Volume 32 Issue 1 January 9, 2024 Scan the QR code to your left with your phone to access our website!
Our Editor’s 2023 Dining Favorites Revealed! The Grill at Morris Bridge, Stonewood & Via Italia Repeat As Gary’s Top-3 In New Tampa! By GARY NAGER Every year, after our readers’ favorite restaurants in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel are published, I like to provide our readers with my own list of favorites — and there are always lots of differences between your choices and mine. I also always have a few haters every year who say that my reviews aren’t “real,” that I only pick my favorites based on which restaurants advertise with me and/or give me free food, that I have no taste whatsoever, etc. The primary thing these haters don’t seem (or want) to understand or believe is that the restaurants I tell you about in my annual “Gary’s Favorites” are not just the places I like the most, they’re also the places where I spend the most of my own money. And yes, when you consider that there are literally dozens of restaurants named on pgs. 34-38 of this issue, Jannah and I do spend a lot of our money dining out (and taking out food) — I’m betting more than just about anyone else in our two distribution areas, especially when you take into consideration our combined annual income. The haters also don’t seem to “get” the other reason I give my opinions on local eateries every year is that I so appreciate the feedback — both positive and negative — I get after my “Gary’s Favorites” are published each year. I can’t even tell you how many people come up to me and Jannah when we’re sitting at the bar at The Grill at Morris Bridge, TrebleMakers, Stonewood, Zukku-San, Azteca D’Oro or any of our other favorite eateries to tell me The only tomahawk ribeye steak you’ll find on a menu in New Tampa is at The Grill at Morris Bridge, which is what they think of my opinions. The vast majority of them say things like, “I Neighborhood News editor Gary Nager’s favorite restaurant in New Tampa for the second year in a row. only even tried this place because of what you wrote about them” or “I didn’t really love this place the first time I tried it, but I decided to give it another try are 100% real. And, unlike the online trolls who think they’re dining “critics” because they tell their few followers that they hated something they ate (or the service they received) at a particular place, I tell every because of you.” If you’ve never felt that kind of love from absolute strangers before, I promise you that it’s one of the things that most makes the long hours restaurant owner in our area that when I write a review of their eatery, I will tell more than 170,000 of my “closest friends” (that’s the total possible number of readers we reach in print) everything I like about I still put in 30 years since I first started doing this job worthwhile. their place. Anything I don’t like I will tell the restaurant owner about — and pretty much all of them apAnd yes, a few people also come up to me to tell me that they totally disagree with my assessment of one restaurant or another. Others also tell me preciate this approach a lot more then online trolls who cause their overall online ratings to drop. So, check out pgs. 34-38 to see my 2023 Favorite Restaurants in our areas and feel free to that they read my reviews “even though I know they aren’t real.” But the fact is that whether my haters believe it or not, my dining reviews continue telling me — whether online, by email or in person — what you think! Happy New Year!
EDITORIAL
Celebrating our editor’s 30 years of Neighborhood News! See page 3
LOOKING BACK AT 2023!
A look back at the top-five news stories in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel! See pages 4-9
CONGRATULATIONS, KARL!
What’s your New Year’s resolution? Local man loses 300 lbs. without surgery! See page 10
GET READY FOR THE BIG GAME!
Last year’s “Big Game Squares” contest was a big hit. Here’s your chance to enter this year! See page 33
Here’s Some New Deliciousness For You! Check out the Leonidas Chocolates Café on pg. 40!
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Celebrating My 30 Years Of Neighborhood News! By GARY NAGER mobile phones 30 years ago? — has meant that we have had to change the ways we cover Editorial
On February 25, I will be celebrating my 30th anniversary of owning the Neighborhood News. I bought (with a former partner) an 11-month old monthly publication that had little more than stories about advertisers written by those advertisers themselves. I published the 12th monthly issue in April 1994 (photo), which we considered to be the first issue of the publication’s second year in business. That’s why this issue is Issue 1 of Volume 32 of the Neighborhood News, rather than Issue 1 of Volume 31. When we purchased the publication in February of 1994, the total direct-mail circulation of the Neighborhood News was 6,500 homes, apartments and businesses — all of which (unbeknownst to me) were located in New Tampa’s 33647 zip code and which included the existing subdivisions in Pebble Creek, Tampa Palms, Hunter’s Green and the first two communities (closest to Bruce B. Downs Blvd., or BBD) of Cross Creek. Although my predecessor claimed to also be mailing to Wesley Chapel, it turned out that all he was doing was dropping about 500 copies each month at the Meadow Pointe I clubhouse. So, as soon as I took over, I added about 2,500 total addresses in Meadow Pointe I, Williamsburg and, a few issues later, an additional 500-700 or so single-family homes and condominium units located in the community around Saddlebrook Resort, where I was living with my family at the time. We began mailing new issues every two weeks, to all of those households, before the end of 1994 and didn’t split into separate New Tampa and Wesley Chapel issues until 2005, when Wesley Chapel’s three zip codes had zoomed past 10,000 residential units, as New Tampa was closing in on 20,000 units of its own. Although I always knew how many units were approved for Wesley Chapel, I had no idea that it would catch up to, and pass, New Tampa in terms of the number of units and people living in them by sometime in 2021. From those first 10,000 total homes (and less than 30,000 total people) in May 1994, our all-direct-mail circulation is now 34,000+ homes, apartments and businesses (and more than 90,000 total people) in Wesley Chapel’s three zip codes (33543, 33544 & 33545) and 29,000 residences and businesses (and about 80,000 people), almost all of which is located in New Tampa’s 33647 zip code — although we do also directly mail to the 750 residential units in the Lake Forest subdivision off BBD (south of Tampa Palms), which has a Lutz zip code (33559). That means our total circulation has grown, with our communities, by at least 600% in 30 years — or by nearly 1,000% if you use the 6,500 units I inherited from my predecessor as our starting point. But for me, this is much more than just a numbers game. I have given everything I could to the communities of New Tampa and Wesley Chapel, and although many outstanding people have come and gone from our ranks, I am proud to say that I have been the publication’s one constant these last 30 years. The growth of electronic media throughout the world — did you foresee most people getting their news and information from their Neighborhood News
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the news of New Tampa and Wesley Chapel, but nothing has stopped or even deterred me from continuing to provide more news and information about the communities we serve than any other local medium, print, broadcast and/or electronic. Although I would be lying if I said that being the big media “fish” in a relatively tiny little pond was a lifelong dream of mine — my degree from the University of Florida was in Broadcast News and I always hoped to own and program a radio and/or TV station and write and produce TV programming — serving as the editor of the Neighborhood News the last 30 years has been one of the absolute joys of my life. And, while I don’t think
anyone else would hire me at my age, despite my decades of experience, if I didn’t still love what I do I would definitely try to find some other way to make a living. Although I love singing and acting, anyone who has heard me sing karaoke or seen my stand-up comedy act at the Tampa Improv or Sidesplitters will tell you that I never had a future in those fields. Another thing people who know me will tell you about me is that I love to throw a party — my 25th anniversary event five years ago at Bayscape Bistro on Cross Creek Blvd. was a blast, as was the “Grease” cast party I threw last year at Joe Whiskey’s on S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel — and I am planning a doozy for my 30th anniversary celebration. And yes, there will be an opportunity for at least some of you wonderful readers to attend
and share in that celebration. After all, although I owe my livelihood to the thousands of advertisers who have supported my business these last 30 years, I owe a large portion of my happiness to all of you who have been reading and responding to my work since I first took the reins at this publication. Stay tuned for more info!
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Publisher & Editor/Ad Sales Gary Nager Correspondents Celeste McLaughlin • Nidhi Jani Deborah Bostock-Kelley Editorial Research by Joel Provenzano Ad Sales/Marketing Director Jannah Nager Lead Video Producer/Multimedia Specialist Charmaine George Graphic Designers Morgan Conlin • Valerie Wegener Nothing that appears in New Tampa Neighborhood News may be reproduced, whether wholly or in part, without permission. Opinions expressed by New Tampa Neighborhood News writers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the publisher’s opinion. The deadline for outside editorial submissions and advertisements for Volume 32, Issue 3, of New Tampa Neighborhood News is Thursday, January 25, 2024. New Tampa Neighborhood News will consider previously non-published outside editorial submissions if they are double spaced, typed and less than 500 words. New Tampa Neighborhood News reserves the right to edit and/or reject all outside editorial submissions and makes no guarantees regarding publication dates. New Tampa Neighborhood News will not return unsolicited editorial materials. New Tampa Neighborhood News reserves the right to edit &/or reject any advertising. New Tampa Neighborhood News is not responsible for errors in advertising beyond the actual cost of the advertising space itself, nor for the validity of any claims made by its advertisers. © 2024 JM2 Communications, Inc. New Tampa Neighborhood News • Volume 32, Issue 1, January 9, 2024 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net • For Advertising Information, Call 813-910-2575
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Looking Back At The Top-5 New Tampa News Stories Of 2023! By GARY NAGER
options moving forward for his property. With three County Commission seats — including Hagan’s District 2 — up for grabs in a presidential election year, it’s possible that Place is waiting to see how the election changes the Board’s makeup before trying again to redevelop his land.
Although there’s no doubt that there were (and still are) more major news stories coming out of Wesley Chapel in 2023 than there were in New Tampa, zip code 33647 certainly had any number of big news stories of its own the past 12 months. Below are the five that made the biggest splashes.
3. Lotte Plaza Market Opens! — While the opening of the new Aldi
1. The New Tampa Performing Arts Center Opens! — It took more than 20 years for it to
become a reality, but the New Tampa Performing Arts Center (NTPAC) did finally open in March of 2023, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a New Tampa Players (NTP) “Preview”show. The NTPAC was dedicated to the memory and in honor of NTP founder Doug Wall, who passed away nearly six years before his dream of a local place for his theatre troupe to perform came true. I was in the cast of the first show of NTP’s 2023-24 season — “Grease,” which was true to the original Tony Award-winning Broadway version, but also incorporated songs from the hit 1978 movie starring John Travolta and the late Olivia Newton-John. The Performing Arts Center’s first-ever Fall Festival was held in September and was followed by “Shrek The Musical” in October. NTP will next host performances of “Dreamgirls” (see ad on pg. 5) in February.
2. Pebble Creek Redevelopment Plan Rejected! — As 2023
came to a close, we still had no idea what will happen to the former Pebble Creek Golf Club golf course, which has been shuttered since July of 2021. The plan submitted by GL Homes to redevelop the 149-acre golf course property into 251 single-family homes was rejected on July 17 by the Hillsborough County Commission by a vote of 5-2, as Commission Chair and District 2 (which includes all of Pebble Creek) Commissioner Ken Hagan told his fellow commissioners that the feedback he had received from the residents of Pebble Creek was overwhelmingly against the GL Homes plan, leaving property owner Bill Place with few
(Top) The cast of the New Tampa Players’ “Preview” performance at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center on March 25. (Above) “Grease” officially opened NTP’s 2023-24 season in July of 2023. (Below) The group known as “Save Pebble Creek” helped get a redevelopment plan for the community’s shuttered golf course rejected by Hillsborough County.
