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Amici Pizza plans stand-alone location By Kathy Steele
ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
Owners of Amici Pizza & Deli are planning to build a new stand-alone restaurant, with additional retail space, on Wesley Chapel Boulevard. The new restaurant is a short distance from the existing Amici restaurant in Grand Oaks Square, at Wesley Chapel and Pet Lane. Andrea and Josephine Mannino, are
heading toward a construction start of Amici Plaza in spring with an opening likely by the end of 2016. Pasco County records show a conceptual plan with about 3,000 square feet for the restaurant, and about 1,800 square feet for retail. “We’d like to have our own building and a bigger kitchen,” said Andrea Mannino. No decisions have been made on the additional retail space, he said.
The site is located at the corner of Magnolia Boulevard and Wesley Chapel Boulevard, which is also known as County Road 54. Pasco County is moving forward with acquisition of right-of-way along County Road 54 to prepare for the expansion of the twolane road into a four-lane road at the junction of State Road 56 and State Road 54 See PIZZA, page 13A
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Mark Pizzurro, Joe Traina and Peter Abreut anticipate opening their craft brewery in Land O’ Lakes in spring.
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Craft beers are In the Loop in Land O’ Lakes By Kathy Steele
ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
Cooking home brewed beer started as a hobby five years ago, with three friends in Land O’ Lakes meeting up in a garage on Cherbourg Loop. All anyone had to say was – “See you at the loop.” And, the next few hours were devoted to brewing beer. The compliments rolled in. “We had a lot of people like our beers,” said Peter Abreut.“That made us think we could really start something.” By spring, a garage hobby will become
In the Loop Brewing with an on-site brewery, tap and tasting room, and nearly 7,000 square feet for an outdoor beer garden. The brewery, tap and tasting room will open first, with the beer garden opening later on. Abreut and partners, Mark Pizzurro and Joe Traina, are busy renovating a former residence at 3338 Land O’ Lakes Boulevard. The two-story house is next door to a building that houses Interior Elegance and Abreut’s gym, Crossfit En Fuego. The upstairs can be rented for private parties or special events such as birthdays, weddings and office parties. “We’re trying to keep the house as is,”
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A former single-family home on Land O’ Lakes Boulevard is being renovated for a tap and tasting room. In the Loop Brewing will be next door to Interior Elegance and Crossfit En Fuego.
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Pizzurro said.“It has its own character.” A shed on the property will be converted into the brewery. An outdoor patio, decks, an inside/outside serving window and landscaping will complement the beer garden. Noise will be kept at a minimum,Traina said, with low-level background music for the beer garden. “It’s very community oriented,” he said. “That’s our goal. Everything is coming into place. In the Loop Brewing already has a fan base with nearly 900 likes on Facebook from beer enthusiasts who identify as “loopers.” A Portland-based company is delivering brewing equipment. The Pasco County Commission, in January, approved the brewery’s beer and wine licenses. A federal license to brew beer is expected soon. “I’m excited about this. This is a great day for Land O’ Lakes,” said Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore. “This is great for the area’s development. This is also tourism for the county if you think about See LOOP, page 13A
Forgiveness brings freedom, genocide survivor says By B.C. Manion Winner 2012, 2013, 2014
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There was a time when Immaculee Ilibagiza didn’t think she’d live to see another day. Now, she rejoices for each new day because it gives her a chance to share her faith. Ilibagiza, author of “Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust,” was at St. Timothy Catholic Church on Jan. 27 and Jan. 28, sharing her story of survival — which she attributes to God’s immense love. The church invited her to speak, as part of its celebration of the Jubilee of Mercy. Pope Francis has declared a Jubilee of Mercy, which began Dec. 8 and runs through Nov. 20, 2016, according to the National Catholic Reporter.The pope has called on Catholics around the world to use the ongoing Jubilee year of mercy to “open wide” the doors of their hearts to forgive others and to work against social exclusion.
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Immaculee Ilibagiza signs copies of her book, ‘Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust.’
Ilibagiza’s message fits perfectly with that theme. She grew up in a small village in Rwanda and had been attending the National University of Rwanda to study electrical and mechanical engineering. She was home on Easter break in April of 1994 when the assassination of the Hutu president sparked months of massacres of Tutsi tribe members throughout the country. To spare his daughter from rape and murder, Ilibagiza’s father told her to run to the home of a Hutu pastor, who was a family friend.The pastor hid her and seven other women in a cramped 3-foot-by-4-foot bathroom for 91 days. “We stayed in that bathroom three months. We never spoke to each other those three months,” she said. During that time, her faith was crushed and challenged. She knew that any tiny noise could lead to her death. See SURVIVOR, page 13A