Category: Features

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Pineapple Buns

(Courtesy of Kristina Cho/Mooncakes and Milk Bread)

Every Chinese bakery must have a pineapple bun in their case. Despite the name, the bun has no pineapple—it’s a soft milk-bread bun with a sweet, buttery, crackly cookie-like top that, after it’s baked, resembles pineapple skin. The simple, iconic treat has a loyal following, even beyond Asian cultures: everyone loves a good pineapple bun. When I was younger, I’d slyly pick off the cookie topping and leave the plain bun behind for my brother. (When you’re the older sister, you can get away with things like that.)

Few things transcend enjoying a fresh pineapple bun still warm from the oven. You can eat it plain, or if you want to be like a true Hong Konger, slice the bun in half and stick a thick slice of cold butter inside.

Makes 12

For the Buns

Mother of All Milk Bread Dough (see below), made through step 4

All-Purpose flour, for dusting the work surface

For the Topping

250g (2 cups) all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon coarse salt

113g (½ cup; 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

100 g (½ cup) sugar

1 large egg

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 drops yellow food coloring

For the Egg Wash

1 large egg, white and yolk separated into two small bowls

While the dough is proofing, line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

Make the buns: After the first proof, punch down to deflate the dough and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Pinch and pull the ends of the dough to form a smooth ball. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions with a bench scraper (for accuracy, weigh with a digital scale if you have one). Form each portion of dough into a smooth ball by pulling the ends of the dough underneath and then rolling between the palms of your hand, and arrange on the prepared sheets, spacing at least 3 inches apart. Cover with a damp, clean kitchen towel and set aside in a warm spot until the buns are doubled in size, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Meanwhile, make the topping: In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, combine the softened butter and sugar with a flexible spatula until smooth. Add the egg, vanilla, and food coloring, mixing until smooth. Fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture to form a sandy dough, then knead by hand until smooth. Pat into a disc and divide the dough into 12 equal portions with a bench scraper (for accuracy, weigh with a digital scale if you have one). Roll one piece into a smooth ball, then flatten into a 4-inch round with a dowel rolling pin. Score a crosshatch pattern into the dough with the edge of a bench scraper or knife, being careful not to cut all the way through. Use the edge of the bench scraper to lift the topping off the work surface. Repeat with remaining topping dough, setting each round aside until ready to top the buns. (Alternatively, you can skip making the crosshatch pattern. The topping will still crack beautifully as it bakes, just not as neatly.)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush the tops of the buns lightly with the egg white to help the topping adhere. Place one topping dough round on each bun, gently pressing to cover the entire outer edge (you want the dough to fully encase the top of the bun, if possible). Whisk the egg yolk in a small bowl and lightly brush over the topping of each bun.

Bake the buns until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer the sheets to a wire rack. Let the buns cool for 5 minutes on sheets, then transfer to the rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Buns can be kept in an airtight container (a resealable bag works great) at room temperature for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat room temperature buns in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds or on a baking sheet in a 300°F oven for about 5 minutes, until soft and warmed through. Reheat frozen buns on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

Milk Bread

For the Tangzhong:

100g (¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons) milk

20g (2 tablespoons) bread flour

For the Milk Bread:

125g (½ cup plus 1 tablespoon) warm (110°F) milk

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

50g (¼ cup) granulated sugar, plus a pinch

335g (2 ⅔ cups) bread flour, plus more for work surface

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt 1 large egg

55g (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened

1 teaspoon canola or other neutral-flavored oil, for bowl

Make the tangzhong: In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the flour and milk and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened to a paste, 2 to 3 minutes. Immediately transfer the paste into a small bowl, scraping the sides of the saucepan with a flexible spatula; let cool until warm, 5 to 10 minutes. Texture should resemble mashed potatoes.

Make the milk bread: In a clean or new small saucepan, scald the milk over medium heat, bringing the milk to a gentle simmer (watch carefully as milk tends to boil over). Pour milk into a small bowl and cool until warm to the touch (about 110°F). Stir in yeast and a pinch of sugar, and set aside until the surface of the mixture is foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the sugar, flour, salt, and egg. Add the tangzhong and milk and mix on low until shaggy. Add the softened butter one piece at a time, mixing until fully incorporated before adding the next. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to knead the dough until it is tacky and slightly sticky, 8 to 9 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Wet your hands to prevent the dough from sticking, pinch and pull the ends of the dough to form a smooth ball.

Coat a large mixing bowl with 1 teaspoon of oil. Add the dough to the bowl, gently turning it to cover with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm spot to proof until doubled in size, about 2 hours (or place in the refrigerator to proof for at least 8 hours or overnight).

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Gifts for the Giving Season

(Junhao Su for American Essence)

The holidays at this time of year are as diverse as America itself, but nearly all have one thing in common: gifting. It is, after all, called the season of giving—no matter which holiday is observed. But if you’re hearing crickets when you try to put together this year’s list, keep reading for ideas that will slay those crickets and have you on your merry way in no time.

(Junhao Su for American Essence)

Want to give a present that can be life-changing in a very real way? Look no further than America’s beloved icon and maker of magic, Disney. But this gift doesn’t require a trip to California, Florida, or even a mall. It’s a school, and it’s online—and it teaches coding. It’s Disney’s Codeillusion, available to anyone age 8 and older. Codeillusion aims to alleviate the type of tedious learning so often associated with coding, promising students they will “play online coding games while learning more than just the basics.”

Besides playful learning sessions, Codeillusion also features top-notch instructors with real-life experience working for recognizable names in the industry, such as Sega, Marvel Comics, and Disney itself. Sound good? Codeillusion offers a free trial, so you can test it out before committing to a three-week course.

When it comes to holiday celebrations in this land of plenty, there’s bound to be plenty of good eats. We are a nation of foodies—which is why food can also be a much revered gift. If you’re looking for tried-and-true yummies, check out Harry & David, a company renowned for its fruits and jams for nearly a century. Its roots go all the way back to 1910, when Samuel Rosenberg traded his Seattle hotel for 240 acres of Oregon farmland. After his ambitious sons Harry and David began peddling what were literally the fruits of their labor, business boomed and eventually expanded until the namesake company was selling its goods nationwide via colorful catalogs and stand-alone shops. Though sold throughout the year, at holiday time, Harry & David’s fruity jams and jellies become a familiar sight across the nation, either as gifts under the tree or on family buffet tables.

(Junhao Su for American Essence)

Like a lot of companies, Harry & David went through some challenging times in recent years, resulting in the closure of all of its stores except the flagship location in Oregon. Also like so many other American retailers, the company has tenaciously survived by reinventing itself online at HarryAndDavid.com. Here, you’ll find luscious, signature jams, preserves, and other fruit spreads such as tart cherry butter and blood orange marmalade. These can be purchased solo, in groupings, or as part of a lavish collection teeming with a bevy of baked goods, snacks, or chocolates. Each collection is then tucked into an attractive, reusable wooden crate, tin, or basket to be whisked away for a speedy delivery.

