Fall/Winter 2022 Explore Issue

No .

21

BACKWOODS TO THE BAY: PANACEA CULINARY REVIVAL THE EXPLORE ISSUE

For Floridians. By Floridians.

T HE E XP ORE I SS U E

EXPLORE FLORIDA Fly-fishing phenoms, gourmet getaways, college-town cravings, scenic road trips and so much more

FAL L / WI NT E R 2 02 2 No. 21

CONQUERING Q COURT: The World’s Best Pickleball Pair

SWAMP SISTERS Saving the Everglades

FLY ME j THE MOON:

B I LLI O NAI R E S B O O ST TH E S PAC E RAC E I N FLO R I DA

PLUS

x

SOUTHERN ROCK ROYALTY: n SITTING DOWN

DEVON ALLMAN

OFFICIAL FIRE EXTINGUISHER PROVIDER

PROUD TRUCK AND TOWING PARTNER

Modernisms: Iranian, Turkish, and Indian Art, 1960s—1970s September 17 – December 31, 2022

Barbara Sorensen: Billows September 17 – December 31, 2022

What’s New? Recent Acquisitions from The Martin Andersen-Gracia Andersen Foundation September 17 – December 31, 2022

Art Encounters One Act of Kindness: A World of Difference

September 17, 2022 – May 14, 2023

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Joe Wardwell, (American, b. 1972) Out of Kindness I Suppose, 2019-21, Acrylic on canvas, 38 x 60 in. The Alfond Collection of Contemporary Art at Rollins College, Gift of Barbara ’68 and Theodore ’68 Alfond. 2021.1.35 Barbara Sorensen, (American, b. 1945), Billows (detail), 2022, Aluminum, 28 ft x 17.5 ft x 4 ft., Collection of the Artist, Image courtesy of Laney Mae Velazquez Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu (Turkish, 1911–1975), Full Moon, 1961, Oil and glue on canvas, 50 7/8 x 42 in. Grey Art Gallery, New York University Art Collection. Gift of Abby Weed Grey, G1975.293 Francis Newton Souza, (Indian-American, 1924–2002), Trimurti, 1971, Oil on canvas board, 30 x 24 in. Grey Art Gallery, New York University Art Collection. Gift of Abby Weed Grey, G1975.216 William Merritt Chase (American, 1849-1916), Autumn Fruit, 1871, Oil on canvas, 30 x 25 in. Gift from The Martin Andersen-Gracia Andersen Foundation Inc. 2022.14 Modernisms: Iranian, Turkish, and Indian Art, 1960s—1970s from NYU’s Abby Weed Grey Collection is organized by the Grey Art Gallery, New York University, and is made possible in part by the generous support of Dalinc and Mehves Ariburnu; Violet Jabara Charitable Trust; WLS Spencer Foundation; A. Alfred Taubman Foundation; Avid Modjtabai; Charina Endowment Fund; Ariel and Alaleh Ostad; the Grey’s Director’s Circle, Inter/National Council, and Friends; and the Abby Weed Grey Trust. In-kind support is provided

by ArtCare Conservation.

FREE ADMISSION

Courtesy of RMA Members ROLLINS.EDU/RMA

ADVERTORIAL

Gifts of American Art Enrich the Rollins Museum of Art Collection Six gifted works on view this fall capture American art at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.

A

rt has the transportive power to take us into different existences, giving clues as to what life was like during various times throughout history. American art at the turn of the 20th century, for example, gave way to two distinct movements: Tonalism and Impressionism. Both can be characterized by playing with the effects of light and air—capturing a gust of wind that travels through tree leaves or the moment when natural light soaks a basket of fruit.

“This is the period when everybody started going outdoors and painting en plein air. It was about the delight painters took in representing that very fleeting nature of what they saw at a particular moment in time in a particular place,” says Dr. Ena Heller.

As the director of the Rollins Museum of Art in Winter Park, it’s part of Heller’s mission to create a holistic art experience that captures works from some of the most legendary artists during pivotal movements throughout art history. And while the museum has more than 6,000 works, Heller says the collection had a few gaps to fill.

Over the summer, she and her colleagues asked the questions: “How do we present the best story of art, the most inclusive story of art? And where do we want to look for strategic partnerships, loans or acquisitions?”

One of the answers to their questions materialized as a gift from the Martin Andersen-Gracia Andersen Foundation, which donated six works of American art, to the museum, along with 16 others on long-term loan. “It brings certain very well-known, major figures in American art into the collection that we didn’t have,” Heller says.

Martin Andersen was the publisher of the Orlando Sentinel and his wife, Gracia Andersen, was a philanthropist and knowledgeable American art collector. While her collection doesn’t focus on a particular artist or movement, Heller says there is a common thread that ties all of the works together. “If you look at the Andersen collection as a whole, it has two pockets: one is at the turn

of the 19th century and then another one at the turn of the 20th century.”

Perhaps the pieces Heller is most excited to introduce to the Rollins Museum of Art collection are the two portraits by James Peale from the early 1800s and one portrait by William Williams from the late 1700s. “Those three portraits together really fill a previous weakness in the collection because we didn’t have that much late 18th, early 19th century art,” Heller says.

From the turn of the 20th century, an 1871 still life oil painting from William Merritt Chase titled Autumn Fruit depicts fruit centered around a watermelon, accessorized by bunches of grapes. “The textures are just so exquisitely rendered,” Heller says. “The grapes are bathed in light, so you have these optical effects that are reflections on the surface of every little grape.”

An Elihu Vedder painting from 1887 titled Love Ever Present shows Cupid standing on a pedestal with two opposing faces that are meant to symbolize the sensual and spiritual manifestations of love.

A final piece by Thomas Moran is a landscape titled Tula, Mexico and was completed in 1907 showing trees in the foreground that lead the eye toward ancient ruins. As Heller notes, it’s “a clear exploration of painting en plein air.”

Visitors will have the opportunity to view these six works during the What’s New? Recent Acquisitions from the Martin Andersen-Gracia Andersen Foundation exhibition this fall from September 17 to December 31.

In the coming years, Heller is looking forward to displaying these works and more of the Rollins Museum’s collection in a much larger space when the museum relocates. “We show a ridiculous 1.5 percent of [the museum’s collection] here because the space is so small,” she says. “So the new museum is going to give us a chance to show more of them, which is really exciting.”

Construction is set to begin in 2023, and the new building should open by 2025. No matter where the Rollins Museum’s art is displayed, visitors will feel like they’ve been transported to a different time and place because of the careful curation that goes into the selection of every piece. rollins.edu/rma

From left: William Williams (American, 1727-1791) The William Denning Family, 1772 Oil on canvas 35 1/2 x 52 in.; Elihu Vedder (American, 1836-1923) Superest Invictus Amor (Love Ever Present), 1887 Oil on canvas 34 3/4 x 12 1/4 in.; William Merritt Chase (American, 1849-1916) Autumn Fruit, 1871 Oil on canvas30 x 25 in.; All three works are gifts from The Martin Andersen-Gracia Andersen Foundation, Inc.

— Fall/Wi nter 2022 —

CONTENTS

F E AT U R E S

52

62

70

82

PUTTING IT ALL ON THE LINE

SMOKING GOOD

BEAM ME UP, BILLIONAIRES

QUEENS OF THE COURT

BY JESSICA GILES

Looking for big eats in a small town? From fall-off-the-bone barbecue to bayside seafood, discover the new eateries popping up in Panacea worthy of veering off the highway. Time for a road trip!

BY CRAIG PITTMAN

BY ERIC BARTON

Soon, tourists will flock to Florida not for theme parks or beaches, but for a first-class seat to outer space. Meet the bigwigs bringing space tourism to the Sunshine State.

This isn’t grandma’s game anymore. Pickleball’s popularity is skyrocketing, and the players on the podium aren’t retirees, they’re a fresh-faced mother-daughter duo from Delray Beach.

Go on an angling adventure with two feisty friends hellbent on saving the Glades.

While politics and greed muddy the waters, these ladies use tournaments and tarpon to spread truth.

B Y S T E V E D O L LA R

Cover Photography by MARY BETH KOETH On the cover: Wesley Locke, left, and Betsy Bullard, center, fly-fish in the Everglades with Captain Benny Blanco, right.

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On this spread: Anna Leigh Waters, left, and Leigh Waters, right, practice pickleball.

Photography by JOSH LETCHWORTH

D E PA R T M E N TS

16

49

95

WADING IN

COLUMNS

ON THE FLY

19 /// THE SPREAD: A new bourbon brand tells a little-known Florida story.

49 /// C APITAL DAME: Get behind the wheel to go back in time with Diane Roberts.

96 /// BIRD’S-EYE VIEW: Our go-to’s when you’re in Gainesville

23 /// M ADE IN FLA: Boho bags made for the beach, lake or skate park 26 /// T HE STUDIO: A teen photographer captures our wildest residents.

30 /// ONE-ON-ONE: Living up to a name and a legacy with Devon Allman 37 /// JUST HATCHED: Spirit-free speakeasies, listening lounges and 10 more debuts

92 /// PANHANDLING: Prissy Elrod’s life is always a trip—even when she’s not going anywhere.

104 /// F LORIDA WILD: A new generation of Floridians forge a connection with the help of a little fire.

98 /// DESIGN DISTRICT: All that glitters is gold in Nicole White’s designs.

102 /// ROOST: Two glamorous rentals we’re raving about 108 /// T HE TIDE: A bevy of the state’s best culinary festivals 112 /// F LORIDIANA: A pine that’s stood the test of time in Key West

42 /// G ROVE STAND: A young sommelier sets out to change the wine world.

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Get Hooked

was over almost as soon as it started.

“And that,” Booth said, “is why we waited and put in so much time to tracking these fish just to get a chance at hooking one.”

At the end of the day, we hooked three tarpon and caught a few snook. Not a record haul, but more than enough to leave us thirsting for the thrill of the catch and jumping at the chance to help save this precious ecosystem.

In this issue of Flamingo, we return to the Glades, this time with Deputy Editor Jessica Giles, who joins two lady anglers at the forefront of the fight to save our state’s most precious natural resource: water. Then we take a trip down Panhandle backroads with contributor Steve Dollar, who introduces us to a group of local food aficionados reviving the culinary culture of Panacea.

Next, we prepare for liftoff with writer Craig Pittman, as he explores the booming space-tourism industry and the billionaires making civilian space travel a reality in Florida. And finally, contributing editor Eric Barton hits the courts with a mother-daughter duo from Delray Beach dominating professional pickleball and changing the face of this once sleepy sport.

Flamingo’s Volume 21, is a live one, a curated collection of adventures aimed at exploring the state from epicurean excursions to rugged road trips and legendary playlists that we’re obsessed with this season. We hope you find your perfect place to dive in and get hooked.

E di tor i n Chi ef & P u b lish e r

let us know what you think. Email me at jamie@flamingomag.com

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MARY BETH KOETH

W

e were searching for bubbles, splashes, little ripples in the water, any sign of movement.

My spinning rod whirred as I cast my lure near the edge of the mangroves, reeling and popping it back toward the boat, trying to mimic the movements of a baitfish.

“Am I doing this right?” I asked our guide, Ryan Booth, a 33-year-old professional fishing guide and Miami-Dade firefighter, who has spent his life studying and navigating the endless maze of creeks and bays that make up Everglades National Park.

“When it comes to tarpon fishing, one of the hardest things is first finding them,” Booth said, whipping his fly rod through the air. “Learning how they move and predicting where they will be or which direction they come from.”

I scanned the surface from my perch on the bow of Booth’s Hell’s Bay skiff. Nada.

“They’re not happy,” he said, judging the attitude of the elusive Silver King my husband Brian and I had traveled 400 miles from North Florida to try and catch.

We changed course, flying across the water in search of the perfect place. But perfect places where the fish are happy are

harder to find these days in the Everglades, the United States’s largest tropical wilderness, where decades of overdevelopment threaten its existence. As we sped past myriad mangrove-lined creeks, Booth talked about the changes he has seen over the years: diminished water quality, loss of grass habitats, invasive non-native plants, less wildlife. He’s part of a conservation movement called Captains for Clean Water, a group of anglers focused on protecting Florida’s wild heart, an effort we delve more into inside this edition.

On this spring day, however, Booth is trying to show us the magic that remains. He settles on a spot in Florida Bay, where tarpon roll all around us. Jackpot! Or so I thought.

“The second thing about tarpon fishing is getting the right approach shot with hopes that one fish will be interested in your fly,” Booth said, quietly poling the boat into position. “Then there’s the moment you’ve worked so hard for, when that fish opens its mouth and inhales that little feather and just goes absolutely crazy.

I’ve seen the fight for 20 minutes to two-and-a-half hours.”

I cast my line over and over, into what looked like a literal sea of tarpon. My aching forearm had me doubting I could even reel one of these bad boys to the boat—if I ever got the chance. So far, no takers. Then, I felt a tug, and the tip of my rod bent down toward the water. I reared back and held on.

A big one jumped high out of the water, flashing his silver coat, as shiny and handsome as they come.

“Oh my god! He’s huge!” I screamed. Our collective shouts rang out into the otherwise silent bay.

Then the slack returned to my line, and it

Some castles, you build in the sand.

Others, we’ve already built for you.

Along 23 miles of sprawling Atlantic shore, travelers find themselves just steps from inspiring art, tempting cuisine and sublimely spacious accommodations. Find a new level of luxury along Florida’s most unforgettable beach at DaytonaBeach.com.

CONTRIBUTORS

NATALIA GALICZA is a graduate of the University of Florida, where she served as the founding executive editor of Atrium Magazine, the university’s first narrative nonfiction magazine. Galicza is passionate about in-depth and artful storytelling. Her past work has focused on quintessentially Floridian stories ranging from suddenly appearing sinkholes to mustang-training cowboys. In her Flamingo debut, Galicza helps bring to life the photographs of Luca Martinez, a 17-year-old wildlife photographer who often captures the untamed beauty of the Everglades.

Read her story on page 26.

CHADD SCOTT realized his boyhood dream of living in Florida when he moved to Fernandina Beach in 2012. He is a freelance arts, culture and travel writer with a particular interest in the Florida Highwaymen. His must-see Florida destinations include the James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art in St. Petersburg and the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens in Jacksonville. Along with fellow Flamingo contributor Craig Pittman, he co-hosts the Welcome to Florida podcast. Scott dives into the story behind Florida’s newest bourbon brand in this issue of Flamingo, and uncovers a little-known history of North Florida. Find this and a few new recipes on page 19.

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MARK WALLHEISER is a Tallahassee-based photojournalist who has worked as a staff photographer for two newspapers and a freelance contributor for magazines including Sports Illustrated and Newsweek. He was nominated for two Pulitzer Prizes, one in 1988 for a series on crack cocaine in Tallahassee and the second in 2016 for an image of Donald Trump.

Wallheiser has been photographing for Flamingo since 2018. For this Explore edition, he journeyed to Panacea to capture Florida’s latest restaurants springing up in the backwoods. See them starting on page 62.

CATHY SALUSTRI fell in love with Florida when her mom and dad moved here in 1980, and she’s spent the past 43 years falling harder. Salustri’s travel narrative, Backroads of Paradise, chronicles her adventures retracing WPAera Florida driving tours.

Her next book, The Florida Spectacular, celebrates the best of Florida. Salustri lives in Gulfport with her husband, Barry, two hounds, three cats and a few (apparently) immortal foster fish. The Salustri’s own The Gabber Newspaper, a hyperlocal paper in South Pinellas. In her Flamingo debut, Salustri sets out to introduce readers to Fred, Key West’s most famous Australian pine tree. Meet the leafy local on page 112.

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COURTESY OF THE CONTRIBUTORS

JOSH LETCHWORTH is an outdoor sports and lifestyle photographer from Lake Mary. A graduate of Flagler College in St. Augustine, he’s been shooting professionally for more than 20 years. The camera has carried him to six of the seven continents. As a native Floridian, his passion is immersing himself in all things nature: fishing, hunting, surfing, camping, conservation and sharing those experiences with his family of five. In this issue, Letchworth hits the court with two of the greatest pickleball players in the nation to document the rise of the sport. To see his smashing work turn to page 82.

Explore Mexico with specially curated collections, exhibitions, and events that highlight the plants and cultures of this vibrant country.

Plan your visit at naplesgarden.org

OCTOBER 2022 – SEPTEMBER 2023 where plants • and people • thrive together ™

Celebration supported by:

FLAMBOYANCE

TH O UG H TS FRO M T HE F LOCK

ISSUE

21

For Floridians. By Floridians.

• FOUNDED IN 2016 •

what’s your most iconic florida memory?

My family moved to Miami in the mid-1950s when I was 2 years old. Anytime family came down from Illinois, we would visit the Miami Seaquarium. What a great dolphin show they had, and my sister and I would always come home with one of those plastic dolphins made in a molding machine. They were always a little hot to the touch when they came out!

Camping in Everglades National Park and seeing millions of stars.

— Nature Lover

— Dolphin Tales

Getting naked in public for the first time at Haulover Nude Beach!

— Au Naturel

The first time my brother and I dove off the old rock wall into Silver Springs. We swam with our father in the 72-degree water a half mile downriver. It was a cold morning for Florida, and the steam was rising off the beautiful river. The morning river birds were out early and we only saw one gator. Magical memories.

Playing putt-putt golf in Panama City Beach with the huge fun course displays!

— Mini-Golf Memories

— A Family Swim

As a 4 year old, my parents took my sister and I camping and fishing in the Keys. My dad was teaching me how to cast when we cast the little hook of my Mickey Mouse kiddie fishing pole into a mangrove tree, and it became stuck. Things got dicier when a cabin boat with a fishing tower approached between our smaller center console and the hooked mangrove.

The captain of the other boat was quick to act once he heard my dad shout and kindly maneuvered in to cut my line and free my poor fishing pole. We never had quite as exciting of a time in the Florida Keys again.

— Casting Chaos

— Fa l l / W i n t e r 20 2 2 —

EDITORIAL Editor in Chief and Founder JAMIE RICH jamie@flamingomag.com Deputy Editor Jessica Giles jessica@flamingomag.com Consulting Creative Director Holly Keeperman holly@flamingomag.com Senior Designer Ellen Patch ellen@flamingomag.com Contributing Designer Lauren Eggert Senior Writer and Cont ributin g Editor Eric Barton eric@flamingomag.com Editorial Assistant Emilee Perdue emilee@flamingomag.com Cont ributin g Writers Steve Dollar, Prissy Elrod, Natalia Galicza, Alyssa Morlacci, Craig Pittman, Diane Roberts, Maddy Zollo Rusbosin, Cathy Salustri, Chadd Scott, Nila Do Simon, Carlton Ward Jr. Contributing Photographers & Illustrators Leslie Chalfont, Beth Gilbert, Mary Beth Koeth, Josh Letchworth, Stephen Lomazzo, Mark Wallheiser, Carlton Ward Jr. C op y E d it o rs & Fa c t-C h e c k e rs Amanda Price, Mary-Lou Watkinson

SALES & MARKETING Publisher JAMIE RICH jamie@flamingomag.com

Tallahassee May Party

WAS IT TIME FOR THIS TRADITION TO GO? Absolutely not! We need to honor our traditions and culture, but utilize it as an opportunity to acknowledge the good while also learning from the not so good.

—­Tradition Keeper

Way past time! For goodness sake, who can look at today’s children with a straight face and tell them how wonderful it all was long, long ago! Since when is exclusivity and outright bigotry anything to preserve or protect? And don’t even get me started on how Christian these folks are. I’m pretty sure the Bible says that Jesus loves the little children of the world, not just the rich, white ones. Enough of worshipping the past. It’s the present and future of Florida we need to consider. —­Out with the Old

Advertising Sales Megan Zebouni megan@flamingomag.com Advertising Sales Kelley Olson kelley@flamingomag.com Marketing & Promotions Specialist Emilee Perdue emilee@flamingomag.com Contact Us JSR Media LLC 13000 Sawgrass Village Circle, Bld. 3, Suite. 12 Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082 P: (904) 395-3272 // E: info@flamingomag.com All content in this publication, including but not limited to text, photos and graphics, is the sole property of and copyrighted by JSR Media and Flamingo. Reproduction without permission from the publisher is prohibited. We take no responsibility for images or content provided by our advertisers.

JSR MEDIA

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Join the flamboyance (a flock of flamingos) by signing up for our weekly newsletter at flamingomag.com and tell us what you think.

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THE SLICE P R O D UC TS + EVENTS + PROMOTIONS

3 Ways to Explore the Issue in the Wild 2. DRINK fine international

wines without the work of researching when you sign up for the Cote Wine Club. Each month, receive three different bottles of vino hand-picked by Michelin-starred sommelier Victoria James and her partner Mia Van de Water, as well as recipes for dishes that perfectly complement that month’s selections. Members also enjoy a monthly Zoom happy hour with the somms, in which you can pepper the pros with questions on food pairings, tasting notes and other insider knowledge. Sign up at cotewineclub.com, and read more about James, America’s youngest sommelier, on pg. 42.

1. DIVE BENEATH the surface of Everglades National Park when you

follow 17-year-old Luca Martinez on TikTok. The young nature videographer and photographer takes viewers to the wildest reaches of our state, documenting everything from alligators resting on the swamp floor to manatees feeding in the springs. Find him @lucamartinez.photography or scan the QR code. Then, read more about the photography prodigy on pg. 26.

SCAN HERE TO SEE MORE

Revival Tour when they visit a city near you.

Led by Southern rocker Devon Allman, son of the late Gregg Allman, this coast-to-coast tour brings together a slew of soulful singers to honor the Midnight Rider. We talked to Devon Allman all about carrying on his father’s legacy and finding his own on pg. 30. Look for a show near you at allmanfamilyrevival.com.

F O R T H E L AT E S T H A P P E N I N G S , P H O T O S & V I D E O S , F O L L O W @ T H E F L A M I N G O M A G

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CHRIS BRUSH, COTE WINE CLUB, LUCA MARTINEZ

3. SNAG TICKETS to the Allman Family

THE SLICE P R O DUC TS + EVENTS + PROMOTIONS

Escape in a Boat or a Book this Season NEW SUNSHINE READS In 2020, a Florida photographer made it his mission to bring rightful recognition to the East Coast Surfers of the south.

After a two-year journey of exploration and adoration, Darin Back composed nearly 70 portraits of salted surfers.

These wind-blown, sunbaked subjects of all ages tell their stories with one raw look. With the use of Back’s signature black-and-white photography, each scar, freckle and wrinkle gives us a serious look at the lives of rising-star athletes and legendary loggers. Order East Coast Surfers on Amazon and see more of Back’s work on his website, darinbackphoto.com.

FORT L AUDERDALE INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW, DARIN BACK , UNIVERSIT Y PRESS OF FLORIDA

THE GREATEST BOAT SHOW ON EARTH Find the next addition to your fleet at the world’s largest in-water boat show this fall.

