Coral Gables Magazine April 2022

CORAL GABLES

The short-lived unsuccessful career of the Coral

One look and you know it’s The Palace.

“TRAFFIC IS OBVIOUSLY THE BIGGEST PROBLEM IN THE CITY, AND DEVELOPMENT IS ONE OF THE REASONS THAT TRAFFIC KEEPS GROWING”

Interview with Coral Gables Neighbors Association President Sue Kawalerski Streetwise. Page

24

DOWN AND OUT IN CORAL GABLES

The story of a young, high-flying corporate lawyer turned inept serial bank robber. With his life in freefall, he needed money. And banks, as stick-up man Willie Sutton famously said, was where the money was. That’s when Coral Gables banks became targets.

THE FUTURE OF BANKING. TODAY.

Banks nowadays are becoming digital and bigger, requiring more specialized staff. The changes mean a plethora of new positions at banks that professionals in varied fields might not have considered. Here’s a look at five key trends.

THE TOUR OF KITCHENS 2022

Each year, the Coral Gables Community Foundation puts on its Tour of Kitchens, its annual fundraiser to award college scholarships to deserving but disadvantaged students from Coral Gables Senior High School. This year marks the 13th tour of local homes.

Why I Give:

Karel Foti

As a successful businessperson, volunteer, mother and philanthropist, Karel Foti puts her whole heart into everything she does, and it shows in her decades-long commitment to Baptist Health. “You often hear the expression, ‘the Baptist family,’ which is exactly what it is,” she says. “That sense of camaraderie, of community, of togetherness, of caring, is contagious.”

Karel started as one of Baptist Hospital’s “Pink Lady” volunteers. A single mom with two children and a full-time job, she still managed to help out several times a week, making good friends and memories along the way. “It was the joy of my life,” she says.

Over the years, Karel has been one of the Foundation’s most ardent champions, supporting Miami Cancer Institute, Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, COVID research and relief and more. Currently a Baptist Health trustee, she believes philanthropy has accomplished much, but countless opportunities remain. “When you’re in a position to make meaningful changes, what a beautiful thing to be able to do — not only for those you love and care about, but for many, many more.”

“Baptist Health has been there for me, my family and our community – and is dedicated to excellence.”

Photo by Lynn Parks

Timing is Everything

The elephant in the room for this issue is the timing of our cover story. We were going to publish it months ago, but held out, hoping the Coral Gables Bank Robber would speak to us again. The first interview with writer Mike Clary was by phone from the Federal Detention Center in downtown Miami and lasted only seven minutes before he was cut off; immediately afterwards the facility went into Covid lockdown, with no communication permitted. We emailed our questions, and even sent them by US mail, with a stamped return envelope. We wanted to know why. And how he had survived as a homeless person. And if there wasn’t another solution or avenue of hope – or help. But no answer came.

We then reached out to his mother, and did speak with her briefly, until she also went silent, apparently at the request of her son. By then he had been transferred to a federal prison in Yazoo City, Mississippi, and never replied again.

So, we decided to finally run our story about the unfortunate Aaron Honaker, and his brief career in the anachronistic business of bank robbing. And the elephant in the room? This month’s Business Quarterly, with its feature story by Doreen Hemlock about trends in the local banking industry. How do you fit a bank robber

story in the same issue? Are we saying that bank robbing is a new trend in the industry?

In the end, we decided to run our robber’s tale of caution anyway, and trust that our readers would also appreciate, and mentally separate, our upbeat tale of growth strategies for Gables’ banking institutions.

Elsewhere in the issue, speaking of upbeat and local, we are happy to report the city’s decision to renovate and return Burger Bob’s Granada Golf Course diner to its role as a neighborhood eatery. When its lease ended last summer, residents opposed the idea of a private investor upgrading and enlarging the facility. With one offer withdrawn and two others turned down, Mayor Vince Lago outlined his “vision” of a simple diner for a residential neighborhood, what Commissioner Kirk Menendez called “back to the future.”

If all goes according to plan, Burger Bob’s (and the name will remain the same) will be back in businesses by the end of the year. With so many contentious issues facing the city – and the nation – sometimes it just takes one act of civic mindedness to understand that the most important politics are, in the end, right here at home.

JP FABER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CORAL GABLES MAGAZINE

CEO & PUBLISHER

Richard Roffman

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

J.P.Faber

EVP / PUBLISHER

Gail Scott

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Amy Donner

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Monica Del Carpio-Raucci

ART DIRECTOR

Jon Braeley

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Toni Kirkland

VP SALES

Sherry Adams

STAFF WRITER & SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

Carmen Sofia Fraga

EDITOR-AT-LARGE

Grace Carricarte

SENIOR WRITERS

Mike Clary

Doreen Hemlock

WRITERS

Andrew Gayle Parker Gimbel

Mallory Evans Jacobson

Katelin Stecz

FILM AND VIDEO CRITIC

Michael Roffman

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Rodolfo Benitez

Jonathan Dann

Emily Fakhoury

CIRCULATION & DISTRIBUTION

CircIntel

OFFICIAL FRAMER

Adam Brand / Frames USA

Coral Gables Magazine is published monthly by City Regional Media, 1200 Anastasia Ave. Suite 115, Coral Gables FL 33134. Telephone: (305) 995-0995. Copyright 2022 by City Regional Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part of any text, photograph or illustration without prior written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. Send address changes to subscriptions@coralgablesmagazine.com. General mailbox email and letters to editor@ coralgablesmagazine.com.

coralgablesmagazine.com

Cover: Feature Story: The Coral Gables Bank Robber. Illustration by Helen Gynell

A BANKING OXYMORON, AND A DINER SAVED

Each month we print letters we receive from our readers. We encourage all commentary, included criticism as well as compliments, and of course any commentary about our community. If you are interested in writing to us with your opinions, thoughts, or suggestions, please send them to letters@coralgablesmagazine.com. Letters are edited for brevity.

Yay Butterflies

Thanks for printing the informative and witty Home & Garden story by Grace Carricarte about “The Butterfly Effect.” I recently released a Monarch butterfly from the web of a spider in my garden and decided then and there to install some milkweed plants to foster the proliferation of these magical flying insects. The astonishing thing about the milkweed is that after the caterpillars had fed on the leaves and flowers and basically decimated the plants, within two weeks they regenerated themselves and new caterpillars emerged, followed by a new generation of Monarchs. Please continue to showcase the efforts of Coral Gables residents who create gardens of truly earthly delights.

Bruce Fitzgerald

The Good and the Bad I must respond to your March edition with strong criticism and also strong praise. BAD first: The “Born Again” piece [about returning the Coral Gables Country Club to its earlier purpose] was so offensive I don’t

know where to begin. Dorothy [Thompson] remembers a time when Blacks carried her golf clubs and Jews were not admitted and [City Manager Peter] Iglesias maybe remembers a time when his parents hoped to be invited there. Is that how we move forward, back to when a tight little group of WASPS held their cotillions and their exclusive (200 max) little groups so they could all feel special? The GOOD: I liked your call out for The Globe and your focus on music for The Gables as well as your general support and explanations for local business’ Covid problems. But most of all, I loved your enthusiasm for “On Your Feet.” [My wife] Jude and her friends all saw it and absolutely loved it.

Patrick Alexander

Keep it Compostable

In your “From City Hall” section in the March issue, you noted a suggestion by Mayor Lago for Coral Gables residents to bag their vegetation in clear plastic bags. I have an even better idea. I recently returned from

Coral Gables is always in bloom.

With over 15 years of experience in and around Coral Gables, I can help you navigate this season’s real estate market.

Are you interested in maximizing your home’s value? Call me if you are looking to leverage your neighborhood’s blossoming market.

Charleston, South Carolina where leaves and vegetation were put out on the curb in paper, compostable bags from Lowes. It doesn’t make sense to put compostable material (like leaves) into a non-compostable material (like plastic). Let’s keep the City Beautiful beautiful and environmentally-friendly.

Gina Guilford

Thanks for the Assist

Just a note to thank you for choosing “I WILL SOAR” as a Best Bet in your March 2022 issue. The screening was a huge success and the Coral Gables Art Cinema was at capacity.

Jane Swanko, Director, Writer & Producer

On with the Hub

I have just seen the sabotage article published by Gables Insider [regarding escalating costs for the Mobility Hub]. Supply chain shortages are faced elsewhere in construction and many other industries, e.g. auto manufacturing, and are being overcome. We must remember the Mobility Hub will be the safest parking garage in the state of Florida, and possibly the safest parking garage in the United States! This is quintessential George Merrick!

Jackson Rip Holmes

JJ Snow Hansen Real Estate Advisor

305.608.8750

jj@jjsnowhansen.com

From City Hall

AT ITS MARCH MEETING, THE CITY COMMISSION:

VOTED 4-0 TO CONDEMN RUSSIA’S INVASION of Ukraine, to support the Ukrainian people, and to urge cruise lines and airlines to immediately cease all travel to Russia, due to the unprovoked attack. (Sponsored by Mayor Vince Lago and Commissioner Kirk Menendez).

VOTED 4-0 TO RETURN THE SOUTH SIDE OF BILTMORE WAY to its original MF2 designation that prevents the use of the Mediterranean Bonus to increase height and density. The area had been “accidentally” upgraded to MF4, which would have allowed height to go from 150 to 190 feet, and units from 60 to 75 per building. The commission declined to change its decades-old MF4 zoning on the north side, which could have sparked lawsuits.

LISTENED TO COUNTY COMMISSIONER RAQUEL REGALADO explain that peacocks in The Gables are a protected species and cannot be trapped and killed but must be sent to a “sanctuary” with permission from the county. She also advised the city to send an MOU regarding limiting county developments along the city’s transportation corridor and commended Mayor Lago for requesting a TPO (Transportation Planning Organization) study on how traffic on US1 could be mitigated.

DELAYED UNTIL THIS MONTH A DECISION TO allow the Biltmore to charge fees for its West Parking Lot. The hotel wants to charge fees to discourage residents from using the lot for long-term airport parking, or parking service vehicles, which prevents hotel guests from using it. Mayor Lago wanted staff to explore using the city parking department to run the lot; either way, some of the income would go to the city, some to be used to maintain the lot and the historic hotel (see story pg. 26).

LISTENED TO A PRESENTATION BY POLCO, a national research center, on their results from surveying the opinions of residents on issues ranging from traffic, urban design, and utilities to safety, parks, and culture (see story pg. 20).

VOTED 5-0 TO GRANT RELIEF TO THE BILTMORE HOTEL on the amount of insurance its operators, the Seaway Group, needs to carry. The current requirement of $200 million was reduced to $100 million, based on engineering studies that showed there was .2 percent chance that any single event (such as a Hurricane) would cause more than $30 million in damages.

VOTED 3-0 ON FIRST READING TO PERMIT a Mediterranean style, seven-story, 2-acre residential/retail complex in the block bordered by Catalonia Avenue, Salzedo Street, Malaga Avenue and Le Jeune Road (shown above). Commissioner Menendez, a property owner in the block, recused himself from the vote (Commissioner Michael Mena was also absent). Commissioners were pleased by the amount of green space set aside, including a 7,000-sqaure foot park, where three “specimen” oaks on the property will be relocated. “This is a significant public benefit to move these specimen oaks,” said Commissioner Rhonda Anderson. “It sends a message that we are committed to saving the canopy” said Mayor Lago, who wrote the legislation requiring green space to be on the ground floor.

VOTED 4-0 TO AUTHORIZE THE USE OF $600,000 from development impact fees for art in public places to pay for two seven-foot sculptures by Cuban-born artist Zilia Sánchez. Called “Concepto 1” the two painted bronze pieces will be “facing each other as if in conversation” in the courtyard of the newly renovated 427 Biltmore Way city building, said city arts and culture director Catherine Cathers.

VOTED 5-0 TO USE CITY FUNDS TO RENOVATE Burger Bob’s iconic eatery on the Granada Golf Course, to maintain it as a local, inexpensive community diner (see story pg. 20).

ADMONISHED REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE Riviera Country Club for failing to put in improvements – such as landscaping, lighting, sidewalks, etc. – on the portion of Blue Road that runs in front of the club’s entrance. The plans were approved in 2019 by the county, but did not include pavers for crosswalks, part of the original agreement with the city. The country club wants to asphalt the street, a less expensive alternative, and has not started on any other improvements. “Three years is unacceptable,” said Mayor Lago. Agreed Commissioner Anderson, “We need to get this done as originally agreed on. On the pavers I’m not going to budge.” Commissioners voted 5-0 that work should start immediately while the plans are altered to include the pavers.

DELAYED UNTIL THIS MONTH WHETHER TO pursue a master plan to upgrade the city’s entire parks and recreation system. The plan would have to be approved by residents in a referendum this November election. While Commissioner Menendez advocates the program as “leaving a legacy that families can enjoy for years and years,” the mayor questioned the wisdom of encumbering residents with increases in property taxes to pay for the program, which could cost between $90 million and $160 million, depending on the scope of the work. ■

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Talk of the Town

posal to upscale the facility, Mayor Lago said the city will absorb the estimated $600,000 cost of renovation to recreate “a residential haven where people can come in and have a decent breakfast or lunch, something inexpensive…. something that harkens back to the old days here in the city of Coral Gables.” Residents had protested the idea of bringing in a high-powered restaurateur to refurbish the aging facility, which would have required enlarging and upscaling to repay the investment. Instead, the eatery will be “renovated with a diner feel, very simple,” said Lago, and then “find an operator who knows the neighborhood.” That person? Commissioners were unanimous in their support of Rita Tennyson, the long-time No. 2 for Maguire.

Taking the People’s Pulse

A recent survey by POLCO, a national polling company, concluded that most Gables residents were happy with the safety, natural environment, and economic well-being of the city – but that most were not happy with mobility (the traffic), community design (over development), or utilities (infrastructure). The single most important issue, said residents, was the “overall design or layout of residential and commercial areas.”

The National Community Survey was conducted between Sept. 21 and Nov. 16 of last year and got 369 responses from 2,700 households polled. Some 90 percent of residents (with a plus-or-minus accuracy of 5 percent) rated Coral Gables as a good or excellent place to live and raise families, while another 70 percent agreed The Gables was a good or excellent place to retire.

