Flecha Cantina

Flecha Cantina

Mark Wahlberg Expands His Las Vegas Empire

BY STACEY GUALANDI AND JJ SNYDER / PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF FLECHA CANTINA

“Right now, everything is about longevity.”

Mark Wahlberg is focused on the long game. Not just on the golf course, but in his extensive entertainment career, ever-expanding entrepreneurial empire, and endless exercise routines.

“I got up today at 2:30 this morning,” boasts the 53-year-old former rapper-turned-actor-turned-investor.

The notorious early riser has workouts to complete, films to shoot, businesses to buy, and restaurants to open—like the over 10,000-square-foot Flecha Cantina by Mark Wahlberg.

This is his second “Mexican redefined” restaurant and the latest venture in his newly adopted home of Las Vegas.

“When I came, I wanted to make sure that I was bringing something to the table,” says Wahlberg. “I’ve made two films here already and put a lot of money into the economy. Everything we do is based on quality, whether it be the gym experience, the studio experience, film, television, or restaurants. We want to bring something to the community and create jobs and opportunities.”

Wahlberg is referring to his recent announcements that he plans to build a Sony Entertainment movie studio and a luxury fitness space called Municipal Gym, inspired by his Municipal athletic clothing line—two projects that will surely secure his foothold in Sin City.

“I’ve had many, many failures, but those are the most valuable experiences,” says Wahlberg. “If you’re always winning, you don’t pay attention. You get super comfortable, and it’s through the hardships and the mistakes that I’ve made that are invaluable as far as learning and then making sure, most importantly, that I’m in business with the right people.”

Chic Compass contributors Stacey Gualandi and JJ Snyder got a prime table with the Flecha Cantina team: Mark Wahlberg, managing partner and co-founder Randy Sharpe, and chef Cristhian Salazar at the recent grand opening and talked tequila, salsa temperature, and why everything is good on ice.

Stacey Gualandi: After premiering Flecha Cantina in Huntington Beach, it didn’t take long to launch a sequel here in Las Vegas!

Mark Wahlberg: Of course, because it’s my home. It’s my backyard. I live 15 minutes away from here. We’re here as often as possible, and it’s nice because my family comes, we hang out, and we come to brunch. It’s nice because it’s Vegas, but it’s geared toward the community and the locals versus on the Strip, where it’s much more of a tourist attraction, which I like.

JJ Snyder: Flecha is between Summerlin and Henderson, but it’s not far from the Strip.

Mark Wahlberg: No, it’s not! So, we’re hoping that people will come and see us, and then eventually, we’ll probably put something further down the Strip. But for us, the first time being part of the community and catering to the locals was very exciting for us.

Stacey Gualandi: Why did it make sense for you, Randy, to partner up with Mark and to be a part of this particular project?

Randy Sharpe: Well, obviously, having a partner like Mark is pretty special…

Mark Wahlberg: …There are pros and cons as we go. Ha!

Randy Sharpe: No, there haven’t been any cons yet, except when you almost have a fire in the restaurant. But as long as we put it out, we were okay. I’ve probably had a hundred fires in my life in restaurants; that’s the only one that kept me on the phone all day long!

Stacey Gualandi: Well, isn’t that good publicity?

Mark Wahlberg: I mean, look, it’s brought a lot of awareness to the restaurant. No pun intended, but we’re the hottest restaurant in the world right now. Ha!

Randy Sharp: The most important thing for us is that we’re trying to build a business focused on quality, family, and everything Mark and we believe in. To be a great business partner, you have to be available. Mark is always available for us when we need advice. It works better than I ever thought, and I’ve been doing this for 30 years.

Mark Wahlberg: I also want people to understand that this is not just a celebrity restaurant. I was smart enough and savvy enough to partner with great chefs and great operators, the people who are serious adults in this space—which is why we’re successful. It’s really about what they’re creating and what we’re creating together as a partnership. I want to make sure that we give them the opportunity to talk about the food, the experience, and the things that they’re providing. I obviously wouldn’t be successful and wouldn’t be in business if it wasn’t for them.

JJ Snyder: I like that you’re catering to families with the Sunday brunch, but then it’s not just Taco Tuesday—it’s tacos and tequila! Everyone universally—whether you drink or not—loves happy hour. You gotta have a good one.

Chef Cristhian Salazar: We have a $5 happy hour for lunch and a regular happy hour with our famous street tacos, queso fundido, and ceviche. It’s really good. Our Micheladas and our famous margaritas are there.

Stacey Gualandi: Do those margaritas include your Flecha Azul tequila?

Mark Wahlberg: It’s an important part, but we’re serving many other tequila brands. We even carry my friend Kevin Hart’s tequila. He also had a cocktail on the menu, which I wasn’t sure about at first because we were in competition. But we’re very supportive. We want to make sure that we have whatever the customer wants. If they’re interested in what additive-free premium tequila’s supposed to taste like, we encourage them to try Flecha.

JJ Snyder: Personal question on the food angle. Salsa: mild, medium, or hot, and why?

Mark Wahlberg: Medium, personally, especially because I’ve been eating so strictly that once you open that box up, it’s hard to stop. I just ate a giant bowl of chips, so I’m trying to save room for some of my favorite items on the menu.

Stacey Gualandi: Is that why you announced your new luxury gym, to work off all the chips?

Mark Wahlberg: It’s going to be called Municipal Gym. There’s fitness and recovery, but a big emphasis on recovery and rejuvenation therapy. We’re going to have treatments that you have never seen in Vegas.

It’s much easier to stay in shape than get in shape, and some people have been training the wrong way. I want to teach people and share my experience. I’ve had to learn the hard way with all the aches, pains, and injuries I’ve had while making movies. Sharing that with others can help them avoid those mistakes and, more importantly, start earlier. You know, a lot of people have a lot of excuses. There are a million reasons why they might not want to go to the gym or why they prioritize other things.

It’s about finding one good reason to prioritize your health, wellness, mental, physical, and spiritual health. It’s also about finding balance while still being able to enjoy life. The healthier the lifestyle and the balance, the better you feel. Eat right, exercise, celebrate victories, go out and have fun, enjoy cheat meals—but then get back on your training again.

JJ Snyder: We’re very excited about Municipal Gym. I love that it focuses on luxury fitness and recovery, which isn’t emphasized much. Stacey and I work out together, and we’re about to do a liver cleanse, which involves something trendy: intermittent fasting.

Mark Wahlberg: Which I do often.

JJ Snyder: For those of our readers who have never tried cryotherapy—submersing themselves in ice—what’s that about? Why is it valuable? It sounds crazy.

Mark Wahlberg: I start every day by getting in the cold tub for four to six minutes. That reduces all the inflammation and gets my endorphins going. I have this dopamine rush for, I don’t know, three or four hours. I feel no pain or aches in the gym working out.

People in my life have been pushing me to try it for quite some time. I was always old school: I’d eat too much protein, lift too much weight, and never take time off. I always thought if you’re taking a day off, you’re missing out. But recovery is just as important—if not more so—right now.

Eighty-five percent of fitness is nutrition, 15 percent is exercise, and recovery is a huge part of it. I’m training to be around for a while, be able to move and function, and do the things I’ve wanted to do with my kids for as long as possible.

JJ Snyder: Speaking of kids, your youngest daughter, Grace, is an equestrian. I grew up with horses as well. Are you enjoying the Old West aspect of the Las Vegas Valley? There’s a lot of history here.

Mark Wahlberg: Absolutely. It’s been very cool. We’ve got a lot of stuff happening, and my whole life now revolves around being an equestrian dad. She’s 14 years old!

To have the discipline—it took me until my 40s to become that disciplined, and she’s doing it at 14 and doing it full time. It’s incredible.

And the best thing about it is when we go to a competition, people will say, “She’s a great jumper, she’s a great rider, but she’s an even nicer person.” That’s the most important thing. [Grace] does all the little stuff herself. She’s not too important to go and shovel horse poop, clean, and groom the horses. She’s doing everything, but she’s also kind and respectful to everybody she encounters. That’s the thing I’m most proud of.

