Extraordinary Private Châteaux Encounters

I t’s always fun to add pleasure to business, so when clients decided to schedule meetings in August in Central France,

one post on the Le Rosey Alumni Facebook Page just before boarding the flight to Bordeaux, resulted in a magical experi-ence for the Altima Team.

“Rosey Alumni have very unique and special privi-leges. I hadn’t seen Irène since 1976, but, that did-n’t stop her from welcoming us whole-heartedly to Chateau Le Port Joulain, graciously introducing us to fellow neighbors and taking the time to offer us

a magical and memorable experience”

says Maribel

Château Le Port Joulain

Everyone should tour the Loire Valley through the eyes of a ‘resident connoisseur’, understanding their legacy and culture, their fabulous food, exquisite wines, but most importantly their gracious hospitality and inherent class with no need for pretentions and airs… We would like to share with you a few of the châ-teaux and manoirs we were privi-leged to be invited to…

An Altima business trip transformed into a

magical experience...

Then off we were to visit her neighbors. Our

first stop, an impromptu visit to Florence de

Saint Genis and Roberto Davico at their home

Château de la Lorie.

O ur hostess started our day with freshly baked breads and

seasonal salads from her ‘kitchen garden’.

Built in the 1650’s, this aesthetic marvel was expanded throughout the 18th century. The

Marquis of la Lorie added a chapel and the marble lounge, magnificently furnished under its

graceful cupola. The gracious hosts opened their kitchen door and proceeded to give us a

tour of their grand residence.

DAY ONE IN THE LOIRE VALLEY

After a brief stop in St. Emilion where we sam-pled a dozen Grand Crus before selecting wines to offer our hostess, we drove a few hours to Angers, turned in our car and surrendered our-selves to our resident guide, Irène de La-bouchère. We were welcomed with her gracious and noble hospitality … and her home became our home. Thus begins our magical experience

Château Le Port-Joulain www.leportjoulain.com

Our Home away from Home

In true French fashion, our tour culmi-

nated with a farewell gathering in the

most important room of a French Home

-THE KITCHEN

St. Emilion

Château de Douy

L e Verger, a stone-structured manoir adorned with luscious flower-beds, exquisitely decorated and immaculately maintained Bed and Breakfast is a testament to a true labor of love. Irish-born Anthony Murphy and his partner Marc were diligently refurbishing one of

the many ‘treasures’ upon our arrival. Within minutes, a tray of their signa-ture Cosmopolitan Martinis and a tasteful display of ‘amuse-bouches’ fea-turing Foie Gras de Canard was presented to us in the Loggia.

To view complete gallery of this charming Chambre d’hotes, go to: http://www.leverger-chambredhotes.com/

LE VERGER

n ext stop was a visit to Chateau du Plessis in

La Jaille-Yvon, a 10 minute drive through

quaint villages and picturesque pastures

where a completely different experience

awaited us. Owned by Valerie Renoul Benoit, and man-

aged by Chef Olivier Rivière, this charming chateau, has

been transformed into a romantic get-away. Swimsuits in hand, Olivier escorted

us to the pool where we soaked in the tranquility before our next adventure—

Le Verger.. Another 10 minutes down the road.

Château du Plessis

http://chateau-du-plessis.com/

P atrice de La Rochefoucauld hosted our client, Graham Gaspard, President of Black River Caviar at his home, Château de Douy.

“I spent three nights in Jerome Bonaparte’s room hoping for a visitation—Unfortunately he didn’t think my presence was worthy enough! Nonetheless, the experi-

ence will remain with me forever!“ says Graham.

Château de Thoury

How can many people can say,

“Joan of Arc shared my bedroom?”

Stanislas Fougeron can!!

Fougeron, owner of the fairytale-like Château de Thoury

which dates back to the 12th century and was restored in

the 14th century by Louis II of Bourbon, invited the Alti-

ma team to visit this historical treasure. Too much histo-

ry to include in this newsletter! You’ll be happy to know

it’s open to the public April through October.

Let the Games Begin!!!! LONDON 2012

Pashcow models the official U.S.A. Team Outfit

designed by Ralph Lauren

P alm Beach resident, Joel Pashcow, experienced an exceptional summer— First

Wimbledon, then the Olympics where as Honorary U.S. Olympic Coach he experi-

enced it like no other… “Engaging with these young, talented and devoted athletes

was truly a remarkable experience. They are an inspiration to all of us!”

Memorable moments, inspirational moments, serious moments...

The International games continued...In the Alps

D ear Mr. Ivy,

Thank you very, very much for the opportunity to go to camp in Switzerland! I had such a great experience and a BLAST! I made a lot of cool and interesting new friends from all over the world. One of my friends is Amein, he lives in

Jordan and has a country house in Russia and also a yacht, which I thought was amazing. One of my roommates, ‘Can’ was from Turkey. Artium and Igor were from Russia and Igor is a really great tennis player like my other roommate Max. I also met Joel who was half Swiss and half Japanese, lives in Hong Kong and was a great ping-pong player.

