BOCA Magazine February 2026

A rare opportunity. A remarkable lifestyle. Life at The Edge exceeds expectations. A sunrise drive along the coast.

A perfect round beneath bright blue skies. Time to recharge and reach for new horizons. Evenings here culminate with anticipation –chef-prepared meals, exceptional wine and the company of those who share your drive.

With rare availability of one-bedroom residences, now is the time to experience the edge a luxurious retirement lifestyle affords – only at Harbour’s Edge.

48

The Kids Are All Right

We scoured Boca Raton for its youngest change-makers, finding that these Gen-Z—and younger—students get an A+ for innovation and creativity.

Written by JOHN THOMASON

56

More Than Meets the Eye

The waters are turquoise, the birdsong is inviting, and the cuisine is freshcaught at Turks and Caicos’ Amanyara resort, where guests and wellness celebrities alike live on island time.

Written by CHRISTIE GALEANO-DEMOTT

94

Special Section Festival of the Arts

Boca “Jurassic Park”goes orchestral, the Rolling Stones go ballet, and a piano prodigy goes rhapsodic. Boca’s annual arts extravaganza turns 20 this year, with a lineup of “Legends, Luminaries and the Unexpected.”

Written by STAFF

18 Editor’s Letter

This Valentine’s Day, the editor looks back at her first loves, the friends who have supported her when she needed it most—and vice versa.

Written by CHRISTIANA LILLY

21 The Local

Meet the chairman of a Ferrari showcase motoring into Boca Raton for the first time, a film historian who continues to see things in black-and-white, and a medical miracle celebrating her 10-year“heartiversary.”Plus, the latest Woman Volunteer of the Year, a dating-app concierge, a stay at the storied Pier Sixty-Six, and much more.

Written by ANGELA CARAWAY-CARLTON, CHRISTIANA LILLY and JOHN THOMASON

30 The Look

In this season of candy and sonnets, diamonds and pearls, celebrate Valentine’s Day with red-hot accessories and ensembles from local haute retailers.

Photography by CARINA MASK

87 Backstage Pass

At his upcoming presentation at Festival of the Arts Boca, outspoken crime-fiction pioneer Walter Mosley aims to show that “The Only True Race is the Human Race.” Plus, enjoy live jazz from New Orleans’ finest, orchids galore, a Jewish film festival and 20+ more curated highlights in our February arts calendar.

Written by JOHN THOMASON

103 Florida Table:

Eat & Drink

See what our food critic has to say about Gabriella’s and Lamarina. Then meet a Palm Beach entrepreneur who’s truly worth his salt, and explore the lineup of culinary A-listers at the 25thannual South Beach Wine & Food Festival.

Written by CHRISTIE GALEANO-DEMOTT

ON THE COVER:

Patti

126 Social

In this issue’s society pages, mayors past and present and their supporters sported black ties and shimmering dresses while donating more than half a million dollars to worthy nonprofits, BRiC celebrated the holidays with a parachuting Santa and a theme inspired by the“Polar Express,”and this magazine brought familiar“Faces” together to benefit Place of Hope.

Written by TYLER CHILDRESS

136 Speed Bumps

Our editor emeritus shows some love for the immigrants and people of color whose stories and personalities have made her life—and South Florida—a better place.

Written by MARIE SPEED

Web Extras

Visit bocamag.com for bonus items you won’t see anywhere else—extended stories, recipes, news and more.

IT’S ALL PROJECTION

Want more from Scott Eyman, the esteemed film historian featured on page 42? He discusses the perilous state of contemporary cinemas, Joan Crawford’s weird final decade in the movies, and more at bocamag. com/february-2026.

Scott Eyman

ISN'T IT ROMANTIC?

Want to know what Boca mag’s heart desires this Valentine’s Day? Members of our staff break down their ideal V-Day dates, only at bocamag.com/february-2026.

BOCA MAGAZINE WINS BIG!

At last summer’s Florida Magazine Association Charlie Awards, honoring excellence in magazine writing, design and advertising, Boca magazine collected 23 awards in categories ranging from digital innovation and social media to our creative designs, our special advertising sections, and our investigative journalism, departments and service features—including securing first place in nine categories, among them Best Website in the state. Other honors for first-place Charlie Awards included Best Use of Photography, Best Cover, Best Public Service Coverage, Best Service Feature, Best Feature and Best Social Media. Congrats to the Boca magazine team and to you, our readers, for your continued support.

IN THE KNOW

Join Boca magazine’s weekly newsletter, The Scoop, for a roundup of the week’s top web stories. Get everything from city and dining news to arts and community happenings around town delivered straight to your inbox! Visit bocamag.com to sign up!

Don’t miss Boca on everything from FACEBOOK (facebook.com/ bocamag) to INSTAGRAM (@bocamag) and TWITTER/X (@ bocamag) for community news, retail trends, foodie updates and much more.

Best Bites

Think our dining guide is long? You haven’t seen anything until you’ve visited our digital version. We’ve got critic-reviewed restaurants from Jupiter to Miami on the web. Visit the Dining Guide tab to view the guide.

City Watch

Boca Raton is anything but sleepy, and Randy Schultz is the go-to for all the city politics, development and business news you need to know. For updates delivered straight to your email every Tuesday and Thursday, visit the City Watch tab on our website.

GARDEN SHOPS 7050 W PALMETTO PARK RD (AT POWERLINE) BOCA RATON FL 33433 (561) 447 4117

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @ROBYNESOBEL

GROUP EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Christiana Lilly

MANAGING EDITOR

John Thomason

WEB EDITOR

Tyler Childress

EDITOR EMERITUS

Marie Speed

SENIOR ART DIRECTOR

Lori Pierino

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Rafael Quiñones

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

James Karpinen

FOOD EDITOR

Christie Galeano-DeMott

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Aaron Bristol, Michael Connor, Carina Mask

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Angela Caraway-Carlton, Margie Kaye (promotional writing)

CUSTOMER SERVICE/VIDEO PRODUCTION

David Shuff

DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING AND MARKETING

Nicole G. Ruth

DIRECTOR OF CIRCULATION AND SALES SUPPORT

Bruce Klein

SPECIAL PROJECTS MANAGER

Gail Eagle

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Karen S. Kintner, Jenna Russo, Skyler Ruth

Boca Raton magazine is published eight times a year by JES Media. The contents of Boca Raton magazine are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the expressed written consent of the publisher. Boca Raton magazine accepts no responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts and/or photographs and assumes no liability for products or services advertised herein. Boca Raton magazine reserves the right to edit, rewrite or refuse material and is not responsible for products. Please refer to corporate masthead.

PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER

Margaret Mary Shuff CONTROLLER

Jeanne Greenberg

JES MEDIA PRODUCES:

Boca Raton magazine

Delray Beach magazine 1926 Worth Avenue

Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce Annual Salt Lake magazine

Utah Bride and Groom

Utah Style & Design

Salt Lake Visitors’ Guide

FLORIDA MAGAZINE ASSOCIATION BOCA RATON MAGAZINE WINNERS

2025 CHARLIE AWARDS

CHARLIE AWARD (FIRST PLACE)

best social media

best magazine website

best custom publication (1926)

best use of photography

best feature

best service feature

best cover

best public service coverage

best advertorial story or section

SILVER AWARD

best overall magazine

best overall design best overall digital innovator

best public service coverage best service feature best department best column best in-depth reporting best custom publication (Worth Avenue)

BRONZE AWARD best overall writing best designed department best department best feature best in-depth reporting

2024 CHARLIE AWARDS

CHARLIE AWARD (FIRST PLACE)

best overall magazine

best overall writing best feature

best department

best advertorial story or section

best column

best photo essay/series best custom publication (1926)

SILVER AWARD best feature best public service coverage best custom publication (Worth Avenue) best cover photo best use of photography

BRONZE AWARD best overall design best department best public service coverage best advertorial story or section

2023 CHARLIE AWARDS

CHARLIE AWARD (FIRST PLACE)

best website (bocamag.com)

best custom publication (1926)

SILVER AWARD

best overall magazine

best editorial, opinion, commentary

best department design

best custom publication (Worth Avenue)

best advertorial story or section

BRONZE AWARD best in-depth reporting best advertorial story or section

First issue

Boca Raton magazine is published eight times a year. If you have any questions or comments regarding our magazine, call us at 561/997-8683. We’d love to hear from you.

Missing or late issues

Once in a while, production, transportation or the postal service may delay delivery. If you don’t get an issue, or if your magazine is repeatedly late, please call and report your problem to our subscription department at 877/553-5363 or send an email to subscriptions@bocamag.com.

Questions about your invoice

If you have already paid your bill and then receive a new bill, here’s what you should do:

1. If you have paid your bill within the past four weeks, ignore the new invoice. (The computer simply has not given your account credit quickly enough.)

2. It’s most likely that your payment and our notice just crossed in the mail. Check the date on the notice to see when we mailed it.

3. If you get another bill or renewal notice, call our subscription department at 877/553-5363, or send an email to subscriptions@bocamag.com, and we will straighten out the problem.

Change of address

PERMANENT: If you are changing your address, send us your complete old address, complete new address, including ZIP code, and the effective date of the change. You can also leave us a message with your old and new address by calling 877/553-5363.

TEMPORARY OR SEASONAL: Please send us your complete permanent address, your complete temporary address and the dates that you want your issues forwarded.

Back issues

If you are interested in purchasing any back issues, please call 877/553-5363, ext. 233, indicating the issue date you would like. The cost of each issue including shipping and handling is $9.95.

Gift subscriptions

You’ll find a subscription to Boca Raton magazine makes a thoughtful and useful gift that lasts throughout the year. If you’d like more information about giving a gift subscription, please call our subscription department at 877/553-5363.

Online subscriptions

Receive additional savings by subscribing online. Visit bocamag.com for more information.

[ For any of the above services, please contact our subscriptions services department. ] CALL TOLL FREE: 877/553-5363

EMAIL: subscriptions@bocamag.com

WRITE: Boca Raton magazine

Subscription Department 1000 Clint Moore Road, #103 Boca Raton, FL 33487

DIRECTORY

Subscription, copy purchasing and distribution

For any changes or questions regarding your subscription, to purchase back issues, or to inquire about distribution points, call circulation at 877/553-5363.

Advertising and event resources

Take advantage of Boca Raton magazine’s prime advertising space—put your ad dollars to work in the premier publication of South Florida. For more information, or to partner with Boca Raton magazine on a community event, call 561/997-8683 ext. 300, or email nicole@bocamag.com.

Custom publishing

Create a magazine tailored to fit the needs and character of your business/organization. Ideal for promotions, special events, introduction of new services, etc. Contact Christiana Lilly (christiana@bocamag.com)

Story queries

Boca Raton magazine values the concerns, interests and knowledge of our readers about the community. Please submit story and profile ideas by email to Christiana Lilly (christiana@bocamag.com). Due to the large volume of pitches, the editor may not respond to all queries. Boca Raton does not accept unsolicited, ready-for-print stories.

Web queries

Submit information regarding our website and online calendar to Tyler Childress (tyler@bocamag.com)

Letters

Your thoughts and comments are important to us. All letters to the editor may be edited for style, grammar and length. Send letters to the address listed below or contact Christiana Lilly (christiana@bocamag.com) Letter to the Editor

Boca Raton magazine 1000 Clint Moore Road, #103 Boca Raton, FL 33487

Arts & entertainment

Where to go, what to do and see throughout South Florida. Please submit information regarding galas, art openings, plays, readings, concerts, dance or other performances to John Thomason (john.thomason@ bocamag.com). Deadline for entries in an upcoming A&E section is three months before publication.

Dining guide

Our independent reviews of restaurants in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties. A reliable resource for residents and tourists. For more information, contact Christie Galeano-DeMott (christie@bocamag.com).

People

A photo collage of social gatherings and events in Boca Raton and South Florida. All photos submitted should be identified and accompanied by a brief description of the event (who, what, where, when). Email images to Tyler Childress (tyler@bocamag.com).

TRUNK SHOW WITH

GABRIEL OFIESH

Friday, March 6 & Saturday, March 7 • 11am - 5pm Appointments available upon request • 561.272.6654

First Love

No, this is not a story about a boy

Written by CHRISTIANA LILLY

t was my freshman year at the University of Florida, and I was out of shampoo.

A simple problem, but I was in the throes of anxiety and depression at that time. I had moved to a new country for college, I missed my family and friends, and I felt so hopelessly out of place. The idea of taking the bus to Walmart felt impossibly overwhelming; I just wanted to curl up in bed and sleep for days. But Carolyn knocked at my dorm door and, without a word, handed me her extra Garnier Fructis shampoo and conditioner.

We would serve as bridesmaids at each other’s weddings in the following decade.

This month, my husband and I have been together for 16 years. We met at an Irish bar in Deerfield Beach that no longer exists, when I was toasting a coworker on her last day of work, and he was there to play guitar and sing during happy hour. He’s the love of my life, and in this season of hearts and lace and candy, I think back to my first loves—not the boys but the girls and women in my life.

There was Mandy, who I met in sixth grade while living in Seoul, South Korea. On our first day of middle school at a new school, I walked in with a dose of bravery with her by my side, our keychains clanging together on our backpacks. We shared secrets during sleepovers and supported each other through the preteen years.

In high school, after a move to Shanghai, China, Barbara was there when I found out I had not gotten into my top pick for college, then celebrated me when I was accepted after I wrote an appeal letter, researching the specific professors and classes I wanted to take. She and our group of girlfriends were at my house when I got the news I would be starting college that very summer—both an exciting and terrifying prospect.

Once I got to the campus at the University of Florida, without a working cellphone or even an American phone number, I was sure I could never make new friends. Instead, this was where I would meet Carolyn and a slew of other girls who remain in my life today. One such friend told me she had dark thoughts and needed help. I helped pack her bag, then at the hospital cut the drawstrings out from her hoodies and sweatpants, since they weren’t allowed. I picked her up when she was discharged, and we watched“Monsters, Inc.”and played Scrabble.

As an adult, I’ve met other women who have guided me through job changes, frustrations with the world, and tragedies. Women who don’t need a dinner date to catch up, just a date on the calendar to park on a couch to watch a movie and drink wine with. I like to think that I’ve shown them love back by listening to them through their tears, or just by going on errands.

Each issue of Boca magazine is essentially a love letter to Boca, celebrating the people, places and happenings around town. It’s something we take great pride in. This month is a big one for the arts in Boca Raton, with Festival of the Arts celebrating its 20th year. For two decades, locals have flooded Mizner Park Amphitheater for dance, music, movies and conversations with preeminent thinkers. I personally can’t wait to watch “Jurassic Park” paired with a live orchestra (take it away, John Williams) as well as author Walter Mosley’s talk (you can read our interview with him on page 88).

And for those planning a romantic getaway near and far, come along for the ride to Turks and Caicos (page 56) for a wellness-minded retreat and to the newly renovated Pier Sixty-Six in Fort Lauderdale (page 44), including the iconic rotating bar. We also highlight the young people in our community (page 48) who

are going to be making waves, from the arts and business to science and health. Read about them now before you see them on the nationwide stage.

Every issue is an ode to Boca, and for me, every page is an ode to the friends and family who helped me get here.

BOCA CHATS

A psychologist and life coach, Jean Pollack recently discovered she has a hidden talent: writing great dating profiles. She helped one friend, then another, and soon word spread about how she helps people identify their positive traits and relationship goals.“That takes some teasing and questioning, because a lot of people are not sure what they want,”Pollack says.

How does a session work?

Some of the questions I ask are what their values are, and what is it that they have passion about? Some people have to think about that for a while—things that really

excite them or things in their life that they wouldn’t be able to do without. … But for them to get clear about who they are, it takes a little time, and I help them go a little deeper into their heart and find out what their best traits are.

How do you navigate the vulnerability of dating?

I guide them to write from their heart. Especially women 50 and older, we’ve been through some relationships, and a lot of people actually are afraid to be vulnerable again. And I tell them, ‘You’ve got a lot of years ahead of you; what do you want?’

Some people want just a companion. They don’t want to get married; they’re just looking for going out, for traveling.

How does your experience in life coaching inform dating coaching?

Life coaching is about getting your life in balance, and part of that is relationships and being vulnerable and enjoying life and making the next 30 or 40 years what you want it to be—whether it’s just dating or whether you want a relationship.

I tell them to just dip your toe in the water. I have a friend that went out on her first date since her husband left. We fixed her up, she went [out on] Saturday night, and she said he was nice. I said, ‘Well, it doesn’t have to work the first time. … What did you learn about yourself?’

innovativecounselingservicesinc.com

Locals sound off on issues affecting our community.

What is your love language, and is it different from your partner’s?

“I connect most deeply through touch— there’s something profound and intimate about the closeness of a tight hug, the quiet contact that says what words cannot. My partner shows love through selfless acts of service, consistently expressing her love through thoughtful actions that make my life easier, freeing me from stress and anxiety. It’s a match made in heaven, inspiring me to respond by pulling her close.”

— Jesse Cordoba, managing partner at Red Reef Advisors

“Mine is words of affirmation—I thrive on kind, thoughtful, genuine compliments. His is quality time, so as long as we’re together, he feels grounded and happy. And honestly, as long as he tells me I look great while we’re spending that time together, I’m just as happy. It’s the perfect balance—he shows up, I feel seen, and somehow our love languages end up speaking the same language.”

— Lindsay Haber, founding attorney/partner at Haber Legal

“My partner’s love language is words of affirmation, and mine is quality time. We’re pretty different in how we show love, but it actually works out well. She really appreciates hearing things: support, encouragement, all that good stuff. I’m more of a ‘let’s spend time together’ person. So we try and meet in the middle, like making time for meaningful conversation over our morning coffee.”

— Sebastian Larrea, partner at Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman

Don’t Miss Events

DRUNK HISTORY, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

WHEN: Feb. 10-11 at Florida Atlantic University

WHAT: A two-day, laugh-out-loud examination of comedy takes on the American Revolution. On Feb. 10, watch clips from “Drunk History” and “Saturday Night Live” alongside a panel of history experts, and on Feb. 11, attend a lecture and Q&A with Richard Pell of the University of Maryland for his views on the history behind the comedy. The programming is a part of FAU’s America250 celebrations. library.fau.edu/special-collections/festival-americas-250th-1776-2026

GET A ROOM

DELRAY BEACH OPEN

WHEN: Feb. 13-22 at Delray Beach Stadium & Tennis Center

WHAT: Tennis phenoms descend upon Delray Beach, including American pros Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz. Don’t miss the Food & Wine Series, with a grand tasting, ladies luncheon, championship brunch and other indulgent fare. delraybeachopen.com

PINKBALL: STRIKING OUT BREAST CANCER

WHEN: Feb. 21 at South County Regional Park

WHAT: In its 15th year, a family-filled day of kickball, softball, food trucks, bounce houses and other fun. It all leads up to the Celebrity All-Star Game, where baseball pros take on first responders. Proceeds cover mammograms and breast ultrasounds for uninsured and underinsured women. bocapinkball.com

Be transported to your favorite Palm Beach County hotels when you strike a match for these candles.

The Colony hotel partnered with LAFCO to expand its Pink Paradise scent collection to add a threewick candle and air diffuser reeds. The items combine passion fruit, coconut and warm amber notes to transport you to Palm Beach. $115-$135, thecolonyedit.com

From The Boca Raton’s home collection, the Cloister candle exudes warm notes of vanilla, while Beach Club emanates citrus, giving users two different scents for two different moods. Available in three sizes. $20-$115, thebocaraton.com

Reignite Eau Palm Beach’s signature scent Palm Beach Breeze by Votivo, as smoke-infused wood and sea salt set the scene for a beachside bonfire. $40, eaupalmbeach.com

THE REVEREND HORTON HEAT

WHEN: Feb. 6, 7

p.m.

WHERE: Respectable Street, 518 Clematis St., West Palm Beach

COST: $10

CONTACT: sub-culture.org/respectable-street Dallas-born barnburners the Reverend Horton Heat—the name given to gravelly vocalist-guitarist Jim Heath as well as his two-man band—is one of the country’s preeminent psychobilly acts, the niche genre that fuses vintage rockabilly melodies with punk and garage-rock thrash. Cheeky, nostalgic and whimsically attired, these road warriors are recognized for their offbeat sense of humor and infectious live shows. Their latest release is “Roots of the Rev,” an album of covers that inspired Heath— from artists such as Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley and Carl Perkins—recorded in a lo-fi, ramshackle style that evokes their original platters. This jaunt, labeled the “$10 Ticket Tour,” offers a rare opportunity to see the band for a fraction of its usual cover charge.

“BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE MUSICAL”

WHEN: Feb. 3-15

WHERE: Broward Center, 201 S.W. Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale

COST: $61.48-$160.78

CONTACT: 954/462-0222, browardcenter.org

As Marty McFly knows all too well, traveling back in time unleashes a minefield of existential uncertainty, from the unintended consequences of the Grandfather Paradox to the immediate problem of avoiding the erotic advances of the teenage version of your mom (Yikes!). Such scenarios play out as expected in this recent Broadway adaptation of the seminal ‘80s movie, a two-time Tony nominee that hews closely to the original story— complete with bullying Biff, wild-haired Doc Brown and the magical DeLorean, whose special effects-laden temporal journeys were cited by critics as a highlight of the production. The movie’s original co-writer, Bob Gale, penned the script for the musical, which includes new songs and favorites from the original movie soundtrack.

“THE

TRIUMPH OF NATURE: ART NOUVEAU”

WHEN: Feb. 14-April 4

WHERE: Society of the Four Arts, 102 Four Arts Plaza, Palm Beach

COST: $10

CONTACT: 561/655-7226, fourarts.org

From fine art to interior design, Art Nouveau is having a moment. An article last fall in House Beautiful called it “the design style from 1900 that’s suddenly cool again.” Inspired by beauty, mythology and nature, Art Nouveau caught fire in Western Europe between 1890 and 1910, typified by the ornate posters of Czech artist Alphonse Mucha. His prints form part of “The Triumph of Nature,” a major touring exhibition organized by Virginia’s Chrysler Museum, which gathers 120 of the style’s most distinctive pieces for a comprehensive assessment of its legacy. These include not only paintings, sculptures and ceramics but functional objects such as furniture, books, lamps and glassware. It’s no wonder the Germans conceived of Art Nouveau not as a descriptor of individual pieces but as a gesamtkunstwerk—a “total work of art” whose pieces combine to form a cohesive vision.

“Vase

AFRICAN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL

WHEN: Feb. 19-22

WHERE: Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach

COST: $60 for five-film series

CONTACT: 561/8327469, kravis.org

Sports and dance form the DNA of this year’s African American Film Festival, an annual Kravis Center tradition. Subtitled “Dance Like a Butterfly, Sting Like a Bee,” the festival features five titles that filter the Black experience through sports or dance, curated by local film expert Terri Francis, who has brought on guest speakers at four of the screenings. The documentary “Muhammad Ali, the Greatest” charts the boxer’s storied career and cultural impact, with insights from director Jimmy Jacques; 1935’s “Princess Tam” stars dance legend Josephine Baker in a musical comedy inspired by “Pygmalion,” and is introduced by Miami historian Nadege Green; Emmy-winning filmmaker Cathleen Dean will lead audiences into “Love and Basketball,” the 2000 hoops-themed romance; and “Stormy Weather,” a hit 1940s musical with Lena Horne, features a talk from Miami choreographer Gentry George. Spike Lee’s classic “He Got Game” rounds out the series.

Without the support of organizations like Place of Hope and partly the state, [foster kids] fall through the cracks.”

— Jeannine Morris

Jeannine Morris

A long-time Place of Hope volunteer is awarded Woman Volunteer of the Year

Written by CHRISTIANA LILLY

Jeannine Morris had just become a licensed respite foster parent when she got the first call—a newborn baby boy with medical needs. Her own three children had grown and left the house, so she had to tap into the maternal instincts of caring for an infant all over again.

“It was really life-changing,” she says.“His little body, he just was calm, and he seemed content…and even at that young age, you can just really see it. You can see it in their eyes.”

He would be one of many children that Morris would provide respite foster care for—a sort of second line of defense for primary foster parents—all stemming from her volunteer work with Place of Hope. It was her 23 years of involvement with the nonprofit that earned her the title of Woman Volunteer of the Year back in November.

“I’m really there to support their vision and their goals, because they are the experts. I’m not. But when they come to me and say,‘Can you do this?’ Or,‘Would you be willing to do this?’The answer is yes,”Morris says.

When Morris first got involved with Place of Hope, it had just one campus. In 2013, it took over operations for The Haven, and today it has expanded to five campuses and served more than 250,000 families and youth. She was most impressed with its family-style cottage living for foster children and transitional housing for those who have aged out, providing stability and mentorship when they need it most.

Morris has served as a mentor for young women, fostered children, helped with fundraising events, sits on the board of directors, and is a member and past president of the Angel Moms, volunteers who can help children and families in crisis. As a Realtor at Lang Realty, she donates a portion of her commissions to Place of Hope and other local nonprofits close to her heart.

been abandoned or abused or neglected, and the terrible unraveling of a family and a childhood that that can lead to, and very often it’s very tragic, very violent, and it’s very scary. So I think we as a community are more exposed to that. We hear it on the news, so we’re more prepared for knowing that this is probably happening in our backyard. And therefore, I think it opens up our hearts and our minds to want to help.

EVOLVING AS A VOLUNTEER: I’ve had many different roles, and my ability to perform those roles has depended on what is going on in my life. How busy am I at work? Am I not working? What’s going on with my own family? How can we plug in? So I think there are various ways to plug in, and as people become closer aligned with the mission and they learn about what’s happening on the different campuses, it almost becomes evident to them how they can plug in.

HELPING FOSTER ADULTS: Many of these youth, due to no fault of their own, they’re not at grade level. So they may be 18, but they may not be graduating high school at that time. They may still have several years to go, and without the support of organizations like Place of Hope and partly to the state, they fall through the cracks, and it really affects our homeless population. So the Boca Raton campus migrated to really try to assist that population, 18 and over.

page is a tribute to

and

WHY HAS THIS CAUSE RESONATED WITH YOU? I like being with children and making them feel secure, loved, and that stems from my own childhood. I have this unique position where I have three older brothers, and I’m the youngest girl. I grew up in a very loving, very caring environment. My three older brothers were very protective. I always felt safe and secure and taken care of, and my parents were wonderful to me. … I just felt that that was something I could bring and model and provide to these kids who had no such experience.

HAVE CONVERSATIONS AROUND ABUSE CHANGED?

We read a lot of the consequences of when a child has

LIFELONG MENTORSHIP: I mentored several young women, but there are two whom I have stayed in touch with, and I met them both when they were 17, and they’re now 28, and I’ve really watched their lives progress. … I just love when I call to check in on them and I get the update, or I get them gifts for Christmas and we meet and I see them growing. … We just meet them for dinner or for lunch, and we just make sure that they feel we’re here for them.

ON VOLUNTEERISM: What a beautiful moment for our community, just to see the ripple effect of nearly 1,000 people in that room all doing something that benefits our community and creates, hopefully, a lasting legacy. So it’s very amazing and wonderful. Imagine where we would be if people didn’t make the decision to say,“You know what, let me try this.” Just find something.