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supermarket in the former Ruby Tuesday location in New Tampa did receive some fanfare a few years ago, it was nothing compared with the expectations and reaction to the opening — finally! — of the new Lotte Plaza Market Korean/Asian grocery store in the former Sweetbay/Kash N Karry location next to Home Depot. The long-vacant 49,000-sq.-ft. store became the 15th link in the Lotte Plaza chain (the only other Florida location is in Orlando) of Korean/Asian superstores on Nov. 3 and immediately attracted large crowds of people (photos on next page) of all backgrounds and nationalities to its huge selections of produce, fresh fish, meat and groceries, as well as its unique Korean beauty products and its Sijang Eatery food court, which features a half-dozen eateries never before seen in our area. Although the crowds have died down somewhat since that opening month, there’s no doubt that Lotte Plaza Market’s opening is still one of the biggest 2023 news stories for New Tampa. If you still haven’t visited it yet, what are you waiting for? It literally has something for everyone! See “2023 in Review” on pg. 6
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Lotte Plaza Market’s Grand Opening in November was attended by hundreds of New Tampa residents (top photo) and continues to attract large numbers of people for everything from its Korean beauty products (above left) to its Sijang Eatery food court.
New Tampa Democratic Club Monthly Meeting (4th Monday of the month) Monday, January 22nd, 7 p.m. at New Tampa Regional Library 10001 Cross Creek Blvd.
newtampademocrats.com https://www.facebook.com/NewTampaDemocrats
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5
‘2023 In Review’
tion on the Pride Park rec center early this year.
4. Live Oak Property Sale To Help Build Pride Park — Hillsbor-
5. Early Storm Causes Damage In New Tampa — Thankful-
Continued from page 5
ough County has had a plan in place to build an indoor rec center and expand the outdoor facilities at Pride Park (just south of Pride Elementary) for some time. The county also has owned an unused 61.89acre parcel of land intended to be a county park, but didn’t have enough money to construct facilities at either location. That is, until Anand Vihar (in Meadow Pointe) developer Santosh Govindaraju decided to purchase (for $6 million) the unused park site in Live Oak, which means the county will be able to begin construc-
ly, 2023 was a relatively quiet hurricane season throughout Florida, especially coming on the heels of 2022, which (Above) The developer of Anand Vihar in Pasco saw two major hurricanes County purchased an adjacent parcel of land in Live decimate portions of the Oak from Hillsborough County that will help the Sunshine State. county pay for its planned rec center at Pride Park. And, although Florida weather on June 4, when District 7 and New Tampa were virtually (Above) The unnamed first major storm of 2023 hit Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera unscathed by any of the 20 named storms New Tampa hard on June 4. Fortunately, no other had to call for assistance to remove (including seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes) that hit the Atlantic in 2023, our uprooted and downed trees in several major storms blew through our area (or Florida) for New Tampa neighborhoods. area received an early dose of hurricane-like the remainder of the 2023 hurricane season.
USF New Tampa Jazz Series With the USF Jazz Ensemble 1 Don’t miss this exciting modern big band jazz performance! Thursday, February 15, 8 PM • Tickets available at TampaJazzClub.com
Presents NY-
based singer
COMING SOON: Jack Wilkins CD Release Concert Thursday April 4, 8:00 PM, New Tampa Performing Arts Center
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Looking Back At The Five+ Top Wesley Chapel News Stories Of 2023! 1. Hospitals In The News —
Although its actual ten-year anniversary was in 2022, a number of things caused AdventHealth Wesley Chapel to postpone its 10-year celebration until Feb. 2023, which would, on its own, be pretty big news for Wesley Chapel. However, Feb. 2023 also saw the opening of Wesley Chapel’s second hospital — the 86-bed BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel, less than two miles north of AdventHealth, which also brought the community out in force to check out the new hospital’s advanced technology. But wait, that’s not all! Later in 2023, Orlando Health broke ground on its own Wesley Chapel location on S.R. 56 at Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. With its 300 beds, the multi-story Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital will be Wesley Chapel’s largest. At our press time, the site work for the new hospital was well under way, although vertical construction had not yet begun. We also did not yet have an estimated opening date, but it’s unlikely the new hospital will be completed and opened before 2025. And finally, John’s Hopkins All Children’s Hospital announced its plans to build a 356,000-sq.-ft. pediatric hospital at the Wildcat-Bailes site on Overpass Rd. (at McKendree Rd.) near I-75 in the “Connected City” project, although an exact number of beds had not yet been announced, nor was the deal finalized at our press time.
2. Overpass Rd. Exit Off I-75 Opens — In the entire 30+ years the
(Top) BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel held its official ribbon-cutting on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in Feb. 2023, while (above) Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital broke ground on Wesley Chapel’s largest hospital earlier this year.
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Neighborhood News has been in business, Wesley Chapel originally only had one exit off of I-75 — Exit #279 at S.R. 54 — and received its second exit, Exit #275, at the new S.R. 56 about a decade ago. Since then, there has been no exit off I-75 between S.R. 54’s Exit 279 and Exit 285 at S.R. 54 in the San Antonio/Dade City area. That remained true until Jan. of this year, when the new Exit 282 off I-75 opened at the new Overpass Rd. extension (see photo on next page), which finally connected Overpass from Old Pasco Rd. all the way to Epperson, Curley Rd. and even beyond, through the Watergrass community. Overpass Rd. will one day connect to Handcart Rd. in Zephyrhills. The new exit has done a pretty good job of helping to reduce rush-hour traffic at the S.R. 54 exit and is definitely stimulating new growth in and around the area — and not all local residents are thrilled about that continued growth. Among the new development swirling around the new exit is the previously mentioned Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, as well as a possible multi-family or mixed-use development at the corner of Overpass, I-75 and Old Pasco Rd. (see separate story on pg. 22). We’ll keep you posted.
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come to an agreement with many existing Saddlebrook residents. One of the big sticking points was that Mast planned to convert the two 18-hole, Arnold Palmerdesigned championship golf courses into 27 holes of golf. Another important aspect of Mast’s plan was a significant amount of new development, including multi-family units, along S.R. 54 both east and west of the community’s main entrance on Saddlebrook Way at 54. The redevelopment of Saddlebrook should begin in earnest in 2024.
5a. Downtown Avalon Park Begins Leasing — More than just
4. Wiregrass Ranch
5b. Wesley Chapel’s Contract Postal Unit Closes & Opens In New Location — A lot of locals (us
(Above) The new Exit 282 off of I-75 at Overpass Rd. Blvd. Opens — Normally, interior roadways primarily serving opened in Jan 2023. only one community would proba3. Saddlebrook Redevelopbly not qualify as one of the biggest news stories ment Plan Approved — Saddlebrook of the year, especially in an area still growing as Resort and the community that sprouted up quickly as is Wesley Chapel. around it became the first large-scale developHowever, in the case of Wiregrass Ranch. ment in Wesley Chapel when owner and former Blvd., because the roadway itself had been Pendant Publishing founder Tom Dempsey paved for what seemed like more than a year developed it in the early 1980s. and had people who were living in the Estancia More than 40 years later, Dempsey’s resort and other Wiregrass Ranch subdivisions using and the surrounding community had lost a lot the roadway illegally to go from S.R. 56 and of their lustre and the resort, in particular, had Chancey Rd. to the Walmart on S.R. 54. for fallen into disarray. many months — moving and then replacing After multiple previous attempts to the barricades located next to Walmart — the purchase and improve the 480-acre resort and official opening of the entire nearly four-mile surrounding community fell through, Mast length of Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. in Aug. 2023 Capital finally succeeded in not only purchasing certainly was big news. the resort, but getting its $15-million redevelNext up in Wiregrass Ranch is the opment/rezoning plans approved by the Pasco eastward extension of Chancey Rd. (which County Board of County Commissioners, after runs east-west through the center of Wiregrass making a number of concessions in order to Ranch) all the way to Meadow Pointe Blvd.
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another commercial or multi-family development, the long-awaited Downtown Avalon Park Wesley Chapel is the first in our area to combine both. Only a few of the retail tenants on the ground floor of the first “neotraditional” building in the downtown area have been announced since the Aug. 17 Open House that unveiled the construction of that new building — including Prime Barbershop, Rita’s Italian Ice, Rudraksh Indian Cuisine and ISI Elite Training. All of these businesses are expected to begin opening sometime in the first quarter of 2024.
included) were sad when long-time Wesley Chapel Contract Postal Unit (CPU) contractor Kelly Rossi retired and closed her location on Boyette Rd. at the end of Jan. Then, we were even sadder to see how long it took new contractors Jevon and Cindy Williams to reopen the Wesley Chapel CPU in its new location in the Freedom Plaza on S.R. 54 in September. Hopefully, Jevon and Cindy are now recuperating from the CPU’s holiday rush.
5c. S.R. 54 Widening from Curley Rd. to Morris Bridge Rd. — The one road project I somehow forgot
to include in the Wesley Chapel Top-5 when this story ran in the Dec. 26 Wesley Chapel issue was the completion of the widening
(Above) The site plan for the new Downtown Avalon Park Wesley Chapel.
of S.R. 54 from east of Curley Rd. to east of Morris Bridge Rd., which is probably the road project that has taken longer to complete than any other in our area. Anyone who lives in Meadow Pointe IV, New River and Avalon Park Wesley Chapel surely knows how much better their ride home is these days than it had been previously. of course, it remains to be seen how long that relief lasts, with thousands more residential units still on the way in that area.
We also considered for the top-5...The opening of Cooper’s Hawk,
the takeover by Pasco County of the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus from RADDSports and the one-year anniversary of the KRATE Container Park. — GN
New Tampa Neighborhood News • Volume 32, Issue 1, January 9, 2024 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net • For Advertising Information, Call 813-910-2575
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Congratulations, Karl! Karl Vinson is one of very few people in the U.S. to lose more than 300 pounds without surgery or medication. Here’s how he did it. By GARY NAGER When Jannah and I first met Karl Vinson about six years ago, we were all singing karaoke at O’Brien’s Irish Pub in the Wesley Chapel Village Market. Sometime after Jannah and I sang, up to the microphone stepped a very large man with a beautiful voice who attracted attention both for his singing and his size. At that time, Karl weighed close to 500 lbs. — about 485 at his heaviest — and it was hard not to notice him. He was always super-nice, but kind of quiet and kept mostly to himself. Despite his clearly professionally trained singing voice, it was obvious that Karl wasn’t particularly interested in too much interaction with others in the bar, but he was always friendly when spoken to and we couldn’t help but wonder what his life must be like, as neither of us had ever really gotten to know anyone his size before. Karl says that it wasn’t until a couple of years later that he visited his cardiologist, who asked him to bend down and touch his toes while being hooked up to a heart monitor. Well, not only could he not do it, the monitor showed Karl basically flat-lining when he was all the way bent over. “The doctor told me
that if I didn’t get serious about losing weight, that appointment would probably have been my last,” Karl says. “He told me, ‘Someone is going to find you face down with your teeth knocked out and you’d likely already have been dead before you ever hit the floor.” He says that was finally the wake-up call he needed to at least start getting serious about dropping some of his weight. The successful long-time studio musician with Atlantic Records said that he was otherwise happy with his life and honestly wasn’t ready to lose it. In a little more than four years, Karl Vinson has lost more than 300 lbs. (from Although Jannah and I haven’t spent 485 to less than 180) and has reduced from a size-7XL to a size-36 pants.
15102 Amberly Drive, Tampa, FL 33647 • 813.971.8484
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as much time at O’Brien’s the last couple of years as we did when we first met Karl, we were impressed almost two years ago at how much weight he had lost at that time. Although he never mentioned his weight loss when we chatted with him then, Karl told me recently that he was probably “only” down about 90 lbs. at that time and that he hadn’t “really gotten serious about it yet.” I tried to explain to him that even 90 lbs. is a tremendous amount of weight for anyone to lose, but when he countered when we saw him a couple of weeks before we went to press with this issue that he was now closing in on a 300-lb. weight loss, I knew — especially at this time of year when most people are packing on a few extra holiday pounds — that I wanted to tell his story in these pages. Quite honestly, if the karaoke jock at O’Brien’s didn’t announce his name, Jannah and I agreed that we would not have recognized our friend Karl at all. But there he was, with that still-angelic voice, singing a Stevie Wonder tune.
