The Worry Tree.......…………11 Hanging Around..... …………12 Downtown Concierge

Downtown St. Pete’s visibility is soaring in national magazines. American Bungalow Magazine featured Historic Kenwood and The Craftsman House. A great way to explore Kenwood is to start with breakfast at café/bakery Sammy + Paco’s, from Lolita’s Wine Market owners. Order the Egg Sammy, gently pressed with bacon, fried egg, grilled onions, heirloom tomatoes, avo mash, ancho-pimento on Cuban bread. Hungry for more DTSP adventure? Start here.

DINE

Chef Jeffery Jew, alumnus of Bravo’s Top Chef and winner of Food Network’s Guy’s Grocery Games, will be opening the Nordic and Asian-inspired Lingr this summer with a beautiful outdoor patio and farm to fork cuisine. Delectable DalMoros St. Pete is now serving fresh pastas and homemade sauces with each meal served in to-go boxes and ready within minutes. Celebrity chef Robert Hesse and chef Craig Munroe hope to open the 2nd Fo’Cheezy Twisted Meltz this June on 3rd St. N.

I’m digging the Warehouse District’s Chelsea St. Pete’s for savory java, matcha, chai, and baked goods (stuffed croissant sandwich, coffee cake) and gift shop with hip jewelry, kitchen fixins’ and décor. Sip sustainably at Paradeco Coffee Roasters steps from Beach Dr., serving freshly roasted whole bean coffee, healthy snacks, smoothies, juice, healthy food options (gluten free and vegan bakery bites). Beautifully decorated with live plants, murals, and a pink sofa, the exquisite style and curated drinks from sustainable sources light up the Plaza Tower 1st floor.

Gluten, vegan and allergy friendly HaleLife Bakery’s new location in downtown St. Pete features elegant pastries and a custom-to-order menu bakery goods with national delivery including cupcakes, donuts, cinnamon rolls, cakes, breads and more. I love the blueberry lavender donut and cookie dough bites. Pure Martini Bar will open this summer in the 16th St. North Vantage whipping up imaginative hand-crafted cocktails (Lavender Fizz, Banana Old-Fashioned) and tempting dishes such as orange-marinated olives, pesto-baked chicken thighs and Angus sliders.

Chilling with grilling? Check out St. Pete Meat & Provisions’ expanded offerings from the clever owners of Il Ritorno with standouts such as the pecan-smoked bacon, Colorado rack of lamb and chimichurri marinated skirt steak. Bring home Chef David Benstock’s seasonings, dressings and oils for your next BBQ.

Ciccio Restaurant Group is partnering with Forbici Modern Italian’s Jason Brunetti on Italian concepts. First up is Jay & Luigi fast-casual pizzeria opening in July on 4th St. Other great eats from Ciccio include Fresh Kitchen, St. Pete’s Fly Food Hall (Taco Dirty, Sweet Soul, Better Byrd), Green Lemon, Daily Eats and Ciccio Cali in Tampa Bay.

DRINKS

St. Petersburg Distillery won multiple awards at the 12th Annual New York International Spirits Competition (NYISC), including Florida Distillery of the Year and a double gold medal for Old St. Pete Tropical Gin and gold medal for Old St. Pete Artisanal Vodka; silver medals for Tipplers Orange Liqueur and Old St. Pete Sunshine Whiskey; and bronze medals for Oak and Palm Coconut Rum, Old St. Pete Righteous Rum and Banyan Reserve Vodka.

New to Central Ave. on Jannus’ 2nd floor is the long-awaited Sauvignon Wine Locker American Trattoria with seasonal fare from the former Annata chef Chris Ciarcia. Enter via 5 Bucks Drinkery to an enophile’s charcuterie heaven with happy hour daily 4-6pm with 50% of all wines and bubbly served by the glass. I’m digging the Roasted Heirloom Beets with baby arugula, chèvre, candied pecans, pickled shallot, lemon vinaigrette.

FUN

22nd & Central is home to Coastal Creative, booking great comedy shows including Jenny Zigrino June 24th; you’ve seen her on Comedy Central, Conan, MTV, TruTV, FOX, and many more. She stars as Belinda in the upcoming movie Too Late!