Stacey Gualandi: Everything you do is a family affair. So, last question: Will you attend the new Las Vegas residency this summer called “New Kids on the Block: The Right Stuff?”

Mark Wahlberg: Ha! I’m gonna take [my friend Mikey] over there to see the concert… [But] every time I go, they’ll start playing “Good Vibrations.” Somebody will hand me a microphone and keep trying to get me up [on stage].

JJ and Stacey: Yesssssss!

Mark Wahlberg: I haven’t done it yet. We’ll figure out when the right time is. I’m excited that my brother is going to be here in Vegas. It’s always good to catch up with him and connect.

JJ and Stacey: And it’s always terrific to catch up and connect with you! Thanks, Team Flecha!

Moneda at the HAV Horse Rescue

For the Love of Horses

Horse Rescue CEO Alice Whitfield on a Love Story 53 Years in the Making

BY STACEY GUALANDI / PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF HAV HORSE RESCUE

It’s feeding time at the HAV Horse Rescue barn in Las Vegas, but that doesn’t keep CEO Alice Whitfield from singing to her stable.

She bursts out her rendition of “Side by Side” as Casper, a 17-year-old Quarter Horse and retired barrel racer, continues inhaling a handful of hay.

“I have my repertoire, and I sing to all of them,” says Whitfield. “But when it comes to food, I take second place.”

Always quick with a quip, this feisty five-foot (15 hands in horse lingo) force of nature—with her signature lime-colored hair—never puts her cart before the horse.

But don’t let her small size fool you. This former Broadway singer and actress is a thoroughbred in saving and rehoming surrendered horses.

“Lilac was bones when she came here and wouldn’t go near anybody,” says Whitfield as she introduces her hungry herd one by one. “She’s now up to weight and somebody is sponsoring to adopt her.”

“Joe was a racehorse who had kissing spine disease that had to be operated on,” adds Whitfield. “Instead of being put down, we took him in. Now he’s absolutely perfect and being ridden.”

Then, there’s little orphan Annie, the horse who inspired this 15-acre 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Kyle Canyon.

“She was just 333 pounds,” says Whitfield. “Now she’s up to 1,000 pounds and a spoiled brat! Ha!”

With support from volunteers, generous donors and an expert team in place, HAV Horse Rescue has built a horse’s dream house in just two short years.

“This is the Ritz Carlton of horse rescues,” says part-time volunteer Ellen LaPenna, who heard about HAV Horse Rescue on the local news. “I bonded with Willy. He’s my love. Now I’m his financial sponsor.”

“I just pray that people do get the word and that it’ll become self-supporting,” says Whitfield of her charity. “We have turned horses and people’s lives around for the better.”

The “we” is she and her partner-in-equine, husband David Hammer. He was instrumental in making his horse-worshipping wife’s bucket list wish a reality.

“We want to take in horses that need to be surrendered due to a family crisis, financial difficulties, an inability to care for a horse and the need for medical intervention,” says Hammer.

“For horses that aren’t adoptable, they get to live out their time in our sanctuary with all the love, attention and medical care they could ever want.”

“[Horses] will come right up and sniff you and they’ll find out if you’re naughty or nice,” adds Whitfield. “You don’t pick them. They pick you.”

Decades ago, this devoted duo picked each other as teens growing up in Brooklyn, New York.

“We were sweethearts in ninth grade until our senior year in high school,” gushes Whitfield. “I was in love and that was it. There was nobody else for me.”

But Whitfield says Hammer’s “Daddy dearest” put pressure on his son to go to college, not to go steady, so her beloved boyfriend broke it off.

“He was a dutiful son and left me with a bag of Chinese food on Ocean Avenue in Brooklyn. Not that I remember it. It was a Sunday,” jokes Whitfield. “I never got over it. It killed me. I never stopped crying.”

Hammer says they did meet up in Brooklyn once more a short time later.

“I was going into the train station to go to school and she informed me that she was getting married,” says Hammer. “That put a kind of a finality to the whole thing, so we just went off to what became our own incredible lives.”

Whitfield earned two doctorates—one in English and the other in primate animal behavior—both of which went unused in favor of the Great White Way.

In a twist of fate, she was asked to be one of the original cast members of the acclaimed 1968 Off-Broadway show “Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris.”

Her “perfect pitch” and versatile vocals earned her fame in both New York and Chicago, and an invitation to perform her one-woman show at Carnegie Hall.

But Whitfield says she soured on show business.

“When I decided to leave the business, my father was ready to kill me,” says Whitfield. “He said, ‘How could you do this to me?’ He liked having a daughter who was famous. I was pretty famous and successful, but gosh, did I hate show business!”

Her streak of success continued as a New York City ad agency director/writer/producer, which led to coaching and casting voice actors. She worked with and befriended such legends as Dick Van Dyke, Tony Randall, William H. Macy, Nathan Lane and Mary Tyler Moore, to name but a few.

Whitfield opened her own company, Real-To-Reel Recording, Inc., which became one of Manhattan’s top creative production houses, and was recognized as one of the top voiceover coaches in the country, all while raising her son Mitchell.

(Fun fact: Mitchell Whitfield followed in his mom’s famous footsteps with memorable roles like Stan in “My Cousin Vinny” and Rachel’s ex-fiance Barry the orthodontist in “Friends!”)

Meanwhile, Hammer, a widower with two children, had moved to Taiwan and became a hugely successful international businessman.

“He spent 38 years building an empire, never being able to speak a word of Taiwanese; a word of Chinese; a word of anything other than English and a couple of Jewish phrases here and there,” jokes Whitfield. “But he turned nothing into a 1.2 million-square-foot furniture factory.”

Throughout the years, Whitfield admits she never stopped thinking of—and trying to locate—her long-lost love. Promising leads, even one from a private detective, always led to dead ends.

The story of her decades-long search is a complicated one, but in 2013, Alice Whitfield (née Berman) finally got an email address for Hammer through the help of old high school friends. She contacted him immediately.

“I looked at this email and said to myself, ‘Do I remember Alice Berman?’” recalls Hammer. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

From then on, they emailed each other every day, which Hammer says, “mushroomed into over a hundred email trails, back and forth and back and forth.”

“Then came that one special email,” adds Whitfield, who was by now living in Las Vegas and teaching voiceover classes at UNLV.

Hammer invited her to meet him in Hawaii for a Midwood High School reunion…for two.

“So, there I was on the way to Oahu, sitting in the aisle seat near the bathroom because all I could do was run and pee,” laughs Whitfield. “A woman next to me asked, ‘Are you all right?’ No, I’m not. I’m meeting the love of my life, who I haven’t seen in 53 years!”

That first face-to-face is a moment they will never forget.

“He didn’t do anything; he just stood there,” says Whitfield. “Then he said, ‘Alice Berman?’ I said, ‘Yes, David Hammer.’ Then, all of a sudden, he grabbed me and kissed me, and that was that.”
Since then, they haven’t stopped making up for lost time, which includes a family of three goats, two horses, two dogs and 38 rescued horses, at last count.

“The number keeps on changing,” jokes Hammer.

Many adoptable horses at HAV Horse Rescue have healed and found forever homes, and dozens of families have written letters raving about how perfectly matched they are to their new horses.

The bottom line is that Whitfield credits its success so far to a talented team led by ranch managers and COO Sharon and Tommy McGarry, trainer Erica Manke and a large group of volunteers.

Once the veterinarians properly care for a surrendered horse’s medical issues, Sharon determines which ones are ready for rehoming. But before any horse is released, she visits the potential new owners’ home and facility to make sure it is suitable.

“This is an opportunity of a lifetime for me,” says McGarry while holding back tears. “HAV Horse Rescue has a serious purpose and has really been put together to last and to get it right. It’s all a gift; it’s good for the horses, and once people come, they want to be part of us.”

