Vol. 9, Issue 12, December 2020
®
Your community. Your magazine. ™
The Premier “Shop Local” Community Magazine Directly Mailed To Over 15,000 Homes In Citrus Park, Westchase & Surrounding Areas This Independent Community News, Business & Dining Guide Is Directly Mailed Once Each Month To:
Arlington Park • Aston Villas • Bay Arbor • Berkeley Square • Calf Path Estates • Enclave At Citrus Park • Fawn Ridge Fawn Lake • Forest Lakes • Hampton Lakes • Highland Park • Lake Chase • Mandolin • The Eagles • Tree Tops Twin Branch Acres • Waterchase • West Hampton • Westchase • Westchester • Westwood Lakes • Windsor Place
TPC Tampa Bay - High-end, 18-hole golf course & country club since 1991 with Natural Wetlands, an Eatery & Pro shop By Carla M. Dubis Tedeschi Overlooking the lush landscape and tranquil lagoons of the 18th hole at TPC Tampa Bay, ¡Cuatro Restaurant & Bar, currently operating at 100% capacity, offers members, regulars, and visitors a culinary experience like no other. There’s no doubt the Coronavirus outbreak has made us somewhat hesitant to go out. But General Manager Jeff Hartman, Executive Chef Greg Gonzalez, Membership Sales Associate Kortney Huntzinger and every staff member at TPC Tampa Bay have made it their mission to ensure that you and your loved ones have a wonderful and safe experience when you stop by to practice your golf swing, or to enjoy a meal and refreshing beverage with a view! “We’ve taken every precaution to ensure you have a safe and enjoyable
visit,” says Chef Greg. “Our wait and kitchen staff is required to wear masks. We’ve also distanced our inside tables and added extra seating in the patio to abide by proper social distancing guidelines. We’ve placed hand sanitizer bottles at every table, as well as automatic ‘handsfree’ sanitizing stations in several places outside the restaurant and the golf course. We’re slowly but surely moving to make everything automatic, from soap to towels.” Consistency is as important as quality. And at ¡CUATRO you’ll enjoy both, as well as affordable prices. They have not raised their prices this year, even though food costs have soared by 38% amid the pandemic, according to recent research studies. “Even though food costs have doubled, even tripled for certain items, meat, in particular, we will not be raising our
prices,” says Chef Greg. “The pandemic has been financially straining for so many local families. We want to continue to provide a tasty and affordable meal option in a safe environment for everyone.” Come February 2021; it will be his second anniversary as Cuatro Executive Chef, congratulations in advance! “These two years have been as rewarding as they’ve been challenging, but we’ve rolled with the
See “TPC” on page 10
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: From the Editor.....................5 Grout Tech..............................6-7 Tidewater Foot and Ankle Associates..........................8-9 Trinity Family Physicians Offers Telehealth..............12-13
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Holiday Celebrations During the COVID-19 Pandemic Over one million new covid-19 cases were recently reported in the United States over the past week. As cases continue to rise all over Florida, the Tampa Bay area ranks in fifth place with some of the highest numbers of cases reported since this pandemic first started. The CDC recommended not traveling during the Holidays unless necessary and is frequently reminding people that the safest way to celebrate the Holidays is at home with only the people you live with. Traveling increases the chance of getting and spreading COVID-19. This holiday season, do not travel out of state or have family travel into Florida to join your celebrations. Personally, I used to celebrate Thanksgiving and the Holidays with large groups of over 40 people!!! But this year I’ve decided to celebrate with only the members of my household… of course my three cats are included! This pandemic has been extremely stressful and definitely isolating. I know many of us were looking forward to spending the Holidays celebrating together and cheering for the new year, but we have to do our part to flatten the curve and bring those numbers down. Consider celebrating virtually with those loved ones or family members outside of your own household. Your household is anyone who currently lives and shares common spaces in your housing unit (such as your condo, home, or apartment.) This can include family members, roommates, or people who are unrelated to you, and of course, your pets! People who do not currently live in your housing unit should be considered part of different households. Face to face celebrations that bring together different families and members of different households pose varying levels of risk that we should all consider. Social gatherings during the upcoming Holidays should be kept at a minimum, and only to those members of your direct circle. This holiday season, consider how your plans can be modified to reduce the spread of coronavirus to keep your family, friends, and community healthy and safe. If you’re hosting a party, please host
