Latest news with #TheBreakers'
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Palm Beach restaurateurs and chefs are inspired by their mothers' cooking and hospitality
Ask Palm Beach restaurateurs and chefs why they chose their careers and there is a common refrain: Mom. If not Mom, perhaps Grandma, who might have been called Grand-mère or Nonna, depending on their heritage. The importance of these women, who hail from the United States and overseas, resonates as Mother's Day approaches. Here's how Palm Beach chefs and restaurateurs describe the importance of their mothers in their lives. David Thall Director of food and beverage The Breakers' restaurants 'I was raised in a family immersed in Italian culture, where weekends meant gathering to eat, drink, laugh and connect,' Thall told the Daily News. 'My mother was the consummate host, greeting guests with a hug, kiss and the customary question, 'What can I get you to drink?' '…Our home was always full, especially on Sundays, with family, friends, homemade dishes and savory aromas.' David Thall, director of food and beverage for The Breakers, was raised in a family immersed in Italian culture. He says his mother greeted guests with a hug and a kiss, always asking what they wanted to drink. That's why a Sunday pasta special at The Breakers' Henry's restaurant, one of several of the resort's eateries, is one of Thall's personal favorites. (Though The Breakers hotel is at 1 S. County Road, Henry's is located at 229 Royal Poinciana Way). 'The Sunday baked pasta at Henry's brings me right back to cherished dinners (with Mom). This multilayered Italian specialty is prepared with ring-shaped calamarata pasta, which serves as the foundation for the flavorful tomato-based Sunday sauce that is combined with savory meatballs, sausage and pork, and topped with ricotta and mozzarella cheeses…Each bite brings back so many comforting memories for me.' For Thall, the Sunday baked pasta at Henry's recalls cherished dinners with his mom. Kent Thurston Executive chef Cucina, 257 Royal Poinciana Way The cuisine at Thurston's Cucina is mostly Italian, although you will find a few dishes — from Ahi tuna tacos to a popular burger — that stem from other influences besides Italy. But there are no German dishes. Still Bavarian regional cuisine is meaningful to Thurston. Why? Mom. 'My mother is German and was always preparing famous Bavarian regional dishes: sauerbraten, pork chops and sausages braised in sauerkraut, schnitzels, spaetzle…' It's the kind of home-cooking that's actually 'very similar to the comfort foods we have here in the United States and to comfort foods in other countries,' Thurston said. 'It was special to get to experience my mom Sue's cooking (while growing up) and it definitely inspired me to get in the kitchen. Her food is, of course, my favorite thing to have on any special occasion. Mom's cooking can be replicated, but never duplicated.' Cucina mostly serves Italian food, but Executive Chef Ken Thurston says its Chicken Sorrentino reminds him of his German mom. A dish at Cucina that reminds Thurston of his mom? Chicken Sorrentino, which features prosciutto, Italian cheeses and marinara. Sean Brasel Executive chef Meat Market, 191 Bradley Place If you've ever wondered why Meat Market makes a point of sourcing 'only the finest black caviar' and preparing it with freshly made buttered blinis and 'just a hint' of raw onion and sour cream, the answer may lie here: executive chef Sean Brasel's grandmother. Meat Market Executive Chef Sean Brasel takes pride in sourcing "only the finest black caviar" because of his grandmother, who often made trout with caviar, a tradition of her family in Hungary and Czechoslovakia. For him, a dish she made that featured caviar is unforgettable: trout with caviar, which she first learned how to make from her family in Hungary and Czechoslovakia. She passed down the tradition to Chef Brasel. 'I loved my Eastern European grandmother's freshly made trout with sturgeon caviar we used to get from the streams and lakes,' Brasel told the Daily News. Even when he eats caviar today, it's 'the ultimate memory trigger for me.' Caviar service at Meat Market. Gianni Minervini Co-owner, Trevini 223 Sunset Ave. Trevini co-founder Gianni Minervini grew to love cooking by watching his mother cook and trying to define the spices she used that created wonderful aromas. 'My love of cooking started at a young age,' Minervini told the Daily News of his childhood in Bari, Italy. 'Seeing my mother cooking and smelling all those recipes always took my interest to try to define what spices where in the pot that created that wonderful aroma. 