Athleisure Mag AUG ISSUE #104

ISSUE #104

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Paul Farkas

EDITORIAL

Kimmie Smith

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Paul Farkas

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table of contents

issue #104

aug 2024

177

STYLE FEATURES

THE PICK ME UP

182

189

118

IN OUR BAG

ROCK THIS FOR WARDROBE

SHIFTS FOR SUMMER LOOKS

BEAUTY FEATURES

COCONUT BEAUTY

Integrity, Excellence, & Sustainability

Chef Fariyal Abdullahi

This month’s cover is Chef Fariyal Abdullahi who is the Executive Chef of Hav & Mar,

a Marcus Samuelsson Group restaurant. We talk about how she got into the industry,

the importance of changing restaurant culture, and sustainability.

16

193

ATHLEISURE BEAUTY

TEAM USA

Grant Holloway

We caught up with Team USA Track & Field’s Grant Holloway the day after his won

Gold for the 100M Hurdles! We talk about the sport, how he trains, and what he has

coming up!

66

178

LIFESTYLE FEATURES

ATHLEISURE LIST

THE DOMINICK HOTEL

A. Wong

92

We sit down with Chef Andrew Wong of

A. Wong, a Michelin starred restaurant!

Catching Up!

104

We caught up with one of our faves,

Alysia Reiner to talk fitness routines and

upcoming projects!

180

ATHLEISURE LIST

ABACO INN

AthleisureMag.com - 10 - Issue #104 | Aug 2024

The Art of the Snack

Jônt + Ômo by Jônt

120

We head to DC and Winter Park, FL to find out more about these omakase concepts

created by Owner and Executive Chef, Ryan Ratino. He talks about both restaurants,

what we should expect on our next visit, and more.

Farm to Table

Le Jardinier

132

We sat down with Chef Andrew Ayala of

Le Jardinier to talk about his restaurant

as well as his participation in Outstanding

in the Field at Governors Island.

®

9PLAYLIST MULTI

Chef Robert Irvine

134

Chef Robert Irvine shares his 9PLAYLIST

MULTI with us in what he is listening to

in music, reading, and streaming.

Bad Monkey

Natalie Martinez

152

We talk with Bad Monkey star Natalie

Martinez to talk about storytelling, this

Apple TV+ series, and more.

Citi Taste of Tennis

164

2024

We enjoyed attending this year’s Citi

Taste of Tennis ahead of the US Open

and enjoyed this event that includes

tennis stars, food, and enterainment.

Issue #104 | Aug 2024

- 11 - AthleisureMag.com

As the Summer comes to a close, we're

looking ahead to the Fall and Holiday! We

love being able to take time with friends

and family and those that are in our inner

circles to connect and many times,

these gatherings take place in our favorite

restaurants! It's within these 4 walls that

memories are made, food is shared, and

horizons are expanded. With the restaurant

as the canvas, it is helmed by those

give us the foundation for this exchange to

take place.

This month's cover is Executive Chef Fariyal

Abdullahi of Hav & Mar which is located

in Chelsea's Art District in the Starrett-Lehigh

Building. We talk about how a

passion for food, fine dining, sustainability,

and advancement led to a culinary career

that has included phenomenal restaurants

and a track record of integrity; her

helming and being personally selected by

Marcus Samuelsson (Red Rooster, Streetbird,

MARCUS ADDIS) for this restaurant

that is in the Marcus Samuelsson Group;

being the Chef for and walking the Met

Gala red carpet in 2021; being a judge on

Food Network shows such as Chopped and

Alex vs America, and being a James Beard

Award 2024 finalist! We wanted to know

more about her culinary journey, her approach

to food, sustainability, and changing

restaurant culture.

ATHLEISURE MAG: It’s been such a fun day

in being able to hangout at your baby, Hav

& Mar and your cover editorial here with,

a number of looks, and to see your restaurant

and you in this way.

What was the first dish that you remember

when you realized that you fell in love

with food?

CHEF FARIYAL ABDULLAHI: Um, ok, so I

grew up in Ethiopia and I am the youngest

of 6 siblings. My mom would cook all of

our meals herself – breakfast, lunch, and

dinner. We were a family of 8, it didn’t

matter. She always made it herself. You

know, people say that their mom was a

good cook, I can tell you objectively as a

Chef that my mom was very talented and

she didn’t have any formal training or

anything. She was just very intuitive

and very good at it. Because of that,

everybody used to come to our house

for food because her food was just that

good! Holiday and everything, my uncles

would be at the house. They were

not at their wives homes with their

cooking. They would be at the house

and I noticed that at a very young age.

I was like, “mom, you have to put me

on!”

So it’s not a particular dish. But, she

started me out with salad from the

beginning. It was nothing that had to

do with fire and stuff. I was a Garde

Manger Queen (Editor’s Note: The pantry

chef, commonly known as Garde

Manger or Garmo is responsible for the

preparation of cold dishes, salads, charcuterie,

and appetizers in a commercial

kitchen) when I was 6 years old. I was

like, I want to do this, I want to do what

you do. But it was also the process of

– we’re very close to our food source.

So, I have photos of me from when I

was a kid making salad! We would go

to the farm which was right around the

corner from our house and they would

grow the lettuce. So it was a whole

process. I would go get the lettuce,

the tomatoes, and all of that stuff and

I would have the connection of seeing

all of this stuff going from the soil, the

farmers that grew it, and then I would

go back home and it was literally a simple

salad. Romaine Lettuce, Serrano

Peppers, and Tomatoes – you didn’t

even make a vinaigrette for it – it was

just lime juice and salt.

AM: Oh wow!

CHEF FA: Yeah, that was my responsibility.

It was very few ingredients,

but it built my relationship that I had

with food. It kind of made that first

part where I had that connection with

the people that grew my food. Then I

turned what they did into something

that was delicious to eat, and then everyone

comes over - everyone pulls up.

It was really that process where I was like,

this is what I want. This is that thing that

connects all of us.

AM: You graduated with a Bachelor’s in

Clinical Child Psychology. When did you realize

that you wanted to be a Chef as opposed

to going down that track in terms

of a graduate degree? You opted to go to

the Culinary Institute of America in Nappa

as opposed to staying on the psychology

track.

CHEF FA: I always knew that I wanted to

be in food. But, it’s the classic immigrant

story where you leave your country and

you go to America. The American Dream

is that you are a doctor, lawyer, or engineer.

Those are the 3 things. I would tell

my mom when I was 14 or 16 that I wanted

to cook and that I wanted to be a chef.

And she would always tell me that that

was a hobby and that it wasn’t a career.

So when you’re a doctor, you can go home

and cook as a hobby. That was your hobby,

that was not a career. But I was like,

“damn, that is really what I want to do!”

As the youngest of 6 siblings, that’s what

they did. So I have a sister that is a Neurosurgeon,

my brother is an Immuno Oncologist

– so he is doing cancer research,

I have a brother and a sister that is doing

Internal Medicine – so then it was my turn

and I mean, I guess my second love is just

knowing people and understanding behavior

and that is why I went into Clinical

Psychology. But it never -

AM: It never really felt right.

CHEF FA: It didn’t! It really didn’t and I am

a very empathetic person and so I got my

Bachelor’s in Clinical Child Psychology and

my sister who is in UCLA – both of my sisters

are in UCLA, I went to go visit them

and they said, “let’s show you the psych

department.” They took me to where

the children are and that’s what kind of

changed me forever because I knew that

I could not work with sick kids every day.

I couldn’t do that and then go home with

it! I knew that I would always go home

with it! So that day, instead of applying to

grad school, I applied to culinary school.

I had my heart set on CIA because I had

read 2 biographies from Grant Achatz

and Anthony Bourdain and they both

went to CIA and it is supposed to be the

Harvard of culinary schools. I thought,

hold on, if I get accepted to this school

– this 1 culinary school, it’s go to be big

right? So, I didn’t apply anywhere else, I

just applied there.

AM: One shot!

CHEF FA: Yeah, one shot and I got accepted.

So I told my mom, you have to

let me do this.

AM: I used to have a teacher who felt

that I should be a surgeon because in our

labs when we were dissecting various animals,

my precision in cutting was something

that she loved. I had to explain to

her many times that it wasn’t the work

that I wanted to do, and that inspired me

to find a piece that called back to that to

bring it to this set. My mind will continue

to run and replay a number of things and

I can’t make my mind not work that way.

I don’t know if I could take running a

procedure in my head where something

went wrong on that level and be ok.

CHEF FA: Yeah, I don’t know how they

do it!

AM: So while you waited to hear about

your application, you went to 18 countries

and traveled for 3 months! What

was it like to go to these places and for

someone who already had an interesting

palette already, how did you retrain that

to take on all of these other areas that

you had not previously been exposed to?

CHEF FA: So that was the purpose because

I didn’t think that I had a palette. I

don’t want to say advanced, but I didn’t

think that I had a good palette yet. So

the first 16 years of my life, I lived in

Ethiopia, so I had a very high tolerance

for spicy food, but also like very heavily

spiced food. Things are very seasoned in

Ethiopia so that is my threshold. I came

to the States and my intro into American

food became what I ate on campus.

I was like, “what is this flavorless, unseasoned

– what is going on?” I swear that

at 16, because I started college fulltime

at 16, I used to walk around in my purse

with Tabasco before Beyoncé said it, I

swear to God that I had hot sauce in my

bag! Because I was like, this ain’t it for me!

It was just no flavor! It was that and the

burritos, the burgers, and I’m in college.

I kept thinking that there had to be an in

between – hold on!

Yeah so, that was kind of the purpose behind

my trip and I knew that there had to

be more food out there. So it was 18 countries

and now I’m on my 56th country. But

in those 3 months, I did 18 countries and it

was just to eat!

AM: That’s insane and amazing!

CHEF FA: It was cool because it’s like the

whole 10,000 hours that Malcom Gladwell

talks about (Editor’s Note: Malcolm Gladwell

is a Canadian journalist, author and

public speaker. He is known for his unique

perspective on popular culture. He has

been a staff writer with The New Yorker

since 1996 and has published 7 books. He is

also the podcast host of Revisionist History

and the co-founder of the podcast company,

Pushkin Industries. In his 2008 book

Outliers, he states that, “10,000 hours is

the magic number of greatness.” This theory

means that to be considered elite or

truly experienced with a certain craft you

would need to practice it for 10,000 hours)

it was the exposure of different flavors

and textures that I would not have been

exposed to if I had not traveled to these

different countries. It became my little culinary

school!

AM: Did you have a little travel journal and

write down things as you navigated these

countries?

CHEF FA: Yeah! I was solo too! I went by

myself!

AM: Got it! Wow that’s a lot!

So what was it like to attend CIA and

what were some of the kitchens that you

trained in as you navigated to where you

are here?

CHEF FA: So CIA, so I was responsible

for my own tuition and that was the

deal when I moved from Ethiopia. I did

8 hours of school a day, that’s how long

our classes were – 8 hours, but then I

would also work as a Teacher’s Assistant

for the first 8 hours of my day. So that’s

when I got into the 16 hour work day.

AM: Right!

CHEF FA: So, it was actually teaching

me the work ethic that I needed honestly

at the time, I didn’t know! I didn’t

know how many hours people worked

at restaurants. I had never worked in a

restaurant before and there were no examples

around me. So CIA in addition to

obviously the culinary fundamentals, it

was the first thing that taught me – ok,

you can’t be tired. If you’re going to do

this, you’re going to have to have the energy

for this. I mean, it’s the Harvard of

culinary schools and I do think that I got

into Noma which was my first job ever

– I mean Noma was the best restaurant

in the world for 4 years in a row! It’s because

I set myself up by going to the CIA!

AM: For sure!

CHEF FA: I felt like I was behind because

when I was attending the CIA, my classmates

were 18 years old and I was 25! I

knew that I had to be on the fast track.

Yeah, so it was essentially, a career

change for me.

AM: Clearly, it all worked out as I’m sitting

here talking with you in your restaurant!

CHEF FA: Yeah, I’m pretty much on a

space ship and I’m on it.

AM: So, you were at Noma and I know

that they are closing at the end of this year,

but they will be more of a food laboratory

and so that’s an interesting evolution with

how they will continue their journey. So

what are 3 things that you learned in your

time of being at that restaurant? I mean

when you hear of people who were at that

restaurant, it’s no joke and it’s highly prestigious!

CHEF FA: I mean, especially with that being

my first job ever! I remember when

we were in culinary school getting ready

to graduate and my classmates were like,

we’re going to start off at this restaurant

and then work our way up. I was like nah!

I knew that I had to go straight to the top.

They were like, you can’t do that. That’s

not how the system is set up. You have to

work your way up to Noma and I’m like,

“cool, that’s what y’all are going to do.”

AM: But when you have a vision and you already

feel like that you’re older than those

that you have been with, you just can’t go

at the same cadence because you have to

make up for lost time.

CHEF FA: So the first thing that I learned

at Noma is Integrity. Because my thing

was that if I want to learn to be the best,

I have to learn from the best! They were

the best restaurant 4 years in a row and I

was like, cool. What is it that makes them

the best. It’s not always necessarily the

food, what I learned there was Integrity

is so high. Everybody was doing the right

thing whether someone was looking or

they weren’t looking. There’s no cutting

corners. If this is how you’re shown how

to do something, you do it. If there is

something that is stopping you from doing

it, you do it. Either way, you always do

the right thing. That’s really powerful! So

integrity!

10 years ago, the restaurant industry and

kitchens are set up on this bully system

I would call it. You get called all kinds of

names, you get yelled at, that’s the relationship

that you have with your Chef. The

standard is always excellence and you will

never reach that. So you're getting yelled

at constantly every single day. So I was

like, ok cool, this is how it is. If this is how

it is, you just adjust to it. You learn how

to have tough skin and you move on.

But there is a changing area and I was

getting ready to close out from the day

and I heard René Redzepi (Danish chef

and co-owner of 3-Michelin star Noma

in the Christianshavn neighborhood of

Copenhagen, Denmark) having a conversation

with his leadership team and

I guess there was this line cook that

was being bullied and he just couldn’t

take it anymore and he just left and he

wasn’t answering anybody’s calls for 3

weeks.

AM: Oh wow!

CHEF FA: And people were like ok,

whatever, if he’s gone, he’s gone. That

day when I was getting ready to leave,

I was in the changing area and I heard

the conversation that René was having

with his leadership team and he was

telling them, “we have to shift the culture.

How do you guys not care? What

if this guy isn’t even alive right now?

What is wrong with you?”

AM: That’s what I was wondering!

CHEF FA: He was really laying into

them. He said, we have to be better.

So he was like, “cool, you guys are going

to go to his apartment, you’re going

to find him and make sure that he

is fed.” He was an intern so he wasn’t

getting paid, but he was like, “do we

need to pay him?” He wanted to find

out all of this information. René’s

wife was pregnant at the time and he

thought that he was having a son and

he was like, “if my son told me that he

wanted to work in the kitchen, I would

tell him no.” That’s because it is very

abusive and we have to shift the culture

and we need to be able to create

a system where people want to come

to work and that they feel appreciated

and cared about. I was like, what is he

talking about? That is not how kitchens

run. Don't you just get yelled at

and told that you ain’t shit?

AM: Yeah and you go into the corner and

do a cry where no one can see you so you

can get back in the game.

CHEF FA: Right? You go to the side, handle

it and go right back out!

AM: Right? That’s how it was for me in

fashion and that was just how it went!

CHEF FA: Yeah and I thought that it

would be like that forever! But that

was the first time that I had ever heard

anybody talking about changing and

shifting the industry! I thought, ok I

guess that it could be different. So that

sparked the biggest thing in me where it

made me say that I run my kitchen with

joy. I lead it with joy. I think that that is

why we have such a high retention rate

here. People want to stay working here.

AM: We have been here for a few hours

and I haven’t seen anyone slacking, slinking

off or even watching us do a photoshoot

and having me interview you. Everyone

is just focused!

CHEF FA: Yeah they have a very heavy

prep list. They are super focused! They

are totally fine! I am really proud of what

I have built. It all stems from my Noma

days. Build a workplace that people actually

want to come to and I learned

that from René and have integrity! Always

do the right thing!

You leave Noma and prior to Hav & Mar,

what are some of the restaurants that

you were working at between these 2 periods?

CHEF FA: Right after Noma, I went back

to LA because that’s where my family

lives and while I was there, I got a call

from a Chef here in NYC and he was an

Executive Chef at a restaurant called

Caviar Russe which is a Michelin-starred

restaurant and he called me and he was

like, “hey, I need a prep cook." I was like,

“damn, starting from the bottom. I just

came from Noma!” But it made sense

because there is such a huge gap in

my resume because I went from culinary

school to the best restaurant in

the world and while I was at Noma –

you know, that’s the third thing that I

learned.

I learned that you determine your own

growth in terms of how quickly you

grow. Because I went as an intern and

interns don’t really get to work the line

especially prep, but I was out of the prep

kitchen after a month and they put me

on the line.