outdoor rather than indoor if possible. Limit the number of attendees as much as you can to allow people from different households to remain at least 6 ft apart at all times. Gatherings with more people always pose a higher risk than gatherings with fewer people. The CDC does not have a limit or recommend a specific number of attendees for holiday gatherings. They recommend that everyone stay 6 feet (2 arm lengths) apart, wear masks, wash hands and sanitize often, and follow all state regulations. Even though you may consider it “rude” to skip a party or gathering, do not be afraid to say no and stay at home with your immediate family. Nobody should judge you or make you feel bad for trying to keep everyone safe. If you’re an older adult or person with certain medical conditions who is at an increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19 or live or work closely with someone at increased risk of severe illness, you should avoid in-person gatherings with people outside your household. My mother is 67 years old and has bad COPD, and her lungs are not the best. She suffers from chronic pneumonia, and she’s at a very high risk of catching it. So we’ve had to turn down some invitations because of the high risk it would represent. Even though this has been a tough year for a lot of us, there are things you can still do to enjoy the Holidays while social distancing. Go on a walk or a drive to see holiday decorations with the members of your immediate household. Learn a new recipe at home and cook more often with people who live with you. Do all your Holiday shopping online rather than in person. You can still share food and baked goodies with friends or relatives that are not the best in the kitchen, but consider delivering it to their doors without having direct contact with them. With all that said, I want to leave you with this message that resonated with me; 2020 may not have been the year we got everything we wanted, but it became the year in which we truly learned to appreciate everything we already had. Let us be thankful that despite everything, we’re still here fighting. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year 2021. Stay safe, everyone! Until next year!
Carla Dubis Tedeschi
Grout Tech - Your Tile and Grout Specialist! Before you spend thousands of dollars remodeling and retiling your bathroom or kitchen be sure to call Grout Tech for a FREE estimate on cleaning or repairing old dingy tile and grout. Grout Tech can breathe new life into your existing tile work, making everything shine like new at a fraction of the cost. Grout Tech is a family owned business serving Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco Counties. With over 17 years of experience in the industry, Grout Tech specializes in cleaning and sealing tile and grout, re-coloring grout, re-caulking showers and tubs, and repairing grout and broken tiles. Grout Tech will renew existing grout and tile to its original beauty by cleaning and maintaining the tile and grout lines. Jeremy G. and his wife were ready to re-tile their entire bathroom before calling BJ at Grout Tech. “Our bathroom tile was over 40 years old it was looking grungy and very dull. We called Grout Tech and we are extremely pleased with our results! We saved so much money by having the grout in our shower resurfaced and the tile cleaned and it looks brand new.” BJ is happy to set your appointment, come out and give you a free estimate. She stresses, “It is important for me to be respectful of our customers’ time so I will always arrive at the time we set.” In addition to always arriving in a timely manner, BJ
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says that they can keep their prices low because they are a family owned business and not a franchise. She explains, “What many people don’t understand is that franchises are often forced to charge more for their services because they have to maintain their franchise fees, but not with Grout Tech.” Not only does Grout Tech keep its rates competitive, but the company will also honor any other quote as long as it is in writing. Because grout is a porous material, trying to remove stains is seemingly impossible. BJ explains, “Color sealing grout lines is one of the many services we offer and it is definitely the most effective way to create a perfect, new look.” Using a step-by-step process, Grout Tech begins by using a cleansing product to remove all bacteria and surface dirt with special machinery. They will then apply a color seal (of your choice). Once the sealer is applied the grout lines will be permanently protected from any stains. The color seal also guarantees against cracking, chipping and peeling. Additionally, they will also cosmetically fix or replace chipped or cracked tiles, making your bathroom or kitchen tile like new again. Kathy G., a satisfied customer, shares her experience,
Before
After
“When BJ came out to give us a quote, she looked at the job and I could tell immediately that she knew what she was talking about. We had our family room, kitchen and dining room regrouted. They also re-grouted the tub, shower and base of our toilet in our bathroom. They were fantastic! Not only were they professional and reliable but they also completed the job much faster than we had anticipated.”
