Tallahassee Magazine - November/December 2011

TALLAHASSEE Volume 33 Number 6

Time to Celebrate!

HOLIDAY ENTERTAINING

Break Out the Bubbly and Gather Friends and Family — All Year Long

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Finding a Family She Never Knew Celiac Sufferers Can Have Their Gluten-Free Cake — and Pizza, Too When it’s Time to Let Your Youngster Quit a Sport NEW! Gardening Advice From Ms. Grow-It-All

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November/December 2011

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SEMINOLE SUPERFANS

For more than 50 years, Jimmy and Betty Lou Joanos have led a garnet and gold life. ALSO: Not content to just dream about reliving those frat house game days, the members of Old School have created the ultimate tailgate clubhouse.

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THE HAPPY EVERYTHING COOKBOOK

Tallahassee — and some simple, can’t-miss recipes — are the stars of a new lifestyle/entertaining book.

Friends Laura Johnson and Susie Murray encourage us to find joy not just during the holidays, but all the other days of the year too.

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A JOURNEY THROUGH CHINA

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Paying a little more for a firstclass tour can mean the difference between the experience of a lifetime and an exhausting “cattle call” trip.

134 GIFT GUIDE

Finding the perfect gift for all the special someones on your list is as easy as turning the page.

BREAK OUT THE BUBBLY

Don’t save the sparkling wine for just New Year’s and weddings. Champagne can make any meal — even pizza — something to celebrate.

ON THE COVER

During this season devoted to festivity, we offer a Champagne toast to the “Happy Everything Cookbook’s” concept of making every day a celebration. Photo courtesy of Coton Colors. tallahassee

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contents 42 PERSONALITY

81 SOCIAL STUDIES

46 HISTORICITY

Home & Garden

It’s been a Long wait for Leon’s new county administrator.

13 From the Publisher 15 From the Editor 16 Letters to the Editor 178 The Last Word

We’re tweeting and posting and statusing ourselves into the history books.

Quick Reads

52 ARTS & CULTURE

19 ONE TO WATCH

His son’s last gift to others inspires Keith Hamilton to encourage organ donation.

20 FYI

Chronicling 365 days of good times in Tallahassee.

Events

61 SPOTLIGHT

Keeping photos and data safe in the digital age.

It’s a jolly — and handmade — holiday at LeMoyne’s annual fundraising show.

22 FIRST PERSON

Wendi Hollister Wilson reflects on a 28-year career as a Tallahassee firefighter.

24 GEN NEXT

When is the right time for “The Santa Talk?”

63 CALENDAR

Snowman sweater? Check. Black velvet? Check. We’re ready to enjoy a holiday season chock full of festivities.

Flip the pages and see if you’ve been seen.

143 CHECK IT OUT

To save electricity, deck the halls with LED lights.

144 HABITAT

The Christmas spirit is everywhere (and we mean everywhere) in the Thomas house.

Mind & Body 157 IN FOCUS

Well-groomed brows put the finishing touch around those beautiful eyes.

158 HEALTH

Start the New Year off happy by practicing good habits during the holiday season.

Departments

Dining

An octogenarian finds a family she never knew she had.

Superfoods are supergood at keeping you superhealthy.

165 FIRST COURSE

28 EDITOR’S CHOICE 32 ON THE MOVE

Figuring out when it’s time to for your kids to quit sports.

38 GIVING BACK

Second Harvest gives food to the organizations that give to the hungry.

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166 FLAVOR

Local bakeries, restaurants and suppliers are getting on the gluten-free bandwagon.

171 DINING GUIDE

Whatever you might be craving, you’re sure to find it here.

Photos by Scott Holstein, Pizza photo by Ana Goni-Lessan

In Every Issue

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144

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Photos by Scott Holstein, Pizza photo by Ana Goni-Lessan

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November–December 2011 Vol. 33, No. 6

PROGRESSIVE WESTERN FASHION FOR MEN & WOMEN (850) 727-8460 1212 North Monroe Street facebook.com/wowtally

Publisher Brian E. Rowland

Editor Rosanne Dunkelberger

designer Saige Roberts

Staff Writer Jason Dehart Contributing Writers Lisa Carey, Wendy Dixon, Pam Forrester, Alexia McKay, Virginia Newman, Desiree Stennett STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Scott Holstein Editorial Interns Laura Bradley, Madison Carryl, Kimberly Dantica, Karl Etters

traffic coordinator Lisa Sostre

Sales Executives Lori Magee, Linda Powell, Chuck Simpson Online tallahasseemagazine.com twitter.com/tallahasseemag facebook.com/tallahasseemag

President Brian E. Rowland Creative Director Lawrence Davidson

Director of Linda Kleindienst Editorial Services

Production Manager Daniel Vitter

Manager of Finance Angela Cundiff HR/Administration

Manager of Daniel Parisi Integrated Sales Administrator of McKenzie Burleigh Sales and Events

Client Service Caroline Conway Representative Assistant Saige Roberts

Creative Director Graphic Designers Jennifer Ekrut, Laura Patrick, Shruti Shah Production SPECIALIST Melinda Lanigan traffic coordinators Lisa Sostre, Marjorie Stone Receptionist Amy Lewis Network Administrator Daniel Vitter

Web Site rowlandpublishing.com

Tallahassee Magazine is published bimonthly by Rowland Publishing, Inc. 1932 Miccosukee Road, Tallahassee, FL 32308. 850/878-0554.

Tallahassee Magazine and Rowland Publishing, Inc. are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photography or artwork. Editorial contributions are welcomed and encouraged but will not be returned.

Tallahassee Magazine reserves the right to publish any letters to the editor. Copyright November 2011 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 and Florida Magazine Association.

one-year Subscription $30 (SIx issues) (850) 878-0554 Subscribe online at tallahasseemagazine.com or purchase Tallahassee Magazine at Barnes & Noble, Costco, Books-A-Million, Walgreens and at our Miccosukee Road office.

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From the Publisher

(Not Quite) Up in the Air proceeded to force the valve open and return it to the plane. More information than I needed to see and certainly something the 169 other onboard should not know about.

I asked if the plane would go to maintenance that night. “No,” they responded, “it might be a week before it does.” They assured me the part was not critical to flight operations.

Hmmm, I thought. Then why did we get called back to the gate for a three-hour ordeal?

Since I am composing this, you know that all transpired fine.

Last, and most notable, was my Saturday return. The airport was filled with traveling soldiers — an inordinate amount of them. Guess that is a good travel day for military between the business week and Sunday leisure return day. I engaged a dozen in conversation and learned all were deploying over the pond for combat duty. They, too, were nervous and anxious — but in a much different manner. Their responses were short and tight-lipped, yet polite.

I asked them about the kind of reactions they get from the American public when they’re passing through airports. Overall the responses were quite similar. They all felt like invisible persons. “People look through me,” one responded. “People look away or down (instead of) making eye contact,” said another.

“There is often an awkward silence when in close contact on the tram,” and “Some people glare with a sense of disdain.” They unanimously said kids were the ones who engaged them, saluted them and looked up to them.

I was so embarrassed and ashamed to hear the comments of these soldiers, leaving for a war zone and putting their lives on the line to protect people who are unable to just say a few words of support and appreciation. I wished each of them a safe journey and return and sincerely thanked them for what they are doing to protect the way of life many of us take for granted.

Brian Rowland, Publisher

Photo by Scott Holstein

Traveling a couple times this year, I found myself with time to kill at what I call one of the major crossroads of the planet Earth, Atlanta’s HartsfieldJackson International Airport — a place where people flying most anywhere must pass through in order to get where they’re going. It is a place of constant movement for about 20 hours a day and hosts the souls of about 240,000 people each day, or 87.6 million people a year, with an average of 2,700 flights arriving or departing daily.

On one particular departure and return, I had a four-hour wait and a two-and-a-half-hour wait respectively and decided to take the opportunity to be clearly aware and observe all that transpired around me, and to engage as many people as possible.

On the departure leg, the airport on a Monday morning was teeming with adolescent groups of teens moving quickly, yet unsure of where to go.

They clustered in packs and engaged in nonstop nervous, excited chatter about their first journey overseas — the beginning of their understanding that there is life going on beyond the halls of their high school and the walls of their home. This passage to their first worldly experience will change most of their lives forever by expanding their consciousness and fostering a maturing process only travel can bring. These very lucky kids should forever thank and appreciate their parents’ wisdom, courage and financial sacrifice to encourage their little birdies to test their wings and fly.

Next was the old “stuck on the plane” experience and the myriad feelings it gave rise to — namely frustration, anxiety and helplessness. We made it to the runway for takeoff only to be called back to the gate for an “issue” — a valve that wouldn’t close.

For two hours, 170 of us sat fidgeting in the plane, not getting much information or even water. I was allowed to get off the plane and stand in the air bridge when my legs cramped up. Four ace mechanics worked diligently in 100-degree heat outside, returning often to look at the 700-page manual they had placed on the floor near where I stood. Back and forth they went, finally returning with a carburetor-like part in their hand — the piece with the stuck valve. Using a pair of needle-nose pliers, they then

tallahassee

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PHOTO by Kay Meyer

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From the Editor

Making Every Day Special

PHOTO by Kay Meyer

What’s a special occasion?

Heaven knows, the holidays are full of ’em — times when families and friends gather, the good china is unearthed from the breakfront, libations are poured and fancy outfits are worn.

But I think sometimes we focus so intently on pulling together the Ultimate Thanksgiving Meal or purchasing the Perfect Christmas Gift, that by the time those special occasions occur, we are so over it — either exhausted by the effort or left with a nagging “is that all there is?” feeling when reality doesn’t match up with the vision.

But there are occasions throughout the year — or even within the November/December holiday rush — that can be special, if we just do a little pre-planning or slow down a bit to enjoy them.

Two of our features in this issue are about finding the celebration in every day.

First, my compatriot Wendy Dixon makes the case for going beyond weddings and New Year’s Eve to enjoy champagne. Her story is one you’re going to want to rip out and save, because she’s sharing sparkling wine and food pairings for just about every dinner you can think of — from pizza to fried chicken to watermelon.

For years now, I’ve seen the whimsical handiwork of Laura Johnson. Teaming up with her friend, Susie Murray, they’ve written a cookbook that’s as much about attitude as it is about cooking. In another feature story, both encourage us to get together with friends and family outside of the usual events — and give us permission to not stress about doing it all perfectly.

Tallahassee Magazine has had two things to celebrate recently.

For starters, we managed to lure gardening maven Ms. Grow-It-All to write a question-and-answer column, which will appear in every issue of the magazine. Also known as Audrey Post, Ms. G-I-A is a master gardener who combines her green thumb with great advice. So if you’ve been puzzled by your posies, laid low by your lawn or plagued with pests, send your queries to her at questions@msgrowitall.com In addition, we earned a Florida Magazine Association Charlie Award as the state’s Best Overall Magazine (20,000 circulation or less). We’ve been honored in years past for our quality and our writing, but this is the first time we brought home the big ‘un — first place!

It’s a huge compliment and also a testament to the people who work for Rowland Publishing. Some of the people who contribute to this publication are obvious — me, Publisher Brian Rowland, Jason Dehart and the other writers, Creative Director Larry Davidson, Staff Photographer Scott Holstein and Designer Saige Roberts. But please, take a look at all the names on the masthead on page 10. Every one of them has contributed, in ways big and small, to bring this quality publication to you. Each issue is only half editorial. The other half — the advertising — is what makes my job possible. I’m so grateful to the people who sell those ads, design them and make sure they’re in the right spot.

And I’m grateful to Tallahassee and the people who live here for providing me with a never-ending supply of things to explore and write about.

Please, be good to yourself by finding joy this holiday season — every day of it — and throughout the New Year.

Rosanne G. Dunkelberger rdunkelberger@rowlandpublishing.com tallahassee

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Letters to the Editor Check for Ticks After Adventuring I enjoyed reading the “Go Outside and Play” article in the July/August issue of Tallahassee Magazine as I am hoping to revisit these sinks and the surrounding area soon. I appreciated the commonsense information on “What to Take” on the walks but feel one important detail was left out concerning insects. Currently, all over America ticks and tick-borne diseases are a huge health issue. Reminding readers to always dress for outings appropriately, use tick prevention on their pets routinely and at adequate dosages, and to search for any ticks that may have attached to people or pet(s) at the earliest opportunity should be near the top of the list. — Diane Lewis

Busted by the Grammar Police No fewer than three eagle-eyed readers pointed out a grammar error in Rosanne Dunkelberger’s editor’s letter in the September/October issue. This writer explains why (in the kindest way possible).

Sorry to be one of those grammar people, but I was quite surprised at an error in your column.

The sentence read, “Mom rented guest quarters for my daughter and I in her community … ” An object pronoun should be used after a preposition so you should have used me. You wouldn’t have said, “Mom rented guest quarters for I … ” so you shouldn’t use I when there is a compound object of the preposition.

It should have read, “Mom rented guest quarters for my daughter and me in her community … ” — Marylee Robertson

CORRECTIONS/CLARIFICATIONS In the Best of Tallahassee story (September/October issue) the exact name of our winner for Computer Repair/Services was incorrect. It is Aegis Business Technologies.

Also in the Best of story, the listing for Honorable Mention in the Real Estate Agency/Agent category was confusing.

There was a tie, and the honorees are The Naumann Group and Realtor Jason Picht, of Lord & Stanley Realty, Inc. Do you have something to say?

If you have a comment about or correction to Tallahassee Magazine, send a message to editorial@rowlandpublishing.com or 1932 Miccosukee Road, Tallahassee, FL 32308.

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QUICK READS people | items | places

Photo by Scott Holstein, Inset photo courtesy Keith Hamilton

ASH HAMILTON His untimely death led his father to create a foundation promoting organ donor awareness.

One to watch

» Keith Hamilton

Keith Hamilton’s fully ad-wrapped Honda CRV is a moving memorial to his late son and a thought-provoking message for anyone who comes in contact with it. “Most people think of philanthropy as giving money,” he says, “but what kind of philanthropy is giving your organs to people once you don’t need them?”

The volunteer-run organization, The Austin Spencer “Ash” Hamilton Foundation for Organ Donor Awareness, was something Keith knew he wanted to start after his son’s unexpected death — an accident that occurred shortly after he was released from military service overseas.

At the time, fulfilling his son’s wishes as a registered donor was complicated and tiring.

“There were times when I almost shut it down, because it was very hard, and I was getting a lot of misinformation,” Hamilton says.

A few months after the tragedy, something came by post.

“We get this letter in the mail, which very rarely happens, saying basically, your son saved my leg,” Hamilton recalls. “A light bulb just goes off that says, ‘that’s what your mission should be.’ ” The organization promotes organ donation across North Florida and Georgia,

and the brightly colored red and green vehicle proclaims “Donate Life” everywhere it’s seen around North Florida. Now a certified referral service for Donate Life Florida, the organization has already encouraged as many as a hundred new donors in a day. As for the commitment to driving a more colorful ride, “If I’m driving 40,000 miles a year, a lot of people see that car,” he says. “It’s like the blood in your body, it goes so many directions.”

For information, visit theashfoundation.org.

— Madison Carryl

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QUICK READS fyi

Preserving Memories

Archive Systems Can Save Your Photos in Case of a Digital Disaster

By KARL W. ETTERS

W

ith the holiday season underway, we’re constantly capturing events spent with family and friends in digital photos. In the past, sharing pictures required taking film to be developed and printing pictures to add to growing photo albums.

But the technology available to us today has made it easier than ever to retain our most important memories.

Many of us now forego the physical album for the conveniences of storing images on our computers. It’s critically important, however, to properly archive those unforgettable moments that could be lost in a digital disaster.

Gabrielle Gabrielli, president of the Tallahassee Apple computer club, knows that all too well. After a computer crash, “I lost everything. All my files,” said the small business owner with a somewhat painful laugh. “I lost images, family photos, work, financial, everything that a small business owner would lose, plus all my personal data. That experience was very upsetting.”

New avenues of storage allow images to be preserved just as they were when they were taken — in other words, no fading-to-brown photos found in the albums of those who grew up during the first generation of readily available color film in the 1960s. More popular 20

methods include online storage, network-attached storage and external hard-drives. Each has its own unique pros and cons to safeguard against losing those precious memories.

Online storage offers two possibilities. The first requires you to upload photos online with a host site or company. The other is downloadable software that continuously sends all types of files to an outside storage center.

The first is provided by a number of free, downloadable programs like Windows Live SkyDrive, Kodak EasyShare, Snapfish and Shutterfly. They’re easy to use and are perfect for basic photo sharing and archiving.

They offer password-protected uploading with added features that allow for editing and sharing through social media and email. They also have options for creating slide shows and ordering prints that can be picked up locally at CVS, Walgreens, Target or Walmart.

Tallahassee Photo offers uploadable archiving and full photo service through a company called Lifepics. The only downsides are the limited file space available through some of the programs, and the potential for providers to go out of business.

Automatic file storage programs charge a fee, but with that comes the ability to access photos anywhere with security provided by the company. Backblaze and Carbonite are

two popular downloadable programs offering unlimited file space. Whenever new pictures are uploaded, the data is automatically sent to outside locations that back up and store them for retrieval whenever necessary.

Subscriptions range from $5 a month for Backblaze to an annual fee of $59 per computer for Carbonite, which has been called “the easiest online backup software to use” by the New York Times.

