Name:
Georgette
In what part of town do you live?
Kendall
How long have you lived the area?
Two and a half years
What brought you to town?
I have been working in Miami, telecommuting, since 2016. We lived in Puerto Rico and then Hurricane Maria hit in 2017. Initially, we moved to a friend’s house in North Carolina. When we saw things were not getting better, we decided to move to Miami.
Would you tell us little bit about yourself?
I’m a psychiatrist for adults, children and adolescents. I work in Coral Gables. I’ve been working there for about four years. Before that, I worked a practice in Puerto Rico, even though most of my training has been here in the US. I have two kids, ages five and seven. They love your smoothies. I live with my husband here in Kendall.
How have you adapted your practice to accommodate for the current challenges?
In part, it was easy to adjust because we were already set up to do telemedicine. We see a lot of international clients and kids that had been seeing us and then left for college. On the other hand, there are less people seeking appointments because everybody’s financial situation is different, and a lot of people have been very impacted.
What makes telemedicine successful?
The main things are the basics, right? A good internet connection helps significantly because the last thing you want is to seem pixelated or breaking off a little bit. The other thing is being able to connect over the Internet. It’s a little bit harder than in person for obvious reasons. I think with the new normal, people are just used to it now. This is how medicine is being carried out now and I think that makes people more comfortable with the medium.
Do you think more people will continue with telemedicine once businesses reopen?
I think people will still want that in-person interaction. But a lot of people will think practicality, ‘If I’m at work, maybe I wouldn’t make my in-person 5:30 appointment, but if I do it over telemedicine, I can definitely make it.’ Or when life is a little bit more complicated, people might rather do a telemedicine appointment. I think that knowing it’s an option is going to shift the normal.
Have you found any benefits within the new normal?
I know it’s a very hard situation for a lot of people. If you’re not sick and if your financial needs are being met, I think one silver lining is the ability to connect with family and spend more time to get to know your kids a little bit better. I’ve learned so many things about my kids during this time. I was just talking about this with my husband last night. I have more time to learn about their interests, hear their stories, and playing with them has been a blessing. And, I’ve gotten to spend more time with my husband and have more conversations. I think it’s made our relationship even deeper. We are really forced to slow down and kind of take it day by day.
How often do you come to the Pinecrest Market?
Every other week
Would you tell us a little bit about your Market ritual?
We love the smoothies, so we need to stop at your place. There’s no way around that. We go there first then we might go to Frice for some ice cream. Usually we stop by the cheese place. And then one of the sprout places. My kids really love sprouts. Just by going to the farmers market and trying things out, they’ve gone from picky eaters to eating a lot of veggies. They’re a lot more adventurous at the market than they would ever be at home. Sometimes we stop at the popcorn place and then we usually get a dog treat.
You have visited our new drive through a couple times, would you share about that experience?
It’s close to where we live. The first time it was funny because we told the kids we had a surprise for them and that they had to be very patient, because the line was very long and they had no idea what they were getting until we were three cars out from the table and they saw you and then they kind of put it together and got really happy. This time, on Saturday, there were only three cars, so they didn’t have to wait much at all. I think it just makes them feel somehow like their world is still normal. It’s such a big ritual for us to go to the farmers market, so it’s been nice for them. We will be visiting you more and more.
Did you try any of the other products we had this week, the kombucha or ice cream?
We tried the Frice ice cream, the Pineapple basil one was fantastic. I even wrote her on Instagram because it’s just so good. Last week we got the turmeric concentrate, which I had a little bit of earlier today. I made myself a golden milk, which was delicious.
What are you doing to keep busy with your kids?
We go on daily walks with our dog. The kids are used it now, so every afternoon they ask for it and get excited. We also bought a lot of board games. And sometimes, we bake together.
What restaurants are you ordering from these days or other favorites that you look forward to going again?
Right now, the only place we’re ordering from is Local Pie for pizza. It’s delicious and we get to freeze it as well. I’ve been cooking a lot at home. In terms of restaurants before this situation, we used to go to Tacos and Tatoos a lot with the kids and Mi’talia in South Miami. Also, I love Pub Belly.
What’s Miami’s Best Kept Secret?
I don’t think it’s a secret, but I love Brewing Buddha in Pinecrest. They have the best matcha latte and it’s just cozy. The staff is really nice and cool. If I have a little bit of free time in my day, I’ll go there.
What is a worthy splurge for you?
A trip. I’m am not a big spender, but I will have no problem spending for a good restaurant or a good trip.
What community or philanthropic groups are important to you that you might like to share?
It’s not necessarily a local charity, but it’s important for me for several reasons. World Central Kitchen, founded by Jose Andres, provides food for people in the midst of natural disasters. With coronavirus they’re providing food everywhere including here in Miami. They were crucial when Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico. The people in Puerto Rico were so grateful for him for being there.
Would you like to share a pitch about your business?
Sure. We are a mental health practice. We have various therapists, and we have three psychiatrists on staff. All of us practice integrative medicine and we’re all being trained now for functional medicine. We see kids from the age of three to adults.
What is integrative medicine?
Integrative medicine or psychology is looking beyond a certain disorder. Instead of giving you a certain medication and that being the end of it, it’s looking at the person holistically, what is causing the situation or making it worse. How is your nutrition affecting your mental health and sleep? How is your sleep affecting your mental health? What does your genetic makeup tell us about your susceptibility to certain illnesses or conditions?
Is there a question that you would like to ask us?
Before this, were you going to any other farmers markets besides Pinecrest?
(A+W) We have done the Coral Gables market in the past, and from time to time will pop up at the Arsht Center on Monday nights. Now, that we have the store going we’re excited to see how we can grow by adding products like our turmeric chocolate chip cookies and turmeric hummus.