valentine's day - News - The Coastal Star2024-03-29T14:24:16Zhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/valentine%27s+dayPay It Forward: Heart to Heart Dinner - The Little Club, Gulf Streamhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/pay-it-forward-heart-to-heart-dinner-the-little-club-gulf-stream2024-01-30T18:04:47.000Z2024-01-30T18:04:47.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming<div><p><strong><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}12368624056,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}12368624056,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="710" alt="12368624056?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a></strong><strong>Feb. 14:</strong> The Valentine’s Day event will offer the opportunity to shop for jewelry, chocolates and orchids and to sit down to a delicious meal with a live auction, all to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Delray Beach. Time is 6 p.m. Cost is $250. Call 561-676-5472 or visit bgcpbc.org. ABOVE: (l-r) Co-Chairwomen Susan Ambrecht, Susan Mullin and Sacha McGraw. <strong>Photo provided</strong></p></div>Gardens: Ocean Ridge club focuses on preserving dune, seahttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/gardens-ocean-ridge-club-focuses-on-preserving-dune-sea2022-02-01T15:34:12.000Z2022-02-01T15:34:12.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}10063035062,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}10063035062,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="710" alt="10063035062?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a><em>Ocean Ridge Garden Club member Barbara Cook’s garden includes a collection of statues. </em><strong>Photo provided</strong></p>
<p><em>This is the second in a series on five local garden clubs.</em></p>
<p><strong>By Jan Engoren</strong></p>
<p>The Ocean Ridge Garden Club, founded in 1966 and still going strong, is the only service club located in Ocean Ridge.<br /> The club’s wide-ranging mission is to preserve the natural landscape, educate members in gardening, horticulture, floral design and garden-related art, plus civic outreach and beautification and environmental awareness.<br /> “Garden clubs are a great way to get to know your neighbors,” says President Mary Ann Cody, a former attorney from Albany, New York, who joined the club when she retired and moved to Ocean Ridge five years ago.<br /> “Moving to Ocean Ridge has changed my life,” Cody says. “Garden clubs are not so much about floral decoration anymore, but for us, more about environmentalism, keeping the oceans plastic-free and preserving our dunes.”<br /> In partnership with the town of Ocean Ridge and the city of Boynton Beach, the club will hold its community engagement day on April 2. The Save the Seas event is designed to raise awareness about plastic waste in the oceans and typically includes a beach cleanup, educational sessions and family friendly activities, all of which were postponed last year due to the pandemic.<br /> Another highlight is Roses and Chocolates, an annual fundraiser ahead of Valentine’s Day. It runs online through Feb. 8 this year, with pickup Feb. 13. The club sells roses along with hand-dipped chocolates from Scheurer’s Chocolate, a family-owned business on East Ocean Avenue in Boynton Beach.<br />Cody, whose mother was also a member of the club, says that “the trend among garden clubs is to become more environmentally conscious and focused.” <br /> As part of its mission, the club maintains a public portion of the dunes along Old Ocean Boulevard and has authored two books. One is about native trees, Ocean Ridge Garden Club Tree Booklet, and the second, A Gardening Guide for Living on the Barrier Island, was printed in English, Spanish and Creole.<br /> Cody, who lives in a condo along State Road A1A and does not have a backyard, says the dune plot is her garden.<br />Sea grape trees and saw palmetto planted in the dune help minimize erosion.<br /> Barbara Cook, a member since 1999, maintains her garden at 6062 N. Ocean Blvd. Residents and visitors can drive by and get a glimpse of the garden from the road.<br /> “I worked very hard to make the garden attractive and a visual presentation from the road,” says Cook.<br /> “The garden is a true paradise right off A1A,” says Cody. “If you didn’t know it was there, you’d probably drive right by without even noticing it.”<br /> Taking on a Florida hammock with sandy soil and a plethora of pothos vines growing wild, Cook remembers she began cultivating the land and putting in xeriscape plants that thrive in shade without supplemental water from irrigation.<br /> “It shows visitors that there is more to gardening than just planting roses, butterfly plants or bouquet flowers,” Cook says. “It’s a fun spot.”<br />Her garden’s design has a strong Asian influence, with a Buddha sculpture and fountain, a number of Chinese pagodas and large bird sculptures which are used as hardscapes, to break up the monotony of vegetation. <br /> “It makes for more interest and is more fun for the gardener,” says Cook.<br /> She notes that the Garden Club and its 61 members work closely with the town on events such as decorating the Town Hall’s holiday tree and providing floral decor and refreshments for the annual Light the Lights and Cruisin’ Santa holiday events.<br /> Members are proud of their Blue Star marker on A1A, which they designed, installed and gave to the town to pay tribute to veterans and those who died in service. Cook and other members decorate the marker for Veterans Day and Memorial Day.<br /> To join the Ocean Ridge Garden Club, you must be a resident of Ocean Ridge and join a committee once you become a member.<br /> Committees include those for beautification and conservation, ways and means, membership, civic engagement, scholarship, and hospitality. The last includes planning for the year-end luncheon, holiday tree decoration and the Light the Lights event.<br /> New guests are invited by a member who will then serve as their sponsor. The club is a member of the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs District X. Annual dues are $65.<br /> Meetings are held Monday nights at members’ homes, with light dinners furnished by the members. “It’s an opportunity to see each other’s homes and gardens and experience their hospitality,” says Cody.<br /> “We’re happy to have new members, but remember, we’ll put you to work,” says Cook. “You must join a committee and participate.<br /> “It’s a working club, and we all enjoy it,” she says. </p>
<p><em>Visit the club on Facebook or at <a href="http://www.oceanridgegardenclub.org">www.oceanridgegardenclub.org</a>, where you can find details of the Valentine’s Day sale.</em><br /><em> Save the Seas is from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 2 at Town Hall, 6450 N. Ocean Blvd. It is free and open to the public.</em></p></div>Garden Clubs: Valentine arrangements Pelican Cove Clubhouse, Ocean Ridge — Feb. 12https://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/garden-clubs-valentine-arrangements-pelican-cove-clubhouse-ocean-2021-03-02T20:17:19.000Z2021-03-02T20:17:19.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}8622066279,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8622066279,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" width="710" alt="8622066279?profile=RESIZE_710x" /></a><em>More than a dozen Ocean Ridge Garden Club members made 63 floral arrangements that were given to shut-ins, first responders and recipients identified by faith-based organizations. ABOVE: (l-r) Sylvie Glickstein, Lynn Allison and Christina Benisch organized the event. <strong>Photo provided</strong></em></p></div>Love & Footballhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/love-football2021-02-02T21:15:14.000Z2021-02-02T21:15:14.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}8507592478,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8507592478,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="8507592478?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="710" /></a></strong></span><em>Beverlee and Howard Schnellenberger married in 1959. She proposed to him, and at first he said no. <strong>Photo Provided</strong></em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:14pt;"><strong>Coach Schnellenberger’s wife shares stories, letters that show the couple’s enduring affection</strong></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>By Brian Biggane</strong></p>
<p>He played end on one Canadian Football League team; she was a majorette in the band of another. Their chance meeting in August 1958 led to a marriage that is still going strong more than 61 years later.</p>
<p>“It’s a love story — we have a beautiful love story,” said Beverlee Schnellenberger, sitting in her east Boynton Beach home as she reflected on her life with Howard, the most iconic football coach in South Florida other than the late Don Shula.</p>
<p>“I’m so happy I asked him to marry me.”</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}8507599695,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8507599695,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="8507599695?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="710" /></a><em>The couple in 2014. <strong>Photo Provided</strong></em></p>
<p>Every marriage has its highs and lows. For the Schnellenbergers, the highs include Howard’s three national championships as an assistant at Alabama, the “perfect season” as offensive coordinator with the Miami Dolphins in 1972, and his national title as head coach at the University of Miami in 1983.</p>
<p>The most difficult times have come more recently. Howard, 86, hit his head in a fall last July and suffered a subdural hematoma. After two surgeries, he is living in a Boca Raton rehab center, where he is working to regain his cognitive abilities.</p>
<p>Howard, who first came to Boca Raton to start the Florida Atlantic University football program more than 20 years ago, expressed his feelings about Beverlee when he dedicated his 2014 autobiography, Passing the Torch, to her:</p>
<p>“Beverlee has been mother and father, counselor, accountant, banker, mechanic, cook and housekeeper, and she has done it all in a loving way that allowed me to be free to do my thing in football without feeling bad about spending time on the job.”</p>
<p>Longtime friend and FAU supporter Dick Schmidt said the pair’s enduring love is something to behold.</p>
<p>“I’ve seen a couple that is as much in love as they were when they first met,” Schmidt said. “They’re just a terrific couple. And both very unique.”</p>
<p>“I’ve never seen a couple more committed to each other,” said Don Bailey, who was Howard’s first Dade County recruit to UM in 1979 and has been the analyst on Hurricanes radio broadcasts for 19 years. “Both of them always set the example of how you’re supposed to be.”</p>
<p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}8507614469,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8507614469,RESIZE_584x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="8507614469?profile=RESIZE_584x" width="528" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Love at first sight</strong></p>
<p>A star end in high school in Louisville who played for the incomparable Paul “Bear” Bryant at Kentucky, Howard was in his second year with the BC Lions when a teammate, Joe Poirier, arranged for some players to meet a few young ladies at the Berkeley Hotel after a preseason game in Montreal in 1958. Poirier and Beverlee both grew up in the area.00</p><p>The meeting was brief, but Beverlee, now 83, was impressed.</p>
<p>A month later she and two friends drove cross-country to Vancouver, where she had been asked to be a caretaker to a friend of her parents. Beverlee and Howard met again and something clicked.</p>
<p>“I fell in love with him immediately,” she said. “I knew he was the one. I was 21, and from the boys I’d dated I knew he was the one.”</p>
<p>They started dating, and before long it was time to pop the question. So she did.</p>
<p>“I fell in love with him so much that I said, ‘Will you marry me?’ And he said no. But he said I could go visit him in Kentucky for Christmas.”</p>
<p>When Beverlee arrived in Louisville she anticipated a return proposal, but when Christmas came he presented her with a box holding two cashmere sweaters.</p>
<p>“I was so disappointed and so ungrateful I went to his sister’s room, where I was staying, and cried. I said, ‘Your brother doesn’t love me like I love him.’”</p>
