Tallahassee Magazine • September/October 2023

HISTORICAL

SOCIETY SURFACES THE PAST

Pool Mark

FORMER FSU FOOTBALL STANDOUTS GIVE BACK AS COACHES, PHILANTHROPISTS

Celebrated swim coach continues to collect medals as Senior Games competitor

SWEET GRASS DAIRY PERFECTS CHEESEMAKING

EXOTIC ROOT VEGGIES BREAK UP RUSSET RUT

Celebrating 75 years of worn black leather, cool breezes and the freedom of the open road.

The same old leather jacket. The same old worn blue jeans. The same old bike. Everything’s a little older. But that’s not going to stop you from revving it up and hauling down the road. After serving our community for 75 years, we like to think we’re a part of the adventure – by keeping you stronger, happier and healthier. From all of us at TMH and our partners, thank you for your continued trust. Here’s to another 75 years.

photography by DAVE BARFIELD

323

21 CHAMPION Pineview Elementary School principal Carmen Conner has inspired students and elevated the school from a failing grade to a respectable “B.”

26 PERSONALITY Retired Maclay School Hall of Fame swim coach Mark Gargiulo is a supercharged senior whose competitive spirit has not ebbed in the least.

32 HEALTHY LIVING At age 91, tennis enthusiast Louis Beall has no interest in playing doubles. He wants to return the ball every time it comes over the net.

36 HISTORY Board members at the Tallahassee Historical Society represent talents from scholarship to marketing. For years, they have been anticipating Tallahassee’s bicentennial.

PANACHE

45 CITIZEN OF STYLE

An attorney by trade, Serena Moyle has traded conservative suits for outfits that pop and enjoys her role as the “librarian” at Hearth & Soul.

DESTINATIONS

50 FASHION Platform heels may have reached their height in the ’60s and ’70s but are enjoying a resurgence. It turns out that shoes go up and down like hemlines.

54 WHAT’S IN STORE

Optimistically, retailers have been stocking inventory fit for cooler weather and anticipating fans’ favorite fifth season, football.

GASTRO & GUSTO

59 DINING OUT With classic selections and inventive fusion creations, Rock N Roll Sushi is turning its customers on to the experience of “dining out loud.”

66 CULINARY ARTS

At the Sweet Grass Dairy Cheese Shop in Thomasville, the grilled cheese sandwiches and cheese boards are beloved, along with a thoughtful wine list.

70 LIBATIONS Fizz & Foam, Tallahassee’s first mobile bartending service, has been slaking thirsts from its adorably renovated “truckster” since 2020. Owner Sky Nobles thrives on community ties.

EXPRESSION

85 MUSIC For most of his 73 years, musical instruments have been extensions of Steve Sternberg, who continues to teach students to play and entertains seniors.

90 ART For winners at the Mahaska Whitley Student Exhibition, art is an important vehicle for selfexpression and a way to define their relationships with the world.

96 BOOKS Washington Post White House bureau chief Tolu Olorunnipa, who got started as a journalist in Tallahassee, has won a Pulitzer Prize as the co-author of a book about murder victim George Floyd.

ABODES

135 INTERIORS More than a trend, kitchen islands have become a fixture in homes as essential as bathrooms and serve as focal points that are both attractive and practical.

142 EXTERIORS With the cost of housing on the rise, homeowners are expanding their heated and cooled living space by converting their garages to bonus rooms.

144 GREEN SCENE

153 GETAWAYS A writer visits the tiny German village where she grew up, discovers a new sense of belonging and gains a reputation as a woman given to jogging on a winter’s day while wearing next to nothing.

14

166

ON

64

DINING IN Those Idaho potatoes may seem inevitable as a staple, but for carbo loaders willing to get out of a russet rut, various root veggies, usually overlooked, are worth a try the next time they go tubering.

One of the best ways to combat garden weeds is by arresting them before they take root. Landscapers like ginkgo trees for their colorful, fall foliage.

In 19 years as the swim coach at the Maclay School, Mark Gargiulo led teams to 12 city championships, 17 district titles and 14 Top 10 finishes at state championships while earning Coach of the Year titles 15 times. In recent years, the coach has turned competitor, collecting batches of medals in Senior Games events. Photographed while taking a break at the Premier Fitness pool, Gargiulo, along with his wife, Sara, begin each day with an intense workout and a swim of 2,000 yards or more. Photo by Dave Barfield

42 LEADING LADY The 2023 Women’s Leadership Breakfast, hosted by Women United and the United Way of the Big Bend, will welcome Shannon Bream as the featured speaker. Bream, a Tallahassee native, is known for her work as an attorney, author, journalist and podcaster.

94 ↑ TSO CELEBRATES 200 Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra is acknowledging and commemorating Tallahassee’s bicentennial with two pieces of art, a visual concerto and a book.

146 FINDING HOME Coldwell Banker Hartung helped a client find their first home and influenced their career path.

148 DEAL ESTATE Marvel at the features and the setting of a custom-built, five-bedroom pool home recently sold in Tallahassee. Too, we stop by a newly sold luxury farm home in a Tallahassee “agrihood.”

↑ GULF GETAWAY Our Visit Northwest Florida Beaches section reminds Tallahassee residents that the sugary white sands of the Emerald Coast are but a short drive away. Meet people, places and attractions that make Northwest Florida beaches beautiful.

108 AWARDED ARTIST

Walton County congratulates their 2023 Artist of the Year, Bradley Copeland. Copeland’s work is bright, bold and what she describes as “femininity in raw form.”

130 WINE & DINE

158 CALENDAR Fall features a lineup of outdoor events, beer and food festivals, theatrical performances and the muchanticipated Best of Tallahassee awards.

The Harvest Wine & Food Festival, presented by the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation, brings forth a bounty of luxury wines, culinary samplings and an abundance of epicurean events.

116 A GOLDEN DEAL

To celebrate their 50th anniversary, Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, including Hotel Effie, is offering specialized group rates for the remainder of 2023.

132 REGIONAL CALENDAR

Expand your horizons this fall to include events all along the Northwest Florida coast. Festival season includes beverages — wine, beer, craft spirits and bloody marys — served with arts and songwriters events.

7 pm, Donald L. Tucker Civic Center

Cards for a Cure generates critical funding that helps patients without health insurance access life-saving PET scans, MRIs and mammograms. Your support also helps provide lodging and transportation for patients who must travel to Tallahassee for treatments.

For information and to register, visit TMH.ORG/Cards or scan the QR code.

AT THE TALLAHASSEE

A 2024 ACURA MDX SCAN TO WIN! ENTER TO

TMH.ORG/CAR

MANAGING TYPE 1 DIABETES IS A LIFELONG COMMITMENT

Your raffle ticket purchase will help children in our region learn how to live with this disease.

Each ticket enters your name in the drawing for a 2024 Acura MDX, valued at $53,845. Only 1,275 tickets will be sold. Proceeds benefit children with Type I Diabetes and their families through the Proctor Endowment for Children with Diabetes and the programs and services at TMH Physician Partners - Endocrinology, Obesity & Diabetes (formerly the Tallahassee Memorial Metabolic Health Center).

Tickets at TMH.ORG/Car

TALLAHASSEE MAGAZINE

VOL. 46, NO. 5

PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER

BRIAN E. ROWLAND

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

MCKENZIE BURLEIGH

EDITORIAL

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Steve Bornhoft

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Emma Witmer

EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Raemi Creteur

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2023

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Paige Aigret, Kari C. Barlow, Marina Brown, Hannah Burke, David Ekrut, Ph.D., Les Harrison, Lis King, Rochelle Koff, Rebecca Padgett Frett, Jay Revell, Liesel Schmidt, Evgeniya Stetsenko, Emilee Mae Struss

CREATIVE

VICE PRESIDENT / PRODUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY Daniel Vitter

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jennifer Ekrut

SENIOR PUBLICATION DESIGNERS Sarah Burger, Saige Roberts, Scott Schiller, Shruti Shah

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Sierra Thomas

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Dave Barfield, Boo Media, Mike Fender, Will Hepburn, Lori Hoffman, Kacey Lanier, Andrew Thomas Lee, Erich Martin, Sean Murphy, Bob O’Lary, Alicia Osborne, Shelly Swanger Photography

SALES, MARKETING AND EVENTS

SALES MANAGER, WESTERN DIVISION Rhonda Lynn Murray

SALES MANAGER, EASTERN DIVISION Lori Magee Yeaton

DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, EASTERN DIVISION Daniel Parisi

DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, WESTERN DIVISION Dan Parker

ADVERTISING SERVICES SPECIALIST Tracy Mulligan

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Julie Dorr

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Michelle Daugherty, Darla Harrison

MARKETING MANAGER Javis Ogden

SALES AND MARKETING WRITER Rebecca Padgett Frett

ADMINISTRATIVE & CUSTOMER SERVICE SPECIALIST Renee Johnson

OPERATIONS

CUSTOM PUBLISHING MANAGER Sara Goldfarb

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE/AD SERVICE COORDINATOR Sarah Coven

PRODUCTION EDITOR Paige Aigret

PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION SPECIALIST Melinda Lanigan

STAFF BOOKKEEPER Amber Dennard

DIGITAL SERVICES

DIGITAL EDITOR Alix Black

TALLAHASSEE MAGAZINE tallahasseemagazine.com facebook.com/tallahasseemag twitter.com/tallahasseemag instagram.com/tallahasseemag pinterest.com/tallahasseemag youtube.com/user/tallahasseemag

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EDITORIAL OFFICE 118 N. Monroe St., Unit 401, Tallahassee, FL 32301. (850) 878-0554

SUBSCRIPTIONS One year (6 issues) is $35. Call (850) 878-0554 or go online to tallahasseemagazine.com. Single copies are $5.95. Purchase at Books-A-Million, Barnes & Noble and Midtown Reader.

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 September 2023 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.

Hurricane season continues through November 30.

Plan now. Before disaster strikes.

When disaster strikes, it is too late to prepare. Be prepared by making a plan for you and your family by filling a waterproof five-gallon bucket with the essential supplies listed on the right. Keep these essential items in a bucket near an exit door in your home or in your vehicle.

HURRICANE SUPPLY CHECKLIST

☐ Batteries

☐ Hand crank emergency radio

☐ Blanket

☐ Manual can opener

☐ Cash

☐ Change of clothing

☐ Duct tape

☐ Dust masks

☐ First aid kit

☐ Flashlight

☐ Games and toys

☐ Gloves

☐ Hand sanitizer

☐ Keys (home and car)

☐ Large plastic trash bags

☐ Local map

☐ Medications

☐ Non-perishable food

☐ Permanent marker

☐ Pet supplies

☐ Photos of family members and pets

☐ Pocket knife

☐ Portable phone charger

☐ Ponchos

☐ Rope/paracord

☐ Soap

☐ Special family needs (diapers, feminine hygiene items, etc.)

☐ Tarp

☐ Toilet paper

☐ Toothbrush

☐ Towel

☐ Water

☐ Waterproof bag with family documents, including driver’s license, insurance information, out-of-area contact, medical information

☐ Whistle

FIELDS OF PLAY

Playing sports is one of the most exciting and gratifying activities in life. It builds character and is a superior source of fun.

I am passionate about team sports, especially baseball and softball. For me, few things shine as brightly as baseball diamonds. I began playing at age 6 and never missed a season until a few years ago when my body let me know it was time to hang up my cleats.

Still, I catch myself reflecting upon fond softball memories and even replaying in my mind moments that I wish I could do over. Why didn’t I get the lead runner? Why did I give him a pitch right in his wheelhouse?

There are many parallels between sports and business. Essential to both are good communication; trust; supporting your teammates and co-workers with encouragement; thinking strategically; and finding joy in what you do.

A team is not well-served if it puts a player best suited for right field on the pitcher’s mound, and some workers are candidates for management roles whereas others are not. There are singles hitters and home run bashers. But it is important for all team or staff members to recognize the value and importance of everyone’s contributions.

Tallahassee, synonymous in the minds of many with Florida State football, is a great sports town that is home to numerous successful college and prep programs and a wealth of recreational leagues and facilities. Investments in sports venues such as the course at Apalachee Regional Park are proving to be home runs.

Such projects are the product of a vision that recognized the broad and enduring appeal of athletic competition and the capacity of our city to entice people to extend their stays after finish lines have been crossed, time has expired, games completed and congratulations exchanged.

At Apalachee Regional Park, Leon County is installing technology that will make it possible for people to livestream cross-country meets. The venue, located on top of a closed out solid-waste landfill, is slated to host a world championship.

Sports, as stories in this edition of Tallahassee Magazine make clear, are not reserved just for the young.

Emma Witmer writes about Mark Gargiulo who, as the swim coach at the Maclay School for 29 years, was deeply respected and loved. He remains active as a participant in master’s swim meets and other competitions. Go carefully before you challenge him to a game of horseshoes. He and his are pickleball champs, who get along well on the court, mostly.

Paige Aigret checks in with retired dentist Dr. Louis Beall for whom eating clean is a key to longevity and staying active. He eats a lot of salmon and blueberries. While he is in his 90s, tennis remains a passion of his. I have had the experience of playing against him from time to time. As to who won, I’ll let him tell you that.

Swing for the fences,

BRIAN ROWLAND PUBLISHER browland@rowlandpublishing.com

In the Capital City, sports encompass young and ‘getting there’

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from the editor THE BUSINESS OF NEWS

An industry failed to keep its head up

Bill Needham, who was Tallahassee Magazine’s first editor, recently encouraged me to contact a promising high school student. Ellie, he said, wanted to speak with someone who might offer her advice on how to prepare for a career in journalism.

We spoke for a while, and it became clear to me that elders in her life had reservations about journalism as a career. But if that were to be her field of endeavor, they advised, identify right now a particular type of journalistic pursuit sure to lead to a job with a decent salary.

I advised her differently.

Don’t limit yourself, I said. Take on as many experiences as you can. Go to concerts, attend lectures, travel, earn a wage, volunteer at a nonprofit. Fail forward. Write haikus, write limericks, write a Shakespearean sonnet one time. Attend an event sure to be covered by local news media, write it up and then compare what you have written to media accounts. And above all, read. Learn from other writers’ techniques that you might want to employ.

We don’t want to live in a place that does not reserve a meaningful place for Ellie. She thinks well, communicates well and has a sincere desire to interpret the world and bring issues of consequence to big audiences of readers. I will be curious to discover where her instincts and talents land her.

Meanwhile, the traditional media franchise is shrinking. Newsroom jobs are vanishing, and experience levels are in precipitous decline. Small-market TV reporters all look like high school interns; maybe they are. The corporatization of newspapers has had a devastating impact on the quality and quantity of coverage. It’s as if a DEFUND THE MEDIA campaign took hold and wildly succeeded.

It may not be a good time to rob a bank, but it’s a pretty good time to be a crooked contractor colluding with a corrupt commission. (Just look out for the likes of

independent investigators like Tallahassee’s Ervin Jackson.)

The New York Times announced in early July that it was disbanding its 35-employee sports department. Going forward, it will rely on a website it purchased last year for daily sports coverage. Might as well. The other day, I read an NYT story on unseeded Marketa Vondrousova’s stunning title run at Wimbledon. There wasn’t a line or observation in there that could not have been gleaned from watching the coverage on television.

In the Wall Street Journal, Jason Gay’s writeup of the men’s final was better. “It had to happen one day,” Gay began. “Novak Dkojovic would meet his Novak Dkojovic.” Nice.

Later, he noted VIPs in attendance: “the Prince and Princess of Wales, the King of Spain and Brad Pitt, the Duke of Handsome.” Such gems are hard to find.

How do we account for the near death of traditional reportage? No single factor is to blame.

People don’t read or write as they once did any more than they lick stamps. Walt Whitman was right when he opined, “To have great poets, there must be great audiences.” I will add that to have great public officials, you need a great electorate. Instead, we have seen voters fall for politicians who blame the media for all of society’s ills and whatever will go wrong tomorrow.

Fundamentally, though, the collapse of traditional media must be seen as a business failure and a failure to heed the oftcited Gretzky rule: Success results not from knowing where the puck is, but where it’s going to be.

I was the editor of the Panama City News Herald decades ago when a member of the sales team approached me with a handheld device. It was a PalmPilot, a pocket-sized computer that people used to record notes and keep track of contacts, to-dos and events.

“This is the future of news delivery,” the salesman said.

“Get out of here,” I’m sure I told him. The salesman may as well have said, “One day soon, anyone with two thumbs will become a publisher.”

Ah, Ellie, it’s enough to drive me to poetry.

Add the writings of Ed Skoog to the reading list I gave you. In Tomato Poem, he offers us this about the approaching winter.

This tomato follows its own thoughts into the frost. Leaves fade first, like faces of preschool friends.

There is a simile rich and full, Ellie. A Better Boy, a Brandywine, a Beefsteak.

Stay calm and read on,

STEVE BORNHOFT, EXECUTIVE EDITOR sbornhoft@rowlandpublishing.com

Walter E. Colón, DMD, MS . Aixa Guzmán, DMD . Jake Zellner, DMD, MS

GIVEWAY Enter the NEW Ultimate Hilton Sandestin Beach Resort Getaway

We are thrilled to announce that we are again partnering with the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa in a drawing for an exquisite weekend getaway on the beautiful Gulf Coast. Enter at TallahasseeMagazine.com/ultimate-hilton-getaway.

TALLAHASSEE

BEST OF TALLAHASSEE

The public is invited to join in the Best of Tallahassee event, scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 16. The intimate gathering will bring together the best businesses in the region as established by a Tallahassee Magazine readers poll. Attendees can look forward to an evening of entertainment, heavy hors d’oeuvres and most importantly, a celebration of this year’s winners. Get your tickets at TallahasseeMagazine.com/ best-of-tallahassee.

NOMINATE YOUR TALLY TOP PET

2024 Tally Top Pet nominations take place Nov. 1–20, 2023. The 2023 campaign was won by an English bulldog named Gunner, aka “Big Sexy.” The Tally Top Pet Content benefits Be The Solution, which provides free spay and neuter services in Leon and surrounding counties.

Submit your beloved pet’s photo to TallahasseeMagazine.com/tally-top-pet.

TRAVIS TRITT

Travis Tritt and the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band will perform at the Adderley Amphitheater at Cascades Park on Friday, Oct. 13. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Get your tickets by visiting TallahasseeMagazine.com/ travis-tritt-and-kenny-wayneshepherd-band-set-to-perform.

FREEBIE!

Did you know you can sign up for our exclusive e-newsletter for free? Get the latest news, information, giveaways and more about all the happenings in Tallahassee. Go to TallahasseeMagazine.com/ connect-with-us

Stellar Employees

As a board member at the St. Francis Wildlife Association, I would like to take the opportunity to commend two staff members of Tallahassee Magazine

Michelle Daugherty and Tracy Mulligan have been essential to the success of the social media of St. Francis. Michelle has given me numerous ideas about how to promote St. Francis, and Tracy has assisted with the production of some wonderful ads.

St. Francis started with a quarter-page ad and this month (July/August) we are going to a half-page ad. We feel the ads have increased donations, and we have the Tallahassee Magazine to thank for that increase.

DAVID QUADAGNO

TALLAHASSEE

Exceeded Expectations

Steve:

Knowing your love of birds and journalistic gifts, I never doubted that your article on my book about ornithologist Frank Chapman would be good. But my expectations were exceeded when I read the article a few minutes ago. The story was outstanding in every way. I am impressed at how you condensed the heart of the book with such an instinct for the salient points. You didn’t get one fact wrong, a considerable achievement in my book. You made the words dance and sing on the page. You, sir, are a Word Wizard First Class. Jennifer Ekrut did a splendid job in choosing the appropriate photos and designing the pages with flair. I plan to frame the article and display it prominently in my home. Thank you both.

JIM HUFFSTODT TALLAHASSEE

CLIMBING THE LEARNING LADDER

↙ Pineview Elementary School principal Carmen Conner engages De’Anthony, Harmony and R’Mahni Chavers in conversation in the school’s library. Conner strives to make classrooms “come alive with the desire to learn.”

Carmen Conner, the principal at Pineview Elementary School, arrives in a smart black blouse and slacks, gold jewelry flashing at her ears, her hair in a stylish cloche. She positively beams as she invites a visitor into her office.

Exuding executive charisma from her desk, addressing staff and making decisions as we talk, it is obvious that her word goes, and that staff and students love her.

Conner, a FAMU grad whose career in education has spanned more than 25 years, explained that when she arrived at Pineview in 2019, the Title I school had slumped to an “F” rating. Now, it is rated a strong “B.”

“I am right where I am supposed to be,” Conner said. “Right where I can make the most difference in these children’s lives.”

Reflecting on the challenges and the delightful aspects of her job, Conner, a mother of two grown daughters, talked about what it takes to make a classroom “alive with the desire to learn.”

“For 14 years, I was a third-grade teacher at Hawks Rise Elementary. I began each and every day as if it were a birthday party — one where we get to learn things,” Conner said. “The first day of school, I would select a theme, and then I might dress up accordingly. I approached each classroom day as if it were a show.”

At Roberts Elementary, where Conner became the assistant principal, she liked to incorporate “experiences” into learning.

“I might draw something from a book of literature we were reading and turn it into an activity,” she said. “Or during Black History Month, have the students put on their own TV show accurately presenting African American themes.”

The lives of many Pineview students have not been rich in experiences, and Connor tries to make up for that.

“We do lots of field trips, and in winter, I will purchase snow so that these children, who may not have traveled far, can experience it.”

Title I schools like Pineview receive extra federal support and offer programs tailored to children from low-income neighborhoods. Still, Conner said, absenteeism runs high and parental involvement is limited. Caregivers often work multiple jobs, transportation may be a problem and sometimes children are without clean clothes.

To address the latter problem, Conner established a laundry room on the campus of her school. Working with the Food Bank of Second Harvest, she established a food pantry where hungry children and community members can visit.

Since 2019, other programs have arrived: music in the form of 25 grantprovided keyboards and a bi-monthly barbershop for children with cuts courtesy of Lively Technical School. On its way is a violin program taught by members of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra.

Many Pineview children entering kindergarten have never visited a school or been outside their homes.

“One little girl didn’t know her full name — only a nickname,” Conner said.

To address such deficiencies in experience and understanding, Conner and assistant principal Oronde McKhan started Saturday School, picking up children from home, teaching them for five hours and returning them.

The results of Conner’s innovation and energy are remarkable. But she is worried that funding for public schools may falter due to a proliferation of charter schools and other non-public operations.

“I am right where I am supposed to be. Right where I can make the most difference in these children’s lives.”

— Carmen Conner, the principal at Pineview Elementary School

She hopes legislators will not forget the public education foundation of America.

“Academically, we set expectations very high,” Conner said of Pineview. “Not all charter schools do.” Learning, nutrition, hygiene and attendance all present challenges for students, parents and teachers, but there is an additional pressing concern.

“Safety needs have changed since I began teaching,” Conner said. “Now our perimeter is secured every morning with a fence, we have state-of-the-art security cameras and we have an armed guard on campus. When I began teaching, our classroom doors were unlocked. Now they are not. Children are schooled in the location of the safe place in the classroom should the need to hide arrive.”

And yet school is fun, for no one more than Carmen Conner.

She has established a work/life balance. She traveled to Egypt and the pyramids, fulfilling a lifetime dream. She builds in treasured time with her husband and daughters. She was a member of Leadership Tallahassee Class 34. And she has become a respected pillar of the community around her school.

It was Conner who was called to mediate when neighbors quarreled in the street. She was asked to advocate for a child whose mother was going to jail. Frequently, she is sought out by parents and caregivers seeking advice on how to improve the lives of children.

“I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” she said. TM

↑ IN THE PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE Carmen Conner shares a laugh with De’Anthony, Harmony and R’Mahni Chavers. Among beginning students, she finds that many never visit a school until they arrive for their first day of kindergarten.

Donate your gently used furniture to The Fix Thrift Shop.

Donate your gently used furniture to The Fix Thrift Shop.

Donate your gently used furniture to The Fix Thrift Shop.

When we sell your furniture, the proceeds go directly to Be The Solution to spay and neuter local pets. We love big and small pieces and have enough storage to take almost anything. We’ll even pick up your donation free of charge. Just call 850-298-1129 for more information.

When we sell your furniture, the proceeds go directly to Be The Solution to spay and neuter local pets. We love big and small pieces and have enough storage to take almost anything. We’ll even pick up your donation free of charge. Just call 850-298-1129 for more information.

.

PERSONALITY TO SOME, HE WILL ALWAYS BE ‘COACH’

Mark Gargiulo keeps his competitive spirit alive

by EMMA WITMER

On land, Mark Gargiulo leans on his wife, Sara, for directions. Under water, Gargiulo may as well be Magellan.

“I think there’s a little fish in my DNA,” he laughed.

Whether he’s swimming laps in the Premier Fitness pool, riding the surf, collecting gold medals at Senior Games competitions or diving 130 feet into the Great Blue Hole made famous by Jacques Cousteau, the retired swim coach is most comfortable in the water.

