Kristina George handbags are bold by design. But they’re also game for the heavy lifting.
Krassy Georgieva, left, and Kamola Taflan.
All geometric designs and assertive details, nothing about Kristina George, a collection of haute handbags that debuted in 2014, is soft. Save for the calfskin leather they’re made from, which is really, really soft. Krasimira (“Krassy” to her friends) Georgieva and Kamola Taflan, best friends since college, devoted two entire years to honing their designs, which are inspired by the architecture they’ve adored around the world, and tracking down the artisans to bring them to fruition. The crystal seen here on the Antoinette Clutch (above), a bag that made the awards-show rounds last winter with Patricia Arquette, it’s hand-cut. The bags themselves are stitched together by hand, too, at a family-owned atelier in Europe. Statements that they are, these are not glorified accessories. Not just glorified accessories. These bags, of course, are meant to serve a purpose, an obvious qualification that wasn’t lost on Georgieva, who lives in Wayne, and Taflan, both of whom spent the last decade working in finance, not ensconced in high fashion’s elitist circles. In turn, they’re loaded with smart features, like the detachable chain on that clutch and the studs that protect the bottom of the Andromeda Tote (also pictured, right). After all, a handbags make no impression shelved in your closet, which is what it’d be if it was just one more pretty thing to lug around. Kristina George bags can do the heavy lifting, too. —Christina Scordia
A young chef introduced himself last summer by way of some of the most original food you’re going to find along the Delaware.
By Scott Edwards
Graham Miller’s summer-long experiment confirmed a truth he only just began to embrace: He’s a damn good chef.
The 26-year-old grew up in the kitchen. His parents, both chefs, own The Bridge Café, a modest spot with a scratch-made menu and picturesque views of downtown Frenchtown, New Jersey. “They’d always said I would make a great chef,” says Miller, whose warm eyes and easy smile betray his shyness. “I was really picky as a child. I didn’t like mustard. I could always, like, find out if my dad put a little mustard in something. I just had a really good knack for taste.”
But when you’re 20, encouragement can be misread as a directive, and a natural ability can feel toxic. For a few years, Miller consciously avoided cooking, only to realize that it was his ticket out, not his anchor. At the end of 2012, he moved across the country to Napa Valley and enrolled in the CIA. “I just felt like I needed to reach out and do something different, take a challenge, basically,” Miller says. Read: He needed to know, once and for all, if he could cut it as a chef.
Photo credit: Josh DeHonney
Miller returned to his parents’ kitchen this summer, but on his terms. A few nights a week, he ran a pop-up restaurant there called . His menus were small but ambitious. And every two weeks, he scrapped them and started fresh. Most were inspired by a region—Southeast Asia, Mexico, New England—but every dish was an original iteration, sometimes mildly so (a fairly pure lobster roll), other times quite brazenly (the banh mi burrito).
“I make the food as I would want to eat it, really,” Miller says. “I could make it the authentic way, the traditional way and plate it up real fancy. I know how to do all that. I just have this mentality where I prefer a casual environment over an uptight, white-tablecloth environment. I’m a simple guy.”
Familiar or not, as the summer wore on, the 16 seats filled up faster on Platform nights. Miller’s plan is to re-launch the pop-up at the first sign of spring, a target that feels painfully far away at the moment. And this time there won’t be any parameters. Now that he’s finally gotten out of his own way, it’s time to start mining what’s shown the potential to be a brilliant imagination.
A Berwyn-based aromatherapy line starts with the plant and grows from there.
