Athleisure Mag #51 Mar 2020 by Athleisure Mag

Issue #51 | Mar 2020

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AthleisureMag.com

ISSUE #51

@AthleisureMag

PUBLISHER Paul Farkas

EDITORIAL Kimmie Smith

Co-Founder, Creative + Style Director

Paul Farkas

Co-Founder, Artistic Director + Tech Director

FASHION CONTRIBUTIONS PHOTOGRAPHER Paul Farkas | STYLIST Kimmie Smith

BEAUTY CONTRIBUTIONS MUA Bamike Ogunrinu | HAIRSTYLIST Lea Deloy

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info@athleisuremag.com

@ATHLEISUREMAG CONNECT + VISIT

E-mail: info@athleisuremag.com Website: www.athleisuremag.com Athleisure MagTM , a Division of Athleisure Media LLC.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Paul Farkas | Kimmie Smith

HOST Kimmie Smith

MIXING Athleisure Studio Team

ATHLEISURE STUDIO PODCAST NETWORK SHOWS #TRIBEGOALS | ATHLEISURE KITCHEN | BUNGALOW SK | THE ROAD TO TOKYO 2020

@ATHLEISURESTUDIO CONNECT + VISIT

E-mail: info@athleisuremag.com Website: www.athleisureStudio.com

table of contents

issue #51 mar 2020

STYLE FEATURES

THE PICK ME UP

STYLE FILES: SS20

ROCK THIS LOOK TO STAY COMFORTABLE

Bank Shot with Rachel Nichols

This month’s cover is ESPN’s host of The Jump, Rachel Nichols. We talk with her about her sports broadcasting career, covering the NBA for the network and more.

BEAUTY FEATURES

ALOE BEAUTY

ATHLEISURE BEAUTY

Something You Should Know: Clean Edibles 46

We sit down with the founder of TM Fruit Labs to talk about her clean edibles, how she formed her company and how these treats work within the wellness lifestyle.

Ladder Hydration 52 LIFESTYLE FEATURES

ATHLEISURE LIST TECHNOGYMS

ATHLEISURE LIST ALO MOVES

AthleisureMag.com

We find out about Ladder’s science -based formula, Ladder Hydration.

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Fueling Culinary

We talked about the food industry with C-CAP’s founder, Richard Grausman.

Issue #51 | Mar 2020

The Art of the Snack VIA VAI In this month’s issue, The Art of the Snack heads to Astoria, Queens to find out about this modern Italian restaurant with their signature dishes and cocktails.

Bridging Beauty + 120 Mental Health

Athleisure Studio

We attended Hope Fragrances recent launch at Bergdorf Goodman and talked with Audrey Gruss about her company and how it aids in mental health.

Tune into our podcast network, Athleisure Studio. Subscribe on iHeartRadio, Spotify, Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Himalaya, Google Podcast and more.

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9PLAYLIST TM DJ D-Nice

DJ D-Nice shares what he’s listening to and playing during his #ClubQuarantine sessions on Instagram Live.

9 LIST STORI3S TM 126 This month’s 9LIST STORI3S TM comes from American Idol Judge and Pop Icon Katy Perry.

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We have a number of our favorite braodcasters when it comes to catching up with our favorite sports. When it comes to the NBA, we're excited that this month's cover is the host of ESPN's The Jump, Rachel Nichols. You can also catch her on NBA Saturday Primetime Pregame and Halftime Coverage. We wanted to find out about how her passion for sports led her to journalism/broadcasting, what stories she has enjoyed covering and more. ATHLEISURE MAG: What was the moment that you realized that you wanted to work in sports? RACHEL NICHOLS: When I was a kid, watching a game just always seemed better than any movie. You got adventure and clashes and heroes and villains and all of that, except also - unlike a movie where you pretty much know that Spiderman is going to save the city from the alien - with sports you don’t know who is going to win at the end. Sign me up. AM: How did this translate into your interest in being a journalist/broadcaster? RN: My personal athletic skills are...not elite. I’m short. My hand-eye coordination is so bad that eating soup can be dangerous. So since I was never gonna make it as a player, this was a great way to be involved in sports with the skills I do have – curiosity, critical thinking, writing. AM: Prior to coming to ESPN, can you tell us your journey in terms of what school you went to and where you worked? RN: I went to journalism school at Northwestern University near Chicago, but even before that I was interning at newspapers. I definitely started out wanting to be a writer – I grew up outside Washington DC and thought The Washington Post was the greatest newspaper in the world (still do), and by the time I was 22, I was lucky enough to be working there. I honestly would have been happy staying there forever, but the newspaper business model changed enough that it

became clear it would be smart to also learn how to report for TV. I did both for a while, which led to a full-time job at ESPN in 2004. AM: You were previously at ESPN covering the NFL with SportsCenter, NFL Countdown, Outside the Lines being a sideline reporter on Monday Night Football and being one of the original correspondents on E:60 what was it like working on this coverage? RN: My first decade at ESPN involved so many sports – NBA coverage, NFL, baseball, college sports, hockey, golf, tennis. I even covered a blueberry pie eating contest once (seriously!) Learning how to bounce around gave me depth, and then the longer I was doing it, the more I bore down to focus on the NFL and the NBA. AM: When you came back to ESPN you focus on the NBA and are the host of The Jump. We also see you on NBA Saturday Primetime Pregame and Halftime Coverage – what is it like covering these areas? RN: The NBA is just so fun. There are no helmets, no masks – you get to watch these incredible athletes up-close, sometimes literally flying, and then when they come down to earth they are often some of the most outspoken, interesting, community-minded athletes in sports. NBA culture as a whole has a great sense of humor too - there's just never a boring day covering basketball. AM: What is your preparation process like when you’re on The Jump for this daily show? How does this differ from when you’re on the court for a pregame show? RN: When the season is going on, I spend a few hours a night watching games, making notes, and then each morning we have a big meeting to plan that day's show. I write a monologue for the top of the show, working in partnership with producers who really make it sing visually, and that’s where we try to set the tone for our conversations that day. Then it's

about having those conversations with some of the smartest people I know – the reporters and former athletes who make up our show universe.

The Jump as well as seeing you on the road, why is it important to you to be in both of these areas as opposed to just reporting from the studio?

AM: What have been 3 of your favorite interviews that you have conducted?

RN: My career started “in the field,” so it’s how I still approach work. How am I supposed to talk about these players if I’m not regularly talking *to* them? How am I supposed to tell viewers what goes on during games if I’m not at them regularly? To me being out of the studio is just an important component of keeping the show current, and to signal to viewers that if something big is going on, they can count on us to be there.

RN: I’m so fortunate to have gotten to sit down with so many fascinating people. Some of them have been ultra famous – I’ve interviewed Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, Derek Jeter, Tom Brady, Tiger Woods – and some of them are athletes that most Americans have never heard of, but people have amazing stories of perseverance and grit and all the things we love about sports. AM: What are 3 interviews that you have yet to do that are in your bucketlist to conduct? RN: I don’t have a “bucket list” – but one thing I really do like is catching people at different moments of change throughout their lives. For example, I first interviewed LeBron James in his senior year of high school, and we’ve sat down and talked for the cameras nearly every year since. Now he’s 35 years old, with three kids and one of the best-ever NBA careers - getting a front-row seat to that journey has been pretty remarkable. AM: You have been noted as one of the most powerful voices in sports media, what did it mean to be seen this way and how important is it for the continued movement of women in sports? RN: I grew up reading Christine Brennan write about the NFL for The Washington Post. I didn’t know at the time, she was one of the only women doing that. I didn’t know that if I had lived in any other part of the country, I would have thought that football was only for men. To me it was as simple as “she does that, so I could do that.” Fast-forward to now: Hopefully when young girls see me, that’s what they think. That’s really all it’s about. AM: Viewers can see you in the studio for

AM: What is an average week like for you to give our readers insight into what your schedule is like? RN: Thanks to coronavirus, there’s no ‘average’ for any of us anymore, sadly – but in more normal times, I’m in our LA studio 4-5 days a week, and then traveling 2-3 days to host our ABC Saturday Night game of the week on-site. I also sometimes travel to interview a player, and then there are the games here in LA that I go to once or twice a week, to catch up with players and coaches on not just the local teams but the visiting teams coming through. AM: What's the best part about covering the playoffs? RN: Seeing the best of the best go at it – there’s no substitute for that. I was really looking forward to this year’s playoffs, because unlike in recent years, there’s no heavy favorite like the Golden State Warriors. Now, with the NBA season being suspended...I’m just hoping we get to have a playoffs, even if it’s delayed. AM: For this year’s season, what would you say have been the top 3 stories whether you covered it or not that have dominated this season? RN: The NBA shutting down due to COVID-19 may be the most pivotal thing that’s ever happened to the league –

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it’s hard to even think about other storylines compared to that. Prior to the shutdown, we were certainly talking an enormous amount about the dominance of league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and about the tremendous level of play we were seeing from LeBron James at age 35, in his 17th year in the league. AM: As someone who focuses on the NBA, in terms of your work with the ESPN, are there months or weeks during the year that are quieter for you and what do you do during this time?

cocktail or going shopping? RN: I really like barre workouts, so when we’re not all self-isolating because of COVID, I go to classes for that. I also have a climbing machine at home for cardio. For cocktails, I’m a big fan of anywhere near the ocean with a good margarita – I like Elephante and Tallula's, which are both in Santa Monica - and the food at Felix in Venice Beach is off the hook. As for shopping – I’m a confirmed on-line shopper. It’s just so much easier with the amount of hours I work and travel, to browse on my phone instead of going into store. Let’s just say me and the UPS guy are really good friends.