Gargiulo suggested that his affinity for water may be a matter of astrology. He’s an Aquarius. More likely, Gargiulo’s love of the water surfaced around the age of 10 when he worked at a float rental stand at Daytona Beach. Like an alligator in a flood, he’s been moving from one body of water to the next ever since.

Gargiulo spent 19 years as the swim coach for Maclay School and was added to its athletic hall of fame in 2017. Gargiulo led Maclay to 12 city championships, 17 district titles and 14 Top 10 finishes at the state championship. He coached 21

←↘ Mark Gargiulo propels himself through the water with a butterfly stroke before taking a break at the pool at the Premier Fitness & Health Center. He was the swim coach at the Maclay School for 19 years.

photography by DAVE BARFIELD

All-American swimmers, 10 AllAmerican relay teams and earned the title of the area’s Coach of the Year a staggering 15 times.

Despite this illustrious record, Gargiulo is reluctant to take credit for his swimmers’ successes, saying that they were fast before they met him, and, “They made my job easy.” Still, swimming is a disciplined sport, and Gargiulo’s two-a-day practice schedule was intense. The coach made sure to deter possible discouragement with fun.

“I took the swim team to Curaçao,” Gargiulo said. “We would set up dates at the beach all the time. We would go to Daytona and swim. We tried to incorporate a lot of fun into the training, but the training was the ultimate. We couldn’t be the best without the hard training.”

Today, the 76-year-old may be retired, but shaking his coaching habit is easier said than done. His wife Sara can attest to that.

“Once, we were playing in a pickleball tournament, and I was telling her what she needed to do,” Gargiulo said with a smile. “She stopped right in the middle of the tournament, looked at the audience and yelled out, ‘Is there a marriage counselor here?’”

This memory sparked rolling laughter from Sara. Both retired coaches, Sara and Mark are fiercely competitive on the court, in the pool and everywhere else. Sometimes they even catch themselves counting who placed the most pieces in their jigsaw puzzle.

“I think it’s great,” Sara said. “There are a lot of husbands and

↑ For Sara and Mark Gargiulo, a typical day begins at 9 a.m. with an intense gym workout and a swim of 2,000 to 3,000 yards. The couple has ramped up their exercise routines in recent years throughout which they have competed in the Tallahassee Senior Games and amassed a collection of medals.

wives who don’t do the same things. That’s fine for them, but for me? I think it’s much more fun to have a playmate.”

“She is my biggest fan,” Gargiulo said. “She supports me so much and encourages me. There are things that I just wouldn’t do, but she is always there pushing me and supporting me to try. Not only are we husband and wife, we are best friends. We do everything together.”

For the couple, a typical day begins at 9 a.m. with an intense workout and a swim of 2,000 to 3,000 yards in the gym pool. They have ramped up their exercise routine in recent years in which they have competed in the Tallahassee Senior Games. In pickleball, they have won gold medals together in mixed doubles tournaments and apart from one another in men’s and women’s doubles.

Gargiulo dove into the Senior Games swimming competitions three years ago and brought home a gold and a silver medal.

Sara thought he could do better. The next year, Gargiulo agreed to work harder on one condition: Sara had to swim, too.

is my biggest fan. She supports me so much and encourages me. There are things that I just wouldn’t do, but she is always there pushing me and supporting me to try. Not only are we husband and wife, we are best friends. We do everything together.”

That year, Garguilo brought home five gold medals and set five records. The following year, Sara and Mark each won four gold medals.

“I beat three of my records from the year before and set one new one,” Gargiulo said. “So this year I decided I ought to branch out. I decided to throw horseshoes.”

His opponent brought his own horseshoes — not a good sign. The match was a nail-biter, but Gargiulo eked out a win. He went on to win gold in the bean bag toss tournament and silver in the basketball shoot.

Gargiulo beams when recounting his and his wife’s athletic triumphs, but he may be even more proud of the relationships he has maintained with his former swimmers. Decades later, they still call him coach, they come visit for dinner and when things get tough, they offer a helping hand.

“When Hurricane Michael hit, it really did a lot of damage to our house,” Gargiulo said. “All the shingles blew off and water

just poured in, so the whole house had to be gutted.”

Gargiulo received a call from Greg Hardwick, a successful Orlando builder and former Maclay swimmer. As the two chatted, Gargiulo mentioned the trouble. Hardwick offered to fix the house.

“I said, ‘You’re kidding. Why would you do that?’ He said, ‘Coach, you don’t know what an influence you were on my life. I would be happy to do this for you.’” TM

“She

— Mark Gargiulo

photography by DAVE BARFIELD

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HEALTHY

LIVING

LIVING BETWEEN THE LINES

Tennis enthusiast Louis Beall

by PAIGE AIGRET

Keto, paleo, carnivore, intermittent fasting. HIIT, CrossFit, spin class, 12-3-30. There are diet and exercise trends aplenty — more each day, it seems. What is 91-year-old Louis Beall’s secret to a long and healthy life?

A bowl of frozen blueberries every morning. And tennis — singles only.

“I don’t feel old at all,” Beall said. Of course, there is no quick and easy silver bullet to healthy living. It’s a discipline that requires consistency, something Beall exemplifies. He’s been active all of his life.

In 1950, his talent for running landed him a four-year scholarship to the University of North Carolina. He did a stint in the Army toward the end of the Korean War as a buck private making $88 a month. He attended Birmingham-Southern College, then completed dental school at the University of Alabama and arrived in Tallahassee in 1962 and started his dental practice.

“I had a wonderful 40 years of practicing dentistry. I loved it,” Beall said. “Being a dentist, everything is scheduled. I could set my time, I didn’t have to listen to someone else. So I had time to run. And I ran for years.”

With a family history of diabetes, Beall decided at a young age that he would hold the disease off for as long as he could through a healthy diet and exercise. He was finally diagnosed as diabetic two years ago but has been able to manage it with the help of medication and his continued healthy lifestyle.

“I am the luckiest old man you’ve ever met,” he said. “I don’t have any health problems other than diabetes.”

He’s been playing tennis for 40 years and has traded road running for gym sessions. And while he has always

is a model of consistency

eaten healthy, he’s adopted a mostly vegetarian diet in the last 20 years, thanks to his wife, Rachel.

Beall does cheat occasionally, he admits — sampling bacon on rare breakfast outings and regularly enjoying fish, his personal favorite, when out to lunch. He consistently steers clear of red meat, though. At home, breakfast and dinner are always vegetarian.

Beall starts his day with a bowl of oatmeal and lots of peanut butter or eggs with cheese. A mid-morning snack of his favorite frozen blueberries tides him over until lunch at Capital City Country Club, where he indulges in a fish Reuben, salad with grilled chicken or a chicken salad sandwich. And, of course, dinner at home is back to veggie only, usually “three good vegetables with a lot of beans.”

Beans are his favorite savory sides, a source of that good Southern-cooking flavor he enjoyed in his younger years, along with okra and fresh tomatoes.

Beall plays tennis four days a week with the country club’s pro, John Zolin, and his one-time dental partner,

↑ Retired dentist and tireless tennis enthusiast Louis Beall, opposite page, coaxes a backhand over the net at the Capital City Country Club. Above, from left: Club pro John Zolin, Rachel and Louis Beall and personal trainer Tara Jennette.

↑ Beall is committed to healthy eating and avoids red meat. Blueberries are a favorite mid-morning snack.

Gulf Winds

↑ HOT WHEELS Louis Beall’s sporting pursuits are not confined to tennis. He enjoys track racing in his Porsche at a speedway in Birmingham, Alabama. He and his wife, Rachel, love to travel and have visited more than 50 countries.

Landon Mazyck. Beall insists on playing singles, matched against his regular opponents who are as many as 20 years younger than himself.

“I don’t like to play doubles because I get no exercise, and I want to hit the ball every time it comes over,” Beall said. “Luckily, I can still give them enough of a game that they’ll play with me, but I don’t ever win.”

On his days off from tennis, Beall and his wife attend twice weekly gym sessions with personal trainer Tara Jennette, whom he met during a tennis match in 2003. She works with him to manage balance, strength and flexibility.

“For 10 years, I don’t think I had even one or two little times where I was sore,” Beall said. “John Zolin says that I’m playing better tennis now than I have my whole life.

“After I retired, I did more, I played more. My wife and I traveled all over the world. We’ve been to 50 countries in the last 20 years and all over the United States in the car.”

Among his next adventures, Beall is headed to Birmingham for track racing in his Porsche. He has no plans to let up on tennis. And he’s already looking ahead to his 95th birthday, envisioning a bash that just might outdo his 90th, where a 200-person guest list maxed out the Country Club.

“I just really have not gotten old yet,” he said. TM

323 THE

YESTERDAY, BUT RELEVANT

Historical society embraces past as teacher

by STEVE BORNHOFT

The worldwide influenza pandemic of 1918–19 was the worst outbreak of disease in modern history. While it came to be known as the Spanish flu, historians and epidemiologists have concluded that it likely originated in a Kansas hog-farming community and was exported to the world via soldiers who trained at nearby Fort Riley. The death toll reached an estimated 100 million people.

Five years after that pandemic receded, Tallahassee turned 100. A hundred years later, in 2019, an ophthalmologist treating patients in Wuhan, China, died at age 34 from COVID-19. Now, Tallahassee is about to enter its bicentennial year.

No one is suggesting that pandemics necessarily usher in centennial

celebrations in Florida’s capital city. But, said Sara Patterson, the marketing director and membership coordinator for the Tallahassee Historical Society, “It’s funny how history repeats itself, isn’t it?”

The Tallahassee Historical Society (THS) was founded in 1933, which makes it the third oldest such organization in the state. Only the Florida Historical Society and one in Jacksonville are older. The Tallahassee group is dedicated, in the words of its president Bob Holladay, to “investigating, presenting and advocating for the importance of historical knowledge and its interpretation in Florida’s capital city area.”

Holladay maintains as a favorite quotation one from the novelist William Faulkner, who once observed, “The past is never dead; it’s not even past.” Its

influence and its relevance, as Patterson would suggest, are always current.

THS members first started meeting with an eye toward the 2024 Tallahassee bicentennial in 2019. Their meetings were conducted in person, then. That would soon change, but the group would carry on. There is no postponing an event tied to a day in history. In 2020, the THS moved beyond its own ranks to invite the city and county and other groups to join in meetings about the upcoming milestone.

“I’m really enthusiastic about the bicentennial; it’s an opportunity to bring together a cross section of people to discuss the founding and history of Tallahassee and Leon County,” said Dr. Larry Rivers, a professor of history at Florida A&M University, a member of the THS bicentennial committee and a man Holladay regards as the dean of Tallahassee historians.

While Holladay wants to ensure that bicentennial activities do not fail to focus attention on Tallahassee’s history during the territorial period that preceded Florida becoming a state in 1845, Rivers and past THS president Doug Smith

↑ Tallahassee, as it had been carved from the capital city’s rolling countryside in 1885. In 2024, the city will enter its bicentennial year.

intend that the city’s entire 200-year history be covered.

“We were the first group that came out and said, ‘Hey guys, we’ve got 200 years to deal with and we’ve got only four years, so let’s get started,’” Smith said, recalling a meeting that he and Holladay had with Mayor John Dailey.

“The bicentennial can address all aspects of history, including African-American history and women’s history,” Rivers said. “Women make up a larger percentage of our population than men, and we don’t hear a lot about the contributions that women have made to the making of America. Early settlers came in contact with indigenous people, and we don’t hear a lot about indigenous people.”

For its part, the THS is embarking on five projects that are intended, in total, to bring about the wide cross section of participation that Rivers would like to see.

The THS is working toward the placing of 10 new historical markers throughout the city. At this writing, the subjects of several have been identified. (See sidebar, this page.)

Asked how best to make history engaging for a diversity of people including young people, Smith, Patterson and Holladay at first deferred to Rivers.

HISTORICAL MARKERS

The THS is working toward the placing of 10 new historical markers throughout the city. At this writing, the subjects of several have been identified.

➸ One will commemorate the contributions made by Father James Page, a preacher who was born into slavery and went on to found the Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Tallahassee and some 100 other churches in the Southeast. (Rivers has written a book about him.)

“I have always tried to make my teaching meaningful in terms of the lives of my students,” Rivers said. “If I’m talking about, for example, the Reconstruction Period, I try to relate Blacks starting to vote and the challenges that they faced during Reconstruction to challenges that Blacks in certain states are experiencing in trying to vote today.

“When you look at issues from a broad perspective, you can make understanding and learning about history interesting and enjoyable.”

Added Patterson: “What’s so beautiful about history is the storytelling part of it. Our goal long term with the Historical Society is to share stories with a younger generation over time. If we don’t, they are going to be lost and that’s so sad.

“Like I said earlier, history repeats itself. We can always relate to something that happened in the past. Even though technology is here, you know, there’s that human element to it, which I think is so beautiful.”

As to the future of the Tallahassee Historical Society, there is reason for optimism. Membership has doubled to 200 during Patterson’s tenure as marketing director. New members include folks that are well

➸ A second will mark the meeting in 1823 between two territorial commissioners, John Lee Williams and Dr. John Simmons, who were tasked with finding a central location for meetings of the territorial government after one was held in Pensacola and another in St. Augustine. They met in the middle — Tallahassee.

➸ A third will be sited in the southside Belair neighborhood, an area to which people fled prior to the Civil War, Holladay said, to escape yellow fever.

➸ Other THS projects timed to coincide with the bicentennial are:

▪ A lecture series, covering the full range of Tallahassee’s 200 years.

▪ Theatrical performances that will reenact events in history including territorial debates.

▪ Development of a territorial Florida timeline for use in elementary schools.

▪ An antiquarian book fair.

↑ Tallahassee Historical Society marketing director Sara Patterson, past president Doug Smith, president Bob Holladay and FAMU professor of history Dr. Larry Rivers helped lead a planning retreat at Amicus Brewing. The get-togethers include discussion about future meetings and field trips.

Father James Page

photography by ERICH MARTIN

TALLAHASSEE HISTORICAL SOCIETY (PAGE)

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beyond the age of majority, yes, but are too young to remember rotary-dial telephones.

In March, Patterson, Smith and Holladay walked the Verdura Plantation in eastern Leon County and were encouraged by the turnout of members who joined them. The field trip was made possible by The St. Joe Company, which today owns the land where the plantation was developed by Benjamin Chaires, deemed to be Florida’s first millionaire at a time when a man’s wealth was calculated on the basis of the number of acres and slaves he owned.

Situated on 9,000 acres of land, the plantation house was a three-story, 13-room, 10-columned mansion. Chaires designed the layout of Jacksonville, then brought the railroad to Tallahassee and established the city’s first bank. He was a delegate to the Florida Constitutional Convention. After he died in 1838, his youngest son, Charles, became the owner

of Verdura. Charles, while involved in divorce proceedings, died mysteriously at the St. Marks Lighthouse in 1881.

After Charles died, ownership of Verdura was assumed by creditors. The house burned in the late 1880s. Only rubble and a couple of columns remain today, but that was enough to stir the THS delegation.

“The house was built by slaves, and knowing that they worked the fields there and how they worked them, that was very moving,” Patterson said.

“There has been only one book written about Verdura and Benjamin Chaires, and it was by a woman named Sharyn Heiland Shields, and I helped get it published through Sentry Press. Sharyn died in December rather unexpectedly, and so there was sort of a feeling that we needed to make the trip to Verdura for Sharon.”

In such a way, the THS commemorated Shields’ life and celebrated the work she did in bringing history to light. TM

↑ In March, Tallahassee Historical Society officers and members visited the Verdura Plantation in eastern Leon County during a field trip made possible by The St. Joe company which owns the land once developed by Benjamin Chaires, believed to have been Florida’s first millionaire.

↙↘ The Historical Society has come to favor Amicus Brewing as a meeting place. It appreciates efforts by brewery owners to preserve the old waterworks building where the business is located.

photography by ERICH MARTIN

PHOTOS COURTESY OF TALLAHASSEE HISTORICAL SOCIETY (VERDURA)

Strength of Character

Strength of Character

Leadership Breakfast welcomes

Tallahassee

native and FSU law school graduate, Shannon Bream

Leadership Breakfast welcomes Tallahassee native and FSU law school graduate, Shannon Bream

The seventh annual Women’s Leadership Breakfast, a project of Women United and United Way of the Big Bend, brings community members together for a morning of inspiration and motivation.

The seventh annual Women’s Leadership Breakfast, a project of Women United and United Way of the Big Bend, brings community members together for a morning of inspiration and motivation.

The keynote speaker for this year’s breakfast is Shannon Bream, attorney, author, journalist, podcaster, wife, daughter and Tallahassee native.

The keynote speaker for this year’s breakfast is Shannon Bream, attorney, author, journalist, podcaster, wife, daughter and Tallahassee native.

The event — scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 14, at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center — welcomes all, but is focused on women and the contributions they make in their communities.

The event — scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 14, at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center — welcomes all, but is focused on women and the contributions they make in their communities.

“Women United brings this signature event to women (and men) in the community in the hopes that the inspiring message sparks a passion for philanthropy and ignites a spirit of community and connection to create a better future for our neighbors,” said Kim Campo, Chair of Women United.

“Women United brings this signature event to women (and men) in the community in the hopes that the inspiring message sparks a passion for philanthropy and ignites a spirit of community and connection to create a better future for our neighbors,” said Kim Campo, Chair of Women United.

Bream began her legal career working on racial discrimination and sexual harassment cases and is well-versed in the struggles that many in our community face daily. From humble beginnings at a local ABC affiliate in Tampa, Florida, she practiced law during the day while interning at night, making coffee and answering phone calls. In 2007, she landed a job with Fox News at the network’s

Bream began her legal career working on racial discrimination and sexual harassment cases and is well-versed in the struggles that many in our community face daily. From humble beginnings at a local ABC affiliate in Tampa, Florida, she practiced law during the day while interning at night, making coffee and answering phone calls. In 2007, she landed a job with Fox News at the network’s

Washington, D.C., bureau, and has distinguished herself as their chief legal correspondent in the years that followed. Bream is also the host of Fox News Sunday with Shannon Bream. Bream has written several books, including two New York Times No. 1 Best Sellers. In 2018, she wrote Finding the Bright Side: The Art of Chasing What Matters, which is based on her life experience and lessons learned.

Washington, D.C., bureau, and has distinguished herself as their chief legal correspondent in the years that followed. Bream is also the host of Fox News Sunday with Shannon Bream.

Bream has written several books, including two New York Times No. 1 Best Sellers. In 2018, she wrote Finding the Bright Side: The Art of Chasing What Matters, which is based on her life experience and lessons learned.

“The Leadership Breakfast provides an opportunity to learn about Women

“The Leadership Breakfast provides an opportunity to learn about Women

United, an initiative of the United Way of the Big Bend that addresses the region’s most critical needs with the aim to lift women, children and families out of poverty,” said Berneice Cox, President and CEO.

United, an initiative of the United Way of the Big Bend that addresses the region’s most critical needs with the aim to lift women, children and families out of poverty,” said Berneice Cox, President and CEO.

To learn more about this year’s Women’s Leadership Breakfast, including ticket and sponsorship information, visit UWBB.org/womenunited.

To learn more about this year’s Women’s Leadership Breakfast, including ticket and sponsorship information, visit UWBB.org/womenunited.

Paul David Reynolds, DPM; Cynthia Correa-Cedeño, DPM; Brian E. McCarthy, DPM

TALLAHASSEE’S BEST CHOICE IN ACTIVE SENIOR LIVING

TALLAHASSEE’S BEST CHOICE IN ACTIVE SENIOR LIVING

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Enjoy an active lifestyle emphasizing wellness and lifelong learning opportunities at our Life Plan Community on 140 acres of rolling hills in Tallahassee. At Westminster Oaks, every residence is maintenance-free, so you can take a wellness class in the fitness center, savor a chef-prepared meal, or enjoy the many walking and biking paths nearby instead of keeping up with your home. You’ll love the wide variety of spacious residences available, all with great services and amenities to enhance your lifestyle, like housekeeping, scheduled transportation and 24-hour security. Best of all, you’ll find safety and security for the future with our full continuum of healthcare services, including Assisted Living, Nursing Care, Memory Care and more, should your needs change.

Call (850) 813-0978 today to learn more.

Call (850) 813-0978 today to learn more.

When I put on those apple-green overalls, I just felt … happy!”

Serena Moyle may have looked like a sophisticated gardener, but the ostensible librarian of Hearth & Soul was more than happy with her garb. She said she felt stylish in a way that she could “own.” The look reflected her personality while being a bit daring. Moyle relishes the new possibilities each day brings, whether through fashion or otherwise.

Moyle was raised in Boca Raton and loved much about South Florida. After

graduating from Salem College, she took time to explore Spain, absorbing its colors and language, but attending law school was always her ultimate goal. Enthusiastic and driven, Moyle graduated as a new attorney from the University of Miami three years later. In that same year, she passed the bar, began practicing, got married and had her first child.

“During those years, ‘courtroom style’ consisted of boring suits, heels and pantyhose,” she laughed. But Moyle, who would go on to have three children,

↘ Serena Moyle’s Daria silk shirtdress in abstract orchid is by Catherine Gee and available at Hearth & Soul.

↑ Sandals by An Hour and a Shower feature handcrafted resin heel and vegan leather in oat (Hearth & Soul).

said she did find a seamstress who created elegant, bespoke maternity suits for the courtroom.

Soon, with her husband’s career move to Tallahassee to work with Lawton Chiles, Moyle shifted gears and turned her attention to raising her children — all born within four years — and to writing a newspaper column called, “The Life and Times of a Mom of Three.”

Tallahassee offered many opportunities for Moyle to develop her own style sensibilities during those years. Galas, government functions and the wide array

of friendships she developed all honed her eye for what “works.”

“I like clothes that are modern classics with ‘pizzazz accessories,’ maybe a punchy yellow scarf or black slacks and tailored white shirt with some bright orange heels.” Moyle said, “I don’t have a really large wardrobe, but I build what I buy. I will make sure my pieces are color coordinated and that textures go together.”

Although the vibrant 60-year-old Moyle still keeps her law license active, she excitedly accepted the opportunity

to work with friends and the skilled business persons who run Hearth & Soul, particularly Susie Busch-Transou.

“My job is to curate a library here,” she said. “We are set up like a home, and we needed books in our home. We have around 1,000 that are positioned around the store. For a person who loves to read, it is such a joy.”

Moyle attends business and training meetings for the store at their two other locations in Austin, Texas, and St. Louis, Missouri. She may wear a suit again, but this time it’s likely to be one by a

favorite designer: Elaine Kim or Vince (both carried by Hearth & Soul.)

“Over the years, my actual style has remained very grounded,” she said. At a recent gala, Moyle pulled out a long black dress that wasn’t brand new, added a large brooch from her grandmother and her favorite earrings. She felt absolutely “au courant.” A pair of vintage jeans and a Rungolee top, she said, are perfect for the weekends.

Of course, style isn’t only about your dress and shoes (which Moyle says range from sneakers to stilettos.) It’s also about the environment in which you live.

“My home is colorful and comfortable,” Moyle said. “For instance, some walls are gold, an adjoining room is navy blue and

the sofa is full of color. There are gorgeous Mexican tiles in the kitchen and shelving with Latin ceramic ware.”

Moyle is Italian by descent, but her second language is Spanish. This, she said, may explain her savoring of all things colorful.

When asked what piece of clothing would she never be caught in, the effervescent Moyle laughed and said that, because styles cycle in and out, she was recently complemented by some Gen Zs on a pair of vintage, flared-legged jeans. Moyle mused that almost anything worn with aplomb might do.

With a second thought, she intoned, “Oh, but then … there’s the bikini. No. No bikinis here!” TM

Serena’s Favorites

“I like clothes that are modern classics with ‘pizzazz accessories,’ maybe a punchy yellow scarf or black slacks and tailored white shirt with some bright orange heels. I don’t have a really large wardrobe, but I build what I buy. I will make sure my pieces are color coordinated and that textures go together.” — Serena Moyle, Library Curator, Hearth & Soul

FAVORITE DESIGNERS

➺ Elaine Kim, Vince or Faherty

WEEKEND ATTIRE

➺ Vintage jeans and a Rungolee top

BOOK SELECTION

➺ When selecting books for the library section of Hearth & Soul, one discovers a bit of something for everyone. Always present will be a few of Serena’s favorite reads, including The Memory Painter by Gwendolyn Womack, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See, Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris, Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank and any book by Colson Whitehead.

↑ Shinola classic women’s watch from the Birdy Collection has a double-wrap leather strap; available at Hearth & Soul. Stretch linen pinstripe suit with leather trim is by Elaine Kim (Hearth & Soul) and is matched with a red silk blouse from Antonio Melani (Dillard’s).

