BIG DIVA ENERGY | BIG FREEDIA

Hip hop has a number of sub genres that we can enjoy when we're at our favorite club, dance festival, studio class or just hanging out at home. We've been long time fans of Bounce, a New Orleans sound that make it impossible to not dance to. A number of people are associated with this sound as well as popularizing it!

In this month's issue we catch up with Big Freedia, the Queen Diva who is known for Bounce music. Whether it's watching her successful show Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce which gave access to her life on tour as well as just navigating the industry, watching performances or even seeing her in shows as HBO's Treme, guest judging on Rupaul's Drag Race All Stars or this season's P-Valley on STARZ - the focus to push New Orleans as well as this genre is always at the forefront of her efforts. Without a doubt, she is known for her Big Diva Energy whether she's in the studio or outside of it. We wanted to take some time to find out about what The Queen of Bounce is working on, collaborating with Beyoncé and partnering up with No Kid Hungry to combat food insecurity among children!

ATHLEISURE MAG: You’re known for popularizing the hip hop genre, bounce music. Can you tell us more about what this is and its link to New Orleans?

BIG FREEDIA: Bounce music is a fast-paced call and response style of hip hop that was born in New Orleans in the late 80s and popularized globally in the mid-late 90s with Cash Money Millionaires (Juvenile, Mannie Fresh, Lil Wayne).

AM: You were sampled on Beyoncé’s Formation, but what was it like to collaborate with her on Break My Soul and the video?

BF: Working in any capacity with Beyoncé is incredible. I am always – and still have to pinch myself to see if this is really happening!

AM: New Orleans means a lot to you and you recently partnered with No Kid Hungry X Williams-Sonoma in creating a spatula where proceeds will go to providing funds for children to reduce food insecurity.

Why did you want to participate this year and why was it important for you to be involved?

BF: I feel very strongly about helping the kids of New Orleans. When you don't have enough food, you can’t focus on school or develop properly. So, to me, this is a way to get them the food they need–and help them early.

AM: When you’re not working how do you take time for yourself to recharge your batteries?

BF: To recharge, I have to have nothing on my calendar! I love to cook, hang out with my friends and family.

IG @bigfreedia

PHOTOGRAPHY | PG 136 - 137 Nelson Cosey | 9DRIP PG 60 - 61 Brad Hebert, PG 61 + 63 Nelson Cosey |

Read the AUG ISSUE #80 of Athleisure Mag and see BIG DIVA ENERGY | Big Freedia in mag.

NO KID HUNGRY X WILLIAMS-SONOMA

No Kid Hungry X Williams Sonoma presents this year's partner spatulas. We love that this year Chef Ina Garten, Big Freedia, Lauren Alaina and a number of personalities are giving back to fight food insecurity for children.

No Kid Hungry is a national campaign run by Share Our Strength, a nonprofit working to solve problems of hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world. After 25 years of successfully investing in local nonprofits and helping find the best approaches to eradicating poverty and hunger, Share Our Strength launched No Kid Hungry in 2010.

Williams Sonoma has raised over $16 million to date for No Kid Hungry to aid the fight for ending childhood hunger.

We've been a fan of Ina Garten for years and of course, enjoy making a number of her dishes from her various cookbooks. Her passion for making meals an epic experience and sharing them with friends and family is a no brainer in terms of her support of ending childhood hunger. “Now more than ever, the work of No Kid Hungry is so important and I am honored to be able to support their cause with William Sonoma.”

Hip Hop artist known for their work in the genre of Bounce and TV Personality, Big Freedia shared why partnering with No Kid Hungry was important. “I love partnering with No Kid Hungry. They have helped feed many New Orleans underserved children over the years. A hungry child cannot learn or concentrate, so starting early is essential and it’s a cause I will always support."

Country music artist, Lauren Alaina shared why being part of this campaign was important to her. “I love the heart of William Sonoma and getting to partner with them to help make a difference for children. I can’t stand the thought of any child dealing with hunger. I had so much fun decorating my spatula and am so proud to be a part of this campaign.”

Read the JUL ISSUE #79 of Athleisure Mag and see NO KID HUNGRY X WILLIAMS-SONOMA in mag.

TASTING JOURNEY WITH DUFF GOLDMAN

This month, we caught up with founder of Charm City Cakes and Food Network/Discovery+ Host and Judge, Chef Duff Goldman. As a favorite of Athleisure Mag, we talk about him hosting No Kid Hungry’s Thanksgiving Bake-A-Thon which took place this month! Viewers were able to watch Duff as well as noted bakers and celebrities create holiday dishes and answer questions that enthusiasts have when creating their own works of art! We explore why he is so passionate about working with No Kid Hungry and how he has been involved with them for well over a decade! We also talked about his show Holiday Baking Championship and how important it is for him to provide feedback to contestants while also taking people through the culinary journey of enjoying a bite of your favorite treats! You will never look at your Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup in the same way! We also talk about 3 items that bakers should be gifted or gift themselves, upcoming projects and being a new father.

ATHLEISURE MAG: It’s always great catching up with you! The last time we talked with you, you were preparing to do Chefs Cycle with No Kid Hungry.

DUFF GOLDMAN: Oh yeah!

AM: Yes and you were talking about how you were getting ready for that. Why is No Kid Hungry so important to you?

DG: You know, we all kind of look at the world and we see problems and a lot of the times, it can be frustrating because generally, on the by and large, people are good. They want to help and people want to do things. Most of the problems that you see on the news or whatever – you have no idea how to help and you’re just so helpless. I want to make a difference and I can’t. I think that when as individuals, we’re presented with opportunities where we can actually and truly make a difference and we know it, then it feels so good to be doing it and doing something, you know!

AM: On Nov 13th you will be hosting the Thanksgiving Bake-A-Thon for No Kid Hungry. That seems like it’s so much fun. Can you tell us more about this event which I know is livestreamed and it’s going on for 4 hours.

DG: Yeah it’s definitely more up my alley than riding a bicycle for 300 miles! Doing a bunch of baking, telling jokes and making a bunch of people laugh – that I’m good at. Riding a bike, not so much!

What we’re going to do is have 8 different bakers and everyone is going to do a half hour demo showing their stuff. Throughout the whole night, I am going to be emceeing and making a Dutch Apple Pie.

AM: Like you’ve said, there have been so many ways that you have supported and participated in No Kid Hungry – are there going to be future things that you’re doing that we should be keeping an eye on whether it’s directly in this holiday season or even early next year?

DG: I am constantly doing stuff with them. A lot of chefs work with them because you can see where No Kid Hungry is operating. When I first started with them, I was in Baltimore and my shop is still there and I got to go to a school where No Kid Hungry was providing a breakfast for all of the kids. I got to hang out and we all had breakfast together with all of the kids right in downtown Baltimore. Then we were all in the gym together where we ate and we got to play a bunch of different games. I was like, “this is actually happening right now! I’m seeing the benefits of No Kid Hungry right here, right in front of me In my community.” For me, that was just so big and it’s big with a lot of chefs because wherever you are, there’s a chance that No Kid Hungry has done some work. It’s great and I will definitely be doing lots more with them. I have been working with No Kid Hungry since 2006 – it’s been a long time.

AM: During the thick of the pandemic, and I’m sure you were as well, a number of people were baking and doing hobbies and all of these because who knew whatof these things because who knew what we thought would be a couple of weeks inside would turn into much more.

One of the things that we enjoyed watching was your YouTube channel for Charm City Cakes where your team was actually sharing their creations. How important was it for you to be able to provide that type of relief to people whether they were bakers themselves or just looking for escapism?

DG: Honestly for me, it was great and it was really good. But it was really for my staff! I was like, listen you guys, I don’t want to let anybody go so instead of just closing up shop and hoping that one day we will be able to go back and start making cakes again, let’s figure out different ways to get to work. So everybody started making videos and I was doing stuff and other people were doing stuff and it really turned into a really fun thing and it was kind of a win-win-win situation. Everybody at home got to see cool cakes, I got to keep my staff employed and everybody got better! Everybody was trying new things. Because a lot of times in decorated cakes, you tend to see a lot of the same things over and over again. Here, everyone got to stretch their wings a little bit and to show what they were made of which is good.

AM: That’s pretty exciting! One of the things that we enjoy is that you’re so busy on so many different sides, but when you’re just looking at the TV shows that you do with Buddy vs. Duff, Spring Baking Championship, Holiday Baking Championship etc. It’s always fun to see you enjoying the treats, but also giving your feedback to the bakers when they are competing and those elements are happening. What does it mean to you to be able to show your love of baking and pushing the boundaries of creativity through all of these shows that you are a part of?

DG: You know, I think I had to make peace with it funnily enough. When I was filming Ace of Cakes, I was in my shop doing what I do, but here I had to think about and figure out what I do – I’m eating these brownies and I’m telling people what I think about it. Then I had to figure out, what was my motivation. One of the things is that I really love it when people understand something on a deeper level than they did before. Everybody has had a brownie. But when you can break it down into the different components – like I can break down a brownie into the different things that I look for.

