Read the DEC ISSUE #84 of Athleisure Mag and see THE 9LIST in mag.
Read the DEC ISSUE #84 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | Sloane Stephens in mag.
Read the DEC ISSUE #84 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | Öwnboss in mag.
Read the DEC ISSUE #84 of Athleisure Mag and see #TRIBEGOALS in mag.
Read the DEC ISSUE #84 of Athleisure Mag and see 9LOOKS | Thome Browne in mag.
Read the DEC ISSUE #84 of Athleisure Mag and see HOW TO DRESS | For When the Ball Drops in mag.
PHOTO CREDITS | ABC The Bachelor | CONTESTANTS ABC/Ricky Middlesworth |
PHOTO CREDITS | ABC The Bachelorette/Gizelle Hernandez
As we wait for Jan 23rd when season 27 kicks off with Zach Shallcross who is ABC’s The Bachelor, we have the final reveal of the women who we’ll be seeing over the next few weeks as well as their official photos!
Each night during the season, we tweet about The Bachelor and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!
Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.
We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!
Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.
Read the DEC ISSUE #84 of Athleisure Mag and see THE PICK ME UP in mag.
Read the DEC ISSUE #84 of Athleisure Mag and see ATHLEISURE BEAUTY in mag.
Last Fri, we dropped our DEC ISSUE #84 which included an interview with Celebrity Event Planner, Mindy Weiss. She talked about how she got into the industry, how she approaches her work, tips to keep in mind if you’re planning your own event and more. She even talked about her partnership with Seedlip.
Starting today, Jan 3rd through Jan 13th, you can enter the Seedlip Soirée which allows you to keep your spirits high this January and support their ambitions of renewal at the start of the new year! For those that are looking to participate in Dry/Damp January or simply want an alternative to having alcohol in their cocktails - we think that you will want the chance to win a Seedlip Soirée through an Instagram sweepstakes campaign.
Mindy has a few tips and tricks that will put you on the right path to planning the perfect party!
Thoughtful Decor: Make the tablespace a complement to the menu or the theme of the menu by using some of the botanicals in Seedlip in the flower arrangements you dress the table with.
Elevated Offerings: Using a variety of glassware helps to elevate the look of a Seedlip Soiree. Play with various sizes and styles of stemware and ice shapes to give each serve its own look and feel.
Personalization: For any host always on the move, get prepped before the party by pre batching i.e. a punch or creating a cocktail station that makes it simple for guests to create a great tasting Seedlip cocktail. Encourage guests to use a variety of garnishes to inspire their creations through personalized and elevated Seedlip cocktails.
Socialization at the Core: A Seedlip Soiree is a great time to bring people together to entice guests to taste more out of life. Think through who is coming to any event and then include seating place cards to strategically seat select individuals near each other and inspire the best conversations and connections.
Be An Intentional Host: Always prepare your toast in advance. Be thoughtful when you are toasting to an occasion and have a clear, inspiring message that will encourage positive and thoughtful moments at the Seedlip Soiree.
Mindful Party Curation: When curating your decor and party favors for your soiree, support your local shops as a way to give back to your community, seek out products made from recycled or are recyclable materials and reuse what you have at home to alleviate waste post party.
SEEDLIP SOIREE INSTAGRAM SWEEPSTAKES CAMPAIGN
Simply tag your Seedflip Soirée VIPs for a chance to win an anything but drab January bash.
The winner will be announced on Monday, January 16th, and will receive a grand prize of a 30-minute consultation with Mindy, a $5,000 cash prize to fund an at home event, and a suite of Seedlip products to serve at their Seedlip Soiree.
For more details, go to Seedlip X Mindy Weiss Sweepstakes
Read the DEC ISSUE #84 of Athleisure Mag and see SEAWEED BEAUTY in mag.
Read the DEC ISSUE #84 of Athleisure Mag and see IN OUR BAG | New Years Day On The Course in mag.
In this month’s issue, our cover story is WTA Grand Slam US Open 2017 Champion, Sloane Stephens. With the tennis season about to start next month, we talk about how she is preparing for the Australian Open, how she embraces self-care, what it’s like to juggle traveling and working and her passion for wellness. We also chat with EDM DJ/Producer, Hardwell as we talk about his passion for music, taking a break from the industry and coming back from his hiatus with his latest album, REBELS NEVER DIE. The Bachelorette, Michelle Young talked with us about being on the show, how she navigated her season and what she has been up to as she embarks on her latest chapter and uses her platform to educate and inspire others. With the holiday season in full swing, we’re all looking for ways to make it easier to spend time with our friends and family. Marianna Hewitt, style influencer and Co-Founder of Summer Fridays talks with us about what she has coming up with this coveted beauty brand, how she takes on the holiday season and her must-haves. Although we’re used to watching FIFA’s World Cup during the summer, it was nice to have it throughout the holiday season as we cheered on our favorite players and countries! FC Dallas’ Sebastian Lletget took some time to give us some predictions on who he was interested in seeing take it all, he also talked about his upcoming season as he prepares during the offseason and how he enjoys the holiday season! We always love going to well planned and executed party whether it’s a wedding, launch or other kind of gathering. For years, we have been fans of Celebrity party planner, Mindy Weiss. We talk about how she approaches her events, the importance of a signature cocktail and for those that may be taking on their own planning – she has some tips that you’ll find helpful as well!
This month’s 9PLAYLIST comes from EDM DJ/Producer Ownboss as well as Sloane Stephens. Our 9LIST STORI3S comes from Marianna Hewitt and Sebastian Lletget. Our 9DRIP comes from Sloane Stephens and Hardwell. Our 63MIX ROUTIN3S comes from professional Volleyball player Gabby Reece and CEO/President of [SOLIDCORE] Bryan Myers. In this month, we have a special feature that runs in this month as well as in our Jan issue known as NEW YEAR, N3W YOU. It lets our favorite celebs to share THE GOOD things that took place this year, THE ADD for items that they were not able to tackle this year and are focusing on doing for next and THE BUZZ – things that they can share that we can keep our eye out for. This month’s responses comes from Co-Founder of Une Femme Wines, Jen Pelka, EDM DJ/Producer Like Mike of Dmitri Vegas and Like Mike, EDM DJ/Producer Hardwell, Founder of Boxing WAGS and Co-Founder of D’Telli Fragrances Telli Swift, Creative Director of SEQUIN, Tara Malkovich and TV Personality and author Chef David Rose.
Our monthly feature, The Art of the Snack shares a drool worthy meal experience at 8282. This month’s Athleisure List comes from Soho Grand and Body Space Fitness. As always, we have our monthly roundups of some of our favorite finds.
Read the DEC ISSUE #84 of Athleisure Mag.
On today's episode of Athleisure Kitchen, we always love catching up with Restaurateur Chef Jordan Andino of Flip Sigi here in NYC! He has been the cover of Athleisure Mag's ISSUE #35 which we shot at his West Village location back in 2018 and recently, he has appeared in other features as well. In addition to bringing Filipino flavors and a great personality that you can see on a number of his shows, he is always working on his latest project that is bound to be exciting!
We caught up with him ahead of his newest show he's hosting on Netflix, Cook at All Costs which dropped Dec 16th. We also talked with him about his partnership with Allstate! The rise of mocktails has increased for those that don't drink alcohol or are the designated driver. He shares a recipe with us that we can share with guests whether they are a designated driver or simply want to enjoy a cocktail that doesn't have alcohol in it. We also talk about his latest restaurant, Carriage House.
Athleisure Kitchen is part of the Athleisure Studio Podcast Network and is a member of Athleisure Media which includes Athleisure Mag. You can stay in the loop on who future guests are by visiting us at AthleisureStudio.com/AthleisureKitchen and on Instagram at @AthleisureKitchen and @AthleisureStudio. Athleisure Kitchen is hosted by Kimmie Smith and is Executive Produced by Paul Farkas and Kimmie Smith. It is mixed by the team at Athleisure Studio. Our theme music is "This Boy" performed by Ilya Truhanov.
Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.
We're always excited to join a number of boutique fitness studio classes. There's nothing like being able to really enjoy a specific modality. When we started introducing pilates into our routines, [solidcore] was one of a few studios that we started trying. We spoke with their CEO Bryan Myers, we wanted to know more about his background, transitioning from sweetgreen (a fave of ours) to becoming the CEO and President of [solidcore] and finding out what he is focused on as he continue to exapnd the brand!
ATHLEISURE MAG: We’re excited to be able to connect with you! Before we dig into it, what was your career path that led you to being an alum of sweetgreen and currently at [solidcore]?
BRYAN MYERS: Thank you for having me! I come from a military family, and am a first generation college graduate. My parents have been supportive and proud of me my whole life, so that still pushes me to be my best every day. Post college, I followed a typical path for young professionals in DC – consulting. Craving more adventure and experience, I took a risk with a DC-based startup people have come to know and love as sweetgreen – the fast-casual salad chain that changed the way we think about the intersection of fast food and health food. I learned so much from the founders and leadership team, and it gave me what I needed to eventually join [solidcore] as COO and lead a rapidly growing team. And while the road hasn't always been easy - particulary the last two years - the challenging moments have been the most informative, impactful, and meaningful moments of my career to date. I wouldn't be the leader I am today without the setbacks and experiences I went through.
AM: Sweetgreen is one of our favorite salad places. As VP of Development for this fast casual chain, can you tell me what your responsibilities were as you grew them from a regional chain of 22 restaurants to 90 locations nationally for your 4 years there.
BM: One of the blessings of being a part of a rapidly growing organization is that you get the opportunity to wear many different hats. My experience was no different, but my final role there consisted of overseeing all of our new restaurant growth operations including real estate selection, restaurant design, and construction. It was a really challenging, but fun job that allowed me to play a first hand role in bringing sweetgreen to communities all over the country.
AM: Working with sweetgreen, what drew you to work with this brand and what did you learn from being in the food space?