RN: It’s pretty quiet in August but this year, the NBA is discussing playing basketball at that time – I think really for all of us, schedules are out the window right now. We just want to get back to some normal- AM: From a philanthropic standpoint, cy in America at large, and then we can are there any organizations that you figure out where basketball fits in. give your time to?

AM: You travel quite a bit, what are 3 things RN: With the country reeling from that you like to have in your carry-on to COVID-19 right now, my focus is on make flying easier? any organization that’s helping fill the gaps. Medical supplies for hospitals, RN: Headphones! If I forget them on a trip, food for kids who usually depend on it’s torture. Whether it’s doing work, or meals at school but aren’t going to escaping to watch a movie, that’s my No. school right now. We’re in a national 1 necessity on a plane. Other than that, I crisis - it’s scary and weird and one of make sure I have an extra battery that my the only things we really know about phone can hook into, and I usually bring a how to make it better is to just do as snack because airplane food is, well, air- much as we can to help each other. plane food. @Rachel_Nichols AM: When you’re not on air, what do you do to take some time for yourself? Our photoshoot took place at TAO Group Hospitality's Magic Hour which is RN: I’m super-lucky to get to live in LA to located at Moxy Times Square. This has do my job, which means at any time of become a destination where it makes year I can ride my bike at the beach, go guests that are 21+ feel like they are in on a hike or just stick my nose outside for an adult playground. We sat down with 10 minutes to soak up that sunshine Vi- Magic Hour's Rooftop Bar & Lounge tamin-D. I also have twin daughters and Beverage Director, Nikki McCutcheon as every working mom knows, that’s a to find out more about this midtown huge juggling act, but for me being with property. my family is a great balance to what I do at work. Oh, and wine. God bless a good ATHLEISURE MAG: We had a great glass of red wine after the kids go to bed! time shooting at Magic Hour for our cover shoot located at the Moxy Times AM: Since you live in LA, where could we Square, can you tell us a bit about all find you working out, grabbing a bite/ the TAO Group properties that are at

Moxy Times Square for our readers to be- to the guests that are there? come acquainted with them? NM: Guests come to Magic Hour RoofNIKKI MCCUTCHEON: Since opening our top Bar & Lounge for our multiple Indoors in September 2017, Magic Hour stagramable moments! From the atRooftop Bar & Lounge at Moxy Times mosphere with live music and DJs, to Square is New York City’s largest indoor/ the over-the-top menu offerings and outdoor hotel rooftop bar and lounge. risqué décor, everything about Magic Eighteen floors above Manhattan, the Hour is designed to be photographed. space features an “urban amusement park” concept with an adult sensibili- AM: Are hotel guests able to enjoy Magty and offers epic Empire State Building ic Hour and can reservations be made skyline views. Located downstairs on the here? second floor of Moxy Times Square, Legasea Seafood Brasserie elevates the sea- NM: Of course! At Magic Hour, we enfood dining experience by serving local, courage you to make reservations. sustainable dishes in a modern and viva- Reservations can be made by emailcious atmosphere. It is my favorite place ing us at MagicHourNYReservations@ to go in NYC – the Spicy Crab Beignets are taogroup.com, online on OpenTable, a must have. and for last minute reservations by calling 212-268-0188. AM: Does TAO Group have properties at Moxy Chelsea or Moxy East Village? AM: In general, what is the inspiration behind the food and cocktail menu? NM: Yes! At Moxy Chelsea, TAO Group Hospitality operates Feroce, and the roof- NM: We call ourselves an “adult playtop lounge, The Fleur Room. Over at Moxy ground” and you will find that our East Village we have Cathédrale Restau- food and cocktail offerings are fun and rant, Alphabet Bar & Cafe, Little Sister whimsical. Lounge and a new rooftop bar & lounge coming soon! AM: Can you share information about the Chefs at Magic Hour? Be sure to follow @TaoGroup on Instagram to stay up to date with all our hap- NM: Our amazing food offerings come penings! from Culinary Director Jason Hall and Executive Chef at Moxy Times Square, AM: Tell us about Magic Hour in terms of Anthony Venegas. From opening in its layout with 3 rooftops and indoor spac- 2017, Chef Jason and I wanted the es within this urbanized adult playground? food and cocktail menu to be playful and approachable; we are encouraged NM: On the East Terrace, we have views to be creative and think outside of the of the Empire State Building, the West box. For example, our Disco Ball For All Terrace has a moving carousel, a pink om- cocktail that is served in a spinning disbré flower wall with an “Under the Influ- co ball or the Super Stacked Pancakes ence” neon sign and Foreplay, our mini that are piled almost a foot high. putt-putt course with pink bunny statues in provocative poses. We also have the AM: Are there 3 signature cocktails that ‘Elephant Room’ which we often use as a you would suggest on our next visit? private event space that has a full bar and lounge seating. NM: Our most popular cocktail, and my personal favorite – the Party Pouch AM: A number of the spaces have Insta- – is a pink, 18 oz. cocktail that comes gramable moments, how important is that in a clear pouch, made with Finlandia

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Grapefruit Vodka, yuzu citrus and a hint of pomegranate. Another great cocktail is the Berry Bubbly with Belvedere Vodka, St. George Raspberry and Domaine Chandon Sparkling Rosé. If you’re looking for a tequila-based cocktail, I always recommend the Float My Boat, which is prepared with Don Julio Blanco tequila, caramelized pineapple and jalapeño syrup.

Co-Founder + Celebrity Photographer Paul Farkas, using Canon Mark IV; and selected Canon lenses: EF 50 f/1.2 L, EF 24-70 f/2.8 L II, and EF 70-200 f/2.8 L II. @PVFarkas STYLE, MAKEUP & HAIR CREDITS

Athleisure Mag's Celeb Fashion Stylist, AM: What are 3 signature dishes that you Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director would suggest for us to enjoy? Kimmie Smith, MUA Bamike Ogunrinu and Hairstylist Lea DeLoy share how NM: One brunch dish I love is our Super Rachel Nichols' look was created for Stack Pancakes that comes piled high the cover editorial. with maple cotton candy, bananas foster, blueberries and apple compote. For a LOOK I | OUT & ABOUT STYLE quick and filling bite, I always recommend to our guests the Carnival Style Hotdog. PG 18 + 21 | PROUD Be Positive BombIt is unique to Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & er Jacket | PARADISED Always SumLounge and can be customizable to add mer Tank | RUTHIE DAVIS Charlie 20 your own toppings, such as a fried egg, Flatform Jogger in Black/Glitter | bacon relish and mac & cheese, among PHARAOUN Night Mandala Cocktail others. If you’re looking for something Ring | sweet, enjoy the 3.5 lb. Giant Ice Cream Sandwich which was supersized for Car- LOOK II | ON SET/NEWSROOM STYLE di B.’s album release party and is now an internet sensation. With a 24-hour notice FRONT COVER, PG 22 - 27 | HALE BOB this “in the know” dessert comes with Tabitha Stretch Satin Dress | LAGOS three different layers of flavors of ice KSL Cuff Bracelet + KSL Caviar Bracecream – strawberry, chocolate and vanilla let | NAGACIA JEWELRY Bamboo Ring – and is covered in rainbow sprinkles and | QUPID Alona Peep Toe Bootie | served with plenty of napkins! LOOK III | AFTER WORK STYLE AM: What kinds of special events or ongoing events are coming up that we should BACK COVER, PG 28 - 33 | HALE BOB keep an eye out for as we head into the Zoey embroidery dress in white/gold Spring/Summer? dress | KIMMIE VINCENT Ocean Avenue | VIRGINS, SAINTS + ANGELS San NM: As we head into the Spring/Sum- Benito Ring | LAGOS Gemstone Skull mer, we are rebranding our weekend Bracelets | brunch with new food and cocktail items. Be sure to follow us on Instagram at @ SKINCARE | KOH GEN DO Cleansing MagicHourNY for all upcoming events Spa Water | REBELS AND OUTLAWS and new offerings! Love Potion | TATCHA Luminous Deep Hydration Lifting Mask | TWINMEDIX @TAOGroup Pro:Refine Eye Corrector | BELIF The @MagicHourNY True Cream Moisturizing Bomb | @MoxyTimesSquare FOUNDATION + CONCEALER | KEVYN PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS AUCOIN Sensual Skin Enhancer | MAKE UP FOREVER Ultra HD Cream FoundaAthleisure Mag's cover story was shot by tion | CHARLOTTE TILBURY Hollywood

Contour Wand | MAC COSMETICS Pro Palette Studio Finish Skin Corrector X 6 | BLUSH | COZZETTE Infinite Blush Palette | EYES | VISEART Neutral Matte Eyeshadow Palette + Dark Matte Eyeshadow Palette | ARDELL False Eyelashes Naked #420 | ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS Brow Definer #Caramel | LIPS | RUNWAY ROGUE Lip Gloss in #Charmeleon | PAT MCGRATH LABS Lust: Lip Gloss #Bronze Venus | HAIR | Misted in THEURGY Out of Body through dry hair before curling to add hold and heat protection | Then added THEURGY Shape Shift Texture throughout roots to create extra added volume and lift | Sprayed in THEURGY Enchantment Mist for high shine and to block out humidity | Finished with a light layer of THEURGY Retrograde Hairspray for a brushable finishing hold | @Shes.Kimmie @BamikeOgunrinu @HairbyLeaDeloy

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Go! crispygreen.com

facebook.com/crispygreen

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Inspiration doesn’t just occur. It’s created. Perfection isn’t simply achieved. It’s worked for. Reserved for those who get out and go. Fueled by nature. Motivated by spirit. How do you go?