‘So, How Did You Do It, Karl?’
Of course that was my first question for him and I was stunned to find out that Karl had not had lap band or gastric bypass surgery, nor had he been taking any kind of weight-loss medication. That means no appetite suppressants, no semaglutide, none of it. Although I couldn’t find any statistics as to how many people have ever been documented as having lost 300 or more lbs., I did find a stat that said that of all the people who had ever lost 300 or more lbs., only 0.05% of them — or 1 in 200 — had done so without surgery or medication. “I wasn’t a fat kid,” Karl, 56, says. “But, when I hit puberty, I put on about 70 lbs. in a month or two. Even my doctor assumed that I started overeating.” However, he says, back then, doctors didn’t do metabolic profiles to determine if there is a medical cause for a patient’s extreme weight gain. It wasn’t until he started seeing his cardiologist here 4-5 years ago that anyone had ever determined that he had an enzyme defi-
(Left) Karl Vinson says that this was about the age when he first started putting on weight. (Photo provided by Karl Vinson) (Right) Members of the staff at EoS Fitness on Argosy Dr. (at S.R. 54) in Lutz congratulate Karl for reaching his goal of losing 300 lbs. Note - Karl had lost two additional lbs. at his next weigh-in two days later. (All other photos on this page by Charmaine George) ciency that had been keeping him from he really found the motivabeing able to metabolize carbohydrates, tion he needed. The local “and carbs had always been my favorite EoS Fitness opened in Dec. foods, especially any kind of bread.” 2022 and a year later, Karl had dropped the additional So, even though he didn’t want to 168 lbs. he needed to reach have to take weight-loss medication, Karl’s doctor did put him on a medication his goal of a 300-lb. total weight loss. to help him better metabolize his carbs, And, Karl says, he atand once he began reducing his intake of them — as well as the number of calories tributes it all to one person: EoS trainer Ally Murphey. he was eating every day — “the weight Just like Karl, if you never really started to come off.” Even so, he said, he’s had quite a few met Ally before, you’d never be able to guess that plateaus and other things that have hapshe had lost more than 150 pened to him that could have sabotaged lbs. herself. his efforts. “Yes, it wasn’t too long “I ‘only’ lost about 130 pounds total ago that I weighed more the first two years,” he says. “I knew I than 300 lbs.,” Ally admits. needed to try something else.” “And, I also lost my weight without surgery or taking Something Else: any weight-loss medicaEoS Fitness tion.” Karl says that Ally’s Knowing that he needed to get even more motivated, Karl started working out success story, her encourwith a personal trainer and that helped him agement and her outstanding personal training are the lose more weight for a while. main reasons he’s been able But, Karl says, it wasn’t until he to achieve his goals. pre-joined the new EoS Fitness gym on “I’m even going to use (Top) The scale and smile don’t lie! By weighing in at 180.2 Argosy Dr. (at S.R. 54, about a mile or so the same surgeon Ally used lbs., Karl Vinson’s total weight loss was up to almost 305 lbs. west of the Tampa Premium Outlets) in (Above) Karl credits EoS Fitness personal trainer Ally Murphey Lutz, near his Carpenter’s Run home, that See “Karl” on page 12! with being his inspiration for him to finally lose the weight.
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11
‘Karl’
Continued from pg. 11 for her abdominoplasty (the surgery people who lose large amounts of weight need to tighten their loose skin),” Karl says. “The recovery from that surgery is really tough,” Ally admits. “You basically have to stay in bed for a month and can’t do any type of exercise. But it’s worth it.”
The Weigh-In
When Karl told me that he was pretty confident that he would be able to get to his 300-lb. weight-loss goal in time for me to tell his story in this issue, I looked at a man who was basically a third of the size of what he was when I first met him — and didn’t doubt him for a second. He says that even though he does have a lot of loose skin around his belly, he feels — and knows that he looks — so much better. “I did a recent tour with the rock band Sabotage in Japan,” he says. “We walked all day one day around some famous gardens. I walked more than 12 miles that day and never felt out of breath. Two years ago, I couldn’t have even made it two blocks without having to sit down.” As for that all-important weigh-in itself, he says, “Everyone at EoS wanted to be there when I got to being down 300 pounds. They’ve all been so supportive.” The 42,000-sq.-ft. fitness facility erupted in applause when the scale showed that Karl weighed in at 180.2 lbs. — and he was still wearing his sneakers and sweat-soaked gym clothes. “And I’m down another two pounds since then,” he says. He had already done an hour of weightlifting and an hour on the bike, as he does four days every week. His diet these days consists mainly of vegetables, chicken and fish and he says he rarely eats red meat anymore. “I also eat a lot of hummus,” Karl says. “And, when I do eat some carbs, I’m very careful to control my portions.” Everything he’s been doing has worked so well, in fact, that he no longer needs medication to control his adultonset (Type II) diabetes, his cholesterol or his blood pressure. “But I will be on medication to control my irregular heart rhythm (tachycardia) for the rest of my life,” he says.
The Mental Side Of It
One of the hardest things for Karl about his weight loss has been his own head. “I was so big for so long that whenever I would go out to eat, I’d always ask to not be seated at a booth, because my stomach couldn’t fit under the table at a booth. I no longer have that problem, but it took me a long time
(Top) A much larger Karl playing the guitar at his home. (Above) Karl has always had a great voice, but he says his confidence is so much greater now that he’s lost more than 300 lbs. to stop worrying about where I would be seated.” It also has been super-difficult for him to stop having to wear nothing but loose-fitting black clothes. “I’m wearing size 36 pants now,” he says. “But I was a 7XL at my biggest. I’m finally buying myself some clothes at Men’s Wearhouse. It’s just really hard to not still think of myself as a fat person.” As a studio musician who has been under contract for 35 years with Atlantic Records and its parent company (Warner Bros.), Karl has gotten to work with — and contribute at least snippets of songs to — a number of famous artists. In other words, despite his weight, he has led an extremely interesting life. He says he still writes about 30 songs every month. And, he adds, music is a big part of how he has been able to survive being so overweight for so long. “One of the reasons I’ve spent so much time singing karaoke the last few years is because singing has really helped me with my breathing. Being extremely overweight makes it really hard to breathe and singing has definitely helped me.” Of course, losing 300 lbs. has helped perhaps most of all and has surely added years to Karl Vinson’s life. He is supposed to be making an appearance at some point with WTVT-TV Fox-13’s Charley Belcher. But, in the meantime, I hope that anyone reading this who is struggling with their weight will see that it’s true that anything is possible. “If I can do it, anyone can,” Karl says.
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New Tampa’s Elementary Schools Again Excel In State’s Grading System By GARY NAGER
With the 2023-24 school year roughly half over, the Florida Department of Education recently released its letter grades for every school in Florida, including the six elementary, two middle, two high and one “combination” school (Turner-Bartels K-8) in New Tampa for the 2022-23 school year. All eleven public schools in our area repeated their letter grades from the previous school year, with all six elementary schools in our area — Chiles, Clark, Heritage, Hunter’s Green, Pride and Tampa Palms — all receiving “A” grades. Benito Middle School also received an A again, while Liberty Middle School and Turner-Bartels (which receives its grades for both its elementary and middle schools) earning Bs. Freedom and Wharton High again received C grades.
A Tradition Of Excellence
New Tampa’s schools, which again outperformed the Hillsborough School District as a whole, continued their long-standing tradition of excellent grades, as both Clark and Pride elementaries have received A grades from the state for 21 consecutive years, while Chiles earned its 20th A in a row
New Tampa School Grades 2021-22 & 2022-23
A A A A A A
A A A A A A
319 360 335
B A B
B A B
(HGE) years since their last As. New Tampa’s elementary schools definitely outperformed the Hillsborough School District as a whole, which had only 35 A schools among its 144 elementaries. And, Benito’s A was one of only 12 As earned by the District’s 45 middle schools. Overall, the District’s 267 total elementary, middle, high and combined public schools earned a total of 96 A grades, or about 36% earning that highest possible grade. But, New Tampa’s seven As among its 11 total District schools meant that 63.6% earned that most-coveted letter grade. Congrats!
336 345
C C
C C
Tkachik Named A Finalist!
School
Eng Math 76 74 59 73 75 67
83 84 67 78 78 66
Sci
Ttl Pts
Turner-Bartels K-8 Benito MS Liberty MS
56 62 54
58 69 67
52 53 52
Freedom High Wharton High
37 42
26 36
56 52
Chiles Elementary Clark Elementary Heritage Elementary Hunter’s Green Elem. Pride Elementary Tampa Palms Elem.
77 73 71 74 73 65
236 231 197 225 226 198
Grade 2023 2022
All eleven New Tampa public schools repeated their Florida Department of Education letter grades from the end of the 2021-22 school year to the end of the 2022-23 school year. Several New Tampa elementary schools have had “A” grades for many years in a row. Meanwhile, Benito has received an As in the years before that. A grade for 20 of the last 21 years, but And, while both Wharton and that includes one year when middle Freedom have each received seven schools did not receive letter grades. straight Cs, both earned either As or Tampa Palms has earned an A for six Bs the previous six years. consecutive years, while Liberty has Both Heritage and Hunter’s Green received three straight Bs after earning elementaries have had more of a mixed As the 18 years before that. bag prior to their two consecutive As, Turner-Bartels has earned a B for with both schools receiving either Bs or six consecutive years, after nine straight Cs for either eight (Heritage) or nine
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Because of when the finalists were announced (during the Christmas break), we were unable to interview Suzy Tkacik, a media specialist at Pride Elementary, who was named one of the four finalists for the Hillsborough School District’s Ida S. Baker Diversity Award. The winner will be announced on February 1 at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Tampa, along with the District’s Teacher of the Year and Instructional Support Employee of the Year. No other finalists were from New Tampa’s schools. Good luck, Suzy!
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Recapping The City Of Tampa’s Hanukkah Celebration In New Tampa! By GARY NAGER All photos by Charmaine George “Last year, the city held a joint Christmas/Hanukkah celebration here” District 7 Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera told a small crowd of about 50 people at the New Tampa Recreation Center in Tampa Palms, “but this year, I thought it made sense to do separate Christmas and Hanukkah celebrations in New Tampa.” Viera said that this year, in light of the Israel-Hamas war that began in October, he asked the city to give New Tampa’s Jewish residents their own celebration of the “Festival of Lights” on Dec. 11. “But, what was really heartwarming was how many people who attended the event weren’t Jewish, but were there to support their Jewish friends and learn more about Hanukkah.” The candle-lighting ceremony was led by Tampa Palms residents Tracy and Steve Falkowitz, who told the story of Hanukkah and the significance of the nine-candle menorah. Lighting the candles were girls from Tampa Gymnastics & Dance Junior Showstars. Also speaking were Viera and Cindy Spahn from Tampa Jewish Family Services. In addition, on hand were Tampa Parks & Recreation interim director Tony Mulkey, a Rabbi from the Tampa Torah Academy and a representative of the Bryan Glazer Family Jewish Community Center. “I wanted to show support for our
Jewish friends, who are still reeling from the Hamas invasion of Israel,” Viera said. “The city stands against the recent increase in anti-Semitism throughout the U.S., even as it supports people of all religions, cultures and races.” Attendees also got to tour the Rec Center (17302 Commerce Park (Clockwise from top left photo) Lighting the Hanukkah candles are Tampa Gymnastics & Dance Junior Showstars from the New Tampa Recreation Center; (l.-r.) Tony Mulkey of Tampa Parks & Rec, Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera, Blvd.), which was buzzing with activity. Katherine Saslow & Tracy and Steve Falkowitz; Councilman Viera with Cindy Spahn of Tampa Jewish Family Services.
