Tallahassee Magazine November/December 2019

TALLAHASSEE MAGAZINE

INSIDE: A COOL GUIDE FOR HOLIDAY GIFTS AND A COMPREHENSIVE PRIMER FOR ESTATE PLANNING

NOV–DEC 2019

Get into the

BEST OF TALLAHASSEE

HOLIDAY SPIRITS

» ADVERTISING AND MARKETING AGENCIES » DOCTOR MAP

Warm drinks and tasty recipes that add spice to the season

PLUS

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2019 ‘Best Of Tallahassee’ results are in $3.95

NOV-DEC 2019

How llamas, rhinos,

boats and compasses www.tallahasseemagazine.com

A product of Rowland Publishing, Inc.

create a spark

Dermatologist’s love of Florida inspires

remarkable collection

Capital City residents wish gifts of hugs and happiness for all

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November–December 2019

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GAME changing EVENT DESIGN!

Woodland Fields Photography

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November–December 2019

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November–December 2019

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SYLVESTER COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CENTER

SPONSORED REPORT

EARNS PRESTIGIOUS NCI DESIGNATION By: Diana Delgado

S

ylvester Comprehensive Cancer

in the labs, impacts patients, extends

applying for NCI designation. A team

University of Miami Health

and beyond. Most importantly, this

staff, led by Dr. Nimer, worked around

Center, part of UHealth –

System, became only the second cancer

to the community, across Florida

designation means that patients have

center in the state of Florida, and the

access to cutting-edge clinical trials and

Cancer Institute (NCI) designation.

having to leave the state.

71st in the country, to receive National

With this designation, Sylvester joins a

the latest treatments available without

highly select group of world-renowned

According to the Florida Department

Cancer Center in Tampa, FL, Memorial

of death in the state and Florida has the

cancer centers that includes Moffitt

Sloan Kettering in New York, and M.D.

Anderson in Houston.

“NCI designation is the ‘gold standard’ for cancer centers,” said Stephen D.

Nimer, M.D., director of Sylvester. “It

not only recognizes the excellent work

of Health, cancer is the leading cause second-highest cancer burden in the

of Sylvester physicians, researchers, and the clock for months to complete the

1,300-page, single-spaced application.

“The standards that we’ve created for

applicants that are aspiring to be NCI-

designated cancer centers are very high,” said NCI’s director of the division of

cancer control and population sciences, Robert Croyle, Ph.D. “The NCI cancer

nation, yet for decades there was only

centers are the crown jewels in the

After years of preparation, in September

NCI designation for Sylvester is

one NCI-designated center in the state.

2018 Sylvester began the process of

nation’s war on cancer.”

welcome news for the state. It not

Sylvester has been doing, but it also

allows our physicians and researchers to expand their research and to collaborate

with colleagues at other top-tier cancer

centers around the country – which

benefits patients here, too, of course.”

The NCI, one of the 11 agencies that

form the National Institutes of Health

and the federal government’s leading agency for cancer research, training,

and health information dissemination, has now recognized Sylvester’s

outstanding research work that starts

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November–December 2019

Julio Frenk, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., president of the University of Miami, speaks at a press conference announcing Sylvester’s NCI designation.

On stage from left to right: Stephen D. Nimer, M.D., director of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center; U.S. Senator Rick Scott; Henri R. Ford, M.D., M.H.A., dean and chief academic officer of the Miller School of Medicine; Edward Abraham, M.D., executive vice president for health affairs at the University of Miami and CEO of UHealth; Robert T. Croyle, Ph.D., director of the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences at NCI; and U.S. Representative Donna Shalala.

TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

only reflects the strength of the Center’s research, cancer prevention, and

training and education programs but

represents a boost to the state economy,

with an economic impact estimated at $1.2 billion.

With a world-class team of more

than 300 physicians and researchers

focused exclusively on turning today’s

scientific discoveries into tomorrow’s cancer treatments, Sylvester offers more treatment options and more

clinical trials than most hospitals in the

The Sylvester Game Changer™ vehicle helps address health disparities in medically underserved communities by providing free cancer screenings and health information.

southeastern United States. Sylvester is

often among the first cancer centers in

the world to offer access to the newest

investigational therapies.

Sylvester currently has seven locations throughout South Florida – including

one in Coral Gables at the award-

winning Lennar Foundation Medical

Center – and an eighth is scheduled to

open at SoLé Mia, the new $1.4 billion mixed-use development now under

construction in North Miami.

WHAT SETS SYLVESTER

CANCER PREVENTION

APART FROM OTHER

As a result of Sylvester’s Firefighter Cancer Initiative, which researches

CANCER CENTERS?

causes and ways to reduce exposure

Sylvester, South Florida’s only

for firefighters, thousands of

university-based comprehensive

decontamination kits are now in

cancer center, was recognized

use at fire stations throughout

by the NCI for its outstanding

work conducting research in its

laboratories, treating patients in its clinics and hospitals, and reaching out to medically underserved

communities with innovative cancer prevention strategies.

the state. The Sylvester Game

Changer™ vehicle provides cancer

screenings and innovative prevention strategies to medically underserved communities across South Florida.

TRAINING & EDUCATION Sylvester is preparing the next

RESEARCH Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center is South Florida’s only NCI-designated cancer center and serves patients from seven locations: Miami, Coral Gables, Kendall, Hollywood, Deerfield Beach, Plantation, and Coral Springs. To schedule a consultation at a location near you, call 305-243-5302 or visit Sylvester.org.

generation of physicians and

At Sylvester, teams of physicians and scientists work together to

move discoveries from laboratories to patients and out into the

Sylvester has the only Phase 1

Clinical Trials program — the first step in evaluating how patients

treatments – offering hope to patients with rare forms of cancer.

high school through residency and fellowship and mentoring junior

faculty members. Sylvester is also

community. In South Florida,

respond to novel investigational

scientists by training students from

among the first cancer centers in

the country to develop an oncology fellowship program for nurse

practitioners that provides specialized training in cancer care.

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November–December 2019

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Wishing you peace, health and happiness this holiday season and during the year ahead.

H A P P Y H O L I DAY S F ROM H I L L S P O ON E R & E L L I OT T , I N C .

EMERALD COAST

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November–December 2019

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BIG BEND

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HILLSPOONER.COM 850.907.2051 TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

FORGOTTEN COAST

Contents

NOV/DEC 2019

FEATURES

COURTESY OF DIGITALCOMMONWEALTH.ORG / MOLL, HERMAN, 1680-1732. A NEW MAP OF THE NORTH PARTS OF AMERICAN CLAIMED BY FRANCE, 1720

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BEST OF TALLAHASSEE Find out which businesses get top honors, based on your votes.

104 AD AGENCIES

Advertising, marketing and PR agencies use symbolism to inspire ideas and buy-in.

by ZACHARY BETHEL, KAITLYN HENDERSON AND PETE REINWALD

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118 ↖

MAP MAN

Dr. Armand Cognetta amasses a map collection that illustrates his love of Florida.

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH Catching up with the youngest of Tallahassee’s four historic downtown churches.

by PETE REINWALD

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Contents

NOV/DEC 2019

29 64 323

29 CHAMPION Michele

Madison emerges as a giant in the future of farming.

34 COMMUNITY Capital

City residents’ wishes for the holiday season.

40 EDITOR’S CHOICE

Kate Pierson reflects one year after the Hot Yoga shooting.

44 PERSONALITY

Tallahassee restaurant founder gets a second chance at life.

PANACHE

49 FASHION How to

really sparkle for those holiday-season parties.

61 LIBATIONS Three

64 HOLIDAY RECIPES

Janecia Britt gets our staff cooking with ideas for the season.

84 BOOKS Chef and

author Irv Miller taps Into oyster culture.

ABODES

129 INTERIORS Fill your

senses with the spirit of the holidays.

November–December 2019

colorful country of challenges and wonders.

18 20 22 174 181 186

134 EXTERIORS

138 GARDENING

’Tis the season to decorate your home and yard.

Cut yard maintenance while adding color and contrast.

PUBLISHER’S LETTER EDITOR’S LETTER FEEDBACK SOCIAL STUDIES DINING GUIDE POSTSCRIPT

INSIDE: A COOL GUIDE FOR HOLIDAY GIFTS AND A COMPREHENSIVE PRIMER FOR ESTATE PLANNING

Get into the

HOLIDAY SPIRITS Warm drinks and tasty recipes that add spice to the season

72 DINING IN Things to

know before you marry a culinary genius.

PLUS

2019 ‘Best Of Tallahassee’ results are in

EXPRESSION

77 MUSIC Lauren

Mullinax aims to become a difference maker of note.

How llamas, rhinos, boats and compasses create a spark

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Fun ideas for the holiday season.

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145 INDIA Visit this

Our holiday gift guide includes clothing, coolers and cutlery.

tasty drinks to keep you warm into the new year.

IN EVERY ISSUE

54 WHAT’S IN STORE

GASTRO & GUSTO

DESTINATIONS

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Dermatologist’s love of Florida inspires

remarkable collection

Capital City residents wish gifts of hugs and happiness for all

ON THE COVER:

Two roasted marshmallows are key ingredients of the s’more martini that Eric Rodin whipped up for our feature on holiday drinks. Rodin is manager of Food Glorious Food’s The Bar @ Betton.

Photo by Saige Roberts

PHOTOS BY SAIGE ROBERTS (29), JAMES STEFIUK (64) AND JANSSENKRUSEPRODUCTIONS / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS (145) AND COURTESY OF MY FAVORITE THINGS (54)

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HONORING OUR DONORS

R A Y

A N D

P E G G Y

M U N R O E

Ray B. Munroe Jr., Ph.D., Endowment Have a Heart Celebration Tallahassee Memorial Heart & Vascular Center Ray and Peggy have owned Mays-Munroe and The Sleep Center in Tallahassee for 45 years. After the death of their son, Ray Jr., following a heart attack, they founded the annual Have a Heart Celebration benefiting Tallahassee Memorial Heart and Vascular Center. They, along with family, friends, employees and supporters, have raised more than $177,000 since 2014 and helped purchase a Cardiac Ultrasound system.

businesses provide gift cards and merchandise. We call upon everyone we know, and they all help. This year we had about 200 people.

Ray: A cardiologist from Tallahassee Memorial comes and talks about heart health and the latest in treatment. We hope we can maybe prevent this from happening to someone else.

Why did you start the Have a Heart Celebration?

What goes into planning the Have a Heart Celebration?

Peggy: Your children aren’t supposed to go before you do.

I wouldn’t wish that on any parent, and so we tried to think of something we could do to make us feel better about that loss and help others.

Peggy: Our family and everyone at the store helps. We host the celebration here to avoid renting an event space. We cover the overhead so that every penny raised can go to the Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare Foundation.

Ray: We lost an amazing, brilliant boy, and we don’t want him to be forgotten.

What role can businesses play in supporting healthcare in our community?

What happens on the night of the event?

Peggy: We have music, heavy hors d’oeuvres, drinks and an auction. Our manufacturers donate auction items like wine coolers and even large appliances. Our friends and other local

Ray: A privately-owned local business is part of the community. We need to support the community because they support us. This is our way of giving back and helping the hospital be even better for when someone needs care, it’s the best place to send them.

“We felt loved because of the way the community turned out for us.”

TA L L A H A S S E E M E M O R I A L H E A LT H C A R E F O U N DAT I O N TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

November–December 2019

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Contents

NOV/DEC 2019

SPECIAL SECTIONS AND PROMOTIONS

103 HOLIDAY HOME SALES

New home for the holidays? Realtor Joe Manausa explains why listing your home during the holidays might gift you with a quick sale.

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136

Bath Fitter fits your style, lifestyle and budget when renovating your bathroom by specializing in installations and conversions with top-quality products.

↑ ESTATE PLANNING Local law firms answer questions and concerns surrounding the ins and outs of estate planning.

Read up to learn what financial plan might be best for you and yours.

140

DEAL ESTATE Two stunning lakefront properties are featured in this issue. A waterfront estate home is for sale in Golden Eagle, and a custom home in Killearn Estates recently sold.

58

Stuff the stockings and get out the gift wrap with our helpful holiday guide featuring local gifting for everyone on your list.

→ SPARKLE & SHINE Add a

56 FRESH FACE

Tallahassee Plastic Surgery offers a skin rejuvenating service called microneedling which promotes collagen production.

SING ALONG The 30A

Songwriters Festival will unite in venues across the Gulf of Mexico in song as over 250 songwriters showcase their songs.

little extra sparkle to the season with bling or a ring for someone special on your holiday list from The Gem Collection.

86 MUSIC TO HER EARS

FSU Musicology Ph.D. candidate and teacher Haiqiong Deng, a Chinese concert musician, speaks about finding inspiration, her favorite fictional character and what music is playing in her car.

NEXT ISSUE

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↖ FORGOTTEN COAST MAP

Our illustrated map orients you to a historic and picturesque region of the Gulf Coast that shies from the spotlight.

154

DELIGHTFUL DUNWOODY

Close to the hustle and bustle of Atlanta but far enough away to be sweetly Southern and soothing is the charming Dunwoody.

166

CALENDAR The holidays are happening in Tallahassee with a roster including the North Florida Fair, Tallahassee Turkey Trot, Nutcracker performances, winter festivals and concerts aplenty.

178

THE FINAL POUR After 10 years, the beloved Wine Loft will pour no more. The final sip and celebration will take place on New Year’s Eve.

A RECAP ON BEST OF TALLAHASSEE — a celebration of the best of the best PROMOTION

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FESTIVE FRANKLIN COUNTY

The Forgotten Coast gets festive with a lineup of hometown holiday events and traditions from seafood festivals to holidays on the harbor.

CHRISTMAS 88 ADELIGHT

“Pride and Prejudice” enthusiasts delight, as the sequel “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley” follows middle sister Mary Bennet’s life and comes to the Emerald Coast Theatre Company.

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November–December 2019

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PHOTOS BY SAIGE ROBERTS (HOLIDAY 52,58) AND ILLUSTRATION BY ALISARUT / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS (156)

GIFT 52 HOLIDAY GUIDE

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A BEAUTIFUL BATHROOM

ADDING A NEW CHAPTER TO A SOLID LEGACY New look. Same heart.

While our look has changed, our lionhearted commitment to our customers remains.

This new symbol signifies our fierce determination to get things done for you.

Learn more at amerisbank.com/newlook TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

November–December 2019

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TALLAHASSEE MAGAZINE VOL. 42, NO. 6

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2019

PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER BRIAN E. ROWLAND

EDITORIAL EDITOR Pete Reinwald MANAGING EDITOR Jeff Price EDITORIAL INTERNS Zachary Bethel, Danielle J. Brown, Kaitlyn Henderson CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Janecia Britt, Steve Bornhoft, Kate Pierson, Natalie Kazmin, Jack Macaleavy, Rebecca Padgett, Audrey Post, Laurie Wright

CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY Daniel Vitter CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jennifer Ekrut ART DIRECTOR Saige Roberts SENIOR PUBLICATION DESIGNER Shruti Shah PUBLICATION DESIGNERS Sarah Burger, Jordan Harrison, Lindsey Masterson GRAPHIC DESIGNER Sierra Thomas CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Dave Barfield, Bill Strength Photography, Janecia Britt, Matt Burke, Jennifer Ekrut, Whitney Fletcher, Nikki Hedrick, Scott Holstein, Jesse S. Jones, Phillip Makselan, Jeff McEvoy, Kay Meyer, Alicia Osborne, Bruce Palmer, Pete Reinwald, Saige Roberts, Lindha Steffen, James Stefiuk

SALES, MARKETING AND EVENTS VICE PRESIDENT/CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT McKenzie Burleigh SALES MANAGER, EASTERN DIVISION Lori Magee Yeaton SALES MANAGER, WESTERN DIVISION Rhonda Lynn Murray DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, EASTERN DIVISION Daniel Parisi DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, WESTERN DIVISION Dan Parker ADVERTISING SERVICES COORDINATORS Tracy Mulligan, Lisa Johnson-Sostre ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES David Doll, Julie Dorr, Darla Harrison, Linda Powell MARKETING MANAGER Kate Pierson SALES AND MARKETING WRITER Rebecca Padgett SALES AND EVENTS MANAGER Mackenzie Little SALES AND EVENTS ASSISTANT Abby Crane SENIOR INTEGRATED MARKETING COORDINATOR Javis Ogden INTEGRATED MARKETING COORDINATOR Taylor Dashiell

OPERATIONS ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES DIRECTOR Melissa Spear CUSTOM PUBLISHING MANAGER Sara Goldfarb CLIENT SERVICES REPRESENTATIVE/PRODUCTION SPECIALIST Melinda Lanigan ACCOUNTING ASSISTANT Amber Dennard RECEPTIONIST Natalie Kazmin

DIGITAL SERVICES DIGITAL EDITOR Janecia Britt DIGITAL INTERN Madison Schultz TALLAHASSEE MAGAZINE tallahasseemagazine.com facebook.com/tallahasseemag twitter.com/tallahasseemag instagram.com/tallahasseemag pinterest.com/tallahasseemag youtube.com/user/tallahasseemag ROWLAND PUBLISHING rowlandpublishing.com

EDITORIAL OFFICE 1932 Miccosukee Road, Tallahassee, FL 32308. (850) 878-0554 SUBSCRIPTIONS One year (6 issues) is $30. Call (850) 878-0554 or go online to tallahasseemagazine.com.

Single copies are $3.95. Purchase at Barnes & Noble, Costco, Books-A-Million, Walgreens and at our Miccosukee Road office.

CUSTOMER SERVICE & SUBMISSIONS Tallahassee Magazine and Rowland Publishing, Inc. are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photography or artwork. Editorial contributions are welcomed and encouraged but will not be returned. Tallahassee Magazine reserves the right to publish any letters to the editor.

Copyright November 2019 Tallahassee Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited.

Partners of Visit Tallahassee and Member, Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce.

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November–December 2019

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“One Team, One Family” 29 Years in Business Financing Available

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November–December 2019

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from the publisher

As I mature, it seems like the holiday season comes around much more frequently than it did when I was a kid. Back then, time sped up during the summer break, but it slowed to a crawl once school resumed.

It didn’t help that Sears annually published what boys and girls called the “toy catalog,” a publication marketed to adults as The Wish Book. I pored over its hundreds of pages for hours, circling items that I had to have, as if money were no object.

I can still picture the banana-seat bicycle that I thought would cement my status among my friends and make life easy. That wish didn’t come true, and I suppose that in some metaphorical sense I chased that bicycle for many years thereafter.

But perspectives change over time. No longer do I view each day as a given but as a gift. And regarding the holidays, I am concerned not with what I may be receiving, but rather what I might do to make a difference in the community or in individual lives.

The opportunities to do so are unlimited, of course. Little gifts can make a big difference. A soccer ball, a glazed ham or a holiday card may be enough to lift spirits, help restore someone’s belief in humankind or keep hope alive.

Over the years, the team at Rowland Publishing has purchased holiday meals and presents for families. We volunteered at a food bank preparing items for distribution.

We always have devoted space in our magazines to showcasing the holiday fundraising events of nonprofit organizations. I recognize that we can always do more and do better.

At our sixth annual Pinnacle Awards show in August, Rowland Publishing and 850 Magazine again honored highly professional women who have distinguished themselves as community servants. This year’s honorees included Tallahassee’s Michelle Ubben, the president of Sachs Media Group, a nationally recognized public relations firm.

Michelle, who has a consuming job and is a devoted daughter and mother, also finds time to play differencemaking roles as a community activist and supporter. She demonstrates clearly that no one is so busy that he or she cannot help improve the lives of others.

Her community involvements have included service to the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Leon High School Foundation, St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral and the United Way of the Big Bend. She reads to schoolchildren, advises nonprofit organizations and mentors young professionals.

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November–December 2019

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Of late, she and the Sachs organization have worked to advance the fundraising aims of Rebuild 850, an organization dedicated to assisting Northwest Florida’s recovery from Hurricane Michael and reminding the rest of the state that much work remains to be done.

I personally am grateful for another Tallahassee Pinnacle winner, Marsha Doll, who unselfishly assisted Rowland Publishing with community fundraising events, including Top Salons and Top Singles, for many years. In addition, she has coached Pinnacle winners in connection with photo shoots at awards luncheons.

A lady of limitless energy, Marsha has helped countless people put their best selves forward and has made dreams come true for scores of aspiring models.

For the fortunate, the holiday season is one of excess.

For those who struggle to make ends meet or continue to work just to put their homes back together, it is a time when their awareness of their status as a “have-not” is especially painful.

In this, our land of plenty, numerous organizations throughout Northwest Florida, faith-based and secular, large and small, are dedicated to bringing some degree of specialness at the holidays to people who can not afford the first little extra or who may be hospitalized, homeless or alone. Each of those organizations could use our help.

Let’s collectively do what we can to see to it baskets are fuller this year, more wishes come true, strangers shake hands, more smiles are raised and divisions are set aside.

Imagine all the people, as John Lennon wrote, sharing all the world. (It’s easy if you try.)

This holiday season, rise to the occasion with love in your heart. Look within and reach out.

Peace,

BRIAN ROWLAND browland@rowlandpublishing.com

SCOTT HOLSTEIN

LET’S OPEN OUR EYES TO NEEDS OF OTHERS AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE

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Capital BMW 3701 W. Tennessee St. Tallahassee, FL 32304 (855) 314-6658 Capital-BMW.com

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November–December 2019

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editor’s letter

THE GIFT OF STOPPING TO NOTICE WHAT WE OFTEN DON’T BOTHER TO SEE I wasn’t looking.

I was walking as I approached the entrance to the Publix near I-10 and the Flyover.

“You see that?!” asked a man outside the entrance, looking westward over the parking lot at dusk.

The man seemed so astonished that I figured he must have seen an asteroid. So I looked outward and upward for a bright light screaming across the heavens. I saw nothing.

Puzzled, I looked at the man, who wanted to shake me.

“The sky!” he said. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

I tried again. I saw that the setting sun had produced a miraculous mixture of white, pink and yellow. I also observed blue and gray and random patterns at play.

I agreed that it was beautiful. I thanked the man for pointing it out and walked into the store.

I stopped myself. I couldn’t leave it at that.

I walked back outside and joined the man in dropping everything, except for my phone. I looked quietly and intently at the revelation of boldness, brightness and bloom.

I thanked him again for knocking me over the head with what I miss every evening. He introduced himself as Greg White, a licensed massage therapist.

Greg told me he wished he had his phone so that he could take a photo.

I handed him mine so that he could get the shot that he wanted. I told him I’d text it to him, which I did.

As the sun sank farther and the colors faded, we discussed the problem of technology, including my continued phone addiction. We also discussed presence and perspective, including what our addictions and preoccupations cause us to miss.

As we talked, customers and employees stopped and paused with us, remarking on the beauty and the peace.

“That was God giving us a blessing,” Greg said.

It reminded me about what I love about Tallahassee. Mother Nature smiles here all the time. When we’re not looking, we always know a neighbor who tells us, “Look, Mother Nature’s smiling.”

So we join our neighbor and smile back, and we get in the habit of smiling. Maybe we’ll all become addicted.

After chatting with Greg, I went inside to do some shopping. About 20 minutes later, I rolled my cart outside and consumed a sky that inspired a darker awe (above). The bloom now carried a hint of doom, with a deep blue bowl of brilliance.

Greg had left. Another man had taken his place.

So there we stood together, smiling.

PETE REINWALD preinwald@rowlandpublishing.com

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November–December 2019

TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

PHOTO BY PETE REINWALD

Happy holidays to all of you,

Nothing can match a life-changing smile Why did Kaitlyn choose Dr. Oppenheim? Was it Dr. Oppenheim’s ten gold medals in international dentistry competitions, or that he’s one of only 63 AACD Fellows in the world, or that his patients have appeared on the cover Before

of The Journal of Cosmetic Dentistry eight times? Kaitlyn says, “Yes it was!”

Kaitlyn, actual patient of Dr. Oppenheim.

WWW.SIGNATURESMILES.COM

CALL US TODAY: (229) 226-1631 TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

November–December 2019

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for a joyous holiday season

Brian Barnard’s



Warm wishes

Feedback

Appreciation for Our 40th Anniversary Issue

SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

You definitely have us covered!

Thank you!

The special anniversary issue of the Tallahassee Magazine is, indeed, special. What great, 40 YEARS touching, and sometimes sad memories it evoked.

I always enjoy reading the magazine, but this issue was wonderful, creative and unique. Great job!

And, lastly, I so enjoy and appreciate your Publisher’s Letter with each issue. It always sets the tone for the content and makes me anxious to see what’s inside.

Thanks to you and all the staff for the innovative and enjoyable work produced for your readers’ pleasure.

Appreciatively, Tallahassee Magazine celebrates its ruby anniversary and looks back on four decades of events in the Capital City

PATTY WILLIAMS

Three Cheers for Speaking Out Your (Publisher’s) Letter in the latest Tallahassee Magazine made my day! I have been so discouraged by the rhetoric of today and the tearing down of people, ideas, hopes and dreams.

Your letter targeted the issues of our city, state and country.

Thank you for speaking out.

SAMANTHA FULTON

Chris, Brian and JR Barnard

2731 Capital Circle NE Tallahassee, FL 850.386.8689 1501 E. Jackson St. Thomasville, GA 229.226.7438 barnardsflooring-america.com 22

November–December 2019

TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

Stepping Up for Seminoles I just wanted to say thanks for your note in the most recent Tallahassee Magazine — it was a timely message. Thanks for reminding people that the Taggarts are PEOPLE going through a very tough season, one that is especially difficult for their teenagers. The cover page and article were also very well done, and I enjoyed learning more about this family.

Thanks for stepping up!!

RUTH AND LES AKERS

INSIDE: A CHEF WITH A SPICE FOR SERVICE AND A MUSIC STORE THAT’S IN THE GROOVE

+

SPECIAL REPORT:

A detailed look at TMH’s new M.T. Mustian Center

MeetTEAM TAGGART

FSU’s football coach emphasizes family on and off the field

Addressing the Ugly Side of FSU Fans Excellent Publisher’s Letter in the September/October edition!

Thank you for expressing some supportive and common sense opinions on this subject.

As a Texas A&M Aggie and retired marine, I watched in disgust the way Coach Bobby Bowden was treated at the end of his tenure.

Seminole fans seem to come in two modes. You have successfully addressed the ugly side very well.

MICHAEL ASHWORTH LT. COL. USMC (RETIRED) MONTICELLO

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HONORING OUR DONORS

D. Mark Vogter, M.D.

K A R E N

V O G T E R

D. Mark Vogter, M.D., Memorial Endowment Vogter Neuro Intensive Care Unit Karen carries on her husband Mark’s legacy through the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger, which has raised more than $850,000 for an endowment supporting the Vogter Neuro Intensive Care Unit (VNICU). Karen has been tournament director since 2004.

What does it take to plan and direct the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger?

There are about 300 people from all over our community who volunteer in some capacity every year. No one is paid, and that’s unique for a professional tennis tournament. The tournament wouldn’t be the same without all of these people who are willing to give their time.

What motivates your work as a volunteer?

You don’t want your loved one’s death to be meaningless if there’s something you can do about it. Mark, unfortunately, was a neurosurgeon here for only 10 years, but even in that short time, he provided so much for his patients and the community. I want Mark to be remembered.

How do you personally benefit from directing the tournament?

It’s nice to be able to give something to a bigger purpose. We do a Special Olympics event at the tournament every year, and we bring about 250 kids from all over Leon County. To see them enjoying themselves playing tennis, it’s just wonderful.

It benefits me way more than it benefits them.

How has the endowment supported the Vogter Neuro Intensive Care Unit?

Mark was really interested in his colleagues. He truly admired the people who dedicated their lives to working in this unit. One of the things we’ve supported is ongoing education and professional development for his colleagues so they can benefit from the latest knowledge in their field, which in turn benefits patients and families.

What are your goals for the tournament?

My children and I will be so happy when we reach $1 million in support for the endowment. We have worked toward this for so long, and we are within striking distance.

“Giving is good for the soul.”

TA L L A H A S S E E M E M O R I A L H E A LT H C A R E F O U N DAT I O N TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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NOV/DEC 2019

PROFILING THE PURSUITS, PASSIONS AND PERSONALITIES AMONG US

THE

CHAMPION

FIGHTER FOR THE FUTURE

←

Michele Madison, standing outside the greenhouse that shelters her aquaponics system at Shanks Middle School in Quincy, won a Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award for her socially minded efforts.

How one young woman aims to change the world, one aquaponics system at a time

by ZACHARY BETHEL

COMMUNITY photography by SAIGE ROBERTS

Happy Holiday Wishes

|| EDITOR’S CHOICE

Overcoming Trauma

|| PERSONALITY

A Second Chance at Life

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S

he’s the 25-year-old founder of a socially minded business that aims to establish, promote and spread sustainable farming practices to places as distant as you can imagine. She also sports Carhartt overalls and happens to stand a shade below 5 feet tall.

“I built this. I did this,” Tallahassee resident Michele Madison said in reference to one of her aquaponics systems. She added as if to emphasize the height of her accomplishment: “I am 4-foot-11. It’s cool. It’s amazing.”

She’s aiming higher. Much higher.

“One day I will be in space,” Madison said. “I don’t know if I’ll make it to Mars because I am already 25. I will settle for orbit.”

On second thought, no she won’t.

“Somebody has to farm out Mars,” she said. “And I am going to be that person.”

Madison, a student at Tallahassee Community College, runs Farming the Future, an aquaponics systems builder and designer that combines STEM education with sustainable farming practices. Her business, which she launched as a nonprofit, implements systems in schools and detention centers and designs private and commercial systems.

She’s also involved in projects or proposals at TCC and the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. Those who know her say she creates partnerships through passion and drive.

“She finds you rather than you finding her,” said Anthony Jones, TCC’s dean of science and mathematics.

Through her work, Madison says she wants to change the world, indeed even the solar system. She shares her knowledge with children, particularly from underprivileged families, with the hope of feeding more people and changing the way we think about food production.

Her work led her to become a recipient of a 2019 Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award.

“If you are not going out of your way to help other people through the chaos,

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then you are just as lost as they are,” she said.

Twice a week during the school year, Madison brings her passion and instruction to fifth-graders and eighthgraders at Shanks Middle School in Quincy.

“I really believe one day I am going to bring one of my fifth-graders in here and they’ll say, ‘Ms. Madison, why don’t we just do it like this,’ and they are going to change the entire industry,” Madison said. “I really believe that.

Kids are exceptional.”

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So are some 25-year-olds.

Madison said she grew up in “notawesome circumstances,” with a sister and a single mother. They often struggled to find places to stay and at one point during her time in elementary school lived in her mother’s minivan, she said.

One day, her mom would tell her, “ ‘Michele, you have to go to school, you have to get an education so that way you never have to live like this.’ So that’s what I focused on. I didn’t want to be poor anymore.” photography by SAIGE ROBERTS

← Michele Madison works on part of her aquaponics system at Shanks Middle School in Quincy.

When she was in the eighth grade in Palm Beach County, she said, her mother was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer and had an emergency mastectomy.

At 14, Madison became her primary caretaker, which included changing tubes and dressings.

Florida law permits limited employment for 14-year-olds. That meant Madison could work part time to help pay bills, and that meant getting on one bus in the morning to go to middle school and another bus in the afternoon to get to her job at Publix, she said.

Then she discovered aquaponics.

She met a Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University graduate student with a system in his backyard. She said she left her job as a server, changed her major to engineering and began picking apart the system to better understand its functions.

And she started sitting in on classes at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, she said.

“I was like, ’I get this. I can see what we can do with this. I see that we can feed people,’” she said. “I fell in love.”

In terms of recognition, she’s getting the love, including “If you are not from the Muhammad Ali going out of your Humanitarian Awards, which way to help other each year honors six young adults age 30 and under who people through are working to transform the chaos, then communities and create positive you are just as global change.

The Muhammad Ali lost as they are.”

Center said in a news release —Michele Madison, that Madison “exemplifies founder, Farming the Future Muhammad Ali’s core principle of giving by creating a business that cultivates opportunities for youth and hands them the keys to their own future.”

“It is still really unreal,” Madison said of the award. “I am really looking forward to see what comes of it and being able to use that to reach more people.”

Aquaponics couples aquaculture, In high school, Madison was diagnosed the breeding and maintaining of with Crohn’s disease and was unable to aquatic animals, with hydroponics, the attend classes for long periods, she said. farming of plants in water without She also was unable to take the SAT or soil. An aquaponics system is housed ACT college-entrance exam, which she in a greenhouse and uses fish ammonia said ended her chance of going away to to fertilize plants via bacteria and the a university. nitrogen cycle.

Madison said she began waiting tables The water cycle, nitrogen cycle, and started attending TCC as a biology animal adaptation and other science major with an interest in alternative fuels standards are all accessible through and biofuels. Her dream was to own a Madison’s systems. Strawberries, bell gas station that offered a variety of ecopeppers, mint, eggplant, lettuce and friendly fuel sources that also doubled as cucumbers are among crops she works a marketplace for fresh produce. with regularly.

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↑ Michele Madison holds a tray of seedlings waiting to be planted in her aquaponics system at Shanks Middle School in Quincy. → Madison works on a new aerator pump for the fish tank. “I get to teach kids who come from situations just like I did,” she says.

She instructs students on agriculture and aquaculture science and engineering through handson activities. Madison pairs her aquaponics systems with terrestrial gardening outside her greenhouses to increase food production.

All food goes into the cafeteria or home with the students. She said she donates leftover produce to women’s shelters, homeless shelters and other community programs.

Madison said she developed her teaching program at Second Chance At Ghazvini Learning Center. She said her aquaponics system “is built for production, but it’s focused on education.”

She has a facility in the Leon Regional Juvenile Detention Center and is implementing systems in Bay and Duval county juvenile facilities.

“It’s really hard, especially to work with youth who are at-risk, but when you see it make that difference, even if it’s just that one kid, then that’s great,” Madison said. “I get to teach kids who

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come from situations just like I did.

