is that I really love it when people

understand something on a deeper level

than they did before. Everybody has had a

brownie. But when you can break it down

into the different components – like I can

break down a brownie into the different

things that I look for.

When I talk about the texture of a brownie

and I talk about when you bite down

into the brownie and you get that just

first crispy level right on top and then

your teeth kind of sink in and then it kind

of goes moosh and that layer on the bottom

usually has a little bit of butter on it

that is kind of percolated on and you get

that butter flavor from the bottom and a

little bit of salt. You know, when you sort

of start explaining how you taste your

food as a chef, I think that that helps people.

I mean everybody can take a bite of

a brownie and say, that’s a good brownie.

But when you can really stop and think

about why it’s a good brownie, I think that

it just brings a deeper appreciation that

can happen. For me, just getting people to

really appreciate the difference between

a brownie that you bought at Starbucks

that was baked last week and frozen for

a couple of days versus a brownie that

was fresh and that people really thought

about the ratio of chocolate to flour and

that we got the right texture, flavor and

all of those things. For me, it makes me

feel good because I’m educating people

on what a good brownie is and I’m also

propping up people that are making a

good brownie and hopefully getting people

to seek them out and don’t just buy the

brownie from the gas station! You don’t

want that brownie! That brownie’s no

good! You want the brownie that somebody

made in their kitchen and thought

about it and are proud of and that’s good

and it also makes me feel good!

AM: Just the way that you broke that

down, because we love brownies – the

glands started salivating just thinking

about it! You took us through a 30 second

journey where we’re like, “he is right, there

are levels to that. It’s not just crunchy on

top and gooey chocolate on the bottom.”

You literally took us on a journey where we

see that you’re right!

DG: Yeah! Because it’s a thing! I mean,

when you take a bite of a Reese’s Peanut

Butter Cup, you bite into it and at first,

it’s like your canine teeth kind of hit the

thick part of the chocolate where it’s a bit

thicker so it will go snap. But your front

teeth, the top teeth kind of go in the top

and sort of goes into the peanut butter

and then before your bottom teeth get in

there, your tongue is actually hitting the

bottom of the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup

and the chocolate is always so thin right

there that it has just a little more give so

it’s a different texture than the top. And

then when you bite into it and that one

piece of chocolate goes snap, but because

the edges are serrated – you know

that zig zag on the edges, that part kind

of pokes up in your lip for a second and it

gives you a little sharp and that first bite

of that Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup – I love

it, but when you break down that for people,

everyone has had that experience but

no one has articulated it. When you do, it

helps people to understand the food that

they are eating and what they’re making.

I think that it makes people better cooks

and better chefs because what people

try to do then is say, “let me think about

what is my favorite thing – there’s this

burger that I like – why do I like it?” They’ll

start really thinking about all of the little

things like – they buttered the bun, salted

it and then toasted it in a pan. The inside

of the bun kind of has the texture of the

outside of a grilled cheese. You start going

through everything that makes that

burger and the next time that person

makes a burger, they are going to make

it exactly the way that they want it because

they are actually thinking of all of

those little tiny details. That’s truly what

makes a good chef – being able to articulate

things that you like in a bite that other

people will appreciate. The customers

don’t have to think about the food like

you’re thinking about it and I don’t think

it’s necessary for everybody to think about

the minutia of every little thing that they

eat, but to be able to craft something that

gives somebody else an experience that

you yourself have had and enjoyed, that is

what makes a good chef.

AM: You translate that so well and once

again, in the example of the Reese’s Cup

another favorite of ours – we don’t eat a

lot of candy around here, but that is something

that we really enjoy!

DG: Haha they are so good!

AM: They’re so tasty and there is just

something about it. But you took us on

that journey and it’s like, “he’s so right,

the canine teeth do hit that part!”

DG: Totally!

AM: So with Holiday Baking Championship

which kicks off this month, what can we

expect from this season and what are you

excited about?

DG: You know, one of the things that I love

about Holiday Baking Championship is that

we film it in the summer time. I basically

love all of those flavors – cinnamon, nutmeg,

clove, allspice, eggnog – all of those

things. I love it. I basically get 2 Christmas

baking seasons every year and I just love

it and it’s really great! This is a really good

one! All the bakers are fantastic, and we

have some really good challenges and I

feel like Nancy Fuller and I just reached

a new level in our relationship where we

were just bickering at each other and one

of the fun things is that Nancy and my

daughter formed a special bond. We were

filming in Knoxville, and we brought her

out there and Josephine and Nancy immediately

connected, and it was really really

beautiful and I hope that they show some

of that because it was really cute.

AM: Well, that’s exciting and as someone

who has hosted and judged so many

shows, is there an ingredient that when

you hear that a contestant wants to use it

that you feel it’s a bit of a red flag and your

doubtful that it will work and be a disaster?

Or are you intrigued that they will use

it and think that it could be cool?

DG: I mean, I always keep an open mind. I

try not to let my personal prejudice mess

things up. For example, I am not a huge

fan of raspberries and chocolate. I think

it is overplayed and a lot of time, I think

that raspberries are acidic, and that dark

chocolate is as well. So a lot of times I find

that the combination of raspberries and

chocolate is a bit too sour. But that’s just

me. Everytime that someone makes it and

I ask myself is it well balanced, is it done?

It’s not like, “oh I don’t like these flavors,

so you don’t win.” It’s like, did you do

something cool with it?