After the success of last year’s show, attracting over 100,000 attendees and generating over $1 billion in economic output, the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS) is ready to raise the standards of marine marvels once more. View vessels from leading boat manufacturers such as Axopar Boats, MJM Yachts, Islamorada Boatworks and more. Prepare to be impressed with the displays and demos at one of the five marinas or at the AquaZone’s 40,000-gallon freshwater pool. Once your window shopping has worked up an appetite, dine from over 100 food concessions and satellite bars including Gosling’s Dark ‘n Stormy Island Bar and the Palm Harbor Marina Cocktail Barge. Look for luxury at the exclusive Superyacht Village, showcasing some of the world’s largest vessels, most exotic add-ons and even a personal submarine.

Join other boaters to learn about conservation, fishing techniques and sustainability at professionally led seminars in the marine and aquatic industry. West Marine, the FLIBS official marine accessories and electronics provider, will present the latest and most innovative navigational technologies. The most prestigious boats, yachts and other vessels, among other events and attractions, will be on display Oct. 26–30. Get your tickets at flibs.com.

Three Florida authors—Andrew Huse, Bárbara Cruz and Jeff Houck— unpack the flavors of the Cuban sandwich in their historical book The Cuban Sandwich: A History in Layers. The culinary historians discover the origins and evolution of the famed sub, as well as moderate the heated Tampa vs. Miami debate—is salami a Cuban sandwich’s friend or foe?

These hoagie heroes find the tried and true recipes and share expert tips for making this Florida staple at home. Find more at cubansandwichbook.com.

F O R T H E L AT E S T H A P P E N I N G S , P H O T O S & V I D E O S , F O L L O W @ T H E F L A M I N G O M A G

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ADVERTORIAL

A VERY

C e l e n b a i r r a o t t i o c ∅∅∅ i n V

W

Walk through the pages of Charles Dickens’ beloved novel, A Christmas Carol, at Dickens on Centre, Amelia Island’s annual holiday festival that’s truly one for the books.

hile Florida may have more palm trees than balsam firs and more sand than snow, the Sunshine State certainly isn’t lacking in holiday cheer. Perhaps the biggest testament to just how seriously locals take their merriment is Amelia Island’s Dickens on Centre: A can’tmiss celebration where the quaint seaport is transformed into a magical Victoriana village, offering everything from carolers outfitted in 1800s garb to Tiny Tim’s Kid Zone with crafts and face painting to live performances such as a one-man rendition of A Christmas Carol—and of course, jolly old St. Nick will be there too.

Back for its eighth year, this festival is truly an immersive affair, modeled after Charles Dickens’ famed story. It’s fitting that Fernandina Beach is home to this ode to the past: The coastal town is teeming with buildings that boast beautiful Victorian architecture. Not to mention, the downtown district

was once home to the Gilded Age’s elite along with bootleggers, shrimpers and even pirates.

While anyone can stroll through the festival from Thursday, December 8th until Sunday, December 11th, Dickens on Centre offers unparalleled signature events that make this celebration one-of-a-kind. Here are three happenings worth bookmarking.

Dickens Illuminated Procession To usher in the long weekend of festivities, the party kicks off with the Illuminated Procession.

At 5:30 p.m. on December 8th, locals and visitors alike are encouraged to gather near the Welcome Center (the old train depot) on Centre Street. Revelers are welcome to bring paper lanterns or lights of their own, as long as there are no open flames or candles—and it’s not unusual to see some unique glow creations, from jellyfish with twinkling tentacles to sharks shining in the night.

The parade itself is a leisurely stroll around Fernandina’s historic district and wraps up at the waterfront where participants will be met with food trucks, drinks, live music and more. The evening ends with a light show over the marina, marking the official start of the festival.

The Enchanted Village Did you know that the snow globe was created at the tail end of the Victorian era in 1900? That’s why it’s only fitting that a cluster of ornately decorated “snow globes” (bubble-like igloo tents) make up Dickens on

Centre’s Enchanted Village. These lifesize snow globes aren’t just for viewing: You can reserve an hourlong time slot to enter inside one of the finely curated interiors to dine, drink and soak up the views.

After the village’s successful debut last year, two more globes have been added to the mix, each with their own unique holiday theme. Up to six people can sit comfortably inside and graze on gourmet charcuterie boxes curated by Luxe Picnics by Les and enjoy for-purchase libations of wine, beer or champagne from the Enchanted Village’s own tavern, The Portly Gentleman.

Dickens After Dark While the majority of the fest is designed with the whole family in mind, Dickens After Dark is aimed at the 21-and-up crowd. This exclusive holiday party is being held on Saturday night (December 10th) at the historic Lesesne House, one of the oldest properties in Fernandina Beach.

Partygoers are encouraged to don their finest Victorian costumes, so break out the top hats and hoop skirts.

With a two-hour open bar, tasty hors d’oeuvres, a rocking band, entertainers like stilt walkers and jugglers, on-site ghost tours and a special surprise performance, it’s the party of the season. Get your tickets early since it’s sure to sell out.

For tickets and more information on Dickens on Centre, visit AmeliaIsland.com/Dickens.

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— Flor idians, far e, f inds —

WADING IN — The Spread —

A new bou rbon unc ove rs unt ol d Bl ack hi s t or y.

— MADE IN FLA —

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WADING IN :THE SPREAD FLOR IDA-F R ESH BITES & BEVS B y C h a d d S co t t

A Storied Spirit Victor G. Harvey is serving up a shot of history along with Fort Mosé 1738 Bourbon Whiskey, Florida’s first Black-owned bourbon company.

O

ur nation's first Underground Railroad isn’t exactly like the one Floridian’s learned about on fourth-grade field trips. In fact, the first Underground Railroad didn’t run north to the free states: It ran south. And it ran

south to Florida. More than 120 years before the start of the Civil War, runaway slaves from the British Colonies in the Carolinas fled south to freedom in and around St. Augustine. The Spanish government, which controlled the area, provided asylum

Bourbon Whiskey Black Cherry Old Fashioned makes 1 cocktail 2 ounces Fort Mosé Bourbon ounce simple syrup 1/4 ounce black cherry syrup Dash of orange bitters Black cherry (for garnish) 1/4

STOCKFOOD/LUCY PARISSI

PREPARATION: Add all of the liquids to an old fashioned glass with ice. Stir to combine. Garnish with a black cherry.

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WADING IN :THE SPREAD FLO RIDA-F R ESH BITES & BEVS

makes 1 cocktail

to Black escapees from slavery in exchange for conversion to Catholicism and service in the military for men.

By 1738, enough people completed the perilous journey that Fort Mose was established there as the first free Black community in what would become the United States. It’s an extraordinary page from Florida's history that's mostly overlooked.

Until early 2022, spirit-maker Victor G. Harvey had never heard of Fort Mose, but he stumbled across the story while searching for inspiration for the whiskey he planned to release later that year: the first Black-owned bourbon brand in Florida.

Harvey knew immediately he had found a name that would honor both the Sunshine State and African Americans, and Fort Mosé 1738 Bourbon Whiskey was born.

Beyond paying homage to the past, Harvey’s company, Victor George Spirits, wants to ensure that the Fort Mose history lives on in the future by donating one dollar for every bottle of his bourbon sold from now through June 19, 2023— Juneteenth—to the Fort Mose Historical Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to telling the fort’s story and supporting the Fort Mose Historic State Park.

“Me and my team felt that giving back was a great way to help and provide resources that can be used to get that story

2 ounces Fort Mosé Bourbon 1 ounce lemon juice 1/2 ounce simple syrup 1/2 ounce Chambord Mint (for garnish) Raspberries (for garnish) PREPARATION: Combine all of the liquids in a Collins glass and stir. Garnish with mint leaves and raspberries.

out there,” Harvey said.

Harvey moved to Davie in 1992 from Ohio, and despite being a Floridian for 30 years, regrets that his kids, who are grown now, were never taught about Fort Mose growing up.

“The fourth-grade field trip to St. Augustine every year ... It was just, stay for three hours, and ride the bus back,” he recalled.

Harvey hopes to raise more than a glass by increasing awareness for the site and other minority-owned whiskey companies in the state. To that end, he’s teamed up with Palm Beach Distillery, the first female-owned and operated distillery in Florida, to produce this four-year aged bourbon. Founded in 2017

by Summer Piep, the distillery will serve as Fort Mosé 1738 Bourbon Whiskey’s master distiller, crafting its unique blend of corn, rye and malted barley. With 75 percent corn in the mash, the spirit is sweet and smooth, perfect for mixing, cooking or enjoying neat.

The newly formed duo has plans for another product, a six-year aged rye whiskey titled Pullman Porters 1867, scheduled for release in October 2022. The porter draws its name from the Black employees, many formerly enslaved, who served white passengers on the Pullman Palace Car Company’s luxury railroad sleeping cars in the years following the Civil War. The porters were highly regarded in the Black community. Their wages, while a pittance, were among the best for African Americans at the time, and despite the long hours, the position was vastly preferable to field work.

The best stories are often shared over a stiff drink, and Harvey hopes that his bourbon will tell one of its own. A story of resilience and courage: one that’s little-known but worthy of a toast. buyfortmose.com ISTOCK /MINDST YLE

Bourbon Whiskey Raspberry Bramble

This page: Grab a bottle of

Fort Mosé Bourbon to mix up this raspberry bramble.

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WADING IN :MADE IN FLA B y Ma d dy Z o l l o R u sb o si n

A fernandina Beach Couple createS an accessories line celebrating WOMEN AND WAVES.

GOOD

VIBES W

ADAM KING

This page: A Marloru

Crew member skates beachside in Casey Key wearing the Coyote Sunday Bag.

@T H E FLAMI NG O M AG

hen Christina and Adam King created Marloru, a boho accessories line born out of their love of board sports and great design, the inspiration to launch came from their own groms (AKA: kids who surf and skate).

“You can’t just tell them things, you need to show them,” explains Christina. “Saying ‘follow your dreams’ doesn’t mean much unless they see me actively chasing after mine. It’s been such a blessing to share this process with the whole family, and as a result, our kids are very much involved and part of the team.”

Now, two years into their Fernandina Beach-based business, it’s truly a family affair. Christina leads the charge with product design. Adam captures the brand visually through his stunning water and action-sports photography showcased on their website and social media, and their son and daughter pitch in with everything

FA L L • W I N T E R 2 0 2 2 /// FLAMINGOMAG.COM

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from events to promoting sales to lending their own creative input and ideas.

Christina’s first sketches of bags appeared on her computer in the early days of 2020 as a way to pass the time during quarantine.

At the time, she had no idea those doodles would lead to an actual company.

“I just pretended I was making an accessories line and asked myself questions like, ‘What would my logo be? What would my first bag look like?’” Before long, she had created a mood board for her dream brand

24

and drawn up four different bags. Her goal was to create a product that was equal parts fashion-forward and functional. The result?

Splash-proof styles ideal for an action-sport lifestyle lived on the water and on the go.

Drawing on years of design experience at Disney and a Florida-based board shorts brand, Christina had created a side project begging to hit the beach. That’s when she launched a Kickstarter campaign with a video produced by Adam. Sure enough, it worked. Soon after, Marloru’s first two designs, the Mexi-flo Sunday Bag (a large crossbody tote) and the Twofer (a pouch with belt loops on the back so it transforms into a hip pack, small crossbody or a clutch) were born.

“It started as a way to escape and be creative, but once it got out into the world, we were surprised how quickly a community of support grew around it,” says Christina, who grew up wakeboarding on lakes in Wisconsin. “Suddenly it belonged

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to everyone, which we love.”

Over the past two years, Marloru has evolved into a local accessories brand— with bags, pouches and hats—beloved by Floridians, especially those with a penchant for boating, skiing, wakeboarding, surfing or skateboarding.

Each bag is double-lined with a durable, waterresistant material on the inside, a water-wicking fabric on the outside and a protective zipper that keeps things dry when the tide rolls in.

“If your bag gets wet, your stuff stays dry,” says Christina. Marloru is also known—and beloved— for its bright, colorful patterns and signature woven straps, infusing a funky bohemian style.

“My inspiration comes from anything relating to the beach, whether it’s a sign that looks like it’s been in the sun for years or something that someone is wearing,” she says. “All the designs are meant to take you from the sand to the street.

Another major source of inspiration comes from the brand’s Marloru Crew, a group of women and girls who embody an active coastal lifestyle. What started off as a handful of their daughter’s friends Left: The Mexi-Flow has organically grown Sunday Bag to encompass everyone Top from left: Mar Rosa Sunday Bag; from surfers to artists the Stay Wild Twofer to adventurers across Bag; the King family

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ADAM KING, NEW WAVE PHOTOGR APHY

WADING IN :MADE IN FLA

This page: The

Marloru Crew sporting the Stay Wild Sunday Bag, left, and the Mar Rosa Sunday Bag, right.

@T H E FLAMI NG O M AG

Florida—and the nation.

Marloru’s social feeds, curated by Adam’s eye behind the lens, feature these ladies landing ollies, catching air, hanging ten or just hanging out.

It’s clear the brand’s goal is to embody the sunnier side of life.

MARLORU “Our social presence is a - LOCATIONS great way to build women up FIND AT SURF SHOPS ACROSS FLORIDA: and support one another,” AMELIA SURF CO. Christina says. “Whenever we FERNANDINA BEACH first ask someone if they want SUNRISE SURF SHOP to be part of the Marloru Crew, JACKSONVILLE we make sure that they know SURF STATION the main thing we’re looking ST. AUGUSTINE for is positivity. Our goal is to GYPSY LIFE SURF SHOP shine the spotlight on their WEST PALM BEACH accomplishments. While we love to see people working hard OR SHOP ONLINE AT marloru.com and hitting their goals, the most impressive thing is support for FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM one another. We love seeing @marlorubags kids just being kids. We call it, ‘sleepover vibes,’ so the goofier the better. After all, if we can’t have fun, what’s the point?”

Not only does the crew serve as brand ambassadors, but they also take part in the myriad of charities Marloru is a part of. With a focus on empowering female athletes, the brand is active in a number of Florida events, from national multisport contests like the Super Girl Pro Series to local surf contests like Jacksonville Beach’s Sisters of the Sea, which raises money and awareness for breast cancer. Marloru can also be found traveling around the country, whether it’s to the all-lady longboard competition Queen of the Point in Malibu, California, or the Folly Beach Wahine Classic in South Carolina.

It’s only fitting that one of Marloru’s missions is to raise women up: The brand itself was named after important women in Christina’s life. Girl power, indeed.

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WADING IN :THE STUDIO FLORIDA ARTIST PROFILES

By Nat ali a G a l i cza • P h o t o s by L u ca M a rt i n ez

YOUNG & Wild A teenage photographer captures the life force of Florida with a goal of preservation and protection.

Above, clockwise: A barred owl takes flight in the Everglades; A field of muhly grass; Luca Martinez wades into the water.

T

he first time Luca Martinez photographed Everglades National Park, he arrived in a shroud of darkness. All the 15-year-old could make out was 10 feet of pavement ahead of him, illuminated by the halo of his father’s headlights. But even if out of sight, the swamp was far from still. Cicadas screeched, pig frogs croaked and barred owls called out in a symphony of hoots.

“It was like nature in full surround sound,” Martinez says.

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Then, the sun rose. Suddenly, tens of thousands of islands appeared on a river of swaying sawgrass. Cypress trees rose triumphantly out of the earth. The view overwhelmed him. How could such a crowded environment camouflage so easily?

What else was there to be found?

“This is the Everglades: so simple from the outside, so misunderstood,” Martinez says. “It’s a different kind of wild. It’s not like Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon that’s in front of you, screaming out at you.

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It requires you to be present, and it requires a closer look.”

In the two years since his first visit, he’s sought to pull back the veil on this stretch of untamed wilderness. The self-taught teenage photographer, now 17, has trudged through waist-deep waters in freshwater sloughs and ventured into hidden cypress domes to help people fall in love with the uniquely Floridian landscape—just as he has.

Much of what Martinez captures isn’t visible from the national park’s trails. Rare ghost orchids

@T HEFLA M INGOMAG

hover on tree branches in the heart of cypress swamps. Muhly grasses blush pink in the fall.

White-tailed deer graze on prairies. Alligators bask on floating bark. And below it all is a world of unexpected stillness.

An underwater camera rig allows Martinez to submerge himself and share a complete story of the swamp, one that is inclusive of wildlife that can’t be captured with a single glance.

“It didn’t take long for me to realize that the world beneath the surface in the Everglades is just as beautiful as its dry reflection,” he says. “That abject quiet of the water, it’s nothing like a reef; it’s completely silent. And that stillness, you only get that in these remote waters of the wetlands.”

One of his favorite underwater photos is of an alligator only a few feet in front of his lens. The animal, perched atop pebbles and facing Martinez’s camera, is motionless.

There’s an unlikely tranquility in the image. A creature that is normally photographed while ferociously feasting on fish or baring razorsharp teeth is calm, even with a human nearby.

That dichotomy is what defines the Everglades and what Martinez aims to showcase. That there are brutes in nature, but there’s also a softer, more forgiving form of beauty.

Martinez, born and raised in Miami, once thought that Florida could be defined by its beaches and backyards. He’d watch cardinals

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Above: A wood stork eyes the camera. Below: An alligator rests on the swamp floor.

nest behind his grandfather’s Kendall home as a child and observe osprey hunt over the Atlantic Ocean. But when he thought of the Everglades, which he now dubs the life force of Florida, he thought of touristy airboat rides and dangerous waters that were not—could never be—suitable for human enjoyment. He was not alone in that misconception.

Since freelancing photo assignments with the Everglades Foundation for six months and pursuing two years-worth of his own passion projects, he’s worked to dispel the myth that the Everglades is monotonous or inaccessible.

His social media presence has introduced the Everglades to native South Floridians and others from around the world. He’s cultivated a following of more than 184,000 on Instagram and he says he receives hundreds of messages a day in response to his photographs.

Most messages come from those who were unaware such a biodiverse and expansive domain existed in Florida. Many are witnessing the Everglades for the first time through his photos. And that, Martinez

believes, is the first step in conservation.

“You realize that the biggest threat to the place is how disconnected we are from it,” he says. “Before we can talk about how to protect it, you have to get people to fall in love with it.”

Martinez is entering his senior year of high school at Palmer Trinity School in Palmetto Bay. He doesn’t have any concrete college plans, but he hopes to continue studying conservation. He knows he wants to help protect the Everglades—even with all the uncertainty that comes with his age.

He has presented his work at a birding festival in St. Augustine, a world-class photography conference in Chicago and an Everglades Foundation teacher symposium.

And when he presents, he often shares his first time witnessing the Everglades on that winter morning two years ago. How something seemingly ordinary and hidden can reveal a treasure trove of nuance and life. How something like that is worth capturing and saving.

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ONCE YOU EXPLORE OUR DOWNTOWNS, LOCAL ARTS AND NATURE the rest is history.

Whether it’s meandering a downtown street, biking a trail, or visiting one of our historic musems, there’s always something worth exploring in West Volusia.

Right now, our Cool Craft Beverage Trail is at the top of the list. From coffee and smoothies to craft beers, wines and mead, it’s time to get into the “spirit.” as beverage artisans serve up their creations with special offerings and old favorites.

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ADVERTORIAL

Swept Away with Artist Andrea Kowch Escape to the mysterious Midwestern world at the Museum of Art - Deland’s winter exhibition.

A

NDREA KOWCH spent her childhood in an imaginary world full of mystery, nostalgia and the occasional Midwest twister. For many years, she ran along the autumnal hills of Michigan, exploring abandoned farmhouses and observing the native wildlife with a keen eye. With each make-believe adventure she embarked on, a painting bloomed in her mind—something melancholic, detailed and, to some, perhaps a bit unsettling.

Now, in her mid-thirties, Kowch finds her passion is transferring her stories onto a canvas with nothing but —AND REA her adventurous mind and ambitious paintbrush. The paintings of internal woes and bygone America are inspired by her own journeys and surroundings. Even though the Southeast peninsula is nowhere near the heartland, Floridians can take in the loneliness of sweeping plains and the complexity

of human emotion at Kowch’s exhibition, “Andrea Kowch: Mysterious Realms,” at the Museum of Art - DeLand.

Kowch’s paintings depict women deep in thought while the world around them begins to unravel in disarray. Kowch is known for her use of landscape and wildlife as a conduit of inner turmoil while the faces of her characters look detached and serene.

One of her most revered paintings, The Courtiers, will be on display at the Museum of Art - DeLand this winter. The Courtiers portrays a woman in an exposed field amid dozens of sandhill cranes. Each of Kowch’s women have KOW CH tousled, wild—and almost sentient—hair that matches the surrounding animals and weather. Much like the stormy skies in The Courtiers, her other paintings include devastating natural forces such as wind, fire and tornadoes. Along with her juxtaposition of people and nature, Kowch’s commitment to

The emotions and feelings I evoke through my imagery are a universal sort.

@T H E FLAMI NG O M AG

detail and somber color palette creates a rare three-dimensional effect on her audience.

Pattie Pardee, the executive director at the Museum of Art - DeLand, is thrilled to display Kowch’s artwork this upcoming winter.

She hopes that bringing young and talented artists to DeLand will expand the artistic horizons of the community. “Our purpose is to inspire people and spark their imaginations,” Pardee said.

Even though Kowch’s haunting surrealism is inspired by the Midwest, there is still so much for Floridians—or anyone—to connect with. Among the wild weather and untamed animals, there is a larger connection in her work: universal emotion. “The emotions and feelings I evoke through my imagery are a universal sort, where every viewer—of all ages and from all walks of life—can find equal acknowledgement, solace, wonder and meaning in my world,” said Kowch.

Get swept away into the world of Andrea Kowch in her exhibition at the Museum of Art -DeLand, running Jan. 14 through April 9.

For more information visit, moartdeland.org THIS PAGE FROM LEFT: ANDREA KOWCH, THE COURTIERS, 2016, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS, 36 X 60 IN; ANDREA KOWCH, PECKING ORDER, 2014, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS, 20 X 16 IN

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WADING IN :ONE-ON-ONE CO N VE RSATIONS, INTERVIEWS, STOR IES

By Je s s i c a G i l es • P h o t og ra p hy by D a ri n B a ck

Allman Roots Revival

The Southern rocker and son of a music legend talks about the honor—and responsibility—of carrying on Gregg Allman’s legacy.

