ROYAL PALM THE MAGAZINE – September/October 2023

Florida Eye Welcomes

Jonathan Lam, M.D.

Laser Cataract Surgery & Comprehensive Ophthalmology

Florida Eye is excited to announce Dr. Lam is now seeing patients at our newest office, located on the campus of Bethesda West Hospital in West Boynton Beach.*

Please call our office for more information and to book appointments. 561.737.5500 *Our new location is at the corner of State Road 7 & Boynton Beach Blvd, Suite 240.

EYE CARE for the Entire Family

• Laser Cataract Surgery

• Laser Vision Correction/Lasik

• Medical & Surgical Retina

(Macular Degeneration/Diabetic Retinopathy)

• Medical & Surgical Cornea & Glaucoma

• Advanced Dry Eye Care and Treatment

• Pediatric Ophthalmology & Adult Strabismus

• Eye Allergy Treatments

• Clinical Trials

Lee Friedman, M.D.

Randy Katz, M.D.

Barry Schechter, M.D., F.A.A.O.

Jonathan Criss, M.D.

Megan Rowlands, M.D., M.P.H.

Steven Naids, M.D.

Jonathan Lam, M.D, M.B.A.

James Walsh, O.D.

executive editor

Joshua I. Manning

publisher

Dawn Rivera

senior graphic designer

Stephanie Rodriguez

graphic designers

Nancy Pobiak

Yolanda Cernicky

account managers

Betty Buglio

Evie Edwards

Joetta Palumbo

bookkeeping

Jill Kaskel

Carol Lieberman

photography

Abner Pedraza contributors

Meredith Burow

Erin Davisson

Denise Fleischman

Frank Koester

Melanie Kopacz

Mike May

Callie Sharkey

Julie Unger

NEW ROYAL PALM BEACH VILLAGE HALL OPENS AS WORK ON MUNICIPAL CAMPUS NEARS COMPLETION

Instead of continuing to renovate a building nearing 50 years old, Royal Palm Beach decided three years ago to build a brand-new Royal Palm Beach Village Hall to serve the community for the next 50 years. While there is still work to be done, village employees moved into their new home in midAugust. BY

JOSHUA MANNING

DEVELOPER BRIAN TUTTLE’S VISION OF TUTTLE ROYALE

All through the hot summer months, construction workers labored quickly and intensely on what will be Royal Palm Beach’s largest new construction project in decades — Tuttle Royale.

BY JOSHUA MANNING

Departments

ROYAL PALM TABLE

from the publisher

On our cover this issue, we get a look at a unique cultural festival held recently at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center. The Kerala Association of Palm Beach hosted a celebration of the Hindu holiday of Onam, a cultural feast that is traditional in the southern Indian state of Kerala. Find more photos from this fascinating event in this issue.

Also this issue, we tour the brand-new Royal Palm Beach Village Hall. Village employees moved into their modern new home in mid-August. The 25,000-square-foot, twostory building replaces a structure that dates back to 1977. The new building is nearly twice the size of the old building.

Next, we chat with developer Brian Tuttle about his large, mixed-use project on Southern Blvd., west of State Road 7. Tuttle has been working on the project since 2012. Once completed, it will include homes, shopping, a park, a school and a gathering place for social activities.

ROYAL PALM TODAY

KOESTER

What started as a home brewing hobby 14 years ago has grown into the Royal Palm Brewing Company, a beer-brewing enterprise with a local tasting room featuring more than a dozen unique beers. BY FRANK

As part of the village’s growing Art in Public Places program, Royal Palm Beach recently commissioned photographs by renowned photographer Xan Padron. These unique pieces of art will be exhibited permanently at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center.

Royal Palm Table visits Royal Palm Brewing Company, a locally owned company that is the brainchild of the husband-and-wife team of George and Pam Shetka, along with George’s brother Geof Shetka. Royal Palm Today looks at the village’s successful Art in Public Places program, which includes a recently completed project by renowned photographer Xan Padron.