FASHION

NOT YOUR OLD-TIMEY ELEVATOR SHOES

Platform styles elevate clothes horses to new heights

by REBECCA PADGETT FRETT

Depending on the decade, a number of era icons come to mind when thinking of platform shoes. Cher and Stevie Nicks strutted stages in the ’60s and ’70s in their highest heels. The Spice Girls revived the platform in the early ’90s. And Lady Gaga donned them as her preferred shoe throughout the 2000s. The trend extends to men too — think David Bowie, KISS and Elton John.

These larger-than-life celebrities elevated their personas in footwear choice. For nearly 2,000 years, people have been wearing platforms to add a few extra inches.

In medieval times, those of the higher class wore platforms to showcase their social status and avoid muck produced by the commoner class.

Grecian thespians donned platforms to give themselves a boost when performing and to designate their acting status — the higher the heel, the larger the part. These stage shoes could reach up to 7 inches in height.

While these days platforms are a style choice, they still provide

that confidence boost we’ve craved for centuries.

Platforms as we know them today first gained popularity in the Western world thanks to designer Salvatore Ferragamo in the 1930s.

The shoe reached its height in the ’60s and ’70s as both female and male wearers boogied down at the disco.

“Platform heels were prominent during the ’60s and ’70s, and the good stuff always comes back around,” said Sarah Villella, manager and buyer of Narcissus Tallahassee. “Shoes that give you elevation create an instant boost of confidence, and platforms usually have added benefits of comfort and stability, all while being eye-catchingly cute.”

Elizabeth Kienzle, owner of Monkee’s of Tallahassee, agreed, saying that most customers tend to gravitate toward platforms because they present stability and can be worn for extended periods of time.

Kienzle also believes that the overall resurgence of trends has contributed to more platforms on shelves.

→ Keefa cutout metallic leather sandal by Schutz

↑ Rivka leopard platform sandal by Loeffler Randall. Knotted, heeled sandal in leopard velvet has a covered leather platform, open toe, adjustable buckle ankle strap and 5-inch heel.

“With the popularity of maxi skirts and dresses still going strong, I believe the platform is making a comeback because it pairs so well with those styles,” she said.

For those on the petite side, platforms often eliminate the need to hem or alter longer dresses or pants.

Outside of maxi styles, Villella suggests styling platforms with a straight leg or flared denim, a tank and an oversized blazer or dressed up with a cocktail dress.

While the ’90s first brought us the platform sneaker, Gen Z and their love for street style have brought back the elevated style.

Today, chunky Chuck Taylors, Vans and Adidas are seen sported in almost every city.

Punk rock-inspired pumped-up Doc Martens, combat boots and thigh-high platform boots are cooler weather favorites and can be styled in warmer months by mixing a feminine sundress with an edgy shoe.

Still, the most common form of the platform is the pump or sandal.

Kienzle suggests Marc Fisher and Schutz brands for a traditional platform. At Narcissus, Villella said that customers love Loeffler Randall, Tory Burch, Dolce Vita and Jeffrey Campbell.

Whether you’re seeking a small boost or want to stand out amongst the crowd, there are a variety of platform options available to suit your style and comfort level. Begin with a boosted sneaker and work your way up. TM

←↙ CHUNKY CHUCKS

The Chuck 70 AT-CX cotton twill Chuck Taylor sneaker from Converse gives wearers ups like never before. Lower photo: Chuck Taylor All Star lift platform canvas shoes take the iconic Chucks loved for generations to a new level.

↑ Tiago Wedges by Dolce Vita come in black and a light natural color. With a 3.4-inch heel and 1.8-inch platform height, they give people a statementmaking but manageable boost.

What’s In Store?

A roundup of offerings at local businesses

by REBECCA PADGETT FRETT

With the changing of the seasons leading us into autumn, Shoppe NEAT exists to elevate your household with an exquisite selection of cozy homewares, tablescape elements, comforting candles, eye-catching cookbooks and coffee table books, fashion pieces and more. Owners Jenn Shelby and Darica Smith are sure to help you find something special.

Shoppe NEAT

➸ Shoppe NEAT customers covet 11.11 FRAGRANCE OIL BY LAKE AND SKYE. This airy blend layers musk and white amber for a scent that’s equal parts woodsy and fresh. The perfume is available in both a spray and roller ball applicator.

➸ DECORATIVE MATCHBOXES are a go-to hostess gift and simple gesture that elevates the entertaining experience. Spark guests’ interest, and strike up your favorite candle with a stylized matchbox.

➸ As summer turns to fall, we yearn for comfort and warmth, much of which comes from gatherings around a kitchen table. A COOKBOOK serves as a solid literary investment on your shelves and can be the source of your new favorite recipes. Polish off your autumn checklist with selections from Shoppe NEAT’s wide array of CHARCUTERIE BOARDS, CHEESE KNIVES AND ASSORTED OILS AND VINEGARS FROM BRIGHTLAND

➸ Exclusively available at Shoppe NEAT, CLEOBELLA is a mindful fashion brand crafted by local artisans. Using sustainable fabrics and inspired by the scenery of globetrotting adventures, each piece is both timelessly elegant and totally unique.

The Pink Pineapple

➸ Football season may as well be the fifth season of the year, and as such, requires its own wardrobe. In Tallahassee, that uniform requires plenty of garnet and gold. Liven up your clear bag, and show off your Seminole spirit with a beaded FSU ZIP COIN BAG from The Pink Pineapple.

➸ As the weather begins to cool, it’s time to prep your pout. The POPPY & POUT EXFOLIATING LIP SCRUB will remove any dry, dead skin, leaving your lips smooth and soft. Top off your lip look with the luxurious lip balm in a variety of scents.

➸ The FLIGHT PLANS FLOWER EMBROIDERED KIMONO is ideal for the transition between summer and fall. The lightweight lace and floral embellishments layer nicely with a top and jeans or over a dress with booties.

FASHIONISTAS REJOICE!

MONKEE’S OF TALLAHASSEE provides a refuge for fashion lovers. The high-end boutique stocks clothing, shoes, accessories and gifts from brands such as Marc Fisher, Celia B, Olivia James, Anna Cate, Crosby, Marie Oliver, French Kande, Queen of Sparkles and more. While Monkee’s has stores nationally, each location is independently owned and operated, catering its stock to suit customers’ wants and needs.

➸ Stop into The Pink Pineapple to stock up on sleek sneaks. The VINTAGE HAVANA ACTION TAUPE SNEAKERS are made with quality craftsmanship, a traction signature outsole and true-to-fit sizing. They slip right on for wherever the day takes you.

A Platform for Prevention

Novel mental health treatments offer hope and relief

Suicide remains a pressing national and global health issue with profound consequences for individuals, families and communities. Throughout the month of September, National Suicide Prevention Month works to amplify advocacy through organizations, survivors and allies to promote mental health and suicide prevention in the U.S.

The reality is that suicidal ideation is a battle fought daily throughout the country, with an average 132 Americans lost to suicide each day, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. It’s crucial that we use this month of awareness as a platform to reach those individuals and to educate the community on resources and treatment.

“Suicide Prevention Month provides a platform to educate, advocate and offer a lifeline to individuals in need,” said Kelle Logan, MS, APRN, CRNA, owner, founder and clinical director of Novel Mind & Wellness Center. “Many suffer in silence, and this month gives a voice to those who need help. Amidst the range of available options, one promising treatment stands out: ketamine therapy, offering renewed hope for those battling suicidal ideation.”

Ketamine, traditionally used as an anesthetic, has shown remarkable promise in rapidly reducing suicidal thoughts and depressive symptoms. Several research studies have demonstrated its effectiveness in this area. A study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry found that patients who received ketamine showed a significant reduction in suicidal ideation within 24 hours, with effects lasting up to several weeks. A JAMA Psychiatry study noted similar encouraging results. While individual responses may vary, numerous studies have reported a significant reduction in suicidal thoughts and improved mood among participants who underwent ketamine treatment.

“I hope that anyone suffering can find a new hope in ketamine treatment

in a safe environment with a provider with years of experience,” said Logan. “The addition of ketamine assisted psychotherapy at Novel Mind & Wellness Center has unlocked a door for intensive therapy that can get to the root of feelings and rewire or reset emotional memories.”

Logan, a board-certified nurse anesthetist, has over 20 years of clinical experience. She has already successfully performed over 3,000 ketamine infusions for patients seeking solutions.

Her priority with each patient is ensuring their comfort and safety when visiting her practice. Treatment plans are tailored to each individual’s needs and closely monitored to maximize the therapeutic benefits. Other interventions — such as psychotherapy, support groups, medication and lifestyle changes — can complement and enhance the effectiveness of ketamine therapy.

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, seek immediate help. Reach out to mental health professionals, helplines or crisis centers that can provide support and guidance. Remember, you are not alone, and there is help available.

“At Novel Mind & Wellness Center, we have created a safe environment where anyone suffering from depression or suicidal ideation can feel comfortable using their voice,” said Logan.

KELLE LOGAN, MS, APRN, CRNA, OWNER & FOUNDER, CLINICAL DIRECTOR

Sushi has become so popular that it’s practically mainstream fare. Still, some diners find ordering any type of raw fish to be a formidable experience. Rock N Roll Sushi aims to change that.

Two of the restaurant’s slogans are “Sushi Amplified” and “Dine Out Loud.”

The brand is known for its spin on the standard sushi menu and decor. It exudes a clubby look, with red leather booths, neon accents, screens broadcasting — not blasting — rock videos (from the ’80s to today) and displays of gold records.

The fan appeal extends from students to families with kids and grandparents.

Think of Rock N Roll Sushi as “an American-style sushi experience,” said Sam Osborne, a Tallahassee native and coowner of the city’s two Rock N Roll Sushi locations.

“I didn’t realize it until I drove from the East to the West Coast that a sushi restaurant can be very quiet and intimidating,” Osborne said. “They don’t have what I call a fun vibe.”

With more than two decades of owning and operating restaurants in the Capital City, Osborne knows how to create the right environment.

He opened the first Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchise, located in Market Square, in 1998, and later launched Island Wing Company on the Northeast side of town. A few years ago, the 51-year-old father and Desert Storm veteran was on the ground floor of another new restaurant concept.

← POPULAR SELECTIONS

The Thriller roll, at top, is “scary good,” says Sam Osborne. With shrimp tempura and cream, it is fried, then topped with baked krabmeat, spicy mayo, eel sauce and crunchy flakes.

Japanese Bagel Roll, lower photo, features smoked salmon with cream cheese inside.

←→ Tallahassee native Sam Osborne, left, is the co-owner of the Capital City’s two Rock N Roll Sushi locations, where patrons are invited to “dine out loud.”

He and business partner Chris Kramolis opened Tallahassee’s first Rock N Roll Sushi in Market Square in 2021. The second site opened in 2022 on South Magnolia Drive. They’re among 70 franchise locations in the United States, most of which can be found in the Southeast.

The menu includes starters such as egg rolls, soup, salads and edamame, but the sushi rolls are the stars. They are as varied as the classic Japanese Bagel Roll, prepared with smoked salmon and cream cheese; the Reggae Roll, featuring Cajun-seasoned crawfish; and the Velcro Pygmies Roll, packed with red tuna and cream cheese.

For sushi-shy diners, Osborne recommends the crowdpleasing Punk Rock Roll. Stuffed with shrimp tempura, spicy tuna and cream cheese, the Punk Rock Roll boasts a

photography by DAVE BARFIELD

↑ PUNK ROCK ROLL: Shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, cream cheese inside and seared tuna outside, topped with strawberry-avocado-jalapeno-cucumber salad, sweet chili ponzu dressing, spicy mayo and eel sauce. ↓ HALL OF FAME BROWNIES: A towering stack of golden-fried brownie slices, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate and caramel swirls — with a cherry on top.

colorful mix of strawberries, pieces of avocado, jalapenos, cucumbers and drizzles of spicy mayo, chiliponzu dressing and eel sauce on the outside.

Diners can skip sushi altogether. Hibachi-style grilled chicken, filet mignon, shrimp or lobster are served with soup or salad, fried rice, vegetables and mayo-based yum-yum sauce. Vegetable-based options are also available.

The last act is the Hall of Fame Brownies, a decadent stack of fried brownies topped with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, swirls of chocolate and caramel and a cherry.

For Osborne, the cherry on top is seeing customers explore the menu. Dessert is most likely a dine-in choice, but like most restaurants, Rock N Roll Sushi has experienced a boom of takeout orders.

“Thirty percent of our customers never walk in the door,” Osborne said. “Before COVID, there were only a few people doing takeout. It wasn’t a priority.”

Osborne isn’t a man afraid to adapt — or take risks. The two things he said he’d never do ended up being two of his best decisions: joining the military and being in the restaurant industry.

As for the first, Osborne joined the U.S. Air Force after high school at North Florida Christian.

“I wanted to do something different,” he said. “When you’re outside of your comfort zone, that’s when you really figure out who you are.”

While in the Air Force, Osborne was in Saudi Arabia during Desert Storm. He worked on F15 planes, but he didn’t learn to fly until he left the military. It was his first time outside of Tallahassee, and he met people from all walks of life and cultures during those years.

“It was the most fun of my entire life,” he said. “I developed a great deal of appreciation for guys who go into the service.”

Back at home, Osborne became a fitness trainer while he was a student at Florida State University. The young entrepreneur was a senior when he became the first franchise owner for Tropical Smoothie Cafe.

“I opened it three weeks before my finals,” Osborne said. This was when his love affair with the restaurant industry began.

Between his four businesses — Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Island Wing Company and two Rock N Roll Sushi locations — Osborne employs about 170 people in Tallahassee.

ROCK N

ROLL SUSHI

222 S. Magnolia Drive (850) 966-9966

1415 Timberlane Road, Unit 305 (850) 999-1748

RockNRollSushi.com

“All of our money is spent locally,” he said. “Our vendors are local. Our employees come from the same pool of employees as other local restaurants. I live here.

Tallahassee’s my home.” TM

photography by DAVE BARFIELD

BEYOND POTATOES

Cousins of the spud take center stage

by EVGENIYA STETSENKO

Potatoes make a regular appearance on the plates of Americans across breakfast, lunch and dinner — hash browns and home fries, potato salad and baked potato soup, mashed potatoes and twice-baked potatoes. There’s no denying their popularity, ranking among the most common ingredients in side dishes across the country.

Potatoes first made their debut as part of the human diet about 8,000 years ago along the west coast of South America before making their way to Europe and eventually finding success as a staple crop in Ireland. With more than 4,000 types of this simple yet versatile root vegetable, the crop became common across countries worldwide.

Today, the commonplace tuber can sometimes result in complacency in the kitchen. If you find yourself stuck in a rut with your potato recipes, consider switching it up for another root vegetable. Many are close relatives of that russet potato most common in cooking, but each brings its own unique flavor to the table.

↘ VITELOTTE Also known as Chinese truffle, this tuber aesthetically pleases with a deep purple flesh and dark blue skin. This violet-shaded potato absorbs oil well during cooking and carries a nutty flavor. It’s said to have increased health benefits the deeper its color.

Also called Peruvian ground apple, yacon can be eaten raw, with a sweet and crunchy texture similar to that of jicama, or cooked into desserts, jams or syrups. This tuber is rich in minerals and vitamins and supports detox of the liver.

JICAMA This crunchy tuber vegetable is known as the Mexican turnip. It has a sweet flavor similar to apples or cucumbers when eaten raw but becomes starchy when cooked like a potato. You can eat jicama raw as a snack, or add it to salads and soups for an extra crunch.

This rhizome rooting vegetable is similar in appearance to ginger root and is native to Southeast Asia where it’s commonly used in curries and stir-fries. The flavor has a slight spicy taste to it. Some define it as citrusy, with an earthy pine flavor.

←

ROOSEHEART

Also known as the watermelon radish, this root vegetable has a dense texture with a crunch and slightly sweet flavor and is closer to a daikon radish than a potato. It’s rich in vitamins, magnesium, minerals and potassium. The colors vary from deep purples to light lilacs, making for impressive dish presentations.

↘ YUCA This starchy root vegetable is native to South America, Africa and Asia. It’s full of potassium, even more than the average potato, and is high in vitamin C. It’s similar in appearance to a sweet potato but elongated with a bark-like skin and makes excellent fries!

CELERIAC This root vegetable might look a little bumpy and rough on the edges, but it’s almost a staple in German and Northern European cuisine, as well as in North Africa and Puerto Rico. The vegetable is the root base of a celery variety and can be eaten raw or cooked. Once peeled, it stores best in lemon water. Imagine a delicious silky soup with celeriac and potatoes or French celery remoulade.

Think potato with class. Of the French fingerling variety, ratte is regarded as a gourmet ingredient loved by chefs worldwide. With a nutty flavor profile and smooth-as-butter texture, it’s popularly cooked as mashed potatoes or roasted with herbs.

← LA BONNOTTE Moving from classy to luxurious, la bonnotte ranks as the world’s most expensive potato. Yes, there is such a thing, and this beauty could cost you about $300 a pound. It’s grown exclusively in France on the Isle of Noirmoutier. The close proximity to saltwater shores creates a sandy soil that is fertilized with seaweed, giving a distinct salty flavor. This potato is so delicate, it has to be harvested by hand. The result — notes of walnut with a lemony flavor and salty aftertaste, ideal for gourmet soups, purees and creams.

On your next trip to the grocery store, keep your eyes peeled for these tubers and root vegetables. Try your hand at expanding your palate, and surprise guests with a unique plate. That average russet sitting on your pantry shelf won’t mind taking a night off.

← GALANGA

← RATTE

SMALL TOWN, BIG CHEESE

by ROCHELLE KOFF

The story of Sweet Grass Dairy is rooted in generations of farmers, milk cows and green pastures. The cheese would come later. Like her father, Jessica Little was raised on a farm. Her earnings from showing cows at South Georgia 4-H shows even helped her buy a car. Then, in 1993, after years of typical dairy farm practices, her parents, Al and Desiree Wehner, decided to try something different, a system that would “let cows be cows.”

They adopted a New Zealandstyle rotational-grazing method

The Littles and their employees primarily make eight cheeses that include Thomasville Tomme and Chive and Georgia Gouda.

Thomasville, Georgia, farming family take it cheesy, letting cows be cows

CULINARY ART

↘ Owners Jeremy and Jessica Little await their next customer at their farm-to-table cheese shop.

→ FAMILY BUSINESS From left to right: Sweet Grass Daily founders Al and Desiree Wehner; their son, Clay Wehner, the dairy’s farmer who owns and milks the cows at the dairy; their daughter, Jessica Little, and her husband, Jeremy Little, the current owners of Sweet Grass Dairy; production team members molding curds of Thomasville Tomme cheese; and Jeremy inspecting aged wheels by hand. All wheels are flipped, rubbed and inspected before they leave the Sweet Grass facility.

that enables cows to move pastures every 12 hours, which allows the vegetation in the previously grazed pastures to regenerate. Cows also require less milking.

“It really allows cows to put carbon back in the soil to counteract the effect of climate change,” said Little, who co-owns Sweet Grass Dairy and the Sweet Grass Cheese Shop in Thomasville, Georgia, with husband Jeremy. “It’s better for waste management, water management and the land is healthier.”

The cows are smaller than Holsteins to better handle the walking and heat — about 50% Jersey cow crossbred with breeds such as Friesian, Norwegian red, shorthorn, senepol and Limousin.

Finding success in the method, Little’s mom decided to take the value of such high-quality milk a step further and make cheese. At the time, Little was attending college and dating the man she would marry.

“The farm-to-table movement was just starting,” Little said. “Jeremy was working in a restaurant, and I would take samples of my mom’s cheese to different chefs. Everyone was so excited.”

In 2005, the couple bought her parent’s creamery business, and they’ve been developing their cheese making ever since.

The Littles opened a new, nearly 15,000-square-foot creamery facility in 2021, three times as big as their former site. They opened the Sweet Grass Dairy Cheese Shop in downtown Thomasville where their grilled cheese sandwiches and cheese boards are beloved, along with their thoughtful wine list — Little is also a certified sommelier.

“Small and midsize manufacturing is the lifeblood of rural towns like Thomasville, Georgia,” said Wendy W. White, industry beverage manager for food and beverage for the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership at Georgia Tech.

“Jessica and Jeremy Little have become a pillar of the community by employing dozens of people in this small town, not only at the manufacturing facility but also at their local

PHOTOS BY ANDREW THOMAS LEE COURTESY OF SWEET GRASS DAIRY CHEESE SHOP

restaurant,” White said. “This economic drive goes further, giving many local businesses a boost by featuring their products.”

The Littles employ nearly 70 people and sell about 350,000 pounds of cheese a year.

They primarily make eight varieties of handcrafted cow’s milk cheeses — Green Hill, Asher Blue, Thomasville Tomme, Lil’ Moo Original, Pimento, Griffin, Lil’ Moo Garlic and Chive and Georgia Gouda, plus seasonal choices. Sweet Grass gets its milk directly from the Wehners’ grass-fed cows several times a week.

“The better the milk is, that’s going to lead to more flavorful and better cheese,” Little said.

“Out of all the dairy products, we fell in love with cheese,” she added. “It takes four ingredients to make hundreds of different cheeses.”

Those basic ingredients are milk, salt, starter culture (to start the fermentation process) and rennet (to help solids coagulate). The type of cheese can be impacted “by the shape of the molds, how you age it, how much salt you use and when you brine it,” Little said.

The semisoft Thomasville Tomme is aged for 60 to 90 days, for instance, while the Griffin — with curds soaked in a half barrel of Terminus Porter from Gate City Brewing — has to be aged a minimum of 120 days.

One of their best sellers, Asher Blue, was named the 2023 Sofi Gold Product Award winner in the “cheese — cow milk” category. The award is considered a top honor in the $175 billion specialty food industry and is one among more than 40 international and national awards garnered by Sweet Grass.

The Littles “have a passion for providing consistently high-quality products and aren’t afraid to try new ideas in the pursuit of excellence,” White said.

Sweet Grass Dairy cheeses are now sold in all 50 states as well as a few Asian countries. In Tallahassee, you can find their cheeses in supermarkets, small food and wine shops and through the Red Hills Online Farmers Market.

Cheese making remains their passion, but as parents of four sons aged 13 to 20, there’s greater reward in the Littles’ Thomasville business.

“We get to raise our children here, in a small town,” Little said. “It’s a good life.” TM

↑ Above, Jessica and Jeremy Little enjoy a glass of wine at the Sweet Grass Cheese Shop. The business offers a variety of cheeseboards, left, the makeup of which is often changed. The couple is not afraid to try new things.

Bartenders on Wheels

Fizz & Foam stirs the drinks

by RAEMI CRETEUR

Entrepreneur Sky Nobles focuses on collaboration over competition with her business, Fizz & Foam.

Nobles established Fizz & Foam as Tallahassee’s first mobile bar service in 2020, renovating a small “truckster” to serve drinks on tap and create a unique centerpiece for events. Alongside bar service and custom beverages on tap, Fizz & Foam also offers a rentable cart for blended drink service.

Nobles works directly with customers to plan the perfect drink for each event, seeking not only in-season flavors personalized to their taste but also sourcing ingredients locally. Fizz & Foam does not directly sell alcohol, so Nobles works with several vendors in the community.

“For all of our vendors, the client pays them for the alcohol or product on top of paying our bartending service fee,” Nobles said. “The client is essentially supporting locally in every way!”

WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY

➺ Nobles works with many local businesses, but her one-stop shop for retail beer kegs is Riccardo’s, a popular Italian restaurant. Wine kegs are sourced from Poco Vino, a woman-owned wine bar. Even edible flowers for drink garnish are sourced from a local woman-owned backyard gardener, Love Blooms Garden.

“I work with a lot of local people, and that’s something I try to push — spread the love locally,” Nobles said. “In this day and age, every single dollar counts, so it makes us feel good to be able to work with the local businesses.”

Working with local businesses also allows for a more personalized experience. While corporate retailers offer a finite selection of products, Noble’s vendors take the extra time and effort to make sure the client has what they want.

“They’ll find that person what they want and like, and I think that’s nice,” Nobles said. “It makes our clients feel special and that they are being heard.”

Sky Nobles

Sharing Success

➺ Nobles did not stop at the success of her own business.

In addition to its mobile bar services, Fizz & Foam offers business courses to teach up-and-coming entrepreneurs how they, too, can successfully launch their own mobile bar business.

“I teach mobile bar courses,” Nobles said.

“That’s actually blown up recently, which is insane. I’ve taught about 50 classes in the past month for people all over the U.S. — even somebody in Peru, a few people in Canada — about how they can start a mobile bar.”

Fizz & Foam pops up monthly at local businesses. Find them at Brown’s Kitchen, Hearth & Soul and more.

GIVING BACK

➺ Fizz & Foam also finds ways to give back to the community with donations and participation at events.

Nobles is Tallahassee born and raised, a graduate of Florida State University and her “roots are so Tallahassee.”