Some 85 percent gave thumbs up for the city’s quality of businesses and service establishments, with 71 percent approving the quality of shopping and the vibrancy of the downtown. Only 17 percent felt the city still offered affordable quality housing. The highest marks went to public safety, with 97 percent feeling safe in the downtown, and 96 percent feeling safe in their neighborhoods.

Saving Burger Bob’s

City Commissioner Kirk Menendez called it “one of those landmark moments where the neighbors in the community feel that we actually did listen to them.” He was referring to the City Commission decision to restore and preserve Burger Bob’s as a simple neighborhood diner. Mayor Vince Lago initiated the deliberations with his “vision” for the iconic eatery next to the Granada Golf Course pro-shop, which for 30 years has been a gathering place for inexpensive burgers and sandwiches under the proprietorship of the retiring Bob Maguire.

After months of stutter steps, including entertaining a pro-

“This is a win for the residents and for the administration,” said Marlin Ebbert, one of the community leaders who fought to save Bob’s. “The mayor is reading public sentiment… Give him some credit. He finally came around.” Tennyson, meanwhile, has continued to run a catering business she started while at Bob’s (ritatennyson76@yahoo.com). “I’m definitely interested, but I haven’t heard from the city. We’ll see what happens,” she says. After Commissioner Jorge Fors suggested keeping a plaque on the wall “to explain to our children what was there before and what it meant to the community,” Menendez took that a step further, suggesting the name Burger Bob’s be kept in perpetuity. Mayor Lago said he wants the city to re-open the new Bob’s before year’s end. ■

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The Condo Alternative

GABLES’ CONDOS SALES SOAR AS PRICES OF SINGLE-FAMILY HOMES HIT NEW HIGHS

BY MIKE CLARY

Anyone in the market for a single-family home in the Gables has experienced the wild rise in demand for these increasingly rare places to buy. When houses hit the market, offers appear almost immediately, usually over the asking price and frequently in cash. The resulting spike in demand has pushed the median price to $1.4 million, according to Berkshire Hathaway Homes Services/EWM Realty, a jump of some 50 percent in the last 18 months.

In search of more affordable places to live, buyers are increasingly turning to condominiums as a way to own a residence in the City Beautiful. By comparison to single homes, the median price of a Gables condo is now $546,000. “Condominiums have become a viable option for many existing and new residents in Coral Gables who are seeking a more affordable alternative to single family homes,” says Patrick O’Connell, senior VP at BHHS/EWM.

Take Maria Martinez-Vilella and family. After selling their Gables home a year ago, she, her husband, and two teenage children spent months looking for another house before deciding on a four-bedroom condo in Merrick Manor, a new 10-story building at 301 Altara Ave. overlooking the Shops at Merrick Park. They sacrificed space, going from a 4,000-square-foot home to a 2,300-square-foot apartment. Yet, says Martinez-Vilella, “We decided we’d be better off as a family. With a house there is always something – the pool pump broke, the gardening, the painting. And we get the amenities – the gym, the pool, the common areas. It makes life less complicated.”

To be sure, the inventory of available condos is also shrinking – dropping from 215 in February of last year compared to 60 this past February – but sales have jumped by 24 percent, according to BHHS/ EWM Realty, Merrick Manor’s

exclusive sales representative. By comparison, single home sales dropped by 40 percent, due to an even more precipitous drop in inventory, from 385 to 60 houses in the same period.

Buyers are purchasing condos for a variety of reasons, says O’Connell. “Some are locals, trading out of homes. Others are right-sizing,” he says. “We have retirees, empty-nesters. Many who appreciate the simplicity of condo living are professionals relocating from California or New York, those accustomed to apartment living who see condos selling for a very good price.” The 227 condos in Merrick Manor are priced at approximately $660 per square foot. As of midMarch, only 55 remain unsold.

The high end for the condo market is also seeing brisk sales. At the new Villa Valencia, due for completion early next year, units start at $1.6 million and go all the way to $14.9 million for the penthouse. Now 80 percent sold out, the units sell for an average of $1,100 per square foot.

“We had always marketed ourselves as an alternative [to single family homes] and with 3,000 square feet inside and 1,000 square feet of balcony, this is condo living without compromise,” said Rishi Kapoor, CEO of developer Location Ventures. “We are absolutely the sweet spot for people looking for value.”

In March, Miller Samuel, Inc., a New York City-based real estate appraiser and consultant, reported that signed contracts for condos in Miami-Dade County were triple the number from the same period before the pandemic, with significant annual gains for the past 13 months. With that kind of pressure, condos may soon become as scarce as single-family homes. Typically, condos represent more than half the total inventory in South Florida. In The Gables today, condos now represent only 45 percent of the inventory – 80 condominiums for sale versus 96 single homes as of press time. ■

“CONDOMINIUMS HAVE BECOME A VIABLE OPTION FOR MANY EXISTING AND NEW RESIDENTS IN CORAL GABLES WHO ARE SEEKING A MORE AFFORDABLE ALTERNATIVE TO SINGLE FAMILY HOMES”

PATRICK O’CONNELL (ABOVE), SENIOR VP AT BHHS/EWM AT THE MERRICK MANOR (BELOW)

An Interview with Coral Gables Neighbors Association

President Sue Kawalerski

A broadcast journalist by trade, Sue Kawalerski has become a leading voice in The Gables for greater community participation in the decisions made at City Hall. As the acting chair of the city’s Transportation Advisory Board, she has been a staunch advocate for traffic reduction and alternate modes of transportation, including cycling (she is the manager of BIKE305). Prior to becoming active with the Riviera Neighborhood Association 12 years ago, Kawalerski was a news consultant for FOX Television Stations, president of TV People, Inc., and the news director for Fox, CBS, and NBC affiliated stations in Tampa, Miami, St. Louis, Dallas, and Buffalo. She is currently president of the 16,000-member Coral Gables Neighbors Association.

What lead to you first joining the Riviera Neighborhood Association (RNA)?

I was traveling for work a lot [when I first moved here]. But when I came back to Coral Gables full time, I recognized that things were changing the neighborhoods. And what was changing the neighborhoods were these relatively massive projects. They were nowhere near as massive as today, but massive enough to interrupt the quality of life for the residents.

Were there any projects that the RNA fought?

The Mahi Waterway at US1 and South Alhambra was slated for a massive project at that time… There was enough interference being run by the neighbors and the association, so the developers backed off and it was never developed. That project would have absolutely overwhelmed the neighborhood.

The RNA has since become the Coral Gables Neighbors Association. How did that happen?

About three years ago we started getting a lot of inquiries from residents in other neighborhoods, specifically in the Biltmore section, the University section, and the North Gables section. We were the only organized [neighborhood] association of any credibility or longevity, so they called us and said, “Can you help us with our neighborhood too?” The more inquiries we got the more we said we’d better expand.

What is the mission of the Coral Gables Neighbors Association?

To ensure the quality of life that we have all come to enjoy, and why we moved here to begin with.

What are the issues at stake?

Traffic is obviously the biggest problem in the city, and development is one of the reasons that traffic keeps growing… And we want to make sure that the city maintains its Mediterranean integrity, what we came to live here for. We are a unique oasis in the middle of urbanization. We didn’t want to be urbanized, we wanted to be the oasis in the middle of urbanization.

Why is that an issue today?

We have found over the last eight years that there is a drive to urbanize even residential areas. The city [for example] thinks of the Riviera neighborhood as a second downtown opportunity. So, we

are seeing massive structures around [Kerdyk] Park, for example the Venera… [This] is a real sore spot for us because we fought it very heavily. We knew that it was not a residential property per se, but student housing – transient housing in the middle of a nice residential area…. We took all the documentation proving this was not for yuppies and young families to the City Commission. They told us we were full of it and that they knew better, and voted the project in. And guess what? It’s student housing.

What other developments did you oppose?

The Paseo de la Riviera was the project that catalyzed the entire Riviera neighborhood. When residents found out that the property was going to go as high as 190 feet, on something zoned for 45 feet, and that there were no setbacks so it would loom over US1, and again intrude on residential streets and therefore public rights of way meant for walking and cycling, the residents united. Even though we had 400 people in commission chambers and standing outside protesting, all but one commissioner [Jeannett Slesnick] voted the project in.

Clearly you think the city commission does not vote the will of the residents. Why not?

One can only surmise. Because if you are not for the residents, then who are you for? [For the Paseo protest] we went to a commissioner’s office to show him the map [of nearly 500 homeowners opposed]. We were aghast when he said, “I don’t care.” We asked, if you don’t care for the residents, then who are you for? He said, “I am for the good of Coral Gables.” Who, then, do you think is Coral Gables?

So, are you against development?

Absolutely not. We encourage development but development that is compatible with neighborhoods, compatible with the surrounding properties, and compatible with what Coral Gables is known for around the world, which is a Mediterranean style architecture.

What is your message to residents?

We think there is going to be a point when we have elected officials who listen to us. Do we have that now? No. But will it happen next year? Maybe… Right now, we are pursuing people who will represent us. So, our message to the residents in Coral Gables is work with us. Listen to what we are telling you. We are on the good side. We are on the right side. So vote that way. ■

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A Question of Control

A BILTMORE REQUEST TO CHARGE FOR PARKING RUNS INTO HEADWINDS

During the pandemic, demand for parking spaces in the gigantic West Parking Lot adjacent to the historic Biltmore Hotel was not an issue. With the return of hotel guests, however, the lot has reached its limits, as use by residents is starting to crowd out hotel guests. This includes residents parking third and fourth cars there, others leaving cars there to Uber to the airport, and contractors parking vehicles there.

To limit overuse by non-hotel guests, the Biltmore began to charge for parking in January –only to learn that the lot was not part of its leased property, but a separate “asset” owned by the city. This discovery by city attorney Miriam Ramos took even city officials by surprise.

The conflict came to a head in March at the first City Commission meeting, when a resolution worked out between

the Biltmore and city staff – to use parking fees to limit use and to upgrade the property – was derailed by Mayor Vince Lago, who refused to vote in favor of relinquishing control. “Why don’t we run the lot? I want to control everything that has to do with city assets,” he said.

City parking director Kevin Kinney assured the mayor he was comfortable with the Biltmore running things, since their use of receipts would be audited, and because the lot – like the city parking lot at Doctor’s Hospital – was dedicated to a single user. The mayor nonethe-less requested a counter proposal for the city to operate it, which is to be reviewed at a subsequent commission meeting. In the meantime, anyone who paid for parking in January can request a refund from the hotel, using an app on its website. ■

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Living Magical Reality

Artist Julio Larraz

Page 30

CUBAN ARTIST JULIO LARRAZ IN THE STUDIO WHERE HE PAINTS

Best Bets

FOR APRIL

“BOCA” AT GABLESTAGE

Don’t miss the opening of GableStage’s comedy following a group of retirees who – between golf, bridge and Botox – can be found bickering, gossiping, and living it up like they’re teenagers in sunny Boca Raton. Opening April 22 and runs through May 22. Purchase your tickets ($40-$70) and view show times at www.gablestage.org.

JULIO LARRAZ’ “THE KINGDOM WE CARRY INSIDE”

It’s your last chance to view Julio Larraz’s exhibition, “The Kingdom We Carry Inside” at the Coral Gables Museum. On display until April 30th, the exhibit showcases a selection of the renowned Cuban artist’s works from private and public collections, displaying his skills in technique, color and light. Visit coralgablesmuseum.org for more information.

REACH FOR THE STARS GALA AUCTION

On April 30 beginning at 6 pm, Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, in partnership with Lexus of Kendall, will host the 31st Annual Reach for the Stars Gala Auction. This black-tie optional event will include delicious food, drinks, and entertainment. Purchase tickets online for $250. All proceeds will go towards funding youth and adult theater programs.

DENISE KING JAZZ QUINTET AT SMDCAC

Get your dose of Jazz in the Black Box Theater at South MiamiDade Cultural Arts Center (SMDCAC). On April 23, Denise King Jazz Quintet will perform at 6 pm and at 8:30 pm. Denise King is an expressive, big-voiced vocalist who combines jazz with elements of R&B, Blues, and Gospel. Purchase your tickets online at www. smdcac.org for $30 in advance, and $35 the day of the show. 10950 SW 211 St.

FROST LIVE!

Frost Live has unique performances this month at UM’s Gusman Concert Hall. On April 10 the Frost Musical Theater Ensemble will perform “Disney Spectacular,” featuring hit songs from Disney’s classic films. On April 11 the U.S. Coast Guard Band will perform music from wind ensemble classics to swinging jazz. These events are free (pre-registration required). Ticketed events include The Frost Wind Ensemble’s performance of “Premieres” on April 16 ($20), and Maria Schnieder conducting the Henry Mancini Institute in celebration of Earth Day on April 22 ($30). Reservations at www.frost-music-live.miami.edu.

“RAPUNZEL” AT ACTORS’ PLAYHOUSE

Running until April 29, Actors’ Playhouse will be performing a wickedly funny, musical interpretation of “Rapunzel.” Can Prince Charming finally rescue his damsel in distress? Find out in this family friendly musical. Visit actorsplayhouse.org for more information including show times and tickets. Priced at $25. ■

Magical Reality

BY J.P. FABER

The first painting I saw by Julio Larraz was called “First Encounter.” It showed an edge of white sail, the top of a Spanish galleon mast, appearing over a horizon of dense tropical growth. This, presumably, was what native Americans first saw when Europeans arrived.

That was 30 years ago. In the interim, Larraz – now recognized as among the most important Cuban artists alive today – has produced hundreds of canvases. He has also spent many of those years living in Coral Gables – a good decade in a house on Old Cutler Road that he lost to a divorce, he admits nostalgically. He now lives on the outskirts of the city, keeping a studio compound in South Miami. Here he continues to paint his world of magical reality.

Much of Larraz’s work touches on the theme of escape from Cuba, especially his fantastic floating boats. But most explore the iconography of the Spanish colonization of the New World, the bleak and banal

power of its oligarchy, portrayed through an imaginary kingdom that he calls “Casabianca.” From this world come the characters in his paintings – the holy men, the generals, the queens, the kings, the oracles – even a businesswoman who owns a bordello called La Maestranza. “It’s a fantastic pretext as to who I am going to paint today,” he says. “I just pull the drawer open.”

As for his native country, which Larraz fled with his family at the age of 16, “people think I am talking about Cuba. I am not talking about Cuba, except when I paint refugees. That is the thing that hurts me the most, the people who have to go through that ordeal, which is unthinkable – to bring your family across high seas to escape from your country.”

