THE ART OF THE SNACK | ELEVATED ITALIAN FARE

In this month's The Art of the Snack we head to the award winning TREVI Italian Restaurant (Morton Restaurant Group) at The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, which is known for their Italian menu that has a traditional menu, along with a few unexpected twists that their guests enjoy. We talked with their Executive Chef, Jose Navarro about his culinary background, his role at the restaurant and what dishes and cocktails we should enjoy there.

ATHLEISURE MAG: You’re the Executive Chef of TREVI. Tell us what your culinary background was prior to coming to the restaurant as well as what your role as an Executive Chef is at TREVI?

EXECUTIVE CHEF JOSE NAVARRO: My culinary background has been pretty diverse. I started off in my serious cooking journey at Palace Court (now closed), where I spent two years learning the classics, as well as nouvelle French culinary techniques. My earlier Italian culinary education came under Chef Paul Bartolotta, where an emphasis on fresh ingredients and classic Italian preparations was the focus. Prior to TREVI, I was in the steakhouse wheel house. I was the Executive Sous Chef at Morels in the Palazzo, Executive Chef at Beso -Eva Longoria's Restaurant, and Chef d' Cuisine at SHe by Morton’s.

In my role as Executive Chef at TREVI, I'm responsible for the seasonal menu, where the focus is to source quality ingredients and prepare them in a way that showcases the season. Additionally, I am responsible for the training of Sous Chefs, but most importantly, training the cooks whom will be making the dishes day in and day out. In addition to the core menu, I'm also responsible for crafting a Vegan Menu, which is a personal passion as I have a lot of respect for vegetables, and this is a great platform to showcase both.

AM: For those who have yet to attend TREVI, what can one expect in terms of the ambiance, dishes, etc?

EC JN: Our menu is peppered with classic Italian-American dishes, with a modern theme, focused on seasonality and quality. The food is approachable, with a touch of comfort. There is also a focus on ingredients that typically would not be on a neighborhood restaurant, like our Short Rib Ravioli with foie gras sauce, as an example.

AM: What are signature dishes that we should know about at TREVI?

EC JN: In reference to our "signature" dishes, they really change from season to season, and even week to week. It's here where the creative legs are stretched a little, and future menu items are developed. As a rule of thumb, I recommend trying the kitchen's special for the night.

AM: What are 3 signature cocktails available at TREVI?

EC JN: Tuscan Dream, which is a spin on the classic Negroni; made with sweet vermouth, Millet Bitters and Vietti Moscato. Aperol pear spritz, a modern twist on a very classic cocktail found in Italy. Made with Aperol, St. George Pear liqueur, St. George vodka, and sparkling wine. And of course our, a must try, the TREVI Bellini. A frozen blend of peach nectar, Peach Schnapps, rum and sparkling wine.

PHOTO CREDIT | TREVI

IG @TREVIlv

Read the March Issue of Athleisure Mag and see The Art of the Snack | Elevated Italian Fare in mag.

ATHLEISURE LIST | TSION CAFE

Beejhy Barhany, an Israeli Ethiopian opened Tsion Cafe in 2014 in Harlem's historic Sugar Hill district. Her goal was to bring the Ethiopian and Mediterranean healthy culture and living to the Harlem community because this area was her home. The location of Tsion Cafe is famously known for being Jimmy's Chicken Shack. Back in the 40's, that's where Malcolm X and Redd Foxx were frequently spotted hanging out and where jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker Jr., washed dishes before his big break.

She sees Tsion Cafe as a medley of Ethiopian, Israeli and American cultures. Guests can enjoy these foods,

live music and art of the community when dining at Tsion Cafe.

Three signature dishes that should be enjoyed is the Ethiopian Veggie Combo - Shiro atakilt, red lentil, kik alicha, gomen, beets served with injera; Tsion Eggs - caramelized onions, smoked salmon with injera and Shakshuka - 4 poached organic eggs sauteed with organic tomato, onion, pepper, spices and cilantro with bread.

Inerja comes with a number of the meals at Tsion Cafe, it is made with teff grain, a tiny round grain that is native to Ethiopia, it is also gluten free. The fermentation process takes about 3-5 days. This process is what gives injera its mildly vinegary (sour) taste. At Tsion our injera is made in-house, so it is always fresh.

Teff is rich in protein and contains many essential vitamins and minerals that are good for your digestive system, metabolism and immune system.

The dishes are from recipes that were passed down from her grandmother and mother and live on as a legacy to celebrate them at Tsion. These women influenced and shaped her into the woman she is proud to be today. Due to her global travels, she has added her twist and flavor to these already flavorful dishes.

Beejhy wanted to tell her story. As an Ethiopian-Jewish women in Israel and then the US, the narrative of Judaism did not include the thousands of years of history and cultural relevance that the Ethiopian Jewish community added to the larger story of Judaism. She started a non-for profit that created cultural showcases in the NY tri-state area, encouraging filmmakers and artists to have the opportunity to exhibit their works while promote the cultural heritage of the Ethiopian Jewish community. In doing these regularly, food became a cultural staple at these showcases. The response encouraged her to open the restaurant. It was an important way to showcase her culture in the community, and food is the gateway to learning a new culture.

Guests can enjoy a brand new menu that includes appetizers/bar menu, dinner and brunch which included Falafel. Recently, they introduced new handcrafted spirits to the drink menu. Patrons can enjoy their outdoor patio area while enjoying their meals.

TSION CAFE

763 St Nicholas Ave

NY, NY 10031

www.tsioncafe.com

IG @tsioncafe

Read the March Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Athleisure List | Tsion Cafe in mag.

MAKE COOKING EASY AND DELICIOUS BY IMPLEMENTING PREP & RALLY COOKING SYSTEM

Let’s face it, we’re all busy. We want to eat healthier but cooking and preparing meals every night can be a huge hassle. Coming up with new menu ideas is not easy. Then you need to build a grocery list. Next is finding the time to run to the store (which ends up being a multiple-times-a-week ordeal). Now you need to find the time every night to cook, clean up the mess, and somehow result with a complete meal after a long and exhausting day. Chef and food personality, Dini Klein, hears these types of complaints all the time on her Instagram channel. 

As a busy working mom of two, Dini decided to create solutions that make preparing meals easy yet delicious. To that end Dini created Prep + Rally a subscription meal planning website that helps busy people make weekly meals that are easy and delicious while saving time and money.  

“Working as a personal chef for years, I would cook staple dishes for my clients every week to get them from Monday through Thursday,” Dini says. “After a long exhausting day cooking for clients, I needed to feed my own family—and that was the last thing I wanted to think about after working on my feet all day. It was time to start implementing meal prep and weekly menus.”

Dini conceived of her meal preps to facilitate wholesome and vibrant meals for herself as well as her social media community.  Her philosophy is to use ingredients you already have in your pantry as much as possible to create delicious and healthy recipes, as well as take leftovers and repurpose them into new meals.  

Also, by prepping meals ahead of time can ease the stress in the kitchen.  When prepping a meal, Dini suggests:

• Start with a clean kitchen and clean as you go so that you never get overwhelmed!

• Go in with a plan. Create a menu, find recipes that use similar ingredients, so you don’t need to buy as much.

• Make sure you have a nice balanced meal consisting of starch, vegetables, and proteins. You can even throw in some sweet treats if you’d like!

• Cut corners! Buy store bought items to save time such as pie dough, pizza dough, vegetable stock, egg roll wrappers, etc. You can even buy pre-cut vegetables to save time as well. 

• Only buy what you need for that week to ensure nothing goes to waste. And as always, shop ONCE for the entire week. 

• Place garbage in close distance to your workspace when prepping to save time running back and forth.

• Pre-wash (peel if applicable) all produce to save time.

• Set out all containers and cookware in advance so you don’t scramble.

In today’s fast-paced world, people are increasingly aware of the importance of homemade food but there are not enough hours in the day to do it all. Dini invites you into her kitchen to discover how she does it – quickly, simply, the Dini Klein way!

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

WIN THIS | 1 PAIR OF TICKETS TO COCHON555 ON 4.14.19

We’re excited to share that Cochon555 will be pulling into NYC on April 14th and we’re back for our 3rd year in a row as a Media Sponsor. This event takes place in a number of US cities and brings 5 Chefs X 5 Heritage Pig Farms X 5 Winemakers together. This event will take place at Weylin in Brooklyn and runs from 5pm - 7:30pm (with VIP tickets having access at 4pm)! When attending this event, guests can enjoy a culinary experience of delight and wonderment that includes feasting on responsibly raised heritage bred pigs, ethically sourced food, endless rounds of beverages and you can vote for your favorite bite of the day.

We’ll keep you in the loop on chefs that are participating in this leg of the Cochon555 tour. Currently SeungJoon Choi of Hortus NYC, Allan Wallker-Hodkin of The Grey Dog NYC and Kimberly Plafke of Grand Army Bar will be competing and we’ll share with you the remaining chefs that will be at this event. 

We’re offering a way for you to get in on the fun by giving away 2 General Admission tickets! We will select 1 winner who will receive a pair of tickets to attend. We will run this giveaway now through March 22nd at 11:59pm EST. We will select a winner at 12pm EST on March 23rd.

TO ENTER (EITHER VIA TWITTER OR INSTAGRAM)

• Follow all three accounts on Instagram @AthleisureMag, @Cochon555 and @weylin1875

• Tag your friend who you would like to attend (all attendees must be 21+)

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE REWIND | #THERETREATAUSTIN

Our friends over at FUNKSHION headed to Austin, TX during SXSW with their Health and Wellness Platform, The RETREAT by FUNKSHION on March 10th at the South Congress Hotel. This event included prominent fitness experts, wellness leaders, and industry shifters that hosted classes and were on panels as well as leading studio classes. This event was focused to create awareness about relevant topics related to the world of wellness.

With a day filled with an array of sessions, guests also had access to a mini-pop up shop with Essie Nail Station, Hair Braid Bar and they were able to shop Blank Label, Milk + Honey and Surterra Wellness.

“We wanted to create an inspiring and interactive event that will cover every angle of this widely-grown lifestyle, and connect the industry on both a national and regional level,” commented FUNKSHION’s Creative Director, Natalija Dedic Stojanovic. “It was a logical move to take The RETREAT to SXSW in our third year of the event. Austin’s market truly celebrates the health and wellness lifestyle like a religion. We match-made Austin founded companies like Outdoor Voices, Milk + Honey and C4 with industry tastemakers like Ron Boss, Bethany C. Meyers and Lo Bosworth (founder of Love Wellness). The result was an extraordinary success. All the panel discussions offered riveting commentary and advice on battling everything from common stigmas to eating disorders; and discovering ways to stay fit and mindful in the most difficult moments” mentioned Stojanovic.

The Retreat will continue to host its annual May event in the Miami Design District and is planning to host its first ever New York edition in mid-September.

PHOTO COURTESY | The RETREAT by Funkshion

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE ART OF THE SNACK | THE DATE NIGHT MEAL WITH CHEF MARCUS SAMUELSSON

ATHLEISURE MAG: So we’re excited to have you in Athleisure Mag and Athleisure Kitchen, our readers have loved you for a very long time. Chef, with Valentine’s Day being this month and just date night dinners in general, what should we be making so that we can always stun our significant other?

CHEF MARCUS SAMUELSSON: Oh cool. I’m excited that you guys came today. For me, I feel very fortunate that I have been lucky to partner with Pure Leaf. Pure Leaf is always looking for great flavors and unique flavors that are super delicious. I think with this collection, Pure Leaf has found something really cool and interesting. Hibiscus, being African you find this all over the Caribbean and Africa. Sometimes, it’s known as Sorel. A beautiful flower that has that beautiful floral note that has become a really big trend in restaurants. What would be more fun than to be able to bring that trend setting food back home to a cocktail or through a simple appetizer. We’re going to do both.