Steven Kessel REALTOR® Call me (781) 246-1234 StevenKesselRealtor.com
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The Cottages At Cypress Cay Is A Unique Rental Community Off BBD By GARY NAGER Research by Joel Provenzano
In our July 25 issue, we told you about two new rental apartment complexes (called Lantana and Sage) on Cypress Cay Blvd., a new road which connects to 42nd St. off Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. a little south of Tampa Palms. At that time, we also mentioned a third community, to be called The Cottages at Cypress Cay, which is located at the northwest end of Cypress Cay Blvd., but we didn’t know too much about it. Well, the first residents have begun moving into The Cottages and I was excited to tour this unique, new community. Unlike most apartment complexes, The community offers not just multiple 1-, 2and 3-bedroom apartment unit floor plans, but also a large variety of different building types and elevations those units call home. For example, there are two rustic-looking (but very modern) 3-bedroom singlefamily cottages and eight 3-bedroom cottage twins that look nothing like your average apartment building, plus two-story townhomes, as well as four 12-unit multiplexes that look more like traditional apartment buildings than the rest of the community among its 198 total units on 21.93 acres. According to leasing agent Nicholas Fernandez, who took me on the tour, the concept of The Cottages is “rental living that
(Above left) The tan-colored building on the left is a “cottage twin” with two three-bedroom apartments, and the greener building directly to its right is a three-bedroom, single family cottage at the Cottages at Cypress Cay off BBD Blvd. in Lutz. (Above right) The clubhouse at the Cottages at Cypress Cay includes a TV lounge, two PC and two Apple computers, a bumper pool and poker table, 24/7 fitness center, pool, golf chipping area and many other amenities. (Below) The rental units at the Cottages are spacious and are available in a variety of 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom floor plans. feels more like single-family-home living with He also said that there much more access to outdoor activities.” is not only ample parking He added that every unit offers a throughout the well-spreadGoogle-based Ring doorbell system and out complex, but also 50 that the clubhouse at the entrance to the covered garage spaces. In other words, the Cotcommunity includes two PC and two Apple computers, a printer, a coffee area, a bumper tages at Cypress Cay lives up pool table that doubles as a poker table and to its claim of being a differa 24/7 fitness room. Outside the clubhouse ent rental complex, especially is a large pond that has a golf chipping green if you like a tranquil community, units with tall ceilings and floating golf balls, a large pool with an and large fenced-in patios electric BBQ grill on its deck and more. “The Cottages at Cypress Cay comwith turf, instead of grass. For leasing and more bines the feel of having a single-family information about The press Cay Blvd.), call (813) 771-8006 home with a resort-style rental apartment Cottages at Cypress Cay (15081 Cyor visit TheCottagesatCypressCay.com. lifestyle,” Fernandez said.
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21
New Apartments To Bring Traffic Changes To Bruce B. Downs By GARY NAGER Research by Joel Provenzano
5101 BBD Apts
(Above) The still-unnamed new apartment community under construction on BBD Blvd. (Right) The map of the new apartments and the changes planned for BBD in the area. timeline as we went to press, will be right turn lane is being made extra long paid for by the developers of Wiregrass so a bus stop pad can be placed north of Ranch, which is located across BBD the area for U-turning traffic to enter the from the new apartment community. turn lane. The pad will be connected by Here’s a breakdown of the coming a sidewalk that will enter directly into the traffic changes on BBD: apartments for ease of access. 1) The primary entrance (see photo 2) In order to accommodate this on pg. 18) to the 16.24-acre complex nonstandard median opening for the Uwill be a gated right-in/right-out only. turn, the Florida Department of TransThis means traffic intending to enter the portation (FDOT) is requiring that the development coming from the south existing adjacent median opening on BBD on BBD will be required to use a long serving Wells Fargo (entrance is in gray on northbound U-turn lane that the demap) will be closed. veloper will be constructing, which will 3) In addition, the existing northfeed into a new, long southbound right bound left turn lane serving that opening will just be connected to the existing one turn entrance to the apartments. The
BBD Blvd .
An unnamed, under-construction 248-unit apartment complex on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. (south of the northern terminus of Eagleston Blvd. and the Wells Fargo Bank) in Seven Oaks also includes some future traffic pattern changes on BBD in Wesley Chapel. The complex, which is owned and being developed by Mast Capital — which also is redeveloping the nearby Saddlebrook Resort and its surrounding community — is being required to make some significant changes in anticipation of the additional BBD traffic the complex will generate. As the apartment community nears completion, construction of these roadway improvements has begun and motorists on BBD will soon notice even more significant mainline roadway work over the coming weeks. All of the roadwork on and near BBD is being paid for and completed by the developer of the apartments (currently known only as “5101 Bruce B. Downs Apts.”) — other than a new traffic signal to be located south of the community’s entrance (and the existing Frontier Communications building). That signal, which had no
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for the traffic signal, making for an extra long turn lane going southbound. Moreover, because of the size of the apartments, an emergency access driveway is required by the county at the north end of the property, just south of the bank, that won’t be open to other traffic. With all of these changes in the works, vehicles both exiting Wells Fargo and the new apartments that intend to go north will have to go down to another new southbound U-turn lane that will be attached to the existing median opening in front of the Frontier Communications Hub building located south of the apartments. The U-turn lane is being made
long and wide enough for it to be converted in the future to southbound dual lefts, as this median opening will serve as the future location for a traffic signal at BBD and the “Wiregrass Bypass Rd.” that will connect BBD to Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. (south of Walmart) and eventually swing up to connect with SR 54 near Saddlebrook. At our press time, we had no word from Wiregrass Ranch developer JD Porter regarding the anticipated date as to when construction of the new Bypass Rd. or the traffic signal at BBD and the Bypass Rd. will begin. But, as always, we will keep you posted as more info becomes available.
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Shown here is the only entrance to the 5101 BBD Apts. The entrance will be gated and vehicles exiting the complex will have to make a right turn out and U-turn at a future median opening on BBD a little to the south of the entrance.
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25
Family-Owned Absolute Air — Still Building On Two Decades Of Trust
are answered in the evenings and on weekends, because they understand that emergencies happen. They can even send someone out right away, although the cost is slightly higher for after-hours service calls. And, Amber says that Absolute Air promises that if the company can fix your system and keep it running, they will. “I have my word and my integrity,” Steve says. “We don’t scare our customers into buying something they don’t need.” In addition to the DeRolf family, Absolute Air includes vice president Mike Thornton, who co-founded the company with Steve and now handles commercial accounts and new construction installations, and long-time technician Greg Weatherspoon, who used to be a neighbor and whose dad once worked for the company. “Our customers love Greg,” Amber says. “He’s honest, reliable, trustworthy and will even talk customers through things to help people over the phone, whenever possible.” One customer who agrees with that assessment of Greg is Mary Mosiello. When Mary and her husband, cosmetic surgeon Dr. Gerard Mosiello, moved into their home 10 years ago, they needed to replace an air conditioning unit. They asked around and one of their neighbors recommended Absolute Air Systems. They were so pleased, they also had Absolute Air take care of the units at their business in Tampa Palms, as well. “They are very dependable and responsive,” Mary says. “I appreciate that they’re so helpful and that they educate us as to the best ways to keep this very expensive product running.” Over the past 10 years, Absolute Air has built a relationship that Mary says is built
By Celeste McLaughlin
Neighborhood News Correspondent When Steve DeRolf started Absolute Air in 2001, he was working in the industry and saw customers regularly being sold things they didn’t need at prices that were extremely inflated. “They were getting $300 for a run cap back then,” he says, explaining that a run cap is an electrical part necessary to run an air conditioning unit. “Today – 22 years later – I only charge $250.” He says other companies overcharging customers still happens today. And, while he can’t keep other companies from taking advantage of customers, Steve promises that Absolute Air offers honest and reasonable prices to give people an alternative. He has lots of stories to prove his point — like the woman in a mobile home who was told she needed a new unit with a price tag of $18,000 for the system, plus $6,000 to replace her ductwork. “We told her the entire job would be $7,000 with us,” Steve says. And, he also told her she could keep using the system until it no longer worked, while the other company was pressuring her to replace the entire system immediately. Then, there was the man who called because he thought his mom was being taken advantage of by another company. “They told her that her heater was bad and it would be $1,500 to replace,” says Steve. “But, it was just a burnt wire, so for $200, we had it running again.” He says another common problem is that some companies won’t tell the customer that a part is still under warranty. Instead of dealing with the warranty to replace the part, they try to sell a whole new system. “It’s more work to do it right,” Steve says, “so they make it easier on themselves, rather than doing what’s best for the customer.” Steve’s wife, Tammy, has served as Absolute Air’s office manager since the company’s early years and now his daughter, Amber, is the assistant office manager. The DeRolf family loves being part of the community they serve.
(L.-r.) Amber, Steve and Tammy DeRolf of Absolute Air Systems, Inc., with the company’s mascot, Hurricane. (Photos on these pages by Charmaine George) “I grew up in Zephyrhills, when Amber says those UV lights are imporWesley Chapel wasn’t even here,” Steve tant, though. says. “All three of my kids went to schools “It’s something everyone should have,” in Zephyrhills.” Amber says. “It improves the life of your Steve met Tammy when she was in the coils by keeping mildew out of them, and Air Force and he had just gotten out of the keeps your air cleaner.” Army. They married 29 years ago. She explains that Absolute Air also ofIn addition to Amber, they have a son fers maintenance “memberships” for people who is a Pasco County Sheriff’s Deputy and who want peace of mind regarding keeping a daughter who lives in Palm Bay. their air conditioning and heating units run“Our family’s goal is to always treat the ning properly. customer right,” Steve says, “and to run our “If you join the membership program,” business with honesty, integrity and loyalty.” she says, “it’s $5 less for the maintenance He says regular maintenance is essenand then you’ll get 10 percent off any sertial, “like changing the oil in your car,” but vice calls you might need for the whole year you should be wary of companies who say you’re on the program.” they’ll do your maintenance for $29.99. Amber says that Absolute Air’s phones “Since it costs more than that — between labor and vehicle costs — for them to send a technician to your house to do the maintenance,” Steve says, “they will likely try to get more money from you by Personalized Psychotherapy | Telehealth | In-Person Visits selling you something you may not need, For appointments & more information, or by charging too much for it. “Some of them are getting $2,500 for please visit TampaPalmsPsychology.com Brian Wilson, Ph.D. an ultraviolet light,” he adds, “but we put them in for $600.”
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If You Want Your Ad To Reach The Most Potential Customers In New Tampa & Wesley Chapel... CALL OR EMAIL JANNAH! 813.910.2575 Ads@NT NeighborhoodNews.com (Above) Long-time Absolute Air Systems technician Greg Weatherspoon (left) and tech Nate Clements provide outstanding air conditioning and heating system services at the company’s always-fair prices.
on her confidence that the company and its technicians are trustworthy and reliable. “It’s not an easy decision to have to replace something,” Mary says, “but it helps if you trust the people you’re dealing with. They know your home and business and what you need, and I like that for sure.” And, while she says she’s happy to recommend Absolute Air to others, “I just don’t want them to get too busy where they can’t come see me,” she laughs. Absolute Air Systems provides heating and air conditioning service for both residential and commercial systems. The company offers full system installs, service calls, preventive maintenance, emergency repairs, UV light installation, thermostat upgrades and any other heating and cooling needs.