Excellent Service Leads to Referrals Throughout the years, Grout Tech has grown through its many referrals from happy customers. People really appreciate that Grout Tech saves them time and money, but it is the excellent service provided that has really helped this business grow. Grout Tech’s success stories say that before calling Grout Tech, their bathrooms, guest bathroom showers and floor
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Before grout, had deteriorated over time and the tiles were dull and stained. “The tile was in good condition but it was stained so we had Grout Tech come out and clean them and they turned out
very well.” They were so pleased that they have already referred Grout Tech to neighbors in their community. Grout Tech can also remove and re-caulk around sinks,
After baseboards, tubs and showers serving to clean up old moldy areas and keep your dry wall free from water damage. From old to new in just one day!
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To find out more about Grout Tech’s services or for a free estimate call BJ at 727768-6828.
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Meet Dr. Johnson, Your Neighborhood Podiatrist By Deborah Bostock-Kelley In the heart of Westchase in Westchase Commons is Tidewater Foot and Ankle Associates, where in a predominantly maledominated field, the caring doctor is a woman with firsthand experience understanding the importance of finding a good podiatrist. As a sportswoman her entire life, Dr. Megan Johnson sustained numerous ankle injuries in her youth treated by a local foot and ankle specialist. When she went through rehabilitation, she knew that she’d found her calling to help others. After obtaining a Bachelor’s degree from Towson University, Dr. Johnson received a medical degree from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and
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Science in North Chicago, IL. She completed a 3-year Foot and Ankle surgical residency in Washington, DC. with specialized training in limb salvage at Georgetown University Hospital. On staff at Mease Countryside Hospital and Countryside Surgery Center, Dr. Johnson has practiced in the Tampa Bay area for six years. She opened Tidewater Foot and Ankle in November 2018 which serves the Westchase, Oldsmar and Palm Harbor communities. During the pandemic, the practice follows all CDC recommended safety guidelines to ensure patients’ and staff’s safety and well-being. Temperature and Covid screenings are conducted daily on patients and employees. Masks are
required inside of the office. The staff regularly sanitizes high touch surfaces multiple times throughout the day, and patients are scheduled so that
typically one patient at a time is in the waiting room. For established patients with compromised immune systems or those still hesitant
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to venture outside of their homes, the doctor offers virtual televisits. All that is required is an internet connection, a cell phone with video chat, or a computer with a webcam and sound. For convenience, Tidewater Foot and Ankle accepts same-day appointments. Dr. Johnson treats all conditions of the foot and ankle, including conservative and surgical care of tendon and bone injuries, fractures, sprains, Achilles tendon tears, arthritis, heel pain, plantar fasciitis, nerve pain, wounds, ingrown toenails, skin conditions such as plantar warts and fungal toenails, and elective procedures like bunion correction, hammertoe correction, and removal of neuromas (painful, enlarged nerves in the foot). Other common conditions diagnosed and
treated by Dr. Johnson include infections related to diabetes, peripheral arterial disease, and neuropathy. She is proud to distinguish herself from others in the field by offering her patients the latest state-of-the-art in-office technology like EPAT shockwave therapy and laser therapy. Using acoustic waves, EPAT (Extracorporeal Pulse Activated Technology) helps restore the body’s normal healing processes and tissue regeneration. “I offer alternative treatment options that patients may not have had available to them before. I use EPAT for tendon problems, heel pain, plantar fasciitis, and neuromas. EPAT provides excellent results with no downtime,” she said. “I also perform laser treatment for fungal toenails and the treatment of chronic pain. Patients are pleased with the
