Each and every month in the Boss Hunting office we’re lucky enough to sample, find, taste, explore, and curate some of the coolest stuff the world has to offer. From sake and pizza ovens to novels and jackets, these are Boss Hunting’s favourite things for October 2022.
Curated by Jack Slade, Nick Kenyon, Randy Lai, John McMahon, and Chris Singh
RELATED: Boss Hunting’s Favourite Things – September 2022
Forestis, The Dolomites
I’ve been a bit indulgent this month. I recently returned from just over three weeks in Italy working on a few stories and hopping around some of the country’s best hotels. Fascinating properties like Villa San Michele, A Belmond Hotel just outside of Florence, Mandarin Oriental, Lago di Como on Lake Como and COMO Castello Del Nero in Tuscany. All incredible – although the single best experience was Forestis Dolomites, a relatively new resort with a history dating back to 1912.
Positioned 1,800 metres above sea level, Forestis is essentially a luxury wellness retreat with one of the greatest views in the world, starting directly at the jagged teeth of The Dolomites with all suites offering jaw-dropping views of the scene. An equally spectacular restaurant where the dinner menu changes every single night based on local foraged produce with a focus on clean eating and good wine. An impeccable spa with four different saunas. A holistic wellness program focusing heavily on meditation and forest bathing. I mean, can life get any better? Expect to pay between $1,000 and $1,500 a night. It’s punchy, but I’d say the experience is worth it. – Chris
Second/Layer Valens Shirt/Jacket
Of late, I’ve been obsessed with LA-based Second/Layer – a state of hypedom exacerbated by the indie menswear label’s recent end-of-season sale. Here in the Southern Hemisphere, our reversed meteorological arrangement means a chunk of what’s on discount is pitch-perfect for summer – with a variety of tees, denim and lo-fi tailoring all vying for attention.
The Valens shacket is, with few exceptions, the most effective representation of what has made the brand so endearing to fashionistos overall; pulling from Southern California’s rich tapestry of cultural influences circa 1990. A little bit skate, suavecito, and hardcore punk all at once; the Valens is guaranteed to inject a big, vibey cadence into even the most cookiecutter wardrobe.
Point in fact: one of my favourite ways to wear shirts of this persuasion (i.e. cut with dual rear pleats and a cuban collar) is to strip everything else in the fit right back to bare essentials. To that end, I’d suggest pairing this with billowy trousers and your favourite pair of Craftsman – a striking alternative to suiting up for summer. – Randy
The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy
You might not have read a Cormac McCarthy book before, but you’ll almost certainly have seen one of the film adaptations of his work, including No Country For Old Men (Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin), The Road (Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron) and more recently as the writer of The Counsellor (Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem, Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz). The Passenger is McCarthy’s first new novel since 2006 when the Pulitzer prize-winning The Road was published, which follows the story of Bobby Western, a salvage diver in the Mexican Gulf. I’ll leave this spoiler free, but if you’re a fan of McCarthy’s books and films, The Passenger is an worthy addition to the canon of one of our generations most talented writers. – Randy
Gozney Roccbox
After having the Roccbox sitting on my balcony at home for over a month now, I can officially say it’s my favourite home accessory of the year. The compact portable pizza oven from the pizza geniuses at Gozney can be either wood-fired or gas heated and heats up to 500°C in less than 30 minutes under gas. On top of the ease of actually cooking the pizza (you’ll get a fully cooked slice in about 90 seconds), the whole process of making the dough (Jamie Oliver’s recipe is bang on) and sorting the ingredients is a great way to spend an afternoon and lots of fun with friends and family. While I thought the Roccbox might’ve been something I’d use once and never again, I find myself firing it up at least once a week, and don’t see that slowing down any time soon. – Jack
Tōji Junmai Daiginjo Sake
While I tend only to drink Sake if I’m out enjoying a Japanese meal, I was excited to try a couple of cups of Tōji Junmai Daiginjo Sake last week and was genuinely impressed by what it had to offer. The young liquor brand was founded in Melbourne by Yuta and Shar Kobayashi, who wanted to create a sake that travelled the gulf between traditional Japanese drinking culture and Melbourne’s eclectic taste for the unusual and delicious.
The result is two sake varieties, both of which use water from the Asahi Mountain Range and rice from the world renowned Niigata Prefecture, which combine into a delightfully balanced drink. My favourite was the Junmai Daiginjo Sake, which is uncomplicated and clean to drink, with a slight apple aroma on the nose. If you’re after something slightly more elevated or interesting than what your local bottle shop can offer, Tōji Sake will hit the spot. – Nick
Operation Trojan Horse by Stephen Davis
As a sucker for a good political thriller, it’s surprising the most gripping read I’ve come across in recent years is actually a true story. It’s called Operation Trojan Horse, and it chronicles the first-hand accounts aboard BA 149, a flight that flew from London to Kuwait on the eve of Saddam Hussein’s invasion in 1990. The plane was mysteriously allowed to land despite the Iraqi advance, which resulted in the capture of all passengers and crew as hostages during the Gulf War. But the kicker, supported by numerous sources, was that BA 149 was actually a trojan horse for an undercover mission of special forces soldiers sanctioned by the highest levels of the British government. – John
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope
I haven’t picked up my Nintendo Switch in over a year. I used to be obsessed with it, around about the time when Zelda: Breath of the Wild was out. A game I played just as much as the latest in Nintendo’s long-running adventure series was Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, which was pretty much just Nintendo’s version of the addictive strategy game X-Com, just with more humour and Mario’s undeniable nostalgic factor.
Now the follow-up to the successful title has been released, with Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope bringing much of the same adventure-based strategy-RPG hybrid. Any gamers who stretch deeper than the typical Call of Duty and FIFA sessions should give this one a spin. As long as you can look past the slightly cheesy humour, the mechanics of this game are ridiculously absorbing. – Chris
