- Hey, On The Towners, I'm Frank Licari, and today we're starting this episode from a restaurant on wheels, where the food is absolutely dope.

To finding my zen in a parking lot turned work of art.

I'm taking flight in search of a super fit body.

Join me on this health and wellness journey as we go on the town in the Palm Beaches, where the surf's up, and I am gonna ride the tiniest wave possible.

(upbeat music) - [Narrator] This program is brought to you by Discover the Palm Beaches.

Visit ThePalmBeaches.tv for more information.

- [Frank] The Palm Beaches is known as a great place to relax and reset.

And eating right to fuel your body plays a big part.

We're kicking off our wellness journey here at the Lake Worth Beach Farmer's Market, where I am gonna make a salad using only ingredients that we find right here.

Are you ready to do this?

Let's go.

I'm here with Dr.

Dawn Sherling, who's on a mission to make it easier for people to heal their bodies through food.

- I am a doctor, I became a patient and I went to Italy, and then I realized things were different there.

And I said, well, how can I do things differently here and see if it makes a difference in how I'm feeling?

- That's what I found, is that the local food is better for our body.

And so that's what you found too.

- [Dr Dawn] If you're eating local, if you're eating whole foods, you just tend to be healthier and live longer.

- [Frank] It's really incredible.

Are you purity, pretty much of a purist when it comes to what's in the salad?

- I start out a purist, and by the end of the week, I'll throw in whatever's left in the refrigerator.

- I like it.

You ever do a little carby carb with the salad?

- [Dr Dawn] Definitely.

- You're the experts on the bread, right?

- Yeah, or bread.

- Ooh.

(saxophone playing) - You're the nuts guy?

- Yeah, I'm the nuts guy.

- You're the nuts guy.

What would you put, would you do a little walnut in the salad?

Hey!

Hi!

- How you doing?

It's great to see you.

- Great to see you.

- Oh, - Let's get some actual- - Let's get some vegetables.

- Oh, look at this little.

Look at that little cutie.

Little strawberry.

- Giant cucumber.

- Grab a giant cucumber.

- Okay.

- I like that.

That's a big, that's one of the largest cucumbers I've ever seen.

- [Dr Dawn] Giant cucumber.

- Oh wow.

Those are really good.

All right, what do we got here?

No, you just, you tap them.

- No.

- No, that's a joke, I know.

Sheep, goat, ooh.

Little goat cheese in there.

Now you're talking!

- I could see that.

- I could totally see that.

- I think we have got a haul here.

- We do.

- Only thing missing is a bowl.

Cause we are about to create some magic.

- And we're gonna see who- - Taste test.

- Yeah.

- All right.

- I'll go loosen up the chef's elbow.

- Right there.

- You're really going for this.

You good, there's no prize at the end of this.

- That's beautiful.

- You know what that is?

That is the sound of success.

Yours looks pretty good, I'm not gonna lie.

Mine, he's a little messy, but it's indicative of my personality.

- No, it's beautiful.

- Right?

It's fresh, it's tasty.

I'm not even gonna lie, you nailed it.

Ah, I don't want to cop out here.

But I think it's a draw.

- Oh.

- I do.

- That's pretty nice.

- I do.

I'm feeling the energy now and I'm ready to take my workout to New Heights, but it might require a leap of faith.

I'm at Flight Bungee Fitness, Palm Beach, where the challenge is high and my skill level is Definitely low.

Okay.

Alright.

Oh gosh!

- I think you're giving us a new exercise.

- Explain to me, what Flight Bungee is?

- So, Flight Bungee Fitness is a gym, that's low impact, high intensity cardio, strength, toning.

- Oof.

I just, strength, high intensity, terrible.

All right.

- You feel the resistance?

- I do.

- Okay.

Oh!

- Yes.

- Oh, okay!

- Okay.

- I like this.

- You look like a pro.

- Yeah, I like this.

All right.

Right.

- Absolutely.

You're gonna take your knee down.