Photo credit: Courtesy A Charmed Garden
How deep can a scent penetrate? It depends how receptive you are. That it can trigger a physical reaction is indisputable. Do you not salivate, even just a little, when you catch a whiff of a skirt steak charring? So it’s not just savvy marketing by Bed Bath & Beyond that the right dose of jasmine could lull you to sleep. Though, its methods beyond that point are questionable. Sandy Dalby’s are not. The Berwyn-based horticulturalist recently began adding to her own budding line of aromatherapy candles, lotions and soaps called, naturally, A Charmed Garden. Think of essential oils as uber-concentrated versions of the plants from which they’re extracted. (That’s why our tastes tend to follow the seasons, Dalby says.) The purer the oil, the greater its potency. Now consider this: One of Dalby’s large candles (14 ounces; $42) contains up to 600 drops of organic essential oils. Aromatherapy isn’t strictly about inducing calm. Dalby blends French lavender and juniper berry to help spark an energetic and optimistic reaction. The candles are made from vegetable wax, the wicks from cotton twist, which means they’ll burn clean and, Dalby says, “actually help to cleanse the air.” —Christina Scordia
I came up with the Hot-Buttered Rumkin to warm me up on cold nights. Turns out, it’s also an incredibly effective hangover remedy. The headline ingredient, pumpkin, is high in vitamins A and C, which feed the immune system. The holiday party circuit can be brutal. A mug of this stuff should square you faster for the next occasion. Maybe make it two on New Year’s Day.
Mix together ½ cup of softened salted butter, ¼ cup pumpkin puree, ¼ tsp. orange zest and ½ tsp. warm spices (cinnamon, clove, nutmeg). Whether you do it by it hand or with a mixer, make sure everything’s fully combined. Then, leave at room temperature.
In a mug, combine 1 tbsp. brown sugar, 2 ounces Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum and 2 tbsps. pumpkin mixture. Top with boiling water and stir well.
It’s a strange thing that the least-remembered part of a dinner party is the dinner itself. Unless, of course, the oven billows black smoke and dinner ends up being takeout from MOO. Otherwise, it’s all the other details that contribute to your guests feeling doted on (or neglected) from which they’ll score your capability as a host. And that’s why a glass is not just a glass. Mason Jars hint at a sense of style, but they won’t distinguish you. Not anymore. Mason jars etched with a map of Philly, however, illustrate both style and substance. The owner of said jars is someone who’s given careful consideration to the night’s nuances, which will be appreciated and only embellished with drunkenness. —Scott Edwards
There’s too much to see out there to head back to that same mountain in the Poconos or resort in Riviera Maya. This winter, before the lack of daylight starts to toy with your head, get adventurous. The world’s within closer reach than you think. To prove it, we present a handful of easy escapes to exotic destinations for the cold- and warm-blooded alike. —Scott Edwards
WINTER WONDERLANDS
A picturesque night sky in wintertime Iceland.
Reykjavik, Iceland
The modern 101 Hotel.Photo credits: (101 Hotel) Courtesy Design Hotels / 101 Hotel; (Northern lights and Food & Fun Festival) Courtesy Food & Fun Festival / Sigurjon Ragnar
The Food & Fun Festival.
We know what you’re thinking: Wait, Reykjavik in winter? But the winter climate’s on par with NYC, if not even a bit more temperate. And, yeah, you’re going to see the sun for a few hours at a time, but we’re not much better off here. The reason to get to Reykjavik now is because it’s the most accessible gateway to Nordic culture, which, in case you haven’t noticed, is poised to takeover. If you tend to travel for food, and who doesn’t anymore, plan your trip around the Food & Fun Festival (foodandfun.is), March 2 through March 6. In a country obsessed with sustainability, Food & Fun is virtually a national holiday. Brash chefs from the US and Europe are paired up with the city’s most progressive restaurants and challenged to craft hyperlocal, three-course menus. (Think seafood, lots of seafood.) And just when you thought you were doomed to another month of root veggies.
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101 Hotel is the envy Reykjavik’s booming crop of design-driven boutique hotels, and public spaces, for that matter. Housed in the former home of the Icelandic Social Democratic Party, 101 is all sleek lines, matte and gloss contrasts, monochromatic palettes and native modernist art. But the edge fades in the right places. The oak floors are heated and every room’s got a soaking tub.