We hope you are enjoying our somewhat cooler fall weather. We’ll be back next issue with more unique stories from Royal Palm Beach.

Dawn Rivera

Dawn Rivera, Publisher

Kerala Association Celebrates Hindu Festival Of Onam In RPB Shakespeare’s Play ‘Measure For Measure’ At Commons Park County Commissioner Sara Baxter Opens RPB District Office Pet Supplies Plus Celebrates Its Two-Year Anniversary In RPB

Riya Saji dances at the Kerala Association of Palm Beach’s celebration of the Hindu holiday of Onam at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center. PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN

FLEISCHMAN

KERALA ASSOCIATION CELEBRATES HINDU FESTIVAL OF ONAM IN RPB

The Kerala Association of Palm Beach hosted a celebration of the Hindu holiday of Onam at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center on Saturday, Sept. 2. Onam is a cultural feast that is traditional in the southern Indian state of Kerala. Wellington Mayor Anne Gerwig was this year’s special guest speaker. Also attending was Royal Palm Beach Councilman Jeff Hmara, who was the guest speaker last year. Learn more at www. keralapb.com.

(Left to right) Debra Tendrich, Alan and Wellington Mayor Anne Gerwig, Juna Thomas, Biju Thonikadavil, and Carolyn and Royal Palm Beach Councilman Jeff Hmara; the group participates in the Onam ceremony; and Matthew Thomas holds an umbrella over King Mahabali (Rajimon Antony) as Biju Thonikadavil looks on.

(Left to right) Debra Tendrich, Sanil Prakeash, Daisy Antony and Juna Thomas serve dinner; Mayor Anne Gerwig lights a candle with help from Reji Sebastian; Allison Mini Kuruvilla and Audrey Kallickal perform on stage; and Janaki and Bhavani Raj with Norah, Audrey and Allison.

Kerala Association President Reji Sebastian gives Mayor Anne Gerwig flowers as Vice President Matthew Thomas looks on; Anchana Anil performs a dance; a cinematic dance by the tiny tots; and Rachel and Helen Sebastian on stage.

Jonah Chiyezhath, Jane Theresa Saji and Riya Saji; Saji and Chiyezhath family members at the celebration; ceremony participants gather at the Cultural Center stage; and Nial Rajesh, Rajesh Perumal and Anu Rajesh.

Helen and Rachel Sebastian dance; Samuel, Arjun, Maria and Aria with a traditional flower arrangement; and Matthew Thomas, Biju Thonikadavil, Carolyn and Royal Palm Beach Councilman Jeff Hmara, Wellington Mayor Anne Gerwig, Sajan Kurian, Reji Sebastian, Alan Gerwig and Jijo Jose.

royal palm | social scene PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN

SHAKESPEARE’S PLAY ‘MEASURE FOR MEASURE’ AT COMMONS PARK

The Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival and the Village of Royal Palm Beach presented Shakespeare by the Palms III from Thursday, July 20 through Sunday, July 23 at the amphitheater at Royal Palm Beach Commons Park. Attendees enjoyed a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s classic play “Measure for Measure,” set to a Mardi Gras theme. People brought chairs, blankets, snacks and refreshments, while a food truck was also available. Learn more at www.pbshakespeare.org.

(Left to right) Marina and Luke Sterijevski; Cathy and Paul Eiseman; Catherine Quinn, Nathan Brown, Derek Morgan and Jessie Dreyfuss; Richard Morrelli, Lauri Franks and David Lamphier; and Je Escobar and Renee Surrey.

(Left to right) Alex Gomez as Angelo, Darryl Willis as the Duke and Jeremy Wershoven as Escalus; Laurie Tanner as Francisca, Matthew Paszkiet as Lucio and Caroline Dopson as Isabella; Alex Gomez as Angelo, Caroline Dopson as Isabella, Amy Coker as Provost and Matthew Paszkiet as Lucio; and the cast gathers on stage for a final bow.

