Athleisure Mag AUG ISSUE #92

ISSUE #92

PHOTO CREDIT | CHASE BAKER

@AthleisureMag

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PUBLISHER

Paul Farkas

EDITORIAL

Kimmie Smith

Co-Founder, Creative + Style Director

Paul Farkas

Co-Founder, Artistic Director + Tech Director

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MIXING

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ATHLEISURE STUDIO

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table of contents

issue #92

aug 2023

157

STYLE FEATURES

THE PICK ME UP

170

118

IN OUR BAG

177 HE ROCKS THIS EASY STYLE

TO NAVIGATE HIS DAY

BEAUTY FEATURES

RASPBERRY OIL BEAUTY

Dropping Bangers

Joel Corry

This month, we’re excited to have EDM DJ/producer Joel Corry who is known for

bangers and creating countless hits. We caught up with him in Ibiza to talk about

his career, passion for music, and his upcoming album!

16

181

ATHLEISURE BEAUTY

Taking it to the Waves

Monica Medellin

We caught up with Creator/Executive Producer, Monica Medellin on her latest docuseries

on Prime Video, Surf Girls Hawai’i. We talked about her focus as a storyteller,

her passion for showcasing underrepresented groups in this sport, and what’s next.

52

158

LIFESTYLE FEATURES

ATHLEISURE LIST

HALIFAX HOBOKEN

To Craftsmanship

68

Chef Jacqueline Blanchard talks with us

about the importance of Japanese cutlery

and merging Cajun and Japanese cuisine.

THE 9LIST

®

94

Our 9LIST STORI3S comes from singer/

songwriter, INNA. She shares her musthaves

in beauty, style, and fitness.

160

ATHLEISURE LIST

RUA THAI

AthleisureMag.com - 10 - Issue #92 | Aug 2023

The Art of the Snack

Centrolina

124

This month’s The Art of the Snack takes us to DC where we’re enjoying Italian fare,

phenomenal bites, and cocktails in the thick of it. We took some time with Chef/

Owner Amy Brandwein, a 5X James Beard Finalist who has created a destination

with her Osteria and Mercato.

The Vision

Jermelle Simon

134

Prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike, we sat

down with Netflix’s The Upshaws, Jermelle

SImon to talk about his approach

to acting, the lastest Season, and more.

EZoo Going Into

Hyperspace

150

Labor Day Weekend means, Electric Zoo

is back for 3 days and 6 stages of our

favorite EDM artists. We give you a peek

on what you can expect this year!

63MIX ROUTIN3S

Ferry Corsten

TM

162

This month, EDM DJ/Producer Ferry Corsten

shares his must-haves for Morning,

Afternoon and Night.

Bingely

Streaming

192

Here’s what we’re streaming this month

whether we’re taking a moment or

enjoying with friends and family.

Issue #92 | Aug 2023

- 11 - AthleisureMag.com

We're always looking for the right vibes

for music that will let us navigate our day

from commuting, workflow, and nights

out! This month, our cover is 5X platinum

UK records, 5X BRIT Awards nominee, Joel

Corry who has residencies at Ibiza Rocks,

TAO Group Hospitality (Hakkasan, Marquee)

and who has performed in an array

of festivals from Creamfields, Ultra, Tomorrowland,

EDC Las Vegas, and Lollapalooza

to name a few. His remixes have been part

of our playlists and have included collaborations

with Saweetie, Charlie XCX, David

Guetta, and Bryson Tiller as just a few

of the highlights. His remixes have transformed

tracks by Megan Thee Stallion, Ed

Sheeran, Elton John, and Nina Simone.

When it's about good vibes with beats

that make you want to stay on the dance

floor banger after banger, Joel always has

something up his sleeve!

We caught up with him hours before the

release of his latest single, Drinkin' with

MK and Rita Ora which already has been

on repeat for the past few days! This single

as well as yet to be released and some of

his epic records will be on the upcoming album,

Another Friday Night which drips on

Oct 6th. We wanted to know more about

Joel from his passion for music, how raving

in London grew to him collaborarting

with artists and creating his music, and

what he has coming up as he continues to

make his mark.

We also wanted to know more about his

approach to creating his music, working

with his favorite artists, and more. We also

wanted to find out about his time as a professional

body builder, winning a number

of competitions, and how he navigates his

life while he's constantly on the go going

from one city to the next.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you first fall

in love with music?

JOEL CORRY: When I was a young boy

that was 12 or 13, that’s when I got my first

pair of turntables. My older brother was

a DJ actually, he’s 3 years older than me

so when I was growing up, the music that

everyone was playing was garage music

back in London. It was all part of the

DJing and MCing scene so my brother,

he was like an MC and his mates would

come over and do DJing and I was like,

I just wanted to be cool like my older

brother basically. So I said, “mom, get

me some decks, I want to do some garage

music. I want to be a DJ as well!”

That’s how I started and then I got my

decks and I would go into the record

shop every weekend and find vinyls. It

just became a hobby growing up and

then eventually, I started DJing people’s

parties and it developed from there!

AM: So, when did you realize that you

wanted to do it professionally?

JC: So it was kind of like a slow progress

over the years. So I was DJing in my bedroom,

and then I started DJing at people’s

birthday parties, weddings, and like

even DJing at my mom’s friend’s, birthday

parties – just wherever! I was sort

of the DJ at school and then when I was

17/18, I started playing the nightclubs.

You know, at one point in my early 20’s,

I was doing 5 residencies a week around

London so I was really busy around the

circuit and then it was like, “right, I’m

doing that thing that I love to do, I’m

making money from it, how can I take it

to the next level?” That’s what I started

to focus on music production and started

to release my own music and that’s

how eventually – I mean it took awhile

so fast forward another 10 years when

I got my first hit record, that’s when it

really took off to another level.

AM: How do you define your sound?

JC: My sound has changed over the

years to be honest with you. It’s kind of

been like a progression as I have been

through the journey of my love of dance

music. But I would say that the sound

that people know me from for my productions

from my first hit records would

be commercial piano house, feel good

vibes – you know, my records, I think

that they have really defined my career

so far, tracks like Head & Heart, BED, Lonely,

Sorry – they’re all kind of piano house.

Just really uplifting, feel good vibe records

that have sort of connected with people,

tracks that you want to hear on the dance

floor and also tracks that sort of hit you in

the feels as well. It’s that nice balance that

are records that you want to dance to and

also those that you want to put in your car

when you’re driving alone and to have an

emotional connection with.

AM: I love listening to it when I’m spinning.

JC: A lot of people actually use my records

and my tracks for gym playlists. I get that

all the time, but I love that, because I’m

really into my gym stuff as well! So I’m

glad that my tunes are helping people like

get those extra reps or cycle those extra

miles.

AM: What is your process in terms of when

you’re creating music? Are there certain

things that you focus on first?

JC: I’d say that there are 2 different ways

that the creative process works. The 1st

way would be that I’m in my studio and

we have a songwriter or an artist come in

for the day, we’ll just start with some basic

chords going, some loops going, and

I’ll just be vibing with the artists or the

songwriter and a kind of an idea will come

out of nothing. You’re kind of really starting

from scratch and I love working that

way, it’s so much fun!

Another way things happen is that I get

sent a lot of music, so I get sent acappellas

or song ideas or demos and if there is

something that I hear in it that I really like,

then I will take that and develop it myself.

So then, I already have a starting point

there. So there are 2 different ways really

– and I love being in the studio though

and sort of being there from the birth of

an idea which is always great!

AM: Where do you get your inspiration

from?

JC: I feel like I get my inspiration from the

dance floor because I’m DJing so

much. I’m always on tour and I’m always

playing in front of crowds and I

guess, taking crowds from a journey,

trying to create those moments on a

dance floor. So when it comes to my

own music, I’m trying to make those

records that people are going to dance

to and have a great time to, you know?

Being a DJ, it’s kind of staying ahead of

the game of the trends that are going

to work on the dance floor and kind

of being on the pulse of those sort of

things.

AM: Well, your remixes have included

a number of amazing people from Tïesto,

Charlie XCX, Elton John, Saweetie –

how do you work on that when you’re

working with material that already exists

that you have the opportunity to

present it in another way?

JC: As a DJ, I guess I have been remixing

things since I was a teenager. I just

use to make edits and mash ups and

stuff like that. Crazy mad edits for my

sets and remixing and creating my own

versions of records is just an important

part of DJing and it’s something that

I have always done. It’s a way of me

putting my own spin on something. So

when I play it in my own sets, it’s right

for my sound and how I envision that

record and I love remixing! So, when

I get asked to do a big remix with a

big artist like Ed Sheeran, Tïesto – you

know it’s such a pleasure to do those

things. I’ll listen to the original record

and I’ll just think, “what can I add to this

to make it different and also to make it

fit in with my sound?” Yeah, it just kind

of naturally happens when I just hear

something, I just kind of get that vision

for it straight away and I go from there!

AM: Do you have artists on your bucket

list that you would like to work with or

do their remixes that you have yet to

do?

JC: Well I just mentioned 2 and every

time I get asked this question, I always

say Ed Sheeran would be my dream collaboration

because I am a huge fan of his.

He did Bad Habits last year, which is kind

of a dance record which I remixed, but I

still don’t think that Ed has done a full on

dance banger yet. I would love to do that

with him! Ed Sheeran would definitely be

someone that I would love to work with

in the future as a dream! He’s the biggest

pop star in the world! You just mentioned

Tïesto, I have remixed with Tïesto, but I

haven’t collaborated with him yet. But

we’re really good friends and I actually

played with him in Ibiza last week and

I supported him in Ushuaïa and we have

already talked about doing a record together

so it’s just the timing that needs to

be right and the record needs to be right.

But I'm sure that that will happen in the

future. He's a great guy and a great inspiration

to me!

AM: I love his music and remember the

first time I saw him was back in 2007 here

in NY at the Limelight – he was amazing!

JC: Of yeah, he’s a G man!

AM: Absolutely!

You have your debut album coming out

Another Friday Night, dropping Oct 6th. I

love OUT OUT, 0800 Heaven, Head & Heart.

Tell us about this album and what are you

excited about it?

JC: The album is literally what I have been

building towards for the last 4 or 5 years

of my life. The album is going to have all

of the records that you just mentioned on

there, all of the hits from over the years,

plus my new music like 0800 Heaven that

you mentioned and my new single that

comes out in a few hours (Aug 25th),

Drinkin’ with Rita Ora and MK. It’s also got

another 3 new tracks that are on there as

well that will come out when the album

comes out. So yeah, it’s going to have all

the hits that people love, plus my new music,

and I’m just really proud of this body

of work that’s kind of been my life for the

last 5 years. Coming together in one playlist

of bangers!

AM: It’s amazing. Like you said, Drinkin’

is out in a few hours with you, Rita Ora

and also MK, how did this come about?

You performed it live last week in Ibiza

at Ibiza Rocks. It’s such a fun song, I’ve

played it at least 20 times today!

"I feel like I get my inspiration

from the dance floor

because I'm DJing so much.

I'm always on tour and I'm

always playing in front of

crowds and I guess taking

crowds from a journey,

trying to create those moments

on a dance floor. So

when it comes to my own

music, I'm trying to make

those records that people

are going to dance to and

have a great time to, you

know? Being a DJ, it's king

of staying ahead of the

game of the trends that

are going to work on the

dance floor and kind of being

on the pulse of those

sort of things."

JC: Aww thank you, thank you! Drinkin’

actually samples a Chance the Rapper

record called All Night which is a banger!

I started on this record about a year ago.

When I flipped the sample and put that

chorus over a house beat, it just sounded

so sick for the pianos behind it and

I was like, “oh my God, this just really

works!”

At that point, it was very much a demo

and we wrote like the verses and the pre

chorus for it and kind of made this really

cool sounding demo.

Me and MK had been chatting about doing

a record together for ages and I’m a

big fan of MK of course you know, he’s a

legend in the game. I was like, “this tune

sounds like an MK track.” So I sent it to

him and I was like, "bro, what do you think

of this?" He hit me back he said he loved

it! He loved the sample, he loved the vibe

of it, and I sent him my parts that I had

done so far and then he did his work on it

and then sent it back to me. What he added

to it was sick and I was like, “yeah, this

is kind of what I envisioned!” Then I was

like, “right, now I need to get a vocalist on

it.”

When I listened to the track, it just felt like

a Rita Ora banger and me and Rita have

been chatting for years actually. We had

been mates and had worked together on

other bits that didn’t quite materialize,

but we both really wanted to do a track

together. So I texted her and I said, “Rita,

I think that I’ve got the one!” I sent it to

her and straight away she said, “that’s

me, I love it – let’s do it!” At the time, I

remember when I texted her, I think that

she was in India and then she had to fly to

NY and she was like, “I’m going to fit in a

day to get this recorded.” Then she ended

up flying to London and she got into

the studio Sun day afternoon and got the

whole thing done. You know what? Fair

play to Rita - I respect her so much. Her

when you mentioned that we performed

in Ibiza Rocks last week, she was on holiday

and she took the whole day out of her

holiday to do that with me. I love her for

that and I’m so excited to be doing this record

with her and MK. It’s a great feeling!

AM: That’s amazing!

Clearly, you’ve had a busy summer! All of

your performances – you were just here

in NY headlining at the Brooklyn Mirage

which is awesome. What are some of your

favorite cities to do your performances in?

JC: NY is definitely up there! I love NY,

NY has always been a great spot for me

over the last 3 years. I remember that

my first headline show in Webster Hall

sold out, then I did the Great Hall last

year, I did Brooklyn Mirage this year. So

every year, I have sort of stepped it up.

The NY crowd always comes out for me.

I absolutely love it.

I love Miami, Miami is such a good vibe.

I feel that if I lived in America, that’s

where I would choose to live. It’s just a

bit of me. I love the outdoors, the sort of

gym lifestyle as well, the good weather,

and the clubs and the vibe. Dance music

is just thriving in Miami.

Of course, I have to shout out Ibiza,

where I am right now! This is like my

second home, it’s a magical island and

this place is just different man. It’s just

something is special in the air here and I

pray that I have a residency here in Ibiza

when I’m past 80 years old!

So yeah, Ibiza, Miami, and NY. I love Australia

– Australia is always a good time

when I go out there on tour in Sydney

and Melbourne. Last year, I did Japan

for NYE in Tokyo which was a really good

experience. So there’s a few good spots

that I love.

AM: Next month you’re headlining at

London’s iconic Ministry of Sound. How

excited are you for this show?

JC: Yeah I’m so excited! I mean, obviously,

I’m from London – that’s my home

city. I haven’t had a headline show in

London in over 2 years. The last one was

Printworks back in 2021. It’s a big deal

for me! Headlining a show in my own

city and then in an iconic club like Ministry

of Sound – this is a legendary club.

I used to go there as a raver when I was

18 and I remember going to the Defected

Records Raves there. So going back

there and headlining my own show is

so special. It’s also the week before my

album comes out so a lot of friends are

going to come, family, a lot of people

from my label, and people that have

worked on my projects over the last few

years. I have invited everybody so it’s not

just a headline show, I feel like it’s a celebration

as well so I’m really excited!

AM: Do you have a set of routines that you

do before you perform? Things that you

just have to do to get into that mindset?

JC: What I like to do is like, in the hours

building up to the show, I always like to

have a bit of peace with my laptop, look

over my set, listen to music that I am going

to be playing in the set and to have a

think about what the crowd might be like,

how I think that the set is going to go and

to just get into that mindset of mental

preparation for the set. To get that clarity

in my head, I need to be on my own for

that and just with my music. When I feel

like I’m prepared and I have my USBs loaded

up, I get fresh – have a shower, do my

hair, put on a twin set -

AM: King Twin Set!

JC: Haha you know that already! They call

me the Twin Set King! I get to the show

and maybe have a little bit of tequila and

then I’m ready to go!

AM: Once the show is over, do you do anything

to come down from all of that energy?

JC: I always like having a bubble bath

watching some YouTube and maybe a bit

of Gordon Ramsay or something – ha! It’s

a bit weird I know! But I just feel like, after

a show when you need to be able to go to

bed, it’s kind of hard to switch off sometimes

so you have to do just really normal

things. Whether that's having a bath or

putting something on on YouTube to just

try to separate your mind from all of the

madness that just happened and to get

back to a normal level again!

AM: Absolutely!

Once again, you have so much going on

that is so amazing to see. From the residencies

in Ibiza, Tao Hospitality, what are

some big upcoming projects besides the

album coming out and obviously the

Ministry of Sound that we should keep

an eye out for?

