After discussing the best ways to keep facial skin healthy and glowing during the winter months with several local experts, many themes arose: exfoliation, moisturizing, hydration, and sunscreen. These steps are all important because the winter weather tends to be drier, which has an impact on the skin. Somewhat surprisingly, the topic of sunscreen came up because, quite simply, the sun still shines in the winter and can still do damage to the skin.

Exfoliation
“In winter, the most important thing to do for the skin is to exfoliate,” emphasizes Linda Sickles, senior esthetician at The Spa at Cornerstone Fitness & Spa in Warrington. “If the skin is exfoliated [all other cosmetic products], work better.” Achieved through either chemical or mechanical means, exfoliation is the removal of dead skin cells from the skin’s outermost layer, the epidermis.

Chemical exfoliants include peels or other active agents that remove skin cells by way of a chemical reaction. “I prefer a natural enzyme exfoliant to a surface scrub, which can sometimes scratch your skin and cause shine,” says Kristyn Rudnet, owner of the Shimmer and Spice boutique in Philadelphia. “I recommend Naturopathica’s Pumpkin Purifying Enzyme Peel, because pumpkin is a powerful antioxidant due to its high beta carotene content.”

Mechanical exfoliants, commonly referred to as scrubs, have a course ingredient that acts to physically remove dead skin cells. When used properly—with a light touch instead of a hard rubbing action—scrubs do not damage the skin. One option is Kiehl’s Milk, Honey and Almond Scrub.

Moisturization
Once the skin is clean and exfoliated, the next vital step is to moisturize. This step is necessary because there are external as well as internal causes of skin dryness in the winter. External causes include heaters, which dry out the air, and wind.
Internal factors include the skin’s ability to rejuvenate in the colder months. As esthetician Dianna D’Andrea at Stars Di Prinzi Salon in Warrington explains, “Your skin’s natural oils don’t replenish themselves as much in the winter as they do in the summer, which causes the skin to be drier.” Her advice: “Use products with glycolic acid, because it penetrates the skin deeper and actually gets down into the dermis,” which is the layer underneath the epidermis.

In general, switching to a creamier moisturizer in the winter is one way to beat dryness. But, as Linda explains, “Creamier is not necessarily better because everyone’s skin type is different.” She suggests an appointment with an esthetician to create a personalized skin care regimen. “Skin care products are so advanced now that most do not have a heavy [or creamy] feel.” One example is Dermalogica’s Active Moisturizer.

Hydration
But applying moisturizer to the skin’s surface is only half of the hydration process. We should also hydrate our bodies to allow for that healthy glow. And, during the holiday season, we can easily get dehydrated—blame it on the eggnog, mulled wine, and candy cane martinis.

“Water, water, water,” says Dianna, “drink more water in the winter.” One way to accomplish this is to have one glass of water in between every cocktail because alcohol is a diuretic that causes the body to excrete more water. “If people enjoy a cocktail—and who doesn’t?—they should try to drink more water during the holiday season,” adds Linda.

Another trick is to use a humidifier to put more moisture in the air, especially while you sleep. And, take cooler showers because hot water dries out the skin more than cooler water. Furthermore, Linda simply tells people to “lower the temperature on the thermostat.” 

Sunscreen
“Sunscreen—all estheticians will agree on that one,” affirms Dianna.

“Sunscreen should be used every day, even in winter,” Linda explains.

Sunscreen may be the most neglected of the cold weather skin care elements because we often perceive the colder weather to mean that the sun is not as potent. However, the sun is actually closer to the earth in the Northern Hemisphere in winter, and it produces harmful rays in the winter just as it does in the summer. Additionally, snow reflects approximately 80 percent of the ultraviolent light, which increases exposure.

Linda suggests applying sunscreen last in the morning skin care regimen, just after moisturizing, or mixing sunscreen into the moisturizer. Many moisturizers have sunscreen built in—at the very least, chose one of these moisturizers in the winter months.

Final Tips
Skin is the largest organ in the body, and the areas where the skin is most susceptible to damage are the hands and the face. In winter, the skin can get dried out by things like indoor heating, wind, and holiday cocktail consumption. But a few simple tips—exfoliate, moisturize, hydrate, and embrace sunscreen—can protect the skin and keep your face glowing all season long.  

Story by April Reynolds

“What do you want?” We’re asked this question often during our lives: what do you want for dinner; what do you want for the holidays; what do you want to be when you grow up; what do you want to do with the rest of your life? I received a gift two years ago with this same question etched on a rock that rattles when you shake it. The rock is meant as a reminder to inspire thoughts and ideas or to help you “shake off” a negative thought.

The card attached to the gift has a picture of a black crow standing on a similar rock and it says “What do you want to be when you crow up?” Cute, right? This rock has been sitting in my kitchen since I received it. I look at it at least once a day and occasionally pick it up, shake it, and think I want happiness, good health, inspiration, motivation. Recently, I started to ask myself, what do I want to be when I “crow” up?

Paloma Garcia-Lee, our nineteenth Bucks County WOMAN cover, is only nineteen years old, and she knows exactly what she wants to be when she grows up—a star. In fact, she already is one. Some would say that it is genetic—her parents both have roots on Broadway—but after meeting her, it is clear that it is more than her good genes that won her a starring role
in Phantom of the Opera. She is smart, beautiful, talented, and she works hard for it. She is clearly mature beyond her years, well travelled and has the energy of—well—a nineteen year old.

Paloma has been imagining herself on stage for as long as she can remember, and her dreams have come true. She is remarkable, and I believe she has a big bright future ahead of her.

I admire people that know exactly what they want at such a young age, and then I think back and remember I did know what I wanted. At nineteen, I wanted to be a physical therapist; at twenty-two, I wanted to be an optometrist; at twenty-five, I wanted to travel the world, and the list goes on. The one thing I did learn about myself is that I want to continue to grow. I want to experience life and live every dream as it comes to me.

Working with Bucks County WOMAN has allowed me to live another one of my dreams and create the next chapter in my book. The magazine has given me the opportunity to meet some of the most amazing and inspirational women in the area. It has introduced me to some of my dearest friends, and recently, it has inspired me to follow my dreams.

This is my last issue working with BCW; I am moving forward to pursue my next adventure. I sincerely thank all of the readers who have taken the time to read My Thoughts. I will be staying in the area, so
when you see me at Fred’s Breakfast or riding my bike through our river towns, be sure to say hello. I have big plans for myself, so stay-tuned. And I will
leave you with this last thought from Henry David Thoreau, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.”

Happy Holidays,
Janine Carroll

For a kid with a fascination for reptiles—and just about any other critter—Joe Fortunato’s pleasure in his childhood travels to Michigan, Illinois, the
Poconos, and the Jersey shore was as much about the different animals he’d find in those environs as it was the family members who lived there.

Not that family and his Pennsylvania home don’t mean a lot to him—they brought him back from an idyllic life with an exotic animal and plant collection he’d amassed over six years in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. But the fascination never left him, and nothing has kept him from fulfilling his dream of sharing his regard for the creatures of the earth and sky with people of all ages.

