Your guide to the heart of Litchfield County:
Discover local stories, hidden gems, and must-know events.

By Tovah Martin

Wendy Goidell was merely looking for a real estate investment when she found the 25-acre site in Wassaic. “It was reasonably priced and adjacent to a state park, I didn’t see a downside,” Goidell recalls. That was back in 2003 when she was renting a weekend house in the area while working as a film stylist in the city. If you noticed the flowers and greens in The First Wives Club, Analyze This, The Thomas Crown Affair, or Meet the Parents, they were Goidell’s work.

Not long after buying the investment acreage, Goidell began the serious business of house-hunting because renting wasn’t really Goidell’s long-term plan. “Basically, I looked at about a thousand houses that I didn’t like,” she summed up the buying search. And that’s when she ended up at her realtors’ converted barn home. It wasn’t for sale, but she loved the spacious open floor plan. And suddenly it hit her, “I realized that I could actually build a house if I kept it simple.” From that point onward, she began looking at her investment property from a whole different perspective. However, Goidell’s version of “simple” included geothermal radiant heat, solar panels, and green energy. Another little wrinkle was that her Amenia dream house would need to be blasted out of stone.

Not only is ledge omnipresent on the Amenia property, but the grade is strictly vertical. While the house was becoming a reality, landscaping was also part of Goidell’s picture. But finding spaces sufficiently level to allow plants to get a foothold was a challenge until the contractor suggested using the massive rocks to brace terraces. Three levels later, Goidell called up Andy Durbridge to install a few trees around the house while stairs to access the house were chiseled into the hillside and edged with drought-tolerant calamintha. Blueberries were inserted as well as other plants that fit with the wild look.

Not long afterward, Goidell happened upon an article about natural swimming ponds and was instantly intrigued. But she could find nobody with the knowledge necessary to tackle the project in our region. Finally, she found Chris Rawlings who had just completed a stint in Europe studying natural ponds.

Again, the boulders in situ were put into service for the project. The natural pond theory utilizes shelves of plant life to filter the water—and the stones on site were perfectly suited. At first, Goidell wanted the pool out of sight from the house so her little indulgence would not make a big splash in the scene. Rawlings convinced her that the pool should be sited proudly and prominently just footsteps from the house’s blue-stone back patio. In the end, Goidell agreed and now acknowledges that the natural pond sets the mood for the property. Surrounded by stone, feeling congruous with its surroundings, and with a breathtaking view of the surrounding scenery, the pool fits hand-in-glove with the land. The crowning jewel in the con-figuration is a whale of a rock that serves as a jumping-off point sprawled across the middle of the pool. Not only does her little water feature keep Goidell cool in season, but it becomes a gathering place when friends come to visit. Plus, the natural pool is a hotspot for Goidell’s cat, Sammy.

Garden designer Ana Hajduk of Singing Brook Gardens crafted plantings around the natural pond, anchoring it in irises, rudbeckias, carex, and ornamental grasses that manage to survive the challenging terrain without requiring continual irrigation. Hajduk also tucked gardens farther afield. Practical plantings were installed. Down from the summit of the hill, a fruit orchard produces peaches, pears, and edible quince. A vegetable/cutting garden furnishes sustenance for dinner as well as food for the soul beside the bank of solar collectors. Everything feels so apropos for the place—it’s a testimony for liv-ing in concert with nature without a heavy footprint. And the scene is achingly beautiful in all seasons of the year. Even when the weather is too brisk for swimming, the pond is a strong part of the place’s personality—framing the view of the surrounding forest in its fiery autumn wardrobe.

On September 18, 2022 our publisher Happening in the Hills hosted a sold-out fabulous farm-to-table dinner food and wine event for 180 people at South Farms in Morris. Featuring a sit down dinner created by seven of some of Litchfield County’s most accomplished chefs, the evening included a cocktail hour and a glorious meal prepared with locally sourced food in a beautiful Litchfield County setting.  Zachy’s provided all of the wine for the evening. Litchfield Distillery and Kent Falls Brewing Company provided cocktails and draft beer. William Pitt Sotheby’s sponsored a comfortable lounge area during cocktail hour. Chef Joel Viehland led the team of talented chefs. Locally made Zero Prophet Coffee was served at the end of the meal. A portion of the profits are being donated to F.I.S.H. NWCT in Torrington. Photos by Jim Henkens.

