ATHLEISURE MAG | #46 OCT 2019

This month’s cover and back cover is 5 X NBA All Star Philadelphia 76ers - Al Horford. We share a profile on him about his career, what led him to sign with the 76ers over the summer and the season date where is team is currently 4-0.. In our feature, Something You Should Know, we interview Dr. Elizabeth Seng and STARZ Power’s LaLa Anthony about migraine conditions – identifying them, why they’re an issue and how one can alleviate their strain. We sit down with Lara Merriken, founder of LARABAR to talk about the creation of the brand, what’s newly added to the line and more. You can read the interview in this month’s issue as well as listen to it on our podcast show, Athleisure Kitchen on iHeart Radio, Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Himalaya, Stitcher and wherever you enjoy listening. In Oct, we attended Autism Speaks Chefs Gala and talked with an array of culinary luminaries (Chef Maria Loi of Loi Estiatorio, Chef Gabriel Kreuther of Michelin Two Starred Gabriel Kreuther, Chef Matt Hoyle of Nobu 57, Chef Tony Nguyen of Crustacean Beverly Hills and Da Lat Rose, Chef Ralph Scamardella of Tao Group) as well as Angela Geiger, President of Autism Speaks. With Awards Season around the corner and the holidays – we’re talking glowing skin with Toska Husted whose clients include Jennifer Aniston and Ashley Busch. This month, we chatted with Chef Jared Sippel of Trattoria Italienne in NYC for The Art of the Snack.

As usual, we have our monthly roundups including our 9LIST (Athleisure Mag’s picks that we’re loving this month in style, beauty and fitness) featured roundups. This month’s 9LIST STORI3S (picks supplied by celebrities) gives us insight into EDM’s DJ and Producer Destructo. Our newest roundup within the 9LIST ecosystem - 9PLAYLIST (9 songs that our celebs are loving this month) is from our 2018 June cover, Pooch Hall of Showtime’s Ray Donovan. As always, you can enjoy Athleisure List (Hotel Athenee and Precision Run), The Pick Me Up, Bingely Books, Bingely Streaming, Style Files, Rock This Look During Sweater Weather, Athleisure Beauty, How to Dress, In Our Bag, #TRIBEGOALS and Lime Beauty. 

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

HIGHER ART & GOOD EATS WITH RON SILVER

We head to the studio office of Ron SIlver's restaurant, Bubby's in the Meat Packing District. Bubby's also located in Tribeca as well as 6 outposts in Japan and is known for its comfort foods. We found out about how he created one of the quintessential destinations for brunch with his passion for great food and keeping it simple. We also talked about how his interests and passions in CBD and THC that led him to create Azuca which compliments food as well as the love for creating art which you can see in his restaurants as well as his show in Mexico City.

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

RON SILVER: I would say that there were multiple moments where I realized that I wanted to be a chef. One of the things is that when I was a little kid, I realized that I loved to cook and part of that was because it was mischief – it was fire and knives. So, I take to mischief very well and then I would say another small thing was that my mother took my $5/a week allowance from me and I went to get a job washing dishes. That was $80/a week so that was another realization that was my spot. I washed dishes for a long time.

AM: So when did you wash dishes?

RS: When I was 13.

AM: Ok!

RS: And I washed dishes until I was 21 in and out.

AM: That was a long time to wash dishes.

RS: I liked washing dishes – I did other things in between. I was washing dishes in Alta Ski Resort and I wiped out and broke my rib, I was out for 6 weeks. So I decided during that time that I would be a chef. So I think that was when I really decided to go for it when I was 21.

AM: So what were all the places that you went to in terms of culinary school or restaurants that you worked for prior to coming up with Bubby’s?

RS: I worked for some hotels for awhile and then I moved to Atlanta because I lived in Salt Lake and there wasn’t any real good dining there. I moved to Atlanta and worked for some of the best restaurants in Atlanta and I was offered a scholarship to the Culinary Institute but I did a quick cocktail mathematics and realized that I couldn’t afford that scholarship and didn’t go to school. I moved to NY when I was 24/25 and just worked my way up and I opened Bubby’s when I was 28.

AM: What made you realize that you wanted to open this up and to create this kind of cuisine here?

RS: Well the style of cuisine in the 80s was really weird, nouvelle cuisine with small plates and small portions and I wanted a place that really had good home cooking and large portions on small plates. I really just wanted to cook the food that I wanted to eat.

AM: What’s the average day like for you, being at Bubby’s?

RS: I’ve been running Bubby’s for a long time, 28 years - so my average day at Bubby’s, I am sort of regimented about how I do what I do. I go to Tribeca and have a coffee and go around and talk to everybody. I go around and kind of see if things are looking good and then I come up to Highline and I do the same thing and then I come up here to my office and I’m a painter. So that’s what I want to do when I come up here, is paint. Once I know that everything is kind of locked down, I can paint. I am also in the cannabis business.

AM: We’re going to get that too as well. So you have the 2 restaurants here and the ones in Japan as well.

RS: Yes, 6!

AM: How do you decide where the next place will be for your restaurant and the community that it serves?

RS: Well I suppose that the world decides for me. I’m not a business person really. So the Japanese people called me 10 years ago and I was like, “there’s no way that I’m doing that” and then we were having lunch the next day and I was walking around the space about a week later. I don’t really make a plan.

AM: Do you think that you would create another concept that is outside of Bubby’s that’s something different?

RS: It’s a good question. I don’t have a lot of reason to do that, but at the same time, I do come up with a lot of ideas that are interesting sometimes so I think that the jury is still out on that.

AM: We were at the Specialty Food Show here in NYC and we saw Azuca. We know that you launched it last year. Can you tell us more about why you are in this space and what made you want to create this?

RS: I’ve been in cannabis space since I have been washing dishes really. So, I’ve smoked weed since I was a kid - like everyone in the kitchen does. I think what really inspired me to get into this business was that I felt that I really had something to offer it. Maybe 6 years ago, I discovered that there was a very large problem which is how cannabis edibles deliver. So I really set up to solve that problem in that regard. I was able to make really good progress with that. In a way, it sort of fell in my lap, but I did a ton of research.

AM: What did you initially launch and are there more launches for this year?

RS: So what we have is a technology really. Azuca is a cannabinoid edibles technology and what that means is that it allows edibles to be consumed in an understandable way which is helpful for people who want to take cannabis or CBD or also for people who want to make edibles. We’re very much in the business of helping people understand cannabis edibles.

AM: What are your plans for that looking at the rest of this year and going into next year?

RS: Well, we’re working with some of the biggest cannabis companies in the country and we’re just getting started with those guys. We are selling CBD, edibles – like our sugar Azuca packs which will be available online and in stores soon. We have THC edibles in Massachusetts with a partner up there and we are also talking to people and other countries about CBD stuff.

AM: You’re also a painter. How long have you been painting and what is it about that that draws you to that form of creativity?

RS: I’ve always been an artist and I started Bubby’s so that I could make art. I can’t really answer what draws me to it. I know that if I don’t do it, I get very crappy.

AM: How many paintings do you create a day?

RS: It depends. I am always working on something. At the moment, I’m doing it on paper which is a little quicker than oil paint. So then all these paper things will be mounted on fabric so that is going to be a big job. I can paint a bunch of things it’s just going to take forever to get them mounted.

AM: Will you ever or have you ever been in a gallery?

RS: I had a show in Mexico City in August.

AM: Wow how exciting! How many pieces were in that show and were you nervous?

RS: 40 pieces and yes it was my first show!

AM: Congratulations! What are 3 signature dishes that we should eat when we come to Bubby’s?

RS: Well the Fried Chicken and pancakes, that’s a thing to eat, we have really good Watermelon Lemonade – that’s a thing to drink and the biscuits! Well the burgers are great too!

AM: When you’re not painting and you’re not focused on Azuca and Bubby’s – what are 3 things that we could find you doing in terms of relaxing and getting your athleisure on?

RS: Smoking bong hits, reading and I have 4 kids.

AM: Do you have any philanthropic efforts that you are a part of that you would like to share?

RS: Bubby’s does a lot of philanthropy. We give stuff to people all the time and support a number of things like New York City's oldest men’s shelter - New York City Rescue Mission. Azuca will have a huge amount of social stuff to do because the cannabis business is very ripe for a lot of different opportunities for a lot of different people who deserve them and don’t have them. So we’re very focused on how we are going to sort of set our company up so that it is incorporating the social aspects of things that we need. Especially the War on Drugs that has been particularly hard on brown people and we’re very much focused on making sure that we’re staying aware of creating opportunities almost in an artificial way. We’re getting a lot of help thinking about that and it’s the biggest deal. In setting up our company it’s run by women and my CEO as well as everyone in the company really has a deep moral compass. I think the jury is out on how we are going to be helpful. Not just philanthropically but also responsible and opportunity creating way. Philanthropy is great, but I think it’s a lot of challenge to create actual opportunity and we’re very much so focused on that.

AM: What legacy do you look to leave behind with all of the fingerprints that you have put down on all these areas?

RS: That is a tough question. I hope that I leave something behind that my kids are part of and something that continues to do good work after I’m gone and maybe I hope to leave behind a bunch of beautiful stuff.

IG @Bubbys

You can hear Ron Silver right now on our show, Athleisure Kitchen which is a part of Athleisure Studio, our multi-media podcast network! Make sure to subscribe to find out when the episode drops. You can hear it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Google Podcasts and wherever you enjoy listening to your favorite podcast.

Read the September Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Higher Art & Good Eats with Ron Silver in mag.

SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW WITH TRACY WOLFSON

When you're enjoying your favorite sport, more than likely, it's more than just watching the game, it's about the mechanics, knowing about the team, specific players, coaching staff, its history, how you feel about it in terms of memories growing up and more. It's about the storylines and how sports is immersed in our day to day lives from the community, pop culture, social good and entertainment. We had the chance right before the start of the 100th season of the NFL, to talk with Tracy Wolfson 4 X Emmy Nominated Lead Reporter, NFL ON CBS, NCAA Basketball and Studio Host for the network. We talked about when she fell in love with sports, her journey in sports broadcasting that brought her to CBS, the importance of preparation in her field and storylines that are exciting to keep an eye out for.

ATHLEISURE MAG: What was the moment when you realized that you wanted to work in sports?

TRACY WOLFSON: I was about 7 or 8 years old. I was sitting in my room, I was a little tomboy and all I really wanted to do was watch sports. My parents had no idea how I came to wanting to do that. I had no brothers, my father wasn’t really into sports, but I became obsessed with it and I became so intrigued with every sport out there. So, that’s when I decided that I would do everything that I possibly could to be a reporter and to talk about sports for the rest of my life. I watched the NBA Inside Stuff which I’m dating myself, but back then, it was Ahmad Rashad and Willow Bay. I said, “you know what? If Willow Bay can do it, then I can do it.” That’s when I decided to do it.

AM: Wow, well we have had the opportunities to interview a number of broadcasters especially those in sports. What was your journey to get to CBS – how did that happen?

