Skip to main content

August 11, 2026
August 4, 2026
July 31, 2026
July 28, 2026
July 28, 2026
July 14, 2026
June 30, 2026
June 11, 2026
June 1, 2026
May 27, 2026
May 14, 2026
May 1, 2026
April 20, 2026
Menu

New York

Cover Stories, Entertainment, The Issue

One on One with Deco Drives Shireen Sandoval-Cover Shoot

/

By Angela Betancourt Keeping track of all the entertaining things happening in South Florida is not for the faint of heart. Between the pulsating nightlife, fashion shows, movie shoots, and all the celebrities gallivanting around town, Keeping up with the Kardianshians is a walk in the park. Yet one woman has proven that when it comes to reporting on all things entertainment, she stands in a class of her own. Shireen Sandoval is the current Entertainment/Features and Film Critic for Deco Drive on WSVN. Her job is to travel around the world interviewing some of the world’s biggest stars while keeping Miami informed of the latest celebrity and fashion happenings. If there is something going down, “Shireen is on the scene” to get the scoop day after day without skipping a beat. She has interviewed some of the most famous people on earth like Oprah and George Clooney and does it all with an impeccable sense of style. There is no doubt that Shireen is also one of Miami’s best dressed reporters and she proudly shares her love of all things fashion on her blog “Shireen’s Favorite Things”. However, before her favorite things became a blog; before she was jet setting around the world, and interviewing Oprah; Shireen was a woman with a big vision and a dream to create an amazing life. Shireen was born on August 15th in Albuquerque New Mexico. Growing up she spent a lot of time with her grandfather, the late Robert Wilkes, who worked in the entertainment industry and was the first to expose her to the world of TV and film. Mr. Wilkes was a sound engineer and jack of all trades. After years of working behind the scenes of major TV shows and motion pictures like the Exorcist, Mr. Wilkes retired into theatre and at one point worked at the famed Kennedy Theatre in Washington DC. “He was very interesting and very worldly,” said Shireen. She credits him for being a big influence in her career and setting her on a path into television. She enrolled at Eastern New Mexico University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in both Broadcast Journalism and Theatre Arts. After graduation she began her broadcasting career as a reporter/anchor at the ABC and NBC affiliates in Amarillo, Texas. Initially she wanted to report hard news. She envisioned herself as a war correspondent and telling stories that would change the world. Instead, she found herself reporting entertainment news. “At job auditions they always said I was an ok reporter but that my entertainment stuff was really good,” she explained. “But I fought it at first.” She admired women like Katie Couric and Barbara Walters that were out there reporting on the major issues. But it was the entertainment industry that became her true calling. She realized that it didn’t matter what kind of reporter she became as long as she could tell great stories and enjoy doing it. And just like that, “Shireen on the Scene” was born. Her exuberant personality, intelligence, and charm immediately began catapulting her career to new heights. Early on she got an opportunity to work at the FOX affiliate in Indianapolis, Indiana where she continued her “Shireen on the Scene” segments as the Features/Entertainment Reporter. A few years later, Shireen found herself in Miami and joined the FOX Affiliate WSVN where she became one of Miami’s most recognized TV personalities. It’s been a decade and Shireen is going stronger than ever. In 2006, she left for New York to follow her dream of being on a national show. She fearlessly took a bite out of the big apple and went to work for NBC and freelanced for ESPN. What she discovered during this time was a defining moment in her career.   “I wanted to work on a national show and then found that creativity is not as needed. You are a talent and you become a performer and deliver information. I lost the ability to be fully involved with a story. You go to an interview and they give you the questions you have to ask.” She shared admitting that she was uncomfortable asking questions that were often times irrelevant. “I got to do national TV and it was everything I thought it would be, but it turned out I wasn’t who I thought I was. I needed to be more involved in the creative process.” A year later, Shireen moved back to Miami and reclaimed her rightful spot “on the scene”. “New York is great but I love Miami. I don’t see myself leaving Florida. There is a great quality of life here and I love the people I work with. Deco Drive is a special show and WSVN is like a family. We love the talent and the producers we have. It’s a team. You don’t get that on a national level.,” said Shireen. Shireen’s life really is as shiny and as glamorous as it looks. Though she recognizes her many blessings, life doesn’t sparkle all the time. To her the downside of being an entertainment reporter, film critic, and active blogger, are the hours of relentless work that go into making things look seamless. In college no one ever told her that working in this industry meant working on holidays, working crazy hours, and not always being able to lead a normal routine like everyone else. “I wouldn’t change my past but I have made sacrifices to have my career. You have to be really committed to staying on the top. I’m not a mother and I’m single now even though I’ve been married before. I gave up some degree of working on my personal life. It just kind of happened by default not because I did it on purpose,” she said. “I haven’t found that perfect balance but I am working on it. I believe that a woman can have it all.” Staying on top of her game might not be easy, but Shireen makes it

