Athleisure Mag NOV ISSUE #83
In this month’s issue, our cover story is with Season 15 BRAVO’s Top Chef Finalist, Butterfunk Biscuit Co founder and author, Chef Chris Scott. We caught up with him to talk about how he came to food, why he is so passionate, what it’s like to apply for Food Network, his cookbook Homage: Recipes and Stories from an Amish Soul Food Kitchen and why he believes in bringing up other chefs. We talk with Katie Lee about Kitchen Therapy, being on Food Network’s The Kitchen and her book Groundswell being a Hallmark Channel movie. We talk with NOV ISSUE #XX cover, TV Personality and chef/owner of Flip Sigi, Chef Jordan Andino. We talk with American Professional Volleyball Player, Sports Announcer, Podcast Host and Author, Gabby Reece. We talk about how she came to the sport, fitness, nourishment, recovery and more. We have been a fan of Jen Pelka for a number of years! As the founder of The Riddler which had locations in San Francisco and New York, we loved enjoying sips and bites. We talked about how she got into the industry, her passion for sparkling bubbles, launching Une Femme and more. We talk with Vittorio Assaf, Founder of Serafina Restaurant Group about this quintessential brand that we have enjoyed eating at, Serafina as well as Serafina Restaurant Group. We talk with the CEO of American Humane, Dr. Robin Ganzert to get to know about this institution which looks over the welfare of animals, the initiatives that they focus on, their cookbook Humane Table and more. We also talk with TRX’s Jack Daly and Randy Hetrick to talk about what TRX is, how it was created, their vision after the recent acquisition and more. Founder of Founder of Boxing WAGS and Co-Founder of D’Telli Fragrances, Telli Swift shares her must-haves in beauty, style and fitness. We also talk with Bryan Meyers about his career as the current CEO + President of [solidcore], his background, his plan for [solidcore] and more. This month’s 9PLAYLIST comes from EDM DJ/Producer Dr. Phunk. Our 63MIX ROUTIN3S comes from Jack Daly and Randy Hetrick. Our monthly feature, The Art of the Snack shares a stunning spot that’s on our list for our next night out, Tokyo GG. This month’s Athleisure List comes from Rise Nation and Fit Fighter. As always, we have our monthly roundups of some of our favorite finds.
In this month’s issue, our cover story is with Season 15 BRAVO’s Top Chef Finalist, Butterfunk Biscuit Co founder and author, Chef Chris Scott. We caught up with him to talk about how he came to food, why he is so passionate, what it’s like to apply for Food Network, his cookbook Homage: Recipes and Stories from an Amish Soul Food Kitchen and why he believes in bringing up other chefs. We talk with Katie Lee about Kitchen Therapy, being on Food Network’s The Kitchen and her book Groundswell being a Hallmark Channel movie. We talk with NOV ISSUE #XX cover, TV Personality and chef/owner of Flip Sigi, Chef Jordan Andino. We talk with American Professional Volleyball Player, Sports Announcer, Podcast Host and Author, Gabby Reece. We talk about how she came to the sport, fitness, nourishment, recovery and more. We have been a fan of Jen Pelka for a number of years! As the founder of The Riddler which had locations in San Francisco and New York, we loved enjoying sips and bites. We talked about how she got into the industry, her passion for sparkling bubbles, launching Une Femme and more. We talk with Vittorio Assaf, Founder of Serafina Restaurant Group about this quintessential brand that we have enjoyed eating at, Serafina as well as Serafina Restaurant Group. We talk with the CEO of American Humane, Dr. Robin Ganzert to get to know about this institution which looks over the welfare of animals, the initiatives that they focus on, their cookbook Humane Table and more. We also talk with TRX’s Jack Daly and Randy Hetrick to talk about what TRX is, how it was created, their vision after the recent acquisition and more. Founder of Founder of Boxing WAGS and Co-Founder of D’Telli Fragrances, Telli Swift shares her must-haves in beauty, style and fitness. We also talk with Bryan Meyers about his career as the current CEO + President of [solidcore], his background, his plan for [solidcore] and more.
This month’s 9PLAYLIST comes from EDM DJ/Producer Dr. Phunk. Our 63MIX ROUTIN3S comes from Jack Daly and Randy Hetrick.
Our monthly feature, The Art of the Snack shares a stunning spot that’s on our list for our next night out, Tokyo GG. This month’s Athleisure List comes from Rise Nation and Fit Fighter. As always, we have our monthly roundups of some of our favorite finds.
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ISSUE #83
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table of contents
issue #83
nov 2022
125
STYLE FEATURES
THE PICK ME UP
140
102
IN OUR BAG
151 ROCK THIS WHEN YOU’RE
HEADING TO THE STUDIO
BEAUTY FEATURES
ROSE WATER BEAUTY
Homage to Food and Culture
Chef Chris Scott
This month, we caught up Chef Chris Scott who was a finalist in season 15 of Top
Chef and owner of Butterfunk Biscuit Co. We talk about his cookbook Homage Recipes
and Stories from an Amish Soul Food Kitchen, food heritage and lifting up chefs.
16
155
ATHLEISURE BEAUTY
Kitchen Therapy
Katie Lee Biegel
Right in the thick of the holiday season, we chatted with Food Network’s Katie Lee
Biegel of The Kitchen to talk about her passion for food, the importance of Kitchen
Therapy and her bestselling book turned Hallmark movie, Groundswell.
32
126
LIFESTYLE FEATURES
ATHLEISURE LIST
RISE NATION
Tale of the Mocktail
38
Chef Jordan Andino talks about the rise
of the mocktail and his latest show.
Wellness Advocate
44
We talk all things fitness, nutrition and
recovery with Gabby Reece!
128
ATHLEISURE LIST
FIT FIGHTER
AthleisureMag.com - 10 - Issue #83 | Nov 2022
Uplifting Through Vines
Jen Pelka
We talk with Jen Pelka founder of Une Femme which carries women owned/produced
wines. We talk about how she got into the culinary arts, falling in love with
sparkling bubbly, creating The Riddler that had locations in San Francisco and NY
and her focus on empowering, collaborating and giving back is essential.
56
Forging Ahead
TRX
84
We sit down with Randy Hetrick and
Jack Daly to talk about TRX - how it was
created, the recent acquisition, their
vision moving forward and more.
9PLAYLIST
Dr Phunk
TM
104
This month’s 9PLAYLIST comes from DJ/
Producer DR. Phunk who shares what he
is listening to right now.
63MIX ROUTIN3S
Randy Hetrick
TM
138
Our 63MIX ROUTIN3S is from founder
of TRX, Randy Hetrick who shares his
Morning, Afternoon and Night go-tos and
favorites he does.
Telli Swift Shares
161
Founder of Boxing WAGS and Co-Founder
of D‘Telli Fragrances, Telli Swift
shares her must-haves in beauty, style
and fitness.
Issue #83 | Nov 2022
- 11 - AthleisureMag.com
This month, our cover features Chef Chris
Scott who was a finalist in Season 15 of Top
Chef in Colorado and brought his technique
and culinary view to the show. From that
season, he continued to be on our radar as
we saw him appear on a number of shows
and food oriented festivals and more. He's
always focused on the food, making sure
that it educates us on the cultures and regions
it comes from as well as ensuring
that he continues to reach back and assist
chefs that are coming up by sharing knowledge
where he can! We caught up with
him ahead of the holiday season to dig a
little deeper into his background, what he
is focusing on with his restaurants, what
it's like when you're going through the Top
Chef process and his cookbook Homage:
Recipes and Stories from an Amish Soul
Food Kitchen. His insights on the intersectionality
of foods he grew up with as well
as how he has created impactful James
Beard Foundation dinners is a conversation
that we truly enjoyed!
ATHLEISURE MAG: We’re excited to have
you as this month’s cover. We have connected
via in the past and it’s always great
to see you and your food, and what you’re
working on!
When did you fall in love with food and
when did you know that you wanted to be
a chef as a career?
CHEF CHRIS SCOTT: I would say that I fell
in love with it when I realized that early
on in my career. It was sort of when it became
more than just cooking and it became
more so a way of life and the way
that I understood the power from within
the food and what it could do. Not only
to sustain our bodies and everything, but
what it could do culturally and things of
that nature. It became more of a revolutionary
kind of platform for me.
AM: How do you define your culinary style?
CHEF CS: My style, it changes from time
to time. When you first start out, you're
busting out all of your best moves in the
beginning. You see that a lot in younger
chefs and they really want it to be
more about them than it is about the
food! So you kind of go through those
phases – the up and down and through
the ebb and flow. But the older that I
get, I understand that it is about the
food and it was never really about me
so you try really hard to highlight those
things as far as food and everything
is concerned. It’s about the farmers,
it’s about the growing aspect and it’s
about all of those things!
My cooking, some of the styles of it,
I have been trained in fine dining and
I have been doing that for 30+ years.
You know I’ve worked in some very
high end spots. Right now, I’m kind of
focused in on the food of my ancestors,
but I do it all! The focus is really
about the food and not about me, you
know?
AM: Right!
Tell us about Butterfunk Biscuit Co. I’ve
looked at the IG posts over the past few
months or so and it’s some drool worthy
pictures!
CHEF CS: Yeah! I don’t do the social
media on there! I’ve seen it here and
there. Butterfunk Biscuit Co is heritage
biscuits at its finest. You’re going
to be experiencing biscuits that have
been passed down for 4 generations
and it’s the biscuit that I did on Top
Chef that got a lot of notoriety and
people were lined up outside of the
doors and they still are! But it’s where
you can really come and it emphasizes
more on Black bakers because I actually
do a lot of pastries out of there and
I’m going to be expanding into a lot of
Rotis and Jeera and everything. So really
focusing on chefs that bake from
Brown countries. Just really trying to
emphacize breads that are made by
Brown hands.
AM: We enjoyed your season of Top
Chef Season 15 in Colorado. Why did
you want to compete on the show? You
Issue #83 | Nov 2022
- 19 - AthleisureMag.com
were a finalist on that season which was
amazing and it was great to hear your story!
CHEF CS: It’s funny because that particular
season, I did not want to compete! I applied
5 times onto the show and just didn’t
get onto it and everything. I read somewhere
that over 200,000 chefs apply to
the show every year and they choose anywhere
from 12-15 people and after awhile,
the process is very long. Not only do you
have to fill out this intense application –
sometimes you hear back and sometimes
you don’t. To only have to go through a
bunch of Skype calls, to doing tastings, to
be flown to different locations around the
country – it’s a pretty long process and I
didn’t want to have to go through that
process for a 6th time!
AM: That’s understandable!
CHEF CS: At that time, my wife and I, we
had our youngest kid, so we had a 1 year
old and a baby. When I got the call, I turned
them down at first and I told my wife,
“hey listen, Top Chef called, they wanted
me to come and try out for this season,
but I told them no.” She said, “call them
back and tell them yes!” I said, “how are
we going to do this? How are you going to
run 2 restaurants and 2 small children if I
get on the show?” She said, “don’t worry,
we’ll find a way.” So I got on and we
found a way.
AM: Well you found a way!
Shortly after that season aired, Cochon 555
happened and that’s where we first met
you in person as we were media sponsors
of that event here in NY. It was cool to see
you as well as other cheftestants from your
season there as well. We know that you
support other chefs, you do other types
of foodie events – why is that so important
to you to be able to participate and to
present yourself in those spaces with all of
those people?
CHEF CS: You know, it’s always good to
be able to keep yourself out there and to
show people what you’re out there doing
and to use that platform sometimes
for a bit more than just food. It’s also
about talking about how the industry is
moving, what’s new or even some new
dishes that you might want to be able to
highlight. But it’s also important to want
to uplift the ones that are coming up behind
you as well. I think I did that event
with Tyler Anderson (Millwright's, Ta-
Que, Bar Piña) and Bruce Kalman (Soulbelly
BBQ, BKBrinery) you know back
in the day. Actually, there was a Cochon
in Aspen while we were filming and we
were at the finals and we weren’t supposed
to leave the cast house, but we
snuck out and went to the Cochon party
back then. Not only was it fun, but you
get to rub elbows with your colleagues
from different parts of the country, but
it’s good to kind of lift up the other chefs
that are coming up behind you to give
them that experience to be there and to
also see what’s happening so that in the
following years, they can be involved.
AM: We recently saw you on Bobby’s Triple
Threat! Love that episode and how
was it to be on the show and to taste 2
great chefs going head-to-head and then
having to score them and to figure out a
winner?
CHEF CS: Right! I mean for that day, it
was some good eats for sure!
AM: It looked so good!
CHEF CS: I knew I was going there so I
didn’t eat breakfast at all and I went
in there ready! But that whole experience
was pretty surreal! I knew of Bobby
(Amalfi Las Vegas, Bobby’s Burgers,
Beat Bobby Flay: Holiday Throwdown)
back in the day in my Philly days. He
started out on Food Network doing a
show called Grillin and Chillin with Jack
McDavid who’s a Philly chef back in the
day and they tried to have Jack McDavid
who was this country bumpkin dude
wearing a farmer’s outfit and Bobby
was supposed to be a city boy coming
on the scene. Now here we are 20 some
years later, he’s still doing it and I’m still
doing it and we were just kind of talking
about the old days and having the opportunity
to be on the show was a great time!
AM: We love that!
We’re excited to learn more about Homage:
Recipes and Stories from an Amish
Soul Food Kitchen. I live in NY now, but I’m
originally from Indianapolis, so I grew up
around Amish communities although they
were not in my town per se. I never thought
about Amish and Soul Food having a connection
until I saw you on Top Chef and
you were talking about it. Can you tell us
why you wrote this book and what that
connection is like?
CHEF CS: So the book was written for a
bunch of reasons. I think that the first and
foremost is that I look at it like it is a love
letter passed down from the women that
have raised me to my children and their
stories kind of run through me. My mother
and grandmother passed away before
my children were born and there always
comes a time in anyone’s life when they
kind of want to know where am I from,
who are my ancestors, what did they do
and what did they eat? So this book really
touches base on that, but also with
the intermingling of the food and everything.
Soul Food to me, is regional and
is based on where you are. So wherever
you are in the country, is certainly where
some of the ingredients will be available
to you. For example, my people are from
Virginia – tidewater people so you have a
lot of that Virginia agriculture a little bit of
that coastal stuff with the shad, the shad
roe, the blue crab so on and so forth. You
keep on going down South - the Gullah
Geechees in the Carolinas. It’s more of
a rice culture and more African flavors.
Keep on going further South, now you’re
in the panhandle of Florida, more Creole.
Up where I’m from, there are German,
Dutch and Amish, so after Emancipation
happened, with the Great Migration and
everything, by the time I was born, the
Southern culture and the Amish culture
were already intermingled so that was
the only food that I knew. But that happens
everywhere because Black people
are everywhere!
AM: So what foods are considered Amish
foods?
CHEF CS: It’s more of a flavor as opposed
to Black Amish. You know the
flavors that we bring with us from Africa,
through the Caribbean, through the
American South and so forth. But once
you intermingle it with some of that
German technique and flavors, you have
acidity and sugars and vinegar and that
sweet and sour aspect really plays its
role. For example, that Lemonade Fried
Chicken that I did on Top Chef and which
is also in the book, everybody and their
mama is doing some form of tea brined
chicken, but I chose to do a lemonade
brine. Now it’s not like Country Time,
but it is lemon juice, it is hot sauce, it is
buttermilk, it is fresh spices and everything.
So, it’s more or less, a savory lemon
like a marinade like that which is on
the border of sweet and savory.
So you have all of those aspects and flavors
that are into it as well. So when I
talk about the Amish Soul Food, again,
it’s not Black Amish food. It’s more like
flavor profiles and stuff like that.
