I always enjoy eating out, especially when it's with dear friends celebrating special occasions.
Every year around this time, I always host a "Sagittarian" lunch - a fun meal with several close colleagues and friends who all have one thing in common... a birthday in December. This annual tradition happened earlier this week at Le Pavillon, Chef Daniel Boulud's exquisite culinary oasis located in the heart of midtown Manhattan at the famous One Vanderbilt skyscraper. The setting of Le Pavillon Daniel Bould is an 11-thousand square foot space featuring cathedral ceilings and lush greenery with views of the city's bustling Grand Central Terminal. Attendees included Jane Heller, Susan Magrino, Kevin Sharkey, Darcy Miller Nussbaum, Judy Morris, and myself - the group's lone Leo. It was a wonderful lunch and a gathering.
Enjoy these photos.
Here we are with Executive Chef Daniel Boulud – it was so nice to see him and to have him recommend some of his favorite dishes. If you’re ever in New York City and want to treat yourself to a delicious meal, please consider Le Pavillon. It focuses on seasonal menus, seafood, and the freshest locally sourced ingredients.
Darcy Miller Nussbaum, who worked with me as Editorial Director of Martha Stewart Weddings for many years, is now a celebrations expert and entrepreneur. She brought everyone a bottle of champagne tagged with her creative illustrations of each of us. This is mine. Follow Darcy on Instagram @darcymiller.
Here is Jane Heller’s gift bottle. You remember Jane – she is my friend and banker.
Judy Morris has worked for me on my television shows and special projects for 30-years. Here is her bottle and illustration. Her Instagram handle is @judy.morris.3.
Here’s Kevin’s bottle. You know Kevin, my friend and our own EVP of Home at Marquee Brands. See lots of Kevin’s great photos on Instagram @seenbysharkey.
Susan Magrino is another good friend and my longtime publicist. Follow her on Instagram @SusanMagrino7. She was recently a guest on “The Martha Stewart Podcast.”
Peter Grant, who couldn’t attend the luncheon, is one of my longtime attorneys, but don’t worry, we’ll make sure he gets this fun birthday gift.
Right away, everyone admired Judy’s sweater – bedecked in fun sequence and button rosettes. It was designed by my neighbor, Andy Yu, and bought at the Village Winter Market in Bedford, New York – did you see my blog on the two-day event?
We all had a glass of Colcumbet champagne – some added Crème de Cassis, a blackcurrant liqueur, to make flavorful Kir Royale drinks.
Among the delicious dishes we enjoyed was this Oyster Vanderbilt made with
John’s river oyster from Maine poached in chowder fortified with potatoes, leeks, crème fraîche, and hazelnuts with a parsley-seaweed crust.
Here is a winter chicory and black truffle salad with Heermance Farm Salanova lettuce, Italian chicories, sourdough “friselle,” hazelnut gremolata, king trumpet mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, and black truffle vinaigrette.
This is a Vidalia onion tart, served with dandelion, époisses emulsion, and thyme.
Also on the menu – fresh saffron cured hamachi, artichokes, ají dulce peppers, and mint rice crisp.
Here’s a fun photo I took of Chef Daniel, Jane, and Kevin. During the lunch, we all realized that if one were to add up all the years I’ve known each one of these Sagittarius friends, it would come out to more than 140-years.
This is a duo of yellowfin tuna with fennel pollen, socca crisp, and tonnato sauce, an Italian tuna sauce.
This bucatini pasta is served with shrimp, cuttlefish, tomato, parsley, and guanciale.
And this is grilled black bass with bok choy, basil, and a chili vinaigrette.
For dessert – an assortment of cookies including sablé Breton, Chamonix, and bergamot-black currant.
I gifted each of my December birthday guests a stack of this year’s New York Times Top Best-Selling books. I think I need a stack for myself.
Each stack of books was given with this Birthday sentiment. Jane, Kevin, Susan, Darcy, Judy, and Peter – happy birthday and may you enjoy reading every single work! And be sure to follow Le Pavillon on Instagram @lepavillonnyc.