Ferrari is unique, because it’s been in the dreams of many generations. ... But what all the Ferraris have in common is this incredible brand that won everything motorsports.”

—Luigi Orlandini

Horse Power

The Cavallino Classic moves to Boca Raton for a weekend dedicated to all things Ferrari

Written by JOHN THOMASON

For Luigi Orlandini, executive director of the annual Palm Beach Cavallino Classic, the trickiest question from his interview with Boca magazine came at the end, when I asked him where he lives—having just spoken with him, via Zoom, from an office in Modena, Italy. He chuckled, then quipped, in his thick la dolce vita accent, “Like the John Denver song, I’m living on a jet plane, because I’m always traveling,” says Orlandini. “The headquarters of Canossa [the events company he runs] are in Italy, but then I have an office in Dubai, an office in France. In the States, our main operations now are in Florida, but then I have a few people in New York, and one manager representative in Monterey, California. So we’re covering the three markets, plus we have clients in Asia. I’m quite constantly traveling, but yes, I have an Italian passport.”

Boca will be the recipient of plenty of Orlandini’s air miles this month. On Feb. 13-14, for the first time in its history, the Palm Beach Cavallino Classic, billed as the premier annual event for Ferrari lovers and collectors, will be presented at The Boca Raton resort. Previously a staple on The Breakers’ annual event calendar, the 35th edition of the Classic will be its first outside of Palm Beach island, with up to 150 vintage Ferraris set to be positioned on the 18th fairway of The Boca Raton Golf Club course for the Valentine’s Day Concorso d’Eleganza.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: 35th-annual Cavallino Classic

WHEN: Feb. 13-15

WHERE: Friday and Saturday at The Boca Raton, 501 E. Camino Real, Boca Raton; Sunday, additional “Classic and Sports Sunday” show at Mara-Lago, 1100 S. Ocean Blvd., Palm Beach

COST: $480 and up

CONTACT: cavallino. com/collections/2026palm-beach-cavallinoclassic

The move south owes in part to multiyear renovations taking place at The Breakers, and in part to a desire by Orlandini to scale up the event.“We had limited space and some constraints, in terms of timing, setup, dismantling … because The Breakers is a big hotel, but with not-so-big spaces. [The] Boca Raton is even bigger. So the total number of rooms is higher, and spaces are much larger.

“I’m not saying we were tired of The Breakers. It’s an amazing venue, the service is great, the property is great, the position is great. ... But it didn’t fit much with our growth trajectory.”

In fact, this year’s Classic still begins at The Breakers, with a special Friday showcase of the 34 Ferraris that won Best in Show from each of Cavallino’s previous concourses. As if signifying the passing of the torch, their owners will then drive the cars down A1A for the Tour d’Eleganza, ending the evening with the Party Under the Stars at The Boca Raton.

Then on Saturday, the 35th-annual Concorso d’Eleganza commences, with Ferrari owners showing off their restored classics and vying for Best Of awards in

various categories. As the only show of its kind dedicated exclusively to Ferraris, competition can be fierce, with owners investing an average of $1.5 million to restore their automobiles to Ferrari’s original specifications and satisfy the judges’ rigorous criteria.

“Every car starts with 100 points, and then, if one light is not working, it’s minus 0.5; if you change the color of, I don’t know, the spark plugs, then you get another point or half-point of deduction,” Orlandini says.“If it came out of the factory with a certain type of leather in the seats, it has to have that leather. … So for everything that is not original, or not working, or not properly maintained, the car gets a deduction from the score. All the cars that score 97 or more, which means they’re almost perfect, get a Platinum Award, which means Cavallino acknowledges that this car is original. And then among the Platinums, the Best of Show and the best of certain categories are selected by the judges.”

Cars of mind-boggling value have been showcased at the Palm Beach Cavallino Classic, including many examples of the Ferrari 250 GTO, the brand’s rarest grand touring vehicle, one of which netted a record $70 million at a private sale. Ferrari produced only 33 of the original model between 1962 and 1964.

When Orlandini’s company bought the Cavallino Classic in 2020, he began to shake things up. He introduced the Friday night party, as well as a boutique auction, in conjunction with RM Sothebys, of a handful of cars just prior to the dinner Saturday night. He’s also expanded the Cavallino brand beyond the Palm Beach County flagship concourse, launching similar events in Modena, Abu Dhabi and Sydney.

But Palm Beach—now Boca—remains the main event, whose prestige is acknowledged within the international car show world. At Peninsula Hotel Group’s Best of the Best Awards, in which winning cars from eight major concourses compete against each other, Cavallino’s cars have won four out of the last 10 times.

Its success is a testament to Ferrari’s ongoing standard of excellence, Orlandini says.“Ferrari is unique, because it’s been in the dreams of many generations. ... But what all the Ferraris have in common is this incredible brand that won everything motorsports. The rule was that every Ferrari that goes on the market must outperform all the others in terms of performance, so it must be the best of its category. That’s still true, I think—you see incredible cars with incredible performances.”

Love Story

A romance for the ages, captured in diamonds and prose

Paradise forSale

298 NE 8th Street is an unparalleled 8,276 square foot resort-style estate, a stunning homage to the timeless elegance of Addison Mizner’s Architectural Legacy.

The epitome of refined luxury; impeccably designed with state of the art finishes. Located on a 1/2 Acre lot with enough room to add a detached garage, sports court or other

Your new home boasts 7 bedrooms and 8.5 bathrooms, 2 primary suites, gym, office, formal dining with butler pantry, 2 laundry rooms, an elevator and more.

Steps to fine dining and shopping at Mizner Park and Royal Palm Place. Less than a mile to the Beach.

Earrings, $150, bracelet, $75, wrap, $895, crystal clutch, $1,650, jungle print clutch, $375, color block bag, $375; all from Nina Raynor VALENTINO sandal, $1,600; from Saks Boca

Dopamine Fix

Lighthearted accessories to enliven any ensemble

Nicklaus Children’s at Boca Raton is coming soon, bringing world-class pediatric cardiology closer to home, with expert care for congenital heart disease, fetal cardiology, general pediatric cardiology, and seamless access to advanced diagnostic testing.

Under the care of Dr. Donna Rhoden and our multidisciplinary Heart Institute team, families will experience the same trusted excellence, now in your neighborhood. Because here, children matter most.™

Pointe

Red Hot

It’s that time of year for crimson to have its moment

26 Restaurants + Galleries, Spas, Boutiques and More

LA MILANESA bag, $250, heart and teddy bear charms, $48 each; AUTUMN CASHMERE sweater, $284, pearl heart necklace, $90; HOMERS boots, $410; ZADIG & VOLTAIRE scarf, $148, sweatpants, $225; all from Filly & Colt

How Charming

When it comes to accessories, it’s all in the details

PLASTIC SURGERY OF THE FACE

Surgical Specialist Focused Uniquely on the Face, Neck, Eyes, Forehead

Non-surgical Aesthetics

And Expert Injector of Botox® and Dermal Fillers

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Over 20 Years Experience

Individualized Treatment

The Doctor’s Personal Care A Beautiful Patient Experience

“When I get scared and my heart beats, or I am elated and my heart’s pounding, or I’m laughing, or I’m walking and my heart’s so full of life, I say, ‘What a miracle. Thank you.’”

— Margie Kaye

Change of Heart

Ten years after her heart transplant, a Boca Raton woman looks back at the journey

Written by CHRISTIANA LILLY

As Margie Kaye describes it, she was on death’s door.

She lay in a bed at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, her heart just days away from failing. It was difficult to consume food, but her doctors and nurses urged her to eat so they could avoid a feeding tube. The fork felt like a 100-pound dumbbell. Try eating, Margie, they said. Keep eating. You need to eat.

Until one day, her surgeon told her to stop eating: A heart was available, and if everything worked out just right, she would be getting a transplant in a matter of hours.

“My mom was sitting there. We were hysterically crying. I just couldn’t believe it,” Kaye says.“Even 10 years later, it’s like science fiction to me.”

Only about 3,700 heart transplants are done every year in the United States, according to Yale Health, compared to the more than 25,000 kidney transplants annually. Back in 2012, Kaye was married to her husband of 18 years, with two sons after years of infertility. She loved her job as a writer and the life she had, not knowing that a routine health exam for life insurance would uncover a health crisis.

In the report, it was recommended she see a cardiologist; that doctor then recommended she see a specialist at Emory University in Georgia.“I questioned it. I thought, ‘I’m healthy,’” she says.“I was in my late 40s, I had two children, one that was just a few years old, and I said, ‘OK, well, maybe there’s a mistake or something.’”

But something was wrong: idiopathic cardiomyopathy. A healthy heart pumps 50% to 70% of blood with each heartbeat, and hers was in the low 30s. Her heart muscle was dying due to an unknown cause, and she would eventually need a transplant. She remembers Dr. Ioana Dumitru taking her hands in hers, and promising to be with her every step of the way.

The diagnosis was perplexing because she felt just fine—but not for long. Soon she was always out of breath, even while lying in bed. When she went to pick up her son from school, she was exhausted by the time she reached the front doors. She was hospitalized multiple times, and one time she lay on the floor of her living room, gasping for air as an ambulance rushed over. Eventually she was put on a 24-hour IV medication.

“My feet swelled up [to] the size of cabbages. I was having trouble breathing,” she says.“I rushed over to my doctor, and he said, ‘You’re going to Memorial, and

you’re not coming out until you have a heart.’”

An intra-aortic balloon was implanted in her heart to keep blood pumping to the rest of her body, and she shot up the transplant waiting list. Then on June 29, 2015, surgeon Dr. Enrique Gongora came into her room: there was a heart from a woman in Tampa.

Kaye went under at 10 p.m. that night and became the 10th person at the hospital to receive a heart transplant—she joked to the anesthesiologist,“I’m a 10, baby!” before disappearing into the blackness of sleep—and at 1 a.m. her family saw Dr. Gongora run past them with a cooler in his hand, a heart inside.

The next time he saw her family, he told them,“It’s beating and it’s beautiful.”

Kaye had a new heart, but recovery was the next trial. She doesn’t remember the first week, and she suffered through debilitating migraines, a reaction to her immunosuppressant medication. She had occupational and physical therapy—”I would cry when the physical therapist would come in, because I felt like I had no energy”—starting with picking up a straw. At one point she had a seizure and was unresponsive. Ten years later, though, she thinks of her 58 days at the hospital as a place where she received the utmost care from her health care providers, including the nurses who would do her hair and nails.

After she was discharged, Kaye returned every few months for a heart biopsy to confirm that her body wasn’t rejecting the new organ. Now she goes in for bloodwork monthly, and every day she takes 36 pills.

Getting a transplant is a complicated mix of emotions. While one family is celebrating a life saved, another is grieving a loss. Kaye’s donor was a 33-yearold mother of four; Kaye has a photo of her in an album that chronicles her heart transplant journey.

“When I get scared and my heart beats, or I am elated and my heart’s pounding, or I’m laughing, or I’m walking and my heart’s so full of life, I say, ‘What a miracle. Thank you,’” Kaye says of her donor.

Her heart pounded with excitement last summer when she walked into Matteo’s with her husband, and was surprised by 75 friends and family. They were there to celebrate her 10-year heart-iversary. Dumitru and her nurses were there, too (Gongora died of pancreatic cancer in 2024).

Things are different than they were a decade ago, but they would have been completely different had she not had the heart transplant. She has a scar down her chest—what she calls her “badge of honor”—covering up a healthy, beating heart.

Joan Crawford in 3 Dimensions

Film historian Scott Eyman’s nuanced biography reassesses the life and career of a complicated star

Written by JOHN THOMASON

As Scott Eyman puts it, he was simply “sick of writing about men.” Since 1993, the West Palm Beach-based film historian has penned biographies of directors Ernst Lubitsch, Cecil B. DeMille and John Ford; studio moguls Louis B. Mayer and Darryl Zanuck; and actors John Wayne, Henry Fonda, James Stewart and Cary Grant. He was burnt out on the testosterone.

“And then it becomes a question of, what woman hasn’t had a good book written about her?” Eyman recalls.“Both Hepburns have—Katharine and Audrey. I see no reason to follow somebody else who’s done a good job. I write these books as a way to satisfy my own curiosity about a given person. I eliminated four or five other actresses, and then I came to Crawford, and then I saw the home movies.”

Those home movies, never intended for release, and shot by and with her paramour at the time, newspaper publisher Charles McCabe, revealed a rugged, outdoorsy side to Crawford that juxtaposed with the glamour of Old Hollywood. They would provide the seed for Eyman’s “Joan Crawford: A Woman’s Face,” a lucid, comprehensive biography released last November on Simon & Schuster.

ON REMAINING EVENHANDED: My main objection to what had been written about Crawford previously was that she was either a goddess or Cruella de Vil. There was no rational portrayal of a complex human being. … And I’ve never met a Cruella de Vil in my life. There’s good and bad in everybody, and the proportion varies, according to their personality. The object was to get deeper into what kind of human being she was, what kind of actor she was, how she put the pieces together of a career and sustained it for nearly 50 years.

ON CRAWFORD DRAWING FROM HER OWN BIOGRAPHY: Crawford’s own life nudges her to want to play [roles] closer to her own emotional reality. When sound rolls in, you see her start to play women a lot like Joan Crawford was off-screen—women who had to cope with lousy childhoods, no financial or creative advantages whatsoever, who have to find a way to better themselves because of their looks, their personalities, blind luck or hard mainline effort, or some combination of all of those things. She had a weird way of mirroring her audience. I think it was unintentional. Her audience was her, and she was her audience.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Scott Eyman interviewed by Steven Caras

WHERE: Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach

WHEN: 11:30 a.m. Feb. 17

COST: $135

CONTACT: 561/8327469, kravis.org

Showcasing, as Eyman phrases it,“her spectacular, almost demonic energy, and a willingness to outwork everybody else,” the book captures the struggles, triumphs and setbacks of a career that spanned from the silent era to the early 1970s.

ON THE BACKSTORY: I called [Crawford’s] grandson, Casey, who showed the home movies on the TCM Cruise I was on as a guest. And I said, ‘I’m thinking about doing a book about your grandmother.’ He was so enthusiastic. It’s like he’d been waiting for that phone call for 20 years. He said, ‘anything I’ve got, you’ve got.’ So we started work. He sent me the unedited home movies, her probate file, a bunch of unpublished stills, all the stuff that’s left over when somebody dies.

ON THE ABUSE ALLEGATIONS SURROUNDING CRAWFORD’S PARENTING: She adopted four kids. Two of them flamed out; two of them were fine. As I write in the book, .500 is a really great average for baseball. It’s not too great for child rearing. She hadn’t spoken to her daughter Christina for about five years before she died. The relationship had completely broken down. So her leaving Christina out of her will was not a blazing surprise. And Christina was already writing “Mommie Dearest” [an explosive memoir that leveled abuse charges against Crawford.—Ed.] when her mother was alive, and Joan was aware of it. I lay out both sides in the book, because I thought that was the only fair thing to do.

WEB EXTRA:

For much more of our interview with Scott Eyman, visit BOCAMAG. COM/FEBRUARY-2026.

The main problem with somebody that’s been dead for 50 years is to find people that knew her—because most of the people that knew her are also dead. I figured I might have to depend on libraries and oral history stuff. But I found 18 to 20 people that knew her very well indeed.

ON CRAWFORD’S LEGACY: Longevity confers a certain kind of respect. Movie careers usually last about eight to 10 years, and then it’s onto the younger generation. Only a really huge star lasted 20 years. That in itself is a remarkable achievement, and the fact that there are not just two or three good movies— with Crawford, there’s a lot of good movies.

She’s An Icon

A snow room, revolving cocktail lounge and high-design spaces—Fort Lauderdale’s Pier Sixty-Six makes a dazzling return

Written by ANGELA CARAWAY-CARLTON

I’m experiencing something impossible in South Florida during the summer: snow and freezing temperatures. I’ve escaped the sweltering weather to sit on a fur-covered seat in a room draped in glistening white snow at the Pier Sixty-Six in Fort Lauderdale. The whole vibe has honestly left me questioning where I am, and is it really July? The newly minted resort’s Zenova Spa & Wellness boasts one of only a few snow rooms in the country—cold therapy is trending for boosting circulation and immunity—along with other wellness amenities like mineral-rich hot tubs, a huge sauna and a color-therapy rain shower. I’m quickly reminded that I am indeed still in the Sunshine State after the 100-minute Authentic Florida treatment, where a therapist polishes my skin with an orange-coconut

salt scrub and follows it with a fragrant citrus oil massage. To top it off, I sip a Prosecco made exclusively for the resort.

Pier Sixty-Six recently emerged from a $1 billion renovation and now spans 32 acres set along the Intracoastal Waterway. If you’ve visited the iconic hotel over the last 60 years, you’ll now find it almost unrecognizable—in the best way. From the lobby and beyond, it oozes mid-century modern glamour, a beautiful maze of towering pillars, curvy angles and swirling features that often mimic the ocean’s waves, while its signature spire-top tower has been shined up. With a multilevel poolscape featuring an adults-only pool and another family-friendly pool with slides for kids, the resort commands a staycation worthy of sunbathing and cocktailing. And maybe

even trying something new, like a tai chi class, a mind-body practice that’s growing in popularity with the younger set.

The property’s maximalist-style beauty extends to guest rooms, where even the smallest is around 400 square feet in size. It was my husband’s birthday weekend, so we upgraded to the one-bedroom king suite. I’m in a new hotel almost weekly, but I couldn’t stop gushing over the two-room retreat with a separate living area and marble-drenched bathroom with a smart toilet that did more things than I ever knew I needed. At night, we’d literally use all the technology to shut down the lights and shades and sink into a blissful den of quiet in the bedroom. Part of the resort’s magic is its sweeping views. From our large balcony, we surveyed the pools and waterways—including the busy parade of cruise ships at Port Everglades—and marveled at how much Fort Lauderdale has grown.

The dining impressed me too. There’s Calusso, where you’ll enter through a sexy walnut tunnel for an exquisite meal that feels Michelin worthy. The menu sets an elevated tone rarely seen in Fort Lauderdale, with starters like a foraged mushroom tart with speck and foie gras crowning an olive oil cake, housemade pastas, and a filet mignon served with crispy potato pavé. But it’s the marina-fronting Sotogrande restaurant that stole my heart. Serving eastern Mediterranean and Spanish-influenced cuisine, the menu is designed for sharing—but not in the obnoxious “small plate” way that demands ordering numerous plates to be satiated. We started with the Greek salad (which, even after returning from Greece the month before, exceeded my expectations thanks to its rich feta, house-made dressing and Kalamata olives), then moved on to grilled prawns doused in a chili garlic sauce, and shared the daily catch paired with patatas bravas. Every dish was so good that we went back the next night and reordered it all again.

If you need a reminder of the beauty of Fort Lauderdale, zip up the elevator to Pier Top, the reinvented lounge with its 66-spire crown on the 17th floor that slowly revolves to flaunt 360-degree views of the artery of waterways and the cityscape. (One thing that did not change since the renovation: I still had a hard time finding my table after I went to the restroom, thanks to the full rotation every 66 minutes.) The bar knows how to do the classics right, and as I sipped a smooth Negroni and watched the city transition from the golden hour, it struck me how lucky we are to live in South Florida.

Sometimes it takes a staycation to remember why we fell in love with the area—and the remake of Pier Sixty-Six captures that magic perfectly.

DesignerSpotlight

Sybil Archabault Design Consultant

One of the reasons California Closets has such a dedicated following is because clients know we make the experience all about them,” says Anette Jordan, VP of Operations for the South Palm Beach market. “They’ve loved our product for years after their initial purchase, and know that the value was created through the intentional design focused on improving their day-to-day lives. Our team consists of professionals with expertise that allows them to deliver the best possible solutions. One example is our designer, Sybil Archambault.”

Sybil’s journey to becoming a Design Consultant with California Closets began at an early age, when her passion for art and architecture developed into a keen eye for proportion, balance and aesthetics. For more than a decade, Sybil has collaborated with homeowners, architects, interior designers and builders to deliver solutions that are both functional

and visually compelling, reflecting their clients’ individual lifestyles. Her portfolio spans from walk-in closets with boutique-inspired displays to compact closets that maximize every inch of space. No space is too big or too small to be transformed.

California Closets embraces a client-centered approach, producing designs tailored to personal routines and preferences. Luxury finishes including textured materials, lighting, glass, leather and aluminum blend elegance with durability. Although it is exciting to work on glamorous projects, Sybil loves being able to provide optimal functionality at affordable prices.

“I am thrilled with the new palette of finishes available to offer to my clients. I look forward to the re-opening of the showroom in Boca Raton featuring a world of fantastic new designs,” Sybil shares.

The Kids Are Alright

The future, if these rising stars from Boca Raton have anything to do about it, is in good hands. Meet the under-20 artists, dancers, thinkers, scientists and entrepreneurs endeavoring to make life healthier and more vibrant for all of us.

Written by John Thomason

Roman Shchochka & Marta Tyutyunnyk

AGES: 19 and 18, respectively

FIELD OF DISTINCTION: Dance

t last year’s Manhattan Dance Sport Championships in New York City, Boca Raton ballroom dancers Roman Shchochka and Marta Tyutyunnyk were looking for a fairytale ending. So they engineered one, in a moment straight out of the Walt Disney playbook.

Having already performed five dances in the Amateur Under 21 Ballroom Championship, the couple had one more chance to impress the judges and audience: a special performance that would display their acting as well as their footwork. They chose an homage to “Cinderella,” with Shchochka dressed as an imperial prince—red pants with gold stripes, tasseled shirt and belt, gleaming black shoes—holding up a jeweled slipper like a talisman.

After a brief gag in which Shchochka tries unsuccessfully to fit the slipper onto members of the judging panel, Tyutyunnyk emerges, in a common brown dress. The shoe fits, of course, and a minute into

the routine, as their musical selection—“A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes,” from the 1950 animated “Cinderella”—reaches its emotional crescendo, Tyutyunnyk spins like an ecstatic top, magically revealing a royal blue gown hidden under her peasant garb.

The moment capped off a competition that was already sprinkled with pixie dust. The only Florida representatives in their national division, they won first place in the Amateur Under 21 International Ballroom Championship, besting their competitors in international and Viennese waltz, tango, foxtrot and quickstep, all in a high-stakes environment.

“We always try to channel the stress and pressure into the energy on the floor,” Shchochka says.“You dance much better when you have a little bit of pressure, a little bit of stress.”

The dancers, a couple offstage as well as on, have been training for this competition, in Shchochka’s words,“for 15 years.” Both hailing from the central Ukrainian city of Poltava, Shchochka began dancing at age 6, Tyutyunnyk at 4. As Shchochka remembers it,“My grandma and my mom were watching ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ and for them, it was so inspiring. It was like, this is

the future for Roman. They enrolled me into the local dance school.”

After training in the same dance club and often noticing each other at international competitions, Tyutyunnyk and Shchochka formalized their partnership in 2019, winning their first competition together.“When we had just started dancing together, four times a week, we’d travel to another city—it was two or three hours by train or car [to work with] the best coaches in ballroom,”Tyutyunnyk says.“And so right away, we were dancing with the champions of ballroom. They inspired us.”

Tyutyunnyk and Shchochka’s arrival in Boca Raton was a circuitous one. They left Ukraine with Tyutyunnyk’s family just weeks after Russia’s February 2022 invasion—first to Poland, then to the Netherlands, then to England for an international competition. They settled in Boca Raton

at the end of 2022, and they speak of their adopted city like longtime locals.

“We like everything about Boca Raton,” Shchochka says.“We like the people, the community, the weather and everything. There’s a big Russian-speaking, Ukrainian-speaking community here, and great coaches and teachers.”

Running on Boca’s beach is a vital element of their fitness routine, both yearround and in competition season, and they train formally at Goldcoast Ballroom in Coconut Creek. In March, they’ll be performing at the U.S. National Amateur Dance Sport Championships in Utah, where they finished second in their division last year.

“Our preparation for competition is never finished,”Tyutyunnyk says.“We spend six days a week in the studio.”

“We still want to go higher,” Shchochka adds.“We still see where to improve.”

Zoe Abbott

AGE: 13

FIELD OF DISTINCTION: Business

usiness acumen and creativity both came naturally to Zoe Abbott. As a 7-year-old in San Diego, the precocious child already began merging these interests, designing bracelets out of rubber bands and pipe cleaners, and vending them outside a restaurant.“She made $100 selling two-dollar bracelets,” her mother, Adina, recalls.“My husband instilled the value of money, and the value of making your own things, very early on. She was very good at math. Numbers made sense to her.”

An only child, Abbott moved with her parents to Boca Raton in 2021, and within a few years found herself in a more formal business spotlight. In 2024, the Pine Crest middle school student enrolled in the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce’s Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!), a rigorous six-month program where budding businesspeople learn to transform their ideas into workable enterprises. To Abbott’s surprise, she found herself to be the youngest participant in the academy, surrounded by high schoolers, many in 12th grade and preparing for college.“This YEA! program … is really hardcore,”Adina says.“We were not prepared.”

“In the beginning it was kind of intimidating, because I wasn’t used to having these public speaking opportunities,” Zoe adds.“These older kids, they knew so much more, and I was really trying to keep up. And my mentor said that she saw a huge change [in me]. I was so quiet in the beginning. They were always telling me, ‘I can’t hear you. Can you speak up a little bit?’ [Eventually] I was participating in class, having ideas, asking questions. … It was less of a thing I had to do, and more something I wanted to do for the experience of it.”

The hard work paid off, with Abbott winning the Boca Chamber’s 2025 PEARL Award, which honors the top female entrepreneur from the past year’s YEA! She also

earned a $750 investment from the Chamber’s Investor Panel Competition, an annual “Shark Tank”-style pitch presentation to local business leaders at a packed auditorium on Boca Raton Innovation Campus. “[My mom] was more nervous than I was,” Zoe says.“I was prepared. And I wasn’t as stressed, because it wasn’t just me; [the other academy students] had to do this too. And I was like, worst-case scenario, I don’t get that much money—it’s an experience.”

Abbott’s concept, developed under her brand Zoe’s Botanical Beauty, is a plantbased, toxin-free hair tonic derived from a family recipe dating back generations. Abbott can still discuss it with the panache and passion of the elevator pitch she cultivated at YEA!

“Middle school is harsh for teenage girls,” she says.“You have to look this way and that way. And I realized there wasn’t much for people with curly hair. I have very curly hair. Traditional products destroyed my hair in the beginning, and I wanted there to be something out there that can have that wow effect, but also not break down your hair over time and cause you to buy more and more products. I care more about the outcome of this and how it affects people, more than just getting the money. I want people not to have to struggle with that.”

Abbott is in the process of seeking a mentor who can assist in the widespread marketing and distribution of Zoe’s Botanical Beauty, and she hopes to expand her all-natural beauty line into more products that “can benefit girls and have them feel confident,” she says.

Wherever this project ends up, it likely won’t be her last business venture. As she plans to continue her education at Pine Crest in the fall, she’s preparing to apply for its Social Entrepreneurship Course, an elite three-year program. If her experience at YEA! is any indication, she’s more than ready to swim with the sharks.