When you go to do your lunge, you should be almost right on top.

- On top of the circle?

- Step down.

- Oh, but I gotta.

- Ah-huh.

- Oh!

- You've gotta fight the bungee.

That's you controlling the bungee.

- That's right.

- Yes.

- I gotta show this bungee who's boss.

(laughing) No, you never do that either?

Did you have a fitness background or were you like into fitness?

Were you just a gym rat?

- I'm just a middle-aged mom.

I've tried a few different things.

I've done local gyms.

I've done bootcamp trainings and stuff like that.

This was different.

I was like, Hey, well, why not?

We can dance and have fun and workout at the same time.

- Yeah.

- It works.

It's better for your knees and your hips, for those persons having certain issues that want to get back into working out.

- Right, we have to learn how to be one with the bunge.

- Absolutely.

- The bunge, I like that.

- One with the Bunge.

- Yes.

- You're squatting.

- What are we doing now?

- I asked you, are you ready to burpee?

- No!

- Try and remember you're gonna go up some, squat.

Okay!

- Alright.

- That was pretty good.

- Not bad.

- Yeah.

- Very good.

- How many of these you gotta do in your beginner class?

- Usually like 50 a day.

- 50 a day?

- Absolutely.

- Oh, man.

What time do we have ice cream?

Is there ice cream at some point?

You want to teach me what now, the toe taper?

- Toe tap.

- Oh wow.

All right, so we go in there and we hit it.

And we go up.

Oh!

And we go up!

Oh!

(laughing) Oh yeah!

Now we're exploring a modern take on an ancient tradition known as halo therapy.

I'm about to head into my cave.

No, it's not a man cave, it's a salt cave.

And it's all in the name of wellness.

So let's all relax and breathe.

(calming music) There's a hand thrown process to get this to stick.

And then through the years, you know, this is all built up.

- Look at that!

- Of, you know, the salt.

- That's crazy.

- And if you touch, It's, you know, feels like baby powder.

- Yeah.

- So that's what's actually being ground and blown from that machine into the room.

- And that's what I'm breathing.

- Exactly.

- Yes, oh goodness.

- Feet up, you can relax and you might want some hot stones.

- Hot stones.

- These are hot Himalayan massage stones.

We recreated the microclimate of a salt cave, by blowing the salt into the room and then keeping the room at a certain humidity and temperature.

You'll notice it's always like 70 to 73 degrees in here.

That keeps it, the salt moving and flowing.

- Gotcha.

- And the humidity must be low.

- How did you get into this?

- I love the ocean, so, you know, big salt fan already.

I opened the business in 2010.

I was diagnosed with MS. And that got me into this, you know, anti-inflammatory and what can I do for my health?

And I was working a corporate job, you know, pretty stressed, driving around, et cetera.

I said, there's gotta be a better way.

I started, you know, researching and changing my diet, adding in, you know, different therapies.

- [Frank] You're a pioneer.

- Yeah, my husband went, "you're opening a what?"

And I said, "oh, a salt room."

- Sit here and relax.

And how long does a session last in here?

- So it's 45 minutes long.

45 minutes will fly by.

Because you get super relaxed, some people fall asleep and then they're like, "what, it's over already?"

- Right, would you say that most people come in here with the diagnosis, that of stress?

- That's the number one thing that everyone has, that everyone checks off and they just need like to get out.

This is like a little oasis in the salt, where they can sit, relax, not be bothered by anything.

I mean, I'm passionate about the business, you know, for the obvious reason I started the business.

- You're serious about salt.

Oh, oh, it reclines.

- Yes, exactly.

The chair reclines.

- Oh, goodness gracious.

(echoed ringing) Oh, wow.

Oh, this is great.

Can everybody please leave now?

(laughing) (upbeat music) A local chef is making a big splash, thanks to her award-winning take on a reimagined veggie burger.

And she says the secret is in the sauce.

Let's head behind the counter.

- So this here is our patty.