AM: You’ve cooked at 9 James Beard
Foundation dinners, 5 of them as the
lead chef and you also created the first
Juneteenth Dinner at the Beard House
with Brother Luck (Top Chef Season 15,
Beat Bobby Flay, Chopped), Tanya Hopkins
(Kwanzaa Menu, James Hemings:
Ghost in America’s Kitchen, Savory &
Sweet) and Andrea Cheatham (Top Chef
Season 15 Runner Up, Alex vs America,
Live! with Kelly and Ryan). This dinner is
now an annual event. What is it like to
cook at Beard House and what was it like
to create that iconic meal on Juneteeth?
CHEF CS: It was super special! I also got
invited back today and I am going back
on Dec 5th.
AM: That’s exciting!
CHEF CS: So it will be #10 which blows my
mind, but every single time I walk through
those doors, I always intentionally get
there first. I always want to be the first
person in the room because I remember all
of the legendary chefs that came through
before me that stood in that same kitchen
and I always like to be their first, put
my hands on the table and kind of get a
feel and play my music, start prepping
and just kind of really set the mood and
the vibe for everyone that comes through
because tonight is my night! That has always
been what’s going on and for chefs
of color that might be coming through,
I always say, “hey, listen. Before you go,
call me and I’m going to tell you how you
can really make this night special. I kind
of have them follow through. As far as
Juneteeth, it was special to be the first to
do that and I’m really glad that they continued
to do so. Like I’ve said, we always
want to be able to pull all the others up
and there’s a lot of really amazing chefs
from generations that are behind me and
that are up and coming and that they are
already here! For them to be able to have
their moment there is special too!
AM: Well, you’re also the chef at the Institute
of Culinary Education. Why did
you want to add this to your resume as
you have done so many things that are so
amazing. What was about that that you
wanted to be part of it?
CHEF CS: Well, they asked me to come
through. It more so started on the ambassador
level, where they said here
you’re doing great things – why don’t you
use our space and we’ll pay you for it. So
whenever we have an idea to do something
creative, they want to be part of it.
So they tell me to come through, use their
kitchen, use their food and all I have to do
is to document it and kind of teach that to
the students. So that’s what we do. But
again, it’s always paying it forward and
really showing that next generation what
it's all about. Again, it's not ever about me.
There was a time when it was and when I
needed the whole world to know what
Chris Scott was doing. But that is so not
important. What’s important is that I’m
taking all my wisdom, all my experience,
all my know how and kind of giving that
to the next generation. Even when it’s
how to navigate the way through the
kitchen as a chef of color – all of those
things. It’s so much experience that
needs to be passed along.
AM: Couldn’t agree more with this. My
background coming from fashion and
being the Co-Founder of Athleisure Media,
to navigate as a person of color in
these spaces it’s not easy. Anytime I can
go back and tell people that this is how
they need to do it or how to be on set
– giving that knowledge is going to help
that person who may not have known
anything about that. You have to know
what you know and how to actually interact
with other people.
CHEF CS: Absolutely!
AM: Are there any upcoming projects we
can keep an eye out for?
CHEF CS: Well, we’re currently looking
for a brick and mortar spot that’s a
standalone for Butterfunk Co all over
again. We left Brooklyn back in 2019 and
we’re sort of looking to get back into it.
I’m currently on the 8 city/19 event book
tour. I’ll be down at the BayHaven Food
& Wine Festival in Charlotte Oct 19th –
23rd for a second time in a row. As you
know, that’s pretty much the mecca of
Black chefs like all of the who’s who kind
of goes there. We’re doing a dinner that
Fri and I will also be there on Sat. On Fri,
I am doing a seafood dinner with some
of my colleagues and on Sat morning, I
am doing a book signing and then I’m
back on the plane.
@chefchris512
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | Front Cover,
16-25, 27 + 29 Courtesy Chris Scott | PG
26 + Back Cover From Homage, ©2022
Chris Scott. Photos © Brittany Conerly |
It's all about the approach to food whether
you're making it or enjoying it. We've been
fans of Katie Lee Biegel for a number of
years as we love how she simply enjoys telling
her story through food. With a hectic
holiday season upon us, we wanted to chat
with her to talk about her love of food, being
a co-host on The Kitchen, partaking in
Kitchen Therapy as a form of self-care and
her thoughts on her bestselling book being
turned into a film on the Hallmark channel!
ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you realize
you wanted to work in food?
KATIE LEE BIEGEL: I don’t consider myself
a chef, I consider myself a home cook that
likes to share what I know. I grew up in
my Grandma’s kitchen. I’ve always been
cooking my whole life and I realized that I
could make it a career, probably 20 years
ago when I was in college. I started thinking
that this was what I wanted to do and
I have been fortunate enough to be able
to make it my life’s work and it’s also my
hobby and I love to cook!
AM: Which is awesome and we always love
seeing you in different shows as you make
food so approachable. Love seeing you on
The Kitchen, what drew you to want to be
on that show?
KLB: Oh gosh, The Kitchen is a dream
come true! We’ve been doing that show
for almost 10 years now! It’s the best thing
that ever happened to me professionally.
Those are my people and we have such a
good time, we have become family. But
it’s also our viewers as well. We have such
a loyal following and I love hearing from
our viewers on social media. Especially at
this time of year, the holidays are when
everyone is in the kitchen, everybody is
cooking and it's our busiest time. I really
believe in making and cooking with an enjoyable
experience with people. It doesn’t
have to be stressful. I teamed up with
Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove for this Kitchen
Therapy initiative which I am so into. I like
during the holidays to carve out somemetime
and to go to the kitchen. It's actually
my form of self-care by having those mo-
ments of peace in the kitchen when everything
else about the holidays can be
chaotic.
AM: I love that you say that. I never
thought of self-care happening in the
kitchen so when I heard about it, I knew
that I wanted to know more about this
as we’re all about wellness and bringing
self-care to other areas, so why not here?
Tell me more about your partnership
with Sub-Zero, Wolf & Cove.
KLB: I learned that 95% of Americans
find cooking to be calming. That actually
surprised me because you hear a lot of
people getting stressed out about food
and what they are cooking. I think when
it comes to holiday cooking especially,
it’s about making a game plan and carving
out that time in your schedule as opposed
to waiting until the last minute.
I always wait to the last minute to buy
gifts and then I’m totally stressed. I got
the kitchen part down, I just need to get
the gift buying part down and maybe I
would have a stress free holiday!
I think that when you can carve out that
time and get in the kitchen, whether
you’re putting on your favorite music or
turning on a holiday movie that you love
to watch while you cook or open a bottle
of wine if you like. It’s about having
that time that’s yours. For me, I get that
sense of contentment that I am cooking
for my family and loved ones. It makes
me feel good, especially if I’m not in a
rush.
AM: Why do you think it’s so important
that we all need to find ways to do Kitchen
Therapy?
KLB: Well I mean, food is what nourishes
our bodies right? When you’re taking
the time to cook good nourishing food,
I think that you’re going to feel good
about it. I just did a renovation and I’m
here in my kitchen in NYC.
AM: Which is beautiful!
KLB: Thank you! I got my favorite appliances.
I got my Sub-Zero fridge, I got my
Wolf Range Oven and my Cove Dishwasher.
I think that having those appliances
that really do their jobs effectively and efficiently
makes me feel a sense of ease as
well in the kitchen.
AM: Well how can we make cooking an
escape from the stress? What are tips that
you suggest? Someone such as yourself
has already adopted it, but what can people
do that makes it a lot easier for them?
KLB: I’m a big believer in making lists. If it’s
not written down, I don’t remember it. So I
write out my menu, I write out everything
that I am going to need to buy at the store
and I shop in advance. I know that the refrigerator
is going to keep things fresh so
I do a lot of cooking in advance as well.
Whether it’s making my dressing a couple
of days ahead of time and storing it in
there. I have a bread pudding back there
on the stove. Bread pudding is a fantastic
dessert to make in advance, to keep it in
the fridge and then to pop it in the oven
before dessert time. I can’t stress enough
to plan ahead before the holidays.
AM: What are some of your favorite recipes
to make especially with these amazing
appliances that you have?
KLB: Oh some of my favorite recipes! I’ve
got so many! I always look forward to
making my Thanksgiving turkey. Some
people are intimidated by the turkey, we
always joke that it’s a big chicken! Again,
allow yourself some time with the turkey.
If you have a frozen turkey, allow yourself
1 day for every 5lbs to thaw in your refrigerator.
Then I like to do an herb butter under
the skin and I do a dry brine and put it
back in the refrigerator and then I let it sit
out for an hour to come to room temperature
before putting it in the oven. Then it’s
going to need a good hour to rest after it
has come out of the oven. So think about
what time you want to start serving your
Thanksgiving dinner and work backwards
from there.
AM: What plans do you have for the holiday
season and what does Katie Lee’s
kitchen serving and doing?
KLB: We’ve got a jam packed holiday
season! We moved into our new place
in the city and we invited my husband’s
family to come for Thanksgiving. He
has a big family and we’ve got a lot of
plans! So, I definitely have to cook in
advance. We’ve got plans to go to the
Museum of Natural History, we’re going
to do a pizza party at one of our favorite
places the night before Thanksgiving
so that I’m not cooking the night
before Thanksgiving. We’re going to
the Thanksgiving Day Parade and then
we’ve got plans to see the Radio City
Rockettes. We’ve got all kinds of plans.
We’re going to do a Chinatown night –
super excited for it! But I’ve been thinking
a lot about our meal and how I am
going to time that out. I’m actually going
to start cooking on Mon of Thanksgiving
week.
AM: Wow! That’s smart!
You’re also the Executive Producer for
the Hallmark film, Groundswell which is
based on your bestselling debut novel.
How exciting has this been for you to
be part of this and to see your book become
this whole other thing?
KLB: I enjoyed working with Hallmark
so much. It was really a dream come
true to see my book become a film
and it had been a really long time. That
book came out in 2011 and I certainly
wasn’t expecting that in 2022, to have
it become a movie! So it just goes to
show that anything can happen!
AM: Exactly!
What are you excited about for the upcoming
year as we’re closing this one
out which seems crazy to say! Is there
anything that we should keep an eye
out for?
KLB: I’m really focused on my daugh-
ter, I have a 2 year old and she’s going to
nursery school this year, so I’m really enjoying
all of the things with her school and
participating in holiday events with her. As
far as professionally, continuing on with
The Kitchen, we are in production all year
long so I’m constantly writing recipes for
The Kitchen and I’d like to do something
again in the scripted world. So we’ll see
if it’s another movie or if I start writing
another book. I’m not exactly sure, but I
want to be able to get those creative juices
flowing again! I think that when we first
become moms, it’s like that part of your
brain turns off, because you’re so focused
on your child, your baby and now she’s
getting to the point where I can begin to
start thinking of other things!
AM: Does she help you in the kitchen as
well?
KLB: She loves to be in the kitchen and she
definitely helps a lot in making messes!
AM: Every little bit helps and that’s why
you plan as you know there will be 20mins
of “uh-oh!”
KLB: There’s definitely some extra clean
up, but it’s so worth it and so much fun!
Katie Lee Biegel is known for having the
perfect recipe and especially during the
holiday season, she wanted to share her
Pumpkin and Chocolate Croissant Bread
Pudding that she was talking about that
could be made ahead and then heated up
when friends and family come over for holiday
festivities!
PUMPKIN AND CHOCOLATE CROISSANT
BREAD PUDDING
Ingredients
• Nonstick cooking spray, for the baking
dish
• 6 large eggs
• 3 cups half-and-half
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 chocolate croissants, cut into 1 1/2-
inch pieces
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream,
for serving (optional)
• Hot fudge sauce
• Caramel sauce
Directions:
1. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish
with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, halfand-half,
pumpkin, sugar, salt, pumpkin
pie spice, cinnamon and vanilla. Add the
croissant pieces and chocolate chunks
and toss to coat. Transfer to the prepared
baking dish. Press the mixture
down into the pan. Cover and refrigerate
for at least 1 hour to overnight to allow
the liquid to be absorbed.
3. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
4. Bake until golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes.
Serve hot with whipped cream or
vanilla ice cream, if desired. Drizzle with
hot fudge sauce and caramel sauce.
@katieleebiegel
@subzeroandwolf
PHOTOGRAPHY COURESY | Katie Lee
We always love catching up with Chef/
Restaurateur Chef Jordan Andino of big
Flip Sigi here in NYC! In addition to bringing
FIlipino flavors and a great personality
that you can see on a number of his shows,
he is always working on his latest project
that is bound to be exciting!
We caught up with him ahead of his newest
show he's hosting on Netflix, Cook at
All Costs on Dec 16th, to talk about his partnership
with Allstate! The rise of mocktails
has increased for those that don't drink
alcohol or are the designated driver. He
shares a recipe with us as well as how you
can enter to win a limited-edition Allstate
Good Sips mocktail kit with ingredients,
tools and more. The kits are available in
limited quantity via sweepstakes now
through Dec 8th and you can enter and
find out more on their Instagram post!
ATHLEISURE MAG: Obviously you know
we are fans of yours and we loved having
you as our NOV ISSUE 2018 cover as well as
other times you’ve popped up! What is it
about the holiday season that you love?
CHEF JORDAN ANDINO: Well listen, I love
a lot of things obviously hearing your voice
and seeing you again! But really for me,
the best thing about the holidays is the
fact that you get to be with people and
you know, just really celebrate life and celebrate
relationships that have really been
building throughout the year. Because
of that, a lot of people don’t realize that
you’re sharing a lot of these times together
and you really want to keep the roads
safe and that’s why I’m here because Allstate
has this legacy for safe driving advocacy
and we’ve seen a big growing rise in
popularity of mocktails. So they took that
and used this climate to help promote
safe driving for the entire holiday season.
AM: That’s great to hear and it’s crazy
how the mocktail scene has just increased
in general whether it’s restaurants adding
more interesting cocktails or destinations
that only serve them. What can you tell us
about mocktails in general for those that
may not be familiar with this?
CHEF JA: Ok, so everyone, mocktails is
a cocktail without the alcohol. So let’s
just put that out there. So then everyone
says, why would you have a cocktail
without the alcohol? Because! What
a lot of people don’t realize is that you
drink a cocktail because it will give you
a head buzz and it will make you feel all
loopy and whatever, but you know what?
That’s not the main point! It’s because
it’s a social drink and it’s fun to have a
cocktail and to be out with people. So
now, the alternative to cocktails and in
this case, mocktails, are being made so
that people can still be out, socialize, enjoy
everything that is around you with
other people, but all the while ensuring
that you will get home safe.
So here, the Allstate Mocktail Collection
gives people non-alcoholic options to
enjoy not just now during the holidays,
but year around as well.
AM: I know that you have created some
signature mocktails. What do you suggest
that we can have with our friends
and family?
CHEF JA: There’s 3 of them that I created.
So the 1st one is the 10 and 2. It’s
an alcohol free version of an Old Fashioned.
Then there’s the Silver Sage, a
festive gin inspired one with cranberry,
sage and a serrano pepper simple syrup,
soda water and of course a sage leaf as
a garnish. But the one that I am going
to show you is the most important one
which is this one right here. This is the
Safetini. It’s like a non-alcoholic take on
a classic Martini in this beautiful Allstate
Blue.
I’m going to make it for you and it’s pretty
simple! All you have to do is start with
this lovely shaker which I need you to ask
me about later so that we can touch on
this. You have this shaker with a little bit
of ice in it and what we’re going to do is
we are going to take one measurement
of the blue Curaçao syrup – this is going
to give you the sweetness that you need
in a drink and it also gives you that blue
and a bit of aromatic. Then you're going
to have another pour of the lime juice.
