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her business
Contact Women TIES President Tracy Higginbotham at womenties.com or 315-708-4288.
Maria Filice is this month’s Women TIES' Inspirational Entrepreneur
By Nell Killoran photography by laura kozlowski
Meet Chen Zucker:
“Statement pieces that make
women feel both vivid and
sassy, yet classy.” This is how
Women TIES’ first interna-
tional member Chen Zucker,
a self-proclaimed “beada-
holic” and founder of ChenZ
Designs, depicts her hand-
made masterpieces. Based
in Israel, Chen’s jeweled
global empire skyrocketed
from a simple e-commerce
website and Facebook page
when shop owners from all
over the world came knock-
ing with a craving for her
designs. Three keys to Chen’s
success? Superior customer
service, affordability and mul-
tiple wearing options for each
piece. As for 2014, she aims
to lasso additional agents to
form a bridge between her
company and new boutiques.
To see Chen Zucker’s work,
visit www.chenzdesigns.com
and like Facebook.com/chen.
zucker. Photographs courtesy
of Chen Zucker.
Boldy seizing the reins at Telos Press for
her late husband, Paul Piccone, with zero
publishing experience under her belt,
whipping up her very own publishing
company, Food and Fate, and cookbook,
Breaking Bread in L’Aquila, to fund play-
grounds in her husband’s earthquake-rav-
aged Italian hometown, Maria Filice is not
one to shy away from risks—or “opportu-
nities” as she deems them. The first-gen-
eration Canadian-American Italian wears
many hats and believes in giving back, all
in the name of her mantra, “working from
the heart.” She humbly calls herself “a
publisher who cooks.”
Q: What fueled your decision to
take over Telos Press for your
late husband regardless of your
inexperience?
A: I wanted to keep my husband’s legacy
alive, his joie de vivre, so I did my home-
work, researching publishing, enrolling
in classes at New York University, seeking
guidance from the brilliant associates
at Telos. Reaching out for help is not a
sign of weakness, but rather, strength—it
shows you want to learn and improve.
Q: When did you realize your
passion for cooking could benefit
L’Aquila?
A: I had a moving experience on my last
visit there, after the earthquake. An elder-
ly woman’s kind words really struck home
with me, “Don’t forget about us.” Al-
though my cookbook started from a place
of grief, funding that first playground in
L’Aquila in 2011 was empowering.
Q: What advice would you offer
someone with a passion for a
certain career in which he or she
has little knowledge?
A: Be mindful; understand where you’re
at with your goals. Be prepared; do your
homework. Always go above and beyond;
when you do, your doors are open. And
when you’re open, things come. Lastly,
dream big, think big.
Maria Filice is an author and food stylist
based in Candor. She is publisher of Telos
Press, a quarterly contemporary critical theo-
ry journal, and Food and Fate, which features
authentic Italian recipes. Her debut cookbook
is Breaking Bread in L’Aquila. Visit www.
telospress.com and www.foodandfate.com.
“Dream Big,
Think Big”