COMMISSIONER SARA BAXTER OPENS RPB DISTRICT

Our goal at Shults Orthodontics is to help our patients achieve more attractive and healthier smiles with minimal discomfort and inconvenience. We are committed to serving you and your children efficiently in our comfortable family-centered practice in Wellington, Florida.

District 6 Palm Beach County Commissioner Sara Baxter held a celebration Friday, Aug. 4 to mark the opening of her office in the Midwestern Communities Service Center, located at 200 Civic Center Way in Royal Palm Beach. Representatives from across the western communities attended the event.

(Left to right) VIPs gather for a ribbon-cutting ceremony; commission aides Joe Lafauci and Kyle Drexler, County Commissioner Sara Baxter, Glades aide Regina Bohlen and intern Steve Avila; County Commissioner Sara Baxter (center) with Royal Palm Beach councilmen Richard Valuntas and Jeff Hmara; and Jon Carter, County Commissioner Sara Baxter, State Rep. John Snyder and Wellington Mayor Anne Gerwig.

(Left to right) RPB Councilwoman Selena Samios, County Commissioner Sara Baxter, ITID Supervisor Elizabeth Accomando, ITID Supervisor Keith Jordano and RPB Councilman Jeff Hmara; Michael Gauger and Ron Howard; Geoff Sluggett, County Commissioner Sara Baxter and Mary McNicholas; and Enrique Perez of the PBSO, Sara and Brian Baxter, and Lenny Sanchez of the PBSO.

royal palm | social scene PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN

PET SUPPLIES PLUS CELEBRATES ITS TWO-YEAR ANNIVERSARY IN RPB

Pet Supplies Plus in Royal Palm Beach celebrated its two-year anniversary on Saturday, Aug. 19 with special savings, giveaways and adoption events throughout the store. The store is located at 11051 Southern Blvd., Suite 160, in Southern Palm Crossing. Call (561) 345-3151 for more info.

(Left to right) Pet Supplies Plus Manager Amanda Czerwinski, Area Manager Phillip McMullin and Manager Cherie Giannetti; Furry Friends volunteers Jo Schultz with Ken, Mike Petrillo with Gypsum, Maida Remmer with Sasha and Offsite Adoption Manager Niki Gottesman; Ali Cat Rescue foster Allison Mills, Sally Mills with Darius and founder Jeannine Barr; and Pet Supplies Plus Store Manager Vic Cucuzza with shopper Judith Allen.

(Left to right) Ryan Peery and Amelia Torres shop for cat food; Ryan Feliciano gives Obi a bath at the self-serve dog wash; Brad and Manon Pess from Baking by Brad had treats for human customers; Dog Training Elite’s Josephine Grace with mascot Gracie and Walnut, who needs a loving home; and Alejandro Herrera adopted Olly.

A NEW HOME FOR THE VILLAGE

New Royal Palm Beach Village Hall Opens As Campus Work Nears Completion

STORY BY JOSHUA MANNING | PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN

Instead of continuing to renovate and expand a building nearing 50 years old, Royal Palm Beach decided three years ago to build a brand-new Royal Palm Beach Village Hall to serve the community for the next 50 years.

While there is still work to be done on the overall municipal campus, village employees moved into their new home in mid-August.

“I think this new building is going to be a tremendous asset for the village and all the people who work hard to keep the village moving froward,” Mayor Fred Pinto said. “It gives us more capabilities to better serve the people.”

Chief among those capabilities is that the new building is constructed to the latest hurricane standards.

“It is hurricane season right now,” Pinto said. “Previously, when there was a storm, we had to move to a different building for our emergency operations center. It would stop us from working for several days. This new building will serve as our EOC as well, and that will mean we won’t have to pack up and move operations.”

The first day of operations at the new building was Monday, Aug. 14, and Village Manager Ray Liggins said that the move-in process went as efficiently as

can be expected. “I think it went really smoothly,” Liggins said. “We closed down on Friday, Aug. 11, and everyone was responsible for packing their own boxes. The movers came in on Friday morning and were done by 3 p.m. By the end of the day Monday, we looked pretty much moved in.”