Over the decades, Larraz’s fame has ballooned, though initially he was considered out of touch with contemporary art. He started his career in New York City as a political cartoonist, doing caricatures of leaders such as

“THE MONROE DOCTRINE”, TOP LEFT AND “TIME” SHOWN ABOVE ARE PART OF THE ARTISTS RETROSPECTIVE AT THE CORAL GABLES MUSEUM.

TOP: THE ARTIST JULIO LARRAZ IN HIS STUDIO. MUCH OF LARRAZ’S WORK TOUCHES ON THE THEME OF ESCAPE FROM CUBA, ESPECIALLY HIS FANTASTIC FLOATING BOATS.

JULIO LARRAZ MAY BE THE MOST IMPORTANT CUBAN ARTIST ALIVE TODAY. YOU CAN SEE HIS WORK THIS FINAL MONTH AT THE CORAL GABLES MUSEUM.

Indira Gandhi, Golda Meir, and Richard Nixon. His drawings appeared in the New York Times, Rolling Stone, Esquire, and the Washington Post. His drawing of Nixon as Louis XIV made it to the cover of Time Magazine.

Larraz then decided he wanted to be a painter and began with works of realism –immediately rejected by critics and gallery owners. “When I arrived in New York in 1965 you would not for the life of you paint or draw in a realistic manner because it was forbidden. It was forbidden by those who came before and after [WWII], those who came with the Bauhaus, and all the art of the moment. Somehow, they did away with what used to be the staple of American art, which was realism.”

Larraz nonetheless sol-

diered on. A fan of impressionists like Monet and Degas, he also loved the realistic works of Edward Hopper, Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, and Andrew Wyeth. Eventually he was taken on by several galleries, including New York’s prestigious Marlborough Gallery, and his work became known. By 1971 he had his first solo exhibition at the Pyramid Gallery in Washington D.C. In 1975 his work was included in an exhibition at the National Institute of Arts and Letters in New York, and by 1985 his paintings made it to an international show at the Grand Palais in Paris.

Today Larraz’ paintings are shown worldwide in museums and galleries, valued at five and six figures. But the current exhibit at the Coral Gables Museum is his first retrospective, show-

ing works from throughout his lengthy career – including his early political cartoons. Among the works on display is 1971’s “The Refugees.” Another is 2008’s “The Monroe Doctrine,” showing the torso of an elegantly dressed woman in his ode to John Singer Sargent. His 1988 “Defacto” shows a faceless general rising above a sea of military caps, while his 2013 painting “Two Hundred Years in Power” shows an open sedan with generals propping up a Khomeini-like bearded leader. A more recent work, his 2016 “Comienza la Noche” (the night begins), touches again on his preoccupation with the flight from Cuba.

Larraz was first approached to do a retrospective at the Coral Gables Museum by José Valdés-

(Continued on page 92)

“I HAD ALWAYS WANTED TO PAINT. MY FATHER HAD A GREAT LIBRARY, WITH BOOKS ON HISTORY, PHILOSOPHY, EVEN ART...”

THE ARTIST JULIO LARRAZ

TOP LEFT: “REFUGEES” (1971)

TOP RIGHT: “DEFACTO” (1988)

BOTTOM RIGHT: “TWO HUNDRED YEARS IN POWER” (2013)

BOTTOM LEFT: “COMIENZA LA NOCHE” (2016)

A Mother’s Mission

BY J.P. FABER

At a January meeting in City Hall, city commissioners listened to an impassioned plea from Jennifer Ward Sando, a member of the city’s School Community Relations Committee. A mother of three autistic children, she described how she could not send her kids to nearby Coral Gables Preparatory Academy but had to drive them to public schools outside the city. She described her anguish every time she drove past the neighborhood school knowing “that my children could not go there…”

Sando’s appeal, and that of the city’s Advisory Board on Disability Affairs, led to a unanimous commission vote to urge county school officials to provide education for young children in The Gables with autism. Currently, there are no public schools in the city that provide instruction for elementary or middle school students “on the

spectrum.” An indignant Commissioner Mike Mena noted that “for me it’s unacceptable, with the tax base and the amount of dollars our residents pay toward that [county school] system.”

That same lack of public facilities confronted Maria Palacio-Pike back in 2009, after her son was diagnosed with autism. Her response was extraordinary: using funds from her family, she founded a private school for autistic kids. Today the Crystal Academy she launched has 42 autistic students. They study on the grounds of the St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church, across the street from the historic Coral Gables Woman’s Club.

Here, in the protected leafy grounds and small classrooms of the church, a dedicated staff of 45 employees provides specifically tailored – and loving – instruction to children with all degrees of the neurological

disorder that makes it hard to communicate or socially interact. Some students are so non-verbal that they can communicate only using special keyboards; others use music and games to interact, all with the goal of successfully joining the outside world.

“We were always here at the church, and we’ve had a great relationship with them,” says Palacio. “We started in a very small area, about 500 square feet. Now we occupy everything but the sanctuary and the Garden of the Lord,” a walled enclosure with a pond and a stone statue of Jesus.

The need for special schools such as Crystal is poignant and growing. When the academy first opened, one in every 150 children was diagnosed autistic; today the figure is closer to one in 44. Palacio estimates there are 700 families in The Gables with autistic children, “and the only way for these children to get better is with early intervention – and continuous intervention.”

What has also changed since the academy was founded was state legislation that now requires insurance companies to recognize autism as a medical disorder, though sufficient

coverage is not guaranteed; the administration staff at Crystal works long hours to help parents find insurance coverage for fees of up to $36,000 per school year.

The next challenge for Palacio and the Academy will be transitioning to new facilities. The city has given initial approval for developer Sergio Pino to level the old church and its bell tower, and in-fill the entire 1.5-acre block with a 10-story apartment building of about 200 units. The approval is based partly on Pino agreeing to build a 5,000-square-foot school for Crystal Academy, with 3,500-square-feet of green space, provided rent free for 99 years.

With ground-breaking slated for 2023, Palacio-Pike must find another location for the school while construction takes place. She is hoping another church in The Gables might be able to help. She also hopes that Pino will provide one of the apartments for a reasonable rent, so that her students can use it as a transitional living place, like a university dorm room, “so they can learn the living skills” they need to become part of the larger world. ■

MARIA PALACIO-PIKE ,CO- FOUNDER OF THE CRYSTAL ACADEMY

CRYSTAL ACADEMY GROWS FROM ITS FOUNDER’S COMPASSION

DISTINCTIVE LIVING MEETS

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Bites Street Seats Page 40

Quick Bites

Okra Please

One of the best reasons to eat at Maroosh (223 Valencia Ave.) is their tea service –small glasses held in a brace of brass with a handle, a hot pot of dark tea for refills. Another is the rare appearance of okra on their (or any) menu. An underrated green seen mostly in Louisiana cooking (seafood gumbo!), they serve a lovely dish of bamia at Maroosh – baby okra in a tomato-based sauce with garlic, cilantro, and other seasonings. ($8.75)

A Meal in Itself

We love Ichimi (2330 Salzedo St.) for a host of reasons, not the least of which is their superb offering of ramen bowls. Among them are curry, veggie, and seafood options, but our favorite is their signature Ichimi Ramen, where the noodles are mixed with Kikurage mushrooms, Hanjuku eggs, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, and sliced pork belly, all in their “famous” tonkatsu soup with black garlic oil. For $15.95, it may be all you need to eat for the day.

Crispy and Cold

Connoisseurs of Caesar salad, that mix of chopped romaine lettuce, lemon juice, olive oil, egg, garlic, Dijon mustard, Parmesan cheese and croutons, may swear by the anchovy-rich version at Christy’s. But for those not into a salty-fish enhancement, it’s hard to beat the crispy chilled version at the Biltmore’s Fontana (1200 Anastasia). They also slice the Parmesan on top, rather than mixing it in as cheese strings. Always refreshing – and you can order the smaller appetizer version seen here. ($7 small, $14 full)

Basque Comfort Food

When Mara Basque Cuisine changed to a tapas format and rebranded itself as Tapeo (112 Giralda Ave.), it thankfully kept a selection of its Basque dishes. Yes, it serves tapas from other regions in Spain – notably Catalonia, where tapas originated – but for our taste, nothing is more earthy and delicious than their soft egg, prosciutto, and fried potato dish ($15). Throw in a Stubborn Mule at happy hour (can’t call it a Moscow Mule anymore) and you’re done.

Egyptian Lamb

Isn’t there an old expression that you should never eat anything larger than your head? Maybe. But in the case of the over-sized lamb shank that Chef Christian prepares at TUR (259 Giralda Ave.), forget about it. Or just share. If you do, you will savor the results of slow cooking with dukkah, a traditional Egyptian blend of spices with a distinctly nutty taste. Throw in a tzatziki yogurt and cucumber sauce, along with flat bread, and you are in Eastern Med food heaven ($52 dinner). ■

FROM THE TOP: BABY OKRA AT MAROOSH RAMEN BOWL AT ICHIMI CAESAR SALAD AT FONTANA PROSCIUTTO TAPAS AT TAPEO EGYPTIAN LAMB AT TUR

Street Seats

BY CARMEN FRAGA

The idea was a godsend at the time: When Covid hit, and diners were avoiding indoor spaces like the plague (literally), the city permitted restaurants to extend seating to the street outside. The results varied, from the simple to the luxurious, but restaurants across the city took advantage by putting tables in the parking spaces out front, blocking them off from the street with everything from planters to Bob’s Barricades. With the pandemic receding, many have been removed. Here is our sampling of the remaining street cafés. Take advantage and visit, because these temporary arrangements, as of press time, were scheduled to be removed by June 1.

Chandler’s Place

Chandlers at Alhambra just off Ponce has long been a great place for deli sandwiches to go. When the chance came to put in some umbrellas and tables, protected by planters, Chandler’s took advantage, turning their humble mom-and-pop sandwich shop into a shady café that wouldn’t be out of place on a streetside somewhere in Paris. 166 Alhambra Circle.

Bulla Gastrobar

Taking up a larger portion of Andalusia than its neighbors, Bulla benefited from offering extra outdoor options which have proven popular amongst diners. Protected by large steel planters, it’s a prime people-watching spot as passersby come to and from Ponce along Andalusia. Enjoy your tapas and sangria facing Bulla’s Mediterranean-style building, imagining you’re dining on a street in Madrid. 2500 Ponce de Leon Blvd.

One of the loveliest street cafés is The Garden at Zucca, inspired by a similar setting in New York City. Rather than just expand into the street, flooring was extended at sidewalk level, wrapped by a low wooden wall and an overhead tin roof, all decorated with (albeit artificial) vines and white roses. Add dangling lights for nighttime, and you have a magical setting. 162 Alcazar Ave.

Zucca

Street Seats (cont’d)

Fiola

Befitting its station as one of the most elegant restaurants in the city, the street seats for Fiola are protected by sumptuous white tents that shelter diners from wind, rain, and passing cars. With Astroturf underfoot, paper lanterns overhead, and potted palms by your side, you’ll forget you’re eating over parking spaces. The tents also contain air conditioning, fans, and outdoor heaters that set a romantic mood with their flames. 1500 San Ignacio Ave.

Punto Criollo

The next-door neighbor of Chocolate Fashion on Andalusia Ave, Punto Criollo made the most of the small space they had to work with. The addition of Astroturf under the tables, and wooden walls that double as planters for vibrant red flowers, create an adorable space for breakfast or lunch, Venezuelan style. 262 Andalusia Ave.

Chocolate Fashion

Chocolate Fashion already had a couple of tables along their storefront, so outdoor expansion was a natural. Shielded from traffic by large potted plants and generously shaded by umbrellas, diners can enjoy a morning cappuccino or a lunchtime Croque Madame along the side of the street in this appropriately French café – but with the perks of Miami weather. 248 Andalusia Ave.

At the Opera

WHERE THE MUSIC IS IN THE FOOD

One would think that Coral Gables has enough in the way of Italian restaurants, with places like Zucca, Abbracci, Porto Sole, Bugatti, Fontana, Fratellino, Salumeria 104, Villagio, and Caffe Vialetto’s. And yet, the brave souls at Opera (130 Miracle Mile) have entered the fray – and we must say, with a fine complement of dishes.

Chef-owner Roberto Consiglio hails from the tiny town of Termoli on the Adriatic coast of Italy (where he owns a trattoria in the old town), so he grew up with seafood in his DNA. That background shows up in plates of his yellowfin tuna tartare, his Spanish wild octopus salad, and his vongole, which adds a cauliflower cream sauce to pasta with clams.

Yes, Chef Consiglio, along with partner-chef Gianluca Canna, makes a point of offering an array of dishes that include veal ossobuco, 10 varieties of pizza, fresh “al dente” pastas and starters, including a wickedly delicious plate of truffle oil-laced prosciutto with baby artichokes ($16). But for us, the trip was worth it just for the branzino, baked with fresh tomatoes, taggiasche olives, and fresh basil. At $30, it was as good as fish gets, fresh, tender, and full of flavor. “The essence [of our food] is the quality of the ingredients – and the attitude,” says Consiglio –an attitude conveyed with the charmingly rustic furniture and unpretentious setting, including a wall-sized image of his hometown. ■

CHEF-OWNER ROBERTO CONSIGLIO OF OPERA BRANZINO, BAKED WITH FRESH TOMATOES

•

•

Down and Out in Coral Gables

The Tale of a Coral Gables Attorney Turned Bank Robber

BY MIKE CLARY

The Coral Gables bank robber usually struck in the late afternoon. He brandished demand notes – “Empty all of your $50s and $100s and put it in an envelope” – and never showed a weapon. Still, tellers in the downtown business district were terrorized.

Detective Sgt. Ted Nguyen thought he knew how to catch him. Noting that the bandit struck in the Gables every five days, Sgt. Nguyen set up a perimeter of officers around Alhambra Circle near Salzedo Street. The robber had already held up tellers at two bank branches on Alhambra, that of Chase and Citibank, so the detective thought this was a good area to watch for the man they’d seen on bank surveillance videos: tall, blue-eyed, with dark shorts and black sneakers that had distinctive white soles. It was

a Tuesday afternoon and they waited.