I remember that there was a huge symposium

that they do called the MAD

Symposium (Editor’s Note: René created

the MAD Symposium which is considered

the G20 of Food Industry Change) where

they bring some of the best culinary

minds and René would be on huge pins

and needles and he was very anxious to

make sure that service went well. Obviously,

they had all the interns in the prep

kitchen and he came upstairs and he

said, “what are you doing here?” I was

like, “Chef, this is where I was put.” And

he told me that I was going to be working

on the line. He put me on the line

for one of the most important services

that he was about to do. So I said, “got

it Chef.” I just put my head down and I

did the work.

AM: Inside, you must have been like,

argh!

CHEF FA: Oh yeah! I mean, we’re extremely

close, but he could be very intimidating.

So, we always knew when

he was in town because when he is in

the kitchen, all you would hear (Chef

Fariyal pulls her keys out of her pocket

and puts her finger through the keyring

and flips the keys over and over through

the loop) is those keys and you would

say, “Chef’s here.”

So he put me on a station with a Sous

Chef from Finland and he was this massive

guy! He said, ok you're going to

work this station with him. The Sous Chef

was like, “don’t say nothing. All you have

to do is shuck these 200 year old clams

and that’s it!” I mean, dude, they were the

size of my palm. I’m like wow 200 year old

clams, but I was like, “yes Chef.” He let me

know that no matter how intense it got,

all he needed me to do was to stay calm

and just shuck these clams. So I said, “yes

Chef.” 5mins into service, René comes

around the corner and starts screaming at

the Sous Chef and asking him why his station

was dirty. It was not even dirty. “Why

is your station dirty? You know what, stop,

everyone come here. Look at how nasty

his station is.” He kicks the Sous Chef out

of the kitchen and now I am in the station

by myself.

AM: Oh no!

CHEF FA: I said, “the Sous Chef told me

to shut up and just keep shucking so I’m

just going to shut up and keep shucking

my clams!” So I learned to stay cool and

to stay calm. So nothing gets me out of

my zone.

AM: Nope!

CHEF FA: So that is my 3rd thing. You determine

your growth because I was the

only intern working the line on a shift that

René kicked my Sous Chef off his station

that I worked at and then it became mine.

That was all because I put my head down

and I put in the work.

AM: We also know that you accepted that

job at Caviar Russe.

CHEF FA: Yes so Caviar Russe was the first

job after Noma. They called me and I said

sure, prep cook is kind of crazy, but sure.

So I came and I moved to NY for that. Fine

dining is my love and it’s what I love to

do. But 6 months of doing that, making

minimum wage and you’re in NYC – I was

barely surviving – barely. I was like I don’t

know how much longer I can sustain this.

When I was in school, we always used

to have job fairs and there would be this

restaurant group, Hillstone.

AM: Oh yeah!

CHEF FA: They would always be in the

school and try to recruit kids from the

CIA. They have a few restaurants in

NYC.

AM: Yeah, they had the spot at 53rd &

Lex as I used to eat there quite a bit in

my early days of living in NYC. That was

my place at that time.

CHEF FA: I was never interested in working

at a place like Hillstone. I was like,

I’m a fine dining girl from CIA – what

are you talking about? I’m not trying to

make burger and fries! But then I was

like, ok, fine dining is not cutting it. I’m

literally a starving artist right now and

I’m hungry and can’t even feed myself.

I got recruited to Hillstone and I said,

let me see what this is about. I went

and I remember when I did my stage, I

was like hold on, they may not be making

the type of food that I am interested

in, but the restaurant is run like

a fine dining restaurant. So I thought

hold on, maybe I can do this. They pay

you a 6 figure salary right off the bat

and I thought, I can do this and not be

broke!

CHEF FA: I was like, this is compromising

the type of food that I love making,

but it is done to the same standards.

Also, the paycheck is cute and I did the

switch from fine dining to Hillstone. I

did that for about 5 years.

AM: That’s a long time.

CHEF FA: 5 years, 9 different restaurants,

I moved 9 times to different cities,

and I became the opener. That’s

how I got my experience in opening

restaurants. Anytime you are asked to

open a restaurant as a Chef, that is a

huge compliment because you’re laying

the foundation.

AM: Yeah the standard.

CHEF FA: They’re saying that they want

you to instill and to inject your work ethic

and the trajectory of the restaurant is all

based on -

AM: Your brand standard!

CHEF FA: Yeah so I opened 9 restaurants

in 9 different cities with Hillstone.When I

was with them, they had 53 restaurants

in a number of major cities. It was a $650

million dollar restaurant. It was 1 owner,

he did not go public.

AM: Oh wow!

CHEF FA: Huge!

AM: That’s a flex!

CHEF FA: That’s a flex! That is where I

learned my leadership. That is 100% where I

learned my leadership style. A lot of Chefs

say that it is one of the best run restaurant

groups in America. Hands down, easily.

So Caviar Russe to Hillstone and then I was

like, I’m tired. By that time, I had been in

the industry 8 years and there was never

any Black women and even with Hillstone,

I grew really quickly so after 9 months

they gave me my own kitchen which was

also very much so on the fast track. People

had issues being led by a woman of

color and they would make it very clear.

AM: Oh yeah.

CHEF FA: Like they would actually verbally

say I’m not doing that. Why? Because

you’re a woman and you’re Black. I would

say, “cool, do you take a paycheck from

a woman because guess who is writing

your paychecks?” So if you’re cool with

that, you’re going to do this task. But that

was very exhausting. It felt like I was in a

state of isolation. Because I was far away

from my family, cities and states that I

didn’t have friends or family in them. So I

was very much so alone and then you go

into work and they make it a point to feel

even more alone. Even though I was Head

Chef, you didn't really have much of a say.

It wasn’t my food. I didn’t get to hire the

people that I wanted. So I wasn’t making

any of the changes that I wanted to

make. I was tired and it was 2020 and I

felt that I was done with the industry. I

moved back to Ethiopia. I was like, “I’m

done, this is wack and I’m not into it.”

Then I get a call from Marcus Samuelsson.

“I was like, what the heck is happening

right now?” He’s like, “Chef,

it’s taken me quite awhile to track you

down.” I was like, “what – what do you

mean?“ I was so confused. He tells me

about this restaurant. He told me that

he was opening a restaurant in Chelsea

and he wanted it to be run by me.

I wanted to know more. He said that

he wanted to build a sustainable menu

and that he wanted it to be led by a

woman of color as he felt that he had

not put any spotlight on women of color.

So I was in Ethiopia for 6 months. I

didn’t know what I was going to do.

I was chilling. I still had my home and

my brother still lives there – I was cool.

There was no rush. So Marcus called

and he said sustainable menu which

really mattered to me a lot and having

it led by women of color. I was like,

“hold on, so I can make whatever food

I want and I can hire whoever I want?”

He was like, it’s you. It’s your restaurant.

You can do what you want! So I

was like, alright cool, I have to come

back. Also, it didn’t feel like I was done

with the industry.

AM: Right, you just needed the right fit.

CHEF FA: So this was my second chance

at the industry. Then within a year and

a half, we have had a stellar NY Times

review, I’ve gotten my James Beard

Nomination, all of this stuff and it’s like

– wait, what?

AM: That’s so insane! You must have

gotten off of the call and just been like

– he’s been looking for me? I’m going to

be working with this man?

CHEF FA: How? I mean – what? You’re looking

for me? That don’t make no sense!

It was and it is and he is letting me do my

thing. I’m really glad that I came back.

AM: It’s such a great story. I have had the

pleasure of interviewing him before and I

have also done a fun culinary video with

him and seeing him at culinary events and

competitions. Love his personality and his

focus as well as everything about him is really

amazing.

What does it mean to you for him to place

you in this position and to have this massive

responsibility as well as being able to

chart your own path?

CHEF FA: It’s 2 things. There is that whole

show that comes along with it. It’s a

very public and media facing restaurant.

I wouldn’t have known that I could be a

voice for women of color in the culinary

industry if he didn’t trust me with this

you know? There is only 6% of women of

color that are Executive Chefs which no

wonder that we feel so lonely. I do know

some women of color that are Executive

Chefs, but they say that they don’t have

to talk about it all the time. They feel that

the more that you focus on race and all of

that stuff, you’re taking away from your

craft. But I’m like, people are making it a

point to focus on it anyway.

AM: Exactly!

CHEF FA: Right, so why don’t you talk your

shit?

AM: It’s intertwined!

CHEF FA: It is!

AM: You can’t do one without the other.

CHEF FA: People don’t want to separate it

so I will talk about it. People immediately

are only focused on the food. I am going

to talk about it and he gave me the voice

which I think really helps. Because now, so

many women of color reach out to me

and say, “Chef this is so inspiring. I almost

gave up on the industry.”

But the other thing is that Marcus is the

first and the only person to ever tell me

this. When we first started opening the

restaurant he could tell because I had never

really worked for a restaurant where I

was in charge that was this front facing.

He started talking about that we would

get reviewed in the first couple of months

and I was like woah, “I have never had to

deal with this.” I wasn’t sure if I could do it

and he was the first person to ever tell me,

“Chef, you’re here because you deserve

to be. You know that right?” I’ll never forget

those words. I’m like, “no actually. No

one has ever said that to me. Not a single

person has told me that you’re here because

you deserve to be.” He told me that

I worry about that way too much and that

he brought me here because I made great

food and I tell a great story. So he told me

that, ”whoever walks through that door,

if they don’t see you, that’s not your problem.

You’re here because you deserve to

be.” And that kind of felt like the shackles

that I had the first 8 years of my career –“

AM: Broke.

CHEF FA: Yeah, it unlocked it. I was like,

cool. I don’t have to prove myself to anyone.

I’m here because I deserve to be. You

know, you don’t see white men prove why

they are there.

AM: No you don’t.

CHEF FA: Right, everyone just knows that

that is what it is. They make the food, people

see that is the chef and there isn’t anything

else that has to be said or debated.

So he gave that to me. He gave me the belief

and the understanding that I am here

because I deserve to be. He gave me that

voice so it’s been very impactful. It’s the

first time and I always tell my siblings that

their job is important because they are literally

saving lives. My job is not important

and that is what I have been saying for the

last 8 years, but now like I have been doing

this for 12 years and it’s the first time

that I have felt that what I do is important.

I’m changing an entire industry in

terms of how you can run a restaurant

and also many people see that you need

to bring more women of color into your

restaurant.

AM: There are a lot of people out there in

your space telling a story, but you need

to also be out on platforms sharing how

you’re rocking things too. To hear as you

said that it’s less than 6%.

What can you tell us about this space, the

ambiance, the design, and what can diners

expect when they come here? I love how

decadent it is when you look in. But there

is a relaxing element to the space as well as

whimsical with the Black mermaids which

I love!

CHEF FA: Yeah! Well that’s all Derrick Adams!

So when Marcus commissioned Derrick

Adams to do the artwork here, he told

him it was going to be a seafood restaurant

and that it would be led by women of

color. So immediately, Derrick Adams was

like Black mermaids. He titled it, We Are

From the Water Too.

AM: I love that!

CHEF FA: We Are From the Water Too! So

Black mermaids. So Marcus always says,

“when you lose the message of Hav, look

at the mermaids.” Like, they will always

bring you back to what our message is at

Hav. Visually and aesthetically, the architects

name is Zébulon Perron (Red Bull

Music Academy, Broccolini Condo Store,

Pancho) and he’s won awards for creating

this space and he's actually amazing.

But I love how it looks simple, right?

Which is why you can feel so relaxed and

it doesn’t feel intimidating where you feel

that you have to be buttoned up. But then

you get into the details and it’s like woah,

hold on!

AM: It’s very Matrix-y in some ways with

the way that the fixtures are floating.

There are sections and yet everything is

still together. It’s mind trippy! A little bit

like Salvador Dalí (Editor’s Note: A Spanish

surrealist artist renowned for his technical

skill, precise draftsmanship, and his striking

images. Major themes in his work included

dreams, stretching and mixing realities,

as well as the subconscious.)

AM: There’s just a warmth.

CHEF FA: And you know, he wanted it to

be an open kitchen obviously. So I always

stand in the pass (Editor’s Note: This is

where plates go for a final garnish or inspection

before they’re sent to the dining

room. It’s also where components of a dish

that are prepped at different stations meet

to be plated together,) so I am the first

person that people see. If we’re going to

have a restaurant led by a woman of color,

we’re not going to hide her. We’re going

to make sure that people know that

she is at the helm of it all. So I take my position

right there and we have guests that

walk up. Sometimes people are like, “can

we meet the Chef?”

AM: It’s like, hello!

CHEF FA: Haha yes, hello! Were you expecting

someone or something different?

AM: Sometimes they are!

CHEF FA: Well most of the time they are!

We get so many people that come up! Little

girls and they’re like, “I want to be a

chef!” This space! When I first walked in,

there was nothing! It was rubble – a pile of

rubble! I was like, “I don’t know what y’all

see!” They did it just like that – 2 months!

AM: Really?

CHEF FA: Yeah!

AM: Wow!

CHEF FA: I love it here. I spend 80 hours in

this building so -

AM: You know it very well!

CHEF FA: It’s not a bad place to spend 80

hours.

AM: What is the meaning behind the

name?

CHEF FA: So Marcus is both Ethiopian

Swedish. Hav is Swedish for ocean and

Mar is the Ethiopian word for honey. So we

are from the Sweet Waters which is how

he describes it. But, it’s to pay homage to

both his Swedish and Ethiopian roots.

AM: So what would you say the cuisine is

and what are the ingredients and the flavors

that are indicative of it?

CHEF FA: So when we were first talking

about how we could make a sustainable

menu, we kept coming back to seafood.

Initially, he wanted to do a vegan restaurant.

AM: Part of me thought that this would

have been a vegan restaurant.

CHEF FA: Right because when you talk

about sustainability, that tends to be

the best route to go. But then we were

like, gosh, it’s really hard to tell our story

through just plants. So we landed at

seafood. I like to describe it as seafood.

When we first opened it was, seafood told

through the lens of the African Diaspora

because it was very heavily influenced by

African ingredients. I’m Ethiopian born

and raised so a lot of Ethiopian influence,

but I did a lot of West African ingredients

too. Then we evolved because I have a

Sous Chef from the Philippines and a Sous

Chef from Puerto Rico.

PF: Oooo

AM: Yeah, both of us just said ooo at the

same time!

CHEF FA: Yeah as the Executive Chef, the

menu is mine. One day, I was feeling under

the weather and my Filipino Sous Chef

made me a traditional Filipino soup called

Sinigang. I was in the pass and she saw me

struggling as I was saying fire for the dishes.

She said, “Chef, I made this for you.” I

was like what is this and why is this not on

our menu? She explained that it was from

the Philippines and that they have a traditional

soup made with fish. I was like, “you

know we have a seafood restaurant?"

Then I was like, hold on, I think that we

should start bringing in their voices to the

menu too. I don’t have to gatekeep this.

So then we started incorporating their

dishes and then I think that that’s when

Pete Wells (Editor’s Note: Pete Wells was

the restaurant critic at The New York

Times from 2011 – August 2024) came in to

do the review and I was like, oh my God,

we don’t really have an identity besides

the fact that we are a seafood restaurant.

He was like, “Chef Fariyal uses her global

influence –.“ I was like, that’s who we are

- we are a seafood restaurant. Some people

will come in and say this is not African

and I’m like we’re a seafood restaurant

with a global influence. That’s it and now

it has all of their global identities.

We have Puerto Rican flavors, we have

Middle Eastern flavors, Filipino flavors –

we have everything!

AM: That’s amazing.

CHEF FA: But the vessel is seafood. The

seafood tells our story in terms of sustainability.

It’s what keeps me up at night.

So when I was designing the menu and

we were creating these dishes, we need

to use as much of the ingredient as possible.

I want very little waste. So the thing

about restaurants is that we are one of

the highest contributors of the Climate

Crisis because we produce so much food

waste and that ends up in landfills and I’m

like how can we avoid all the waste that

we produce here ending up in landfills? So

it’s about using as much of the ingredient

as possible.

So we are getting really creative so I have

something called Ash Oil. So I was like, can

we do anything with all of these scraps

with the skins of scallions, onion skins,

scallion tops that we throw away, garlic,

and all of that stuff. Things that you would

throw away and I thought that there has

to be flavor in here! So we just put it in the

Hearth oven which goes up to 800° and it

gives it a nice char and then I blended it

into a salt and then I mix that with oil so it

has this super...

AM: Smoky

CHEF FA: Yes smoky flavor! So I was like,

hold on this is edible and it gives this

whole other dimension to dishes. So I was

like, alright cool lets get really creative like

that. Let’s use parts of ingredients that

normally get thrown away. So that was

Step 1.

Step 2 was how do I make sure that – obviously

you can’t use 100% of everything.

AM: Right.

CHEF FA: How do I make sure that this

doesn’t end up in landfills? So I did some

research and found 2 different organizations

one is called Afterlife. They come

and pick up our compost every day. They

grow mushrooms with our compost.

AM: Oh wow!

CHEF FA: I built a dish around these mushrooms

so it’s like a full 360 moment. But

then, the most important thing is that

after they are done growing these mushrooms

they take the substrate which is

the compost and they turn it into soil and

they create something called Biochar. So

Biochar is soil, but it has the ability to sink

carbon for a 1,000 years.

AM: Wow so they are a Circular Farm.