THE CHEFS

Chef Joel Viehland

Joel Viehland has worked at award-winning restaurants including New York’s Gramercy Tavern, Noma in Copenhagen, Herbsaint and Bayona in New Orleans, before becoming opening chef at Community Table where he was nominated for three James Beard Awards and named Best Small Town Chef in America by Cooking Light. In 2017 Joel opened Swyft in Kent. When the pandemic hit Joel decided to sell Swyft to focus on special events for private clients. @joelviehland

Chef Gabby Rios

A native of Waterbury, and a graduate from The Art Institute of New York City, Gabby has worked her way throughout the Litchfield Hills and the Berkshires. Currently the Pastry Chef at The White Hart Inn, Gabby is responsible for the many elegant and comforting desserts you’ll see displayed in Provisions and the Dining room. She is a seasonally inspired chef and is an advocate for local farming and ingredients. @gabalicious121

Chef Robert Arbor

Le Gamin Café and Les Deux Gamins were founded by French owner Robert Arbor in 1992. Le Gamin was known for its authentic French ambiance, food, and signature crêpes. In 1994, Robert opened Les Deux Gamins in the West Village, and during the pandemic, Le Gamin Studio Agraire in Sharon, which he operates with his son. Arbor is the author of the memoir/cookbook Joie De Vivre, and spokesperson and consultant on many Franco-NYC projects. @legaminstudioagraire

Chef Carlos Perez

Chef Carlos Perez is the executive chef of @ The Corner in Litchfield. Originally studying in Manhattan under some of New York’s top chefs, Perez has spent the last few years working around Connecticut before finding a home in Litchfield. His approach to cooking can be described as sustainable farm-to-table, paired with a modern influence along with an extensive background in pastry. @chefcarlosperez

We’d like to thank the local farms that provided the harvest for the dinner:

Helmstead Farm, Earth’s Palate farm, Vibrant Farm, Fort Hill Farm, Starbury Farm, Kimberly Farm, Windy Hill Farms, Hidden Gem Orchard

Wines for purchase from Zachys:

Please feel free to use this QR code to go to Zachys site:

Cocktail Hour
Cuvee de l’Ecusson Brut NV Bernard-Massard NV
Giovanna Tantini Chiaretto Rose 2020
Poggio Argentato IGT Bianco Le Pupille 2019
Geologist Bolgheri Rosso 2019 (6 Liter)

Dinner Wines
Gavi di Gavi Villa Sparina 2020
Greppicante I Greppi 2019

Sweet Wine End of Meal
Elio Perrone Sourgal Moscato d’Asti 2021

Thank you, David Grausman for playing the piano during cocktail hour!

Sadly, our team and community lost a shining star this week. 

If you’ve read Litchfield Magazine for any point of time, you have undoubtedly read many stories written by Joseph Montebello. Joseph was our senior writer, in both senses of the word. 

 

You would never have guessed it, but he had just turned 80 this past July. Fit, healthy, vibrant, and always well dressed, you’d think he was at least a decade younger. He’d been writing for Litchfield Magazine since its inception—about seven years before my time began with the magazine.

 

This time last month Joseph and I were discussing the stories he would write for our upcoming issues. He was making new friends with those he interviewed. I would receive emails from him and his subjects grateful for my part in coordinating the connections. 

 

Joseph was kind, gracious, professional, interesting, intelligent, compassionate, and funny. A prolific and talented writer. Wonderful at making connections with others. I depended on him to bring story ideas and to get the best interviews. I respected his opinion and sought his approval when I took on new initiatives or projects. He was one of my biggest supporters.

