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High Fashion for the Kids, Right Around the Corner

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Three years ago, Julia Rozenfeld found her calling. The Juilliard graduate and classically-trained pianist turned Wall Street powerhouse took over LOL Kids in Armonk. She quickly revamped the small clothing store and turned it into one of Westchester and Connecticut’s premier shopping destinations for the under-14 set.

Rozenfeld, a Chappaqua resident, has a four-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old son. An avid shopper at LOL Kids, she told her husband that she wanted to take it over when the previous owner decided to move to the West Coast. “It was the only shop in Westchester that I liked for clothes for my kids,” she remembers. Her husband initially thought she was joking.

Yet Rozenfeld was completely serious. She moved the store next door to a larger space with an additional floor and added more than 30 new clothing lines. She transformed LOL Kids into a high-end, hand-picked, unique boutique with over 35 hard-to-find children’s clothing brands for girls and boys. From Stella McCartney’s children’s line, Kenzo, Gautier, and Chloe to cult labels from Australia, Bulgaria, and Lithuania, Rozenfeld is introducing Westchester’s littlest fashionistas to her curated collection of clothing.  “We offer a unique niche because everything is fashionably fine and hand-picked, and we try to keep the price point competitive.”

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For the holiday season, Rozenfeld has chosen several one-of-a-kind items, including unique necklaces for young girls, exquisite newborn outfits, special dresses from Tutu du Monde, and this year’s favorite–giant pompom hats. She hopes people will come in for that special something, whether it be a small stocking stuffer or a more elaborate gift.

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“We want to sell things that will make children look and feel very special,” says Rozenfeld. Rozenfeld, who also added photographer to her list of talents, has her daughter Sophie test out many of the girls’ clothing lines and serve as the fashion model for the store.

“We would feel very special to be able to help people out, to meet more people, and to share our vision of beautiful things with them,” says Rozenfeld.

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Her favorite part of owning the store is meeting so many new people and connecting with clients. While she has lived in Chappaqua for over 12 years, opening LOL Kids enabled her to meet many more members of the community. And she says that “the most exciting part of my day is when clients text me pictures of their kids wearing my outfits. It really warms my heart.”

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Stop in and introduce yourself to Rozenfeld. Experience the latest fashion trends for children, right here in Armonk. Whether you’re searching for French children’s brands like Catimini and Petit Bateau, niche Italian brands like Fun&Fun and Mi Mi Sol, or super-fashionable, reasonably priced European brands like Nikolia, Rozenfeld has them. And she will make sure you can find that perfect, one-of-a-kind outfit for your child.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF JULIE ROZENFELD

Deborah Notis is a writer and co-owner of gamechangernow.com, a free referral service connecting Westchester families to highly qualified instructors. Deborah’s writing can be found in the Inside Press publications as well as on suburbanmisfitmom.com.

Her Sweet & Personal Touch: Why Armonk Loves Julie Dickens & Beascakes

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Have you ever driven past Armonk Town Center on Route 22, and found yourself lured in by the seductive scent of freshly baked donuts and signature Lavazza coffee, wafting from a small shop comfortably positioned within the plaza? If so, you’re not alone…and, if, by chance, you think your nose is deceiving you, we wholeheartedly assure you the aroma is 100% real, and it’s as good as it gets!

In operation since 2004 — first by the bakery’s namesake, Beatrice Schedy, and, since 2008, by its current owner Julie Dickens — the full-service bakery has quickly become a local Armonk institution, offering personalized cakes, cupcakes, desserts and baked goods perfect for any occasion and any time of year.

A lifelong baker originally from Ohio, Dickens came to New York in 2007 to pursue her culinary passion full-time. She began her journey at the French Culinary Institute –where she met her now-husband, Mike Defeo–before briefly working under famed chocolatier Jacques Torres following graduation. In late 2007, the two began browsing ads for bakeries within the New York area.

Naturally, they came across Beascakes, then situated in the white house at 29 Main Street, and promptly took over the quaint little shop. They ran the bustling bakery at that location, before moving it to current location within the plaza in 2012. The rest, as they say, is sweet, sweet history.

Dickens, for one, couldn’t be happier, as she’s not only fulfilled a lifelong dream in acquiring the bakery itself, but also spends each day actually living it out as the “head honcho” at the shop.

“It’s a way to be creative,” she says, of her attraction to her craft. “Especially with cakes. I love the way I can envision a cake before it’s even done and follow it through,” from designing to baking to decorating to final delivery. The dedicated baker has a deep-rooted belief that every cake should have its own personal touch, and prides herself on crafting confections that equally appeals to the eye as much as it does the taste buds.

Customers concur, as they repeatedly come out in droves to see what new creation Dickens has cooked up next.