It's pre-seasoned with our own seasoning blend.

So we're gonna use our garlic butter.

Do you wanna try it?

This is where the magic happens.

- Oh, yeah.

- And then, now.

- Did I impress you yet?

Did I impress you yet?

Okay.

- I've always felt like there was something, an impact that I could have done that was more beneficial to the world.

And I've always loved cooking, so that's kind of when I decided to take a leap of faith.

Now, you've always loved cooking, like, - Always.

- Is it from the family?

It was passed down from your family.

- Yes.

- How'd you get into that?

So I'm Jamaican and so, from my Caribbean background, we love spices, we love food, and we actually love plant-based food.

And my dad's vegan, and my sister is also raw vegan.

So it's something that I grew up around and it was natural.

And gonna look that up.

- This is for them out there?

- Yes, this is for a customer out here.

- I'm making your burger!

- Over here we have our bacon.

And we have our caramelized onions.

- Look at the little mushrooms over there.

I like what you're putting down right now, I like this.

All my favorites and all vegan?

- All plant based, yes.

- Man.

(upbeat music) - Bring it over.

- Bring it over here.

Oh, with reverence, look at this.

(harmonizing) There you go.

- All right, so now, - Dressing.

- Dressing, we gotta get the top of the buns.

Some lettuce.

- Fresh lettuce.

- Fresh tomato.

- Tomato.

- And then we have our dope sauce.

- Ah-ha, the secret.

- The secret sauce.

- You don't give that away, right?

A little bit of swirl on there.

Are you excited to have me in the kitchen?

- [Rhona] I'm very excited.

- [Frank] It's like having a little helper.

- [Rhona] It is.

- Just over your shoulder, just going, good job, Rhona.

- That's it.

- Alright, here we go.

Is this exciting?

I'm gonna watch.

- You made this?

- I did make that.

I'm gonna watch you savor it.

Oh man, isn't it great?

Oh!

- This was fantastic.

- You liked it.

- I'm certified Dope Vegan?

- You are certified.

- Put it right here.

- You're certified.

- [Frank] People all over the world have been drinking tea for thousands of centuries for the health benefits.

And that's what led a local doctor to leave her job in medicine to become an entrepreneur, selling tea from across the world.

- I want to share the most amazing tea, very healthy tea.

Our lifestyle is all, way to go, today.

But here, that's it.

Let you relax, let's time go slower.

- That's what I need.

I need that relaxation Jai.

- Yes, we all need that.

- I need to just chill out.

- You know, each day just brew a cup of tea and can help our physical health and mental health.

So for this teacake, it has been fermented over a decade.

This one is from 2005.

- Whoa.

- For this type of tea, they're already very flavorful.

And there's no bitterness, no harsh, when you drink that.

It's very mellow, smooth.

Bring a little sweet to you.

- [Frank] Not bitter?

- [Jai] Yeah.

- [Frank] Not harsh.

- Yeah.

- Mellow and smooth.

- Yes.

- Sounds like you.

- Thank you so much.

- Yeah, you're embodying the tea.

- Thank you.

Oh, I like that.

- Yeah, embody the tea.

Use it.

- It hasn't been compressed like teacake.

They have been sleeping, - Oh, I see.

- For a long time.

- Right.

- And when warm- - So the tea is wrapped up just- - Yes.

- And then you go, oh, I gotta wake it up.

- Yes, need to wake it up.

- And take a little piece.

And then we pour hot water all over it.

What a wonderful way to wake up.

(calming music) - Smell the aroma around.

And sometimes you can feel the steam, you know, if you put the cup under your chin.

- Oh, sure, Yeah, get a little facial.

- Yeah, facial like a tea spa.

- Oh, I like that.

- And then you slowly take three sip to taste.

- Three, specifically three?

- Yeah, enjoy.

- Thank you.

(sipping) Yeah, I, get it.

- It's very mellow.

- Oh, I get it.

- Right?

- Yeah.

- And also, after you finished the tea- - Oh, you're done?