The season's "burlapping" project at my Bedford, New York farm continues at my long and winding pergola.
I've been covering my shrubs and hedges with burlap for many years to protect the branches from splaying and even breaking from the weight of the winter snow and ice. Every season, our wrapping methods change to accommodate the growing plants, but the process also gets easier and more streamlined. The entire project takes weeks to complete, but my outdoor grounds crew has already gotten a lot done - and just in time... winter officially begins in less than one week.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
The long and winding pergola located along the carriage road leading to my Winter House is about to go “under cover.”
This pergola goes through several transformations during the year. Here it is in April just as the first spring plants start coming up.
By late May and into June, the pergola is filled with Camassia and alliums in an eye-catching palette of purple and blue – just stunning.
In late July and into August, the colors turn bright orange with all the hundreds of brightly spotted tiger lilies.
And here is the pergola in November after the boxwood hedge was pruned and groomed. We planted more than 300 boxwood shrubs here in 2017. They were grown from small cuttings and nurtured in one area of my vegetable garden for about three years before getting transplanted.
And now the hedge is covered every year along with all the other tender boxwood hedges and shrubs around the property. Domi begins to build the frame on top of the hedge. The frames are built at least several inches above the plants so even the heaviest snow doesn’t weigh the burlap down and crush the foliage.
These wooden stakes are placed in between every three of the boxwood shrubs.
And the horizontal piping is screwed to the vertical stakes along the entire length of the pergola.
Because the burlap covers are custom fit for each hedge and shrub, every burlap cover is labeled, so it can be reused in the same exact location the following season.
Here, Domi unrolls the the piece of burlap saved from the previous season. When storing burlap, be sure to keep it in a dry place. Because it is an all-natural fabric, it will disintegrate in moisture.
The entire piece is lined up next to the boxwood before it is draped over the frame.
Domi checks that the center of the burlap cover is positioned properly over the boxwood.
After the burlap cover is in place, Domi and Pasang pull it taut over the small stake hammered into the ground every two to three feet at the base of these specimens.
Then the burlap is sandwiched and secured with a small wooden strip which is screwed to the wood in the back.
The strips are four to six inches long – just long enough to accommodate two or three screws that will keep the burlap secure. These are also reused year after year.
Here is Pasang covering and securing the burlap at the end of the row.
Here is one side all done – it looks great. Any snow that falls will just slide off the burlap cover.
The larger boxwood shrubs are also enveloped in burlap.
Phurba sews the openings closed, so the entire shrub is protected. Every member of the crew has their own embroidery needle for “burlapping” – they’re all pretty good sewers also.
These five-inch long needles have large eyes and bent tips.
To sew the burlap, we use jute twine. It is all natural and the same color as the burlap.
Our burlap covers last up to three seasons depending on the weather, but remember, these boxwood specimens also grow a little more every year, so the covers and frames have to be adjusted each time.
When we use new burlap, the fabric is measured, cut and sewn perfectly to fit the rows and plants.
And the pergola was covered just in time – we had the first snow of the season last weekend. We only got a couple inches of light, white powder, but it was nice to know my pergola boxwood is safely tucked under these protective coverings.
Here is another image. Any snow that falls over the burlap shrouds never touches the boxwood.
The “burlapped” plantings take on a whole new look here at the farm. This boxwood is now ready for the winter weather ahead.
I love all animals, and I share my Bedford, New York farm with many - dogs, cats, horses, donkeys, a pony, chickens, geese, Guinea fowl, peafowl, and a myriad of wild creatures. My friend, Ari Katz, is also very passionate about animals. On this blog, I've shared stories about his chickens, his canaries, and his beautiful dogs. Ari enjoys showing, raising, and breeding champion Labrador Retrievers. His dogs are in exceptional health and have excellent physical abilities and temperaments - qualities that are essential in service work. Many of his puppies are now going on to be trained as assistance dogs to help visually impaired individuals. Here is a guest blog from Ari, enjoy.