“I care more about the outcome of this and how it affects people, more than just getting the money.

—

Bodhi & Sky Schneider

AGES: 7 and 10, respectively

FIELD OF DISTINCTION: Visual art

he verbal cudgel leveled against abstract art for as long as it’s existed goes something like this: “My kid could paint that!”The abstract paintings of Bodhi and Sky Schneider flip this insult on its head. Kids did paint them, and in less than three years of their first completed canvas, these Boca Raton Blue Lake Elementary schoolers have earned gallery representation and a booth during Miami Art Week for works that look every bit like an adult painted them.

Inspired in part by the agate geodes that dot their crystal-infused home, as well as their fascination with the vastness of the universe, Bodhi and Sky’s art bridges the earthen with the cosmic, conjuring a bubbly, ombré nebula on paintings like “Galactic Skies” and a tidal rush of interstellar waves on “Cosmic Candy.”Their medium, pour painting, eschews brushes through the pouring of desired paints directly onto the canvas, with the artists layering, blending and finishing the work with fire glass, gemstones, diamond dust and resin.

Within two years of their first painting, the boys had sold 80 pieces and were invited to exhibit their work in their first solo show,“Space and Stone,” for three whirlwind days at AGI Fine Arts at the Loft in New York City, where they showcased their technique in an hour-long guided demonstration.

Asked to recount their artistic origin story, Bodhi responds with a 7-year-old’s directness: “We saw our neighbor doing pour paint art, and we really liked it, so we kind of wanted to do it. And then I got in. And then Sky was a salesman, and he was like, ‘I’m not getting so much money.’ And then so he wanted to be an artist like me, and then we earned more money.”

“[Sky] was so good at the sales part,” clarifies their mother, Melissa Schneider, who runs the interior design firm Home Innovations.“He would get people very interested. He has this incredible skill for public speaking. He sounds like he’s been

on TED Talk stages his whole life. And Bodhi is a little more shy, so it really was the perfect yin and yang.

“But as he evolved, Sky started to feel like he was missing out on the creativity. And the creativity part seemed very exciting and enticing to him as well, because Sky is an engineer mind, 100%. And so he started engineering with his 3D printer new tools that they could use together to make bigger art pieces.”

Despite having already exhibited in New York and, this past December, at Red Dot Miami during Basel week, the Schneiders haven’t yet developed egos the size of their largest canvases.“They’re pretty humble and shy about their art,” Melissa says.“They are not at an age or in a stage of life where they feel that any of this is bragging rights. If anything, it’s like, ‘this is my secret life.’ When we try to tell them what a big deal it is that they’re at an international gallery representing them, that artists try their whole lives for that and don’t get accepted, it doesn’t penetrate.”

Which isn’t to say they aren’t passionate about their work—welcoming unexpected delights through their mercurial pouring

process but pushing back when the patterns and colors don’t meet their expectations. “Bodhi is so much the quintessential, stereotypical artist,” Melissa says.“When a piece doesn’t come out the way he wants, you should see what a tantrum it is. He gets real Van Gogh on me. We laughingly say, ‘only a real artist would be that pissed.’”

“Bodhi is so much the stereotypical, quintessential artist. When a piece doens’t come out the way he wants ... he gets real Van Gogh on me.

— Melissa Schneider

“Black

and “Fire

William Wakefield

AGE: 19

FIELD OF DISTINCTION: Medicine

illiam Wakefield was in middle school when his grandfather became one of more than 7 million Americans to develop Alzheimer’s disease. “He was a person who had a high cognitive reserve, so he was able to fight it for a long time without showing significant symptoms,”Wakefield recalls.“But then there was a point in which he just couldn’t do it anymore. And that was about a six-month period where things got really bad, really quickly. I was in about seventh or eighth grade at the time, and that really sparked my interest and curiosity in that field.”

And so the bright student, over the course of two summers between terms at Boca Raton’s Pine Crest School, set out to revolutionize dementia diagnosis. By 2025, thanks to his work at Mayo Clinic’s Neurology AI lab—and less than five years after discovering his grandfather’s condition—Wakefield had developed a compression algorithm for clinicians to simplify a

dementia diagnosis to a single brain scan, with 95% accuracy.

“I started my research in the summer of 2023, focusing on the idea that there needs to be a tool out there that can help clinicians diagnose dementia in a more interpretable way,”he recalls.“And by interpretable, I mean

a tool that can give a diagnosis, instead of just stating diagnosis.”As in most frontier science, the research required dogged persistence and the occasional blind alley.“There were several times in which our model wasn’t working properly, and we had to look at each line of code and try to understand exactly what was the problem. The scientific process … is based on determination and consistency, because without that, we would not have gotten to where we are now.”

For his groundbreaking efforts, Wakefield won first place at 2025’s Dr. Ying Science Competition in Orlando, an annual forum for scientific trailblazers since 1999. He earned a $5,000 scholarship for his victory, but as Wakefield is quick to point out, he was never in it for the glory.“I wasn’t focused on winning,”he says.“I was focused on presenting what I had done. ... I think the connections you make and the relationships you make are more important than a number you get on a plaque at the end of the day.”

Wakefield spoke to Boca magazine from student housing at Yale, where he began his freshman year last fall, and where he plans on majoring in Cognitive Science. His admission to an Ivy is only the most recent accomplishment for this rock-star-in-waiting. Earlier, his findings were published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, and he was the only high school student to speak at the 2024 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, in Philadelphia.

Wakefield is also a National Merit Scholar and the recipient of a Silver Knight Award, which recognizes outstanding high school leaders across South Florida. A blog on Pine Crest’s website lauded Wakefield as a “musician, scientist and servant leader.” Outside of his commitment to neuroscience, Wakefield is an accomplished tenor saxophonist who served as president of the Pine Crest band, and who brought live music to patients at local dementia and memory care centers under an initiative called Memory Melodies—effectively bridging the gap between his twin passions.

“Having a liberal arts education is very important, especially in this day and age,” he says.“It allows you to be adaptable and not focused on one specific skill set or industry. I’ve learned a lot of lessons in music and from different humanities fields, and applied it into other fields. That sort of cross-collaboration allows for the most growth.”

Adrian Fente

AGE: 17

FIELD OF DISTINCTION: Engineering/Music

drian Fente had hit a wall. The Saint Andrew’s School student, a trumpet player since he first picked up the instrument in the fourth grade, had been selected to the middle school’s All-State Jazz Band some three years later. But as he prepared for a performance, there came a point when Fente lost his“voice”on the instrument.“I was practicing and practicing, and I was just getting so fatigued that I literally had to stop playing,”he recalls.“I just couldn’t make sound anymore.”

Fente was experiencing the most common ailment among players of certain brass instruments—embouchure overuse syndrome, in which the player’s facial muscles, fatigued from overstimulation, can no

longer provide the movements necessary to power the horns. He looked for a solution for this ailment—a way to practice the trumpet without blowing air into a mouthpiece. Finding nothing on the market, he invented one: the Trumpet Genie.

The digital instrument combines the trumpet’s three traditional valves with a wheel to adjust sound registers. The wheel is played by hand, effectively replacing the embouchure, or the blowing of air through the mouth. The instrument, he says, can play“all the practical notes”of an acoustic trumpet.

For Fente’s creation, which he patented last summer, he spent months designing the prototype alongside Felipe Sanchez, a Ph.D. candidate in electrical engineering at Florida Atlantic University. The process involved 3D-printing the shell of a trumpet and placing inside it a custom-made circuit board complete with coded software, such as a sound library of trumpet notes. With a few modifications to the code, he says, the technology could apply to digital tubas and French horns as well.

Last year, Fente presented his accomplishment in front of some 1,500 students at the eighth-annual TEDxSaintAndrewsSchool event, which culminated in a performance of the Trumpet Genie as part of a jazz quartet. Fente has also lectured about the Trumpet Genie at the esteemed Berklee College of Music, and he won first place at Saint Andrew’s 2025 NFTE Innovate South Florida Business Plan competition.

As he developed the idea, Fente discov-

ered an additional cohort that could benefit from its use: musicians whose physical disabilities prevent them from playing in the conventional way.“It just opens up the world of music to so many more people,” he says.

Now a junior at Saint Andrew’s, Fente isn’t sure how intensely he’ll pursue music as a career, though it’ll continue to be at least an extracurricular interest. Every summer, he spends time in the coastal town of Villaviciosa, in northwestern Spain, with his paternal grandparents, where he plays with his mother, a fellow trumpeter, and his older brother, who plays tuba, in Banda de Música de Villaviciosa, the town’s municipal band. They perform everything from Frank Sinatra to Scottish folk songs, but especially pasodobles, or Spanish marching music.

Fente has also been playing tennis “basically since I could walk.”As a member of the Saint Andrew’s varsity boys’ team, he’s won two of the three statewide championships in which he’s competed.

As Fente weighs his options in music, sports and higher education, he hopes to market and mass-produce the Trumpet Genie to as wide a consumer base as possible, including gifting one to Drake Music, a U.K.-based nonprofit that specializes in instruments for people with disabilities.

“It’d be an amazing thing to see that one day, if I’m playing in an orchestra or a band or something, I look over and someone’s actually playing [the Trumpet Genie],” he says.“That would just be my dream.”

More Than Meets the Eye

Amanyara excels in curating unparalleled experiences that go beyond your typical beach vacation

Written by CHRISTIE GALEANO-DEMOTT

pair of orange orbs peer up at me. A squeaky squawk follows. Freddy’s mohawk stands up with curiosity. In the distance, I hear rhythmic waves as the salty air rustles through the canopy above.

Freddy and his feathered friend, Françoise, are just two of the hundreds of birds living within the Turks and Caicos archipelago. The yellow-crowned night heron duo visiting us during breakfast call the Northwest Point Marine National Park home; the 18,000-acre nature reserve is located on the northwest corner of Providenciales island, and it’s also where Amanyara rests, perched on massive limestone cliffs over the crashing sea.

Amanyara is one of the 36 properties that comprise Aman’s hospitality collection. The Turks & Caicos oceanfront resort opened 20 years ago and underwent a glamorous glow-up three years ago. This hotel definitely exudes private-island vibes thanks to its secluded location, half-mile cloistered beach, luxury accommodations

surrounded by lush landscape for ultimate privacy, and a five-star culinary program.

Climbing the stairs to the expansive open-air, gable-roofed entrance pavilion, we are welcomed home and greeted by warm smiles and refreshing mocktails. South Florida’s pervasive car honking, grating construction power tools, and overall noise pollution quickly fade from memory, replaced by birdsong melodies and a serene stillness reflected in the tranquility ponds surrounding me.

Although guests visit this property for its tranquil ambiance, powdery white sands and crystal-clear turquoise waters, Amanyara also offers something more unique than just another beach vacation. That scene-stealer is the resort’s dedication to hosting iconic leaders in a variety of fields, from star athletes to renowned chefs, offering hotel guests access to once-in-a-lifetime experiences in terms of sports clinics, wellness classes or culinary demonstrations. The property’s other commitment is to its local community; therefore, proceeds from these unparalleled activities support a selection of island charities focused on youth welfare and nature conservation.

Amanyara’s name loosely translates to “peaceful place” in the Arawak indigenous language.

The Amanyara Legends program offers clinics on its Har-Tru clay tennis and pickleball courts with pros like Maria Sharapova, Eugenie “Genie” Bouchard, Sam Querrey and John Isner. Although there wasn’t a “tennis celebrity” on site during my stay, the tennis pro Nino gave me a private, hour-long beginners’ lesson where he demonstrated his 30 years of experience through effortless volleys and patient instructions. Additionally, these experiences go beyond just tennis and pickleball; Amanyara has also hosted clinics led by NFL and NBA athletes.

For those looking to escape life’s stressors and reconnect with their mind and body, Amanyara’s detox program was thoughtfully designed by tennis star Novak Djokovic. The three-day retreat includes treatments that Djokovic personally uses as part of his lifelong dedication to

wellness, such as personalized massages, detox Pilates, water shiatsu, sunrise yoga and sound bath relaxation led by a rotating roster of wellness gurus, holistic specialists and nutrition experts.

This year, its visiting retreat leaders include Björn Stubner, founder of BREAZE, who specializes in breathwork, somatic awareness and conscious living; Bobby Rich, personal trainer and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt; Bea Minguez, holistic wellness practitioner; and Dr. Shauna Shapiro, psychologist and author.

While I’ve taken my share of mat Pilates classes, I was blown away by my detox Pilates instructor, Celia, an Erika Bloom Movement specialist. The Tribeca-based namesake studio, founded by the famed wellness leader, focuses on curating customized classes for clients, and I felt it with Celia’s instruction. In a tranquil

pavilion surrounded by glassy water and lush vegetation, she delicately pointed out the muscles I needed to activate and gave me tips on improving my movements, foot awareness and single-leg stretches.

Feeling reinvigorated and stronger, I hopped on my bicycle, our primary mode of transportation throughout our stay. I cycled back to our private oceanfront pavilion for a quick outfit change before enjoying a leisurely afternoon of sunbathing and salty sea soaks. Along the peaceful, verdant path where I saw more lethargic hermit crabs than people or golf carts (there are no cars on the property), I zipped past a few of the resort’s 20 villas and 36 one- or two-bedroom pavilions. The exclusive villas are sprawling estates, some nearly 15,000 square feet, and feature three to six bedrooms with incredible amenities that can include an infinity pool, a gym with a Pilates reformer, a steam room and a private chef to cater to all your culinary dreams and desires. I can see why the glitterati flock here.

The two on-site restaurants offer a delicious celebration of Caribbean flavors. But

For those looking to escape life’s stressors and reconnect with their mind and body, Amanyara’s detox program was thoughtfully designed.

the standout was undoubtedly the evening we were surprised with a private cliffside table aglow with lanterns and candles and treated to a trio of local, fresh-caught ceviches and crisp white wine. This romantic and unforgettable experience is available to guests upon request. Another unparalleled amenity Amanyara offers its epicurean guests is cooking demonstrations with renowned, award-winning chefs like Nina Compton, along with private mixology tastings. Winnie Toh, Amanyara’s beverage director and master sommelier candidate, led me through a rum tasting with contagious passion and curiosity, creating a genuine sense of place.

Amanyara’s name celebrates that place by loosely translating to “peaceful place” in the Arawak indigenous language. Those serene island vibes are easily accessible with a twohour flight from South Florida. Providenciales is the most developed island among the eight major islands, but Grand Turk,

the second most populous island, is where the capital, Cockburn Town, is situated. While the country is now a British Overseas Territory, the islands have a long history of inhabitants, including South American indigenous tribes and Spaniards. Local folklore even says this is where Columbus first made landfall in 1492.

Back stateside, Aman Group, founded in 1988 and now a lifestyle hospitality brand with a skin care, fragrance and ready-towear clothing line, plans to expand into South Florida with its Miami Beach property in the coming years.

Amanyara truly excels at curating bespoke experiences for every taste and interest. But after the classes, clinics and courses were completed, all I wanted to do was slide into a plush seaside lounge chair with a cool rum cocktail and let the dazzling turquoise waters lull me into a warm, well-deserved, relaxing daze.

Find answers and inspirations behind a select group of local experts who took the time to share their insights with us.

Learn the latest from some familiar faces you’re sure to recognize, and be introduced to some new ones; all eager to shed light on what they do best.

While the scope of their services varies, their professions and passions provide us with food for thought and new resources to embark upon, page by page.

The Expert in Resolving Gum, Tooth and Dental Implant Problems

Jeffrey Ganeles, D.M.D., F.A.C.D SOUTH FLORIDA CENTER FOR PERIODONTICS & IMPLANT DENTISTRY

Dr. Jeffrey Ganeles is a world-renowned, board-certified periodontist and dental implant surgeon; and an innovator, sought-after lecturer and author with more than 50 published works to his credit. Ganeles has spent more than 35 years dedicated to preserving or replacing teeth. His prestigious training and expertise are focused on developing better, faster, more efficient and less traumatic methods to obtain great, long-lasting results for his patients. Driven by dedication, and the collaboration he shares with his esteemed partners and colleagues at South Florida Center for Periodontics & Implant Dentistry, Ganeles has a philosophy of care that sets the bar extremely high in his profession.

Q What is the foundation of your practice?

AAs a team of board-certified experts focused on maintaining healthy teeth and smiles, we are uniquely qualified in dealing with adult dentistry problems, utilizing the latest techniques and technology to save teeth or replace them if we cannot save them.

Q

A

What attributes have made SFCPID such a successful practice?

The first is excellence. We are experts who master our disciplines with continuing education. We have superior facilities and the best technology; we hire well-trained staff and keep our team motivated. We have the knowledge to perform our jobs extremely well and the wisdom to know what is appropriate, while maintaining the highest standards—all part of our commitment to our patients.

Q How does integrity play a part in the patient relationship?

AWe live in this community. I am seeing third-generation patients now, and it’s because of who we are as compassionate, concerned people that they embrace us out in the world. We make sure to maintain those relationships and are always accessible as problem solvers.

Q How important is efficiency in your practice?

A

We provide the most appropriate treatment in the least amount of time with the best likelihood of success. We do what’s needed and individualize our treatment plans and our care to make sure that there is value in the services we offer. We also make it convenient for patients to schedule an appointment without a referral and are always available for emergencies like pain, infections and broken teeth.

The Experts in Custom Designed Furniture

The Design NS Team DESIGN NS

Design NS is a fourth generation Finnish born, Boca Raton based custom furniture manufacturer that blends bespoke design with exceptional craftsmanship. “We believe that great furniture should reflect owners’ visions and sensibilities, leaving a one size fits all model to its competitors,” says vice president, Kai Makela.

“Design NS has spent 38+ years creating one of a kind custom statement furniture, whether it’s a complete home theater set up that rivals a professional cinema; a living area or a complete interior fit for a yacht, we love being a local factory showroom. Our roots date back to decades of hands-on experience and real collaboration with our clientele,” shares Makela.

Q Why has demand grown for custom bespoke furniture?

ADemand has grown due to shifting consumer preferences, advancements in technology and changes in how people use and value their living space. Custom furniture allows full control over materials, finishes, dimensions and style.

Q What are the most popular furniture creations you build?

A

We custom build sofas, sectionals, chairs, chaises, ottomans, headboards, benches, dining banquettes, full home theaters and more. Each piece can be tailored for width, depth, height, arm profile, cushion build and finish. Materials include premium leathers and performance fabrics, with COM (customers’ own material) available. Whatever piece of furniture you can imagine, we can usually build it.

Q Who is your primary clientele?

A

We partner with interior design professionals, architects, and builders, which helps us to clarify goals, palettes, and priorities while we provide manufacturing insight and proportion. Together we lighten decisions, reduce revisions and protect timelines.

Q What will potential clients see when they visit the Boca showroom?

A

Clients are welcomed into an inspiring, curated showroom space designed to help them visualize perfectly tailored pieces for their home. With custom furniture made by a reputable manufacturer, known for its durability, comfort, and timeless design, clients find confidence in their investment.

561.338.5545 designns.com

The Expert in The New Approach to Face and Breathing in Dentistry

Svitlana Koval, DMD, MSc, BDS, Diplomate ABDSM DR. KOVAL ORTHODONTICS

There has been a paradigm shift in dentistry since the early days of shiny brackets and bands designed to correct the bite and straighten smiles. With prestigious dental training from Boston University’s Goldman School of Dental Medicine—an orthodontic specialty degree followed by a master’s degree—Dr. Svitlana Koval has applied her prestigious training and in-depth knowledge to become an internationally recognized expert in the treatment of sleep disordered breathing in children and adults worldwide, and an opinion leader for T-scan digital occlusal analysis applications in orthodontics. Providing the most sophisticated procedures and state-of-the-art technology, Dr. Koval is helping to make life-changing physical and aesthetic differences in the lives of her patients.

Q What are the benefits of the Mini-screw Assisted Rapid Palatal Expander (MARPE) technique you apply?

A

The unique MARPE orthodontic technique effectively addresses narrow upper airway and bone deficiency related to dental crowding; improves nasal airway function, potentially reducing symptoms of sleep apnea and snoring; and helps to improve facial symmetry and aesthetics.

Q How does sleep disordered breathing (SDB) present in children?

A

Symptoms in children may present in slightly different ways than in adults. Parents may notice that their child frequently sleeps with their mouth open, extends their neck or has a habitual position of their head extending forward when they sleep. Snoring at night is a big sign of airway deficiency.

Q What is the correlation between SDB and ADHD in children?

A

Some active children could be mistakenly diagnosed with ADHD, while what they actually have is an airway deficiency. We may help children avoid taking medications if this airway deficiency is diagnosed, and we successfully treat young patients with sleep disordered breathing and reduce related symptoms by improving their upper airway and breathing patterns through an airway-focused orthodontic approach.

Q As an adult, can I improve my facial aesthetics through this approach?

A Just like with kids, our airway-focused approach improves facial structure and gives fullness to the face from within. The MARPEFACE approach that I invented focuses on accentuating cheekbones and having a nice jawline in connection with better nasal breathing.

954.751.4724

Drssk.com

The Expert in Forging your Financial Future

Elizabeth M. Bennett, MBA  Principal and Certified Financial Planner™ INTERCOASTAL WEALTH PLANNING

“The new year is a powerful catalyst for financial transformation. Now is the opportune moment to solidify the financial resolutions you intend to achieve this year,” says Certified Financial Planner Elizabeth Bennett. Perhaps your objective is simply to master the mechanics of your current wealth, or perhaps the rapid pace of time necessitates professional intervention. Whether you require a comprehensive financial plan, a robust investment portfolio or simply a defined trajectory to meet your future aspirations, your resolution demands a concerted and strategic effort. “Take command of your financial future—or engage the expertise required to guide you there,” advises Bennett.

Q What is the investment outlook and recommended strategy for 2026?

AFollowing three years of double-digit returns, it is imperative to secure gains. While continued investment in high-quality equities and fixed-income assets is warranted, it is prudent to begin strategically diversifying out of volatile positions. Reallocating a portion of the gains realized over the past three years is a proactive approach to risk management and capital preservation.

Q What process dictates the optimal allocation for my capital?

AOur approach is founded upon a comprehensive financial plan, critical for a thorough understanding of your current financial position, your specific time frame and your ultimate goals. After establishing this foundation, we can construct a fully customized portfolio to align with your individual risk tolerance and generate the necessary asset performance to lead to successful outcomes.

Q Should alternative assets, such as precious metals (gold and silver), be considered for diversification?

AA sophisticated investment portfolio benefits from including alternative assets, each tailored to distinct investment objectives—whether they prioritize absolute return, consistent income generation or uncorrelated diversification. Thoughtfully integrating alternative investments into your portfolio can meaningfully enhance long-term outcomes and provide greater certainty in achieving your financial milestones.

The Expert in Aesthetic and Reconstructive Plastic Surgery

Rafael Cabrera, MD, FACS, Founder PLASTIC SURGERY SPECIALISTS OF BOCA RATON

For more than two decades, Rafael Cabrera, MD, FACS, a double board-certified plastic surgeon, has dedicated himself to the art and science of aesthetic and reconstructive surgery of the face, neck and eyes. Renowned for his artistry and compassion, Dr. Cabrera is a recognized expert in cosmetic elective procedures, as well as in melanoma and skin cancer reconstruction. He earned his medical degree and completed his surgical residency at New York University School of Medicine and has authored more than 20 textbook chapters and research articles.

Q What defines a good facelift?

A

A good facelift means you look beautifully natural without any evidence of cosmetic intervention. Strategic tightening of the muscle layer and ligaments is often necessary to get a more rejuvenated contour. Additionally, the augmentation of natural tissue, such as with one’s own fat and stem cells, will counteract facial deflation associated with aging.

Q What procedures are popular for men?

AIn an era when men now work longer, play harder, and maintain muscle mass, the synchronization of their appearance with physical vitality becomes paramount. Procedures like eye and neck lifts are popular choices to refresh and enhance their aging visage. Success, from Dr. Cabrera’s perspective, is when friends and family are unable to pinpoint why one looks so good!

The Expert in Luxury Residential Interior Design

Ritzy Christensen, Owner THE BÔ CASA

Each part of a space in a luxury design plays a vital role in creating beautiful and practical interiors that reflect a client’s imagination and taste—in lighting, furniture, and colors. Ritzy Christensen, a master in the art of décor and owner of Bô Casa, embraces that philosophy and utilizes her years of experience and knowledge to create a balance between minimalism and maximalism. With this unique approach, she fashions spaces that feel both new and nostalgic. Ritzy understands that the key to success lies in collaboration, and blends her expertise with each client’s lifestyle and preferences to produce a personalized, authentic interior.

Q What are the most requested interior design trends that clients are asking for?

AThe most desired options include home spas, gyms, double islands, chefs’ kitchens, home theaters, and multifunctional areas that serve multiple purposes like home offices that can transform into guest rooms. High on the list, too, is SMART Home technology, lighting, security, and thermostats, wine cellars, and club rooms that double as mancaves, equipped with golf simulators and/ or nightclub-style bars. For the wives, glam corners where they can do their makeup, hair, and manicures/pedicures are a must, and, of course, huge closets where they can display their purses and jewelry.

Q When it comes to the future of interior design, what do you think will be in demand in Boca Raton?

A Boca Raton is fast becoming a leader in luxury living and is moving away from being just “Palm Beach’s quieter cousin.” New homeowners are and will be asking for wellness amenities like cryotherapy chambers, hyperbaric oxygen pods, and vitamin lounges and will want a mix of luxury and comfort. Think rich materials and a blend of antiques with modern art, as well as unique, handcrafted materials, including custom stonework and locally sourced art.

Q What advice do you have for homeowners looking to add a touch of luxury to their living spaces?

A I recommend focusing on quality over quantity. Invest in statement pieces, luxurious fabrics, and bespoke details that reflect your personal style and elevate the overall ambiance of the space.

The Expert in Tennis, Pickleball, and Padel

Dalibor “Nik” Nikolin, Director of Racquets BOCA GROVE GOLF & TENNIS

Being competitive in racquet sports means more than purchasing the best equipment or training with a professional. What elevates the Boca Grove member experience is its top-rated Director of Racquets, Nikolin Dalibor. Nik’s comprehensive programming and genuine member connection allows all levels to enjoy the game. As the first private South Florida country club to introduce the popular European sport, Boca Grove broke the mold, pioneering what has become a hot new trend in the industry and becoming the second home to Padel courts on the US Eastern Seaboard.

Nik’s certifications include CRSE-Certified Racquets Sports Executive, RSPA-Elite Tennis Professional, and RSPA-Pickleball and Padel Professional.

Q Why is Padel growing so quickly, and what makes it such a strong community sport?

APadel is exploding in popularity because it’s fast-paced, social, and easy for players of all levels to enjoy from day one. Unlike many racquet sports, Padel has a shorter learning curve, which allows new players to quickly rally, compete, and—most importantly—have fun. That immediate sense of success is a big part of why people fall in love with the sport so quickly.

Q

AHow do Padel courts enhance a club community like Boca Grove?