STOP THE SPREAD OF GERMS Help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases like COVID-19. Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.

Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

Stay home when you are sick, except to get medical care.

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

cdc.gov/COVID19 314915-A March 16, 2020 1:02 PM

SYMPTOMS OF CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 Patients with COVID-19 have experienced mild to severe respiratory illness. Symptoms* can include

COUGH

Seek medical advice if you develop symptoms, and have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19 or if you live in or have recently been in an area with ongoing spread of COVID-19.

FEVER

*Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure.

SHORTNESS OF BREATH

cdc.gov/COVID19-symptoms CS 315252-A March 20, 2020, 12:51PM

SOME SHOU

CLEA

ETHING YOU ULD KNOW

AN EDIBLES

We have been fans of Fruit Slabs for quite some time. Whether we had been out and about on the town, enjoying nature, hanging with friends, or staying at home - for us it is like opening a little bag of sunshine. It was fun catching up with Roxanne Dennant, co-founder and CEO of Fruit Slabs, to hear about how the brand started, developed and grew to become a leading clean edible brand and role-model for female entrepreneurship, wellness and community spirit. ATHLEISURE MAG: How did Fruit Slabs come to be? ROXANNE DENNANT: 5 years ago the landscape was very different - there was not an array of products to choose from, things were not beautifully packaged and there was no mandatory testing so you did not know what you were really getting yourself into! There were no regulations in how to grow your crop and things like that. So for me, I have been a vegetarian for 13 years and extremely conscious about what I put in my body. I don't like really heavy sugar products and things like that. At the time i was eating vegan because i was having a really hard time digesting dairy products in general. I felt a calling to build a brand for people like myself would enjoy eating and seeing on the shelf. And also trying to create that would be different and sophisticate the space in a way - so like the soccer moms and the women that were out there that were too scared to go into the shop or get into cannabis would feel a little more comfortable to taking a package of Fruit Slabs off of the shelf. Not only is it more beautifully packaged and feels more comfortable than a cellophane wrapped "rice crispie bar" thing in their hand, but we make our product with all organic ingredients - it's all real fruit, there is no added sugar, it is vegan, it is gluten free and super low calorie. We are one of the only edibles that has only 5 ingredients. So we were just trying to make a clean product, and advance the industry with

a great carrier for cannabis. That's part of what inspired us to make Fruit Slabs. and on top of that, they happen to be very delicious, so we found a recipe, wanted to be involved and went for it! AM: What were your first flavors? RD: We launched with two flavors, the OG Mango and it actually comes out looking like shatter, like a slab of shatter, but literally it is a slab of fruit. It is OG mango - it's literally just mango and THC. Our Mango Maui Wowie is the mango with added fresh coconut into it and fresh coconut flakes on top of it. So it kind of takes you to the beach and smells like that epic, freshest bottle of sunscreen, like coconut like - almost feeling like you are travelling. And then we launched our Tropical Haze flavor, which is a mango base with tropical notes mixed into it like papaya, acerola cherry, and kiwi and topped with hemp seed which is really fun texture to it, but also one of the most complete proteins we can add into our diet. So we felt it was a very good way to add to the diet, and that happens to be my personal flavor because I love the crunchiness of the seeds. Then we launched our Grape Ape, which is a banana grape blend, which is great for sleaping because both banana and grapes both boast high levels of Melatonin, and bananas are high in L-tryptophan, the same chemical found in turkey that makes you exhausted after Thanksgiving dinner. And so we promote that one under the marking campaign - 'Get The Grapist Sleep Of Your Life.' And our last flavor, which we launched last year with drag queen know as Laganja Estranga, is our Pride Passion flavor, it is a single serve 10mg dose, and it's a mango base with passion fruit mixed into it. It was really special for us, because Laganja has always been a really big supporter of our product even though she hates edibles for the most part. She just found a natural love for our product and we became

very close friends on a life level, and now she is one of best and biggest brand amabssadors. She was on RuPauls Drag Race and been on Heidi Klum's German drag show, so it is really cool we have her as a part of our team! Yeah it was really cool because it was really organic. It was like women supporting each other - we always feel compelled to support the underdogs in life, because that's kinda how we feel coming up as underdogs in the space. We didn't want to put out a product during the month of Pride to capitalize on that nature and on that community. We feel LBGQT+ was a community that needed some extra special love. So it's a year long product, its beautifully packaged on the shelves - it's rainbow and has Laganja's signature on it. So we felt really proud to put out a product around Pride that would last in the market. That comes in a single 10mg dose. The other flavors come in 10 square, 100mg total packages. AM: How long does it generally take to feel effects for people? RD: It depends, that's the thing about edibles, they are not a one size fits all In model - it's very much up to your body chemistry, what you've eaten that day, what other vitamins you've taken, all things like that. But in general we usually see effects in about 30-45 minutes, the latest its likely going to hit you is probably an hour into things. And Fruit Slabs are really interesting because we are using all natural real fruit which has natural compounds and terpines and compounds. I always say, "I didn't invent the wheel - i just took two of Mother Nature's superpowers and combined them!" AM: Tell us about the different activities people do when enjoying Fruit Slabs. RD: There is a conversation in the cannabis community, that eating a mango when smoking or engaging in cannabis

use - that it heightens the THC and high due to a terpene present called nyrcene, that can help to kick the cannabinoid activity up. So people will say we took Fruit Slab to kick up the next notch of life. I am a very active person, I do a lot of hiking, was big in surfing and want to get back into it. I love being on the beach and playing the water. It's good for anybody with an active lifestyle using cannabis to heighten their workouts or post-workout to relax their muscles a bit, Fruits Slabs is going to fit that regimen, It is a perfect combination because no added or artificial sugar, no empty calories and its nutrients fit your body needs and can work with it very easily. The Grape Ape is the banana-blend that fits more on the nighttime sleep side as well? AM: Sounds like this a great fit for active, creative and chill people.. RD: I received so many beautiful messages that 'this is the best edible;' 'this has changed my life;' 'I'm never buying another thing.' We are actually helping people have better lives and enjoy it a bit more freely. There are no better things than that. AM: And listening and enjoying to music right? RD: Epic - me and my business partner actually met at Lightning in a Bottle, we love that crew a lot. Our other business partner is also very involved with them, but we met at a different music event. We also share a common love for being in nature, being hippies at heart, but professional on forefront, enjoying music, dancing, camping, being out in nature and things like that! AM: To us it feels like opening up a bag and letting some sunshine comes out. I guess it's thanks to you and Mother Nature, huh?! RN: There is a common thing in the cannabis community - 'Quality In, Quality Out.' We are not going to make a quality product with crabby cannabis going into it.

When we first started, this was with the backdrop of the black market very much raging; this is pre Prop 264. These are the old days where it was up to us and our moral compass to guide us in a way and a fashion that felt good. My business partner, Brian Cona, I call him my 'weed guy,' and we have different skill sets, and it was up to us to find partners where we can go their farms and trust what they were doing. In 2016, about a year after we launched, testing facilities started coming on-line. By year two, we had the tests to put out there and it was really important us to make sure we were finding pesticide-free cannabis. We actually have laboratory tests for all of the THC and CBD that goes into the product and after we make a fruit slab it goes to testing again, so not only do you know of the cleanliness, but the precision of the dosage is there. AM: How many stores is it carried in? RD: Were carried in over 100 stores in CA, and this year we'll see more numbers and be more available state-wide with our distribution partners. We are working on Washington and in the final stages and hopeful for end of summer. We are in conversations with a great company in Boston, Massachusetts as well. We are looking to expand the brand and being available in more legal states, and will have the CBD line available in every state. AM: Do you have anything exciting in development you can tell us about? RD: We are in the process in putting together our hemp-based CBD line, which is really exciting! Some CA laws are being re-adjusted and we don't cut corners in finding partners and it took us some time to find the right CBD partners and making sure we have all the information that they are growing the hemp as sustainably and clean as possible, there are COAs for it, etc. @FruitSlabs

Saturday, June 27 3-10pm, House of Yes NYCPride.com

We are excited to hear about Ladder's new science-based Ladder Hydration - a performance sports drink that replenishes electrolytes lost in sweat. From Ladder, the sports nutrition company founded by LeBron James and Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ladder Hydration is designed for all athletes from every sport to achieve peak performance during and after physical activity. It was created to provide a caffeine-free energy boost for the toughest workouts, help overcome fatigue and cramping, and assist the body in absorbing more nutrients so athletes can always finish strong. From pre-workout, to everyday greens and post recovery proteins, Ladder Hydration will now support athletes during and after any workout. We caught up with Dr. Abbie Smith-Ryan, Ladder’s Nutrition and Science advisor and Director of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Applied Physiology Laboratory, to learn more. ATHLEISURE MAG: Hello Dr. Abbie Smith-Ryan, we’re excited to hear about Ladder’s new product - Ladder Hydration. Tell us about it? DR. ABBIE SMITH-RYAN: Ladder Hydration is a uniquely evidence-based formulated, easily portable, effective solution to help with rehydration and performance. AM: What is your background and what are some of your roles with Ladder as Nutrition and Science advisor. DR. ASR: I am an Associate Professor and Director of the Applied Physiology Laboratory at the University of North Carolina where I develop and evaluate research related to nutrition and health. As a Nutrition and Science advisor to Ladder, I work with the team to help bring in science to product formulation, innovation, and education about how/when/why to use specific products. AM: What is Ladder’s Refuel Ratio, how does that work?

