Name(s)?
Zach, Leigh,  Avry (5) and Noah (9). Noah is not pictured because he was playing with his friends in our neighborhood.

Where do you live?
Pinecrest

How long have you lived in the area?
This is our seventh year — we can’t believe it!

Where are you originally from and what brought you to town?
Leigh is from West Palm Beach, and Zach is from New York.  We came down to be closer to family.  (Zach’s family moved down to Palm Beach County as well.)

Please share about what you do for a livelihood or what keeps you busy during the week?
Zach is a teacher at Gulliver – teaching Global Politics at the high school.  Leigh is a tax law professor at the University of Miami.  

How often do you come to the market?
We come almost every week when we are in town.  

Do you have a market ritual? If so, please describe.
We always stop at LNB Grovestand to get smoothies.  Then, we usually get some Zak the baker bread (for the family) and a chocolate croissant or cookie (for Avry), bacon, egg, and cheeses, an acai bowl, some fruit, and maybe some other things.  (Avry loves the mozzarella balls.)  We love so many things at the market. 

What’s your favorite thing to buy at LNB Grovestand and why?
The smoothies!  They are delicious and nutritious.  

For parents: A favorite activity we enjoy with our kids?
A great day with the kids is spent just wandering around our neighborhood.  We live in a really wonderful community where the families are friends and the kids all play together.  We can spend the whole day wandering around, meeting up with and visiting with different people. 

I wish the market had:
Fish

Most-frequented local restaurants and what dish to order:
Our go-to place with the kids is LAN in Dadeland station.  The food is good, the kids love the chicken katsu and smoothies, and, most of all, the people are really nice and great with kids (the fast service helps!). We also think Anna Capri has wonderful Italian food.  And recently we’ve discovered Ichimi Ramen near Miracle Mile.  The food is great for adults and kids. 

A+W: We also love LAN and the owners, Johnson and Kazu. For our wedding, they helped coordinate the food and service and set up two of the food tents. We had a farmer’s market wedding with booths from our favorite vendors (friends) who did what they do best and incorporated one ingredient from our farm.  Also, if you visit LAN now, you will be enjoying avocados from LNB! During avocado season we are there a couple times a week delivering different varieties. 

Do you have a family recipe that you would be willing share?
We like to make all sorts of muffins and breads with vegetables in them.  Add a cup of pureed butternut squash to any cornbread mix or recipe and just increase the cooking time.  It is a great, easy way to make them tastier and healthier.

What’s the area’s best-kept secret?
If you live in Pinecrest, South Miami, or some parts of Coral Gables, Bollywood Masala (a teeny little storefront) has really good takeout Indian food, and you don’t have to drive forever to get it.  They even deliver.  Pasion Del Cielo coffee shop in the Dadeland area is a wonderful place to get some coffee or tea and do work.  It is a nice big space, with places to stand or sit and work, and they provide parking validation. Also, Threefold Cafe is a really lovely, small setting for dinner and they have very interesting food options.  

Rainy-day activity: Board games in the house.  Zach LOVES board games and is so happy he finally has kids (and their friends) to play them with him.  (Leigh does not love board games.) Currently, the board games Zach, the boys, and friends like to play are cooperative strategy games.  Current favorites are: Pandemic, Forbidden Island, and Forbidden Desert.

Is there a question that you would like to ask the community?
What supportive kids sports leagues, that do not involve a very heavy time commitment, have you found and liked?  

Also, are you aware of any FIRST LEGO league teams (https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/fll) in the area that have room for additional members?