TW: Well it was a really long journey because back then, there wasn’t really a It was a long journey. Back then, there wasn't a blueprint for it and there weren’t a lot of people that you could reach out to and talk to or for anyone to give you advice. I knew I wanted be in sports so I went to the University of Michigan for the academics but also because they were surrounded by sports, so I figured that at least I would be around it. I could meet people and find a way to get into this business that way. I took some communications classes and I did a few internships and met a few people from CBS around that time. They said, “ok when you go back to school, why don’t you help us out when we come to do games? You could be a runner and get water and coffee.” And that’s what I did. I did a bunch of football games and some basketball games. I did some ice skating shows with them and I kind of got my foot in the door, but I wanted to be on camera and I didn’t have any experience and there were no classes I could take at Michigan at the time that I started out as a researcher at the time at CBS. They hired me and it was my first job out of college. I would basically get research for all the other reporters and announcers out there and I put portfolios together. I was there for about a year and I got the offer to move up to the next level as an Assistant Producer type thing. I said that I would go for it, even though I knew that I wanted to be in front of the camera, but I didn’t have a tape. So I got the interview and the guy said, “I know you love sports and you know sports, but not like the guys do.” I was like – huh? That was my first experience of being a woman in this business so, I said, “really?” It was like the best kick in the pants that I could have gotten – I was like, “I’m out of here.” He’s no longer with CBS by the way. I found a job as an agent representing broadcasters and seeing a completely different side of the business: how to put together a tape, how to sound, how your voice should sound, what you should be wearing and what news directors you are looking for. I sent a bunch of tapes around for other people. I got one girl by the name of Jenna Wolfe who is now out in this business. I got her a job from Upstate New York to Philadelphia. She was my age and she was already in the number 1 market and I said, “oh my gosh, she’s already in the number 1 market and I haven’t even gotten on the market yet – come on! What are we waiting for here?”

So I left and I still had to get in front of the camera. I got a job as a producer on News 12 Long Island producing sports. Every time a reporter went out and did his reports, he’d let me do my reports. I made a fake tape and sent it out all across the country and I got one job in Trenton, NJ. I was never live there and was there for a year and a half. They didn’t have any live sports, so I just did 5 minutes of sportscasts a day – highschool, minor league stuff and college sports. I put together a tape and sent it to some agents and different people and I got a job at MSG Network. I got a job doing Oxygen Sports at the time. I was with ESPN for a year doing college football. It was my first time being live for ESPN College Football ever doing a live game. It was pretty incredible, I didn’t know what I was doing. I was yelling into the microphone. They were like, “you don’t have to yell, that’s why you have a microphone!” So I did whatever I could. I was there for one season and then CBS had an opening for a number 2 reporter and because I had been there, I think they kind of remembered me and I had a lot of friends. It was between a few of us, but then I got the job and now I have been with CBS for 17 years.

AM: You do so much on CBS, as we enjoy seeing you report on the NFL and obviously during the Final Four – what are the different roles that you have there?

TW: I do a lot of different things and it has grown over time. I started at CBS and I covered rodeo, covered auto racing, track and field, tennis, gymnastics – you name it. Anything CBS would have, they would ask me to cover. Now, I specialize a little bit more on just the NFL. I did college football for 10 years covering the SEC. So now it’s just NFL, college basketball and the NCAA Final Four March Madness and I have a show with the most incredibly talented women on CBS Sports Network called We Need to Talk where it’s former athletes whether it’s Summer Sanders (Team USA Swimming 4 X Olympic Medalist, sports commentator, reporter), Dara Torres (Team USA Swimming 12 X Olympic Medalist), Swin Cash (retired WNBA athlete and VP of Basketball Operations and Team Development for the New Orleans Pelicans), Lisa Leslie (retired WNBA athlete, studio analyst for the Orlando Magic broadcasts on Fox Sports Florida and Head Coach for Triplets in the BIG3), Laila Ali (retired undefeated professional boxer and TV host), Amy Trask (former CEO of the Oakland Raiders) and so many other women with different perspectives on sports. We just don’t talk about women’s sports. More often than not, we’re talking about the NFL, but it’s a really good show and it’s something different then my normal reporting. There’s a lot of hosting involved and also just a talk show giving our opinions and our viewpoints. A lot of times our view is different than a man’s.

AM: What we love so much about how you approach it is the fact that you have a storytelling aspect and just getting everyone into it. How do you prepare for your NFL coverage and how does that work with you?

TW: It really stems from my research background. I love it and that’s what you need to do to find the stories. It’s kind of like Groundhog’s Day. You come home on Sunday or Monday, you unpack that wheelie bag, you repack that wheelie bag, and then you get focused on the game at hand. A lot of time, I start back to my previous game. So I know that I have my 2 games and I start studying to find something that's different. I start reading all the beat reporters because they’re there 24 hours a day with those teams. I switch teams every week. So I really read everything that I can find whether it’s on the Internet or what they send us from the teams. I make calls and dig deeper and we’ll have meetings with each of the teams and their star players – the quarterbacks, coordinators, coaches, defensive players and really find out more information. You know the X’s and O’s – you have to know that because your questions are going to come from that and your story lines are going to come from that. But you can also weave in different stories at the same time and I think that that is really the balance between being a good reporter and having the best broadcast – how do you weave those stories in and then what can you find from the field? A lot of the stuff, you can’t prepare for. You’re the eyes and the ears on the field. You’re getting things that the men and the women in the booth can’t get. So, I just run the field over and over again looking, searching and listening whether it’s an injury or something that the offensive line coach may say or maybe it’s the way that a quarterback reacts after throwing an interception. You try and bring that to light and bring it to the broadcast and make the viewer at home feel like they are right in the game.

AM: How do you take time for yourself as you’re all over the place with your travels. How do you manage it all by having a family as well as your schedule?

TW: The juggling is really difficult and I tell anyone that wants to get into this business and have their family as well as working on sports and being on the road or anyone that is doing a business and juggling their families, you really do come last. You really have to do that as for me, my number 1 job is actually being a mother. I always say that and I will continue to do this until it doesn’t work for them. If it doesn’t work for them, then I am out! It does work for them because I am able to juggle and I have the experience and I have figured out what’s worked. I know what’s right and how to balance that time.

I make sure that I set my routines for my kids. I get them to bed on time, they get a good night’s sleep and they can get up in the morning feeling refreshed. It makes my job much easier and then they go off to school and that’s when I focus on my work. And then when they come back home, we get back into that routine and once I get their bedtime routine going and getting them into bed, I know that they’re getting their rest and I can focus on myself again and do more work. Then I get myself into a really good routine and I think that that’s the way of really finding time for yourself. If you feel good, if you’re refreshed, if you’re energized, you know that you’re in a good spot and place, then that’s ok. That’s where I really need to be because you’re being spread so thin everyday of our lives.

AM: How essential is it for people to have great sleep and what should we do around that so that we can get it?

TW: I see it from the top watching athletes. They need to get good sleep, they talk about it all the time in order to have peak performance levels out on the field or on the court. Then it starts with me, I need to be at my top game every single day and every time I’m out there. Not only working as a sideline reporter, but waking up early and being on the field for 7-8 hours. But also as a mother being on my peak. I need to be at the top of my game and being refreshed and ready for them. So I try to pass on those routines to them and I truly believe that sleep, especially going into the school year, is so important to set those routines. Being a partner with Sleep Number, I’ve learned and always have been a huge proponent of this by setting up a routine early, getting that consistent schedule down, limiting the light, taking away those phones, Playstations, devices so that they have the time to relax. Understanding that sleep is coming and being consistent with that. An hour before bedtime, I have an 8 year old, a 10 year old and a 13 year old – so all my kids are boys and they’re all hyper with a lot of energy and it’s important to have them wind down.

But the schedules are all different. The 8 year old needs something different than the 13 year old. The schedules stay the same in terms of having them calm down, taking away devices an hour prior to bedtime, they get their reading done in bed and I come in with them and sit down to go over some things with them. Maybe I read with them, they love that and look forward to that and then I turn the light off and I move onto the next kid with my 10 year old who enjoys the same routine. Then the 13 year old, well teens are difficult, they have a lot of stuff. They have sports, a lot of school work, their after school activities and they have their friends and they want to be social. I have to be able to balance that out with him as well and set a good schedule with him. I have to remind him that sleep is crucial in terms of lowering that stress level, making him have that best performance that he can in the classroom and on the field. I talk to him over and over about it and then I show him that I do it and that it’s time for my bed too. I need a schedule also and hopefully I set a good example also for them.

AM: As someone who does travel so much, what are 3 things that are must have in your carryon?

TW: Ok well, I definitely bring sneakers with me. I don’t wear sneakers on the field because I’m only 5’2” and everyone that I interview is a lot taller than me. I actually need the height, but I bring the sneakers with me because I feel that exercise is so important and it gives me a chance to just calm down and to relieve all the stress that’s around me. It allows me to have some alone time which is really important. I definitely bring a little tinted moisturizer that will maybe cover up a little of the bags under my eyes or the imperfections that we all have because that HD screen shows everything! Then, I bring a really good book because a book is really important to set that sleep routine up for me. I want to turn my TV off, I want to limit that light, I want to have that same schedule that I have at home, on the road. That way, I can be ready for that game in the morning. I bring a book, it may not be a lot and I may not have time to read a lot, but I want to be able to put my work away and just focus on relaxing, spending that last hour to chill out and to just have that me time and knowing that I will be refreshed and ready for the morning.

AM: What are you excited for this season?

TW: I’m really excited. We have tremendous match ups and so many exciting things going on at the NFL right now! I’ve been talking about the Cleveland Browns which really excite me with all of their personalities, faces, and the excitement in Cleveland to potentially have a winning team! All the noise – can they handle the pressure, as we kick off the season with that game against the Tennessee Titans. They have questions of their own like who’s going to start as quarterback it’s Marcus Mariota’s team but Ryan Tannehill right in the back? Then you have the Oakland Raiders and Antonio Brown with helmet gate. You also have Jon Gruden and can they get back to their winning ways? Then there’s Le’Veon Bell switching teams and how are the New York Jets going to do? Can they take over and make that next step? Are the New England Patriots going to be back on top again? How is Tom Brady going to perform now at age 42? It’s incredible!

Then you have the Chicago Bears, a team that really made a run at the end of the year. Can Mitchell Trubisky take that next step? I think that their defense is going to be very strong and can they take that North? We can go down that line, but that’s what’s exciting about this season as there are so many storylines and hey, we just found out about the Indianapolis Colts’ Andrew Luck.

AM: YES! We couldn’t believe he retired!

TW: I can’t tell you. I was sitting at home with my kids. We were watching a college football game and when I found the news, my heart kind of sunk. It was so upsetting.

AM: We were preparing questions for this interview and when we heard, we literally went to Twitter on your feed.

