By Jayne Chase By Jayne Chase | April 3, 2020 | People,
The snapshot of Palm Beach is changing. Since 2016, the population between the ages of 25 and 45 has steadily increased, and the projection for the county is to reach over 1.5 million by 2022. Tourism, technology, manufacturing and agriculture are just a few of the businesses making their homes in Palm Beach County, and if you add in endless sunny days, 150 miles of beaches, outstanding universities and high schools, professional sports teams nearby and 0% state income tax, Palm Beach quickly tops the charts as the place to live. This month we catch up with a varied group of young people making Palm Beach their home. They are working here, raising their families, and wouldn’t think of living anywhere else. Next up, Margaret & Franck Duriez.
MARGARET & FRANCK DURIEZ
Owner of Lox Farms & Co-Founder of Fresh RX
Sculptor & Artist
Why did you choose to live in Palm Beach? Did your family have a history here or did you have a business connection here? MD: I was born in West Palm Beach, and my upbringing was split between Florida and our family farm in Pennsylvania. Following my studies at Columbia University and time spent living in India, I decided to return to Palm Beach to be closer to family and raise my own children in the place that I called home as a child.
What are the positive business aspects about living here? MD: Palm Beach has long been an epicenter for philanthropy, but I’ve found that there’s been a recent rise in female business owners, philanthropists and advocates who are using their resources and expertise to improve our community’s health, social impact and preservation of history. From restoring local historical landmarks like Sarah Wetenhall of The Colony Hotel to tackling issues plaguing at-risk women and youth in urban areas like Caroline Rafferty’s Lovelight Foundation to Velia Nader, who together with her husband is an advocate for overall health and wellness through the Transcendental Meditation movement, it’s truly inspiring to be a part of this community.
How has the business community here contributed to your business? Your life? FD: Palm Beach is home to a thriving culinary scene with talented chefs that bring Lox Farms’ produce to life in culinary creations that are both unique and delicious. Some of our local chef and restaurant partners include Piper Quinn and chef Clay Conley of Buccan, executive chef Tom Whitaker of The Colony Hotel, executive chef Javier Sanchez of Renato’s Palm Beach, and Melanie and Michael Hackman of Aioli. These chefs and restaurateurs are also some of the first people I called to help produce our farm-to-table fundraising dinners for Lox Farms’ Fresh Rx program, which aims to narrow the gap between nutrition, health and the treatment of disease through an innovative farm-to-hospital program that provides fresh vegetables at no cost to patients with compromised immune systems. Their commitment to their craft and their community is unmatched and has helped elevate my business and grow our philanthropic endeavors to where they are today.
If you had the opportunity to live somewhere else, would you? MD: I really can’t imagine living elsewhere right now. Palm Beach is a wonderful place to call home.
Photography by: Nick Mele