<p>A week later they went out for pizza and when he went to pay, he asked for her help finding the right change.</p>
<p>“So I looked in his hand and there was a diamond ring. I was so excited I started to cry.”</p>
<p>Soon they set off for Montreal to ask her father’s permission. He gave it and they began planning the wedding, but a few days later, Howard got an offer from Blanton Collier to become an assistant coach at Kentucky. He left immediately, meaning in the 10 months between their meeting and the wedding they were together only a handful of days.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Love letters</strong></p>
<p>They filled those days apart with some phone calls but mostly letters — dozens and dozens of letters.</p>
<p>“I would write a letter and he would respond,” Beverlee said. “I’ve kept the ones he sent to me, but most of the ones I wrote he threw away. I kept those I had all these years.”</p>
<p>Some are informative, some more romantic; they fill a thick red scrapbook Beverlee keeps close and, especially now, leafs through on occasion as a way of remembering that special time in her life.</p>
<p>When time came to set a wedding date, they chose the first Saturday in May, when Montreal is finally getting around to spring. That also happens to be the biggest day of the year in Howard’s native Louisville.</p>
<p>“Being a Canadian girl I had no idea the Kentucky Derby was a big deal, and he didn’t say anything,” Beverlee remembered. “So it was sad that none of his friends came to Montreal.”</p>
<p>Poirier, by then Howard’s former teammate, was persuaded to be best man. “To this day we say we had to rent a best man,” she said.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Family ups and downs</strong></p>
<p>Soon Beverlee was settling into the role of football wife, one she would play for most of the next 50-plus years.</p>
<p>“Our family life and our love life was one great big football season,” she said. “It was all football. Thank goodness I had three sons. It was a love affair with football, and your husband, and the family, and it was a beautiful experience.”</p>
<p>That family grew when Beverlee gave birth to their first son, Stephen, in 1960 while Howard was at Kentucky. Stuart came a year later and Tim in 1967.</p>
<p>The family has also had its ups and downs. Tim became a successful international model, becoming the spokesman and lead model for the Calvin Klein Obsession fragrance. But he and Stephen also battled drug abuse as teenagers, prompting intervention from their parents in both cases.</p>
<p>Stuart, who is in the concrete business, graduated with a finance degree from Miami when his father was coaching there.</p>
<p>“But we always worked it out together,” Beverlee said of the family problems. “We didn’t fight about it. Got through it with counseling, meetings, understanding the disease, working as a family. Because it is a family disease; it’s not just the person who has it.”</p>
<p>Tim used his own experiences to start a rehab center, Healing Properties in Delray Beach, in 2002. “That’s why Tim got so involved in rehab, because he’s been there, done that and didn’t want anyone to go through what he went through,” Beverlee said.</p>
<p>Stephen was diagnosed with cancer in his mid-40s and died in 2008 at the age of 48.</p>
<p>“When our son died, when he was real sick, that’s what brings a family close, and that’s what brings a husband and wife close,” Beverlee said. “Because they work it out.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Magical years</strong></p>
<p>After two years at Kentucky, Howard got an offer to reunite with Bear Bryant at Alabama. He wasn’t there long when Bryant needed someone to travel to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, to recruit a hotshot quarterback named Joe Namath. Because Howard had played at Kentucky with Namath’s brother Frank, Bryant picked Howard to go.</p>
<p>“Coach Bryant said don’t come back until you have him,” Beverlee said. “He was supposed to be there for one day but stayed three or four, ran out of money, out of clothes, he was writing bad checks … but he got him.”</p>
<p>Howard held a special place for Bryant throughout his life, and in January he was presented with the Paul “Bear” Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Heart Association.</p>
<p>After Schnellenberger spent five seasons and won three national championships at Alabama, George Allen offered him a coaching position with the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams. Beverlee said the next four years were a magical time.</p>
<p>“We loved it,” she said. “We were invited to all the parties, and at the games I’m sitting next to Yvonne De Carlo with Bob Hope right in front of me.</p>
<p>“We lived a couple miles from the training camp so Howard would ride his bicycle, and on his way home there’s flowers everywhere. So he would pick flowers from the yards, one from here, one there, then come home every night with a bouquet for me.”</p>
<p>Howard had planned to stick with Allen, but that changed after four seasons when, at 4 o’clock one morning, the phone rang. On the other end was Shula, who had worked alongside Howard at Kentucky and had just been hired to coach the Dolphins. Shula wanted Howard as his offensive coordinator.</p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}8507607295,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8507607295,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="8507607295?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="710" /></a><em>University of Miami players carried coach Howard Schnellenberger off the field after a 1981 victory over Notre Dame gave them a 9-2 finish with a six-game winning streak. Two years later Miami won the national championship. <strong>Photo provided by Robert Mayer</strong></em></p>
<p><strong>The perfect season</strong></p>
<p>Two years later came the perfect season, as the Dolphins became the only team in NFL history to finish undefeated. As for pressure, Beverlee said they never felt any.</p>
<p>“We all lived pretty much on the same street in Miami Lakes and we all got along so well, it felt like family,” she said. “It was business. It was always, ‘We’re going to play a game now.’ It was never, ‘We’re going to win or else.’”</p>
<p>Dick Anderson, a safety on that team, built a close relationship with Howard.</p>
<p>“It was Howard, and it was Howard and Beverlee,” Anderson said. “To this day it seems the same way.”</p>
<p>After the ’72 season another opportunity arose. The Dolphins’ director of player personnel, Joe Thomas, moved to the Baltimore Colts as general manager. He hired Howard in 1973 as head coach only to see owner Robert Irsay fire Schnellenberger early in the 1974 season because he wouldn’t play the quarterback Irsay wanted.</p>
<p>The coach wasn’t unemployed for long. Shula created an opening on his Dolphins staff and invited Howard to return, which he did until 1979. Then Beverlee described an opportunity that would change the Schnellenbergers’ lives forever.</p>
<p>“He called me and said, ‘I just got a call from somebody with the Miami Hurricanes and they want me to coach. And I told them no,’” she recalled. “Seven coaches had turned down the job, it was so bad.</p>
<p>“So I said, ‘We should go; it would be fun.’ I said, ‘Call them back, call them back.’ So he called them back and that was it.”</p>
<p>Short of money to recruit, Howard drew an imaginary line across the state at Orlando and called the territory south of it the State of Miami, then targeted the kind of talent that had always left to play at places like Michigan, Notre Dame and Penn State.</p>
<p>“He’d go to Overtown, Liberty City, smoking his pipe, and it got to where the kids were waiting for him,” Beverlee said. “They’d say, ‘Let the scholarship man in.’ So he’d ‘accidentally’ leave his pipe there. So, he would have to go back and get the pipe, and get another visit. That’s how it started. Kids from that time came to him.”</p>
<p>He promised to take Miami, which had posted only two winning seasons in the previous decade, to a national championship in five years, then met his goal.</p>
<p>“Everybody laughed when he kept saying that,” Beverlee said. “It would be, ‘We’re on a collision course with the national championship,’ or ‘The only variable is time.’ He would post these slogans around the locker room. And the players believed.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Ill-fated choice</strong></p>
<p>Schnellenberger’s players carried him off the field after UM’s 31-30 win over No. 1 Nebraska on Jan. 2, 1984, in the Orange Bowl, and his future never looked brighter. But he made an ill-fated decision to leave the Hurricanes to coach a new Florida franchise in the upstart United States Football League. When the job fell through, Schnellenberger was idle until 1985, when he was lured to the University of Louisville, another program that needed a jump-start.</p>
<p>“He knew everybody in Louisville,” Beverlee said. “We said we weren’t interested, but they kept calling. The governor, John Y. Brown, got involved, and they put together a group that would subsidize him.”</p>
<p>Howard once again resuscitated a moribund program. A 10-1-1 finish in 1990 capped by a 34-7 win over Alabama in the Fiesta Bowl was the high point of his 1985-94 tenure, and in 1995 Oklahoma came calling.</p>
<p>Intrigued by a chance at taking over a big-time program as opposed to resuscitating one, Schnellenberger arrived and promised a fast return to success.</p>
<p>It didn’t happen and things got ugly quickly, particularly toward the end of the season when the Sooners lost four of their last five games to finish a disappointing 5-5-1.</p>
<p>Recognizing the animus on both sides, Howard resigned, leaving millions on the table.</p>
<p>“They didn’t like us and we didn’t like them,” Beverlee said. “So we left.”</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}8507609066,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8507609066,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="8507609066?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="710" /></a><em>A bust in the Schnellenberger home holds many of the former coach’s championship medals. <strong>Coastal Star file photo</strong></em></p>
<p><strong>Launching FAU program</strong></p>
<p>The Schnellenbergers returned to Miami, where they had kept the house they bought when Howard first joined the Dolphins, and waited to see if an opportunity would materialize.</p>
<p>A couple of years went by before he got a call from FAU President Anthony Catanese, saying the university had decided to start a football program and wanted him to be the point man.</p>
<p>“Howard said, ‘Sure,’ then told me FAU had called,” Beverlee said. “And I said, ‘Where is that? Never heard of it.’”</p>
<p>Schnellenberger struggled when he tried to find a coach, prompting Catanese to suggest he take the job. He agreed.</p>
<p>Starting in 2001, he would go 58-74 in 11 seasons before retiring from coaching in 2011. He finished 158-151-3 over his 27 years at the college level.</p>
<p>After living 25 years in Ocean Ridge, the couple moved to Boynton Beach in 2015 while Howard continued to serve as an FAU ambassador. Then came the evening of last July 16.</p>
<p>Howard tripped on a carpet and fell headfirst into a metal statue of an owl that Burt Reynolds had given the couple.</p>
<p>Beverlee said Howard underwent surgery to remove blood from the brain.</p>
<p>“Then he was in a rehab place, fell out of bed, and he had to go back to the hospital for more surgery,” she said. He had four surgeries in all.</p>
<p>COVID-19 protocols prevented Beverlee from visiting for four months. The Schnellenbergers had occasional FaceTime calls via nurses’ cellphones until family was allowed access in late November. Now Beverlee and Tim visit a few times a week.</p>
<p>One of those visits offered a promising development.</p>
<p>“It’s really helped him to see us,” Beverlee said. “One Sunday Tim was there and they were watching a Dolphins game when Howard turned to Tim and said, ‘They need offense.’ He’s aware of everything; he knows what’s going on. It’s just going to take time to get it working again.”</p>
<p>Former Buffalo Bills star Jim Kelly, who was Howard’s first quarterback at UM in 1979, has remained close to the pair. He said Beverlee “has always been there from start to finish” with Howard.</p>
<p>“Especially now, when Coach is not doing very well,” said Kelly, who has endured multiple bouts with cancer. “She’s almost been like a mother to me. She’s always looking out for everybody. It’s always awesome to see.”</p>