BM: I was young and seeking something that felt more entrepreneurial. Although I loved my time in consulting, I realized that the true entrepreneurship that I craved wasn’t going to be possible in that environment. At the time, sweetgreen was poised for rapid growth and as an already-loyal consumer, I was already bought into the product! My wheels began turning immediately… I knew together sweetgreen and I had the tools to explode onto the fast-casual health scene, and that’s exactly what we did.
AM: In 2018, you came to [solidcore] what led you to join them as their COO?
BM: My journey with [solidcore] actually began in 2014 as a client. As a lover of the product, joining as COO allowed me to marry many of the skills and experiences that I had developed during my time at sweetgreen with another DC-founded company that I loved.
AM: We have covered two of [solidcore]’s locations in Athleisure Mag’s feature Athleisure List previously. For those that may not be familiar with this fitness studio, can you tell us about it?
BM: [solidcore] is a 50-minute, full-body, strength training workout. It is an entirely immersive experience - held in a dimly-lit room under blue lights, fueled by energizing music, and led by an experienced coach who offers personalized instruction. This is a workout like no other! We utilize our signature machine, [sweatlana]. The [solidcore] workout is one that will transform your body and deliver noticeable results. Whether considered a person’s primary workout, or a supplement to a regular training routine, [solidcore] is designed to make clients stronger and more resilient - physically and mentally.
AM: Since arriving in 2018, you moved on to being the President and COO and you are currently the President and CEO – what is your day-to-day like here?
BM: Everyday is different - and that’s the joy! Of course, at its core, as CEO I am responsible for setting our company’s strategy and building an incredible team to help execute it. I’m so proud of the work that our team has accomplished: we’re near opening our 100th studio, we just wrapped up our Greatness Within campaign where we challenged our clients to discover their inner greatness, we launched a first of its kind partnership with the WNBA Washington Mystics, and so much more. I also coach classes and travel the country to meet our team and clients, which is one of the most rewarding parts of my role! All of it has excitement and challenges and learning opportunities. The varied days keep me going, inspired, and excited for what’s next.
AM: During COVID-19, many fitness studios, like many businesses in various verticals had to adjust to the pandemic. What did you have to do during those years?
BM: In March of 2020, we had to lay off 98% of our staff and coaches and pivot our business model to adapt when the world was in crisis. A skeleton crew stayed on - we all took significant pay cuts - and we worked harder, smarter, and leaner than we ever had before. None of us had all the answers, but together - we found solutions. We built back. And now we're near 100 brick and mortar studios and exceeding pre-Covid numbers. When the going got tough - the team got us through.
AM: You are known for your ability to grow businesses, you’ve opened over 87 locations across 24 states currently and you have an aggressive expansion goal, how do you decide on where these studios will be and are there thoughts to extend the brand internationally?
BM: One of the most compelling parts of the [solidcore] business is the diversity of the communities where we’ve been able to find success. We operate in smaller markets like Fargo, North Dakota, and also the largest cities in the country such as Los Angeles and New York City. That, of course, makes deciding where we go and when very tough because there are so many options! We weigh a bunch of different factors as we think about expansion, but primarily we look to identify markets where we can open multiple locations in attractive trade areas and leverage all of the inbound inquiries that we receive via email and across our social media channels to help prioritize as well! As we look ahead over the next several years, we are excited to begin to bring [solidcore] to markets outside of the United States as well!
AM: We read that [solidcore] has partnered with the WNBA’s Washington Mystics as the official offseason workout partner. What does this partnership look like with the team and fans? Do you have other partnerships that you can share and/or are you looking to connect with others to make creative synergistic partnerships?
BM: This was an exciting one for [solidcore]. You know, we are DC-born so partnering with the Washington Mystics as their official offseason workout partner was a total pinch me moment. Members of the team make their way into the [solidcore] studios and enjoy incorporating our modality into their workout regimen... it's great to be surrounded by such talented athletes which also speaks volumes about the efficacy of [solidcore]’s workout. If these athletes are shaking and sweating, you know it’s going to be a challenge! Of course we are looking to do similar partnerships, but you’ll have to stay tuned for more.
AM: In a competitive landscape, how does [solidcore] maintain its ethos with a focus on building strong, inclusive communities for clients and communities?
BM: One of my favorite things about [solidcore] is how community driven we are. Even though there are nearly 100 [solidcore] locations, each individual studio is evangelist-led by community members with genuine, shared passion. As a whole, our members want to put in the work, and we all believe the work is the joy. We all do it for the sweat, the connection, the challenge, and the growth of it all and that’s what makes [solidcore] such a strong leader in the fitness industry. They come for the workout and stay for the connections.
AM: What is your vision for [solidcore]?
BM: Oh, the sky's the limit with where I want to go with [solidcore]. The brand is redefining the fitness space and provides a workout that challenges and changes you both mentally and physically. Now more than ever we are pushing our members to discover their greatness and create the strongest version of themselves. Just being a part of this movement and expanding to over 100 studios is a win, but who says we’re stopping at 100 studios? We’re hungry to be innovators in the fitness space and you’ll see much more from us in the years ahead!!
AM: Is there anything that [solidcore] is working on or launching as we head into the holiday season/early next year that you would like to share?
BM: [solidcore] is continuing to expand in many of the markets where we already have a presence, including Los Angeles, New York City, and Seattle. We are also preparing for a strong first quarter of 2023 when many of us look to recommit to our health and wellness goals. As we did last year, we’ll have a number of exciting offers to help our communities stay committed to those goals!
AM: There are challenges that you face as you navigate growing your brand, taking space in places where you may be the only person of color or in a very small group. As a Black, gay male CEO – how did you navigate making space for yourself regardless of the adversity that came along?
BM: I am a gay, black man. The first in my family to graduate from college. I have a job running a company that’s helping people mentally and physically, a husband that I love, and a brand new baby boy who is filling my cup and challenging me in ways I literally didn’t think possible. I strive to shatter glass ceilings and break barriers so it was important to me to claim space in this industry. That said, I often talk about the “superpowers” that we all have as a result of the identities that we hold. I’m incredibly proud of the ways that being a Black, gay man has shaped me and many of those qualities have helped me become the leader that I am today which has been so critical to my success.
AM: How do you give back to the community and how important is it to you that you do this?
BM: Giving back to the community is something that has always been important to me, instilled in me since I was young. Currently, I serve on the Board of the Ridley Scholars Foundation, an organization that provides financial and mentorship support to high-achieving African-American students. This is an organization that resonates with me on a deeply personal level since I was a Ridley Scholar myself. It’s such a powerful feeling to have this “full circle” moment where I can help contribute to the future of these amazing students in the same way that others were able to support me.
AM: As someone who is successful and has a lot on his plate, are there other projects that you are working on that you would like for us to know about?
BM: My plate is full but I’ve never been happier. I am constantly inspired by my husband and our new bundle of joy keeps us on our toes. Outside of my day-to-day work with [solidcore], my husband and I have begun to do a small amount of investing behind ideas and entrepreneurs that we believe will shape the future of our country. Additionally, I’ve started to explore corporate board opportunities as another way to take the experience that I’ve gained over the course of my career and help other entrepreneurs and business leaders on their journey of success.
IG @bmysofly
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | [solidcore]
Read the NOV ISSUE #83 of Athleisure Mag and see CORE VISION | Bryan Myers in mag.
We've been using TRX in our workouts for a little over a decade. We love how they allow us to do a number of workouts whether indoors or outdoors and you can pop them into your bag so that your fitness goals stay on track! This functional training system is an innovation in this space and we're excited to see where they go next. We caught up with Randy Hetrick, founder, and creator of this fitness methodology as well as TRX CEO Jack Daly, who recently acquired the brand this summer. We wanted to find out how TRX was created, the background of both of these men as well as what their vision is for the future of the brand, and its products including the TRX Training Club.
ATHLEISURE MAG: Randy, before we delve into the vision of TRX, can you tell us about your background and what led you to creating this fitness methodology?
RANDY HETRICK: I had a background in body weight training and spent a career as a Navy SEAL, so I hatched this kookie idea of using a jiujitsu belt, I mistakenly brought with me on deployment, and some dilapidated parachute material to create this wacky harness that allowed you to lean back, use your own bodyweight against gravity, and train across a wide variety of movements needed to stay strong, agile, and mobile for the SEAL teams. Today, we call that functional training. By the time I was out of the SEALs, I thought I would apply to business school at Stanford. I didn’t think I would get in, but to my everlasting astonishment, they wanted a SEAL on the recruitment poster the year I applied, so it was serendipitous how it all worked out. I was admitted and while there, I utilized the second year of business school as an incubator to determine if the fitness tool I developed overseas was something I should move forward with. Following that year, in 2004, I decided to launch what eventually became TRX.
TRX started around its hero product, the "TRX Suspension Trainer," which in retrospect, is funny, because that is the name I coined to describe it. Suspension Training wasn’t a thing back in the 2000s. It became a fitness phenomenon on the back of TRX. As we grew, we broadened our stance over time, and became one of the global leaders of functional training. We had the benefit of being both good and hard working. But, just as important, we also had timing. The functional training movement was in its infancy, to such a point that when I first heard the term, I thought I should get the URL. So, I went and registered it for $10 which tells you how early we were in the functional training movement. We became one of the main players in what would help to popularize functional training. I also like to categorize it another way – small tools, big movements. This is different from traditional weightlifting and exercising machines you see at every gym, and here we are 18 years later.
AM: And before we talk about the TRX reacquisition, Jack can you tell us about your background?
JACK DALY: I got to know TRX through a friendship with Randy, which is what brought me here. I have spent 25 years on Wall Street as a partner at Goldman Sachs and moved over to be a partner at TPG Capital. My expertise is making controlling investments in large companies. I bought industrials and service companies and have taken companies in public markets and made them private, and taken private companies and later made them public. Over the years, I’ve been working with large-scale companies, which led me to the opportunity to acquire TRX. This is something I have been doing for a very long time.