That includes one veteran named Orlando. Whitfield says he would lock himself in his house and never talk to anyone until he started coming to the HAV Horse Rescue.

“He comes up and just takes care of the horses, plays with them and he’s a new person. He leaves his house!” says Whitfield. “That’s the power that these animals have. Grace, to me, is the connection between a human being and, let’s face it, an animal.”

Right now, everyone is chomping at the bit for Phase Two to be completed. Whitfield says—for the first time in Las Vegas—there will be a state-of-the-art equine rehabilitation center at HAV Horse Rescue!

“No more hauling your horses to another state,” says Whitfield. “We’re building already. We don’t waste time.”

After five decades apart, not wasting time makes perfect sense. That is, horse sense.

“I’m not a religious person, but there’s no doubt in my mind that there’s some fate involved here, some extraterrestrial thing out there that put us back together again,” says Hammer. “Of course, it would not have happened had Alice not pursued it.”

“And he’s been making it up to me ever since,” adds Whitfield. “We have Chinese food once a week. Ha!”

To learn more about how to help and get involved, visit www.havhorserescue.org.

The Underground Mansion’s stunning features include a pool, artificial trees, and hand-painted murals that depict lifelike scenery

Subterranean Splendor

The Underground Mansion Is a Historic Hidden Gem

BY STACEY GUALANDI / PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF KANDID LIFESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY

As a frequent visitor to Las Vegas for decades and a resident for 11 years, I’m proud of my vast knowledge of all things vintage Vegas.

So, imagine my surprise when I learned only recently that a 50-year-old nuclear fallout shelter—better known as the Underground Mansion—is just three miles from the Strip!

Lo and behold, hidden directly below an unassuming two-story home is truly a sunken treasure.

“They’ve left the 1980s property [above] as is to hide the secret of the gem underneath,” says Frankie Lewis, the director of events and business development, also known as the historical caretaker. “The Underground Mansion is one of the most unique places on Earth.”

It’s not open for tours, but Lewis says very few people have been allowed to enter the space.

“It’s ultra-exclusive and secretive, and that brings its own allure to many.”

A few of those in on the secret include hometown heroes Imagine Dragons (who shot their “Monday” music video here), the cast of “Jersey Shore,” Blue Man Group, Cirque du Soleil, Atlas Obscura, and international photographers from around the globe. (I mean, where else can you find a better bunker as a backdrop?)

But for the less famous who are fortunate enough—including yours truly—to follow a “Fallout Shelter” sign deep down a stairwell (or an optional elevator), it feels like you’re literally taking a step back in time.

More than two dozen feet below the surface is a luxurious 16,000-square-foot Cold War-era compound with a three-bedroom, four-bath mansion, a casita, a fireplace, and a wet bar, all surrounded by an artificially landscaped front and back yard. The amenities include a barbecue grill, a disco dance floor, a four-hole putting green, a pool, a hot tub, and even a cave.

Oh, and did I mention the retro Barbie-pink kitchen?

“I love taking photos of guests in the pink kitchen,” says Lewis. “All but one of the life-size faux trees conceal 12-inch-by-12-inch structural steel beams, and it’s pretty special to have an underground pool where we can host a pool party any time of year.”

Throughout the sprawling space, there’s also a billiard room and a blackjack table, approximately 1,000 fluorescent bulbs (in four colors) that allow for day and night simulation, including sunrise and sunset; black lights that illuminate glow-in-the-dark mural features; and twinkling lights on the 12-foot-high ceilings—just in case you forgot you’re in Las Vegas.

“It gives you the feeling of being outside,” says Lewis. “People have told me, ‘Oh, I can’t go down there. I’m claustrophobic.’ Well, you’d probably be more claustrophobic in your own home than here!”

For a bomb shelter, it sure is fully equipped to host an epic blowout.

While the Historic Tour program is on hold until the county finishes its zoning process, Lewis says the Underground Mansion is a picture-perfect event venue.

“Events range from small private parties to large corporate events for up to 200 guests,” says Lewis. “We have live bands, DJs, showgirls, mermaids, high-end chefs and caterers, full bar services, and many other options.”

The mansion also hosts music videos, movie productions, influencers, and TV shows.

So, what exactly is a nuclear shelter like this doing in a no-nonsense neighborhood?

Lewis says Girard “Jerry” Henderson, a successful entrepreneur, philanthropist, and Avon Products director, built the below-ground bunker to be the last private residence for him and his wife, Mary.

During the 1960s, Henderson became fascinated with the groundbreaking concept of bunker homes and the architect Jay Swayze, who designed the first safe, private, and viable “Atomitat” (a combination of “atomic” and “habitat”) in Texas.

Henderson contracted his first Swayze-designed underground home at his ranch in Colorado in 1961.

“Then Jerry funded the construction of the Underground World Home exhibit at the 1964–65 New York World’s Fair,” says Lewis. (The original brochures from the World’s Fair are on display in the Underground Mansion, alongside other historic memorabilia).

It wasn’t until 1974 that he broke (under) ground off Flamingo Road, a project that eventually took four years to complete.

“There were only five Atomitats ever built,” says Lewis. “Henderson funded three of the five homes, and this is the last accessible one.”

One of the most fascinating features of the Las Vegas location is the well-preserved wall murals painted meticulously by Texas artist Jewel Smith.

The murals represent just five of Henderson’s numerous properties around the world: upstate New York, New Zealand, Mulholland Drive/Hollywood Hills, the Swiss Alps, and the Colorado Rockies.

Another item of note—sadly no longer on display—was the spectacular necklace from the film “Cleopatra,” framed with a letter from Elizabeth Taylor to Mary Henderson, the actress’s former hairdresser.

Lewis isn’t a caretaker by trade. In fact, she owned a software company that educated medical professionals on medical devices. But seven years ago, she got a random chance to go 26 feet underground.

“I went into the underground and have been helping there ever since.”

During that time, Lewis says she studied Henderson’s family history, mission, and the Alexander Dawson Foundation, which Henderson created in 1957 to give students access to the highest-quality education in the United States.

“My heart is preserving Jerry’s legacy and this special historic property. It has so much potential for educational and historical value,” says Lewis. “So, as long as I can have people continue to support it in a positive way and respect the property, then I feel like my mission is well underway.”

Over the past decade, the mansion was listed multiple times for $5.9 million to $18 million but was taken off the market in February 2024.

Lewis now hopes the 50-year-old Underground Mansion will someday receive historic status with help from the Nevada Preservation Foundation (NPF).

For the second year in a row, this May, the NPF will offer a rare opportunity to take a guided tour of the mansion on the Underground Celebrity Icons of Las Vegas Bus Tour during the Heritage Tourism Festival Home + History Las Vegas event.
“This particular project is fundraising for them, but it’s also exposure for us,” says Lewis. “It’s helping us also shed light on the history of the property with people who care about the history of Las Vegas.”

Later this year, the Underground Mansion will be included in the new travel guide “111 Places in Las Vegas You Must Not Miss” by Mackenzie Jervis, with photography by Kaitlyn Kelsey.

To further celebrate the mansion’s 50th milestone this year, Lewis says they’re expanding their community services.

“We support school field trips, fundraising events for local charities, and tours for families of terminally ill kids,” says Lewis. “After every event, any leftover food is quickly repackaged, labeled, and donated to local homeless shelters for teens.”

Thanks to Lewis, this landmark’s legacy lives on.

But ultimately, if she has her way, this submerged sanctuary is one secret that won’t remain underground.

“I dream that a group or persons who care about Vegas history will continue to preserve it,” says Lewis.

“Then, I want to pass the baton to someone younger who would carry on that legacy so that when I move on, I’ll know it’s still being protected.”

For inquiries about hosting a private event at the Underground Mansion, email frankievegasunderground@gmail.com or call 702-706-6962.