Joe Fortunato, aka Jungle Joe Fortunato, is the Founder and Executive Director of the Bucks County Zoo & Conservation Society in Warminster—Bucks County’s first and only exotic animal zoo. And proud as he is of his own family—wife Tara, son Joseph, five, and daughter Cappie, three—he is bursting with unquenchable enthusiasm for the success of this venture.

“When I started my business of doing traveling live animal shows a couple of years ago, I never thought it would get this big, this fast,” Joe says, a bit of awe in his voice. Although the new 5,000-square-foot indoor zoo offers a respectable collection of birds, mammals, amphibians, arachnids, and reptiles, along with tours, private parties, and live events, he wants to expand further with more animals and more vehicles to extend his traveling projects.

Pet store to Florida idyll to Animal Junction
Joe had unusual pets from an early age, and a blue and gold macaw named Ziggy has been part of his family since the mid-eighties. He still has his Golden Books field guides and still uses what he learned from them while volunteering at the Academy of Natural Sciences and working at the World Wide Aquarium and Pet Store in Northeast Philly.

Even as a 1989 Philadelphia Police Academy graduate and city police officer, his predilection for unusual creatures was noted and tapped. “Whenever we got animal calls, especially a reptile call, I was the first one they contacted.” It was not uncommon for criminals to hide drugs in cages with venomous snakes, so all caged snakes were suspect. Joe was one of the few on the force who knew the difference between “safe” and “sorry.”

Despite enjoying his Philly police work, in 1992, Joe followed his heart and moved to Florida, where he joined the Fort Lauderdale police force. In his free time there in the balmy warmth, he built a private collection of exotic creatures and beautiful tropical plants, including orchids and palm trees from around the world. He also built his reputation among regulators, importers, and scientists, receiving certifications and respect for his knowledge and methods.
“But I became very homesick,” he explains. “Something was missing. So I came home and joined the Falls Township Police Department in 1998.” Even in his police work there, he’d run out on the occasional animal call to round-up a reptile or collect a $2,000 cockatoo from a tree.

At the same time, Joe was developing a wild-animal business that allowed him to maintain a small collection of specialized animals, cared for lovingly at his home as part of his family. Through his company, Animal Junction, Joe provided educational and entertaining programs to schools, camps, and birthday parties. This was his opportunity to introduce people—young and old—to the creatures they read about in books, saw on television nature shows, or observed at a distance through glass walls or barricades at city zoos. Kids loved it; they and the adults learned about the critters’ lifestyles, protecting wildlife habitats, the ills of poaching, and more. The knowledge he’d gained in Florida allowed him to meet the stringent certification requirements and to exceed the standards for owning exotic species here in Pennsylvania.

Aiming dream-ward with Jack Hanna
Forward to March of 2006: a spinal crush injury had led to retirement from the force; Joe was still knee-deep in exotic animals at home—and Jack Hanna was coming to town!

Hanna, Director Emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and possibly the most widely recognized wild animal “edu-tainer” in the country, was living Joe’s dream.
“I couldn’t pass up seeing Jack Hanna!” Joe recalls. “And there he was, very accommodating and professional. A year later, his office called to ask if I’d be interested in us working together. What a proud moment!”

The two soon became very close. They still spend many weeks of the year doing animal shows and television appearances, including David Letterman and Good Morning America. When Joe realized his dream of a facility here in Bucks, Hanna sponsored the Bucks County Zoo for accreditation with the Zoological Society of America.

In March 2008, just two years after they had met, Hanna was an honored guest at the Bucks County Zoo’s grand opening. “Jack’s very inspiring, very positive and makes you feel you’re doing something good.”

Joe also travels the world with another inspiring colleague, wildlife expert Clyde Peeling, Director of Reptiland in Allenwood, Pennsylvania. He and Peeling have toured in Africa, the Galapagos, and Indonesia, and more trips are on the horizon.

Zookeeper and wildlife educator
The Bucks County Zoo & Conservation Society, located at 1540-D Campus Drive, Warminster, is staffed mostly by volunteers. Most of these volunteers are students from Delaware Valley College in Doylestown, which has respected Animal Biotechnology & Conservation and Animal Science majors. “We’re so lucky to be so close to the school,” says Joe. “And they love coming to work for us. They get something that’s hard to find anywhere else.”

Besides rigorously cleaning the facility itself, the staff and students bathe, groom, feed, and do “enrichment”—playtime—with the animals. “Birds are a great example, because they’re highly intelligent. Take a piece of fruit; put it inside a paper towel roll. Or put worms in an empty yogurt container so they have to figure out how to get to the food. Play keeps animals from getting bored. Boredom leads to stress, and that leads to disease and other problems.” There’s a lesson for all of us: play more to stay healthy.

“When I go out to do shows, I still get goose bumps from the excitement,” says Joe.

He tries to purchase animals as babies at six to eight weeks of age so they can be hand-fed in order to develop bonding with the handler. Bonding helps ensure that the handler won’t endanger the animal, himself, or the audience—an important consideration for exotic animals that go out in public for education and outreach programs.

But that doesn’t guarantee the cockatoo won’t poop on Joe’s shoulder on television or that the toad won’t pee down the front of his pants at a birthday party. In fact, exotic animals doing what comes naturally is part of the fun. Just ask any six-year-old at that birthday party.

Conservation is key
At the core of Joe’s work, however, is the message that all wild animals deserve protection of their lives and their habitats.

In the works for a Spring 2011 opening at colleges, theaters, and universities is Jungle Joe’s Wildlife Adventures, an interactive stage show that is also planned as a series of television episodes. The eco-adventures spotlight fifteen of the most popular exotic animals from the zoo’s roster of birds, mammals, amphibians, arachnids, and reptiles, each with a story to tell about climate, habitat, conservation, and the environment.

The Bucks County Zoo, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, also wants to grow. An accredited zoo, it will be able to get approvals and permits for more animals in different classes once it has available space. Plans are afoot to build a new, larger facility in Bucks.

Joe Fortunato is well named: he is fortunate, indeed, to have had two fulfilling and meaningful careers—wild animals and law enforcement. Also fortunate are the residents of and visitors to Bucks County—as well as all those who get to view his live and broadcast animal adventure shows around the country—that Jungle Joe kept his dream alive. 

For more on the Bucks County Zoo & Conservation Society
and Jungle Joe’s Wildlife Adventures: 215.394.5873
JungleJoe@BucksCountyZoo.org • www.buckscountyzoo.org
1540-D Campus Drive, Warminster, PA 18974

Story by Anne Biggs

You know what it means to eat well—organic fruits and vegetables, cage-free eggs and grass-fed meats may be mainstays of your menu. But when you consider that the average woman applies more than 200 chemicals to her skin each day and sixty percent of these chemical are further absorbed into the bloodstream, it becomes clear that perhaps eating clean is not enough. Research shows that a good, green skincare routine is essential to not only looking but to feeling your best.