At about 3:30 p.m., Nguyen was patrolling the area in an unmarked car on Alhambra Circle when he spotted a man in the crosswalk at Salzedo Street. He pulled over and watched. The man fit the description to a T. His actions were “furtive,” the detective said, with the suspect standing on the corner and looking around. When he ducked into an alleyway off Salzedo, Nguyen radioed Det. Jimmy McKee, who was positioned at the end of the alley. “He’s going to walk right into you,” Nguyen told McKee.

The suspect turned into a parking garage, but McKee was on his tail. Within minutes McKee and Nguyen had the man cuffed and in custody. He offered no resistance. He was, said Nguyen, “very polite.”

THE WOULD-BE BANK ROBBER PASSING A NOTE TO THE TELLER

The identity of the man nabbed by police that day in 2020 could hardly have been more shocking. His name was Aaron Patrick Honaker. He was a 41-year-old attorney, a well-respected corporate litigator who had once worked for powerhouse Greenberg Traurig and the Coral Gables firm of Martinez Morales.

But Honaker’s life had been in freefall. No longer pulling down $170,000 a year to handle complex bankruptcy and merger cases, he was sleeping in the stairwell of a parking garage, foraging in dumpsters for food, and in the grips of an addiction to cocaine, according to his attorney Paul Petruzzi.

He needed money. And banks, as stick-up man Willie Sutton famously said, were where the money was.

Honaker’s first stop was Citibank at 396 Alhambra Circle. On Sept. 30, 2020, a tall, athletic-looking man wearing a black shirt, shorts, and tennis shoes walked in and sat down in the lobby. After about 15 minutes, the man approached a female teller and handed her a note that read “don’t touch the alarm or call police.” He demanded $10,000, the teller told the FBI. When she said the money was “in the machine” and that she had no access, Honaker took his note, turned and walked out, never saying a word.

As his attorney would later tell a federal judge, Honaker was “a lousy bank robber.” In five attempts – four at Coral Gables banks –he was successful only twice. Total take: $1,850.

GOING TO WALK RIGHT INTO YOU...”

DETECTIVE SGT. TED NGUYEN IN THE ALLEYWAY OFF SALZEDO STREET. THE ALERT POLICE OFFICER SPOTTED THE SUSPECT ACTING “FURTIVE” AND LAID A TRAP TO CATCH HIM BY RADIOING DETECTIVE JIMMY MCKEE WHO WAS AT THE END OF THE ALLEYWAY.

THE FALL FROM GRACE

The story of a young, high-flying corporate lawyer turned inept serial bank robber made international news. How could an honors graduate of a prestigious law school, a man who just eight years earlier had been named a Rising Star by the Super Lawyers rating service, fall so fast, so far?

Not long before he began robbing banks, Honaker’s client list included Merrill Lynch, Bell Canada, Florida Gaming Centers, Inc., and Casino Miami Jai-Alai. He was a man of means, he had connections, he had the advantages of education, profession and resources. What happened?

“This case is certainly unique,” says Petruzzi, who found his client to be “incredibly bright, very personable, humble, generally a nice guy.” But troubled. “Whenever you see a lawyer charged, it usually involves some type of fraud,” said Petruzzi. “But this – walking into a bank – said to me, this young man must have had some mental health issues he had been going through.”

These days, robbing banks no longer carries a cachet of glamor or derring-do. The outlaw profession that once turned some of its flashy practitioners into folk heroes is deep in history’s dust. Forget Bonnie and Clyde. John Dillinger? No way. According to the FBI, bank robbery is fading in popularity. Bank hold-ups today are crimes

“HE’S

of the desperate and hopeless, often committed by those with drug problems or mental illness.

“Nobody in their right mind goes into a bank to rob it,” says Shon Hopwood, whose career path resembles Honaker’s in reverse. Hopwood served nearly 11 years in prison for armed bank robbery and then became an attorney. “You have to shut down rational thought to do it,” says Hopwood, now a law professor at Georgetown University.

In some cases, holding up a bank can be a cry for help. That’s what Petruzzi, Honaker’s lawyer, suggested when he asked the court, “So was he robbing these banks to get money, or was he robbing these banks to get help?”

FROM EDUCATION TO DOWNWARD SPIRAL

Honaker’s road from Super Lawyer to super busted was a decade-long journey. Born in Virginia, Honaker was the elder of twin boys raised in rural Tennessee. Aaron was “the leader,” his mother, Patricia Honaker, wrote in a letter to the judge, someone who “always wanted to be the best that he could be in school and in sports.”

Patricia Honaker, a retired teacher, taught her twins Aaron and Joshua in second grade, she told Coral Gables Magazine. “They called me mom in class,” she said. Aaron loved baseball. He played Little League and for two years in high school, she said. Dennis Honaker, the twins’ father, worked for a telephone company and was active in his local Church of Christ. In court, Petruzzi described Dennis Honaker as a strict disciplinarian.

Aaron Honaker graduated in 2001 from East Tennessee State University, summa cum laude, with a degree in finance. He went on to Wake Forest University law school, graduating in 2006 at the top of his class.

One of Honaker’s first jobs out of law school was with the Jacksonville firm of Stutsman Thames & Markey (now Thames Markey). From there he went to Miami-based Greenberg Traurig, one of the largest and most prestigious U.S. firms, where he worked from 2008 to 2011, handling a series of high-profile cases.

In 2012, Honaker joined other Greenberg Traurig alums in a new firm, Salazar Jackson. Partner Linda Jackson says that Honaker was “a good lawyer, polished, well-dressed, smart. I enjoyed working with him.”

Yet before long, Honaker began to mystify his colleagues by frequently asking to borrow money, spinning heartbreaking family stories and telling outright lies, according to Jackson. After being caught in one whopper, the firm fired him.

By 2013, Honaker had grown “miserable” practicing law, he told authorities and, in the words of Petruzzi, “hit a brick wall.” Now twice divorced, he spent parts of 2014 and 2015 at home in Tennessee. There he was accused of taking “over $10,000 from his father’s church by stealing his father’s checkbook…,” according to Lauren Astigarraga, the prosecutor.

In 2017 Honaker sought counseling and was prescribed medication, his lawyer said, “but obviously it wasn’t good enough to stop that downward spiral.” He landed a job at Martinez Morales in the Gables, but eventually just stopped showing up for work, the firm said.

By 2019 Honaker began to travel the world, with “trips to Colombia, trips to Panama, trips to foreign countries, where he was able to obtain drugs on the cheap and he was able to engage in philandering,” Petruzzi told the court.

When the Covid pandemic took hold, Honaker was in Colombia, living with a woman he intended to marry. He was there from January 2020 until he returned to the U.S. in September of

“HONAKER WAS HERE FOR LESS THAN TWO WEEKS BEFORE HE STARTED COMMITTING CRIMES...”

LAUREN ASTIGARRAGA, THE PROSECUTOR, REFERRING TO HONAKER ARRIVING BACK IN CORAL GABLES FROM COLOMBIA. IN THE VIDEO ABOVE, HONAKER WAS LIVING WITH HIS COLOMBIAN FIANCE IN 2019.

that year, prosecutors said. Back in Miami, Honaker was a man without resources, deep in debt, and without a home. He had been evicted from his South Miami Avenue condo, his possessions sold or discarded, Petruzzi said.

Honaker “was here for less than two weeks before he started committing crimes,” said Astigarraga. As Honaker told the FBI, he read a book on how to rob a bank. One tip: tuck a hammer into your waistband, “because the bank robber in that book said you could use it to break glass mantraps,” Astigarraga told the judge. (Mantraps are defined as interlocking doors at secure locations that open one at a time, causing the user to be temporarily “trapped” inside.)

The hammer was apparently never used. But when Honaker was arrested, it was in his possession, along with “a green pocket notebook, instructions on how to commit bank robberies, and folded-up demand notes similar in description to the notes that were used in other robberies,” Astigarraga said in court.

In the garage where he was arrested, Gables police recovered a backpack containing toiletries, a cell phone charger, one change of clothes, and his passport. At the police station he confessed to five robbery attempts, adding that he was on his way to a sixth, at the TD Bank at 255 Alhambra Circle.

At the time of his arrest, Honaker asked the FBI not to notify his parents. But Patricia and Dennis Honaker quickly learned the news when someone sent them a surveillance video of their son inside a bank he was trying to rob. “His daddy and I couldn’t speak when we first learned about it,” Patricia Honaker said. “When I saw the pictures, I just lost it. I don’t know what got into him. He felt there was no way out.”

For 17 months Honaker was locked up in the Federal Detention Center in downtown Miami. There, through the tiny windows of the high-rise prison, he could look outside to the world he’d lost. He could see the 42-story condo where he once lived, as well as the courthouse where he once practiced. But he didn’t like to look out the windows, spending his time instead as a lawyer – not a jailhouse lawyer, but a real, albeit disbarred, lawyer – helping fellow inmates. “Aaron is kind-hearted, respectful, extremely smart,” one inmate wrote in a letter to the judge. Prison, he said, “is a place for people like me, not someone like him.”

During his incarceration in Miami, we spoke to Honaker once by phone and exchanged two emails with him. He said he had family support. “I talk to my mother by phone every day,” he said. He seemed willing to tell his story. But Covid-19 restrictions and a system-wide lockdown of all federal prisons interrupted communications. In February he was moved from Miami to a series of other prisons outside the federal system, pending his final assignment.

Honaker, who just turned 43, surrendered his law license, but thanks to a decision from the Florida Supreme Court, he could reapply to the state bar if, after five years, he can show rehabilitation. “I don’t know if he’s going to do that,” said Brian Tannebaum, who represented Honaker in giving up his law license. “It is a strenuous thing to do right out of law school, you know, but being a bank robber, being a convicted felon, having your rights restored, and then going before the bar again is ten times as hard. But he has that opportunity.”

PAYING THE PRICE

In August 2020, Honaker, held in the Miami lockup and appearing via teleconference, pleaded guilty to two charges of bank robbery and three charges of attempted bank robbery. “Do you understand, sir,” U.S. District Judge Marcia G. Cooke asked him, “that by pleading guilty to the counts I have just described, that you face up to 20 years in prison followed by a term of supervised release?”

“Yes, your honor,” replied the defendant.

On December 1, the former lawyer, dressed in khaki scrubs and wearing a Covid-19 mask, faced Judge Cooke in person in the Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. U.S. Courthouse, to learn his fate. Astigarraga argued for the maximum penalty allowable under the guidelines, a sentence of five years. Honaker “had every access to every privilege that life has to offer, and, yet, nonetheless, he chose to commit this particular offense,” she said. The prosecutor urged the judge to “send a message in terms of how this court will treat these kinds of defendants, defendants who did have a leg up on everyone else.”

Judge Cooke asked Honaker if he wanted to speak. Sobbing, he offered a string of apologies to his former colleagues, his mother, and his ex-fiancée. “I lost so many people because of my lies and stupidity,” he said. He also apologized to the five tellers he’d admittedly terrorized with his demands for money. “While it was never my intention to inflict so much as a modicum of harm, I failed to consider the emotional and psychological toll that would result from my selfish crimes,” Honaker said.

POLICE MUGSHOT OF HONAKER IN CUSTODY

“I LOST SO MANY PEOPLE BECAUSE OF MY LIES AND STUPIDITY. WHILE IT WAS NEVER MY INTENTION TO INFLICT SO MUCH AS A MODICUM OF HARM, I FAILED TO CONSIDER THE EMOTIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL TOLL THAT WOULD RESULT FROM MY SELFISH CRIMES”

AARON PATRICK HONAKER SPEAKING BEFORE JUDGE COOK AT HIS TRIAL

Rejecting the government’s argument for a maximum penalty, Cooke sentenced Honaker to 40 months in prison, ordering him to repay the money he stole, remain on supervised release for four years, and perform 125 hours of community service.

Patricia Honaker said her son is slated to serve his time at a minimum-security facility in Yazoo City, Mississippi. Given the time he has been locked up, and with continued good behavior behind bars, Honaker could be freed well before his scheduled August 2024 release date.

“I realize that he has made a enormous mistake,” Honaker’s mother wrote to the judge. “He understands this as well and he is willing to pay society for his actions. Aaron has a kind heart and I pray that when his sentence is over, he can return to a happy and productive life.”

Patricia Honaker said she sent her son a copy of “Law Man,” bank robber-turned-lawyer Shon Hopwood’s memoir of redemption. “He turned his life around,” she said. “It can be done.” ■

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BUSINESS QUARTERLY

The Future of Banking. Today. Page

60

Think Small

Small businesses have always been “the little engine that could” in the American economy – innovative, risk-taking, nimble, and fearless. They get knocked down again and again and get right back up every time. They are resilient beyond compare and are the OG pivoters of the business community long before COVID-19 took hold.

There are an estimated 33 million small businesses in the U.S., many of which have struggled mightily over the past two years. But they are the new job creators – nearly two out of every three. As of press time, we have replaced some 19 million jobs, nearly 86 percent of those lost due to the pandemic. Small businesses often punch above their weight and even with the ongoing challenges of The Great Resignation, their determination is unparalleled.

Our Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce has depended heavily on small businesses since we opened our doors nearly 97 years ago. This dependency transcends membership dues and financial investment. It has everything to do with faith and trust in the collaborative approach and our ability to solve problems, create meaningful connections, and bring people together in a way that is both relevant and rewarding.

This quarterly business report focuses primarily on banks – especially community banks. These local heroes helped save thousands of businesses in South Florida by lending millions of dollars made accessible through programs like PPP, EIDL and Mainstreet Lending. When the pandemic arrived full force in mid-March 2020, the hopes for a new and prosperous decade was quickly dashed. But by the first week in April,

when most everyone was hunkered down at home, self-isolating and working remotely, these financial guardian angels were designing online portals for local businesses and their clients to access vital funding to keep the doors open, the lights on, and employees on the job.

We witnessed this firsthand, even taking advantage of the Paycheck Protection Program ourselves. I remember a Saturday Zoom call with Sen. Marco Rubio (he was sitting on a beanbag in the Florida Room of his West Miami home, where the best WiFi signal could be found), when I begged him to amend the PPP bill to include Chambers of Commerce (when the legislation was crafted, none were initially eligible). True to his word, by the third round of the funding, truly essential 501(c)6 organizations were included, and we were able to keep all our employees on the payroll.