- Smell the cup.

They have the honey notes.

- Honey notes.

- Yes.

- It's, I actually, I do feel relaxed right now.

- Good.

- But, I'm not gonna lie, I just, I kind of just feel like.

- Fall asleep.

- Yeah, just ending the segment just like this.

The exceptional Ensemble Handbell Choir started in 2018, to create a community for men and women with special needs.

The group has since performed throughout the Palm Beaches and its music to my ears.

♪ West Virginia, mountain mamma ♪ - Playing music, especially in a group, is almost like entering a flow state.

- Right.

- So in that moment when they have one thing to focus on, it's, am I playing my bell now?

Oh, they're playing their bell.

It gives them something to really focus on.

- It's almost meditative, isn't it?

- Yes.

Hear the sounds of the bells, that clear ringing sound is beautiful too.

- I need to know how this began.

- I guess I always wanted to be a band mom.

- Sure.

I didn't get the chance, so, I made that happen.

So now I'm the band mom.

- I love it.

- My daughter Lauren, is 36.

There were very few music experiences for our children when they were younger.

In terms of being in a chorus or playing in an orchestra.

We wanted to create that experience for them.

And we said, bell choir works.

We thought anybody, just about anybody can play a bell.

And you'd be hard pressed to find a parent of a special needs child or adult, doesn't say, "but he loves, she loves music."

- It's universal.

I thought, because I was thinking of myself when I first started music, how great is it for them to start on an instrument that immediately sounds good, right?

Because I don't know if you know what an accordion sounds like when you don't know how to play it.

What is it about the bells that, what does it make you feel?

How does that, like?

- Happy.

- Happy?

Yeah.

- It's great, music is so amazing, isn't it?

- Yes.

- It makes you go to a different place.

- [Frank] It does.

(bells ringing) - What changes have you seen in your daughter since doing this programming?

- She understands that she's going to bell choir.

And she's excited, right there is powerful.

Her social skills have improved, her verbal skills have improved.

And it is so powerful to see her, or all of the group actually, just chilled.

- This has been awesome.

Thank you guys, give yourself a hand.

(applause) I supposedly we should all do this right, at the end?

(bells ringing) Yeah.

Yeah.

Awesome.

Very cool, thank you.

The Norton Museum is known for its exhibitions of artwork from around the world.

And now there's a more recent edition that you don't want to miss.

I am walking through this beautiful tropical oasis, but would you believe that not so very long ago, this was a parking lot?

- It was a 20,000 square feet parking lot.

And today it's a 37,000 square foot garden.

2019, we reopened the building with the beautiful landscape and campus you see today.

And that really marked the beginning of the new Norton for us and what we're surrounded by.

- It's incredible and it's so zen here.

- It is, it's very relaxing.

- You can really come here and decompress in the middle of the city.

- Yeah, it's a reprieve.

There's a 17 sculptures on view right now, at the Norton Sculpture Garden.

And as you walk around, I think you can envision not only the natural beauty of the world around us, but then the beauty that's made only through human imagination, through the sculptures.

- Wow, look at you coin and phrases.

That's really great.

- Thank you.

There's a lot of surprises in the garden, I think from the sculptures you'll encounter when you're out here, as well as how large it is.

And like it's part of the community.

You know, we're right within an old historic neighborhood in West Palm Beach, so it really does just fold right in.

- I love this pose, I feel like I want to.

- Yeah.

- I feel like I wanna- - [Rachel] You can have some fun with it.

- Oh yeah.

So talk to me about this, this is, I feel like this is something I could make outta clay.

- Well, that's interesting you say that, Frank.

These are two sculptures by the Swiss artist, Ugo Rondinone.

And in fact, before they were cast in bronze, they were modeled in clay.

So the marks that you see at the front, really would've been the artists own imprint, their own hand to create this work that inevitably then got cast in bronze.

They're both from the same body of work called Moon Rise.

And this particular artist was thinking about the moon cycles when he created them.