As a registered nurse, Catherine Chamberlain of Newtown understands the link between chemicals and disease. She explains that many chemicals commonly used in traditional skincare products have been discovered in biopsies of breast cancer tumors. “These ingredients are bio-cumulative,” explains Chamberlain. “They may not hurt you in small doses, but if you cleanse and moisturize your skin twice daily for decades—as most women do—who knows what could happen?”

A passion for all things healthy, coupled with a love of cosmetics products, prompted Chamberlain to open Eden Organics in Doylestown this fall. The store’s mix of natural- and organic-based products for home, skin, body, and hair for men, women, and children contain no gluten, no artificial colors or fragrances, no genetically modified organisms, and no artificial preservatives, and they are available at a range of price points. There is also a spa offering a full range of skin- and body-care treatments using only natural products.

All-Natural, Organic, Biodynamic…What Does It All Mean?
Natural products are not all created equally. “Consider this,” implores Chamberlain, “an apple is all natural, but if it is sprayed with pesticides, it is not organic. ‘All natural’ is the first level; it means nothing is added, everything is in its natural state.”

The next level is organic, which means that the ingredients are grown without pesticides, and no genetic modifications have been made. To be labeled organic, the product can contain only ingredients that are organically produced and must be paraben-, cruelty- and water-free. You read right: Water is not organic. If water appears in the ingredient list, the product is not truly 100-percent organic.

“Biodynamic is the ‘mother’ of all organics,” explains Chamberlain. “Biodynamic focuses on sustainability of soil. There are organic ingredients that are biodynamically grown, but an ingredient doesn’t have to be biodynamic to be organic.” Wild harvested is another buzz phrase. It means an ingredient is handcrafted from its wild state so it is even more pure.

Myth vs. Fact
It is a common misconception that if a product says “organic” it doesn’t contain chemicals, but the appearance of the word organic doesn’t mean it is free of them. The good news is that the FDA has begun to force manufacturers to ensure simple warning labels declaring dangerous chemical use, if there is any.

Alternatively, a product may not be 100-percent organic, but that doesn’t mean it is not safe, or that it is not a safer alternative; it just means that not every compound used in the product is organic. While the USDA seal that certifies a product as organic is a good indication of a safe product, it is not the only measure. The process to be certified is expensive and time consuming. Some manufacturers may opt not to pursue it in order to avoid passing that cost—or the long wait for an effective product—to consumers. Additionally, European brands do not boast the USDA seal, but, since the standards for organic declaration in Europe are more stringent and have been in force longer, they should not be ruled out.

Bottom line: Consumers should read the product’s packaging—some may not have the seal but will state that the ingredients meet the criteria of the USDA or other governing body. It’s also important to be ingredient savvy. Says Chamberlain, “If you don’t know what something listed as an ingredient is, or cannot pronounce it, think twice before you put it on your skin.”

The Benefits of Organic Beauty
The effects of products made with ingredients that are naturally in harmony with your body are more than skin deep. By reducing exposure to chemicals, you may slow the signs of aging and, literally, add years to your life.

Chemicals commonly used in traditional skincare products can cause more than skin reactions and inflammation—think redness, blotchiness, irritation, and other signs of aging, often the very things you are trying to avoid by using the product in the first place. The ugly truth is the ingredients causing the reactions may also be wreaking havoc on your hormones.

Here’s a rundown of the ingredients one should avoid … and why:

Phthalates—Used as a solvent in many cosmetic products, these are known as “endocrine disruptors” because they mimic the body’s hormones. Lab tests have shown a link to reproductive and neurological damage.

Parabens—A common preservative in many shampoos, moisturizers, shaving gels, etc., they imitate the hormone estrogen, which has been found to play a role in the development of breast cancers. Stay away from all of the “bens,” including butyl-, ethyl-, methyl- and propyl-parabens.

Nano-particles—These are small clumps or crystals of substances used in many cosmetic products. While the chemicals may not be harmful in their original forms, they often behave differently when packaged into nanoparticles.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)—The key ingredient in foaming facial washes, SLS is a detergent that started its career as an industrial degreaser and garage-floor cleaner. When applied to human skin, it can strip off the oil layer, causing erosion and irritation.

Artificial fragrances—Synthetic perfumes contain Benzene derivatives and air-polluting aldehydes and can cause allergic reactions, like redness and irritation, as well as toxic reactions like headaches and dizziness.

Petrochemicals—These chemical products are derived from petroleum; they include toluene, which can cause allergic reactions
and skin irritation.

The more aware people are of what to avoid, the more companies will be forced to change. Consumers can help by beginning to swap products containing harsh chemicals for natural products.

“It’s not necessary to change everything at once,” says Chamberlain. “And it often takes a bit of time to find the products you like the best and that fit your lifestyle. But, once you feel the difference and others see it on your face, the momentum will build.” And, you’ll be on the natural path to truly healthy beauty. 

Story by Vicki-Lynn Bilotta

This is a question that I am always asked. I respond by quoting Loren Dunton, Founder of the National Center for Financial Education, from his book Financial Planning Can Make You Rich (1987): “Most people need a planner. The ones who don’t need one are usually smart enough to use one.” In this age of the internet, Twitter, and the iPhone App, financial information is available at the flip of a switch or the touch of a button. But putting that information into a cohesive personal financial strategy is a bit more complicated. The risk is that the results end up being uncoordinated and reactive. Not a plan at all.

As a financial professional, I am passionate about educating and motivating women to take charge of their financial futures. Too many of us are so busy with our daily lives that we tend to focus financially more on the short term. Most of us have learned to live within our budgets and not go overboard with our credit cards. We even network to find the best deals on clothes, electronics, and online websites. While this short-term focus is important, it is not enough. What about your long-term investments? Are they positioned appropriately for your needs and goals? Are you on target for meeting your retirement savings? And what about paying for your children’s college tuitions?

So, do you need a financial planner? You can certainly go it alone when it comes to managing your money. But you could also try to do it yourself when it comes to auto repair or fixing the sink. In both areas, doing it yourself is a brilliant idea for some and a flawed plan for others. Mastering personal finance requires many hours of research and learning. For most, it’s not worth the time and ongoing effort.

As you get older, busier, and (hopefully) more wealthy, your financial goals—and options—get more complicated. A financial planner can save you time. There are rules of thumb that we can use to make our financial decisions such as: 1) save 10% of your income and 2) keep your total monthly debt payments below 36% of your gross monthly income. But they don’t cover all your bases. More detailed personal planning regarding asset allocation, investment vehicles, and tax strategies may be needed.