Fizz & Foam attends the Tallahassee Community College Foundation’s Cleaver & Cork event every year. Nobles donates items and volunteers her time for foundations such as the Tree House Foundation, Whole Child Leon, FSU College of Law, Maclay School, Advent Parish Day School and more.

For local businesses, schools and organizations, Fizz & Foam offers a “Tallahassee Love Discount” as another way to give back.

“It’s important to us,” Nobles said. “I try to give back the best I can because our community supports us so much.”

Fizz & Foam, a supplier of bartending services, sources flowers used as a garnish from a backyard gardener.

THEN NOWAND

For young people otherwise removed from the chance that they might attend one of America’s leading universities, athletic ability can provide a ticket to opportunity.

Among the fortunate few who become varsity athletes at Florida State University, a tiny fraction will become far more familiar to Tallahasseans than the lieutenant governor or the president of the Florida Senate. They will experience moments between sidelines, foul lines and end lines so big that fans seeking football or roundball fixes will play them during offseasons, time and again. And, if they are truly elite — if their fastball touches 97 mph or they can cover 40 yards in 4.5 seconds, they may attract the attention of pro scouts and enjoy success with MLB, NFL or NBA teams. They are the stuff of water cooler — or chat room — conversation. Early success, big bucks and bright lights bring challenges of their own, however. Humility can become hard to maintain, even muster. An appetite for highs may become consuming. Eventually, though, most gain perspective, a sense of gratitude and a desire to give back.

UNCOMPROMISING COMMITMENT Charlie Ward coaches Florida High to first state championship in decades

BY EMMA WITMER

Charlie Ward has been a household name since the ’90s. His successful career in both football and basketball afforded frequent appearances on television, in newspapers and on the radio. He still gets recognized, but today’s kids know differently. To them, he’s Coach Ward or that sport’s broadcaster from Netflix’s Family Reunion.

Ward admits it’s a bit strange, but he was never in it for the recognition — he wanted to play ball as well as he could for as long as he could.

He closed out his college football career as one of the most decorated players in history. During his 1993 senior season with the Seminoles, the spark plug quarterback received every award he was eligible for, including the coveted Heisman trophy.

Ward made history as the first and only Heisman winner to play in the NBA.

Following a successful collegiate career with the Seminoles in both basketball and football, Ward went on to have an impressive 11-year professional basketball career with the New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets. After a series of injuries, Ward retired in 2004 and began coaching for the Rockets under Jeff Van Gundy.

Coaching proved intimidating at first, but advice from notable figures guided Ward’s coaching philosophy. From Bobby Bowden, Ward learned that a great coach is fair and honest. Coach Van Gundy taught Ward the importance of preparation.

FSU quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward (198993) set 19 school records and led the Seminoles to their first national football championship in 1993. Ward’s jersey number was retired 20 years ago. He played in the NBA with the New York Knicks for nine years and started in the 1999 NBA Finals. He later had short spells with the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets before retiring in 2005. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

PHOTOS BY DAVE BARFIELD (WARD HOLDING BASKETBALL) AND COURTESY OF CHARLIE WARD AND FSU SPORTS INFORMATION

Where there is pressure, there is opportunity for you to rise. Pressure can form a diamond, or pressure melts. Sometimes I melt, but I continue to rise. A lot of times we run from the heat, but if you are a competitor, that’s where you want to be. You want to give yourself the opportunity to be legendary.” — Charlie Ward

“The outcome was the outcome, but Coach Van Gundy was going to make sure that we were prepared to play.”

Ward was grateful for the opportunity to foster young talent. College and professional sports afforded him many opportunities to learn and develop his skills, but Ward always held a special place for the pick-up games and high school rivalries of his youth.

Ward returned to that childhood passion by sharing his talents as a high school coach. He went on to coach football at high schools in Texas and Pensacola, but in 2018, Ward returned to Tallahassee and to basketball.

In 2022, Ward led the Florida High boys basketball team to its first state championship victory since 1963. Refusing to let the team get complacent, Ward began scheduling tougher teams out of district and sometimes out of state to keep the boys pushing their hardest. Victory comes from the camaraderie and commitment built through months of workouts, tough schedules, watching film and life skills training.

After years of pressure in his own athletic career, Ward has learned how to handle the heat. Now, he’s teaching his players.

“Where there is pressure, there is opportunity for you to rise,” Ward said. “Pressure can form a diamond, or pressure melts. Sometimes I melt, but I continue to rise. A lot of times we run from the heat, but if you are a competitor, that’s where you want to be. You want to give yourself the opportu nity to be legendary.”

Off the court, Ward stays committed to youth betterment. The Charlie & Tonja Ward Family Foundation is dedicated to youth character development and disaster relief. Ward, his wife and their children or ganize relief efforts, raise money for local organizations and host sports camps that en deavor to deepen the bond between fathers and their children.

The foundation is currently seeking fund ing for a new sports and wellness center in the Big Bend.

“It’s something that is much needed and a great passion of ours because it will bring all the things that we have been doing into one facility,” Ward said. “My wife is a wellness and digital media person. I’m a sports guy, and our kids love sports and music, so we are looking to try and bring all of our experiences into one facility that the community can enjoy.”

DUNN

RUNNING FOR SURVIVAL

Turning tragedy into triumph

BY PAIGE AIGRET

When Warrick Dunn started playing touch football in the streets of his hometown in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he wouldn’t have been able to fathom a future playing 12 seasons in the NFL.

“I was the last kid picked because I was really small,” Dunn said. “They didn’t think I could do anything.”

Small but fast, Dunn soon became first pick, saying that back then it was the fear of a painful tackle that sent him darting through the streets and eventually onto the field.

“I was running for my life,” Dunn said. “Literally, that’s just how I played the game, just making sure that no one could touch me.”

Dunn was encouraged at a young age by coach Maelen Brooks. “He was definitely my father figure that always pointed me in the right direction and made sure that I stayed out of trouble,” Dunn said of Brooks, who he turned to for guidance throughout life until his recent passing in the spring.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHARLIE WARD, FSU SPORTS INFORMATION AND NATIONAL GUARD / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO (DUNN)

Mom Betty Smothers was his No. 1 supporter and inspiration. Smothers worked as a police officer, striving to give her children a good life, to provide a home. That was her dream — homeownership and financial freedom.

In 1993, Smothers was killed during an off-duty security job. At age 18, Dunn was suddenly navigating life in the wake of loss, juggling parental duties to his siblings as he entered his college years.

Dunn attended Florida State University, leading the Seminoles to their first national championship in his

freshman year. He became the first twotime 1,000-yard rusher in FSU history, MVP of the 1995 Sugar Bowl and still holds today the career-rushing record of nearly 4,000 yards.

He is one of only six FSU footballers to have his jersey retired.

In 1997 he was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, launching his 12-season NFL career. Dunn later played for the Atlanta Falcons for six years before returning to play for the Buccaneers ahead of his retirement. He brought success to both teams.

In his first season with Tampa Bay, Dunn was named the Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year. He was selected to the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl team three times, in 1997, 2000 and 2005.

But throughout his career, Dunn sought other successes.

In his first NFL season, he started his Homes for the Holidays program in Tampa while working for the Buccaneers. He wanted to give the same support to every community that supported him, bringing the program to his hometown in Baton Rouge, then expanding to Tallahassee and Atlanta.

In 2002, he established the program as a nonprofit organization, Warrick Dunn Charities (WDC).

“I was still depressed, going through a lot personally at that age when I started doing charity work … It’s taken me 25 years to really understand that this is my purpose,” Dunn said. “I’ve taken something that has negatively affected my life and turned it into something that’s impactful.”

Homes for the Holidays partners with local housing authorities and Habitat for Humanity to help single parents purchase a home, offering down-payment assistance to families and fully furnishing and stocking the homes with food, necessities and everyday essentials.

“We try to take that initial burden of cost off the family, so we can help create some stability early on,” Dunn said.

After retiring from the NFL, he achieved a master’s degree in business, allowing him to be more involved in WDC.

“I’m just happy I’ve had the people who’ve supported me,” Dunn said. “We’ve been able to overcome a lot … It’s like tragedy to triumph. It’s been 30 years. Looking back, I’m shocked.”

WDC has provided assistance to 214 homeowners across 17 states and 29 cities. And the charity’s interests lie in holistic assistance to address the nuances of generational poverty.

“When a family gets into the home, that’s when the journey really starts,” Dunn said. “Homeownership is a lot of responsibility. I want to educate them and help them.”

Running back Warrick Dunn helped lead FSU to its first national championship in his freshman year. He became the first two-time 1,000-yard rusher in FSU history and was the MVP of the 1995 Sugar Bowl. For his career, he rushed nearly 4,000 yards. He is one of only six FSU footballers to have his jersey retired. In 2016, he was the recipient of the Walter Camp Football Foundation’s 2016 “Man of the Year” award.

While Homes for the Holidays offers initial financial relief, the following WDC resources and programs give families the tools they need to succeed long term.

The Count on Your Future program educates families on finances and offers matchingfunds assistance. Betty’s Hope offers group counseling for children and teens suffering from grief and trauma. SCULPT encourages and educates on healthy living and frugal shopping for nutritious foods. And Hearts for Community Service offers scholarships for students working in their communities.

“I understand what families are going through because I lived it,” Dunn said. “I’m able to now live out my mom’s dream through other single parents. Most importantly, I don’t want other kids to go through what I went through — not all of us make the right decisions, go down the right path or have the right mentors.

“I’m thankful that I had people like that who just truly cared about making sure that I had resources, an outlet and guidance.”

Dunn hopes to offer that guidance, breaking generational cycles and creating financial stability for current and future generations. TM

I understand what families are going through because I lived it. I’m able to now live out my mom’s dream through other single parents. Most importantly, I don’t want other kids to go through what I went through — not all of us make the right decisions, go down the right path or have the right mentors.” — Warrick Dunn

DEION SANDERS

Coach and mentor graduates to Division 1 University of Colorado

BY DAVID EKRUT, PH.D.

Astandout high school athlete, Deion Sanders was drafted by Major League Baseball’s Kansas City Royals in 1985, but he put that sport on hold, instead opting to play football at Florida State University. There, he made Seminole history with a 100-yard interception return against Tulsa his freshman year.

At FSU, Sanders totaled 14 interceptions and returned four punts for touchdowns while playing for the late Hall of Fame Coach Bobby Bowden. Sanders still holds FSU records for career punt returns (126) and total punt return yardage (1,429).

Sanders was a senior when the Atlanta Falcons selected him with the fifth overall pick in the NFL’s 1989 draft. He would play football for five NFL teams over his 14-year career. In 1994, he was named AP Defensive Player of the Year. He collected two Super Bowl rings.

Sanders also played for four Major League baseball teams, compiling a .263 average over nine seasons. He played in the 1992 World Series as a member of the Atlanta Braves, and three years later, he played in his first Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers. He remains the only athlete ever to have played in both championship events.

Despite his singular success as a pro athlete, Sanders hit a low point. His wife filed for divorce, and he became suicidal. In his book, Power, Money & Sex, he recalls a time

SANDERS

At FSU, Deion Sanders totaled 14 interceptions and returned four punts for touchdowns while playing for the late Hall of Fame Coach Bobby Bowden. Sanders still holds FSU records for career punt returns (126) and total punt return yardage (1,429).

Deion Sanders tells his life story and reveals how power, money and sex could not satisfy the void in his life — a void ultimately satisfied by his relationship with Christ.

I was just crying out for somebody to talk to me, to ask me about my situation, to care that I was dying inside, but who could have imagined that I was in so much pain?” Deion Sanders, Power, Money & Sex

when he took an entire bottle of Tylenol 3 in front of teammates.

“I was just crying out for somebody to talk to me, to ask me about my situation, to care that I was dying inside, but who could have imagined that I was in so much pain?” Sanders writes.

In 1997, he drove his car off a cliff in a suicide attempt but walked away largely unscathed, physically. Afterward, Sanders began to lean heavily on his religious beliefs, advising others, “If you want to be effective, you’ve got to find out what your gift is, and that process always begins with God.”

Sanders righted himself and extended his sports career before playing his last game as a Baltimore Raven in 2005. Soon afterward, he founded TRUTH, entering into youth service work in Dallas and Memphis. He also became a sports analyst for the NFL Network, and in 2011, Sanders was inducted into both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame. In 2012, Sanders co-founded Prime Prep Academy, a charter school in Texas, where he served as the head football coach.

His many accomplishments outside of sports include a brief stint hosting The New American Sportsman television show; rapping with MC Hammer and as a Saturday Night Live guest; and starring with his second wife in a reality television series, Deion & Pilar: Prime Time Love, which introduced viewers to Sanders’ family life in Prosper, Texas. Additionally, he has appeared on The League, Running Wild with Bear Grylls, Lip Sync Battle, Tiny House Nation and Undercover Boss

Today as Coach Prime, Prime Time Deion Sanders is continuing to make sports history as the new head football coach at the University of Colorado, a job he landed after coaching for three years at Jackson State. TM

Today, Deion Sanders is generating new interest in the University of Colorado football program, where he is head coach, a job he landed after coaching for three years at Jackson State. Sanders has made headlines for the way in which he cleaned house at Colorado.

SEPT/OCT 2023

KEEPING TABS ON ALL THAT MUSES INSPIRE

LATTER-DAY TROUBADOUR

ART Mahaska Whitley Winners || BOOKS His Name Is George Floyd

photography by DAVE BARFIELD

The tradition is long. And so is the road. But for a troubadour, there is no other path.

What exactly is a troubadour? Think back to medieval times when traveling bands of musicians roamed the land. Carrying their instruments on their backs, the troubadours worked for food and places to rest. Day to day, their next stopping-

off point was an unknown. But the talented musical vagabonds’ love for music would afford them no other lifestyle choice.

Steve Sternberg of Tallahassee is a latter-day troubadour. He holds two college degrees, has been a school teacher, a recording artist, an artist-in-residence at schools and community colleges, and a prolific instrumental instructor.

He appears to be vulnerable to the same restless draw of music — music of all kinds played on the array of instruments he has mastered — that propelled wandering minstrels through the ages.

Seated outside his modest southside home, the 73-year-old Sternberg, charming and professorial, talks about American music from the blues to jazz, rock, folk and soul. He has played them all and has become a virtuoso performer on instruments required by the shifting tastes of America.

“Mom gave all three of her boys piano lessons,” he said. “That led to everything else.”

Sternberg’s piano teacher introduced him to jazz notes, and his high school band brought the saxophone into his life. He took a musical hiatus while working at being a “high school jock.” But then, during a surfing trip with buddies to California, the then 18-year-old Sternberg discovered the harmonica.

“Bob Dylan was popular then, and Sonny Boy Williamson and Taj Mahal kind of became my idols,” Sternberg said. The harmonica stirred back to life Sternberg’s musical passions.

“I took up piano again, writing my own music, joining a band and teaching myself to play the flute,” he said.

By the time he entered Brandeis University in Massachusetts, Sternberg was playing gigs in restaurants and at weddings and doing saxophone solos with local rock bands.

“I so badly needed an acoustic piano that my buddies and I piled a used one into the back of a pickup truck, and I played it right through Harvard Square in Cambridge,” he laughed.

photography by DAVE BARFIELD

←→ Musician, entertainer and teacher Steve Sternberg plays instruments including the saxophone, piano, flute and harmonica. As a younger man, Sternberg, 73, idolized Sonny Boy Williams and Taj Mahal.

The gigs picked up, and Sternberg toured with a rock band throughout the Northeast and for a year attended the Berklee School of Music. But he had become a new father, and now money took on a greater importance.

“After working for a while in a hospital for emotionally troubled children — which was my first time dealing with little ones — and a series of odd jobs, I moved the family to Miami to work in the family business, and later to Gainesville,” Sternberg said. At the University of Florida, he earned a master’s degree in elementary education and “really began to understand the joy of teaching music.”

Soon, he was teaching a large group of students.

“Thirty-three students a week — me alone teaching everything from saxophone to flute, harmonica and piano,” Sternberg recalled. “Kids and adults, we did two recitals a year and developed some incredible musicians.”

Then the troubadour gene must have truly turned on. Sternberg was playing and touring with a salsa band, a Top 40 band, a rhythm-and-blues band and a dance band, as well as teaching. And then he cycled back to Gainesville.

He took up teaching music in rural schools as an artist-in-residence in 14 Florida counties, and later, in 10 Leon County schools. Meanwhile, he was composing and beginning to record CDs. His first album was devoted to piano music.

STUDENTS WANTED

Steve Sternberg is currently accepting students. He can be reached at pianosteves@gmail.com or (850) 320-0010

His song Apalachicola Blues won a Best New Florida Song award from the Will McLean Foundation. He published a harmonica how-to book. The Florida Folk Festival invited Sternberg to conduct jazz history and ragtime piano seminars, something he did for seven years. At the studio he has at his home, he began and continues to record himself and others.

Today, Sternberg plays at retirement centers

↑ Sternberg, at top, works with a piano student. He got started as a music teacher traveling to schools in 14 rural Florida counties before settling in Tallahassee. Today, at his home, he teaches genres including classical, blues, rock, pop and jazz. Lower photo: Sternberg wails on a mouth harp.

and continues to welcome eager students, no matter their instrument of choice. But can he still be called a troubadour?

If that definition includes spreading his music across the land to any who will listen, Steve Sternberg is indeed the genuine article. TM

photography by DAVE BARFIELD

Angst and Ambition

by EMMA WITMER

Both artists and teens often question the world around them and challenge the status quo. Teenage years are categorized by emotion and hormonal turbulence, and as French artist Paul Cezanne once said, “A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.”

Generation Z, given its ready access to information and what many perceive as their deep concern for social and political issues, may launch its own renaissance.

“I am inclined toward this edgy, rebellious shock value,” Sean Collins said. “Not to be distasteful with it, but to toe the line as hard as I can. That’s a very teenagerly thing to do.”

An 18-year-old artist and recent graduate of Leon High School, Collins was among the senior portfolio winners in the 2023 Mahaska Whitley Student Exhibition at LeMoyne Arts. Collins’ work is technically proficient, provocative and rooted in the experiences of teens today.

The annual Mahaska Whitley Student Exhibition encourages aspiring artists to continue developing their skills. Founded in 1988 by esteemed former Leon High School art teacher and art department director Mahaska Whitley, the exhibition invites high school students from across Leon County to submit their work to a blind review panel. Submissions are displayed in the LeMoyne Arts gallery, and winners receive scholarship money and other prizes for their work.

Collins’ winning submission, Consecration of Rot, examines religious art that is foundational to Catholic teachings. Those paintings, statues and stained glass pieces, Collins said, were often as grotesque and violent as they were beautiful.

“At the front of the church is a man being crucified,” Collins said. “It’s a very visceral image to a young person. It feels like people are not seeing the same thing you are. There is a gravity to it that people are desensitized to.

“As I have grown away from the church in my personal life and development, I have felt the need to reincorporate that into my art.”

Annabelle Goddard, another senior portfolio winner and recent Leon High grad, usually works with a vibrant color palette. But for Andromeda, Goddard worked in ink, using the high-contrast medium to explore a topic often viewed in black and white.

“I really want to explore the feeling of not really knowing how to fit into

Mahaska Whitley winners explore the world from an artistic perspective

↖

Visitors to LeMoyne Arts explore works of art created by participants in the Mahaska Whitley Student Exhibition. The annual event encourages aspiring artists to continue to develop their styles and skills.

today’s society,” Goddard said. “Everything is so up in flames. Everyone has a different opinion. Everyone has different feelings. I want to explore that, explore androgyny and all these things that people are dealing with and struggling with, including myself. I’m going to channel my pain into art.”

Goddard was initially hesitant to explore those themes on such a public platform.

“I want people to understand and relate to how I feel,” Goddard said. “I’d rather put all the feelings I have about what is going on and what others feel out there and try to create an understanding.”

Both Collins and Goddard use digital tools to create their art, but both plan to explore traditional approaches as they continue their art education and careers. Collins finds that working with digital tools feels like a compromise. For now, it’s a bridge to oils and other media.

“Technology and art colliding has increased access, which is fantastic,” Collins said. “With increased access comes a greater supply, and with a greater supply comes a lower value, and that’s OK. … Wide, broad, unhindered access to technology, art and the means of creation is fantastic. Unfortunately, as the

internet has cheapened virtually everything, no pun intended, it has also cheapened art.”

AI art, including images generated by artificial intelligence engines such as ChatGPT, presents additional issues. For the creative community, this new technology is both practically and existentially threatening.

AI art can be produced instantaneously at little cost, thus posing a direct financial threat to working artists. It has also been widely criticized because it relies on existing artwork to generate new images or combinations of images. The artists who created the images that AI builds upon go uncompensated and unacknowledged.

Nonetheless, Goddard and Collins are committed to their passions. Their days working at LeMoyne inspire plans and dreams of fine art education. They are finding their places in the world and learning new ways to share their journeys through art. TM

↖ Clockwise from top left: Sean Collins and Consecration of Rot, a piece submitted to the 2023 Mahaska Whitley Student Exhibition at LeMoyne Arts; from left, Annabelle Goddard, Citlali Patino, Sean Collins and Leon High School art teacher Sarah Raulerson; Annabelle Goddard and Andromeda.

200 Years of Tallahassee

Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra Art Pieces Celebrate City’s Bicentennial

Historically, the arts have been honored in cities across the world by highlighting local creations — from hometown bands to celebrated city-center sculptures, and from community murals to photographers’ documentation of what once was and now is.

As Tallahassee approaches its bicentennial in 2024, the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra reflects on the area’s artistic history, looking to honor the momentous occasion with two unique endeavors: a visual concerto titled “200 Years of Tallahassee — A Symphonic Celebration of our City” and a book titled T is for Tallahassee

“200 Years of Tallahassee” will kick off the city’s bicentennial celebrations on Jan. 20–21, 2024, with performances at Ruby Diamond Concert Hall. Thousands of community-submitted

Beginning July 18, 2023, current and past Tallahassee residents are

encouraged to submit photos that showcase the city — including captured historical moments, community events, city celebrations, favorite places, acts of neighborly kindness, treasured landmarks, portraiture and other historically relevant photos.

“One of the most special aspects of this project is being able to view Tallahassee through Tallahassee’s own eyes,” said Amanda Stringer, CEO of Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra.

Once photos are selected, Nicholas Bardonnay, creative director and CEO of California-based Westwater Arts, will create the 13-minute video compilation. Bardonnay has worked on similar projects for over 120 orchestras across the world and will be in attendance at the January performance. The project is sponsored by Capital City Bank.

The book T is for Tallahassee is an endeavor that Stringer has long sought to make possible, and the bicentennial celebration provided the impetus to pursue it.

“This book will serve as a celebration of music and art in our community, as every letter of the alphabet is tied to a piece of Tallahassee’s music history,” Stringer said. Twenty-six different local artists will contribute artwork that reflects the

theme of each letter, such as “G” for gospel. Stringer herself has sponsored and purchased the original artwork for “G,” created by mixed media artist Mary Proctor, and said several of the original pieces will be available for sale following the book’s launch.

Stringer is working alongside Amanda Thompson of AKT Artful, a firm that manages and produces arts-related content, to curate the art and content for the book. Based on historical and current musical references, the two have written the copy and have selected former Leon County Commissioner and Editor for the Tallahassee Democrat, Mary Ann Lindley, as the book’s primary editor.

Pediment Publishing will produce 4,000 copies of the book which will be completed in early November of 2023. The book can be purchased through the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, local bookstores and speciality shops throughout Tallahassee. All proceeds will benefit the Symphony’s children’s programming and educational activity.

“We are immensely proud,” Stringer said. “The Symphony is honored to be a meaningful part of our city’s bicentennial celebration by contributing two pieces of artwork that will live on in Tallahassee history forever.”

photographs, pictured on a 440-squarefoot screen situated above the orchestra, will journey the audience through 200 years of local history accompanied by the orchestra’s performance of a work titled “Black, Brown and Beige” by the famed Duke Ellington.

ARTWORK BY ELIZABETH LAMPMAN DAVIS AND PHOTOS BY NICHOLAS BARDONNAY AND COURTESY OF VISIT TALLAHASSEE AND ADIEREN NARRO

“This book will serve as a celebration of music and art in our community, as every letter of the alphabet is tied to a piece of Tallahassee’s music history.”

— Amanda Stringer, CEO of Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra

BOOKS

REVEALING GEORGE FLOYD

Former Tallahassean wins coveted prize for portrait of a victim of police violence

by EMMA WITMER

In May 2020, the entire world got to know the name George Floyd, but it would be another two years before we would meet Perry.

The murder of Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin led to a new wave of civil rights activism. His death took on a life of its own, sparking international outrage, domestic debate, protests, legal reforms and difficult dinner table discussions. Amid a series of incidents of police violence against Black Americans and in the

midst of fear and uncertainty fomented by a global pandemic, Floyd’s murder became a cultural tipping point.

Long before he arrived in Minneapolis, Floyd lived as a boy in Houston at a tired housing project and went by his middle name, Perry. As the world became aware of George, his family mourned the Perry known only to them.

