“I have found the recipe for making your own luck includes one part inspiration and two parts innovation and three parts perspiration.” –John Arenas, CEO, Serendipity Labs, Rye resident
“Empowerment and accountability. Spend the time to train your employees correctly, then empower them and watch them grow. Live with their mistakes early on, because a truly worthwhile employee will want the accountability that comes with the empowerment of decision-making.” –Mike Basso, vice president, Leros Point to Point, White Plains resident
“Inspiration. Guiding Eyes for the Blind transforms lives every day. It’s easy to get immersed in such a wonderful and worthwhile cause. Our incredible graduates, staff and volunteers inspire me daily – and I’m surrounded by the most amazing dogs in the world.” – Michelle Brier, director of marketing and communications, Guiding Eyes for the Blind, Yorktown Heights, Bedford Hills resident
“Love.” – Danny Calvaruso, certified residential real estate appraiser, Primo Appraisals, Massapequa resident
“My favorite ingredient is heaping amounts of optimism. Nothing comes out right without it.” – Elaine G. Flores, writer, Riverdale resident
“A smile.” – Liz Logie, partner, Atelier360, Greenwich, New Canaan resident
“I love mysteries—reading them, writing them, watching them on big and small screens. I’m the author of the upcoming “Sylvie Shine: Senior Sleuth” and four soon-to-be-published “Who-done-it? Who-wore-it?” mysteries. Motive is my favorite ingredient in a mystery. What dark and twisted psychology compels someone to commit a crime? And what compulsive impulse drives someone else to solve it?” – Barbara Nachman, novelist, Rye Brook resident
“Splash of orange juice when making a margarita….” –Jeff Nyikos, COO, Leros Point to Point, Katonah resident
“My secret ingredient is perseverance. I opened my spa business at the worst possible time – when the economy was really starting to tank in 2009. The first two years, I took huge losses and thought about giving up. By the third year, I actually made a tiny profit, and this year, so far, I’ve been in the black. I’ve also moved to a new, larger space with the option to expand. My daily business mantra has become ‘Hang in there.’” – Mary T. Prenon, owner, Le Petite Spa, Croton-on-Hudson, Cortland Manor resident
“My secret ingredient is sea salt.” – Bill Rosenberg, executive chef at NoMa Social, New Rochelle, Port Chester resident
“When I cook at home, my secret ingredient is Chef Jaime Laurita’s truffle oil spray. It’s unbelievable and gives everything that added eclectic taste.” – Robyn Santiago, owner, Illumination PR, White Plains
“Secret ingredient – dry aging. At Benjamin Steakhouse, only the best USDA prime beef is used, and every cut is carefully dry-aged in specially hand-crafted aging boxes for a minimum of 28 days. The key effect of the dry aging process is the concentration of flavor. If you have tried our sizzling steaks, it is a flavor you will never forget.” – Shaban Sinanaj, owner, Benjamin Steakhouse, Hartsdale, Ardsley resident
