There is something deliciously impractical about dressing for glamour, and the only drama I like is in your outfit.
Recently, I gathered a group of girlfriends for an afternoon at a gorgeous restaurant, and we gave ourselves one assignment: glamour. No quiet outfits. No waiting for the perfect event. No saving fabulous pieces for someday.
And the result was magic.
A different energy happens when women decide to dress all the way up. The conversation changes. The posture changes. The laughter gets louder. The room feels different. This happens not because the clothes have power on their own, but because of what they invite us to remember: that we are still allowed to play, still allowed to be seen, and still allowed to have fun getting dressed.
Sometimes confidence begins with a little sparkle, a bold lip, faux fur over your shoulders, and a few women beside you saying, “Yes. Wear that.”
So many women have a someday section in their closets. The dress waiting for the right dinner. The heels waiting for the right invitation. The jacket that feels a little too much for ordinary life. But what if ordinary life is exactly where we need more beauty? What if the occasion is simply being alive in this season of your life?
That is the heart of style for me. Not trends. Not shopping. Not becoming someone else. It is remembering yourself.
Let’s get dressed. Because your real life is worthy of glamour.
Reality Check
Did you know your skirt can double as a dress?
The black satin dress you see here actually started as a skirt. We pulled it up, added a belt at the waist, layered on jewelry, and suddenly it became a completely new look.
Same piece. Instant glamour.
Do not be afraid to play with the pieces already in your wardrobe. Designers often create clothing with movement, shape, and versatility in mind, which means your clothes may have more possibilities than you first realize.
A skirt might become a dress. A scarf might become a belt. A jacket might become the whole outfit. Before you say you have nothing to wear, look again.
You do not need a new wardrobe. You need a new way to see the one you already have. Let’s get dressed.
Photography by Alfyn Gestoso, REALTOR® & Owner of Alfyn Photography. Proudly serving Northern Nevada through professional photography and real estate services.
https://www.alfynphotography.com/
Location: Calafuria
Some of the greatest lessons we’ve learned haven’t come from kitchens—they’ve come from music venues, skate parks, surf breaks, and the incredible people we’ve met along the way.
This summer, a trip to Southern California reminded us that creativity takes many forms. Whether it’s a drummer shaping surfboards, an executive chef composing a dish, or a private chef creating memories around a dining table, the common thread is passion.
At Reno Recipes, that’s what we’re really creating.
Experiences.
Passion Shapes More Than Surfboards
One of the things we’ve always admired about creative people is that they rarely limit themselves to one craft.
Recently, we traveled to Southern California to meet up with our longtime friend Erik “Smelly” Sandin, legendary drummer for NOFX. After many opportunities through catering festivals like Punk in Drublic and cooking for NOFX and other touring bands, backstage introductions eventually became genuine friendships.
This trip, however, wasn’t about music.
It was about surfing.
During the pandemic, Smelly turned another lifelong passion into Pickle Stix Surfboards, hand-shaping custom boards from his Long Beach workshop. Every board begins as a rough block of foam before being transformed into something completely unique for the individual surfer.
Watching him explain his process reminded us how similar all creative work really is.
As chefs, we begin with raw ingredients.
Musicians begin with an idea.
A surfboard shaper begins with foam and imagination.
None of it is rushed. Every detail matters.
Daryl spent ten years living and surfing in Venice Beach while opening restaurants throughout Southern California, the connection felt especially familiar. Surf culture has always celebrated individuality, craftsmanship, music, photography, and style. Every wave is different, and every board tells its own story.
That week surfing Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, and Newport Beach, watching surfers catch the evening swell. It reminded us that not all art hangs on a gallery wall.
Sometimes…
it’s meant to be ridden.
The Art of the Dish
Another highlight of our trip was reconnecting with our friend, Executive Chef Zack Kasmar at The Resort at Pelican Hill.
From the moment we sat down, Chef Zack wasn’t simply serving dinner—he was telling a story.
Course after course arrived like edible works of art: pristine bluefin tuna, Spanish octopus, Kaluga caviar, hand-cut beef tartare, each plate showcasing remarkable precision and restraint.
As chefs, we couldn’t stop studying the details. Every garnish served a purpose. Every flavor had intention.
But what impressed us most wasn’t just the food—it was Zack’s journey.