There is way more to life than they know now.”

As she built Farming the Future, she continued her educational journey at TCC. She ended up stepping away from school to handle the workflow.

But she also wanted to prove that she deserved a scholarship. She got one.

“She’s very driven; I find that trait to be unique in someone her age,” said Jones, the TCC dean. “She is also very confident.”

“I’ll have 50 Ph.D.s by the time I’m dead,” Madison said.

At TCC’s Wakulla Environmental Institute, Madison is helping to establish a small-plot farming program, which according to TCC’s website will feature training in design, sustainable practices, hydroponics and aquaponics.

She also is placing a greenhouse in Apalachicola Bay from which she says she aims to create a nutrient chew for astronauts during long periods of space travel.

TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

“That’s something I am doing,” she said. “How surreal is that?”

After she graduates from TCC with an associate’s degree in engineering, she said, she’ll consider going to Florida State to seek a degree in engineering or education.

In the meantime, she’s part of a proposal to build an aquaponics system at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering.

Miranda Manning, the engineering college’s director of student life and outreach, said she had discussed doing a hydroponics installation when a colleague said, “I’m assuming you’re doing this with Michele.”

“He connected us and it turned into a perfect fit,” Manning said.

Anything to do what she loves, Madison said.

“I don’t want to spend my life working 40 hours a week to live my life on the weekends,” she said. “I want to live my life throughout the duration of my life. I want other people to realize that’s what you can do.” TM photography by SAIGE ROBERTS

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Tarun Gupta Aspiring entrepreneur

➺ One thing he’d like to

give during the holiday season and why: Laughter!

I’ve found there’s nothing that can’t be made better with a good laugh. Plus, the holidays put people in a better mood, so they’re more likely to laugh at my bad jokes!

➺ One thing he’d like to

COMMUNITY

HAPPY HOLIDAY WISHES Tallahassee residents emphasize good cheer during this season of giving

by PETE REINWALD

You can’t put it in an oven, into an envelope or under the tree.

But you can bake it into your wishes. You can try to spread it near and far. You can even call it a gift. We’re talking about happiness. Tallahassee wants it for its friends and neighbors.

That’s what a select group of Capital City residents tells us.

They responded to our request to answer a few questions about giving and receiving during the holiday season of Thanksgiving through December. We urge you to feel the warmth of their written responses to our questions.

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receive during the holiday season and why: I think a winning season from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is too much to ask for, but I’ve always appreciated inexpensive gifts with some thought behind them — maybe an inside joke or meaningful in some other way. Speaking of which, I’ll never forget unwrapping an actual tray from Taco Bell. ➺ Favorite holidayseason food or dish: When I was younger, we would either host or attend a potluck with family friends, and the Indian food there was always delicious.

Nowadays, a glass of champagne to ring in the New Year isn’t bad, either. ➺ Favorite holidayseason song: Can’t go wrong with “Jingle Bell Rock,” but I’m going to cheat and say “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.“ “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer“ barely missed the cut. ➺ His holiday-season wish for Tallahassee: I would love for Tallahassee to continue its upward trajectory. Every few weeks there seems to be some new restaurant or brewery or office popping up, and I’m excited to potentially add to that growth. This town really is a special place, and I think more and more people are starting to see that.

illustrations by LINDSEY MASTERSON

PEOPLE FOCUSED. PERFORMANCE DRIVEN. PRESENTING THE 2019

LEON COUNTY ANNUAL REPORT LeonCountyFL.gov/AnnualReport

Leon County Board of County Commissioners 2019 was another year of great progress for Leon County Government toward realizing an ambitious vision for our community and setting the standard for performance, fiscal stewardship and best practices for local governments everywhere. Also this year, Southern Living Magazine named us one of the South’s Best communities, which is an honor that takes the commitment of local leaders, businesses, and citizens.

Through the vision and leadership provided by the Board of County Commissioners and the hard work of our dedicated County employees, I am proud to report that in 2019, Leon County has proven to be a government that our citizens can believe in and others can benchmark against.

Vincent S. Long, County Administrator

Please learn more about all of Leon County’s efforts this year on behalf of and alongside our community in the 2019 Annual Report at LeonCountyFL.gov/AnnualReport.

Watch the Annual Report Video: LeonCountyFL.gov/Driven TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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Mary Ann Lindley

Leon County Commissioner ➺ One thing she’d like to give during the

holiday season and why: Smiles. I do love giving actual presents, not necessarily expensive ones, but those that make someone’s face light up because I’ve somehow managed to spy a sweet spot in their personality that they didn’t know I’d noticed.

➺ One thing she’d like to receive during

the holiday season and why: Some nice cold weather so we can sit by a fire and quietly appreciate life’s blessings — those seen and unseen and the ones that are on their way.

Mikaila Jones

➺ Favorite holiday-season food or dish:

Walgreens pharmacy technician and FAMU graduate student ➺ One thing she’d like to give during the holiday season

and why: I would love to give another family the opportunity to enjoy their family during the holidays, as I was able to while growing up. Family plays a crucial role in my life. If someone is not able to spend Thanksgiving or Christmas with theirs, I would love to be a part of making that happen for them. It could be financially, providing a ride or simply making a Facetime call. Being grateful for what and who we have while we have it is most important during the holiday season.

➺ One thing she’d like to receive during the

➺ Favorite holiday-season song:

➺ Favorite holiday-season food or dish:

➺ Her holiday-season wish for

holiday season and why: A free car check-up.

The servicemen will let me know what needs to be repaired or will need to be repaired soon and then fix everything for free.

My favorite holiday season food includes sweet potato soufflé and turkey (the dark meat part of it). Both dishes are best during Thanksgiving.

Even though it does not snow in Florida, “Let It Snow” by Boyz II Men. The harmony creates a warm and homey atmosphere every time I listen to it.

Tallahassee: More community holiday festivals, activities and events that are culturally diverse.

➺ One thing he’d

Santa Claus

aka Rodger Tripp, who calls himself Tallahassee Santa and a “real bearded Santa.” He also sings and entertains as “SafariMan.”

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like to give during the holiday season and why: Santa is famous for giving toys to good girls and boys.

But, for everyone, I would love to give the gift of time. Time to spend with family and friends. Time to visit assisted-living facilities.

Time to visit homeless shelters. Time to sing with folks in memory care facilities. Time to bake healthy cookies.

Time for parties. Time

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for play. Time for sleep.

Time for connecting with old and new friends. Time to be by yourself. Time to do sports. Time to clean up our environment.

Time to read. Time to be nice to strangers.

Time.

➺ One thing he’d

like to receive during the holiday season and why: I would like to receive hugs and smiles. Visits from friends and family.

Since I was a teenager I’ve been baking bonbon cookies with surprise fillings in the centers over the holidays. Both dough and frosting feature that retro red and green food coloring that was a staple in my mother’s kitchen.

➺ Favorite holiday-season song:

“We Need a Little Christmas” by Johnny Mathis.

Lyrics (in part): For we need a little music, need a little laughter Need a little singing ringing through the rafter And we need a little snappy, happy every after We need a little Christmas now!

➺ Her holiday-season wish for

Tallahassee: That we’ll make a reality of the many approaches it takes to reduce crime and its myriad causes, all of which diminish the lives of victims and perpetrators, too.

➺ Favorite holiday-

season food or dish: Several years ago chimneys were Big. They are not so big anymore, and it became more difficult and timeconsuming to get up and down these new skinnier chimneys. Mrs. Claus and I decided we needed to change our diet and lose some weight. Now we prefer a pescatarian diet. We choose to eat a vegetarian diet, but we also eat fish and other seafood. We love a

plant-based diet of whole grains, nuts, legumes, produce and healthy fats, with seafood playing a key role as a main protein source. Skinny chimneys are not slowing Santa down anymore.

➺ Favorite holidayseason song: “Here Comes Santa Claus.”

➺ His holiday-season

wish for Tallahassee: I wish for Tallahassee and her people to live in peace, harmony and love.

illustrations by LINDSEY MASTERSON

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323 Angel Eason

Attorney at Legal Services of North Florida, mom extraordinaire and fairy gardener ➺ One thing she’d like to give during the holiday season and why: I would like to give all beings safety, security and

support to thrive. I believe if everyone has their basic needs met (housing, food, security, clean water and air, etc.), we would all be at peace because we wouldn’t be fighting over resources.

On that note, I would also like to give everyone a sense of enough-ness.

➺ One thing she’d like to receive during the holiday season and why: I would like

to have one month of uninterrupted sleep. I have a 2-year-old, and she is still not sleeping through the night yet. Uninterrupted sleep seems like such luxury!

➺ Favorite holiday-season food or dish:

I love side dishes and desserts. I simply love a spoonful of this and that — but if I have to pick one, it’ll be strawberry rhubarb pie.

Brooke Wyckoff

Associate head women’s basketball coach Florida State University

➺ Favorite holiday-season song: I love

any song my 2-year-old sings. Last year she was stuck on “Jingle Bells” — we continued listening to “Jingle Bells” through the summer — but it’s so cute that I actually enjoy it.

➺ Her holiday-season wish

for Tallahassee: I wish all residents

of Tallahassee safe, affordable housing, plenty of food, warm clothes, comfort and love.

being a coach for a while and being a parent teaches you that the holidays aren’t about receiving. It’s the giving aspect that makes it so special. You feel so fulfilled when you can give something that means so much to someone else.

Director, North Florida Operations Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship ➺ One thing he’d like to give during the

➺ Favorite holiday-season food or dish:

I LOVE holiday cookies. They can be made by anyone and I’ll love them.

holiday season and why: I would like to give everyone in Tallahassee the ability and desire to do one thing every day for somebody else to make a positive difference in that person’s life.

the holiday season and why: My wife and I have a tradition: that we each have to make at least one gift every year for each other.

This means more to me than any other gift because the gifts are made with thought and are always from the heart. I look forward to seeing what amazing thing she has made for me. I also still have some of the great gifts on my desk that my daughter made for me when she was young.

Sylvia Dawson

Florida Department of Transportation (retired)

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➺ Favorite holiday-season song: I’ve

➺ Favorite holiday-season food or dish: I look

forward to a prime rib roast with mashed potatoes and green beans at the family table at Christmas.

➺ Favorite holiday-season song: “Silver Bells,” even hum it in the summer sometimes!

➺ His holiday-season wish for Tallahassee:

I wish for everyone in Tallahassee to be able to be with friends and family for a stress-free holiday and that everyone creates great memories.

➺ One thing she’d like to give during the holiday season and why: I like to give practical gifts. I especially like it when I can afford to give a gift that has been mentioned during a casual conversation. The surprise look on the face of the receiver is priceless.

And speaking of priceless, my second-most-favorite thing to give during the holiday season is heartfelt wishes for peace, love, good health and prosperity to everyone.

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➺ One thing she’d like

to receive during the holiday season and why: Big, beautiful hugs.

They are fat-free, painless, one-size-fits-all and really healthy for you if you hold the hug for at least 20 seconds. A friendly smile is also heart-warming for me.

➺ Favorite holiday-

season food or dish: Any kind of veggie casserole as part of the Thanksgiving festivities.

I love broccoli, squash

the holiday season and why: I think that’s simple. The holidays are about being together with the ones you love, so simply giving off positive vibes is an easy action that can go a long way for others, especially during that time of year.

➺ One thing she’d like to receive during the holiday season and why: I think

Mike Campbell

➺ One thing he’d like to receive during

➺ One thing she’d like to give during

always loved listening to “O Holy Night” during the holidays.

➺ Her holiday-season wish for

Tallahassee: Tallahassee has been a part of me since I was recruited here. It’s a special place with a family atmosphere that I have loved since I set foot on campus at FSU. My holiday wish for Tallahassee is that everyone has someone to spend the holidays with, and that no one celebrates alone.

and string bean casseroles and am open to trying others. During Thanksgiving, it’s hard to get some of my family members to break from tradition and try something different, so I make sure there is at least one alternative dish (a casserole) available.

➺ Favorite holidayseason song: Two popped up first in my head: “Little Drummer Boy” and “Silent Night.”

➺ Her holiday-season

wish for Tallahassee: I wish for everyone a New Year filled with all your dreams coming true.

May the coming years see your life filled with love, more happiness than you could have ever imagined and excellent health. Dream big every day, find five things to be grateful for, and may the light, love and presence of God be with you always.

Merry Christmas and the happiest of New Years! TM

illustrations by LINDSEY MASTERSON

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EDITOR’S CHOICE

LIVING IN DARKNESS AND LIGHT

Kate Pierson reflects on life and on herself a year after the Hot Yoga shooting

by KATE PIERSON

I

sat on the patio of a popular Tallahassee eatery and sipped on sweet tea with lemon. I took in the surroundings, including Thomasville Road, and felt a sense of peace, growth, even pride, for having regained the ability to step foot there.

One hundred forty-three days before, I sat in that spot, shocked and traumatized. The police wanted a statement from me as I sat at the same table at Food Glorious Food, still shaken and reeling from what had happened steps away at Hot Yoga Tallahassee.

I was a member and receptionist there on Nov. 2, 2018, when Scott Beierle walked in, took two lives and changed my life and others’ lives forever.

I think about it almost every day — just the two of us talking at the front desk, him asking about the busiest days of the week and how full the class would be and me showing him around the yoga studio. I found him chatty and polite, seemingly a little nervous for his first yoga class.

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What I didn’t know is that he had a gun and that he would use it to devastate my yoga family.

It was the last time that I felt completely unaware of my surroundings.

Up until that event, I had lived my life thinking that bad things happened in some parts of the world but not around me, because I was safe. I guess you could say I’d lived somewhat of a sheltered life, mostly untouched by tradegy.

My parents raised me to acknowledge that I’d meet people different than me but that I should accept and celebrate

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them, not meet them with caution and judgment.

I didn’t assume anything about Scott Beierle. I didn’t judge him based on what he looked like or the fact that his yoga mat was still wrapped in plastic, indicating that it was recently purchased.

I simply accepted him.

On Saturday, Nov. 3, I woke up differently. I was physically aching from the tension and stress on my body, emotionally drained and mentally unavailable. I remember thinking, “How am I supposed to move on from this? photography by SAIGE ROBERTS

↖ Kate Pierson says she finds herself at peace with what happened in the environs of Food Glorious Food.

How can anyone go about their daily lives normally?” I was afraid that I wouldn’t ever be the same again.

Yes, the shooting changed me. While I used to give strangers the benefit of the doubt, I now question their every move. While I used to feel so far removed from what was going on in the world, I now have an exit/survival strategy for every possible situation.

Over the summer I went through a SCUBA certification course. We were practicing our skills at a university swimming pool when I noticed an older man walking around with his hands behind his back. As he began to pass us,

I immediately scanned my environment for exits. Could I go underwater? Would that even protect me? The closer he came the more my heartrate increased.

I caught a glimpse of something in his hand that was black. When he finally pulled his hand around to the front of him, I saw his iPhone. I silently sighed.

While I used to get afraid at night because I feared home invasion, I now consider my bedroom my safest haven. I’m no psychologist, but my best guess is that I’ve now experienced real violence outside of my home. Inside my home for the months following the shooting, I experienced peace and support.

A year later, that remains the case. When I’m outside, I still get nervous when I see a white male rummaging through a bag. I’ve registered for a carry/conceal class. And in yoga class, you can bet on it: If someone walks into the room late, as Scott Beirele did, I open my eyes and watch closely.

A colleague once told me that trauma doesn’t merely change us but sparks a rebirth. I indeed identify with a new sense of self and drive.

I’m no longer concerned about the direction of my life. I don’t constantly fret over career choices, five-year-plans, or even the day-today annoyances that used to send me through the roof.

And I’ve come to realize that control is an illusion. I can’t control everything that happens to me, but I can control my reaction to it. When a shooting happens, I could choose to never leave my house or to not let it control how I live.

I’ve also found myself desensitized to mass shootings. My sister and I were in a hostel in Budapest in August when we saw the news of the El Paso shooting. As others stood around the television and gasped, I thought to myself, “Why are they surprised? If it could happen at at Hot Yoga Tallahassee, it could happen at Walmart.”

I feel that I exist today in darkness and light yet have emerged as a better, fuller human being.

I communicate more often with my longdistance friends. I make time to see and spend time with the people I love, and my priorities have replaced materialistic and superficial goals with ones that lead to a satisfying life. That includes seizing on opportunities to build relationships.

TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

‘This Is My New Normal’ Here is the introduction to a Kate Pierson article that appeared on Tallahassee Magazine’s website on Nov. 28, 2018, not quite a month after the Hot Yoga Tallahassee shootings. The article detailed Pierson’s encounter with the gunman before he opened fire, and it emphasized the immediate effects of the shooting on her life and spirit.

You can read the entire article at tinyurl.com/ MyNewNormal.

by Kate Pierson

SO I FIND MYSELF WIDE AWAKE IN ANOTHER NIGHT OF DARKNESS. Desperate for sleep and peace, I sit here, thinking about how I used to look forward to going to bed.

Now I can hardly bear it. I turn off the lights, and the anxiety switches on.

I observe the silence and await the violence: anticipation of gunshots, screams and terrible dreams after the nightmare of Nov. 2.

It won’t go away.

Neither will the questions, the fear, the trauma, the depression.

This is my new nighttime. Even as I celebrate life, hugs and happiness more than I ever did, this is my new normal.

November–December 2019

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I suspect that this shift came from the death of fellow yoga student Nancy. I saw Nancy every Sunday night at the studio, and we never exchanged more than greetings and small talk. It wasn’t until after this incident that I learned about what an incredible person she was.

I was heartbroken because she was no longer here and because I hadn’t even tried to get to know her. Never again will I forgo the opportunity to make a connection with another person.

And I won’t ignore opportunities to grow and to do what I love. That includes yoga at Hot Yoga Tallahassee.

I’ve attended more yoga classes this year than ever.

I crave it. I feel even more connected to my practice and the place. I had a tough time going back. When I finally got the strength to do so in early January, I sobbed through my first class. I hadn’t been back in more than two months, and my emotions were my release — the realization that I could go back to my studio and get what yoga gives me.

It still feels like home. Although it never will be the same there, I somehow find it peacefully familiar.

As soon as I see the sign for Betton Place, I reflect on everything at once, from the time that I took my first class at Hot Yoga to the time that I went running in terror down the stairs from the second story. You might find this surprising, but I’m at peace with all of it.

In March, I got a call from Steve Hendrix, a Washington Post reporter in town to write a piece about hate crimes targeting women. He asked me if I’d be willing to share my experience with him and suggested that I meet him at the studio.

I instead suggested meeting steps away, outside Food Glorious Food. I wanted to be respectful of the studio and the students who may have been practicing there. I also figured Food Glorious Food seemed the appropriate place to meet because I had spent the majority of that night in the iron chairs on the restaurant patio.

By this point, I was already back at the studio as a student and attending four to five classes a week, so being in the area was part of my new normal. I just took in the beautiful Tallahassee weather and reflected on how far I had come since Nov. 2, 2018.

As I sat on the patio, the reporter remarked how surprised he was that I talked about my experience with such ease.

I told him that I’d done my grieving, processing and accepting.

I’ve also had the honor of watching my fellow warriors in their individual healing journeys. Seeing them travel, find joy and come back to yoga fuels my soul.

I am not the same person today as a year ago. But I couldn’t be happier with who I’ve become. TM Kate Pierson works as marketing manager at Rowland Publishing, owner of Tallahassee Magazine.

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“

There is a lot of face to face interaction with clients in my industry, so I wanted to feel very confident about my smile.

Daniel Sinor, Co-Founder of Doorstep Delivery

For Daniel’s full story please visit DRRAINEY.COM/CONFIDENCE

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Stephen Early Duggar Sr. gets together at one of his restaurant locations with his wife, Eva, daughter-in-law Lee, son Stephen Jr. and his three new grandchildren, Stephen III, Sharron and Aleah-Marie.

PERSONALITY

A SECOND CHANCE AT LIFE

Wharf Casual Seafood founder survives brain tumor, embraces three adopted grandchildren

by PETE REINWALD

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e invite you to cozy up to a story about survival, togetherness, expansion and love.

This one also is about brandnew starts. And some say it is about miracles.

It is about Stephen Early Duggar Sr., founder of Tallahassee-based Wharf Casual Seafood, and his growing family.

Duggar in 2015 was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a brain tumor. Doctors gave him two to four months to live.

Nearly five years later, he’s still cooking.

“Too mean to die,” Duggar says with a chuckle.

He’s also too busy to die. He’s still working as president and CEO of the restaurant company that he founded more than three decades ago. His company has grown to five locations, with a sixth on the way.

That doesn’t match the growth rate of his family, which expanded significantly last year when his son and daughter-in-

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law adopted three young siblings who had lived in foster care.

The kids call their new grandfather “Big Dad,” just as his two other grandkids have done.

“It’s been a blessing,” Duggar says.

Duggar says he had been treated for headaches and fatigue in April 2015 when an MRI revealed a brain tumor.

After surgery, he began chemotherapy treatment and baffled doctors, who gave him a slim chance to survive beyond the short term.

Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare shares “Cancer Patient Stories” on its website and says about Duggar, who goes by “Early”: “What started as a 2-4 month prognosis has now turned into a second chance at life. Early has surpassed all odds ... His goal is to inspire others with glioblastoma and remind anyone with cancer (to) ‘just stay positive.’ ” If they receive only discouraging news, Duggar tells Tallahassee Magazine, patients will “sit in a corner and die in four months. They need encouragement.” photography by SAIGE ROBERTS

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↑ Early Duggar calls it “a blessing” that his son and daughter-in-law adopted Sharron, left, Stephen and Aleah-Marie. He remains president and CEO of the company that he founded in 1986. The Wharf’s Bannerman Crossings location is seen below.

In June, Duggar and his wife, Eva, celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary.

Eva Duggar attributes her husband’s recovery to the divine.

“There’s no other explanation for it,” she says. “He’s here for a reason. I don’t know if He’s got something really big left for him to do on this earth.”

Maybe that’s where Big Dad comes in.

He’d already been granddad to Seph and Adam — the children of his daughter, Genny Bailey, a teacher at Maclay School — before he and his family embraced three more kids.

His son, Stephen Jr., and daughter-inlaw, Lee, wanted children but were OK without children, Lee says. They led busy lives, her as a realtor and him as executive vice president of the family business.

In 2017, a friend told the couple about three siblings at DeSoto Trail Elementary School who were in foster care. Every so often, the friend would show them photos of the children until Stephen Jr. and Lee decided to adopt all three.

“Our thinking was, ‘We’re not going to separate these kids,’ ” Lee says.

Aleah-Marie, 10, Stephen, 9, and Sharron, 8, moved in with the couple in April 2018, Lee says, and the adoption became official that summer.

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The transition has gone as you might expect, she says — smoothly on some days and extremely challenging on others.

Overall, she says: “This has been the most amazing thing we’ll probably ever do. They’re amazing, and our family is amazing.”

You might find it interesting that they happened to bring yet another Stephen into the family.

“There’s a story there, too,” Lee says.

The boy’s name was Preston when Stephen Jr. and Lee adopted him.

Before the adoption, another family had intended to adopt Preston and his two sisters but returned them to foster care.

That family had planned to make Preston a “junior,” after the father, Lee says.

“We would have preferred that he keep his name because we loved his name,” she says. “That was his identity. We had no intention of changing it. He insisted.”

The family patriarch agreed with his new grandson.

“I said, ‘What about that little fellow in a couple of years? What would he think?

He’d think you didn’t love him,’ ” Early Duggar says. “So he became Stephen Early Duggar III. So we’ve got the legacy.”

TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

Early Duggar opened The Wharf Seafood Restaurant in 1986 after hurricanes Elena and Kate pummeled the Gulf Coast and his wholesale seafood business.

With an adjusted name, the company today boasts two Tallahassee locations, plus one in Marianna and two in Montgomery, Alabama. The restaurants offer a menu that trumpets the Gulf, the South and New Orleans, with a selection of fish, shrimp, crab claws, grits, po’boys and then some.

Stephen Jr. serves as the master of menu in addition to other executive duties.

“Steve can create the best dishes,” his dad says.

As CEO, Early Duggar handles the buying for the company, which employs 120 and aims to soon hire more amid the planned opening of a store in Dothan, Alabama. Also in the works: an aggressive plan to franchise.

About his company, Duggar, 70, talks with the enthusiasm of a 20-year-old.

“I don’t feel any different,” he says. “I just get tired and can’t go as long. I was always the kind of guy who could outwork anybody. I just can’t do that anymore.”

His wife said in August that the effects of his chemotherapy treatment give him pain in his calves. She also pointed out that her husband lost most of his hair.

“He said that’s what kept him going — me kissing the top of his head,” Eva Duggar says. “He said, ‘I love my kisses.’

He’s already had one today.” TM

Zachary Bethel contributed to this article. photography by SAIGE ROBERTS

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REGARDING MATTERS OF ALL THINGS STYLISH

Haute for the FASHION

Holidays

Styling the season from company parties to midnight toasts

by REBECCA PADGETT

PHOTO BY GILITUKHA / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS

↗

The holidays are your time to shine, and you can do so in a stylish outfit that will last long past the new year.

FASHION Haute for the Holidays || WHAT’S IN STORE A Holiday Gift Guide TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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↖

If you’re a woman with an invitation to a holiday party, you can’t go wrong with your favorite little black dress.

W

hile Northwest Florida may not experience a dusting of snow, a shimmer and sparkle certainly transcends upon the Capital City.

We begin to take note of the twinkling lights and dazzling decorations, infusing our own outfits with holiday cheer.

For many, the holidays present a time to experiment with all that is bold and bedazzled. This special season provides a plethora of opportunities to dress up, from office parties to family gatherings to tipping back a glass of champagne at midnight.

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Whether you want to purchase a sparkly, sequined number or invest in a stylish outfit that will last long past party wear, the holidays are your prime time to shine.

Envision a holiday table. Glasses glint with mulled cider next to heaps of steaming sides and a golden turkey or roast sits in the middle. Family and friends are gathered for a holiday feast.

This occasion is comfortable, familial and casual. Your clothes should be, too.

For ladies and men, you can’t go wrong with a dark pair of well-fitted but not-too-

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snug jeans (there will be a lot of food eaten).

For any gender, a light cashmere sweater in an autumnal color palette is perfect.

Accessorize with booties or a felt hat.

When choosing holiday wear, consider your style and the nature of the party.

Feel out what is right for your occasion.

For a more casual affair, consider a wrap dress paired with statement jewelry or sleek black pants paired with a shiny top.

For a more formal festivity, break out the cocktail attire.

“When one thinks of holiday parties, you automatically think cocktail attire,” said Zoee Baker, buyer/manager of Narcissus. “A wonderful cocktail dress or wrap dress is in order, whether it’s your favorite little black dress or a fun animal print, or even luxurious velvet.”

No matter the occasion, patterns and prints for all from polka dots to stripes make for attention-grabbing outfits — all the better, with a subtle hint of shimmer.

For the men, you can’t go wrong with a dark or black pair of tailored pants paired with a crisp button-up and conversationstriking bowtie.

For New Year’s Eve, opt for silver, gold or champagne hues. This metallic color palette looks good on everyone and is outside the realm of most everyday wear.

Sparkle and shine in a sequined stunner or embrace bits of glitter in a fun camisole top or skirt.

For guys or gals, throw a leather motorcycle jacket or velvet blazer on to add an extra dash of dazzle to the look.

“When you think of a New Year’s Eve outfit, it’s sparkly like fire works, bubbly like champagne and it’s the first thing you’ll be wearing to start off a new year,” said Maria Hurst, owner of Gypsy Rose Boutique. “Ideally you want to build an outfit that builds your confidence.”

The beauty of most of these pieces is you can wear them long into 2020, boosting your wardrobe with a bit of edge and sparkle. TM

PHOTO BY JOSECATA / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS

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PROMOTION

Holiday GIFT GUIDE

Whether you want to deck yourself out for date night, thank a coworker or find a unique gift for someone on your nice list, our handy Holiday Gift Guide will make your shopping spree in Tallahassee a breeze. With fabulous finds ranging from upscale designer duds to treatyourself gifts, sensational seasonal shopping is simply in the bag! Now that’s the spirit!

FARMER’S DAUGHTER VINEYARDS Hellraiser Riesling style.

Light, sweet and sassy.

Nectarine, peach and grapefruit. $20.

Saltwater Gypsy Semi-sweet blush.

Juicy summer watermelon and strawberries. $22.

Knockout Pinot Noir style.

Sweet with heat and spice. Jammy blueberry pie filling. $25.

Visit stompedingeorgia.com for more information.

THE HARE & THE HART

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FOUND FOR HOME

Dough Bowl Candles The gift that keeps on giving! Handcrafted in Tallahassee, our refillable dough bowl candles add that warm glow with over a dozen scents to any home. $29.99 3348 Mahan Drive, Unit 3, (850) 383-0096 FoundTallaHappy.com

ONE FRESH PILLOW

Celebrate Tallahassee or FSU with the gift of toile! These gifts and many more available in the shop and online. Toile of Tallahasee© mug $20; Toile of FSU™ pillow $120; Toile of FSU™ stainless steel Tervis® tumbler $34.99.

REBELS’ MIDTOWN BOUTIQUE

Handmade from reclaimed wood to create timeless pieces that tell a story. Using wood that has fallen from trees, nature is given new life and preserved beauty. $20-$55

Designed by a licensed massage therapist, this pillow’s dual-fill design gives you the perfect blend of support and comfort for your best night’s sleep ever. $59 single pillow; $99 two-pack.

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1950 Thomasville Road, Suite 1 (850) 597-7456, RebelsABoutique.com

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November–December 2019

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PROMOTION

KIM’S STUDIO PERMANENT MAKEUP

For over 20 years, Kim has been specializing in permanent makeup, eyeliner, brows and lips. Call for an appointment.

2424 Allen Road, (850) 878-5232 kimsstudio.net, kim@kimsstudio.net

TALLAHASSEE PLASTIC SURGERY Resveratrol B E - Nighttime Antioxidant Serum This serum neutralizes free radicals, supports skin’s natural antioxidant defenses and reveals radiance and firmness. $153 Glycolic 10 Renew Overnight Glycolic Acid Cream Nighttime glycolic acid cream contains a triple action-soothing complex that supports the skin barrier while enhancing clarity and brightness. $80 2452 Mahan Drive, Suite 101 (850) 877-2126, TlhPlasticSurgery.com

ELLE MARKET

Leather goods created with beauty, soul and purpose that only get better with time.

Leather bags, Hobo International. $50-$300 1350 Market St., (850) 553-3327 ShopElleMarket.com

WHARF CASUAL SEAFOOD

Gift and you shall receive. Get a free $20 gift card when you purchase $100 in Wharf gift cards.

3439 Bannerman Road, F103, (850) 765-1077, 4036 Lagniappe Way, (850) 668-1966, WharfCasualSeafood.com

SOLEIL 7 HAIR SALON & SOLEIL 7 SALON AND SPA

Aveda Cherry Almond Obsessed Gift Set Soothe and sweeten with this popular cherry almond scent via a set including shampoo, conditioner, hand wash, body wash, body lotion and hand lotion.

Market Street Location, (850) 727-0482 Lafayette Location, (850) 681-6681, Soleil7.com

SOUTHEASTERN PLASTIC SURGERY, P.A.

APPLE PIE MAIDS CLEANING

Save your valuable time and hire a cleaning service. Let us help you accomplish your goals by setting up a cleaning routine.

Leave the cleaning to our trustworthy cleaners. Serving Tallahassee since 2011!

(850) 273-9082 ApplePieMaids.com

Treat that special someone to luxurious medical spa services with the Southeastern Plastic Surgery Gift Card. Services are given by highly trained, licensed aestheticians who combine spa luxury with state-of-theart equipment and the latest technology. Contact us to learn more.

2030 Fleischmann Road (850) 219-2000 SE-PlasticSurgery.com

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SOUTHERN SEAFOOD

Open During Construction Fresh Gulf seafood makes a great gift for the holidays!

Stone crabs and lobster are now in season and are always a hit at any party or at home among family and friends. Gift cards are also available.

1415 Timberlane Road in Market Square (850) 893-7301 SouthernSeafoodMarket.com November–December 2019

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Hearth & Soul ➸ Welcome to Cloud Nine with this luxuriously soft SLEEPWEAR BY EBERJEY. It’s a supple blend of super-soft modal jersey, which feels cool to the touch and will make you never want to leave home. $132 ➸ Designed and crafted in the Teton mountains, NEW WEST KNIFEWORKS makes world-class tools for the culinary artist. These knives are functional yet beautiful with a variety of hued handles. $100–$2,000 ➸ Your friends will thank you when you show up with the BEER CADDY soft-sided cooler filled with their favorite beer and cold beverages. Its waxed cotton canvas looks way cooler than a cardboard box. $34

 What’s In Store?

A HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

by REBECCA PADGETT

My Favorite Things

➸ Fun and funky HAIR CLIPS are the hottest stocking stuffers of the season for the it-girl in your life. These simple yet stylish accessories were first big in the early ’90s, and they’re making their way back into hair everywhere. $5 each or 2 for $8

authentically made in Italy. Bring a bit of artistry to your everyday life by sipping your coffee or hot chocolate in a one-of-a-kind creation. Vietri uses high-quality clays and glazes to craft mugs that are intricately and ornately decorated with depictions of Christmas cheer. $44

➸ A quality DENIM JACKET belongs in everyone’s closet.

This style staple is timeless and evolves throughout the seasons. This might just cross that “hard to shop for” person off your list. $36–$56

➸ Hark the herald! This ANGEL is sure to sing as a spotlight holiday piece in your home. Designed in Italy and made in Portugal, each Vietri piece is carefully decorated by hand before going through a 12-hour fusion process to melt the pieces and form a beautiful piece of holiday art. $61

➸ PENDANT NECKLACES are delightfully dainty but make bold fashion statements. They are on trend again this year and make the ideal gift for your best friend, sister, mother or significant other. $14–$36

➸ VIETRI LASTRA HOLIDAY MUGS are handcrafted, hand-painted and

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November–December 2019

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PHOTOS COURTESY MY FAVORITE THINGS, HEARTH & SOUL AND WONSAPONATIME VINTAGE

VIETRI LASTRA HOLIDAY MUGS

G A T H E R . D I S C O V E R . S H O P.