External hard drives offer the ability to take photos or other files anywhere and share them among groups of computers, both local and remote. It’s an easy way to store files on a portable device so they can be retrieved in case your computer crashes or is stolen. (Of course, if the hard drive is near the computer, it could be stolen too). The file space of removable hardware is as large as online counterparts, but you’re in charge of the content, without worrying about losing files if a company should go out of business. Most are reasonably priced and can be found anywhere computer electronics are sold.

Gabriellei learned her lesson: “There’s really no excuse these days. It takes very little investment (to back up). I know people who (ended) up having a fatal issue with their machine because they haven’t backed up. Make sure you have options and use them regularly.”

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QUICK READS first person

Blazing a Firefighting Trail for Women A

fter a 28-year-career that began with her battle to win acceptance in an all-male workplace, Wendi Hollister Wilson in February will become the first female firefighter to retire from the Leon County Fire Department.

“I’ve never been out on worker’s comp or on leave to have a baby,” says the 55-yearold. “Believe it or not, even the guys that are my age can’t handle it anymore; it just gets to be too much with all the heavy gear and everything.”

Coming from a close-knit family with three siblings, Wilson’s late mother was the one who motivated her to join the fire department.

“It all started 32 years ago,” she says. “I love to help people and animals, and I never could be a secretary; I like an exciting job.”

But, at the time, many obstacles stood in the way of Wilson’s career path.

“When I came to the fire department in 1979, they told me they didn’t hire women,” she says. But Wilson didn’t let that stop her from completing firefighter training classes at Daytona Beach Community College while doing construction work with an old boyfriend.

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Wilson wasn’t the city’s first female firefighter. In fact, a problem with the woman who was first (Wilson’s roommate) almost ruined her chances of being hired. Nonetheless, she began work on July 1, 1983.

“When I first started, it was really rough.

The guys weren’t used to women being here,” says Wilson, who had to adjust to sharing bathrooms with men and protested against co-ed rooms. “I got a lot of flack from the men, captains and chiefs; all of them had a good old boy system going.”

Her male peers eventually put aside their chauvinistic opinions and accepted her as a hard worker with a personality that exuded a strong sense of humor.

During Wilson’s journey from engineer to lieutenant, she earned certifications in various fields, only some related to her firefighting position. She was one of the first of five people in the Leon County department to get emergency medical training before it was a mandate for all firefighters to complete. In addition, she became a professional locksmith, a private investigator and a mold inspector.

While Wilson is upbeat and audacious, there is a dark side of her chosen career that is very sobering.

“We went to a call where somebody fell, (but) they neglected to tell us the guy fell from 500 feet. We had to dig his body out and weren’t able to find one of his feet,” she remembers. It was one of many sights Wilson says haunted her for weeks afterwards.

Many of her crew members were also victims of tragedies. “We’ve lost a bunch of people,” she says. One co-worker set himself on fire after dealing with a lot of personal family issues. “We’ve felt quite a bit of loss.”

In the midst of it all, in 1994 she met her husband of 14 years, Ed Wilson.

The couple has been operating Automatic Gates of the Big Bend, a gate installation and fabrication business, for two years. “We wanted something to do after we retired,” says Wilson, whose family also includes three cats and three dogs. “It’s turned out really good even with the way economy is; we stay pretty busy.”

Lt. Wilson will retire on Valentine’s Day 2012.

Photo by SCOTT HOLSTEIN

Lt. Wendi Hollister Wilson Bids Adieu After 28 Years in the Leon County Fire Department By KIMBERLY DANTICA

NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2011

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Photo by SCOTT HOLSTEIN

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QUICK READS generation next

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To Believe or Not to Believe Should Parents Tell their Kids the Truth About Santa or Let Them Find Out on Their Own? By Alexia McKay

T

hey’re the questions that put parents on edge every year: “How does Santa get into our house without a chimney? How can Santa visit every kid in one night? How does Santa always know what I want? Do you work for Santa?” And each year, these questions can get more complex and harder to answer.

In the age of the Internet and holiday programs that spend half the show convincing a non-believing child there is a Santa Claus, parents find themselves with children who are more skeptical at an earlier age.

Carol Oseroff, a board-certified specialist in child and adolescent psychology, said today’s children are exposed to information that challenges their thoughts more than ever before.

“If you’ve got a child who’s asking those kind of sophisticated questions, then what they’re telling you is, ‘I’m ready to get rid of this false belief,’ ” she said.

But what if that child has a younger brother or sister? Or pestering classmates at school who spill the beans sooner then you wanted them to know? Little children believing in magical creatures is just as natural as learning how to ride a bike or losing their first tooth, according to the psychologist.

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“Believing in something you cannot see or touch is the beauty of childhood,” Oseroff said. “Children want to believe that there’s a Santa. They can’t help but believe because it seems so natural, (especially) around the holiday season when they see so many signs that Santa exists.”

Rodger Tripp, better known as Santa Rodger, has played the rosy-cheeked gift giver for six years. “Most children, when they figure out there’s no Santa, they become like the rest of us, a keeper of the big secret,” Tripp said.

“You got to keep the magic going for all the ones that still believe.”

If they’re not asking questions about Santa, there’s no need to put the doubt about him in their heads. Tripp said he doesn’t think most kids want to ask a lot of questions, just in case they get an answer they don’t want to hear.

Nevertheless, the realization that there is no jolly man in a red suit is heartbreaking and disappointing to some. “It’s scary [for kids] because if there’s no Santa, there’s probably no Tooth Fairy and if there’s no Tooth Fairy, there’s probably no Easter Bunny,” he said.

Yes, you’ve carried on an elaborate lie for five or six years, but the reality check

will not traumatize your child, according to Oseroff. In fact, research shows parents who encourage their children’s beliefs and are more involved with them will have a better relationship with their kids in the long run, she said.

Oseroff said parents must help their child make that transition and teach them other important aspects of the season, such as kindness and generosity, which are represented in Santa Claus. Other members of the family should respect the parents’ decisions and everybody must be on the same page.

“As long as the family has traditions and the child feels like there are things they celebrate as a family and that they believe in something together as a family, they should be fine,” said Oseroff.

That said, the phase where the child believes in Santa Claus shouldn’t be rushed — children will eventually grow out of it.

Until that time comes, let your children enjoy Santa Claus and the happiness it brings them during the holidays. Let them write their letters to Santa with their list of toys, put out the tray of cookies and milk on Christmas Eve and otherwise enjoy this treasured part of childhood.

NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2011

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Editor’s Choice

A Different Time After a Quick Internet Search, Judy Coleman Finds a Family She Never Knew Existed

By Pam Forrester

V

isiting Tallahassee from her hometown of Sarasota, Lisa Hopkins was curious about the grandfather she never met and wondered if her 79-year-old mother, Judy Mackenzie Coleman, had ever searched for the father she never knew.

While Judy ran to the store for lastminute dinner groceries, her youngest daughter turned to a computer and started Googling genealogy sites. Lisa knew her grandfather’s name was Rupert Mackenzie and, in less than five minutes, she found a man with the same name in her mom’s hometown of Pittsburgh, Pa. She dialed the number, and as her mother walked through the door laden with grocery bags, Lisa announced, “I have your brother, Rupert, on the phone.”

Since that moment, Judy’s life has never been the same.

In this free-flowing age of information and communication, it’s hardly surprising it took less than a half hour to track down someone through an Internet search.

So to understand how two families could live in the same city for 20 years and never know anything about each other, we need to think pre-Internet, pre-WWII and a family that had a secret to keep.

Born in Pittsburgh during the Great Depression, Judy’s parents separated before her birth on June 13, 1931. Mother and baby lived with Judy’s grandparents.

To a child unaware, her early memories are of a wonderful mother “who made it all happen in my life.” Because she was a child, Judy wasn’t aware of the quiet drama playing out for her mother.

Divorce was not illegal at the time, but it was definitely taboo. And laws made it 28

difficult to break a union. Rupert couldn’t just ask for a divorce on grounds of irreconcilable differences. It took seven years — and Judy’s mother would be charged with desertion by the court — before the marriage was dissolved.

Judy was 6 when the divorce was finalized, and she recalls seeing her father for the last time on a street in their hometown.

He was walking with a woman who was to become his second wife, Norma.

For Norma to marry a divorced man was scandalous enough for Rupert’s new in-laws to digest. But they couldn’t accept the fact he was a father. They forbade him from seeing or talking about his daughter.

And so, with that edict firmly in place, the secret of Rupert’s first child, Judy, was buried. Friends and family never broke their silence.

In a sad twist of fate, Rupert died of a heart attack when he was 41 years old.

The 20-year-old Judy learned of the funeral, but she was conflicted with emotion and decided not to attend.

Now, she admits, “It always gnawed at me who this man had been. Had he started a new life and family?” There was also a sense of loyalty to the man who eventually became her stepfather when she was 12 years old. Happy and content with this new life, she pushed to the back of her mind TWO FAMILIES The children of Rupert Mackenzie grew up with separate photo albums.

(Above) Judy Coleman and her husband Jack Swanson with their children, Suzanne, Christine and Lisa, who would grow up to find her mother’s second family online. (Next page) Three of Judy’s five brothers and sisters — Norma, Marjorie and Rupert — in 1943. She wouldn’t know they existed until more than 50 years later.

Photos Courtesy Norma Kelley and Judy Coleman

A Family Secret

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The Second Family Stunned at Lisa’s pronouncement, Judy took the phone and spoke to Rupert, who told her that her father had left behind five young children when he died. Norma, 73, is the oldest sister; Rupert, 72, is the oldest brother; then comes Marjorie, 69; Joanne, 67; and Bill, the baby of the family at 65.

A huge smile brightens Judy’s face, as she recalls getting the incredible news.

“Needless to say, I was amazed. I was amazed,” she says. Rupert, named after his father, goes by the nickname Bud. He, too, was shocked. “Once I realized it wasn’t a prank, she knew too much random family information, we just talked,” he said. At the end of that first call, Bud said he needed time to process this new

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those feelings and questions that lingered about her father and her past. “My mom was a very private person,” she says.“You just didn’t ask questions like that.”

Judy Mackenzie married Jack Swanson in January 1951. She started her own family in New York and eventually raised five daughters and a son in Florida. Happy in her growing family, dedicated to her work and her faith, she put her own childhood behind her. She never dreamed of the past coming so alive until Lisa made that fateful call.

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“It always gnawed at me who this man had been. Had he started a new life and family?”

Photos Courtesy Norma Kelley and Judy Coleman

— Judy Mackenzie Coleman

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Editor’s Choice

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“She looks like me!

She acts like me!

When we ordered lunch, she ordered the same salad and salad dressing.”

— Judy Mackenzie Coleman on her porch to greet me,” says Norma, “I turned to my husband and said, ‘She looks just like Grandma Dobson, my Dad’s mother.’ ” Judy remembers that “I stared at her coming in the drive, we hugged and then we cried. Norma’s husband just stood there stunned to see these two women who looked so much alike.”

After looking at some of the pictures from that first meeting, Rupert agreed, “Norma and Judy look more alike than the rest of the family.”

Many of the first conversations were filled with questions. Like new friends

HAPPY REUNION Judy Coleman is surrounded by all her siblings (top) at an August family reunion (left to right) Norma, Bill, Marjorie, Judy, Joanne and Rupert. In addition to a similar appearance, Judy and her half-sister Norma (above) learned after meeting that they shared many personality traits.

Photos By Shannon McCabe

information. Judy responded, “me too.”

Who could blame her? For nearly 80 years the great-grandmother thought she was an only child, so finding not one, but five, siblings takes some time to process.

During the call, Lisa remembers the “priceless” look on her mom’s face. “It was so exhilarating you couldn’t believe it. It was a gift she was looking for her entire life,” she says.

It didn’t take Rupert long to share the amazing information that he now had two older sisters. He called Norma first, and then the other three. And there was no hesitation to welcome Judy into the family. Still, Judy’s oldest daughter, Christine Reker of Tallahassee, had concerns about the Mackenzie family’s reaction. “Naturally I worried if the family shunned her then that would be another rejection, but it couldn’t have turned out farther from the truth. The entire Mackenzie family embraced her.”

Norma and her husband quickly got in their car and drove down the to meet this new sibling. “When I saw her standing November–December 2011

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getting to know each other, but with a common thread, they talked and talked.

Judy wanted to know about the father she didn’t grow up with. Hearing stories of the wonderful father the other children played ball and shared dinners with, Judy says, “I’m not jealous, just sad I never knew this man.”

Through these long conversations, the more Judy learned, the more she uncovered eerie connections with her newfound family. Beside the uncanny resemblance between Norma and Judy, the two women shared many traits. “She looks like me!

She acts like me! When we ordered lunch, she ordered the same salad and salad dressing,” says Judy. “We watch the same TV programs, read the same books, we both love mysteries, both are dedicated to family and our faith. And both of us named our daughters Lisa.” Norma adds, “She even loves cats like I do.”

Photos By Shannon McCabe

Family Reunion Judy finally met the entire Mackenzie clan in August. As she was packing up for the weeklong trip to Norma’s house in Carmichaels, Pa., there were butterflies and excitement. Judy confessed she was nervous.

“I’m worried about what I’ll say. I know I’ll cry so I’m not wearing mascara.”

When they gathered, no one lacked for conversation. “It wasn’t a family reunion, because we had never been together before,” Judy says. “It was our first union and it was awesome. I had waited 80 years of my life for this and it was worth every minute of the wait.”

Everyone wanted a moment with Judy to welcome the new relation. There were so many nieces and nephews, Norma made flash cards so Judy could keep everyone straight. Thirty-five Mackenzies spanning four generations came to greet Judy. Even Norma’s 17-year-old grandson, who was finishing culinary school, showed off his talents by preparing a farewell luncheon.

With a lump in her throat, Judy stood beside Norma, Rupert, Marjorie, Joanne and Bill, smiling for dozens of photos throughout the week. In good-natured humor, Norma reminds Judy, “We were lucky, there was no sibling rivalry growing up.” On a more serious note Judy adds, “I have had a great hole in my past which has caused a lot of grief through the years.” Surrounded with five new brothers and sisters, perhaps that void will now be filled. n

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On The Move

Game Over Knowing When to Give Kids a Push in Sports — and When It’s Time to Quit

By Lisa Carey

F

ourteen-year-old Patrick Baker grew up on baseball. He started playing ball as a first-grader and progressed until he made the All Star Team at Tallahassee’s Winthrop Park, where he’s listed among the baseball elite on a plaque over the concession stand.

But for the last year of Patrick’s young baseball career, he harbored a secret. He desperately wanted to quit. Adding to the stress — Patrick’s coach at the time was his father, Alan Baker, a well-known and respected baseball enthusiast who has coached more than 16 local Little League teams.

“I had a really hard time telling my dad, because he always coached me and I was afraid he would take it personally,” explained Patrick while ducking his head.

“I know he was disappointed. He didn’t want me to quit and regret it.” Patrick raised his eyes and smiled. “But I knew baseball wasn’t the sport for me. I wanted to play soccer.”

Patrick and his admittedly disappointed father came to an agreement. Although Patrick asked to quit during the season, father and son determined it best to finish out the commitment. Soon after, Patrick moved on to a successful soccer experience. Alan continues to enjoy coaching at Winthrop and plays with an adult league. And, they still play catch together at home.

“I could tell he was miserable,” said Alan. “And when practice becomes a chore to a player, it’s time to quit. I want Patrick to be happy, but I just hate to see someone walk away from the game.” Alan speaks from experience, having quit a successful youth baseball career after he hit a growth spurt and struggled to catch up with his increased height. “Everything came 32

undone for me. So I quit, but really wish now I hadn’t.”

In the world of organized activities for children, deciding just when to push a player and when to let him quit is a tough decision for parents. A child can obviously benefit from participation in organized sports. Child athletes can gain confidence, physical fitness, problem-solving skills, sportsmanship, social status and much more. And when adults organize the activities, the benefits of coaching and supervision, safety rules and proper equipment for children are available. So why not stick with it or push to the next level?

Throwing In the Towel There is unhappy and bored, and then there is true suffering. When a child begs to quit an activity or begins to express significant anxiety before games, it may be time to throw in the towel. But there are no hard and fast rules. “The key is to take time to really listen to your child,” advised John Paschal, a local licensed clinical social worker who specializes in child and family therapy.

Signs a player is suffering may include excessive procrastination before practices, remarks like, “I hope coach doesn’t put me in centerfield tonight,” stomachaches before

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SAFETY COUNTS A child who doesn’t have needed skills or an interest in the game is at greater risk for injury, and might be better off quitting.

There is unhappy and bored, and then there is true suffering.

When a child begs to quit an activity or begins to express significant anxiety before games, it may be time to throw in the towel. games and obvious anxiety. “At this point, a parent needs to start asking questions and assess the situation,” said Paschal, who treats a number of children with anxiety and low self esteem. For whatever reason, if the child is suffering, the answer may be to pull the child from the activity.

The spontaneous kid play of yesterday has given way to structured activities supervised by coaches and parents with vested interests. An adult’s involvement changes the dynamic of play, and today’s adult-organized sports can create demands and expectations that exceed the readiness and capabilities of young participants.

When that happens, the positive aspects of participation can be dashed. Feelings of failure and frustration build and, soon after, a child’s self-esteem, confidence and even physical wellbeing can suffer.

Some children are emotionally illequipped to handle the pressure that comes with demanding competitive play, and the effects can be damaging. Players are hard on themselves and sometimes teammates and spectators are unkind. Coaches may put winning over an athlete’s personal development. Even well-meaning parents can put pressure on players by yelling during games. Then parents talk about the game the whole ride home and recap the child’s mistakes at the dinner table. The stress can pack an emotional wallop.