Financial planners can also help you remain disciplined about implementing and maintaining your financial plan. They’ll make the moves for you or hold you accountable for making them yourself. Procrastination, that 800-lb gorilla, can cause all sorts of money issues or unrealized potential, so it pays to have someone looking over your shoulder. A financial planner cannot make you a thriftier shopper, a better saver, or help you earn more money. Ideally, he or she will look at your financial “big picture” and help you work to enhance it via money management. Depending on his credentials, a financial planner may recommend specific investments, long-run investing strategies, insurance options, retirement planning, risk-management methods, and more. Many individuals refer to themselves as “financial planners,” but not all perform true multidisciplinary financial planning. Investment, insurance, and tax professionals sometimes specialize in certain areas of financial planning (such as retirement planning, estate planning, tax planning, or investment management), while others take a more holistic approach.

The cost of hiring a financial planner can vary depending upon whom you hire, where he is located, and what type of “fee structure” he uses. A fee-only financial planner earns a flat fee, hourly or otherwise, for the services. A fee-based planner generally prefers to charge advisory fees (often .50% to 2.00% annually of the assets under management) for his or her services rather than commissions linked to investments or product sales. Some advisors, like myself, have adopted a more hybrid model that takes into consideration the financial needs and risk tolerance of the client. In most cases, your initial meeting with one of these professionals will be free of charge (be sure to ask in advance about this), and you can discuss fee schedules and compensation arrangements at that time.

So how do you choose a planner? In two words…ask questions. Sit down with any planner you’re considering and find out how long he or she has been in business, what his or her credentials are, how he or she operates, etc. Most importantly, make sure if and when you hire a planner that your personalities will mesh. This is someone you may well be working with for the rest of your life, so you should choose someone you feel comfortable with. 

Story by Loretta Hutchinson MA

Loretta Hutchinson MA, NCC is a fee-based Financial Planner and licensed Insurance Agent with Harvest Group Financial Services in Langhorne, PA. She can be reached at lhutchinson@cfiemail.com or 215-860-6056.

Securities offered through Centaurus Financial, Inc Member FINRA, SIPC Supervisory Branch: 3902 State St, Suite #101 Santa Barbara, CA 93105 1-888-569-1982

The palette of colors once painted on pre-kilned ceramics in the building that housed Color Me Mine—the paint-your–own-pottery chain—is now synonymous with its new resident. That resident is a fifty-seat BYO, which might be a little more enticing to the young Picasso’s parents.

Chef/Owner Justin Kaplan went through fifteen different names before he was inspired by a painter’s palette filled with spices in lieu of paint. Kaplan approached partner—then co-worker at Hopewell’s Blue Bottle—Jon Cross, about starting a restaurant together, and Cross didn’t hesitate to respond affirmatively. Most friends who take a gamble and go into business together start out as friends. These two went the opposite direction and went into business together based on work ethic—the friendship followed.

Kaplan, a Princeton native, and Cross, hailing from Yardley, both started at the stove. Cross spent time in some of South Florida’s best-known kitchens before returning home. Upon return, he pulled a role reversal and started pulling the plates instead of putting them out. He focuses on the service end of the BYO, and his focus is certainly appreciated on the customer’s end.

Cross knows the art of the table. Taupe, circular basket-weaved tablemats are placed on tables sans the white table cloth. The color motif ranges from cool to warm, with inviting shades of slate blue, burgundy, taupe, and grayish-brown. White, square plates and burgundy napkins are placed on top, with a diagonal slant on the flatware playing off the logo. Photos by Martha Weintraub decorate the walls. Servers are comfortably dressed in black v-neck tees, jeans, and chefs’ aprons. Comfort is the key. The sound system is pouring out a little bit of everything from Ray Lamontagne to Rolling Stones.

Kaplan adopts some of his Blue Bottle background with house-made pastas like the tagliatelle, tossed in a rich black garlic sauce, on the scallop dish; but he lightens things up with mood of the restaurant.

The bread basket, with a nice variety of selections, arrived promptly as our order was made. As soon as I took a bite of the warm multigrain bread, I knew they were working with Metropolitan, one of the most respected bakeries in the city. And, the menu makes sure to mention all the local farms and purveyors they use.

Sweet Potato soups are almost ubiquitous across menus this time of year. But the addition of Chorizo adds another layer of flavor and texture. The soup was pureed but had diced sweet potato, and smoky sausage was added in as a finishing touch.

For me, endive is usually as bitter as a dumped boyfriend. Not this time. Chef Kaplan explained that there are a few ways to extract the bitterness out of endive; one of them is to cook it in salt water. I could eat the tarragon-dressed blue crab salad every day and never tire. Apples and a roasted cauliflower puree add a nice seasonality to the dish.

There’s also a salad for the meat-lover: the Arugula Salad with Verjus Vinaigrette, House Cured Duck Prosciutto, Marinated Artichokes, and Hazelnut Puree.

Next is the seared foie gras, with carrot and honey, gingerbread, and dark chocolate ganache. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen the delicacy paired with a decadent ganache. Chef explained that both the foie and the chocolate are fatty, so texturally they work well, but he continued to explain that foie is sweet, and with the dark chocolate being bitter, the characteristics contrast. Then to enhance this marriage even further, he adds in a compliment to both—ginger. The accents of carrot and honey are added for color, and the carrot works well with ginger, thus linking all the flavors.

Kaplan braises the veal in a beer combo of local Pennsylvania Pale Ale from Philadelphia Brewing Co. and Guinness. It’s served with Brussels sprouts, cranberries, squash, mushrooms, sweet breads, and a mustard reduction. It’s the most popular dish on the menu. And it is the best veal I’ve ever had. The best.

Scallops with porcini dust, “clam sauce,” black garlic tagliatelle, micro chervil, and black truffle are also very popular. The five scallops aren’t cooked a minute too long. Black garlic only hit U.S. kitchens in 2008, after chefs noticed it in high-end Korean cuisine. Once upon a time, it was only available in high-end markets in California, but now the fermented garlic can now even be found in Whole Foods if you want to experiment with it yourself.

The meal was a rich one. I suggest bringing a full-bodied white wine like a gruner-veltliner or a viognier to pair.

Kaplan best captures flavors of the season on one plate with the roast breast of chicken. My dining companion told me he would be happy ordering anything on the menu. But I think I surprised him when I chose the chicken. My reason for ordering the dish was two-fold—one because of all its aforementioned seasonal accompaniments, but also because I knew that Chef Kaplan worked with great local farms, and I knew it would be exceptional. And it was. I savored every tender bite. In typical gluttonous fashion, I made the “Ok—this is my last bite” statement three times. Two breasts of chicken were served on top of an apple stuffed with sage and pulled chicken that had also been braised in the stout. The generous portion of cannelloni beans, cabbage, and bacon on the side almost cancelled dessert.

Kaplan takes care of all the pastry in house as well. He jokes that he doesn’t ever claim to be a pastry chef—it’s not his strong suit—but his desserts speak otherwise. There are only four desserts to choose from, but as many of us can be indecisive, I think that this is a good thing. I opted for the Pomegranate Panna Cotta. It arrived garnished with pomegranate seeds and pomegranate vinegar from the Tubby Olive, the artisan oil and vinegar shop down the street.