Culinary, The Issue

Bocce Bar’s Newest Acquisition, Chef Daniel Tackett

/

By Nycole Sariol Change can be stifling. Oftentimes, it can induce a sense of anguish, unavoidable doubt, and a medley of “what ifs.” But on the knife-and-fork scene, as far as Miami is concerned, change is welcomed with open arms – Bocce Bar’s newest addition, Chef Daniel Tackett can certainly attest to that. At its inception late of last year, the Midtown grub-hub, responsible for awakening all six senses by way of traditional Italian cuisine, was first steered by non-other than the 305’s most beloved restaurateur of Sugarcane Raw Bar and Grill, Chef Timon Balloo. And when news came that Balloo would be handing his second “child” over to the then New York-based chef, Daniel Tackett, to helm the kitchen, questions pertaining to the inconclusive outcome of the eight-month old restaurant and its menus were bound to ensue. Though his departure from Bocce to focus full-time on his first love, Sugarcane, came as bit of a surprise, Balloo, alongside partners, Samba Brands Management, chose the right man with the same size foot to fill his shoes. And while Tackett may be the new-kid-on-the-block with only eight weeks of being apart of Miami’s food scene underneath his belt, by no means is he a novice to the art of Italian cuisine. The now executive chef has sizable bragging rights, as former sous chef under the guidance of James Beard Award Winner Michael White at places like Alto and seafood haven, Marea, amid the unruly streets of New York City. Tackett also has the liberty to humbly boast about adding Scarpetta New York to his dense repertoire. But contrary to popular belief, Chef Tackett is no stranger to cooking up Italian signatures in South Florida. In fact, Tackett spent one whole summer lending a deft hand in the kitchen of Giovanni Rocchio at Valentino’s Cucina Italiana in Fort Lauderdale, earning him South Florida street cred amongst Miami’s best. And since being dubbed big-man-in-charge at Bocce, Tackett now has free range to integrate his past to coincide seamlessly with his present, tweaking-up Bocce’s menu – namely, towards more “seafood-centric” offerings. Change was inevitable upon Tackett’s arrival, yet he still wanted to embrace Balloo’s ideology of simplicity, keeping true to authentic Italian culture and tradition. However, just because simplicity is the inferred style of cooking under Tackett’s reign, his dishes are nowhere near meager. The first area he sought to jump start on the menu was dinner with flavor- laden dishes like the Gnocchetti Sardi Al Negro, a plate ingratiated by black squid-ink, durum-wheat pasta, enriched with tomato-grazed baby octopus and calamari, and bedashed with bread crumbs and basil, which may have been imbued by his time spent at Marea. Chef Tackett says, “It’s kind of that answer to Fra Diavolo – a good depth of flavor from cooking the octopus in the tomato, which also helps tenderizes.” His next area of transformation: “We’re gearing up for the lunch menu changes.” A rally of tasting and testing has been undergoing in order to summon exceptional newcomers to his menu. And though no specifics have been disclosed thus far, experimentation guarantees a menu of candidates beyond reproach. The lunch and dinner menus maybe receiving ongoing facelifts, but there is one particular attribute at Bocce Bar Tackett thinks is perfect just the way it is: the establishment’s design. “Right when you walk up to it, the olive tree in front makes a statement,” Chef Daniel speaks of Bocce’s most unique import hailing all the way from Italy. “I love how the tiles are broken up with the concrete in the flooring, the tall ceilings, giving the space a little bit of an industrial look,” he continues on with enamored words. “Character is definitely there, naturally.”   Artisanal nuances awash the restaurant like exposed wooden beams, mismatched chairs, and polished wooden pews. But perhaps the trait that sets the tone at Bocce the most is, of course, the bocce-ball court, where sober and befuddled patrons alike find their only source of authentic, Italian entertainment in Miami, paying homage to the Ancient Roman predecessor of modern-day bowling. But Chef Daniel is being kept entertained with a new game of his own: the wood oven. “I’m learning to play with it; that’s new for me,” he admits, while charred-smoke from the oven in the back now wafts in front of his face. Uncharted machinery can be daunting to crack, but Chef Daniel fears not of the fiery cave – in fact, he embraces it. “We’re actually cooking with beets and the ash that’s left over,” he says. “We let the beet cook through those hot embers of the ash, so it gives it a very subtle, smoky flavor.” Mastering how to tame and play nice with a scorching wood oven is one thing, but composing a thriving restaurant within Midtown’s epicenter and keeping it that way, is a whole different bocce- ball game. “With restaurants, we grow, we change, we evolve, and we progress. It’s like a living breathing thing – like a child,” Tackett emphasizes on nursing his pride and joy from infancy to adulthood. “We have to constantly educate ourselves, educate our staff, learn through trial and error, and listen to what the public wants.” Located at 3252 Northeast 1st Avenue Miami, Fl 33137 Tel: (786) 245-6211 Click here to view post on the Sept/Oct 2014 issue.

