ATHLEISURE LIST | CAFFE NAPOLI + NAPOLI PASTRY CO
When you make your way to Little Italy, we suggest that you make a plan to head to Caffe Napoli. This institution was established by Mama Anna Silvestri and family in 1972, Caffe Napoli introduced the sidewalk cafe in Little Italy. What started as a modest cafe matured into a full dining establishment catering to New Yorkers and tourists from all over the world.
Napoli Pastry was created by Louis Fontana (who’s grandmother Mama Anna founded Caffe Napoli) to bring back what originally started Caffe Napoli - pastries and coffee. The pastry and dessert recipes have been passed down from 4 generations, satisfying customers from all over the world.
When it comes to 3 signature dishes that you should have when you have a meal here, we suggest the Linguine (seafood over linguine), Veal Osso Buco (veal shank tenderized on the bone with a jus reduction with homemade Gnocchi on the side) and Lobster Ravioli (stuffed with ricotta and lobster in a pink sauce with asparagus and shrimp).
Clearly, you can’t leave without having one of their cannolis. They have 7 different types of cannolis that have been with them over the past 47 years (Classic, Chocolate, Half and Half, Strawberry, Chocolate Strawberry, Pistachio, and Cappuccino flavored). There are also seasonal ones based on what the season calls for such as Pumpkin for the fall and they even make them for special events! Also there have a pink and blue for baby showers. In addition, Napoli Pastry has homemade tiramisu and their chocolate mousse.
Although we're near the end of the holiday season, as you think about Valentine's day, we suggest their Chocolate Strawberry Cannoli, Chocolate Covered Strawberries, and Strawberry Cheesecake.
If you're still thinking about what you'd like to eat over the holidays, they have an extensive menu and there are always specials. In addition, for your catering needs, visit the website as people like Antipasti Di Casa which has a little of everything cold cuts and cheese-wise. Pastas are always a favorite and people love our Spaghetti and Meatballs and our Lasagna.
CAFFE NAPOLI + NAPOLI PASTRY CO
119 Hester St
NY, NY 10013
Read the Dec Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Athleisure List | Caffe Napoli + Napoli Pastry Co in mag.
Featured Athleisure List
14TH ANNUAL STARCHEFS INTERNATIONAL CHEFS CONGRESS
We headed to Brooklyn for the weekend to watch a number of demonstrations, panel discussions and meeting with a number of vendors at the 14th Annual StarChefs International Congress. We were excited to do a deep dive into its various initiatives that it presents to those in the culinary community. We took some time at the beginning of this conference to talk with StarChefs' Managing Editor, Will Blunt on what took place at the conference, what he's looking forward to as well as the issues facing those in the culinary industry as we go into the next year.
ATHLEISURE MAG: Can you tell us about your background and how you came to Star Chefs?
WILL BLUNT: I grew up in Washington DC and my parents were in politics. I graduated from Georgetown University and like most people, I didn’t know what I wanted to do so I taught high school tennis for a bit and did some work on The Hill for a while. I then decided to jump-start my career by moving to NY – it was the height of the internet exuberance in the late 90s. I was thinking about going the path of a conservative banking job and I did some interviews and I got allergic to the concept. I eventually took a minute to help a friend at what is StarChefs now. This friend had been hired as the first employee after a fundraising round and I got the bug. I’m 20 years in now.
In terms of food, I fell into it and then fell in love with the industry. I do cook and I am really into food; however, I am most inspired by the industry and the people that work within it. In the early 2000s, like most internet companies, we didn’t have a lot of direction, but we were firmly committed with my business partner Antoinette to be completely on the trade side, publish for chefs and make our mission to support chefs and other people in the industry. The idea with that is that it’s a wonderful industry opportunity, but it is also one with with a number of pains and challenges. We have a classifieds area that helps with labor which is a pain, all of our publishing is about best practices and inspirations for chefs and they are really passionate people. I have been most inspired by them in this industry and I do love food. I have gotten to know them really well, but it is truly about the people for me.
AM: What are your day to day roles in StarChefs?
WB: Fortunately we have evolved a bit – we’re still 15 full staff and for this event, we have 100 people who work on it. I do a bit of everything now and we have fortunately evolved to the point that we have great people that have different departments. I do a bit of fundraising and development, HR, I make a point to stay engaged. So let’s say in the early days there were 5 people – I learned to use a camera and my business partner Antoinette as well – there was a rule that everyone needed to be able to use a camera – classic start-up that’s boot strapping. We would do the Tastings Interviews. I didn’t mention it, but our thing that distinguishes StarChefs from any other publication is that we do 600 tastings interviews on the ground, every year across the country. We organize that to the 4 markets typically by quarter and we spend 2-3 hours with the chef, pastry chef, somm, artisan baker, coffee roaster – anyone that’s industry and doing something well. We will visit them, document them and get to know them. We share what we think is done well and would be inspiring for other people. So, all of that to say that, I still do that. It’s important because it’s something I enjoy doing, but we now have a wonderful editor, writers, full time photographer who are super capable, but I still keep my toe in the editorial. Just to stay in touch and I love the culture of the restaurant community.
AM: What’s the biggest thing that you have learned about chefs by working in this environment that still keeps you inspired to be a part of this everyday?
WB: Yes, the industry is still – despite all of the media attention in food TV and all of the exposure with celebrity chef scenarios etc – it’s very merit based and egalitarian. So at the end of the day, even if you have a Top Chef show and all that goes with it, you still face the same challenges. Many of the chefs that really early on inspired me and were early supporters, they all started at the dishwasher level. I think Jean Georges who is one of our Board of Directors he made dog food to start his career – not even human food (editor’s note: at the beginning of Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s career in Michelin three-starred L’Auberge de l’Ill in Alsace, he cooked and prepared the meals for the guests dogs)! Marcus Samuelsson who is a great friend and supporter, worked a hot dog stand, Bobby Flay scooped ice cream and so it’s very honest in that sense. There’s less patience in the industry because the demographic is such that there is such an explosion and there isn’t really a shortage. There are more opportunities that are quicker in the industry, but at the end of the day, there is still this certain base or sense of needing to work to get to where you are. I admire that and I like supporting people that are working that hard and trying to make it in an industry that has a lot of opportunity, but a lot of failure. I think 80% of all restaurants fail in the first 3 years or something along those lines. I think that my staff has had a lot of great people that have worked in the industry or gone to culinary school. We are all motivated by trying to be that extra leg up, or piece of perspective or inspiration. Folks that come to this conference – the best version for their experience of busting their ass all year is to come here to get a few days off to be inspired and to remind themselves on why they do what they do.
AM: Going into 2020, what do you think are 3 of the biggest issues that chefs are concerned about?
WB: Yeah of course! In this conference, I am hosting a session with Restaurateur Sean Feeney, his partner Chef Missy Robbins of Misi and Lilia and then Cosme’s Chef Daniela Soto-Innes – we will talk about restaurant culture and moving it forward. That was the theme of our conference last year, but it’s about being better humans. How you treat people and the culture. Everyone is on board in theory with that; however, I think that the challenge in terms of 2020 and beyond is how you walk the talk. It’s a challenge that’s easy to say in terms of providing benefits, treating employees better, more decent hours – but how do you develop the strategies to run a successful business and still do that?
I think that there is something that has developed amongst chefs and those in the industry in general, the brand image – it’s another panel we just finished. It focuses on how you manage your time and capital, what you invest in. That has been something that has built up over time. Which events do you decide to do and now it’s even more when you look at social media in how you present yourself and how much energy you put in to that. What opportunities do you say yes to and it’s pretty high level as not everyone is at that point. I think that even on a micro level, people who are starting out and opening a restaurant, they need to decide on investing in PR, social media and that’s another thing. I think there are the ongoing challenges that may not be 2020 challenges, but it’s becoming more acute with the larger companies that have bigger scale that are snatching up real estate that independent restaurateurs have harder times to access. Starting a restaurant is harder and harder and having to leverage to get the right space at the right price and to keep it once you're successful. That is a serious issue and when you look at NYC it's a great example because we have parts of Manhattan that are unattainable and all the leases are controlled by large management companies. Then you have the chains, I’m not saying that they’re all bad – they employ people and there are great ones that do home scratch cooking – but for the independent restaurant and chef that is a challenge.
AM: What are 3 panels, demonstrations, workshops etc that you are excited about for this year’s StarChefs?
WB: Our program is really strong this year and we tried to involve people that are more or less famous although our name is StarChefs, we’re not all about stardom. Some of the items I will highlight may seem like the less obvious ones. Ben and Brent from The Meat Hook will be doing an event on the main stage which they call Vintage Beef. I don’t know how much you know about them, but it’s my local butcher. They have been exploring different ways that they can be sustainable. One issue we have across the food system that we have with meat at least is a lot of our USDA and certification is centered around young animals. So they are going to be fabricating a 12 year old bull and they will serve it as a tartare. Apparently, I haven’t had it, but it tastes like an aged beef which is a cool thing to demonstrate that dairy cows, bulls etc have value if we could get to a place where we not only use the whole animal but all animals. I think that that will be a good one!
I think that an obvious one is that we have the most signups for Chef Francis Mallmann who is on Chefs Table on Netflix. He is so inspiring and I have wanted him to present for years! He is closing the show and he will be building a fire in the parking lot outside and presenting on the mainstage a vegetable roll! It will be carmelized and cooked with the fire ahead of publishing his Vegan cookbook which will be out next year. It's pretty cool as he has always been identified with a lot of meats. I think that for our chefs, one of the reasons why they are so excited for it aside from the fact that Chef Mallmann due to his great presence is that cooking with fire is really a thing that chefs find to be a bit of challenge. Everyone wants to cook with fire and it’s a trend, but how you actually harness fire, to cook consistently at different temperature points – those techniques are great takeaways for chefs.
I mentioned the panel earlier with the discussion with Daniela and Sean, they are 2 really special people that are models and examples of what the future of our restaurant industry should be and models that they should look at as one if a chef and one is a restaurateur. They have cool strategies to improving restaurant culture.
IG @StarChefs
We sat down with James Beard Nominated husband and wife duo of Don Angie to talk about their West Village Italian American restaurant.
ATHLEISURE MAG: Can you tell us about Don Angie for our readers who have yet to swing by?
ANGIE RITO: It’s an Italian American restaurant in the West Village here in NYC. It’s more American leaning than Italian. We both grew up in Italian American families – like super passionate about red sauce and we take quite a few liberties with it. We use a lot of different ingredients and take more of a global approach to it.
AM: Why did you decide to do it like that?
AR: To be honest, there are a number of reasons and the major one being – we like to incorporate a lot of flavors that we like that aren't Italian into our food. Whether they're like Chinese or Japanese - or whatever it is. We just like to cook ingredients that we like. In NYC especially, there are a lot of Italian restaurants so we really like to set ourselves a part and this is the main way that we do that. Coming up with our own style of Italian food that we like that’s a broad perspective on what we do.
AM: As a husband and wife team, how does that work for you to cook together, work together – how does that coupleship work?
AR: We’re both super passionate about what we do and that’s what drives us. We could never work in this industry separately because we would never see each other. We tried doing it for a while. At the beginning of our relationship, we worked separately and like I said, you’re working 14-15 hour days and we wouldn’t see each other. We felt that working together was the best way to do what we loved together. It also works to our advantage. We’re typically on the same page and we can read each other’s minds because we spend so much time being together. It kind of helps because we communicate minimally when we’re at work and we’re always on the same page.