TW: I didn’t even know how to react. I got up the next morning and I was still really upset. I have had a lot of time to be around him and he’s such a good person, so smart, he knows the game, comes from a great family, I know his father well and to see the toll that it took to get to this point. You feel for him because of what he’s been going through, you can just imagine over the last few years and it’s so sad that it had to come to that. He’ll be fine and he’s in a good spot because he is so smart and he will have a lot of good opportunities ahead of him.

AM: It definitely tugged at our heart. But it’s a reminder that selfcare is so important and you really have to take care of yourself.

TW: I think that the game is trying to get better too and trying to prevent a lot of those hits and the physical side to it. They’re changing these rules in trying to do that so that players don’t have to go through that as much. It wasn’t necessarily hits to the head, but your body just breaks down after awhile. It was really devastating and that’s yet another storyline with Indianapolis and I know you will be following that!

IG @TracyWolfson

You can hear Tracy Wolfson next month on our show, BUNGALOW SK which is a part of Athleisure Studio, our multi-media podcast network! Make sure to subscribe to find out when the episode drops. You can hear it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Google Podcasts and wherever you enjoy listening to your favorite podcast.

Read the Sept Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Something You Should Know with Tracy Wolfson in mag.

ATHLEISURE MAG | #45 SEP 2019

This month’s cover and back cover is WWE Superstar and E! Total Divas (9th season drops Oct 2nd) – Leah Van Dale who wrestles under the name, Carmella. We talk with her about the upcoming season, her journey to the WWE with her background in fitness, cheerleading and dancing and her new wine label. In our feature, Something You Should Know, we interviewed Tracy Wolfson, sports broadcaster for CBS Sports. She talks about women in sports, how she got to where she is, and what she’s excited about for this season in terms of the storylines that are taking place in the NFL which is celebrating its 100th season. We also sat down with Ron Silver of Bubby’s an iconic restaurant known for its comfort food in Tribeca, The Highline and with 6 outposts in Japan.We talked about how he got into the restaurant business, the cannabis industry and his art. You can also hear his interview on our podcast network, Athleisure Studio within our show Athleisure Kitchen (available at iHeartRadio, Spotify, Apple Podcast, Himalaya, Stitcher and wherever you enjoy hearing your favorite shows). This month, we chatted with Chef Alvin of The Usual in NYC for The Art of the Snack.

As usual, we have our monthly roundups including our 9LIST (Athleisure Mag’s picks that we’re loving this month in style, beauty and fitness) featured roundups. This month’s 9LIST STORI3S (picks supplied by celebrities) gives us insight into Celebrity Fitness Trainer and Director of Strength and Endurance Training for the LA Lakers. We are also debuting the newest roundup within the 9LIST ecosystem with 9PLAYLIST (9 songs that we’re loving this month – of course, we’d love to hear from your talent who would like to share their playlists as well). As always, you can enjoy Athleisure List (Le Tea and City Wine Tours), The Pick Me Up, Bingely Books, Bingely Streaming, Style Files, Rock This Look During Sweater Weather, Athleisure Beauty, How to Dress, In Our Bag, #TRIBEGOALS and Pomelo Beauty. 

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag here.

THE ART OF THE SNACK | HANOI SOUP SHOP

We're always looking for great spots that are infused with culture, comfort food and always feeling like a sense of home when dining. We popped by Hanoi Soup Shop's East Village location to talk with one of the restaurateurs of this Vietnamese eatery, Sara Leveen. We find out more about this location, how it differs from Hanoi House and what signature dishes we should be enjoying when there.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Tell us about your background and how you came to open Hanoi House and Hanoi Soup Shop.

SARA LEVEEN: Ben Lowell & I have worked in restaurants our whole lives; prior to starting our own company we both worked for Stephen Starr. The dream of opening our own place really came alive when we traveled Southeast Asia together. There is an endless amount of inspiration from the streets of energetic cities like Hanoi and Bangkok and also chill & charming cities like Luang Prabang and Chiang Mai. Capturing what we loved and translating it to an NYC restaurant became our goal.

AM: Tell us about the backgrounds of the chefs, Daniel Le and Albert Nguyen in terms of where they have previously worked within kitchens and their journey to Hanoi Soup Shop.

SL: Daniel has roots in both Southern California and Houston; he grew up among other Vietnamese family members and friends. He learned kitchen organization & management in big companies like Ritz Carlton and Roy’s and came to us relatively new to NYC looking to apply what he’d learned to a Vietnamese restaurant. His palate is bold but traditional…his many culinary strengths include his ability to create deep, flavorful broths and braise various cuts of meat to achieve intense levels of umami. This is on display at Hanoi Soup Shop with our daily specials which rotate every few days.

Albert was born & raised in Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn. He is a New Yorker through and through, having gained his experience at Ma Peche, Del Posto and Flora Bar. As the Executive Chef at Hanoi House, Albert taps into his parents’ way of cooking and seasoning (both from Northern Vietnam) with simple, rustic food accented by fermented seafood sauces and by pickling and curing ingredients in house. His contributions to the menu are focused on vegetable side dishes and seasonal salads that highlight individual ingredients and help create a family style feast great for sharing.

AM: When did Hanoi Soup Shop open and how does it differ from Hanoi House?

SL: Hanoi Soup Shop opened at the end of April this year and is meant to provide a quicker, more casual and slightly less expensive menu with all the same quality, flavors and ingredients as Hanoi House. Its main focus is soups, and its main purpose is takeout & delivery however we have 10 dining seats and a fun little lunch crowd. Eventually, we will offer dinner service for those diners looking for a quick bite of a summer roll and pho for instance. Hanoi Soup Shop is about finding ways to cook something for 12 hours but serve it in 5 minutes.

AM: Does the menu change based on seasonal offerings?

SL: Yes! Hanoi House’s menu is more ingredient and seasonally focused…Hanoi Soup Shop looks to traditional recipes like Bun Rieu and Bun Bo Hue…letting the weather and chef’s cravings dictate which

direction we go on a given day.

AM: What are staples that regardless of the day will always be available at Hanoi Soup Shop?

SL: We will always have Beef and Chicken Pho, Summer Rolls, Classic Banh Mi & Papaya Salads. The proteins in the Summer Rolls and Papaya Salad may change over time but not in the near future.

AM: What are 3 signature dishes that should be enjoyed at Hanoi Soup Shop?

SL: Beef Pho with Brisket & Oxtail.

Classic Banh Mi: Housemade pork terrine, Vietnamese ham, pork crumbles, chicken liver pate, pickled vegetables, cilantro & jalapeno on a baguette.

Papaya Salad with Beef Jerky.

AM: What are 3 beverages that you suggest that should also be enjoyed?

SL: Iced Vietnamese Coffee

Hot Egg Coffee

Avocado Shake

PHOTOS COURTESY | HANOI SOUP SHOP

IG @HanoiSoup

Read the August Issue of Athleisure Mag and see The Art of the Snack | Hanoi Soup Shop in mag.

LAUNCHING A NATION WITH PAIGE MYCOSKIE

As we transition from the Summer to thinking about the Fall, we love when there's apparel in our closets that's truly seasonless and easy to move around, travel and do an array of activities in. At Athleisure Mag, we became major fans of Aviator Nation and started incorporating it into our celeb shoots last fall. In addition, our team has defintiely rocked these pieces when we've been on set, hitting a day of activities and more.

We took some time to sit down with Page Mycoskie, the brand's founder and designer who launched the brand back in 2006 with a focus on that retro vintage vibe and super soft fabrication. We remember her and her brother Blake Mycoskie (founder of TOMS Shoes) when they competed together on CBS' The Amazing Race season 2.

We wanted to find out how this brand was created, how being an athlete has tied into the ethos of the brand, how she approaches bringing on new designs and styles into the line as well as how she approaches finding and opening her stores at various locations. Along the way, we learned how integral music and specifically music festivals, as well as aviators, play into the brand and how manifesting her passions and interests continue to fuel the direction of this lifestyle brand.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Can you tell us about your background as you’re an artist, an entrepreneur, an athlete – how did this all come together in terms of your background and bringing you to the creation of Aviator Nation?

PAIGE MYCOSKIE: It’s kind of funny because ever since I was a young girl, I really had this mentality that I could do anything that I wanted to do. I really think that that came from hanging with my grandmother a lot. When I was little, I used to spend time with her during the day and she was super creative and super artistic. She would be like, “hey what do you want to learn today?” She was all about teaching me new things and I wanted to do creative things. It’s kind of interesting and I’d be like, I’d like to know about pottery and we’d spend the day learning how to do pottery and a lot of times, it was creative stuff. She was super artistic and she made her own clothes. So hanging out with her, I became very hands on and it’s super interesting now because a lot of what I do is very hands on. I think that that’s something that makes me very different from other people who start companies. I like to be super involved in all of the details at Aviator Nation.

It’s also funny to look back at the entrepreneurial thing. When I was little, I was constantly trying to sell things. Being an entrepreneur extends from that and I love being able to create things from scratch. I just loved the whole interaction of making something, selling something, earning money and then going to shop. Then being an athlete, that was an important part of this too. Now, I’m in a super competitive industry, the fashion world and being an athlete – ever since I was a young girl, I love doing sports.

Team sports was an important thing for me because the team I am building and the culture with the company is directly from when I was a child and on team sports with other people a lot. I think that being super competitive has always been inside of me and l like to compete because I like to win. Being an athlete and learning – the more you practice the better you will be and when you continue with that, you’ll be the best. I’m all about constantly making the best product and every time we do a production run, I’m all about testing the fabrics and new methods. It’s not just about putting out clothes every few months like new designs. It’s about continuing to make the product better. I think it helps that I wear the products because it’s all I wear. I’ll be like, “this is actually a little bit tighter than what I want it to be." Or I'd like to make this fabric a little lighter weight during this time of the year. Being an athlete, learning that the more you practice and the more you work with your team, the better that that team can be.

AM: What was that moment when you realized that you wanted to create this brand and what was the thought process behind the name, Aviator Nation? Your brand is really unique from your 5 stripes, to other designs, its gender fluidity and we love that you can literally look at your Instagram and see you truly building your company and the brand heritage that you present as well as continuity.

PM: It all kind of started with a personal obsession with clothes that are super comfortable and had this colorful look to them. I was living in California at the time and I had a job in a surf shop and I was doing photography. I didn’t go to school for fashion or for business. I went to school for journalism because I always liked to write and to tell stories. When I moved to California, I was interning with Shape Magazine for a little while and I realized that I loved the culture and the stories, but I couldn’t see myself working in an office.