DR. ASR: The ‘Refuel Ratio’ is a scientifically backed combination of electrolytes to maximize fluid replenishment to reduce the chance of muscle cramping, enhance performance, and amplify recovery. This relies on a unique ratio of Sodium:Potassium – this is essential for fluid replacement and minimizing muscle cramps; Calcium:Magnesium—this is essential for optimizing muscle contraction and recovery; and Potassium:Calcium – this supports an environment to reduce muscle cramps and optimal muscle performance. AM: How does this lead to offering such a complete hydration product for the market? DR. ASR: The other key component of Ladder Hydration is the addition of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are essential for performance and hydration—which are often overlooked in many products on the market. Carbohydrates—specifically sugar, such as dextrose during and after exercise, are key for increasing exercise performance and for rehydration—Interesting, carbohydrate ingestion during and after exercise have also been shown to bolster immunity. Ladder Hydration is also available in portable packets which can help facilitate hydration in a variety of difficult scenarios. Altogether, Ladder Hydration is one of few products on the market that includes all of the electrolytes and carbohydrates, in the ideal ratio, that are needed to maximize rehydration and performance. AM: How does Ladder Hydration compare among the many product choices available today? DR. ASR: As you will notice- many hydration products either are missing carbohydrate or lack enough electrolytes. Specifically, they are made/marketed to be consumed at any point throughout the day. To be effective, a

hydration product should be higher in sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium than our typically daily beverages. They should also taste saltier and sweeter – to help replenish micronutrients following exercise and increase the desire to drink. AM: What are some key ingredients and what’s notably missing? DR. ASR: One key ingredient, beyond what is mentioned above- Ladder Hydration also includes Vitamin D. The majority of individuals are deficient in Vitamin D—which has also been linked to optimal muscle contraction, performance, and immune function – the addition of Vitamin D here can further support optimal health and performance. AM: When are good times to use this – is this great for pre-workout, recovery and/or everyday health? DR. ASR: This product is optimal for post-exercise—after sweating. It is uniquely formulated to help replenish electrolytes and enhance recovery. Additionally, if someone is exercising for a long period of time with sweating- Ladder Hydration would be recommended during exercise. PHOTOS COURTESY | Ladder @LadderSport

FUELING THE CULINARY ARTS

with Richard Grausman

A few weeks ago, we headed to Chelsea Piers to the Careers Through Culinary Arts Program's 30th Anniversary Benefit to enjoy a staggering amount of top chefs that included David Bouley, Marcus Samuelsson, Jonathan Waxman, Eric Ripert, Maria Loi and Sarabeth Levine. They were joined by students from C-CAP who showcased their skills to guests who enjoyed some of the top restaurants in NYC.

teachers Wilma Stephenson) ran and with the alumni expressing themselves. And after that video, there were alumni that were in the room that I have known for years. I know what the program has done for them, but they had never expressed it to me and they came up to me empowered by what they had seen and they just opened up to me. It was just so heart warming.

We wanted to know more about C-CAP and the founder, Richard Grausman who took classes with James Beard. He trained and graduated with the Grand Diplôme from Le Cordon Bleu, Ecole de Cuisine. He was also the first exclusive representative of the school who trained people across the US and Canada in order to make them profficient.

AM: You have had a phenomenal background and prior to launching C-CAP, can you tell us what you were doing prior to launching this organization?

We headed to the offices of C-CAP to find out about how his career, how this organization was created, the programs that were launched and how he works with chefs and other partners. ATHLEISURE MAG: We have had the pleasure in talking with various voices in the culinary community from Chef Marcus Samuelsson to Will Blunt of StarChefs who have shared their work and support of C-CAP. We were so pleased to see how you have ensured that the culinary community continues to thrive by attending your 30th annual event a few weeks ago and it’s so fitting that we finally get to chat with you to find out more. RICHARD GRAUSMAN: It was a wonderful event and we have had 21 events and that was an unusual one. 2 years ago, Jose Andres was our honoree and that was unique in its style because the room was filled with appreciation for what he has done philanthropically around the world. At our benefit this year, I felt the love and warmth for the program and the guests that were coming up with appreciation when my daughter’s video (PRESSURE COOKER Directed by Jennifer Grausman and Mark Becker, an Emmy nominated documentary about one of the C-CAP

RG: I had been the representative of Le Cordon Bleu Paris for 15 years. I had originally gone to Paris to study cooking and become a chef – hopefully in a small mountain restaurant as I love to ski. I’ve always enjoyed skiing and cooking in my life. But I found while I was in Paris that I was too slow to become a chef and I was single minded. I wasn’t a multitasker. In the process, I taught myself skills that I saw that chefs needed and I realized that I could teach others. I told that to the school that instead of being a chef of a restaurant, I wanted to teach. Timing is everything and when I came back from a ski trip, I was almost finished with the program and Madame Elizabeth Brassart (owner of Le Cordon Bleu) asked me if I wanted to go to Cleveland to teach a course for her. This was because the Vice President of the Higbee department store had asked for them to send a chef; however, they couldn’t send one since the chef didn’t speak English and she knew I was interested in teaching and the chef thought that I was very good. It started 15 years of teaching French cooking around the country and Canada. I never thought that I wanted to do anything else. It was so gratifying to teach and to have students – men and women, come up to me saying that their spouse loved them more because of their tartar tine or their kids ate carrots for the first time. But then I left the school and wrote a cookbook and I was traveling around the country pro-

moting the book and a vision of what America ate, really hit me. It was fried chicken, hamburgers and pizza. I thought that I could perhaps expand that palette and thinking about the best way to do it, I felt that I had to get in with the schools and get children while they were young and to broaden their palettes, broaden their minds. Because if they leave school, I found that the average adult that if they didn’t like something, they wouldn’t try it. I wanted to start in elementary school, and I wanted to teach sensory evaluation, and nothing is better to do that with than food, because you use all of your senses. Once you start doing that, you can teach nutrition, then in middle school I thought that you could use foods from around the world to teach geography, history and social studies and in high school, if you had a student with a palette and a passion, it would be easy to train them for the industry. I had a book that I thought was readable at the high school level and I knew that Home Economics was in terrible shape and I thought that by teaching the teachers some of the recipes in my book, to expose their students before they left high school that that would be my goal before I went into my first classroom. I went to the Board of Education, they liked my idea and they said, “we don’t have any money.” I asked if I could go into one of their classes and they said certainly. I went into one of the classes and that day I saw that half the class was making bread and the other half were Haitian students learning English. I went around the classroom opening drawers and cabinets and they were empty. So I knew it was what the school system had said, they didn’t have any money. I talked to the teacher and said that I had been teaching French cooking for the last 15 years and asked if there was something that I could do for them, what it would be? He laughed and said, “I spent my own money just to buy the flour today for the bread.” So I knew that they needed a lot of help. That day, I went home and I called up many of the manufacturers that I had been dealing

with for 15 years. I let them know that I wanted to help the schools and asked if they could help me and they said yes. They donated products, pots and pans, spices – all sorts of things. I brought the teachers together and I taught them in the morning and then I watched them cook in the afternoon. It showed me the level of proficiency of the teachers. A few were quite competent, but the majority were not. I went to the French Culinary Institute which is now the International Culinary Center and I asked them if they would provide a training program for the teachers, which they did. I went into the classroom and started to demonstrate for the students and when I saw looking at the students – some of them were sleeping, zoning out and there were a couple of people who were bright eyed, attentive and watching me. I watched them cook and a few were very excited and would come up with their tart asking me how I liked it. I let them know it was good, asked how their parents liked it (they did) and then I would ask them what they wanted to do after they graduated and that’s when I found out that the students who were in these classes were the students that the system had failed. Most of them had D’s and F’s at best. They had no preparation for college or a career. I asked them if they had ever thought about cooking and they said, “no – can I?”. I went to a dinner at a small French restaurant on Lexington Ave and I asked the owner about jobs for high school graduates and what the opportunity would be. He laughed at me and told me to look at his kitchen. He was importing labor from South America and Asia and he’d much prefer to have a NY kid that spoke English. I asked what he needed. He said that he needed people that showed up on time and that he would teach them. I asked about knife skills. He said that if he had knife skills, he wouldn’t have to start him on the dishwasher. So that was the beginning of C-CAP. Within the next 3 years, during the summer time, I would send a student out and