AM: What would you guys say would be your signature dishes at Don Angie?
AR: The most recognizable one is our lasagna. It’s a pinwheel style lasagna. That’s the one that everyone photographs and it’s all over Instagram. Aside from that, our Chrysanthemum Salad which is basically treated like a Caesar salad with a garlic anchovy dressing a lot of parmesan, sesame bread crumbs. The third thing would be ….
SCOTT TACINELLI: I’d say it’s a toss up between two things, the Buffalo Milk Caramelle and the Stuffed Garlic Flatbread.
AR: Oh I agree! Our Buffalo Milk Caramelle is a two tone black sesame and persimmon pasta. We just did a demo of our flatbread. This is something that is traditionally Italian, but we totally take it in a different direction by putting sesames on it, garlic, garlic chives and so it’s different than the original one.
AM: When did you guys know that you wanted to be chefs?
SC: I changed my careers as I did something else for like 9 years. I always loved cooking when I was a child and then I decided that I should try cooking and took a few classes at culinary school and then I went full time.
AR: For me, I always wanted to have a restaurant since I was a little kid. I used to play pretend restaurant when I was a kid. I wasn’t sure about what path in terms of cooking, working front of house or what that would be. I grew up in an Italian American family that had a bakery and I liked working there. I grew up in a very food-oriented family. Once I moved to NYC right after college, I was working as a waitress in a restaurant and at that moment at 21, I knew I was so passionate that I really wanted to know how to cook it. I started cooking then and didn’t go to culinary school and just asked if I could volunteer in the kitchen and I kept going.
AM: Do you guys envision another location or going to an entirely different coast?
AR: I think that the next thing that we would do is probably something in NYC, preferably something in the West Village as that’s where Don Angie is and easier for us to be present.
ST: I don’t know if it would be another Don Angie’s. AR: No, it would be another concept.
AM: How was it for you when you were nominated for a James Beard Award?
AR: I was surprised – I was like, ok! It was super exciting and I just wasn’t expecting it.
ST: I was very surprised and it was such an honor to be recognized by such an esteemed organization!
AR: Especially in NYC where there are so many other people!
AM: Do you forsee having a TV show or presenting your brand in different ways that we know chefs utilize.
AR: We are working on a cookbook right now. It won’t be out until 2021.
ST: We’re going to take it day by day and see what comes!
IG: @DonAngieNYC
When it comes to one of our favorite comfort foods, it's pizza! It incorporates a number of traditional ingredients as well as those that aren't. We chatted with Emily Hyland of Pizza Loves Emily and Emmy Squared to talk about how this food became the catalyst to this successful business.
ATHLEISURE MAG: So, pizza – why do you like pizza so much?
EMILY HYLAND: I mean, I think it harkens back to the quality of this nostalgia that all of us have as Americans. We all have this memory of pizza parties with friends or going out and have pizza or enjoying a slumber party and ordering pizza. It’s this uniting American food that lives in the state of our history. So why wouldn’t we want to have pizza?
AM: We know a few people who say that they don’t like pizza and we’re like, “really?”
EH: My dad says that and then every time he comes in he eats like a whole freaking pizza!
AM: How did you transfer this love for pizza to saying, I want to have a restaurant and make a business out of pizza?
EH: It was a dream for me and at that time, my husband as a dream for many years. We were in a moment where I had transitioned out of being a public school teacher and was a full time yoga teach – which is a next to nothing earnings for that time and space in my life. We had moved to Brooklyn and he was apprenticing at a neopolitan restaurant. I remember the day that he came home and he said, “I put my hands on the dough and this is what I want to do.” So the time and space really opened up and we took a chance and that really got us into our first brick and mortar, Pizza Loves Emily. From there, we found growth partners through our wonder partner Howard who has taken this small little baby, our first child and has helped us merge this into a growing company.
AM: How does it feel to know how you started and how it has evolved into what exists now?
EH: It’s really been surreal and I haven’t digested it – no pun intended! It’s weird as the founder and the namesake to have this identity that’s so rooted in my heart and then to relinquish some of this control to this corporate structure that is developing. It’s tons of learning and really taking something that is so very much mine and making it ours in this whole team. I love it and I’m having so much fun! The people that we have brought on to help it grow like the Director of Operations, the Director of Marketing are so talented and really care so much about the concept that it has made it so much nicer to be able to go to work everyday.
AM: What would you identify as your 3 signature pizzas?
EH: Our 3 signature pies at Emmy Squared are the Colony – so that’s got pepperoni, pickled chili honey so you’ve got salty, spicy, sweet trifecta – hands down fan favorite. Not too far behind it is the Vodka Pie. It’s house made, really nice creamy vodka sauce – the way I do it is dollops of burrata on it – I do it like a Margarita and just go extra on it. Then the Roni Supreme. A classic pie with tons of pepperoni and tons of Calabrian chili on it. So it’s like an elevated pepperoni pizza and the Calabrian chili oil is not so much spicy, but warm - it really rounds out the pie really nicely.
AM: Where do you get your pizza inspiration from?
EH: That’s all from our head chef, Chef Matt. He is really talented at developing topping creations and is trained as a culinary artist and a lot of that vision is from him. He conceptually wanted Emmy Squared and Pizza Loves Emily to be fun and not rooted in the formality that so many more esoteric pizza places do when they say, “this is what pizza is supposed to be.” We just wanted to open ourselves up to the variety of toppings that we could have without judgment. What you want is what you like!
AM: What are 3 ingredients that you like to have on hand when it comes to making that best pizza?
EH: So I think it’s our cheese obviously! At our original location, we still make our own mozzarella by hand. Over at Emmy Squared, we have a chef blend which we sprinkle around on the outside of the edge of the pan and it carmelizes with the dough on the pan so you get a fried cheese which is delicious. Our Ezzo Pepperoni cups are our ronis that cup nicely on the pizza. We also use really high quality flour. We use King Arthur Flour that is here in America and not shipped over from Italy. We start from that simple ingredient and just build from there and just add yeast, water and a little bit of salt as it doesn’t take much and we’re very simple with our dough.
AM: What are your goals as we close 2019 and thinking ahead to 2020 – what are you excited about for your brand?
EH: For the brand for next year, we’re really thinking about what it means to grow on a national scale. We just opened in Philadelphia and we will be in Washington, DC by the end of the year. If not then, early 2020 and on a growth path from there. Through my lens from there, my goal is to figure out how I can maintain this genuinely robust culture as a restaurant environment for my employees as well as to ensure that the same level of warmth is available to our guests that are coming in to dine with us. That is a big goal for me and when we do openings, I try to greet every guest table the few days that I am there and to say hi and to instill that cultural feel. I think that the other facet of it is to just synthesize our team and to lean on the talent there. It’s 2019, we’re all leading full robust lives. What are the things that my team members do that they can bring in and to support the types of things that we’re doing so that we are growing. We’re very people focused!
IG: @EmilyHyland
When we chatted with Will Blunt earlier in this conference, he shared that we should catch The Meat Hook founder's session on Vintage Beef and how they are lending their craft to the sustainable movement. We sat down with Ben Turley and Brent Young to find out about this duo, their business and what the holiday season is like for them.
ATHLEISURE MAG: We enjoyed sitting in your demonstration focusing on regenerative agriculture. How did you guys decide that you would be butchers, was this always a plan?
BEN TURLEY: We were both line cooks for a long time and living in Richmond, Virginia which is where we met. A small little butcher shop opened and we started interning there on our off time and the more you learned, the more questions we had. It wasn’t a whole animal shop as that’s not what existed at the time. The more we dug into it, we realized we wanted to do this and we moved to NYC to do just that. We could only find one restaurant group on the East Coast that was doing a whole animal program and we ended up opening a butcher shop for them and very quickly, it was disorganized and if you were going to be in it, you had to know everything like the finances. We thought we had to do it for ourselves and we ended up deciding to open our own shop. But essentially, we fell into it backwards and we were genuinely super interested in it as no one was doing it and we did and that was it.
AM: How do you go about finding the different farmers and farms that you’re working with? Are you constantly rotating things in?
BT: No not really. The whole idea is to develop a relationship with someone that you are going to find at a Farmer's Market and has dedication to their their craft. We’re very lucky to have found a great network of farms when we started. The whole idea was that we wanted to work with one farm that did one thing and that way, every single week, we’re able to give them feedback and not just buying things from all over. It was about having a very structured system and it was great because people could enjoy it and say that they would like to visit us and we could let them know the farm for them to visit. We wanted complete transparency in the food chain which is a major reason why we started this.
AM: We were talking with Will Blunt earlier this morning and he was talking about how you work with age cows. We had never had one before and we wondered what a Jersey cow would taste like. What was the thought behind integrating this as well?
BT: We had been tasting this on our own and when we would go up to the farm, we knew that they were not going to go and grind an older animal. We knew that they would have it in their farm store so when we went up there, we would just make a habit of asking if they had older animals. We would take them home and I remember the first one that I had cooked. I cooked it to medium and it was tough as nails and it sucked; however, the flavor was still incredible and you could tell that there was something still there. So we just brought it home for ourselves when we were there and eventually, we realized it was something that we had learned enough about that we could bring this into restaurants and have a dinner focused around these older animals. We were always blown away by these older animals. The texture was so different then what we had always been told it would be like and we thought it was phenomenal that no one knew about and no one was giving towards.
AM: Are there various breeds of cows you tend to deal with more versus others?
BT: Because everything we do is grass fed and grass finished, only a couple of breeds do well on grass and that would be Angus, Devon – that’s the best and what the farmers raise. We’re like, you guys know the grasses and we’ll tell you how it tastes. We’re the marketers for them!
AM: With the holiday season upon us, how crazy is this time of year?
BT: Bonkers.
BRENT YOUNG: Very busy!
AM: Do people order in advance with you. Just thinking about our readers that may be interested in swinging by today or prepping for their holiday meals, how would they go about it?
BT: We do everything online. We realized that after a few years, the amazing nature of human fallibility and error, all ordering is on our website. For Thanksgiving, we have a lot of options on our website. We’ll have over 550 turkeys for Thanksgiving this year. We normally sell 450, but we decided to go for it this year so we have a lot of turkeys. Then early Nov we’re heads down and you can’t even look up until after Thanksgiving and then 3 days after Thanksgiving, Christmas ordering happens and it’s heads down through New Years.
AM: Is there a down season when the orders aren’t as frequent?
BT: March. Just because we’re in NYC and everyone leaves in March. If you can get the hell out in March, your probably should!
AM: What are 3 dishes that you guys like to make with the items that you butcher when you’re at home?
BT: Both of us shop and we use what needs to be used. My personal favorite is beef shank and we always have beef shank. I think it’s still the most delicious things – it’s a nice project and it takes a couple of hours to get to relax and cook for that time.
BY: Chicken! Chicken in all forms. Last night was Chicken and Rice with scallions and a really simple sauce that was perfect for me. A real chicken and rice dish. I think that chicken to this day is so versatile and could be used in so many ways. It’s worth twice the price that you can pay for it.
AM: Why did you guys want to participate in this year’s congress?