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November–December 2019

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PROMOTION

MICRONEEDLING

PRACTICE FRESHENS SKIN BY PROMOTING COLLAGEN PRODUCTION

I

n explaining the skin rejuvenating practice known as microneedling, Sue Anne Pearce of Tallahassee Plastic Surgery finds it helpful to compare this highly sought-after procedure to a beautiful, well-manicured lawn.

“To achieve this end point, you aerate the lawn, perforate the soil, producing holes that allow air, water and nutrients to reach the lower layers of growth,” Pearce said. “With microneedling, we are doing much of the same thing.”

Devices with sterile cartridges containing rows of tiny needles are used to create what Pearce calls “microchannels” in the face or other areas of the body. The needles penetrate the skin to a depth that results in microscopic bleeding. An alternative device which also contains needles is known as a dermaroller, and as the name implies, rolls across the skin to cause penetration.

“When the skin reacts to the injury, fibroblast cells are stimulated to produce collagen and elastin, which brings about a smooth, plump appearance,” Pearce said.

It takes three hours or less for the microchannels to begin repairing themselves. Products such as hyaluronic acid are applied to the skin allowing the ingredients to seep into these tiny openings, much like a sprinkler system. After completing the regimen, skin typically requires four to six months to fully rejuvenate and remodel.

Microneedling, more technically known as collagen induction therapy or transdermal therapy, is appropriate to all skin types. In younger clients, it may be used primarily to prevent a loss of elasticity and to maintain collagen levels. In

more mature patients, a series of sessions may be required to build and correct collagen levels. The technique may be used to diminish the signs of aging, reduce acne scars, improve skin discoloration and soften stretch marks. Some practitioners have found that microneedling may stimulate hair growth when used in conjunction with topical treatments.

Protocols observed nationally call for a series of six treatments, spaced four to six weeks apart. Pearce said people who are apprehensive about beginning a microneedling regimen may choose to start with three or four. Immediately following a treatment, the skin will be pink or red with a small amount of swelling, which will dissipate within 48 hours. Care must be taken to avoid penetrating the skin too deeply or bruising may result.

“Microneedling when performed correctly is a safe procedure with a low risk of post-inflammatory problems,” said Pearce, who is a licensed cosmetologist, licensed master esthetician, board-certified laser practitioner and a cosmetic tattoo artist at Tallahassee Plastic Surgery.

Pearce said she is currently treating patients 15 to 70 years of age. “And, I am working with a 19-year-old student who has stretch marks resulting from putting on and then losing a lot of weight,” she says. “We are seeing great results. To see and hear the satisfaction from patients is incredible.

“I tell patients when starting this journey of microneedling, as a reference they are committing to a long, coast to coast road trip,” Pearce said. “They will be resting along the way, enjoying the change of scenery, and they will be pleased with the final destination.”

TALLAHASSEE PLASTIC SURGERY 2452 MAHAN DRIVE #101 | (850) 877-2126 | TLHPLASTICSURGERY.COM

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LOCAL MEETS GLOBAL

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PROMOTION

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November–December 2019

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PROMOTION

1.

THE TIME KEEPER He is no doubt your hero.

Show him what he means to you with The Heritage “Legend Diver” Watch by Longines. Made of durable stainless steel with a black lacquered dial and hand-painted Arabic numerals and indexes.

Time will stand still when you show him how much you care with this legendary gift. $2,400

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THE GOLDEN GIRL This holiday season, she’ll

feel unbridled joy like Charlie in “Willie Wonka & The Chocolate Factory,” unwrapping the chocolate bar with the Golden Ticket. When only the best will do, follow the golden rule and gift her this exquisite, hand-finished 18-karat gold bracelet ($19,600) featuring 4.73 carats of fine diamonds with matching band ($5,460) by award-winning designer Alex Sepkus.

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For her, something classic and eternal like the 14k white gold diamond engagement ring by Coast.

Available in various center stone sizes and qualities.

From $4,990 Brace yourself for the happy dance she’ll have wearing this sterling, 14k gold and diamond bracelet by Vahan — the perfect accessory to complete fabulously fun look. $1,490 Isn’t she lovely? Then tell her so with a lotus garnet, a new gem that is as exciting and exotic as she is.

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winter blues with this moody lapis lazuli, one of the most sought-after stones since history began. She’s contemplative, no doubt she’ll appreciate the deep, celestial blue hue of German designer Bernd Wolf’s stunning necklace ($599) and earring set ($399) in sterling silver and gold vermeil. Lapis is a universal symbol of wisdom and truth. Well, aren’t you the smart gift giver!

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PHOTOS BY SAIGE ROBERTS

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FL CFC1429197 CMC1250456

BUILDING A HIGHER STANDARD. ONE DEALER AT A TIME.

KEITH LAWSON II Owner

American Standard is all about doing what’s right for our customers. But we can’t do it alone. That’s why we created the Building a Higher Standard distinguished dealer award, to honor those dealers who have the same commitment to their employees, customers, and communities. Congratulations to Keith Lawson Services, LLC of Tallahassee, Florida, for being one of four outstanding 2019 winners.

Visit keithlawson.com to schedule an appointment.

© 2019 Ingersoll Rand. All Rights Reserved. American Standard and Built To a Higher Standard are trademarks of Trane in the United States and other countries.

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SEE THE STORY OF KEITH LAWSON SERVICES AT November–December 2019

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AMSD.US/LAWSON

RECIPES

Forget the Casserole — Pass the Chitlins

|| DINING IN

My Husband is a Culinary Genius…

|| DINING GUIDE

Page 181

gastro&gusto NOV/DEC 2019

FROM THE SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE TO THE PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE

↘

MULLED WINE see recipe on page 63

LIBATIONS

HOLIDAY DRINKS

Three tasty libations to warm up your house parties and celebrations

photography by SAIGE ROBERTS

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gastro & gusto ↘ S’more Martini Serves 1

We still get that spark in our eyes when we see a pot of simmering hot chocolate. Set out a vat of spiked holiday drinks, and give your party guests that same glow. As Tallahassee’s winter chill finally sets in, warm yourself from the inside out with these hot libations and merry celebrations, courtesy of Eric Rodin, manager of Food Glorious Food’s The Bar @ Betton. These drinks play with familiar winter flavors and add a zesty alcoholic kick. And they make such a low-maintenance treat. If you’re planning a bigger gathering, mull a batch of mulled wine, which Rodin says he considers a staple for holiday house parties. — Danielle J. Brown

INGREDIENTS

➸ 4 ounces hot chocolate ➸ 1.5 ounces vanilla vodka ➸ .5 ounce crème de cocoa ➸ 2 toasted marshmallows ➸ Chocolate syrup ➸ Crushed graham crackers DIRECTIONS

Rim the glass with chocolate syrup and crushed graham crackers; set aside.

Gently stir hot chocolate, vanilla vodka and crème de cocoa. Pour into prepared glass and top with toasted marshmallows.

Says Eric Rodin, manager of Food Glorious Food’s The Bar @ Betton: “I’m a chocolate person, so anything that has chocolate, I try to do. It’s easy to make, and it just tastes amazing.”

← Hot Buttered Bourbon Serves 2-3 INGREDIENTS

➸ 4 ounces Kerrygold butter ➸ ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon ➸ 3–4 grates fresh nutmeg

➸ 1 piece star anise ➸½ cup brown sugar ➸ 1 cup bourbon ➸ ½ cup hot water ➸ optional: cinnamon sticks

DIRECTIONS

Melt butter in small saucepan with cinnamon, nutmeg and anise. Add brown sugar and stir until sugar is fully dissolved. Remove from heat; add the bourbon and hot water; stir. Serve when fully mixed.

Says Eric Rodin, manager of Food Glorious Food’s The Bar @ Betton: “Hot Buttered Rum is a traditional winter season drink. This is my take on it because I’m more of a bourbon person. It’s just a great sitting-out-by-the-fire warm drink.”

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photography by SAIGE ROBERTS

↘ Mulled Wine Serves 4–5 INGREDIENTS

➸ 1 ½ cups cranberry juice ➸ ½ cup orange juice ➸ ½ cup sugar ➸ 4 cinnamon sticks ➸ 3 pieces star anise ➸ 4 cups dry red wine ➸ ½ cup fresh cranberries

DIRECTIONS

Add cranberry juice, orange juice, sugar, cinnamon and star anise in a medium saucepan. Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in the red wine and cranberries and bring temperature back to a simmer.

Says Eric Rodin, manager of Food Glorious Food’s The Bar @ Betton: “It’s a very popular holiday party drink and easy to make in big batches. I’ve made it over the years, particularly for holiday house parties. It’s kind of like your winter sangria.”

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HOLIDAY RECIPES

Forget the Casserole — Pass the Chitlins It’s the dish I crave every holiday season

by JANECIA BRITT

I

have a confession. I have never eaten a casserole.

Don’t give me that look. You know the one — that shocked, um what? look.

I don’t understand casseroles. Do you just layer food in a dish? With cream of whatever? And you bake it for how long?

So you can imagine my surprise when I found out from some colleagues that a casserole is a mainstay on their holiday tables.

Oh, and it’s not just on the table — it’s enjoyed.

As a black woman growing up in the South, my holiday meals began with the pillars of soul food: fried chicken, mac and cheese, collard greens and cornbread.

Add in some green beans — no, not the casserole — black-eyed peas, chitlins, yams, stuffing, a few desserts, and we’re in business for a holiday dinner.

Of course, we had the obligatory Thanksgiving turkey and Christmas ham, but not once did I see a casserole on the table.

And, no, mac and cheese is not a casserole. You won’t convince me otherwise.

I’ve begun to hear murmurs — parseltongue to me — in our office of holiday casseroles.

“It’s the one thing I look forward to eating every year,” I heard amid the conversation.

It got me thinking: What is that one thing colleagues crave during the holidays?

For me, it’s my family’s chitterlings, or chitlins.

They are chopped pork intestines, usually served over rice.

Because of the time it takes to clean and cook them, it isn’t a dish that shows up on the table often.

But they’re easily the food I look forward to most during the holidays. As a child, I had to practically beg my mom to make them, and then I’d greedily hide away a bowl of them before extended family arrived.

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Many people hate chitlins because of the way they make your house smell. So you want to know how it smells? Just consider this: You’re cooking a pig’s intenstines.

My mom and aunts have secrets to reducing the smell; they clean them well and then add a whole potato and a whole My mom, Valeshia, shares onion into the pot while stewing. her recipe for my favorite holiday meal.

I have fond holiday memories of them boiling on the stove and my mom INGREDIENTS: sneaking me little bites as they cooked. ➸ Three 5-pound bags of pre-cleaned hitterlings Chitlins have a complicated history.

3 whole yellow onions ➸ Research suggests that their origin ➸ 1 large peeled is English. Many cultures, particularly russet potato ➸ 1 can of cream in Britain, continue to prepare them in of mushroom soup various ways. Some boil them. Some fry them. And, of course, we stew them.

DIRECTIONS: Pull chitterlings out of For many African Americans, the bag and re-clean chitlins date to slavery. Owners often them. Clean until all fed their slaves little more than the excess grit or residue is off. Dice one full onion. scraps of animal meat that they deemed After cleaning, bring unacceptable for themselves. them to a high boil and Some African Americans have decook off excess fat. Do this process three times. nounced the dish due to its traumatic Add chopped onion. past, but it reminds me that black people, Add two whole peeled my people, have persevered. onions or one potato to eliminate the smell. Cook We’ve made a lot out of nothing. on medium-high for 4 We’ve created love out of scraps. hours on the stovetop.

That’s what I feel when I eat You can also cook them for 7 hours in the chitterlings during the holidays: love. crockpot. Add cream of It takes love to clean and cook them mushroom soup after one for three or four hours, to boil them hour of cooking. After chitterlings are tender, down and chop them up. take out of the pot and I feel the love from my family when I cut up to bite sizes or pour them onto my plate. I feel it deep desired size. Serve over white rice. down in my soul. No casserole could ever give me that.

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Valeshia’s Chitlins

photography by SAIGE ROBERTS

STAFF FAVORITES

We asked staff members: “What’s the one thing you look forward to eating during the holidays?”

Here’s what they said: Javis Ogden, Senior Integrated Marketing Coordinator: Mom’s Baked Turkey Wings.

Taylor Dashiell, Integrated Marketing Coordinator: Cousin Pam’s Baked Mac and Cheese. “It can’t be duplicated. Many have tried.”

McKenzie Burleigh, Vice President/Corporate Development: Mom’s Stuffing. “My mom puts a ton of vegetables in hers, like onions, celery, carrots, sometimes green beans. It’s a little different every year. Thanksgiving is the only day of the year I have that, and I love it.”

Daniel Vitter, Director of Production and Technology: Glenda’s Sweet Potato Casserole.

“It’s got crunchy, sugary, crumbly bits on top, and oooh, it’s so good. So good.”

Jordan Harrison, Publication Designer: Aunt Brenda’s Candy Cane Cookies. “I like the flavor.”

David Doll, Account Executive: Sweet Potato Casserole. “It’s got sweet potatoes, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and marshmallows on top.

It’s so good.”

Dan Parisi, Director of New Business Development, Eastern Division: Good Old Fashioned Turkey. “It’s traditional. It’s the meal the whole family gathers around the table for. It brings everyone together.”

Melissa Spear, Administrative Service Director: Leftover Turkey Sandwich. “I don’t really celebrate the holidays, but I do like a good leftover sandwich.”

Melinda Lanigan, Client Services Representative and Production Specialist: Mom’s Sweet Potato Casserole. “It was passed down from my grandmother and her mother.”

Jeff Price, Managing Editor: Mom’s Dressing with Giblet Gravy. “It’s a cornbread dressing passed down from my grandma.”

Lisa Sostre, Advertising Services Coordinator: Ruth’s Chicken and Dumplings. “My mother makes them from scratch. They’re homemade. I’m talking the old-school way with flour and Crisco, you know, roll them out and cut them by hand.”

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SIERRA THOMAS GRAPHIC DESIGNER

→ Grandma’s Potato Latkes “I’ve taken over making them from my grandma. If there’s anything I want to eat during the holidays, it’s latkes.”

Traditional Recipe (Serves 6) INGREDIENTS

➸ 7 Idaho potatoes (The starchier the better. We use Idaho potatoes but russet will also work.) ➸ 1 white or yellow onion ➸ 2 eggs ➸ ½ cup of all-purpose flour ➸ ½ cup Matzo meal ➸ 1 teaspoon salt ➸ Vegetable oil for frying DIRECTIONS Peel potatoes and immediately transfer to a bowl of cold water to prevent browning. Shred the potatoes either by hand or in a food processor; transfer shreds to a bowl.

Shred the onion. Add the eggs, salt, matzo meal and flour to onions and process/mix until smooth.

Add half of the shredded potatoes to the mixture, process until smooth. Make sure the onion shreds don't get too fine. Transfer the mixture into the bowl with the rest of the shredded potatoes and mix. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Drop in large spoonfuls of batter and fry until golden brown.

Top with garnish, which could be chives, parsley or green onion. Whatever you’re into. Serve with applesauce or sour cream.

VEGAN VERSION My

spin on her version is to replace the eggs with an egg substitute. I use Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer.

Mix according to package instructions, and add in place of eggs in the recipe.

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photography by JAMES STEFIUK

STAFF RECIPES

LINDSAY MASTERSON, PUBLICATION DESIGNER

↘ My Sister Lauren’s Sous Vide Turkey Legs “ They’re tender and flavorful to the bone.”

INGREDIENTS:

➸ 6 turkey legs ➸ Any smoke rub/ barbecue rub of choice ➸ Smoked sea salt ➸ 3 teaspons liquid smoke

DIRECTIONS Set the sous vide machine to 145 degrees. Coat and rub turkey legs with desired smoke seasoning. Add in a few pinches of smoked sea salt. Place two turkey legs per bag. Add a teaspoon of liquid smoke to each bag. Vacuum seal the turkey legs in a bag. Sous vide at 145 F for 14 hours. When the sous vide bath is complete, remove the turkey legs from their bags. Transfer turkey legs to a charcoal grill with hickory wood chips. Grill until crispy.

Rest turkey under tented foil for 10 minutes, then serve.

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MACKENZIE LITTLE, SALES AND EVENT MANAGER

↘ Three Sisters Herb Mashed Potatoes “It’s chunky with the skins on, and we’ll throw in dill or parsley.”

INGREDIENTS

➸ 5-pound bag of red potatoes ➸ 4–8 ounces of cream cheese, give or take ➸ 4 ounces of sour cream, give or take ➸ 1 stick of butter, unsalted, cut into cubes ➸ A splash of heavy whipping cream or milk ➸ Dill or herb of choice ➸ Pinch of salt ➸ Pinch of pepper

DIRECTIONS Bring a large stock pot of water with a dash of salt to a boil. Cut potatoes into chunks and wash thoroughly, leaving the skins on. Place potatoes in water and boil until soft enough to mash. Drain potatoes and put in large bowl or back into large stock pot. Add the cubes of butter to the potatoes as you blend with a hand mixer on low/medium. Once the butter is melted, mix in the milk/heavy whipping cream, sour cream and herbs of choice as well as salt and pepper to your taste.

Mix until all ingredients are dispersed, but not over mixing, so the potatoes stay a little chunky. Put in the serving dish of your choice and enjoy!

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NATALIE KAZMIN RECEPTIONIST

← Papa Kazmin’s Sweet and Spicy Collard Greens “He even sends me home with frozen ones so I can feed myself.”

INGREDIENTS

➸ 1 quart water ➸ 1 quart chicken broth ➸ 1.5-pounds ham hocks (can substitute with smoked turkey necks) ➸ ½ yellow onion (chopped) ➸ 1 clove garlic (minced) ➸ 3–4 pounds collard greens, rinsed and trimmed (Remove as much of the bare stems as possible; Publix sells large bags of shredded collards that are pretty clean) ➸ ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste) ➸ 1 tablespoon white vinegar (optional, but removes bitterness) ➸ 1 teaspoon sugar ➸ ¼ cup of vegetable oil ➸ Salt and pepper to taste (best to add toward the end) DIRECTIONS Place water, chicken broth, onion, garlic and ham hocks in a large pot with a tight lid. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes. Add the collards, pepper flakes, and vinegar (if desired) and simmer covered for 2 hours, stirring from time to time.

NOTE: You will have to add the collards slowly to allow them to shrink, then add more until all are in the pot.

Add sugar and vegetable oil and simmer for another 30 minutes.

Remove ham hocks from pot; place on a cutting board and use several meat forks to pull meat from the bones. (Careful, they’ll be hot!) Separate all meat and return meat to the pot with collards. You can discard the bones. Stir it up well; taste for seasoning; add salt and pepper as desired. Check collards for tenderness. If tender, then eat!

ALTERNATIVE METHOD: Combine all ingredients except salt into a pressure cooker or InstantPot. This will reduce cooking time by half. Add salt at the end to taste.

photography by JAMES STEFIUK

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gastro & gusto STAFF RECIPES

BRIAN ROWLAND OWNER AND PUBLISHER

→ Lori Magee’s Caramel Pecan Squares “Every year Lori, our sales manager, brings them in. I eat some over a few days and then keep them in the freezer and eat them over the next few months. They’re unbelievable.”

“I got this out of a magazine in 1998. I could not remember the name of them and my neighbor typed and printed this up and handed out copies and named them Caramel Pecan Squares!”

— Lori Magee Yeaton INGREDIENTS

➸ 1 box of white cake mix ➸ 1 ½ cups (three sticks) butter, melted and divided in half ➸ 3 ½ cups pecan halves ➸ ½ cup honey ➸ ¾ cup packed brown sugar ➸ ¼ cup heavy whipping cream DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease lightly with butter a large rimmed baking sheet. In a large bowl, combine cake mix and ¾ cup of butter. Mix well. Press the mix firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan.

Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly golden. Be sure to watch closely during this step as ovens may vary. Set aside to cool for five minutes. Place all pecans (round side up) on top. In a large saucepan, over high heat, stir together: remaining butter, honey, and brown sugar. Boil 5 to 7 minutes, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and becomes a caramel color. Remove from heat and carefully stir in. (Be careful not to burn your hand as steam will rise up when pouring and stirring in cream.)

Pour caramel mixture over pecans evenly. Bake for 12–15 minutes or until the top is bubbling around the sides of the pan. Set aside to cool completely in pan. Cut bars and serve.

Janecia Britt is digital editor of Rowland Publishing, owner of Tallahassee Magazine.

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photography by JAMES STEFIUK

D E M O N S T R AT I O N

COOKINg CLASS VIP Food & Wine Experience: Spain Spain is one of the world’s greatest grape-growing regions. Sample varietals paired with a chef-inspired creation. If these wines inspire your taste buds, continue with the Spanish Wine Country class.

We recommend taking these classes together for a full experience: VIP Food & Wine Experience $20. Spanish Wine Country $25.

Visit publix.com/tallahassee to sign up or to view additional classes.

Drink responsibly. Be 21.

Publix at Village Square 3521 Thomasville Road, Tallahassee, FL 32309 | (850) 893-3480

Mediterranean Grill 1135 Apalachee Parkway 656-8100 saharacafeone.com

Family Owned Since 1999 Serving Over 25 Craft Beers & 30 Wines

Secret Bread Made Fresh Daily On the Premises LUNCH TUES - FRI 11AM - 2PM | DINNER TUES - SAT 5 - 9PM 1950 Thomasville Road | RiccardosTally.com | (850) 386-3988 TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

November–December 2019

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DINING IN

MY HUSBAND IS A CULINARY GENIUS…

but that’s not always so hot

by LAURIE WRIGHT

M

y husband used to be a chef. I know: For most women, it’s like a dream. He taught himself to cook, fibbed his way into his first chef job and quietly perfected his craft for over 10 years.

These were the days before the deluge of cooking and competition shows — and before me. When we got married, he stopped the crazy work hours and swapped his chef knife for family life. Family life that now includes an 8-year-old daughter, making us a table of three.

But he never stopped being a chef.

He prefers to do all the cooking in our household. He can barely watch me chop lettuce without worrying that I’ll cut a finger off. He doesn’t trust me to buy the right cuts of meat. And he always has something to say about my technique, or lack thereof.

I guess when you are a culinary genius, most everyone else looks like an idiot in the kitchen. I can live with that, because I’m lucky and I know it. As he often asks: How many people on our street eat like we do?

As I gaze into the kitchen, a framed opening paints an endearing picture: my husband lovingly breading chicken cutlets for pecan-crusted chicken fingers

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and his princess, full of curls and sass, stirring her sweet and sour dipping sauce. Instead of cooking for others, he spends time with our dear daughter.

This fills my heart with happiness.

I also know that when her tenders are skillfully plated and she sits to eat, she will state her preference for Chick-fil-A and their pre-packaged Polynesian sauce.

In a time like this, a culinary genius has to swallow his pride.

I never really cared much about cooking. When making dinner, my mother always had me do the same job — dump the ground beef in the skillet and brown it up. I wasn’t tasked with adding seasoning or chopping, never had a part in the flavor progression, never had ownership in the final product. It was never very exciting, but this was the ’80s, and the “foodie” craze hadn’t quite reached the dinner tables of suburbia.

My mother later would lament that

TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

she shoulda coulda woulda taught me how to cook so that when I got married, I could cook for my husband. I’d shrug my shoulders. All my single years, I made food from boxes, or food that was bland, or food that was overcooked or food that was undercooked. That was when I didn’t order a pizza.

The night I met the man I would marry, he told me that cooking was his passion and that he was a chef some nights in an intimate, locally owned eatery. He also told me about his garden and did a pretty funny imitation of his pets. He seemed interesting enough.

After a couple of beers he asked if I was hungry. My watch said 12:30 a.m., so I said yeah: Village Inn would still be open and I’d be down for some pancakes.

He gave me a look I’ve become familiar with — one eyebrow raised, looking incredulous. He told me he had a roast in his freezer. He could thaw it and illustration by LINDSEY MASTERSON

We are still open during construction

The ‘eyes’ have it.

VOTED TALLAHASSEE’S BEST SEAFOOD MARKET SINCE 2002

All Great Seafood Dishes Start with Great Seafood

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BEST SEAFOOD MARKET

1415 Timberlane Road in Market Square 850.893.7301 southernseafoodmarket.com TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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Pastries • Cakes • Quiche • Lunch Market Freezer Including Housemade Gourmet Entrees, Soups, Ice Cream and More!

2766 Capital Circle NE | 850.765.0811 | trevas.net Across From Esposito

2 for 1 Beer and Wine every day, all day long

cook for me. No, I said, maybe another time. Watching a roast thaw wasn’t my idea of fun. So we exchanged numbers.

After a few days, he called and offered to cook me dinner.

No guy had ever made me dinner, unless you count the time my college boyfriend warmed up some canned chow mein. I had no idea he had such a gastronomic gift.

We went to the store together and bought a bunch of stuff, and he made me a crab-mango-bell pepper salad served in a martini glass. I approached the first bite with caution. Fruit and fish? And raw veggies? But wow! I’d had nothing like it before. The sweetness of the mango and crisp red bell were the perfect assistants to the creamy crab salad, layered between neutral shreds of lettuce.

It was a revelation.

I can’t tell you how many delicious meals he has made me over the years. Sometimes he will hand me a cookbook, tell me to pick something, anything, and he’ll make it.

Sweet, right? Not so fast.

It’s a trap. The mouse wants the cheese but will get snapped in the attempt. With a chef in the house, you can’t pick anything too common. If you do, you’ll get a sigh, an eye roll, an “OK, if that’s what you want.” It’s not easy to keep a culinary genius challenged in the kitchen.

Over the years, our menu has varied according to time and budget. The gourmet meals of beef wellington and duck with fruit compote have waned, eclipsed by meatloaves and mac and cheese (made with a proper roux, mind you), squash casseroles and pot pies. Still, you can bet it’s the best Betty Crocker food anyone has ever made.

But do you know how awful it is for a culinary genius to resort to simple home cooking night after night? To provide your basic pork chops with a Worcestershire/shallot/butter sauce, only to have your kid scrunch up her mouth into a yuck face and ask for applesauce on the side instead? It’s devastating. My heart goes out to him.

Then consider the less-than-tasty aftermath, which includes the destroyed kitchen with three pans in the sink, the saucepan littered with remaining bits of garlic and oil, the boiling pot, the food processor, the multiple strainers, the piece of carrot on the floor, the cream splotches on the counter, the spilled salt on the stovetop and plates all over the place.

So the next time you are at your favorite restaurant, think of me elbows deep in dishes, longing for the days when I’d just order a pizza. TM ILLUSTRATION BY LINDSEY MASTERSON

Lunch specials available Nagoya is known for serving all your Japanese dishes, including hibachi, tempura, teriyaki, katsu, noodle dishes, sushi and sashimi. Party room is available.

1925 N Monroe St #101 | (850) 999-2179 | NagoyaFL.com 74

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Laurie Wright is a freelance writer who lives in Tallahassee.

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DISCOVER TALLAHASSEE’S BEST CHOICE IN SENIOR LIVING

Enjoy a variety of residential and supportive options at Westminster Oaks to meet your changing needs.

Choose from a wide variety of spacious choices in villa homes and garden apartments, all maintenancefree and enriched by access to beautiful campus amenities with services like dining and housekeeping. For those who need a little extra help we offer assisted living, with services including medication management and support with daily living activities. We can also get you back on your feet and doing the things you love with short-term nursing care and rehabilitation.

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Ac t ive Liv i ng | Assisted Liv i ng | Sk i l led Nu rsi ng | Rehabi l itat ion 76

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expression

NOV/DEC 2019

KEEPING TABS ON ALL THAT MUSES INSPIRE

MUSIC

MUSICAL MIRACLES

Cellist and vocalist Lauren Mullinax aims to help heal through passionate melodic creations

by PETE REINWALD

MUSIC Healing Melodies || BOOKS photography by SAIGE ROBERTS

Oyster Options

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expression expression

↖

As she focuses on her vision, Lauren Mullinax is writing songs and performing at bars, restaurants, coffee shops and private events.

S

he plays the cello and the guitar.

She also sings and writes songs, and she does all four like she means it.

She means it, all right.

“There’s a purpose behind why I sing,” Lauren Mullinax says. “I feel like I’m supposed to be a gift for people to get in touch with something deeper. I want them to experience something that they’ve never encountered. And so that’s why I do what I do with music.”

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Mullinax, 27, a Chiles High and Southeastern University graduate, proudly tells you that a great grandfather, Fred Winterle, once served as mayor of Tallahassee. Just as proudly, she tells you that she’s a healing musician.

She embraces music therapy, which proponents say reduces pain and stress and enhances memory and communication, among other benefits that improve a patient’s quality of life. Although not formally

TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

trained as a music therapist, Mullinax says she plays for the ailing or elderly where she can because she sees the difference that her music makes for them.

She aims to create a new genre of music that heals. She’s calling it Lumid music.

“I don’t want it to be limited to just me,” she says. “I want it to expand where other musicians get a part of it. I want it to be music that goes beyond what anybody could ever imagine and have healing properties, and I’m trying to figure out what that looks like.”

In the meantime, she’s writing songs and applying pop to her voice, cello and guitar. A new release, “Over the Moon,” trumpets the depth, range and passion of her voice and the magic of her cello. With little plucks, she creates dreamy raindrops. That’s how they fall on one observer, anyway.

With her guitar, she sings with a smile that says she’s made for the stage and the camera. Her smile also says that she wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.

When she busts out her bigger instrument, she anchors herself in her music and then drifts away in it.

During the summer, she pulled her cello out of its box as a photographer prepared to take photos. She guided her bow across the strings at gentle angles, producing a solemn and reflective sound that vibrated inside you. She closed her eyes, furled her brow, swayed her head and got lost.

After about three minutes, she found herself.

“I guess I should pose more,” she says with a laugh to the photographer.

As she perfects her voice and focuses on her vision, Mullinax performs in restaurants, bars, coffee shops and at private events in, among other places, Tallahassee, the Tampa Bay area, the Panhandle and even in North Carolina. She says she’s exploring various opportunities in Florida and abroad. She’ll go wherever her passion and compassion lead her.

“What music is to me, I feel like it breaks boundaries,” Mullinax says. “I feel that it breaks through some of the hardest moments that I've had in my life. I’ll be in a place of pity or sorrow.

All I need to do is start singing. And it changes something, something around me, and makes me feel stronger, makes me feel like I can do more than I thought I would be capable of.”

photography by SAIGE ROBERTS

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expression possibly doing a nonprofit or trying to figure out a way of making a business with the hospitals or some type of cancer research or whoever wants to incorporate music and seeing how it’s healing people.

←

With her cello, Mullinax anchors herself in her music and drifts away in it.

Here’s more from Mullinax, in her voice, edited for length and context.

It was fourth grade. I heard the “Jaws” theme played by the fifth-grade orchestra. And I went home and I told my parents, “Hey, by the way, I am taking up cello next year.” And they didn't even know what a cello was. Yeah, it was crazy.

We ended up buying one online.

I got to sit down recently with my middle school and high school teacher, Mr. Christopher Miller. And I got to treat him to lunch and tell him, “Thank you — I really believe that you helped me.”

Music therapy: What started it was my grandma had Alzheimer’s. She started entering dementia when I was like 12, and it progressed for a long time. It was a really hard time for our family because … someone you love so much and to see them suffering. And I had never seen anybody go through that, but I would start bringing my music over to her, and she would respond in a whole different way. And it felt like a secret language

NEW RELEASE 80

that I was creating through my music.

I would improvise. I would, through song, tell her that I loved her and that she’s cared for. And she looked at me as though she got it. She understood what I was saying, and I knew that there was something on another, deeper, level. And during the middle of the night she’d wake up singing, like full-on singing, and it normally happened right after I would play for her.

I never knew anything about music therapy or music practitioner work, but I’ve kind of created my own way about it. My mom’s a nurse, and I would go and play for her transport support group meetings. People would start contacting me and saying, “I know someone who’s sick. I want to see if your music could help.” What I would love to do is more research into how certain vibrations and sounds affect the human psyche.

I don’t make it a business. I’d rather not charge. I make my money through my performances. I’ve been thinking about

I conquered my fear of water. I almost drowned when I was really little, and I took up scuba diving lessons. I had some breakthrough moments, and I think that it completely changed my life, with my confidence level and knowing that I can handle things that I never thought I could even manage.

I lived in Orlando for seven years. I’ve only been back for a little over a year based out of Tallahassee. I didn’t want to come back here originally. I had a car accident. Someone hit me, and I had back and neck injuries.

I decided to turn it around and be like, I’m going to see this as a blessing, and it’s changed my life. I’ve been able to be with my family, and I've seen the good in it. I really have my health. I wanted to heal holistically. I started being more health conscious. What am I putting in my body? I want to encourage people on their own health journey, because it does matter — how you feel about yourself.

Back to music: Most musicians have to do cover songs to stay relevant. I’m mixing my originals with the cover tunes. I’d rather break away and be an alloriginal artist. I’ve been working in the studio with some producers and trying to find that sound — the Lauren sound.

I want to make sure that in all my performances, there’s some variety to it.

So when you come see me at one place, it’s going to be completely different than another place, and I also want to be able to go into the hospitals and rehab facilities, nursing homes and wherever people need me and just let my music speak for itself. TM

“Over the Moon” was released in September on major platforms such as iTunes and Spotify. Lauren Mullinax says she wrote the song based on two children’s books and her childhood memories. She pointed to positive reviews, including one reviewer who referred to her song as an “elegant, chilled and heartfelt slice of slumbering electronic-pop.”

