Read the APR ISSUE #124 of Athleisure Mag and see THE PICK ME UP in mag.
Read the APR ISSUE #124 of Athleisure Mag and see ATHLEISURE BEAUTY in mag.
Read the APR ISSUE #124 of Athleisure Mag and see #TRIBEGOALS in mag.
Read the MAY ISSUE #125 of Athleisure Mag and see CHOCOLATE BEAUTY in mag.
In this month’s issue, our front and back cover story is with Chef/Partner of Shuka and Shukette, James Beard Award Finalist Best Chef NY State, Titan on S4 and the upcoming S5 of Food Network's Bobby's Triple Threat, Chef Ayesha Nurdjaja. We talk with her about how she got into the industry, her passion for her cuisine, why she loves appearing on TV shows and food festivals, Bobby's Triple Threat, and her upcoming cook, Mediterranean All the Way which you can pre-order now.
On April 16th, we attended the Youth America Grand Prix for their 2026 Stars of Today, Meet the Stars of Tomorrow Gala which brought the best ballet talent together from those that are rising stars to those we enjoy seeing on the stage. This year, Misty Copeland hosted and there were a number of people honored at this event, performances, and an auction for designer pointe shoes.
We sat down with Creative Director, and Costume Designer, June Ambrose who is known for creating iconic looks for Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, and so much more. We talk about her love for creating dynamic looks, her favorite projects, and her latest capsule collection for June Ambrose X Naturalizer.
Who doesn't enjoy a Staycation? During the month of April, we made our way to Muse New York to enjoy a few days during the week in our suite that had a private balcony, spacious spaces, luxurious amenities, and is centrally located to a number of places in Times Square/Theater District and Rockefeller Center.
Football season isn't too far away! We caught up with NFL Super Bowl Champ Wide Receiver of the Kansas City Chiefs, JuJu Smith-Schuster to talk about the game, looking forward to the upcoming season, his upcoming nuptials and his grooming routine.
We took some time to catch up with singer/songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist Rock & Roll Hall of Famer icon and successful entrepreneur, Sammy Hagar to talk about his career, his passion for music and how he got into the industry, wellness, and why he wanted to launch his own supplements in partnership with Wayne Gorsek's Nature Labs.
We had the pleasure of talking with Founder, Dr. Kate Ackerman of Women's Health and Sports Performance along with her head of research Dr. Trent Stellingwerff and their Fractional CMO, Maggie Sadowski to talk about why this institute exists, projects they are involved in and why this is beneficial for women who are professional/semi-professionals, and beyond.
During the month of April, we had another successful Athleisure Mag Summit Series which was hosted at NRTHRN Strong, a modality that is based in cross-country skiing that is a great low-impact total body workout. We sat down with its Founder, Nicoline Roth to talk about how she came to the industry, why she wanted to create this fitness method, walked us through her Flatiron location as well as the flagship in Coppenhagen, and what we can expect in the coming months.
Knowing more about where you come from and tracking down your family roots can be quite a task! We sat down with Ancestry.com's Sr. Story Producer, Nicka Sewell-Smith to find out how we can take the stories that we know, the records that we collection, and keeping an open mind to be the family historian!
This month, our tastebuds were satisfied with a number of meals such as a recent trip to Tokyo Record Bar where we enjoyed a 7-course Omakase menu in their Jewel Box while listening to vinyl from their superb audiophile setup that guests selected prior to the meal. We talk about the restaurant, its dishes, and more.
We attended the launch of Prince Street Pizza X Sergio Tacchini launch where in addition to trying a number of slices, we were able to enjoy a series of performances by Gashi while enjoying a cool Spring night in their courtyard.
In addition, we enjoyed epic French Dips at Salt Hank's where we spent some time with Chef Daniel Rubenfeld as we enjoyed cheese pulls, satisfying sandwiches, and an all around great vibe.
We also had a phenomenal dinner at Ginger Ristoranti which has locations in Rome and launched its first US eatery here in NYC near Rockefeller Center. They bring nourishing and satisfying Italian dishes along with a focus on wellness that is incorporated into their meals and smoothies/juices. We enjoyed a number of dishes along with inventive cocktails.
This month's The Art of the Snack takes us to DC and Maryland with 2FIFTY Texas BBQ which is known for their Texas style focus of sauce and grilling meats.
This month's Athleisure List comes from New York Pilates, a studio with a number of locations in NYC as well as the Hamptons that is the city’s go-to-spot. We also included Carlisle Bay in Antigua that woudl be perfect for our next trip!
Our 9LIST STORI3S comes from June Ambrose where she shares her must-haves in beauty, style, and fitness. Our 9PLAYLIST comes from what the crew of Artemis II listened to while in space! Our 9LIST ROUTIN3S comes from Joshua Jackson (Dawson's Creek, Dr. Death, and The Affair) to share what he enjoys, does, or has Morning, Afternoon, and Night. Our THE 9LIST 9M3NU comes from Chef Gabriel Lucca of Ginger Ristoranti, Chef/Pitmaster, and Founder Fernando Gonzalez of 2FIFTY Texas BBQ, and Tokyo Record Bar's Chef Ignacia Valdes.
Read the APR ISSUE #124 of Athleisure Mag.
The World Surf League’s Tour kicks off the season on Apr 1st for the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach and we can’t wait to see some phenomenal surfing. One of the competitors that we will have our eye on is Caroline Marks WSL Champion for 2023, Olympic Gold Medalist from Paris 2024 and is currently ranked World #2 for the 2025 season.
We wanted to know more about her love for surfing, how she came to it, and how she stays in shape when she is hitting those barrels! We also wanted to know more about her soon to be released Red Bull film, Now Days, her brand Pro Balance Brands, and her recent ambassadorship with Lexus!
ATHLEISURE MAG: It’s so great to connect with you!
CAROLINE MARKS: Hello! I’m currently over in Australia. I’m starting my season, actually the first day of the waiting period is tomorrow!
AM: It’s great to have you as this month’s cover!
CM: I’m really excited. You’ve had a couple people I know on the cover, so that’s pretty cool. I just surfed this morning, now I am talking with you, and then I will be back out surfing!
AM: We assumed!
What is your first memory of surfing and when did you fall in love with it?
CM: My first memory is pretty funny, because there’s actually a photo of it. I was in Costa Rica with my dad and I was on the front of his longboard. I was super young, maybe 3 years old. Then there’s another photo of me and I’m literally standing parallel and my borther’s like in the ackground and he’s kind of making that, “oh my gosh face.” I have a little bow in my hair and it’s pretty cute. I remember falling in love with it. It’s pretty funny because I surfed when I was little and then I actually got into horseback riding while growing up. I loved animals and stuff so I actually wanted to be a veterinarian when I was younger and then started barrel racing competitively, and did that until I was 10 and then didn’t really surf much then.
My oldest brother Luke was a competitive surfer so I kind of just thought surfing was his thing and I just kind of let him do his thing and I rode horses, and then I pretty much just wanted to impress my brothers really bad, and that’s why I started surfing. Then I remember when I was 11 years old, I was at the U12s Girls. There’s this event called USA Championships at Lower Trestles and it’s the biggest amateur event as a kid. All the best kids from Hawaii, all the east coast kids, and all the west coast kids come out and compete at Lowers and I ended up entering the event just because my brother was in it and I ended up winning. I was like, “whoa, I must be all right at this!” I just remember getting this big trophy and surfing all day and just having so much fun. I couldn’t believe this is a thing you can do you know? So, I remember from that moment forward, that I want to do this. This is so fun. So that’s where I really was like, I want to be a professional surfer. Wherever it takes me, I’m having so much fun.
AM: Not to say that there is, but is there a similarity or some kind of crossover between barrel racing and surfing for you?
CM: I mean, yeah, if you think about it, I was actually talking about this the other day in an interview, which is funny. I never thought of it like this, but you are on something that’s very out of your control. The ocean’s very, very out of your control. You’re on an animal and you don’t really know what it’s going to do. You can try to control it, but you really can’t. You know, they have a mind of their own.
I guess trying to go fast, like in surfing, going fast is a good thing. It’s like riding horses, that’s kind of like an art. And so certainly, you’re swerving around the barrels and in surfing, you’re riding the waves. I guess there is a little bit of crossover, more than I realized. So it’s pretty funny.
I’ve got some funny photos when I was like little. It was pretty classic.
AM: Obviously surfing on its own is a great sport, you know, for the total body to stay in shape. But what are work3outs that you do to optimize yourself in the sport?
CM: I love Pilates! Core and surfing is really important. I do a lot of lower leg work in surfing. Definitely having strong legs is really important because obviously you’re on the board a lot. I also love swimming because it’s just really good for your paddling and really good for your lungs and breathing and stuff. So those 3 things I do as well as cycle in between. Biking and swimming are kind of the things that I go back and forth between, but I mostly do Pilates and then just typical stuff in the gym with my trainers.
AM: What is your favorite maneuver when you’re surfing?
CM: This isn’t really a maneuver, but getting barreled is probably the ultimate feeling as a surfer!
AM: Oh wow!
CM: Oh yeah! You’re obviously in the tunnel of the waves.
AM: It looks so beautiful, but it looks so scary at the same time!
CM: Oh yeah, it is a bit of both for sure, but definitely getting barreled is something that’s just such an amazing feeling and then just doing a big frontside carve obviously just like laying into a big turn that always feels really good going really fast and just like laying into it. So those two things I like!
AM: You are a 2X Olympian who won a Gold medal in Paris. What has that meant to you to surf on such a global stage – you have had many stages, but what does it mean to do it for the Olympics?
CM: The Olympics, it doesn’t really get any bigger than that you know? It’s obviously a very global thing. It’s one of the only things that brings the whole world together. Not everyone knows about surfing, but everyone knows about the Olympics.
AM: Right.
CM: I was really proud to represent my country on that big of a stage and obviously to win. I mean, it’s just so incredible. It’s definitely the proudest moment in my career. I mean, it’s obviously about the world title. It’s hard to say one win for a WSL Championship versus the Olympics as both were the biggest dreams of mine as a little girl and the fact that I did both of them at 22 is pretty crazy! I am super grateful. It was amazing and it’s pretty hard to describe the feeling of being able to represent your country, but I’m really proud.
AM: Are you thinking about LA28?
CM: Of course! I want to be in as many Olympics as possible, but obviously, you know, LA28, it’s at a wave that’s like Lower Trestles. It’s 5 minutes from my house and obviously to be the hosting nation is just extra motivation because, it’s at home, which is pretty incredible. So I’m definitely thinking about it for sure.
AM: We can see you there! Anytime we’ve seen you surf, we can see you’re in your element and are just happy to be one with the water, it’s all zen and then we see you owning that barrel!
CM: Surfing has brought me everything really - a lot of the best moments of my life. I’ve met some of my best friends through surfing. The ocean is such a healing place for me, which is pretty cool to be able to say that about my job.
AM: Yeah.
CM: My career is - I just go in the ocean. Your day is instantly better, which is pretty amazing.
AM: You just mentioned at the top that the World Surf League Championship Tour kicks off its 50th season starting tomorrow for the first on-call day in Australia for the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach at Bells Beach in Victoria, Australia from Apr 1 – Apr 11th. What are you looking forward to as it kicks off?
CM: Yeah. I mean, first off, we’ve had our longest off-season of our career.
AM: Yeah.
CM: Just with them changing it around the schedule. It used to be - well way back, before it was my first couple years on tour it was April - December and then they switched it to January – September. It’s been that way for 5 years and now it’s back to April so in order for them to do that, we ended up having a 7 month long off season which for us, that’s a very long time. So usually our off season is pretty short compared to other sports. I think everyone’s just very excited because you haven’t really seen us in jerseys in a while! We also have some of the goats coming back like Carissa Moore and Stephanie Gilmore, which is amazing and they also extended the Women’s Tour, so there’s a lot of like milestones that have been broken this year already! I think everyone’s just really excited to see what happens. I have no doubt it’s just going to be a firework of a year. So I’m pretty excited.
AM: What’s your favorite one on the WSL Tour?
CM: Well, that’s a hard one. I know.
AM: We ask the tough questions!
CM: It’s a hard one. I mean, Cloudbreak’s pretty incredible. It’s such an incredible wave. Jeffreys Bay, which actually is not on tour this year, but it’s in South Africa, that’s another iconic one. Tahiti, obviously, just from winning the Gold there. I just have a lot of great memories there. And then Lower Trestles, of course. Lowers and Tahiti are probably my favorites, just with Lowers being in my backyard. It’s just such a fun wave. But it’s hard because everywhere has such beautiful things about it. But I’d say Lowers is probably my favorite wave on tour.
AM: Clearly you travel around the world to different places quite frequently. Are there 3 items that you tend to take with you to make any city or stop kind of feel like home?
CM: I mean, definitely. I’m not really one to bring a pillow. We just have so much stuff. We have our board bag, all of our clothes, and stuff like that. But I think just like a shirt from home, something I sleep in at home, just bringing it on the road. It’s the little things like that which kind of make me feel more at home or your favorite coffee cup or whatever things just make you feel more homey. But I feel like I’ve gotten so used to traveling that I’m able to adapt to it pretty quickly. I do travel with an eye mask. That’s something I do travel with to sleep on the planes with. That’s important. But nothing too crazy. Actually, this year my sister-in-law packed me a good luck charm in my bag so I just leave it in my luggage and it goes everywhere I go which is pretty cool!
AM: You definitely know it’s always there because it’s just in the luggage waiting to go.
CM: Exactly! i just leave it in there and it’s a little good luck charm which is kind of cool. I’m not too much of a creature of habit in that sense. I kind of just go with the flow.
AM: We had the pleasure of watching the screener for Now Days right before chatting with you. This is such a great film and so enjoyable to watch. It’s shot beautifully and it’s really great to see the 6 of you being able to navigate the waves and to tell your story. You recently had an event for this here in NY even though the film debuts in May. Why did you love being part of this film and what can you tell us about this?
CM: Thank you so much. I’m stoked you got to watch it. First off, there hasn’t been an all female surf film since 2011 and that was Leave a Message. That film left such an impact on me and I know it has for many other girls. It was so cool to see that. As much as it sounds simple to do, an all-female star film, it’s so difficult to get everyone together. We all have crazy schedules from different countries. We’re also each other’s biggest rivals.
AM: Right.
CM: That’s another thing that’s pretty funny, but I’m just really proud of it. I think, you know, obviously hopefully it inspires the next generation. And I feel like... that’s kind of our job in this generation is to inspire the next one and to push this forward and grow this forward and that’s what the generations did before us! That’s why we have equal pay. The girls in this film and this generation, I feel like we just had very good timing. All the girls before us that fought for this and for us and so now this film hopefully inspires the next generation to go harder and to push more. I’m really confident in that and I’m just really proud of it you know? It’s like two and a half years in the making coming to Red Bull and anything they put their hands on is pretty special. I knew the surfing was going to be amazing, but I also love how it tells a story of “hey, we all obviously want to win.
Surfing is a very cutthroat individual sport, but we also like pushing each other in a healthy environment and we are all good friends.” You know, I see these girls more than my family most of the year.
AM: Yeah.
CM: I’m with them so much. So, it really shows that. And we’re all able to relate to each other in a way that we probably won’t with our other friends, because we live this exact same life. So, yeah, I’m super proud of it and I just hope that the young girls, young guys, whoever watches it is just really inspired and wants to go surfing. It’s pretty cool to see the fruits of the labor because it definitely was a lot of work, but it was worth it!
AM: 100%! One of the things we like most about Red Bull films is when they have a number of individuals within the same sport, like Mark McMorris who was our cover this past December, he had just debuted PAVED.
CM: Yeah.
AM: It’s incredible to see people in a sport, but to see the individuality as well as the things that bind them together, it’s just so cool. We don’t surf; however, living in NY we love the surfing culture in Rockaway and Long Beach. It’s so cool to see how surfers show drive, grace, and flow which is what is evident in this film. People are going to enjoy it once it premieres.