Prior to my career in business and finance, I spent six years on faculty of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland where I was a mechanical engineer, teaching classes in product-development, design, and manufacturing. The important parts about my background are probably less Wall Street and more the product-development side. I’m also a fitness nut and have been for a very long time. I think this endeavor is more about my enthusiasm for fitness, my product-development experience through my engineering days, and the friendship with Randy, than it is about the 25 years I spent as a partner at Goldman Sachs and TPG buying large companies. But what that experience gave me was the ability to team up with Randy and acquire TRX. This is an acquisition I made with my wife. It’s our family business and it’s a partnership with Randy. I am not investing someone else’s money. I’m investing my own money into TRX through this acquisition, and I’m very excited about it.
AM: That’s fantastic. We have been fans of the products, and have used them. What is that process like in terms of bringing new products to the brand?
RH: I can’t tell you how excited I am to be in business with Jack. Jack’s reputation as a supporter to the SEAL community is unprecedented and, fortunately, I have been able to get to know him much more closely through this opportunity. Everybody knows the story about this thing getting driven into the ground by some guys that didn’t know what they were doing. What I'm most excited about is having Jack, at a point in his career where he decided to step back from being the "deal" guy to start focusing on other quality-of-life-oriented pursuits. This opportunity came up at the perfect time for both of us.
I can tell you about how we brought on products previously, but how cool is it to now have someone on that same path of wanting to create and provide solutions to problems in the fitness realm. To be able to do that in a way that helps people live healthier and better lives, as well as to perform better in sports, is a blessing. It’s also about keeping my former colleagues fit on the battlefield as well.
The foundational idea at TRX is to innovate by looking at problems people have and trying to find an elegant solution. And by elegant, I mean something that is not too complex and not to expensive. Some of the hallmarks of our brand have been our ability and our aspiration. We want to make the same kind of products that benefits the pros - the best on Earth, whether in athletics or tactical fields - and can be used as well by regular folks from a functionality and price perspective. This way, they can take them home and benefit in their own lives. In partnership with gyms, trainers and coaches, we engaged with them to get their honest feedback and recommendations, which is how we built the company for the first 12 years. We like to take real-time input from the folks on the front line at gyms, health clubs and professional- athlete environments who know what our core audience needs. Many of our ideas come from our professional coaches that are training a variety of different people, from physical therapists to strength and conditioning coaches. They have ideas.
Quick question, have you been able to use our TRX Bandit?
AM: Yes, we love them and use them!
RH: People love them and this is an example of something we have developed that provides a solution to a very specific need, yet is not very complex. It’s the antithesis of complex. Literally, it's just a handle that pops over any resistance band. But by creating the product, it encourages people who didn’t like bands to use it, because they previously didn’t like the uncomfortable experience of their hands on a resistance band. I have a knack for sitting down and thinking about things I am super excited about. To be able to sit down with Jack, who can bring that knowledge as a successful product designer in his early years, and combining it with his success as a board member and best best practices from his companies, is a benefit as well. I think, as we go forward, that's how I would look at new product development. Always looking at innovation and always addressing a need. We will try to address a real need, as opposed to coming up with something just because you can. From there, you want to make sure you are creating products that can sell through to the consumer, and that gyms and training facilities would also want. That’s my take on it.
JD: What’s great about this is that you can only imagine how excited I am to team up with such an iconic man. I’m going to embarrass Randy just a little bit. He’s an iconic and legendary inventor of fitness products, having pioneered functional training in this industry through his creativity and genius, and being able to make things happen. Randy's ability to develop these beautiful products, especially on the creative side, just can’t be taught. My time spent teaching undergraduate and graduate engineering courses on product development showcased this clearly.
There is an innate ability to see things that other people can’t see and to be able to bring them to life. Randy has that more than anybody else out there. You have this creative genius who was able to build a company based on that.
Now, with my experience, I can come at it from a disciplined company-builder perspective, plus understanding the product-development process and what goes into that. From an organizational capability, we have that nuclear power engine of the creative genius of Randy being able to really spark the ecosystem and come up with all those ideas. But someone has to see all of those ideas and then take them in, nurture them and develop them. Then, we can come at it with a process overlay and investment perspective on what makes sense, how to do it, how to get all the people around the table, how to action those ideas, how to bring them to prototype, how to test those prototypes and then how to introduce them into market. There is so much that goes into all of this, but I think that is where our skills are very complimentary. As I think about the new products going forward, we're very well positioned to be utilizing this process.
AM: How does TRX Training Club fit into the TRX universe?
JD: From my perspective, I have to tell you that I am very excited about the TRX Training Club. As we came in and looked at the business, there are many things that are great about the company. One of them is the potential of the TRX Training Club. We're off to a very good start and have over 30,000 subscribers in the TRX Training Club ecosystem. What we can do, with the right amount of focus, time, and attention, is take that product and really improve it and then grow it pretty rapidly in many different ways. When you think about how you do that, we can take what we are doing now and bring in Randy's experience, the authentic TRX experience. It’s really about expertise in this kind of training. The foundation we are building for this TRX Training Club is based on authentic expertise and TRX style funcitonal training.
You start off with back to basics...back to core...what are we really good at? And then there is the fitness and entertainment side of it. It has to be entertaining to be effective. The foundation has to be an authentic, real experience and then we will make it entertaining, because you want people coming back over and over again. We marry that with the organizational capability of Quincy Carroll, for example, who is our Chief Technical Officer. He has been involved in building some of the largest subscriber-based businesses in the world. He happened to go to Stanford Business School with Randy 20 years ago so they’re friends, and he wanted to come in and join our mission to do this. We’re thrilled to be able to attract a technology leader like Quincy to come in and bring the tech to match up with Randy and other senior leaders in the company. To have that depth of expertise that has taught people for 20 years in funcitonal training, and - match it with our ecosystem of hundreds of thousands of trainers worldwide, is a good thing. To be able to get expert feedback and to bring it to the TRX Training Club is a great service to provide the customer. If we can marry the expertise we have with the technology platform we are building, and layer that into our ecosystem and get that excitement from our ecosystem around it, that’s a huge opportunity for us. We’re investing a lot of time, energy and, effort into the platform, but it takes time. With a product like that, we won’t be making a lot of changes right away, but there will be changes over the coming quarters to improve it. And I would guess that we will see our subscription numbers grow pretty quickly as we do that.
RH: The only thing I would add here is the company was built on this premise of what we call the "Triple Threat." It was innovative and supported by two pillars. One is wrapping it in great content for the end user, which allows us to entertain and deliver great results that are relevant. The other pillar is partnering with trainers, physical therapists, and coaches. Giving them a level of comfort and depth of knowledge with our tools, enables them to deliver results to their patients, clients, and athletes. That idea has been there since the very beginning of the company. What has not always been there was the tech. We were up online for over a decade, but digital has risen, and you know you have to be a little more deliberate and modest about your expectations, because people have begun to convert over to digital. So, what I'm super excited about is that once we have this app - and it almost feels like we're underselling it by calling it that, because it's such a broader platform than just an app, we'll be able to reach around the world for that consumer and deliver all of this incredible content, education, support, and entertainment to customers of all levels. We'll be able to do it in a way that is efficient and affordable. We never had that ability before. This is someting that is being called TRX 2.0. I'm just "Jacked" about it, no pun intended, because we can take this thing and make it so much bigger that what it ever was before.
AM: What are the roles and responsibilities that you guys have?
RH: While I was away from TRX, as you may or may not know, I developed a company called OutFit that I’m the CEO of. But as we started talking about this (acquisition of TRX) from the beginning, we knew that I couldn’t be the CEO.
I’m an entrepreneur and I love building things. Even towards the end, when I was selling control, TRX was getting to be of a size that I am really passionate about creating. I think what was ideal about the situation was that I was able to say "Jack, we’re going to have to find a CEO for this." Initially, his response was, "We’ll go hire the best CEO we can find, and we'll bring them in." Then as I worked with Jack a little bit, I got to understand him and the way in which he works, and frankly, the talent that he can bring into something. I started pestering him and said, "I don't think we should hire an outside CEO. I think you should do it." His initial response was that he wasn’t doing that. I told him that if he wanted to be a really great control owner, to do that, you have to at least take a couple of years and run it. This way you’re not some smart-ass running things from the cheap seats and asking why the spreadsheet doesn’t match to the reality of how things are. He said that wasn't what he does, but eventually myself and Jack reached out to one of our board members who he can tell you about. Jack told him that I was pushing this crazy idea, and he wanted to know what he thought. Turns out, he joined me in ganging up on Jack to become the CEO for however long he chooses to do so. I have to tell you, as a guy that would tell you that this is not what he does, I'm learning every day from him about best practices on running businesses. I'm really pleased! I don't know whether I'm an Executive Chairman, but I'm way more than a guy sitting out there and coming to a boardroom. I am someone who goes to Jack with my true and honest perspective.
JD: That is the true story. Randy put me in this position. I certainly agree and support those statements. When I decided to acquire the company, I wasn’t thinking of running the company. That’s clear, but Randy and I are very much partners in running this business. Now, he is right. As we were getting closer to thinking about who the best person in the world would be to run the company, he came to me and said that I should do it. He told me I have an intensity issue and would probably kill anyone else in that seat, and I probably do have that. Then a board member and close friend, Mark Fields, who was the CEO of Ford for many years and has also been the CEO of Hertz and runs major companies around the world, and I agreed that I would come in as the CEO and that any one of the three of us can fire me at any moment if I'm not performing or if we find someone better. That was the deal that we had going in. Having now been in this seat going on the third month, I’m having a blast! It really is the perfect position for me. I was in the warehouse running a forklift on Saturday. I was doing an inventory count with the team, and I spent time in the UK with our sales team for our European business arms. I’m getting to know everybody in the company much deeper than I would have otherwise, and I’m having a blast. I’ve been on the phone with our certified trainers worldwide, and I’m really getting to know the ecosystem. We have a summit coming up in Massachusetts in early December that Randy and I will be part of. From my perspective, it has turned out to be a perfect position, and I’m really excited about that. There’s an activation energy that comes, even at this stage in my career, from taking on a role like this.