 

 

Dana Kraus had met him a couple months ago when he wrote the feature on her home in our Sept/October issue. This was the email I received from Dana the day after their initial meeting. “Dear Mary Beth, Sometimes magic happens in the world of magazines. You have that amazing talent of both keeping your finger on the pulse of the communities you cover, and of connecting people who should know each other. Thanks for connecting me with Rana and Joseph. Joseph and I met again yesterday and had the most wonderful afternoon. Kindred spirits, all, and just FUN people. Magic!” “He was a fascinating man with great talent, a big heart, and an appetite for living. The last thing he said to me from the hospital was, ”We had such a great honeymoon you and I…just too short,” shares Kraus. 

 

Today I was emailing with Theo Coulombe, owner of Standard Space Gallery in Sharon, who Joseph had interviewed for our upcoming design issue. Theo shared, “We only spoke face to face for about three hours and in that brief period of time I felt, ‘here is a fellow I can relate to, a gentleman traveler, and maker of his own world.’ I’m grateful to have met him.” 

 

I think Joseph had that effect on many people. 

 

Montebello attended Syracuse University. He had a career as Creative Director at HarperCollins in NYC. For many years he wrote for Litchfield Magazine (famous for his annual 50 Most pieces that he worked on and talked about all year). He loved interviewing actors, artists, and especially authors about their work. He wrote for the Litchfield County Times, Berkshire Style, community portrait pieces for Litchfield.bz., and in the new premier issue of Millbrook Magazine.

 

His favorite thing was to interview authors in front of an audience at the Gunn and the Oliver Wolcott libraries. He was a gifted host who forged many longtime friendships around his dining table surrounded by books.

 

Montebello was a longtime leader of the Litchfield Historic District Commission helping to maintain the character of the town as it is today. He served on the boards of the Oliver Wolcott Library, Litchfield Historical Society, and ASAP!

 

For 49 years he was the loving husband and best friend to Ron Leal, and the father to Boo (the rescue dog) and over the years, many, many Westhighland Terriers.

 

It was my true pleasure to work with him on the magazine. RIP Mr. Joseph Montebello. We all adored you. You will be missed by many. You were one of a kind.

 

Editor-in-Chief

Mary Beth Lawlor

By Linda Tuccio-Koonz 

“I think about it every day,” says Elora Herberick, of the Peace Corps stint that helped her find her path in the world. 

“That experience changed me in so many ways. It’s the reason I became a yoga teacher. It’s the reason I own this studio.” 

Open since 2021, the New Milford business—EVOLVE Yoga Wellness Nutrition—is a gathering place for yoga enthusiasts of all levels. You’ll find it behind the bright purple door near the foot of Bank Street.

Herberick, who grew up in New Milford, has always practiced yoga. While teaching English in Thailand with the Peace Corps, she decided to incorporate it into her classes. Not only was it fun, she found “it created lasting change for me and the people around me.”

During her Peace Corps service (2015 to 2017), Herberick realized yoga was the path to melding her personal and professional goals—a way to transform lives while creating a sense of community. 

EVOLVE, on the second floor of a 1902 building, is where she continues that work today. “I painted the door purple because the crown chakra is represented by the color purple. The crown chakra is connectivity to ourselves and to the divine.”

Herberick’s airy studio, with its wood floors and wide windows, has a Zen-like vibe. There’s also a rooftop deck; the staircase that leads there features hand-painted messages of affirmation. “I am centered and grounded,” says one. “My potential is unlimited,” says another.

“A lot of people think yoga is just stretching, but it’s so much more,” she explains. “It’s this connectivity to your breath and being able to control your emotions and adapt, and being able to find like-minded people who are on a similar journey.”

“I think when people open that purple door, it’s like opening a gateway to their own being. It’s an energy portal, an energy portal to your entire self.”

There are hundreds of energy points throughout the body, Herberick says. EVOLVE helps students tap into them through a wide range of classes, including different styles. 

Among them are “vinyasa, gentle flow, yin and restorative,” she says. “Yin is a practice where you hold the positions for three to five minutes…Restorative yoga is complete relaxation. We use bolsters, blankets, anything to get really, really comfortable, where we’re holding positions for up to 20 minutes. So, it becomes almost like a deep, deep relaxation.”