BT: First year and I mean we were asked. We jumped on the opportunity. Talking about local meet is our mission and super fun and doing demos is fun too – no brainer!
IG: @TheMeatHook
PHOTO CREDITS | Paul Farkas
Read the Nov Issue of Athleisure Mag and see 14th Annual StarChef’s International Chefs Congress in mag.
Featured Athleisure Kitchen
THE ART OF THE SNACK | CHOLA
FOR THE SAVORY
As the weather continues to get into chillier temperatures, it's important to have destinations that's worth braving the cold for that's guaranteed to have sweet and savory items on the menu that delight the tastebuds as well as having a decor that transports you elsewhere! We found ourselves at just the place, Chola which truly allows those looking for intricate and delicate flavors of India to come to life in Midtown East. After trying some new faves and phenomenal cocktails, we talked with veteran restaurateur, Executive Chef/Owner of Chola, Shiva Natarajan.
ATHLEISURE MAG: We have walked past Chola numerous times, but when did it open?
SHIVA NATARAJAN: Chola opened in April of 1998 and was awarded two stars by the New York Times. The restaurant has been an Indian destination for 20 years and has recently undergone a newly revitalized and reinvigorated interior and menu.
AM: As the Executive Chef and Owner of Chola, what is your culinary background and other restaurants that you were a part of prior to Chola?
SN: As a veteran restaurateur and culinary titan, I am responsible for restaurants like Sahib, Dhaba, Malai Marke, Chote Nawab, Thelewala, and others. I picked up cooking from my grandmother in India which become one of my passions. Mixed with my American culinary experiences waiting tables and working in restaurants, I used my business savvy to begin opening and operating restaurants of my own in New York City and the surrounding area.
AM: What can guests expect when they come to Chola in terms of their ambiance as well as the kind of cuisine that can be consumed here?
SN: Inviting and warm, Chola's walls are marbled with grey banquettes lining the restaurant. Old black and white phototographs are hung throughout, featuring coastal scenes from Southern India to give a sense of the history behind the cuisine. A bar is anchored at the front of the room with gold lamps that hang above for a welcoming glow, and a mix of modern and traditional accents can be found throughout the restaurant, paying homage to Indian culture.
Chola holds on tight to its roots and integrity of serving traditional Indian cuisine. I grew up in India and new menu items at Chola are inspired by my culinary journey around the coast, placing an emphasis on the flavors I came across during my travels. The redesigned concept focuses on seafood and southern Indian cuisine with select recipes from my upcoming untitled cookbook set to hit stores in 2020.
AM: Can you share the types of dishes that Chola creates?
SN: Chola’s new and expansive menu has plenty to share. With a myriad of starters and entrees, there’s certainly something for everyone, making the restaurant great for group dining. New and super shareable dishes include Cafreal Paneer Tikka, a house made fire grilled cheese fresh from the Tandoor oven that comes out smoking with green masala and Kodi 58, Chola chicken fry with house blend spices. Other options include Khekda Nariyal, a sautéed crab dish with coconut and mustard seeds that will have guests fighting over the last spoonful and Scallops Caldin, perfectly spiced and served in a Goan yellow coconut curry.
AM: Chola is open for lunch and dinner. Is there a difference between the service that is offered during lunch versus dinner?
SN: Chola serves dinner and lunch with a special to-go menu for lunch as well as a buffet served from 12:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. from Monday - Thursday ($17.95) and Friday - Sunday ($18.95).
AM: What are 3 signature dishes that one can enjoy at Chola for dinner?
SN: Meen Moilee: a light and flaky Branzino with turmeric, coconut and curry leaves, topped with green banana chips. Lata Shetty’s Yeti Ajadina: Mangalorean style shrimp with fresh coconut and pounded spices. Golbari Kosha Mangsho: a slow cooked bone-in goat roast from a Kolkata pada.
AM: We enjoyed the craft beverages created at Chola, what are 3 must enjoy cocktails that our readers should know about for their next visit?
SN: Himalayan Sunset (Spring 44 vodka, King’s Ginger liqueur, mango puree and fresh lime juice). East of Manhattan (Ragtime Rye Whiskey, La Copa Sweet Vermouth and saffron syrup). Indian Rose (Citadelle Gin, Luxardo Apricot Brandy, rose syrup).
IG @CholaNYC
Read the Nov Issue of Athleisure Mag and see The Art of the Snack | Chola in mag.
Featured The Art of the Snack
S1. E8. | ATHLEISURE KITCHEN WITH STARCHEF'S WILL BLUNT
We attended the 14th Annual StarChefs International Chefs Congress a couple of weeks ago in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. This 3-day event focused on chefs and restaurateurs that we enjoy eating in their restaurants or seeing them on an array of TV programs, to supporting chefs rising in their field and some top appliance, cooking and food producers in the market. Throughout the event, we were able to enjoy a number of sessions that included pairing wines with the iconic Dinosaur BBQ, a Fried Rice Smackdown which was judged by Chef Marcus Samuelsson, Chef Edward Lee, Chef Nicole Ponesca and Christine Lee with participants that included BRAVO's Top Chef - Chef Sheldon Simeon, a discussion on West African food and educating listeners on its flavors and importance via Kith and Kin's Chef Kwame Onwuachi and a number of hands-on culinary classes as well as being able to walk the floor to try a number of treats by brands in the space.
On today's Athleisure Kitchen, we sit down with Will Blunt, Managing Editor of StarChefs in one of the breakout rooms on the floor of the event to talk about how he came to being a part of the publication StarChefs as well as the annual event, the purpose behind StarChefs, speakers and participants he looked forward to especially seeing at the event and more. Make sure you keep an eye out for the November issue of Athleisure Mag which will drop the week of Thanksgiving which will have a number of interviews and images from the 13th Annual StarChefs International Chefs Congress held in Brooklyn. You can see this interview as well as additional conversations in the Nov Issue of Athleisure Mag.
You can stay in the loop on who future guests are by visiting us at AthleisureStudio.com/Athleisure-Kitchen 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. Our ad segment music is EQUALS performed by Dural.
Featured Athleisure Kitchen Podcast Episodes
ATHLEISURE LIST MURRAY'S MAC + CHEESE
We've always enjoyed a bowl of Mac and Cheese - regardless of the time of year; however, at this time of year - there definitely feels like there couldn't be anything better then this as temperatures continue to drop! In NYC, there is an undeniable cheese destination known as Murray's Cheese where you can purchase a number of meats, cheeses as well as to make your favorite buratta, as well as ordering your favorite grilled cheese sandwiches when you're in the Greenwich Village for lunch!
Earlier this year, we noticed that next door to the Bleeker flagship sat a comfort pop-up destination called, Murray's Mac and Cheese. Although we have been on a number of occasions, it's important to know a few things before making your first order as there are over 30 mix-ins that you can do to make your own Mac and Cheese or you funds for Breast Cancer Awareness, they offered a Beet and Capri Mac and Cheese where $1 went to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Size options include: Snack Mac (8 oz.), Meal Mac (12 oz.), Hungry Mac (16 oz.) and Family Mac (28 oz). Enhance your order by adding $5 to include a soup or a salad and a select beverage (a number of waters, cold brew coffees and seltzers are offered). Although we don't like choosing favorites, their signature offerings of Cabonara (Fontina, Mozzerella, Pancetta and Peas) and French Onion (gruyere, raclette, caramelized onions, and bacon) are on our list for an upcoming visit - we also definitely want to create our own Mac and Cheese with Black RIver Blue Cheese, English Peas, Pancetta and Basil Pesto!
MURRAY'S MAC AND CHEESE
250 Bleeker St
NY, NY 10014
www.murrayscheese.com/mac-and-cheese-pop-up
IG @murraysmac
Read the Nov Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Athleisure List Murray’s Mac + Cheese in mag.
Featured Athleisure List
#TRIBEGOALS
Read the Nov Issue of Athleisure Mag and see #TRIBEGOALS in mag.
Featured #TRIBEGOALS
PHOTO COURTESY | The Flatiron Room
SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW WITH NO KID HUNGRY'S JENNY DIRKSEN AND CHEF ELIZABETH FALKNER
Over the past few years, we have enjoyed sharing initiatives that No Kid Hungry creates in order to ensure that childhood hunger is not an issue that has to be a concern in this country. We caught up with No Kid Hungry's Jenny Dirksen who is the National Director of Champion Engagement and Chef Elizabeth Falkner and talked about No Kid Hungry, their initiatives throughout the year and with Thanksgiving and Holiday festivities underway, what we can find on their dinner tables this year! We held this in-depth conversation at The Flatiron Room in NYC.
ATHLEISURE MAG: We’re so excited to have both of you here as we have worked with No Kid Hungry for a number of years and sharing your chef’s stories as well as your initiatives with our readers. We’ve also been fans of your storytelling through food as well Chef Falkner so having both of you here during the holiday season is a treat!
Chef, we’ve seen you on a number of TV shows whether you’re competing, judging, or culinary events such as StarChefs which we just saw you at a few weekends ago in Brooklyn, can you tell us the moment that you realized that you wanted to cook?
CHEF ELIZABETH FALKNER: I never thought about cooking as a culinary profession until I was out living in San Francisco going to art school and working at Williams-Sonoma part-time. Really because what we now call the California Food Revolution was happening all around me. So it felt like an art and political and everything kind of movement. A handful of mostly female chefs were getting all of the agriculture sort of more exciting and most interesting product with more farm to table kind of stuff almost 30 years ago. So it kind of swooped me up. AM: What was the moment for you when you realized you wanted to work within the culinary industry. You have an amazing background as a chef and then being in a managerial role.
PHOTO CREDIT | Paul Farkas (L: Chef ELizabeth Falkner; R: No Kid Hungry’s Jenny Dirksen)
PHOTO CREDIT | Paul Farkas
PHOTO CREDIT | Paul Farkas (L: Athleisure Mag Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director and Co-Exec Producer and Host of Athleisure Kitchen podcast, Kimmie Smith)
JENNY DIRKSEN: I grew up loving food and loving mostly to eat! I took on self-imposed vegetarianism and really educated myself on nutrition and making my own meals. I don’t think that I understood until college that that could make a profession out of that. I was working as a barista at Heyday which is no more, but is like a Dean and Deluca which is also no more and I watched the folks working which were all dudes in the prepared foods part and I thought, “how do you get to do that?” That was the beginning for me and I did get to cook for a few years and I chickened out and went to the office side of the world.
CHEF EF: I wouldn’t call it chickening out, you probably said, “that’s not for me – I want to do something else.”
JD: I think that I had actually injured my back and I said, “I’m not capable of standing up at my station right now chef.” And I had the opportunity to work in the office of the restaurant and not realizing how much fun that would be in supporting everyone that was delighting the guests all day long. Through that, I had the opportunity to move into the executive office where I spent a good chunk of my time and learned that restaurants and chefs can create social change and that was the coolest to me.
AM: How do you define your style of cooking as I know you do sweet and savory and you’re so versatile.
CHEF EF: Well first of all, I don’t like to be stereotyped at all which is just a part of who I am. I love exploring everything through the medium of food. To me, food is a lot like learning languages and I am just really interested in storytelling as food evolves into different places at different times. I think of my style as much more explorative as opposed to a specific genre or ethnicity. I really like exploring everything and the more things that I don’t know, I like to know more about them.