Probably the best part about camp was all the exciting sports and activities. The ’trust games’ with the blindfolded partner and the one where someone would walk on a rope held by the other campers were really fun. The murder mystery game was also very fun and challenging

My favorite of all of the activities were the high ropes course and the hut trip. The hut trip started with hiking to the top of the moun-tain. I loved the revolving restaurant at the top and the view was beautiful. After the restaurant we walked to the hut and saw the amazing mountains and views. When we got to the hut we were drenched so we hung our clothes up to dry and warmed up by the campfire before going to bed. In the morning the weather was nice and we left after feeding bananas to the cows.

Letter from Graham Gaspard Jr. thanking Village Camps

Joel and Roger Federer at

Wimbledon

Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney

International night was great and I got to learn about other countries from the skits that the campers performed. Prom night was fantastic, we were served a fancy dinner and we got to watch dance camp and other performances. Then we

danced and Vittoria and I were crowned Prom King and Queen. I loved all of my counselors too! They were all a lot of fun, but my favorite

was Alex. He was from England. He had great enthusiasm and a great personality. He was the best counselor ever!

THANK YOU VILLAGE CAMPS!!!— Graham Gaspard Jr.

Vittoria, Counselor Alex and Me www.VillageCamps.com

O nce you meet Ken Gross,

it’s easy to see that as

President and CEO of

Capponi Construction

Group, he takes a hands-

on role in the company’s people and

projects. Working with company name-

sake, Michael Capponi, he engages in

the initial review as well as the ongoing

oversight of every project. His leader-

ship role with premier construction

companies in prestigious projects in the

United States and the Caribbean is val-

ued at over $2.7 billion.

Ken knows what luxury clients are look-

ing for whether it’s in a custom single

family home, or five-star hotel rooms for a prestige hotel company.

He first came to South Florida in the early 1990s when a client asked

him to oversee the construction of a 15,000 square foot second

home. His reputation and extensive history building luxury residen-

tial properties, multi-use properties, and residential towers nation-

wide led him to serve as a senior executive for companies including

Bovis Lend Lease and WCI Communities. Prior to forming the new

Capponi Construction Group LLC, Kenneth was a Senior Project Exec-

utive for Ocean Properties, Ltd. in Delray Beach. The largest privately

held owner/operators of hotels in the United States and Canada.

KEN GROSS

Back to Work, Back to Work, Our Eye is On….Our Eye is On….

01 Blue Green Diamond Condominiums | Bovis Lend Lease | Executive PM

02. OceanSide Condominium | WCI Communities | Executive PM

03 Mosaic Condominium | WCI Communities| Executive PM

04 Regent Bal Harbor | WCI Communities | Executive PM

Y ahoo Finance recently recognized Capponi Construction Group for the company’s expansion in the

Palm Beaches. “In a move that confirms the renewed vitality of real estate and construction in

Florida’s Palm Beach County, Michael Capponi, Chairman of Capponi Construction Group, LLC, and

Vanessa Grout, CEO of luxury real estate firm Douglas Elliman, Florida Brokerage marked the

Grand Opening of a shared office space at 444 E. Palmetto Park Rd in Boca Raton.

I nstitut Le Rosey, — a true ‘melting pot’ and an

example to the world... After over 130 years, this

institution has succeeded in nurturing a harmoni-

ous community amidst a conflictive and tumultu-

ous world. Located in the Swiss Alps, Le Rosey offers

students from diverse ethnic, cultural and religious

backgrounds a multi-cultural platform where toler-

ance, communication and humanitarian values are an

inherent part of the education.

Back to School, Back to School, It’s more than a school for lifeIt’s more than a school for life—— A SCHOOL FOR THE FUTUREA SCHOOL FOR THE FUTURE

“If our world leaders had grown up with the re-

spect for others and the values we learned at

Rosey, the world would be a better place. ”

says Alumni Alexis Posada.

Thursday, Sept. 6th

BICE, SUPERCAR and Altima

invite you to an

Après Fashion Soirée

La Dolce Vita Thursday, Sept 6th 8:00 PM

BICE Ristorante 313 1/2 Worth Aevnue

Après Fashion Soirée at Bice celebrating ‘La Dolce Vita’, will immediately follow Worth Avenue’s Fashion’s Night Out . Highlights of the

evening include special prices on Dolce Vita Birra, Bice Martinis and a special bar-bite menu prepared by Chef Elmer Sarabia.