So I got a job at a surf shop and I started to get into the retail world through that. I learned how fun it could be to work at a mom and pop shop and that was the beginning of my experience working in that world. What happened was, I personally had these ideas for clothes that I wanted to find and couldn’t. I would go shopping and the clothes were never soft enough for me. I have always been obsessed with my dads old t-shirts because they are so much softer then anything that was out there. Then I learned, that you could get them at thrift stores and I started shopping there and would look for old t-shirts. I just liked how those broken in garments felt. Then it was of course, not the right fit. So I found myself chopping off the bottom and cutting off the sleeves. I was manipulating these garments that I found at these thrift stores, Then it dawned on me when I found this one shirt – I loved how it fit and I wanted all my shirts to feel like that. I took the t-shirt a part and I laid out paper and made a pattern and bought a sewing machine and I taught myself how to sew. So I literally started doing it for myself because I couldn't find garments that felt the way that I wanted them to feel. Then, when I realized that I could make other garments that fit the way the t-shirt did with patterns and being able to sew, I could do the same thing with the designs that I wanted. So if I wanted sunsets or stripes, it was pretty simple because my skillset was there. I didn’t have experience. So I cut out stripes and put them on this garment and it was looking super cool and it was simple. So the reason why we do this applique technique now (which is essentially sewing fabric ontop of another fabric) was because that’s how we started in terms of creating a design to put on the garments.

Once I started to do that, I was wearing the clothes around town in Venice and wearing it to the surf shop that I worked at and everyone around me was asking about it, the brand that I was wearing and I told them that I made it myself. Not only did it feel good but the clothes felt good because I made them with this comfortable material from soft old t-shirts and the colors were attracting people.

AM: So where did the name come from?

PM: So growing up, my favorite movie was Top Gun and I had the movie poster on my wall, I still have it in my office. I just love that movie and I love the style of Tom Cruise and Kelly McGinnis and the aviator sunglasses were just such a key part of that style and that look. When I was little, I always had aviator sunglasses and all through high school and college – aviator sunglasses were always my go to. So I had this vintage collection of aviator sunglasses on my desk when I was thinking about the name for the company and I looked at them and thought, “I really love aviator sunglasses and I really love that word aviator and I feel that this brand is going to bring people together.” I always thought that aviator shades did that. I could have had a long night in college and then put on those shades and then I would look great. The aviator sunglasses were just the go to and I wanted the clothes to be the go to as well.

AM: Completely agree with everything that you’ve said as we’ve styled it in our shoots and have had great feedback and when we wear it around the city, the feedback is always so much fun. Especially when rocking the velvet ones which have such a retro vibe to them. How do you get your inspiration when you are creating the line?

PM: A lot of times, I will randomly think of something that I want to put into clothes. Sometimes things just pop in my head and I just want to see what that color combo would look like. Color is just a part of my brain. I’m always wanting to put colors together. I have Pantone books everywhere and I am always looking at putting them together. I walk around with a Ziploc bag of fabric in all different colors everywhere I go. I’ll be at the beach and I’ll say, I want to see this color with this color – so it just comes to me and I’m surrounded by old things all the time. I go to flea markets all the time because I love finding vintage stuff. I have hundreds of vintage skate boards and surf boards. I’ve always been really into retro stuff from the 70s and I have a ton of vinyl – album covers are a part of my inspiration because I’m playing vinyl all the time. I think that the old stuff that’s around me plays into it as well as it’s always around me. The color thing is just something inside of me – it’s weird.

Sometimes I’ll go to rock shows and different concerts. It’s what I do for entertainment. I don’t go to bars a lot, I’m not extremely social but I do love concerts and festivals and things like that. I remember when I thought about the velvet for example. I was backstage at a rock show and I was inspired by velvet curtains and things like that. It definitely came from Rock & Roll and there’s a lot of velvet in that world. I think sometimes my lifestyle whether it’s being at Venice Beach or at a rock show plays a little bit into my inspiration.

AM: In terms of product assortment, you have apparel, accessories and surfboards. Do you see other things that could grow into Aviator Nation as it really is a lifestyle brand.

PM: Yeah totally, I love creating new things whether it’s clothing, stores or whatever. I love building things from scratch. I see myself creating new products. It’s funny because I want to do everything, but I force myself to not do that because it could be taken the wrong way. I don't want to be that brand that tries to do everything. I really do try to draw it back and look at what I am really passionate about right now and focus on that. We just came out with outerwear this last year and that was something that I was super passionate about, but that we weren’t doing. I love snowboarding and I love the mountains and I'm always throwing on a jacket. I feel that the right jacket is a game changer and a jacket that you can travel with, stands up to the elements, it’s not too hot or too cold. I found this insulation that was kind of beyond what is being used right now – even with high end performance jackets. I want the best quality because it’s for me too and I like pushing the envelope on quality. Anyone who has my jackets understands. It's a super lightweight jacket that’s extremely warm and it packs down into your backpack. I’m also passionate about high top tennis shoes so right now I have a big collection myself and I’m always thinking that it would be cool to make shoes and doing a collection of high tops. Stuff that makes sense for me personally that I’m passionate about because it is authentic. For people that are fans of the brand, they’re all about authentic. I think everyone is becoming that way and it works well for business. This brand has been this way from day one as I started it making it for myself. If the quality is not good enough for me, then I am not going to put it on the shelf. I’m extremely picky.

AM: We appreciate the pickiness of it. You can literally travel in it without a problem, it photographs well, it‘s great and so soft.

PM: It’s crazy comfortable. I’m turning down washes all the time. I’m like that’s not good enough, it’s not soft enough. The people that work in my production at times they’re like, this is crazy this is soft and I’m like, “not soft enough.” I feel that the best feeling is like you don’t have clothes on at all. So if we’re going to make clothes, we should make them feel like you’re not. That’s what I like to think that the sweats feel like – it’s just an extension of your body.

AM: It seems like you partner with a lot of events including Austin City Limits Music Festival and Global Citizen. How important is it for you to grow your brand and to be aligned in that way?

PM: Yeah, it’s super important. It really happened organically. When I opened my first store on Abbott Kenney and built that stage on the patio, that was kind of the beginning of getting involved in the music world. I always say, “if you build it, they will come” very field of dreams. That’s what I did. I built this stage and I had all kinds of artists wanting to play on our little patio in Venice. Doing that was such a cool experience. Getting to know the artist and creating a place where bands get to play – Foster the People rolled in there one day and played on the stage and it was a couple of years before they got cool. That was happening all the time and now I have other stores with stages as a lot of my stores have these stages and I’m always saying yes to artists that want to play. It’s so fun and one day someone from Austin City Limits came into the store in Venice and they loved what I was doing. I really personally love Austin City Limits Music Festival and so when I met that person it was such a unique moment. When I did that festival, it was funny because I go to music festivals a lot – it’s part of my life and I’m always kind of feeling like I don’t want music festivals to be super commercialized and I felt like that old school vibe. I like to imagine what Woodstock would have been. I love when festivals aren’t super commercialized and built up and the one Austin really is a lot less commercialized than others. The thing is, it’s surrounded by trees and grass. Another big thing is that I felt like the artists as I’m friends with a number of artists now and was back then too – they were 3 years into having stages and a lot of the artists were burnt out I noticed – especially on the festivals. It was something that was fun but exhausting. They’d show up, they’d play their show and get back on the road. I have a lot of friends in the music industry and know how it is when they’re going on tour as I’ve actually joined friends on tour too. It’s grueling. So when the people at Austin City Limits came to my store and asked for me to get involved into what they were doing, they wanted to know that if I could do anything, what would I do?

It was an interesting moment and I said I wanted to do something for the artist. They just have these basic trailers backstage and they have their beer or water. They play their show and then they leave. Back in the day, the artist used to sit around and play music together and sit around and get to know one another. I know that because of my friends in the industry and their parents are people like Grand Nash. People who were in that world, I read a lot of books, seen a lot of documentaries and I know about how it was back in the day. I’m always about restoring the past. I told them, “what if I built a teepee that was backstage” and they could hang out there and it was just a place for the artist to chill in between their sets. They loved it and thought it was amazing. They let me build a teepee backstage where only the artists and friends and family of the artists could be and I designed it, drew it and had these Native American guys make it out of fabric and hand painted it. It has this cool rainbow look to it and we set it up backstage at ACL and it was the most incredible thing that I ever witnessed. Basically, I set it up and then bought some old vintage guitars and instruments and had it in there, candles, a couch and blankets. It was super chill and not commercial at all. They asked if I wanted signage and I said no, I just wanted a teepee. I made t-shirts that I was going to give to the artists as a gift and I make clothes and I wanted to make cool ones. The artists come to concerts but they don’t really get gear. So I wanted to make a shirt that I felt that they would wear and not the typical concert shirt. So I designed this shirt that was a vintage cool looking shirt that said Austin City Limits on it, but it was a cool one that didn’t look like the typical concert shirt. On the back of it, it actually said, “It’s All About the Music.” I felt that it was all about the artists and a festival is better if the artists is super stoked. Literally all day for the full weekend, artists would come into the teepee and they would sit down, pick up a guitar and jam out. We had The Alabama Shakes and Phoenix jamming out together.

We had Leon Bridges come in and sit down and start playing a song. He said he had just made up the song by being inspired in the teepee to make this song. It’s exactly what I wanted to happen and all the artists really started to love the teepee. It was a dream come true to come up with this environment. I think it made their experience at Austin City Limits so much better because it was so much more grounding for them, they made friends and they had the t-shirt.

Everyone wanted the t-shirt because they knew it wasn’t available but they wanted to know where they could get it. It was authentic to the artist because they had met us and hung out with us, the shirts were super soft and they probably had a bag filled with dirty clothes. Now we have done it with ACL since 2012, I’ve done a lot more festival shirts for others as well. We do the same thing where we take the teepee and it allows us to get to know the artists backstage and we make sure to make pieces where it doesn’t feel like the typical concert tee.

My thing is, I want to make gear that people will want to continue on wearing. As the customer myself, I will buy a shirt at a festival and not wear it. What you want to do is to wear a shirt that is super soft from the start and that you will want to wear. I make festival gear that is more fashionable and that people will want to continue wearing.

AM: Do you see the brand being at NYFW or at Miami Fashion Week?

PM: I think that with the swim collection, Miami Fashion Week is a great way to showcase that and I really love Miami. We did a small fashion show at the Soho House Miami when I first released our swim collection with the new velvet collection. I got invited to be a part of an event right at the time that it was coming out and it made sense. It was fun, a small show and I think doing fashion shows is really cool. I love putting the brand in front of a lot of people that love fashion. I think that sweats and swimwear really is fashionable. I don’t say no when I think that something comes about that makes sense doing. I think NYFW and Miami Fashion Week is great for us.

AM: Do you sponsor or have any athlete ambassadors?

PM: We have several athletes that shop with us that come in and a lot of times, managers reach out to us and ask if you want to sponsor. We’ll send them things and it’s about people that specifically and personally like the brand. We don’t have any specific sponsorships but we have a lot of athletes that shop in the store.

AM: As someone who is active and an athlete, what are 3 things that are always in your bag when you’re heading to the beach to relax or to surf?

PM: When I go to the beach to surf, I always have to have my speaker – a portable one that I love and I take everywhere I go. I always have a good book – I love to read and I’m into business books. It’s interesting to read on philosophies that entrepreneurs have taken. Maybe my ukele – I grew up learning whatever instruments I could get my hands on and I have always liked this instrument because it’s small and easy to carry around.