CM: Thanks so much! I hope so. There’s definitely been even for this event, there’s been a lot of people asking about it, which has been really cool to see the hype around it. You know, it was something that was out of my comfort zone. Like I’ve always been so just hyper focused on competing and winning. That’s really what it takes in order to win. So this was cool because it was something that was new to me and different. I’ve never done a film like this before. So I was really proud of that.
AM: Well, you also just became a surf ambassador for Lexus, which is awesome. Why are you excited about this partnership? And why did you feel it was synergistic to your brand?
CM: Yeah, I mean, first off, Lexus makes such cool cars. And one of my friends, Griffin Colapinto, he got signed a year prior to me.
AM: Another cover of ours.
CM: Yeah! So I think just seeing the car and seeing how it fits my lifestyle, it’s a great combination between, sporty and luxury - I really like that. I like how they celebrate that. Also just getting to know everyone behind Lexus, everyone’s really cool. It’s a very family-oriented vibe, and I come from a big family, so I really love that. And so... I feel like it was a great partnership. I got one here in Australia with me and everyone’s like, nice car, nice wheels. I’m getting all the compliments on it.
AM: Wow.
CM: It’s pretty cool. I got to roll to the first event in style, it looks so cool.
AM: We have a Lexus SUV which is great because sometimes for the magazine between photography gear, styling items, transporting the team to shoots or even doing an event with goodie bags, you need to be able to carry everything – it needs to be fashionable, but you want to be able to get to where you have to go with everything in one piece.
CM: Absolutely. I feel like it fits all my boards. It fits wetsuits, everything I need. And also like it’s comfortable and it’s safe and it’s sturdy. And I also just love it aesthetically. I love and have the GX 550. I love the way it looks. So that’s also a bonus. I’m proud to drive the car. So yeah, it’s awesome.
AM: Well, what does the partnership look like in terms of what can we expect to see you doing with them and with the car? What will that look like from a consumer side?
CM: So Griffin and I, we’re going to do some collab videos here. We’re both in Australia, which will be pretty fun. So there’s a lot of beautiful beaches here, a lot of great scenery. So stay tuned for a cool video with that. And obviously, you know, I’m going to be traveling a lot this year. But wherever they provide me a car, we’re going to be providing content. Lexus sponsors the U.S. Open, so I look forward to seeing what they have in store for this year’s event. I think I’m doing a signing with them. We have great things coming up. And yeah, I’m really excited about it.
AM: Clearly you’re a business person as an athlete and someone who has a number of sponsors, and you have added to your portfolio by creating your own brand, Pro Balance Bands. Tell us about this and why did you want to launch it?
CM: Thanks for asking. It’s cool. My dad, he’s very business-minded. He comes from that background. He taught me a lot about that side of the world, which is really cool. I really trust his opinion. I think after the Gold medal, we kind of thought, how do we capitalize on this? The bands felt so natural to me and and my main thing was, I travel a lot and I don’t want to put a product out that I can’t travel with because most of my life is on the road, So the bands feels so perfect. I’ve also been training with them since I started working out way more consistently in 2019, my second year on tour and that was the year I made the first Olympics. I just use bands everywhere and I bring them everywhere I go. They come in like a little pouch. It’s great and you can do a lot with bands so it felt so natural and it’s been really fun.
It’s my first time starting a company and obviously I have a lot of help doing it, but, it’s been really cool and all the bands are really good material. I use them every single day. So it’s great. You’ll see me if you watch the webcast warming up with them. So I’m really proud of it and it’s been going good so far. I think we’re going to come out with some new products as well.
AM: Nice.
CM: We started with the bands, but we’re going to keep adding more things in. We also have weekly videos of myself, my brother, our other ambassadors doing videos as well. My trainer too, he does videos, which is cool. So if you want to know how I train, you just go on the website Pro Balance Bands or on our YouTube. It’s exciting and I’m enjoying it. It’s been fun.
AM: Well, when you’re not on tour or shooting campaigns or doing all these different things, how do you take time for yourself just to have a moment to yourself?
CM: Honestly, I’m a pretty simple girl. I love just being with my friends whether it’s as simple as, you know, going to get a coffee or going out for dinner or watching the sunset. Things like that bring me a lot of joy. I think just kind of being in one place and being with good people - I call it my “feel good people.” When you’re around people you really know, there’s no effort.
AM: Exactly.
CM: You end up leaving hanging out with them with more in your battery - it becomes more full. It’s how I recharge. And I also do love my own alone time as well. I just love whether that’s just sitting on my couch at home or just going for a drive, that’s also really therapeutic to me as well or going on a beach walk or whatever. Things like that sound really silly, but that’s kind of how, what helps me unwind and I love that.
AM: Being that you’re in that next generation of surfers, you’re trailblazing, you’ve gotten all these different awards and accolades. What do you want your legacy to be seen as in this sport or even in life?
CM: I mean, I just really want girls and people in general to be inspired. I love surfing. It’s really fun to me and I hope I kind of give off that persona. I just want to leave a legacy of being hardworking, but also enjoying your life too. You know, it can’t always just be like work, work, work like this. We live such an amazing life and we should enjoy it. And there’s more to it than surfing too. We’re in these different countries. We’re in different cultures. It’s really cool. Obviously surfing is what brought me here. But there’s so much more than that. And I think hopefully I can leave a legacy of just a really positive outlook on life, surfing, and fun. I hope that makes sense.
AM: It does. We always think about that when you’re doing stuff, especially now that obviously we live in an age where people can see stuff socially, you’re touching corners of the world that someone who grew up that isn’t living your life or experiences personally, they can envision that for themselves. Maybe if it’s not that same thing, but something similar and it just creates a spark and wonder. So that’s really cool.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | FRONT COVER. PG 16 ,PD 24, PG 26 Ed Sloane/World Surf League | PG 19 Tony Heff/World Surf League | PG 20, PG 29 Brent Bielmann/World Surf League | PG 22 ROXY | PG 30 Ryan Miller/Red Bull Content Pool | PG 33 USA Surfing | PG 34 Domenic Mosqueira/Red Bull Content Pool | PG 36 Nathan Adams/ Red Bull Content Pool | PG 38 Marcelo Marafni | BACK COVER CHAMPION |
Read the MAR ISSUE #123 of Athleisure Mag and see SURFING THE DREAM | Caroline Marks in mag.
We spent an afternoon with Deborah Czeresko at Brooklyn Glass making three of her acclaimed and well-sought after Forgotten Potatoes with her, and her assistant Em. An acclaimed NYC-based artist and designer, Deborah is best known for her work with glass. She won the inaugural season of Netflix’s Blown Away glass competition show in 2019, where contestants compete in glassblowing challenges for prizes and the title of champion. Her work challenges societal norms with elegant, sophisticated and often whimsical themes rooted in gender and feminism. Her work has been shown in Corning Museum of Glass and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
We love how she is such a deep thinker and super creative in speaking is art and metaphor. An extremely thoughtful and determined creative, we were honored to spend working time together to truly embrace the elegant fierce fragility that glass blowing presents at this top level. It was truly exciting to see her in action and hear her stories about past, present and future projects.
We first met her and her lovely partner, Three, on the eve of our January Cover drop, where we enjoyed Diageo’s legendary Burn’s Supper Night in NYC together, complete with Haggis, Poetry & Song, Bagpipes, and a medley of favorite Scottish Whiskey’s Johnnie Walker Blue Label, Oban Single Malt, Buchanan’s Blended Scotch Whiskey, and more.
ATHLEISURE MAG: You said glass was your first love, what were those first moments for you?
DEBORAH CZERESKO: It felt like a real true love. Like when you just are instantly attracted to something. It’s sort of fourth dimensional on some undefinable plane what you’re feeling, this kind of attraction, because it combines all the things you don’t know about yourself necessarily at that time. Like when I was younger and why was this material for me? It seemed kind of mystical and magical [and] what I didn’t know is the intelligence that I had in connecting to it in a physical way and in a conceptual way. I mean, now I can intellectualize it, but then I was just instinct-driven.
AM: And you knew it off the bat or within, say the first month - or looking back now, you’re saying that?
DC: Oh no. The moment I saw the glass, hot glass, I knew this was for me. So, first of all, you’re sculpting a fluid. That’s not like sculpting any other material. The stuff is flowing… [i]t’s a weird way to think that you’re actually sculpting a liquid. It’s the weirdness of how you sculpt this and the weirdness of the material itself. The material seems otherworldly when it’s hot, so it’s like lava. I was really attracted to the fact that this stuff seems so atypical and not stereotypical as a medium, really. So it definitely feels magical.
AM: So what does glass allow you to say that other materials wouldn’t let you do?
DC: Well, I touched on the fluidity, and also it’s transparency. So that’s something you can’t find in that many materials. So anything having to do with transparency and fluidity and this moving from different states in this particular way, in the middle of kind of a binary - it’s not soft and it’s not hard - it’s a fluid. So it’s constantly moving and even in its perceived state, when it’s cold it’s called a super cooled liquid, so I think you can say anything with glass they can say with any other material, but with glass I think the fluidity, and it inherently brings fragility on one side and then fierceness on the other.
And then at some point it becomes permanent. So when you’re working on it you’re able to go from A to B, and then a number of stops, and then you’re in control and you’re changing things. But at some point you lose control, right? At some point it’s beyond adapting, like after placing it in the annealer. The minute it’s in the annealer, you can’t then take the glasswork and put it back in the fire and remold it again right, so at some point you lose control.
I would say if we were having a dialogue with this material, it’s more like speaking this material’s language. It’s not going to speak our language, it’s not human, and when you can’t be receptive enough to learn about this material as it is [ultimately] going to take control. It’s going to dominate as dominant material, and that’s one thing about it in its property. It doesn’t look that way, it’s so demure in a way when you just look at a glass thing like a huge hunk of 100 pound glass could look like an enormous ghost, but it’s this massive thing that has these strengths you can’t even see and it’s just demanding that you sort it in a soft way to to be at one with it, rather than collaborate withn it.
AM: So how do you approach a project? What are some of the steps you take initially? Generally what do major project timelines look like?
DC: For my own artwork project or one initiated by a prompt of some sort, like as in the case of the large piece I did for the public school called “Everybody’s Gotta Eat,” in that case, I was told where the piece would be going. So it’s going to a public school for grades 1-6 outside of the school cafeteria. And so, the other criterion was to be significant and relevant for 100 years, and immediately that’s very intimidating. How could anything I say or do be relevant for 100 years, when the world is changing so rapidly at this point? I don’t know what demographic of person is going to be there, or even if the school is going to be a public school for that long. Let’s assume it is, so then I have to fit within those boundaries, but that’s a pretty open criteria. So I start thinking about the dialogue and the vernacular. I’ve started to create with my own work and how that can fit into that parameter. In that case, I submitted an initial idea and was asked to modify that idea because they really wanted the idea to be primarily glass. I submitted an idea that had a lot of metal in it because the project was so large and had to take up so much space. And glass is rather expensive, well so is metal, but I tried to occupy the space in other ways than just glass objects. So I started to think in terms of those limitations, and also financial in that situation. So that’s a commissioned piece.
Now, in the case of my own imagination, without any limits, I’m thinking about what I’m going to make all the time. I never am not thinking about those ideas and how what I want to put forward conceptually can be connected to some kind of form. And in recent years, I’ve been doing realistic forms, like eggs, for example, I’ve become synonymous with the egg. What kind of symbolism does that have? Is it enough to just put that egg out there? Do I have to do some kind of action to the egg? And so, as I’m going through the world, that’s how I get my creative ideas. That’s when I’m in the most, I think, creative mindset. I’m just influenced by New York. I’m in New York. It’s so beautiful and filled with art, like we walk down the street and we see graffiti and we see shoppers putting their potato chips in designer ways in their windows and entire shops making beautiful installations with their tires and hubcaps. I just feel like that’s part of me too, like my how I live in New York as that’s my world. So I try to do the similar things with the glass, like as if I were a storefront in New York with food. I try to tell my story here or what I think is relevant. I’m more like a miner. I’m mining for things constantly around me.
So you kind of have that page open, and it’s kind of like a piece of your personality where you’re thinking of ways for storytelling and expression that can always happen through this medium.
It just feels good so like being in that zone, I mean when I really connect, I really feel like I have an idea that is meaningful and just running on all cylinders, that’s when I feel the best, honestly.
AM: Oh, that’s cool. How often would you say that has happened?
DC: I don’t know. That’s more rare. It’s like to really nail it. I think the piece that would be the most iconic piece for me would be the Meat Chandelier that’s in the Corning Museum of Glass. I feel like I nailed it there. Sometimes that gets in the way of finishing a piece though, because once I already feel like I did it, then the assemblage becomes the hardest part, because then the most fun part of thinking I nailed it is over. So now it’s an aesthetic and a construction problem, rather than a conceptual problem. And that’s a different energy process. And it’s more like vacuuming. You have to make sure we’re cleaning the dishes. You have to make sure how to build something. It’s a different kind of energy than creative energy, I think with the installations because there’s a lot of other problems to solve, which aren’t right. The fun icing on the cake part.
AM: So what part would you say is the most fun? Is it thinking of it, making it, or having it up where people can enjoy it?
DC: I think on both ends of the spectrum here, like having it up and having people enjoy it is really satisfying to know that it’s done. And if I get to the point where I’ve actually thought of something, I think I like to have nailed it. That’s the most satisfying. The making part, it’s not as satisfying as those two things, honestly.
AM: Let’s talk about making it. So there, I was with you and your assistant Em making three Forgotten Potatoes at Brooklyn Glass, and there’s a lot to it in setting it up, making it, and constantly working and re-working it. There’s a lot of physical movement. So do you stretch before you start and do you work out certain areas to be more inclined to doing that? Tell me about the athleticism behind it, and also you started out wanting to be an athlete?
DC: I think that was one of the things that clicked for me in being attracted to glass. I wanted to be in a physical medium and I wanted to be in a creative medium. I wanted to express myself through my body, but not as a dancer. So, because that is something that was very intimidating to me, like rhythm and dancing, but I knew I was very physical. What material is going to incorporate that aspect of me is something I was asking without asking. I would say I wasn’t as conscious of it as I am now, but it’s obvious now why I was really attracted to this material. So challenging! It’s just like a feeling that you can’t get anywhere else really to work with glass in a variety of ways.
So [about] the athleticism, I was in high school sports and college sports, and it’s interesting to have an equal part athleticism and creativity with what you are going to do with that and how it is going to manifest. What is that going to make you in your life, and so I guess I found it by mistake. So I do prep and I make sure my body is in condition to work. So I work out in a gym doing strength training. Strength training is the best thing for prepping for this type of activity. I mean, glass can be easy physically, but it depends what you’re really going for here. If you’re doing a large production and making a thousand pieces in a day, that’s going to be physical in one way, versus a really large piece that weighs like 50 pounds. It’s going to be physical in a different way. Or you could just be a hobbyist and just make one thing a day and not really need to prep your body at all. But I don’t work every day. So I don’t want to go in there after not working and not be conditioned or ready to go. So it involves a lot, especially in the heat.
AM: So what gym do you workout in?
DC: I just recently moved to Crunch South Slope. It’s in Brooklyn, two blocks from the studio I’ve been training with a friend of mine, one of my people I work with to make glass. His name’s Alex Kruger. He’s a trainer at Crunch. It’s really cool because how often you get a trainer that’s also a glassblower, so it’s a pretty special situation right - he knows exactly what touch points help you and how I can do the workout and still be functional the next day. We’re doing a lot of higher reps.
AM: What kind of music do you listen to in the studio? Today we heard a lot of Buena Vista Social Club, which we absolutely love! So I was very happy. So what kind of music?
DC: I do like dance disco. I like Purple Disco Machine. They’re good. Groovy. Anything that goes well in hot weather actually does work well in the hot shop. Something with good vibes, something just open. Having good music, I think, is important doing art. I’m also influenced by my studio mate who’s over there. He’s Colombian, and so he does a lot of Latin beats and I like Celia Cruz, that came with that. I think it’s just such a lovely rhythm to work in glass with like and some people come in and try to play things like heavy metal and what not, but it doesn’t really go. It makes the time pass much slower, when you don’t have a good rhythm going.