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@T HEFLA M INGOMAG

D CHRIS BRUSH/SMOKING MONKE Y PHOTO

Above: The Allman Family Revival Tour is a coast-to-coast celebration of the late Gregg Allman’s musical legacy.

evon Allman isn’t scared of the big 5-0 anymore. Why should he be when his forties were his best decade yet? When I caught up with the soulful singer-songwriter via Zoom, he had just wrapped up the European leg of his 2022 tour and was already planning for the Allman Family Revival Tour, a behemoth of a band jam slated to kick off Nov. 26 in Macon, Georgia. He was also just one day shy of his turn-of-the-century milestone. If his heritage is any indicator, Devon Allman’s got nothing to worry about. Aging just unlocks a new onslaught of artistry for an Allman. And this Allman has already perfected the art of leveling up. The Southern rocker has had his hand in a multitude of musical projects since he was just a fledgling. From a prolific solo career to the Allman Betts Band to launching his own record label, Allman never tires of trying something new. Perhaps that’s why each project gets better and better. Before Allman could usher in his new decade, I prompted him to take me back to the moments that shaped him, from touring with his father back in 1989 to seeing his own son join him on stage.

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WHEN DID YOU FIRST REALIZE THAT PLAYING MUSIC MIGHT BE YOUR CALLING?

DA: When I was 9, my best friend and his folks and his brother were all planning on going to [see] Cheap Trick. It was a big concert that night, and at the last second they were like, “Man, you love music. You want to go?” I was 9 years old, and I was like, “Yeah, I want to go.” And so I went, and just the whole thing … you know the [Corpus Christi Memorial] Coliseum getting dark, the smell of weed. I was like, “Wow.” It was like this other world.

The bass was rattling my 9-year-old rib cage, and Rick Nielsen, the guitar player, brought out a five-necked guitar—you’ve seen double-necked guitars; this was five—And I was like, I want to do that. That is cool. I don’t need five necks, but I think I found what really moves me.

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WADING IN :ONE-ON-ONE CO N VE RSATIONS, INTERVIEWS, STOR IES

SO WHAT CHANGED YOUR MIND?

DA: On the final night of the tour in Miami, Florida, they brought me up to sing “Midnight Rider”— my 17-year-old ass. Dickey Betts wanted me to do it. And my dad was, like, taunting me. “Dickey says you’re going to come up and sing. You sure you’re ready to do all that?” Then, that got me pissed.

I realized through the summer that the one thing that I denied myself was the healing power of making music for people.

Above: Devon Allman, left, and Duane Betts, right, perform as the Allman Betts Band. Below: Devon

Allman fist bumps a fellow musician during an Allman Family Revival Tour performance.

DA: The only time I entertained anything else was in high school. I got into theater, and I thought, “Well, I could see myself doing that, too,” because I really loved the live aspect. You can’t mess up. There was something thrilling about that. Never fancied myself being on TV or in movies or anything, but theater was really cool. That was actually the whole reason I went out on tour with my dad in high school was to decide between theater and a music career.

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AND DID THAT SUMMER 1989 DREAMS TOUR SELL YOU ON A MUSIC CAREER?

DA: No. I was pretty doubtful, because, in the wise words of Robbie Robertson in The Last Waltz documentary, “It’s a goddamn impossible way of life.”

That’s why I leaned toward theater.

I was like, “I don’t know, man. These guys are up till four in the morning.

There’s drugs. There’s craziness. I kind of would maybe prefer more of a normal life.”

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CHRIS BRUSH/SMOKING MONKE Y PHOTO

DID YOU EVER CONSIDER ANOTHER CAREER PATH?

And I was like, “Yeah, I’m gonna sing the shit out of it.” My dad was like, “All right, we’ll see.” I went up there. I sang the song. Thank God I did good. Got a standing O. I really had it that night. I gave it everything. There was a lot of patting on the back from the band and stuff. I was really relieved. But that energy exchange beat anything from being in the high school plays.

And I was like, “I think the crazy life is worth that energy exchange.

I think I just made my mind up, you know?” And that was it. I literally left the tour and put a band together a week later.

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WADING IN :ONE-ON-ONE WHAT DID YOUR MOTHER THINK ABOUT HER 17-YEAR-OLD TOURING WITH A BUNCH OF ROCKSTARS?

DA: So my mama was his first wife, and they were together when the band started to just skyrocket, right? So my mom was very in love with my dad. It was a very deep thing. But, you know, he had just lost his brother, and he was battling drugs, and it was the ’60s and ’70s where everybody slept with everybody. It was a different era.

And she had to pull me out of that. She couldn’t raise me in that. She went back to Corpus Christi to have me. My mom didn’t have any ill will against my dad, surprisingly. She was just like, “You know what, he’s a great guy. You’re gonna meet him someday, and you guys are gonna get along.” And so when it came, she was like, “I’ve been waiting for this your whole life.

You need to go be with your dad. I know how much music means to you, and you’ll learn something from him.”

CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT HOW THE ALLMAN FAMILY REVIVAL TOUR CAME TO BE?

DA: Yeah. It’s great that we talked about mom and dad, because I lost them both within four months of each other five years ago. So mom passed away really suddenly. She was 66. And the next day, my dad’s manager called and said, “You need to come down here and see your dad. He’s going.”

So me and my siblings all flew down to Florida and hung with dad. Now, he hung on for months and months, but he passed away. When my mom passed away, I couldn’t concentrate, so I canceled two months of shows.

When dad died, I was like, “I mean, come on. How can I play a concert and have it be about the music? It’s just going to be everybody hurting about dad.” When you go and make Above: Devon Allman believes that the best shows music, it’s supposed to be about combine moments of tension and release.

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WADING IN :ONE-ON-ONE CO N VE RSATIONS, INTERVIEWS, STOR IES

sure that he had written that about her.

It’s one of my favorite songs anyway.

Yeah, I don’t think I’d ever let anyone on the revival sing that but me, because it means so much. That was a real healing point to be able to sing that song to his fans and my fans and for people to know it was written about my mom.

PEOPLE WERE OVER THE MOON WHEN YOU JOINED FORCES WITH DUANE BETTS TO LAUNCH THE ALLMAN BETTS BAND. WHAT IS IT LIKE TO WORK WITH HIM CREATIVELY?

celebrating the evening. It was like the pink elephant in the room. If I go right back on tour when my dad died, everybody’s gonna be thinking about it, because it’s so fresh. I called my agent and said, “Man, let’s cancel the rest of the year.” And I realized through the summer that the one thing that I kind of denied myself was the healing power of making music for people. Making other people feel good—in essence, giving them some healing, medicinal thing—is also healing and medicinal for yourself. I was kind of denying myself. I called him up, and I go, “Man, I want to jump back in.” There was nothing there that was premeditated. I called like five friends, thinking one or two would say yes, and they all said yes.

So I called my agent, and he goes, “We’re gonna need a bigger room.”

so important in music. I mean, it can’t be overly urgent. But there can’t be zero urgency, because where’s the fun in that?

I’ll put it to you this way. Would you rather watch a football game that’s 21 to nothing in the middle of the second quarter? Or would you rather watch a football game that’s 42 to 40 with 10 seconds left, and they got the ball on the five? I think when you play with that kind of urgency, it translates to the crowd, and they’re on their toes, and every note means something to them. I would much rather bring that kind of energy to a stage. And obviously, you can’t do it the entire time, but it’s tension and release. Also, I think it’s the scope. We call it the jam of the year when we advertise this event, not to flex or to be better than anyone or anything silly like that. There’s kind of nothing like it in scope and size. I mean, it’s like a traveling circus. There are like 30 musicians.

YOUR FANS PRAISE YOU FOR CRAFTING AN IMMERSIVE CONCERT EXPERIENCE. HOW DO YOU DO THAT?

DA: There’s a song that was on my dad’s Laid Back record that he wrote for my mom called, “Multi-Colored Lady.” I had always wondered if it was, and then I found out for

DA: That’s music to my ears to hear that. I think there’s an urgency that’s

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IS THERE ANY SONG OF YOUR DAD’S THAT FEELS ESPECIALLY SACRED TO YOU?

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YOU ALL TOOK A HIATUS IN 2022; WILL WE SEE MORE ALLMAN BETTS BAND IN THE FUTURE?

DA: It’s a living, breathing entity that band.

There’s some fan talk that it’s dead or it’s over, and it’s like, me and Duane have been buddies since we were kids. Whenever we want to pick that up, we’re gonna pick it up. I will say this, the dynamic of starting a new band, no matter if you have a known name or not, it’s really tough to get out there and rebrand. We really had to pound out three straight years nonstop, and it burned us out. And it made us want to say, “Hey, let’s take a breath from it.” But you know, at the same time, it’s really nice to have people missing it. As far as the timeline on that, that’s a beautiful thing for us to know and everyone else to wait for.

YOUR SON, ORION, JOINED YOU ON STAGE THIS PAST YEAR FOR THE FIRST TIME. WHAT WAS THAT LIKE?

DA: Orion made his stage debut playing the Hammond B-3 [organ], which is the instrument that my dad played. John Ginty from the Allman Betts Band took him under his wing, and taught him a tune or two, and it was just mind-blowing

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DEVON ALLMAN

Above: Devon Allman looks over at his son, Orion, on piano during a performance.

DA: When I went on that tour in 1989, I met Duane. I was 17, and he was, like, 12. We’ve always been family since that tour. When we did that first Allman Family Revival at the Fillmore, the band was kind of born out of that. The only thing we have to be able to do is to have chemistry writing songs together, because you kind of can’t force that.

It was crazy. Not only did we have chemistry with our two voices singing together, but we had chemistry writing songs together. He would bring one part, and I’d finish it or vice versa. We were really good about pushing each other for the song to be its best without hurting anyone’s feelings or mojo. Yeah, it was truly effortless.

shop with US flamingomag.store to see him up there on stage with me. I got on the mic, and I said, “You know what, 30 years ago, my dad brought me out on stage, and here we are. I’m bringing my son out on stage.”

And the crowd just went bananas, and he played his ass off.

It’s an unbelievable feeling. Makes me a little teary thinking about it.

DID IT TAKE SOME COAXING TO GET ORION ONSTAGE?

DA: That’s a good question for John Ginty, and I believe the answer is yes. Maybe even a step beyond coaxing, maybe polite bullying.

THAT SOUNDS A LOT LIKE WHEN GREGG TAUNTED YOU ABOUT GETTING ONSTAGE BACK IN 1989.

DA: Funny how we come full circle.

Above from top left: Royal Southern Brotherhood (2012), an American

blues rock supergroup including Devon Allman; Turquoise by Devon Allman (2013); Ragged & Dirty by Devon Allman (2014); Ride or Die

by Devon Allman (2016); Down to the River by the Allman Betts Band (2019); Bless Your Heart by the Allman Betts Band (2020)

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WADING IN :JUST HATCHED DEBUTS TO PER USE B y E m i l ee Perd u e

(NORTH) reflects a range of regional influences, from the Big Easy to the Gulf Coast’s barrier islands, with dishes like Brannon’s Sunshine State-take on San Francisco cioppino to Korean fried broccoli. Stefani, on the other hand, turns her attention to customizing dishes for diners with dietary restrictions. The power couple’s creativity and skills shine on each plate, both with the fare and the dinnerware itself—Brannon makes his own ceramic plates, bowls and cups. “Part of what makes Down Island so different is the pottery,” he said.

“It’s hard to put into words, but many people say they just feel a different, good vibe when they enter the door.” downislandsrb.com Above: Skylar Stafford, Ben Williamson and Daniel Renninger, co-owners of The Huntsman

DO GOOD BEAUTY JACKSONVILLE

THE HUNTSMAN

THE HUNTSMAN

TA L LA H A S S E E

Going off the reservation is encouraged at Tallahassee’s latest upscale eatery. At The Huntsman, each dish begins at the source, which means they ethically curate wild game and seasonal produce from nearby farms. The menu boasts antelope sirloin, elk tenderloin and a melt-in-your-mouth split ribeye. Not just a canteen for carnivores, The Huntsman offers vegetarians a chef-led journey with a five-course plant-based tasting menu. With crowd pleasers for hunters and gatherers, the menu changes weekly with dishes such as smoked venison loin toast with a chanterelle mushroom conserva and boiled peanut romesco. Daniel Renninger, Ben Williamson and Skylar Stafford, co-owners of The Huntsman, which opened

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in July, wanted to create an inviting space for diners to satiate their appetite without worrying about the quality of the ingredients. Pair your dish with a South African brut or an Australian rose from their extensive wine selection, allowing you to sip around the world without leaving Leon County. huntsmantallahassee.com

HOTZ COFFEE

G R AY T O N B E A C H

Decked out in vibrant stripes and neon lights, Hotz Coffee has the java—and the positive juju—to jumpstart your beach day. Grab a cup of cold brew or a strawberry matcha, and then cruise the town on a rentable electric bike for the ultimate Grayton Beach experience. If you need a little protein to propel you, grab a breakfast burrito brimming with eggs, cheese,

chorizo and potatoes. Just steps from the sand, Hotz also offers paddleboards for rent (just be sure to wait 30 minutes if you downed one of those burritos). “Hotz is a celebration of the good life,” said owner Jeff Archer. “We want to create a sense of community and inspiration to enjoy the life you want.” For folks doing just that, check out the menu items with an added adult kick. No, we’re not above a little day drinking. instagram.com/hotz_coffee

DOWN ISLAND

S A N TA R O S A B E A C H

Although Down Island has only been serving genuine Gulf Coast goodness since January, the locals have taken to it like manatees to a natural spring. Led

by Brannon and Stefani Janca, a chef and registered dietitian respectively, Down Island’s menu

Between the flower murals and racks brimming with trendy finds, it’s nearly impossible to leave this brand-new boutique in Jacksonville’s Murray Hill neighborhood without a smile— and a shopping bag. Co-owners Rachel Wall and Moriah McNutt opened this brick-and-mortar location of Do Good Beauty in February. Find matching athleisure sets, beachy maxi dresses and sunny accessories inspired

by Southern charm, disco balls and Dolly Parton. Once you’ve got your OOTD, head to the back of the store for a blowout in the salon. Shoppers are guaranteed to leave Do Good Beauty feeling their best inside and out, since a portion of every sale supports local charities or civic projects, ranging from employing the previously incarcerated to fighting food scarcity. shopdogoodbeauty.com

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WADING IN :JUST HATCHED DEBUTS TO PER USE (C E N T RA L ) SOLEIL BAKERY AND SOCIAL HOUSE O C A LA

Melanie Patrick knew it was time to open a storefront when people kept showing up on her doorstep every night. The skilled baker began selling her confection creations on the weekends at the Ocala Downtown Market, but once people got a taste of her French macarons, decadent cheesecake bars and gooey sticky buns, they didn’t want to wait until the weekend. So, they’d show up at her house on weeknights hoping to catch a batch fresh out of the oven.

To satiate the locals’s unending

appetite for all things sweet, Patrick opened Soleil Bakery and Social House in April. The cozy cafe illuminated with chandeliers boasts big display cases full of stuffed cookies as thick as phone books, strawberry blondie squares and savory tarts bursting with bacon and gruyere. Even those with gluten intolerances can indulge, because every delicacy is made gluten-free, although most customers don’t realize it. Soleil, French for “sun,” perfectly captures the warmth Patrick exudes to all her customers.

“Everyone is welcome here,” Patrick said. “We are like family.” facebook.com/soleilocala

DOSHI

W I N T E R PA R K

Beware: You might not want to eat at this new upscale, cutting-edge Korean restaurant. That’s because some guests say doing so feels like you’re destroying a piece of art. Owners Gene Kim, Michael and Ray Gillette present an unconventional take on traditional Korean cuisine with multicourse meals and artfully assembled ingredients. Doshi, which opened in July, already has some foodies demanding a Michelin star for its mouthwatering wagyu bulgogi and flavorful lacto-fermented kimchi. Customers rave about the

attention to detail, taste and texture in each dish. Sous chefs expertly present guests with their plates, which are often bubbling with foam or smoking with liquid nitrogen. Take the red bean mousse, for example, that’s sculpted to look like a koi fish, or the Forest Floor dessert, a chocolate crumble topped with edible mushroom-shaped masterpieces.

The three owners have already expanded from their tiny sixseat chef’s table experience to a 35-seat dining room with an outdoor patio, and judging from their five-star reviews, that’s likely just the beginning. doshiorlando.com

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WADING IN :JUST HATCHED DEBUTS TO PER USE (C E N T RA L ) THE BANDBOX

THE BANDBOX

O R LA N D O

Step into the Roaring ’20s at Orlando’s first spirit-free speakeasy, which opened in June. The boozeless lounge offers sober sippers an upscale social setting with live music, tableside magicians and a photo booth. Snag a seat at a table lit by gilded lamps and surrounded by vintage baubles from the Golden ’20s. Classic movie quotes adorn The Bandbox’s velvet-draped walls.

Listen to jazz while sipping a faux tequila smoked mango margarita with a jalapeno on the side or a tequila-alternative-spiced cinnamon maple

Above: Find creatively cool mocktails

at Orlando’s The Bandbox.

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coffee cocktail for an autumnal taste. “Orlando is such an untapped market when it comes to the world of non-alcoholic,” said owner Kevin Zepf. “As the cards unfolded, it became the perfect time to bring an experience like this to the theme-park capital of the U.S.” bandboxorlando.com

Park restaurant celebrating the region’s cuisine. Their motto, “From the East to the West,” informs each dish with Old World flavor and flare. Share mussels layered in creamy gorgonzola sauce while sipping on a pomegranate Tintoretto, one of the many specialty drinks on the cocktail menu. On weekend nights, hear local musicians creating good vibrations from behind the restaurant’s cherished pink piano. From its classical tunes to its caramel fudge cheesecake, Café-Boutique Piano, offers a multisensory evening sure to satisfy all of your culinary and cultural cravings. instagram/cafeboutiquepiano

CAFÉ-BOUTIQUE PIANO W I N T E R PA R K

A gourmet dinner is best paired with live music, according to Café-Boutique Piano owners Andrei and Larisa Makhaev. The couple’s years spent living in Europe inspired them to open this Winter

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For experiences as vast as the open sea, there’s no destination like Martin County.

Forge new memories in Old Florida, with breathtaking beaches, world-class fishing, adrenaline-driving aquatic adventures, and sunny days where worries melt away. Family fun or a trip for one. Romantic rendezvous or escape with your crew. No matter your mood, discover your destination and find inspiration at moodformartin.com

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WADING IN :JUST HATCHED DEBUTS TO PER USE (SOUTH) Noir, a traditional paella-style pasta dish with squid-ink shrimp and calamari. Their pintxos, Spanish finger foods, are meant to be shared with others, but these delicious dishes might be too divine to pass around. If you order the Sagar Txerria, Iberico pork loin with a balsamic glaze, we understand why you would want to keep it all to yourself.

This South Florida spot is an artful ode to the unique Pyrenees Mountain range serving Rioja wines, French chardonnays and traditional Basque flan. Bask in the sweetness of Selva Gateau or the beloved burnt cheesecake, which are both offered on the dessert menu. Between the foreign artwork and unique dishes you won’t find anywhere else, it’s a gourmet getaway. elbasque.com and cocktail aficionados find their groove at the newly opened Dante’s HiFi.

LOEWS

CORAL GABLES

See Coral Gables from a brand new vantage point when you book a stay at the latest addition to The City Beautiful’s skyline. With four restaurants and lounges, a multitude of indoor and outdoor gathering spaces and the biggest ballroom in Coral Gables, the Loews is the ultimate venue and vacation wrapped into one. The newest member of the Loews family boasts the classic American glamour the brand is known for—a luxurious spa, rooftop swimming pool and sophisticated suites—but with a special emphasis on distinguished dining experiences. Helmed by Executive Chef Ricardo Jarquin, a longtime Miami culinary king, the Loews food and beverage concepts include a poolside restaurant with South Florida-inspired small bites, a lively

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lobby bar that welcomes guests with an expertly crafted classic cocktail and an upscale sit-down spot, Americana Kitchen, with a chef’s table experience. loewshotels.com

DANTE’S HIFI WYNWOOD

Opened September 2021, Dante’s Hifi is a swanky listening lounge that locals like to keep on the down-low. With DJs spinning classic vinyl, bartenders serving innovative cocktails and listeners discovering their new favorite tracks, it’s no secret why this intimate space is overflowing with audiophiles and casual bargoers alike. Music Director Rich Medina pulls from his history as an Afrobeat DJ to cultivate the cozy and creative atmosphere.

The wooden bookshelf that serves as the backdrop for the bar teems with Medina’s extensive record collection, all within

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arms reach of the DJ, who spins everything from smooth jazz to psychedelic funk. Search the low-lit setting for a corkboard scattered with Polaroids of past celebrity guests before throwing back a Freddie Freeloader or a Bluzudrop, some of the bar’s Miami-inspired signature drinks. This speakeasy’s discreet alleyway entrance may be difficult to find, but when you hear the booming bass and soulful saxophone, you’ll know you’re in the right place. danteshifi.com

EL BASQUE

B O N I TA S P R I N G S

Dine in the beautiful Basque Country without a passport at this Vin & Pinxto Bar, which opened in January. El Basque’s menu offers the many flavors of the Hegoalde region with dishes like Beganoa, stuffed Piquillo peppers, and Rossejat

SIDNEY’S ROOFTOP SCULPTURE GARDEN FORT MYERS

Spend the evening sipping a glass of wine among the stars and sculptures at the newly unveiled rooftop bar at the Sidney and Berne Davis Art Center in Fort Myers. Opened last summer, Sidney’s Rooftop is simply a step above the rest when it comes to elevated nightlife. Sing your favorite ballad on karaoke nights, stretch your limits at rooftop yoga or try your hand at painting with a little help from a glass of wine— or the bottle. No matter what fun hobby you choose to pursue, you can enjoy the natural beauty of a Southwest Florida sunset over the Caloosahatchee River and the aesthetic wonders of featured sculptures and paintings on display. Each piece is a sneak peak of the artistry and imagination found inside the Davis Art Center below. sbdac.com

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DANTE’S HIFI

Above: Audiophiles

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WADING IN: GROVE STAND SEASON’S EATINGS B y E ri c B a rt o n

The Sunshine State’s Sommelier Once the world’s youngest sommelier, Victoria James is now changing the culture of restaurants.

This page: Victoria James was the youngest certified sommelier to be recognized by the Court of Master Sommeliers.

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@T HEFLA M INGOMAG

GARY HE, REBECCA PALKOVIC S

V

ictoria James showed up for her first day of work at 13 years old, the child of a messy divorce, the kid who hadn’t found a place where she fit in. Little did she know she’d find it waiting tables at a New Jersey greasy spoon under the railroad tracks.

“This restaurant family, the people I worked with, they were kind of just a ragtag group of pirates that didn’t really belong anywhere else,” James remembers. “I kind of felt like I didn’t belong anywhere else, and I found a home there. And I also fell in love with, after working at a diner, this idea of finding yourself in the service of others.”

In a remarkably short amount of time, James became a certified sommelier recognized by the Court of Master Sommeliers. At 21, just old enough to actually drink the wine she was serving, she was the youngest person in the world with that honor.