Park City, Utah
Alpine Lake at Park City resort
Groomed Night Run
Downtown Park City
If you’re a serious skier, or even a frequent faller, Park City is too spectacular to pass up. For one, getting there is cake, which is rarely the case for mountain towns. More than 300 domestic flights arrive at Salt Lake International every day, and Park City’s only a 35-minute drive from there. Meaning your travel days aren’t total washes. And every hour here is a gift because there are 9,300 skiable acres to cover, including the country’s largest ski resort, Park City (parkcitymountain.com), which boasts an absurd 300-plus trails. Book a room at the Stein Eriksen Lodge (steinlodge.com), which sits mountainside at the Deer Valley Resort. Even more crucially than the prime location, its restaurant, Glitretind, is the critical darling of Park City. And the Forbes Five-Star spa is the only one in the state. When hurtling yourself down a mountain all day, you need indulgences at the end of it.
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If Park City sounds strangely familiar it’s because it also happens to be the backdrop for the Sundance Film Festival, for which all of Hollywood moves in for the week and dresses up like 19th century-frontiersmen. As you can imagine, the town can get a bit crowded then (this year’s edition will be held January 21 through Jan. 31), so you may be better off steering clear. Unless, of course, you’re a sucker for a celeb. (We mean that in the least offensive sense.) By all means, then, have at it.
Photo credit: Courtesy Visit Park City
SUMMER SANCTUARIES
Sydney, Australia
A hyperlocal spread at Gowings Bar & Grill.
A room at the eccentric QT Sydney.
When a restaurant lists an “urban forager” among its ranks, said restaurant’s commitment to local sourcing is undeniable, if not unparalleled. And when that restaurant’s housed in a überfashionable boutique hotel, well, the trip practically books itself, doesn’t it? QT Sydney (deignhotels.com/qt-sydney) is set within two of the city’s most iconic buildings. The interior is a sensory overload of original features, curated art installations, eclectic artifacts and quirky design pieces inspired by the retail and theater history of the buildings. But QT’s centerpiece is Gowings Bar & Grill. Since opening in 2012, the restaurant’s displayed a fierce loyalty to local growers and producers, which has only deepened since appointing Georgie Neal as its urban forager a few months back. The menus are overhauled monthly and now routinely feature stuff grown specifically for the restaurant, like flower-shaped Salanova lettuces and red baby cos seedlings. The brightest ingredients Sydney has to offer, and you don’t even need to leave the hotel to savor them.
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Surf Bondi. One of the top-five most-famous beaches in the world also happens to be the closest one to Sydney. (It’s about five miles from the hotel.) In other words, this is a potentially once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. A two-hour group lesson (viator.com) will run you about 60 bucks, board and bodysuit included.
Photo credit: Courtesy Design Hotels / QT Sydney
Cartagena, Colombia
Golf-centered resorts, no matter how high-end the accommodations and how serene the setting, usually end up feeling like fraternity houses for middle-age men. Mostly because, beyond golfing, your options are limited. (Read: nonexistent.) Cartagena at Karibana (tpc.com/cartagena), a 2014 addition to the TPC circuit, is of a decidedly different breed, a better-rounded one. The course meets all the necessary criteria. It was built by Jack Nicklaus’ firm and it’s plenty picturesque. For the rest of us, there’s a beach club where you can nurse aguardiente sours under an 85-degree sun all afternoon long. If that sounds too strenuous, or monotonous, there’s a full-service spa in the works, as well as a 270-room hotel managed by Conrad, Hilton’s luxury brand. Both are expected to open in early 2017. Until then, there’s a batch of on-site rental homes available, along with a couple of neighboring hotels. We recommend the Sofitel Cartagena Santa Clara (sofitel.com/cartagena). Come here to savor the spoils of one of the rapidly dwindling off-the-grid beaches left in the world. Not to mention the ridiculously low exchange rate that goes with that.
