On Thursday, July 31, Annette Anderson of Stars’N’Bars fame retired after 35 years of working in Monaco. Friends gathered at Marius Monaco to say thank you to the heart of our community, an extraordinary human being whose comforting day-to-day presence will be missed.
Following a fantastic farewell speech by Gavin Sharpe, Annette was presented with a jade-coloured soapstone heart by Menton artist Florence Duet. And even though we forgot to use microphones (note for next time!), she made the evening news on Monaco Info. (Watch Video Below.)
Now, typically, I would share a few words about what makes Annette Anderson so darn special and how she represents the authentic spirit of our Monaco community. But as she brilliantly tells her own story on the recent Monaco Info podcast, I will instead invite you to listen to learn more about her life and time in the Principality. (Listen with this link below.)
As for Gavin’s speech, I’m sharing here as it perfectly captures the gathering to hip-hip-hooray Annette last Thursday. You can watch this video below or read the text. There are also plenty of photos if you scroll down.
Gavin Sharpe’s Farewell To Annette Anderson “Annette, we couldn’t let this week pass without saying thank you and taking a moment to honour and celebrate you.
Now, anyone who knows Annette knows just how much she hates the spotlight. Well … sorry, Annette – these next few minutes are all about you. So you’ll just have to grin and bear it!
Not many of us can say we’ve created a legacy like yours. Thirty-five years ago, you helped open a remarkable chapter in Monaco’s story. I’m of course talking about the cultural institution that is Stars’N’Bars.
Let me share a little secret – you can’t always believe what Annette tells you. She’ll try to convince you she was just in the background, holding the fort while Kate and Didier made the magic happen. But the more I’ve come to know Annette, the more I’ve realised the truth: Stars’N’Bars was a remarkable co-creation and it worked because three incredibly talented people brought their different and remarkable gifts to the table. And in my view, that’s what true leadership looks like – collaborative, humble, and quietly powerful. That’s you, Annette.
There’s something almost poetic in the fact that Stars N’ Bars was created to bring people together, informally. It wasn’t about wealth or pretence – it was about being real, being grounded. And how fitting that you were at the heart of that.
Very few people get to shape a place, a feeling, a community the way you have. Your legacy isn’t just in bricks and mortar – it’s in the memories, the friendships, the laughter, and the lives you’ve touched.
On a personal level, thank you, Annette – for your friendship, your vision, your heart, your humour, and your immeasurable contribution to the Principality and to all of us lucky enough to know you.
I know you’ve worked tirelessly with Didier and the team to build something new and exciting in your next venture, Marius. We wish them every success with it.
But I can’t wait to see what YOU create in YOUR next chapter – I know you’re brimming with ideas. But for now, please raise a glass with me to toast the inimitable and iconic Annette Anderson.”
Riviera Radio MD Paul Kavanagh, Martine Malbouvier, Eric Gibelin, Camille Bidard and Sarah Lycett.Natasha Frost-Savio, Tiffaney Perlino and Kimberley Bottomley.Vanessa Ilsley and Lisa DeRea Frederiksen.Irina Peterson.Sue Blake and Mike Colquhoun.Joe Ghannam and Annette Wijdom.Rhonda Husdon and Ina Ina McLaughlin.Barry and Emma-Jane McCormack.Kaen Bond and John Ina McLaughlin.Silvia Mischler.Finlay, Kelly and Charlotte McNish.Gavin Sharpe and Sebastian Rocca.Jilly Jackson.Karin Corradi.Didier RubioloAlicia Sedgwick
Article first published August 2, 2025. Photos and videos copyright Good News Monaco.
Anyone who knows the benevolent Gabrielle Crump will not be surprised to learn that her childhood in Oundle, Northamptonshire, was a happy one with a “fantastic group” of school friends. “My parents sent me to a school that I loved and bought a house in the centre of town, enabling me to walk to all my lessons with my books under my arm and have an incredible level of freedom,” she says.
Gabrielle – affectionately Gabby to her friends – remembers how her mother prided herself on having a big garden full of vegetables and beautiful flowers. “She used to garden in the dark with very strong lamps. It was her way of managing the stress of running a food manufacturing business with 50 staff and loads of responsibility.”
From a young age, her mother would encourage Gabrielle to find joy in whatever she chose to do with her life. “If that meant scrubbing toilets, then Mum would be happy for me. I never felt as though I had to fit into a box.”
Clearly, she did not, as her eclectic life story shows. Bilingual Gabrielle was born in Grasse, grew up in the UK and met her husband, Russell, at the Monaco Yacht Show in 2000. He was showing the smallest boat at the show; she had just started in the industry. This was the beginning of a long journey guided by the desire to help others. Later this year they will be celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the non-profit Chances 4 Children Foundation, created by the couple back in August 2014. “This is a huge moment for us considering where we started from,” Gabrielle voices. “Russell had always wanted to run aid to Africa on a truck but was unable to due to his Type 1 diabetes. When an opportunity came along, we saw it as a sign.”
Opportunity came knocking in 2013. The stepbrother of a close friend of Gabrielle’s (“and my first love at the age of 14!”) spent two weeks of his gap year volunteering in Uganda at what was then called His Mercy’s Outreach Centre. “Uganda is the world’s third poorest country and during this time James’ mother appealed for funds and we stepped in to help,” explains Gabrielle.
Chances 4 Children with Martin Male and Russell and Gabrielle Crump.
The centre was run by Martin Male, an AIDS orphan who had saved 60 children from the slums in Kampala, Uganda’s capital, and it was Martin’s story that tugged at the Crumps’ emotional chords. Martin’s promiscuous father died having contracted HIV AIDS, and his mom was selling her body to ensure that Martin would be fed and attend school. After her death, young Martin hitched a ride on the back of a coal truck from his village to the city in search of an aunt. Unsuccessful, he wound up on the streets for years living and sleeping in unimaginable conditions. One day, a local businesswoman, Jayne, asked how she could help and he said he didn’t want money, but rather to attend school to honour his mother and be able to stand on his own two feet. “Mummy Jayne” – who had three daughters – took Martin in for the night and he never looked back. “Fast forward and Jayne has been behind Chances 4 Children each step of the way helping everyone find their way in life.