AM: So what are some of the works you would say you’re most well known for?
DC: I would say there’s three. The one that sort of put me on the map, I think, as an artist was the Meat Chandelier, which is in the Corning Museum Collection. And that started my dialogue with using food and consumables and everyday objects as kind of a vernacular that I talk in with these objects. And that one was specifically sort of a critique of the hot shop that we work in and the patriarchy in general, and this patriarchal world of trying to enter in as somebody other than someone of the patriarchy. So it was a play [on that]. I always like to put a little humor in my work. So I see both sides of this coin on this. Like so many people have helped me of all genders, and so many people have hated me of all genders. So I’m kind of in the middle, but it’s a place where physicality matters and typically people working larger pieces are guys, so it by it’s very nature and we’re talking here specifically, about sculpting glass, not in factories and production in those situations, it’s almost all men.
So, like when I went to Italy, there are no women working on the pipe. By pipe, I mean blowpipe. There’s maybe an assistant helping somebody, but that is really still separated as far as genders go and glass making, outside of the studio glass movement of America and other countries. So this is an art scene, which is different, but it still has that aspect to it. Who gets the jobs? It tends to be the guys, whatever. It’s better in my world because I’m an artist and it’s an art world, but I’m also speaking about the world in general in my work. So that is real.
AM: So what are a couple of the other pieces you would say you’re most well-known for?
DC: Another piece would be the piece I just recently finished last year, which was “Everybody’s Got To Eat,” that is in the public school. It’s one of my bigger works. And I feel like it was sort of a sweet and delicate piece in a way where it’s made for children, and also in a way it’s made for everybody because more than just children go through a public school. People love to eat, as do I, [but] maybe not at the school cafeteria, but it’s 24 fruits and vegetables from around the world representing different worldly cultures. There was a limit and how many I could make due to the financial scope of the project, but I tried to get different regions of the world represented through their fruits and vegetables, including things like New York, an apple, and that represents school and an apple. Then there’s things like an avocado, which represents South America, but also hipsterdom. So these vegetables and fruits have dual meanings sometimes, and who can see themselves in there because they gave another task requirement of being relevant for a hundred years. I mean, it’s a tough one.
AM: I see it. I’m looking at it online now. Wow.. That’s beautiful.
DC: And then it’s really kind of touching to see - you can tell they’re handmade and supposed to be inspiring to people to see that you can make these things with your own two hands in the world of AI and Technology, and have these handmade things in front of students. I think it’s really meaningful to connect them to the planet in some way, in their own bodies. So all that’s in there. And make them feel special that it’s there for them, right?
AM: So it seems like there’s a realistic meets artistic formula that I’m looking at through this project where there’s some surrealism, right? But then some practical vision of what it would look like. And you’re balancing that in the piece.
DC: Yeah, I think that this idea of creating a vernacular is really important to me as an artist - like what is this piece and who are you just putting a dragon fruit out there?
AM: I like that one! Looks very challenging, with all the green around it. Now that I got to see all the intensity it took for the sprouts of the Forgotten Potatoes. Wow, I really like the corn too.
DC: Yeah, that was another challenging one. See, this is a public school project, so the budget wasn’t huge, but it was a decent budget. But I really needed four or five people per piece. That’s a 50-pound corn, and I had a team of three. So for glass, that’s a reasonable-sized team. But for that piece, each corn kernel was brought in a wrap. So one person had to bring all those wraps, whereas I formed all the reps. So we divide into teams, where one person’s bringing the wraps; one person’s on the main blow pipe reheating keeping the piece hot doing all the forming; so if we had another person at least, that would have been helpful. But it really wasn’t in the cards for that project.
AM: See, it’s good you said it was 50 pounds because from looking at the image hung up, I don’t know if it gives the sense someone would know.
DC: Well, to get the texture of getting the corn kernels… I have to solve some technical problems about how I’m going to get all those kernels on there without applying each one individually. So we put on glass wraps that are vertical wraps that are rolled in powder color I divide out with a tool. I then crimp the kernels into it and it creates a personal style I think you can identify that piece kind of as something I made because I choose to work in this style and this level of detail a lot. I could spend the entire day putting every kernel on individually, but I do not need to do I so. One of the maestros I studied with would do that. His demos were excruciatingly long. His name was Pino Signoretto. He was my most influential maestro that I studied with. And he’s so detail-oriented and could work on all different scales. I think he was just an amazing, like, approaching God of Glass, honestly. He could make things other people couldn’t make at the furnace, that is.
AM: So to get the corn, for example, looking that way, did you study corn for a while to look at kernels? And how long would you do that for? Or is this something you would look at really quickly and then put your spin on it?
DC: Oh, I pull up images of corn. I mean, they’re all over my desktop. Like when I’m making a corn, I print them out. I bring in corn to work from. I eat a lot of corn. I just want to know about corn. You live your work. I grew corn in my garden…
AM: So when you see corn now, do you think of corn and that project?
DC: Oh yeah. That’s in my garden. I love corn though. Bi-colored is harder to make as the two colors for each kernel are applied separately.
AM: So tell me about how the Egg series you started. And being in your studio, I saw a whole bunch of Eggs dripping all over. So tell me about the Eggs!
DC: So the Egg pieces, I would say this is the third piece that really defines me as an artist’s third installation. But that happened on TV. That happened on the finale of the Netflix competition show Blown Away. So the prompt there was to make your ultimate art exhibit or something really high there, like something amazing, fantastic, unduplicatable, like just your most amazing piece of art ever! So, with these parameters where we had to fit into that space and you only get so much time to make it, I start to think about some of the pieces I had previously made and what aspects of those concepts I wanted to focus on. So within that, the egg came about because I had the Meat Chandelier in the back of my mind - I knew it couldn’t make a chandelier, but I could use the egg as a metaphor for a female and aspects of what it means to be a female in the world of art into my final finale of the show. This gender inequality, like my feminist side in art, because I’m an artist and a feminist, and I like to make food and glass - so I’m like, how can I make this a meaningful statement? So I started to think of a classic art pedestal, so saying it’s good finally taking over the art world starting to become equal, or the egg not aggressively, but oozing over and in a different way creating a stand in the art world that’s equal to males. Then i also wanted to play on queerness and gender bending and that’s where the frying pan comes in. It’s obviously everything’s glass, but the frying pan is cast iron as very male. But the egg, it was the primary character. Without the egg, there would be no installation.
AM: So what brought you to that show? So you applied or you were asked to join the competition show? What was it like to be on the show and win Blown Away S1 on Netflix?
DC: It was intense to be on it and intense to win it. The structure was where we had to create a new project every three days and it was from a prompt, like creating a floral, or a biological with the human body and moving through space. So they would give us a prompt and then we would have a little bit of time to come up with an answer for that, and we would be in our own hotel rooms doing this. It’s a lot of pressure to have to get on camera the next day and produce. First of all, come up with the idea before you go to bed that night, and then present it the next day in drawings on camera. So it was 10 episodes of forced creativity in a way, but what I learned about myself from that is to actually function really well in that regard when I have a deadline and I have to produce.
AM: Yep. I know what you’re saying. Urgency to Deliver - I’m going to deliver. It’s like a diamond, right? Under pressure, you’re going to produce and maybe not the same every time, but often you’re going to nail it really way and often win!
DC: Yeah. When we first got on there, I had [to look at] space to organize or deal with, like space is a luxury. Time is a luxury and I have it, and I’m like, Oh My God, why am I not more productive when I have all this time to get my Corning residency together? Why am I not doing this in a way that I’ll just get it over with? It lingers. But if you told me tomorrow I’d have to get in there and tell them exactly what to do, I would be up all night figuring it out.
AM: Did you know of anyone else on the show? Were you familiar with any other competitor?
DC: Actually, I only knew one other person, which surprised me.
AM: What was your experience on the show as far as winning? Did your career change after that? What were the effects after being announced the winner?
DC: It was remarkable. Like the effect was kind of like a wave. I got on the top of a wave and it just took me. I wasn’t doing anything. Part of the prize of winning this was that the Corning Museum Store would buy $10,000 worth of my work. But it wasn’t necessarily art. The store sells collectibles. So for the first time in my life, I came up with a line of objects that I could sell. People just kept writing me and asking me. I couldn’t keep up. I couldn’t catch up. I couldn’t make enough posts on Instagram. It was a lot! It was life-changing in that I wasn’t able to consistently sell my work like that beforehand. And it changed the work I did to make a living from that point on. So a lot of the work I did prior to that was fabrication for other artists, which I find that extremely demanding psychologically and physically to do. You put a lot of yourself into other people’s work as opposed to your own work. And it could be draining to you making your own work in multiple ways. And then, I also had a lighting line I did with a rep that was called site-specific art, and we would do custom high-end projects.
The show kind of launched during COVID too, and that was an interesting time to have this launch. Then I got opportunities to show in galleries and asked to do things I think I normally wouldn’t have had as a result. It’s not magic, you win a reality tv program and still have to work really hard and try to control my own life in some way in a direction that I want it to go, but there’s a magic to life, right - and what door is going to open next I don’t necessarily know!
I could do that like the project for Mortlock whiskey through Diageo, that was just out of the blue in designing a whiskey pipette. So the brand was Mortlock, and they specifically have design projects going every year. This was the fifth year. So it’s part of their marketing and bringing people together. They found me and asked me if I could make something for their design line and I’m thinking.. oh a glass or something - sure I’d love to make a glass, but they’re like it’s a pipette, [which is] basically an eyedropper. I can make anything in glass, but you want me to make this tiny thing? So I suggested that they had me make the pipette holder too to hold the water as well as a set. It was inspired by the the stills using copper embedding copper in glass, and in the case of the finished product I rolled the hot glass in copper foil and had a violent reaction under the glass that bubbled and turned blue. When it was hot, the copper looked black, but the finished glass ended up being blue. Yeah, it looked very pretty, very elegant 120 sets.
AM: So one of the things you made on this show were Forgotten Potatoes on one of the episodes.. So tell me about the episode. How did you came up with that? And they’re continuing in your studio and people are excited to order and get them?
DC: So that was a botanical-themed challenge. They came up with that challenge because one of the first things you make in glass when you touch it for the first time ever is this thing called a flower. It teaches you how to use the pincers and pull the glass out and it ends up looking something like a very rudimentary flower. I was like thinking about potatoes that sprout, and I really like them because they represent to me, these like unsung powerhouses. It’s not something that’s typically considered beautiful as a potato, yet here it is being this amazing powerhouse! Like, yeah you got your typical beauty which is a flower with its color and all its proportions, but I see the world in a different way - so many other things that could be beautiful and are beautiful and powerful and to me it represented marginalized people as very super powerful people that get disregarded and overlooked. They were represented in the Forgotten Potato and they are often forgotten or overlooked or pushed down and not allowed to shine, but the potato comes through no matter what!
AM: We made three of those together, which was awesome and I saw that you put a lot of effort into getting the exact hues and colors you wanted for the potato. So what’s involved with trying to recreate something that you created before and trying to stay true to the system, rather than creating a new thing as an artist?
DC: Well, the good thing about potatoes and sprouting, they’re endlessly variable - like consistently fascinating - they’re not boring, so it’s not like making a production line in that everyone’s the same. Each one has a little personality and people relate to them in different ways like and people really do relate to the Forgotten Potato or they relate to the metaphor behind the piece heavily. It really gave me a lot of faith in people in a way.
AM: And the sprouts were super cool. It was noted that the sophistication and quality of the sprouts is similar to fine stemware. So it really gets to show off both some of your superb skills and it also gets to relate to and maybe be something the owner gets to flaunt in a way.
DC: That they’re an art piece and has something as fine as stemware, there’s some people that might look to use it as a conversation piece with their guests. It’s challenging to make when you’re opening that up and trying to get it hot as it’s flopping all over the place in the hot box. The hot box is called what we have for our furnaces, and then reheat the glass in glory holes, many are now calling reheating chambers. A challenging part of it with young glass is timing that is really huge here… so you got to know your glass and and what temperature it’s it’s at because it will self-destruct if it gets too cold, and if it’s cold and then goes back into the glory hole which is super hot, it can shatter! In order to become a maestro at this, you have to make a lot of mistakes and work on a lot of different projects to get really good as a sculptor in glass.
AM: How do you generally decide what to make if you’re selling glass pieces?
DC: It’s not just selling, but having a place to put it, because I don’t have enough space in New York to just make stuff. So we thought about that as if I had a beautiful studio in upstate New York that I could bring my work and work on it, I would be creating worlds. I think worlds with these, I would probably make my garden like that. [Presently] there’s a practicality in that there’s the limit of space, and glass is expensive, and part of it is time making it.
AM: What’s the longest time you spent on a project?
DC: Probably one of the ones we mentioned already.. there was also a show I did a couple years ago with the Hannah Traore Gallery that took a couple years to put together. I’m known for it and it was involving mushrooms and their mycelial network that I made in neon so the mushrooms would communicate with trees which I made also in the galaxy called Creatures of Culture That was very popular recently.
AM: Oh, wow, that’s cool.
DC: So I made a tree out of mirrored mosaic, like how it would look like a disco ball. Then I brought in a thousand pounds of glass soil, which was broken up brown chunks of glass from a defunct factory in West Virginia that I brought into the gallery and put on the floor. That also had a queerdelier, it’s like a chandelier, but a queer chandelier because the mushrooms are like non-binary beings - they’re neither plant nor animal, so they have one foot in each category, because they don’t have photosynthesis they get their nutrients through enzymatic digestion.
AM: So if glass could talk back to you, what do you think it would say?
DC: Stop hurting me. That’s when you’re working it too cold. It feels so painful to the glass. You can see it like hates it. Okay. you’re pushing too hard trying to just get every working second out of the heat you just did, and you just go too far it always scars the glass, and it shows you it just went too far! I think it speaks to me most when it’s hot. So when it’s in this molten state. So once the sand and whatnot is heated together. Then it forms an identity, a personality. Yeah.
AM: What would you say the most absurd commission request you ever received was?
DC: Oh, David Letterman, to make glass soap for him. He wanted to use Christmas gifts. Oh I thought this guy is hilarious, because that’s the gift you give somebody when you don’t know what to give them! So he’s creating this glass soap, like when you don’t know what to give someone, you bring a housewarming gift or something, you get soap and candles as two of the biggest things. He was going to use it as a charming novelty to hand out to people saying, I normally would give you soap, but now I’m giving you elevated glass soap. I thought it was hilarious.
He had me make other things too. A tie. OK, then there’s the tie which he still had hanging over there from his son’s prep school tie when he was graduating. So he had me make that - then the tie broke - the tie was broken by someone cleaning the house and he wanted me to do something with the tie’s broken shards to make it into a new sculpture, so I edit those shards into like a big kind of paperweight. He is a fan of glass because he went to an undergraduate school that had glass in Indiana, and he really fell in love with the material. He made a documentary about making that [Editors Note: “Clear Reception” is the Documentary]. Also another thing - so he has a duct tape cell phone holder of different colors on it and it became this big mass of duct tape and plaid and he wanted that reproduced in glass, which I was able to do. He gets very attached to things!
AM: So what’s on your bucket list now?
DC: Well, I’m heading up to the Corning Museum. The next thing is I got asked to be in the show in Venice, so I have to make pieces for that, which I’m calling the project Big Fruit. I’m sticking with fruit. When I was thinking of what to do in Corning, I wanted to turn the fruit project into lighting.
AM: You had won a residency at Corning from the show, right?
DC: That was years ago, but now I applied. So I was two weeks in there, the museum hot shop… they have different hot shops there… I ended up making car parts there, because I was like let’s let me do something that’s not fruits or vegetables... so I made like a car mufflers with big plumes of exhaust coming out of them and hubcaps as the jewelry of the car. So my goal was non-toxic masculinity and that was represented by the car, so glass can transform anything that I thought into something gorgeous and beautiful.
AM: You worked on a cool project with Cake Boss as well?