AM: As the National Director of Champion Engagement at No Kid Hungry, tell us about the role you have in this position?
JD: I’m really fortunate as I work alongside our entire team that engages with chefs. So all of the ways that chefs help us to fundraise for the work itself - Taste of the Nation a broad scale tasting event, No Kid Hungry dinners – sometimes they’re intimate sometimes they’re galas, Chefs Cycle and we’re able to take all of these culinary professionals that have worked with us to help us fundraise and we say, “hey do you want to come to Capitol Hill and actually meet with your legislatures and talk to them about what you are fundraising for and ask them for legislative change or appropriations to support legislation that we’re really enthusiastic about? Would you like to lend your voice to media and tell others what we’re doing. Come see the work up close and bring them into schools to see how what we do works up close. I also am in regular touch with some of our most engaged culinary professionals to let them know what we are up to. There is so much nitty gritty in the work and those that say that they really want to know what we are up to, we get that message out to them. What we really want to do is to create a community of caring individuals who are passionate about ending childhood hunger and through doing that, they allow us to grow new fundraising platforms and also new ways of getting the actual work done.
PHOTO COURTESY | The Flatiron Room
AM: How did you decide that you wanted to be a part of this?
CHEF EF: Well a couple of things. First, I’ve been cooking for a long time and I have done events with No Kid Hungry and Share Our Strength many years ago when it first started on the cooking side of things. I do a lot of charity events still even though I don’t work in kitchens full time and that’s just because chefs have this power to influence and to just cook and raise dollars as well as awareness for a lot of things such as No Kid Hungry.
Chefs Cycle has been something that I have been wanting to do. I was running half marathons and the NY Marathon in 2016 and I was like, “how am I going to do both?” I was raising money for Team for Kids because I like for kids to exercise too! Then after last year when I was running 3 marathons, my doctor said, “I don’t think that you should run as much.” I was like, “Great! I’ll sign up for Chefs Cycle.” So I started to do cycling and that’s how it started! Because of that, that it’s not this simple thing to train for. Riding for 300 miles is no joke and training for that is no joke. So I just like the idea that I still like to cook for these kinds of events, but to also be able to do something athletic that’s way out of my comfort zone is also such a good message to show how important it is, but also a great message for chefs to do something like that.
I’m kind of one of those people that are always telling other cooks and people in general that being aware of what you’re eating and ultimately what you’re physically doing is going to help you in the longevity of your career.
AM: How do you train for that? I mean, it’s 300 miles!
CHEF EF: I mean what’s really cool about it is that this year, when we do the ride in Bend, Oregon next June – we’ve formed a team. Adele Nelson, Director, Chefs Cycle for No Kid Hungry, connected me with Jess Cerra a professional cyclist who just retired. So we just decided to form a team, Team Themyscira because that is where Wonder Woman is from. It’s not exclusively a team for women, but the focus is to get more women riding. Stephanie Izard (first female chef to win BRAVO’s Top Chef Season 4, Chef/Co-Owner of Girl and the Goat, Little Goat and Duck, Duck Goat in Chicago (and James Beard Foundation Award Winner) is also riding and actually just texted me last night asking if men could participate in this. Obviously, we’re not sexist, but it’s a team of really great women. Some have done this race before and Hillary Sterling (Executive Chef at Vic’s in NYC) said, “Hey I am going to be riding” and I told her she had to join my team! Duskie Estes (Food Network food personality as a contestant and judge as well as Chef/Co-Owner of The Black Piglet and Black Pig Meat Co) are also going to ride as well. It’s a bunch of really cool people.
What’s cool is we have a couple of professional cyclists on our team.
JD: Oh yeah, across the board! The cyclists are like, “Cool, we get to hang out with these chefs!”
CHEF EF: They’re already giving us tips and training if we want it. Like, I didn’t know that you’re not supposed to wear underwear underneath your shorts.
AM: Yup, you learn that real quick!
CHEF EF: I was like thanks, I needed to know that this year!
PHOTO COURTESY | The Flatiron Room
AM: When you have completed this race, what do you do after that? Does your body just feel incapacitated for like 2 days?
CHEF EF: By the time you have trained for it, you’re so amped for it. This year in Santa Rosa it was nice the first day and then it rained the last two days. I had never ridden in the rain before so I was a little scared about that as it was something that I hadn’t really done. I was like, I will try it, but if it feels scary, then I will stop. We ended up riding the whole day except for when I met this women from Canada who had a flat about half way in the day which is fine and we came back which I was fine with because it was freezing. Then we got rain gear and on the 3rd day, we were maniacs and we just didn’t really care and we were riding around in the pouring rain. But the camaraderie was just so much fun and everyone was so supportive and it’s a really great event and it raises a lot of money too!
AM: We were just going to ask how much did you raise?
JD: I don’t know the year by year count, but since we have started, we have raised $2.5 million just in the rides and we have about 4 or 5 under our belt.
CHEF EF: Like I raised, $8,500 last year and I’m shooting for at least that this year.
AM: How do you decide on your end what chef goes into what program and what is that process like?
JD: Again, I’m fortunate to have started at this organization which was 20 years in. There were a wealth of chefs that were already taking part. My old boss, Danny Meyer (Founder and CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group) had been on their board for years and years. Knowing people through No Kid Hungry had already been a connection point for me professionally. We’re very lucky that people come to us and that a number of people come through other chefs like when Elizabeth will say, “I did this crazy ride and you have to come do it too.” Sometimes we’re branching into a market that we haven’t been in before and I’ll ask the chefs who we work with who they know. We’ll do some reading. We’re thrilled to have chefs who have been reviewed and have received rewards, but that is not the starting line. I want people who are passionate about food and feeding others and wanting to make a difference. Those are our people.
AM: So non-chefs can also participate?
JD: Everyone has a role in ending childhood hunger! For my specific work, we talk about engaging culinary professionals because there is front of house, beverage folks, office types and those that are involved in making restaurants exciting places for eating and a lot of fun. We want all of those people working with us!
AM: With Thanksgiving, knowing that you guys do things year around, what are initiatives that are taking place during this season that we should know about?
JD: The Tuesday after Thanksgiving is known as Giving Tuesday and it’s a very big day for charitable giving whether doing it in person or online. That’s Dec 3rd this year. You can go to NoKidHungry.org to see everything that we are doing or following us online @NoKidHungry. I think that 2 things that are especially interesting are the generous community at Food52 is benefitting us in our work through their Food52 Holiday Swap which has gone on for years. You bake something and send to someone else and they kind of match make between the bakers and everyone makes a contribution to be involved. That is happening at Food52.com.
This year, we’re benefitting from a fun holiday auction that Bon Appétit is doing they issue a bunch of different covers to go with the Nov issue and you can collect them all. To do that, you can go to Ebay for Charity for No Kid Hungry on that page.
AM: As we head into the Christmas season, are there specific ones for that as well?
JD: I think that end of year giving is the big push at that point. Throughout the year we have these incredible culinary events that we have mentioned: Taste of the Nation, our No Kid Hungry dinners and you can find out more about this through our events page on NoKidHungry.org. Of course there is also Chefs Cycle and we look for folks to make a contribution and to support their favorite chefs at ChefsCycle.org.
CHEF EF: Yeah, you can just support a rider on the website or a team – like Team Themyscira.
AM: Just in case you wanted to know about one team in particular ha!
As someone who is out there whether you’re cooking to raise funds, being at events, charitable functions being on social media etc – how important is it for chefs to do this kind of visibility and activity in terms of their culinary careers?
CHEF EF: I don’t think that a chef has to do things like that. Some people may think that you have to in order to be more successful. I think it depends on where you are. I know a lot of chefs who work in their kitchens and they don’t have time to do stuff like that and I don’t think it’s a negative and you can probably see it in their food. You put that much more work into your food, it’s going to show! I think it’s great when people are showing stuff and the power of social media where people are able to show their food and what they are doing – I think that that is amazing and how that can go around the world.
AM: Will there be another restaurant?
CHEF EF: It’s not my goal to open another restaurant. I have already done that for a good chunk of my life. It’s not that it’s too hard work for me. It’s just that I’m so involved in food policy, food waste and I talk a lot about helping kids, teaching kids and speaking a lot more on all of these different issues. I’m constantly doing recipe development. I don’t even know how I would have another restaurant at this point in my life because I’m so busy!
JD: Well that’s a nice thing!
CHEF EF: Well there’s a lot to do!
AM: We enjoy seeing your social and seeing you do all of the things that you have mentioned and really just getting in there and doing the work.
CHEF EF: I learned a lot from the food business too and if you can do that in what I like to call a theater – the restaurant, but you can also take it on the road these days. I ended up cooking in China this year and I ended up cooking in so many places this year at all of these different places and I actually like cooking with ingredients from different parts of the world too because it helps me change it up.
AM: What are your 3 favorite ingredients to have on hand?
CHEF EF: Oh my goodness. I have to have Olive Oil, that’s a critical one. It changes, but I’m in love with some of the things that I experienced in Asia. I came back loving this fermented Broad Bean Paste which is slightly like fermented Chinese Black Beans which is more like a Fava Bean. It’s a fermented spicy Chinese Sichuan specialty that’s in Mapo Doufu for example. I have this obsession with Chinese food that makes me hungry just thinking about it!
Then I think having Meyer Lemons is kind of one of my favorite ingredients. I’m from California and I need that zest and I love citrus. I still try to sprinkle into my food whenever I can.
AM: What are your 3 favorite ingredients to have on hand?
JD: I’m a big stock person. My slow cooker is always going with chicken stock – I feel that it boosts us. Ginger so good – it’s great for external and internal. Cardamom is another one. It's so holiday to me.
AM: What’s for Thanksgiving this year?
CHEF EF: It’s so funny. I’m making breakfast for my brother and girlfriend for this Thanksgiving. Then they’re going to go to her parents house which I love going to. Her mom is Korean American and I enjoyed going there as she is a really good cook. It’s a cross between classic Thanksgiving dishes and a number of Korean ones and I think that I like all of the Korean ones better! So then I am working on a project right now so I don’t have time to really spend around Thanksgiving so much – so I think that I will just spend time making more Chinese food!
JD: I’m actually getting together with my neighbor and we’re going to brainstorm our menu as we are cooking together. Lots of things happening at the Green Market right now. I have one of those mega Brussel Sprout branches right now. The top sprouts are so huge it looks like Choi and the farmer told me that he actually had people taking it and slow roasting it whole with the stalk in the oven – I’m very curious and may have to go there. Lots of squash – love a red curry squash. There will still be turkey, there will still be pie.
CHEF EF: I feel like, unfortunately, that it’s put all on one day which is not how I really think about this time of year. I think Thanksgiving lasts from Oct – Dec because it’s all about this harvest.
AM: Is there anything else that you want to share with us?
JD: I want everyone to know that everyone has a Strength to Share in the fight against hunger. There are so many ways to get involved and make a difference. You can certainly donate online, host a bake sale, a personal bake sale that you do on your own, attend our events and find an opportunity to speak up on behalf of kids to your elected officials. Once again, all of that can be found on No Kid Hungry.org.
CHEF EF: I just want to say that every dollar helps and I don’t think that any kid should be hungry when they’re going to school or summer programs. How are you going to be able to think or do all the things you need to be a kid at school if you’re hungry?