Adding Padel courts brings a new energy to the club. The game is more than just a sport—it’s a lifestyle experience. Members love that they can play a quick, intense match, socialize between games, and feel part of a larger movement that’s taking off worldwide. At Boca Grove, Padel has broadened our racquets offerings and provides a new space where members gather, meet new friends, and enjoy a fun, vibrant atmosphere. The courts are constantly busy with families, younger players, and seasoned racquet enthusiasts, all sharing the same excitement.

Q What can clubs expect when introducing Padel?

A

Clubs can expect energy, growth, and enhanced member engagement. Padel attracts players who may not have participated in racquet sports before and gives existing tennis and pickleball players something new to enjoy. The club becomes a social hub, drives new programming opportunities, and creates a modern, forward-thinking environment that members truly appreciate. 561.487.5300

The Expert in All-Inclusive Retirement Living

Melissa Honig, CEO JOHN KNOX VILLAGE

For Melissa Honig, moving from California to Boca Raton to head one of South Florida’s preeminent destinations for retirement living was an easy sell. As Honig can attest, John Knox Village in Pompano Beach is a hub of wellness, fitness, arts and cultural activities, eight dining establishments and a full continuum of health care.

“Throughout my career, I’ve sought opportunities to raise the bar in long-term care,” says Honig, who previously presided over Valle Verde in Santa Barbara, the nation’s top Continuing Care Retirement Community, per Newsweek. “I was attracted by John Knox Village’s mission, its people and its commitment to innovation in service of older adults.”

AQWhat most sets John Knox Village apart among active living senior communities?

For more than five decades, we’ve been devoted to creating well-being for residents and team members alike. That commitment shows in our on-site Center for Healthy Living, where physicians deliver truly person-centered care. We’re also home to Florida’s first Green House homes—innovative, intimate nursing and rehab settings with private rooms and baths.

Q Can you speak about the different living options at John Knox Village?

A Choice is at the heart of John Knox Village. Residents can enjoy penthouse ocean views, single-story garden villas, mid-rise homes overlooking the lake or high-rise retreats with grand patios and skyline views. And with our full continuum of care, residents have support at every level of living as their needs evolve.

Q What do you love most about the job?

A Relationships are at the center of everything we do. I’m fortunate to work alongside people who genuinely care about others and show up each day determined to make a difference. At John Knox Village, we get to make life better for others every day.

The Expert in Premium Home Warranties

Ryan Schultz, CEO OMNIO™ HOME CONCIERGE

“South Florida living and home care is unique, and homes should always be protected by experts who understand the expectations and lifestyle, especially in the luxury segment,” says Ryan Schultz, who moved to Delray Beach to work for one of the country’s largest home warranty companies.

“If you’re a $15-$20 million homeowner, a dedicated estate manager handles everything for you; If you’re of more modest means, a traditional home warranty might be right for you. I personally discovered that there were no viable options for that missing middle piece of homeowners, and that was the genesis of Omnio™ Home Concierge,” Schultz explains.

Q Is Omnio more affordable than most home warranty plans?

A

Many don’t realize that people spend between 1% to 4% of their home’s value every year on maintenance and repairs, so for a $1 million home, that’s $10,000 to $40,000 depending upon the age of the home. Our home warranty is designed to give you protection from $350 to $625 a month—a fraction of your annual spend.

Q What benefits does Omnio offer?

ABenefits include month-to-month contracts, no age limits on appliances, no deductibles or service fees; coverage for up to 4 HVAC systems, pool and spa, lawn sprinkler systems, home generators, outdoor kitchen, emergency lodging, title protection, consumer electronics protection, preventative maintenance that keeps appliances from breaking in the first place, and more.

Q Which appliances make the most financial sense to have coverage?

AThe most common and expensive appliances in a South Florida home include air conditioning units that can easily cost $6,000-$12,000 each. Refrigerators, such as Sub-Zero and designer brands, can cost between $12,000-$15,000 and more. With just one of these broken appliances, the plan easily pays for itself!

888.GO.OMNIO Omnio.com

The Expert in Managed Network and Technology Solutions

Richard M. Boudria, Jr., CEO BCN

Richard M. Boudria, Jr. is an experienced technology executive with more than 20 years of deep expertise in business strategy, corporate finance, capital management and organizational leadership. Skilled in scaling technology-driven service models, he excels at building strategic partnerships, driving operational growth, and navigating industry change. His leadership emphasizes innovation, customer experience and team empowerment, positioning BCN as a trusted provider in modern connectivity and communications solutions. With a strong values-driven culture and strategic vision, Boudria has guided BCN’s growth and positioned the company as a trusted partner to thousands of businesses domestically and internationally.

Q What trends are you seeing regarding connectivity and cloud adoption?

A We’re seeing rapid cloud communications adoption, secure SD-WAN/SASE demand, and stronger focus on network resiliency. AI is driving automation, visibility and smarter security, pushing organizations toward simpler, scalable architectures. Our solutions modernize networks with reliability and security, enabling businesses to integrate cloud and AI technologies without added risk or complexity.

Q What is the key to your success serving the competitive technology industry?

A

Our success in the competitive technology industry comes from staying customer-focused, agile and relationshipdriven. We deliver modern managed network and technology solutions with rapid support and a personal touch, earning longterm trust. By listening, adapting and prioritizing service over scale, we continue to grow and stand apart in a crowded market.

Q What are the current customer challenges, and how is BCN solving them differently?

A Businesses are seeking secure, reliable connectivity that scales without complexity. We address this by delivering integrated managed network and technology solutions, cloud, voice and security supported by responsive, human service. Customers don’t just want technology; they want a partner who understands their need for growth and resilience and stays engaged beyond deployment.

888.866.7266  bcntele.com

The Expert in Non-Surgical Medical Aesthetics

Janet Allenby, DO ALLENBY COSMETIC DERMATOLOGY

As a leading, board-certified authority in aesthetic dermatology with more than 30 years of expertise, Dr. Janet Allenby is a trusted physician offering cutting-edge treatments and advanced device technologies that rejuvenate the skin, leaving patients with a youthful, radiant glow. “We’ve invested in multiple unique technologies, each designed for specific results,” she explains. “Our extensive knowledge allows us to seamlessly combine them, delivering natural, customized outcomes for every patient.”

At Allenby Cosmetic Dermatology, the focus is on achieving balance. “Looking better feels better!” is Dr. Allenby’s guiding mantra, reflecting how harmony in appearance and overall wellness influence every aspect of life.

Q What is the latest technology in laser devices?

AIn 2025, I upgraded and acquired six new devices to bring the most advanced technology to my medical, non-surgical aesthetic arena—targeting skin tightening, textural and pigment improvement, resurfacing, and lifting. Each innovation delivers powerful results with less downtime and greater comfort, elevating every patient’s experience.

Q How do you encourage patients who fear fillers?

AMany patients fear fillers, yet the true concern should be the injector’s skill and product selection. For over 30 years, our dermatology clinic has delivered natural, undetectable results without the disfiguring outcomes seen elsewhere. There is a difference between injecting and mastering the art. Patients must prioritize expertise over cost.

Q What’s new in the body contouring area of your practice?

ACoolSculpting is a proven body-contouring device offering permanent fat reduction, and its updated pricing allows us to make treatment plans more accessible. Patients can reshape the entire body with surgical-like improvements without surgery, scars, risks or downtime. In only a few visits, this life-changing technology delivers dramatic, long-lasting results.

The Expert in Next Level Primary Care

Monica Atkinson, MD Medical Director, President  MEDEXPERT

After graduating with a medical degree in 2002, Dr. Monica Atkinson spent two decades building deep clinical experience balancing two roles: practicing as a family physician at Cooper University Health Care in New Jersey and serving as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University.

“Those years shaped me not only as a clinician, but as a mentor and educator committed to elevating the next generation of physicians,” Atkinson shares. “In October 2025, I founded MedExpert, a concierge practice grounded in the latest evidence-based science, combined with functional and innovative approaches. My mission at MedExpert is that every person who enters our practice can confidently say, ‘I finally found my medical home.’”

Q Why should patients consider a concierge approach to wellness?

A Concierge medicine offers easier access, longer visits, minimal waiting and a doctor who truly knows you. It removes bureaucracy, focuses on whole-person care, and provides the peace of mind of having a trusted medical home you can always count on.

Q Which health issues do you find most concerning in today’s world?

A Today’s most concerning health issues include rising rates of chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, obesity and cancer; mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression and burnout; increasing autoimmune and inflammatory conditions; antibiotic resistance; and the long-term effects of sedentary lifestyles, poor nutrition, environmental toxins and chronic stress on overall well-being.

Q How do you feel about prescribing weight loss drugs to treat obesity (in non-diabetic patients)?

A I believe weight-loss medications can be valuable tools for non-diabetic patients with obesity when used responsibly. They’re most effective alongside lifestyle changes, careful monitoring and personalized care. These medications aren’t shortcuts—they’re evidence-based options that, when appropriately prescribed, can improve metabolic health, reduce disease risk and support long-term wellness.

561.202.3155

medexpertfl.com

The Expert in Building Luxury Homes

Jeffrey Burns, President and CEO SANDHILL BUILDERS

For the last 45 years, Jeff Burns has carved out a significant niche in high-end home building, custom residential renovations, penthouse renovations, additions, and historic property renovations. As the owner of Sandhill Builders in Delray Beach, he is known for his honesty, integrity, quality of his work, and is one of the most experienced on-site contractors in the area.

From dream to blueprint to final walk-through, Sandhill Builders is a reliable, committed partner to guide your journey—and to create a beautiful place where your family can gather, sunsets linger, and legacy takes root.

Q How do clients get started in the custom home building process?

A

It might seem overwhelming at first, but it’s a good idea to create a list of wants and items to consider, then set up an appointment with the contractor. From there, he will help guide the process, along with the architects and designers.

Q What are the biggest challenges in custom home construction?

A

Timing and client responsibility. Clients need to make their selections in a timely manner, but it’s also important that the builder and client spend quality time together in order to avoid any major and/or minor costly changes.

Q How do I choose the right builder for my custom home renovation?

A

Word of mouth. Ask around. But then, do your due diligence. References, reputation, and contacting previous clients are invaluable. At the end of the day, you want to feel comfortable and confident with your builder.

The Expert in Capturing Clients’ Visions

Nichola DePass, Interior Designer & Owner NICHOLA FRANCESCA LLC®

Much like her early passion for creating her own line of custom jewelry and fashion, each project Nichola DePass and her fullservice design team undertakes is distinct, resonating with the clients’ dreams, their space and their experience.

For more than 22 years, Nichola has been designing high-end and high-profile residential interiors, chic commercial office spaces, boutique hotels and retail boutiques.

“I’m a very intuitive person, which has helped me throughout my career. I listen intently to clients’ goals and dreams and capture the essence of their personality to infuse into each project,” she shares.

Q Weren’t you recently included in the Décor USA book?

AYes, I was included in this year’s beautiful book celebrating design and creativity. Among the 300 attendees at the launch event, I was able to reconnect with my former boss, who shared his pride in my accomplishments as founder of my own design firm. It was a full-circle, spectacular moment.

Q What defines your signature style?

AMy work is a reflection of my clients, not a telltale reproduction of a brand. We are fearless in our creativity, working with the elements that define the people and the spaces they occupy. Anything goes, and as a result, the colors, textiles, furnishings and art choices are boundless.

Q What excites you most about a new project?

A

I’ve been blessed with incredible clients. Whether working with spouses on their home, a set of partners in a commercial building or owners of large corporations, the dynamic is always different, and the energy is electric. Fusing clients’ different tastes together is a challenge I embrace and find quite fulfilling.

305.414.9703  nicholafrancesca.com

The Expert in Rare Signed Jewels

Maurice Moradof YAFA SIGNED JEWELS

Yafa Moradof, the family matriarch and founder of Yafa Signed Jewels, served as an inspiration for her son, Maurice. As a teenager he joined the firm, making the prescient decision to specialize in only signed jewels from the most esteemed design houses such as Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, Harry Winston and others.

As Yafa Signed Jewels recently celebrated its 40th anniversary, Moradof’s reputation remains as the leading purveyor of the most exquisite, museum-quality vintage jewelry, sought after by the most sophisticated jewelry collectors and buyers worldwide.

Q What defines an exceptional signed jewel in today’s market?

AThe museum-quality signed vintage jewelry we represent reflects the most exceptional and collectible pieces from the world’s top design houses. Each carefully selected piece embodies the perfect combination of meticulous craftsmanship, design, and the ability to be considered iconic for the brand or the era.

Q How do rare pieces typically surface for Yafa Signed Jewels?

AFor over three decades, our decision to focus on this relatively small category has built a base of global relationships with those who know we appreciate, understand and have the clientele for special signed items. Of the countless calls we receive daily from individuals with signed jewels for sale, only a small amount potentially makes the cut into our inventory.

Q Why do collectors view vintage signed jewels as both art and investment?

AExceptional signed jewels have historically proven to be a solid and enjoyable investment, due to their intrinsic beauty and the supply and demand imbalance. When we purchase a Van Cleef & Arpels Mystery Set item from the 1940s, for instance, we know we are fortunate to have acquired it and that it will increase significantly in value.

561.331.8611

info@yafajewelry.com

The Expert in Skin Care, Mohs’ and Cosmetic Surgery

Robert S. Bader, MD R.S.B. DERMATOLOGY

Dr. Robert Bader’s dermatology and cosmetic surgical practice in Deerfield Beach offers comprehensive skin, hair and nail treatments that include Mohs’ micrographic surgery, reconstructive surgery and dermatologic plastic surgery. Dr. Bader takes great pride in his versatile Ivy League training, board-certified expertise and the personal connection he forges with his patients. Dr. Bader graduated from George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences with Distinction, completed an internship at Yale-New Haven Hospital, served as Chief Resident in Dermatology at Hahnemann University, and completed a fellowship in Mohs’ and Dermatologic Plastic Surgery at Affiliated Dermatology, a program affiliated with Columbia University.

Q What treatments do you offer for skin cancer? Which treatment is best?

AThere are many types of skin cancer, which all behave differently. For all patients, we discuss all of the treatment options available, including the risks and benefits of each so that patients can pick the option that is best for them. Options often include topical treatments, Mohs’ surgery, excision, radiation, or the option not to treat. Dr. Bader is double board-certified in Dermatology and in Mohs’ surgery with more than 28 years’ experience in treating skin cancer.

Q Does Mohs’ Surgery leave a big scar?

AMohs’ surgery is a technique that removes cancer and removes the least amount of uninvolved, non-cancerous skin. After Mohs’ surgery, some wounds are left to heal without any reconstructive surgery; most are closed with plastic surgery. There are several factors that affect the final cosmetic outcome after Mohs’ surgery, including how large and deep the defect is, the location of the defect, smoking and alcohol use after surgery, and the skills of the surgeon.

Q What can be done to look more youthful without major surgery?

A Now there are more options than ever to keep you looking great! Skin can be tightened using lasers, radiofrequency, ultrasound, or threads. Fat can be reduced via injections, radiofrequency (heat) or by freezing fat cells. Daxxify, a long-lasting toxin that lasts up to 9 months, is available to paralyze facial muscles. Creams and intense pulsed light can reduce age spots. Fillers are used to reduce lines and add volume to the face and hands. Unwanted hair can be easily treated using lasers. Spider veins can be treated using sclerotherapy. We can regrow hair using safe medications that are effective and not costly.

954.421.3200

Drbader.com

The Expert in Redefining the Dental Care Experience

Christopher Sepe, DDS SEPE DENTAL

With a skill set garnered from his prestigious training from NYU College of Dentistry and Staten Island University Hospital, Dr. Christopher Sepe has been serving the Delray Beach area since 2019.

Since taking over the practice from renowned dentist, Dr. Roy Stark upon his retirement, Sepe has grown the practice to include Stark’s former patients, the next generation of families and a newly expanded facility.

As a solo practitioner providing all aspects of general dentistry, preventive care, advanced restorative and cosmetic treatments, Sepe curated a team of dedicated specialists to join his practice. Expanding from four operatories to eight, the new enhanced space will become a convenient and comprehensive one-stop destination for all dental needs.

Q What is your approach to personalized care?

AI develop a trusted, collaborative relationship with my patients. I take the time to listen and understand their needs and then offer appropriate options for treatment. With our new expanded practice, if they require the additional services of a particular specialist, they do not need to travel for their care.

Q What makes your cosmetic procedures look so natural?

AI am fortunate to work with the best local lab. My technician is so dedicated to his craft that he will personally meet with the patients to ensure their desired esthetic is done to perfection. Their customer service and artistry are second to none.

Q What’s included in your digital dentistry offerings?

A

We are constantly increasing our digital technology footprint with our new 3D X-ray imaging and intra-oral scanner. This advanced technology and lab expertise allows us to integrate a full digital workflow into full-mouth reconstructions and gives us a clearer perspective of what’s actually going on in patients’ mouths— especially those seeking a more attractive smile, surgical procedures and implants.

The Expert in Nationwide Fire Watch & Emergency Risk Mitigation

Noah Navarro, President THE FAST FIRE WATCH COMPANY

With 16 years of firefighting and safety experience, Noah Navarro was well equipped to launch into his next career, building safety systems that protect people, property and critical infrastructure. After witnessing how often businesses were left vulnerable during emergencies, shutdowns or system failures, he founded The Fast Fire Watch Company to solve a nationwide problem: slow, unreliable and inconsistent fire-watch coverage.

What started as a small operation has grown into one of the country’s most trusted fire-watch providers, working with commercial clients, industrial sites, construction leaders and government agencies. “Today, our mission is simple—deliver rapid, compliant and dependable fire-watch protection anywhere it’s needed, anytime it’s required,” says Navarro.

Q What types of businesses benefit from your services?

A

Any business experiencing a fire-system shutdown or requiring added protection benefits from our services. We support construction sites, manufacturing facilities, retail chains, hotels, hospitals, shipyards and government operations. If a fire alarm, sprinkler system or life-safety process is compromised, we provide immediate, compliant coverage to keep the site safe and operational.

Q What makes a building or site vulnerable?

A

A site becomes vulnerable when fire-protection systems fail, when construction creates high-risk conditions or when hazardous materials or heavy equipment are present. Limited visibility, large open areas and high foot traffic increase the risk. Any disruption to a building’s detection or suppression system requires a professional fire-watch response.

Q At what point in a project should your services begin?

A Our services should begin the moment a fire-protection system is offline or when work creates conditions that elevate fire risk. Early engagement saves time, reduces liability and ensures continuous compliance. Most clients bring us in before system shutdowns, inspections or major construction milestones to avoid interruptions and maintain safety.

800.899.7524 fastfirewatchguards.com

Investing in our community through the YMCA

Kathy & Paul Adkins

Boca Raton Residents and CommunityLeadersfor30+years

You’re a long-time resident of South Palm Beach County. How have you seen its civic needs change?

Over the past 30 years the population of South Palm Beach County has seen a notable demographic shift towards younger families and working age adults. That shift is driving increased demand for the services that those families need including a ordable housing, better schools, and community services provided by organizations like the YMCA. Strong communities support the less fortunate. What causes do you personally find most compelling and why?

We focus our support on the organizations that provide the greatest impact to people’s lives - particularly youth and families. The fact that the Y touches over 40,000 people in our community every year is amazing.

You’ve donated to the YMCA. What was the focus of your investment and why did you pick the Y as a vehicle for that gift?

We’ve donated and volunteered for the Y for over 20 years because of the tremendous impact the Y has on our community. In particular, we love the impact the Y has on drowning prevention in South Palm Beach County. Drowning is the #1 cause of death in children. It’s a critical need and often overlooked.

How would you describe the YMCA’s community role to someone who’s just moved into the area?

The YMCA serves as the community hub in South Palm Beach County that brings people of all ages, backgrounds, and income levels together to improve health, support youth and families, and foster a sense of belonging and civic responsibility.

For information on the YMCA of South Palm Beach County's multi-year initiative, visit:

BACKSTAGE PASS

Walter Mosley

At Festival of the Arts, the prolific crime novelist shares why we’re more alike than different

Written by JOHN THOMASON

Walter Mosley started writing at age 34. It’s a late start, you might think, but one that allowed the political science graduate of Vermont’s Johnson State College to gain as much street smarts as book smarts—to look at Los Angeles, the turbulent city of his youth, and describe its denizens with the pulpy, jaded world-weariness already present in his debut novel, 1990’s “Devil in a Blue Dress.” Introducing Easy Rawlins, a factory worker who loses a job and stumbles into a seedy world of private investigations to pay his mortgage, the New York Times’ rave review called it a “suspenseful novel of human detection more than simply a detective novel.”

Denzel Washington played Easy in the 1995 film adaptation, by which time Mosley was off to the races. Last year saw the release of his 17th Easy Rawlins mystery,“Gray Dawn,”and Mosley has created five other series as well—thrillers and noirs featuring Leonid McGill, a New York private eye; King Oliver, a retired police officer; Socrates Fortlow, an ex-con trying to stay on the up and up; and more. He’s written upwards of 60 books in 35 years, with two more due in 2026, including“Ghalen,”his first romance. All feature African American characters in the most prominent parts. Born to a Jewish mother and a Black father, Mosley identifies with both communities. Though he made history, in 2020, as the first Black man to receive the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, Mosley doesn’t like to be pigeonholed as a“Black novelist.”Speaking to his own biracial identity and beyond, Mosley’s talk at Festival of the Arts Boca is titled“The Only True Race is the Human Race.”

What drew you to the dark side of life in your fiction?

I’m a Black man in America. Maybe 10 years ago, I was talking to somebody, and they were saying,“You know, it’s really strange. Nowadays, there’s a lot of information about Black people getting attacked and even sometimes killed by the police, illegally. Why is that happening now?”And my response was,“well, it was always happening, but when I told you about it 10 years ago, you didn’t believe it, because nobody had telephones that they could record it with.”Living in America, living in the violence of America, living in the threat of America—the people I write about live that threat forever.

Knowing that many of your readers are white, do you include elements in your stories that illuminate the

Black experience in such a way that a white reader may think, “I’ve never looked at the world this way, because I’ve never been a Black man trying to get by in Los Angeles?”

I think the empathy comes from where things are the same—where Easy is going to work, or where somebody falls in love, or when somebody feels that they’ve been mistreated. Like if Easy is in a car and the police stop him, but he hasn’t done anything wrong. I think that a lot of people who identify with the work from different cultures or different experiences will say,“I never realized that this guy is living the same life I am.” Because the original thought is that we live different lives, and that becomes the issue. So as long as I’m very clearly talking about Easy or Mouse or Jackson or Fearless Jones, if I talk about that

character, how he experiences life, then almost any reader will say, “wow, I think just like that.”That’s interesting, rather than I’m trying to teach somebody something.

That being said, do you slip in the occasional Easter egg that’s mainly for Black readers—that might go over the head of someone like me? That’s a hard thing to answer. My characters use language and have experiences and have neighborhoods and have Southern histories that a lot of people will identify with. They’ll just read it and say, “Oh, yeah, that’s how my uncle used to talk.”

One day, I gave a reading in Los Angeles, and at the end of it, a Black man in his 30s or 40s comes up to me, and he says,“So Mosley, in that book you’re writing about that character, Mouse, he was in this green house on Denker Avenue. I was born in that house.”

I made up the house. But indeed, he was born in that house. Those two things can be true: I can make up something, and he can have a memory, and they’re the same thing. A lot of that happens in the novels, where the world I talk about brings up in the reader a life they’ve lived.

Your protagonists are often dealing with moral, ethical or legal dilemmas. Maybe they’ve committed adultery and wound up in prison in the aftermath, or maybe they’re considering armed robbery, if it means getting the money needed for a dying daughter’s medical care. How important is it for your heroes to have these gray areas to navigate?

I’m not so sure they’re gray. You have“Les Misérables,”right?

Here’s a guy who has a child who’s starving, and he steals bread. Now that’s a major crime then, stealing bread. You could get hung for that. But I think anybody will understand somebody making the choice to say, “OK, I’m going to do something wrong, and I know it’s wrong, but it would be worse if I didn’t do it, and my child starves.”

Artificial intelligence is being used in some journalism, and it worries me. Is AI affecting fiction as well?

This is a complex question. I was a programmer for 16 years. To start off, if something is true artificial intelligence, and you said,“I need you to write me this paper,” it might say, “No, I’m not going to do that, because you need to write that paper, not me.”That’s artificial intelligence. It’s not a really fast computer. Most things that people call AI, 99%, is really fast, very sophisticated computing.

The one true form of artificial intelligence that exists in the world that I live in is capitalism. It’s money. It’s the fact that we’re the only creature on the face of the earth that 99% of our life is dependent upon how much or how little of this abstract concept we have—the dollars, the coins. You look at a piece of land, and say,“I own that land.” How do you own that? When you die, they’re going to bury you in it, and the land is going to own you.

I’m not worried about somebody saying,“Write a book like Walter Mosley.” Maybe one day I should, but not yet.

February 2026

Now-Feb. 8:

“To Life 6” at Willow Theatre at Sugar Sand Park, 300 S. Military Trail, Boca Raton; various show times; $46; 561/347-3948, sugarsandpark. org. Director Shari Upbin presents her sixth iteration of this song-and-dance-filled toast to the contribution of Jewish composers to the Golden Age of Broadway and Hollywood, featuring anecdotes, fun facts and tunes from “Oklahoma!,” “My Fair Lady,” “Guys and Dolls” and more.

Now-Feb. 22:

“My Fair Lady” at the Wick Theatre, 7901 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton; show times vary; $99; 561/9952333, thewick.org. Lerner and Loewe’s Tony-winning musical about a cockney flower girl and the arrogant history professor who tries to transform her into an elegant debutante is one of the most universally beloved shows in Broadway history, and it celebrates its 70th anniversary this year.

Feb. 5:

Vanilla Fudge at Boca Black Box, 8221 Glades Road, Suite 10, Boca Raton; 8 p.m.; $63.50$83.50; 561/483-9036, bocablackbox.com. A crucial link between the psychedelic wanderings of 1960s rock and the heavy thunder of ‘70s metal, this enduring Long Island outfit specializes in extended and intricate renditions of pop favorites, such as its famous and sprawling take on the Supremes’ “You Keep Me Hangin’ On.”

Now-March 1:

“Anastasia Samoylova: Atlantic Coast” at Norton Museum of Art, 1450 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach; $15-$18 museum admission; 561/8325196, norton.org. Miami-based photographer Anastasia Samoylova retraces Berenice Abbott’s 1954 photo essay from the entire length of U.S. 1, expanding upon her inspiration’s unvarnished portraits of her the country’s myriad places, cultures and denizens.

Feb. 5:

Preservation Hall Jazz Band at Glazer Hall, 70 Royal Poinciana Way, Palm Beach; 7:30 p.m.; $110-$125; 561/576-7860, glazerhall.org. Ambassadors of New Orleans jazz for more than 60 years, this iconic brass band returns to honor the past, present and future of the vital Crescent City legacy. Spreaders of joy and paragons of swing, the group is touring in support of its latest release “For Fat Man,” honoring departed bass drum legend Kerry “Fat Man” Hunter.

