CityView Magazine

22 | October 2016 eir heritage inspires their appetite as they oen enjoy Cuban food. e Safilles prefer to eat clean, swapping brown rice for white and making other healthy substitu- tions, but one clean Cuban dish they cook regularly is fried cow, which is flank steak stir fry with garlic and onions and, like sta- ple Cuban dishes, is served alongside rice mixed with black beans. Lori had a say in everything in her kitch- en from their six-burner gas range complete with a customized hood to the gold chicken wire on the cabinet doors to the outlets in- stalled in their California Closet pantry. In the pantry, behind the frosted glass door, they stash their Keurig machine, blend- ers and toasters which keeps their kitchen counter space clear. Atop her cream-colored cabinetry rubbed with a bronze glaze and an antique finish Christmasy fruits are arranged. Lori leaves them up year round, but during the holidays she adds sprays of lights for ambiance. A Hand + Stone soy candle flickers on the granite countertop. Oen, Lori places can- dles around her house, in bedrooms and in hallways, adding soness, serenity, warmth and a scent of gardenias or teakwood. Collector's Items Right off the kitchen is an eat-in lounge area, a cozy nook in which to read the news- paper and drink coffee in the morning. Since it's just the two of them in the home these days, they oen eat informally in here. is is also where Lori's teapot collec- tion, inspired from her travels, destinations and gis she's received from friends, is on display. "Someone gave me a set when I went to Prague," she begins, "and now whenever I travel, I try to find one." ough she doesn't have the space to display all (she stops to count…) 15 of them, only a few are packed away. Sitting on the shelves is a Disney cruise ship tea set, Disney princess sets, an Alice in Wonderland one, a handmade set from Haiti, one from Prague, Colombia, Washington D.C., London and a golden es- presso set from the United Arab Emirates. "at last one was a gi from a friend of mine in Virginia," Lori says. And Lori's collection is not yet complete. "I've been searching for the Harry Potter one. at's the next one on my list." The nook off the kitchen Serenity found in the breezes of Lake Upchurch

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