And each one is named for a different month of the year.

So you have July behind us and November here.

- It's my month.

- Oh, there you go.

- Yeah, July's my month.

Looks about right, yeah.

- Ugo Rondinone has said he doesn't want people to necessarily understand it, but to feel it.

- Interesting.

- He's evoking an emotional response.

- That's the way I feel about everything I do.

- There we go.

- You don't need to understand it.

- So the grinning features, the tactality of the surface.

I think it all lends to that.

- [Frank] And speaking of gardens, we're checking out the Pike Food Forest, where just about everything that goes on this family's dinner table comes right from their own backyard.

(upbeat guitar music) I just love that I have a grocery cart, going through a forest.

- And we wanted to start incorporating food that could be fresh on our table and decrease the toxins that were all around us.

And so we moved here and went just, we dove into the food forest adventure.

- [Frank] Look at all this land.

- Exactly.

But this is Juanilama, this plant is very popular in Costa Rica.

- What did you just call it?

- It's called Juanilama or Oaxaca Mint.

You can just crack it open and smell it.

This Aibika, it's a type of spinach.

It's my favorite spinach.

- I got it, I got it, were good, I got it.

Can't even operate the grocery cart.

Terrible.

Not only don't I know what we're picking.

- I just kept thinking, why aren't these things in the grocery store?

Why aren't we growing locally?

- I feel so gypped, like, you know?

- Growing what's easy, what's delicious?

- Great.

- These types of greens.

They grow without any care.

So you can grow them in your backyard.

And most people are deficient in the types of nutrients that plants like these, this will give you.

- That's a great explanation, I'm deficient.

I, that's how I feel.

I feel very deficient.

- Well, let's go to this side.

And I'll get some Katuk.

- Of course, I was gonna suggest we get some Katuk.

- This is all Katuk.

- Ah, hi Katuk - Katuk is called sweet leaf, and it's very high in vitamin K. It tastes like a sweet pea.

- It sure does.

- Yeah, it's delicious.

So I just take all this and I'm just gonna cut it back.

- It tastes exactly like a sweet tea.

- Incredible.

- So it's just a ton of fun.

Yeah.

Oh.

- Oh, Hello chickens.

- It tastes like cucumber.

- Oh wow.

- I think the kids ate all my raspberries.

This is seminal pumpkin, it's a native pumpkin.

This is a star apple, it's not in season right now, but it has a fruit that tastes like custard.

- Is it okay if I give you a hand?

- Sure.

- Can I move in?

- This is very natural and it's very relaxing, because there's a wildness to it.

So when we have guests, when we give tours, when we have children over, just seeing their disposition change.

- Eating from something you've grown is one of the most satisfying things.

- Yes, I mean, it gives a feeling of continuity and of life.

It's a lot of fun, you know, it's just- - You have absolutely blown my mind.

It's been said that horses are highly intelligent creatures, who can understand human emotions.

Today we're exploring equine therapy, to help us better connect to ourselves and with others.

Oh yeah, perfect fit.

Wow.

(upbeat music) How do you get into horse therapy?

Tell me about, a little bit of how you got into this.

- I started the business to help others.

I started a charity 13 years ago, to help children growing up in homes affected by addiction.

The reason horses are so helpful with this is, horses are excellent at teaching communication and connection and authenticity.

And if we aren't connected to ourselves, the horse will not connect with us.

So inside I'm feeling kind of gross, but I'm like, "Frank, how you doing?

What's going on?"

- That's how most people yeah- - Yeah, exactly.

They don't really feel it, but they all will pretend.

- And you sense it, right?

So the horse knows instantly and they're not gonna hurt you.

They just won't connect with you because that they know, they're sensing that ulterior motive or that disconnection.

- That would be such a great gift to have as a human.

- Yeah, well, they can't be dishonest.

- I agree.

Yeah, I completely agree.

They seem to have a connection to humans that other animals may not have.