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“At least get your units serviced once a year,” says Steve. “Since we’re family owned and live in this community, after we come to your house, you’ll probably see us out in the community. Whether it’s at Walmart or Applebee’s or church, we’re out in the community we serve and love.” And, he says, he never has to worry when he sees his customers out and about. He has no qualms, knowing that he and everyone in his company has treated them with honesty and integrity. To schedule an appointment for maintenance or service, call (813) 7790101. For more information about Absolute Air Systems, visit GetColdAir.com. Or, see the ad on page 45 of this issue for $100 off a UV Light installation.
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Battling with anxiety and not quite sure what to do while driving up Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., Alex Colley was looking for a sign. Little did he know that sign would quite literally be the one that David Calcador, the co-owner of Your CBD Store of New Tampa, was twirling on the side of BBD. “David was out there spinning the sign, and it said ‘Free CBD Samples, Come On In,’” Alex says. “I had seen him out there before and didn’t think anything, but I’ve had anxiety for a long time, and I literally was driving by as I was having a panic attack. And I was like, ‘I guess that’s literally, my sign to go in.’” Alex went in and David gave him a sample that immediately calmed him down, and Alex has been a regular now for four months. “David is my CBD doctor,” he says, chuckling. David is quick to point out, however, that he is not a doctor. He and his wife Debra Curler are just owners of the Your CBD Store of New Tampa, located in the Pebble Creek Collection, and are true believers in the power of CBD and its healing properties. Pick a malady, and Debra can point you towards the right remedy, with David ready to answer any questions about your choices. Having trouble sleeping? They’ve got you. Anxiety? Depressed? In a lot of pain? Just need to relax? They have answers. Looking for relief from the effects of PTSD? Cancer? Arthritis? There’s a multitude of CBD products to help with those ailments. “We love helping people,” Debra says.
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“It’s why we started doing this.” They also are true believers because they use some of the products they sell themselves. Debra had a knee replaced and finds that her store’s SunMed CBD-infused creams bring her relief, while David finds his issues with sleeping washed away with a nighttime gummy. “I like that they use the products and can tell you from first-hand experience what they do,” Alex says. “It’s not like deciding what to order at a steakhouse and finding out your waiter is a vegetarian.” While the effects aren’t guaranteed since everyone is different, Debra says many customers rave about the effects. CBD, or cannabidiol, is one of more than 100 cannabinoids that grow on cannabis, of which both hemp and marijuana are varieties. Like “weed,” CBD originates from hemp, but has less than 0.3% of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the ingredient that causes the “high,” while marijuana has higher levels of THC. Most CBD products at the store are offered as “full spectrum,” which are generally stronger but still contain no more than the legal limit of 0.3% THC, and “broad spectrum,” with no THC at all.
The Delta Experience
The recent explosion of Delta 8 and Delta 9 products has pushed the limits of the THC content in CBD products, making it more important than ever that consumers know they are legitimate. Your CBD Store only sells SunMed products that the company says are vigorously tested. In fact, a QR code on the products can be
David Calcador & Debra Curler are the co-owners of Your CBD Store New Tampa. scanned for the complete independent lab reports for each SunMed product. SunMed has recently launched Above and Beyond lines, which have higher levels of THC — but still remain below the legal limit — and are the best sellers for Debra and David. “These will be gone by the end of the weekend,” Debra says, pointing to a shelf filled with SunMed’s Above and Beyond products, The new product called Above blends Delta-8 with other cannabinoids, which SunMed says delivers what is described as “gentle body feels,” as opposed to a psychoactive high. Meanwhile, Beyond products contain Delta-9 (and 400% more cannabinoids than your usual full-spectrum), and come in calming (indica) and uplifting (sativa) versions. There also is a hybrid version that blends the two together.
David also raves about his store’s CBG products. He has a special appreciation for their effectiveness, especially the full- and broad-spectrum neuro-water soluble and the CBG Citrus, which helps with inflammation. Customer Jeff Martin says he is thankful he found Dave and Debra’s location, because they have been a godsend. Once every three weeks, he places an order for CBD and CBG products for his 80-year-old mother. CBD helps with her sore joints and arthritis, while CBG, which can be more effective treating muscle soreness, is for the neuropathy in her feet. “As long as mom’s taking it, it’s like someone flipped a switch,” Jeff says. “Just being pain-free and being out of the misery of having the feeling of burning feet all the time, it’s been a wonder.” Jeff adds, “You have to be careful where you buy this stuff these days. I trust the products at David’s store.” TRIM is SunMed’s first foray into the weight loss product market and features THC-V, which blocks your appetite-stimulating CB1 receptor (THC-D9, by contrast, causes appetite stimulation). For your dog, the store offers Chillin’ Out (for relaxation) and Movin’ Easy (for mobility and aches and pains for senior dogs) broad-spectrum hemp chews. Your CBD Store New Tampa (19651 BBD Blvd., Suite B-1) is open Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and 1 p.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday. For more info, call (813) 994-0599 or visit CBDRX4U.com/find-us/florida/new-tampa.
New Tampa Neighborhood News • Volume 32, Issue 1, January 9, 2024 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net • For Advertising Information, Call 813-910-2575
29
Fields Insurance Moves To Wesley Chapel To Help With Home, Auto & More By Celeste McLaughlin
Neighborhood News Correspondent As the owner of five insurance agencies in Tennessee, and with more than two decades of experience, Michael Fields knows his way around the insurance business. When their only daughter, Bethany, graduated from Ole Miss University and took a job in Tampa, Michael and his wife Nancy decided to move to the area, too. In 2021, Michael acquired a Brandon-based insurance agency and Nancy retired after 33 years as a schoolteacher to help her husband with the newest branch of the family business. Over the past two years, they have bought a home in Grand Hampton and decided to move the agency to the Medallion Corporate Park, just north of S.R. 56, in Wesley Chapel. Now, they have set down roots, are leaning in to their new community and are excited to help their neighbors. “We treat people like they want to be treated,” says Michael. “It’s important to be a person of integrity, and a person who can be trusted.” Fields Insurance helps people with personal and commercial property and casualty insurance. That’s primarily auto, home, renter, boat and motorcycle insurance, although they also write some life insurance policies, as well. Michael says that, since coming to Florida, he’s written a lot of policies for vacation homes, condos and mobile homes. His agency helps both individuals and businesses, including offering business property and liability insurance. One designation that sets Fields Insurance apart is being recognized as a “Ramsey Endorsed Local Provider.” Dave Ramsey is an author and radio host who offers financial advice. While he’s recognized nationwide, he’s based out of Nashville, so Michael says Ramsey is extremely popular in his home state. People
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(Left) When you trust Fields Insurance to find you the right home, auto or other insurance policy, you’ll deal with the married team of Nancy & Michael Fields. Their office is located in the Medallion Corporate Park just north of S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel. (Photos by Charmaine George)
who take Ramsey’s classes and want to be connected with a trusted partner can be directed to Fields Insurance. “It puts us in a category that says we are an agency of integrity,” says Michael. “We always try to give you the insurance you need at a price that best fits within your budget.” While Michael will always strive to get his clients the best possible insurance at the lowest possible price to fulfill their needs, he says the most important thing is that he finds them the right insurance. “We are educational in the way we approach business,” he says. “We make sure people don’t sacrifice coverage to get the lowest rate.”
ro EXCEL
A Little History
Michael started out in the insurance business in 1999 in Memphis as an associate agent with Nationwide Insurance. In 2011, he went through a three-year training program as a “replacement agency executive” and became the primary agent at that location in 2014.
In 2017, Nationwide made all of its agents independent, so he no longer sells exclusively Nationwide products. Since then, Michael has opened four more agencies in Tennessee and one in Florida. Wade and Pamela Simpson, who live in Seffner, were at a loss when they inherited a family home in Dunellon that was built in 1986 and still had its original roof. “I had been with State Farm for 25-30 years and they couldn’t help me,” says Wade. “I couldn’t even get other
The Challenges Of Florida
Michael says that right now, prices across the board for auto and especially, homeowners insurance are very high, and that’s something that is out of his control. However, he says you can trust his agency to work with you and always act in your best interest. He adds that as an independent agency, Fields Insurance is able to work with a number of different top-rated companies, including Liberty Mutual, Allstate, Nationwide, Progressive, Safeco,
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Florida Peninsula, Slide, Cabrillo Coastal, and more, although the companies that are writing new homeowners policies in Florida right now are definitely limited.
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30 For Advertising Information, Call 813-910-2575 • New Tampa Neighborhood News • Volume 32, Issue 1 • January 9, 2024 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net
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companies to talk with me. I was calling everyone and someone suggested this new company in the area, Fields Insurance. So I called, and Michael answered the phone.” Wade adds that he couldn’t believe the west Tennessee dialect he was hearing — which sounded exactly like his own — and that he and Michael discovered they were born and raised in neighboring towns in Tennessee. While it was fun to discover that connection, Wade says that what really stood out was how Fields Insurance was able to get a policy for his newly inherited home when others couldn’t. “I have recommended Fields Insurance to two dozen people in the last six months,” says Wade. “I say, ‘Quit calling everybody. Call Fields!’” Wade says that his State Farm agent later told him that his policy on a home he owns in Tennessee was going to be cancelled, so he reached out to Fields Insurance again, and again, Michael was able to help. “I saved tons of money,” Wade says, so he also switched his policy on his Seffner home to Fields Insurance, as well. “What a relief!” Wade also says that for many years he has rented a parking lot to park cars in during the Plant City Strawberry Festival. Last year, the doctor he rents the parking lot from told Wade he needed to
have a $1-million liability policy. “I didn’t have a clue who to talk to about that,” Wade says, “so I called Fields and they had a policy for me within a week.” And, Wade adds, “Talk about customer service! They have already called me again this year to ask if I need another policy for the upcoming Strawberry Festival.” Michael says he invites those who are insurance price shopping or who have questions about insurance to give him a call anytime. “Quotes are free,” he says, “and it doesn’t hurt to get a quote. We try to work with everyone the best we possibly can and make it as simple as possible.” And, Nancy says that they love serving the communities of Wesley Chapel and New Tampa. “We love the community connection here,” she says. “We’ve gotten season tickets to the Bucs and we’ve gone to Lightning games with our daughter. We love all the restaurants and how close everything is to us here.” Fields Insurance is located at 2600 Cypress Ridge Blvd., Ste. C1, in Wesley Chapel. For more information or for a quote on your home, auto, business or other property insurance needs, call (813) 651-0094, visit FieldsInsuranceAgency.com, or see the ad on page 38 of this issue.
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New Tampa Neighborhood News • Volume 32, Issue 1, January 9, 2024 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net • For Advertising Information, Call 813-910-2575
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32 For Advertising Information, Call 813-910-2575 • New Tampa Neighborhood News • Volume 32, Issue 1 • January 9, 2024 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net
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Here’s How You Can Win FREE Dining In Our ‘Big Game’ Squares Contest!
You Can Win FREE Dining In Our ‘Big Game’ Squares Contest!
Although we have created this contest a week before the end of 2023 pro football season, last year’s ‘Big Game Squares’ contest was so popular we decided to run it back again for our readers. So, here’s how you can win FREE dining in our 2024 ‘Big Game’ Squares Contest. Simply email us the entry form at the bottom right of this page or enter on our website (NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net) by Friday, February 9. Please note that entries sent by U.S. mail are NOT allowed for this contest! On Saturday, February 10, I will first assign random squares on the grid below for each entrant. Then, I will randomly assign numbers 0-9 along the top row under the AFC Champion’s name and in the far left column next to the NFC Champ’s name. Then, when the ‘big game’ is played, whoever’s name is in the box that matches up with the last digit of the score for each team wins a FREE gift card to the restaurant of their choice. For example, if the score is NFC 10, AFC 7 at the end of the first quarter and your name is in the box that corresponds to both NFC 0 & AFC 7, you would win a $25 gift card as the first quarter winner. If the score is 13-13 at the end of the first half and your name is in the box that corresponds to both NFC 3, AFC 3, you would win a $50 gift card. We also will offer a $25 gift card to whoever has the correct box at the end of the third quarter and a $100 gift card for the correct score at the end of the game, whether at the end of the 4th quarter or overtime. See all of our official contest rules in the far left column below. — GN
Gary Intro
Contest Rules Official Contest Rules!
1. No purchase of any kind is necessary to enter or to win. 2. To enter, completely fill out just the entry form in the bottom right corner of this page & email it to Ads@NTNeighborhoodNews.com. Or, enter at NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net. *Note—Entries sent by U.S. mail will NOT be accepted.
#
AFC Champion NFC CHAMPION
AFC CHAMPION NFC Champion
3. Only one entry per person, whether online or by email, not both. 4. All entries must be received by Friday, February 9, to be eligible. 5. Do NOT fill in or email us any part of the grid when you enter. You will NOT get to choose your square. 6. The first 100 properly filled out entries we receive will receive one of the 100 available squares. 7. The publisher will assign squares at random on Saturday, February 10. 8. If we receive fewer than 100 entries, those spaces will have no name entered in them and no one will be eligible to win a prize for any of those spaces. 9. After all eligible names have been entered, the publisher will assign numbers 0-9 at random in both the top row and the far left column of the grid. 10. The contest will be posted at NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net as of Tues., Jan. 9. The filled-out grid will be posted before kickoff on Feb. 11. 11. Prizes to be awarded: 1Q-$25; Half-$50; 3Q-$25; 4Q or OT-$100. ALL prizes will be gift cards to the restaurant of each winner’s choice. 12. Contest results will be posted at NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net by Feb. 14 & in our Feb. 20 Wesley Chapel & March 5 New Tampa issues.
‘2024 Game ‘BigBig Game’ Squares’ Squares Contest! Only Emailed Only Emailed&&Online OnlineEntries EntriesWill WillBe BeAccepted! Accepted! Enter at NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net or Email this Entry Form to Enter at NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net or Email this Entry Form to Ads@NTNeighborhoodNews.com by Friday, February 9, to grab your square! Ads@NTNeighborhoodNews.com by Friday, February 10, to grab your square!
Your Name ______________________________________________ Your Name ______________________________________________ Your Street Address _______________________________________ Your Street Address _______________________________________ ZipZip Code __________ Code __________Daytime DaytimePhone Phone# #(____) (____)_______________ _______________ Community You Live InIn ___________________________________ Community You Live ___________________________________ Your Valid Email Address __________________________________ Your Valid Email Address __________________________________
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Gary’s Top 25 Favorite New Tampa Restaurants Of 2023! Although a number of new restaurants did open in New Tampa in 2023 — with the reopening of Kobé Japanese Steakhouse in its new location as the biggest news (although it happened too late for our readers to vote for it, it came in at #9 for me) — my top-25 Favorite restaurants in New Tampa didn’t change too much from 2022. In addition to Kobé, the only other “newcomers” to crack my top 25 were Johnny C’s Italian Eatery on Cross Creek Blvd. at #8 and Zio’s NY Bagel & Deli in the Pebble Creek Collection at #20, although I did also enjoy sampling many of the new restaurants in the Sijang Eatery food court at the new Lotte Plaza Market, as well as the unique BangBang! Bowls in the Pebble Creek Collection. Feel free to tell these restaurant owners that I sent you and, as always, I welcome your feedback, both good and bad. — GN
1. The Grill at Morris Bridge 10920 Cross Creek Blvd., Cross Creek Commons (813) 388-5353 TheGrillatMorrisBridge.com; or see the ad below
Since opening in late 2021, The Grill at Morris Bridge finished as the second Favorite Restaurant in New Tampa with our readers last year and third in this year’s voting, even though it has been #1 with me both years, thanks to its always-fresh fish (the bacon parmesan crusted grouper shown here replaced the same dish with mahi-mahi in 2023) and great steaks. In fact, The Grill’s bone-in tomahawk ribeye (see pg. 1), which is now a regular menu item, is the only true tomahawk in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel. Brothers Frank and Jimmy Gouveia also offer one of our area’s best Sunday brunches, the most extensive wine list of any local restaurant, uveia, The Grill at and Morris Bridge craft cocktails always-excellent service. xecutive Chef Daniel Friley.
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2. Stonewood Grill & Tavern 17050 Palm Pointe Dr., Pointe at Tampa Palms (813) 978-0388 StonewoodGrill.com
Stonewood’s run as the favorite with our readers continued for an eighth straight year in 2023, and it again comes in just below The Grill with yours truly. The quality of the fresh fish, steaks (like the unique hand-cut Manhattan strip steak, usually offered as a special, in this picture), pastas and even Jannah’s favorite bowl (the Southwest chicken bowl) in New Tampa, plus the always-packed bar scene make Stonewood an outstanding choice, whether it’s number 1, 2 or lower on your list. Like The Grill, Stonewood isn’t inexpensive, but there are plenty of much lower-priced restaurants to fill that need for you in our area that can’t match Stonewood’s quality or variety.
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34 For Advertising Information, Call 813-910-2575 • New Tampa Neighborhood News • Volume 32, Issue 1 • January 9, 2024 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net
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Gary’s Top-25 Favorite New Tampa Restaurants Of 2023 (continued) 7. Frammi American 9. Kobé Japanese 3. Via Italia Wood 5. Las Palmas Latin Grill Fired Pizza & Bar Grill & Italian Food Steakhouse 8644 Hunter’s Village Rd. Village at Hunter’s Lake (813) 475-4857 EatViaItalia.com
6431 E. County Line Rd. (off BBD Blvd.) (813) 991-5500; see pg. 44 LasPalmasLatinGrill.com
17631 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. North Palms Village (813) 523-5075 Frammi.com
17641 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.. North Palms Village (813) 680-5800
With four of my favorite pasta dishes — the linguine alle vongolé (with clams), cavatelli con salsiccia (sausage) & broccoli rabe and two different types of pesto (Sicilian and the Genovese shown above) — and the biggest variety of gourmet pizzas in town, the only things keeping Via Italia from finishing higher with me are some fresh fish and maybe a steak or veal chop. Love the bar, too!
Even though Las Palmas isn’t “new,” since it did have a food truck at the same plaza all year in 2022, owners Ramses and Ana Garcia’s Las Palmas moved way up on my list this year when they reopened their brick-and-mortar location a couple of months ago. Ramses’ merluza (white fish) a la Rusa (photo) is as good as it gets and his flank steak churrasco, vaca frita (fried steak), picadillo and roast pork also rock.
The restaurant formerly known as Oakley’s Grille still has great burgers, fries and other American food, but for yours truly, the attraction of Frammi will always be its outstanding Northern and Southern Italian fare. My favorite dish is the vongole (pasta with baby clams above), but the spicy arrabiata, less spicy Amatriciana, penne alla vodka, lasagne, eggplant parm and pesto options are what keep me coming back.
I guess I didn’t realize how much I missed the quality of Kobé until it reopened late last year, but wow, between the best filet mignon (photo) hibachi in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel — and even a Japanese Wagyu steak & lobster combo — and the perfect hibachi veggies, lo mein and fried rice, plus pretty good sushi, it’s nice to have Kobé back in New Tampa — and in my top-10 favorites in 33647.
4. Lima Peruvian 6. Fat Rabbit Pub 16029 Tampa Palms Blvd. W. Cuisine City Plaza at Tampa Palms
8. Johnny C’s Italian Eatery
10970 Cross Creek Blvd. (813) 278-8020
19062 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. New Tampa Center (813) 304-0205; see pg. 37
FatRabbitPub.com
JohnnysItalianEatery.com; see pg. 42
Where do you go when you love ceviche but can’t eat shrimp? Why, Lima of course! I also love the Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, the unique Chinese fusion dishes like lomo (lo mein) with steak or chicken, and I regularly crave a helping of ceviche with giant corn kernels and Lima is the only place I can enjoy it in New Tampa.
This “Upscale Neighborhood Pub” truly lives up to its name, as you can’t really call the Fat Rabbit just another “sports bar.” From the best wings and tater tots in town to outstanding grilled chicken sandwiches and big burgers (or choose the burger sliders shown above), plus craft cocktails & lots of whiskeys and that unique bar vibe, what’s not to love?
From having no true Italian restaurants a few years ago to now having three that make my top-10 favorites in New Tampa, this highestranking (for me) newcomer offers great Italian comfort foods, like pizza, the meatball parmigiana appetizer above, chicken parm, Momma’s lasagna and penne alla vodka, as well as a variety of popular seafood dishes I can’t eat.
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10. Acropolis Greek Taverna 14947 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. Oak Ramble Plaza (813) 971-1787 AcropolisTaverna.com
From the grilled lamb chops above to the Athenian fish, saganaki (fried cheese) appetizer and more, the recently redecorated Acropolis found its way back into my top-10 for 2023, with or without belly dancing or hookah pipes.
More of Gary’s Favorites appear on 36.
Steven Kessel, REALTOR®
TBH4S.com
New Tampa Neighborhood News • Volume 32, Issue 1, January 9, 2024 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net • For Advertising Information, Call 813-910-2575
35
Gary’s 2023 Favorite Restaurants In New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Gary’s 2023 Favorite Restaurants Gary’s 2023 Top-25 Favorite Restaurants In New Tampa #s 11-25 In Wesley Chapel
11. Woodfired Pizza (Bearss) 12. Liang’s Bistro 13. Cantina Real Mexican 14. Cali Tampa Palms 15. Bayscape Bistro 16. Ha Long Bay 17. Sushi Café 18. Gorkhali Kitchen
19. Thai Ruby
20. Zio’s NY Bagel & Deli
21. Thai Lanna 22. EggTown 23. Peabody’s Restaurant, Bar & Billiards 24. Fresh Kitchen 25. Michi Ramen
Gary’s Favorite NY-Style Pizza in NT & WC 1. New York New York Pizza
As a native New Yawka, although I have nothing against other kinds of pizza — and there are lots of good options for those other types in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel — pizza to me has a thin crust, a certain kind of mozzarella (only) cheese and a certain tomato sauce taste. Some places have it but most simply don’t. However, all of the places on the list below come pretty close to the pizza I loved most in my home state, with NY NY coming closest of all. Pepperoni & sausage pizza at NY NY Pizza
1. NY NY Pizza 2. Amici Pizza 3. 900º Woodfired & NY Pizza
4. Fratelli’s 5 (tie). PizzaMania 5. (tie) Taste of NY Pizza
Gary’s Favorite Coffee Shops In NT &WC
1. The Bean Bar Co. (photo) 2. Bad Ass Coffee 3. Macondo Coffee Roasters 4 Leonidas Chocolates Café 5. Mpanitas
1. TrebleMakers Dueling Piano Bar & Restaurant 2. Falabella Bistro 3. Zukku-San Sushi Bar & Restaurant (see pg. 41) 4. Pisco Express 5. Azteca D’Oro (see pg. 45) 6. Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant 7. Grillsmith 8. Noble Crust 9. The Living Room 10. Arroy Thai 11. Yamato Japanese Restaurant 12. Longhorn Steakhouse 13. Rice N Beans Puerto Rico (see pg. 32) 14. Pasta Di Guy 15. Florida Ave. Brewing Co.