Randy is the vision, direction, and spiritual leader of the industry and the company, and he’s actively involved in all of the major decisions that we’re making as a company. I’m building the team and making the trains run on time. We work together a lot. I talk with Randy multiple times a day. We're buddies, so that makes it easy. Randy's partner, Jill, on the other hand, probably wants me to talk to him a little bit less, but we're having a great time doing this. We're building this team and we're all on this mission of what we want from this company, and I have to tell you it's fun and exciting.
RH: The one other thing I will add is that by structuring it this way, we’re able to move fast, which is such an asset. Normally, if you think about how it would work, a CEO would be separate, and you have these board members, and there’s this whole series of delays and a lot of inefficiency that comes from having the CEO constantly having to put everything together for board approvals, which takes up a ton of time. For us, we're able to pull our team together quickly with a couple of board members and make quick decisions. This is a critical position to be in, coming into a business that was struggling and trying to turn it around rapidly. What you're going to see over the next 12-18 months just couldn't happen in a different structure at this kind of pace. I have been really happy. It was something that I didn't really anticipate, but it has worked out really great.
JD: The point Randy is making, which is worth noting, the team that has come together is a combination of OGs and NGs within the TRX community. We have OGs like Randy and Rick Cusick who came in as our Chief Revenue Officer after exiting the business in 2019/2020 and brought a great perspective. Our senior management team is really extraordinary. I mentioned that Mark Fields is on our board. Frank McGuigan, who is also on our board, is one of the most recognized senior leaders in global supply chain. If you look at the management team, our CFO was Revlon's former CFO for eight years, Doug Greeff, who also ran Global Leverage Finance for Citigroup. He's an extraordinary finance executive who is on this mission with us. Quincy Carroll, who I mentioned earlier, is the CTO and, a friend of Randy’s, has known this business for a long time and is very close with him. Our VP and General Counsel, Alain Villeneuve was TRX's litigation attorney for 12 years. When we came together to acquire the company, he came to us and said that he wanted to be on the team. He wanted to be in-house and on this mission with us. We’re about to announce the new head of Supply Chain. An 11-year Senior Executive at Nike, who was at Nautilus six years before that and provides great start up experience as well. World class talent is here.
I did not acquire this business to flip it. I want to build this over the next couple of decades to take something that is very special and make it even better. We have this great team around us that is making it possible to do that, and these are just some of the names.
AM: That’s fantastic! Looking into next year, what is the vision of TRX as a brand, its projects and new products?
RH: We have a bunch of cool, innovative new products that are in the pipeline that I was part of before the dark days came and I went away. Fortunately, that group couldn’t figure out how to get those things to market. There are some really interesting new products that are new takes on training modalities like elastic resistance, which is something that I am really interested in. I think that it is something that has been under-leveraged, and there is a real opportunity to leverage there. Our products are pretty damn smart, but we’re interested in making them smarter. I think there is a way to do things we have been doing, but make them better, faster, more efficiently and more profitably. TRX will never do some crappy commodity product, just because we can. We want to speak to premium and quality, and have items that speak to deliberate and smart approaches. If we can’t do that and wrap it in amazing content, then we shouldn’t do it.
JD: We’re completely on the same page. From our perspective, now that we are two months into the acquisition, and having a retooled senior management team, we’re really focused on getting back to basics as a first step which won’t be as exciting to you, but it’s really important to us. Getting back to basics is critical and understanding what we do now, what we do well...how we do everything well...in a first-class way and improving the foundation. Obviously, the business has been up and running for a long time now. So focusing on those basics is key, such as making supply chain a competitive advantage rather than focusing on just getting product out the door.
Those are the things we’re doing. On the new product side, Randy has a bag of magic tricks, and the trainers in our ecosystem do as well. As we get through this period of focusing on what we do today, we’re going to look for competitive advantages through improving the products we have and through the development of new products as well. Things like expanding the functional training product line is a natural thing to do. Working to ensure that the services within the TRX Training Club work hand-in-hand with the products is critically important. Then it’s about looping back to a connected system. Everyone is looking for more feedback and more information. They want to have that connected experience and bio feedback. We have lots of places that we can grow through new services and new products that collectively create a complete system where you’re not only working out, but it’s being tracked and, you’re getting feedback in real time, so you’re able to compare yourself day over day, month over month and year over year. It’s like anything else, when you’re getting ready to compete in a sport, get your body in excellent shape. Get your cardio and your strenth up. Get your agility where it needs to be, and then you get into the ring ready to do battle. What we’re doing now is getting our cardio up and getting our strength and our agility up, and then we’re going to pick our spots to see what rings we’re going into, where we're going to do battle, and we're going to do all that in a very deliberate way. We have the expectation that it's coming and we'll need to be a little patient while we work on our core health. But then watch us as we start coming up with these new tools, equipment, and capabilities for our customers, while we simultaneously activate our ecosystem. There are people all around the world that are excited about the brand!
If you have not tried the TRX Training Club, Jack and Randy are giving our readers 90 days free to try it out for yourself!
You'll have access to an all-in-one virtual gym built for everybody, everywhere, every level. When you move with TRX, there’s no limit to how far you can go.
You will have unlimited access to 500+ on demand workouts, new on demand workouts added weekly, unlimited access to daily LIVE classes and unlimited access to daily REPLAY classes.
Simply visit www.trxtraining.com/athleisuremag, no credit card required!
IG @trxtraining
PHOTO COURTESY | TRX
Read the NOV ISSUE #83 of Athleisure Mag and see FORGING AHEAD WITH TRX | Randy Hetrick + Jack Daly in mag.
Growing up in the 90s, when you thought of Beach Volleyball, you thought about Gabby Reece! Whether it was seeing her in a number of commercials, gracing covers of Elle, Women's Sports & Fitness, appearing in Arliss (which in many respects laid the groundwork for future HBO shows such as Entourage and Ballers), interviewing athletes, modeling and so much more. Gabby really made her presence know whether she was on the sand or off.
We enjoyed catching up with Gabby to talk about her career, how she got into playing volleyball and how she used her creativity and natural curiosity to continue to add an array of work to her portfolio is amazing. In addition, we talk about how she is an advocate for fitness, wellness and nutrition and why this is something that she is so passionate about. We also find out about other projects she has going on such as The Gabby Reece Podcast and her entrepreneurial projects with her husband, big wave surfer, Laird Hamilton.
ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you realize that you wanted to play beach volleyball?
GABBY REECE: Well I moved from the Caribbean my junior year of high school to Florida and I was 15 and I was 6’3” and I had dabbled a little bit. But because athletics was so organized in the US, it was sort of like they said that I had to play. I was really a beginner and kind of like a neophyte at it and like I said, I had just kind of dabbled. Then I started getting offers my senior year which is pretty late for college which was a surprise to me for basketball and for volleyball. So it really was something that I fell into. I think that being part of something was really powerful for me. I think that my nature is that I like to work hard. I think that if you had said to me at the end of my junior year that I would be going and playing college volleyball, I would not have known that! Quite frankly, the same with professional volleyball. When I was in college, I had not participated in beach volleyball. It was only because I had moved to Miami after college and I picked up the game and someone said after about a year and a half, that I should move to California. I’d say that I did that a lot in that realm.
AM: We’ve been fans of yours watching you during your iconic career, you made your presence known from being Nike’s first female spokesperson, the first female athlete to ever have designed a shoe for Nike and their first ever female cross training spokesperson. What do you feel are your biggest achievements in the sport?
GR: You know, I have to be honest, I feel that just being able to participate in anything at a high level with other people that are doing it! I mean, I won a World Championship, but there were some other things and I think that for me personally, it was being able to play at that level and being around that caliber of athletes and coaches. Because I always say that volleyball in a different way kind of saved my life a bit. It sort of directed me in this area that I remained in for my adult life. So I think that for me, it was a very deep relationship! Plus, I feel like volleyball, like any other sport, it’s very honest and I always felt like I had respected myself after practice if you will, if that makes sense. Because you can’t bs it. If I was modeling, they could give you really good hair and makeup or you could be like whatever and tuck in this and this – wear something tight there. But I think that there was something that was really honest about it which I know that this sounds weird, but then it also makes being imperfect and vulnerable easier because you’re like, “oh yeah, I know what it’s like to fall on my face in front of a lot of people.” So it almost gives you the strength to be like – yeah I know how to suck and I know how to fail and it’s ok, you’ll be able to survive it.
AM: I like the way that you put that. You’ve navigated the sport and have also added in these other elements of yourself whether it’s being an author, modeling, acting and hosting. Why is it important to you to be able to utilize these skills in your creative pursuits?
GR: Well I think that you just said. I think that we’re all creative and we express ourselves differently. For me, my husband says this perfectly because Laird is a surfer and Laird is more dedicated to his sport because it’s part of his life and it’s very different. But he says, I’m Laird and one of the things that I do is surf. And I think for me, it was a creative outlet, but so were the other things! Interviewing other people and learning from them or writing books or writing columns, these were just other extensions of who I am and a creative outlet because in certain ways I combat being very linear. So, every once in awhile when I have these opportunities, to have these creative expressions, I feel like it just helps me. You get a level of satisfaction I think in life when you get to do that.
AM: Tell me about the Gabby Reece Show, why you wanted to start this podcast and what you have learned by doing it?
GR: Oh my gosh, what I have learned is that there are a lot of smart people out there! You know, I used to interview people when I started for TV in the early 90s and I liked it, but it was short and quick. You got 7 mins, you got 12 mins whatever. I like the idea of it also not being about me because I was interviewed often so it was like, oh this is cool this is about them. You’re doing your homework. I did a podcast with a gentleman named Neil Strauss, he’s an author and we’re very different. So we did that for a few years and to be honest, I didn’t have the confidence necessarily to think that I could do it myself and be interesting. I thought that I could be interesting for like 12 shows…
AM: Impossible – impossible!