T hough the event is open to the public, pre-

registered guests will have the added benefit of

complimentary mini-palm readings by Palm Beach’s

local psychic, Ava of Psychic

Visions, as well as participating in

raffles and ‘glam shots’ with the latest

vespas and supercars serving as back-

drops, courtesy of Michael Price and

Neil London.

A limited number of swag bags spon-

sored by Juicy Couture and Melissa

Peverini, founder of Versi-comb, and

Golden Brown Skin Food for Sun Care

by New World Organics; will be offered to the first 200 ladies

who pre-register. The bags will be available at Bice Ristorante

upon check-in.

To pre-register for the event, please go to: http://www.altimacclub.com/#!whatshappening/c1d76

Prior to the special Soirée, guests are encouraged to stop by Juicy

Couture and Hamilton Jewelers on Worth Avenue to preview new

collections and indulge in the ultimate shopping

Hamilton Jewelers will showcase Ivanka Trump

Fine Jewelry and the latest fashions of Badgley

Mischka. Stylist, Katherine Lande and beauty ex-

pert Debora Koepper will be available for fashion

and makeup consultations. Enjoy chocolate delights and fine Gran

Tuscan wines, courtesy of Lo Scopaio .

J uicy Couture will be showcasing the Fall Collection of ‘Bird Cou-

ture by Juicy’. Guests will have the opportunity to shop this

exclusive collection available in only 9 stores nationwide, while en-

joying a variety of beauty and wellness luxuries. Visit the Bangs Bar,

where stylist to the stars Melissa Peverini will offer complimentary

‘bangs styling’. Guests will also partake in

one-on–one consultations with renowned

aesthetician Pearl Carson and enjoy mini

massages by Melanie Robertson. The event

is generously sponsored by La Cacciatora

wines and Chef Michael Ober. Ten percent

of proceeds from sales will benefit Forever

Family Foundation—a non-profit, non-

sectarian, 501 C3 organization that sup-

ports the premise that life does not end

with physical death, furthers the under-

standing of Afterlife Science and survival of consciousness, and

offers support to the bereaved.

SAVE THE DATES...

Celebrity Stylist Melissa Peverini,

founder of Versi-comb

Hi Friends,

Against all odds I was able to touch down in Haiti Sunday morning with 15 duffel bags filled with tents and aid supplies. The mission began in Belvil, Haiti where we helped revive the homes of families in need. The people were overjoyed to see us as they proclaimed they had been praying for help.

Later we drove to Jacmel, Haiti to bring aid to our HEM village. Upon arrival more than half of their homes had been completely destroyed. The people of the HEM village represent the future of Haiti as the adults are newly graduates of the HVS Hospitality School and the children are currently enrolled in private schools scheduled to begin on the first of October. These people are beginning a new life and are just starting to get their feet off the ground.

It is imperative that this natural disaster does not prohibit them from achieving their goals and aspirations. I am currently still on grounds trying to resolve the issue at hand. Your help would be greatly appreciated in this matter, as the people of the HEM village have been and will continually be forever grateful for your help.

Thanks to your love and support all of this is possible.

A letter from Michael Capponi, founder of the Haiti Empowerment Mission

Giving Back...Capponi Construction Group, LLC supports Haiti Giving Back...Capponi Construction Group, LLC supports Haiti

To make a monetary donation, please go to www.haitiempowermentmission.org

These funds will be allocated to the people of the HEM village to recover their path to success.

Anything and everything is appreciated!

T ravel the Globe with all of your senses in one

fabulous location September 28-30th in New

York City at The Travel & Lei-

sure Global Bazaar. The se-

cond year of this outstanding

show curated by editors from Travel & Leisure Maga-

zine promises to top last year’s event which attracted

almost 5,000 luxury globetrotters who for one weekend

experience food, spirits, live music, cultural performanc-

es, shopping, and people from all over the world. Come

spend time with Black River Caviar and Seabourn while

celebrity chefs promise to take you on an epicurean journey. Slated to

attend include: Masaharu Morimoto, Scott Conant, Michael White, Tim Love,

Johnny Iuzzini, Jose Garces, Floyd Cardoz, and Jose Andres.

More Dates to Remember... Around the World in 3 Days with Seabourn and Black River Caviar.

For ticket information visit:

http://www.travelandleisure.com/promo/globalbazaar/

September 2012 Events

6 Altima’s Fashion Celebration

Fashion’s Night Out in Palm Beach

12 Palm Beach Illustrated A-List Party

(by-invitation-only)

11-16 Cannes Boat Show

salonnautiquecannes.com

19–22 Monaco Boat Show

www.monacoyachtshow.com

21–23 Miami International Wine Fair

28-30 Travel & Leisure Global Bazaar in NYC

Haiti Empowerment Mission 501(c)3 non-profit organization

With special thanks to Shuzz

Foundation for shoes.