The lime juice is really going to help you
balance the entire drink and to make it delicious
and then we’re going to take some
mint. The mint has some elements that is
two fold it will keep you concentrated, but
not just that. It will also keep your drink
minty fresh and delicious. So now we’re
going to put on the lid and we’re going to
shake and now it feels like I’m just the bartender
making you drinks like we did before
when you came to the restaurant. So
take the lid off after shaking and you get
that amazing Allstate Blue. Now we’ll top
it off with a bit of soda water and there’s
your drink with some cranberries right inside
and of course a nice sprig of mint to
really drive that home – it’s so delicious.
AM: Definitely looks like a fun drink and
it’s great that you brought the point home
that grabbing a drink is a social type of
thing and whether you don’t drink alcohol
at all or you are the designated driver, you
still want to feel like you have something
fun and Instagramable that you can take a
picture of but knowing that there isn’t alcohol
in there.
You were talking about this shaker – what’s
going on with that?
CHEF JA: Ok I appreciate that pitch right
there! Starting today, you can visit Allstate’s
Instagram page for a chance to win
a limited edition Good Sip Mocktail Kit. It
comes with all of the ingredients and of
course, the highlight of it is this amazing
golden shaker! It’s so pretty and it’s perfect
for the holidays. You can mix everything
and anything in here and it’s a great
way to serve up drinks and all the while,
there’s no booze in here which means all
of the roads are going to be safe thanks
to Allstate.
AM: Love that and because I know you’re
always on the move and have something
going on – you have Flip Sigi, you’ve opened
up various locations and you’re always on
Food Network as a judge or a host, you’re
hosting Cook at All Cost which is coming
up on Netflix next month, what can you
tell us about this show?
CHEF JA: That’s right! I’m very fortunate,
very happy, very grateful! It’s
called, Cook at All Costs and it airs on
Netflix on Dec 16th – 8 episodes that will
be released internationally to every Netflix
account in the world! It’s a cooking
competition, 3 home cooks are given
$25,000 to start at the beginning. They
go through 2 rounds that are 45 mins
each and they use that money to bid on
ingredients that will help them elevate
their dish. Then the trick is, whatever
money they don’t spend is the money
that they take home if they win! It’s a
fun kind of strategic part of it. I’m the
chef and I go into auction mode so – I’m
the chef, I’m the host, I’m the auctioneer
and it’s so much fun and I can’t wait
for y’all to see it.
AM: That’s super exciting is there anything
else that you want us to keep an
eye out for? I’m waiting to see when
you’re going to be making a cookbook!
CHEF JA: Ok listen, unfortunately cookbooks
take 2 years! Believe me, cookbook
is in the works! If you really want
to know, I have another restaurant
opening in the West Village it’s called
Carriage House. I’m really excited and
it’s actually American Home Style fine
dining and we’re launching that right after
Thanksgiving! So stay tuned for that
as well. It’s a busy busy year!
@fork_knife
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Chef Jordan
Andino
AthleisureMag.com - 42 - Issue #83 | Nov 2022
AthleisureMag.com - 44 - Issue #83 | Nov 2022
Growing up in the 90s, when you thought
of Beach Volleyball, you thought about
Gabby Reece! Whether it was seeing her
in a number of commercials, gracing covers
of Elle, Women's Sports & Fitness, appearing
in Arliss (which in many respects
laid the groundwork for future HBO shows
such as Entourage and Ballers), interviewing
athletes, modeling and so much more.
Gabby really made her presence know
whether she was on the sand or off.
We enjoyed catching up with Gabby to
talk about her career, how she got into
playing volleyball and how she used her
creativity and natural curiosity to continue
to add an array of work to her portfolio
is amazing. In addition, we talk about
how she is an advocate for fitness, wellness
and nutrition and why this is something
that she is so passionate about. We
also find out about other projects she has
going on such as The Gabby Reece Podcast
and her entreprenurial projects with her
husband, big wave surfer, Laird Hamilton.
ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you realize
that you wanted to play beach volleyball?
GABBY REECE: Well I moved from the Caribbean
my junior year of high school to
Florida and I was 15 and I was 6’3” and I
had dabbled a little bit. But because athletics
was so organized in the US, it was
sort of like they said that I had to play. I
was really a beginner and kind of like a
neophyte at it and like I said, I had just
kind of dabbled. Then I started getting
offers my senior year which is pretty late
for college which was a surprise to me for
basketball and for volleyball. So it really
was something that I fell into. I think that
being part of something was really powerful
for me. I think that my nature is that
I like to work hard. I think that if you had
said to me at the end of my junior year
that I would be going and playing college
volleyball, I would not have known that!
Quite frankly, the same with professional
volleyball. When I was in college, I had
not participated in beach volleyball. It was
only because I had moved to Miami after
college and I picked up the game and
someone said after about a year and a
half, that I should move to California. I’d
say that I did that a lot in that realm.
AM: We’ve been fans of yours watching
you during your iconic career, you made
your presence known from being Nike’s
first female spokesperson, the first female
athlete to ever have designed a
shoe for Nike and their first ever female
cross training spokesperson. What do
you feel are your biggest achievements
in the sport?
GR: You know, I have to be honest, I feel
that just being able to participate in anything
at a high level with other people
that are doing it! I mean, I won a World
Championship, but there were some
other things and I think that for me personally,
it was being able to play at that
level and being around that caliber of
athletes and coaches. Because I always
say that volleyball in a different way kind
of saved my life a bit. It sort of directed
me in this area that I remained in for my
adult life. So I think that for me, it was
a very deep relationship! Plus, I feel like
volleyball, like any other sport, it’s very
honest and I always felt like I had respected
myself after practice if you will,
if that makes sense. Because you can’t
bs it. If I was modeling, they could give
you really good hair and makeup or you
could be like whatever and tuck in this
and this – wear something tight there.
But I think that there was something
that was really honest about it which I
know that this sounds weird, but then
it also makes being imperfect and vulnerable
easier because you’re like, “oh
yeah, I know what it’s like to fall on my
face in front of a lot of people.” So it almost
gives you the strength to be like
– yeah I know how to suck and I know
how to fail and it’s ok, you’ll be able to
survive it.
AM: I like the way that you put that.
You’ve navigated the sport and have also
added in these other elements of yourself
whether it’s being an author, modeling,
acting and hosting. Why is it import-
ant to you to be able to utilize these skills
in your creative pursuits?
GR: Well I think that you just said. I think
that we’re all creative and we express
ourselves differently. For me, my husband
says this perfectly because Laird is a surfer
and Laird is more dedicated to his sport
because it’s part of his life and it’s very
different. But he says, I’m Laird and one
of the things that I do is surf. And I think
for me, it was a creative outlet, but so
were the other things! Interviewing other
people and learning from them or writing
books or writing columns, these were
just other extensions of who I am and a
creative outlet because in certain ways I
combat being very linear. So, every once
in awhile when I have these opportunities,
to have these creative expressions, I
feel like it just helps me. You get a level of
satisfaction I think in life when you get to
do that.
AM: Tell me about the Gabby Reece Show,
why you wanted to start this podcast and
what you have learned by doing it?
GR: Oh my gosh, what I have learned is
that there are a lot of smart people out
there! You know, I used to interview people
when I started for TV in the early 90s
and I liked it, but it was short and quick.
You got 7 mins, you got 12 mins whatever.
I like the idea of it also not being about
me because I was interviewed often so it
was like, oh this is cool this is about them.
You’re doing your homework. I did a podcast
with a gentleman named Neil Strauss,
he’s an author and we’re very different.
So we did that for a few years and to be
honest, I didn’t have the confidence necessarily
to think that I could do it myself
and be interesting. I thought that I could
be interesting for like 12 shows…
AM: Impossible – impossible!
GR: No, I’m being honest! I’m always in
awe of people who say that they are so
fun to watch. I’m like, wow you’re amazing!
I think for me it was like, yeah it makes
me uncomfortable, but I am curious and I
do like to learn and so I do talk to a lot
of different types of people – scientists
and doctors and the hope was to get the
very best in information – the sharp end
of the stick of information and communicate
it at the 6th grade level and also
try to give it to people who really need
it. I always say that people like myself
or athletes or people that have the opportunity
to have trainers or eat organic
food – they already don’t need it. It’s
people that are working their butts off
and they are just trying to get there minute
by minute – how do we condense
this information for them and to get it to
them in a way that it is understandable,
but it’s the really good information. And
it’s like, can you tweak this one thing or
could you do this? So that’s my hook because
if you’re very high performance,
you’d say that this is very good intel, but
if you’re like, “I’m too busy to deal with
it,” then we sift through it for you and
say maybe this is what you really want
to focus on.
AM: As a mom, you’re someone who is
involved in a lot of entrepreneurial endeavors,
health and wellness is key to
you and we’re always looking at things
that we can add into our workout – what
are 3 exercises that you do that we should
consider including?
GR: You know, I’m sometimes the anti
person in this way – I’m like, oh! I have
a friend and we say 100% of the things a
100% of the time. So when we talk about
cardio, stretching or lifting – I will say
this, anytime that you can use more of
your whole body and also work on proprioception
and balance – like working
out on one leg at a time is great. Like
a sit up, you’re going to be very strong
in a limited range of motion. But if you
do a clean and jerk or a 1 arm dumbbell
snap, you activate from your neck to the
top of your knee. So I would say that
squatting, overhead snapping and one
legged type movements where you are
doing one legged row or deadlift is best.
I don’t want women to shy away from
lifting weights.
Cardio is good for your heart, but lifting
some time under tension I want to say that
I really want to encourage women and if
they say that they don’t want to get too
big, it’s very hard to build muscle, you’re
not going to get too big. Those muscles
work in your favor long after you have lifted
weights and they just do so many positive
things for you. So I would say that
and you know having some kind of mobility
and integration in there. That’s the
other thing, if you asked me where I really
blew it. I got really tight as an athlete andI
didn’t integrate enough mobility.
When you say to me to pick 3, I would say
things that challenge your balance and
those that are working on your whole
body, but warm up because if you are
doing 3 joint kind of moves versus single
joint moves that are more complex and
learn how to do things correctly. Let’s not
go in the wrong direction every day, let’s
try to move in the right direction so that
we don’t get injured. Do some kind of diversity
where ok you’re outside and walking,
maybe take your shoes off, you’re on
a bike and you’re doing something – not
to do the same things over and over! I
want people to support themselves and
to participate in their recovery. So it’s not
like, oh it’s my day off. It’s, ok it’s my day
off and I am going to do some breathing
or meditation practice. It’s my day off and
I’m going to see if I can get myself into a
sauna or do a cold plunge. So, making the
recovery a dynamic process that you support
yourself. It shouldn’t be just like oh
I’m not doing anything. My hope is that
everyone works out and they do it decently
– hard at least a couple of times a
week forever. So, we need to find ways to
recover.
The other part is that you should be truthful
to yourself. On the days that you don’t
feel different than the days that I call it,
bone tired. If you’re genuinely bone tired,
it might be better to take the day off and
that's why it's tricky too. Because if Wed
is your day off, but what if you feel great
on Wed and you feel like shit on Fri? I also
want to encourage people to listen to
themselves. If you hate the gym, then
the gym isn’t for you – so what is for
you? It’s just getting them to do that because
it’s the only way that we will be
consistent.
And there’s also only so much time in
the day! Laird and I joke all the time
about these new exercises that I’m doing
to help my hip, it’s like everybody
feels that way! The other thing is that
I would direct people, there’s so many
people that are really good. I don’t work
with any of these people, but I know
them. Jill Miller has things that she can
teach people about self mobilization
for those that say that they don’t know
what to do. I like Jill Miller, I like Kelly
Starrett and what happens is, if you see
one, it will lead you to the next. So Kelly
Starrett wrote a book called Becoming
A Supple Leopard. These are people that
give you these proactive tools. Even
though we’re talking about motion, we
all know that the #1 is just food right?
It’s like there is no way around it. Food
is everything. So no matter what, I want
to encourage people that we focus on
the training, this and that, but what’s so
important is that it is all about our nutrition.
It’s a bummer because it’s the
hardest one and it’s the one that could
be the most sexiest or fun that we use
to medicate like I'm bored, I'm heartbroken
whatever. But I want to encourage
people to not give up on that because
that is the most important part of this
whole equation.
AM: You’re a brand ambassador for Rebalance
Health. What is synergistic to
you about incorporating this into your
lifestyle and what made the partnership
right for you?
GR: Well, typically, I don’t know why
I have always been like this, but even
in my early 20s when I was first starting
out in this work, I would never talk
about things or represent things that I
wouldn’t personally take. I will say that
in the case of Rebalance for example,
they wanted to vet me as well. I took the
product for a lot of months actually maybe
5 or 6 months because you have to
feel it right? Especially with things like this
which are subtle. So what attracted me
to the product initially was that it felt realistic
to me, it was easy to use, it had a
melt in your mouth lozenge, they have 3
kinds of mint in there and it didn’t say it
was going to do this overnight – it’s a system
to help you manage cortisol levels. I
am familiar with a lot of the ingredients
– ashwagandha and maca. The womens
formula is different than the mens imagine
that! They have things like tongkat ali
which I know about from Laird which can
boost or support your system for testosterone.
Just things like that – I felt that
this was well created and formulated and
the ingredients were high level and it was
very thoughtful. There was this idea that
some people thought that cortisol was
bad, but no we want cortisol – it helps us
get a lot done, but we do want to manage
it so that we can have a restful sleep.
I love that there is the Morning, Evening
and Bedtime. That made sense, the ingredients
made sense, it’s easy to use and
it’s achievable. If you tell someone to take
this 30 mins after you eat and 4 minutes
before something – no one is going to do
that. I love the other side. I know that this
is pretty obvious, but I love it when there
is no downside!
The idea of something being really good
and things like this that are focused on
natural herbs, they elevate your own system
so that it can do its job better. When
I hear things like that, that I believe. I
started taking it and for me, I had an energy
and my sleep improved. For me, that
has always been my Achilles in terms of
my sleep. I do a lot of mind grinding like
a lot of people and trying to solve all the
household issues at night when I’m sleeping
or when you get up at 3am and you
think, I’m going to tell that kid that thing
tomorrow! It really helps with that and
I felt that pretty quickly. For me, it was
about a week and then we collaborated
and after checking me out, we agreed
to work together and that's how we got
here. For me, it’s in my cabinet and the
way that I do it, I have coffee in the
morning and as I’m running out the
door, no one wants coffee breath and I’ll
just pop my Rebalance Morning lozenge
in the morning and it’s like boom I have
mints and it’s melting. I want to encourage
people that try the product, please
don't eat it just try to let it happen so
that you can absorb it through sublingually
– let it melt. It’s one of those ones
where I know how hard it is to formulate
it and to bring it at such a high level and
to encourage people to do it this way. I
feel really honored.
AM: I have been taking it for the past few
days and I have noticed that my sleep is
better. The Morning part, I have it after
my protein shake as the shake is a bit
dense so it’s good to have something to
freshen up with after drinking it.
GR: Yes! Doesn’t it help – it’s like the
double whammy! When I use my Night
one it’s when I’m preparing dinner, because
you’re just held in one spot and
I just sort of pop it in and then I let it
happen. What I say to people is for the
Bedtime one, if you’re taking a shower
before you go to bed, maybe pop one in
and just let it happen.
What has your boyfriend thought about
it?
AM: I know the Morning one was a bit
much for him as the minty aspect was a
lot for him, but I think that he liked the
Bedtime one. I like that it’s something
that we can do together as it sits on
our vanity and it’s a system. It gives you
something to add into your day, I like the
stickers and the packaging!
GR: It’s beautiful! Then they do the refills
which is less packaging and it’s just
the bag.
AM: I think that it’s something that is
working for me and it’s nice after that
first protein shake – I chug it and put the
lozenge in.
GR: I think that they want people to know
that it’s not a sleep aid, but because you
are dealing with your cortisol levels, it
helps you manage and that ends up leading
to a better more restful night sleep.
