What do you call a union between a Tasmanian man and a French woman? Devilishly Chic. I was close to calling it a day as dusk fell on Union Square, when this magical couple floated by. I couldn’t resist a photo and a chat with this interesting pair.

They both taught at CUNY for many years. She, being from France, taught French culture and literature. He is originally Tasmanian and taught botany there. As a sometime freelance writer, he could relate to my love of photography and writing, and advised me on the perils of such a career. Afterwards, he referred me to his website: spicesfiji.com.

Turns out, he is quite an accomplished man. Dr. Ronald Gatty, or “The Spice Man”, is the father of Fiji’s spice industry! He has a terrific personal history that you can check out on his website [click here], including his time spent exploring the south seas for medicinal plants, and that he’s the son of the first man to fly an aeroplane around the world. So cool!

Gatty invented the original Spice Girls – the young ladies who hand-pollinate vanilla bean flowers in Fiji (above)

One last observation: You know those hip headbands that have come back in style lately? Look close. I’m pretty sure she pioneered that trend.