GR: No, I’m being honest! I’m always in awe of people who say that they are so fun to watch. I’m like, wow you’re amazing! I think for me it was like, yeah it makes me uncomfortable, but I am curious and I do like to learn and so I do talk to a lot of different types of people – scientists and doctors and the hope was to get the very best in information – the sharp end of the stick of information and communicate it at the 6th grade level and also try to give it to people who really need it. I always say that people like myself or athletes or people that have the opportunity to have trainers or eat organic food – they already don’t need it. It’s people that are working their butts off and they are just trying to get there minute by minute – how do we condense this information for them and to get it to them in a way that it is understandable, but it’s the really good information. And it’s like, can you tweak this one thing or could you do this? So that’s my hook because if you’re very high performance, you’d say that this is very good intel, but if you’re like, “I’m too busy to deal with it,” then we sift through it for you and say maybe this is what you really want to focus on.
AM: As a mom, you’re someone who is involved in a lot of entrepreneurial endeavors, health and wellness is key to you and we’re always looking at things that we can add into our workout – what are 3 exercises that you do that we should consider including?
GR: You know, I’m sometimes the anti person in this way – I’m like, oh! I have a friend and we say 100% of the things a 100% of the time. So when we talk about cardio, stretching or lifting – I will say this, anytime that you can use more of your whole body and also work on proprioception and balance – like working out on one leg at a time is great. Like a sit up, you’re going to be very strong in a limited range of motion. But if you do a clean and jerk or a 1 arm dumbbell snap, you activate from your neck to the top of your knee. So I would say that squatting, overhead snapping and one legged type movements where you are doing one legged row or deadlift is best. I don’t want women to shy away from lifting weights.
Cardio is good for your heart, but lifting some time under tension I want to say that I really want to encourage women and if they say that they don’t want to get too big, it’s very hard to build muscle, you’re not going to get too big. Those muscles work in your favor long after you have lifted weights and they just do so many positive things for you. So I would say that and you know having some kind of mobility and integration in there. That’s the other thing, if you asked me where I really blew it. I got really tight as an athlete andI didn’t integrate enough mobility.
When you say to me to pick 3, I would say things that challenge your balance and those that are working on your whole body, but warm up because if you are doing 3 joint kind of moves versus single joint moves that are more complex and learn how to do things correctly. Let’s not go in the wrong direction every day, let’s try to move in the right direction so that we don’t get injured. Do some kind of diversity where ok you’re outside and walking, maybe take your shoes off, you’re on a bike and you’re doing something – not to do the same things over and over! I want people to support themselves and to participate in their recovery. So it’s not like, oh it’s my day off. It’s, ok it’s my day off and I am going to do some breathing or meditation practice. It’s my day off and I’m going to see if I can get myself into a sauna or do a cold plunge. So, making the recovery a dynamic process that you support yourself. It shouldn’t be just like oh I’m not doing anything. My hope is that everyone works out and they do it decently – hard at least a couple of times a week forever. So, we need to find ways to recover.
The other part is that you should be truthful to yourself. On the days that you don’t feel different than the days that I call it, bone tired. If you’re genuinely bone tired, it might be better to take the day off and that's why it's tricky too. Because if Wed is your day off, but what if you feel great on Wed and you feel like shit on Fri? I also want to encourage people to listen to want themselves. If you hate the gym, then the gym isn’t for you – so what is for you? It’s just getting them to do that because it’s the only way that we will be consistent.
And there’s also only so much time in the day! Laird and I joke all the time about these new exercises that I’m doing to help my hip, it’s like everybody feels that way! The other thing is that I would direct people, there’s so many people that are really good. I don’t work with any of these people, but I know them. Jill Miller has things that she can teach people about self-mobilization for those that say that they don’t know what to do. I like Jill Miller, I like Kelly Starrett and what happens is, if you see one, it will lead you to the next. So Kelly Starrett wrote a book called Becoming A Supple Leopard. These are people that give you these proactive tools. Even though we’re talking about motion, we all know that the #1 is just food right? It’s like there is no way around it. Food is everything. So no matter what, I want to encourage people that we focus on the training, this and that, but what’s so important is that it is all about our nutrition. It’s a bummer because it’s the hardest one and it’s the one that could be the most sexiest or fun that we use to medicate like I'm bored, I'm heartbroken whatever. But I want to encourage people to not give up on that because that is the most important part of this whole equation.
AM: You’re a brand ambassador for Rebalance Health. What is synergistic to you about incorporating this into your lifestyle and what made the partnership right for you?
GR: Well, typically, I don’t know why I have always been like this, but even in my early 20s when I was first starting out in this work, I would never talk about things or represent things that I wouldn’t personally take. I will say that in the case of Rebalance for example, they wanted to vet me as well. I took the product for a lot of months actually maybe 5 or 6 months because you have to feel it right? Especially with things like this which are subtle. So what attracted me to the product initially was that it felt realistic to me, it was easy to use, it had a melt in your mouth lozenge, they have 3 kinds of mint in there and it didn’t say it was going to do this overnight – it’s a system to help you manage cortisol levels. I am familiar with a lot of the ingredients – ashwagandha and maca. The womens formula is different than the mens imagine that! They have things like tongkat ali which I know about from Laird which can boost or support your system for testosterone. Just things like that – I felt that this was well created and formulated and the ingredients were high level and it was very thoughtful. There was this idea that some people thought that cortisol was bad, but no we want cortisol – it helps us get a lot done, but we do want to manage it so that we can have a restful sleep.
I love that there is the Morning, Evening and Bedtime. That made sense, the ingredients made sense, it’s easy to use and it’s achievable. If you tell someone to take this 30 mins after you eat and 4 minutes before something – no one is going to do that. I love the other side. I know that this is pretty obvious, but I love it when there is no downside!
The idea of something being really good and things like this that are focused on natural herbs, they elevate your own system so that it can do its job better. When I hear things like that, that I believe. I started taking it and for me, I had an energy and my sleep improved. For me, that has always been my Achilles in terms of my sleep. I do a lot of mind grinding like a lot of people and trying to solve all the household issues at night when I’m sleeping or when you get up at 3am and you think, I’m going to tell that kid that thing tomorrow! It really helps with that and I felt that pretty quickly. For me, it was about a week and then we collaborated and after checking me out, we agreed to work together and that's how we got here. For me, it's in my cabinet and the way that I do it, I have coffee in the morning and as I’m running out the door, no one wants coffee breath and I’ll just pop my Rebalance Morning lozenge in the morning and it’s like boom I have mints and it’s melting. I want to encourage people that try the product, please don't eat it just try to let it happen so that you can absorb it through sublingually – let it melt. It’s one of those ones where I know how hard it is to formulate it and to bring it at such a high level and to encourage people to do it this way. I feel really honored.
AM: I have been taking it for the past few days and I have noticed that my sleep is better. The Morning part, I have it after my protein shake as the shake is a bit dense so it’s good to have something to freshen up with after drinking it.
GR: Yes! Doesn’t it help – it’s like the double whammy! When I use my Night one it’s when I’m preparing dinner, because you’re just held in one spot and I just sort of pop it in and then I let it happen. What I say to people is for the Bedtime one, if you’re taking a shower before you go to bed, maybe pop one in and just let it happen.
What has your boyfriend thought about it?
AM: I know the Morning one was a bit much for him as the minty aspect was a lot for him, but I think that he liked the Bedtime one. I like that it’s something that we can do together as it sits on our vanity and it’s a system. It gives you something to add into your day, I like the stickers and the packaging!
GR: It’s beautiful! Then they do the refills which is less packaging and it’s just the bag.
AM: I think that it’s something that is working for me and it’s nice after that first protein shake – I chug it and put the lozenge in.
GR: I think that they want people to know that it’s not a sleep aid, but because you are dealing with your cortisol levels, it helps you manage and that ends up leading to a better more restful night sleep. We’ve talked about movement and food, but we all keep our sanity and the only time that we recover is when we’re sleeping. Whether you want to manage weight, deal with vitality, longevity or you just want to look younger, it’s sleep.
AM: I do have to say because I check my REM cycles and stuff, I feel that I have gotten 20 – 30 mins more of the REM sleep.
GR: Interesting.
AM: I’m not saying that that will be the case for other people.
GR: No no it’s your experience.
AM: Yeah, it’s something that I have seen and in terms of things that I do for my sleep, I feel that that tablet has something to do with that over time. So if that’s what it is for me, then bring on the tablets!
What will your partnership look like in terms of what you will do with Rebalance Health?
GR: One thing I am excited about is the ability to do giveaways and to give people the opportunity to try it out. They've been very kind that once a month that we do 1 female and 1 male giveaway so people can try. It will really be about hopefully using the idea that the credibility that I represent that people will say that they are curious to know more. There is also an educational component as well for people in terms of how they would use it in their own lives and why.
So not to make it too technical, there has to be an educational process because it would be too hard for people to try something new where people have to take it orally and not sort of give them some information. I think it’s important to empower people in any part of this whether it's exploring physical health or nutrition and what have you. They have to understand their why and providing that user friendly information especially since it’s new and they haven’t taken certain herbs or things. What’s the difference and certain things have a systemic impact on you and it’s understanding that whole organism and system. I take it, I want to give it away and if makes sense for their day to day lives, I want them to know about it and why they should take it. We’ll be doing that in the upcoming months and year. My thing is, if I find stuff that is good, because it is hard to find things out there that are, we need to put some light on it. I use this and I find it to be really good and if you were my girlfriend down the street, I’d be like, I learned about this or I saw that and I would vet it first so that you’re not coming back to me 6 months later saying, “hey Gabby, I don’t know about this.” The other part is making sure that I am being responsible. I want to feel good about things and feel proud to work with companies and that if people are trying it out, they are your friends.
It’s like when I go to a doctor, I ask them, what would you tell your sister? I treat everyone like my neighbor. If I’m not going to do it, I wouldn’t suggest it to someone else either.
IG @gabbyreece
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Gabby Reece
Read the NOV ISSUE #83 of Athleisure Mag and see THE WELLNESS ADVOCATE | Gabby Reece in mag.
When it comes to celebrating a major moment or the fact that you just got through the day, sparkling wine and Champagne is our go-to. There's something about opening the bottle the act of pouring it for yourself or others. Just in time for the holiday season, we caught up Jen Pelka who knows a thing or two about this beverage. We chatted with her to find out how she found her way into food and her path to this bubbly beverage. She shares how she came about launching her much talked about The Riddler which had locations in San Francisco and NY locations and her latest venture, Une Femme. We dig into how this wine empowers, collaborates with others and gives back to charities that benefit women. She also gives us some tips on how we can pair these wines with dishes and how we can purchase them when gifting it to others as a gift or a thank you for inviting us to dinner.