- They teach us boundaries and they know when we don't have boundaries and they push 'em.

- [Frank] That's incredible.

- Horses do not care how much money you have.

Which family you're from, all they care about is, am I safe in your presence and are you a worthy leader?

- [Frank] Interesting.

- And that all comes back to us being congruent.

Well, I think so many of us struggle with connection.

What does connection look like to ourselves, to our immediate community, to our family?

And even businesses come and we do workshops with them.

- [Frank] Oh!

- We teach them.

- [Frank] What a wonderful alternative to what most people think of as therapy, you know.

I feel more connected just doing this interview with you.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- How about your horse?

- Listen, the fact that she's allowing me to just sort of hang and it's being really cool.

I'm impressed.

I'm impressed with myself for staying on the horse, to be honest.

- I'm Impressed too, yeah.

- That was fun.

It was nice meeting you.

Sure it was better, me meeting you than you meeting me, sure.

There's no shortage of places to enjoy the ocean in the palm beaches.

And for this local woman, surfing is a form of therapy.

I'm gonna attempt to hang 10 with surf instructor Mary Glazer.

She has no idea what she's in for, because I've never surfed.

So it's probably gonna be more like hanging a five or a six.

- We're gonna get pitted out there.

- Awesome, awesome.

- That means getting barreled.

- Is it?

What does it mean?

- It means like, getting barreled.

- That means like, - Like in tube.

- Getting hurt, basically.

- No.

Oh, when you're going!

And you're like, and the things coming over you and you're just, oh yeah.

- There's some tubes out there.

- There'll be a really small- - Yeah, yeah, we'll get you in there.

- Gerfer lady, teach this novice man about this thing.

- Paddling out, yes.

One arm at a time.

- Oh, one arm?

- Yes.

- Okay.

- One arm at a time, like big ice cream scoops.

- Sure.

- Yeah, I always surfed for myself.

It came out of a hardship in my life.

I had a brother who was a surfer.

He passed away when I was in middle school, and I wanted to take up surfing to- - Honor him.

- Connect with him.

And so it's always been a mental health hobby for me to connect with myself, connect with him, connect with nature.

And so it took me a long time to actually progress and go past, like, just being out there for me flopping around.

- [Frank] Yeah, yeah.

- So that's why I've loved seeing others progress so rapidly with having that one-on-one coaching.

(upbeat music) So, big waves coming.

- Sure.

- You're paddling for it.

You're gonna kick up with it.

You're gonna bring your hands under your shoulders, do a big push up, bring one foot in, just a tiny bit, your other foot right in between your hands.

- Oh.

- Shift your toes to the side and then bend the hell out of those knees.

I pretty much teach anywhere from five years old to, I've taught 70 year old women.

And so all within the same mission of just wanting women to feel empowered to do something on their own that they maybe never would've thought they could do.

- Paddle, paddle, paddle, push out.

Oh.

Oh.

Oh.

- Bend the knees, nice.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- That's it.

- That's it.

And you're shredding.

- Oh, sure.

That's it.

- Oh yeah.

- That's it.

- And what, at what point do I fall?

(upbeat music) Some people are meant to surf.

I'm not one of those people.

(upbeat music) Today, we explored just some of the pathways to wellness in the Palm Beaches.

Through healthy food and drinks, ways to connect with ourselves and nature, and some challenging ways to get fit.

We hope you'll get out and enjoy everything the Palm Beaches has to offer and get healthy in the meantime.

Join us the next time we go on the town in the Palm beaches with me, Frank Lacari.

Now I warn you, I'm not here every day, yeah.

- Back and running.

- I'm gonna run.

Oh, and I come back.

- Yes.

- Yeah.

Perfect, right?

- Perfect.

- I mean, elegant.

Elegant is the word I think you're looking for.

- And grace.

- Grace and elegance.

That's what I'm known for Tanya.

- [Narrator] This program was brought to you by Discover the Palm Beaches.

Visit ThePalmBeaches.tv for more information.