The new 25,000-square-foot, twostory building replaces a structure that dates back to 1977, although it was previously renovated and enlarged several times. The new building is nearly twice the size of the old building, which is slated to be torn down.

“Everyone is generally pleased with

the new facility,” Liggins said. “Everything is new and fresh. There is one lobby, not two lobbies, where people have to go back outside to go in. Everyone likes that. There’s more logic to where people go. We worked with all the employees from the very beginning so we could accommodate everyone’s concerns or requests. It was important that we get it right.”

In the new building, access to village departments surround a large open space, with offices and meeting rooms for staff on the second floor.

“The new arrangement makes it easier for the people who are our customers and citizens to better work with the village,” Pinto said. “That is all on the first floor, and it is much more convenient. It was awkward the way the previous building was set up.”

Pinto added that the new building will be there for the next 50 years and beyond. “It has more modern components with it,” he said. “There is also room for growth, should that become necessary.”

At the far end of the atrium is the new council chambers.

“The plan is that for the Sept. 21 meeting, we should be doing it in the new council chambers,” Liggins said.

The new layout for the council chambers solves a problem that has concerned Pinto in the past — more space for concerned residents.

“We have sliding glass doors that en-

close the new council chamber,” he explained. “We can open those sliding doors and extend the seating should we have an issue that has more interest from our citizens.”

Just because the staff is in the new building doesn’t mean the work is done. The focus now shifts to the outside campus area.

“The area where the old building is

The Royal Palm Beach Village Council plans to meet in the new chamber for the first time on Sept. 21.

With the main building complete, the focus now turns to the overall municipal campus.

will be torn down, and that area in the front will be rebuilt with parking and a reflective fountain. That will take six months,” Liggins said. “Then, we will convert the old council chambers into a rental space for about 75 people.”

While the village staff was still working on a few odds and ends in late August when it comes to removing items from the old building, the demolition will begin soon.

“We wrote in the contract that we had a month to move in,” Liggins said. “The plan is that they will start taking it down about the middle of September.”

Still to come with the new building is a post office annex.

“The post office will be re-opening soon,” Pinto said. “They have their own space and their own entrance. I think residents will like that service.”

Liggins is excited that this important upgrade to village services is nearing completion. “When the whole site

is done, with the front parking area, and the new rental space, I think it will be a campus that the residents should be very proud of,” he said.

This will include a spacious plaza designed to host an array of public events.

Rick Gonzalez of REG Architects designed the new building. The $12.9 million project was awarded through a bid process to Verdex Construction. Verdex CEO Rex Kirby said his firm enjoyed working on the project.

“We try to diversify the sectors we work in, and we are getting into more government work and schools,” he said. “We got to know the village people very well and worked well with them. I think we were able to give them a beautiful facility.”

He particularly liked the design of the new council chambers.

“They have a really cool, extremely nice council chambers there,” Kirby said. “It is acoustically lined with bum-

pers. That is one part that stands out.”

One great memory from the project happened after the shell was up and office spaces were marked out.

“We did a construction tour with the staff,” Kirby recalled. “They got to see it and write their names on the wall where they would be working. This got them excited about the project. It is always great to get the clients involved.”

The new Royal Palm Beach Village Hall building also triggered the need for a piece of public art. At a meeting in August, the council chose an artist based on the open call for the village’s public art commission. The top three artists were Beth Nybeck of Kansas City, Owen Morrel of Coral Gables and Vito Di Bari of Miami. The council chose to begin working with Nybeck.

Nybeck will now work with the village to create a unique piece of public art sure to become a centerpiece of the new municipal campus.

(Clockwise from top left) Permit Technician Josephine Melnick of the Building Department; the second-floor atrium; the information desk; the office of Village Manager Ray Liggins; Josephine Melnick assists Maria and Fernando Chapman; Accounts Payable Clerk Stephanie Wulff at her desk; and the break room kitchen area.