We’ve talked about movement and food,
but we all keep our sanity and the only
time that we recover is when we’re sleeping.
Whether you want to manage weight,
deal with vitality, longevity or you just
want to look younger, it’s sleep.
AM: I do have to say because I check my
REM cycles and stuff, I feel that I have gotten
20 – 30 mins more of the REM sleep.
GR: Interesting.
AM: I’m not saying that that will be the
case for other people.
GR: No no it’s your experience.
AM: Yeah, it’s something that I have seen
and in terms of things that I do for my
sleep, I feel that that tablet has something
to do with that over time. So if that’s what
it is for me, then bring on the tablets!
What will your partnership look like in
terms of what you will do with Rebalance
Health?
GR: One thing I am excited about is the
ability to do giveaways and to give people
the opportunity to try it out. They've
been very kind that once a month that we
do 1 female and 1 male giveaway so people
can try. It will really be about hopefully
using the idea that the credibility that
I represent that people will say that they
are curious to know more. There is also an
educational component as well for people
in terms of how they would use it in their
own lives and why.
So not to make it too technical, there has
to be an educational process because it
would be too hard for people to try something
new where people have to take
it orally and not sort of give them some
information. I think it’s important to empower
people in any part of this whether
it’s exploring physical health or nutrition
and what have you. They have to understand
their why and providing that user
friendly information especially since
it’s new and they haven’t taken certain
herbs or things. What’s the difference
and certain things have a systemic impact
on you and it’s understanding that
whole organism and system. I take it, I
want to give it away and if makes sense
for their day to day lives, I want them to
know about it and why they should take
it. We’ll be doing that in the upcoming
months and year. My thing is, if I find
stuff that is good, because it is hard to
find things out there that are, we need
to put some light on it. I use this and I
find it to be really good and if you were
my girlfriend down the street, I’d be like,
I learned about this or I saw that and I
would vet it first so that you’re not coming
back to me 6 months later saying,
“hey Gabby, I don’t know about this.”
The other part is making sure that I am
being responsible. I want to feel good
about things and feel proud to work
with companies and that if people are
trying it out, they are your friends.
It’s like when I go to a doctor, I ask them,
what would you tell your sister? I treat
everyone like my neighbor. If I’m not
going to do it, I wouldn’t suggest it to
someone else either.
@gabbyreece
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Gabby Reece
When it comes to celebrating a major moment
or the fact that you just got through
the day, sparkling wine and Champagne is
our go-to. There's something about opening
the bottle the act of pouring it for
yourself or others. Just in time for the holiday
season, we caught up Jen Pelka who
knows a thing or two about this beverage.
We chatted with her to find out how she
found her way into food and her path to
this bubbly beverage. She shares how she
came about launching her much talked
about The Riddler which had locations in
San Francisco and NY locations and her latest
venture, Une Femme. We dig into how
this wine empowers, collaborates with
others and gives back to charities that benefit
women. She also gives us some tips on
how we can pair these wines with dishes
and how we can purchase them when gifting
it to others as a gift or a thank you for
inviting us to dinner.
ATHLEISURE MAG: We have been fans of
yours for awhile now as The Riddler was
such a great spot to go to! So being able
to talk to you about Une Femme Wines as
well as The Riddler is perfect!
JEN PELKA: Oh thank you! Which one did
you go to the one in San Francisco or the
one in NY?
AM: The West Village. I remember that I
had been following The Riddler’s IG account
for awhile and the time, you only
had the San Francisco location. But I kept
following it because I knew if a location
opened up in NY, I’d be there. When you
opened it here, I want to say that I was
there in the first 6 weeks. The concept and
the vibe was so fun!
JP: I’m excited to talk with you and I’m so
glad that you enjoyed The Riddler and we
know that there were many who liked it
and we all hope that it will come back one
day.
AM: Before we delve into Une Femme
Wines, when did you fall in love with food
and what point in your journey did it take
you to focusing on wines and champagnes?
JP: I’m really lucky that I grew up in a
family that really loved food, restaurants
and entertaining. My parents were both
home cooks and also my dad’s family
was really in the restaurant business so
they had diners and delis his whole life
growing up. My grandfather was actually
the chef of the Ocean County NJ Jail
and would come home after work in his
whites. He would always have cream
puffs or bananas – the two things that
would go bad so those are always fun
traditions that we had as a family. We
always had food around, we always had
entertaining around.
So, when I went to college, one of the
things that I wanted to do when I graduated
was basically to start a restaurant
and my parents said, ”you’re crazy,
move to NY and get a real job.” That’s
what I did but as soon as I was there, I
fell in love with restaurants and chefs.
It was really at the beginning of chefs
coming out into the dining room and
being in their whites and I was really
lucky. I was at the bar of the restaurant
Schiller’s, there was a chef that was
down the bar on one of his night’s off
and out of his whites reading this book
called The Perfectionist: Life and Death
in Haute Cuisine, which was about a chef
that had 3 Michelin chef stars and lost
his star and committed suicide. So we
started talking about this book that he
was reading and it turned out that he
was a chef at the restaurant Daniel on
the UES. I had heard that you could work
as a stagiaire – essentially an intern and
I asked him if I could come in and intern
for him. So from Schiller’s to the following
weekend I starting stagiairing and I
ended up working at Daniel every Sat for
a year and a half. I had a job at a hedge
fund and I learned so much working in
that kitchen. I worked on almost every
position on the line with amazing chefs
and eventually lobbied to become Daniel
Boulud’s research assistant. So that
is where it all really began. So it’s in my
blood, in my family, but it all really got
ignited in 2004/2005 at restaurant Daniel.
AM: That is amazing. I love a good Boulud
restaurant and such a great story. So how
did that turn into you getting into the wine
industry?
JP: I have always loved champagne and
sparkling wines. Actually, Schiller’s was
the restaurant that my friends and I went
to in our 20s and we would always drink
Prosecco there. We didn’t understand
the difference between Prosecco and
Champagne, but we just knew that drinking
something bubbly is always really fun
and celebratory. Once I was at Daniel, I
started learning about traditional Champagnes
and then I ended up taking on a
job later at the Gilt Groupe, the shopping
site. We launched a website called Gilt
Taste which was an online food and beverage
gourmet site essentially. There, we
did a ton of sales with all of the Moet Hennessey
Champagnes so Veuve Clicquot,
Dom Perignon, Krug etc and that’s where
I really started to learn about Champagne
by going to the Veuve Clicquot headquarters,
doing tastings with them and learning
and understanding their wines. It was
also about really understanding the Champagne
making process. I wouldn’t say that
I’m a wine aficionado, but I am definitely
a Champagne lover and when it comes
to Champagnes and wines in particular,
that’s where I really focus and where I
have a huge amount of passion.
AM: Such a great story. I love that you
turned something that you enjoyed and
just spread out and learned as you went
along. You have created a safe space for
people to understand that information
that they need to get which I think is awesome.
JP: Well I think that that was so much of
the spirit of what we did at The Riddler.
I wanted to create a place, a destination
especially for women where they could
open up a great bottle of wine, have a really
good time and drink really really beautiful
wines but not to take the experience
of the educational components too seriously.
Our team took the development
of the wine list very seriously. We treated
the wines with a tremendous amount of
respect, but for a typical night out, you
just want to pop a bottle and have a really
good time. It’s our job to curate a really
good list and guaranteeing that every
guest was going to open something
really special and have a really beautiful
wine experience. We were not the kind
of place that you were given a long list
of attributes and education about the
wines unless you wanted it. I think that
any wine drinker can enjoy really beautiful
delicious wines without having to go
into the really serious sides of things.
AM: I know whether it was with my
friends or if I was being asked by agencies
where I wanted to go if we wanted
to just hang out over drinks and have
some nibbles, The Riddler was always my
go-to suggestion! You felt sophisticated
being there knowing you’re in this environment
and you didn’t feel intimidated
and you could enjoy it. It was kind of like,
my boyfriend loved a good cigar bar and
you could find him at The Carnegie Club,
I liked my bubbly and I had The Riddler.
I also loved that you had women made
wines there. What was the process like in
terms of finding the great wines that you
featured there?
JP: Well, the reason why we had women
made wines was that all of our investors
in both locations were women. So 33 investors
in San Francisco and 40 in NY, all
women. Many were first time investors
some big and some small, but that was
really important to me to get together
a really great community of women in
support of the bars. When you’re looking
at a Champagne list with hundreds
of Champagnes by the bottle, it’s pretty
intimidating. So we tried to find ways
into the menu for those that were new
to Champagne or exploring a new style
of Champagne. For us, we thought it
would be really cool to feature women
made wines and it turns out that those
wines would always outsell every other
style of wine on the list. Those were
always the most popular. You get 2 girlfriends
together who are out for the
night and they’re choosing between 100s
of wines, of course they are going to pick
a wine made by women.
So how we found them was just by doing
a huge amount of research, working with
distributors, sales people and everybody
that had access to Champagne lists and
Champagne producers’ wines. We also
just proactively asked for women made
wines and I see more and more restaurants,
retailers, wine shops, websites, etc
having a big focus now on diversity, inclusion,
interesting voices, interesting producers
and we were happy to be part of
that 5 years ago. It’s exciting to see that
continuing to build.
AM: I would agree with that. I started to
notice various places that do highlight that
and I always think that there was a place
that actually did that before it was a trend.
But it’s good to have inclusion no matter
how it happens.
JP: Absolutely.
AM: It definitely made me excited to support
that initiative. Even though I didn’t
know the maker/producer, you were happy
that your dollar was supporting her.
JP: Totally, totally. I think you know, I talk
to so many people, women especially
who just have come to realize that one
of the ways that we can make significant
change and to bring about equity is by
voting with our wallet. I try whenever
possible to buy sustainable products and
products that give back and I try to learn
about the founders of the companies that
I am buying products from. It’s not possible
for every single thing that we buy to
know the provenance, but when you can
get curious about it, it’s great. It doesn’t
even necessarily mean that you’re spending
more – your dollars are going to something
that that you believe in.
AM: I’m a big believer that when people
understand the process and who is behind
certain things, that’s where the connection
comes in. Like you could leave what-
ever company and go to the next one, I
know that if I hear your name, you have
a focus that’s in a very specific area that
I want to support and that’s important
to me. I wouldn’t have known that if I
hadn’t stalked The Riddler account for
awhile and then finally going to the location
in NY.
As the Co-Founder of Athleisure Media, I
also believe that you need to bring those
voices forward.
When you created Une Femme, what
was the thought behind this and tell me
about this brand.
JP: It really started as our house wine
at The Riddler. We found that so many
women were buying women made
wines that guests would ask us, “how
do I know when I go into a retail store
or that I’m looking at a wine list, that it
is being made by women?” So I thought,
why isn’t there a brand for this? So I
launched Une Femme as an opportunity
to highlight women winemakers whose
wine style we already loved and to put
them all under one brand. The first wine
that we launched was a really beautiful
organic grower-producer Champagne
from a 5th generation wine producer
called Gonet-Medeville, a husband and
wife team and we really love their style
of wine. It’s elegant and really luxurious
wines. They were always wines that
when we opened them for friends, they
were always surprised and delighted.
You may not have heard of the producer,
but the wines speak for themselves.
So that was the first partnership that
we launched and then after, we started
looking at the sales at The Riddler and
we noticed that the top selling wine was
whatever was the most affordable sparkling
rosé by the glass. I couldn’t find a
sparkling rosé wine in California made
by a woman wine maker that I was in
love with. So I reached out to a woman
who is a great wine producer, Samantha
Sheehan – she makes POE and Ultra Violet
as well as Mommenpop Vermouths. I
said, Sam let's make a rosé together. She
agreed and the next one we made was
The Callie.
AM: Just got that one! I’ll be enjoying that
this weekend, it’s been a very busy 2 weeks,
but it will be me and The Callie!
JP: Awww that’s great! I love it! So that
wine is a delicious, dry, sparkling rosé predominantly
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
It’s really meant to be an approachable,
crowd pleasing, delicious high quality
sparkling rosé representative of California
wine making. That was the wine that really
took off for us. We have since launched
a sparkling white wine called The Betty
for Betty White. I love that wine. It’s a
very dry, very elegant, very nuanced sparkling
white wine Chardonnay and Pinot
Noir as well. I think that it’s pretty close
to rivaling Champagne, you can never truly
rival Champagne, but I think that for
the price point, it really punches above its
weight. I’m so proud of that wine. So for
us, Une Femme is all about women made
wine makers. All of our wines are made by
women wine makers and they give back
to charities that benefit women. Our key
partners are The Breast Cancer Research
Fund and Dress for Success. Both of which
are incredibly important to us and that we
are really proud to give back to. It’s just
been so fun to see the reception to these
wines and to the brand and we’re just
growing nonstop right now.
AM: That’s so great to hear. So you work
with women owned producers in Champagne,
Napa and Sonoma – do you think
that you will expand to other regions that
have women owned producers?
JP: Absolutely, we have been talking a lot
about the potential of launching a Prosecco,
the potential of launching a Cava,
there’s a lot happening right now in the UK
in what they’re calling British Fizz which
is sparkling wines from the UK and we’re
also interested in other areas in the US –
North Fork in NY and on up the coast of
the West Coast. I think that we will pretty
much stick with sparkling wines because
it is a passion of ours and we know that
so many of our customers love sparkling
wines. I think it’s really fun to be able
to taste sparkling wines from different
regions side by side. Honestly, it’s just
what I love!
AM: I love that just by default, your
brand is about empowerment, collaboration
and giving back. I think that that’s
a message that transcends no matter
what vertical you work in. Why is it important
to have those 3 things which are
massive pillars to your brand?
JP: You know, for me, collaboration and
support, all of these pieces are just what
has gotten me to where I am in my career
now. One of the things that I think
is so powerful about women is that I
think for a long time there was this perception
of the mean girl or women being
really competitive against each other
and I just really feel that that isn’t true
anymore. The women that I see succeed
are the ones that are helping each other
out and are teaming up with collaborative
projects and are giving back and
that’s who people want to support. I’ve
just been incredibly lucky throughout
my career to work with amazing women
and it’s just so naturally what I lean
towards and what I gravitate to is teaming
up with women that are doing cool
stuff. I will tell you that there is nothing
more powerful than female customers
who are advocating for something that
they love. You get a gaggle of women
together talking about something and
it’s incredibly powerful.
AM: Especially when you have all of these
women come together, we’re more than
just one thing and for myself, I Co-founded
this magazine, I’m also a fashion stylist
and when you start talking over sparkling
wine, all of these ideas come out
and it gets done. You don’t even think
about the red tape that you had to get
through – it’s just people sitting down,
talking, being vulnerable sharing whatever
and moving forward and bringing
something together that is bigger than
themselves which is really beautiful.
JP: That’s so true! We’ve come a long way
these last couple of years. The last couple
of years has been so challenging, but
I think that through all of the muck, a lot
of progress has been made. We still have
a lot of work to do.
AM: I think that when you have something
so horrific that continues to happen in various
ways, you start realizing that you can’t
just be in your own corner anymore. You
need to do something or just change the
perspective. It has been challenging, but
I have seen some really beautiful things
that have come out. If we were all doing
the things that we were doing before, we
would be annoyed about what’s going on,
but the need to do something else wouldn’t
be there so it’s amazing.
Tell me about the Hall of Femme and why
was it important to honor women in this
way?
JP: So the Hall of Femme is kind of an
awards program that we launched in
which we decided to honor 365 women a
year – a years worth of women that have
shattered glass ceilings. The way that
you’re selected is that you’re nominated
in your community or someone on our
team. We have a section on our website
where you can nominate women to be included.