IG @PaigeMycoskie

You can hear Paige Mycoskie on our show, BUNGALOW SK which is a part of Athleisure Studio, our multi-media podcast network! Make sure to subscribe to find out when the episode drops. You can hear it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Google Podcasts and wherever you enjoy listening to your favorite podcast.

ATHLEISURE MAG | #44 AUG 2019

The latest issue of Athleisure Mag dropped as we headed to Randall’s Island for Electric Zoo Evolved which had a number of acclaimed EDM DJ/producers that performed throughout Labor Day Weekend. This month’s cover is the Godfather of Hard Trap, SayMyName. In addition, we have an interview with Danielle Collins, professional tennis player and jewelry designer who shared what her season has been like, the US Open and her jewelry line. We sat down with Celebrity Hypnotherapist, Kimberly Friedman who talks about the power and the importance of the subconscious. We also talked with beauty trailblazer, Bobbi Brown from being a makeup artist to celebrity makeup artist, beauty entrepreneur and currently being a hotelier for The George in Montclair, New Jersey.

Read the Aug Issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE 9 LIST

Read the July Issue of Athleisure Mag and see The 9 List in mag.

ATHLEISURE MAG | #43 JUL 2019

We’re excited to drop our latest issue of Athleisure Mag which is covered by ESPN’s Broadcaster/Journalist and author, Marty Smith. You’ve seen him on SportsCenter, College GameDay, SEC Nation and more. Check out his cover shoot which took place in Ocean City, NJ.

Read the July Issue here.

PRIDE ISLAND 2019

This month marked Athleisure Mag's 3rd year of being media sponsors for NYC PRIDE! In addition, this year WorldPride took place throughout the month here in NYC. WorldPride has been in existence for 20 years and has had 6 times that it has been showcased; however, this year was the first time that it has taken place in the US. It came to NYC as a means to honor the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising Commemorating the historic event where the modern movement began in 1969.

This year's theme, "Millions of Moments of Pride" included events ranging from panels, parties, movie nights, brunches and more. Being able to share the events as they took place as well as attending them is part of the fun of celebrating during this time of year while also supporting and being an ally to our LGBTQI+ community. The events culminated in one of our favorites - Pride Island. This event takes place over the last 2 days of pride and includes a number of performances from an array of entertainers. This year included Grace Jones, Teyana Taylor, Kim Petras, Amara La Negra and Madonna! Check out amazing moments from PRIDE ISLAND.

PHOTO CREDITS FOR NYC PRIDE + WORLD PRIDE | THIS PG - 67 Mary Kang | PG 68 -71 Sansho Scott | PG 72 - 79 Benjamin Lozovsky |

Read the June Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Pride Island 2019 in mag.

BINGELY STREAMING

1865

Wondery

Spotify

This Wondery podcast takes its listeners to the moment that President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. We are immediately introduced to a cast of characters that are left to grapple with a coup that threatened to shake up the bureaucratic system of power. Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton takes the task of ensuring that those who are meant to run the country stay in play while also ensuring that the line of succession remains intact with Vice President Andrew Johnson becoming President. While maintaining order, he also has to make various concessions as a means to maintain order which includes putting some of his beliefs on the shelf while navigating the interests of the country.

Bending to Southern interests, attempting to greenlight initiatives that involve reconstruction for newly freed slaves, as well as finding John Wilkes Booth, and additional mysteries that surround this actor turned conspirator envelop every part of Stanton's decision making and progress of the US. With all of these issues, 1865 shows how Stanton will betray his friends, his integrity and the very constitution that he is trying to protect under the veil of maintaining justice for the country.

CULPABLE

Tenderfoot TV + Black Mountain Media

Apple Podcast

For fans of To Live & Die in La and Up and Vanished comes a new True Crime story, Culpable. This podcast's focus is on those cases that have yet to be settled and what justice has not been served. We are taken to Mississippi to find out about what has been deemed a suicide by Christian Andreacchio on Feb. 26, 2014. He was found in his bathroom of his apartment with a single gunshot wound to the head. But there is evidence that shows that not only was this a homicide, but a premeditated murder. Host Dennis Cooper investigates this story and probes those who knew him and were with him in his last hours to find out what truly happened in order for his grieving family to finally put the issues revolving around his death to rest.

DESIGNATED SURVIVOR

Netflix Originals

With 2 seasons on ABC, Designated Survivor was saved by coming to Netflix with episodes being released weekly!

The story of lower-level cabinet member, Tom Kirkman who through succession is elevated to President of the United States continues as he continues to ensure that the country stays together. As designated survivor, he continues to navigates threats that are made to the country by those outside of it and even those he works with on his staff. In each episode fans watch as he maintains the balance of continuing to grow within his position while supplying humanity to address the issues that he and the country face each day.

Read the June Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Bingely Streaming in mag.

ATHLEISURE MAG | #42 JUN 2019

This month, our cover is graced by Michelin starred Chef and Restaurateur, George Mendes. We talk about his restaurant Aldea as well as his pop up concept currently at Chefs Club Counter in NYC. In addition, we interview 4 x NBA Champion, John Salley to talk about how he came to basketball, his forray into the wellness and health industry as an investor and gifting for Father's Day. We also interviewed Celebrity Fashion Stylist, Brad Goreski to talk about his style inspirations, summer's perfect accessory, being a Co-Host on E! Live from the Red Carpet and his thoughts on the Met Gala! We also interviewed, fitness icon, Denise Austin about being an innovative in the industry, her success with her shows and what she is currently focused on. In addition, as our third year of being media sponsors for PRIDE, we included imagery from PRIDE ISLAND with performances by Madonna, Amara La Negra, Teyana Taylor, Grace Jones and more. In addition, we have a number of our monthly features showcasing athleisure culture.

Read the June Issue of Athleisure Mag.

CONTACT HIGH

We enjoyed Contact High, a Visual History of HipHop: Pop Up Experience at the Hasselblad NY Experience Studio in Soho. The exhibition celebrated the recently published book Contact High: A Visual History of Hip Hop by Vikki Tobak, documenting the history and progression of Hiphop and some of its key influencers over a 40 year span.

Curated by Vikki Tobak, based on the bestselling book of the same name, and with creative direction by Fab 5 Freddy and forward by Questlove, it includes works from 60 photographers forming a chronological journey from old-school to alternative hip-hop. The ultimate companion for music and photography enthusiasts, Contact High is the definitive history of hip-hop’s early days, celebrating the artists that shaped the iconic album covers, t-shirts and posters beloved by hip-hop fans today.

On display at the pop up experience were images made with various Hasselblad cameras from Janette Beckman, Danny Clinch, Armen Djerrahian, George Dubose, Jamil GS, Danny Hastings and Jayson Keeling.

Founded in 1941, Hasselblad is the leading manufacturer of medium format cameras and lenses. Made in Sweden, Hasselblad cameras are renowned for their iconic ergonomic design, uncompromising image quality and Swedish craftsmanship. For over half a century, Hasselblad cameras have captured some of the world’s most iconic images – including the first landing on the moon - and helped shape the way we look at the world through genuine photographic artistry. Trusted by NASA and used by the greatest photographers in the world, Hasselblad continues to create products with uncompromising image quality that inspire. In 2016, Hasselblad introduced the world’s first compact mirrorless digital medium format camera – the X1D.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We loved seeing the contact sheets presented in the book at Hasselblad's pop-up experience exhibit. When did you come up with the concept for the book and how long was the process making it?

VIKKI TOBAK: The whole process took about three years for me to write and research the book, but the idea came from me actually working in the music business in the early ’90s. I worked for an indie Hiphop label called Payday Records and Empire Management and worked with a lot of young Hiphop artists. I would coordinate a lot of their photo shoots, so I also met all these young photographers way back then. As I started my writing career and became a journalist working for bigger news organizations like CNN, I saw how they treated their archives, contact sheets, and historic photos and got to thinking about all the photos that I had worked on in my younger days – all the photographers who had these archives they were sitting on. So I set out to tell that story: The story of the photographer and a deeper story of those photos.

AM: How did you go about connecting with and interviewing the photographers and essayists featured in the book to hear about the accompanying stories of the shoots and how the images were created?

VT: I t wasn’t easy because photographers don’t generally like to show their contact sheets, they don’t like to show their outtakes or imperfect moments. So I started by going to the photographers who I already knew and who really trusted me with their stories. One by one, I started reaching out to Janette Beckman, then to Delphine Fawundu, Jamil GS – photographers that I have been on-set with when they photographed young Jay-Z, young Mos Def, young Gang Starr… I started writing a column for a magazine called Mass Appeal while I was researching the book. At first, the photographers thought it was kind of weird, like, “You want to see my contact sheets?” And I was like, "Yeah, I want to hear the back stories and I want to see all those weird photos of the person not looking into the frame or the photos that you shot of what was going on around them to kind of give it a more candid, documentary feel. And they loved the idea because they also like seeing each other’s contact sheets – photographers work really independently, so just seeing the work of their peers and just seeing that all these photos lie on a historic continuum (if you will) was really great. They realized that they were part of this great collective that documented this music, this new music that was created in our lifetime and was really something that nobody had ever seen before. They visualized that music.

AM: Did you have the title “Contact High” going into the project, or did it emerge during the course of the book?

VT: I didn’t have the name at first but it came to me pretty quickly. It just kind of popped into my head very early on. I had a good laugh with myself because a lot of Hiphop is associated with weed-smoking and hanging out. But more than that, Contact High speaks to immersing others into this world, this kind of bubble. It speaks to bringing people not just into one photo but bringing them into the world where that photo lives.

AM: We see chronologically, the first featured shoot kicks off in 1979 in the Bronx with Kool Herc. How is it to trace the past of Hiphop visual culture from its early days as a small subculture?

VT: Because I’ve been writing about the music for so long, I understood that this was the music that started with everyday people in neighborhoods, in communities. A lot of the earlier photos are not of the big stars but are of the dancers, the DJs, the kids from the neighborhood where a lot of the MCs came from. You see photos from the early days of Brooklyn and the Bronx all these places where the culture was born. Those early documentary photos also talk about the fact that this is much bigger than the music and much bigger than just this cultural phenomenon that we now know is kind of leading our mainstream. You can trace the history through the photos from the late ’70s and see it going into other cities, all of which have their own styles. You see it go into L.A., which had a very specific look and feel to it, to New Orleans, to Houston, to Detroit, to Atlanta. All the artists and photos that came out of that are super distinct, with their own flavor. So you have to see it and not just hear it. That’s what the contact sheets do.

AM: How was it to have Fab 5 Freddy as a creative director with the book?

VT: Oh my goodness, he’s a dream. He is a historian, he was a part of the culture, and he also gets this as part of the larger storytelling of Hiphop. As soon as I told him about this project, he got it right away. To be able to go deeper into these photos, he also realized there had never been a real retrospective done of Hiphop photography. Individual artists had sort of had little shows here and there but never on this kind of scale. So he not only wrote an essay for the book (which was incredible), he’s also in a lot of photos in the book.