JD: Elizabeth is right. Every dollar that No Kid Hungry receives, we can connect a kid with up to 10 meals so it’s really impactful!
IG: @NoKidHungry
Hear No Kid Hungry's Jennifer Dirken and Chef Elizabeth Falkner this month on our show, Athleisure Kitchen which is a part of Athleisure Studio, our multi-media podcast network! Make sure to subscribe to find out when the episode drops. You can hear it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Google Podcasts and wherever you enjoy listening to your favorite podcast.
Featured Athleisure Kitchen
PHOTO COURTESY | Bar & Dining Magazine
SWEET SEOUL WELCOMES FIVE TOP PASTRY CHEFS
Last week, we had the chance to attend a VIP reception for the 2 Day Tasting & Exhibition at the two Michelin starred Jungsik in Tribeca. The 2 day event was open to the public and was presented by the City of Seoul. During the 2 day event, the Korean pastry pop up and exhibition started in Paris at L’Appartement Lafayette prior to this event and them came to NYC and featured 5 culinary concepts from Seoul including Dongbyung Sangryoun, Biwon, Healthy Life with Korean Dessert, Kimssibooin and Haap.
During the intimate VIP reception, we were treated to sweets and the five concepts that included honey cookies, braised bellflower root in sweet sauce and candied apple slices from Dongbyung Sangryoun; steamed rice cakes coasted with mashed beans, pan-fried sticky rice cakes with red bean and sweet rice with nuts and jujubes from Biwon; pistachio and sesame seed rolls from Healthy Life with Korean Dessert; braised omija in sweet sauce and braised ginseng slices in sweet sauce with a fried twist from Kimssibooin; and Korean style meringues with walnuts and pine nuts, honey cookies with walnuts and mint flavored sweet pine nuts from Haap.
We enjoyed meeting Kyungmoon Kim, the first and only Master Sommelier certified by The Court of Master Sommeliers who shared a selection of traditional Korean spirits imported from his newly formed company KMS Imports.
In addition, an array of displays were showcased in the main dining area of Jungsik in which a range of handicrafts were spotlighted from Jang Hye-gyeong, Kim Sang-in, Ryu Jong-dae, OTTOTT, Mono Collection, OUGLASSWORK, and Yeom Dong-hoon.
We were treated to performances by Metropolitan Opera singer Olga Makarina and SoHo Opera’s Hong Kyung Olivia Kim, who both took the floor and performed select traditional Korean folk songs.
Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.
Featured Food
PHOTO COURTESY | Unsplash // Jordan Arnold
HOW TO AVOID HOLIDAY HEARTBURN AS EXPLAINED BY AN INTERNIST AND GASTROENTEROLOGIST
Even if you’re not a “foodie” most people look forward to indulging in the culinary delights of holiday time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. This means that even people who are typically disciplined eat too much in one evening, eat rapidly, imbibe amounts of alcohol they are unaccustomed to, and consume foods that may not be part of their regular diet because “tis the season.” While nobody likes a medical grinch, there are ways to have gastronomic fun without paying the price with holiday heartburn. Dr. Niket Sonpal is an internist and gastroenterologist at Touro College of Medicine. He shares his tips for having your holiday cake and eating it too.
Heartburn happens when stomach acid flows backward into the esophagus. It can also go by two names: GER (gastroesophageal reflux) or GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). GER is also known as acid indigestion, happening only once in a while. GERD is chronic heartburn that can lead to esophageal cancer if left untreated.
Here are some tips for avoiding holiday heartburn
Eat light turkey, not dark
High-fat food can spell trouble if you're prone to heartburn, so do yourself a favor and skip the skin when it comes to turkey time. Your best bet is to eat turkey breast and avoid oilier dark meat. The same goes for gravy. If it's not fat free, it may be smarter to skip this dish.
Choose baked, not mashed
If you have chronic heartburn, you don't have to give up your favorite foods. You just have to choose wisely to save yourself some pain later on. For example, mashed potatoes can trigger heartburn, but baked potatoes may not. When it comes to dairy products, the less fat the better. Limit butter and avoid sour cream.
Choose multigrain rolls or bread
When choosing grain-based food for the holiday, you can't go wrong with multigrain bread or rolls. Corn bread and white bread are good choices too,if you want to avoid heartburn.
One side dish that should be strictly for the kids, however, is macaroni and cheese. This is one of those dishes known to trigger acid reflux, according to the National Heartburn Alliance.
Selecting a salad
Salads are good news for those with chronic heartburn or GERD—if you have the right salad dressing and ingredients, that is. High-fat foods are a known trigger for acid reflux, so the National Heartburn Alliance recommends avoiding creamy salad dressings, as well as oil and vinegar. Your best bet is a low-fat salad dressing, and avoid tomatoes, raw onions, and other acid-aggravating ingredients. (Want fruit in your salad? Choose apples, not oranges, if you want to avoid heartburn.)
Avoid foods that cause heartburn.
People who suffer from heartburn often know the trigger foods that cause symptoms. Common foods include chocolates, caffeine and greasy foods. These foods relax the lower esophagus sphincter muscle, when this muscle is relaxed, the food will go back up and cause heartburn. Other foods that can trigger heartburn include acidic foods such as citrus fruits or carbonated beverages. This means avoid Champagne!
Skip Mint Desserts
Candy canes and chocolate mint desserts are best left for others. These dangerous holiday delectables are notorious for helping acid reflux on its way.
Eat more ginger
Ginger is one ingredient that can help ease heartburn, if you don't get too much of it. (More than 2 to 4 grams per day can actually cause heartburn.)
Ginger is a natural match for root vegetable dishes commonly served during the holidays. Heartburn-friendly vegetables include carrots, cabbage, peas, broccoli, and green beans
Linger Over Your Food
Take the time to eat slowly and enjoy your food. Rushing through your meal or chewing with your mouth open can increase your chances of indigestion or heartburn. Linger over your food and allow yourself to feel full by giving your food time to digest.
Limit Alcoholic Beverages
Have to have that holiday egg nog? Limit it to one glass. This festive beverage can do double the damage. Not only does it contain alcohol that irritates your stomach but it contains the added dose of diary that can cause bloating and gas.
Cut yourself off.
After-hours holiday parties can keep you snacking all night, but eating too close to bedtime can make acid reflux worse. Stop eating and drinking (water included) three hours before bedtime.
Ditch the post-meal nap:
Sleeping right after eating can increase GERD symptoms. Instead of falling asleep, try going for a walk.
Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.
Featured Holiday
PHOTO COURTESY | Davide Cantelli
HOW TO AVOID HOLIDAY HEARTBURN AS EXPLAINED BY AN INTERNIST AND GASTROENTEROLOGIST
Even if you’re not a “foodie” most people look forward to indulging in the culinary delights of holiday time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. This means that even people who are typically disciplined eat too much in one evening, eat rapidly, imbibe amounts of alcohol they are unaccustomed to, and consume foods that may not be part of their regular diet because “tis the season.” While nobody likes a medical grinch, there are ways to have gastronomic fun without paying the price with holiday heartburn. Dr. Niket Sonpal is an internist and gastroenterologist at Touro College of Medicine. He shares his tips for having your holiday cake and eating it too.
Heartburn happens when stomach acid flows backward into the esophagus. It can also go by two names: GER (gastroesophageal reflux) or GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). GER is also known as acid indigestion, happening only once in a while. GERD is chronic heartburn that can lead to esophageal cancer if left untreated.
Here are some tips for avoiding holiday heartburn
Eat light turkey, not dark
High-fat food can spell trouble if you're prone to heartburn, so do yourself a favor and skip the skin when it comes to turkey time. Your best bet is to eat turkey breast and avoid oilier dark meat. The same goes for gravy. If it's not fat free, it may be smarter to skip this dish.
Choose baked, not mashed
If you have chronic heartburn, you don't have to give up your favorite foods. You just have to choose wisely to save yourself some pain later on. For example, mashed potatoes can trigger heartburn, but baked potatoes may not. When it comes to dairy products, the less fat the better. Limit butter and avoid sour cream.
Choose multigrain rolls or bread
When choosing grain-based food for the holiday, you can't go wrong with multigrain bread or rolls. Corn bread and white bread are good choices too,if you want to avoid heartburn.
One side dish that should be strictly for the kids, however, is macaroni and cheese. This is one of those dishes known to trigger acid reflux, according to the National Heartburn Alliance.
Selecting a salad
Salads are good news for those with chronic heartburn or GERD—if you have the right salad dressing and ingredients, that is. High-fat foods are a known trigger for acid reflux, so the National Heartburn Alliance recommends avoiding creamy salad dressings, as well as oil and vinegar. Your best bet is a low-fat salad dressing, and avoid tomatoes, raw onions, and other acid-aggravating ingredients. (Want fruit in your salad? Choose apples, not oranges, if you want to avoid heartburn.)
Avoid foods that cause heartburn.
People who suffer from heartburn often know the trigger foods that cause symptoms. Common foods include chocolates, caffeine and greasy foods. These foods relax the lower esophagus sphincter muscle, when this muscle is relaxed, the food will go back up and cause heartburn. Other foods that can trigger heartburn include acidic foods such as citrus fruits or carbonated beverages. This means avoid Champagne!
Skip Mint Desserts
Candy canes and chocolate mint desserts are best left for others. These dangerous holiday delectables are notorious for helping acid reflux on its way.
Eat more ginger
Ginger is one ingredient that can help ease heartburn, if you don't get too much of it. (More than 2 to 4 grams per day can actually cause heartburn.)
Ginger is a natural match for root vegetable dishes commonly served during the holidays. Heartburn-friendly vegetables include carrots, cabbage, peas, broccoli, and green beans
Linger Over Your Food
Take the time to eat slowly and enjoy your food. Rushing through your meal or chewing with your mouth open can increase your chances of indigestion or heartburn. Linger over your food and allow yourself to feel full by giving your food time to digest.
Limit Alcoholic Beverages
Have to have that holiday egg nog? Limit it to one glass. This festive beverage can do double the damage. Not only does it contain alcohol that irritates your stomach but it contains the added dose of diary that can cause bloating and gas.
Cut yourself off.
After-hours holiday parties can keep you snacking all night, but eating too close to bedtime can make acid reflux worse. Stop eating and drinking (water included) three hours before bedtime.
Ditch the post-meal nap:
Sleeping right after eating can increase GERD symptoms. Instead of falling asleep, try going for a walk.
Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.
Featured Food
AUTISM SPEAKS CHEFS GALA 2019
This month, we headed to Cipriani Wall Street to the 13th Annual Autism Speaks Celebrity Chef Gala which is a phenomenal event that has a number of top acclaimed chefs and culinary institutions serving its 400 guests 4 courses of curated meals tableside. In addition to watching these meals that differed by table, attendees heard about a number of the successes that this organization provides for those who are on the spectrum and their family and friends who support them. Since 2007, the Chef Gala has raised more than $13 million in support of the autism community to raise money for research, advocacy, programs and services that support people with autism and their families. This year's event was hosted by Chef Andrew Zimmern along with Co-Chairs, Christina Tosi (Restaurateur and Founding Chef of Milk Bar) and Matt Higgins the Co-Founder/CEO of RSE Ventures, Vice Chairman of Miami Dolphins and Guest Shark on ABC's Shark Tank. It honored Tim Jones, CEO of Publicis Media Americas.