Every month we honor 30 women
from across the country in every possible
vertical of business, philanthropy or politics
that have shattered the glass ceiling in
some way. I believe that you don’t have to
be the first person in the world or in history
to do something that shatters the glass
ceiling. You can be the first woman in your
family, your neighborhood, your block or
at your college. For each of these women,
we spotlight them on our website, across
social media and then we also send them
this incredible gift which is a crate of sparkling
wine from Une Femme and there’s
a sheet of stunt glass on the top and they
get a hammer and they shatter the glass!
AM: That’s awesome!
JP: It’s amazing, it’s incredible and it gives
me goose bumps every single time I
watch a woman shatter these glass
ceilings. It’s always very emotional.
I’ve seen women do it when they were
pregnant, I’ve seen them do it with their
kids in frame, I’ve seen them do it with
their partners and their friends or their
team. It’s really such an important commemorative
moment to just showcase
all of the progress that so many women
have made in their own worlds and
in their own communities. We’re called
Une Femme because we believe it only
takes 1 woman to shatter another glass
ceiling. There are limitless glass ceilings
still above us and I think that we should
each have our own personal mission to
identify what is that glass ceiling that
we want to shatter and to go after it.
AM: I did not know about the crate!
JP: Oh yeah!
AM: Wow, just hearing you say it and
thinking about having that moment of
knowing, yes I did do that. That’s really
nice.
JP: It’s incredible. We have had a lot of
people ask us if we will sell these boxes
because what a cool thing to send to
someone as a gift. So we’re working on
trying to figure out how to make that
happen. But as of right now, it’s essentially
an award that you can be nominated
for and it’s been an amazing experience
connecting with these 365 women
and they are a big part of our community.
We reach out to them regularly and
collaborate with them and it’s amazing
to just be able to showcase some cool
stuff that all of these women have done.
AM: With the holiday season upon us,
we always love knowing about pairings.
Looking at The Callie for example, what
are 3 dishes or 3 kinds of snacks that people
can enjoy with it?
JP: Great question! I think that The Callie
is really great for brunch. Some of my
favorite brunch pairings would be a soft
scramble egg with for me – crème fraiche
and a little caviar and salmon roe –
even some lox. That to me is the ultimate
brunch opportunity. I also love this wine
with tacos – I know that sounds kind of
funny!
AM: I love rosé with tacos!
JP: Me too! So a breakfast taco with a fried
egg, avocado and some crema would be
delicious. I also think about things on the
brunch side like a lemon ricotta pancake
with blueberries or something like that
which would be so good.
But when it comes to the evening, especially
holidays, I’m always thinking caviar
and potato chips.
AM: Oh yes!
JP: That was our classic go-to dish at The
Riddler. It’s the easiest thing to do when
you’re at a dinner party or for a holiday
party. Just get a bowl of potato chips,
caviar and crème fraiche – boom! You
don’t have to buy crazy expensive caviar,
but that’s always a fun one. It’s interesting
that some of the classic Champagne
pairings are always things that are fried!
French fries are like a #1 best pairing. I
know that some people think that that is
so crazy. But trust me, next time you’re
out at a restaurant. Get fries and a bottle
of Champagne – of course a bottle of Une
Femme and they are just made for each
other. Another one is classic fried chicken.
My husband and I sometimes when we
are feeling fancy will do a staycation and
stay at a beautiful fancy hotel and order
room service. We always get chicken fingers
and Champagne and let me tell you,
it’s so fun and so delicious!
AM: I love that! I love a good Korean Fried
Chicken and Champagne. Those two together
–
JP: The best! I think that that is so much of
what we would always talk about at The
Riddler – the high-low. You don’t always
have to do the Champagne with caviar.
You should do it and you should be
drinking it with the kinds of food that
you would normally be eating anyway.
I actually think that anything that you
would think to drink a beer with, you can
substitute Champagne or sparkling wine
with. They have a lot of similar characteristics.
They’re both fizzy, they’re both
cold, they have great acidity and they’re
a great compliment to anything that
has that need to have something thirst
quenching with it.
AM: Sometimes you just want something
that's high-low. I believe in that concept
when I style people and I also believe it
when it comes to food. There’s something
so satisfying about those flavors
coming together and it’s also about normalizing
that everyday is a special occasion,
especially with all the stuff that we
have been through.
JP: You know it! Absolutely. I totally believe
that that’s true and I think that it is
so important to cheers to yourself and
your friends. Everyday should be a special
occasion. On the high-low styling,
we actually talk as a team about a great
amazing outfit, one of my favorites ever
is a great pair of Levi’s, a great blazer, a
pair of Louboutin’s and a red lip with a
great handbag!
AM: Yes!
JP: And so that high-low, I’m always
thinking of. We are the red lip to the
outfit or to the meal. Like you should
be able to do something really really elevated
as a final touch on an outfit or a
meal, but it doesn’t all need to be fancy.
In fact, it’s better when you’ve got the
jeans and the white tee with the blazer
and the Loubi’s.
AM: It also reflects your personal style as
opposed to buying everything off of the
mannequin.
JP: Right – absolutely!
AM: What are things that people should
think about when they are gifting this
holiday season when it comes to wines?
Do you have any tips as there are those
that haven’t done it before and they
get nervous or if they are bringing over
a bottle as a thank you for having them
over for dinner – what should they be
thinking about?
JP: I think that the first thing is that you
should go to a store that you like that
have a team of people who work there
who are not snobs and are nice and that
you trust them. You should go in and be
honest about your price point – say that
you’re looking for a bottle that is $20,
$30, $50 or $70. Then proactively tell
them that you are looking for a women
made wine or a wine made by a BIPOC
founder or an LGBTQ founder. The people
who work in wine shops love those
kinds of assignments and it also encourages
them to stock their shelves with
more diverse suppliers. I think that you
should always think about your guests
in mind or gift recipient in mind. What
to you do you think that person represents
and try to find a wine that pairs
with that.
We have all of our wines available for
direct shipping across the country with
really good gift packs that are launching
by the time that this will air, they will be
live. They are super super beautiful and
they are a great gift. So that is always
fun if you are sending something across
the country. But it’s also important to
shop local and to find wines that I think
speak to your personal values.
@jenpelka
@unefemmewines
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 56, 60
TDavis | PG 59 Hale | PG 63, 64 Jordan
Wise |
Here in NYC, we have a number of restaurants
that we enjoy going to that become
our neighborhood spots whether
we live or work there. One of them is
Serafina which is always fun for a lunch
meeting, happy hour, celebrating an
event or just an average day! We enjoy
their menu, the ambiance, the cocktails
and the sense that you feel at home regardless
of the locations. We've eaten
there more times than we can count! We
caught up with Vittorio Assaf, founder of
Serafina Restaurant Group to talk about
this restaurant, their approach to food.
We also talked with him about one of their
newest additions to the Serafina Family
that launched this fall, Serafina Express.
ATHLEISURE MAG: We have been fans of
Serafina for well over a decade as the location
on W 55th was a go to, countless editor
lunches/dinners in Soho and then we
attended a media dinner at the location in
Tribeca and that became a great go-to as
well as location for our cover shoot with
the Super Bowl Champs the New England
Patriots a few years ago. Before we delve
into Serafina Express, can you share with
our readers who may not be familiar with
Serafina, what kind of cuisine can they expect
as well as the atmosphere?
VITTORIO ASSAF: Thank you so much for
your loyalty and support, it is overwhelming
to read your notes, it make us all very
proud and rewards all the efforts and hard
work we put into our Serafina Family.
Serafina offers mostly a Northern Italian
cuisine that spans as well into Tuscan, Roman
(our thin crust pizza) & Neapolitan
cuisine.
Common denominator is that we try not
to use garlic, with the only exception of
a couple of classic dishes like Spaghetti
Aglio & Olio Al Pacino, or the Bruschetta.
We also must remember that Italy is a
very small country, just about the size of
Arizona, and because of proximity many
recipes are interconnected from region to
region.
AM: I feel that each location has its own
vibe and is specific to the neighborhood
that it’s in. What factors go into deciding
the neighborhood that will be the best
fit for the Serafina brand?
VA: We are very proud that each Serafina
location shaped its own identity and
was able to easily blend and immerse itself
into the neighborhood around it.
Most of our locations stem from the
multitude of our customers requesting
us to come close to where they live. Another
factor that plays a role in deciding
where we should plant ourselves are
statistics, analytics and demographic
stats.
AM: Are the menus the same or do the
locations have a bit of a twist depending
on the one that you’re going to?
VA: The menu is 95% consistent across all
locations, with a 5% of variation due to
the identity of the neighborhood, many
of our customers come for lunch close
to their workspaces and come for dinner
with their families near their houses,
there comes the need to offer a little
variation, but at the same time they can
still find our staples and their favorites.
AM: What are 3 appetizers whether
you’re sitting at the bar or sharing
amongst friends that we should get?
VA: Whether you’re sitting at the bar, or
sharing amongst friends, our renowned
and delicious Black Truffle Pizza can never
go wrong. The Bruschetta as well, a
dish made with diced tomatoes marinated
olive oil for 24 hours, and finally
our Carpaccio di Filetto Al Tartufo is phenomenal.
Sliced to perfection and coated
in a creamy and delicious sauce - it
practically melts in your mouth.
AM: What are 3 dishes at Serafina that
are a must when you’re coming in for
lunch or dinner?
VA: Three dishes that are an absolute
AM: Earlier this year, we shared Serafina:
Modern Italian Cuisine for Everyday
Home Cooking with our readers in our
feature known as Bingely Books. Seeing
recipes that we have enjoyed from Serafwhen
dining at Serafina are the Farfalle al
Limoncello, Gnocchi di Mamma and Penne
alla Vodka.
AM: In terms of dessert, what are 3 that
we should have our eye on?
VA: As for dessert, your eye needs to be
on the Berry Tart and Tiramisu. Order the
Berry Tart, a Tiramisu and then another
Berry Tart for good measure!
AM: I’m always a fan of the cocktails at Serafina
and the Tribeca location is always a
fave – what are 3 cocktails that we should
try?
VA: My go to’s are the Champagne Cocktail,
the Jalapeño Margarita and the Strawberry
Basil Martini.
AM: We were unable to attend the Grand
Opening event for Serafina Express but we
know that the offerings there are going to
be tasty when we do swing by. What is the
thought behind Serafina Express and how
is it different from Serafina?
VA: You missed a beautiful night of fun and
dancing (and food of course). Next opening
let’s make sure you are there! Please
let me know when you want to come to
Express and I will be there waiting for you
with open arms.
Serafina Express was created to meet the
needs of those on the go, who refuse to
sacrifice quality, even when pressured by
the time. With an emphasis on great Italian
food & ambiance, value, accessibility,
and easy-to-use technology,
Serafina Express is providing the quintessential
Serafina experience in a quick and
easy manner, while still delivering the Italian
elegance they’re known for.
AM: How many Serafina Express locations
do you have and are there plans to open
more?
VA: Eight locations in total will open in the
coming months. There are three already
open at 30 Broad Street, 402 Sixth Avenue
and Eighth Street, and 287 Park Avenue
South and 22nd Street.
Five more are in the making and in construction
as of now: Jackson Avenue
and Queens Boulevard; One Gateway
Center at Penn Station in Newark; University
Place and 12th Street; 84th and
Third Avenue; 777 Third Avenue at 48th.
AM: For those who are eating in Serafina
Express, can you tell me about the atmosphere?
VA: The atmosphere is relaxed yet upscale
but unpretentious
AM: What are 3 pasta dishes that you
suggest that we should try at Serafina
Express?
VA: Cacio Pepe, Ravioli Pomodorini and
the Canelloni.
AM: What are 3 pizzas that we should
try?
VA: Margherita with Cherry Tomatoes,
Bianca with Arugula and Parmigiano and
Buffalo Mozzarella.
AM: Is there a cocktail menu at Serafina
Express?
VA: No cocktails, we only serve wine and
beer, please stop by for a glass of Rosé
Whispering Angel!
AM: What are 3 desserts that you suggest?
VA: The homemade Chocolate Chip Cookie
is an absolute favorite, baked twice a
day in house, the Baba Al Limoncello, a
dessert original from Capri, and obviously
the Tiramisu!
ina as well as comfort foods that we can
make from home, why did you want to create
this book and what were your favorite
recipes that are in this book?
VA: Our long overdue cookbook was created
to mark 25 years of Serafina. With
this book we honored and acknowledged
all those who were part of the journey.
@vittorioserafina
@serafinanewyork
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | Serafina
Restaurant Group
You may have seen American Humane certification
logos on a number of foods that
you have purchased, but may not have
known what that meant. We took some
time to chat with Dr. Robin Ganzert President
and CEO of the first and oldest organization
that focuses on animal welfare
whether it's in the movie and film industry
or when you're selecting your proteins for
your next meal!
Their focus is to ensure that ranchers and
farmers are abiding by the standards that
they have set with scientists and ethicists
that they work with. This job focuses on
over 1 billion animals in the world and they
continue to look for ways to ensure that
they have a humane and better life. In addition,
they recently released a cookbook
The Humane Table: Cooking with Compassion
which not only has a number of recipes
to enjoy during the holiday or everyday,
but it features producers who have
this certification which you can make note
of as you shop for your next meals.
ATHLEISURE MAG: You are the President
and CEO of American Humane, the country’s
first national humane organization
and the world’s largest certifier of animal
welfare. Can you tell us about what this organization
is and what the focus is?
DR. ROBIN GANZERT: Well American Humane
was actually founded way back in
1877 so we’re almost 150 years old for our
nation’s oldest national humane organization
and you know us through our rescue
work, our work with the military for service
dogs and in particular, with Wounded
Warrior – you know us through our work
to protect animals in Hollywood’s Film
and Television sets.
But you also know us through our farm animal
program which was the very first of
its kind and the largest in the entire world!
We have uplifted the humane treatment
of farm animals by ensuring that scientists
and ethicists are actually providing standards
for farmers and ranchers to aspire
to and that’s part of the animal humane
certified program!
AM: Wow! What are your roles and responsibilities
that you do?
DR. RG: I am the CEO of American Humane,
so I get the pleasure of actually
overseeing this incredible organization.
I wear that heavy mantle of responsibility
to ensure that animals around the
world have a better and more humane
life. So when people, ask me what I do, I
lead the compassion movement around
the world! I have the opportunity to actually
motivate and inspire people to be
a voice for the animals. That’s one of the
reasons why we created The Humane
Table: Cooking with Compassion, so that
we could open up that conversation
about what it means to be humane on
our nation’s farm and ranches and now
we can celebrate every season being humane.
AM: What does it mean to be American
Humane Certified?
DR. RG: To be American Humane Certified
means that farmers and ranchers
voluntarily agreed to subscribe to over
200 point standards for each type of animal
in food production. So when you
think about this, it’s 200 standards that
ensure animal welfare is uplifted and is
determined to be humane. Those standards
are coming from the world’s top
leading scientists and ethicists who actually
determine what it is to be humane.
So it’s rooted in solid science and then
American Humane ensures that those
standards are upheld on farms and nations
around our great country. Again,
this is the #1 program of its kind and in
fact, if you eat a caged free egg which
I hope you do enjoy, 90% of the entire
cage free egg marketplace is American
Humane Certified and we just recently
did a survey and we wanted to see if this
was a value set – cooking with compassion
– that consumers connected with.
So we did a survey and we found that
67% of those respondents said that they
would want humanely raised products
and 70% said that they would choose
an American Humane Certified product
over one that wasn’t certified. So it tells
me that many people and families are
coming across their dining room table
and are sitting there having discussions
about whether or not their protein is ethically
sourced and humanely raised. That’s
why this program exists and it provides
consumers with assurances that animals
were humanely treated and importantly,
I think that it shows values across our entire
civilization and indeed our communities.
AM: Well, I know from a personal standpoint,
I have always wanted to make sure
that I was eating things that were raised
responsibly and having that element.
Obviously it’s always been something that
we have promoted! I had no idea that what
you guys do, also goes into the film industry
as well! This is a massive job!