<p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}8507614680,RESIZE_930x{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}8507614680,RESIZE_710x{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="8507614680?profile=RESIZE_710x" width="710" /></a></p>
<p><strong>More love letters</strong></p>
<p>During the UM days, Beverlee would take time the Thursday of every game week to write a letter to Howard.</p>
<p>“I would think about it all week, write it, and on Friday I would pick out his clothes for the game and stick it on the inside pocket of his coat.</p>
<p>“How much we loved each other, something motivational, and each week was different.</p>
<p>“With Valentine’s Day coming, I’d like to say to the ladies: Be kind, understanding, and grateful you have each other. When times are tough, get tougher, work it out, it’s worth it. Being sweet to your husband takes less energy and stress. It’s no fun not having them around.”</p></div>Paws Up for Pets: Puppy love: Show pets you care on Valentine’s Dayhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/paws-up-for-pets-puppy-love-show-pets-you-care-on-valentine-s-day2017-02-01T14:28:29.000Z2017-02-01T14:28:29.000ZThe Coastal Starhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/TheCoastalStar<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960692686,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="500" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960692686,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="7960692686?profile=original" /></a><em>Ocean Ridge resident Natalia Smith takes a selfie with Coco, her 3-month-old Maltipoo, a Maltese Poodle mix.</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><strong>By Arden Moore</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"> Let’s be candid. Valentine’s Day dates can be hit and miss. Even if you are blessed to be with “the one,” this holiday can generate a lot of stress triggered by trying to find the right gift, making reservations at the right restaurant and coming up with the right words to describe your affection for that special person in your life.<br /> So, why not shift your focus on this holiday to that special four-legger in your life who showers you with love and affection 365 days a year, 24/7? <br /> That’s my game plan this Valentine’s Day for Cleo, my 15-year-old retired canine surf dog; Kona, my 2-year-old terrier mix; and Casey, my 2-year-old orange tabby.<br /> Fortunately, Palm Beach County puts out the welcome mat to pets in a variety of ways. Here are some ideas on how you can celebrate this heartfelt holiday with your pet:<br /><br /> Make a splash. Weather permitting, escort your water-loving dog to the Dog and Bark Beach, 3001 N. Ocean Blvd., Boca Raton. Please note that you must obtain a permit and show proof of residency before unleashing your pup to race across the shoreline. <br /><br /> Dine in style. Look for dog-friendly eateries that allow your well-mannered, leashed dog to join you in patio seating. Consider places like the Hurricane Alley, 529 E. Ocean Ave., Boynton Beach, or Boston’s on the Beach, 40 S. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach. Both restaurants feature doggy menus your canine chum will drool over. <br /> Unleash energy at a dog park. Treat your dog-friendly, athletic dog to a sniff-and-greet outing at a dog park where she can romp and run without a leash inside a safe enclosed park. Here are parks earning high approval ratings from the <a href="http://www.BringFido.com">www.BringFido.com</a> website: Canine Cove at South County Regional Park, 12551 Glades Road, Boca Raton; Lake Ida Dog Park, 1455 Lake Ida Road, Delray Beach; City Paws, 1401 Lake Ave., West Palm Beach, and F.I.N.D. Park, 211 River Park Drive, Jupiter. <br /><br /> Attend a special dog event. The PetSmart stores in the county will host a “Puppy Love” event from noon to 3 p.m. on Feb. 11. Dog trainers will be available to offer tips on puppy nutrition, dental health and training. There will be drawings and photo opportunities and plenty of Valentine’s Day-themed toys and treats, according to Robin Burger, assistant store leader at the PetSmart in West Palm Beach and proud pet parent to a pair of Australian cattle dog mixes named Iviza and Pacha. <br /><br /> Fetch some Fido fashion. Adorable Yorkshire terriers named Charlie and Spike serve as inspiration for a line of fashionable-yet-functional dog harnesses created by Jamie Broder. Her Boynton Beach-based company showcases the WagSwag Collection with lots of selections, including those that illuminate puppy love for Valentine’s Day. Use the “Be Mine 20” coupon code for added savings at <a href="http://www.charlieandspike.com">www.charlieandspike.com</a>.<br /><br /> Head for a pampered getaway. The Alfond Inn at Rollins College in Winter Park is offering a special puppy love package through Feb. 28 that includes a two-night stay, room service for your dog and a variety of treats and gifts at rates starting at $580. Learn more at <a href="http://www.thealfondinn.com">www.thealfondinn.com</a>. To find other pet-friendly lodgings, go to <a href="http://www.BringFido.com">www.BringFido.com</a>. <br /><br /> Showcase your camera hound. Honor your dog or cat by booking a photo session with pet professional photographers and frame your favorite pose. Or take some silly selfies with your furry pal. For a list of pet photographers featured on Thumbtack, go to: <a href="http://www.thumbtack.com/fl/west-palm-beach/animal-photography/">www.thumbtack.com/fl/west-palm-beach/animal-photography/</a>.<br /><br /> Bring out the inner hunter in your tabby. Enrich the life of your indoor cat while working his brain and his muscles with food puzzle toys that he can swat and figure out how to get the tasty kibble to spill out for consumption. <br /><br /> Don an apron and be a pet chef for a day. Instead of buying store-bought treats, find a healthy dog or cat cookie recipe you can make for your favorite pet. My dogs love “Marvelous Mutt Meatballs” from my book <em>Real Food for Dogs</em>, and Casey pumps up his purr for “Tuna Patties” from my book <em>Fit Cat</em>. (The recipes are below.)<br /><br /> If you are fortunate to share your home — and your heart — with a pet, you will never be alone on Valentine’s Day. Your pet will be there to help you celebrate in whatever manner you choose — guaranteed.<strong><br /><br /></strong><em> Arden Moore, founder of <a href="http://www.FourLeggedLife.com">www.FourLeggedLife.com</a>, is an animal behavior consultant, editor, author, professional speaker and master certified pet first aid instructor. Each week, she hosts the popular Oh Behave! show on <a href="http://www.PetLifeRadio.com">www.PetLifeRadio.com</a>. Learn more by visiting <a href="http://www.fourleggedlife.com">www.fourleggedlife.com</a>.</em></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><em><br /></em>From my <em>Real Food for Dogs</em>, here is the recipe for Marvelous Mutt Meatballs: <br /><br />1 pound ground beef or ground turkey<br />2/3 cup grated cheddar cheese<br />2 carrots, finely chopped<br />1 cup bread crumbs<br />2 eggs, whisked<br />3 tablespoons tomato paste (low-sodium)<br /> Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Scoop out spoonfuls of the mixture and roll into mini meatballs, each about the size of a quarter. Place the meatballs on a cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool before serving. Serves 10 to 15 canine guests.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><br />From my <em>Fit Cat</em> book, here is the recipe for Tuna Patties:<br /><br />2 eggs<br />One 6 1/2-ounce can of water-packed tuna, drained<br />1 cup bread crumbs<br />1 teaspoon brewer’s yeast<br />2 tablespoons margarine<br /><br />In a medium bowl, whisk eggs. Add the tuna, bread crumbs and brewer’s yeast. Blend with a wooden spoon until moistened and thoroughly mixed. Form the mixture into 6 patties. In a large skillet, melt the margarine over medium heat. Place each of the patties into the skillet. Cook each side for 3 to 5 minutes or until golden brown. Allow the patties to cool and then crumble into small pieces. Sprinkle over your cat’s kibble or put in a wide bowl. Makes 6 portions.</p></div>Home, Health and Harmony: Love storieshttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/home-health-and-harmony-love-stories2016-02-03T16:24:56.000Z2016-02-03T16:24:56.000ZChris Felkerhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/ChrisFelker<div><p><span class="font-size-6"><strong><span style="font-family:georgia, palatino;">Six couples share stories of devotion, telling us how they met, what ignited their passion and how they make love last.</span></strong></span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span style="font-family:'times new roman', times;" class="font-size-2"><strong>By Mary Thurwachter<br /> <br /></strong> With Valentine’s Day this month and Cupid on the loose, we asked readers to tell us their stories of love. For some, the attraction was instant. For others, it took a bit longer. Most married, one didn’t, but all hold on to the precious memories love brought them. Here are their accounts.<br /> <strong><br /></strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman', times;" class="font-size-2"><strong><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960621496,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="500" class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960621496,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="7960621496?profile=original" /></a></strong><em>Bill Finley found a soulmate when he met Anita. They’ve been married 41 years.</em></span></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman', times;" class="font-size-2"><strong>Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-family:georgia, palatino;" class="font-size-5">It's the little things that matter.</span></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman', times;" class="font-size-2"> Bill and Anita Finley celebrated their 41st wedding anniversary in October and, for Bill at least, the attraction was instantaneous. They were both divorced when they met at a fundraiser in Miami. <br /> “I saw her from a distance, “ Bill recalled. “She was tall and gorgeous with a big smile and waving to everyone.”<br /> But when he called her for a date, Anita had her doubts.<br /> “I was the administrator of an art museum and he was this big-shot developer,” she said. “I thought he was too big for his boots. I thought he wanted to find out all about the museum. But it turned out that wasn’t true.”<br /> Bill, a former World War II bomber and world traveler, didn’t spend any time during their first lunch asking about the museum. He wanted to know all about Anita and her family. He was looking for a wife, a soulmate.<br /> “Bill was wonderful about my son,” Anita said. He also went out of his way to be nice to her mother and stepfather, taking them places they wouldn’t ordinarily go and introducing them to people they wouldn’t otherwise meet.<br /> “Men don’t realize how nice it is when people are nice to your family,” said Anita, a gerontologist who has her own radio show, publishes Boomer Times newspaper and produces medical symposiums.<br /> Shortly after their first date, Anita had surgery and it was Bill, not the fellow she had been dating regularly at the time, who checked in on her every day.<br /> During the first two decades of their marriage, the Finleys lived on the beach in Jupiter and Ocean Ridge and Bill collected heart-shaped shells and stones for Anita as he walked the shoreline. Then he would string them together and hang them on the wall, a daily reminder of his affection.<br /> He stopped collecting heart-shaped shells after they sold their Ocean Ridge home and moved across the bridge to Boynton Beach. They exchange greeting cards frequently, and not just for Hallmark holidays, Bill, an author, said. Any chance to remind each other of how deep their affection runs.<br /> “I’m always watching out for Bill,” Anita, 78, said of her 92-year-old mate. “If he’s not feeling well, I get him to the right doctor. If he needs a new watch, I find one that is easy to read. And if he forgets to pull his fly up, I’ll remind him.”<br /> They go on cruises, and attend plays, the ballet and concerts, holding hands and enjoying them together.<br /> “He’s not shy about showing how much he cares,” Anita said. “He shows others that being sensitive doesn’t make you less of a man.<br /> “Love is all about the little things you do every day for your partner,” Anita said. “It’s not about being on some fancy yacht.”<strong><br /></strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman', times;" class="font-size-2"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960621294,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960621294,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="433" alt="7960621294?profile=original" /></a></span><em><span style="font-family:'times new roman', times;" class="font-size-2">Gabriella Bianchini and Brett Serpe</span></em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong><span style="font-family:'times new roman', times;" class="font-size-2">Michelle March Photography</span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong><span style="font-family:'times new roman', times;" class="font-size-2"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960621092,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="500" class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960621092,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="7960621092?profile=original" /></a></span></strong><em>Pope Francis blessed the marriage of Gabriella Bianchini and Brett Serpe on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica.</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Photo provided</strong></p>