Feb. 6-7:

Andrew Dice Clay with Jon Lovitz at Boca Black Box, 8221 Glades Road, Suite 10, Boca Raton; 7 p.m. Fri., 7 and 9 p.m. Sat.; $128.50-$178.50; 561/483-9036, bocablackbox. com. In the 1980s, comic Clay was a controversy magnet, generating a torrent of press for his chauvinistic material, and becoming the first comedian to sell out Madison Square Garden. Opener Lovitz spent six years as an “SNL” cast member, cultivating smarmy characters such as “Tommy Flanagan, the Pathological Liar.”

Now-March 11:

“Timeless Mucha: The Magic of Line” at Boca Raton Museum of Art, 501 Plaza Real, Boca Raton; $12-$16 museum admission; 561/3922500, bocamuseum.org. Czech master Alphonse Mucha’s most enduring works, which included vivid and sinuous theatrical posters, public murals and decorative panels rooted in nature, myth and feminine beauty, have influenced generations of artists. This exhibit traces connections between the artist’s lithographs and modern rock posters, comic books and more.

Feb. 7-22:

Now-March 15:

“Dorothy Gillespie: Color in Motion” at Cornell Art Museum, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach; Free, with donations welcomed; 561/654-2220, delrayoldschoolsquare.com/cornell. Most known for her enamel-covered aluminum sculptures that suggest a sense of motion, this late artist created motley assemblages that resemble ribbons and double helixes, starbursts and fireworks and confetti— optically cofounding metal sculptures that appear as crinkly as paper.

“CONVERSA” at Theatre Lab at FAU, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton; various show times; $35-$45; 561/2974784, fauevents.com. This powerful new work from playwright Joanna Castle Miller follows Joanna, a Jewish-born woman who, like her mother, converted to Christianity. We witness the upending of her worldview when she visits a tiny Jewish village where her great-grandfather once confronted a similar dilemma regarding his faith.

Now-April 4:

“Light as Air: The Buoyant Sculptures of Mariko Kusumoto” at Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, 4000 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach; $10-$16 museum admission; 561/495-0233, morikami.org. With its kaleidoscope of colors and shapes, the fiber art of Japanese artist Kusumoto aims to fill the spectator with discovery, surprise and wonder. Her Morikami exhibition will include a unique site-specific installation that will utilize all dimensions of the gallery space.

Feb. 7-22:

Judy Levis Krug Boca Raton Jewish Film Festival at Movies of Delray, 7421 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; various show times; $14 per film, or $59-$360 for festival passes; 561/5582520, levisjcc.org. Jewish and Israeli films, from shorts and documentaries to comedic and dramatic features from around the world, will illuminate the Jewish experience at this annual two-week showcase, complete with special appearances from actors and filmmakers.

Feb. 4:

Chazz Palminteri: “A Bronx Tale” at Glazer Hall, 70 Royal Poinciana Way, Palm Beach; 7:30 p.m.; $175; 561/576-7860, glazerhall. org. Actor Palminteri revives his one-man autobiographical play he first performed in 1989. It has been adapted into a movie and Broadway musical, but the bones of this original work remain the same: A boy is torn between the values and ideals of his hardworking New York father and the appeals and temptations of a local mafioso.

Feb. 7-8:

Orchid Weekend at Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, 4000 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; $10-$16 museum admission; 561/4950233, morikami.org. A dozen or so vendors from throughout the state will offer locals their finest orchids during the height of blooming season. Orchid Weekend also features bonsai, art and jewelry vendors and lectures on orchid cultivation, and is geared to orchid experts and novices alike.

Feb. 8-22:

“I Hate Hamlet” at Levis JCC Sandler Center, 21050 95th Ave. S., Boca Raton; various show times; $35-$45; 561/558-2520, levisjcc. org. Paul Rudnick’s witty comedy centers on an actor torn between accepting an artistically nourishing role as Shakespeare’s tormented prince, or taking a more lucrative part in a hit television series. The ghost of John Barrymore, in whose apartment the conflicted actor dwells, will help him make the decision.

February 2026

Feb. 11-12:

Tom Arnold at Boca Black Box, 8221 Glades Road, Suite 10, Boca Raton; 7:30 p.m.; $63.50$83.50; 561/483-9036, bocablackbox.com. This outspoken comedian and actor launched his career as a recurring character on “Roseanne.” His nearly 40 years in film and television include memorable roles in “True Lies,” “The Stupids” and “McHale’s Navy.”

Feb. 13:

Lachy Doley at Funky Biscuit, 303 S.E. Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton; 8 p.m.; $50.09-$60.42; 561/395-2929, funkybiscuit. com. A master on the Hammond organ and whammy clavinet, this ace keyboardist from South Australia has lent his considerable keyboard acumen to recordings by Joe Bonamassa and Powderfinger. As a solo artist and bandleader, Doley has released nine rollicking blues-rock albums, with 2021’s “Studios 301 Sessions” topping at 13 on the Australian sales chart.

Feb. 13:

Isle of Klezbos at Arts Garage, 94 N.E. Second Ave., Delray Beach; 8 p.m.; $55-$60; 561/450-6357, artsgarage. org. As this sextet’s moniker suggests, its musicians are New York City lesbians of Jewish descent, and they play a distinctively danceable blend of klezmer fusion. Formed in 1998 by drummer and film archivist Eve Sicular, Isle of Klezbos have enough serious chops to transcend the lighthearted whimsy of their name.

Feb. 25-March 8:

“Kim’s Convenience” at Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach; various show times; $40.25-$74.75; 561/832-7469, kravis.org. Before it became a hit Netflix series, “Kim’s Convenience” confined its heartfelt combination of charms and pathos to the stage. Ins Choi’s play centers on the Kims, shop owners who face pressures of gentrification and the looming development of a nearby Walmart, while dealing with more urgent drama closer to home.

Feb. 26:

“Capturing the American Presidency” at University Theatre at FAU, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton; 4 p.m.; $35-$75; 561/297-4784, fauevents.com. As chief photographer for the Associated Press in Washington, and then as senior photographer in the New York Times’ Washington Bureau, Doug Mills has photographed every president since Ronald Reagan, winning three Pulitzers in the process. He will discuss his career at this live symposium.

Feb. 26:

Solomon Hicks at Funky Biscuit, 303 S.E. Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton; 8 p.m.; $39.24$44.40; 561/395-2929, funkybiscuit.com. Crowning himself “King” Solomon Hicks, this 30-year-old blues guitar phenom has racked up enough accolades to justify his regal title. Integrating jazz, classical, gospel, Afro-Cuban and rock forms, his polyglot musicality has led to opening stints for Ringo Starr and Jeff Beck and a 2021 Blues Music Award for Best Emerging Artist.

Feb. 17:

Jolente de Maeyer and Nikolaas Kende at Flagler Museum, 1 Whitehall Way, Palm Beach; 7:30 p.m.; $95; 561/655-2833, flaglermusem.us. In this highlight of the Flagler’s annual Chamber Music Series, the prizewinning duo from Belgium will perform three major sonatas for violin and piano by Bach, Beethoven and Brahms, and finish with Fritz Kreisler’s “Three Old Viennese Dances.”

Feb. 20-22:

“Into the Woods” at Wold Performing Arts Center at Lynn University, 3601 N. Military Trail, Boca Raton; various show times; $35$50; 561/237-9000, lynn. edu. Scoring three Tonys for its 1988 Broadway premiere, “Into the Woods” has become one of Stephen Sondheim’s signature works, a delightful and deadpan mash-up of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, featuring some of the composer’s most persistent earworms and plenty of narrative surprises.

Feb. 27-28:

Blues Beatles at Arts Garage, 94 N.E. Second Ave., Delray Beach; 8 p.m.; $55$60; 561/450-6357, artsgarage.org. This unorthodox tribute band from Brazil is unafraid to transform many sacred cows of the Beatles’ catalog—“Yesterday” is a slow-burning but undeniable blues scorcher, and “Eleanor Rigby” is all but unrecognizable in parts—adding its genre-bending testament to the Fab Four’s pliable melodies and international appeal.

Feb. 20-22:

Palm Beach Opera: “The Pearl Fishers” at Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach; 7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun.; $28.75$230; 561/832-7469, kravis. org. Two men from a fishing village pine for the same mysterious Hindu princess, threatening their longstanding friendship, in this beloved opera from Georges Bizet, which helped put its then25-year-old composer on the international map upon its 1863 premiere.

Feb. 28:

“Jurassic Park” With Live Orchestra at Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton; 7:30 p.m.; $25-$150; 561/757-4762, festivalboca.org. Steven Spielberg’s iconic 1993 adventure—the blockbuster that launched the “Jurassic” film franchise—will project on Festival of the Arts Boca’s giant HD screen, while the world-class musicians of Festival Orchestra Boca perform John Williams’ soaring and dramatic score.

Feb. 21:

Marion Meadows at Funky Biscuit, 303 S.E. Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton; 6 and 9 p.m.; $50-$60; 561/3952929, funkybiscuit.com. A Berklee College of Music graduate, soprano saxophonist Meadows has studied with sax giants Sonny Fortune and Joe Henderson, cut his teeth recording with virtuoso keyboardist Bob James, and found versatile recording work with the Temptations, Michael Bolton and many more; he’s now a fixture on smooth-jazz radio and has released 17 albums as a bandleader.

Feb. 28:

Lynn Philharmonia: New Music Festival at Wold Performing Arts Center at Lynn University, 3601 N. Military Trail, Boca Raton; 7:30 p.m.; free; 561/237-9000, lynn. edu. Lynn celebrates the 20th anniversary of its New Music Festival with a premiere commission from pianist, conductor and 2026 composer-in-residence Glen Cortese, alongside past commissioned works for solo, duo and even a trio of pianos.

Feb. 28-March 1:

Miami City Ballet: “Into the Magic City” at Kravis Center, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sat., 1 p.m. Sun.; $46-$156.50; 561/8327469, kravis.org. MCB marks its 40th anniversary with George Balanchine’s 1935 masterpiece “Serenade,” the first full-length ballet he premiered after immigrating to the United States. The plotless ballet is set to a sweeping Tchaikovsky serenade. It will be followed by a world-premiere “love letter to Miami” by Alexei Ratmansky.

20 years

OF THE ARTS BOCA FESTIVAL

The linchpin of the city’s arts and culture scene will celebrate its 20th anniversary beginning Feb. 27, with a 10-day program clustered around a theme of “Legends, Luminaries and the Unexpected.”

Explore the talent in the following pages.

SCHEDULE

DATEEVENT

ALL EVENTS ARE AT MIZNER PARK AMPHITHEATER

Friday February 27 Opening Act – TBD

Saturday February 28

Sunday March 1

Monday March 2

Concert: “Jurassic Park” with live orchestra – Watch the iconic film on the big screen as a full symphony orchestra performs John Williams’ legendary score live. From the roar of the T. rex to the soaring theme, this unforgettable night brings the dinosaurs—and the music—to life!

Performance: Live Arts Global – A stunning fusion of classical ballet and contemporary dance, featuring world premieres set to the music of David Bowie and the Rolling Stones.

Authors & Ideas: A Conversation with Doris Kearns Goodwin – “The Enduring Significance of the American Revolution: A Historical Perspective”

Thursday March 5

Friday March 6

& Ideas: Dr. Arthur L. Caplan – “In Defense of Science” explores the inexplicable war being waged on America’s public health and scientific research communities.

Authors & Ideas: Dr. Danielle Gilbert – Gilbert shares the causes and consequences of hostage taking, hostage recovery policy, and hostage diplomacy.

Concert – Rhapsody in Blue – Festival prodigy turned global star Conrad Tao returns to perform “Rhapsody in Blue” and one of his own thrilling compositions.

Saturday March 7 Concert: Time For Three – The Grammy-winning trio is back with its unique blend of classical, Americana and indie-folk—genre-bending and joy-filled. 7:30 PM

Sunday March 8 Concert: Patti LuPone – The Broadway icon lights up the stage in a show-stopping finale you’ll be talking about long after the curtain falls. 7 PM

20 years

ARTISTS

PATTI LUPONE: MATTERS OF THE HEART

Patti Lupone is a three-time Tony Award winner for her performances as Joanne in Marianne Elliott’s gender-swapped award-winning production of the Stephen Sondheim-George Furth musical “Company,” Madame Rose in the 2008 Broadway revival of the Jule Styne-Stephen Sondheim-Arthur Laurents classic “Gypsy,” and the title role in the original Broadway production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice production of “Evita.”

LuPone launched her concert career in 1980 at New York City’s legendary nightclub Les Mouches, performing late night on Saturdays for 27 weeks while also performing in “Evita.” Since then, she has continued to tour extensively, captivating audiences across North America, London’s West End, Australia and Broadway. Her celebrated concert repertoire includes “Don’t Monkey with Broadway,”“Far Away Places,”“A Life in Notes” and the upcoming 2026 tour of “Matters of the Heart,” marking the 25th anniversary of that beloved show.

LuPone is a founding member of both the Drama Division of the Juilliard School and John Houseman’s The Acting Company, and the author of the New York Times bestseller “Patti LuPone: A Memoir.”

MELANIE HAMRICK: A NIGHT AT THE BALLET: FROM TCHAIKOVSKY TO THE ROLLING STONES

Melanie Hamrick is a professionally trained ballerina whose onstage career spanned more than 16 years with American Ballet Theatre. A graduate of The Kirov Academy of Ballet, Hamrick has worked with Alexei Ratmansky, Christopher Wheeldon, Benjamin Millipede, Twyla Tharp, Kevin McKenzie and Mark Morris.

“JURASSIC PARK” WITH LIVE ORCHESTRA

Relive the magic of “Jurassic Park” on the big screen accompanied by a thrilling, live performance from Festival Orchestra Boca. The action-packed adventure pits man against prehistoric predators in the ultimate battle for survival. Featuring visually stunning imagery and groundbreaking special effects, this epic film is sheer movie magic 65 million years in the making. You will experience “Jurassic Park” as never before: projected in HD on a massive screen with a full symphony orchestra performing John Williams’ iconic score live to picture.

CONRAD TAO

Conrad Tao is a pianist and composer celebrated for his boundary-defying artistry, as well as his powerful performances of traditional repertoire. Described by New York magazine as “the kind of musician who is shaping the future of classical music,” and praised by the New York Times for his “probing intellect and open-hearted vision,” Tao appears regularly as a soloist with leading orchestras and at major venues across the world.

In the 2025–2026 season, Tao returns to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as both soloist and recitalist, performing Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with Karina Canellakis and later presenting a recital program featuring Gershwin song arrangements alongside works by Schoenberg, Strayhorn, Schumann and others. Recital highlights include debuts at Berlin’s Philharmonie and Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, as well as returns to Klavierfestival Ruhr, the Celebrity Series of Boston, and the Seattle Symphony with Poetry and Fairy Tales, a program blending works by David Fulmer, Rebecca Saunders, Todd Moellenberg, Brahms and Ravel.

Tao continues performing his own works, including “Flung Out,” an homage to Gershwin, which he played recently at the Aspen Festival, and “The Hand,” a companion to Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1, which was commissioned and performed by the Kansas City Symphony. Tao’s acclaimed recordings include “Voyages,” “Pictures” and “American Rage” (all on Warner).

TIME FOR THREE

Defying convention and boundaries, Time For Three stands at the busy intersection of Americana, modern pop and classical music. To experience Time For Three live is to hear the various eras, styles and traditions of Western music fold in on themselves and emerge anew. Bonded by an uncommon blend of their instruments fused together with their voices, Charles Yang (violin, vocals), Nicolas “Nick” Kendall (violin, vocals) and Ranaan Meyer (double bass, vocals) have found a unique voice of expression to share with the world.

Earning praise from NPR, NBC, the Wall Street Journal and the Chicago Sun-Times, to name a few, the band has become renowned for its charismatic and energetic performances. The trio has graced the stages of Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and Royal Albert Hall, and its inimitable and mutable style fits equally well in an intimate club setting, like Joe’s Pub in New York or Yoshi’s in San Francisco. In 2016, Time For Three was featured on the famed “Night of the Proms” tour, sharing the stage with such artists as Chaka Khan and Ronan Keating, playing arenas throughout several European countries.

Time for Three has collaborated with artists as diverse as Ben Folds, Branford Marsalis, Joshua Bell, Aoife O’Donovan, Natasha Bedingfield and Arlo Guthrie, and has premiered original works—written for the band—from composers Chris Brubeck and Pulitzer Prize winners Jennifer Higdon and William Bolcom.

AUTHORS & IDEAS 20 years

DR. ARTHUR CAPLAN: IN DEFENSE OF SCIENCE

Dr. Arthur Caplan is the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor and founding head of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine’s Department of Population Health in New York City. Prior to coming to NYU Langone, Caplan was the Sidney D. Caplan Professor of Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia, where he created the Center for Bioethics and the Department of Medical Ethics. He has also taught at the University of Minnesota, where he founded the Center for Biomedical Ethics; the University of Pittsburgh; and Columbia University. He received his PhD from Columbia University.

Caplan is the author or editor of 35 books and more than 880 papers in peer-reviewed journals. His books include “Vaccination Ethics and Policy” with Jason Schwartz and “Getting to Good: Research Integrity in Biomedicine” with Barbara Redman. He has served on a number of national and international committees, including as the chair of the National Cancer Institute Biobanking Ethics Working Group; chair of the Advisory Committee to the United Nations on Human Cloning; and chair of the Advisory Committee to the Department of Health and Human Services on Blood Safety and Availability. He has also served on the Presidential Advisory Committee on Gulf War Illnesses, the Special Advisory Committee to the International Olympic Committee on Genetics and Gene Therapy, and the Special Advisory Panel to the National Institutes of Mental Health on Human Experimentation on Vulnerable Subjects. Caplan has served since 2015 as the co-chair of the Compassionate Use Advisory Committees (CompAC), independent groups of internationally recognized medical experts, bioethicists and patient representatives that advise Johnson & Johnson on the allocation of investigational medical products outside of clinical trials.

WALTER MOSLEY: THE ONLY TRUE RACE IS THE HUMAN RACE

Walter Mosley is one of the most versatile and admired writers in America. He is the author of more than 60 critically acclaimed books that cover a wide range of ideas, genres and forms, including fiction (literary, mystery and science fiction), political monographs, writing guides including “Elements of Fiction,” a memoir in paintings, and a young adult novel called “47.” His work has been translated into 25 languages.

From a forthcoming collection of short stories, “The Awkward Black Man,” to his daring novel “John Woman,” which explored deconstructionist history, and his standalone crime novel “Down the River and Unto the Sea,” which won an Edgar Award for Best Novel, the rich storylines that Mosley has created deepen the understanding and appreciation of Black life in the United States. He has introduced an indelible cast of characters into the American canon starting with his first novel, “Devil in a Blue Dress,” which brought Easy Rawlins, his private detective in postwar Los Angeles, and his friends Jackson Blue and Raymond “Mouse” Alexander, into readers’ lives.

Concerned by the lack of diversity in all levels of publishing, Mosley established the Publishing Certificate Program with the City University of New York to bring together book professionals and students hailing from a wide range of racial, ethnic and economic communities for courses, internships and job opportunities. In 2013, Mosley was inducted into the New York State Writers Hall of Fame, and he is the winner of numerous awards, including an O. Henry Award, the Mystery Writers of America’s Grand Master Award, a Grammy, several NAACP Image awards, and PEN America’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN

Doris Kearns Goodwin is a world-renowned presidential historian, public speaker and Pulitzer Prize-winning, New York Times No. 1 bestselling author. Her eighth book, “An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s,” was published in April 2024. Artfully weaving together biography, memoir and history, this new book takes readers on the emotional journey Goodwin and her husband, Richard (Dick) Goodwin, embarked upon in the last years of his life as they delved into more than 300 boxes of letters, diaries, documents and memorabilia that Dick had saved for more than 50 years.

Goodwin’s previous books include the critically acclaimed and New York Times bestselling “Leadership: In Turbulent Times,” which incorporates her five decades of scholarship studying Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson. The book inspired the History Channel’s miniseries events “Abraham Lincoln,” “Theodore Roosevelt” and “FDR,” which Goodwin executive-produced through her production company, Pastimes Productions, Inc.

Well known for her appearances and commentary on television, Goodwin is seen frequently in documentaries and on television news, cable networks and late-night talk shows. She even portrayed herself on an episode of the enduringly successful television show “The Simpsons.”

DR. DANIELLE GILBERT: LIFE LESSONS FROM HOSTAGE NEGOTIATIONS

Dr. Danielle Gilbert is an assistant professor of political science at Northwestern University. Her research explores the causes and consequences of hostage taking in international security, including projects on rebel kidnapping, hostage recovery policy and hostage diplomacy. Her current book project examines why and how armed groups kidnap. It is based on her PhD dissertation, which received the American Political Science Association’s 2021 Merze Tate Award for Best Dissertation in International Relations, Law and Politics. Gilbert’s scholarship has been published in the American Political Science Review, Comparative Political Studies, International Studies Perspectives, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, Terrorism & Political Violence, the Texas National Security Review, and the Journal of Political Science Education.

In 2023, Gilbert was selected to serve on the Bipartisan Commission on Hostage Taking and Wrongful Detention at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. Gilbert frequently writes public commentary in outlets like Foreign Affairs, the Washington Post, USA Today, War on the Rocks and Lawfare, and has been interviewed by outlets including ABC, the BBC, CNN, ESPN, NBC, NPR and the New York Times. She has advised the Australian, British, Canadian and U.S. governments and the United Nations on hostage recovery policy and spoken about her research at the Aspen Ideas Festival.

Boca Ballet Theatre 561-995-0709 mail@bocaballet.org

Boca Raton Museum of Art 561-392-2500 info@bocamuseum.org

Boca Raton Historical Society & The Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum 561-395-6766 office@bocahistory.org

Florida Atlantic University College of Arts & Letters 561-297-3810 theatre@fau.edu

Florida Intergenerational Orchestra of America (561) 922-3134 info@flioa.org

Festival of the Arts Boca 561-571-5270 info@festivalboca.org

The HARID Conservatory 561-997-2677 info@harid.edu

Lynn University 561-237-9000 tickets@lynn.edu

Mizner Park Amphitheater 561-393-7984 MiznerAmp@myboca.us

Sugar Sand Park 561-347-3900 sugarsandpark@myboca.us

The Studio in Mizner Park (561) 203-3742 info@thestudioatmiznerpark. com

The SYMPHONIA 561-376-3848 info@thesymphonia.org

The Wick Theatre & Costume Museum 561-995-2333 boxoffice@theWick.org

Youth Orchestra of Palm Beach County 561-281-8600 yomail@yopbc.org

Driving Miss Daisy

Palm Beach Dramaworks –Theatre to Think About

Theatregoers coast-to-coast and worldwide are familiar with Alfred Uhry’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Driving Miss Daisy, which tells the story of an unlikely, life-changing friendship between Daisy Werthan, a 72-year-old Jewish widow, and Hoke Coleburn, a Black chauffeur hired by her son Boolie.

Driving Miss Daisy is generally considered sweet and sentimental – which it is – but it is so much more than that. The play premiered in 1987, but speaks in numerous ways to these fraught times. There have been so many articles published in recent years about the loneliness that often accompanies aging, a reality beautifully realized by Uhry. It’s also a play about friendship, about communicating, about listening to each other, about breaking down walls, about learning to respect one another, about empathy and trust, about overcoming prejudice.

It is for all these reasons that Palm Beach Dramaworks Producing Artistic Director William Hayes chose to stage Driving Miss Daisy as part of the company’s 202526 season. PBD is a nonprofit theatre company founded in 2000 and located in the heart of West Palm Beach. Each season, the award-winning company produces five plays, offering entertaining, edgy, and enthralling classics, contemporary works, and world premiere plays – what PBD calls “Theatre to Think About.” This season, audiences have already seen Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop, and Conor McPherson’s The Seafarer, with Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and the world premiere of Steven Dietz’s Vineland Place following Driving Miss Daisy, which runs from February 6 through March 1.

& Ann Brown Theatre

“ …a touching exploration of friendship and mutual respect

”

—

The New York Times

Driving Miss Daisy is presented in association with Barrington Stage Company and will be directed by Julianne Boyd, Barrington Stage’s founding artistic director. The production stars theatre veterans Debra Jo Rupp and Ray Anthony Thomas, both making their PBD debuts. Daisy’s son, Boolie, is played by PBD veteran Matthew W. Korinko.

Lamarina

450 N. Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach; 561/371-8380

Written by CHRISTIE GALEANO-DEMOTT

WClockwise from above: chocolate hazelnut torte, Lamarina roll and Maine lobster spaghetti

e’re fortunate to live in a time and place with countless options for sustenance, from delis and fast casual spots to family-owned eateries and Michelin-starred restaurants.

But what keeps people coming back to a particular restaurant?

Yes, it may be their favorite cuisine, but ultimately, it’s the service. The goal may be to foster that “Cheers” nostalgia, where everybody knows your name, but even if you’ve never been there and you feel welcomed, cared for and at home— that’s great service.

IF YOU GO

PARKING: Valet

HOURS: Tuesday – Friday lunch 11:30 a.m.–3 p.m.; Tuesday – Sunday dinner 5-11 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday brunch 11 a.m.–3 p.m.

PRICES: $18 – $68

WEBSITE: lamarinawestpalm.com

Don’t get me wrong: The food needs to be well-prepared, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be perfect. If the service is exceptional, the “going out” part of the dining experience hits it out of the park— for me anyway.

At Lamarina, I was amazed by the service. The two young gentlemen—one training the other— who waited on us were outstanding. They mastered the art of being there when needed without hov-

ering uncomfortably. When our table wobbled, it was immediately fixed. When our wine glasses were nearly empty, we were asked if we wanted more. When new dishes arrived, they came with shared utensils. I even asked the trainee about a specific ingredient, and he not only knew what it was but eagerly shared how the kitchen preserved the lemon before dicing it for the meatballs.

The mostly outdoor restaurant (there is an indoor dining space) is located at Safe Harbor Rybovich Marina. As we waited for our Lamb Meatballs ($20) and Lamarina Roll ($26), we were treated to sprawling views of mega yachts—a fun start to the meal. While the menu focuses on seafood with its raw bar and sushi options, it leans Mediterranean with inspired plates.

The meatballs are served with warm, fluffy pita, which I slathered with thick labneh and topped with a small piece of the tender, juicy meatball. In the next bite, I enjoyed the cilantro, pickled shallots and

preserved lemon with the meatball. All the bright flavors came together in a wonderfully memorable bite that I’d come back for.

My dinner companion has traveled the world and affirmed the namesake roll is one of the best she has ever had. With eight very hearty pieces filled with king crab and avocado, then topped with torched salmon, truffle miso glaze and petite jalapeño slices, it is a flavor-packed roll that hits the spot.

Our waiter raved about the signature Maine Lobster Spaghetti ($56). While it didn’t sound exciting on the menu, it delivered a pound of tender lobster with sizable pieces in al dente pasta, tossed in a spicy pomodoro with an unoffensive heat kick.