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Hike. It’s only natural to play up the inclination to do nothing at all in a place like this, but, then, you’d be bypassing the chance to see a corner of a country that not too much of the outside world’s been privy to in recent years. And it wouldn’t even require that much effort. Trails unwind from Karibana along the beach and the Guayepo River. Take your pick. You can’t go wrong. Everywhere you look, there’ll be something new and exotic.
Photo credit: Courtesy Cartagena at Karibana
The Weekend Getaway
Washington, DC
A brief change of scenery can work wonders on a slush-logged mindset. When it comes to a weekend getaway, you want a destination that’s easy to escape to and loaded with options once you get there. DC fits that bill to a T. The drive is an uncomplicated three hours due south. Better yet, ditch the car and ride Amtrak. Either way, the city you’ll find waiting for you on the other end bears little resemblance to the one you toured during that mess of a junior high field trip. Cranes litter the skyline and inventiveness lines the sidewalks.
Make your home base The Mayflower (themayflowerhotel.com). It’s the oldest continuously-operating hotel in DC. The glamorous lobby chandeliers hark back to an era when The Mayflower was the go-to for the inaugural ball. Your quarters, however, will be decidedly more contemporary. Last spring, the hotel finished a $20 million renovation, during which every room was completely redesigned. Behind closed doors, the only signs that this is a 91-year-old hotel are the signatures of notable guests printed on the walls: Marlene Dietrich, Norman Rockwell, FDR.
Just as meaningful as the of-the-moment touches, The Mayflower is about as central as it gets in DC. A few blocks in one direction, you’re square in the middle of the National Mall. A couple in another, and you’re in Dupont Circle, which is teeming with cafés, small restaurants and bars and smart clothing shops.
On an unseasonably warm fall weeknight, the outdoor seating at every restaurant was filled, but it was overflowing at Mission (missiondupont.com), where those fortunate to have claimed seats washed down plates of chile releno and enchiladas with cans of Tecate and pitchers of sangria. Long considered a commuter campus, it’s here in Dupont Circle that DC’s new residential movement seems to be taking root. A lot of it feels vaguely familiar, being on such intimate terms with Philly and NYC, but from the Euro-style layout of the city to the pleasing lack of homogenization there’s also plenty of fresh perspective. —SE
What’s not to love about a gluttonous holiday feast? (If we showed half as much interest in healthcare as we do in stuffing, the average life expectancy would be like 105.) But it’s the humbler meals around the holidays—the weekend after Thanksgiving, the weeknights between Christmas and New Year’s—that tend to leave even deeper impressions. The air is calmer, the food less fussy. They’re dishes like this one that are plunked down in the middle of the table, inviting everyone to dig in at leisure, without even a break in conversation. Just like it used to be. —Scott Edwards
Photo credit: Yelena Strokin
Beef and Potato Casserole Serves six. Recipe by Yelena Strokin
2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
¾ cup milk or half-and-half
1 egg
2 tbsps. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. grape seed oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, shredded
1 lb. ground beef
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tbsp. chopped parsley and dill
2 tbsps. Parmesan, finely grated
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Add the potato to a large saucepan and fill it with enough water to cover the potato entirely. Add a generous pinch of salt and place the pan over a high heat. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook until the potato can be easily pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes. Drain.
Move the potato to a large bowl and mash. Warm the milk (or half-and-half), then add it to the bowl along with the egg and butter. Beat the mixture with a wood spoon or a handheld mixer set to medium until the consistency’s smooth and fluffy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and, stirring often, cook until they soften, about five minutes. Stir in the ground beef and bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the paprika, parsley and dill. Season with salt to taste. Stirring occasionally, cook until the beef browns, about 15 minutes.
Spread half of the mashed potato evenly across a shallow baking dish. Then, layer the ground beef mixture over top and the remaining mashed potato on top of that. (If you’re into aesthetics, use a pastry bag to apply the last layer of mashed potato.) Sprinkle with the Parmesan and broil until the top potato layer is tinged brown, about a minute. Serve directly from the baking dish
Michael Aram’s likely going to carve out a place, in some form, at most of our holiday dinner tables. Here, he discusses setting his own, along with offering a glimpse of his next collections.