November–December 2019

TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

photography by SAIGE ROBERTS

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30A SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES ITS 2020 HEADLINERS

F

or the past 10 years, the 30A Songwriters Festival has attracted thousands of die-hard live music fans from around the country to hear original songwriters perform in a variety of genres. Beach resort towns along Highway 30A on the Gulf of Mexico will feature 30 venues presenting over 200 songwriters and 250 solo, band and in-the-round performances throughout the weekend of January 17–20, 2020.

The 30A Songwriters Festival will celebrate its 11th year with performances on the main stage at Grand Boulevard’s Town Center, the festival’s presenting partner. The festival production team transforms amphitheaters, town halls, restaurants, theaters, bars and covered patios into unique music venues ranging in capacity from 75 to 750 seats indoors and 6,000 outdoors.

This year’s headline performances include iconic artists Brian Wilson, John Prine, Indigo Girls, Tanya Tucker, Don McLean and Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone.

Brian Wilson will perform with his heralded nine-piece band to recreate his most beloved and musically sophisticated productions, from early Beach Boys hits (“Don’t Worry Baby,” “Fun, Fun, Fun,” “The Warmth of the Sun”) to songs from their revered “Pet Sounds” album (“Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “God Only Knows,” “Good Vibrations”) live at Grand Boulevard. Indigo Girls just completed their new studio album entitled “Look Long,” recorded at Peter Gabriel’s Real World

Studio in the U.K. Produced by John Reynolds and scheduled for release in early 2020, they will introduce new songs from this much-anticipated album while on 30A. Also, songwriter John Prine and his band return to 30A by popular demand — and this is just to name a few.

The 30A Songwriters Festival is a benefit for the nonprofit Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County, which supports artists and nonprofit cultural events and businesses throughout the county. All net proceeds from the event will benefit the CAA to help fund its annual budget. The festival is co-produced by Russell Carter Artist Management and the Cultural Arts Alliance. The festival is sponsored in part by Visit South Walton.

The 30A Songwriters Festival has again partnered with many nonprofit organizations. Returning in 2020 will be the ASCAP Showcase at the Lake House in WaterColor, “Folk Alley” producing its Folk Alley Sessions at 30A for its nationally syndicated Folk Alley Radio Show. The Oxford American showcase will feature artists exclusively from South Carolina who will be featured in its annual fall music issue. The Americana Fest returns to stage Americana artists for whom both the 30A Songwriters Festival and the AMA share a fondness and commitment. This year, the festival will introduce the Grocery On Home showcase stage curated by Matt Arnett, who is known throughout the music community as one of the more prominent producers of house parties.

CULTURAL ARTS ALLIANCE 105 HOGTOWN BAYOU LANE, SANTA ROSA BEACH | (850) 622-5970 | 30ASONGWRITERSFESTIVAL.COM

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OUR 2019-2020

season Oct 11 - Oct 27

Feb 14 - Feb 23

The Fallon Theatre Book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse Music by John Kander Lyrics by Fred Ebb Based on the play

by Maurine Dallas Watkins Script adaptation by David Thompson

The Fallon Theatre Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda Book by Quiara Alegría Hudes Conceived by Lin-Manuel Miranda

IN THE HEIGHTS is presented through special arrangement with R & H Theatricals: www.rnh.com.

“Chicago” is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC.

Feb 28 - Mar 8

Nov 1 - Nov 10 The Lab Theatre

by Oscar Wilde

The Lab Theatre

By Jackie Sibblies Drury

Produced by special arrangement with THE DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY of Woodstock, Illinois

Produced by special arrangement with THE DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY of Woodstock, Illinois

Nov 21 - Nov 24

Apr 3 - Apr 11

Produced by special arrangement with Playscripts, Inc. (www.playscripts.com)

“Marie Antoinette” is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC.

The Fallon Theatre

By Robert Kauzlaric, Paul Gilvary and William Rush

The Lab Theatre

By David Adjmi

850.644.6500 | tickets.fsu.edu

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expression

BOOKS

OYSTER CULTURE Chef’s new book flows from the boom in aquaculture by STEVE BORNHOFT

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November–December 2019

Miller notes the familiar advice about avoiding oyster consumption during months without an “r” in their name. The adage appeared in a cookbook written by an Englishman in 1599 and there is evidence that Native Americans abided by the precaution even earlier than that. It applies today to wild oysters as much as it ever did, owing to reproductive cycles.

Miller, by way of explanation, quotes fellow oyster author Robb Walsh.

“Oyster meat becomes creamy before spat, which happens as the water begins to warm, then very thin and translucent,” Walsh wrote in Sex, Death and Oysters. “This silky, sweet-cream texture is different from the oyster’s texture the rest of the year. … As the water gets colder, more glycogen accumulates, and the oyster gets plumper and tastes sweeter.”

Farmed oysters, however, are triploid organisms, meaning that they have an extra set of chromosomes and are sterile. They grow faster than wild diploids and their meat remains plump throughout the year.

They are uniform in size and shape and tend to have an ideal “cup size,” Miller said, employing a term usually reserved for something else.

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↑ Irv Miller’s Gulf Coast

Oysters is a celebration of bivalves whose naturally occurring cousins would scarcely recognize the farmed varieties now decorating plates across Northwest Florida.

PHOTOS BY BILL STRENGTH PHOTOGRAPHY (FOOD) AND PHILLIP MAKSELAN (MILLER)

O

ysters are hot right now.

That’s the view of Chef Irv Miller, who has authored a cookbook, Gulf Coast Oysters (Spring House Press, 2018), which presents “classic and modern recipes of a Southern renaissance.” Miller, shortly after the book’s release, conducted a meet and greet/book signing at the Hidden Lantern bookstore in Rosemary Beach.

I asked Miller to “describe the perfect oyster — and would it be wild or farmed?”

“You don’t know what a loaded question that is,” Miller replied, recoiling slightly and suggesting that my query was more stuffed with implications and traps and shades of meaning than Oysters Rockefeller are slathered in sauces and cream and a spinach mixture.

Haltingly, Miller mentioned Caminada Bay and the Grand Isle Sea Farm in Louisiana. But he then proceeded to list oyster aquaculture operations all the way east to Cedar Key. And, he did give a nod to every-one-is-different, barnacle-encrusted wild oysters, noting that they are especially good in postspawn periods.

Oysters with bacon and aioli

← DRESSED AND OTHERWISE Far

left: Oysters with bacon and aioli.

Left: Simply fried oysters, a Southern staple. Below: Oysters with bacon and carmelized onion.

But even triploids can vary in quality owing to factors including the water they are pulled from, when in the course of their development they are harvested and how they are cared for following harvesting.

Miller has plenty of culinary cred. He is the executive chef at Jackson’s Steakhouse in Pensacola, a job he’s held for 20 years. He worked at Bud & Alley’s in Seaside during that restaurant’s early years. He underwent formal training at the Culinary Institute of America.

“Ideally,” Miller said, “oysters will have just the right combination of sweetness and brininess.” And that, of course, is a matter of taste.

“We live in a catsup/hot sauce/horseradish culture, and that’s fine,” Miller said. “But I’m trying to move us beyond that and make people more adventuresome.” When I suggested to Miller that he is an “oyster change agent,” he cottoned to that right off.

Miller includes a recipe for “Simple Fried Oysters,” but he ranges far from the basics to include “Oyster Stew with Gochujang & Coconut Cream” and “Oyster, Bacon & Carmelized Onion Tartelette” and “Chargrilled Oysters with Smoky Spanish Paprika Butter & Serrano Ham.” The book is beautifully illustrated with photography

by Bill Strength; his images are mighty strong.

Miller devotes two pages to “Shucking Oysters,” but the pages are mislabeled. Described instead is oyster surgery. So much so that the preferred implement is not an oyster knife but a sharp-bladed one.

To wit, “Hold the shell open and slide the blade

against the cap, gently dragging and jiggling the knife to scrape the shell from the abductor muscle.”

For Miller, the boom in oyster aquaculture is like the explosion of microbreweries.

“In fact, I prefer the term, ‘craft oyster’ to ‘boutique oyster,’ ” Miller said.

Miller profiles oyster farms, including that of the Pensacola Bay Oyster Company, headed by Don McMahon.

Writes Miller: “Don remembers when Escambia Bay was labeled ‘environmentally unsuitable’ to swim in or fish from only decades ago. Today is a different story. The bay is once again healthy and full of life.

On any given day, you may see schools of dolphin swimming the shorelines, mullet skimming the surface or fishermen pulling up redfish or speckled trout.”

McMahon has taken advantage of the bay’s recovery by pioneering Pensacola’s first oyster farm.

Miller gives his product high marks.

“They were meaty, with a gentle brine up front and a delicate, sweet finish. For several months, I served them at Jackson’s Steakhouse and at numerous community events. They are among my top three picks and, in my opinion, one of the tastiest and most beautifully shelled, off-bottom-farmed oysters from all of the Gulf Coast’s growers.”

Given the proliferation of oyster farms, others may develop a particular fondness for oysters from Bon Secour or Panacea or Alligator Point.

Shuckers, take note. Your job may increasingly come to resemble that of a wine steward, thanks in part to the Oyster Change Agent. TM

TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chef Irv Miller has been writing about the foods of the Gulf Coast for more than 30 years and is recognized for having pioneered “New Florida Cooking” during the American Cuisine movement of the 1980s and ’90s. In 1999, he, along with his partners, founded Pensacola’s Jackson’s Steakhouse where Miller serves as executive chef.

He is a six-time performing chef for the James Beard Foundation and is also noted for cooking alongside renowned chef Edna Lewis numerous times. He appeared as a guest judge on the Bravo network’s Top Chef program.

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PROMOTION

HAIQIONG DENG Artist Spotlight

By Erica Thaler, Council on Culture & Arts (COCA) Haiqiong Deng is a Chinese music performer, scholar and teacher. She is a world-leading Chinese zheng concert musician and has toured extensively in China, Japan, Singapore, Canada and the United States.

Haiqiong directed the FSU Chinese Music Ensemble for 17 years, and currently, she is a Ph.D. Candidate in Musicology at the FSU College of Music, writing her dissertation on the revival of the ancient seven-string zither guqin in modern China.

WHAT IS NECESSARY FOR YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS? Nature. Walking in the woods

relaxes my body and frees my mind.

Inspirations then naturally occur. A cup of green tea afterward is a must-have.

WHAT FICTIONAL CHARACTER WOULD YOU LIKE TO MEET AND BRING TO LIFE?

Zhuang Zi, an ancient Chinese philosopher who lived around the 4th century BCE. His writing is full of unlimited imagination and authenticity. To me, he is both realistic and fictional.

WHAT MUSIC IS PLAYING IN YOUR CAR?

I used to enjoy a lot of baroque music from WFSU radio. But now, my daughter Isabel Liu, a 7-year-old, has become the DJ in my car so most of the time it’s popular music, and I groove along.

WHAT IS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ THAT HAD AN IMPACT ON YOU? I read books

every day due to my dissertation project.

“The Importance of Living” (1937) by Lin Yutang, a New York bestseller who introduced millions to the noble art of leaving things undone, has had a deep impact on me. It touches on the essential

Haiqiong Deng

Chinese humanity through a cross-cultural perspective. Comparing to the stereotypes and prejudice popularized in social media and political propaganda today, a book such as this truly contributes to genuine understanding among people, cultures and humanities. It serves the purpose of showing the well-being of life.

IT’S TIME FOR DINNER; WHAT ARE WE GOING TO EAT? I’d like to go home and eat

the homestyle Chinese food Nan Liu (my husband) cooks.

IF YOU WERE TRAPPED IN A TV SHOW OR MOVIE FOR A MONTH, WHICH WOULD IT BE? Chinese Kung Fu movies.

Haiqiong Deng & Family

WHAT SUPERPOWER WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE? Healing—both to myself and

to others.

WHAT HAVE YOUR LEARNED FROM FAILURE? Another opportunity of learning;

an enriched experience.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE YOU WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR? A sense of warmth and

maybe a smile at the same time.

Want to learn more about Haiqiong?

Visit tallahasseearts.org/artist/Haiqiong-Deng to learn more about Haiqiong and over 950 artists of all creative disciplines in our Artist Directory.

This content is provided by the Council on Culture & Arts, the capital area’s umbrella agency for arts and culture.

Visit TallahasseeArts.org for a complete list of arts and cultural events, public art, arts education and more on the Tallahassee Arts Guide.

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November–December 2019

87

PROMOTION

EMERALD COAST THEATRE COMPANY

T

he Emerald Coast Theatre Company is excited to offer “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley” as this year’s holiday production. “Miss Bennet” is the inspired sequel to Jane Austen’s novel “Pride and Prejudice,” and the story continues with the Bennet family gathering together at an English country estate for Christmas in 1815, two years after the novel’s ending. This story focuses on an unlikely heroine, oftenneglected middle sister Mary Bennet, who is not quite like her sisters and feels defined by her role as middle sister and obedient daughter. When she meets an unlikely visitor, it sparks her quest for independence and hope for love — but not without complications. Can Mary embrace her true identity and have her own happy ending or will she be held back by fear and the expectations of others? “Pride and Prejudice” enthusiasts and newcomers to Austen’s world alike can enjoy a glimpse into the lives of the Bennet family in “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley.”

Lauren Gunderson (the most produced living playwright in America) and co-writer Margot Melcon thought up the play in 2013 during a six-hour road trip together and outlined the plot on Starbucks napkins. Their goal was to provide a new holiday-themed program with familiar characters that captured what the holiday season truly

feels like for them when they spend it with family — a quality they believed other holiday programs lacked.

The production is directed by Nathanael Fisher, who will be working with set designer and technical director Rebeca Lake, costume and props designer Anna Fisher and stage manager Phillip Padgett. Anna Fisher is especially looking forward to the show and transporting the audience to Pemberley through set design and wardrobe.

“I’m thrilled to be working with our new technical director, Rebeca Lake, on this show,” she said. “Our vision of this pre-Victorian era set includes quaint tree trimmings and an exquisite library. We will be renting some gorgeous costumes from Glenn Breed at Wardrobe Witchery in Pensacola. This show will be a visual Christmas feast with the charm and wit to match.”

Performances will take place Dec. 12–14 and 19–21 at 7:30 p.m. Performances will also take place Dec. 15 and 22 at 2 p.m. Educational field trips are available Dec. 13, 18 and 19 at 10 a.m. All performances will take place at Emerald Coast Theatre Company, located at 560 Grand Blvd., Suite 200 in Miramar Beach. Visit EmeraldCoastTheatre.org for more details, ticket sales and field trip booking information.

EMERALD COAST THEATRE COMPANY 560 GRAND BLVD, SUITE 200 | (850) 684-0323 | EMERALDCOASTTHEATRE.ORG

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PHOTO BY NIKKI HEDRICK

RETURN TO JANE AUSTEN’S WORLD THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

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We salute the winners and runners-up of our annual readers’ poll — businesses that have earned the respect and support of their customers For 21 years, the annual Best of Tallahassee event has celebrated the best of the best as voted on by Tallahassee Magazine’s readers. The 2019 winners and runners-up reflect the business establishments that serve our favorite meals, provide the highest quality of health care, dress us in the latest fashions, manage our finances and every service that makes life in the Capital City the best. In the pages that follow, see which businesses were awarded “Best of Tallahassee.” The winners will be celebrated and honored on Nov. 6 at The Champions Club. We thank you, readers, for participating in the Best of Tallahassee poll and giving top businesses the recognition they deserve.

Support for the “Best of Tallahassee” program is provided by presenting sponsor Ox Bottom Animal Hospital and by these additional sponsors: Thomas Howell Ferguson P.A. CPAs, Thompson Crawford & Smiley, Joe Manausa Real Estate, University Center Club, John Gandy Events, Live In Tallahassee and iHeart Radio

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PHOTOS BY WHITNEY FLETCHER AND ILLUSTRATION BY LINDSEY MASTERSON

O F TA L L A H AS S E E

BRUNCH & OUTDOOR DINING RESTAURANT

TABLE 23

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Table 23 McGowan’s Hops and Grapes

The Egg Cafe & Eatery

BRUNCH

TABLE 23

1215 Thomasville Road Table23Tally.com (850) 329-2261

SANDWICH

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Masa Restaurant

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CASUAL DINING

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TASTY PASTRY BAKERY

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Au Péché Mignon French Pastry Shop Downtown

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THE BRASS TAP – MIDTOWN 1321 Thomasville Road, #5 BrassTapBeerBar.com/ MidtownTallahassee (850) 320-6300

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SAGE RESTAURANT 3534 Maclay Blvd. S. SageTallahassee.com (850) 270-9396

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Mayuri Indian Restaurant

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Cypress Restaurant

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FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD 1950 Thomasville Road, Ste. #C FoodGloriousFood.com (850) 224-9974 HONORABLE MENTION

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COFFEE SHOP

Au Péché Mignon French Pastry Shop Downtown

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SAGE RESTAURANT 3534 Maclay Blvd. S. SageTallahassee.com (850) 270-9396

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Cypress Restaurant

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OSAKA JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE 1690 Raymond Diehl Road TheOsakaSteakhouse.com (850) 531-0222

MEXICAN/LATIN AMERICAN RESTAURANT

EL JALISCO MEXICAN RESTAURANT 2022 N. Monroe St. (850) 878-0080

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Nagoya Steakhouse and Sushi

Pepper’s Mexican Grill & Cantina

1456 S. Monroe St. DogEtAl.com (850) 222-4099 HONORABLE MENTION

TABLE 23

1215 Thomasville Road Table23Tally.com (850) 329-2261 Island Wing Company

3596 Kinhega Drive Zbardhis.com (850) 894-9919

HONORABLE MENTION

Bella Bella Italian Restaurant

MOMO’S PIZZA 1416 W. Tennessee St. *Various locations MomosPizza.com (850) 224-9808

HONORABLE MENTION

Decent Pizza

HOPKINS’ EATERY HAMBURGER

VERTIGO BURGERS AND FRIES 1395 E. Lafayette St. VertigoBurgersAndFries.com (850) 878-2020 HONORABLE MENTION

Midtown Caboose

PHOTO BY MATT BURKE

HAPPY HOUR

THE BLU HALO

3431 Bannerman Road, #102 TheBluHalo.com (850) 999-1696

1660 N. Monroe St. *Various locations HopkinsEatery.com (850) 386-4258

921 Thomasville Road KoolBeanz-Cafe.com (850) 224 2466

HONORABLE MENTION

Sage Restaurant

THE BLU HALO

3431 Bannerman Road, #102 TheBluHalo.com (850) 999-1696

MARIE LIVINGSTON’S STEAKHOUSE 2705 Apalachee Parkway MarieLivingstonSteakhouse.com (850) 562-2525 HONORABLE MENTION

Il Lusso Restaurant

KIKU JAPANESE FUSION 3491 Thomasville Road, Suite 12 KikuFusion.com (850) 222-5458 HONORABLE MENTION

Nagoya Steakhouse and Sushi

1415 Timberlane Road, #113 SouthernSeafoodMarket.com (850) 893-7301

1240 Thomasville Road Facebook.com/TheWineLoftWineBar (850) 222-9914

SOUTHERN SEAFOOD MARKET, INC.

3491 Thomasville Road BonefishGrill.com/Locations/FL/ Tallahassee (850) 297-0460

WINE LIST/WINE BAR

Chicken Salad Chick

BONEFISH GRILL

Hobbit American Grill

SEAFOOD MARKET

HONORABLE MENTION

MARTINI/COCKTAIL

1370 Market St. IslandWing.com (850) 692-3116

SUSHI RESTAURANT

KOOL BEANZ CAFE LUNCH

ISLAND WING COMPANY

STEAKHOUSE PIZZA

Z. BARDHI'S ITALIAN CUISINE

HONORABLE MENTION HONORABLE MENTION

Voodoo Dog Restaurant

ITALIAN RESTAURANT

Earley’s Kitchen SPORTS BAR

OUTDOOR DINING RESTAURANT

DOG ET AL

BACKWOODS CROSSING

6725 Mahan Drive BackwoodsCrossing.com (850) 765-3753 HONORABLE MENTION

HONORABLE MENTION

HOT DOG

SOUTHERN CUISINE/FOOD

HONORABLE MENTION

Capital Seafood Market

THE WINE LOFT WINE BAR

HONORABLE MENTION

319 Wine and Cheese Shoppe/Bistro

SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

WINGS

2714 Graves Road WahooSeafoodGrill.com (850) 629-4059

1370 Market St. IslandWing.com (850) 692-3116

WAHOO SEAFOOD GRILL

ISLAND WING COMPANY

HONORABLE MENTION

HONORABLE MENTION

HONORABLE MENTION

HONORABLE MENTION

Table 23

Flying Bear Great American Grill

Wharf Casual Seafood

Hobbit American Grill

TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

November–December 2019

93

Service Providers AIR CONDITIONING/ HEATING

BENSON’S HEATING AND AIR 5402 Tower Road BensonsHVAC.com (850) 562-3132

HONORABLE MENTION

Keith Lawson Services, LLC

ALTERATIONS

SUNSHINE ALTERATIONS INC. 1998 N. Monroe St. (850) 383-1071

EVENT/WEDDING PLANNER

HONORABLE MENTION

Design Alterations

JOHN GANDY EVENTS

3463 Garber Drive JohnGandyEvents.com (850) 570-5999

ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY

ALLEGRO SENIOR LIVING

HONORABLE MENTION

Michelle Does Weddings

4501 Shannon Lakes Drive W. AllegroLiving.com (850) 668-4004 HONORABLE MENTION

Westminster Oaks

AUTO/BODY SHOP

UNIVERSAL COLLISION CENTER 1627 Capital Circle NE UniversalCollision.com (850) 894-3600

BANK

CAPITAL CITY BANK

217 N. Monroe St. CCBG.com (850) 402-7500

HONORABLE MENTION

D.T’s Garage

HONORABLE MENTION

Prime Meridian Bank

CARPET CLEANER

BOWDEN’S CARPET CLEANING & RESTORATION INC. 2901 E. Park Ave., #1300 (850) 656-8224 HONORABLE MENTION

Bill’s Carpet Cleaning

CHILD CARE PROVIDER

WEE CARE CHILD CARE CENTER

3705 N. Monroe St. FellowshipBaptist.org (850) 562-0047 HONORABLE MENTION

AUTOMOBILE DEALER

THE PROCTOR DEALERSHIPS

94

CELL PHONE AND

FACILITY

COMPUTER REPAIR

GOODWOOD MUSEUM & GARDENS

P.O.Box 230 ProctorHonda.com ProctorAcura.com ProctorSubaru.com (850) 576-5165

1600 Miccosukee Road GoodwoodMuseum.org (850) 877-4202

HONORABLE MENTION

HONORABLE MENTION

Kraft Nissan

Governors Club

November–December 2019

Growing Room Tallahassee

BANQUET

TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

COMPUTER REPAIR DOCTOR 523 E. Tennessee St. ComputerRepairDoctor.com (850) 727-8617

CHILDREN’S AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM

ENGAGED ACADEMICS 1485 Market St. EngagedAcademics.org (850) 688-5299

HONORABLE MENTION

IT Net Group, LLC uBreakiFix

HONORABLE MENTION

Wee Care Child Care Center

COUNSELING/ THERAPIST

CROSSROADS COUNSELING AND WELLNESS 2940 E. Park Ave., Suite 1A (850) 692-6540 HONORABLE MENTION

Enso Psych Group, LLC

DENTAL PRACTICE

CHICHETTI TORGERSON & HARTLEY 1305 Thomaswood Drive TallahasseeDentistry.com (850) 386-2400 HONORABLE MENTION

Dr. James F. Walton III, DDS & Dr. David W. Cardman, DMD

FINANCIAL ADVISOR

SIX PILLARS FINANCIAL ADVISORS

3343 Thomasville Road *Various locations SixPillarsFA.com (850) 410-3568 HONORABLE MENTION

Waddell & Reed Financial Advisors CREDIT UNION

FIRST COMMERCE CREDIT UNION *Various locations FirstCommerceCU.org (850) 224-4960

DERMATOLOGY PRACTICE

DERMATOLOGY ASSOCIATES OF TALLAHASSEE 1714 Mahan Center Blvd.

Datfl.com (850) 877-4134

HONORABLE MENTION

FSU Credit Union

HONORABLE MENTION

Pamela S. Kennedy, MD, PA Skin & Cancer Associates

FITNESS STUDIO

THE REFINERY BARRE FITNESS STUDIO 1894 Thomasville Road TheRefineryFitness.com (850) 999-8182 HONORABLE MENTION

Sweat Therapy Fitness

CUSTOMER SERVICE

ENGAGED ACADEMICS

1485 Market St. EngagedAcademics.org (850) 688-5299

FLOORING DRY CLEANER

BLUE RIBBON CLEANERS 1102 E. Lafayette St. (850) 942-5919

HONORABLE MENTION

Keith Lawson Services, LLC

HONORABLE MENTION

O’Brien's Shamrock Cleaners

(CARPET/TILE/ETC)

ABC FLOORING CENTER

1516-B Capital Circle SE Tallahassee.AbbeyCarpet.com (850) 877-6600 HONORABLE MENTION

Floorida Floors CHIROPRACTOR

GENE E. JENKINS, JR., DC, PA 1298 Timberlane Road GeneJenkinsChiro.com (850) 668-4057

HONORABLE MENTION

Fiorini Chiropractic Center, P.A.

DANCE STUDIO

TALLAHASSEE DANCE ACADEMY

1409 Maclay Commerce Drive TDADance.com (850) 893-3422

ELECTRICAL COMPANY

LAWSON & LAWSON ELECTRICAL SERVICES 5019 Metzke Lane LLElectrical.com (850) 562-4111

HONORABLE MENTION

Dance Fusion Studios of Tallahassee

HONORABLE MENTION

DAY SPA

FAMILY PHYSICIAN PRACTICE

FLORIST

DARIN JONES FLORAL DESIGNS

3463 Garber Drive DarinJonesFloralDesigner.com (850) 228-5040

Weston Trawick, Inc. HONORABLE MENTION

A Country Rose Florist

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

PHOTO BY ALICIA OSBORNE

AGENCY

COLDWELL BANKER HARTUNG AND NOBLIN

MILLENNIUM NAIL & DAY SPAS

TALLAHASSEE PRIMARY CARE ASSOCIATES

GYM/HEALTH CENTER

PREMIER HEALTH & FITNESS CENTER

3303 Thomasville Road ColdwellBankerTallahassee.com (850) 386-6160

3427 Bannerman Road, Suite 201 MillenniumNailandDaySpa.com (850) 894-4772

1803 Miccosukee Commons Drive TallahasseePrimaryCare.com (850) 297-0114

HONORABLE MENTION

HONORABLE MENTION

HONORABLE MENTION

HONORABLE MENTION

NAI TALCOR

Bumblebee Waxing and More

Capital Health Plan

Sweat Therapy Fitness

3521 Maclay Blvd.

PremierTLH.com (850) 431-2348

TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

November–December 2019

95

Service Providers continued

MONOGRAMMING/ EMBROIDERY SERVICES

FULL PRESS APPAREL, INC. 3445 Garber Drive FullPressApparel.com (850) 222-1003

HONORABLE MENTION

The Polka Dot Press M&M Monogramming and More

HAIR SALON/STUDIO

INTERIOR DESIGN FIRM

LIMO SERVICE

226 E. 6th Ave. Salon6Tally.com (850) 577-1244

LauraBryantDesign.com (850) 694-2297

3109 W. Tennessee St. LimoMike.com (850) 251-6453

SALON 6 TALLAHASSEE

LAURA BRYANT DESIGN, LLC HONORABLE MENTION

Jennifer Taylor Design

HONORABLE MENTION

Melissa’s

MIKES LIMOUSINE SERVICE INC.

HONORABLE MENTION

Pro Limo Tallahassee

BUMBLEBEE WAXING AND MORE 359 N. Monroe St. BumblebeeWaxing.com (850) 631-1868

LAWN SERVICES

ESPOSITO GARDEN CENTER

2743 Capital Circle NE EspositoGardenCenter.com (850) 386-2114

AMWAT MOVING WAREHOUSING & STORAGE 319 Ross Road AMWATMovers.com (850) 877-7131

HONORABLE MENTION

Two Men and a Truck

LANDSCAPING/ HAIR WAX/LASER SERVICES

MOVING COMPANY

MAID SERVICE/ HOUSE CLEANING

APPLE PIE MAIDS CLEANING ApplePieMaids.com (850) 273-9082

HONORABLE MENTION

HONORABLE MENTION

HONORABLE MENTION

Silhouette LLC

Grass Monkeys

Housekeeping For The Busy LLC

NAIL SALON

MILLENNIUM NAIL & DAY SPAS

3427 Bannerman Road, Suite 201 MillenniumNailandDaySpa.com (850) 894-4772 HONORABLE MENTION

Nail Country INSURANCE AGENCY

LAW FIRM/ATTORNEY PRACTICE

WOODHAM INSURANCE

1535 Killearn Center Blvd., Suite C-6 WoodhamInsurance.com (850) 597-9503

96

BARRETT NONNI & HOMOLA 326 Williams St. BNHLegal.com (850) 601-1111

MEDICAL SPA

ALLURE LASER MEDISPA

322 McDaniel St. AllureLaserMedispa.com (850) 877-1111

HONORABLE MENTION

HONORABLE MENTION

HONORABLE MENTION

Hendrickson Insurance Services, Inc.

Thompson, Crawford & Smiley

Tallahassee Plastic Surgery Clinic

November–December 2019

TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

OBSTETRIC/GYNECOLOGICAL PRACTICE

NORTH FLORIDA WOMEN’S CARE

1401 Centerville Road, Suite 202 NFLWC.com (850) 877-7241

HONORABLE MENTION

Gynecology and Obstetrics Associates, Inc.

OPTOMETRY/OPHTHALMOLOGY PRACTICE

HATHAWAY WALTER, OD 255 John Knox Road DoctorHathaway.net (850) 385-0255

HONORABLE MENTION

Eye Associates of Tallahassee

ORTHODONTIC PRACTICE

NORTH FLORIDA ORTHODONTIC SPECIALIST

3051 Highland Oaks Terrace, Suite 4 DrB4Braces.com (850) 656-3917 HONORABLE MENTION

Clark Orthodontics

PEDIATRIC PRACTICE

NORTH FLORIDA PEDIATRICS

3606 Maclay Blvd., Suite 102 NorthFloridaPeds.com (850) 877-1162 HONORABLE MENTION

Professional Park Pediatrics

PHOTOS BY JENNIFER EKRUT AND COURTESY OF MILLER’S TREE SERVICE

PEST CONTROL SERVICE

1ST CHOICE PEST SERVICES 3070 Elmwood Road 1stChoicePest.com (850) 656-5982

HONORABLE MENTION

PLUMBING SERVICE

KEITH LAWSON SERVICES, LLC P.O. Box 37309 KeithLawson.com (850) 562-2600

HONORABLE MENTION

Keith McNeill Plumbing Cont. Inc.

RESIDENTIAL REAL

SPORTS/PHYSICAL THERAPY

ESTATE AGENCY

COLDWELL BANKER HARTUNG AND NOBLIN

3303 Thomasville Road ColdwellBankerTallahassee.com (850) 386-6160 HONORABLE MENTION

TALLAHASSEE ORTHOPEDIC CLINIC 3334 Capital Medical Blvd.

Tlhoc.com (850) 877-8174 HONORABLE MENTION

North Florida Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center

Joe Manausa Real Estate POOL REPAIR/SERVICE COMPANY

BARKSDALE CUSTOM POOLS, INC. 1754-A Thomasville Road BarksdaleCustomPools.com (850) 556-8348 HONORABLE MENTION

Fain Builders Inc.

SURGICAL PRACTICE

TALLAHASSEE ORTHOPEDIC CLINIC

ROOFING REPAIR/ SERVICES

TADLOCK ROOFING

502 Capital Circle SE, Unit C1 TadlockRoofing.com (850) 877-5516

HONORABLE MENTION

Southland Rowe Roofing, Inc.

Tallahassee Plastic Surgery Clinic North Florida Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center

SECURITY

TREE SERVICE

HONORABLE MENTION PRINTING/COPYING SERVICES

3334 Capital Medical Blvd.

Tlhoc.com (850) 877-8174

KARMANOS PRINTING AND GRAPHICS 1754 Thomasville Road KarmanosPrinting.com (850) 222-7210

HONORABLE MENTION

Target Print & Mail

RESIDENTIAL BUILDER/ CONTRACTOR

KESSLER CONSTRUCTION

3375-C Capital Circle NE, Suite 200A KesslerConstructionLLC.com (850) 997-4540 HONORABLE MENTION

Premier Fine Homes

Paul’s Termite and Pest Control

MILLER’S TREE SERVICE

SYSTEM

REDWIRE

1136 Thomasville Road Redwire.com (850) 219-9473 HONORABLE MENTION

RESIDENTIAL PAINTER

4951 Woodlane Circle MillerTreesrv.com (850) 894-TREE (8733)

HONORABLE MENTION

Fielder Tree Service

ADT Security Services

TRICKEY PHOTOGRAPHY

SUPERIOR PAINTING OF TALLAHASSEE, INC.