When I talk about the texture of a brownie and I talk about when you bite down into the brownie and you get that just first crispy level right on top and then your teeth kind of sink in and then it kind of goes moosh and that layer on the bottom usually has a little bit of butter on it that is kind of percolated on and you get that butter flavor from the bottom and a little bit of salt. You know, when you sort of start explaining how you taste your food as a chef, I think that that helps people. I mean everybody can take a bite of a brownie and say, that’s a good brownie. But when you can really stop and think about why it’s a good brownie, I think that it just brings a deeper appreciation that can happen. For me, just getting people to really appreciate the difference between a brownie that you bought at Starbucks that was baked last week and frozen for a couple of days versus a brownie that was fresh and that people really thought about the ratio of chocolate to flour and that we got the right texture, flavor and all of those things. For me, it makes me feel good because I’m educating people on what a good brownie is and I’m also propping up people that are making a good brownie and hopefully getting people to seek them out and don’t just buy the brownie from the gas station! You don’t want that brownie! That brownie’s no good! You want the brownie that somebody made in their kitchen and thought about it and are proud of and that’s good and it also makes me feel good!

AM: Just the way that you broke that down, because we love brownies – the glands started salivating just thinking about it! You took us through a 30 second journey where we’re like, “he is right, there are levels to that. It’s not just crunchy on top and gooey chocolate on the bottom.” You literally took us on a journey where we see that you’re right!

DG: Yeah! Because it’s a thing! I mean, when you take a bite of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, you bite into it and at first, it’s like your canine teeth kind of hit the thick part of the chocolate where it’s a bit thicker so it will go snap. But your front teeth, the top teeth kind of go in the top and sort of goes into the peanut butter and then before your bottom teeth get in there, your tongue is actually hitting the bottom of the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and the chocolate is always so thin right there that it has just a little more give so it’s a different texture than the top. And then when you bite into it and that one piece of chocolate goes snap, but because the edges are serrated – you know that zig zag on the edges, that part kind of pokes up in your lip for a second and it gives you a little sharp and that first bite of that Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup – I love it, but when you break down that for people, everyone has had that experience but no one has articulated it. When you do, it helps people to understand the food that they are eating and what they’re making.

I think that it makes people better cooks and better chefs because what people try to do then is say, “let me think about what is my favorite thing – there’s this burger that I like – why do I like it?” They’ll start really thinking about all of the little things like – they buttered the bun, salted it and then toasted it in a pan. The inside of the bun kind of has the texture of the outside of a grilled cheese. You start going through everything that makes that burger and the next time that person makes a burger, they are going to make it exactly the way that they want it because they are actually thinking of all of those little tiny details. That’s truly what makes a good chef – being able to articulate things that you like in a bite that other people will appreciate people will appreciate. The customers don’t have to think about the food like you’re thinking about it and I don’t think it’s necessary for everybody to think about the minutia of every little thing that they eat, but to be able to craft something that gives somebody else an experience that you yourself have had and enjoyed, that is what makes a good chef.

AM: You translate that so well and once again, in the example of the Reese’s Cup another favorite of ours – we don’t eat a lot of candy around here, but that is something that we really enjoy!

DG: Haha they are so good!

AM: They’re so tasty and there is just something about it. But you took us on that journey and it’s like, “he’s so right, the canine teeth do hit that part!”

DG: Totally!

AM: So with Holiday Baking Championship which kicks off this month, what can we expect from this season and what are you excited about?

DG: You know, one of the things that I love about Holiday Baking Championship is that we film it in the summer time. I basically love all of those flavors – cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice, eggnog – all of those things. I love it. I basically get 2 Christmas baking seasons every year and I just love it and it’s really great! This is a really good one! All the bakers are fantastic, and we have some really good challenges and I feel like Nancy Fuller and I just reached a new level in our relationship where we were just bickering at each other and one of the fun things is that Nancy and my daughter formed a special bond. We were filming in Knoxville, and we brought her out there and Josephine and Nancy immediately connected, and it was really really beautiful and I hope that they show some of that because it was really cute.

AM: Well, that’s exciting and as someone who has hosted and judged so many shows, shows, is there an ingredient that when you hear that a contestant wants to use it that you feel it’s a bit of a red flag and your doubtful that it will work and be a disaster? Or are you intrigued that they will use it and think that it could be cool?

DG: I mean, I always keep an open mind. I try not to let my personal prejudice mess things up. For example, I am not a huge fan of raspberries and chocolate. I think it is overplayed and a lot of time, I think that raspberries are acidic, and that dark chocolate is as well. So a lot of times I find that the combination of raspberries and chocolate is a bit too sour. But that’s just me. Everytime that someone makes it and I ask myself is it well balanced, is it done? It’s not like, “oh I don’t like these flavors, so you don’t win.” It’s like, did you do something cool with it?

AM: With it being the holiday season, what are 3 gifts that you suggest whether we’re buying it for ourselves or for a fellow baker that they should have in their kitchens for baking?

DG: Ohhhhh! I would say, if you don’t mind spinning extra money, a Kitchen-Aid Stand Mixer – it’s just night and day. For baking, you will do so much more with it. Definitely a scale – a digital one that can weigh out in ounces and grams. It’s always really good. I would say if someone is doing a lot of baking, I would say a bench scraper – it’s not something that a lot of people have in their kitchens at home, but I think that everyone would find it really useful – especially when you’re cleaning up. It’s great because it has this nice blade and handle that you can just scrape on your counters and it gets all of that dry stuff and it just comes up and you can wipe it down. It just makes cleaning so much easier.

AM: Well that’s great gifting ideas!

Now that you are a dad, how has it been for you to go through this phase and do you find that you look at food in a new way as Josephine is being introduced to new foods?

DG: Yes and no. I mean, just being a chef and a student of food, I’m pretty well versed into proteins, carbs and fats – good fats and bad fats. Same for good carbs and bad carbs. I’m definitely thinking about it more and I’m not giving her Skittles and soda so that’s good! But for the most part, what I think is really good is that I love just cooking for her. I made an old school puree where instead of putting it in a blender, I steamed some carrots, sweet potatoes and I ran them through a tamis and I did it old school French style. It was nice because there was a little bit of texture and she seemed to really enjoy it. Today, I’m going to make a spinach and pear smoothie and see. It’s kind of exciting. We’re going to put some yogurt in there.

AM: That’s exciting!

DG: Yeah, she’s going to eat well. When she goes to college, she’s going to be like, “oh man, I’ve had it good my whole life!”

AM: Pretty much – those dining halls!

Well looing at your portfolio and the body of work that you have created in your career from the shows that you have been on, your partnership with Goldbelly, your bakeries and also your philanthropic efforts with No Kid Hungry, what do you want your legacy to be seen as?

DG: It’s a good question. I think that hopefully, if anything, what makes me the happiest is seeing that I have inspired people to get in touch with their creative side. Not necessarily in baking, but just in anything, you know? I have inspired people to quit their jobs and start businesses and I think that that right there and showing people that there are career paths out there that are not sitting at a desk and 9-5. There’s some cool stuff out there.

I think that one of the things that I was most proud of with Ace of Cakes is that a lot of kids look at adults and they don’t think being one looks like a lot of fun at all. For the most part, they’re right. But they could look at Ace of Cakes and be like, these are adults and they seem to be having a great time! I think that for me, that feels really good. I like that if I met my 7 year old self, 7 year old Duff would say, “wow, that dude is pretty cool.” It makes me feel good and that’s a good measure in general. As you’re going through life and making decisions, it’s always important to ask yourself if your 7 year old self would be disappointed in your right now or would they say, yeah this is right and I turned out pretty cool. Sometimes when you see politicians – I mean would Ted Cruz’s 7 year old self be like, “yeah you’re awesome” or would he be like, “you suck! I can’t believe that I ended up being you.” You know what I mean?

AM: There are so many!

DG: I don’t want to let myself down. I don’t want to let Duff down from 1981 and for him to think that this guy sucks.

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

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

AM: It’s like, is that the road that you wanted to go down? It just doesn’t look right!

DG: Yeah! What decision did you make that led you to this point? You should go back and rethink that one!

AM: It’s like, do you have any friends? Because if you had a good one, they would say, “wow you need to rethink that one!”

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

AM: How do you take time for yourself and get that moment of zen with all of the things that you have been involved in?

DG: It’s really important. You’ll never have the time if you don’t make the time. It’s really important to be able to find that time for yourself. I know you wouldn’t really think of it by looking at me, but I am actually insane about exercising. I love to exercise. I love to lift. I have a really nice gym here at my house. I do a lot of other stuff too. I play music and I have a whole jam room studio in the basement and right now I am working on a set of blocks for my daughter.

AM: We saw that on Instagram! It’s so cute!

DG: Yeah! I’m kind of right in the middle of that. It’s a big job!

AM: Earlier this year you posted about this wooden play thing that someone suggested you should buy it, but then you got the tools and materials and made it. You’re a serious woodsman!

DG: Yeah, my wife was like, there’s this thing and we could buy it, but it would be cool if you made it. So I wanted to make it and I ended up spending about $1,000 in tools for something that would have cost $90 on Etsy but it was super fun!

AM: It looked beautiful!

DG: Yeah, I do a lot of wood working – like bird feeders around the house. I had to child proof the house. We kind of live in a cabin, it’s a big A-frame and it’s not fancy it’s from the 70s and it’s a loft upstairs and that’s dangerous for a little kid. So I had to build all of these walls and stuff to keep her from falling off the loft because there are no handrails – no door. So I love doing a lot of wood work and I’m trying to get these blocks done and my wife wants me to make a sensory board for her. Things to play with and things that make noise. I have to finish these blocks because I hate leaving projects unfinished. To put the blocks aside and then move to something else, it doesn’t sit well with me - so I have to get them done!