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<p style="text-align:left;"><span class="font-size-5" style="font-family:georgia, palatino;">Newlyweds blessed by the pope.</span></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><span class="font-size-5" style="font-family:georgia, palatino;"><span class="font-size-2" style="font-family:'times new roman', times;"> When Gabriella Bianchini and Brett Serpe flew to Rome for their honeymoon last June, Gabriella packed her wedding gown. Why? The Gulf Stream newlyweds (along with 50 other couples) had a date with the pope, who blessed their union on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica.</span><br /> <span class="font-size-2" style="font-family:'times new roman', times;"> It was a special honor they had applied for and were granted, but they didn’t realize they would have a chance to met His Holiness in person.</span><br /> <span class="font-size-2" style="font-family:'times new roman', times;"> Brett got down on one knee to propose to Gabriella on June 29, 2014, under the iconic kapok tree next to The Flagler Museum in Palm Beach. After their May 30, 2015, wedding at St. Ann’s Church in West Palm Beach, the two held their reception at the same museum.</span><br /> <span class="font-size-2" style="font-family:'times new roman', times;"> It was a magical moment for a couple who seemed destined to be together. They had known each other as children and reconnected at the 2013 funeral of Gabriella’s grandmother Rose “Rita” Bianchini, whom Brett, now a local businessman, knew and admired as a boy.</span><br /> <span class="font-size-2" style="font-family:'times new roman', times;"> The couple’s friendship began in 1979, when Gabriella’s father, Michael Bianchini, met Gaetano (Bill) and Tricia Serpe along with their 3-year-old-son, Brett. The Serpes introduced Gabriella’s father to her mother. Gabriella was conceived in Florence on their honeymoon.</span><br /> <span class="font-size-2" style="font-family:'times new roman', times;"> By the time of her grandmother’s funeral, it had been 14 years since Brett and Gabriella had seen each other. Their eyes immediately locked.</span><br /> <span class="font-size-2" style="font-family:'times new roman', times;"> “It was love at first sight,” said Gabriella, 32, a professional photographer. Seven months later they went ring shopping and the rest, as they say, is history.</span><br /> <br /></span></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><span class="font-size-5" style="font-family:georgia, palatino;"><span class="font-size-2" style="font-family:'times new roman', times;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960621701,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960621701,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="404" alt="7960621701?profile=original" /></a></span></span><em>Sabin Robbins and Jane Fonda: After 60 years, they keep in touch.</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Photos provided</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong><em>INSET BELOW:</em></strong> <em>Sabin Robbins and Jane Fonda at a gala in Cincinnati.</em><strong><br /></strong></p>
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<p style="text-align:left;"><span class="font-size-5" style="font-family:georgia, palatino;">The first love is the deepest.</span></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><span class="font-size-2" style="font-family:'times new roman', times;"> Who can forget his first love? Not Sabin Robbins of Highland Beach. He fell head over heels for actress Jane Fonda after meeting her during a summer vacation.<br /> “A college pal and I were spending a summer month in 1954 on Hawaii’s Waikiki Beach. On our second day of scouting for pretty girls, we hit the jackpot — Jane and a friend,” Robbins said. Jane and her family were vacationing there because her father, Henry Fonda, was there for the filming of Mr. Roberts. <br /> <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960622059,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="250" class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960622059,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="7960622059?profile=original" /></a> “I had my first date with Jane that night, and, in a week, we were in love, all storybook and song,” he said. “Every day was a holiday. Every night was New Year’s Eve.”<br /> They surfed at Makapuu, sailed catamarans and slid down rain-slicked mountain trails on ti leaves.<br /> “At night, we danced beneath star-bright skies under the banyan tree at the Moana Hotel,” said Robbins, a writer and lecturer. When the moon was full, they walked down to the beach just to sit and talk on the grassy expanse of Kapiolani Park below Diamond Head. <br /> “If you’re going to fall in love for the first time, you can’t do any better than in one of the most romantic places on Earth — Hawaii,” he said. “And you can’t do any better than with a blond, blue-eyed, long-legged girl named Jane Fonda. I didn’t have to ask for the moon. I had a bright star.”<br /> In the first of more than 40 love letters from Jane (he saved all of them), she wrote:<br /> “Rob, darling, I don’t know how to describe how I felt tonight when I received the message that you had called from the mainland. Except to say the realization of how much I love you became painfully acute. … Yesterday, I drove to the ti leaf slide and saw a double rainbow stretched across the Pali, and I kept thinking that you and I were there together it was wrong for me to be there without you. … I missed you so much. … Remember I love you. All my love, Jane.”<br /> “Jane at 16, and I at 21 were sure all we needed to live happily ever after was a little bungalow and a picket fence,” Robbins, now 82, said. <br /> “Our magic carpet romance continued all through Jane’s senior year (of college),” he said. “There were weekends at her school, Yale (where he studied) and the Fonda home in New York. Plus Christmas vacation at my home in Cincinnati and spring vacations at my cousin’s in Sea Island, Ga.”<br /> Eventually, each married others (he is divorced now), but, after more than 60 years, the two still keep in touch.<br /> “A friend reminded me that you can’t live in the past, but it can be a wonderful place to visit,” he said.<br /></span></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960622101,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="500" class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960622101,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="7960622101?profile=original" /></a><em>Lenny and Florence Cohen: The couple eloped 66 years ago.</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong>Photos provided</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><span class="font-size-5" style="font-family:georgia, palatino;">'Our love is greater today than ever before.'</span></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><span class="font-size-2" style="font-family:'times new roman', times;"> Florence Cohen, 84, said she and her husband, Lenny, 85, were “two crazy kids from New Jersey in love with love” when they eloped in Maryland 66 years ago.<br /><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960622281,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="200" class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960622281,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="7960622281?profile=original" /></a> “We didn’t think people would think we should marry,” Lenny said. <br /> But they did it anyway, showing everyone how it could work.<br /> “We’ve had our ups and downs,” Florence said, “but we’re of the generation where if something breaks, you fix it.”<br /> For their 65th anniversary last year, the South Palm Beach couple asked friends and family to bring Teddy bears for the Connor Moran Cancer Foundation for children with cancer. The Cohens had been working for kids with cancer for many years after their friend’s daughter died of the disease and founded The Valerie Fund to provide support for children with cancer and blood disorders.<br /> “The (anniversary party) room was decorated with bears of all sizes,” Florence said. “We delivered them later and the kids just couldn’t believe their eyes.”<br /> The Cohens moved to South Palm Beach 18 years ago. Lenny tried to retire, but it just didn’t work for him so he went back to selling real estate. And the Cohens host monthly ice cream socials at town hall.<br /> Lenny said his wife “is gorgeous.” <br /> And she said, “It has been an amazing life with this amazing man. If you see us walking together we will be holding hands. Our love is greater today than ever before.”<br /><br /></span></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><span class="font-size-2" style="font-family:'times new roman', times;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960622298,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960622298,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="480" alt="7960622298?profile=original" /></a><em>Ron and Phyllis Porter Dolislager: The couple went to Paris for their 50th anniversary.</em></span></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong><span class="font-size-2" style="font-family:'times new roman', times;">Photos provided</span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em><strong><span class="font-size-2" style="font-family:'times new roman', times;">INSET BELOW:</span></strong> <span class="font-size-2" style="font-family:'times new roman', times;">Phyllis Dolislager was wowed by her husband’s love letters.</span></em></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><span class="font-size-5" style="font-family:georgia, palatino;">Clothes don't make the man.<br /></span></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><span class="font-size-2" style="font-family:'times new roman', times;"> Phyllis Porter Dolislager was a 21-year-old teacher sharing an apartment with another teacher when her roommate invited some single guys over from a nearby apartment complex.<br /><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960621888,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="250" class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960621888,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="7960621888?profile=original" /></a> When she heard male voices at the door, she ran a comb through her hair and prepared to join their guests.<br /> “As I opened my bedroom door, I saw Jim, one of the guys from upstairs,” she said. “But who was that stranger with him? And that wasn’t all. ... I heard a voice — call it intuition — say, ‘This is the man that you will marry.’ ”<br /> She didn’t like the way the fellow (Ron Dolislager) was dressed — his shirt and slacks didn’t look good together, she said. “But he was good looking! Surely I could fix that fashion problem of his.”<br /> The “voice” may have spoken, but it was Ron’s letters that made her fall in love.