Martin’s humbling story – single-handedly determined to giving kids an education, hope, safety and a sense of belonging to the Chances 4 Children family (with Gabrielle and Russell’s support) – led to the Sponsor a Child Program, which has been running since 2016. “Our sponsors provide a literal lifeline for these children who went from having no hope – or underpants! – let alone speaking English, to going to school, eating three square meals a day and stepping onto a stage in front of hundreds to sing, dance and speak their truth with passion and integrity. We now have seven youths in higher education and our first ‘daughter’ will start university in January. As well, four youths are currently in Saudi Arabia for three months dancing in the Disney production of The Lion King. We are beyond proud as this is our first major step towards self-sustainability. Paying for an entire year of education with these funds allows these four young people a chance to open a bank account and save for their future.”
Gabrielle adds that six children are currently in need of a sponsor. She shares the story of a lady she came across in the slums of Kampala, the country’s largest with some 20,000 people. “She reached out to me and tried to give me her child. Clearly, she was hoping I could give this little person a better life. Walking away from them was heart-wrenching. I never knew her name but this image will stay with me until the end. I would love to hear from anyone who is interested in stepping in to give these children a chance in life.”
Mother in Kampala slums offering her child to Gabrielle.
Uganda’s mud and brick homes are a world away from the pristine life in the Principality. “My biggest personal challenge living in Monaco is the way that so many people put on a brave face when the chips are down, be it financially or for family reasons. I truly feel that living in ‘Tinseltown’ it is important for those who are facing tough times to have someone to turn to and not be expected to ‘keep calm and carry on!’
“Especially on a mental wellness level, I think there is a lot of work yet to be done in Monaco especially among the thousands of expats that struggle without family support. As a coach – and as a friend – I have witnessed this first hand.”
Gabrielle recently pivoted and became a certified integrative health coach, specializing in emotional eating, nutrition and holistic stress management. “Like many during Covid lockdown, I did a little soul searching. I always dreamt of becoming an actress but as my parents had their own business while I was growing up, being an entrepreneur was very familiar to me. I had spent years involved in sales and marketing, starting my own property business when I was 21.
“When I discovered the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, I instantly knew it was for me. It connected everything I was passionate about into one career –helping people and my passion for food but not as a chef.”
The Institute for Integrative Nutrition was started by Joshua Rosenthal, who first came up with the idea of health coaching 30 years ago. It combines nutrition with psychotherapy-based coaching techniques and with a functional medicine approach – identifying and treating the underlying cause of a person’s condition with a particular emphasis on the gut-brain connection. “We also studied nutritional psychiatry, the emerging field about the effect what you eat has on your mental wellbeing. I am continuing to read more on this as I am fascinated by the subject. I love understanding how people tick and helping them to overcome obstacles.”
Gabrielle admits that as a kid she was the student that was a pleasure to teach but never top of the class. She laughs, “From the get-go I was a communicator and as a small kid I would chat to strangers on the bus in London!” So, choosing to go back to school and study at Institute for Integrative Nutrition was a big decision but not a difficult one.
“Every Monday morning, opening my laptop to see what we were going to learn, it was like Christmas. I absolutely loved every minute.” The “tough part” – as she outlines – was having to work three part-time jobs – managing a large villa renovation for a Monaco family office, tutoring English, and running the admin and newsletter for the British Association, as well as running Chances 4 Children – which meant Friday afternoons and weekends were taken over with study. “I had almost no time to rest. You see the irony!
“I rarely came up for air. My husband was very tolerant and cooked most nights, as well as helping me to revise for my tests. He helped me study so much that he could have passed the course himself. My mother, in a big way, also stepped in to take the pressure off the day-to-day charity operations, which was a big task and for which I will be eternally grateful.”
Yet managing all of these things taught Gabrielle that “I am extremely focused and that with discipline and consistency, I can achieve whatever I set my mind to.” Still, her moves on the dance floor and passion for the outdoors (“Mad fact – my favourite hiking buddy is my husband’s ex-wife!”) had to take a back seat to her studies. “My social life went out of the window entirely but I accepted that it wasn’t forever.”
In February 2023, she launched Gabrielle’s Zest 4 Life under her maiden name Gabrielle Achilleos. “It has taken me to get to my early forties to know exactly what I want to do with my career but I am very proud.”
She describes herself as an integrative health coach specialised in emotional eating, nutrition, holistic stress management, but what exactly does this mean? “Emotional eating is when someone leans on food to fill an emotional void that they are not ready to face, similar to using any substance, be it alcohol or drugs. It is a way to numb or suppress negative emotions – such as stress, anger, fear, boredom, sadness and loneliness – to avoid leaning in to what’s really going on and unpacking it. This can be very uncomfortable as for many people it is a lifetime’s habit.”
Her holistic stress management approach helps develop habits that regulate the nervous system, taking it from Fight or Flight mode to Rest and Recover. “So many people wait until a big holiday or a spa weekend to finally wind down … by which time all the cumulative stress has built up that they often get sick as the body has stopped running on adrenaline. New habits can be something as simple as locking ourselves in the toilet for 10 minutes for some peace – if you have young kids! – to committing to regularly getting out into nature, exercise, journaling or doing a short meditation.”
Gabrielle’s Zest 4 Life focusses on small daily lifestyle changes combined with complementary therapies for a holistic approach to well-being. “I look at the entire person – mind, body, and spirit – by addressing underlying factors as opposed to fixating on the symptoms. I focus a lot on blood sugar management to keep energy levels stable throughout the day instead of falling into the caffeine, sugar or alcohol rollercoaster.”
She works 1-on-1 with a limited number of clients who decide what they want to achieve and the pace that suits them. “I am there to ‘hold the torch’ and help them to stay focused and committed.”
This involves an hour coaching session every seven to 14 days, either online or in person. “In between, however, is where the magic happens! I check in every day so they have constant accountability and a cheerleader. I also do pantry purges, helping clients swap out foods that may not be supporting their health, as well as meal planning for those with food intolerances. And food prep is also a big hurdle for some people so I have a bunch of tips to help make that less time consuming and more fun!”
“Since then, we sold 200 menus in six weeks and the feedback has been super. There is a new starter and main five days a week, and all ingredients are both local and seasonal. I have to be creative when it comes to using the same ingredients in a variety of different ways but Didier is very strict about this and I respect the fact that he is really walking his talk with the ethos of the place.”
Somehow, in addition to her non-profit and starting a new business, Gabrielle has found time to run “Disconnect to Reconnect” hikes. “I have partnered up with Anne Fabienne Raven for these ‘Zest and Zen’ outdoor events. The concept is that twice a month, we take a group of up to 10 people on an easy hike with no phones so that we can reconnect with nature, and each other. During the walk, we enjoy a yoga class al fresco by Anne Fabienne, as well as some breathwork and a mindfulness practice. I provide a healthy picnic and also do a wellness talk. We will be mainly focusing on tips and tools to reduce stress and ‘find our Zen’ again. It will be a safe place for people to share their challenges and support each other. What goes on the hike, stays on the hike, as they say.”
The road to here has taken sacrifice and commitment on Gabrielle’s part but she wouldn’t have it any other way. “Although I enjoy lunches and going to exercise classes, this would never be enough for me. I could never imagine not working, but I would rather work crazy hours for myself and be my own boss then go to a 9-5 job that pays the same wage every month for the sake of security.
“It’s the most exciting empowering journey but you need to expect a transition period from your old life to your new one. And starting a business on your own can be a lonely journey so surround yourself with a ‘board’ of friends and like-minded people on a similar journey.”
Her tip to other women looking to rebrand themselves and start something new is not to give up your “day job” until the income from the new business can just about support you. “’If you aren’t reliant on the income in the beginning then don’t hold back. The worst that can happen is that it doesn’t work and you stop… but as my mum always says, “It’s only life!’
Gabrielle lays bare her truth. “I have had to dig deep many times to maintain my mental wellness, and I am not ashamed to share that as I think it’s important, it becomes less taboo.
“If I could give my younger self a piece of advice it would be that instead of thinking Why me?, think Why not me? It’s amazing what we can achieve when we believe in ourselves.”
In the early hours of June 28, 1969, nine New York City police officers raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club located in Greenwich Village. A search warrant in hand authorised them to investigate the illegal sale of alcohol, and – in accordance with a New York criminal statute –arrest people who were not wearing at least three articles of gender-appropriate clothing.
WATCH VIDEO ABOVE: Annette Anderson delivers spectacular speech at MonacoPride 2024.
Activist and photographer Mark Segal, 18 at the time, was at the LGBTQ+ hang out that day. He recently described the event to Katie Couric Media, saying it was “an ordinary night” dancing at the Stonewall Inn when the police “poured in, threatening and beating patrons … but instead of complying like they normally did when these altercations occurred, the crowd decided to fight back.”
He described, ‘“It was the most horrific, frightening scene I had ever been part of. My first reaction in my head was, ‘Oh gee, we better call the police’ – and then I realised these are the police. Realising that we gay people can be treated like this was probably one of the most depressing times in my life. [It felt like] no one cared about us, not even the police.”
The police barricaded themselves inside and called for backup as some 400 people rioted and set fire to the bar. The flames were extinguished in time but the riots continued for six days. This incident became known as the Stonewall Uprising, the tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the US.
In 1970, a year after the Stonewall Inn raid, activists commemorated the anniversary with what was the first gay pride march. Today, the Stonewall Uprising continues to be honoured worldwide with Pride Month in June.
In Monaco, across Pride Month, the Barclays Private Bank building lights up in the colours of the rainbow. It was Barclays Monaco who, in 2022, collaborated with Fight Aids Monaco and Stars’n’Bars to create MonacoPride, to provide an opportunity to educate Monaco decision makers about LGBTQI+ rights and to change the outdated laws that create serious hardships for many families of people working and living in Monaco.
Speakers Monserrat Marchchetti (Barclays Private Bank Monaco), Hervé Aeschbach, (Fight Aids Monaco) Annette Anderson (former manager of Stars’n’Bars) with Camille Gottlieb (representing her mother Princess Stephanie), Christophe Glasser (Fight Aids Monaco), Lorenzo Turco (Barclays Private Bank Monaco) and (Marina Ceyssac (High Commissioner for Protection of Rights).
Every year since, on June 20, MonacoPride brings together residents and workers to celebrate the LGBTQI+ community. The annual cocktail continues to grow larger, more dynamic, and this third edition invited an unprecedented 150 guests to the new port restaurant, Marius.
It’s a party with a purpose, a reflection on the year’s achievements – like the welcome creation of the new Mon’Arc En Ciel Association – but also to focus on the road ahead as Monaco is consistently rated among the worst counties in Europe in terms of LGBTQI+ civil rights.
Hervé Aeschbach, director of Fight Aids Monaco(WATCH VIDEO BELOW), pointed out how there are no spousal rights for widows or widowers of a spouse in a same-sex couple legally married in other countries and same sex families who are denied medical benefits for their children.
In a riveting speech, Annette Anderson thanked the “many courageous members of the Conseil National as well as the [Marina Ceyssac] High Commissioner for Protection of Rights who have fought for equal rights for the Rainbow Community” but went further to say, “It is OUR responsibility to fight for OUR rights.”
Mon’Arc en Ciel cofounders Isabelle and Anais Berruti, Cynthia Salvanhac and Laure Bernardi.
Annette also commended the Isabelle and Anais Berruti, Laure Bernardi and Cynthia Salvanhac, the thirtysomething cofounders of the country’s first LGBTQIA+ association, Mon’Arc en Ciel.
When Mon’Arc en Ciel launched a month ago, Anais said in an interview, “Monaco is small, people talk. I have never been uncomfortable saying that I’m in a couple with a woman. But we are young. We are not the same generation as older people who have maybe had different experiences.
“Some individuals feel there’s a risk of being regarded negatively, so they keep quiet. We understand, and that’s why we created this association. To tell these people that, even if they don’t want to speak out, the association will do it for them.
Article first published June 21, 2024. Photos and videos copyright Good News, Monaco.
In Annette Anderson’s fascinating debut in The Monegasquemagazine, her article “Will the Funkiest Prince Please Stand Up?” links two events that marked Monaco’s history in the first week of May 1994. One is the death of F1 driver Ayrton Senna and how “at the request of Michael Schumacher and Keke Rosberg” several drivers, compatriots and Stars’n’Bars owners Kate Powers and Didier Rubiolo “commandeered the upstairs bar and drank into the wee hours, toasting and sharing memories of their fallen brother.” The other, well, you’ll have to pick up a copy of the latest issue to read her compelling story.
WATCH VIDEO ABOVE: Author Daniel Ortelli talks about his new book on Ayrton Senna and the FNAC event on Wednesday, May 22.
Thirty years may have passed since Senna died tragically on the Imola circuit aged 34, yet the fascination for the Brazilian driver has not diminished. And a new book Eternel Senna: Le Livre Hommage(Éditions Glénat, €39.95) provides an unprecedented 10-year snapshot of Senna’s character. The 224 pages by Daniel Ortelli, Thomas Woloch and Dominique Leroy cover his Formula 1 debut in 1984 to his final season with Williams and include exclusive testimonials from those close to the man from Sao Paolo.
The trio promoted the book at the Rendez-Vous Culturel at the Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo last Friday. Daniel, a veteran motorsport journalist in the region, said. “Senna always attracted attention, even the years when he didn’t win. Because he was in Pole position, because he was driving a Renault, there was always a good reason to talk about him. There were some years when he won three times, and other years when he didn’t win a title, but it didn’t matter. Every year there were stories to tell about him.”
Eternel Senna authors Daniel Ortelli and Thomas Woloch and photographer Dominique Leroy.
“In France his rivalry with Proust was followed very closely, at a time when TF1 beat all the records for audience sizes. Dominique Leroy was in the front row and we had Dominique’s eye on the event from the beginning to the end. Sometimes during F1 you may have five different photographers and so five different styles of photos. With Dominique, who knows the subject so well, there was unity. The quality was consistent.”
On being approached about the book, Dominique said, “There are always around a hundred photos of Ayrton Senna that appear all the time. But they wanted 500 photos and that was a bit complicated. I started looking in the cellar, in the attic, to try and find some photos. To be honest, three quarters of them were unpublished.”
An accomplished painter, Dominique was at San Marino the day Senna died. “I had the immense privilege during the first Formula One to be sent almost permanently to the Williams garage. On May 1, 1994, I was at the starting line. Ayrton Senna arrived and did something that he never did – he took off his helmet and his balaclava. Everyone was surprised.”
Dominque unknowingly took his penultimate photo of Ayrton Senna at 1:50 pm, 27 minutes before he died and this photograph graces the books cover. (Dominque’s last Senna photo is with the driver wearing his balaclava.)
Daniel added, “The inquiry by AutoSprint, the Italian motorsport magazine, was exemplary. They could have produced something trashy and dramatic that we see nowadays. They knew pretty much exactly what happened. They knew that the steering column had broken, but they didn’t write it. They respected the memory of this champion and they refused to enter into a debate, to create a buzz with the information that they had.”
Rendez-Vous Culturel at the Hotel Metropole on May 11 with Daniel Ortelli, Thomas Woloch, Laurence Genevet and Dominique Leroy.
Thomas Woloch, a Monaco resident and author of Max Verstappen, le sacre d’un champion, shared an insightful anecdote. He had spent months and endless nights researching Eternel Senna speaking to those close to “Beco” as Senna was nicknamed by his parents. Nuno Cobra, Senna’s coach and mentor, who is now in his 80s, explained to Thomas by phone about the dual personalities of Senna. There was Ayrton on one side, and Senna on the other. He adored Ayrton, the sweet and kind family man, but he couldn’t stand Senna, the predator driver, who was ready to do anything to win.
As Thomas described it, “On one occasion, Senna was on his yacht in Sao Paolo. Senna was really annoyed and uptight, and his coach said, ‘Come on, let’s go and play some tennis.’ Senna was known for being anxious and quite surly and his technique for making him feel better was to go and play tennis. So, they played for a couple of hours and the coach told me that Senna gradually became Ayrton. To tease him, whenever he saw Ayrton, he would ask him, ‘Did you lock Senna in your room? Because I don’t want to see him today.’ This was his trainer, his mentor, who knew him so well.”
Authors Thomas Woloch, Daniel Ortelli and photographer Dominique Leroy at Hotel Metropole book signing.
A replica Ayrton Senna, Williams helmet from 1994 will be on display at the book signing. The collector’s item is one of a number of Stars’n’Bars sports memorabilia to be featured at an upcoming auction by Artcurial on July 8 at 2pm at the Hotel Hermitage.
Don’t miss Daniel Ortelli, Thomas Woloch and Dominique Leroy at FNAC Monaco on Tuesday, May 22. The trio will be signing copies of Eternel Senna: Le Livre Hommage from 3-to 5 pm. The book is also available in English to order.
Article first published May 15, 2024. All photos and video copyright Good News Monaco.
Martina Brodie would sum up her childhood in one word: books. “My first memory is of my mom and dad both reading. Always. I was convinced that everybody reads all the time.”
Martina and her two younger brothers were born in the eastern part of Slovakia, in a small town called Sečovce. Growing up under Communism meant a life full of restrictions, including travel outside of the Eastern Bloc. “But I did travel,” insists Martina. “In fact, I travelled Around the World in 80 Days with Jules Verne. For me, our local library was a Treasure Island. It was only later on that I realised these books were carefully checked and censored for any praise of the West and that many authors were banned.”
There was no freedom of religion. “We had to learn Russian at elementary school and, to prevent us from going to church on Sunday mornings, the school organised ‘Sitting by the Samovar’. This was a competitive quiz about Soviet culture.”
Western music was also a no-go. “Once my father brought home the Beatles’ album, Help! Someone had smuggled in the LP and it was so exciting. We were breaking the rules! We couldn’t play it loud, but my brother and I must have listened to this record a million times – dancing and repeating the strange words which we learned by heart not knowing what they meant. Years later, when I met Ringo Starr in Monaco, I was starstruck and left speechless from a flood of memories.”
Martina moved to Monaco in 2010 with her husband, Ian, founder of NEWS.mc. The couple first laid eyes on each other just before Christmas 1996 in Bratislava, Slovakia. Journalism major Martina had started her weekend job at the country’s first Irish pub, Dubliners. Ian, who was publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Central European Business Weekly, which he founded in Prague in 1992, was at the bar on opening night. They didn’t speak that first time.
The Dubliners became a distribution point for Ian’s weekly newspaper. As Martina recalls, “My Irish friend at the pub saw me laugh out loud reading its tongue-and-cheek column Central European Diary and made sure that I met this guy when he next came to visit.”
Martina was in the process of breaking up with her boyfriend when she was formally introduced to Ian at the pub. “Our chat turned out to be a night-long discussion. And it must have been interesting because I stayed up talking to Ian until early morning. I remember leaving the underground bar and there was daylight. I was about to hop on one of the first trams of the day when Ian asked for my number. There were no mobile phones back then and I couldn’t afford a landline so I made up six digits on the spot, which he duly noted down. I knew I would never see this guy again. What I failed to tell him was that I was leaving town to finish my thesis and be with my family. A few days later I quit my job at the pub and left the capital for a long time.”
Martina heard from friends that Ian had been relentlessly calling the fictious number. “He would come from Prague to the pub in Bratislava most weekends, asking everyone about my whereabouts. When I returned a year later, people were coming up to me with Ian’s number saying they had had enough of this guy looking for me. I was like, Which guy? … Don’t tell Ian!”
Martina called Ian. The next day he once again took the five-hour train from Prague. “Lunch turned into dinner and the rest is history, well with a twist. I was aware of the nearly 30-year age difference so I travelled around the world to make up my mind. Ian followed me. To Mexico. To California. To Canada. He really is the most tenacious person I know!”
Except for when Martina went to Japan for three months with an international group – Up With People – and lived with host families in nine places. “My Japanese host mothers were very supportive of my dilemma. They told me, ‘Martina, many people do not experience what love is. You seem to have found it, don’t throw it away. Even if he is much older – go for it – and when he dies, you will find another!’”
Accepting the advice, by age 30 Martina and Ian were living back in Bratislava and had two children. She worked as a freelance television and radio journalist, and also helped Ian start a monthly bilingual magazine, Business Slovakia.
When Ian’s mother had health issues, the family moved to Wellington in the UK. Martina looked for work. “It was 2007 and you couldn’t find a good cup of coffee. This was long before the big chains discovered this pleasant town in southwest England. So together with a friend – and on a very tight budget – we opened the Chocolate Box, a continental café selling Belgian pralines and ten types of hot chocolates,” Martina shares.
“It was no ordinary café. It very chocolatey and magical, and even though I had no previous experience running a café, it was a success from day one. The boys were small and I worked 24/7 baking most of the goods we were selling. After four years I was exhausted.”
It was time to sell the coffee shop and use the money to return to Slovakia. Ian had already gone ahead to prepare the family cottage when Martina picked up a copy of the Sunday Times. “I read this wonderful article about Monaco written by Evelyne Genta, the Monaco ambassador to the UK. The piece mentioned how Monaco is full of opportunities for young entrepreneurs with good ideas, that it is a great place to live as well as a safe place for families. I called my husband to say: ‘Stop whatever you are doing. We are going to live in Monaco.’ Ian agreed and that is how crazy we are. We did it.”
They packed up the hired van and drove with the kids from the UK for Monaco. Ian started a job as Editor-in-Chief at the Riviera Times, the boys were enrolled in local schools, and Martina? “I was desperate to learn French and explore life on the Riviera. Except nothing worked out. The boys had a terrible time at school. They didn’t speak French and the whole system was brutally different from the UK. They say you can only be as happy as your least-happy child. Well, they were both depressed and it was hard for me as a mom.”
On top of that, Ian’s job didn’t work out and he quit. “I was furious! However, it was 2010 and we both knew Monaco would benefit from an English-language news service as nothing else existed at the time. That’s how Monaco Life started – first as a print magazine, later as online daily news. It was exciting and growth was rapid.”
The British Association of Monaco, led by Vanessa Ilsley, and Anette Anderson at MonacoUSA supported Martina and Ian from day one. “They may be our most favourite people in Monaco,” Martina admits. “It is never easy to come to a new country and try to connect with like-minded people and I will never forget how welcoming they were. When life wasn’t easy, they were always there. In fact, I think it was Annette who took the ‘famous’ photo of us dancing at Stars’n’Bars around 2012 or so.”
The other point bookish Martina remembers from those early days is her need to join a book club – any book club. “I wanted to get to know people but clubs were not accepting new members … so I started my own, the Monte Carlo Reading Society. We had some good laughs and the six women who joined are my closest friends to this day.”
Still, Monaco’s promise of “a great place to live” was not all it cracked up to be. “They say you have to give a new place at least two years before you make a decision to stay or to move on. I gave it three. I had to make a hard decision to take the boys back to finish their education in Wellington. Ian stayed a bit longer and sold Monaco Life before moving back with us.”
They stayed in the UK for four years but in July 2019 Ian returned to Monaco to start Monaco Daily News – aka NEWS.mc. “The boys wanted to return to the Riviera. I was hesitant because I truly love the UK. I had a great job working for the 250-year-old Fox Brothers and it doesn’t happen often that you have the best colleagues, the best management and inspiring owners. I worked in the best company in the world really, truly. It was a hard decision to follow my family.
“I could say coming back to Monaco this time was much easier than before. Maybe. The boys had finished school so that was easier. Ian now has two wonderful partners and our boys Max, 19, and Jack, 23, are very much part of the business, too, so my role is more a supportive one. Although, I must say, the written interview will always be my favourite type of journalism. I love people’s stories and Monaco is so rich in this department.”
Although Martina studied journalism, as a child she wanted to be a teacher. “My mom was a history teacher and although she was very strict, her lessons were so imprinted on the students they didn’t need to write one single thing down. She had a gift of storytelling that stayed with you. I know this first hand because as a small child she would sneak me into her afternoon classes.”
Martina adds, “They say when the student is ready, the right teacher arrives. And I was ready when the Face Yoga Method came to my life at the best possible moment. After a six-month Face Yoga Method Teachers Training, I became certified on November 1st and am starting my online classes from January 2024.
The name Face Yoga Method was coined by Fumiko Takatsu, a Japanese woman who created the concept of a holistic approach to looking after the face. As Martina puts it, “At first it was pure vanity for me. I wanted to get rid of wrinkles and get that bulging double chin under control, but what I found was a whole new dimension of tension release. Quite frankly, our face doesn’t start at our chin, but at our feet.
“Just like we exercise and tone our body muscles, we can do the same with our facial muscles. And as we do we increase the blood circulation which results in more oxygen bringing more nutrients to our skin. It’s a non-invasive, all-natural way to achieve a more youthful appearance and improve our skin’s texture with no special equipment needed. Just a little bit of diligence and perseverance.”
The more Martina learned about Face Yoga, the more it resonated from within. “I wanted to learn how to teach it and share the excitement. Little by little, we can wake up the muscles on our face and start a fully facial workout, aligning our bodies, our skin and ourselves. It’s all interconnected and consistency is paramount here.”
The classes will run on a monthly subscription basis at a very reasonable cost and even though this self-care is a never-ending journey, Martina’s students will be able to practice certain poses and continue their inspired Face Yoga journey on their own. “As my teacher Fumiko says, ‘Change your face, change your life’. I like to say: Every face tells a story, let yours be uplifting.”
To say this has been a tough year for Martina is an understatement. She lost both her parents, unexpectedly and suddenly. “My Face Yoga daily practice helped me tremendously to deal with this emotional trauma keeping me grounded, focused and calm.”
Part of that focus is remembering her folks with gratitude. “When Communism collapsed and my father started his private dentistry practice, it didn’t do so well and he simply couldn’t cope with the new rules of capitalism. My mom was the breadwinner. When his business collapsed, they both went to America and washed cars at petrol stations for five years to pay my father’s debts and to save their house. They paid every single penny back. And kept their house, for us.”
She thinks back to that Help! album her father snuck into the family home when she was a young girl, and singing and dancing with her brother to The Beatles. Martina wishes she could go back to that day she met Ringo Starr to say: ‘You have no idea what you mean to me. You opened a whole new window to my future when I first heard and spoke English, the language I now speak, write … and will use to teach.’”
Email Martina Brodie about her Face Yoga Method classes or contact her via Facebook.
When Didier Rubiolo closed the doors at Stars’N’Bars on January 27, he said he would be back with big changes. He has lived up to his word.
His awe-inspiring new restaurant, Conscientiae, is the place to be. Not in the “Look at me, I’m dancing on the tables” kind of way, but rather to “BE”.
“This is a new chapter but not a new Stars’N’Bars,” affirms Didier. “Stars was a big family institution that Kate Powers and I were very lucky to have created. This is continuity but we have to differentiate ourselves from that brand with a new name. I am excited to face this new challenge, something that is so positive.”
When Conscientiae opens on July 29, there will be no lingering sentimentality from the previous space. Gone are the shiny cars and memorabilia covering the walls with big screen TVs and music. Instead, the zen-garden vibe interior will feature natural materials and plants, mirrors and soft lighting with the noticeable absence of noise: no music or televisions. A spectacular six-meter olive tree will hold court in the middle of the marble-finished bar.
Having arrived in Monaco 40 years ago as a classically-trained chef, Didier has “pioneered the concept of healthier, conscious, and mindful dining” since early 2000s. His awareness for the environment blossomed when he and Kate started spending time on their sailboat, which led them to cofound Monacology back in 2004. “Years ago, 30 miles from the coast the blue Mediterranean Sea lay before you. Now all you see is plastic, tires and pollution. When sailing you’d see a few cruise ships and then, especially before Covid, it was cruise liners and tankers – bigger and bigger – between Spain, Corsica and Croatia.”
With Conscientiae – which in Latin is “con”’ (with) et “scientia’ (knowledge) – Didier has transformed Stars’N’Bars’ 1800-square-metres into the country’s first multifeatured centre for environmental innovation with an eco-oriented restaurant, wellbeing floor and a private club space on the top floor. Even though the concept carries on the sustainable vision Didier and Kate both shared for our planet, there is no point in comparing restaurants.
Conscientiae is completely different – a smaller, calming space to unwind over a 3-hour meal with prices ranging from €16 to €50. “Nowadays we are always rushing around,” says Didier. “Here it will be the opposite. You’ll have a table and space, where you are not bothered by noise and have simple food that is elaborately prepared so you can discover things that you would not have at home.”
Didier is creating a narrative. “There will be a story behind everything we do, from our suppliers – a small producer who raises his animals outdoors and loves them – to serving our neutral water in beautiful crystal-filled glass carafes.”
He explains that locally-sourced plant-based produce will be the stars of his limited menu. While a restaurant garden is in the pipeline from next year, for now Didier is working with Alexandra Garavan, who supplies three-star chefs with vegetables. “I’m not going to tell her what I want; I will ask what she has and we will then make something. That’s the opposite of what happens at the moment.” For the launch, Didier is going back to his kitchen roots to explore a “menu for the planet”.
The zero-waste policy will continue. “We did this with Stars’N’Bars and we will continue to push it further. We will try and reduce waste in the kitchen and our water consumption, with water for rinsing veggies to be reused in the vegetable garden. We will separate and weigh all of our garbage and we will know exactly what comes in and what goes out, in terms of waste. The important thing with portions is for customers to eat everything on their plate so that nothing is thrown away.”
Additionally, no industrial products or processed foods will be used. “Today we have substitutes for plastic packaging, but even these have a life cycle that is really short. It has to stop. If you want to take away a plat du jour, we will make 20 to 30 portions packed in Monaco’s new glass take-away dishes and when there is none left, there is none left. You want a coffee-to-go? Bring your own cup.”
Didier is outspoken when it comes to over-consumption and the environment. “If we look at global warming the best thing is to consume less – it’s the easiest and most rapid technology. Do we need 25 cars? Do we need 10 pairs of shoes? It’s not logical. We overload ourselves, and we have to pay for that. I have a bicycle that’s 30 years old, but it’s not because it’s 30 years old that I need to change it. It works. I don’t understand.
“I’m not against smart growth. With Conscientiae, I’m creating a business concept that doesn’t exist in Monaco. The profitability is simple. Yes, we are lucky to have a huge space to bring together all these values and to shape a thought-provoking platform where entrepreneurs, investors, and tastemakers are brought together to defy the status quo by leading positive changes.”
He acknowledges that, “There will always be people who won’t like this change but we – my manager, my chef, my cleaner – are proud to work in such a place. We will have confidence in our environment, and in human values. It’s not an ego trip, I’ve gained wisdom, I’ve understood.”
Didier stops for a moment and leans in. “You know, I’ve met many small producers and when I see their passion in growing each tomato, when they explain each plant, I think, ‘Wow, you can no longer just eat a tomato in front of the TV. It deserves to be appreciated.’
“This is what we are trying to communicate. Being aware of this moment that has been given to us. Which is why Conscientiae will really be the place to be.”
2023 Monaco Pride at Novotel. Photo: Fight Aids Monaco/Frederic Nebinger
“Diversity, inclusion and equal civil rights.” This was the positive message from the 120 people invited to celebrate Monaco Pride at Novotel on Thursday. Guests included government and National Council representatives, businesses, members of the LGBTQIA+ community and those who support them.
The second edition of Monaco Pride was again sponsored by Barclays Private Bank and Fight Aids Monaco. The private cocktail shined a light on the “indispensable elements for a growing economy and healthy community.”
The event kicked off with Annette Anderson, who delivered a powerful welcome address in French and English. (WATCH VIDEO.) Annette highlighted how in 2022 the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance called on Monaco “to examine and eliminate unjustified differences in rights between same-sex couples and opposite-sex couples.” This led to a roundtable talk of recommendations in April between the Commission and representatives of Monaco’s government and community.
The conversation on inclusion continued with speakers Hervé Aeschbach, Coordinator of Fight Aids Association, and Guillaume Rapin, General Manager of Novotel Monaco, who told a touching story of one of the hotel’s gay employees. (WATCH VIDEOS.)
Gerald Mathieu, CEO of Barclays Private Bank Monaco, rounded off the conversation discussing Barclay’s ethos on social impact and encouraging diversity and inclusion in the workplace. (WATCH VIDEO.)
Barclays has always stated, “We want every one of our colleagues to feel comfortable being themselves at work. It’s central to our culture here at Barclays. We nurture it through activities and initiatives, and building networks for colleagues to connect. Our ongoing relationship with pride globally is just one of the ways in which we show our commitment to the LGBT + community.”
Since 2004, Fight Aids Monaco has been supporting LGBTQIA+ and those living with HIV, acknowledging each person’s sexual orientation and gender identity. The non-profit condemns any kind of inequality, discrimination, or violence against any person and believes that defending this principle “should be everybody’s concern.”
Monaco is listed 44th out of 49 European countries on the International Lesbian and Gay Association-Europe’s LGBT+ equality ranking. This is up one point from the 2022 list. The ILGA annual report said that Monaco’s historic first Pride event in 2022 was “a sign of positive progress for residents”. The association also wrote: “On 4 July, the Monaco Court granted a gender marker change to a transwoman, who medically transitioned in France. This is the first such court case. Monaco has no legislation in place on LGR.” Homosexual couples in the Principality do not have the right to adopt or have access to IVF and that discrimination based on sexual orientation is not protected by the Constitution.
Since June 27, 2020, Monaco has allowed same-sex couples to sign a cohabitation agreement (contrat de vie commune), but the law considers same-sex couples living together on par with siblings for inheritance taxes and they are not eligible for the same legal protection (healthcare, retirement, succession) available to married couples of the opposite sex.
For Monaco Pride, Barclays Private Bank Monaco gave free t-shirts to attendees and during the month of June, the bank’s façade will be illuminated in the colours of the rainbow in observance of Pride Month.
Barclays Private Bank Monaco in June.
The first edition of Monaco Pride at Stars’n’Bars in June 2022 brought together 80 people, including special guests Princess Stephanie, President of Fight Aids Monaco, and her youngest daughter Camille Gottlieb.
Stars’N’Bars cofounders Didier Rubiolo and Kate Powers. Photo: Nancy Heslin
In my last interview with Kate Powers, in November 2020, the late cofounder of Stars’N’Bars told me, “Lockdown helped us to wake up to necessary ecological changes that were more important than economical ones. Stars’N’Bars is only getting started on their ecological journey.”
Although at the time she could not reveal details about the vision she and cofounder Didier Rubiolo had planned, she did say, “We realise how much people don’t like change but if we want to make a difference, we must change our habits. The planet can do without us but we can’t do without the planet. There will big changes in spring 2021.”
Kate’s death in August 2021 overshadowed the transformation of Stars’N’Bars but now it is official that Monaco’s go-to family-friendly restaurant for nearly 30 years – where Prince once played a secret concert, where Michael Schumacher drank victory beers with his racing team and where Prince Albert and his daughter Jazmin Grace took part in the annual Quiz Night – will close its doors permanently on January 27.
“It has been an honour to serve millions of guests from all over the world and we especially want to thank the Monaco community for its amazing support,” expresses Didier, who started Stars’N’Bars with Kate back in ’93 to provide regular people beyond the jet-setters “reasonably priced and quality dining outside the home.” The pair converted an abandoned warehouse into what is today an 1800-square-metre hospitality centre with over half a million customers served every year.
A classically-trained chef with experience in gastronomic restaurants in France and Monaco, Didier first met Kate at her family-run “Le Texan”, the first Tex-Mex restaurant in Monaco and a favourite of Prince Rainier (who gave it the name). Didier went on to revolutionise Monaco’s dining scene by upgrading American Tex-Mex fare at Stars’N’Bars to eventually incorporating an international selection of Asian, Indian and Middle Eastern dishes. Kate may have been more in the public eye over the years, but it was Didier who drove “the restaurant’s shift towards vegetarian and vegan options.
“When Kate and I opened Stars’N’Bars we wanted to give Monaco something new, original and exciting.” Didier recalls. “Our concept was a great success but eventually we realized that we wanted to make a bigger difference in the wellbeing of our community and the planet, especially for our children.”
Stars’N’Bars began developing a “healthier dining experience” and supporting Prince Albert’s environmental protection efforts, including adopting renewable energy sources, finding new ways to reducing waste and creating the first Monaco-based urban vegetable garden as a source of fresh produce and seasonings for restaurant use.
Didier Rubiolo on 2021 World Clean Up Day distributing pocket ashtrays. Photo: Instagram starsnbarsmc
Kate and Didier joined other eco-conscious activists in Monaco to create MONACOLOGY, the week-long educational experience every June to help school children learn how to respect their planet. “We all need to accept that climate change threatens the planet and our children’s lives. Kate and I decided that we wanted to raise conscientiousness about that threat and help the community find solutions,” Didier highlights.
The avid cyclist adds, “It will be sad to say goodbye to Stars’N’Bars after 30 years but it’s time to create something even more special. We will be releasing details of a new project soon and we can’t wait to take the next step!”
Didier, Annette Anderson and the Stars’N’Bars team plan to make the most of the next two months by hosting special animations along with reintroducing popular “nostalgia” blast-from the-past dishes that are not on the current menu. Their social media feed will include throwback images and videos from “unforgettable events over the last three decades, including Halloween, the Fourth of July, Grand Prix, a concert by Prince and surprise visits by international celebrities.”
Kate Powers and Annette Anderson celebrating Fourth of July.. Photo: Instagram starsnbarsmc
And you, the much-loved community who have helped make Stars’N’Bars the institution it has become, will be invited to post your favourite Stars’N’Bars memory to help create a permanent online “living history” of the restaurant. Photo opportunities will be staged for those who want to be “immortalised” as part of the famous restaurant décor and atmosphere before it disappears forever in January.
“Everyone wants to know about our new next step but we really want to focus the last two months of Stars’N’Bars on celebrating 30 years of amazing memories with our customers and staff,” shares Annette.
Stars’N’Bars has always been there for us. Let’s be there for them until January 27 when the doors close for the last time. As Kate always said, “Do what you love. Love what you do. And make a difference.”
You may know her as a host of TEDxMonteCarlo, a third of the Lib Day Darlings, a Public Speaking teacher at the International University of Monaco or even Alicia Sedgwick Communications Coach.
Now Alicia can add published author to her list of achievements, as her book Communicating Through Change is due to be released on Amazon in paperback and Kindle format on January 19, the same day as she is throwing a Covid-safe ZOOM launch party.
“My book provides an insight into my life, and shares with the reader what I have learned through the experiences of change. I write in a way that whoever reads the book can deal with their experiences and come through them with strength and courage,” Alicia explains.
Having had a sneak peek of a few chapters in Communicating Through Change, Alicia powerfully puts herself out there without playing the victim or preacher. From trying to maintain a heterosexual lifestyle to coping with health uncertainties, she writes in a concise and effectively formatted style, written for real people who want to make real changes.
“We all go through change in our life and anyone at any age can relate to the experiences I write about in this book. Also, the practical guidance and applicable exercises enable the reader to communicate their way through the variety of different changes,” Alicia emphasises.
It is hard to imagine Alicia in her former life. Originally from Leigh on Sea in Essex – “I was actually born in the room in my mum and dad’s house, that was my bedroom!” – the professional blues singer and stage performer originally studied Law and Sociology at Warwick University “because I had more chance of getting a job at the end of my degree.”
She became a solicitor, eventually specialising in Family Law, and having her own practice. “I loved being able to help people through very difficult times for them but I hated injustice. And I did not like being undermined by my male Partners!”
She adds, “When I came to the South of France, I knew I wanted to be totally true to myself, and that meant not being a lawyer and having to tolerate all the restrictions and regulations imposed that inhibited one’s ability to serve my clients.”
In the process of a major life transition Alicia “took strength and comfort in the good that I had in my life, as I always do. Making the most of life.”
Through two South African ladies living here, Alicia was introduced “to my beloved” Annette Anderson. She travelled back and forth from the UK to see her, until she finally moved here full-time and began living a more authentic life. “Having the incredible love and support of Annette helps me beyond words to believe in myself. Finding a love that is completely balanced, equal, and where each person can be themselves and independent gives tremendous strength and peace.”
Alicia, who is a Communications Expert for the Vitruvius Partners Group, continues to meet change head on. “I learned during the health pandemic that as long as we can stay well, and are able to work, I can be very much in the present, and see this change as an opportunity.” And, more than ever, people are needing her services to help them communicate effectively, and with impact, on camera and online.
Hard to imagine but she admits, “I have been without confidence for a lot of my life, especially as a lawyer. Only in recent years have I felt fulfilled – through teaching, training and coaching in public speaking, presentation and communication skills, all of which help people, give them confidence, empower, motivate and inspire – and come into my own.”
Communicating Through Change by Alicia Sedgwick is available in paperback and for kindle on Amazon from January 19. There are only a few more spots open for her release party here – sign up here.