ATHLEISURE MAG: We have been fans of yours for awhile now as The Riddler was such a great spot to go to! So being able to talk to you about Une Femme Wines as well as The Riddler is perfect!
JEN PELKA: Oh thank you! Which one did you go to the one in San Francisco or the one in NY?
AM: The West Village. I remember that I had been following The Riddler’s IG account for awhile and the time, you only had the San Francisco location. But I kept following it because I knew if a location opened up in NY, I’d be there. When you opened it here, I want to say that I was there in the first 6 weeks. The concept and the vibe was so fun!
JP: I’m excited to talk with you and I’m so glad that you enjoyed The Riddler and we know that there were many who liked it and we all hope that it will come back one day.
AM: Before we delve into Une Femme Wines, when did you fall in love with food and what point in your journey did it take you to focusing on wines and champagnes?
JP: I’m really lucky that I grew up in a family that really loved food, restaurants and entertaining. My parents were both home cooks and also my dad’s family was really in the restaurant business so they had diners and delis his whole life growing up. My grandfather was actually the chef of the Ocean County NJ Jail and would come home after work in his whites. He would always have cream puffs or bananas – the two things that would go bad so those are always fun traditions that we had as a family. We always had food around, we always had entertaining around.
So, when I went to college, one of the things that I wanted to do when I graduated was basically to start a restaurant and my parents said, ”you’re crazy, move to NY and get a real job.” That’s what I did but as soon as I was there, I fell in love with restaurants and chefs. It was really at the beginning of chefs coming out into the dining room and being in their whites and I was really lucky. I was at the bar of the restaurant Schiller’s, there was a chef that was down the bar on one of his night’s off and out of his whites reading this book called The Perfectionist: Life and Death in Haute Cuisine, which was about a chef that had 3 Michelin chef stars and lost his star and committed suicide. So we started talking about this book that he was reading and it turned out that he was a chef at the restaurant Daniel on the UES. I had heard that you could work as a stagiaire – essentially an intern and I asked him if I could come in and intern for him. So from Schiller’s to the following weekend I starting stagiairing and I ended up working at Daniel every Sat for a year and a half. I had a job at a hedge fund and I learned so much working in that kitchen. I worked on almost every position on the line with amazing chefs and eventually lobbied to become Daniel Boulud’s research assistant. So that is where it all really began. So it’s in my blood, in my family, but it all really got ignited in 2004/2005 at restaurant Daniel.
AM: That is amazing. I love a good Boulud restaurant and such a great story. So how did that turn into you getting into the wine industry?
JP: I have always loved champagne and sparkling wines. Actually, Schiller’s was the restaurant that my friends and I went to in our 20s and we would always drink Prosecco there. We didn’t understand the difference between Prosecco and Champagne, but we just knew that drinking something bubbly is always really fun and celebratory. Once I was at Daniel, I started learning about traditional Champagnes and then I ended up taking on a job later at the Gilt Groupe, the shopping site. We launched a website called Gilt Taste which was an online food and beverage gourmet site essentially. There, we did a ton of sales with all of the Moet Hennessey Champagnes so Veuve Clicquot, Dom Perignon, Krug etc and that’s where I really started to learn about Champagne by going to the Veuve Clicquot headquarters, doing tastings with them and learning and understanding their wines. It was also about really understanding the Champagne making process. I wouldn’t say that I’m a wine aficionado, but I am definitely a Champagne lover and when it comes to Champagnes and wines in particular, that’s where I really focus and where I have a huge amount of passion.
AM: Such a great story. I love that you turned something that you enjoyed and just spread out and learned as you went along. You have created a safe space for people to understand that information that they need to get which I think is awesome.
JP: Well I think that that was so much of the spirit of what we did at The Riddler. I wanted to create a place, a destination especially for women where they could open up a great bottle of wine, have a really good time and drink really really beautiful wines but not to take the experience of the educational components too seriously. Our team took the development of the wine list very seriously. We treated the wines the wines with a tremendous amount of respect, but for a typical night out, you just want to pop a bottle and have a really good time. It’s our job to curate a really good list and guaranteeing that every guest was going to open something really special and have a really beautiful wine experience. We were not the kind of place that you were given a long list of attributes and education about the wines unless you wanted it. I think that any wine drinker can enjoy really beautiful delicious wines without having to go into the really serious sides of things.
AM: I know whether it was with my friends or if I was being asked by agencies where I wanted to go if we wanted to just hang out over drinks and have some nibbles, The Riddler was always my go-to suggestion! You felt sophisticated being there knowing you’re in this environment and you didn’t feel intimidated and you could enjoy it. It was kind of like, my boyfriend loved a good cigar bar and you could find him at The Carnegie Club, I liked my bubbly and I had The Riddler.
I also loved that you had women made wines there. What was the process like in terms of finding the great wines that you featured there?
JP: Well, the reason why we had women made wines was that all of our investors in both locations were women. So 33 investors in San Francisco and 40 in NY, all women. Many were first time investors some big and some small, but that was really important to me to get together a really great community of women in support of the bars. When you’re looking at a Champagne list with hundreds of Champagnes by the bottle, it’s pretty intimidating. So we tried to find ways into the menu for those that were new to Champagne or exploring a new style of Champagne. For us, we thought it would be really cool to feature women made wines and it turns out that those wines would always outsell every other style of wine on the list. Those were always the most popular. You get 2 girlfriends together who are out for the night and they’re choosing between 100s of wines, of course they are going to pick a wine made by women.
So how we found them was just by doing a huge amount of research, working with distributors, sales people and everybody that had access to Champagne lists and Champagne producers’ wines. We also just proactively asked for women made wines and I see more and more restaurants, retailers, wine shops, websites, etc having a big focus now on diversity, inclusion, interesting voices, interesting producers and we were happy to be part of that 5 years ago. It’s exciting to see that continuing to build.
AM: I would agree with that. I started to notice various places that do highlight that and I always think that there was a place that actually did that before it was a trend. But it’s good to have inclusion no matter how it happens.
JP: Absolutely.
AM: It definitely made me excited to support that initiative. Even though I didn’t know the maker/producer, you were happy that your dollar was supporting her.
JP: Totally, totally. I think you know, I talk to so many people, women especially who just have come to realize that one of the ways that we can make significant change and to bring about equity is by voting with our wallet. I try whenever possible to buy sustainable products and products that give back and I try to learn about the founders of the companies that I am buying products from. It’s not possible for every single thing that we buy to know the provenance, but when you can get curious about it, it’s great. It doesn’t even necessarily mean that you’re spending more – your dollars are going to something that that you believe in.
AM: I’m a big believer that when people understand the process and who is behind certain things, that’s where the connection comes in. Like you could leave whatever company and go to the next one, I know that if I hear your name, you have a focus that’s in a very specific area that I want to support and that’s important to me. I wouldn’t have known that if I hadn’t stalked The Riddler account for awhile and then finally going to the location in NY.
As the Co-Founder of Athleisure Media, I also believe that you need to bring those voices forward.
When you created Une Femme, what was the thought behind this and tell me about this brand.
JP: It really started as our house wine at The Riddler. We found that so many women were buying women made wines that guests would ask us, “how do I know when I go into a retail store or that I’m looking at a wine list, that it is being made by women?” So I thought, why isn’t there a brand for this? So I launched Une Femme as an opportunity to highlight women winemakers whose wine style we already loved and to put them all under one brand. The first wine that we launched was a really beautiful organic grower-producer Champagne from a 5th generation wine producer called Gonet-Medeville, a husband and wife team and we really love their style of wine. It’s elegant and really luxurious wines. They were always wines that when we opened them for friends, they were always surprised and delighted. You may not have heard of the producer, but the wines speak for themselves. So that was the first partnership that we launched and then after, we started looking at the sales at The Riddler and we noticed that the top selling wine was whatever was the most affordable sparkling rosé by the glass. I couldn’t find a sparkling rosé wine in California made by a woman wine maker that I was in love with. So I reached out to a woman who is a great wine producer, Samantha Sheehan – she makes POE and Ultra Violet as well as Mommenpop Vermouths. I said, Sam let's make a rosé together. She agreed and the next one we made was The Callie.
AM: Just got that one! I’ll be enjoying that this weekend, it’s been a very busy 2 weeks, but it will be me and The Callie!
JP: Awww that’s great! I love it! So that wine is a delicious, dry, sparkling rosé predominantly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. It’s really meant to be an approachable, crowd pleasing, delicious high quality sparkling rosé representative of California wine making. That was the wine that really took off for us. We have since launched a sparkling white wine called The Betty for Betty White. I love that wine. It’s a very dry, very elegant, very nuanced sparkling white wine Chardonnay and Pinot Noir as well. I think that it’s pretty close to rivaling Champagne, you can never truly rival Champagne, but I think that for the price point, it really punches above its weight. I’m so proud of that wine. So for us, Une Femme is all about women made wine makers. All of our wines are made by women wine makers and they give back to charities that benefit women. Our key partners are The Breast Cancer Research Fund and Dress for Success. Both of which are incredibly important to us and that we are really proud to give back to. It’s just been so fun to see the reception to these wines and to the brand and we’re just growing nonstop right now.
AM: That’s so great to hear. So you work with women owned producers in Champagne, Napa and Sonoma – do you think that you will expand to other regions that have women owned producers?
JP: Absolutely, we have been talking a lot about the potential of launching a Prosecco, the potential of launching a Cava, there’s a lot happening right now in the UK in what they’re calling British Fizz which is sparkling wines from the UK and we’re also interested in other areas in the US – North Fork in NY and on up the coast of the West Coast. I think that we will pretty much stick with sparkling wines because it is a passion of ours and we know that so many of our customers love sparkling wines. I think it’s really fun to be able to taste sparkling wines from different regions side by side. Honestly, it’s just what I love!