And then there’s physical safety. Players with an inferior skill set or who are tallahassee

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disengaged run a higher risk of injury.

“Sometimes kids are forced by parents, but don’t want to play. They’ll probably get hurt and end up quitting,” explained Mac Craig, longtime coach of the Winthrop Park Sheriffs. On occasion Craig has supported a child’s decision to quit. “I like to give kids a chance to pitch,” said Craig. “But if they can’t protect themselves on the mound, I’ve got to pull them.

It’s important that the players are paying attention and want to be in the game.”

Sticking With It A child who simply complains about practice, or wants to quit because his best friend got drafted to another team, may benefit from a push. Unless a child is experiencing great stress or his safety is compromised, experts advise sticking with the activity until completion, while emphasizing learning and personal improvement over winning. The tough life lessons of commitment, getting along with others, giving your best in difficult times and dignity can be gleaned when a child sticks out a challenging situation. And hard-earned success is gold.

“I’ve seen players have tough seasons but stick it out,” said Craig. “We had one last year with just one hit, but who this year leads the league in hits and runs batted in. Encouragement is the key.”

Tips for sticking with it include strategizing with your child’s coach if your player is overwhelmed with lots of new 34

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A child who simply complains about practice, or wants to quit because his best friend got drafted to another team, may benefit from a push. skills. Keep your child’s attitude positive by praising, cheering for the team and being early for practice. Make practice a parent-free zone. And, remind your child there are lots of different sports and opportunities out there for him or her to try and potentially succeed at.

Private lessons in hitting or another essential skill can add confidence and player satisfaction by enhancing the player’s performance. “You can’t build an athlete,” said Pascal. “But if you have a child with some ability and the desire to be better, this can be appropriate for overcoming certain challenges and improving.”

Discouraged players may also benefit from a venue change. The very nature of an organization can determine if it has a positive or negative influence on a young player, according to the American Association of Pediatrics. Switching from a competitive league to a recreational or

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A child who shows a passion and natural talent for a sport may benefit from a different type of push — increased challenge.

Running off the court after a successful drill and lay-up, 12-year-old Craig Mitchell asked, “Did you see me, Dad?” His father, Willie Mitchell, beamed with satisfaction. Craig participates in the Tallahassee Amateur Basketball (TAB) program, a competitive basketball league. “After several years of YMCA and city basketball, I wanted Craig to have the opportunity to play with some advanced-skill players,” said Mitchell.

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A child who shows a passion and natural talent for a sport may benefit from a different type of push — increased challenge.

The push, along with Craig’s positive attitude and drive, has paid off. “Craig knows he’s not the best ball handler,” said Chariya Davis, head coach of the 12U TAB Spurs and the Rickards High School women’s basketball team. Davis, who was a standout college and professional basketball player, is also wrapping up her Masters degree in education. “But he’s getting there. He’s competing against players with more experience. At this age, when you work with and challenge a hard-working player like Craig, his progress increases and builds real confidence.”

“Some kids actually ask me to push them,” explained Davis. “They ask me to make them the best player, even through difficult times.”

Game Plan A good game plan can produce a season full of positive experiences. Paschal recommends first speaking to your child’s 36

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pediatrician to determine their readiness for any sport activity.

Next, determine goals with your child.

It can be as general as increased physical activity or as specific as improved rebounding.

“Most kids will never play on the college or professional level,” advised Paschal.

“Be realistic about your child’s ability and their desires. Kids really just want to run around and have fun. That should be our goal for them, too.” Be sure to revisit the goals throughout the season. If increased activity was your goal, then making all the practices is a personal victory.

Choose your venue — developmental, recreational or competitive. If possible, observe practices, gyms and coaches in advance or get parent recommendations.

Patrick Baker recommends trying a new sport at a summer camp before committing to a season. “You’re not actually on a team. Camps are about learning or just getting better,” he explained. “There’s less pressure, more fun, and it usually lasts just a week.”

Next, set participation expectations with your child and give yourself a stopping point. “Sign up for six weeks of tennis or violin lessons and agree to reassess at that time,” suggests Paschal. Talk about the value of commitment and how you’ll handle discouragement in advance.

Wrap Up Davis advocates that there is a sport or activity for every child to excel in. And equally, that every child has an important role to play on their team. She encourages the player and the parent to recognize and praise that role.

At the end of young Craig’s practice, Coach Davis sits on the floor with her players and talks about each child’s skills and how to best use their talents in their team strategy. Players lean forward eagerly, waiting for their own praise and bolstering their teammates with knuckle bumps and backslaps. “You need to go hard even if you only get five minutes in the game,” Davis wraps up while sweaty, young heads nod in agreement. “No team is perfect, no player is perfect. But each one of you will have a great moment, this I know.”

Finding your child’s great moment may take exploring multiple activities through challenging seasons and tough decisions.

Through the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. After all, perseverance is what winners are made of. n

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Giving Back

Feeding North Florida

A

t least four times a week, Barbara Henderson goes grocery shopping, but not at Publix or Winn-Dixie. Instead, she heads to a huge food warehouse off South Adams Street and, wheel cart in hand, makes her way down aisles of canned goods, fresh produce, dairy and poultry, collecting food by the boxful.

Henderson is vice president and director of Food Outreach Ministry, a mobile ministry that distributes food to Tallahassee’s Southside community. It is one of the 135 partner agencies served by America’s Second Harvest of Big Bend, a food bank that assists organizations in 11 North Florida counties that reach out to people who are hungry and in need.

“We try to do whatever we can to help them because as nonprofits and churches, 38

they’re trying to make ends meet as well,” said Second Harvest’s Executive Director Cheryl Phoenix.

According to its website, 101,088 people live in poverty in 10 out of the 11 counties Second Harvest serves. And those who need help aren’t necessarily jobless or homeless.

“The average person who is hungry is not homeless,” said Paul Clements, development director at Second Harvest.

“While those people may be visiting our soup kitchens and receiving food assistance, the majority of the clients that we serve have at least one person in the household who’s working.”

Most of the food is donated by national manufacturers, the Feeding America network, local retailers, other food banks and through food drives. Second Harvest has regular pick-ups from three main

retailers: Publix, Walmart and Winn-Dixie. Since most grocery stores only want to provide top quality products for their customers, dented boxes of cereal, canned sodas and other products are pulled from their shelves and donated.

“What we’re picking up from them is the items that you and I traditionally would not want to purchase because the boxes and cans … (are) dented or the packaging got damaged, but nothing will be wrong with the food,” said Clements.

“We’ll take any of this because, for a family that’s struggling to make ends meet, any little thing will definitely help them.”

All donated food is hand-inspected by supervised volunteers who sort through the items and dispose of anything that is bad.

“That’s a very important process because we’re responsible for all the food

Photo by Scott Holstein

America’s Second Harvest of the Big Bend Brings Food to the Groups that Bring Food to the Hungry By Alexia McKay

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CRUNCH TIME Requests for food increase in November and December, says Second Harvest Executive Director Cheryl Phoenix, as agencies try to supply holiday food baskets to their clients.

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“We try to do whatever we can to help them because as nonprofits and churches, they’re trying to make ends meet as well.”

Photo by Scott Holstein

— Second Harvest’s Executive Director Cheryl Phoenix

that comes in,” said Clements. “So it’s our job as the food bank to actually inspect it, sort it and make sure it’s safe.”

Because of its purchasing power, Second Harvest is also able to buy food and nonfood items that are sold at a discount to public service agencies.

“We pick those items that our organizations will typically need for their food distribution programs and we’ll go out and purchase them and the organization will reimburse us for the cost of those food items or non-food items that we bring in,” said Clements.

Paper plates, napkins, plastic utensils and gloves are but a few of the items that are available for purchase. However, the purchasing program only accounts for 8 percent of Second Harvest’s distribution program.

Frozen food is stored in a large freezer and other products, such as milk, juices and produce are taken to a giant refrigerator. However, Clements said the items are in and out so fast; most are stored in an area called the cool room, to keep them fresh as possible and the critters away.

Cakes and pastries also are stored in the cool room.

“The whole purpose of this program is to provide more today than just the can of beans and a box of cereal, which has always been what people saw when they went to a food pantry,” said Clements.

“Now we can give them a well-balanced meal option.”

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During the holidays, business picks up at Second Harvest. Special items such as turkeys are donated during Thanksgiving.

“There’s a huge increase in requests for services both from the agencies and from the client,” said Phoenix. “The pantries are trying to get more food to the clients because they want them to have special holiday baskets for their families.”

Needless to say, America’s Second Harvest thrives on volunteers and donations.

There is no particular busy time for people to volunteer or contribute; help is welcomed year around.

Donations can be made online or brought to the warehouse.

Volunteers are needed to sort food, clean or pack bags for the BackPack program.

That program targets needy children who get free or reduced-price lunches at school, but may not have enough to eat during the weekend. On Fridays, selected children receive a bag of groceries that will feed at least a family of four, according to child nutrition program coordinator, Karen Mica. The program is paid for through private donations and grants. A similar program provides bags of groceries to seniors in need.

Agencies can come during the week by appointment and shop for what they need. They must agree to adhere to storage guidelines and food safety regulations.

According to Phoenix, organizations’ warehouses and the food bank itself are frequently checked by the Department of Agriculture and Feeding America.

“If you look at the value of what we distribute to our partner agencies, it’s valued at over $6 million,” said Phoenix. “If they had to buy it retail, there’s no way they would be able to do that, and so it’s a way to not only help the agencies but also make sure that food is not being dumped in the landfills and is getting to the people who can actually use it.”

Henderson said Second Harvest has helped her tremendously in her efforts to assist those in need.

“They give me bread, they give me produce, they give me dairy,” said Henderson.

“Without Second Harvest I could not feed the people that I am feeding because there’s no way I would have the funds to.” n For more information about America’s Second Harvest, visit fightinghunger.org

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10/19/11 5:18:36 PM

Personality

‘I’m Passionate About Public Service’ New County Administrator Vince Long Aims to Improve the Way Government Does Its Business By Audrey Post

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“We’re from the government and we’re here to help.”

Pop quiz: The above statement is A) a cynical commentary on the lack of government efficiency; B) the punch line of a joke so old no one remembers the rest of it; C) Vince Long’s vision for daily life in Leon County; or D) all of the above.

Correct answer: D, all of the above — which should come as no surprise to anyone who knows Vince Long.

That’s the Local Government Gospel According to Vincent S. Long.

For a study in contrasts, look no farther than the state Capitol, diagonally across Monroe Street from the Leon County Courthouse, where the majority of legislators, as well as the governor, seem to think there’s nothing that government does now that can’t be done better by the private sector. That philosophical gulf stretches beyond, and beneath, the traditional liberal-conservative, less government vs. more government differences and gets down to the very core of what government should do for its citizenry, and how it should be doing it.

“The ‘why’ is the most important thing,” Long said. “We have to demonstrate to the citizens — I think that

Photo by Scott Holstein

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fter spending the past 16 years in a variety of management jobs within county government, Long took over as Leon County administrator July 1. It was such a nobrainer that he would succeed Parwez Alam, whom Long describes as his mentor, that one county commissioner suggested a search be conducted simply to confirm that he was the best choice. The Board of Commissioners saved its money and instead voted unanimously to promote him.

To those who don’t know Long, it would be a mistake to assume that hiring a guy from inside the organization meant things would keep purring along the way they had been. The new boss likes to say he has “a new model for the new normal,” one that emphasizes effectiveness, stewardship and relevance.

“It’s a culture shift,” Long acknowledged, “but it’s a formula that works. I’m proud to be a public servant. I’m passionate about public service. For years we’ve been brainwashed that efficiency is all that matters, and the part we’ve missed out on is the relevance.”

Get him wound up talking about his vision for county government and see a true believer emerge, an evangelist worthy of a tent revival. Public servants can and should prove their worth to the taxpayers, he says, as stewards of the shared resources of a community. People who see themselves as disenfranchised taxpayers can be converted into engaged community stakeholders, he insists, and citizens can trust that government employees really are here to help. Just give public servants a structure that works and empower them to solve problems, and citizens will realize the value and necessity of what they do.

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Photo by Scott Holstein

— Vince Long

‘citizens’ is a better word than ‘customers’ — that they are the reason we are here, to be responsible and responsive in providing them high-quality services.”

He wants to run county government more like a business, not put it out of business. In the strategic plan he prepared for the commissioners, and in the “My View” he wrote in August for the Tallahassee Democrat, Long repeatedly used the phrase “People focused. Performance driven.” And while it sounds more like automotive advertising than government service, the core message resonates: If you create an organizational structure that makes sense and empower employees to help the citizens, they will.

Changes he has instituted are already drawing notice. Local businessman John R. Lewis sent an email to Long on Aug. 31 saying he had noticed a change in the “attitude air” at the county.

“I have had two involvements recently and have found the cooperativeness of the county staff to be noticeable (sic) different,” Lewis wrote. “Instead of posturing for an assumed adversarial relationship, the new initial approach from staff is an amicable ‘let’s work this out cooperatively and as partners solving a mutual challenge.’ Thank you for your leadership.”

Both Commission Chairman John Dailey and Sheriff Larry Campbell also think Long is on to something.

“Vince is a people person, and many times citizens don’t think of government as being customer-friendly,” said Dailey, one of Long’s former students. “I think people

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10/19/11 10:31:05 AM

Personality

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are going to see Vince take local government to the next level.”

“That boy’s sharp,” Campbell said. “He’s really smart, and he knows how to get people to buy in to what he’s trying to build.”

Kelly Otte agrees. She met Long in the 1990s, when he was fairly new to county government and she was the new executive director of Refuge House.

“Everyone knew he was destined for big things, for two reasons: He’s super smart, and he’s very much a relationship builder,” said Otte, now executive director of Pace Center for Girls and founder of The Oasis Center for Women and Girls, Inc. “Leaders are leaders because people want to follow them, and all good leaders share the ability to develop relationships with all kinds of people.”

His life path no doubt helped him hone that skill.

He holds a master’s degree from Florida State University’s Askew School of Public Administration and Policy, where he also taught graduate courses in local government for a dozen years, and he graduated from the Executive Program at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Despite the advanced degrees and Ivy League burnish, Long describes himself as more of a blue-collar guy.

“My parents were poor Irish kids living in a tenement house in New York City, and they moved us as young kids to Central Florida, Inverness, because they wanted us to have a sense of community,” he said. “My dad was a working man, a truck driver, a Teamster, and he could hustle and find work in the city but jobs weren’t as plentiful in Florida in the ’70s.

It was farming or homebuilding.”

After a couple of moves back and forth to New York, the family settled back in Florida and Dad stayed in New York to work.

When he got old enough to work with him, Vince spent summers in New York. “Working on the back of a moving van convinced me that I wanted to stay in school as long as I could,” he said with a chuckle. “That was all the motivation I needed.”

He stumbled on to local government administration. He thought he wanted to be a policy analyst, maybe work for one of the federal investigative agencies, but he applied for an internship as a lobbyist for Pinellas County — only because it paid — and once he got it, he was hooked on local government. A fortuitous turn of events led him to Alam, who took him on as a six-month intern and promised to teach

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him everything he needed to know about local government administration.

That was more than 16 years ago. Like so many other FSU graduates, Long stayed in Tallahassee, realizing it is a great place to live and to raise a family. He met his wife, Julann, a math teacher at Florida High, at FSU. They have three children, sons Kellen, 11, and Jack, 9, and daughter Riley, 6, whom he describes as “the boss of all of them.”

“Everyone knew he was destined for big things, for two reasons: He’s super smart, and he’s very much a relationship builder.

Leaders are leaders because people want to follow them, and all good leaders share the ability to develop relationships with all kinds of people.”

— Kelly Otte

His sense of what government ought to be to its citizens was strongly influenced by what he learned of family obligation. “My parents had a tremendous role in shaping who I am,” he said. “They taught us the importance of caring for people. If you’re going to labor in this life, what better use of your talents than to improve the lives of people?”

Long gave up teaching at FSU two years ago to spend more time with his family, although he hopes to return to the classroom when the kids are older. He admits that headhunters contact him periodically about other job opportunities, but he says he’s right where he wants to be. He has laid out a big task for himself: to inject a customer-service mentality into public service and create a government relevant enough and helpful enough to withstand economic and political crises.

“As long as I’m working hard and learning and being challenged every day,” he asked, “why would I go anywhere else?” n

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10/19/11 10:31:08 AM

Historicity

The Future is Watching Will the Internet and Today’s Culture of OverSharing Hinder Future Historians in Their Search for Truth? By Jason Dehart

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n an episode of the science fiction cartoon “Futurama!” the main character, Fry, and his 30th century friends visit the Moon. The delivery boy from the 20th century finds that the moon landing sites he cherished as a kid have now been “Fungineered” into cheesy Disney-esque rides that tell fractured fairy tale versions of the sites’ historical significance.

On the ride, narrators tell the gang that “no one really knows when, where or how man landed on the moon” (“I do!” yells Fry), but “fungineers” imagine it involved whalers with harpoons.

Though not a serious prediction of the future, the scene touches on an important issue: Will future historians see our times through a fractured lens based on lost or erroneous knowledge? Or are they more likely to find themselves confused and adrift in the endless “cloud” of digital information stored on the Internet?

In modern times, scholars write their historical tomes based on notes taken “back in the stacks” of libraries, archives and museums. They use photographs, books, letters, papers, court documents, deeds, diaries, autobiographical sketches, genealogical documents and old family Bibles, war records and old newspaper clippings. They sit for hours spinning through reels of microfilm or scanning microfiche plates. They methodically jot 46

down each source for footnotes and bibliography. They compare and contrast accounts and search for corroboration.