The event space and digital media studio is a gang of content and creative producers offering cinematography, professional photography, graphics, animation, podcast production, social media management and audio engineering. Green Light Cinema’s indie film screenings and hula/yoga at St. Pete Pier may be two of my favorite pastimes this summer.

Coast Brothers Presents KETO Friendly Treats

By Peter Roos

The ketogenic diet is a very low carb, high fat diet that shares many similarities with the Atkins and other low carb diets. It involves drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. This reduction in carbs puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis. This diet has become popular, especially amongst folks that have gained a few pounds in the past year. According to Healthline.com, studies have found that this very low carb, high fat diet is effective for weight loss, diabetes, and epilepsy and may be beneficial for certain cancers, Alzheimer’s disease, and other diseases, too.

A ketogenic diet typically limits carbs to 20 to 50 grams per day. While this may seem challenging, many nutritious foods can easily fit into this way of eating. Here are some healthy foods to eat on a ketogenic diet. Fish and shellfish are very keto-friendly foods. Salmon and other fish are rich in B vitamins, potassium, and selenium, yet virtually carb-free. Other high protein foods, like eggs and meats are okay too.

Non-starchy vegetables are low in calories and carbs, but high in many nutrients, including vitamin C and several minerals. There are hundreds of types of cheese. Most are very low in carbs and high in fat, which makes them a great fit for a ketogenic diet. Nuts and seeds are also healthy, high fat, and low-carb foods.

CoastBrothers.com, the locally based online marketer of specialty foods, and more, has a growing line of keto-friendly products available for delivery direct to your home. Each issue they are providing a new recipe for Paradise News readers, starting with this easy recipe for Keto Fat Bombs, a frozen treat using only three main ingredients, that will help keep you from missing ice cream.

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Film stars, screenwriters, playwrights and painters…even St. Pete Beach and the Don CeSar star in this summer’s salute to local talent.

Creative Kudos: First featured in Paradise News, these three artists continue to make headlines. Steve Kenny, who lives in DTSP, is busy showing his work around the world. His painting, The Prince, was recently added to the permanent collection of the Polk Museum of Art in Lakeland. His work is also on display in Small Works 2021 - Beinart Gallery, Brunswick, Australia through June, Animalia - Haven Gallery, Northport, NY, 10/23-11/28 and Corey Helford Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, 8/14-9/18. Sharon Folta’s documentary “Little Satchmo” about her father Louie Armstrong will have its world premiere at the prestigious Thessaloniki Documentary Festival on June 29th. Little Satchmo’s debut coincides with the 50th anniversary of Louis Armstrong’s death, and reveals a side of an American icon that has long been left eclipsed by stereotype and caricature. Eugenie Bondurant’s tour-de-force as the spooky Dani McConnell in Fear of Rain and in the upcoming The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It as the occultist opening June 4 are must-see performances. An acting coach, she was a featured panelist at the recent DTSP Sunscreen Film Festival this spring.

Auteur, Auteur: Bill DeYoung, columnist for St. Pete Catalyst, friend of rock stars and book author has yet another kudo in his pocket. Studio@620 is hosting the premiere of his new play based on his non-fiction book “Skyway: The True Story of Tampa Bay’s Signature Bridge and the Man Who Brought it Down.” MAYDAY is a true story about more guilt than any one man should bear. It’s also the story of a family shattered, a career in tatters and a desperate search for absolution. Purchase your tickets in advance for the three shows: 6/25 @8pm, 6/25@2pm and 8pm.

Meet John Lerro, the ship’s pilot whose life turned upside down when the hulking freighter he was steering through Tampa Bay struck the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, sending 35 motorists plunging to their deaths 150 feet below.

Michael Horn portrays John Lerro in MAYDAY: CAPTAIN LERRO AND THE SKYWAY BRIDGE, directed by Roxanne Fay, whose “Breton And The Muse: A Midnight in Paris” is in three film festivals. (She wrote the screenplay for the Dali Museum and worked with Digital Caviar).