IG @duffgoldman

PHOTOS COURTESY | PG 92, 95 + 99 No Kid Hungry | PG 96 The Jim Henson Company |

Read the NOV ISSUE #71 of Athleisure Mag and see Tasting Journey with Duff Goldman in mag.

Hear Chef, Restaurateur, Baker, TV Personality and Host/Judge of Food Network/Discovery+, Duff Goldman on our show, Athleisure Kitchen - which is a part of Athleisure Studio, our multimedia companion podcast network! Subscribe to be notified when the episode drops. Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts or wherever you enjoy your podcasts.

S2. E1. | ATHLEISURE KITCHEN WITH CHEF DUFF GOLDMAN

On today’s episode of Athleisure Kitchen, we catch up with founder of Charm City Cakes and Food Network Host and Judge, Duff Goldman. A favorite of Athleisure Mag and in the NOV ISSUE #71, we talk about him hosting No Kid Hungry’s Thanksgiving Bake-A-Thon which took place this month! Viewers were able to watch Duff as well as noted bakers and celebrities create holiday dishes and answer questions that enthusiasts have when creating their own works of art! We explore why he is so passionate about working with No Kid Hungry and how he has been involved with them for well over a decade! We also talked about The Holiday Baking Championship and how important it is for him to provide feedback to contestants while also taking people through the culinary journey of enjoying a bite of your favorite treats! I promise you will never look at your Reese’s Cup in the same way! We also talk about 3 items that bakers should be gifted or gift themselves, upcoming projects, being a new father and he shares one of our favorite features that our readers enjoy in Athleisure Mag’s issue, 9LIST ROUTIN3S!

You can stay in the loop on who future guests are by visiting us at AthleisureStudio.com/AthleisureKitchen and on Instagram at @AthleisureKitchen and @AthleisureStudio. Athleisure Kitchen is hosted by Kimmie Smith and is Executive Produced by Paul Farkas and Kimmie Smith. It is mixed by the team at Athleisure Studio. Our theme music is "This Boy" performed by Ilya Truhanov.

NO KID HUNGRY | THANKSGIVING BAKE-A-THON

Avid readers of Athleisure Mag know that we have shared a number of initiatives as well as the chefs that participate in No Kid Hungry. Food insecurity shouldn’t be something that children should have to grapple with and we like that year around, They’re incredible efforts to tackle this issue for children in the US is so important for them to focus on as an organization. This Sat, Nov 13th from 1 - 5pm EST, you can get your holiday baking questions answered by the pros.

Hosted by Duff Goldman of “Ace of Cakes,” “Thanksgiving Bake-A-Thon” is a 4-hour livestream fundraising event that brings together baking superstars from across the country to raise funds for No Kid Hungry, a national campaign to end childhood hunger. The event will offer hours of baking fun for virtual attendees and will include special appearances from celebrity bakers and culinary influencers including, Actress Tamera Mowry-Housley and Bill Yosses (Hulu’s “Baker’s Dozen”), Chef Joanne Chang (Flour Bakery + Cafe), Gemma Stafford (Bigger Bolder Baking), Amy Robach (Good Morning America) and more. These talented bakers will be demoing their favorite baking recipes, sharing tips and techniques and answering questions from the live audience. Viewers can participate and donate during the event by tuning into No Kid Hungry’s Facebook livestream on Saturday, Nov. 13 from 1 – 5 p.m. ET.

Make sure to mark your calendar for this weekend for a fun event and great way to give back as 1 in 6 kids may face hunger this holiday season.

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

#TRIBEGOALS

Read the AUG ISSUE #68 of Athleisure Mag and see #TRIBEGOALS in mag.

THE PICK ME UP

Read the JUL ISSUE #67 of Athleisure Mag and see The Pick Me Up in mag.

GET FIT FOR NO KID HUNGRY

Mark your calendars as fitness lovers across the globe have the opportunity to “Get Fit for No Kid Hungry” with their favorite celebrity trainers and influencers with free livestream workout classes, including model Lily Aldridge and celebrity fitness trainer Simone De La Rue (creator of Body by Simone), as well as fitness expert and boxing trainer, Anthony Crouchelli (Liteboxer, GRIT BXING). 

 The livestream workouts will be hosted via Instagram Live and free to the public with donations encouraged to No Kid Hungry, a national campaign to end childhood hunger in America. Every $1 donated can help provide up to 10 meals to kids in need. Meal equivalency varies during COVID-19 relief. Learn more here.

WHEN: Friday, March 26 at 7 a.m. PST/10 a.m. EST

  Lily Aldridge & Simone De La Rue (they will be hosting the class together)

WHEN: Saturday, March 27 at 8 a.m. PST/11 a.m. EST

Anthony Crouchelli 

WHERE: The ‘Get Fit for No Kid Hungry’ livestream classes can be accessed via Instagram through the below handles of each participating celebrity and fitness influencer during the times specified above. 

You can join Lily Aldridge and Simone De La Rue’s workout fundraiser via @lilyaldridge or @simonedelarue.official (the class will be hosted through both IG handles), and Anthony Crouchelli’s workout fundraiser via @anthonycrouchelli. 

WHY: Due to the coronavirus, 1 in 4 kids could face hunger today. No Kid Hungry has a plan to make sure kids are fed, during this crisis and every day. Through a combination of emergency grants, strategic assistance, advocacy and awareness, the anti-hunger campaign is equipping communities across the country with the resources they need to feed kids. 

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

S1. E9. | ATHLEISURE KITCHEN WITH NO KID HUNGRY'S JENNY DIRKSEN + CHEF ELIZABETH FALKNER

On today's episode of Athleisure Kitchen, we share an organization that we have covered a number of times over at Athleisure Mag and is in the Nov issue. We have enjoyed sharing initiatives that No Kid Hungry creates in order to ensure that childhood hunger is not an issue that has to be a concern in this country. In the past, we have interviewed Bryan Voltaggio and Duff Goldman, both who have participated in a fundraising event known as Chefs Cycle. We have also covered the spatulas that include the creativity of various celebs, food personalities and chefs that are sold at Williams-Sonoma. Right before the holidays, we caught up with No Kid Hungry's Jenny Dirksen who is the National Director of Champion Engagement and Chef Elizabeth Falkner and talked about a variety of programs that No Kid Hungry is involved in throughout the year. Of course, with Holiday festivities underway, we delved into what we will find on their dinner tables this year! This episode was recorded at one of Athleisure Kitchen's favorite whiskey destinations, The Flatiron Room here in NYC.

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW WITH NO KID HUNGRY'S JENNY DIRKSEN AND CHEF ELIZABETH FALKNER

Over the past few years, we have enjoyed sharing initiatives that No Kid Hungry creates in order to ensure that childhood hunger is not an issue that has to be a concern in this country. We caught up with No Kid Hungry's Jenny Dirksen who is the National Director of Champion Engagement and Chef Elizabeth Falkner and talked about No Kid Hungry, their initiatives throughout the year and with Thanksgiving and Holiday festivities underway, what we can find on their dinner tables this year! We held this in-depth conversation at The Flatiron Room in NYC.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We’re so excited to have both of you here as we have worked with No Kid Hungry for a number of years and sharing your chef’s stories as well as your initiatives with our readers. We’ve also been fans of your storytelling through food as well Chef Falkner so having both of you here during the holiday season is a treat!

Chef, we’ve seen you on a number of TV shows whether you’re competing, judging, or culinary events such as StarChefs which we just saw you at a few weekends ago in Brooklyn, can you tell us the moment that you realized that you wanted to cook?

CHEF ELIZABETH FALKNER: I never thought about cooking as a culinary profession until I was out living in San Francisco going to art school and working at Williams-Sonoma part-time. Really because what we now call the California Food Revolution was happening all around me. So it felt like an art and political and everything kind of movement. A handful of mostly female chefs were getting all of the agriculture sort of more exciting and most interesting product with more farm to table kind of stuff almost 30 years ago. So it kind of swooped me up. AM: What was the moment for you when you realized you wanted to work within the culinary industry. You have an amazing background as a chef and then being in a managerial role.

PHOTO CREDIT | Paul Farkas (L: Chef ELizabeth Falkner; R: No Kid Hungry’s Jenny Dirksen)

PHOTO CREDIT | Paul Farkas

PHOTO CREDIT | Paul Farkas (L: Athleisure Mag Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director and Co-Exec Producer and Host of Athleisure Kitchen podcast, Kimmie Smith)

JENNY DIRKSEN: I grew up loving food and loving mostly to eat! I took on self-imposed vegetarianism and really educated myself on nutrition and making my own meals. I don’t think that I understood until college that that could make a profession out of that. I was working as a barista at Heyday which is no more, but is like a Dean and Deluca which is also no more and I watched the folks working which were all dudes in the prepared foods part and I thought, “how do you get to do that?” That was the beginning for me and I did get to cook for a few years and I chickened out and went to the office side of the world.

CHEF EF: I wouldn’t call it chickening out, you probably said, “that’s not for me – I want to do something else.”

JD: I think that I had actually injured my back and I said, “I’m not capable of standing up at my station right now chef.” And I had the opportunity to work in the office of the restaurant and not realizing how much fun that would be in supporting everyone that was delighting the guests all day long. Through that, I had the opportunity to move into the executive office where I spent a good chunk of my time and learned that restaurants and chefs can create social change and that was the coolest to me.