Some literally go the extra mile by following in the footsteps of their subjects, to experience for themselves what it must have been like and to see how time has changed the landscape. Others conduct lengthy interviews with primary sources who reach back in time with fading, imperfect memories.

But what kind of history will future researchers pen about our time? How will they get their information? Will today’s culture of social networking and “oversharing” help or hinder future historians?

How will Facebook postings, blogs, YouTube videos and MySpace pages be interpreted in the future? Will future writers even have the critical thinking skills necessary for debunking hoaxes and discerning what’s been plagiarized?

A Vast Digital Scope The Internet is a modern marvel, and even though is still a fledgling, it’s growing up fast. Nearly 20 years after it first burst on the popular scene in all its dial-up glory, it has linked us all together into a planetwide, Borg-like collective of thought. You can “look stuff up” online, and thanks to social networking you can chat with friends and family all over the world.

You can upload this and download that,

and speak your mind in 140 characters or less. You can post embarrassing photos of your friends from last night’s kegger, watch dozens of YouTube videos of cute dancing cats, write endless cryptic “status updates” on Facebook and text your friends in the fashionable, semi-illiterate style of the day.

Also, the egalitarian nature of the Web means everybody with a keyboard is a writer. Before social networking was in vogue, there was blogging, which covers a wide spectrum of human experience — idle teenage musings, political commentaries, postings from storm-ravaged cities and reports from revolutionaries struggling against oppressive dictators. People talked, gossiped and spread rumors before the Internet, but today there’s a much wider audience listening — including future historians.

But in an age where mountains of information get uploaded every day, hoaxes and plagiarized stories fill the Web with false, misleading information and conspiracy theories galore.

“We still have people who think the landing on the moon was staged,” observed Tallahassee author, historian and educator Joe Knetsch.

A skeptical Knetsch said future historians might not get the most accurate information if they base all their research on what can be found on the Web in general — and social networking in particular.

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“I think it’ll hinder historians. There’s no editing for quality or validity,” he said. “How are you going to establish (something) was true or not? Or is it just somebody’s opinion about it?”

Claude Kenneson, president of the Tallahassee Historical Society and a longtime volunteer at the State Library and Archives of Florida, said he doesn’t trust the technology’s potential lack of permanence.

“If we relied on just the Internet there’d be problems,” Kenneson said.

“Sometimes it says go to a link and it’s no longer there. That might be a problem unless they find a way where it can be preserved some kind of way, (because) things can disappear … at least now.”

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Too Much of a Good Thing Younger historians are, naturally, excited about the changing technology, and say it’s generally a good thing that so much more information is available online than ever before.

“This is an exciting time for historians,” said Laura Justice, a Mission San Luis living history interpreter in her early 30s with a background in archaeology and historic preservation. “For so long, researchers have pined over a dearth of information on a given topic. You worked with what you had and, quite often, had many gaping holes left in your answer,” she said. “Now, we have more information than we know what to do tallahassee

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Historicity with.” Jake Harper, a National Park Service ranger and interpreter at Castillo de San Marcos National Monument in St. Augustine who’s in his 20s, admitted too much information, could be “a bit daunting.”

“Imagine the president 30 years from now who grew up making blogs, viral videos, Facebook posts, keeping a diary, writing letters and essays for school, etc., and we say ‘get me everything that person ever wrote.’ We would get more information out of one person than we ever potentially got from any one 200 years ago,” he said. “So it will offer interesting insight to peoples’ lives that we’ve never had, but will also be more information than we have ever had about individuals before.”

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Contemporary historians live in a transitional period, according to Justice, and new ways of thinking may be needed to make the best use of the new media.

“We historians are in the liminal place between ‘hardcopy information’ and ‘cloud storage.’ We are discovering and utilizing the new while still reliant on the old methods of communication and sharing,” she said.

For a long-time scholar like Knetsch, though, it’s not so much a matter of the information available; rather, it’s a matter of how future historians will process it and sort out fact from fiction. Historical subjects expressed their opinions in letters and diaries, he said, “But at the same time, you know the source, because you’ve done the research to find out who that person is, what is their slant — you know that. With the new technology, and the over-sharing, we don’t have (that oversight).”

In other words, if there aren’t any footnotes, or a bibliography, or some other critical piece of source documentation, the information could have come from anywhere.

“When I read another historian’s work, the first thing I look at is the bibliography and footnotes,” he said. “I want to see what research (has been) done. Are there corroborating sources, or is he sticking to one source? As a historian, you can’t accept things uncritically. You have to be critical of your sources, you have to do as much as you can to back up each statement you make or at least evaluate.”

Justice said the validity of sources and facts has always been an issue when it comes to gathering and writing history.

“To look at an historical account and then compare it to an archaeological site

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can sometimes tell two entirely different stories,” she said. “What makes things different with the Internet is that it is no longer the writing of ‘dead white guys’ who were most often quite wealthy … .

Today, more ethnicities, races and socioeconomic classes are recognized in a primary source sort of way.”

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“Every historical era is flawed and debatable — every one of them,” said Ross Lamoreaux, a historical interpreter at the Tampa Bay History Center. “Historians, like normal citizens, all have opinions.

‘Historical truth’ is often just what the winner writes, which makes a good historian one that wades through info, like a noodler looking for catfish. You gotta get dirty if you want results.”

But the art of critical thinking, a skill necessary for testing validity (and detecting baloney), is something that’s not being taught in schools these days, according to Knetsch. Teaching philosophies that pin academic success on rote memorization and measurable abilities, as well

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“This is an exciting time for historians.

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Historicity

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as “teaching to the test,” ignore analytical thinking skills, he said.

Knetsch said students today must learn how to ask the right questions and not take everything at face value. Disputes over history will be worse in the future, he surmised, because of this lack of critical thinking. That, and they’ll miss the similarities between past and current events. For example, “What is similar between today’s recession and the one of 1837? Land speculation. Easing of credit,” he said.

Justice, on the other hand, said that in time, thinking skills may change to adapt to the new technology.

“I’m not sure if there is going to be a ‘lack’ of critical thinking skills, per se, but a change in consciousness and the way in which we look at things critically. There are several experts that discuss how people’s thought processes are changing because of the Internet,” she said. “Suddenly, we are inundated with massive amounts of data. We can approach it mathematically and look for patterns in, for example, what kinds of viral videos were popular and what the general responses are to those videos.

With tweets, we can observe trending topics and evaluate the use of hashtags.”

Lloyd Wheeler, a living history storyteller who “channels” Benjamin Franklin and other historical characters, said YouTube videos could indeed become a resource. “Future historians looking at a YouTube video will have the ability, if it’s not staged, to see what’s happening in the background, what’s going on around the people being filmed … but how they interpret that is up to them,” he said.

Ultimately, the sword cuts both ways, according to Lamoreaux. He himself shares knowledge and research with a legion of living history friends through the Internet.

“That’s great when it is the right info, but also leads to quicker ‘myths’ and untruths,” he said. However, he admits his research is made easier because much of the information he’d have to search for in books or archives is now available online.

Lamoreaux added that the Internet may be a godsend, but that doesn’t excuse the historian from doing his or her footwork.

“I firmly believe that computer-based research is acceptable, as long as it is notated in the same manner as any book, article or monograph,” he said. “I also firmly believe that all information shared

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“Technology keeps changing. (Things) are designed not to last too long, but you have to maintain some kind of continuum to keep the information going.” — Joe Knetsch

as research on the forums should be footnoted or notated with source(s) to be believable. I’ve often found excellent info I wouldn’t have found anywhere but the Internet, but I always verify or double check from other sources.”

Hard Copies to Hard Drives Will traditional hard-copy media still be around generations from now? That’s anyone’s guess.

“Technology keeps changing,” Knetsch said. “(Things) are designed not to last too long, but you have to maintain some kind of continuum to keep the information going.”

“The shelf life of microfilm is 50 years and then it has to be renewed or redone,” he continued. “(The) newest newspapers are so acidic they last about a decade. We do not know how long a (compact disc) lasts.”

Even if information is preserved, will the technology exist to play it back? “The Smithsonian has a whole section now (for obsolete technology). They started recording sound on wires before plastic, and there are only three operating machines in the entire United States that play that stuff. The Smithsonian has one or two of them,” said Knetsch. “Is that stuff going to be lost to us?”

Lamoreaux said he doesn’t have a crystal ball, but believes historians 150 years from now will have a harder time “knowing” our world of today because so much of what we do is done instantly on cell phones, tablets and computers.

“Unless hard copies are made, they won’t have the same ability like us researching 150 years ago,” he said. “We still have books, images, newspapers, etc. to use. But what are they going to have?

Who really knows?” n

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Arts & Culture

Discovering Tallahassee, One Post at a Time By Lilly Rockwell

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t was a Friday night and I was squeezed into the smoky back room of a creaky bar on Gaines Street. It was standing room only and filled with Tallahassee’s drag queens and kings; men in dresses with a flirtatious hipswinging swagger and women wearing ties cracking bawdy off-color jokes that had the room shaking with laughter.

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The ensuing burlesque show was just the right mix of entertainment and titillation, and as I left the bar I thought, “That’s why I started this blog.”

I did not attend the performance because I’m some thrill-seeking party animal or knew someone in the show. I was brought there by my sense of loyalty — I had to fulfill a questionable commitment I made to

the World Wide Web a few months earlier.

On January 1, 2011, I promised to find one new thing to do in Tallahassee each day, chronicling my journey in a blog I called “365 Things To Do In Tallahassee.”

I’m the furthest thing from a Tallahassee lassie native oozing love for my town.

I moved to Tallahassee from Austin, Texas, in 2009, only lured here after my

Photo by Scott Holstein (Lilly Rockwell) and Photos Courtesy Lilly Rockwell

My Year of Blogging (Almost) Daily

November–December 2011

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364 TO GO Blogger Lilly Rockwell digs into an ice cream sundae at one of her favorite things to do in Tallahassee — visit Lofty Pursuits. (Below) A photo sampling of places she’s been during her yearlong quest to chronicle a local activity every day.

“I discovered Tallahassee treasures that would have taken me years to get to otherwise.”

Photo by Scott Holstein (Lilly Rockwell) and Photos Courtesy Lilly Rockwell

— Lilly Rockwell

soon-to-be-husband made one promise: that we would leave someday.

At first, I stubbornly refused to see anything good about my new hometown.

Austin, which regularly landed on the “Best Places to Live” lists and is worldrenowned for its music scene, had imbued me with a sky-high list of expectations for my new hometown.

It was easy for me to find things to criticize. I was daunted by the subdued downtown, a nightlife that seemed confined to a few square miles adjacent to Florida State University and the town’s inexplicable healthy appetite for chain restaurants.

But after a year and a half living in Tallahassee I had learned the town did have its enchantments. Tallahassee doesn’t shout “Hey! Aren’t I Cool?” the way Austin does, preferring to hide its pleasures underneath a healthy dose of Spanish moss.

Then I read an article my friend had written in the Austin American-Statesman about a woman who blogged about 365 things to do in Austin.

Finding fun, new things to do in Austin was a cinch. A real blogging challenge would be to pull that off in sleepy Tallahassee, I mused. Could it even be done?

Before I could convince myself this was a terrible idea, I snapped a picture of a “Welcome to Tallahassee” road sign on Jan. 1 and started my blog, making a promise I would come to regret — to post every day.

My motivation was simple. I wanted an excuse to push aside my list of expectations and discover what Tallahassee had to offer.

I began with an easy, understated assignment on Day One. The park just outside my house in SouthWood was gorgeous, and the perfect spot for a leisurely afternoon walk.

I snapped a few photos and that was Day One. No sweat, I thought, I can do this.

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Arts & Culture

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To my surprise, the blog immediately had a profound impact on how I viewed Tallahassee. As I drove through town, I examined every restaurant, bar, store, park and event as a possible blog idea. My goal was to avoid chains as much as possible.

The ideas flowed easily at first. My usual routines easily became blog fodder. Sipping a peanut butter and jelly smoothie at organic retailer Earth Fare. Check. A blissful morning running on dirt trails at the Miccosukee Greenway. Check.

To have enough material to post all seven days a week, I packed my weekends with activities. This wasn’t easy for me.

I’m not a social butterfly; I prefer Friday evenings cozied up with a book or a good television show.

My new life meant I was rarely at home.

A Friday night playing a hysterically fastpaced game of bingo at the Moose Lodge followed by a Saturday that included a stop at the flea market followed by a visit to the Mary Brogan Museum of Art & Science and a Sunday brunch at Cabo’s Island Grill & Bar. I discovered Tallahassee treasures that would have taken me years to get to otherwise. I especially liked finding things off the beaten path. One Sunday afternoon, Day 66, I watched the odd Southern tradition of Civil War re-enactments, with eardrum-cracking cannons you could hear for miles. On Day 148, I had New Orleansstyle beignets at Angelette’s Cajun Kitchen, a new restaurant with no sign, but a line out the door on Sundays.

Photo Courtesy Lilly Rockwell

Peter Steuer

November–December 2011

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COOL FUN The author says enjoying a snow cone stuffed with ice cream from Big Easy Snowballs is just the ticket for a hot summer day.

“I came to the corny realization that what I had found was not so much things to do in my new city, but a fellowship of other newcomers who felt exactly the way I did.”

Photo Courtesy Lilly Rockwell

— Lilly Rockwell

The blog succeeded in its mission. I got to know Tallahassee very quickly. I went dancing at a hip hop club on the west side of town and explored plantations in Thomasville, Ga. (Anything within an hour’s drive counted). I went to baseball games, basketball games and softball games, and ate at new restaurants every week. I was poked with acupuncture needles and frozen in the cold waters of Wakulla Springs.

As I explored every nook and cranny of the Tallahassee area, I developed a greater empathy for the Austin blogger. As I balanced the daily demands of the blog with a full-time job covering the legislative session, I questioned the sanity of posting daily. tallahassee

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Arts & Culture There were nights I panicked at 9 p.m., with three hours left to write something new.

That’s how I ended up at the Corner Pocket Sports Bar on Apalachee Parkway, watching a game of poker played by a dozen patrons slurring their words while I sipped a mediocre White Russian.

When I went out of town, my lovely, supportive-of-my-crazy-ideas husband would take over the blog and contribute some dude ideas, such as drinking beer Miller’s Ale House.

By July I had to admit defeat. The romantic notion of blogging my way through Tallahassee was replaced with the reality of missing nights out with friends, an empty bank account, not reading a book in months and having unsatisfying meals at new restaurants.

Lilly’s Top 10

A modern mix of clothing, shoes and accessories.

Narcissus 1410 Market St. 668-4807 Narcissus Mix @ Midtown 1122 Thomasville Rd. 210-0010

2011

» BEST LOCALLY OWNED BUSINESS | BEST WOMEN’S ACCESSORIES & SHOES | BEST WOMEN’S CLOTHING

William Rast • Jovani • Rock and Republic • David Kahn • Sue Wong • Cartherine Malandrino • Halston Heritage

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Autumn Cashmere • Eva Franco • Betsey Johnson • Tarina Tarantina • Envi • BCBG • Lilly Pulitzer Nicole Miller

Michael Stars • Dani Black • Beauty Mark • Melissa Jellies • Aidon Mattox • Tony Bowls • Diane von Furstenberg

DVF Shoes • Tory Burch • Milly • Kate Spade • Sherri Hill • Hudson • Tibi • Trina Turk • Blank • AG • Mavi

» Lofty Pursuits: Early on in my journey, I discovered soda fountain shop Lofty Pursuits, and I have been in love ever since. The adorable store — it’s like time traveling back to the ’50s — has an exhaustive menu, from oldfashioned egg cream sodas and phosphates to traditional ice cream sundaes. Even snobby out-of-towners will be impressed. » Mission San Luis: Locals may be bored by it, but I loved this living history museum not far from Florida State University. I felt simultaneously entertained and informed about the community of Native Americans and Spaniards that once lived there. It helps that there are guides dressed in period clothing. » Au Peche Mignon: Clearly, I have a sweet tooth. This charming French bakery with not-so-great hours took me three tries to get to. It was worth the wait. I felt transported back to Paris with its delectable chocolates and warm pastries. » Tallahassee Automobile Museum: I am not a car enthusiast, but I loved this museum.

It is a bit pricey, but the collection of cars and other items DeVoe Moore has amassed is astounding. It becomes a walk through time and I was especially intrigued by the Batmobiles from the “Batman” movies. » Liam’s Restaurant: Though it is not in Tallahassee, Liam’s is easily the best restaurant in a 100-mile radius. Located in the charming town of Thomasville, Ga., Liam’s offers gourmet, organic meals that will satisfy your palate. They are especially known for their European brunches on Saturday, which offer French-style breakfasts

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I was afraid I was letting my fans down when I announced over the summer that I was scaling back. I would still find 365 things to do, but I wouldn’t finish by the end of 2011.

But I was so warmly embraced by readers of the blog, who encouraged me, wrote lovely emails praising my idea and offering their own unique suggestions, that I came to the corny realization that what I had found was not so much things to do in my new city, but a fellowship of other newcomers who felt exactly the way I did.

Formerly a Tallahassee Magazine staff writer, Lilly Rockwell, is now a political reporter. You can read her blog about things to do in Tallahassee at 365tallahassee.com.

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and cheese plates that will have you reminiscing for months afterward.

» Golf at SouthWood: I am the type of person that makes fun of golfers. But in the spirit of the blog, I was dragged out to the SouthWood golf course on a spring day and finally got why so many people like the sport.

It was fun, relaxing and I even got to kid myself that I was rich enough to afford this hobby.