The three-layer Chocolate Hazelnut Torte ($16) was a moist, delicate, airy treat to finish our meal while we enjoyed the yachts and fresh sea air from the comfort of the spacious covered patio, a scene that easily made us feel as if we were somewhere along the Mediterranean.

Gabriella’s Modern Italian

40 N.E. Seventh Ave., Delray Beach; 561/916-3001

CHRISTIE GALEANO-DEMOTT

rispy rice. Firecracker shrimp. Miso salmon. Asian dishes at an Italian restaurant? Chef Julio Cesar Ramos spent more than a decade working under chef Michael White and his Michelin-starred culinary world at Altamarea Group, so I knew the Italian dishes on the menu would deliver. But Asian? I was intrigued.

It turns out the answer is simple: “Why not?”Last summer, Ramos and his kitchen team curated an Asian pop-up menu to gauge his guests’ interest, and it was a smashing success. With owner Frank Brusco’s support, the team developed permanent dishes. Ramos is quick to explain that Gabriella’s is not an Italian-Asian concept. If his team can execute the dishes and diners love them, why not try them out and have some fun?

IF YOU GO

PARKING: Valet, garage, street parking

HOURS: Sunday, 11:30 a.m.–9 p.m.; Monday–Wednesday, 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m.; Thursday–Saturday, 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m.

PRICES: $20 – $185

WEBSITE: gabriellasfl.com

The rest of the menu is craveable, modern Italian American cuisine. Gabriella’s opened early last year as part of the new Atlantic Crossings development, and this is Brusco’s sixth concept. It’s a gorgeous space with a stunning circular bar, plush canary-yellow banquettes and a spacious outdoor patio.

We started with an Asian-inspired appetizer; this might have been the first time I ate a dish with chopsticks at an Italian restaurant. The Firecracker Shrimp ($24) is an elevated version of Bang Bang shrimp. The jumbo shrimp pieces are served on crispy rice paper sprinkled with lemon salt and are not overly breaded.

They are coated in a fiery, sweet Thai Calabrian chili aioli that is well balanced and not offensively hot. With our Asian intrigue satiated, we headed back to Italy to try the Signature Spicy Rigatoni ($30) and Tagliatelle ($32). The pastas arrived piping hot and were perfectly al dente. I will note that, while we placed the entire order at once, I would have liked them to come out as a pasta course separate from the main course, as is the Italian tradition. Nonetheless, both pastas delivered, with well-executed, flavorful sauces: the tagliatelle with a creamy pork-and-beef ragu Bolognese, and the rigatoni with a spicy vodka sauce.

I was instantly drawn to The Parm Bar on the menu, a playful section for guests to customize their dish with veal, pork chop or chicken. Then the fun part: choosing a preferred style—Milanese, classic Parmigiano or vodka Parmigiano—and adding extras like pepperoni, fennel sausage, mushrooms, Calabrian chili peppers and stracciatella. We ordered the classic chicken ($36), and it was tender, paper-thin chicken, crispy, oozing with melted cheese and a simple, smooth pomodoro sauce where I could taste the tomatoes and herbs. Here, sauces, pastas and even the chocolate chip ricotta cannoli filling are made in-house. At Gabriella’s, fresh ingredients, stellar service and a lively, welcoming ambiance come together for an unforgettable night out.

YMCA of South Palm Beach County 24TH Annual

February 25, 2026 at 7:30AM

Presenting Sponsor

Keynote Speaker

Burn survivor, two-time bestselling author, and the true story behind the feature film .SoulonFire

FLORIDA TABLE Dining Guide

Palm Beach County BOCA RATON

388 Italian Restaurant By Mr. Sal —3360 N. Federal Highway. Italian. This family-owned outpost of its Long Island flagship prides itself on nostalgic, quintessential dishes. Pastas like alla vodka, marinara and spicy rigatoni share the menu with chicken and veal entrees in beloved preparations like masala, Milanese and parmigiana. Choose from half or whole portions to share with the table. It’s also known for its lively ambiance, so come here for an Italian feast but stay for the party. Dinner nightly. 561/794-3888. $$$

Abe & Louie’s —2200 Glades Road. Steakhouse. All Americans are endowed with certain inalienable rights, among them the right to a thick, juicy, perfectly cooked steak. At this posh, comfortable (and expensive) meatery, the USDA Prime steaks are indeed thick, juicy and perfectly cooked, also massively flavorful and served in enormous portions. Don’t miss the New York sirloin or prime rib, paired in classic steakhouse fashion with buttery hash browns and uber-creamy creamed spinach. Chased with an ice-cold martini or glass of red wine from the truly impressive list, it’s happiness pursued and captured. • Lunch Mon.-Fri., dinner nightly. Brunch on Sat. and Sun. 561/447-0024. $$$$

AlleyCat—297 E.Palmetto Park Road. Japanese. Chef Eric Baker’s Japanese izakaya, or a casual spot for drinks and bites, is serving up dishes like sushi, dumplings and fried rice that have an unexpected whimsical element. Here you’ll find king crab tacos and hot fried chicken alongside the hamachi ponzu and spicy scallop roll. And to deliver the freshest sushi in town, he has partnered with celebrated sushi chef David Bouhadana of Sushi by Bou. • Dinner Tues.-Sat. 561/353-5888. $$

DINING KEY

$: Under $17

$$: $18–$35

$$$: $36–$50

$$$$: $50 and up

Arturo’s Restaurant—6750 N. Federal Highway. Italian. After 40 years of feeding our Boca community, the Gismondi family is still going to great lengths to take care of its patrons, who, over the years, have become honorary family members themselves. Arturo’s brings generations of diners together with its warm ambiance, classic and consistent Italian fare, and its award-winning 1,000+-bottle wine cellar. • Lunch and dinner Tues.-Fri., dinner Sat.-Sun. 561/997-7373. $$$

Basilic Vietnamese Grill —200 S. Federal Highway. Vietnamese. This popular restaurant offers satisfying food and reasonable prices. Plus, there’s bubble tea. Opened in 2014, it has a wide range of Vietnamese favorites, such as cha

gio tom heo, fried shrimp and pork Imperial rolls, all kinds of pho, noodle bowls, chicken curry and more. • Lunch and dinner six days a week; closed Tuesdays. 561/409-4964. $$

Bluefin Sushi and Thai—861 N.W. 51st St., Suite 1. Sushi/Thai. Arrive early for a table at this Asian hot spot—it’s popular with no reservations for parties fewer than six. Don’t skip the tempura lobster bomb, big in both size and taste. The ginger snapper will impress both Instagram and your stomach. Try the chicken satay and pad Thai. Bluefin offers a variety of dishes from multiple cultures, all well done. • Dinner daily. Lunch Mon.-Fri. 561/981-8869. $$

Burtons Grill & Bar —5580 N. Military Trail. New American. Known for its reliable food as well as its non-gluten, Paleo and “B Choosy” kids menu, the first Florida location for this restaurant is deservedly crowded, so make reservations. Don’t miss the General Tso’s cauliflower, the pan-seared salmon (Paleo), the crab cakes or the Key lime pie. Popular half-portions are available, too. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/465-2036. $

The Capital Grille —6000 Glades Road. Steaks. This is one of more than three dozen restaurants in a national chain, but the Boca Grille treats you like a regular at your neighborhood restaurant. Steaks, dry-aged if not Prime, are flavorful and cooked with precision, while starters from the pan-fried calamari to the restaurant’s signature spin on the Cobb salad (lunch only) are nicely done too. Parmesan truffle fries are crispy sticks of potato heaven; chocolate-espresso cake a study in shameless, and luscious, decadence. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner nightly. 561/368-1077. $$$

Casa D’Angelo —171 E. Palmetto Park Road. Italian. Chef Rickie Piper, who has mastered the menu and cuisine of this fine-dining staple for more than a decade, knows when to say when with both plating and ingredients. His dishes, including the sides and accompaniments, are visually appetizing and aromatic. A grilled veal chop easily 3 inches thick proved tender and juicy, and the wild mushrooms served alongside in a marsala added earthiness. • Dinner nightly. 561/996-1234. $$$

Casimir French Bistro—416 Via De Palmas, Suite 81. French. Take a trip overseas without leaving the city and enjoy excellently prepared traditional French dishes, such as duck l’orange or beef bourguignon, or go with Cajun chicken and veal Milanese. The comfortable dining room is a Parisian experience, as is the apple tarte tatin. This is a local favorite, and may we add they have what is as close to real French bread as anyplace in Boca?

• Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat. 561/955-6001. $$$

Chez Marie French Bistro —5030 Champion Blvd. French. Marie will greet you at the door of this nicely decorated, intimate, classic French restaurant tucked in the corner of a strip shopping area. This feels like an intimate neighborhood bistro and is a welcome discovery. From escargot encased in garlic butter, parsley and breadcrumbs to a tender duck a l’orange to an unforgettable crepe Suzette, you’ll be in Paris all evening. Voila! Also on the menu: pan-seared foie gras, tasty onion soup, coq au vin, rack of lamb, salads and more desserts. French food in an unassuming atmosphere.• Dinner Mon.-Sat. (closed on Mon. in summer) 561/997-0027. $$

Chops Lobster Bar —101 Plaza Real S., Royal Palm Place. Steak, seafood. There is nothing like a classic chophouse every now and then for a special dinner. At this upscale downtown restaurant, steaks are aged USDA Prime— tender, flavorful and perfectly cooked under a 1,700-degree broiler. There’s all manner of fish and shellfish, but you’re here for the lobster, whether giant Nova Scotian tails flash-fried and served with drawn butter or sizable Maine specimens stuffed with lobster. Let’s face it: Trendy menus come and go, but a great steakhouse is a win-win on all occasions. • Dinner nightly. 561/395-2675. $$$$

Corvina Seafood Grill —110 Plaza Real S, Boca Raton. Seafood. The seafood-centric menu incorporates South Florida’s varied Latin and Caribbean culinary influences into it. Peruvian and Honduran ceviches share the menu with Brazilian fish stew. You’ll also find plantain crusted corvina in a Creole curry sauce alongside Jamaican jerk chicken and island spiced pork ribs. With a focus on sourcing local ingredients, the menu spotlights several daily specials so look out for those. Then there’s the indoor/outdoor bar that invites you to come in and stay a while, especially during its daily happy hour. • Dinner & Sunday Brunch. 561/206-0066. $$

CVI.CHE 105 —6000 Glades Road. Peruvian. Classic Peruvian ceviches share the menu with contemporary takes. Chef Juan Chipoco flexes his skills and imagination in both the kitchen and the whimsical space’s design. The menu features tiraditos, causas, sushi rolls and entrées like the lomo saltado and aji de gallina. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/221-0940. $$

Dorsia —5837 N. Federal Highway. Continental. The simple pleasures of the table—good food, personable service, comfortable ambience—are what this modestly stylish restaurant is all about. The menu has a strong Italian bent, evidenced by dishes like a trio of fried zucchini blossoms stuffed with an airy three-cheese mousse, and a cookbook-perfect rendition of veal scaloppine lavished with artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes and a tangy lemon-white wine sauce. • Dinner nightly. 561/961-4156. $$

Eddie V’s Prime Seafood —201 Plaza Real. Steak & Seafood. Eddie V’s is famous for its seafood and premium steaks, but this restaurant has also perfected the art of entertaining with nightly live music and a few tableside surprises. • Dinner nightly. 561/237-0067. $$$$

Farmer’s Table —1901 N. Military Trail. American. In the pantheon of healthy dining, Farmer’s Table is a standout in Boca, one of the first restaurants to elevate natural foods to fine dining. Fresh, natural, sustainable, organic and local is the mantra at this both tasty and health-conscious offering from Mitchell Robbins and Joey Giannuzzi. Menu highlights include flatbreads, slow-braised USDA Choice short rib and the popular Ramen Bowl, with veggies, ramen noodles and shrimp. • Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. 561/417-5836. $$

Everyday Favorites

For an affordable bite at any time, consider these durable chains and homegrown Boca favorites— where the attire is understated and reservations are rarely necessary.

Biergarten—309 Via De Palmas, #90. German/Pub. Part vaguely German beer garden, part all-American sports bar, this rustic eatery offers menus that channel both, as well as an excellent selection of two-dozen beers on tap and the same number by the bottle. The food is basic and designed to go well with suds, like the giant pretzel with a trio of dipping sauces and the popular “Biergarten burger.” • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/395-7462. $$

Cuban Café —3350 N.W. Boca Raton Blvd., Suite B-30. Cuban. One thing Boca needs more of is coffee windows—and real Cuban restaurants. Part of the charm of South Florida is its melting pot of Latin cultures, and Cuba is the granddaddy of them all. Which is undoubtedly why diners pack this traditional Cuban restaurant for lunch specials that start at $10.95, including slow-roasted pork served with white rice and black beans. Other highlights include the Cuban sandwich, the media noche and (on the dinner menu only) lechón asado. Full bar. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner Mon.–Sat. 561/750-8860. $

Los Olivos Bistro —5030 Champion Blvd. Argentine. The family-owned bistro’s menu honors familial Argentine roots with typical crave-worthy dishes like empanadas and plenty of red meat. Still, it also honors the cuisine’s Spanish and Italian influences with its standout paellas and housemade pasta. • Lunch and dinner Mon.Sat. 561/756-8928. $

Rocco’s Tacos —224 Clematis St. Mexican. Big Time Restaurant Group has crafted a handsome spot that dishes Mexican favorites, as well as upscale variations on the theme and more than 425 tequilas. Tacos feature housemade tortillas and a variety of proteins. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner nightly. 561/650-1001. (Other Palm Beach County locations: 5250 Town Center Circle, Boca Raton, 561/416-2131; 110 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, 561/808-1100; 5090 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens, 561/623-0127) $

The Sandwich Shop at Buccan—350 S. County Road, Palm Beach and 1901 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach. Takeout stop. Like big sister Buccan Italian restaurant, the Sandwich Shop is full of flavor and builds your favorite sandwich with just a touch of delicious creativity you won’t find elsewhere. Owned by celeb chef Clay Conley and partners, the menu has hot or cold sandwiches, salads, sides and drinks (both alcoholic and non). Good-sized portions mean the Italian and prosciutto subs include leftovers if you have some willpower.• Lunch daily. 561/833-6295. $$

Tap 42 —5050 Town Center Circle, Suite 247. Gastropub. This hugely popular nouveau-Industrial gastropub is not for the faint of eardrums when packed, but don’t let that discourage you. The kitchen here executes the hell out of a short, simple all-day menu. Grilled salmon chopped salad with tomatillo ranch dressing is delightful, as is guacamole studded with fat chunks of bacon and charred corn. Same goes for decadent shrimp mac-n-cheese. The wicked-good chocolate bread pudding with salted caramel sauce would be the envy of any Big Easy eatery. • Lunch Mon.-Fri. Brunch Sat.-Sun. Dinner nightly. 561/235-5819. $

Tropical Smokehouse —3815 S. Dixie Highway. Barbecue. When you take the distinct tastes of Florida/Caribbean/Cuban dishes and pair them with barbecue, you end up with a place you visit a lot. Local celeb chef Rick Mace smokes the meats himself, and his recipes include all kinds of citrus in tasty spots (sour orange wings, pineapple carrot cake); you’ll discover new favorite flavors. Don’t miss the BBQ pulled pork, brisket and ribs. Try the hot and sweet hushpuppies or the homemade chorizo queso in this very casual spot that we can happily say is also unique—there’s nothing else like it. • Lunch and dinner Tues.-Sun. 561/323-2573. $$

Gary Rack’s Farmhouse Kitchen —399

S.E. Mizner Blvd. American. Natural, seasonal, sustainable. You’ll enjoy the varied menu, and won’t believe it’s made without butters or creams. Try the too-good-to-be-true buffalo-style cauliflower appetizer, the seared salmon or buffalo burger, and

have apple skillet for dessert. Healthy never tasted so good. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/826-2625. $$

Gallaghers Steakhouse —2006 N.W. Executive Center Circle. Steakhouse. At this chophouse, the staff is

laser-focused on service, the bar pours stiff drinks, and the kitchen dishes out perfectly cooked steaks—a pure embodiment of what you’d expect from a steakhouse. While Gallaghers proved itself a master of its craft, don’t overlook the other items on the menu, like the stuffed shrimp and veal chop. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/559-5800. $$$$

The Grille On Congress —5101 Congress Ave. American. Dishes at this longtime favorite range from tasty chicken entrees and main-plate salads to seafood options like Asian-glazed salmon or pan-seared yellowtail snapper. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner Mon.–Sat. 561/912-9800. $$

Houston’s —1900 N.W. Executive Center Circle. Contemporary American. Convenient location, stylish ambience and impeccable service are hallmarks of this local outpost of the Hillstone restaurant chain. There are plenty of reasons why this is one of the most popular business lunch spots in all of Boca, including menu items like Cajun trout, the mammoth salad offerings and the tasty baby back ribs. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/998-0550. $$$

Il Mulino New York Boca Raton —451 E. Palmetto Park Road. Italian. From the four pre-menu bites to the after-dinner coffee from freshly ground beans, this is a white-tablecloth venue that delivers on its upscale promises. Try the langostino, the red snapper, the risotto, the pasta, or go for the ceviches, caviars and seafood tower. Save room for dessert and complimentary lemoncello. Make a night of it. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/338-8606. $$$

Josephine’s —5751 N. Federal Highway. Italian. Tradition trumps trendy, and comfort outweighs chic at this Boca favorite. The ambience is quiet and stately but not stuffy, and the menu is full of hearty dishes to soothe the savage appetite, like three-cheese eggplant rollatini and chicken scarpariello. • Dinner nightly. 561/988-0668. $$

La Condesa —3320 Airport Road. Mexican. Mexico’s bold, colorful and lively culture is reflected in its cuisine, and it’s evident at La Condesa. This family-owned restaurant’s take on Mexican fare offers a sizable menu with a wide selection of popular drinks and dishes like margaritas, nachos, street tacos and burritos. You can also opt for less mainstream dishes like the mole cazuelitas, and you won’t be disappointed. Lunch and dinner daily. 561/931-4008. $

La Nouvelle Maison—55 E. Palmetto Park Road. French. A dining experience at a French restaurant is never just about satiating your hunger. It’s about the entire experience, and La Nouvelle Maison embraces that joie de vivre from the moment you step inside. Whether you delight in the garlic-infused escargots, steak tartare or beef Bourgogne, none of the classic French dishes disappoint here.• Dinner nightly. 561/338-3003. $$$$

La Terraza Tapas & Bar —21170 St. Andrews Blvd. Spanish. La Terraza Tapas & Bar instantly transports you to Spain. Its brick barrel ceiling, moody lighting, crimson walls and wooden furniture create a charming, rustic aesthetic reminiscent of a Spanish taverna. Start with the Tabla Terraza charcuterie board before enjoying a few warm tapas, like the croquetas de jamon, camarones ajillo and octopus. • Lunch and dinner Wed.Sun., dinner Mon.-Tues. 561/576-3040. $$

La Villetta —4351 N. Federal Highway. Italian. This is a well-edited version of a traditional Italian menu, complete with homemade pastas and other classic dishes. Try the signature whole yellowtail snapper encrusted in sea salt; it’s de-boned right at tableside. Shrimp diavolo is perfectly scrumptious. • Dinner nightly. (closed Mon. during summer). 561/362-8403. $$$

Sunset Claws

Friday is lobster night at Luff’s Fish House, featuring a special on a 2-pound Maine crustacean, supplemented with live music.

Kapow Noodle Bar —402 Plaza Real. Asian. Kapow delivers an effervescent ambiance that makes you want to relax and stay a while. Its varied menu has something for every craving, from crispy rice and tacos to rolls and even Peking duck. Up your dinner game by reserving a seat at the separate omakase bar serving chef-curated bites that aren’t on the regular menu. And if you’re looking for a memorable night out, book one of the three karaoke rooms.• Lunch and dinner daily. 561/567-8828. $

Kasumi —999 E. Camino Real. Japanese. As the Waterstone Resort & Marina’s second waterfront restaurant, this modern Japanese eatery delivers an elevated level of cuisine. Its shareable menu features sushi rolls, nigiri, sashimi and a variety of larger entrées. • Dinner nightly. 561/226-3033. $$$

Ke’e Grill —17940 N. Military Trail, Suite 700. Traditional American. In this busy dining scene for more than 30 years, you will find a lot of seafood (fried calamari, blue crab cakes, yellowtail snapper Francaise and lots more), a few steak, chicken, lamb and pork options, and a quality house-made apple crisp. Your traditional choices are baked, fried, breaded, grilled, broiled, sauteed. With Provencal, Francaise, maple mustard glaze, toasted macadamia nut pesto and piccata twists. A consistent crowd for a consistent menu. • Dinner nightly. 561/995-5044. $$$

Kousine Peruvian Asian—1668 N. Federal Highway. Peruvian/Asian. Chef and owner Danny Kou shares his Peruvian heritage with a curated menu of dishes that accurately represent his country’s famous ceviche while introducing patrons to unique dishes that are just as tempting. Kousine’s space is bright and modern, with exposed industrial ceilings complemented with warm woods and greenery. Lunch and dinner daily. 561/430-3337. $$

Louie Bossi’s —100 E. Palmetto Park Road. Italian. This jumping joint serves terrific Neapolitan pizza (thin crust), but don’t miss the other entrées. Start with a charcuterie/ cheese plate and grab the amazing breadsticks. All breads and pastas are made on the premises. Other faves include the carbonara and the calamari, and save room for house-made gelato. Unusual features: Try the bocce ball court included with the retro Italian décor. • Lunch and dinner daily, weekend brunch. 561/336-6699. $$$

Luff’s Fish House—390 E. Palmetto Park Road. Seafood. A renovated 1920s bungalow houses this shipshape restaurant, in addition to two large, outdoor deck and patio areas. It’s known for familiar dish names with new tweaks: smoked fish-hummus dip, falafel fish fritters, crab guacamole, mussels in coconut curry broth, plus the paella on Sundays only. Don’t leave without the enormous slice of the Key lime pie, topped with meringue on a graham cracker crust. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/609-2660. $$

Maggiano’s —21090 St. Andrews Blvd. Italian. Do as the Italians do, and order family-style: Sit back and watch the endless amounts of gorgeous foods grace your table. In this manner, you receive two appetizers, a salad, two pastas, two entrées and two desserts. The menu also includes lighter takes on staples like chicken parm, fettuccine alfredo and chicken piccata. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/361-8244. $$

Mario’s Osteria —1400 Glades Road, Suite 210. Italian. This popular spot features rustic Italian fare in a sleek environment. Signature dishes like the garlic rolls, lasagna and eggplant “pancakes” are on the new menu, as are butternut squash ravioli and thick, juicy rib-eye served “arrabiata” style. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/239-7000. $$

Matteo’s —233 S. Federal Highway, Suite 108. Italian. Hearty Italian and Italian-American food, served in giant “family style” portions, needs no reinventing. Though there is no shortage of local

restaurants cooking in that genre, it’s the details of preparation and service that make Matteo’s stand out. Baked clams are a good place to start, as is the reliable chopped salad. Linguini frutti di mare is one of the best in town. • Dinner nightly. 561/392-0773. $$$

Max’s Grille —404 Plaza Real. Contemporary American Since 1991, this modern American bistro in Mizner Park has been a true local classic. The food and decor are both timeless and up to date, and the ambience is that of a smooth-running big-city bistro. Service is personable and proficient. The menu is composed of dishes you really want to eat, from the applewood bacon-wrapped meatloaf to the wickedly indulgent crème brûlèe pie. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Brunch Sat–Sun. Dinner nightly. 561/368-0080. $$

Meat Market — 2000 NW 19th St. Steakhouse. Meat Market has infused Midtown Boca Raton with glamour. Its posh interiors and high energy complement its diverse menu that revolves around steak but is also sprinkled with daily specials and sushi that shouldn’t be overlooked. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/245-6777. $$$$

Medi Terra —301 Via de Palmas #99. Mediterranean. Embracing western Mediterranean cuisine, the menu is seasonal and revolves around what the owners can freshly source, so make sure to wait for the specials before making any final decisions. The father-son duo bought Ristorante Sapori in Royal Palm Place and redesigned it to reflect their passion for Mediterranean cuisine. Dinner Mon.-Sat. 561/367-9779. $$

Morton’s The Steakhouse—5050 Town Center Circle, Suite 219. Steakhouse. There’s seemingly no end to diners’ love of huge slabs of high-quality aged beef, nor to the carnivores who pack the clubby-swanky dining room of this meatery. While the star of the beef show is the giant bone-in filet mignon, seasonally featured is the American Wagyu New York strip. Finish off your meal with one of the decadent desserts.• Dinner nightly. 561/392-7724. $$$$

Motek —5377 Town Center Road. Mediterranean. Located in Midtown Boca’s Restaurant Row, this family-owned restaurant is known for its Mediterranean and Israeli-inspired menu. A variety of hummus, latkes and labneh za’atar share the menu with classics like the lamb shawarma, beef kebab and salmon skewers. Lunch and dinner daily, weekend brunch. 561/922-3319. $$$

Narbona —5250 Town Center Circle. Uruguayan. This restaurant-market hybrid offers house-made pasta, private-label herbs and honey, fresh fish and meats, grab-and-go prepared items, and countless Narbona Wine Lodge wines. You can also opt for a sit-down lunch or dinner at its central restaurant or at one of its two bars. The menu, with Italian and Spanish influences, features its pasta alongside a selection of meat and fish dishes. • Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. 561/692-3933. $$

New York Prime —2350 N.W. Executive Center Drive. Steakhouse. This wildly popular Boca meatery Monday, Monday packs them in with swift, professional service, classy supper club ambience and an extensive wine list. And, of course, the beef—all USDA Prime, cooked to tender and juicy lusciousness over ferocious heat. The bone-in rib-eye is especially succulent, but don’t neglect the New York strip or steak-house classics like oysters Rockefeller, garlicky spinach and crusty hash browns. • Dinner nightly. 561/998-3881. $$$$

Patio Tapas & Beer —205 S.E. First Ave. Spanish. Be transported to the Iberian Peninsula with a variety of tapas. Chef Bryant Fajardo, who trained under celebrated chef José Andrés, specializes in one of Spain’s most traditional and iconic cuisines and delivers both classic selections like Manchego cheese and anchovies alongside premium nibbles like seared duck and foie gras. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/419-7239. $

Salt Life

Jonathan Richards revives the dying art of handharvesting sea salt to create Palm Beach Salt Company

Written by CHRISTIE GALEANO-DEMOTT

The pyramids shimmer in the sunlight. The tiny, crystallized peaks—masterfully created by Mother Nature rather than by an artist’s hand—are what Jonathan Richards strives for during the 500-hour process it takes to transform hand-harvested seawater into natural flaky salt.

Born in Tampa and raised in Maryland, Richards followed his parents down to South Florida 10 years ago for a life away from the cold. With a talent for cooking and a drive to bring out the best flavors in his ingredients, he worked with local lauded chefs like Lindsay Autry, Sean Brasel and Julien Gremaud, who helped him fine-tune his craft and appreciation for working with quality products. However, it wasn’t until he watched the documentary “Salt Fat Acid Heat” a few years ago that a light bulb went off. The dying art of hand-harvesting sea salt was something he knew nothing about, but he dove in headfirst.