Growing up in Orange County, he was immersed in skateboarding and punk rock, skating around the world, spending weekends at Warped Tour before discovering that cooking could become another creative outlet. Inspired by his father, a chef and culinary instructor, Zack built a career through luxury resorts, award shows, wineries, and eventually The Resort at Pelican Hill, where he now helps lead one of California’s premier culinary destinations.
During our conversation, one idea kept resurfacing.
Artists all speak the same language.
Whether you’re playing drums, shaping surfboards, skateboarding, or building a memorable dish, every craft demands patience, repetition, and heart.
One moment from lunch perfectly captured that idea.
We joked that musicians and chefs create things that are meant to be consumed. A song lasts a few minutes. A meal lasts an evening.
The memory lasts a lifetime.
Watching Chef Zack effortlessly move between the kitchen and dining room reminded us that hospitality is its own art form. Great food may bring people to the table, but genuine connection is what keeps them talking about the experience long after dinner is over.
Cooking With Purpose
One of the greatest gifts this journey has given us is the opportunity to give back through the work we love.
Since our last Rock On Magazine article, we’ve helped raise nearly $50,000 for local nonprofits by donating private chef dining experiences to fundraising auctions—raising $11,000 for Make-A-Wish Foundation, $21,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters, and $16,500 for LEAD with Horses.
Each dinner is completely customized. We cook in our guests’ homes, share the stories behind every course, teach everyone how to saber a bottle of champagne, and by the end of the evening we’re usually leaving with hugs instead of handshakes.
Those dinners have reminded us that food has an incredible ability to bring people together. Every family that welcomes us into their home also helps support organizations that are changing lives throughout our community.
Together, we truly rise by lifting others.
Celebrate the Season
As the holidays approach, we hope you’ll find a reason to gather around the table.
Whether it’s a Thanksgiving dinner, Friendsgiving, a holiday party, or an intimate evening with family and friends, we’d be honored to help create an experience filled with incredible food, meaningful conversation, and lasting memories.
Because in the end, that’s what Reno Recipes has always been about.
Creating experiences.
One recipe at a time.
Planning a fall or holiday gathering? Learn more at www.renorecipes.com and follow @renorecipes on Instagram and Facebook.
Forty-Four Years From a Parking Lot: How Reno's Great Italian Festival Became a Family Tradition
Tony Marini and Ivano Centemeri on sauce feuds, returning artichokes, and why the recipe never, ever changes
There is a version of this story that starts with statistics. Six city blocks. Eight to ten bands. A VIP operation that has outgrown its own tent, twice. But that version misses the point, as Tony Marini, VP of Player Services, would tell you himself, while gesturing at a pot of ravioli filling unchanged in decades. The real story starts in a parking lot between the Eldorado and what used to be Fitzgerald's, with twenty families and a sauce cook-off, and it has never really left that parking lot, even as it swallowed most of downtown Virginia Street.
Marini was six years old the first time around. He has been there for all forty-four festivals, first as a kid trailing his grandfather, then as an employee, and now as the man running his artichoke booth and marshaling three generations of family through the busiest weekend of his professional life.
"It started in a parking lot right here," Marini said. "Twenty families cooking sauce and a stage, and music, and a bocce ball tournament. And in the middle of the day, Don Carano would grab a microphone and go booth to booth and ask about the sauce and how it was made. It was just so awesome to watch."
Don Carano, founder of the Eldorado and patriarch of the family behind The Row, is the reason any of this exists. Executive Chef Ivano Centemeri, who arrived from Italy in 1995 and has run the kitchen alongside Marini for thirty years, put it bluntly: Carano reached out to him overseas and invited him to cross an ocean for a job he'd never seen.
"Don contacted me in Italy directly," Centemeri said. "So me, I'm the proof of what Don, for Don, means to be Italian."
Centemeri had opened a restaurant in Spain at twenty-one and figured, why not America too. He was one of only a small handful of people in the building who spoke Italian when he landed, alongside Marini's grandfather, Dario Bevilacqua, the property's pasta chef, and a casino operations manager named Nick Rossi.
The DNA Festival
What makes the festival unusual, even among ethnic-heritage street fairs, is how aggressively it has resisted becoming anything other than what it is. Marini calls it a lifestyle. Centemeri, without missing a beat, upgrades it: "It's a DNA festival. You can't, like, when you say change, what do you want to change in a DNA? You can't change DNA. They try, I guess, you know, it's called clone."