SIGN COMPANY

1920 N. Monroe St. Fastsigns.com/373 (850) 894-2400

1909 Capital Circle NE InspiredByFit.com (850) 385-1105

HONORABLE MENTION

HONORABLE MENTION

HONORABLE MENTION

HONORABLE MENTION

Asbury Ever After

Sunbelt Painting Services LLC

Apogee Signs

Healthy Solutions

PHOTOGRAPHER

5358 Water Valley Drive TrickeyPhotos.com (850) 879-5367

2184 Lake Hall Road SuperiorPainting.net (850) 297-1882

WEIGHT LOSS/CONTROL PROGRAM

FIT MEDICAL WEIGHT LOSS & WELLNESS CENTER

FASTSIGNS

TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

November–December 2019

97

Shopping ANTIQUE SHOP

THE OTHER SIDE VINTAGE

607 McDonnell Drive TheOtherSideVintage.com (850) 224-6666 HONORABLE MENTION

Talquin Trading Co. Memory Lane Antiques

EYEGLASS STORE

TALLAHASSEE EYE CENTER

FURNITURE STORE

TURNER’S FINE FURNITURE

2858 Mahan Drive TallahasseeEyeCenter.com (850) 216-2020

2151 U.S. Highway 319 S. TurnerFurniture.com (850) 210-0446

HONORABLE MENTION

Hatcher Opticians

HONORABLE MENTION

POP’S ATTIC OF TALLAHASSEE

GIFT STORE

LOLI & THE BEAN

HONORABLE MENTION

Walter Green Boutique

KIDS CLOTHING

HARPER HILL KIDS BOUTIQUE 1350 Market St., #105 Instagram: harperhillkids (850) 320-6989 HONORABLE MENTION

MEN’S SHOES

KEVIN’S GUNS AND SPORTING GOODS 3350 Capital Circle NE KevinsGuns.com (850) 386-5544

WOMEN’S ACCESSORIES

WALTER GREEN BOUTIQUE

1817 Thomasville Road, #530 WalterGreenBoutique.com (850) 999-6105 HONORABLE MENTION

Narcissus

Kids Pointe Resale & Boutique NURSERY/GARDEN CENTER MEN'S ACCESSORIES

NIC’S TOGGERY

TALLAHASSEE NURSERIES

212 S. Monroe St. NicsToggery.com (850) 222-0687

2911 Thomasville Road TallahasseeNurseries.com (850) 385-2162

HONORABLE MENTION

HONORABLE MENTION

WOMEN’S CLOTHING

WALTER GREEN BOUTIQUE

1817 Thomasville Road, #530 WalterGreenBoutique.com (850) 999-6105

Southern Compass Outfitters

ESPOSITO GARDEN CENTER

HONORABLE MENTION

MEN’S CLOTHING

TEEN CLOTHING STORE

WOMEN’S SHOES

212 S. Monroe St. NicsToggery.com (850) 222-0687

1350 Market St., Suite 100 LillyPinkNarcissus.com (850) 597-8201

1408 Timberlane Road NarcissusStyle.com (850) 668-4807

Narcissus

JEWELRY STORE

THE GEM COLLECTION

NIC’S TOGGERY

3501 Thomasville Road GemCollection.com (850) 893-4171

98

PINK NARCISSUS

NARCISSUS

HONORABLE MENTION

HONORABLE MENTION

HONORABLE MENTION

HONORABLE MENTION

Tallahassee Diamond Center

Southern Compass Outfitters

Loli & the Bean

Sparkle Tallahassee

November–December 2019

TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE GEM COLLECTION AND TURNER’S FINE FURNITURE

1400 Village Square Blvd. loliandthebean.com (850) 576-5654

At Walter Green Boutique, we love beautiful and easy fashion, which is why we bring you beautiful, easy and fun styles for everyday life!

2018

We are so honored to be nominated in the Top 2 for Best Gifts, Accessories and Clothing for 2019 Best of Tallahassee!

135 W. Highway 98, Port St. Joe | 1817 Thomasville Road Tallahassee | WalterGreenBoutique.com @waltergreenboutique |

Walter Green Boutique |

Walter Green Style

TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

November–December 2019

99

Entertainment ENTERTAINMENT VENUE

MONTICELLO OPERA HOUSE

185 W. Washington St. MonticelloOperaHouse.org (850) 997-4242 HONORABLE MENTION

Cascades Park City of Tallahassee Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Affairs Department

GOLF COURSE

SOUTHWOOD GOLF CLUB 3750 Grove Park Drive SouthwoodGolf.com (850) 942-4653

HONORABLE MENTION

Golf Club at Summerbrooke

NIGHTLIFE/LIVE MUSIC VENUE

FIFTH AND THOMAS

1122-1 Thomasville Road FifthAndThomas.com (850) 391-9553 HONORABLE MENTION

Bradfordville Blues Club

100

November–December 2019

TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

PHOTOS BY SAIGE ROBERTS (MONTICELLO OPERA HOUSE) AND DAVE BARFIELD (FIFTH AND THOMAS)

SERVING IN FLORIDA & GEORGIA 2018

Protecting clients and promoting our community for over 25 years.

Servingourour Clients...

Serving our Community Divorce | Employment Law ||Bankruptcy Law Divorce | Personal Injury Bankruptcy ||Probate/Estate Probate/Estate| |Business Family Law Foreclosure Death | Construction Law | Contracts | Insurance Claims Personal Injury|| Wrongful Family Law | Foreclosure | Construction Law | Contracts

2014, 2014, 20162016 andand 20172017 of Tallahassee winner BestBest of Tallahassee winner

Attorneys Admitted to Practice in Florida and Georgia | in Offices in Tallahassee and |Tampa | 1330 Thomasville Road, Tallahassee | TallahasseeTrialLawyer.com | P: 850-386-5777 | F: 850-386-8507 Attorneys Admitted to Practice in Florida and Georgia | Offices Tallahassee and Tampa 1330 Thomasville Road, Tallahassee | TallahasseeTrialLawyer.com | P: 850-386-5777 | F: 850-386-8507

30 years in business

Blue Ribbon cleaners is committed to providing you the best dry cleaning experience, offering quality cleaning services at competitive prices.

Being locally owned and operated means Blue Ribbon provides that local connection Tallahassee has grown to trust and respect.

Come in and see us today!

Monday – Friday 7am–6pm Saturday 8am–2pm Thank you, Tallahassee!

5 WEEKS $99 NEW LOCATION TRULY UNLIMITED! 2018

WORLD CLASS FEATURES & SERVICE 1894 THOMASVILLE ROAD CAPITAL PLAZA

REFINERYBARRE.COM | 850-999-8182

Best Dry Cleaner

Three Convenient Locations 1660 N. Monroe . 2107 Capital Circle NE . 1102 E. Lafayette

TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

November–December 2019

101

Community RADIO PERSONALITY

REAL TALK 93.3

LOCAL PARK

2507 Callaway Road, Suite 204 RealtTalk93.com (850) 386-8255

HONORABLE MENTION

Mornings with Cash and Woody – Adams Radio Group

TV PERSONALITY

CASANOVA NURSE, WTXL

CASCADES PARK - CITY OF TALLAHASSEE PARKS, RECREATION AND NEIGHBORHOOD AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT 1201 Myers Park Drive Talgov.com (850) 891-3866

HONORABLE MENTION

Tom Brown Park - City of Tallahassee Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Affairs Department

wtxl.com

HONORABLE MENTION

Rob Nucatola, WCTV

SPORTING GOODS STORE

HONORABLE MENTION

B & B Sporting Goods

LOCAL CHARITY/NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION

ROTARY YOUTH CAMP OF NORTH FLORIDA INC. P.O. Box 10426 rycnf.org (850) 328-0302

COMMUNITY EVENT

1355 Market St., A11 LoftyPursuits.com (850) 521-0091

1894 Thomasville Road TheRefineryFitness.com (850) 999-8182

501 E. Tennessee St., Suite A SpringtimeTallahasse.com (850) 224-5012

HONORABLE MENTION

HONORABLE MENTION

BREWERY/CRAFT BEER

PLACE TO TAKE THE KIDS

JUICE/SMOOTHIE BAR

GROWLER COUNTRY

3305 Capital Circle NE GrowlerCountry.com (850) 765-7771

FROZEN TREAT

WEDDING VENUE

THE SPACE AT FEATHER OAKS

6500 Miccosukee Road TheSpaceAtFeatherOaks.com (850) 559-0424 HONORABLE MENTION

Goodwood Museum & Gardens

SPRINGTIME TALLAHASSEE

LEMOYNE ARTS Tally Mac Shack Fun4TallyKids

Ology Brewing Co.

Hang Tough Foundation

THE REFINERY BARRE FITNESS STUDIO

HONORABLE MENTION

HONORABLE MENTION

HONORABLE MENTION

November–December 2019

BUSINESS’ SOCIAL MEDIA TO FOLLOW

LOFTY PURSUITS

3350 Capital Circle NE KevinsGuns.com (850) 386-5544

102

FOOD TRUCK

LOFTY PURSUITS 1355 Market St., A11 LoftyPursuits.com (850) 521-0091

HONORABLE MENTION

Nuberri Frozen Yogurt at Blair Stone Road Big Easy Snowballs

TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

TALLAHASSEE MUSEUM 3945 Museum Drive TallahasseeMuseum.org (850) 575-8684

HANGAR 38

6668 Thomasville Road TheHangar38.com (850) 999-2606

AXIOS LIFESTYLE SPA

1122 Thomasville Road, Suite 3 AxiosLifestyleSpa.com Honorable Mention (850) 765-5064 HONORABLE MENTION

Tropical Smoothie Cafe

HONORABLE MENTION

Urban Air Adventure Park LOCAL BAND

TOP SHELF BAND

COSMETIC VENDOR

BUMBLEBEE WAXING AND MORE

TopShelfTallahssee.com (816) 885-3252

359 N. Monroe St. BumblebeeWaxing.com (850) 631-1868

HONORABLE MENTION

HONORABLE MENTION

Highway 85

Kanvas Boutique & Day Spa

PHOTO COURTESY OF OFFICE OF ECONOMIC VITALITY AND BLUEPRINT

KEVIN’S GUNS AND SPORTING GOODS

PROMOTION

SHOULD YOU SELL YOUR HOME OVER THE HOLIDAYS? ADVICE FROM TALLAHASSEE’S TOP REALTOR JOE MANAUSA

T

he holidays are right around the corner, and many people are getting into the festive spirit. Now is the time for celebration and Santa Claus, not spreadsheets and home sales … or is it?

If you’re thinking of selling your home, you may have decided to wait until after the holidays. There are many benefits to this train of thought.

First, listing your home for sale over the holidays is inconvenient. You never know when a buyer may want to see your house. So, your home must remain “show ready” at all times. It can be a challenge to declutter and keep everything tidy when your home is overflowing with turkey, trees and tinsel.

Also, the kids are out of school, and you’re spending more time at home. But every time you slip into those holiday pajamas, the phone rings and there’s another showing. This means you have to pack up the family and head out of the house.

Despite these inconveniences, I almost always recommend that sellers list their home over the holidays.

Before you spew your eggnog, let me tell you why…

I’ll let you in on a little secret: Just like you, most of your competition (aka other home sellers) don’t want to deal with the inconvenience of showing their home over the holidays. But fewer homes for sale means it will be easier for your house to stand out and get exposure.

Second, you’re more likely working with motivated buyers. Those “lookie loos” won’t be tromping through your home over the holidays. Instead, only serious buyers take time away from their friends and family to go look at homes they are highly interested in purchasing.

So while it may be slightly inconvenient to list your home for sale over the holidays, you can reap the benefits by getting more exposure for your home and offers from serious buyers only.

How’s that for a holiday treat?

J O E M A N A U S A R E A L E S TAT E 2 0 6 6 T H O M A S V I L L E R O A D

|

(850) 366-8917

|

TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

MANAUSA.COM

November–December 2019

103

Advertising, marketing and public relations agencies in Tallahassee say their imagery keeps them inspired, focused and on target. Clockwise from top left: BowStern Marketing Communications, The Mitchells Agency, Compass Marketing & Consulting, and Sachs Media Group.

104

November–December 2019

TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

Storytellers 21ST CENTURY

TALLAHASSEE ADVERTISING AND MARKETING AGENCIES SAY THEY FIND SUCCESS THROUGH, AMONG OTHER THINGS, TECHNOLOGY, TWITTER AND TRUTH

They’re the storytellers and the trendsetters. And to the businesses they serve, they’re the magicians. Advertising, marketing and public relations companies are not waiting for the next best thing. They’ve already created it.

Poof! Now you have a catchy and creative ad that thousands will see and remember.

Simple is effective — as T-Mobile’s fivetone jingle makes clear — and symbolism is key for companies such as Tallahassee’s BowStern Marketing Communications, Compass Marketing & Consulting, The Mitchells Agency and Sachs Media Group.

Some will tell you it’s all about connecting in an age when it’s difficult to get anybody to look and listen.

“You’re looking at 6-second video snips now to capture people’s attention versus the 30 seconds that you’re used to, or 60 on television,” said Robin Stefanovich, president and CEO of The Mitchells Agency. “Now you have to inspire somebody almost immediately to pay attention.”

For these agencies, the drab suit-and-tie wearing nine-to-fivers of yesteryear are gone.

“Mad Men?” Forget them.

Enter open doors, collaboration spaces, coffee on tap — and women, who are leading agencies, cultivating culture, inspiring creativity and implementing policies that aim to keep employees growing and feeling valued.

To compete in the digital age, today’s agencies must extend far beyond advertising.

Many consider themselves one-stop shops that offer services in social media marketing, web development and more.

Tallahassee agencies say they honor and appreciate the homegrown clients who have gotten them where they are today.

But what drives today’s agencies? What do they believe in? And how are they standing out from the crowd?

Get answers from these local leaders and award-winning agencies.

STORY BY ZACHARY BETHEL, KAITLYN HENDERSON AND PETE REINWALD // PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRUCE PALMER

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BOWSTERN MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS CEO: Kelly Robertson President: Tom Derzypolski Number of employees: 30, with

usually five to eight interns Locations: 1650 Summit Lake

Drive, Suite 101, Tallahassee; plus Jacksonville, Tampa and Savannah, Georgia Services: The agency touts itself

as a fully integrated branding and marketing company that works in web design, social media, public relations, graphic design and videography.

Clients include: Gold’s Gym, Word of South festival, Deep Brewing Co. Company culture and imagery:

Tom Derzypolski, president, with Kelly Robertson, CEO

“It’s so simple yet effective,” said Robertson of the Kilo flag. “It takes on many different forms and meanings for our team.”

The setting: The interior features

subtle nods to the nautical and marine. Ernest Hemingway quotes hang around the office, along with portholes, oars and other boating objects. The conference room table is shaped like, you guessed it, a boat.

Otherwise it’s open and spacious, including collaboration spaces and

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even a nursery for new mothers and fathers. In addition to paid maternity leave, BowStern offers paid paternity leave.

As a mother, Robertson values the nursery.

“It made the transition back into working easier for myself,” she said.

Away from the nursery, staffers can treat themselves to beer or coldbrew coffee.

“It’s tapped out a lot,” Robertson said. “We enjoy our beer around

DEEP BREWING CAN COURTESY OF BOWSTERN.COM

BowStern’s logo is two adjacent squares, one yellow, the other blue.

They represent a maritime symbol known as the Kilo flag. When raised, the Kilo flag means a ship has a “desire to communicate.” BowStern displays a real World War II Kilo flag behind the office manager’s desk.

President Tom Derzypolski is a Navy veteran, and much of these ideas stem from his background.

BowStern won Silver recognition for “Packaging Campaign” in the 2019 American Advertising Awards for its work with Tallahassee’s Deep Brewing Co.

here, apparently. But the cold brew taps more quickly than the beer, so we might have more caffeine addicts than alcoholics. Upper in the morning, downer at the end of the day. Everyone’s more creative with beer, right?”

The BowStern web site says Robertson “thinks confidence is sexy,” “always wants to push ideas / campaigns farther” and “typically has a beer in hand.”

A recent ad that exemplifies what they’re all about: BowStern won

BowStern features an open and spacious workspace that includes spaces for collaboration. Portholes, oars and other boating objects abound — as does beer.

“Everyone’s more creative with beer, right?” asks CEO Kelly Robertson.

Silver recognition for “Packaging Campaign” in the 2019 American Advertising Awards for its work with — speaking of beer — Tallahassee’s Deep Brewing Co. The work focused on can design and packaging for the Spear Pressure British Golden Ale and the Reef Dweller India Pale Ale. Deep’s owner and head brewer, Ryan LaPete, was a professional military diver.

The cans pay homage to LaPete’s life and Deep’s diving nature. The Spear Pressure can features a hammerhead shark with a spear fisher. The Reef Dweller includes an old diving helmet.

BowStern also worked with local Gold’s Gym locations to create a viral ad campaign. The agency printed postcards and invited community members to rip one, thereby showing their strength, and win a free membership. “The catch?”

BowStern says. “We printed the postcards on non-rip synthetic paper.”

“We had so many people coming in and trying to rip it,” Robertson said. “It ended up snowballing into this organic effort where people would hand their piece to a friend

or spouse or coworker and video the individual trying to rip the piece of paper. It created a whole viral campaign for the clubs.”

She added: “How can we break through the clutter of paper mail pieces that are coming across desks?

Sometimes it’s as simple as the type of paper you are printing on.”

National ad they liked: Robertson likes fun and bold social media accounts, such as those of Burger King, Wendy’s and MoonPie. “I like the ones that are a little more edgy,” Robertson said. “Their entire tone on Twitter is so snarky and humorous and refreshing. It’s fun when clients choose to be that bold, and that’s a hard thing to do. It’s risky, and at the end of the day there is a lot of money on the line.”

Robertson also highlighted a human trafficking billboard in a European transit station that she found creative. The message changed depending on the height of the person looking at it.

“From an adult’s vantage point, it was a billboard about human trafficking … and the height for someone who was a smaller child, the billboard read differently: ‘If you are being captured right now, here’s how you can get help,’” she said. “It was quite literally a different billboard and a different message based on your height. I thought, ‘That is so cool. That is very innovative marketing.’ Your target audience, not just what they look like and who they are, but what height they are.

“To see people do really interesting things like that, it inspires me.”

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Agency director: Daryl Green Number of employees: 17 Location: 1711 Capital Circle NE,

Tallahassee Services: Compass considers itself a

full-service agency. Services include graphic design and layout, website creation, copywriting and editing, social media strategy, branding and “guerilla marketing.”

Clients include: Lucky Goat Coffee, Proctor Dealerships, Goodwill Industries Big Bend Company culture and imagery: “The company name and

logo say it all. It’s all about direction and,” Green said, “helping business owners find their way.

“Marketing and advertising have become a progressively complex thing, particularly as we have morphed into digital,”

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Green said. “So now you’ve got all these different layers, all these different touch points that you never had before. When you take something like, for example, social media, and there it changes weekly, all the algorithms change, all the interaction points change on a whim. So, to be competitive, you have to have folks who are specialized in that field, who are very adaptive, who are psychologically balanced to be able to come in and relearn their job.”

To that end, Green says, every employee receives one hour a day of paid time to devote to continuing education. It could be a YouTube tutorial or an online course, for example. “As long as it’s relevant to your career arc,” he says, “I’m going to approve it.”

Compass also emphasizes fun. In a recent internal video series called “The Nosey Intern,” a young woman with a video camera would bombard off-put and perhaps creeped-out employees with questions about themselves as they tried to get their work done. One video featured Green fielding one

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personal question after another as he sat at his desk and multi-tasked.

Video interviewer: “What do you think of Facebook hashtags?”

Green: “I think that’s the most millennial thing I’ve ever ever heard.”

Another interviewer: “List eight things you hate.”

Green: “Clowns, monkeys, mimes, Regis Philbin, wicker furniture, phonebooks, the letter F and glitter.”

The setting: Green’s office features high ceilings, generous windows, artwork of the Compass logo, and an oversized Compass brand style guide.

It also includes Charlie, his dog, who follows Green and a visitor around the bright and airy building.

The building is right next door to Proctor Subaru, and that’s no accident. The agency launched in 2005 as the marketing arm of Proctor Dealerships.

The agency would become a separate unit of Proctor that includes the dealerships among its clients. “I don’t think we as an agency could have been as sort of short-term successful as we have been without that background in automotive,” Green

AD CAMPAIGNS PROVIDED BY COMPASS MARKETING AND CONSULTING

COMPASS MARKETING AND CONSULTING

Charlie maintains a presence inside Compass’ bright and airy setting, which emphasizes fun and continuing education but holds no tolerance for eight things the boss can’t stand: “clowns, monkeys, mimes, Regis Philbin, wicker furniture, phonebooks, the letter F and glitter.”

to utilize and elevate that word of mouth into something where somebody can see themselves in that person. … If you go there and look at that series, we tried to be very diverse because we wanted folks to be able to see themselves in that.”

Agency director Daryl Green with his dog, Charlie

said. “Automotive tends to be ahead of the curve with a lot of these things.”

Recent ad that exemplifies what they’re all about: A campaign for

Tallahassee dentist Russell Rainey, DMD. Videos and ads featured “slightly recognizable” Tallahassee

“

I think that level of comfort motivates you to take care of yourself and the expertise they offer is priceless.

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residents with full, sparkling smiles in recognizable Tallahassee settings, along with a theme such as “health,” “comfort,” “courage” and “confidence.”

“It’s a boutique-style practice, and it’s really based around the experience — you know, dental work is not one of those things that people generally think fondly of,” Green said. “He is the best when it comes to this. We have no question about that.”

The campaign included large print ads that gave the appearance of a magazine cover — one person, one theme word and a brief testimonial that emphasized that theme.

Compass framed and put those ads in its client’s dentist office.

“I’m not ignorant to the fact that no amount of money you can spend in marketing and advertising replaces word of mouth,” Green said. “That’s always going to trump everything. So if we can find a way

National ad they liked: A Mercedes-Benz video in which the narrator explains the relationship between himself and his father, a blind mechanic who had dreamed of driving a car. As the narrator talks, the video shows his father smiling as he works on cars, laughing with his son, and then reading a letter in braille from Mercedes-Benz. The letter says the company’s about to make his dream come true.

With his son as a passenger, the man settles into a sports car in an Oregon desert and accelerates to well over 100 mph — smiling and laughing joyfully along the way.

The ad ends with father and son embracing beside the car.

“It’s not, ‘Yay us, Mercedes,’ ” Green said. “The car is secondary, and that was interesting.”

He said the ad aligned with the takeaway from a recent digital marketing conference that Compass attended.

“Make the customer the hero,” Green said, emphasizing the message of the conference. “That’s something I think a lot of people have gotten away from — make the end-user, make the customer, the hero.”

“Make the customer the hero. That’s something I think a lot of people have gotten away from — make the end-user, make the customer, the hero.” — DARYL GREEN, AGENCY DIRECTOR TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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THE MITCHELLS AGENCY CEO and president: Robin Stefanovich Chief creative officer: Erich

Stefanovich Number of employees: 14 Location: 1311 E. 7th Ave., Tallahassee Services: The Mitchells touts itself as a full-service agency that offers work in marketing, digital media, social media, public relations, web development and even app development.

Clients include: Tallahassee

Memorial HealthCare, Florida State University, Tropical Smoothie Cafe Company culture and imagery:

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Erich Stefanovich, chief creative officer, with Robin Stefanovich, CEO and president

for very long. So it’s really nice every day to be inspired about something.

Even when I worked in past agencies on tobacco, you know, anti-smoking stuff, it was always with the spin of ‘You’re worth it. You don’t need to do these things to your body. Here’s a way out. We can help.’ I love that kind of work. Fear does not work.

We should embrace and cherish those things that make us human and celebrate them.”

The setting: From the lobby area, you see a conference room, and beyond that, you see a bright open area where the work gets done.

Even during the summer, Christmas lights hug desks and hang from the ceiling. Generous windows highlight Tallahassee’s green and natural outdoors. And artwork features

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Lloyd the llama looking at you as if to say, “Hey, I’m here.”

Lloyd also might be telling visitors: This agency is so in tune that its leaders finish each other’s sentences.

“You go down there, and there’s Christmas lights hanging up,” Erich said in July from the conferenceroom table. “You don’t have control over it.” Then he said, referring to team members: “It’s just how they interpret their life and their work life and what they need to inspire them.

It just happened so, you know … ” “... Lloyd stuck,” Robin said.

Erich nodded. “Lloyd stuck.”

Recent ad that exemplifies what they’re all about: A “Slip ‘n’

Slide” commercial for Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare that won Best of Broadcast in the 2019 American

PHOTOS BY DAVE BARFIELD (AWARDS, LLAMA AND PANTONE SWATCHES) AND ”SLIP ‘N’ SLIDE” STILLS COURTESY OF THE MITCHELL AGENGY

The Mitchells turned a house near Centerville Road and Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare into the agency’s home and headquarters.

When you walk in, you get a silent greeting from Lloyd, the company’s mini llama mascot who stands atop a desk under a hip red light that hangs from the ceiling.

When Robin and Erich Stefanovich took over the agency about three years ago, web designers included a llama on its website.

“You can’t make culture. You can’t force culture. It just happens,” Erich said. “I’m like, OK, I guess it’s a llama. It just happened.”

The agency says that’s OK, as long as it’s true and inspirational.

“I think our overarching thing is truth and to not hide from it. It’s life and it’s real,” Erich said. “And let’s bring it to you in a way that’s not fearful, not scary, but positive, nurturing and inspiring. That’s the overarching thing — inspiring people — because we’re not on this planet

The llama continues to inspire recognition at The Mitchells, whose “Slip ‘n’ Slide” commercial for Tallahassee Memorial HeathCare’s partnership with Jacksonville’s Wolfson Children’s Hospital won Best of Broadcast in the 2019 American Advertising Awards.The commercial features a determined girl in goggles whose prospects for safety are about to go downhill.

Advertising Awards.

The ad opens with a yard sprinkler, then shows a determinedlooking young girl in a bathing suit, with swimming goggles on her forehead. She asks a girl holding a clipboard who had the best time.

“Friend, 4.9 seconds,” the girl with the clipboard responds.

A narrator discusses TMH’s partnership with a top-ranked children’s hospital, Wolfson, and access to resources for children’s care. When the narrator finishes, the determined girl commands: “Light it.”

An all-inclusive shot shows flames engulf a Hula-Hoop at the bottom of a hill.

The determinedlooking girl jumps up and down at the top of the hill, competitively itching to go down a slip ‘n’ slide that extends through the burning hoop. “As long as kids will be kids,” the narrator says, “we’ll be ready.”

“Not that parents don’t pay attention to their children, but in the blink of an eye, things just happen,” Robin Stefanovich said.

Erich Stefanovich added: “The best part of that campaign inspires parents to believe in TMH — I don’t have to worry because I know they’re there.”

The Mitchells’ leaders said the idea for the ad came from conversations with parents.

“No one wants to see blood and guts and crashed cars and kids

getting hurt,” Erich Stefanovich said.

“We finally just said, we’ll just ask moms and dads: So tell us about your kids. ‘Well, when we’re not looking, they’re in the backyard, setting up jumps and trying to go over the pool …’ So Slip ‘n’ Slide came from just talking to people about life.”

National ad they liked: State Farm’s tongue-twisting commercial featuring “Cheryl” on the phone with her agent as her backyard “She Shed” burns.

Robin Stefanovich says she thinks the commercial connects. “It’s lighthearted,” she said. “Her She Shed burns down, which is really sad. But she’s so excited because she’s going to get an even She Sheer She Shed.”

Erich Stefanovich said he appreciates the Farmers Insurance commercial featuring actor J.K. Simmons with a potential client. “And he’s like, you know, we know a thing or two because we’ve seen a thing or too. And what I love about that commercial is the honesty. And the truth in it is that insurance is one of those commodityboring things. Do you ever think about it? No. It’s like, ‘Every month, I’ve got to write a check for insurance. What am I getting?’ But they made the great case that things happen in life. There’s some other stuff out there that’s just humor for humor sake. I don’t want my insurance to be funny. I want my insurance to be something I could believe in or even trust. It’s …

“It’s smart work,” Robin said.

“With a very fun twist to it,” Erich said.

“Not that parents don’t pay attention to their children, but in the blink of an eye, things just happen.”

— CEO ROBIN STEFANOVICH ABOUT THE AGENCY’S “SLIP ‘N’ SLIDE” AD TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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SACHS MEDIA GROUP CEO: Ron Sachs President: Michelle Ubben Number of employees: About 30 Locations: 114 S. Duval St.,

Tallahassee, plus Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Washington, D.C. Services: It bills itself as an

integrated marketing and communications company. Services include public relations, public affairs, digital crisis management, web design, social media advertising and research.

Clients include: Lauren’s Kids, Florida Department of Veterans Affairs, People’s Trust Insurance Company imagery: Rhinos, at least

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Ron Sachs, CEO, with Michelle Ubben, president

Company culture: The agency says it emphasizes both the client and the employee. That means an effort to avoid working nights and weekends. “We bring excellence and commitment to every outcome for our clients, in everything we do,” Sachs said. “But we don’t live to work — we work to have a life. So we really work to try to have a worklife balance at our firm. We like people going home on time.”

Yet the company expects its employees to deliver. “Our attitude is effort without outcome doesn’t mean anything,” Sachs said. “We have to get great outcomes.”

They do that through storytelling,

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Sachs said — “telling the facts and truths of our clients’ products, services or issues. And doing it in a persuasive way. But always with the facts and truth.”

The setting: Nestled in the midst of

downtown, the office holds a view of some of the city’s most integral structures.

The workspace is open and welcoming, with a central area where several desks merge for collaboration. Toward the back, you’ll find a kitchen/break room that offers a place to relax.

And you’ll spot rhinos everywhere.

REBUILD FLORIDA PHOTOS AND GRAPHICS COURTESY OF DEO

70 of them around the office in the form of plush toys and art work.

A large mural of a rhino breaking through a wall can be seen on the main office floor. The company deems itself “The Breakthrough Agency.” Get it?

“You know, the mystics say that the rhino’s horn has a spiritual power to rip through ambiguity and find clarity on the other side,” Ubben said. “And in the same way, we live in the information age. We have a very cluttered landscape where our clients are trying to break through with their stories, reframe perceptions, and so it fits in very nicely to think about the power of the rhino to break through to clarity in a cluttered landscape for our clients.”

For its Rebuild Florida campaign, Sachs Media Group this year won the Dick Pope All Florida Golden Image Award from the Florida Public Relations Association for the best campaign in the state.

A recent campaign that exemplifies what they’re all about: Rebuild Florida. For that

campaign, Sachs Media Group this year won the Dick Pope All Florida Golden Image Award from the Florida Public Relations Association for the best campaign in the state. In the wake of Hurricane Irma, which battered Florida in September 2017, the firm worked with state agencies to reach residents and make them aware of government benefits available to them.

“In a lot of cases, these were people who were very hard to find, people who were not necessarily trusting of government, who had given up hope,” Ubben said. “We really started with upfront research to understand who they are, where they are, figure out how to target them — and then to work with the state to come up with compelling messaging to break through the barriers that we learned about in our research, to really frame up the messages and the outreach strategy so that very cost effectively we could find those Floridians and make sure that they got connected to the federal dollars.”

National ad they liked: “I love the

Volkswagen commercial,” Ubben said. Set to Simon and Garfunkel’s

“The Sound of Silence,” VW’s Hello Light commercial begins amid darkness, with news reports about the company’s devastating emissions scandal. “You just see employees struggling, burning the midnight oil, tossing paper in the garbage, like starting over,” Ubben said. “Then you see a sparks flying and welding and robotics and a car being built. And then from the darkness emerges what will be their new electric vehicle.” At the end, the ad declares, “In the darkness, we found the light.” Ubben said she found the ad perfectly executed.

“You know, we’re human, and corporations, just like humans, make mistakes. But you’ve got to be able to admit mistakes and then focus on the future.” TM

With rhinos watching from all angles, Sachs Media Group employees work in a setting that the agency says emphasizes worklife balance and high expectations. “Our attitude is effort without outcome doesn’t mean anything,” CEO Ron Sachs says.

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COMPLETING A HISTORIC QUARTET FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH ESTABLISHED SOLID FOOTING BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR, JOINING THREE OTHER DOWNTOWN CHURCHES Fourth in a series on Tallahassee’s historic churches his was Indian territory.

So begins “Window to the Past: A Chronicle of First Baptist Church, Tallahassee, FL.” This was 1823 when William P. DuVal, governor of the Florida territory, commissioned John Lee Williams of Pensacola and Dr. W.H. Simmons of St. Augustine to establish a compromise location between those two cities for meetings of the territory’s legislative council.

They chose a “high, rolling, and well-watered location” smack between the two, the book said. “A more beautiful country can scarcely be imagined,” Williams said of the location.

The next year, Tallahassee would become capital of the Florida Territory.

By 1849, four years after Florida became a state, Tallahassee boomed with almost 1,800 inhabitants and three churches, which we know today as Trinity United Methodist, St. John’s Episcopal and First Presbyterian.

As for First Baptist Church of Tallahassee, “This is where our story begins,” according to “Window to the Past.” Five women and four men, including Theodore W. Brevard and Mrs. C.E. Brevard, organized the Baptist Church of Tallahassee on Nov. 10, 1849.

Five years later, its membership reflected seven white and 258 black members, the book said. On July 4, 1858, it dedicated its first building on the south side of College Avenue, on a lot purchased for $500, the church says.

T

By PETE REINWALD  Photos by DAVE BARFIELD

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→ First Baptist Church consumes a city block, with a College Avenue entrance into its sanctuary and Duval Street and Adams Street entrances into its Welcome Center. In 1849, it became the fourth Tallahassee church established before the Civil War.

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First Baptist Church of Tallahassee today consumes a city block, with a College Avenue entrance into its sanctuary and Duval Street and Adams Street entrances into its Welcome Center. It boasts what senior pastor Dr. Gary Shultz describes as a “multi-generational, multicultural church.”

And it completes a quartet of historic downtown churches, all established before the Civil War and all still within short walking distance of each other. → Rev. Dr. Gary Shultz became Here are highlights from our conversation early senior pastor at this year with Rev. Shultz, who became senior First Baptist in pastor at First Baptist in July 2018. We edited for July 2018. He calls First Baptist a length and context.

ON THE CHURCH’S HISTORY IN TALLAHASSEE …

“multigenerational, multicultural church.”

“Thankfully we have members here who’ve been members 60, 70 years in some cases. Every year, we’re able to celebrate golden anniversaries where you’ve been a member of the church for 50 years. We have a Heritage Sunday — we usually do that around Veterans Day in November. … That’s pretty rare in this day to have that kind of continuity, but every year, we have a few more members who come to that. So they’ve been great resources as far as the history of the church, telling you about what’s been going on in the history of the community.”

