Photo and Text by Dale Penn

September, 2009
A private garden, Miami Beach

When is technology going to give us the option to use our sense of smell as part of the online experience? Will someone get to work on that right away, please?

Imagine standing in the private Miami garden of Alain Filiz as he holds up a leaf, crushing it gently and offering you a whiff. Hints of clove, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla blend magically together in a sweet, scrumptious smell that is unique, yet familiar. Remember when your Dad came home from the barber shop in the 1960s sporting Clubman aftershave? That is exactly the smell. "Bay Rum from the West Indies Bay tree [Pimenta Racemosa]" Filiz explains, "is a scent used as a base for many colognes and perfumes." He should know having spent years in the fragrance business with Estée Lauder and L'Oreal USA as VP/Creative Director. Cuttings of exotic flowers and foliage from the Filiz garden—an incredible work of art in its own right—are used regularly in the high art floral arrangements of Black Eyed Susans, featured regularly in hotels, galleries, events and private homes throughout South Florida. Read more about Filiz and his unique floral artistry in this issue.