The collection has all hibiscus and is caffeine free. They’re herbally brewed, also all around hibiscus along with a mango, a peach and a cherry. I put some of the mango flavored hibiscus iced tea with a little gin and you can also do it as a mocktail with no alcohol. I also put in some orange bitters and some citrus juice and just give that a shake and put some ice in at and give it a little light shake. This cocktail is called the Valentine and it has this beautiful rose color. It’s light and bright. Then we will put that little bit of sprig of thyme just to add to the floral note.

Making a light bright dish that is a flavored forward dish can be simple. I am going to start with some greens – a little bit of baby arugula and then frizze. I’m searing my scallops just 3 minutes on each side so that they are golden brown. In the pan, which is a cast iron skillet, there is a little bit of olive oil but I am also adding in parsley and adding in thyme so that those herbal notes can come back out again. I said it before that Pure Leaf has this beautiful collection of hibiscus and this one is Hibiscus Cherry flavor. It has a gorgeous burgundy color and it’s light with all of the flavors that you want. We also took some sundried cherries and just soaked them over night in the iced tea which makes them nice and loose in terms of texture.

Remember those scallops?

AM: They’re beautiful.

CHEF MS: Yes, they’re golden brown. When you get scallops like this, you want them to be dry scallops and you want to ask for sushi quality grade A. When you do that, you’ll have the best seafood! You also want to buy seafood from the same person because then you’re building a relationship with them and you’re ensuring that you’ll always get the good stuff. Then garnish with a bit of parsley and nuts – which you don’t have to if someone has a nut allergy. If they don’t it’s good for crunch. Then we will use the parsley that we seared up and top off the dish with some of those fresh herbs.

AM: It’s an easy dish to make.

CHEF MS: That’s the key right? We wanted to make the dish flavor forward, but also very easy to make. Jump in!

AM: It’s one of my favorite dishes as I love scallops.

CHEF MS: Yes, it’s scallops and just that idea that it’s hibiscus with that cherry profile. It’s light, bright and a beautiful appetizer.

AM: This is so good!

CHEF MS: Today I’m serving you for free. When you come to Red Rooster, I have to charge you, this is so much better!

AM: When did you realize that you wanted to be a chef?

CHEF MS: Well I cooked my whole life! You know I grew up in Sweden with my grandmother and she was a cook and just to be here 30 years later and to do a craft that I was taught in her kitchen is an unbelievable experience and it’s not a job. It’s something that I am passionate about and feel that it’s a privilege to work with my passion. To be to work with communities and to be able to create jobs for our inner city kids, whether it is through Careers Through Culinary Arts Program, our restaurants, through our festival Harlem Eat Up! and with that, you need partners like Pure Leaf that sees those opportunities to help me create that.

AM: How do you decide what and where your next restaurant is going to be?

CHEF MS: You know those are tough questions for me. First the city has to speak to me. I love New York and you know it’s not just about the city, it’s about the part of town. You know we just opened in Newark a beautiful town that has a strong African American narrative in terms of culture, music, jazz and we felt that it was a place that we thought was important for us to contribute to for jobs and to hire locally.

We always look at the city, we opened the Red Rooster in London which has always been – I mean growing up in Europe, London is your New York. To be able to be there has been a privilege as well. But then again it has been a privilege to be able to do what I love in so many different cities and Harlem will always be home. We have our festival coming up soon and it’s something that we look forward to.

AM: As the producer of Harlem Eat Up!, how did it come about and why is its intersectionality so important?

CHEF MS: I was always a guest to all of these great food festivals whether it was Miami, South Beach, Aspen or New York. And then I thought, wait a minute, Harlem is such an incredibly rich community in terms of culture and rich history. The chefs there deserve to also be able to tell their story and the food festival has been able to tell that story!

With that, to do it because half of our Harlem Eat Up! is for free, and we can’t do it without sponsors like Pure Leaf, whether it’s to help set the table for Valentine’s Day or whether it’s to set the table for a food festival.

AM: So I’m a huge fan of Red Rooster, what are 3 signature dishes that we need to eat there and you can only choose 3 now haha!

CHEF MS: When you come to the Red Rooster you have to have as starters the Cornbread and the Deviled Eggs. It’s easy and you can have a drink and you definitely need to start off with a Brown Stoner or a Bourbon forward drink and then I love a Shrimp and Grits, which is super super delicious. It’s comforting and you have to have the Yardbird.

AM: This month is the South Beach Food and Wine Festival. Why do you love participating in that, attending and why is it so important?

CHEF MS: SoBe is one of the festivals that started the great festivals. You have SoBe and Aspen. As a chef, it’s such a privilege and you get to also see your chef friends. I’m going to be able to see and hang out with Bobby, Alex and my friend Scott – people that we work together, but we don’t always have time to hang out. That’s the time that we get to hang out. I also go over to Overtown and I get to do cooking demos. This year, I made sure that my events are always at Overtowns so I can bring that South Beach audience over to another part of town that they may or may not have been to before.

AM: Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us and to make this incredible meal!

CHEF MS: Well you’re good! You’ve got your cocktail – The Valentine and you’ve got your Scallops that are beautiful and I hope that you enjoy it.

CHERRY HIBISCUS SEARED SCALLOPS with Mustard Greens, Tea Infused Cherries, Almonds

For the Cherry-Hibiscus Sauce

1 ounce dried hibiscus petals

1 quart Pure Leaf Cherry Hibiscus Herbal Tea

In a large pot, heat the tea and hibiscus until it’s just barely simmering. Remove from the heat and let sit for 20 minutes. Strain and chill.

For the Tea Infused Cherries

1 cup dried cherries

2 cups Pure Leaf Cherry Hibiscus Herbal Tea

Bring the tea to a boil. Pour over the dried cherries. Let sit at room temperature for two hours to infuse.

For the Roasted Almonds

1 cup whole marcona blanched almonds

1 tbsp olive oil

1/8 tsp salt

Toss the almonds in oil and salt and place in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Roast at 350 degrees until well browned and fragrant, approximately 5 minutes.

To Assemble

4 diver scallops (U10 size)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 ounce frilly mustard greens

1 ounce frisee

1 tbsp infused cherries

1 tbsp cherry-hibiscus sauce

1 tbsp roasted almonds

1 tbsp torn parsley leaves

Heat a sauté pan over medium high heat with half of the olive oil. Season scallops liberally with salt. When the oil is beginning to smoke, sear the scallops for two minutes on each side. Remove from pan.

In a shallow bowl, place the cherry-hibiscus sauce. Dress the mustard greens, frisee, and parsley with the cherries, rest of the olive oil, and a touch of salt. Place on top of the sauce. Arrange the scallops on top and garnish with the roasted almonds.

VALENTHYME

1 oz Pink Gin

2 oz Pure Leaf Mango Hibiscus Herbal Tea

¼ oz Simple Syrup

½ oz Lemon Juice

6 dashes Cranberry Bitters

3 dashes Orange Bitters

¾ oz Cranberry Juice

Shake all ingredients over ice and serve in a coupe. Garnish with Thyme sprig.

Mock

3 oz Pure Leaf Mango Hibiscus Herbal Tea

¼ oz Simple Syrup

½ oz Lemon Juice

6 dashes Cranberry Bitters

3 dashes Orange Bitters

¾ oz Cranberry Juice

Shake all ingredients over ice and serve in a coupe. Garnish with Thyme sprig.

PHOTO CREDIT | PG 88 Cedric Angeles

You can catch Athleisure Studio's podcast show You can catch Athleisure Studio’s podcast show, Athleisure Kitchen and hear our conversation with Chef Marcus Samuelsson next month wherever you enjoy listening to podcasts including Spotify, Apple Podcast and Google Podcast.

Read the latest issue of the Feb Issue of Athleisure Mag and see The Art of the Snack | The Date Night Meal with Chef Marcus Samuelsson in mag.

S1. E2. | Athleisure Kitchen with Chef Marcus Samuelsson

We’ve been a fan of Chef Marcus Samuelsson for over a decade starting with enjoying his Deviled Eggs at Red Rooster in Harlem! We’ve enjoyed seeing him on Food Network when he’s judging Chopped or seeing him on BRAVO’s Top Chef. Whether he’s releasing a cookbook, or opening additional restaurants, we know that Marcus is always creating innovative dishes that are focused on phenomenal taste, dynamic flavors and comfort foods that we need. In today’s episode of Athleisure Kitchen, Marcus cooks us a meal that we should make for date night, talks about his formula in opening as well as finding the perfect locations for his restaurants and the importance of Harlem Eat Up, his food festival that highlight his city, chefs and music of the neighborhood.

To see the meal that Chef Marcus Samuelsson prepared, check out the video below check out the interview in Athleisure Mag’s Feb issue!

ATHLEISURE LIST | THE LITTLE BEET

When it comes to farm-to-table fast casual dining options, The Little Beet has been one of our favorite places to eat since 2014! Known as a 100% Gluten free restaurant, this growing chain with a number of locations in NYC and continuing to add additional cities to its roster, utilizing seasonal and local ingredients by sourcing them from farmers and purveyors that believe in this way of bringing foods that are good for you - to you. Because of the commitment to this vision, there may be variations in the menu depending on the location that you are visiting.

Navigating the menu at any location allows culinary diversity whether you are dairy-free, soy-free, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and nut-free. One can create their own meals or select from a series of bowls that are packed with proteins whether you stopping in for breakfast to enjoy parfaits, breakfast bowls or sandwiches or you're opting to swing by for lunch and dinner to enjoy a number of bowl options. Common ingredients that are found in their dishes include: jackfruit, kefir chicken, mixed greens, avocados, salmon poke, golden beets, black beans, pickled onions, seeds and more.

Dishes are created with inspiration from global dishes and are meant to fuel your body with positive nutrients that leave it feeling great.

In addition, there are a number of beverage brands that are offered to accompany your meal from Wonder Drink Kombucha (our personal favorite is the Asian Pear), Spindrift and Nitro Cold Brew Coffee, as well as baked goods to end your meal on a sweet note.

The Little Beet is part of Aurify Brands, which includes: Melt Shop, The Little Beet Table, Fields Good Chicken, and Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

In additional partnership with The Little Beet is Ugly Produce is Beautiful which works to ensure that they reduce food waste in produce when it comes to not consuming it or simply not buying it because it doesn't have the symmetry or beauty that is expected upon purchase. In their restaurants you will see images by Sarah Phillips of her series, Ugly Produce is Beautiful.

THE LITTLE BEET

With locations in a number of cities, surrounding areas an new locations that pop up, keep checking the website to see where they are in your area.

www.thelittlebeet.com

IG @thelittlebeet

Read the Feb Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Athleisure List | The Little Beet in Mag.

S1. Ep 1. | Athleisure Kitchen with Chef Brooke Williamson

The latest episode of Athleisure Studio’s culinary show, Athleisure Kitchen just dropped today with Chef Brooke Williamson.

When it comes to culinary competition shows, BRAVO’s Top Chef is one of our favorites. We enjoy the quick fire challenges, restaurant wars and watching competitors navigate across the show. We also like finding out about their restaurants and often seeing them re-appear on future seasons or other shows. On season 10, we were introduced to Chef Brooke Williamson, who came in second only to come back in season 14 - to win it all! In addition to these accolades, she is the Co-Owner and Co-Chef at The Tripel, Playa Provisions, Hudson House Bar, Da Kikokiko, Small Batch Icecream and Triplikit in Southern California. We find out more about her creativity, how she got into the industry, how she keeps fit and it all together.