AM: How do you define your style of cooking as I know you do sweet and savory and you’re so versatile.

CHEF EF: Well first of all, I don’t like to be stereotyped at all which is just a part of who I am. I love exploring everything through the medium of food. To me, food is a lot like learning languages and I am just really interested in storytelling as food evolves into different places at different times. I think of my style as much more explorative as opposed to a specific genre or ethnicity. I really like exploring everything and the more things that I don’t know, I like to know more about them.

AM: As the National Director of Champion Engagement at No Kid Hungry, tell us about the role you have in this position?

JD: I’m really fortunate as I work alongside our entire team that engages with chefs. So all of the ways that chefs help us to fundraise for the work itself - Taste of the Nation a broad scale tasting event, No Kid Hungry dinners – sometimes they’re intimate sometimes they’re galas, Chefs Cycle and we’re able to take all of these culinary professionals that have worked with us to help us fundraise and we say, “hey do you want to come to Capitol Hill and actually meet with your legislatures and talk to them about what you are fundraising for and ask them for legislative change or appropriations to support legislation that we’re really enthusiastic about? Would you like to lend your voice to media and tell others what we’re doing. Come see the work up close and bring them into schools to see how what we do works up close. I also am in regular touch with some of our most engaged culinary professionals to let them know what we are up to. There is so much nitty gritty in the work and those that say that they really want to know what we are up to, we get that message out to them. What we really want to do is to create a community of caring individuals who are passionate about ending childhood hunger and through doing that, they allow us to grow new fundraising platforms and also new ways of getting the actual work done.

PHOTO COURTESY | The Flatiron Room

AM: How did you decide that you wanted to be a part of this?

CHEF EF: Well a couple of things. First, I’ve been cooking for a long time and I have done events with No Kid Hungry and Share Our Strength many years ago when it first started on the cooking side of things. I do a lot of charity events still even though I don’t work in kitchens full time and that’s just because chefs have this power to influence and to just cook and raise dollars as well as awareness for a lot of things such as No Kid Hungry.

Chefs Cycle has been something that I have been wanting to do. I was running half marathons and the NY Marathon in 2016 and I was like, “how am I going to do both?” I was raising money for Team for Kids because I like for kids to exercise too! Then after last year when I was running 3 marathons, my doctor said, “I don’t think that you should run as much.” I was like, “Great! I’ll sign up for Chefs Cycle.” So I started to do cycling and that’s how it started! Because of that, that it’s not this simple thing to train for. Riding for 300 miles is no joke and training for that is no joke. So I just like the idea that I still like to cook for these kinds of events, but to also be able to do something athletic that’s way out of my comfort zone is also such a good message to show how important it is, but also a great message for chefs to do something like that.

I’m kind of one of those people that are always telling other cooks and people in general that being aware of what you’re eating and ultimately what you’re physically doing is going to help you in the longevity of your career.

AM: How do you train for that? I mean, it’s 300 miles!

CHEF EF: I mean what’s really cool about it is that this year, when we do the ride in Bend, Oregon next June – we’ve formed a team. Adele Nelson, Director, Chefs Cycle for No Kid Hungry, connected me with Jess Cerra a professional cyclist who just retired. So we just decided to form a team, Team Themyscira because that is where Wonder Woman is from. It’s not exclusively a team for women, but the focus is to get more women riding. Stephanie Izard (first female chef to win BRAVO’s Top Chef Season 4, Chef/Co-Owner of Girl and the Goat, Little Goat and Duck, Duck Goat in Chicago (and James Beard Foundation Award Winner) is also riding and actually just texted me last night asking if men could participate in this. Obviously, we’re not sexist, but it’s a team of really great women. Some have done this race before and Hillary Sterling (Executive Chef at Vic’s in NYC) said, “Hey I am going to be riding” and I told her she had to join my team! Duskie Estes (Food Network food personality as a contestant and judge as well as Chef/Co-Owner of The Black Piglet and Black Pig Meat Co) are also going to ride as well. It’s a bunch of really cool people.

What’s cool is we have a couple of professional cyclists on our team.

JD: Oh yeah, across the board! The cyclists are like, “Cool, we get to hang out with these chefs!”

CHEF EF: They’re already giving us tips and training if we want it. Like, I didn’t know that you’re not supposed to wear underwear underneath your shorts.

AM: Yup, you learn that real quick!

CHEF EF: I was like thanks, I needed to know that this year!

PHOTO COURTESY | The Flatiron Room

AM: When you have completed this race, what do you do after that? Does your body just feel incapacitated for like 2 days?

CHEF EF: By the time you have trained for it, you’re so amped for it. This year in Santa Rosa it was nice the first day and then it rained the last two days. I had never ridden in the rain before so I was a little scared about that as it was something that I hadn’t really done. I was like, I will try it, but if it feels scary, then I will stop. We ended up riding the whole day except for when I met this women from Canada who had a flat about half way in the day which is fine and we came back which I was fine with because it was freezing. Then we got rain gear and on the 3rd day, we were maniacs and we just didn’t really care and we were riding around in the pouring rain. But the camaraderie was just so much fun and everyone was so supportive and it’s a really great event and it raises a lot of money too!

AM: We were just going to ask how much did you raise?

JD: I don’t know the year by year count, but since we have started, we have raised $2.5 million just in the rides and we have about 4 or 5 under our belt.

CHEF EF: Like I raised, $8,500 last year and I’m shooting for at least that this year.

AM: How do you decide on your end what chef goes into what program and what is that process like?

JD: Again, I’m fortunate to have started at this organization which was 20 years in. There were a wealth of chefs that were already taking part. My old boss, Danny Meyer (Founder and CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group) had been on their board for years and years. Knowing people through No Kid Hungry had already been a connection point for me professionally. We’re very lucky that people come to us and that a number of people come through other chefs like when Elizabeth will say, “I did this crazy ride and you have to come do it too.” Sometimes we’re branching into a market that we haven’t been in before and I’ll ask the chefs who we work with who they know. We’ll do some reading. We’re thrilled to have chefs who have been reviewed and have received rewards, but that is not the starting line. I want people who are passionate about food and feeding others and wanting to make a difference. Those are our people.

AM: So non-chefs can also participate?

JD: Everyone has a role in ending childhood hunger! For my specific work, we talk about engaging culinary professionals because there is front of house, beverage folks, office types and those that are involved in making restaurants exciting places for eating and a lot of fun. We want all of those people working with us!

AM: With Thanksgiving, knowing that you guys do things year around, what are initiatives that are taking place during this season that we should know about?

JD: The Tuesday after Thanksgiving is known as Giving Tuesday and it’s a very big day for charitable giving whether doing it in person or online. That’s Dec 3rd this year. You can go to NoKidHungry.org to see everything that we are doing or following us online @NoKidHungry. I think that 2 things that are especially interesting are the generous community at Food52 is benefitting us in our work through their Food52 Holiday Swap which has gone on for years. You bake something and send to someone else and they kind of match make between the bakers and everyone makes a contribution to be involved. That is happening at Food52.com.

This year, we’re benefitting from a fun holiday auction that Bon Appétit is doing they issue a bunch of different covers to go with the Nov issue and you can collect them all. To do that, you can go to Ebay for Charity for No Kid Hungry on that page.

AM: As we head into the Christmas season, are there specific ones for that as well?

JD: I think that end of year giving is the big push at that point. Throughout the year we have these incredible culinary events that we have mentioned: Taste of the Nation, our No Kid Hungry dinners and you can find out more about this through our events page on NoKidHungry.org. Of course there is also Chefs Cycle and we look for folks to make a contribution and to support their favorite chefs at ChefsCycle.org.

CHEF EF: Yeah, you can just support a rider on the website or a team – like Team Themyscira.

AM: Just in case you wanted to know about one team in particular ha!

As someone who is out there whether you’re cooking to raise funds, being at events, charitable functions being on social media etc – how important is it for chefs to do this kind of visibility and activity in terms of their culinary careers?

CHEF EF: I don’t think that a chef has to do things like that. Some people may think that you have to in order to be more successful. I think it depends on where you are. I know a lot of chefs who work in their kitchens and they don’t have time to do stuff like that and I don’t think it’s a negative and you can probably see it in their food. You put that much more work into your food, it’s going to show! I think it’s great when people are showing stuff and the power of social media where people are able to show their food and what they are doing – I think that that is amazing and how that can go around the world.

AM: Will there be another restaurant?

CHEF EF: It’s not my goal to open another restaurant. I have already done that for a good chunk of my life. It’s not that it’s too hard work for me. It’s just that I’m so involved in food policy, food waste and I talk a lot about helping kids, teaching kids and speaking a lot more on all of these different issues. I’m constantly doing recipe development. I don’t even know how I would have another restaurant at this point in my life because I’m so busy!

JD: Well that’s a nice thing!

CHEF EF: Well there’s a lot to do!

AM: We enjoy seeing your social and seeing you do all of the things that you have mentioned and really just getting in there and doing the work.

CHEF EF: I learned a lot from the food business too and if you can do that in what I like to call a theater – the restaurant, but you can also take it on the road these days. I ended up cooking in China this year and I ended up cooking in so many places this year at all of these different places and I actually like cooking with ingredients from different parts of the world too because it helps me change it up.