DC: Oh yeah. That was another TV program. Yeah. Buddy Valastro - Cake versus Glass. His production team found me because he was doing a special for Christmas time or the holidays. It was going to be cake against other materials. And they reached out to me because they wanted to use glass. Glass was one of the mediums. Set design was one of the meat. Legos was one of the mediums. Toys was, I think. So they reached out to me. And they did a four-episode series, which is Buddy versus, and I was the Buddy versus Glass. Okay, I forget the exact prompt now, but it was something about “The Night Before Christmas.” And Buddy did a cake where Santa Claus crashed into a house. He does these huge elaborate installations with armatures underneath -
AM: Yeah they’re crazy! Our jaws were just dropped when we binged a Buddy Versus Duff season recently when we were working around the clock during on a staycation at Coda Williamsburg, ironic no? So much creativity, passion and skill for both of them!
DC: I did a christmas cookie that was out for Santa that got eaten by a mouse. So it was a mouse that ate part of a cookie, and the cookie thought the mouse was in love with it, but the mouse ended up eating the Christmas cookie, so it was not true love. We had two judges. He was on the left side of the stage and I was on the right side of the stage.
AM: So what happened?
DC: I won. He was great [about it].
AM: What are some of your favorite museums and gallery exhibitions?
DC: I like Friedman Benda Gallery. It’s a furniture art gallery. Salon 94. As far as museums go, my preference is the Whitney in New York. The gallery I showed in - Traore gallery. That’s cool. Gotham was doing an ashtray exhibit - they have a gallery in addition to the store where they show some lifestyle things like clothing, and also an art gallery. [Editor’s Note: The Exhibit is called “The Smoking Section.”] It’s a really cool art gallery because they do show things that maybe can’t go anywhere else, like an ashtray show. For that I used a traditional Venetian style goblet that has a dragon in the stem. It’s still there in their store.
AM: What are some of the things you like to do in your downtime when you’re not glass blowing or glass working?
DC: I do yoga okay with Three, because she teaches yoga and I don’t think it would be as fun if she wasn’t teaching. It’s great because that [helps] the flexibility part, especially as you get older, you have to keep limber. And then skiing, we went skiing. I’m a beginning skier, really, but I’m enjoying it. That’s new for me. Then dining and going to movies.
AM: How do you like having a studio office at Brooklyn Glass?
DC: Brooklyn Glass is like a shop that is really devoted to having artists fabricate their work. So there’s two shops near here. One is Urban Glass, which is a non-for-profit artist organization or arts organization. And then there’s this one, which is Brooklyn Glass. I like this one. Well, first of all, I have a studio within this one. And it’s really like a community here that’s a small community that I can rely on to talk ideas over and to help. And so it just feels like more of a community to me than the larger space down the street.
So I like that. And it’s just really focused on professionals here. They have an educational program, but it’s really only at night. So during the day, it’s all professionals working here, which is great. And it’s just a good range of projects coming through that you can see different things being made and different people coming in. They have several departments, including neon, fabrication, hot sculpting or hot blowing, and cold working the finishing area studios where drilling and grinding and cutting of the glass is done. So getting special shapes outside of what you can do in the hot shop. That’s here too. It’s a nice small shop.
AM: It was great making some Forgotten Potatoes together, we look forward to some Eggs & Fruit another time!
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PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT | Paul Farkas shot with Sony Alpha |
Read the MAR ISSUE #123 of Athleisure Mag and see MAESTRO OF MAGIC | Deborah Czeresko in mag.
This month we held our Athleisure Mag Summit Series where we invited a select group of our readers and community together to enjoy a class at SaltDrop in the East Village. It was a great way for them to be introduced to their Heated Sculpt 45 class, to meet the founder Dino Malvone who led us through our session, and they were gifted Sticky Be Socks as well as a 3-piece beauty skincare routine from Aeston West.
Avid readers know that last Winter, we included SaltDrop in our feature Athleisure List in our JAN ISSUE #109, and we wanted to find out more about Dino, how he came to the industry, why he wanted to create his own method, and more!
ATHLEISURE MAG: We had the pleasure of having you in Athleisure Mag last year to kick off the year in our feature Athleisure List and we took this class then which was my first introduction to you! How did you come to the world of fitness and what made you want to put your flag in the fitness industry?
DINO MALVONE: Fitness found me before I was looking for it and honestly that’s the only way I think it actually sticks. I wasn’t chasing a career or a brand. I was a person who kept coming back to movement because it was the only thing that made me feel like myself when everything else felt like noise. And then at some point I realized I was spending all this time in spaces that didn’t fully see me or the people around me and I thought someone should do something about that. So I did. I don’t think I chose fitness as much as I just stopped pretending I wasn’t already in it.
AM: What led to you wanting to create SaltDrop?
DM: My time with Barre3 was genuinely formative. I learned so much there, about how to lead a room, how to lead a team, and what it means to build something that people actually want to come back to. I have real gratitude for that chapter.
But at some point I started feeling the edges of the formula and I wanted to reach beyond them. I wanted to add jumping sequences, choreography that had a little more life to it, more effervescence. Things that didn’t fit inside what Barre3 was built to be and honestly shouldn’t have. That wasn’t the right container for those ideas. So I made a decision that I think a lot of people think about, but not everyone actually does. I decided to put my energy into building my own dream instead of continuing to build someone else’s. SaltDrop was what happened when I finally took that seriously.
AM: I love how you call out and encourage modifications. Why is it important to you to have this as part of your philosophy when you’re leading a class?
DM: Because the fitness industry has a savior complex and I’m not interested in participating in it. The idea that an instructor pushing you past your limits is somehow doing you a favor is something I actively reject. Your body is not a project that I get credit for fixing. When I offer a modification I’m not being easy on you. I’m being honest with you. I’m saying I trust you to know yourself and I’m not going to perform toughness at your expense. That’s a different kind of rigor and I think people feel the difference immediately.
AM: How would you describe SaltDrop as a fitness concept?
DM: It’s the antidote to fitness culture. Which I know sounds like something everyone says, but I actually mean it structurally. We are not optimizing you. We are not tracking your output or gamifying your progress or making you feel like you need to earn your place in the room. We’re just creating conditions for you to actually connect to your body and to the people around you. That’s it. And it turns out that’s pretty rare which says a lot about where the industry is right now.
AM: For those who have not taken your classes in person or virtually, what kinds of classes do you offer?
DM: We have three formats right now. Signature is our OG, the one that started everything and still hits the way it always has. Then we have Sculpt and Sculpt Heated, both are no cardio, and the difference is exactly what it sounds like because Sculpt Heated is at 90 degrees and that room does something to you. We are also currently building out a Flow class and a Strength class which I’m excited about because they expand what SaltDrop can be for people depending on what they need on any given day. And all of it is being developed inside something much bigger because we are in the middle of a major rebrand right now. So everything coming is being built with a lot of intention and a very clear vision of where this is all going. It’s a good time to be paying attention.
AM: How do you go about deciding the kinds of classes you will offer and do you foresee adding something new to the lineup?
DM: I don’t really look at what’s trending, because by the time something is trending it’s already starting to die. I look at what’s missing. What conversation is nobody having yet in this space. What does the person who feels unseen by the wellness industry actually need right now. That’s where I want to be. And yes there is always something new taking shape. I’m not someone who gets comfortable easily and SaltDrop reflects that. We grow when I grow and I’m always growing so.
AM: For those that may not have gone as far in their fitness journey as they wanted, what is something you would say to encourage them to get on the mat?
DM: I’d say stop treating your body like it owes you a different version of itself before you’ll be kind to it. That negotiation you’re having with yourself, the one where you’ll start when you lose the weight or have more time or feel more motivated, that’s not a plan. That’s a way of staying stuck that feels responsible. The mat is not waiting for you to deserve it. It’s just waiting for you. Show up as you are and let the rest figure itself out, because it will.
AM: What do you want people to walk away feeling after taking one of your classes?
DM: Like they remembered something about themselves they had been forgetting. That’s the only way I know how to put it. Not accomplished, not exhausted, not like they checked a box. Like something that had gone a little quiet in them got loud again for a minute. That’s what movement does when it’s done right, and that’s what I’m always chasing in a room.
AM: What can you tell us about the SaltDrop community?
DM: They ruin you for other fitness communities honestly. Once you’ve been around people who actually show up for each other and I mean in real life not just in the comments, you can’t really go back to the transactional version of this. I’ve watched people meet at SaltDrop and become each other’s emergency contacts. I’ve watched people move through genuinely hard seasons of their lives and have this community hold them. That doesn’t come from a good class. That comes from something much harder to manufacture and much more worth protecting.
AM: Recently, you were part of a multi-day event at Canyon Ranch Lennox. What can you tell us about this?
DM: Canyon Ranch Lenox is one of those places that makes you realize how loud your regular life actually is. There’s a stillness there that isn’t forced. It just exists and you settle into it pretty quickly. Being invited to teach in that environment was meaningful to me on a personal level, because the people who come to Canyon Ranch are not there to be seen. They’re there to actually do the work. That kind of room brings out something different in me as a teacher and honestly as a person. I left feeling clearer than I had in a while.
AM: Thankfully, we’re in the Spring and looking forward to Summer. Are there any upcoming projects or things that SaltDrop will be doing that we should know about?
DM: I’m in a very creative season right now personally and professionally and SaltDrop is going to reflect that. There are collaborations coming that I think will surprise people in the best way, and the podcast is taking shape in a way that feels really right. I’m not going to give everything away because I think the element of surprise is underrated. But I’ll say this, if you’ve been paying attention to what SaltDrop is building toward, what comes next is going to make sense in a very satisfying way.
AM: You’re coming up on your 4th year with your studio! What are 3 lessons that you have learned?
DM: One, the community is the whole thing. Not a feature, not a selling point, the actual thing. If you get that right the rest follows. Two, sustainability is not a compromise. I used to think that slowing down or resting was somehow at odds with ambition, and I was wrong about that in a way that cost me. You cannot build something lasting from a place of depletion, full stop. Three, your taste is your business model. Stop trying to appeal to everyone. The more specific and true you are to your actual vision the more powerfully the right people find you. The diluted version of your idea helps nobody.
AM: You launched a podcast, I Hear You Babe. Tell me about it and why you wanted to start it?
DM: It started because I kept having the same conversations over and over with people in my classes. About relationships, about their jobs, about this feeling of living someone else’s life instead of their own. And at some point I thought, what if we just put that in a room together. The format is simple and I think that’s why it works. Every week I give listeners a prompt, something specific enough to actually unlock a real story. Things like tell me the moment you realized you’d been chasing someone else’s version of success. Or tell me about the comment that was small but stayed with you. And people send me emails. Long ones, short ones, funny ones, devastating ones. I read them on air and I respond in real time, not from a script, just the way you would if a friend was telling you something that mattered. And I always go first. I talk about what’s actually going on with me that week, building SaltDrop, navigating New York, whatever is real. Because I think you have to earn the vulnerability before you ask for it from anyone else. That feels important to me. The audience is mostly women, the girliepops as I call them, and they are incredibly engaged. They write back. They send photos. They say hi to my cats. It has genuinely become its own community and I think that’s because the show doesn’t try to fix anything. It just tries to make people feel less alone in whatever they’re going through. That’s the whole job.
AM: You also have a project called I Fear You Babe. Tell us about that.
DM: Most true crime makes the victim the opening act. You get thirty seconds of who they were and then it’s all killer, all investigation, all spectacle. And I sat with that for a long time before I understood why it bothered me so much. If you don’t know who Linda Dewey was, not her case, her Tuesday mornings, her job, the way she probably moved through the world, then the justice part is just plot. It’s entertainment dressed up as something important. I Fear You Babe is built around the opposite idea entirely.
We spend real time with who these people were before everything happened. Because I genuinely believe that is the only way any of it matters.
We do two episodes a week. Thursdays are the deep dives, the full portrait, the story behind the story. Mondays are specifically about what broke that week in active cases, not recaps, not whatever went viral, but things that actually moved. Because the news cycle does not wait and neither do the people still waiting for answers. I built this show because I was tired of true crime that forgets the whole point.
AM: When you are not working on your business or prepping for your podcast, how do you take time for yourself?
DM: I protect my mornings like they are sacred because they are. That quiet before everything starts is the most honest part of my day and I will not negotiate on it. Outside of that, it’s long dinners with people who actually make me laugh, music that I’m a little too emotionally invested in, and coming home to Rocco and Vito who have never once been impressed by anything I’ve accomplished and I genuinely think that’s good for me.
IG @thesaltdrop
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Dino Malvone
Read the MAR ISSUE #123 of Athleisure Mag and see TRAINING TOGETHER | Dino Malvone in mag.
Although the Olympics have completed this cycle, for the Winter Games 2026, we enjoyed sitting down with Erin Jackson Team USA Olympic Speedskating Gold Medalist to talk about her love of the sport, how she got into it, competing at Milan-Cortina and more.
ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you fall in love with speed skating, and what do you love about this sport?
ERIN JACKSON: I actually loved this sport for as long as I can remember. You know, some of my earliest memories of skating were just up and down my driveway and the little plastic skates. So it started out as just a hobby for me. I didn’t have any dreams of being competitive in the sport. I just started doing it because I loved it. So that was my intro which was through roller skating and then roller skating, led me to inline skating, and then inline skating led me to ice skating. So, yeah, it was just kind, I guess, a very natural progression, but it did just start with the love of the sport and the love of the hobby I guess!
AM: I mean, there are so many things you could have done! Why did you decide that figure skating wasn’t the thing, but speed skating was?
EJ: I actually did go that route first, so I did what’s called artistic skating. And that’s like figure skating, but also on roller skates. Who knows? That that could have been where I ended up, but my coaches in artistic skating they actually moved away to pursue figure skating on ice for their daughters. Their daughters ended up competing in Sochi, I believe.
AM: Wow!
EJ: So who knows? Maybe I could have gone that route, too? But when they moved, I just let that be the end of figure skating.
AM: Well, what does an average week look like when it comes to training for upcoming competitions?
EJ: So we train six days a week, most days, it’s two training sessions. One of those days, we’ll have three training sessions one of those days, we’ll have one training session, but we’re training most the time. It’s kind of like a full-time job, so we’ll have a morning session for probably 3 hours or so, and then rest in the afternoon for lunch and then come back and have another session later in the day.
Normally skating once a day, and then the other session can be, you know, like, bike intervals, or, you know, cardio or weightlifting or something like that.
AM: We were just going to ask about three workouts that you do to optimize for this particular sport? You kind of just answered it. Our minds are still wrapping around six days a week. I mean, clearly, that is what you have to do.
So this past Olympics marks your third, where you were competing in the 500 meter and the 1000 meter? What does it mean to you to be able to compete on such a global stage?
EJ: It’s a really cool honor, I guess, like just being part of the Olympics and just being able to be part of this really large thing where people from all over the world are coming to do the thing that they devote their lives to. We all just come here and do it together. It’s just a really cool community aspect, you know, part of this large community of Olympians and Team USA. And it’s, yeah, I feel like that’s the best feeling of it, just like doing it all together.
AM: What did you love most about your experience this year, and you know, being in the Olympics, and are you thinking ahead to 2030?
EJ: Yeah, I am thinking of 2030, yeah, I couldn’t imagine stopping the train at this point. I definitely want to keep going with all the progress I’ve made this season, and I really want to carry that forward. Some of my best memories from this games were a toss-up between watching my teammates this time around, because for most of them, it was their first Olympics. It’s getting to see all the amazing firsts that they were experiencing and then also watching other Team USA events, like with athletes from those sports. You know, they can give a lot of insight and behind the scenes info about the scoring and sometimes even the drama in the sport. So, yeah, that was a really cool thing too.
AM: Well, you are part of Happiness as The Real Gold Hershey Campaign, which is so fun to see that and to get to see other aspects of you while you’re talking. Why did you want to be involved in it? And what does happiness mean to you?
EJ: Yeah, the Happiness is The Real Gold Campaign, I feel like was a really important thing to get out there in a really important message, because it can just like remind athletes and just people in general that the people in your lives who love you and care about you like, they’re gonna love you, no matter what, because what they really want for you is happiness.
AM: Yeah.