AM: With it being the holiday season, what

are 3 gifts that you suggest whether we’re

buying it for ourselves or for a fellow baker

that they should have in their kitchens

for baking?

DG: Ohhhhh! I would say, if you don’t mind

spinning extra money, a Kitchen-Aid Stand

Mixer – it’s just night and day. For baking,

you will do so much more with it. Definitely

a scale – a digital one that can weigh

out in ounces and grams. It’s always really

good. I would say if someone is doing a

lot of baking, I would say a bench scraper

– it’s not something that a lot of people

have in their kitchens at home, but I think

that everyone would find it really useful

– especially when you’re cleaning up. It’s

great because it has this nice blade and

handle that you can just scrape on your

counters and it gets all of that dry stuff

and it just comes up and you can wipe it

down. It just makes cleaning so much easier.

AM: Well that’s great gifting ideas!

Now that you are a dad, how has it been

for you to go through this phase and do

you find that you look at food in a new

way as Josephine is being introduced to

new foods?

DG: Yes and no. I mean, just being a

chef and a student of food, I’m pretty

well versed into proteins, carbs and

fats – good fats and bad fats. Same for

good carbs and bad carbs. I’m definitely

thinking about it more and I’m not

giving her Skittles and soda so that’s

good! But for the most part, what I

think is really good is that I love just

cooking for her. I made an old school

puree where instead of putting it in a

blender, I steamed some carrots, sweet

potatoes and I ran them through a tamis

and I did it old school French style.

It was nice because there was a little

bit of texture and she seemed to really

enjoy it. Today, I’m going to make

a spinach and pear smoothie and see.

It’s kind of exciting. We’re going to put

some yogurt in there.

AM: That’s exciting!

DG: Yeah, she’s going to eat well.

When she goes to college, she’s going

to be like, “oh man, I’ve had it good my

whole life!”

AM: Pretty much – those dining halls!

Well looing at your portfolio and the

body of work that you have created in

your career from the shows that you

have been on, your partnership with

Goldbelly, your bakeries and also your

philanthropic efforts with No Kid Hungry,

what do you want your legacy to

be seen as?

DG: It’s a good question. I think that

hopefully, if anything, what makes

me the happiest is seeing that I have

inspired people to get in touch with

their creative side. Not necessarily in

baking, but just in anything, you know?

I have inspired people to quit their jobs

and start businesses and I think that

that right there and showing people

that there are career paths out there

that are not sitting at a desk and 9-5.

There’s some cool stuff out there.

America’s

kids need

us now.

Millions of children are losing the healthy meals they depend on as the

coronavirus closes schools, but No Kid Hungry has a plan to feed them.

We’re working with school districts, local government and community

groups across the country to ensure kids get the meals they need

during school closures and all year long.

Find out how you can help at NoKidHungry.org




I think that one of the things that I was

most proud of with Ace of Cakes is that a

lot of kids look at adults and they don’t

think being one looks like a lot of fun at

all. For the most part, they’re right. But

they could look at Ace of Cakes and be like,

these are adults and they seem to be having

a great time! I think that for me, that

feels really good. I like that if I met my 7

year old self, 7 year old Duff would say,

“wow, that dude is pretty cool.” It makes

me feel good and that’s a good measure

in general. As you’re going through life

and making decisions, it’s always important

to ask yourself if your 7 year old self

would be disappointed in your right now

or would they say, yeah this is right and I

turned out pretty cool. Sometimes when

you see politicians – I mean would Ted

Cruz’s 7 year old self be like, “yeah you’re

awesome” or would he be like, “you suck!

I can’t believe that I ended up being you.”

You know what I mean?

AM: There are so many!

DG: I don’t want to let myself down. I

don’t want to let Duff down from 1981 and

for him to think that this guy sucks.

AM: Um yeah, can there be a trade in?

DG: Totally! I turned out to be a dick!

AM: It’s like, is that the road that you wanted

to go down? It just doesn’t look right!

DG: Yeah! What decision did you make

that led you to this point? You should go

back and rethink that one!

AM: It’s like, do you have any friends? Because

if you had a good one, they would

say, “wow you need to rethink that one!”

DG: Dude, what the hell? What is going on

with you?

AM: How do you take time for yourself

and get that moment of zen with all of the

things that you have been involved in?

DG: It’s really important. You’ll never have

the time if you don’t make the time. It’s

really important to be able to find that

time for yourself. I know you wouldn’t

really think of it by looking at me, but

I am actually insane about exercising.

I love to exercise. I love to lift. I have a

really nice gym here at my house. I do

a lot of other stuff too. I play music and

I have a whole jam room studio in the

basement and right now I am working

on a set of blocks for my daughter.

AM: We saw that on Instagram! It’s so

cute!

DG: Yeah! I’m kind of right in the middle

of that. It’s a big job!

AM: Earlier this year you posted about

this wooden play thing that someone

suggested you should buy it, but then

you got the tools and materials and

made it. You’re a serious woodsman!

DG: Yeah, my wife was like, there’s this

thing and we could buy it, but it would

be cool if you made it. So I wanted to

make it and I ended up spending about

$1,000 in tools for something that

would have cost $90 on Etsy but it was

super fun!

AM: It looked beautiful!