Cinema Paradisio: Can you list the films with Tampa Bay as a backdrop? Now two Florida tourism agencies have gotten into the movie making business with “Life’s Rewards,” shot in part at Don CeSar. Even freeFall Theater’s Matthew McGee appears in the series. This new, scripted Odyssey Original series produced on behalf of VISIT FLORIDA, Visit St. Pete/Clearwater and St. Pete/ Clearwater Film Commission focuses on an ambitious young executive who finds his career and personal life in turmoil after losing both his and his client’s wealth in a series of high-risk business deals. Stranded in a tropical paradise (St. Pete Beach), he’s humbled by a hotel’s employees and guests, forcing him to reevaluate what really defines his life. Catch it now on Amazon Prime Video.

Gibsonton’s carnie history is the subject of a new film shooting this summer in Gibsonton, “The Beast Comes at Midnight,” about a sideshow attraction called The Wolf Boy. The idea for the movie came from a visit to the Showmen’s Museum in Riverview by Tampa independent film producer Ed McKeever, said his son Michael McKeever.

Tune up with these great artists and nightclubs. Check Facebook for events and times.

Wayne Levy: Caught up with this jazz crooner/songwriter and keyboardist at Wine Knot Friday, then meandered up to Dunedin’s Fenway Hotel for a Sunday sesh as well as the Epicurean Rooftop Bar. The Wayne Levy Jazz Soul party features his trademark fedora, imprinted on his calling card wine glass. Cannot get enough of this jazz artist who said, “I have a little bit of Mister Rogers in me” when describing his effusively kind spirit. “Life without music is a mistake” is his motto. Levy graduated from the Full Sail of the Recording Arts, Orlando, and Florida and produced his first R&B record in 1996, performing and touring blues and R&B bands in Boise, Idaho, including Jason Parra and Smoking Todd. He has opened for such music greats as CoCo Montoya, R&B Legend Lester Chambers and Clarence Carter, returning to his hometown Lake City, Florida to continue his music career, performing with Matt Marshak, Jeff Kashiwa, Jessy J, and Unam. In addition to playing smooth jazz and Sinatra, he also is the leader of an organic soul eight-piece band.

Rebekah Pulley & the Reluctant

Prophets: Rebekah was raised in a musical household with her nine siblings in the rural countryside. A self-taught guitarist, she gained an ear for music by listening to her father’s rockabilly practice and perform with country legend Charlie Ryan.

She moved to St. Pete in 1990, playing open mic nights and coffeehouses and is now an acclaimed singer-songwriter in demand at festivals. Says The Hideaway Café, where she often plays: “Pulley’s melodies are a rootsy blend of soulful, southern folk. Her natural home is now on stage both acoustically and with her band, The Reluctant Prophets.

“A lover of lyrics, hers are insightful and heartfelt, and she sings them with a voice that is equal parts bourbon and honey. Rebekah has recorded four full-length CDs. Each one contains its own blend of tough but tender songs reflecting heartache, love, self-discovery and the nature of the world around her.” With four CDs and five Best of the Bay awards from Creative Loafing, she will stir your soul. Catch her at The James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art 6/22 @7:30-9:30 pm and The Hideaway Café 6/28 @8pm. Get Your Groove On: Tuesday night live concerts are back at the James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art. After a year-long pandemic hiatus, the Tomkats Jazz Orchestra is returning to the Blue Parrot on Corey Avenue Mondays @7pm.

Downtown, Flute & Dram serves happy hour 5pm and live music nightly; Wednesday is Ladies Night with 50% off by the glass beer, wells, house wine/bubbly and specialty cocktails. We love Jim Garrett Thursday 5pm, especially his Johnny Cash tunes.

El Cante Club is the new downtown hotspot, nestled in the former Ceviche restaurant at 10 Beach Drive. Enjoy delicious tapas, dancing and live music (jazz Tuesday, salsa Thursday and flamenco jazz nightly).

Gulfport’s music scene rocks, with live tunes at Tutto Bene, Salty’s, O’Maddy’s Bar, JahVa Coffee Lounge and Caddy’s, Neptune Grill and North End Taphouse. Stop in for live entertainment Wednesday/Thursday @5-8pm at the The Sand Dollar Bar at Beach House Suites by the Don Cesar.

“Music is love in search of a word.”