<br /> Love was in the air — especially in Ron’s letters, the Lantana woman said. “I really loved the incredible lines that he used to hook me. I found his philosophies at the time interesting — remember it was the ’60s. And what girl could resist his sense of humor, and his explanation of being thrifty. When you’re in love — you don’t call it cheap!”<br /> The Dolislagers have been married 50 years and Phyllis, 74, a writer and polio survivor, said Ron’s convictions and strong sense of right and wrong have made him not only a man of purpose but also an encouraging husband and a wonderful father. <br />“I thank God for him and his life,” she said. “Anything that I have accomplished in my life, Ron has truly been the wind beneath my wings.”<br /></span></p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><span class="font-size-2" style="font-family:'times new roman', times;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960622665,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="500" class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960622665,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="7960622665?profile=original" /></a><em>Josephine and Joseph Dolce: Music brought them together.</em></span></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong><span class="font-size-2" style="font-family:'times new roman', times;">Photo provided</span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em><strong><span class="font-size-2" style="font-family:'times new roman', times;">INSET BELOW:</span></strong> <span class="font-size-2" style="font-family:'times new roman', times;">Joe Dolce loved Josephine’s singing — and still does!</span></em></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><span class="font-size-5" style="font-family:georgia, palatino;">Her classy music ignited their romance.<br /></span></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><span class="font-size-2" style="font-family:'times new roman', times;"> Five hundred Wall Street traders, all in tuxedos, celebrated during a post-convention gathering in the New York Hilton in <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960622886,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="250" class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960622886,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="7960622886?profile=original" /></a>April 1969. Joseph Dolce was one of tuxedoed traders. The only woman in the room was singing with the Karl Invalt Orchestra. She was singing “classy music and opera,” said Joe, a stock trader for Merrill Lynch at the time.<br /> For him, it was love at first sight, but he saw another man standing behind a column staring lovingly at the singer.<br /> “Nobody knew who he was,” said Joe, whose boss arranged for the band to play at the party. “I was about to escort him out and asked if he liked the singer. He said he loved her. She was his daughter!”<br /> Joe asked his boss for her paycheck so she could not leave without seeing him. The other man staring at the singer became Joe’s father-in-law and the singer, Josephine, became his wife.<br /> “After the festivities were over I asked if they would join me for a nightcap at the Chateau Henry IV, which was my favorite restaurant,” Joe said. “They agreed and seven months later, we had our wedding reception there and still talk about that beautiful evening when we met quite by chance.” <br /> Joe and Josephine have lived in Highland Beach for 16 years and Josephine, 72, still sings. She will perform at a free Valentine’s concert at 5 p.m. Feb. 11 at the Highland Beach Library. Joe, 79, will be there, once again watching lovingly.</span></p></div>Work & Marriage: Five couples combine love and careers — and like it!https://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/work-marriage-five-couples-combine-love-and-careers-and-like-it2014-01-29T15:30:00.000Z2014-01-29T15:30:00.000ZChris Felkerhttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/ChrisFelker<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960485880,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960485880,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" width="332" alt="7960485880?profile=original" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em>Traci and Matt Woodall combine art and wine</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em>at Vino Van Gogh in downtown Delray Beach.</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em><b>Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star</b></em></p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960485480,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960485480,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" width="360" alt="7960485480?profile=original" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em>Tom and Erin Craig have found the perfect prescription</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em>for working together at Gulfstream Pharmacy in Briny Breezes.</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960486256,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960486256,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" width="532" alt="7960486256?profile=original" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em>Howard and Diane Hoffman of Boca Raton own and operate The Boca Raton Beach House restaurant together.</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960486089,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960486089,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" width="452" alt="7960486089?profile=original" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em>Diana Mummaw is a designer and her husband, Doug, is an architect</em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em>at their Boca Raton firm, Mummaw & Associates.</em></p>
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<p style="text-align:center;"><strong><em>INSET BELOW:</em></strong><em> Melissa (left) and Alan Jacobson</em></p>
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<p><span><b>Story by Mary Thurwachter</b></span></p>
<p> Fueling the flames of romance isn’t always easy, especially when you work with your mate each day. Here are five couples who have found a way to make it happen.</p>
<p></p>
<p><span><b>Matt and Traci Woodall</b></span></p>
<p><span><b> How they met:</b></span> Matt, 45, and Traci Woodall, 41, met when he spotted her in a mall in Tallahassee while at Florida State University in 1990. “After going away to the Army, I returned for a football weekend with some buddies in 1994 to hang out with Traci and her friends,” Matt said. “Little did we know that this would be the beginning of a long life together. She finally caved and accepted my marriage proposal and we got married in 2000.” </p>
<p><span><b> Working together:</b></span> They never worked together until they opened Vino Van Gogh, a wine and art studio in Delray Beach where customers can take their inspiration from a famous painting or work side-by-side with resident artists on their own masterpiece. “We weren’t sure how it would be to work so closely and of course spending so much time together,” Matt said. “It has worked out well because we split our responsibilities so we don’t step on each other’s toes. The downside of working together is that we don’t get much time together outside of the business. Since we are so new, we spend all of our time at the studio. Thankfully, we can both be at the studio together so we aren’t away from each other for long periods.” </p>
<p><span><b> Keeping romance alive: </b></span>“We keep our romance alive by having a Monday night date night since that is the only night we are closed,” Traci said. “Matt always leaves me sweet notes at the studio or at home. We try to never take each other for granted; however I can count on both hands the number of times I have wanted to strangle him! LOL.” </p>
<p><span><b> Valentine’s Day plans:</b></span> “This Valentine’s Day we will be working,” Traci said. “Last year was our first Valentine’s at the studio, and we did a really fun couples-painting and had Champagne, cheese, strawberries, etc. I don’t feel like I am missing out because we are together and we are at our business that we love, surrounded by people we love to be around.” </p>
<p><span><b> The sweetest thing Matt did for Traci:</b></span> “Early on in our dating, Matt drove from Fort Bragg in North Carolina to my house in Tallahassee to surprise me for the weekend,” Traci said. He drove the eight hours in his Jeep in November without a top on it.” </p>
<p><span><b> The sweetest thing Traci did for Matt:</b></span> For their 10-year anniversary, she surprised him with a mini vacation to one of their favorite hotels. She arranged for his parents to fly in to watch the kids. Champagne was waiting in their room. </p>
<p></p>
<p><span><b>Howard Hoffman </b></span><b>and </b></p>
<p><span><b>Diane DeSantis Hoffman</b></span></p>
<p><span><b> How they met:</b></span> Howard Hoffman, 60, and Diane DeSantis Hoffman, 61, have been married for almost 19 years. They own The Boca Beach House restaurant in Boca Raton, where Howard is the chef. Diane is a real estate broker (Beachside Properties), a licensed general contractor and a writer. Before the restaurant, they bought, renovated and sold/leased residential properties. </p>
<p> “We met when I was staying on Singer Island checking out South Florida as a potential place to live,” Diane said. “I came off the beach in my swimsuit and sarong (in those days, my body was bikini worthy) and sat at the Tiki Bar at the hotel. Moments later, a drink was sent over to me by a man I’d never met (Howard). He came over to me and we had a conversation that began with: ‘So, are you a ‘dancer?’ He thought I was a stripper! I straightened him out quickly and we became friends. We became soul mates. We married and are now cell mates at the restaurant.”</p>
<p><span><b> Working together:</b></span> “We were in the real estate business for many years,” Diane said. “Basically, we’ve worked together for about 15 years. At first, yes, it was very difficult to work together, live together, sleep together and eat together. But over the years, we’ve gotten into the groove and we’ve both basically adopted selective hearing. It makes life so much more bearable.” </p>
<p><span><b> The downside:</b></span> “We never get a break from each other. Howard likes to talk a lot. His eyes are connected to his mouth — when they open in the morning, so does it and neither closes until late at night. I’m sure I have annoying habits as well, but we both go off to our neutral corners, then reunite later. He goes to his garden and I write.</p>
<p><span><b> The perks:</b></span> “We can trust each other to run the business. We know how the other thinks so we can anticipate an agreed response to any problems that may arise. </p>
<p> “I keep him on the straight and narrow and he keeps me reeled in.”</p>
<p><span><b> Keeping romance alive:</b></span> “Romance alive?” Diane said. “Really? What romance?”</p>
<p><span><b> Valentine’s Day plans:</b></span> “We’ll probably break open a bottle of Champagne and celebrate the fact that neither of us has killed the other yet,” Diane laughed. “He may want to go out to dinner and let someone else do the cooking for a change.”</p>
<p><span><b> The sweetest thing Howard did for Diane:</b></span> When Diane turned 50, she ran the New York City Marathon. “My dear husband supported me through months of training, sprained ankles, broken bones, whining and self-doubt,” she said. “When it came to race day, he traveled to New York with me to be my cheerleader. Throughout the day, he’d take a subway, the bus or a taxi to various points along the route so he could cheer me on, hold my jacket or hand me water. It was getting dark by the time I crossed the finish line in Central Park, but he was there waiting at the end, freezing, with open arms. That was very special to me.”</p>
<p><span><b> The sweetest thing Diane did for Howard:</b></span> “My dear wife planned and executed a special surprise party for my 60th birthday.” </p>
<p></p>
<p><span><b>Doug and Diana Mummaw</b></span></p>
<p><span><b> How they met:</b></span> Doug, 48, an architect, and Diana Mummaw, 53, a designer, work together at Mummaw & Associates in Boca Raton. “We met at my studio, where she was doing temporary work,” Doug said. “We were married 22 years on Jan. 4.”</p>
<p><span><b> Working together:</b></span> “She has incredible design skills, which I do not have, and our individual skills really enhance a project. I continue to be amazed today at her ability to see color, materials, textiles in such unique and successful ways,” Doug said.</p>