(Junhao Su for American Essence)

When it comes to food, though, it’s clear that some like it hot. Not only has hot sauce consumption in the United States been trending upward for the past 20 years or so, but experts predict it will only keep rising in the years to come. For those on your list who crave the hot stuff, it can be made personal with a customizable bottle of habanero sauce at BarProducts.com, where the bottle can feature the recipient’s name or any other message. And at just under 11 bucks, it won’t break the bank.

Speaking of hot sauce, you can opt for a variety of pourable peppers at FuegoBox.com, with deliveries of craft or small-batch hot sauces every month, bearing the absolute warmest of wishes.

Surprisingly, hot sauce makes a great gift for those oh-so-hard-to-buy-for grandparents or any other seniors on your list. Believe it or not, the baby boomer generation is buoying this hot trend that’s giving more traditional, all-American condiments, like mayonnaise and ketchup, a run for their money. It’s believed that as Americans age, their sense of taste diminishes. So, they’re turning to hot sauce to give their food a much-needed flavor kick. All it takes is one or two drops, and voila! Mission accomplished.

(Junhao Su for American Essence)

Got a dog lover on your list? With nearly 77 million domesticated dogs in the United States, it’s clear America has gone to the dogs. Chances are good you have some dog parents on your list who would delight in twinning with their beloved pooch in matching ugly Christmas sweaters. Found on Etsy.com in a variety of patterns and colors, most sets are priced around $30—a small price to pay for what are sure to be some super cute selfies.

Etsy.com is the place to go for those extra special gifts, too, like a hand-painted portrait depicting a beloved home, boat, person, or pet. Etsy.com artists will take a photo and bring it to life with paints, watercolors, or pencils, and if desired, they can add in extra family members or other details. Popular style options include cartoon, faceless, and romance-novel-inspired. Prices vary among artists and according to finished picture size.

Last but not least, you can help keep America bee-u-tiful with honey bee adoption via the World Wildlife Fund. In case you haven’t heard, the survival of bees has become threatened, and these donated fees will help finance the World Wildlife Fund’s ongoing conservation efforts. Keeping in mind that bees are the grand masters of pollination (as well as sweet honey), ensuring their survival seems worthwhile, doesn’t it?

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A Christmas Story

(Courtesy of Chriss Swaney)

On Christmas Eve more than a century ago in New York, Clement Clarke Moore’s sleigh slid over the snow in the light of a full moon. He had one hour to keep his promise to write a holiday poem for his children. Moore glanced at his driver—a Dutch handyman named Peter. The man’s nose was red, and his belly shook as he sneezed in the cold night air. Moore was inspired.

By the time they reached home, he was reciting: “His eyes how they twinkled! His dimples, how merry! His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry.’’ The resulting 14-stanza poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” is better known for its first line, “‘Twas the night before Christmas.” The poem remains the bedrock of the Swaney family Christmas. After we decorate the 14-foot blue spruce Christmas tree with some 300 antique decorations, family members in frayed frock coats stand in front of the living room fireplace and deliver, from memory, Moore’s holiday classic. This tradition began when my grandmother became too feeble to read the poem, and my father then stepped in to lend a hand at reading the poem, which he knew by heart after all the years of hearing it from his mother. The poem also was an inspiration for my father to hand-carve a set of three hobbyhorses one Christmas for the family. The hobbyhorses now sit in several downstairs rooms over the holiday season, each with a pudgy Santa Claus toy as the jockey.

The tradition of making handmade gifts stuck; every Christmas since 1953, my family has been blessed with handmade gifts ranging from music boxes and delicate wooden bracelets to hand-knit argyle socks and a giant nutcracker that still stands guard over Christmas presents underneath the tree every holiday. After we decorate the tree, we take a break for some eggnog laced with apricot brandy. And then we sing Christmas carols, accompanied by three turn-of-the-century Regina music boxes. Christmas Eve may be winding down, but our last two tasks before heading to bed are hanging our stockings by the fireplace and making sure all of Mom’s antique dolls are wearing their holiday garb. One doll, in particular, is placed on a chair with a sheaf of wheat, facing the Christmas tree, in memory of my late mother. She was an avid doll and antique collector. In fact, Clement Clark Moore would be right at home at my house in Pittsburgh because we still have functional, old-fashioned dial telephones and no television.

Christmas Day arrives with more novel traditions. We pop out of bed and immediately race to the living room to open gifts. Before we can open them, the family gathers around the Christmas tree to sing “Auld Lang Syne,” written by the great Scottish poet Robert Burns. My family has roots in Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. While some family members clean up the gift wrappings, a handful of relatives head to the kitchen to prepare the evening meal. For the past 40 years or more, it has always been the same menu: baked salmon appetizer, turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade stuffing—with a pinch of love, as my grandmother used to say—homemade dinner buns, caramelized brussels sprouts, and Hungarian spice cake for dessert. The spice cake is from the recipe book of my father’s beloved nanny Mariska, who came to live with my father and my grandmother after my grandfather’s death in 1930. Dinner is concluded by a family pledge that my mother created in 2005: “May the many happy moments shared by us in the forthcoming holidays be kept always in our hearts and memories.’’ The day concludes with a reading of the Christmas story in the Bible and a few long kisses under the hallway mistletoe. I’ve learned to enjoy every moment of Christmas, because there are no rewinds.

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A Christmas Editorial That Still Pulls at the Heartstrings

(Linda Zhao for American Essence)

One hundred and twenty-four years ago, an 8-year-old girl wrote a letter to the editor of The Sun, a New York newspaper, asking, “Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?”

The answer, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus,” is the most reprinted newspaper editorial of all time, a classic appearing in dozens of languages—in newspapers, books, movies, and even the Old Farmer’s Almanac, and on posters and stamps. What makes it endure? Is it because “Yes, Virginia” perpetuates the best traditions of Christmas? Is it because it touches on the connection between parents and children? Is it because it makes us long for the days of the great American newspaper? Or is it something more?

The author, Sun editorial writer Francis Pharcellus Church, grumbled when he was handed the little girl’s letter. “Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus,” wrote Virginia O’Hanlon. “Please tell me the truth.” Something in the innocent query touched the veteran newsman. Church quickly turned in a 500-word reply, printed on September 21, 1897, on Page 6 with no byline. “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus,” Church wrote.

“He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life the highest beauty and joy. Alas, how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence.”

The editorial was destined to live on, far beyond Church’s death in 1906, The Sun’s demise in 1950, and even Mrs. Laura Virginia O’Hanlon Douglas’ passing in 1971.

“You couldn’t stop it if you wanted to,” said Jim Temple, grandson of O’Hanlon. For generations, O’Hanlon’s descendants have quietly become ambassadors of the Christmas spirit, crossing the country to events honoring her and reading the famous letter and the responses. In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Temple and his wife read the famous letter and editorial to college students at a Marine Corps Toys for Tots event held in 2017.

“My grandmother gave us all a reason for believing,” said Temple in a recent interview. “It also has been a way for generations of parents to address the skepticism of their children about Santa Claus,” he added.