Meanwhile, we continued to communicate and advocate for our businesses, creating a Small Business Summit. Presented by Ser & Associates, it was a way to convene our job creators for a half-day conversation on myriad relevant topics. We plan to do this again next month, only on a larger scale, as our Chamber celebrates National Small Business Week on Friday, May 6th.  Accessible to businesses of all shapes and sizes, focused on fostering growth, we hope you will join us for an amazing morning of speakers, industry experts, and local voices with topics designed to speak to you. At noon, we will honor all that sparkles about SME’s as we host our annual Diamond Awards, presented by South State Bank. It is going to be a great day that celebrates all things small businesses. See you on May 6th! ■

Mark A. Trowbridge is the President and CEO of the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce

WHEN IS BEING SMALL A BIG DEAL? WHEN IT COMES TO BUSINESS

“OUR CORAL GABLES CHAMBER OF COMMERCE HAS DEPENDED HEAVILY ON SMALL BUSINESSES SINCE WE OPENED OUR DOORS NEARLY 97 YEARS AGO. THIS DEPENDENCY TRANSCENDS MEMBERSHIP DUES AND FINANCIAL INVESTMENT...”

Drew Kern Closes a Sale EVERY 4 DAYS

The Miami real estate market remains fast paced and competitive. Now, more than ever, it's important for sellers to hire a knowledgeable and experienced real estate agent to negotiate the best possible deal for their home.

Business Briefs

SMALL BUSINESS INSIGHTS, BAPTIST AND CG TRUST UNITE, A BITCOIN CHAUFFEUR

and Stellar to be added later this year. As an autonomous system for payments, cryptocurrencies are well suited to accommodate a chauffeur service whose clientele includes international business executives and celebrities. Currently, drvn supports two ways to validate Bitcoin payments: Bitcoin Network, the primary Bitcoin blockchain for validation and processing, and Lightning Network, which enables instant, low-cost Bitcoin transactions. “Our next step will be to port all of our ride transactions onto a blockchain distributed ledger, using Ethereum as a ‘smart contract.’” Ride on.

HEALTH AND WEALTH

Most demographic studies reveal a distinct relationship between health and wealth. Those with more financial resources typically have access to better health options. Raising that relationship to a new level, the Coral Gables Trust Company and Baptist Health recently celebrated the launch of a new health and wealth series designed to appeal to business leaders with a shared interest in topics related to both wealth management and healthcare.

The inaugural event, held at the Gables Club Il Ristorante, was hosted by Jim Davidson, CEO and founder of Coral Gables Trust and Joe Natoli, Executive VP of Baptist Health South Florida. Speakers included Dr. Michael Zinner, CEO and medical director of the Miami Cancer Institute, which is part of Baptist Health. He spoke about the accomplishments of the esteemed institute. He was followed by Steve Chivavarone, equity strategist for Federated Hermes and a regular contributor to CNBC. He discussed the economy, with the caveat: “Three things that should never be true at the same time – inflation at 7.5%, rates at 0% and The Fed buying bonds – all of which are happening now.” Fortunately, doctors were present for any business executives who may have grabbed their chests at that comment.

SIGN OF THE TIMES

Drvn, a Coral Gables-based professional chauffeur service that offers VIP services for clients worldwide, has announced it will accept cryptocurrency as payment from customers, as well as offering cryptocurrency as a payment option for suppliers. “We have had our eye on using cryptocurrency and blockchain technologies for both payments and our core platform for a long time,” said Mario Medina, CEO of drvn. “The time has finally arrived.”

Drvn’s chauffeur network will accept payment via Bitcoin with other cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum, Litecoin, Ripple, Hedera

THE RETURN OF THE SMALL BIZ SUMMIT

Like any metropolis, most businesses in the Gables are small – and the backbone of the local economy. It’s no wonder then that the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce, with the sponsorship of small-business specialty law firm Ser & Associates, is holding their second annual Small Business Summit next month (Friday, May 6) to help educate and motivate these economic drivers. Last year, even during deep Covid days, the event attracted 60 attendees in person; this year’s summit, held at the Gables Art Cinema, is expected to sell out its 150 seats.

“We had some fantastic speakers [last year] who really spoke to the small business owner,” says Lillian Ser of Ser & Associates. “And that is the intent of the program, to get [them] to think about what they should be doing, and what’s happening in the industry.” Among the slate of national-level speakers will be Dr. Tony Villamil, head of the Washington Economic Group, with his take on the pulse of the economy.

Chamber CEO and president Mark Trowbridge, who says the majority of the 8,000 businesses operating in the Gables have 10 employees or less, calls the chamber “an enduring champion for small businesses.” Says Ser, “I am a small business and I love working with them… What I love is the passion, the get-up-and-go, the nothing-is-going-to-stop-me-now attitude.” Call the Chamber at 305.446.1657 for tickets. ■

HOST JIM DAVIDSON, (LEFT) WITH CHIAVARONE AND MASON WILLIAMS (CGT)

AT THE SUMMIT: DR. TONY VILLAMIL OF WASHINGTON ECONOMIC GROUP

“LIKE OTHER INDUSTRIES, BANKING NOW HAS INCREASED COMPETITION AND DISRUPTORS. HOW CAN YOUR BRAND STAND OUT AMID ALL THE NOISE”

CHRISTINE ESTEVE, CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER AT AMERANT, CORAL GABLES

The Future of

Banking. Today.

FIVE KEY TRENDS IN CORAL GABLES

BY DOREEN HEMLOCK

Think about bank leaders in Coral Gables, and you may not quickly picture digital marketing expert Christine Esteve. The Gables High grad studied advertising and worked 28 years with Carnival Cruise Lines. Now, she’s Chief Marketing Officer at Amerant, the biggest bank headquartered in the city. Her focus: building brand awareness and putting the customer first, a skill she mastered in hospitality.

Esteve represents the changing face of local banking. Banks nowadays are becoming more digital and bigger, requiring more specialized staff. What’s more, with costs for technology and compliance soaring, they’re looking to grow further in order to spread rising costs over a wider base. Some are expanding north, especially into the Orlando, Tampa, and Jacksonville areas. Others are adding new business lines to attract specific groups of customers, such as law firms or even buyers of luxury yachts.

There’s plenty of cash for the

banks to pursue and lend. Thousands of newcomers have moved to South Florida since Covid began, and in Coral Gables it’s often wealthy entrepreneurs or finance executives relocating from high-tax states and bringing millions of dollars with them to deposit and invest. Plus, capital keeps streaming out of Latin America, including from Brazil, where worries abound over upcoming elections.

The changes mean a plethora of new positions at banks that professionals in varied fields might not have considered – jobs in information technology, social media, digital financial services and strategies, for instance. Esteve herself had not expected to enter banking, but found a strong fit for her skills.

“Like other industries, banking now has increased competition and disruptors. How can your brand stand out amid all the noise?” asks Esteve. “Having a Chief Marketing Officer at the table who’s really being the voice of the customer, from research and insights we know, has become key.”

GOING DIGITAL

Covid sped up the shift toward online business, so one big question for bankers today is how best to increase digital tools at both branches and online, enhancing “bricks and clicks.” Their options depend partly on bank size and customer base.

At Palmetto Bay-based Sunstate Bank (assets: around $500 million), a three-branch bank with a Coral Gables office, CEO Lloyd DeVaux is outsourcing most technology needs. “We don’t have IT in-house, because it’s very complex and specialized,” says DeVaux. “With a national firm, we can bring in a specialist for every area, and we’re more protected against cybercrime.”

Sunstate is now partnering on a digital platform that links with a large U.S. brokerage, so customers can easily buy and sell U.S. stocks and bonds and transfer cash in and out of their bank accounts. It’s rolling out the new feature first in the United States and Brazil, then to other nations for its diverse clientele.

Still, even outsourcing creates specialty jobs at banks. SunState now is hiring a chief of digital financial services to work with external providers and head up new initiatives, says DeVaux.

At fast-growing Professional Bank (assets: near $3 billion), CEO Abel Iglesias instead leans toward in-house options. A group of South Floridians formed Gables-based Professional in 2008 to serve local businesses, prioritizing service and relationships. Iglesias helped launch the bank’s Digital Innovation Center in 2018, including experts hired on staff in Ohio. The Center recently debuted software that lets customers open a personal checking account on their mobile phone in as little as three minutes. At the same time, those customers can opt to connect with their personal banker, easing communications.

“We don’t want to use technology to replace person-to-person contact, but instead enhance it,” said Professional’s Chief Information Officer Ryan Gorney at the software launch in October.

Meanwhile, under new CEO Jerry Plush, veteran Amerant (assets: $7 billion-plus) is busy partnering with financial tech ventures to meet specific needs. Last spring, Amerant teamed with fintech firm

Numerated to offer a platform that can pre-fill borrower information on applications for small business loans, helping shorten the lending process. Last fall, it added a Q2 ClickSwitch platform to help customers easily move direct deposits and automatic payments from one bank account to another – to name just two new offerings.

HEADING NORTH

To bulk up and better compete, some local banks are heading north in Florida, creating jobs elsewhere in the state.

City National Bank of Florida, the Miami-based powerhouse that runs its executive offices from Coral Gables (assets: near $22 billion), is among the most aggressive. City National leased a large Central Florida headquarters in a downtown Orlando tower in 2020. And last year, it formed an Orlando

“WE DON’T HAVE IT IN-HOUSE, BECAUSE IT’S VERY COMPLEX AND SPECIALIZED. WITH A NATIONAL FIRM, WE CAN BRING IN A SPECIALIST FOR EVERY AREA, AND WE’RE MORE PROTECTED AGAINST CYBERCRIME.”

LLOYD DEVAUX, ABOVE, CEO OF SUNSTATE BANK IN CORAL GABLES

Here’s a look at five key trends in banking in South Florida and some of the people making them happen.

“WE HAVE A PHILOSOPHY TO FOLLOW OUR CLIENTS. AS THEY EXPAND, WE FOLLOW THEM INTO OTHER COUNTIES. I’M A JEALOUS GUY, THEY DON’T NEED TO FIND ANOTHER BANK.”

LUIS DE LA AGUILERA, CEO U.S. CENTURY BANK

advisory committee of business and community leaders to help deepen ties there.

Professional Bank just opened loan production offices in the St. Petersburg/Tampa and Jacksonville areas, initially employing eight people there. The appeal: opportunities in tech and other booming industries, as the Sunshine State as a whole attracts new residents and investments. A 2020 report by Lending Tree ranked greater Tampa No. 3 nationwide for small business, surpassing all other areas in Florida.

Doral-based U.S. Century Bank (assets: near $2 billion) is expanding closer to home. It’s announced a loan production office for north Broward and Palm Beach counties, growing beyond its south Broward branch in Hollywood. “We have a philosophy to follow our clients. As they expand, we follow them into other counties,” says CEO Luis de la Aguilera, pointing to business loans to clients for projects in Orlando and Jacksonville. “I’m a jealous guy,” he jokes. “They don’t need to find another bank.”

ADDING NEW BUSINESS LINES

Flush with liquidity, banks are looking to boost their lending activity. De Aguilera knows it’s vital to diversify loan portfolios. The former CEO of Miami’s TotalBank, he took the helm of smaller, younger U.S. Century in 2015 when TotalBank was changing hands. He’s since turned around U.S. Century’s finances, paving the way for its initial stock sale on the Nasdaq exchange last July that raised $40 million.

When de la Aguilera came on, U.S. Century had loans concentrated in commercial real-estate, a sector that struggled with the Great Recession. Now, the bank looks more broadly to owner-operated businesses. Its new Gables office at 396 Alhambra Circle serves numerous law firms and other professional service companies.

U.S. Century has been adding lending specialties, hiring experts for each, including U.S. Small Business Administration loans. Its latest addition: luxury yachts. “There really isn’t any other local community bank that has thrown their hat in the ring on marine financing, especially for high-end yachts,” says de la Aguilera. He’s keen to help qualified yacht borrowers, because buyers of multi-million-dollar pleasure craft often upgrade to newer or larger vessels, while paying off their initial boat loan within a few years. Plus, courting wealthy, local yacht buyers can build relationships for other banking activities.

“With these new business lines, you

really need to talk to an expert who knows what they’re doing,” says de la Aguilera. As bank size and competition grow, “this is not the time to be a lending generalist.”

STRENGTHENING SERVICES IN WEALTH MANAGEMENT

Perhaps the biggest specialty push statewide is in wealth-management, and that’s where Lisa Simington comes in. She heads up Florida operations for PNC Private Bank, the wealth management arm of Pittsburgh-based PNC Bank. PNC last year bought BBVA USA to become the country’s seventh largest bank (assets: now topping $460 billion.)

Simington is building local wealthmanagement teams at select PNC offices, including the bank’s ample Plaza Coral Gables suite that debuted last year. The teams include certified financial planners, investment advisors and other specialists that help families invest for retirement, future generations, and other purposes.

One way she’s reaching out: Offer-

ing webinars that spell out procedures to establish Florida residency, including the number of days spent in the Sunshine State and away from the state where the potential client lived. Folks can’t claim Florida domicile for tax purposes and spend most of their time in California, for example. Officials in high-tax states often check that rules are followed to safeguard their state revenue.

“We advise folks that claiming Florida as their legal residence is not only about having a physical address. It’s also about identifying new service providers such as

“CLAIMING FLORIDA AS THEIR LEGAL RESIDENCE IS NOT ONLY ABOUT HAVING A PHYSICAL ADDRESS. IT’S ALSO ABOUT IDENTIFYING NEW SERVICE PROVIDERS”

LISA SIMINGTON, ABOVE, FLORIDA OPERATIONS FOR PNC PRIVATE BANK

EXPANDING SERVICES: PNC OPENS A NEW BRANCH ACROSS FROM THE PLAZA IN CORAL GABLES.

CGTC is the largest independent and privately-owned trust company headquartered in South Florida, with over $2 billion of AUM and growing.

If you have been dissatisfied with lack of attention and poor service levels from your current financial advisor, CGTC professionals are available 24/7. Especially during the last two difficult years, we have proactively and regularly contacted each of our clients to offer our assistance. Word has gotten around, and we have welcomed more new clients than ever.

At CGTC, each client is a VIP, regardless of account size or who you are. And you will have the peace of mind knowing that your advisors are totally aligned with your best interests, and not with a committee in some distant HQ to the north!