Marty Morawski and Stacey Gualandi at the Underground Mansion

(L-R) Charles Hong, Jun Hong, Stacey Gualandi, Skai Jones, Roxy Jones

Thai Meets Tchaikovsky

By Stacey Gualandi

Their work on behalf of the community is never done!

Sisters Roxy and Skai Jones and twin brothers Charles and Jun Hong just took their musical and fundraising talent on the road!

Their first stop: Weera Thai – Rainbow in Las Vegas.

This fierce foursome is the force behind Youth for Youth, a teen-led community effort—founded by Roxy—that raises money for underserved and homeless youth in Las Vegas.

Roxy Jones plays Tchaikovsky at Weera Thai

Since 2022, they have raised more than $100,000 for local organizations, including the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, the Boys & Girls Club of Southern Nevada and the Forgotten Song Foundation.

Skai Jones on violin

After seeing the Joneses on a local Las Vegas news segment in December discussing their fourth annual Youth for Youth holiday concert, Weera Thai owner Sasi Phothidokmai wanted to salute their efforts with a special musical concert inside her restaurant.

Hosted by Patranya Media business owner Patranya Bhoolsuwan, these talented teens performed several classical pieces on piano and violin inside the picture-perfect bar. Then, Sasi presented a check for $2,000 to the Boys & Girls Club.

(L-R) Jun Hong, Charles Hong, Skai Jones, Roxy Jones, Sasi Phothidokmai, Patranya Bhoolsuwan

The five-star event, which packed in a crowd hungry for both Thai and Tchaikovsky (plus Chopin, Liszt and others), showcased Weera Thai’s ongoing commitment to recognizing local nonprofits and Youth for Youth’s selfless support of its community.

For more information on how you can support Youth for Youth, go to www.youthforyouth.vegas.

Sue Lowden

‘Take Five’ With Vic’s Jazz Club Owner Sue Lowden

BY STACEY GUALANDI

The neon cowboy Vegas Vic first waved his iconic thumb high above downtown Las Vegas over 70 years ago.

Thanks to the legendary Lowden family, Vic still gives his signature thumbs up to a jazz lounge bearing his name.

Two years ago, Vic’s brought a unique sound to Symphony Park in downtown’s cultural epicenter: a vibey lounge and dining room for live jazz and blues entertainment over tasty Italian dishes.

Sue Lowden couldn’t be more jazzed.

Nearly 50 years after arriving in Las Vegas, falling in love with acclaimed jazz musician Paul Lowden, raising four children and becoming a beloved TV personality (she was one of the first women in Nevada to co-anchor the evening news), Lowden has set the stage for a permanent home on the local jazz scene.

The Lowdens—who have opened more than 25 restaurants—had been looking for a live jazz nightclub for several years when the City of Las Vegas, which was looking for something different, introduced them to the Symphony Park space. “We produce jazz albums,” Paul Lowden IV says. “Our father is a musician, a good one. I thought it might be cool to do something my parents could hold court in.”

Lowden is a fine dining foodie and jazz music junkie, so Vic’s has literally become an extension of her passions.

The Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Humanitarian of the Year couldn’t be more proud that jazz music students at the Las Vegas Academy perform nightly at Vic’s while also performing down the street at the Las Vegas Academy Lowden Theater.

“We want people to feel at home and comfortable at Vic’s while having a great evening out,” she says. “Most of our employees have been here since day one, and everyone at the bar knows everyone else. We’re thrilled with Vic’s food, atmosphere and entertainment. We invite everyone to check it out.”

Lowden greets old friends and new customers on any night at Vic’s. She’s one busy restauranteur, but she did take time out to “take five” with Chic Compass.

Chic Compass: Since last we spoke soon after the launch, would you say Vic’s has exceeded your goals and expectations?

Sue Lowden: Vic’s has gotten into the “groove” of the downtown Symphony Park scene. The restaurant has an ebb and flow of clientele, depending on shows at The Smith Center and World Market Center activities. Jazz has its own audience, and we have found that “book it and they will come” holds true. There’s a hardcore jazz following in Las Vegas, and once word got out that Vic’s was serious about featuring jazz musicians and artists, “jazzbos” took us seriously. Of course, there’s a component of excellent service and ambiance. We’re fortunate to have a superb chef, Miguel Magana, and our manager, Scott Schmalfeldt, who work tirelessly to make everything run smoothly.

Chic Compass: How much is Vic’s a reflection of you as an owner, a Las Vegas personality, a jazz music producer/lover, etc.? What influence have you particularly had on the restaurant’s success so far?

Sue Lowden: Everything about Vic’s is very personal. That includes family and personal photos in the lounge and paintings featured in the main dining room and private dining area. Our sons, Chris and Paul Lowden IV, took months to create what has turned into our jazz club, Vic’s. Paul IV received his first gaming license for the bar top slot machines in the main bar. My husband Paul and I hire and approve all the jazz artists and musicians. We’ve been jazz fans for years and have developed friendships with many of the artists we book. Occasionally, I’m on stage to welcome guests and introduce the talent about to perform. Our new venture is a family affair in all aspects of business. We’re also proud to work with Opportunity Village, a longtime Las Vegas nonprofit that trains mentally challenged young people. We hired graduates of the program to become part of our Vic’s family.

Chic Compass: What expected or unexpected effect has Vic’s had in that downtown space?

Sue Lowden: Vic’s has been a stand-alone retail business for almost two years. Symphony Park is about to explode with additional apartments, two new hotels and condos, more restaurants and new retail space. We welcome our new neighbors with open arms. Symphony Park is a beautiful place to live, work, play and dine.

Chic Compass: There is no quit in you! What else is motivating you right now?

Sue Lowden: I enjoy discovering new talent and featuring jazz artists never seen or heard in Las Vegas. For example, we have Grammy Award-winning jazz artist Nicole Zuraitis performing at Vic’s in October. We had been working on booking her for months, and then, when she won the Grammy, her schedule became crazy busy, so we’re looking forward to featuring her and her band. We also enjoy welcoming our own Grammy Award-winning Las Vegas Academy jazz students to perform here every night. The young musicians are part of a paid internship with Vic’s under the direction of Patrick Bowen, the longtime head of LVA’s World Jazz Studies program.

Chic Compass: Do you have any future plans or announcements you want to share? Has Vegas Vic settled into his new home and is ready to expand?

Sue Lowden: We have endless ideas for Vic’s future. Chris is putting together a CD of live Vic’s performances featuring Benny Benack, Jeff Hamilton, Tamir Hendelman, Ken Peplowski, and so many others. Our sound recording system was part of our original installation plan. We worked with the same sound experts from Dizzy’s Club in New York City, and we’re delighted to have a state-of-the-art audio setup that enables us to record live.

We look forward to partnering with Michael Lazaroff, CEO of Jazz Cruises, LLC, to bring artists from his renowned jazz cruises here to perform. Beginning in December, we’ll initiate “Third Wednesdays at Vic’s,” featuring many jazz cruise artists.

We’re also teaming up with the nonprofit Jazz House Kids to raise funds for young musicians who need instruction and instruments. Christian McBride and his good friends Benny Green and Lewis Nash will host our first benefit for Jazz House Kids in the spring. The Christian McBride event will be a big success with the help of the Las Vegas Jazz Society and our loyal jazz customers. Our family is very excited and optimistic about the future of jazz in Las Vegas and Vic’s jazz club.

Vic’s Las Vegas
355 Promenade Place
Las Vegas, NV 89106
725.755.5299
www.vicslasvegas.com

Lunch: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Dinner: 4 p.m.-10 p.m.
Bar/Lounge: 10 a.m.-1 a.m.
Gaming: 10 a.m.-1 a.m.
Happy Hour: 2 p.m.-5 p.m.
(Inside the bar area)

Chef and Author Pascale Beale: The Flavor of the Month

BY STACEY GUALANDI

For all of you cooks, recipe collectors and wannabe chefs looking to add a little flavor to your meals, look no further than chef, instructor and prolific author Pascale Beale.