DG: Yeah, I do a lot of wood working

– like bird feeders around the house. I

had to child proof the house. We kind

of live in a cabin, it’s a big A-frame and

it’s not fancy it’s from the 70s and it’s a

loft upstairs and that’s dangerous for

a little kid. So I had to build all of these

walls and stuff to keep her from falling

off the loft because there are no handrails

– no door. So I love doing a lot of

wood work and I’m trying to get these

blocks done and my wife wants me to

make a sensory board for her. Things to

play with and things that make noise.

I have to finish these blocks because

I hate leaving projects unfinished. To

put the blocks aside and then move to

something else, it doesn’t sit well with

me - so I have to get them done!

@duffgoldman

PHOTOS COURTESY | PG 92, 95 + 99 No

Kid Hungry | PG 96 The Jim Henson Company

|

Hear Chef, Restaurateur, Baker, TV Personality

and Host/Judge of Food Network/

Discovery+, Duff Goldman 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 Spotify,

Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google

Podcasts or wherever you enjoy your podcasts.


Stay connected and follow us across our

social channels on @AthleisureMag!




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DARE TO BE YOUR BEST

DARE TO BE YOUR BEST

MILES CHAMLEY-WATSON


We're all about pushing boundaries and

standing in our truth to showcase our authentic

selves. So when we had the chance

to sit down and chat with 2 X Team USA

Olympic Foil Fencing Bronze Medalist,

World Champion, model and ambassador,

Miles Chamley-Watson. He talks to us

about how he got in the sport of fencing,

what made him realize that this was something

that he could do professionally, how

he has blazed his own path, and his focus

on growing the sport by bringing it into

the mainstream while also empowerning

children to bring them into the sport.

We also talk about how he continues to

create a multi-faceted brand that incorporates

the sport, his interest in fashion

and ambassadorships that are synergistic

with his brand. We also talk

about his latest partnership and documentary

with Daring Foods, a plantbased

brand. Miles also gives us insight

on how he trains as an athlete each day.

ATHLEISURE MAG: How and when did you

fall in love with fencing and when did you

realize that you wanted to go pro and do

this as a career?

MILES CHAMLEY-WATSON: I was born in

London and was playing football, cricket

and rugby. I moved to NY when I was

11 and I was kind of a pain in the butt kid

and would get into trouble. So as punishment,

I had to pickup tennis, fencing or

badminton. I ended up picking up fencing

and got it right way and I thought, “wait, I

can stab people and not get into trouble?

This is awesome!” So, when I was 12 years

old, I fell in love with it and I never looked

back!

AM: Wow! As a kid I played badminton.

MCW: Woah and that’s a hard one too!

AM: It is a hard one and I didn’t like it, but

we played it at every function.

MCW: Oh yeah, it gets intense!

AM: It does. But we can appreciate that

you took that on. You’re a 2X Olympic

Champion, who won a Bronze medal and

you’ve won various World Championships.

Can you tell our readers who are not familiar

with foil fencing, what it is, what’s involved

and how you win?

MCW: The key is to hit the person and not

have them hit you back. It sounds easy,

but it’s first to 15 points and it’s 3, 3min

periods. So that can be from anywhere

from 10mins to 30 mins depending on

your fencing style. I’m very defensive so

my matches don’t go longer then say 15

mins or so. I’m a quick one, I have ADHD

and I don’t have the patience. So I’m more

aggressive. So it’s 15 points and then

there’s right of way action so there are 2

lights and then there is a referee who will

look at the video machine and see who hit

the person a little bit earlier and my goal is

to simplify the sport so that it’s easier for

the audience to be able to understand.

That’s why it’s one of the reasons why it’s

not on TV because it’s kind of hard to understand.

I want to bring more visibility to

the sport by doing stuff like this and being

able to simplify the rules a little bit.

AM: That’s really interesting. Back in 2018,

we had Dagmara Wozniak as our cover for

our AUG ISSUE #32 and we shot her editorial

where she trains at Manhattan Fencing

and when we saw the lanes and could visualize

what takes place, we understood it

more and it was so different then seeing it

on TV. Being able to see the mechanics up

close, it was intense to watch that.

MCW: Right and that is saber so in foil, it’s

different.

AM: When we think of fencing, it’s a powerful

and an elegant sport. What do you

do physically and mentally to prepare for

the sport?

MCW: I’m lucky that my sponsor has a facility

right here in LA which I will be heading

to in an hour. I get up in the morning

and I do meditation and journaling in the

morning as the first thing. I then go to the

gym and I do fitness. Today is Wed and it

will be explosive work: deadlifts, running

and sprints and then after that, I will go

into fencing. If I’m feeling up for it, I will

go into sparring. Now I’m learning that

everyone is good at doing certain things,

but how do you get to the point of being

the best and I think that that is the mental

aspect. So that’s a lot of reaction training,

journaling and manifesting and this is incorporated

into my routine everyday as

well. It’s a full-time job.

AM: How long would you say that you are

doing these things daily in terms of blocks

of time?

MCW: I’d say journaling is 30 mins, I have

my cup of coffee or tea outside of my balcony,

then I go to the gym which ends up

being about 3 hours because cool down

and warm up is 45 mins and then to workout

is about an hour and a half. Then I

eat, come home, relax for an hour and

do some work and meetings like this and

then I go fencing for about 3-4 hours. All

in all, I would say 6 – 7.5 hours.

AM: In terms of your nutrition how does

this play into staying in shape, optimizing

your sport and ultimately supporting your

lifestyle in general?