At Coral Gables Trust Company, It's all about you!

dentists, doctors, pet care, and financial advisors in our state,” says Simington. She’s based in Tampa but often visits PNC’s South Florida offices, including the bank’s first Gables retail branch which just opened at 2730 Ponce de Leon Boulevard.

Coral Gables was an easy choice to host a PNC Private specialty team, Simington says. Many wealth-management firms have clustered in the city in recent years, even moving from downtown Miami. Income numbers show why. The U.S. Census Bureau puts the median household income in Coral Gables at $100,843, nearly double the $55,660 median for Florida, for 2015-2019.

Little wonder Miami-Dade’s longest running bank, Grove Bank and Trust (assets: roughly $1 billon), is now focusing more on wealth-management and trusts these days in its operations, which feature a Gables office. The nearly century-old bank works not only with families but also with foundations and endowments, according to CEO Sheldon Anderson.

FOCUSING ON MARKETING AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Amid the tough competition, banks are turning up marketing and community outreach to build brand awareness and customer

loyalty. That’s how Amerant lured Carnival Cruise veteran Christine Esteve last year. Amerant used to be privately-held by a Venezuelan financial group and called Mercantil Bank. It changed its name and began trading its stock on Wall Street in 2018. Esteve feels right at home at the bank, where many employees and clients are Venezuelan. She used to live in Caracas and in Houston, where Amerant also operates.

Esteve is hot on digital communications to maximize her marketing budget. This year, she launched 30- and 60-second video spots on streaming channels Hulu and YouTube, targeting select zip codes near Amerant offices. She’s also courting drivers near Miami-area branches. Esteve arranged for bright, orange Amerant billboards on major highways – I95, 595, Palmetto, US1, among them – with messages featuring the word “Imagine.” The messages break with the sometimes stodgy image of banking. “The idea is to help our customers live life beyond what they imagine,” even to imagine a bank that knows your name, says Esteves.

City National, meanwhile, is expanding outreach partly through sports. It just a signed a multi-year deal to sponsor a Major League Soccer team, Inter Miami CF. “We look forward to advancing the love of futbol to

AMERANT BILLBOARDS IN THE MIAMI AREA FEATURE THE WORD “IMAGINE”... “THE IDEA IS TO HELP OUR CUSTOMERS LIVE LIFE BEYOND WHAT THEY IMAGINE,” SAYS CHRISTINE ESTEVE

the communities we serve,” said CEO Jorge Gonzalez in announcing the partnership.

Still, there are headwinds in banking. It’s tough for local banks to vie against giant national chains. Bank of America and Wells Fargo alone hold about one-third of deposits in Florida, reports show. The state’s robust economy is grappling this year with increases in energy prices and U.S. interest rates. And there’s a chance that fintechs might one day move beyond software offerings and become banks themselves.

“Fintechs come out of Silicon Valley with billions of dollars in financing,” says banking analyst Ken Thomas of Miami, who lectured for decades at the Wharton School in Pennsylvania. “They can buy a bank or apply for their own bank charter.”

Undoubtedly, technology will be crucial to banking success, as cash becomes less commonplace. Says Sunstate’s DeVaux: “It’s feasible, in the not-so-distant future, there’s no paper currency.” That’s sure to create jobs for new specialists at banks, jobs we may not be able to imagine in 2022. ■

As a community-focused bank with international reach, we are proud to have a complete mortgage program for foreign customers who are interested in purchasing a primary or secondary home - including residential investment properties - right here in the U.S. We also offer customizable commercial real estate loan solutions for domestic and non-resident clients.

Not sure where to start? Our experts have extensive experience guiding clients through the complicated, and often tedious, credit approval process. Let us help handle loan closing and work to establish accounts for you to facilitate loan payments, association fees, and other expenses.

For more information, call or visit any one of our offices.

Dafnis Prieto Brian Lynch

What’s Hot for the Kitchen

BY MALLORY EVANS JACOBSON

This month, we’re focusing on beautifully designed kitchens. While you may be craving a total revamp of your culinary space, you may be able to elevate it by swapping out some old appliances. Featured here are six innovative options that have the power to transform your day-to-day routine.

NO MORE DIRTY DISHES

Made to blend in with your cabinetry, GE CAFÉ’s new Dishwasher Drawer collection allows users the ability to run half a load of dishes or both drawers at once, using different temperatures and settings. The system is available in stainless steel as well as matte black and matte white, and its installation may result in the enjoyment of doing the dishes. Or maybe not. Retail: from $1,299. Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery, 4199 Ponce de Leon Blvd., 305-507-6221, ferguson.com.

COLOR CODE

Celebrated for offering high-end, customizable appliances for the home, Bluestar recently introduced a line of integrated column refrigerators and freezers featuring glass interiors and stainless steel. With over 1,000 hues to choose from, and a wide variety of configurations that blend seamlessly in any kitchen design, this product would clearly take your space to the next level. Retail price upon request. House of Appliances, 2850 Salzedo St., 305-514-0352, houseofappliancesinc.com.

WASH UP

If you’re looking for a new sink, this recently released option from Elkay should totally be a contender. Made from 99% natural or recycled material, the Sustainable Quartz sink (shown here in the Arctic Fox colorway) is also extremely durable. Retail price upon request. Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery, 4199 Ponce de Leon Blvd., 305-507-6221, ferguson.com.

FULL STEAM AHEAD

The largest product introduction in the history of the German-founded brand, Miele’s Generation 7000 cooking appliances provides customers with four new elegant design lines that are equipped with smart assists created to help achieve culinary excellence at home. Such assists include TasteControl, designed to prevent food from overcooking, and FoodView, which allows users to monitor oven contents via the Miele mobile app. Retail: from $1,499. Miele Experience Center Coral Gables, 4218 Ponce de Leon Blvd., 786-673-0280, mieleusa.com.

TOP TOASTER

Once in a while, we come across a product that makes us wonder how we ever functioned without it. Enter: The Revolution InstaGLO R180 Toaster, an innovative appliance that utilizes smart temperature sensors to offer 63 precise settings to toast a variety of foods. From bagels fresh or frozen, to waffles and pastries, your favorite treats will be perfectly crispy every single time. We also adore the new warming rack, which helps guarantee that your creation stays just as hot as you want it to be. Retail: from $349.95. Williams Sonoma, 350 San Lorenzo Ave. #2005, 305-446-9421, williams-sonoma.com.

Removal or Renewal?

An increasing number of patients request their implants removed. Though happy with them earlier, they no longer desire them for various reasons: “just over it”, “at a different stage in my life”, “want to be all natural again”, “they make me look heavy”, “don’t want to have to renew them again”, or “never liked them much”, “don’t look nice anymore”, “my implants keep getting encapsulated”. Some became worried about having something foreign in their body. Whatever the reason, if implants no longer enhance your life, it’s time to consider removing them.

Implant removal typically entails a breast lift for skin tightening, reshaping and lifting, with additional scars; so pros and cons need to be considered individually. If your initial implants were anatomically appropriate for your body, this is usually straight forward. If, however, your implants were overly large, then the change in appearance could be significant. Either way, patients who desire implant removal tend to be happy with their decision, even relieved and “feeling younger again”.

Certainly not everyone wishes their implants removed altogether. Yet all implants age and should be renewed after 10-15 years. If breast shape suffered following babies and breast feeding, a rejuvenating breast lift may be indicated at the same time also - not an uncommon scenario.

If breast shape and size is still pleasing, then a similar size implant exchange for renewal is by far the simplest option, with minimal downtime.

Some, however, desire “to go smaller”. They were happy with their previous size, though some always felt “too big”, but now, years later, are bothered by it. But a noticeable size reduction typically will require tightening of the outside skin with a breast lift, similar to the implant removal.

Overall, secondary breast surgery for renewal, removal or addressing other issues, is highly variable and requires much judgment and experience. So, as always, reflect and research carefully before proceeding.

The Tour of Kitchens 2022

Each year, the Coral Gables Community Foundation presents the Tour of Kitchens, its annual fundraiser toward their Culinary Arts Fund that supports scholarships for the Culinary Arts Program and its students from Coral Gables Senior High School. This year’s March event marked a return to the indoors. It also marked the 13th such tour, with hundreds of ticket holders visiting nine homes that volunteered to display their culinary spaces.

The lead sponsor for the Tour was Ray Corral of Gablesbased firm Mosaicist, which installs custom mosaic pools worldwide. Other sponsors included Baptist Health South Florida, the Shops at Merrick Park, FXD Construction, Torre Construction, Evensky & Katz/Foldes, BHHS/EWM Realty, Lowell International Realty, Mercedes-Benz of Coral Gables, and Bellmont Village. Eight restaurants also participated, offering bites to visitors at the homes, including Clutch Burger, Orno Restaurant, MKT Kitchen, La Taberna Giralda and Rita’s Catering. Two dozen vendors also set up outside the homes,

including Miami Alkaline Water, Veranda Plants & Gifts, La Glace ice cream, the Coral Gables Garden Club (fresh corn!), and Zely’s Cupcakes.

“This is our premier fund raiser for the year, and we were so pleased that it could return to the inside of homes,” said Mary Snow, executive director of the Foundation. “It was an excellent turnout.” Ray Corral, the lead sponsor for two consecutive years, said this year’s event was a sign that the city is now entering a post-Covid new normal. “It was just tremendous to see so many people out and about. We’ve been cooped up too long and this was a great reason to come outside and interact with the community.” Said Gables-based FXD Construction president Xavier Durana, one of the event’s sponsors, “We love sponsoring this event, because it’s all about good design and quality buildouts. There’s no better event to be associated with.”

What follows is a round-up of images from the Tour, and three of the featured kitchens.

(1) Participants eat and drink in the courtyard of Kevin and Dana Naterman’s home at 520 Hardee Road

(2) Rita Tennyson and her daughter Saesha, outside the home of Marlin Ebbert, where they proffered conch fritters and spring rolls.

(3) Sponsors Ray Corral of Mosaicist (right) and Xavier Durana of FXD Construction (center), at the Shops at Merrick Park, where the tour began and ended.

(4) Sponsor David Evensky (right) with family at the home of Becky Byam on University Drive.

Visiting the Kitchens

SOME 800 PEOPLE ATTENDED THIS YEAR’S TOUR

(5) Fresh produce from the ladies of the Coral Gables Garden Club (L to R: Carmen Cason, Connie Cabesa, Judy Mangasarian, Susan Rodriguez, Betsy Tilghman, and Ana Collongette.

(6) Past chair of the Foundation Laura Russo (left), and Erika Deetjan, also at the home of Becky Byam on University Drive.

(7) Design It Studio owner Maribel Muñiz in her 1940 home on Milan Avenue, showcasing the renovation that opened her kitchen to the living, dining, and media rooms.

3500 Segovia Street

This two-story home of Patricia De Anda was built in 1953 as a duplex, converted after a two-year renovation (2019-2021) into a single-family home. The new open kitchen was located to provide easy access to the living and dining rooms. The checkerboard floor anchors the floor-to-ceiling custom cabinetry, with a large island placed in the middle of the kitchen and a “waterfall” extension of the surface down the side.

The flooring is comprised of Hampton white and grey porcelain tiles; the cabinetry, by i-design interior, has a pepper finish; the cabinetry hardware by Schaub has a satin brass finish; the range is by Bertazzoni, with exhaust hood by Zephyr; the sink is by Kraus, with faucets by Brizo Artesso in “luxe gold.”

G INA P ELLÓN

Silence, (El Silencio), 1981 mixed media on canvas

63 x 44 inches

Illustrated in Important Cuban Artworks Volume Eighteen, Cernuda Arte, page 84.

Currently in exhibition at the gallery and at the upcoming EXPO Chicago fair, along with works by:

Wifredo Lam, Carreño, Portocarrero, Mariano Rodríguez, Víctor Manuel, Amelia Peláez, Domingo Ravenet, Fidelio Ponce, Carlos Enríquez, Roberto Diago, Agustín Cárdenas, Mijares, Martínez Pedro, Teodoro Ramos Blanco, Felipe Orlando, Agustín Fernández, Soriano, Gina Pellón, Belkis Ayón, Tomás Sánchez, Bedia, Manuel Mendive, Fabelo, Flora Fong, Humberto Calzada, Juan Roberto Diago, Lilian García-Roig, Vicente Hernández, Miguel Florido, Demi, Hermanas Scull, Irina Elén González, Giosvany Echevarría, Sandro De La Rosa, Danuel Méndez, and Jorge Luis Santos. Cernuda

548 San Esteban Avenue

This newly renovated home is part of the Italian Village, one of seven such enclaves conceived by city founder George Merrick to showcase various international styles. The 17 homes of the Italian Village were built between 1925 and 1927.

The renovation of this home, spearheaded by Calimia Home, took the walls down to the studs for replastering and painting. The oak floors and the original French range were retained. Right: The exhaust hood is by Vent-a-Hood, the counter tops are quartzite from Primestones, the wall sconces are from Circa Lighting.

Top: The farmhouse style sink is by Kohler, the faucet polished nickel from Perrin & Rowe, the floating shelves solid oak from Grove + Anchor, and the cabinet paint Farrow & Ball Pigeon.

6510 San Vicente Street

The range is a Thermador 6-burner gas cooktop with dual ovens below; the exhaust hood is by Zephyr, enclosed by cabinetry; the KitchenAid refrigerator/ freezer is integrated with cabinetry panels; the sink is a double-bowl Kohler, with Brizo faucet in polished nickel finish. The custom installed paper towel roller is “for the grand kids.”

Marlin Ebbert commissioned her new home in 2015 with the idea of replicating the Florida Plantation Cottage style of the early 20th century. This style is characterized by tall ceilings and numerous windows for light and ventilation. The open kitchen acts as the heart of the home, with easy access to the dining, living, and sitting rooms. The kitchen is flush with natural lighting coming from the windows above.

A Tiny Pineland Project

HISTORY CAPTURED IN A CORAL GABLES GARDEN

BY GRACE CARRICARTE

Ialways marvel at the black and white photos of Coral Gables’ past. What would a walk around our neighborhoods have looked like back in the early 1900s? Merrick standing somewhere outside reviewing his site plans, horse drawn carriages, and workers building tirelessly. One thing we know for certain is that the trees and landscaping the city is known for did not exist. Today’s grass lawns, exotic plants, and trimmed hedges would be absent. In their place would lie a robust pineland habitat nurturing its own distinct flora.

“This was pineland. No doubt about it,” says Keith Waddington, a twenty-five-year Gables resident reflecting on what greenery was here in 1923 when his home was being built. With a Ph.D. in Biology and having worked in the University of Miami’s Biology Department, he also studied plant pollinator interactions throughout Everglades National Park. Two years ago, as the pandemic hit, he sought to replicate the old landscape in his own garden. “I set it up as an educational endeavor, hoping that people would be able to appreciate the old-time vegetation,” he says. “It is species rich.”

The first step was to clear out his front and back yards, followed by planting seeds for native species. (As a comical ode to his front lawn’s departure, he placed a piece of it in a bird bath, where it remains today.) Keith now boasts a garden that is 90 percent native plants, including more than 30 Pine Rockland species, most of it now self-propagating.

As I toured his home, I could see the early stages of the past he sought to recapture. In the process I learned that hardwood hammocks are a mix of tropical and tempered trees, like gumbo limbo, oaks, mahogany, etc. There was so much I had not previously encountered – like what I called a “bad hair day” pine – or as Keith calls it, “a toilet brush kind of thing” pine – the very hard Slash Pine or “Dade-County Pine.” This was used for construction of 1920s Old Spanish homes, which left it virtually wiped out by the 1930s. Indeed, only 2 percent of the original pinelands remain in Miami-Dade County. But you only need a small portion of your yard to incorporate these native plants into your garden. “Once they get going, they will really shoot up,” says Keith. He also recommends getting started with these four plants which are easy to obtain and grow:

1. CORKY STEM PASSION FLOWER VINE – A must have for a butterfly garden.

2. FIREBUSH – With nectar that attracts hummingbirds as well as butterflies.

3. COONTIE – Which hosts the larvae of the beautiful Atala butterfly.

4. BEAUTYBERRY – Which has clusters of purple/pink fruits (pictured).

His personal favorite pineland species, based on ease and attractiveness in the garden, include:

1. TROPICAL SAGE – Which has incredible red flowers (pictured).

TOP: KEITH WADDINGTON IN THE GARDEN OF HIS 1923 GABLES HOME.

MIDDLE: BEAUTYBERRY

BOTTOM: TROPICAL SAGE

OPPOSITE PAGE

TOP: SKYBLUE CLUSTERVINE BOTTOM: CORAL HONEYSUCKLE

2. CHAPMAN’S WILD SENSITIVE PLANT – With bright yellows flowers almost all year.

3. SKYBLUE CLUSTERVINE – Keith’s favorite, with flowers as blue as the sky (pictured).

4. CORALBEAN – A bush/tree that attracts hummingbirds with red flowers.

5. CORAL HONEYSUCKLE – A vine also with red flowers (pictured).

The most common question asked Keith is where he shops for his plants. His go-to place is Steve Woodmansee’s Pro Native Consulting in the Redlands at pronativeconsulting.com or 786-488-3101). Keith also suggests visiting Long Pine Key or Everglades National Park, joining his NextDoor group “Landscaping with South Florida Species/Natives,” and getting involved through Fairchild’s Connect to Protect program. Guests are welcome to tour the front yard of his home at 1116 Alberca Street, and to click on the QR code displayed on a pine trunk there for more history and plant information. ■

HOME & GARDEN / IN THE KITCHEN

Panzanella Tonight

Each issue we ask one of the leading chefs of Coral Gables to supply us with a unique recipe. This month the request went to chef Giorgio Rapicavoli, shown right, whose inventive cuisine at Luca Osteria has made it an overnight sensation on Giralda Plaza.

INGREDIENTS

1 (12- TO 16-OUNCE) LOAF ARTISAN BREAD (8 TO 10 VERY FULL CUPS)

2 TO 3 LARGE HEIRLOOM TOMATOES OR TWO PINTS OF BABY HEIRLOOM

TOMATO

1/2 CUP EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

1/4 CUP RED WINE VINEGAR

1 TSP TEASPOON SALT

PEPPER, TO TASTE

1/2 CUP BASIL LEAVES

1-2 OZ AGED BALSAMIC

Slice or tear the bread into roughly 1-inch cubes, toss with 2 oz olive oil and bake in a 300°F oven until hardened and golden on the outside, about 20-25 minutes. Reserve and allow to cool.

Combine the remaining. olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and a few grinds of fresh pepper in a jam jar. Shake vigorously. Alternatively, combine ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to emulsify. Combine the olive oil, croutons, and chopped tomatoes in a large mixing bowl. Pour the vinaigrette over top and use a spatula to thoroughly mix. Add half of the basil and combine. Season with additional salt if needed.

Serve with remaining leaves of ripped basil, olive oil and– aged balsamic. Buon appetito! ■

Where the Mid-East Meets the Far East

THE TWIN TRACKS OF CUISINE AT SAWA OFFER A WIDE RANGE OF FLAVORS

BY ANDREW GAYLE • PHOTOS BY RODOLFO BENITEZ

It has been twelve years since SAWA opened its doors, and put its tables out in the great courtyard of the Shops at Merrick Park. By now you’d think that it’s two-track menu – half Lebanese, half Japanese – would have gotten old. But the menu remains oddly fascinating, a place where sushi meets baba ganoush

This is not fusion food. Never the twain shall meet on this menu, with each side of the culinary divide between Tokyo and Beirut well defined. It’s just that you can have both here, along with a few outlier entrees, like their sea bass on a bed of asparagus or their seared duck with blueberry sauce.

But let’s start with the basics. Like all good restaurants plying the Eastern Mediterranean, SAWA makes its own hummus. The best way to partake is with their Tour de Hummus sampler ($15.99), with its three variations – classic, beet and cilantro – served with warm pita and slices of carrot and cucumber. Staying within that Eastern Med taste spectrum is their lamb, available as a traditional kebob ($29.99). We tried instead the lollipop lamb chops, listed under the ‘meat tapas’ section of the menu, grilled with a jalapeño mint demi-glace ($17.99). Tasty enough to turn you from vegetarian to carnivore.

On the Japanese side of the menu, SAWA delivers the art of the roll with a range of muscular variations. We ordered the “Presidential Boat” ($33.99) which features any classic roll, along with four pieces of sushi, four pieces of sashimi and a seaweed salad. We asked for the rainbow roll, with salmon, tuna, yellow tail, and avocado, a rich mix of crunch with silky fish and creamy avocado. In a similar vein, their salmon tartare ($15.99) that mingles salmon atop avocado with spicy kimchee and cilantro aioli is light and refreshing.

What intrigued us, however, were the entrée selections that sidestepped the parallel tracks of Japanese and Lebanese cuisine. “The excitement comes when we can create something unexpected,” says owner Ramzi Zahr, and these dishes are certainly that. The pan-seared Chilean sea bass, on a bed of al dente asparagus and portobello mushrooms, certainly seems out of place. But who cares?

TOP LEFT: THE SUSHI BOAT

OPPOSITE PAGE

TOP LEFT: THE SALMON TARTARE

TOP RIGHT: THE HUMMUS SAMPLER

BOTTOM LEFT: LOLLIPOP LAMB CHOPS

CENTER RIGHT: CHILEAN SEA BASS

BOTTOM

ABOVE: DINERS ON THE WEEKEND ARE ENTERTAINED BY A BELLY DANCER IN THE COURTYARD OF SHOPS AT MERRICK PARK.

RIGHT: CRISPY OCTOPUS

It was beautifully plated and simply delicious.

The duck gastrique ($34.99), meanwhile, comes from somewhere on the Paris/Osaka border, with flavorful pan-seared duck breast accompanied by crispy Brussel sprouts. Outstanding. And speaking of crispy, the “crispy octopus” from the Seafood Tapas part of the menu ($19.99) is perfect for those who fear the sometimes-glutinous texture of the tentacles. This variation has a woody taste and a nice crunch.

Enhancing the food at SAWA is the setting, outside in the open courtyard of the Shops with their lofty columns of Royal Palms and central fountain. We also like SAWA’s philosophy of sharing. Most dishes are meant to be sampled by all at the table. SAWA, in fact,

means “togetherness” in Arabic and “harmony” in Japanese.

Entertainment is also a part of the SAWA formula. On weekend nights starting at 8 pm, diners are beguiled by a belly dancer, who capers from table to table. The most recent iteration was a dancer festooned with a veil of lights.

And then there is their 3rd parallel menu – for dogs. Their courtyard canine selections include tapas, entrees and even desserts for your pooch. We will save that for another issue. In the meantime, end your meal with one of the lovely desserts for humans. Nothing beats their homemade baclava ($6.99), the traditional Middle Eastern pastry of phyllo dough, walnuts, honey, and pistachios – except maybe their unexpected coconut panna cotta ($8.99). ■

THE BEST RESTAURANTS

BY NEIGHBORHOOD IN CORAL GABLES

Despite the ongoing pandemic (hopefully over its latest peak), the restaurant scene in Coral Gables is thriving. Maybe it’s because so many restaurants have outdoor seating, maybe because so many residents have been vaccinated. Regardless, Coral Gables’ legion of quality dining establishments are busy again. To help you choose a place to dine, we have taken a look at some of the best restaurants by neighborhood, north to south. Here are 45 of the best. We dine at all locations anonymously, and we list only the places where we love to eat.

$ ............ Under $25

$$ .......... $25-$40

$$$ ........ $35-$75

$$$$ ...... $70-$100+

Prices are per person for appetizer and entrée, no tax, tip or drinks. Prices are approximate.

ALHAMBRA & NORTH Bachour

Maybe it was the lure of pastries by world-renowned chef Antonio Bachour, but this airy, industrial chic spot has become the new power breakfast place in town, with amazingly good eggs benedict and challah French toast. Also open for lunch and an early dinner, with great Greek salad and roast chicken breast. $$

2020 Salzedo St. 305.203.0552

Bay

13 Brewery and Kitchen

Australian pub food – salmon

Rangoon, chicken skewers, meat pies, fish & chips – is the cuisine, an outdoor fountain makes the setting spectacular, and the beer brewed on premises is unbeatable at this newest hot spot. $$ 65 Alhambra Plaza. 786.452.0935

The Globe

The Globe is a Gables icon, and one of the coolest places to eat in the city – assuming you like a smart, Euro-style bistro. Decorated with classic paintings (and globes over their old-world bar), the menu is mostly American dishes – salads, burgers, fish, steaks, etc. – perfected over the years. Best conch fritters. $$

377 Alhambra Circle 305.445.3555

Las Tapas Gables

Intimate setting in the space previously occupied by Mynt, Las Tapas is the newest entry in the category of fine Spanish cuisine. Fish flown in from the Atlantic and Mediterranean, with a special focus on dishes from Galicia in the northwest and Barcelona on the east, run by the consummate hand of chef/manager Florian Tomas. $$$-$$$$

276 Alhambra Circle.

305.381.0636

Namaste

Hidden on a side street off of Ponce, the last standing Indian restaurant in the Gables is small and humble (“namaste” means “I bow to you”) yet superb in its rendering of classic Indian dishes, from tandoris to biryanis. Our favorite is the mango curry chicken, followed by the chef’s special black pepper shrimp. $$

221 Navarre Ave. 786.534.2161

Zitz Sum

Brought to you by Chef Pablo Zitzmann of No Name Chinese fame, this “pop up” restaurant off the huge lobby of the 396 Building feels pretty solid. The result of a year-long pandemic dive into dim sum by Zitzmann, the dumplings (dinner only), hand-rolled daily, are superb. Other menu items are highly inventive and flavorful. $$-$$$

396 Alhambra Circle.

786.409.6920

Zucca

Located at the elegant Hotel St. Michel, this is a star in the galaxy of Italian eateries in the Gables. Distinctly northern Italian, with recipes that chef Manuel Garcia developed in a career that

included the legendary Casa Tua on Miami Beach. Lovely outdoor seating, modern Italian design inside, sophisticated, with great service. $$$-$$$$

162 Alcazar Ave. 786.580.3731

GIRALDA PLAZA & AVENUE

Cebada Rooftop & Raw Bar

It’s hard to pigeonhole this new rooftop restaurant by Chef Jorge Ramos (fresh from his acclaimed Barley restaurant in Dadeland). He calls it “contemporary American with a Latin overlay” which means roast bone marrow with salsa verde and baby back ribs with pimiento marmalade. A good raw bar, a great view. $$-$$$

124 Giralda Ave. 786.409.2287

Divino Ceviche

Divino Ceviche is known for, well, its ceviche. From dishes like Ceviche Tradicional to Ceviche de Mercado to Ceviche Nikkei, there’s no shortage of the stuff. The restaurant also has notable non-ceviche dishes like octopus

croquetas and a tasting of three different causas (layered potatoes with chiles, avocados, tuna, boiled eggs, onion). $$

160 Giralda Ave. 786.360.3775

Graziano’s

This large, popular Gables mainstay is true Argentine. A deep selection of Argentine wines (which line several walls) go with churrasco meats slowly roasted over a quebracho wood fire, old school style. They have seafood and pasta, empanadas and salads, but come here for the meat, a carnivore’s delight. $$$ 394 Giralda Ave. 305.774.3599

Khaosan Road

Formerly Bangkok, Bangkok, this Giralda Plaza mainstay – with plenty of outdoor tables – has reinvented itself as the new home for Thai street food. Think you know Thai food? Be prepared for new and delicious tastes. $$ 157 Giralda Plaza 305.444.2397

BACHOUR

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S P O N S O R E D B Y

La Taberna Giralda

Routinely rated among the top tapas places in South Florida, La Taberna brings the added twist of a chef from Galicia, who puts his own regional spin on the dishes. It’s a small place with a neighborhood vibe, orange walls, string lights and live flamenco on the weekends ($5 cover), so reservations are a must. $$

254 Giralda Avenue 786.362.5677

Luca Osteria

The latest place by local celebrity chef Giorgio Rapicavoli (the Eating House), Luca Osteria became an overnight, reservations-only hit for dinner on Giralda Plaza. His inventive take on classic Italian food is fresh and new; the Pasta al Limone and mortadella toast with fig balsamic are just the beginning. Great Italian cocktails. $$-$$$$

116 Giralda Ave. 305.381.5097

MesaMar

Some of the best – if not THE best – seafood in the Gables with inventive fusions between Peruvian and Japanese cuisine. Their fish is caught daily in local waters and brought to your table for inspection. Their whole fried fish is a marvel. Also, make sure to try the lobster tacos. $$$

264 Giralda Ave. 305.640.8448

Miss Saigon

Voted the best restaurant in Coral Gables a few years back by the readers of New Times, Miss Saigon serves the kind of vegetable-rich food that makes you feel light and clean afterwards. Excellent seafood choices, and any of their crispy rolls (spring, vegetarian, shrimp) make great starters. Also, good dumplings. But their clear, hearty soups – what they call Pho – are the big winners here. $$

148 Giralda Ave. 305.446.8006.

Threefold Café

You have to love a place that is dedicated to breakfast all day long. But who needs dinner when you can get shrimp tacos for breakfast, along with salmon scrambled eggs, chicken parma, and that Millenial favorite, smashed avocado toast? The brain child of Australian Nick Sharp, Threefold is also popular for Sunday brunch – partly because of nice outdoor seating on Giralda Plaza. And the coffee is some of the best around. $$

141 Giralda Ave. 305.704.8007

TUR Kitchen

This relative newcomer to the

Gables has a wonderfully inventive menu of Mediterranean cuisine.