EJ: Your achievements are just kind of a bonus for that. I feel like it was a really great message and one that was really heartfelt and emotional campaign, especially with having our families involved. I was really happy to be a part of it.
IG @speedyj
After chatting with Erin, we caught up with her Team USA Speedskater, Jordan Stolz. We wanted to hear about his passion, a successful Winter Olympics, and more!
ATHLEISURE MAG: How did you come to the sport of speedskating and for those that are not familiar with it, how would you describe it to them?
JORDAN STOLZ: I would describe it as a sport where you are constantly trying to keep progressing and a sport that is very satisfying when you improve. The feeling of being able to go fast on turns is a feeling that I can’t get anywhere else! I can’t get it in a car, I can’t do it on a mountain on a bike – it’s something that is very surreal and I think that people get addicted to it!
I first got into it because of Apolo Ohno (G2, S2, B4) back in 2010, and I was watching him compete and it was the first Olympics that I had ever watched in my life. I was just really into it and it caught my eye with the way that he was passing people. It was like a showman and I asked my parents if I could start skating. and I actually started with my sister on our frozen pond in our backyard. We shoveled a track and ever since then, I have been doing pretty good.
AM: What are workouts that you find beneficial for speedskating?
JS: I would say a lot of cycling. The number 1 thing that changed for me is when I spent a lot more time on a bike. The weight room too – just building up your squats. You have to have power on the ice. You want to combine those two, but you don’t want to go too far with either one. You don’t want to be this cyclist that weighs 130lbs, but you also don’t want to be a body builder and then you would be super slow on the ice – you’d have too much weight. It’s kind of factoring all of that in to work with the mechanics of skating and the technique. I have found that to be the most beneficial for me.
AM: What were the Opening Ceremonies like for you and what does it mean to you to compete on such a global stage?
JS: It means a lot to compete for Team USA on the Olympics as a global stage and to win 3 medals, the highest medal count. That means a lot, not just for me, but for speedskating itself and the whole country. It’s great that I can bring more awareness to speedskating, as it’s such a cool sport and I’m glad to be able to do that.
I didn’t walk the Opening Ceremonies, but I loved watching it on TV when I was in the Village.
AM: When it’s gameday, do anything that gets you into the mindset to compete?
JS: I try to relax a lot and not to think too much about the races. I want to be able to get into the zone before getting into the rink. Before that, I like to chit chat with people, sit in bed and watch some reels, and then I can get out there and be ready!
AM: You had an amazing Winter Games 2026! You won a Gold in the 500 M, and then another one in the 1,000 M - the first American male to do it in the same Olympics since 1980, and you got Silver in the 1,500 - you also made 2 World Records - what does it feel like to leave the Games with those accolades?
JS: It means a lot especially to have my name attached to Eric Heiden (5G) and it means a lot to be thought of as a successful speedskater in Olympic history for the US. I hope that I can continue to progress and do better going into 2030 and this is just one of those stepping stones. When I went to Beijing, I didn’t win any medals there and then 4 years later, I trained a lot and the World Cup had a lot of experiences and then I was able to come here to the Olympics in a very prepared way! Who knows what can happen over the next 4 years? Hopefully something very similar and I am feeling very good about the results that I have had this entire season and not just the ones that took place at the Olympics. I’ve been skating some fast times and had great track records.
AM: In your downtime in Milan, how did you take time for yourself to reset between competitions?
JS: It was just – there wasn’t a lot to do in the Village, so it was about laying in bed and trying to relax and focus.
AM: You partnered with Hershey’s For the Happiness Campaign. Why did you want to partner with them and what does Happiness is the Real Gold mean to you?
JS: I wanted to partner with them because they are a huge household name company. Having that name tied around you at the Winter Olympics is really special. It’s the highest achievement that you can have as a speed skater. First of all going to the Olympics, and then being able to win a Gold medal, with the name Hershey’s behind you – that just means a lot, especially how they support my family in general. It’s authentic and I feel that they really put the truth behind the slogan that Happiness is The Real Gold. They are 100% right about that!
AM: Post Olympics, are there any projects or upcoming competitions we should know about?
JS: I have the World Champions coming up – the World Sprints and the World All Arounds – it’s a combination race. It’s kind of like the 2nd thing to the Olympics if you are considering the Netherlands view. They view it super seriously here. I think it’s really cool and I will compete in both and try to win both of them. It will be fun and really hard! Everyone wants to hear if I will be doing anything in cycling and that’s probably not going to happen because I will be focused on skating.
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT | Hershey’s
Read the MAR ISSUE #123 of Athleisure Mag and see GOLDEN HAPPINESS | Erin Jackson + Jordan Stolz in mag.
We caught up with Salt Hank’s owner, Henry Laporte that is known for his restaurant that serves primarily one dish, the French Dip! We wanted to know how we went to making culinary videos to starting his restaurant and how he keeps it all together as a business owner.
ATHLEISURE MAG: What was the dish that made you fall in love with food?
HENRY LAPORTE: I love it, starting off hot! It’s kind of an easy answer – salami! Pretty much after my first bite of salami nothing else has been the same sense then. I would say that and I would also say that I remember my first rib eye as well. I think that I was about 6 when I had my first bite of salami and it changed the entire trajectory of my life! I mean salami and cured meats!
AM: That’s such a great combo. What is there not to love?
HL: It’s the salt, fat, all the nitrates – it’s all there!
AM: How did you take your love for food and decide that you were going to take it beyond a passion, but to make it into a business?
HL: Honestly, I think that once I had those moments of clarity and the fact that it was all I actually cared about, and it’s the thing that made me the happiest in my entire world, when I was eating these insanely delicious bites of food, I don’t know if there was ever an other path for me. It never really struck me to go and explore another business or real estate – it was just food! I didn’t care about anything else. I knew that I would be in the food space.
AM: Once you realized that this would be your business. How did you go about growing it and then using TurboTax Business as a means to streamline that?
HL: In the beginning, it was me and I was a broadcast/journalism student in college. I would borrow the equipment from the equipment room and film myself making food videos. That quickly when TikTok blew up, turned into an actual thing that was gaining some traction. Once I started getting offered money, brand deals and things like that, it turned into a thing where I needed an LLC and I needed to file for taxes which is something that I had no clue how to do at the time! Thankfully, TurboTax made it incredibly easy at that time. I was still doing it on my own, I didn’t have a bookkeeper at that time, but once things snowballed at that time to a bigger situation, I hired somebody who was an absolute genius at those sorts of things. They are great and are integral to the entire operation of what I’m doing and I think there is a lot to be said to how TurboTax Experts for Business can help young entrepreneurs to pave their way through that entire complicated field of taxes.
AM: What have you learned in terms of someone who is thinking of taking their idea or passion and making it into their business as you have done?
HL: Make sure you truly love it and are doing it for the right reasons. Don’t just take something that looks shiny and chase it because you are comparing your life to somebody else’s. Don’t do it for the transactional residual effect. Do it because you viscerally care about it.
AM: You’re known for your French Dip Sandwich. Why did this inspire you to create a restaurant where it is the primary item on the menu?
HL: This version of the French Dip that we are doing now is one that I have been in love with for 6 or 7 years now. It’s a recipe that I have been developing for that entire time. It’s also a very prep heavy recipe. We’re basically making French Onion Soup in the back with the house made jus and the house made carmelized onions and all of that. Then that is all added to the traditional French Dip. So it is very prep heavy and once we realized – I mean, we always wanted a limited menu. People really fell in love with the French Dip. What was the point to do anything else and it was about just mastering this! We wanted to make it as good as we possibly could and to keep the quality as high as we could as well. We do not want to stray from that!
AM: What about some food hot takes or trends? Do you have any that you want to share or that we should keep an eye out for?
HL: Honestly, I’m somewhat scared to give my hot takes as I hate to get in trouble! If you don’t have sharp knives, then you actually don’t care about cooking!
AM: Agreed!
HL: I don’t like beets!
AM: Oh we love beets!
HL: I know, that’s why it’s a hot take! Everyone loves them and I really get the looks from people when I say I don’t!
AM: We can agree on the knives though!
IG @salt_hank
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | PG 215 Ed Anderson | PG 216 Hector Gomez
Read the MAR ISSUE #123 of Athleisure Mag and see SALTY RETURNS | Henry Laporte/Salt Hank’s in mag.
When March hits our calendars, our minds turn to March Madness and seeing who will take it all for Men’s and Women’s basketball in the NCAA. It means that we have a month of basketball, colleges that we root for and those that we are not as familiar with. There are so many stories, and don’t even get us started on our brackets as we attempt to guess the journey. Whether it’s backed by stats, favorite colors, or teams, it’s a great time had by all. We made our way to Reese’s Bracket Summit to hear from NY Liberty’s Breanna Stewart and analysts Andraya Carter and Richard Jefferson on how we can make them and how Reese’s rewards or losses as well!
ATHLEISURE MAG: We’ve enjoyed hearing your commentary on various games. What made you want to be an analyst?
ANDRAYA CARTER: Oh wow! I think that the opportunity came before my interests came and I remember when we were in the tournament and this is when I was a player. I don’t remember what analyst was talking about me, but I was a role player at Tennessee. I was a defensive player and I didn’t score that many points. Whoever the analyst was saw some value in what I brought and they were running some of my defensive highlights, and this was in the Selection show, and there is a picture of my teammate, Meighan Simmons and she’s shaking my shoulders because I was so shocked that they were talking about me!
I think about that a lot when I first started my career. I remember that moment being so cool and I remember thinking I could be an analyst that points out the things that makes this game hard and contributes to the success. I love the game of basketball so much and being able to break it down and so I think that once I had the opportunity to be an analyst and that it is something that you can get better at, it almost became my new sport. How much better can I get at being an analyst? I watch film on it, I practiced it, I broke it down, it was almost like even though my career as a player ended, I had something that I was able to work towards. It was something that I could improve on and it was something that I could chase, and once those 2 things clicked for me, I knew I could do this. It was a long journey for me from the time of realizing that it clicked up to now – but that’s a story!
AM: It’s always enjoyable to hear from you because you played the game and you know first hand everything that is involved in that.
What do you love about the game?
AC: Ugh, I love how so many little things work together to make it happen. There are so many ways to run a play, so many ways to defend a play, and so many roles that a player can have. When you look at different teams from season to season and even looking at a team during the season, there are so many ways to look at this puzzle and to see how all the pieces fit together! That’s within a season, that’s within a team, that’s within the players, and that’s even to the game. There are so many things to break down as these teams chase championships. It’s different every year and it is different game to game! Sometimes there are those 2 teams that play and when they do it again, there are other things to evaluate.
To me, the way that the game just builds and the way there are games within a game, I love it so much! Being able to grow up playing it and also I think that the way it brings people together and how sport is a universal language, you get to meet so many people along the way. Basketball changed my life and I love being able to watch how the game changes the lives of others – it’s really special to me.
AM: We really love this time of year, March Madness and everything that is involved in that! What do you love about this time of year?
AC: I just love the intensity of it and being win or go home! Obviously, it’s heartbreaking when a team loses, and to watch teams have success and to continue to be able to play and to keep their season alive, for me the intensity of win or go home is everything! Everything just levels up in March for basketball and I think that also watching players rise to the occasion and having a player put their team on their back and step up, you see something click for them – that is amazing to see!
AM: You were giving tips earlier about how one can set up their brackets. But for first timers that may not know about checking for stats or other things. How can they go about putting their brackets together?
AC: For anyone that is setting up their brackets for the first time this season, the Every Bracket Busts For A Reese’s Sweepstakes is perfect for them! You’re bracket busts, you win some Reese’s and the chance to go to the Men’s and Women’s Final Four and Championships. Being at the Final Four as well as the Championship game in that environment is so special! Shout out to anybody that is doing their brackets for the first time! Thanks to Reece’s you could get a chance to go!
I do think that filling out your bracket is hard. How much research do you want to do? How much time do you have? I am just thinking about this off the top of my head, if you don’t know much about a team and you pull up their stats and see their leading scorer and watch some highlights of them or see what their game is like, and what they are capable of. Watch the other teams and see their leading scorer. See which team gets you the most excited and that is who you pick. I think that whatever method you have, use that for your whole bracket, trust it, and go with it. Sometimes when I fill out my bracket, I like because teams that have good defense because when the lights are the brightest and the emotion is really big, sometimes your shots don’t go in. There is so much excitement and energy but defense travels and I think as a player, you can control that a little bit more. I could shoot my same shot and it may not go in, but I can control my defensive energy. Teams that are good defensively, if I can’t pick between the 2 teams, then I look at who has the better defense because defense travels.
AM: That’s a great tip!
Who are 3 teams that you are looking at this year, that we should be focused on?
AC: That’s tough! Men’s or Women’s?
AM: You choose!
AC: Well, Tennessee Women’s is interesting given everything that they have been through. Obviously, it’s a really rough end of the season. I’m particularly as a former Lady Vols and as an analyst, I’m interested in if any team had a rough end to their season like that – how does that kick them forward? Does it kick them forward, does it give them a fresh start? Are they able to use everything that they went through as motivation to turn it around? Or on the opposite side as a former Lady Vols, it wouldn’t be something that I would enjoy – but is it too little too late to try and correct things?
AM: Yeah!
AC: This is the time where you want to be peaking and playing your best basketball going into March. Is it too late this time around? So Tennessee is a very interesting team on the Women’s side.
I’m very interested in UConn obviously, the opportunity to go back-to-back it’s something special and not something that many teams get the opportunity to do. I am a very big fan of a few of the players on the team as well as the system that they play. Obviously here with Reece’s, Breanna Stewart was hanging out with us. She spoke to what Geno Auriemma puts his players through in terms of testing them throughout the year! They don’t have the strongest strength of schedule, but their biggest battle is their head coach! So, UConn – will they repeat as Champions?
I’m also interested in UCLA! That’s a team that added new pieces, it’s a team that lost to UConn last season in a way that I know that they are not proud of, and in a way that taught them a lot for Cori Close and her players. They could have another opportunity to make a deep run.
So those are teams that I have my eye on of course there is South Carolina with Dawn Staley – they are always a good team to have my eye on as well!
AM: This is so great to hear!
Who do you think will win it all?
AC: I have UConn winning it all for the women!
AM: Same!
AC: I think that on top of what I said, I think Sarah Strong is a really hard player to game plan against. You can put her on so many places on the court and use her in so many different actions on the floor that I think that they are just a tough game plan. We talk a lot about UConn’s offense – Azzi Fudd is such a sharp shooter and Sarah Strong is just so versatile, and UConn is a very difficult team to score against. None of their opponents in the tournament scored 65 points last season. I just talked about defense, but as good as their offense is, their defense and their ability to make teams go east to west instead of north to south, is something that I find very tough among other things for Connecticut.
After speaking with Andraya, we sat down with NBA Champion Richard Jefferson to talk about his love of the game, why he enjoys being an analyst and also how he feels about Arizona!
ATHLEISURE MAG: We have been fans of yours since you played in the NBA and it’s very cool to be hanging out with you right now.
Why did you want to be an analyst once you retired from the game?
RICHARD JEFFERSON: The reason why I wanted to be an analyst is because I love the game of basketball very deeply! You look at how you can continue to express your love to the game that has given so much to me. So there is coaching, there is player development, there are levels of coaching from high school and college. For me, I just loved talking about the game of basketball. I started a podcast 10 years ago because I love hearing the stories about basketball and also everybody has strengths and areas of improvement. For me, talking about the game of basketball and giving knowledge because I was a nerdy kid at 12 and 13 years old reading basketball cards and sitting and watching NBC and Marv Albert in the Jordan era! I just studied it and loved it as a kid! Then I grew into it as a basketball player and then I played in the NBA so I got to live it, and I always felt that I was the lucky little kid that got to live his dream! Now, I get to sit here and talk about it, but I feel fortunate because I have reference points all the way back to the mid 80’s because I grew up loving the game and being able to study it!
AM: Same!
What do you love about basketball and what personally draws you to it?