In addition to their vast array of cakes for any occasion, the bustling bakery offers a daily selection of cupcakes, muffins and coffee, in addition to doughnuts (“made fresh every morning,” notes Dickens) and what is undoubtedly their #1 bestseller: the chocolate chip cookie.

“I love being involved in the customers’ lives,” Dickens says, when asked which element of her job she likes the best. “Certain customers. I’ve done their wedding cakes, then their [baby] shower cakes, and then the kid’s first birthday cake Just seeing the families grow up and being with them in that way is very special and personal.”

Dickens also makes an effort to extend her welcoming persona onto the community at large, volunteering in a wide variety of community events in and around town. For the last eight years, she’s been providing tasty treats and beverages to audience members who attend the Small Town Theatre Company’s summer concerts at Wampus Brook Park. “She also offers pastries to our audience members, performers and crew [when we perform] our theatrical plays at the Hergenhan Center,” notes Sam Morell, who runs the Armonk company, for which Dickens bakes. “[She’s] always available, always helpful, and always a warm, welcoming, friendly smile to members of our community.”

Similarly, she also makes an appearance at the annual Cider and Doughnut Festival, also held in Wampus Park — “I just take my doughnut machine down to the festival and make doughnuts all day long” — which yields her a similar boost in business. “People who didn’t even know about the bakery before are suddenly hooked because they’ve eaten a doughnut [at the festival]. It’s great!”

Meanwhile, regulars like Morell think the cakestress is just as sweet as her products, stating: “Armonk is as warm and friendly as it is because of generous and caring people like Julie Dickens.”

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Beascakes Bakery is located within Armonk Town Center at 575 N. Main Street in Armonk. For more information, please visit www.beascakesny.com.

Matt Smith is a writer and regular contributor to The Inside Press. For further information or inquiry, please visit www.mattsmiththeatre.com.

White Plains Hospital Urgent Care Center in Armonk

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The team at White Plains Hospital Medical and Wellness in Armonk.

Since last fall, Armonk residents have had one of the region’s top urgent care centers right outside their doors.

White Plains Hospital Medical and Wellness, a 24,000-square-foot facility on Armonk’s Business Park Drive, opened last November and has served thousands of patients from northern Westchester and Connecticut.

“What people will find in Armonk is urgent care that goes well beyond basic services,” says Frances Bordoni, Senior Vice President of Ambulatory and Physician Services and Business Development at White Plains Hospital. “Our physicians are able to diagnose and treat a wide variety of conditions. They have access to the Hospital’s extensive clinical resources, and they can support patients after an urgent care visit, right here in the community, through referrals to and communication with our extensive physician network.”

The urgent care center is geared towards patients with injuries or illnesses that require immediate medical attention but aren’t necessarily serious enough to merit a trip to the emergency room. This includes sore throats, the flu, or common sprains.

“As one of only two hospital-operated urgent care centers in New York State, we are able to provide a higher level of care than most urgent care centers that offer only basic labs, basic x-rays,” says Farrukh Jafri, M.D., Co-medical Director of Urgent Care. “Here you’ll always be seen by an Emergency Medicine physician. We also have on-site imaging, and we can analyze blood work and labs in real time.”

The center is open seven days a week, from 3 to 11 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends, while a full-service Diagnostic Imaging Center is open weekdays from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. and weekends from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. For more information, the public is invited to call 914-849-7900 or visit www.wphospital.org. The center is located at 99 Business Park Drive in Armonk.

Sunshine Staff Play Vital Role in Bringing Holiday Joy

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“Thoughtful and Inclusive” and an Interdisciplinary Effort

The Sunshine Children’s Home and Rehab Center is a very special place. This local facility is recognized as one of the top facilities of its kind, earning both five stars out of five from the government, as well as ranking in the US News and World report two years in a row.

What does Sunshine Children’s Home and Rehab Center offer? Their website says “Sunshine Children’s Home is a 54-bed licensed nursing facility that specializes in the care and treatment of medically complex children who require post-acute, rehabilitative care.” What does this mean to the lay person? They offer both short term and long term care, depending on the needs of the child. Unique to Sunshine is that the warmth that emanates from them.Their mission is, in part, to be a “second home” to the child, while providing necessary medical treatment and/or other related services. They foster an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating physical therapy, speech services, occupational therapy etc., as needed.

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For the children who reside at Sunshine, the holidays are especially important. The children look forward to this festive time all year! They are celebrated several different ways, and the celebratory season begins with Thanksgiving. For this kick off to the holiday season, the extended family, inclusive of the children, their family and their Sunshine family all dine together on a Thanksgiving meal. Children create various themed crafts in celebration of the holiday.

As the holidays progress, Linda Mosiello, the Administrator for Sunshine, said, “The month of December is one extended, inclusive holiday season as we celebrate Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanzaa. Each holiday is rich with traditions and customs, energizing our staff to prepare joyful celebrations that capture the spirit of each. We have come to learn that thoughtful and inclusive holiday celebrations bring comfort to all the families–embodying our view that we are a second home for them.” This perspective and approach are part of what makes Sunshine such a special place.

