An expertly curated, luxuriously produced compendium of all things Palm Beach, Palm Beach Illustrated brings to life personalities and takes you inside the exclusive homes, parties and interests of the world’s most affluent and influential people.
On a recent date night with my husband, we went to a special occasion restaurant, just because. When the server asked us if we were celebrating something special, we said, “Just the day.” She must have appreciated the answer because she put a candle on our key lime pie, signaling to the rest of the restaurant that cheers were in order. December heralds the festive season, but the truth is that all days, even the most challenging ones, hold at least one reason to celebrate—even if that reason is Tuesday. I was reminded of this when ordering a holiday pie through Pie it Forward, which allows Meals on Wheels to deliver love and sustenance to homebound or low-income seniors. Knowing a fellow human benefited from your small act? Big reason…
If you have stopped on this page and started reading this note, we have something in common. The simple act of reading is something that most of us take for granted. We struggle early on. Then we learn how to sound out the words and find consistency among the sentence structure, allowing the meaning to flow freely. I was a precocious reader, starting around age 4 or so. I vividly remember lying on my bedroom floor of our first home in Naugatuck, Connecticut, reading The Lion and the Deer by Annie DeCaprio. Published in 1965, it was the first book I could read by myself. I’ve never stopped reading—books, cereal boxes, newspapers, the occasional owner’s manual, comics, and of course, magazines. Thousands and thousands of magazines. I discovered the newspaper…
Skate Your Heart Out Following a blockbuster debut in 2024, The Ben hotel is bringing merriment back to the West Palm Beach waterfront with the return of its Winter Wonderland. Now through January 4, Winter Wonderland will enchant visitors with ice skating on a 50-foot-by-66-foot rink, holiday trees decorated in honor of local nonprofits, retail pop-ups, live music on Saturdays, and more. To plan your visit, head to palmbeachillustrated.com/thebenwinterwonderland. SAFE HAVEN LAST MONTH, THE SPADY CULTURAL HERITAGE MUSEUM IN DELRAY BEACH UNVEILED “LAFRANCE HOTEL: HAVENS OF JOY,” AN EXHIBIT BASED ON THE BOOK THE LAFRANCE HOTEL AND THE CHARLES PATRICK FAMILY, WHICH CHRONICLES THE TRAILBLAZ-ING FAMILY THAT BUILT THE HOTEL IN THE 1940S AND ’50S. THE LAFRANCE EVOLVED INTO A SANCTUARY FOR BLACK MIGRANT WORKERS, SERVICE WORKERS, AND MUSICIANS—A PLACE…
1916 SOCIETY SAILS INTO SEASON WHO: Pure Skin Palm Beach WHAT: 1916 Society Yacht Party WHERE: Serenity, Town of Palm Beach Marina HIGHLIGHTS: Guests toasted to glamour, gratitude, and community during the evening celebration, which honored the Historical Society of Palm Beach County’s exclusive 1916 Society and kicked off the new Palm Beach season. FOCUS ON FOOD FOR THOUGHT WHO: West Palm Beach Library Foundation WHAT: Food for Thought Cocktail Reception WHERE: Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach HIGHLIGHTS: Held on the library’s Fourth Floor, sponsors and table hosts mixed and mingled during an exclusive cocktail reception as a prelude to the annual Food for Thought fundraising dinner. CARDINAL NEWMAN GALA KICKOFF WHO: Cardinal Newman High School WHAT: Newman Night 2026: La Dolce Vita Kickoff WHERE: Café L’Europe, Palm Beach…
SPOTLIGHT POUR IT OUT At just 7 and 9 years old respectively, Boca Raton brothers Bodhi and Sky Schneider are making a name for themselves in the art world—including New York City’s highly competitive art scene. The boys’ mother, Melissa Schneider, notes that Bodhi and Sky’s artistic ambitions started as “messy experiments” in their garage three years ago. Working in the medium of acrylic and resin, the emerging pour-painters have sold more than 80 original artworks, showcased at festivals, and hosted their first solo art exhibit at AGI Fine Art in the city this summer. “Bodhi+Sky: Stone and Space” took place over three days and evoked elements of the boys’ current interests: geodes, outer space, and pop culture. No need to travel far to witness the artists in action: new…
She may be only 9 years old, but Lake Worth Beach’s Availa Johnson already knows that making a difference in the world at large starts small. This summer, Johnson was one of 15 young activists (aged 8 to 16) from around the world to receive an International Young Eco-Hero Award from Action for Nature, a San Francisco–based nonprofit that encourages young people to get involved in solutions for environmental change. Johnson received an honorable mention for her EcoCreators Design Club, a 30-member-strong space for young people like her to transform plastics and recyclables into creative fashion designs like dresses, keychains, and jewelry. She places collection boxes at local schools, libraries, and parks where single-use plastics can be deposited for reuse in projects and crafts. Born of her love for the…
