Art to heart
We journalists sometimes despair that there’s anyone left out there heeding our words and paying attention to our reporting. But stories can still have…
December 2016
Celebrating the best gift of all
WAG closes out a year of celebration with the greatest gift of all – the gift of service to others. In these pages, you’ll…
A family man
Robert Astorino craves normalcy. The Westchester County executive did not say so explicitly in an recent interview, but the conversation kept coming back to…
From fire house to school halls, Mark Bezos advocates volunteering
Standing on stage in full firefighter gear, Mark Bezos told a crowd gathered for a series of TED Talks in California in 2011 the…
Fortunate son
Steve Young’s new book “QB: My Life Behind the Spiral” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 389 pages, $30) is dedicated not only to wife Barb, “my…
In China, charity begins at home
Despite its legion of 569 billionaire titans now topping the U.S.’ 537 billionaires, China has comparatively few charity organizations or private philanthropic donors. One…
Safe Haven
Our motto is ‘People Helping Horses Heal People,’” said Deanna Mancuso, founder and executive director of Lucky Orphans Horse Rescue in Dutchess County’s Dover…
Remembering his roots
He’s known to many as the innovative leader and CEO of Northwell Health, New York’s largest private employer with 61,000 employees. But Michael Dowling…
Grace VanderWaal’s unmistakable talent
Grace VanderWaal may not know her name, but everyone else does. With a mature, folkie sound and original compositions that belie her 12 years…
Inspiring designs
During the holiday season, when calendars tend to fill up with special occasions, we may look at our wardrobes with fresh eyes. We want…
The generous eye – William Louis-Dreyfus and Leonardo Cremonini
Despite work across more than four decades, contemporary Italian painter Leonardo Cremonini (1925-2010) is mostly unknown outside of certain art circles. His large, vibrant…
Peter X. Kelly fights against hunger, for Yonkers
As one of the Hudson Valley’s most prominent celebrity chefs, Peter X. Kelly has a story that’s well-known. The self-taught chef has turned an…
Sole man
Edgardo Osorio is the kind of guy who always puts his best foot forward. And why not? A rising star in the fashion world…
Eyes on the (Pulitzer) Prize
Story written by Seymour Topping. Across the United States, celebrations have been in progress this year under what is termed the Campfires Initiative, marking…
The designer of inclusion
When Christian Siriano created a knockout red, off-the-shoulder, slit-to-there gown for Leslie Jones to wear to the “Ghostbusters” premiere, after the statuesque star tweeted…
Monkeying around
According to the Chinese Zodiac, this was The Year of the Monkey. So we sing “Auld Lang Syne” to a time in which we…
A step ahead
The world is finally catching up to Bettye Muller. Even a quick glance at the latest shoes and boots shows an explosion of brocades,…
The unselfish selfishness of David Mallamud
Written by Gregg Shapiro Composer-lyricist David Mallamud says, “I think there’s something very selfish about being an artist.” At the same time, his music…
Seaworthy style on Rye’s Manursing Island
Manursing Island – a private waterfront enclave in Rye – offers homeowners the gifts of history as well as the sea. William Paterson Van…
The dating game, African-style
Photographs by John Rizzo. Our group arrived unannounced, the only non-Wodaabe present. There were 1,000 of them and seven of us. Speaking French and…
Pleasing paradoxes in Newfane, Vermont
“I’m playing The Rolling Stones since we’re going to the inn,” my sister Gina said, pumping up the volume as I got in the…
A charmed winemaking life
“I don’t drink Chardonnay,” a smart lawyer- friend of mine told me not long ago. I asked her why and she told me, “It’s…
A taste of the sea
Leslie and Elizabeth Barnes have transformed an 18th-century granary (later home to the Willett House restaurant) into a virtual haven for seafood seekers along…
A No-Bake Canoli Recipe
December is a bustling month. Your ovens will be filled with cooking for the holidays, so here is a great recipe that requires no…
From Bali to Bloomie’s
Two years ago, WAG had the pleasure of interviewing Guy Bedarida — then creative director/head designer of John Hardy — at an event at…
Leader of the pack
There’s something truly magical about listening to the melodic three-part harmony of Alawa and her two brothers, Nikai and Zephyr. The sound starts with…
Still charming
When WAG first visited with Samantha Levine back in 2013, the founder and creative director of Auburn Jewelry had put her law career on…
A home of their own
The measure of your life will not be what you will accumulate but in what you give away.” —Wayne W. Dyer, American philosopher In…
The beautiful life
The teal-hued walls of Giordano Beauty in Hastings-on-Hudson are filled with vintage cosmetic ads. The glamorous women in exotic locales captivated a beauty-obsessed Susan…
Sisley-Paris’ new product says to heck with tech neck
Ah, the neck – such a fragile part of the body as giraffes and the late Nora Ephron (author of “I Feel Bad About…