CHEF FA: Right, so I was like hold on, this

is really fly! So all of our compost goes to

them. I work with them a lot and they are

doing a lot of really amazing things.

AM: And they are based here in the city?

CHEF FA: Yeah! They do all of that and

they make Biochar by using our compost

and then they donate the Biochar to farmers

and it helps them increase their yield.

So farmers are getting better yield while

making sure that we’re not increasing the

output of Carbon Dioxide to the air. They

also donate it to parks and it goes to Governors

Island. So they do all of these wonderful

things with our compost.

AM: Wow!

CHEF FA: And then the second company,

they’re called Billion Oyster Project.

AM: That’s the host of the dinner we’re going

to on Thursday at Governors Island (Editor’s

Note: You can read the story about

this dinner from Outstanding in the Field

in this issue here)

CHEF FA: No way!

AM: Yeah Le Jardinier is the culinary portion

and we’re very excited.

CHEF FA: Ok, that makes sense!

They are my second partner. So what they

do is they collect oysters from restaurants

and they are basically reconstituting the

oyster population in the Hudson and all of

the rivers here. What that does is it gives

us a good filtration system. So they take

our oysters because I’m like, let’s not get

lazy with it. Technically, you could throw

everything into a compost, but I’m like are

there things that we can separate within

the compost that makes better use? So

since we have been open, Billion Oyster

Project has been in the loop.

That is the most important thing to me.

We can get all of the best accolades in the

world. But the thing is, If you are contributing

to a worse planet, what are you really

doing?

AM: We have to do something and to keep

researching for new innovations.

CHEF FA: Exactly!

AM: Wow!

CHEF FA: I like talking about it because for

example, Afterlife they have 20 restaurants

that they have partnered with in

NYC. Do you know how many restaurants

there are in NYC? That’s wild that there

are only 20 restaurants that participate!

I eventually want to end up in policy. I do

work with Save the Children. I do a lot

of advocacy work and I eventually want

to end up there. But for now, if you can

implement the stuff while you’re on the

ground, that’s a great place to start.

AM: I can see you doing Food Advocacy

work as Tom Colicchio and Todd English,

both of them are doing what they can and

making their voices heard.

CHEF FA: It’s important! Listen, I am a

mushroom fiend! They are very tasty.

AM: In looking at the menu, the flow of it

is really great! What are 3 dishes from your

Raw & Cured that you would suggest for

those coming in?

CHEF FA: Raw & Cured, so I am a little biased

with my Tuna Tartare.

AM: I love a Tuna Tartare moment.

CHEF FA: It’s so good! Tuna Tartare is a

must. Hamachi has been there since we

have opened. It’s a ceviche that I use called

the Black Ceviche which is non-traditional

and I use the Ashe Oil in there. It’s very

acidic, but that Ash Oil gives it that other

dimension of what I was talking about

when I was saying smoky. That’s not very

traditional for a ceviche. I can never get

rid of that. It will be on the menu forever.

There are just some things – I mean we

are a seasonal menu, but there are just

some things that’s just like, there will be

an uproar if we take that off the menu.

AM: People will be like, wait, is it even a

restaurant if I can’t get this here? Forks

raised in the air – where is it?

CHEF FA: For real – picketing! The Hamachi

Ceviche and there is a dish called the

Swediopian. So it is something that we

have had since the beginning. Swediopian

is our play on words where it’s Swedish

and Ethiopian. So way before this

restaurant opened, Marcus and I did an

event for Pepsi and it was around the Super

Bowl and he wanted a dish that represented

both his Ethiopian and Swedish

roots and he said to play around with the

cured salmon. So I cured it using Swedish

techniques, but then I used berbere which

is an Ethiopian spice so it’s a twice cured

salmon.

AM: Oh wow so it’s punchy.

CHEF FA: Yeah very actually. You guys

need to come in and eat. Seriously.

AM: Oh we will, we want to be able to try

that.

CHEF FA: So those three from the Raw &

Cured are great!

AM: What are 3 Small Plates that you suggest

that we should enjoy?

CHEF FA: Small Plates, we do a beautiful

Scallop here.

AM: I love a Scallop.

CHEF FA: Yes, we have our Fall Menu

coming in 3 weeks and so the format will

change again.

Yes and the Salad is a big hit too! We always

bring that in every Summer. I have

this formula that I use. For this particular

Salad I do a purée and it’s about what ingredient

is at its best during the season?

So for the Summer Salad, I do a corn

purée then Heirloom tomatoes because

you know and then I do a compressed watermelon.

AM: Wow!

CHEF FA: What could be more Summer

than that? So I always say get the Summer

Salad and the Scallops – those are my 2

favorites.

What is Happy Hour like here?

CHEF FA: Happy Hour is from 5-7pm. We

have a separate menu that we do and our

General Manager Tia, a woman of color

whose Jamaican, she’s a Somm and she

does the Beverage Program here.

AM: Wow!

CHEF FA: So she wears many hats! So she

makes awesome cocktails. We work in tandem

and she takes ingredients from the

kitchen that we are processed and done

with and instead of throwing it away and

making waste, she makes cocktails with

it.

AM: Oh that’s smart and the sustainability

continues.

So that means some of your cocktails are

even a bit savory as well?

CHEF FA: Yup the Hav & Martini – so I make

pickled red onions that I use as a garnish

and I put beets in it to make that beautiful

pink color. So when we're done pickling it,

we used to toss out the juice. But she uses

it in her Hav & Martini.

AM: I like that!

CHEF FA: Yeah it’s this beautiful pink hued

beverage. She has this really beautiful

way of explaining it because I don’t drink

alcohol and I’m Muslim and I have never

been in that world.

The way that she explains it she’s like this

cocktail uses onions and this is why. I’m

like, girl I don’t know, but it sounds good!

AM: It’s smart because there are a lot of

studios in this area -

CHEF FA: Art studios.

AM: So you’re open for dinner every night.

Do you ever foresee a lunch service? What

was the decision behind this?

CHEF FA: So one thing that I love patting

myself on the back for is because when

you start getting to this whole thing –

James Beard, Michelin, and all of that

stuff – people equate how difficult it is to

get into a restaurant with how successful

that restaurant is. I always tell people –

it’s not a competition, but when you look

at and line up all of the restaurants, I have

140 seats. We are open 7 days a week and

a lot of these restaurants are not open 7

days a week. They’re not and in this post

COVID climate, it’s very challenging to

have enough staff to be open and operating

7 days a week and that’s a really huge

deal.

AM: Yup!

CHEF FA: And most of the restaurants, I

mean this is a very big operation in terms

of seats.

AM: When I walked in, I thought, they’re

not playing.

CHEF FA: Yeah so 140 seats, 7 days a week.

I’m like, you guys don’t understand – like

when you guys are like who is the best

chef? Look at the operation also, you

know what I mean? I could run a 12 seat

restaurant that’s open 4 days a week. I

could run that very easily. So it already is

doing the most because we are open 7

days a week in this restaurant. But Marcus

does have pipe dreams of being open for

lunch and I’m like, “Chef, where are these

people? Where is the staff that I’m supposed

to find?” I would say that that is the

biggest challenge of being open for more

service – it’s just not the same. The pool

of people to hire is not the same at all.

AM: So speaking to that, what is an average

day like?

CHEF FA: So the operating hours is that

we are open from 5-10pm.

So there are 2 shifts. The AM team gets

here at 8am. They are here from 8-4pm.

They prep the food that all the guests are

going to eat. So our rule is, “today’s food,

for today’s guests.” So everything is made

fresh inhouse every day. There is no rolling

over. I have a Sous Chef, I have a Pastry

Chef, 2 Prep Cooks, and a Dishwasher.

AM: Wow.

CHEF FA: So that’s who’s here from 8 –

4pm.

Then at 3pm, my line team gets here. So

they are the ones that cook the food. So

there is an hour overlap between the 2 of

them. But they will be here from 3 – 11pm.

So there is the prep team and the service

team.

AM: Oh wow.

CHEF FA: I have to kind of be here for both.

So I get here between 12-2 and then I stay

here until the last table leaves.

AM: So on your admin day, is that when

you are touching base with the group?

CHEF FA: So with the group, we have

weekly meetings every Wed. So we have

our meetings with our Director of Operations.

The only reason why she is here today

is because our General Manager is in

Chicago. But we have a meeting with her,

our CEO, and our CFO every Wed. about

our P&L. So I have to know every single

penny that comes into this building and

every single penny that leaves this building.

So I always give them a presentation

every single Wed. This is where we’re at,

this is the goal, this is what my food cost

is, this is what my labor cost is, and this is

our bottom line. It’s every Wed. and I have

to be prepared to talk about our numbers

in and out.

But when I say admin stuff, it’s like every

Mon. we do payroll. Bit every day, I process

invoices. So there is always something. Or

there is scheduling I do that every week.

AM: You are a woman of many hats.

CHEF FA: It never ends.

CHEF FA: It never ends.

AM: So obviously we were talking about

the Met Gala earlier during your shoot.

You looked phenomenal on the red carpet.

What did it mean to you to be part of

that event in addition to obviously doing

the menu itself? Just being in that apex of

fashion.

CHEF FA: So in the moment, I obviously

didn’t grasp how big it was!

Somehow in the end it looks like I’m a

fashion forward person ...

That was important for me 1 – it was kind

of my debut. We had done so many shoots

with Vogue and a lot of stuff and it was

like, Chef Fariyal, Chef Fariyal. I was always

cooking behind the scenes and now

it was like, people know me as a chef now.

It was cool and that’s what kind of catapulted

the whole TV and media. Because

that is when I got a call from the President

of Food Network. They were like, hold on,

who are you and why are you not on TV?

I was like what do you mean because I’m

a Chef? What do you mean TV? But that

is what catapulted it all. It was that Met

Gala, that red carpet.

AM: You were on a lot of the main pages

of a number of international editions of

Vogue as well as the one here. It was like

Lady Gaga what? I remember thinking

wow and she’s a Chef on that red carpet –

wow. It’s like that’s huge because I thought

that she would be in the kitchen.

CHEF FA: I thought that I was going to

cook, but no!

AM: What does it mean to your brand because

you are doing Chopped as a judge or

you’re on Alex vs. America as a judge, or

you’re on your Roku show, Celebrity Family

Food Battle, and you have done different

kinds of things. What does that mean to

you when you look at that particular component.

Because it feels like being a Chef

now – although you don’t have to do this –

it has become elevated where you have to

have these other touch points that includes

TV.

CHEF FA: So it kind of goes hand-in-hand.

One of the reasons that the restaurant has

been successful is that obviously we’re

blessed to have Marcus and his brand behind

it and now it’s 50/50. Just as many

people walk into the building to meet me

as they do asking for Marcus and it’s because

I do so many things and when they

introduce me on TV they say, that is the

Executive Chef from Hav & Mar. So it really

helps and my brand is very closely tied

to Hav & Mar. So we keep those butts in

these seats.

AM: You’re rocking those 7 nights!

CHEF FA: Yeah!

AM: And being a finalist for James Beard.

What does that mean to you?

CHEF FA: Oh my gosh, that was never – to

me, it was one of those things like James

Beard wasn’t even a North Star for me. It

wasn’t something that I thought would

ever be in my world or something that I

could even attain. Then when I moved to

Hav & Mar and we opened this restaurant,

Marcus asked me what some of my goals

were.

I was like, James Beard and he said, “oh,

ok.” I was like, “what you mean?”

AM: And he was like what part did you not

get? The O or the K?

CHEF FA: I want to be nominated for a

James Beard. The other thing was Food

& Wine Best Chef. I wanted to be in that

category too. And he made me write a list

and he said that these were all things that

we could work towards. I didn’t think that

it would come so fast within my first year

of opening the restaurant.

So when I got my nomination for James

Beard, I was on set at Chopped and the list

came out. It was like right between takes

and my phone because I always have it

under my leg, it was going off. I was like

is the restaurant on fire? What is going

on? So I kind of snuck a look and I was like

what? James Beard – whatever. And then

in between, I read the first text and it was

like, congratulations you are a nominated

and I was like, what are they talking about?

So I was with my co-judges and I was like,

Tiffany, I just got nominated for a James

Beard and everyone was like what that’s

so cool! Then it was like, “and action!”

So literally this is happening in between

takes and obviously everyone on set

knew how big of a deal this was and what

made it really special was that at some

point, somebody went out and got flowers

and a card. They made the entire team

come out on set – every single person

that works on Chopped came to give me

flowers.

They announced it and said Chef Fariyal

is a James Beard nominated Chef! It was

very emotional.

AM: That is very cool!

CHEF FA: It was really emotional and how

cool is that moment? I’m on the set of

Chopped, we’re their celebrating a James

Beard nomination and then of course,

everyone was like wow just to be nominated

is really important and a lot of people

don’t even make it to the finals. The

people were making sure that I didn’t get

my hopes up. But sure enough, I made

that shortlist too! It was like what? This

is insane. So now, we’re really pulling

up. We’re pulling up to the James Beard

Awards – this is amazing. I thought that

up until that moment that it was just the

nomination that mattered to me.

But then, I am in the first category. I sat

down, there was a quick presentation.

First award of the night is the Emerging

Chef Category. I had this super powerful

and emotional speech written. I had envisioned

it, I was going to go up there and

Marcus had given me a pep talk and said

that not that many people get it on their

first nomination. So if they don't say your

name, just try to find it within you to not

be disappointed. Because the fact that

you made it this far is insane.

AM: Yeah, it’s huge!

CHEF FA: Right so it’s my first nomination.

I just remember that they didn’t say

my name. I was like woah, I want that.

But I didn’t know that I wanted to win. I

thought – I mean my goal that I had written

down was – I wanted to be nominated.

But when they didn’t say my name,

it was a 2 second thing where I said, I do

want to win. Next year. Then afterwards,

the President of James Beard came up to

me and everyone was coming up to me

and everyone was shocked. They thought

that I really had this one. But they told me,

you know you’re going to be here many,

many, many more times.

AM: Exactly! And the dress you wore was

amazing!

CHEF FA: That was like full on from my

tribe! Because I did a little bit of it for Met

Gala with the headband. But then I wore

the full attire this time. That was part of

the speech too! I was like gosh, I have to

wear it every year now?

AM: Well, you set a little precedent for

yourself.

CHEF FA: I did! But that was really important

you know because I -

AM: Well representation!

CHEF FA: That’s the thing! I represent 4

voices in America – I’m Black, I’m a woman,

I’m Muslim, and I’m an immigrant. 4 of

the most underrepresented voices and I

think about that every day. I just can’t carry

myself like that – this stuff matters, you

know what I mean? People are paying attention

to me and I have to be very careful

about how I speak, what I say, and it’s

not all fun and games.

The reason why I was disappointed that

I didn’t get it is because we talk about so

much about how this is – I always talk

about how we need to give women of color

more opportunities in the kitchen. So

when I got the nomination, it wasn’t just

me, I was making a case and a point for

why more people of color should be nominated

in these things. Then when I didn’t

win I was like, gosh, did I let everybody

down? I don't know.

AM: No, not at all.

CHEF FA: I got us in the room.

AM: You got in the room and like you said,

you will have many more opportunities.

Do you envision having your own cookbook?

I know that you had a recipe that

was included in a cookbook.

CHEF FA: They are on my case every day!

AM: Haha I can imagine.

It’s definitely in the pipeline. It’s just a

matter of me finding the time.

AM: Last year, we had the pleasure of covering

the Food Network Wine Food Festival

and this year, you are going to be participating.

How excited are you to be part

of it, is this your first time?

CHEF FA: This is my first time!

Well I’m doing -

AM: I know that you have a sit down dinner

that you’re doing right?

CHEF FA: It’s a Hav & Mar X The Musket

Room Brunch with the Chefs from The

Musket Room. So that’s Mary Attea and

Camari Mick. How much more aligned

can we get? Like Camari is also killing it in

the game! So we got on the phone and we

came up with the menu in like 3 seconds

and we knew that this was going to be so

fun. But I think that that will be so powerful.

That should be fun so I’m excited.

I’m also doing the Blue Moon Burger

Bash: Champions vs. Challengers presented

by Pat LaFrieda and hosted by Rachael

Ray.

That is going to be fun, a little burger competition.

AM: We loved the spread of coverage and

the fact that you could to eat a number of

amazing dishes, connect with people we

have covered as well as to hang out with

the food community, it’s a good time.

I love that we’re living in a time right now

where people are understanding more

and want to get a better awareness of the

restaurant industry. That’s whether you’re

watching Chopped, Top Chef, or The Bear.

CHEF FA: Oh yeah

.

AM: I love The Bear!

On your IG, you’ve been talking about the

industry, explaining terms, and giving people

an inside scoop. Why do you also enjoy

sharing this aspect so that people are able

to know more about you, but also the industry?

CHEF FA: It was kind of a natural progression

from people developing an interest

from watching these programs. There are

all these Food Network shows, but it’s

not an insight into how restaurants are.

I think it was The Bear that started this

whole thing. People would start using

kitchen terms and be like, “how does the

pass work?” and I was like what? How did

you know about the pass? Where did you -

AM: Carmy said it!