JC: I guess aside from that, it would just

be my touring. I’m back in America quite

a lot between now and the end of the

year. I’m also about to announce a big

tour in Australia. I haven’t been to Australia

since the start of 2021. So it’s going

to be great to go back down under

and also I have some more Asia dates

coming up. I mean, I played in Tokyo for

NYE, but that’s the only day that I have

ever done in Asia so I’m going back to

Tokyo and adding a few more in there

as well. So between now and the end of

the year, it’s like non-stop touring, we

have the album coming out, it’s just going

to be go go go go go and then I think

in Jan, I might have a little week off – ha!

AM: Obviously at Athleisure Mag, we

love fitness and you’re like a fitness king

as well as you were a body builder before.

How did you get into that and why

did you want to do that?

JC: So going back to when I was a teenager,

I was telling you about when I got

my decks and I was DJing in my bedroom,

I was also going to the gym a lot.

They were my 2 hobbies. If I wasn’t on

my decks tearing the house down with

my mom screaming to turn the music

off, I was down at the gym on the bench

press lifting weights trying to get a

6-pack.

I just think that the gym became a hobby

and I used to play football a lot. But

then I started going to the gym and that

became how my sort of love for fitness

grew! It just slowly became more and

more and more, when I started to see

the results from training and I was becoming

18/19 years old, I really started

seeing the results coming through, I just

got hooked on it. I kind of I guess got

obsessed with it as well. But I took it to

another level. I wondered how I could

take this thing that I loved and go a step

further and it was like, I want to go on

stage and compete. It was just something

inside me saying that this was a box that I

wanted to be able to tick off. I wanted to

see how far I could push this thing that I

loved doing. So in my early 20’s I was competing

in male physique competitions. I

did that for about 3 years and I did really

well in them. I won quite a few of them. I

won the Miami Pro, I won the Pure Elite

Competition, I got a Pro Card in WBFF so

I was really doing it seriously and getting

into crazy condition for those shows. It

got to a point where I was like, the music

is going to be my career so I kind of had

to put that competing on the back burner

to really focus on the music. Because the

thing with the body building and the competitions

is that you have to be 100% all in

and it’s so much commitment, dedication,

and focus to do those competitions, that

I didn’t have the capacity to then focus as

much on the music. I had to make a decision

where I said, “the music is my future,

that’s my dream, that’s what I really want

to do. I love to do the fitness thing, but I

need to reign it in a bit,” and to enjoy it as

a hobby and to focus on the music. I also

felt like that I had completed what I wanted

to do in fitness. I had won the competitions,

I had done the cover of Muscle &

Fitness Magazine, and I just thought that

this is it now. I had done that and now let's

focus back on music. But, it still remains

a big part of my life. I still go to the gym

everyday and it's more so the mental benefit

now and the physical just helps me

keep on point and keeps me feeling good

while I’m touring.

[After a show] "I always like

having a bubble bath watching

some YouTube and maybe

a bit of Gordon Ramsay

or something - ha! It's a bit

weird I know! But I just feel

like, after a show when you

need to be able to go to bed,

it's kind of hard to switch

off..."

AM: What are 3 workouts for your abs

that we should think about putting into

our routines?

JC: So my favorite ab exercise is the

hanging leg raise where you kind of

hang up on a bar and you just lift your

legs up and down. It’s the hardest one,

but it’s definitely the best one. You can

also kind of add a variation there by

twisting your legs and really sort of hitting

the obliques. So that has always

been my favorite ab exercise. Also doing

– you know when you have a bench

and you lie down flat on it and then you

put the dumbbell between your legs

and you raise your legs up and down? I

find that that one really hits your sort

of lower abs because that’s always the

hardest bit to get that bottom bit! That

definitely targets that! What else do I do

for my abs that I think is really good? Obviously,

you’ve got your sit-ups and sort

of decline crunches that you can mix

that up by using a ball so you can come

up further and then to be able to come

down. So those are probably my top 3

ab workouts.

But you know what I would say is that

definitely, to sort of get your abs to really

start popping, it’s true what they say

about abs being made in the kitchen –

because they are! You can do all of the

exercises that you want, but you have to

get the diet on lock if you want to get

the 6-pack.

AM: We mentioned before that you’re

the Twin Set King, where does that come

from that you love twin sets?

JC: I know, it’s an addiction – a twin set

addiction! I love them! It’s easy! I mean,

for boys, we sometimes don’t know

what to wear! So if you get a twin set,

you’ve got the bottom bit and the top

bit! It matches and then it’s job done

and you put a pair of trainers on and

you know, when I’m touring around in

the summer, it’s so hot a lot of the plac-

es that I go to. You can’t really wear trousers

because it’s so hot so you need to

wear a pair of shorts and if you have the

top that matches, it's easy! It's become

my thing as well isn't it?

AM: Oh yeah, when I was scrolling through

your IG, I thought, “this man loves some

twin sets.”

You do travel so much, what are 3 things

that you always travel with?

JC: My Dyson hair dryer, so good!

AM: Love it!

JC: Obviously my headphones and my USB

sticks – very, very important as a DJ and

one other thing that I travel around with

is a neck pillow! It’s an essential for the

flights! Especially the sort of short flights

where you’re sitting kind of like this for 3

hours – this is needed!

AM: How do you take time for yourself?

Being so busy, how do you make sure that

you get the reset that you need?

JC: Do you know what? That’s probably

something that I need to work more on.

There’s not really a lot of time to myself,

but I think that with what I do, I’m kind of

100% all in on it. It’s my hobby, it’s my passion,

and there’s not any work separation

where it’s like, ok work is over for the day,

I’m going to over and chill out. It never

stops, it's around the clock, there's always

something to do and I just feel like that in

this industry, with what I want to do and

where I want to get to, I really believe that

what I put into it is what I am going to get

out of it. I’ve learned that over the years.

I’m always scared of taking my foot up off

of the gas. I just feel like everyday that I

need to be as productive as possible and

keep going. I actually feel guilty inside if

I have time off. I always feel like I should

be working to try to get to that next step.

So that’s probably something that I need

to work on. My mom is always like, “Joel,

you need to take holiday, you need to take

a day off.” But I find that hard. I think that

when you find something that you love

to do, it’s not work, it’s just life! I enjoy

it!

"I know, it's an addiction -

a twin set addiction! I love

them! It's easy! I mean, for

boys, we sometimes don't

know what to wear! So if

you get a twin set, you've

got the bottom bit and the

top bit! It matches and then

it's job done and you put a

pair of trainers on ... It's become

my thing as well isn't

it?"

AM: What do you want your legacy to be

in this industry?

JC: Oh, that’s a big question man! I

guess I want to be able to look back and

to be honest, I have already been able

to achieve my dreams of having hit records,

touring the world, and I just want

to be able to keep it going and to take

it as far as I can and I guess when I look

back over the years, I want to be able

to have these big moments with these

big records records that really connected

with people and made a difference in

people’s lives.

There are certain records that I have

released over the years and I get messages

still to this day, like, this record

meant so much to me, it came out at a

time when I needed it, and I connected

with it. When I read these messages,

forget about chart positions or like statistics,

to know that like the music that

I worked on is connected to people and

brought happiness to them means so

much to me. I want to keep doing that

for years and years and years! Then I can

look back on all of these records that had

special moments. I want to tour the world

and I already am, but there are certain

places that I have never been. I’ve never

been to South America before, there’s so

many places as well just starting to really

being able to go into Asia, there’s still

places in America that I haven’t been able

to be in and states that I haven’t played in.

I guess I want to be able to look back and

be like, I toured the world, played at some

of the biggest festivals, had these huge

moments in front of massive crowds,

played all of these records that I put my

heart and soul into working on – I guess

that kind of is the legacy isn’t it? It’s having

that big career! When I think of some

of my idols like Calvin Harris, David Guetta,

and Tïesto – like we mentioned, when

you look at their careers, it’s just years

and years and years of doing it and big

records and big moments and that’s just

what I want!

"Oh that's a big question

man! I guess I want to be

able to look back and to be

honest, I have already been

able to achieve my dreams

of having hit records, touring

the world, and I just want

to be able to keep it going

and to take it as far as I can

... have these big moments

with these big records that

really connected with people

and make a difference in

people's lives.

the world, played at some

of the biggest festivals,

had these huge moments

in front of massive crowds,

played all of these records

that I put my heart and soul

into working on ... it's just

years and years and years

of doing it and big recrods

and big moments and

that's just what I want!"

@joelcorry

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | Front Cover,

Back Cover, PG 36, 39 + PG 42 63MIX

ROUTIN3S Courtesy of Joel Corry | PG

16, 20 - 35, 40, 63MIX ROUTIN3S PG42

+ 9PLAYLIST PG 122 Ibiza Rocks/Gabriel

Vazquez | PG 19 USHUAÏA IBIZA |

I want to be able to look

back and be like, I toured

We enjoy a great docuseries where we get

to follow our favorite sports and get behind

the action to find out how it all comes

together. Prime Video's 4 episode series,

Surf Girls Hawai'i follows 5 native Hawaiian

females as they take their shot on obtaining

a spot in the world tour. We follow

Moana Jones Wong, Ewe Wong, Maluhia

Kinimaka, Pua DeSoto, and Brianna Cope

as we see them navigating their season,

training, and interacting with their friends

and family.

We caught up with Monica Medellin, Creator

and Executive Producer of this docuseries.

We wanted to find out more about

how she became a fan of this action sport,

being a surfer, working in the surf industry,

and the importance of storytelling to

amplify voices that are underrepresented

but have powerful points of view.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We’ve personally been

a fan of your work for awhile so it’s exciting

to be able to talk with you to know

more about you’re your docuseries, and

what you’re working on that’s coming up!

MONICA MEDELLIN: Amazing! I’m so excited!

I think that this is perfect because

every body that knows me makes fun of

me because athleisure is all I wear.

Thank you so much for highlighting me.

I feel like a unicorn in this space. I just

turned 30 and this all happened before

then and it seems like the tides are changing

and there are very few women that

are like me in this position. So I really want

to share my story and to hopefully inspire

more storytellers in narratives like this.

AM: Absolutely!

Before we get into talking about the docuseries,

we want to know more about you.

What was the moment that you realized

that you wanted to be a filmmaker?

MM: Oh, I mean, I feel like I was destined

to be a filmmaker ever since I was a little

girl. I couldn’t really identify that that was

what I wanted until later in life. I've always

been involved in sports as a child. My

mom was a single working mom from

Mexico and she raised me on her own.

Through that, she found different

sports programs and extracurricular

activities and that’s where I really fell in

love with different sports and it started

with more traditional sports like

volleyball, basketball, and soccer. Then

I moved into gymnastics and then we

both discovered surfing while we were

walking along the Santa Monica Beach

and at that point, I had started skateboarding,

surfing, and exploring these

non-traditional sports.

I actually used her old camcorder to

film myself skating! That’s what I did

with my friends on the weekends, so

obviously the production value was

what it was!

You know, I started documenting

sports from a young age and I started

documenting myself as a young girl

participating in those sports from that

time. You know from there, I obviously

played sports in high school – I was the

team captain of the volleyball team, I

would teach at surf camp over the summers

and I moved to university and I

studied Journalism at the University of

Oregon. So, this theme of filming our

experiences as women in sports has

been something that has been a thread

throughout my entire life!

AM: Wow! It also seems that a lot of

your films as well as commercial work

that you have done has also focused

obviously on sports, but also covering

underrepresented groups as well. As

someone who is Black and has enjoyed

sports such as snowboarding where

people don’t think of us playing it, I

like that you’re showcasing what is being

done that people don’t necessarily

think of.

MM: Right and I think that that’s something

where you want to be niche, but

not too niche where you miss out on

other stories as well. I think that my main

thing is highlighting and shining a light on

stories that are underrepresented in the

mainstream. That is the essence of my

work. It doesn’t just need to be sports, it

can be in anything. I mean, when I worked

at the Los Angeles Times in 2015, I was

helping launch a new platform that talks

about this emerging American identity

with race, immigration, identity, what

does it mean to be American, but also

never to really see yourself represented in

the story in that way. So, I think that that

time at the Los Angeles Times and producing

documentaries around those topics

really did shape the direction of how

I approach my storytelling. Like sure, if

I’m telling a story about an athlete, that’s

in sports, but I want to uncover who the

person is behind the athlete, what is the

human experience that we can all relate

to because ultimately, even when you see

Surf Girls Hawai’i, it’s not just about surfing.

It’s about coming of age, it’s about

sisterhood, it’s about supporting each

other through challenging times, and navigating

life. So, I think that that is my approach

through all of my storytelling that

makes it universal whether you are interested

in the sport or the topic itself.

AM: Absolutely!

What was the first project that you did

that you realized that you wanted to do

this as a career?

MM: Hmm, it’s actually funny, because my

first film that I created was about a young

Latina surfer in the Bay Area. She was part

of a program that helped underrepresented

youth get into the sport of surfing, get

into action sports, and that film actually

premiered at the Las Angeles Latino International

Film Festival here in LA. That

moment of seeing my work and my film,

premiered at The Chinese Theatre, in Hollywood

was such a monumental moment

for me because I could see that this kind

of storytelling was valued. I could see

the reaction of the audience and I could

see the emotion and I could actually feel

the energy in the room. So, I feel like the

LALIFF selecting my film to premiere at

the Chinese Theatre in that way was a

really defining moment for me. I knew

that I could really make something out

of this career and hopefully, tell more

stories. At that point, I was still in my

early 20’s so it was just the beginning,

but I think that that was the moment

that I decided to pursue this full time.

AM: We love surfers! This year alone we

had the honor of speaking with Carissa

Moore as well as Kai Lenny as covers for

Athleisure Mag. You also surf – what

is it about this sport that you enjoy so

much?

MM: I think surfing is such a unique

sport because it’s not just a sport. It’s a

lifestyle, it’s a culture, it has deep roots

around the world, and had I known

that this sport is originated by people

of color and women of color, I would

have felt that I belonged in it sooner.

(Editor’s Note: The origin of surfing can

be found in various cultures as far back

as the Incas in 1590 when a Jesuit missionary

José de Acosta published it in

Historia Natural y Moral de las Indias.

In West Africa’s – Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia,

and Senegal and Central Africans

in Cameroon have had various accounts

of this activity in 1640, 1679, 1834, and

1861. In Polynesia in 1769 there is documentation

of he’e nalu which translates

to wave sliding by Joseph Banks as he

was on HMS Endeavour during the first

voyage of James Cook while the ship

was in Tahiti.) I didn’t know anything

about the history of surfing until I met

another Latina surfer who shared with

me this deep history. After discovering

that, I made it my life’s mission to try to

tell the world that this is the truth and

that this is the history of this.

I think that with surfing, it’s so special

for that deeper reason, but also I think

that it’s a way of connecting with nature

to get outside and get off your

phone. You have no way of communicating

with anybody when you’re out

there. It’s your time to exist and enjoy

yourself and I think that it resonates with

a lot of people. I think that when I first

started surfing in Los Angeles, the lineups

looked a lot different than they do today.

Today I actually paddle out and I see more

women, I see more women of color and

I actually see friends every single time

that I go. I think that this surf culture has

been defined by advertisements, brands,

the industry, but we are reclaiming what

it means to be a surfer and you’re seeing

that happening in your local lineups.

You’re seeing that happening through

Surf Girls Hawai’i, you’re seeing that happen

through different lenses, I think! I

think that that is what makes surfing special.

It’s just, there’s nothing else like it

honestly.

AM:As the creator of Surf Girls Hawai’i,

what drew you to telling this story?

MM: Surf Girls Hawai’i is what I have

dreamt of ever since I was a little girl.

We saw Blue Crush released back in 2002,

which was my favorite film, and I really

identified with Michelle Rodriguez (Fast

and the Furious franchise, Machte franchise,

Resident Evil franchise), who was

another Latina and I mean, that’s just one

part of it. When I was working in the surf

industry, I noticed that major mainstream

platforms just had more coverage of male

surfers. You barley saw women and in advertisements,

it’s still really common to

see a surfer girl in a bikini and a man on a

wave surfing.

AM: Right.

MM: You walk down to any surf shop and

that’s still the reality of our time in 2023!

Actually, while I was working at the League

(World Surf League), I started a personal

archive of my favorite surfers who were

women, who I thought deserved the

spotlight and I pitched an idea that would

eventually push the company to promote

men and women equally on our social

platforms. I think that since then, we have

seen a shift. I just really wanted to be able

to highlight women that I felt didn’t have

a seat at the table. I think that through

Surf Girls Hawai’i, they are finally getting

the recognition that they deserve. That’s

really cool that I helped spearhead that

effort and identified this talent early on.

AM: For those that have not seen this docuseries,

can you give us the premise of

the show, and also, how did you decide

to select the 5 Native Hawaiian female

surfers that are featured in the docuseries.