We wanted our readers to know more about autism, what Autism Speaks as an organization provides and to find out more on some of the acclaimed chefs that participated in this event!
ATHLEISURE MAG: What is autism and what does it means to be on the spectrum?
AUTISM SPEAKS: Autism, or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. According to the Centers for Disease Control, autism affects an estimated 1 in 59 children in the United States today.
We know that there is not one autism but many subtypes, most influenced by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Because autism is a spectrum disorder, each person with autism has a distinct set of strengths and challenges. The ways in which people with autism learn, think and problem-solve can range from highly skilled to severely challenged.
Some people with ASD may require significant support in their daily lives, while others may need less support and, in some cases, live entirely independently.
AM: What signs should parents be aware of that indicate that their child could have autism?
AS: Indicators of autism usually appear by age 2 or 3. Some associated development delays can appear even earlier, and often, it can be diagnosed as early as 18 months. Research shows that early intervention leads to positive outcomes later in life for people with autism.
Many children with autism do not show signs, and some who do not have autism show some. That’s why professional evaluation is critical in diagnosing autism. The signs of autism depend on the age of a child and can vary widely – from avoidance of eye contact to lack of babbling or speech to repetitive behaviors.
The M-CHAT (Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers™) can help you determine if a professional should evaluate your child. This simple online autism risk screening questionnaire, available on our website, takes only a few minutes. If you have any concerns about your child's development, don't wait. Speak to your doctor about screening.
AM: How is Autism Speaks a resource to those that are affected by autism whether they have it themselves or are connected to someone that is?
AS: Autism Speaks is dedicated to promoting solutions, across the spectrum and throughout the life span, for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. We do this through advocacy and support; increasing understanding and acceptance of people with autism spectrum disorder; and advancing research into causes and better interventions for autism spectrum disorder and related conditions.
AM: We enjoyed attending the gala at Cipriani and it was amazing to see that the auction raised over $100K. Are there other events that Autism Speaks has for the remainder of the year that we should keep an eye out for?
AS: This year, thanks to the generosity of both the wonderful chefs and all who attended, Autism Speaks raised $1.3M from the Celebrity Chef Gala. There are many other ways to support Autism Speaks’ mission year-round; you can find more at AutismSpeaks.org/GetInvolved. There are also hundreds of autism-friendly events listed on AutismSpeaks.org.
We had the chance to talk with Autism Speak's President, Angela Geiger at this event to find out about the initiatives that they are focused on as well as why this event in particular is one that is so important to them in terms of their partnership with those in the culinary community. We also interviewed some of our favorite chefs who are at some of the top restaurants in the world.
ANGELA GEIGER | President of Autism Speaks
ATHLEISURE MAG: Why is Autism Speaks so important and what are those initiatives that you are trying to get out about that?
ANGELA GEIGER: We’re celebrating our 15th anniversary of Autism Speaks next year. In the world of health disorders, it’s a short time. The amount of progress that has been made because of the legacy organizations and Autism Speaks being a big tent and really welcoming everyone no matter where you are on the spectrum, and now not just for kids but as adults who have autism who needs support too.
AM: How important is this event in terms of working with the culinary community and having this kind of partnership?
AG: I think one of the really fun things about tonight, is that it allows us to celebrate big victories like things that Autism Speaks has done to help tons of people and it also shines a light on small victories like one of the things that we are going to talk about tonight is and Instagram post that was shared recently where someone tried toast for the first time and it was a really big thing for their family. So it’s important for us to really remember that all of this matters.
AM: How do you feel about your role in this organization and what are the challenges that you’re looking at and excited to take on as we close this year out and go into the next one?
AG: I think that one of the biggest challenges is that autism is a spectrum and there are people with very different challenges and very different opportunities. Making sure that we’re welcoming for everybody is one of the most important things that we can do!
CHEF MARIA LOI Owner & Chef of Loi Estiatorio,
NY, NY
ATHLEISURE MAG: What are your 3 favorite dishes at your restaurant?
CHEF MARIA LOI: Branzino that’s for sure. The Bean Soup – I love it and eat it everyday! And of course, my yogurt!
AM: What are 3 ingredients that you like to always have on hand that is used in a number of the dishes that you like to create?
CHEF ML: Yes of course, it’s easy for me. I always like to have beans, olive oil and honey!
IG @ChefMar
CHEF GABRIEL KREUTHER Owner and Michelin Two Star Chef of Gabriel Kreuther, NY, NY
ATHLEISURE MAG: We had the pleasure of enjoying a meal at Eataly via their Chefs Collaborations with your Chef Adam Hill last fall around this time which was phenomenal! Can you share with us the 3 signature dishes that we should be eating at Gabriel Kreuther.
CHEF GABRIEL KREUTHER: I think one of them is the Sturgeon and Sauerkraut Tart, I’m known for the Foie Gras so the Foie Gras Terrine and Pistachio Praline and the Tarte Flambee it’s something that I grew up with that I I love as it’s a simple thing flatbread with cheese and some bacon. But then there is also the Squab and Foie Gras Crostini – it keeps changing with the seasons!
AM: What are your 3 favorite ingredients that you like to cook with?
CHEF GK: Well strangely enough, it keeps moving too – seasonality and too much of the same thing, it’s kind of like you don't want it anymore. I love simple things and also things that are more luxurious. I love caviar in general, I love foie gras in general, but I also love simple things like sauerkraut. So, I like to combine very very simple things with very luxurious things! Right now, I am looking to use the white truffle as the season has just started. Chestnuts are beautiful right now and it just depends and comes down to the mood that you’re in and what you’re looking for and some day you want something more fancy and other days you want something more homey. It all depends – it’s like do you want to drink a good beer or a nice wine? What’s your mood?
AM: We couldn’t agree more and why was it important for you to be participating within this event?
CHEF GK: Well, first of all, it’s very rare to see so many chefs together. It shows also that when an industry wants to come together to do something, and to help science out – we can actually do nice things! I’m always keen to try to help out to raise money in hopes of making a difference somewhere. It’s shown that everything that has been done over the years has made a difference and I think there is hope when people come together to make that difference. Hopefully, making peoples lives come together and to continue that hope is what it’s about!
CHEF RALPH SCAMARDELLA Chef and Partner of Tao Group
ATHLEISURE MAG: We are huge fans of the Tao Group as there are a number of restaurants and moods that you present there. What are 3 signature dishes that we should be trying whether it’s one of your favorite restaurants or various ones throughout your portfolio?
RALPH SCAMARDELLA: Thank you so much! Well at Tao – each Tao is divided up a little bit differently, so they’re unique. The original one (Tao Uptown) has the Satay Bass which is the most iconic dish and downtown (Tao Downtown) we did it a little more of a Chinese style we did some dishes from China like a whole fish – Snapper that’s deep fried and served with garlic and roasted onions. Of course at Lavo, we have our 1lb meatball which we’re world famous for!
AM: And what about the cocktails? What are 3 that we should have in mind on our next visit?
RS: Oh yeah, the Pama Sutra which is Milagro Silver Tequila mixed with Pomegranate Liqueur and Fresh Lime. The TAO-tini is another great one with Belvedere Mango Passion Vodka, Malibu Rum, Cranberry and Fresh Lime. I like a good Manhattan too! I’m more of a beer and wine guy myself!
AM: When you’re not working, what are 3 things that you like to do?
RS: Sleeping, hanging out with the kids and trying to do as many activities as I can and doing yard work and stuff like that. I like gardening, trees and plants – getting into it.
IG @TaoGroup
CHEF MATT HOYLE Chef of Nobu 57
ATHLEISURE MAG: We are huge fans of Nobu what are 3 signature dishes that our readers should enjoy on their next visit?
MATT HOYLE: Nobu Signature dishes – definitely the Black Cod, also the Yellowtail Jalapeño and maybe one of the Tempura dishes like the King Crab or the Sea Urchin.
AM: That definitely sounds good. What are 3 ingredients that you like to use when you’re making your dishes?
MH: So Wagyu Beef in Japan. You don’t need huge amounts of it, but a few bites of it is so nice. I also love some Uni and Sea Urchin from Japan and some from Santa Barbara, California tonight which will have a slightly different taste
AM: Where do you get your inspiration from when you’re creating these dishes?
MH: From the ingredients and then you have all of the things out there. You put them out for customers and you do it a few times and the response is, “yeah it’s great.” You think about that and when you’re making something else, you think back to those dishes to bring them back in a new way! It’s a process and it’s great!
CHEF TONY NGUYEN Executive Chef of Crustacean Beverly Hills and Da Lat Rose, Beverly Hills, CA
ATHLEISURE MAG: What are your go to foods?
CHEF TONY NGUYEN: I’m a midwestern boy from St Louis, Missouri – so we know good food, we know comfort food! My go to is fried foods! I love fried chicken, my fiancé makes the best creole food – Jambalaya, Gumbo, smothered chicken and even biscuits and gravy! These are great and when we came here to NY, of course we had to try the pizza, the bagels and more!
AM: Before we talk about your new restaurant that you’re opening, can you tell us about Crustacean Beverly Hills and 3 signature dishes that we should try?
CHEF TN: OK now, the top 3 signature dishes at Crustacean Beverly Hills, The Garlic Noodles, The Roasted Garlic Crab OVER the Garlic Noodles and then something that we brought here tonight is the Tuna Cigars. We made a fake cigar out of an eggroll wrapper if you will, stuffed it with tuna poke and avocado and putting it in a cigar box. If you open it, there might be some smoke that comes out! It’s a nice little starter!
The new restaurant is call Da Lat Rose. Da Lat is a little town in Vietnam that is very similar to San Francisco. Da Lat means the “City of Eternal Spring” and there are a lot of vegetables year around. We’re not talking about peas only being good in March, they’re good the whole year! Just like California, the avocados are good all year. Even here, let’s be real. You can get a decent tomato year around even though they are the best in the summer time. In February, I think that we can both find a good one!
AM: What are your 3 favorite ingredients to cook with?
CHEF TN: Three favorite ingredients – I love garlic, I love shallots ok! My last favorite ingredient is eggs because you can make so many things out of them!
PHOTO CREDITS | Getty Images
Read the Oct Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Autism Speaks Chefs Gala 2019 in mag.
Featured Food
THE ART OF THE SNACK | TRATTORIA ITALIENNE
AN EVENING OF COMFORT FOOD
This month, we settled into our table after a rainy day to a feast that was comprised of Northern Italian and Southern French foods that were filled with savory flavors along with a wine list that complimented each portion of the meal. After a satisfying tasting journey, we wanted to find out more about this Flatiron spot - Trattoria Italienne and of course, to share it with Athleisure Mag! We sat down with Owner/Executive Chef, Jared Sippel to find out more about this culinary experience.
ATHLEISURE MAG: Tell us about your culinary background.