And when it came time for me to curate the show’s exhibition, which we now have at the Annenberg Space For Photography in Los Angles through August 18 and which we hope to make a traveling exhibit after that, I knew he was the right person to be the creative director because he just got it – he got the whole project. We worked great together. He’s now working on so many amazing things related to the culture: He has a new film on Netflix called The Grass Is Greener about cannabis policy and the history of music in the black community. I like that he is a deeper, broader thinker – more than just about the music and more than just about the style. He sees how all the dots connect, which is why I really wanted to work with him.

AM: Core roots and aspects of athleisure are steeped in Hiphop style and culture. We love seeing Adidas, Kangol, Dapper Dan, and an array of other iconic fashion and culture laced throughout the images and contact sheets. What are some stories that the photographers and essayists offered about Hiphop style from the early days to rising to mainstream as a truly dominant and global authoritative stature?

VT: The whole phenomenon and athleisure wear and just comfort was really something that started in Hiphop, absolutely. Young kids were very aspirational in wanting certain sneakers or wanting a certain look, but at the same time this was all super personalized and all flipped on its head to have a very unique look and feel that was very Hiphop. So they started trends, they started a lot of the sneaker culture that you see right now: Run DMC and Adidas, the whole Nike Air Force 1 movement. A lot of even little details like the baggy sweatsuits, the caps, all that kind of stuff was very much self-styled and sort of remixed, if you will, from mainstream fashion. To see it come 360 now and be thriving as mainstream fashion is really cool. All these elements that were originally just about being an individual are now available to everyone.

AM: Tell us more about your spotlight on the importance of telling the story of women and Hiphop in the book.

VT: It wasn’t really a decision to play it up in the book. For someone who has always worked in the industry (as a woman, obviously), writing about the music for years, women have always been a really strong part of Hiphop, both in front of the camera and behind it. I had so many incredible black women editors when I was a writer; so many women ran the label that I worked for: Lucia Cortez, Silvia Rowne, really powerful women. And then of course the artists….

People ask me a lot, “How did you find all the women photographers in the book?” They were there all along. It wasn’t an effort on my part to become equitable – I wish I could say it was, but it just is. To me it’s just been something that I recognized always, and I think it’s a little bit of a stereotype with Hiphop. If you look at Hiphop as a culture, women have always been super prominent.

Also, April Walker started Walker Wear, and a lot of people didn’t even realize she was a woman because Tupac and Treach from Naughty By Nature were her spokespeople. There was this big wave of streetwear entrepreneurs in the early ’90s, and she should really be commended as part of that: she and all the women stylists who gave Hiphop its look in terms of selecting baggy clothes for Mary J. Blige or a lot of the other looks. I think all those women deserve to be celebrated and remembered.

AM: What have you seen with having such a multi-dimensional audience by design as it cuts across music, Hiphop, photography, portraiture and selfies, as shown with such acclaim, like the dynamic Amazon chart success across categories?

VT: A lot of people say Hiphop is now post-genre, so there’s not just one kind of Hiphop, there’s not just one kind of listener or audience. Hiphop now is global on all levels – it’s not just the subculture in a neighborhood anymore. The elements of it have been appropriated. That’s a loaded word; I guess a better word would be integrated into all facets of fashion and music. Kids in the suburbs listen to it, everyone listens to it, but at its core it will always be a music that speaks truth to power. That attitude will always come through in the photos, that attitude will always come through in the lyrics and all the different offshoot of any music culture. But now it’s a global phenomenon. Biggie has this line in one of his songs where he says, “You never thought that Hiphop would take it this far.” Indeed, a lot of people thought it was going to be a passing fad. It’s just really beautiful to celebrate the men and women who documented this culture that has not just stayed around but now defines many facets of our shared lives.

AM: It’s so interesting – and a treat – to get such an extensive intimate look at contact sheets and outtakes and see the interplay of photographers and artists in the creative journey together. What are some behind-the-scenes stories in the book about how the shoots started and went?

VT: Oh my goodness, I have so many. The one that people bring up most often is the story of Biggie in the crown that was taken by Barron Claiborne because it is a very stern-looking photo. The story behind it is that Barron was a young black photographer who was given the opportunity to photograph a fellow young black man and wanted to go against all the cliché imagery that he was seeing in the mainstream media at the time. He decided to photograph Biggie as a king. The editor of Rap Pages Magazine, a woman by the name of Dream Hampton, saw the importance of Barron’s vision of portraying someone like Biggie as royalty. In fact, that photo was called King of New York. The photo almost didn’t happen because Puffy/Diddy, who was leading Biggie’s career at that time, thought that he would kind of look like Burger King. So there was a lot of behind-the-scenes back-and forth, and it was interesting to hear the “this classic photo almost didn’t happen” accounts. I really like that photo for sure. I would say that’s a really good story.

AM: What are some accounts from the photographers about their work at that time? What cameras and gear were they shooting with, and did they comment about how it impacted the look and feel of their work and narrative?

VT: A lot o f big photographers – Janette Beckman, Danny Clinch – love shooting with medium-format Hasselblads. Lugging medium-format cameras around different neighborhoods, on the subways, is a little more challenging. But they always said it was very worth it. Not only did they produce this very beautiful, serious, historic moment, the Hiphop artist also felt that way. Janette Beckman shares the story about when she showed up in Hollis, Queens to photograph Run DMC. She had brought her Hasselblad on the subway from Manhattan way up to Queens. When she showed up, they understood that she was serious – not just here to take a few snapshots of us but here to really photograph us. Same goes for Danny Clinch for the Big L album covershot taken in front of his stoop in Harlem. Same thing. I feel like the photographers loved using Hasselblad medium-format because it set the tone.

AM: What have you heard from newer photographer fans, who love seeing contact sheets and negatives as a secret workflow?

VT: In digital culture, Instagram, imagery in general is very disposable in many ways, and we’re also bombarded with a lot of it. For younger fans, it’s often hard to imagine a world where you didn’t see the photo instantly or where you didn’t erase any photos. They’re also used to seeing a lot of finished product. The concept of contact sheets is important because it shows the stakes and it shows growth and it shows the artist in an imperfect setting and it shows the photographer working their process out, their creative process of trying to get the lighting right or not quite getting one out of 36 photos or one out of 12 photos right if you’re shooting medium-format.

So for young people, they see that the process takes time, and a lot of mistakes were made. That’s really important in this day and age. I think they really appreciate it - seeing photos of a young Kendrick Lamar in the studio where he looks kind of tired or frustrated recording his debut album. It’s a different Kendrick Lamar than the Pulitzer Prize winner with this amazing album on the other side of the process. So young people are really loving it. Also, just picking up on all those great style elements of the early days. A lot of it has definitely come back, and a lot of younger fans don’t even realize it’s been around for years and years.

British photographer Janette Beckman began her career at the dawn of punk rock working for publications such as The Face and Melody Maker. She shot bands from The Clash to Boy George as well as three Police album covers and documented the youth culture of the era. Moving to NYC in 1983, Beckman was drawn to the underground hip-hop scene where she photographed the pioneers of the culture such as RUN DMC, Slick Rick, Salt-N-Pepa, Grandmaster Flash, Big Daddy Kane, and LL Cool J.

Beckman has published five books: ‘Rap, Portraits & Lyrics of a Generation of Black Rockers’, ‘Made In The UK The Music of Attitude 1977-1983’, ‘The Beckman has publi-Breaks, Stylin' and Profilin' 1982-1990", 'El Hoyo Maravilla’ and ‘The MashUp, Hip Hop Photos Remixed by Iconic Graffiti Artists’.

Her dedication to documenting the outliers of society remains evident in the works she creates surrounding subjects such as Manhattan based dirt bike bandits, The Go Hard Boyz, an illegal girl fight club in Brownsville, New York, and the hardnosed rodeo riders of the River City Rodeo in Omaha, Nebraska. Her work has been shown in galleries worldwide and is in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Museum of the City of New York and the Musée des Civilisations de l’Europe. She is represented by the Fahey Klein Gallery. She continues to live and work in New York City today. Beckman’s commercial work includes assignments for clients such as Dior, Kangol, Levi’s, Schott, and Shinola.

ATHLEISURE MAG: How did you know you wanted to make portraits growing up?

JANETTE BECKMAN: I always liked portraits, I used to visit a lot of museums like the National Portrait Gallery in London as a kid and stare at the paintings, imagining what life was like in the 1800’s or whenever.

AM: Tell us about the London punk scene in the late-70s and how you became immersed?

JB: I came out of art school and the punk and youth culture scenes were happening on the streets. I was always into music and style, so it was natural for me to start documenting what I saw on my doorstep. I started working for a weekly music magazine called Sounds and soon was photographing 2 or 3 bands a week.

AM: What led you to NYC in the early 80’s and how did you start photographing rap groups?

JB: I saw my first Hiphop show in London in the fall of 1982 and that Christmas I came to NYC to visit a friend. The trains were covered in graffiti, kids with boomboxes on the platform. I loved it.

AM: What were some of the first Hiphop concerts that you attended, and how did the blend of DJs, rappers, break dancers and graffiti artists speak to you and what you saw with the culture at large?

JB: The first Hiphop concert was in London in 1982. I was blown away by the sounds and visuals, rappers, DJs, graffiti writers, break dancers all on stage together - I photographed Fab 5 Freddy, Grand Mixer DST, Afrika Bambaataa, RockSteady Crew, Double Dutch Girls, Rammellzee, Futura, Dondi - legends of the culture.

AM: Tell us about the 1984 shoot with Run-DMC for The Face magazine.

JB: The British magazine The Face commissioned me to photograph Run DMC. They gave me a phone number, which turned out to be Jam Master Jay’s mom’s house. I spoke to Jay and we arranged to meet at the Hollis subway station. Hollis turned out to be a leafy suburb in Queens. I walked down the street with him, met Run DMC hanging out under the trees on a spring day with some friends, and began taking photos - I got that shot in the first few frames. It was really a moment in time.

AM: What camera and lenses did you shoot with? How important was it to be shoot-ready when approaching shoots those days?

JB: I had a Hasselblad with an 80mm lens, I had 3 backs (12 shots in each), always ready/loaded.

AM: What was it like to work with Def Jam?

JB: Def Jam was a small label. I was also working with other small labels like Next Plateau and Sleeping Bag. They would bring their artists ’round to my studio. I had shown my portfolio to Lyor Cohen and Def Jam started to hire me. The first shoot I did for them was when Bill Adler, the Press Officer for Def Jam, brought LL Cool J to my studio for his first press shot.

AM: We loved seeing the early Afrocentric style reflected with your work with Tribe Called Quest. How did this come about and what was the day like?

JB: I was a huge fan of Tribe Called Quest and Hiphop style was becoming more Afrocentric. We decided that we wanted to shoot in nature. We were in NYC and the trees were still bare, so we went to the Chelsea Flower Market and found this greenery. The band had their little cousin with them and we had him in the shot too.

AM: What are some of the similarities and differences between shooting album covers and magazine candids and portraits?

