Good Cheer on-island and off

Despite the expanding national and international economic crisis of recent months, wherever we recently encountered Nantucketers on- and off-island, we’ve found more expressions of hope than despair for the season ahead.

In Palm Beach, N Magazine Advertising Director Fifi Greenberg joined upbeat fellow islanders at events to support Nantucket Cottage Hospital and Nantucket Comedy Festival.

In New York City, I joined supportive fans from Nantucket of Rhoda Weinman and Joe McLaughlin’s dachshund Fraser, our September cover subject who was making his first appearance at the famed Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

My encounter  with cultural icon Patty Hearst at Westminster—her winning French bulldog Diva was again in competition there—led me to drop professional pretense and ask for a photo with her while complimenting her work with filmmaker John Waters.

With the arrival of Daffodil Weekend on Nantucket this month comes the cheer of thousands of springtime Narcissus blooming in yards, gardens and along roadways across the island. The event also marks the traditional opening for many island businesses, and judging from the number of returning establishments and those new to the island, Nantucket business owners are hopeful.

Nantucket Wine Festival marks its expected-to-be-lucky 13th year in May when its usual wealth of accomplished vintners, chefs and foodies of all types gather for dinners, galas and tastings.

Photographer and writer Terry Pommett visited former Nantucket resident Ehren Jordan in California, where San Francisco Chronicle last year named him Winemaker of the Year. We also look at an elegant wine tasting experience with Figeac wines last year at Nantucket’s charming Chanticleer.

Throughout this issue, we offer capsule profiles of more than 60 of Nantucket’s 100 plus non-profit organizations. Going over those groups in detail, you will probably marvel, as I did, at their sheer number and at the breadth and depth of support they give to the Nantucket community. Now more than ever, they need our steadfast encouragement, helping hands and financial backing to weather the current economic realities.

Bill Ferrall
Editor-in-Chief

By William Ferrall

By the start of 2009, many Nantucket commercial developments and the island’s home sales had both ground to a halt, and pink slips were going out locally as the national monetary picture worsened. “Realtors tend to jump off the same cliff together,” the developer of one prominent island project told me late last summer.

Despite real estate being Nantucket’s most palpable barometer and regulator of local economic health, on- and off island many Nantucketers either whistled in the dark or bravely sallied forth, depending on your point of view.

Among those who attended or read about it on Huffington Post and elsewhere, the Palm Beach wedding of Nantucket summer residents George Cloutier and Tiffany Spadafora on New Year’s Eve sparked lively talk. Reports put the tab over $2 million including custom ice sculptures, hundreds of French tulips, jugglers and dance troupes for 500 guests at The Breakers Hotel.

With the Madoff Ponzi scheme scandal resonating especially loud in Palm Beach, Cloutier humorously told a reporter that “If the ship is going down, at least we’re in the ballroom dancing.”  If living the good life appeals to you, look this fall for Cloutier’s new book spelling out his business commandments for success: “Profits Aren’t Everything, They’re the Only Thing.”

Gotham goings on

Up in New York City in January, I met a lot of worried people in and around New York’s theater district. Although several new Broadway shows were scheduled to open by early spring, as January ended more than a dozen plays and musicals were shutting down. In the bars and dining rooms at theater district eateries Bond 45 and Joe Allen, you could grab stools or a table for you and your date right up to curtain time.

For a couple of weeks, after nightly curtains fell at nearby theaters, the famous bar at Sardi’s rarely stayed open past midnight. By February, I and Nantucket acquaintances were helping to boost Broadway’s and Gotham City’s fortunes.

During a rainy January thaw, the New York Gift Show filled with retail shop owners and wholesale vendors, including some from Nantucket who crossed their fingers for the new year despite the current economy. Donna Elle smiled from inside her Javits Convention Center booth after reporting brisk sales of her “Life’s a Breeze” curtains, bed linens and home accessories. Jeff and Cary Turner were happy to see old and new customers ordering designs from their McAdoo Rug Company.

Two weeks later, we rendezvoused at The Hotel Pennsylvania with Rhoda Weinman and Joe McLaughlin for early competition by their longhaired mini-dachshund Fraser, our September 2008 cover subject, The pooch made his premier that week at the famed Westminster Kennel Club dog show.