One style not offered is hot yoga; Herberick says that requires a warm room where it’s 90-plus degrees. “We keep our thermostat around 72, so it’s a nice temperature for everybody. Outside of that we have public events such as workshops and free yoga on the green.”

Herberick has taught hundreds of students over the years. “Our students always end up becoming our friends in some capacity; I think that’s true for all my teachers. We love building our community.”

That commitment to community is a big part of what makes EVOLVE stand out. 

“You know, you meet someone here, and you may not think you have anything in common with them. But then you go through a practice or a meditation together, and you learn a lot about each other and yourself, which is our main purpose, right? Self-love, self-awareness—it’s all so we can create a better and more sustainable planet.”  

By Clementina Verge

Amy Minasyan was only five or six years old when she became fascinated by fabrics and threads left over from her aunt’s tailoring jobs. The childhood intrigue evolved into a career, and, today, her work decorates spaces ranging from sophisticated dining rooms to private planes and yachts. 

Born in Iran, Minasyan spent part of her childhood in Armenia, before immigrating to America where she worked nearly a decade for New York City fashion designers. Eventually, she settled in Connecticut where she launched Best Monogram in 2011. Located in Washington Depot, her store showcases some of her designs, embroidered on almost any kind of textile imaginable. 

A monogram artist, Minasyan has completed “many thousands of pieces,” she estimates. The most in-demand items revolve around home decorating, including bedding, bath towels, shower curtains, pillows, and even custom furniture. Table linens are the most popular request, along with baby gifts; she personalizes 80-90 blankets each year. 

“It makes everything prettier,” she remarks. “Monogramming makes an ordinary object extraordinary and unique. A thoughtful and one-of-a-kind object and gift.”

The monogramming trend is not new. Having started as early as ancient Greece when rulers put their royal seal on currency, it continued into the Victorian Era when wealth and status were displayed via personalized garments and jewelry. Today, it has achieved artwork levels, becoming a trademark of elegant decor and bespoke gifts for every occasion. Its popularity has been sustained by family traditions, hospitality, and even as a symbol of relationships.

“I can make anything from clothing to draperies,” she explains, detailing the hours it takes to fine tune monograms into digitizing software—spacing every stitch on a computer screen—finding precisely matching threads, then transferring the designs to a monogramming machine, which further takes hours to complete the job. All work is done in house, with Minasyan overseeing all production. 

Design requests range from fruit, flowers, and animal motifs, to holiday symbols, and intricate nuptial initials symbolizing intertwining lives and names. Unlike online retailers that may feature only a handful of fonts, with Minasyan the possibilities are unlimited as she creatively “tinkers” with and customizes each project to reflect a clients’ font, fabric, and color preferences.

She does all the monogramming for D. Porthault Paris, a luxury linens retailer, and her attention to detail has captured the interest of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, lifestyle expert Carolyne Roehm, Oprah, Charlotte Moss, the Cincinnati soccer team, and Tommy Hilfiger, among others who choose to remain anonymous. 

Minasyan reminisces with pride about the now-all-grown-up customer who still cherishes the baby pillow monogrammed 20 years ago, and the local pear farm owner who has adopted the fruit as a property symbol, embellishing towels and napkins. Word of mouth advertising has attracted clients from San Francisco, to Colorado, Florida, and even Dubai. 

“Monogramming never goes out of style,” she notes. “It turns gifts into keepsakes and heirlooms.” 

Samples of Minasyan’s work can be viewed on @bestmonogram or by calling 860-868-7707. 

1 Titus Road, Washington Depot

By Joseph Montebello

After writing five memoirs, including the bestselling Hourglass: Time, Memory, Marriage and Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love—Dani Shapiro has returned to fiction. It has been 15 years since her novel Black and White was published. It is well worth the wait, for in Signal Fires Shapiro is at her best. And the history of the novel’s creation is just as fascinating.

“I think I always expected and hoped I would return to fiction,” she says. “It’s how I started and launched my career. I understand the long detour into memoir, which is what I’ve become known for. But I really didn’t know what was next. I was working on my podcast, doing some screenwriting. And then at the beginning of the pandemic I decided to clean out my office closet.