'One of the recipes I still love is a Bari traditional dish called `riso patate e cozze' (a layered dish of rice-stuffed mussels surrounded by potato, often baked in a clay pot). It's wonderful,' Minervini said. A dish of risotto with mussels, onions and a touch of garlic and cherry tomatoes at Trevini is inspired by a traditional dish of rice-stuffed mussels surrounded by potato that co-owner Gianni Minervini recalls from his native Bari, Italy. 'At Trevini, I changed the dish into a risotto with mussels, onions and a touch of garlic and cherry tomatoes.' The dish is accented by Peruvian potato and parmesan. Benoit Delos Executive chef Café L'Europe, 331 S. County Road Growing up in the Gascony region of southwestern France, springtime always meant his family cooked lamb. 'I remember how my family always bought a whole lamb in spring, when it's still a little cool in France at this time (of year) and we cooked the lamb in the (outdoor) fireplace and would turn the skewer as it cooked. What a nice memory.' When Cafe L'Europe Executive Chef Benoit Delos and fellow executive chef Alain Krauss make herbed and garlicked lamb, the process and aromas take Delos back to his roots in the Gascony region of France. 'We cooked it with a lot of herbs and garlic. Delicious.' When Delos and fellow executive chef Alain Krauss make herbed and garlicked lamb as a special for holidays at Café L'Europe, the process and aromas have a tendency to send Delos' thoughts to Gascony. Nicolas Lebas Executive chef The Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach As a child, Lebas' northern Italian mom's meals always 'felt like a celebration bursting with the vibrant flavors of the Mediterranean.' Nicolas Lebas, executive chef at The Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach, is inspired by the cooking of his northern Italian mother, and by visiting in Italy with his grandparents, where shopping was a lesson in choosing simple and seasonal ingredients. That 'ignited' his passion for cooking when he was young. So did his visiting in Italy with his grandparents, shopping in local markets in Italy where 'the air was thick with the scent of fresh herbs, ripe produce and artisanal cheeses,' Lebas recalled. 'Each visit was a lesson in seasonality, simplicity and the soul of the farm-to-table philosophy — a connection to the land that nourished both our bodies and traditions. 'To this day, I taste my family's legacy in every bite I create — their love, unity, and creativity. That spirit continues to inspire me in the kitchen, driving me to honor the traditions of my past while sharing them with others in hopes that they, too, might find connection and joy through food." Daniel Smith General manager PB Catch, 251 Sunrise Ave. 'I grew up with a Cordon Bleu (trained) grandmother that not only taught me what makes a great cook, but also encouraged me to help out in the process,' Smith told the Daily News. After relishing helping his grandmother with cooking, Smith later learned in his college days that 'food quality isn't universal, nor is everyone as good as my Nana.' PB Catch General Manager Daniel Smith draws on the lessons of his Cordon Blue-trained grandmother, who taught him about the essence of a great cook and how to help in the kitchen. He switched majors — from mechanical engineering to business and hospitality — and after working at Palm Beach's Cafe L'Europe for years, he knew he'd chosen the correct path. 'Here we are now, almost 40 years after that beginning, with 13 years of PB Catch," Smith said. "I'm so glad that our chef Kevin Sawyer shares my love and passion that translates into an awesome food experience.' This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach restaurateurs, chefs inspired by mothers' cooking
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Breaker's expansion gets thumbs up from Palm Beach planning board
The Breakers' plans to replace its Family Entertainment Center and central parking lot are one step closer to fruition, after the town's Planning and Zoning Commission gave a thumbs-up to the resolution tied to the projects. The commission voted 5-0 on March 6 to recommend that the Town Council approve the resolution, with conditions. Commission members want the council to consider whether The Breakers' membership program should be regulated as a special exception use; that the traffic and circulation studies are completed by the time of the council's meeting; and that The Breakers will draft an updated master plan. Alternates Nicki McDonald, Victoria Donaldson and Matthew Ailey voted in place of commissioners Jorge Sanchez, Marilyn Beuttenmuller and Michael Vincent John Spaziani. The Breakers' application asks that the