results when, after months of self-care or other treatments fail.” Dr. Johnson stresses that education and the time she gives to each of her patients are among the many reasons for her many positive reviews. “It is imperative to explain to the patient what exactly is going on with the foot and ankle both anatomically and mechanically, how we are going to make it better, and how we are going to prevent the problem from coming back in the future. I think that patients really do appreciate the time I spend with them to help them fully understand the problem.” Dr. Johnson admits that her true passion is sports medicine. Having completed many half-marathons, she stresses that foot or ankle pain is not normal and should always be evaluated. She strives to provide complete
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expert care of the foot, ankle, and lower leg for patients of all ages and activity level. “Westchase and Tampa Bay is such an active community, and I intend to keep it that way,” she said. “We’re local. We’re in your neighborhood. We’re proud to be your neighborhood podiatrist.” Tidewater Foot and Ankle Associates is currently accepting new patients. The practice is located in Westchase Commons at 13019 W. Linebaugh Avenue, Suite 101, Tampa, FL 33626. Hours of Operation are Monday through Wednesday 9 am – 5 pm and Friday 9 am – 3 pm, Thursday by appointment only, closed weekends. For more information on Dr. Johnson and Tidewater Foot and Ankle Associates, visit https://www.tidewaterfoot. com or Facebook.
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TPC - continued from page 1
punches,” says Chef Greg. “The pandemic definitely impacted us, and we’ve had to make some creative changes and adapt to the new ‘normal,’ but our team has worked efficiently throughout these hard times, and I couldn’t be more proud of our team.” With a spectacular and affordable selection of appetizers, entrees, and desserts crafted by Chef Greg Gonzalez, the Cuatro menu is carefully designed with you in mind. “We like to change the menu every month other month or so,” says Chef Greg. “We keep the guests’ favorites, of course, but we like to come up with new menu items that showcase fresh seasonal ingredients. The month of November, we’re offering two new entrees, a new dessert, and a few new drinks that we hope everyone will enjoy.” I was lucky to get to try several of these special monthly menu items, as well as some of the traditional staples, and all I can say is wow! If you’re like me and love anything fried, make sure you start with their fried pickle appetizer. Freshly battered and served with a horseradish dipping sauce made from scratch. I ate the whole thing by myself! “We can also make them gluten-free,” says Chef Greg. “We can accommodate any dietary restriction our guests may have; just ask our wait staff, and we will make sure to serve you something you’ll enjoy.” Their “Chicken Milanese”
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November special was fingerlicking good; a lightly pankocrusted tender chicken filet drizzled with a lemon and caper sauce, topped with a refreshing and light arugula salad seasoned with a homemade citrus vinaigrette and feta cheese, served with a side of rice. Chef Greg is passionate about Cajun food and bold flavors, which is a blessing for those who enjoy flavorful meals. You don’t have to fly to NOLA to enjoy a delicious fried crawfish appetizer, a mouth-watering cajun gumbo, a seafood po’boy (made with crawfish or shrimp), or a creamy crawfish fettuccine made with crawfish tails, sautéed garlic, and cajun spices tossed in a rich and creamy alfredo sauce served with crostini bread. Hungry yet? With so many delicious menu items and monthly specials starting at just $12.99, you can have “have your cake and eat it too,” literally! Speaking about sweets, make sure you leave room for dessert. I highly recommend their featured monthly dessert, Apple Cobbler. It was truly an explosion of flavors, with caramelized apples soaked in apple spiced whiskey, a buttery crust, a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, drizzled with caramel, served hot in a skillet. Yum! GOLF MEETS TECHNOLOGY WITH DIGITAL YARDAGES APP If you’re golfing, come swing with confidence! Kortney Huntzinger mentioned that the golf carts and all golfing equipment are constantly sprayed and sanitized after each use to ensure every member or