Even if you have never played golf before and don’t own clubs, like me, it’s worth trying once. » RollerGirls: Show up early. Bring chairs.

Follow that advice and you will have a great time watching Tallahassee’s roller girls duke it out on a “rink” at the North Florida Fairgrounds. I loved seeing tough women celebrated, instead of the emphasis on girlygirls you so often see in pop culture. » Big Easy Snowballs: This New Orleansstyle snowball shop on Monroe Street brings a little bit of New Orleans to Tallahassee.

Perfect on a hot summer day, the snowball shop makes snow cones with soft serve ice cream packed in the middle. It’s very kidfriendly and extremely affordable. » Goodwood Museum & Gardens: I love a good plantation tour, and Tallahassee’s own Goodwood has a pretty entertaining history. If you get a good guide, you will learn all about the historical twists and turns that led to the founding of the plantation and its impact on Tallahassee life. » All Saints Cinema: With the closure of Miracle 5, All Saints Cinema has stepped in to fill the void for independent films. For an affordable $7, you can sit in an old train depot and watch top-notch movies that you simply cannot see anywhere else. tallahassee

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Franklin County Upcoming

Events and Activities

Seafood enjoys top billing in Apalachicola this month in two popular seafood-related events. You can enjoy Apalachicola Bay oysters and fresh seafood at the Florida Seafood Festival Nov. 4–5 or at the Chamber of Commerce Annual Downtown Oyster Roast Friday, Nov. 4.

The Florida Seafood Festival, in Apalachicola Friday, Nov. 4 through Saturday, Nov. 5, is heralded as the State’s oldest maritime event. This annual fall classic is a celebration of the Franklin County commercial seafood industry.

There will be music, rides, games and fresh seafood to eat all day. Don’t miss the oyster shucking and oyster eating contests. Saturday’s musical headliner is Travis Tritt.

Dine under the stars in the heart of historic Apalachicola at the 7th Annual Apalachicola Oyster Roast on November 4th 6–9 pm. Come enjoy Apalachicola Bay seafood in historic downtown. This annual event, a fundraiser for the Apalachicola Bay Chamber, features roasted oysters, oyster on the half shell, creamy artichoke and oyster bisque, shrimp, locally caught blue crab, and scratch-made cakes and desserts.

Second Saturdays in Apalachicola Apalachicola, Saturday, Nov. 12 and Dec. 10 Join us for our monthly “open house” in downtown Apalachicola. Galleries and Shops will be open from 6 to 8 p.m., and restaurants will feature great specials.

“Second Saturdays” is a chance for folks to meet the business owners, local artists, chefs and supporters of the downtown district. From 8 to 10 p.m., gather in Riverfront Park for live music. Skip Tanner’s Blues Band will be joined by Grammy nominee Slim Fats.

3rd Annual Charity Gumbo Cook-Off Carrabelle & Dog Island, Saturday, Nov. 12 St. James/Lanark Volunteer Fire Department will be presenting its 3rd Annual Charity Gumbo Cook Off on the Lanark Village Boat Club grounds. Visitors can enjoy the taste of competition gumbo, music and an auction, all on the shores of the beautiful Gulf of Mexico.

Fall Festival & Veteran’s Day Parade Carrabelle & Dog Island, Saturday, Nov. 12 Participate in children’s and family games or just relax and enjoy the array of foods. Live entertainment, features CR 67 Bank, Not Quite Ready Bank, Greg Kristofferson, Evelyn McAnally and our own Chuck Spicer as well as locals singing gospel, country, pop and the ‘50s. Discover the talent of local artists and crafters — and don’t miss the auction! There’s a cake walk, 50/50 cash drawing and a Thompson muzzleloader raffle plus more. This is also a day to honor Veterans for their sacrifices. Festival starts at 9 a.m. at the Carrabelle Senior Center. Sponsored by the Franklin County Senior Citizens Council.

Historic Apalachicola Christmas Celebration Apalachicola, Friday, Nov. 25 through Sunday, Nov. 27 The streets of downtown Apalachicola will light up from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, lined with luminaries and filled with holiday spirit. Merchants will be open late and the sounds of carolers will fill the evening with Christmas spirit. Santa will arrive on a shrimp boat at 4 p.m. at the City Dock on Water Street. The Orman House will be trimmed in holiday finery and docents in period costumes will lead visitors through the early history of the county.

Saturday, the celebration continues with afternoon holiday programs, caroling and Santa. The Raney House will be decorated in holiday greenery and open for tours.

The fun continues with performance at the Dixie Theatre and Santa has a special day devoted to hearing wishes from his furry friends. There will be a pet parade at 3 p.m. Sunday, the Tree of Remembrance Ceremony takes place at Riverfront Park at 3 p.m. This respectful, nondenominational activity draws visitors riverside to honor loved ones during the holidays. A reception follows.

Eastpoint Christmas Lighting Eastpoint, Thursday, Dec. 1 For more information, visit anaturalescape.com/events Island Lights St. George Island, Friday, Dec. 2 Festivities begin at 5 p.m. at mid-island in the St. George Lighthouse Park. The free, one-mile “Jingle Jog” fun run starts at 5 p.m. on the bike path in front of Lighthouse Park and proceeds through the business district. All runners receive Santa hats and jingle bells for their shoes. Arrive a little before the start time to sign in. Santa will arrive by fire engine at about 6 p.m. to entertain and provides gifts to the children. View the lighting of the island palms at sundown. The event is hosted by the St. George Island Business Association.

For more information, see www.SGILights.com or call the Visitor Center at (850) 927-7744.

Holiday Fresh Market Apalachicola, Saturday, Dec. 3 You’ll find handmade, fresh products, locally made baked goods and natural creations. Hassle-free holiday shopping where you’ll find unique gifts.

Holiday on the Harbor and Boat Parade of Lights Carrabelle & Dog Island, Saturday, Dec.10 Beautiful decorated boats will line the harbor and showcase their lights and artistic designs to the delight of the spectators. Put your boat in the parade and join in the fun!

Bay Area Choral Society Holiday Concert Apalachicola, Sunday, Dec. 11 The concert begins at 4 p.m., and an open reception in Benedict Hall follows the concert. Door donation, $5.

A complete calendar of Franklin County events, activities and vacation specials is online at SaltyFlorida.com

THE BUTTERFLIES ARE HERE For visitors who enjoy watching nature, the annual fall migration of birds and butterflies is in full swing during late fall along coastal North Florida. Several types of migrating birds use the coastline along Franklin County as a stopover before they make their long flight across the Gulf to Central America.

Two of Franklin County’s most popular migrating bird and butterfly stopovers are located at opposite ends of Franklin County.

Bald Point State Park, located at the extreme eastern tip of Franklin County, is considered one of the best areas in the Southeast to view the annual bird and butterfly migrations. At the far western end of the county, St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge is another popular layover for migrating birds and butterflies.

Some of the migrating bird species you might encounter on a quiet morning or late afternoon might include warblers, Peregrine Falcons, hawks and Bald Eagles.

Common migrating species of butterflies include the Gulf Fritillary and Monarch. The park opens at 8:00 am and closes at sundown. For more information about Bald Point State Park or St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge, visit SaltyFlorida.com. tallahassee

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best

BETS

Photos by Scott Holstein, Photoillustration by Saige Roberts

calendar | social studies | charity

SPOTLIGHT

» Be Merry at Lemoyne

A cherished Tallahassee tradition, the LeMoyne Center for the Visual Arts’ Holiday Show is returning to its roots.

When it began 47 years ago, all of the artwork offered for sale was handcrafted by local artists.

In recent years, the vast majority of the items sold — which are a major source of support for the organization’s operations — were massproduced elsewhere.

“Our goal is to bring in more art and less manufactured product,” says Ann Kozeliski, LeMoyne’s executive director.

The unique winter wonderland décor in the

five galleries of the Meginnis-Munroe building will capture this year’s theme “Its a Jolly Holiday, Be Merry.”

From 6–8 p.m. on Nov. 24, LeMoyne’s members will be the first to admire original photography, pottery and other artwork produced by 100 local and regional artists.

“It’s in the people’s benefit to be a member and come,” to the preview event, says Kozeliski, because artists are only required to produce six ornaments for the show — and when they’re gone, they’re gone.

Since 1989, LeMoyne has sold a special metal

ornament designed by patron Diane Sams.

“I try to make the ornament coincide with the theme each year,” says Sams. This year, her ornament, which can be personalized, depicts a dove holding an olive branch.

Each artist will sell one-of-a-kind handcrafted ornaments for prices starting at $15. Forty percent of the sale price is donated to LeMoyne.

Holiday hours are Tuesday–Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday 1–5 p.m. For nonmembers, a $2 donation is requested for admission. For more information about the holiday show, visit lemoyne.org. — Kimberly Dantica

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2011

BEST CATERER

MARKET DAYS Photo By WOODLAND FIELDS PHOTOGRAPHY

THANK YOU, TALLAHASSEE, FOR MAKING US #1.

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November–December 2011

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calendar NOVEMBER & DECEMBER Compiled by Kimberly Dantica and the Magazine Article Writing class of FAMU

Through Nov. 13 Dance Festival Exhibition Photographer Rick McCullough and students from the American Dance Festival in Durham, N.C. will showcase works from their permanent collection. FREE. FSU Museum of Fine Arts, 530 W. Call St. Mon–Fri 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Sat and Sun 1–4 p.m. Closed Nov. 11 for Veteran’s Day. (850) 644-6836, mofa.fsu.edu Through Nov. 20 ‘Cute and Creepy’ Exhibition More than 20 artists will be showcased in this exhibition of macabre and pop surrealism

pieces curated by internationally known artist Carrie Ann Baade. FREE. FSU Museum of Fine Arts, 530 W. Call St. Mon–Fri 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Sat and Sun. 1–4 p.m. Closed Nov. 11 for Veteran’s Day. (850) 644-1254, carrieannbaade.com/cuteandcreepy Through Dec 31 Quest for Quail This exhibit, which has been extended through year’s end, highlights Tallahassee’s hunting tradition and features the collection of hunting gear owned by Charlie Knott. FREE. Knott House Museum, 301 E. Park Ave. Wed–Fri 1–3 p.m., Sat 10 a.m.–3 p.m. (850) 922-2459, museumoffloridahistory.com Nov 3–13 70th Annual North Florida Fair This annual event has entertained North Florida for nearly 70 years with fun rides, games, animals, exhibits, family activities and, of course, fair food! Regular admission, $7 adults, $5 children. Advance tickets available. North Florida Fairgrounds, 441 Paul Russell Road.

(850) 878-FAIR, northfloridafair.com Nov. 2–3 ‘Shrek — the Musical’ What happens when you get a talking donkey, a feisty princess, an angry villain and a humble ogre to sing and dance on one stage? It’s Broadway musical comedy! Tallahassee Leon County Civic Center, 505 W. Pensacola St. 7:30 p.m. (850) 222-0400, tlcc.org

MARKET DAYS Photo By WOODLAND FIELDS PHOTOGRAPHY

best bet Nov. 4 Belt Buckle Ball The Tallahassee Signature Events Committee’s Belt Buckle Ball promises food, festivity and philanthropy. The event kicks off at 5:30 p.m. in The Space at Feather Oaks with cocktails until 6, followed by some of the South’s best barbeque and a presentation. At 7:30 the party starts with live music, Funny-Money Poker, a mechanical bull, Corn Hole and a live auction. All proceeds will benefit Shands Hospital for Children at the University of Florida in Gainesville, where many Tallahassee children and families travel for medical care that is not locally available. Tickets can be purchased for $75 each at shandsgiving.org.

Nov. 3–20 ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ The power of lust, love and greed take the stage by storm in Tennessee Williams’ Broadway classic tale of dysfunction in a Southern family. $21 adults, $17 seniors and students. Tallahassee Little Theatre, 1861 Thomasville Road. Nov. 3–6, 11–13 and 18–20. 8 p.m. Sun 2 p.m. (850) 224-8474, tallahasseelittletheatre.org Nov. 4–5 Mud Pie Event Here’s your exclusive opportunity to preview and shop the new Mud Pie Fall line at That’s Mine! Monogramming and Gifts. The Friday evening preview party, “All Things Sweet” from 5:30–8:30 will combine decadent desserts, Champagne, cocktails and Mud Pie delights. On Saturday, bring the little ones. A children’s Santa writing station and stocking stuffer table will be available while moms shop.

1460 Market St., Suite 2. (850) 668-8300

best bet Dec. 3–4 Market Days Shop an array of handmade fine arts, ceramics, pottery, sculptures, country furniture and jewelry during this 46th annual event, which has become a must-do for many Tallahasseeans at the beginning of the holiday shopping season. With 300 artists participating, it’s one of the Southeast’s largest arts and crafts festivals. A major fundraiser for the Tallahassee Museum and held at the North Florida Fairgrounds, Market Days offers great values to shoppers looking for the ideal stocking stuffer or a memorable present to share with future generations. Event hours are Saturday, 10 a.m–5 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m–4 p.m. Admission is $6 for adults and $4 for children ages 6–12. Or, buy a $25 early bird ticket, which includes breakfast and early admission at 8 a.m. For more information, visit marketdays.org.

Nov. 5 Fall Farm Days Celebrate the heritage of the Big Bend through engaging cultural activities at the Tallahassee Museum. Come and see an old-fashioned sugar cane grinding demonstration and enjoy the thick sweetness of authentic cane syrup. $9 adults, $6 children, $8.50 seniors. FREE for museum members and children 3 and under. 3945 Museum Drive. 10 a.m.–5 p.m. (850) 575-8684, tallahasseemusuem.org tallahassee

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events calendar Nov. 5 Night of Flight Enjoy an evening of live entertainment, delicious food and live auctions to support the Children’s Home Society of Florida. Proceeds will be used to help neglected, abused and vulnerable children in the Tallahassee community. Flightline Group of Tallahassee’s Private Hangar, Tallahassee Regional Airport, 3256 Capital Circle S.W. 7–10 p.m.

(850) 921-0772, chsfl.org/northcentral Nov. 6 17th Annual Punk’n Chunk’n Contest If you would like to be crowned Pumpkin King or Queen, this is the perfect post-Halloween event for you! Smash your pumpkin into the most pieces and you could be the winner. And don’t worry if you’re not athletic — scores are determined according to the weight of your pumpkin.

(850) 562-7287, mickeefaust.com Nov. 6 Forget-Me-Not Walk/Fall Festival Talk, eat and walk to raise money for The Alzheimer’s Project. A limited number of bicycle helmets will be given out to children

by The Pilot Club to “protect their brain for life.” St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 1700 N. Meridian Road. 1:30–4 p.m. Registration begins 1:30 p.m. (850) 386-2778, alzheimersproject.org Nov. 9–12 ‘Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters’ All ages will enjoy this Cinderella story about a South African king who has to choose between two beautiful sisters for his wife. $10 adults, $5 students and children.

FAMU Essential Theatre at Charles Winter Wood Theatre in Tucker Hall, 515 Orr Drive.

Wed–Fri 8 p.m., Sat 2 p.m. (850) 561-2840 famu.edu/essentialtheatre Nov. 11 and 18 Get Down in Midtown Tallahassee’s best musicians and bands will perform at this adult block party located inside and extended outside at the Krewe De Gras Midtown Tavern. $5. 1304 N. Monroe St. 6 p.m.–2 a.m. (850) 222-0378, facebook.com/krewedegras Nov. 11–20 ‘The Cat in the Hat’ The Young Actors Theatre kicks off its 36th season of shows with the Dr. Seuss classic story of a mischievous cat and a compassionate elephant tested by the powers of friendship, loyalty and family. Call for prices and show times. 609 Glenview Drive. (850) 386-6602, youngactorstheatre.com 64

Nov. 11–Jan. 23 Art in Gadsden Art aficionados and casual enthusiasts alike are invited to this annual signature event at the Gadsden Art Center. Art in Gadsden showcases the talents of about 100 artists living within a 200-mile radius of Quincy in a cross-section of different mediums and styles. $1 donation non-members, FREE for members and children. 13 N. Madison St., Quincy. (850) 875-4866, gadsdenarts.org Nov. 12 Let’s Play ‘Farm’ House Learn how it was to be a farmer in the 1880s at the Tallahassee Museum’s Big Bend Farm Day by dressing in period clothing, playing fun games and enjoying outdoor activities. $15. 3945 Museum Drive. 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

(850) 575-8684, tallahasseemuseum.org Nov. 13 Tallahassee Crop Walk Eliminating hunger at home and around the world is the goal of this community-wide event. FREE. (386) 734-3421, churchworldservice.org Nov. 13 Brandenberg Concerto No. 4 Be serenaded by The Tallahassee Bach Parley’s Baroque-inspired concert with music spotlighting on Johann Sebastian Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in ‘G’ Major.

The concert includes short commentaries to help the audience understand each piece.

FREE, $5 donation suggested. Free childcare available. St. John’s Episcopal Church, 211 N. Monroe St. 3–4:30 p.m. (850) 224-8025, tallahasseebachparley.org Nov. 18–19 The 3rd Annual Festival of Trees Holiday trees are decorated by local organizations and community partners — and available for purchase — to support Habitat for Humanity. The Brogan museum kicks off the festival with a preview reception Nov. 17 from 7–9 p.m. $50 preview reception, FREE Fri and Sat. Kleman Plaza, 350 S. Duval St. Fri. 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Sat. 9 a.m.–7 p.m.