THE VISION OF TUTTLE ROYALE

Developer Brian Tuttle Is Bringing A Decade-Long Dream To Reality

STORY BY JOSHUA MANNING | PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN

All through the hot summer months, dozens of construction workers labored quickly and intensely on what will be Royal Palm Beach’s largest new construction project in decades — Tuttle Royale.

It will take at least another two years for the project to become reality, but when you look at how long developer Brian Tuttle has been working on the project, that’s pretty close to the finish line.

Tuttle began buying up land along the south side of Southern Blvd., just west of State Road 7, back in 2012. Piece by piece, step by step, the huge mixed-use development has been coming together ever since.

Major land developer is a far cry from where Tuttle began his career. He worked in law enforcement before earning a degree in industrial engineering from the University of South Florida.

“I moved to Boca to work for IBM,” he said. “When IBM shut down manufacturing, I started a landscaping company. I did that for 20 years.”

In 2000, Tuttle switched gears from landscaping to land development. But he was not the guy building the final product. Tuttle made a name for himself putting together difficult parcels of land, getting them approved for development, and then selling them.

“I have assembled and sold about 30 large projects from 2000 to now,” Tuttle said, rattling off a list of projects, here in central Palm Beach County and beyond.

Just a few of those projects are Country Estates off State Road 7 south of Wycliffe, Cypress Trails off Lake Worth Road near Lyons Road, Copperleaf in Martin County, and Four Seasons, an active adult community in Parkland.

However, several years ago, Tuttle came to realize that finding land to bundle together for development was getting more difficult.

“There is no more land in South Florida, so I saw my business dwindling,” Tuttle explained. “The land that was left here was tough for entitlement, tough for communities, tough for land sellers

Project Manager Michael Tuttle, Tuttle Royale owner and developer Brian Tuttle, Project Manager Chris DeBehnke and Assistant Project Manager Andrew Jenkins.

and tough for buyers. Also, I’m now 64. I want to slow down. So, I kept my last, best piece and decided to build it out myself.”

However, the unique size and scope of Tuttle Royale caught even him by surprise. “I didn’t choose it,” Tuttle said. “It happened.”

Tuttle explained that there was a 20acre project in the area that fell apart during the real estate crash in the late 2000s. That land was at the far west of the current site, bordering Wellington’s Little Ranches neighborhood.

“I picked it up five years later in 2012, and I just started adding land to it, because that’s what I do, I assemble,” he recalled. “One day I woke up and realized that I had assembled 200 acres at one of the busiest intersections in Florida.”

The entire project has been broken into eight pods, some of which Tuttle has sold, and others he has kept.

The first parcel sold, Pod 1, is the only parcel already fully developed. That is the Pointe at Southern Blvd. luxury

apartment community developed by the Miami-based Related Group.

Pod 2 consists of 401 apartments that Tuttle is building himself. Pod 3 includes 318 apartments. That land has been sold to Florida Crystals’ Fanjul family for development. Pod 4 includes 100 single-family homes, and Tuttle is currently negotiating with buyers for that land.

Pod 5 and Pod 6 were merged into a single pod and together form the commercial center known as Main Street. Pod 7 is slated for a charter school, which was sold to the Index Investment Group. Finally, Pod 8 is an 11-acre regional park site, which has been donated to the Village of Royal Palm Beach.

The area that makes up Main Street at Tuttle Royale will consist of 12 main buildings and three outparcels. This will house approximately 400 residential units, along with retail stores, a hotel, restaurants, entertainment space and parking garages.

“I want this to be the premier enter-

tainment and lifestyle center in Palm Beach County,” Tuttle said. “I want anyone who wants to go to a movie, go to dinner or go shopping to come here.”

While the apartments in Pod 2 will be completed in about 18 months, the other parts of Tuttle Royale are slated to open in about two years, with the Main Street commercial center coming online sometime in 2026.

“Commercial tends to follow residential,” Tuttle noted.

The change will be transformational for the area, bringing up to 5,000 new residents and a walkable outdoor shopping area that has been compared to Abacoa in Jupiter or the Square (previously CityPlace) in West Palm Beach.