“It became this public spectacle, and (Floyd’s) friends and family members had to grieve in public before they even knew what was happening,” said Toluse (Tolu)

For days after the murder of George Floyd, mourners placed flowers in front of a Minneapolis grocery store, Cup Foods, the site of Floyd’s killing by police.

Publisher Penguin Random House rates the Pulitzer Prize winning book by Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa “a landmark biography that reveals how systemic racism shaped George Floyd’s life and legacy — from his family’s roots in the tobacco fields of North Carolina, to ongoing inequality in housing, education, health care, criminal justice and policing — telling the story of how one man’s tragic experience brought about a global movement for change.”

Olorunnipa, Washington Post White House bureau chief and co-author of His Name is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice.

“A movement was already underway, and they found themselves cast into the front lines,” Olorunnipa said. “We talked to them in the middle of that, and we also spoke to them in the quiet hours, weeks and months after. The cameras and protests had died down, and they were left to deal with their emotions.”

For Olorunnipa and co-author Robert Samuels, both of whom are Black, writing His Name is George Floyd served to answer two overlooked questions: Who was George Perry Floyd, and what was it like to live in his America?

The writers pored over historical documents and public records and conducted more than 400 interviews with family members, friends, police, political leaders and activists. The result of their work is a thorough, insightful, deeply human account of a loving, though flawed, man and a world often set against him.

The book earned its authors the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction. It was also a finalist in the biography category.

Olorunnipa grew up in Tallahassee as the son of Nigerian immigrants. His father was a scholarship student at the University of Illinois before joining the faculty at Florida A&M University.

While at Florida High, Olorunnipa played sports, participated in student government, wrote for the student newspaper and idolized Florida State football players.

“When I was about to leave high school, I was looking for any way to get money to try to pay for college,” Olorunnipa said. “My parents already had a couple of kids in college, and money was tight. It was pretty clear that I was going to need to shoulder some of the burden myself if I was going to go to college. Then I heard about a scholarship opportunity at the Tallahassee Democrat.”

Olorunnipa submitted his writing, met with the editor and was awarded a local scholarship by the Democrat, but his success did not stop there. He went on to win a national $40,000 scholarship from the paper’s then-parent

↑ As the son of Nigerian immigrants, Toluse Olorunnipa had to find a way to help fund his college education. A scholarship from a newspaper group helped.

company, an award that enabled him to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in sociology at Stanford University.

By the time Olorunnipa started his first job at the Miami Herald in 2009, the newspaper industry was struggling and newsrooms were shrinking. Olorunnipa felt fortunate to have a job.

“I loved what I was doing,” he said. “But as much as I was able to tell really impactful stories, as much as I was getting my feet wet learning to write stories that would make a difference in people’s lives, help people get information and hold powerful people to account, I was living in a termitefilled apartment that I could afford in a rough neighborhood.”

Full Service Hearing Care

Olorunnipa found his journalistic niche by giving voice to the voiceless, including a Caribbean woman who called the newspaper frantic and afraid she would lose her home. Starting with that woman, Olorunnipa uncovered a massive foreclosure fraud scheme.

DREAMS DERAILED

As a young man, Perry, as family called him, had outsized aspirations — to become a Supreme Court justice, a pro athlete or a rap star. By the time his world came crashing down in the months before his death, he had been chasing more modest ambitions — a little stability, a job driving trucks, health insurance. Still, in his dying seconds, as he suffocated under a white police officer’s knee, Floyd managed to speak his love.

“Mama, I love you!”

he screamed from the pavement, where his cries of “I can’t breathe” were met with an indifference as deadly as hate.

“Reese, I love you!” he yelled, a reference to his friend Maurice Hall.

He returned to Tallahassee to cover state government for the Herald and later became the Bloomberg correspondent reporting on the Florida Legislature. He made waves with a series of articles about corruption and misuse of taxpayer dollars by Citizens Property Insurance Corp. These and other stories launched Olorunnipa’s national career. He traded Florida’s capital for the nation’s capital, accepting positions covering the White House for Bloomberg and later the Washington Post

“Tell my kids I love them!” These words marked the end of a life in which Floyd repeatedly found his dreams diminished, deferred and derailed in no small part because of the color of his skin.

— From His Name is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice

“I had huge imposter syndrome, but I tried to just put my head down and do the work,” Olorunnipa said. “I tried to make as few mistakes as possible while also drinking from a fire hose and trying to learn as much as possible.”

While Olorunnipa’s career has taken him all over the country and the world, he views his Tallahassee upbringing as foundational.

“I think growing up in Tallahassee helped me have that sense of right and wrong, that sense of grounding so that I would be able to address politics from a perspective of someone who came from somewhere where everyday people are trying to make ends meet and need a little help,” Olorunnipa said. TM

Nearly 60% of pet owners think their veterinary hospital is accredited when it is not. AAHA-accredited hospitals are the only animal hospitals to regularly pass on-site evaluations based on more than 900 standards of veterinary care.

Dr. Lauren Combs

Along the Shore, Magic Happens

Gulf’s primal appeal lures visitors and soothes souls

Canvasing the Fish World

Destin artist’s paintings are to scale

BY STEVE BORNHOFT

Along the waterfront in Destin and in nearby communities, Van Hyning is known as that tall dude who practices the Japanese art of gyotaku — an aesthetic means by which fish catches can be documented.

When the fishing is good, Van Hyning is effectively on call. Captains dial him up — his ring tone is a screaming cat that interrupts the deepest of thoughts — on their way to the docks when they have a fish that is printworthy.

There was that time, for example, when Jordan Whiteman, the mate aboard restaurateur and chef Emeril Lagasse’s sportfishing yacht, Alente, notified Van Hyning that they were headed in with a big tuna on board.

Van Hyning, with canvas and paint, sped to the Sandestin marina to meet the boat. He knows that he has little time to make a good impression.

“Most people are late these days, but you can’t be late,” Van Hyning said. “Guys don’t like to wait around. I don’t want to inconvenience the client or the deckhand who has been fishing and working his tail off for 12 or 24 hours. Plus, the acrylics I use dry quickly; I’ve gotta work super fast.”

Van Hyning won’t disclose specifics but said his process basically involves prepping a fish, slathering it with paint, covering it with a sheet of canvas and rubbing the material into the fish’s every nook and cranny. When the canvas is removed, Van Hyning has a print of the fish that he may choose to leave in raw form or enhance with detailing work.

Harley Van Hyning chills in his Destin studio. A print of a blue marlin is over his right shoulder. Other prints are a French angelfish, top, and a Spanish hogfish.

There are times when Van Hyning’s gyotaku becomes performance art. He tends to draw onlookers — the bigger the fish, the bigger the crowd.

Lagasse closely watched as Van Hyning made a print of both the hefty yellowfin and a mahi-mahi. The day was hot, and the chef offered the artist a Yuengling. He was impressed by the impressions.

Van Hyning would sell the rights to the tuna to Lagasse, who used the image on T-shirts sold at Emeril’s Coastal seafood restaurant

at Grand Boulevard. And, since 2019, Van Hyning has been the event artist at an annual sailfish tournament hosted by Lagasse in Fort Lauderdale.

The artist is a member of a small, international gyotaku community. Via Instagram, he stays in touch with artists in Hawaii, California, the Eastern U.S., Italy, South Africa and Australia.

Van Hyning first became aware of what he calls the “first form of fish mounting” in middle school and high school art classes. His mother, Anna Salter, is an artist — a realist

— who studied art at the Royal Academy in London and made a point of taking her son to art shows and galleries when he was young.

“She encouraged my interest in painting, and I thought about going to the Savannah School of Art and Design,” Van Hyning said. “But a guidance counselor (at Fort Walton Beach High School) told me that artists don’t make any money.”

Van Hyning instead went to the University of West Florida, where he earned a degree in marketing and public relations, thinking that

Harley Van Hyning displays a tarpon print. In the photos on the opposite page, he works on a marlin print amid the commotion at the Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic.

the field would afford him creative outlets. He got into podcasting and thought about creating a lifestyle brand.

In 2015, he started experimenting with gyotaku. That exploration turned into an obsession.

“The first fish I painted were fish that I caught,” Van Hyning recalled. “I told my mom that I was going to paint fish and transfer them to shirts. She told me in her British accent to ‘Screw the bloody T-shirt’ and to do more of what I was doing.”

In 2016, Van Hyning, at the encouragement of a friend, participated in a space reserved for local artists at the Destin Seafood Festival and sold his first painting.

“One of my best friends, Justin Lyons, is an artist, and I used to go to his shows and hang out at his little studio and watch him paint,” Van Hyning said. “A few hours before I was supposed to have my work set up at the Seafood Festival, he showed me how to stain wood and make frames. But I never once thought about becoming an artist, myself.

“I didn’t pursue art. It happened to me.”

Commissions account for the lionfish’s share of the work Van Hyning does, and he has entertained some odd requests. One client wanted a psychedelic triggerfish. He did a Grateful Dead snapper. He’s not a taxidermist; he’s an impressionist. He can choose to make a redfish blue.

“Almost everything I have been doing has been about somebody’s fish story, and it’s great to be preserving memories for people and to give them something they can reminisce on,” Van Hyning said.

But he has stories of his own he wants to tell. He grew up fishing inshore waters for trout and redfish. Without much prompting, he will tell you about catching his biggest flounder ever on a 6-pound test line and a bucktail jig he made himself. He’s a surfer. A short stack of books in his studio includes William Finnegan’s Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life. He made a surfing trip to the Maldives and painted a few fish there.

“I am a lover of the oceans, and I want to create work in which the oceans tell their story,” Van Hyning said.

He painted a warsaw grouper at the Destin Fishing Rodeo, the first that had been seen there in 10 years. He hears captains talk about diminished cobia numbers and other disturbing trends.

“A couple of buddies of mine from Utah and I went fishing and kept a 40-pound amberjack,” Van Hyning said. “We had plenty of fish for three big guys and three women. I see people at the dock with four or five 70- to 80-pound amberjacks, not to mention all the other bottom fish. Do people really need that much? Are people even thinking about sustainability?”

Van Hyning is working toward exhibitions that he may call “Ocean Speaks.” He plans to add new elements to his paintings, to somehow infuse paint with vibrations that reflect a fish’s story. One such show might focus on the Indian Ocean, another on the Pacific.

They are sure to be the product of Van Hyning’s passions.

“My mother says I have two mistresses,” he said. “When the surf’s up, I don’t paint. When the surf’s not good, I paint.”

This story was first published in the April/May 2023 edition of Emerald Coast Magazine.

2023 Walton County Artist of the Year: Bradley Copeland

Bradley Copeland is passionate about having a passion — and for her, it’s art. Not just the creative process, but how art can be used to express feelings and ideas, give purpose and heal us, physically and spiritually.

For Copeland, painting is a way to navigate life. When she began to open herself to the clues and symbols that paint presented to her, magical things began to happen. But that was a discovery that she didn’t make easily.

Painting had been the 25-year-old artist’s favorite activity and escape since childhood. Still, she didn’t consider it a calling, but rather something she did on the side while trying to figure out her life’s purpose.

She was excited to work on her first solo show, even taking a month off work to prepare. Two days before the show was to open, however,

Bradley spilled a pot of boiling water, badly burning her legs and hands. For weeks, she would require painful, daily treatments.

“I was close to losing everything,” Copeland said. “I couldn’t go back to work, but I had some commissions lined up, and then COVID happened. I couldn’t show, so my only option was to paint.”

Copeland began promoting her work online and got so busy painting she didn’t go back to her retail job. At last, she had realized that art was her purpose.

“I think everyone has gifts and abilities and things we love, and we are supposed to

listen to clues in life. The universe forced me to listen, and I’m so thankful,” Copeland said.

“Art is all over the place,” she added. “Everything I see in life I translate in as many different ways as I can.”

Once, Copeland had become discouraged about her tendency toward detailed, hyper-realistic imagery and was frustrated in her attempts to share personal experiences through art.

So, she changed things up, giving herself randomly chosen subjects to paint. She gave herself permission to arrive at ugly results and sought to depict subjects in as many different forms as possible.

Something amazing began to happen — Bradley started having fun with her art. She painted drag queens and gave them bold, bright lips. That experience led to a series of lips paintings that made their way to the local art scene.

“The lips are a symbol of femininity in raw form, so much strength and ugliness in a beautiful way, and for drag queens to put on women’s clothing is a huge sign of strength,” Copeland said.

Copeland said it is amazing to have been chosen Walton County’s 2023 Artist of the Year. When interviewed as a candidate for the honor, she took care to be honest in telling her story.

“The reason I paint is to process or sort out my feelings or to make other people feel something, and all of that has to do with my story. It’s behind every piece that I make,” Copeland said.

The artist, who resides in Santa Rosa Beach, has more than 600 pieces in her collection. Many of her works are to be found in galleries across the Southeast and at her own studio. She has exhibited work in several group and solo shows. She draws inspiration from the surrounding arts community, filled with friends, business owners and creatives with whom she’s bonded.

Bradley’s passion for art is exceeded only by her desire to share how it has the power to heal others and herself.

She teaches art classes weekly at the Walton Correctional Institution in DeFuniak Springs. She encourages residents to experiment with the same messy process she uses, allowing the paint to dictate where it goes, and then finding the beauty the paint brings out.

WALTON COUNTY TOURISM DEPARTMENT

Learn more about the Artist of the Year program at VisitSouthWalton.com.

Mansions in the Sand

A sandcastle architect makes beautiful works on the beach

BY EMILEE MAE STRUSS

Dan Anderson’s life took a drastic turn when he found an ad on Craigslist offering sandcastle training. He was working at an animal hospital at the time and loved animals — still does — but it wasn’t fueling his passion the way he desired. In short, he was open to new opportunities, even far-fetched ones.

“I thought it sounded like something fun to do,” he says now, “so, I just went for it. I signed up to learn how to make a really good sandcastle.”

As most 5-year-olds can tell you, making sandcastles has few requirements: a plastic bucket, a few toy shovels, sand and water.

Perhaps a sifter and cut-out shapes for the more serious sand architects.

Known as Dan in the Sand, Anderson prides himself on using ordinary tools to make extraordinary sandcastles. In the compact cart he wheels around on the beach are several 5-gallon buckets, some 3-gallon buckets, paintbrushes, metal scrapers, a small scooper ordinarily used to make cantaloupe balls and his most trusted item: a “sandblaster 3000.” That might sound fancy and expensive, but it’s just a metal straw.

Anderson’s sandcastle instruction sessions last anywhere from 90 minutes to two hours, but time seems to melt away, he will tell you,

Dan Anderson, known along the shorelines of the Emerald Coast as Dan in the Sand, was working at an animal hospital when he was overtaken by a desire to unleash himself. He explored career options, including some unconventional ones, and wound up enrolling in sandcastle training.

when you’re having fun along the shorelines of the Emerald Coast.

“Everyone loves a good sandcastle,” he said, “and that’s why I find so much joy in what I do: I get to watch people of all ages remember how much fun it is to build a sandcastle.”

It’s not all fun and games, though. There is a science behind Anderson’s immaculate constructions.

“Once you know the science of sandcastle building, the possibilities are endless,” he said. “I teach the basics and let my clients have at it, giving them ample space to create.”

Here is the science: “Soupy” is the ideal consistency, starting out, Anderson said.

He puts sand into a 5-gallon bucket with no bottom. That allows him to easily remove the bucket, creating a freestanding tower. But first he adds water, using his hand — nay, his entire arm — to whisk around the contents, which he allows to settle into a concrete-looking unit.

Then comes “verbal encouragement.”

Anderson smacks the bucket’s sides, water soaking deeper into the sand mixture,

then exhorts it: “You got it, sand!” Young participants follow his lead: “Yeah, sand! You can do it!” The cheering section grows as curious onlookers walking the beach stop and join in.

For larger sandcastles, which can take up to eight hours to complete, Anderson uses 100 to 200 gallons of water. “I stay skinny working this job,” he said, laughing. “I promise I eat — a lot. I’m just constantly hauling heavy buckets of water back and forth on the sand. It’s a workout.”

His most prized creation was one of his first: an 8-foot-tall replica of the Eiffel Tower.

“I built that one right around the time of the Paris attacks in 2015,” said Anderson, who has operated his business since 2020.

“It was my favorite because I was still a new builder, and it turned out better than I imagined it would.”

A close second are the ones he creates for marriage proposals.

“I get goosebumps and tear up every single time,” he said. “(The woman) never expects it, and it’s such a romantic and beautiful experience. There’s more planning that goes into those because it must be set up just right, so she’ll see it.”

With each one, Anderson carves “Will you marry me?” and the prospective bride’s name into a 3-foot-by-23-foot heart, then places a GoPro camera nearby to capture the special moment. A few nervous fiances to be have walked right by the grainy sculptures and Anderson smoothly, discreetly guides them back, though it’s hard to imagine anyone overlooking his work or turning down such a gorgeous proposal.

To learn more about Dan in the Sand, visit dancastles.com.

Anderson shows girls attending a birthday party how to arrive at the proper water and sand mixture. The girls learned, too, that it’s sometimes helpful to encourage the sand to cooperate with a project.

Surf, Bay and Old Florida

One park offers many environments

BY HANNAH BURKE

With over a mile-and-a-half of beach that is ideal for fishing, snorkeling and swimming, and 1,200 acres of pristine land bursting with biodiversity, St. Andrews State Park is an outdoor enthusiast’s playground. Bike, boat, birdwatch or hike — there is much that makes the park worth exploring.

CAST AWAY

Situated between the Gulf of Mexico and the rich estuary that is St. Andrew Bay, the

park attracts redfish, mullet, speckled trout, Spanish mackerel, flounder and other species.

The Grand Lagoon Fishing Pier, located on the bay side of the park, is home to a boat ramp and a concession shack stocked with fishing gear, bait and sundries.

The Gulfside Tiller Pier and neighboring West Jetty are both fish magnets. Sheepshead there feast on barnacles but find bite-size bits of shrimp irresistible. Flounder, too, like structure, and it’s not unusual for a speckled trout or Spanish mackerel to cruise by.

And, if you’re truly looking to cast away, Shell Island, the 7-mile barrier island at the south end of St. Andrews State Park, offers diverse fishing. Anglers might catch a trout on the bay side of the island and then reel in a pompano on the Gulf side.

TAKE A DIP

St. Andrews State Park’s west-end beach isn’t just for fishing. Framed by the jetties is the “kiddie pool” lagoon, a clear, shallow swimming hole ideal for safely splashing

around with your little ones. Along those jetties, snorkelers encounter sea urchins, sponges, rays, octopi and countless fish species.

If you’re without gear and the FOMO kicks in, the park’s Jetty Store has fins, snorkels and paddleboards. Scuba divers touring the deepwater side of the jetties meet up with crabs, goliath grouper and the occasional manatee or dolphin in 20 to 75 feet of water.

Available at the park’s Camp Store are canoe and kayak rentals. From the boat ramp,

paddlers can spend a day in Grand Lagoon, or cruise across the pass to St. Andrew Bay to Shell Island.

HIT THE TRAIL

Hikers and wildlife enthusiasts have two, halfmile nature paths to discover at St. Andrews.

The Heron Pond Trail is a 0.7-mile loop through a pine forest. Along the way is the Old Cracker Turpentine Still, a replica of equipment used by resin distillers in Bay County in the 19th century until the demise

The jetties at St. Andrews State Park are part of a system that fortifies the pass to St. Andrew Bay. The jetties also form a protected shallow water inlet where families with children splash around and many youngsters have learned to swim.

of the industry in the 1930s. Tourists are free to inspect and take pictures of the exhibit while learning about the distilling process and Bay County’s history.

Another trail winds through scrub forest to Gator Lake, a pond that resulted from the dredging of the St. Andrews Channel in 1934. It is aptly named, as visitors often spot gators from the boardwalk and overlook, as well as turtles, lizards, wading birds and raptors such as hawks, bald eagles and owls. Popular among wildlife photographers and picnickers,

Snorkelers who approach the jetties at St. Andrews State Park are likely to encounter myriad fish including lookdowns, tangs and blennies, along with schools of mullet that graze on the algae that coats the rocks. Construction of the jetties, using rock carved from quarries, was accomplished by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers beginning in 1933.

it’s an easily navigable path through an area representative of what locals call the “real” Florida.

Wildlife watching and history lessons aren’t the only ways to pass the time. St. Andrews State Park is also a prevalent geocaching hot spot. Using GPS and smartphone apps, treasure hunters play hide-and-seek with small containers stashed throughout the trails. You’re encouraged to (safely) venture off the beaten path to discover a cache, and take home a trinket commemorating your outing.

CAMP OR GLAMP

If sleeping beneath the stars, s’mores and fireside sing-a-longs are your thing, the park is primed with campsites and amenities designed to facilitate get-togethers with Mother Nature.

The West Loop Campground was restored following Hurricane Michael in 2018 and is now open with around 65 campsites boasting picnic areas and grills, running water, electricity and sewage hook-ups for trailers. Welcoming all from tenters to luxury RV owners, the campsite offers a scenic view of Grand Lagoon and is within walking distance of bathrooms, the beach, the boat launch and concessions.

If you’re just not the outdoorsy type but still wish to spend the night among unspoiled surroundings, St. Andrews now offers anything-but-rustic glamp sites. Reserve a luxurious, air-conditioned tent complete with a queen bed and additional cots, electricity, cooking gear and a waterfront view at standrewsshellisland.com/eco-tents.

Trails at St. Andrews State Park pass by Gator Lake and Buttonbush Marsh, where spectacular wading birds and the state reptile hang out.

Shelly Swanger Photography

Nathan Zucker Photography

Nathan Zucker Photography

Hotel Effie Offers a Golden Group Rate in 2023

Agreat way to boost morale at your business is to treat your employees to a group meeting that feels like paradise. In celebrating Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort’s 50th anniversary, the property is including Hotel Effie in specialized group rates that extend to the end of 2023.

Any group that books 10 or more rooms for a minimum of two nights is eligible for room rates of up to 50 percent off. The golden anniversary deal also includes 20 percent off audio/visual services, a 15 percent discount on team building activities, a complimentary one-hour beer and wine reception or a beach bonfire with a food and beverage minimum of $10,000.

Hotel Effie, Sandestin’s new 250-room luxury hotel, has over 20,000 square feet of dedicated meeting space, with even more room available at the Baytowne Conference Center adjacent to the hotel.

There are three on-site restaurants all curated by two-time James Beard award-winning

chef, Hugh Acheson. Ovide, the upscale dining option, just launched a new seasonal menu that goes back to Chef Acheson favorites that catapulted him to celebrity chef status. Matthew Krueger, Ovide’s Executive Chef, executes these beautiful offerings and can customize experiences to meet your group’s needs.

For evening gatherings, head to the rooftop to sip cocktails at Ara and experience the Emerald Coast’s only hotel rooftop pool and lounge. Pamper your employees at the luxurious Spa Lilliana with its full array of spa services.

Hotel Effie’s sales team partners with Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort ® , which provides full resort and property access. For team building, play golf at one of four golf courses; organize tennis matches; engage in water sports at the private marina; or schedule an outing to enjoy dining and shopping at Baytowne Wharf.

On-site transportation operates throughout the entire Sandestin ®

property and carries guests to the Sandestin beach as well as Hotel Effie’s reserved beach area.

Laurie Frank, the executive director of resort sales, facilitates group sales for Hotel Effie and Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort® and finds that 40 percent of the groups each year are legacy groups that have visited the property yearly for the past 30 years.

The addition of Hotel Effie in 2021 has expanded the offerings available at Sandestin ®, providing new lodging and venues to consider for group meetings.

“The culture of our resorts accounts for that 40 percent figure,” Frank said. “When a company approaches group sales for a proposal, we see this as a partnership with the goal to provide a successful meeting complete with exceptional service, Southern hospitality and an experience they will want to repeat again and again.” To receive the Golden Anniversary group special rate, call (855) 660-0934 by June 30, 2023.

ECTC would like to thank all of our donors, sponsors, patrons, and volunteers for their continued support.

Enriching People’s Lives

Growing arts center is creating memories

BY KARI C. BARLOW

Bart Hudson can’t help but laugh when he recalls his first spin on the potter’s wheel at First City Art Center (FCAC) in Pensacola.

“There was clay on the ceiling by the time I was done,” he said. “I’m not an artist. I dream about being an artist. And I try a lot, but I’m more of an administrator.”

In fact, Hudson recently marked his first year as FCAC’s executive director. It’s a role he didn’t see coming but one he has enjoyed taking on.

“Everybody who is here wants to be here,” he said of the center, which opened at 1060 N. Guillemard St. in 2012. “And I’m fascinated by what drives them to do it. Everyone has busy lives, so what made you take time out of that busy life to come sink your hands in clay or blow glass or draw or paint?”

Before landing at FCAC, Hudson ran Florida House, a nonprofit that functions like an embassy for Floridians in Washington, D.C. A few years ago, he and his husband, architect Dean DuBois, planned to move to Pensacola.