DR. RG: Yes, we’re the largest certifier of
animals around the entire world. I go to
bed every night worries about 1.2 billion
animals under our care through certification
programs, through rescue and other
initiatives that we do around the world.
1.2 billion. But yet, my wonderful mother
always reminds me there are billions more
that need to be certified by American Humane,
protected by our science and evidence
programs and that’s my mission
and that the mission of everyone who
works at American Humane.
AM: Tell us about the Humane Table: Cooking
with Compassion and what are some
of the recipes that are in there that are
perfect for the upcoming holiday season?
DR. RG: Thank you for asking! Many of the
recipes are from my home, so it’s a very
personal effort and I love to cook and entertain
and I always love to bring up the
topic of what it is to be humane by what
we are enjoying on our dining room tables.
It’s an important value set and to be
able to have those conversations across
generations is critical.
So the Humane Table for Thanksgiving
holidays would include an incredible Butterball
turkey that I will be serving. It’s
actually roasted with a beautiful whole
butter and citrus sauce. It’s gorgeous,
herbs are on the side and it’s a beautiful
centerpiece for anyone’s dinner table.
I love love love the roasted vegetable
and tomato souffle! This features
Eggland's Best eggs in it. It’s gorgeous
and it makes a great vegetable offering.
For every night, there are incredible recipes
such as Crispy Pan Roasted Chicken
– it’s easy to make and gorgeous. I also
again, love to have appetizers like these
Pesto Deviled Eggs that I love to make,
Sheep Cheese Bruschetta that’s delicious
and makes for a great tray when
you have guests over during the holiday
season for cocktails and beautiful appetizers.
The Sheep Cheese Bruschetta is
incredible! But this holiday season, I’m
changing it up! No more Pecan or Pumpkin
Pies for my house! We’re going to
do a Carrot Cake so that everyone gets
their own mini cake. They’re gorgeous
and it’s American Humane certified in
terms of the butter and all of the goodies
in that beautiful Carrot Cake. So for
our Humane Table, we love to celebrate
cooking with compassion and having
those conversations with people that
we entertain – families and friends.
AM: Why was it important for you to
create this cookbook and although this
is the 1st one, will there be future ones
as well?
DR. RG: You betcha on future cookbooks!
Actually, there are so many recipes
that we want to share with our
families and friends and again, it’s about
celebrating what is humane and ethically
sourced and raised proteins. So there
will definitely be more and more cookbooks.
But as I look at this wonderful
opportunity to celebrate the holidays,
we see this as a way to celebrate every
holiday season and every day with what
it means to be humane. So there are
great recipes that are here and there
will be another volume in a year or two
or so and there’s much for us to do that
we can celebrate.
AM: What is the process of giving certification
to farmers, ranchers and food producers?
If someone is in the food space/food
supply chain and wants to have this certification,
how do they go about getting that
from you?
DR. RG: I love that question, thank you!
Farmers and ranchers volunteer to be
American Humane Certified. They come
to us, they agree to comply to the 200
point standard sets that are created by
leading scientists and ethicists. They contact
our farm team and our farm team is
happy to schedule conversations to showcase
what those 200 point standards are
and you can visit our website at American-
Humane.org to see our standards for the
Humane Heartland, for our Farm Program
and you can actually see what it is to be
humane for a chicken, for a cow and it’s
wonderful. We’ve also recently launched
Aquaculture. There’s a lot of fish in our
diet recently and so we do have some
salmon recipes in the Humane Table and
we’re looking forward to certifying Aquaculture!
Those animals and all animals deserve
humane life and that’s our mission
and we’re here to oversee and to make
sure that that happens.
@americanhumane
PHOTO COURTESY | American Humane
We've been using TRX in our workouts for
a little over a decade. We love how they allow
us to do a number of workouts whether
indoors or outdoors and you can pop them
into your bag so that your fitness goals stay
on track! This functional training system is
an innovation in this space and we're excited
to see where they go next. We caught
up with Randy Hetrick, founder, and creator
of this fitness methodology as well as
TRX CEO Jack Daly, who recently acquired
the brand this summer. We wanted to find
out how TRX was created, the background
of both of these men as well as what their
vision is for the future of the brand, and its
products including the TRX Training Club.
ATHLEISURE MAG: Randy, before we delve
into the vision of TRX, can you tell us about
your background and what led you to creating
this fitness methodology?
RANDY HETRICK: I had a background in
body weight training and spent a career as
a Navy SEAL, so I hatched this kookie idea
of using a jiujitsu belt, I mistakenly brought
with me on deployment, and some dilapidated
parachute material to create this
wacky harness that allowed you to lean
back, use your own bodyweight against
gravity, and train across a wide variety of
movements needed to stay strong, agile,
and mobile for the SEAL teams. Today, we
call that functional training. By the time I
was out of the SEALs, I thought I would apply
to business school at Stanford. I didn’t
think I would get in, but to my everlasting
astonishment, they wanted a SEAL on
the recruitment poster the year I applied,
so it was serendipitous how it all worked
out. I was admitted and while there, I utilized
the second year of business school
as an incubator to determine if the fitness
tool I developed overseas was something
I should move forward with. Following
that year, in 2004, I decided to launch
what eventually became TRX.
TRX started around its hero product, the
"TRX Suspension Trainer," which in retrospect,
is funny, because that is the name
I coined to describe it. Suspension Training
wasn’t a thing back in the 2000s. It be-
came a fitness phenomenon on the back
of TRX. As we grew, we broadened our
stance over time, and became one of
the global leaders of functional training.
We had the benefit of being both good
and hard working. But, just as important,
we also had timing. The functional
training movement was in its infancy, to
such a point that when I first heard the
term, I thought I should get the URL. So,
I went and registered it for $10 which
tells you how early we were in the functional
training movement. We became
one of the main players in what would
help to popularize functional training. I
also like to categorize it another way –
small tools, big movements. This is different
from traditional weightlifting and
exercising machines you see at every
gym, and here we are 18 years later.
AM: And before we talk about the TRX
reacquisition, Jack can you tell us about
your background?
JACK DALY: I got to know TRX through
a friendship with Randy, which is what
brought me here. I have spent 25 years
on Wall Street as a partner at Goldman
Sachs and moved over to be a partner
at TPG Capital. My expertise is making
controlling investments in large companies.
I bought industrials and service
companies and have taken companies in
public markets and made them private,
and taken private companies and later
made them public. Over the years, I’ve
been working with large-scale companies,
which led me to the opportunity
to acquire TRX. This is something I have
been doing for a very long time.
Prior to my career in business and finance,
I spent six years on faculty of Case
Western Reserve University in Cleveland
where I was a mechanical engineer,
teaching classes in product-development,
design, and manufacturing. The
important parts about my background
are probably less Wall Street and more
the product-development side. I’m also
a fitness nut and have been for a very
long time. I think this endeavor is more
about my enthusiasm for fitness, my product-development
experience through my
engineering days, and the friendship with
Randy, than it is about the 25 years I spent
as a partner at Goldman Sachs and TPG
buying large companies. But what that experience
gave me was the ability to team
up with Randy and acquire TRX. This is an
acquisition I made with my wife. It’s our
family business and it’s a partnership with
Randy. I am not investing someone else’s
money. I’m investing my own money into
TRX through this acquisition, and I’m very
excited about it.
AM: That’s fantastic. We have been fans of
the products, and have used them. What is
that process like in terms of bringing new
products to the brand?
RH: I can’t tell you how excited I am to be
in business with Jack. Jack’s reputation as
a supporter to the SEAL community is unprecedented
and, fortunately, I have been
able to get to know him much more closely
through this opportunity. Everybody
knows the story about this thing getting
driven into the ground by some guys that
didn’t know what they were doing. What
I'm most excited about is having Jack, at
a point in his career where he decided to
step back from being the "deal" guy to
start focusing on other quality-of-life-oriented
pursuits. This opportunity came up
at the perfect time for both of us.
I can tell you about how we brought on
products previously, but how cool is it to
now have someone on that same path of
wanting to create and provide solutions
to problems in the fitness realm. To be
able to do that in a way that helps people
live healthier and better lives, as well as to
perform better in sports, is a blessing. It’s
also about keeping my former colleagues
fit on the battlefield as well.
The foundational idea at TRX is to innovate
by looking at problems people have
and trying to find an elegant solution. And
by elegant, I mean something that is not
too complex and not to expensive. Some
of the hallmarks of our brand have been
our ability and our aspiration. We want
to make the same kind of products that
benefits the pros - the best on Earth,
whether in athletics or tactical fields -
and can be used as well by regular folks
from a functionality and price perspective.
This way, they can take them home
and benefit in their own lives. In partnership
with gyms, trainers and coaches, we
engaged with them to get their honest
feedback and recommendations, which
is how we built the company for the first
12 years. We like to take real-time input
from the folks on the front line at gyms,
health clubs and professional- athlete
environments who know what our core
audience needs. Many of our ideas come
from our professional coaches that are
training a variety of different people,
from physical therapists to strength and
conditioning coaches. They have ideas.
Quick question, have you been able to
use our TRX Bandit?
AM: Yes, we love them and use them!
RH: People love them and this is an example
of something we have developed
that provides a solution to a very specific
need, yet is not very complex. It’s the
antithesis of complex. Literally, it's just
a handle that pops over any resistance
band. But by creating the product, it encourages
people who didn’t like bands
to use it, because they previously didn’t
like the uncomfortable experience of
their hands on a resistance band. I have
a knack for sitting down and thinking
about things I am super excited about.
To be able to sit down with Jack, who
can bring that knowledge as a successful
product designer in his early years,
and combining it with his success as a
board member and best best practices
from his companies, is a benefit as well.
I think, as we go forward, that's how I
would look at new product development.
Always looking at innovation and
always addressing a need. We will try to
address a real need, as opposed to coming
up with something just because you
can. From there, you want to make sure
you are creating products that can sell
through to the consumer, and that gyms
and training facilities would also want.
That’s my take on it.
JD: What’s great about this is that you can
only imagine how excited I am to team
up with such an iconic man. I’m going to
embarrass Randy just a little bit. He’s an
iconic and legendary inventor of fitness
products, having pioneered functional
training in this industry through his creativity
and genius, and being able to make
things happen. Randy's ability to develop
these beautiful products, especially on
the creative side, just can’t be taught. My
time spent teaching undergraduate and
graduate engineering courses on product
development showcased this clearly.
There is an innate ability to see things that
other people can’t see and to be able to
bring them to life. Randy has that more
than anybody else out there. You have
this creative genius who was able to build
a company based on that.
Now, with my experience, I can come at
it from a disciplined company-builder perspective,
plus understanding the product-development
process and what goes
into that. From an organizational capability,
we have that nuclear power engine of
the creative genius of Randy being able to
really spark the ecosystem and come up
with all those ideas. But someone has to
see all of those ideas and then take them
in, nurture them and develop them. Then,
we can come at it with a process overlay
and investment perspective on what
makes sense, how to do it, how to get all
the people around the table, how to action
those ideas, how to bring them to
prototype, how to test those prototypes
and then how to introduce them into market.
There is so much that goes into all of
this, but I think that is where our skills are
very complimentary. As I think about the
new products going forward, we're very
well positioned to be utilizing this process.
AM: How does TRX Training Club fit into
the TRX universe?
JD: From my perspective, I have to tell
you that I am very excited about the TRX
Training Club. As we came in and looked
at the business, there are many things
that are great about the company. One
of them is the potential of the TRX Training
Club. We're off to a very good start
and have over 30,000 subscribers in
the TRX Training Club ecosystem. What
we can do, with the right amount of
focus, time, and attention, is take that
product and really improve it and then
grow it pretty rapidly in many different
ways. When you think about how you
do that, we can take what we are doing
now and bring in Randy's experience,
the authentic TRX experience. It’s really
about expertise in this kind of training.
The foundation we are building for this
TRX Training Club is based on authentic
expertise and TRX style funcitonal training.
You start off with back to basics...back
to core...what are we really good at?
And then there is the fitness and entertainment
side of it. It has to be entertaining
to be effective. The foundation
has to be an authentic, real experience
and then we will make it entertaining,
because you want people coming back
over and over again. We marry that with
the organizational capability of Quincy
Carroll, for example, who is our Chief
Technical Officer. He has been involved
in building some of the largest subscriber-based
businesses in the world.
He happened to go to Stanford Business
School with Randy 20 years ago so
they’re friends, and he wanted to come
in and join our mission to do this. We’re
thrilled to be able to attract a technology
leader like Quincy to come in and
bring the tech to match up with Randy
and other senior leaders in the company.
To have that depth of expertise that
has taught people for 20 years in funcitonal
training, and - match it with our
ecosystem of hundreds of thousands
of trainers worldwide, is a good thing.
To be able to get expert feedback and
to bring it to the TRX Training Club is a
great service to provide the customer. If
we can marry the expertise we have with
the technology platform we are building,
and layer that into our ecosystem and
get that excitement from our ecosystem
around it, that’s a huge opportunity for
us. We’re investing a lot of time, energy
and, effort into the platform, but it takes
time. With a product like that, we won’t
be making a lot of changes right away,
but there will be changes over the coming
quarters to improve it. And I would guess
that we will see our subscription numbers
grow pretty quickly as we do that.
RH: The only thing I would add here is
the company was built on this premise of
what we call the "Triple Threat." It was
innovative and supported by two pillars.
One is wrapping it in great content for
the end user, which allows us to entertain
and deliver great results that are relevant.
The other pillar is partnering with trainers,
physical therapists, and coaches. Giving
them a level of comfort and depth of
knowledge with our tools, enables them
to deliver results to their patients, clients,
and athletes. That idea has been there
since the very beginning of the company.
What has not always been there was
the tech. We were up online for over a decade,
but digital has risen, and you know
you have to be a little more deliberate and
modest about your expectations, because
people have begun to convert over to digital.
So, what I'm super excited about is
that once we have this app - and it almost
feels like we're underselling it by calling it
that, because it's such a broader platform
than just an app, we'll be able to reach
around the world for that consumer and
deliver all of this incredible content, education,
support, and entertainment to
customers of all levels. We'll be able to do
it in a way that is efficient and affordable.
We never had that ability before. This is
someting that is being called TRX 2.0. I'm
just "Jacked" about it, no pun intended,
because we can take this thing and make
it so much bigger that what it ever was
before.
AM: What are the roles and responsibilities
that you guys have?
RH: While I was away from TRX, as you
may or may not know, I developed a
company called OutFit that I’m the CEO
of. But as we started talking about this
(acquisition of TRX) from the beginning,
we knew that I couldn’t be the CEO.
I’m an entrepreneur and I love building
things. Even towards the end, when I
was selling control, TRX was getting to
be of a size that I am really passionate
about creating. I think what was ideal
about the situation was that I was able
to say "Jack, we’re going to have to find
a CEO for this." Initially, his response
was, "We’ll go hire the best CEO we can
find, and we'll bring them in." Then as
I worked with Jack a little bit, I got to
understand him and the way in which
he works, and frankly, the talent that he
can bring into something. I started pestering
him and said, "I don't think we
should hire an outside CEO. I think you
should do it." His initial response was
that he wasn’t doing that. I told him that
if he wanted to be a really great control
owner, to do that, you have to at least
take a couple of years and run it. This
way you’re not some smart-ass running
things from the cheap seats and asking
why the spreadsheet doesn’t match to
the reality of how things are. He said
that wasn't what he does, but eventually
myself and Jack reached out to one of
our board members who he can tell you
about. Jack told him that I was pushing
this crazy idea, and he wanted to know
what he thought. Turns out, he joined
me in ganging up on Jack to become the
CEO for however long he chooses to do
so. I have to tell you, as a guy that would
tell you that this is not what he does,
I'm learning every day from him about
best practices on running businesses.