That DNA runs through the bloodlines working the booths. Marini's mother has cooked sauce at all forty-four festivals, a habit he says he has tried and failed to talk her out of. Centemeri's wife cooks; his kids work the booth so eagerly he sometimes has to send them away. Marini's own children work the booth too, alongside his wife on the register. Every family has staked out its own territory, generation after generation, and the competition between booths gets fierce: "Oh yeah, who makes the most money, which booth makes better."
And presiding over all of it is the Carano family. Marini describes chairman of the board Gary Carano posting up at the flatbread station for ten straight hours. Rhonda Carano, Marini's aunt, was on that line last year too, decades after she dressed her young nephew as Pinocchio and paraded him through the festival handing out balloons—a memory Marini brings up with a fondness that knows how ridiculous it sounds and doesn't care.
"It's a testament to the Carano family," he said. "Never giving up, never veering off, staying with the direction of this festival. It has never changed, okay? It's food and family, period."
Rhonda Carano died August 1, making this year's festival the first without her and lending Tony's Pinocchio memory new poignancy.
The Recipe Doesn't Know Who You Are
If there is an organizing principle here, it is consistency bordering on the sacred. The mushroom and meat ravioli recipes have never been altered, Marini insists, in his entire time there.
"The recipe don't count on the level of who you are," Centemeri said. "From the president down to the last one that just got a green card, we are the same."
The polenta was once cooked in a pot Marini describes as the size of a swimming pool. Dario Bevilacqua ran that station for years with legendary frugality, resisting butter and bechamel on the grounds that polenta was a peasant dish made from grain leftovers and water, until his daughter Rhonda talked him into adding cheese.
"He was Genovese," Centemeri said, "which is the cheapest son of a gun that you can get." The station is gone now, retired after Bevilacqua died in 2002, and it's the one thing Marini says he misses.
The Sound of an Italian Fest
Music runs underneath the festival, structural rather than decorative. Two stages carry eight to ten bands across the weekend, largely the same acts returning year after year, because Marini's philosophy on entertainment mirrors his philosophy on ravioli: don't touch what works.
"We don't bear off. We don't change," he said. The accordion, once played by Marini's father and his aunt Rhonda, is rarely heard anymore, but the stiltwalkers still function as an opening bell. "Everybody says, where's the stiltwalkers? That means Italian Fest is here," Marini said.
Two Days in Reno, Like Two Weeks in Italy
Centemeri, who grew up in Italy, offers the most vivid explanation for why the festival matters: it's not an event, it's a state of mind he can find on any street in Rome or Florence, any day of the year. Marini has adopted the theory wholesale, describing calling Centemeri from a trip through Italy just to report it felt, everywhere, like Italian Fest Saturday.
"If I wasn't in Reno for our Italian Fest, I would probably be in New York or San Francisco or somewhere there was an Italian Festival on the Columbus Day weekend the rest of my life."
The festival has become a reunion point for regulars who structure vacations around it, some in their nineties, calling ahead every year to confirm they're coming. The company has formalized that loyalty with a seven-star VIP experience, its tent now expanded to two. There's also the Friday ritual outsiders never see: the Paisano Open, a golf tournament benefiting the Humane Society, followed Saturday morning by coffee and the first sfinge of the weekend.
"It's also the level of respect," Centemeri said, explaining why they haven't absorbed outside vendors in-house. "We're looking for Mamma Rosa coming with whatever. Of course we can do everything. But why?"
What Gets Passed Down
Both men note that "family" at the Great Italian Festival was never a bloodline requirement. Longtime vendors, musicians, and regulars get folded into the same orbit. What holds it together is stewardship rather than nostalgia: an obligation to the people who built it, and a refusal to let convenience erode what made it worth building.
Weather has tested that resolve, with October forecasts unpredictable enough that the team starts monitoring a month out. But the show goes on, because the festival has stopped being optional for anyone connected to it.
"It means something to every employee here," Marini said. "It means something to every person in the family."
Forty-four years on, neither man expects credit to outlast him. "They might not remember the two of us," Centemeri said, "but that would be nice."
What they expect is that the festival keeps going, unaltered, run by whichever generation inherits the booths next. As Marini put it, it's generational, timeless, and a staple he hopes lives on for another forty-four years.
Event Details:
The 44th annual Great Italian Festival takes place Saturday, October 10, 2026 (10 a.m.–7 p.m.) and Sunday, October 11, 2026 (10 a.m.–6 p.m.) on Virginia Street outside The Row in downtown Reno. Admission is free.