<p> Diana said her weaknesses are Doug’s strengths. “It’s nice to spend time together and have lunch almost every day.”</p>
<p><span><b> Keeping romance alive:</b></span> “We are friends, partners and husband and wife. I think having all three makes romance easy,” Doug said.</p>
<p> “We’re soul mates and really love each other,” Diana said. </p>
<p><span><b> Valentine’s Day plans:</b></span> “Dinner and probably a movie at iPic,” Doug said.</p>
<p><span><b> The sweetest thing Doug did for Diana:</b></span> “We had our 22rd anniversary recently and he wrote down 22 things he still loves about me,” Diana said. “That was special.”</p>
<p><span><b> The sweetest thing Diana did for Doug:</b></span> “She is my personal shopper and she surprised me with a new outfit,” Doug said.</p>
<p></p>
<p><span><b>Tom and Erin Craig</b></span></p>
<p><span><b> How they met:</b></span> Tom and Erin Craig, both 42, run Gulfstream Pharmacy on Ocean Boulevard in Boynton Beach. They met when they were 19, their sophomore year in college. “Tom (who has a degree in finance) is originally from Ohio and I was born in Delray Beach,” Erin, a pharmacist, said. “My father, William Strucker (also a pharmacist), owned Gulfstream Pharmacy at that time. He was getting ready to retire and we were finishing college and decided to move back to Florida and take over the family business. It has been 15 years and we are still going strong.”</p>
<p><span><b> Working together:</b></span> “We have worked together 23 years and married 14 years,” Erin said. “We consider each other best friends, so it makes working side-by-side fun. It can be stressful sometimes, especially dealing with sick patients and insurance companies.”</p>
<p><span><b> Keeping romance alive:</b></span> “Respecting each other most importantly, is key, along with a good sense of humor,” Erin said.</p>
<p><span><b> Valentine’s Day plans:</b></span> “We usually exchange cards and Tom gives me flowers,” Erin said. “It’s the little things everyday that are more important to the relationship.”</p>
<p><span><b> The sweetest thing Tom did for Erin:</b></span> Tom gave Erin, her mother and daughter all diamond cross necklaces for their daughter’s first Christmas.</p>
<p><span><b> The sweetest thing Erin did for Tom: </b></span> She surprised him with a ticket to The Masters tournament for his 30th birthday. </p>
<p></p>
<p><span><b>Alan Jacobson and <br /> Melissa Boher Jacobson</b></span></p>
<p><span><b><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960486673,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960486673,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-left" width="292" alt="7960486673?profile=original" /></a> How they met:</b></span> Alan Jacobson, 58, producing director at the Plaza Theatre in Manalapan, and Melissa, 51, social media and marketing director, voice and acting coach and actress, met at an audition in New York for a touring production of <i>Damn Yankees</i>. </p>
<p> “We went out for coffee while we were waiting in a very long line to audition (even though Alan doesn’t drink coffee),” Melissa said. “We stayed and talked for several hours, and never went back to the audition! We were engaged within three months, married within a year, and have been married for 22 years.”</p>
<p><span><b> Working together:</b></span> “It is wonderful to work together, as we often read each other’s minds,” Melissa said. “It can also be challenging, because you tend to not hold back opinions with those you know love you unconditionally. The downside is that sometimes it is hard to let go and just live your life outside of work. When you work for yourself it’s 24/7. The upside is we totally understand that, we get to plan and take vacations together, and we get to share what we do and love with each other and with our family.” </p>
<p><span><b> Keeping romance alive:</b></span> “It’s certainly a challenge, when you are balancing family and work,” Melissa said. “We try to make it a priority to carve out time for each other, and do special little things for each other even when we are crazy busy.”</p>
<p><span><b><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960486692,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960486692,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-right" width="271" alt="7960486692?profile=original" /></a> Valentine’s Day plans:</b></span> “We usually go out to dinner, but we are notorious for not making reservations,” Melissa said. “I like to buy peanut butter chocolates (his favorites) for Alan every year. I usually get a lovely bouquet of red roses from him. We often end up at some little Thai restaurant.”</p>
<p><span><b> The sweetest thing Alan did for Melissa:</b></span> “Alan is very romantic,” Melissa said. “He never forgets anniversaries or opportunities to give me a gift. The best gifts are the ones I call ‘just because,’ that happen when you need a lift, when you are not expecting anything, like a bouquet of flowers for no reason. Although he has planned some wonderful surprises for me over the years, such as a private dinner in a restaurant, spa days, and shopping sprees, I think my favorite gift is still the lifelong membership he purchased for me for one of my favorite organizations. I love saying I’m a lifelong member of Hadassah, thanks to my awesome hubby.”</p>
<p><span><b> The sweetest thing Melissa did for Alan:</b></span> “The one that sticks in my head most is when we had a cabaret performance, which Melissa was performing in, and she brought me onstage to sing to,” Alan said. “I always wanted to be that person brought on stage and this was the perfect moment. It was also the perfect song, Irving Berlin’s <i>Always</i>. And for the audience, we were no longer characters to them, but real people. It was a real rush.”</p></div>Mike and Lillian Levine, Abbey Delray Southhttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/mike-and-lillian-levine-abbey-delray-south2013-01-31T19:58:57.000Z2013-01-31T19:58:57.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960419277,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960419277,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="576" alt="7960419277?profile=original" /></a>This couple counts 69 years — so far — of married life. They were friends for a decade before he popped the question, and they remain best of friends today. <br />They got hitched in 1943, just four days after Mike graduated officers school, and only a couple days after they first discussed the idea of marriage. But once the bit was between his teeth, Mike seized the first excuse for a wedding.<br />On the spur of the moment — when the couple discovered all planes were grounded for a planned trip from Chicago to New York — Mike suggested they get married instead. <br />“I didn’t do it; it was all him,” insists Lillian. So instead of driving home to wait for the weather to clear, the couple stored their bags, caught a cab and got a blood test on their way to City Hall. <br />“We stopped at Marshall Field’s, too, because I’d lost my gloves,” Lillian chimes in. <br />The newlyweds then made a switch from planes to trains, and ended up honeymooning in a private room on the 20th Century Limited from Chicago to New York City.<br />“Everyone said it wouldn’t last,” says Lillian. “I don’t exactly know why I said ‘yes’, but I’m awfully glad I did. He’s a keeper.” <br />The couple — she was an interior designer, he won sales awards at automotive dealerships — moved to Abbey Delray South in 2005. An Oriental flair is evident in much of the artwork and décor in the apartment, which features bright rugs and white sofas.<br />When Lillian turned 100 last March, no fewer than four parties commemorated the occasion, while Mike looked proudly on, telling any and everyone that he was five years, seven months and 10 days younger than his wife.<br />“I studied the actuarial tables,” he says wryly. “I knew women lived longer than men.” <br />So what’s kept them together through the decades?<br />“Glue!” quips Mike, as Lillian tackles the question head on. <br />“Well, he’s one of the brightest men I know,” she answers. “Plus, he is such a good husband. He does things for me that are absolutely fantastic. He makes the bed every morning, he does the dishes, he helps me whenever he can.”<br />Her praise spurs Mike to compliment Lillian as a great housekeeper, an imaginative cook and a great hostess.<br />“Plus, she’s a good listener and I talk a lot,” he continues. “And she’s good company! What more could you ask<br />for?” </p></div>Lia Schultz and Tyrone Halfhill, Briny Breezeshttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/lia-schultz-and-tyrone-halfhill-briny-breezes2013-01-31T19:56:33.000Z2013-01-31T19:56:33.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960419081,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960419081,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="573" alt="7960419081?profile=original" /></a>Living proof that opposites attract — Lia and Tyrone found one another in 2004. <br />“I like a beer on the beach and she likes classical piano,” Tyrone explains. She’s the introvert; he most definitely is not. <br />When they met, Lia was an Iowa farm girl with just a few years of Florida living. <br />While walking her dog back from the beach, she spotted Tyrone there on Briny Breezes Boulevard, cutting some rope to use as a belt for that night’s toga party. <br />“I thought she was attractive,” recalls Tyrone, 41, who moved to Florida 18 years ago. “I talked to her and she blew me off. But I tried again. The third time I said something, she flinched, and I was like, ‘Yeah, got her.’ ”<br />Lia says she agreed to don a toga that night “because my field is higher education and I thought it was a professional requirement to go to at least one toga party.”<br />The party’s setting was lush, she recalls, and she decided Tyrone was the “best guy there.”<br />He asked her to come back to the beach the next day to learn about kite surfing, which she did. <br />From there, it was a short road to moonlit sails on Tyrone’s catamaran and romantic bonfires on the beach. <br />“He’s the only person who never holds me back,” says Lia, 37. “I know I can grow and learn and reach my potential with him as my partner.” <br />There was no formal proposal; but Tyrone and Lia wanted to focus on a family and together they just agreed that 11/11/11 was the perfect wedding day. The plan was to get hitched in Hawaii, but son Tytan made an early arrival, so the couple got married close to the spot where they met.<br />These days, they confess to being enraptured with their son, and say parenting him connects them deeply. <br />Though they sleep at their home in Boynton Beach, each day after work finds them in Briny Breezes, at the trailer where Tyrone’s mom lives, spending quality time with their 1-year-old. <br />Right from the start, the couple wanted things to be special for Tytan.<br />“We had a home birth,” Lia says. “Tyrone was so tuned in and supportive through the whole process. It was really a bonding experience for us — in a big way.” <br />“She didn’t even take an aspirin,” Tyrone adds with pride.<br />When asked if there’s a secret to their success, Lia says it pays to keep a desire list and help one another achieve it. <br />“Focus on daily pleasures instead of conflict.” </p></div>Lenny and Roz Sutton, Harbour’s Edgehttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/lenny-and-roz-sutton-harbour-s-edge2013-01-31T19:53:53.000Z2013-01-31T19:53:53.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960434898,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960434898,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="573" alt="7960434898?profile=original" /></a>The Sutton’s first met in 1960, at a family wedding. Roz’s sister was married to Lenny’s brother, and the clan was always getting together.<br />“I loved her husband and she loved my wife,” explains Lenny, a retired cardiologist with perfect diction and a twinkle in his eye. “I was Uncle Lenny to her sons!” <br />Roz was widowed after 38 years of marriage to her cherished Bernie; Lenny enjoyed 52 years with his spouse, Harriet. <br />Neither ever expected to love again. <br />But Roz was family, so of course Lenny looked her up whenever he visited his sister in Florida. <br />And when Roz rented an apartment in Providence R.I. (her sister lived there), Lenny offered to show her around, since he was a local. <br />Before long, waiters in town were asking the couple how long they’d been married.<br />“People said we were a cute couple, and I always told them it’s because we’re not married,” says Roz, laughing.<br />Lenny fell in love first. <br />“She was so warm; every statement she made was just filled with warmth. It wasn’t a put on. I just loved her honesty.”<br />For him, “The bells rang and the lights went on.” <br />It was Sept. 3, 2000. The couple had decided to eat in to celebrate Lenny’s birthday; Roz had bought a fruit tart and decorated it with a single candle. <br />“I was leaning against the kitchen door jamb and I had the tart in my hand and I suddenly said ‘Marry me!’” Lenny relates gleefully. <br />“That was the first big kiss I got from him,” Roz chimes in. “A kiss on the forehead was all he’d done till then.”<br />Though Roz was drawn to Lenny’s kindness and thoughtfulness, she wasn’t sure.<br />“I was afraid; I thought it can’t happen to someone twice,” she says. “How could love be so wonderful the second time?” <br />Of course Lenny won out; the lovebirds have now been married 11 years. They are constantly talking, they kiss openly (even in public, admits Roz), and hold hands on their morning walk. <br />“We just keep finding and discovering things about each other,” says Roz, who at 80, is 10 years younger than Lenny.<br />The couple speaks openly of their first spouses, which brings them both joy.<br />“It was a different phase of life,” Roz explains. “We were raising families and building businesses. It would be sad to have to cut that out of your life suddenly, like you didn’t exist before the other person came into your life.” <br />“We recall wonderful moments with each other’s mates,” agrees Lenny. “Unfortunately, some people don’t want to speak of their previous marriage because someone might get jealous or something silly like that.<br />“We love each other with the same intensity as our first,” he shares. “It’s just a different chapter of your life.” Ú</p></div>Valentine's Day: Wrapping the perfect presenthttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/valentines-day-wrapping-the2011-02-06T16:41:37.000Z2011-02-06T16:41:37.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960326058,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="360" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960326058,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="7960326058?profile=original" /></a>A palm tree husk tied with raffia cradles a hot-pink eyelet sundress from The Petite Connection in Delray Beach. <strong>Photo by Tim Stepien</strong></p>
<p>By Paula Dettwiller<br /><br />When Don Draper of the hit TV series Mad Men needed a Valentine’s Day gift for his wife, his loyal secretary would slip out of the office and into a nearby downtown department store. She would return with a lovely box, wrapped in colorful paper and embellished with ribbons and lace — courtesy of the department store, of course.<br />Complimentary gift-wrapping is almost as rare today as Don Draper’s fedora. But a few select retailers in the coastal area still offer it, for Valentine’s Day and any other occasion when a gift-wrapped package can warm someone’s heart.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960325658,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="360" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960325658,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="7960325658?profile=original" /></a><em>Gifts from Lifestyles of Lynne in Boca Raton, like these heart-shaped Romero Britto salt and pepper shakers, are tucked into specially dyed gold boxes and tied with Lynne’s signature ribbon.</em> <br /><strong><em>Photo by</em></strong><br /><strong><em>Tim Stepien</em></strong><br />It’s a tradition appreciated by shoppers at Lifestyles of Lynne in Boca Raton’s Royal Palm Place. On a recent morning, Boca real estate agent Brian Jones stopped into Lynne’s to buy a housewarming gift for a client. He was happy to learn that owner Lynne Reiss would wrap the gift in her signature gold box with leopard-print chiffon ribbon.<br />“I went shopping over the holidays at Macy’s in Water Tower Place in Chicago,” Jones told her. “You know — the upscale tower where Oprah lives? I was shocked to find that Macy’s stopped gift-wrapping. How can you be Macy’s and not do gift wrapping?”<br />Reiss just nodded and kept wrapping. “I’ve always felt that if someone comes into a gift store, they want the entire gift experience, soup to nuts,” she says. She’s been wrapping gifts, complete with free gift card enclosures, since opening the store in 2002.<br />“In the beginning, it was a major bone of contention with my accountant, who was looking out for the longevity of my business,” Reiss says. “He suggested I do away with gift wrapping to cut back on expenses. I told him, ‘Don’t even go there, it’s not going to happen.’ ”<br /><br /><strong>Natural Wrap</strong><br />The Petite Connection on East Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach is similarly committed to complimentary gift-wrapping. They’ve been doing it since the business opened in 1989. They also offer free gift delivery. Owner Theresia Frost says people remember that extra level of service and keep coming back. <br />“We have a few husbands who call and say ‘Pick out something nice for my wife, wrap it, and deliver it,’ ” Frost says. And they do. <br />Even Don Draper didn’t have it that good.<br />Instead of wrapping paper and ribbon, The Petite Connection uses items from nature, both to contain and decorate the gifts. It’s a reflection of the store’s interior design, where scarves hang from a bamboo rod, necklaces drape over bits of driftwood, and a stylish handbag perches on a weathered log.<br />The natural look is the work of gift-wrap specialist Sandy Remo, who has worked at The Petite Connection for 12 years.<br />“After windstorms I run around and pick up branches and all the stuff that falls out of trees,” Remo says. “I take them home, put them on my porch to dry, wash them, and they’re ready to go.” <br />Remo wraps every gift differently, depending on its size and the “sticks and stones” she has on hand. “Men tend to like it, and I’m not quite sure why,” Remo says with a laugh. “But I always ask the customer first: Do you want it wrapped with traditional paper and ribbon, or my way?” <br /><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960325671,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="360" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960325671,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="7960325671?profile=original" /></a><em>A sleek red leather jewelry pouch doubles as gift-wrap for a sparkling bauble or a gift certificate from Private Jewelers in Delray Beach. <strong>Photo by Tim Stepien</strong></em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><br /><strong>Cupid’s Artistic Touch</strong><br />Across the street at Private Jewelers, the Valentine’s Day gift wrap is itself a gift: a soft red leather travel pouch for jewelry. Tied with a silk ribbon, the pouch has several zippered compartments inside to hide a pin, pendant or set of earrings. The pouch is also a clever way to give the gift of shopping: It can be folded around a gift certificate. <br />“Men are spontaneous shoppers for Valentine’s Day,” says one sales representative. “They tend to shop at the last minute. Their gift choices come from the heart — whatever they’re feeling at the moment. But if they’re just not sure about her tastes, we have a luxurious way to present a gift certificate.” </p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960325697,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="241" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960325697,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="7960325697?profile=original" /></a><em>Pre-wrapped gifts in all sizes and price points are lavishly wrapped in Joy of Palm Beach’s distinctive chocolate brown and sky blue palette. <strong>Photo by Jerry Lower</strong></em><br />Last-minute Romeos who drop in at Joy of Palm Beach on Royal Poinciana Way on Palm Beach not only get free gift wrap, they also avoid the wait. Gifts of all shapes and sizes are pre-wrapped in Joy’s signature colors of chocolate brown and sky blue, and displayed next to a sample of whatever gift is inside the box. Co-owner Joyce McLeary says customers love it.<br />“They can pull right up to the store, run in, and get something in their price range that’s already beautifully wrapped,” she says. “It makes their life easier.” For those who buy the more expensive gifts, the store is also happy to deliver.<br />McLeary, who opened her store Nov. 1, hopes her distinctive brown and blue gift wrap becomes as recognizable and desired as Tiffany’s little blue box. For now, one thing is certain. In the words of one male shopper: “My wife’s <br />gonna know I didn’t wrap this.” </p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960326652,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="241" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960326652,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="7960326652?profile=original" /></a></p></div>Valentine's Day: Love & Chocolatehttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/valentines-day-love-amp2011-02-03T15:00:00.000Z2011-02-03T15:00:00.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960317501,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="295" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960317501,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="7960317501?profile=original" /></a><em>The Devil’s Food Cake prepared by Ana Pheterson, pastry chef at 32 East. <strong>Photo by Tim Stepien</strong></em></p>
<p>By Jan Norris<br /><br />Who knows when chocolate began to be associated with Saint Valentine’s Day? The history of that marriage is vague. Suffice it to say that today it’s the chocolatiers’ biggest day of the year, and heart-shaped boxes and fancy red-beribboned packages of the dark sweet stuff will fly off the shelves.<br />Chefs and others are getting creative with chocolate for Feb. 14 — it’s not just the candy makers. Check out these ideas for chocolate treats for your valentine.<br />At the Four Seasons Palm Beach, pastry chef Jason Morale is making a chocolate torta with a sabayon mousse. Everyone dining leaves with a special Valentine’s treat from the chef. <br />Also at the Four Seasons, they are offering a child’s dine-in special on Saturdays — and during special events — in which the kids will be fed and entertained while the parents dine (until 9 p.m.) Cost per child is $10 and available for kids ages 3-12. <br />A unique Chocolate and Red Wine Bar at the Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach Feb. 12-14 will present an ultimate decision conundrum for chocolate lovers. Which to choose? Chef Ryan Artim says to sample each: the raspberry white and dark chocolate fondue with dipping sticks of other treats such as tropical fruits, madeleines, marshmallows and meringues; fudgey cheesecake bites or cappuccino whoopie pies; chocolate pot de crème, chocolate raspberry tart, lollipops. <br />Now, what drink to pair with them? A sweet, fruit-forward Banyuls or Ruby Port, Syrah, Shiraz, Cabernet, Malbec, Grenache, Merlot — or spicy hot chocolate? Champagne? Ladies will leave with a special chocolate valentine.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><br /><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960317291,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="242" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960317291,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="7960317291?profile=original" /></a><em>Pheterson</em></p>
<p>At 32 East, Pastry Chef Ana Pheterson has concocted a fudgy rich Devil’s Food Cake. It’s layers of dark chocolate devil’s food cake with a cocoa reduction and hazelnut croquaunt and served with berries and micro greens. <br />Pick up warm, buttery chocolate croissants for a valentine’s morning, or petits fours, or a rich Opera Cake from Tom Tchernia at the French bakery, Le Petit Pain, in Lantana. (Order these in advance for pickup on Valentine’s Day.)<br />You could order a special one-of-a-kind chocolate cake (white or dark chocolate, with a number of flavored fillings) or special cupcakes of your own design, from Maria Palavecino at Couture Cakes in Delray Beach. Once you win over your sweetheart, she’ll bake your wedding cake, too.<br />At the hip Cupcake Couture Sweet Boutique in Delray Beach, Pam Joyner and her staff will bake up fancy cupcakes decorated for Valentine’s Day. Also here are dark chocolate whoopie pies — with decorator colored centers — pick a hot pink for your valentine.<br /> If it’s real chocolates you want, Kilwin’s Chocolates in Delray Beach will offer cases, boxes and bags full of candies. To further tempt, they’ll decorate chocolate-dipped Oreos, chocolate-dipped pretzels and chocolate-covered Rice Krispie Treats with hearts and valentine motifs. For the kids, there are chocolate lollipops and their best-seller — chocolate fudge.</p>