“It brings a much-needed entertainment center for all the western communities,” Tuttle said, noting that the area will also have miles of walking paths. “I don’t intend to sell it. It is a legacy project. I intend to keep it and manage it.”

Tuttle praised the Village of Royal

Project Manager Michael Tuttle, Project Manager Chris DeBehnke and Assistant Project Manager Andrew Jenkins.

“I don’t intend to sell it. It is a legacy project. I intend to keep it and manage it.”

— Brian Tuttle

Palm Beach for working closely with him to bring the project to reality. First the area needed to be annexed into the village. The village had no zoning code for this type of walkable, mixed-use area. A new zoning category, mixed-use social center (MXS), was created for Main Street at Tuttle Royale.

Once completed, key tenants will include the Cheesecake Factory, the Improv Comedy Club, Ruth’s Chris Steak

House, the Fresh Market, EōS Fitness, Bowlero, Tommy Bahama, Lululemon, Sephora, Victoria’s Secret and many more.

Tuttle said that he has more than $50 million invested in the project, including $24 million in necessary infrastructure work. He noted that he has not worked alone on the project. His firm includes several of his children. The main street running through the development, Eri-

ca Blvd., is named in memory of his late daughter, who died in 2016.

Tuttle has worked with some of the top names in the industry on the project, including brokers Newmark Knight, the Engenuity Group for engineering work, Urban Design Studios for land planning, BCA Architects, legal work from Ward Damon, traffic engineering from Susan O’Rourke and Ecotone Services for environmental work.

WEEKLY EVENTS

Contractors work to build one of the buildings at Tuttle Royale. The project will come online in phases over the next three years.

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LOCALLY BREWED BEERS ON TAP

Royal Palm Brewing Company Serves Up Unique Brews And More At RPB Tasting Room

BY FRANK KOESTER

What started as a home brewing hobby 14 years ago has grown into the Royal Palm Brewing Company, a beer-brewing enterprise with a local tasting room featuring more than a dozen unique beers at any given time, as well as a distribution system that supplies the beers to restaurants and retailers across Florida.

Royal Palm Brewing is the brainchild of the husband-and-wife team of George and Pam Shetka, along with George’s brother Geof Shetka.

“People laugh when we tell them, but the first beer we ever brewed was what we call Psycho Sisters today,” George said, referring to the company’s awardwinning Russian imperial stout. “It turned out really good, and we still have a bottle of it.”

That very first brew was a life-changing experience for Geof. “The very first day that we brewed that first homebrew, I knew I wanted to do that,” he recalled. “I wasn’t sure if it was going to be working for another brewery or starting our

own, but it was just one of those things always in the back of my head.”

After years of home brewing, the Shetkas began putting together their business plan in 2016, but it took two years before the tasting room off State Road 7 opened in 2018. Much of that time was taken up in finding an appropriate site, and then getting the necessary approvals. The Village of Royal Palm Beach had to change its rules to allow microbreweries.

“One of the councilmen, Jeff Hmara, took us under his wing and said, ‘That’s cool. I think that’s something that would be good for the community,’” George said.

Pam noted that their goal was not to create a bar, serving beer and other alcohol into the early morning hours.

“We want it to be a place where people in this community can go,” she said. “They can feel safe, they can bring their children, they can eat, they can have our craft beer and appreciate what we do.”

At any given time, Royal Palm Brewing serves up more than a dozen craftbrewed beers to fit every taste. Aside from the popular Psycho Sisters stout, you’ll find several other award-winning beers, such as the 63 Axe Handles American lager, the Half Moon Island American wheat ale and the Sour Yeti sour ale made with raspberry, hibiscus and Persian lime puree. There’s also a Mexican-style lager (Cerveza de Jorge), an American pale ale (the Mountains Are Calling), an amber ale (SR 7) and much more.

The beers are of their own creation through the years, some based on suggestions from patrons. George compared brewing beer to baking chocolate chip cookies.