Beale hopes to tempt your tastebuds with her just-released 11th cookbook, “Flavour, Savouring the Seasons: Recipes from the Market Table.” It masterfully collects the essence of spring, summer, autumn and winter into 150 mouthwatering and flavorful recipes.

The book is the eagerly awaited finale of sorts to her photo-friendly foodie series, which includes “Salade and Salade II,” “Les Légumes: Vegetable Recipes from the Market Table” and “Les Fruits: Savory and Sweet Recipes from the Market Table.” She also authorizes a multimedia book called “9’ x12’ Culinary Adventures in a Small Kitchen.”

“Everything I teach is about seasonal eating,” Beale says.

Based in Santa Barbara—by way of London and France—Beale’s early love for food was inspired by her French mother and grandmother, who taught her the traditional art of cooking.

She came from a very large family where everyone cooked. Ever since she was a little girl, she “grew up cooking lots of food.” It paid off. Now, the best-selling author is a multi-award-winning food columnist and photographer for Edible Santa Barbara.

Friendships with culinary icons Julia Child and Michel Richard motivated her to create Pascale’s Kitchen, a California-based cooking school, in 1999. Her mission is to “share her knowledge and passion for California-Mediterranean cuisine with all aspiring cooks.”

On a recent visit to Santa Barbara, I enrolled as a student of Beale’s and sampled “Flavour” first-hand.

You’ll not often find this rookie cook shopping at a farmers market. Still, it was exciting to follow along with our own personal chef (other more experienced students also joined) at the legendary Santa Barbara Farmers Market.

To start, we went shopping for menu ingredients for Honeydew, Green Tomato and Mint Salad, Ratatouille Shakshuka and Last-of-Summer Stone Fruit Galette.

Booth by booth, it was the perfect opportunity to help Beale select and find our list of optimum (seasonal) ingredients and interact with the local farmers, some of whom have been there since the 1970s.

“Know your farmer and know where your food comes from,” Beale insists.

In late September, stone fruits were on their way out while figs were moving in. I learned what a pluot (plum/apricot) and patty pan (squash) are, and we found the ideal mint for our salad. I wish you could smell it!

While preparing our feast in Beale’s official 9′ x 12′ kitchen, it didn’t take long to understand that when food is truly at its freshest, you can taste it as you eat it.

When Beale asked us, “What is the taste of summer to you?” We said melon, tomato or corn. But when she asked, “What is the taste of winter?” We named a dish, not the actual flavor. It made me think of what each season truly tastes like.

Once our work in the kitchen was done (we had a phenomenal meal, if I do say so myself), I sat down with Beale to ask what it’s like to be the flavor of the month.

Chic Compass: Had you planned this book all along?
Pascale Beale: I wanted to write a book on cooking with herbs, but one person on my publishing team said, “I don’t think I would buy that book.” After that conversation, I really thought about what would tie the Market Table book series together. All those books are ingredient-driven, and I always talk about seasonal eating. “Flavour” encapsulates all of that. It covers discovering the taste of every season. It was a year-long project.

Chic Compass: You created the recipes as the year went on. What inspires your recipes?

Pascale Beale: I’m inspired by art, markets and travel. One recipe, for example, was inspired by a walk through a flowery meadow in the Alps. I came across some edible flowers, and I suddenly remembered the picture I had taken standing in this meadow, which was unbelievable, with millions of flowers. I thought, “How do I create that on a plate?” You’ll find it in the summer section, called the Summer in the Alps Salad.

Chic Compass: With this book, are you trying to teach people to stop and smell, or in this case, taste the flavors?

Pascale Beale: At the beginning of each of the four sections is a two-page “tasting palette” called Summer in a Jar, Winter in a Jar, etc. Each has six seasonal things you can make and keep in the fridge, like an herb pâté, chutney or jam. These will be kept in the refrigerator for weeks and can be used in many dishes throughout the season.

Chic Compass: We love a good farmers market, but what if you only have a supermarket?

Pascale Beale: I look at what’s in the season that’s close to me. If it’s December and I see apricots in the supermarkets, I know they come from another part of the world because they don’t grow in this hemisphere in December. Inevitably, they’ve been flown halfway around the world. Just think about it. What’s that going to taste like?

Chic Compass: The less the food travels, the better…

Pascale Beale: Yes, because the fresher it will be.

Chic Compass: It’s also an excellent way to support farmers like those we met at the Santa Barbara Farmers Market.

Pascale Beale: Small-scale local farming is challenging, so supporting local farming communities rather than monocultures is enormously important. If you can access a farmers market and support local farms, that’s the way to go.

Chic Compass: Do people pay less attention now to buying what’s in season?

Pascale Beale: In many cases, we’re removed from the seasonality of produce because of globalized supermarkets where you can buy anything anytime. You can always buy tomatoes, but where are they coming from, and what do they taste like? If you’ve ever had a mealy tomato in the middle of winter, you know there’s no taste.

Chic Compass: Do you have a favorite flavor or season? Did you find yourself enjoying one season more than all the others?

Pascale Beale: That’s hard. There are things that I like in each season, but I always enjoy spring. Spring, for me, is a time of renewal. If you live in a cooler, colder climate, there are a lot of soups, squash, carrots, leeks and onions, which are things that are warming. When you get to the spring markets, there’s suddenly baby asparagus and all the spring peas that arrive; everything is bright green and bursting with flavor, followed by fresh strawberries. You get the sense of the new season, like the year starting fresh.

Chic Compass: Ultimately, you want readers to start cookin’! But what’s most important to you in writing “Flavour?”

Pascale Beale: If people can tune in to what is in season, you’ll get a sense of the rhythm of nature. It’s good for you. We all used to do this naturally because that was the only food that was available to us. Only in the last four decades have we suddenly had year-round access to all foods in most urban supermarkets.

Not that long ago, during the summer months and in the autumn, you could can and preserve food to have those things for the winter. Most people don’t do that now.

Chic Compass: I certainly don’t.

Pascale Beale: Ha! I make jams. I can tell you that in the depths of winter, if it’s a cold, rainy day and you open up that jar of golden apricot jam, it’s fabulous, and you get this ray of sunshine in a jar! This is a way of extending the flavors of the season.

Chic Compass: Are you already thinking about another book, or are you done?

Pascale Beale: I have another three books in my head right now. And I still hope to write a book about cooking with herbs!

Chic Compass: Thank you so much, Pascale. I’ll have you teach me how to cook anytime.

Here are two recipes to taste and enjoy!

Autumnal Vegetable Roast with Tahini Yogurt Sauce

Serves 8 people

One-pan dishes, such as this, are great for busy weeknights when you want to avoid having masses of washing up after cooking dinner. They’re easy to prepare. Chop up a mound of vegetables, drizzle them with olive oil (and your favorite herbs) and pop the entire thing in the oven. I make these vegetable roasts throughout the year with the seasonal vegetables I have on hand. This version celebrates autumn with glorious, sweet, earthy cruciferous vegetables and jewel-toned squashes.

For the vegetables:

• 2 lbs cauliflower — florets separated
• 1 Romanesco broccoli — florets separated
• 1 large sweet potato — peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes
• 8 oz Brussels sprouts — halved lengthwise
• 11⁄2 lbs carrots — peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch slices on a bias
• 4 leeks — root ends trimmed, cleaned and chopped into 1-inch pieces 1 honeynut squash — peeled, halved, seeds removed and sliced
• 1 red onion — peeled and cut into eighths
• Olive oil
• 1 tablespoon za’atar
• Coarse sea salt
• Black pepper
• 2 handfuls of small purple kale leaves
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

For the yogurt sauce:

• 2/3 cup Greek yogurt
• 3 tablespoons tahini
• 1 finely chopped green onion 11⁄2 tablespoons olive oil
• 11⁄2 tablespoons lemon juice Pinch of salt
• 4 grinds of black pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place all the vegetables in a large roasting pan or sheet pan, except the purple kale and chives. Drizzle with olive oil. Scatter the za’atar over the top and season with 3 pinches of salt and 8–10 grinds of black pepper. Toss to combine. Roast for 40 minutes, turning the vegetables over once or twice to ensure they are nicely browned.
3. Remove the pan from the oven, add the purple kale, toss to combine, and return the pan to the oven to cook for 5 more minutes. Once cooked, scatter the chives over the dish.
4. While the vegetables are roasting, prepare the yogurt sauce. Place all the sauce ingredients into a small mixing bowl and stir to combine. If the mixture is too thick (it should have a pourable consistency), add 1 tablespoon of hot water at a time to thin it. Keep at room temperature while the vegetables finish cooking. Drizzle the sauce over the vegetables when ready to serve.