CHEF JARED SIPPEL: Originally from Iowa, I was raised with strong connections to food and farming, with family who grew produce, raised livestock, and owned local restaurants. I cooked throughout high school and worked as a sous chef at an Italian restaurant while attending the University of Iowa. Upon graduating, I moved to Boulder, CO to attend the Culinary School of the Rockies, and work at the James Beard Award winning Frasca Food & Wine under renowned chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson. To broaden my palate and further educate himself on European cuisine, I headed straight to the source, where I spent several months living and working at 2-Star Michelin L’Oustau de Baumaniere in Provence and staging across Italy at Michelin starred restaurants including La Primula and La Subida in Friuli as well as La Peca in Veneto. It was during this time that the majority of the inspiration behind Trattoria Italienne was derived, from menus to wine lists and aesthetics. Once back in the States, I returned for a second tour at Frasca, before moving to San Francisco to serve as Sous Chef at the 3-Star Michelin, Quince under Chef Michael Tusk. After two years, it was called back to Frasca once again to assume the role of Chef de Cuisine. Finally, I moved to New York City with my wife Lindsey and opened Italienne in 2016.
AM: How would you describe the restaurant as well as its culinary focus?
CHEF JS: Through a gradual evolution, the restaurant has pivoted from its original concept, to a more casual, engaging, and accessible Trattoria Italienne. In spite of the change to a more casual format, the emphasis on great food, premium product and exemplary service remain paramount. I stay true to the restaurant’s roots, taking diners on a journey to the intersection of Northern Italy and Southern France. Every dish has a history and every menu item has a story. The cuisine here is based on authentic dishes from these regions as well as the surrounding areas of the Mediterranean; showing connections between the Basque region of Spain, with Morocco and France, as well as showcasing the relationship of Austria and Slovenia with Northern Italy. It is not a random fusion of flavors from the Mediterranean but it's crafted with skillful techniques and carefully considered influences, for the ultimate goal of transporting the diner with authentic flavors. Trattoria Italienne represents the culmination of my career and my training in the distinct regional cuisines of Northern Italy and Southern France. I lived and worked in Provence; his time at Frasca in Boulder, CO with Chef Mackinnon-Patterson immersed me in the nuances of Friuli and Alto-Adige; and Quince’s Chef Tusk exposed me to the region of Piemonte. It’s all come full circle at Trattoria Italienne.
The restaurant is divided into two rooms. In the front room, the large bar has a wood and marble counter and plenty of room to enjoy a drink and a bar snack or a full meal. An impressive lighting fixture with giant bulbs hangs from thick ropes over the bar. The feel of the restaurant is rustic and expansive, with high ceilings and exposed wood beams. In the dining room, leather banquettes wrap around the room, with copious space between tables—a rare commodity in a Manhattan restaurant. Cozy wooden booths backed with blue upholstery put you at the center of the action, while also allowing for some privacy. Overall, there’s lots of room for large groups. The space is ideal for parties, special events and special occasions. There’s also a cozy wine cellar room for private dining.
AM: When we visited, truffle season literally started on that day – why is the White Truffle such an amazing element to add to a dish and can you suggest 3 dishes that we should think about having it on?
CHEF JS: White truffles are a special ingredient because of their rarity and seasonality. At the restaurant we showcase them in traditional piedmontese dishes like gnocchi di patate, agnolotti dal Plin and tajarin. We also offer them shaved over a number of our dishes that work well in showcasing the aroma of white truffles, which are usually dairy driven with cream, cheese and butter.
AM: What are 3 appetizers that you suggest that we should have in mind when visiting?
CHEF JS:
1. Thinly sliced Proscuitto San Daniele from Fruili is served with grissini (long, crisp housemade breadsticks) fresh shaved horseradish and European butter.
2. Polpo Alla Plancha, a Basque country classic with other influences: the tender grilled octopus is presented with gigante beans, olives, Sicilian capers and Moroccan harissa.
3. Italian Chicory Salad, available year-round, prepared with radiccio from various regions of Italy. Made with two types of bagna cauda (anchovy dressing— one broken (non-emulsified), one not, one with white vinegar, one with red and black truffle vinaigrette.
AM: What are 3 signature cocktails that we should enjoy while there?
CHEF JS:
1. The Navin Johnson is a twist on an Old-Fashioned, built with Four Roses yellow bourbon, Ramazzotti, crème de cacao (for sweetness instead of sugar, which adds depth, another layer of flavor) garnished with orange peel.
2. You Had me at Aloe is bright and refreshing, with a surprising flavor of cucumber and mint, and is composed of Aviation gin, aloe liqueur, lime, and agave.
3. Regal Bees: cimarron tequila, lemon, honey, oro blanco grapefruit twist.
AM: With the holiday season around the corner, are there specials or events that you will have at the restaurant that we should know about?
CHEf JS: One notable upcoming event for the restaurant is their Piedmontese Dinner which will celebrate the life and wines of Brunco Giacosa. I will hold an exclusive Piedmontese dinner to honor the of wines of legendary producer Bruno Giacosa. Guests will be taken on a journey through the Piedmont region with my curated five-course pairing menu with selection that include Agnolotti ai tres Arroisti, a traditional piedmontese stuffed pasta with tartufi bianchi and served with a Nebbiolo D’alba Valmaggiore from 2017, and Sformato Di Verdure, cardoon with radicchios dressed in Cesare giaccone barbera vinegar and served with a Barbera D’alba from 2017.
The dinner will be held on November 18th at 6:30pm in Trattoria Italienne’s warm and picturesque back dining room. The evening is priced at $229 and a reservation is required.
PHOTOS COURTESY | TRATTORIA ITALIENNE
Read the Oct Issue of Athleisure Mag and see The Art of the Snack | Trattoria Italienne in mag.
Featured The Art of the Snack
KEEPING IT WHOLE WITH LARA MERRIKEN
We sat down with Lara Merriken, founder of LÄRABAR which is known for their bars that are comprised of fruits, nuts and spices as well as their plant-based protein bars. Lara's interest in whole foods that keep you satisfied with its decadent ingredients stems from being an athlete playing Women's Volleyball at USC. But it would be years later after working as a social worker that she went hiking in the Rocky Mountains where the birth of LÄRABAR came to fuition. We hung out with Lara to talk about the bars, their original offerings and the brand's growth as they were acquired by General Mills.
ATHLEISURE MAG: Prior to creating LÄRABAR, what were you working on before this that led you to launching this company?
LARA MERRIKEN: Well, I was actually a social worker right outside of college. I worked with at risk kids for a long time. But I did play volleyball in college which is really the reason why I got into healthier eating for athletic performance which was the beginning of my journey. That evolved into being passionate about healthy eating and feeling good. I found myself on a mountain one day for a hike and the idea of LÄRABAR came. It’s about simple ingredients of fruits, nuts and spices but making something that tasted indulgent and delicious.
AM: So you were on the Rocky Mountains and you decided to do this, what was the first process in creating the initial LÄRABAR?
LM: Well, I actually would comb the grocery store aisles and get my inspirations from pies, cookies and cakes. Cashew Cookie is one of those that we have today which is just 2 ingredients – cashews and dates – that’s it, but it tastes indulgent! Apple Pie is another one that we have today and I would harken towards those junk foodie forbidden foods, but using healthy ingredients!
AM: That's amazing! What were your first 5 original flavors that you started with?
LM: Cashew Cookie is one, Apple Pie, Cherry Pie –
AM: Our favorite!
LM: It’s a great flavor! Banana Bread and Chocolate Coconut Chew were the original 5 flavors.
AM: Ok so going back to the Cherry Pie LÄRABAR, what makes it so tasty?
LM: We use a very rare tart unsweetened cherry that I found in the Midwest during my search for really good ingredients. It’s real! It has that real flavor just like all of our bars do. We actually use apples in the Apple Pie.
AM: So you went from the 5 original flavors to 30+. How do you go about that? Is it an inspiration board when you’re thinking of new flavors? You’ve also increased your assortment with your Protein Bars and there are just so many things!
LM: Well, we use the same process and there is a bigger team of people that work on the brand now, but still we want to bring flavors that people are wanting and enjoying. Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip is another good one!
AM: Ooo another fave of ours!
LM: Same as well as for my son! We just love to bring good new flavors. Some like the fruity and some like the nut based – kind of richer flavors.
AM: How long is that process for you when you’re in that inspiration phase from concept to actually producing it?
LM: Well we always come out with new flavors and our protein plant-based line is new, but we come out with new things annually with new products. So, it’s constant.
AM: Do you take bars out of rotation?
LM: Yeah, on occasion, if a flavor isn’t working or people aren’t loving it, we definitely rotate things out. But we’re growing and we have 30+ flavors now so we have quite a few products to offer people.
AM: Why did you decide to add plant-based protein bars to your assortment?
LM: Well people are always looking for more protein based food and certainly one that is portable. We obviously wanted to do a plant-based one. We use pea protein and nuts. Nuts offer natural protein and we have worked on it for 4 years to create 4 flavors in this new portion of the line with flavors that we wanted to offer.
AM: What are the 4 flavors?
LM: Well, there’s a Lemon Blueberry, an Apple Cobbler, Almond Butter Chocolate Brownie and then a Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup. So a nice balance of fruity and nutty depending on what you lean towards.
AM: So what are your 3 favorite ingredients that you love putting into your bars?
LM: Well LÄRABAR is really composed of fruits, nuts and spices so that would really encapsulate whether we have our core product line or our protein plant-based one. We have those same components in there. Obviously with the protein, we added our pea protein in addition to that to give it 11 grams of protein a bar which is great. But those are really the main components of the balance of fruits, nuts and spices and/or protein.
AM: What are your 3 fave signature bars?
LM: Well, my all time favorite is Cashew Cookie like I had a half this morning with my coffee early today - it's a classic. I also love Cherry Pie and I love the new protein line. Just for something different if you want added protein, but you don't want to sit down and eat a meal, but you know you will get the amount of protein that you need to sustain yourself throughout the day.
AM: For those that are on the go, how can we make sure that we get those good whole foods?
LM: That’s where LÄRABAR comes in. We sell our bars nationwide to all different kinds of grocer stores, convenient stores – you name it! The idea is that it is portable food and offers consumers the opportunity to throw it in your bag and that you are offering them something that they know is going to sustain you, tastes good and will keep you healthy!
PHOTO COURTESY | LÄRABAR
IG @LARABAR
Hear Lara Merriken, founder of LÄRABAR, right now on our show, Athleisure Kitchen which is a part of Athleisure Studio, our multi-media podcast network! Make sure to subscribe to find out when the episode drops. You can hear it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Google Podcasts and wherever you enjoy listening to your favorite podcast.
Read the Oct Issue of Athleisure Mag and read Keeping it Whole with Lara Merriken in mag.
Featured Athleisure Kitchen
ATHLEISURE LIST | PLAZA ATHÉNÉE NEW YORK: BAR SEINE
When the fall hits the city, you know there will be days where you take in sunny days that reflect vibrant leaf foliage as well as rainy days. It was on a rainy day this month when we enjoyed High Tea Service at Plaza Athénée New York at Bar Seine which has a warm aesthetic from plush chairs, wingtipped chairs and more. Our High Tea Service included a 3 course meal of: warm scones, croissants, and muffins, complete with clotted cream, honey, butter, and preserves. We also enjoyed an array of sandwiches including savory smoked salmon and ultra-fresh cucumber & lobster salad. The third course included a number of sweets from chocolate covered strawberries, dark and white chocolates and more!
In terms of the tea selection, there were 10 to choose from. To enhance this tea, you can also add a glass of champagne which is what one would expect at this five star hotel.