JB: Album covers are square, you have to think about that when you are composing a shot. Magazine pages are usually vertical.

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF CONTACT HIGH: A VISUAL HISTORY OF HIP HOP, BY VIKKI TOBAK | Fugees - Jayson Keeling | Jay-Z – Danny Hastings | Kanye – Danny Clinch | Memphis Bleek - Armen Djerrahain | Mos Def - Jamil GS | RUN DMC – Janette Beckman | Salt-n-Pepa – Janette Beckman | A Tribe Called Quest – Janette Beckman |

Read the May Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Contact High in mag.

THE NINE LIST

Read the May Issue of Athleisure Mag and see The Nine List in mag.

ATHLEISURE MAG | #42 MAY 2019

The May Issue of Athleisure Mag is covered by CNBC's Co-Anchor of "Squawk Alley," Morgan Brennan who's sectors include manufacturing, defense and space. She showcases fun looks for the summer. Laila Ali chats with us about her undefeated boxing career. We also focus on 90's Hip-Hop artists who were pictured at the beginning of their career in Contact High talking about the culture as well as capturing them in iconic moments. The month of May has a number of awareness focuses. We talk with The Laurus Project and their focus on Breast Cancer Action. In honor of Mental Health Awareness month we have two articles focusing on mental health awareness. Dr. Sanam Hafeez who talks about what mental health is as well as how we can identify issues and how we can rectify it. Dr. Heidi Hanna shares how stress has benefits as well as its fatal aspects. We have a number of roundups that include beauty, style and fitness; gifts for Father Figures and items to consider for the Summer and all of your travels.

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

ATHLEISURE KITCHEN WITH GAIL SIMMONS

Earlier this month, we had the honor of sitting down with one of our culinary faves at NYC's The Kitchen Table in NoLita with Gail Simmons. In addition to her role at Food & Wine Magazine, she is also known as a judge on BRAVO's Top Chef. We talked with Gail about her journey in food journalism, the importance of working throughout the food industry to gain invaluable knowledge of professional kitchens, Top Chef history, food diversity, how she maintains calm when planning for guest arrivals for food celebrations, key ingredients in her kitchen this Spring, where we can find her shopping in Brooklyn and more!

ATHLEISURE MAG: So tell us about your background and how you came to work in food journalism?

GAIL SIMMONS: It’s sort of a long story and I have always started with a love for food. I graduated from college and didn’t know what I wanted to do with my career and everyone else seemed to know what they wanted to do with their degree out of college. All I knew was that I loved to cook and I loved to write. But back then, that wasn’t necessarily a one plus one equals two situation. People were just starting to cover the food world. The term food media back then just meant writing for a handful of magazines or a couple pages of newspapers and there wasn’t the kinds of opportunities that they are now. But I knew that cooking was my passion and so I got a job first as an intern in a magazine and as an Editorial Assistant in a newspaper as sort of a lifestyle food and travel section. I realized that in working everyday around all of these different subjects that food is really what I am more interested in. Then I was given this really great piece of advice that anyone can write as you can practice on your own and that’s what you have editors for, but if you want to differentiate yourself and really make a mark in the food world then you really need to understand the professional kitchen and learn to cook.

So I picked up, packed up and moved to NYC and went to culinary school and from there I worked in a few really tough, but incredible professional kitchens as a line cook and always with an agenda that I wanted to write about it and knowing that I never wanted to be a chef in a kitchen full time. When the time was right and I had a lot of experience and felt that I really understood how to cook well properly with a good foundation, I moved back into writing first with Vogue Magazine as an Assistant to the Food Writer and then for a chef doing events, marketing and PR all sort of learning around the events of the restaurant industry in every different aspect of what it takes to work in the food industry. About 15 years ago, I landed at Food and Wine Magazine and I’ve sort of been there ever since.

AM: That is a journey and what was the moment while you were on this food journalism track that you realized that you wanted to enhance your brand and make that jump into TV as well?

GS: I didn’t actually. I never ever consciously thought, I want to enhance my brand as a personality – the word brand, was never in my language or in my purview. I never thought about going on to television it was always about writing and publishing for me back then – 14 years ago. I did a little bit of food television in my early days on behalf of Food & Wine because often morning shows would need someone to talk about recipes, wine trends from the magazine or what we were doing for our spring issue ,so I was the one that would often go on because I had the cooking and marketing background to go on and be able to do cooking demos and to talk with the anchors and the hosts. So that sort of became what I did for the magazine and about a year into my job at Food & Wine, BRAVO came to Food & Wine with this idea of a reality show about the lives of professional chefs and they wanted to call it Top Chef and they wanted to partner with Food & Wine to teach them about the world of food and cooking and in exchange, they would put one of their editors on the judges panel and so they screen tested me and asked me to do it and I have been doing it ever since. I never meant to do it, I never sought it out, but we also certainly never knew that it was going to be a hit show and that it would last this long. We’re going into our 17th season and it doesn’t seem like it is going to be slowing down.

AM: We love your authenticity and in doing the research to chat with you, it was amazing to see how many areas of this industry that you have touched to immerse yourself in this space. Clearly this is why you can speak about so many aspects of it due to your knowledge.

GS: For me, everything I did up until now, and what I continue to do, feeds into my experience and my knowledge. I don’t think that I could have ever gotten the job on television had I not done all of those things. I think that being able to speak to the real life of professional kitchens, which is what our show is about – we want to speak fairly and honestly in a constructive way and understand the work that chefs do. I think that you need to have a working knowledge of that to come across to your audience not only as authentic, but in a way that the audience of a show can identify with you because the audience can’t taste the food. You really become the taste buds for your viewers and I think that all of the work that I have done and before leading up to Top Chef helped prepare me.

AM: What led to you creating cookbooks and what is that process like for you when you’re making them?

GS: I think that these days, cookbooks for me was a very natural offshoot for everything that I do and finding a place where all of my favorite recipes could live that shaped me and make me who I am and recipes that I have learned and brought home from my travels that have become staples in my household and I wanted to just share those with everybody because I am asked for them so often. It was a great opportunity to put them in one place.

The process was rigorous. It took me 2 years to write my most recent book. 2 years is sort of par for the course and sometimes it can take many, many more. From conception to publication, so it was an all encompassing process. It was so much work in every aspect – testing, developing, testing, rewriting the recipes, editing etc. Writing all the head notes, the introduction, making sure that they are accurate having someone else retest for that accuracy. I really wanted to make sure that every recipe in the book not only sounded delicious, but was absolutely attainable for everyone to make at home.

AM: That’s intense. Going back to Top Chef, we have had the pleasure of interviewing Chef Brooke Williamson and Chef Richard Blais previously in Athleisure Mag as well as on Athleisure Studio’s podcast network show – Athleisure Kitchen. What is it like for you as a judge to be on Top Chef? What is the process like for you and how do you get yourself prepared for those moments that are taking place?

GS: I mean we have been making this show for so long that we have gotten it down to a science. It’s a great process though as we have a great crew that has worked with us for so many years and everyone really understands what every episode takes. So we’re a pretty fine tuned machine. I would say that the most important part of what I do is balancing - being constructive and fair with the challenge that is being presented every episode and making sure that I am speaking to that challenge and what all the different chefs that are doing. The great thing about the show is that we travel to a different city every single season so I always do a little research about the place because the location is going to inform so much about the cooking, the ingredients and the history. You know, the history of Charleston is going to be different then the history of Boston which is going to be very different than the history of Kentucky or California. I think it really plays a role and is what differentiates our show from all others.

AM: It’s also so inclusive to food diversity from a geographical standpoint. This season’s Top Chef was in Kentucky and one of our Co-Founders is from Indiana and many of the recipes that were made this season were also indicative of areas she grew up in and which allows audiences to connect from that standpoint as well.

GS: Exactly there is a lot of food overlap and that is what makes our show so fun. You don’t have to be a great cook to identify with loving food or understanding the history of this country. Food plays such a great role in that and in our families in the way that we eat, the way that we go out, the way that we celebrate and we try to stay true to the locations that we go to.

AM: How would you define, your style of cooking?

GS: I think my cooking is spontaneous and changes with a season. I’m a mom and I think my food has changed a lot since I became a mother. I want flavor and I want it to be healthy and easy to make because I don’t want to give people recipes that will take them 3 days in the kitchen and I certainly don’t have time to dedicate that. So my style really calls from all of my travel experience and my childhood which has a lot of influences. People always ask me, “what’s your favorite thing to cook?” I never have one favorite thing, it always depends on the time of year, where I traveled to last, the ingredients that I am most excited about and then ways that I go about organizing them and being the most efficient in the kitchen to get the most flavor by doing the least to the great quality of food that I have.

AM: Because you have done so much in the food industry, are there other projects that you would love to be a part of that you have yet to tackle – but would want to?

GS: I think there are so many things. There is so much travel that I want to do and I think that giving back to the community that helped me for so long is really important to me and there are so many ways to do that right now. Cooking is such a life skill, so not only does it nourish people, but it teaches people to translate that skill into a job anywhere where they are. Certainly, there are so many things where food applies to our lives, whether it’s politics or math and science. Teaching my child to cook, you become some conscious of that and so just teaching is always in the background for me, whether it’s through books or in television championing my industry, and giving back to my community through all of these different channels is always top of mind and there are always more things to be done.

AM: With Spring being here finally as we see the leaves on the trees – there are so many Spring holidays coming up and reasons to just come together just because. What are some trends taking place in the kitchen that we can incorporate right now into our dishes just to change things up?

GS: I think that Spring is just the most exciting moment in the year because we have all just been in hibernation for so long and I got real cozy with lots of soups and stews over the winter but I am ready for bright new ingredients. I am really excited about bringing all of those fresh herbs, fresh flavors, different fruits and vegetables into my diet that I haven’t been able to get all winter long. But I also want to be efficient with what I am cooking and because there are holidays in the Spring where you are cooking for a crowd often of all ages with family and friends with Easter and Passover – you really want to optimize your time in the kitchen. My entertaining strategies are always about finding recipes that you can be organized with and prepare as much as possible with in advance, so that when guests do arrive you’re just doing the minimal to get food on the table so that you can spend time with them.

AM: People come by unexpectedly sometimes. What do you suggest that we should always have in our fridges so that we can ensure that we are always ready as sometimes you never know when Auntie May comes by!

GS: Yes and there’s nothing to eat – it’s true! I mean I think with a few simple ingredients, whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner, there are ways to use them so that you’re picking ingredients that are versatile. A few products that I love are having lots of fresh herbs in my fridge and lots of citrus as they can be added to lots of things from pasta to cottage cheese. They can be turned into so many things in so many different ways. Or even eggs that they can go on top of. I love keeping good quality dairy products as they are always in my fridge. As I said, herbs and citrus, cheese, eggs, and then as much fresh ingredients as possible. So if you have salad greens or you have a few key bowls of berries, you can make 100 different things. Breakfast for example, is a time where I feel that people run out of ideas. There are a ton of things going on in the morning or if you’re entertaining in the morning there is a lot you have to do so quickly. If you have people over for brunch for Easter for example, if you can think a little ahead of time – you can make a really beautiful statement with minimal work. One thing that I always advocate is big batch cooking. I love making granola for example and I make it a week in advance in a big batch that I can eat throughout the week and I can have it as my go-to to put on top of things in the morning. Or just eat it as a handful to grab and go as a snack. When you have granola and some fresh berries, granola in the fridge and cottage cheese, then there you have the perfect protein packed, versatile and easy breakfast parfait that looks great and beautiful for everyone.

