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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

PHOTO CREDIT | UNSPLASH/BROOKE LARK

@AthleisureMag



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PUBLISHER

Paul Farkas

EDITORIAL

Kimmie Smith

Co-Founder, Creative + Style Director

Paul Farkas

Co-Founder, Artistic Director + Tech Director

FASHION CONTRIBUTIONS

PHOTOGRAPHERS | Brittany Conerly | T Davis | Charissa Fay |

| Hale | Jordan Wise |

ADVERTISING

info@athleisuremag.com

@ATHLEISUREMAG

CONNECT + VISIT

E-mail: info@athleisuremag.com

Website: www.athleisuremag.com

Athleisure Mag

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, a Division of Athleisure Media LLC.


EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS

Paul Farkas | Kimmie Smith

HOST

Kimmie Smith

MIXING

Athleisure Studio Team

ATHLEISURE STUDIO

PODCAST NETWORK SHOWS

#TRIBEGOALS | ATHLEISURE KITCHEN |

BUNGALOW SK | THE 9LIST |

@ATHLEISURESTUDIO

CONNECT + VISIT

E-mail: info@athleisuremag.com

Website: www.athleisureStudio.com

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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!

AthleisureMag.com - 168 - Issue #83 | Nov 2022


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.

AthleisureMag.com - 170 - Issue #83 | Nov 2022


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!

Issue #83 | Nov 2022

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