I'm really pleased! I don't know whether
I'm an Executive Chairman, but I'm way
more than a guy sitting out there and
coming to a boardroom. I am someone
who goes to Jack with my true and honest
perspective.
JD: That is the true story. Randy put me
in this position. I certainly agree and sup-
port those statements. When I decided
to acquire the company, I wasn’t thinking
of running the company. That’s clear,
but Randy and I are very much partners in
running this business. Now, he is right. As
we were getting closer to thinking about
who the best person in the world would
be to run the company, he came to me and
said that I should do it. He told me I have
an intensity issue and would probably kill
anyone else in that seat, and I probably do
have that. Then a board member and close
friend, Mark Fields, who was the CEO of
Ford for many years and has also been
the CEO of Hertz and runs major companies
around the world, and I agreed that
I would come in as the CEO and that any
one of the three of us can fire me at any
moment if I'm not performing or if we find
someone better. That was the deal that
we had going in. Having now been in this
seat going on the third month, I’m having
a blast! It really is the perfect position for
me. I was in the warehouse running a forklift
on Saturday. I was doing an inventory
count with the team, and I spent time in
the UK with our sales team for our European
business arms. I’m getting to know
everybody in the company much deeper
than I would have otherwise, and I’m having
a blast. I’ve been on the phone with
our certified trainers worldwide, and I’m
really getting to know the ecosystem. We
have a summit coming up in Massachusetts
in early December that Randy and
I will be part of. From my perspective, it
has turned out to be a perfect position,
and I’m really excited about that. There’s
an activation energy that comes, even at
this stage in my career, from taking on a
role like this.
Randy is the vision, direction, and spiritual
leader of the industry and the company,
and he’s actively involved in all of the major
decisions that we’re making as a company.
I’m building the team and making
the trains run on time. We work together
a lot. I talk with Randy multiple times a
day. We're buddies, so that makes it easy.
Randy's partner, Jill, on the other hand,
probably wants me to talk to him a little
bit less, but we're having a great time do-
ing this. We're building this team and
we're all on this mission of what we
want from this company, and I have to
tell you it's fun and exciting.
RH: The one other thing I will add is that
by structuring it this way, we’re able to
move fast, which is such an asset. Normally,
if you think about how it would
work, a CEO would be separate, and you
have these board members, and there’s
this whole series of delays and a lot of
inefficiency that comes from having the
CEO constantly having to put everything
together for board approvals, which
takes up a ton of time. For us, we're able
to pull our team together quickly with
a couple of board members and make
quick decisions. This is a critical position
to be in, coming into a business that was
struggling and trying to turn it around
rapidly. What you're going to see over
the next 12-18 months just couldn't happen
in a different structure at this kind
of pace. I have been really happy. It was
something that I didn't really anticipate,
but it has worked out really great.
JD: The point Randy is making, which is
worth noting, the team that has come
together is a combination of OGs and
NGs within the TRX community. We
have OGs like Randy and Rick Cusick who
came in as our Chief Revenue Officer after
exiting the business in 2019/2020 and
brought a great perspective. Our senior
management team is really extraordinary.
I mentioned that Mark Fields is on
our board. Frank McGuigan, who is also
on our board, is one of the most recognized
senior leaders in global supply
chain. If you look at the management
team, our CFO was Revlon's former CFO
for eight years, Doug Greeff, who also
ran Global Leverage Finance for Citigroup.
He's an extraordinary finance executive
who is on this mission with us.
Quincy Carroll, who I mentioned earlier,
is the CTO and, a friend of Randy’s, has
known this business for a long time and
is very close with him. Our VP and General
Counsel, Alain Villeneuve was TRX's
litigation attorney for 12 years. When we
came together to acquire the company,
he came to us and said that he wanted to
be on the team. He wanted to be in-house
and on this mission with us. We’re about
to announce the new head of Supply
Chain. An 11-year Senior Executive at Nike,
who was at Nautilus six years before that
and provides great start up experience as
well. World class talent is here.
I did not acquire this business to flip it. I
want to build this over the next couple of
decades to take something that is very
special and make it even better. We have
this great team around us that is making
it possible to do that, and these are just
some of the names.
AM: That’s fantastic! Looking into next
year, what is the vision of TRX as a brand,
its projects and new products?
RH: We have a bunch of cool, innovative
new products that are in the pipeline that
I was part of before the dark days came
and I went away. Fortunately, that group
couldn’t figure out how to get those things
to market. There are some really interesting
new products that are new takes on
training modalities like elastic resistance,
which is something that I am really interested
in. I think that it is something that
has been under leveraged, and there is a
real opportunity to leverage there. Our
products are pretty damn smart, but
we’re interested in making them smarter.
I think there is a way to do things we have
been doing, but make them better, faster,
more efficiently and more profitably. TRX
will never do some crappy commodity
product, just because we can. We want to
speak to premium and quality, and have
items that speak to deliberate and smart
approaches. If we can’t do that and wrap
it in amazing content, then we shouldn’t
do it.
JD: We’re completely on the same page.
From our perspective, now that we are
two months into the acquisition, and having
a retooled senior management team,
we’re really focused on getting back to
basics as a first step which won’t be as ex-
citing to you, but it’s really important to
us. Getting back to basics is critical and
understanding what we do now, what
we do well...how we do everything
well...in a first-class way and improving
the foundation. Obviously, the business
has been up and running for a long time
now. So focusing on those basics is key,
such as making supply chain a competitive
advantage rather than focusing on
just getting product out the door.
Those are the things we’re doing. On
the new product side, Randy has a bag
of magic tricks, and the trainers in our
ecosystem do as well. As we get through
this period of focusing on what we do
today, we’re going to look for competitive
advantages through improving
the products we have and through the
development of new products as well.
Things like expanding the functional
training product line is a natural thing
to do. Working to ensure that the services
within the TRX Training Club work
hand-in-hand with the products is critically
important. Then it’s about looping
back to a connected system. Everyone is
looking for more feedback and more information.
They want to have that connected
experience and bio feedback.
We have lots of places that we can grow
through new services and new products
that collectively create a complete
system where you’re not only working
out, but it’s being tracked and, you’re
getting feedback in real time, so you’re
able to compare yourself day over day,
month over month and year over year.
It’s like anything else, when you’re getting
ready to compete in a sport, get
your body in excellent shape. Get your
cardio and your strenth up. Get your
agility where it needs to be, and then
you get into the ring ready to do battle.
What we’re doing now is getting our
cardio up and getting our strength and
our agility up, and then we’re going to
pick our spots to see what rings we’re
going into, where we're going to do battle,
and we're going to do all that in a
very deliberate way. We have the expectation
that it's coming and we'll need to
be a little patient while we work on our
core health. But then watch us as we start
coming up with these new tools, equipment,
and capabilities for our customers,
while we simultaneously activate our ecosystem.
There are people all around the
world that are excited about the brand!
If you have not tried the TRX Training Club,
Jack and Randy are giving our readers 90
days free to try it out for yourself!
You'll have access to an all-in-one virtual
gym built for everybody, everywhere, every
level. When you move with TRX, there’s
no limit to how far you can go.
You will have unlimited access to 500+ on
demand workouts, new on demand workouts
added weekly, unlimited access to
daily LIVE classes and unlimited access to
daily REPLAY classes.
Simply visit www.trxtraining.com/athleisuremag,
no credit card required!
@trxtraining
PHOTO COURTESY | TRX
THE ART OF
THE SNACK:
GG TOKYO
This month, we know that we're in the
thick of the holiday season and we need
to have our go-to place in mind for after
dinner drinks, holiday hangouts and more!
We're excited to introduce you and your
tastebuds to GG Tokyo and to let you know
what you should order when you arrive!
ATHLEISURE MAG: Who is the executive
chef of GG Tokyo and can you share his/
her background prior to coming to GG Tokyo?
GG TOKYO: The menu was designed by
Bryce Shuman, Executive Chef at GG Tokyo
and its sister restaurant Sweetbriar,
in collaboration with alumni from Shuko,
an acclaimed Japanese restaurant in the
East Village. The focus of the menu is on
having small plates to share with a group
of friends over elevated cocktails.
AM: We were near Golden Gai on a trip a
few years back but didn’t get to chance to
go there at night. Can you set the scene of
what makes Golden Gai have a distinctive
vibe as it’s an interesting juxtaposition
that’s near high rises and step back into
another time.
GGT: GG Tokyo consists of 6 alleys with a
couple hundred bars, some so small that
only a few people can fit in. Tourists are
barred from entry at many, and no photos
are allowed to be taken anywhere, yet it is
a party all the same.
AM: GG Tokyo is located at Park South Hotel
and is noted as a jewel-sized izakaya.
What is an izakaya and what can you tell
us about the décor/ambiance of this spot?
GGT: An Izakaya is a Japanese bar with
many offerings from different styles of
Japanese cooking. The ambiance of GG
Tokyo celebrates art and culture while
creating an inspiring place for a meet-up.
We have various pieces of art located
throughout the space that were curated
for us by local and international artists.
Additionally, we work with a few artists
who have work on display that rotate sea-
sonally. The décor is modern but minimalistic
to shine light on the art, food,
and drink.
AM: How would you describe the vibe of
GG Tokyo?
GGT: GG Tokyo is great after work/happy
hour hang out spot with a fun and lively
vibe! We have great drink specials and a
prix fixe menu offering!
AM: Cocktails are a major draw when
guests come by. Can you tell me about
your Beverage Director Ivan Papic and
his background prior to coming here?
GGT: Belegrade born Ivan Papic moved
to New York in 1998. He fell in love with
the industry, first getting a taste as a bar
back for the popular Lot 61.
Most notably he has worked with restaurateur
Keith McNally at Pastis and Balthazar,
at Macao Trading Company, sister
bar to Employees Only, and venturing
into nightlife with Paul Sevigny at Beatrice
Inn, the hardest door in the city,
and opening Paul’s Casablanca.
Papic is excited to begin this new chapter
acting as Beverage Director at TH/
RST Group.
AM: What are 3 cocktails that you suggest
that we should try on our next visit?
GGT: Three cocktails that we’d suggest
are the Mermaid, Golden Monkey, and
Tomodachi.
AM: We assume that you have an interesting
sake list – what are 3 that you suggest
that we should have?
GGT: The three sake’s that I would
recommed are:
Shichi Hon Yari Seven Spearsman, Shiga
Saiya Yuki No Bosha Cabin in the Snow,
Akita Tatsuriki Kimoto Tokubetsu Junmai,
Shizuoka
AM: If we’re coming for cocktail hour,
what are 3 dishes that we should try and
what drink should we pair with it?
GGT: Spicy Salmon Hand Roll, Okonomiyaki,
Kara-age.
AM: What are 3 appetizers we should have?
GGT: Somen, Gochujang Rice Cakes, Tuna
Tartare.
AM: What are 3 main dishes that we
should have for dinner that we can enjoy
either on our own or to share with friends?
GGT: Three main dishes that we would
recommend would be Miso Maple Salmon,
Marinated Skirt Steak, Chirashi.
AM: If it’s late-night but we still want to
nibble, what do you suggest?
GGT: Anything that’s on the menu; it’s
built for that kind of dining.
AM: For those of us that can never get
enough sushi, what are rolls that will take
our enjoyment of this dish to the next level?
GGT: They are not all rolls, but the GG Roll,
Fluke Sashimi, and Crab Pressed Sushi are
great picks.
AM: With the holidays upon us, are there
events coming up that we should know
about? Will you offer a New Year’s Eve promotion
etc?
GGT: We will be offering Peking Duck dinners
on Christmas Eve and will be throwing
a New Years Eve party.
@ggtokyo.nyc
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | GG Tokyo
We're always excited to join a number of
boutique fitness studio classes. There's
nothing like being able to really enjoy a
specific modality. When we started introducing
pilates into our routines, [solidcore]
was one of a few studios that we
started trying. We spoke with their CEO
Bryan Myers, we wanted to know more
about his background, transitioning from
sweetgreen (a fave of ours) to becoming
the CEO and President of [solidcore] and
finding out what he is focused on as he
continue to exapnd the brand!
ATHLEISURE MAG: We’re excited to be
able to connect with you! Before we dig
into it, what was your career path that led
you to being an alum of sweetgreen and
currently at [solidcore]?
BRYAN MYERS: Thank you for having me! I
come from a military family, and am a first
generation college graduate. My parents
have been supportive and proud of me my
whole life, so that still pushes me to be my
best every day. Post college, I followed a
typical path for young professionals in DC
– consulting. Craving more adventure and
experience, I took a risk with a DC-based
startup people have come to know and
love as sweetgreen – the fast-casual salad
chain that changed the way we think
about the intersection of fast food and
health food. I learned so much from the
founders and leadership team, and it gave
me what I needed to eventually join [solidcore]
as COO and lead a rapidly growing
team. And while the road hasn't always
been easy - particulary the last two years
- the challenging moments have been the
most informative, impactful, and meaningful
moments of my career to date. I
wouldn't be the leader I am today without
the setbacks and experiences I went
through.
AM: Sweetgreen is one of our favorite salad
places. As VP of Development for this fast
casual chain, can you tell me what your responsibilities
were as you grew them from
a regional chain of 22 restaurants to 90 locations
nationally for your 4 years there.
BM: One of the blessings of being a part
of a rapidly growing organization is that
you get the opportunity to wear many
different hats. My experience was no
different, but my final role there consisted
of overseeing all of our new restaurant
growth operations including real
estate selection, restaurant design, and
construction. It was a really challenging,
but fun job that allowed me to play
a first hand role in bringing sweetgreen
to communities all over the country.
AM: Working with sweetgreen, what
drew you to work with this brand and
what did you learn from being in the
food space?
BM: I was young and seeking something
that felt more entrepreneurial. Although
I loved my time in consulting, I
realized that the true entrepreneurship
that I craved wasn’t going to be possible
in that environment. At the time, sweetgreen
was poised for rapid growth and
as an already-loyal consumer, I was already
bought into the product! My
wheels began turning immediately…
I knew together sweetgreen and I had
the tools to explode onto the fast-casual
health scene, and that’s exactly what
we did.
AM: In 2018, you came to [solidcore] what
led you to join them as their COO?
BM: My journey with [solidcore] actually
began in 2014 as a client. As a lover
of the product, joining as COO allowed
me to marry many of the skills and experiences
that I had developed during
my time at sweetgreen with another
DC-founded company that I loved.
AM: We have covered two of [solidcore]’s
locations in Athleisure Mag’s feature
Athleisure List previously. For those that
may not be familiar with this fitness studio,
can you tell us about it?
BM: [solidcore] is a 50-minute, full body,
strength training workout. It is an entirely
immersive experience - held in a
dimly-lit room under blue lights, fueled
by energizing music, and led by an experienced
coach who offers personalized instruction.
This is a workout like no other!
We utilize our signature machine, [sweatlana].
The [solidcore] workout is one that
will transform your body and deliver noticeable
results. Whether considered a
person’s primary workout, or a supplement
to a regular training routine, [solidcore]
is designed to make clients stronger
and more resilient - physically and mentally.
AM: Since arriving in 2018, you moved on
to being the President and COO and you
are currently the President and CEO – what
is your day-to-day like here?
BM: Everyday is different - and that’s the
joy! Of course, at its core, as CEO I am
responsible for setting our company’s
strategy and building an incredible team
to help execute it. I’m so proud of the
work that our team has accomplished:
we’re near opening our 100th studio, we
just wrapped up our Greatness Within
campaign where we challenged our clients
to discover their inner greatness, we
launched a first of its kind partnership
with the WNBA Washington Mystics, and
so much more. I also coach classes and
travel the country to meet our team and
clients, which is one of the most rewarding
parts of my role! All of it has excitement
and challenges and learning opportunities.