MM: Surf Girls Hawai’i follows the next

generation of native Hawaiian, female

surfers as they compete at an elite level

to earn a spot on the world tour of professional

surfing. Surf girls is about a sisterhood

of native Hawaiian surfers who

are on the cusp of becoming pro and

this is the most elite level that they have

ever competed on and they are competing

against each other, but also together

in a lot of different ways and they support

each other through that. I think

that what makes it special is the fact that

oftentimes when you see shows that

center women, you see maybe cattiness

or drama between the women. You see

this marketable yet damaging portrayal

of female relationships.

I think that what’s different with Surf

Girls Hawai’i is, even though they are

fierce competitors, and they are competing

for one spot, they all support

each other through this journey. That’s

because they all know that if one of

them makes it, everyone makes it because

this is more than just winning for

their own personal gain, this is about

representing native Hawaiian culture at

the highest level of surfing. I think that

carrying that responsibility, and that legacy,

is what makes this highest stakes in

a lot of ways. You don’t need that cattiness

or drama between the girls. I think

that that is the premise, but also what

makes it different.

AM: From your perspective as a filmmaker,

how do you go about creatively organizing

all of this. As you said, they’re all

there for that aligned goal, but they are

also individual people. How are you weaving

that story and kind of planning it in

your head especially when it’s only 4 episodes!

By the end I was wanting to see

more about these women, wondering if

there would be another season, would the

same surfers be followed – so many questions!

MM: The response to this show has been

so overwhelmingly positive and I have

been told that it is over performing. It

shows that there is a gap and this storytelling

was absolutely needed and 4 episodes

did the trick! I think that that worked and

I think in going back to your question, this

cast is so special because on the surface,

they are all native Hawaiian pro surfers

that share this bond and share their culture

together. But what I wanted to really

accomplish with this series was to show

them as multi-dimensional, multi-faceted

women. They’re all different and all have

different interests and different mindsets.

They’re all different because you have on

the one hand, Maluhia who is 26 years

old, considered older to be competing

and is at the crossroads of deciding on

whether she wants to be a professional

athlete and fulfill that lifelong childhood

dream or pursue her education. She did

both. She got her degree from Stanford

and she is pursuing her PhD at UH Mānoha

– all while competing on the WSL tour.

I think that that is super unexpected. That

defied expectations and I think that each

character defies expectations of what

you would think of them on the surface.

So that’s just one example of how we approached

the storytelling around each

woman. How do we paint them as more

than an athlete? Because each character

is more than an athlete.

AM: What was it like working with Hello

Sunshine on this project?

MM: I’ll start with Hello Sunshine. Hello

Sunshine was honestly a dream partnership.

Like we were aligned in our values

before we even made the show together.

I think for me as a creator, it was really

important that the team working on Surf

Girls was women-led and women-run,

that is the essence of what makes Surf

Girls Hawai’i what it is. I think that Hello

Sunshine’s mission of changing the narrative

for women aligned with my mission

well before the final product. I think

that Surf Girls put this native female Hawaiian

experience at the forefront and

Hello Sunshine invested in that, believed

in that, and they saw that from the beginning.

I think that that’s brave. This

talent, they’re low profile, lesser known

names outside of the surf industry, but

that didn’t matter to them and I think

that they just saw the magic. I also think

that the Hello Sunshine team was very

collaborative and supportive of hiring

women behind the camera and making

sure to work with my recommended

Hawaiian and Hawaii local creators and

crew. I just felt like the set was forward

thinking and they understood the importance

of picking a team to tell a story

and in the best way.

I actually created and directed the original

digital series that sold the show, and

the vision stayed true throughout the

process. I think that that is really hard to

do actually. I feel that the women were

really portrayed in a positive light and

the culture wasn’t sensationalized. That

was really really important. That’s my

bit on Hello Sunshine!

AM: That’s amazing to hear. What has

been your biggest takeaway in doing this

docuseries?

MM: Oh my gosh, so much! I mean,

creating and executive producing my

first TV show, was an experience that

I learned a lot from. I think that a big

takeaway from the series is that you see

the reactions from people that watched

this and people are hungry for this kind

of storytelling and they’re hungry to see

women and women of color in sports.

I think it’s interesting because this was

technically made for Gen Z young women

to identify with. But you see women

of all ages responding to this and you

see men of all ages intrigued, interested,

and inspired by this story. So, I think

that this is a story for everyone and

that’s the takeaway – this story is important

and deserves a spotlight and

we were the first to do it and that’s

really, really special. We were the first

female sports docuseries on Hello Sunshine’s

platforms and this was the first

female sports documentary on Amazon.

AM: That’s a pretty big first!

MM: That’s big!

AM: That’s awesome!

I’m sure you’re always working on different

projects, is there anything coming

up that you are able to share that

we should keep an eye out for?

MM: Yeah, so 2 things! I just got back

from Tahiti for a shoot with the Olympic

Channel, so that’s coming up. Then,

I have another underreported, but fascinating

field that centers women of

color and Black women in sport that is

not highly covered that I am currently

developing. I’m developing projects

constantly so we can leave it at those

things.

@monicamedellin_

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 52 Ryan

Gladney | PG 54 Brie Lakin | PG 57 Katie

McDonald | PG 58 - 63 Prime Video |

We love our meals to be fully seasoned.

How we prepare them, the diversity of

our ingredients (as well as knowing where

they come from), the proper tools needed

to create the ultimate presentation are

super important. We caught up with Chef

Jacqueline Blanchard, chef/owner of Sukeban

an izakaya in New Orleans as well as at

Coutelier NOLA which has an array of tools,

cookbooks, and pantry goods that professional

chefs, home chefs, and enthusiasts

can enjoy when making their epic meals.

We wanted to know more about her culinary

journey that took her from Southern

Louisiana to noted Michelin starred restaurants

including The French Laundry, Benu,

and Blue Hill at Stone Barns where she

continued to create dishes with a discerning

eye. When she returned to her home

state, this led to her taking her experience

and relationships to illustrate her passion

for Japanese cuisine and to showcase the

ultimate crafstmanship in Japanese cutlery.

We found out more about these businesses,

why this Japanese artistry is one

that needs to be continued to pass down

for generations to come, and more.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you fall in

love with food?

CHEF JACQUELINE BLANCHARD: At a very

young age. I’m from a very big Cajun family.

Food is just the center of most gatherings

– pretty much all gatherings from

the South. I’m from South Louisiana from

Bayou Lafourche – I have very deep Cajun

roots. My family has been down here

since the late 1700’s, so big French background.

Whether it’s been crawfish boils

or food in general, food has always been

a centerpiece. So for me, I’ve always been

cooking at a very young age, My grandparents

had a small outdoor kitchen and

we would always make breakfast in there.

It’s probably my earliest memories. Back

in the day, those houses didn’t have a lot

of air conditioning so they put small kitchens

outside so it was a matter of keeping

houses cool and that sort of thing.

I definitely got my roots from tugging at

my grandmother's aprons - gumbo, all

of the Southern staples and that just

kind of stuck with me my whole life. I

kind of knew pretty early that I wanted

to pursue cooking professionally at a

pretty young age. It's kinf of been with

me the whole time!

AM: Wow! Tell us about your culinary

journey from culinary school to kitchens

that you trained in. I know that you were

at The French Laundry and were at one

of our favorite places, Blue Hill at Stone

Barns which is such a fave!

CHEF JB: Yeah! That’s awesome! Totally!

I was lucky enough to go to Chef John

Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls State

University which has an amazing culinary

school. I think that it’s still the only

state school in the country that you can

get a 4 year culinary degree in Bachelors

Arts that is not a private university. It’s

very rare that that exists. I had applied

and gotten into all the fancy culinary

schools: CIA, Johnson & Wales, and all of

that. But when it came down to it, Louisiana

would pay for my tuition if I kept my

grades at a certain level – they had this

program called the TOPS (Taylor Opportunity

Program or Students) program,

and plus I had a soccer scholarship as

well. So it made sense for me to stay in

state. So I was pursuing culinary arts at

the same time that I was pursuing soccer

at the collegiate level. I kind of kept

my discipline together for sure and then

I blew my knee out my sophomore year

and then decided to just focus on culinary.

During that period of time, I felt

that it was a pretty revolutionary time

in the food industry and in restaurants

where things were really starting to get

out there and to take hold. This was

like the early 2000’s. I went to culinary

school between 2002 – 2006 and then

frickin’ Katrina happened my senior

year in college in 2005. So by the time

that I graduated, I had been working in

restaurants all throughout New Orleans

in college and the city was just in really

bad shape in the months leading after

the storms so I felt that it was a really

good time for me to sort of leave and to

branch out.

The French Laundry cookbook had just

come out while I was in college and that

was a big source of inspiration for me. I

think that the reason that I decided to go

to Yountville – I just graduated and got

in my car and went to California. I never

thought that I would come back to Louisiana

- ever. I had an amazing foundation

built there, networks out there, it was a

great launchpad for the next phase ofmy

career. From there, I went to Frasca in

Boulder, I was a French Laundry alumni

and the restaurant had just opened. It

was definitely an amazing experience and

Bobby Stuckey (The Little Nell, The French

Laundry, Scarpetta Wine) is a master sommelier

and I really wanted to know more

about wine in the same thread in learning

about food. Then I went to Blue Hill and

then it was back to New Orleans around I

think 2010. I worked with John Besh (Besh

Steak, Shaya, Willa Jean) at Restaurant

August, I was the Exec Sous there for several

years. Then I took on a position as a

sous chef at Benu in San Francisco where

we got 3 Michelin stars while I was there

which was a really exciting time. I was also

kind of burned out at that point!

AM: Can definitely imagine as you were

moving to so many places!

CHEF JB: Yeah, I was traveling a lot and I

was around 30/31 at that time and decided

that I would move back home so that

I could open Coutelier NOLA which is the

knife shop and it gave me kind of a break

from the grueling kitchens that I had been

in all of those years. I still had my finger

on the pulse of what the industry needed

and places around that had all of these

amazing tools and accessories that we

had only been able to access online and

you never know what you’re really getting

a lot of times. Those were the earlier

days of ecommerce. I wanted something

kind of tangible where you could go and

hold a knife. I had been exposed to these

amazing Japanese knife makers through-

out my career and with people that I

worked with and that was great exposure.

So it made me understand why

Japanese knives are something that we

prefer and it’s the Japanese craftsmanship.

It’s the handmade nature of them,

it’s the diligence to craft that the Japanese

have that is basically unparallel

– whether it’s flower arranging, sushi,

ceramics, whether it’s knife making. Everything

that they do is with the utmost

focus and diligence. It really makes their

product stand out. So, I think that that

was something I really liked and the relationships

for me were important and

diving as deep as I could into Japanese

culture and really respecting the culture

and just absolutely giving in the attention

to detail that it derserved as well as

the reverence. It's such a deep ocean of

history! It’s hard for a foreigner – even

as deep as I am into it now, you still feel

that you are always going to be an outsider

kind of thing.

The relationship that evolved out of

this that has grown and the networks

are really incredible because that’s how

it works. That’s just such an important

part of the business relationship to

them. That’s why I travel there a lot. I

really do everything that I can to dive

deep in heavily at first into it as I possibly

can. You know, along that wave, my

food preferences definitely shifted and

what I wanted in a restaurant started to

shift. I had this idea that I wanted for so

long and that completely morphed into

what I hadn’t expected, and I decided

that I really wanted to open Sukeban

which is temaki based you know, doing

1 or 2 things really well like sashimi and

temaki. It’s definitely something that everyone

thought that it would be a high

end tasting restaurant, but it’s certainly

a little more casual than that. I’ve been

able to bring all of my experience and

my focus in that from a Michelin level to

the food which makes it stand apart a

little bit more in this town. It certainly

isn’t the kind of sushi that most people

are used to, but that all kind of evolved

from the Japanese relationships. The

nori, the seaweed that we get, I have a

very close relationship with a seaweed

farmer in the Southern part of Kyushu in

the Ariaki Sea and you know we’re the 3rd

restaurant in the US to get their seaweed

as a non-Japanese person for our restaurant.

We couldn’t get that kind of access

to those products without those relationships

unless I was going out there and doing

those meetings with people. That’s

why it is so important to have this access

because of the relationships. It’s amazing

ingredients from these small producers

that do 1 thing really well their entire life.

Like, that focus, they have been doing this

for generations.

I have a knife maker down in that area that

actually helped me link up with this seaweed

farmer and they have been around

since the 1200’s and their story and their

history is just insane. It’s hard for us to

wrap our heads around that, especially

Americans being so young as a country.

It’s just the kind of stuff that blows your

mind! The soy sauce makers, the brewers,

the sake producers, the people that make

miso - every time I go out there, I’m doing

a workshop with somebody. I’m making

miso, I’m learning how to brew, learning

soy sauce. Not that I am doing it over here,

but I’m learning that process, and I’m really

happy to be able to explain that process

to customers and my staff which I think is

really important in the long run.

AM: The first time that I went to Japan a

few years ago, I was struck exactly by what

you just said. I would see modern buildings

and then nearby, I’d see a building or structure

that had been around so many centuries

ago. You’re really struck by how we’re

little babies compared to all this history!

CHEF JB: Yeah, it’s so silly!

AM: It is! It makes you think that when

we’re here in the US, it’s only been x

amount of years.

CHEF JB: Oh yeah, it’s just a blip.

AM: I love the fact that you have really im-

mersed yourself into this and bringing

that heritage so that people can have

an opportunity to see it. When I think of

Blacksmiths, I think of Paul Revere types.

CHEF JB: Yeah!

AM: What are the Blacksmiths of Japan

– how are they different, are they using

different techniques?

CHEF JB: Yeah I mean, there are different

techniques that you see in different

parts of Japan and that’s one of

the biggest things that I have noticed.

Because certain areas have older traditional

methods that have been passed

down. Certain areas do it one way while

others may do it in another way. They all

sort of source their steel from 2 similar

companies. So steel a lot of times is the

baseline and the common denominator,

but the forging technique is certainly

the difference. It’s like giving 5 different

chefs a tomato and then to tell them to

make something with it, you’re going to

get 5 different products. So it’s the same

kind of thing in knife making: heat treating,

approach – everyone is an expert in

there area. There’s a guy that forges the

blade out. There’s a guy that grinds the

blade down to its shape, there's someone

who sharpens it, there's someone

who puts a handle on it, and it's definitely

more of an efficient process.

These guys are doing it on their own

from start to finish. People ask here in

America why knives are so expensive

and it’s because they are importing

Japanese steel. In Japan, the process is

more efficient. You get more production

level out of it even though it’s still very

handmade and piece by piece.

We ended up in this town a few years

ago that was our last trip before COVID.

We met a sword maker who was part of

this area that is very historically relevant

in katana sword making for the shogunate

during the time when feudal lords

were running the country. This area was

very prolific in sword making for that

kind of stuff. So, because the river itself

had a lot of iron sand in it, they would extract

it, melt it down, and then make a

steel called tamahagane and that tamahagane

steel is very dense and very heavy.

It almost feels like a meteorite when you

hold it. That was the steel that was originally

used, I mean Japan doesn’t have a

lot of resources when it comes to steel.

So that’s how they made it, they extracted

it from the river. There’s a guy there

that we met who is making his own tamahagane

steel in the old way and you don’t

see that any more. You can’t really even

buy that steel.

You can in a very sort of limited allotment

be part of a family heritage to get it. The

fact that this guy is doing that and we

were able to watch him and we had dinner

with him, he was an unassuming guy

who we met when we were going to our

knife makers and they let us know about

this sword maker who was going to hang

out with us. From him randomly joining

us, it ended up being a huge highlight of

our trip. He only makes a certain amount

of chefs knife’s a year, and now we have

access to those. That’s where that stuff is

born out of. He trusts us and we have a

mutual relationship with one another. We

have been buying knives from him. It will

be the first time that I have seen him from

that drip before COVID. So that will be really

Exciting! His method of forging is so

different than anyone else’s and it’s really

hard to describe because he’s a sword

maker and that’s the method that he was

taught. It wasn’t necessarily meant for

culinary style knives in the tradition of

sword making. That’s how it was so interesting

to see him forged.

