Life Lessons from Katie Sandler

I was born without a physical ear, and no ear canal, on my left side. Over the years, I had surgeries meant to replicate the ear structure. They took cartilage out of my rib cage and sculpted it; then they wrapped it in a nice bow with skin grafts. It took eight surgeries—the first one

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Katie Sandler LMG photos
Broward chefs share the best meal they ate last year

Jorge Ramos, executive chef at Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach Paula DaSilva, executive chef at The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale Edgar Beas, executive chef at Dune, Auberge Beach Residences & Spa, Fort Lauderdale Jorlian Rivera, executive chef at S3, Fort Lauderdale Alex Becker, executive chef at Kuro, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood   What’s the

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Creek on the Map

For years, Coconut Creek staff has looked for a way to share current and upcoming projects with residents. They experimented with tables and online portals, but, says Sustainable Development Director Sheila Rose, they were never user-friendly. Recently, the city introduced a solution: a web application from ESRI, a digital mapping company whose software is used

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Shining Example

Runners who live in Coconut Creek recognize North Creek Presbyterian Church as the site of the annual North Creek Explorer 5K (pictured above), a race that benefits the Coconut Creek Police Department Explorers. But the church, which has been a Creek staple for more than 20 years, also reaches out to the community through other

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Cristian Moreno finds his personal best at the Butterfly Run

Photos by John Hartzell   Cristian Moreno ran both track and cross country at Monarch High School, and, every year, he and teammate Brandon Flagler would compete in Coconut Creek’s Butterfly Run. “We treated it as a competition race, and we practiced for it together,” he says. They started running together when Moreno was a

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Broward Chefs dish on South Florida’s culinary scene

Pictured from left to right: Jorge Ramos, executive chef at Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach Paula DaSilva, executive chef at The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale Edgar Beas, executive chef at Dune, Auberge Beach Residences & Spa, Fort Lauderdale Jorlian Rivera, executive chef at S3, Fort Lauderdale Alex Becker, executive chef at Kuro, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel &

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South Florida chefs
Entrepreneur Danielle Dattile on her wine importing company

Photography by Eduardo Schneider When Danielle Dattile left South Florida for New York City at age 21, she had visions of a life similar to Sarah Jessica Parker’s character in “Sex in the City.” Sixteen years later, as CEO of Onze Importers in Fort Lauderdale, Dattile is living a life that Paul Giamatti’s character in

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5 Questions with Bill Kerdyk Jr., CEO, Kerdyk Real Estate

Bill Kerdyk Jr. has never been one to keep still. At one point, he was serving as vice mayor of Coral Gables, running his real estate business, heading a golfing business and serving as chairman of the board of the Bank of Coral Gables. Keeping busy in service to others runs in his family. His

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Q&A with John W. Newcomer of South Florida Behavioral Health Network

With a high prevalence of mental illness and substance abuse, South Florida represents one of the nation’s areas of unmet need. No one knows this better than John W. Newcomer, a psychiatrist who has dedicated the past 30 years to studying mental illness and substance abuse.  For more than 20 years, the Pinecrest resident worked

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Art to the Sky

Just west of Wynwood, near Miami International Airport, one of Florida’s tallest murals stretches more than 13 stories high. Artist Rey Jaffet spent nearly four months hand-painting the piece—splashed in vibrant red, purple and yellow hues and titled “We Are One”—onto the eastern façade of Pinnacle Heights, an affordable housing community created by Pinnacle Housing

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Yoga Cure’s New Owners Take Flight

Photos by Eduardo Schneider As an airline pilot, Wolfgang Mattern had seen every corner of the globe. Lisa, his wife, was a flight attendant for the same German airline, LTU International. She, too, had traveled the world. They met almost 30 years ago, many times flying the same routes together. Until recently, and for the

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Student to Student

It’s Wednesday morning at Liberty Elementary School on the Margate-Coconut Creek border, and fifth-grade teacher Keri Carrow is reviewing a science lesson with her students. Next to one fifth-grader is someone you usually wouldn’t see in a fifth-grade class: Stephanie Vargas, a senior from Monarch High School. While the class takes the science test on

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