As Martha knows, I recently stopped selling puppies to pet homes and transitioned to selling them to a service organization called Pilot Dogs. I made this switch because as a breeder, I have to be able to justify my actions. I felt guilty creating more companion animals just to keep several as potential show dogs and breeding stock. My mentor, Karen Helmers, introduced me to Pilot Dogs over the summer and we began a business relationship.
Pilot Dogs is a non-profit guide dog school for the blind and visually impaired, located in Columbus, Ohio. Since opening its doors in 1950, its mission has been to provide exemplary services to the blind community, helping them navigate their lives with unmatched levels of independence, mobility, and confidence. Because they rely solely on the generosity of private donors, they can provide not only world-class guide dogs, but also unsurpassed training, on-campus room, and board, round-trip transportation, an Orientation & Mobility program, and more - all at no cost to their students. Pilot Dogs has about 90 dogs in training right now, including puppies and dogs that are with Co-Pilots and dogs that are in the facility. Raising and training a puppy from the time they get them from me to “graduation,” when they are matched with a person in need of a guide dog, costs more than 30-thousand dollars and two years time - it is a LOT of work!
I recently had two litters that I decided would be good for Pilot Dogs. My girls, Mehndi and Kima, had a combined total of 18-puppies! All of them are doing very well, growing nicely, and hitting their developmental milestones. While it was challenging to have two sizable litters at the same time at my family's farm while I am away at school, it is rewarding to know that my puppies will wind up in the hands of a great organization and maybe even be guide dogs someday. In this blog, in collaboration with Pilot Dogs, I talk about my pups along with the importance of breeding wisely, screening for health tests diligently, and the importance of ethics in breeding dogs as potential guide dogs.
Here is a photo of my black Lab, Kima. I decided to breed her to a dog I bred last April named Martin.
This is Martin, Paradocs AK’s Martin. He will be two in February and lives in Indiana with his co-owner and my mentor, Karen Helmers.
These are their puppies – they had eight. Five boys and three girls. Here they are right after getting home from my vet’s clinic. Because the litter was large, my vet and I decided it would be safest for Kima and the puppies if she had a c-section. All eight puppies and their mom were home within two hours. Part of being an ethical breeder means putting one’s animal’s needs before your own preferences. I wish Kima had delivered her puppies naturally, but safety always comes first.
This is a close-up of some of Kima’s puppies nursing. I put different colored collars on each puppy so I can weigh them daily and track their growth along with identifying them. Here is “Blue-Pink-Black Girl” kneading for milk. Puppies are quite robust and will find a way to get what they need.
Eight days later, Mehndi gave birth to 10 puppies – a large litter for a Labrador Retriever. Here, Carmen is helping each puppy latch on to nurse while Mehndi looks at her puppies in the corner. Mehndi is an incredibly good and diligent mother. She cares for her puppies up until the minute they are weaned. She did an excellent job with this litter. We were all very proud of her.
This is Swig, American Kennel Club Champion Greenstone’s Down The Hatch. Swig lives in Indiana with Karen, but was bred in Texas by Stacey and Starkey Green. He is a beautiful dog and a good representation of the breed. Most importantly, however, is that Swig is clear of all genetic diseases, heart issues, and structural issues like hip or elbow dysplasia – he makes for a good and safe stud dog.
Here are both litters of puppies. Carmen keeps a close eye on them. On the left is Mehndi with her litter in the EZ Whelp whelping box. Kima’s litter is on the right. You can see the size differences a week makes. It’s quite something!
This is one of Kima’s male puppies at five weeks. As these puppies continue to grow, I look forward to keeping my picks, but also sending Pilot Dogs their new puppies. It makes me happy to potentially be helping someone who needs a guide dog.