AM: What are your 3 favorite ingredients to have on hand?

CHEF EF: Oh my goodness. I have to have Olive Oil, that’s a critical one. It changes, but I’m in love with some of the things that I experienced in Asia. I came back loving this fermented Broad Bean Paste which is slightly like fermented Chinese Black Beans which is more like a Fava Bean. It’s a fermented spicy Chinese Sichuan specialty that’s in Mapo Doufu for example. I have this obsession with Chinese food that makes me hungry just thinking about it!

Then I think having Meyer Lemons is kind of one of my favorite ingredients. I’m from California and I need that zest and I love citrus. I still try to sprinkle into my food whenever I can.

AM: What are your 3 favorite ingredients to have on hand?

JD: I’m a big stock person. My slow cooker is always going with chicken stock – I feel that it boosts us. Ginger so good – it’s great for external and internal. Cardamom is another one. It's so holiday to me.

AM: What’s for Thanksgiving this year?

CHEF EF: It’s so funny. I’m making breakfast for my brother and girlfriend for this Thanksgiving. Then they’re going to go to her parents house which I love going to. Her mom is Korean American and I enjoyed going there as she is a really good cook. It’s a cross between classic Thanksgiving dishes and a number of Korean ones and I think that I like all of the Korean ones better! So then I am working on a project right now so I don’t have time to really spend around Thanksgiving so much – so I think that I will just spend time making more Chinese food!

JD: I’m actually getting together with my neighbor and we’re going to brainstorm our menu as we are cooking together. Lots of things happening at the Green Market right now. I have one of those mega Brussel Sprout branches right now. The top sprouts are so huge it looks like Choi and the farmer told me that he actually had people taking it and slow roasting it whole with the stalk in the oven – I’m very curious and may have to go there. Lots of squash – love a red curry squash. There will still be turkey, there will still be pie.

CHEF EF: I feel like, unfortunately, that it’s put all on one day which is not how I really think about this time of year. I think Thanksgiving lasts from Oct – Dec because it’s all about this harvest.

AM: Is there anything else that you want to share with us?

JD: I want everyone to know that everyone has a Strength to Share in the fight against hunger. There are so many ways to get involved and make a difference. You can certainly donate online, host a bake sale, a personal bake sale that you do on your own, attend our events and find an opportunity to speak up on behalf of kids to your elected officials. Once again, all of that can be found on No Kid Hungry.org.

CHEF EF: I just want to say that every dollar helps and I don’t think that any kid should be hungry when they’re going to school or summer programs. How are you going to be able to think or do all the things you need to be a kid at school if you’re hungry?

JD: Elizabeth is right. Every dollar that No Kid Hungry receives, we can connect a kid with up to 10 meals so it’s really impactful!

IG: @NoKidHungry

@ChefFalkner

Hear No Kid Hungry's Jennifer Dirken and Chef Elizabeth Falkner this month on our show, Athleisure Kitchen which is a part of Athleisure Studio, our multi-media podcast network! Make sure to subscribe to find out when the episode drops. You can hear it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Google Podcasts and wherever you enjoy listening to your favorite podcast.

Read the Nov Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Something You Should Know with No Kid Hungry’s Jenny Dirksen and Chef Elizabeth Falkner in mag.

ATHLEISURE MAG | #47 NOV 2019

This month’s cover and back cover is EDM DJ/Producer and Entrepreneuer Marshmello. We headed out to Bethlehem, PA to the ribbon cutting of Stuffed Puffs plant where he and his manager are equity partners in this sweet treat! We catch up with him on his successes, music and more. In our feature, Something You Should Know, we sit down with Chef Elizabeth Falkner and No Kid Hungry’s Jenny Dirksen to talk about initiatives of this program, holiday meals and more. You can also hear this interview later this month on our podcast show, Athleisure Kitchen which is available on Spotify, iHeartRadio, Apple Podcast and wherever you enjoy listening. We also spent time at the 14th Annual StarChefs International Congress which was a weekend filled with food demonstrations, panels and more for the culinary community. We have a number of interviews in this piece from Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli (of Don Angie), Emily Hyland, Ben Turley and Brent Young of The Meat Hook and you can also listen to the Managing Editor of StarChefs, Will Blunt later on this month on Athleisure Kitchen. We sat down with one of our faves from The Hills and The Hills: New Beginnings’ Whitney Port to find out why she decided to come back to the reality show in it’s reboot as well as what she’s up to, how she takes time for herself and more. In this month’s The Art of the Snack, we head to Midtown East’s Chola which is known for it’s savory Indian cuisine. We also have our Holiday Gift Guide (there is an additional one that will be in the Dec issue out later this month).

As usual, we have our monthly roundups including our 9LIST (Athleisure Mag’s picks that we’re loving this month in style, beauty and fitness) featured roundups. This month’s 9LIST STORI3S (picks supplied by celebrities) gives us insight into Celebrity Trainer, Nutrition Expert, Best Selling Author, TV Personality and Gym Designer – Harley Pasternak. This month’s 9PLAYLIST (9 songs that our celebs are loving this month) comes from, LaLa Anthony of STARZ’s Power. As always, you can enjoy Athleisure List (Crown Plaza HY36 and Murray’s Cheese Mac Bar), The Pick Me Up, Bingely Books, Bingely Streaming, Style Files, Rock This Sleep Style Overnight to Breakfast, Athleisure Beauty, How to Dress, In Our Bag, #TRIBEGOALS and Bergamot Beauty. 

Read the Nov Issue of Athleisure Mag, Issue 47.

FRIENDSGIVING FOR NO KID HUNGRY

Avid readers of Athleisure Mag know that we enjoy sharing a number of initiatives that are taking place with our friends at No Kid Hungry and have talked to a number of fascinating chefs that participate in various campaigns with them. Next month is Thanksgiving and as people think of attending and hosting this food filled holiday, Friendsgiving for No Kid Hungry allows you to spread love to those that are less fortunate. This campaign encourages people to add a fundraising component to their feasts by signing up to host and invite friends to fundraise in support of the effort to end childhood hunger in America. 

In addition to signing up among your group of friends and family, No Kid Hungry has partnered with renowned chefs and culinary supporters to provide hosts with expertise, recipes and tips to ensure that their fundraising feasts are easy! We took some time to talk to two people who are key to dinners that will take place across tables in the states - Emily Elsen, Co-Founder of Four and Twenty Blackbirds pie shops, and Will Elliot, Bar Director of Maison Premiere - both in Brooklyn. We talked with them about how they got into the business, why they have partnered with No Kid Hungry for Friendsgiving and what the holiday season is like for their businesses.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Tell us your journey into the food industry and what led to the creation of Four and Twenty Blackbirds?
 
EMILY ELSEN: Melissa and I grew up working in our mother's restaurant from the time we were little girls. This laid the foundation for our keen interest in and ability to understand and be prepared for the demands of the food world. When Melissa moved in with me in NYC, we had already had aspirations of owning our own business - not necessarily a food business though! As it goes we gravitated back to our roots, and the inspiration for becoming pie makers came from our Grandmother Liz who was famous locally for her handmade pies. One thing led to another, and after a year of developing and planning and running a small home based pie company, we signed our first commercial lease and have never looked back! We sincerely set out to make the best pie in New York City, and to bring attention back to
pie in America.

AM: You and your sister work together - what are your roles/responsibilities and what are Melissa's?
 
EE: We both wear a lot of hats, and we do what needs to get done. Melissa has a degree in finance and I have a degree in sculpture and photography - so we naturally have gravitated to roles that employ our strengths. 

AM: You have a number of locations, tell us about them and are you anticipating additional locations?

EE: Our original shop in Gowanus is a busy, comfy cozy pie shop that has customers in all day long - it's the flagship. Our Café + Pie Counter in the Brooklyn Public Library offers soups, sandwiches, salads and of course pie. Our seasonal shop in Orient, LI offers pie by the slice, breakfast snacks and treats, espresso and pie a la mode - it's a great summer destination. Our newest location, our Pie Counter + Bar in Prospect Heights is a 10 seat counter that offers beer, cider and wine pairings that compliment our pies. Our four thousand square foot production kitchen is where the magic of the pie making happens and we run nearly 24 hours. We will crank out 5000 pies in a week's time for Thanksgiving 2017. Having this kitchen has allowed us to grow into the wholesale market in NYC and to work with larger clients such as Shake Shack on nationwide distribution, Fresh Direct, and Wholefoods. 

AM: With the holidays coming up, we can only imagine how busy a pie shop can be - what are the favorites among customers that we should keep on our radar?

EE: Our Thanksgiving menu has been the same since year two - our takes on the classics have become a tradition for many: Salted Caramel Apple, Brown Butter Pumpkin, Bittersweet Chocolate Pecan and our cult favorite, Salty Honey.

AM: We know that you have partnered with No Kid Hungry for Friendsgiving. Can you tell us about this initiative as well as how you are participating in this effort?

EE: We’re excited to help support No Kid Hungry’s efforts to encourage people to give back during the holidays. Their Friendsgiving for No Kid Hungry is a fun way to celebrate the season while helping others. You can sign-up to host a Friendsgiving on NoKidHungry.org and receive resources to assist with planning your celebration (from decor templates to recipes), as well as fundraising tips to help your family and friends support their work to address childhood hunger in the U.S. Melissa and I are honored to be in great company sharing recipes to help celebrate the season, with two of Four & Twenty Blackbirds’ most popular Thanksgiving pies, Brown Butter Pumpkin and Salted Caramel Apple.

