Guest Editor

What Adventure Means

June 3, 2016 by The Inside Press

For people like myself who love exploring the outdoors but not enough to brave the cold and rain, this spring has felt especially frustrating sometimes. Each time it appears that winter has finally left, the thermometer drops, and, once again, I find that I’m stuck inside. So I was especially excited to accept an invite to the Westmoreland Sanctuary for a chance to walk around some of the 640 acres of woods and interview the facility’s director.

A stroll through the woods may not be too big an adventure, but it’s a start, and Westmoreland is the subject of one of many adventure-themed articles in our June issue of Inside Armonk. For some, like Armonk dad Danny Tateo, who was the Road Runners Club Runner of the Year, adventure might mean embracing a new passion and pushing yourself to your limits. If you’re someone like Jack Kiernan, a local Eagle Scout candidate who helped build beds for 100 Armonk shelter dogs, adventure may mean using your skills and your time to help others. If you’re Ruth Reichl, it can mean ignoring your doubts and diving into the beginning of a multi-faceted culinary career. For Todd Shapera, regular walks through the Rockefeller Preserve can be an adventure with no special goal at all other than to find balance in a busy life.

ann We highlight these stories as well as others, including profiles on Hudson Stage Company plus different business spotlights on those who make shopping local such a great success. This issue’s cover story profiles Assemblyman David Buchwald, whose district includes North Castle. My article, following a two-hour interview with the assemblyman in his Mount Kisco district office, focuses on Buchwald’s political background, his legislation targeting corrupt officials, his family, and his position on current issues like the $15 minimum wage. The profile doesn’t cover every aspect of Buchwald’s background and record, as no single article can.

If I can make readers feel like they know their elected official a little bit better, then I believe I’ve accomplished something valuable.

I hope readers will approach this summer with an adventurous spirit and take advantage of all Armonk and the surrounding communities have to offer. This issue contains just a few of many possibilities.

Editor’s Note: A Healthy Break

April 21, 2016 by The Inside Press

We often don’t think much about our health and the people whom we task with maintaining it until something goes wrong. Then, we put our trust in the knowledge and ability of these professionals.

For that reason, we used a substantial part of this edition to offer our readers a thoughtful introduction to a few of the region’s healthcare leaders. Our cover story so thoughtfully written by Janine Crowley Haynes focuses on the stellar service to the community at nearby Northern Westchester Hospital, which I would venture to guess has touched many of your own lives, or a neighbor’s, if you have been living here long enough. In honor of its Centennial, and Mother’s Day, we offer mini profiles of some of the amazing doctors and staff working at NWH on behalf of women.

The issue also spotlights three remarkable local women working in the healthcare field: Dermatologist Dr. Lydia Evans, weight loss expert, Dr. Maria Briones, and nutritionist Dina Khader. We’re grateful to our writers who took the time to bring their lives and ideas to life on our pages. We find out how these women entered their fields, as well as their advice for healthy living. We did include a little male input…including an interview with Robert Fay, owner of a physical therapy facility in Armonk. Fay explains how to get back into shape this summer without overdoing it and ending up on the Disabled List.

In addition to profiles of the female medical professionals listed in the above paragraph, it is our pleasure to include a profile Susan Geffen, a 44-year Armonk resident whose above and beyond commitment to community service earned her the Armonk Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year Award. The Citizen of the Year events are always a delight, so contact the chamber to find out how you might attend too or about how to join the Chamber yourself!

Two articles in this issue focus on dining: one talks about what makes a meal memorable, while another explains the CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, trend. We have a couple thoughtful essays for your reading pleasure and also give readers a rundown of some things to do in the upcoming months, as spring turns to summer, both in Armonk and a short drive away.

In fact, the picture above highlights a First Thursday, Armonk Chamber of Commerce sponsored event, many of which are coming up soon!

With every issue of Inside Armonk, we try to bring you closer to your community and your neighbors. With this issue, we hoped to help you think about a bit about your health, too! Enjoy!

–Andrew Vitelli

Taking it to the Top

March 6, 2016 by The Inside Press

As a lifelong Westchester resident, I grew up just a short drive from the Hamlet of Armonk. But working on this edition of Inside Armonk–my first as Guest Editor of the magazine, after writing for Inside Chappaqua, the Inside Press flagship publication, in years past–has allowed me to give the Hamlet a closer look.

Armonk features some of the best of what makes Westchester such a unique county. A picturesque suburb set in the beauty of nature, Armonk has historical sites dating from pre-Revolutionary America alongside scenic trails through the woods. Employees at one of the world’s largest corporations can conveniently take their lunch break at any of a number of independent restaurants without leaving the Hamlet.