CHEF FA: Exactly, Carmy said it. Oh my

gosh! But I am glad that if they’re going to

take any information from a show, it’s The

Bear because it’s 1000% accurate. Now obviously,

there are some Hollywood liberties

that they take so that it makes it more

dramatic or whatever. But it is a very accurate

representation of how restaurants

are. So, it came from people being so interested

and asking questions. Then on

my end too, it’s like it was such a huge

shift when the industry was shut down

during the pandemic and then opening

back up. I was like, people are going to be

nice. Right? Because we’re all struggling

collectively as humanity.

No, we would get people that were so

mean to our servers and just being super

mean, just like – beyond. So I thought, well

maybe if you give people insight into how

tough that it actually is to get the food to

your table, you’d be more grateful for this

experience.

AM: Tell me about Take Care of Home, why

you created it, and what does it do?

CHEF FA: So it’s a non-profit that I started

with my friends from Ethiopia. Education

has always been at the forefront of my

philanthropy work because my mom was

set in an arranged marriage when she was

16. So she had to drop out of school in the

8th grade and she was married and started

having kids at 16 and her only regret in

life was that she didn’t finish school. She

stressed that with us. She put all 6 of us

thorough private school. It was really important

to her. So it became important to

me. In Ethiopia, there is a huge gap where

in the capitol city, there are a number of

schools. But in rural parts of the country,

there aren’t actually that many schools

because the government only has the

funds to subsidize teacher’s salaries, but

there are no physical structures because

no one has the money to build these infrastructures.

So on paper, the schools exist,

but no one is going. You’re learning under

a shed and under crazy circumstances.

So we were like if this is what is going on

and all they need is funding to build the

schools, why don’t we do that? So we created

Take Care of Home just by the first

year was just asking our friends. We were

like, we could build a school with $20,000

US or $60,000 US depending on the size

of the school. The first year we raised

money just by asking our friends. Then

it becamea formal thing. We became a

non-profit, and we spent an entire year

raising money and we just built our 9th

school.

AM: Wow!

CHEF FA: We’ve been open for 7 years. We

have also expanded our initiatives as well.

The first school that we completed, we

always go back and visit. We noticed that

it was mostly boys that were attending

school, but not girls. So when we started

digging into that, we learned that in that

part of the country, girls don’t really get

to go to school because they have house

things that they have to do. Especially,

when it comes to getting water. None of

these homes have direct access to water

so the girls have to go to the river and it’s

not always close or nearby. So they can’t

go to school. So I said, what if we fix that

problem?

So we started a second initiative where

we build water pipe lines to the homes.

We started doing that and that freed the

girls to start going to school. So we are

learning as we go. We’re adding more initiatives

in addition to building schools.

AM: 9 is huge!

CHEF FA: 9 schools and I’m very proud of

it!

AM: Are there any upcoming projects that

we should know about that are on your

radar that you are comfortable in sharing

with us?

CHEF FA: Not really – obviously you know

that there are always talks like TV shows.

AM: How do you take time for yourself

when you’re not doing all of the things at

the restaurant or are on set for TV? How

do you reset especially with the amount of

hours you have for work?

CHEF FA: So my reset is if I do take 2 days

off like a human being, and I am doing this

next week, after I get off of work here, I

go straight to the airport, hop on a redeye,

to go be with my family for 36 hours

and then come right back. So I usually

catch the red eye coming back and I come

here straight to work. I’m usually suitcase

out and suitcase in. So my family is my reset.

AM: What do you want your legacy to be?

CHEF FA: See that’s an Oprah style question?

AM: Yes, she was my very first interview

when I was 12.

CHEF FA: No way. But it makes sense. I’m

not surprised!

Ok, what I want my legacy to be is the

Chef that changed the culture.

AM: Yeah!

CHEF FA: Anybody could make good food

honestly. I could give anybody the recipe

and they could carry it out. But to make

people feel seen and that they deserve to

be here the same way that Marcus made

me feel that I deserved to be here regardless

of your race, gender, ethnicity, sexual

orientation – none of that stuff matters

when you’re making food. None of that

stuff matters at all! But we have not created

that yet and I think that that is what

I have done with these guys. But I want it

to go beyond these 4 walls. This should be

how restaurants are run.

AM: 100%

CHEF FA: I’ve had these conversations

with Chefs and they’re like, nope – it would

never work. Like, if you want to make this

kind of food, this is how you have to run

the kitchens. Ok, but then why am I able

to make it work here? It’s happening here

now.

@cheffariyalabdul

@havandmar

INTEGRITY, EXCELLENCE, SUSTAINABILI-

TY COVER EDITORIAL | TEAM CREDITS

PHOTOGRAPHER Paul Farkas | FASHION

STYLIST Kimmie Smith | MUA Dru Coppin/

Felicia Graham Beauty Team | HAIR STYL-

IST Lea DeLoy |

@pvfarkas

@shes.kimmie

@drewbydru

@feliciagrahambeautyteam

@hairbyleadeloy

INTEGRITY, EXCELLENCE, SUSTAINABILI-

TY COVER EDITORIAL | CREDITS

NIGHT OUT LOOK FRONT COVER + PG

16, 34 - 43, + 62 | NORMA KAMALI Super

OS BF NK Shirt/Body/True Navy + Shirred

Mini Skirt/True Navy | LAGOS Long Superfine

Diamond Drop Earrings | MIGNON

FAGET Banana Leaf Cuff | GOLD STORIES

Rani Cuff Ring with Sapphire + Rani Cuff

Ring |

WFH LOOK BACK COVER + PG 18, 21 |

SCOTCH & SODA Printed Maxi Cotton

Voile Dress | PONO BY JOAN GOODMAN

Evelyn Necklace Starlight | LAGOS Blue

Ceramic Stainless Smart Caviar Watch,

18K Gold and Blue Ceramic Hoop Earrings,

Small Ceramic Dynamic Stacking Ring,

Ceramic Beaded Bracelet 9mm + Caviar

Skull Bracelet 9mm |

OUT & ABOUT LOOK I PG 22, 25 | TOM-

MY HILFIGER The Letterman Cardigan |

AIR AND ANCHOR Stainless Steel One of

A Kind Kinda Necklace Neutral /14K Gold

+ Center of the Universe Necklace Set |

GOLD STORIES Rani Cuff with Sapphire

+ Intertwined Bangle | PARKER THATCH

Cross Your Heart Sling - Leather Butterscotch

+ Adjustable Crossbody Strap -

Modernist |

OUT + ABOUT LOOK II PG 26, 29 | SCOTCH

AND SODA Shoet Trucker Jacket in Multi

Color Stripe + Relaxed Fit Cotton Linen

Chino Joggers | LNA CLOTHING Essential

Cotton Kaden V Neck | AIR AN ANCHOR

Stainless Steel One of A Kind Kinda Necklace

Neutral /14K Gold + Center of the Universe

Necklace Set | GOLD STORIES Rani

Cuff with Sapphire + Intertwined Bangle |

CONVERSE Chuck 70 Canvas |

FITNESS LOOK PG 30 - 32 | NORMA KA-

MALI Hologram Foil Mini MotoJacket +

Hologram Foil Cropped Leggings | MA-

CHINES FOR FREEDOM Foundations Bra

| HAMMITT Tony SML | GOOGLE Pixel

Watch 3 45mm | PONO BY JOAN GOOD-

MAN Colette Luce Bracelet | CARERRA

Super Champion Italian Style Pilot Sunglasses

| LAGOS Delicate 18K Gold Beaded

Bracelet 3mm, 18K Gold Superfine Caviar

Link Necklace + 18K Gold Karat Pendant |

ATHLETIC PROPULSION LABS TechLoom

Bliss |

Over the past few weeks, we have enjoyed

watching the Summer Games. We had the

pleasure of sitting down the day after with

Grant Holloway 2X Team USA Track & Field

Olympian (G1, S1) who runs the 100M Hurdles

after his Gold Medal winning race!

We wanted to know more about what he

loves about this particular sport, how he

trains, what it meant to be on Team USA

and to compete at Paris 2024, partnering

with P&G during the games and his collaboration

with David Perry Jewelry.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you realize

that you loved Track & Field?

GRANT HOLLOWAY: I realized that I loved

Track & Field probably around my Sophomore

year in college around 2018. I really

started developing a love/hate relationship

with the sport. I could go out to practice

and I could actually see what I was

doing and how that was transferring onto

track. I think it was 2018 when I started

realizing that I was loving the sport.

AM: Everyone has their specialty and yours

is the 110m Hurdles, what is that you love

about doing this?

GH: The 100M Hurdles is a sexy event, you

know? You have to be as fast as the fastest

man in the world, but you also have to

be as athletic as a Long Jumper and I think

that when you add those 2 things together,

that’s what makes a Hurdler so special.

I’ve really enjoyed doing the hurdles

obviously and everybody says that I am a

Sprinter that Hurdles so I like to take that

as a compliment because I could Sprint,

but I choose the Hurdles.

AM: What’s an average week like training

for this and what are 3 workouts that we

should think about including into all of our

routines?

GH: Throughout the week, it kind of depends

on the phase! Obviously, we’re at

the Olympic Games so it was a lot of resting

and recovery throughout the week.

3 workouts that I did while I was here was

something called Jog & Stride. You’re

literally on a track, it’s 400m. You have

2 turns and 2 straights. So I would jog

the turns and walk the straights for

about a mile which is 4 laps.

Another workout I did was over 7 hurdles

and just kind of getting into that

race model. I don’t advise anybody to

do that unless you’re an actual professional

Hurdler. But that is another one

that I did!

Then I also did something called a Rest

Day. It’s where you step away from

Track & Field and you turn the switch

off. It allows you to actually get away

from it. I think that when we’re always

on go for Hurdling and not even just on

Hurdling, but for anything in general

– you don’t really get the full benefit.

So when you are able to step away and

to recharge, and to come back to it, I

think that you have better results.

AM: I love watching races that include

Hurdles and we have memories of gym

class where we had such anxiety when

it came to having to do them in our sessions.

What are 3 tips that you have in

maintaining your speed while jumping

hurdles?

GH: Maintaining speed is definitely the

key component when it comes to hurdling

so that is something that I still

struggle with to this day. If you just

kind of do Rhythm Runs – you start at

the 100m and you run all the way down

to the finish line, you want to be able

to keep the same rhythm from when

you started the race to the end of the

race. So I think that that is something

that you can do as a Hurdler. You have

to have some kind of rhythm so once

you do that a couple of times, add the

hurdles in and just put them on the regular

marks and then honestly, just do

dry runs on the event. Not going too

fast and yet not going too slow at the

same time. It’s about doing it so that

you feel the rhythm of the race and

you know what it feels like. Obviously,

towards the end, you want to be able to

finish. Anything that comes to endurance

– if you have to run a mile or do anything

to get it under your belt, you have to do

it so that you have that endurance to be

able to sprint 110M!

AM: What did it mean to you to be on Team

USA for the Paris 2024 Summer Games?

GH: It meant the world to me to be on

Team USA. It’s the hardest team to make

out of all of the teams and all of the countries

here. Team USA is definitely the hardest

one. So, I just wanted to really take

pride as the #1 Hurdler not only in the US,

but in the world. I just wanted to show everybody

how hard it is and it’s not every

day that you can have a Hurdler come out

to be a US Champ as well as you know, an

Olympic Champ! So for me, I think that

that is the true meaning of being a Champion.

I’m looking forward to just be able

to continue to do that.

AM: What’s it like being in the Olympic Village?

GH: Being in the Olympic Village, it’s nice!

Obviously, there are so many amenities

that you can use! P&G has a Salon where

everybody can go in and look their best

for Game Day. I think that that is always

a huge tip to somebody’s success. They

always say that when you look good, you

feel good and when you feel good, you

run good! And when you run good, they

pay good as Deion Sanders says! I just

think that It’s always cool and that’s the

best thing about The Village, that you can

go somewhere, and you can be able to

look your best before a run and the biggest

moment in your life!

AM: You received the Silver medal in the

Summer Games at Tokyo 2020 and we had

the pleasure to see you at the Summer

Games of Paris 2024. What does it mean to

you to be a 2X Olympian and to win Gold?

GH: Yeah, to be a 2X Olympian and to win

Gold this time, means the world to me! 3

years ago, I was a little bit immature and

inexperienced in the event and I didn’t

exactly understand what the event

took to be a true Champion. I have done

it once, but I didn’t do it multiple times.

To be an Olympic Champion now and

to run a sub 13 performance and to tie

one of my mentors and greats, Allen

Johnson (G1) in this event, I think that it

is always a true humbling feeling.

AM: Do you have any routines that you

do ahead of your event to get energized?

GH: Before the meets, it’s just a lot of

preparation. It’s just like before you

make dinner, you have to prepare the

food regardless of whether you’re

making tacos or spaghetti. You have

to be able to prep the food, so that’s

the same thing that I do as a Hurdler.

I always try to prep my body, give it

the good treatment, get a good night’s

rest, and then do everything that I need

to do in order to succeed the next day.

AM: Besides winning Gold, what did you

love about being at these games?

GH: Being at these Games, it was

great! To be in the Olympic Village,

I think that it’s really cool to see other

athletes from other countries and

different backgrounds. Not just Team

USA being in one corner, but you see

Great Britain, you see Nigeria, you see

Botswana – you see all of the different

cultures mingling together. I think that

that is always a really cool experience.

Especially when you get to trade pins.

To be able to trade USA pins and to

get something in return, you’re able to

show your family that you have this pin

from this country and you never know

who you may run into – a friend, relative

and you can give them that pin and

say that you were thinking about them

in this moment.

AM: Will you be at Closing Ceremonies?

GH: Closing Ceremonies is definitely

on the ballot just to say that I did it. I

did the Opening Ceremonies and it was

long, but one thing about me is that I want

to be able to say that I did exactly what I

wanted to do and even if I don’t do it in

LA 2028 or ever again, I can tell my friends

and family that I was able to do it an Opening

and Closing Ceremony at least once!

AM: Do you have anything coming up that

you would like to share with us that we

can keep an eye out for?

GH: What’s next for me is that right now

I am prepping for a charity match. I’m

getting ready to raise as much money as

I can for my charity, the Grant Holloway

Foundation to feed less fortunate families

in need during the holiday season. That’s

Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year’s as

well as sending some back-to-school supplies.

I really take huge pride in my charity

and how we are able to do it. Last year

we were able to raise $32,000 in the first

year from Aug. to Oct. So that was about

2.5 months give or take so now we’re

full blown! We have done pre-sales and

we were already sold out some and now

we’re tagging on a poker tournament the

day before and on top of that we have

some big donors this year that makes me

so so excited. So I’m just looking forward

to raising some money for some families

and hopefully soon we will be able to have

a scholarship every year.

AM: You partnered with P&G for the Olympic

Games in Paris 2024. Why did you want

to partner with them and why is it important

to have grooming products that can

give you confidence and make you feel

great?

GH: Yeah, I partnered with P&G this year

for all of those reasons. P&G has the

love and the drive that is the same as an

Olympic athlete. So why not partner with

somebody that has likeminded ideas as

you do? P&G knows that on Game Day

that you want to look your best. Using

Gillette Labs is important as well as the

Old Spice products that they supply. You

know, when we got into The Village, we

were blessed with at least Team USA was,

with P&G bags that just had goodies in it -

from air fresheners to toiletry items.

All in all, P&G does a great job of just

really preparing us for Game Day. They

know that it takes a lot off the track

essentially to get ready.

AM: You’re know as an athlete that

rocks his drip with some phenomenal

pieces with David Perry Jewelry and

you have your Grant Holloway Collection

with this brand which has been

doing so well! What do you love about

wearing these statement pieces?

GH: David Perry and I work hand in

hand together! To have his pieces

come together and to really show my

storyline with the origin of how David

Perry and I met, it was spur of the moment.

Both of us were talking and I did

a photoshoot and one of his friends

was like this is a jewelry company and

you should wear one of the pieces. I

reached out to him and thanked him

for letting me wear one of his pieces

and then we created a line that was

just for this Olympic experience! We

took some time before the Opening

Ceremony before everything got going

and we actually launched it here in

Paris. It’s becoming world wide now

and we as a team, we definitely enjoyed

to do and it is just the beginning

and I can’t wait to do a couple of more

lines with him.

@flaamingoo_

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 66 NBC

News | PG 68 P&G | PG 71 Grant Holloway

| PG 71 Illgander |

At the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games, Climbing

made it's Olympic debut and it returned

at Paris 2024. We caught up with

Natalia Grossman who competed in her

first Olympic Games with Team USA in this

sport! We wanted to know more about the

sport, her specialty of Bouldering, how her

career has been going as she went pro in

2019, where she enjoys climbing around

the world, what it means to be an Olympian

and to be in the Olympic Village. We

also wanted to know about what self-care

means to her as well as to partner with

Olay.

ATHLEISURE MAG: What is your first memory

of climbing?

NATALIA GROSSMAN: I think that my first

memory is just walking into the climbing

gym and I still remember it pretty vividly.

Just, being in awe of how tall the walls

looked and all of the bright colors. I was

just very drawn to it.

AM: When did you realize that you wanted

to climb professionally?

NG: Probably pretty late in life honestly.

It’s pretty hard to be a professional climber.