Many years ago, Temple’s own granddaughter Maggie questioned Santa’s existence. She had doubts, questions, and theories. Her grandparents stared silently ahead as they drove down the road, pretending not to listen. It was more than just a right to challenge the existence of Santa Claus. “It’s a family tradition,” quipped Temple.

Maggie is a symbol of the millions of children who ask that very question each holiday season. In fact, the question and the history behind the “Yes, Virginia” line have spawned a cache of collectible Christmas tree bulbs, dolls, books, and advertising campaign memorabilia. Inspired by the “Yes, Virginia” story, Macy’s launched its first “Believe” campaign in 2008, benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“I remember Grandmother sitting near the fireplace and reading the letter and editorial, and thinking she is the spirit of Christmas,” Temple recalled. O’Hanlon, who loved to tell her story, led a life of achievement. “She was a modern woman ahead of her time,” said Temple. She earned a master’s degree and doctorate in education. And for decades, she was a New York City school teacher and principal.

She loved baseball. She took her grandson to his first movie and showed him how to use the subway system. She always wore a string of pearls around her neck, high heels, and an elegant coat. “She raised my mother as a single parent. I don’t know why there was a divorce; they didn’t talk about that kind of stuff,” said Temple, a retired manager for the New York State Department of Transportation. As for her childhood home in Manhattan, it is now home to the studio school where her legacy is celebrated.

Temple said he first realized how famous his grandmother was after he and a group of classmates at the Citadel, the military college of South Carolina, were watching the Ed Sullivan show one evening and saw his grandmother on the show. “I think down deep we always realized she was a special lady,” Temple said.

And special she was. O’Hanlon received a steady stream of mail about her letter throughout her life. She would include a copy of the editorial in her replies. In an interview later in life, she credited it with shaping the direction of her life quite positively. Historians have pointed out that the editorial and letter are about a time when America was beginning to define its Christmas—a Victorian Christmas.

Lori Falce, community engagement editor for the Tribune-Review Newspaper, says the story speaks about generations. “It’s about respect, respecting the child and the adult who asks questions,” said Falce. “My own son went through that questioning phase about Santa Claus,” she recalled. “Virginia O’Hanlon’s father cleverly dodged the question by pointing his daughter in the direction of The New York Sun.”

Crusty newspaper editors have a particularly soft spot for “Yes, Virginia.” The editorial evokes the days of the journalist’s newspaper, like The Sun—a time when newspapers were the most trusted news medium, when the great American editorial was really the great American editorial. As Virginia put it in her letter: “Papa says, ‘If you see it in The Sun it’s so.’”

Andrew Conte, director of the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University, points out that “Yes, Virginia” is more than just a century-old story about a bygone era in journalism. It’s not just about a girl in New York. It’s about children everywhere and grownups big enough to remember. “It’s about faith, wonder, joy, and love,” said Conte.

“No Santa Claus!” wrote Church. “Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.”

Amen, and Merry Christmas.

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Wild Beauty

A foggy Appalachian Trail at Newfound Gap in Great Smokey Mountains National Park. (William Silver/Shutterstock)

A few weeks ago, after years of searching, my husband and I bought our dream property: an old but beautiful farmette in Pennsylvania. We both grew up in rural settings, but we have lived in cities or neighborhoods our whole married lives, so to find a place together and build the life we’ve imagined for so long has been an exciting adventure.

One of our favorite aspects about our new home is that it borders the Appalachian Trail, the longest hiking-only footpath in the world, stretching 2,193.1 miles from Maine to Georgia. I remember feeling amazed that I would be able to hike parts of the trail, and meet travelers from all over the country, once we moved to Pennsylvania. Now that we’re going to be living so close to this American treasure, I decided to do a little bit more research into the trail’s history.

The Trail’s Beginnings

Exactly 100 years ago, the idea of the Appalachian Trail was born when regional planner Benton MacKaye put out a proposal for the trail with an article, “Appalachian Trail: A Project in Regional Planning,” for the October 1921 edition of the Journal of the American Institute of Architects.

In it, he writes something that rings perhaps even more true today than it did in 1921: “We civilized ones also, whether urban or rural, are potentially helpless as canaries in a cage. The ability to cope with nature directly—unshielded by the weakening wall of civilization—is one of the admitted needs of modern times.”

Appalachian Trail wooden sign. (Prosiaczeq/Shutterstock)

By 1937, the footpath connecting Maine to Georgia was complete. Three years after the Second World War ended in 1945, recovering veteran Earl V. Shaffer became the first person to hike the trail in one consecutive journey. His motive for hiking was to “walk the Army out of my system.” He hiked the trail three times, completing his third trip at the age of 79.

By 1968, the National Trails System Act became law, putting the Appalachian Trail under federal protection. Today, the trail draws over 3 million visitors every year. Many serve as volunteers to maintain the trail’s beauty and cleanliness.

The Trail by State

The trail crosses through 14 states, from the rocky wilderness of northern Georgia, to the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, to the headquarters of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy in West Virginia, to the trail’s most challenging sections in Maine. To hike the trail is to see the country in its wild beauty and diversity.

Each decade, the number of “2,000 milers,” the name given to hikers who hike the trail in its entirety, grows dramatically. In the 1930s, only 5 people completed the hike from start to finish; in the 2010s, 9,946 hiked the entire Appalachian Trail, according to statistics compiled by the Conservancy.

The Draw to Hike

The first person I met who hiked the trail from start to finish was Emily. She was the sister of a college friend, and we met up with her years ago in Pennsylvania as she was passing through on her way to Maine. As we ate dinner together at my in-laws’ farm, Emily told us story after story about sleeping under the stars, foot injuries, and meeting others along the trail. While we lounged in the candlelight, drinking coffee after a delicious dinner, she talked about listening to audio books; what it was like to have only your thoughts for company day after day; how fulfilling it was to live so close to nature.

This was long before I had ever hiked portions of the trail myself, before I had seen hay bales glowing in the golden hour before sunset on a Pennsylvania farm, before I had picnicked with my daughters by the trail’s streams, before I had ever imagined that we would one day be able to hike the stretch behind our own home after dinner. I was already drawn to it then, when I heard Emily’s stories.

I don’t know if I will ever hike the trail from start to finish like Emily did. With small children in tow, it feels like a distant dream. But I love to get out and hike the trail around me whenever I can, meeting people from across the country when I do. In a polarizing, tense time for our country, I love the reminder that the states of Maine and Georgia are connected by a footpath; that on a ground level, none of us are really all that different. Now, I only have to venture into my backyard to be reminded of this truth.

On the trail, whether for hours or months, we become what MacKaye hinted at: freshly uncaged canaries, learning how to be free.

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Southern Hospitality

(Courtesy of Susan Sully)

The American South has a reputation for its warm hospitality. This cultural feature has even influenced the way houses are decorated and built in the region.

Susan Sully has written several books about Southern architecture and design, highlighting the design principles and traditions that give the region’s aesthetic its distinctly unique identity—a “Southern style anthropologist” of sorts, as she describes herself.

The culture of hospitality has led to a local emphasis on making one’s home comfortable and welcoming.