For those that are tea enthusiasts, Afternoon Tea refers to a selection of finger foods to enjoy with your tea; however, HIgh Tea is more substantial in terms of the offerings and a bit more filling. Plaza Athénée New York's service is available from 2-5pm and has a knowledgeable staff that can walk you through the tea service and answer any questions that you have regarding milk in your tea, putting cream on your scones and more.
PLAZA ATHÉNÉE NEW YORK
37 E 64th St,
New York, NY 10065
Read the Oct Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Athleisure List | Plaza Athénée New York in mag.
Featured Athleisure List
EVENTS | THANKSGIVING AT HORTUS NYC
With Thanksgiving being right around the corner, if you’re thinking of making plans we have an idea for those in NYC. Hortus NYC’s Thanksgiving Dinner Prix-Fixe for Two $130 (with a wine pairing for an additional $50/per person) may be a great option to think about!
Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.
Featured Events
EVENTS | SEOUL DESSERT POP-UP
Nov and Nov 20th, The City of Seoul will launch a two city pop up with Sweet Seoul, starting in Paris at L’Appartement Lafayette and ending in New York at Jungsik. Sweet Seoul will give New Yorkers a chance to experience traditional Korean sweets expertly crafted by five top Korean pastry chefs for a free two-day tasting and exhibition on November 20th from 11am - 4pm and November 21st from 1pm – 4pm at the two Michelin-starred Jungsik in Tribeca.
The exciting tasting event will spotlight the talents of the following popular culinary concepts in Seoul, which will showcase their healthy and unique rice-based desserts for one hour each in the following order:
· Dongbyung Sangryoun: A Korean dessert café owned by Park Kyung-mi, the apprentice and master of Joseon Dynasty royal cuisine, showcases Chinese quince tea, as well as five-color half-moon rice cakes, green tea flavored tea cakes, pan-fried rice cakes and candied balloon flower roots.
· Biwon: A rice cake shop that opened in 1949 with 70 years of tradition. Using local ingredients like walnuts, pine nuts, chestnuts, cinnamon, jujubes, honey, and yuzu as filling for their popular tuteoptteok that is covered with roasted black adzuki bean paste.
· Gangjeong House: The pioneers of a genre of Korean dessert called ‘Gangjeong’, candied rice puffs. They present sweet rice puffs of new combinations that reflect trends such as oatmeal blueberry sweet rice puffs and assorted nut bars covered with chocolate.
· Kimssibooin: A whole table of desserts based on the Joseon culture of preparing one table per person. Signatures of Kimssibooin include Today’s Rice Cake, strawberry balls with strawberry filling, candied five-flavor berries, candied apples and fried twist cookies.
· Haap: Chef Shin Yong-il of the dessert café Haap creates rice cakes or sweets that form a union of traditional cooking methods and modern techniques. Signatures of Haap include Gaeseong-style honey cookies, leavened rice cakes and traditional honey cookies.
The chefs’ signature dishes will be presented on traditional Korean style small dining tables (soban), bowls with lids (haap), plates, and other tableware, to create a beautiful dessert table.
The Korean desserts will be showcased alongside Korean handicrafts such as vases, food trays, and cushions, created by Seoul artists with a modern taste and various materials such as ceramics, glass, fabric, wood, and stone, along with a 3D printer, will also be spotlighted at the exhibition. Handicraft works will be showcased from Jang Hye-gyeong, Kim Sang-in, Ryu Jong-dae, OTTOTT, Mono Collection, OUGLASSWORK, and Yeom Dong-hoon.
After the exhibition and tasting event, Korean pastry chefs from Haap, Gangejeong House, Biwon, and Dongbyung Sangryoun will collaborate with Eunji Lee, Executive Pastry Chef of Jungsik in the 10 HANDS Collaboration Dessert Tasting. The chefs will present traditional Korean dishes reinterpreted in the western form and Kyungmoon Kim, first and only Master Sommelier certified by The Court of Master Sommelier, will pair traditional Korean beverages to accompany the dessert collaboration. The collaboration, which is only available through advanced reservations, is priced at $85 with an optional wine pairing and starts at 6pm.
Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag
Featured Events
#TRIBEGOALS
Read the October Issue of Athleisure Mag and see #TRIBEGOALS in mag.
Featured #TRIBEGOALS
10 MUST-HAVE KITCHEN GADGETS FOR CREATING HEALTHY MEALS
Do you need a little help cooking and crafting healthy meals? Here are 10 kitchen essentials every chef should have in their arsenal.
Great food is one of the true joys of life. And these days, more and more people are learning the value of maintaining a healthy diet.
When you're ready to start eating healthy, you'll probably need some help in the kitchen. That means you will want to buy the proper kitchen tools for cooking healthy.
Fortunately, this article takes a look at some of the best kitchen tools for creating meals that will benefit both your health and appetite. Keep reading to see a list of must-have kitchen tools that will help take your cooking skills to the next level.
1. A Set of Quality Kitchen Knives
When it comes to getting serious work prep done in the kitchen, one of the most important smartest purchases you can make is to invest in quality cutlery.
Sure, you can save a few bucks and buy cheap knives, but nothing makes cooking more of a pleasure than slicing with a high-quality blade. The key is to buy durable stainless steel knives that will slice super thin and hold a sharpened edge.
If you've never used high-end kitchen knives, get ready, because it's truly a life-changing experience.
2. A Quality Blender
When you're wanting to eat healthier, you'll discover the value of blending foods for smoothies and other tasty drinks and recipes.
Yet there's nothing more frustrating than a cheap blender that continuously jams, breaks, or simply doesn't perform the task the way you need it to.
Investing in a quality blender will be one of the best purchasing you ever make for your kitchen. You'll discover the joy of effortlessly pulverizing your favorite fruits and vegetables, as well as ice, seeds, and other ingredients necessary for preparing healthy and delicious recipes.
3. A Steamer Basket
No healthy diet is complete without plenty of fresh vegetables. And series veggie-heads know that the best tool for preparing vegetables for dinner is a steamer basket.
This classic kitchen gadget allows you to easily lower veggies into a pot of boiling water, and then simply lift them out when they are properly steamed.
Keep in mind that you don't want to boil your veggies, but simply steam them. That's what makes this tool so handy. After all, the steamer basket suspends your veggies about the boiling water so that the steam can reach them without the super-heated water washing away the nutrients.
This is a classic for a reason. It gets the job done simply and efficiently each and every time.
4. An Instant Pot
An Instant Pot is a kitchen tool that allows you to slow-cook meals during the day while you're away from the house.
Do you find it exhausting returning home to prepare dinner following a long day at work? Most people can relate. That's the beauty of the Instant Pot.
This nifty electronic cooking pot makes it possible to return home to a hot meal that's ready to enjoy the moment you walk in the door.
Simply chop up your favorite veggies such as carrots and potatoes, add some beans and ham or roast, and let it slow simmer all day long.
You'll come home to a house that smells amazing, and the only decision left to make is who's turn it is to do the dishes.
5. A Spiralizer
Here is another kitchen gadget that will make you wonder how you ever lived without it.
Healthy diets require a lot of vegetables and other heart-healthy ingredients. After all, you will want to make a lot of salads for lunches and dinners. That's where a spiralizer saves the day.
This is a gadget that reduces a full-size item such as vegetables, fruit, cheese, or meat in a cute spiral that will make your salad look like it came from a 5-star restaurant.
Not only will your salad look great, but prep time will also be cut in half. Simply feed a food item gently through the blades, and presto, a stylish spiral of carrots, tomatoes, or pepper will come out the other end.
What could be easier and more fun than that?!
6. Good Measuring Spoons & Cups
Having good measuring spoons and cups in your kitchen might not seem like a big deal, but they are actually key to a healthy diet.
Accurate measurements are crucial to creating great recipes. Yet many people fail to use accurate measuring tools in the kitchen.
Measuring spoons and cups are easy to take for granted, but adding the perfect amount of ingredients can make the difference between a meal that will make your mouth water and a dish that falls short of expectations.
7. A Digital Scale
Again, the ability to accurately measure ingredients while cooking is extremely important to a great culinary experience.
Along with quality measuring spoons and cups, we strongly recommend investing in a digital scale. This will help take the guesswork out of the most complicated dishes, and your tastebuds will thank you.
8. Quality Storage Containers
Leftovers are a part of life. In fact, leftovers are often more fun than the original meal. And the key to getting the most out of healthy leftovers is quality storage containers. This is certainly not the place to try and save a few dollars.
9. Quality Cookware Sets
Next, be sure to invest in quality cookware sets. Believe it or not, this is the secret to making the cooking experience fun and satisfying. Treat yourself to a great set, and you'll never regret it.
The Kitchen Witches' guide to top cookware sets will make cooking in your kitchen a true delight.
10. A Tomato Slicer
No meal is complete without tomatoes. A good tomato slicer will produce perfect slices each and every time.
The Best Kitchen Tools for Cooking Healthy
There's never been a better time to start cooking healthy. Fortunately, the items contained here can help you get started right.
Don't forget to bookmark our site to never miss our latest posts!
Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.
Featured Food
ATHLEISURE MAG | #46 OCT 2019
This month’s cover and back cover is 5 X NBA All Star Philadelphia 76ers - Al Horford. We share a profile on him about his career, what led him to sign with the 76ers over the summer and the season date where is team is currently 4-0.. In our feature, Something You Should Know, we interview Dr. Elizabeth Seng and STARZ Power’s LaLa Anthony about migraine conditions – identifying them, why they’re an issue and how one can alleviate their strain. We sit down with Lara Merriken, founder of LARABAR to talk about the creation of the brand, what’s newly added to the line and more. You can read the interview in this month’s issue as well as listen to it on our podcast show, Athleisure Kitchen on iHeart Radio, Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Himalaya, Stitcher and wherever you enjoy listening. In Oct, we attended Autism Speaks Chefs Gala and talked with an array of culinary luminaries (Chef Maria Loi of Loi Estiatorio, Chef Gabriel Kreuther of Michelin Two Starred Gabriel Kreuther, Chef Matt Hoyle of Nobu 57, Chef Tony Nguyen of Crustacean Beverly Hills and Da Lat Rose, Chef Ralph Scamardella of Tao Group) as well as Angela Geiger, President of Autism Speaks. With Awards Season around the corner and the holidays – we’re talking glowing skin with Toska Husted whose clients include Jennifer Aniston and Ashley Busch. This month, we chatted with Chef Jared Sippel of Trattoria Italienne in NYC for The Art of the Snack.
As usual, we have our monthly roundups including our 9LIST (Athleisure Mag’s picks that we’re loving this month in style, beauty and fitness) featured roundups. This month’s 9LIST STORI3S (picks supplied by celebrities) gives us insight into EDM’s DJ and Producer Destructo. Our newest roundup within the 9LIST ecosystem - 9PLAYLIST (9 songs that our celebs are loving this month) is from our 2018 June cover, Pooch Hall of Showtime’s Ray Donovan. As always, you can enjoy Athleisure List (Hotel Athenee and Precision Run), The Pick Me Up, Bingely Books, Bingely Streaming, Style Files, Rock This Look During Sweater Weather, Athleisure Beauty, How to Dress, In Our Bag, #TRIBEGOALS and Lime Beauty.
Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.
Featured Athleisure Mag