I feel like there is just a handful of us

in the US who make a living off of it. So

I’m very grateful to be able to do that. It

probably didn’t occur until my first success

in 2021 on the World Cup scene that I

realized that this could be my job.

AM: How does one train to become a

climber professionally?

NG: It’s just like any other sport! You have

to dedicate a lot of time, commit to it, and

be dedicated. I wouldn’t say that it is anything

crazy! Climbing is the best way to be

a climber!

AM: We have had the pleasure of talking to

an array of athletes across various sports.

So when we talk to those that swim, fence,

or surf they have a specialty that they do

like swimmers who only do backstroke. Is

there a specialty in climbing that you do

and can you tell us more about that?

NG: So we have 3 different disciplines

in climbing. I partake in 2 of them. I’d

say that I am best in Boudlering so

that’s my specialty, but there are 100s

of moves within Boudlering. I’d like to

think that I am a pretty well rounded

climber, but Bouldering is definitely

my favorite discipline. (Editor’s Note:

Climbing consists of Speed, Bouldering,

and Lead. Speed Climbing is one

of form of indoor rock climbing where

athletes compete for the fastest time to

the top of the climbing wall. Bouldering

Climbing is a form of free climbing that

is performed on small rock formations

of artificial rock walls without the use

of ropes or harness. Lead Climbing involves

attempting to climb as high as an

athlete can on a wall measuring more

than 15m in height within 6 mins.)

AM: Climbing is obviously a total body

workout for training. But is there anything

else that you do besides climbing

to optimize you in the sport?

NG: Honestly, not too much. We do

off the wall weight training, lots of PT

stuff, rehab, maintenance like body

work and massage work. We do dry

needling (Editor’s Note: A treatment

that uses thin needles to stimulate and

break up muscle tissue knots to help

with pain and movement issues), ice

baths, and saunas.

AM: You have climbed all over the

world! Do you have 3 favorite spots that

you like to climb?

NG: I guess with climbing, there is outdoor

climbing, but there is also indoor

competitions. Or sometimes competitions

that are outside, but they are on

an artificial wall. I’d say that my favorite

place to climb on real rocks is Rocky

Mountain National Park in Colorado,

and my 2 favorite spots that I like to

climb that are indoors is Innsbruck,

Austria is the Kletterzentrum Innsbruck

which is the largest gym in the

world! It’s awesome and has 60,000

square feet of climbing surface. Anoth-

er place would probably be Arco, Italy. I

have lots of memories there and I love the

little town there.

AM: When you realized that you would be

going to Paris for Team USA, what did that

mean to you?

NG: Yeah, I qualified back in Nov. and it

was just such a special moment to have all

of the work that I have done to pay off. It

has been such a goal of mine to be here.

AM: Are you staying in the Olympic Village

and if so, have you met any athletes that

are on your bucket list or have you tried

the Chocolate Muffins that everyone is raving

about?

NG: I am staying in The Village and I have

met a couple of other athletes as I have

tried not to fan girl too much! I was pretty

siked to meet Noah Lyles (Team USA

Track & Field G1, B2) and that was pretty

cool. Yes, I have had the muffins every day

and I guess this would be day 5!

AM: In 2021, you became the World Champion

which had not been done by an American

climber in 20 years, and you did this

very early on in your pro career which is

quite an accomplishment. Your mantra is

Smile and Fight. What does that mean to

you?

NG: I mean, 2021 was kind of crazy! I feel

like it kind of came out of nowhere and to

me, just smiling and fighting through every

moment, through every competition,

kind of became my trademark and it’s just

something that my coach came up with

and I always want to enjoy what I am doing.

So if I am enjoying it, I am going to

smile and I always want to give my best

effort so I will keep fighting!

AM: What the next tournament or competition

that we should keep an eye out for?

NG: I’ll be competing next most likely in

the IFSC Climbing World Cup Prague 2024

which is in late Sept. as well as the IFSC

World Cup Seoul 2024 which is in early

Oct.

AM: You have partnered with Olay

which is the Official Facial Cleanser of

Team USA, why is this partnership important

and synergistic to you?

NG: I think that skincare and coming up

with a routine is very important and I

am someone that thrives off of routine

and I love routine! So being able to use

the cleansing melts, the moisturizers as

an everyday routine that I can do when

I travel or when I am home, it gives me

that sense of consistency.

AM: We feel that when we do our beauty

routines, it’s a great way to start and

end our day in terms of self-care. What

does self-care mean to you and why is it

so important?

NG: I think that self-care can mean lots

of things and physically being able to

do the things that make you feel good

and takes care of your body, but also

it’s about taking care of your mind. You

need to feel your emotions and have

people that you can talk to and not hiding

what you’re really feeling.

AM: Your biggest tool is your hands

we’re sure. Are there specific things

that you do to keep them ready for your

next climb?

NG: I mean, I use gloves whenever I apply

products on my body and I will use

chalk when I am climbing to make sure

that they are dry.

@natalia_grossman

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 78 Daniel

Milchev/Red Bull Content Pool | PG

80 Erich Spiess/ASP/Red Bull Content

Pool G | PG 83 Olay |

We're always looking to add that next

great restaurant to our list and when

we're in London next, we have 2 Michelin-starred

A. Wong as one of our stops!

We took some time to chat with Chef Andrew

Wong to talk about his passion for

food, his culinary background, what led

to him launching this restaurant and what

we should have in mind when we come in

for an epic meal. We also talk about what

he does outside of the restaurant.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you first fall

in love with cooking?

CHEF ANDREW WONG: I grew up in my

parents' restaurant, and cooking wasn't

something I was interested in. I went to

university to have fun and escape work

for a while, but I was drawn back in. It was

when I decided to learn how to cook and

enrolled in culinary college that I became

more engaged with the whole thing and

saw it as something I could make a go of.

AM: What was the moment that you realized

that you wanted to be a chef?

CHEF AW: After graduating from culinary

college, I travelled through China on a

working tour to learn more about the roots

of Chinese cuisine. This was eye-opening,

as I discovered the vast regional differences

in cuisine and understood the cultural

context and history behind dishes and

techniques. Once returning to London, I

continued learning and researching Chinese

cuisine, where it all began.

AM: What was your culinary background

in terms of what led you to going to culinary

school as well as kitchens you trained

in?

CHEF AW: When I was younger, my parents

ran a Chinese restaurant called Kym’s.

It was an old-school Cantonese restaurant

and takeaway, filled with brightly coloured

sauces, dragons, and everything

you would imagine an eighties Chinese

takeaway to be. I worked in their kitchen

as a teenager but always said I would never

want to be a chef.

When my father passed away, I needed

to step up and help my Mum run

the family business. Over time, I became

more interested in the history

of Chinese cuisine. I spent some time

travelling around China and perfected

and honed my new skills before deciding

to close Kym’s and open A Wong.

AM: You launched A. Wong in 2012, why

did you want to open this restaurant

and what was your approach to the

menu?

CHEF AW: My parents had been running

their restaurant on that site since

the 1980s. The restaurant had sentimental

value and a good location in

Victoria. There was no reason to open

anywhere else, and I’m pleased we

didn’t.

Our approach at A.Wong is to celebrate

Chinese culture, craft, history, and

techniques. Over time, the menu and

cuisine have become more personal. I

would describe it as ‘A.Wong cuisine.'

This reflects my heritage, our exploration,

and how we approach dishes.

The menu celebrates techniques,

some very old and some more modern.

We draw on the vast array of ingredients

from the Chinese kitchen—

fermented, dried, and salty—with

vegetables, seafood, and meat to create

a balanced and harmonious dining

experience.

AM: Tell us about the ambiance of your

restaurant and what guests can expect

when enjoying their meal here.

CHEF AW: Fun, unpretentious, explorative,

inquisitive, researched, and a

celebration of culture, still keeping up

with modern ways while keeping our

techniques and cooking methods traditional.

AM: For lunch, what are 3 Dim Sums

that you suggest that we should have

in mind when we come in?

CHEF AW: Black Pepper Beef wispy pastry

with tamarind and dried shrimp caramel,

Rabbit and Carrot Glutinous Puff &

Bamboo Pole Noodles with King crab and

Spring Onion Oil.

AM: What is the Touch of the Heart menu

and what are 3 items from this menu that

we should try?

CHEF AW: Touch of the Heart menu is

our lunch menu, which still offers guests

a beautiful journey across the borders of

China. I think every item on the menu has

its own story to tell, but the three I would

pick would be the 999 Layered Scallop Puff

with XO Oil, Steamed Duck Yolk Custard

bun, and Memories of Peking Duck.

AM: For dinner, walk us through The Collections

of China menu that we can have

for dinner.

CHEF AW: The concept behind it came

from when I was travelling. I read and

spoke with many people about Chinese

cuisine, but experiencing the diversity of

flavours first-hand is very different.

I wanted to give our guests an insight

into these diverse, regional flavour profiles,

from flash-frying to steaming carbohydrate

menus, the amount of pickle,

preservatives, and the type of fermented

product. All these things are integral parts

of a region's identity and its role in China

as a whole.

AM: Tell us about your beverage program.

CHEF AW: At A. Wong, we offer close to

over 350 different labels and vintages,

including both new world and old-world

wines. Veering away from traditional service,

the interactive wine program, at A.

Wong is centered around the concept of

'adventure and personal exploration.' Our

sommelier team encourages the guests

to sample a wider selection of wines by

exploring lesser-known wines and understanding

the flavour profiles of wellknown

old wines. To create contrast and

adventure, our beverage pairings at lunch

and dinner are served as multiple

flights, and include craft beers, Chinese

teas and vinegars alongside the

wines. We want guests to play and

enjoy the wines within a collection of

dishes, and discover for themselves

what they enjoy.

AM: What is the Forbidden City Bar

and are there cocktails that are offered

here that are specific to this portion of

the restaurant?

CHEF AW: The Forbidden City Bar

serves as a venue for enjoying intimate

moments with your loved ones, where

we serve classic signature cocktails

and our own Forbidden City cocktails.

Enjoy your pre-meal and post-meal

drinks. The bar also welcomes non-diners.

The most signature cocktail available

at A.Wong is the Peking Duck Old Fashioned,

which is made of Johnnie Walker

Whiskey infused with traditional

Peking duck fat and roasting spices,

hoisin syrup, and Angostura.

AM: As someone with an Anthropological

background, how has that inspired

the foods and the ingredients that you

use?

CHEF AW: I’ve been working with Dr

Mukta Das for about five years now.

It’s a real privilege and one I don’t take

lightly. We introspectively look at the

cuisine in terms of flavour, technique,

balance, and cultural etiquette. I think

all of this – taste, cultural, and social,

affects our perception of the dining

experience and taste.

Mukta’s approach is from a historical

point of view, looking at all sorts of

economic and social aspects behind

whatever dish we are researching. I

look at it from a chef’s perspective,

what it will taste like, what the texture

would be, and how I can logistically

make this happen.

We do a lot of research to ensure that

the base flavour profiles are nearly identical

to historical and technical Chinese

techniques. But at the same time, I like to

think that our food is quite explorative, in

the sense that we don’t specify that our

food comes from a particular region or

style. I want people to take an interest in

the flavours of a dish. I want to try and

encourage people to go out and explore

other Chinese restaurants that they may

not have done before. This opens us up to

criticism, but if what we are serving isn’t

deemed “authentic,” that’s ok because

it’s not supposed to be.

AM: Can you tell us what SOAS is and how it

has influenced your restaurant? What does

it mean to become an Official Research Associate

there for the Food Studies Centre?

CHEF AW: SOAS is the School of Oriental

and Asian Studies, a university in London.

I’ve worked with them before, and becoming

a research associate means they support

my endeavour to learn more about

food and the cultural discourse around it.

It means I interact with food as a cultural

phenomenon. For me, the idea of humans

as social beings is essential. This means

when you talk about running a restaurant,

it's not purely about the food. It's also

about how humans interact in a space,

with each other and with the experience.

It's an understanding we are social beings,

and we like to communicate. We want to

taste, see, and touch, which is very important

for a restaurant. Restaurants are

not just purely about food, interaction

with the space and concept are integral.

Food is not just flavour; it is an expression

of history, location, ingredients and choices.

AM: You received your first Michelin star

in 2015 and you received another recognition

in Jan 2021 with a second Michelin star

making A. Wong the first Chinese restaurant

outside of Asia to achieve this. What

does this mean to you?

CHEF AW: The first Michelin star was

for my team at A. Wong, they all work

incredibly hard, and to be recognised

was wonderful. Receiving the second

star was an extraordinary moment

for us at A. Wong. It was a significant

achievement for me personally and

Chinese restaurants globally. It was for

our community, our forefathers. I am

just a tiny part of the thousands and

thousands of restaurants that have

come before us. It's good to see that

a global brand like Michelin broadens

and represents multiple cultures and

cuisines.

@awongsw1

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 92 , 96 +

99 James Gilles | PG 95 Jutta Klee |

It's always great to circle back to our faves

and in this month's issue we sit down with

Alysia Reiner who was our cover for our

JUN ISSUE #18 in 2017 where we talked

with her about Netflix's Orange is the New

Black and we also chatted with her in our

JUN ISSUE #78 in 2022 talking about Ms.

Marvel ahead of the show dropping on Disney+

as well as becoming a volunteer fire

fighter!

This month, we find out what she has been

up to from joining the cast of Netflix's DIP-

LOMAT (which we loved the 1st season), to

additional shows we can look out for, how

she is staying in shape, traveling, and of

course, sharing some of her must-haves

with us in terms of sustainable style!

ATHLEISURE MAG: It's always fun catching

up with you to find out what you were

working on. Last time we talked, it was

ahead of Ms. Marvel and you were in Shining

Vale! Are there any projects coming

up that you're able to share with us that

we can see you in or keep an eye out for

whether it's on the stage, in front of the

camera or behind it?

ALYSIA REINER: I’m currently filming the

Netflix show THE DIPLOMAT, season 2

comes out Oct 31st! I am also now filming

a new independent film called OUR

BODIES & OTHER SHAMES, and a film I did

called GOING PLACES will be in theaters in

the Fall. Also look for the short I made WE

SHOULD EAT on the festival circuit!

AM: This year has definitely been interesting!

We had an earthquake here in NY,

an eclipse, some of us saw the Northern

Lights, and we're only halfway through

the summer. What have you been up to

this summer?

AR: Its a wild world right?? I have been

filming in London playing secret service

(shhhhh), on fun adventures in Amsterdam

and Paris, and relaxing and on duty

as a volunteer fire fighter (yes really!) in

Fire Island.

AM: You have always been one that

enjoys a good workout! This summer,

what have been some of your favorite

studios that you have been working

out at?

AR: I always love RUMBLE IN NYC,

and tried RUMBLE in the UK which is

a HIIT gym I loved! I also went to Camden

Boxing in the UK. AARMY is my

go to for cycle both in person and online

when I am away - I LOVE AKIN so

very much as a human and coach - he is

magic - the perfect balance of pushing

us all to greatness - but with KINDNESS

and LOVE.

Here in Fire Island I also train and do

BOOTCAMP with Jim - a former marine

who kills us!

I just got the META QUEST for workouts

with FITXR and cannot wait to try

it! I hear such great things!

AM: Do you have any foods or drinks

that you like to incorporate into your

workouts whether it's for energy or recovery?

AR: YES YES YES! I love to make my

own protein smoothies - I keep it very

simple but delicious - people say it

tastes like ice cream but super clean

and sugar free!!!

I LOVE MY SODA STREAM and to add

yummy/healthy drops to it - my favs

right now are JING and PURE INVEN-

TIONS - both sugar free, zero calories,

no chemicals and lots of amazing

health benefits from vitamins, electrolytes

and adaptogenic mushrooms!

When I am out & about I love a GOR-

GIE or COVE soda, both zero sugar,

zero artificial junk and so yum.

MORTAL HYDRATION, CURE, as well

as PURE BOOST are my favorite energy/electrolyte

packs to throw in my

purse or carry on bag for travel - all

have yummy and fun flavors - again no

crap and lots of health/hydration benefits!

I come from a family of diabetes, so I

have to be super careful with sugar -

My favorite protein bars are MISFITS

and N!CKS - both super low sugar, high

protein and taste like CANDY!! NIcks

also makes THE BEST (healthy!!) ICE

CREAM ON THE PLANET.

AM: What do you do in terms of stretching

or relaxing your muscles post workout?

AR: The #1 thing I do is meditation -

changes my life daily - so helps me not

hold stress in my body. And here is a

special discount link to MY ABSOLUTE

FAVORITE MEDITATION APP - it is THE

BEST !!! I also love YOGA WITH KAS-

SANDRA ( free on you tube!), and I try

to roll on a roller every night before

bed (and also use my red light face

mask at the same time - multitasker)

AM: In the next few weeks, we have

Fashion Week coming up and you're

known for rocking sustainable brands.

Are there 3 designers that we should

have our eye out for?

AR: I am still mourning Mara Hoffman

closing her doors - she is so incredible,

a real game changer in Sustainable

fashion. I love love love Gabriela

Hearst, and I just found Lauren Altman

Studio - all repurposed & up cycled and

hand painted - I get more compliments

on her dress than anything I have ever

worn! Check out https://www.instagram.com/remakeourworld

for more

truth about sustainable fashion!!