With a bucket filled with seawater sloshing around in his backseat, Richards left the beach and went home to start experimenting. After endless hours of tweaking the process of extracting the salt from the seawater, he finally figured out the right formulas for filtration, temperature, humidity, vapor pressure and barometric pressure to get his ideal flake structure. He was then ready to launch Palm Beach Salt Company, which came to fruition in 2022.

It all starts with his advanced filtration system, which filters down to .5 microns; for perspective, a strand of human hair is about 70 microns thick. This enables Richards to remove microplastics from his final product. He’s laser-focused on harvesting local Palm Beach seawater and producing a mineral-dense salt that’s toxin-free.

“It has a more dynamic taste, it’s a lot punchier,”he says of his salt flakes. “A lot of people say,‘oh, it’s salty,’ but it’s actually less sodium chloride. The backend is the minerality that causes that extra flavor and robustness.”

He also produces infused salts with flavors like garlic, lemon, herbs de Palm Beach, black truffle, hibiscus lime and Pumphouse Coffee.

Richards entered the salt industry as a chef aiming to create the finest salt that would help himself and others best enhance the flavors of food.

Throughout the process, his interest and knowledge of salt’s minerality in terms of health benefits has been an admirable byproduct.

While he’s quick to stress that he’s not a doctor, he says his job as a salt maker gives him the expertise to agree when people say to him that salt is bad, with one caveat: “Processed salt is bad, just like processed food is,” he explains.“Table salt, a lot of the pink Himalayan salt, most of the salts you see at the grocery store, are refined to a degree. Many of them contain additives, such as anticaking agents.”

Richard is working on holistic offshoot products like Liquid Ocean Minerals, a magnesium topical spray used as a sleep aid, and bath salts for relaxation and recovery.

“I love cooking, but I feel like if I have a product that has the mineral composition that makes our bodies tick in a better trajectory towards health and wellness, it adds more value to the community and to Palm Beach as a whole than just a beautiful salt to finish with.”

FAVORITE FOOD PAIRING: Steak and Local Flake Sea Salt are all you need in life.

UNIQUE PAIRING: Pineapple with Hibiscus Lime Salt—the salt brings out the natural sugars and accentuates the tangy.

THIS VALENTINE’S DAY: Arrange ripe tomato and creamy burrata slices into a heart, and sprinkle with Local Flake Sea Salt.

FIND IT: West Palm Beach GreenMarket, Delray Beach GreenMarket, Palm Beach Meats, Meat Market Palm Beach, Bedner’s Farm Fresh Market or online at palmbeachsaltcompany.com

Prezzo —5560 N. Military Trail. Italian. A reincarnation of a popular 1990s Boca venue, this version has updated the dining room, kept the yummy oven-baked focaccia bread slices, and added a 21st-century taste to the menu. Don’t miss the tender bone-in pork chop, thin-crust pizza and seafood specials. Vegetarian and gluten-free choices are on the menu, too. • Lunch Mon.-Fri. Dinner nightly. 561/314-6840. $$

Rafina —6877 S.W. 18th St. Greek. If you find the ambience of most Greek restaurants to be like a frat party with flaming cheese and ouzo, this contemporary, casually elegant spot will be welcome relief. Food and decor favor refinement over rusticity, even in such hearty and ubiquitous dishes as pastitsio and spanakopita. Standout dishes include the moussaka, the creamy and mildly citrusy avgolemono soup and the precisely grilled, simply adorned (with olive oil, lemon and capers) branzino. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/409-3673. $$

Red Pine Restaurant & Lounge —1 Town Center Road. Chinese. The menu is designed to be enjoyed family-style, with substantial portions of classic dishes like housemade vegetable eggrolls, fried rice and General Tso’s chicken, to name a few. The space is bright and lively, with floor-to-ceiling windows, an expansive bar, and several dining spaces accentuated with crimson banquettes. • Dinner Tues-Sun. 561/826-7595. $$

Rino’s of Boca —39 S.E. First Ave. Italian. Guests can expect nightly live entertainment that pairs perfectly with its Italian-American dishes like rigatoni vodka, bucatini carbonara, veal parmigiana and chicken marsala.• Dinner nightly. 561/2448282. $$$

Seasons 52 —2300 Executive Center Drive. Contemporary American. The food—seasonal ingredients, simply and healthfully prepared, accompanied by interesting wines—is firstrate, from salmon roasted on a cedar plank to desserts served in oversized shot glasses. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/998-9952. (Other Palm Beach County location: 11611 Ellison Wilson Road, Palm Beach Gardens, 561/625-5852.) $$

SeaSpray Inlet Grill —999 E. Camino Real. American. Unobstructed views of Lake Boca Raton, soaring palm trees and coastal décor peppered with fringed umbrellas all set the mood for a relaxing experience that will make you feel as if you’re on vacation. The menu accommodates different dietary preferences with gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options. Don’t sleep on the pear tortellini pasta starter; it’s a star item. Portions are hearty and can be easily shared. • Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. 561/226-3022. $$

Six Tables a Restaurant—112 N.E. Second St., Boca Raton. American. The dimly lit chandeliers, burgundy velvet curtains and smooth Sinatra lyrics set the mood for a memorable evening that’s dedicated to fine dining without pretention. With a seasonal menu that’s ever changing, you can rest assured that whatever husband and wife chef-proprietors Tom and Jenny Finn prepare for you, it will truly be special and made with love. • Dinner Thurs.-Sat. 561/347-6260. $$$$

Stage —5377 Town Center Road. International. Located in Midtown Boca’s lively Restaurant Row, Stage offers a globally inspired menu with options for everyone, including many gluten-free and vegan choices. Award-winning chef Pushkar Marathe’s

Buzz Bite I

South Florida Garlic Fest

The pungent festivities are back on Feb. 28 and March 1. And celebrating its 27th year, the event will return to Delray Beach at Old School Square. If garlic excites you, get ready for savory and sweet garlic dishes, garlic products, garlic-inspired merchandise and even a garlic costume or two. Proceeds from the event benefit the Delray Beach Arts nonprofit and its mission to support local art and educational programs. garlicfestfl.com

—Christie Galeano-DeMott

TOAST . FEAST . E EAT .

As the holiday season heats up , raise a glass to festive flavors and palm - lined nights at Mia Rosebud hether it ’ s a sunset Thanksgiving , alfresco Christmas Eve , sparkling New ear ' s Eve celebration , or romantic alentine ’ s dinner , Mia Rosebud makes the quintessential spot for eleva ted gatherings As one of outh lorida ’ s top talian steakhouses , it pairs bold flavors with decades of culinary trad ition . Celebrate the holidays with us reserve your table today .

commitment to supporting local farms is clearly reflected here. Be sure not to miss the lychee ceviche and Niman Ranch churrasco. • Lunch and dinner Tues.-Sun. 561/409-2376. $$

Taverna Kyma —6298 N. Federal Highway. Greek/ Mediterranean . Hankering for a traditional Greek meal, and a menu that offers just about everything? This is where you want to try the meze plates (cold, hot, seafood, veggie), saganaki, grilled entrees and kebobs. From the taramosalata to the branzino and pastitsio, servings are generous and good. Don’t forget dessert. • Lunch Mon.-Fri. Dinner nightly. 561/994-2828. $$

Trattoria Romana —499 E. Palmetto Park Road. Italian. This local mainstay does Italian classics and its own lengthy list of ambitious specials with unusual skill and aplomb. The service is at a level not always seen in local restaurants. Pay attention to the daily specials, especially if they include impeccably done langostini oreganata and the restaurant’s signature jumbo shrimp saltimbocca. • Dinner nightly. 561/393-6715. $$$

Twenty Twenty Grille —141 Via Naranjas, Suite 45. Contemporary American. You’ve probably licked postage stamps that are larger than Ron and Rhonda Weisheit’s tiny jewel box of a restaurant, but what it lacks in space it more than makes up for in charm, sophistication and imaginative, expertly crafted food. Virtually everything is made in-house, from the trio of breads that first grace your table to the pasta in a suave dish of tagliatelle with duck and chicken confit. Don’t miss the jerk pork belly and grilled veal strip loin. • Dinner nightly. 561/990-7969. $$$

Villagio Italian Eatery —344 Plaza Real. Italian The classic Italian comfort food at this Mizner Park establishment is served with flair and great attention to detail. The reasonably priced menu—with generous portions—includes all your favorites (veal Parmesan, Caesar salad) and some outstanding seafood dishes (Maine lobster with shrimp, mussels and clams on linguine). There is a full wine list and ample people-watching given the prime outdoor seating. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/447-2257. $$

Yakitori —271 S.E. Mizner Blvd. Asian. This Japanese restaurant that has sat for nearly a decade in Royal Palm Place is still welcoming devoted diners and delivering consistent, premium dishes. Sip on one of its refreshing cocktails like the lychee martini or green tea mojito before perusing the vast menu that offers everything from sushi and sashimi to fried rice, ramen and entrées from the robata grill. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/544-0087. $$

Roll With It

Whimsically named sushi rolls at Boon’s include the KFC Roll, with chicken katsu, spicy mayo and eel sauce; and the Ruth Bagel Roll, with salmon, krab, cream cheese and fish eggs, among other ingredients.

WEST BOCA

Boon’s Asian Bistro —19605 N. State Road 7. Japanese/Thai. This is one of two Boon’s (the other is in Delray Beach), and it’s where the rush to eat excellent sushi started. The fast-moving staff is choreographed to deliver dishes such as shrimp pad Thai that’s light, delicate and happily filled with shrimp. The Thai fried rice is unusually delicate too, with lots of egg, and is some of the best around. The sushi rolls are as fresh and inventive (try the Daimyo roll) as they are beautifully presented. Go early or call for a reservation. • Lunch Mon.-Fri. Dinner nightly. 561/883-0202. $$

Chloe’s Bistro —6885 S.W. 18th St. Italian. One of the few venues that’s on the water, with food to match the view. Try the seafood linguine, the large snapper filets in Marechiara sauce, and the desserts to end on a sweet note. House-made

pasta and a good wine list ensure a pleasant, satisfying meal. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/334-2088. $$

City Fish Market—7940 Glades Road. Seafood. A multimillion-dollar remodel of the old Pete’s has turned it into an elegant seafood house with a lengthy seafood-friendly wine list, impeccably fresh fish and shellfish cooked with care and little artifice. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Dinner nightly. 561/487-1600. $$

Ditmas Kitchen —21077 Powerline Road. Contemporary kosher. This west Boca restaurant is named after a Brooklyn avenue in a district known for its food. Here you’ll find very good casual food, and no dairy products are used. Try the Hibachi salmon, all-kale Caesar salad, the shnitzel sandwich. • Dinner Sun.-Thurs. 561/826-8875. $$$

DVASH —8208 Glades Road. Mediterranean. The menu, a collection of Mediterranean fusion dishes with a variety of daily specials, caters to an array of diets, including vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free. The Cohen family, who previously owned Falafel Bistro & Wine Bar in Coral Springs for more than a decade, now welcomes diners to this West Boca restaurant that’s tucked away in the Publix Greenwise strip mall. • Lunch and dinner Tues.-Sun. 561/826-7784. $$

Embarcadero 41—8188 Glades Road. Peruvian. Embarcadero 41 offers exceptional Peruvian and Nikkei (Japanese-Peruvian fusion) cuisine. This family-owned establishment has four locations, including one in west Boca. Order a bright ceviche and a sushi roll—or two— and you’re sure to be completely satisfied. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/405-6014. $$

Oliv Pit Athenian Grille —6006 S.W. 18th St. Modern Greek. The owners’ goal of bringing together the best of Greek cooking under one roof, much like the melting pot that is Athens, is covered here in an extensive menu. The best way to enjoy the food is to share it: the Pikilia trio with tzatziki, spicy feta and eggplant spread is a starting place. Try the mix grill platter and the hearty red Greek wine. End the night with a unique, velvety frappe cappuccino. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/409-2049. $$

Skyfin Asian Bistro —8221 Glades Road. Asian. After nearly a decade of dishing out elevated Beijing cuisine at MR CHOW inside the posh W South Beach, chef Aden Lee left his sous chef position to venture out on his own. Here, you’ll find both playfully named sushi rolls and fresh sashimi alongside protein-rich house specials, fried rice and noodles. Don’t miss the Toro Roll and Tangerine Peel Beef. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/556-1688. $$

Villa Rosano —9858 Clint Moore Road. Italian. You can be forgiven for imagining yourself in some rustic Italian hill town as the smells of garlic and tomato sauce waft through the air. Start by sopping up the house olive oil with slices of crusty bread, then move on to a stellar version of clams Guazzetto and delicate fillets of sole done a la Francese. • Lunch Mon.-Sat. Dinner nightly. 561/470-0112. $$

BOYNTON BEACH

Driftwood —2005 Federal Highway. American. Driftwood consistently serves inventive dishes infused with chef Jimmy Everett’s fine-dining experience. It also stands out thanks to its dedication to guests, local purveyors and talented staff. Farmto-table isn’t just a cliché saying here. Everett’s goal as a native South Floridian is to support local farms and fishermen by sourcing hyperlocal ingredients. The menu may change based on what’s available. • Dinner Wed.-Sun. 561/733-4782. $$

Buzz Bite II

Where to Eat on Valentine’s Day

Impress your beloved with dinner at one of these romantic restaurants.

STAGE

Nestle into one of its plush booths or enjoy our wonderful winter weather on its lush outdoor patio and be transported to all corners of the world with its globally inspired dishes. 5377 Town Center Road, Boca Raton; 561/409-2376; stagekitchenandbar.com

SIX TABLES

At this petite restaurant, you will be wined and dined. The four-course menu offers dishes for every palate and includes a welcome complimentary glass of sparkling wine. Cheers to that. 112 N.E. Second St., Boca Raton; sixtables.com

LA NOUVELLE MAISON

This French restaurant delivers classic dishes in a contemporary, vibey ambiance that’s both très chic and delicious. 455 E. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton; lnmbocaraton.com

—Christie Galeano-DeMott

Josie’s Italian Ristorante— 650 E. Woolbright Road. Italian. This cozy, family-owned restaurant is looking better than ever after a renovation that gave its dining room a more modern, elegant atmosphere in which to enjoy chef Mark Militello’s classic Italian fare. It’s easy to fill up on the hearty portions of its pasta and meat entrees, but be sure to save room for dessert to try the absolutely decadent sixteen layer chocolate cake. In the cooler months, opt for patio seating for waterfront views. • Lunch Mon.-Sat. Dinner nightly. 561/364-9601. $$

Prime Catch —700 E. Woolbright Road. Seafood Waterfront restaurants are few and far between in our neck of the woods, and those with good food are even more rare. Prime Catch, at the foot of the Woolbright bridge on the Intracoastal, is a best-kept secret. The simple pleasures here soar—a perfectly grilled piece of mahi or bouillabaisse overflowing with tender fish. Don’t miss one of the best Key lime pies around. • Lunch and dinner daily, Sunday brunch. 561/737-8822. $$

Sushi Simon 1628 S. Federal Highway. Japanese. It’s been called “Nobu North” by some aficionados, and for good reason. Local sushi-philes jam the narrow dining room for such impeccable

“Before you and your staff from Boca Nursing Services started taking care of Helen and I, we existed; now we are living again! Thank you, Rose.”

-Dr. K.D.

Offering Quality Private Duty Nursing Care and Care

Serving Broward, Palm Beach, Martin & St. Lucie Counties

342 E. Palmetto Park Rd., Suites 1 & 2 Boca Raton, FL 33432 (561) 347-7566 Fax (561) 347-7567

255 Sunrise Avenue, Suite 200 Palm Beach, FL 33480 (561) 833-3430 Fax (561) 833-3460

nigirizushi as hamachi and uni (Thursdays), as well as more elaborate dishes like snapper Morimoto and tuna tartare. Creative, elaborate rolls are a specialty. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/731-1819. $$

DELRAY BEACH

50 Ocean—50 S. Ocean Blvd. Seafood. The former Upper Deck at Boston’s on the Beach is now the more upscale, seafood-oriented spot. The menu ranges from familiar to slightly more inventive, from a classic lobster bisque and crisp-tender fried clam bellies to rock shrimp pot pie and baked grouper topped with blue crab. The cinnamon-dusted beignets are puffs of amazingly delicate deep-fried air and should not under any circumstances be missed. • Lunch Mon.-Sat. Dinner nightly. Brunch Sun. 561/278-3364. $$

800 Palm Trail Grill—800 Palm Trail. American. This contemporary space is serving up American fare and classic cocktails. The menu has a steak-and-seafood-house feel to it but without any stuffiness. Instead, you’ll find dishes that entice the palate, like the loaded baked potato eggrolls and Wagyu boneless short rib. • Lunch and dinner daily, with patio dining. 561/865-5235. $$$

Akira Back —233 NE Second Ave. Japanese. Chef Akira Back’s Seoul restaurant earned a Michelin star a few years ago and now he’s showcasing his talented take on Japanese cuisine at his namesake restaurant inside The Ray hotel. Born in Korea and raised in Colorado, Back blends his heritage with Japanese flavors and techniques he has mastered to deliver dishes that are unique to him. With plates made to be shared, the menu is divided into cold and hot starters followed by rolls, nigiri/sashimi, robata grill, mains and fried rice. Dinner. 561/739-1708. $$$$

Amar Mediterranean Kitchen & Bar —25 S.E. Sixth Ave. Mediterranean. No longer a quaint bistro, this new version is buzzing with energy while still as charming and welcoming as ever. Dishes deliver solid, bright flavors that honor owner Nicolas Kurban’s Lebanese roots, as his family recipes take center stage alongside Mediterranean favorites that have been elevated with slight tweaks. On some evenings, there is belly dancing entertainment. • Dinner nightly. 561/865-5653. $$

Avalon Beach House—110 E. Atlantic Ave. Contemporary American. This steakhouse was transformed into a chic coastal haven for seafood and lively cocktails. Its menu features a variety of casual dishes like ahi tuna poke, fish tacos, double smash burger and short rib ragu. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/593-2500. $$

Bamboo

Fire Cafe —149 N.E. Fourth Ave. Caribbean. The Jacobs family joyously shares its Latin and Caribbean culture through food that’s bursting with bright island aromas and flavors. Tostones, plantain fries and jerk meatballs share the menu with curry pork, oxtail and conch. A quintessential Delray gem. • Dinner Wed.-Sun. 561/749-0973. $

Beg for More Izakaya —19 S.E. Fifth Ave. Japanese Small Plates. The large sake, whisky and beer menu here pairs beautifully with the small plates full of everything except sushi. No sushi. And that’s fine. Try the takoyaki (octopus balls), the crispy salmon tacos and anything with the addictive kimchi, such as the kimchi fried rice. There are pasta, teriyaki and simmered duck with bok choy dishes—or 16 varieties of yakitori (food on skewers). You’ll be back to beg for more. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/563-8849. $$

Bourbon Steak

1000 E. Atlantic Ave. Steakhouse. Acclaimed chef Michael Mina’s second outpost of his famous steakhouse features a sophisticated coastal aesthetic that’s both bright and relaxed. Start

with Mina’s signature duck fat fries, then enjoy a USDA prime hormone-free steak or local fish dish that will be complemented by impeccable service. Dinner nightly. 561/656-8070. $$$$

Brulé Bistro —200 N.E. Second Ave. Contemporary American. This Pineapple Grove favorite always has satisfying dishes. Its specialties include crab tortellini with black truffles, chicken meatballs with coconut broth and cashews, plus signature dessert pistachio crème brùlée. Spirits and house cocktails steeped in speakeast style are paired with an ever-changing menu. Outside tables offer the best option for conversation. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/274-2046. $$

Burt & Max’s —9089 W. Atlantic Ave. Contemporary American. This bastion of contemporary comfort food in west Delray is approaching local landmark status, forging its own menu while borrowing a few dishes from Max’s Grille, like the hearty chopped salad and bacon-wrapped meatloaf. Other dishes are variations on the comfort food theme, including a stellar truffle-scented wild mushroom pizza. • Dinner nightly. Sunday brunch. 561/638-6380. $$

Caffe Luna Rosa—34 S. Ocean Blvd. Italian. This multiple Delray Beach-award winning restaurant has sparkling service, comfort food taken to a higher level, and a setting just steps from the Atlantic. A success from day one, they dish up big flavors in a tiny space, so call for reservations. Try the calamari fritto misto, then the rigatoni pomodoro and leave room for dessert. Or come back for breakfast. • Open daily from breakfast through dinner. 561/274-9404. $$

Buzz Bite III

National Tortellini Day

Celebrate all the pillowy goodness of this Italian dish on Feb. 13. Originally from the Emilia-Romagna region in the northern part of the country, the pasta’s hometowns include culinary superstars like Bologna and Modena. If you can’t make it to Italy this month, indulge at one of these local restaurants.

POSITANO’S: A Boca staple for the last 20 years, its tortellini is served with mushrooms, ham and peas in a light cream sauce. 4400 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton; 561/391-2120; positanosboca.com

CASA L’ACQUA: This tortellini dish features shallots, prosciutto and Parmesan cheese (also originally from the same region). 9 S.E. Seventh Ave., Delray Beach; 561/563-7492; lacquaristoranteitaliano.com

SAN LORENZO: Trust us, this tortellini makes venturing down to Miami worth it. You will be rewarded with a decadent dish that comes with more indulgent surprises. There’s no menu here, so all you need to decide is if you want fish or meat, and the rest is taken care of. That includes an impressive antipasto spread and the housemade pasta. 629 N.E. 78th St., Miami; 786/828-7136; sanlorenzo.com

—Christie Galeano-DeMott

Shore Thing

The South Beach Wine & Food Festival Celebrates 25 Years

Written by CHRISTIE GALEANO-DEMOTT

The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival, known for its culinary star power and impressive philanthropic efforts, is back Feb. 19-22. Presented by Capital One, SOBEWFF is celebrating its 25th anniversary by bringing together more than 500 chefs and musical artists spread across countless events, and it’s even venturing back up north with two Broward County dinners.

The two events closest to home are both on Thursday, February 19. Choose from an Italian feast co-hosted by chef Anthony Vitolo at his Fort Lauderdale outpost, Vitolo, alongside Food Network star chef Alex Guarnaschelli. If you’re craving beef, opt for dinner on Las Olas at Daniel’s, A Florida Steakhouse, which has garnered a lot of attention recently and for good reason. Its chef, Danny Ganem, welcomes chef and restaurateur John Tesar for a memorable evening inspired by wood-fired cuisine.

New and noteworthy events to move to the top of your list include the dessert-only Let Them Eat Cake celebration of the festival’s 25th birthday, a festive Afro-Caribbean evening hosted by Nina Compton and Kwame Onwuachi, a block party at ZeyZey hosted by Mr. Eats 305, Masters of Fire hosted by Tyler Florence, and a late-night pizza party with supermodel Ashley Graham. For those who love pairing music with their food, the Diplo LIVE latenight concert is one that shouldn’t be missed.

The festival’s staple events are also back, like its massive Goya Foods’ Grand Village Tasting beachside, the meat-centric Burger Bash hosted by Rachael Ray, Asian Night Market hosted by Jet Tila and Aarti Sequeira, Guy Fieri’s Tournament of Champions LIVE, Overtown Brunch with Marcus Samuelsson, and Tacos & Tequila hosted by Aarón Sánchez.