AM: How long have you worked with No Kid Hungry and why is it an organization that you like being involved with?

EE: We’ve participated in other fundraisers for No Kid Hungry in the past, but this year we’re excited to do more as it speaks to the core of what we believe as a Brooklyn neighborhood business - that food brings communities together. No Kid Hungry is doing immensely valuable work in the food arena, from feeding kids in need directly through programs like school breakfast and summer meals, to teaching families how to shop for healthy food on a budget.
 
AM: Between running your locations, your book and teaching courses, how do you take time for yourself to stay fresh for the next thing?

EE: It can be very hard to make time for yourself in this industry. Everyone wants a piece of you and the requests are endless. Finding time to get out of town is important to me, I head to the Catskill Mountains to visit friends, or go to our shop in Orient to enjoy the coast during Summer months  - and Melissa likes to make sure she keeps her Sundays free for her personal life without interruptions of calls and emails.

Getting enough sleep is hard, but important to try to - and I've learned that I need to work hard to keep a balanced diet and eat enough protein and veggies - when you are thinking about and around food all day every day, sometimes you forget to eat it yourself!  

AM: How often do you change your menu as we love that you have some creative pies - what are 3 slices we should try?

EE: The menu changes regularly with the season - about every 3 to 4 weeks, depending upon availability of fruits. 

Lemon Chess, Plum Streusel and Matcha Custard, oh and Black Bottom Oat. 

AM: When you're making pies is there a playlist that you listen to and if so - what is on there now?

EE: We always have great music on in the kitchen - a huge variety of things get played. Lately, I personally have been listening to Isaiah Rashad, M.I.A., Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, Calvin Harris - but I love older hip-hop, Motown, reggae, a lot of pop dance music...anything with a good beat and lyrics. 
 

AM: Tell us your journey into the hospitality industry and what led you to becoming a mixologist?

WILL ELLIOTT: I started when I was nineteen years old on a little island off the coast of Maine. I was in college filling all of the front of the house roles. I was the only bartender in the only restaurant on this tiny little island for about seven years. I was also a musician and as many stories go, I started realizing that I was spending more time in restaurants than
playing music and I gradually fell in love with not only cocktail-making, but food and restaurant culture in general.

AM: You head up the bar program at Maison Premiere tell us what this role entails and more about the restaurant.

WE: The role of Bar Director at Maison Premiere is that of wearing many different hats. Of course, my primary role is the menu development and ideation and creating all of the recipes for our cocktails. But beyond that it's being the bar manager, so choosing all of our liqueurs, making sure the bar is properly stocked, and doing all of the nitty gritty work that goes into running a restaurant! Maison Premiere is a really special place-- it's definitely New Orleans inspired, but also has a horseshoe bar like found in Paris. It makes it a very communal place because you interact a lot with people around you and with your bartender.

AM: What are your favorite signature fall cocktails at Maison Premiere?
 
WE: My favorite new cocktail for fall right now is our new Pimms Cup. It uses a cool aged plum eau de vie that is really reductive and oily and has such an intense representation of plum. It's just super aromatic and delicious. The drink also has a little bit of cardamom -- overall just textbook autumnal flavors of stone fruit and warm spices.

AM: With the holidays coming up, what are some warm cocktails that we should enjoy on our next visit to Maison Premiere?

WE: We have a few great warm drinks at Maison Premiere. Of course, the classic is the Maison Hot Toddy, which is pretty fantastic. It's one of those great recipes that works with many different spirits, so if you're not a whiskey person you can still enjoy it! I love the toddy made with Calvados, it's perfect for fall. We also have a delicious drink called the Lady Lyndon made with framboise eau de vie, a rose cream (rose flower water on top), pineau de charentes, germaine-robin absinthe which has a lovely tea-like flavor. It's really great.

AM: We know that you have partnered with No Kid Hungry for Friendsgiving. Can you tell us about this initiative as well as how you are participating in this effort?

WE: Friendsgiving for No Kid Hungry is a way to kick the holiday season off right by giving back. And it’s easy. Anyone can transform their next dinner party or holiday gathering into an opportunity to help others.  I partnered up with No Kid Hungry to share two of my favorite signature cocktail recipes with people who sign up to host Friendsgiving.

AM: How long have you worked with No Kid Hungry and why is it an organization that you like being involved with?

WE: I partnered with No Kid Hungry a few years ago when I learned that one in six kids in America struggles with hunger. The relationship between No Kid Hungry and the culinary community is 30 years strong and makes sense. There isn’t a community more passionate about food and feeding people. Every $1 you raise can help connect a child with up to 10 meals. Every little bit counts.

AM: When you're not at Maison Premiere, how do you take time for yourself to recharge your batteries?

WE: Working in restaurants and bars can be challenging so to recharge I definitely focus on getting some actual rest, first and foremost. Second, I love to go out to restaurants with friends-- like Four Horsemen, Diner, and Spuyten Duyvil. All conveniently located near where I live in Williamsburg. Also, when I get the time I love to head upstate to relax-- Josh, one of the owners of Maison Premiere, has a great cabin upstate that I like to go up to and my family is from rural New Hampshire so those are both great escapes!
 
AM: How often do you update your cocktail list?

WE: It's not super regimented, but we generally like to update quarterly depending on the season. We're constantly working to have cocktails that we love and that fit the seasons!
 
AM: When you're creating cocktails prior to getting them on the menu, is there a playlist that you listen to and if so - what is on there now?

WE: As a musician, I am definitely inspired by music as part of my creative process-- I've been listening to a ton of post-disco/early 80s New York/Bronx-style music. It's super trippy stuff like Dr. Buzzards Original Savannah Band and Kid Creole and his Coconuts.

Read more from the Oct Issue and see Friendsgiving For No Kid Hungry in mag.

SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW | NO KID HUNGRY

We have covered No Kid Hungry as it pertains to various campaigns that they have run such as Chef's Cycle (our interview with Celebrity Chef's Bryan Voltaggio and Duff Goldman) which took celebrity chefs focus on helping those in need through food by cycling this past May in
California.

The ethos of No Kid Hungry is that no child should go hungry in America; however, 1 in 6 kids will face hunger this year. To combat this statistic, the organization ensures that kids start the day with a nutritious breakfast and families learn the skills they need to shop and cook on
a budget. By working together, they are committed to children having the healthy food they need. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of national anti-hunger organization Share Our Strength.

Through its campaigns, No Kid Hungry has had a high visibility in its efforts due to their presence on Food Network, as well as their current partnership with Williams Sonoma via, "Tools For Change" program.

This month, Williams Sonoma announced its sixth annual campaign to benefit the charity and is aiming to raise $2 million which will connect children in need to nearly 20 million meals!

“Thanks to our incredibly generous customers, friends of the brand and employees Williams Sonoma was able to raise more than $3.3 million since 2012 to support No Kid Hungry, which
equates to 33 million meals served to children in need across the nation,” said Janet Hayes, president of Williams Sonoma. “This year, we’re continuing our efforts with an even loftier goal.
We’re renewing our commitment to an organization dedicated to making No Kid Hungry a reality through awareness, action and education.”

“Everyone has a role to play in ending childhood hunger in America. Whether you volunteer your time, advocate on behalf of kids in your community, or even buy a spatula, you join millions in the belief that
America’s kids deserve to grow up healthy and strong.”

— Jeff Bridges

“My spatula design is based on the
afro pick I wear in my hair. The reasons
are simple, and the reasons
are several: it has resonance with
power, peace, self-possession, and
self-awareness. Those are all different
kinds of food for the soul. This
spatula helps with food for the body.

As I have become more involved in
food-related creativity, I have tried
to become more involved in food-related
causes. No Kid Hungry is one
of the most compelling. They say
that breakfast is the most important
meal, and childhood is the breakfast
of life.”

— Questlove

The celebrity spatula designers will be spreading the word on social media by competing in a “spatdown” posting about the campaign, with the goal of selling the most spatulas. Williams Sonoma will make a five-thousand-dollar donation to No Kid Hungry on behalf of the winner. You can participate and follow the “spatdown” unfold live by following the brand at @williamssonoma on Instagram and become a part of the conversation by using #WSNoKidHungry.

There are a number of ways to assist in their goal. This month and during the month of September, you can sign up and pay for classes where proceeds go to this nonprofit at your local Williams Sonoma.

In addition to the classes, the culinary retailer joined forces with prominent celebrities, chefs and brands to take part in its fourth annual customer-favorite "Tools for Change" program. This year’s “tools” include a collection of limited-edition celebrity designed spatulas. Now available
in stores and online at Williams-Sonoma.com, the exclusive spatulas retail for $12.95 each, with thirty percent of the retail price benefiting No Kid Hungry. For every dollar raised, No Kid Hungry can connect a child with ten healthy meals.

Each chef and celebrity illustrated their spatula in a way that meant something to them whether it was referencing a favorite animal, such as Kristen Bell's love of the sloths, to highlighting a well-known character and his bowling hobby as Jeff Bridges did in noting "The Dude" from The Big Lebowski.

This year's Williams Sonoma "Tools for Change" spatulas benefiting No Kid Hungry were designed by American Girl™, Kristen Bell, Jeff Bridges, Alton Brown, Ayesha Curry, Bobby Flay, Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka, Faith Hill, Giada De Laurentiis, Questlove and Shake Shack.