Kaplan educated me on the Italian cooked cream as though I were at a complimentary cooking class. The versatile pomegranate, once dubbed “Fall’s forgotten fruit” is at the top of Kaplan’s mind. Its season is a long one, from September until February.

The beans definitely didn’t cancel dessert, as I then went for another. Well-known food essayist Bonny Wolf looked into her crystal ball at the onset of the year and saw that the year’s culinary calendar would call for donuts to be the “new cupcakes”, and beer to be the “new wine.” Dinner-ending donuts have definitely been a theme in Philadelphia this year. Notable chefs like Jose Garces and Matt Levin are satisfying sweet teeth with their modern takes on the comfort dessert. And so is Kaplan here in Newtown with his take on “Coffee and Donuts.” Two circular shaped confections are served with caramel and mocha sauces. You might as well get guilty with so much pleasure. The donuts were served with an applesauce so vibrant I had to ask our server about it. He informed me that that fresh fall flavor is coming from Gala apples—they are small and are usually red with a portion being greenish-yellow.

As with much art, their menu is a work in progress. Look for it to change often as new ingredients come into season.

State St. already had a fun food scene with varying eateries. Reportedly, some of the best pancakes ever are coming out of The Colonial Kitchen. Zebra and the White Whale is there for ice cream and coffee. Isaac Newtons is one of Greater Philadelphia’s best beer emporiums. The Temperance House and Black Horse Tavern are other pubs/restaurants on the street. You have Florentino’s if you want Italian, and if the craving hits for wonton soup and lettuce wraps, Duck Sauce will satisfy you. And now you have this byo—a wonderfully welcome addition that will paint Bucks County’s palates happy. 

They are open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday 5-9:30 pm.
Lunch is Wednesday through Saturday 11:30-2:30 pm.

Story by Suzanne Woods

It started out as just another ordinary, extraordinary day in the life of Paloma Garcia-Lee. After all, the seventeen year-old was already no ordinary teenager. This was the high school graduate who left her Wrightstown, Pa., home to live on her own in New York City and fulfill her dream of becoming a performer; the girl who had a job selling yoga-wear and a dashing life of going to auditions, taking dance classes, and trying to “make it.” She was already pretty impressive when she got the call that would change her life. It was 8 a.m. The person on the other end said he was calling on behalf of the Broadway company of “The Phantom of the Opera.” The question: “Would you like to join the cast?” The punch line: “You start in four days.”

Her answer was immediate. “I just said, ‘Yes, yes, yes!’” recalled Garcia-Lee, now nineteen, a spunky, spritely girl with bright blond curls and a bewitching smile. From the moment she hung up the phone, she hit the ground running. She had to be ready—Broadway ready—in ninety-six hours. “I got the call at 8 a.m.,” said Garcia-Lee. “By noon, I was signing my contract. By 5 p.m., I was getting a wig fitting. That night, I watched the show. In twenty-four hours, I had gone from working in retail to watching the Broadway show I was going to be in. It was bang, bang, bang.” She also made history. At just seventeen, she was the youngest cast member ever hired to appear in the American version of the legendary musical. The Broadway show is twenty-three years old. Garcia-Lee became the first person hired who was younger than the show. “There is one person in the cast who has been doing it for twenty-three years,” she said. “He just looks at me and laughs.”

Yet while Garcia-Lee might have seemed like a mere child plucked from obscurity, she had actually been preparing for her Broadway debut for fourteen years. “It wasn’t a shock,” said her mother, Terri Lee. “She was trained for this; she earned it. She worked her butt off.” Garcia-Lee began dancing at age three at Spirit in Motion, a performing arts school in Newtown, Pa., owned by her mother. Performing was in her DNA—her mother performed on Broadway, and her father was a studio musician and scenic designer. “I definitely grew up completely interested in the arts,” said Garcia-Lee. “At dinner, my dad would be talking about lights or music, and my mom would be talking about dance. I always thought it was normal.” For her, it was.

“She’s been around this her whole life,” said Terri Lee. “I was always running her around. Even when I was teaching, I had her in the backpack, in a snuggly. I would take the stroller to my dance classes. She was around performers her whole life. It’s all she knows.”

Garcia-Lee attended Wrightstown Elementary School until the fourth grade, when her schedule—school until 3 p.m., dance every day from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.—left her feeling like she never saw her parents. So her family opted for home-schooling. That gave Garcia-Lee more time with her parents and the flexibility to attend ballet classes in Princeton and New York City. At thirteen, she auditioned for the North Carolina School of the Arts and was accepted into their Ballet Department. She was off to boarding school—a high school program that she completed in just three years—and she switched to the Drama Department for her senior year. The elite program chose just eighteen students from around the world. Garcia-Lee got in. “I knew I wanted to be on Broadway,” she said. “I wanted to be as well rounded as possible.” As graduation approached, Garcia-Lee was feeling lukewarm about college. “I felt like I didn’t really want to go to school,” she explained. “I didn’t want four years of a program to teach me what I felt like could just go out and do.” So she negotiated with her parents: let me take one year off, and let’s see what happens.

Needless to say, something happened. Garcia-Lee moved to New York City one week after graduating from high school. Her mom visited frequently, but Garcia-Lee was virtually on her own. At seventeen. In the Big Apple. “I had been there a lot, and my parents knew I was comfortable there,” she explained. “It was not like they threw me to the wolves. I really knew what I was doing.” She moved to New York City on June 1st. A few weeks later, a friend called and told her about an open casting call for “The Phantom of the Opera.”

The rest, as they say, is history: How Garcia-Lee doubtfully added her name to the list of 300 or 400 girls that early morning of the open call. How she started dancing, and the casting directors kept making cuts until she was one of the final five auditioners left. How they asked her to sing, and then sent her home. How she didn’t hear anything for four months. How she got the surprise call with the four-day warning for her Broadway debut. How she had three desperate, intense, insane rehearsal days until she appeared as a dancer in the Ballet Chorus in “The Phantom of the Opera.” How, all of a sudden, the girl who was not yet old enough to legally drive after 11 p.m. was about to step onto the greatest stage in the world. “It was all happening so fast, I never had a moment to think,” said Garcia-Lee. Ultimately, she found herself backstage just before the big opening act. A new friend in the cast grabbed her by the shoulders and said: “Paloma, you’re on Broadway.” “That kind of hit me,” she said.

Yet it wasn’t until later in her opening night performance that the momentous nature of the situation truly unraveled her. The second act of the show begins with a lavish masquerade ball. The cast assembles on an enormous staircase, bedazzled in elaborate gowns, singing a powerful chorus. “There are thirty-six people on the stairs, and we all turn and sing,” said Garcia-Lee. “It hit me then. The tears were running down my face. I couldn’t sing. I had to mouth the words. I was looking out at 1,500 people, and I could feel the volume of the voices behind me, and I thought, ‘Here I am. I’m doing what I’ve always dreamed of doing for so long.’ It was huge.”