RJ: What draws me to it is that it is such a beautiful game. You have to be a complete player for the most part. You have to be able to play offense and you have to be able to play defense! You look at football, I love it, it’s awesome, but you have guys on one side of the ball and one side on the other. In baseball, there is a similarity to it. In basketball, it is – if you are in a weak spot on offense, you will be exposed! If you are on a weak spot on defense, you will be exposed! Just like in life, your goal is to be a complete person and a well rounded person, it doesn’t mean that you are great at everything, but you are well rounded. That is what the game of basketball is. In order to be a good or great basketball player, in a prideful way, you have to be a well rounded individual and I think that there is something beautiful about that in life in general.
AM: I love this time of year! When Selection Sunday hits, you know you have some great weeks of basketball that are taking place – not my team this year, IU –
RJ: Congratulations on the football win!
AM: Thank you! That is like 5 Super Bowls!
RJ: Congratulations!
AM: What do you love about March Madness, The Final Four, the Championship game?
RJ: What I love about it – both sides men’s and women’s is that I think that the Summer Olympics is something that here in America, everybody roots for and it is every 4 years. I don’t think that there is a single thing in America that everyone comes together – it’s university pride, it’s college pride, it’s where your family is associated, it’s rivalries - it’s all of these things. You can be 60 years old and you’re a North Carolina fan and you still fucking hate Duke! Now, all of a sudden, all of these old things that you had gets turned up for 1 month. Grandma knows it, your 5 year old son knows it, people that don’t basketball are like, “I’m just going to pick my favorite colors!” That’s what sports does and I don’t think that there is a single greater event than the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Tournament that brings together everybody in our country like that!
AM: Couldn’t agree more!
For 1st timers that are filling out those brackets, what should they do?
RJ: Oh man, for 1st timers, let me show you how to do it! Shout out Reese’s, that’s why we’re here. If you are a 1st Timer, this is what I would do. I start with Arizona because they are going to win the National Championship and I do this every single year, because Arizona is going to win. So I have them in the winning spot and then I go backwards. It’s a little unorthodox.
AM: Yeah it is.
RJ: That’s fine! This is where I think that Reese’s has really cracked the code! I have Duke losing in the 1st Round. People are like, that’s a little crazy!
AM + RJ: Is it though?
RJ: If Siena wins, I look like a genius! If Siena loses, I turn in my bracket and I win free Reese’s Cups! I still look like a genius! So, I just don’t see that there is a lose/lose situation. Why would I root for a team that I cannot stand? Why because I want a perfect bracket? I’d rather them lose and look like a genius, then have them win and I get some cups! If they win, I’m pissed off anyway so give me my prize.
AM: Love this and you are very proud of this bracket!
RJ: I’m very, very proud and I have the Women’s one also! I am very proud of it and I will say this, across the board, I have South Carolina - Dawn Staley was my favorite Women’s player growing up and she is my favorite coach. Across the board, we had Stewie here, there was no shade given to UConn – such respect and I have nothing but positivity for them. They are probably of all the schools Men and Women aside, when we started talking about them, they had the ultimate level of respect, but we’re not talking about them right now, we’re talking about the University of Arizona and how we won the Big 12, we won the Big 12 Tournament, we have the Big 12 Player of the Year, and we have done all of the things that are needed for us to win a Championship – so this bracket is going to be perfect! There is on thing that I have put out and I don’t mind that you have Duke blue hair – it’s fine!
AM: Wait a minute, I am IU through and through!
RJ: So right, we get through there as well – Siena that’s who I am rooting for, they are my sleeper pick mainly because I want Reese’s Cups!
AM: So what are 3 teams that you’re looking at that we should be thinking about?
RJ: You should be thinking about Siena because they have a really good match up in the 1st Round, but I think that they are going to win against Duke.
Arizona, I talk about Arizona, but I think with Arkansas, there is a big battle there by the kid Darius Acuff Jr. who is very, very good. I’m actually glad that we could potentially play them in the Sweet 16. What does that mean? It means that you get your first 2 games in and then you have a couple of days to prepare before you go to the next game. Those preparation days are the days where you say, “ok, we could be going up agaunst an amazing player” and you want some more prep against that, because we do have an amazing team.
AM: Ok, so my last question was going to be who do you think will win, but we know that clearly you feel that Arizona will win it all!
RJ: You’re damn right!
AM: So what does gameday look like for you?
RJ: Ok, I am pretty much immune to any sport or any sport team. Arizona is one that I am emotionally connected to. I turn on the game. When they are winning, I watch. They start losing, I turn it off. That is a real thing because again, it is the emotional connection. Oftentimes, I will tune in and out. I can’t sit and turn on an Arizona game and just relax. That’s not possible so I avoid the anxiety.
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT | Hershey’s
Read the MAR ISSUE #123 of Athleisure Mag and see BUST A BRACKET REESE’S | Points or Cups It’s A Win Win in mag.
On April 19th, The 5th Annual Orange Glou Wine Fair at Gallery Space LES 155 Suffolk Street will showcase 100 orange wines to taste from around the world, highlighting up and coming wine regions like Japan, Mexico, and China, along with Spain and the US this year. Launched by leading orange wine expert Doreen Winkler, a natural wine sommelier and founder of Orange Glou wine club, it is America’s only wine fair dedicated exclusively to orange wines. A one-of-a-kind event for orange wine enthusiasts, those new to the style or anyone looking for a unique NYC event this spring, the Orange Glou Wine Fair is the ultimate place to enjoy the full spectrum of orange wines), meet winemakers to learn more about this ancient style of wine that has recently become so popular.
This year’s event will expand to 4 sessions throughout the day (11am-1pm, 1pm-3pm, 3pm-5pm, and 5pm-7pm). Guests can explore the world of orange wines, which are made using centuries-old techniques where the juice pressed from white grapes remains in contact with the skins during the fermentation process to create unique, versatile and delicious wines that range in color from pale gold to orange to amber. All guests will take home a signature Orange Glou wine glass (value $15), included in the $45 tickets.
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT | Nina Scholl
Read the MAR ISSUE #123 of Athleisure Mag and see ORANGE GLOU PRE-COVERAGE in mag.
We love when we’re in the midst of tennis season and we see great matches on the court, but the fashion and beauty that WAGS bring is always worth watching! Morgan Riddle is one that we are always watching while she cheers on Taylor Fritz. We took a few moments to find out about her beauty musts, her partnership with ISDIN to highlight the Get It On Campaign, and how we can incorporate our SPF into our routine.
ATHLEISURE MAG: What was your first beauty product that you fell in love with and is it still part of your routines?
MORGAN RIDDLE: My first beauty product that I fell in love with, I would say the Dior Face and Body Foundation. I have been using that for about 6 years now. So that’s been an OG staple.
ATHLEISURE MAG: Who would you say are your 3 beauty icons and what have they taught you about caring for your skin?
MR: I wouldn’t say that I have any famous beauty icons, but I would say that I follow a number of skinfluencers on TikTok, mostly more mature or older women that are in their 40s/50s. They have tried all the treatments and all of the products and I feel that they have all of the best recommendations.
AM: We know that you’re constantly on the go especially when you’re at tennis tournaments. What beauty trends do you love and how do you make them your own for your lifestyle?
MR: I always have SPF and so that is obviously a must. So the ISDIN Fusion Water Magic is great, especially with many of the tennis tournaments and because I am in the Players Box, I am constantly in the sun! If I don’t have SPF on that just wouldn’t work as I am always getting fried! My chest and my scalp - it can be a lot! So I always make sure that I have that. My skin is more dry so I always have one of those Hyaluronic sprays throughout the flight to just try and to prevent breakouts. I used to always breakout when I was traveling on planes a lot.
AM: Tell me about your partnership with ISDIN, how it came about, and why it is synergistic with you?
MR: I have actually known about this brand for awhile. They are really popular in Europe and they actually work a lot on the tennis tour. They are the biggest suncare brand in Spain. Then, they just launched in the US and since I had known about them for awhile as well as using European skincare for years ever since I first started traveling on tour, I think I was already a fan of the brand and then when I tried this product, it sits so well under makeup and I feel that I am always having issues with face sunscreens and pilling. As I said, I run more dry so sometimes it feels a bit more patchy, but this one has hyaluronic acid in it so it makes my skin really, really glowy under the makeup!
AM: Clearly we know that safe sun is important. For those that have yet to include it in their routines, how can they make sure to incorporate it in there?
MR: I always do habit stacking now because I read that book Atomic Habits. So as soon as I get up in the morning and brush my teeth, I just put sunscreen before I even go on my morning walks. I think that just adding it into something that you do in your routine so that it is synergistic. To reapply, I always have an extra one in my bag that every time I open my bag, I can see it and remind myself to put it back on.
IG @moorrgs
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | Morgan Riddle
Read the MAR ISSUE #123 of Athleisure Mag and see IN THE PLAYER BOX | Morgan Riddle in mag.
We always enjoy when the tennis season starts as we see our favorite starts hitting global courts. We also know that it’s a great sport that we can enjoy with family, colleagues, and friends old and new! We sat down with Kimberly Selden, Founder of Black Girls Tennis Club to know more about how why she created this organization, how she is making sure that youth and adults can into the sport and an upcoming event that will take place at Roland Garros.
ATHLEISURE MAG: Before we delve into BGTC, I’d like to know more about your background.
KIMBERLY SELDEN: My background is an interesting path. I sit at the intersection of a lot of different industries. I started my career in fashion. I studied mass communications with a concentration in PR a minor in fashion merchandising. I moved to NY right after college worked for Custo Barcelona in PR.
I ended up working in production on the management side. I worked on NBA All-Star, and then went to creative, so I did the whole freelancer circuit for different award shows and live events. Starting in production management and landing on the creative side, working my way up from executive producers, assistant production, assistant production coordinator, associate producer, segment producer, and producer. I’ve played every single role, and I started to transition from there into the story side, and so I worked on a Food Network show as a story producer. I worked on Oprah behind the scenes as a story producer.
During that time, I randomly was asked to come to Niger in West Africa, about two of my friends were there schooling mission work – it was really random. So they met someone who got a license for a radio and television station. They naturally reached out to me because I was the closest one to that production world, so we had a break for the show. I moved to Niger for three months to start this radio station, which led to a television station. I ended up meeting the U.S ambassador and I came back - was in graduate school while on our second season of the show and my thesis became a real project, and I went back to Niger with a grant from the US Embassy. I got to speak at the US Embassy! We distributed solar power radios to villages. It was life changing to say the least. I’ll say that was a huge turning point for me where I started to use this term, social impact, and just realized the power of change.
I was doing a whole lot and in different countries in Africa. One of my friends had an Africa travel company, so I was traveling with her. I have worked on a number of campaigns and projects over the years!
I was living in NY this whole time and I moved to Virginia right before COVID. In Virginia, there were courts in my neighborhood and when I lived in BK the whole 10 years I was there, there were tennis courts in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill. I always wanted to play tennis but didn’t know how to get involved. The Fort Greene tennis courts were kind of intimidating when I was in my hometown in Virgina Beach, that’s how BGTC got started. I walked past tennis courts everyday walking my down and I thought, we should start a Black Girls Tennis Club and that’s how it started. So, my career and my background have nothing to do with tennis, but everything to do with making a difference.
AM: And community!
KS: Our communities, and Black people. Like I said before, to me, it all comes together in a very unique and unplanned way. In fact, we’re going to Ghana in November, so even my passion for Africa is coming into the mix.
AM: Now that you have been running BGTC for a few years, did you think it was going to be what we’re seeing now from it?
KS: Absolutely not. In fact, I was really hesitant because we’re a non-profit and when BGTC started, I really was in a space where I wanted to build wealth. I didn’t see a pathway to that, and I actually wanted to build a boutique hotel like I was ready for the next chapter of my life either way, where I would be a little more behind the scenes. But this is essentially pushing me to the forefront. I’m a Founder and I had no idea at all. Now, I’m aware of the potential, but every day, I’m still shocked that I’m in this seat and that it has completely taken over right. I’m trying to do other things and I’m still getting pulled to really just focus on this, but I will say, you know, even though I want these other things, I I feel that my other wants and desires are being met through BGTC.
AM: What is BGTC because there is an adult track and then a younger track. And what is the goal of the organization overall?
KS: We are a 501c3. I like to call us a Social Enterprise. We have, free and low cost youth programming and adult programming and our mission is to liberate Black women and girls through play, and I say that because we really focus on joy, wellness, and community. Looking at my past and my whole time living in New York, if you asked me what my hobbies were, I would have said - going out to eat or shopping. I’m a recovering workaholic and I know from life experience that having a hobby is a luxury. I just know how important liberation is. Playing sports is a pathway to that, and I could go on and on about the benefits of girls playing sports economically just for their own wellness and joy. I just see this as a catalyst to joy, community, economic growth, and health. I don’t want us to be a non-profit that is viewed as they’re serving underserved people only. You know, our youth is expansive. Some are underserved, of course and some aren’t. We have kids that could go pro. We have kids that never touched a racket.
AM: What is your role like? I always say that the role of a Founder is one that is growing and it doesn’t really have a start or stop to it. What is your role and what is a day-to-day or week to week look like, for you?
KS: I see myself as the key vision holder strategist and leading Partnerships, and we’re figuring that out as an organization. I’m technically Founder and CEO. A lot of this, we’re figuring it out as we go. We have tried things that have worked and have tried things that haven’t worked. My goal is to raise enough money so that we can have someone in place. Whether that’s an executive director or whatever that title is that can lead the organization operationally, I know what my strengths are.
I am an executor and I am a visionary.
My day-to-day I have a lot of calls. I’m talking to a lot of brand partners. I’m talking to our board members. Tennis season has started and I went to Palm Springs twice. My day. It’s a lot of emails. I don’t even know the amount of emails that I send per day. We have a we use Monday, which is like a project management tool. I’m always approving. Between social media like I’m approving Graphics, I’m getting and I’m sending decks to people. I’m giving direction, I’m delegating.
I might be going to Indian Wells. I have a call later today about an Arthur Ashe documentary project, so it’s a lot of exciting things. It’s a lot of things that I’ve never done before.
AM: I know you have a few chapters. You have the one here in New York, and there’s others. Can you tell us about these chapters?
KS: We launched in Virginia, and so in Virginia, every year we do a free summer camp and we have some adult programming. We were actually pushed to launch in New York because of our Challengers event with Zendaya (Dune franchise, The Drama, Euphoria). It’s really exciting for New York, so we have yearround programming in New York, because we have indoor courts right, too. We’ve had some programming in DC. We do Citi Open every year in DC. DC is a great meeting point because that’s a middle ground for all our board members to come together. Last year, we had an in-person board meeting there.
I’m actually in La, so we had fun LA event. We’re gearing up for La. I’ve been meeting with, YMCA Crenshaw and Compton United School District, so LA’s been on us. I think I feel a lot of pressure from every part of the country, as well as outside of the country to launch. There’s a whole back end that goes into it. If I look at our pillars which are care, access, representation, and exposure, there’s different reasons to be different places.
Logistically and operationally, I just have to move with care as well, and make sure that we have what we need in place so that our team you know isn’t overwhelmed. And I want people to be connected and be able to find people to play with, because if I’m being honest, I still didn’t solve my original problem which was I wanted to play tennis more. So that’s where technology comes in, and we’re working on that as well.
AM: Well, for the New York chapter, what are some upcoming events that are taking place here that you can share?
JS: We have Pop Up and Play. We just had one in February. We have another one at the end of the month of at our indoor ports at Sun East which is in Manhattan. We’re up in the Bronx at Stadium Tennis for Cardio Tennis. We have our Foundations Clinic coming up, which is 4 consecutive sessions that cover the basics of tennis at Brooklyn College. We have 2 courts of that. That will be announced in the next 2 weeks. We have Cardio Tennis Pop Up and Play Foundations. We’re going to have Sunset Saturdays coming up. That’s going to be from May through the end of August. I don’t know what we’re doing for US Open, but we’ll of course have activations during US Open. So, we’ll have weekly programming almost twice a week in New York. It’s been growing every single year, and we’re going to do a Big Girls Day of Play in Brooklyn, May 31st. We’ve been wanting to do more youth programming with our partners and we always do Juneteenth at Fort Green with The Layout.
AM: The French Open is coming up and you guys are actually going to be at Roland Garros, tell us more about that.
KS: We are working with a tennis travel company, and so this is a trip that opened up that people paid to go on. It sold out within 2 weeks. At first, we wanted to start small, so we had 10 spots, but we had to open it up, so we have 20 Black women and girls going to the French Open. May 23rd, through the 26, and this year is actually the 70th anniversary of Althea Gibson’s historic win at Roland Garros.
A lot of people going on the trip, they’ve never been. It’s a bucket list item. It’s our first trip and we’ll see how it goes. I’m thrilled, and I, I know, it’s going to be an amazing time, and I can’t wait to like be in community with everybody.
AM: So they’re going and they’re also having tickets to go to the French Open as well?
KS: Exactly! It’s gonna be epic, so that’s a pretty big deal.
AM: Well, are there other things that you haven’t talked about that you want to share?
KS: Something that I’m really passionate about is what we do on Martha’s Vineyard. This year will be our third year on The Vineyard. Oak Bluffs is this historic Black neighborhood on Martha’s Vineyard. We’ve been working on a short documentary project about Black tennis history, and it’s such an epic story and the story. Is it really documented in a significant way, and so it all started because my friends actually posted it in a Facebook group because we were looking for our house and people in the group saw BGTC, and they all started chiming in, like, “oh my God,” my mom used to play in the Mary Tucker Invitational. Oh wow, my dad was in Oak Bluffs.
Naturally, as a producer, my wheels are turning. I’m like, we need to capture this. I just started doing more research. Martha’s Vineyard is beautiful, being like the month of August is just amazing. You know, a lot of the Black sororities and fraternities, all HBCU’s have events. It’s just a sight to see. Obviously, Ralph Lauren did their Oak Bluffs collection, and so there’s been a lot of attention drawn to this historic island.
My first time going was just a couple of years before we went as an organization. It’s such a fun trip and so we do activations we do about 3 events. This year, I think we’re doing 3 or 4 events now and I hope that we’re gonna be finishing our documentary this year, and my plan is to enter it into the film festival that happens on the vineyard. So, we’re planting roots there. This year, we’re actually working with a group in Boston to bring a group of girls down, for a day trip, and so that’s something that there’s certain things that I know will do every single year U.S Open, of course. Martha’s Vineyard, Citi Open is a big one for us that I mentioned in DC. We’re also doing Ghana which I hinted towards earlier this will be in November and we will take Taylor Townsend, who’s one of our honorary board members. There’s a new tennis club called the Accra Backyard Club. That amazing architecture was built by our artists, who has this incredible tennis story that is just so inspiring, so we all want to see it. And as you know, my ties to the continent, I’ve been trying to find a reason to get us out there.
We’ve partnered with other orgs out there. They just had a woman’s tennis tournament that we’re gonna be covering. We’re going global, and I see us as a global organization.
Martha’s Vineyard, I’m really passionate about and want to tell those stories and I don’t want them to get lost. It’s really cool because one of the tournaments that went away the Oak Bluffs Tennis Club and Tournament, my now friend Gatsby Karam is bringing that tournament back this year.
AM: Wow!
KS: It hasn’t happened in over 10 years. He got permission from the family to bring it back and the first person, they told him to contact was me. So you know, we’re in cahoots together to be in support of each other, so I’ll be covering that. And to me, that’s the perfect ending to the documentary.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Kimberly Selden
Read the MAR ISSUE #123 of Athleisure Mag and see TENNIS FOR ALL | Black Girls Tennis Club + Kimberly Selden in mag.
Joshua Jackson has been on a radar since we fist saw him on The Mighty Ducks and of course, when Dawson’s Creek came out, we knew he would be an actor that we would want to see in various series, films, etc. Whether we see him in The Affair, the reeboot of Fatal Attraction, and Karate Kid: Legends. We wanted to talk with him about his love for hockey, why he partnered with AstraZeneca for their intitiative to bring cancer awareness with the NHL, and upcoming projects that he is working on and where we can see him on screen.
ATHLEISURE MAG: We’ve been fans of yours since Mighty Ducks. In thinking about hockey, our current cover is Jack Hughes, which we’re super excited about! People are loving Heated Rivalry, and everyone’s talking about the Olympics and the Golden Goal. What do you love about this game as we know you’re a hockey fan as well!
JOSHUA JACKSON: I mean, I’m a Canadian, so it’s a sort of in our DNA. We’re raised with it. The whole culture of Canada is steeped in the game. I’ve loved it since I was a little kid. I love the sort of balletic violence of it. I love the grace that these men find on the ice. Somebody’s trying to take your head off, it is incredibly fast-paced. It is incredibly athletic and in a way that maybe, European soccer fans get and American hockey fans get in this moment - the passion for hockey is the joy of hockey. So, like when it gets to playoff time when it gets to Olympic time and the whole nation, just like stops what it’s doing. It’s so much fun to be a fan.
AM: You’ve partnered with AstraZeneca for their Get Body Checked Against Cancer, which is a part of their Hockey Fights Cancer Initiative. What do you like being about being a part of this campaign? Why did you want to join it? And can you tell us a bit about it?
JJ: Well, first, there’s the hockey connection, right? This is a campaign that AstraZeneca has already been a part of before I was able to join them. I find myself at this age now, where my family has been touched by cancer, colleagues of mine - their families have been touched by cancer. I was shocked to find out that 65% of men and I think in general, in my cohort, have not actually been screened for cancers. I thought it was a great thing to be a part of. I also love what they’ve done with that getbodycheck.com website that you can not only find providers, not only find suggested testing, but also a list of questions to get you into the conversation with your doctor, which I think is really helpful, because I think it’s a hard and scary conversation to start. Nobody wants to talk about the Big C and no one wants to imagine that it could be part of their life. I think that it is just a great way to get that conversation started because we have come a long way and the earlier that you detect something, the better off your chances are.
AM: What does your involvement in the campaign look like in terms of what we’ll see from a consumer aspect?
JJ: I mean, from the consumer side, you’ll see me and Gritty in a TV ad. You’ll see just a variety of different outreach of things that we’ll be doing here over the course of the next couple months just to spread awareness about the specific website and the people involved, but just generally to spread awareness right? To hope to inspire people like myself as I, you know, you get a little bit older –
AM: Right!
JJ: You get a little older and you’re like, “no I’m this kid!” And then you’re like, wait, they’re talking about me!
AM: Yeah when you start talking with people about things to look out for when you’re in older ages, but you don’t see yourself that way – it reminds you that you are getting older and they are talking about you!
JJ: Right, and so we all have that. I think most people feel that way. Like our brains don’t keep up with our body after a certain point. So for important things like this right for women’s health things for men’s health things for cancer screenings, it is just important to not be embarrassed to be in this conversation and to be proactive in the places that you can be and specifically for cancer with the screening that is available to us. Now you can, you can find things way earlier than in our parents’ generation. So, this is all just outreach to say, just be in the conversation. Hopefully, it’s nothing, but it’s better to know, than to not know.
AM: Our college nights were filled with watching Dawson’s Creek, because that’s when it, aired originally. We’d be running back from the Psych Department back to our dorms trying to get in and you could hear the episodes throughout the halls. We’ve enjoyed you in The Affair, Dr Death, Dr Odyssey, and more. What is it that you love about acting?
JJ: I love the opportunity to be in a scene with somebody and to be surprised. It’s a wonderful silly thing to do with your life. I bumped in today to like two actors that I absolutely love and was really kind of star struck in a way.
You said that you were a Psych Major or that you just took a Psych class?
AM: We just took a psych course as one of our majors was Sociology and that professor knew that his class was right before Dawson’s Creek and he would stretch it out as long as possible and you could hear it and since I would watch it on VHS – I didn’t want spoilers!
JJ: Back in the good old days!
There is a psychology and maybe even a sociology component, but there is something fun for me to be able to pretend. To use pretending in order to be somebody else to try to examine what it means to be a human being. When you’re in a scene with another person or a bunch of other people, to see another person’s interpretation and be genuinely surprised - I don’t know you, you just kind of lose yourself in those interactions. That’s what really keeps me coming back. I have been doing this a long time!
AM: You have had such a longevity. When we see your name attached to it, regardless of the subject or genre, we know it’s going to be good because you really do in many ways transform where you forget what we may have liked about you, like in The Affair versus how you present in Dr Odyssey.
JJ: Oh come on, you’re going to make me blush!
AM: You do have two projects coming up, Happy Hours, and How to Survive Without Me. Tell us about them.
JJ: Well, they weirdly share a connection with Dawson’s Creek, so Happy Hours is with Katie Holmes (Ray Donovan, Poker Face, The Wanderers). She produced it, she wrote it, she directed it, and she stars in it. She wrote this story for the two of us to be able to tell a love story after all these years, having not worked together since we were kids on Dawson’s Creek. We got to do that last Summer, and I was a little - I think we both were a little bit nervous after all these years to, like, see if that thing was still there. But that thing is still there, and it was so nice. I’m so thankful to her as my friend, and in that - my boss, right, for her to have created the space for us to do that. I hope the movie comes out well, and I hope everybody enjoys it. But more than anything, it was such a joy to get to do that, and also to be, you know, to, to be impressed and supportive of my friend. You know, we’re not just doing the scenes together, directing, producing, and she’s writing. She’s just a wonderful, powerful woman.
How to Survive Without Me – well not oddly, is written by one of the Executive Producers of Dawson’s Creek. So, Greg Berlanti (The Flash, Arrow, YOU), way back in the day, one of his first jobs was on Dawson’s Creek before he went on to become that I think is the single most prolific producer in the history of television, so he’s done all right for himself. This just came back around that he has the show and it shoots in LA, which is very important for me right now, so I could be with my daughters and take them to school. It’s a beautiful, sad story about family - adult family, right? That story starts six months after the matriarch of the family has passed away and it’s her trying to sort of reach from beyond the grave to make sure that her family stays bound together. She’s not sure that they have the ability to do it without her!
AM: Can you share 3 workouts or modalities that you like to do?
JJ: It depends. The most consistent piece of my life, is boxing. As I’ve gotten older, I started doing Pilates, which has been amazing because as it turns out, I’m like, stiff, as shit, and not very flexible. It just doesn’t work for you as you get older! Then it’s really character dependent, right? The difference between say doing something like Dr Death, where I had to go from being very underweight to play the younger version of that character and the to progressively put on weight and to wear a prosthetic by the end of that show – to something like, say, Fatal Attraction, where you’re dealing with a man who’s kind of a little bit past it, and dealing with the end of his masculinity – a little paunchy or a little softer. It just really depends!
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | Matrie Lombardo
Read the MAR ISSUE #123 of Athleisure Mag and see CHECK YOUR HEALTH | Joshua Jackson in mag.
On April 16th the Youth America Grand Prix will have its World’s Largest Ballet Scholarship Competition for their 2026 Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow Gala which is hosted by Misty Copeland. Rebecca Hessel Cohen, Founder and Creative Director of LoveShackFancy, as well as Melanie Hamrick, choreographer, author and ballerina will be honored at David H. Koch Theater in NYC. The event’s Gala Creative Chair is Marcella Guarino Hymowitz. There will be performances by Christine Shevchenko and Calvin Royal III of the American Ballet Theatre, Polina Semionova of the Berlin State Ballet, Roman Mejia of New York City Ballet, Reece Clarke of The Royal Ballet, and Nicoletta Manni and Timofej Andrijashenko of La Scala Ballet.
In addition to seeing phenomenal performances and enjoying a dinner at the gala, The Pointe Project shoes will be available for all to bid on via Givebutter.com starting on April 16th - April 23rd at 12pm ET.
You can still purchase tickets to YAGP Gala. We had the chance to talk to a few people ahead of this event. We had the pleasure of interviewing Misty Copeland a few years ago for our OCT ISSUE #94 and as this year’s host, we wanted to catch up with her on what she has been up to, why YAGP is important to her, and upcoming projects she is involved in.
ATHLEISURE MAG: We had the pleasure of interviewing you a few years ago and it’s great that we connected with you again! What do you love about ballet?
MISTY COPELAND: I love that ballet is a language beyond words. It’s discipline, imagination, and storytelling through the body. It gave me purpose and a way to connect with people across cultures and generations.
AM: What did it mean to you to be a Prima Ballerina for the ABT?
MC: It was deeply meaningful both personally and historically. It meant honoring the path that came before me while helping expand what audiences believe is possible in ballet.
AM: You retired from the ABT, and we know you just performed at the Oscars with Sinners, what are the kinds of projects that you will be taking on that we can keep an eye out for?
MC: I have a new middle-grade novel, Firebird Waltz, coming soon, along with future performances and creative projects across stage, film, and producing. I’m also continuing to grow the work of my foundation.
AM: You are hosting the YAGP Gala. Why did you want to be involved in this year’s event and what are you looking forward to?
MC: YAGP plays such an important role in nurturing young dancers. I wanted to support and celebrate the next generation of artists.
AM: Why is the Youth America Grand Prix important for dancers?
MC: YAGP creates access to training, mentorship, scholarships, and global visibility. For many dancers, it’s a life-changing opportunity.
We wanted to know more about the importance of YAGP and sat down with Marcella Guarino Hymowitz, who is the YAGP Gala Creative Chair.
AM: Before we delve into YAGP and the upcoming gala, can you tell me a bit about your background?
MARCELLA GUARINO HYMOWITZ: I’ve been dancing for as long as I can remember—I started at three, was assisting classes by twelve, and performing professionally as a teenager. Dance was my first language. It taught me discipline, expression, and how to connect with an audience without saying a word.
Over time, my path evolved beyond performing into choreography, creative direction, and experience design. Today, I run The Pearl in New York City, a dance and wellness studio built around confidence, community, and self-expression, and I also create immersive entertainment for events through Studio MGH.
Everything I do still stems from that same foundation—using movement and storytelling to make people feel something.
AM: When did you first fall in love with dance and why do you love it?
MGH: I fell in love with dance very young, but I think I understood WHY I loved it as I got older. It’s one of the only art forms where your body becomes the medium.
Dance gives you a way to process emotion, to tell stories, and to transform—not just how others see you, but how you see yourself. It builds confidence in a very real, physical way.
There’s also something magical about the shared experience of it. Whether you’re on stage or in a class, you’re connecting with the people around you. That energy is addictive.
AM: Why is YAGP so important for those that are in the ballet community?
MGH: YAGP is incredibly important because it creates access and opportunity in a way that is truly life-changing for young dancers.
For many students, traveling around the world to audition for top schools and companies simply isn’t financially possible. What YAGP does is bring those opportunities to them. With regional competitions in many countries, dancers are able to be seen by panels of judges representing some of the most prestigious institutions in the world—Stuttgart Ballet, Princess Grace Academy, The Royal Ballet School, Paris Opera Ballet School, John Cranko School, La Scala, ABT, Miami City Ballet, and many more of the top companies across the United States.
It’s not just exposure—it’s a direct pathway. Through the support of donors, YAGP is able to help bring students to these competitions and award scholarships that can completely change the trajectory of a dancer’s life.
Beyond that, it creates a global community. Young dancers from different backgrounds, countries, and training styles come together, learn from one another, and feel part of something much bigger than themselves.
YAGP isn’t just shaping careers - it’s shaping the future of ballet.
AM: You are serving as the gala’s Creative Chair this year for the 2026 Stars of Today Meets the Stars of Tomorrow Gala. What does this role involve?
MGH: As Creative Chair, my role is to shape the overall experience of the evening - how it feels, how it flows, and how the audience connects to what they’re seeing.
That includes working closely with YAGP’s founder, Larissa Saveliev, on performance curation, pacing, transitions, and the emotional arc of the night. I’m thinking about everything from the energy in the room to how each moment builds on to the next.
And beyond that, my goal is to help make the night one of the most exciting ballet programs in New York this season - to bring in new audiences and create more fans of the art form by exposing them to different interpretations of ballet, and showing how expansive and relevant it can be today.