These knives are incredibly well made

which makes them pricey. People get disgruntled

about the price points of some

of these. They wonder why the knives

that they see in their IG ads are $14.99 and

these are $40. We have to create an incentive

for this next generation to keep making

knives. These knives makers weren’t

really making a good living and they

weren't charging enough for what they

were doing. So we’ve come into this

new era where we’re telling them that

they have to charge more if they want

to make a living as well as to encourage

the next generation to be able to keep

making knives. A lot of these guys are

very old and their sons, because of the

time frame when the Japanese economy

was booming because of cars, electronics,

and plastics – post war WWII, there

wasn’t a market for culinary knives from

Japan. It just wasn’t a market. Everyone

was buying German steel and French

knives. That was in the 70’s/80’s/90’s – it

wasn’t until the last 20 years where people

began paying attention to Japanese

cutlery in a lot of ways. It’s not to say

that they weren’t making these, they

definitely were and there was a market

for it in their own country, but they were

not exporting. So, a lot of their sons,

because there was no – I mean many

of these families for 8 generations had

these makers, but their son decides to

go to off to Tokyo or Osaka to get a salary

job because that’s where the money

was and that’s where the market and

the economy were shifting. So there’s

this lost generation right now where

the grandfather’s or just that much older

and they don’t have the patience to

teach. At this point, they should have

been with them for their whole life to

learn the trade. You’ve got this new

group of people who are the younger

generation in our age group that are in

their 30’s/40’s where this group is trying

to revive it and to continue it on.

Some of these guys die and it dies with

them. We want this to continue on and

we want for people to understand that

that’s part of the deal and that they’re

handmade, imported, there is a level

of craftsmanship that is unparallel, and

you have to support a reason for this industry

to continue. If they’re not going

to be able to make a living, then why

will they continue? So that's the kind of

shift that we have been noticing too. A

lot of times, it takes us to be able to say,

you should be charging more for these.

I don’t mind paying more for them be-

cause I know that I will be able to get it on

our side on the retail end and at the same

time, we need to make sure that they are

supported and continue on. We don’t

want to lose this craft.

AM: What are the trends that you’re seeing

in cutlery, in the knives right now and

are there 3 knives that everyone should

have in their home kitchens?

CHEF JB: Yeah! I think that the trend is

definitely towards Japanese and I see a lot

of marketing towards big Japanese products

that are actually not made in Japan

and produced in maybe a factory in China.

It’s just a Japanese name so it sounds like

you’re getting what you’re looking for. Education

to us is the most important thing

because a lot of that exists out there that

you would not otherwise know. I think

that the biggest trend is Japanese knives.

I think that more and more people are

catching on to it. It’s more like, we have

to do our diligence to the educational

part because you can get lost in the sauce

if you really don’t know sort of what you

are getting into.

That being said, I think that the 3 knives

I would say in everyone’s kit, which even

that changes because everyone is so different

and knives are so personally. You

definitely want to keep in mind what you

cook the most of. It may not be the same

as what I use or what I cook the most of.

So those knife preferences shift and a lot

of the Japanese knives are very task centric

and they are not limited to those tasks,

but they are very specific to the task. So I

would say for sure, a Petty Knife and that

name derives from the French – petite so

it’s a small knife. It’s kind of an everyday

utility, it’s a little more utilitarian. I think a

lot of people got used to Pairing Knives.

To me Pairing Knives, they have their role,

but I think you can get more utility out of

a Petty Knife and those come in anywhere

from 4”-6”. They’re a little slimmer and

you can do all of the daily tasks. They’re

the ones that you keep on your cutting

board.

Another one would be a Santoku - san

means 3 and toku means virtues in Japanese.

So the 3 virtues in the kitchen are

fish, meat, and vegetables so that knife

is kind of like the everyday for everything

kind of knife. I don’t really use the

Santoku a lot, but I think that the bulk of

people know that name and they understand

that shape. It’s a very approachable

size and style.

Then the third one can really be a mixture

of a few things. For me, instead of

a Santoku, I would use a Bunka. Bunka

is just a similar shape, but Bunka Bocho

means like everyday house knife in Japanese.

It’s got a more extreme tip that

I would say verses a Santoku that has

more of a rounded off tip and it kind of

slumps off. But a Bunka, has more of a

very sharp top drop point. So you get a

lot more precision in the tip when you’re

doing fine scallions. Those little things

to me are important and that’s just me

over analyzing it – ha! I enjoy a Bunka

and that would be my second one and I

think for a lot of people the Santoku is a

lot more approachable.

The 3rd one could be an 8” chef knife,

a Gyuto – “gyu” is cow in Japanese and

uto means cow cutter, so that comes

down to what they slice beef with traditionally.

This knife is a traditional chef’s

knife that’s 8.5” for the everyday.

That third knife could also be a Nakiri

that boxy flat edged vegetable knife. It’s

the shape of a small cleaver, but it’s not

a cleaver for meat. It has a thinner blade

meant for vegetable chopping and it has

a flatter edge. It’s a more scaled down

version of what you would see in a Chinese

Cleaver. The Chinese Cleavers are

used in Chinese cooking a lot for everything!

The Nakiri is more of a very

stealthier, scaled down version, more

wieldy and easier to use. It’s not as big

and it has a flatter edge. It’s better for

chopping up and down, not meant for

rocking. If you’re a rocker, rocking back

and forth, everyone cuts differently.

So it could be one of those, or it could be

a slicer. That third knife is kind of a variable

within what you do.

AM: Whatever you lean towards in what

you’re cooking.

CHEF JB: Exactly. Not to over complicate

it!

AM: In addition to knives being offered,

what are other items that are carried at

Coutelier NOLA whether in your brick-andmortar

or online?

CHEF JB: We’ve got a myriad of products

for everyday cooking at home, for professionals,

and we wanted home cooks

in South Louisiana who are very serious

and fancy themselves as professionals at

home, they wanted access to these same

sort of things. So it’s really nice aprons,

the knife rolls, the tool rolls, all of the

very curated small tools that we use – the

peelers, the microplane, etc. The things

that I have used my entire career in the

kitchens that I have worked in – everyone

is using the same tools and that’s what

we wanted to be able to bring people.

We wanted a curated scaled down version,

because you couldn’t necessarily

find it in a one stop shop. You could find

the spatulas and these small tools and

accessories and items for your everyday

kit. We have beautiful hand carved walnut

spoons and spatulas from my buddy

Kylee Thatcher up in Kentucky, she does

Boothill Kitchen and I designed a Roux

Spatula Paddle for making Gumbo with

her, several years ago. That’s been one

of our bestsellers especially down here.

We packaged that with Mosquito Supper

Club Cookbook which has been one of the

bestselling Cajun cookbooks that have

come out of South Louisiana in years! Melissa

Martin, she has won several awards

for it. So we’re catering to our culture in

general and of course the overall scope of

the tools that we have used. We also have

Konro Grills, the Japanese firebox grills

that everybody is using now in kitchens.

We’ve got a whole pantry section filled

with amazing ingredients and Japanese

pantry items from very small producers

all over Japan and some in the US. We

have a lot of tinned seafood and I think

that COVID made us pivot to have this

pantry section because people were

starting to cook at home more and have

better ingredients, cooler snacks, and

things like that. We try not to get too

crazy into it and to still be very diligent

about our selections. Like the sesame

seeds and the sesame seed products

that I use at the restaurant, the Wadaman

family in Osaka, I just visited them

this past May. They’re 5th generation

sesame family who make these wonderful

products and we sell it at the shop and

we use them in our restaurant. Those

are very intentional type of things and

we have an incredible cookbook section

as well and very dialed in.

AM: I know and myself included, a lot

of people enjoy watching Top Chef and

5 Star Chef and all of these different

competition shows. It seems like the one

thing in addition to flavors and putting

it together and that’s plating! The use of

plating teasers is always something that

we see. What are your tips that we should

know when we’re using these tools?

CHEF JB: So I think it’s to the task. Like

we have several different ones, we have

4 different sizes. Some are straight,

some are offset so whatever is kind of

comfortable for you. I have always used

them in professional kitchens because

you’re dealing with delicate products

and delicate placement. I still use them

everyday at the restaurant when I am doing

sashimi dishes. The larger ones I use

on the grill because I don’t like to use big

tongs as they’re bulky and clunky. They

can also kind of indent your food with

the big teeth on the front. So we have

these really cool 30mm Tweezers that

you can use. I use them on the grill exclusively,

but you can also use them for

pasta making when you're making spaghetti

or anything like that. I use them

a lot in just my everyday approach to

cooking and grilling. Sometimes they’re

not going to be as practical, but you can

use them to get into the pickle jar and all of

those kinds of things. I use them to prune

some of my houseplants. They really do

have a good span of use. I keep them in

kind of a ceramic crock with the rest of my

tools at home and in the kitchen as well as

work. I think that they are extremely utilitarian.

You don’t want to get your hands

too dirty and when you are dealing with

delicate ingredients and their placement,

they’re great so that your fingers aren’t

smudging everything. Especially in a post

COVID world, we try to keep our fingers

out of things as much as possible and to

still have a delicate touch to things.

AM: We talked a little earlier about your

restaurant that recently opened. What

does the name mean and what can people

expect when they are coming in to dine?

CHEF JB: We opened July of last year,

so it’s a little over a year now. Sukeban

roughly translates to “woman boss” or

“girl boss” because there used to be this

time in the 70’s/80’s in Japan where there

were these women that kind of formed

these girl gangs around Tokyo and Osaka.

They would meet up after school and

women weren’t allowed to be in the male

group of anything. So it was a time when

women were forming their own independence.

Japan is very patriarchal and

set in tradition and social roles as well

as social norms. So this was a time in Japan

where women were coming out of

their shell and it was almost like a women’s

lib movement that was happening.

The Sukeban was the leader of the gang

and they formed these little motorcycle

groups and they were just these little after

school groups. Everybody in Japan

wears the same school uniforms and it’s

like a little navy sailor attire. After school,

they would put these little pieces of flair

to distinguish themselves in their group.

They were not violent and I thought that

it was a cool part of Japanese culture and

it sort of died out. It’s represented in films

they’re known as Pinky Grindhouse or Tokyo

Grindhouse films. The Sukeban has

definitely been taken to a fictional level

in certain ways. I don’t know if you have

seen Quentin Tarantino's (Pulp Fiction,

Jackie Brown, Once Upon a Tmie in ...

Hollywood) Kill Bill, but the scene where

Uma Thurman is trying to get to Lucy Liu

and kill 200 people in that room, and she

gets to that girl right before her, that’s a

Sukeban with the ball and chain.

AM: I was thinking that when you said it.

She’s my favorite!

CHEF JB: Yes! So one of my dear friends,

she’s a Japanese chef and a woman of

many things. She’s a renaissance woman.

She’s a graphic designer, she’s a

fashionista, she’s a chef and she’s amazing.

We met when she stajed with me

in New Orleans probably 15 years ago

and we became immediate friends. She

was a large part of me getting deeply

into Japanese culture as I am. She had

her café and she wondered what it was

that I was going to do? I mentioned this

thought and felt that the name was kind

of cool and she said that it absolutely

made sense. Sometimes the older Japanese

people give you a weird reaction,

but the younger generation thinks that

it totally makes sense. I wanted to make

sure that it was kosher and I certainly

didn’t want to piss anybody off. Then she

ended up designing my logo and really

helped me with that process and it kind

of represents me in all of the things that

I have done and she felt that it was me

incarnate. Just like breaking the norm, a

lot of times, I was the only woman in the

kitchens that I worked in. I took it upon

myself to open these businesses. It was

kind of born out of that.

What you can expect from us is a really

high level and it’s infancy, it’s a Japanese

handroll bar. It’s an izakaya and an izakaya

literally means, a stay drink place

so people have an izakaya that comes

in thousands of iterations. It’s usually a

pretty late night kind of situation. It’s a

bar where you get snacks and things like

that. When I go to Japan, we go izakaya

hopping at night. We bounce around

and everybody kind of does their one

thing well and then you go to the next

one. The common denominator is that

there are drinks involved and it’s a small

and calmed down atmosphere and I wanted

to create the aesthetic of a lot of the

places that I had experienced and to work

with my architect on that. It came out to

this beautiful space with an L shape bar

and very much so the aesthetic that I have

been experiencing.

Louisiana is such a huge seafood area and

I thought that the parallel between Japan

and South Louisiana with the seafood and

the rice, and the drinking culture – these

are like 3 pillars in a lot of ways. We are

a huge rice producing region here, I don’t

use Louisiana Rice because we haven’t

quite developed the right one yet for sushi,

but I do work with a Japanese American

family in California, the Koda family

at Koda Farms, we use their rice. They’ve

just got this amazing story as well. For

me, that was the draw. I have always been

a big seafood head. Rice growing up as a

Cajun is as much a staple as someone who

grew up in Japanese culture. We would

just eat buttered rice sometimes and we

would have these cravings. It was kind of

silly, but in a lot of the same ways, it was

as important to a Cajun table as it would

be to a Japanese table. I’ve always been

obsessed with rice and all rice is different

and cooks differently and then you look

at how to really dial that in. So I wanted

to feature that, I wanted to feature seafood

besides gulf and Louisiana seafood,

we do fly some stuff in from Japan once

a week from the Tokyo fish market. We

use other amazing domestic fishermen

and fisherwomen around the US, sustainable

products all over. So our scope on

the fish purveyors is pretty wide. Bringing

that level and quality of seafood with that

nori, that we went to the bottom of Japan

for – it’s harvested for us, it’s baked

for us, it’s shipped for us. It’s incredibly

crunchy and crispy and is good for you. It’s

a superfood as well. This food is incredibly

healthy as well as premium quality. I really

wanted to focus on doing those things

well and letting those ingredients speak

for themselves. That was the biggest part

for me. I didn’t want to over complicate it

by putting in too many sauces because

oftentimes, you can’t taste the fish or

what the star of the dish is. So for me,

that is the biggest part of what I wanted

to do and to do that really well – sashimi

and temaki rolls. That can sound very

simple, but when you take the attention

and the time to source those things

and to make sure that all of these hyper

quality ingredients are all in one bite,

that for me is everything.

We’ve got a few little apps and starters

and things like that. We wanted to have

a place where you could get great sake

and it’s hard to find great sake down

here. Whether it hasn’t been sourced

well or whatever, a lot of people would

say that they didn’t really like sake because

so many people have had bad sake

here. Or maybe it’s always served warm

and that’s not the only way to consume

it. Warm sake does exist, but oftentimes

here, it’s a mass shitty sake. So cold sake,

we exclusively do cold sake here and I’m

constantly going to sake breweries in

Japan to understand the process and to

better source better sake. I think that

in the next 5 years, we’re going to see a

mega wave of sake hit the way that we

kind of see it coming. You know, there’s

a certain kind of underground where a

lot of us have this idea in mind of what

we’re helping to shape as far as that. It’s

like when Natural Wines started having

its moment.

It's a similar thing. My friend Shawn Williams,

she’s a sake aficionado here in

town and we do a lot of small events together.

She and I went to a sake event

in NY, a few weeks back and went to

Le Bernardin and we wanted to see

the kinds of sake that they had on the

menu. We decided to just drink sake

with the whole meal. They had 2 bottles

on the menu and that was it. It blew my

mind. They were really good and we had

both of them and then the somm ended

up talking to us for awhile and then he

ended up coming as he was off the next

night and he went to the event with us.

AM: Yeah, you’re talking about the Joy of

Sake?

CHEF JB: Yes, the Joy of Sake. Yeah and

that was Brendan Kimball, one of the

somms at Le Bernardin. So he came with

us and we ended up tasting all night and

enjoying sake and then we went to dinner

after and now he’s saying it’s ridiculous

that they only have 2 sakes when there

are so many amazing ones out there. It’s

the little stuff like that where I’m excited

to see where it goes. There are some sake

breweries in Brooklyn, and it’s happening.

I think that the biggest part of it is water

and that’s number 1 when it comes to sake.

That’s why Japan has such great sake –

the great water. Here, it’s hard because if

you’re not sourcing directly from well, an

aquafir or spring water, it’s really difficult

when you’re just using filtered water to

make sake. It’s kind of creating dead sake

without much flavor profile and that’s the

difficult part in America that we’re going

to have to get over as we’re used to just

turning on the faucet. I think that that’s

the thing that I learned in Japan. All of

these places I visited, there were 300/400

year old sake breweries that are all lined

along a river watershed and there’s a

reason for that. It’s rice #2 – so it’s water

quality and rice quality. The biggest consumer

of sake is the Japanese people. If

it’s small batches or if they limit out what

they can produce a season, the Japanese

will consume it all. Oftentimes, we’re left

with what’s left and I think that that’s all

changing. I think that that besides the temaki

and that we did that well, I wanted

to make sure that we had an incredible

sake selection so it can change people’s

ideas on what sake is.

"Louisiana is such a huge

seafood area and I thought

that the parallel between

Japan and South Louisiana

with the seafood and the

rice, and the drinking cul-

ture - there are like 3 pillars

in a lot of ways ... For me,

that was the draw. I have

always been a big seafood

head. Rice growing up as a

cajun is as much a staple as

someone who grew up in

Japanese culture ... [I]t was

as important to a Cajun table

as it would be to a Japanese

table.

AM: I totally agree and I love drinking it

with so many different things!

CHEF JB: Right, same! Pizza!

For sure! Pizza, tacos, chicken wings,

steak, there are so many amazing pairings

that are perfect for it beyond what

many believe to be the fit. I’ve had friends

raise an eye when I had it with something

that they didn’t think it was meant to be

paired with it. Here in NY, there are a lot

of options and yet there aren’t.

Right before the pandemic, I feel that

2 or 3 years right ahead of that, people

were really big here in NY on cider and

cider production and it was having an entire

moment and I went to a few places

in Brooklyn that were focused on that.

CHEF JB: Right!

AM: I kind of agree with you that sake is

the next one that will have that really big

effort I hope.

CHEF JB: Exactly! I hope it's not fleeting!

AM: With so much that you do with your

restaurant, you have your store, you

have these amazing buying and research

trips that you’re doing, are there other

projects that you're doing that are food

event oriented or a cookbook or any of

these kinds of things that we should keep

an eye out for?

CHEF JB: Not right now. I think that I have

mellowed out a lot. I think right now just

focusing on the knife shop and the restaurant

and not getting myself into too much,

too fast – it’s about balancing and that

whole dichotomy. Right now, my focus

is on travel so I think that the next thing

that I would want to do is to host trips in

Japan. I think that’s a big part of what I

see coming up next for myself and I know

that every time I go, people say that they

want to go to the next trip and the next

trip. You just have this line of people that

want to go with you. That’s awesome, but

you can’t bring huge groups, but certainly

a smaller handful of people. You want

to share it with people and it’s hard for

me to articulate it to people if they’re not

there to experience it. You want to definitely

have some shared experience with

that. For me, that’s the next big thing. I

don’t have a book in the works right now,

but maybe down the line. It would be

cool to see another location of Sukeban

somewhere. I think it’s built to be able to

replicate in that way, but not in a franchisee

situation. To be able to bring that to

another town or another city and that experience

is pretty special. My focus is to

continue to dial in my relationships and to

find more incredible ingredients, more incredible

makers. I’ve already been twice

this year and I’ll be back a third time in

Oct.

I think that for me, that’s the biggest

thing. I would like to and I think with the

travel aspect, it’s a huge part of it and a

bit more immersive for people that don’t

know how to access a lot of the things

that I have had the privilege of accessing

through the years of doing it. I’m more of

a simple girl. But now that the restaurant

has been there for a year, people are always

reaching out for projects and things

like that. So local food events like I’m

going to do Oyster South out in Georgia

this Oct when I get back from Japan. It's

a really cool event with a bunch of chefs

about sustainable oyster production

in the South and things like that. More

awareness about sustainable seafood

and I’m trying to be more about that

conversation and movement a little bit

more.

AM: If we were to come to your home,

what are 3 spices or ingredients that you

have always at the ready at home that

can make the most versatile dishes that

you enjoy making?

CHEF JB: I definitely think that furikake

is one of those – the rice seasoning.

It’s sesame, seaweed, a little salt, a little

sugar, a little katsuobushi flakes, and bonito

flakes. I think that that’s something

that I put in a lot of stuff. I go through

a lot of it. Definitely chili crisps for sure.

Japanese chili crisps are absolutely my

favorites and there are a million in one

of those things out there now. There’s

one in particular that I really love and

use and it’s a huge staple that I kind of

roll through. I think that tamari, tamari

is more on the gluten-free style soy

sauce. To me, it's kind of almost a thicker

consitency - not syrupy – but thicker

than what you use for soy sauce. But

it’s this sweet umami packed flavor. You

can use it on anything. I use it dress tomato

salad, cucumbers, you don’t have

to even with just Japanese things. It

can be a marinade for chicken, fish, or

whatever. It’s just one of those incredibly

versatile ingredients. We have it in

the shop and the same one that we use

in the restaurant is the one that I use at

home. It's incredible and I think that it’s

one that people don’t think to use a lot.

It doesn’t have a dark nature soy sauce

or color scheme to it. It’s lighter, but it’s

also gluten-free so if you have gluten issues,

I’m not, I don’t have them – I just

prefer that. Of course the Wadaman

sesame seeds just to throw in a fourth.

I use them on everything. I roll through

that stuff!

AM: I’m sure you do! I would love to have

a plate at your house to see what you’re

making!

If we were coming over for brunch as

we’re still in summer, what would be the

meal that you would cook?

CHEF JB: Hmm brunch! It would probably

be a crawfish étouffée just to be real.

As that’s a very frenchy sort of thing. It’s

on the stove all morning and by the time

you look at it, it’s ready to go! That or

man, that could shift! It could be a crazy

bagel and lox spread with Ikura, the

Japanese Salmon Caviar or like Trout

Roe, stuff like that. I would probably do

something along those lines.

@couteliernola

@barsukeban

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Chef Jacqueline

Blanchard

As we're less than a year away from Paris

2024, avid readers know that we enjoy

chatting with Olympic athletes whether

they're still competing or have retired from

competing, but are still in the community.

We caught up with 3X Olympian (Beijing

2008, London 2012, and Rio 2016), 2X

Team USA Swimming Medalist, and Team

US Olympic Team Captain, Elizabeth Beisel.

Known for the individual medley as well

as the backstroke, we wanted to find out

about her Olympic experience, the importance

that surfing has as a sport as well as

a skill that has served her, how she works

with USA Swimming Foundation to ensure

that the next generation is able to swim

and potentially be able to become athletes

in the sport as well! She also talks about

the importance of representation and inclusivity

in the sport. In addition, we find

out what she has been up to, her partnership

with Dermasport, embracing her second

passion as a violinist, and more.

ATHLEISURE MAG: I’m so excited to be

able to talk to you as I enjoyed watching

you during your Olympic journey and

watching you compete and I know our

readers are going to love to know more

about your passion for the sport, competing,

and what you’re up to now!

ELIZABETH BEISEL: Thank you for having

me and I just want to say that it’s an honor

to talk with you as you’re a bad ass!

AM: Amazing and thank you!

When did you first fall in love with the water?

EB: Honestly, 6 months old! I went to the

Mommy and Me classes at the YMCA.

I grew up in Rhode Island which is the

Ocean State. So luckily, my mom and dad

had the means to put me into the YMCA

Mommy and Me classes and introduced

me to the water at an early age. I swear

that I was the only baby there that wasn’t

screaming bloody murder! I love the water!

I would only sleep if I was in the water

that day. Like it became a thing. I think

from the beginning, I was in love with the

water and that never left me. I did other

sports and other activities growing up,

but I think that stuff happening in the

water was where I was most comfortable

and passionate. So, that was pretty

much my entire life!

AM: I love hearing that!

EB: It’s great!

AM: You specialized in the backstroke

and are known for your individual medley.

What was it about these specialties

that you wanted to compete in them?

EB: So, a lot of swimming, you don’t

necessarily get to choose the event, the

event chooses you. What you're good

at is what you morph into. For me, I

was one of those swimmers with the

individual medley which is all 4 strokes

in one race (Editors Note: the medley

includes the backstroke, breaststroke,

butterfly, and freestyle). So I had pretty

solid strokes across the board. But

backstroke is definitely the one that I

excelled in the most. So, since a young

age, I kind of always swam all 4 strokes

and then I really of honed in on the middle

distances which is where my body

thrives. I’m not necessarily a long distance

swimmer, but I definitely have no

sprint fibers in me. Like, I cannot run

fast in a sprint, I can’t swim fast, it’s

just who I am. I really found that happy

medium in the 400m races and it really

was just a matter of, “oh wow, I’m really

good at these strokes,” in these events

compared to everybody else. Why don’t

I start focusing on these in practice and

swimming on them more in meets. It’s

kind of a snowball effect.

AM: I love hearing that as we have interviewed

a number of Olympic swimmers

and I have never asked how they chose

that particular one. But I like that you’re

saying that it kind of finds you.

EB: Yeah, trust me, if I had my choice, I’d

be swimming a 50 free and be done in

20 seconds, but my body is not made for

that!

AM: You’re a 3X Olympian, you have 2

Olympic medals, you’ve served as the

Olympic Swimming Captain. What was

your Olympic experience like for you and

what did you love so much about it?

EB: I think that each Olympic experience

was super different and for many different

reasons. You know, my first one I was

15 and my last one I was 23. So that’s a

completely different human! It was such

an honor to be able to reach the pinnacle

of the sport that I loved so much and be

able to compete in it at that highest level

for our country. I remember watching

the Olympics when I was 7 years old on

TV and having that be the first moment

where I really grasped what the Olympics

were and how monumental they were in

my sport. I knew that I wanted to do that

one day. That was my goal and I knew

that I was going to make it happen. I’m

just a small town kid from Rhode Island,

I didn’t grow up in a family of Olympians

and swimmers. I’m just like a lot of us

where you have a dream. Maybe the fact

that I was 7 years old and that kids have

that beautiful way of just thinking nothing

is impossible, I kind of went for it. I

was like, “yeah, why not me? Of course!”

It ended up being such an incredible experience

and standing up on the podium,

winning Olympic medals for your country

and doing it alongside your teammates

is so special. I have met the best people

through my life in the sport of swimming.

I think we’re forced to be pretty humble

because, well, swimming is not an A-list

sport. It’s not football, it’s not soccer,

it’s not baseball. So we have once every

4 years to kind of shine at the Olympics

and then nobody really cares about what

we’re doing. We don’t make any money

so it’s really a group of people that do it

because they love it. I think that breeds a

certain type of person and archetype. It’s

just like the blue collar hardworking type

of people that are really in it because you

love it, not for the money, or the fame, or

any thing like that. It’s just, “yeah, we love

to swim.” Longwinded answer – Olympics

are amazing!

AM: So, we always love knowing how

athletes stay fit and obviously, you’re

in the water which is a huge part of it.

What are the workouts that you do in

and out of the water when you’re training

or even now when you’re doing what

you do?

EB: I try to lift weights twice a week. I

know that that doesn’t sound like much.

When I was swimming, I was lifting 2-3-

4 times a week depending on where we

were at in the season. Towards the end

of my competitive swimming career,

I started implementing yoga and I’m

now a certified yoga instructor, I love

it that much. What I found while I was

an athlete and now, and I still consider

myself an athlete even though I am not

actively competing, is that I leave yoga

feeling so calm and like it’s almost like

it’s opened up my body obviously, and

my mind as well. I see things clearer, I

think clearer, and it’s super relaxing. I’m

kind of a 1 million miles a minute type

of person so I need an outlet and something

to force me. Because I’m not going

to do it at home. I know myself. I’m

not going to put on the meditation and

do it at home. I wish I could. But I need

to go somewhere and have somebody

leading me and once I discovered yoga,

not only did it help me athletically because

you need to be stretching and you

need to be opening your body and your

muscle tissue. It helps with recovery a

lot, but my mind too. It helps me slow

down and shut off and just give myself

that parasympathetic nervous system a

break. So I would say yoga, lifting, and

then I try to walk. It sounds simple, but

I think that walking is good and I like to

multitask and if I have calls, I will do it

when I’m walking. So just nothing crazy

to be honest and I think that’s the thing

about Olympians, people probably think

that we’re doing this out of the box really

fancy stuff and it’s like, “no, we do the

exact same thing that you guys do, we

just do it 40 hours a week.” Instead of

you doing it on the weekend or an hour

here or there. But yeah, it’s just taking

care of my body or anybody’s body is

when you’re going to feel better. So that’s

why I move now, because it makes me feel

good.

AM: It’s so funny because I have probably

been doing yoga for the last 15/20 years or

so and once I went to my 40’s I went from

a love/hate relationship to desperately

needing it because like you said, it’s calming

your mind down and having someone

else stopping me and forcing me to do the

things that I do. Hot yoga is my jam!

EB: Same! Oh my God! Give me a hot power

vinyasa and I’m good!

AM: Same! I get so happy with it, it breaks

me down, and I can quiet everything

around me and I so appreciate it now versus

in my 20’s I was like this is something

to do for my mobility and flexibility. Now

it’s like, no I need it.

EB: Exactly, this is like water and I need it.

AM: So you partnered with Dermasport.

Can you tell me about the brand and why it

was synergistic with you to work for them?

EB: Ok. So Dermasport is a skincare brand

so it’s face wash, moisturizer, eye cream,

and SPF. It’s designed by swimmers for

swimmers. Right off the bat, synergy.

Throughout my entire swimming career, I

was always struggling to find – especially

sunscreen, I was swimming at the University

of Florida and I ended up swimming

there for 8 years.

That’s 8 years of swimming under the sun

outside and I really struggled finding a sunscreen

that wouldn’t smudge my goggles

and I know that that sounds crazy, that

would stay on during the entire practice,

would protect my skin, and on top of that,

the chlorine itself is so bad for your skin. It

strips away every good oil and thing that

you have on your face. So I was struggling

to find a post swim face wash that really

felt like it got everything off. Not only the

residue of the sunscreen,ut also the chlo-

rine that had seeped into my skin. Once

Dermasport came out and approached

me, and sent me samples for me to try

out, I tried it out for a good 2 months

indoor and outdoor swimming. I knew

that this was the stuff. It was like I was

the one going to them asking them that

if they wanted me to do anything, to let

me know. I think another thing is that

element of protecting your skin. I lost

my dad to cancer 2 years ago, although

it wasn’t skin cancer, it was a huge wake

up call for me being like, you’re healthy

until you’re not. You’re cancer free until

you’re not so what am I actively doing

that’s preventative and ways that I can

alleviate the possibility that I don’t ever

end up having cancer. So sunscreen has

been like, it doesn’t matter if it’s a cloudy

day, if it’s the dead of winter, it’s part of

my morning routine now. So it just really

hit a lot of the elements that I am really

passionate about in my life and so it

was kind of one of those things where I

was like the universe just bestowed this

upon me and I thought it was beautiful.

Of course, since retiring from competitive

swimming, I really started to surf

a lot now that I have time in my life to

do things. It’s mineral based, the packaging

is either recyclable aluminum or

post consumer recycled bottles so I feel

good about it across the board. It’s the

best!

AM: That’s amazing!

What’s your discipline in surfing? What

are you doing in surfing? Are you doing

wake boarding or looking for the ultimate

big wave?

EB: Well, I interviewed Carissa Moore

once so you and I have that in common!

AM: Yup!

EB: I’m sure you had the same experience,

she was the nicest person in the

world!

AM: She was our FEB ISSUE #85 this year

and it was on Super Bowl Sunday and we

had a huge tie zone difference and she was

the loveliest person.

EB: Exactly and I was in Tokyo for the

Olympics 2 summers ago and I was working

with NBC and of course it was surfing’s

first time in the Olympics. Carissa wins

and part of my job was interviewing the

athletes after they won. Carissa was not in

a rush, she never made me feel like I was

annoying her and trust me, the amount of

press that she did on that day, like she did

not need to talk to me. She was just phenomenal

and she was beautiful and lovely

as a human!

I have been doing it for a few years now

and it’s been really awesome because I

love learning new things. I took to surfing

easily because of my paddle strength and

my arms. So I’m getting better I did a surf

trip in the Maldives for a month in April

and the thing is with anything, if you’re

not doing it consistently, you’re not going

to be better. Here where I am in Rhode

Island, we get Hurricane Season waves in

the fall and then nothing for 10 months.

So, I’m trying to go on more trips to get

better, but the camaraderie, the culture, I

just love it! It’s amazing.

AM: Do you think that you’ll go to Nazaré?

EB: Ha! I’ll watch! Listen, I love to live my

life and be alive! Like you know what’s

even crazier Kimmie? The tow people

with the jet ski! They have to be equally

trained, if not more! You know, it’s unreal!

AM: HBO's 100 Foot Wave, but you see it

and you’re like, holy shit!

EB: I know right?

AM: What does your partnership look like

with Dermasport? Are there events coming

up or is it just organic integration?

EB: A lot of it is organic. Obviously I have

been sent the product as I need to use it

in order to talk about it. We’re going to

do some appearances at a lot of Masters

meets so that is basically older swimmers

just because I feel that those are

really the people that are tuned into

taking care of their skin and their health

whereas kids may be a little harder.

Mom says use your sunscreen and the

kids are like, “but I’m invincible, why do

I need that?” And then, just like genuinely

and organically posting about it. I’m

at the point in my life that if something

doesn’t align with me, I don’t give it my

time. We have too many things going on

in our lives and so this is one of those

things like I said earlier where it just hits

every pain point in my life that I am genuinely

passionate about – swimming,

being in the ocean, surfing, and being

in the sun. I’m a lifeguard too and I sit

in the sun for hours throughout the day.

My connection to cancer and so it’s a really

genuine partnership. I’m so excited

to be involved.

AM: So tell me about Block Cancer. Why

did you want to launch this, what is this

lifestyle brand, and what can we expect

to see from it?

EB: I’m so excited! It launched July 19th.

So I’ll give a quick backstory. When my

dad was going through his diagnosis and

treatment, I was going through all of the

books and cancer had never touched

my family. I didn’t know what to do and

I was super green in that world and all

the things I read said to give something

to your loved ones to look forward to.

So I thought that I had this amazing

swimming platform and there’s an island

off the coast of Rhode Island, that

only 2 people have ever swum to and no

female had ever done it. So I was like,

“this could be something cool.” I could

share my updates with dad and we

called it Block Cancer because the island

is called Block Island. It’s like a play on

words.

Unfortunately, I did the swim, but my

dad passed away before I could complete

the swim. I know that he knows

that I did it because I fully believe that

he was there that day. But after the

swim, we were like we had this modest

and humble goal of raising $5,000-$10,000

and we raised $665,000 all going to in lab

cancer research. That was my thing.

I didn’t want to be funding the renaming

of a hospital wing, that’s not my jam. If

there's no funding there's no research,

no research, there’s no cure. So how can

I bridge the gap between the oncologist

and the researchers and actually making

some progress. So after completing the

swim, sitting on it for a little bit, digesting

what had happened with my dad and all

that stuff – I was really looking to relaunch

it and I didn’t really know what that looked

like. What it turned into being organically

was this collaboration of creatives all designing

really cool designs for Block Cancer

and selling the merch and donating 90% of

the net profits to a non-profit that I have

worked with my entire life that funds lab

research. It is 100% going to in lab research

and I get to be apart of the vetting process

and the grant writing process so it’s

really really awesome. It’s not just hoodies,

hats, and bracelets, but it’s also chemo

hats, scarves, port shirts, and cancer

care packages. I wanted to do something

that really put the cancer patient first. I

have also compiled resources like cancer

diagnosis resources, grief resources, and

when you get a cancer diagnosis, what

the hell do you do? What questions do you

ask, who do you go to and what do you do

when you lose somebody?

For the past year and a half, I’ve been compiling

all of that, putting it together and

it’s just been this real passion project. It’s

never felt like work. It’s a way for me to

stay connected to my dad. Actually, Dermasport

to bring it back in, we’ve been

in talks to have the sunscreen be sold on

Block Cancer and maybe a portion of the

net-profits go to the Block Cancer Fund.

It makes sense right? You use sunscreen

and it protects you in skin cancer. Again,

Dermasport fit in seamlessly to this beautiful

passion project that I am working on

and it felt like this beautiful symbiotic relationship.

It’s all good stuff and I’m so excited!

I have literally, my eyes are all over

the place – I’m not a website builder, but

I have done all this work myself because

I don’t have an investor. I don’t have 15

grand to pay for a website developer. So

it’s been actually great because I have

learned a ton. I've learned skills that I

otherwise wouldn't have had.

AM: That’s great, because when you do

all of the stuff, as you bring people on,

you know exactly how long it takes, what

it is – because when you can do it yourself,

the person who you bring on who

definitely has the skills to be able to do

that should be above and beyond what

you can do.

EB: Of course! Yes, absolutely. I think

that the website came along great.

AM: What other projects are you working

on beyond Dermasport and Block

Cancer? Are there other things that we

should keep an eye out for?

EB: Actually, super exciting news! So I

mentioned earlier that I did other activities

growing up. So I grew up playing the

violin. That was actually my equal love

to swimming. But it always had to take a

backseat to swimming because I would

always choose swimming. So violin is

beautiful because it is something that

you can always do for the rest of your

life. So I’m in a band called Laden Valley

and we’re developmental, super early

in our stages. But we got asked to play

Newport Folk Fest – we’re a folk band.

AM: That’s huge!

EB: Yeah! Huge like Brandi Carlile, Paul

Simon, we’re the opener on Fri of Newport

Folk Fest and this is like – if this goes

well, in the folk world if you’re playing

Folk Fest in Newport, you’re doing well!

AM: Oh I’m well aware, that’s why I

perked up!

EB: Yeah and we’re very excited, I got all

of my outfits planned and I’m like, what

are we wearing? So it’s me and 3 other

guys and so I’m picking the outfits and the

color scheme and they all have can match

me.

AM: That is so exciting congratulations!

EB: Yeah and it’s one of those things

where this – I don’t want to jinx it. But I

truly believe that maybe it could be something,

but we will see! It’s by far the biggest

crowd that anyone of us have performed

in front of. I think it’s 8,000-10,000

people, but for us, it’s like huge and it’s so

exciting!

AM: That’s exciting! The Newport Folk Festival

is amazing and I knew what it was as

soon as you said it as they don’t let just

anyone play it. This year it’s Lana Del Rey,

Jon Batiste, Maggie Rogers, that’s amazing.

You do so much! How do you give back to

the sport that you originated in and how

do you give back to the youth that is coming

up?

EB: Yeah, so I’m an ambassador for the

USA Swimming Foundation and that’s the

philanthropic arm of USA Swimming so

what we are trying to do is save lives and

impact communities. Saving lives is – ok

we know that swimming is a fun sport and

we get to win Olympic medals and stuff,

but at the end of the day, nobody gets

into the sport of swimming to become an

Olympian. They get into the sport because

it’s purely a skill. It’s a life saving skill, but

if you come from a socioeconomic background,

culture, or city where swimming

isn’t really a part of your life or the people

that you’re surrounded with – you’re not

going to learn. Formal swimming lessons

reduce the risk of drowning by 88%.

So it’s like, I don’t know if you heard the

story of the quarterback a couple of

weeks ago that drowned in the NFL. But

what I try to tell people is listen, the water

does not discriminate, it doesn’t care

if you’re an Olympian, it doesn’t care if

you’re an NFL quarterback, it doesn’t care

if you’re a 5-year-old. You can drown. So

what we do is basically go around the

country on a tour and it’s every May. We

provide grants to local Boys & Girls Clubs,

YMCA’s and we’re like, “here’s $15,000.

We ask that in the next year you provide

transportation to kids that cannot afford

swimming lessons. You bring them from

school to the YMCA or the Boys & Girls

Club whatever it is and you get them in the

water and you teach them how to swim.”

I kind of call myself the out of town hero

right? We go there and it’s inner city kids

in Detroit or in Chicago. They have never

seen a pool before, we make it all shiny

and fun for them, but it’s like there’s some

follow up here. We’re kind of the catalyst

and you just have to continue it. So that’s

been really rewarding to give back to the

sport. At the end of the day, those Mommy

and Me Classes that I took with my

mom, they’re weren’t about me winning

medals. Not at all! They were for me to

learn how to swim and to be safer around

the water.

That's been the way that I have given back

in the past few years since being done.

It’s awesome because it’s also a diversity

thing. You watch the Olympics, there is 1

Black person on the Olympic Swim Team.

There’s 1.

AM: Yup.

EB: Like, what a microcosm of society

right? Because that is what swimming

looks like. So, it’s like, we’re trying to

come in and we have Cullen Jones – have

you ever met Cullen Jones (2G, 2S)?

AM: No, I have not, but I want to!

EB: He was literally my first friend on

the National Team. He’s my big brother.

I cannot say enough good things about

him. Cullen, the first Black person to win

an Olympic Gold medal in swimming, to

break a world record, the first of everything!

He’s kind of like the face of this

tour. To be able to do this on the road

with him and to watch, because I can say

something, but I’m white. It’s not going to

resonate as much as when he does it.

Watching I get chills, watching him talk to

an entire auditorium of kids who honestly

may not even know what the Olympics

are, but he gets through to them because

he can relate to them and they go into a

pool and they’re inspired to learn how to

swim. That’s what it’s all about. It’s so incredible!

So, I mean that this is a 100 year

project!

AM: Oh yeah! That’s why representation is

so important you have to have what needs

to be reflected and if you have 1 maybe you

get 4 and then 10. Like you said, it’s going

to be 100 years for sure.

EB: Yeah, it’s always safer around the water.

It’s never completely safe as I said earlier,

you, me – no one is completely safe.

Being around and having that impact on

the sport and who it is accessible to is like

– that is way more than any Olympic medal

– it’s saving lives.

AM: Can you tell me about the Lead Sports

Summit and what your involvement is with

them?

EB: So Lead Sports Summit was founded

by one of my best friends on the Olympic

Swim Team, Kara Lynn Joyce (4S). She saw

a need for a summit for just women and

female young teenage athletes. So 13-18

and she gets the all-star team from the

Olympic Team. The heavy hitter names

that you watch on NBC at the Olympics

come to Lead Sport Summit and we have

breakout groups, we have panels, we

have really open and honest discussions

and we give these teenage girls a safe

place to talk about stuff that maybe they

are dealing with on their team, in school,

with relationships at home, it’s a judgement

free zone. It’s cool because I think

there is an element of humanizing Olympians

and what we do. Maybe it’s inspiring

because of what we do. It’s like, “oh

wow, I was putting Katie Ledecky (7G, 3S)

on this pedestal and I thought that she

was untouchable, but now that I have

met her, spent time with her, and I know

she has dealt with the same issues that I

have dealt with – now this scary thing

that felt impossible is possible! It is something

that I say to Kara all the time that

she needs to have one just for adults

because I would go. I tell her too that

by the end of the weekend, I have cried

48 times and I feel that I have gotten

more out of it then the actual teenage

girls did! Also, I’m not in the social media

world that they are in. You and I did not

grow up with those same pressures.

AM: Exactly.

EB: So it’s super eye opening to hear

them talk openly about the pressures

that they feel from social media and society.

It gives me chills and makes me

say, how can we help? It’s an incredible

event and it’s over Labor Day Weekend

every single year. Kara is opening it up

to other sports now and it’s taking on

a life of its own which is really beautiful

and I will be at the one in DC which is

over Labor Day Weekend this year.

AM: That's fantastic!

EB: Yeah and I think that it’s sold out.

Which doesn’t surprise me as it’s done

that every single year. It really is worth

every single penny. It’s the best!

AM: I love that when people empower

and infuse people. Even if something is

for a lower age group, I always say that

I feel like we’re adulting while we are

dealing with our own traumas that are

unresolved.

EB: Yes! There’s some stuff that happened

to me 15 years ago that I should

probably figure out!

AM: Without a doubt!

@ebeisel34

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Elizabeth

Beisel

THE ART OF

THE SNACK:

CENTROLINA

This month, our The Art of the Snack takes

us to Washington DC where we took a moment

with Chef Amy Brandwein a 5X James

Beard Award Finalist who is the chef/owner

of Centrolina which is known for its Italian

dishes that utilize seasonal ingredients

as well as having a number of cocktails to

complete the experience! We wanted to

know more about her background, how

she came up with this restaurant that has

an Osteria and Mercato, and We see more

about upcoming events that you can enjoy

there as we transition into the fall.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Chef Amy Brandwein,

can you tell us about your culinary journey

in terms of where you trained and kitchens

that you worked in prior to Centrolina?

CHEF AMY BRANDWEIN: I began my career

with Chef Roberto Donna at Galileo.

I trained under four Italian chefs there for

the next six years, and became the Executive

Chef. I then opened Bebo Trattoria

with Chef Donna as the Executive Chef (2.5

years) and then moved to The Ritz Carlton

hotel to relaunch a restaurant there, Fyve

Restaurant (2.5 years). I was hired by BLT

Restaurant Group to start an Italian concept

Casa Nonna, I opened the restaurant

locations in DC and NY.

AM: As the chef/owner of Centrolina, what

inspired you to open this restaurant?

CHEF AB: As the chef/owner of Centrolina,

what inspired you to open this restaurant?

I was inspired to create a dining experience

that is a modern and respectful

interpretation of authentic Italian cuisine

and reflected my cooking and values - using

local and fresh ingredients to create

exciting, natural Italian dishes.

AM: For those that have yet to enjoy a

meal, what is the cuisine that is offered

and what are spices and ingredients that

are indicative of this cuisine?

CHEF AB: Traditional Italian ingredients include

herbs (basil, rosemary, sage), garlic,

fruits, citrus, mushrooms, and an expansive

variety of fish, game, and meats. Ex-

tra virgin olive oil is used extensively as

well as parmigiano regiano. We incorporate

umami in the form of nonnata di

peace, anchovy, colatura.

AM: Before we delve into the offerings,

what was the thought behind having an

Osteria as well as a Mercato for Centrolina?

CHEF AB: Through the Mercato, I wanted

to showcase the beautiful produce

and ingredients which spark our creativity

and form the basis for the menu at

the Osteria. I wanted to highlight our

local farmers and create an avenue of

access customers to purchase and take

home. To aid customers to cook healthy

and put a quick meal together using our

amazing ingredients - freshly made pasta,

sauces, vegetables and sustainable

fish. Many customers have told me they

shop at the market and try to recreate

their meal in the restaurant.

AM: For those that are coming in to dine,

what is the ambiance of the restaurant?

CHEF AB: Comfortably modern, relaxing

and invigorating. Seasonality is key

to the dishes that are available and your

menu changes daily.

AM: From a menu planning perspective,

what's your process in approaching this?

CHEF AB: I purchase ingredients from

our farmers availability every week and

then create dishes based on what is on

hand in our kitchen. I start with a daily

sheet of ingredients, vegetables, fruit,

fish and meat, and then I create a menu.

We print our menus every day, which enables

me to take advantage of new and

different ingredients. We rely on seasonally

available products. Oftentimes,

our creativity takes ordinary ingredients

and creating a new way of looking at it.

Other times, taking a glut of produce

from farmers and foragers to create an

interesting dish helps them with their

profitability.

AM: You've partnered with DC Urban

Greens - why was this important to you

and can you tell us a bit about them?

CHEF AB: It is very important to me to support

people who are improving access to

vegetables in underserved communities

and using available land. Urban farming is

an important way to help local economies

and reduce carbon footprint. The vegetables

are harvested nearby and sent right

over to us, only 4.7 miles away - many

times they are still warm from the sun. DC

Urban Greens is led by Tobaris Robinson,

a third generation farmer and a DC native.

Tobaris owns The farm, which was started

as a nonprofit in 2015. DCUG is located in

Wards 7&8, an area which is underserved

and in need of fresh produce. Tobaris is

also connected to other nonprofit hunger

groups, such as Dreaming Out Loud and

local markets accepting SNAP.

AM: What are 3 appetizers that you suggest

that we should order for lunch when

we come in with friends and family?

CHEF AB: Verde Salad, Swordfish Carpaccio,

and Melanzane (fried eggplant with

honey).

AM: For lunch, what are 3 entrees that we

should consider?

CHEF AB: Chicken Paillard, Tagliolini with

Nduja Butter and Fried Egg, and Roasted

Branzino with Confit of Potato and Tomato.

AM: What are 3 wines that you suggest to

pair with your lunch?

CHEF AB: Cleto Chiarli Sparkling Rosé. It's

fresh, crisp, and dry, and great for patio

dining in the summer. Grillo Donna Fugata.

It's a mineral, medium body, Sicilian white

that pairs perfectly with our seafood and

lunch pastas. Barbera Ca Viola is a medium

body northern Italian red. Nice fruit

and floral notes with hints of plumb and

blackberry. It’s a great accompaniment to

our home made pastas.

AM: For dinner, what are 3 appetizers

that you suggest?

CHEF AB: Yellowtail Crudo with Carrot

Yuzu, Crème Brûlée with Chanterelle

Mushrooms, and Charred Napa Cabbage

with Calabrian Chile.

AM: What are your suggestions for 3 entrees

for dinner?

CHEF AB: Right now, Pici Artichoke Cacio

e Pepe, Halibut with Corn and Peach,

and Squab with Plums.

AM: What are 3 cocktails that we should

try?

CHEF AB: Gin Basil Smash. It’s made with

gin, home made basil simple syrup and

fresh lemon. Fresh, citrusy, bright and

herbaceous.

Chefs Negroni. A secret recipe for the

perfect Negroni, simple and classic Italian

derby.

Basil Hayden bourbon, freshly squeeze

grapefruit, Campari and a splash of

brown sugar. A great balance of tart,

bitter and sweet for our bourbon lovers.

AM: From the Mercado, what are 3 items

that are a must-have to purchase for

those that have enjoyed eating their favorite

dishes in the restaurant?

CHEF AB: Fresh Pasta, Nonnata di Pesce,

and White Bolognese Ragu.

AM: The restaurant is a leader in the

James Beard Award Smart Catch program.

Can you tell us more about this

program and why you wanted to be involved?

CHEF AB: Smart Catch is a program that

provides information to Chefs on what

fish is sustainable and then rates their

purchasing on these standards. Invoices

are submitted to the program for review

and feedback. I wanted to ensure

that we as Chefs are making responsible

choices and to ensure the viability of our

fish species. Chefs should be leading the

way to drive consumers and our suppliers

to rely on sustainable readily available seafood

choices, for the continuation of species

and to reduce the carbon footprint.

My family spends summers on the Great

Lakes so it has always been my priority to

protect our waters and the habitat.

AM: Tell us about the private dining options!

CHEF AB: We have various private dining

options at Centrolina. We have our private

wine room which accommodates up

to 10 people. Our private chefs salon can

fit up to 28 people and has a private kitchen

as well. Centrolina can also be privately

booked for lunch or dinner buyouts.

AM: Tell us about Piccolina and for those

swinging by for Happy Hour, what is a

cocktail/wine and 2 dishes/appetizers that

you would suggest for our next visit?

CHEF AB: Piccolina, our second restaurant,

opened in 2019. it's an Italian style

casual restaurant that offers everything

from breakfast to dinner. It's main feature

is the wood fire oven which allows us

to make delicious Italian style pizza, that

pairs with one of our signature spritz. Happy

hour starts at 3pm and ends at 6pm.

Standout items are our Mezzaluna Pizza

(translates to half moon as it's shaped as

a crescent moon), and pairs great with a

Italicus Bergamotto Spritz. The pizza and

spritz happy hour combination is available

for only $18. Another happy hour must try

is our Piccolina Piatto Misto, a mix of delicious

snacks to enjoy with a glass of Italian

wine.

AM: Are there any events coming up

whether at Centrolina or Piccolina that

you would like to share with us whether

it's for the remaining summer, fall, or holiday

season?

CHEF AB: Our Chefs Table with Amy and

Friends Series was created to foster collaboration

and partnership between

chefs in DC. The dinners include a fourcourse

meal, held at Centrolina in the

exclusive Chef's Salon. A portion of the

proceeds from the dinners go to a charity

of the guest chef’s choosing. Upcoming

Chefs Table guests for September and

October include Scott Drewno (9/13), Jerome

Grant (9/27), Chris Morgan (10/5)

and Joan Nathan (10/24). Tickets available

on Resy for $175/pp. For the holidays,

we are excited to offer Thanksgiving to

Go, Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven

Fishes, and holiday food including luxury

pasta kits and Christmas cookie tins.

@centrolinadc

@piccolinadc

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Centrolina

There are so many options and genres

of shows that we can watch and when it

comes to streaming, the possibilities are

beyond endless. With so much going on,

we do love our feel good shows that take

us away from our day-to-day! Earlier this

summer, we took some time to talk with

Jermelle Simon of NETFLIX's The Upshaws

which is one of the top rated shows on the

platform who just finished Season 3 earlier

this year and Season 4 drops this month!

We wanted to talk about his career, his experience

on the stage, his Denzel Washington

story, being on The Upshaws, and his

focus on fitness as a means to make sure

that you put yourself first!

This article has heavy spoilers and we talk

about a number of plot points, cliffhangers,

and arcs from the first 3 seasons of

this show. If you have yet to watch and

want to be spoiler free, binge the episodes

now and then come back to enjoy this article.

We have a light discussion on Season 4

as well; however, that discussion is spolier

free.

This interview was conducted in May 2023,

prior to the start of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA

strike which began on July 14.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you realize

that you wanted to be an actor?

JERMELLE SIMON: I don’t know if I ever

realized it! I just remember being in the

3rd grade and we had to do a play as part

of our curriculum and I remember having

that feeling like, “man, I love to pretend, I

love to be someone else.” It’s fun and interesting

to me and obviously, I couldn’t

express it at 8 or 9 or whatever that age is

when you’re in the 3rd grade. That feeling

just kind of kept growing and I kept craving

it and by 5th grade, I was in Drama Club

and I think that that is when it hit. I was in

the 5th grade, I started to understand it

a little bit more. I thought that everyone

liked it at first, you know what I mean? I

thought it was so great and then I realized

that I was the only other one doing it.

AM: I love that! Before we delve into The

Upshaws, what is your process in terms

of how you prepare for your roles in general

and how do you sync in with your

characters?

JS: I think just understanding the story.

So reading the script and understanding

what story the writer is trying to tell.

What’s my role in the story? Am I an antagonist,

the protagonist, am I comedic

relief? You know, it’s about understanding

my role in the entire script and then

I think that with years of people watching,

the stories that are on television, I

think that we have always seen those

characters before. Maybe I have an aunt

or an uncle or even with me having children,

with my role now, it was easy to

dive into the father aspect, because I

have 3 children. Sometimes it’s based

off of experience and sometimes it’s

based off of people watching, and having

a huge imagination!

AM: Exaclty!

JS: I think that that helps a lot too. Repetition

– I think that I read that a lot of

actors read a script over 100 times. You

know it front and back. I can’t build up

enough stamina to read it 100 times,

but I have read a script 10 times and I

know that that’s enough for me. This

way, I know that I know the story front

and back. I think that it’s one of those

magical things where you sleep on it

and then it just clicks! I don’t know, it’s a

hard thing to explain, but it will click especially

after you understand the story.

So I think that the most important thing

is to understand the story that you’re

telling and the part that you play in the

story that you’re telling.

AM: We read that you also have experience

on the stage. You were in August

Wilson’s (The Piano Lesson, Seven Guitars,

Radio Golf) Fences for 8 weeks

where you played Cory. But you actually

got the opportunity to audition for Denzel

Washington (Training Day, American

Gangster, Equalizer franchise) at his

home to play that character in the film

adaptation. What was that experience

like?

JS: You know what’s so wild? That story

still anchors me in those times where I’m

feeling inadequate. You know even when

I am on a hit show like on Netflix, you’re

still human and there are those moments

where you don’t feel as confident and you

don’t feel as talented. I just think that any

artist kind of feels that way. I always go

back to, man, I was at Denzel Washington’s

house with Viola Davis (How to Get

Away with Murder, DC’s Suicide Squad

franchise, The Hunger Games: The Ballad

of Songbirds & Snakes), Denzel Washington,

the whole cast! In order to get to that

space, this kind of has to be for you. That

always reminds me that this is for me.

To this day, I think that it was one of the

most extraordinary things that has ever

happened to me. To the point that sometimes

I don’t even believe that it happened!

AM: We have to admit that when we read

that, we were like, he’s in this man’s house

with all of these people – that is a moment.

There are times regardless of your vertical

or career that you can have amazing things

happen, but in the course of things, you ask

yourself is this it? You question that which

you have excelled at for a number of reasons.

But then you think about moments

that took place that like you said, you wonder

if that happened and you grasp it and

realize that you are where you need to be

and it gives you that fuel for whatever it is

that you do in life.

JS: Yes! That’s what it is. It fills you up!

Those are constantly in your memory

bank and it’s always one of those things

that I can always go back to regardless.

If I ever work with them again – I just recently

saw Viola Davis at the NAACP Image

Awards and I saw her before that at

an Oscar Gifting Suite and each time I see

her, I forget that she knows me and that

she remembers me! That’s still so shocking

to me, because I will say, “oh, I worked

with you” and she’ll say, “I know." Then I

remind myself that I don’t have to say

that every time that I see her because

I’m just in such a shock that she remembers

that.

It was like a 6 week process. I was in

the running, I was in the top 3. It was a

journey for sure that still gives me high

vibrations. In this industry, you need as

much as you can because it’s such an up

and down thing. Like right now, we’re in

the writer’s strike and they should get

the things that they deserve and that

means that everything has to kind of

shut down. So, I’m not working right

now and you just go through so many

things being an actor in this industry. It

comes with so much and so the things

that you can hang onto that help you

feel confident to feel better, because

you still have to go through everyday

life. I was just telling a friend today that

sometimes it’s difficult because even

on the days that you don’t want to perform,

you have to and it’s like sometimes

you have to be someone else and you

do that when you’re on a show. I have

to – my job is to become a whole different

person. That takes so much energy

and me and Kim Fields (Living Single,

Insecure, All the Queen’s Men), we were

just talking about that the other week.

It’s like, our job is to become these people

and I don’t think that people realize

how that can be exhausting because

that takes all of you. To do it justice, to

do it right, you have to give all of you

because people can sense when you’re

not. I know that that’s a long answer!

AM: You’re absolutely right in what you

shared. Even in life sometimes in general.

I’m a big believer in dramaturgical

behavior in the sense that we have many

masks that we wear, even if it’s authentic

to us. How you are with your best friend

might be different from your mom and

when you’re in those circles like that, it

can be exhausting!

JS: Yes! That’s so true. Because even

how I am as a father is completely different

then how I am as a friend or how

I am as an actor. You know, I try to blend

it all. Even when I first started giving interviews,

especially when I was doing press

for this, I felt that I needed to say this answer

and needed to say whatever. Now,

I’m learning to just be me and people are

appreciating that more and I’m always

thinking that I over share and talk too

much and then people will be like, “no,

we love that!”

AM: Exactly!

JS: I would apologize and I know I did it

a few times here and you and other people

have been like, we want to hear you,

we want to hear who you are. That’s ok

and people love authenticity! That’s what

makes you who you are and everyone is

different and can bring something different

to the table and it’s all equally important.

So I’m just now learning that on my

3rd season of the show. I think that everything

happens so fast and all at once and I

had to catch up to it.

AM: You know what, sometimes it’s just a

process!

How did you find out about The Upshaws,

the character, and what drew you to want

to be part of it?

JS: I felt like it was just like any other day

where your manager or agent sends you

an audition and when you’re on the come

up, you’ll kind of do any role to kind of get

on. Because I think it’s like so many different

worlds and realms that factor in. Like

you have the time when no one knows you

yet and so you audition for everything,

you’re doing commercials and anything

that you can to make the dollar because

LA is expensive. Then not only that, but

you just love acting and the craft, so anytime

that you can play, you do it!

So that’s how it started. It was any other

audition and I was like here I go, I’m going

to give it all I’ve got. Every audition I

give it all I’ve got. But I did look at it and

I saw Netflix and that was like a dream of

mine. I think that a lot of actors have that

dream. I mean. Netflix is a powerhouse

and they’re the largest streaming platform

in the world! It’s international and

it’s all the things! So I saw that – then

sometimes you can see that and then it

can play with your confidence a little bit.

So you start to second guess yourself –

am I right for this – is it too big for me?

Even though you want it, it’s intimidating

because it’s Netflix. Then I see Mike

Epps (Uncle Buck series, The Hangover,

Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins), Kim

Fields, Wanda Sykes (Curb Your Enthusiasm,

The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, Blackish)

and I’m like – I had to let it go. I let

those parts go – the parts that scared

me like those names, the platform.

I released it and then it goes back to that

Denzel story. I had such an intense scene

with him but in that scene, I had to let

go of the fact that it was Denzel. I know

what I’m doing when it comes to acting

and I just had to go for what I know and

I know how to embody this Cory character.

I don’t care who it is, you lose yourself

in that moment.

So I did that same kind of thing when I

auditioned for this show. I released Netflix

and I released the names. So I did

that and I have had many auditions, but

this one, I knew that my first audition

that if I got a callback for it, then this

would be mine. The process is that you

go for your initial one, then they call you

back and then they might call you back

for the 3rd time. Maybe a 4th time and

then you test. But I knew that if I got a

call back for this one, it’s over!

AM: You’re like, it’s mine!

JS: I get the callback and immediately, I

stop second guessing myself. This is how

far I went into it. I already knew what I

was going to post. It was a meme and

he was in the car, his name is Desi Banks

and he’s an online comedian. He’s in the

car with the top down saying, “yes sir!!!”

He’s hyped because something happened.

I couldn’t obviously say what it

was, but I wanted to do something that

was real low key and then people would

be wondering. I had everything planned

out and I think that I felt it before everything

happened. It’s really important to

manifest things that I already feel about

the thing before the thing even comes

and not to wait for the thing to come to

then feel it. I feel that people do it backwards.

So that was the first time that I've

done that where I was already embodying

the role and what it would feel like. So

I go from that to the callback, 2 days later

after the first audition and the callback

was at 6pm and my manager called me at

11pm. He told me that I was the choice, we

had to go through network approval and

he let me know that I had pretty much

booked it. What do they say? The rest is

history! I didn’t know that it was going to

be history like this! I didn’t really realize

what I was going to be getting into.

AM: Yeah! I know that the 3rd season was

released earlier this year and the 4th season

drops in August – doing 2 seasons in

the same year!

JS: Yeah, going so fast!

AM: I mean that’s amazing! Before we get

into the upcoming season, for our readers

who may not have seen this show yet,

what is The Upshaws and tell us about your

character, Bernard Jr.

JS: The Upshaws is about a Black family

based out of Indiana and it’s your Norman

Lear (Good Times, All in the Family,

The Jeffersons) style sitcom. It’s a bit edgy,

we talk about really relatable things, and

we bring hilarity to everyday life. I feel

like it’s a family that talks about real topics

that people really go through. You

have a mom, you have a dad, younger

children in high school, you have me who

my character is the oldest of the Upshaw

family. Bennie Upshaw (Mike Epps) has

4 children – Bernard Upshaw Jr., it’s Kelvin

(Diamond Lyons), Aaliyah (Khali Daniya-Renee

Spraggins), and Maya (Journey

Christine). Kelvin is a side kid that Bennie

had when he was on a break with Regina,

my mom who is played by Kim Fields. You

have a show where again, we talk about

real life things and we bring light to it,

we bring laughter to it, and I think that

in the world that we live in now, we need

more comfort shows, we need more

laughter. I agree that we need all the

other things, but laughter is really good

for the soul. It’s medicine. So we definitely

bring the laughter in each episode

and each one has an unexpected twist

or turn. Each finale has this cliffhanger

that has you on the edge of your seat.

So I think that we’re onto something

and that’s why it’s so successful. We

have such great writers that are always

even for us, that it’s about expecting

the unexpected. We go in week after

week never knowing what our characters

are going to do. I think that that’s

the fun part of The Upshaws, it’s always

pushing the envelope – we curse. Traditionally,

your sitcoms that run on a network,

they couldn’t say certain words.

We have the freedom to do a lot more

things so we can talk about a lot more

topics. I think that it makes us that much

more relatable.

As far as my character, I play Bernard Upshaw

Jr., the oldest of the Upshaw kids.

The series starts off with Bernard holding

onto this secret and trying to figure

his life out. His secret is his sexuality, so

he is gay, he doesn’t necessarily know

how to come out to his parents so it’s

weighing heavy on him and as you can

see during the first season, in my opinion

he’s very moody and you can just tell

that there is something going on. He also

has a very challenging relationship with

his father who is Bennie Upshaw played

by Mike Epps. Bennie and Regina had

him when they were kids in high school

so he wasn’t there for him as much as

he could have been because he was also

growing up too. So it was a little bit of a

strained relationship with his father because

of that as well as with himself because

he wasn’t living in his own truth.

As the series continues, you get to see

him come out. You see him live out loud,

you get to see him become a father. Not

to give it all away to those who haven’t

seen it – ha!

AM: We have a significant spoiler alert!

People need catch up before reading this!

JS: You get to see him become a father,

you get to see him date. I think that now in

the upcoming season, you get to see him

do more of that. You get to dive deeper

into who he is as a person because there

are levels to everything. We go through

different phases in our lives and we just

keep growing and growing. You get to

see Bernard grow in all of these areas as

a partner, a father, and as a family member.

So yeah, you get to see him become

more and more into the higher version of

himself. From Season 1 – Season 3 or from

part 1 to part 4, it’s 2 different Bernards.

AM: Which is amazing because like you

were talking about, you’re playing so

many different complexities and dynamics,

we see him struggling with himself and

being able to come out and live his truth,

then there’s his daughter and what family

means and that complexity, and then understanding

the relationship with the father

dynamic of his dad and himself. Then

there’s families you claim versus those you

have paradigm as well. Having all of that

there, what does it mean to have this form

of representation? Growing up as a kid,

we had The Cosby Show and other kinds

of shows, but this is another kind of representation

that is also real and a different

dynamic. So what does that mean to you

to be able to present that to people?

JS: I love it! I went into this as an actor

portraying a role and not really realizing

at first, the impact that this show has on

people. I think that to be part of something

where people feel seen, people feel

heard, - so many people reach out and say,

“this is such an authentic representation

of Black people.” It’s so comforting, this

makes me laugh, this is not watered down

and I think at first, that was so much pressure

to me, because I felt like we had to

get it right! It’s like, no, that’s the point.

It’s effortless. The chemistry works it

just flows and I think that again at first,

it was a lot of pressure. Because even for

me and the representation to the gay

community, I didn’t really know because

I get the question a lot. I didn’t exactly

sign up to be a role model, but after

the impact and after so many DMs and

thank you’s, I realized that it was so important

to see yourself because representation

shapes how people will react

to you. This is how people learn how to

live in this world. It’s such a huge responsibility

to do it right and I think that I’m

just so proud of us for being perfectly

imperfect because that is what is needed

to be shown on television. Everyone

is not the Cosby’s, everyone is not the

Winslows.

AM: Yup!

JS: Now we have The Upshaws. I wouldn’t

even call it a dysfunctional family, it’s

real life. It’s things that happen in real

life. I feel super proud to be in a position

where me living my dreams helps someone

to heal, grow, feel seen, and heard.

I feel extremely proud of our writer’s of

our castmates, and Netflix for getting it

right.

Even for me, for me being on the show,

it doesn’t stop it from being my comfort

show. A lot of people can’t watch

their work. I can put The Upshaws on

and I don’t know. It’s one of my comfort

shows and it’s always weird to say because

it can seem so egotistical when

I’m putting on my own show while I’m

cleaning up. Me and my son have this

thing because I let him watch the show

– he loves it. I make breakfast Saturday

morning and we sit and he picks his favorite

episode of the show because it is

our comfort show you know? He gets to

see himself you know? I think that that’s

just really important for you to be able

to see yourself and we provide that for

people in a way that some people have

not seen before.

AM: What can you tell us, if anything

about the upcoming season or what we

should keep an eye out for?

JS: I really do think that it’s full of unexpected

surprises. I think that in this sitcom

world, you can do so many things.

We have always had our groove and our

chemistry, but you have to remember that

part 1, we were all kind of strangers to

one another and we still had that chemistry.

Now, 3 years later, we’re still working

together and I said this in another interview

– you can’t tell me that these people

aren’t my family. This is legit my family. So

going to work, with my family – you can

expect this season to have more chemistry

and I think that we take more risks because

we’re more comfortable with each

other. The writers know how to write for

us. They always knew but we collaborate

now. It’s a well-oiled machine. I think that

we have upped the ante with the twists

and turns that we have. Our finale is bizarre.

It’s really going to keep you on the

edge of your seat. Just like in the previous

seasons, but I think that it’s like 2.0 now!

AM: Oh wow. I can only imagine.

JS: We watch the show. We’re filming it every

week. So we never know what to expect.

So when we see it, it’s like how the

viewers are doing it when they’re bingeing.

For ever how many weeks we do it,

we have to put that time into it and we

see it weekly. I have to ask myself, “I wonder

what Bernard is going to do next?”

I’m rooting for him and I want to see what

happens. I have to wait week by week! It’s

exciting.

AM: Are there any other upcoming projects

that we should keep an eye out for

that you can share?

JS: Right now, I’m still auditioning. My

main focus right now is The Upshaws, but

I’m putting it out there that I am going to

do a film this summer. Don’t know which

one, but it’s going to be something, I already

feel it. You know, when we have our

next conversation, we can talk about it.

AM: You are passionate about fitness

and you have a fitness app. Tell us about

this as in looking at your IG, you’re not

just acting, you have other things that

you are also involved in.

JS: Yes, I have a fitness line called Jrambo

Bands which are resistance bands that

come in a 3-pack. They’re 5lbs, 10lbs, and

20lbs. It’s like all of your at home essentials

for people who feel that maybe the

gym isn’t convenient or they are too intimidated

so they can work from home.

I have ab belts that’s a belt you put on

that’s similar to a waist trainer so it can

assist you in being able to lose the water

weight. This way you can have a more

defined stomach. I recently came out

with gym bags which is an all in one that

you can use as a carryon for your flights

or as an everyday bag. It’s my Jrambo

bags and it should be out soon.

I’m just building that because I have such

an extreme passion for fitness because

a couple of years ago, I started training

with a trainer. I loved the results, but I

love how it made me feel and I think with

me being an actor, you need all the confidence

that you can get. It gave me such

confidence because I was connected

with myself, being disciplined, stretching

myself far beyond what I could be,

and it gave me that superhuman kind

of feeling. I wanted everyone to feel

that way. Everyone deserves to feel like,

“man, I’m really doing this!” Because

you’re constantly when you’re working

out and are part of that lifestyle, you’re

constantly choosing yourself.

AM: That’s right!

JS: I think that that is important in any

kind of career – any position in life. If

you’re constantly choosing yourself,

you can’t fail. So I wanted to spread that

feeling to a lot of people and I started off

doing classes. I became a personal trainer,

but I have way too much energy as

you can tell to be with just one person!

So my classes are Jrambo HIIT which is

high intensity interval training. Jrambo -

long story short – comes from one day I

walked into a gym and I sweat a lot when

I work out. So I put a bandana on my

head and they said Jermabo and I said,

“what – I like that, but let me change it

to Jrambo,” and it just sort of stuck.

AM: Love it!

JS: So it’s my Sasha Fierce like Beyoncé!

So I use that and everything is Jrambo

Bands, Jrambo Bags, Jrambo Abs and

that’s where that came from! My classes,

once I got the show, I couldn’t teach my

classes so I developed that app. So the

app where I train people with the classes

is Jrambo HIITs.com. I come from South

Carolina where it’s Soul Food capitol to

me. So I’ve learned how to eat now. I

fell in love with wellness and health and

wellness in general. That keeps me busy

when acting is not. I think that people

should have multiple passions and multiple

things that make you feel alive!

@jermellesimon

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | PG 134 +

137 Russell Baer | PG 138 Max Hemphill |

PG 142 - 147 Netflix |

From Sep 1 - 3rd on Labor Day Weekend,

we're excited to make our way back to

Randalls Island for Electric Zoo for 3 days

of our favorite EDM artists that will be

back in NY! This long weekend will allow

us to listen to some of our favorite artists

that we already listen to as well as those

that are new to us! This year's theme is

Hyperspace and we're looking forward

to Tiësto, Kaskade, Kx5, Alec Monopoly,

Major Lazer, Timmy Trumpet, and more.

This year, there are 6 stages which will

be curated within a theme or genre and

we're excited to navigate them to catch

the sights and sounds. As usual, you will

find an array of genres of EDM on full display

to pay homage to dance music and

its importance. We always enjoy checking

out the installations which is always

perfect for those Instagrammable moments

with friends and fellow enthusiasts.

There are also a number of vendors

that will keep us fueled up for an intense

3 days from tasty meals across dietary

interests, water stations and cocktails.

We'll also head out to an array of afterparties

that include a number of venues

from Webster Hall, Brooklyn Mirage,

Marquee, Somewhere Nowhere, The

Great Hall at Avant Gardner, and more.

You can check out available tickets and

VIP packages if you have yet to firm up

your plans.

@electriczoony

PHOTO CREDIT | EC/Electric Zoo

ATHLEISURE LIST: Hoboken, NJ

HALIFAX HOBOKEN @ W HOTEL

We ferried across the Hudson River

from NYC to Halifax Hoboken at the W

Hotel. Known for their Nova Scotian

cuisine which is associated with simple

food made with few (often in-house

curated and made) ingredients, the

cuisine includes Halibut, Swordfish,

Haddock, Lobster, Oysters, Mussels,

Clams, amd Seaweeds. Chef Seadon

Shouse makes his own salt, smoked

meats, spice blends, corn syrup (from

NJ corn), as well as liquors such as his

own Vermoth.

When dining here, earth tones mix

with wood tones to create a comfortable

ambiance set against full windows

that look out on the Hudson River

with a stunning Manhattan view.

Named after the capital of Nova Scotia,

Halifax is a creative collaboration

between Nova Scotia fare, local farm

and fishery delights and sustainable

cuisine. Each dish has locally sourced

meat, produce, dairy, or Marine Stewardship

Council-certified fish.

They have a good mix of coastal inspired

dishes and land based dishes

on all of our menus. Whether you're

enjoying breakfast, lunch, or dinner,

there is always something special in

each dish that comes directly from the

Chef's childhood home in Nova Scotia.

The summer menu is focused on a

lighter fair while the fall will have more

grilled items as opposed to those that

are braised. For the summer, there's

NJ heirloom tomatoes, NJ corn and

summer squashes, where in the fall

they will use more roots (parsnips, rutabaga,

large beets) and fall squashes

(butternut, delacata, Kabocha).

3 Appetizers we suggest are Sea Scal-


lops Carpaccio with kohlrabi, horseradish

remoulade, fresno peppers, dill

oil, lemon viniagrette, Lamb Meatballs

with Smoked Gorgonzola Fondue, and

Maine Mussels with Roasted Pepper

Butter & White Wine.

Our favorite 3 mains are: BBQ Grilled

Nova Scotia Swordfish with Eggplant

Caponata, Kale, Crispy Eggplant, Sesame

Seed Puree, Rabbit Duo with

Braised Leg, Grilled Rabbit Sausage,

Pickled NJ Peaches, Lentils, and NJ Sea

Scallops with Nova Scotia Sea Truffle

Butter, Toasted Barley, Braised Leeks.

We suggest pairing your bites this

summer with: Cool Hemingway with

Hardshore Gin, Cucumber, Absinthe,

Sparkling Wine, Watermelon Drop

with Grey Goose Essence, Chambord,

Orange Liquor, and Strawberry Field

with Appleton Rum, Strawberries, El-


derflower, Whey.

Complete your meal with: Apple Fritters

with salted caramel, peanut butter

ganache, grapefruit campari, NJ

Peach Pavlova with spiced meringue,

honeycomb, lemon, whipped cream,

and Almond Blackberry Cheesecake

with ginger crumble, almond brittle,

orange blackerries

HALIFAX HOBOKEN @ W HOTEL

225 River St

Hoboken, NJ 07030

halifaxhoboken.com

@halifax_hoboken

PHOTOGRAPHY | Halifax Hoboken


ATHLEISURE LIST: Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, NY

RUA THAI

Rua Thai opened in July 2023 in Brooklyn.

Thailand is known for its floating

markets, where vendors offer food,

handicrafts and souvenirs from traditional

wooden boats afloat on khlongs

(canals). Chef and co-owner Kornpon

Theeraumpornkul grew up in the province

of Ratchaburi in central Thailand,

home to Damnoen Saduak, one of the

largest and most famous floating markets

in the country. Rua (rowboat in

Thai) pays homage to the markets and

his family, who sold food at the market.

Chef Kornpon's grandmother taugt

him most of the family recipes. He enjoyed

modifying the recipes to create

something new and to have his family

try them for feedback. When he came

to the US, he worked in the kitchen

alongside many skillful chefs at Prem-

On, one of the most famous Thai

restaurants in New York at that time.

Later he became the head chef at one

of the most popular Thai restaurants in

New York called Yum Yum. He worked

for about 20 years in New York restaurant

industry before opening Rua Thai.

Ingredients and spices that are indicative

of Thai cuisine are Thai chili, white

pepper, and lemongrass.

3 Appetizers we suggest to try are

the Shrimp Donuts served stacked on

a sugarcane stick, RUA Fresh Summer

Rolls with beautiful edible flowers,

and Crispy Calamari with their signature

egg yolk seafood mayonnaise dip-


ping sauce.

3 Entrees that we suggest are: Mama

Tom Yum Grilled River Prawns served

over sauteed tom yum flavored ramen

noodles; Fish Curry Custard with

butterfly pea rice, and Pla Tod Numpla

crispy whole branzino with mango

salad.

We added Kanom Jeen Rice Vermicelli

a perfect rice for summer with curries

and other dishes. Thai Fried Rice and

Basil Fried Rice also go well with many

dishes.

Cocktails are created by one of the

co-owners Dolporn Thongneam and

a bartender. We suggest trying Chom

Bueng is made with whiskey with a

touch of lemongrass and homemade

honey syrup, it is smoked and served

covered to be unveiled at the table - it

brings the experience to the next level.

Pak Tho, a watermelon mojito, is a


thirst-quenching cocktail that’s great

for the summer, the watermelon

makes it very refreshing.

Suan Pueng is a cocktail created to pair

with Thai food, it has a gin base and a

hint of basil which goes very well with

gin.

To complete your meal and to end

with something sweet, we suggest

Mango Sticky Rice, Coconut Pudding,

and Chocolate Lava Cake.

RUA THAI

204 Smith St,

Brooklyn, NY 1120

ruathai.com

@ruathainyc

PHOTO CREDITS | Michael Tulipan


HAVE A COFFEE,

TAKE MY PROBIOTIC Nathan Adrian

GETTING

DAUGHTER READY

MOBILITIES +

STRETCHING

PUT MY

SUNSCREEN ON

DERMASPORT

SPF 50 Facial Sunscreen;

$18

dermasport.com

SWIMMING

DINNER AS

A FAMILY

EATING

78

LUNCH

PUTTING KIDDOS

TO BED

MEDITATION


Stay connected and follow us across our

social channels on @AthleisureMag!




Bingely Books

THE CON QUEEN

OF HOLLYWOOD

Harper

Scott C Johnson

In The Con Queen of Hollywood: A Hunt

For An Evil Genius focuses on an imposter

who creates emotional and financial destruction

around the world! Her work is

seen throughout the entertainment in-

dustry. We get to know about

this villain's origin story and the

private detective that was able

to deliver this person to the FBI.

We learn about this con who created

this very real and elaborate

series of scams that committed

the most perfect crime of our

time.

THE 'OHANA GRILL

COOKBOOK

Ulysses Press

Adrienne Robillard + Dawn

Sakamoto Paiva

When we get to the end of the

summer, we think about all those

gatherings we can still host and

how we can kick our menus up

a notch! The 'Ohana Grill Cookbook:

Easy and Delicious Hawai'i-Inspired

Recipes from BBQ

Chicken to Kalbi Short Ribs gives

us the culinary vacation that we

need with flavors of the Pacific

regardless of where we actually

are! You'll get more grill time

with these recipes, learn about

your equipment, get acquainted

with ingredients and more!

This cookbook has beautifully

shot images that will ensure that

and your guests will salivate and

be satiated with each bite. We're

looking forward to Guava Chicken,

Pulehu Tri-Tip, Spicy Li Hing

Mui Pineapple, Furikake Party

Mic, Grilled Mahimahi, and Adobo

Pork Belly Bao with Won Bok

Slaw.


she knows that her charisma and fresh

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with many woman across the

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24 hours for the job and has to quickly

accept. She is not part of The Greenhouse

and has to move to Nashville to

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This world is not just a workplace but a

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You'll find 50 recipes that are easy to

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UNDER THE INFLUENCE

Gallery Books

Noelle Crooks

We meet Harper Cruz in a bit of a desparate

point in her life in Under the Influence.

She's run through a string of jobs

that have gone nowhere in NY's publishing

industry. She's broke and having

a hard time making ends meet. So it's

not even a question when she finds out

about a job to work with an influencer

where she will make 3X her last paycheck!

She sends her resume to Charlotte

Green, a self-help guru and although

she is not personally familiar with her,



Bingely Streaming

SHELTER

Prime Video Series

Prime Video

Bestselling mystery and thriller author, Harlan

Coben brings his book Shelter as a series

as we find out the connection between

a family, town, and whether death is as fi-

nite as we believe it to be.

We get to know about Mickey Bolitar

(Jaden Michael) who goes back

to his father's NJ suburban town

after his death. Although there is

something nostalgic about having

his aunt, Shira Bolitar (Constance

Zimmer) take care of him, playing

basketball in the same school as

his dad and making friends. There

is something idyllic about this

quaint town. Through a series of

strange events, disappearances

and secrets, he works with his

friends Ema (Abigale Corrigan)

and Spoon (Adrian Greensmith)

to figure out how his dad's death

is connected to the unease that

continues to grow within him.

SURVIVE THE RAFT

Discovery

Max

We enjoy a good reality competition

show that shifts the social

expirementation paradigm! The

premise of Survive the Raft is inspired

by the 1973 Acali Experiment

by Mexican anthropologist,

Santiago Genovés. He curated

a group of people from varying

backgrounds to see how they

would come together, live, work,

and accomplish goals. The experiment

had a lot of conflict and tensions.

With this experiment and the

studies that resulted from it,

this competition builds on that

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Army Green Beret, NFL Seattle

Seahawks, Mayans MC) who announces

the challenges to the


contestants who live on the raft and

work together in order to win money

for the group. The contestants do

a series of challenges, navigate conflicts

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win money for themselves without

the group knowing or to stay true

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game of the ultimate believe in unity

as well as questioning whether those

you came in with should stay or be

swapped with those that are a better

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nies that make the drugs, the victims that

use it, those who are related to users who

are also caught up the effects and the investigation

of how all of these elements

converge together.

PAINKILLERS

Netflix Originals

Netflix

Painkillers, a Netflix Original Series

focuses on the opiode epedemic

that we have been navigating for the

last few decades. The availability of

these drugs comes with immense

consequences and this series follows

all who are involved from the compa-





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