SEASONALITY AND LOCALITY WITH CHEF BROOKE WILLIAMSON

Hands down, BRAVO's Top Chef is one of our favorite culinary competition shows. In addition to seeing talented chefs come up with creations on the fly, Restaurant Wars and cities being showcased - it's being introduced to chefs and their restaurants that we are constantly making a note to visit when we are in the midst of our travels. We have quite a list of our favorites that we have enjoyed seeing at Cochon555, culinary events, and of course interviewing as well in Athleisure Mag. This month, we chatted with Chef Brooke Williamson who was second runner up on Season 10 of the show and won it all when she came back for Season 14, we talked with her about her start in the industry, being the youngest chef to cook at the James Beard House, being a Restaurateur of a collection of restaurants and more!

ATHLEISURE MAG: What was the moment that you realized that you wanted to be a chef?

CHEF BROOKE WILLIAMSON: I don’t really remember that moment because I was so young and I was probably 6 or 7 years old when I realized that I wanted to be a chef. Then it became a thing that I just worked towards during my whole childhood so I don’t have one defining moment – it was just something that I knew I always wanted to do.

AM: Where did you train and what were restaurants that you worked at starting prior to the first restaurant that you opened?

CHEF BW: Well, I didn’t go to formal culinary school, I did take some cooking classes in my teens at a little cooking school called Epicurean but otherwise it was all restaurant training. My first kind of formal culinary job was at Phoenix at the Argyle Hotel under Ken Frank on Sunset and then I was there for about a year and a half and moved onto Michael’s in Santa Monica and moved up to Sous Chef like within a year so it all happened very quickly within a year. But I think that personally it’s because I I had been cooking my entire life.

AM: How do you define your style of cooking?

CHEF BW: I don’t really – my husband, Nick Roberts and I have several different restaurants and they are all very different from one another. I would say that the one constant throughout is seasonality and locality. I would say that we try to cook with seasonal, local ingredients as much as possible. I think that with both of us being native Californians we just naturally gravitate towards a lot of produce and just kind of work from there. All of our restaurants are very different just conceptually so I don’t have a definitive answer for that.

AM: It’s amazing that at the age of 22, you were the youngest chef to cook at the James Beard House, what do you remember preparing for that to take on such a big task?

CHEF BW: I think that at that age, I kind of didn’t know the magnitude of what I was doing which may have helped me with my composure. I knew what the James Beard House was and what an honor it was, but I didn’t understand the magnitude of what it was.

AM: When you opened your first restaurant, what is the first takeaway that you took from it that you learned from that and how did it inform how you went about opening and managing your future ones?

CHEF BW: Well my husband and I opened it when we were very young. We were chefs, we were not restaurateurs. We didn’t know what the difference was and we learned very quickly that we went into a space that we didn’t do a ton of research on the lease or the history of the location. I think what we took out of that was probably the most expensive culinary education that I could have had! That’s what I consider it – your first failed restaurant is such a learning experience and I’m so glad that it happened the way it did and I had something to fall back on by the time we closed the doors, but I can’t even count on 2 hands the number of takeaways from that. I just became more business savvy and understood how important the business side of a restaurant was.

AM: Can you tell us about each of your restaurants because they have a different feel to them – so walk us through the worlds of your restaurants!

CHEF BW: So the oldest restaurant which is currently open is Hudson House which has been around for 10 years and has morphed a lot since we have first opened it. It is still this warm gastropub kind of feeling. It’s sort of the first gastropub in the Redondo area of its kind and it’s changed a lot. It’s matured a bit as we just did a facelift on it so it looks more mature and more modern than it ever has. The menu has changed a lot and it still has that neighborhood feel to it. Then, The Tripel opened 2 years after that which is kind of a craft beer bar with upscale bar food. We have a couple of signature burgers which is what we are known for at The Tripel. Then we have Playa Provisions which is just down the street from that which is a 4-in-1-concept, we have a whiskey bar, a sit down seafood restaurant, a café that serves pastries and coffee in the morning through lunch, and then an icecream counter where we make all of our own icecream in nostalgic flavors. Then in Playa Vista, we have Da Kikokiko which is a fast casual Hawaiian concept – we serve mainly poke bowls, musubi and shaved ice and Dole whip as well. We have an icecream shop in Mar Vista which is a bit of an offshoot of Small Batch Ice Cream which is in Playa Provisions. We also have a retail store called Tripli-Kit as well that is specialty kitchen related goods.

AM: Do you think that you will open additional restaurants and concepts in California and also do you think that you will open up in other cities down the road?

CHEF BW: I would say if history tells correctly, we will probably continue in California. We do have this tendency to remain very local because my husband and I are very hands on and I like to be able to visit every place within a day if I need to or to get anywhere where I need to be or if I have to be. I’m kind of a control freak that way – I wouldn’t rule out opening a place out of state, but if we were to do something that wasn’t hyperlocal, then it would be an extension of something that we already have. That way we would feel that we would have control over from afar as well.

AM: Seeing that you and your husband are both chefs and restaurateurs and run your business together – how do you maintain how you work with one another as business partners as well as to maintain your coupleship?

CHEF BW: It’s the only way we have ever known each other. We met each other in the kitchen many years ago so it feels very natural to be in business together which is a struggle for a lot of couples that didn’t start out that way, I think. We know each other in a business sense very well. The hardest thing is juggling the parenting with the business. We want to stay active and engaged as parents as we juggle our busy days with the restaurants and with what we do. It’s really been the hardest part but we have somehow managed to make it work. We’re very fortunate that we have one another that we can kind of play off of and understand each other’s lives and the fact that we don’t want someone else raising our child. That mindset about what we want our lives to be is really helpful.

AM: What are 3 signature dishes that if you had to select them from across your restaurants – what should we try?

CHEF BW: Well, Hudson House we just completely redid our menu and in 10 years we just shifted things to a slightly overall Asian feel. There is a lot of Asian influence but it stil feels like a gastro pub menu. There are a couple of items that we will never be able to get rid of so we put it on a secret menu as we knew a lot of people would be mad with us if we didn’t still offer it. The Hudson Pretzel Burger and we do these Brown Sugar Pork Ribs which people go crazy for.

At Playa Provisions, I would say the Lobster Roll is something that we are pretty known for. The Crab Claw Pots, which is a snow crab claw with a crab cake at the end of it and then the whole thing is fried. That has become a signature staple as well as our specialty pastries. We do a Unicorn Cake it’s a special order. It’s a rainbow sort of pastel layer cake that is decorated like a unicorn and is filled with sprinkles which we sell a couple a week.

At The Tripel, I would definitely say that The Tripel Burger is a go to staple that we are known for on that menu. It’s duck confit, ground pork and beef with truffle cheese and apricot jam on an onion brioche bun.

At Da Kikokiko the spicy tuna bowl and the spam musubi, although we do a really good salmon musubi which sells almost as well, and of course the shaved ice. People come in just for the shaved ice.

I would say that our signature staple flavor that we have over at Small Batch, which is also my son’s favorite, is Mint Oreo or Chocolate Malted Crunch which is kind of a play on the old thrifty Junior flavor.

AM: You were asked to collaborate with a brewery to create Girl Grey. Where did this idea come from by having these interesting flavors of the Belgian style ale, the almonds and earl grey tea to come together?

CHEF BW: I knew I wanted to do a Belgian Tripel style of beer as it is my favorite style of beer and it is also why the restaurant is spelled T-r-i-p-e-l in the style of this Belgian beer. So it felt like it made sense to do a Belgian Tripel beer and then I used my chef brain in the sense that I thought about flavors that naturally went well with a higher alcohol creamy aged ale. There were probably 7 different flavor ideas and combinations that were on the table. That’s the one that really stuck and we made a sample of it, tasted it and that is the one that we went with.

AM: Is it still available?

CHEF BW: It was a one time release so I’m sure that there is some stashed away, but I don’t know if it is still purchasable from the brewery.

AM: We know you also did a sour beer with them, do you see yourself doing collaborations like this?

CHEF BW: I would totally be up for it! I felt like it was a one time collaboration that they were looking to do, but if they came back to me, and were interested in doing another flavor with me – I would totally be down to do it.

AM: So what led to you to the decisions that brought you to Top Chef for Season 10 and after having all of the experience from that season, what made you say that you would come back for Season 14 where you ultimately won that one?

CHEF BW: Well the first time it was a really difficult decision. I had a 4 year old at the time and I had turned it down several years before and then finally said yes after seeing what it had done for the previous chefs, that the platform creates for chefs who do well on it. I felt it was a personal challenge to do something that was out of my comfort zone for myself, but I also felt that now more than ever – the restaurant business is a difficult business and I felt like anything that you can continue to do to stay relevant and to let people know that you are out there and waiting for them to recognize you is worth doing! Of course, you don’t know how you are going to do or come off when you do something like that, but I felt that I was relatively unconcerned with my personality coming off in a terrible way so it was more of a personal challenge to see where we could take this.

AM: For season 14 was it more of a nobrainer?

CHEF BW: No it wasn’t because I felt like, what were the chances that I could do better than second place? On a personal note, it was a much more difficult decision. Professionally it was more of a no brainer. I saw first hand what it did for my business and what it did for me. But personally, the thought of going back and being eliminated first, second, third or anything less than winning would have been a total disappointment to me. So I kind of went into it with that mentality which helps and hurts in several ways.

AM: In terms of your Top Chef squad we see you with Richard Blais on the show and we see you with other chefs from the show for your appearances etc. When you are not in those areas, who from the show do you hang out with?

CHEF BW: I feel like I made a lot of really good friends from the show. They’re people that I would consider closer personal friends that I made and keep contact with on a very regular basis. Kristen Kish is one of my very best friends that I stay in touch with, Casey Thompson is one of my closest friends and I have a plethora of other people – I’m good friends with Shirley Chung, Kelvin Gillepsie - I could go down a list of people that I have kept in touch with on a regular basis and I would say a handful of people I stay in really close contact with and consider them my closest friends.

AM: We know that you have done a lot of TV from Top Chef, MTV’s House of Food, and Esquire Network's Knife Fight – what are upcoming shows that we can expect to see you on?

CHEF BW: I haven’t done a ton of shooting lately. I did an episode of Top Chef recently that just aired that I judged.

AM: We loved seeing you on there with your Christmas Sweater – so cute.

CHEF BW: Haha yeah my Ugly Christmas Sweater.

AM: You have so many accolades under your belt from being a chef, restaurateur, whisky aficionado, beer creator – what else is on your list that you want to add to that you have yet to tackle??

CHEF BW: Not really, there are areas that I feel like I want to do better in. I would say that the way I feel about my life and career is that I have done a lot of things pretty well. I would love to say that I do more things very well. I’m kind of at a point right now where I don’t have to do more stuff to do more stuff. I want to make sure that what I am doing is really quality. I don’t feel like I need to expand my horizons. I want to make the restaurants that I have open are doing the best that they can and that the people that come in are having great experiences as often as possible. I want to be more present in my restaurants, my life and as a parent. I don’t feel like I need to branch – I feel like I need to branch in.

AM: That’s a good one. I feel like a lot of times we do bite off so many things and branching in is a good thing.

CHEF BW: Totally, I mean – when it comes to my health and mental, physical, wellness, my parenting and my friendships and that there have been things that have suffered – not dramatically because I have been stretched too thin and I just want to do everything a little better.

AM: We know that you are an avid SoulCycler and you do fitness and various workouts – why is this so important to you to have this as a part of your lifestyle?