Remembering the Past

Sully explained that before the advent of modern transportation, people spent a lot of time on the road. “They would sometimes just have to stop at a stranger’s house and at least ask for water, and sometimes ask for a place to spend the night. So there was this sort of readiness of providing hospitality to the stranger.”

(Courtesy of Susan Sully)

Southerners have thus adopted a real affinity for welcoming guests to their house. “Southerners are social. They’re more garrulous. And in a way, when you think of a Southern house, with the porch on front, it’s like the house is almost reaching out towards you…So I think, architecturally, the Southern house speaks about that friendliness,” Sully explained.

The hot, humid climate also played a hand in the emphasis on socializing: people would cool off by sitting on their porches, relaxing, and chatting for hours on end.

Southern homes also tend to have elaborately-decorated sitting and dining rooms. “They have a little bit of a ceremonial quality…so that, you’re really saying, ‘Hey, we’ve made this really special for you, because we’re glad that you’re here.’” At the same time, the furnishings would be comfortable, so that guests are encouraged to stay a while.

(Courtesy of Susan Sully)

Entrance halls are also important, as it is the first thing a visitor sees upon entering. “If they enter a place that kind of instantly engages them with something interesting, that’s more welcoming than something that just hasn’t really been thought about, or it’s kind of bland,” Sully said.

Above all, Southerners have a real nostalgia for the past. This, too, has roots in history.

Prior to the Civil War, the region was home to many wealthy aristocrats who bought the latest wares and beautiful things. But after the devastating conflict, “they couldn’t afford the best anymore. So they really hung on to what they had. Part of that was just a way of holding on to memories of your forebears,” as well as a way of life that was lost, Sully said.

The South’s strong sense of family tradition is also reflected in people’s preference for using heirloom furnishings. “There really is…a deep sense of fondness…for using your grandmother’s things and using it to tell stories. Southerners love to tell stories, and they love to have their houses full of things that tell stories.”

Decorating with Antiques

If you have inherited antique pieces, Sully suggests using them to add meaning and character to your living space. For example, Sully places a large 1936 unabridged Webster dictionary that she inherited from her grandmother in her living room. Her grandmother was a librarian.

“It’s a connection to something that my family valued, which is language,” she added.

Antiques can easily be incorporated into the home as accent pieces. The key to preventing the look from veering old-fashioned or kitschy is to offer contrast. For example, a French Louis XVI chair, with its curvaceous shape, can complement modern furniture pieces that have simpler silhouettes or straight lines.

(Courtesy of Susan Sully)
(Courtesy of Susan Sully)

Sully also suggests reupholstering antique furniture with a bolder color that you don’t usually associate with the time period. If it is not a fine piece, you can also paint it a new color or apply a high gloss.

Antique tableware can also be repurposed for everyday use. For example, instead of using silver cups or teacups as formal china, they can become flower vases.

For those who are new to antiques, Sully recommends going to antique stores and flea markets, or flipping through auction catalogs to see what you gravitate toward. That would be more personal and “lasting” than collecting something old at random, Sully said.

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Temples of Transportation

Pennsylvania Station, New York, NY, April 24, 1962. (Library of Congress)

In 1862, arguably one of the darkest and most uncertain years for our republic, President Abraham Lincoln pressed Congress to pass the Pacific Railway Act. As North and South were being ripped apart, Lincoln, a former railroad attorney, sought to use the rails to tie East and West together.

America was still involved in the process of recovering from her terrible civil war, when on May 10, 1869, the Transcontinental Railroad was celebrated as complete. The railroad had been constructed in a mad dash, as the two competing lines, Union Pacific and Central Pacific, raced to complete as much track as possible. The prize, 6,400 acres of land and $16,000 for every mile of track completed, led to a spirited competition. Union Pacific’s Thomas Durant and Central Pacific’s Leland Stanford pushed their crews on. When they met in Utah, they kept on pushing right past each other.

In a photo of a trestle by Andrew J. Russell, the bridge itself is built of fresh cut timbers—quite a contrast from Benjamin Henry Latrobe II’s beautiful railroad viaducts. This photo reveals another graded right-of-way beside the completed track, bearing witness to the competition between the two companies.

The next few decades saw the nation steadily crisscrossed with railways, as communities and permanent infrastructure replaced the rolling “hell on wheels” camps of railroad workers. As the 19th century drew to a close, railroads became the primary connection between great cities, and the various companies sought to show their importance by building grand terminals. Their desire for architectural significance would create grand entrances to the cities they served.

Of course, the great classical forms of the 1893 World’s Fair would inspire many of them. Washington, D.C., as a result of the McMillan plan for the Washington Mall, built a grand station, “monumental in character,” designed by Daniel Burnham and William Pierce Anderson. Burnham had planned the great Chicago Columbian Exposition of 1893, and for the Washington station, he chose a mixture of classical motifs. This station replaced a hodgepodge of railroad connections through Washington, placing tracks in tunnels and freeing the National Mall to become a grand avenue.

 

Burnham would also design the Pennsylvania Union Station for the growing manufacturing center of Pittsburgh, with its distinctive rotunda. It seems that every prominent city sought a great entryway in the form of her railway stations. America’s great classicists would find many commissions as they fulfilled that mission.

Cornelius Vanderbilt’s New York Central Railroad built a monumental terminal in New York City, beginning in 1869. Designed by John B. Snook in the Second Empire Style, it would be expanded and eventually replaced in 1913, with the present Grand Central Station, designed by Charles A. Reed and Allen H. Stem. Reed & Stem were hired to build a station that would compete with another great station being built by McKim, Mead & White in that same city. That great railroad rivalry would lead to New York City having two great entryways.

At the beginning of the 20th century, there was only one great railway into Manhattan—the New York Central. Cornelius Vanderbilt owned Manhattan, or so it seemed. Though the Pennsylvania Railroad was actually bigger than the New York Central, it was not able to come into New York City. Pennsylvania Railroad trains only came to the shore of New Jersey, and passengers would then ride a ferry to the docks of New York.

However, Pennsylvania Railroad President Alexander Cassatt would make a fateful trip to France to visit his sister, Mary, the Impressionist painter. There he would see electric locomotives being used to pull trains through tunnels beneath the ground. A great plan formed in his mind! It was a plan for not just one tunnel, but a series of tunnels that would bring tracks across New York’s Tenderloin District and continue on to Long Island. There, the Pennsylvania would connect with the Long Island Railroad.

But there was more. Crossing the Hell Gate Bridge would enable trains to connect with New England railroads as well. It was a brilliant, daring, and dangerous plan. The Hudson River was a mile wide, and tunneling had to be done in pressurized caissons through the muddy bottom. Engineer William McAdoo began the construction of the first Hudson tunnel in 1902, continuing an earlier tunnel begun and abandoned in the 19th century. This tunnel was completed in 1908, as were tunnels to Long Island under the East River.