a chef would say, “yes the student shows up on time, but when he gets through what I have asked to do, he goes out for a smoke and sits down. I need him to come up to me and say, ‘what’s next chef?’” They needed them to be eager to work. So I built that into the program. Then I would hear, “yes, they show up on time, they are very eager and asks what’s next, but they’re not thinking. He’s got to be inquisitive and to ask why I am using one thing versus another – he has to want to learn.” So I built that into the program. Third year, we were in Chicago. I always went to the competitions that we would have. We would have chefs as the judges and I would take them out to dinner. One night, I took out one chef that was a judge with a director from the high school program and Martha said to Richard, “why don’t you take our kids as you used to take them in the summer?” and he said, “well you’re teaching them the wrong things.” He explained that he had a boy the previous summer that there was a mess and he asked him to get a mop to clean it up. The student said that he didn’t do floors and Martha said, that he shouldn’t have to. That’s when I saw the disconnect between the school and the industry. The next day, I was handing out scholarships and I was saying that one of the biggest complaints in the industry was that people were coming out of Culinary Institute of America and Johnson & Wales University and they didn’t want to peel carrots or chop onions – they just wanted to be a chef. I let the students know that I knew that they wanted to be Executive Chefs and own their own restaurants and even chains. I told them that if you have your own restaurant and the dishwasher doesn’t show up, then you will be doing the dishes. If your janitor doesn’t show up, you will be cleaning toilets. I let them know that if they didn’t know how to wash dishes or clean toilets, that they needed to go home that night and have their parents show them how. I wanted them to be able to be prepared for anything that would come up. Well, I was shocked that a school board member, a minister, a par-

ent and a teacher all came to me after the scholarship breakfast and thanking me for telling the kids what I did. I asked them what they were talking about and they said, “you are telling them what life is about.” I asked why they didn’t do that. They said they were afraid to. I didn’t know what they were afraid of and I investigated it. Because of the drop out rate in Chicago and DC at that time was so high, parents and administrators were telling their kids that if they stayed in high school, they wouldn’t have to do what they did. The administration would agree with this line of thinking and tell them that they would be paid more. So students were coming out – and this is still true today as I heard about this in Chicago, they’re telling and expecting students that come from their culinary programs to have managerial jobs and not entry level jobs. Students come out saying that they’re not going to take minimum wage, don’t want to wash dishes or chop vegetables. They want to manage. If you’re not prepared to enter the industry, you’re not going to go anywhere. So that’s the essence of what we do. We work with the teachers to train them in the few skills necessary to get started. Where the school system wants them to teach A-Z, lobster, steak, fish, eggs, salad – everything. They only need to know how to chop, dice, slice, keep things clean and neat, be safe at the work place, show up on time, want to work, want to learn and have basic knowledge of ingredients and equipment. We try to get the teachers focused on that. They have the students from 1 – 3 years so they can work on that. They can reinforce wearing your apron, watching your hands and other things that take time for them to learn. We see them when they come to our competitions or for our job training for summer jobs, job shadows to expose them to the industry. We have a student that is already eager, interested and inquisitive. When they leave us and go into the industry, the industry is saying wow – send us more. When Marcus came in and I encouraged him to take on the Co-Chairmanship of the program of the organization. His

view was to expand upon what I started and he wanted to reach and train more students as the industry is in need of this. That’s where we are now. We’re trying to figure out how to expand on what we already do and we do well. AM: How many people are currently in this program? RG: It depends on how you look at it. I look at it as we have 200 teachers, each teacher has 50 students. That’s 10,000 students. I think the organization uses the number of 17,000 which may be when we’re thinking of the upper level including the 4 years. Those are 10,000 students that the teachers have and the teachers range from poor to excellent so the effect that they have on their student varies. But they all have an effect on their students. Out of that, we see the students that have expressed an interest in knowing more beyond the classroom – shadows, summer training, internships, college advice or our competitions. You go from 10,000 down to a couple of thousand to a couple hundred that get scholarships. There are many hundreds that go into the industry for summer jobs. It’s on the level of interest, focus – but we have worked with over 300,000 students in the 30 years and probably have given $60 million dollars in scholarships and then an untold number of jobs! Then we follow those students if they stay in touch with us, if they have a problem and want to change jobs or they haven’t had a raise in 3 years – what do I do? They tell us if they want to go to Spain and learn something. All of those things, we have the ability to help them with. AM: How do you assess which high schools you go into? RG: Initially, I had 3 areas that I was interested in. NY, Chicago and San Francisco. I started in NY and then people heard about what we were doing. I was on NBC for the first time about our program and the next night, I got a call from Washington, DC from the head of Home Economics and they wanted the program. I asked

them how many schools that they had and I was looking to go to a community with at least 14-15 schools. For the manufacturers to be able to give the equipment, one school wouldn’t be enough. I went to DC next and then I heard from a teacher in Arizona and another in Norfolk, VA who had been at a teacher’s conference and had heard about it. They wanted it. As long as the school number was sufficient, I went and taught the teachers, I brought the chefs in local areas in and we started the program. It was very easy within 5 years. I had 7 programs, but it was very hard to maintain and grow the program because when I put it all together it worked. To keep it going, I needed volunteers and eventually to keep it going, the volunteers needed to be paid and then we needed a staff and then needed an office. So, the numbers that we effect year after year didn’t change much, the scholarships grew – the degree that we worked with the students improved. The level of services that we gave them grew. Initially, I thought that if I gave a scholarship to a student to CIA would change their lives. In some cases it didn’t change it for the better. I took a student out of their community and threw them into a new community, they had no way to adjust, understand, they didn’t know how to get help with their schoolwork – they’re grades dropped and they lost their scholarship. I had to find ways to mitigate that. I had students going to community college before going to the CIA because their reading and math was at a level that they couldn’t do the work easily. I’ve had people on campus where they were the only black student that walked onto the campus. So once I had a number of students that were on campus, I got them to form a club to greet the others to work with the campus. So C-CAP students got a name and they were proud to be C-CAP students. Finding what the problem is and finding a solution for it is how my mind worked. The program has grown organically because of that. I saw a problem, I would address it and try to solve it and by solving it, I was able to move peo-

ple. AM: So who are groups or services that you work or partner with frequently? RG: There are a number of organizations that do similar work. We’re not actively working with them. I did work with the American Culinary Federation for a number of years in the beginning because their chefs and association needed credits for them to continue in that group. One of the ways that they were able to get that credit was to provide their time in their schools and I took advantage of that and their members loved it as they were able to be judges. The organization itself, I tried to work with and I became their School to Work Chairman – I wasn’t able to get them to move in the direction that I saw necessary. So I haven’t been active with the organization for 15 years. The National Restaurant Association also wanted to work with us years ago, but they wanted us to work for them. The partnership wasn’t in the way that they saw things. They saw it their way and wanted us to work with them. They did a lot of good, their programs both the ACF and the NRA affect schools and students, but I don’t see them working with the populations that we work with. Many of them saw how effective competitions were so they did it too. When you offer nationwide competitions and you have affluent schools and affluent students in those areas, they’re competing against our students from poor schools and poor backgrounds, our students don’t make it to the top. In our competitions, our students make it to the top and beyond. We can focus on a certain population to what I think is doing important work and I don’t concern myself with the whole country, where they do. AM: It’s an interesting point about how C-CAP focuses on the skills needed and that you serve a specific community in order to have them excel in the culinary industry. When we were at your 30th Anniversary Benefit, it was a pleasure to see C-CAP students working side by side with some of

the most esteemed chefs who own their restaurants as well as being food TV personalities. Seeing the pride and how inspired they were was amazing. It had to be a boost to their confidence to see people enjoying their food and being in that environment. That’s a resume builder. RG: Yes, I learned very early when I was teaching. The importance of teaching is to empower others. I found ways to empower housewives so that they could talk to their butcher and all of a sudden relationships were being built! They would come to me and say, “oh Mr. Grausman, what you told me about that leg of lamb – I went to my butcher and told him and he looks at me like I am a professional!” I told them just a few words and it made all the difference! That’s the same thing that I did at C-CAP. By teaching the students certain techniques, that when a professional chef saw them accomplish those things, they were impressed at their capability. One example at a competition was that I had the Executive Chef of the Four Seasons Hotel in NY as a judge and she came to me and said, “Richard, that young man is really great! Do you think that I can have him work for me?” I told her to give me her card and we gave him a scholarship to go to the French Culinary and she hired him. He would call me everyday and say, “Mr. Grausman, I have to make a salad today and I don’t know how to do it.” I told him that in my book, there are 3 great salads and to make one of those. This went on for months and then the chef called me up and said that she had to let him go. Since they had a union, other people were complaining that he wasn’t doing what everyone else was and that was because when I knew Damien in highs school, he was taking care of 2 younger siblings and one parent had died and one was ill. He was working at Kentucky Fried Chicken closing it at 2am and mopping the floors and his teacher had taught him the skills that were involved in our competitions and he was spectacular at it. That’s why the chef wanted him and I empowered our students to impress these chefs to get