CHEF BW: One because I feel like I physically need to maintain my health in order to live the lifestyle that I live and to do the things that I do. The travel takes a lot out of me when I do the appearances, dinners and stuff like that. I’m not a great traveler so just maintaining that and some sanity is really due to my exercise regimen and I can really feel it when I don’t exercise and I don’t get that energy out in the right way – I feel like my life suffers. Even from an energy standpoint to maintain the energy to do it all. I feel like it’s so important to maintain sanity.

AM: You recently cycled through Italy to tour their countryside as well as to enjoy the foods of the region. Did you have to train yourself to do that kind of cycling as it seemed like you were on your bike quite a bit to get everywhere!

CHEF BW: I think I had to train myself on how to be on a real road bike which is not a no brainer! It’s actually a scary piece of equipment and if you don’t use it properly, it can kill you. I felt that I needed to up my game on how to be on a real bicycle outside and not on a stationary bike like I was used to. It was also about sitting on a saddle for such a long period of time that’s really where I struggled the most sitting on those bike seats. It seems like it would be nothing when you’re talking about biking hundreds of miles – but it’s not nothing!

AM: How many hours were you on this bike without a rest?

CHEF BW: I mean, we would stop for coffee and when we needed to stop. But, we were with a group of people and I wasn’t going to be the reason why we were taking so long. Especially since I was technically helping to lead this trip. We would go for a couple of hours and stop for a cup of coffee and then go another couple of hours and stop for lunch and then it was a quick ride to whatever hotel we were staying at. The difference between a 45 mins or hour SoulCycle class and 5 hours in a bike seat is huge!

AM: Since you do travel so much, what are 3 must haves that you bring with you regardless of where you are traveling to?

CHEF BW: If I am taking a flight, I always have Flopsy my stuffed rabbit that I take with me that I have had since I was 4 in my carry on! If I get on a flight, I’m going to have Flopsy. I’m not religious at all but have a Saint Christopher that I travel with as well. Those are the kind of things that I don’t get on a plane without having those. The other thing is that I travel with snacks always. I’m always the one that travels with a ziplock gallon bag full of snacks because I feel like unnecessary travel hunger just adds to the stress of travel. I also hate having to grab a bag of Doritos because there isn’t a banana. I always have a little pot of lavender scented balm or something that smells good. Usually it’s lavender scented as I am a bit of a high anxiety person and smells really help me. I also love Dr. Pepper Lip Smacker Chapstick.

AM: We love the throw back!

CHEF BW: I actually mentioned that I had them and I couldn’t remember where I said it, but I couldn’t find them anywhere and Target stopped carrying them – specifically the Dr. Pepper flavor and Lip Smacker actually sent me a 6-pack where I am currently on the last stick.

AM: So where can we find you grabbing a meal outside of your restaurants, working out and doing a bit of shopping?

CHEF BW: Oh my gosh those are so different questions! Alright so, I don’t often grab a cocktail outside of my restaurant. I grew up in Los Angeles, I was a total bar hopper at 20/21 I was sitting at the Vermosa Bar sitting by myself just after work drinking a Johnnie Walker Black on the rocks on a school night – loving it. I feel like I got that out of my system and that I don’t need to go to bars just to go to bars anymore. I have a child that I appreciate putting to bed at night and I can have a really good cocktail at my own restaurant. I’m not a bar goer. When it comes to eating meals outside of my restaurant, we generally go ethnic. Generally Asian, we do a lot of sushi and go to Kanpai in Westchester a lot. We go to Aiara for Thai food a lot we go to ASAP Phorage for pho – so we do a lot of Asian food and we like to keep it local.

I definitely am a SoulCycler but every so many months I do this Boot Camp with Lacey Stone and I love her. She does a 2 week boot camp called Reboot which I am actually doing and it’s 2 weeks of no drinking, eating super clean and I prep all my own meals. I still go to my spin classes, but 3 days a week, I go to her Boot Camp in the morning and the next one will be at The Wall - so I’ll be there.

AM: We love The Wall.

CHEF BW: I’ve never been there.

AM: It will definitely be good to check it out.

CHEF BW: I like shopping online – I’m not a huge shopper. I don’t like to try things on. I do like to see things in per son. I don’t like to go on shopping excursions. When I see something that I like in a store, I often buy it on an impulse and hope it will fit as I don’t like returning things. I’m not a huge shopper so I actually prefer that when my conditioner is getting low, I like to go on Amazon and order it and would rather have Amazon deliveries every single day!

AM: It’s like Christmas every single day with a new box – but you know exactly what’s in there!

CHEF BW: It’s amazing. By the time I decide that I need to buy something, it always takes me a couple of days to get to whatever store it is anyway, so I can have it on my doorstep without having to go anywhere!

AM: How do you define your personal style in terms of what you wear when you go to work and what you wear when you’re going out with friends or for a date night?

CHEF BW: They are all very different from one another. I love fashion, I love clothes, I love shoes. I also am not someone who will make themselves look great every time they leave the house. I work out a lot. I wear a lot of workout clothes, but I also try not to make that my daily outfit and try not to fall back on that for my go to. I work out in work out clothes and try to care about what I look like when I am going out someplace else. I love to be comfortable. I love overalls, love jumpers and am a big fan of being comfortable and also having a cute outfit on. I do love getting dressed up and am the first person to say that I am going out to dinner to a nice restaurant and that I am excited to put on a pair of heels and a dress, especially because my everyday life means I’m dressing down in jeans, a button down flannel or long sleeve shirt. So when I get dressed up,

I love getting dressed up.

AM: I can only imagine how busy you are. What’s your morning routine like to get to your restaurant?

CHEF BW: I’m very fortunate that in a sense, my husband is a morning person because I am not! So on a weekday, my alarm goes off at 6:20am or 6:18am don’t ask. I start by complaining that I have to get up and my son will come one eyed down the hallway into our bathroom because he is not a morning person either and he found that his morning routine needs to include a shower. My husband will get up and make coffee and usually that’s how I am able to get out of bed because he makes me coffee. Then I am a workout first kind of person. If it is my turn to take my son to school then I will take him and head straight to a SoulCycle class which depends on whether I am in a bootcamp or not. If my husband takes him, he goes to a trainer on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so he can’t go to school before that so on Tuesday and Thursday, I can kind of take my time a little bit and go to whatever class I want to as opposed to the one that is closest to the school. I’m a take-a-class-kind-of person usually but if I can’t, I have a Peloton bike at home and if I can’t pull it together to take a class then I will take it from home. Or maybe I will go for a run if I am on a running kick which I haven’t been for a while. Then I shower and get as many things as I can get done so that depending on where I have to be and when – before one of us has to be home to pick up our son from school.

AM: How do you take time for yourself with such a schedule that you have?

CHEF BW: I consider that when I workout, that that is time for myself and that I don't know if everyone considers it that. Working out is me taking care of myself and working out to keep myself sane. So me scheduling a workout into my day is really my way of taking care myself.

IG @ChefBrookeW

PHOTOS COURTESY | Chef Brooke Williamson | LEFT IMAGE courtesy of TOP CHEF -- "Naughty and Nice" Episode 1603 -- Pictured: (l-r) Richard Blais, Brooke Williamson, Padma Lakshmi -- (Photo by: Michael Hickey/Bravo)

Make sure to follow our new multimedia podcast network, Athleisure Studio and specifically our show, Athleisure Kitchen. You can get the latest episodes when they drop by following and listening to us on your preferred listening platform (Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Play, Stitcher, etc). You can hear the full interview with Chef Brooke Williamson on Athleisure Kitchen when it drops in Feb.

Read more from the Jan Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Seasonality and Locality with Chef Brooke Williamson in mag.

SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW | WITH NUTRIENT RICH FOODS

The readers of Athleisure Mag know that we talk about nutrition throughout our issues and with a New Year, we do like to focus on getting everyone (regardless of where you are on your dietary plan) back to basics on things that you want to incorporate for the first time or to reintroduce into your plans. We took some time prior to the holiday to talk with Amanda Baker Lemein MS, RD about how we should approach our meals, accountability, the importance of portions, the Two Treat Rule as well as misconceptions of detox versus reset and food controversies. She shares these tips with our readers as she works with a number of clients who are focused on weight loss and weight management. It’s worth noting that during this interview you will see the terms satiation and satiety being referred to. The Athleisure Mag team defines satiation as a process that occurs during a meal. It’s that point at which you feel that you have had enough to eat and don’t desire any more. Satiety, on the other hand, describes your experience after a meal – how long before you start to feel hungry again. Both satiation and satiety are influenced by a number of factors.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We believe that it is important to have a healthy mindset when it comes to looking at your food and what you’re eating regardless of the time of year; however, with it being the New Year, it’s always worth looking at nutrition and how it works with your eating lifestyle. How do you approach this subject with your clients?

AMANDA BAKER LEMEIN: In terms of the New Year, one of the things that I always recommend to clients is not to focus on what you are removing from your diet, but to focus on what you can add to your diet. I am very much a non diet, diet dietician. What I mean by that is that I really believe in a varied robust diet that is heavy on nutrient rich foods which allows for a little wiggle room for mindful indulgences and little treats here and there. Obviously, mindful is the operative word there.

That’s really the approach that I recommend to my clients overall. It’s not about looking so much on what you can’t eat as I think that there is a time and place for all food, but really focusing on what are the really nutrient rich foods that we should be eating more of.

As you know, I have been working with Green Giant Fresh and what I really like about their new product – their vegetable meal bowls – it really takes the prep work out of having to chop fresh veggies and then having to make them tasty. That is the perfect example of a volume food where I tell my clients that non-starchy veggies are 100% unlimited. Something like these bowls are a perfect example. It’s a huge bowl that is a really big portion and you feel like you are eating a ton, but calorically, it’s really low in calories and very high in fiber and micronutrients. It’s a really great starter for a meal. In terms of a New Year and starting off on a good foot, I love these because the work has been done for you – it’s in the bowls, it’s been chopped, it’s cleaned and it’s ready for you to cook and all you have to do it microwave them for a minute or two. You can top it with whatever protein you want and some of them have beans in it so it is already a complete meal. They all have a sauce packet on the side so that you can tailor it to your taste. This is a great example of addition versus omission and how I want everyone to really focus on eating a lot of those nutrient rich foods.

Beyond vegetables, some of the things that I really like to recommend eating is whole grains over refined grains. I think that this is one that we have all heard so many times. The truth is that Americans are so deficient in fiber and the majority of the grains that we do consume are refined grains which means that they have been stripped of many of their nutrients most notably, fiber. Making sure that you are consuming mostly whole grains and of course, like I said earlier, leaving a little wiggle room for some of those refined grained treats is just fine as it’s all about portion. The notion behind going carb free and removing all grain from your diet, I actually don’t recommend because that decreases fiber and decreases overall satiety. Studies show that when you decrease satiety you are much less likely to stick to that routine.

AM: How do you define mindful eating?

ABL: My version of mindful eating and I have written a couple of articles about this in the past, is focusing on a very nutrient rich diet, which for me is the base of most of our meals should be non-starchy veggies. At least half your plate should be this as it can also be more as they are unlimited. Also it should incorporate lean protein whether you are vegan, vegetarian or a meat eater – lean proteins can be incorporated across the board whatever your dietary preference. Of course incorporating healthy fats from things like avocado, olive oil, canola oil, olives in general and all of that good stuff.