Having acquired a significant amount of real estate in Manhattan—needed for right-of-way—the Pennsylvania Railroad commissioned McKim, Mead & White to build the greatest entry into New York imaginable. The result was the magnificent Beaux Arts Pennsylvania Station. Not to be outdone, New York Central hired Reed & Stem to design the competing Grand Central Station.

McKim, Mead & White would also design the James A. Farley Post Office Building as a companion to the terminal. Though this terminal was demolished in 1966, the Farley Building, with its fine Corinthian columns, remains. Its Moynihan Train Hall now provides access to the tracks of what once was Pennsylvania Station.

Cities of all sizes would build fine stations. Richmond, Virginia’s Main Street Station is an example of Italian Renaissance influence. Completed in 1901, it was designed by Wilson, Harris & Richards. It features a fine campanile, and a series of arches topped by a steep hipped roof. In Staunton, Virginia, Thomas Jasper Collins would place a bungalow style roof over a series of arches to create a distinctive train station. Built for the most part by private companies, these fine depot buildings would provide a unique identity for each metropolis they served—entering into the fabric of the republic’s civic architecture.

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Features

Cooking Close to the Heart

(Photo by Jamie Robbins)

To chef Jake Wood, who began his career cooking at top restaurants in Raleigh, North Carolina, his grandmother remains the best chef ever. Growing up down the street from his grandparents’ house in rural North Carolina, Wood remembers many family meals featuring his grandma’s “country soul cooking.”

“In my memories as a kid, those times with all of our family, and just all of us coming together over food, was something that was always special,” Wood said in a recent interview. Today, at his Durham, N.C. restaurant, called Lawrence Barbecue, those flavors and memories inform the menu.

(Photo by Tennet Rich)

For example, his grandma’s favorite snack is hominy with pork cracklings. Jake’s restaurant does a version of that dish with buttered hominy. His family also cooked a whole hog over open fire coals every Thanksgiving Eve. Wood draws on those recollections to serve up North Carolina-style pulled pork, alongside some Texas-style brisket, at Lawrence Barbecue.

Even the dishes that he didn’t enjoy as a child, he now recalls with fondness. Some things that Jake would kind of turn his nose up at were, for example, “when she cooked turnip greens. That would stink the whole house up. But now it’s like that smell is reminiscent of my childhood. It brings back memories.”

Soul Cooking

After years of working in the fine dining industry, Wood wanted to be cooking something familiar and approachable at his own restaurant. “Southern cooking is close to my soul, my roots, and my family’s roots,” he explained. “So, it feels good to be in a position to have a shop where we’re serving food that’s close to my soul, with my family’s name on it.” Things have just come full circle, he noted. “This is where I wanted my hard work to pay off.”

(Photo by Tennet Rich)

He is grateful that he can still visit his grandmother’s house regularly, and draw inspiration from the meals she cooks, asking about her recipes and how she has perfected them or retained their traditional renditions. Many of the daily specials that Lawrence Barbecue serves come from those cherished conversations with his grandmother, Wood said.

Meanwhile, the restaurant is named after his late grandfather, Allen Lee Lawrence, who inspired the base sauce for pulled pork. Before he passed away, he was developing a sauce along with Wood, incorporating vinegar and the cayenne peppers he grew in his garden. He called it “Peak of the Heat.” When Wood’s son was born in July 2019, Jake and his wife decided to name him Lawrence, also after Wood’s grandfather. The restaurant’s logo is a small baby in a diaper, straddling a smiling pig.

Wood also noted that many of the techniques treasured in Southern fine dining today, such as pickling, canning, and smoking, are actually ways of cooking that rural communities have long adopted. Through talking to his grandparents, he realized their cooking philosophy was: “You live off the land to not only feed your family, but to make a living as well,” meaning that what they ate often depended on what they had growing and what they had on the farm and had access to, by way of their own farm or neighbors who lived on the land close by. One neighbor had cattle or hogs, he explained, “or a cousin or an uncle would bring fish back from the coast in coolers.”

(Photo by Tennet Rich)

Though Wood cut his teeth on elaborate plating and complex chef techniques, he now hopes to have a restaurant with a familial, homey atmosphere.  He said they “just worry about the food being as delicious as possible and being here ready with a smile on our face every time somebody comes to our window. We’re always going to make that the base of what we do.”

A Community Comes Together

The restaurant opened in June, after a long delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But Wood called the change of plans “a blessing in disguise.” In 2020, pandemic-related restrictions devastated the hospitality industry. Wood was able to operate a ghost kitchen out of his restaurant space, with patrons picking up food orders from the premises. With the proceeds earned during the beginning of the pandemic lockdown, Wood served 500 free meals to people in the industry who were furloughed from their jobs. He said they just wanted to do their part “to provide any help that we could to some of our friends and fellow business-owners in the industry,” Wood said. Back in 2018, the local community had similarly rallied together in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, which wreaked havoc on the Carolinas. Wood, along with top chefs in the South, took part in a culinary event that helped raise over a half million dollars for small businesses to rebuild or recoup their losses.

(Photo by Jamie Robbins)

Later in 2020, Wood partnered with a local pub to serve his menu offerings as the restaurant space was being finalized; and he also did pop-ups, catering, and other collaborations with restaurants in the South. Through these events, the word was getting out there about Wood’s future restaurant. He realized that the tight-knit hospitality industry in the Raleigh-Durham area looks out for one another.

Wood is also very thankful that patrons continue to support Lawrence Barbecue. He said: “We know that people have a choice when they support a local business and when they go out to eat. And people put that trust in our hands every single time they come to us. It’s your money with us. And it’s our job to create memories for them and make sure that we’re doing our best every time. Because without them, we’re not here.”

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Features

Ringing in the New Year

MARION, NORTH CAROLINA

Voted as the best small town in North Carolina, Marion boasts one of the most impressive New Year’s Eve traditions—dropping a 6-foot gold nugget into a giant, 10-foot frosted doughnut—as part of their annual Gold Nugget Drop. The quirky tradition is inspired by the town’s gold mining past. Food and craft vendors set up stalls, and live music is provided all through the night, with the music hall hosting its own special New Year’s Eve tunes. The street party is not complete without its own scavenger hunt, costume contest, and annual New Year’s Eve road race—Resolution Run 5K, aimed toward encouraging residents to start the year toward a healthier lifestyle.

VAIL, COLORADO

The ski resort town of Vail is another perfect, family-friendly town for celebrating the holidays. With its picturesque winter wonderland backdrop and stunning snow-capped mountains, Vail offers some of the most memorable fireworks and light shows. The annual New Year’s Eve Torchlight Parade on Vail Mountain features ski instructors and locals forming a train, holding glow sticks, as they zigzag down Golden Peak, sending glowing ribbons behind them. This spectacle is shortly followed by an equally impressive fireworks display.

EL RENO, OKLAHOMA

Oklahomans’ favorite way to kick-start their year is with a (loud) blast as they fire guns and cannons to ward off evil spirits and welcome the new year. The Fort Reno Christmas Guns event takes place every year at the Fort Reno Chapel and Parade Grounds and was adopted from a German tradition brought to America by immigrants. German and Italian prisoners of war built the chapel in 1944. Attendees receive hot chocolate as they sit together to listen to traditional German and American folk tales inspired by the town’s historic past.

WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA

The colonial town of Williamsburg is known as one of the first planned cities in America and dates at least as far back as 1699, when colonial leaders petitioned for it to become Virginia Colony’s new capital city. The town is home to some of America’s first colonial homes and is thus known worldwide as the premier center for the preservation and interpretation of American colonial history. Williamsburg hosts Hogmanay—Scottish for New Year’s Eve. During the late 16th century, Virginia had a growing influx of Scottish settlers that led to many Scottish traditions being incorporated into American culture. Hogmanay dates back to the Vikings and involved celebrating the winter solstice. In Williamsburg, locals celebrate the end of the year by taking part in singing, storytelling, and dining on fine food. It’s also a great time for some (early) spring cleaning—getting rid of the old and welcoming the coming year with a fresh start.

TYBEE ISLAND, GEORGIA

Every year, thousands of brave locals take the ultimate challenge—by plunging into the icy Atlantic Ocean at noon on New Year’s Day to commemorate the start of the year. Known as the Polar Plunge, the chilling festival is usually held at Tybee Pier and Pavilion but has been put on hold for the last two years. Due to the pandemic, the Tybee Post Theater invited all to instead join in virtually and take the plunge from anywhere they chose.

MOBILE, ALABAMA

Alabamans in Mobile are famous for their annual New Year’s Eve Moon Pie Drop at midnight. Locals in this town are said to be the nation’s largest consumers of moon pies, so it’s no surprise that the town’s New Year’s Eve mascot is the 12-foot sweet dessert. The history goes back all the way to 1916, when it is believed that a hungry coal miner asked for a snack “as big as the moon”—hence the creation of the moon pie. To show their appreciation and welcome the new year, locals drop a giant, mechanical moon pie in downtown Mobile. Residents enjoy live music and eat plenty of food to their hearts’ content. The evening is brought to a close by fireworks above the Mobile River.

PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA

Many towns host New Year’s Eve ball drops, but in Panama City, locals drop 10,000 of them—all at once! Thousands attend this fun, family event to watch as the small beach balls come tumbling down in a flurry of colors. This event starts in the early evening, to allow children and families to attend without keeping their children out too late. At midnight, the city continues with its annual Pier Park beach ball drop, where the gigantic beach ball drops from the illuminated SkyWheel Ferris wheel. Many local bands attend to play music for audiences to enjoy.

PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, WISCONSIN

The town of Prairie du Chien takes great pride in its fishing heritage—so much so that carps feature center stage in its annual Dropping of the Carp holiday event. The locals have celebrated this family-friendly event for the last 19 years. Originally, the festival involved lowering a 20-pound, real, frozen carp onto its throne in Lucky Park. Since 2019, the town has revised its tradition, moving the celebrations indoors. The event is now named Carp Fest, and celebrations still incorporate a predominantly children’s theme with coloring competitions, games, and singing. The frozen carp has been replaced with an artificial one, and everybody still gets the chance to kiss the carp at midnight for good luck—as per tradition!

FREDERICKSBURG, TEXAS

As the clock strikes midnight, people all over the world celebrate the start of a new year. The locals in Fredericksburg, Texas, however, prefer to travel back in time with a 1940s-inspired celebration. Strutting in their best vintage outfits, they meet up at the Hangar Hotel—designed to resemble an actual World War II airplane hangar. Visitors enjoy showing off their swing dance moves to jazz performed by Bill Smallwood and the Lone Star Swing Orchestra. Winners from the costume contest receive prizes from the Hangar Hotel, the Fredericksburg Brewing Company, and the Fredericksburg Herb Farm. A portion of the proceeds is donated to United Service Organizations (USO) Fort Hood.

SOUTH CAROLINA (and Other Southern States)

If you live in the South, you will be no stranger to a bowl of steaming black-eyed peas laid over a bed of collard greens and onions. The black-eyed peas are associated with good luck, and collard greens with wealth. Southerners are also big fans of cornbread—which represents gold and often accompanies the main meal. In South Carolina, locals enjoy eating their own rendition of this classic New Year’s meal with some steamed, brothy rice. The rice and pea dish is known as Hoppin’ John and is reminiscent of African bean pilau. Residents believe that for the best chance of luck, one must eat exactly 365 black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day!

 

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Features

Festive Towns

Lobster trap tree in Cape Porpoise, Maine.

COLORADO

With the help of NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command center, based in Colorado Springs, you can track Santa through the skies and beyond. It’s a local tradition, born by accident in the 1950s, when a Sears ad misprinted Santa’s telephone number, redirecting children to call what was actually a secret military hotline. This mistake led to the development of a beloved holiday tradition enjoyed all around the world. Today, hundreds of thousands of children call the NORAD Santa hotline every Christmas Eve to speak to Santa and his team of elves. It’s become such an important festivity that NORAD developed its own Santa Tracker, using state-of-the-art military satellites, to send location information to online visitors about Santa’s whereabouts, as he sleighs across the country delivering gifts. The Santa Tracker receives 30 million visitors annually on Christmas Eve, from all over the globe.

FLORIDA

Holiday boat parades are a common occurrence in Florida. The state boasts some of the most iconic Intracoastal Waterway boat shows in the country. For Floridians, participating in one of these parades forms an important part of their Christmas holiday tradition. Fireworks light up the Intracoastal Waterway, leading a spectacular display of boats adorned with holiday lights and festive accessories, as spectators huddle around the water to enjoy music and fresh seasonal treats. Favorite locations include the boat parade in Boca Raton and the one in Palm Beach. The Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade partners with the U.S. Marine’s Toys for Tots organization, a toy drive that aims to collect toys and redistribute them to local children in need.

HAWAII

While most places enjoy the typical winter-themed festivities, Hawaiians have adopted a tropical twist on the traditional Christmas celebrations. Most locals will import their Christmas trees months before the holidays begin, as that requires a lengthy journey across the Pacific Ocean. Some will even grow their own trees in their backyards. Walking around Hawaii, you will see palm trees, rather than firs, embellished with an assortment of lights. In Hawaii, Santa arrives at Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort riding the waves in a canoe, instead of his usual sleigh! There, visitors and locals can watch as he is warmly welcomed by a keiki hula group. Many photo opportunities are available with Santa. This event is followed by a traditional Hawaiian luau—a feast featuring lively music and cultural performances. The holiday dinner typically involves kalua roast pig, specially prepared in an underground oven referred to as an imu.

DELAWARE 

Locals in Delaware enjoy re-creating what Christmas would have been like in the 1800s by attending Yuletide at Winterthur, home of American horticulturist and antique furniture collector Henry Francis du Pont. Considered as the premier museum of American decorative arts, the home is transformed every year into a Christmas masterpiece. There, visitors can learn about the traditional festivities celebrated by du Pont’s family during his lifetime, as well as view the assortment of early American furniture he collected during the course of his life. The highlight of the tour is viewing the pair of dried-flower trees, covered with over 60 varieties of flowers taken from the property and placed on display as “living tributes of flowers and blooming plants.”

MAINE

Maine is known for its flourishing fishing industry. The locals love seafood so much that they even incorporate it into their holiday celebrations! There, you’ll find Christmas trees made from stacked lobster traps, and a holiday menu filled with seafood delights. Residents of Maine enjoy a hearty seafood chowder on Christmas Eve, and you can often spot lighthouses all across the state lit up with Christmas lights. Boothbay hosts some of the most incredible light displays in all of Maine—using 650,000 LED lights and transforming whole forests into a truly spectacular winter wonderland. Locals also enjoy felting or knitting by the fire.

ALABAMA

Each year, during the month of December, locals in downtown Birmingham, Alabama, gather together at the Alabama Theatre for a special holiday movie marathon, featuring classic Christmas films. Attending the theatre during the holidays has become an important family tradition among the residents of Birmingham. Doors open one hour before showtime, and a sing-along takes place before every screening, featuring The Mighty Wurlitzer Organ, one of the few remaining pipe organs left from the early 20th century. During this time, Alabamans enjoy indulging on one of the best Southern delicacies, pecan pie; and if they’re lucky, paying a visit to the famed Priester’s Pecans at Fort Deposit for some pecan candy.

INDIANA

As one of the first pioneer states in America, Indiana has plenty of fascinating history. Fishers, Indiana, hosts holiday events every year. The most notable is its Merry Prairie Holiday tradition, where locals can get a taste of Christmas during the time of the early settlers from the late 18th century. The state is also well-known for its spectacular motor racing displays, particularly the Indy 500, which creates a special feature during the holidays in the form of a drive-thru light show, called Lights at the Brickyard. There, families can take their cars for a 2-mile drive down an illuminated racetrack. At the end of this drive, kids will have a chance to take photos with Santa.

MINNESOTA

Duluth, Minnesota, is the home of Bentleyville, America’s largest walk-through light display. The best part about it? It’s free! Locals have the privilege of enjoying this annual tradition starting in late November and lasting all the way through December. This spectacular event brings families together to create unforgettable memories underneath a magical display of sparkling lights and decorations. The light tour now takes place in Bayfront Festival Park, but it originally started as a residential light display by Nathan Bentley, who was decorating his home in Esko, Minnesota, for the Christmas season. Locals quickly recognized this house as the most decorated and brightest residence in all of Esko. As its popularity grew, Bentley began to see an unprecedented number of locals visiting his residence. Overwhelmed by lack of space, the Duluth city mayor called him in 2008, and invited him to host his next Bentleyville “Tour of Lights” at Bayfront Festival Park. Since then, the Bentleyville Tour of Lights festival has been receiving hundreds of thousands of visitors every year!

MISSOURI 

Each year, the town of Kimmswick, Missouri, hosts its Christmas Cookie Walk, where horse-drawn carriages wind through the old-fashioned town, passing historic homes decorated in a multicolor assortment of lights. Step back in time as Christmas carolers, clad in vintage attire, walk through the streets and shops singing their holiday tunes. During the Cookie Walk, visitors can taste a variety of sweet treats from participating vendors and purchase a special Holiday Cookbook filled with merchants’ favorite recipes.

IDAHO

TubaChristmas is Boise’s long-awaited annual holiday—a community event for tuba and euphonium musicians, dating back to 1922. The musicians, a mix of novice and veteran players, come from a variety of ages, backgrounds, and professions. Locals typically gather around the state capitol building, where the musical ensemble plays a range of traditional holiday songs for all to enjoy.

 

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Features Generation to Generation

Shaping Flowers by Hand

(Lux Aeterna Photography for American Essence)

Adam Brand, fourth-generation co-owner of M&S Schmalberg Custom Flowers, joined his family business about 12 years ago. “My dad was a flower man. I never really appreciated what that meant,” said Brand. “The business was 90 years old at the time, and I didn’t appreciate that either.” It was only when Brand started coming into the factory and seeing the passion and admiration through the staffs’ eyes, that he finally realized the importance of his family legacy. Brand’s pride and ambition in continuing this legacy stem from his ancestor’s love for the craft. “It’s absolutely morphed into something that I love, and I’m proud of,” he said.

Located in the heart of New York City’s historic Garment District, Schmalberg is the last remaining artificial custom flower factory in the entire city. The flowers are still handmade by expert flower makers, using traditional techniques and vintage molds passed down in the family.

Vintage molds are still used today in the manufacturing of flowers. Image courtesy of M&S Schmalberg.

Schmalberg has worked with numerous top fashion designers like Vera Wang, Marchesa, Oscar de la Renta, Ralph Lauren, and J. Crew. The company has also produced flowers for theatrical productions and TV shows—typically used for costumes or to emulate flowers in vases—like “The Gilded Age” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” “We’ve worked with the New York City Ballet, the Metropolitan Opera, the Australian Opera, and even Walt Disney,” Brand said.

The company was founded by brothers Morris and Sam Schmalberg in 1916, when the Garment District was considered the fashion manufacturing capital of the world. “There’s a picture in the hallway of 35th Street in the ‘40s,” said Brand. “And you see all the trucks and pushcarts. It was like a highway of just fabrics and dresses going from one factory towards another to the designer.”

Brand’s grandfather, Harold, was a Holocaust survivor from Poland. Harold was 17 years old, and living in their attic, when he first started helping out at Schmalberg, a company started by his uncles. Harold eventually got married and had children—Adam’s father, Warren Brand, and Warren’s sister, Debra—who took over as their father got older. Adam now runs the family business, assisted by his team of expert flower makers.

Traditional flower making is on the decline, as an increasing number of companies have turned to Chinese manufacturers and automation. “As the last competitors in New York closed down, a lot of the time, my dad would buy out their old tools,” said Brand. “There’s nobody who owns a factory like this that could make thousands, 10 thousand pieces or more, that pays New York wages. That’s really a true American-made company.” Every single flower that leaves their factory is proudly made with vintage molds that have remained in the family for decades.

The Gift of Flowers

The company produces flowers using a variety of materials: silks, synthetic polyester, leather, suede, cotton, velvet, felt, and velour, but they are capable of using almost any fabric. “Most of what we do for clients is with their own material. That’s kind of what makes us special,” explained Brand. He has transformed many old wedding dresses that would have otherwise been forgotten in an attic somewhere, into beautiful flowers. Customers often gift them to their children or loved ones as tokens to cherish forever.

Flowers can be made using all kinds of fabric, including satin, silk, and even velvet. Image courtesy of M&S Schmalberg.

The company often gets approached by clients for unique projects, from making flowers for weddings, to crafting florals from curtain drapes that match a bouquet on the dining table. “We had a bride once send us fabric from her wedding dress, and we cut 100 flowers that she put on the plates of every guest,” Brand said. They also work closely with milliners who purchase flowers for their hats.

Brand has also worked with Eagles and Angels, a company that salvages veterans’ old army uniforms, and repurposes them into high-end accessories. Together, they took old uniforms and created limited-edition fabric carnations from them. Brand said that these types of custom orders give him the most joy, because the company is helping to repurpose something with a lot of memories into something beautiful, while offering loved ones a way to honor these heroes’ sacrifices.