The varied days keep me going,
inspired, and excited for what’s next.
AM: During COVID-19, many fitness studios,
like many businesses in various verticals
had to adjust to the pandemic. What
did you have to do during those years?
BM: In March of 2020, we had to lay off
98% of our staff and coaches and pivot our
business model to adapt when the world
was in crisis. A skeleton crew stayed on -
we all took significant pay cuts - and we
worked harder, smarter, and leaner than
we ever had before. None of us had all the
answers, but together - we found solutions.
We built back. And now we're near
100 brick and mortar studios and exceeding
pre-Covid numbers. When the going
got tough - the team got us through.
AM: You are known for your ability to
grow businesses, you’ve opened over 87
locations across 24 states currently and
you have an aggressive expansion goal,
how do you decide on where these studios
will be and are there thoughts to extend
the brand internationally?
BM: One of the most compelling parts of
the [solidcore] business is the diversity
of the communities where we’ve been
able to find success. We operate in smaller
markets like Fargo, North Dakota, and
also the largest cities in the country such
as Los Angeles and New York City. That,
of course, makes deciding where we go
and when very tough because there are
so many options! We weigh a bunch of
different factors as we think about expansion,
but primarily we look to identify
markets where we can open multiple
locations in attractive trade areas
and leverage all of the inbound inquiries
that we receive via email and across our
social media channels to help prioritize
as well! As we look ahead over the next
several years, we are excited to begin to
bring [solidcore] to markets outside of
the United States as well!
AM: We read that [solidcore] has partnered
with the WNBA’s Washington
Mystics as the official offseason workout
partner. What does this partnership look
like with the team and fans? Do you have
other partnerships that you can share
and/or are you looking to connect with
others to make creative synergistic partnerships?
BM: This was an exciting one for [solidcore].
You know, we are DC-born so
partnering with the Washington Mystics
as their official offseason workout
partner was a total pinch me moment.
Members of the team make their way
into the [solidcore] studios and enjoy
incorporating our modality into their
workout regimen... it's great to be sur-
rounded by such talented athletes which
also speaks volumes about the efficacy
of [solidcore]’s workout. If these athletes
are shaking and sweating, you know it’s
going to be a challenge! Of course we are
looking to do similar partnerships, but
you’ll have to stay tuned for more.
AM: In a competitive landscape, how does
[solidcore] maintain its ethos with a focus
on building strong, inclusive communities
for clients and communities?
BM: One of my favorite things about
[solidcore] is how community driven we
are. Even though there are nearly 100
[solidcore] locations, each individual studio
is evangelist-led by community members
with genuine, shared passion. As a
whole, our members want to put in the
work, and we all believe the work is the
joy. We all do it for the sweat, the connection,
the challenge, and the growth of it
all and that’s what makes [solidcore] such
a strong leader in the fitness industry.
They come for the workout and stay for
the connections.
AM: What is your vision for [solidcore]?
BM: Oh, the sky's the limit with where I
want to go with [solidcore]. The brand is
redefining the fitness space and provides
a workout that challenges and changes
you both mentally and physically. Now
more than ever we are pushing our members
to discover their greatness and create
the strongest version of themselves.
Just being a part of this movement and
expanding to over 100 studios is a win, but
who says we’re stopping at 100 studios?
We’re hungry to be innovators in the fitness
space and you’ll see much more from
us in the years ahead!!
AM: Is there anything that [solidcore] is
working on or launching as we head into
the holiday season/early next year that
you would like to share?
BM: [solidcore] is continuing to expand in
many of the markets where we already
have a presence, including Los Angeles,
New York City, and Seattle. We are also
preparing for a strong first quarter of
2023 when many of us look to recommit
to our health and wellness goals. As
we did last year, we’ll have a number of
exciting offers to help our communities
stay committed to those goals!
AM: There are challenges that you face
as you navigate growing your brand, taking
space in places where you may be the
only person of color or in a very small
group. As a Black, gay male CEO – how
did you navigate making space for yourself
regardless of the adversity that came
along?
BM: I am a gay, black man. The first in my
family to graduate from college. I have
a job running a company that’s helping
people mentally and physically, a husband
that I love, and a brand new baby
boy who is filling my cup and challenging
me in ways I literally didn’t think possible.
I strive to shatter glass ceilings and
break barriers so it was important to me
to claim space in this industry. That said,
I often talk about the “superpowers”
that we all have as a result of the identities
that we hold. I’m incredibly proud of
the ways that being a Black, gay man has
shaped me and many of those qualities
have helped me become the leader that
I am today which has been so critical to
my success.
AM: How do you give back to the community
and how important is it to you
that you do this?
BM: Giving back to the community is
something that has always been important
to me, instilled in me since I was
young. Currently, I serve on the Board
of the Ridley Scholars Foundation, an
organization that provides financial and
mentorship support to high-achieving
African-American students. This is an organization
that resonates with me on a
deeply personal level since I was a Ridley
Scholar myself. It’s such a powerful
feeling to have this “full circle” moment
where I can help contribute to the fu-
ture of these amazing students in the same
way that others were able to support me.
AM: As someone who is successful and has
a lot on his plate, are there other projects
that you are working on that you would
like for us to know about?
BM: My plate is full but I’ve never been
happier. I am constantly inspired by my
husband and our new bundle of joy keeps
us on our toes. Outside of my day-to-day
work with [solidcore], my husband and
I have begun to do a small amount of investing
behind ideas and entrepreneurs
that we believe will shape the future of
our country. Additionally, I’ve started to
explore corporate board opportunities as
another way to take the experience that
I’ve gained over the course of my career
and help other entrepreneurs and business
leaders on their journey of success.
@bmysofly
@solidcore
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | [solidcore]
Rise Nation was founded by renowned
personal and celebrity trainer Jason
Walsh in 2014 in Los Angeles, and the
NoHo location opened on April 1, 2022.
Rise Nation is born out of simple concepts:
to train like an athlete, and to
work smarter, not harder. Walsh went
back to the basics of primitive movement
and took a super motion, gave
it a superior application, and built
a whole new type of group fitness
class around it. Climbing is a primitive
movement and is proven to be more
beneficial because the climbing pattern
reinforces and strengthens proper
movement patterns and makes
one’s body stronger, using all of the
major muscle groups to work together
in one motion, in the way they were
meant to. Being the first to offer this
climbing cardio format, Rise Nation
provides smarter training centered on
ATHLEISURE LIST: NoHo, NY
RISE NATION
education that is designed for everyone
at any age and ability level due
to the variable resistance and lack
of strain from impact, and meant to
change lives.
Rise Nation offers a variety of leveled
climbing cardio classes that are 30-minutes
long, designed for beginners, intermediate
level and advanced level
climbers. The classes take place entirely
on a vertical climber in a multi-sensory,
stimulating environment, during
which all of the muscle groups and
high oxygen levels are recruited to elevate
the heart rate and engage the
entire body as one, to be an efficient
and effective workout (burning twice
the amount of calories in half of the
amount of calories in half the amount
of time). Complemented by state-ofthe-art
lighting and sound systems,
iconic choreography, and high-energy,
AthleisureMag.com - 126 - Issue #83 | Nov 2022
motivational, and knowledgeable
trainers, Rise Nation classes create
a safe and beneficial environment
in which climbers are encouraged
to learn, practice, and perfect their
climbs, while they strengthen and
grow to new levels and experience unrivaled
workouts.
There are 4 different classes offered:
Level 1 Base Climb (700 to 2500 feet
climbed, this class is designed to help
climbers get the feel for Rise Nation
and the climber machine, highlighting
the basics of climbing and foundational
choreography with in-depth
instruction), Level 2 The Ascent (1500-
3500 feet climbed, this class builds on
the foundation of the Base Climb in a
choreographed and high tempo session.
This is Rise Nation's ambitious
and signature climb), Level 3 The Summit
(2500-7000 feet climbed, this class
Issue #83 | Nov 2022
invites guests to experience the ultimate
climb in a high intensity workout
designed to maximize calorie burn
with demanding moves and intense elevation
gain and is their most difficult
class format) and Mile High Climb (Goal
of 5,280 feet climbed, this challenges
guests to climb one vertical mile in a
45-minute class designed to energize
and inspire one to reach new heights).
RISE NATION
676 Broadway
NY, NY 10012
rise-nation.com
@risenation
PHOTO CREDITS | Rise Nation
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FitFighter launched in 2013 with a focus
on the fire service as it was founded by
Sarah Apgar, Founder and CEO. She is
an Iraq Veteran, All-American Athlete,
Fitness Professional, Volunteer Fire
Fighter and mom of 2 girls. In 2019, it
was introduced to the mainstream fitness
market with a workout App, certifications
for professionals and specified
training programs. In 2020, they
secured a deal on Shark Tank and has
continued to grow from there!
FitFighter's strength system was tied
to 8 key categories of training for tactical
athletes. When it was used in the
firehouse, they realized that this training
and style of movement patterns
could be utilized across a broad range
of applications, from sports perfor-
ATHLEISURE LIST: Streaming
FITFIGHTER
mance to conditioning to strength to
endurance to physical therapy and
any other modality where external
load is beneficial. They adapted these
programs for coaches, athletes, gyms,
and home fitness usage.
The Steelhose was originally created
to mimic the feel of a charged fire hose
when training firefighters to be ready
for their missions. The functionality of
Steelhose movements have evolved
into an approachable, versatile and
modifiable training tool for the general
public to build strength for their
own personal missions. They come in
a variety of sizes from (5lbs - 50lbs)
and can be lifted, gripped, slammed,
dragged, dropped and moved in various
ways. They are great to use re-
AthleisureMag.com - 128 - Issue #83 | Nov 2022
gardless of your strength level and
fitness experience. These work well
with Steelhose! HIIT Training, general
strength training, heavy lifting and
CrossFit, yoga, pilates, mobility work
and stretching.
On Jan 1st, FitFighter Yoga by MelMarie
will be available (you can pre-order
this starting on Black Friday). This
method of yoga is an integrative approach
blending the 5 lb Steelhose
into dynamic breath informed stretches
and movements to improve mobility
and strength, restore the nervous
system, and nourish the mind!
A number of classes are offered On Demand,
from strength training, mobility,
work, HIIT wrkouts, 'Off the Floor'
series, core focused classes, and yoga.
Their FitFighter MoveSTRONG App
categorizes workouts in an approach-
Issue #83 | Nov 2022
able way so that you can choose your
workout according to what you’d like
to focus on every day!
There is also an intro series on the
App, which is a great place to start for
new Steelhose owners! Keep an eye
out for new Fit Pro coaches joining the
team who will be hosting weekly Live
workout classes on our App, so you
can work out with the community in
real time!
FITFIGHTER
fitfighter.com
@fitfighter
PHOTO CREDITS | FitFighter
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STEP UP TO STOP
THE SPREAD, NYC!
GET
VACCINATED
AND BOOSTED
GET
TESTED
if you have symptoms,
were exposed, or traveled
MASK
UP
to protect yourself and those around you
STAY
HOME
if you are feeling sick
For more information,
visit nyc.gov/covidvaccine
or call 877-VAX-4NYC.
Health
Bi
M
D
C
AthleisureMag.com - 146 - Issue #83 | Nov 2022
Stay connected and follow us across our
social channels on @AthleisureMag!
Issue #83 | Nov 2022
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Bingely Books
BLENDED
Kat Jamieson
Kat Jamieson
There's been some buzz around this
wellness lifestyle cookbook from Kat Jamieson
of Blended. You may know her
from her site, With Love From Kat as she
shares a number of looks in neutral tones
in style, interiors and where she travels
to. But this cookbook, has insights into
over 125+ recipes that Kat has created
that stem from years of battling various
digestive issues she curated this cookbook
which has a number of recipes that
include those that are gluten,
dairy and refined sugar free. We
definitely marked a few recipes
such as the Pan Roasted Moroccan
Chicken Dish, Butternut
Squash Mac and Cheese and her
dad's Chocolate Cake, Just in
time for the holiday season, we
imagine that we will be creating
a few of these dishes into our rotations
as we continue through
the holiday season.
EASY SPEEDY VEGAN: 100
QUICK PLANT-BASED
RECIPES
Quadrille Publishing
Katy Beskow
We have said this multiple times,
including plant-based meals into
your diet 2-3 times a week is
something that we should all do
whether we have a meat-based
diet or a number of diets that
exist! Whether it's all of the meal
or a side dish, it's a nice way to
add variety. In Easy Speady Vegan:
100 Quick Plant-Based Recipes,
we get access to recipes
that take anywhere from 10-30
mintues to make!
This cookbook really gives us a
great foundation on Vegan food
and the types of ingredients that
are found in this food so that you
know what you need to stock up
on. Katy Beskow even shares tips
and techniques that will prove
useful as you are making these
dishes. We're interested in trying
her Garbanzo Beans, Carrot and
Olive Salad!
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She has played for over 2 decades as
the captain of both Canada's national
team and the top-ranked Portland
Thorns FC in the National Women's
Soccer League.
This dynamic athlete is noted to be
private and this book provides a number
of insights that you may not have
heard from her thoughts that have
taken place in her journey as well as
to her need to inspire and empower
those who come up behind her.
PLAYING THE LONG GAME: A
MEMOIR
Random House Canada
Christine Sinclair + Stephen Brunt
Playing the Long Game: A Memoir shares
the life of Christine Sinclair, an Olympic
soccer gold medalist who is a top international
goal scorer of all time and is
one of Canada's greatest athletes.
In this memoir, she explores the highs
and loves that she has experienced. She
focuses on the importance of staying
focused regardless of what is happening
around you and why team spirit is so
important. As a leader in the sport, she
also navigates and highlghts how the
landscape of women's sport is also undergoing
changes.
Issue #83 | Nov 2022
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Bingely Streaming
FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE
Hulu Original
Hulu
We follow along with Toby Fleishman (Jesse
Eisenberg) as he navigates being divorced
from Rachel (Claire Danes) in Fleishman is in
Trouble. This book turned series illustrates
how he juggles his work, co-parents, reconnects
with friends and begins dating in a
world that is app based and is very unfamil-
iar to him.
As he gets a handle on his new status,
he realizes that he can't get
into a new groove when Rachel
disappears and while he tries to
keep his kids happy and unaware
of what is going on, in order to
truly understand what his life has
become, he will need to understand
what took place in order
for his marriage to fall apart. In
each episode, we see more clues
into how his life unraveled as well
as seeing the steps that he makes
to create a new way of life that is
firmly in his control.
1899
Netflix Original
Netflix
There is nothing like a completely
bingeable series that has more
twists and turns than you can
imagine! 1899 takes us back to this
time on a ship that is filled with an
array of immigrants from all over
the world. At first, this ship and
its passengers don't seem to be
connected to one another. But as
we continue upon their voyage,
we realize that they have more in
common tham one would have
assumed!
The ship is slated to arrive in NY
where they will start new lives;
however, when the ship comes
across a catastrophe and attempts
to give aid, the future takes an ominous
turn. We realize that nothing
is as it seems and that the past
is catching up with many people
who are trying to leave it behind.
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In fact, we see that the future has a
much longer time long than expected
and that the decisions that we
make can place us in a loop of our
own making even when we don't realize
what has happened.
Hosted by Helen Hollyman, journalist, editor
and cookbook author, she takes us into
the culinary world where high taste at any
cost comes to a head.
THE PADDLEFISH CAVIAR
HEIST
Imperative Entertainment
Spotify
When we think about true crime and
rings, drugs and diamonds come to
mind, but The Paddlefish Caviar Heist
brings us to the world of caviar and
what the Ozarks have to do with this
activity. It is the paddlefish capital
of the world! With visitors that are
rocking bling, exotic cars and dropping
lots of cash for bait and tackle,
this quite town becomes the base of
an undercover federal sting for an international
caviar poaching ring!
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