visitor’s safety. “We’ve also switched from golf ball bags to golf pyramids to minimize touching the equipment. Every golfer will have their practice golf balls ready and set up before their scheduled tee time.” You can find the yardages in the palm of your hand. With the help of new technology, each flag’s distance on the driving range is found on the TPC Tampa Bay App, which is very user-friendly and FREE to download from your smartphone. The app is available in the Apple app store or Google Play store, and it offers other amazing features you wouldn’t want to miss. Book your tee time, check the menu specials, check your membership points, and more by downloading the app today! TPC GIVES BACK! “2020 has been a rough year for everyone,” says Kortney. “We wanted to do something nice for the
community and give back somehow. So we’re offering several options to donate to local schools through our booster club cards.” By presenting either your Martinez Middle School Physical Education Supporter Card or your Steinbrenner Athletic Booster Club Supporter card, you’d be donating 10% of your total bill back to these schools. “I went to both of these schools,” says Kortney. “So this cause means a lot to me, especially these days when schools are struggling for funds, and public fundraising events have been postponed due to COVID. I am proud to work with an organization so committed to giving back to our community.” HOSTING AN EVENT AMIDST THE PANDEMIC? DON’T WORRY, TPC HAS YOU COVERED! Kortney, Chef Greg, and the entire team at TPC want to make hosting a private
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event or Holiday function as easy as possible for you, despite these unprecedented times we’re living. “We’re still holding private banquets, fundraising events, birthdays, weddings, and Holiday parties,” says Kortney. “We’re happy to accommodate you and your guests on our banquet room and patio, all while social
distancing and keeping all of our safety measures in place.” When you call about an event, the staff at ¡CUATRO will work with you every step of the way, until they achieve a menu that you’ll love at a price you’ll be comfortable with. Kortney, Chef Greg, and
the entire TPC Tampa Bay team would like to thank every club member and visitor for their heartwarming support, “We’ve kept our doors open thanks to the continuous support we’ve received from the Tampa Bay community. We feel truly grateful for every one of you, and we look forward to seeing you at TPC Tampa Bay and ¡CUATRO soon.”
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¡CUATRO is located at TPC Tampa Bay at 5300 W. Lutz Lake Fern Road. They are conveniently open seven days a week! Current hours are Mon. – Sat., 7 a.m. – 9 p.m. and Sun. 7 a.m. – 8 p.m, but check the website for updated hours this fall/ winter (daylight savings). For more information, call 813-949-1486 or visit tpctampa.totalegolf.com
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Coronavirus Brings Trinity Family Physicians’ Televisits to Forefront of Practice By Deborah Bostock-Kelley From acne, diabetes management, immunizations, depression, skin cancer screenings and treatment, to well-woman visits, and nutritional counseling for weight loss, Trinity Family Physicians literally has a patient covered, A to Z. A list a half of a page long on their website showcases the vast number of issues they treat. Little did board-certified family physicians of Trinity Family Physicians, husband and wife team, Dr. Stephanie Eldridge and Dr. Amir Shirmohammad (Dr. Shirmo) know that adding convenient telemedicine services to accommodate their patients’
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schedules would become their main connection to them in early 2020. Serving elementary schoolers to senior citizens in Trinity and beyond since 2007, the doctors knew same-day and next-day appointments, early morning and late hours would help their patients, as well adding two Physicians Assistants, Rachel Azzarelli and Ian Simpson would increase their availability. “Our patients have been really happy with our Physician Assistants and we are proud
to have them. We continue to increase our availability in the practice because of having the providers working under our direction and close supervision,” said Dr. Shirmo. But the doctors could never have foreseen a pandemic making their new, state-of-the-art telemedicine services absolutely paramount to the practice. “Who could predict telemedicine wouldn’t be just for comfort and convenience, but a pandemic? When the pandemic occurred, we were