By David J. Witchell
For years, I’ve posted pics of my dinner parties, specifically the table settings, on social media, and I’m always overwhelmed by how much feedback they draw. Usually, it’s the Michael Aram pieces that pique the most interest.
Amid our deepening attraction to artisanal creativity and craftsmanship, Michael Aram’s home goods collections have become a phenomenon. As often as I use them and as prominently as I display them around my home, I didn’t realize how many of his pieces I’ve come to own until I took stock for this column.
It’s the interplay of materials and textures, like black nickelplate against hammered stainless steel, that keeps his designs contemporary and eternally relevant. I’ve used the same pieces for both the most elegant evenings and casual get-togethers.
This fall, I caught up with Aram, who was at home in Dehli, to ask him what inspires him after all these years and, more importantly, how he goes about setting his own table for the holidays.
Are your holiday dinners big, traditional affairs?
MA Our family always comes together for holiday meals, and they tend to reflect the lifestyle, tastes and personality of the host. We’re excited to host Thanksgiving this year in our new home. It will be a mix of old traditions and new ones.
How much planning goes into your table settings?
It’s relatively easy for me to be relatively unplanned about a table setting since I have a good resource at my disposal. I do, of course, think about it, though. And I enjoy it, especially coming up with the floral arrangements and the fun, unexpected elements.
Have you given any thought yet as to what you’d like to do this year?
We’re moving into the house just before the holidays. I don’t even have a dining table yet. I’m still considering making one. But, once that’s done, the rest will be easy. I think I’m going to use a mix of our new Gotham dinnerware and cutlery and Rock stemware.
Are there any pieces that carry over from year to year, or do you start entirely fresh?
Pieces always carryover. I also like to somehow incorporate family heirlooms. They’re things that are on hand, but they need to look like they belong.
If I forced you to name a single favorite piece from your entire portfolio, what would say?
To say I have a favorite would be dishonest. I do feel connected, nostalgically, to certain pieces that marked either a time in my life or a progression in my creative development. I’m also sentimental about some of my older pieces, like the shoehorn, the twig cutlery and the mouse and cheese knife. But, otherwise, I prefer to keep my attention on my new work.
When you start a new collection, how do you focus your inspiration?
Inspiration has to have an authentic connection to something in my life. I make sketches and post things that inspire me on a wall, which becomes a series of mood boards that are then translated into a prototype that I lovingly call the “Granddaddy DNA Piece,” from which the rest of the collection is born.
How do you go about replenishing your creativity?
It sounds trite, but I do like to be open to inspiration in everything I do—playing with my kids and picking up leaves and broken shells from the beach. Work itself is inspirational, so I feel excited and refreshed every day.
Any chance you could offer a little insight into your next collection?
For next spring, I have two that I’m very excited about. One is a very abstract, almost brutalist, collection called After the Storm, which is inspired, strangely, by strong winds and heavy rains and the destruction and strange calm that follows them. The other is the opposite. It’s called Enchanted Garden, and it celebrates the first flush of spring, with delicate buds and tendrils exquisitely set with semiprecious stones. I jokingly refer to the two as “April Showers Bring May Flowers.” For me, they both capture a sense of new beginnings.
Where do you see Michael Aram, the man and the brand, in the next, say, five years?
Spending a lot of time in my studio and with my family. I want to be a role model for my kids as someone who gives back to his community, is creative, works hard and follows his passion. I feel like my work is taking on an exciting direction. I’m working on a larger scale with some furniture and sculptural work and at the same time working small and precious with fine jewelry.
David J. Witchell is the co-owner of David J. Witchell at 25 South (davidjwitchell.com) and The Boutiques at 25 South, both in Newtown.