(850) 284-5355, bigbendhabitat.org Nov. 19 Antique Tool Show and Sale Calling all collectors and fixer-upper types, this annual exhibition with vendors from throughout the Southeast showcases tools and implements from the 18th through the 20th centuries. $4 donation. Panhandle Pioneer Settlement, 17869 N.W. Pioneer Road, Blountstown. 7:30 a.m.–2 p.m.

(850) 674-2777, ppmuseum.org

best bet Dec. 3–4, 9–10 Alternative Christmas Markets Add new meaning to “it’s the thought that counts,” by purchasing a “gift” for your loved one that helps the disadvantaged.

A non-perishable food item is the price of admission to shop at two different churches hosting Alternative Christmas Markets. More than 30 local, national and regional nonprofits and charities will have booths on Dec. 3 from 9 a.m.–4 p.m. and from 1–4 p.m. Dec. 4, inside John Wesley United Methodist Church’s fellowship hall, located on 1689 Old. St. Augustine Road. Family and friends can make donations to nonprofits to fund specific items — such as a hammer for Habitat for Humanity or a day of home health care for Big Bend Cares — and get handlettered gift cards ready to mail or to place under the Christmas tree. Handcrafted fair-trade items will also be available to purchase. Proceeds from the market are used to help the homeless, hungry and poor in our community and throughout the world. For more information, visit alternativechristmasmarketjwc.com or call (850) 224-5857. If you miss this one, there’s another alternative market at Christ Presbyterian Church, located on 2317 Bannerman Road the next weekend, from 6–9 p.m. on Friday and 8 a.m.–1 p.m. on Saturday.

November–December 2011

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Nov. 19–20 16th Annual Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival This celebration of wildlife, sport and art celebrates Thomasville’s many plantations and cultural history. $10 adults, $5 children (age 5–11), FREE children (4 and under). Thomasville Center for the Arts, 600 E. Washington St., Thomasville, Ga. (229) 226-0588, pwaf.org Nov. 26 Sugar Cane Syrup Making Day Have something sweet after your big Thanksgiving meal by experiencing syrup making from start to finish. Learn this old rural tradition and watch “Papa’s Best Syrup” be made and bottled from locally grown sugar cane.

FREE, donations accepted. Blountstown, Fla. Panhandle Pioneer Settlement, 17869 N.W. Pioneer Road. 8 a.m.–3 p.m. (850) 674-2777, ppmuseum.org Nov. 26 17th Century Food Traditions Give thanks at this celebration of Spanish and Apalachee Indian food at Mission San Luis. Historically dressed experts will demonstrate traditional cooking and grilling styles using Native American and European plants while providing culinary history at this family friendly event. $5 adults, $3 seniors, $2 children ages 6-17, FREE for members, active military and children under age 5. 2100 W. Tennessee St. 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

(850) 245-6406, missionsanluis.org Nov. 28 ‘In the Heights’ In this Tony Award winning musical, experience a classic Manhattan story about dream chasing and finding your true home. Call box office for ticket prices. Tallahassee Leon County Civic Center, 505 W. Pensacola St. 7:30 p.m. (850) 222-0400, tlccc.org Nov. 29–Dec. 2 Prism Band Extravaganza From the orchestra to the drumline, this year’s concert features virtually every musical ensemble Florida State University has to offer. For more than 30 years, FSU musicians have come together to dazzle audience members in this unforgettable special event. $18. Ruby Diamond Concert Hall. Tue–Thur 7:30 p.m., Fri 8 p.m.

(850) 645-7949, music.fsu.edu Dec. 1–3 Art and Antiques Fair Experience the artistry of handcrafted items such as jewelry, enameled metals, ceramics, stained glass and much more. FREE.

Florida State University Museum of Fine Arts, 530 West Call St. Thur–Fri 10 a.m.– 6 p.m., Sat 10 a.m.–4 p.m. (850) 644-6836, mofa@fsu.edu Dec. 1–3, 8–10 ‘The Heidi Chronicles’ Wendy Wasserstein’s play follows art historian Heidi Holland as she experiences life through the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. $10 adult, $7 for seniors, $5 for students and children, FREE for TCC faculty/staff and students with ID. Turner Auditorium, Tallahassee Community College, 444 Appleyard Drive. 8 p.m.

(850) 201-9882, tcc.fl.edu

best bet Dec. 9–11 Junior League Jingle Jubilee Oh joy! Ring in the season with a weekend of shopping and holiday fun at Jingle Jubilee. More than 250 vendors will be on hand to help you check off items from your Christmas shopping list.

In addition, there are two seatings for Breakfast With Santa on Saturday and entertainment throughout the event.

The ultimate holiday shopping experience is being held at the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center, 505 W. Pensacola St. Hours are Friday, noon–9 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.–9 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for children 6–12 and children under 6 are free. Or, buy a three-day pass $12. Tickets are available for purchase at the door. For more information, visit jltallahassee.org. tallahassee

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events calendar Dec. 2 Children’s Winter Wonderland Exhibit Explore the world of a child’s imagination with the winter-themed artwork by talented Leon County elementary and middle school students. FREE. 621 Gallery, 621 Industrial Road in Railroad Square. 6–9 p.m.

(850) 224-6163, 621gallery.org Dec. 2–3 ‘Change It Up III … Trippin’ Out!’ Poetry and hip-hop fans are welcome to experience songs and spoken word shared by poets, emcees and actors as they explore socio-political consciousness. Includes adult language. $10 adult, $5 for students with ID. Essential Theatre, 208 Tucker Hall, FAMU campus. Fri 10 p.m., Sat 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.

(850) 561-2840, famu.edu/essentialtheatre Dec. 2–4 The Nutcracker: A Diversity Celebration Tchaikovsky’s compositions take a colorful, diverse twist in this multicultural production of the famous ballet. Performed by the World Ballet, dancers will perform in traditional garments from destinations such as Russia, Arabia, India, China and the Philippines. ABC 27 news anchor Abbie Phillips and the Florida A&M University dance team, the Strikers, will make guest appearances in the production. $25 adults, $20 for college students with ID, $20 for seniors. Lee Hall Auditorium, FAMU campus. Fri–Sat 7:30 p.m, Sun 4:30 p.m. worldballetinc.com

www.vocellesbridal.com 1240 Thomasville Rd. Tallahassee, FL (850) 841-7663

By Appointment

Dec. 2–11 ‘The Seafarer’ Come and enjoy the laughter and excitement in this tale of four Irishmen and a mysterious stranger celebrating Christmas with whiskey, card games and bit of luck. $13.

Fri–Sat 8 p.m., Sun 2 p.m. Tallahassee Little Theatre, 1861 Thomasville Road. 8 p.m.

(850) 383-0087, judyg@nettally.com Dec. 3–4 Market Days 2011 Buy your holiday gifts at the Southeast’s largest arts and crafts show. This major fundraiser for the Tallahassee Museum features the works of about 300 artists and craft workers. $25 early bird tickets include breakfast and early admission at 8 a.m. $6 adults. $4 children ages 6–12. North Florida Fairgrounds. Sat. 10 a.m–5 p.m. Sun. 10 a.m– 4 p.m. marketdays.org Dec. 3 Riley Museum Rock-a-thon Join church organizations and several communities as they rock to raise funds for

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the Riley House Museum. Visit with family and friends and enjoy live entertainment and fresh food from around the world.

FREE. 419 E. Jefferson St. 9 a.m.–3 p.m., (850) 681- 7881, info@rileymuseum.org Dec. 3 Downtown Winter Festival Tallahassee kicks off the holiday season with this popular festival featuring lights, holiday music and arts and crafts. The popular Jingle Bell Run starts at 6:15 p.m. and is followed a nighttime holiday parade at 7:15 p.m. Run registration, $12 children under 11, $15 for all other ages. Downtown Tallahassee. (850) 891-3860, talgov.com Dec. 4 Handel’s ‘Messiah’ Sing-a-long Presented by Tallahassee Music Guild, this annual event is sure to get you in the holiday spirit. First Presbyterian Church, 2200 North Meridian Road 7:30 p.m. Contact Tucker Biddlecombe at (850) 668-8976, l-p-c.net/Advent07.html Dec. 6 Seasonal Celebration Concert This 24th collaboration of the FSU choirs and Tallahassee Community Chorus is the perfect start to the holiday season. It showcases more than 12 ensembles and 600 talented singers. $10 adults, $5 students, children and seniors. Ruby Diamond Concert Hall, 600 College Ave. 7:30 p.m.

(850) 645-7949, tcchorus.org Dec. 8 Harmonious Holiday Concert Enjoy a four-part harmony with the Capital Chordsmen at their annual Christmas concert. $12.50, $10 seniors and students. 7 p.m. Tallahassee Senior Center, 1400 N. Monroe St. (850) 224- 7729, capitalchordsmen.org Dec. 8 4th Annual Divas & Dessert The Business and Professional Women/Tallahassee host this community event to help women suffering from breast cancer. University Center Club, Futch Ballroom. 8 p.m.

Contact Kara O’Ferrell at (850) 321-0785, pr@bpwtallahassee.com Dec. 8–9 Victorian Christmas Turn-of-the-century holiday enchantment awaits you in downtown Thomasville.

Experience the reenactment of the nativity scene, shop through the Victorian craft village and drift through the historic streets full of twinkling lights, holiday aromas, carolers

and elegant carriage rides with jingle bells.

FREE. Downtown Thomasville. 6–10 p.m.

(229) 227-7020, downtownthomasville.com Dec. 9 ‘Rain’ A Tribute to the Beatles The Beatles have returned! Well not exactly, but when you watch this tribute band perform the fab four’s hit classics, it’s hard to distinguish them from the actual group. $39–$78. Tallahassee-Leon Civic Center.

7:30 p.m. (850)222-0400, tlccc.org Dec. 10 Havana Holiday Festival and Lawn Mower Parade Whoever heard of making a parade float from a lawn mower or golf cart? Imaginations run wild at this family-fun event filled with live music, food, games, crafts and rides for the kids. Participants can choose themes for their floats and each is judged separately with cash prizes totaling up to $300. FREE. Downtown Havana. Festival 10 a.m–6 p.m, Parade 1 p.m. Call Sandy Beare at (850) 539-7422, downtownhavana.com Dec. 10 ‘Holiday Magic’ The Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra presents “Holiday Magic.” This year’s musical festival will include Sal Viviano, Baritone and the award-winning Florida A&M University Concert Choir. 8–10:30 p.m.

(850) 224-0461 Dec.11–12 Plantation Family Christmas Embrace the holiday spirit under the lush magnolias and stately pines of Pebble Hill Plantation. Bring your friends and family by the carload for only $20 to this event.

The main house will be decorated and open to visitors. Live holiday music and delights such as hot cups of cocoa, cider and gingerbread men will served. Storytelling, wagon rides, arts and crafts and a visit from Santa are planned to delight the children. 1251 U.S. Highway 319 South, Thomasville, Ga. 5–8 p.m. Call (229) 227-5382, pebblehill.com Dec. 13 Tallahassee Civic Chorale Fall Concert The night will be filled with a variety of Christmas carols set to engage all ages from “The First Noel” to “O Be Joyful”. FREE for TCC students, Non-TCC students $5, seniors $5, adults $7, $1 off general admission for early bird tickets. Turner Auditorium, TCC campus, 444 Appleyard Drive. (850) 942-1893, civicchorale.org

best bet Dec. 10 Urban Disturbance Care to take a leisurely 5-mile jog around downtown on a Saturday morning? If so, then Urban Disturbance is definitely not for you. This race includes 15 interactive obstacles designed to test your physical strength and mental resolve and push you to your limit. The event starts and ends at “Victory Park,” based out of Railroad Square, and takes participants on a loop up Gaines Street, through Cascades Park, and down Monroe Street, College Avenue and Pensacola Street. Along the way are a variety of obstacles at downtown landmarks such as the Capitol and Kleman Plaza, where spectators are invited to watch the racers. The challenges haven’t been finalized, but could include fire, tires, water, buses, logs and sumo wrestlers.

The event runs from 9 a.m.–2:30 p.m., and Victory Park will also have interactive displays, a kids’ obstacle course and vendors. Individual registration is $75 and $10 for the kids’ course. For more information and to register, visit theurbandisturbance.com.

Dec. 13 Commemorative Mass at Mission San Luis This experience will remind you what the holidays are all about. Then, spend the rest of the day exploring this historic site with self-guided site tours. FREE. 2100 W. Tennessee St. 2 p.m. (850) 245-6406, missionsanluis.org tallahassee

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Dec. 15 Elf Night Get into the holiday spirit with friends and family by coming out and enjoying this year’s winter wonderland. There will be amazing lights, holiday treats and a visit from Santa and his happy helpers. FREE. 3205 Thomasville Road, 5:30–9 p.m.

(850) 891-3915, talgov.com/park Dec. 15–18 ‘A Tuna Christmas’ This Christmas feast will be far from traditional, join the holiday fun with the loony characters of Tuna, Texas. A sequel to “Greater Tuna,” the citizens prepare for the town’s annual Christmas yard display contest, but a mysterious “Christmas Phantom” known for vandalizing yard displays threatens to ruin the contest. $21 adults, $17 students. Thur–Sat 8 p.m, Sun 2 p.m., Tallahassee Little Theatre, 1861 Thomasville Road.

(850) 224-8474, tallytheatre.org Dec. 17 ‘The Snow Queen’ Join the Killearn Performing Arts & Tallahassee Irish Step Dancers on their musical journey to the palace of the beautiful, but devilish, snow queen. The main character, Colleen, goes on a journey to rescue her love, Patrick. $10 adults, $5 children.

Lawton Chiles Performing Arts Center, 7200 Lawton Chiles Lane. (850) 443-7512 Dec. 17–18 ‘The Nutcracker’ The handsome Nutcracker Prince with his toy soldier army, the evil Mouse King and the lovely Clara come alive on pointed toes with the Tallahassee Ballet’s production the ballet set to classic tunes by Tchaikovsky. A live orchestra will accompany the production. A shortened version of the ballet for children also will be performed. $20–$35. Ruby Diamond Concert Hall. Sat 10:30 a.m. is the children’s performance, 8 p.m. opening night, Sun 2:30 p.m. tallahasseeballet.org Dec. 31 What a Year in Revue Join Florida’s musically twisted cabaret The Laughing Stock Troupe as they create original music parodies and give a tuneful spin of this year’s political events. Local celebrities are not immune to the troupe’s witty remarks. $10. Time and location TBA (850) 841-4063, facebook.com/groups/32118208825 n 70

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URBAN MINI DIAMOND, DIAMOND DIAL

3501 THOMASVILLE ROAD • 850-893-4171 • www.gemcollection.com tallahassee

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BEST HIBACHI

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Cards for a Cure: 1. Kathy Brooks and Diana Cureton 2. Nancy Click, Jen White, Shannon Grooters, Betsy Couch and Ali Ginn 3. Andrew Keltner, Derek Strickland, Travis Miller and Todd Taylor 4. Cheryl Kuhlo, Shelley and Greg Nelson, Sherri Ramsey and Kim Barnard 5. Chollet Dunbar and Karena Miller 6. Michelle Pullam and Darcy Cabell 7. Amy Kelly, Eric and Andrea Friall, Steffany Lendon, Cal Brooks and Sarah Nan Haney 8. Jimmy and Coleen Minor with Charlene and Darren Thompson 9. Mike and Kelli Hadden [Photos by Lawrence Davidson] tallahassee

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OLD SCHOOL OPEN WINE DINNER AND AUCTION 2011 BENEFITING KIDz 1st FUND: 1. Adam Corey, Jimbo Fisher, Dustin McQuillan and Jordan Kirby 2. Tara Trickett and Candi Fisher 3. Bob Carnes, Devoe Moore and Steven Lohbeck 4. Larry Strom, Drew Weatherford, Jon Shirazi and Eric Carr Second Annual Celebration of Women: 5. Maggie Chavez and Chandler Collins 6. Carin Butler, Andrea Jones and Jeanne Kimball 7. Janet Stoner, Laura Osteen, Alicia Crew and Dianne Anderson 8. Karen Cooley and Angela Hardiman Cole [Photos by Robin Adams and Old School-Ryals Lee] tallahassee

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“We put your family in our family medicine” Thank you Tallahassee for voting Patients First as Best Family Practice.

2011

BEST FAMILY PRACTICE

Your Neighborhood Medical Center 7 locations providing you with quality family care.

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Distinguished Leadership Awards: 1. Karen Moore, Michael and Karinda Barrett, Harriett Abrams and Debbie Robinson 2. Josefina Tamayo, Martha Barnett and Nina Ashenafi-Richardson 3. Dennis Jones, Jack Campbell and William Smith 4. Audrey and Mickey Moore and Sharon Davis 5. Davisson Dunlap, George Smith, Andy and Beth Fink 6. Cecile Reynaud and Allison Tant Richard 7. Jeff and Sally Bond and Carla de Baldo; Young Actors Theatre ‘Hairspray�: 8. Gil Ziffer, Worth Williams Hages, Mike Hages 9. Margie Fletcher, Julie Montanaro and Lori Danello Roberts [Photos by Marjorie Stone and courtesy Young Actors Theatre]

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A different season is here start it off with a fresh look.

