LIFE & STYLE
DAY OF THE DADS / MONTH OF THE GRADS EDITION
If May is summer’s waiting room, June marks the real deal, flinging open the door that gives access to sun-saturated dusk-to-dawn beaches and ballparks, along with nights sparked by bonfires and barbecues lit by tiki torches and fireflies. Adding to June’s myriad plusses are celebrations of fathers, father figures, and the dudes and dudettes whose caps and gowns signal new beginnings. Party on!
OVER AND ABOVE BOARD
Kitchen kitsch is inevitable—barn animal potholders, cartoon kitty fridge magnets, wall clocks overrun by ceramic tomatoes, and so on. Assuming none are on Chef Dad’s wish list, it’s a safe bet that one or more Fab Slabs Cutting Boards will rate an appreciative high five and/or hug. Crafted from sustainable Australian Camphor Laurel tree wood, these antibacterial, eco-savvy boards function far beyond Veggie Chopping 101, offering a sturdy wherewithal to slice steak, fillet fish, or grace the table in the role of charcuterie board. Info: fabslabsusa.co
THE TOAST OF THE TRACK
Whether raising a glass to the man who taught you how to multitask before multitasking was a thing, or the kid who brilliantly aced commencement exercises, the occasion clearly requires a superstar bubbly. Enter Ferrari Trento F1 Limited Edition Brut, an exceptional sparkling wine from Italy’s acclaimed Ferrari Trento vineyards. It arrived on the Grand Prix scene with a beautifully fresh palate and bragging rights to the title Official Toast of Formula 1®. Even the label design boasts serious F1-esque cachet, like the one created for last month’s Miami Grand Prix.
Info: ferraritrento.com
FACIAL PHENOM
Let’s talk sheet masks. You apply one to your face, play zombie with the kids, after 15 to 20 minutes peel it off, and… meh. Still, I like the concept, so I gave Invity SuperNAD Youth Activating Facial Sheet Masks a shot. The ingredients, including Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD) and plant-based components, were encouraging, as was the lushness of the mask itself. First application: hydration that lasted, not kidding, two days; second application: noticeable firmness; ongoing: two to three times a week for optimum results; currently: I’m hooked. Info: myinvity.com
“I” CANDY
School colors, clip art, customized text and other M&M perks—including your favorite grad’s face—have upped the big day ante, and it gets even better when you deliver the quintessential candies in a foot-tall bottle, sleek gift jar, or way awesome Personalizable M&M’s Class of 2022 Dispenser. Reminiscent of classic gumball machines, this cool refillable device is small enough for side table or desk snacking, but big enough to wow as centerpiece. Worth noting: “Commencement” sports double m’s—accident or happy coincidence? Info: mms.com
BLANKET STATEMENT
No one would call me outdoorsy, but when the opportunity arises to spend a languid Sunday picnicking in Central Park, or to stretch out under the stars for a summer concert, I’m in. If this aligns me with rugged alfresco types who shop Coalatree, so be it. As for my picnic-concert must-have, I totally surrender to the eco-brand’s Puffy Kachula Adventure Blanket. Water repellant, cozy, and ingeniously convertible, the blanket morphs into a rain poncho (with hood!) or a comfy pillow. No smoke & mirrors, just cunning zipper-and-snaps hocus-pocus.
Info: coalatree.com
ESPRIT DE SHRIMP
As a practicing pescatarian, anything culinary involving seafood is totally on my radar. Now that warm weather has set in and firing up the grill is de rigueur, my annual quest for a beefburger alternative brought me to Del Pacifico Seafood’s Wild Mexican Blue Shrimp Burgers. Good call. The shrimp-exclusive company, boasting sustainable harvesting by artisanal anglers, has redefined the whole shrimp burger gestalt by serving up a chopped, divinely dense, filler-free, savory patty. Beware, though… pilfering carnivores are everywhere. Info: delpacificoseafoods.com
BURNING DESIRE
A cigar connoisseur I am not, but I do have a couple of friends who know their way around humidors. Recruited to test puff Freud Cigar Co.’s debut collection, SuperEgo, they were not disappointed, giving the new Dominican-Nicaraguan luxury blend two very satisfied thumbs up. And since the company name, as well as the designation “SuperEgo,” are tied to cigar enthusiast/Father of Psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud (iconically photographed cigar in hand), it’s a good bet SuperEgo would make the perfect gift for any cigar loving father.
Info: freudcigars.com
DULY NOTED
Anyone with a computer, laptop, tablet, or overextended cell phone occasionally needs to jot something down by hand. It happens. But paper and pens have become increasingly elusive as we look to downsize workspace clutter. Refusing to accept frantic scrounging as an option, I’ve turned to Quartet Glass Dry-Erase Desktop Easel as a solution. Vertical, it doesn’t hog valuable desk real estate, the tempered glass surface won’t stain or ghost and, inanimate object that it is, it exists only to serve… even the most bizarre of brainstorms! Info: quartet.com