@alysiareiner

CREDITS | PG 104 PHOTOGRAPHY Laurie

Bailey MUA Nova Kaplan | PG 106

PHOTOGRAPHY Anthony Rhoades

MUA Brian Dean HAIR Damian Monzillo

|

THE ART OF

THE SNACK:

JÔNT + ÔMO

BY JÔNT

This month, The Art of the Snack takes us

to 2 MICHELIN-starred Jônt (DC) and Ômo

by Jônt (Winter Park, FL) for decadent

meals that we can't wait to enjoy when

visiting either of these cities. We sat down

with Chef Ryan Ratino who is the founder

of Hive Hospitality and is the recipient of

Michelin Guide's 2023 Young Chef Award.

We wanted to know more about his culinary

background, the thought behind both

of these restaurants, and what we can expect

when we come in to enjoy these luxury

dining experiences!

ATHLEISURE MAG: What was the first dish

that made you realize you love food?

CHEF RYAN RATINO: I think as a kid eating

pierogies or stuffed cabbage is one of my

favorite memories and led me to my passion

for eating and food!


to be a chef?

CHEF RR: I actually never thought that

you could be a chef growing up where I

did. My mother was the one to push me

as a teenager when she noticed my passion

for cooking.

AM: Can you tell us about where you

trained and kitchens that you trained in?

CHEF RR: I’ve worked in various kitchens

including places like Caviar Russe, WD 50,

Todd English's Bluezoo, Ripple (DC) - and

I staged in my younger years during my

career at places like minibar, Dovetail and

various other MICHELIN-starred restaurants

that are recognized nationally.


to open your own restaurants?

CHEF RR: When the last place I worked at

as the Executive Chef decided to close,

I realized that I had the chance to do

something on my own and create a place

(or places) that are a culmination of the

restaurant experiences that I have had

the opportunity to partake in.

AM: Tell me about Hive Hospitality.

CHEF RR: Hive Hospitality is a brand that

focuses on service at its finest level; creating

memorable dining through generosity.

Our team personalizes each diner's

experience - we want to be a leader

in contemporary experiential hospitality

that promotes fun and resonance - without

losing refinement.

AM: Starting with Jônt, tell me about the

ambiance of this restaurant and why you

wanted to open this in DC?

CHEF RR: DC is my home base; and where

we were able to plant our roots. It was

natural with the support that Bresca

had received to want to build Jônt in the

same city.

Jônt is a multi-room dining experience

where we focus on Japanese seafood

with techniques founded in the french

kitchen and open fire cooking. The

room is relaxed and plays vibrant music

while guests are about twelve feet from

the pass, where dishes are plated, at all

times.

The opportunity offers each guest a

front seat to watch our team prepare a

meal for 2 hours, before moving into the

pastry parlor and parting in a similar but

even more relaxed environment.

AM: We love a tasting menu. Why did

you decide that Jônt would have a tasting

menu and how many courses does it

include?

CHEF RR: With Bresca being down stairs

and a la carte we wanted to create a

restaurant that gave us the opportunity

to really "geek out "on food and create a

long menu of creative bites. The current

offering is about 27 preparations from

the kitchen this includes snacks, all the

way to mignardises!

AM: What is the cuisine that is available

at Jônt?

CHEF RR: Jônt offers a cuisine inspired by

the seafood of japan and our foundational

techniques of french cooking & wood

fire. We offer a lot of seafood and 1-2 meat

courses depending on the menu.

AM: Can you tell us about what kinds of

things that are part of the tasting menu

during the Summer?

CHEF RR: Stuffed Quail with Apricot and

Rice, Crudo of Onagadai with fermented

rice and cucumber, Ebodai and caviar tart,

Tomato with shiro dashi and yuba, Japanese

Matsutake in venison brodo (this just

started, Beltfish in a whey emulsion with

koji onions and caviar, White Peach with

Wakamomo and Thai basil).

AM: Can you also pair alcohol with your

meal that correlates to the dishes that are

being served?

CHEF RR: Jont offers 3 beverage pairings.

2 of which are wine and one is non-alcoholic.

AM: What can guests look forward to in

terms of the fall?

CHEF RR: As the fall starts to come into

season we will continue on the path of

Matsutake mushrooms, chestnuts, and

some game meats will join the menu as

well as fattier ocean creatures like Buri,

Tuna, Shellfish.

AM: Jônt has 2 MICHELIN-stars - what does

that mean to you?

CHEF RR: To me, it means we still have a

ways to go in order to stand next to the

best at the 3 star level. I cherish the 2

stars, but am motivated by them as well

in order to make sure we know we can

keep improving daily, as we still have not

achieved the pinnacle of fine dining.

AM: What led you to want to open Ômo

by Jônt and to have it in Winter Park in Orlando?

This concept is also a tasting menu but

seems to have an interesting flow, and

allows guests to move through 3 unique

dining experiences - the Living Room, the

Savory Counter, and Pastry Parlor - can

you tell me more about these experiences

and the kinds of dishes that are associated

with it?

CHEF RR: Ômo has a similar ethos to

Jônt. The space is created to take you

through an experience where you start

with snacks and champagne in the living

room, move onto savory plated courses

in the main counter, then finish with

desserts in the pastry parlor - while listening

to great music and engaging with

the team throughout!

Dishes on the current menu…..

• Soba and roasted tomato with prawn

• Sweet corn chawanmushi with Hokkaido

sea urchin

• Hokkaido Scallop with Artichoke Dashi

& Tempura squash blossom stuffed with

scallop mousse

• Dungeness Crab Rice cooked En Donabe

• Yellow Peach and Almond Tart with

Peach “bomb” & Cookie

• Hazelnut and Kinako Kakigori

AM: You also received the Michelin

Guide's 2024 Young Chef Award, what

did that mean to you?

Are there any upcoming events that either

Jônt or Ômo by Jônt will be involved

in that we should keep an eye out for?

CHEF RR: There are so many events- and

we are excited to work with some of

our exclusive partners! Ômo By Jônt will

host several dinners- one with IWA Sake

on September 15th with Richard Geoffroy

(formerly of Dom Perignon), and an

October 10th event with the prestigious

Hundred Acre Wine Vineyard.

At Jônt, since we are a Krug Ambassade

- we are hosting The Maison on November

11th, which is an annual celebration;

as well as a couple of chef collaboration

events (check out our website and Instagram

to see more)

The Young Chef award, for me, was a testament

to each team - and the professional

people that we have surrounded ourselves

with - both teams at Ômo by Jônt

and Jônt are world class, and deserve all

the recognition that can be shined on

them. Dedication and hard work is something

in today's world that can be continued

to thrive off of.

@r_ratino

@jont_dc

@omobyjont

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT | Jônt and Ômo

by Jônt

We always enjoy an elevated dining experience

from some of our favorite and soon

to be favorite restaurants. When you have

the opportunity to enjoy a restaurant outside

of its normal setting, that takes the

experience to another level. We sat down

with Chef Andrew Ayala who is the Executive

Chef of Le Jardinier a Michelin starred

restaurant. We wanted to know more

about his culinary background, restaurants

he trained in, how he came to this

restaurant, what Le Jardinier is like when

you're dining there, and dishes we need to

keep in mind.

In addition to the restaurant, we wanted

to know more about his participation in

Outstanding In The Field which takes place

in a number of cities around the world by

pairing sustainability, fine dining, and philanthropic

partnerships/initiatives. These

dinners are outside with no walls or borders

that are indicative of a traditional

restaurant space. The latest one will take

place on Aug 29th on Governors Island

where Chef Andrew Ayala along with his

Pastry Chef Salvatore Martone at Le Jardinier.

This meal will take place outdoors

with an anticipated attendance of 150

people. Guests will enjoy a cocktail party

followed by a multicourse meal. They will

also get to know more about the host for

this night's event, Billion Oyster Project.

We wanted to know more about how Chef

Andrew Ayala connected with the team,

why he enjoys participating and why this

event is so important. We're also excited

to enjoy this phenomenal meal to see the

culinary meets sustainable initiative come

together.

ATHLEISURE MAG: What was the first dish

that you ate that you realized that you fell

in love with food?

CHEF ANDREW AYALA: Thanks to my

mom, I ate countless amazing things as

a child, but I didn’t realize it at the time.

When I was a bit older, I went on a trip

with my parents to Mazatlan, Mexico

during summer vacation. There, I had my

first ‘Machaca” – a dried salty beef that is

popular in the north that is paired with

eggs for breakfast or other dishes. I remember

this dish was when I became

conscious of pairing salty, sweet, and

sour and balancing a meal. That experience

was really impactful for my love of

cooking.


to be a chef?

CHEF AA: I was introduced to the

world of food and cooking from a very

young age by my mother, who worked

as a butcher for over 35 years. In high

school, I began cooking at a small local

restaurant, where I started learning the

ropes of restaurant operations. Once I

completed high school, I enrolled in audio

engineering school, but I quickly realized

that it did not fulfill my passions

the way the restaurant world once did. I

made the decision to leave engineering

and enroll in Le Cordon Bleu.

AM: Where did you train and what have

been kitchens that you have worked in?

CHEF AA: I trained at Le Cordon Bleu

California Culinary Academy in San Francisco,

where I was born and raised. Prior

to joining The Bastion Collection in 2017,

I worked at Restaurant DANIEL and Per

Se, both located in New York City. Before

moving to NYC, I worked at a number

of restaurants on the West Coast

including Chez TJ, Campton Place, and

the restaurants within the Ritz Carlton

in Half Moon Bay.

AM: Tell us about the Bastion Collection

which you joined in 2017 and why did you

want to join this restaurant group?

CHEF AA: The Bastion Collection is an

international restaurant group that has

been awarded a total of nine Michelin

Stars since 2019. Our team consists of

award-winning culinary experts that operate

a variety of concepts including Bar

Bastion and Le Jardinier in New York;

Le Jardinier and L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon

in Miami; Le Jardinier, Tavola and

Leonelli in Houston; Le Jardinier, L’Atelier

de Joël Robuchon, Stettler & Castrischer

and Le Comptoir in Geneva.

In 2017, I joined The Bastion Collection because

I was so impressed by the group's

dedication to excellence and innovation

within the culinary industry. I also knew

that joining the Bastion Collection would

mean working alongside and being mentored

by the group’s Culinary Director,

Chef Alain Verzeroli, who continuously

sets the standard for outstanding leadership

and has taught me so much since

I started.

AM: You are a founding member of the Michelin-starred

L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon

and became Chef de Cuisine in 2019 at Le

Jardinier and shortly after, gained a Michelin

star only 5 months after opening!

What does it mean to you to be a Michelin

starred chef?

CHEF AA: I feel thrilled that Le Jardinier

has continuously been honored with such

a prestigious accolade, it’s certainly an

accomplishment and privilege that every

chef dreams about. We have been awarded

a Michelin Star for every year we have

been open. Of course, it could not have

been done without the sheer talent and

work ethic of our entire team. As a leading

member of the team, it has been a rewarding

experience to reflect on my career

as a chef and become a mentor for

my own team.

AM: Tell us about the restaurant and what

guests can expect when they come in to

dine?

CHEF AA: Le Jardinier is a culinary experience

that celebrates French culinary technique,

and is shaped by fresh seasonal

offerings and impeccable fine dining service.

Every plate featured on our menu celebrates

the seasons and is complemented

by our extraordinary dessert and pastry

program from Chef Salvatore Martone.

We are located in the heart of Midtown

Manhattan, so we always aim to serve as

an escape from the bustle of the city.

It’s important to our team to create a

serene atmosphere, where our guests

can get a sense of calmness, away from

their busy lives. Overall, every element

of Le Jardinier comes together to craft

a holistic and unforgettable experience

for each and every guest.

AM: For those coming in for lunch, what

are 3 starters that you suggest that we

should enjoy when dining with family

and friends?

CHEF AA: For guests dining at Le Jardinier

for lunch, I always like to recommend

starting the meal off with something

light and refreshing, especially during

the latest heatwave. Three starters I

would recommend include our staple

burrata dish, which is made fresh and

paired with new accompaniments each

season. During summer, the dish features

sweet cherries, heirloom tomatoes,

bee pollen and basil seeds. The second

starter that I would recommend for

lunch is our heirloom tomato gazpacho,

topped with sourdough croutons and

fresh basil. Lastly, for those looking for

a meat option, I would recommend our

crispy pork belly that is served alongside

watermelon, cilantro oil, ginger and

toasted peanuts.

AM: For an entree, what are 3 entrees

that we should have in mind when coming

in for lunch?

CHEF AA: Three lunch entrees that I

would recommend include our must-try

staple Carolina gold rice risotto, which

changes each season to feature the

most fresh ingredients possible. The

Carolina gold rice risotto dish encapsulates

the rich summer flavors by featuring

fresh charred corn, grilled broccoli

and mimolette. For those looking

for a seafood-forward dish, our Maine

lobster roll. This dish is the epitome of

summer, served on a fresh, toasted brioche

with pickled chili and Thai basil.

Lastly, our grilled Montauk bass for a

light, feel good meal. The dish features

a fresh, premium grilled Montauk bass

with summer squash and a lemongrass

emulsion.

AM: In terms of dessert, what are 3 dishes

that we should think about the complete

our meal?

CHEF AA: For dessert, I would recommend

guests complete their meal with

the strawberry flower pot, which includes

strawberry mousse, lemon curd, biscuit

Joconde and avocado ice cream. This dessert

is not only delicious, but breathtakingly

photogenic. Second, our summer

peach, which is a fresh roasted peach

with almond crunch, vanilla chantilly, thai

basil sorbet and cherry coulis. Lastly, our

signature dessert at Le Jardinier, the Valrhona

Guanaja dark chocolate crémeux

with salty caramel sabayon.

AM: For dinner, what are 3 starters that

we should have in mind?

CHEF AA: For dinner at Le Jardinier, some

starters I would recommend include

our fresh and flavorful Spanish octopus,

which is served with green olives, romesco,

haricot vert and smoked paprika. For

something on the lighter side, we offer a

delicate dish of heirloom melons with Jonah

crab, mint and elderflower vinegar.

Another wonderful option on our starter

menu is succulent Maine scallops with

chermoula spiced cranberry bean ragout

and thai basil, which is perfectly seared to

a golden crust with herbal brightness that

lifts the dish.

AM: For our entrees, what are 3 that we

should have in mind?

CHEF AA: First, the Ora King Salmon,

which is served with smoked chili butter,

bok choy, pickled gooseberries and lovage

oil. For those looking for something outside

seafood, I would recommend our ricotta

caramelle with garlic scape pesto,

Jimmy nardello peppers and sunflower

seeds. For a fresh, summer-forward dish

that’s perfect for sharing, I would recommend

the grilled dover sole with summer

squash, lemongrass emulsion and thai

basil.

AM: Can you tell us about 3 cocktails

that you suggest that we should enjoy?

CHEF AA: We are thrilled to have expanded

our portfolio in 2023 with the

addition of Le Jardinier’s sister concept,

Bar Bastion. The bar is situated

above the restaurant, where we have

a menu of refined-yet-playful cocktails

that nod to the seasons, along with bar

snacks made by our culinary team at the

restaurant. Our current beverage menu

is a wonderful selection of summertime

sips that include cocktails like Touch of

Sunshine, which is made with tequila,

dry curacao, mandarin shrub, lime and

agave or the Gin O’Keefe composed of

gin, freshly made blueberry lavender

syrup and lemon juice, which produce

a soft, purple O'Keefe-esque hue, both

aesthetically and flavorfully pleasing.

At Le Jardinier, the beverage program

also features seasonal cocktails like the

Sunset Sipper, which includes tequila,

watermelon juice, Cointreau, cilantro

and lime juice. Spritzes are also having

a moment and we have a great one at

Le Jardinier – the Lampone Spritz made

with Cachaca, raspberry puree, creme

de mure, prosecco and club soda.

AM: Currently, there is a Summer focused

menu that is available at Le Jardinier,

what can you tell us about the kinds

of ingredients that we can expect when

coming for the fall?

CHEF AA: For fall, we’re excited to use

pumpkin, chestnuts, apples, and spices.

I love using apples from New York State

– they are some of the best out there

and have so many different varieties. I

go to Hope Farms every year and bring

back as many apples as I can.

AM: You have also supported the development

of Le Jardinier in Houston and in

Miami, what does that involve?

CHEF AA: Yes, I am very involved in the

larger Le Jardinier brand and work directly

with all locations. I was deeply involved

in openings of each location and

the menu development, and we now all

stay in close contact to continuously collaborate

and innovate. I am often in Miami

and Houston working in the kitchens

alongside the chefs of each location.

We put a lot of emphasis on mentorship

at The Bastion Collection. I benefited

greatly from working alongside Chef

Alain and now, as Executive Chef, I am

a resource for all of the chefs within the

Collection in addition to Chef Alain.

AM: We are looking forward to attending

Outstanding In The Field when it comes

to Governors Island this month. You had

the opportunity to participate at this culinary

event earlier this year in Miami.

How did you get connected to this event

and why did you want to be part of it?