Linda also expressed much gratitude to our local community, its organizations and volunteers alike, as well as donors who play such a vital role in the holiday celebrations for the children who reside there.

She said, “We are joined in our efforts by the generosity of community organizations and volunteer groups who seek to bring smiles to the children through ongoing celebration and gift giving.” She cited Scouts who make cards and sing to the children, as well as retired and still active members of the Police force who help bring holiday cheer to the children. Volunteers and staff guide the children in holiday games, baking, caroling and of course, visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

The Sunshine Children’s Home and Rehabilitation Center fills a need in the Westchester community and excels at it by creating a home away from home for these children and their families. Ms. Mosiello said it best when she said, “Sunshine is a remarkable home for our special children all year round, and they are extra blessed during the holiday season.”

Heather Skolnick, her husband Neal and three young children have lived in New Castle the last ten years. When Heather isn’t writing articles, she works for a footwear company as the Director of Planning.

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For Empty Nesters, Getting Back into Shape is a Worthy Challenge

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When Grace Bennett, this magazine’s publisher, saw the last of her children leave for college, she found herself with a bit more time to commit to getting into shape. But the added time at the gym, along with weekly walks with a friend, weren’t leading to the results she envisioned.

“My regular workout wasn’t helping me keep the pounds at bay,” Bennett recalls. “I just wasn’t pushing myself very much, and I definitely wasn’t watching what I ate very well.”

Bennett’s problem is one many empty nesters, and others looking to jump into a training program, encounter after only months of working out, says Saw Mill Club Fitness Director Billy Goda.

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Personal trainer Sarah Eichorn showing Grace proper form

“People think that they just need to learn the best ten moves, do them two-to-three times a week, and they’re good,” Goda explains. “They’re looking for an easy solution. There’s not an easy solution or quick fix.” “Routine,” concludes Goda, “is the opposite of fitness.”

Looking to step up the intensity of her workouts, Bennett decided to hire a personal trainer. She had trained a few years ago, but for the sake of convenience and consistency, she wanted the personal trainer to also be inside the Saw Mill Club, where she had recently become a member. “I gave up on the idea again that I could do this by myself,” she says. Still, she now admits that she wasn’t exactly looking forward to being pushed to her limits. “I fully expected [the trainer] to be something of a taskmaster. I thought, ‘This is going to be really awful.’”

In her first meeting with her new trainer, Saw Mill Club’s Sarah Eichorn, Bennett realized her fears were unfounded. Eichorn pushed her to gradually up her intensity without going beyond what Bennett could comfortably handle.

“With her we circuited between getting her heart rate up, going to an upper body [workout], then a lower body,” Eichorn, a Mt. Kisco resident, explains. “As she learned these movements individually, we started putting them together.”

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Soon, Eichorn saw great improvement. “I noticed a big change in her cardio, with the respiratory, with her heart rate,” Eichorn says. The two also developed a nice rapport and personal connection. “I feel very comfortable with Sarah; she is both low key and knowledgeable about fitness and health.”

Goda says Saw Mill Club gets many men and women in their 50s, like Bennett, who decide it’s time to get back into, or just into, shape.

“One thing that we stress is that what you’re going to do in your 50s,” Goda says, “that’s going to determine how you feel in your late 50s, your 60s, your 70s, and beyond.”

But while joining a gym is a good first step, there are many potential pitfalls that can derail one’s fitness program. Often, Goda says, people in their 50s join a gym and do the same simple workout every time, leading to some early but unsustainable progress.

“In the third month, when things aren’t going well, they disappear for a year,” Goda says. “What we try to do at the Saw Mill Club is we try to make sure people don’t just disappear.”

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Goda gets the club’s clients to focus on the five major components of fitness: muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, cardio health, and body composition. Trainers may have their clients start by improving their range of motion, then add weight to the movement, and then throw in a twisting motion.

Communication, Goda stressed, is essential so clients know what they are doing and why they are doing it. This will not only help them see quick results, but will better the chances that they continue to push forward six months to a year in the future.

Goda also points out that no one is too old to start training, and said that working out can alleviate problems like back pain.

“My oldest client is 92 years old,” Goda says. “I put him in all these different movement patterns, and he is pain free.”

When Bennett began her training, her focus was on the number she saw when she stepped on the scale. Eichorn convinced her that this approach was misguided, as losing weight and getting fit are not one and the same.

“People are telling me that I look better,” says Bennett. “I feel better in general from day to day. I feel like I have a little more energy. I’m coupling it with much better eating too.”
For info on membership and training packages, visit www.sawmillclub.com.

PHOTOS BY: Philip Holt/Mad Shots Photography

Andrew Vitelli is a Westchester native and the editor of Inside Armonk.

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