In addition, allowing some wiggle room which I define by my Two Treat Rule. That’s really for my weight loss and weight management clients. I want them to feel like you can have their favorite foods. I don’t ever want a client to feel like their favorite food is pizza, but that they can’t ever eat it again if they want to eat in a healthy lifestyle! I don’t believe in that. I just believe in portions and mindful indulgences which is how I came up with this rule which simply means that you choose 2 times a week that you really love – like actually love and not just something that is in front of you. So, a lot of people love ice cream so this is a great example. I don’t recommend that people buy icecream and have it in your home so that it’s always looking at you in the face everytime you open your freezer door. That is not helpful for anyone, but, maybe go once a week to a great icecream shop and make it an event. Have a single serving, enjoy it and then be done and move on with your day.

To me, it’s more satisfying to do it that way as opposed to having the reduced fat or faux ice creams on hand where you can have a larger portion, but you are less satisfied. You’re going to be satisfied having what you want and that’s why there is a Two Treat Rule and you’re not going to go too far. The rest of your daily meals are then filled with non-starchy veggies and are balanced with whole grains, lean proteins and healthy fats. Portion is key for all of these foods and our non-starchy veggies are key because once again, they are our go to as they are unlimited in terms of how much you can eat as a volume food with very low calories and it’s why I love those Green Giant Fresh Bowls so much as they are the perfect base of what we should be eating in our meals to get all those fibers and nutrients.

AM: In your opinion if you have been eating one way and are now focused on eating healthy or transitioning your diet, is there a detox period that should take place? What can they do to mitigate the shift that happens when you are making that transition?

ABL: So, first I don’t love the word detox as I am a dietician and scientist first and foremost. I really like to hang my hat on that credential. I know that our bodies are very smart and are able to detoxify itself if you have a working liver and kidneys – they can detoxify itself on their own. So that word is a little bit of a struggle for me. I like to say that if you need a reset post-holiday – I just want to make sure that everyone understands and make that point. I think there is too much emphasis in our culture on juice cleanses and other kinds of cleanses and I just want to make that distinction.

AM: We appreciate that you are making that distinction as detox is a loaded word that is being used to encompass an array of activities. We like hearing your approach to acknowledging a choice to a person’s dietary transition through a reset as we understand that the body is naturally able to detox itself.

ABL: There are many misconceptions floating around the internet regarding nutrition and as a credentialed expert, I just like to make sure to do my part by dispelling any myths. And my greatest point in talking with outlets such as yourself is to say that it doesn’t have to be that hard. Nutrition is health and it just doesn’t have to be that complicated and a lot of those things that make it complex are frankly not true.

So back to the reset, if you have been overindulging throughout the holidays – Halloween through New Years, sometimes people just need a reset to get back on track. Or you may want to start fresh with a whole new healthy lifestyle. Something that I really enjoy is eating a really heavy plant-based diet. For me, that does not mean Vegan, it means eating a lot of plants and vegetables as our base like we have been talking about and then adding in some proteins here and there. But it doesn’t mean being 100% Vegan for a month – it’s just about increasing the amount of plants you eat. So, if you are used to eating chicken everyday on your salad, perhaps once or twice a week you swap out the chicken for chickpeas, grilled tofu or another plant-based protein to give it a little mix. Again, I like to focus on where am I getting my plant-based and protein in the foods that I am eating. Then the rest of it is to balance it out with portions. For women, serving protein like a chicken or steak – or something of that nature would be 3-4oz. For men, it would be 5-6oz which is a lot smaller than our restaurant portions in this country. Just being mindful of what a proper portion is will assist you in your reset and just give you that visual and refocus as you move forward in that healthy living journey so that you know going forward what a portion is, what protein should be eaten and the remainder of the meal is on the unlimited non-starchy veggies which is going to provide all the nutrients that are needed and to provide the healthy fats that will make you feel satisfied.

Focus on that when it comes to the reset and as we continue with addition and not omission, I know there is a lot of controversy around dairy and whether or not people believe in whole fat, non-fat or low fat. I actually recommend that my clients choose low fat or whole fat, but that they just focus on portion when they are choosing their yogurt or cottage cheese that the individual cups that are pre-portioned are a wonderful guide and will help you get acclimated to what a portion is. When we have a little fat in our dairy, we are more satiated we tend to eat less. The meal times are not always the issue it’s the in-between meals that is the difference of a snack versus grazing all day long. If we’re not eating a meal that is super satiating that provides fiber, protein and a little bit of fat, those are the three pillars of this satiety equation – if we don’t have those then we are likely to feel hungry again in an hour. Usually, the foods that are readily available when you’re not ready for a meal but are looking for a snack, these foods have refined carbohydrates which don’t have any fiber and don’t have any nutrients and don’t keep us very full for very long.

AM: How does someone create accountability within their food journey?

ABL: Obviously as a dietician, working with an RD really helps with that one. Beyond that, I really believe in setting small attainable goals. Instead of looking at an entire year or weight loss journey of, “I need to lose 30 pounds before whatever event.” That to me is such an overwhelming goal that it’s almost unbearable to many people. Instead, setting those small and attainable goals by saying, “I need to plan 3 workout classes this week” or even starting smaller if you haven’t taken a class by saying that you will walk 3 times this week. Maybe it's stating that 3 out of the 7 dinners that you have this week will be plant-based you have this week will be plant-based and incorporate more of this versus animal products. Back to what we said before, making sure that half your plate for lunch and dinner has non-starchy veggies for this week. I like small attainable goals as they build upon one another. It gives you motivation behind your larger goals! When you hit the goal of walking 3 times in a week, it will encourage you to want to sign up for a class for the next week. Weight loss is a journey and it takes time and to do it in a healthy way, it is a process. You want to make sure that you are good to yourself in this process. You don’t want to beat up on yourself for not obtaining the goals that you set for yourself, but you need to check in every now and then and having that dietician as a cheerleader and a guide is really helpful. But even if you’re not seeing a dietician, if you have a Facebook or online group that you check in that has weight loss or workout groups is a great thing. It’s about holding yourself accountable to your friends and family.

AM: We know that you are based in Chicago – which is a fun city – although the weather in the winter is tough! We have enjoyed the beach, sport bars and more. Where would we find you grabbing a meal, working out and shopping?

ABL: In terms of workouts, I don’t like running – I’m not a runner. I’m not a fan of cardio to be honest. I do think it has it’s place in a healthy lifestyle and is great for your cardiovascular system. But for me, I really love group classes it’s what keeps me motivated. I don’t find that I am a great self-motivator in this area. I love barre classes, Pure Barre particularly and I go quite frequently. I also love Megaformer Pilates like Studio Lagree I like Chi 50 a local Chicago studio that also does reformer. I like targeted movements and that you’re going really slow with micro movements and this is in both barre and megaformer. Those are hitting all the accessory muscles and where you can see the change very quickly. I recommend those classes and when it’s about my cardio, I like to hit up SoulCycle for my super sweaty class. I love spinning as a non-runner over here. It’s the music, the good vibes, a group class – it’s like a party.

Now when it comes to a cocktail and grabbing a meal, now you’re speaking my language! I live in the West Loop we are THE neighborhood for all the best restaurants, bars and some of my favorites in the neighborhood are Soho House which I go to quite frequently for a cocktail or after work drink, I also love Avec which is in my neighborhood and is a great restaurant. Gilt Bar is a long time favorite of mine. One of the things that I preach to my clients a lot since I do go out a lot is that there are plenty of ways to live a healthy lifestyle when ordering off of a menu. You just have to know what a portion is and to look for those veggies on the restaurant menu so that you can fill out your meal for those unlimited foods.

When I shop, I love Damon Street in Bucktown as there are so many great shops on that street a lot of good boutiques and Armstead and Halstead has some good ones too. Oak Street is perfect for me to go to when I want to get something special.

IG @AmandaLemein_RD

PHOTOS COURTESY | Amanda Baker Lemein MS, RD

Read more from the latest Jan Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Something You Should Know | With Nutrient Rich Foods in mag.

THE ART OF THE SNACK | GRAB A HEARTY MEAL

ATHLEISURE MAG: Prior coming to MB Steak, what is your culinary background and how would you define your style of cooking?

EXECUTIVE CHEF PATRICK MUNSTER: I started my career in St Louis, working in a great farm-to-table restaurant called King Louie’s. The menu at King Louie’s changed daily, depending on what the farmers would bring. That gave me the opportunity to learn hands-on with a variety of cooking styles and ingredients. From St. Louis, I moved to New York and studied at the Culinary Institute of America and worked at a few restaurants around campus in the meantime. I fell in love with Las Vegas and its culinary scene when I took an internship at the Effiel Tower Restaurant, located on the Las Vegas strip. I began working at SW Steakhouse at the Wynn Las Vegas in 2004, where I remained for 10 years, rising to the level of Chef de Cuisine under Chef David Walzog.

My experience at the Wynn fueled my passion for great ingredients and flawless service – the same passion I carry today in MB steak. My style of cooking is relatively simple, as I let the ingredients speak for themselves. I am careful to not to mask the flavor of the ingredients by overthinking a dish. This helps keep the flavors of each ingredient bold.

AM: For those who have yet to attend MB Steak, what can one expect in terms of the ambiance, dishes, etc?

EXECUTIVE CHEF PM: While MB Steak is known to be a sexy and luxurious steakhouse, the restaurant is also comfortable and fun. I feel like steakhouses have a different value system as far as fine dining. There are certainly expectations a person has coming to a steakhouse and upholding those old standards is what keeps guests coming back. A guest should have the same experience if they are ordering a filet with mashed potatoes or if they decide to venture down a more adventurous path with something like octopus or a dry aged bone-in New York Strip with maitake mushrooms. No matter what you’re comfortable spending, you should feel comfortable in the dining environment – that is the intention at MB Steak.

In terms of ambiance, the 7,800-squarefoot space occupies two levels, including a gorgeous low-lit main dining room, bar and lounge, and private bar room on the first floor; and a garden bar and lounge, with a towering skylight above the bar surrounded by succulents and moss on the second floor.

AM: What are signature dishes that we should know about at MB Steak?

EXECUTIVE CHEF PM: We are running a 24 oz bone-in Creekstone Farms ribeye currently, and hands down, it’s one of the best steaks I’ve personally tasted in a while. I like to encourage people to eat family style, so a lot of the dishes are created to share. To name a few, the calamari, rock shrimp, and roasted heirloom tomato salad are all great for sharing. The porterhouse is one of my favorite steaks and it really is actually two steaks in one. One side is the New York Strip (my favorite) and the other side is the more well-known and beloved filet mignon. It’s prepared sliced and ready to share.

I also personally love our bacon, and it’s one dish I usually recommend to tables. Big slabs of braised bacon, grilled and glazed with maple syrup, it’s one of those simple, still elegant, bold flavor type dishes that is perfect to start a meal. The octopus is definitely a favorite.

I love side dishes, so narrowing it down to just a few is impossible, but the maitake mushrooms with aged goat cheese and balsamic is probably my favorite. I should mention that we’ve gotten a lot of viral buzz from social media in response to a feature we had on our whole roasted 17lb. Tomahawk Steak.

AM: MB Steak is located at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and has been noted as the best steakhouse in Las Vegas in 2017 – how do you continue to push the envelope of creating great dishes that distinguish you beyond being a steakhouse?

EXECUTIVE CHEF PM: Seasonality is the great motivator for creating new dishes. Each season has its own “voice,” so I’m there to add a bit of creativity in the mix. Great, quality ingredients like stone crab, truffles and mushrooms that have limited seasonal availability are always great to cook with, and people really get amped when it’s back on the menu. I like to get the entire staff educated and excited about new ingredients and dishes. When a cook or server sees how passionate I am about something, they can easily convey that to the guest. With today’s accessibility to food knowledge, the general public is a lot more knowledgeable than past eras, which drives the stakes naturally higher, and emphasizes the need to always be at our best.