ON THE CONGREGATION …

“I would say we are a multigenerational, multicultural church. We have every demographic. We have all kinds of different ethnicities.

We have people of all different kinds of backgrounds who’ve come together. So I would say we’re a diverse congregation unified around the belief that Jesus Christ is Lord, that he is God, that we’re called together to worship him. We give our lives to him.”

ON THE CHURCH’S IDEAS, TENANTS AND BELIEFS, INCLUDING HEAVEN …

“Ultimately, we believe that God is in control of all things, God doesn’t cause evil but that God works good out of evil. We believe that’s the Christian message. We believe and preach the Kingdom of God. It’s understanding that God is bringing about His kingdom, that God is bringing about a time of world peace, of where goodness and justice dominate instead of evil and sin and death. We are in that sense proponents of life. God is the giver of life. As far as the afterlife, we certainly believe that Jesus has defeated death on our behalf, that he brings us into eternal life. … We are called to believe in Jesus Christ as the way, the truth and the life. Repentance is the just the idea that we turn from other ways of belief and commit ourselves to Jesus. Following him implies the idea that we do so with everything that we are, our whole lives.”

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ON INTERNAL EVENTS THAT HAVE PROVEN A CHALLENGE …

“It’s probably harder for me to answer that because I am new.

I know in recent history, the transition between pastors can be a challenge, and so there was a longtime pastor, and then there was an interim period of about two years, and then a pastor who came who was here I think close to three years, and then another interim period between him and I that was about 2½ years. That kind of transition period and uncertainty, I think, can really wear on a church. I don’t know if recovering is the right word, but we’re still moving forward from that and working through some of what’s happened in those interim periods where there wasn’t that pastor, that recognized leader of the congregation.”

↖ Sunday worship service; ↗ Young church members participate in a Disciple Now weekend, an annual youth ministry event for middle school and high school students; ← Church members participate in a community service project.

ON THE CHURCH’S WORK TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN SOCIETY …

PHOTO COURTESY OF FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (RIGHT)

“We’re as involved as we can be to bring to bear our faith to serve our community. We support different organizations around the community as far as helping to stand up for justice, for causes of life where we can make a difference. Certainly, we see that as part of our mission. We’re a benevolent ministry in that sense, by helping those who are in need, not just in our church but beyond our church.”

ON MEETING WITH OTHER CHURCHES IN TOWN TO DISCUSS THE BIGGER PICTURE …

“We’ll participate, for example, in a Lenten series, where we gather with, in particular, other downtown churches, come together around Easter, prepare ourselves for Easter. I’m involved with the Village Square, where there’s other denominations and even other faiths where we get together and have discussions, how best to serve our community, or we’ll have discussions before the community to help them understand how we would work through and think through issues both in a similar and in a different way. I think those discussions can be really helpful.”

ON THE CHURCH HAVING TO ADJUST TO CHANGES IN SOCIETY …

“We’re always called to adjust to society in the sense that we want to most effectively reach you, minister to you, serve you, love you. That’s going to look different depending on where culture is, where people are, where the community is as the community changes around you, and as you consider what your areas of service are, what makes you unique as a church. Any church that’s really attempting to reach beyond itself is constantly having to do that or think through, ‘How can we best minister to you?’ I don’t look at it as a message changing. I look at it as how to best communicate an unchanging message to a changing culture. And when we consider the gospel, we consider who Jesus is, trying to present him in all of his wholeness in a way that our culture will be most receptive to.”

ON THE TOP ISSUES THAT PEOPLE ARE STRUGGLING WITH …

“How to live out their faith in … a culture where it is increasingly harder to live out your faith. Since our culture has become more diverse, there is sometimes an expectation or a demand whether implicit or explicit that we might not live out or communicate aspects of the faith. I find a lot of people are challenged: How do I live out my faith after work? How do I live out my faith just in my neighborhood in a way that won’t be obnoxious or off-putting but in a way that will accurately communicate who we are as believers? When we think of issues of sin or personal struggle … those are as old as the human race. Those continue.

I think people continue to struggle with issues of family, how to best love their children, love their spouse. We live in a culture where increasingly there are multiple understandings of families and how that works before God, how best to do that. Our faith makes a difference there.” TM TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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Courtesy of digitalcommonwealth.org / Moll, Herman, 16801732. A New Map of the North Parts of American Claimed by France, 1720

Map

DR.

Tallahassee dermatologist amasses a large and unique collection of rare Florida maps and wants others to learn from them STORY BY PETE REINWALD // PHOTO BY SAIGE ROBERTS

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B

ehold a map from 1597 in which Florida appears as you might draw it in a game of Pictionary.

The bays and rivers look crude and off the mark, and the peninsula appears chomped at the bottom, as though the big island to the south got hungry.

But the map is otherwise beautiful, detailed and, considering its age, surprisingly accurate.

It marks one of the dozens of rare antique maps that Tallahassee dermatologist Dr. Armand Cognetta has collected through a fascination with Florida, an appreciation of history and an exemplification of his “mapping” work with skin-cancer patients.

“I just started collecting these 25 years ago,” Cognetta says. “All of a sudden, it became a pretty big collection.

All of a sudden, I realized what I had.”

What he has is unique and significant, according to

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dealers and experts who work with him.

Antonio Raimo, an Atlantabased dealer of rare books, maps, paintings and antique prints, says Cognetta has amassed the largest collection of Florida maps that exist in fewer than five copies.

“That’s as straight to the core as you can get,” Raimo says. “There’s no location anywhere that has as many (Florida) maps that are as rare all together in one place.”

Cognetta says he and his wife, Suzanne, aim to see the maps scattered about the state.

They offer to loan batches of them to museums, universities and other institutions that would use them to educate and to preserve history.

Ave Maria University, near Naples, is game. The university’s Canizaro Exhibit Gallery is hosting into early December a Cognetta exhibition called “The Evolution of Florida’s Borders.”

The 21-map exhibition spans

TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

◄ The Cognetta collection includes geographer Corneille Wytfliet’s “Florida et Apalche” map of 1597. Note the representation of Florida extending well to the north.

The doctor’s love of the state inspired his collection. “I just started collecting these 25 years ago,” he says. “All of a sudden, it became a pretty big collection.”

Courtesy of Cognetta collection’s curator, Angie Barry

► Dr. Cognetta’s collection also includes this 1591 LeMoyne map featuring Florida and Cuba. By the looks of the creature in the Gulf of Mexico, sailors had it rough back then. An Atlantabased dealer says Cognetta has amassed the largest collection of Florida maps that exist in fewer than five copies. “Most of these maps are works of art,” Cognetta says.

Courtesy of Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division

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almost 400 years and includes a 1540 map of the Western Hemisphere — “the first to treat the hemisphere as a whole and depict the Americas as distinct north and south continents,” according to a news release from the Cognetta collection’s curator, Angie Barry. The exhibition also includes the work of artist, explorer and cartographer Jacques LeMoyne, the namesake of Tallahassee’s LeMoyne Art Foundation.

“There are so many ideas and collections that we can put together,” says Barry, also the curator of exhibitions and collections at the Gadsden Arts Center & Museum in Quincy. “It was fun to be able to go through his list of works and pull out smaller collections for the general public.”

Cognetta says his maps underscore the geopolitical implications of the Spanish, French and English in the territory-grabbing New World.

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Along the way, boundaries changed, and details emerged or disappeared. Pointy bumps that denoted mountains on the oldest maps of Florida vanished once cartographers understood that those conspicuous features along Florida’s spine were merely sizable hills.

It all started in the 16th century when European explorers — using navigation, eyes and math — drew maps that defined political, economic and cultural boundaries and “played an essential role in the process of transforming North America into a new world populated by American Indians, Africans and Europeans,” according to Newberry Digital Collections for the Classroom.

“I think the history has to be preserved and appreciated,” Cognetta says, “and these maps do that better than anything I know.”

◄ A 1720 map of North America,

by London geographer Herman Moll, gives Florida the shape of India and refers to the massive water body to the east as “The Western Ocean.”

Dr. Cognetta proudly includes this one and dozens of others in his collection.

“I think the history has to be preserved and appreciated,” he says, “and these maps do that better than anything I know.”

Courtesy of digitalcommonwealth.org / Moll, Herman, 16801732. A New Map of the North Parts of American Claimed by France, 1720

Cognetta says his collection has grown to 110 framed maps, plus many others. They include Florida’s Panhandle, including early depictions of Pensacola, Apalachicola and the Aucilla River.

A graduate of the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Cognetta in 1979 landed a residency in family medicine at Tallahassee Memorial. He immediately fell in love with the people, history and topography of Florida, particularly the Panhandle, he says.

His map collection started in the mid-1990s when he sought a particular world map from the 17th century, said Raimo, the Atlantabased dealer who would find that map for Cognetta and would advise him on many others.

Raimo says Cognetta then narrowed his scope to Florida. “He loved Florida, and that’s his home,” he said. “He never went into it to say, ‘I want the rarest maps.’ ” But he has them.

A 1584 map, “La Florida,” seems to show a better understanding of the peninsula than the 1597 map that we likened to Pictionary. The northern part of the peninsula is wider, and the southern part rounds off, with well-defined dots depicting the Keys.

A 1591 LeMoyne map of Florida features small mountains, the French fleur-de-lis and a menacing monster in the Gulf.

A 1720 map of North America, by London geographer Herman Moll, gives Florida the shape of India and refers to the massive water body to the east as “The Western Ocean.”

To the north, in the region of “New France,” “Ilinese Lake or Michigan” appears in the proximity of today’s Lake Michigan.

And an 1820 map of Florida’s Panhandle shows Apalachicola as “West Point.”

Armand and Suzanne Cognetta “are very committed map collectors,” said Peter Cowdrey, educator in

PHOTO BY SAIGE ROBERTS (MOHS SURGERY AND MAPPING)

MOHS SURGERY AND MAPPING Mohs

micrographic surgery is the usual first choice for treating high-risk squamous cell and basal cell skin cancers (and sometimes melanoma) because it offers the best chance of a cure and the best possible cosmetic result. The surgeon removes the tumor, along with a small margin of apparently normal skin. The surgeon also draws a map of the area and the excised piece. The specimen is transferred to slides in such a way that the surgeon can evaluate the entire underside of the specimen. The idea is to make sure that all of the cancer has been removed. If any part of the tumor remains, the surgeon marks its location on the map. With the map as a reference, the surgeon removes the remaining cancer. The technician prepares new slides for the surgeon to check, this time with tissue taken only from the cancerous area. In this manner, the surgeon continues removing the tumor, following it wherever it goes, until the margins show no cancer cells. Each stage involves waiting for the surgeon to indicate an “all clear.” — Condensed from the Harvard Medical School web site

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residence at the Museum of Florida History. Their collection features “maps specifically recommended to them by well-known specialists in the field, and they have gone after them with a committed passion that gives them a collection of a cartographic history of Florida.”

Cognetta says he’s fascinated with the information that the maps revealed and with the difficulty and risk that went into making them.

The first mapmakers relied only on the painstaking process of triangulation, which involves a series of measurements from three locations in triangle formation.

Cognetta and others marvel at the relative accuracy of even the earliest maps and how they gradually improved. He says that if GPS fails,

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you can still navigate with nautical charts from the 1850s.

His practice as an avid sailor gives him a natural connection to maps. His work as a dermatologist and surgeon who specializes in skin cancer detection and treatment provides a daily link.

Cognetta trains physicians to become board-certified in Mohs surgery, which involves removal of tissue, mapping of the tissue and reconstructive surgery.

“All day long, I’m mapping,” Cognetta says.

To underscore the parallel, he keeps maps of Florida on display throughout his Tallahassee office. Patients seem to enjoy them, he says.

“Most of these maps are works of art,” he says of his collection. “The undulating curved shape of Florida is particularly beautiful to me.” TM

TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

▲ Another Cognetta map, “La Florida,” from 1584, seems to show a better understanding of Florida than the 1597 map. The northern part of the peninsula is wider, and the southern part rounds off, with well-defined dots depicting the Keys.

Courtesy of State Archives of Florida/Ortelius

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t’s the most wonderful time of the year again. But what if your house doesn’t quite feel or smell like it? Don’t fret. With a few tricks and trinkets, you can have your home ready for the holidays.

Just the Right Scent

Sentimental Sites While holidays are one of the most joyous times of the year, they can also be difficult for those grieving loved ones.

Jennifer Hagenbuch, owner of Found for Home, says her family sets up red cardinal figurines around the house to lighten up the spirit during these times.

“They’re the beautiful, vibrant red that makes you think about Christmastime,” she says. “But they’re also a reminder of loved ones.”

Hagenbuch also suggests a way to add joy: Each year, she says, she gets her kids a unique ornament to reflect something they were interested in or excited about that year.

“Every year when they pull out the ornaments is just special,” she says.

→ The vibrant red of

a cardinal figurine “makes you think about Christmastime,” says the owner of a Tallahassee gifts and home goods store.

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PHOTOS BY KIKOVIC (TREE) HEMERA TECHNOLOGIES (CARDINAL) / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS

↙

A freshly cut tree helps fill your senses with the holidays.

If you want to get that fresh winter aroma but don’t feel like leaving the coziness of your home, Hurtis Amerson of Esposito Lawn & Garden Center knows how to make it happen. Amerson suggests getting some fresh garlands to liven up a room with the aroma of winter. Your home will smell marvelous and feel whimsical.

But maybe you’ll want to keep it traditional and get a tree. Consider getting one fresh cut from a local Christmas tree farm to achieve the authentic fir smell around your home. If you aren’t ready to commit to the upkeep of a real tree, you can still get that genuine smell, Amerson says.

“We’ve actually got balsam and cedar sticks now that you can put right in the middle of your Christmas tree,” he says.

With options like these, you’ll be walking in — and smelling — a winter wonderland in no time.

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↑ One way to brighten a special event: Put some

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She reminisces about a small Gameboy ornament she says her girls received when the gaming system first came out, and then about a SpongeBob SquarePants ornament they received when they were little.

Consider collecting special ornaments or other trinkets for your home. You may have heard of Elf on the Shelf, but what about nutcrackers or fairies?

Amerson says you have tons of collectibles from which to choose.

Maybe you’ll even want to build a whole Christmas village around the house. Make it a family effort and begin a new special tradition each year while you decorate your home for the holidays.

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So now your home is still missing a certain shine.

Add a little sparkle with some illumination.

Amerson encourages LED lights for indoors.

“They’ll hold longer, they don’t produce heat and most times you can string up to 500 lights on a single string,” he says.

Don’t settle for just any old string. Make your indoor space come to life with a dazzling light show.

Amerson mentions that some lights come with different functions that allow you to light up your room in various flashy and colorful ways.

If you’re into do-it-yourself projects, consider hanging them from your staircase to look like icicles. You can even wrap them in a wreath.

Have a special event coming up? Put some lights inside clear jars or vases and display them on your countertops and tables. Your guests will love them. TM

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Various places in Tallahassee offer real trees that you can plant in your yard and decorate.

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F

or me, the day after Thanksgiving has never been about Black Friday shopping. That day instead brims with the bright white of string lights and a rainbow of generations-old ornaments as we begin decorating for Christmas.

As a child, I would tackle the indoors with my mom and sister, carefully shuffling through wreaths and nativities wrapped in newspaper. From sun up to sun down, my father would turn the outside into as much of a Winter Wonderland that Florida would allow. My father works with his hands and has a keen eye for creation.

He didn’t want the same light-up, blowup décor that everyone else had in their yards, so he took to creating his own. I’m TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

not going to insist you go out and buy wood to whittle and fashion your own reindeer. But I’ll point out that you have many affordable and easy décor options that will make your yard stand out.

You can find galvanized tin buckets at antique stores, flea markets, craft stores or tractor-supply stores. Take three to four varying in size. With the largest as the base, stack them in order according to size. You’ve created a Christmas tree. Now string colored lights around it for a rustic, country Christmas aesthetic.

Want a fun family activity? Fashion your own signs and yard posts. All you need are wood and paint. In greens and reds, paint on messages of holidays cheer, perhaps including “Santa, Stop Here.” Do it together every year, and watch your children’s handwriting change as they grow.

Whenever we go to the Christmas tree farm, my dad always asks for extra clippings from which he creates beautiful wreathes for our doors. Most tree farms will give these to you for free or for a small fee. Fashion these clippings and top them with a bright red bow.

If you don’t have a green thumb for crafting, Tallahassee Nurseries specializes in pre-made, freshcut wreaths and garlands. For this holiday season and holiday seasons to come, the garden center also offers a variety of silk and permanent wreaths and garlands.

Plants are a beautiful way to naturally emphasize the winter, especially when the holidays offer flowers specific to the season. Think Christmas cactus and poinsettias. Kelly Dewall, floral designer with Tallahassee Nurseries, encourages customers to explore the vast variety of poinsettias including gold, green, multicolor and the ever-popular red.

Christmas trees don’t have to remain indoors.

Tallahassee Nurseries, Esposito Lawn & Garden Center and other locations offer an abundance of real trees that can be planted in your yard and then decorated.

Alongside plenty of plants, Esposito Lawn & Garden Center’s Christmas shop is a place for décor galore. Owner Ralph Esposito says he’s always looking to add to it with angels, nativities, yard art and more.

Of course, the best way to see all of your hard work is to provide plenty of light at night. String lights are the most popular for lining your house and trees.

To many, only twinkling lights and beloved decorations evoke that one-of-a-kind feeling of the holidays.

“Decorating your lawn for Christmas is so special,” said Dewall of Tallahassee Nurseries, “because it brings about a feeling of community and gets everyone inspired with a great feeling of oneness during the holidays.” TM

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November–December 2019

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abodes Your Monthly Garden Chores

HOW-TO: CHOOSING GROUNDCOVERS

BY AUDREY POST, MS. GROW-IT-ALL®

GROUNDCOVERS CAN HELP REDUCE YARD MAINTENANCE while adding color and contrast to your

landscape. Some, such as mondo grass (Ophiopogon japonicus), require little to no effort once established.

Asiatic jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum), however, requires periodic edging to keep it in bounds and a trim once a year with a mower. Even then, it’s far less work than turf grass. Pick the right groundcover for your site, and you’ll appreciate the view — and the free time it creates.

1 Assess your yard for the best places to use groundcover. Do you have a steep slope that’s difficult to mow? Is there a tiny patch of grass on the other side of the driveway that could be a focal point instead of a pain in the neck to remember to mow?

2 Does the area get full

sun at least six hours a day?

Perennial peanut (Arachis glabrata) is droughttolerant, but it can’t take frost. Monkey grass (Liriope muscari) is evergreen and comes in several heights.

Creeping juniper (Juniperus horizontalis) is an evergreen that attracts birds.

NOVEMBER

➸ Add pansies and violas to your pots and garden beds. Sweet alyssum provides contrast to the colorful blossoms and sweet fragrance. ➸ Select a camellia

for your landscape.

Many of the newer cultivars can take more sun than older varieties. ➸ Protect young citrus trees from freezing weather, even if the tag said it was cold-hardy.

It takes two years to establish and become cold-tolerant. Water well the day before the freeze is expected and cover the tree all the way to the ground with a cloth cover.

3 Do you need groundcover

in an area that is shady or gets only partial sun? Caladiums or ferns might be what you need. Holly fern (Cyrtomium falcatum) is evergreen.

4 Think native. Beach sunflower (Helianthus debilis) grows 1-2 feet tall and spreads 2-3 feet wide. Blueeyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium) gets 12 inches tall and wide. Coontie (Zamia floridana), Florida’s only native cycad, is a palmlike perennial that grows slowly. Native cultivars of sweet potato vine (Ipomoea spp.) can cover a large area quickly and come in a variety of colors.

DECEMBER

➸ Continue to plant cool-season vegetables and herbs. Many, including collards, need a “kiss of frost” for best flavor.

MONDO GRASS

➸ Force Amaryllis bulbs to bloom indoors. Once the blossom has fallen off, plant the bulb in your garden. ➸ If a frost



Critter: Psocids Psocids are tiny, soft-bodied insects that can live indoors or outdoors. The ones inside PESKY are usually wingless and smaller than 1/16th of an inch PESTS long. They can inflict tiny pinprick bites but do not suck blood or spread disease. The biggest problem with these PSOCIDS critters is they chew, and they are particularly fond of paper and the starch in bookbinding — hence the common name “booklice.” They can quickly ruin books and other bound papers. They also eat mold, fungi and cereal and prefer warm areas with high humidity. Once food has been infested, it should be discarded.

Infested bedding, furniture and other home goods should be cleaned and aired. The best way to control them indoors is to reduce the humidity to less than 50 percent. Since this is Florida, that’s not always easy to accomplish, but most newer heating and air-conditioning systems have humidity regulators. Outdoor psocids tend to be winged and slightly larger, a quarter of an inch long. They are called “barklice,” for similar reasons, because they’re often found on the bark and foliage of trees and shrubs. And they are beneficial outdoors, consuming smaller insects, algae and detritus from the trunks without harming the trees.

(33-36 degrees F) or freeze (32 degrees F or lower) damages plants in your yard, leave them be until all danger of frost has passed.

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©2015-2019 PostScript Publishing LLC, all rights reserved. Audrey Post is a certified Advanced Master Gardener volunteer with the University of Florida/ IFAS Extension in Leon County. Email her at Questions@MsGrowItAll. com or visit her website at msgrowitall.com.

Ms. Grow-It-All® is a registered trademark of PostScript Publishing.

ILLUSTRATION BY SARUNYU FOTO (MONDO GRASS) AND PHOTOS BY HEKAKOSKINEN (PSOCIDS), RA3RN (PANSIES) AND BERGAMONT (COLLARD GREENS), / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS

GARDENING

Holiday Headquarters Flowers to Christmas Trees and Everything in Between

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PROMOTION

DEAL ESTATE

JUST LISTED

Lakefront Estate Also Boasts Golf Course Views Extraordinary waterfront estate home in Golden Eagle boasts unparalleled views of multiple fairways and a wraparoundthe-lake shore. This spacious home and outdoor entertainment area features a casual elegance unique to Tallahassee living. Guests and family will move easily from outdoors to inside through slide-away glass walls imported from Germany. The interior is appointed with travertine and wood floors, high ceilings and an open chef’s kitchen with Viking appliances and butler’s pantry.

LISTED PRICE: $725,000 ADDRESS: 2138 Amanda Mae Court SQUARE FOOTAGE: 3,578 BEDROOMS: 4 BATHROOMS: 3 full, 2 half FEATURES: Fireplace, 9-plus foot ceilings, walk-in closet, kitchen with bar, gated community, lakefront golf course view, patio, outdoor kitchen, outdoor entertainment, covered lanai dining area overlooking pool, and private putting green APPEAL: Entertaining is a breeze with a full outdoor kitchen and a covered lanai dining area overlooking a sparkling pool, in-ground spa and private putting green.

CONTACT INFORMATION: Coldwell Banker, Hartung and Noblin, Inc. Lisa Carey (850) 212-3083 Lesa Hart (850) 443-7919 Carey & Hart Realtors

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF COLDWELL BANKER, HARTUNG AND NOBLIN, INC.

YEAR BUILT: 1997

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PROMOTION

DEAL ESTATE

JUST SOLD

Breathtaking Home on Lake Kanturk Combines Elegance and Natural Beauty This custom home on over one-half acre in Killearn Estates works as the perfect family home for someone wanting to entertain or just enjoy nature. This home is nature and elegance combined as it features two huge master bedroom suites, an open living area with a fireplace, incredible built-ins, a dining room, a kitchen and a screened porch overlooking a park-like backdrop and a beautiful lake complete with herons and other wildlife. This home boasts a garage with additional height for raised storage and additional storage under home with two double doors allowing walk-around, lighted storage for kayaks, sports equipment or household items. All of this and A-rated schools in northeast Tallahassee.

SOLD PRICE: $370,000 ADDRESS: 4660 Inisheer Drive SQUARE FOOTAGE: 2,507 BEDROOMS: 4 BATHROOMS: 3 YEAR BUILT: 2002

APPEAL: This low-country home with full front porch and porch swing calls out to the romantic at heart. The quality of construction is evident before you enter the home. The lawn, gardens and property are a horticulturist’s dream. Location, quality construction and architectural beauty are all combined here.

CONTACT INFORMATION: Sarah Eden, Broker/Owner, Eden & Company (850) 933-9600

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF EDEN & COMPANY

FEATURES: Wood floors, two true master suites with huge walk-in closets and true master baths, dual vanities, elegant tile and trim and plantation shutters looking out to lake, designer kitchen with granite countertops, stainless appliances and connecting to two walls of windows looking out to a screened porch and beautiful gardens and lakefront, two living areas, family room with fireplace and walls of built-ins in living and bedroom areas

License # CGC1527383

Residential Commercial Repairs Remodels

(850) 251-2652

Craig Ross, General Contractor RossConstructionAndDesign.com RossConstructionAndDesign

READY TO MOVE IN OR OUT? CALL ME!

Joan H. Raley, REALTOR® CRS, CDPE, SFR, e-PRO, GRI, ABR, CHMS, WCR | Home Economist, Broker/Owner

Mobile & Text: 850.545.9390 JOAN@JOANRALEY.COM JoanRaley.com TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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destinations

NOV/DEC 2019

VISITING NOTEWORTHY PLACES NEAR AND FAR

↘

The Taj Mahal stands as a storied and symmetrical symbol of India.

GETAWAY

PHOTO BY JAVARMAN3 / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS

INDIA

A colorful country worth experiencing

by JACK MACALEAVY

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W

e’ve all seen pictures of the Great Wall of China, with the structure snaking into the horizon.

We’ve seen video of Stonehenge, with the sun creeping upward in the background.

We’ve seen impressive images of Machu Picchu, with its jaw-dropping peaks.

But nothing compares to seeing it in person. Take the Taj Mahal.

I’ve seen few things that can match the beauty, symmetry and story of the 17th century structure. Some call it a mausoleum of love. Shah Jahan built it to honor his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died during childbirth.

There she rests in the middle of the memorial, with one half of her body on one side and the other half on the other. Her husband is buried next to her, breaking the symmetry.

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The Taj Mahal, that enduring symbol of India, marked several highlights on our 14-day spring trip that focused on the northern part of this colorful country of multiple languages, religions, challenges and wonders.

Our trip was part of emerging “Developing Destination” experience in the global travel industry. You can find such experiences in India, China, Southeast Asia, Africa and the Middle East, as well as in Central America and South America.

Experienced travelers who have navigated the popular markets of Europe and the Caribbean could certainly find their own way to the developed cities of each area and explore them well.

To immerse yourself in the land and culture, however, you’d do well to book through a luxury travel company such as Abercrombie & Kent.

TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ABERCROMBIE & KENT

destinations

↖↑ The Rambagh Palace in Jaipur, west of Agra in the northern part of the country, boasts Prince Charles and the late first lady Jacqueline Kennedy among its guests.

↓INDIA’S TOP GUIDE

Vikram Singh Shaktawat For 25 years, Vikram has led tours exclusively for Abercrombie & Kent, and he has done private tours for heads of state, business tycoons and Hollywood celebrities. His specialization is culture, wildlife, flora and fauna, and he covers India, Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet and China.

He is also a retired cricket player.

Contact:

vikbohra@yahoo.com +9198290418290

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↑← Africa isn’t the only place that offers enchanting safaris. In India, you might spot a Bengal tiger. Depending on where you stay, you might even see one from your hotel room. ↘ The Taj Mahal offers a breathtaking view from any distance, and it takes on a different color depending on the time of day.

The company employs experienced, local guides and support personnel who smooth every edge of your journey. And in a place where comparatively few travelers have tread, you’re bound to encounter rough edges.

On our India trip, when a canceled internal flight brought the threat of days stuck at a rural airport, Abercrombrie & Kent made a $30,000 investment in the form of a private air charter, ensuring we stayed on schedule.

And consider the problem of illness, which hit my wife on that flight.

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Abercrombie had a wheelchair summoned for a long trek to the bus and had a doctor waiting at our hotel.

Abercrombie & Kent always makes our experiences comfortable and memorable, with lavish rooms that offer spectacular views. Imagine opening your shades to a grazing spotted deer, a leaping Bengal tiger or the sunlit Taj Mahal.

On our trip to India, Abercrombie guided us via plane, train and bus on visits to Delhi, Mumbai and Panna National Park, among several other places.

Here’s our takeaway of the country: It works. You wonder how it works in a country with more than 1.3 billion people, many of whom struggle to eke out a living.

But it works. Even the highways manage to work, as drivers turn six-lane highways into eight lanes and cooperate.

And maybe soon it will work even better: The government has embarked on an ambitious infrastructure program that

TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

PHOTO BY LINDHA STEFFEN (TIGER AND HOLI FESTIVAL), JANSSENKRUSEPRODUCTIONS / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS (GANGES RIVER) AND COURTESY OF ABERCROMBIE & KENT

destinations

↙ Hindus consider the Ganges River sacred and purifying, even as India’s dense population wears on it. → The Khajuraho Group of Monuments, in the state of Madhya Pradeshl

offers promise in the years to come. The improvements to roads, railways and air travel will offer better access to all that this country has to offer, including:

The Taj Mahal Yes, we have more to say about it. You might not know that the building changes colors depending on the time of day and on how the marble reflects sunlight and moonlight.

We could see the Taj Mahal from our hotel room in Agra. We went to see it up close one evening. The building appeared golden or brown. We visited again the next morning, and the building glowed pink.

The Ganges River Hindus consider it sacred and purifying.

Upon death, the custom is to have one’s ashes returned to the river.

We visited Varanasi, where we observed a cremation ceremony that took place beside the river in an area about the size of a basketball court.

It is a simple two-hour ceremony, in which the family dips a wrapped body in the river and then places it upon a wooden pyre, which is lit. Family surrounds the fire and prays until the pyre is reduced to ashes, which get returned to the river.

The Holi Festival

↑ The Holi Festival, a nationwide tradition that celebrates the arrival of spring, leaves participants wearing a colorful look.

Agra is a city of festivals within a country of festivals. We happened to be in Agra during the Holi Festival, a nationwide tradition that celebrates the arrival of spring in the most colorful way. We joined others in wearing white cotton outfits and throwing dye on as many people as we could.

When I said India is a colorful country, I meant it. TM

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PROMOTION

PLAY • SHOP • DINE • STAY

at the Forgotten 56TH ANNUAL FLORIDA SEAFOOD FESTIVAL NOV. 1–3

PHOTO BY MARKSKALNY / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS

Events Calendar

COME CELEBRATE the 56th year of the Florida Seafood Festival, Florida’s oldest maritime festival. This seafood celebration offers the best in fresh quality seafood, drawing thousands of visitors to the historic town of Apalachicola. The festival is held at the mouth of the Apalachicola river under the shady oaks of Apalachicola’s Battery Park. The festival features delicious seafood, arts and crafts exhibits, themed events and musical entertainment. Some of the notable events include Oyster Eating and Oyster Shucking contest, Blue Crab Races, a downtown Parade, 5k Redfish Run and the Blessing of the Fleet.

↖

Coast Apalachicola Downtown Oyster Roast Nov. 1, 6–9 p.m.

Downtown Apalachicola Apalachicola Farmers Market Nov. 9, 23 Mill Pond Pavilion, 468 Market St. Apalachicola Apalachicola Historic Downtown Christmas Celebration Nov. 29, 3–8 p.m.

Apalachicola Riverfront Park

Palm Tree Lighting Dec. 6, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.

St. George Island Lighthouse, 2 East Gulf Drive St. George Island Eastpoint Christmas Celebration Dec. 13, 4–5 p.m.

Eastpoint Pavilion, 354 Patton Drive Eastpoint Holiday on the Harbor Dec. 14, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.

Carrabelle Lighthouse, 1975 Highway 98 W Carrabelle

3 LIVE OAK POINT

VISIT THE

Forgotten Coast

L

1 GULF SPECIMEN AQUARIUM

November–December 2019

LANARK VILLAGE PORT

TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

ALLIGATOR POINT

EASTPOINT

2 St. Vincent Island

There’s a pristine spot reserved for your next RV adventure at the edges of Indian Lagoon! An oldtimey general store on-site sells local merchandise and stocks a supply of grocery items and spirits. Visit us online to reserve. Located across from world-famous Indian Pass Raw Bar! (850) 229-8600, watersedgervpark.net 8300 County Road 30A, Port St. Joe

Ochlockonee Bay

Dog Island

APALACHICOLA Cape San Blas

Apalachee Bay

CARRABELLE

St. Joseph ST. JOE Bay

2 INDIAN PASS GENERAL STORE

A unique experience to get up close with sharks, sea turtles, starfish, octopus and other sea life from the Gulf of Mexico. One of the largest touch tanks exhibits in the U.S. Open Mon.–Fri. 9 a.m.–5 p.m. and Sat.–Sun. 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

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MEXICO BEACH

St. Joseph Peninsula State Park

ives and businesses are being rebuilt along the Forgotten Coast after the devastating effects of Hurricane Michael in October of 2018. As the healing process continues, please lend your support to this region and remind them that they are never forgotten by their friends and neighbors.

(850) 984-5297, gulfspecimen.org 222 Clark Drive, Panacea

PANACEA

St. George Island Apalachicola Bay

4

3 THE NAUMANN GROUP

Your local real estate experts from Tallahassee thru to the Emerald Coast.

Located next to Shades Restaurant at 30A. (850) 933-0328 10952 E. County Hwy 30A, Inlet Beach

TALLAHASSEE

4 THE NAUMANN GROUP

Your local real estate experts with decades of experience — ready to help you find your perfect beach getaway. Look for the company Tallahassee knows and trusts!

(850) 799-1230, 139 W. Gulf Beach Drive, St. George Island

Changing lives one Patient at a time Dr. James Walton & Dr. David Cardman General & Cosmetic Dentistry | Implants | Lumineers | Crowns & Bridgework | Invisalign | Sealants | Whitening 1280 Timberlane Rd (850) 893-2136

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PROMOTION

HOMETOWN TRADITIONS Looking for hometown holiday events and traditions?