On the top shelf I found these 120 typewritten pages of a novel I’d started in 2009. I created this world and these characters that I loved. I was trying to structure a novel moving backwards in time. The first part takes place in 2010, then shifts back to 1999. I hit a wall and never thought I would go back to it. This was the book that got away.”

Well, not exactly. Shapiro sat down in her office right then and read what she had created and stored away. 

“I’m not in the habit of reading my older work because I usually think I can make it better. But I didn’t feel that way about those pages; I thought they were good! The two sections I’d written take place ten years apart. Who would these people be in 2022? I felt I had to tell the story.”

And all her many fans will be happy that she has. Two families, arriving at different times across the street from each other. The older doctor and the younger boy, who he delivered in childbirth, strike a bond that carries through the various time changes in the novel.

“I always wanted to write a novel that spans a significant amount of time with the same characters and really look at the way one family grows and changes over time,” explains Shapiro. “And I didn’t want time to work linearly. I think time moves around inside of us when we have memories. It’s like everything that’s ever happened keeps on happening in a way, and I wanted to capture that.”

And Shapiro does that in spades.

With the pandemic, hopefully, behind us, Shapiro’s publisher has planned an old-fashioned book tour rather than resorting to only online media. She will be traveling nationally and internationally, beginning in Connecticut with a signing at the Hickory Stick Bookshop in Washington and R.J. Julia Book Store in Madison. Meanwhile Shapiro continues her widely acclaimed podcast “Family Secrets,” now in its sixth season with over 25 million downloads.

By Clementina Verge

The onset of autumn signals a required transition for beauty regimens and the award-winning stylists at Byrde + the b are experts in helping you best navigate routines that reverse summer’s damage and restore health. 

Despite romanticized images of hair blowing in the wind, summer is not gentle on tresses, whether they’ve been immersed in chlorinated pools, exposed to salt water that dries hair, or burnt by the sun.

Caring for hair is as important as caring for skin, and involves a multi-step process incorporating essential nutrients, advises Scott Bond, multiple Emmy award-winning stylist and owner of Byrde + the b, a full-service luxury salon, and BYRDEMAN, a bespoke barbershop.

Nothing showcases a rejuvenated face better than a fresh hairstyle or flattering hues, and to maintain the just-left-the-salon feeling, Bond’s line of nontoxic products, along with brands such as Olapex and Davines, clarify, protect, and strengthen, while EVO custom color conditioners eliminate unwanted tones.

Stylist Lucy Callaway agrees: “Just as you need toner, serum, and moisturizer for your skin, you need the same for your hair. Olaplex (a bond-rebuilding system necessary for all processed and damaged hair) protein treatments and hydrating treatments are required for healthy, bouncy, shiny hair. Without the right cocktail of products, hair will suffer.”

Callaway recommends the Davines nounou mask for moisture and protein needs, and the Olaplex hydrating mask, which maintains strong and resilient hair in blondes and anyone else with colored, processed, or heat-damaged hair. 

Davines is also stylist Ange Zweifel’s “‘go to’ for healthy hair and scalp.”

“Achieving and maintaining a healthy scalp and healthy hair doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does need a routine of products,” she notes.

Coveted tresses are possible in six steps, according to the stylists.

Step 1: Shampoo.
“Always start with a shampoo for your hair type,” Zweifel recommends. “This can change with the season and our age. Dede is a gentle daily shampoo that can be combined with any conditioner.”

Step 2: Conditioner, as needed.

Options abound—including Olaplex, any of the Davines conditioners or treatment masks, and Byrde + the b daily—so speak with a stylist about what best suits your hair.

Step 3: Use protective and/or reparative products.
“Hair and scalp will always need product after being cleaned to protect them from the elements, including heat styling, sun, pollution, and more. Davines OI milk, dede mist, and minu serum are three I turn to for all my clients,” reveals Zweifel.

OI milk, reparative and conditioning, is ideal for individuals with thick and/or damaged hair. Dede provides moisture for all hair types; Zweifel prefers it for fine hair and bleached blondes. Minu serum, a pH balancer and protector, is suitable for all color-treated hair.