Grape Harvesters Salad with Parsley Pesto

Serves 4–6 people

This salad is adapted from a recipe in my autumn cookbook and came about because of the stunning grapes I picked from Cosecha Farming, whose stand is always one of the most visually tempting at our local farmers market. Deanna, the owner, produces exquisite food. The grape and pear recipes in this book feature her succulent fruit. Getting to know the farmers at the market has been a privilege, and I’m filled with admiration for their incredible hard work and tenacity. If you have ever spent a day picking fruit, you know how backbreaking it can be.

For the pesto vinaigrette:

• 11⁄2 tablespoons parsley, chive and raw peanut pesto (see page 141) or the pesto of your choice 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar
• 1⁄4 teaspoon coarse sea salt

For the salad:

• 11⁄2 lbs mixed baby gem greens, Castelfranco or Bel Fiore chicory 5 slices prosciutto or thin smoked country ham cut into thin strips 1 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
• 4 oz plain goat cheese — sliced
• 4 oz grapes — de-stemmed and halved if the grapes are large

Instructions:

1. Place all the vinaigrette ingredients in a small blender or food processor and run until you have an emulsion. Pour the vinaigrette into a large salad bowl and place salad servers over the vinaigrette.
2. Place all the remaining ingredients in the bowl on top of the salad servers. When ready to serve, toss well to combine.

Pascale’s books and recipes are available at her epicurean website at www.pascaleskitchen.com.

Photo of Jason Gould by Jaime Lim, styled by Ringgo Marquez.

Melody Maker Jason Gould Faces the Spotlight

By Stacey Gualandi

“I love the creative process because it’s like painting with sound. That’s what making music is to me: painting with sound.”

By the sound of his music, singer-songwriter Jason Gould may be working on a masterpiece.

But for a professional music artist, this Los Angeles native’s career got a late start. Gould says he’s making peace with that by making up for lost time. “I crossed the 50 threshold when you don’t care what other people think anymore,” Gould admits.

In 2017, he broke ground on his first record, “Dangerous Man,” alongside legendary producer Quincy Jones.

Since then, Gould has released several EPs, many of which are standard covers. But in March of this year, he released the ethereal and absorbing “Sacred Days,” a collection of original club-worthy songs he co-wrote and produced—and his most personal record yet.

“I think there’s more of me in the last collection of songs than anything I’ve put out before,” Gould admits. “I try to write songs that mean something to me, the things I care about: I care about integrity. I care about the planet. I care about democracy. I care about animals. I love peace and ice cream. I haven’t written the ice cream song just yet. ha!”

Gould says he loved to listen to music as a young boy. “I remember my first favorite record was ‘I Say a Little Prayer’ by Dionne Warwick. I had the 45 and the plastic record player you would lift. ‘Up, Up and Away’ was my other favorite song,” Gould says.

His music appreciation comes naturally. After all, his parents were “it” 60’s couple Barbra Streisand and actor Elliott Gould. “My mother was pregnant with me while she was doing ‘Funny Girl’ on the London stage, so I was exposed as a fetus, you know what I mean?” Gould jokes. “It’s part of my DNA.”

As a child, Gould was once seen singing into a hairbrush with his mother, but he suppressed the urge to take it any further. “I had musical instincts that I wanted to explore and express, but I was afraid to,” Gould says. “I was insecure and had no self-confidence.” Gould admits if there had been an “American Idol” in his teens, “I wouldn’t have auditioned for that because I’m too shy. I don’t like the camera in my face.”

Yet, as the son of two Hollywood icons, cameras were constantly in his face. Looking back, he says his childhood was unconventional. “I wanted to be a part of the Brady Bunch because a sense of a close family was something I didn’t have,” Gould says. “My folks separated before I even remember them together. My mother was consumed with a major career, and my dad was off doing his own thing and starting another family, so that’s challenging for any child.”

A young Gould appeared in two Streisand films, “Up the Sandbox” and “The Prince of Tides,” and teen flicks like “Say Anything,” but ultimately, he walked away from an early acting career. “I was outed more than 30 years ago in the tabloids, which definitely would’ve changed the trajectory of my acting career, but I didn’t care that much,” Gould admits.

“I had a lot to work out being born into celebrity and fame. It’s a very intense, complex experience because no one gives you a handbook or explains what’s real and what’s not. How to make your way was something I had to figure out. It took a long time to make sense of it and to find out how I fit into this world.”

I caught up with Gould at his personally-designed Americana-themed farmhouse, that sits high atop a mountain overlooking Santa Barbara County. Now, Gould is mostly at peace with the trauma from his past. He seemed so at peace; he didn’t even flinch when a tarantula showed up during his photo shoot!

Gould says that his need to express himself through music became greater than his fear, allowing him to seek out his own identity. “That was also part of the work I had to do on myself was to be able to walk through that fear,” Gould says. “If you don’t explore those parts of yourself, they can turn against you.”

Once he found his voice, Gould found himself in uncharted territory. “In my incremental small way, I was starting to write music. I tried recording a song I didn’t write; I shared it with my mother, which was scary,” Gould says. “She said, ‘I want to sing this with you, and will you come on tour with me?'”

In 2012, Gould took center stage with Streisand to perform the Irving Berlin classic, “How Deep is the Ocean?” “It’s an intimate thing to sing a song with anybody in front of 18,000 people,” Gould teases.

But it was a tremendous shadow for him to walk through. “I never expected to go on tour with my mother or make an album with Quincy Jones,” Gould says. “These weren’t things that I foresaw at all. It wasn’t my plan, but I said yes because when you say yes to life, you grow; if you say no, you probably don’t. I wanted to grow and find out if I could do it.”

In the years since his mother-son debut, Gould has grown more confident and more at ease with the creative process. “When I write, the melody comes first, and sometimes it comes with some words, and I just allow it. I don’t judge it. I don’t analyze it. I try to get it down and then see what the song wants to be.”

For “Sacred Days,” he wrote and produced with stellar talent, including songwriters Liz Vidal and Dorian Cheah, and Allan Rich, who wrote “Run to You” from “The Bodyguard.”

I asked if it is easier for him to work and write with people. “It depends on the people,” Gould jokes.

But seriously, he’s pleased the feedback on his record has been extremely positive. “I’ve always loved dance music, but I didn’t set out to make a dance record,” Gould says. “I just happened to make danceable music with this collection.”

But it’s a bittersweet moment for Gould. He had to say goodbye to his beloved pup Eli just days before our interview. “My dog Eli was my best friend for the last 12 and a half years, and in a sense, I was never lonely, even though I may not have been in a relationship,” Gould says. “But even though it was incredibly sad, it was also very beautiful because he was so loved and knew it.”

Gould is back in the studio recording classic love songs for the other half of his latest record. He says his pet’s passing is helping to inform the meaning and feeling behind those songs.

“Eli’s going to be a part of my music for sure,” Gould says. “I recognized that Eli opened my heart in a way and showed me that I have the capacity to love deeply, to feel deeply. With love comes loss, and that’s part of this human experience. That’s a big part of the music I make.”

Gould says to expect new music from him in early 2025.

In the meantime, this self-described survivor is “grateful to be intact” and continues to follow his own path. “I don’t know anybody who isn’t a survivor because we all have trauma.”
Gould said Streisand is proud of her son and the music he’s making (just check out her Instagram).