AM: When you are planning for 8-10 people that you know are coming for a dinner party, people get overwhelmed with the idea of tackling this – what do you do?

GS: I always make sure that I make my list and be organized. I can never underestimate how important that, is especially when you have guests arriving. Try not to do too many things and remember that you can ask for help. I think that people forget to do that. If I’m having people over, I want to think 2 days out about what I can do and then 1 day out, what I can do. Sometimes that feels daunting – no one has 3 days to make a meal, but I’m not talking about major cooking. Just marinating your meat in the morning so that 8 hours later when you cook it, it has all that flavor that is already done. That’s just 20 minutes in the morning and then you’re ready to cook as soon as guests arrive and it’s the same when you’re making your dressings in advance if you’re making a salad. I love making bowls – grain bowls for example, so doing things like making the dressing in advance, washing the lettuce, if I’m using quinoa or another grain like that – cooking it in advance really takes 15 minutes and then it’s cooled and ready to go and it’s in your fridge and all you’re doing is really assembly.

AM: What are 3 ingredients that you always have in your kitchen that are really good for versatile dishes?

GS: I would say that right now it’s fresh herbs, lemons because I use every part of the lemon from the juice to the zest and Hood Cottage Cheese because I feel it is the most versatile dairy product that I have that everyone loves and you can do so many things with it.

AM: Do you have some recipes for those of us that are busy and running around that are easy to satisfy and easy to make as well?

GS: One recipe that is my go to because it’s great for lunch, it’s great for a snack and it can feed a crowd and it’s easy to batch it up for 10 people or to just have a personal bowl of when I need something that is healthy and really satisfying – I make a really delicious Mango Avocado Salsa. Lots of lemons, lots of lime juice and lime zest and fresh cilantro tossed with fresh mango and avocado and I put it on a base of Hood Cottage Cheese with Black Pepper in a bowl. My little trick is I always make a little well in the center of the cottage cheese using the back of my spoon and I pile all the salsa right in the middle so that when you’re dipping you’re getting a little of both and you’re not searching for one ingredient or the other. I find that it’s a great after school snack for my kids, it’s a great appetizer for a dinner party or the perfect quick lunch for me on the go and it really doesn’t require many ingredients.

I talked with you about the grain bowl which is another one to make in advance and then the granola that I make all the time for breakfast for parfaits. Because if you have some fresh wash berries in the fridge, you can have your granola that you made before and all you have to do is layer it on together.

AM: Are there other ways that cottage cheese can be used beyond what someone would think is their “traditional” use?

GS: I think that cottage cheese is having this renaissance moment because people are rediscovering it from their childhood. First of all, it’s packed with protein which is a bonus, it can be used the same way that you use other dairy products. I love it in smoothies, I can use it in place of ricotta for pasta and lasagna. My kids love it and my little baby loves it for breakfast in the morning. It has texture and a rich creaminess and it's a great item to have around.

AM: You’re based here in NYC, where can we find you working out, grabbing a meal/cocktail and shopping?

GS: In NY the options are endless and I live in Brooklyn – I love my neighborhood. It’s a quiet treelined neighborhood in Brooklyn. There’s a lot of great places to eat nowadays. I’m really obsessed with eating at a lot of places with fresh little small plates and a glass of wine so there’s a great wine bar close to me called June that I love and another wine bar with great food called Frank’s Wine Bar. When I’m in downtown NY, where we are today in NoLita – I love eating at a little Middle Eastern spot that has really fresh fast casual food called In the Dez, it’s delicious and right up the street. That’s where you can see me grabbing food.

Working out - now that the nice weather is out, I can pick up running again. I love running, but I don’t like running indoors so winter is kind of out for me and I take a break from running. But I live near the Brooklyn Promenade so running from my house to the Brooklyn Bridge is sort of my go to run when the weather is nice. If not, then I’m a spinner so you can catch me at SoulCycle.

And shopping – what kind of shopping?

AM: Well whatever, whether it’s for clothes or food – it’s so open!

GS: I mean, that’s a tough one! Shopping – I’m shopping for lots of things all the time! Let’s see, I love Veronica Beard for clothes, she’s a great designer that I wear a lot from these days. For food, what I love about my Brooklyn neighborhood is that it’s so old school in that instead of going to big huge grocery stores, there are small shops so I have my local butcher that I love, there is an amazing Middle Eastern store that I get all of my spices and things like pita and fresh bread and things like that. I’m at the regular grocery store buying all of my pantry items too.

AM: Your makeup is always great and you have great skin. As someone who travels a lot, what are 3 skincare products that you use?

GS: I have really dry skin so traveling definitely takes a toll. But I am also someone that doesn’t use 50 products a day because I’m someone that has to get up and go and I am always in a rush. So 3 products that I love my under eye I believe in helping as much as possible because tired is real. I’m a big fan of Drunk Elephant Vitamin C under eye cream that I use all of the time. There is a really beautiful store here in NYC and there is another in Boston and in a few other locations possible in DC, and It’s called Follain that has the most non toxic products from body to face to make up and hair products that are not only good for the planet, but with ingredients that are pure and all natural – so I use a lot of their products. I love Naturopathica skin care. I use a bunch of their products – I love their Daily Moisturizer and there’s this Body Balm that I absolutely love OSEA. They carry it at Follain so I get it there, but I initially got it as a gift and I’m obsessed with it. I love the smell, it’s rich and luxurious and really a great natural and beautiful skincare product for your whole body.

AM: You’re very busy. How do you take time for yourself to just recharge and disconnect?

GS: It’s a hard thing to do and it requires actual carve out time on the calendar for sure. Working out and clearing my brain is really important. I have to force myself to do it, but for me, it’s not about losing weight as obviously staying healthy is important. It’s about clearing my head and destressing because I know I will feel better at the end of the day if I can. I love that I live in NYC and I don’t have a car and that I can walk everywhere as I find that therapeutic. Cooking is also something that lets me relax at the end of the day. There is nothing that I like more than anything at the end of the day, relaxing with friends where I can sit around the table and I can cook for them and destress and really connect with the people that I love the most and that to me is taking a great time for myself. Once or twice a year, I like a really good massage and date night with my husband is also nice every once in awhile! We forget to do it, but when we do it’s always important.

IG @GailSimmonsEats

You can hear this interview with Gail Simmons May 3rd on our show, Athleisure Kitchen, which is a part of Athleisure Studio, our multi-media podcast network! You can hear it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and wherever you enjoy listening to your favorite podcast shows.

Read Athleisure Mag’s April Issue and see Athleisure Kitchen with Gail Simmons in mag.

COCHON555 2019

This month, Cochon555 returned to NYC at Weylin in Williamsburg, Brooklyn to present an epic food competition that pairs 5 local chefs, 5 heritage pig farmers and 5 sommeliers together. The chefs each have one whole heritage breed pig. Each year, Cochon555 has competitions in an array of cities. At the end of the season, the chefs that won each city compete in Chicago in order to be 2019's winner of the Grand Cochon. Since 2016, Athleisure Mag has been a proud media sponsor of this event as we're all about sustainable eating as well as being introduced to the chefs creations as well as supporting food vendors that participate in this event.

This event begins with a judging round where this year's judges included an array of food professionals that included Brady Lowe (founder of Cochon555), sommeliers, a member of the International Culinary Education, foodie personalities and even our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director as well as Co-Executive Producer/Host of Athleisure Kitchen.

This year, Kimberly Plafke of (Executive Chef of Grand Army Bar/paired with The Piggery - Mulefoot), Christina Bartloli (Executive Chef of Gelso and Grand/paired with Spring House Farm - Large Black), Garrison Price (Chef and Culinary Director of Cafe Clover/paired with Autumn's Harvest Farms - Berkshire), Allan Walker Hodkin (VP of Culinary of The Grey Dog/paired with Dogpatch Farm - Mulefoot) and Seungjoon Choi (Executive chef of Hortus/paired with Debragga, New York's Butcher - Gloucester Old Spot) competed.

The Somm Smackdown was comprised of Anna-Christina Cabrales (General Manager and Beverage Director of Morrell Wine Bar), Wei Liu (E&J Gallo WInery), Stefanie Schwartz (Olmstead), Betsy Ross (L'Avenue at Saks Fifth Avenue) and Kristen Goceljak.

In addition to the judging of the tasting meal, there is also a panel of judges who select a winner from the Punch Kings to see who the top mixologist of the night is. Fellow foodie enthusiasts have the opportunity to try the foods that are created at this event which includes 1,500lbs of heritage breed pork whether they have a general admission or VIP ticket.

A portion of all sales will benefit Cochon555's sister charity, Piggy Bank.

NYC's winner for this leg's Prince of Pork, was Seungjoon Choi of Hortus, the winner of the Somm Smackdown was Anna-Christina Cabrales, General Manager and Beverage Director of Morrell Wine and Maison Pickle was the winner of the Punch Queen.

PHOTOGRAPHY | Paul Farkas

IG @Cochon555

Read Athleisure Mag’s April Issue and see Cochon555 2019 in mag.

ATHLEISURE MAG | #41 APR 2019

We’re excited to drop this issue with our April cover girl - Trinity Fatu who goes by Naomi in the ring at WWE! She is also on E! Total Divas! We enjoyed shooting this cover while she was here for WrestleMania! Of course we talk about how she got into wrestling by transitioning from the NBA’s Orlando Magic as a cheerleader, what it means to be a WWE Superstar, her coupleship with Jonathan Fatu who goes by Jimmy Uso in the WWE and more. In addition, we have a number of interviews with BRAVO Top Chef judge Gail Simmons, iconic British jewelry designer Stephen Webster, WTA Sloane Stephens and more! This year. we’re media sponsors for the 3rd year in a row of Cochon555’s NY leg as well as being a judge this year. Our food editorial shares a bit about this epic event! As always, we have a number of features and make sure to follow our podcast network on Athleisure Studio as a number of these interviews will be on this network shortly.

Read the April Issue here.

S1. E8. | #TRIBEGOALS WITH LAILA ALI

In today's episode of #TRIBEGOALS, we talked with undefeated boxer, Laila Ali who continued her father's, Muhammad Ali’s legacy, by excelling in the sport as well as trailblazing outside of it. Laila embraced being a TV Personality by hosting OWN's Home Made Simple, participating in Dancing with the Stars as well as Celebrity Apprentice. We took some time to chat with her about the importance of fitness, nutrition and how we can focus on Spring Cleaning during this time of year.  

Check out the latest episode on Athleisure Studio’s podcast network

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.