When DuBois died unexpectedly in August 2019, Hudson carried on with the move, even building the house that DuBois had designed for the two of them.

For Hudson, who was born in Pensacola at the old Sacred Heart Hospital on 12th Avenue and raised in Fort Walton Beach, the opportunity to lead FCAC has turned into a delightful way to reconnect with the city as well as his lifelong love of art.

“Dean and I were art collectors,” he said. “One of the things we focused on years ago was glass art. And now I’ve got these glassblowers here who make the stuff, and just to watch them do that is spellbinding.”

Hudson, who is color blind, has experienced a spectrum of a different sort, even trying his hand at blowing glass. “Six months ago, the idea that I could blow glass — I would have told you that you were crazy.”

But using art to engage people’s imagination and expose them to new experiences is FCAC’s specialty. “We believe that art informs every

aspect of a person’s life,” Hudson said, “whether they’re sitting at that (potter’s) wheel or enjoying a sunset. Every time we unlock that gate, it’s our goal for somebody to come through and have an experience they’re going to remember.”

Just as the center stretches people, he adds, visitors stretch the center. “If there are enough people who want to experience an art form, we’ll give it a try. If you want to do it and it makes sense, we’ll try to invite an instructor and create a curriculum.”

The center offers classes in painting and drawing, hot glass, pottery on the wheel and off, sculpture, sewing, stained glass and more. Its youth program brings about 1,200 children through the center each year. The staff is small but is creative in its fundraising as well as its media, operating on grants, donations, annual fundraisers and revenue generated from classes and camps.

“Anytime you are doing something like this and on this scale, it’s a challenge to raise the funding,” Hudson acknowledged. “But we have generous folks. We just received a grant for a new kiln …

There are folks who believe, like we do, that art is fundamental.”

One of FCAC’s most popular fundraisers is its annual pumpkin patch at the Blue Wahoos Stadium, where roughly 6,000 ceramic and glass pumpkins, crafted by dozens of local artists, are sold in just five hours.

“This was our 16th year and my first,” Hudson said, “and, boy, was that an eye-opener. It was something else to watch the excitement of the people.”

Another popular event is the Hot Glass Cold Brew.

“Our ceramics department and our glass department make vessels — cups, glasses, anything that will hold a beverage — and three times a year you come onto campus, purchase a ticket to the event and you get to pick out your vessel. We fill it twice with beer, and there are food trucks. And we average between 600 and 700 people at each of those.”

Hudson is excited about the year ahead, which will include a new ceramics studio, a small plaza and more, made possible by a local couple’s “campuschanging” contribution.

“There’s a lot on our plate for 2023,” he said.

Bart Hudson (opposite page), executive director of the First City Arts Center, is given to a business mind more so than an artistic bent but is fascinated by people who shape clay and blow glass. Clark Caine, center, shows off his potter project to impressed classmates. A new ceramics studio is in the offing at the center.

Above, Instructor Joe Hobbs works on a glassblowing project. Hobbs and his students provide glassware for the center’s annual Hot Glass Cold Brew fundraiser. To learn more about First City Art Center visit firstcityart.org.

Jiving With a Small-town Vibe

BY PAIGE AIGRET

Among Florida beach towns, there are some that are more remarkable for their uniformity than their character. A row of carbon-copy cottages may be enough to bring to mind an old song, Malvina Reynolds’ Little Boxes

There’s a pink one and a green one And a blue one and a yellow one And they’re all made out of ticky tacky And they all look just the same

By contrast, Port St. Joe, Florida, has retained a certain salty character.

“This is the coolest community I have ever lived in,” said Preston Sutter. “It’s like Mayberry on the water.”

Hurricane Michael hit Port St. Joe hard, but Sutter, who manages the local Point South Marina, said the town is recovering and recapturing its intentionally relaxed lifestyle.

Downtown consists of a main drag with two stop lights and is home to locally owned, non-franchise businesses.

To limit high-density development, the city has implemented a four-story maximum height for buildings. While Sutter said other beach towns “went for the short money and got it,” Port St. Joe favors long-term, peaceful coexistence of the community and tourism.

“You can tell everyone what you don’t want to become. But you have to decide what you do want to become,” Sutter said. “The thing I love about this area is it’s still very much a close-knit community with independent restaurants and funky, interesting bars with songwriters. It’s just a vibe that we decided as a community to keep.”

The rebuilding of Point South Marina Port St. Joe was planned to make it consistent with the community’s culture.

“At most marinas, there’s dudes smoking and cussing, there’s dock lines hanging

everywhere, fish heads exploding on the surface of the dirty, oil-stained water,” he said. But Point South is kept meticulously clean and family friendly, and Sutter said his personable dockhands have a servanthearted nature.

People tend to hang around the marina following time spent on the water. Kids pour from the ship store, popsicles in hand. Dads refill coolers with ice and drinks. Fishermen clean their fresh catches. Groups linger, enjoying beer on the dock as the sun sets.

“It’s turning into a scene,” Sutter said, noting that its “billion-dollar sunset view” doesn’t hurt.

The marina caters to both its members and the general public and visitors.

It is home to three excursion companies — AquaBear Adventures, Saltwater Excursions and About Fun Charters — that offer activities including eco-tours, snorkeling, inshore and offshore fishing and scalloping.

Point South Marina at Port St. Joe was completely rebuilt following the destruction from Hurricane Michael, with new docks, a new ship’s store and a new 252-slip dry boat storage facility. The marina features 48 wet slips and a 300-foot lay-a-long transient dock and a fuel dock, and offers shore power, pump out service, WiFi, showers and laundry facilities for overnight guests.

Boats can be rented at the marina through Buena Vida Boats. Pontoon and bay boats are available for full-day, half-day or two-hour sunset cruise rentals.

Members of the Freedom Boat Club, a boat rental service, can access memberships at the Port St. Joe marina.

Sutter said that while vacation areas such as Panacea and Alligator Point are a straight shot from Tallahassee, Port St. Joe is also easily reached. The area promises crystal-clear water, both in the Gulf of Mexico and in St. Joseph bay, a result of the absence of incoming freshwater flows.

Gulf County scallop season — from Aug. 16 to Sept. 24 in 2023 — is one of Sutter’s favorite times of year, along with the fall red snapper season, when the area is not “Africa hot.” Sutter enjoys fishing offshore in the fall for snapper and other bottom fish and inshore for redfish, speckled trout and flounder.

Port St. Joe is a hotbed for transient boaters from nearby areas and a major stop for those traveling the Great Loop — a 6,000-mile route that traverses rivers, lakes and oceans across the Eastern portion of the United States and into Canada.

The marina offers short-term slips for rent to transient boaters. Laundry services, showers, WiFi and surveillance are provided, and area activities make it a perfect respite from the open water.

“We’re really set up to accommodate them while they’re here,” Sutter said. “We make coffee every morning at 7:30, and they come up and have a cup, sit around and chew the fat, so to speak.”

Soon, the marina hopes to add amenities including a food truck lot, pool club with a tiki bar, a restaurant and hotel.

Tips From a Local

Marina manager Preston Sutter offers recommendations

REID AVENUE

This downtown district is within walking distance of the marina and features local shopping and dining.

■ Uptown Raw Bar & Grill

■ Provisions Restaurant & Catering

■ Joe Mama’s Wood Fired Kitchen

■ The White Marlin and Oysterette

■ Sparks Bar-BQue & Brew

OUTFITTER SHOP AT POINT SOUTH MARINA

Your one-stop shop for boating necessities, snacks, drinks and ice. The store also offers highend outfitter apparel from brands including Duckhead, Duck Camp, Tom Beckbe, Skinny Water Culture, Yeti and Toadfish.

INDIAN PASS RAW BAR

“It’s shrimp and oysters and beer that you get on the honor system,” Sutter said. The restaurant, steeped in a rich history dating back to 1903, bills itself as a “no-frills seafood joint with beer.”

CAPE SAN BLAS LIGHTHOUSE

Located next to Point South Marina, the lighthouse dates back to the 1800s and has weathered storms, restoration and relocation. Visitors

enjoy priceless views and a good workout as they climb the lighthouse’s spiral staircase on a guided tour.

ST. JOSEPH PENINSULA STATE PARK

Enjoy hiking, fishing, swimming and paddling at this state park nestled between the Gulf and the bay. Overnight stays are available at 14 primitive sites and eight cabins.

BLACKS ISLAND

“You feel like you’re in Central America or the Bahamas, and you’re two hours from Tallahassee,” Sutter said. This private island resort is located in St. Joseph Bay and offers bungalows for rent. Board your

vessel, and set off from the marina for the ultimate island experience.

ST. JOSEPH BAY STATE BUFFER PRESERVE

The preservation park contains 19 known archaeological and historical sites, dating from prehistoric times to the 20th century. Multi-use trails offer hiking, biking, horseback riding and bird watching.

STAY BY THE BAY

Nearby accommodations with close proximity to the marina and downtown area include The Port Inn and Barefoot Cottages. Additionally, Airbnbs and VRBOs line the streets between the marina and Reid Avenue.

Macy Gray in Concert

Thursday, October 12

Experience the electrifying, eclectic talent of Grammy-winning Macy Gray best known for her international hit single I Try. Don't miss Macy Gray and The California Jet Club performing hot tracks from her newest album, The Reset, featuring special guest rapper Maino. Head to the Cultural Arts Village in Destin to witness Gray's captivating vocals and soulful R&B at its finest all in support of Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation.

Enjoy Stellar Events on the Emerald Coast

28th Annual Festival of the Arts

Saturday & Sunday | October 28 & 29

A celebration of art, music, food and family fun at the Cultural Arts Village in Destin. Browse original artwork by 100+ artists and enjoy artist demos, live music, food truck fare, craft beer & cocktails, kids creative station, street performers, art raffle, plus free admission, parking and shuttle service.

11th Annual Wine Walkabout

Thursday | November 9

Join us at Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Destin to savor tasting stations, visit with vintners from exclusive wineries, enjoy live music, wine pull, silent auction, raffle and more. An intimate vintner-dinner follows the Walkabout (for an additional cost).

Proceeds

ArtsReach provides dynamic performing and visual arts programs creatively curated for K-12 students, children and adults with special needs, and the military community along the Emerald Coast.

Help keep the Arts FUN-ded, because they won’t flourish on imagination alone.

Angelic Alabama Astronaut

Abe Partridge sweetens songwriters fest with SOAL music

BY STEVE BORNHOFT

Abe Partridge holds serpent handlers in high regard.

A singer-songwriter, visual artist and podcaster, Partridge attended Bible colleges in Tennessee after graduating high school in Mobile, Alabama, and went on to preach for a few years, serving small congregations in Appalachia.

A “religious experience” led him to pursue preaching, he told me, and he remains a man of faith, but he isn’t much for organized, wishing-well religion anymore.

“Now, the only churches I go to are serpenthandling churches,” Partridge said. There is a selflessness and authenticity about them that he admires.

“The thing about Western Christianity is it’s presented in a way that benefits you in the end,” Partridge said. “You don’t want to go to hell, so Jesus will help you not go to hell. You don’t want to be unhappy, so Jesus will help you be happy. You want to be rich, or whatever. It’s like a means-to-an-end kind of gospel. With serpent handlers, it’s the complete opposite

of that. I found that to be very powerful and meaningful. It’s faith not as a benefit, but faith at a possible cost. It’s Jesus as an end instead of just the means. I share that faith now. I don’t handle snakes, but I understand.”

For Partridge, music and art have been ends. He doesn’t think in terms of goals or aspirations.

“I just try to live one day to the next, doin’ what I love,” he said. “Fortunately, I am able to do that. I am always creating. I quit my job in 2019, and that was a big moment, buddy.”

C E L E B R A T I N G 5 0 Y E A R S

O N T H E E M E R A L D C O A S T

ACH RESORT

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Pamper yourself at Spa Lilliana or indulge in a little retail therapy. Whether it's paddle sessions on the bay or leisurely days spent relaxing on the emerald shores of the Gulf of Mexico, there's something for everyone. Enjoy elevated dining and craft cocktails while taking in the most spectacular views and more Sandestin is ready to welcome you!

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Partridge had been supporting his family — he and his wife Cathy have three kids — as a civilian avionics technician servicing C-130Js for the U.S. Air Force. Leaving that steady paycheck behind was a “huge leap of faith,” he said.

“When I did that and we didn’t file bankruptcy, that was a success. I always said that if I could ever get to a point in my life where I was creating art and music and telling stories for a living, then I would have made it. Now, every bit it grows from here is icing on the cake.”

His outlook is one of humility and genuineness, qualities that come through when Partridge greets an audience with his unrestrained drawl. He ain’t pretendin’ up there. Taking the stage at the Rosemary Town Hall for an exclusive 30A Songwriters Festival performance reserved for VIPs, he gawks at the building’s cathedral ceilings. He’s lived much of his life in trailers. To this day, he wears base-model Levi jeans. No flair, no flare. He appears never to have gained complete command over his rangy body. He’s real. Sometimes, he forgets the words.

To get to know Partridge even a little bit is to wonder how he could ever manage to quiet and focus his mind sufficiently to work on military transport aircraft. His Town Hall set included a song, Abe Partridge’s 403rd Freakout, which he intends as a window on his inner workings and in which he sings, “Turn off your mind, because an active mind is a devil’s playground.”

In that playground, so the song goes, he ponders how the world might have been different had Albert Einstein met Paul McCartney while John Lennon was studying the world’s great wonders. He ponders if, then, “a little boy from Nagasaki coulda married a young girl from Hiroshima and they coulda sang Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da together, their favorite song by the Beatles.”

The 403rd is a little bit butterfly effect, a little bit time machine, and it makes it clear that Partridge’s thinking isn’t the least bit linear. But devil’s playground? Nah. Partridge is far more angelic than demonic.

His voice is a little less ashtray, but Partridge brings Tom Waits to mind. In

Hope I Don’t Fall in Love, Waits sings about the inevitability of love late at night in a barroom. In White Trash Lipstick, Partridge sings about a tomgirl’s power over a boy whose truck she comes off her porch to revive. Both visit life’s underbelly, but Partridge does so with adoration.

Partridge just might be an amalgam of Randy Newman, John Prine, David Allen Coe and comedian Steven Wright. And Woody Guthrie — Partridge listens to a lot of Woody Guthrie.

But it is Bob Dylan who saved Partridge from the depths of despair. That, and the arrival in 2007 of high-speed internet in rural Middlesboro, Kentucky, where he was preaching.

Partridge was a college student in Chattanooga when he was first exposed to bluegrass music. He bought a banjo and taught himself to play. He carried his newfound obsession to Knoxville, home to his second college and where, on Tuesday nights, he would report to a record store to

hear a “bunch of old men pick old bluegrass songs.” He became aware of the music of Roscoe Holcomb and Dock Boggs and wanted to play the banjo just like them.

When the internet arrived in Middlesboro, Partridge, stuck outside of Mobile with the Kentucky blues again, discovered decadesold Holcomb videos on YouTube, including one in which the banjo man appeared on stage with a young Dylan.

“I had heard of Dylan, but I had never listened to him,” Partridge said. “I was like ‘Who is this?’ I was going through the darkest time in my life, and Dylan’s lyrics spoke to me. Then, through Dylan, I found John Prine, Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark and other songwriters, and that’s when I started to try to write my own songs.” He was 26.

“Music pulled me out of depression. It got me here today. Some people it hits, buddy.”

I will confess that I had secured a media pass for the 2023 Songwriters Festival mostly because I wanted to see Lyle Lovett, a man whose music always has hit me. I remember

Singer/songwriter Abe Partridge of Mobile, Alabama, took a “huge leap of faith” in 2019 when he quit his job as a civilian avionics technician working for the U.S. Air Force to focus on his creative endeavors.

Over the next year, passengers will see expansions to our parking lots and terminal, which when complete will make traveling more convenient and comfortable than ever. Behind the scenes, improvements to our baggage handling facility will prepare us to meet growing demand.

On your next visit, keep an eye out for “Pilot”, the pelican – this wingman will point out all the construction taking flight.

iflybeaches.com/construction

Luxury

well the night — it must have been in 1987 — when a man named Ron, who used to manage the waterfront No Name Lounge just east of the Hathaway Bridge in Panama City, turned me on to the novels of Carl Hiaasen and to Lovett, who sang about riding a pony on a boat and about that “stop-and-do-it girl.”

You can stop by in the morning

You can stop by late at night

You can stop by if you’re ugly friend

Or if you look all right.

From the festival’s grand stage at Grand Boulevard, Lovett performed That’s Right (You’re Not from Texas). He recorded the song about his home state’s capacity to welcome wannabe Texans in 1996. Today, it kinda depends. You might wind up in Martha’s Vineyard.

Lovett is generous with praise. He followed to the stage Rickie Lee Jones about whom he said, “Nobody sings and writes songs like her.” Snappily attired in a sharp, gray suit, he was joined by Viktor Krauss (upright bass), Luke Bulla (fiddle), Jeff White (guitar) and Jim Cox (piano). “It’s truly an honor to play with these men, some of the finest musicians in the world,” Lovett said.

The festival crowd was in for a treat.

It had been a while since Lovett had toured, and he was glad to be back on the road. He smiled his crooked smile through a chilly January afternoon and made his old songs new.

And if I had a boat

I’d go out on the ocean

And if I had a pony

I’d ride him on my boat

And we could all together

Go out on the ocean

I said me upon my pony on my boat

Lovett, a la Abe Partridge, acknowledged his great good fortune in being able to do what he most loves to do, now some 36 years after his debut album. As he played his double encore, his audience picked up its lawn chairs and bunched up near the stage to get a better look, sure, and to huddle for warmth.

Lovett, in response, grinned as broadly as he can.

It’s been a big day for Partridge. The VIP concert, performed with sisters Amanda Donald (mandolin) and Katrina Kolb (the most animated upright bass player you’re ever

After a break from touring, Lyle Lovett, left, was glad to be back on the road, appearing on the main Grand Boulevard stage at the 30A Songwriters Festival. His admirers include Abe Partridge, who views himself as a communicator and storyteller first and an entertainer only secondarily.

gonna see), has gone well. Shows of Partridge’s art are newly underway — watercolors at the University of South Alabama and acrylic on roofing cement at the Alabama Contemporary Art Center in Mobile. And Partridge’s latest single, Alabama Astronauts, has dropped.

The spoken song and its accompanying video and comic book lovingly prey upon an Alabama mobile home community, the Back 40 Trailer Park, that is visited by aliens.

I was feeling alright

Mixin’ whiskey with my Sprite

And toasting all those ghosts

Of the lost Southern pines

When I heard a lurkin’

In the night and I knew Somethin’ wasn’t right

And I was covered in the white Of an otherworldly light.

The aliens abduct neighbor lady Wanda, but Abe and Bubba, a heavily tattooed big fella, strike back. With a shotgun and an AR-15, they dispatch the invaders, commandeer their flying saucer (and paint it in camo) and locate Wanda whose only regret is that the green men had seen her with “her hair still in rollers, her nightie bustin’ at the seams.”

It may be that Partridge is defining his own genre. Call it South Alabama Camp. Better yet, call it SOAL Music.

“I have never met an alien that I know of,” Partridge said. “But I may have met some angels.”

Me, too, Partridge among them. Alabama peach of a guy, really. The kind of guy you pull for, buddy.

PHOTOS

BOO MEDIA AND SHELLY SWANGER PHOTOGRAPHY (LYLE LOVETT CLOSEUP)

HARVEST WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL Brims

with Bounty

A wine and dine weekend

presented by Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation

The harvest season has, for centuries, celebrated gathering in abundance — gathering of food, drink and good company. Some things remain a constant.

The Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation (DCWAF) is hosting their seventh annual Harvest Wine & Food Festival where attendees will gather in the scenic Cerulean Park setting for an abundance of culinary creations and fine wines.

The event will be held Oct. 19–22, culminating in a weekend of intimate wine dinners; a new event, Harvest After Dark; the Grand Tasting main event; and a cocktail brunch.

“The weekend has something for every wine and food lover,” said Kate MacMillan, director of marketing and communications for DCWAF. “It’s designed so you can curate an itinerary that best fits you. Whether

you prefer a large-scale event like the Grand Tasting, or something more intimate, we’ve crafted a variety of events to allow our guests to customize their weekend experience.

Throughout the weekend, attendees can enter the silent auction to bid on premier wines, luxury travel packages and staycations. Proceeds from the auction and all ticket sales will benefit the 17 children’s charities that DCWAF supports. These charities support a range of needs including food insecurity, medical care and homelessness.

This year’s festival kicks off with an array of celebrity winemaker dinners to select from — including Alpha Omega Collective with chef Craig Richards in a private WaterColor residence, presented by Setco Services and 360 Blue; Domaine Della at Cuvee 30A presented by Cory & Hillary Fosdyck; Lang &

Reed at Wild Olives; Phifer Pavitt at Bijoux; Roy Estate at Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood, presented by Stephen and Joan Carter; and Saint Helena with Blackbird at Vin’tij Food & Wine, presented by the Powell Family.

Friday afternoon, starting at 4 p.m. a cocktail seminar conducted by Better Together Beverage will take place in Crimson Park in WaterColor. Christine Tarpey and her Better Together team will lead attendees through concocting two custom cocktails while providing interesting historical tidbits on each spirit and testing the audience’s knowledge with beverage trivia. Light bites will be included.

Friday evening welcomes a new event, Harvest After Dark, at 7 p.m. The debut event is a play on a previous festival favorite, the Al Fresco Reserve Tasting, and invites an intimate crowd to experience an evening of elevated wine selections paired with culinary delights from celebrity chefs hailing from throughout the Southeast.

Saturday brings the main Grand Tasting event where guests sample hundreds of wines

from around the world and nosh on bites from stations ranging from seafood to barbecue.

To enhance the experience, indulge in a VIP ticket to the Grand Tasting’s VIP tent presented by Brad Dahler of Scenic Sotheby’s and Emerald Coast Magazine

The tent includes exclusive wine, beer and culinary options, a dedicated lounge area, a cocktail bar and live music.

The weekend of imbibing concludes with the Tiki Cocktail Brunch presented by The Henry Haus and 360 Blue. Brunch the best way possible with craft cocktails by Better Together Beverage and a tiki-themed menu cooked up by chef Nikhil Abuvala, owner of Daytrader Tiki Bar & Restaurant.

“It’s always the most beautiful weekend filled with exceptional wines and food, all hosted with the goal of making a positive impact on the lives of children in need in our local community,” said MacMillan. “We hope that lifelong memories are built and that you find a new favorite wine or chef whose restaurant you plan to visit.”

To learn more and purchase tickets, visit HarvestWineandFood.com

Things to See and Do

SEPT. 23

Emerald Coast Spirits Festival

A first of its kind event in the Santa Rosa Beach/Inlet Beach area, the Emerald Coast Spirits Festival will shake and stir up a good time. Distillery 98, along with the Florida Craft Spirits Association, is inviting craft distillers from all over Florida to show off their spirits with samples and batched cocktails. Craft distillers, industry representatives, local business leaders and the general public will have the chance to mix, mingle and network at the VIP Welcome Party on Sept. 22 at Distillery 98. Tickets go on sale for both the VIP Party and the Craft Spirits Festival soon.

OCT. 5

Pensacola Beach Songwriters

Festival Event at Oyster

Bay Boutique Hotel

Pensacola Beach Songwriters Festival takes the show to downtown Pensacola. This special ticketed concert will occur Thursday, Oct. 5, from 6–9 p.m. at the Oyster Bay Boutique Hotel. Four Nashville songwriters share stories and songs in their purest form. Limited tickets are available for this intimate evening performance. Oyster Bay guests booking their stay on Oct. 5 will receive access to the event, inclusive of their stay. PensacolaBeachSongwriters.com

OCT. 6–8

Pirates of the High Seas & Renaissance Fest

The annual Pirates of the High Seas & Renaissance Fest is a weekend event packed with family-friendly fun. Activities include a parade, fireworks, costume contests and even treasure hunts along with daily live musical performances. An online treasure hunt will also be available. VisitPanamaCityBeach.com/ pirates-of-the-high-seas

OCT. 12

Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation Presents Macy Gray

Macy Gray, an electrifying, Grammy Award-winning American R&B/soul singer and actress, is best known for her international hit single “I Try” from her multi-platinum debut album, On How Life Is. Her latest 11-song album, The Reset, masterfully showcases Gray’s unique talent and features special guest rapper Maino. Fronting her band, The California Jet Club, Gray will deliver introspective and vocally exuberant tracks at the Cultural Arts Village in Destin. Proceeds benefit the Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation and its ArtsReach initiatives. MKAF.org

OCT. 12

Best of the Emerald Coast Winners Soirée

The Best of Emerald Coast event is transitioning to become the Best of the Emerald Coast Winners Soirée, which will take place at Grand Boulevard at Sandestin in Miramar Beach. Unlike the festival-style events of previous years, winners will not be displaying or serving their products or services. Instead, the public is invited to attend an intimate gathering of the best businesses in the region as voted by the readers of Emerald Coast Magazine Attendees can expect an evening of entertainment, heavy hors d’oeuvres and, most importantly, celebrating this year’s winners. This year’s event will benefit the organization voted as Best Charity/Nonprofit in our 2023 readers choice poll. For more information and to purchase your tickets, visit EmeraldCoastMagazine.com/bestofec

BAYTOWNE WHARF BEER FESTIVAL

OCT. 6–7

The Village of Baytowne Wharf will host the 15th annual Baytowne Wharf Beer Fest, featuring more than 200 domestic and international craft beers available for sampling. Attendees will enjoy activities including “Beer from Around Here,” craft beer tasting, live music and great food, all from local vendors. Visit Sandestin.com/things-to-do/events/15thannual-baytowne-beer-festival for more information.