AM: I love that just by default, your brand is about empowerment, collaboration and giving back. I think that that’s a message that transcends no matter what vertical you work in. Why is it important to have those 3 things which are massive pillars to your brand?
JP: You know, for me, collaboration and support, all of these pieces are just what has gotten me to where I am in my career now. One of the things that I think is so powerful about women is that I think for a long time there was this perception of the mean girl or women being really competitive against each other and I just really feel that that isn’t true anymore. The women that I see succeed are the ones that are helping each other out and are teaming up with collaborative projects and are giving back and that’s who people want to support. I’ve just been incredibly lucky throughout my career to work with amazing women and it’s just so naturally what I lean towards and what I gravitate to is teaming up with women that are doing cool stuff. I will tell you that there is nothing more powerful than female customers who are advocating for something that they love. You get a gaggle of women together talking about something and it’s incredibly powerful.
AM: Especially when you have all of these women come together, we’re more than just one thing and for myself, I Co-founded this magazine, I’m also a fashion stylist and when you start talking over sparkling wine, all of these ideas come out and it gets done. You don’t even think about the red tape that you had to get through – it’s just people sitting down, talking, being vulnerable sharing whatever and moving forward and bringing something together that is bigger than themselves which is really beautiful.
JP: That’s so true! We’ve come a long way these last couple of years. The last couple of years has been so challenging, but I think that through all of the muck, a lot of progress has been made. We still have a lot of work to do.
AM: I think that when you have something so horrific that continues to happen in various ways, you start realizing that you can’t just be in your own corner anymore. You need to do something or just change the perspective. It has been challenging, but I have seen some really beautiful things that have come out. If we were all doing the things that we were doing before, we would be annoyed about what’s going on, but the need to do something else wouldn’t be there so it’s amazing.
Tell me about the Hall of Femme and why was it important to honor women in this way?
JP: So the Hall of Femme is kind of an awards program that we launched in which we decided to honor 365 women a year – a years worth of women that have shattered glass ceilings. The way that you’re selected is that you’re nominated in your community or someone on our team. We have a section on our website where you can nominate women to be included. Every month we honor 30 women from across the country in every possible vertical of business, philanthropy or politics that have shattered the glass ceiling in some way. I believe that you don’t have to be the first person in the world or in history to do something that shatters the glass ceiling. You can be the first woman in your family, your neighborhood, your block or at your college. For each of these women, we spotlight them on our website, across social media and then we also send them this incredible gift which is a crate of sparkling wine from Une Femme and there’s a sheet of stunt glass on the top and they get a hammer and they shatter the glass!
AM: That’s awesome!
JP: It’s amazing, it’s incredible and it gives me goose bumps every single time I watch a woman shatter these glass ceilings. It’s always very emotional. I’ve seen women do it when they were pregnant, I’ve seen them do it with their kids in frame, I’ve seen them do it with their partners and their friends or their team. It’s really such an important commemorative moment to just showcase all of the progress that so many women have made in their own worlds and in their own communities. We’re called Une Femme because we believe it only takes 1 woman to shatter another glass ceiling. There are limitless glass ceilings still above us and I think that we should each have our own personal mission to identify what is that glass ceiling that we want to shatter and to go after it.
AM: I did not know about the crate!
JP: Oh yeah!
AM: Wow, just hearing you say it and thinking about having that moment of knowing, yes I did do that. That’s really nice.
JP: It’s incredible. We have had a lot of people ask us if we will sell these boxes because what a cool thing to send to someone as a gift. So we’re working on trying to figure out how to make that happen. But as of right now, it’s essentially an award that you can be nominated for and it’s been an amazing experience connecting with these 365 women and they are a big part of our community. We reach out to them regularly and collaborate with them and it’s amazing to just be able to showcase some cool stuff that all of these women have done.
AM: With the holiday season upon us, we always love knowing about pairings. Looking at The Callie for example, what are 3 dishes or 3 kinds of snacks that people can enjoy with it?
JP: Great question! I think that The Callie is really great for brunch. Some of my favorite brunch pairings would be a soft scramble egg with for me – crème fraiche and a little caviar and salmon roe – even some lox. That to me is the ultimate brunch opportunity. I also love this wine with tacos – I know that sounds kind of funny!
AM: I love rosé with tacos!
JP: Me too! So a breakfast taco with a fried egg, avocado and some crema would be delicious. I also think about things on the brunch side like a lemon ricotta pancake with blueberries or something like that which would be so good.
But when it comes to the evening, especially holidays, I’m always thinking caviar and potato chips.
AM: Oh yes!
JP: That was our classic go-to dish at The Riddler. It’s the easiest thing to do when you’re at a dinner party or for a holiday party. Just get a bowl of potato chips, caviar and crème fraiche – boom! You don’t have to buy crazy expensive caviar, but that’s always a fun one. It’s interesting that some of the classic Champagne pairings are always things that are fried! French fries are like a #1 best pairing. I know that some people think that that is so crazy. But trust me, next time you’re out at a restaurant. Get fries and a bottle of Champagne – of course a bottle of Une Femme and they are just made for each other. Another one is classic fried chicken. My husband and I sometimes when we are feeling fancy will do a staycation and stay at a beautiful fancy hotel and order room service. We always get chicken fingers and Champagne and let me tell you, it’s so fun and so delicious!
AM: I love that! I love a good Korean Fried Chicken and Champagne. Those two together –
JP: The best! I think that that is so much of what we would always talk about at The Riddler – the high-low. You don’t always have to do the Champagne with caviar. You should do it and you should be drinking it with the kinds of food that you would normally be eating anyway. I actually think that anything that you would think to drink a beer with, you can substitute Champagne or sparkling wine with. They have a lot of similar characteristics. They’re both fizzy, they’re both cold, they have great acidity and they’re a great compliment to anything that has that need to have something thirst quenching with it.
AM: Sometimes you just want something that's high-low. I believe in that concept when I style people and I also believe it when it comes to food. There’s something so satisfying about those flavors coming together and it’s also about normalizing that everyday is a special occasion, especially with all the stuff that we have been through.
JP: You know it! Absolutely. I totally believe that that’s true and I think that it is so important to cheers to yourself and your friends. Everyday should be a special occasion. On the high-low styling, we actually talk as a team about a great amazing outfit, one of my favorites ever is a great pair of Levi’s, a great blazer, a pair of Louboutin’s and a red lip with a great handbag!
AM: Yes!
JP: And so that high-low, I’m always thinking of. We are the red lip to the outfit or to the meal. Like you should be able to do something really really elevated as a final touch on an outfit or a meal, but it doesn’t all need to be fancy. In fact, it’s better when you’ve got the jeans and the white tee with the blazer and the Loubi’s.
AM: It also reflects your personal style as opposed to buying everything off of the mannequin.
JP: Right – absolutely!
AM: What are things that people should think about when they are gifting this holiday season when it comes to wines? Do you have any tips as there are those that haven’t done it before and they get nervous or if they are bringing over a bottle as a thank you for having them over for dinner – what should they be thinking about?
JP: I think that the first thing is that you should go to a store that you like that have a team of people who work there who are not snobs and are nice and that you trust them. You should go in and be honest about your price point – say that you’re looking for a bottle that is $20, $30, $50 or $70. Then proactively tell them that you are looking for a women made wine or a wine made by a BIPOC founder or an LGBTQ founder. The people who work in wine shops love those kinds of assignments and it also encourages them to stock their shelves with more diverse suppliers. I think that you should always think about your guests in mind or gift recipient in mind. What to you do you think that person represents and try to find a wine that pairs with that.
We have all of our wines available for direct shipping across the country with really good gift packs that are launching by the time that this will air, they will be live. They are super super beautiful and they are a great gift. So that is always fun if you are sending something across the country. But it’s also important to shop local and to find wines that I think speak to your personal values.
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PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 56, 60 TDavis | PG 59 Hale | PG 63, 64 Jordan Wise |
Read the NOV ISSUE #83 of Athleisure Mag and see UPLIFTiNG THROUGH VINES | Jen Pelka in mag.
This month, our cover features Chef Chris Scott who was a finalist in Season 15 of Top Chef in Colorado and brought his technique and culinary view to the show. From that season, he continued to be on our radar as we saw him appear on a number of shows and food-oriented festivals and more. He's always focused on the food, making sure that it educates us on the cultures and regions it comes from as well as ensuring that he continues to reach back and assist chefs that are coming up by sharing knowledge where he can! We caught up with him ahead of the holiday season to dig a little deeper into his background, what he is focusing on with his restaurants, what it's like when you're going through the Top Chef process and his cookbook Homage: Recipes and Stories from an Amish Soul Food Kitchen. His insights on the intersectionality of foods he grew up with as well as how he has created impactful James Beard Foundation dinners is a conversation that we truly enjoyed!
ATHLEISURE MAG: We’re excited to have you as this month’s cover. We have connected via in the past and it’s always great to see you and your food, and what you’re working on!
When did you fall in love with food and when did you know that you wanted to be a chef as a career?
CHEF CHRIS SCOTT: I would say that I fell in love with it when I realized that early on in my career. It was sort of when it became more than just cooking and it became more so a way of life and the way that I understood the power from within the food and what it could do. Not only to sustain our bodies and everything, but what it could do culturally and things of that nature. It became more of a revolutionary kind of platform for me.
AM: How do you define your culinary style?
CHEF CS: My style, it changes from time to time. When you first start out, you're busting out all of your best moves in the beginning. You see that a lot in younger chefs and they really want it to be more about them than it is about the food! So you kind of go through those phases – the up and down and through the ebb and flow. But the older that I get, I understand that it is about the food and it was never really about me so you try really hard to highlight those things as far as food and everything is concerned. It’s about the farmers, it’s about the growing aspect and it’s about all of those things!
My cooking, some of the styles of it, I have been trained in fine dining and I have been doing that for 30+ years. You know I’ve worked in some very high-end spots. Right now, I’m kind of focused in on the food of my ancestors, but I do it all! The focus is really about the food and not about me, you know?
AM: Right!