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BEST EYE SPECIALIST

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Big Bend Cares Aids Walk: 1. Katie Hood, Jaimen Gabourel, Tiffany Spikes and Alyssa Crawford 2. Abbey Cunningham, Ben Ivey, Carrie Henderson and Lisa Cook 3. Angela Rivera and Yatevia Manning Senator Hodges Memorial Dinner fundraiser at Goodwood Plantation & Museum: 4. Martha Barnett, Sandy D’Alemberte, Patsy Palmer and Tillie Allen 5. Frank and Sara Shaw 6. Rick Barnett, Carol Hart, Jane Aurell and Dee Beranek 7. Wallie Beall, Carrol Dadisman, Fred Gaskse and Gloria Rounsaville [Photos by Caroline Conway and Jim Ashlock] tallahassee

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A MESSAGE FROM JIM MURDAUGH November/December 2011

A Newsletter for the TCC Foundation

Jim Murdaugh, President Tallahassee Community College

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hat an exciting autumn! On August 29, TCC students began attending classes in the new Ghazvini Center for Healthcare Education, where they have access to facilities, technology and community partnerships that will transform healthcare education in our community. At the helm of this important enterprise is Dr. Alice Nied, whose decades of experience as a practitioner and educator have prepared her to help the center reach its vast potential. She is surrounded by dynamic faculty and staff and talented students who are a credit to TCC and a tremendous resource for this community. I think you’ll enjoy learning more about them in this newsletter.

Spotlight on the Healthcare Center

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h e G h a z v i n i C e n t e r for Healthcare Education gives us a unique opportunity to help build a healthier tomorrow for our community. Its state-of-the-art classrooms, laboratories and simulation center provide realistic training with the technologies and procedures used in today’s healthcare settings. The library and learning commons provide onsite academic support to assist students as they become professional healthcare practitioners. The Healthcare Center’s proximity to hospitals,

medical offices and other facilities will enable our students to connect with future employers and will give current healthcare professionals a convenient setting in which to update their skills.

As we grow, we will increase the number of healthcare students TCC graduates, helping meet the need for healthcare services in the Big Bend and Florida.

—Alice Nied, Dean, Division of Healthcare Professions

Campaign Focuses on Continuing Priority

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ow will we advance the quality of healthcare in our community and preserve access to essential services for our citizens? How can we ensure that our community offers the kind of quality of life that will attract employers to the region?

Robin Johnston, executive director of the TCC Foundation, suggests that the answer to both of these questions is the same: we must train to the highest standards suffi cient numbers of healthcare professionals to meet our community’s growing needs. The Ghazvini Center for Healt h care Edu c a t i o n i s a n i m p o r t a n t part of the solution, but the job is far from done. That’s why the Foundation’s Healthcare Provision and Excellence Campaign will continue to focus on six areas of critical importance: Instructional Excellence: T h e C o l l e g e must attract and retain outstanding educators and support them with effective professional development resources.

Student Support: TCC must continue to support the onsite library and learning commons to help students get the most out of their education and become the

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leaders of a new generation of healthcare professionals.

Scholarships: Given the immense need for well-trained healthcare professionals, TCC wants to ensure that every qualifi ed student is given an opportunity to succeed. Scholarships are an investment in the community and its ability to provide high-quality healthcare.

Simulation Center: The sim center offers a safe environment in which students can practice medical procedures. Simulated patients respond to treatment, while instructors monitor students’ clinical skills, provide feedback and plan for additional instruction. It is vital that the technology available in the simulation center keeps pace with the technology used in healthcare settings.

Expanding Dental Programs: TCC’s dental programs will improve instructional quality by upgrading equipment and expanding curriculum to ensure that students stay current with the latest professional practices.

Expanding into New Fields: Technology and demographics will change the nature of healthcare. Responding to these

John Hogan, CEO of Capital Health Plan and Honorary Chair of the Healthcare Provision and Excellence Campaign

changes may mean adding new programs in cutting-edge fields such as surgical (Continued) technology.

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home, including basic health practices, h o m e m a k e r s k i l l s a n d e m e rg e n c y procedures.

Nursing (R.N.): The nursing program’s graduates are in demand locally as well as throughout the state and nation.

N u r s i n g A s s i s t a n t : This program prepares students for employment as nursing assistants in long-term care facilities, clinics, home care and hospitals.

Students learn to meet basic patient needs related to safety, vital signs, comfort and activities of daily living.

Health Information Management Medical Administrative Specialist Medical Billing and Coding National Health Records Specialist These programs prepare students to perform support functions in a medical office, from coding patients’ medical records to helping doctors and nurses understand how to use data to help patients.

Dental Programs: The dental care programs are located on TCC’s main campus, where dental students continue to benefit from the opportunity to use their skills to serve patients at the onsite clinic.

Dental Hygiene: This program prepares students to clean patients’ teeth, make x-rays and apply decay preventatives.

Dental Assisting: This program prepares students to assist a dentist during treatment, prepare dental instruments and take impressions of patients’ teeth.

Nursing students demonstrate infant patient simulation

TCC Programs Turn Students into Healthcare Heroes W

hether it’s a routine visit to a physician’s office or a stay in a high-tech intensive care unit, healthcare is about people—those who receive it and those who provide it.

TCC’s healthcare programs are designed to educate students who will become leaders in their professions.

Radiologic Technology: A radiographer produces x-rays of patients’ internal structures.

Diagnostic Medical Sonography: Sonographers use ultrasound equipment to produce images of internal body structures.

This program provides an avenue of advancement for those who have already been trained in radiologic technology.

Respiratory Care: Respiratory therapists participate in the diagnosis and care of persons with cardiopulmonary diseases. They have

expertise in artificial ventilation, resuscitation and airway management.

Emergency Medical Technology: Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) perform emergency care procedures, primarily in the emergency vehicle and the emergency department of a hospital.

Registered EMTs may advance their career by completing paramedic training.

P a r a m e d i c : This program includes simulations, laboratory practice and supervised on-the job performance in an intensive care vehicle.

Pharmacy Technician: This program prepares students to complete tasks under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist.

Homemaker Health Companion: This program covers the practices required to care for individuals with special needs in their

To fi nd out how you can enroll in a healthcare program at TCC, contact: Division of Healthcare Professions (850) 558-4500 | healthedu@tcc.fl .edu

Campaign Continues (continued from front) The Healthcare Provision and Excellence Campaign will continue to enlist support for these important goals. The campaign is led by the past president of the TCC Foundation board of directors, attorney Douglas Bell; John Hogan, CEO of Capital Health

Plan, is the honorary chair. Serving as solicitation division chairs are Pam Butler, Murray Moore, Almena Pettit, Allison Tant, Greg Thomas and Polly White.

“This really is a critical time for healthcare and for TCC’s healthcare

programs,” said Johnston. “Please consider the impact your donation will have on our community’s future.”

To learn how you can support TCC’s Healthcare Provision and Excellence Campaign, visit TCChealth.org or call (850) 201-8580.

Tallahassee Community College Foundation 2011 Board of Directors OFFICERS:

DIRECTORS

Mary L. Pankowski, President John Thomas, Vice President Susan Payne Turner, Secretary Rick Weidner, Secretary-Elect John W. Lentz, Treasurer Jimmy Suber, Treasurer-Elect Douglas S. Bell, Past President Pamella Butler, At-Large Officer Greg Thomas, At-Large Officer

Marshall Cassedy, Jr. Max T. Clark Patrick H. Dallet Kim Dixon Wayne Edwards R. Jai Gillum Major B. Harding Frank Holcomb

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Darrin Holloman Mike Illers Pamela A. Johnson Kim KellingEngstrom Summer Knight David Miller Almena Pettit

Russell B. Rainey Curtis Richardson Brian Rowland Winnie Schmeling Michele Shapley Allison Tant Polly White

Ex-Officio Jim Murdaugh J. Allison DeFoor, II Cal Brooks

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is now a party house with a full roster of about 100 members.

This is in no way your college boy’s sticky-floored, beat-up-furniture frat house. On its webs ite (fsuoldschool.org) they declare Old School “everything you wish you had in college, but better.” The four partners each have the use of a fully appointed suite and common living room, dining room and kitchen facilities. But the exterior — which took up about half of the $1 million in renovations done to the facility, according to Corey — makes it a showplace.

While the Pensacola Street frontage is tidy and low-key, like a mullet hairdo, there’s definitely a party in the back. The

lot runs downhill to West Lafayette Street and the backyard includes an infinity pool, hot tub, cabanas, multiple levels of decking and extensive landscaping. The facility is fairly low key most of the year, but on home-game football weekends, upwards of 300 to 400 people will be milling about the decks, enjoying an open bar, chef-prepared food and live bands. Golf carts and Jeeps are available to deliver fans to the stadium for kickoff.

Each member — who must be greenlighted by one of the godfathers — pays $1,200 annually for membership. Somewhat pricey, but each member is allowed to invite four guests per game, which averages out to a not-so-unreasonable

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Photos By Jeb McVittie

with an impeccable pedigree — it had most recently been rented by a fraternity.

With drink machines on the front lawn, a crumbling deck, overgrown weeds and a kudzu-covered facade it was, in a word, a dump. But, it was the top of the real estate market at the time, so the dump ended up costing $425,000. By the time Tallahassee’s version of Old School was operating, four “godfathers” had invested in the project.

Renovations began and while they were underway in November 2006, the group had its first “rush party.”

“That first party there were 60, 70 people that just showed up, mainly from Tampa,” said Corey. Interest grew from there and “your fraternity away from home”

The facility is fairly low key most of the year, but on home-game football weekends, upwards of 300 to 400 people will be milling about the decks, enjoying an open bar, chef-prepared food and live bands. Golf carts and Jeeps are available to deliver fans to the stadium for kickoff.

Photos By Jeb McVittie

‘TAILGATING’ IN STYLE This ain’t your college kid’s frat house. Amenities at Old School include a hot tub and infinity pool. Founding “godfathers” for the group (right) include Adam Corey, Lance Barton and Scott Roix.

$40 per person, per game. The youngest member is in his mid-20s and the oldest is in his 70s (there are also “two or three” women), but the typical Old Schooler is around 40 and married with children, so the game-day events are designed to be family friendly.

Old School also owns a building next door that includes a huge game room and an outdoor basketball court that are attractive to youngsters. The group was originally intending to develop game-day condos, but the anemic economy has put that project on the back burner, Corey said.

Creating an old-boy frat house has had at least a couple unintended consequences.

For one, it created a sense of anticipation

and fun during some of the Seminoles’ lean years, according to Corey. “Instead of the game being the only fun part of coming to Tallahassee, it’s the social interaction and friendships that seem as powerful as being part of that Seminole family,” he said.

The group has also allowed some of FSU’s most well-to-do grads — many are multi-million-dollar donors to the university and the Boosters — to concentrate their philanthropic efforts.

In September, during the Oklahoma game weekend, the group sponsored its first Old School Open at SouthWood Golf Club. When it came time to select a charity to support with the golf tournament’s proceeds, the choice was obvious: the Kidz 1st Fund, created by Head Coach Jimbo Fisher and his wife, Candi, to fund education, family support and research for Fanconi’s Anemia. Last year, it was revealed that the couple’s six-year-old son, Ethan, had been struck by this rare genetic

disease and both are using their high profile to raise funds in the quest for a cure.

Old School hosted a $500-a-couple wine dinner on the night before the tournament, which featured a live auction of fabulous vacations and sports memorabilia. Corey said the group was hoping to raise $50,000 for Kidz 1st, but the check presented to Candi Fisher at the end of the tourney was double that amount.

While he was working for FSU, Corey said he traveled to most of the football team’s away games and never saw an organization like Old School.

“People always bring guests that are from other schools and everybody always says, ‘Oh my gosh, this is amazing.

We need to do this at our own place.’

It’s something you appreciate hearing,” he said. “Who knows? At some point, we would love to open up some more of these and share the friendships that have been created.” n tallahassee

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Photo by Scott Holstein

There’s something about Florida State fans. They do know how to get worked up for their beloved Seminoles. They’ll be there, do that and most definitely buy the T-shirt — especially if it says something rotten about the Gators. They’ll bring the house down when the flaming spear is thrust into the midfield logo. They’ll tomahawk chop until they get tendonitis.

They’ll subscribe to Warchant and parse Jimbo Fisher’s every utterance.

But only a chosen few can reach the pinnacle and become “Superfans.” Here are two stories of people who have most definitely earned the title — Tallahassee’s Jimmy and Betty Lou Joanos and a group of guys who have joined together and call themselves Old School.

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GARNEt AND GOLDEN For a Half Century, Jimmy and Betty Lou Joanos Have Supported FSU, On the Field and Off By Virginia Newman

Photo by Scott Holstein

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n the stadium, on the couch or at the computer, Seminole fans are passionate about Florida State University sports. ’Noles show their pride in scores of ways, but two FSU “Super ’Noles” are supreme sports fans who have also demonstrated their love for FSU for many years in an impressive number of other capacities.

Through more than a half-century of association with FSU, Betty Lou and Jimmy Joanos have cheered the school on through momentous years of sports history and personally amassed an admirable number of achievements for the school, both individually and together.

Graduating in 1956 and 1957, they were students during the “growing pains”

years when Florida State was emerging from a small college into a large university. “We got something from Florida State when we were here, and we’ve had the opportunity to repay some of the favor,” Jimmy said.

Among their honors, they are the only husband and wife who have each served as head of the national alumni association.

They were co-grand marshals of the 1991 Homecoming parade. They were recently listed among “100 Distinguished Graduates” by the FSU Alumni Association on the occasion of the 2009 centennial celebration of the university.

“We often call Jimmy and Betty Lou FSU’s ‘First Couple,’” said FSU Alumni Affairs Director Scott Atwell. “They are

prototype alumni, who care for the university on every level.”

Said Jim Melton, retired Alumni Affairs director, “I can think of no family that has a more direct connection to the university.

Say the Joanos name, and Florida State are the next words heard every time.”

Sports Fans They show their FSU pride in many ways.

Betty Lou has a stylish wardrobe, all in the school colors of garnet and gold. And we’re not talking game-day T-shirts and shorts. Think glamorous gold cocktail dress or a smartly tailored garnet pantsuit — she has a huge selection of clothes in a gorgeous array of garnet and gold styles and shades.

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and analysis, he has been called the ultimate FSU sports historian. His columns can be accessed in the Wakulla Times or online at nolefan.org (click on “Garnet and Old” articles). He crowned his most recent series of articles with a comprehensive piece titled “FSU Football History in a Nutshell.” It’s a must-read for any Seminole fan who wants to know what happened — and when — in FSU football.

They try to attend every bowl game FSU plays in, and are Golden Chiefs — the top tier of FSU supporters — holding perennial season tickets for football, baseball and basketball. Their sports interest spreads throughout Florida State athletics. Whether it’s girls’ volleyball and basketball, golf or

tennis — they want to be spectators in the stands joining in the Seminole war chant.

This is how deep their devotion goes: Betty Lou and Jimmy have a gold car that sports the FSU logo and Sociology Professor Pat Martin once wrote, “I think Betty Lou’s and Jimmy’s commitment to FSU is so strong that they chose a house on Seminole Drive as a sign of loyalty and commitment to Florida State.”

Their supreme homage to Florida State is their game-day condo near Doak Campbell Stadium. Acquired because of its proximity to FSU’s football and baseball fields, it is a Seminole fan’s paradise — filled to the brim with a priceless collection of FSU sports memorabilia of every

Photos by Scott Holstein

She explains that she started this practice back in the early days when FSU-wear was non-existent. To show support, Betty Lou and friends sewed and painted shirts with logos and slogans. Later, even after Seminole fashions came on the market, “I just continued my promotion by wearing our school colors,” she said. Now, “There is little time for sewing, so I shop garnet and gold wherever we go — from flea markets to consignment stores to mail order to large and small stores. Jimmy makes a lot of my FSU jewelry.”

They are walking encyclopedias of stories about the history of the school. Jimmy has written dozens of articles about FSU sports. Because of his extensive research November–December 2011

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Photos by Scott Holstein

SEMINOLE OVERLOAD Floor-to-ceiling, in every room of their game-day condo near Doak Campbell Stadium, Betty Lou and Jim Joanos display their incredible collection of Florida State memorabilia.

type and description. Every big game, big moment and milestone is represented as all the walls are lined and all the floor space is filled with Seminole sports mementos.

Jimmy grew up in Tallahassee and saw his first football game when he was about 14. Hooked, he started collecting memorabilia and has never stopped. His collection is so extensive it is believed to be unrivaled by private owners. The condo is a museum of treasures. Upstairs and down, even in bathrooms and in the kitchen — the entire condo is a shrine to Florida State University.

He has every Booster car tag since they began being issued in 1954. A shadowbox holds Deion Sanders figurines. Another

holds bobble-head figures representing all FSU sports. There are posters, pins, photos, balls, football jerseys, bedspreads, refrigerator magnets, belt buckles, dishes, helmets, decals, piggy banks — even toilet seat covers.

There are many signed footballs, as well as signed baseball bats from J.D. Drew and Buster Posey and mitts from Deion Sanders and Dick Howser. Jimmy won’t say exactly how he got them, but notes from a Bobby Bowden game plan for the 1998 Florida-Florida State game (Final score: Florida State 23, Florida 12) somehow came into their hands. They have a signed souvenir copy of Charley Ward’s Heisman trophy.

Other treasures include: A huge poster signed by supermodel Gabrielle Reese and the women’s volleyball team; a tribute poster for defensive coach Mickey Andrews on his retirement; the nostalgic sign from Bobby Bowden’s last bowl game in Jacksonville at the Gator Bowl, reading “Thanks Bobby;” the poignant photo that clearly shows Lane Fenner making that touchdown against Florida that was ruled invalid; a prized photo of the inaugural 1947 FSU football squad; a triumphant Chief Osceola atop Renegade; a feathered spear, pointing visitors upstairs; and a copy of a funny cartoon Bobby Bowden drew.

