GRAB BRUNCH AT ONE OF THESE DELICIOUS AREA SPOTS

breakfast sandwiches, crepes, soups and salads.

“For 34 years, The Brunchery has been blessed to be part of this community,” said Stanley Athan, owner of The Brunchery. “With friendly staf, a warm and inviting atmosphere and great food, we in-

By Makenzie Atkins Noel

ing how many eggs it has hand-cracked from the moment its doors opened. “We love being in the Riverview community and appreciate the local love,” said Priscilla. Eggs Up Grill also ofers catering for any size event and a private dining experience in the store for groups of up to 15. The Eggs Up Grill in Riverview is open from 6 a.m.-2:30 p.m., seven days a week.

Community members in FishHawk have been enjoying The Scrambled Egg for over 10 years in Lithia. Whether you’re hanging out with the girls after dropping the kids of at school or bringing the family for a

If you are looking to sleep a few extra hours in the morning, then thank Guy Beringer, the man who coined the term ‘brunch’ back in 1885. Beringer wanted to enjoy a delicious breakfast-based meal after waking up but wanted to sleep in too; this caused him to often miss breakfast time. Instead, he decided to merge breakfast and lunch and call it brunch. If you are looking to get a tasty brunch close to home, thank these five spots for bringing all the options to the community.

With three locations in the area and more all over Florida, First Watch ofers healthier choices for brunch. Choose from many meals that you will feel confident eating, like steel-cut oats, a superfood bowl or a Power Wrap. When eating at First Watch, guests are excited about eating something yummy and healthy. First Watch locations are open from 7 a.m.2:30 p.m. every day.

Canopy Road Cafe first opened its doors in Tallahassee, and now it has nine loca- tions across Florida, including one in Lithia and one in the Brandon area. Named after the beautiful canopy trees that cover Tallahassee, Canopy Road Cafe has something for everyone. With over 60 menu items, Canopy Road Cafe is serving up delicious breakfast, brunch and lunch items. Both locations are open from 6:30 a.m.-2:15 p.m., seven days a week.

The Brunchery in Valrico has been serving tasty meals since 1988 and has been a staple brunch spot for Valrico. The Brunchery serves a larger variety of things, including omelets, vite you to bring family and friends and enjoy a great meal.” The Brunchery in Valrico is open from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. seven days a week.

Eggs Up Grill, co-owned by Priscilla and John Conyers, is cracking into a fun brunch experience. Not only does it have a delicious brunch menu, but the store has also been count-

Saturday brunch, The Scrambled Egg is able to provide an incredible brunch experience. The Scrambled Egg is open from 7 a.m.-2 p.m., seven days a week.

Weekend brunches have served many with the perfect meal at the perfect time of day. Enjoying breakfast or lunch has never been easier when you can sleep in on a Saturday and still start your day with a hearty meal.

If you’ve been thinking about lip fller, now is the time!

Restylane Kysse restores lost volume, hydrates and plump lips!

Legally Blonde, the Broadway musical version of the wellknown movie, will be on stage this month at Riverview High School three years after its original schedule.

Casey Vaughan, Riverview’s theater director, had secured the rights to produce the show in April 2020. But then the start of what would become a global virus pandemic shut down the school calendar and crushed the excitement of so many teens who had worked hard to prepare, Vaughan recalled recently. Her 200-student theater program didn’t start to “feel like itself” again until a full year later, when she created a outdoor staging of the musical Rent that won regional awards.

Vaughan said even last spring she didn’t have the heart to revive Legally Blonde because emotions were still tender among some of the students who had missed their moments in that spotlight. Instead, The Little Mermaid became the 2022 spring musical, complete with a creative take on environmental damage to the oceans that also won awards.

Finally this year, the director felt comfortable with entirely new cast members

Staf Report

for the upbeat story of Elle Woods as an underdog at Harvard Law School. In fact, many of the roles are double cast to involve more of the 50plus students involved in this produc-tion.

“We have the strong voices, a really big set, and a few surprises in store for our audi-ence,”

Vaughan said.