CHEF AA: Yes! We did our first dinner

with Outstanding in the Field this past

January in Miami at Paradise Farms. The

collaboration with OTIF came together

quite organically as we share a deep

commitment to ethical and local sourcing.

When we heard about their events

and their mission, we thought it was the

perfect opportunity to combine forces

in working to connect diners with the

land in a culinary event that is as beautiful

as it is delicious.

AM: What are the synergies that exist

between Le Jardinier and OITF?

CHEF AA: We work very hard to source

our ingredients locally and responsibly

at Le Jardinier and share the same mission

as OITF of connecting diners with

what they are eating and where it comes

from.

AM: With the upcoming event being

days away, what kinds of preparation go

into creating this kind of menu and how

many people are estimated to be at this

outdoor dinner?

CHEF AA: We’re expecting over 150 people

at the event. When thinking of the menu,

we really wanted to showcase New York’s

bounty and classically New York dishes.

We will be doing our interpretation of hot

dogs for canapes and then will utilize the

amazing ingredients New York has to offer.

As we’re next to the Atlantic Ocean,

there’s plenty of seafood to choose from,

and we have so much great produce from

upstate and Long Island.

AM: Logistically, what are the challenges

of making a meal like this outside versus in

a full kitchen?

CHEF AA: There are a lot of elements

that make cooking outdoors challenging

– from unpredictable weather, to using

cookware we don’t use day to day, to not

having the full range of equipment we are

accustomed to. It makes for an exciting

project that requires some out of the box

thinking. It takes a lot of prep and planning

on our end to make it all seamlessly

come together.

AM: What are the Summer ingredients

that will be on this menu?

CHEF AA: We will be using tomatoes, corn,

summer squash, eggplants and potatoes,

all from New York.

AM: What will be some of the purveyors

and farms that will be used to source this

meal and how do you shop locally to make

all of this come together?

CHEF AA: We are bringing in a number of

local purveyors that Le Jardinier works

with regularly including Norwich Meadow

Farms, and Crescent Farm.

AM: In terms of seasonality in NY versus

Miami, what is the difference when we're

looking at the Summer and then the Fall?

CHEF AA: Local sourcing is at the heart of

what we do, and it’s endlessly interesting

to me to embrace the unique flavors of

the surroundings in each location. In Miami,

we have direct access to the Florida

Coast for snapper, fluke and shrimp.

We source a variety of fresh produce

that stands out in Florida like lemon

balm, green peppers and cucumbers.

In New York, we use local microgreens

and source our seafood off the coast of

Long Island in Montauk.

AM: What do you want guests to walk

away with after attending and enjoying

this meal?

CHEF AA: We are excited to partner with

OTIF on our collective mission to educate

the public about the food they consume.

Curating a menu for their event

at Governors Island is an opportunity

to engage with a broader audience and

inspire a deeper appreciation for the

origins of food, fostering a connection

between consumers and the sources of

their meals. We hope people leave with

a closer connection to the ingredients

that are on their plate.

AM: For those of us that want to take elements

of these experiences into our own

rooftops, decks, or backyards what are

some tips that we should keep in mind

when creating a chic dinner party?

CHEF AA: Use what’s in season! Go to

a local farmers market and see what’s

available that appeals to you. Now that

we are in August, there is a bounty of

fresh ingredients to use like corn, tomatoes,

stone fruit, and zucchini. It makes

for a highly delicious meal that is sure to

impress your guests, and you are able to

support local farmers.

@andaroo_ayala

@lejardiniernyc

@thebastioncollection

@out_inthefield

@billionoyster

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 132 - 137

Le Jardinier | PG 138 - 143 Outstanding

in the Field/Adrian Blackwell

|

We're always looking at what will be our

next movie or show to watch whether

we're taking a break between one project

or another or are taking significant time off

for a proper binge! Bad Monkey premiered

on Aug 14th and is streaming on Apple TV+

with its season finale dropping on Oct 9th.

This series is an adaptation of the Carl Hiassen's

New York Times bestselling novel

of the same name.

We follow former Miami Police Department

office Andrew Yang (Vince Vaughn)

as he becomes a health inspector in the

Keys. When he stumbles upon a case due

to a human arm being fished out by a tourist,

he believes that if he can solve the murder,

he will be able to go back to MPD!

He works alongside an interesting cast of

characters which includes the coroner, Dr

Rosa Campesino which is played by Natalie

Martinez (Under the Dome, Kingdom, Ordinary

Joe). We sat down with her to find

out about the show and why she wanted

to be involvedin this comedy drama series!

ATHLEISURE MAG: What do you love

about storytelling?

NATALIE MARTINEZ: I mean, everything!

Storytelling goes on before our time I feel!

It’s how traditions are passed through.

It’s a great form of entertainment and it

starts from the beginning. I have a 1 and

a half month year old and he doesn’t even

know how to speak, but he loves reading

books and it really shows you that it

is kind of in us and it’s just in our nature

to love storytelling! Especially when you

have an ensemble cast such as this with

an amazing writing and creator with a

book to adapt from, it just makes for a really

good story!

AM: We love that!

What drew you to Bad Monkey and how

did you prepare to play your character, Dr.

Rosa?

NM: I got a call from Bill Lawrence (Ted

Lasso, Shrinking, Scrubs) actually who

asked me to be part of Bad Monkey and

telling me about the character. It’s crazy

because the character and I have so

much in common. I mean, she’s Cuban

American, she’s born and raised in Miami

as am I. Just having Bill Lawrence

as the Creator, Executive Producer, and

writer for the show as I am a huge fan

of his. Seeing this ensemble cast with

Vince Vaughn (Swingers, Anchorman

franchise, Dodgeball: A True Underdog

Story), Michelle Monaghan (Mission:

Impossible franchise, True Detective,

MaXXXine), Jodie Turner-Smith (Queen

& Slim, Anne Boleyn, The Acolyte) as well

– everyone is so talented and they bring

so much to it that it was something that

sounded like a really fun project and I

love a murder mystery! I had never really

done comedy before so to be able to

go head-to-head with Vince Vaughn on a

comedy – come on, how was I going to

pass that up?

AM: 100%

What can you tell us about the character

that you play as well as the show?

NM: I play Dr. Rosa Campesino, she is

the coroner. When you have her in the

script, she’s not fulfilled in her job being

a coroner. She loves what she does and

there is so much value to it and people

are able to find closure and it helps solve

cases. It’s a very important job to do, but

it also weighs on you after awhile! The

things that are coming through those

doors can be a little taxing! So I think

that she is in a point in her life where

she doesn’t know what she wants and is

a kind of a little stuck and then Andrew

Yancy who is played by Vince Vaughn

comes along with this arm that they

found in the ocean. The case intrigues

her, he intrigues her because he is this

quirky big kind of personality. They

both get what I would say is obsessed

with this case. They want to figure it out

and she finds this kind of perspective in

life and a new energy that kind of gives

her the motivation to find out what she

wants to do.

AM: What do you hope that viewers will

walk away with in watching this series?

NM: All I can hope for is when people

walk away from this series is that they

just had a good time! I think that that is

one of the most beautiful things about

storytelling and one of the beautiful

things of creating these shows is that

sometimes we just need an escape. We

need a story to be able to sink our teeth

into it and to dive in. This story gives you

a hell of a ride, it’s so much fun, and you

have twist and turns. You have a cliffhanger

in every episode and then you

get that satisfaction of the case at the

end and you meet a lot of funny characters

along the way!

@iamnataliemartinez

PHOTOS COURTESY | Bad Monkey/Apple

TV+

We had the pleasure of catching up with

Keegan Michael-Key who is an actor who

always leaves us in good spirits! His ability

to make you laugh and think is something

that we appreciate. We enjoyed talking

with him about his work as a teacher, investing

in children’s lives through learning,

partnering with Lysol promote clean

environments in school and at home, and

of course his work on one of our favorite

shows Abbott Elementary and other projects

we’re excited about!

ATHLEISURE MAG: We have been a fan

of yours for a number of years and have

loved your shows and of course most recently,

Abbott Elementary. But you actually

have teaching experience at Penn State

and at Second City. Can you tell us more

about this?

KEEGAN MICHAEL-KEY: Yes, I was a graduate

student at Penn State and I taught

Fundamental Acting, Non-Majors and I

had a really fulfilling and fun time doing

that. I had a great time with the students

and I also interestingly learned a lot and

it helped reinforce the training that I was

getting.

When I was a performer at the Second

City Theater, both in Detroit and also

in Chicago, I spent a good deal of time

teaching improv as well as communications

techniques to people. And also in

Detroit at the Mosaic Youth Theater of

Detroit, I spent time going to classrooms

and teaching children improv skills. That

was also a very fulfilling experience too.

So I have done a lot of teaching in my past

and I really really loved it.

AM: That is such a great story! When did

you realize that you wanted to be an actor?

KMK: I realized that I wanted to be an

actor probably when gosh, I would have

been around 14 or 15 and that would put

me in high school. I was encouraged by

a family friend and my drama teacher in

school was really hands on and very supportive.

She really helped to pull me into

that world! Once I was in it, I was in love!

AM: Why do you feel that hands on

learning is so important and can you tell

us about HERE For Healthy Schools?

KMK: Yeah, to answer the first question,

I think that when kids have an opportunity

to do things hands on and interactive,

I really feel that the information

that they are being given that the teachers

desires for them to receive, really

gets into their minds better and they

can practically handle things and move

through things. It’s more effective learning

and that is kind of why I wanted to

work with Lysol at the HERE for Healthy

Schools Program this particular year.

Because, what they are doing with the

initiative this year, is that they are putting

together the Lysol Minilabs Science

Kits and the kits are going to contain educational

materials that are designed to

be hands-on so that the kids can learn

about germ education, healthy habits,

and how to keep the classroom environment

as well as the general environment

clean.

AM: Whether you have children that are

going back to school, maybe you’re an

aunt or uncle, or you just live alone solo,

what are some healthy habits that we

need to know about so that we’re not

transferring germs and we’re reducing

all the ick?

KMK: Ha – all the ick! You know, I think

that the first thing across the board

that everyone can do and that we can

always teach children, is of course,

washing our hands. Washing our hands

after an activity, washing our hands after

using the bathroom so that we’re

not the germ spreaders if that makes

any sense? We’re so mobile as humans,

and then we’re the ones spreading the

germs! So cutting that off at the pass if

you will and then also, when you think

about countertops, and desktops, and

door handles which are things that we

come into contact with every single day,

and many times during the day, it’s just

a wipe here or a spray there that can

hopefully keep the germs down. Then

we’re allowing ourselves to be in a cleaner

environment!

AM: 100%!

Obviously, you have so many awesome

things that are coming up - Season 4 of Abbott

Elementary is slated to premiere on

ABC on Oct 9th! Every time that we see you

on the screen we just know that it’s going

to be good. What can you tell us about –

obviously not a lot – as we prepare for the

next season?

KMK: Well, without giving away next season,

you can stream Season 3 now of Abbott

Elementary now which I am really

happy for people as you can enjoy repeat

viewings if you feel so inclined! I have a

small arc on the show in the season where

I play the Superintendent of Schools in

Philadelphia which is where Janine, Quinta

Brunson’s (A Black Lady Sketch Show,

History of the World: Part II, Weird: The

Al Yankovick Story) character works now

and she feels encouraged to affect more

change in the school system. You get to

watch that story play out and really the

big thing that you get to watch is this

struggle between her love for everyone

and the students at Abbott Elementary

and then this more macro environment

with the Superintendent and there is this

struggle of being pulled between these

two things. Can I do more good here?

Should I go back to Abbott and be more

of a boots on the ground? She’s trying to

figure out what way can she be more effective

for the students?

AM: We enjoyed watching the 3rd season

and getting that layer.

What attracted you to want to be on this

show? So many people love this show and

so many actors and other people are trying

to find ways to get into this show!

KMK: Oh yeah!

AM: What was it for you that made you

want to do it?

KMK: First of all, I think that Quinta is a

real amazing talent and I have known

her for years and I have watched her

grow as an artist and the pride I feel for

her is overwhelming because what she

has done is such an achievement! But

also, within that, is the humanity of the

show. I think that just the thematic subject

matter of the show is about nurturing

and investing in our future which is

about children. It’s also this kind of intrinsic,

American underdog story – an

underfunded school district, how do we

pull ourselves up by the boot straps and

do what we have to do for the betterment

of these children. So that is really

heartwarming in a way it is very inviting

because they are letting the world in

and it is inspiring. That is why I wanted

to be part of it. It’s also very funny!

AM: Oh it’s very funny!

KMK: So funny!

AM: Well you’re also in Transformers

One and Dear Santa! That’s 2 amazing

additional projects that are coming out!

We’re sure that you’re excited about

them and can you tell us about them?

KMK: Well, Transformers One will be

coming out in September 20th and it’s

a really exciting project to work on. The

director is a gentleman by the name of

Josh Cooley (Up, Inside Out, Soul), very

talented animation director. He directed

Toy Story 4 that I starred in with Jordan

Peele (Get Out, Us, Nope). We played

partners – we played a little stuffed

duck and a little stuffed rabbit that were

connected to each other and we had

such a great time that Josh asked me to

come on and play Bumblebee in Transformers

One which really is an honor because

he’s a very popular character in

the Transformers universe!

Dear Santa is a holiday movie that stars

Jack Black (Jumanji universe, Kung Fu

Panda universe, The Super Mario Bros.

Movie) and he is absolutely fantastic and

I hope you fo see it and everyone that

that you know goes to see it! It’s really

fun and it has a lot of heart. It’s silly and

zany and it’s going to be great!

AM: Do you have any other projects

whether it’s TV, film, or philanthropic

that you would like for us to know about

that we should keep an eye out for because

you’re always doing great things!

It’s great to see you in a number of commercials

as well as you are a busy man!

KMK: Ha ha yes I am praise God!

Well one thing in September that is coming

up, I wrote a book with my partner

at Elle Key (August, Fair Game, The Blackout),

we wrote a book called The History

of Sketch Comedy: A Journey Through

the Art and Craft of Humor, and the audio

version of that book is coming out

then. So again, I know that it is early for

the holiday season, but if people want

to, they have the opportunity to download

that or to send it as a gift and it was

a real passion project for us and we’re

really proud of the book. So there is also

that! So that’s about it for right now if

that’s not enough!

@keeganmichaelkey

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 156 - 159

Disney/Giles Mingasson | PG 160 - 161 Michael

Simon |

Aug. is always a fun month especially this

year with the Summer Games at Paris 2024

giving us all the stories, cheers, and memories

on a global stage and then we're

able to continue onto US Open - the final

Grand Slam of the year that takes place in

Queens at Arthur Ashe Stadium. There are

a number of events that kick off this tennis

tournament and one of our favorites that

we enjoy attending each year is Citi Taste

of Tennis which took place at Gotham Hall

this year. This event combines tennis players

that are currently playing as well as

veterans, a number of culinary and spirit

brands, as well as competitions that take

place between the sports and hospitality

community. Avid readers got to know more

about this event in terms of why it was created,

what is involved, and more. You can

read this in our JUL ISSUE #103 where we

chatted with Penny Lerner of AYS.

We enjoyed seeing Qinwen Zheng (Team

China Olympic G1) and Taylor Fritz (Team

USA Olympic B1) making dishes with Executive

Chef Cedric Tovar of The Palace Lotte

Hotel on the main stage with Andre Agassi

judging the cooking demo.

In between the action on the stage, we

enjoyed tasting a number of dishes from

an array of restaurants that included Carmine's

Famous Homemade Meatballs

from Chef Glenn Rolnick who was a sponsor

at the event. We also stopped by Chef

Luke Omarzu of Wolfgang Puck's CUT New

York's USDA Prime Striploin Sirloin served

with Summer Corn Salad, Salsa Verde,

Sweet Corn, Cherry Tomatoes, Haricot Vert,

Charred Pearl Onions & Parsley Allergens -

Onion, Garlic, Anchovy & Dairy. There were

a number of savory dishes and sweets that

allowed our tastebuds to enjoy the night.

In addition, there were siganture cocktails

that flowed throughout the event! A true

medley of sports meets culinary journeys.

Prior to the start of the event, we had the

opportuity to talk with Andre Agassi who

is known as the first man to complete both

the Career Grand Slam (winning all 4 major

titles over the course of a career) and

Career Golden Slam (winning all 4 major

titles and the Olympic Gold medal over

the course of a career). He also has a Career

Super Slam (which includes all four

major titles, Olympic Gold and the Tour

Finals (ATP Tour) over the course of a career).

He has won Grand Slams for the Australian

Open 4X, French Open 1X, Wimbledon

1X, US Open 1X, Tour Finals 1X, and

he won an Olympic Gold Medal as well.

We wanted to know what he thought

about this event as he kicked off the first

one, what he is looking forward to at this

year's US Open, and of course chatting

pickleball!

ATHLEISURE MAG: What do you love

about being part of this event as we

know that you were involved in the inaugural

one and have continued to participate

over the years!

ANDRE AGASSI: Well, I love being able

to be part of something that has grown

into what this event has ultimately become!

I love what it is does. I love the

inspiration of what is behind it. I was

here the first year so I mean, it’s crazy!

So it’s cool to come back now a handful

of years later and to see what it has

turned into!