Come to the coast this season for unique seasonal festivities. Here’s a look.

Florida’s oldest maritime festival kicks off its 56th year on Friday and Saturday, November 1-2 in historic Apalachicola. Held at Battery Park overlooking the mouth of the Apalachicola River, this event annually draws thousands and features fresh Apalachicola Bay seafood, arts and crafts exhibits and the famous Oyster Eating and Shucking contest. This year’s festival music headliner will be Parmalee, from North Carolina.

NOV. 11 & DEC. 11 ➜ Full Moon

Lighthouse Climbs

St. George Island’s historic Cape St. George Lighthouse will host Full Moon Climbs on Monday, November 11 and Wednesday, December 11 from 5:30–7 p.m. Visitors can climb

to the top of the lighthouse to see breathtaking views of the bay as the sun sets and the moon rises.

DEC. 6 ➜ St. George Island Lighting

of the Palms

Celebrate the season at St. George Island’s Lighthouse Park on Friday, December 6 and enjoy the festive display of holiday lights on the Cape St. George Lighthouse, Visitor Center and along Franklin Boulevard. There will be a Jingle Jog fun run, carolers, Santa and a tree lighting around sunset.

NOV. 29 & DEC. 7 ➜ Apalachicola Christmas

Celebration & Holiday Fresh Market Saturday

Apalachicola lights up the day after Thanksgiving from 4–8 p.m. The downtown streets will be lined with

luminaries and carolers. Merchants will be open late. Santa arrives on a shrimp boat, and there will be free hot dogs for kids. The Historic Orman and Raney House museums will be open for holiday tours. On the following Saturday, December 7, the downtown Holiday Fresh Market will feature handcrafted Apalachicola specialties.

DEC. 14 ➜ Holiday on the Harbor

Carrabelle will host its 25th annual Holiday on the Harbor Street Festival and Boat Parade of Lights Saturday, December 14, along Carrabelle’s downtown waterfront. Enjoy an afternoon and evening of food and fun featuring a street festival with children’s activities. Merchants will be open late. In the evening, watch the parade of festive boats decked out in Christmas lights and decor in celebration of the holidays followed by a festive fireworks display.

FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF ALL UPCOMING FORGOTTEN COAST EVENTS, V I S I T F L O R I D A S F O R G O T T E N C O A S T. C O M

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PHOTO COURTESY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY TDC

NOV. 1-2 ➜ Florida Seafood Festival

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PROMOTION

DISCOVERDUNWOODY DUNWOODY

DREAM 10 MILES MILESAWAY AWAYFROM FROMATLANTA ATLANTA DREAM DESTINATION 10

T

here timewhen when all need getof here comes comes aa time we we all need to gettoout out zip and codesgetand get You away.

Youa need a ourofzipour codes away. need location location that isaccessible, quickly whether accessible, whether by that is quickly by air, car or rail. air, carcentrally or rail. located Being centrally locatedDunwoody close to Being close to Atlanta, Atlanta, Dunwoody is exactly looking for — is exactly what you are lookingwhat for —you andare more! andHit more! snooze and sleep soundly with plush accommodations Hit packages snooze and sleep soundly with plush accommodations and designed with you in mind.

Dunwoody’s hotels and packages designed you in mind. effortlessly allow you to with go worry-free for theDunwoody’s weekend. Set hotels effortlessly allow you to go worry-free for the the tone for your getaway with a visit to Woodhouse Day weekend.

Set the tone for your getaway with a Spa, where rejuvenation is top priority. Whether youvisit needtoan Woodhouse DayorSpa, where rejuvenation is topispriority. hour’s massage an all-day escape, Dunwoody a dream Whether you need an hour’s massage or an all-day escape, destination for some R&R. Dunwoody a dream for some R&R. restaurant Morning,is noon anddestination night, Dunwoody delivers Morning, noon and night, Dunwoody delivers restaurant choices that go beyond the usual. Treat yourself to savory choices that go beyond the usual. Treat yourself to savory steak and a vibrant atmosphere at McKendrick’s Steak steak and a vibrant atmosphere at McKendrick’s Steak House. Sip, salsa and share appetizers at Eclipse di Luna, House. Sip, salsa and share appetizers at Eclipse di Luna, or satisfy your sweet tooth at Alon’s Bakery and Market. or satisfy your sweet tooth at Alon’s Bakery and Market.

Lingering later? Make your final hours your happiest yet by Lingering later? Make your final hours your happiest yet wining and dining at Vino Venue. by wining and dining at Vino Venue.

Addsome someculture culturetotoyour yourtrip tripwith withDunwoody’s Dunwoody’svarious various Add attractions.

Whether you’re a mall maven or a muscle car attractions. Whether you’re a mall maven or a muscle car enthusiast, it’s easy to find common ground here with options

enthusiast, it’s Mall easy and to find commonand ground like Perimeter the Caffeine Octanehere Car with Show. options like Perimeter Mall andby the andPlayers, Octaneor See unforgettable performances theCaffeine Stage Door Car Show.

See unforgettable performances by the Stage venture outdoors for a stroll through the Dunwoody Nature Door Players, or venture outdoors for a stroll the Center. Before leaving, take home local artistrythrough from Spruill Dunwoody Nature Center.

Before leaving, take home local Gallery Gift Shop so your memories live long after your trip artistry from Spruill Gallery Gift Shop so your memories ends. Just be sure to take a photo at the Everything Will Be live long after your trip ends. Just be sure to take a photo OK mural while you’re there. at the Everything Will Be OK mural while you’re there.

Lookingtotoextend extendyour yourtrip tripeven evenfurther? further?Thanks Thankstotoour our Looking convenient location and accessibility, it’s easy to include convenient location and accessibility, it’s easy to include anan Atlantaday daytrip tripwithin withinyour yourstay. stay.With WithMARTA MARTA(Atlanta’s (Atlanta’s Atlanta bus and rail system), you can get from Dunwoody to Atlanta bus and rail system), you can get from Dunwoody to Atlanta andback backfor for$5. $5.Alternatively, Alternatively,you youcan cantake takeyour yourown owncar car and and miles south. south.Either Eitherway, way, you’ll spend anddrive drive 10 10 miles you’ll spend less less time time traveling and more time enjoying of Atlanta’s traveling and more time enjoying some ofsome Atlanta’s awesome awesome attractions like of The World oftheCoca-Cola, the attractions like The World Coca-Cola, College Football College Football Hall of Fame or the Georgia Aquarium.

Hall of Fame or the Georgia Aquarium.

This Thisisisthe theplace placeofofendless endlessoptions optionsthat thatare arebeyond beyond the expected, beyond delicious and beyond memorable. the expected, beyond delicious and beyond memorable.

Dunwoody is not just a getaway, Dunwoody is the place to Dunwoody is not just a getaway, Dunwoody is the place to get to. Make the most of every minute, just 10 miles above get to. Make the most of every minute, just 10 miles above Atlanta in Dunwoody.

Atlanta in Dunwoody.

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B

A Story That Repeats Itself Far Too Often.

He was a very successful business man who made millions. He set up an estate plan for all his children and grandchildren. He was doing the right thing.

Unfortunately, one of his children wanted more and moved back in with his Dad to change what he had planned. The son wore his 96 year old father down and eventually got his durable power of attorney.

What the father had planned was changed with all assets being diverted to the greedy son.

We have handled many cases where family members, friends, neighbors or even health care workers have financially exploited vulnerable adults. When that happens, you have Too Much at Stake to call anyone else.

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ESTATE PLANNING

Easing Transitions

With estate plans, people may avoid probate and ease difficulties for survivors By Steve Bornhoft

E

state planning shouldn’t be the province only of people on in years.

That’s the advice of Paula Sparkman, an attorney who works with clients to prepare trusts, wills and other anticipatory documents.

“We think of estate planning as something that becomes more essential as we age,” said Sparkman, who is with the law firm of Lowe & Sparkman, P.A., with offices in Crawfordville and Tallahassee. “But it is important, too, for younger couples with children.”

For older folks, estate planning tends to revolve around their money and other assets.

“But younger couples should think about having a plan that identifies who they intend to raise their kids if they should die,” Sparkman said. “If no plan is in place, it can be very hard on grieving families.”

Asked about what he considers to be the advantages of estate planning, Daniel O’Rourke apologized in advance for what he said would be a “typical lawyer answer” and then said, “It depends.”

More broadly, however, O’Rourke, an attorney with the Destin law firm of Matthews & Jones LLP, said that estate planning is a good idea for “anyone who has any kind of estate.”

A VANILLA EXAMPLE O’Rourke often works with a husband and wife with children who may or may

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not be of legal age. Their single largest investment, typically, is their home.

“In Florida, a homestead is a very important and complicated financial investment and legal opportunity,” O’Rourke said. “There is not just the property tax exemption, but there is a constitutional protection from creditors’ claims as well as protection for descent of the homestead exemption to the spouse and children.”

People, O’Rourke stressed, need to recognize that they have options regarding what happens with their property when they die, meaning that they can structure what they have in such a way that it passes through or avoids probate.

“If it goes through probate, generally you have a will with specific devises that dictate the transfer of pieces of property to named individuals,” O’Rourke explained. “And, there’s a residuary devise clause in the will that dictates that all other property not specifically addressed goes to whomever.”

If a husband and wife in Florida own real property together, there is an all-but-automatic presumption that the property will be considered a “tendency by the entirety,” meaning that each spouse owns 100 percent of the real estate in an undivided interest.

“The husband and wife are treated as a single unit, effectively,” O’Rourke said. “When one partner dies, title vests completely in the surviving spouse.

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Joint tendency with rights of survivorship applies to joint owners of property who are not husband and wife.

Again, property will pass by operation of law upon death of one of the partners and title will vest in the survivor.”

These “tendencies” amount to probate avoidance provisions.

THE WAY OF THE WILL “I recommend that everyone have a will,” O’Rourke said. “And, it will never have to get probated if you’ve managed things correctly in the way you title real property, financial assets or personal property because nothing will be left in the estate when you die.”

Financial assets may be owned jointly with a spouse or with someone who is not a marital partner. In either case, there is a presumption of a right of survivorship when somebody dies.

Another option, called a “pay on death” (POD) designation, is often employed in connection with financial investment accounts.

“You can use it on 401(k)s, IRAs, accounts with brokerages or with banks,” O’Rourke pointed out. “A death certificate is presented to the financial institution, and they will disperse that account to the designee, again outside of probate.”

THE MATTER OF TRUSTS There are about as many types of trusts as there are types of people and property estates.

O’Rourke listed a few.

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•

•

•

A Q-tip trust is an instrument used in connection with sophisticated estate tax planning that may include generation-skipping tax planning.

A testamentary trust is created by a will and establishes a personal representative, sometimes referred to as an executor in states other than Florida.

The writer of a pour-over will creates a trust and decrees that property in his estate at the time of his death shall be distributed to the trustee of the trust.

•

An inter vivos trust, also known as a living trust, has a duration that is determined at the time of the trust’s creation and may entail the distribution of assets to beneficiaries during or after the trustor’s lifetime and can be made revocable or irrevocable.

“Living trusts start off as revocable,” O’Rourke said. “The trustors (sometimes called settlors) can change the trust or even revoke it at any point during their lifetime. The document may include language dictating that, upon the death of a spouse, the trust becomes completely irrevocable. Or it may provide that certain assets are irrevocably moved at that point into a separate trust overseen by the same trustee.

“The surviving spouse can’t just say remove ‘x’ from the trust,” O’Rourke said. “The idea is that the surviving spouse should benefit from the couple’s assets for the rest of his or her life, but upon the second spouse’s death, the assets are transferred to specifically named inheritors.”

That approach is one frequently taken by people who are in a second or third marriage that has resulted in a blended family, a scenario that O’Rourke said has become commonplace.

“You want to make provisions, for example, to ensure that your new spouse is taken care of following your death, but after she dies, you may want your kids and not her kids to get your stuff,” O’Rourke said.

People often err by assuming that the work is done as soon as they sign a trust document.

“There are things that you have to do,” O’Rourke said. “The trust must be funded.

Deeds or bills of sale must be executed and financial accounts redesignated to put them into the names of the trustees, or the trust document may be meaningless. But when trusts are executed properly, they are another probate avoidance tool.”

In the case of a husband and wife, the surviving spouse will be the beneficiary of the trust. If the trust is not revoked, and the surviving spouse later dies, it may be perpetuated with a successor trustee who disperses the body of the trust to the final recipients.

“There are a lot of complex, complicated interactions between estates and trusts,” O’Rourke noted. “If there is a trust and there also is an estate, there is a provision whereby the trust can be charged for the expenses associated with the administration of the estate. That’s the most basic system for financial and property distribution post death.”

ESTATE PLAN INGREDIENTS An estate plan package, O’Rourke and Sparkman said, usually includes power-ofattorney designations, a document naming a health care surrogate and a living will, which is an advance directive for end-oflife care and end-of-life decisions.

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ESTATE PLANNING

THE PERILS OF PROBATE In cases involving a death that is less than two years old and an estate valued at more than $75,000, a will may be probated through formal administration, a process that O’Rourke called “complicated and expensive.”

Probate equates to the retitling of assets and the settlement or administration of debts.

Creditors are identified and given notice of the death and may make claims against the estate.

Those claims must be administered. They may be paid or challenged.

There is no requirement for anyone to put more money into an estate simply because there is more debt than there are assets.

“But,” said O’Rourke, “you can’t close an estate until you’ve addressed all debts. Once you pay the expenses of administration that include filing fees and attorney’s fees and may include a fee to the personal

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representative, creditors in seven additional classes must be addressed.”

Administrative expenses are deemed Class 1. The other classes range from medical and funeral expenses (Class 2) to unsecured credit (Class 8).

Each class has to be paid off before any funds can be used to pay off a lower priority class, and the size of the estate limits the ability of creditors to collect. Secured creditors still retain whatever property was given as collateral.

“You can’t get out from under a mortgage on a house just because you die,” O’Rourke said.

PUBLIC RECORDS Sparkman said people should be prepared that going through probate means that their will and lists of assets and other information will become part of a public proceeding.

Trusts, however, are self-administering.

“You don’t have to open a probate,” Sparkman said. “Assets are in the name of the trust and upon the death of the creator of the trust, they are passed along according to the instructions in the trust and without, at that point, involving attorneys.”

When a will is probated, attorneys may collect a “reasonable fee” of 3 percent of the total value of the estate, per state statute.

O’Rourke does mostly straightforward probates, but has been exposed to contentious probate litigation over the past five years.

“Those cases are examples of what happens when estate planning is not done right or the beneficiaries or the heirs of law of the estate can’t agree on what should be done. When that happens, it’s an ugly depiction of some of the worst aspects of human nature. Families fight over Daddy’s and Mommy’s stuff. Brothers and sisters who have been close to one another their entire lives are suddenly at each other’s throats. And what happens, nine times out of 10, it’s the lawyers who wind up getting the lion’s share. You are either paying them or they are getting paid out of the estate and that’s a Class 1 creditor claim. They get paid first.”

Not that lawyers are necessarily blackhatted in all of this.

“At points in time, certain people couldn’t own property, certain properties couldn’t be given to certain people,” O’Rourke noted.

“Over hundreds of years, we’ve come up with all sorts of ways to get around those restrictions.”

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Meeting Preparation Gather key documents before meeting with estate planner

By Steve Bornhoft When preparing for a meeting with an estate-planning attorney, it’s important to gather pertinent documents, much as you would in getting ready for a session with a tax accountant.

Sources of those documents may include wealth managers, investment brokers, certified public accountants and banks.

“Be sure to bring any existing estate planning documents to the meeting with your attorney so that they can be repaired or destroyed, if necessary,” said Dan O’Rourke, an attorney with the Destin law firm of Matthews & Jones LLP. “Bring a financial statement, a list of financial accounts and documents that show title to real property. If the property is encumbered, mortgages are important.”

Regarding financial accounts, O’Rourke advises that people, as a probate avoidance strategy, make sure they are jointly owned or that a pay-on-death designation is assigned to them.

“Improved property, dirt, houses, condos, financial accounts — especially those that are located outside the state of Florida — we’re going to want to take a look at all of that stuff,” O’Rourke said.

Be prepared, too, O’Rourke advises, with: ■ List of large items of tangible property.

■

ames and addresses N of children and pre-need guardian designations.

■

wo years of tax returns T and the name of your certified public accountant.

“Whatever it is that you definitely need to take care of, make sure that you bring evidence of it so that we can make a note and ensure that it gets addressed,” O’Rourke said.

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“The person whom you grant durable power of attorney is authorized to handle your financial affairs,” Sparkman said.

“Durable powers of attorney are effective upon the execution of related documents and the POA officially becomes your fiduciary, regardless as to whether you are incapacitated. He may write checks, access your bank accounts, take out mortgages on your property or sell your property.”

Accordingly, Sparkman encourages her clients to choose a POA wisely. She noted that college-bound students may wish to assign power of attorney to a parent so that he or she can help manage their financial affairs when they are in school.

“A health care surrogate is authorized to make general health care decisions in your behalf if you cannot,” Sparkman said. “They can get copies of your medical records and talk to doctors for you.”

Specific devises regarding tangible personal property may be provided via a separate side writing that begins with a blank sheet of paper.

“Here, we’re not talking about an account or a legal right,” O’Rourke said. “It’s Mom’s wedding ring or Dad’s watch, heirloom-type things that you may want to go to specific people. To so and so, goes the picture hanging in the foyer. The side writing is signed and placed with your will. The personal representative then knows that the items listed are to go to named people.”

Leave Your Legacy at FSU Become a part of the James D. Westcott Legacy Society The Westcott Legacy Society is a special group of alumni and friends who have designated FSU as a beneficiary in their estate plans.

Join us and make a lasting impact.

Contact Dion Guest by phone at (850) 644-6000 or by email at giftplanning@foundation.fsu.edu to learn more about the Westcott Legacy Society!

James D. Westcott, a former Florida Supreme Court Justice, funded FSU’s first major endowment with an 1887 estate gift.

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ESTATE PLANNING

Corrupted Wills

Vulnerable adults law helps litigators reverse wrongs

By Steve Bornhoft

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vulnerable adult, acting out of avarice, and effectively steals your money by not letting you do with it what you really wanted to do, they need to be held accountable,” LeBoeuf said. “That’s what we do.”

LeBoeuf has found that a state adult protective services statute, F.S. 415.1111, has great value in bringing about such accountability.

“It’s an incredibly powerful bazooka,” LeBoeuf said, one that has dramatically altered the way in which contested will cases may proceed.

LeBoeuf used an example to explain how.

Say a son loses his father and then moves in with his surviving mother, who is blind and wheelchair bound. The son takes his mother to a lawyer and gets him to create a new will making the son personal representative and giving him the entire estate. Before it was changed, the will called for the estate to be divided equally among the son and his two sisters.

“In classic litigation, the daughters would have to sue the son and contest the validity of the will, arguing that it is not what Mom wanted,” LeBoeuf said.

“But the son would get to use Mom’s money as the personal representative to fight his sisters and, if he wins, he pays no money in attorney’s fees and he gets

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all of the estate. If the girls win, they still have to pay for their own lawyer, all they get is a one-third share and their brother gets his third.”

F.S. 415.1111 provides that “a vulnerable adult who has been abused, neglected or exploited has a cause of action against any perpetrator and may recover actual and punitive damages for such abuse, neglect or exploitation. The action may be brought by the vulnerable adult, or that person’s guardian or by a person or organization acting on behalf of the vulnerable adult,” even if deceased.

The daughters, then, may sue their brother, alleging exploitation, and, if they succeed, the brother, LeBoeuf said, “will have to pay all damages — actual and punitive — and attorney’s fees. Depending on the damage award, he may wind up getting nothing or may wind up owing his sisters money.”

LeBoeuf conceded that he isn’t always a fan of the state legislature, but he said that in the case of F.S. 415.1111, “they got it right.”

“People work hard all of their life to accumulate wealth and they have an absolute right under the law to distribute their wealth the way they want to,” LeBoeuf said. “That’s what estate planning is all about.”

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child, a friend, a lover or perhaps a caregiver enriches himself by exercising undue influence on a vulnerable adult, leading him to change his will contrary to previously expressed wishes.

That scenario, said Dean LeBoeuf, a Tallahassee attorney who specializes in will contest litigation, “happens all the time. We have an elderly population in Florida and 500 people die in our state every day.”

Twelve years ago, LeBoeuf’s first case involving a contested will originated in Panama City. He represented four sisters.

Caregivers had prevailed upon the parents of the siblings to change their will and entitle them to their home and savings upon their deaths. The sisters did not discover that the will had been changed until after both parents died.

“We were able to get that reversed, but it was a mess,” LeBoeuf said.

In another of LeBoeuf’s cases, a man who had inherited a tremendous sum of money decided while in his 70s to move to a nudist colony. There, he met a prostitute who was 20 years his junior.

The inheritor and the prostitute married.

He later developed dementia and she then caused him to redo his will so as to give her everything and disinherit his son. The son, leading up to all that wrangling, had discovered that his father’s wife had been convicted several times for financially exploiting elderly people.

The matter was far from trivial. “We were talking $35 million,” LeBoeuf said.

Greed underlies many of the cases LeBoeuf takes.

“If someone takes advantage of you as a

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ESTATE PLANNING

Expressions of Gratitude Planned giving has become a big factor in philanthropy

O

ver coming decades, trillions of dollars in wealth accumulated by baby boomers over their lifetimes will be passed on to their heirs and, in many cases, to organizations related to causes that they supported.

“A lot of planned giving is going to be happening,”’ said Joy Wilkins, the president and CEO at the Community Foundation of North Florida in Tallahassee. “It’s an opportunity for donors to demonstrate their values to their children and grandchildren, and it’s an opportunity for nonprofit organizations to capture dollars to ensure their sustainability.”

Seeing to the long-term viability of nonprofits is a big part of the Community Foundation’s mission. Wilkins and the members of her team are seeing to it that the nonprofit community is well positioned relative to the massive wealth transfer that lies ahead.

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The Community Foundation is unlike most others.

“People don’t make planned gifts to the Community Foundation,” Wilkins explained. “They give through the foundation and we create a vehicle whereby people can make gifts of a permanent and charitable nature as part of their legacies. We don’t have an objective of our own other than to inspire gifts and grow charitable resources.”

Versus setting up a private foundation, an individual might come to the Community Foundation and have a charitable fund set up in his name. He may intend that money be distributed to specific organizations. Or he may care about a particular cause, such as the environment or early education. The foundation would then make grants in his name to appropriate recipients.

“We have 200 charitable funds under the umbrella of the Community

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Foundation, and 100 of them have been established to help people realize their legacies,” Wilkins said.

The other 100 are nonprofit endowments.

“That’s where planned giving comes in,” Wilkins said. “All of those nonprofits specialize in their mission areas and they partner with the Community Foundation for assistance in growing their permanent resources. They encourage their donors to make planned gifts to their endowment, gifts that will contribute to guaranteeing their future.”

Nigel Allen, the president and chief advancement officer at the Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare Foundation, identified another opportunity that he feels nonprofits should be talking about with their donors.

Upon reaching age 70½, investors are required to begin withdrawing money from IRAs or retirement plan accounts.

People who do not need that money

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for their own use and who want to avoid paying taxes on distributions may opt to make qualified charitable distributions directly to nonprofits.

“It’s a strategy that is employed a lot, especially among people who are well-versed in the art of giving,” Allen said. “It’s a priority tool for them, and all not for profits are well advised to build awareness of it.”

Timing, of course, is a key element in messaging.

“Be talking about charitable distributions when people are thinking about end-of-the-year giving, which is a major activity,” Allen said. “They start thinking about that in October, so if you send something out the second week of December, it’s like you’re a duck hunter and you’re in your blind, but the ducks have already flown north.”

In Allen’s experience, people who make gifts to TMH often do so to express gratitude for treatment and services that the hospital provided them.

“In many cases, the arc of a life intersects many times with TMH, starting with birth,” Allen said.

“Personal experiences influence selection of a particular part of TMH’s mission to support.”

Allen noted, for example, TMH’s Heart & Vascular center.

“We are on the leading edge with the TAVR (transcatheter aortic valve replacement) procedure, which is minimally invasive,” he noted. “People can go in there, extremely ill, unable to climb half a flight of stairs, and a day and a half after the procedure, they are home and cutting the grass. When people have those kinds of experiences, they want to have a legacy that pays things forward so that others who face the same challenge benefit.”

Gifts are not always confined to money. They may include real estate or even tangible personal property.

Allen was working in Pensacola for a nonprofit when the organization was given a Rolls Royce automobile.

Allen called two car collectors — DeVoe Moore of Tallahassee and Gordon Sprague in Pensacola — in an effort to sell the car for the amount that the donor thought it was worth.

“When we disposed of it, let’s just say the donor’s assessment of the value of the car and the buying community’s view proved to be quite a bit different,” Allen said. “He had to eat that difference in terms of tax savings when we reported the sale amount to the IRS.” Gifts of real estate can be especially complicated.

“There may be environmental issues, or something may happen in the vicinity of the property and the value is affected,” Allen said.

“That’s why organizations have gift acceptance policies. Just because someone wants to make a gift to an organization doesn’t mean the nonprofit is obligated to accept it.”

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PROMOTION

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calendar PROMOTION

NOV/DEC 2019 For more events in Tallahassee, visit TallahasseeMagazine.com. compiled by JAVIS OGDEN and REBECCA PADGETT

DECEMBER 21–22

PHOTOS COURTESY OF TALLAHASSEE BALLET (THE NUTCRACKER), TURKEY TROT, FIFTH AND THOMAS (CHRIS KNIGHT) AND OPENING NIGHTS (SISTER HAZEL)

The Nutcracker

Treat yourself to one of the holiday season’s most treasured performances as The Tallahassee Ballet presents “The Nutcracker.”

Share the excitement and magic with your family and friends while trees grow larger than life before your eyes and snowflakes fall on dancers twirling and leaping across the stage.

This performance features a live orchestra on Dec. 21–22 at Ruby Diamond Concert Hall.

For tickets, visit TallahasseeBallet.org or call (850) 224-6917, ext. 21.

NOVEMBER 19

OPENING NIGHTS | SISTER HAZEL

→ Sister Hazel’s gifted and seasoned talent has helped it become known as “one of the Top 100 most influential independent performers of the last 15 years” by Performing Songwriter Magazine. The Gainesville band’s song “All For You” topped the adult alternative charts during the summer of 1997 and hit No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, propelling their album “…Somewhere More Familiar” to platinum status. Most recently, Sister Hazel released its “Element” EP series, which includes “Water” (February 2018), “Wind” (September 2018) and “Fire” (February 2019).

For tickets, visit OpeningNights.fsu.edu/events/sister-hazel.

NOVEMBER 28

Tallahassee Turkey Trot → This year’s race kicks off on

Thanksgiving morning in SouthWood, and the hope is to attract participants in record numbers and make this the best community racing experience of 2019. Whether you want to race hard or just burn some calories on a fun run or walk with friends and family, this is the event to do it.

Times are 8 a.m. for the mile race and 8:30 a.m. for the 5K, 10K or 15K. Register at TallyTurkeyTrot.com.

NOVEMBER 9

CHRIS KNIGHT AT FIFTH AND THOMAS

→ Chris Knight returns to Tallahassee and brings his “Cormac

McCarthy meets Copperhead Road” sound to Fifth and Thomas for an intimate full band show, where he will be accompanied with local support from Caleb McLeod And The Constant.

Visit 850tix.com for more information.

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NOV/DEC 2019

NOVEMBER 16–17

Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival Fine Art Show → Come explore fine art and friendly faces at our 24th annual Plantation Wildlife

Arts Festival Fine Art Show presented by Thomasville Center for the Arts. Delicious flavors, acoustic melodies, and you even might see a birds of prey demonstration as you make your way through a bustling artisan market tented under the oaks.

REGIONAL

JANUARY 17–20

30A Songwriters Festival

DECEMBER 5–7

TREE JUBILEE AT BANNERMAN CROSSINGS

→ Tallahassee’s Tree Jubilee at Bannerman Crossings will kick off the holiday

season by offering fun for the whole family. This three-day event includes a variety of activities for all ages and interests while supporting a great cause.

Trees and wreaths decorated by community businesses and individuals will be up for auction throughout the Jubilee.

For event information, contact Stephanie Nicholas at (850) 591-6789 or at andrse@shands.ufl.edu.

REGIONAL

→ More than 5,000 music lovers come together over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend to attend the 30A Songwriters Festival. This unique four-day music extravaganza features over 200 songwriters and musicians, including Brian Wilson, performing original songs in various genres, ranging from country and Americana to folk and blues in over 25 dedicated listening rooms along historic 30A in South Walton.

The festival is produced by the Cultural Arts Alliance (CAA) and Russell Carter Artist Management. All of the net proceeds benefit the CAA. Visit 30ASongwritersFestival.com for tickets and additional information.

DEC. 12–15 AND DEC. 19–22

MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY

→ The Emerald Coast Theatre Company is excited to offer “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley” as

this year’s holiday production. “Miss Bennet” is the inspired sequel to the novel “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen, and the story continues with the Bennet family gathering at an English country estate for Christmas in 1815, two years after the novel’s ending.

Performances will take place Dec. 12–14 and 19–21 at 7:30 p.m., and also Dec. 15 and 22 at 2 p.m. Visit EmeraldCoastTheatre.org/on-stage for more information.

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PHOTOS BY JEFF MCEVOY (30A SONGWRITERS FESTIVAL), JESSE S. JONES (TREE JUBILEE) AND NIKKI HEDRICK (ECTC) AND COURTESY OF THOMASVILLE CENER FOR THE ARTS (PWAF)

Visit Pwaf.org for more information.

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BACH PARLEY NOVEMBER CONCERT

NOV. 1

The Tallahassee Bach Parley performs music of the Baroque era using period instruments.

This recreates for audiences the experience of hearing and seeing Baroque music as it may have been originally performed hundreds of years ago while generating a fresh sound immediately accessible to listeners today.

Join us in Downtown Thomasville to sip, stroll, shop and dine every first Friday of the month. Grab a glass of wine from Farmer’s Daughter Vineyards before the concert at the Ritz Amphitheater featuring Mainstream Band. November’s theme is “Fall Fest.”

For more information, visit ThomasvilleGA. com/attractions/festivals/first-fridays.

NOV. 10

Tallahasseearts.org/event/bach-parleynovember-concert

FLORIDA SEAFOOD FESTIVAL

CANADIAN BRASS

NOV. 1–2

With an international reputation as one of the most popular brass ensembles today, Canadian Brass has earned the distinction of “the world’s most famous brass group.” Masters of concert presentations, the brass quintet has an engaging stage presence and rapport with audiences that includes lively dialogue and theatrical effects.

Seafood lovers delight as the historic town of Apalachicola celebrates Gulf seafood served in all forms and flavors. The festival features seafood vendors, oyster eating and oyster shucking contests, a parade, the 5K Redfish Run, arts and crafts, musical entertainment and more.

Floridaseafoodfestival.com

MARY POPPINS: THE MUSICAL NOV. 1–10 The Tony and Olivier Awardwinning musical based on the Disney classic film comes to life on the Young Actors Theatre stage. Based on books

by P.L. Travers and the classic Disney film, “Mary Poppins” is a practically perfect musical!

Tallahasseearts.org/event/mary-poppinsthe-musical

ROANOKE NOV. 4 Based in Nashville, Roanoke is a five-piece band that bridges a gap between alternative and Americana/folk. The band writes palatable and melodic songs under a blanket of guitars, multi-part harmonies and instantly recognizable vocals.

Openingnights.fsu.edu/events/roanoke

NORTH FLORIDA FAIR NOV. 7–17 Dizzying rides, tasty fair food, lively entertainment, children’s attractions, agriculture and more will be on display at the 77th annual North Florida Fair.

Northfloridafair.com

NOV. 10

Openingnights.fsu.edu/events/ canadian-brass

JAMES LEBLANC AND THE WINCHESTERS NOV. 12 Songwriter James LeBlanc has sold over 25 million records with songs recorded by Rascal Flatts, Kenny Chesney, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw and more. After years as the man behind the songs, he is now touring and playing with The Winchesters.

Protecting a Lifetime of

Healthy Smiles with a Team You Can Trust

Openingnights.fsu.edu/events/jamesleblanc-the-winchesters

FRIDAY NIGHT BLOCK PARTY – TREA LANDON NOV. 15 The Friday Night Block Party is the official start of every FSU Football home weekend. Great concerts, food, beverages and Seminole cheer! Live music will be performed by Nashville singer/songwriter Trea Landon.

Seminoles.com/block-party

THIRD EYE BLIND NOV. 15 Third Eye Blind with special guest Smallpools will preform at the Capital City Amphitheater.

Mark your calendars to experience the American rock

(850) 942-8111 www.CapitalPerio.com TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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850-893-1960

The Brush & Palette Studio

Specializing in Art Lessons for Adults and Children

calendar

NOV/DEC 2019

legends perform hits such as “Semi-Charmed Life” and “How’s It Going to Be” and new releases such as “Screamer.”

VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS THOMASVILLE

Capitalcityamphitheater.com

’Tis the season! The 33rd Annual Victorian Christmas will take you back in time to Thomasville’s Victorian past. Stroll the bricks and be entertained by performers, carolers and musicians. Shop, dine and welcome the holiday season in Downtown Thomasville!

LEMOYNE ARTS ANNUAL HOLIDAY SHOW NOV. 28–DEC. 23

www.brushandpalettestudio.com

T​ he LeMoyne Arts Annual Holiday Show has been a tradition for over 55 years. This year, you can see and purchase handmade works from over 80 local artists. The 2019 theme is “An International Holiday,” encouraging artists to create pieces inspired by other cultures and countries.

1379 Timberlane Rd.

Lemoyne.org/annual-holiday-show.html

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This month’s First Friday in downtown Thomasville is all about the holidays. Don your favorite ugly sweater and enjoy a free concert at the Ritz Amphitheater, featuring Remember Jones. Participating restaurants and shops will be open late, so patrons are invited to grab a bite to eat or a glass of wine from Farmer’s Daughter Vineyards.