<p><br /><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960317664,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="360" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960317664,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="7960317664?profile=original" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><em>Chocolate ‘Smores Cake from the Boca Raton Resort & Club offers a decadent way to show someone you care. <strong>Photo by Tim Stepien</strong></em></p>
<p> At the restaurant 501 East in the private Boca Raton Resort and Club (members and hotel guests only), the pastry chefs have taken campfire favorites and combined them into a Chocolate S’mores Cake: two layers of chocolate fudge sandwiched between layers of chocolate cake, with a graham cracker crust — all topped with a thick layer of toasted marshmallow and sitting in a pool of chocolate sauce.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960317859,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="245" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960317859,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="7960317859?profile=original" /></a><em>Bartenders at Boca Raton's ZED451 will prepare the Chocolate Kiss for Valentine's. <strong>Photo provided.</strong></em></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><br />The bartenders at Zed451 in Boca Raton will be pouring the Chocolate Kiss — a drink worthy of any chocoholic. A mix of Godiva Chocolate vodka, Godiva Chocolate liqueur, Bailey’s Irish Cream and a scoop of Chocolate Guinness Ice Cream, this is the ultimate fix for a chocolate craving in liquid form.</p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}7960318064,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="360" src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960318064,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="7960318064?profile=original" /></a><em>At the Top of the Bridge at The Bridge Hotel, chef Dudley Rich will prepare a Bavarian Chocolate Torte set on a bed of dark chocolate and surrounded in berries. <strong>Photo provided.</strong></em></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><br />At the Top of the Bridge at the Bridge Hotel in Boca Raton, chef Dudley Rich is making a beautiful Bavarian Chocolate Torte: a creamy mousse of chocolate, set on a dark chocolate layer, surrounded by a pool of raspberry coulis and fresh berries. (Hint, hint, guys: It’s a perfect dessert to have the chef bury a ring in.)<br />At any of the shops, get in early or you may be disappointed in selections. <br />For cakes and specialty baked goods, order by Feb. 7 to be sure of getting it by <br />Valentine’s Day. </p>
<p style="text-align:left;"> </p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><strong>The Chocolate Connection</strong></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><strong><br /></strong></p>
<p style="text-align:left;">The Four Seasons Palm Beach</p>
<p style="text-align:left;">2800 S. Ocean Blvd., Palm Beach.</p>
<p style="text-align:left;">582-2800; <a href="http://www.fourseasons.com/palmbeach/">www.fourseasons.com/palmbeach/</a><br /><br />Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach<br />100 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan<br />533-6000; <a href="http://www.ritzcarlton.com/palmbeach">www.ritzcarlton.com/palmbeach</a><br /><br />32 East<br />32 E. Atlantic Ave., <br />Delray Beach<br />276-7868; <a href="http://www.32east.com">www.32east.com</a><br /><br />Le Petit Pain French Bakery<br />123 S. Third St., Lantana<br />582-5844; <a href="http://www.lepetitpainfrenchbakery.com">www.lepetitpainfrenchbakery.com</a></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"><br />Couture Cakes<br />142 SE Sixth Ave., Delray Beach<br />279-1828; <a href="http://www.couturecakeshop.com">www.couturecakeshop.com</a><br /><br />Cupcake Couture Sweet Boutique<br />328 E. Atlantic Ave., <br />Delray Beach<br />276-2334; <a href="http://www.cupcakecoutureusa.com">www.cupcakecoutureusa.com</a><br /><br />501 East Restaurant at the Boca Raton Resort and Club<br />501 E. Camino Real, <br />Boca Raton<br />447-3000; <a href="http://www.bocaresort.com">www.bocaresort.com</a></p>
<p style="text-align:left;"> </p>
<p style="text-align:left;">Zed 451<br />201 Plaza Real, Boca Raton<br />393-3451; <a href="http://www.zed451.com">www.zed451.com</a><br /><br />Top of the Bridge<br />at the Bridge Hotel<br />999 E. Camino Real, <br />Boca Raton<br />368-9500; <a href="http://www.bocaratonbridgehotel.com">www.bocaratonbridgehotel.com</a><br /><br />Kilwin’s Chocolates<br />402 E. Atlantic Ave.,<br />Delray Beach<br />278-0808; <a href="http://www.kilwins.com/delraybeach">www.kilwins.com/delraybeach</a></p></div>Recipes for Romancehttps://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/recipes-for-romance2010-02-04T18:57:51.000Z2010-02-04T18:57:51.000ZMary Kate Leminghttps://thecoastalstar.com/members/MaryKateLeming769<div><p style="text-align:left;"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960288679,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="" /></p>
<i>Photo model from 32 East in Delray Beach — Photo by Tim Stepien</i>
By Jan Norris
Perhaps the romantics are right — the past is more dreamy than today. It was a time when linens and china dressed the tables, and more formal wear dressed the diners — who had real conversations and lingered at the table. Meals were served by a staff trained to know the proper silver to lay out, and which wine to uncork. For a little romance on Valentine’s Day, dress up your own table and serve a romantic meal. Our menu isn’t deep or complicated. It’s inspired by many from the early 20th century and meant to be somewhat light, providing you keep portions small; they’re more appealing on the plate.
For those who aren’t proficient at the stove (though you’ll win points from her if you just try), call your favorite restaurant, pick up a three-course meal (reserve this at least a day in advance) and set a beautiful table to serve it.
Begin with a glass of champagne, and serve an amuse bouche of three cherry tomatoes on a small plate. Hollow them with a spoon and fill with 1/2 teaspoonful of soft cheese (goat or blue). Tuck a fresh basil leaf into the top of it and drizzle very lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle chopped basil around the plate to dress it slightly.
Next, serve the oyster soup. Buy some good baguettes and slice thinly to serve alongside. Serve a white Burgundy or un-oaked chardonnay, or a pinot gris with this.
Follow that with the fillet and bordelaise sauce, with mashed potatoes and steamed baby vegetables alongside. A rich Bordeaux, cabernet or super Tuscan is in order.
Retire to the living room, with candles, dim light, soft music, and your dessert of flourless chocolate cake (it’s easy, but available to buy if you can’t bake) topped with some fresh berries and a dollop of whipped cream (no fake stuff!) and a glass of Port, or more bubbly.
The rest is up to you.
<p style="text-align:left;"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960288852,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="" /></p>
<i>Oyster soup is lighter than oyster chowder, but no less flavorful. Antiques: Bowls, liners and large place are Lenox's The Colonial pattern, introduced in 1920. Spoons are in Towle's Old Colonial pattern. Chef Nick Morfogen of 32 East provided soup for our photo. Photo by Tim Stepien.</i>
<b>Oyster Soup</b>
1 pint oysters and their liquor, separated
3 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/3 cup finely chopped celery
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Freshly chopped chives
Salt and pepper to taste
Paprika for garnish
Strain the liquor from the oysters, then strain it again through a fine cloth or coffee filter into a heavy, 2-quart saucepan. Add cream to oyster liquor. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat; remove pan from heat and reserve.
In a large saute pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the celery and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onion and cook until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add oysters and cook until their edges curl slightly. Return the cream to medium heat, and add sauteed vegetables and oysters, stirring and cooking until mixture is piping hot, but do not boil.
Just before serving, add the lemon juice, chives, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Ladle into soup bowls and dust with paprika. Serve with sliced baguette.
Makes 4 servings.
<b>
Fillet With Bordelaise Sauce</b>
two 4-ounce fillets, thick cuts
2 garlic cloves, halved
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Coarse salt, to taste
1/2 teaspoon crushed tarragon
<b>For the sauce:</b>
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 to 6 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 shallot, chopped, or 2 green onions
1 clove garlic, finely minced
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups dry red wine, such as pinot noir or cabernet sauvignon
1 can (about 10 1/2 ounces) condensed beef broth
1/4 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste
<b>For serving:</b> Mashed potatoes and steamed baby vegetables
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Rub all surfaces of fillets with cut garlic halves.
Mix together pepper, salt to taste, and tarragon; rub fillets with mixture.
Heat heavy iron skillet over medium-high heat; add oil and fillets. Sear on both sides till slightly crusty. Remove from heat; put fillets on a broiler pan and place in oven (reserve skillet). Cook to desired doneness (about 8 minutes for rare, 11 for medium-rare, 14 for medium well and 17 for well; but test by making a small cut into one to check). Do not overcook; fillets will continue to cook slightly once removed from oven.
Meanwhile, make sauce: In reserved skillet heated over medium-high heat, add olive oil, mushrooms, shallot and garlic. Stir and saute for about 90 seconds. Add flour and stir; add wine, slowly, stirring up any bits on bottom of pan. Stir and cook for 3 minutes. Add broth and thyme and stir well; cook, simmering over medium heat until mixture is reduced by nearly half. Season with salt and pepper; keep warm.
To serve, spoon about 2 tablespoons of sauce on plate; top with fillet. Garnish with a sprig of thyme. Served with a small portion of mashed potatoes and steamed baby vegetables.
Makes 4 servings.
<p style="text-align:left;"><img src="{{#staticFileLink}}7960288299,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="" /></p>
<i>Flourless chocolate cake is simple to make, but you also can buy it and dress it up with fresh berries. Our photo model is from 32 East in Delray Beach.
</i>
<b>
Flourless Chocolate Cake</b>
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter 3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup good quality unsweetened cocoa powder
3 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla or bourbon
Pinch of salt
<b>For serving:</b> 1 cup raspberries or strawberries, cleaned, washed
1 teaspoon Cointreau or almond extract
Whipped cream
Mint leaves
Preheat oven to 325 F.
Grease an 8-inch square cake pan and dust well with cocoa powder. Melt chocolate with butter in a double boiler over simmering water. Remove from heat and cool slightly; stir in sugar, cocoa, eggs and flavoring and salt. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake at 325 F for 25 minutes. Remove and cool on a wire cake rack.
<b>Make sauce:</b> Reserve 1 whole berry for each square of cake served. Put remainder of berries and flavoring into blender or food processor; process until smooth. (Strain if desired.)
To serve, place square of cake on small plate. Spoon a pool of sauce alongside the cake. Pipe rosette of whipped cream on top of cake and place whole berry and mint leaf on top.
Makes 9 ultra-rich servings.</div>