Step 4: Layer in your preferred styling product.

Step 5: Dry and style as desired.

Step 6: Finish with your favorite oil, paste, or spray.

“Using the correct products that restore hair pH and even out porosity is the only way to truly achieve shiny, lustrous hair,” Bond emphasizes. “Using what your stylist recommends at home is not a sales pitch. It is about keeping your hair healthy between visits.” —byrdeandtheb.com

By Joseph Montebello

Although Jane Golding was born in Kokomo, Indiana, she has been part of the Litchfield County community since 1968. That was the year her father was made director of the Horace Mann School John Dorr Nature Laboratory in Washington, CT, where students learn about environmental science, conservation, and outdoor living. Golding became an instructor for various outdoor courses. It was during that time that she met her future husband Gary Golding. They bought a small farm in Bantam, where they raised their two sons. Golding went on to earn a Master’s Gardener’s certificate. She worked for the CT Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) as a full-time maintainer for 27 years. Much of that time was spent predominantly at Topsmead State Forest, where she volunteered for the state’s brush fire team. 

Since 2001 Golding has been part of the Bantam Fire Company and has worn innumerable hats: EMT, Firefighter 1, Health and Safety Officer, Pump Operator, Public Safety Diver—to name but a few. She got a commercial driver’s license so that she is able to drive fire and medical apparatus and she is part of the Region 5 Dive Team and the Swift Water Rescue Team. Additionally, she plants and maintains Bantam town flowerbeds, Bantam Firehouse flowerbeds, and plants and maintains Bantam River Park. And now she has attained another achievement: she was recently made a lifetime member of the BFC—the first woman to ever receive this award in the history of the company. 

She continues to work tirelessly for the causes that ensure safe living in Litchfield County. In addition to her responsibilities at Bantam Fire Company, she, along with her husband, help maintain the hiking trails for the Litchfield Land Trust and the CT Forest and Parks Association. She is currently a part-time employee of the town of Litchfield, where she drives the senior bus.

“Jane Golding is a shining example of community service and unwavering commitment to our town,” says Denise Raap, First Selectwoman of Litchfield.

That opinion is echoed by Fran Devon, a member of Topsmead, who has worked with Golding and says “She is just dedicated to our community and does all she can to contribute to the well being of the people around her. Her gracious smile lights up the universe.”

She never waits to be asked—she simply takes on a task and carries it through to its fruition. As an example, when Bantam Fire Department had its annual Haz-Mat (Hazardous Materials) refresher class, Golding took it upon herself to supply a full breakfast for its members, including her own homemade danish.

While Golding retired from her full time job at DEP she continues her volunteer work. She is a shining example of dedication and commitment and the Bantam Fire Department is showing its gratitude with this very special citation.

By Francis J. Bosco Schell

“My patients used to tell me that I needed a clone,” says Bente Dahl-Busby, doctor in physiotherapy. That was when she had a busy practice with a partner at NordCare in Sharon that lasted 23 years. Little did she know then that eventually that wish would come true, though not literally.

In 2015 Bente, born and educated in Denmark, went on her own and opened Danica Center for Physical Theory and Movement Integration, adding her long-accumulated knowledge of overlapping disciplines, among them restorative Pilates and Tai Chi, to her manual therapy and women’s health work. Patients from the tri-state area and beyond flock to her elegant, light-filled Sharon studio for one-on-one care or group sessions, whether they be recovering from an injury or joint replacement, suffering acute back pain, having balance issues, or merely warding off the mobility and other challenges of aging. “At any moment, Bente has 500 best friends in the area trying to see her,” says back-pain patient Joe Ellis. Indeed, Danica’s fee-for-service schedule is always filled.

Enters the clone. Bente and her husband, sculptor Peter Busby, have lived in Cornwall for 31 years, raising their three children there. Sabina, the oldest, was always interested in healthcare, (her sister is a sculptor like daddy, her brother, a neuro- scientist) and she chose to pursue the physiotherapy doctoral program at Quinnipiac University. “I liked that in this program I would have my doctorate in seven years”, she says. She did it in six, graduating in 2016. She remembers her mother saying: “Now go out and get really good, then come back.” Sabina spent four years as a physiotherapist in Colorado, while becoming a Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Women’s Health, and a Pilates Rehabilitation instructor. In 2020, at 28, she came home to join her mother at Danica.