After a few months on Broadway, Garcia-Lee was invited to join the national tour of “The Phantom of the Opera.” Too young to join the tour un-chaperoned at first, she waited until her eighteenth birthday, which arrived one Saturday in late April, 2009. She performed on Broadway on her birthday and joined the tour the very next night. After six months on tour, Garcia-Lee was asked to take over the role of Meg Ghiry, one of only seven lead parts in the show. She has been portraying that role for the past year on the road, traveling across the country and doing what she loves. “I’m living the dream life,” she enthused. “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t feel grateful.”

Of course, life on the road isn’t always enchanting. Garcia-Lee traveled to twenty-two American cities in the past eighteen months. “I live out of a trunk,” she said. “It’s hotels and rental cars. It’s just as glamorous as that sounds.” She is on stage nearly every day, doing eight shows a week, including two on Saturday and two on Sunday. She spends her days at the gym or finding dance classes to keep her in shape for the relentless performance schedule. On the bright side, she gets to discover a new city every few weeks—sneaking in horseback riding in the deserts outside of Scotsdale, Ariz., a road trip to explore San Antonio from a tour stop in Austin, and browsing the glamorous shops on Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles. And at the end of nearly every day, she is on stage, soaking up the applause of loyal fans. “The show is just as exciting to me as it was two years ago,” said Garcia-Lee. “I’ve been doing it for two years and over 800 performances, and it’s still magical.”

When Garcia-Lee spoke to Bucks County Woman, she was just days away from finishing up her life on the road. The tour of “The Phantom of the Opera” came to an end on Halloween night, after an eighteen-year-long run. Garcia-Lee’s anticipation for the end of the show was bittersweet. “It’s pretty cool that I’m the youngest part of the oldest staple in musical theater,” she said. “Everyone knows what ‘Phantom’ is. It’s exciting to be part of the final cast. Every night, we are part of the end of this.”

So what’s next for the teenage stage star? The “Phantom” tour ended on Oct. 31st. Garcia-Lee flew home the next day. Her plan—Part One: pick up her new dog (she is an admitted animal freak), get back to her apartment, spend time with her parents, take some classes, and take a break. She said she was looking forward to waking up in her own bed. “It’s been a whirlwind,” she said of her two-year adventure with the phantom. But Garcia-Lee is hardly the type to rest on her impressive laurels. “Not once have I been like, ‘I made it,’” she said. “There’s more I can do. I’m so excited to get out there and do it.”

That’s where Part Two of the plan comes in. Garcia-Lee suspects that the Broadway version of “The Phantom of the Opera” may ask her to return. Yet now, she’s in the privileged position of weighing her options. Imagine being nineteen years old and considering turning down a Broadway show. Yet Garcia-Lee said that other Broadway companies, including “West Side Story,” “Jersey Boys,” and “Wicked” have expressed interest in her. Plus, she is pursuing film and television opportunities and has meetings planned with managers and agents. She’s eager to explore all of it. “It’s like I’m in a hallway full of unlocked doors, and I get to choose which one I want to go through,” she said.

There is perhaps a certain breed of optimism unique to those who have enjoyed wild success before their twentieth birthdays. Yet while Garcia-Lee clearly has the puppy-like excitement for the future typically reserved for those who still think it’s cool that they get to vote, she approaches it all with a sense of preternatural maturity, grace, and confidence. Her mother said everyone simply calls Garcia-Lee
“a light.” She speaks with amazing poise—after talking for an hour, she never utters a single “um.” She reveals a solid self-awareness, an unexpected worldliness, and keen composure. She may look like a delicate pixie, yet she is strong and gutsy, smart and very real. “I’m super-grounded,” she said. “Sometimes, crazy people are really interesting, but that gene was not bred in me.” She said she owes it all to her parents, who supported her and guided her but never pushed her to perform. It was all navigated by Garcia-Lee, who only benefitted from having parents who were in her corner every step of the way.

“We knew she had the tools early on,” said Terri Lee. “We always let her do her own thing. She does everything by herself.”

At this point in her young career, Garcia-Lee looks ahead with confidence. She has no reason not to. Broadway at seventeen, joining a Broadway tour at eighteen, poised for a future on stage, television, and film at nineteen. The past two years may have been a whirlwind, yet the adventure is far from over. In fact, it has likely just begun. “Let’s put it this way,” said Garcia-Lee. “There are endless things I want to accomplish before I’m even legal to drink.” That says it all. 

Story by Lauren Eckstein

The little faces come first—like the 66 mustachioed men collectively staring ear-to-ear from one drawer, each with a unique glint in their black eyes. Next come the bodies—hundreds of miniature forms, each revealing a different, and rather forgiving, figure (a small sign on a shelf reads “Tall Fat Women”). Finally, reams of cloth are transformed into tiny jackets, bonnets, slacks, and skirts. Under the high ceilings of the factory floor, a diminutive community is born. At the end of the line, the finished products gather—an army of handcrafted dolls, waiting in the vast shipping room, ready to be sent across the country and around the world. More than four decades ago, Joyce Byers made a small trio of carolers to bring a little warmth and personality to her holiday dining table, and what started that Christmas season is now an international business. “It’s all an accident,” said Byers, the creative force behind Byers’ Choice, the local company that makes distinctive, decorative dolls for the holidays. “No one’s more amazed than we are.”

It all started because of some tacky, silver Christmas trees—well, sort of. The year was 1966, and Byers, a stay-at-home mother of two young boys, was feeling disenchanted by the glittery, garish holiday decorations she saw at stores. She hoped for something a little less glitzy and a little more heartwarming. One day, she was in an antique store when she saw a set of musician figurines with ceramic faces, fabric clothing, and endearing expressions. They were too expensive, she remembered, but they got her thinking. After all, she had a degree in design. She was crafty. “I thought, ‘I can make those,’” recalled Byers. “Necessity leads to invention, right?”

So Byers handcrafted three dolls, making hers into Christmas carolers, with their mouths formed into tiny “o” shapes, as if about to burst into a harmonic “Deck the Halls.” The figures graced her holiday dining room table that year, and they quickly attracted compliments. The next year, Byers knew what to make her family as Christmas gifts. A friend suggested that Byers try selling her dolls and pointed her to a Women’s Exchange, a consortium of shops. “I thought I’d give it a try,” said Byers. “I gave them a dozen. Within a day, they said [to] bring another dozen. After a few weeks, I didn’t have any presents left to give to my family. I just kept selling them.”

Byers sold the carolers at the Women’s Exchange for ten years, handcrafting each one herself. The dolls, which are still made the very same way, start with an unexpected item: a wire hanger. Cut and twisted, the hanger becomes the frame of the body, which is plumped up with tissue paper and tape. The faces are all ceramic—molded and hand-painted. The clothing is assembled with fabric, lace, pins, and glue. In the beginning, Byers scrounged what she could—stealing a bit of ribbon from an old pillow, some fabric from a scarf. “With the first ones, I was chopping hair—including my kids and my dog’s tail—if I needed a little something,” laughed Byers. Her home became a studio—and in some ways, a disaster area—covered in heads, bodies, scraps of fabric, and tiny songbooks. She enlisted the help of her husband and two young boys.