And yes, there is an oversized copy of the famous Burt Reynolds’ Cosmopolitan magazine centerfold.

When asked if there is an inventory, Jimmy responds, “I just collect for the memories, not the value. I can’t keep up with all this. It’s just for fun.”

Committed to FSU Excellence Their list of FSU honors is extensive. Betty Lou retired several years ago as Florida State’s associate director of Alumni Affairs.

She currently serves as national president of the FSU Emeritus Board, which coordinates activities for alumni who graduated 50 or more years ago. Now retired as a judge (he served on the 1st District Court of Appeals of Florida), Jimmy was tallahassee

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Photo Courtesy Jimmy and Betty Lou Joanos, opposite page by Jeb Mcvittie

In the days when attending the coma member of the four-person committee Their first date was Homecoming weekmencement ceremony was compulsory, that established the FSU College of Law end, which progressed to a fraternity pinBetty Lou received special permission to and selected its first three deans. ning and an engagement. He was president forego the graduation ceremony because Outstanding alums, both have been of Sigma Chi and she became the SweetJimmy had military orders to report for chosen for membership in the Circle of heart of Sigma Chi, inspiring their Greek duty in the Air Force. They lived in BosGold, the FSU Alumni Association’s highbrothers and sisters to recognize their enton and New Haven, Conn., staying on est honor. In 1993, the Panhellenic Assogagement by throwing them into the Westafter his military service so Jimmy could ciation named their outstanding sorority cott fountain — along with 500 pounds of graduate from Yale Law School. They represident award the Betty Lou Joanos ice added for the January dunking when turned to Tallahassee in 1962, and Betty Award. In 2005, the alumni association Jimmy’s fraternity brothers decided the Lou went on to gain a master’s degree in presented Jimmy with the Bernard Sliger water wasn’t cold enough. home economic education from Florida Award, its highest award for service to They were married the week before her A&M University in 1976 and a doctorate the university. graduation. in educational leadership from One of the Alumni Center’s Florida State in 1985. conference rooms was named Retired Marine Corps Genin Betty Lou’s honor when she eral Mike Sheridan and his wife, retired from FSU. Family and Nancy, have been their friends friends established a memorial since college days and they regarden for her late parents, Julia member Betty Lou and Jimmy and James Whittle of Gadsden in leadership roles then and County, adjacent to the Longthrough the following decades. mire Alumni Building.

“Even as students, they were acBetty Lou’s position in alumni tive in leadership roles for the affairs has taken them to meet university,” said Gen. Sheridan. with Seminole Clubs worldwide.

“They’ve never stopped.”

The clubs are organized groups Betty Lou served as a developof alumni, friends and fans who ment officer at the FSU Foundaget together to celebrate and tion for the College of Commusupport the school’s athletic nication and Education, before and academic missions. “There taking her post with the Alumni is even a Seminole Club at the Association.

Vatican. We have grads everyThey are now grandparents. where,” said Betty Lou. Of course, all three of the JoaSeminole Booster Director Charnos children graduated from lie Barnes emphasizes the couple’s FSU. The family could field its importance by saying, “I’ve travown baseball team, as four of eled with them everywhere, and Jimmy’s siblings also are Florida nobody represents Florida State State grads. with more fun and flair.”

A tribute from Jimmy’s SigWhen they decided in their 40s ma Chi fraternity perhaps sums to become runners, they didn’t it all up: “The real story is not do things halfway. Wearing FSU what Jimmy and Betty Lou togs, they ran in 13 marathons have accomplished, it is how — including Boston, New York, they have done it. They did it Chicago, London, Berlin and the Honor Roll by supporting one another and original Greek marathon (twice, were physically there during as a tribute to Jimmy’s heritage).

Betty Lou Joanos various activities and during They don’t run in marathons College of Human Sciences Vision Award times of honor to be the first anymore, but they’re still moving Ross Oglesby Award to congratulate their spouse for and shaking things up for FSU. FSU Alumni Association Circle of Gold (inducted 1996) another job well done. They are Jimmy grew up in Tallahassee FSU Emeritus Society Award of Excellence. proud of one another and what and Betty Lou came from nearby Mores Torch Award (given by the FSU Faculty Senate they have been able to accomQuincy. They met as undergradfor contributions to excellence at FSU) plish together.” uates at Florida State. He was a Scott Atwell echoes that sen“big man on campus,” holding Jimmy Joanos timent, saying, “On a personal offices as president of Omicron Outstanding Alumnus Award, Gold Key level, I have a great love for the Delta Kappa (ODK), president Alumnus of the Year, ODK history of FSU and very much enof Sigma Chi, Gold Key and vice Distinguished Public Administration Alumnus joy their generosity in sharing the president of the student body.

Co-Chair, FSU Ten Days of Gold Celebration (1996) wealth of institutional knowledge Betty Lou was a Pi Beta Phi soBernard Sliger Award (2005) they have for FSU. They are just rority member, circus star, Garnet Permanent chair, FSU class of 1956 plain fun to be around.” n Key member and class officer.

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Photo Courtesy Jimmy and Betty Lou Joanos, opposite page by Jeb Mcvittie

PARTY ROCKIN’ Members and their guests enjoy hospitality before the Kentucky game at Old School.

Kickin’ it ‘Old School’ Style FSU Grads Create a Party House for Football Game Day Fun — and to Support a Worthy Cause By Rosanne Dunkelberger

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ack in the early aughts, Adam Corey and a few of his die-hard Seminole pals used to enjoy elaborate tailgate parties during home games near Doak Campbell Stadium that covered six parking spots and featured generators, full bars, food and bands.

Although Corey worked in Tallahassee as a fundraiser for Florida State University (he’s now a lobbyist with the Gunster law firm), many of the other revelers came from out of town, including Lance

Barton, a successful Tampa entrepreneur who, at the time, was the youngest FSU alum to pledge $1 million to his alma mater. During his college days in the late ’80s, Barton played Seminole football and was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.

One day, as Corey explains it, Barton told him, “Adam, I’m going to spend the rest of my natural life going to football games, so I may as well have a house in Tallahassee that we can use for football game

weekends … . I saw this movie ‘Old School.’

I’d like to have our own Old School.”

In case you don’t know, “Old School” was a 2003 comedy starring Will Farrell, Luke Wilson and Vince Vaughn as a trio of guys on the far side of 35 who got the chance to relive the college experience when they acquired a campus frat house.

Corey was tasked with finding the Seminole version of this hangout, and ultimately settled on a 1920s-vintage brick apartment house on West Pensacola Street tallahassee

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Beyond the Big Dinner W

hen we think “lifestyle” throughout the holidays, oh-so-perfect menus and elaborate settings a la Martha Stewart and Southern Living are the visions that dance in our heads.

Local authors Laura Johnson and Susan “Susie” Murray advise us to forget about seeking perfection and ramping up for the big show on Thanksgiving or Christmas day. When it comes to the lifestyle espoused in their newly released “The Happy Everything Cookbook,” the pair encourages us keep it simple, get friends and family to pitch in, and focus on the fun of holidays — and every other day of the year.

“Like many others, young married life and early parenthood found both Susie and I making the mistake of working entirely too hard to impress. We were chronic overachievers and the desire to

have everything ‘done right’ was paralyzing at times,” Laura wrote in the book’s foreword. “When you look back on your life one day, all that matters is that you enjoyed every day, whether your home was perfect, or not!”

Laura is the founder of the locally based giftware company, Coton Colors, and the book’s name is derived from her bestselling product and favorite creation, the Happy Everything platter. This whacking big (16-inch diameter) plate is covered in cheery bright polka dots, and you can buy 50-plus attachments — including birthday cakes and party hats, Santas and snowmen, footballs and tennis racquets, pumpkins and Easter bunnies, and even a write-it-yourself chalkboard — that can be changed out depending on the occasion or the season.

Laura and Susie have known each other since the 1980s, when both studied at Florida State

Photos Courtesy Linley Paske for Coton Colors

Local Authors of ‘The Happy Everything Cookbook’ Encourage Us to Find the Fun Every Day

By Rosanne Dunkelberger

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Photos Courtesy Linley Paske for Coton Colors

AN ENTERTAINING PAIR Friends Laura Johnson (left) and Susie Murray have collaborated on a book that’s part cookbook, part autobiography and part Tallahassee travelogue. tallahassee

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“When you look back on your life one day, all that matters is that you enjoyed every day, whether your home was perfect, or not!”

— Laura Johnson

HARVEST CELEBRATION Nature provides the colorful décor for an outdoor chili cook-off during Tallahassee’s cool fall months.

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University and were Pi Beta Phi sorority sisters. They married best friends, settled in Tallahassee, raised children together and socialized with each other — a lot. When her company decided to branch out into publishing about the Coton Colors contemporary casual lifestyle, Laura called on her long-time friend to provide recipes and entertaining advice.

“If you get an invitation to Susie’s house for dinner, you cancel any other plans you had,” says Laura. “You don’t go on your trip you planned for years; you go to her house for dinner. She and her husband, Ed, put on a great party.”

Susie says she loves developing menus and shopping, and usually will whip up a dessert when she’s having people over for a meal. But after she washes up the produce and does some prep work, her guests are assigned cooking tasks and make the meal.

“It works for me,” Susie says. “People love it and it takes the pressure off … because everybody’s involved. If you do simple enough recipes that have fresh produce, it’s going to be good.”

And if you are cooking for family or friends, don’t be afraid of the occasional culinary failure. “People know that you’re making an effort to cook for them; in our society it’s love,” Susie says. “It’s showing somebody that you love ’em when you cook for them.”

The book’s chapters are devoted to special occasion get-togethers, although none are traditional holiday meals. Most people

have those menus covered with dishes that are family favorites, says Laura. Their “Tidings from a Christmas Kitchen,” chapter revolves around gathering a group together — in this case, mothers and daughters — to make Buttery Poundcake with Nutella Swirl and Sugared Ginger Cookies to give as holiday gifts. It’s a two-fer, says Laura. The girls get a chance to socialize and another task is checked off the to-do list.

Most of us will decorate a Christmas tree, says Susie, so “make kind of an event out of it … . Even if you order a pizza, (say that) you’re going to do (it on a particular) night. Then, you get it done.

It’s not like it sits in the stand for days and on Christmas Eve you’re plopping some ornaments on the tree.”

They’ve created a New Year’s Eve party with a Chinese theme, with menu items that include Steamed Pork Dumplings and Asian Sticky Ribs along with super-sized Grand Fortune Cookies. The party plan also suggests having guests write their wishes for the New Year on paper Kongming Lanterns, which are then lit and sent floating away in the sky.

Don’t feel like you have to copy an event or an entire menu from the book, says Susie. “You’re going to find … there are go-to recipes that you’re going to use over and over and over,” she says. “It may be the potato soup, it may be the tortilla, it may be the pecans. There are lots of good recipes. I don’t expect tallahassee

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Meet Laura Johnson She’s Turned Touches of Whimsy Into a Multi-Million-Dollar Business dropped the clothing line, opened a studio, recruited her family — mother, father and sister — and, with their help, went to market in Atlanta and sold ’em like crazy.

And so, the polka dot pottery juggernaut that is Coton Colors began.

From those half dozen personalized plates, Laura’s Tallahassee-based business has grown to a line that includes about 1,100 different items sold in 3,000 outlets. Pottery pieces — platters, plates, bowls, plaques — and painted glass ornaments are the heart of the line, but she has branched out and put her whimsical touch on wood, melamine and resin figurines too. Coton Colors is licensed to create products with the insignias of 43 different colleges and has just launched a line of sorority items.

S

o, where do you begin the story of Laura Johnson, the “clever designer” half of the pair that authored “The Happy Everything Cookbook”?

Perhaps with her mother Dee Black, a creative woman who recognized her younger daughter needed a niche and steered Laura toward artistic endeavors. Maybe when a teenaged Laura sold her homemade T-shirts “up and down Kendall Drive” in her Miami hometown. How about when she graduated with a Studio Art degree from Florida State University? Or the times she and friend Katrice Howell strapped babies to their backs and spatter painted and tie-dyed cute mommy/ daughter clothes in the backyard.

All are good starting points, but let’s begin here and have her tell the story: After her third daughter was born in 1995, Laura continued a tradition and pressed little Sarah Parker’s handprints into some clay. “I drove over to the 106

old timey pottery studio on Tharpe Street and had her fire them for me,” Laura recalls. “While I was in there, I saw these plates — greenware — and I thought, ‘I can make plates.’ I bought six and I took them home, sat in my dining room and painted my three daughters’ names. My sister has three girls and I painted their names on (the other three). And I took them back, fired ’em and gave (the plates) to them for Christmas.”

A girlfriend who saw her holiday table set with the cheerful, colorful plates with names handpainted in a funky font told Laura she wanted to order three. “I said, ‘I’m not even making them yet.’ She said, ‘Just make them, I’ll buy them.’”

At the time, Laura was already selling dyed and painted clothing — a line she called Coton Colors — at a local store, so she just added the plates to her offerings. Painting pottery in her garage, Laura also sold pieces in other stores in the region. Within a year, Laura

“This cookbook is really wrapping the whole company up — this is who we are, this is how we create stuff.”

Coton Colors sells products from its own website as well as two retail storefronts. One is run by Laura’s sister in Tampa, where most of the company’s ornaments are shipped from.

The other, on Market Street here in Tallahassee, is run by her mother. Even friends who have known her for years don’t realize that the bulk of the company’s operations are based in

Photo BY SCOTT HOLSTEIN

STOCKED UP Entrepreneur Laura Johnson poses with Coton Colors’ best seller, the Happy Everything platter, at one of the two local warehouses stockpiled with products to fill orders for the holiday season.

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Photo BY SCOTT HOLSTEIN

a pair of warehouses off Hartsfield Road.

“They’ll walk in the store and ask, ‘Is Laura in the back?’,” she says with a smile.

From 2008 to 2010, the company’s sales doubled to $6.5 million. The plan, she says, is to top $10 million in two years. “When CPAs look at that, they freak out; they’re amazed,” by the company’s success in the midst of recession, says Laura.

What drove that explosive growth, she says, was a decision made in the mid2000s to move the production operation to China. In the beginning, the pottery making and painting was done in Tallahassee — by a slew of high school and college girls over the years, some of whom continue to work in Coton Colors headquarters today.

“The production (process) was aging, it just wasn’t my love,” she says. “I picked the hardest product in the world to make well. Plus, to get the price right and to get the quality good; it’s very difficult.” Even adding the cost of shipping products halfway around the world, the price of a similar product created here would be double that of a Chinese-made one.

Her Chinese manufacturers call her creations “easy, not-so easy” to make.

“It’s very unforgiving because it is very solidly painted, it’s very handpainted.

Although it’s very simple … if you have any problem with the background, it shows, and if there’s anything off it’s very difficult to cover it once it goes through the firing.”

To assure herself of the working conditions and the quality of the Coton Colors products, Laura, her sister and staffers travel to China twice a year and visit about a dozen factories, some in farflung locales.

Before her first trip, “I expected it to be machines producing things. But take a picture of their factory and take a picture of our factory and it’s very similar; people working around the table painting by hand, kilns — much larger than we have — more people, but it’s all based on (being) handmade. They talk in Chinese and I talk in English and we

commiserate about the same problems: easy, not-so-easy.”

Coton Colors has its imitators — “Which is the ultimate compliment, right?,” she says with a touch of chagrin. She admits copycats are “a little frustrating,” but believes her work stands out because of the continuously changing designs and the quality of the products. “We’ve never succumbed to the cheap,” she says. “When we source, we only source with the finest and they are trained well by us and they do a fine job for us. We could do this a whole lot cheaper, but we can’t bring ourselves to do it. We never compromise.”

Coton Colors products are found mostly in stores throughout the Southeast (although the company’s No. 1 wholesaler is in Ohio). “We are growing organically.

What we have found is that … if we concentrate somewhere, we are going to sell it,” she says. “We do have our eyes on expansion,” into new markets, as well as creating a Coton Colors lifestyle, with the new cookbook — three more are planned — an interactive website and additional products. In January, the company will be launching a new line of kitchenware, including dinner plates, mixing bowls, measuring spoons and utensils.

“This brand can expand to a little bit more contemporary flair, a little bit more muted flair and you’ll see as we mature that … we’re just holding back,” she says.

In many ways, “The Happy Everything Cookbook” is an introduction to Laura’s philosophies and her family. In it, we learn her husband, Milton, is a “huge lover of the holidays” who’s “picky, really picky” about getting the perfect Christmas tree.

And that her daughters, Kyle, Sara Kate and Mary Parker, spent many of their pre-holidays working at the studio painting and packing — and they just might end up in the family business.

“This cookbook is really wrapping the whole company up — this is who we are, this is how we create stuff. We like to entertain, we love to have friends over, we love to do décor items, we love the seasonal tie in, we love the holidays,” Laura says. — By Rosanne Dunkelberger

everybody to make the whole menu.” Although, she suggests, if a group of friends were to divvy up the recipes from a chapter and make one or two each — you’d have a party!

While it is does have plenty of recipes, the other star of “The Happy Everything Cookbook” is Tallahassee itself.

“What people have told us and what I love about a cookbook is to get a sense of the person and the place that they are in,” says Laura. “The cookbooks that appeal to me most are the ones where they tell the story of their lives.”

The duo has spent their adult life here, and much of the book is dedicated to stories and memories based in and around the capital city. One chapter revolves around an Alligator Point Beach Weekend, and photos in the Tailgating Traditions section feature fans decked out in FSU garnet and gold. Laura and Susie tell of some of their favorite local haunts, including Tomatoland, Lucy & