ACB News Archive

Terre Mieli Cieli — an Italian name pronounced TER-reh MYEL-ly, CHEL-ly— covers two business areas that are only loosely related: wine and public relations. What unifies them is storytelling.

We asked Brandon Mitchener to tell about his #ACBPartner company.

My wine tastings focus on grape varieties that aren’t very well known on the Belgian market and the winemakers who turn them into memorable wines. My next series of tastings will feature six excellent rosé wines from Belgium, Portugal and Greece. I also sell some wine on a small scale and plan to start a wine blog.

My public relations activities mostly relate to helping other people better tell their stories, whether to journalists, the EU institutions or the public. I run the small Brussels office of an EU public relations and public affairs agency named Instinctif Partners. 

My advice on wine is don’t buy labels, buy quality. Many people overpay for a good bottle of wine because it has a fancy label or a fancy name or because a wine store has put it on sale. You can find excellent and award-winning wines for 10-20 euros a bottle from Portugal, Greece and Germany, for example, while I find most French wine sold in Brussels over-rated and over-priced.

The best way to tell what wine is worth the price is to drink it “blind”, i.e. covering the label(s) do you don’t know what you’re drinking until you’ve formed an opinion of it. In my wine tastings I often pit different wines against each other in blind competitions such as “France vs. the world”, “Battle of the Bubbles” (méthode traditionnelle wines from all over) and organic vs. non-organic (same country, same vintage, sometimes even the same producer).

Even in the virtual tastings I’m doing now I always ask people their opinions on taste, quality, price before I tell them the details. These tastings invariably surprise people, many of whom become instant fans of wines they’d otherwise never have dared to try. 

www.terremielicieli.com 

How did you get here? 

I am Belgian, born in Antwerp.  I joined the American Club Brussels (ACB) to speak English fluently, and I’m so glad I did!  The ACB welcomes all nationalities and we enjoy great get-togethers (when it is possible!)  

My family moved to Brussels when I was 14 to open the renowned Brasserie Anspach, which seated 300 people right in the center of town.  It was a very dynamic time.  As the song says “Those were the days, my friend, we thought they’d never end.” 

As a long-time ACB member, your “trip down memory lane” is likely to be one of the most creative we will hear.  What are the highlights that you remember? 

When I first joined, I served on the Board for 4 years. In those days, without internet use, all member communication was by land mail.  I recently handed over to the Board 25 years of ACB Newsletters – an amazing repository of our ACB history and highlights. 

I particularly remember one of our Fourth of July celebrations in the 1990’s in Bois de la Cambre.  It received so much advance publicity that more than 4,000 people attended over two days – all accompanied by an orchestra and square dancers!   Another great memory is of our ACB Ommegang dinner at the Grand Place each year.  Hopefully, we will look forward to it later this year, depending on how conditions are in the month of June.

You were named Brussels Ambassador by Visit.Brussels in 2002.  What are some of the themed events that you then went on to organize and became known for?

I organized Soirees Bruegel which showcased Belgian folklore, dance, gourmet foods and beers, and took us back to yesteryear.  Music evenings included classical, jazz or orchestral music.   Mediaeval weddings were arranged in castles and farmhouses. 

One memorable event was the official opening of the new Rue de la Loi with Princess Astrid - I provided the folklore music, Jacques Brel repertoire and some young rap dancers.  

The Caves de Cureghem in Anderlecht has been a spectacular setting for theme dinners. I often included a surprise - for one brewery celebration, I put a live bear at the entrance, which attendees really liked!  We had a special Falcon Bird demonstration for guests from the UAE.  Chinese and Japanese tourists were especially amazed at everything they saw.   Flemish is my mother-tongue - but I also speak French German, and Spanish, which is especially useful when foreign TV crews arrive to comment on tourist events in Brussels.

Have your adult children inherited your creative talents?

My son is professor of Dramatic Arts at the Royal Conservatoire in Brussels.  He is a well-known actor and Metteur-en-Scene (Mozart Assassine, Les Miserables de Victor Hugo etc.)  My daughter works in the law department at Cargill, the global American food company in Mechelen. They and my four grandchildren always inspire me. 

What lessons have you learned from Covid?

I now have time to organize my 30 years of business papers!  I had to cancel four events this past year, due to Covid.  I especially miss theatre performances in Brussels - but “hope springs eternal.” 

What are three things that you love about Brussels?  

1.    The Grand Place at Christmas - the big tree and the one million begonia flower carpet

2.    Haute Couture on Avenue de la Toisson d’Or and the Boulevard de Waterloo area

3.    Museum visits – more than 100 Museums in Brussels!  www.brussels.be/agenda

 

The ACB thanks Sonia for joining with us in organizing so many memorable events! 

 

NOTE:  To help you write your story, please email us at admin@americanclubbrussels.org

This month we caught up with Rosalie Zobel

How did you come to live and work in Brussels?

Well, it was 1988, and I was working in Tokyo for AT&T, when the phone rang in the middle of the night! It was a job offer to come and work in Brussels - in the Telecommunications and Technology Directorate General of the European Commission. When I retired 20 years later, I had climbed the ladder there to be the first female director responsible for breakthrough Research and Development in Information Technology components and systems. I now like to encourage young women to believe that they can enjoy a career in science, technology and engineering. There is nothing more exciting than creating the future.

Your life began in the English countryside of Norfolk, but you then lived and worked in six countries, including the USA. How did all that travel evolve?

My nomadic life began in Norfolk U.K. during WW2, where my father was a weather forecaster for the RAF raids on Germany. We moved often. I was excited when we were posted to the British colony of Aden, now Yemen, in 1957. I resisted returning to boarding school, so my father taught me what he knew. This led to my obtaining a degree in Physics at Nottingham University, where I was one of three girls in a class of one hundred - and then a PhD in Radiation Physics at London University. I always enjoyed being a trailblazer.

You then combined family life with a career in software development?

I discovered more opportunities in software system engineering than in physics, and soon itchy feet took me to the European Centre for Nuclear Research CERN in Geneva, where several Nobel Prize winners worked. We watched Moon Landings together in the cafeteria. My husband’s job also involved moving, so we moved to Munich, where I managed the main computer center of the Max Planck Institutes. Returning to Munich to meet friends and enjoy the wonderful beer gardens is something I will always look forward to.

How did you then end up in America?

My husband’s work took us (now with two children) to the USA. I worked at the AT&T headquarters in New Jersey in their nascent computer business for most of the 1980’s. The confidence and can-do entrepreneurial spirit in America inspired me. This led to my being transferred to AT&T Japan with the children – quite an adventure! We loved the food and the culture in Japan in particular.

You are now a Belgian citizen, firmly planted in Brussels?

Yes, I choose to live in Brussels and am grateful to Belgium for accepting me as a citizen. I love the multicultural environment - people are kind, accepting, and non-judgmental. When travel is allowed (now on hold!), I spend time in London with my daughter and grandchildren. I also visit New York, where my son is a breast cancer surgeon in Elmhurst Hospital. Elmhurst is the hospital where news media described the “perpetual wail of ambulance sirens, and the many freezer trucks in the hospital car park holding an overflow of bodies.” My son did his turn in the ICU, when requested.

You feel strongly about Brexit?

After twenty years in the EC, I became a strong supporter of the European ideal. I was sad and speechless at the Brexit referendum result. Let’s hope the many trade and other Brexit issues get ironed out soon.

What are three things that you love about Brussels?

1. Art Nouveau, Art Deco art and architecture. I volunteer at the Horta Museum shop.
2. My typical town house and garden, which I could not afford in London or New York.
3. The high quality of Belgian cuisine. I can’t wait for restaurants to re-open.

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NOTE: If you would like us to assist YOU in writing YOUR story - the process is easy and confidential. Please email us at admin@amiercanclubbrussels.org 

Mir Taxes states their mission is to ensure that all clients accomplish their financial goals of taxation while living abroad and remaining compliant to the United States. The objectives are to provide the professional services in completing tax preparation reporting requirements and ensuring compliance and, especially, peace of mind. We also strive to ensure our clients are aware of financial tools that will lead them to meeting their other future economic goals. Whether looking for answers or simply want more information, we believe that good communication is vital to provide excellent customer service. We publish a monthly newsletter highlighting popular tax issues or changes in the U.S. tax laws.

During this busy tax season of 2021, be sure to reconcile your first two stimulus payments so that you can also receive the third payments being issued by the I.R.S. Contact us at info@mirtaxes.com to determine your eligibility. Find out how to receive your stimulus checks directly into a bank account to avoid depositing into a Belgian bank account and watch the check get eaten up by fees.

Check out the website for current tax headlines, links to the newsletters and various other tax articles - and be sure to sign up for the newsletter.

DID YOU KNOW?
ACB members are eligible for a free initial consultation by contacting us 

Curious who helped us design the new ACB Brand? Look no further and learn about our ACB Partner, IDO Design & Animation by Dave Low, a Brussels enthusiast, who shares some sage advice you might need when starting up your brand design.

When ACB was ready to give a fresh new look to our image, we went to Dave Low from IDO Design & Animation. It was a bit complicated too – how do you combine US & Belgium & Europe, along with community, warmth and a dynamic spirit? Well, we thought it was complicated – but when presented to Dave, he immediately had that glint in his eye, and LOW-and-behold, our creative, colorful, dynamic new brand of ACB was born.

We asked Dave, how did you become a designer?

After graduating in 1992, I have always worked in a creative environment - graphics studios, a company that designed toys and games for special needs kids, a technician and lecturer at an art college, designing front-end interfaces for a tech/media company.

I started IDO Design & Animation following redundancy in 2007. At the time I was living in Ruislip on the outskirts of London and spent a lot of time commuting into the city to do agency design work. As time progressed I started to build a roster of my own clients, including the International School of Brussels about ten years ago. Since then, my work has included a lot of educational organisations as well as SMEs in Brussels and other parts of the world.

I have developed a deep fondness for Brussels after countless visits, vacations and four brilliant months living in the city over the summer of 2017. COVID has made a lot of things impossible, but being able to hop on a train in St. Pancras and be at Gare du Midi in a coupe of hours to see friends and do work is one of the things I have missed most.

And now, any advice that you wouldn’t mind sharing for those about to create or re-freshen their brand?

A brand is more than just a logo. It’s all about the messages that your organisation sends out to your customers - be it expressly written or subliminal - and their response to them. There’s emotion involved - you want to come across in a particular way. Your company will have its own values - trustworthy, fun, dependable, disruptive, edgy, caring etc. There’s almost infinite combinations, and each organisation’s will be unique.

A good designer will want to work with you to understand the message you want to send out and ensure that it is relevant, up-to-date and consistent across all mediums. Whether it is branded uniforms, a social media campaign, explainer video, a skilled designer will have the experience and knowledge of how to create collateral for you but also implement it.

I would advise to steer clear of the likes of Wix logo maker and Fiverr. There are great designers out there who will work passionately to help you promote your organisation with a wealth of knowledge to be able to bring to bear on your brand aspirations.

Working with a designer is like any other relationship. It has to be given time to flourish. Each party has to listen and learn to gain knowledge of the needs, expectations, skills and experience of the other. This in my experience is when the magic happens and you can have the “I’ve just had this crazy idea but…” conversations - which can lead to truly great work!

In a crowded market it is extremely important to have a roster of happy and engaged clients who not only come back for repeat work but also would recommend you to a colleague or friend. And as with any business, the power of 'word of mouth' - as intangible as it is - should never be underestimated.

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Reach out. Have a chat on the phone or zoom - we don’t bite and we’d be delighted to see if there’s something we could do to help. Contact Dave Low here: www.davelow.co.uk, davelow@me.com.

Join us from 15:30 – 16:30 CET on Wednesday 17th February for an hour with the team at Dunhill Financial.

They will introduce the American Club of Brussels and take you into all the tax matters surrounding American expats in Belgium.

This free event is one not to be missed!

Agenda will be announced closer towards the date.

Register in advance for this meeting, and after registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

REGISTER NOW 

ACB Talks to Gerald Loftus, new ACB member in Brussels

During your career as a U.S. diplomat for 23 years (1979-2002) you worked in the Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean and Europe. Your interests include cultural diplomacy, but also historic preservation. How did these come about?

When I was growing up in rural and suburban Pennsylvania, I was in the Scouts and something of an outdoorsman. I used to joke that I could equally have opted for the Forest Service or the Foreign Service. It was the latter, after several great experiences in my college years, a year's scholarship in Aberdeen, Scotland, a summer volunteering in Ramallah in the West Bank, a summer course in Ireland - which put me on a definite international path. A significant part of my career was spent in the Middle East and North Africa. In 2010, I came out of retirement to head a hybrid cultural institute in Morocco, the Tangier Legation TALIM. I wrote an illustrated book on it: "Lions at the Legation and Other Tales: Two Centuries of American Diplomatic Life in Tangier." 2021 is the bicentennial of the gift of the building to the United States by the Sultan of Morocco. I'd recommend Tangier and the Legation for a visit by ACB members. Discovering this beautiful piece of American history in the winding streets of the Medina is a revelation.

Are you surprised at how global your life has been?

I must say, I am thankful that my family felt strangely at home wherever we lived. Our adult children were born in-country during my first two assignments (Barbados and Tunisia), and grew up attending French schools (my wife is from Brittany). They've remained citizens of the world. Going down memory lane can sometimes be painful: I remember walking past our former home above the Consulate offices on the seafront of Oran, Algeria, only to see pigeons roosting in the shell of what had been a beautiful building.

Question: What are your main coping skills during these Corona times?

My wife’s delicious cooking, though we also keep our neighborhood restaurant in business. Walks in the countryside or driving to Wépion to buy strawberries – that was our “break out trip,” when leaving Brussels was finally permitted! Luckily during the June heat-wave, we got to spend a few days in the Ardennes. In all, we can’t complain. Being locked down in green Uccle is not so bad.

What are your three favorite places in Brussels?

How did your current role as political commentator come about?

My years as a diplomat, especially in francophone countries, was useful preparation for a role as a political commentator for Democrats Abroad relating to U.S. politics. But it requires a little prep: try explaining the complexity of the Electoral College and of filibuster in a foreign language, when it is hard enough in our native English! Thankfully, Belgians want to understand our complicated politics.

Mark Your Calendar for a GREAT start to 2021

Guided Tour of the Folon Exhibition at Abbey Villers

Saturday, 6 February at 11:00 or 13:00

As part of the 20th anniversary of the Folon Foundation, the prestigious 12th century Villers Abbey is showcasing an exhibition of the twenty monumental and original sculptures by the internationally renowned Belgian artist Jean-Michel Folon. The sculptures placed in the beauty of a monumental, historical and architectural place are confronted with the spirituality contained in the old stones of the Cistercian site, as well as the colours of autumn and winter.

The ACB is hosting 2 guided tours with a maximum of 4 people in each tour to ensure compliance with current limitations and will be led by expert cultural guide, Yolande d'Yve. The guided tours are offered on Saturday, 6 February at 11:00 or 13:00. The price is 45 EUR per person. Please note that this is a higher than normal price for guided tours! Given current measures, we are doing our best to support local cultural guides and activities, and proceeds will be given to Yolande for both these tours.

More information about the exhibit: https://villers.be/fr

Register now

Questions? Please contact events@americanclubbrussels.org

(Re)discover Brussels and it’s hidden treasures

The ACB is happy to announce the launching of a #ReDiscoverBrussels series which will bring you through a virtual tour every month to uncover what you may – or likely may not – already know about our city surroundings. These events are free for ACB members and open to the public (15 euros per event). Check out some of our themes below as we get ready to announce our next sessions starting in February!

• Mushroom hunting around Brussels
• Brussels – a Smart City to discover
• Up on a rooftop and other unlikely places to find vegetables growing
• Art Nouveau & our own collection
• Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate!
• Quiz Night!
• A spotlight on wellness time for ourselves

And more!

Stories from the ACB Community: The ACB

We asked ACB itself to be our first interview in our #100stories series.

“I remember it like it was yesterday, even though it was 100 years ago. It was the 15th of January in 1921. We were a small group of business people working for the Commission for Relief in Belgium and other war missions. A few years back, many of us has started to plant roots in this beautiful city of Brussels. We started getting together for lunch. Frites were always on our menu (they had been around for quite a while by then, you know). And soon our lunch talks turned to inspiration. On this day, we created a Brussels Club, open to all, and we wanted to continue our great conversations between Americans and Belgians.”

We are curious to know what has brought our #ACBMembers to Belgium; so, we are asking them, “how did you end up in Brussels?” Look for the stories on Instagram through out 2021.