The party after the performance is also exciting and fun because we will have all of the performers with us. It gives guests a chance to meet the performers and understand how Youth America Grand Prix helped to make their dreams come true.
AM: What are you looking forward to for this year’s performance as well as the gala?
MGH: I’m most looking forward to that moment when everything comes together - the dancers, the music, the audience - and you can feel the energy shift in the room.
This gala is such a beautiful intersection of emerging talent and established artists, and there’s something really powerful about witnessing that exchange in real time.
I’m also especially excited to debut the pointe shoes that will be auctioned off for The Pointe Project. They’ll be on display for the first time at the gala, with designs from Carolina Herrera, Michael Kors, Alice + Olivia, Monse, and more. It’s such a unique fusion of fashion and ballet, and a really special way to celebrate creativity across disciplines. These pointe shoes will be available for all to bid on via Givebutter.com starting April 16 and closing one week later at 12pm EST on April 23rd.
AM: Are there any upcoming projects that we should keep an eye out for from you?
MGH: We have a lot of exciting things happening at The Pearl right now. We’re continuing to expand our collaborations and host pop-up wellness and fitness events for adults that feel both elevated and community-driven.
We’re also really focused on building meaningful programming for teens - from workout classes to “teen talks” featuring inspiring voices speaking on topics that matter to them. Creating a space where they feel strong, seen, and supported is incredibly important to me.
And starting this fall, we’ll be launching both a competitive cheer team and a dance team, led by top-tier instructors. It’s a natural extension of what The Pearl stands for - confidence, discipline, and community - just taken to the next level.
We wanted to talk with performers who will be part of YAGP Gala and caught up with ABT’s Christine Shevchenko and Calvin Royal III.
AM: When did you first fall in love with ballet?
CHRISTINE SHEVCHENKO: I vividly remember falling in love with ballet at the age of four. My mother took me backstage to see “The Sleeping Beauty.” A friend of hers was performing as a prima ballerina in Ukraine, and the show was quite lengthy - about three hours. I stood mesmerized in the wings, captivated by the music, costumes, lighting, and the enchanting story unfolding before me.
CALVIN ROYAL III: I came to ballet a bit later than most, at fourteen. At first, it was a curiosity more than anything, but I fell in love with the discipline, the music, and the feeling of discovering something I didn’t know I was capable of.
AM: When did you realize that you wanted to be a ballerina and to do it as a career?
CS: I realized I wanted to be a professional ballerina when I was around eleven. That was when things started to click for me, and I began truly enjoying my dance journey. Ballet consumed my thoughts; even in school, my mind would wander to ballet classes and rehearsals.
CR III: When I started training seriously and saw how much growth was possible, I realized this could be more than just a hobby. Being introduced to opportunities like YAGP, summer intensives, and eventually a scholarship to the ABT School made it that much more real. That this could actually be a path forward.
AM: What does it mean to you to dance for ABT and is there a specific performance that you are excited about that you will do this Spring or Summer season?
CS: Dancing for ABT means the world to me. This has been my dream company ever since I admired legends like Baryshnikov and Makarova, as well as the extensive classical repertoire they offer. I’m particularly thrilled to perform “Don Quixote” again this season; it’s one of my beloved ballets. Additionally, I’m eagerly anticipating my role in “Onegin.”
CR III: Dancing with ABT has been one of the defining chapters of my life. It’s where I grew up, both as an artist and as a person from student to Principal dancer over the years. There’s a deep sense of responsibility in carrying forward the company’s legacy while also finding my own voice within it. This season, I’m looking forward to exploring roles that challenge me both technically and emotionally, and allow me to deepen my artistry. I’m constantly searching for ways to bring meaning and sincerity to the stage every time the curtain goes up.
AM: Why is YAGP so important to ballet?
CS: YAGP plays a crucial role in the ballet world because it offers life-changing opportunities for young dancers to be noticed by some of the most influential figures in the industry. It fosters resilience and confidence, provides invaluable stage experience, and creates lasting friendships.
CR III: YAGP creates access. It’s a platform that opened doors for myself and thousands of young dancers, for decades, who may not otherwise have a clear path into the professional world. I see it as a program that continues to shape the next generation by connecting talent with opportunity on a global scale.
AM: What are you looking forward to for this year’s 2026 Stars of Today Meets the Stars of Tomorrow Gala?
CS: I am excited to perform alongside world-class dancers who are also friends, and to inspire a new generation of dancers to chase their dreams.
CR III: There’s something really special about bringing together established artists and young dancers on the same stage. I’ll never forget being an aspiring dancer looking up to the pros. Returning this year feels full circle, and a reminder of the continuum of this art form. I’m looking forward to that exchange of energy and inspiration when the curtain rises at Lincoln Center next month.
This year’s auctioned pointe shoe designs are those that we are excited about as mentioned by Marcella. Libby Klein is also contributing a design at this year’s Gala. We wanted to know more about her aesthetic and why she wanted to participate.
AM: How would you describe your work’s aesthetic?
LIBBY KLEIN: My work is rooted in beauty, but not surface-level beauty. It is layered, intentional, and deeply symbolic.
I am a mother of six, and that shapes everything I create. Every day I am balancing two worlds, art and home. Being a mother is not something separate from my work. It is part of it.
I lost my father at a young age, and that gave me a different relationship with life early on. I learned to notice what is fragile, what is meaningful, and what truly lasts. I also come from a family built on tradition and entrepreneurship, the Reichmans, where creating and building something lasting was always part of our foundation.
Alongside that, I was deeply influenced by my great-grandmother. She carried a quiet strength and an understanding that being a woman is not only about what you give to others, but also what you create from within yourself. That stayed with me.
So I built a life where both could exist. I am raising a family, and I am also an artist. I never saw those as separate roles.
My work reflects that balance. It holds beauty and responsibility, softness and strength, tradition and growth. It is not about escaping life, it is about taking everything life gives you and turning it into something meaningful.
I am drawn to blending old and new, preserving tradition while allowing it to evolve. You will see that in my work through delicate, timeless compositions, florals, birds, and natural elements, each one placed with intention.
So the aesthetic is beauty, but beauty with depth, with story, and with purpose.
AM: Where do you look for inspiration when it comes to creating new pieces?
LK: I look at my life.
My children, my home, and the way I choose to see the world, even when it is not simple, especially when it is not simple.
I have always believed that you can either focus on what is broken, or you can choose to find the beauty within it. That choice is where my work comes from.
I create from that perspective. I want to bring into the world the beauty that I see. I want people to feel something when they look at my work, to see light, to see hope, to see something good.
A lot of that is rooted in the power of women. In motherhood, in creation, in the quiet strength that women carry every single day. There is something incredibly powerful about being a woman, about holding so much, building so much, and still choosing softness. That balance inspires me constantly.
If someone can walk away from a piece and feel even a little more grounded, a little more inspired, or simply reminded that there is still beauty in the world, then I have done what I set out to do.
At the end of the day, it is about making the world feel a little brighter, a little softer, and a little more whole.
AM: Why did you want to be involved in the 2026 Stars of Today Meets the Stars of Tomorrow Gala?
LK: As a mother of six, this felt deeply personal to me.
I understand how important it is to nurture talent and to give children a space to grow, to express themselves, and to believe in what they are capable of. Life is not always easy, but when a child is given the opportunity to create, to move, and to be seen, it can shape everything.
This gala represents that. It is not just about performance, it is about possibility.
Being part of something that uplifts the next generation, that gives young dancers a platform and a sense of belief in themselves, is incredibly meaningful to me.
It aligns with everything I value, family, growth, resilience, and the ability to create something beautiful even through challenge.
AM: Tell us about the pointe shoes that you designed that will be auctioned off on this night?
LK: I chose to center the design around the poppy flower because its symbolism really spoke to me. There is something about the poppy. It represents hope, renewal, and resilience how something can grow and bloom even after difficulty. The more I thought about it, the more it felt so connected to ballet.
I also felt a personal connection to it. I grew up in Israel, and this kind of flower is deeply tied to the land. It carries a quiet message of strength, of healing, and of the idea that even in places that have seen so much, beauty can still grow.
What you see on stage is beautiful, but what it takes to get there is not easy. It is repetition, pressure, setbacks, and still choosing to get back up and keep going. That is the poppy to me.
The red carries that strength. It is soft, but it is not weak. That duality feels very feminine to me, the idea that softness and strength exist together.
I added a young bambi into the design because it felt like these dancers, at the beginning of something, still growing, still stepping into who they are becoming.
The butterflies bring a sense of transformation, that everything is constantly unfolding.
And the bees are something very personal to me. There is this idea that a bee should not be able to fly, but because it does not know its limitations, it does anyway. That reflects how I see life as a mother and as an artist, and it is something I see in these dancers as well.
So the shoes are not just decorative. They are a reflection of that whole journey, of becoming, of pushing through, and of finding beauty in it all, and a quiet hope for more unity, peace, and beauty in the world.
AM: Are there any upcoming projects or things we should keep an eye out for?
LK: Lately, I’ve been working on a collection that feels very close to me, the Glow Collection. It really comes from the idea that light doesn’t always come easily, sometimes it’s something you find after moving through darker moments. That kind of beauty, the kind that is built, not given, is something I’ve come to appreciate more over time.
I’ve also been involved in different fundraising efforts and creating pieces that support women, including work around breast cancer awareness. That part of what I do is very important to me, making sure the art gives back and reaches beyond itself.
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | YAGP
Read the MAR ISSUE #123 of Athleisure Mag and see YOUTH ON POINTE | YAGP Gala in mag.
During NYFW FW26, we kicked off the season by having dinner at Berimbau Brazilian Table in Midtown. Although we were there during the Winter, it is such a vibe to be in a spot where it feels like endless Summer, has great vibes, and an incredible menu that showcases Brazilian cuisine that is vibrant along with cocktails that will keep you coming back. We sat down with owner Mario De Matos to find out about this restaurant, its sister location in the West Village, and to know what we should order on our next visit!
ATHLEISURE MAG: Mario, we had an incredible meal during NYFW at Berimbau Brazilian Table in Midtown. Before we delve into the restaurant, can you tell us a bit about your background, how you came to the restaurant industry and why after launching the original location in the West Village that you wanted to open a second location?
MARIO DE MATOS: My connection to hospitality started very early in my life. My father owned a small bakery and grocery shop in Brazil, and as a kid I often helped him there. During school vacations we would leave the house at five in the morning, which felt brutal at the time, but it placed me right in the middle of customer service from a very young age. My father liked to keep me at the counter interacting with customers. Because I was young, people were naturally warm and patient with me, and I ended up building many relationships with the regulars who came into the shop. Looking back, that early exposure to hospitality shaped the way I understand service and human connection today.
In 2000, while studying law in Brazil, I came to New York to visit my sister and study English for what was supposed to be six months. Instead, I fell in love with the city and found my way back into restaurants, working in pizzerias and neighborhood spots across the city. I was very curious about the industry and eager to learn, and along the way I was fortunate to meet mentors who helped guide me.
After nearly a decade of working in restaurants, I began to seriously dream about opening a place of my own. In 2009 I had the opportunity to open Berimbau with a partner, and that was the beginning of my journey as a restaurateur. Opening the second location years later felt like a natural evolution. The original West Village restaurant has a very special history, and the Midtown location allowed us to introduce Brazilian culture to a new audience while continuing to refine what Berimbau represents today.
AM: Can you tell us about Executive Chef Victor Vasconcelos - his background in terms of where he trained, kitchens he worked in, and how he came to Berimbau Brazilian Table?
MDM: Chef Victor is from São Paulo, Brazil. He began his career in 2001 under the mentorship of renowned Chef Laurent Suaudeau at Chef Suaudeau Escola da Arte Culinária, Brazil’s first culinary arts school. He later coached Brazil’s top candidates for the Bocuse d’Or competition, leading his team to first place in Latin America and 15th place globally in 2017. After moving to California, Chef Victor earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand for his former restaurant, Caboco, which he opened with restaurateur Bill Chait. At Berimbau Brazilian Table, he brings his expertise home, crafting a menu that elevates traditional Brazilian cuisine through refined technique and a contemporary lens. When the 36th St location opened, he began as a consulting chef and quickly became our Executive Chef.
AM: What is the meaning behind the name Berimbau Brazilian Table?
MDM: The Berimbau is a traditional Brazilian instrument used in capoeira, the Brazilian martial art. For us, it represents the rhythm, spirit, and culture of Brazil. The idea behind Berimbau Brazilian Table is to create a place where guests feel transported and welcomed into a space the celebrates the many layers of our home.
AM: What are the flavors, spices, and ingredients that are indicative of Brazilian cuisine?
MDM: Our cuisine is very diverse, but there are a few ingredients that really define it. Yuca is a staple that can be transformed into many things (farofa, flour, dessert). And cajá and tapioca as well.
AM: For those coming to the Midtown location, what can you tell us about the vibe, ambiance, and the interiors?
MDM: The Midtown location has the same welcoming spirit as the West Village, but with a bit more flair. Our furnishings all draw inspiration from the organic elements of Brazil, and the art features a diverse group of artists from different regions. We wanted the space to reflect the richness of everything Brazil has to offer. We try to curate an inviting, lively, and easy going atmosphere.
AM: Are there differences between the Midtown and the West Village location?
MDM: The West Village location is more intimate, and Midtown is larger, more of a culinary and cultural hub for Brazil in the heart of the city. It’s designed to accommodate group dining, business lunches, and more elevated experiences while still carrying the same Brazilian spirit.
AM: For 36th St, what are 3 items For the Table that you would suggest that we have in mind for Lunch?
MDM: I would recommend the Dadinho, Pastel, and Coxinha.
AM: What are 3 mains that we should have in mind for Lunch?
MDM: Picanha Burger, Galinhada, Milanesa.
AM: Tell us about the Executive Lunch.
MDM: Because we are located in Midtown, we’re surrounded by offices and hotels, so we wanted to create something perfect for business meetings or quick lunches with colleagues. Our Executive Lunch is a two-course prix fixe menu featuring starters like Pão de Queijo or Broccolini, followed by mains such as Steak Salad or a Feijoada Plate. Guests can also add desserts like Sorbet or Pudim de Limão.
AM: What are 3 desserts that you suggest that we should think about to end our meal?
MDM: The Bolo de Mandioca is one of our classics, while Brigadeiro is a true Brazilian delicacy. Also the Mousse de Maracujá.
AM: For Dinner, what are 3 For the Table options that we should have in mind when coming in with friends and family?
MDM: Camarão na Cahcaca, Ceviche, and Mandioca da Casa.
AM: What are 3 Mains for Dinner that you suggest?
MDM: Strogonoff, Moqueca, and Red Snapper.
AM: Tell us about the Picanha Feast as we saw people ordering this and it seems very popular!
MDM: The Picanha Feast serves about three people, and features the top sirloin cap, a beloved cut of Brazil. It’s grilled under open flames until tender and then served table side, where Chef Victor slices it then lays it over farofa. Served with a side of a baby gem salad, broccolini rice, and hand cut fries, it makes for a delicious experience.
AM: We also noticed that you have vegan options in the menu as well. Can you tell us about these dishes?
MDM: We always want everyone to feel included at the table, so we made sure to feature vegan options. Brazilian cuisine lends itself well to plant-based cooking because many of our ingredients are vegetable-forward. For the Moqueca Vegana, it features a tucupi and coconut milk base with plantain and okra plantain, while our Feijoada Vegana replaces pork with tofu and market vegetables but keeps all the traditional flavors.
AM: Tell us about the Brazilian Social Hour and what would cocktail and 2 dishes from this menu be that we should enjoy?
MDM: Brazilian Social Hour is from Mon-Fri from 4 pm – 7 pm. It’s a time for guests to unwind and enjoy our stadium seating and Caipirinha Bar. One of my favorite pairings is the Negroni made with Amazzoni Gin from Brazil, great with Beet Tartare and our Pão de Queijo with pulled pork and bacon.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Serafina Marketing
Read the MAR ISSUE #123 of Athleisure Mag and see THE ART OF THE SNACK | Berimbau Brazilian Table in mag.