Those voices include students in leading roles who won top statewide awards for oth-er theatrical singing performances just last month at the annual festival of Florida Thespians. The set is the sort of significant construction that has become tradition at Riverview High, which features one of the largest stages in one of the nation’s largest school districts. And those “surprises”

Vaughan mentioned include a pair of newcom-ers to the stage: 2 rescued dogs playing the roles of Elle’s pup Bruiser and her friend Paulette’s pooch Rufus.

Legally Blonde will be presented at 7pm April 13-14 and 19-22 in Hawkins Hall at Riverview High, 1311 Boyette Road in Riverview. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students, and free for all school district employees as always. For more information, go online to riverviewhstheatre.com.

Jeremy Persinger, is the owner and operator of Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers, located in Riverview. His Riverview business has been family-owned and operated since 2020. Persinger had another location that he opened in Bradenton in 2018. “I started with corporate Express Oil Change in 2015,” Persinger said. “Express Oil Change was in express expansion mode, and they had just acquired Tire Engineers, so they brought me on to help grow both businesses because they knew they were going to co-brand the businesses.”

Persinger said that many businesses call themselves a one-stop shop, but he feels his business truly is one. “A lot of places can do your oil changes very quickly, but they can’t do tires or mechanical services,” Persinger said. “So, if you need brakes or other vehicle services, they have to send you somewhere else. We are really one of the national brands that can do both.”

If you ask Persinger what he likes most about what he does at Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers, he will tell you: everything. “I truly love being a part of the team, and I love interacting with our customers. We’ll even make you a cup of cofee if you ask.”

By Libby Hopkins

In order to deliver a consistent customer experience every time, Persinger’s advice is, “Don’t do anything you don’t already do on a daily basis.”

Persinger is also active with the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation and has been on the board since 2008, chairing two fishing events as well as the marketing committee for the foundation. Since becoming a part of the organization, they have raised over $30 million towards fighting Pediatric Cancer and have watched the survival rate go from three out of five kids to four out of five kids in that time frame. “Each clinical trial we put these kids through costs about $15K,” Persinger said. “We pay for all of it for them, and we pray for a day that there is not a need for what we do at the Pediatric Cancer Foundation.”

Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.6 p.m. and on Saturday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; it is closed on Sunday.

For more information about Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers, visit its website at www.expressoil.com/stores/riverview/ fl/0831/ or call 813-499-9606. The shop is located at 11690 Boyette Rd. in Riverview, next to Culver’s.

White Oak Cottage Celebrates One-year Anniversary

The White Oak Cottage, a home decor boutique, recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of its upscale restaurant with a ribbon-cutting hosted by the Valrico FishHawk Chamber of Commerce. Located at 10530 S. County Rd. 39 in Lithia, its restaurant hours are Wednesday to Sunday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Dinner reservations for between the hours of 5-8 p.m. are recommended; reserve by calling 813650-0054. For more information, visit www. thewhiteoakcottage. com.

PF Auto Glass Celebrates 29 Years In Business Riverview residents Pat and Donna Fore has successfully owned and operated PF Auto Glass since 1994 and are celebrating 29 years of serving customers throughout Hillsborough County. PF Auto Glass o f ers prompt mobile auto glass services, personalized customer service, assistance with auto insurance claims for damaged auto glass and a full lifetime warranty on all car window repairs. For more information, visit its website at www.pfautoglass.com or call 813-741-3633.

Swing Band Concert At Presbyterian Church Of Bloomingdale

Come and enjoy a fun-filled evening of music and dance at the Presbyterian

Church of Bloomingdale, located at 710 E. Bloomingdale Ave. in Brandon. It is hosting a swing band concert, featuring live music by Riverside Jukebox, on Friday, April 21 at 7 p.m. Concertgoers will hear music from the big band era up to the 1980s. Tickets for the event are available at www.pcob.us/ events and cost $20 per person or $30 per couple.

Tax Collector Takes Refueling Flight At MacDill Air Force Base Hillsborough County Tax Collector Nancy C. Millan was honored to be named an honorary commander of the 927th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base. The program has become an integral part of the MacDill Air Force Base family, as the honorees serve as ambassadors to educate and promote relations with the community. In March, Millan was very excited to join some of her fellow honorary commanders on a refueling flight as part of this program.