town approve in concept multiple development proposals meant to update and improve the resort. The proposals include a plan to replace the resort's 12,136-square-foot two-story Family Entertainment Center with a 16,675-square-foot three-story center featuring a basement, according to plans submitted to the town. The proposed center also would feature a pedestrian bridge connecting it to the Beach Club building just east of it. The other project would replace the 550-space parking lot just north of The Breakers main entrance with a large subterranean parking lot and a small surface level lot for a combined 849 parking spaces. At its Feb. 4 meeting, commissioners voted to defer the project, citing concerns that it could increase traffic and boost the number of hotel visitors. The town's Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the designs for the parking garage at its Feb. 19 meeting. On Feb. 26, when the Architectural Commission reviewed the Family Entertainment Center proposal, its members voted to defer the project for two months to give designers time to improve the building's scale and streamline its design. Less than a week before the planning commission's meeting, the activist group the Neighborhood Alliance of Palm Beach and a local resident sent out emails to residents, The Breakers CEO Paul Leone told the planning commission during its March 6 meeting. Those emails accused The Breakers of violating the town's Comprehensive Plan. Both emails railed against The Breakers membership program, which they referred to as a private club. The emails also criticized alleged plans to close Pine Walk, take down the signal at its intersection with South County Road, and widen South County Road with an additional left-turn and right-turn lane near the hotel's property. None of those actions are part of the project. Leone said the content of the "egregious" emails amounted to "disinformation." Breakers attorney James Crowley said the allegations made in the emails likely stemmed from a staff memo released a week before the meeting. The memo described the Breakers' membership program as a 'private club (for) which approval has not been sought nor granted by the Town Council,' a position Leone and Crowley vehemently disagreed with. 'There is no private club associated with this application. We are not proposing a private club,' Crowley told the commission. 'What we have is a membership program dating back to 1926.' Town Planner Jennifer Hofmeister-Drew said that questions over classifying the membership program as a special-exception use akin to a private club falls under the purview of the Town Council, not the planning commission. The staff memo also described the changes to neighboring roads as improvements that 'have continued to be postponed.' 'I think when some members of the public saw that, they thought as a part of this application we were going to be widening County Road and putting a turn lane in,' Crowley said. Those plans were never part of the current resolution, but instead, were conditions placed on a 1998 resolution to amend the resort's Planned Unit Development, or PUD. Like a zoning district, a PUD sets guidelines for what can be developed within its scope but defines more specific uses than traditional zoning rules. They're a rarity in Palm Beach, the Breakers property being just one of three PUDs in town, and the only PUD with development potential, according to the town's comprehensive plan. The issue is that the PUD's master plan still requires these conditions to be completed at some point, Hofmeister-Drew told the commission. 'Are they applicable anymore? Things have changed, and we need to look at that,' she told the commission. Hofmeister-Drew said those outstanding conditions can be remedied by updating the PUD's master plan. The other outstanding item in the application was data on the resort's internal traffic circulation. Crowley said that data has been collected but is currently under analysis by the Corradino Group, the town's traffic consultant. Vice Chair Eric Christu asked whether staff considered the application completed. Planning, Zoning and Building Director Wayne Bergman said he did consider it a completed application. Under town law, that means the planning commission must make a recommendation on the PUD application within 60 days of when Bergman signed off on the application in January. "This is the meeting where you really should determine what recommendation you would like to make to the Town Council, if possible," Bergman said. Bergman said the 60-day time limit is in place because of the town's outdated regulations for PUDs. Since the town's code does not have a process for modifying a planned unit development, The Breakers must follow the same process used for a new PUD. Diego Diaz Lasa is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at dlasa@ This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach planning board OKs Breakers expansion
