Forging Ahead
It is mid-afternoon and Al Malnik is in the middle of a half dozen projects that range from business interests and philanthropic commitments to overseeing the renovation of a house next door to his oceanfront home, where his six young children will bunk down with friends, and where he can display his lifelong collection of sculptures, paintings and Asian art. His phone hasn’t stopped ringing. His three assistants have questions on upcoming appointments, his chef asks what he would like for dinner, and his contractor team wants advice about where to put a wall. "I am a multitasker and always have been," says Malnik, a lawyer-cum-businessman and real estate investor, who created Miami Beach's The Forge restaurant in 1968. "I love to keep busy. By mixing work with my hobbies, charities and family, I am blessed with a wonderful life."
And a fulfilling one. For starters, Malnik, who married Nancy Gresham in 1995, 20 years after divorcing his first wife, has 10 children. His oldest from the first marriage are Shareef, who has a law degree and runs The Forge, which recently underwent a $10-million renovation; Andrea, who also has a law degree; Susan, a psychologist; and Allison, a Palm Beach County teacher. With Nancy, he has triplets Spencer, Jarod and Nathan, 12; Jesse, 5; and twins Noah and Sterling, 4."I was a playboy for a long time between my marriages, but when I met Nancy in 1991, I was so impressed. I dated her for four years," he says. “She was beautiful, unusual, smart, business-oriented, and filled with enthusiasm and imagination. We married at my ranch in west Boca Raton before nearly 500 people." Today, the Malniks are major movers and shakers in the world of philanthropy. They work together on dozens of charity projects and fundraisers. Malnik is a member of the George E. Merrick Society of the University of Miami, which honors those whose commitment to the University has reached a superior level, as well as a founding donor of the Jay Weiss Center for Social Medicine and Health Equity at the University of Miami School of Medicine. He also is a founder of Mount Sinai Medical Center, and is the only person named a lifetime benefactor of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The Malniks have been active in Make-A-Wish for 10 years and help with the annual Miami gala by opening their Palm Beach County home for a spring pre-party.