THE MARKET SHOPS 8TH ANNUAL BLOODY MARY FESTIVAL

OCT. 14

Eat, Drink, and B. Mary at The Market Shops’ eighth annual Bloody Mary Festival on Saturday, Oct. 14, from 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. Benefiting Habitat for Humanity of Walton County, the event offers unlimited bloodies prepared by local bars and restaurants, local food, live music, a DJ, craft beer, Bubbly Bar, shopping, SEC Football and much more! Tickets are on sale now at TheMarketShops.com

Fall is festival season on the Emerald Coast! Here is a mere sampling of the food, fun and festivities going on this fall.

FOO FOO FESTIVAL

NOV. 2–13

The 12-day festival, supported by a record $500,000 in grant awards, is big fun and features 16 events of high artistic and cultural caliber, delivered with a hefty dose of Southern sophistication. Learn more and plan your trip at FooFooFest.com.

EGGS ON THE BEACH EGGFEST

OCT. 14

The ninth annual Big Green Egg Cooking Competition returns to Seascape Resort in Miramar Beach on Oct. 14 from 10 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Benefiting Fisher House of the Emerald Coast and Food For Thought, Eggs on the Beach features unlimited bites, live music, a cash bar, a chance to win a Mini-Max Big Green Egg and more. Large TVs will be tuned to college football games at the tiki bar while cook teams compete for votes. For more information, call (850) 269-4666 or visit EggsontheBeach.com

HARVEST WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL

OCT. 19–22

Produced by Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation, the seventh annual Harvest Wine & Food Festival in WaterColor is a four-day series of events that offers guests a world-class wine and culinary experience while also raising money for a good cause. For more information, including ticket purchases, visit DCWAF.org

ALYS BEACH CRAFTED

OCT. 25–28

This vibrant event held at Alys Beach brings together top craft brewers, distillers, mixologists, renowned restaurants from around the Southeast and talented artisans. Tickets can be purchased at BigTickets.com/ events/alysbeach/crafted; for more information, email the Alys Beach Events Team at events@alysbeach.com

YOUR VIEW, OUR PASSION.

E. F. San Juan’s renowned wood millwork creations are complemented by the highest quality windows and doors. Our craftsmen work seamlessly with the most trusted providers of impactrated doors and windows, such as Weather Shield®, to create custom homes that masterfully combine security, beauty, and function.

TRENDS

abodes

Akitchen island is a must-have for the modern home. That isn’t likely to change anytime soon. Designers say that the island is simply too valuable an upgrade to give up. It has become the reliable, show-stopping standin for cabinet storage and counter prep space when walls come down, and it has emerged as a favorite spot for casual meals, entertaining and homework.

The first kitchen island that we know of was created by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1937. Designing for Nancy and Malcolm Willey of Minneapolis, he opened up the area between the kitchen and living room to help Willey connect with guests while preparing food and

drinks. The idea took hold, with more and more islands showing up in new homes over the years. Today, no renovation seems complete until the homeowner asks, “Can that wall come down?”

Clay Sechrest, owner of Sechrest Design Company, has seen the popularity of kitchen islands escalate during his 40 years in business. He isn’t surprised.

“It’s a design element that can morph with any style, from supersleek to richly traditional,” he said.

“You can wrap it in marble, add gorgeous furniture details and even convert some lovely, antique storage unit or table. As long as there’s space in the kitchen, the design possibilities are endless.”

↑ Designers including Clay Sechrest of Sechrest Design Co. in Tallahassee like the versatility of kitchen islands, finding that they work well along a continuum that ranges from the super sleek to the richly traditional. “You can wrap it in marble, add gorgeous furniture details and even convert some lovely, antique storage unit or table,” Sechrest says. “As long as there’s space in the kitchen, the design possibilities are endless.”

↘ Interior designers throughout the Tallahassee area point to the use of quartz countertops as a trend that is overtaking kitchen islands. Homeowners and designers are also paying more attention to seating.

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According

↘

DESIGN TRENDS

As the kitchen island grows in popularity, homeowners look for new ways to suit the design staple to their lifestyles. The National Kitchen & Bath Association is the premier source of research related to these trends, and according to spokesperson Julia Gillespie, 76% of NKBA designers said that large islands that function as dining tables are now a top trend.

Designer Stacy McCarthy of NKBA’s Florida chapter sees this trend play out in islands without sinks or countertop appliances. She calls them “freedom islands” because of the versatility offered by additional open space.

“At first, the digression of sinks and cooktops seemed a surprise, but bringing back a bit of separation to kitchen tasks is better for entertaining, family homework sessions and relaxation,” she said. “It provides more of that family table feeling when water and cooking don’t get in the way.”

↑ Designers say that kitchen islands are seen as so valuable that they have become all but indispensable. Once, houses were built around hearths. Now, kitchens are built around islands. They have become the reliable, show-stopping stand-in for cabinet storage and counter prep space.

to organization spokesperson Julia Gillespie, 76% of National Kitchen & Bath Association designers said that large islands that function as dining tables are now a top trend. The so-called “freedom islands” offer versatility provided by additional open space.

abodes

Aesthetically, the island now serves as a pop of color, according to an NKBA survey. This view is shared by Tallahassee designer Anna Osborne of Studio A Interiors and Tessa Boudreaux of Jansen Kitchen & Bath in Pensacola.

“A bold color for the island is now a common choice when the homeowner wants it to be a statement piece,” Osborne said. “However, when a neutral palette is used, the island and perimeter cabinetry are usually uniform.”

Boudreaux commented that using a different color for the island than the rest of the cabinetry helps to “anchor it to the room and make it the focal point it deserves to be.”

Other island trends singled out by Sechrest, Osborne and Bourdreaux include increased use of quartz products for island countertops and more attention to seating.

“People used to sit all in a line,” Osborne said. “Now, seating may be just in the middle or at the ends, leaving more counter space to prep and place serving dishes.”

WARNING WORDS

Homeowners may clamor for islands, but Sechrest, Osborne and Bourdreaux agree that not everybody should have them. An island shouldn’t hem you in. There has to be plenty of room to move around freely and accommodate open refrigerator and oven doors.

“Islands aren’t always the best use of space in a floor plan,” Boudreaux said. “Very large islands, which have become so trendy, can be especially problematic. I will personally convince people not to do them if they don’t make sense, but I really have to go to bat defending my views.

“I feel that there’s a shift in the trend toward those wide open spaces,” she added. “Lately we’re seeing people wanting to open walls a little, but still keep their spaces a bit more separated. We have even put in a few kitchen walls lately.”

Open floor plans and large islands may be popular, but bucking the trend could be the best option for certain spaces. Whether large or small, colorful or muted, the kitchen island is here to stay. TM

↑ The island now serves as a pop of color, according to an industry survey. “A bold color for the island is now a common choice when the homeowner wants it to be a statement piece,” says designer Anna Osborne. “However, when a neutral palette is used, the island and perimeter cabinetry are usually uniform.”

Chase and Keith McNeill

MOVE OVER, CHEVY

by EMMA WITMER

Garages and carports have never been just for vehicles. Sure, they are great for keeping pine sap off of the paint and leaves away from your windshield wipers, but before long, they assume other roles: storage, workshop or home gym.

With the cost of housing on the rise, homeowners are investing in garage renovations now more than ever as a way to maximize their space without upgrading to a larger home.

Graham Hartsfield, owner of Red Hills Construction, has completed two such projects in the last year and has a third one scheduled. By adding insulation, heating and air conditioning, Hartsfield’s team can transform a garage into a livable space. This, he said, has become an attractive option for growing families.

“Most of what I’m seeing is families who bought a starter home assuming they’re going to live there for a while while the kids are young,” Hartsfield said. “Then they have more kids or the kids get older, and they see the increase in the cost to transition to a larger house. So, they look at adding square feet to the house they have.”

Tacking on a bedroom or rigging a man cave is a simple project for contractors to tackle, but start adding bathrooms or a kitchen, and you may find yourself digging in the couch cushions for extra cash. Adding septic, Hartsfield said, can greatly increase the cost of your renovation process, particularly for older homes.

“Some septic tanks may be over 25 years old, and most septic companies in town won’t do a connection to a tank that old because they don’t want the liability,” Hartsfield said.

Even a tank in good condition may not be large enough to handle an additional bathroom or a kitchen and thus require replacement.

Even without these complications, a contractor cannot always provide a firm estimate for renovation work without some leg work.

“People want me to come out and give them hard pricing,” Hartsfield said. “Well, since there’re load-bearing members in here, I’m going to need an engineer to come and check it out. Then you need engineering drawings and plans before you can even really give a great price.”

The process of coordinating with an engineer and getting plans drawn up takes a contractor’s time and effort, and that’s not free. Recently, Hartsfield said, homeowners are taking matters into their own hands by pulling permits and finding an engineer on their own.

“By going to get an engineer and getting everything drawn up themselves, they save money, and it’s easier for a contractor to come in and even give you a price. The cost of construction has gone way up, so homeowners are starting to say, ‘I just need you guys to do the big hard stuff.’” TM

Homeowners devote garages to the highest and best uses

Many homeowners have devised creative ways to utilize the space, transforming it into workshops, art studios or storage rooms.

Autumn is considered harvest time for a variety of crops, but it is also the time to collect any weed seeds that have grown in the home landscape. As the cool season approaches, the seeds from both annual plants and many perennial plants mature. Once these seeds have developed, the use of herbicides is pointless.

Weed killers have little effect on annuals, as they are already completing their life cycle, and perennials are shutting down for the year. Either way, their seed will not be affected.

Seed heads and seed pods are easily shattered when the seed is mature and ready to disperse. Once loose, seeds are distributed by wind, birds and animals.

Migratory birds, raccoons and other omnivores seek to increase their caloric intake as winter approaches. Plants attract these hungry animals with brightly colored seed coverings like fruits and flowers.

SEEDS OF WOE

Stop weeds from putting down roots

by LES HARRISON,

Gingko Tree

Showy autumn foliage is not a hallmark of North Florida, but there is one non-native tree suitable for home landscapes that stands out.

When consumed, seeds pass through the digestive system and are deposited in a new location, sometimes close to the parent plant. Smilax, coral ardisia, pokeweed and many other species spread this way. If all the necessary components for plant growth are present, the weed will establish itself and start the cycle over again.

Other seeds, such as sand spurs and Spanish needles, cling to any animal or person that comes into physical contact with them. They will fall to earth when shaken loose or brushed off.

Though labor intensive, harvesting weed seeds this autumn will save weeding time when spring returns. Once removed from the landscape, these seeds should be sealed in a container and incinerated or placed in the trash.

It is best to avoid using the season’s final grass cutting for mulch or composting, as it is likely to contain the seed of next year’s weeds. These practices will not eliminate next year’s weed crop, but they will minimize unwanted growth.

Ginkgo biloba, as the maidenhair tree is scientifically known, is the only living species in its plant division of Ginkgophyta. This tree’s leaves are distinctive and bright. The fan-shaped foliage is a moderate green during the growing season but becomes a bright yellow in the autumn.

In North Florida, the Ginkgo is practically pest-free and resistant to wind and storm damage.

Young trees are often very open and sparsely branched, but they fill in to form a denser canopy after a few years. In ideal conditions, these large trees reach a height of 60 to 80 feet at maturity, and the Ginko’s deep root system makes it resistant to most extreme weather events.

For landscaping purposes, the male tree is preferred. The female tree has a distinct, and some say offensive, odor associated with its fruit in the fall.

LAND LUBBERS

Grasshoppers are among the most abundant herbivores in the local grassland ecosystems, and they can be a major landscape pest in early autumn. In total, there are about 70 different species of grasshoppers in Florida. These species tend to have similar life histories. Pods of eggs are deposited in the soil, typically passing through five or six nymph stages on their way to adulthood. Normally, there is only one complete life cycle per year, but several species can produce more than one generation annually. Large grasshoppers earn their status as pests in the late summer and early autumn when populations are abundant. Local grasshoppers will remain in an area until plants are depleted and stripped bare. Then, they move on to the next meal site. Capturing these large specimens removes their opportunity to reproduce. They can be humanely dispatched by placing them in a container in the freezer. After a few hours, deposit them into the waste stream.

Les Harrison is a retired University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Wakulla County extension director.

GREEN SCENE

UF/IFAS EXTENSION AGENT EMERITUS

FLORIDA LUBBER GRASSHOPPER

A Savannah sparrow pauses from flight atop a pokeweed plant.

Coldwell Banker Hartung Helps

First-Time Homebuyer

A personal perspective on how Team Blue helped facilitate a lasting deal

Josef Johnson didn’t believe buying a home was a possibility for him. Team Blue at Coldwell Banker Hartung helped him realize that his dream of homeownership was a very possible reality.

Frustrated by high rent prices, Johnson thought there had to be a better way to not only save some money, but invest it. Unsure where to start, he began taking note of the big blue billboards and advertisements for Coldwell Banker Hartung all around Tallahassee.

He knew the business to be a trusted name and soon found that he knew one of their realtors, Kyle Footman, whom he had attended school with. Footman, who was only six months into the industry at the time, had already made impressive sales, proving to Johnson he was a go-getter who had joined a highly professional team.

“I met with Kyle and then didn’t even consider other realtors or companies,” Johnson said. “He assured me that we could find a house in my budget. It also stood out to me that Coldwell Banker had such a major footprint, so I felt confident trusting a large company.”

Admitting that the homebuying process was not something talked about in school or with his family, Johnson completely entrusted Footman and his team to guide him through the process.

First they talked budget, discussing what monthly payment amount would be comfortable for Johnson. When discussing finances, Footman encouraged Johnson to remember that, as a homeowner, it’s important to keep an emergency fund should any repairs or improvements need to be made.

Once a budget was defined, Footman asked Johnson to make a list of must-haves versus wants in a home. Footman would keep the nonnegotiables top of mind, then wants would be considered during the home search.

Johnson recalled two important suggestions Footman noted — upgrades can be made over time, and your first home isn’t usually your forever home.

While the search took some time, it was well worth it. Johnson purchased a nice twobedroom townhome. While Footman was right, the home would not be Johnson’s forever home, the investment proved wise. Johnson has purchased another home since, keeping his first home as a rental property.

The positive interaction with Coldwell Banker Hartung and purchasing a home left a lasting impression on Johnson and inspired him to become a mortgage loan originator.

“Coldwell Banker Hartung is a dedicated team that’s about you, not the dollar sign,” Johnson said. “They know their market well and are able to negotiate a smoking deal.”

Custom Pool Home Sold!

Newly sold is a gorgeous custom-built pool home in a gated community on 16.17 acres. The home features a beautiful entryway with a spiral staircase, 20-foot ceilings and lots of natural light, real hardwood floors and much more. The home is perfect for large family gatherings with an updated kitchen that has quartz countertops, tile backsplash and a large island. The five-bedroom layout has a spacious master suite with gas fireplace, deluxe master bath with a jetted tub, large walk-in shower and built-in shelving in the closet.

SOLD PRICE: $1,109,000

ADDRESS:

10026 Surrey Farms Lane

SQUARE FOOTAGE: 5,611

BEDROOMS: 5

BATHROOMS: 4 full bathrooms, 2 half-baths

YEAR BUILT: 2001

FEATURES: A custom-built home with a beautiful view located on 16.17 acres. This home offers features including an enormous family room with a bar area, a study with builtins, formal dining room and an additional bonus room upstairs.

APPEAL: The home is perfect for all entertaining needs. Outdoor features include a beautiful pool area with resort-style pool bar and hot tub, an oversized three-car garage and a shed located at the rear of the property.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Lisa Montgomery-Calvert (850) 556-1226

Lisamcalvert@outlook.com Coldwell Banker Hartung

Luxury Farmhouse Living

This five-bedroom, three-bathroom, custom-built home is welcoming its new owners to farm-to-table living. Features include a wraparound porch, open floor plan with an openkitchen concept and island, separate dining room and master downstairs. Tankless water heater, UV tinted doors, Bose surround system and Arlo monitoring system. This house is located on a half-acre lot and has a heated saltwater system in-ground pool with “catch-a-kid” safety net pool cover. Large screened-in porch and covered patio are ideal for entertaining. Large shed on the property measures 10x12 feet. Home lies within an agricultural and conservation community with walking trails, “agrihood” with full farm staff and gated entry.

SOLD PRICE: $653,000

ADDRESS:

5108 Bonnie Lake Road

SQUARE FOOTAGE: 2,400

BEDROOMS: 5

BATHROOMS: 3

YEAR BUILT: 2018

FEATURES: Custom built, saltwater pool, tankless water heater, gated community, fire pit, screened porch, UV tinted doors, Bose surround sound, covered patio, storage shed.

APPEAL: Live in a luxury farm home with a saltwater pool located in an agricultural and conservation community that features walking trails, agrihood with full farm staff and gated entry.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Josh Kasper, Realtor®

(850) 528-1898

Josh@Naumanngroup.com The Naumann Group, Inc.

Hannah Walker, APRN and Timothy Walker, MD

GOING HOME AGAIN

The rolling green hills seem to stretch into forever, and there’s something enchanted about the farming village where I lived the first five years of my life.

Set in the Rhineland-Pfalz, Eifel region of Germany, Peffingen is pastoral — and tiny. I’d estimate that less than 200 people live there, a fraction of the number of cows, chickens, sheep and horses in the town. Given the bovine influence, there is a certain acrid odor in the fresh country air, but it’s one that I got used to as a child and have missed for most of my life.

Decades had elapsed since I last visited Germany. When I booked my flight to Luxembourg, I was staring down the barrel of a 25-year reunion with people who had once been as close as blood relatives. The Webers — husband and wife Friedbert and Friedburg, along with their daughter Carmen and son Axel — had been our landlords from 1982 until 1988. We rented the upstairs apartment in their duplex on Im Kreuzfeld. They’d been there when I was born and when I was baptized. Carmen and Axel had essentially been my brother and sister.

But time and distance had separated us, in more ways than one. Stepping off the plane, I was nervous at seeing all of them. We had grown older and lived entire lives apart. Carmen, now a mother of two, had married, divorced, and remarried and was living down the street from her parents. Axel had moved into the apartment we’d once called home and was raising a teenage daughter as a single father. Friedbert and Friedburg had aged and retired from the work they’d been doing when we’d seen them last — he, in the local dairy; she, at a cosmetics factory in Luxembourg.

The nervousness I felt at reuniting after so long, combined with my lack of fluency in German, dissipated almost instantly and was replaced by an almost overwhelming feeling that I hadn’t expected. I was home.

That weeklong trip in September was filled with adventures: a scenic and breathtakingly beautiful hike on the Mullerthal Trail in Luxembourg; a 33-mile e-bike ride through the countryside; a day trip to Bernkastel and the ruins of Burg Landshut, the Roman fortress that once stood guarding the Mosel River; afternoon

runs through the hilly village that tested every muscle in my legs; and countless hours of sitting around the table for coffee or a meal, just talking and reconnecting.

When it was time to leave, I thought seriously about extending my stay. In the end, I got on the plane promising that I would be back.

Six months later, I returned for two weeks.

In September, I had worn shorts and short-sleeved shirts for the entire week, but March was cold and gray on many days. Even so, when I got to the house after more than 14 hours of traveling, I laced up my running shoes and ran through the village that I’d been dreaming of since my last trip.

The familiar smell of the fields, the quietude of the village and the sound of the Prüm River all welcomed me home. Over the next two weeks, I ran 6 to 10 miles from Peffingen to Bettingen and back by way of training for an upcoming half-marathon in Washington, D.C.

← The Cochem Memorial Castle overlooks Cochem, Germany, a community of 5,000 people on the Mosel River.

→

A hiker and his best friend pause along the Mullerthal Trail in Luxembourg. The 112-kilometer route passes through rock formations, forests and the city of Echternach.

← A town square in Bernkastel, Germany. ↑ The ruins of a Roman fortress that served as a lookout on the Mosel River.

I braved insane hills and the 30-something temperatures in nothing more than a tank top and running shorts and gained a reputation as “the crazy girl who runs naked through the village.” Not that I was actually without clothing, but to all the people who saw me run by scantily clad while they were wearing heavy coats, gloves and hats, it was close enough.

In that two-week trip, I was introduced to one of Carmen and her husband’s favorite haunts in the nearby village of Mettendorf. Owned by a Turkish expat named Mammet, Bistro Enjoy was a local hot spot for watching football (soccer) and post-work drinking. Its cast of characters was also something to behold, Mammet being chief among them.

Rumored to have ties to the Turkish mafia, Mammet owns many of the businesses up and down the main commercial street in Mettendorf. Then there was Karlheinz, who worked in the school system and had apparently, at 60-odd years old, never had a girlfriend. Pöppel (given name Thomas Pöppelreiter) works in mechanical engineering, wears the kind of hat that Crocodile Dundee favors and has piercings that run the length of his ears, silver skull rings on most of his fingers and leather cords wrapped multiple times around each wrist. Add to that a black tracksuit with a full-length skeleton emblazoned on the front, and you’ve got a clear picture of the man who often sits on a stool at the bar nursing a short glass of Bitburger pilsner. Short in stature and big on personality, Eddie is from Portugal and has lived in Germany for more than a decade. I also met a crematorium/cemetery

worker, a gardener and a few other people who added to the unique atmosphere.

By the end of my two weeks, I’d made new friends, had interesting conversations and raised more than a few glasses of beer, wine and cocktails whose ingredients I can’t recall. Being an American and a woman, I raised eyebrows sky-high when I slammed back shots of schnapps. This, like the “naked” running, gained me notoriety and fans at the bar.

Despite apprehensions, I had successfully gone home again. I had reunited with a beautiful land that provided me with a sense of belonging. TM

↑ The scenic rural town of Peffingen, Germany, with a population of just 200 people is surrounded by rolling country and pungent pastures. For a runner, the setting is a great place for logging a few miles.

↑ The village of Mettendorf is home to the Bistro Enjoy, said to be owned by a Turkish expatriate with ties to organized crime. Undeterred by such reports, locals gather at the watering hole to throw back pilsners.

SEPT/OCT 2023

Oktoberfest

BEST OF TALLAHASSEE

→ The public is invited to attend the 25th annual Best of Tallahassee event, presented by Ox Bottom Animal Hospital. The intimate gathering will bring together the best businesses in the region as established by a Tallahassee Magazine readers poll. Enjoy an evening of entertainment, heavy hors d’oeuvres and more as we honor the businesses that make Tallahassee a great place to live.

TALLAHASSEE

MAGAZINE’S TALLAHASSEE of 2023

For more information and to purchase your tickets, visit TallahasseeMagazine.com/best-of-tallahassee.

↓

Tis the season for Wiesn. Elder Care Services is returning to Cascades Park for its 25th annual Oktoberfest. The event offers good food, music and outstanding Prost beer.

Ron Sachs

SEPT. 28

DISTINGUISHED LEADERSHIP

AWARDS

→ Leadership Tallahassee will present its 2023 Distinguished Leadership Awards on Thursday, Sept. 28, beginning with a social hour at 6 p.m. followed by dinner and awards at 7:15. The event will be held at the Dunlap Champions Club Ballroom at Doak Campbell Stadium on FSU’s campus.

Table sponsorships and tickets are available at LeadershipTallahassee.com.

Pictures at an Exhibition

→ Experience the full power of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra as it performs Mussorgsky’s vibrant Pictures at an Exhibition.

For more information and to buy tickets, visit TallahasseeSymphony.org.