MCW: There’s nothing more important

than nutrition! At one time, I didn’t care

about what I ate. It’s a whole game changer

for me and I just got my blood test

back and I have to load up on all of these

things. I have to start drinking these random

things like coconut water, eating

the white part of watermelon – it’s really

weird. But now, I’m noticing the importance

of nutrition and how important it is

and to know about your body and how it

fuels you. So I try to keep a healthy diet.

AM: You’ve partnered with Daring Foods

and have a pretty exciting documentary

that is out now. Tell us about Daring Foods

and how this partnership came about.

MCW: Yeah yeah – I’m so excited! I actually

knew about Daring for awhile because

I was trying to incorporate plant-based in

my diet so that I could have a well balanced

diet as well. I’m not just vegan or

plant-based, I like to incorporate both. I

love the product, it tastes good and the

ingredients didn’t make my stomach

rumble. Because nowadays, there are so

many companies that have kind of saturated

the industry and I got the chance to

look up the company before and to meet

Ross and the Daring team. It was a perfect

match because they are disrupting a

space that has been around for a number

of years and I’m doing the same thing in

my sport. It was literally the most organic

relationships that has fostered this campaign

and you can tell that this is powerful

and we’re speaking to kind of just

challenging ourselves and making Daring

Moves and kind of pushing the boundaries

and limits which is what I’m all about

and what they’re all about. It was lovely

to like the product before meeting them

and then meeting them was the cherry

on top and it’s been great and we’re all a

family now!

AM: How was it participating in Daring

Moves?

MCW: It was phenomenal! It was amazing!

Molly Schiot who directed it, the entire

team – they were so professional. It

was one of the most creative and fulfilling

projects and campaigns that I have done

in a long time. It speaks to things that are

bigger than just me. I think that it will inspire

people and just the message of being

daring, everyone in their walk of life is

able to understand. In your job and in my

job, it’s important and a great characteristic

to have. It’s literally a match made in

heaven.

AM: Will you be involved in anything else

with Daring Foods that we should keep

our eye out for?

MCW: I think that this is just the beginning,

it’s a beautiful relationship and it

was great to get this campaign out, but

I think that we will do loads of things together

because I love the products, I love

the people and I love the messaging over-

all – it’s powerful. Definitely be on the

lookout for more. It’s just the beginning.

AM: As an athlete, how do you find that

balance between eating the foods that are

good for you while also enjoying splurge

foods as well?

MCW: That’s the best thing about having

a healthy balance right and having a happy

medium? I incorporate some of the vegan,

non-dairy products. I eat dairy literally for

lunch and then I incorporate having some

meats here and there. My diet also allows

me to have cheese. I love to eat and I also

love to eat candy! I can never be fully vegan

for that reason. I’m sorry, I’m never

going to stop that! I think it’s important

to have a balanced diet right and to be

healthy? People ask me, “are you vegan?”

I eat a very healthy and balanced diet. So,

I incorporate meat with non-meat and I

do what works for my body. I think that

the most important part about creating

that balance is the ability to have your

cake and eat it too.

AM: In preparing to chat with you, it’s interesting

to look at your background as an

athlete, being an ambassador, modeling

for fashion brands – how important is it

for you to be able to push boundaries and

to be able to represent yourself the way

you want to be seen and to engage with

these brands in all of these different ways?

MCW: I think doing work with different

companies brings a new audience to me

and also fulfills another passion of mine.

I don’t want to be in a box. I’m a professional

fencer yes, but I think that I have

been able to branch out and get a lot of

endorsements and sponsorships because

I think that everything that I do, I do with

love and I don’t work with brands that I

don’t believe in. I’m a firm believer in not

saturating your brand and doing things

that you love. I’m able to kind of build my

brand just being myself and organic and

that's whats transferable. You can see

people doing things and it's forced, but

I like to keep it organic and natural. Just

keep growing and do more modeling stuff

and getting that audience. Getting mores

sponsorships and doing these things. I’m

in a very interesting sport that has the

ability to change on my own, but working

with companies like this helps to grow the

sport organically.

AM: One of the things that's so intriguing

is the fashion element of you. You’re a stylish

guy, you have these tattoos, you’re at

the Met Gala with Lewis Hamilton, you’re

sitting front row at global Fashion Weeks,

you’ve worked with Todd Snyder – what is

it about fashion that you love so much as

being in these different worlds and having

the ability to include your creativity is a lot

of fun.

MCW: I think you said it perfectly – creativity

and fashion is the one world where

you can wear whatever you want and it’s

subjective. You may like it, you may not

like it and I think that being able to do the

fashion shows, it gives you a rush and a

different kind of adrenaline. Fashion was

kind of one of the first worlds to embrace

me – they invited me to the Met Gala

twice with Vogue and all of these companies

and they love the sport of fencing because

it does have that fashion element

to it. A lot of brands do some of their collections

based off of fencing. A lot of athletes

like fashion and a lot of fashion likes

athletes and I think that I am in a sport

that is elegant and has that uppityness to

it and I’m bringing a new face to it. I love

fashion and I think that there is nothing

better than putting a fresh outfit on and

for me, that’s what I would like to bring to

my fencing world too – a uniqueness and

not being afraid to take risks. I think that I

have always done that in the sports world

and also in fashion just naturally.

AM: And you recently partnered with Richard

Mille which is phenomenal – how did

that come about and how excited are you

about it?

MCW: I mean that’s a dream come true!

It’s like woah you know? It’s a little surreal

seeing my wrist, but I think it makes

sense right? I’m all about timing and pre-

cision and changing the watch game.

That’s what they’re all about and they

love me and I love them like a family. I was

able to meet the team and there’s this

great relationship. When that happened,

my phone exploded and it’s cool to be

able to work with the companies that you

love and you never think it’s possible and

then you’re sitting there right next to Rafael

Nadal! I mean to work with them, it

shocked me a little bit and then I thought

woah and then I’m working with a company

like Daring too! I mean, what can’t you

do? When you believe in yourself, there is

nothing that you can’t do.

AM: You have a great mix of brands that

you work with. How do you decide what

makes sense to you as many of them like

you said, are organic to you or are things

that you are passionate about?

MCW: I think it comes to that if I have a

feeling, I never second guess myself. I just

go with the feeling. I also have a great

team too and they know who I am, my values

and I think that having a great team

around you makes it a lot easier. I always

go with my gut and I pick brands that align

with me and just natural.

AM: It’s almost the end of the year. Are

there projects that we should keep an

eye out on are their championships that

are coming up? What’s going on in Miles’

world?

MCW: I have a competition in Dec. next

month – a national. Then we go to Paris in

2022. I have a lot of projects that are coming

and in 2022 we have some amazing

things dropping in 2022. I’m ending the

year very strong and I’m just very grateful

that I get to do what I love during a crazy

time. Definitely be on the lookout as there

are a lot of projects coming.

AM: Can you tell me about the Miles Chamley-Watson

Foundation and what it’s focus

is?

MCW: I want to empower the youth

through fencing and I hated seeing the

talents of kids being wasted because

they couldn’t afford it as fencing is an

expensive sport. So I thought, how do

I help because I have the ability and

I can use my connections to help the

generation. I wanted to create the

tools that kids needed to be successful

in life whether it’s going to the Olympics

or being the next John Doe. We

want to give them the wings and the

tools to succeed through my foundation.

I have all the necessary elements

as I know what it takes and I’m able to

fly through the hole and make a success

of it. I’m kind of the only one that

has been able to branch out and make

it in America. I thought that it was my

duty to give back to the kids and that’s

what we launched and it’s exciting and

has also given me a sense of purpose

and it’s awesome.

AM: You have a mantra of “create a

legacy and not a moment,” what does

this mean? Also what do you want your

legacy to be in the sport as well as the

body of work in general?

MCW: Create a legacy not a moment,

is something that I came up with in

2016 on the way to China at the Grand

Prixe. I was on the train and someone

had left a horoscope book and it was

18 hours so I was reading the damn

thing and I thought that it made a lot

of sense. I asked myself what my purpose

was. I knew that I had won all

these medals, but I wanted to create a

legacy and not a moment. I wanted to

create something that would last forever.

That’s something that everyone

wants whether it’s creating a kid, their

first product or whatever that may be.

I think that being the first is the best

feeling.

I want my legacy to be someone that

changes the sport, gives kids hope

and also sticking up for the kids that

are ADD/ADHD or whatever that got a

negative stigma and I want to change

it. I want to shed a light and just give

kids hope that you can do whatever



you want. I can win medals, that’s easy,

but to inspire kids to do what they want

to do in life that’s amazing. Kids see me

in campaigns that I am doing with brands

and that to me is my legacy.

@fencer

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT | PG 126 - 131 Daring

Foods | PG 132 -137 Kyle McKenzie |

9DRIP PG 28 - 30 Richard Mille |

Hear 2X Team USA Olympic Foil Fencing

Medalist,World Champion, Model and

Ambassador, Miles Chamley-Watson 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

Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music,

Google Podcasts or wherever you enjoy

your podcasts.

ROOTS & RECIPES

AARTI SEQUEIRA


We had the pleasure to catch up with another

culinary fave, Aarti Sequeira. We begin

by talking about her culinary journey

and how we first met her during in season

6 of Food Network’s Next Food Star

where she won her season. We talk about

her show Aarti Party, her love for sharing

Indian foods and being a Food Network

personality as a host and a judge. Just in

the past weeks alone, we have enjoyed her

judging on the latest season of Halloween

Wars and then immediately after, she is

judging Holiday Wars! She shares how she

takes on her role as a judge and why honesty

is essential when she is interacting

with contestants. We also talk about her

latest project, My Family Recipe Journal

which allows people to record their family

recipes as well as to add new ones that you

have created with your friends and family.

She talks about the importance of maintaining

these culinary moments and how

through this, families can still be connected

through space, time and generations.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We remember watching

you on the 6th season of Next Food Star

and winning it which we knew you would.

What was it about cooking that you loved

it and the passion that you brought to it

and what made you want to work in the

culinary world and to share your food stories?

AARTI SEQUIRA: Gosh, well first of all, I

was 10lbs when I was born. I think that

I have always had an appetite. My poor,

poor, poor mother. I was her first baby

and I literally scarred her for life. Bless

her! I was born into a family who are obsessed

with food. I mean, my family will

talk about what they have eaten before

they will tell you how they are feeling! Because

that is probably a clearer barometer

about their emotional well being. It’s

really the center of our lives. I think it’s

because food is such a huge part of Indian

culture and in India as well as South Asia

in general, you can tell so much about a

person, their community and their history

based on what they eat. Their religion

will decide some of the things that they

can eat, where they’re from, the way that

they cook it. It’s just such a huge part

of our identity. That was such a natural

thing that I brought up with me as I

grew and came to the states.