AM: What are 3 signature cocktails available at MB Steak?

EXECUTIVE CHEF PM: Magic Mike Live is our neighbor inside the Hard Rock. We wanted to bring that fun, exciting vibe into a cocktail. Our “Magic Mike” cocktail is made with Channing Tatum’s Born and Bred vodka, raspberries, and moscato rosé poured over cotton candy. Keeping with the rock and roll theme of the Hard Rock, we created the Hotel California cocktail, made with lemongrass and buddha-hand citrus infused vodka, grapefruit and pineapple. Lastly, Chicago Way is made with barrel-aged rye whiskey that we age in-house. It’s made in old fashioned-style with Punte Mes vermouth and St. George Brutto Americano. It’s belly warmin’ and always smooth.

IG @MBSteak

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag and see The Art of the Snack | Grab a Hearty Meal in mag.

ATHLEISURE LIST | SERAFINA TRIBECA

We had the pleasure of enjoying a fantastic meal during Serafina Tribeca's Fall/Winter Italian Comfort Food Tasting which showcased a number of dishes that are currently available on their menu. Serafina is a classic restaurant known in NYC as well as select cities around the globe that has great cocktails as well as Italian comfort foods that are great for lunch, dinner and brunch.

What sets Serafina apart from other properties within this group is the fact that they have dishes as well as cocktails that are specific to this location only! We had the chance to swing by to talk with Serafina Tribeca's General Manager, Christian Ferrara.

Christian prides himself on offering a creative twist on Italian dishes based on an authentic approach to Northern Italian food and using only the highest quality ingredients. A number of dishes that guests enjoy eating here are their bruschettas, a specialty Turkey and Asparagus pizza that was initially created for Thanksgiving and was carried over after the holidays as well. We love that it's the perfect way to enjoy protein in one of our favorite meals. Of course, pasta is always a dish that is enjoyed at Serafina and you can't go wrong with their Italian Carbonara with Crispy Guanciale. In addition, unexpected treats that include: Purple Cauliflower Soup with Goat Cheese, Grilled Lamb Racks with Truffle Carpaccio Served with Serafina Kale Salad Chopped Apples and Bi-Color Beets and Slow Cooked Short Ribs Sandwich with Taleggio DOP Fondue Cheese and Homemade Apple Jam.

In addition to meals that can be enjoyed in the dining room, at the bar and even in the private rooms - the craft cocktails are not to be missed. With a full and unexpected Margarita menu that is also unique to this location, you'll find liqueuers that add additional flavors to this drink which can be enjoyed year around.

Serafina Tribeca is known as a great place to enjoy a meal whether its breakfast, a business lunch, a corporate dinner or those that live in the neighborhood for after work drinks. Next door, guests who stay at The Frederick Hotel can enjoy having meals or ordering room service from them.

Christian brings in a sense of community and energy during brunch by having jazz bands perform to add additional excitement and a fun vibe. We look forward to the summer when guests can enjoy eating on the sidewalk and there are surprises that they will announce socially that will be even more enjoyable to those dining here!

SERAFINA TRIBECA
95 W Broadway
NY, NY 10007

www.serafinarestaurant.com

IG @SerafinaTribeca

Read more from the Jan Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Athleisure List | Serafina Tribeca in mag.

INTRODUCING ATHLEISURE KITCHEN

Whether we’re eating solo, grabbing a meal at lunch or Happy Hour, having a date night or heading to brunch at our favorite spot - farm to table, fast casual, gastro pubs and fine dining places didn’t just pop up on their own. Sometimes we’re cooking from recipes that we inherited from our families, often we’re making and enjoying a dish as recommended by voices of the culinary world. The world of food is nuanced and those that add to its colorful language have a story that directed them to creating their culinary point of view and styles of cooking, their presentation, and how they have strived to envelop and expand their professional brand. In Athleisure Kitchen, we sit down with chefs, restaurateurs, general managers, and food personalities to share how your favorite sweet and savory meals came to your neighborhood and these tastemakers impact and extend their reach in and beyond the food world.

THE ART OF THE SNACK | BOXED WINE TWISTED

Read more from the Dec Issue and see The Art of the Snack in mag.

S1. Ep 2. | #TRIBEGOALS with Lacey Stone

We’ve been aware of Celebrity Fitness Trainer, Lacey Stone, for a number of years! She has parlayed her talents as a celebrity trainer on E!’s Revenge Body with Khloe Kardashian for the past 2 seasons of the show. We sat down with Lacey to talk about how this basketball player became interested in becoming a fitness trainer and how she catapulted it into taking on celeb clients, working with various fitness methods, how she inspires others as well as who inspires her. In this podcast of #TribeGoals, we get the scoop on a number of upcoming projects and the importance of body, mind and soul when you’re making changes in your life whether it’s meeting a fitness goal or taking other important steps. This episode of #TRIBEGOALS is brought to you in part by Core Power Protein Shakes by Fairlife and was recorded live at Brookfield Place.

Check out #TRIBEGOALS on Athleisure Studio, Athleisure Mag’s multimedia podcast network.

HANDLING THE HOLIDAYS WITH CHEF TOM DOUGLAS

There are a number of events surrounding the holiday from those that you plan to those that just happen! We took some time to get tips from Chef Tom Douglas, an Executive Chef, Restaurateur of Tom Douglas Seattle Kitchen Restaurant Group, author and radio show talk host. He is known for his innovative role in defining Pacific Northwest cuisine. He won a James Beard Award in 1994 for Best Northwest Chef and in 2012 he won another for Best Restaurateur. He is the author of Tom Douglas' Seattle Kitchen which was named the Best American Cookbook by the James Beard Foundation and KitchenAid in 2001. Later he would appear on an episode of Food Network's Iron Chef America where he defeated Chef Masaharu Morimoto.

With a number of restaurants under his belt, Prosser Farm which provides all his restaurants with organically grown produce, a catering business, an event space, a product line of sauces and spices, a cooking school and NY Times Best Selling Author, he seemed like the perfect person to get us ready for our culinary challenges as well as how to be the hostest with the mostest.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you realize that you wanted to be a chef?

CHEF TOM DOUGLAS: Well you know, back in Highschool, I took Home Ec and it turns out there were a lot of girls in Home Ec and it seemed like I was in the right spot! I’ve been enamored with it ever since and it has become my life’s challenge, work and passion.

AM: How do you define your style of cooking?

CTD: I would call it Northwest in a way because for us the real key is to keep it simple. For us, I’d say that we spend about 50% of our time on trying to buy the best product and then really, it’s all about getting out of the way whether that comes down to wine or fish or meat. You just try to buy the most delicious things, put them together, walk away and let people enjoy them. That’s a real Northwest style.

AM: What is the most important part of creating a successful holiday party.

CTD: The plan! You have to have a plan. I plan everything – the dishware and the wines. I buy the wine about a week in advance so I can taste them and see what kinds of foods I want to serve with them. For me, at a party, I always want to have a little sparkling wine for people when they walk through the front door so I bought the Domaine Ste Michelle Brut and I made a homemade cranberry syrup, I got some cranberry bitters at the store and I made what I like to call, a Cranberry Fizz. It’s a welcoming pink fizz cocktail that goes great with Goat Cheese Fondue which is goat cheese, cream and chives that are mixed together – super simple with grilled bread and apple slices which gives you a welcoming feeling that says, “I’m happy to have you at my house.”

AM: That sounds pretty easy for a lot of people to do!

CTD: Well, it’s super easy and I serve them in individual goat cheese fondue pots so that you don’t have the big crush! A lot of people have the one big fondue pot and it gets a little funky in there after a few minutes. With these, I can just put them around the house because they have little tealight candles under them and you can refresh them at any point and just a couple of people are eating out of them. It’s a nice way and trick to have a successful fondue party.

AM: You mentioned that you want to test the wine about a week in advance – why is this something that we should do?

CTD: Because I want to think about things and get things prepped in advance. So let’s take this Eroica Riesling for example, I tried it and it has this lemony kind of citrusy flavor. It’s a bit sweet and has nice acidity. It seemed to me that it would go with all sorts of foods and I know that in my menu planning, I want some vegetarian and some not and some gluten free and some not for dishes. So it’s all part of that process and I thought about the wine and decided on a leek and potato empanada. It’s got cheese tarragon in it which is fragrant and I just baked them off and the treat is that I can get them all made up and then freeze them raw so an hour or two before your party, you can pull them out and bake them and it feels like you made them that afternoon. Those are little tricks of the trade that help you to be a more successful party planner.

AM: How easy is it for someone to take a dish and change it for those that are vegetarian, gluten free or other kinds of dietary needs?

CTD: Well it’s super easy because just 10 years ago, it was hard to find a good gluten-free flour, now they’re all over the place and they’re really good! Gluten-free flour, pasta, you name it – the key has been into the lock on gluten- free so we have delicious foods that way. Simplicity is key and vegetarian is key too so this little fennel tart that I made – a little caramel, a little fresh fennel slices and a little gluten free fennel on top, you cook them upside down so when you pop them out you get this golden mahogany nugget of deliciousness and you can serve it just like that or you can take a nice piece of Wagyu beautiful steak like what I have here and sear it and slice it thin and put it right on top and now you have a meat eaters delight. So with the same dish, you have made a classic dish that no one has had vegetarian wise and something for the meat eater that is coming to the party.

You know that you’re going to have red wine and we have the Chateau St Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon from Indian Wells Vineyards so you need a rich dish to go with a wine like that. You’ve got a party with all of these different kinds of wines and it really helps to try them in advance and then to plan the apps to go with them!

AM: What are ingredients that we should always have at home just in case someone comes by that we don’t expect and then it becomes a bit of a party?

CTD: That happens all the time at my house – that’s so funny! There are some really good premade dough out there. I try to always keep in my freezer, a pie dough and puff pastry dough. It’s the beginning of everything good and I always keep a chunk of smoked salmon in my fridge. We have beautiful wild salmon here and it would go along with all of these wines (probably not the red one that we talked about). I always keep that around and have good crackers, a little fresh chevre (goat cheese) – those are some of my ideas on quick apps to get things rolling.

AM: What are your suggestions for dishes to make for office parties for busy people that want to look like they have spent so much time on them?

CTD: Well they have to look good right? I mean, if you’re bringing it to work, it’s going to be hours later. One of the dishes I love to make which everybody loves them is a Roasted Vegetable Salad. It goes great with a Northwest Chardonnay. Take all the different veggies – fennel, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, pepper rings – all those different vegetables, douse them with a little olive oil and pop them into a 500 degree oven and roast them off until you have all kinds of caramelized edges, and dress them with lemon juice and vinegar. Bring a bottle of the Eroica and bring it to the office as you’re going to be a hero because you have solved every problem right? You’ve solved gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan!

IG @TomDouglasCo

Read more from the Dec Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Handling the Holidays with Chef Tom Douglas in mag.

INSTAGRAM "HEALTH FOODS" THAT ARE SURPRISINGLY UNHEALTHY OR CALORIC

From Whole Foods to pricey health food stores, cafes, and coffee shops, certain foods and ingredients have become trendy among health and calorie counting foodies.  Who has not heard of matcha, Acai, cold-pressed juice, and gluten-free baked goods? In a perfect world, wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could find food and drinks that are delicious, healthy and not calorie laden?  While certain Instagram accounts may have you convinced these “magic foods” exist,  Dr. Niket Sonpal is a NYC gastroenterologist and assistant professor at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine who cautions health enthusiasts to do a deeper dive into what they are eating and imbibing

Gluten-Free Baked Goods

Despite the fact that less than one percent of Americans are believed to have celiac disease, customers and food brands alike have gotten caught in the gluten-free food obsession. Dr. Sonpal explains that “To mimic the taste and texture of wheat gluten, companies will use corn, oat, and rice flours, which aren’t necessarily better for you.” One study found that participants who consumed rice-flour-based baked goods had higher levels of metals within their system than the control group, which is linked to rice’s natural arsenic and metal content.

