Workin It (Part 1) 2009
President and CEO, RainbowVision
Joy Silver asked the question: “What will happen to us when we age, or are in need of help, and who will provide those services particularly since some of us have alternative family structures?” She answered by founding RainbowVision Santa Fe, an adult community with condos, rentals and assisted living, now in its third year, where the LGBTQI & A population lives in the majority. With a fitness center, salon, restaurant, cabaret, and an event space, RainbowVision has become “the de facto community center for the Santa Fe LGBTQI+A,” according to Silver, hosting a wide range of ages and sexual identification at its many events. “Living through the AIDS crisis taught us that care through the end of life–medical and mental health challenges – may not necessarily be related to becoming elderly. The benefits that RainbowVision provides to our community are that there is now a place, and options for us that have never existed before.” – KW
The first 18 of 2009’s Red Hot Entrepreneurs!
Debra S. Bicknese
Chef / Owner, Beast
Debra S. Bicknese is chef and owner of Beast, a popular tapas bar and lounge in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. Her interest in the culinary world began as a young girl, assisting her Italian grandmother in making gnocchi. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Bicknese worked in various Manhattan restaurants, including Mario Batali’s Otto, before deciding to open her own place. Bicknese fell in love with a quirky corner bar that had been closed for over 20 years, but dated back to the early 1900’s and in 2005, opened Beast. Bicknese credits Beast’s diverse menu to the various culinary strengths and backgrounds of the kitchen staff; Mexican, Greek, Italian, and Australian. “The staff makes all the difference,” Bicknese says, “I believe that if you genuinely care about your staff and what motivates them and what their dreams are, then they are more likely to care about you and your dreams.” – CB