Sierra Nevada Ballet’s Dracula Haunts the Stage
Step Into the Shadows with Sierra Nevada Ballet’s DRACULA – The Ballet.
As autumn leaves begin to fall and the days grow shorter, the spirit of Halloween creeps into the air with excitement and mystery. This year, Sierra Nevada Ballet invites you to experience a thrilling blend of drama, passion, and suspense with their riveting production, DRACULA – The Ballet. Set to captivate audiences on October 17 in Carson City and November 1 in Reno, this original full-length ballet draws from Bram Stoker’s iconic 1897 novel, breathing new life into the timeless tale of the vampire Count Dracula.
A Ballet Born from Darkness and Desire
Originally premiering in 2023 to enthusiastic reviews and clamoring audiences, DRACULA – The Ballet marks a rare and daring effort to retell a classic gothic story through the elegant and powerful language of dance. Choreographed by the award-winning Ananda Bena-Weber, this production intertwines the haunting melodies of Astor Piazzolla’s music with influences from Transylvanian folklore and Victorian-era mystique. The result is a sensual, suspenseful narrative that moves seamlessly between moments of horror, romance, and intrigue.
The ballet follows young solicitor Jonathan Harker as he journeys to the eerie, remote castle of Count Dracula in Transylvania. Soon, Harker discovers the true, terrifying nature of his host, a vampire whose dark appetites threaten to engulf not only Harker but all those he loves. As the story transports us to the English coastal town of Whitby, the theatrical dance portrays the sinister Count spreading his supernatural shadow, opposed only by the determined vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing and his allies. The tension builds as love, deception, and the struggle between life and death play out across the stage.
Stellar Cast, Mesmerizing Choreography
Internationally renowned dancers Malachi Squires and Domingo Rubio perform alongside our own Reno professionals Anthony Mcmenamy and Sara Weir, bringing their formidable talent and emotional depth to this ambitious work. Supported by a full company of professional dancers, the performance dazzles with innovative set design, sumptuous costumes, and choreography infused with tango-inspired passion. This bold stylistic choice perfectly balances the eerie fantasy and nail-biting horror elements, creating a memorable sensory experience.
And the invitation to immerse yourself in the night doesn’t stop when the curtain falls. Reno audiences are encouraged to don their Halloween costumes and join the company for the DRACULA BALL — a festive after-party at the Renaissance Hotel immediately following the November 1 performance. Revelers can mingle with the cast, enjoy refreshments, and dance deep into the night, extending the ballet’s haunting atmosphere well beyond the theater.
An Invitation to an Unforgettable Night
Whether you’re a dance aficionado, a horror fan, or someone simply seeking an extraordinary cultural event this fall, DRACULA – The Ballet promises to be an unforgettable experience. Performances will take place on:
Tickets range from $25 to $53 and are already expected to sell quickly. For those attending the Reno show, secure your spot at the DRACULA BALL by RSVPing early to ensure your place at this exclusive Halloween celebration.
Reserve your seats and RSVP today at sierranevadaballet.org or call (775) 360-8663. Fans are encouraged to dress up and fully embrace the eerie elegance of Halloween night.
About Sierra Nevada Ballet
Since its founding in 2001, Sierra Nevada Ballet has established itself as Northern Nevada’s premier professional ballet company. Renowned for seamlessly fusing classical and contemporary styles, SNB offers dynamic performances that resonate across diverse audiences. Featuring a dedicated ensemble of 10 professional dancers, apprentices, and trainees, the company also nurtures future talent through its acclaimed SNB Academy, which follows the rigorous American Ballet Theatre curriculum.
Recognized for artistic excellence and community impact, Sierra Nevada Ballet proudly receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts and embodies the spirit of creativity and dedication within the Reno metropolitan area. As noted by theater critic Jack Neal, SNB is indeed “a truly professional dance company emerging” and growing in prominence year by year.
Don’t miss your chance to dive into the shadows and thrill to this hauntingly beautiful ballet. Sierra Nevada Ballet’s DRACULA. The Ballet beckons you to a night where music, dance, and legend come alive, and the hunt for the vampire begins.
