Erica Chayes Wida

Stephanie Synclair wanted to create a sensual experience with her tea brand, LaRue 1680. And just two months after its launch in October 2020, Netflix's romantic drama "Bridgerton" captivated audiences around the country. Suddenly, everyone wanted to sip floral flavors from porcelain cups dressed like Regency-era high society — and Synclair couldn't be happier.
Synclair, a business coach and single mom to Caden, 14, always had a love of travel. As a girl in Birmingham, Alabama, she often spen...

Flying in the 21st century was tricky to navigate even before a global pandemic. Now it's even more complicated. Once the vaccine started becoming more available, some have warmed to the idea of traveling again, and I was one of them.
Before booking anything, it's wise to consider that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still warns that travel increases a person’s chance of getting the disease, noting that social distancing is difficult on crowded flights. Some experts, however, h...

Since the killing of George Floyd and the ensuing Black Lives Matter protests last year, there has been an increased focus on spotlighting and supporting Black-owned businesses.
The increase, according to a spokesperson at Yelp, became evident when the company reported its most common search terms. In 2020, it saw a 2,400 percent rise in searches for "Black-owned" restaurants and other businesses in comparison to 2019. During the same time pe...

As electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids become more popular among car brands, many consumers are wondering whether they should make the switch.
It's always a good idea to brush up on the facts before heading to the dealership and understand if an EV is right for you. While driving an EV is known for reducing emissions and helping the environment, there are plenty of other perks that may surprise even those who are most committed to their gas-guzzler.
To better get to know the scope of EVs av...

April Valencia grew up in her grandmothers' kitchens in Arizona. Adorned in an apron, her Nana Lola was a fixture in the room, like the clay comal on the wood-burning stove. To Valencia, the tortilla press that her nanas used daily for meals throughout the day was a coveted toy — its heavy handle lifting up and down, pushing the plate against balls of masa to form discs.
"To feed a family every day all of the time, there’s a real magical force behind that," Valencia told TODAY Food. "Whenever...

When Alma Cocina Latina and Mera Kitchen Collective shuttered in-person operations in March 2020, owners Irena Stein and Emily Lerman joined forces to create a free community meal service called Ålkimiah. After nearly a year, Stein, Lerman and their small team have delivered 105,000 free, healthful meals to underserved Baltimore residents — and they're just getting started.
Stein was born in Venezuela and grew up between South America and Europe. With an education in social work and cultural ...

The last month has been an intense period of reflection when it comes to racism. Perhaps you've also heard the term "reverse racism" in the media, on Instagram, at work or in pockets of mostly white communities in recent weeks. But what does the term really mean?
Before understanding the concept of "reverse racism" — the claim by white people that they've been victims of racism by people of color — Worku Nida, an expert in sociocultural anthropology with a Ph.D. from UCLA, says it's imperativ...

How many times have you regretfully thrown away some yellowed kale, bruised apples or lemon rinds? It happens more often than most of us would like to admit. But a little knowledge about how to transform our fruits and veggies could save them from the trash. Chef and Food Network star Bobby Flay is an expert in delicious, and he shared his most productive produce tips with TMRW.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, 30 to 40% of America's food supply is wasted each year — ...

In a tavern on New York City's east side, a table of politicians were beckoned from their usual drunken banter by music and light piercing through the night. On the street outside, a group adorned in glittery black capes and soldiers' hats marched through the Bowery with glowing torches.
According to archives of the Sept. 19, 1860 issue of the New York Herald, the politicians were mesmerized and shouted out, "Who are these Wide Awakes?"
The grassroots organization began earlier that year when...

When I first met Philip Stark at a dinner last year, I was fascinated by his expertise in finding nutritious, beautiful food in concrete cities.
Stark is an expert in foraging urban landscapes as well as a statistics professor and associate dean of UC Berkeley's Division of Mathematical and Physical Sciences. He founded the university's Open Source Food program, which leads research and studies about building healthier food systems around the world.
Edible weeds, whether from the forest, gard...

In 2018, a research team of anthropologists, psychologists, biologists, musicians and linguists from top universities around the globe confirmed through computational data that "music is the universal language of mankind."
The quote comes from a Harvard professor and poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who first uttered the phrase more than 200 years ago. But the sentiment is much older than that. From hymns echoing through the rafters of ancient European cathedrals to the vibrating ding of Bud...

The burning passion to fill time at home with new hobbies may inspire you to purchase that guitar you've dreamed about since childhood. While in-person music lessons are less accessible right now, there are still options to learn the universal language of mankind.
If you're someone who's always longed to play an instrument but never knew where to start, here's your first music lesson from some of the world's chart-topping, Grammy Award-winning musicians.
However music captivates you — whether...

Tips to explore New York City like a local with the best neighborhoods.

On a balmy evening on Providenciales, the largest island in the Turks and Caicos archipelago, the sea brought a wind inland, and with it, boats of fishermen who’d been diving in the shallow waters for conch. With the mollusk’s edible muscle removed, David Bowen’s grandfather, Julius, brought a curved, pink shell to his lips and blew into it three times—two short, one long—a call that would inform his wife that he’d returned home.

Whether your little ones are 2 or 12, navigating air travel with children is a feat. What can help: Make the airline work for you.
When I travel with my children, who are 1 and 3, I rely on early boarding, in-flight entertainment and any other perk I can get my hands on to make flying bearable (and maybe even fun).
Pack some yummy snacks, a bag full of toys and a cozy blanket, and you’ll be singing Sinatra's “Come Fly With Me” every time you hear “Families with young children can begin boardi...