Fraser fans from Nantucket included Jan Jaeger of Geronimos pet store, Maryann Hedaa and Monica Drinane, attorney Emily Avery and friend Joan Goldberg, and Caitlin Flynn with her mom Sherry Flynn and sister Lauren Jackobson. Douglas and Molly Kennedy and their kids showed up in tee-shirts emblazoned with the big red letters “Fraser.”

Good times roll

Beth English, owner of Nantucket’s currentVintage, made several wintertime forays into New York, sometimes with her companion Mark Donato, for both business and pleasure. On one night, gourmet and cookbook maven Susan Simon helped us out by introducing us to Mogador, the marvelous East Village Moroccan eatery and one of Simon’s favorites.

Another weekend, Azra Willmot-Smith, owner of Legends, and her manager Neil Romanski, joined me at various Manhattan nightspots for drinks. Made on Nantucket owner Kathleen Duncombe hopped the train from her family home on Long Island several times to take in a Broadway show, including the colorful, fun revival of “Hair.”

Shoe maven Vanessa Noel, also owner of Nantucket’s Hotel Green, twice invited us to her swanky Upper East Side townhouse above her namesake boutique, first to celebrate Chinese New Year with her parents Emma and Tom Ginley and a host of others. Another night, we sat down with her for a wonderful Jamaican-themed dinner.

Thanks to my well-connected roommate and friends, my time in the city proved especially rich this winter. Kim Vasquez, a summer visitor to Nantucket for more than two decades and an up-and-coming theatrical producer, helped me win entrée to a half dozen dress rehearsals, opening nights and special events for Broadway productions. Vasquez helps out in The Producing Office, successful Broadway impresarios of “In the Heights,” “Rent,” Avenue Q,” and the current revivial of “West Side Story.”

At the opening night performance and party for “West Side”—a much improved show since its previews and with a $15 million advance in ticket sales—we ogled celebrities at the performance then joined a few hundred people in a cavernous Chelsea Piers space for the party. We chatted there briefly with Vanessa Williams, whose family has visited Nantucket and are longtime friends with Nantucket residents Bette and Frank Spriggs.

“West Side” company manager Charlotte Wilcox, an occasional summer visitor to Nantucket, gave us big hugs.

A few weeks later, Nantucket realtor Cynthia Lenhart helped wrangle me into the opening night and cast party for “Exit the King,” starring Geoffrey Rush, Susan Sarandon and Cindy’s brother Bill Sadler. We joined Sadler and his family at a Sardi’s booth near Sarandon, her husband Tim Robbins and their pals Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell.

Back down in Palm Beach, N Magazine advertising director Fifi Greenberg dropped in on a gathering for Nantucket Cottage Hospital with CEO and President Sylvia Sather Getman, development director Chuck Gifford and board members, who all chatted up recent happenings at the hospital.

Fifi also visited the home of Don Burns and Greg Connors for a schmooze with Nantucket Comedy Festival founder Kevin Flynn and Comedy Fest board member Tim Braine, who gave the lowdown on this year’s celebrity-studded line-up for NCF to almost 80 snowbirds. Back up in New York, Comedy Fest boosters who showed up for a funny April Fools Day at Gotham Comedy club included Flynn, Braine and his wife Judy Ivey, Vasquez, NCF board member Judy Seinfeld, Jennifer Dawson Lawrence, Judi Janelle, and Theatre Workshop of Nantucket new Artistic Director John Shea.

In times like these, we could all use a good laugh. Count on plenty of them during the last week of July this summer. Nantucket Comedy Festival returns for its second year from Tuesday, July 28 through Saturday, August 1 with a growing line-up of top-flight comedians.

Longtime Nantucket residents Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara—recipients last year of a special tribute and comedy roast—return along with fellow island homeowner and MSNBC political commentator Chris Matthews.

Nantucket native Donick Cary—he created “Lil Bush” for Fox TV and was a lead writer on “The Late Show with David Letterman” and “The Simpsons”—pauses from writing the upcoming HBO series “Bored to Death” to oversee a night of Letterman writers.

Mike Birbiglia also returns, this time with his one-man show, “Sleepwalk with Me,” his story of struggles with sleepwalking. Written by and starring Birbiglia, the show was such a hit off Broadway that it has been extended there through early June.

Women’s Night returns with the lineup including Wendy Lineman, who has appeared on HBO, “The Tonight Show,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and “The Late Show with David Letterman.” Fortune Magazine editor Andy Serer emcees the new “Night of Financial Humor.”

Daytime classes and day and night performances for children and by children will also be a part of the 2009 Festival.

On Sunday, July 26, Tony Award winner and Nantucket summer resident Judith Ivey brings David Rambo’s “The Lady With All the Answers,” a solo play about Ann Landers, to Bennett Hall as a festival warm up and benefit.

Ivey won Toys for Best Featured Actress in a Play for “Steaming” and “Hurly-burly.” She was the subject of a profile last November in N Magazine, a founding sponsor of Nantucket Comedy Festival.

Only patron passes are available now, which will get you into everything except Ivey’s performance. Last year’s events mostly sold out. Patron passes and ticket information are available at nantucketcomedyfestival.org.

Last December we received a copy of interior designer Trudy Desjardin’s book “The Holistic House.” This sweet, slip-cased volume offers stunning photos along with Desjardin’s ruminations on creating a well ordered but nurturing physical environment. Those who’ve seen her work on Nantucket or elsewhere immediately sense Desjardin’s overwhelming sense of elegance and balance. Less evident might be her long commitment to creating healthy as well as comfortable homes.

Before “green” became a trendy albeit worthy buzzword, Desjardin was paying attention to keeping interior allergens low by using non-volatile and hypoallergenic building materials, paints and fabrics. National environmental groups have honored her with awards and other recognition of her longtime efforts, making her a sought after speaker and consultant in today’s green movement.

“The Holistic House,” with striking color photographs of her work and an accompanying DVD, presents her personal wisdom and philosophy in graceful fashion. More than just a marketing tool for her Connecticut-based Dujardin Design Associates, “Holistic House” also serves as a book to foster contemplation and imagination.

Written and Photographed by Terry Pommett

If Nantucket flew banners to honor the achievements of its favorite sons and daughters, the result would probably resemble the recent Cristo and Jeanne- Claude “Gates” exhibition in New York’s Central Park. An increasing number of island writers, artists, entertainers and entrepreneurs continue to make their mark on a national level.

Now add Ehren Jordan’s name to that pantheon of talented people. In the world of winemaker super stars, Jordan has flown under the radar for the past decade until now. Since receiving the San Francisco Chronicle “2008 Winemaker of the Year” award, the nods and high-fives to his remarkable wines have given way to full bodied adulation.

Fortunately, that potentially ego-inflating momentum has not puffed up Jordan’s easygoing style. He honestly states, with a straight face, that he doesn’t care all that much for Cabernet Sauvignon. Mon Dieu! Heresy in Napa Valley! Not only that, Beaujolais is often his dinner wine of choice.

When asked how he felt about the award, Jordan observed, “There are lots of talented winemakers out there, and I’m not the most talented, but I was stunned by the congratulatory emails and calls I received from people all over the country.”

Is it really difficult to make good wine? Jordan was more thoughtful in evaluating that generalization but no less self-effacing.

“Twenty years ago it was a lot harder than it is today,” he explained. “If you weren’t from Davis [the University of California at Davis Department of Viticulture], no one wanted to talk to you. I know the wine business enough that if you’re smart and have the right work ethic, it’s pretty simple.”

That being said, the mechanics and the artistry of winemaking are separate. “The best winemakers I’ve seen are the least intrusive,” Jordan added. “Great chefs and great winemakers have something in common.

They don’t get a reputation from one meal or one wine. They get it from consistently producing greatness over time.”

A balancing act

That distinction can be seen in Jordan’s cumulative body of work. His self described “day job” is winemaker at Turley Wine Cellars, known for their bold, assertive Zinfandels. His own Failla offerings are cool climate Pinot Noir, Syrah and a Chardonnay that’s lower in alcohol, subtle and delicate. He also consults for Neyers Vineyards, where he was once a partner.

It wasn’t just a few great bottlings with high points in the Wine Spectator that caught the attention of John Benet, Chronicle wine columnist. He wrote, “Jordan shuffles his various roles without pause. The consistent quality of any of his projects would win him plenty of attention. That he can seamlessly balance them all is one of the many reasons why Ehren Jordan is the Chronicle 2008 Winemaker of the Year.”

Call it balancing or juggling, Jordan has indulged his inquisitive temperament since childhood. It has guided him to his current pinnacle. Son of retired island Nantucket real estate maven, Lucille Jordan, he grew up sampling just about every job available to seasonal workers on the island. His employers read like a who’s who of Nantucket businesses and personalities.

Fishing with ex-step father Steve Bender, construction with Bruce Poor, landscaping with Ted Godfrey and masonry with John Fee, to name a few. It wasn’t until his college years at George Washington University, studying archeology and art history, that his palate was first exposed to the pleasures of the vine. Working at a D.C. beverage shop, BellWine and Liquor, Jordan recalled doing in-store tastings of first growth Bordeaux.

“We had a high-end clientele,” he said. “Every Saturday I got to try the great wines of the world. They’d open just about anything.” After graduation, he began a time honored American tradition of wandering from one job to another.

Although in this case, they were all wine-related: buyer for a distributor in Denver, sommelier in an Aspen restaurant and tour guide at Joseph Phelps Vineyard in Napa, which he parlayed into a retail position and bottom rung cellar job. Ultimately, through a contact he had made during a harvest at Phelps with winemaker Michel Goutier, Jordan found himself apprenticing for two years with Jean-Luc Columbo, in Frances’s Rhone Valley. He returned to the states with enough winemaking experience to become a 1/3 partner with former Phelps co worker Bruce Neyers and his wife Barbara, launching their new label, Neyers Vineyard. Soon after, he met Helen Turley and brother Larry, eventually becoming Turley Wine Cellar’s head winemaker.

By 1998, Jordan had established his own label, Failla, named after his wife Annemarie Failla, whom he had known since 7th grade. With a banking career at Morgan Stanley at the top of her resume, Annemarie is the financial and business brains of the winery as well as the 24-7 mom to their children Audrey, 7 and Vivien, 3.

Settled in a comfortable crafts man cottage on a quiet street in Calistoga, California, the family recently realized their dream of owning their own winery. They purchased a 10-acre former apple orchard 10 miles south on the Silverado Trail that was owned by Chef Cindy Pawlcyn, the Napa Valley icon who founded the legendary Mustard’s Grill and Go Fish.

A state of the art wine cave, completed in August, serves Failla and is a custom crush facility for a number of small boutique winemakers.

Hands-on winemaking

In spite of a Disneyesque quality that exists in Napa, where a number of wineries are lifestyle choices of the wealthy and not necessarily nuts and bolts businesses, Jordan remains committed to his passion.

After all, as Anne-Marie pointed out, “Our demographic is hand-to-mouth.” Still, for Jordan, the focus will always be about hands-on winemaking. “My wines are hand made by the owner of the winery, me,” he noted. “It is my vision, an expression of what I want to do, as opposed to a business venture that creates a hundred million dollar winery and hires a winemaker and general manager to run the show. I like the old California style, with board and batter redwood and tin metal roofs. I’m happy with a simple mailbox out in front of the property, not an elaborate entryway. I figure, let the wine speak for itself and if it’s really good, you don’t need the other stuff.”

Nevertheless, there is other stuff in Jordan’s bag of tricks. He is an accomplished pilot who flies his own Cessnas, a 182 Turbo and a 340, logging over 200 hours a year. Flying became a part of Jordan’s life once he realized he was spending too much time driving between his vineyard in Sonoma and Turley vineyards in Paso Robles.

Where, Jordan planted six acres of Oak and Hazelnut trees, whose roots were bathed with tubermelanosporum. “We should be harvesting black truffles within three years,” he predicted. “I’ve seen them growing. They’re the size of a pea right now. Larry and I are doing paper, rock, scissors to see who gets to go to France to buy the truffle dog.”

A highlight of the 2009 Nantucket Wine Festival will be “Sultans of the Sonoma Coast,” a seminar featuring Jordan, Andy Peay of Peay Vineyards and David Hirsch of Hirsch Vineyards. Their particular terroir of cool climate and ridge-top vineyards in sight of the Pacific Coast has generated great excitement in the wine drinking world. Jordan has been purchasing grapes from both Hirsch and Peay since the early days of Failla and now has his own vines producing Syrah, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay on a portion of his 85-acre parcel on the Gualala Ranch near Cazadero.

Visit faillawines.com for more on Jordan and his wines.

By Dionne Semele
Photography by Cary Hazlegrove

If times of plenty and gastronomic extravagance are sadly to become fond memories, gone with 12,000+ Dow averages, then oenophiles and epicures alike should flock as a fitting last hurrah to the always fabulous, multi-course dinners of May’s annual Nantucket Wine Festival.

No one knows yet how lucky the year will be for this spring’s 13th Nantucket Wine Festival, but it’s fair to say that year 12 proved to be magic last May for folks who feasted at the Chateau Figeac dinner hosted by The Chanticleer on a damp and blustery Friday evening.

Chateau Figeac’s pedigree as one of 15 premier grand cru classes’ wines in the St. Emilion appellation would in and of itself be prestige enough to impart a sublimely elegant warmth to a cold spring evening in sleepy ‘Sconset. A host of other competing factors embellished and gilded the lily of the ambience that night.

First, there was the unique Franco-New England tavern atmosphere of The Chanticleer’s softly glowing, wood-paneled dining room, further illuminated by its ebullient hostess and co-proprietor Susan Handy. The food-and-wine theme of the event was delightfully heightened by brilliantly iconoclastic Chanticleer chef Jeff Wooster in the kitchen and by impassioned Greek journalist turned resident sommelier Panos Kakaviatos, in the dining room, philosophizing between carefully orchestrated swirls and sips of various Figeac vintages. Throw in a prelude of ever-flowing flutes of Veuve Cliquot Champagne, abetting a vivacious local crowd of bon vivants happy to be emerging from a winter’s hibernation, and at once you have the perfect ingredients for a polished yet jocular wine dinner that could happen only on Nantucket.

Thankfully, this was a rare wine extravaganza during which technical jargon about hectares, soil composition and malolactic fermentation did not spur connoisseurs of the vine to flee home to the refuge of their own private cellars after a nibble or two on an amuse-bouche.

Kakaviatos as emissary for Figeac’s owner Eric d’Aramon would have been remiss if he didn’t tell his audience about the chateau’s unusually gravelly, heat-retaining soil and the wine’s unique to St.- Emilion composition of 35 percent each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grapes, to only 30 percent Merlot. The mere mention of Merlot immediately inspired humorous asides about the grape’s *&$#^* reputation in the movie “Sideways” and provoked Kakaviatos’ to express his personal outlook on both life and wine, encapsulated by the French proverb “qui trop embrasse mal etreint.” This saying is almost always translated figuratively rather than literally to mean: “He who grasps at too much loses everything.” Lest such be the case at that moment, diners were left to relish in the sparkling Riedel crystal menagerie gracing their place settings and soon to be filled throughout the splendidly inventive six course dinner with five different Figeac vintages: 1996, 1986, 1998, 2001, and 2000.

Although not technically a vertical tasting, the line-up definitely held the potential to make one yearn for a horizontal, Tempurpedictype somnolent finale before the clock struck midnight.

Although older vintages typically garner the most excitement at wine dinners, on this particular evening most diners felt that the more recent 2001 and 2000 Figeac vintages best lived up to the Chateau’s reputation for producing supple, silky, opulent and elegant wines. Then again, it’s only fitting to mention that these vintages were paired with two popular dishes on Wooster’s poetically licensed tasting menu. The 2001 vintage appeared with pan-seared squab on a truly stellar Moroccan date and fava ragout, and the 2000 vintage accompanied a classic roasted beef tenderloin with famed French chef Joel Robuchon’s irresistibly buttery mashed potatoes, Oregon morels and fresh green English peas.

Kakaviatos, in contrast, felt the true elegance of Figeac was best exemplified by the 1998 vintage partnered with yet another winning course of duck confit on braised leeks, with a sunny Maille mustard and apricot puree.