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The 1925 fire that leveled The Breakers as wind-swept embers burned path across the island
It is hard to imagine that The Breakers hotel that stands so dignified and timeless today was ever anything less. But a century ago, Palm Beach's most iconic oceanfront hotel was made of wood, and on March 18, 1925, a fire ignited there that was so voracious it reduced the grand structure to little more than smoldering rubble. Because of conditions that day, the fire's reach was epic as wind-swept embers flew westward, torching and scorching structures across the island's midsection as they went. In a matter of hours, another hotel on the lake would also lie in ruins. In the chaos, scores of people were displaced, looters helped themselves, and property damage would tally in the millions of dollars. More on The Breakers: Five things you may not know about the Palm Beach resort Of all the destruction, locals and visitors alike were shocked at the void where The Breakers once stood majestically beside the beach. But their fears — that the grand oceanfront hotel, originally built in 1896, was gone forever — never materialized. The Breakers was not stranger to fire. In 1903, flames consumed the original six-year-old structure. The hotel's founder Henry Flagler quickly vowed to rebuild and did. But after this second fire, what rose from the rubble was vastly different. Inspired by the Italian Renaissance, more than 1,000 construction workers labored in round-the-clock shifts. Dozens of artisans crafted elegantly detailed ceiling paintings and frescoes. What followed was both bigger and more resilient, with bones of reinforced concrete. Over its 125-plus-year history, The Breakers also has weathered so much more, including the nation's various economic crises and challenges. It also persevered through the 2020 COVID pandemic that paralyzed communities around the world. All of that is not lost on The Breakers' CEO Paul N. Leone, who told the Daily News that the upcoming anniversary of the 1925 fire reminds him of the resilience and vision of its family ownership. "In the face of devastation, they were inspired not just to rebuild, but to reimagine, emerging stronger, grander and as magnificent as ever," Leone said. "Their unwavering determination mirrored that of Henry Flagler himself, elevating The Breakers to new heights as America's finest resort." That commitment to excellence and continuous improvement is the resort's guiding principle, he said. On March 18, 1925, more than 400 guests were registered at The Breakers, including Titanic survivor 'Unsinkable' Mollie Brown and Mrs. Edward F. Hutton (Marjorie Merriweather Post), whose ocean-to-lake estate, Mar-a-Lago, was under construction. The fine weather — upper 70s, breezy, a mix of sun and clouds — called for sunbathing, golfing on The Breakers' links or relaxing along the hotel's oceanview verandas. At the time, The Breakers was a four-story, 425-room Colonial-style hotel. Standard Oil baron, developer and railroad magnate Henry Flagler had built it immediately after his original version, first known as the Palm Beach Inn, burned to the ground in 1903, six years after it had opened. In 1925, The Breakers was better than ever. For one thing, its casino bathhouse had been recently remodeled with a new pool area, 1,000 dressing rooms, a 10-foot deep pool, a diving tower and Russian and Turkish baths. But around 4 p.m. March 18, a guest noticed smoke coming from the hotel's south wing. Fire was discovered in the fourth-floor room of Mrs. William Hale Thompson, the wife of Chicago's then-former mayor. As the fire, later attributed to defective wiring, spread in the wood-frame building, guests threw their jewels, furs and keepsakes from windows and hurriedly left the building, joining throngs of spectators who watched as a giant mushroom cloud of dense smoke poured from The Breakers' south wing. 'I saw smoke billowing like a wet-leaf fire,' Frank Hennessey, a longtime Breakers office manager, told the Palm Beach Daily News in 1975. 