into the kitchens with the exception of him because of the unions. Every kitchen that our kids went into even though they weren’t up to the standards that the chefs thought they were after seeing them. They were capable of learning and being trained. I got them into the kitchen. Those were the little secrets that I used to focus on because you want teachers to be able to effectively teach their students these skills. You can’t ask them to do more than what is realistically achievable and that is what is the problem with our education today. They set goals and standards that aren’t achievable because what happened before they got into the 9th, 10th and 11th grade wasn’t achieved. So, if you are reading at a 3rd grade level in the 9th grade and you’re supposed to be reading at a 10th grade by the time you’re out – kids drop out because they can’t do it. AM: It becomes frustrating! RG: Exactly, unless you go back down, and solve those problems at the time, you’re not going to reach them. The first year that I was doing this, I was asked to be on a council as an advisor for the Board of Ed and I ran into a situation where a student in their junior year was given a scholarship to the Natural Gourmet School here in NY. I followed up in the summer and asked how he was doing. I was told, “Richard it was very strange. In the first class, he was fantastic. I had him come up because his knife skills were so good that I had him demonstrate for the rest of the class. But then he didn’t show up the next day.” I asked what she said to the rest of the class when she let them go. She explained that she had asked them to read chapters 1-5 and that they would work on it the next day. I called his high school teacher and asked why she thought that the student didn’t show and relayed what happen at the NGS and she said, “oh that’s it. He doesn’t read.” A junior in high school doesn’t read. I wanted to know how he was able to be a junior unable to read. His

teacher explained that he was able to maneuver around reading by opting out. So as I sat on this council, I asked how they could allow a student to get that far and not read. They explained that I didn’t understand how they have kids attending the schools who have various language problems and they have to move them on. I believe that after 3rd grade, if they don’t read, then before they move on you have to make sure that they do. Those on the council said that that is tough because you have to keep them with their age group and they felt that because they have to teach them math and history, it was better to continue with them moving on from grade to grade. But the answer is if they can’t read you need to keep them reading, reading, reading because they can’t learn anything regardless of the subject. I don’t know what the situation is like today – if they’re still dropping out because they can’t read. But this was back in 1990 and to me, that’s the major problem and you solve it How do you solve it? You find all different ways that you can teach them – there’s Sesame Street – education is something that I am very interested and passionate about. I am frustrated because I don’t often see the imagination and creativity in solving problems. They identify problems and identify solutions but when those solutions don’t work, they will find another solution – find out the root of the problem and why those solutions don’t work. Hopefully, one of the reasons why I established competitions was that teachers weren’t teaching the skills necessary to get the jobs. The curriculum was so vast, they couldn’t repeat something. You can’t learn knife skills without repeating. You can’t learn how to make a sauce properly without repeating it. There are certain things that you need in cooking competitions. Teachers that go through our competitions will tell me, “Richard, thank you so much. I never thought that I could get one of my kids a scholarship to Johnson and Wales and you gave me the other opportunity – but it was hard. I had to work with them after school." I asked why they

didn’t work with them during class, and why don’t you work with all of your students and not just 1 or 2 of them? They explained that they couldn’t give knives to some of the students or that they weren’t interested. So they take the ones that are and train them. For years, I have worked on ways to get teachers to be able to focus on hard skills and soft skills. The only way that I could get them to do it is through the competitions. I have now been working on something that I called, C-CAP Approved. It’s an assessment, skills that I first gave to the teachers that they should work on. I have found that the teachers would like to do that, but the administration won’t let them. So we’re working on NY now and we’ve evaluated their benchmarks and in doing that, we cut down the things that students need to learn. Now

they want us to do an assessment test and if that goes through, we’ll have the piece that I’ve been visualizing for 15 years which will be mandated to the teachers as what has to be taught. These few skills that will be meaningful to the industry. If I can pull that in NY, I can roll that out. When I look at the students that are in those classrooms now, if the teachers said we’re all chopping and who will be the fastest and to develop a bit of the sport of it by getting them excited to perfect their knife skills. Americans in today’s youth, if they don’t get it right away, they drop it. If you come to a competition, we do a dish that has turned potatoes. Chefs would ask me why I would teach it because they don’t do that anymore and if they do, they get them from Mexico. I said it was there because the average teenager will try to do

something and then quit. But if they stick with it long enough to turn a potato, there is nothing that you can give them that will take more time and patience so I’m not afraid of them quitting on you. They will work. It’s a vehicle to achieve a certain result. It’s to teach repetition and willingness to do something. I have been using the same recipes for competition for a while. We changed from salmon and beurre blanc to poached chicken to a sautéed chicken that we use now. The dessert was always crepes pastry cream and chocolate sauce – it still is. The teachers will say, “Oh Richard, can’t we change the competition recipes. We’re so sick of it.” I tell them that you can’t get sick of it because the students can’t get sick of it. If they’re a chef in a restaurant and they’re making this chicken dish on their menu, It has to be made good or better each time that they make it. They can’t get tired of making it and they have to find something in it that drives them on. When all of your students are making the chicken perfectly or the crepes perfectly, I will consider changing it. Some years the teachers focus on the crepes and they come out thin and beautiful and I’ll begin to think about changing it and then the next year, they’re coming out thick. The chefs that come to judge they see the techniques that the students have to do to create these dishes and they appreciate it. They say, “you’re old time but it’s good because they are learning their basics.” In time, I won’t be here and somebody else will come and the skills may change because the industry is changing all the time. There may be skills that we should be teaching for those that are going into Fast Casual to other ends of the business. I want to know what those are and if they are teachable at the high school level then we should do that. Basically, what we’re doing is teaching discipline, attention, focus, sanitation safety and you can’t teach this overnight. AM: It has to be a habit and routine. RG: Exactly! Knock on wood, we've been

lucky and our kids who have those basics and put them in the hands of a good chef who is interested in mentoring, they go from dishwasher to sous chef very quickly. Some chefs just told me that they have some of our kids and one of them is the youngest female sous chef and their corporation. They learn quickly and they’re not interested in looking at their watch. Even when they’re leaving, they’re asking if there is anything that they can do as they’re eager. That attitude and interest is golden. AM: Clearly, you have been a mentor to a number of chefs, who are 3 people that you feel were your mentors that have shaped you? RG: Well, I think of 2 or 3 people that come to mind and there are a lot of chefs that I respect in this industry. But Jacques Pépin when I was a teacher, he was a teacher also who taught all over the country. We would teach in the same cities, but never met each other until 10 years later. When I got to see him work and saw his books, he is one of the finest teachers that I have ever met. His ability to make things look easy is something that I use and learn to pass onto my students. Daniel Boulud is a chef that is very dedicated to French cooking but he has adapted techniques to American tastes but has kept a level of excellence that in my mind is very important. He is a wonderful mentor. What he has done with Ment’or a non profit organization of chefs to help younger chefs – I commend him immensely on that. We have worked with him and Ment’or on a number of their projects and many of our students have gotten scholarships. Marcus – when I first met Marcus, I saw a potential as a role model for many of our students mainly because he is African Swedish, but he has the ability to be a mentor to a number of people. He has a personality and way to inspire young people. I am hopeful that as he gets more time to focus on this that that will trans-

late immensely. I am on Facebook until 2 o’ clock at night and my wife gets upset and will ask if I’m still on it. I let her know that I am talking to a student that I haven’t spoken to in 20 years. I have a relationship where they talk to me as an equal. I sort of try to advise them on a level that is meaningful to them and they open up to me. I am white and they may be black or Hispanic and I know what they have gone through because I read their essays and I hear about the dificult childhood that they have had and the way that they have been mistreated in their lives. I understand what they have gone through but I can’t understand exactly what they have gone through. I can picture it, I can see it many many times in many ways. I don’t know if I could have gone through what they went through. For them it was life, they survived life and when I have been able to open the door, make an introduction or point them in the right direction – it has been life changing to them and easy for me. They have gone through the hard things and I am using things that are easy for me to do for them and it changes lives. That’s a great combination. When I thought that there was nothing else that I could do in life but to teach and get enjoyment there, what I have been doing for the last 30 years has been life changing and is really powerful. I wish more people who get wealthy and retire would not retire from life but would use their expertise to find a way to give back. At all levels – banking, stocks, football – mentorship can change lives and if you have gone through it yourself, you have a lot to give and it’s not hard for you to do. You’re an expert at it. It’s hard to get people to that point sometimes. I was fortunate to win the President’s Service Award and I met a lot of people and I saw a lot of people who aren’t doing much with their expertise and their money besides playing golf and that’s a shame. The gratification that one gets is better to help then to take. It’s a simple truth. But unless you do it, you won’t know.

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS @RGrausman @CCAPinc

Hear C-CAP's founder, Richard Grausman 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.

Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kids need us now.

Millions of children are losing the healthy meals they depend on as the coronavirus closes schools, but No Kid Hungry has a plan to feed them. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re working with school districts, local government and community groups across the country to ensure kids get the meals they need during school closures and all year long. Find out how you can help at NoKidHungry.org

ATHLEISURE LIST: Various Studios + Home Gyms

TECHNOGYMS

You may be familiar with the Skillrun Treadmill which is part of Technogymâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Skill Line, created in collaboration with Olympic athletes and built for high-intensity athletic performance. The Skillrun available at the Rumble Training studios features a custom interface along with arcade-style joysticks to adjust the speed and incline on either side of the screen. Aside from the unique features exclusive to Rumble Training, the Skillrun offers a wide variety of training programs such as bootcamp, sled training, parachute training, speed shifts, etc.

Technogym is the world leading supplier of products, digital technologies and services for fitness, sport and health. For over 30 years, the brand has been committed to promoting Wellness, a lifestyle based on regular physical exercise, a balanced diet and a positive mental attitude.

In 1983, President and Founder, Nerio Alessandri, designed and built his very first piece of gym equipment in his garage in Cesena at the age of 22. Looking for a way to make money using his technical and mechanical design skills, Mr. Alessandri became interested in the world of fitness after visiting a local gym which only offered basic equipment. Upon launching the first machine, he then worked on releasing his first line of equipment, the Isotonic Line, meant for strength training.

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Other equipment you may be familiar with is the Run Personal + Kinesis Personal. This is the top of the range Technogym design line. Designed by the acclaimed designer Antonio Citterio combines Technogym premium

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training technology with elegant design and aesthetic. This is ideal for design lovers and people willing to train in an elegant and stylish atmosphere. You don’t need to have an entire room to dedicate to home gym, since personal line equipment are considered real pieces of furniture and they can be perfectly integrated in living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms, etc. The personal line includes treadmill, bike, elliptical and Kinesis. Kinesis is Technogym’s unique design training solution allowing a single machine over 200 exercises for strength, balance and flexibility. The SkillRun - Skill Line is Technogym’s ultimate Line for athletic training performance, designed thanks to Technogym’s experience as official supplier to the last 8 Olympic Games. It includes treadmill, bike, rower and Skillmill curved treadmill. This is ideal for sport lovers and for people willing to train to improve their sport performance: runners, cyclists, triathletes, etc. The Artis Elliptical - Artis is Technogym’s premium professional line for fitness clubs. It is available also at home for people willing to create a real professional gym at home. It includes a complete range of cardio and strength equipment and it is ideal if you have an entire space to dedicate to your personal gym.

2008, London 2012, Rio 2016 and Pyeongchang 2018. Each piece of Technogym equipment goes through extensive testing to ensure the maximum benefits for you and your training goals. Whether you’re looking to tone up, lose weight, enhance your athletic ability, or simply keep moving amidst the hustle of daily life, Technogym has a machine for you.

As the official supplier of fitness equipment and digital technologies for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Technogym provides the equipment for the athletes to train on in the Olympic Village to ensure they’re in top shape for competition. This is the eighth time that they have been a part of the Olympic experience, having been a part of Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Turin 2006, Beijing Issue #51 | Mar 2020

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ATHLEISURE LIST: Streaming

ALO MOVES

Athleisure Mag has been a fan of the lifestyle brand, Alo Yoga for a number of years. It's a brand that truly focuses on clothing and accessories that allow you to flow through your workout. We also love that you can go to their

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stores to workout as well. When you're unable to go to their stores, you can access Alo Moves via their phone, tablet and web! They have thousands of videos, workshop-level yoga, series and singles classes.

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Classes are taught by some of the world's most exceptional teachers. Classes include power yoga, handstands, workshops, meditation and so much more. Each day, additional classes are added to increase your range, interests and perfect alignment.

ALO MOVES www.alomoves.com @alomoves

This video platform is available for $20/ month and you can enjoy free classes for 2 weeks to transform your mind, body and spirit in order to reach your personal goals.

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f o t r A e h k T c a n S e th

WHEN IT'S TIME FOR COMFORT This month's The Art of the Snack takes us to Astoria Queens to VIA VAI which is known for their Italian cuisine. We had to find out about a number of their signature dishes, cocktails and more. We sat down with chef and owner, Antonio Morichini to give us the inside scoop. ATHLEISURE MAG: Tell us about your culinary background and how you came up with the idea of opening Via Vai in Astoria? ANTONIO MORICHINI: After cooking at home my entire life and realizing my passion was in creating wonderful meals that satisfied family and friends alike, I decided to change my career and attend culinary school in Italy, in the Piedmont region in the north, the home of truffles and Barolo wine. From there I began my culinary journey back to Rome, after working at a seaside town in Liguria where fisherman would row up to the restaurant with their freshest catch of the day, then on to Venice and Brescia where I attended several advanced training courses at prestigious professional-level culinary institute, delving deeper into a variety of Italian culinary techniques. Upon returning to Rome, I started working with Chef Angelo Troiani at the Michelin-starred Il Convivio Troiani, near the Piazza Navona, Chef Cristina Bowerman, where I helped her open and run the Michelin-starred Glass Hostaria for several years, and with Chef Giulio Terrinoni at the Michelin starred, all fish restaurant, Acquolina. When my wife and I decided to move to the New York, I began working as Executive Chef for several restaurants in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Westchester, but the desire to open my own place, to express my culinary soul in its fullest, led me to open VIA VAI in Astoria in 2014. AM: What can guests expect when they come to dine at VIA VAI? AM: Our goal is to make our guests feel as though they were transported to Italy and are savoring the ambiance and flavors

of my homeland. Guests can expect to be welcomed and enjoy their meals in a casual manner, with a balanced variety of dishes that remain one step ahead of tradition and a step behind innovation. We only serve Italian wines as they come from the same earth as many of our ingredients and marry with the dishes that are inspired by the tradition of the place where the vines grow. AM: When creating this menu, can you tell us about where the inspiration for your dishes came from? AM: I am inspired by my instincts and senses when handling ingredients. I envision in my mind and on my palate the flavors that I would like to taste in my mouth and express on the plate at the end of the cooking process. It is a sort of coming home for the ingredient -- I never bury the main ingredient but rather work around it, to exalt its features and its flavors. This is very central to true Italian cuisine and to my philosophy. AM: What are 3 signature dishes that you suggest? AM: That's a hard question, yet simple as well. Each of our pastas are stand outs, from the more light bodied -- such as our shrimp ravioli with orange zest and thyme, our tagliolini al branzino with olives, capers, cherry tomatoes and basil, or our black ink tagliolini with shrimp, fresh mint, asparagus and pecorino cheese â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to our more full bodied options, such as bucatini allâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;amatriciana or spaghetti carbonara. I would highlight the Roman pastas in particular as those are the ones that I grew up eating and that formed me as a chef, but of course I have refined them with the development of my skills. What I would call my other "signature" dish, is a simple freshly caught branzino, baked in our pasta dough that steams that fish and imbues it with the herbs and lemon that it is baked with; it is finished with exceptional EVOO from the Sabina region of northern Lazio. My third signature dish, that is by far our top seller, are our all-beef

meatballs; they are served with our tomato sauce that enhances, rather than buries, the flavor of the meatballs. AM: What are 3 wines that you suggest? AM: The wines usually depend of the dishes being eaten. My favorite wines from our wine list, are: Sagrantino, from the Umbria region, a wine that is not very well known in the US but a very well-known mid-level cost wine in Italy. It reminds me of our travels in that region, one of my favorite in all of Italy. The wine is full bodied and pairs well red meats and more robust pasta. Soave, from the Veneto region. It is crisp, and is wonderful with fish, including our branzino baked in pizza dough. Gewürztraminer, a medium-full bodied aromatic white wine from Alto-Adige, a mountainous region in north east Italy. AM: Right now, we’re in a situation where the community is coming together as we navigate staying indoors and although we are unable to come into restaurant to dine, you still offer delivery and curbside pickup – can you tell us more about this? AM: Thanks for this question. We are all suffering and have had to limit our staffing because of the situation, but are offering our staff the ability to pick up food from us to get them through this difficult period. We are doing what we can to bring the pleasure of good food to our home-bound guests. We are open every day from 1-8pm, and offer curb side pickup and delivery. Curbside pick up has no minimum. Both direct orders and curbside pick up the order will receive a free dessert (pannacotta). We are available by phone at (347) 612-4334 and our limited menu can be found on their website here: https://www.viavai-ny.com/ PHOTO COURTESY | Anna Frumenti @VIAVAINYC

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Stay connected and follow us across our social channels on @AthleisureMag!

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BingelyBooks that are fueled by the salt spray of the Pacific Ocean. The Baja California cookbook follows Fauna star chef David Castro Hussong as he explores Baja cuisine. This book includes 60 recipes that include street food such as Grilled Halibut Tacos and Chicharrones to more refined dishes such as Grilled Steak in Salsa Negra and Tomatillo-Avocado Salsa. Each chapter features stunningphotographs of the region and profiles of leading food purveyors are incorporated, bringing the spirit of Baja into your kitchen.