TrebleMakers lollipop lamb chops
16. Top Shelf Sports Lounge 17. Chick’n Fun 18. Bubba’s 33 (see pgs. 36 & 42) 19. The Hungry Greek 20. Blush Wine Room 21. EggTown 22. The Bacon Boss HQ 23. Café Zorba 24. Carrabba’s Italian Grill 25. Señor Tequila (see pg. 43)
Gary’s Favorite (Food) KRATEs At The Grove
This is one of the categories I neglected to include for our Reader Survey this year. Even though not all of the places on my list qualify as restaurants (e.g., Bakery X and Urban Sweets), these are all great KRATEs for food.
1. Pisco Express (photo) 2. Blush Wine Room 3. Urban Sweets 4. Bakery X 5. The Bacon Boss HQ 6. Café Zorba
36 For Advertising Information, Call 813-910-2575 • New Tampa Neighborhood News • Volume 32, Issue 1 • January 9, 2024 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net
7. Chamo Bites 8. Ato 9. Mojo Grill 10. Tacos El Patron
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Gary’s 2023 Favorite Restaurants In New Tampa & Wesley Chapel
Gary’s 2023 Favorite Asian Restaurants In New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Although I also love a lot of places for their sushi, my favorite Asian restaurants have to have other favorite dishes, like the hibachi filet at Kobé, the NY-style BBQ spare ribs at Liang’s, the pork chop rice dish at Ha Long Bay, the crispy duck at Arroy Thai and the gyoza (photo) and other appetizers at Zukku-San.
6. Yamato 7. Sushi Café 8. Gorkhali Kitchen 9. Thai Lanna 10. Crazy Sushi
1. Zukku-San 2. Kobé Japanese Steakhouse 3. Liang’s Bistro 4. Ha Long Bay 5. Arroy Thai
Gary’s 2023 Favorite Bars & Taverns In New Tampa & Wesley Chapel No one has ever doubted that Jannah and I love to sit at the bar and enjoy a great cocktail with our meal and there are several other favorite places that didn’t make this list, including Miller’s Ale House, Carrabba’s, Bonefish, Grillsmith and Outback, but Grill at Morris Bridge gets this year’s nod for its consistency.
6. Joe Whiskey’s 7. Via Italia 8. The Living Room 9. Bubba’s 33
1. Grill at Morris Bridge 2. TrebleMakers 3. Stonewood Grill & Tavern 4. Fat Rabbit Pub 5. Cooper’s Hawk
For me, this was one of the toughest of all categories, as virtually every place on the list has multiple dishes among my favorites. But, Lima’s ceviche and tallarin saltado de pollo (photo) keep it ahead of the merluza at Las Palmas, the ceviche at Pisco, the chicharrons at Rice N Beans and the cachapas at Chamo Bites.
1. Lima Peruvian Cuisine 2. Las Palmas Latin Grill
3. Pisco Express 4. Rice n Beans Puerto Rico 5. Chamo Bites
6. Rice n Beans Express (pg. 40) 7. Mojo Grill 8. La Creacion Xpress 9. Latin Twist Café 10. Arepa Mia
Gary’s 2023 Favorite Ice Cream Places In New Tampa & Wesley Chapel You’ll note that there are no frozen yogurt shops on this list, as rich, creamy ice cream will always be favored by yours truly over anything else. Quality toppings — like real hot fudge or chocolate dip tops — will help elevate some over others (like Leonidas; see pg. 40), but the Ice Dreammm Shop is still my go-to.
1. Ice Dreammm Shop 2. Bruster’s Real Ice Cream 3. Ice Ssscreamin’ (temp. closed) 4. Astro Craft Ice Cream 10. (tie) Brass Tap & Noble Crust 5. Leonidas Chocolates Café
Gary’s 2023 Favorite Breakfast Places In New Tampa & Wesley Chapel
6. Twistee Treat 7. Cold Stone Creamery 8. Sub Zero Nitrogen Ice Cream 9. Culver’s 10. 35 Below
Gary’s 2023 Favorite Mexican Restaurants In New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Every restaurant on this list has at least one Mexican dish I like, but the 2023 opening of Azteca D’Oro and its more authentic menu (with items like the chicken taquitos shown here), plus great “vibe” nudged it past Cantina, which has equally great fajitas, and Señor Tequila, which revamped its menu in 2023.
Jannah loves brunch more than I do, but I am and always have been a breakfast guy. It’s hard for me to not pick bagel places as my top choices for breakfast, but give me the fried eggs, toast, crispy bacon and perfect grits at EggTown (photo) over the other places on this list, all of which are worth visiting.
1. EggTown 2. Brunchie’s 3. Zio’s NY Bagel & Deli
Gary’s 2023 Favorite Latin Restaurants In New Tampa & Wesley Chapel
4. Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. 5. Happy Hangar Café
1. Azteca D’Oro (see pg. 45) 2. Cantina Real Mexican 3. Señor Tequila (pg. 43)
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Gary’s 2023 Favorite Restaurants In New Tampa & Wesley Chapel (cont.)
Gary’s 2023 Favorite Non-Ice Cream Dessert Places In New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Whether or not you’re an actual bakery, if you have a dessert tray or display case for desserts at your restaurant, like Falabella Bistro, you can qualify as one of my favorite dessert places. But, no one in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel has a better cookie sandwich than Urban Sweets in the KRATEs, so they’re still #1.
1. Urban Sweets 2. Leonidas Chocolates Café 3. Falabella Bistro 4. Brooklyn Water Bagel Co.
5. SmallCakes Cupcakery 6. Nothing Bundt Cakes 7. Bakery X 8. Moschella’s
Gary’s 2023 Favorite Sushi In New Tampa & Wesley Chapel
All of these restaurants have great sushi, although I honestly really only like tuna and white meat fish sushi, like grouper, flounder, cobia, etc., so I’m not really the best judge of what’s best, but these are the restaurants with the sushi I like best and the bluefin tuna options at Zukku-San are just extra delicious.
1. Zukku-San 2. Sushi Café 3. Bonsai Sushi 4. Thai Lanna
5. Sake House 6. Bluefin Sushi 7. Umu Japanese & Thai 8. Yamato
Gary’s 2023 Favorite New Restaurants In New Tampa & Wesley Chapel This was another tough category for me, as Cooper’s Hawk got the most pre-opening fanfare — and is living up to it — but Azteca D’Oro nudged it out for my #5 favorite overall in Wesley Chapel, so it gets top billing here, too. But, Johnny C’s, the reopened Kobé, Zio’s and Rice N Beans Express all deserved recognition, too.
1. Azteca D’Oro 2. Cooper’s Hawk 3. Johnny C’s Italian Eatery
Gary’s 2023 Favorite Non-Dessert Bakeries In New Tampa & Wesley Chapel
If the only croissants you think you like are the microwaved ones at Starbucks, you’ve never had a real French croissant. If so, please try the authentic butter croissants from Bakery X (photo), although the Leonidas Chocolates Café and Tous Les Jours Café at the Lotte Plaza Market also have the real things. Bakery X also has the best fresh-baked French baguettes.
1. Bakery X 2. Leonidas Chocolates Café 3. Tous Les Jours Café 4. Moschella’s
Gary’s 2023 Favorite Fresh Fish In New Tampa & Wesley Chapel
Since I can’t eat most shellfish (except clams, crabs & scallops) and I don’t like salmon, I’m only ranking places that serve obviously fresh fish, and mine and Jannah’s go-to is still the coconut curry grouper (photo) at TrebleMakers. However, the bacon/parmesan-crusted grouper at The Grill, Stonewood’s grouper, the merluza at Las Palmas, “short trip” catch at Grillsmith & crusted mahi at Cooper’s Hawk are all great, too.
1. TrebleMakers 2. Grill at Morris Bridge 3. Stonewood Grill & Tavern
4. Las Palmas Latin Grill 5. Grillsmith 6. Cooper’s Hawk
Gary’s 2023 Favorite Burger Place In New Tampa & Wesley Chapel To be fair, I haven’t even tried the burgers at every place that sells them in our distribution areas, but I have sampled most of them and the ten shown below are my current favorites. Fat Rabbit gets the narrow edge over Bubba’s and Bacon Boss, but all three are pretty close to perfect in terms of size, ingredients and flavor.
4. Kobé Japanese Steakhouse 5. Zio’s NY Bagel & Deli 6. Rice N Beans Express
1. Fat Rabbit Pub 2. Bubba’s 33 3. Bacon Boss HQ
4. Florida Ave. Brewing Co. 5. Frammi 6. Glory Days Grill
38 For Advertising Information, Call 813-910-2575 • New Tampa Neighborhood News • Volume 32, Issue 1 • January 9, 2024 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net
7. Ford’s Garage 8. Burger 21 9. Five Guys 10. Aussie Grill
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39
Leonidas Chocolates Café — Much More Than Just The Finest Belgian Chocolates! By GARY NAGER Photos by Charmaine George
For those of us who have never traveled to Europe, the name “Leonidas Chocolates” might not mean much, other than the fact that the Leonidas Chocolates Café opened in the Shops at Wiregrass last year. But, Leonidas is a family name that dates all the way back to 1913, when Greek citizen Leonidas Kestekides first started working on the company’s beloved praline in Brussels, Belgium — where the world’s favorite (and finest) chocolates are made. For four generations, the Kestekides family has made its mark on Leonidas, making this brand a true family business. What started out as a single shop with a sliding sash window, where pralines were displayed on the window sill, has evolved into an international brand experience with more than 1,300 shops worldwide. The “Maîtres” (Master) Chocolatiers of Leonidas use only 100% pure cocoa butter chocolate (made with only sustainably sourced cocoa from the Rainforest Alliance and other areas throughout the world) and are still made 100% in Belgium, no matter which Leonidas location you visit. There are only about 20 Leonidas-branded locations in the U.S. and Canada (although many other stores carry the brand), with the first U.S. location opening on Madison Ave. in New York City in 1991. Although that store has since closed, the current Leonidas location in Manhattan is on Broadway. Even so, U.S. sales account for only about 2% of Leonidas
sales worldwide. And, only about 10% of the Leonidas stores are “Chocolates Cafés,” which carry far more than just the Leonidas chocolates themselves. Jannah and I have made many visits to the Wiregrass location, which is owned by Tom and Mary Caravellos. Their daughter Eleni is the operations manager. I am glad to have sampled not only the creamy and delicious Leonidas chocolates themselves, but many of the café’s other food and dessert items. See below for a lot more.
Artisan Chocolates
Whether you prefer dark, milk or white chocolate, Leonidas Wesley Chapel offers more than 50 different flavours of chocolates and confections, all available in the store. These varieties are filled with everything from delicious buttercream, ganache and praline to caramel, creme and liqueur, using only the finest ingredients from across the world. And, although I prefer Leonidas’ solid milk chocolate (available in bulk and packaged bars and a number of shapes) over any of those, no matter how gourmet your taste in chocolate runs, Leonidas has you covered.
The Leonidas Chocolates Café in the Shops at Wiregrass sells more than just artisan Belgian chocolates (above left). There also are huge varieties of desserts imported from Italy (above right), freshly baked croissants and pastries (right) and sandwiches like the pressed prosciutto panini (below left) and caprese toast (below right). more about that in a moment. But, when you go up to the counter, your eyes immediately look to the left at the huge dessert display, with so many amazing-looking options that
Start With Dessert?
When you walk into the Wiregrass Leonidas Café, the first thing you see behind the counter is a softserve ice cream machine and a menu of available dips for that ice cream. We’ll tell you
40 For Advertising Information, Call 813-910-2575 • New Tampa Neighborhood News • Volume 32, Issue 1 • January 9, 2024 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net
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there’s no way I could list even half of them here. Among my favorites so far are the (top photo on previous page, l.-r.) Opera layer cake, chocolate hazelnut cake and the Colombian “bombe,” as well as (photo above, l.-r.) the chocolate mousse, coppa mascarpone, the profiteroles cup and the babamisu (next to the coffee cup), all of which taste even better with a full-flavored latte or other coffee drink made with equally gourmet Illy brand Italian coffee. “Our pastries are flown in frozen directly from Italy,” Mary says. Descriptions of each decadent dessert are available in the display case, but store general manager Eri (top right photo) also is happy to describe them for you and she honestly does a much better job of it than I ever could.
Making Ice Cream Even Better!
Every Leonidas Chocolates Café also offers locally-sourced ice cream, which is delicious on its own, but is only available in vanilla or chocolate at our café, and is made even better with a large variety of chocolate dip flavors made with that amazing Belgian chocolate. My favorite is the banana milk chocolate dip, but there also are chocolate s’mores, red velvet, salted caramel, white, milk and dark chocolate, cookies ‘n’ cream, pistachio white chocolate and new flavors like raspberry and dark peppermint dips. There also are toppings like Fruity Pebbles cereal, chocolate chips, mini M&Ms and more you can add for even more flavor. The café also offers a variety of different hand-spun milkshakes and even ice cream sundaes, with a different monthly special sundae.
Sandwiches, Salads & More!
Although I had previously seen a small display case of freshly baked croissants on the counter, until photographer Charmaine George and I walked in last week to take pictures for this story at the Leonidas Chocolates Café, I had no idea that the café also served sandwiches and salads, despite my many earlier visits. “That’s because we only added the lunch items in October,” Mary says. “We know there are limited lunch locations in the mall and in Wesley Chapel, and this is a café, after all.” Charmaine loved the caprese toast, which combines cherry tomatoes, Buffalo mozzarella, basil, pesto, balsamic glaze and a generous “shmear” of avocado on multigrain (or white) toast. I was thrilled with the pressed prosciutto panini sandwich, with thinly slice prosciutto di Parma, provolone, tomato and authentic pesto pressed on a delicious baguette. Other sandwiches include the smoked salmon bagel (with cream cheese, red onions and capers); the Leonidas sandwich (turkey breast, Swiss cheese, tomato, lettuce and mayo on a baguette); a vegetarian sandwich (with roasted red peppers, goat cheese, sundried Neighborhood News
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tomatoes and pesto on a baguette) and the pizza boat (a bread “boat” with three different types of peppers and mozzarella). I also enjoyed the tasty Cobb salad, with lettuce, chicken, bacon, onion, tomato, avocado, hard-boiled egg and zesty ranch dressing. Other salads include Greek, Caesar and spinach, plus Greek yogurt and smoothie bowls. And, don’t forget to check out the store’s retail displays (photos above and below), especially with Valentine’s Day coming up soon. “The reaction from the community so far has been amazing,” Mary says. “After doing our research for a year, we know we chose the right Wesley Chapel location.” The Leonidas Chocolates Café (28163 Paseo Dr., #105) is open 11 a.m.-8 p.m. every day. For more info, call (813) 388-9653, visit LeonidasWesleyChapel. com or see the ad on pg. 45 to get 10% off a chocolate purchase of $30 or more.
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41
Bubba’s 33 — Wesley Chapel’s Scratch Kitchen Celebrates Four Years! By GARY NAGER Photos by Charmaine George
Unlike most other local restaurants, Bubba’s 33’s menu has changed very little since it first opened on the south side of S.R. 56 (just east of I-75) in Wesley Chapel four years ago. “That’s an indication that our customers enjoy our food,” says managing partner (since July 2021) Joe Vergona. “And we take a lot of pride in it. Almost everything we make is from scratch.” Vergona says that although Bubba’s 33’s fries and pickles aren’t made from scratch, “pretty much all of our sauces are. We even make our own spice mixes.” Bubba’s 33, the sports bar chain created in 2013 by Texas Roadhouse founder Kent Taylor, today has 45 locations in 15 U.S. states, with Texas having 19 of those. The Wesley Chapel Bubba’s (Clockwise from top left) The new BBQ chicken pizza , the bacon cheeseburger, the Super Stromboli and the Signature ribeye 33 was the chain’s first link in Florida. steak at Bubba’s 33, located off S.R. 56 near I-75 in Wesley Chapel. Jannah and I have been Bubba’s 33 fans since the beginning, and many members of our family have their own favorites. I love both the grilled and the espresso-marinated Signature, Texas Roadhousequality ribeye steaks; Jannah’s favorites are the classic cheeseburger with crispy bacon (and the tasty sweet potato fries) and the California chicken (grilled chicken breast topped with avocado, pico de gallo, jack cheese and scratch-made honey lime sauce); Jannah’s daughter Lauren is partial to the creamy chipotle pasta (with shrimp and grilled chicken, roasted peppers, onions and mushrooms tossed in spicy chipotle cream sauce and topped with cilantro and parmesan); and our granddaughter Rosie is crazy for the chicken & bacon mac n’ cheese. I’m also partial to the fried chicken dinner (although I get the scratch-made cream gravy on the side) and I recently also enjoyed the Super Stromboli (homemade pizza dough stuffed with pepperoni, Genoa salami, sweet Italian sausage, Canadian bacon, mozzarella, provolone and pizza sauce). be called “New York style” (which is, of course, my “We think our onion rings are the best in Wesley Meanwhile, photographer Charmaine George sings the praises of the favorite; see pg. 36), they are super-tasty, have a crispy shotgun shrimp appetizer (“It’s just spicy enough and delicious,” she said), Chapel,” Vergona says, and it’s hard to argue with him. “The crunchiness and the flavor of the batter are crust and are made with outstanding ingredients. My the new BBQ chicken pizza (with pepper jack cheese added to the usual favorites are the meaty-meaty and the Dickie V (with Bubba’s 33 blend of cheeses, red onions, banana peppers and scratch-made definitely different,” Charmaine adds. And, while Bubba’s 33’s hand-made pizzas can’t Italian sausage, cherry peppers, fresh basil, grated parhoney chipotle BBQ sauce) and especially, the “Big Ol’”onion rings.
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mesan and a zesty garlic buttered crust). The desserts can’t be called anything but decadent. Both the chocolate chip cookie sundae and Oreo® brownie are served with vanilla ice cream and the Bubba’s cheesecake is NY-style and offered with your choice of strawberry glaze, fudge, caramel and pecan toppings.
About The Place
Bubba’s 33 features high-definition TVs all around, and has an excellent drink menu with a full premium-liquor bar and imported, domestic and craft beer options at great prices, so it’s the perfect place for watching football and hockey games and we Try the California chicken entrée (above) and the also appreciate the nonstop rock videos. delicious “Big Ol’” onion rings at Bubba’s 33. Specials include Monday Madness, when any burger on the menu is just $10.99. Mondays also are “Ditch the Digital” nights, where you get a free dessert or appetizer for keeping your phone in a sealed pizza box and playing board games throughout your meal. “We have lots of regulars coming in for Ditch the Digital,” Vergona says. “It’s fun!” Speaking of free appetizers, you also can get one (up to $8.99) with the purchase of any entrée with the ad on pg. 36 of this issue. See the ad for details and restrictions. Tuesday is Pizza Night, when any 12” (small) pizza is just $12.99. Tuesday also is free Music Bingo night (7 p.m.-9 p.m.). On most Wednesdays, Magic Mike (a magician, not a male dancer) performs and one kid 12 Bubba’s 33 (26340 Silver Maple & under eats free with each paid adult meal. Vergona says a four-year anniversary cel- Pkwy.) is open every day, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. For more info, call (813) 522-5090, visit ebration is in the works for later this month. Bubbas33.com or see the ad on pg. 36. Call or visit Bubba’s 33 for details.
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43
Sausage King Replaces TJ’s Hot Dogs In The KRATEs
WESLEY CHAPEL Congrats go out to Christos Paradisis and Colleen Gallagher, who recently opened the new Sausage King in the former location of TJ’s Hot Dogs at the KRATE Container Park. Although we also enjoyed TJ’s, Sausage King not only has a greater variety of tasty options, Chris also grills his hot dogs, sweet and hot Italian sausages and Polska kielbasas, and Sausage King is already attracting new fans. I can vouch for the foot-long hot dog with spicy brown mustard and sauerkraut (left photo), as well as the sweet Italian sausage sandwich with grilled onions and peppers. I also enjoyed the crispy fried mozzarella sticks with house-made marinara dipping sauce.
Chris, who moved to this area from his native Greece, says the marinara is his “mama’s own recipe.” Colleen, who is from Philadelphia, says their goal for Sausage King is to remind folks of the flavors they love from back home in the Northeast. For more info, search “Sausage King” on Facebook. — GN
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46 For Advertising Information, Call 813-910-2575 • New Tampa Neighborhood News • Volume 32, Issue 1 • January 9, 2024 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net
___ REAL ESTATE & OFFICE_____
Steven Kessel, REALTOR® with Future Home Realty, Inc., has created just for you, the most advanced up to date user friendly property search engine for homes for sale in the Tampa Bay and Central Florida area. And it’s FREE for you to use and enjoy. BuyYourDreamHome.com
For Rent — Three BR, fully furnished ground floor condominium in Anand Vihar, a beautiful independent living, gated community in the lovely Wesley Chapel area in Tampa, Florida. Beautiful Club House, with a gym, swimming pool, game room, auditorium and a dining hall. Lunch or dinner Meal plans are available If needed. Contact Dinesh @ 716-830-7260 Well-appointed Prof. Ofc Space for Rent. 600 sq. ft. in New Tampa, opposite Publix on BBD. Two separate office spaces, secretarial space, good-sized bathroom, large closet with shelving & wide hallway. Plenty of parking. Excellent location for Attorney, CPA, Chiropractor, Insurance Co., IT Consultant. For leasing details, please call 813-468-9110.
CLEANING SERVICES
ANA PARRA HOUSE CLEANING SERVICES. Prof’l House Cleaning — Best prices & quality,. Licensed & Insured. Routine, Deep & Move-In/ Move-Out cleaning. Serving New Tampa /Lutz/ Wesley Chapel & more. Weekly, bi-weekly, monthly or special needs. Avail. Mon-Sat. Refs avail. We supply our own cleaning products & equipmt. Call or text for free est: (305) 338-0981.
A-to-Z CLEANING & ORGANIZING. Home & Ofc Cleaning & Organizing Svcs! We use our own supplies. Affordable & Reliable. FamilyOwned & Operated. WC resident. Weekly & Bi-Weekly/Deep Cleaning/Move-In/Move-Out. Serving WC & NT. Call today for a FREE NoObligation Quote: 813-462-1270. Local refs. supplied upon request. MARY’S CLEANING SERVICES. We provide flexible domestic & office cleaning. “Jesus is the Lord.” Give us a call at 352-206-8809 for a free estimate or email marynovociclo@ gmail.com. PATY CLEANING SERVICE. Comm’l or resid’l cleaning service. We have our own supplies & 6 years of exp. Free estimates. Call 813 790-8715 or email patycleaningservice@hotmail.com.
TREE SERVICES
FITZPATRICK’s TREE SERVICE, INC. 27 yrs of Prof. Svc. Licensed & Insured. Free Estimates. Tree Trimming & Tree Removal. Stump Grinding. Dead-Wood Removal. Affordable Rates. 24-Hour Emergency Storm Service. Free Mulch. Call 813-495-9541 or 813-788-TREE.
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New Tampa Neighborhood News • Volume 32, Issue 1, January 9, 2024 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net • For Advertising Information, Call 813-910-2575
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48 For Advertising Information, Call 813-910-2575 • New Tampa Neighborhood News • Volume 32, Issue 1 • January 9, 2024 • NeighborhoodNewsOnline.net
Neighborhood News
@NTWCNews