AM: Who are you excited to watch this

year at the US Open?

AA: You know, I have been saying that

we have 5 Americans now that are basically

the top 20 of the world! I’d love to

see one of them kind of have a breakthrough.

I am a little biased but there

is something really cool about having

someone from America doing it here

for this Grand Slam at the US Open. As

it would be for someone in France to do

it at Paris for the French Open. England

was the same thing! One of the biggest

things ever was when Andy Murray

(won W 2X, UO 1) did it there! Of course

when an Aussie does it in Australia that’s

amazing too! I’d love to see an American

break through!

AM: We got to see you play Pickleball earlier

this year at Lifetime which was amazing!

AA: Oh yes!

AM: How is pickleball going. Any charity

tournaments that you will do?

AA: Oh no, I’m not competing anymore!

AM: Simply for fun – not competing; however,

you were pretty fierce out there even

when it was just for fun!

AA: I know, I know it’s the way that I’m

wired when it comes to getting out on the

court! I haven’t quite yet decided whether

I will enter a tournament, that was part of

another part of my life.

@agassi

@tasteoftennis

@ayssports

It's always amazing to chat with one of the

greats who continues to support the sport

while also engaging in new ones such as

Pickleball in his case.

We also had the pleasure to talk with

Prakash Amritaj who is a former pro tennis

player who is the host of Tennis Channel

Live at the US Open which kicked off on

Aug 26th and will run most mornings of the

2 week competition. The show is a mix of

news, highlights, and special reports. It's a

great way to stay on the pulse of what is

happening.

Prakash was also the host of Citi Taste

of Tennis and he kept the energy going

throughout the culinary and sport event.

We took some time to chat with him about

tennis, the event, US Open, and more!

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you first fall

in love with tennis?

PRAKASH AMRITAJ: I was 9½ - years-old

in the summer of 1993. I used to travel

with my dad at the senior-tour events. I

found myself in the No. 1 locker room between

Pete Sampras (winner of Austra-

lian Open 2X, Wimbledon 7X, US Open

5X, Tour Finals 5X) and Boris Becker

(winner of Australian Open 2X, Wimbledon

3X, US Open 1X), and I said this is

what I want to do.

AM: What did you enjoy about playing

professionally?

PA: Several things: a. the comradery of

my fellow athletes going into battle and

being able to share that experience; b.

the highs and lows of competition; c.

overall, the incredible amount of adrenaline,

electricity and inspiration that I’ve

only found in sports.

AM: You've been Tennis Channel's yearround

host of Prakash Worldwide. Can

you tell us about these interview segments?

PA: I love it because at our desk I get to

treat it more as a talk-show format instead

of an on-court interview. I believe

that because I’ve been in these players’

shoes we’re able to maintain a state

of trust on the show. It allows them to

showcase their personalities and what

they bring to the game, and we have a

lot of diamonds out there playing tennis

right now. This ultimately helps to bring

more people to our beautiful sport.

AM: We always love this time of year as

we get ready to watch our favorites at

the US Open. We'll be at Citi Taste of Tennis

covering this event which is always a

fun way for us to enjoy this time of year.

You are the host this year. What are you

excited about in terms of this event and

what are you looking forward to

PA: Hosting that event is as high-level as

it gets in sports. I get to talk with Hall

of Famer Andre Agassi and Olympic gold

medalist Zheng Qinwen in the same evening.

It combines both of my worlds: tennis

and entertainment/film and, again, it

helps us to grow this sport.

AM: With the tournament kicking off on

Aug 26th and running through Sep 8th,

we'll be able to hear your commentary.

What is it like preparing to be part of Tennis

Channel Live at the US Open?

PA: I probably shouldn’t say this, but none

of it ever feels like work with TC. I watch

US Open tennis and then the next morning

we talk about it. There’s a lot of research

that goes into every show, but I

like to call my approach, “prepared unprepared.”

We have a game plan going in but

the more we can just have a conversation,

the better it is.

AM: What are you looking forward to this

year in terms of Tennis Channel Live at the

US Open as well as the action on the court?

PA: I always try to find the non-sports elements

to the storylines that unfold at

these tournaments. There are so many

life lessons from all these great players

and matches, and there are things that

happen at the US Open and other events

or even in other sports that you can apply

to all aspects of people’s lives. I’m looking

forward to unearthing those during the

US Open.

@prakashamritaj

@tennischannel

We enjoyed chatting with Prakash to get

his insights about what is taking place

this time of year and we're sure that he

will share a lot of great memories that

take place during this Grand Slam.

In the tennis world there are a number of

personalities that we enjoy seeing and one

that is also our favorite are tennis personalities

that we see as the tour rolls on. We

all enjoy seeing Frances Tiafoe and can't

wait to see him during the US Open. Typically,

when he is on the court, his girlfriend

Ayan Brooomfield, who is also a tennis

player is also nearby serving looks, being

parts of campaigns and this year, she was

rocking the Citi Taste of Tennis blue carpet

interviewing athletes about the US Open.

As we have been fans of hers for years, we

wanted to take a moment to find out how

she stays on this schedule, maintaining her

routines, and why she loves this time of

year as well!

ATHLEISURE MAG: We have enjoyed following

you on IG and enjoy seeing your

style, campaigns, and when you’re traveling

with Frances Tiafoe as well! As we’re

all here for Citi Taste of Tennis, we’d love

to chat with you!

AYAN BROOMFIELD: Yeah of course!

AM: What do you love about this time of

year?

AB: Oh my gosh, I was just telling my

friend that this time of year it’s like our

Met Gala! We get to come here and do

the events, I get to watch Frances and

I get to be around tennis at one of the

best tournaments of the year and then

we have NYFW! So, it’s just a month

straight of tennis and fashion and those

are 2 of my favorite things!

AM: Love that!

You’re style is always so on point and

your skin is also flawless.

AB: I try my best!

AM: You are everywhere! What are your

travel go-to’s that you love having with

you since you are always on the go?

AB: Right? No, I mean, when I first started

traveling a lot, I realized that every

country has different products and you

want to make sure especially as an African

American woman that you have

things that work for you and you don’t

want to rely on any type of store in a different

country. So when I leave, I make

sure that I have my specific skincare routine,

that I have my specific haircare routine,

and to make sure that I have all of

my trinkets, extensions and whatever I

need to make sure I have what I need

as I am gone for months at a time. I just

want to make sure that I have everything

that I need and of course clothes.

I pack a lot!

AM: Of course you do!

For self-care, what do you do with that?

If you’re just looking at your IG we see

you all over the world and of course all

of that travel seems so luxurious and exotic;

however, we know that just navigating

that can be a lot.

AB: The traveling is a lot! It becomes a

little bit stressful when you don’t have a

routine so I want to make sure that anytime

I get into a new country, I am always

working out, I am always walking

and running, and eating as best as I can!

It keeps you healthy and it keeps your

mental sane. That’s just kind of where I

like to be!

@ayan.broomfield

PHOTOS COURTESY | PG 165 - 169, 176 +

177 Citi Taste of Tennis/Getty Images |

PG 170 - 175 Paul Farkas

ATHLEISURE LIST: SoHo, NYC

THE DOMINICK HOTEL

SoHo is a neighborhood filled with art,

culture, and luxury, and at The Dominick

Hotel, they weave this energy

into a wellness-driven guest experience.

For fitness enthusiasts, they’ve

collaborated with Dogpound to offer

the Sky-High Full Body Workout

on their 46th-floor SoHi event space.

These 45-minute classes are complimentary

for hotel guests and require

no equipment. For runners, the hotel's

proximity to Hudson River Park offers

the perfect outdoor trail.

For those staying or are in the neighborhood,

El Ta’koy is located on Terrace

on 7. It has a modern Hawaiian-inspired

gastronomic experience.

The venue offers an abundance of outdoor

drinking and dining spaces ac-

cented by plush seating arrangements

and ample greenery, including an offset

lounge area with cabanas.

The Dominick's SoHi Suites and penthouse

are located on the top floors

of the hotel offering stunning views

of NYC's gorgeous skyline. Reserving

these spaces includes the personal

service of a Luxury Ambassador team

from pre-arrival through checkout,

and complimentary amenities.

Guests can enjoy a number of amenities

such as Diptyque Philosykos Collection

bath amenities, as well as the

Sisley Spa Bath Butler service, offering

wellness rituals with Eau de Champagne

bath & body oil or Antara CBD

bath truffles. For added indulgence,

fitness enthusiasts can request a Pelo-


ton bike, yoga mats and bands for

a private workout. For the ultimate

wellness stay, our Spa Suites feature

Hyperice Core Meditation trainers, a

private en suite sauna, a connected

massage room, jacuzzi tubs, and rainfall

showers.

Enjoy some time at the luxurious SIS-

LEY Spa services. We suggest The

Black Rose Facial, their Moroccan Hammam

a 90-minute ritual inspired by ancient

purification techniques, and the

exclusive Dominick Honeybee Ritual

is a 90-minute indulgence featuring a

body mask derived from honey harvested

from The Dominick's own rooftop

hives. It also includes a revitalizing

scalp massage, energizing exfoliant,

and a velvet-smooth moisturizing massage

for the ultimate spa experience.

We enjoyed a Soundbath, led by Lucia

Luminate, which offers a transformative

wellness experience by using

sound frequencies to promote relaxation

and healing.

Issue #104 | Aug 2024

They are hosting their 2nd Annual Halloween

Event, in conjunction with the

Village Halloween Parade. Guests can

enjoy a pre-parade cocktail party at

Mezzanine, VIP float access, and an

afterparty at Webster Hall. A special

discount package with seasonal amenities

will be available. Their Holiday

Corner at Café Mezz will feature complimentary

cocoa, popcorn, gift wrapping,

and a partner gifting corner to

get into the festive spirit.

THE DOMINICK HOTEL

246 Spring St

NY, NY 10013

thedominickhotel.com

@thedominickhotel

PHOTO CREDITS | The Dominick

Hotel


ATHLEISURE LIST: Hope Town, Bahamas

ABACO INN

The Abaco Inn is part of the Enthusiast

Hotel Collection (EHC) which focuses

on those who like to travel to

off-the-beaten-path destinations and

prefer to stay at hotels that have a story

to tell. They are a kaleidoscope of

boutique hotels, inns, and travel getaways

carefully chosen to delight the

senses, expand the imagination, and

inspire adventure. All the properties in

the chain are intimate, close to nature,

and offer experiences one can’t find

anywhere else. Each property sources

everything locally and maintain the

pristine standards of their locations.

Enthusiast Hotels has also partnered

exclusively with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

to help conserve the earth’s

biological diversity and enable guests

to connect with fellow ornithology enthusiasts

to explore birds from California

to the Bahamas.

When visiting the Abacos, it's a com-

munity known for top boating and

sailing destination. This 120-mile-long

chain of islands is dotted with quaint

towns, beaches, two golf courses,

and a picturesque candy-striped lighthouse.

They are perfect for travelers

who seek quaint, antique charm;

those who love secluded villages and

cultures; sailors and surfers; fishermen;

artists and romantics.

The Abaco Inn has 4 Oceanview rooms

with a queen bed, a small fridge, cooler,

and bathroom; 8 one-bedroom

villas with one king bed, a queen size

pull-out sofa bed in the living area

and a kitchenette (microwave, small

fridge, coffee pot); and 13 rental Sunset

Point cottages that include 1 - 4

bedroom options that have their own

dock space with complete kitchens

and amazing views. Some have private

plunge pools as well.


Guests can enjoy the pool, restaurant,

full bar, free dock space (rental size

boat – up to 38’ ft), Wi-Fi and close

proximity to other resorts, restaurants

and gift shops.

In terms of activities, guests can swim

at their freshwater pool or in the sea to

enjoy snorkeling, fishing, island-hopping,

sailing, kayaking, biking, surfing,

paddle boarding, and checking out the

small towns and shopping.

The Abaco Inn Restaurant serves

breakfast, lunch and dinner and has a

full bar and an extensive wine list. Locals

enjoy this as well!

There are direct commercial flights

from Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami,

Atlanta, Charlotte, and Nassau to

Marsh Harbour Airport (MHH). There

are also options to charter private

Issue #104 | Aug 2024

flights as well as to travel by boat to

dock at the Inn's marina.

As the summer transitions to the Fall,

the off-season is the quieter period

which is September to mid-December.

Keep in mind that a number of businesses

and restaurants are closed,

while Abaco Inn stays open the whole

season.

ABACO INN

Elbow Cay

Abaco, Bahamas

abacoinn.com

@abacoinn

PHOTO CREDIT | Abaco Inn



Stay connected and follow us across our

social channels on @AthleisureMag!

Issue #104 | Aug 2024


Bingely Books

MORTAR & PESTLE: CLASSIC

INDONESIAN RECIPES FOR

THE MODERN KITCHEN

Weldon Owens

Patricia Tanumihardja

In Mortar & Pestle: Classic Indonesian Recipes

for the Modern Kitchen is written by

a mother/daughter duo and is filled with

80 family recipes that cover 3 decades.

Many of these dishes comes from Patricia's

childhood and we are definitely interested

in making an array ofthe dishes

that are in this cookbook. In addition to

family photographs, there are also vi-

brant pictures of the dishes.

You will also learn a number of

tips when it comes to preparing

these dishes. You will also learn

about ingredients and flavors

that are indicative of Indonesian

cuisine which includes spices as

well as aromatics. As a country

that has over 17,500 islands, it is

one of the world's most diverse

food cultures.

HOMEMADE-ISH:

RECIPES & COOKING

TIPS THAT KEEP IT REAL

Gibbs Smith

Lauren McDuffie

We always love having a cookbook

that allows us to make

great meals that can be used

when we want to make quick

and easy recipes. In Homemade-ish:

Recipes & Cooking Tips

That Keep it Real. You'll find over

100 recipes that allows you to

make healthy homecooked meal

whether you're eating solo or

with friends and family.

We love the concept that when

we're using this cookbook, we

can create dishes that can be put

together in a few minutes and

still have the flavors and looks

that allow it to be an Instagrammable

moment.

While you're cooking with this

book, you'll see how you can


that you need to change the energy in

your home to increase your wellbeing

throughout the facets of your life. You

will learn how you can use geng shui

in a modern way with this East meets

West approach to optimizing your life.

You'll learn about choosing colors,

plants that you can enjoy across seasons,

and to find an appreciation for

what you value when it comes to enjoying

your home.

make a dish that also utilizes storebought

items which makes for a great

shortcut to save time and extra steps.

You'll find dishes that are perfect for

breakfasts, appetizers and snacks;

soups, salads, pastas, grains, meatless

mains, meats and fish; and desserts.

MINDFUL LIVING: A GUIDE TO

THE EVERYDAY MAGIC OF

FENG SHUI

CICO Books

Anjie Cho + Laura Morris

Over the past few years, we have talked

about mindfulness which can cover a

number of areas including how we eat,

navigate our days, and more. But this

concept can even be found in terms of

our living spaces and the environments

that we occupy. These areas are tackled

in Mindful Living: A Guide to the Everyday

Magic of Feng Shui. Regardless of

where you live and how big or small the

space is, this book will give you the tips

Issue #104 | Aug 2024


Bingely Streaming

ELIZABETH TAYLOR: THE LOST

TAPES

HBO Documentary

HBO + MAX

We enjoy a great documentary and in HBO's

Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes we got to

hear from this stunning star herself via

taped interviews where she talked about

insights into major moments in

her life, and how she approached

living her life as a star that was

constantly in the spotlight with

her films, relationships, and advocacy.

These tapes give the raw and unfiltered

thoughts of Elizabeth Taylor.

In addition, we have access to

videos and pictures that allow us

to have a better understanding

of who she was and how people

that were close to her felt about

her.

ONLY MURDERS IN THE

BUIDLING

Hulu Original

Hulu

If you have yet to catch up on the

previous seasons of Hulu's Only

Murders in the Building, now is

the time to do so as S4 just kicked

off on Aug 27th. Our favorite true

crime trio is always in the thick of

solving some sort of a crime and

this season is bound to be no different!

As they solve their cases,

they let us in on their podcast,

those that they interact with, and

notable areas on the UWS!

We're excited to see not only

those who have come into the series

from earlier seasons, but additional

guest stars that will make

their debut in this one.

After each episode, you should

also check out the OMITB Companion

Podcast to know more

about each episode and to hear

the theories that come up!


EMILY IN PARIS

Netflix Series

Netflix

Like many of you, we couldn't wait

to binge the first half of S4 of Netflix's

Emily in Paris! We pick up where

S3 left off. Who doesn't love seeing

Emily (Lily Collins) and her friends

navigating their lives, love triangles,

clients, and more with Paris as a backdrop?

Of course, in addition to seeing

all of that, the amount of outfits that

become scene stealers, is always

another reason to watch this show.

Part I dropped on Aug 15th and the

remainder of S4 will be released on

Sept 12th.

If you're like us, you're wondering

how it will all play out and you'll begin

thinking about what's on deck for

S5 or will rewatch all the seasons for

the perfect escapism on your next

long weekend!

Issue #104 | Aug 2024


Issue #104 | Aug 2024


Athleisure Mag AUG ISSUE #104

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