So the ironic thing is that my mum is

an incredible cook and she’s known as

this in our family. My dad has a very

exacting palette and both of them are

world travelers, they’ve been all over

and especially my dad. When we would

go on holiday, we would go to places

where he had been on business trips.

He’d come back and he’d say, “we have

to go to Istanbul guys – you’ll love it.”

That summer we would go to Istanbul

and that was a really beautiful gift

that they gave us. Of course, when we

went on holiday, that was also about

what we were going to eat and then

coming home and trying to recreate

some of that and sharing it with our

friends and family. So, cooking and

eating have marked every joyful and

difficult moment of my life.

So in my 20s when I was here in the

states and I was hitting a real rough

patch in terms of – I had always

thought that I wanted to be a journalist

and I had been pretty successful at

that and I had worked at the company

of my dreams, CNN. Then, the bottom

fell out of everything and I couldn’t

find work and I was really starting to

question my worth and I retreated to

the kitchen and watched a ton of Food

Network – every cooking show I could

find, I read all the cookbooks and I

started tinkering around in my kitchen.

I found that cooking gave me my

sense of peace and comfort and quiet

and a sense of being able to turn chaos

into something beautiful. I desperately

needed that at that point in my life as it

felt like chaos. So cooking really saved

me in many ways because I was having

a huge identity crisis and around the

same time, that’s when my faith came

together and so faith and cooking and

everything that happened right then

in my 20s – it was a crucible and it was

really hard, but I’m so grateful for it because

it really helped me establish who I

am.

AM: What are your 3 favorite ingredients

that you always like to have on hand?

AS: Oooo gosh! How can you narrow it

down to just 3? It’s so hard. I would put it

down to sort of the Indian holy trio which

would be onion, ginger and garlic. I think

if I have those 3 ingredients, I can build

pretty much any savory dish and if I caramelize

the onions enough, I can make a

sweet dish.

AM: Oh wow some double duty actions!

AS: I think that if you walk into my house,

you’ll always find those things sitting on

the counter – even if I have nothing else.

AM: We always love when we're watching

Food Network and we’ll see you popping

on the Guy’s Grocery Games, on Chopped or

Halloween Wars and we know that on Nov

7th, Holiday Wars comes out and that’s really

exciting! It’s great to see these incredible

bakers doing what they do and for it

to be in the holiday season as we have navigated

these past 20 months it makes you

think of that sense of family, fun and thinking

like a kid again. So, tell us for those that

may not have seen the show, we know its

hosted by Maneet Chauhan and that you

and Shinmin Li are judges.

AS: So Holiday Wars is a tradition on Food

Network. It’s a long standing show and I

was really honored to be invited to be part

of it. Shinmin has been judging it since

the beginning so she’s the OG and then

I’m there haha! Holiday Wars is a show

that tests bakers on the inside and on

the outside. Meaning, they have to make,

sculpt and create for us these beautiful vignettes

that will communicate whatever

the theme is of that episode. But they can

only use sugar, flour, eggs, butter, chocolate

and some isomalt.

They have to make us a piece of art. Now

on top of that, it’s interesting that this

season they are going to have to be

heartbreakingly, cutting into their creations

because somewhere at a certain

point in the middle of their beautiful

sculpture, there is some cake for

us to taste. So that’s why I say, inside

and outside. It’s about the flavors and

it’s also about the art of it. It’s such a

unique show and something that keeps

the whole family involved. I watch it

with my kids because they can somewhat

imagine the flavors especially my

boujie palated children!

The thing with Holiday Wars, it’s what

we get excited for. We drive around

our neighborhoods to see the Christmas

decorations and everywhere we

go, there is holiday music playing. We

have tumbled through the year and

we have come home. At the end of

the year, this is what you want – some

comfort, warmth and hope which is

to me what I think the holiday is about

and that’s all wrapped into one here

on Holiday Wars.

AM: How does it feel as a judge to sit

there and watch all of these things going

on and people are going through

competitions? Do you find it hard to

be able to categorize what is better

than something else? It must be pretty

tough.

AS: It is really hard, especially once we

get further and further into the end of

the competition. Listen, I am a huggy

buggy. I start to get really invested in

these people - I care about them. If I

could hand them all a trophy, I would

but that doesn’t really behoove anyone.

The longer we go, the harder it

is for me to tell them, “hey it didn’t

work.” This is the advantage of being

someone that has competed and continues

to compete is that I know what

that feels like. I don’t like it when I can

tell that a judge is holding back the

truth. I want to know the truth and

that’s how I grow and that’s how I get

better. I try to keep that in mind too. I

bear in mind all the difficulty of cook-

ing in front of 1 billion cameras and lights

and the stress that that involves, I try to

keep in mind that fatigue because really

after a few weeks into the competition

there is physical and mental fatigue going

on. I try to keep all of that in mind, but at

the end of the day, everybody is there to

move forward in the competition and in

their career. So I have to shoot it straight

and I try to do it with as much grace and

levity as possible because that’s what I

want.

AM: This season starts on Nov 7th, but is

there anything that you can tell us that we

should look out for or anything that you

can share?