AMERICAN DIRT Flatiron Books Jeanine Cummins

THE BAJA CALIFORNIA COOKBOOK

Ten Speed Press David Castro Hussong + Jay Porter

Lydia Quixano PĂŠrez lives in Acapulco, Mexico. She runs a bookstore. She has a son, Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist. And while there are issues in the city because of the drug cartels, her life is comfortable.

Baja California is about an hour away from San Diego and is quickly becoming an upand-coming destination for tourists that are looking to take their culinary experience to the next level in a region known as Mexico's Napa Valley. Just across the border, people can enjoy Baja wine country, seafood, grilled meats and produce

She stocks her bookstore with some of her favorite books even though she knows they may not sell. One day, unbeknownst to her, a jefe of the newest drug cartel buys some of these books. When her husband publishes his tell all book, their life will not be

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The mayor of New York's daughter is missing and in danger. Detective Michael Bennett has a son who's in prison - the two strike a deal. Although their relationship has always been tense, they are now one father helping another. Michael is on the case and sources lead him to a homicide in the Bronx. The victim has ties to a sophisticated hacking operation -- and also to the mayor's missing daughter, Natalie, a twenty-one-year-old computer prodigy. The serial murder has national security implications. He finds himself in the midst of an NYPD, FBI, and a transnational criminal organization.

the same. Noted as the "Grapes of Wrath" for our times, we follow the journey of the flight of this family to the North and what it means when you're running to something. Already being hailed as "a new American classic," Jeanine Cummins's American Dirt is a rare exploration into the inner hearts of people willing to sacrifice everything for a glimmer of hope.

BLINDSIDE

Little, Brown and Company James Patterson Issue #51 | Mar 2020

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BingelyStreaming place over 3 weeks with hosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey. You walk away with understanding the power of communication as well as a supreme social experiment in seeing seeing if love is blind.

LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE Hulu

LOVE IS BLIND Netflix Originals We loved The Circle, Netflix Originals stripped down the elements of living in an age of social media. Viewers enjoyed watching members in an apartment getting to know one another only through what they chose to share socially. In Love is Blind, Netflix introduces a house of men and women that are separated by gender. Each group is able to go on multiple dates in pods; however, they don't get to meet one another in person until after they propose The show continues to allow them to have a getaway where they can spend time with one another in person as well as others who also got engaged. We follow their journey through them getting married as well as the reunion show. If you have yet to watch this series which took AthleisureMag.com

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Little Fires Everywhere stars Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington who also serve as Executive Producers of this series. This miniseries drama is based on the 2017 best selling novel of the same name by Celeste Ng. Set in Shaker Heights, Ohio in the late 1990s, we find both of these stars as two mothers from very different socioeconomic and racial backgrounds. We find that the Richardson family is perceived as a picture-perfect household whose fates suddenly become merged due to an enigmatic mother and daughter who will forever change their lives. The series excplores what it means to have the weight of secrets that are kept within and outside of families as well as what it means to have an identity and the art of creating it. It also examines what motherhood means and the ferocious nature of what it means. It also looks at what happens when you believe that following the rules will ensure that you are keeping yourself away from danger. Issue #51 | Mar 2020

THE DATING GAME KILLER Wondery Spotify

spree. With only 6 episodes, it's an easy binge to listen to as you find out about this facts surrounding this case.

We're always looking for our next True Crime show to binge and for the past few weeks, we have been enjoying this 6 episode series by the team at Wondery, The Dating Game Killer. This series approaches one of the most dangerous serial criminals that killed on the East and the West coasts while keeping a few gifts for himself, presenting himself as a photographer and even taking time to be on The Dating Game in front of a national audience! The hosts of the show have a conversational style in presenting all the crimes, arrests and victims that were involved. They also go into depth on what motivated him and how much of a collective effort had to take place to find him as well as to ensure that he stayed in jail to pay for his crime

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Earlier this year, we found ourselves at the launch of new scents by Hope Fragrances at BG Restaurant at Bergdorf Goodman. We had the opportunity to find out about this brand, how they use their platform to also educate and raise funds for depression and the power of scent. We took a few moments to chat with its founder of Hope Fragrances as well as founder of Hope for Depression Research Foundation, Audrey Gruss. ATHLEISURE MAG: Prior to launching your own firm Hope Fragrance, can you tell us how you got into the perfume industry, where you worked and what fragrances you created? AUDREY GRUSS: I was Director of Advertising and Creatives Services Worldwide at Elizabeth Arden in its hay day when they launched the Chloe fragrance. I learned so much about the details of a fragrance launch at that time. Handling advertising for the other Elizabeth Arden fragrances was a challenge when you have to adapt basic creatives for 55 countries and all their specific needs. It was a virtual job in diplomacy. AM: What is it about working in this portion of the beauty industry that you enjoy working in? AG: Creating a fragrance from scratch is one of the most interesting things anyone in the artistic arena can do! It was a joy to work with one of the top â&#x20AC;&#x153;nosesâ&#x20AC;? at Firmenich, Honorine Blanc, to create the Hope Fragrances. My vision and hers totally coincided and it was a dream process. There is nothing like working with a consummate professional and getting the results you want. I also find it fascinating to work with the retail executives at BG because they have so much knowledge of the industry at their fingertips and their guidance is so important. AM: What was the moment when you decided that you wanted to create your own brand?

AG: I created the Hope for Depression Research Foundation (HDRF) in 2006 and about 12 years into the neuroscience research process, I wanted to have a tool to reach more consumer by raising awareness about depression. The research process is extremely long and detailed and the scientific papers do not get much consumer visibility. I thought that creating a fragrance brand would get us consumer visibility on a fast-track. My mother Hope loved fragrance and always surrounded herself with white flowers and white floral fragrances and so I used that as an inspiration to create the Hope Fragrance Collection. AM: We loved hearing you talk about your brand and some of the thought behind it. For our readers, can you tell us about how you came up with the name for the brand? AG: The brand is named after my mother Hope who was one of the most creative people I knew. Was inspiration. She also struggled with depression and that is why we give 100% of the profits from Hope Fragrance sales directly to depression research. AM: Where are your fragrances currently available? AG: Bergdorf Goodman NYC and HopeFragrances.com AM: Are there other scents that we should keep an eye out for that you may be launching this year? AG: We are so excited that we will be launching in May 2020 at Bergdorf Goodman a new Hope Night Parfum, a warm, sensuous and romantic perfume that will be in a magnificent crystal bottle designed by packaging designer Marc Rosen. AM: What are 3 go to ingredients that you enjoy including in a number of your fragrances?

WHEN HOPE BRIDGES BEAUTY & MENTAL HEALTH

AG: All 3 fragrances have a base of white flowers, which were so beloved by my mother Hope. The pure essences are so beautiful that they have an uplifting feeling. The original Hope is a magnificent fusion of the 4 white essences. Hope Sport has a base of tuberose and lily of the valley, and green citrus note. Hope Night has some beautiful oriental notes on a bed of white flowers. AM: As someone who Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure travels frequently, what are 3 items in your carry on that you enjoy traveling with in order to make the experience more enjoyable? AG: There are 3 things I can think of. I always carry a small portable umbrella and found one at Burberry that is just the right size. I carry a clip-on ponytail that creates the fun easy hairdo in the worst weather anywhere and everywhere. I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t travel anywhere without my Hope purse spray. At 0.05 ounces I can carry in my purse on a plane, or put into an evening bag, and I always have my favorite fragrance to give me that uplifting feeling. @HopeFragrances

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Articles inside

Athleisure Mag #51 Mar 2020 | 9LIST

Athleisure Mag #51 Mar 2020 | 9LIST STORI3S with Katy Perry

Athleisure Mag #51 Mar 2020 | When Hope Bridges Beauty & Mental Health

Athleisure Mag #51 Mar 2020 | In Our Bag When We Get A Bit of Fresh Air

Athleisure Mag #51 Mar 2020 | Bingely Streaming

Athleisure Mag #51 Mar 2020 | Bingely Books

Athleisure Mag #51 Mar 2020 | #TRIBEGOALS

Athleisure Mag #51 Mar 2020 | How to Dress for Hanging Out at Home

Athleisure Mag #51 Mar 2020 | Athleisure Beauty

Athleisure Mag #51 Mar 2020 | Rock This Look When You Need to Stay Comfortable

Athleisure Mag #51 Mar 2020 | Style Files: SS20

Athleisure Mag #51 Mar 2020 | 9PLAYLIST DJ D-Nice

Athleisure Mag #51 Mar 2020 | The Art of the Snack

Athleisure Mag #51 Mar 2020 | Aloe Beauty

Athleisure Mag #51 Mar 2020 | Athleisure List - Alo Moves

Athleisure Mag #51 Mar 2020 | Athleisure List - Technogyms

Athleisure Mag #51 Mar 2020 | Fueling the Culinary Industry with Richard Grausman

Athleisure Mag #51 Mar 2020 | Ladder Hydration

Athleisure Mag #51 Mar 2020 | Something You Should Know - Clean Edibles

Athleisure Mag #51 Mar 2020 | The Pick Me Up

Athleisure Mag #51 Mar 2020 | Bank Shot with Rachel Nichols