“I remember folding tissue paper,” recalled her son, Bob Byers, of the jobs he and his little brother were allowed to do. “Jeff did arms; I did legs.”

Byers never expected success. “In the first ten years, I kept trying to give the business to one of my friends,” she admitted. “Every year I kept saying, ‘I’ll never do this again.’ The house was a total wreck.”

Byers and her husband still had day jobs. They worked on renovating and selling buildings, but the economy was tight and real estate was suffering, according to Byers. They decided it was time to give the carolers a real chance. In 1978, they hired two sales representatives. Soon, they needed to hire artists. Before long, they outgrew their doll-making studio (otherwise known as their garage) and rented a small property. “Then we outgrew that and moved to another place,” said Byers. “Then we outgrew that and moved to another. We kept moving and kept growing.”

In 1994, Byers’ Choice moved to their current location—a sprawling complex on County Line Road in Chalfont, Pa., complete with an in-house factory floor, business offices, a store, a display museum, and about 120 full-time employees. The carolers went corporate. Byers had turned her money-saving, stay-at-home-mom hobby into a substantial business. She was Martha Stewart before there was a Martha Stewart. However, the main difference between these two women who put the “economics” in home economics is that Byers is not a power-hungry powerhouse. She calls herself simply, “a designer.” When asked about her enormous success, she shrugs. “Success? It’s something I don’t think about too much,” she said in her soft, sing-song voice. “I just keep rolling with it.”

Byers’ Choice now produces several hundred-thousand dolls each year. Each one is still handcrafted by artisans. This human touch makes each one slightly unique—in the squint of an eye, an upturn of a nose, a rosiness of a cheek. There are countless carolers, holding trumpets or baskets, wearing knit caps or bonnets, men and women, boys and girls, clad in festive plaids, and all with that classic, tiny “o” for a mouth. There are also sleigh-riders and ice skaters, firefighters and Salvation Army bell-ringers, Santas and characters from “A Christmas Carol,” musicians and baseball players. Byers and her artists create new designs every year. Some are part of a limited line, with only 100 dolls made. Yet, because they are all hand-made by artists, every doll has a distinctive face, captures the joy of the holidays, and reflects a little bit of that artist in it—hopefully a bit of the artist’s love of her work and love for the festive season. “We have to have happy people doing this,” said Byers. “If they’re grumpy, it shows in their work. It’s very personal.”

Although the company moved out of the family garage, it is still a family business. Byers’ husband worked there until his recent retirement, and her two sons are still there. Her older son, Bob, is the President, and Jeff works on design, public relations, and sales. However, when asked if he grew up planning to join the family business, Bob Byers gave a quick, “Hell, no.” After growing up in a house full of headless bodies, lace, and ribbon, the brothers never planned on a future in doll-making. “We both swore we’d never do this,” said Bob. “We graduated college and happened to have the right skills at the right time. We realized we wouldn’t get the same level of responsibility at any other firm. We ate our words and decided to join Byers’ Choice.”

After twenty-three years at the company, Bob said he’s glad he joined what he called “his mom’s hobby that got out of control.” He said he feels blessed not only to work with his family and a team of talented artisans but to work for a company that brings so much joy to so many. “For certain people, it captures something emotional for them,” he said. “I think it’s probably possible to figure it out, but if you knew, you’d probably wreck it. There’s a magic about it. It touches people’s heartstrings. It’s really special to us that people buy a figure that represents a family member they may have lost or a cherished Christmas memory. It keeps memories alive for families.”

Walking through the gift shop and museum at Byers’ Choice, an enchanting community of carolers unfolds. They are lovingly arranged around Christmas trees and gingerbread houses, revealing busy streets of Christmas shoppers, joyful snowball fights, and twirling ice skaters. Looking around, it is clear that this is more than dolls, more than holiday décor. It is nostalgia. It is innocence. It is tradition. The dolls represent a time, a place, a memory. The faces represent family, community, and joy.

“I probably have two dozen of them,” said Marge Ewing, a Newtown Square resident who visited Byers’ Choice in late October. “Each year, I choose one that reflects something special to me. The one I choose reflects where I am or a memory from the past.” Ewing said she feels an almost intimate connection to each one of her dolls. “As I put them away each year, I talk to them,” she admitted with a laugh. “They’re all looking up at me from the box. Then when I take them out again, I open the lid, and they’re all looking up at me again. I say, ‘You all get to come back!’ It’s amazing. Each one speaks to me for some reason.”

She’s not alone. The carolers do seem to have a certain kind of magic—a curious power that brought 5,000 people from forty states to Byers’ Choice for their 30th anniversary party a few years ago. Perhaps the magic comes from those charming, handcrafted faces that seem so oddly familiar. Perhaps it comes from that yearning for authenticity and meaning in the holiday season—the same yearning that prompted Byers to make her first carolers. Perhaps it comes from Byers’ own humble nature, that she never expected this all to happen, that she’s not clambering for success, that she’s just doing what she loves. Perhaps it is that love that radiates through every figurine.

At the end of October, Byers’ Choice was in full swing. Artisans were busy molding, painting, sewing, and pinning. The factory floor felt a little like Santa’s workshop. Miniature upturned faces, bright eyes, and amiable expressions made their way across the floor, passing through each department before landing in the shipping room. There, countless dolls stood shoulder to shoulder: men in woolen coats and knit caps, women in bustled dresses with lace-trimmed bonnets, boys in knickers, and girls with fluffy scarves. The carolers all waited together, eager to find their new holiday homes. You could see their black eyes glimmering with recognition, as if greeting an old friend. You could see their pink cheeks glowing and almost feel the winter’s chill. And if you were very quiet, you could almost hear them sing. 

Story by Lauren Eckstein

With a clear passion and an inspired imagination, Ruth has been creating scenic photography in Bucks County since jumping ship from the pharmaceutical industry. Though she is not the first to make that transition, she definitely feels it has been a calling. “From Pharma to Photos” begins to describe the journey that took Ruth from being inside corporate America to being inside the lens of a camera. 

With several artists in the family, Ruth started exploring her creative side several years ago. Her mother was a charcoal artist; her great grandfather was a sculptor in Paris; an aunt was an oil painter; her cousin does watercolor; and there are also musicians in the family. Ruth always enjoyed looking at art and found herself thinking, “Wouldn’t it be cool to be a photographer?” She couldn’t quite imagine it though, partially due to the high cost of equipment and film at the time. Once digital technology became the mainstay, it became affordable to give it a try. She hasn’t looked back since.