“My relationship with both my parents is very honest. We all do our best because nobody’s perfect,” Gould admits.

For now, this once-insecure kid-turned-confident performer says he’ll keep evolving, creating and painting his music canvas. And that sounds just right.

“I’m not somebody who has regrets. I don’t live in the past at all. I try to live in the present as much as possible, and I don’t live in the future too much,” Gould says. “I just want to be at peace and comfortable in my own skin and integrity. So, that’s how I live my life. I do what feels right for me, and it isn’t always what other people think I should do, but that’s okay.”

Save the Chimps

(Spoilers ahead!)

By Stacey Gualandi

Anyone else going apesh*t over the HBO MAX documentary series “Chimp Crazy”?

For the past three weeks, I have been engrossed with the story of a chimpanzee named Tonka, who went from a movie career to a Missouri breeding facility to a missing chimp report.

The four-part series (brought to life by Eric Goode, the same man behind Tiger King) digs deep into the (under) world of chimp trade, exploitation and rescue, focusing primarily on Tonka’s heartbreaking yet uplifting journey to freedom.

We’ve learned that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), with support from actor Alan Cumming—who co-starred with Tonka in 1997’s Buddy—led a nationwide search for the 38-year-old chimp whose owner Tonia Haddix, the self-described “Dolly Parton of chimps,” was hiding him in a basement cage against a court order. But that’s just one part of this crazy story!

“I was already working with PETA on this campaign to rescue Tonka,” Cumming told the New York Times. “I thought Tiger King had done a lot of good in terms of educating people about the whole animal trade, so I thought, ‘Oh, this will maybe help. Someone who’s doing something about the chimp trade and the abuses  happening at private zoos, I would like to help highlight that.’”

According to HBO, the series “reveals the bonds between owners and their highly intelligent great ape pets; the risks humans take when they raise these animals as members of their family, and the risks to the welfare of the animals themselves.”

Save the Chimps—the Florida sanctuary where Tonka happily now calls home—hopes “Chimp Crazy” will also raise awareness of the need for stronger laws to protect them, like the Captive Primate Safety Act.

“Most of our chimps came from a laboratory in New Mexico that closed over 20 years ago,” says Dan Mathews, director of events and special Projects at Save the Chimps. This 150-acre refuge has played a critical role in liberating Tonka and over 330 needy primates.

Save the Chimps says Sept. 16 marks the 22-year “bananaversary” of those original 266 rescued chimpanzees, the largest chimp rescue in history.

Based in Fort Pierce, Mathews calls this safe haven “Florida’s wildest retirement community,” with approximately 220 chimps living on a dozen four-acre islands. He emphasizes that the chimps get life-long care because many live well into their 50s and 60s!

“Sanctuary life is about rediscovering joy, freedom and the bonds that make a family,” says Mathews. “Most of the rescued chimps were kept in isolated cages without being able to interact with their own kind. When they arrive, they are in different groups and have a several-month process, sometimes up to a year, in which they socialize. We figure out which island the newcomers have the best chance to acclimate to based on the personalities of the alpha male on that island and the personalities of the chimps.”

I met Mathews last year at the Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas where he joined the legendary members of The B-52s, Kate Pierson, Fred Schneider and Cindy Wilson (friends of his since the 80s) to promote the band’s unique collaboration with “chimp artists” from Save the Chimps: a collection of acrylic-on-canvas paintings called the Wild Planet Collection.

Each piece in the collection is named after a B-52s song or lyric, reflects the colors of their album covers, and is signed by the band members. Proceeds benefit Save the Chimps and help spread the sanctuary’s mission nationwide.

“There’s a limited pool of supporters that they all go to for funds all the time,” says Mathews. “I thought people who buy paintings at these big art fairs, they think nothing of spending 2, 3, 4, $5,000 on a painting that they like…so I felt like it was a way to bring some new supporters into the movement.”

Mathews says one couple in Florida went bananas and bought five paintings and then remodeled a room around the artwork!

I wanted in on this monkey business too, so I am the proud owner of a painting called “Deep Sleep” (colors inspired by the B-52s “Whammy!” cover) painted by Pierson and a 16-year-old chimp named Lisa Marie.

“People hear how much we have in common with chimps, and when you actually see their artwork and can see that our closest living relatives in the animal world also share our creative impulses, it deepens your well of respect for these incredibly intelligent beings,” says Mathews to the Sante Fe Reporter.

Save the Chimps just introduced its latest “Primate Picassos” collection thanks to a collaboration with actors (and spouses) Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara. Both painted the base coats and then chose color combos for the chimps.  These works debuted last month at a Santa Fe art gallery to great acclaim, says Mathews, and will have another rollout before the release of Phoenix’s “Joker: Folie à Deux” in October.

Not only did I buy a painting by Lisa Marie, but I also became one of numerous donors to “adopt” her! This connection is what drew me to the streaming series.

Lisa Marie was born at the Missouri facility featured in “Chimp Crazy” and sold to an Elvis impersonator in Chicago. She was rented out for parties and private events and, when not performing, lived alone in a cage in the family’s basement.

“When she reached seven and was too strong to manage, [Elvis] gave her to the sanctuary because he had no idea when he bought her from an exotic animal dealer that they are unmanageable when they reach sexual maturity,” says Mathews. “They are dangerous.”

Lisa Marie arrived at Save the Chimps in 2015 and is now known for her energetic and feisty personality and for carrying around a toy cellphone, a la Paris Hilton. I also learned from watching the docu-series that Lisa Marie is Tonka’s daughter!

Save the Chimps says since arriving in 2022, Tonka has embraced his new life with “remarkable enthusiasm and resilience” after a necessary quarantine period for health check-ups. Now, he lives with 17 other chimps on a spacious island home, where he has made the most of his freedom, “delighting in the Florida sunshine and the companionship of his fellow chimps.”

That’s the good news. Sadly, over 1,200 chimpanzees live in captive settings in the United States—nearly 300 of whom reside in unaccredited facilities, medical laboratories or privately “owned.”

But thanks to “Chimp Crazy’s” riveting storytelling, PETA and sanctuaries like Save the Chimps, the painstaking work to ensure that every chimpanzee has the opportunity to live a life of freedom, dignity and joy continues.

###

“Chimp Crazy” concludes Sunday on MAX.

To learn more about Tonka, the sanctuary and how to adopt and make a difference, go to www.savethechimps.org.

DiscoShow early release preview courtesy of Spiegelworld.

SPIEGELWORLD’S DISCOSHOW

A New Boogie Wonderland Opens on the Strip

By Stacey Gualandi

“I’ve always said I want Spiegelworld to be about no rules, so as long as you don’t get injured and you don’t ruin anybody else’s experience, then we don’t need the rules.”

That is the gospel according to Ross Mollison, Spiegelworld’s chief impresario extraordinaire, or as he calls himself, “a naughty boy from Melbourne, Australia, just having fun in Vegas.”

Mollison is the mastermind behind the legendary, long-running Las Vegas productions Absinthe at Caesars Palace, Atomic Saloon Show at The Venetian and Superfrico at The Cosmopolitan. They are all a one-of-a-kind, in-your-face, over-the-top Big Top. Oh, and a little dirty.

“Fortunately for us, Vegas keeps recreating itself, and if I want to stay relevant there, it’s incumbent upon me to do that as well,” Mollison says.

Well, there ain’t no stopping him now. Mollison wants to turn the beat around with his latest—”DiscoShow”—a circus-turned-Studio 54 dinner and show space now in previews at the Linq (3535 S. Las Vegas Blvd.) He says it’s a chance to experience the 1970s dance craze culture again.

“It’s something that I can’t wait to experience with a community of like-minded people who are going to enjoy reliving that period and that music,” Mollison says. “But it’s all done through a contemporary prism that is globally unique. Nobody has ever built a show like this.”