Tell us about Butterfunk Biscuit Co. I’ve looked at the IG posts over the past few months or so and it’s some drool worthy pictures!
CHEF CS: Yeah! I don’t do the social media on there! I’ve seen it here and there. Butterfunk Biscuit Co is heritage biscuits at its finest. You’re going to be experiencing biscuits that have been passed down for 4 generations and it’s the biscuit that I did on Top Chef that got a lot of notoriety and people were lined up outside of the doors and they still are! But it’s where you can really come and it emphasizes more on Black bakers because I actually do a lot of pastries out of there and I’m going to be expanding into a lot of Rotis and Jeera and everything. So really focusing on chefs that bake from Brown countries. Just really trying to emphacize breads that are made by Brown hands.
AM: We enjoyed your season of Top Chef Season 15 in Colorado. Why did you want to compete on the show? You were a finalist on that season which was amazing and it was great to hear your story!
CHEF CS: It’s funny because that particular season, I did not want to compete! I applied 5 times onto the show and just didn’t get onto it and everything. I read somewhere that over 200,000 chefs apply to the show every year and they choose anywhere from 12-15 people and after awhile, the process is very long. Not only do you have to fill out this intense application – sometimes you hear back and sometimes you don’t. To only have to go through a bunch of Skype calls, to doing tastings, to be flown to different locations around the country – it’s a pretty long process and I didn’t want to have to go through that process for a 6th time!
AM: That’s understandable!
CHEF CS: At that time, my wife and I, we had our youngest kid, so we had a 1 year old and a baby. When I got the call, I turned them down at first and I told my wife, “hey listen, Top Chef called, they wanted me to come and try out for this season, but I told them no.” She said, “call them back and tell them yes!” I said, “how are we going to do this? How are you going to run 2 restaurants and 2 small children if I get on the show?” She said, “don’t worry, we’ll find a way.” So I got on and we found a way.
AM: Well you found a way!
Shortly after that season aired, Cochon 555 happened and that’s where we first met you in person as we were media sponsors of that event here in NY. It was cool to see you as well as other cheftestants from your season there as well. We know that you support other chefs, you do other types of foodie events – why is that so important to you to be able to participate and to present yourself in those spaces with all of those people?
CHEF CS: You know, it’s always good to be able to keep yourself out there and to show people what you’re out there do show people what you’re out there doing and to use that platform sometimes for a bit more than just food. It’s also about talking about how the industry is moving, what’s new or even some new dishes that you might want to be able to highlight. But it’s also important to want to uplift the ones that are coming up behind you as well. I think I did that event with Tyler Anderson (Millwright's, Ta-Que, Bar Piña) and Bruce Kalman (Soulbelly BBQ, BK Brinery) you know back in the day. Actually, there was a Cochon in Aspen while we were filming and we were at the finals and we weren’t supposed to leave the cast house, but we snuck out and went to the Cochon party back then. Not only was it fun, but you get to rub elbows with your colleagues from different parts of the country, but it’s good to kind of lift up the other chefs that are coming up behind you to give them that experience to be there and to also see what’s happening so that in the following years, they can be involved.
AM: We recently saw you on Bobby’s Triple Threat! Love that episode and how was it to be on the show and to taste 2 great chefs going head-to-head and then having to score them and to figure out a winner?
CHEF CS: Right! I mean for that day, it was some good eats for sure!
AM: It looked so good!
CHEF CS: I knew I was going there so I didn’t eat breakfast at all and I went in there ready! But that whole experience was pretty surreal! I knew of Bobby (Amalfi Las Vegas, Bobby’s Burgers, Beat Bobby Flay: Holiday Throwdown) back in the day in my Philly days. He started out on Food Network doing a show called Grillin’ and Chillin’ with Jack McDavid who’s a Philly chef back in the day and they tried to have Jack McDavid who was this country bumpkin dude wearing a farmer’s outfit and Bobby was supposed to be a city boy coming on the scene. Now here we are 20 some years later, he’s still doing it and I’m still doing it and we were just kind of talking about the old days and having the opportunity to be on the show was a great time!
AM: We love that!
We’re excited to learn more about Homage: Recipes and Stories from an Amish Soul Food Kitchen. I live in NY now, but I’m originally from Indianapolis, so I grew up around Amish communities although they were not in my town per se. I never thought about Amish and Soul Food having a connection until I saw you on Top Chef and you were talking about it. Can you tell us why you wrote this book and what that connection is like?
CHEF CS: So the book was written for a bunch of reasons. I think that the first and foremost is that I look at it like it is a love letter passed down from the women that have raised me to my children and their stories kind of run through me. My mother and grandmother passed away before my children were born and there always comes a time in anyone’s life when they kind of want to know where am I from, who are my ancestors, what did they do and what did they eat? So this book really touches base on that, but also with the intermingling of the food and everything. Soul Food to me, is regional and is based on where you are. So wherever you are in the country, is certainly where some of the ingredients will be available to you. For example, my people are from Virginia – tidewater people so you have a lot of that Virginia agriculture a little bit of that coastal stuff with the shad, the shad roe, the blue crab so on and so forth. You keep on going down South - the Gullah Geechees in the Carolinas. It’s more of a rice culture and more African flavors. Keep on going further South, now you’re in the panhandle of Florida, more Creole. Up where I’m from, there are German, Dutch and Amish, so after Emancipation happened, with the Great Migration and everything, by the time I was born, the Southern culture and the Amish culture were already intermingled so that was the only food that I knew. But that happens everywhere because Black people are everywhere!
AM: So what foods are considered Amish foods?
CHEF CS: It’s more of a flavor as opposed to Black Amish. You know the flavors that we bring with us from Africa, through the Caribbean, through the American South and so forth. But once you intermingle it with some of that German technique and flavors, you have acidity and sugars and vinegar and that sweet and sour aspect really plays its role. For example, that Lemonade Fried Chicken that I did on Top Chef and which is also in the book, everybody and their mama is doing some form of tea brined chicken, but I chose to do a lemonade brine. Now it’s not like Country Time, but it is lemon juice, it is hot sauce, it is buttermilk, it is fresh spices and everything. So, it’s more or less, a savory lemon like a marinade like that which is on the border of sweet and savory.
So you have all of those aspects and flavors that are into it as well. So when I talk about the Amish Soul Food, again, it’s not Black Amish food. It’s more like flavor profiles and stuff like that.
AM: You’ve cooked at 9 James Beard Foundation dinners, 5 of them as the lead chef and you also created the first Juneteenth Dinner at the Beard House with Brother Luck (Top Chef Season 15, Beat Bobby Flay, Chopped), Tanya Hopkins (Kwanzaa Menu, James Hemings: Ghost in America’s Kitchen, Savory & Sweet) and Andrea Cheatham (Top Chef Season 15 Runner Up, Alex vs America, Live! with Kelly and Ryan). This dinner is now an annual event. What is it like to cook at Beard House and what was it like to create that iconic meal on Juneteeth?
CHEF CS: It was super special! I also got invited back today and I am going back on Dec 5th.
AM: That’s exciting!
CHEF CS: So it will be #10 which blows my mind, but every single time I walk through those doors, I always intentionally get there first. I always want to be the first person in the room because I remember all of the legendary chefs that came through before me that stood in that same kitchen and I always like to be their first, put my hands on the table and kind of get a feel and play my music, start prepping and just kind of really set the mood and the vibe for everyone that comes through because tonight is my night! That has always been what’s going on and for chefs of color that might be coming through, I always say, “hey, listen. Before you go, call me and I’m going to tell you how you can really make this night special. I kind of have them follow through. As far as Juneteeth, it was special to be the first to do that and I’m really glad that they continued to do so. Like I’ve said, we always want to be able to pull all the others up and there’s a lot of really amazing chefs from generations that are behind me and that are up and coming and that they are already here! For them to be able to have their moment there is special too!
AM: Well, you’re also the chef at the Institute of Culinary Education. Why did you want to add this to your resume as you have done so many things that are so amazing. What was about that that you wanted to be part of it?
CHEF CS: Well, they asked me to come through. It more so started on the ambassador level, where they said here you’re doing great things – why don’t you use our space and we’ll pay you for it. So whenever we have an idea to do something creative, they want to be part of it. So they tell me to come through, use their kitchen, use their food and all I have to do is to document it and kind of teach that to the students. So that’s what we do. But again, it’s always paying it forward and really showing that next generation what it's all about. Again, it's not ever about me. There was a time when it was and when I needed the whole world to know what Chris Scott was doing. But that is so not important. What’s important is that I’m taking all my wisdom, all my experience, all my know how and kind of giving that to the next generation. Even when it’s how to navigate the way through the kitchen as a chef of color – all of those things. It’s so much experience that needs to be passed along.
AM: Couldn’t agree more with this. My background coming from fashion and being the Co-Founder of Athleisure Media, to navigate as a person of color in these spaces it’s not easy. Anytime I can go back and tell people that this is how they need to do it or how to be on set – giving that knowledge is going to help that person who may not have known anything about that. You have to know what you know and how to actually interact with other people.
CHEF CS: Absolutely!
AM: Are there any upcoming projects we can keep an eye out for?
CHEF CS: Well, we’re currently looking for a brick and mortar spot that’s a standalone for Butterfunk Co all over again. We left Brooklyn back in 2019 and we’re sort of looking to get back into it. I’m currently on the 8 city/19 event book tour. I’ll be down at the BayHaven Food & Wine Festival in Charlotte Oct 19th – 23rd for a second time in a row. As you know, that’s pretty much the mecca of Black chefs like all of the who’s who kind of goes there. We’re doing a dinner that Fri and I will also be there on Sat. On Fri, I am doing a seafood dinner with some of my colleagues and on Sat morning, I am doing a book signing and then I’m back on the plane.
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | Front Cover, 16-25, 27 + 29 Courtesy Chris Scott | PG 26 + Back Cover From Homage, ©2022 Chris Scott. Photos © Brittany Conerly |
Read the NOV ISSUE #83 of Athleisure Mag and see HOMAGE TO FOOD & CULTURE | Chef Chris Scott in mag.