Smoothie Bowls

Their vibrant colors and pleasant toppings give smoothie bowls the appearance of a well-balanced breakfast, but don’t be fooled: they are loaded with sugar. Unlike traditional smoothies that come in useful, portion-controlled bottles, smoothie bowls tend to be larger and have more surface area, which makes it easy to add additional toppings. For example, the Chunky Strawberry Bowl from Jamba Juice contains 590 calories and 58 grams of sugar.

Acai

Google “acai berry” and a wealth of purported benefits like weight loss and antiaging results will return. Does this trendy health food hail from Brazil really live up to the hype? Dr. Sonpal says that “While the fiber-rich fruit does tout more antioxidant properties than pomegranates and blueberries, many health claims don’t mention that it logs in 247 calories per 100 grams, 26 grams of which are carbohydrates.”  The takeaway?  Unless you are using acai at home and controlling your portions, an acai bowl could cost you almost 600 calories per serving!

Almond milk

The fact that it’s dairy-free and low in calories has made it the default milk among many people who try to eat healthily. Dr. Sonpal explains that “though unsweetened almond milk, like dairy milk, is a good source of calcium and vitamin D, it’s really low in protein. (Just 1 or 2g protein in a one-cup serving.)

Protein Bars

Protein bars, which are sometimes also energy bars, contain numerous artificial ingredients and have as much nutritional value as a milk chocolate bar. That said, some protein bars can be healthy if they contain healthy, whole, and very few ingredients that make up the bar. Dr. Sonpal cautions, “If you see upwards of 15 ingredients in your protein bar, I would say stay away from it.”

Avocado

If you look at all the salads, grain bowls, and other healthy dishes on Instagram, you'll probably notice that the people posting them seem to be eating a great deal of avocado. "Avocados are very nutritious and packed with healthy monounsaturated fats and fiber,” says Dr. Sonpal. Many Instagrammers go overboard. "An entire medium avocado contains 250 calories and 23g fat," Sonpal says. "Keep your serving size to a quarter of a medium avocado, which would be 60 calories and 6g of fat.

Veggie Chips

The pieces of actual veggies in veggie chips are so thin and processed that most of the nutrition from the vegetable is gone. “Instead, try whole-grain pretzels, baked corn chips, crackers made with seeds and nuts, or popcorn,” Dr. Sonpal suggests. To keep from turning a bag of chips or box of crackers into a meal, divide them up into sensible portions ahead of time.

Cold-pressed juices 
Cold pressed juices have risen in popularity over the past few years, and with the hefty price tag tacked on to them (one serving of juice can be as much as $12!) one would assume guzzling some would provide you with all the nutrients you could possibly need. Unfortunately for your wallets, and your diets, that is not the case. While made of whole, raw fruits and veggies, the fiber from these foods are often stripped during the juicing process. On top of that, fruits like apples can be added to cut the bitter flavor of leafy greens, which can bump the carbohydrate content up to 20-30 grams of carbs per juice! Dr. Sonpal warns that “because there is no fiber or protein in these juices, guzzling one can cause blood sugar levels to spike too, leaving you right back where you started: hungry and craving something nutrient dense. 

Matcha Lattes

Matcha is one food trend that has taken the center stage. Some restaurants offer matcha pancakes. While matcha is packed with antioxidants and provides detox health benefits that cannot be disputed, ordering up a latte may not be the magic elixir you bargained for.  A 12-ounce matcha latte from a popular coffee chain packs 24 grams of sugar and will set you back 190 calories.

Agave Nectar

Agave syrup is derived from the sweet nectar of the Agave tequila plant and is often perceived as a “natural” alternative to processed cane or beet sugar or other zero-calorie sweeteners. The syrup is touted by manufacturers as a safer sweetener for diabetics because it is lower on the glycemic index (a measurement of how certain foods affect blood sugar levels), Dr. Sonpal says that “no reliable human studies exist reinforcing this claim. Agave syrup is just like any other sweetener- no better, no worse”.

Read more the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

PROJECT HOLIDAY: TABLESCAPES AND HOSTING

The holiday season is exciting because you have the chance to see a number of your friends, family and colleagues in one place and at various gatherings within a dizzying 6 weeks. You know there are a number of events that you will attend and of course, you will be hosting. In theory, it's exciting until you realize that you will be hosting and throwing a dinner, event or a combination of the two. Before you stress out, we sat down with Camille Styles who knows a thing or two about planning events, cooking meals and being a great hostess. This event planner got her start in the industry planning events and pairing it with food. In addition to sharing her creations and tips on HGTV.com, Cooking Channel, O Magazine, Real Simple, Martha Stewart Living and more, Camille also shares her tips on her namesake site.

We took some time to talk with her about how we can tackle being a great host, the approachable way to creating tablescapes, her favorite places in Austin and her partnership with Bounty.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Can you tell us how you got into the event space as we know you have done a lot with HGTV.com and your website is beautiful.

CAMILLE STYLES: So part of my career is in events as you said. About 12 years ago, in my 20’s, I was an event planner for a catering company so I am really thankful that I was able to start as an event planner with a focus on food. I feel that number 1, food is my favorite part and the focal point to any kind of gathering and it also really taught me the nitty gritty ends and outs on what it takes to really create a great event. I got my feet wet there and fell in love with entertaining, parties, hosting and bringing people together. As a side creative outlet, I started CamilleStyles.com really as a creative project. I mean at that time, it was 10 years ago so blogs were really more of a hobby and something to do for fun on the side. Over the next year or two, it started to really pick up speed and gain an audience and as a Journalism major I have always loved to be able to right and really to use that degree to create content even if it was just for fun.

Over time, I built an audience where I was able to see that this was something that could be a full time gig and so I stopped planning events and put my time into creating content for the website. For the next 9 years, I continued to build and built a team of 7 right here in Austin – which I can’t believe that it’s been that long. I also have a few contributors from around the country as well. The content that we created it’s grown from focusing on entertaining to a number of lifestyle topics from design to interiors. But we really do keep the heart of what we do, which is about entertaining and for me it really is about those gatherings and finding ways to connect with people – especially during this time of year around the holidays. It’s about creating these feelings and spaces with those you love.

I’m truly able to do my dream job to create this kind of content around these verticals.

AM: Focusing on entertaining, what advice do you have for someone who is about to embark upon hosting their first holiday dinner with 10 people? How can we curb the anxiety that comes around hosting and making that person feel that this is an attainable task?

CS: This is a topic that is really near and dear to my heart. Entertaining is not just about bringing people together, but also being able to interact with them! Finding ways to host holiday gatherings without feeling stressed is so key because the host should be able to have fun right beside their guests. I think that for me, it all starts with making a detailed plan, especially when it comes to hosting a meal like, Thanksgiving or Christmas that has a lot of components where you are juggling a lot of different menu items. You want to hone in on exactly who is coming, making a specific plan about when they should show up, when dinner will be and of course – planning the venue. A detailed list of exact recipes, ingredients needed and most importantly, what can be done in advance so you can get as much done that’s not on the holiday so that when the day rolls around – you’re not too overwhelmed on what needs to get done.

AM: What are your go to’s that you like to make in advance?

CS: Make ahead recipe wise, there are a few things I always do, like sauces and sal ad dressings can be made a day or two ahead. I pop them in Mason Jars in the fridge. Pie crusts can be made really far in advance and you can actually freeze them. Things like cranberry sauce can be made 3 days ahead. Roasted vegetables are perfect to make a day ahead and then you can pop them in the oven to warm them up. We actually just posted Make Ahead Recipes which are perfect for holiday meals! I have a lot of my favorites in there that really showcases how important it is to do things in advance. If you are actually trying to make 8 dishes ON Thanksgiving or Christmas, you are going to be running around like a crazy person! This is the best way to maintain your sanity.

AM: In terms of tablescapes, what options do people have whether it’s going to Williams-Sonoma, your favorite department store or just going outside? People want to be able to showcase that they took time to present their meal in a beautiful and fun way.

CS: I love during this time of year to really take inspiration from nature. Where I live, we can go on a nature walk and collect branches, leaves, acorns or berries and gather them into a bowl. I’ll go to the grocery store and pick up some pomegranates and put them in a big shallow bowl to place them on the table. Anything that you can do to bring in some of those natural elements and really speak to what is happening outdoors, really speaks to the fall and season. Right now, there are a number of stores that are carrying some really beautiful faux greenery and branches – it’s such a great option for someone that doesn’t have those natural elements – to be able to place them on their table.

AM: In terms of cleaning up from such a feast, what are your tips there – should they be cleaning as they go or accept guests requests to pitch in?

CS: I’m all for guests being invited to participate in any realm except for clean up. Clean up is the one area that I think your guests should not be involved unless you have that one guest that absolutely insists. If it helps them to not feel guilty that’s ok but generally – it’s not something I would accept. When guests arrive, I want them to feel relaxed, so the kitchen shouldn’t look like a mess where they feel compelled to jump in and start cooking. For me, that’s where Bounty comes in as I pretty recently ditched my sponges as it was the one thing in my kitchen that got really gross and make my space look so messy. When you’re using the same sponge to wipe off the counters all day and to clean your utensils it just doesn’t look inviting when you see them there. I don’t want my guests to walk in to see gross dirty sponges and dishtowels when they walk in. I have my Bounty papertowels to wipe things down and to use a good cleaning spray. I can keep my pans clean as I go and it’s like using a dishtowel in that it doesn’t tear apart when you are using it and I can simply throw it away when I am done as opposed to having it out visibly. It’s my biggest cleaning hack.

AM: We know that you recently partnered with Bounty?

CS: For me, I really believe in the product and quality and I use it everyday myself. We really, at our company think really carefully about the products and brands we work with and don't have that many that we do partner with. We want to work with the ones that are integral in my life as well as within the studio as we create content. It’s always great when you have the chance to work with a brand that has a natural cohesion with the things that you are already doing. For us around the holiday season, we’re always talking about how to simplify, how to have beautiful surrounding throw really great parties without being stressed and Bounty is one of the ways that we are able to do that.

AM: With Christmas and Hanukkah and other winter holidays – people have a number of gatherings that are not as intensive as hosting a dinner. What are really simple ways that people can host to enjoy their guests while keeping it stress free?

CS: I like events where guests can jump in and have a bit of interactivity and can lighten the load on the host. So, any type of do it yourself menus like Build Your Own Flatbread Bar where you can make flatbreads and bring them out and they can put on their own toppings and they can build them themselves. It’s perfect with those that have dietary restrictions as they can ensure that they are only adding in items that work for their needs. The same with cocktails, think of a specialty cocktail and have a self-serve bar with a few recipe cards and let them mix their own for the season. I love things like that as it’s a great way to get guests mingling and to use their hands to do something. It also makes my job easier as I’m not mixing up cocktails or making individual plates when my guests are hanging out. I can jump in and enjoy my guests and create alongside them.

AM: We know you’re based in Austin, TX. Where can we find you grabbing a bite/cocktail, working out and shopping?