Let’s not forget that this remarkable undertaking and the convergence of such exceptional talent serve as a fundraiser for Florida International University’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management. To date, the festival has raised more than $45 million for culinary and hospitality-focused classes and programs for students. sobewff.org

Campi Italian—233 N.E. Second Ave. Italian. The Ray Hotel’s Campi Italian exudes a warm, relaxing ambiance. It’s perfect for an aperitivo and excels in pasta. Contemporary glass chandeliers illuminate its swanky bar and cozy rattan booths, while crisp white tablecloths adorn the tables. • Dinner nightly. 561/576-8366. $$$

Casa L’Acqua Ristorante Italiano —9 S.E. Seventh Ave. Italian. Casa L’Acqua is touted as a fine-dining establishment, and correctly so; diners can expect white tablecloths, tuxedoed staff and attentive service. The wine list is Italian-focused but does offer a variety of bottles from around the world, and each dish is expertly prepared with sizable portions. The main dining room, with its vibey bar and wine cellar, is cozy, and so is its fully enclosed patio in the back. • Dinner nightly. 561/563-7492. $$

City Oyster —213 E. Atlantic Ave. Seafood. This stylish mainstay of Big Time Restaurant Group serves up reasonably priced seafood that never disappoints, such as shrimp and grits with a jumbo crab cake. This is the place to see and be seen in Delray, and the food lives up to its profile. • Lunch Mon.–Sun. Dinner nightly. Outdoor dining. 561/272-0220. $$

Coco Sushi Lounge & Bar —25 N.E. Second Ave., Suite 208. Asian. Local hospitality veterans Tina Wang and chef Jason Zheng continue to grow their restaurant empire with this concept. The extensive menu caters to any palate, dietary restriction or craving and features both traditional and creative dishes. Soups and salads lead into sushi selections and appetizers divided into cool and hot. Cooked and raw rolls are followed by rice, noodle, land and sea entrée options. • Dinner Mon.-Sat. Sunday brunch. 561/926-9434. $$

Cut 432—432 E. Atlantic Ave. Steakhouse. Hipper decor, a more casual vibe and an inventive take on steak-house favorites make this sleek restaurant just different enough to be interesting. Starters such as ceviche (prepared Peruvian style) and ultrarich oysters Rockefeller are first-rate, while the wet-aged beef is appropriately tender and tasty. • Dinner nightly. 561/272-9898. $$$

DADA —52 N. Swinton Ave. Contemporary. You’ll find playful dishes that are artfully crafted and warm hospitality in this historic home. Start with its famous dates, and for a comforting dish that won’t disappoint, try the meatloaf. Its cheeky interiors are a nod to the namesake art movement, yet the home’s history is also reflected in its lived-in wood floors and stone fireplace. • Dinner nightly, brunch Sundays. 561/330-3232. $$

Deck 84—840 E. Atlantic Ave. Contemporary American Burt Rapoport’s ode to laid-back tropical dining is like a day at the beach without getting sand between your toes. Though the restaurant is casual, the kitchen takes its food seriously, whether the stellar flatbreads, the thick and juicy 10-ounce special blend burger or homey seasonal cobbler. And the waterfront location just seems to make everything taste better. • Lunch Mon.–Fri. Brunch Sat.–Sun. Dinner nightly. 561/665-8484. $

Drift—10 N. Ocean Blvd. American. Inside the Opal Grand Resort & Spa, the restaurant’s coastal décor is polished with warm woods, textured stone walls, rope detailing and living walls. The bar is spacious, and several nooks overlook the ocean and the buzzy Atlantic Avenue. The all-day menu covers all the bases. You’ll find easy dishes to snack on after the beach, or if you’re craving an extended Happy Hour experience, enjoy the

cheese board, hummus, baked oysters and poke alongside casual burgers, flatbreads and salads. The entrées offer something for everyone, including chicken, steak, lamb and fish. Lunch and dinner daily. 561/274-3289. $$

Eathai —1832 S. Federal Highway. Thai. If you’re craving approachable and affordable Thai food, put Eathai at the top of your list. While you can expect to find curries, noodles, soups and fried rice on the menu, the dishes here aren’t the typical ones you’ll find around town. Indulge in the Thai Chicken French Toasted or Crispy Duck Breast with Lychee Curry Sauce or Oxtail Basil Fried Rice to savor the true talent of owner and chef Sopanut Sopochana. • Lunch and dinner daily, except Tuesday. 561/270-3156. $

El Camino —15 N.E. Second Ave. Mexican. This sexy, bustling downtown spot is from the trio behind nearby Cut 432 and Park Tavern. Fresh, quality ingredients go into everything from the tangy tomatillo salsas to the world-class fish tacos clad in delicate fried skin, set off by tart pineapple salsa. Cinnamon and sugar-dusted churros are the perfect dessert. And check out the margaritas, especially the smoky blend of mezcal and blanco tequila. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/865-5350. $$

Elisabetta’s —32 E. Atlantic Ave. Italian. An ornate Italian spot, with classically prepared dishes including spiedini shrimp, burrata de prosciutto bruschetta, costoletta di vitello (veal), a guanciale pizza, cacio e pepe pasta, malfadine Amatriciana and gemelli puttanesca. Portions are large and that, thankfully, goes for the homemade gelati, too. The best seating outdoors is the second-floor balcony overlooking Atlantic Avenue. • Lunch and dinner daily; weekend brunch. 561/560-6699. $$

The Grove —187 N.E. Second Ave. Contemporary American. The Grove, which has been tucked inside the tranquil Pineapple Grove district for nearly a decade, continues to surprise diners with its vibrant dishes. The upscale but casually comfortable nook has an international wine list that spans the globe and a seasonal menu that’s succinct and well thought out. • Dinner Tues.-Sat. 561/266-3750. $$

The Hampton Social —40 N.E. Seventh Ave. American. The Hampton Social is known for its “rosé all day” tagline, but it doesn’t just slay its rosé; its food is equally as tempting. It does a standout job of incorporating its casual coastal aesthetic into not just its décor but also its menu, from its seafood-centric dishes to its droll cocktail names like the vodka-forward I Like It a Yacht. • Lunch and dinner daily, weekend brunch. 561/404-1155. $$

Henry’s —16850 Jog Road. American. This casual, unpretentious restaurant in the west part of town never fails to delight diners. Expect attentive service and crisp execution of everything—from meat loaf, burgers and fried chicken to flatbreads and hefty composed salads. • Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner nightly. 561/638-1949. $$

Il Girasole —2275 S. Federal Highway. Northern Italian If you want Northern Italian in a low-key atmosphere, and nobody rushing you out the door, this is your spot. Start with something from the very good wine list. Try the yellowtail snapper, the penne Caprese and the capellini Gamberi, and leave room for the desserts. Reservations recommended. • Dinner Tues.–Sun. 561/272-3566. $$

J&J Seafood Bar & Grill —634 E. Atlantic Ave. Seafood. This local favorite on Atlantic Avenue—owned by John Hutchinson (who is also the chef) and wife Tina—serves up everything from burgers and wraps to a menu brimming with seafood options. Don’t forget to inquire about the stunning array of 10 specials—every night. This is is a bona fide local go-to spot that never disappoints. • Lunch and dinner Tues.–Sat. 561/272-3390. $$

Jimmy’s Bistro —9 S. Swinton Ave. International. Jimmy’s Bistro is a casual neighborhood concept serving consistently delightful dishes from a diverse menu that can transport diners to Italy with house-made pasta or Asia with its delicate dumplings and tender duck. • Dinner nightly. 561/865-5774. $$$

Joseph’s Wine Bar —200 N.E. Second Ave. Mediterranean-American. Joseph’s is an elegant, comfortable, intimate nook in Delray’s Pineapple Grove, and an ideal place for a lazy evening. This family affair—owner Joseph Boueri, wife Margaret in the kitchen, and son Elie and daughter Romy working the front of the house—has all tastes covered. Try the special cheese platter, the duck a l’orange or the rack of lamb. • Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner nightly. 561/272-6100. $$

La Cigale —253 S.E. Fifth Ave. Mediterranean Popular venue since 2001, with Greek and Italian dishes and more. Highlights are seafood paella, roasted half duck and grilled jumbo artichoke appetizer. Lots of favorites on the menu: calf’s liver, veal osso buco, branzino, seafood crepes. Nice outdoor seating if weather permits. • Dinner Mon.–Sat. 561/265-0600. $$

Latitudes —2809 S. Ocean Blvd. Modern American. You should come for both the sunset and the food. This oceanfront restaurant is a gem tucked inside the Delray Sands resort. From the airy, bubbly interior to the raw bar, the décor is soothing and fun. Try the lobster and crab stuffed shrimp, the miso-glazed Skuna Bay salmon, the branzino or the veal Bolognese. • Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. 561/278-6241. $$$

Le Colonial 601 E. Atlantic Ave. Vietnamese French. Le Colonial radiates classic elegance that is as sophisticated as it is comfortable. Created to showcase Vietnamese cuisine and its French influences, Le Colonial has a standout method of curating classic Vietnamese dishes that appeal to various palates, from meat lovers and pescatarians to vegetarians. The space immediately transports you back to Saigon’s tropical paradise of the 1920s. Lush birds of paradise and palms line the halls that lead into intimate dining nooks throughout the 7,000-square-foot restaurant.• Lunch (on weekends) and dinner daily. 561/566-1800. $$$

Lefkes Estiatorio —33 S.E. Third Ave. Greek. This redesigned space, inside the former Delray Beach Market food hall, is home to Greek wines, traditional Greek classics, and a few contemporary takes on the cuisine. Make sure to save room for the baklava. If you’re looking for a lively late-night Mykonos vibe, complete with napkin throwing and pulsating tunes, Lefkes also delivers. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/908-2331. $$$

Lemongrass Bistro—420 E. Atlantic Ave. Pan-Asian Casually hip ambience, friendly service, moderate prices and a blend

of sushi and nouveau pan-Asian fare make this a popular destination. The quality of its seafood and care in its preparation are what gives Lemongrass its edge. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/567-0442. (Other Palm Beach County locations: 101 Plaza Real S., Boca Raton, 561/5448181; 1880 N. Congress Ave., Boynton Beach, 561/733-1344). $

Lulu’s —189 N.E. Second Ave. American. Lulu’s in Pineapple Grove offers a relaxed ambiance with unfussy, approachable food. The quaint café is open every day and serves an all-day menu including breakfast until 3 p.m. and a selection of appetizers, sandwiches, salads and entrées that are ideal for an executive lunch, lively tapas happy hour, casual dinner or late night snack (until 2 a.m.). • Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. 561/453-2628. $

MIA Kitchen & Bar —7901 W. Atlantic Ave. Contemporary American. Owner Joey Lograsso and chef Jason Binder have curated a balanced choreography of fascinating yet approachable dishes. The menu travels the world from Italy to Asia and showcases Binder’s formal training with elevated dishes that are exceptionally executed. It’s vibey with a great playlist, and the design, reminiscent of a cool Wynwood bar, is industrial with exposed ducts, reclaimed wood and sculptural filament chandeliers. It’s a place that amps up all your senses. • Dinner Tues.-Sun. 561/499-2200. $$$

The Office —201 E. Atlantic Ave. Contemporary American. Your office is nothing like this eclectic gastropub, unless your office sports more than two dozen craft beers on tap and a menu that flits from burgers and fries to mussels. Don’t miss the restaurant’s winning take on the thick, juicy Prime beef burger and simply wicked maple-frosted donuts with bacon bits and two dipping sauces. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/2783796. $$

Papa’s Tapas —259 N.E. Second Ave. Spanish. This family-owned restaurant will make you feel welcomed, and its cuisine will satisfy your craving for Spanish tapas. Start with a few shareable plates and then enjoy a hearty paella that’s bursting with a selection of seafood, chicken or vegetables. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat., dinner Sun. 561/266-0599. $

Park Tavern —32 S.E. Second Ave. Contemporary American. Check out the high-top seating or bar stools during an excellent happy hour menu that includes deviled eggs, pork sliders, chicken wings and a happy crowd. Entrees are generous and well executed. Try the fish and chips, one of six burgers, fish tacos and more. • Dinner nightly. Brunch Sat.-Sun. 561/265-5093. $$

Rose’s Daughter —169 N.E. Second Ave. Italian. Chef-owner Suzanne Perrotto, who also owns Brulé Bistro, celebrates her family’s Italian roots and its beloved recipes here—especially when it comes to her house-made pizza and pasta. Perrotto’s famous short rib pappardelle was even featured on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” Dinner Wed.-Sun. • 561/271-9423. $$

Sazio —131 E. Atlantic Ave. Italian. This long-lived venue on crowded Atlantic Avenue is a reason to sit down and take a breath. Then take up a fork and try the linguine with white clam sauce or the ravioli Sazio or grilled skirt steak or pretty much anything on the menu. Prices are reasonable; leftovers are popular. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/272-5540. $$

Table 165 —165 N.E. Second Ave. Contemporary. The quaint Pineapple Grove restaurant is a contrast of moody drama and glowing cheeriness with its vintage Art Nouveau bar and dazzling adjacent dining room. Chef Coton Stine’s continued advocacy for locally sourced ingredients and her enthusiastic support for our Florida farms really shine here in dishes like the seafood rassa. • Dinner Wed.-Mon. 561/266-3629. $$$

Taki Omakase —632 E. Atlantic Ave. Japanese. Taki Omakase, a shining example of omakase done right, has opened not one but two locations in our community (the other is at 1658 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton). It is pricy—an experience is more than $100 per person—but it’s worth it, with one caveat: You must enthusiastically love eating raw fish. Every night is different because it prides itself on importing fish, meat and seasonal ingredients from Japan that arrive daily. So, if you do pine for the delicacies of the sea, buckle in and get ready for the talented chefs at Taki Omakase to guide you through a culinary journey unlike anything else.• Dinner nightly, lunch hour Fri.-Sun. 561/759-7362. $$$$

Terra Fiamma—9169 W. Atlantic Ave. Italian. The pleasures of simple, well-prepared Italian-American cuisine are front and center here. Enjoy the delicate, pillow-y veal meatballs in Marsala sauce; lusty chicken Allessandro with mushrooms, spinach and artichoke hearts; and a finely crafted tiramisu that’s as satisfying as it is familiar. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/495-5570. $$

Tramonti —119 E. Atlantic Ave. Italian. In a world where restaurants chase trends with the relentlessness of Casanova in full Viagra heat, Tramonti stands out as a classic outpost of authentic Italian cookery. Not trendy hardly means stodgy, however, as evidenced by expertly crafted, robustly flavorful dishes like the signature spiedini di mozzarella Romana, spaghetti al cartoccio and braciole Napoletana. Torta della nonna is a triumph of the highly refined simplicity that lies at the heart of true Italian cuisine. • Lunch Mon.–Sat. Dinner nightly. 561/272-1944. $$$

Vic & Angelo’s —290 E. Atlantic Ave. Italian. People watching is a staple ingredient here, a complement to the

Italian fare. The wine menu is robust, mainly grounded in Italy but with choices from around the world. Larger than personal pies, thin-crust pizzas are family-friendly, while you won’t want to share the Quattro Formaggi Tortellini, fluffy purses filled with al dente pear and topped with truffle cream. For a protein, try the traditional chicken parmigiana, a hearty portion of paper-thin breaded chicken breast topped with a subtly sweet San Marzano sauce under a gooey layer of fresh mozzarella, and a substantial side of linguine pomodoro. If you have room for dessert, the classic sweets include cannoli and tiramisu. • Dinner nightly; brunch weekends. 561/278-9570. $$

LAKE WORTH BEACH

Oceano Kitchen —512 Lucerne Ave. Contemporary American. Chefs and owners Jeremy and Cindy Bearman, James Beard-nominated toques who trained under rock stars such as Daniel Boulud and Joel Robuchon, have a talent for crafting a simple daily menu of ever-changing dishes that explode with flavors and are curated with thoughtfulness and the utmost detail. Genuine hospitality is at the core of their restaurant. Dinner Tues.Sat. 561/400-7418. $$$

Paradiso Ristorante —625 Lucerne Ave. Italian. A Tomasz Rut mural dominates the main dining room, and there is also a pasticceria and bar for gelato and espresso. Chef Angelo Romano offers a modern Italian menu. The Mediterranean salt-crusted branzino is definitely a musttry. Plus, the wine list is a veritable tome. • Lunch and dinner daily. 561/547-2500. $$$

LANTANA

Ravish Off Ocean —210 E. Ocean Ave. International. Ravish Off Ocean is a delightful dining experience less than a mile from the powdery sands of South Palm Beach. The coastal vibes are evident here with sea-inspired options like local fish ceviche, tuna tartare, fish tacos and a daily catch. • Dinner nightly, Sunday brunch. 561/588-2444. $$

The Station House —233 Lantana Road. Seafood. If you’re hungry for Maine lobster, plucked live out of giant tanks and cooked to order, this modest replica of a 1920s train station is the place to go. Lobsters come in all sizes (up to 6 pounds) and are reasonably priced. • Dinner nightly. 561/801-5000. $$

PALM BEACH

Acqua Café —2875 S Ocean Blvd. Italian. This quaint neighborhood restaurant serves quality Italian favorites with a coastal twist. It’s part of the Al Fresco Hospitality Group portfolio, which also includes Via Mizner’s legendary Renato’s.• Lunch and dinner daily, weekend brunch. 561/547-0005. $$$

WEB EXTRA: check out our complete tri-county dining guide only at BOCAMAG.COM

•

•

• Want medical support and lifestyle coaching

• Looking for long-term

not quick fixes

• Embarrassed of

to weight-loss

• GLP 1 medically supervised weight

• Nutritionist support

• Health coach support

• EMS muscle building

• Non-Surgical skin tightening

THE WAIT IS OVER

GLAZER HALL’s debut season is here, delivering a truly grand experience with a star-studded lineup of unforgettable performances.

FEBRUARY 2026

FEBRUARY 4

Chazz Palminteri: A Bronx Tale

FEBRUARY 5

Preservation Hall Jazz Band

FEBRUARY 7

Matthew Morrison: Rhythms & Revelations

FEBRUARY 10

Pilobolus Modern Dance Company

FEBRUARY 11

The Sixties Show 2026 North American Tour

FEBRUARY 13

Paula Poundstone

From the #1 NPR show, Wait Wait...Don’t Tell Me

FEBRUARY 15

Gipsy Kings

Featuring Nicolas Reyes

FEBRUARY 19

Direct From Sweden: The Music of ABBA SOLD OUT

FEBRUARY 24

Bruce Weber: My Education A multimedia discussion. Join this iconic photographer with special guests!

FEBRUARY 25

Ron Delsener Presents A film about the king of rock. Q&A with Director Jake Sumner.

MARCH 2026

MARCH 1

Walter Isaacson: The Greatest Sentence Ever Written

MARCH 3

Judy Collins GRAMMY Award® Winner

MARCH 5

The Irish Tenors Irish music, opera, and more.

MARCH 6

Brubeck Brothers Quartet Celebrating 100+ years of Dave Brubeck!

MARCH 7

The Marshall Tucker Band

MARCH 14

All Things Equal: The Life & Trials of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

MARCH 15

Masters of Illusion Believe the Impossible

MARCH 18

Splish Splash! The Music of Bobby Darin

MARCH 22

Emmylou Harris 15-time GRAMMY Award® Winner

MARCH 25

Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood: Asking for Trouble Tour

MARCH 27

3 Decades Rewind Relive iconic classic rock hits live!

MARCH 28

The Beach Boys Two Shows!

MARCH 30

Renée Fleming

An intimate evening of piano and songs.

AND MORE TO COME!

Join us as a sponsor, donor, or member, and help our nonprofit performing arts center inspire, educate, and connect our community through the arts.

MAYORS BALL

WHERE: The Boca Raton

WHAT: In celebration of Boca Raton’s centennial, this year’s Mayors Ball was billed as the “Party of the Century”—and it certainly didn’t disappoint. More than 500 guests packed The Boca Raton for the Rotary Club Downtown Boca Raton’s annual bash, enjoying an evening of dining, drinking and dancing. Among the honorees of the 10th-annual Mayors Ball were Town Center at Boca Raton, The Addison, the George Snow Scholarship Fund, Gary Peters, George Brown and Jon Kaye. More than $525,000 was raised from the event, all of which benefited 20 local nonprofits through the Rotary Club’s Service Above Self grants. Boca magazine was a proud magazine sponsor.

CP GROUP’S ANNUAL TREE LIGHTING & HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA

WHERE: Boca Raton Innovation Campus

WHAT: Boca Raton Innovation Campus (BRiC) transformed into a winter wonderland to ring in the holiday season. Presented by CP Group and emceed by Emmy-winning journalist and CBS12 anchor Liz Quirantes, the festivities kicked off with Santa Claus parachuting in as guests wandered through the “Polar Express”-themed grounds. From face painting and magic shows to live performances and a snowman bounce house, there was plenty of holiday cheer to be had ahead of the lighting of BRiC’s 40-foot Christmas tree. The holiday extravaganza also included a meet-andgreet with Santa and some “reindeer in training”—puppies from Justin Bartlett Animal Rescue—as well as birdhouse painting with Habitat for Humanity and artNEST Studios and letter writing to Santa with the Boca Raton Historical Society. Nonprofit beneficiaries for this year’s holiday fête were Spirit of Giving, which collected more than 400 toys from attendees, and the Junior League of Boca Raton, which received $8,000 from the sale of VIP tickets to the event. Sponsors included Boca magazine, CBS12, Baptist Health, BCN Telecom, Elite Maintenance & Management and more.

Meet-and-greet with Mr. and Mrs. Claus

Event emcee CBS12 Anchor Liz Quirantes

Trackless train rides

4: The Junior League of Boca Raton, one of the night’s benefactors of the event, gave away books to attendees as part of its Raising Readers initiative

5: City Councilmember Marc Wigder, Deputy Mayor Fran Nachlas and City Councilmember Yvette Drucker presenting a key to the City of Boca Raton to CP Group Founding and Managing Partner Angelo Bianco (second from left)

BOCA MAGAZINE’S 561 FACES EVENT

WHERE: Clive Daniel Home Boca Raton

WHAT: Boca magazine celebrated the local entrepreneurs of its awardwinning 561 Faces section with a cocktail party at Clive Daniel Home in Boca Raton. After dropping their keys at the valet—where Champion Porsche parked a dazzling display of cars—guests mingled over bites from Potions in Motions and walked the red carpet sponsored by South Florida Center for Periodontics & Implant Dentistry. Attendees also got a sneak peek at the latest wear from local fashionista Michelle Farmer, jammed to live tunes by Bismarck Morgan, and had their likenesses drawn by artist Ray Rusotto. A portion of proceeds from the evening’s auction benefited Place of Hope and its mission of supporting local children in need.

1: Andrew Hagen and Susan Hagen, Kori Ernst, Karen Swedenborg

2: Nalle Grinda, Krystel Cotard

3: Dr. Jeffrey Ganeles, Lori Berman

4: Jonathan Rosenberg, David Rosenberg

5: Madeline Diaz, Skyler Ruth

6: Elizabeth Bennett, Jim Day

7: Esmeralda Farache, Ritzy Christensen

8: Alan Kaye, Margie Kaye, Vice Mayor Fran Nachlas, Bonnie Kaye

9: Briana Stockton, Dr. Janet Allenby, Linda Moore, Ashley Jackson

10: Karla Haemmerle, Dr. Devon Bard, Allie Kuessner

11: Krista Rosenberg, Nicole Ruth, Gail Eagle, Alexandra Gonzalez, Luisa Monteverde, Michelle Farmer, Jennifer Statler

12: Maria Giraldi, Barry Tartarkin

13: Vincent and Rosaria Gismondi, Laura Malone, Troy McLellan

February 2026 issue. Vol. 46 No. 2. The following are trademarks in the state of Florida of JES Media, and any use of these trademarks without the express written consent of JES Media is strictly prohibited: Savor the Avenue; Tastemakers of Delray; Tastemakers at Mizner; Florida Style and Design; Delray Beach magazine; Boca Raton, South Florida At Its Best; bocamag.com; Florida Table; Boca Raton magazine. Boca (ISSN0740-2856) is published 8 times a year (September/October, November/December, January, February, March, April, May/June and July/August) by JES Media. Editorial, advertising and administrative offices: 1000 Clint Moore Road, Suite 103, Boca Raton, FL, 33487. Telephone: 561/997-8683. Please address all editorial and advertising correspondence to the above address. Periodicals postage paid at Boca Raton, Fla., and additional mailing offices. Subscriptions: $24.95/8 issues, $34.95/16 issues (shipping fee included for one- and two-year rates). Single copy $6.95. No whole or part of the content may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission of Boca magazine, excepting individually copyrighted articles and photographs. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Boca magazine, P.O. Box 820, Boca Raton, FL 33429-9943.

PRESENTS ITS 16TH ANNUAL GALA

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

CELEBRATING THE BRIDGE TO HOPE FOR OUR MILITARY HEROES

Beneath twinkling lights and surrounded by wonder, guests will enjoy entertainment, a captivating keynote, a dazzling live auction, dining, and dancing—all in support of our nation’s wounded, ill, and injured service members and their families. This Gala honors the more than 45,000 military families we’ve supported since 2005 and stands as a bridge of hope for the 5,000 families we serve each year—paving the way for continued strength and empowerment.

Thank You to Our Current Gala Sponsors:

Liberty Sponsor: Matan Family Foundation

Eagle Sponsors: Quinn Family Foundation

Hilton • Bill & Marcie Scott

Valor Sponsors: Tom & Andrea Lynch

Honor Sponsor: 540.co

Photography Sponsor: Chase Plastics

Program Sponsors: Ken & Arleen Grossman

Yellow Ribbon Fund (YRF) is a 501(c)3 veteran service organization dedicated to serving severely ill and injured post9/11 wounded service members and their families from every branch of the United States Military following unexpected medical crises. Your support is crucial in ensuring our nation’s disabled veterans, their caregivers, and families receive the ongoing care and resources they need on their lifelong journey of recovery. By joining our mission, you are helping to fill vital gaps in care for those who have sacrificed so much.

Date: Friday, February 27, 2026

Time: 6-11 P.M.

Venue: The Boca Raton

Website: YellowRibbonFund.org/Events

Official Magazine Sponsor: Boca Raton Magazine

UAE & ISRAEL MISSION PATHWAYS TO PARTNERSHIP

OCTOBER 11-19, 2026*

From $11,999 Double occupancy/Land only

Luxury hotels Dubai: Address Sky View | Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental | Jerusalem: Waldorf Astoria

HIGHLIGHTS

UAE

ƒ Explore Dubai’s vibrant culture and innovative history at landmark sites

ƒ Connect with local Jewish community leaders in Dubai

ƒ Visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, a symbol of architectural beauty

ƒ Discover interfaith harmony at the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi

ƒ Meet Israeli and U.S. ambassadors shaping regional diplomacy ISRAEL

ƒ Community Shabbat in Jerusalem

ƒ Dialogue with Israeli thought leaders on peace, diplomacy, and regional futures

ƒ Private VIP Tour at Museum of Tolerance for the 75 Years of Innovation exhibit

ƒ Celebrate Israel’s past, present, and future Contact Jennifer Koenig, JenniferK@jewishboca.org (561) 852-3129 or scan QR code.

A minimum household gift of $18,000 to the 2027 Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County Annual Campaign is required to participate.

*Mission programming will begin at noon on October 12

True Colors

Maybe the real American love story comes from all over the world

Written by MARIE SPEED

Ijust read that the richest man in the world confessed he was afraid that the “white race” was facing extinction. I’ve heard these things before, and I’ve heard people lament the entire notion of the American “melting pot” we were once proud of. But I’m not here to address politics. Or racism. Or why I think this is a deeply curious—if not ludicrous—statement in the first place.

Nope, this is a love letter (it’s February, you know) to all the “others” so many these days want to demonize. The people who have come into my life who are not DAR-certified American Anglo-Saxons. Some are white. Some are not. But all have origin stories that do not date back to 1776 Philadelphia.

Like Mary Thompson, the African-American woman who helped raise my brother and I while dad was at work and my mother was confined to her bed during her pregnancy with my sister. Mary made the best pancakes we’d ever had and patiently brushed and braided my long, tangly hair every day—even when I was a complete brat. And I was. She never wavered in her kindness or in her deep good humor.

Or twins Leah and Linda Tirabassi from seventh grade, my best friends in junior high. Their parents were part of a large Italian group that migrated to St. Petersburg from Pennsylvania and started a myriad of businesses in town. The Tirabassis gathered every holiday with the Bonfilis, the Valentys, the Donatellis (including the great Major League umpire Augie Donatelli) and more at their house. They were loud and fun, and the men smoked cigars and talked politics, and the women sipped Grasshoppers in another room and shared family news.

It was exhilarating.

So, I would have Thanksgiving at my house and then ride my bike over to Leah and Linda’s to have a second one there. Leah’s mother introduced me to real Italian pasta, Genoa salami (sliced paper-thin) and a million other things.

There were Beatrice and Mario Aldana, from Guatemala. Beatrice was a dark-haired French dancer born in Paris

with enormous blue eyes who taught me by example the meaning of sheer grace (I never learned it) and the importance of wearing fine perfume rather than the American ones that only smelled“like a good soap.”

There was Caridad Asensio, a Cuban woman who co-founded an entire free clinic for the working poor in Palm Beach County.

And journalist Wilkine Brutus, of Haitian descent, who used to pitch me story ideas when I was editor of this magazine and he was barely out of school (he signed every note “One Love, Wilkine”). And now Wilkine is a big-time correspondent with NPR, and he explains my world to me every week on the radio.

There is Delray’s Maria Nhambu, a beautiful African dancer/author who taught me the lion dance, among other life lessons, and my late dear friend, Irene Mugambi, from Kenya, who initially charmed me with animal stories on safari (“An elephant spends his life learning to be an elephant”) and visited me here when she could. I remember going into what was then Chuck & Harold’s in Palm Beach with her one night. She was tall with a thousand tiny braids, and dressed in a flowing sky-blue African dress, and it was like a man super-magnet had entered the room. Champagne appeared at our table within minutes from complete prepped-out starstruck strangers. She showed me how an African goddess commanded a room, and I was grateful to be her wingman.

There was my Venezuelan family—including an Italian mother-in-law who taught me how to make tortellini en brodo (among many other important lessons), and her sons who taught me to salsa. That family was my portal to South America, to a rich culture of art and music and storytelling I will never forget.

There are more, dozens more, people of all different colors and nations and histories who have made my life richer with everything from recipes to wisdom to learning Swahili curse words. I could not be who I am had I not known them. So, this Valentine’s Day, here’s to all of you “other” people I’ve met along the way. Or, as Wilkine liked to say,“One Love.”