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Written by Stacie M. Waldman

Category: The Goods

Published: 20 November 2013

Lululemon is all the rage in fitness fashion, and at $100 a pop for yoga pants, it's what every brand-conscious woman wants to wear to the gym. At some yoga studios, gyms, and specialty fitness centers, Lululemon is de rigeur. Do you own Lululemons? Following are some surprising facts about Lululemon's founder Chip Wilson:

• In a blog entry Wilson said that working women who take oral contraceptives are overstressed, and have caused the increased rate of breast cancer over the last 20 years, particularly if they also smoke.
• When a manufacturing glitch caused yoga pants to come out too sheer, rather than blame his company he claimed that women's oversized bodies, not the fabric, were to blame.
• In a blog entry Wilson admitted that he chose the company name as a joke on Asians. The name contains 3 "L"s and he thought it might help with product marketing, making it difficult for people from "The Orient" to pronounce this very western sounding name.
• Wilson is vocally in favor of child labor, holding the belief that children in "third world" countries should be allowed to work in factories for money, even though UNICEF has data to show that the number one way for a cycle of poverty to end is by educating children.

With all of this negative press will Lululemon continue to be able to turn their outsourced fabric into billions of dollars of profits? Wilson is said to have a net worth of $3 billion but will brand-conscious, ethical woman continue to shop at his stores after they know more about him? He has already offended women who work, women who are sexually active, women who work out to lose weight, the Asian population and objectors to child labor. Perhaps the tarnished brand image will result in lower sales.

Here's a little more information about Wilson:

On his blog (until it was suspiciously removed), Chip Wilson stated, "Breast cancer also came into prominence in the 1990's. I suggest this was due to the number of cigarette-smoking Power Women who were on the pill...and taking on the stress previously left to men in the working world." Critics have suggested that women who are currently battling breast cancer, are breast cancer survivors, or support breast cancer research, buy small iron-on pink ribbons and replace the prominent, reflective Lulu logo with them. (After all, it's hard to go and burn a bunch of comfortable, expensive yoga pants.)

Last March, when the manufacturing glitch was discovered, women in gyms all over the country were exposing their private parts by wearing see-through, black Lulu Lululemon leggings. The product recall cost the company $67 million. Rather than staying silent, apologizing, or poking fun at himself, Wilson blamed women's anatomy and said that the fact that women's thighs touch was the issue. In a Bloomberg interview he said, "We are a technology company and when you push technology...there's a thousand things that could go wrong. Quite frankly, some women's bodies just actually don't work," he continued, "It's about the rubbing through the thighs, how much pressure is there." His wife also attended the interview and admitted that the issue wasn't just the thighs but the sheerness from other angles as well - notably the rear. She suggested it was due to how the pants were being used and claimed that women were sitting on cement while exercising and causing the fabric to wear. Do you frequently see women working out on cement in their Lululemons?

As far as the name "Lululemon," Mr. Wilson blogged, "...A Japanese marketing firm would not try to create a...brand with the letter 'L' because the sound does not exist ... By including an 'L' in the name it was thought the Japanese consumer would find the name innately North American and authentic." In a follow up interview with a Canadian publication, he said, "It's funny to watch them try and say it."

The last surprise (or probably not given Mr. Wilson's gift of gab) is his position on child labor. He told a Canadian publication, The Tyee, "the single easiest way to spread wealth around the world is to have poor countries pull themselves out of poverty." But most agree that countries can pull themselves out of poverty by yanking children from school and sending them to work at garment factories. UNICEF states, "Education ends generational cycles of poverty and disease and provides a foundation for sustainable development." In the U.S. we have laws requiring children to attend schools and prevent youngsters from working. We tend to want our children to become as educated as possible because that is what will allow them to be most successful over the long-term. It's the same in developing countries. Children who have the greatest chance of securing their way out of poverty are the educated ones, not the ones being exploited in the factories.

Ironically, Lululemon is adding a children's line to its repertoire. Now American children will have the chance to dance and skate in pants made by children in sweatshops in Bangladesh. Let's see if Mom's embrace this new line.

It may be time for Wilson to do some damage control and donate some of his profits to good causes such as breast cancer research or UNICEF. Savvy customers may demand an explanation before they buy more Lululemons.

If, after learning all this about Wilson you want to support other brands of exercise wear, here a few comparable alternatives: Zella at Nordstrom, Lucy, Lole, Athleta, SweatyBetty, and YogaSmoga.

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Category: The Goods

Published: 27 November 2013

In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving we had the pleasure of honing our cooking skills at not one, but two classes at Sur La Table at The Westchester. The well-stocked store that opened about a year ago can be found in the space previously occupied by Restoration Hardware. In addition to food, cooking appliances, gadgets and gifts, the store features a massive chef's kitchen with a large center island that can accommodate 15-20 participants. The butcher-block apron surrounding the island gives everyone the chance to grab a knife and get in the act.

Classes are led by chef Ali Banks who manages her sometimes chatty guests with aplomb. She mixes stories about her Sicilain "Nonna," Italian for grandmother, with helpful tips she picked up while attending the Culinary Institute in Paris and magically manages the production of complex recipes into meals for the crowd. She demonstrates the use of prep tools such as the stainless steel scraper or the immersion blender to add versatility to your kitchen.

Guests divide into groups of four to prepare recipes from pre-measured ingredients. Individual burners are provided as well so that each group can tend to their own sauté pan or pot. The first night I attended a soup class that included four soups – some more like stews – that we cooked and sampled during a two-your class. During the course of the evening, Banks demonstrated the proper way to chop an onion, leaving the root intact and creating a grid of slices that resulted in square even pieces. She shared another tip on the proper order to add vegetables to the stockpot. Contrary to popular believe, onions are not necessarily first in. When cooking with hard root vegetables such as carrots, the hardest ingredients go in first, followed by softer ingredients such as celery and onions with garlic added last.