This is surprising, but Mollison admits it took many years of hustle to officially bring “DiscoShow” to the dance floor. Ultimately, it will be a celebration of disco’s origin story.

“Obviously, you can see the theatricality of Bianca Jagger riding naked on a white horse, of course,” Mollison jokes. “But around 2014, I started researching disco and reading all the books I could find on it and discovered [famous DJ] David Mancuso and the Loft in New York, and the whole reason that disco was created. I fell in love with that story.”

When “DiscoShow” was first announced in 2023, everyone was Le Freaking out. But Mollison has no shame about keeping details close to his sequin vest.
“I really want people to come without too much expectation other than to say, you’re going to get on a subway, and there happens to be a bar in the subway,” Mollison reveals. “Now, strictly speaking, that’s not historically correct. There were no bars in the 1970s subways of New York City, but nobody wants to move more than 10 feet without a bar.”

From there, young hearts will run free to Glitter Loft, another layer before reaching the actual disco show.

“It’s another bar, but it is loosely based on what a loft may have looked like in Soho in the 1970s,” Mollison adds. “Then out of that comes a space where you can go and have dinner and more cocktails.”

That space is cleverly named Diner Ross after the boss, Miss Ross, herself. Mollison says it will offer Tomahawk steaks to share and a burger (like the “best burgers on the Strip” at No Pants at Absinthe).

“There are elements of food that I love, but there’s gotta be a casualness to it,” Mollison adds. “All these buzzwords like elevated, immersive, and all that stuff are none of that. It’s just gonna be great and fun.”

Spiegelworld is like a three-ring circus right now. After “DiscoShow” officially launches, Mollison plans a new show and restaurant concept in New Orleans incorporating elements from Vegas hits. This follows the recent debut of “The Hook,” its dinner-and-a-show concept in Atlantic City.

“[In June], I think we had our biggest week ever. I think the whole of New Jersey and Philly are discovering the renewed Atlantic City and just how gorgeous that coastline is,” Mollison says.

But Las Vegas certainly has Mollison to thank for spreading Spiegelworld’s successful seed along the Strip.

“I think it’s exactly the opposite. I am grateful for Vegas,” Mollison admits. “I started in 2000 trying to get “Puppetry of the Penis” [in Vegas]. I finally found a casino that said yes, and then the Gaming Control Board said, ‘If you do that, we’ll take your license away.’ I had been trying to get my shows into Vegas for years, and I finally got in with Fontainebleau in 2008, but then they went bankrupt. So, that was a tragic part of the story. Fortunately, Caesars Palace gave us a chance in 2011.”

With the grand opening set for Sept. 7, “DiscoShow” has got to be real. And speaking of Miss Ross, can we expect disco divas from decades ago to appear?

“Nicky Siano learned the art of DJing and disco standing next to David Mancuso,” Mollison says. “He will be there on opening night. That, to me, is a disco legend.”

It takes one to know one!

In the meantime, Mollison says you should be dancing. But will he?

“I don’t think anybody’s gonna be interested in seeing that. It’s terrible,” Mollison jokes. “We have professionals for that.”

Photo of Dr. Jen Welter by Roscoe Myrick

Pass, Punt and Chicks

Out of the Stands and Onto the Field, Dr. Jen Welter Ignites a Passion for Women’s Football

By Stacey Gualandi & JJ Snyder

When Dr. Jen Welter is on the football field, do not cross her line of scrimmage. “Sometimes I forget I am retired because I still tackle people on demand!”

It might sound unusual for a doctor—let alone a 5-foot-2-inch woman—to go from sideline to offensive line, but Dr. Welter follows her playbook.

In 2015, Welter became the first female in the NFL when she joined the Arizona Cardinals as a linebackers coach. She was also the first woman to play running back in the Champions Indoor Football League with the Texas Revolution. In 2018, she was inducted into the first class of the Women’s Football Hall of Fame.

This motivational speaker and author continues to move the chains for all women by teaching confidence through football. She believes there is no game you cannot play and no field you do not belong on.

“I think of football as full contact chess,” Dr. Welter says. “Every time you step on the field, you’ve got to own the space, not just in football. That’s in life.”

Almost a decade ago, Welter—who has a doctorate in psychology and master’s in sports psychology—created “A Day in the Life,” the ultimate insider experience for women by women.

This annual event also benefits Welter’s other cause, the Grrridiron Girls Flag Football Camp for young girls. Welter draws from her decades of playing, winning and coaching to make football accessible and inspiring for women so they can “break through barriers and realize their potential.”

“In football and life, it’s a game of leverage,” Welter says. “If you lose contact with where you came from and what you started with, it’s easy to get knocked off balance.”

Welter just announced that her next “A Day in the Life” event will occur on Feb. 7 during Super Bowl LIX weekend in New Orleans at the NOLA Sports Center. This follows her successful camping trip earlier this year to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl LXIII edition.

Amy Buchan Siegfried, co-founder and podcast host of “Last Night’s Game,” is part of the event’s traveling team. “Women make up 48 percent of the NFL’s fan base, so why are we not showing them what’s happening on the field?” Siegfried asks. “What an empowering moment to play, execute and learn the game. Dr. Welter speaks the language. She understands who and where they are and is here to empower everyone.”

While my friend/fellow adventurist JJ Snyder and I are Las Vegas Raiders fans and always up for an empowering workout, we’ve never played football before. So, we called an audible and officially got drafted.

This was unlike any huddle we’ve ever seen!

Dr. Welter kicked off the day with a playbook session and warm-up, after a rousing on-field arrival to cheers and DJ tunes—and a pep talk to rival all pep talks. Calling plays alongside her were over a dozen celebrity coaches, including former running backs Ricky Watters and Ahman Green, linebacker Chris Draft, cornerback Paulson Adebo and punter Marquette King.

“This is a collection of some of the best at what they do,” Welter adds. “They are here because they all believe in me, and they’re going to put that into you.”

After swapping heels for cleats, we spent the afternoon in groups learning how to kick, shuffle, catch, hike, snap and spiral properly. Oh, and yes, tackle. “Muscle in the front, hustle on the outside, crazy in the middle,” Welter says repeatedly during the drills.

The point after, we realized, is the power of teamwork and ultimately finding where your talent is best suited. “Everyone is even on the field, and we have a diverse balance,” Siegfried says. “It’s just an opportunity to connect and be a team. We may hear only about Patrick Mahomes or Brock Purdy, but a whole contingent ensures they can be Mahomes and Purdy. Jen does a great job of teaching that we are all working on this together.”

Siegfried says a woman once admitted she walked on the field “just a mom” but walked off “a cool mom who knows football!” That tracks for many participants at “A Day in the Life” in Las Vegas.

Celebrity coach and pro football player Lois Cook (@cleatsandstilettos) says this representation also matters to young girls.

“I accepted ‘No,’ and that I couldn’t play the sport,” Cook says. “But ‘if she can see it, she can be it,’ so if I had seen Jen, I would have known that the possibilities are endless, that I could reach for the stars…there are challenges and obstacles, but I can always overcome and get through it.”

Snyder has spent her entire life observing football but knew little about the sport. Getting to experience it on the field firsthand shed light on the power of women being handed the ball.

“Dr. Welter busted in like a boss overflowing with motivation, giving me little choice other than to share her passion for the sport,” Snyder says. “We were challenged to find a skill we could excel at, like throwing, running or tackling. It was mind-blowing to experience being part of the game rather than cheering from the stands.”

If you’re like me and enjoy reaching goals, working out and hitting the gridiron, “A Day in the Life” is fantasy football. It also reveals just how much football mirrors reality.

Welter says life is full of fumbles, interceptions and lateral moves, but to get great, you’ve “gotta get real ugly” before you score a touchdown.
“Then you start to be addicted to greatness, and you know what you’re worth,” Welter says. “Once you find that in yourself, you hunger for it. Don’t settle for anything less because you deserve magic.”

Put me in, coach!