“Sluggish and hungry is not the recipe
for a child’s success. That’s why I’m
working with No Kid Hungry to connect
kids to the food they need to reach
their full potential.”

— Kristen Bell

“My spatula was inspired by my parents’
garden that we had growing up
and knowing how fortunate we were
to be able to grow a lot of our food in
our backyard.
Join me in supporting Williams Sonoma’s
No Kid Hungry campaign this year.
Let’s end childhood hunger!”

— Faith Hill

Williams Sonoma has additional initiatives that also support the non-profit which you can find out more by visiting their website. You can also visit No Kid Hungry to hear about ongoing partnerships and campaigns where you can support children in need as a means to end child hunger and to ensure that they are receiving the healthy meals that will assist in their growth.

Read more from the Aug Issue and read Something You Should Know | No Kid Hungry in mag.

ATHLEISURE MAG | AUG ISSUE

We're excited to share our Aug issue of Athleisure Mag with our celebrity cover, Jessie Graff who is not only a stunt person in some of your favorite movies but she is also known for crushing the courses on NBC's American Ninja Warrior. In addition to her Q&A, we also interviewed Katie Austin who shares with us her fitness method and how working with her mom, the infamous Denise Austin - set her on her path. We also sat down with Sage Steel of ESPN's SportsCenter AM to talk about coming back to the network and how she got into the industry. Enjoy the editorial about Saugatuck Rowing Club and their partnership with ROW HOUSE NYC - our Co-Founder even got into the rowing action and was part of the crew for the day! Throughout the year, we have shared No Kid Hungry's initiatives and in this month's issue we share their newest campaign with Williams Sonoma.

As always, we have a number of features including 2 fitness methods for this month's ATHLEISURE LIST, we share products that use Rice, ATHLEISURE BEAUTY, an array of roundups in fashion and style and much more.

Read more from the August Issue here!

THE BAKER MAN | DUFF GOLDMAN

Duff Goldman of Charm City Cakes is no stranger to Athleisure Mag as we chatted with him in this year's Anniversary issue about coming back for another race with Chefs Cycle (a fundraising endurance event May 16th - May 18th featuring award-winning chefs and members of the culinary community fighting hunger outside the kitchen where proceeds go to No Kid Hungry) and how he was preparing for this activity. We took some time to chat with Celebrity Chef and Food Network personality Duff about his role as a judge for a number of the network's shows, including Spring Baking Championship, Kids Baking Championship (to name a few), his partnership with Bounty, National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day and his inner workings as he continues to embrace the magic of baking.  

ATHLEISURE MAG: We loved talking with you earlier this year about your preparation to participate in this year's  Chefs Cycle - are you excited?

DUFF GOLDMAN: Yes it starts on May 16th! I'm so excited it's going to be great.

AM: We can only imagine! Well, we've been fans of you since your first show with Food Network, Ace of Cakes. In our opinion, you're the first baker that we knew that represented an edgy out of the box style with all of the sweet treats that you created.

DG: Oh thanks!

AM: Oh yeah, watching you while we grew up, we were struck with how this guy - not to say that you're not delicate, but there is a certain idea you have (at least back at that time) of what a pastry chef would look like.

DG: Absolutely!

AM: To see a cool tattooed guy busting out with these really cool friends - it was cool. Even if you weren't a baker yourself, it was cool to see that barrier being broken and changing the idea of what it means to work in a given profession. So how did you bring that into all of these other Food Network shows that you have been a part of especially with incorporating kids and making it look cool and fun while taking your ideas from concept to reality?

DG: Well you know, I think that most of cooking is really fun and interesting. It's not that hard to make it seem that way. When the kids are excited about it, it's not hard for those who are watching to see that they are and to want to know more about it. They watch us do what we do and then they're fascinated. It's like when you pick up a new album from somebody - if someone else has really got down on that record and tells you - you really have to listen to this record, this beat or chord progression, then you really get into it because someone you know has brought you something that they think is cool. 

I think cooking is the same way, especially on TV - you've got to be excited about it. I am - to this day when I put something in the oven, and it starts to rise, to this day, it's still magical for me! I still get really excited. When it's working you're like, 'check it out' it's bubbling, moving, growing and cracking! It's doing what it's doing and it's still neat!

AM: Which is cool and we can totally tell that about you because you look like you're loving life! You can tell that you really love the process, the creation of it and the looks on your face - it's priceless. 

DG: Yeah man! It never gets old!
 

AM: We know that the 3rd season of Spring Baking Championship ends this month with the adults. You also judge a number of children's baking shows on the network. How is it working with these young chefs and bakers?

DG: Um a lot messier! Definitely a lot messier - you always want a lot of paper towel nearby because kids are messy. Other than that, the judging is really the same. I'm honest and fair and when they mess up, I point it out. I think that with kids, I spend a little more time on when there is a mistake on how to correct it. When adults make mistakes it's usually a bone head move and they know better. With kids, they haven't made something enough times. They're 10 years old - how much patachou have they made? So it's like hey you put too many eggs in there - don't put so much in so that you don't have a puddle.

AM: Haha exactly! So how important do you think your role is as a role model to them in terms of giving them that encouragement and feedback?

DG: I think it's really important - the kids see me as this big goofy guy, but then they also see me as this expert as it's what I do and what I'm good at. It's really important that I never want to discourage them and I want any challenge that the kids are having in the kitchen as an opportunity for them to learn. So they don't see a mistake as a mistake, they see it as an opportunity to learn something. That's what makes baking so fascinating. 

I'm still learning at the same pace as I was learning back then. Every day, I learn something and am doing something new. I refine my technique, I try something different and it's important as I have been baking for over 20 years! You have to stay awake and if you go on autopilot, you're putting a stake in your career. You have to be present in the moment and mindful when you're baking. You have to just be fascinated by it as that's what it is.

AM: One of the things we really love is when you take your first bite. Your face lights up, your eyes take it in and we can see there are a lot of wheels turning. What is going on in your head at that moment?

DG: It's funny because I love to eat and I love food. I love taking bites and I love it! The thought process going on in my head is that I want to viscerally enjoy this bite! Then I have to remember that I am judging something so I have to dissect it - but I don't want to dissect it, I just want to eat it - leave me alone haha! There's always a conflict going on in my head like - pay attention - but then it's so good - but pay attention! I just want to chew. But it's usually that when you see that look because I'm confused between the two.

AM: For sure when you have that first bite, we see all the synapses firing and you have the best responses coming off of the taste! It also seems tough because you only have a few seconds to take it in and grasp what it going on. Our team laughs everytime we see it!

DG: I know I take these big stupid bites! It's funny because my girlfriend always yells at me saying I need to take smaller bites because I'm going to choke to death. I'm like, I've been taking these big bites for 4 years now, I'm going to be fine. 

The other thing that's funny is that I take these bites - because I'm watching the shows and live tweeting them and when I'm not on camera and I'm just out and when it's a nice restaurant where there is something new or they are trying a new technique - I do the exact same face. I look up at the ceiling and people have said - that's the same face from the Baking Championship! I'm like, "it's not an act!"

AM: Tell us about your partnership with Bounty and how we can keep having fun while we're cleaning on the go or different tips that you have come up with.

DG: Bounty and I partnered up to celebrate National Chocolate Chip Day (May 15th) and I came up with a recipe that would be really fun for kids to make - a Rainbow Chocolate Chip Cookie. I think it's important to get kids cooking and baking to see the work and ingredients that go into it to get them to start thinking critically at an early age about what they are eating. When you bake with kids, they are really messy but you want to make sure that they are still having fun. You want to make sure that you keep their attention. If you're stopping to clean every 5 mins - it's taking away from the experience. It's important to have a really good paper towel. 

You can clean as you go, because when it gets too messy, you can't do anything. You have to keep it clean, but you have to keep it moving. Bounty Paper Towels really are great, because they don't shred, tear or turn into liquid when they get wet. They're really useful beyond just cleaning up! If you're whisking something in a bowl and don't have another hand free, you can take a sheet of Bounty under the bowl and whisk it and the bowl won't move around. The same is true for the cutting board - it won't slide.

AM: Wow that's really cool!

DG: Yeah it's good! Also when you have a hot pan like you're sauteeing a piece of chicken and you have taken the chicken out of a non-stick pan, what you can do is take a sheet of Bounty, ball it up, take the tongs and you rub it on the inside of the hot pan and it picks up all that grease and cleans the pan really well so that you're not scrubbing with something abbrasive. You can't do that with a cheap paper towel - it's impossible. The other brands start to char and catch fire! It's REALLY good for greasing cake pans. You spray the pans, but you don't want the puddles so you take a sheet of Bounty and run it inside your cake pan or tins and it makes it nice and even so it doesn't burn in the oven.

AM: Okay those are some serious tips and I wouldn't have known some of those.

DG: Yeah it's really cool!

AM: We know you have your own line of cake mixes, baking tools and more - what are your favorites?

DG: Oh man that's a good question. My favorite, I'd say the tie dye or the camouflage cake mix.

AM: Wait - you have camo?

DG: Yeah we have camouflage. They're so neat. Again, speaking to that magic - when you do these things with a kid - you're dropping the different color batters into a pan, that's just fun. You're having a good time. But then when it comes out and you cut it and you see that it really looks like camouflage, kid's minds EXPLODE! They can't believe it and are like, "WHAT, how did this happen?"