AS: I will tell you that this show follows

on the heels of Halloween Wars and it

was really interesting to see how to make

a sculpture really pop and to have an impact.

On Halloween Wars, you can really

cash in on the drama of the theater that

really stands out. So in a way, you could

really see that – but when you move on

to Holiday Wars, there is no shadow and I

found that they had somewhat of a harder

challenge because what they’re trying to

play on is nostalgia, memory, humor and

that thing that you can’t put your finger

on to give you those feelings in your heart

when you say, “oh my gosh, I’m completely

in love with it and I can tell you all the

stories that I felt as a kid.” That’s very

hard to do and so there were definitely a

couple of creations where even if the execution

wasn’t great and I can think of it

now, I was brought to tears over it when I

heard the story behind it. It just made me

cry so grab some tissues as there will be

some crying. It won’t just be me!

AM: It is a story and it’s kind of interesting

because I was looking at your My Family

Recipes Journal and I believe that people

do tell stories through food. It’s pretty

hard when you talk about a certain dish

without talking about something that

came from your family or some type of experience

that you have had and especially

with what we were talking about, family

bonds, the holiday season and all of these

feelings that come together with this.

Where did the idea come from for you

to be able to create this?

AS: Well, my grandmother whose

name was Lucica, my middle name is

from her. She was this whirlwind in the

kitchen and she was the kind of woman

who would say that she would make

a cake, she would wing the recipe and

even though she didn’t have an oven,

she would steam it on the stove top. It

would turn out so good and everyone

would say, “oh my gosh, Lucica is an incredible

cook.” She was and unfortunately,

she passed away quite early in

her life and in the life of her children.

She did not write her recipes down because

I think that she thought that she

would always be here. So for my mom,

her sisters and her brother, for whom

food is such a huge part of their life,

to not have those recipes and to not

have them written down in her handwriting,

it was just a huge loss.

So my mom started her own recipe

journal and I think that consciously or

subconsciously so that that wouldn’t

happen to us. She has been keeping a

recipe journal for as long as I can remember.

She has so many of these big

old day planners that are filled with

her recipes written and re-written,

tested and re-tested. It’s more of the

traditional things that tell us about

where we from, but it’s also the new

things that she has come up with because

of the experiences that she has

gone through so it’s really this living

testament to who my mother really is

and one of these days, she’s going to

pass. I don’t like thinking about that,

but what I will have and what my sisters

will have is that testament to who

Rosemary Sequeira was and not only

will I be able to run my fingers over

the handwriting and touch her, but I

will also be able to recreate them and

you know that when you make that

person's recipes, they are back in the

kitchen with you and that's a way to

reintroduce her to my girls and to help

them understand that, “hey, you come

from me, but you also come from Rosemary

Sequeira, you also come from Lucica

Harrison and a bunch of generations

before you who all loved to cook and

these are the flavors that they were really

into and this is why we have the sweet

halal or the sweet pilaf recipes because

back in the day, they were rationing and

my grandmother had to come up with the

recipes.” These are the stories right that

pull our roots down into really good soil,

so that we can stretch up high and wide.

I think it’s really important to write these

recipes down because family recipes

naturally and inherently connect a family.

These days because our lives are so

full and so busy and frankly, families are

all across the country and all across the

world We have time and distance coming

for our families and stretching them! So

something as simple as sharing a family

recipe can be that glue that pulls that family

back together. If there is anything that

we have learned over the past couple of

years is that, you can take a lot of things

from us, but we will find a way to remain

connected to those people that are really

important to us. Family is whatever way

that it means something to us.

I got together with my family at DaySpring

and they know how to make beautiful

things that are a blessing to us and enable

us to bless others. They helped me create

this recipe journey. There are blessing at

the beginning of every section and I get a

little choked up to think that there might

be families all over the country saying

those blessings before they eat this holiday

season and there are also pieces of

scripture on every page and we have broken

up the pages into 8 sections so that

you can decide how you want to divide up

your recipes. Every section is color coded

and the colors are inspired by saris from

my mum’s closet. The interesting way

that we have set up the pages is that page

1 is not for your to write the recipe on –

that’s page 2. Page 1 is for you to write the

title of the recipe , the kitchen from which

it came and then to write your memory

of that person or the times that you have

eaten that recipe. So that stays and

when you write something down, you

give it value and you’ve taken something

abstract that only lives in your

mind and you put it down so that others

can share in that experience. That’s

why I think that that is really important

to me and that’s why it’s on page 1.

AM: It seems like such a beautiful book

and something that is perfect for gifting.

AS: Yeah, thank you!

AM: When we were watching you reveal

the book on your Instagram, the

colors are lovely and it looks so ornate

and feels like something that you would

want to put on the coffee table of your

home when you are not using it.

AS: In my mind, it was meant to look

like a jewelry box!

AM: Yes! That’s what we were going to

say but we didn’t want to offend you

ha!

AS: Yes! Why would I be offended

that’s what I wanted it to look like!

It’s a complete jewelry box, because I

want people to understand that their

family recipes no matter how humble

or intricate – they are jewels and gems

that they should hold onto. You should

protect them and pass them down like

an heirloom to the next generation.

AM: Do you see creating other products

like this and having an assortment

that allows people to continue to share

their stories?

AS: I mean that is the hope and prayer.