The Process

One of the perks of working with an American-made company is the versatility, customization, and level of detail that goes into every product. “We did a project with Marc Jacobs, who wanted flowers with specific color graduations on them for a runway piece,” recalled Brand. “They came in on a Thursday and needed everything by the weekend, like five thousand flower petals.” The company brought fabric that had been pre-dyed in-house, and Brand’s team cut it to achieve the unique coloring they wanted on the flowers. This would not be possible if manufacturing was off-shored.

M&S Schmalberg has a special crafting process that allows them to produce detailed pieces for their clients. He explained that the company either offers its own fabrics, or clients send in their own. Then, the team will cut the material into panels and apply a fabric stiffener to it, to provide the material a little extra body, and allow its shape to hold better when placed in the molds. This also allows the embossing molds to imprint on the fabric better.

Brand explained that, in the old days, workers would use vintage die cutters and a rubber hammer—swinging hard over the mold—to cut the fabric. “As long as I’ve been alive, we don’t have to do that,” he said. To make the process easier and less hazardous, the company sawed the long handles off the molds and now uses a mechanical machine to automatically do the cutting. “We’re still using the same fundamental process, but we’ve modernized it. It’s safer; it’s faster, and it’s more efficient.”

Next the fabric is embossed with vintage molds inside a modified electric hydraulic press. The operator simply has to place the petals on the plate and push a button on the side, allowing the machine to press the flowers into unique shapes. “It’s just a more modern way, but still using the same molds that have been in the family,” said Brand. The final step in the process is assembling the flower petals to make a complete piece, which is done by slipping flower petals through a wire and using a special paste to hold them together.

Flowers of all shapes, colors and sizes are made daily at the flower factory. (Lux Aeterna Photography for American Essence)

Family and Legacy

Each member of Brand’s team has been working with the family for decades and has formed a special bond with them. “Alex, who does the cutting in the back, used to come over for Thanksgiving and different holidays when I was 3 or 4 years old,” Brand recalled. Miriam, who weaves flowers together by hand, “was here long before I was even born.”

Brand hopes to someday hand over the reins to his daughter, Skylar, who is just over a year old. “To be able to have the opportunity to pass it down would be really, really outrageous,” he said.

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Features

Among the Ashes

(David Dudley for American Essence)

Regenerative farmers Robert and Jodi Bronner stood on a charred hillside in Enterprise, Utah, holding hands in the early morning sun. The smell of charred earth lingered in the cool, damp air.

Though they usually began work when the sun came up, they started late on that summer day. They were exhausted. The hills to the north, west, and south were scorched by a wildfire that had ripped through the area in June. Since then, the community—neighbors, customers, and fellow farmers—had rallied to help the Bronners get back on their feet. Even with their help, the couple was still struggling to catch up on their work, as well as their rest.

A Devastating Fire

The Bronners, who specialize in high-quality pork and poultry, had kept their butchery equipment in an aluminum building located about 50 yards uphill from where they stood. Back in June, Robert saw lightning strike about 5 miles to the west of the building. It was 11 a.m. He called 911. The dispatcher said that firefighters were already en route. Though firefighters descended upon the fire quickly, the fire’s behavior was erratic. It grew quickly and burned uphill, devouring everything in sight.

“We thought the building would be safe, because it’s metal,” Robert said. “But it turned into an oven. When I came back later that night, I touched the wall, and it burned my hand. Everything inside was incinerated.” The building smoldered for 10 days after the fire. Somehow, a trunk of blankets survived, as did a photo album.

(David Dudley for American Essence)

About 20 feet downhill from the burned building, there was a small wooden house that had been occupied by pigs before the fire. The little house, as well as the 4.6-acre patch of land where the pigs had lived and cultivated the soil for three years, were the only things in sight that were left untouched by the fire. “We didn’t have time to round up the pigs. The firefighters told us that we had to go. So, I cut holes in the fence, to give the pigs a fighting chance.” Robert said. “Later, when we returned, the pigs were here, safe. It was a miracle.”

A Community Rallies Together

Before the fire, Robert said he had been getting closer to earning his livelihood from his small business. “The American Dream,” he said. But the fire destroyed all of the Bronners’ butchery equipment, feed, and supplies.

“But the hardest part,” said Jodi, “is losing the place where you farm. All of our animals leave the land better than they found it. Just as we try to be good stewards of the land, the animals do, too.”

The Bronners, who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, had to start from scratch. “Though this has been hard,” Robert said, “it has given us the chance to press reset. It has tested our values. I was taught to never give up. You have to have faith when something like this happens.”

The Bronners were used to helping others, but the thought that others would come to their aid had never crossed their minds. So, when their church, neighbors, and customers began offering help, the Bronners were overwhelmed with humility and gratitude. “We needed their help more than we knew,” Robert said. “After weeks of moving things, and cleaning, I realized that I couldn’t do it alone.”

A local church leader offered to bring some men to help the Bronners move the burned equipment out of the building. Then, various community members and customers offered to give the Bronners totes, barrels, and buckets. “We really needed those,” said Jodi. “But really, we needed so much more. We lost nearly everything in the fire.”

That’s when Kat Puzey, the executive director of MoFaCo, stepped in. “What happened to the Bronners would put most small farmers out of business,” Puzey said. “It’s devastating. They’d built something that was well on its way to becoming a sustainable business. And, they have the best chicken around.”

(David Dudley for American Essence)

Puzey started a fundraiser for the Bronners, who’d lost over $10,000 in equipment. She set a modest goal of raising $5,000. Robert was about to dip into his life savings to replace the butchery equipment when he learned that Puzey’s fundraiser had raised $4,500, which was available to use immediately. “With GoFundMe,” Puzey explained, “you can begin using funds before you reach your goal. Robert used that money to buy new equipment, so he could continue to fill orders.”

The Future

A month after the fire, the Bronners were still struggling to get back on their feet. As they looked around the charred hillside, they were silent. They wouldn’t be able to farm this land for a long time to come, and their makeshift slaughterhouse was being razed. Then, Jodi noticed some new plants reaching up from the blackened soil. “That’s the pigs,” she said. “They spent three years cultivating this soil. Now, it’s regenerating itself faster than the rest of this land.” But even that land, an unspoiled island among a sea of charred earth, would take years to fully regenerate.

Nevertheless, the Bronners said they felt blessed by all the support they’d had. They were offered some land in Beryl, Utah, where they had begun to set up shop again and resume their farming operation. Equally important, they said, were the thoughts and prayers offered by the community. “While the money helps to keep our business alive,” Robert said, “people’s kindness has helped to keep our spirits up. We couldn’t do this without them.”

As Robert and Jodi turned away from the burned land to the west, they faced lush fields to the east. They held hands in silence as they walked toward their truck. Then Jodi stopped, squeezing Robert’s hand. “I guess this is goodbye,” she whispered into his ear. “We won’t be coming up here anymore.”

(David Dudley for American Essence)