able to transition almost all of our patients to televisits immediately. Patients were able to get care without a lapse in their healthcare. Our staff did an incredible job to make that transition. We really have been keeping the momentum going as best as we can despite this pandemic,” said Dr. Shirmo. “As we enter the next phase of getting people back out into the workforce, I think it important for people to realize that we’re still here and we’re still able to care for them through the televisits, as well as in the office.” Though an initial in-office appointment is needed to enroll in telemedicine – with two types available,
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Husband and wife team, Dr. Stephanie Eldridge (right) and Dr. Amir Shirmohammad (Dr. Shirmo) (left), Board Certified owners of Trinity Family Physicains. a monthly subscription service or as-needed - the virtual appointment is as simple as downloading an app, scheduling the teleappointment and connecting with the doctors via laptop, desktop, or smart device in a private setting with a WIFI signal. For those who need to visit the practice, the doctors and their team are following all necessary procedures to protect their patients. “We’ve taken extra measures ever since the pandemic,” said Dr. Eldridge. “We’re screening people over the phone to make sure they don’t have any upper or lower respiratory symptoms (fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, headache, etc). If they have those symptoms or have been exposed, we ask that they definitely set up a televisit. We really don’t have the sick patient traffic in the office.” Dr. Shirmo added, “They’re still getting their healthcare but through a different avenue without exposing other people
or exposing themselves potentially to other people who might be sick in different ways.” If it is medically necessary that a patient does need to come into the office, the doctors and their team have increased the frequency of their cleaning to ensure everything a patient comes in contact with is thoroughly disinfected. Following the recommendations provided by the Centers for Disease Control, they have expanded their waiting room and removed chairs to comply with social distancing. Patients are asked to bring their own pen and magazine to avoid potential transmission of the Coronavirus. As so much misinformation is online and televised regarding the Coronavirus, the doctors, both with Masters in Public Health in Epidemiology, (the study of epidemics) started a YouTube channel that streamed on their Facebook page. “We felt we needed to give our patients unbiased
Physicians Assistants, Rachel Azzarelli (left) and Ian Simpson (right) information that came from a trusted source. With our background, who better to talk about this than Dr. Eldridge and myself? We started with instructional videos how to connect with us through televisits, then it led to discussing how patients should be proactive. We have patients who are immunecompromised, so we started putting out these YouTube videos. We were astonished at how well they were received and how quickly they spread and climbed. We posted the videos on a weeknight at 11pm,” said Dr. Shirmo. Dr. Eldridge explained that when posted to their Facebook page, by morning, they had thousands of views on informational videos on how you can protect yourself, what should you do when going out, should you go to the doctor, etc. “What inspired the YouTube videos was we were trying to calm people down, be the voice of reason, and give them some perspective of what to expect,” said Dr. Shirmo. “If our neighbor is
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immune-compromised, it’s not up to our neighbor to take the proper precautions, but it’s up to the entire community to take proper precautions. That neighbor may be the first person to get it, but they will not be the only person. If you don’t think that virus isn’t going to go around and come back to you and your loved ones, you’re mistaken. We all bear that burden of responsibility to be there for each other.” Trinity Family Physicians is located at the corner of Trinity Blvd. and Duck Slough Blvd. at 1817 Cypress Brook Dr., Suite 101 in Trinity. The hours are Mon-Thurs 8:00-6:00 p.m., Friday 8:00-5:00 p.m. For more information, call (727) 834-8377 or visit their Facebook page at facebook. com/trinityfamilyphysicians, website at www. trinityfamilyphysicians. com or YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/ channel/UCpFMVqaVL_ tvlskTvLH_Jew.
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