AM: That sounds pretty cool! Speaking of National Chocolate Chip Day, we saw the Rainbow Chip Cookies and it reminds us of the whole "unicorning" trend that is popping up throughout various lifestyle verticals - why are these cookies so perfect to enjoy on this holiday?

DG: I wanted a recipe that was going to be good with kids. Kids love touching things and it's a very tactile recipe. There are colors and then you're rolling them out like snakes and you twist that big snake out and then you have that big magical moment that when you cut it, you see all the colors that have mushed together and then what's really fun, you get to place each chocolate chip on each piece yourself. It's fun because kids can make smiley faces or do their initials with the chocolate chip cookies - really decorative things. 

It's a really fun recipe that is pretty involved and is not the easiest recipe in the world. I don't dumb it down. I don't dumb it down when I judge the kids and I don't dumb down the recipes or kids. I think about what kids are going to think is fun and sometimes it's hard, but they're still going to think it's fun!

AM: That's really cool. Last question! So June 2nd is National Donut Day. Do you have a favorite donut that you like to make?

DG: Mmmmm - I have a favorite one that I like to eat!

AM: Ok make or eat!

DG: Have you ever had the blueberry cake donuts from 7-Eleven?

AM: No we haven't haha!

DG: It might be my favorite donut in the world!

AM: We will have to try that!

DG: Yeah they are amazing HAHA - I love those things!!!

Make sure you watch Duff and the rest of the judging team for the season finale of Spring Baking Championship on Food Network at the end of this month. Also, follow him on Twitter and IG to see more about upcoming shows!

Read more from the May Issue and see The Baker Man with Duff Goldman in mag

CYCLE BOUND WITH BRYAN VOLTAGGIO + DUFF GOLDMAN

This May, 300 notable chefs and food industry professionals will come together for the annual Chef's Cycle for No Kid Hungry. The third annual ride includes a number of your favorite chefs, and as many are in training mode now, we took a moment with to chat with James Beard Award nominee Bryan Voltaggio of Volt, Voltaggio Brothers Steakhouse (MD) and Range (MD) and Charm City Cakes and Food Network's Duff Goldman to see how they came to participate, their training and what they eat when they need a boost.

AM: How long have you worked with No Kid Hungry and why?

BRYAN VOLTAGGIO: I have been working with No Kid Hungry since 2004, and I began by hosting fundraising dinners for them in Washington, D.C. when I was working for Charlie Palmer. As a chef, we are asked to do so much work with different charities. That’s when it really clicked for me -- as I moved forward in my career, I wanted to attach to something measurable and achievable, and No Kid Hungry helped me do that. Feeding our country’s kids is something we can actually accomplish; I cook for a living as well, so I feel like I have a stake in the game. I am not a doctor, scientist, or politician. I cannot cure diseases, but I can help end childhood hunger in America. Since deciding to focus my efforts on one goal, I have had the opportunity to see change happen, be a part of the conversation, and meet some incredible people who share this same passion. Billy and Debbie Shore (cofounders of Share Our Strength, the organization behind No Kid Hungry) have remained the humble champions of this movement and have managed to put together a force that will certainly see the end to this problem. It is their leadership and commitment that is so inspiring.

DUFF GOLDMAN: I've been working with No Kid Hungry for almost 10 years. What's most important to me is that we are chefs, and our job by definition is feeding people. No Kid Hungry works to feed hungry kids, so the fact that so many people in the culinary community actively support them isn't surprising. Most of the work I do on and off camera is with kids. Kids not getting enough to eat, especially in this country with our vast resources, is appalling to me, so anything I can do to get kids fed so they can focus on being kids is the most impactful thing I can do as a chef and as a person.

AM: How long have you been in Chef Cycle and what are you excited about?

BV: This is my third year riding in Chefs Cycle for No Kid Hungry. I am by no means a veteran and or pro at this. I bought a bike before the first Chefs Cycle ride from NYC to D.C. in 2014, and I put maybe 100-200 miles on the bike before heading up to the start. We left NYC that first morning, and I asked myself, "What the hell are you getting yourself into?" I somehow made the trip -- the whole trip -- and I have never felt a better sense of accomplishment in my life. I became hooked. This year, I look forward to seeing more first-timers and sharing my story in hopes to inspire them to make the trip. I want to see everyone hit their expectations and goals,  and if I can lend a hand, that will be the most rewarding.    

DG: This will be my second year participating in Chefs Cycle for No Kid Hungry. It's amazing how in just a year I have been consumed by riding my bike. I've always loved riding bikes as a kid, but I am the farthest thing from any kind of endurance athlete. Road biking was always a mystery to me, but now that I have been doing it regularly, it has changed my life. Mentally, I always do better on days when I've ridden. Riding centers me, allows me to daydream and work stuff out, and gets me out of the kitchen/studio and into the sunshine. Physically, I've dropped about 30 pounds since this time last year, and I've noticed a significant improvement in my cardiovascular fitness. I have more energy, I'm in a better mood, and my body just craves good food. When I'm riding every day, I eat clean effortlessly. The thought of a cheeseburger right now is almost gross...almost.

The other thing I love about cycling is how welcoming the other really good cyclists have been. Jeff Mahin, Bryan Voltaggio, Chris Cosentino, and Jason Roberts are all really good cyclists and far from being elitist, which is a fear I think lots of people have etting into cycling. Don't believe it. Everyone at the bike store is really cool, I promise. My best memory from last year's ride was when I was struggling to get up some hills, and Jeff and Jason took turns riding next to me with their hands on my back and helped me up. It was really amazing to see how cycling can be a team sport. Last year, I had no expectations of how well I would do on the ride, and I ended up completing just shy of 100 miles in three days. As I've been training this year, I've gotten close to 70 miles in a day, so I guess I would say my goal this year is to get to 200. That may not sound like much to the really good cyclists out there, but for me that would be a monster effort.

AM: What do you listen to in training?
 
BV: I am currently training in the basement of my home. I live in Maryland, and right now it’s wet, cold, and we could get snow. So I cheat a bit while riding on the trainer and catch up on ESPN and or watch a movie, since my actual human trainer makes me ride for more than an hour and a half at a time. 

DG: Zeppelin. Lots of Zeppelin. Also Junip, Flaming Lips, Aesop Rock, ATCQ, Explosions in the Sky, Mogwai, Jose Gonzalez, Fu Manchu, QOTSA, Coltrane, Fela Kuti. RATM and, some other stuff.

AM: How are you training for this ride and are you an avid cyclist?

BV: I can’t call myself an avid cyclist -- I call myself a “want-to-be” avid cyclist. I want to incorporate riding into my daily schedule and commute more this year. I work so much that I cannot go for those long to stay on the bike daily and ride shorter – two to three times per day maybe. 

DG: I'm not following a specific training routine other than riding my bike for as long as I can as often as possible. So far, I've been sticking to the beach where it's relatively flat, but once I am doing good strong 50 mile rides consistently, I'm going to be tackling hills. Yay. 

AM: What is the best Power Breakfast you can eat when you're about to ride?

BV: I have shakes with fruit and protein in mornings -- my wife encourages that. On some days, eggs simply on a couple pieces of whole grain bread and avocado do the trick. 

DG: For me it's two eggs, turkey or fish, and mixed fruit. Usually pineapple, oranges, mangoes, apples, watermelon, a quart of water, and a big ol' coffee. 

AM: What on the go snacks do you eat when you're looking for energy?

BV: I like to make bars with dried figs, nuts and seeds that I can pack easily in my kit. I also really like Justin’s packaged nut butters. The flavors are great, they are easy to eat on the ride. I want my nutrition on the bike to be as delicious as possible. I like to mix it up.

DG: I always ride with a backpack on, so packing heavier stuff isn't an issue. I only eat fruit on a ride. I like oranges, because it reminds me of soccer games when I was a kid, and also I get a nice break peeling the orange as opposed to just sucking on some gel. There's also a great poke joint in Venice Beach that I sometimes treat myself to.

AM: How do you stay fit in general?

BV: Fit, hmmmm how do you define that -- HA! I spend as much time on the bike as I can. I hate to run, even though I played soccer for 14 years of my life growing up. Maybe that’s why I was the goalkeeper...

DG: I love lifting. All the sports I played in High School and college were very explosive. Football, ice hockey, and lacrosse, so lifting has been part of my life since I was 14. But adding cycling to the routine has been incredible. I feel much more balanced, and my workouts in the gym have become much more effective because my muscles give out before my lungs do. That's huge.

AM: How do you juggle your busy schedule and take time for yourself?

BV: It’s most important for me to figure out how to juggle my family life with everything I have going on. Work is easy to balance, because while I have a bunch of restaurants, I also have a great team that supports them. I am lucky to have a great team that helps ease the stress of operating a business. Working as a chef means that I am working while most families are have dinner together, so I make sure to carve out special time with my family and fit in time to stay on the bike. That is why in 2017, I plan to commute more via two wheels. I have spent time in Copenhagen, Denmark, and if they can do it in that climate, I can do it here. 

DG: It's almost impossible, but the only way is to be disciplined in your allocation of time. If I let work have me, it will take every waking moment. It's just a decision that you have to make to take the time to get on your bike. The snooze button is the absolute enemy. When that alarm goes off...GET UP.

Read more from the Jan Issue.