CS: I love this – I’m such a proud Austinite. In terms of getting a bite to eat, there are so many! I would probably say, oh my gosh I have to break it down by season. In the winter, I love to go to June’s it’s a really cozy spot on South Congress. They have an amazing Chicken Matzah Ball Soup – if you go there, you have to get it! Its so heartwarming and cozy and a fun casual environment. That’s probably my go to winter spot. In the summer, I like to sit on the patio of Laundurette and order a glass of rose and they have an amazing burrata dish and everything they do is really creative and interesting with spicy flavors. Shopping, if I had to choose one place – I LOVE, I’d say Sunroom it’s a really cool shop on South Congress that has a cool beachy vibes. They carry designers and brands that you don’t find anywhere else in Austin and their buyer buys the coolest pieces. I just feel I wouldn’t find it anywhere online and I do a lot of online shopping so when I go there, it is always an experience and different. I work out at MOD Fitness, my barre studio and I also do SoulCycle and I also love to walk and run with a good friend around Lady Bird Lake.

PHOTOS COURTESY | Marc Babin

PHOTO CREDIT | UnSplash

Read more from the Nov Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Project Holiday: Tablescapes and Hosting in mag.

TAVERN ON THE GREEN FOR THE HOLIDAYS

When it comes to iconic destinations that you have to check off your bucketlist, Tavern on the Green is one of them. It's not just a culinary destination, but it is steeped in history. Earlier this fall we had the chance to talk with their General Manager, Kelly Harbison during their Fall Apple Event. With the holidays descending upon us, we had to circle back to share the history of Tavern on the Green, it's new incarnation, focus on approachability, being a steward in the community and of course, receive a snapshot on what the holiday season is like for them going into this time of year.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Can you tell us about the iconic history of Tavern on the Green?

KELLY HARBISON: Tavern on the Green is called Tavern on the Green because obviously we are located directly in front of Central Park and our building in the 1800’s was a sheepfold for the sheeps that would graze in Sheep’s Meadow which is right across the street from us. It’s really not even just historical in the 1900’s or even recently, but really all the way back to the building of Central Park where our building is a historic landmark is really influential in that kind of a growth of Central Park as a location which is really exciting for us.

Our ownership of Tavern on the Green has been since 2014. And basically, it was a restaurant for most of the 1900’s and then is was closed down for a little while and then the city really wanted to find a new owner/operator to come in that would bring the park inside. The old Tavern on the Green was really big and people were always in the Crystal Room that had all the chandeliers and such which was great and beautiful, but in the new incarnation of Tavern on the Green, we really looked to bring the park inside. We took down the Crystal Room and having that really beautiful Courtyard that really opens right up to Sheep’s Meadow and having an entrance open on that side so that people can just walk right up from being in the park and have a drink with us at our Courtyard. Our main dining room is the Central Park Room and it has a full glass front so that people can be experiencing the park while they are dining with us. Our two other rooms – our Bar Room and South Wing were really designed with nature in mind. So the original wood in the Bar Room or the leaves in the South Wing really help us to bring Central Park in and make it a bit more of an approachable place!

The Old Tavern, you would wear a suit and tie and go there for a 1,000 person gala and in the new incarnation, both the city and the operators really wanted to make it a place where everybody could come. You could still do a gorgeous wedding here in our Courtyard, but you can also stop here for lunch on a Mon if you are here visiting NYC and really have Tavern be a part of NYC as well as Central Park.

AM: We love that and we think that that is why Tavern on the Green has such a feeling for those visiting the city as well as those that live here! Because you guys have a number of rooms/areas, is the menu the same regardless of where you choose to dine?

KH: We generally for our dining room, have one menu. We have a lunch, brunch and dinner menu depending on the day and time. Additionally, we have our bar menu which is only served in our Bar Room and that has snacks and light bites if you are looking for something to nosh on while you have a nice beverage. In addition to that, we have our nice To Go Window open mainly year around although it closes in Jan. and Feb. – that’s more of a grab and go kind of thing for sandwiches and coffees for those that are walking through the park and don't have time to sit down for a nice meal. You can still have a nice lunch while you are walking by.

AM: As the General Manager, what is your role at Tavern on the Green?

KH: My role is to be the liaison of our ownership. We have over 300 staff members over a number of departments and a lot of things going on! I always joke that Tavern may be one restaurant, but it’s really 5! At any given point, we can have a wedding reception going on in our South Terrace, we can have our To Go Window open, another party in our South Wing, have a la carte in our Bar Room and Central Park Room and then have a full Courtyard with people coming in off of the Park and enjoying lunch or brunch. So it’s one building, but it’s really telling many stories at the same time. So my job is to help our ownership put that all together and what that looks like to ultimately hone in on the guest experience. I make sure that all of our departments whether it’s the front of house or back of house is firing on all cylinders and really just providing that really magical Tavern experience.

I know that you said before that people may have come here years ago – we have guests that come in that say, “oh this is my first time back since my friend’s wedding 10 years ago.” Or they will say, “I have never been here, but my grandparents got married here.” Or that their mom proposed to their dad here. There are a lot of really special family moments that we enjoy having them as Tavern moments as well and being able to speak to that. Simultaneously, being a part of NY.

We have a number of guests that live across the street on the UWS and they love having us here as their local establishment. It’s about holding those two things together and making sure that we are serving all those guests with absolute perfection - which is essentially my job and helping the management team from the front and back of house to do that!

AM: To be sure that is a huge job!

KH: Haha yes!

AM: On Nov 29th, this will be the 3rd Annual Tree Lighting for Tavern on the Green. Why did you guys start this tradition and what events will take place on this night? We know this is one of many events that will flow throughout this holiday period.

KH: The holidays here are about a month and a half of events at Tavern on the Green. We start with Thanksgiving Week. We do over 1500 people for Thanksgiving that Thursday and obviously, we know that that whole weekend is really a fun food and beverage weekend for everybody. That Saturday, we start our Holiday Brunch so our Executive Chef, Bill Peet puts together a $70 prix fixe menu that really focuses on the holiday and celebration and we run that menu every Saturday and Sunday through New Years. So coming off of that week, we head into the celebration of Christmas and all the holidays. So one thing that we do is participate in Winter’s Eve which takes place on Nov 26th at Lincoln Center which kind of brings together all of the restaurants out onto the street. We set up little kiosks and it allows us to be a part of the neighborhood and welcoming in the winter celebrations. This flows right into the Tree Lighting which takes place on Nov 29th and I’m so excited about it!

One of the things that I really love about it is, that yes we are in this iconic city, at an iconic restaurant, but we also try to be a good local steward of our community as well. Our charity partner for both the Winter’s Eve event and this Tree Lighting event is the West Side Campaign Against Hunger - a hyper local charity that really does amazing work around issues of hunger and scarcity right in our backyard. They run a food pantry which is set up like a grocery store and it allows people that need that food support to be a customer and get the kinds of things that they need for their families versus just giving boxes of food to them. It’s a really classy and respectful way for you to help someone out while making them feel valued at the same time. We love partnering with this organization for these reasons. So all of the money we raised for the donations from the delicious apple cinnamon donuts and delicious hot chocolate dipping sauce that was made for the Winter’s Eve event will be given to the West Side Campaign Against Hunger and similarly on the evening of the Tree Lighting Ceremony, we will host students from their Chef's Training Program who will be giving out soup and and raising money as well. Once again, we’re tying in this celebratory Tree Lighting into something that is a little greater than that and a bit more about the reason for the season – I think they say!

From the decorative side, we have a decorator that comes in who starts on Thanksgiving night at 1am to put up all the decorations.

AM: Oh wow!

KH: Oh yes, he’s right up in there! We will have over 12 Christmas Trees all over the building in addition to the beautiful one that is in the Courtyard that is 20 feet tall and has over 20,000 ornaments. There’s also 10,000 lights that we put up all over the eaves and the outside of the building and then really fun kinds of nooks all over the building. We have this white fireplace and we’re really playing up this cute Christmas Village in that area. We have Toy Soldiers when you come into the front and Chef Peet is putting together a full-scale Tavern on the Green as a gingerbread house. We have some lifesized elves in the Courtyard that are really fun to take a picture with. Finding these nooks so that people can take pictures of those great moments is really important to us.

Finally, for the Tree Lighting event, we will give out Chef Peet’s famous hot chocolate, spiced cider, warm cider, Christmas Cookies, gingerbread and apple cinnamon donuts. These will be complimentary to our guests for this event as we want our guests to enjoy the evening with us from 5-7pm. Our entertainment for the evening is the LaGuardia High School which is right around the corner from us. So we’re happy to have these talented young people to come celebrate with us!

AM: This sounds amazing! Will you continue to partner with West Side Campaign Against Hunger throughout the holiday season?

KH: We do events with them all of the time! I actually meant to mention an event we did the Tues after Thanksgiving …

AM: Yes Giving Tuesday

KH: Yes – on Giving Tuesday we donated 5% of our gross profits to West Side Campaign Against Hunger as well. We’re really happy to be engaging with them and the work that their Executive Director is phenomenal and the work that they do is amazing. It’s really important with the work that they are doing and it is being done in an amazing way. It’s about raising people up and doing charity in a way that helps people move themselves forward too.

I mentioned the Chef's Students that will be participating in the Tree Lighting, that’s a jobs program right? We come to them, they learn a skill and that helps them with their families to continue to succeed as they go forward. It’s an amazing way to serve the community. We work with this organization all the time so at the Apple Garden event you were at earlier this fall, one of the apple items had a $1 from every Waldorf Salad went back to them and we really look to find ways to donate to them as well as to incorporate them into what we do at Tavern. A couple of those Chefs Students who will be working at the Tree Lighting will actually be here all day with us by working with Chef Peet to see how a kitchen runs, helping with some prep work and really taking their classroom experiences in this charities kitchen to this big open kitchen on Tavern on the Green to give them that experience.

AM: That is truly amazing and the students must be excited for that experience!

What would you consider to be a classic holiday dish that people enjoy at Tavern on the Green as well as a cocktail to enjoy during this time of year?

KH: Oooo we have so many! In terms of a classic dish, we have a Tomahawk Steak that is served with Truffle Macaroni and Cheese which is as decadent and I mean that in the best way! It’s perfect for a cold Dec. night. Our beverage program is great as we do seasonal cocktails throughout the year and for the holidays we have some really beautiful Mulled Spice Cider which is delicious and served hot. We have a spiced Eggnog which is amazing and we can do those versions styled for the kids as well. We really searched far and wide for this Eggnog recipe and our Beverage Director joked last year that he really perfected it. This is the Tavern version and that Eggnog is really the way to celebrate this holiday.

AM: We feel that the holidays wrap up with New Year’s Eve essentially. What are you guys doing this year?

KH: We do. We’re really happy to do New Year’s because it is a really beautiful space to do it in. You can see all the fireworks that they do over Central Park. Once again it’s bringing in that Park and NYC experience right into Tavern. This year, we are doing it a little differently with an a la carte experience that will start at 4:45pm until 6:45pm. We want to be really approachable for everybody so maybe it’s a family with 2 really young kids and they want to celebrate but their kids need to be in bed by 8pm. We want to provide something for them.

So in the beginning we will have a normal lunch service and our evening will be a really fun celebratory affair with open seating so that people can have fun but then enjoy seeing the ball drop at home on TV. They can have an early celebration with us.

Starting at 9pm, we have our full 4 course meal with seating so you purchase your ticket by buying by table and it is yours for the evening. There will be live entertainment at the Bar Room and our Atrium so there will be several different party areas. The idea is that you will have a beautiful meal, then we will have passed desserts so once you finish the first part of the meal, your table is your home base, but then you can enjoy exploring the restaurant to bring in the New Year celebration!

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Read more from the Nov Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Tavern on the Green for the Holidays in mag.