Now, turning 32 in November, James is a partner in Cote, the Korean steakhouse with locations in New York and Miami. She just launched a nationwide wine club, and, this year, Michelin awarded her a huge honor for her work in Miami.

But thinking back to how she first got hooked on restaurants, it’s not easy for James to express just why it happened. It wasn’t money she was after from her first job; it was more like finding who she could become. Perhaps it was, she surmises, that she found people weirder than she was—something undeniably comforting for a teenager searching for somewhere to fit in. She spent the next eight years working her way up in better and better restaurants. Then, during the year she spent at Fordham University in the Bronx, she found herself behind a bar, realizing she knew nothing about liquor. Growing up, she associated wine with religious ceremony and alcohol as something that was too often abused.

That all changed for James through a serendipitous find.

“There was this magical moment where I found this dusty copy of Wine for Dummies

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Above: James selects high-quality red wines that bring more to the table than meets the eye.

behind the bar at the place I was working. I started reading along and really just became hooked,” James says.

It seemed like every moment of her free time became about binging the history of wine, digging into the varietals, understanding how the soil and the air and every step of the process influenced the final product. Wine became a history lesson, a deep dive into geography, a way to understand people in far-flung places.

James discovered she had an excellent palate and developed an encyclopedic knowledge of wines. Memorizing obscure facts about wine

WINE WISDOM VICTORIA JAMES There is more to just [pairing] red wine with red meat. We care about how the wine is made and who makes it. We bring our guests the best quality at some of the most competitive restaurant pricing. At Cote, we feature classic as well as the hip and new wineries, focusing on wine made in a responsible manner, lifting up women and BIPOC wine producers whenever possible.

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WADING IN: GROVE STAND SEASON’S EATINGS

regions gave her a superpower behind the bar. She began apprenticeships with sommeliers and to take wine courses. On her 21st birthday, James took and passed the intro course with the Court of Master Sommeliers. Months later, she signed up to take the Certified Sommelier Exam and passed it before turning 22.

Becoming the world’s youngest sommelier, however, was the easy part. As she described in her 2020 memoir, Wine Girl, she discovered a culture where young women working in restaurants were often the victims of the wealthy men they served—sometimes physically, often verbally. That experience motivated her to become a restaurateur herself, to put herself in a position to try to create a better workplace for women.

Her vision for opening her own place came together when Simon Kim approached her with an idea that admittedly sounded imperfect for a sommelier.

Kim wanted to open a modern version of a Korean steakhouse, and he wanted James to curate the spirits and beverages.

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Southeast Asian food is notoriously difficult to The second iteration of Cote arrived in the pair with wine, but James says she relished the Miami Design District in February 2021 and challenge. She also realized she had something ended up on many lists of the best restaurants in common with Kim. He’s a Korean American in the Magic City shortly after its debut, earnin a business where most restaurant owners are ing a Michelin star for this location and also a old, white men, and, James says, “I’m a young special accolade for James: the 2022 Florida woman in the wine world that’s an old boys Sommelier Award. club.” A restaurant of her own would give her Not long after that honor, she spoke to me an opportunity to help change by phone from her New York that. “For me, it’s exciting to be City apartment, where she had WINE WISDOM able to build a new culture at just returned from a vacation V I C T O R I A J A M E S Cote, one that’s inclusive and to the Faroe Islands. You’d Racy, Germanic white diverse and has zero tolerance be forgiven for not being wines are the perfect pairing for any sort of harassment.” familiar with that destination, for the funky fermented Located in New York’s a remote archipelago about flavors of kimchi. Instead of Flatiron district, Cote quickly 200 miles north of Scotland.

Riesling or Gruner Veltliner with Sauerkraut, think of earned accolades, including She picked it specifically these wines alongside chef’s a Michelin star and a gushing because they don’t make wine kkaennip kimchi. piece from The New York there, meaning she could take Times titled, “This May Be the a break from her day job for Best Beef at Any Korean BBQ in New York.” once. As she spoke, her toddler fussed in the In that review, Pete Wells writes that James background; she still works at the restaurant “makes a small adventure out of the wines by three days a week or so, arriving home after the glass” by finding grapes that somehow pair midnight and handling the day shift at home. with the food, like Brouilly with ssamjang and Coming to Miami about once a month, she a Patrimonio with galbi. says she’s been amazed that every single

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@T HEFLA M INGOMAG

GARY HE

Above from left: Delicious Cote galbi sizzling on the grill; There’s no shortage of hungry guests at this Michelin-starred restaurant.

Cote Galbi 4 t o 6 s e rv i n g s 5 pounds Korean-style beef short ribs 1 cup, 3 tablespoons soy sauce 1 1/2 cup water 1 cup brown sugar 2/3

cup mirin

2/3

cup orange juice

1 small onion, finely grated 2 teaspoons garlic, finely grated 1 teaspoon ginger, finely grated 1 cup Asian pear, finely grated PREPARATION: In a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients until sugar is completely dissolved.

Pour the marinade over the short ribs, and let it sit for at least six hours or overnight before use.

In a pan, add a tablespoon of oil, and turn the heat to medium high. Place the marinated short ribs in the pan and let them start to carmelize. It’s very important that the marinade has a good amount of sugar in it, so it will burn before the meat is fully cooked. The key is to move the meat around the pan and deglaze as you cook. If you do it correctly, you will be able to get a nice glaze over the meat.

Cook until it is golden brown with some bits of charred corners.

Slice and serve over a bed of rice.

COTE MIAMI — LOCATION —

REBECCA PALKOVIC S

3900 NE SECOND AVE. MIAMI — HOURS — SUN.–WED. 12–3 P.M., 5–11 P.M. THURS.–SAT. 12-3 P.M., 5PM–12 A.M. cotemiami.com

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This page:

A Germanic white wine pairs well with fermented foods, like this kkaennip kimchi.

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WADING IN: GROVE STAND SEASON’S EATINGS

table orders drinks, unlike New York, where fewer people seem to be drinking post-pandemic. To handle that, she developed a wine list here with 1,200 titles and a robust cocktail list.

This year, James launched a Cote wine club. The $165 monthly subscription gets you a K-pop-style box of three bottles, along with well-paired recipes provided by the vintners. James and her partners in the project write accompanying text that tell stories of the wines and set up a monthly Zoom happy hour with members.

The idea behind the wine club was simple, James explains. “Listen, if you go to the grocery store, will you be able to get the same quality of steak you can get at Cote? No, because, you know, the purveyors save the best cuts, always, for restaurants.” It’s like that too with wine, she says, where the vintners who produce small-batch bottles will save them for good restaurants. As a sommelier, she says, “You know, we have access to some crazy awesome shit that you just can’t get elsewhere.”

Which is why she wants to give them to you. Because you—or perhaps even your 13-year-old kid—are about to discover a world where you belong. And just maybe, it’ll be thanks to a bottle of wine.

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This page: Cannelés

de Bordeaux, small French pastries, pair best with a Sauternes.

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REBECCA PALKOVIC S

WINE WISDOM VICTORIA JAMES One of the most tried and true pairing rules is “what grows together, goes together.” Historic winemaking regions have crafted their wine and cuisine together for centuries. There’s a reason the wine tastes so good when on vacation in France or Italy—because it’s made for the food. This is a Sauternes paired with Cannelés de Bordeaux.

Separately they’re both a bit overpowering in their concentration of sweetness, but together they are a bright and caramelized dream.

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Because LRRoF does not have a shelter or central facility, we are always in need of fosters. The number of foster homes available directly impacts the number of labs that can be saved by our organization.

Please visit our website for more information.

www.L RRo F.or g

Duke, Adopted March 2018

[ — Unf ilter ed Fodder —

Capital Dame B y D i a n e R o b ert s

The Old Road to Home Horn, Texas, is not in that class of legendary.

No one has declared it “scenic,” though the part that runs between the Suwannee River in the east and Holmes Creek in the west can be beautiful, with grassy hills and stands of oak and cypress. But for me, U.S. Highway 90 is a path into the past, an unspooling ribbon leading me through the Florida that was—the Florida before the interstates.

U.S. 90 was created out of a jumble of local

roads in 1926 after the establishment of the United States Numbered Highway System.

Under the asphalt, the thoroughfare is much older, a trail created by native people long before the conquistadors showed up. The Spanish made it their “royal road,” El Camino Real, running between the colonial capitals at Pensacola and St. Augustine.

Long-traveled paths carry ghosts. Interstate 10, U.S. 90’s wider, newer shadow, will get

[

America is latticed with storied roads: Hardtops we built to better ourselves or find ourselves or just light out. John Steinbeck called Route 66 the “mother road,” leading beaten-down Dust Bowlers to the promised land of California. Robert Johnson, Charley Patton and Son House birthed the blues along Route 61 between Memphis and New Orleans. U.S. 90, running from Jacksonville Beach to Van

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ISTOCK /SCAMPDESIGNS

Diane Roberts takes us on a trip down U.S. Highway 90 in Northwest Florida to her homeplace, painting a picture of the past that’s equal parts painful and pretty.

you there quicker, but it doesn’t tell the same stories. When I was a kid in Tallahassee, it seemed like we were always on 90, sometimes going to Jacksonville to shop for what my mother called “better clothes” at May-Cohens and Furchgott’s, a lovely department store with strawberry-print dress boxes. Every July we’d drive the 25 miles east to Monticello, the Jefferson County seat, for watermelons picked right out of the fields. Jefferson is such a small county it still doesn’t have a stoplight today.

Mostly, though, we headed west to The Farm (it always sounded like it should be capitalized), where my grandparents lived along with a cocker spaniel, uncounted chickens and 150 cows. My mother had been born and raised there, and she knew the mileage precisely: 82.3 miles from our house in Tallahassee to the back porch door in Chipley. We knew the towns and villages in between the way we knew the books of the Bible: Quincy, Gretna, Mount Pleasant, Oak Grove, Chattahoochee, Sneads, Grand Ridge, Marianna, Cottondale.

In the summers, my brother and I spent a month at The Farm—separately. Our gentle grandmother hated it when we ran around whacking each other’s legs with Hot Wheels tracks, so she preferred to deal with one illtempered child at a time.

up at their gas stations, broccoli-colored and 15 feet high. We longed for one of our own.

Quincy had no dinos, just big houses and fine churches dating back to the 1820s. Centenary United Methodist Church has a stained-glass window signed by Louis Comfort Tiffany.

With a population of about 8,000, Quincy was once the richest town in America. During the Depression, a fellow named Mark Welch “Pat” Munroe, the local banker, encouraged his customers to scrape up some cash and buy Coca-Cola stock. The share price had plummeted from $40 in 1919 to $19. The ones who listened became millionaires. Of course, many of them came from landed families who, like everybody else, struggled during the 1930s, but weren’t especially bad off.

Beyond Quincy it’s a different story.

The cotton and shade tobacco fields are gone, replaced by tomatoes, sod and nursery plants. Many of those harvesting the crops are Black, but also increasingly Latino. (Insider tip: Taquería Miranda on the western edge of town does great papusas.) The hamlet of Gretna, as poor as Quincy is rich, is now the unlikely home of a casino run by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. You can bet on quarter horse races there or play blackjack, though gambling doesn’t seem to help the people who live there. Rusted Fords sit in front of small block houses too close to the road, scenes far from the coiffed palm trees and azure swimming pools our politicians want to be the world’s idea of “Florida.” Sometimes there’d be a little fruit stand in front of one of these houses, with a lady selling the cantaloupes, plums and Silver Queen corn she grew in her backyard. My mother would stop, and we’d

SHUT TERSTOCK /FERDYBOY

Highway 90 is a path into the past, an unspooling ribbon leading me through the Florida that was.

Sinclair Dinosaurs and Coca-Cola Stock Once we crossed the Ochlockonee River heading west, the world became greener and stranger. Somebody had parked a brontosaurus in their front yard. I think it was a Sinclair dinosaur, the kind they used to put

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buy some of everything.

Just before the spot where the time zone changes from Eastern to Central—weirdly, you could get there from Tallahassee a few minutes before you actually left Tallahassee—the landscape is lush but melancholy. Chattahoochee, an ancient settlement on the high bluffs above where the Flint, Chattahoochee and Apalachicola Rivers meet, was a sacred site for the Apalachee for more than 1,000 years.

You can still see three of the seven great mounds they built near the confluence, a ceremonial complex that also functioned as an astronomical observatory. Somewhere nearby, the Spanish established a mission in the 17th century, now vanished into the kudzu. A fort built in 1816 to defend the southern border of the U.S. lies drowned in Lake Seminole, a reservoir created by damming the rivers in the early 1950s. The Florida State Hospital for the mentally ill, founded in 1876, looks deceptively serene, with its old white buildings, some of them with woodwork as lacy as a Victorian petticoat. In the 1830s, it was a munitions depot, supplying federal soldiers in the Second Seminole War whose job was to drive native people out of Florida. Then on the edge of Marianna, the next town over, is the notorious Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys. Now closed, this “reform” school was where scores of boys were beaten, tortured and sometimes killed. Untold numbers of boys are buried in unmarked

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Capital Dame UNF ILTER ED FODDER

graves in the fields, and it later served as inspiration for Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Nickel Boys.

Antebellum Gems and Farm House Follies Before 1865, Marianna was a prosperous cotton town, with elegant houses and, right behind them, fields worked by enslaved people. The rich white folks lived large, at least until the Battle of Marianna on September 27, 1864. Union forces, including a detachment of U.S. Colored Troops, destroyed food stores, liberated 600 slaves and routed the Confederate volunteers. Johnny Reb and Billy Yank shot at each other across Lafayette Street, now the Marianna downtown stretch of U.S. 90.

Marianna’s most distinguished citizen, Gov. John Milton, who knew the South was losing the war, rode home from Tallahassee in the spring of 1865 and, on April 1, apparently shot himself to death at his plantation house.

Every once in a while, we’d visit the caves, officially called the Florida Caverns State Park, a network of limestone caves opened up by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, some tall as a cathedral, with spiky translucent stalactites and critters such as gray bats and blind crayfish. Most times though, our treat was parking for a couple of minutes to look at the RCA Records Victor dog in downtown Marianna. He sat above a shop door, maybe six feet high, head cocked at the oversized horn speaker of a gramophone.

The other thing we loved was the Russ house, a 19th century mansion with a huge

curved veranda precariously supported by disintegrating Corinthian columns. For years it was choking in wisteria vines, its floors sagging. I used to fantasize about buying it.

Happily, somebody did, and now it’s fixed up and houses the Jackson County Visitor Center.

Lots of the other fanciful columned and turreted houses in Marianna have been fixed up, too, painted in lavender, hyacinth blue and butter yellow.

miles from town. My grandmother took me to call on members of the Presbyterian Women’s Circle who served us iced tea and pound cake. Sometimes I visited my GreatAunt Rilla, who ran her own flower shop out of the tall 1910 house built by my greatgrandfather so that his children could go to school in town. I pet the noses of the redfurred Hereford cattle in the fields, played with baby chicks and read all my mother’s old Nancy Drew books (again and again). I was never bored.

Much of this world is gone. My grandparents died 40 years ago. Their house is still there, though whoever bought it after them tore some of it down, making it smaller. But the 300-year-old live oak in the front yard remains.

Great-Aunt Rilla’s house is still a flower shop. The broad pastures where my mother gave me my first driving lessons are now full of duplexes, and the Piggly Wiggly has to compete with the Walmart Supercenter down by I-10. The magical critters, the RCA dog in Marianna and the Gadsden County Brontosaurus have disappeared. But on my stretch of road, the rivers and trees still whisper their stories, the past is still evident, and the old road still feels like home.

Grandaddy and I went to the Piggly Wiggly and fished in the pond at the old farm where he grew up.

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Unlike Marianna, Chipley is not an antebellum gem. It wasn’t founded until 1882, and my grandfather, whose family has been in Washington County since the 1820s, wasn’t impressed: “I’ve got a mule older than Chipley,” he’d say. Instead of a pretty square with a courthouse, the town center is a railroad track, courtesy of William Dudley Chipley, a former state senator and Ku Klux Klansman who ran his railway from Pensacola to Chattahoochee. We’d turn off 90, driving past my grandfather’s pastures to the house, a low, sprawly place built in 1925 with window seats, French doors, and a cellar—an oddity in a state where if you dig down a few feet you usually hit water. If you’re wondering how a child spent her days on a farm in a house with two TV channels, well, Granddaddy and I went to the Piggly Wiggly and fished in the pond at the old farm where he grew up (and his father, and his father’s father), 10

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Diane Roberts is an eighthgeneration Floridian, educated at Florida State University and Oxford University. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian and the Tampa Bay Times. She has also authored four books, including Dream State, a historical memoir of Florida.

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But our reef is in distress from disease and climate change.

With partners, the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida funds the world’s largest collection of rescued Florida corals, the future of our reef. Caring for these corals and breeding new babies are crucial for our ocean, its fisheries, and Floridians.

Join us in protecting Florida’s Coral Reef for future generations. Learn more at wildlifeflorida.org or scan below.

On the PUTTING IT ALL

Meet two lady anglers, some call them Swamp witches, shaking up the fishing world

Line

and attempting to save the Everglades along the way.

By JESSICA GILES // Photography by MARY BETH KOETH

It’s objectively not a good day for fishing, but you could never tell from the look on Betsy Bullard and Wesley Locke’s faces. It’s a muggy July morning, and Bullard, 65, and Locke, 28, sit perched on the sides of the skiff, completely unbothered by the less-than-ideal weather whirling around us. Sinister black clouds are piling up in the sky to our right and left, with the occasional lightning bolt reaching down to kiss the mangroves in the distance. Mother Nature is showing off her formidable side here in the farthest reaches of Everglades National Park. We’re launching from Flamingo Marina, the southernmost (accessible) point of the national park. As we load up the boat in preparation for a day of fly-fishing, Bullard and Locke are hoping that the influx of fresh water might make the tarpon happy. The dozens of manatees rolling in the marina like a Cajun crawfish boil seem to be.

It’s not supposed to be green.

It’s not supposed to be green at all.

—Benny Blanco

Previous spread:

Captain Benny Blanco poles a skiff through the Everglades as Wesley Locke casts a fly and Betsy Bullard looks on.

Right: Wesley Locke,

left, and Betsy Bullard, right, bonded over their love of angling in 2018.

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The same can’t be said about Captain Benny Blanco. The full-time fishing guide makes his living running charters in and around the Everglades and spends the remainder of his time fighting for its restoration with Captains for Clean Water, a group of passionate guides and anglers from around the state.

It’s clear Blanco doesn’t like what he sees. As he pulls out of the marina, he stands to scan the water beyond the mangroves. His eyebrows furrow. His mouth hardens into a line.

Blanco is trying to do what he does best—put us on tarpon the size of a surfboard and snook that’ll snap our line—but it seems our circumstances have soured, if his expression is any indication. It isn’t the raging skies pressing in from the east and west that have Blanco concerned, it’s the water gently lapping at the skiff.

“It’s not supposed to be green,” he says with an edge. “It’s not supposed to be green at all.”

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F r esh Outta Water Oh, but it’s green alright, like a sickly shade of split-pea soup.

It’s the first visible sign of what Blanco has been talking about all morning. Before we ventured into this remote wilderness, we gathered at a Homestead Cracker Barrel, discussing the precarious predicament the Everglades has found itself in and the work that Captains for Clean Water has been doing to give this park a seat at the table in Tallahassee.

Blanco hardly touches his toast he’s so busy giving me the rundown on the environmental and political forces that are slowly strangling the swamp.

The Everglades’ troubles began back in the early 1900s, when the U.S. government constructed dikes, levees and canals to prevent Lake Okeechobee from overflowing during heavy rainfall. Not only did this attract new settlers who were assured they wouldn’t be swept away in a flood, but it also created fertile land perfect for growing sugarcane, rice and vegetables.

While these new dikes and levees were good news for growers in the sugar industry, they’ve led to some serious environmental repercussions in the Everglades and beyond. The resulting agricultural boom in the area surrounding Lake Okeechobee led to an influx of phosphate-laden farm runoff into the lake. Eventually, this water makes its way to the ocean via the Caloosahatchee River and the St. Lucie Canal, where its effects aren’t pretty. The high phosphorus levels in the water are partly to blame for the dramatic Red Tide events Floridians have seen over the past few years.

And the fallout trickles all the way down into the River of Grass—where it’s hardly a river at all anymore. With less water flowing south, the Everglades is being deprived of the fresh water it needs to remain balanced, and the result is all around us on this tempestuous summer morning.

So our first hunt of the day isn’t for tarpon or snook or redfish, it’s for cleaner water. As we charge through the flats, Blanco’s gaze flits from the radar on his phone to the unsatisfactory shallows. His expression is one of disappointment, like a father whose rebellious teenager has broken curfew, yet again. He’s seen this before, and he’s pretty sure he’ll see it

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This spread from left:

Betsy Bullard, right, points out a fish to Wesley Locke, left; A box of handmade flies; a young tarpon about to be released back to the water in the Everglades

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again. I can tell he isn’t pleased with our prospects, but with storms squeezing us from either side, we don’t have the luxury of time to troll through Florida Bay in search of the perfect fishing spot. This will have to do.

This absence of freshwater is particularly painful to the environment as sea-level rise sends salinity levels soaring. These hypersalinity events wipe out huge beds of seagrass critical for supporting the diverse wildlife in the park. Suddenly, an ecosystem once teeming with wood storks, snail kites and snook is eerily quiet, and water that was once as clear as tequila is cloudy and discolored, much like it is today.

Blanco cuts the engine right at the edge of the dark cloud dumping sheets of rain in front of us and scrambles atop the poling platform. Meanwhile, Bullard and Locke begin a dance that’s second nature. Since we’re fly-fishing today, the duo takes turns casting. “Betsy first, always,” Locke tells me matterof-factly. As Bullard takes her place on the bow, Locke climbs on top of the cooler to spot risers—what anglers call the fish just barely breaking the surface of the water. Locke’s hoping to spot a few tarpon rolling, but Bullard will be content with just about anything on her fly.

It’s one of the rare moments their age difference shows.

They’ve spent all morning busting each other’s chops, but when the rods come out, so does a special kind of reverence.

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Sisters of the Sea Bullard and Locke met back in 2018 when Locke was still finding her footing in the working world after graduating college with a degree in planning and marketing. Having grown up in Boca Grande—the tarpon capital of the world— with a skilled fishing guide as a father, Locke spent her entire life on the water. Since she couldn’t imagine herself sitting behind a desk for eight hours a day, she set out to land a job that’d keep her connected to her roots.

“I just knew that fishing was the one thing I could talk about on end without getting tired of it,” says the self-described swamp witch, a tongue-in-cheek moniker that illustrates her raw affection for the Glades and all its wonders.

She sent out applications to all the big names in the fishing industry and returned home to wait for good news. In the meantime, she started working for the Boca Grande Area Chamber of Commerce, helping them run their tarpon tournaments and eventually, becoming the executive director for four years. It was also where she got her first taste of Red Tide.