Some of you may remember the litter of yellow puppies I had over the summer. These are the three I kept. The others went to Pilot Dogs and were named Gala, Gordy, and Gouda. The reason it is so important for an organization to work with breeders who care about their stock and the animals they produce is that someone may be completely dependent on the animal for several years. If the animal develops health issues or is unhealthy from the beginning, they are unable to perform their job – whatever that may be (guide dogs, bomb-sniffing dogs, or emotional support dogs – to name a few). Thus, the need for a healthy dog, which comes from healthy breeding stock, cannot be overstated.
Trainer Megan Marie and Pilot Puppy Calvin are working on the “heel” command in the flight simulator, Pilot Dogs indoor training facility. The flight simulator is set up with a “city” feel, complete with curbs, fire hydrants, tree branches, and lots of other distractions to aid in training. (Photo courtesy of Pilot Dogs)
Two young pups, Eeyore and Emmy, are snuggled together in their kennel in the Puppy Palace, the facility where the youngest puppies stay until they are about eight to 12 weeks old. After that, they go to homes of our volunteer Co-Pilots until they are old enough to start their formal guide dog training. (Photo courtesy of Pilot Dogs)
Here is a cute picture of Gala from her Co-Pilot. I bred Gala, Gordy, and Gouda – all siblings to the picture of my yellow puppies running with my Whippet. (Photo courtesy of Pilot Dogs)
Pilot Puppy Gala sits calmly next to an enormous inflatable Halloween decoration inside a party supply store. Gala is doing very well with her training! Halloween is a great time for puppy socialization because of the large, out-of-the ordinary (and sometimes loud) items that are on display, and it allows them to be around people in unusual costumes and masks. Winter excursions are a good time for socialization as well, to acclimate the puppies to being in crowds with people wearing big coats and hats, and often having most of their faces covered. (Photo courtesy of Pilot Dogs)
Pilot Puppy Gordy is resting with a member of his Co-Pilot family after a long day of adventures. He, too, is doing very well as a potential service dog. When someone signs up for the volunteer Co-Pilot program, they need to ensure that every member of their household is on board with the guidelines and requirements involved in raising a Pilot Puppy – kids and adults alike. (Photo courtesy of Pilot Dogs)
Trainer Ashley works with Pilot Puppy Hazel on the “sit” command. Hazel is very focused and did a great job during her training session. (Photo courtesy of Pilot Dogs)
Here’s Pilot Puppy Hazel looking adorable in her vest. Pilot Puppies wear these vests when they are out in public to help bring awareness to Pilot Dogs and to let people know they are in training. (Photo courtesy of Pilot Dogs)
Jesi is a recent graduate of Pilot Dogs, where she was matched with Pilot Dog Rose. Rose is her first guide dog, and her first Golden Retriever – she is a five-time Doberman Pinscher owner. Jesi was adopted from Guatemala at 10 months old and lost her vision at birth as a result of three prenatal strokes. She has a master’s degree in Exercise Science and Physical Education, and her goal is to work with special-needs students and their physical fitness. (Photo courtesy of Pilot Dogs)
Student Jesi and her Pilot Dog Rose train in a local suburban neighborhood in an area without sidewalks. Navigating areas without sidewalks can be a challenge for a guide dog team, because there are no curb ramps to indicate upcoming intersections, or audible pedestrian traffic signals to let them know that it’s safe to cross the street. This type of training is also useful for students who live in rural areas without sidewalks. (Photo courtesy of Pilot Dogs)
Pilot Puppies Junior and Jerry are posing in front of a Christmas tree during a trip with trainers to a large, crowded store. (Photo courtesy of Pilot Dogs)
In order to effectively and safely guide his handler, who is an avid traveler, Pilot Dog Travis works on getting on and off an airplane, and walking through the airport with all its many sights and sounds. Here he is going on a first-class training adventure on his very own private plane, accompanied by his trainer, Mike. If you want to know more about Pilot Dogs and the work that they do, please visit the website at PilotDogs.org. (Photo courtesy of Pilot Dogs)
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