Name:
Susan

What part of town do you live in?
We live in South Miami. We used to live in Coral Gables. After a few years, I successfully convinced my family to downsize – now that the kids are in college.

Where are you originally from and what brought you to town?
We moved to South Miami from California (via one year in Baltimore) in 1994 for my husband to complete grad school at University of Miami. We both grew up in Chicago. I went from Chicago to Santa Barbara, then San Diego, then Baltimore to here. Miami is just such a wonderful place.  

What do you all like most about Miami?
Miami is a vibrant place. It’s very diverse. We’re both mid-westerners at heart. However, we could not live without the diversity, languages, foods, cultures, and ethnicities that Miami offers.

How did you meet your husband?
We were sweethearts from childhood. I was 16 and he was 18. We met at a summer job. He was home from college and I was still completing high school. It’ll be 35 years this year. He’s a great man.

Would you like to share anything about him?
He’s really my best friend. I have other best friends who are female, but I think it’s rare that one can say we actually have fun. After our kids went off to college, we thought, ‘what do we do?’ We’ve managed to really reconnect and in a very meaningful way. It’s been a lot of fun.

What keeps you busy during the week?
I work in real estate and administration. I was a realtor, 20 years ago, and found that I really prefer administration at this time in my life. I work for EWM in Coral Gables.

What part of being an administrator vs a realtor is most fulfilling?
I am so excited to see young and old real estate agents really succeed. I love to support them. It’s about balance in life. I’ve always strived for balance. I see people work so hard and they’re not able to enjoy time with their families.

Outside of real estate, what do you enjoy, what passions do you have?
I am looking for a new passion. I have been very involved in so many things. My passion is social justice and family. I have been involved in Girl Scouts. I have been heavily involved in my church, the Bede Episcopal Church at UM. I worked there for 10 years. I was not only their business manager, but it was also my volunteer work, my passion, my friends and my joy.

In what ways are you getting involved with social justice?
I intend to do the Mother’s Day March this Sunday.

We need to care for one another. We need to welcome the immigrant, the stranger, into our community. We are incarcerating young people without documentation in Homestead. There are a small group of people who stand on ladders and observe these kids in detention and they hold up signs and placards just letting them know they’re not alone. My family is trying to get me to go out to Brunch on Sunday, but I think I’m going to do the Mother’s Day March instead. It’s at one o’clock this coming Sunday. And these kids need to know, they’re not alone.

How often do you come to the market?
I try to get there every two weeks, when my Turmeric Concentrate runs out. Your bottle lasts me two weeks. It’s a morning ritual. It’s kind of replaced my coffee ritual and it’s a beautiful thing.

What’s your ritual like on Sunday when you come to the market?
I start with attending services at the Bede at UM and then race over to the market. I go to you first, or if you have a long line, I will go over to Counter Culture Kombucha first. And then, Bee Heaven if they are there.

What are your favorite things from our stand?
The Turmeric Concentrate, the Turmeric Dressing and I love the Turmeric Golden Coins.

How do you drink the Turmeric Concentrate?
I use it as a hot tea. I add a ‘glug’ into a tea cup and fill it with hot water. It’s changed my digestive and overall general health and has cured my allergies. I brought a concentrate to a friend, who like me suffers with seasonal allergies, and she claims it’s a miracle tonic.

What do you think the market is missing?
They need an extra row to add more vendors, but that would cut into parking, which is always a sore spot. It gets very tight and I think that reduces the enjoyment of the families.

When your kids are home from college what do you like to do together?
We love to dine together. We love to support independent restaurants. My daughter loves the beach and sunrise – we have a sunrise club. We love nature, Fairchild Tropical Garden, the Fruit and Spice Park, and – the Keys.

Where do you like to go out for food?
I really enjoy Whisk, with my husband, for a date night. We love Tropical Chinese. They’ve been around forever.

Where would you go for a special occasion?
Cheeca Lodge in the Keys. It’s a paradise. You don’t have to leave. Fishing captains and diving captains, that are great with kids and families, will pick you up right there. Even if you can only be there for 24 hours, I would advise anyone to do it.

What’s a worthy splurge?
It’s a splurge of time. Drive out to the end of Bill Bags Park, walk around or bike around. Spending the whole day there.

What’s a fun rainy-day activity?
Looking at the rain. We opened up our doors during this monsoon this week, just to feel it. Writing, reading, watching the weather. I’m a simple mind.

Where’s the most romantic spot around?
You can sit at the Mandarin Oriental or one of the fabulous restaurants on Brickell key or the Rusty Pelican. Somewhere on the water with a view.

Are there any questions you would like to ask us?
When are you bringing your salad dressing back?

(A+W) We will make a batch soon. We make it when we hear from enough people that they are missing it:)

Is there a question that you would like to pose to the community?
Why aren’t we listening to one another? I’m dismayed about our current political climate, as I’m sure a lot of people are. Why can’t we listen more and love more?

Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Thank you for all you do in the community. I really admire you and your family and the following that you’ve created and making everyone a little lighter, a little happier, and a lot healthier.  You’re sharing health, community, love and Turmeric for crying out loud. It’s incredible!