When the persistent and pervasive Red Tide event of 2018 ransacked the fishing industry in her hometown, Locke started to look at the bigger picture.

“For a while, I couldn’t talk about it without crying,” Locke said candidly.

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What Locke understood that many don’t is that restoring freshwater flow to the Everglades is the long-term solution for a multitude of the state’s water quality woes. The wetlands of the Everglades operate as nature’s filtration system, so that by the time it’s dumped into Florida Bay, it’s about as pure as it can get. But with water no longer flowing south from Lake Okeechobee, it doesn’t get a chance for the Glades to work its magic—and this unique park is starved of the freshwater it desperately needs.

“It’s all one living breathing organism,” Bullard said. “They always say, ‘You can cut the head off the snake, and you kill the monster.’ Well they’re cutting the head off this environment, and it’s going to kill everything.”

Much like Locke, the bug bit Bullard early. She also grew up on the water fishing with her dad, but in the streams and bays of Richmond, Virginia.

“Basically, as soon as I could hold a rod, he had me fishing,” Bullard said. “And I just really took to it.”

When her 16th birthday granted her a driver’s license, she spent her weekends saltwater fishing at Virginia Beach and the Outer Banks. It was the beginning of a life molded and shaped by the sea—one that even included a stint running a fishing

lodge in Costa Rica.

“In a nutshell, I took my son, when he was about 11, fishing to Golfito Sailfish Rancho in Costa Rica. And while there, I met my future husband, who was our captain,” Bullard laughed.

“Well, obviously we ended up getting married, and then like a year after we got married, we bought the Golfito Sailfish Rancho, which had been closed down.”

The family restored Golfito Sailfish Rancho to its former glory and ran the lodge for 12 years until the market crash of 2009–2010.

“We went from being booked a year in advance to having one customer,” she said.

While her Costa Rica chapter closed, it Bullard opened up Bullard’s time to help run fishing tournaments and compete in them herself.

First she tackled the offshore world, but when she moved to the Florida Keys in 2002, splitting her time between Islamorada and Costa Rica, she found a new obsession.

“When I discovered the site fishing here in the Keys, I was done. I was toast,” she said.

Ask anyone who knows her, and they’ll tell you that no one loves fishing more than Bullard. And that may have been true before Locke entered the picture. The pair met at a tournament

They’re cutting the head off this environment, and it’s going to kill everything.

— Betsy

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kickoff in Boca Grande and discovered that Bullard knew Locke’s father, Tommy, from the tarpon tournaments she ran down in the Keys. From Locke’s perspective, Bullard was living the dream.

“I just thought she was so freaking cool,” Locke said. “I knew she was a good person to learn from, and so I was like, OK as much as she’ll let me soak up her knowledge and her experience and bounce things off of her … as long as she’ll let me hang out, I’ll be here.”

Their relationship began as a mentorship. Locke made the trip down to the Keys to shadow Bullard while she helmed the Fish for Holly Sailfish Tournament, and then later, Bullard invited Locke to go fishing with her.

“We just ended up really clicking,” Locke recalled. “I think for her, she hadn’t had someone she’d really mentored in the fishing industry, and I had no idea someone would want to mentor me.”

I have found my soulmate in the obsession for fishing.

—Betsy Bullard

Wa l k o f Sh a m e From the looks of it, Locke landed one hell of a mentor.

Bullard casts her line out into the murky waters for maybe a minute before she hooks a snook. It’s not breaking any Guinness World Records, but Bullard is appreciative nonetheless, especially given the subpar conditions.

“It was a gift!” She cries. “The pressure is off.”

“I knew we brought you for a reason,” Blanco teases.

Bullard holds up her snook with measured pride. “Very nice snook. Thank you,” she nods to the fish thoughtfully.

As she slips the snook back into the water, Locke assumes her place at the bow, rod in hand. She confesses that she’s had a bit of a rough streak lately.

“The bonefish were giving me all the middle fingers,” she says about her last outing.

But she’s hoping with Bullard’s help she can break her bad luck. Despite having about 30 more years on the water than Locke, Bullard stays nearly silent while the young angler works.

Her presence is felt, not heard—untangling the line as Locke strips it or pointing out a ripple on the surface. Sometimes she can’t help but crack a joke, and at one point when I glance over, the friends are reenacting the iconic scene from Titanic on the front of the skiff, then erupt into a fit of giggles.

“It’s like we have the same thought process,” Bullard said.

“We just think so much alike. Our sense of humor is absolutely the same, and then our obsession with fishing … I have found my soulmate in the obsession for fishing. And then the whole conservation end of it, too, because I’ve met plenty of people who love to fish, but nobody else who appreciates the whole habitat, the area, the water, all of the components that bring you the fishing. It’s hard to find someone who sees all of that and appreciates it and really understands what’s happening in it.”

Bullard understands because she’s been watching the degradation of the Everglades happen firsthand since she moved

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to the Florida Keys in 2002. But the full weight of the Glades’ deterioration didn’t hit her until eight years ago when she was hauling in her catch from a day out in Flamingo. Although in retrospect, it wasn’t much of a haul, she says. Bullard brought in a snook and a redfish on fly, and a snook on a spinning rod.

“We saw three fish, we caught three fish,” she said.

Back at the marina, a fellow angler asked her how the day went. As she rattled off her count, the man was ecstatic for her.

“Man, that’s a great day,” he exclaimed.

It stopped Bullard dead in her tracks.

“Oh my god, 20 years ago that was the walk of shame!” she said. “Those were the only fish we saw all day long in what used to be the most prolific redfish and snook spot that I ever saw.”

A Bad Bill

Above: Betsy

Bullard adjusts her fly rod.

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Our numbers today aren’t much better. Bullard’s lone snook is the only fish we caught in the bay before being chased back to the marina by the storm. After a brief snack break to let the rain subside, we decide to snake our way through the corridor of mangroves to the backcountry and try our luck with tarpon.

Locke’s ears perk up at the word “tarpon” like a dog when it’s owner mutters the word “treat.” The young angler has a special affinity for the species given her Boca Grande roots, and after she moved to Islamorada in February of 2021, she started running tarpon tournaments such as the Herman Lucerne Memorial Backcountry Fishing Championship (and others) just like Bullard.

The 65-year-old “allegedly” retired from running tournaments in 2019, but she admits she can’t help but keep her hand in the competitive circuit. It might have something to do with the fact that Locke, who runs many of the tournaments in the Keys now, was crashing on her couch for a month when she first relocated there.

While Locke has her eyes set on becoming a force in the professional angling world, she’s found that running tournaments gives her an ideal outlet to raise money for organizations like Captains for Clean Water that are moving the needle for Everglades restoration.

“They’re just people like us that make their living on the water and saw what was happening and cared enough to step up and do something about it,” Bullard said about Captains for Clean Water. “They’re giving these people a voice, and they’re letting people tell their stories. And it’s working.”

These days when Bullard isn’t helping Locke run one of the Keys’ many tournaments, she’s working to mobilize other anglers on the islands to start advocating for the fishery they love to play in or driving to Tallahassee to confront the politicians who hold the fate of the Everglades in their hands.

The most recent—and the most significant—win for Bullard, Locke and the Captains for Clean Water crew came with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ veto of SB 2508. The bill, filed on Feb. 4, would’ve deprioritized building a reservoir critical to

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Bullard and the rest of the Captains for Clean Water crowd left Tallahassee that day exhausted and all but sure the fight was over. Until June 8, when DeSantis shocked everyone— including Captains for Clean Water—and vetoed SB 2508.

In true Bullard fashion, she was out fishing the day the bill was vetoed. Her usually quiet excursion was interrupted when her phone started rattling the boat.

“It lit up like a fire,” she said. “I don’t know one person that saw that coming.”

My age has not afforded me the luxury to quit.

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An Omen

The glassy surface of the backcountry undulates with the thunder rolling in.

Locke Bullard and Locke are both putting off leaving, desperate to catch another, but every second the clouds seem to be inching closer to our skiff.

Blanco is about to call it quits when Locke and Bullard let out a shout. Locke’s hooked a tarpon, and she’s hell bent on getting it to the boat. The modest-sized fish shoots above the surface like a Jack-in-the-Box, flashing its signature silver. It’s only the second fish we’ve hooked all day, so we’re all nearly hanging off the skiff with anticipation as we watch the struggle. After what seemed like an eternity, but couldn’t have been more than a minute or two, the tarpon breaks free. We let out

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CAPTAINS FOR CLEAN WATER, GR ACE IREL AND

Everglades restoration, codified preferential treatment of the sugar industry in Lake Okeechobee water management and made funding for restoration contingent on the bill passing.

The bill was suspicious on multiple fronts, Blanco said, but particularly because it was submitted as a “budget conforming bill.” This essentially fast tracks it to the Senate floor, giving concerned citizens only one opportunity to comment on it in a public hearing, instead of the standard three to four. A few keen-eyed Captains for Clean Water members spotted the bill the day after it was filed and raised the alarm bell. Bullard spent all day on the phone, calling every guide, angler —Wesley and local she knew.

On Feb. 17, more than 100 anglers, including Bullard, dressed in their fanciest UV protective shirts and baseball hats, parked their skiffs on the lawn and filled the halls of the Capitol building in Tallahassee. They were there to give lawmakers hell about SB 2508. Despite pushing politicians on the details of the legislation and what it would mean for the state’s long-term conservation goals, the Florida Senate passed the bill 37-2.

“The senators wouldn’t even look up,” Blanco recalled about the vote.

a collective groan.

It’s a humbling day for the anglers, but more than anything, it may be indicative of the very thing we’ve spent the day talking about. The Everglades is no longer an ecosystem of abundance. These days it’s marked by scarcity and selfishness.

“The thing that bothers me and breaks my heart the most is that the Everglades National Park is basically the eighth wonder of the world as far as an ecosystem goes—it is the only one like that in the entire world, and it’s being destroyed by greed and money and for political gain,” Bullard said.

While those who fish Florida’s waters lobby for politicians to start prioritizing the Everglades, the agricultural industry—especially the sugar industry—is reluctant to release its grip on water management. And they’re putting their money where their mouth is. The sugar industry donated more than $6 million to Florida political candidates and their respective political committees in the 2022 election cycle, the Tampa Bay Times reported. A number that anglers just can’t match.

But what they lack in funds they make up for in doggedness.

Bullard and Locke help spread the Captains for Clean Water mission in the Florida Keys through fishing tournaments, guide association meetings and talking just about anyone’s ear off that will listen about the environment.

“If I wasn’t hopeful, I wouldn’t be sitting here right now,”

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Bullard said to me at the marina “The veto was the energy shock we all needed.”

Bullard admits there have been times she’s gotten jaded, when the fight feels fruitless. She even left the Florida Keys to try out a life in Pine Island on the Gulf Coast. She only lasted 10 months. The fishing there was nothing like the Everglades.

In part, she’s hopeful for the young woman sitting next to her. Locke has a long list of angling achievements she’d like to accomplish, including winning the “big three” tarpon tournaments: Golden Fly, Don Hawley and the Gold Cup. It’s a dream she’ll never realize without the Everglades.

“My age has not afforded me the luxury to quit,” Locke said.

As the thunder grows too loud to ignore, Blanco motions for everyone to pack up. The pair casts a few last hopeful lines as Blanco fires up the skiff. We careen through the maze of mangroves with lightning and rain nipping at our heels.

It feels like an omen, of sorts.

We pull off of the water just before the sky gives way, like the clouds were too exhausted to hold it in any longer. Truthfully, everywhere I look, the landscape seems tired; an ecosystem slowly choking to death. Each small win opening the airway a bit more for a national park like no other. But I can’t help but wonder if the political hand will squeeze too tight—if one day it all gives way.

This spread from left:

Captain Benny Blanco, center, speaks out against SB 2508 outside of the Florida Capitol with Captains for Clean Water co-founders Chris Wittman, left, and Daniel Andrews, right; A Captains for Clean Water skiff sits outside the Florida Capitol; Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoes SB 2508 surrounded by Captains for Clean Water members.

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SMOKING

Two local chefs and one brewmaster revive the culinary culture in this hidden pocket of the Panhandle.

By STEVE DOLLAR // Photography by MARK WALLHEISER

S Below: A line forms

outside of Ryry’s Kitchen.

Center: Ryan

Richardson’s tattoo is an homage to his time in the Marines.

Right: Chicken,

pickled okra and pickled red onions from Ryry’s Kitchen

moke rises from a humble parking lot off the side of two-lane U.S. Highway 319 as it passes through Crawfordville, a signal for drivers to slow down and pull up into a spot next to a sign of a pig. Most of the businesses along this stretch are generic—fast-food franchises, discount stores—interspersed with storefront gospel churches, auto garages and signage boasting some combination of the words “vape,” “nails” and “CBD.” Just beyond the commercial facades lies literal wilderness: the Apalachicola National Forest, the Aucilla and Flint Rock Wildlife Management Areas and the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. It might be easy to overlook Ryry’s Kitchen. Yet, if you happen to sail past the customized 1993 Penske moving truck—emblazoned with the caricature of a grinning porker in shades and a chef’s hat, smoking a cigar clenched between its teeth—don’t worry. On any given day, Ryan Richardson will be serving up his barbecue at one of a score of locations within a one-hour radius, posting routine updates to his various social media accounts.

Three years ago, Richardson launched a one-man enterprise, selling pulled pork, ribs, brisket and sausage smoked with his own bespoke mixture of oak, pecan and hickory woods and seasoned with a rub that includes uncommon secret ingredients, including some inspiration from the Spaniards who arrived in Florida in the early 1500s. He hashtagged it #floridaque. He was an instant success.

“It was crazy,” he said. “My first two to three months open here in Crawfordville was insane. I mean, insane.” A lot of that, admittedly, was timing. When the pandemic shut down local restaurants, Richardson’s truck was the only option for many.

“I would have lines down the sidewalk,” he said.

The entire world has changed since then, but they’re still lining up for Ryry’s rib candy and clever side dishes like his watermelon and cucumber salad. Along the way, he’s creating a new regional barbecue identity.

“Florida doesn’t have a style,” said Richardson, as we hopped into his truck behind the Wakulla Teen Center lot where he set up shop for the day. “You have Texas barbecue in Florida. Carolina barbecue in Florida. Alabama barbecue in Florida. Hey, I’m doing Florida barbecue in Florida!”

What that means for Richardson is putting his own mojo on the “old-school” Alabama style that nurtured him, growing up around Montgomery, Alabama, where his grandfather ran a string of country stores in Montgomery and Macon counties. “He made moonshine and had pool tables in the back and always had the barbecue pit going,” Richardson recalled. He picked up important life

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skills—shooting pool, playing Pac-Man, RYRY’S making moonshine.

KITCHEN “That’s where I fell in — LOCATION — love with barbecue.

CHECK SOCIAL MEDIA FOR FOOD TRUCK SCHEDULE Hanging out behind — INSTAGRAM — my grandpa’s store @RYRYSKITCHEN and just listening to ryryskitchen.com the old folks talk and get drunk and cook and watching and learning and listening.” His mentor was an older African American employee of his grandfather’s named Gus, who they called “Goose.”

“He was the only person my grandfather would turn me loose with,” Richardson said. “Out in the country, there never was a big deal about Black or white. We were just country people.”

Teenage Ryan’s departure for the wider world was hastened when he beat up his sister’s boyfriend and landed before a judge. The choice was jail or enlist in the military. His next stop was the United States Marine Corps boot camp.

“It changed my life, big time,” said Richardson, whose knuckles are tattooed with the words “True Few,” an homage to the Marines’ slogan: the few, the proud. “I was an asshole.”

Not quite two decades later, Richardson found his way to Wakulla County, where his mother and sister had resettled—his late stepfather hailed from Alligator Point—and quickly made his mark, running the camper kitchen in back of The Wilbury, the popular bar between the Florida State University and Florida A&M University campuses. Despite the success of Ryry’s Kitchen, which now has a couple of employees and has expanded into catering, Richardson heeds his grandfather’s advice “not to get too big for his britches.” His agenda pretty much remains a man, a truck and a lot of smoked pig.

But he’s going (even more) mobile.

Last month, Richardson sold his house in Wakulla and bought a camper. Crawfordville will remain his base, but he plans to take his act on the road, taking his #floridaque to music festivals around the country. “I’m a hippie at heart, my parents were hippies,” said Richardson, who has a Grateful Dead skull tattoo “with the Widespread Panic symbol in the middle of it” on one of his legs. “I don’t even have a house anymore to have a kitchen,” he said. “I wanted to be able to be out on tour for the rest of my life.”

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Where there are hops, there’s hope

To introduce myself to Elliot Seidler, founder of Sopchoppy’s first craft beer brewery, I drop a bit of family lore. This speck of a town, situated on U.S. Highway 319 between Medart and Alligator Harbor—a shout from the Ochlockonee River— was notorious as the place where my father ran afoul of some locals as a young man. I forget the circumstances. Maybe he was asking for directions or had paused too long at the wrong stop sign. Regardless, he didn’t stick around. Some tough guys came at him with a tire iron, confirmation perhaps of a saying

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a customer shares with me that Sopchoppy is only 33 miles from Tallahassee, “but 109 years south.”

Seidler smiles as he works the bar inside Civic Brewing Co. on a recent Saturday afternoon. “Yeah, it’s changed a lot,” he said. Born and raised in Sopchoppy, Seidler is clearly an agent for that change. The full house of convivial patrons he’s hustling to serve confirms his instincts. The scrappy businessman had to push for six months to change a local ordinance in order to open his brewery in June 2021, joining established breweries in Eastpoint (Eastpoint Beer Company) and Apalachicola (Oyster City Brewing Co.) on the coastal craft beer front. He renovated and reopened the former site of the pizza joint where he held his first job as a teenager, slinging pies alongside Jesse and Tyler Rice, who would later launch their first restaurant there as Backwoods Bistro. Before the 2008

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Above: Civic Brewing

Co. is Sopchoppy’s first craft beer brewery.

Right: Elliot Seidler

had to convince the city to change a local ordinance to open Civic Brewing.

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financial collapse, Sopchoppy had more happening, includhouse back in his hometown. ing three recording studios. The arrival of Civic signals the “The thing is, [Sopchoppy’s] going to grow,” he said. “It’s promise of something new. about being able to make it so it’s good growth.”

“I used my home-brewing kit when I first opened up, and then obviously I kept running out of beer,” said Seidler, who was trained in the Master Brewers Certificate Program at the University of California, Davis. His resources have expanded significantly since last summer. A chalkboard tap list offers 10 options, including a Sopchoppy Stout, an American Pilsner dubbed Pils Nye the Science Guy, and the top-selling Tupelo Blonde, an ale infused with the tupelo honey that is Jesse and Tyler Rice, Seidler’s high school buddies from the famously sourced nearby. pizza joint, are circling back, too. Elder (by 18 months) sibling Seidler, whose perfectly cultivated mustache would serve Jesse staked his claim on the restaurant business in 2006, at him as well bartending in a Prohibition-era speakeasy or age 20, when he opened Backwoods Bistro in Sopchoppy. an Old West saloon, got the home-brewing Five years later he opened Backwoods bug from his sister Taylor, formerly creative Bistro in Tallahassee, and then Tyler partnered director for Beer Advocate magazine, who with him to create Backwoods Crossing, a CIVIC took him to his first beer festival when he was farm-and-table restaurant with its own fourBREWING CO. 21. Seidler also traveled the world in the Navy. acre farm at the far eastern edge of Tallahassee.

— LOCATION — “I drank everywhere, probably too much,” Now the brothers are soon to open Trident, 106 MUNICIPAL AVE. SOPCHOPPY he said. He came across his favorite spot in their new spin on the classic coastal Florida — HOURS — Yokohama, during three years stationed in seafood house, in a 9,000-square-foot site WED.–FRI. 4–9 P.M. Japan. It was called, Thrash Zone. “All they overlooking Dickerson Bay in Panacea.

SAT. 1–9 P.M. SUN. 1–5 P.M. did was play metal, and they had eight or nine It’s all very familiar to the Rices. As kids, civicbrewingco.com beers on tap. It was awesome.” their parents paid frequent visits to what was Sopchoppy, with its official population then the Harbor House. The boys would race of 483 people and its springtime Worm out to the dock, “causing havoc,” as Tyler Gruntin’ Festival, may not be ready to thrash yet, but it’s taken recalled, while the grown-ups waited for a table. The business to Civic, Seidler’s brews and the pub’s vintage-rustic decor, closed in 2006, and the building fell into disrepair, more or less just fine. Where there’s hops, there’s hope for more cool things untouched save for a brief, botched effort to convert it into to come. Seidler, who now lives in Tallahassee, is looking for a a sportsman’s retreat several years ago. The opportunity fell

Beyond fried shrimp baskets

I used my home-brewing kit when I first opened up, and then obviously I kept running out of beer.

— ELLIOT SEIDLER

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into the brothers’ laps. Jesse told his brother, “Let’s go home.

Let’s go be on the water and be back where we were raised.”

The way they were raised is elemental to the way the Rices think about food. “Mom and dad always had a small farm,” Jesse said. “They were hippies, too, constantly trying to use everything.” After-school chores for the boys sometimes included soaking a hundred logs for shiitake mushrooms to grow on, a practice expanded at Backwoods Crossing where the staff harvests 20 pounds of mushrooms each week. Their food had an explicitly Southern influence, which the Connecticut transplants to rural Panhandle Florida experiTRIDENT enced as a cultural awakening. Tyler recalled eat— LOCATION — 107 MISSISSIPPI AVE. ing at friends’ houses, then coming home to ask, PANACEA “Mom, can you make cheese grits for us?” Her — PHONE — reply? “What is a grit?” The boys grew up on a 850-713-0916 hybrid diet of Northern and Southern styles of cooking. “Jesse just took that,” Tyler said, “and put an entirely different spin on it.”

On a recent afternoon, the brothers took a break from the floor-to-ceiling, and monthslong, overhaul of the Trident building to talk about their food philosophy.

Above, models of an array of local fish species dangled from a ceiling painted in aquatic blue, while the restaurant’s signature feature—its huge picture windows—offered a sweeping view of the bay. The Rices have been spending a lot of time on and under the water, harvesting their menu. “We catch our own seafood, grow our own food … the most beautiful thing about the culinary industry is a lot of ingredients don’t need people to church ‘em up,” Jesse said. “You can just present great ingredients.”

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One of those is lionfish. Near-psychedelic in appearance, the invasive species is decimating the native fish Center: The crab cake populations. The brothers have stack from Trident been on a campaign to annihilate Bottom Left: Jesse, them, one fish at a time. “We don’t left, and Tyler Rice, right, of Trident do it because they’re easy to clean or easy to catch,” Jesse said. “You can catch a 50-pound grouper, you clean it, and you get 35 pounds of meat. We catch a lionfish and cut 18 venomous barbs off the thing and get 16 ounces of meat. Obviously, it’s an ordeal, but, for us, it’s worth it. We’re doing something that’s great for the environment, and we’re taking it to the next level.”