'Terrible.' Then fire burst through The Breakers' roof. Swarms of cinders flew skyward, traveling northwest in a shifting breeze. They soon rained down on Main Street, now known as Royal Poinciana Way, and homes nearby. More fires ignited. Shop owners used what they had on hand — carpets, coats or buckets of water — to douse sparks. Just northwest of Main Street and a half-mile from The Breakers, 160 guests were registered at the lakefront Palm Beach Hotel. It was a longtime gathering spot, where, in 1911, 35 male residents had voted to incorporate the Town of Palm Beach. Owner Sidney Maddock, whose family had lived in Palm Beach since 1891, built the 300-room hotel in 1902. Guests enjoyed boating excursions from the hotel's dock on the lake and watching sunsets from its grand west porch. Abutting the hotel, there were a dozen new shops to browse, too. But when cinders from the now-raging Breakers' fire set the Palm Beach Hotel's roof ablaze, guests barely reached their rooms in time to save small articles. The adjacent shops burned, too. Days later, Maddock lamented in a postcard to his wife, 'The dear old Palm Beach Hotel is a total loss. … I was there at the time and held the hose like the rest, but it blazed in seven places.' From the onset of the conflagration, local authorities took action. The Palm Beach Fire Department responded quickly to the alarm and called for help from the West Palm Beach fire crew. Within 90 minutes, the firefighting brigade in Palm Beach included men and pumper trucks from as far away as Miami. They battled a then-out-of-control blaze anchored on either side by the ocean and the lake. At one point, firefighters wanted to use dynamite to slow the blaze at The Breakers, but too many spectators were standing too close to risk it. When looting became evident with reports of valuables being transported off the island, Palm Beach Police Chief Joseph Borman arranged for stepped-up protection and for the National Guard to patrol the devastated town and its bridges to the mainland. 'That night, to prevent looting, a curfew was imposed,' Carola Bibo Levinstim recalled in 1981. From 1919-1928, her family operated a 40-room hostelry near the Palm Beach Hotel. Levinstim's family and others in the vicinity formed bucket-brigades 'to pass pails, pots and pans of water to neighbors seated precariously on their shingled roofs. The hope was that by moistening the sun-parched shingles, they might be better protected from the flying sparks.' It worked. Other efforts to combat fire were successful, too. A stone's throw south from the Palm Beach Hotel stood Flagler's other Palm Beach hotel, the mammoth Royal Poinciana, built in 1894. With six stories and seven miles of corridors, it was considered the largest wooden structure in the world when it opened. Spot fires popped up. Guests fearing the worst, began throwing their valises out windows. But H.E. Bemis, vice president of the Florida East Coast Hotel Co. that owned the Royal Poinciana and The Breakers, had assembled an on-site crew that extinguished them, according to news reports. Miraculously, the Royal Poinciana survived, as did its prominent wooden neighbor, the posh dining facility and gambling casino, the Beach Club, owned by Kentucky racehorse breeder E.R. Bradley. Close to midnight on March 18, 1925, the Palm Beach Hotel and The Breakers were reduced to glowing ashes. The only thing left intact at The Breakers was its vault. It took five days for it to cool enough to be opened: More than $300,000 in jewels and other valuables were unscathed. Many guests from both hotels found refuge at the Royal Poinciana, private clubs or friends' homes on the island. 'We found rooms at (the) country club there in Palm Beach,' then-Breakers employee Mary G. Markham wrote in a letter to the Historical Society of Palm Beach County in 1971. 'But it was a dreadful sight to see that building burn down in a few hours. It housed many of the finest people in the country, but fire shows no discretion. Rich and poor all had to suffer.' Throughout the fire zone, one death was attributed to the blaze. A man died after falling off the roof of a Sunset Avenue home as he doused spark fires. The day after the fire, the Florida East Coast Hotel Co. vowed The Breakers would be rebuilt as a fireproof hotel. Roughly eight years later, on Dec. 29, 1926, the new Breakers opened: a $7 million showpiece modeled after an Italian Renaissance palace. More than 1,200 men worked day and night to construct the reinforced concrete building. Maddock of the Palm Beach Hotel didn't rebuild and left the island. The Palm Beach Hotel property was replaced in 1926 when Maurice Heckscher built the $7 million, 12-story Alba Hotel, where the Palm Beach Biltmore stands today. Meanwhile, stricter building codes went into effect in Palm Beach. The reason: to minimize the possibility of a recurrence of the catastrophe that raged on March 18, 1925. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: The fire that leveled The Breakers in Palm Beach in 1925