THE FUZZY PINEAPPLE FOOD FESTIVAL

SEPT. 2

Shop local, shop small, shop deliciously. The Fuzzy Pineapple Food Festival highlights local food vendors from Italian to vegan, Caribbean to Mexican and more.

thefuzzypineapple.com/food

BLUEBIRD RUN

SEPT. 4

NAMI Tallahassee’s annual Bluebird Run & Walk for Brookie B includes a 5K run/ walk and 1-mile fun run/ walk held at the J.R. Alford Greenway. The event raises awareness for suicide prevention and postvention.

bluebirdrun.com

85 SOUTH SHOW LIVE

THE OTHER PLACE

SEPT. 22–OCT. 8

Juliana Smithton is a successful neurologist whose life seems to be coming unhinged. Her husband has filed for divorce, her daughter has eloped with a much older man and her own health is in jeopardy. In this brilliantly crafted work by Share White, nothing is as it seems. Piece by piece, a mystery unfolds as fact blurs with fiction, past collides with present and the elusive truth about Juliana boils to the surface.

theatretallahassee.org/20232024-season/the-other-place

HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE IN CONCERT

SEPT. 30 & OCT. 1

Big Bend Heart Walk

EVERY FRIDAY THIS FALL OUTDOOR HEADPHONE YOGA

→ Go with the flow at Outdoor Yoga Tallahassee sessions held at Goodwood’s Sunken Garden. Yoga instructors Caulley Soto and Danielle Miller will guide you through a 75-minute, music-infused vinyasa class focusing on breath and mindful movement.

For registration and more information, visit GoodwoodMuseum.org/goodwood-events.

SEPT. 10

Comedians DC Young Fly, Karlous Miller and Chico Bean found success in Steve Harvey’s studio, recording a podcast that showcased their improv, freestyling and roasting skills. The 85 South Show, produced by 85 South Media, unites these three funny, talented and fearless comedians. They are taking their show on the road and bringing laughter to live audiences.

tuckerciviccenter.com/events/ detail/85-south

DR. GLENN BASS GOLF TOURNAMENT

SEPT. 11

Years ago Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone™ enchanted our screens, and now it’s returning, for the first time ever, with the music of a live symphony orchestra. Momentous scenes from the film play on a giant screen in high definition while John Williams’ unforgettable score is performed by the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra. tuckerciviccenter.com/events/ detail/tallahassee-symphonyorchestra

MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER & SHAWN COLVIN

OCT. 1

→ The Big Bend Heart Walk, scheduled for Nov. 4 at 8 a.m. at a location to be announced, helps lead the fight against heart disease and stroke, the nation’s No. 1 and No. 5 killers.

Register at BigBendHeartWalk.org to walk to save lives. For more information, contact John Martin at John.Martin@heart.org. SAVE

Hosted by Big Bend Hospice at Golden Eagle Golf & Country Club, the Dr. Glenn Bass Golf Tournament is an opportunity to spend a day golfing while benefiting a great cause. All proceeds from the tournament go to Big Bend Hospice programs, including music therapy and veteran’s services bigbendhospice.org/dr-glennbass-golf-tournament

Singers/songwriters Mary Chapin Carpenter and Shawn Colvin take to the Opening Nights stage to share their stories through song. They’ve achieved eight Grammy Awards between them, released a multitude of albums and are highly regarded in country, contemporary and folk genres.

openingnights.fsu.edu/events/ mary-chapin-carpenter-shawncolvin

WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP BREAKFAST

→ The seventh annual Women’s Leadership Breakfast, a project of Women United and United Way of the Big Bend, brings community members together for a morning of inspiration and motivation. The keynote speaker is sure to impress.

To learn more about this year’s Women’s Leadership Breakfast, including ticket and sponsorship information, visit UWBB.org/womenunited.

Accommodations Restaurant & Bar Meeting & Event Space

SUWANNEE ROOTS FESTIVAL

OCT. 5–8

Enjoy four days in a camper or RV with family or friends, and immerse yourself in the spirit of Suwannee. The festival features live bluegrass and folk music, and attendees are invited to engage with music workshops, dancing, crafting and food. Headliners include Trampled by Turtles, Hot Tuna Electric, Donna the Buffalo, The Peter Rowan Band and more. suwanneerootsrevival.com

CHICAGO

OCT. 6

Legendary rock band Chicago makes a stop at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center to play their chart-topping hits from the past and new music from their 2022 album Born for This Moment tuckerciviccenter.com/events/detail/ chicago

THE FUZZY PINEAPPLE CRAFT AND ART FESTIVAL

OCT. 14

Tallahassee’s Iconic Round Hotel

Crafters, artists and growers unite at Fuzzy Pineapple’s Craft and Art Festival, featuring more than 50 diverse and independent artists. Enjoy entertainment, interactive art, food vendors, crafting and opportunities to buy from and connect with artists. Pineapple costumes and outfits are encouraged. thefuzzypineapple.com/tfpfest

ART & SOUL CELEBRATION

OCT. 19

Spend an evening celebrating arts and culture with the Art & Soul Celebration. Activities include a cocktail party, dinner, entertainment, and silent and live art auctions. The event supports the LeMoyne Arts diverse programming and art studio in providing free community classes.

visittallahassee.com/events/art-soulcelebration

ZACH WILLIAMS A HUNDRED HIGHWAYS TOUR

OCT. 19

Get ready for a night of unforgettable music and soulstirring performances as Zach

Williams and Riley Clemmons take the stage at the Tucker Civic Center. Zach Williams, backed by a 10-piece band, will blow you away with his powerful vocals, raw talent and charttopping hits.

tuckerciviccenter.com/events/detail/ zach-williams

THE GIPSY KINGS FEATURING NICHOLAS REYES

OCT. 20

It has been 25 years since the Gipsy Kings captured the world’s imagination with their self-titled debut album — a record that became a genuine phenomenon, introducing millions of listeners to a unique blend of traditional flamenco styles with Western pop and Latin rhythms. Presented by Visit Tallahassee and Opening Nights at Florida State University, the event is held at the Adderley Amphitheater in Cascades Park. openingnights.fsu.edu/events/thegipsy-kings

DON’T DRESS FOR DINNER

OCT. 26–NOV. 12

A tale of who’s who and what part do they play, Bernard’s romantic weekend with his Parisian mistress is upended when his best friend Robert arrives. Alibis are confused and hilarity ensues as Bernard and Robert improvise at breakneck speed theatretallahassee.org/2023-2024season/dont-dress-for-dinner

THE TALLY CITY BLUES FESTIVAL

OCT. 28

The Blues Is Alright Tour makes its debut in Tallahassee at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center with The Tally City Blues Festival. A special night of emotive lyrics and guitardriven accompaniment features performances by King George, Calvin Richardson, Lenny Williams, Theodis Ealey and Ronnie Bell.

tuckerciviccenter.com/events/detail/ the-tally-city-blues-festival

NORTH FLORIDA FAIR

NOV. 2–12

Enjoy funnel cakes, rides and entertainment galore at the region’s largest agricultural fair. northfloridafair.com

Photo courtesy of Oyster City Brewing Company

SOCIAL STUDIES

Big Bend Hospice Spring Fling

MAY 18 Over 800 guests enjoyed delightful company, exquisite cuisine and lovely music during a magical evening at Tallahassee Nurseries. Big Bend Hospice extended thanks to presenting sponsor Visiting Angels and to all the sponsors and participants who made its Spring Fling a spectacular evening. Event proceeds support otherwise unfunded programs at Big Bend Hospice.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BIG BEND HOSPICE

1 Left to right: Susan Proctor, Sarah Demont, Beth Moor Desloge, Bill and Mary Moor, Martin Proctor and Paul Brock

2 Drs. Thelma and Zubie Metcalf

3 Kay and Scott Dick

4 Left to right: Jan and Robert Estevez with Chris and Katie Warren

5 Left to right: Kelly and Laurie Dozier with Mollie and Paul Hill

6 Susan Turner

To buy tickets and to get more information please go to: tallahasseemagazine.com/best-of-tallahassee/

Pig & Pearl: Peservation on the Half Shell

APR. 14 Goodwood Museum & Gardens hosted one of its premier events, Pig & Pearl: Preservation on the Half Shell, the themes for which included preservation, tradition and community. More than 250 people enjoyed pork, oysters, fried chicken, an assortment of Southern sides, an open bar, a specialty cocktail, a photo booth and live music! The annual fundraiser supports the world of sustaining the 16 historic buildings and 21 acres of gardens and grounds at Goodwood.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF GOODWOOD MUSEUM & GARDENS

1 Goodwood board chair Mary Bedford and director Melissa Wylie

2 Jennifer Clinard, Goodwood director Bill Walter and Lynn Priestley

3 Leon and Laura Lee Corbett with Mayor John Dailey and wife Ginny

4 Sandy Perkins and Jill MacMillian with presenting sponsor Prime Meridian Bank, event chair Goldie Chaves and Cynthia Robinson

dining guide

AMERICAN BACKWOODS CROSSING ★

Sit down at this 2022 Best of winner 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. 6725 Mahan Dr. (850) 765-3753. $$ L D

BAR

1903 ★

Located in the historic Walker Library, Bar 1903 honors the history of mixology while pushing the boundaries of the cocktail experience. Small plates, snacks, bar sandwiches, sweets. Intimate setting, 36-seat capacity. Voted Best Bar and Best Martini/Cocktail for 2022. 209 E. Park Ave. (850) 354-9739. $$ D

CHARLIE

PARK

Tallahassee’s first rooftop cocktail experience offering small plates and shareables has an innovative and exciting menu built around plates to share and experience with others. The specialty craft cocktails are inventive, and the views of Tallahassee’s downtown and beyond are spectacular. 801 S. Gadsden St. (850) 759-4300. $$ D

DOG

ET AL ★

Foot-long and veggie entrees alike grace this award-winning menu. Also ask about their incredibly valued family packs. 1456 S. Monroe St. (850) 222-4099. $ L D

THE EDISON

This relaxed, fine dining establishment is equipped with a beer garden, wine cellar, casual cafe, open-air alternatives and a gorgeous view that has become a Tallahassee favorite. 470 Suwannee St. (850) 684-2117. $$/$$$ B L D

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 2017–22. 1950 Thomasville Rd. (850) 224-9974. $$ L D

HOPKINS’ EATERY ★

A Best of 2022 winner, Hopkins’ provides favorites such as the Ultimate Turkey, the Linda Special and a variety of salads to keep customers coming back. Multiple locations. Hours vary. $ L D

HOT BIRDIE’S CHICKEN

Serving chicken sandwiches made with the best available chicken breasts. Signature sauces, the Hot

Mess Cookie, Honey Slaw, Gooey Mac & Cheese, Spicy Pickles and seasoned breading are all housemade. Enjoy tasty waffle fries and signature milkshakes. Catering services available. 1898 Thomasville Rd. (850) 765-9184 $ L D

ISLAND WING COMPANY ★

Get baked! This 2022 Best of winner for Best Wings won’t serve you up greasy, fried wings; instead Island Wing bakes them fresh. 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. 316 W. Tennessee St. (850) 422-0071. $ B L D

LIBERTY BAR AND RESTAURANT

Carefully crafted unique cocktails mixed with a gourmet menu that features fresh, local produce. 1307 N. Monroe, Unit No. 2. (850) 354-8277. $$ D

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. 1355 Market St., A11. (850) 521-0091. $ B

OVERUNDER BAR + LOUNGE

Two experiences under one roof, OverUnder features specialty cocktails plus curated food and drink pairings. 1240 Thomasville Rd.(850) 597-7552.

$$

PROOF BREWPUB

Tallahassee’s first brewery, Proof’s brewpub in downtown offers shareables, such as sliders and fried oysters, plus burgers, sandwiches and tacos to pair with their tasty craft brews. 1320 S. Monroe St. (850) 577-0517. $$ D

R&R EATERY

Located in Hotel Indigo, R&R Eatery is a modern American restaurant with fresh takes on classic dishes and a mix of signature craft cocktails. 826 W. Gaines St. (850) 210-0008. $$ B 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 relaxing evening. 3534 Maclay Blvd. (850) 270-9396.

$$$ B L D

TABLE

23 ★

This “Southern porch, table and bar” is cozied up among oak trees on one of Tallahassee’s favorite street corners.

Lucky Goat coffee-rubbed ribeye and Schermer pecan-crusted chicken are among the regional offerings. 1215 Thomasville Rd. (850) 329-2261. $$$ L D

UPTOWN

CAFÉ

Specialties at the bustling, family-run cafe include apricot-glazed smoked salmon, oneof-a-kind omelets, banana bread French toast and flavorful sandwiches. 1325 Miccosukee Rd. (850) 219-9800. $ B L

VERTIGO

BURGERS AND FRIES ★

Vertigo is home to some of the juiciest, funkiest burgers in town. The modern building provides a no-frills setting to enjoy such favorites as the Vertigo Burger — a beef patty served with a fried egg, applewood bacon, grilled jalapenos, sharp cheddar and Vertigo sauce. 1395 E. Lafayette St. (850) 878-2020. $$ L D

WALK-ON’S SPORTS BISTREAUX ★

Not your usual sports bar, this import from Louisiana offers seafood, traditional Cajun cuisine and burgers built for two hands — plus 40 beers on tap and wall-to-wall TVs for the big games. 3390 Capital Circle NE. (850) 597-7736. $$ L D

ASIAN

relaxed setting. 3220 Apalachee Pkwy., Ste. 13. (850) 893-4112. $$ L D

DAO RESTAURANT ★

Asian fusion restaurant and a Best of Tallahassee 2022 winner in the Best Asian category. Indulge in lobster, blue crab, spicy prawns, Peking duck or a grouper filet with mapo tofu. 3425 Bannerman Rd. (850) 999-1482. $$ L D

KIKU

JAPANESE FUSION ★

From tempura to teriyaki and sushi to sashimi, Kiku Japanese Fusion, voted Best Sushi in 2022, fuses vibrant flavors with fresh ingredients. 800 Ocala Rd. (850) 575-5458, 3491 Thomasville Rd. (850) 222-5458. $$ L D

MASA

Masa’s menu offers a creative blend of Eastern and Western cuisines. 1650 N. Monroe St. (850) 727-4183. $/$$

OSAKA JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE & SUSHI BAR ★

Rated Best Hibachi for 2022, Osaka provides dinner and a show, with the chefs seasoning and preparing your meal right in front of you. 1489 Maclay Commerce Dr. (850) 900-5149. $$$ D

ROCK N ROLL SUSHI

This American-style sushi chain born in Mobile offers fresh rolls, salads and hibachi — all with a rock-and-roll theme. 1415 Timberlane Rd., #305. (850) 999-1748 $$ L D

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

BARBECUE

WILLIE JEWELL’S OLD SCHOOL BBQ ★

Platters, sandwiches or by the pound, Willie Jewell’s, the 2022 Best Barbecue

winner, offers smoked brisket, pork, turkey, sausage, chicken and ribs with a bevy of Southern sides. 5442 Thomasville Rd. (850) 629-4299. $ L D

BREAKFAST/ BRUNCH/BAKERY

CANOPY ROAD CAFÉ ★

Traditional breakfasts, fluffy omelets, skillets, French toast and sweet potato pancakes keep customers coming back to this 2022 Best Breakfast winner. Canopy also goes all out on lunch favorites. Multiple locations. (850) 668-6600. $ B L

LUCKY GOAT COFFEE ★

Coffee roaster, wholesaler, distributor, online retailer and cafe serving high-quality beverages. Flavored coffees include pumpkin spice and Southern pecan. Best Coffee winner as voted by the readers of Tallahassee Magazine in 2022. Multiple locations including Bannerman Crossings.(850) 727-4769.

MA’S DINER

No one does it like Ma! Ma’s Diner serves family-style food in a family-friendly setting. Homestyle classics are served for breakfast and lunch with quick, attentive and friendly service. 6668-9 Thomasville Rd. (850) 765-1910. $ B L

REDEYE COFFEE

Serving locally roasted coffees, highquality teas and hand-blended cocoas. Also serving pastries, chocolates, platters and grazing boards. Committed to local-centric business practices and sustainability. 1122 Thomasville Rd. and 1196 Capital Circle NE. (850) 999-8278.

THE EGG CAFÉ & EATERY

When you’re looking for breakfast favorites, even if it’s lunchtime, The Egg is the place to be. Second location now open in Kleman Plaza. Multiple locations. (850) 907-3447. $$ B L

TASTY PASTRY BAKERY ★

Tallahassee’s original cakery and 2022

Best Bakery winner features fresh breads, bagels, pies, cakes and catering. Mon–Sat 6:45 a.m.–6 p.m. 1355 Market St., Ste. A-5. (850) 893-3752. $ B L D

CAJUN

COOSH’S BAYOU ROUGE ★

This Best Cajun Restaurant winner for 2022 brings a menu jam-packed with Louisiana-style dishes, including favorites like jambalaya, crawfish etouffee, po’boys and seafood gumbo. Multiple locations (850) 894-4110. $$ B L D

CATERING

CATERING CAPERS

Offering meals, bar services and more, Catering Capers makes entertaining and planning corporate events, weddings or private parties in Tallahassee easy. 2915 E. Park Ave., Unit 4. (850) 385-5953.

SIMPLY ENTERTAINING ★

The Best of Tallahassee Catering winner for 2022 as well as a coffee roaster, wholesaler, distributor, online retailer and cafe serving high-quality beverages. Serving as a “onestop shop” for intimate parties. Committed

to making events simple by taking care of everything. Also offering Simple Dinners on Tuesday and Thursday nights. 1355 Market St. (850) 668-1167.

ITALIAN/PIZZA

BELLA BELLA ★

Voted Best Italian in 2022, this locally owned and operated restaurant has a cozy atmosphere and serves all the classics to satisfy your pasta cravings. 123 E. Fifth Ave. (850) 412-1114. $$ L D

GAINES STREET PIES

Locally owned and open since 2012, Gaines Street Pies offers fresh ingredients and inventive pies, such as the Metal Mike with Sriracha. 603 W. Gaines St., (850) 765-9275; 1184 Capital Circle NE, (850) 329-2141; 1122 Thomasville Rd.(850) 765-4120. $$ L D

IL LUSSO ★

Homemade pasta, local seafood and a choice of prime steaks define this downtown fine dining experience. 201 E. Park Ave., Ste. 100. (850) 765-8620.

$$$ D

LITTLE PARIS ★

Executive chefs Herve and Loic Alcesilas have reimagined casual French dining with an amazing menu and extensive French wine list. The brothers grew up in Charleville-Mezieres and began their careers in the same restaurant. In Tallahassee, they love providing unique flavors and experiences and were voted as having the Best Fine Dining restaurant in 2022. 1355 Market St. (850) 765-7457.

$$ L D

MOMO’S ★

After devouring a slice “as big as your head” at this 2022 Best Pizza winner, chain pizza simply is not gonna cut it. Multiple locations. (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. 1950 Thomasville Rd. (850) 386-3988 $$ L D

MEXICAN

EL JALISCO ★

In the mood for sizzling enchiladas and frozen margaritas? Make your way to the 2022 Best Mexican/Latin American Restaurant, El Jalisco, where they do Mexican cuisine to perfection. Multiple locations. $ L D

THE IRON DAISY

Made-to-order Mexican food with a Florida flair, The Iron Daisy blends traditional cast-iron cooking with the funky vibe of the Arts District.

507 W. Gaines St. (850) 597-9997. $$ L D

MARIA MARIA

Fast casual restaurant serving homemade Mexican food. Named for owner Edgar Gomez’s mother and grandmother, Maria Maria never cuts corners — dishes are never prepped ahead of time. Choose the Taco Dorado, Maria’s Tostada or Chicken Mole and be assured that it has been created with the freshest ingredients. 1304 N. Monroe St., (850) 270-9057. $ L D

SEAFOOD/STEAK

CRAFTY CRAB

Offering the freshest seafood and most authentic recipes in the area, including crab, crawfish, calamari, lobster, oysters, mussels, scallops and more. 1241 Apalachee Pkwy. & 2226 N. Monroe St. (850) 671-2722.

$$ L 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 featuring local seafood, prime steaks and banquet rooms for private parties.

2971 Apalachee Pkwy. (850) 877-3211.

$$$ D

HARRY’S

SEAFOOD BAR & GRILLE

Serving Southern, Cajun and Creole flavors in classic and modern dishes since 1987. Full bar is available at each location. 301 S. Bronough St., in Kleman Plaza. (850) 222-3976. $$ L D

SHULA’S 347

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 entrees — a “Shula Cut” steak. Reservations suggested. 415 N. Monroe St. (850) 224-6005. $$$ L D

SOUTHERN SEAFOOD ★

Whether you’re looking for fish, shrimp, oysters, scallops, crab or lobster, the 2022 Best Seafood Market winner brings the ocean’s freshest choices to Tallahassee.

1415 Timberlane Rd. (850) 668-2203

TALLY FISH HOUSE & OYSTER BAR ★

Explore four types of topped oysters, load up with stuffed grouper or opt for “turf” with a chef’s choice cut steak. Serving brunch on Saturday and Sunday. Voted Best Seafood Restaurant winner in 2022. 6802 Thomasville Rd. (850) 900-5075. $$ L D

TED’S MONTANA GRILL ★

Voted Best Steakhouse winner for 2022, co-founders Ted Turner and George W. McKerrow imagined a restaurant that would provide friends and family with an experience founded on the ideals that made America great — simplicity, honesty and authenticity. And nothing is more authentically American than bison. 1954 Village Green Way. (850) 561-8337.

$$ L D

THE SEINEYARD

Fried, grilled or blackened, the area’s best and freshest seafood is found at The Seineyard. Grab your basket or mix it up with a plate of grouper, catfish, shrimp, oysters, scallops and more. Multiple locations. (850) 421-9191. $$ L D

A BOAT WITH NO NAME

For a time, it paused at Saint Teresa, inviting speculation

by JAY REVELL

Iwas sad to hear the old sailboat was gone. A few years after it was stranded by the tides of Saint Teresa, people arrived to free her. I’m sure whoever owns the view that had been obstructed by the boat is happy, but I was disappointed to see a romantic symbol of my favorite beach disappear. Nobody knows how the sailboat got there, but, among the Saint Teresa regulars, the theories are various. Some think it simply broke loose from its buoy and was steered there by a storm. Others surmise that it was used for a drug running operation that went south, leaving lost souls to ditch their boat before escaping through Tate’s Hell swamp on foot.

There were no identifying marks on the boat. Its hull settled in the sand and its tall mast leaned over the dunes. It hunched over shoreline pines like an old man leaning on his cane. Due to its towering presence and unknown past, the vessel developed its own mythology.

For me, the sailboat was a symbol of why I keep coming back.

Saint Teresa might not be the most pristine of Florida’s beaches, but I’d be hard-pressed to think of a sandy retreat with more charm. There are no condo towers, tourist traffic or commercial activity to speak of. Once used as a training camp for amphibious army landings during World War II, “St. T.” is adored by property owners, visitors and familiar faces who revere its history, quiet beauty and seclusion.

Driving along Highway 98 in the area of Saint Teresa, the only evidence there’s a beach nearby are the brightly colored, hand-painted signs at the entrance to dirt roads leading to the secluded shore.

In Saint Teresa, you’ll find both authentic cracker cottages and dream homes meant to look like they’re from another time. The driveways are made of crushed oyster shells, and at night, the black bears try trash can lids. It’s my favorite place to disappear.

Its rustic charms attract homeowners and guests from all over the region. From your beach chair, you’ll see CEOs and artists; lobbyists and state workers; retirees and adolescents. They all come to unplug, unwind and unscramble their thoughts. Stress gets lost.

That’s why my wife and I have been so drawn to this special place. When we’re there, we’re at our best. Together with our children, we collect seashells and precious memories. We build sandcastles and make s’mores over driftwood fires.

We’ve gone to Saint Teresa after losing jobs, pregnancies and elections. Just sitting on that beach with a cup of coffee or cold beer is all the reminder I need that life goes on. If you ever need to turn the page, I can’t imagine a better place to do it.

Which brings me back to the old sailboat. That stranded vessel made me think about the cycles we experience in life. One day you ride high on waves that take you to exciting places, then in the blink of an eye, you run aground.

During trying times, I looked at that sailboat and wondered if I would stay stuck or set sail for some new and enticing destination. Then it occurred to me that maybe the boat wasn’t stuck after all. Perhaps it just settled in Saint

Teresa until it was ready to face the open sea again. Just like me.

I knew the day would come when the sailboat left the shore. In late 2022, crews excavated her from the sand and got her floating again. Then, just as unceremoniously as it arrived, the boat was gone.

I’m one of many who like to slip in and out of Saint Teresa like that boat did. Peacefully. I arrive with baggage and leave unsaddled. TM

Beachgoer, golf enthusiast, writer and marketing professional Jay Revell is a regular contributor to Tallahassee Magazine.

↑ The origin of an abandoned sailboat that washed up at Saint Teresa was the subject of much speculation among residents there. Lower photo: The beach at St. Teresa is a favorite retreat for writer Jay Revell and his family.

New Arrival

The Charleston Collection

Special Charleston Collection Introduction Event

OCTOBER 26th

Receive event updates and RSVP here:

Turner’s is pleased to introduce the elegant Charleston collection to our showroom. Charleston is a whole home collection that embodies the area’s classic traditional charm, coastal retreat and refreshed English heritage. Come see the beautiful craftsmanship of these timeless pieces that include bedroom, dining room and accent furniture. If you’re looking to achieve a Charlestoninspired look in your home, our design experts are here to help.

(850) 210-0446 | TurnerFurniture.com Mon–Fri