Chef Christian Chirino plates beautiful dishes that combine the flavors of Turkey, Greece, Lebanon, and Egypt. Amazing stuffed Turkish pide bread, stunning braised goat with gnocchi. Elegant seating under arches along Giralda. $$$-$$$$

259 Giralda Ave. 786.483.8014

CENTRAL DOWNTOWN

(Including Aragon, Miracle Mile and Andalusia)

Bellmónt

Modern décor meets traditional Spanish dishes. Their house specialty is the roast suckling pig. If you want the whole pig ($230 for 4) you need to order four hours in advance. If it’s just you ($49), you’ll need to wait just 50 minutes. As for the rest: authentic Spanish cuisine, with great seafood dishes, fantastic paella. $$$

339 Miracle Mile 786.502.4684

Bulla Gastrobar

As valued for its cocktails as for its tapas, Bulla is also something Coral Gables needs – an informal, smart neighborhood hangout with a young, boisterous vibe. Great “small plates” and refreshing sangria. Yes, it is a national chain, but it still feels local. $$

2500 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.441.0107

Caffe Abbracci

A Gables icon, Nino Pernetti’s Italian restaurant is both a power lunch favorite for the business elite and a cozy evening gathering place for families and couples. Closely shepherded by the welcoming Pernetti, Abbracci is quiet, elegant and flavorful. The food is so consistently good that Pernetti had to publish his own cookbook. He now has a new chef who hails from Tuscany, so the daily specials have a whole new spin. $$$

318 Aragon Ave. 305.441.0700

Christy’s

Touted as Coral Gables oldest steakhouse, Christy’s was long the power lunch go-to – until it stopped serving lunch except on Fridays. Still, its aged steaks are consistently excellent, as are the seafood entrees. Their classic Caesar salad is still the best in town, and the jumbo shrimp cocktail is a house specialty. $$$

3101 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.446.1400

Doc B’s Restaurant + Bar

Offering a no-veto menu, meaning there’s something for everyone, Doc B’s Restaurant + Bar serves craveable American fare dishes made from scratch daily, incorporating the highest quality ingredients. Offering brunch, lunch, dinner and happy hour, signature dishes include the Wok Out Bowls, The Wedge Burger and “Hot” Chicken. $$ 301 Miracle Mile 786.864.1220

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse

Fantastic aged steaks, a seafood tower that won’t quit, and a wine cellar that appears to have no end of its depth. A place for special celebrations. Recently redecorated, but the open kitchen with its copper “sash” across the top still gives the main dining room a glow. Good menu at the bar. $$$-$$$$ 2525 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.569.7995

Forte by Chef Adrianne

Chef Adrianne’s new restaurant, in the former Cibo Wine Bar space, features her take on Italian food (the name comes from her Sicilian grandmother). One of the Gables’ star chefs, Adrianne punches up traditional dishes with some bold flavors. Best: Tuscan white bean soup, wagyu truffle-oil meatballs, spaghetti carbonara. $$$-$$$$ 45 Miracle Mile. 305.517.6181

Fratellino

Small, family run, with a fanatically loyal fan base, brilliant Italian comfort food. The long narrow set up with tile floors, wooden chairs and tablecloths makes it feel like

New York’s Little Italy. Their calamari, in any variation, is superb, and the fettuccine with prosciutto, mushrooms and green peas is to die for. $$$

264 Miracle Mile 786.452.0068

Frenchie’s Diner

It looks like an all-American diner (which it once was) but this is pure French cooking in a small but comfy setting. Frenchie himself is usually there. Some items on the menu can get pricey (filet mignon, $34) but the onion soup ($9) and escargots ($11) are great values, and the croque monsieur ($14) for lunch is a meal unto itself. $$$

2618 Galiano St. 305.442.4554

Gustave

Launched by a couple of friends with a track record in Paris, Gustave’s a light-filled, lovely entry into the local French cuisine scene. With a good selection of baked goods, this is a Paris-style café with good coffee and solid fare. Good to know where you can get a croque monsieur for lunch and boeuf bourguignon for dinner

$$-$$$

366 Miracle Mile. 305.640.5675

Hillstone

There are very few restaurants in the Gables where clients will wait in a line outside. Hillstone is one of them. A power lunch spot, a happy hour singles anchor, and a family restaurant at night, the food and service are consistently top notch, with an elegant interior that is both comfortable and sophisticated at the same time. $$$

201 Miracle Mile 305.529.0141

BELLMONT

THE SWA GG ER! EXPERIENCE

WITH DOZENS OF SHOPS TO CHOOSE FROM, GETTING YOUR SWAG ON IS A SNAP IN DOWNTOWN CORAL GABLES.

DINING GUIDE

Izakaya

Located across the street from the Colonnade building, this tiny, bustling Japanese restaurant serves a great bento box – along with an impressive array of daily specials that are posted on the wall in chalk. Super popular lunch spot, for good reason. $$ 159 Aragon Ave. 305.445.2584

Morton’s The Steakhouse Morton’s in the Gables is not just another Morton’s. Its setting in the Colonnades gives it a unique elegance, with outdoor seating under the arches. Dependable quality, prime-aged beef, and excellent salads. Good place to take that important client. Great happy hour with filet mignon sandwiches or short rib tacos for $8. $$$ 2333 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.442.1662

Salumeria 104

Tratorria-style Salumeria is now two years old, with a loyal clientele, especially at lunchtime. Partly that is because the food and ambience is so authentically Northern Italian and rustic. It may also be thanks to their $10 lunch special of sandwich (with artisan cured meats) with soup or salad, always

fresh and flavorful. Regardless of price or time of day, those sliced salumi meats are buono! $-$$ 117 Miracle Mile. 305.640.5547

Seasons 52

The restaurant for healthy eaters who enjoy quality as well. The menu, changing four times a year with each season, is always full of inventive treatments for fresh veggies, soups and salads. Their fish and meat dishes are great values, and the flatbread menu is really a nice touch. It’s a chain, but we forgive them. $$ 321 Miracle Mile 305.442.8552

Pascal’s on Ponce

Elegant, quaint and delicious, Pascal’s is the home and culinary canvas of owner-chef Pascal Oudin, who brings authentic French cuisine to the heart of the city. Oudin excels in seafood, soufflés and foie gras. Try the diver sea scallops and tomato tartin.

$$$-$$$$

2611 Ponce de Leon Blvd. 305.444.2024

SHOPS AT MERRICK PARK

Brasserie Central

Secretly owned by Pascal’s on

Ponce fame, the restaurant is half inside half in the courtyard of the Shops. A typical French bistro with wonderful onion soup, fresh bread and a superb paté. Everything on the menu is fresh, French, and all you would expect from Pascal. Lots of little French touches, though not cheap. $$ - $$$ Shops at Merrick Park 786.536.9388

Ecléctico

Brought to you by the folks at nearby Sawa restaurant, Eclecti-

co is an open, airy Latin-fusion restaurant that serves “light” and inventive variations on Latin American small plates with a Mexican overlay – and a truly awesome selection of mescal and taquilla. A new and fun place for dinner. $$ 320 San Lorenzo Ave. 786.615.5735

Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille

Perry’s is a Texas chain that gets its beef from the heart of the Lone Star State. Great outdoor space with fire pit and a huge interior with its own lounge area piano

Frame SALE

MAMEY

bar. Excellent reduction sauces for the finer cuts and their famous five-finger giant pork chop that is carved at the table and can easily feed two. $$$$

4251 Salzedo St. (Shops at Merrick Park) 786.703.9094

Sawa

Delicious take on Japanese flavors served in parallel with Lebanese Mediterranean, Sawa offers seating inside or outside at Merrick Park. A vast selection of sushi rolls and tapas that range from chicken yakitori to octopus ceviche, along with super fresh Middle Eastern comfort food. World’s best lamb chops. Also has a doggy menu. $$$ 360 San Lorenzo Ave. (Shops at Merrick Park) 305.447.6555

Villagio Ristorante

Surprisingly good prices in this cavernous restaurant with lots of outdoor seating. Even the dinner menu serves pasta entrees for less than $15, and the extensive selections of meat and fish mostly run in the mid to low twenties. Also, good soups (the fresh crabmeat is a delight) and – randomly enough – perhaps the best apple pie

anywhere. $$ 358 Sand Lorenzo Ave.305.447.8144.

SOUTH GABLES

Fiola

From the place settings to the artwork to the innovative cuisine, Fiola offers an exquisite dining experience. Brought to you by Washington, D.C. chef Fabio Trabocchi, their must-try dishes include the porcini mushroom soup, the sea scallops ceviche, and the signature lobster ravioli. Elegant presentations only add to this encounter with gustatory greatness. $$$$ 1500 San Ignacio Ave. 305.912.2639

Fontana

The setting is as elegant as it comes: the Biltmore’s famed fountain courtyard. You can sit under the stars, in a covered archway, or inside to enjoy classic Italian dishes. Fresh ingredients, from the salads to the pasta that is made daily. Great octopus, pastas cooked perfectly. One of the most romantic restaurants in the Gables. $$$

1200 Anastasia Ave. (Biltmore Hotel) 305.913.3189

Mamey

Chef Niven Patel, who is fast gaining a national reputation, hits it out of the park with this restaurant, heir to the creative Caribbean cuisine of Ortanique, but with its own unique and refreshing overlay of Polynesian, Thai and Indian gastronomy. If your taste buds seek a new adventure, this is the place. $$$

1350 S. Dixie Highway (Thēsis Hotel) 305.667.5611

Moon Thai & Japanese

Can’t decide between Japanese or Thai food? No problem. Here, you can have a Japanese house salad or miso soup as an appetizer and pad thai as an entrée. Truly the best of both worlds. Comfy booths inside and umbrella-covered outdoor tables. Across the street from UM’s campus. $ - $$

1118 S. Dixie Hwy. 305.668.9890

Orno

Located in the same building as Mamey (THesis Hotel), Orno is Chef Niven Patel’s latest creation, focusing on “New American” cuisine with a focus on farm-totable local produce. An eclectic menu lets Patel stretch his culinary

imagination, using a wood-burning oven and a wood-burning grill. Be prepared for new and fascinating flavors. $$$

1350 S. Dixie Highway (Thēsis Hotel) 305.667.6766

Public Square

This popular re-configuration of the former Shula’s steakhouse still serves great steaks and burgers, but with lots of other options (seafood, pasta, sushi, salads) and plentiful outdoor seating on Red Road and San Ignacio Ave. $$$

6915 Red Rd. 305.665.9661

Redfish by Chef Adrianne

The only waterfront restaurant in the Gables, Redfish was reborn last year after being closed for years from hurricane damage. With the addition of Chef Adrianne, the menu presents a stellar display of gourmet seafood. $$$$ 9610 Old Cutler Rd. 305.668.8788. ■

Fauli, the ex-banker who was serving on the board of the museum. “We started on this a few years ago, postponed it for covid, and then came back to it this year,” says Valdés-Fauli, who knew Larraz as a family friend, and fellow exile, for more than 30 years. “I think Julio is brilliant in the stories that he creates through his art… To me a painting must make me think, must take me into the story, and his works accomplish that.” Valdés-Fauli is also a fan of Larraz’s sculptures, one of which he owns (‘Tea cups”) and several of which are on view at the museum, including a massive slice of watermelon in the outside courtyard.

We caught up with Larraz in his studio compound in South Miami, a walled enclosure of three Tuscan-red buildings. The main studio where he paints has airy, 17-foot ceilings, with tables groaning with oil paints and walls hung with photographs and antiques; he lives close by in

the house where he moved after leaving his home on Old Cutler Road. In another of the buildings is an office of sorts, where scores if not hundreds of canvases are kept – paintings he simply cannot part with. He works in this studio six days a week, eight hours a day; in the background while we talked, speakers lilted with Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony.

“I had always wanted to paint,” Larraz told me, inspired by a head full of ideas that came from a household which valued learning. “My father had a great library, with books on history, philosophy, even art,” he says. “It was subsequently burned after he left. They took the books out and burned them.” His father dealt with that, he said, by telling his children, “I have kept the best,” meaning them. With five children himself, Larraz considers his kids “the only wonderful thing I have done.”

Some people would disagree, especially those who collect the paintings he creates from his imaginary kingdom. “Recently a woman told me, ‘I love the scenes that you paint so much that I’d like to visit the place,’” says Larraz. “And I said

to her, ‘It’s nonexistent, it’s all in my mind.” Either she didn’t hear it, or did not want to hear it, so she said, ‘But I’d like to know how to get there.’ I said, very seriously, ‘United is flying here.’ She said, ‘I am so glad because I love the place.’” ■

Grades K-8

THE ARTIST JULIO LARRAZ WITH JOSE VALDÉS-FAULI,

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Name That Door

Next month the Gally Gallery (formerly Art Labbé) will exhibit a show entitled “Discover Your Doorway” by Coral Gables resident and Emmy-award winner Pat San Pedro – who is also an accomplished photographer. This is her shot of the

doorway to a local landmark. If you know where this is located, send the answer to editor@coralgablesmagazine.com. The winners will have their names published and sent free passes to local museums.