For tickets, RSVP, or more information:
Sierra Nevada Ballet
Phone: (775) 360-8663
Email: info@sierranevadaballet.org
Website: sierranevadaballet.org
Not every restaurant can boast an address steeped in nearly a century of history, but Wild River Grille does just that. Situated inside the iconic Riverside Hotel building at 17 South Virginia Street in Reno, this landmark has been a defining part of the downtown skyline since 1927. Beyond being a culinary hotspot, Wild River Grille is a living testament to Reno’s layered past and its vibrant arts and culture scene today.
Before Reno blossomed into the city we know today, the Riverside site already welcomed travelers along the banks of the Truckee River. The original lodging began here in 1870 under pioneer Myron C. Lake, eventually evolving into the Riverside Hotel, a jewel of the city’s early hospitality scene.
Celebrated architect Frederick DeLongchamps crafted the building standing today in an impressive Gothic Revival style: striking red brick, elegant cream terra cotta trim, and a generous riverfront veranda that opens to scenic views of the Truckee. At the time of its construction, this was Nevada’s tallest building and a hub for luminaries such as Frank Sinatra and Gloria Vanderbilt.
Though the hotel closed in the 1980s, this storied building refused to retire into silence. Now, as the Riverside Artist Lofts, it pulses with creative energy, supporting local artists and their families in live/work studios while also sheltering Wild River Grille and the River Room event space, sites where food, music, and art converge in daily celebration.
Since its inception in 2007, Wild River Grille has anchored the downtown scene with contemporary American cuisine rooted in local flavors. The family-owned restaurant marries a nature-inspired interior with the historic charm of its setting, inviting guests to linger over both plates and panoramic views of the rushing Truckee River.
But beyond the exceptional food and handcrafted cocktails lies a vibrant calendar of community connection. From June to September, the much-loved Summer Concert Series fills the air on the riverfront patio with the talents of Northern Nevada’s top musicians, including favorites like Moon Gravy, Erika Paul, Mel & Gia, Tyler Stafford, and Eric Anderson. These free concerts (with food or drink purchase) have become a summertime mainstay, blending live music with the magic of riverside dining.
The concert series also dovetails with Reno’s famous Artown Festival, underscoring Wild River Grille’s ongoing commitment to artist support and cultural enrichment. Through music performances and culinary excellence, the restaurant fosters a cultural legacy, building Reno’s identity as a modern hub for the arts and community.
The Riverwalk District itself is one of Reno’s most cherished neighborhoods, an area where natural beauty weaves through historic architecture and a flourishing arts scene. Wild River Grille sits at the crossroads of this cultural tapestry, bridging past and present not merely through preserved bricks but by living history every day.
The juxtaposition of Riverside Artist Lofts with the restaurant creates a dynamic ecosystem; artists engage with visitors through studios and exhibits, perfectly complementing the Summer Concert Series and other community happenings here. This fusion of dining, art, and history nurtures an authentic downtown culture appreciative of Reno’s roots and its urban future.
Dining at Wild River Grille offers something refreshingly unique: a seat beside the flowing Truckee River, where the ambiance is as much a part of the experience as the food. The outdoor patio is a favored spot, especially on warm summer nights when the gentle river sounds mingle with laughter and music, creating an easy, laid-back vibe.
Because the patio fills quickly, particularly on weekends, reservations are highly recommended. Guests often enjoy strolling the nearby Riverwalk path afterward, a scenic pedestrian trail along the river that cuts through downtown and offers an alternative view of Reno, far removed from the casino corridors.
Wild River Grille’s location, cuisine, and spirit make it more than a restaurant; it’s a destination for those seeking to connect with Reno’s heart, culture, and community.
As the 2026 Summer Concert Series returns, anticipation builds for evenings bursting with melody and conviviality on the water’s edge. This seasonal celebration of local music, paired with inspired dishes and cocktails, promises to reaffirm Wild River Grille’s role as a pillar of arts and culture in Reno’s historic Riverwalk.
Whether you’re a lifelong Reno resident or a visitor hungry for a true sense of place, an evening here offers an unforgettable fusion of history, culinary artistry, and live music a vibrant testament to the enduring magic of the Truckee River and the community it nourishes.
Wild River Grille Summer Concert Series 2026
Location: 17 South Virginia Street, Downtown Reno
Dates: Select evenings, June through September
Admission: Free with food or drink purchase
Discover more at Wild River Grille and plan your visit to enjoy Reno’s riverfront renaissance, one delicious moment at a time.