“There’s a basic foundation to a chocolate chip cookie. It’s what you do with that cookie that makes it your own,” he said. “A beer is grain, water, hops and yeast. There’s pretty much a standard of what you can do in each category…

(Left) Co-owner Geof Shetka with his brother George Shetka and Pam Shetka of Royal Palm Brewing Company. (Top, left to right) The pepperoni flatbread pizza with large-sliced pepperoni, mozzarella and marinara sauce; Breanna Smith and Brodi Knodell share a Bavarian-style pretzel; bingo is free on Bingo Night, and the round winner receives a prize featured on the wheel; cooks Donnie DeMarr and Robert Diaz with a charcuterie board and a pepperoni flatbread pizza; the charcuterie board includes a variety of meats, cheeses, olives, fruits and nuts; and patrons Rick Schanzle, Brian Piccolo, Jennifer Schanzle and Barb Yevchak enjoy some brews.

You have to have that foundation, but you can take that and make it your own. You’re not really reinventing the wheel, you’re just kind of unique at the wheel.”

Right now, Royal Palm Brewing has a maximum capacity of about 1,100 to 1,200 barrels a year, although they are not producing that much. They plan to grow as needed, but they don’t want to over-expand, nor bring in outside investors.

“We brew everything ourselves. We’re also very proud that we own this,” George said. “It is ours, and we want to be able to make that final decision on what we’re going to do.”

Working with partner Progressive Distribution, the company’s beers can now be found in dozens of local restaurants and retail shops across the state. Locally, that includes PapiChulo Tacos, JoJo’s Raw Bar, Tree’s Wings, Bonefish Mac’s, Big Rocco’s Pizza, World of Beer and on

the shelves at Total Wine & More.

Royal Palm Brewing is one of the few beer-tasting rooms to offer a full menu of food and appetizers. Popular items include a charcuterie board featuring a taste-tempting selection of sliced meats, cheeses, fruit and nuts; a variety of flatbread pizzas, such as the pepperoni with large-sliced pepperoni, mozzarella and marinara sauce; and a jumbo Bavarianstyle pretzel, perfect for sharing.

Other options include a variety of waffle snackers, all-beef hotdogs and Polish sausages, hot sandwiches, grilled wraps and fresh-made salads. Initially, they weren’t going to have an extensive menu, but it grew due to requests from patrons.

“We started these little pita pizzas for the kids, and then we found that adults were eating them. So, now we have our wood-fired flatbreads,” George explained. “We used to do hotdogs and

Royal Palm Brewing makes its unique beer blends in house. Shown here, hot wort is transferred via pump from the mash tun to the boil kettle.

Polish sausages for our October festival. It’s popular, so let’s add that to the menu.”

The tasting room is set to expand over the next year with the planned addition of outdoor seating and more space by taking over a bay next door. The space will be used to increase the capacity of the brewing business. “Now we’ll be able to increase our productivity to distribute more beer,” George said.

The tasting room is open from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, noon to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday, with happy hour specials all day Tuesday and from open until 6 p.m. from Wednesday to Sunday. The tasting room is closed on Monday. Check the online calendar for an array of fun weekly and special events.

Royal Palm Brewing Company is located in the Commons at Royal Palm shopping plaza at 543 N. State Road 7, Suite

(Above left) Geof Shetka holds up a handful of hops, which will soon be added to the brewing process. (Above right) Geof mixes grain with water as his brother George pours a bucket of grain.

Julie Thornburg, APRN | Vincent Apicella, DO, President & Founder | Sonya Jackson, APRN | Teresita Brunner, APRN

Premier Family Health is expanding our provider network and is excited to welcome Julie Thornburg, APRN; Sonya Jackson Simmons, APRN; and Teresita Brunner, APRN to the team.

ART IN PUBLIC PLACES PROGRAM

New Cultural Center Photography Display Shows Unique Art Made At Commons Park

As part of the village’s growing Art in Public Places program, Royal Palm Beach recently commissioned photographs by renowned photographer Xan Padron. These unique pieces of art will be exhibited permanently at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center for public viewing.