“They spread like crazy, because nothing eats them,” Tyler added.

“We’ve spent the past four to five months stockpiling.

We’ve got 150 pounds of lionfish back there [in the freezer],” Jesse said. “You should promote sustainability, but also present things that are really beautiful. And it’s delicious.

Light, flaky, beautiful meat.”

It’s also a signal that the brothers are eager to explore far beyond the hallowed fried shrimp basket and grits that have been a staple of seafood restaurants in this area since forever.

They won’t even have the standard shucked oysters on the menu. Instead, Jesse mentions “cool little spins” on duck breast, pork belly, alligator—which he has served at Backwoods Crossing cooked sous vide and presented in a sushi roll. For the brothers, it’s a case of deja vu all over again, but different.

“The last time I ate here was senior prom,” Tyler said. “It’s wild to come back, and now it’s ours. We’re going to do it better and change everything about the area.”

Jesse smiled. “Put the heartbeat,” he said, “back in Panacea.”

Above: Trident, a new

seafood restaurant in Panacea, overlooks Dickerson Bay.

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a

be

m

p u e

m

. . . p

o i l l n i aire b s

The private space industry has exploded in the Sunshine State in recent years, turning a sleepy region historically subject to the booms and busts of NASA, into ground zero for the ultimate Florida vacation—to outer space.

By CRAIG PITTMAN

T

he Russians launched a dog named Laika. The U.S. launched a chimpanzee named Ham. The French launched a cat named Félicette.

But by far the strangest thing ever shot into space took off from Cape Canaveral on Feb. 6, 2018. That’s when a rocket blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center carrying a cherry red sports car occupied by a mannequin named “Starman” dressed in a spacesuit.

The sports car, a 2010 Tesla roadster, belonged to oddball billionaire Elon Musk, who owns Tesla. The rocket propelling the car into the stratosphere and beyond, the Falcon Heavy, was also created by a Musk company, SpaceX. Even Musk, in a tweet sent prior to the launch, called the sports-car payload the “silliest thing we can imagine.” Yet the launch had a serious purpose: testing the Falcon Heavy, the largest currently operational rocket in the world.

The Falcon Heavy is the handiwork of SpaceX’s secret

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weapon: an engineer and propulsion expert named Tom Mueller. Prior to joining Musk’s company, he had been building a liquid-fueled rocket engine in his garage.

Four years after shooting his car into space, Musk is now one of the most controversial personalities on Twitter as well as the richest person alive. He’s worth a whopping $229.8 billion as of press time, surpassing even Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

Meanwhile, his Tesla is still wandering the cosmos, at times zipping by Mars. Musk has made clear that crewed Mars missions are his company’s eventual objective.

SpaceX is now the most successful and best known of several private space exploration companies that have been using Cape Canaveral as their launching spot, starting a new space race among a trio of billionaires: Musk, Bezos and Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group.

SpaceX is “the disruptive force that’s transforming the space industry,” said Dale Ketcham, vice president for government and external relations for Space Florida, the state agency overseeing the use of the state’s space-related resources.

But SpaceX is hardly the only name in town, Ketcham pointed out.

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In August, for instance, when a SpaceX rocket blasted off from Canaveral carrying a lunar orbiter for South Korea to fly around the moon and study the environment there, it wasn’t the first to ignite its burners. A different privately run space exploration company, United Launch Alliance (ULA), had already taken flight from a launch pad less than two miles away, carrying a missile detection satellite for a government client: the U.S. Space Force.

This competition is exactly what Winston E. Scott was hoping would happen.

SPACEX,NASA /JOEL KOWSK Y; PREVIOUS SPREAD: SPACE COAST OFFICE OF TOURISM

t h e u p s an d d ow n s o f o ute r s pace Scott grew up in Miami dreaming of humans someday zooming through space.

“The first book I ever checked out of a library was about Project Mercury,” America’s first human spaceflight program, he said. While Scott was fascinated by the concept of exploring space, “I never dreamed I would be a part of it,” he said.

After graduating from Florida State University, he pursued a career as a U.S. Navy pilot, and then spent seven years working for NASA during the 1990s. However, by the time he started working for NASA, the Project Mercury era was over.

NASA was originally created to propel an American into

space to catch up with the Russians, who launched the world’s first artificial satellite in 1957. The agency shifted into overdrive as it worked to carry out President John F. Kennedy’s promise to put a human on the moon by the end of the 1960s.

During that decadelong drive, the area around Cape Canaveral boomed as engineers and scientists flooded into the once-sleepy beach towns of Brevard County. The region dubbed itself the Space Coast as new homes and businesses popped up all over. Many of the new businesses adopted space-related names. There was even a brand-new daily newspaper, Florida Today, with the “O” in the name made to look like an orbiting satellite.

The workforce at Kennedy Space Center peaked at 26,500 in 1968, according to Florida Today. But then Space Coast residents found out what any coal miner could have told them: It’s no fun living in a company town when the company is winding down.

Seven years later, the Center’s workforce had fallen to about 8,000. Former rocket scientists were pumping gas for a living.

Florida Today reported stories of families leaving their keys in the front door of their houses as they were leaving town. They couldn’t find a buyer.

Then came the space shuttle program. From its first launch

Previous Spread: A

night rocket launch seen from The Cove, a waterfront tourist destination in Port Canaveral.

Left: The Falcon

Heavy demonstration mission launched by SpaceX Right: SpaceX CEO

and Chief Designer Elon Musk, left, speaks with NASA astronaut Bob Behnken on the fixed service structure of Launch Complex 39A in Merritt Island.

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in 1981, it created a new boom on the Space Coast. By the late 1980s, the Canaveral workforce had swelled to 17,000 people, the newspaper reported.

That’s the era in which Scott finally got his space shot—two of them, in fact.

During his seven-year career with NASA, Scott, now 72, served as a mission specialist on two space shuttle flights. He performed space walks not once, not twice, but three times.

But after the Columbia disaster of 2003 killed all seven astronauts on board during reentry, shuttle flights stopped for more than two years.

Meanwhile, in 2004, President George W. Bush announced the shuttle program would end after construction of the International Space Station was completed. The shuttle program shut down in 2011. By 2012 a new bust had hit Cape

“ The key thing for me is to develop the technology to transport large numbers of people and cargo to mars.”

— E LON M USK Canaveral—employment had dropped back to about 8,000, according to reports.

By then Scott, the ex-astronaut, was director of a state agency known as the Florida Space Authority, which in 2006 shortened its name to Space Florida. The agency functions much like a port or airport authority, overseeing and encouraging the use of government-owned transportation facilities. In this case, though, those facilities are for exploring space, not taking a cruise ship or a short flight in a Cessna.

The agency’s goal: Try to make the Brevard County area less dependent on the government’s space program and less susceptible to its ups and downs.

To Scott and the other members of the authority, the ideal situation would be to use the NASA-built facilities to accommodate the corporate spaceflight companies’ launch needs while also persuading them to build factories nearby.

“We were pushing to open up Kennedy Space Center” to private businesses, Scott said. “NASA is very good at cutting-edge science, but business is better at making things cost-efficient in order to get to space for less money.”

With NASA, he pointed out, only military or scientific

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personnel were allowed to board a spaceflight. Now, there are no such restrictions as SpaceX and other companies offer tickets for those who can afford it.

“Today anybody can fly,” he said, suggesting that soon it will be as easy and inexpensive to go to space as it is to fly from New York to Los Angeles. However, he joked, there may be similar problems to airline flight: “You’re going to Mars, but your luggage went to the moon.”

SPACE COAST OFFICE OF TOURISM, WINSTON SCOT T, NASA

the n e w s pace race When NASA was the only name in space exploration, Brevard’s tourism-related businesses could expect no more than two or three launches a year to boost their customer numbers, said Lynda Weatherman, who for almost 30 years has served as president and CEO of the Space Coast Economic Development Commission. Now, thanks to the private companies firing off their rockets, as of August 2022 Cape Canaveral has seen a total of 35 launches this year. Most of them have been from SpaceX, which has sent more than 3,000 satellites into low-Earth orbit to build a worldwide system for its Left: The edge of internet service. But not all of them an emerging starwere unmanned missions. forming region in the Carina Nebula “The return of the crewed launches captured by the has heightened the level of interest,” James Webb Space Telescope. said Peter Cranis, executive director Above: The STS-72 of the Space Coast Office of Tourism. astronaut crew.

“People want to see those launches.”

From back left: Winston Scott, He figures the launches carryLeroy Chiao, ing a human crew draw as many as Koichi Wakata, Daniel Barry. From 200,000 spectators. Many are families front left: Brent Jett, Brian Duffy. with “Mom and Dad bringing their

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Above from left: An image of the Earth and moon from NASA’s Galileo spacecraft; The VSS imagine, Virgin Galactic’s debut Space Ship III Below from left: Richard Branson in

space; Astronaut Winston Scott

parents and their kids,” Cranis said. “The grandparents may be reminiscing about the Apollo program, while the parents talk about seeing the shuttle.”

That’s a remarkable crowd considering the first privately operated outer-space flight with a human crew happened only two years ago. A SpaceX rocket took off in 2020 carrying a pair of NASA astronauts, Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley, bound for the International Space Station.

The launch site was the Kennedy Space Center’s historic Launch Complex 39A—the same one that the Apollo 11 astronauts used when they were aiming for the moon.

The advent of private space exploration has marked another big change in the rocket business: Cape Canaveral is no longer the only location where rockets launch.

When Branson’s Virgin Galactic launched its first crewed suborbital flight in 2018, it took off from a complex in New Mexico. And when Blue Origin fired off its first crewed mission into the edge of space in July 2021, with Bezos, his brother Mark, 82-year-old pilot Wally Funk and 18-year-old Oliver Daemen, whose wealthy father had paid for his ticket, its rocket took off from a site in rural West Texas. A subsequent

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NASA , VIRGIN GAL AC TIC

flight took off from the same location in October 2021 carrying Star Trek actor William Shatner, 90. Branson himself also rode in his own spaceship on a separate flight in July.

SpaceX and Blue Origin are the only private companies that have launched spacecrafts past the so-called “Kármán line.” That line, named for Hungarian scientist Theodore von Kármán, marks the boundary 62 miles up at which rockets and satellites can safely orbit the Earth without burning up or falling back to the ground.

“ The first book I ever checked out of a library was about Project Mercury. I never dreamed I would be a part of it.”

— W I NSTON SCOTT

mo ne y a nd m an p ow e r SpaceX officials declined repeated requests for an interview for this story, making it clear that they felt much too busy to talk: “Unfortunately, we don’t have anyone available to participate—as you can imagine, it’s an incredibly demanding time for the team. We’re sorry that’s not the answer you were hoping for!”

Musk grew up in South Africa reading a lot of science fiction.

His favorite: Isaac Asimov’s seven-volume Foundation series, which he described as a futuristic version of Edward Gibbon’s The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.

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Sp ace Trippin’ How far you can go and who can take you there BLUE ORIGIN

VIRGIN GALACTIC

SPACE X

New Shepard

FLI G HT E XP E R I E N C E:

Dragon

FLI G HT E XP E R I E N C E:

Named after legendary astronaut Alan Shepard, this reusable rocket transports six passengers just past the Kármán line. The pressurized crew capsule, located at the top of the vessel, allows for majestic views and several minutes of weightlessness during the 11-minute journey.

Virgin Galactic Spaceflight

Spaceship Neptune

Though it may look like your average airplane, this spacecraft knows no bounds. Four passengers at a time can experience micro-gravity, speeds up to three-anda-half times the speed of sound and sweeping views of Earth on this 90-minute flight

As the first spacecraft to take civilians to the International Space Station, this sevenpassenger capsule is spearheading commercial spaceflight.

Astronauts can choose a customized orbit around the entire Earth, completed in 90 minutes, or fly to the ISS for a longer trip.

H O W H I G H Y O U F LY :

H O W H I G H YO U F LY:

H O W H I G H YO U F LY:

H O W H I G H YO U F LY:

H O W M U C H Y O U P AY :

H O W M U C H YO U PAY:

H O W M U C H YO U PAY:

H O W M U C H YO U PAY:

FLI G HT E XP E R I E N C E:

62 miles

$200,000–$300,000 (Price varies)

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53.5 miles

$450,000

F L I G HT E X P E R I E N C E :

248 miles

$55 million (Price varies)

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SPACE PERSPECTIVE Embark on an eco-friendly voyage in this hydrogen-powered SpaceBalloon. A cross between a spaceship and a blimp, this vessel holds eight passengers and ascends above 99 percent of the Earth’s atmosphere in a journey lasting about six hours.

18 miles

$125,000

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He told The Guardian that that book series inspired him to start Space Exploration Technologies Corp., better known as SpaceX, in 2002.

“The key thing for me,” he told the British newspaper, “is to develop the technology to transport large numbers of people and cargo to Mars. That’s the ultimate awesome thing.”

An expert on computer coding, Musk made his first billion by co-founding PayPal and selling it to eBay. He then began working on his ideas for Tesla, an electric car to save the planet, and SpaceX to explore other ones.

But SpaceX would have gone nowhere without Mueller, the son of an Idaho logger who has said he’s always been fascinated by fast engines. Our attempt to reach Mueller went unanswered as well.

According to the Musk fan site ElonX.com, Mueller was working at TRW, an aerospace company in California, developing liquid-fueled rockets, but he disliked being a cog in a large organization. In his off time, he built gigantic rocket engines. He joined a group of like-minded rocket builders called the Reaction Research Society, the oldest continuously operating amateur experimental rocket group in the U.S. Musk heard about Mueller’s rocket-building skills and showed up at a warehouse where the Reaction Research Society was meeting, talked with Mueller and ended up putting him in charge of propulsion for SpaceX. He was the man who would make sure the company’s rockets would boldly go where Musk wanted them—at a lower price than what the government paid—and then return to Earth for reuse.

Musk’s upstart company was at first considered a minor player in the aerospace industry. It battled ULA, a joint venture of established aerospace names Boeing and Lockheed Martin, over government contracts worth millions for launching

military satellites. The big companies dismissed SpaceX as an “ankle biter,” according to a Washington Post story.

SpaceX sued the U.S. Air Force and, under a settlement, finally got the right to bid on contracts alongside ULA. That sense of rivalry remained. In 2016, a SpaceX rocket blew up on its Cape Canaveral launch pad, and the Washington Post reported that Musk questioned whether it could have been corporate sabotage (it was not).

Winning those government bids proved crucial for the company’s future. In 2008, SpaceX won a NASA competition for the billion-dollar contract to fly supplies to the International Space Station. In effect, SpaceX had replaced the space shuttle.

That was the same year SpaceX became the first privately owned company to send a liquid-fueled rocket into orbit. That happened after three failed attempts, including one fiery crash of a rocket carrying the ashes of Star Trek actor James “Scotty” Doohan and Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper. (Their ashes finally made it into space in 2012.)

The exact boundary of space is a hotly contested topic.

Much of the international community believes it begins 62 miles up at the Kármán line, however the U.S. generally puts the boundary of space at 50 miles up. No matter the definition, these billionaires are pushing to launch their rockets higher, faster and cheaper than their competitors, so there are plenty more out-of-this-world flights in the works.

To the people on the Space Coast, it’s the “in the works” part that they particularly like.

Gate way to the gal axie s Cocoa Beach and other Brevard cities have been doing everything possible to promote the area as the ideal spot for space travel in the U.S. In 1998, a Brevard resident even persuaded the Florida Public Service Commission to make the local area

BLUE ORIGIN

Left: Blue Origin’s first crewed flight. From left: Oliver Daemen, Wally Funk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Bezos Middle: Mário Ferreira celebrates after a successful spaceflight with Blue Origin. Right: Blue Origin’s crewed NS22 capsule safely descends back to Earth.

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code “321” to mimic a countdown.

But for years, the Space Coast was only a place for launching rockets built elsewhere, Ketcham said.

Space Florida and the Economic Development Commission have been working to change that. By attracting more and more commercial space organizations—not only SpaceX—“we have a chance to consolidate everything here,” Ketcham explained.

The push started when the shuttle missions were ending, Ketcham said. The two organizations lined up several companies who promised to pull Brevard County out of the economic doldrums. “Then, the worldwide recession hit,” he said, “and all the companies that were going to come here had issues and never showed up.”

The second try proved the charm. When the state agency convinced Lockheed Martin to build NASA’s Orion space capsule near Cape Canaveral, Ketcham said, “that was the first time any piece of space hardware was built here.”

Now, there are companies building satellites, missiles and other aeronautical products along with those for the commercial space ventures. Weatherman mentioned that

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“ We do more commercial space manufacturing here now than anywhere else in the country.”

— DALE KETCHAM

Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Booz Allen, and Embraer bring in not only manufacturing jobs but also hightech engineering and design positions.

In 2015, Brevard scored big with Blue Origin, the rival to SpaceX and created by Bezos, a onetime Miami resident who got rich after creating Amazon. Although Blue Origin won’t shoot off most of its rockets there, it has agreed to put one of its manufacturing sites in Brevard—and more.

“Blue Origin’s Orbital Launch Vehicle will be designed,

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NASA , SPACE PERSPEC TIVE, SPACE COAST LIVING MAGAZINE

manufactured, launched and ultimately returned to Brevard County,” the Economic Development Council announced.

It would be the first company to mount its entire project in Brevard County.

Thanks to all the companies in the private industry, the Space Coast is no longer a one-company town.

“We do more commercial space manufacturing here now than anywhere else in the country,” Ketcham said. “And the workforce now is bigger than it was with just NASA.” Unlike Musk, Bezos’s company has been making progress that’s slow but steady, Ketcham said. He predicted Blue Origin will soon make good on its promise of providing flight experiences into space for paying tourists and aspirational astronauts.

SpaceX has already taken a trio of tourists to the International Space Station. The three—an American, a Canadian and an Israeli—blasted off in April and spent more than a week as tourists who needed more than a souvenir T-shirt and a pair of swim trunks. They paid $55 million apiece for the round-trip ride, according to NPR. Blue Origin—the oldest privately funded aerospace

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company in the U.S.—and Branson’s Virgin Galactic are at this point the only other companies licensed by the federal government for space tourism.

As if sensing that the Cape may someday become a little crowded, SpaceX recently test-fired a rocket at a facility it owns in Texas, hinting that it might relocate there at some point.

While Weatherman characterized the size of the SpaceX workforce in Florida as “significant,” the potential loss of its business isn’t as scary as it would have been 10 years ago. There are plenty of competitors ready to step in and take its place.

Winston Scott, ever the optimist, predicted that soon the billionaire rocket men will take the next logical step and build resorts in space in order to attract more customers. He could foresee destination resorts on the moon or even on Mars someday.

Scott isn’t planning to be one of the passengers, though.

He figures he’s taken enough rides that were out of this world. He does have some advice for those who want to follow in his space-suited footsteps, though.

“Have a good time,” he said, “but be safe.”

Above from left to right: The moon from

Earth; Inside Space Perspective’s new Spaceship Neptune; The exterior of Spaceship Neptune Left: Dale Ketcham,

Space Florida’s vice president of governmental and external relations

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XXXXXXXXXX

Queens r

C ourt Mother-daughter

pickleball

pros from South Florida are changing the face of the game from a retiree favorite to the most competitive sport on the court.

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By ERIC BARTON Photography by JOSH LETCHWORTH

i

Previous Spread:

Leigh and Anna Leigh Waters sport their game faces.

Below: Since 2019,

pickleball has grown 39 percent to an estimated 4.8 million players in the United States.

Leigh Waters, that moment all parents fear, and also hope will one day come to pass, happened at a restaurant called Chicken N Pickle.

It’s a place in Kansas that, as you might guess, serves fried chicken. It also has courts for pickleball, a sport that’s a mix between tennis and Ping-Pong.

This was in 2019, and Leigh, now 43 years old, had been playing pickleball for two years at that point. She was immediately good at it— so good that she went pro. She even quit her job as an attorney at a big firm to spend more time playing pickleball.

Then, she had that match at Chicken N Pickle. It was mixed doubles—the bronze medal match—and across from her on the court was her daughter, her best friend, her mini-me: Anna Leigh. Her daughter was only 13 at the time, but she was also getting good. Very good.

At the time, this was perhaps the most important tournament in pro pickleball history with the biggest prize money yet. The mixeddoubles champs would split $10,000 at this tournament, the Franklin Pickleball Masters.

Leigh Waters was, as she still is today, one of the top-ranked pickleball players in the world.

And yet still, Anna Leigh won, which was the first time she’d beaten her mom.

Oh, I beat my mom. This is not good. I feel like the whole match was just, like, weird.

— A N N A L E I G H WAT E R S

Leigh isn’t proud of what happened after her partner flubbed the matchpoint into the net.

“I just went off the court. Went to the hotel room. Oh no. Just like, let me be by myself. For a long time.”

They tried to go out to dinner, but Leigh wasn’t ready to talk to her daughter. Anna Leigh tried to let her mom just process it. “I wasn’t happy or anything, because I was just like, ‘Oh, I beat my mom. This is not good.’ I feel like the whole match was just, like, weird.”

Leigh had a decision to make. This was a big parenting moment for her that maybe you can relate to. Although, yours probably wasn’t pickleball related. What do you do when your kid gets better than you at chess or trigonometry or something that truly matters, like the sport you gave up everything to pursue?

pickled pink

Leigh and Anna Leigh had never played pickleball until a series of unfortunate events led them to it.

It was September 2017, and Hurricane Irma had just rolled through. The storm knocked out power to their home in Boynton Beach. They headed up to Leigh’s father’s house in Pennsylvania to wait it out, and he asked them if they wanted to play pickleball. They said no at first. But her father kept trying to convince them. So they tried it, and they just never stopped playing. During those two weeks in Pennsylvania, Leigh and Anna Leigh played for hours every day.

Leigh had the skills right away to excel at this new-to-her sport. Back before law school at Villanova University, Leigh had been a Division I tennis player at the University of South Carolina, where she honed her forehands and backhands, which also apply to pickleball. Anna Leigh was only 10 at the time, but she was also good. She’s a natural athlete and was among the best at her age at soccer before she gave it up to make sure she didn’t suffer an injury that would stop her from playing pickleball. Within a few days, they were the best players at that neighborhood court in Pennsylvania.

They got back to Florida and hooked up with the Delray Beach Pickleball Club. Soon, somebody, without them knowing, signed them up for a tournament. They put Leigh in with the pros.