It has proved an ideal partnership. “Working with someone you have known all her life makes everything so much easier,” says Bente. “Sabina now has deep knowledge of our field, I trust her, and we think very much alike.” Adds Sabina: “I get to work with my best friend and we are always drawing on each other’s knowledge and experience to offer the best treatment plan for our patients.” When necessary, Mother and daughter can interchangeably treat the same clients.

While Bente has decades of experience, Sabina has brought youthful energy and fresh knowledge to the practice. She has added Board Certification in Orthopedic. (“I’m impressed with the specialization opportunities offered to this young generation of PT’s,” Bente says.) Sabina is expanding their work in Women’s Health issues, a much sought-after and needed specialty, be it for pelvic pain, pre- and post-partum health, or bowel/bladder function (also extending to men). She is also attracting a younger clientele.

Says Broadway actor and Sharon home-owner Blair Brown: “I have been working with Bente for years and she is constantly reconceiving your exercise programs and treatments, a rare combination. Now with her marvelous daughter, we are reaping the benefits of the next generation’s take on physiotherapy.”

101 Gay Street, Sharon, 860-397-5363, danicacenter.com

By Clementina Verge

Summer often leaves behind plenty of beautiful memories, but abundant sunshine also leaves behind compromised skin, making the seasonal shift into autumn an important time to assess overall skin health and establish a restorative routine for the months to come.

“It is very important to have a dermatologist carefully examine your skin after the summer months, to identify any new sun damage and implement steps to correct it,” admonishes Dr. Andreas Boker, whose New Preston Dermatology practice offers comprehensive and highly specialized care, ranging from skin cancer surveillance and treatment, to injectables, lasers, and expert facial rejuvenation.

Seasonal sun exposure increases the risk of skin cancer—the most common cancer in the United States, affecting one in five Americans in their lifetime, according to the American Academy of Dermatology Association. 

“Especially in Litchfield County, where people spend much time outdoors, skin cancer poses a serious concern, and unfortunately, it is often asymptomatic until it is too late,” cautions Dr. Boker, who is extensively experienced in treating cancer using highly-specialized, minimally-invasive Mohs micrographic surgery. “This is why preventative care is so important, to address any new suspicious lesions or changing moles before they become a problem. A detailed full-body skin exam and evaluation should, therefore, be an integral part of everyone’s yearly routine health check-up.” 

In addition to these risks, the sun’s ultraviolet rays also gradually deplete our skin of its collagen, antioxidants, and healing abilities, dulling its complexion and fostering premature aging. Restoring sun damaged skin back to health is possible with the use of specific medications and procedures, including periodic chemical peels or resurfacing techniques to regenerate the skin’s outermost layer. In addition, injection of hyaluronic acid gels in combination with microneedling or lasers can help boost deeper restructuring of collagen layers, leading to a long-lasting rejuvenation. All such procedures are expertly performed by Dr. Boker—an award-winning, Board-certified, and fellowship-trained dermatologist who splits his time between private practice in Manhattan and his satellite office in New Preston.  

In a state-of-the-art and chic environment, New Preston Dermatology also offers an extensive array of facial treatments and skin care services performed by Barbara Tilley, an experienced licensed aesthetician with special certifications in intimate hair removal, full body sugaring, microcurrent, dermaplaning, and brow/lash enhancement. Her work has been recognized in Litchfield Magazine’s annual Reader’s Choice Awards for three years running, in categories including Best Spa, Best Facial, Best Brows, and Best Lashes. 

“Expert skin care starts at the doctor’s office but is maintained by patients at home, using simple and clean products to preserve and enhance our results,” adds Dr. Boker, who prides himself on practicing honest, evidence-based medicine. “Especially going into the fall and winter months, it’s important to establish a daily corrective but also preventive skin care routine” he advises. “And as with everything else: consistency is key.” —newprestondermotology.com