The photographs included in the artwork were taken at Royal Palm Beach Commons Park and show Padron’s keen photographic eye. Padron’s “Time Lapse” series, profiling famous cities such as New York, Berlin, Rio de Janeiro, Barcelona and Los Angeles, captures community residents and their backdrops, ultimately creating a sense of social connection and belonging to a specific location.

In 2023, Padron brought this accomplished series to the Village of Royal Palm Beach and created a unique work of art highlighting the village’s cherished Commons Park. The inspiration behind the photography series was to showcase Commons Park at different times of the day. The top row was taken in the morning, the middle row in the afternoon and the lower row during the evening sunset, displaying an entire day at the park.

“The first thing I do when I arrive in a city is search for a background that speaks to me. I walk for hours and hours around the city streets, trying to feel the atmosphere and writing down locations until I find an interesting backdrop that also works, technically speaking,” Padron explained. “The reasons for choos-

ing them are different. Sometimes I choose the background for aesthetic reasons. Sometimes I pick it because I like the neighborhood’s vibe or because I feel it might represent the city where I am at that moment. In places like New York, where I live, I’m in constant awe because even in my own neighborhood, the West Village, things have changed dramatically in the past 11 years, and I’m trying to document that change, too, by shooting the same wall every once in a while.”

The photo series at the Cultural Center is part of the village’s Art in Public Places program, which has grown by leaps and bounds since its creation in 2018. It requires that a piece of unique public art be included with all large-

Renowned photographer Xan Padron’s series at Royal Palm Beach Commons Park.

royal palm | today

scale commercial and industrial developments, as well as village capital projects. The photo series on display at the Cultural Center follows that building’s recent renovation and expansion.

Earlier this year, the Royal Palm

Beach Village Council approved a sculpture by artist Robert Fehre to be installed at the Aldi Distribution Warehouse off State Road 7. In August, the council approved a sculpture by Wenqin Chen for the Crossroads shopping center, fol-

lowing the recent retrofit of the Publix supermarket there. At the same meeting, the council agreed to work with artist Beth Nybeck to create a unique piece of art for the Royal Palm Beach Village Hall campus.

Rock-N-Fall Festival Returns October 6-7

The Village of Royal Palm Beach is gearing up for an unforgettable Rock-n-Fall Festival 2023, promising two days full of music, entertainment and family-friendly fun. This annual event, scheduled for Friday, Oct. 6, and Saturday, Oct. 7, will once again be held at Royal Palm Beach Commons Park.

Friday night, open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., is all about rock-n-roll, featuring the Long Run Band, a tribute to the Eagles, at 6 p.m., followed by the ultimate KISS tribute at 8:15 p.m. to close

out the night. Food and beverage vendors will be available, as well as fun, free activities for children, such as bounce houses, carnival games and a fun zone. Saturday, open 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., is all about fall season. The village is pulling out all the stops to make sure there is something everyone can enjoy. There will be a corn maze, petting zoo, pumpkin-carving contest, train rides and costume contests! The pet costume contest begins at 2 p.m., followed by the children’s costume contest at 3 p.m.

Rounding out the entertainment for the evening will be Royal Palm Beach native singer/songwriter Joe Noto at 5 p.m., followed by Beautiful Loser, a tribute to Bob Seger, at 7 p.m.

The Rock-n-Fall Festival promises to be an incredible day out for the whole family, celebrating the beauty of autumn and the power of music to bring communities together. As always, the Rockn-Fall Festival is free to attend, there are no entry or parking fees. Learn more at www.royalpalmbeachfl.gov.

Here, Children Matter Most

Hope and compassionate care fill every room and hallway at Nicklaus Children’s. With the brightest medical minds dedicated to children’s wellbeing, we proudly maintain our position as the top-ranked children’s hospital in South Florida according to U.S.News & World Report’s 2023-24 Pediatric Rankings. Leading with compassion and extraordinary care, we demonstrate every day why this is where your child matters most. nicklauschildrens.org

Nicklaus Children’s Hospital is the top-ranked children’s hospital in South Florida.