Leigh says, “They found us partners, and they were like, ‘Here we signed you up. Go play. It’s going to be fun.’ And we were like, OK. Maybe we won one match, but I was like, ‘Whoa, these people are good. I thought I was pretty good, because I was beating just the local people, and then I played in this pro tournament, and I was like, OK, we’re not that good. And you can hit like that? And what’s that shot they’re trying? It was definitely an eye-opener.”

Left: The Waters winning team After that tournament, poses at the the two of them both got 2022 Skechers Invitational serious about pickleball— Summer Championships. practicing almost daily for

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Leigh, and Leigh needed to not only accept it but do even more than that.

“My goal shifted to where I was focusing more on her getting better in her career than mine,” Leigh says. “It was more about me at first, and then when she got so good, and you could see the potential, I think it shifted, and so then it was like, ‘I want her to beat me.

I want her to be better than me. I want her to get the sponsorships. I want her to win the tournaments.’”

Luckily, it’s rarely about which one of them is better. Usually, they’re playing together, like they did in August in what was the biggest moment in pickleball. hours and studying the nuances of shots. Leigh went pro in 2018, and Anna Leigh went pro in 2019. They play as a team in doubles, but occasionally they play against each other in mixed doubles. At first, it was all Leigh, clearly the better player. Then came that October day at Chicken N Pickle.

The morning after that loss, Leigh remembers waking up and realizing she needed to reposition how she thought of her daughter’s success. Anna Leigh would get better than

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I want her to be better than me. I want her to get the sponsorships.

I want her to win the tournaments.

— L E I G H WAT E R S

double trouble

For most of the short history of pickleball, a sport invented half a century ago that has really been getting its moment in the past couple years, it has been played on converted tennis courts. Pickleball’s best players and most dazzling plays were maybe captured on cell phone videos uploaded to YouTube or replayed on the bowels of TV sports shows— until now.

In August of this year, Skechers sponsored an invitational in Los Angeles, inviting the sport’s best players—four men and four women—to face off in exhibition matches covered on live network TV. On a Saturday afternoon, CBS broadcast the pickleball greats to the world.

Of course, when you’re talking about the top pickleball players, Anna Leigh and Leigh Waters better be there. At the time, in early August, they were No. 2 in the world for female doubles. They faced the Opposite Page: No. 1 team, their nemLeigh Waters is eses, Callie Smith and one of the top ten pickleball Lucy Kovalova. players in the Usually in pro pickleworld. ball, teams play in bracket Above: Leigh Waters executes tournaments, having to a vicious forehand work their way past mediLeft: The Waters ocre, decent and skilled family players over the course of

V

at the tournaments ... you have people coming up crying, telling you how much you’ve influenced their lives, and it’s really cool.

— A N N A L E I G H WAT E R S

about five hours to get into a final match with the other best team in the world. But at the Skechers Invitational, Anna Leigh and Leigh jumped right in to play the best players they’ve ever faced: a pair of former college tennis players who are taller than they are, have a longer reach and play an aggressive game.

They won. In the biggest match of their careers—in the biggest match in pickleball history—Leigh and Anna Leigh won.

The four of them have played many times against each other, so you might figure that they’re friends. “No, we’re not,” Leigh says quickly. She explains that the men who play pro pickleball are often friends off the court. “Yeah. No, the girls really aren’t.”

Almost Famous

Early one morning this summer, Leigh and Anna Leigh showed up to their home court for a quick practice. Usually, they’re out here somewhere between two to four hours, working drills, playing quick matches and practicing new shots.

The mother-daughter duo live in a gated community full of snowbirds, so, on summer mornings, with most of the residents having migrated up north, they’ve got the court to themselves. It’s rare in Florida to find an open pickleball court. As the sport has exploded, cities and communities have converted tennis courts to pickleball courts and still can’t meet the demand.

Since 2019, pickleball has grown 39 percent to an estimated 4.8 million players in the United States, according to a report from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association. For a game once associated with retirees, it’s also bringing in far more young people —players under 24 years old jumped by 21 percent. A lot of that growth is happening here in Florida, home to 607 pickleball courts, second only to California, according to places2play.org.

At their early morning practice, Leigh Left: Anna Leigh at the and Anna Leigh start Skechers Invitational, which she won in by volleying near the August. net, letting the ball Right: This pickleball bounce just in front champion uses a special edition custom of them, rarely needPaddletek Bantam TS-5 paddle. ing to shift their feet.

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They speed up, the ball never hitting the ground, both of them slapping it back and forth like a pinball bouncing between bumpers. Then, they take turns with one of them at the back of the court, before progressing on to actual games.

“Sorry,” Leigh says when she scores a point.

“Sorry,” Anna Leigh says when it’s her turn to ace a serve.

Later, when asked about why they apologize to each other when they make good shots, they say in unison: “Do we?”

They speak a lot in unison. Maybe it’s all the time they spend together—Leigh’s mom homeschools Anna Leigh. And with all their

assuming she’s still at the top of the game in two years when she graduates high school, then I imagine she’ll keep going with pickleball.

— L E I G H WAT E R S

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pickleball play, they’re rarely apart.

A novice might not notice it, but they play quite differently. Anna Leigh is a careful player, solidly volleying, patient—waiting for her opponent to make a mistake. Leigh takes more risks, trying to drop shots into hard-to-reach parts of the court—a big risk with a potentially big payout.

They both have skills the other doesn’t with Leigh working more on putting a spin on the ball, while Anna Leigh has been perfecting trick shots, getting damn good at hitting it blindly from between her legs as she’s retreating back to the line.

These days, Leigh doesn’t play singles since there’s a far greater likelihood of injury chasing the ball across the entire court, and she only wants to focus on doubles, so they don’t face each other often in tournaments. But Leigh will admit her daughter is better now, and so they’re both thinking long term about her career. Unless a university somewhere starts offering pickleball as a scholarship sport, Anna Leigh will go into pro pickleball full time after high school.

“That’s what I’m thinking right now,” Anna Leigh says. “I mean, pickleball is just exploding, and the sponsorships are getting better, and the money is getting, like, more and more. So right now, it makes sense to put off college.”

“I mean,” Leigh jumps in, “right now she’s at the top of the game. So assuming she’s still at the top of the game in two years when she graduates high school, then I would imagine she’ll keep going with pickleball.”

They’re famous in some circles. At the big tournaments, young girls especially will crowd around Anna Leigh after matches asking for her autograph, telling her how she’s an inspiration.

“You definitely, at the tournaments, get that feeling of being a celebrity, because you have people coming up crying, telling you how much you’ve influenced their lives and everything, and it’s really cool,” Anna Leigh says.

“Yeah, especially when the mothers and daughters come up to you,” Leigh adds. “And they’re like, ‘Our relationship has gotten so much stronger, because we see that you guys play pickleball together, and we started playing pickleball together.’”

After the morning practice, they headed into

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the athletic center across the street from the pickleball courts and took a seat at a table in the lobby, soaking up the icy AC after cooking in the sun. Anna Leigh wore a matching sleeveless sky-blue outfit, her blond ponytail bobbing above a blue visor. Leigh had on black workout shorts and a purple-with-white top, her ponytail hanging out from the back of a blue baseball cap.

A lot of people ask them about how they could have such a close relationship—they never fight on the court, although they bicker sometimes, like when they both show up wearing the same color scheme. Leigh remembers how excited she was when she found out she was having a girl, hoping she would have the same kind of close relationship she had with her mom.

“I feel like it’s made our relationship better, not

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worse,” Anna Leigh says of pickleball.

“She’s so focused and determined on being the best that, I don’t know, I think it helps our relationship,” Leigh says.

They talk in short sentences often, going back and forth like they’re both having the same thoughts at the same time. They don’t just complete each other’s sentences as much as they formulate a point together, like they’re both thinking out an answer at the same time.

“I think we’re more like friends, honestly,” Anna Leigh says.

“It’s like we’re friends, we’re teammates. I’m your mom, I’m your coach,” Leigh says.

Then, they say together: “There are a lot of different roles.” And then they laugh, at the same time.

Opposite Page From Top: Anna Leigh dips

low for the ball at the Club Tournament of Champions, which she won; the Waters women also took home the win in the doubles division at the Club Tournament of Champions in August.

Above: Anna Leigh

is currently ranked No. 1 in singles and doubles and Leigh is ranked No. 3 in doubles.

[ — sunny dispatches from NW FLA —

Panhandling

By Pr i s s y E l ro d • I l l u st ra t i o n by S t ep h en L o m a zzo

bitten by the travel bug How Prissy leaned into her wanderlust ways

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wear a smile each mile I tote this burden.

One might say I mirror a dog with his head hanging out the car window, his tongue flapping in the breeze and eyes fixed on a moving landscape. Neither one of us care where we go, just that we go.

I adore travel … anywhere, anytime, with anyone and even alone. My mother not only had the travel bug but was the trip itself.

Good grief, we seldom knew where she was, nor when she’d be back. It could be two or three weeks. Heck, once or twice she was gone a month. That never happened again after my father put his size-15 foot down.

Her favorite reads weren’t novels. No sirree, it was my father’s medical journals.

Inside she would find advertisements from physicians, luxurious resorts and real estate

[

lthough I can’t call it a contagion, I do have a bug, of sort.

The thing ambushed me when I was young, and I have yet to find a cure. It isn’t the nasty kind we think of nowadays, but something bounced from my mother’s back to mine and burrowed into my center core. I call the harbored affliction bestowed on me a travel bug. It’s my cross to bear, but I

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companies for places she might rent or visit.

California was a favorite destination for the homemaker living in a town too small to contain her.

With a kiss, hug and tearful farewell, she was off to the next unknown, her three daughters left in the tender arms of Mazelle, the beloved lady who raised them, and the kind husband who tolerated them. Poor man—if only he’d had three little boys, he might have fared better.

Our father was the happiest when he escaped his grueling medical practice. He went fishing at his cabin on the mouth of the Suwannee River, 70 miles away. It was a fact, Lou, my dad, hated traveling, beaches, posh and glamour. Sylvia, my mother, hated fishing and that Suwannee River cabin. Neither denied the other what they enjoyed in life. While this arrangement might not work for some, it did for the two of them. It’s obvious I am an apple off the Sylvia tree; she is where my love for travel seeded. Apple sounds better than my whole bug thing, so I’ll go with being her apple, not having her bug!

She had no trouble pawning me off to yonder, either. At only 12 years old, I flew alone to the World’s Fair and stayed with a family I barely knew. I’d met the daughter, my age, at Sea Island the previous summer. We hit it off, stayed in touch, and her parents invited me to the iconic event. Sadly, to this day, all I remember from this monumental opportunity is that she shaved her legs, then helped me shave mine. My father was furious when I returned home. “You’re too young to shave.” He ordered me to stop, and a new crop sprouted on my spindly legs lickety-split, too quick. That’s my only World’s Fair memory.

At 14, I shaved again, and we were back at Sea Island for the summer. I met a boy two years older than me, and he delivered my first kiss. It was shockingly French. I was certain my tan, hairless legs were the attraction, clueless of my budding adolescent body. Infatuated, he convinced his mother to call my mother and invite me on their family vacation, cruising the Greek Islands on their private yacht.

Without blinking, my mother accepted the kind

invitation and didn’t even ask the voyager: me!

She just hung up and hurried into my bedroom to share her exciting news.

“No way! I get seasick and would vomit the whole time,” I screamed at her like any teenager would whose mother has taken them over the edge.

“You can take something for that,” she whined. As soon as my father returned home and got wind of the waves, and it was no longer debatable.

“Have you lost your mind, Sylvia? She’s not going to Greece!”

And that was that… except it wasn’t. To her dying day she never stopped talking about what I missed not going to Greece with the boy who

through Europe toting the latest edition of Europe on 5 Dollars a Day. When I told my strict father my plan, first he chuckled, then said, “No! You won’t sleep in hostels and travel foreign countries, not without supervision.” He booked his fearless, free-spirted spitfire on an escorted American Express tour: nine countries in 39 days. My girlfriend’s parents signed the dotted line for the same tour. Since we both lived two hours away from the Jacksonville airport, we timed our meet-up inside the terminal, two hours before departure. She never showed.

My heart raced when I heard the flight attendant’s announcement, “Please take your seat, this aircraft door will be closing.” It wasn’t until the plane lifted and I was airborne that my disbelief became reality. I wiped the rushing tears from my cheeks. “You’ll be OK,” whispered a man one seat away. I met his gentle smile. He offered a clean handkerchief with a monogram. It wouldn’t take me long to purge my defuncted situation to the stranger. He listened quietly until my winded whining ended.

“She’ll come on the next flight, don’t worry.”

Based on his demeanor and soothing voice, I believed him. “I’m Joe.” “I’m Prissy, sorry to bend your ear,” I said.

Our cordial introductions blossomed into hours of chitchat. We discussed everything, from books and friendships to society and humanity. He was an engaged conversationalist, dressed stylishly hippie and had a dry sense of humor. I learned he was an author and sometimes college lecturer. I didn’t catch the title of his book, though he did entertain me with the narrative arc and theme.

When the cabin lights dimmed, he suggested I have all three airline seats, taking his seat, so I would be more comfortable. I protested the offer, but he ignored and slid to the floor below. He stretched out with a pillow tucked beneath his head and slept until we prepared to land. When we arrived at Heathrow Airport,

He delivered my first kiss.

It was shockingly French.

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I called “my first kiss boyfriend” inside my first book, Far Outside the Ordinary.

Oh Sylvia, how I miss your silly priorities!

Not your average joe Six years later, on a chilly January day, I sat on the plane at the Jacksonville International Airport. It had been two weeks since I graduated from Florida State University. My timing was unusual, but I had forfeited my summers for year-round study, so I graduated early. In retrospect, the graduation trip from my parents changed the course of my life, not to mention the way I saw the world.

As my eyes fixated on the plane’s doorway, the last of the lingering passengers boarded.

All seats filled, except the one next to me. It awaited my tardy sorority sister who had yet to walk through the aircraft door. “She’s coming.

She’s coming,” I mumbled to no one as my eyes pooled with tears.

She and I had concocted a plan to backpack

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Panhandling

sunny dispatches from NW FLA

he insisted on waiting with me until my multilingual, ultra-mod tour guide arrived and took charge of this lone traveler.

As we bid goodbye, Joe hugged me and pressed his business card in my hand. “Please, stay in touch.” That was the last time I saw Joe, last name Heller. I wouldn’t know who he was until I read his business card. I also wouldn’t know the importance of his book, Catch-22, until later. But I did know the importance of the man. And it had nothing to do with the book he authored.

Indeed, my girlfriend arrived the next day, and together we traveled the course. From England to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and on to France. It was much like the movie released in the 1960’s, If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium. Half the time I didn’t know where I was as we traveled through countries with a busload of middle-aged tourists. All of them guarded me and my friend like puppies.

During my whirlwind trip, I forgot, or rather never bothered, to write my boyfriend of two years. I was too busy dragging my stupid suitcase through every one of those 18 hotel doors for bus loading.

Before I knew it, six weeks had passed.

Still, I hadn’t written or called anyone, not even my beau. He feared I’d broken up with him after my tour ended, and I didn’t return to the States. Instead, I extended my stay in Paris for two weeks for my solo adventure.

When I arrived home, my jittery steady proposed, and just like that we were engaged. Six months later, this spitfire bride married her lawyer groom, my travel hat placed on a high shelf. But I knew I would wear it again one day, and I did in an exceptionally large way.

A takeaway for any girl ready to marry: The best way to snag an engagement ring is to take a trip and ghost your boyfriend. No calls, texts or social media. Give him a chance to miss you. A guy won’t know what he has until he thinks he doesn’t have it anymore. It would be years, and two children later, before

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I wore the travel hat again. I became somewhat of a travel connoisseur, escorting clientele to New York, Europe and Asia. Like Sylvia, I traveled to those places I longed to be and see.

more than just a journey A month or so ago, I ran into a woman at the Chain of Parks Art Festival in Tallahassee. I heard my name hollered from across the lawn but had no idea who it was. She approached and wrapped me in an unexpected hug. When she lowered her arms, a braless boob escaped from the free-flowing top. I darted my stare and focused on her eyes and good cheer.

“You don’t remember? I babysat for you.” she said.

“Really, are you sure you aren’t thinking of someone else?” I had no idea who she was.

“No, it was you, on Carriage Road. Garrett and Sara Britton are your daughters, right?”

Undeniable facts with zero recollection, the story of my life.

She went on and on…

“We met in the TJ Maxx parking lot with my grandmother. You almost tackled me,” she chuckled, “then asked if I wanted to babysit your girls.”

Oh Lord, could this get any worse? I wondered.

“Did I even k-n-n-now you?” I stuttered.

“Not really, but you knew my grandmother.”

“How old were you?” I asked.

“13 or 14,” she replied with a laugh.

Enough about my childcare situation on those longer trips away, especially since Boone, my late husband, was a workaholic.

I stopped my overseas travel escorting groups when I returned home from Hong Kong to find Puddles, my teacup poodle, boarded in a kennel

by Boone. This happened one day after I left for Hong Kong when he arrived home from an arduous day at work to find that Puddles had peed on our oriental rug. Listen up, a teacup yielded a measly teaspoon of pee, so his punishment did not fit her crime. In her 11th year of life, my tiny angel was caged, and then left in an unfamiliar place for two long weeks. To

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say I had a head-spinning tantrum is an understatement. The trauma with Puddles kept me on this side of the ocean.

Please don’t judge the woman who picked up her children’s babysitter in a parking lot but changed her life for a poodle. Whoever I found to babysit my little darlings had to be great since my daughters are exceptional human beings. They even love to travel, like me. Two fallen apples from the Prissy tree.

That college trip from my parents was the beginning of my lifetime lust for travel. I tasted enough selective entrees to know I wanted to devour them, not just nibble. While I marvel over the ancient history, architectural designs, breathtaking scenery and lush greenery, the real magic for me on every journey is who I met and how, and what I learned and why. I crave the story found in my journey, not just the schooling absorbed from various cultures.

In my heart I’m a story collector, not just a storyteller. For whatever reason, I enjoy meeting strangers. There are not enough years left in my life to share the amazing stories I collected from random strangers, just by asking them a question. That said, it does drive my daughter crazy. I can’t tell you the number of times she’s leaned into my ear and whispered, “Mom, please, do not talk to (blah, blah, blah), you’ll never see them again.”

Words spoken to deaf ears. William Butler Yeats wrote, “There are no strangers here; only friends you haven’t yet met.”

I feel the same way, Willie Yeats. Thanks so much for validating the way I live my life. And I say to whoever, “Travel on, travel on, the best is yet to come.” Bon Voyage!

Prissy Elrod is a professional speaker, artist and humorist, and the author of Far Outside the Ordinary. She was born and raised in Lake City and now lives in Tallahassee with her husband, Dale. She has authored two nonfiction books: Far Outside the Ordinary and Chasing Ordinary, the sequel.

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— fine arts, favor ites, f lings —

ON THE FLY — BIRD’S-EYE VIEW —

A n ins i de r ’s gui de t o Gat or Count r y

— DESIGN DISTRICT —

A C a r i b b e a n q u e e n ’s c r e a t i v e v i s i o n

— THE ROOST —

Reward yourself with these remarkable rentals.

— FLORIDA WILD —

W hy g o i n g u p i n s m o k e i s a g o o d s i g n

— THE TIDE —

Don’t miss these fall festivities.

— FLORIDIANA —

WORLD RED E YE

Fr i e n d l y f o l i a g e f i n d s a w a y.

This page: Revelers

at SOBEWFF

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ON THE FLY:BIRD’S-EYE VIEW A G U I D E TO O U R FAVO R I T E N E I G H B O R H O O DS Ill us tration by Le s lie C halfont

Gainesville’s Greatest Hits It’s not all frat parties and football in the Gator Nation.

Above from left: Century Tower, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, the Hippodrome Theatre, the University of Florida bat houses, Satchel’s Pizza

1. HIPPODROME THEATRE

4. FIRST MAGNITUDE BREWING CO.

7. DRAGONFLY SUSHI

Heralded as the city’s cultural centerpiece, the historic theatre screens vintage films, hosts a robust season of plays and houses a permanent art gallery. It’s a gathering place for artists and aesthetes alike.

25 SE Second Place

Help save our springs with every sip at this downtown tap room, which pours everything from hazy IPAs to mouth-puckering sour ales and has raised over $60,000 for the Florida Springs Institute. 1220 SE Veitch St.

Fish flown in from Japan combine with the freshest local produce to create the finest sushi and sashimi in the Swamp. Unsure what to order? Roll with the staff favorites menu.

201 SE Second Ave. Suite 104

2. THE TOP

5. CADE MUSEUM

8. MADRINA’S

A hipster hotspot known for both its inventive vegan dishes and its hearty burgers, making it beloved by carnivores and veg-heads. 30 N. Main St.

Creativity is king at this museum made to spark inspiration. Wander the Milky Way, meet mothers of innovation, and quench your thirst for knowlege with the creator of Gatorade— the institution’s namesake. 811 S. Main St.

3. DEPOT PARK

6. HEARTWOOD SOUNDSTAGE

9. BEN HILL GRIFFIN STADIUM

What was once a toxic rail yard has become the green hub of Gainesville.

Rollerskate through the conservation area or channel your inner child at the splash park. 874 SE Fourth St.

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This intimate listening room and recording studio is known for its acoustic perfection.

From local folk bands to national acts, hear music the way it was intended—up close and personal. 619 S. Main St.

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No $2 PBR’s here. Escape the college crowd when you steal a stool at this intimate cocktail bar. Whether you order a classic or a crazy creation, these bartenders know the secret to the perfect pour. 9 W. University Ave.

Cheer for the orange and blue in all kinds of weather at the largest stadium in the Sunshine State. Remember, in Swamp Country, it’s always right over left.

157 Gale Lemerand Drive

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10. CRANE RAMEN

13. CYM COFFEE CO.

11. EMBERS WOOD GRILL

14. FLORIDA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Even diehard ramen savants will be impressed by this downtown haunt serving scratch-made ramen in bowls as big as your head. Slurping is encouraged.

16 SW First Ave.

This upscale steakhouse speaks to the finer things in life, right down to the beef hand-selected for its perfect marbling, decadent chocolate cookies and milk.

3545 SW 34th St. Suite A

12. LUBEE BAT CONSERVANCY

Spend the afternoon with sky puppies at this facility specializing in the care of endangered bats. Feed the furry flyers kebabs, meet some rare residents and learn how this nonprofit brings bats back from the brink. 1309 NW 192nd Ave.

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This quaint house with a sprawling porch is actually one of the city’s most beloved coffee shops. Swing by for a specialty latte or hunker down in a bean bag with a good book.

5404 NW Eighth Ave.

Venture where dinosaurs still roam and the Calusa still reign when you visit this small but mighty museum on UF’s campus. Don’t skip the Butterfly Rainforest, where blue-spotted charaxes flutter freely. 3215 Hull Road

15. SATCHEL’S PIZZA

Equal parts wacky and well-executed, this eclectic pizzeria has been serving up slices since 2003. Enjoy a pie in a plane or surrounded by stained glass handmade by Satchel himself. 1800 NE 23rd Ave.

16. PAYNE’S PRAIRE PRESERVE

Buddy up to bison, encounter alligators and reconnect with raw Florida at this sprawling state park. If you’re itching for a gator sighting, La Chua Trail and Bolen Bluff Trail are popular hangouts for the heavyweights.

100 Savannah Blvd.

17. SWAMP HEAD BREWERY

Whether you opt to sling back a Stump Knocker pale ale or whet your whistle with a Wild Night honey cream ale, the brews at this inherently Floridian watering hole are well loved and world class. 3650 SW 42nd Ave.

18. KANAPAHA BOTANICAL GARDENS Enormous Victoria water lilies, towering Chinese royal bamboo and blooming Asian snake arums flourish throughout these 68 acres of tropical flora.

4700 SW 58th Drive

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ON THE FLY: DESIGN DISTRICT

By Nila Do Simon

The

Gold

Standard

Interior Designer Nicole White merges Jamaican charm with glitz and glamour for homes that feel both personal and palatial.

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I

n the most gracious tone she can muster on a late Friday afternoon, Nicole White tells it to me straight, “I’m exhausted.” I don’t blame her: She should be.

The designer whose interiors have been on covers of countless shelter magazines and twice selected as a designer to watch by the Black Interior Designers Network is finally closing her demanding work week.

At any given time, White and her team are working on 15-20 projects—not including a monthslong waitlist of clients who want her to design their space.

It’s a feat the design veteran has conditioned herself for throughout her 15-year interior design career of large-scale renovations and full-service design in South Florida. If that’s not enough, this year White also added

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GLORIBELL LEBRON

the title furniture designer to her resume, collaborating with the fashion-inspired Tov Furniture for its Voice Collection, an upholstery and case goods capsule that brings to the table a diverse slate of designers.

Swivel chairs, benches and ottomans sport her trademark glamorous style, complete with fringe, metallic accents and bold palettes.

With the respect that White has earned in her industry, it’s hard to imagine that the designer once doubted herself and considered leaving the field altogether. A second career of sorts, interior designing was initially not in the cards for White, 48, who grew up in Jamaica among a community that aspired for her to be an attorney, doctor or accountant. Still, she loved design.

“I would walk into my family’s home and always think, ‘Why don’t we add curtains here, or why not change the color of the

walls,’” she says. “But at that time in Jamaica, no one knew how to pursue interior design as a career, so designing became more of a hobby.”

It can be said that no matter what field White works in, for her it’s about storytelling and creating a narrative. Her first career endeavor came in the form of journalism.

After graduating college in New York City, White began writing for revered publications such as The Village Voice and Vibe magazine.

In 2000, she moved to Florida to join the general reporting desk of the Miami Herald. There, her writing career flourished, producing front-page stories by day, but come evenings and weekends, she slowly began designing interior spaces for friends and friends of friends. Soon, White began dipping her toes in another narrative format: interior design. She began developing a

Opposite: Sunlight streams onto the white marble countertop in White’s kitchen design. This page from top: Nicole White smiles for the camera; White’s designs often incorporate bold colors.

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signature aesthetic that mixed textures with geometric patterns and jewel-toned colors, metallic finishes against plush fabrics. It was a distinctly feminine, globally charged look; in other words, it was Nicole White.

In 2008, she delved full time into the trade, believing that the world was ready for her energetic ideas for habitable spaces. And then the recession hit.

White remembers clients slowly retreating and design projects falling off her calendar. She depleted her 401(k) to stay afloat, all while raising her son, Xavier. “I was humiliated because I thought I failed,” White says. “It was a horrible feeling, letting your family down. I remember my mother crying, ‘How can you do that with a college degree?’ I had to really focus and excel in every way, and leap out of the hemisphere with this talent that I had.”

She eventually got her feet back on the ground with a job writing for a medical school. Slowly, the clients and projects came calling. So once again, during evenings and weekends, White designed, and during the daytime, she wrote articles.

She worked so feverishly that once, while meeting her son at his school, White remembers Xavier crying inconsolably at the pick-up line. Then, in a way that only a mother can understand, White’s devastation was compounded when a

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Above: White pulls from her Jamaican roots in each project. Opposite clockwise: A vibrant green couch;

colorful details in White’s painting selections; gilded glamour in this upscale bathroom; a mixture of metallic details and plush fabrics.

fellow mother said to her, “It’s because he’s not used to you.”

“That’s one moment when I knew I had to quit working as a writer to pursue design full time again, so I can spend more time with my family,” White says.

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The leap of faith paid off. In 2013, White received the Z Gallerie Design Award. She went on to serve as brand ambassador and influencer for The Home Depot, Zephyr, JennAir and City Furniture. And no matter how far her career has taken her, White says

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her Jamaican roots live in her designs.

“Jamaica is such a loud island. We fancy ourselves as the king of the pack in the Caribbean,” she says, referencing national stars Bob Marley and Usain Bolt. “I’m an immigrant, and not only have I been fighting for my place in this world, but also the design world. You’re fighting to be heard.”

White believes her strong design perspective and cultural background has allowed her to become known “as the one who takes risks and uses colors and [can] be edgy.”

It’s a trait that even Xavier, now 10, recognizes. Before traveling to Spain this past summer, White says her son requested to handpick her lodging based off the hotel’s design. As he scrolled through NICOLE online photographs, WHITE DESIGNS discarding the — CONTACT — properties with 305-733-5335 neutral palettes and nwdinteriors.com traditional designs, he finally settled on a sophisticated hotel with touches of glamour. He knew what his mom wanted, White says.

As she embarks on the next era of her second career, White says she plans to do so without the inhibition that once overtook her. Today, there’s a waitlist to be on White’s coveted design calendar that rivals the monthslong time frame some wait for a new Bugatti. One client has been waiting since the end of 2021 to begin work in late summer 2022, a wait this client gladly accepted to have a Nicole White-designed space.

“When I design, I see infinite possibilities,” she says. “I can design limitlessly. I’ve never tried to be another designer. I’ve just always been me. My Jamaican accent is clear, and it’s worked out well.”

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GLORIBELL LEBRON, RICARDO MEJIA

ON THE FLY: DESIGN DISTRICT

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ON THE FLY:THE ROOST RE AL ESTATE DOLLARS & SENSE B y E m i l ee Perd u e

Royal Retreats

Why not play king or queen for a spell by renting one of these luxurious party pads for the ultimate staycation with friends and family.

Orlando

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JEEVES FLORIDA RENTALS

R

elax like royals inside Cinderella's Castle, a towering vacation rental situated just five miles from the Disney World theme parks in the posh Reunion community. Embellished with grand arches and Renaissancestyle balconies (perfect perches for morning coffee or an evening toast), this 6,900-square-foot home is equal parts opulence and ease. The sprawling property includes eight bedrooms and 11 bathrooms, with plenty of socializing space in between. Each room is adorned with glossy marble finishes, crystal chandeliers and custom floors. The outdoor patio was built for entertaining with two flat-screen televisions, a master grill setup and an abundance of plush seating, both under the shade and in the sun. Swim laps in the private pool, slide down the rock-wall water slide or find a seat at the swim-up bar and end the day with a Kir Royale. For a dialed-down vibe, enjoy the indoors, and screen your favorite flick for family and friends at the home theater. Whether you want a cozy castle or an adventurous abode, this mansion offers both a comfortable stay and a sunny week of play.

630 Muirfield Loop, Reunion from $1,150 per night

ON THE FLY:THE ROOST RE AL ESTATE DOLLARS & SENSE

Fort Lauderdale

S

L ATITUDE KE Y VACATIONS

tar in a modern-day fairytale with a stay at Modern Castle, an extravagant holiday home situated in the heart of Fort Lauderdale. Complete with eight bedrooms, a heated pool, a waterfront patio and a two-story greenhouse, this sophisticated estate has plenty of room for all the dukes and duchesses in your family.

Much like any castle, this home features its very own hidden gems, discreetly designed for your pleasure—and your privacy. These include a poker table, a kayak launch, an elevator, a pool table and a wine cellar that holds over 500 bottles of vino. Every room is drenched in decadent detail, whether that be in the bathrooms bathed in jewels or the gold-leaf-coffered ceilings. If watching a game from the indoor sports bar isn’t your definition of relaxation, take a swim in the pool, a soak in the hot tub or lounge by the living walls for some botanical therapy.

1317 Middle River Drive, Fort Lauderdale From $2,750 per night

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ON THE FLY: FLORIDA WILD P H OTOGR APHS & F IELD NOTES B y C arlton War d Jr.

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The Next Generation

A

s a kid, I always loved seeing the cowboys burn the pastures and prairies. As an adult with an ecology degree, I love it even more, because I understand the importance of fire for maintaining and restoring the biodiversity of Florida’s native pine woods. As a photographer, I have spent time with prescribed fire experts at Tall Timbers, The Nature Conservancy’s preserves and Archbold Biological Station, and I’ve photographed controlled burns on ranches throughout the state. When it was time for a spring burn on my own family’s ranch, I wasn’t going to miss it.

Our property is called Limestone Creek Ranch. It’s two miles west of the Peace River in Hardee County, where it has been passed down for several generations by the Carlton family who homesteaded in nearby Wauchula in the 1850s. My journey telling the story of Florida ranches began nearby on my cousin Doyle Carlton’s Horse Creek Ranch more than NOTES 20 years ago. Since then, I have been championing the conservation of Florida ranchlands as the landscape that — HABITAT— can, in many ways, save our state. That journey led me to PALMETTO PRAIRIE launch the Florida Wildlife Corridor project in 2010 and LIMESTONE, FL spend six years chasing the story of the Florida panther to help inspire the Corridor’s protection. Through that — SEASON — time, I’ve produced 18 annual ranch calendars for the SPRING Florida Cattlemen’s Association, spending a lot more time on other people’s ranches than my own.

Having kids is helping change that, and what better — TIME OF DAY— MORNING reason to spend a day in the field together than a prescribed fire. Working with my dad and brother, our families decided to restore longleaf pine to a palmetto — SUBJECT— prairie logged long before our time. A prerequisite for PRESCRIBED BURN planting was a good burn. On the day of the burn, we all watched from a safe distance while I flew my drone above to capture photos and video of the head fire sweeping across the flatwoods, leaving charred palmetto and gallberry stems in its wake.

The next morning, when I set out seeking pictures of the fresh burn, my oldest daughter, Eldridge, and young son Carlton III wanted to come along. So we loaded into our electric Polaris Ranger and rolled quietly into the morning fog. I was looking for a vantage to repeat a sequence of photos during the coming months to show the vegetation shooting back up out of the ashes. I walked away from the utility terrain vehicle and pointed my camera west to capture the first frame of the eventual time lapse. When I looked back, Eldridge had picked up my phone and climbed onto the roof to capture photos of her own. Right then, focusing on my kids, seeing ninth-generation Floridians building connections with a place that helped shape me, there was a moment worth remembering. The pines we since planted there are for them and their cousins, to grow tall and spread their canopies to fill in the space between the remnant sentinels standing in silhouette that morning after the burn.

27.3653° N

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81.8992° W

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F L O R I D A ’ S O N LY S T A T E W I D E L I F E S T Y L E M A G A Z I N E

DON’t MISS the Boat!

SUBSCRIBE R E C E I V E O U R SPRING/SUMMER & FALL/WINTER

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JMAR BETH KOETH

COLLECTOR’S EDITIONS STRAIGHT TO YOUR DOOR

FLAMINGOMAG.COM/SUBSCRIBE

Help protect our pristine paradise for future generations to enjoy

Captains For Clean Water is a 501(c)3 non-proot on a mission to restore and protect aquatic ecosystems for the use and enjoyment of all.

ON THE FLY:THE TIDE ROAD TR IP–WORTHY EVENTS

Fare Game

COURTESY OF ALYS BEACH

Savo r the best of the State ’s Fo o d and Wi n e fe sti val s This Season.

This page: Festivalgoers

at the 30A Wine Festival Grand Tasting

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ON THE FLY:THE TIDE ROAD TR IP–WORTHY EVENTS (NORTH) RHYTHM & RIBS FESTIVAL ST. AUGUSTINE

Oct. 14–16

Sink your smile into a rack of ribs from award-winning pitmasters. This festival combines beats and barbecue for a weekend of local music, mouthwatering meat and tons of memories. rhythmandribs.net

SEEING RED WINE FESTIVAL SEASIDE

Nov. 10–13 Red wine pairs best with southern charm and sandy toes.

From prosecco to port, there’s a pour for every preference with more than 130 curated wines at this grand tasting. seasideseeingred.com

BARREL AGED, SOUR & CIDER FESTIVAL JACKSONVILLE

Dec. 3

FLORIDA SEAFOOD FESTIVAL, SYDNE Y JETER

Pucker up hop-heads! Ciders and sours take center stage at this lip-puckering party in the Bold City. Rest assured every tart tap is brewed right here in the Sunshine state. floridabrewersguild.org

FLORIDA SEAFOOD FESTIVAL A PA LA C H I C O LA

Nov. 4–5 Slurp, shuck or sprint your way to victory at the oldest seafood festival in the Sunshine State. Lace up your shoes, and work up an appetite during the 5K run through the historic streets of Apalachicola. Then, it’s the crustaceans’s turn to make a run for it during the famous blue crab races, where they hurtle down the wooden track toward the finish line. If your stomach is more impressive than your stride, stick around for the afternoon. Dexterity and detail prevail in the oyster shucking contest, where contestants lose points for loose shells and other atrocities. But that’s just the opening act for the evening’s biggest draw: the oyster-eating contest. Here, contestants battle to throw back the most shellfish, some eating as many as 300. The trickiest part? Keeping them down. floridaseafoodfestival.com

NEW YEAR’S EVE SHRIMP DROP

SANDESTIN GUMBO FESTIVAL

30A WINE FESTIVAL

Dec. 31

SANDESTIN

Feb. 24–25

Feb. 22–26

Grab a spoon and sample local spicy stew at this ultimate gumbo competition. No one said the best gumbo had to be from Louisiana, but you’ll be the judge of that. sandestingumbofestival.com

Don’t be deceived, this soiree isn’t just for sommeliers. Wine, beer, bourbon, tequila and other spirits flow freely at this fest. Play croquet and sip rose, or eat some ‘cue and drink craft brews. It’s all about toasting to your tastes.

30awinefestival.com

FERNANDINA BEACH

Above: Sip an array of international

wines at 30A Wine Festival.

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Forget the Times Square ball drop—ring in the New Year with an LED-lighted shrimp.

Paired with fireworks and local vendors, it’s a crustacean celebration for everyone. ameliaisland.com

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ON THE FLY:THE TIDE ROAD TR IP–WORTHY EVENTS (C E N T RA L ) COWS ‘N CABS W I N T E R PA R K

Nov. 12

The Ravenous Pig, Luke’s Kitchen and more than 20 other local haunts turn out small-bite plates all day and into the evening. Pair your fare with an old fashioned or a slew of other spirits. cowsncabs.com

ST. PETE BEER AND BACON FESTIVAL ST. PETERSBURG

Jan. 14–15

Beer, bacon and barbecue: a Floridian’s trifecta. Enjoy a winter breeze at this outdoor cookout with more than 50 pork-based dishes from local vendors. It’s the one time of year you might stand by the grill for warmth. stpetebeerandbacon.com

FELLSMERE FROG LEG FESTIVAL FELLSMERE

TAMPA PIG JIG

Jan. 19–22

Oct. 22 When it comes to slinging ‘cue, rocking out and raising lots of money for kidney disease research, the iconic bay city community throws a party like no other. Once a small backyard get-together, this fundraising festival is now not only on the big stage but is making a big difference for those diagnosed with Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a rare disease that scars the kidneys. Designate your family grill master and enter in one of the four barbeque competition categories: brisket, butt, ribs and the legendary wild card category—if it’s edible, it’s eligible. The winners will be announced before the headlining musical guest Sam Hunt and opening act Kip Moore. All of the country tunes and good barbecue support organizations working toward an FSGS cure. Tampapigjig.com

TAILGATE TASTE FEST TA M PA B AY

Oct. 15

Scream for your team at this tricked out tailgate boasting small bites from Tampa’s best restaurants. Think: macand-cheese bites, chicken and waffles, and wings dripping in buffalo sauce. tailgatetastefest.com

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CLEARWATER SANGRIA FESTIVAL

STONE CRAB JAM

C L E A R WAT E R

Nov. 5

Nov. 5

Choose your wine, fruit and other sweet additions to create your own boozy beverage. Rich in antioxidants, sangria is good for your heart—and your soul.

Crack open a claw and a cold one with your closest friends in celebration of this ocean delicacy. This party is packed with live music, beverages and seafood so good you’ll want to dance in the streets. stonecrabjam.com

clearwatersangriafestival.com

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Hop to it! This beloved annual festival is a little freaky but a lot of fun. The proud owner of two Guinness Book World Records, this Fellsmere feast serves more than 7,000 pounds of frog legs each year to festivalgoers from around the region. froglegfestival.com

C R Y S TA L R I V E R

Above: Grub on gourmet burgers at

Tampa Bay’s Tailgate Taste Fest.

@T HEFLA M INGOMAG

Y VONNE GOUGELET, COURTESY OF TAMPA BAY’S TAILGATE FEST

TA M PA

ON THE FLY:THE TIDE ROAD TR IP–WORTHY EVENTS (SOUTH) ROCKTOBERFEST S A R A S O TA

Oct. 14–16 Raise a beer, and toast to three days of live music, beautiful weather and … Schweinshaxe (AKA: roasted ham hock) in the spirit of Germany’s Oktoberfest.

In between bands and brews, feast on sauerkraut, pretzels and, of course, bratwurst. paragonfestivals.com

MIAMI RUM RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL CORAL GABLES

Nov. 12–13

Get schooled on all things rum at this spirit shindig. Between all the samplings and seminars, you’ll leave with an in-depth knowledge of this pirate’s drink from sugar cane to snifter. rumrenaissance.com

PALM BEACH FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL PA L M B E A C H

Dec. 8-11

ALISSA DR AGUN PHOTOGR APHY, COURTESY OF 52 CHEFS

Florida’s culinary heavyhitters including Clay Conley, Lindsay Autry and Timon Balloo combine culinary chops with Food Network stars and New York powerhouses for a weekend of bespoke bites. pbfoodwinefest.com

SOUTH BEACH WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL MIAMI

Feb. 23–26 Party beneath the stars and among them on the busy streets of South Beach at this eating extravaganza.

Boasting more than 90 curated events alongside top chefs, mixologists and the world’s biggest cooking personalities, SOBEWFF has become one of Miami’s marquee annual events. Clink glasses with stars like David Burtka, Neil Patrick Harris and celebrity chef Masaharu Morimoto. Even Martha Stewart and Queen Sofia of Spain have taken their seats at this Sunshine State table. If you’re not starstruck by the guest list, then the menu should do the trick. From tacos and tequila to the buzzworthy Burger Bash, attendees can sample cuisine from all over the world without leaving the Magic City. It’s an unmatched celebration of all things sweet, spicy and unapologetically South Beach. corporate.sobewff.org

SOUTH FLORIDA GARLIC FESTIVAL

EVERGLADES CITY SEAFOOD FESTIVAL

WELLINGTON BACON & BOURBON FESTIVAL

Feb. 4–5

Feb. 17–19

March 25–26

WELLINGTON

Above: Artisan wood-fired pies are a

must-eat at SOBEWFF.

@T H E FLAMI NG O M AG

Stinky breath abounds at this pungent party in the south focused on garlic grub. Admit it, you’ve always been a little curious what garlic ice cream tastes like. garlicfestfl.com

E V E R G LA D E S C I T Y

All Floridians need for a little fun is stone crab, craft beer and a good cause. Luckily, this festival has all three. Sample the state’s freshest seafood right on the edge of the swamp. evergladesseafoodfestival.org

WELLINGTON

Bourbon is best paired with bacon, according to this boss hog festival. Chefs share their secrets while you throw back 30 different bourbons. Nothin’ like a little buzz with your bacon. baconbourbonfest.com

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FLORIDIANA ALL THINGS VINTAGE B y C a t hy S a l u st ri

Roots & Rails

W

hen Henry Flagler built the final salty span of his Florida East Coast Railway in 1912, stretching 128 miles from Homestead to Key West, workers dynamited coral rock, laid railbed, and connected the chain of islands with 40 bridges. Trestles, filled with sand, supported those bridges, and that is how Fred the Tree came to be.

Today, Fred stands just shy of 20 feet tall, swaying in the sea breeze between Mile Marker 41 and 42 in the Lower Keys, and his roots wind themselves around the railway’s history. Lauded as the “Eighth Wonder of the World,” the railway only operated for 23 years before the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 ripped it apart.

Instead of rebuilding it, the Works Progress Administration used some of the remaining sections to create the southernmost extension of U.S. 1: The Overseas Highway,

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arguably the most scenic drive in Florida.

The pieces of Flagler’s old railroad that didn’t become part of the Highway that Goes to Sea still stand alongside the modern road, as reminders of his boundless ambitions. Some stretches were converted into fishing piers and pedestrian walkways. Others, like the section of the Old Seven Mile Bridge west of Pigeon Key, stand inaccessible, vacant and crumbling.

Then there’s Fred, an Australian pine tree bursting through the pavement.

No one knows when Fred first appeared, but locals say he’s been a resident for about 35 years.

Theories abound about Fred’s germination, from the common (bird poop) to the complex (before the bridge closed, a truck carrying Australian pine saplings hit a bump and Fred fell off and took root). No matter how he got there, several generations have grown up with Fred.

Florida declared war on Fred’s kind years ago, stripping the non-native pines from state parks.

FLAMINGOMAG.COM /// FA L L • W I N T E R 2 0 2 2

Fred, however, was spared.

Roughly 12 years ago, locals, known as Fred’s Elves, started decorating him for the holidays. People personalize and donate buoys for ornaments. A Key West synagogue donated a giant Top: Fred rises solar-powered menorah. from the Old Then, on Sept. 10, 2017, Seven Mile Bridge.

Right: Locals Hurricane Irma made decorate buoys as ornaments. landfall in the Keys as a Category 4. An 8-foot storm surge and 132mph winds ravaged the chain of islands.

As evacuees returned to the soggy Lower Keys, few expected to see Fred perched on Old Seven Mile. Nevertheless, there he stood.

To those who love him, Fred’s not just a tree; he’s a symbol of resilience—a beacon of hope. And he’s proof that life, in Florida, can always find a way.

@T HEFLA M INGOMAG

UCUMARI PHOTOGR APHY, KRISTEN THE ELF

This Australian pine rising from the Old Seven Mile Bridge symbolizes the resilience of the Florida Keys.

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