This is just the beginning of a relationship

with DaySpring and we have some

really cool ideas coming up so I am so

excited to have a partner who values

family and values connection and values

faith the way that I do. Those are

the things that keep me going. Really,

on a day-to-day bases, if I didn't have

those things, I would be a mess!

AM: Yes!

AS: Yeah and I think that we can all relate

to that! The holidays can be hard

for some people and I wanted there

to be something that could help them

through this period of time.

@aartipaartipics

PHOTOS COURTESY | Aarti Sequeira

Hear Chef, TV Personality and Judge

of Food Network/Discovery+, Aarti Sequeira

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 Spotify,

Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google

Podcasts or wherever you enjoy your

podcasts.

Bingely Books

YOU HAD ME AT PET-NAT: A

NATURAL WINE SOAKED

MEMOIR

Hachette Books

Rachel Signer

Rachel dreamed of being that Parisian

girl with effortless cool; however, she

was an under-appreciated freelance

journalist and waitress in

New York City. She is frustated

with her life until she tastes her

first pétillant-naturel (pét-nat), a

type of natural wine made with

no additives or chemicals. This

takes her on a journey to Paris,

Italy, Spain, Georgia, and finally

deep into the wilds of South Australia.

This allows her to face the

question of whether she wants

and can handle living an unconventional

life that she felt she

wanted.

In You Had Me at Pet-Nat, we

watch as Rachel learns more

about those who make this style

of wine as they thumb their nose

to the industry and create a product

that is made with intergrity

and a deep commitment. She

sees the parallel to her own life

and begins to understand that

she must figure out how to live if

she wants to be free.

COOKIN' LOUISIANA:

FLAVORS FROM THE

PARISHES OF THE

PELICAN STATE

Gibbs Smith

Kevin Belton

In his fourth cookbook, Kevin

Belton takes us to Louisiana's

multiple parishes to share foods

of the region with us. Cookin'

Louisiana: Flavors from the Parishes

of the Pelican State also

introduced us to flavor profiles

that are associated with the


Melissa Bahen shares how her weekends

include instagrammable moments

that take place in the country

and include apple cider donuts, white

bean chili and buttery cobblers. She

shares her trips that include picking

apples, going to farmers' markets and

enjoying good company.

With over 65 recipes, you'll find a number

of meals and dishes for brunch,

dinner and dessert for the spring, summer,

autumn and winter.

state. The 78 recipes also come with

humorous stories that engage food enthusiasts

and cooks. We're learn how

to make Smoked Meat Loaf with Sweet

Glaze, Louisiana Fish on the Half Shell,

Cane Syrup Cake just to name a few.

FARMHOUSE WEEKENDS:

MENUS FOR RELAXING

COUNTRY MEALS ALL YEAR

LONG

Gibbs Smith

Melissa Bahen

In addition to loving comfort foods

during the weekends, we're now firmly

in the midst of the holiday season! We

want to have those items that ensure

that we have warm filling nourishment

whether we enjoy this solo or with

friends and family that come over.

Farmhouse Weekends: Menus for Relaxing

Country Meals All Year Long allows

us to bring all the things that we

love about cottagecore to the table

when it is time to dine, regardless of

where you are located.



Bingely Streaming

THE HARDER THEY FALL

Netflix Originals

Netflix

The Harder They Fall is a fictional film that

is based on real cowboys, lawmen, and outlaws

of the 19th-century American West

with principals being a member of an all

Black cast.

We follow Nat Love (Jonathan Majors) who

is intent on getting revenge for the death of

of his parents when he was

young. This outlaw connects with

his crew to take down his mortal

enemy, Rufus Buck (Idris Elba) a

ruthless crime boss who was just

released from prison.

Throughout the film, we look at

the interactions between the Nat

Love Gang, the Rufus Buck Gang

and the US Marshal Bass Reeves.

These historical black figures have

goals that keep them on their mission.

Nat's focus is to kill Rufus for

his wrongdoings as well as to steal

from bandits which keeps him on

Bas Reeves' radar. Buck stays focused

on protecting Redwood, a

safe haven for Black settlers.

Ultimately, we'll see who has left

standing with so much at stake.

THE CURSE OF VON

DUTCH:

A BRAND TO DIE FOR

Hulu Documentary

Hulu

The Curse of Von Dutch: A Brand to

Die For looks at the rise and fall of

one of the most iconic brands to

jump on a trend that dominated

the 2000's. We're introduced to

a series of characters from gangsters,

Venice Beach surfers, European

garmentos, Hollywood star

power and more that attempt to

gain contol of Von Dutch.

We see as the brand begins from

one that is obscure to one of the

most recognized global labels. In

a decade, the brand oscilates between

backstabbers, greed and


even bloodshed. Everyone that was

incolved with this brand is forever

changed - even the scope of pop culture!

HAILEYWOOD

iHeart Originals

iHeart Radio

on him and how he yearned to have a private

life and how he thought he could do

this in one of the smallest towns in Idaho.

We've all had that moment when we

visited a destination or even saw it online

and thought that we would want

to live there and in theory, bring all

of our favorites to this town to make

it our own. In Haileywood, hosted by

Noble Blood's Dana Schwartz, she

talks about the true story of Bruce

Willis' quest to buy an Idaho town.

In this podcast, we connect with the

Die Hard and 90's movie icon and we

learn about the era and how celebrity

was being produced beyond the

screen. We also learn that Bruce was

not one who enjoyed the media's eye







Athleisure Mag NOV ISSUE #71

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