In my first issue, I’ve tried to find topics that reflect what makes this community so unique. The issue has several features on North Castle living, or relevant to it, from how to choose the best summer camp for your kids to raising pets to the work of the North Castle Beautification committee. And with Spring just around the corner, I’ve pulled together a roundup of some engaging things you can do this season without leaving the Armonk area. It also profiles two teen residents who, though too young to legally buy alcohol, have notched some pretty major achievements in the fields of theater and science.

Also, we went right “to the top” to give you a sense of the personalities strongly influencing the directions of this town, and because we thought both these individuals could share more of what makes Armonk “tick.” Be sure not to miss the interview with Neal Schwartz, president of the Chamber of Commerce, who has worked to bolster businesses throughout the downtown. And our cover story profiles North Castle’s town supervisor Michael Schiliro, who explains what he’s doing to spur the town’s growth.

As a relative newcomer to the Armonk community, it was wonderful to find that I could quickly develop a sense of connection to and instant fondness for this bucolic area so many here are very fortunate to call home. I hope to continue to unearth stories in future editions of Inside Armonk that bring readers feeling ever closer to their town and to their neighbors. If there’s a story you think would fit inside future editions of Inside Armonk, I’d love to hear from you. Write to Andrew@insidearmonk.com.

A Community that Shines

September 1, 2015 by The Inside Press

dawn and ben — Dawn with Ben, 9, on a family vacation in Ogunquit, Maine

By Dawn Greenberg

When my kids were toddlers, I felt pure relief as summer came to an end–finally a bit of respite from tantrums, diapers and long, long days. My boys would soon fall back into the welcoming arms of their preschool teachers.

These days when September looms, I feel quite sad at the speed with which our summers fly by and wish we could have just…one…more….week….please!

I feel not a little anxious about what the new school year brings: the familiar knot in my belly worrying about different classmates and new routines to conquer. Particularly with kids who struggle a bit, my anxieties are multiplied but also eased by the support of other friends and parents and by the knowledge that our teachers are warm and welcoming–and ready for anything!

Luckily, we all soon fall back into our roles and routines (with the occasional backward glance at beach days, leisurely dinners on the deck and fireworks). I’ve always felt that our town is at its best during September/October: a slight coolness in the breeze, the leaves just beginning to turn, then an acceleration of activities like Community Day, fall festivals and Halloween. This is why we chose this time of year for the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival. Down in the hollow of St. Mary the Virgin’s lawn, you can imagine you’re in a quintessential New England town with yellow tips just starting to appear on trees on nearly hills. The morning of the CCBF, I’m at Bell school by 5 a.m., so excited and anxious for our 85+ authors to soon populate our big tent. Even more exciting is 10 a.m., when the eager readers pour in…and keep coming!

Our “little engine that could” book festival, has grown from a modest dream (maybe we’ll draw 1,000 kids!) to becoming the biggest children’s book festival in the metropolitan area, in only three years. It would be impossible to pull off without the year-round work of our core group of volunteers, plus hundreds more who magically appear on book festival day. Our sponsors are pivotal to helping us be the best we can be for the thousands of visitors who arrive. It’s a day for our community to shine!

We also knew that Chappaqua was a welcoming place for readers; after all, we are all about our good schools and teaching our kids about the wide world outside of our borders. What could be better than encouraging a love of books to remind us of our place in the universe and to expose kids to every corner of the globe? I’ve always known that an early love of reading puts you in good stead for life and it’s something I’m eager to encourage in every kid I meet. In interviewing Dr. Lyn McKay for this issue, I was thrilled to hear her amplification on the vital role of reading in kids’ academic and emotional development.

It has also been so uplifting and exciting to be involved in founding Chappaqua Cares with my partner Jessica Reinmann. Whether gathering food for the many food pantries with exploding need in our area, helping out a resident who finds herself in a painful situation or even gathering dolls to contribute to a parenting class for immigrant parents at Neighbor’s Link, we find our days to be intensely rewarding with a new challenge around every corner.

Our biggest production, building on the wonderful original Empty Bowls program begun in Chappaqua by Penny Vane, will be an amazing celebration in November called Empty Bowls Westchester (see Jessica’s article in this issue). We have high aims to provide funding not only for the Mount Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry but for many other pantries in our area. In fact, my amazing artistic neighbor Mindy Kombert and her friends in the Northern Westchester Artists’ Guild have worked tirelessly to help local folks find their inner artist to create gorgeous bowls to be given away at the event. So far we have created close to 100 bowls, with approximately 50 more needed–each a work of art and passion.

Whatever your fall brings–and I hope your expectations are high–I wish you an easy back-to-school transition with time still set aside to play…and read! We hope you’ll find some time to volunteer, too, and get involved in our wonderful, vibrant, giving community.

I’m very proud to call Chappaqua home.

-Dawn