The merriment and taste titillations continued as the last of the five coveted Figeac vintages was being lovingly savored, with dessert yet to come. Suffice it to rave that one had to be at The Chanticleer that night to experience firsthand how musky, ripe Cavaillon melons from Peter Mayle’s neighborhood in Provence and far from the gravelly soils of Figeac could rival every other indulgent bite and sip of the four-hour Figeac feast. Little did it matter that the revelers at hand never knew that the impressive battery of beautifully labeled Figeac wines had almost not cleared customs in time for the namesake event, or that the magnificent dessert melons had landed on island with only precious moments to spare. Kakaviatos was right: “ Qui trop embrasse mal etreint.”

For more on these wines, visit www.chateaufigeac.com.

Spring Bounty

By Gene Mahon

It’s another season in a new business climate for Nantucket, with several new restaurants and a vigorous outreach to diners in the form of lower prices. This month we’ll focus on some of the island’s newest restaurants.

Michael Getter’s new Dune, replacing Cioppinos on Broad Street, arrives serving contemporary American cuisine. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Getter worked as executive chef at 21 Federal and co-owner and chef at American Seasons. At Dune, the wall between the bar and downstairs dining room is gone, exposing the standalone painted white fireplace and creating a wide open bistro feeling.

Tom McNeill, formerly at Queequegs, is bartender. The wine list divides into categories of what diners most often request: light and crisp, medium and aromatic, rich and full and sparkling. Dune is open for dinner now then lunch and dinner for the summer, both indoors and on the expanded patio. Appetizers are $9 to $19 and entrees $26 to $31. 20 Broad Street, 508-228-4622.

The Hen House still serves breakfast and lunch, but at 5 p.m. it now transitions into Jimmy Chew’s Chinese restaurant, a joint effort of Jim Agnew, Hen House owner Mike Gilles and chef Lou Guarnaccia, who’s better known as a painter and Aikido instructor but learned the art of Chinese cooking at New Haven’s “Blessings.” Dishes are primarily Szechuan, but include Beijing and Hunan influences. Appetizers range from $6 to $8, entrees $10 to $18. Chris Montgomery is bartender and a perfect host if you eat at the bar. Home delivery coming soon. 1 Chin’s Way. 508-228-2212.

Crosswinds replaces Alice’s Restaurant at the airport with new ownership and a new menu. Executive Chef John Eisensmith earned a degree from the Culinary Institute of America, cooked at Wish in South Beach, the Hen House on Nantucket, and worked as sous-chef at the Company of the Cauldron. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week, serving K-Mom’s Thai dinners six days a week, and with nicely priced nightly specials such as meatloaf ($9.95), prime rib ($11.95), and giant wing night(50¢ each).

Dancing Pickle, a new deli-sandwich shop and wine and beer store near the airport, was launched by Chris Carpenter and Tim Lonergan. Hearty sandwiches include a grilled Reuben and croque monsieur at $6.95 and $7.95, breakfast egg, cheese and either bacon, ham, or turkey sandwiches for $4.95 and a breakfast burrito at $5.95. Also on the menu are muffins, croissant, bagels, scones, cookies, burgers, salads, soups, stromboli and pizzetta’s. Desserts include oversize cupcakes and a variety of mousses. 118 Old South, between Macy Lane and Nobadeer Farm Road.

Corazon del Mar, the third restaurant by Angela and Seth Raynor including Pearl and The Boarding House, will open in early May in the former location of Water Street restaurant, serving Latin cuisine of ceviche and raw bar, tacos, entradas, masa, platas, and ensaladas. Wines will come from Spain, Argentina, and Chile, and will include U.S. varietals. Mexican and Peruvian beers will be available. The upstairs bar remains where it was, but almost everything else about the restaurant will be new, including a first floor 10-seat ceviche and tequila bar. The place will have a warm and worn rustic feel with both family-style communal and private wooden tables without linens. 21 South Water Street.

Town marks John Keane’s fourth restaurant after Kitty Murtagh’s, Queqeeq’s, and The Hen House, which he sold. Expected to open in early May, on East Chestnut, Town will offer inside and patio dining with a 12-seat bar. Chef Neil Patrick Hudson will serve as Executive Chef. He promises global cuisine with a tantalizing twist. Graeme Fleming will man the bar serving the latest sakes, wines and cocktails.

LoLa 41 has had a partial change of ownership. Marco Coehlo remains, but David and Geoffry Silva of Galley Beach have sold their interests to Ozzie Medeiros and Ed Schmidt.