We prepared four soups:

• Sweet potato, apple and ginger
• Beef barley and vegetable
• Lentil and sausage with kale
• Fennel and leek with gruyere croutons

Of the four, I thought the last was best. The rich, creamy soups, topped off with a slice of baguette with melted cheese was scrumptious and a meal in itself.

The second night was a Thanksgiving preview featuring recipes from Ina Garten. Banks, who also worked at a butcher shop gave an impressive lesson on the preparation of a roast turkey laced with truffle butter, plus how to prepare homemade turkey gravy and the proper way to slice the bird. To accompany it, the class produced a salad of roasted butternut squash and dried cranberries with warm cider vinaigrette (recipe below). We'll be enjoying this one at our Thanksgiving dinner. Also on the menu were mashed potatoes and she provided good tips on how to prevent peeled potatoes from turning brown and how to mash them without releasing the starch. For dessert we enjoyed a pumpkin and banana mousse tart in a graham cracker crust. That night we received an added bonus – each participant got a signed copy of Ina Garten's cookbook, Foolproof. A full calendar of classes can be viewed here – and the space and the chef can also be hired out for private parties. Prices range from $39 to $100 per class and there are classes for kids, teens and adults.

Notes:

• At the regular classes, no alcohol is permitted – perhaps because large knives and wine don't mix.
• Though you don't take home your creations you do leave with a full stomach, so classes are educational and filling.
• At each class discount coupons for 10% off store merchandise are distributed and there is time to shop for some of the cool gadgets used in class.

Sur La Table at The Westchester
Phone: 914-220-9816
Class Calendar: http://www.surlatable.com/browse/storeCalendar.jsp?storeId=115&&offset=1
Email: cooking115@surlatable.com

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette (Serves 4)

1 (1 ½-pound) butternut squash, peeled and 3/4-inch diced
Good olive oil
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons dried cranberries
¾ cup apple cider or apple juice
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
4 ounces baby arugula, washed and spun dry
½ cup walnut halves, toasted
¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place the squash on a sheet pan. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the maple syrup, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and toss. Roast the squash for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until tender. Add the cranberries to the pan for the last 5 minutes.

While the squash is roasting, combine the apple cider, vinegar, and shallots in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the cider is reduced to about ¼ cup. Off the heat, whisk in the mustard, ½ cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper.

Place the arugula in a large salad bowl and add the roasted squash mixture, the walnuts, and the grated Parmesan. Spoon just enough vinaigrette over the salad to moisten, and toss well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

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Category: The Goods

Published: 13 November 2013

When we first met Diane Forley and Michael Otsuka shortly before Thanksgiving in 2009 they had just opened Flourish Baking Company on Summerfield Street in Scarsdale. The chefs, a married couple with extensive experience at Manhattan restaurants, had decided to produce savory meals and baked goods that were healthy without sacrificing taste.

They recognized that gluten free diets were on the rise and that many were looking to avoid the white flour, sugar and buttercream frosting customarily found in bakery treats. They came up with a line of vegetable pot pies and snack bars made with organic flour and grains and fresh vegetables which are now sold at Whole Foods, Balduccis,, Dean and Deluca, Equinox Health Clubs and can even be ordered on Fresh Direct. They also offer their goods at the weekly farmers markets in Larchmont and Chappaqua. In the last three years they have grown an impressive manufacturing business and now plan to enhance their local business in Scarsdale by offering fresh foods from their shop, opening a small café and even giving healthy cooking classes in their industrial-sized kitchen.

They have come up with some wonderful new menu items for the holidays as well as gift offerings of healthy treats and snacks and allowed me to come down for a tasting this week. I sampled tuscan bean spread with olives,  squash and chick pea salad, bread sticks, focaccia, lavender shortbread, dried apples and pie –and it was all delectable.

Beginning with Thanksgiving, Flourish is offering everything but the turkey and has a full plate of side dishes, breads and desserts for your celebration. Here are just a few of the Thanksgiving items that can be ordered (by 11/22) and picked up before the holiday:

Cauliflower Bisque
Brussel Sprouts Hash
Glazed Sweet Potato Rounds
Kale, Collard and Spinach Pie
Wild Rice Pilaf
Challah Bread Stuffing
Michael's Cranberry Sauce

Many of these items are gluten free or vegan -- which will allow you to feed guests with special dietary needs.

This year, as Hanukkah coincides with Thanksgiving, you may want to recognize both traditions on your table. To celebrate the festival of light, Flourish is selling root vegetable latkes or potato latkes as well as Hudson Valley applesauce, beignets shortbread dreidels, hand made maple pecan rugelach and almond and fennel seed biscotti.

Their new line of prepared foods and gift items are on display at the bakery on Summerfield Street – just down the way from the Eastchester Fish Gourmet. Many of the items are wrapped for holiday giving and will make nice presents for the healthy and unhealthy eaters on your list.
Take a look at these organic spiced cashews and pumpkin and sunflower brittle that looks like Diane's take on Heath Bar Crunch. Also appealing are these individual apple pies in a jar that can be heated in the microwave or oven and make any day a holiday.

But you don't need a special occasion to visit Flourish. They are baking up savory muffins and tarts that make good lunches or dinners. Soon they will also be serving coffee and baked goods in their café and invite you to visit and spend some time at the shop.

To preview their new line and enjoy a free taste, attend the open house on Thursday night November 14 from 5 pm to 8 pm. Flourish will be sampling their fare that night and invite the community to attend.

Flourish Baking Company
160 Summerfield Street
Scarsdale
(914) 725-1026
www.flourishbakingcompany.com