Interviews, Swimwear

One On One With Red Carter

/

Swimwear designer Red Carter makes a giant splash in the fashion industry, and it’s only the beginning.  By Katie Jackson/Photo courtesy of Ken Pao In 2003, Miami gained a designing phenomenon when Red Carter left his native California to take his talents to the Magic City.  After working for major brands like Esprit, Guess, Victoria’s Secret, and Oscar de la Renta, Carter was finally ready to break out on his own. Inspired by Miami’s glamorous Art Deco style, Carter created and developed his swimwear brand out of his Miami Beach apartment. Now, Carter’s fashionable and sexy swimwear has catapulted him to the top, with numerous features in leading high fashion magazines and a large celebrity following.  Sadly for Miami, Carter recently relocated to New York City to continue growing his burgeoning brand, but will always have a special place for Miami in his swimwear and in his heart. For Carter, the desire to design clearly pulses through his veins. As a young child, Carter was already creating sketches for what would soon lead to a career in fashion. “I started drawing sketches of naked ladies, and my mom was like, ‘you can’t have all these pictures of naked ladies laying around!’ So she said, ‘why don’t you put clothes on them?’ So I started drawing dresses and watching vintage movies, and that sort of inspired me to see the art of fashion in movement,” says Carter.  He then went on to study at the prestigious Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. After his graduation, Carter gained extensive experience working for top fashion brands and designers. But after taking a job with a start up company and being let go soon after, Carter decided it was time to take control of his career. “I found myself without a job, and I decided that I wanted to have my own message. So, I started my own brand,” says Carter. After moving to Miami 11 years ago, Carter says he was given a rare opportunity to “set the tone for luxury living.” Carter capitalized on the growing niche for high-end swimwear, creating polished yet glamorous pieces with a fun Miami edge for the fashionista with a flexible budget. “My customer is looking for a getaway, and they want to stand out. They definitely don’t want to wear what everyone else has,” says Carter.  Carter began designing his brand on his own dime and started selling his pieces out of his apartment. “We would do little shows, sell them out of little stores. I just paid my dues.” But it wasn’t long until Carter’s designs starting receiving massive attention.  Popular retail stores started carrying his designs and magazines began giving him features. Then in 2004, Carter participated in the very first Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim, launching him and his designs into an international spotlight. Today, Carter’s designs have been featured in multiple high fashion glossies, and have been spotted on notable celebrities like Rihanna, Jennifer Aniston, and the Kardashian sisters. One of his suits was even worn by Beyoncé in her music video “Grown Woman” off her mega-hit self-titled visual album “Beyoncé.” Upon finding out about the video, Carter said he was ecstatic. “I was like, are you kidding me? It was a great couple of minutes. I did the happy dance. It was kind of the most funny, anxious moment, but it was really great.” But even with the massive exposure, Carter stays humble. “I’ve never really taken it for granted. I’m always very flattered,” says Carter of the all the attention. “You’re only as good as your next design. So I’m very honored, but I always think to myself, what is possibly next? That was great, who else now? How else can I affect people?”  Carter has now relocated to New York City after joining the outerwear manufacturer Amerex Group. Joining Amerex Group has not only helped Carter grow his business, but also allowed him to be removed from the operations of the company and solely dedicate himself to what he truly loves: design. Carter is now able to work on multiple projects at once, including continuing to design suits for Jessica Simpson’s swimwear line, a project he was approached to do a few years ago.  As for when he’s back in Miami, you may catch Carter relaxing at The Standard or grabbing a bite to eat at Yardbird Southern Table & Bar. “It’s so bad, but so good,” Carter says of the restaurant. While he’s not particularly into the party scene, Carter says he loves to people watch when in Miami. “I’ll definitely relax by the local pools and watch what people are wearing and what their lifestyles are all about. That’s my little secret weapon.”  Although Carter is no longer living in Miami, he will be returning this summer to participate in the MBFWS 10th anniversary, but will not be doing a show. “It’s kind of an honorary participation,” says Carter.  Instead, he will be showcasing one of his prints from one of the last runway shows he did for MBFWS, which happens to be the piece featured in Beyoncé’s video.  While it’s clearly evident that Carter has made an enormous indent in the fashion industry, he remains the perfect balance of humble, passionate, and determined.  “I’ve had a great journey. I’ve had great seasons and I’ve had seasons of struggle. I think in the end, persistence is a true reward. Persistence is what you have to focus on. And not being a flash, but being a constant. Just follow your dreams and don’t give up.”  You can find Red Carter designs at Nordstrom and online at Niemen Marcus, as well as shopbop.com, southbeachswimsuits.com, and Everything But Water Stores worldwide.  Photo by Imani Ogden Click here to view this post in the July/August 2014 issue.