Ruth’s work is both beautiful and elegant, and though there is no question that her pieces are photographic, people occasionally ask if they are paintings. This seems to genuinely please Ruth, as it, perhaps, offers some mystery to her technique. Ruth’s photography is a reflection of the surroundings she calls home. She has a unique ability to capture scenes, often returning to the same location multiple times to grasp color and light and translate it into the tranquil moods that collectors of her work find truly special.

A resident of Bucks County since 1986, Ruth got serious about photography in 2004. Mostly self taught, she learned by asking questions within the online photography community. People had very positive feedback to offer, commenting about her composition and style, and that was just the beginning. She continued to hone her skills and got more involved with one particular community: bytephoto.com, which she and her husband, Steve, eventually purchased and are now expanding. At 8,000 members strong, bytephoto.com is positioned as a preeminent online source for the photography community at large.

In November 2007, the coincidences were staring Ruth straight in the eye. She got laid off from work the same day that her Nikon D-300 arrived in the mail—the camera that she had been wanting for some time. To drive the point home even more, a couple of days prior to that, she saw a beautiful scene while driving, but she had to get to work and couldn’t stop. She thought, “Wouldn’t it be great if I could be a full-time photographer?” Two days later, she was laid off. “I took that as a good omen that this is what I’m supposed to be doing.”

Ruth’s customers come from art shows, Google searches, and gallery exhibits, including The Delaware River Gallery in Yardley (www.delawarerivergallery.com). She has won many awards, including awards from the Sellersville Gallery of the Arts, Lansdale Festival of the Arts, Peddler’s Village Fine Arts, and the Prallsville Mill’s Images of the Mill show, among others. Her work is being licensed in puzzles and calendars, and she has been featured in many publications over the last several years.

Ruth gives back to the community through donations of her photography to places like The Michener Art Museum Senior Artist initiative, CB Cares, and the Bucks County Designer House. Recently, she was the featured artist at TYLER TASTING at Buck County Community College, an event to raise money for upkeep of the Tyler Mansion. She was asked to photograph the mansion in all four seasons, and she then took those photographs and created one photograph for the event. The opportunity arose through the Countryside Gallery in Newtown, PA, where Ruth’s work is displayed. Owner, Barbara Wolfe—who also provides framing for the event—handles artist selection, and she chose Ruth as the first photographer to be represented.

Though her heart is in Bucks County, Ruth and Steve often take trips in their motor home, which also doubles as a lounge during weekend-long shows. She is most appreciative of Steve’s support, both in front of and behind the scenes. Ruth admits that she may not be making the same kind of living that she was in pharmaceuticals, but she’s happier following her passion and wouldn’t have it any other way. Clearly, she epitomizes what can happen with positive thinking and putting one’s thoughts “out there.” In fact, she even confessed that she would occasionally flip through the pages of Bucks County Woman magazine and think, “Wouldn’t it be great if I could be in this magazine?” Well, Ruth, be careful what you wish for; who knows what is next! 

www.reflectionsbyruth.com

Story by LisaBeth Weber

Those nine ladies dancing in the old Christmas carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas” were on to something.  Dance is good for your soul—and your heart and your waistline. Dancing is a great creative release and stress reducer and besides, it’s just plain fun!  It comes in so many varieties, from ballroom to ballet to belly, to tap, line, square and one of the latest crazes to sweep the country—Zumba! We’ve rounded up some of the more offbeat and interesting as a way to keep fit and have fun through the holiday season.

Belly Dancing

Embarrassed giggling often accompanies any discussion of belly dancing. But the dance is not about baring your midriff and wriggling seductively, rather it is believed to be the oldest known type of dance, meant for everything from childbirth preparation to entertainment. Created by women for women, this dance tradition was often passed from mother to daughter.

Lurainya Koerber has been leading workshops and teaching belly dancing since 2000. Combining the ancient art with a contemporary approach to exercise, Koerber mentions on her website, www.moongypsy.net, that she focuses equal efforts on healing and empowerment of women. Classes are located in Willow Grove, Doylestown and New Britain, held in health and wellness centers, gyms and studios.  Koerber invites women to experience an excellent cardio workout while improving their posture, body image, self esteem, confidence, concentration and coordination.

Gift certificates, special classes and a line of performance and instructional belly dancing DVDs are available on her website.

Zumba 

Looking for a way to introduce a holistic lifestyle to her clients, Diane Alex opened Cloud Hands in Ottsville in 2003. The spa has a staff of ten instructors of dance, yoga and tai chi, massage therapists, and other practitioners.  www.cloudhands.net.

One of the favorite offerings at Cloud Hands is the Zumba class where the pounding beat of Latin music fused with African, Middle Eastern and Caribbean tunes creates a dance program that gives an incomparable cardio workout. Belly dancing is another Cloud Hands favorite and is especially fun for the ladies’ night out events held there. Alex encourages all women to try this dance, saying it nurtures a woman’s “inner beauty” no matter what age or shape she may be.

“Balancing physical, emotional and spiritual parts of ourselves is the key to health,” says Alex. “Especially during the holidays, we need that extra balance.”

Salsa, Merengue & Bachata

Perhaps you have a hard time making it to a classroom setting or just prefer learning one-on-one. Flaco may be for you.  Offering private Latin dance lessons, Flaco’s Dance Factory operates out of studios and dance clubs in Mt. Airy, he will also give private lessons in his students’ homes. Learn to Salsa, Merengue, or Bachata, a dance form that originated in the Dominican Republic.

“I teach the secrets of Salsa,” says Flaco, “I focus not only on the Salsa itself, but also on the elements that make the dancer successful, beyond knowing the steps.”

If you join one of his classes, you can be assured you will learn not only the intricacies of this romantic dance form, but will also make new friends. “It’s better to learn to dance with a stranger,” Flaco explains. “So if you bring a partner, you won’t dance with him or her. We rotate around the room so everyone gets a turn with everyone else.”

Flaco’s classes are small, generally between 12 and 20 students.  He also teaches every Wednesday night at North by Northwest, a dance club in Mt. Airy. After the hour long class, the night turns into a dance party. “It’s the most incredible genuine environment, and we get people from 18 to 80 and everyone just has the best time,” he adds.

Read more about Flaco’s classes and salsa dancing locations at www.flacodance.com.

Women turn to dance for as many reasons as there are dance steps. Whatever your motivation, the end results are the same.

“There is no depression on the dance floor,” says Karen Walsh of Doylestown. She struggled through chemotherapy in her late 50s, and found rejuvenation through a ballroom dance class at the Central Bucks Community School four years ago.

 “I love music and dance,” she begins. “Learning the steps challenges your brain and the movement provides exercise for your body. My world has expanded since I’ve been dancing.”

Walsh supplements ballroom lessons with belly dancing classes, which she started last spring. Also a member of Cornerstone Health & Fitness Club, which offers swing, hip hop, belly, ballroom and Zumba, Walsh explores the whole county to find her next dance venue.

“Il Sol in Newtown, La Luna in Bensalem, Villa Capri in Plumsteadville … the list goes on,” she says. “You could easily dance somewhere different every night!”

Story by Brenda Lange