For more information, visit ThomasvilleGA. com/attractions/festivals/first-fridays.

Amy Butcher

Amy Butcher RebeccaGaye Johnson Babcock Gaye Johnson

Rebecca Babcock

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REAL MORNINGS with GREG TISH and BOBBY MAC

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54TH ANNUAL MARKET DAYS

DEC. 12–13

Thomasvillega.com/attractions/festivals/ victorian-christmas

A CHRISTMAS CAROL DEC. 12-22 Returning for a second year, this creative and quick-paced adaptation uses only five actors, some puppets and the power of the audience’s imagination to bring Charles Dickens’ Christmas classic to life. You’ll find all your favorite characters, from Scrooge to Tiny Tim to a bevy of Christmas spirits, in this holiday special event production.

Tallahasseearts.org/event /a-christmas-carol-4

HOLIDAY MAGIC DEC. 14 Jazz diva Carmen Bradford and the Leon Anderson Trio will join the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra for a jazzy Christmas.

Special guests from Pas de Vie ballet will join the matinee performance.

Tallahasseearts.org/event/ holiday-magic-3

DEC. 7–8

WINTER MOON FESTIVAL

Tallahassee boasts one of the Southeast’s largest and bestjuried craft shows with art from over 300 vendors. Art, furniture, ceramics, woodwork, jewelry, clothing, photography and more fill the fairgrounds. This event is a major fundraiser for the Tallahassee Museum and provides a great opportunity to buy cherished holiday gifts.

DEC. 20-22

Tallahasseemuseum.org/ marketdays/about

Held at Millstone Plantation, off Millstone Plantation Road, overlooking Lake McBride. This new festival celebrates the year end, the solstice and the holidays. The event features fine art, artisan work, music, performance and food. $5 per day or $10 for a three-day pass. tallahasseearts.org

WINTER FESTIVAL

CHILDREN’S NUTCRACKER PARTY

DEC. 7

DEC. 21

A winter wonderland takes over Tallahassee with a night of twinkling lights, Christmas tunes, holiday treats, food vendors, children’s activities, the lighting of the trees at the Chain of Parks, the Jingle Bell Run and the City of Tallahassee Nighttime Holiday Parade.

Enjoy a party featuring the cast of “The Nutcracker” and Santa Claus. The party will immediately follow the children’s abbreviated performance of “The Nutcracker” on Saturday, Dec. 21, at 10:30 a.m. Tickets are $15. For more information, visit TallahasseeBallet. org or call (850) 224-6917, ext. 21.

Talgov.com/parks/parks-winter.aspx

TallahasseeBallet.org

CURRENT OBSESSIONS. (850) 553 3327

1350 MARKET STREET

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824 Railroad Avenue | (850) 692-7150 | Hampton.com | TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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PROMOTION

SOCIAL STUDIES Tallahassee Magazine Pop Up Party JULY 23 Tallahassee Magazine celebrated our 40th anniversary on July 23 with our readers, advertisers, friends and family at Proof Brewing Co. The Allie Cats provided live music on the lawn, and Proper Brewpub catered the event with bite-size delights such as chicken and waffles, which pair perfectly with a Proof brew. The night ended with a surprise video for our publisher and president, Brian Rowland, from staff and clients.

1

2

PHOTOS BY JANECIA BRITT

1 Keith Baxter, Calynne and Lou Hill, Cherie and Brian Rowland with Wendy Hollady 2 Bo Schmitz,Lauran Izzo and Jonathan LaBarre 3 Paul Roth, Susan Roth and Ashley Chaney 4 Phil Nowicki and Mark Baldino 5 Alan Hanstein, Jeremy Cohen and Bennett Napier

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Experience Southeastern Plastic Surgery during the

HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE 13th Annual

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Friday, December 6 from 1:00 - 5:30 p.m.

YOUR EXPERIENCE WILL INCLUDE: An opportunity to meet & learn from our clinical professionals about the latest technology & techniques used to keep you looking young & vibrant Exclusive one day only discounts on products & vouchers for injectables (prepaid preorders begin 11.22 and ends 12.4) Fabulous door prizes & drawings

RSVP by December 3 at www.se-plasticsurgery.com

not actual patient

850.219.2000

2030 Fleischmann Rd. ~ Tallahassee, FL Ben J. Kirbo, M.D. ~ Laurence Z. Rosenberg, M.D. ~ Chris DeRosier, M.D. CERTIFIED BY THE AMERICAN BOARD OF PLASTIC SURGERY

TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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PROMOTION

SOCIAL STUDIES Leon Heart Walk

1

2

SEPT. 12 More than 1,000 attendees from the Big Bend gathered at Cascades Park for the 2019 Big Bend Heart Walk. Inspired by the fight against heart disease and stroke, walkers, runners and joggers marched for this worthy cause as the event raised over $50,000 in proceeds.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF LAIKEN KINSEY

1 Members of the Florida A&M University Honor Student Association walk to instill values of healthy living to students.

3

4

2 Members of the Florida High cheerleading squad maintain enthusiasm throughout the day.

3 Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare is proudly present for the worthiest of health-related initiatives.

4 Heart Walk participants join the fight against heart disease.

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Welcome back to Tallahassee, Dr. Karis Dickey Shelton. Karis grew up in Tallahassee, cheering on the ’Noles. Her dad is a former Florida State University football coach. After graduating from Lawton Chiles High School, Karis followed her family to Carrollton, Georgia, where she attended the University of West Georgia. While earning an undergraduate degree in biology, Karis kept a busy schedule as a member of the all-girl cheerleading squad (Go Wolves) and president of her sorority, Delta Delta Delta. She then pursued her passion by attending the University of Georgia for a degree in veterinary medicine. Go Dawgs!

Tallahassee beckoned Karis back in 2016 with a job at North Florida Animal Hospital, where her love of client education, preventative medicine and dermatology is evident. She married a native Tallahassean, Brooks Shelton, a short time later. They are often found fishing together around Alligator Point.

The many local greenways afford her the opportunity to ride trails with her Tennessee Walking Horse, Seminole.

We are proud of Karis’ recent support of the TMH animal therapy program, where she and Ellie, their boxer, are currently training. Their cat, Tater, wishes he could join in on the fun, too.

2701 N. MONROE ST. | (850) 385-5141 | NFLAH.COM

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PROMOTION

THE WINE LOFT’S FINAL POUR AFTER 10 YEARS, BELOVED MIDTOWN SPOT SET TO CLOSE ITS DOORS AT YEAR’S END

T

hroughout the span of 10 years, the patrons of The Wine Loft have sat on the upstairs balcony, sipping wine and noshing on appetizers while watching the streets below change and shape.

From the start, Wine Loft owner Jamie Christoff knew she wanted to open her business in the Midtown area for its sense of community and connectivity.

Over the years, The Wine Loft became a fixture and a central space where Tallahassee residents came to wine, dine and celebrate.

The Wine Loft will close its doors in a fitting fashion — as Tallahasseeans say goodbye to 2019. On Dec. 31, The Wine Loft will host a celebratory send-off complete with live music, a DJ, free new year party favors, drink specials and a free midnight champagne toast. The event will raise a glass to the end of an era.

“I always loved the Midtown area and wanted to be a part of the vibe created in this area,” said Christoff. “We have become a place of celebrations big and small. I hope that because of that, we have made an impact not only on Midtown directly, but also Tallahassee as a whole.”

Alongside the ideal geographic location, The Wine Loft has an inviting two-story, indoor and outdoor space with

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an impressive selection of wines. Christoff has learned how to begin a business from the ground up, run a successful business in the ever-changing hospitality industry and continue her wine education.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. Christoff plans to pursue commercial real estate, personal projects and spend more time with her family. She does have high hopes for the next progression of the space, which will be taken on as a new concept by new owners.

“It is a surreal feeling to be closing our doors,” said Christoff. “It takes a lot to walk away from something that has been such a big part of my life. I do hope, though, that the past 10 years have created an environment, an ambiance and a venue where people have created good memories and good times. I know that I have.”

The Wine Loft space will not remain vacant for long.

General manager Bob Arbuthnot, who has been with The Wine Loft for six years, is going to open a lounge/ bar concept in the space with a reopen time frame of mid-January 2020. He and his partners will redesign and update the spaces and create yet another great adult venue where The Wine Loft thrived for 10 years.

(850) 222-9914

|

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CELEBRATING 15 YEARS! JANUARY 25, 2020

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dining guide AMERICAN ANDREW’S DOWNTOWN

After 40 years, Andrew’s is still an energetic, casual, see-and-be-seen spot. House favorites include a popular lunch buffet, hamburgers, sandwiches, salads and pasta dishes. Downtown delivery. Mon-Thurs 11:30 am-10 pm, Fri-Sat 11:30 am-11 pm, Sun 10:30 am-9 pm. 228 S. Adams St. (850) 222-3444/Fax, (850) 222-2433. $$ B L D

BACKWOODS CROSSING ★

burgers and tacos. Mon-Thurs 11 am-12 am, FriSat 11 am-2 am, Sun 11 am-12 am. 1370 Market St. (850) 692-3116. $/$$ L D

JUICY BLUE

Located in the Four Points by Sheraton Downtown, this cool lobby restaurant offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. Unique dishes include tapas with a twist, such as the Georgia peaches with caramel. Mon-Fri 7 am-11 pm, Sat-Sun 7 am-midnight. 316 W. Tennessee St. (850) 422-0071. $ B L D

KOOL BEANZ ★

Sit down for fresh gourmet food at Tallahassee’s farm-to-table, destination concept restaurant featuring locally caught and produced soft-shell crabs, sausage, duck and blueberries. Mon–Thur 11 am–9 pm, Fri–Sat 11 am–10 pm. 6725 Mahan Drive. (850) 765-3753. $$ L D

Eclectic and edgy, both in menu and atmosphere, Kool Beanz delights in art present both on the walls and your plates. This offbeat alternative won Best Casual Dining in Tallahassee.

Dinner Mon-Sat 5:30-10 pm, lunch Mon-Fri 11 am-2:30 pm, brunch Sun 10:30 am-2 pm.

921 Thomasville Rd. (850) 224-2466. $$ L D

BUMPA’S LOCAL #349

LIAM’S RESTAURANT

Featuring burgers, sandwiches, pastas, fried ribs, tacos and wings, this new neighborhood bar and grill has something for everyone.

Mon–Thu 11 am–10 pm, Fri–Sat 11 am–Midnight, Sun 11 am–10 pm. 2738 Capital Circle NE $L D

DOG ET AL ★

Foot-long and veggie entrees alike grace this award-winning menu. If the entire family is down for the dog, be sure to ask about their incredibly valued family packs. Mon-Fri 10 am-7 pm, Sat 10 am-6 pm, Sun Closed.

1456 S. Monroe St. (850) 222-4099. $ L D

THE EDISON

A Tallahassee relaxed fine dining establishment. Equipped with a beer garden, wine cellar, casual café, open-air alternatives and a gorgeous view, this historic building and restaurant has quickly become a Tallahassee favorite. Mon-Thurs 11 am-11 pm, Fri 11 ammidnight, Sat 10 am-midnight, Sun 10 am-11 pm.

470 Suwannee St. (850) 684-2117. $$/$$$

FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD ★

The name says it all! This restaurant boasts a palate-pleasing combination of personalized service, eclectic ambiance and award-winning cuisine and is the Best Desserts winner for 2017–19. Tues-Thurs 11 am-2:30 pm, 5:309 pm; Fri-Sat 11 am-2:30 pm, 5:30-9:30 pm; Sun 10 am-2:30 pm, 5:30-9 pm. 1950 Thomasville Rd. (850) 224-9974. $$ L D

HOPKINS’ EATERY ★

Hopkins’, a Best of 2019 winner, provides more than just your average sandwich. Favorites such as the Ultimate Turkey and the Linda Special, and a variety of salad meals keep customers coming back for more. Multiple locations. Hours vary. hopkinseatery.com. $ L

ISLAND WING COMPANY ★

Get baked! Tally’s Best Wings 2019 won’t serve you up greasy, fried wings; instead, they bake them and prepare them fresh. They don’t stop at wings, either: Try the mac ’n cheese,

THE KEY

★2019 Best

of Tallahassee Winner

Part restaurant, part cheese shoppe, part lounge — Liam’s features locally grown and harvested foods, expertly made cocktails, craft beer, artisan wines & cheeses and friendly service. Lunch: Tues-Sat, 11 am-2 pm; Dinner: Tues-Sat, 5 pm-close; Lounge: Tues-Fri 5 pm-late, Sat: noon-midnight.

113 E. Jackson St., Thomasville, Georgia.

(229) 226-9944. $$/$$$ L D

Brunch Lunch Dinner

HOME OF THE

Open Christmas Day

Every Night Happy Hour 4–9 p.m.

Thursday Night all wines 2 for 1 4–9 p.m.

Killearn Shopping Center • Ocala Corners KIKUBOGO.COM

LOFTY PURSUITS ★

This old-fashioned soda fountain serves ice cream, milkshakes and candy — plus brunch dishes and a selection of vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options. Brunch: 7 am–2 pm, ice cream: Mon–Fri Noon-10 pm, Sat 10 am–10 pm, Sun 10 am–9 pm. 1355 Market St., A11. (850) 521-0091. $ B

MADISON SOCIAL ★

Whether it’s for a social cocktail, a quick lunch or a place for alumni to gather before home football games, Madison Social offers something for everyone. Madison Social earned Best Happy Hour honors in 2018.

Mon-Fri 11:30 am-2 am, Sat-Sun 10 am-2 am.

CollegeTown, 705 S. Woodward Ave. (850) 894‑6276. $$ B L D

SAGE RESTAURANT ★

Sage’s menu masterfully melds regional influences, including Southern and French.

The setting is gorgeous but cozy, and the outdoor patio sets a charming, romantic tone for a relaxed evening. Mon Closed; Tues-Sat 11 am-3 pm, 6-10 pm; Sun 11 am-2:30 pm. 3534 Maclay Blvd. (850) 270-9396. $$$ B L D

SAVOUR

Downtown fine dining with a vision for seasonally inspired, regionally sourced and creatively prepared cuisine, such as bourbonbrined pork chops, Gulf Coast bouillabaisse or miso marinated grouper. Tue–Sat 5 pm–close.

115 E. Park Ave. (850) 765-6966. $$$ D

TABLE 23 ★

This “Southern porch, table and bar” is cozied

The restaurants that appear in this guide are included as a service to readers and not as recommendations of the Tallahassee Magazine editorial department, except where noted. $$ Moderately B Breakfast/ Outdoor Dining L D

2018

Live Music Bar/Lounge

$ Inexpensive

Expensive

$$$ Expensive

Specializing in locally sourced seafood and USDA prime steaks Full bar and lounge | Locally owned and operated Private dining | Banquet rooms available Celebrating over 50 years serving Tallahassee 2971 Apalachee Parkway | (850) 877-3211 georgiostallahassee@gmail.com | georgiostallahassee.com TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

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THANK YOU FOR VOTING US

BEST HIBACHI 2018

HIBACHI

ASIAN | HIBACHI

HIBACHI

18 Hibachi tables Sushi bar Private dining Large parties welcome Open daily for lunch and dinner

DESTIN | 34745 Emerald Coast Parkway | 850.650.4688 PANAMA CITY BEACH | 15533 Panama City Beach Parkway | 850.588.8403

WWW.THEOSAKASTEAKHOUSE.COM NEW LOCATION OPEN IN NOVEMBER TALLAHASSEE | 1489 Maclay Commerce Drive | 850.531.0222

2018

our mission is the same as our passion: to serve the most delicious mexican cuisine at five great locations. we invite you to stop by for our world-famous fajitas.

southwood

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727-0094 |

capital circle ne

TALLAHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

385-9992 |

north monroe

878-0800 |

kerry forest

668-1002 |

crawfordville

926-4329

up among oak trees on one of Tallahassee’s favorite street corners. Lucky Goat coffeerubbed ribeye and Schermer pecan-crusted chicken are among the regional-produce offerings. Mon-Tues 11 am-2 pm, 5-9 pm, Wed-Fri 11 am-2 pm, 5-10 pm, Sat 5-10 pm, Sun 10 am-3 pm. 1215 Thomasville Rd., (850) 329-2261. $$$ L D

UPTOWN CAFÉ

Specialties at the bustling, family-run café include apricot-glazed smoked salmon, one-ofa-kind omelets, banana bread French toast and flavorful sandwiches. Mon-Sat 7 am-3 pm, Sun 8 am-2 pm. 1325 Miccosukee Road (850) 219-9800. $B L

THE WINE LOFT WINE BAR ★

Chosen as a Best of winner in 2017–19, Midtown’s Wine Loft offers a superb wine list, creative cocktails, quality beer and tasty tapas.

Mon-Thurs 5 pm-2 am, Fri-Sat 4 pm-2 am, Sun Closed. 1240 Thomasville Rd., #100.

(850) 222-9914. $$ D

VERTIGO BURGERS AND FRIES ★

Vertigo is home to some of the juiciest, funkiest burgers in town. Favorites include the Vertigo Burger — a beef patty served with a fried egg, applewood bacon, grilled jalapeños, sharp cheddar and Vertigo sauce. Mon-Sat 11 am-9 pm, Sun 11 am-6 pm. 1395 E. Lafayette St. (850) 878‑2020. $$ L D

ASIAN AZU LUCY HO’S ★

Enjoy an extensive array of classic dishes with a modern flare, including gyoza dumplings, crab rangoon, General Tso’s chicken and szechuan beef, all in a relaxed setting.

Mon–Fri 11 am–10 pm, Sat 11:30 am–10 pm, Sun 10:30 am–9 pm. 3220 Apalachee Parkway, Suite 13. (850) 893-4112. L D

BREAKFAST/ BRUNCH/BAKERY CANOPY ROAD CAFÉ ★

Traditional breakfasts, fluffy omelets, skillets, French toast and sweet potato pancakes keep customers coming back. Canopy goes all out on lunch favorites, too, including salads and steakburgers. Mon-Sun 6:30 am-2:15 pm.

Multiple locations. (850) 668-6600. $ B L

MASA

In 2018, Masa earned the title of Best Asian in town — and with good reason. Their menu offers a creative blend of Eastern and Western cuisines. Mon-Fri 11 am-3 pm, 4:30-9:30 pm; Sat-Sun 12-3 pm, 4:30-9:30 pm. 1650 N. Monroe St. (850) 727-4183. $/$$ L D

NAGOYA STEAKHOUSE & SUSHI

Dine in or takeout, Nagoya offers a wide variety of authentic Japanese cuisine, including hibachi, salads, sushi and sashimi. Lunch: Mon– Fri 11 am–2:30 pm; Dinner: Mon–Thur 4:30– 10 pm, Fri 4:30–10:30 pm, Sat 11 am–10:30 pm, Sun Noon–9:30 pm. 1925 N. Monroe St. $$ L D

OSAKA JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE AND SUSHI BAR ★

Rated Best Hibachi for 2019, Osaka provides dinner and a show, with the chefs seasoning and preparing your meal right in front of you. Sun-Thurs 11 am-10:15 pm, Fri-Sat 11 am-10:45 pm. 1690 Raymond Diehl Rd. (850) 531-0222. $$$ D

BBQ WILLIE JEWELL’S OLD SCHOOL BBQ ★ Platters, sandwiches or by the pound, Willie Jewell’s offers smoked brisket, pork, turkey, sausage, chicken and ribs with a bevy of Southern sides. Daily 11 am-9 pm. 5442 Thomasville Rd. (850) 629-4299. $ L D

2018

THE EGG CAFÉ & EATERY

When you’re looking for breakfast favorites, even if it’s lunchtime, The Egg is the place to be. They were voted Tallahassee’s best 16 times, including the 2018 award for Best Brunch. Second location now open in Kleman Plaza. Multiple Locations.

(850) 907-3447. $$ B L

TASTY PASTRY BAKERY ★

Tallahassee’s original cakery features fresh breads, bagels, pies, cakes and catering.

Mon–Sat 6:45 am–6 pm. 1355 Market St., No. A-5. (850) 893-3752. $ B L D

THE BADA BEAN

Greeting sunrise with Tallahassee residents for over 10 years, find your favorite breakfast, brunch and lunch specials any time of day.

Bada Bean features lattes, cold brew, cappuccinos, espresso and Mighty Leaf teas. Mon 6:30 am–2 pm, Tue–Fri 6:30 am–3 pm, Sat–Sun 7:30 am–3 pm. 2500-B Apalachee Pkwy.

(850) 562-2326. $ B L

TREVA’S PASTRIES AND FINE FOODS

Specializing in sweet treats, cakes, pastries and croissants, this bistro-style pastry shop and fine foods store also uses 100% natural ingredients to make savory sandwiches, salads and soups. Tue– Fri 11 am–6 pm, Sat 11 am–4 pm. 2766 Capital Circle NE. (850) 765-0811. $$ L

CAJUN

KIKU JAPANESE FUSION ★

From tempura to teriyaki and from sushi to sashimi, Kiku Japanese Fusion fuses vibrant flavors with fresh ingredients. There’s a reason Kiku was voted Best Sushi in 2019.

Mon-Sat 11 am-1 pm, Sun 12-11 pm. 800 Ocala Rd. (850) 575-5458, 3491 Thomasville Rd. (850) 222-5458. $$ L D

THE BEST LITTLE STEAKHOUSE IN TALLAHASSEE

COOSH’S BAYOU ROUGE ★

This Best Cajun Restaurant winner for 2019 brings the best of the Bayou State right to your table. The menu is jam-packed with Louisiana-style dishes, including favorites like jambalaya, crawfish etouffee, po’boys and seafood gumbo. Mon-Tues 11 am-10 pm, Wed-Fri 7 am-10 pm, Sat 8 am-10 pm, Sun 8 am-9 pm.

Multiple Locations. (850) 894‑4110. $$ B L D

CATERING BLACK FIG ★

Whether you’re planning an event for five or 500, Black Fig offers a bevy of dining options, including catering-to-go. Tue–Fri 11 am–6:30 pm, Sat. 10 am–4 pm 1400 Village Square Blvd., #7. (850) 727-0016.

Join us for lunch and dinner at our beautiful location on Apalachee Parkway.

Our steaks are not only the best in Tallahassee, but USDA choice Midwestern corn-fed beef, specially selected, aged to our specifications and cut daily. We also serve fresh jumbo shrimp and fish — grilled, blackened or fried.

So please join us for lunch and dinner or just meet up for drinks at our fully stocked bar.

CUBAN GORDO’S

Tallahassee’s top Cuban spot for over 30 years, Gordo’s features favorites such as croquetas, papas rellenas, empanadas and pressed sandwiches like their classic Cubano. Mon–Sat 11 am–11 pm, Sun 11 am–10 pm 1907 W. Pensacola St.; Mon–Thu 11 am–10 pm, Fri 11 am–11 pm, Sun 11 am–9 pm.

1460 Market St. Suite #3-4. $ L D

GREEK LITTLE ATHENS GYRO ★

Across from campus, find your fix for Greek, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. Mon–Fri 10 am–8 pm, Sat 11 am–5 pm.

666 W. Tennessee St., #5. (850) 222-2231. $ L D

F

MARIE LIVINGSTON’S STEAK HOUSE

2705 Apalachee Parkway | Tallahassee, FL (850) 270-9506

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Accompanied by our classic smashed potatoes and green beans.

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301. S. BRONOUGH ST. TALLAHASSEE • 850-222-3976 ORDER ONLINE NOW AT HOOKEDONHARRYS.COM • E-CARDS AVAILABLE

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SAHARA GREEK & LEBANESE CAFÉ

Serving great food since 2000, Sahara serves everything from gyros and falafel wraps to lamb kebabs and homemade hummus. Mon– Wed 11 am–9 pm, Thur–Fri 11 am–10 pm, Sat Noon–10 pm. 1135 Apalachee Pkwy.

(850) 656-1800. $$ L D

INDIAN MAYURI INDIAN CUISINE

Featuring Indian classics such as tikka masala, naan and curry, Mayuri also offers an assortment of vegetarian and vegan options. Mon– Wed 11:30 am–2:30 pm, 5:30–9:30 pm, Thur 5:30–9:30 pm, Fri 11 am–2:30 pm, 5:30–10 pm, Sat: 11:30 am–2:30 pm, 5:30–10 pm, Sun 11:30 am–3 pm, 5:30–9:30 pm. 1108 S. Magnolia Dr. (850) 402-9993. $ L D

ITALIAN/PIZZA BELLA BELLA

Take your taste buds to Italy with a trip to Bella Bella, voted Best Italian in 2015, 2017 and 2018. This locally owned and operated restaurant has a cozy atmosphere and serves all the classics to satisfy your pasta cravings.

Mon-Fri 11 am-10 pm, Sat 4-10 pm, Sun Closed.

123 E. 5th Ave. (850) 412-1114. $$ L D

MOMO’S ★

After devouring a slice “as big as your head” at this 2019 Best Pizza winner, chain pizza simply is not gonna cut it. The restaurant has an unmistakable and enjoyable “hole in the wall” vibe. Multiple locations. Hours vary.

(850) 224‑9808. $ L D

RICCARDO’S RESTAURANT

A Tallahassee tradition since 1999, Riccardo’s features savory Italian classics, from pasta and pizza to homemade subs and calzones — plus a wide-ranging selection of wines and craft brews. Lunch: Tue–Fri 11 am to 2 pm; Dinner: Tue–Sat 5–9 p.m. 1950 Thomasville Road.

(850) 386-3988. $$ L D

Z. BARDHI’S ITALIAN CUISINE ★

With delicious Italian cuisine in a fine dining atmosphere, Z. Bardhi’s has been family-owned and operated for over 20 years. Lunch: Sat–Sun, 11 am–2 pm, Dinner: Mon–Sun, 5–9:30 pm.

3596 Kinhega Dr. (850) 894-9919. $$ L D

MEXICAN

along with fine wines and a martini bar. A private dining room for up to 20 guests is available.

Mon-Thurs 4-10 pm; Fri 4 pm-close; Sat 8 am-2 pm, 4 pm-close; Sun 8 am-2 pm, 4-10 pm. 3431 Bannerman Rd., #2 (850) 999-1696. $$$ L D

BONEFISH GRILL ★

Bonefish is devoted to serving great seafood including shrimp, oysters, snapper and swordfish in a vibrant setting, along with top-shelf cocktails and housemade infusions crafted by expert mixologists. Mon-Thurs 4–10:30 pm, Fri 4–11:30 pm, Sat 11 am– 11:30 pm, Sun 10 am–9 pm. 3491 Thomasville Rd., Ste. 7, (850) 297-0460. $$ L D

CHOP HOUSE ON THE BRICKS

This family-owned, upscale restaurant serves local organic and sustainable meats, seafood, poultry and produce. Craft beers, fine wines and specialty drinks complement any dish. Tues-Sat 5-9:30 pm, Sun-Mon Closed. 123 N. Broad St., Thomasville, Ga. (229) 236-2467. $$ D

GEORGIO’S FINE FOOD & SPIRITS

George Koikos has over 50 years of experience in Tallahassee restaurants, and his hands-on commitment has made this upscale restaurant a local favorite. Serving local seafood and prime steak, Georgio’s offers banquet rooms for private parties. Mon–Sat 4–9:30 pm 2971 Apalachee Pkwy.

(850) 877-3211. $$$ D

HARRY’S SEAFOOD BAR & GRILL

Serving Southern, cajun and creole flavors in classic and modern dishes since 1987. Full bar is available at each location and offers beer, wine, liquor and unique cocktails. Sun-Thurs 11 am-10 pm, Fri-Sat 11 am-11 pm, and holiday hours. 301 S. Bronough St., in Kleman Plaza.

(850) 222-3976. $$ L D

MARIE LIVINGSTON’S STEAKHOUSE ★

Located in Hotel Duval. Keep it light and casual with a premium Black Angus beef burger or a gourmet salad, or opt for one of their signature entrées — a “Shula Cut” steak. Reservations are suggested. Sun-Thurs 5-10 pm, Fri-Sat 5-11 pm.

415 N. Monroe St. (850) 224-6005. $$$ L D

SOUTHERN SEAFOOD ★

Whether you’re looking for fish, shrimp, oysters, scallops, crab or lobster, these guys have you covered. The 2019 Best Seafood Market winner brings the ocean’s freshest choices to Tallahassee’s front door. Mon-Fri 10 am-7 pm, Sat 10 am-6 pm, Sun 12-6 pm. 1415 Timberlane Rd. (850) 668‑2203.

EL PATRON MEXICAN GRILL & CANTINA

WHARF CASUAL SEAFOOD

THE BLU HALO ★

Blu Halo is a high-end culinary experience featuring dry-aged steaks and fresh seafood

2018

SHULA’S 347

In the mood for sizzling enchiladas and frozen margaritas? Make your way to the 2019 Best Mexican/Latin American Restaurant, El Jalisco, where they do Mexican cuisine to perfection.

Multiple locations. Hours vary. $ L D

SEAFOOD/STEAK

(850) 385-5953 | CATERINGCAPERS.COM

Not just a restaurant that serves up savory cuts of prime rib or marbled steaks, this 2019 Best Steakhouse winner is a Tallahassee tradition, and newcomers owe it to themselves to make it a priority to visit. Mon-Fri 11 am-2 pm, 5-9 pm; Sat 5-9 pm; Sun Closed. 2705 Apalachee Pkwy. (850) 562-2525. $$ L D

EL JALISCO ★

Find all your authentic Mexican classics such as tacos, quesadillas, fajitas and burritos, or take a sip of a yardstick margarita. Mon–Wed 11 am–10 pm, Thur 11 am–11 pm, Fri–Sun 11 am– Midnight. 1170 Apalachee Pkwy. (850) 656-7264. $$ L D

TALLAHASSEE'S PREMIER CATERING COMPANY FOR OVER 20 YEARS. LET US HELP YOU CREATE A MEMORABLE EVENT.

A Tallahassee institution, the Wharf will fill your need for the coast with fresh seafood, salads, seafood tacos and po’boys. Also available for catering. Open daily, 11 am–8:30 pm, 3439 Bannerman Rd. and 4036 Lagniappe Way, (850) 765-1077 and (850) 668-1966. $$ L D

WAHOO SEAFOOD GRILL ★

Bringing the coast to Tallahassee, fresh seafood options mix with steak and classic Cajun dishes. Mon–Thur 11 am–10 pm, Fri–Sat 11 am–11 pm, Sun. 10 am–1 pm. 2714 Graves Rd. (850) 629-4059. $$ L D

Visit our comprehensive, searchable dining guide online at tallahasseemagazine.com/Restaurants.

Great Food Great Friends

3740 Austin Davis Ave. Tues-Sun 7am-2pm (850) 765-0703 TALL AHASSEEMAGA ZINE.COM

Visit Our New Location Kleman Plaza Tues-Sun | 7am-2pm (850) 907-EGGS (3447) November–December 2019

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postscript

GRATEFULNESS FOR THE GIFT OF HUMAN CONNECTIONS

by NATALIE KAZMIN

L

et’s be frank. Or frankincense, given the season and all. The holidays are the worst.

They’re all tinsel and temper and intangibility. Everything is gilded — from the plastic wreaths to the pinescented candles to the cubic zirconia earrings you bought your mother because, yet again, you didn’t know what to get her.

I don’t blame you. How do you fit emotional fulfillment and financial stability into a box?

But I’m not a Grinch, or a Scrooge, or even a communist. I just don’t like matching sweaters, Mariah Carey’s “Merry Christmas” album put on repeat, or my mother texting me for the nteenth time about what my sister wants under the tree.

Listen, ma — I didn’t know a week ago, and I don’t know now. Please stop calling to ask me about her Christmas list when you can call down the hall to her bedroom. Sheesh.

I like spiked eggnog and cinnamon candles and snuggling up to Lifetime movies with my family as much as the next guy. I love when “I Have a Little Dreidel” gets stuck in my head, and when

I find a gift that’s just right, and the furrowed brow my oldest niece gets when she’s focusing real hard on thoroughly mixing cookie dough.

But I don’t see why we can’t have these things year-round.

One of my best friends celebrated Eid over the summer, and with her, I broke fast over a bowl of dates and the hum of spirituals. We communicated via eyebrow until we were sure our voices wouldn’t carry, and in the June evening even our laughs seemed to sweat; they stayed in the air longer that way, so we didn’t mind it too much.

On a linoleum table at a Cold Stone in mid-August, that same friend found a teeny figurine of Spider-Man. She presented it to me, a thoughtful gift, and I keep it on the same shelf as the misshapen Happy Meal toy our friend Parker left in my car. I had tried giving it back to him, but he laughed — maybe at me — and told me to keep it. Another little gift.

My family does most of our celebrating at New Year’s, when we sit by a big fire with generations of Found Family — a ragamuffin group that gets larger with every grandbaby — eating

black-eyed peas while we share stories.

With our spirits in our cups, our voices rise as the fire dies, and every year will bring different tales punctuated with different jokes, but they feel like the same ones we’ve been telling for 40 years anyway.

As I collect these memories, I can’t help but think of one of my dad’s favorite Dylan songs, and a line that goes, “May you always do for others, and let others do for you.”

I’ll pick out gifts knowing that they are the physical summation of all the priceless, intangible moments my friends and family have given me. Knowing that they will fail in representing this.

Knowing it doesn’t matter.

And when I receive gifts this year I will not put on a bashful smile, or dismiss their effort with the classic line, “You didn’t have to get me anything!”

I will receive them honorably and graciously, knowing they are trying to do for me, too, as I hope I have done for them. If they aren’t failing, I know I can’t be either.

So that’s what I’m doing this holiday season: wrapping all my love in a bow, because it won’t fit into a box. TM

Natalie Kazmin works as a receptionist at Rowland Publishing, owner of Tallahassee Magazine. She graduates in December with a degree in creative writing from Florida State University.

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illustration by LINDSEY MASTERSON

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