Culinary

The Wayfarer of the Culinary World: Chef Alfredo Alvarez

/

By Nycole Sariol / Photography by Imani Ogden Once known as a river awash with darkness, perniciously welcoming the wrongdoings of drug-traffickers, Voodoo zealots, and spiritual, Santeria rituals, the Miami River’s banks have recently wiped its – then daunting – slate clean and sings a new aubade these days. The reasoning behind this jovial redemption: to shine light on Miami’s new hotspot, Seasalt and Pepper, and to serve as a culinary playground for Chef Alfredo Alvarez. “I was ready to come back to Miami,” Alvarez confesses about his 305 hiatus and the departure from his big-city tenure at Trattoria Dopo Teatro in New York. The chef’s comeback though impactful, was the breath of fresh air that the patrons of South Florida deeply beseeched – or a Mediterranean breeze. A bevy of the freshest sea-food, oven roasted pizzas, and Volcan clay casseroles flagrantly make up Chef Alfredo’s menu of simplistic inventions and add to the nautical, Mediterranean aura that hangs as sea ropes and a suspended installation turn chandelier innovated by local artist, Carlos Betancourt, depicting the history and ex-reputation of the Miami River. “I saw the place and I thought right away that the concept of the menu should be a Mediterranean cuisine where you feel like you’re in St. Tropez; you feel like you’re in Positano; you feel like you’re in Santa Margarita, Italy,” professes the world-class traveler/chef. Having spent most of his life abroad, bouncing from New York to Italy to Miami to New York for round two and back to Miami again, the Venezuelan-born chef has also experienced a real life at sea instead of the decorative one he portrays behind the walls of Seasalt and Pepper. “I decided to go work on a cruise ship as a consulting chef,” the chef recalls, “I stayed there for three years, traveling to places like Tahiti and then all over the world.” It was inevitable that this Lemuel Gulliver of the kitchen would come back with only the most profound flame of inspiration, serving as a compass that would lead him to his latest recognition and the masterful Seasalt and Pepper menu. However, Chef Alfredo isn’t the only one with a pocket full of “travelers’ tales”. For the food being brought out to the daily quintupling guests in tow of its tantalizing aroma, traveling is the norm. “We grab from all over the world,” the chef speaks of the fresh, upscale products being used day-in and day-out. “We fly the Black Cod from Alaska…the clams we bring from Manila…the Caputo flour from Italy.” That’s not including the savory vegetables that cross the country from California, save for the Heirloom tomatoes that hop over the backyard fence from Homestead. The Frankenstein amalgam of international ingredients accrue for the gastronomical makeup for such plates as the Octopus Plancha, a steadfast force and a propitious crowd-pleaser among the influx of Magic City locals and the musically royal that swarm the dining room tables like Beyoncé and Jay-Z. “There’s no where in the world you could find Octopus like that,” the tastemaker says of his tender, grilled octopus with a melt-in-your-mouth texture. Though the food evokes a sense of magic from within the Miami food-lover’s heart, the real magic is conjured up in the kitchen. “My chef de cuisine is Venezuelan, my pastry chef is from Turkey; one of my chefs is from Africa, another one from Italy, and another from France.” Joining Alvarez in his 200-person kitchen and intensifying the subject of international imports further. In spite of the obvious subtext gravitating toward traveling and worldwide everything, perhaps the main component behind the radiance being transmitted from Chef Alfredo’s hands is knowledge – accumulated knowledge. “This menu is my whole career; all thirty-six years of cooking put down on this menu,” romance beaming out of from his eyes, expelling innate love from his body and signifying the severity of his most prized possession and what it means to him. “This menu is my life, this menu is who I am.” Click here to view full story in our March/April 2014 issue.

Scroll to Top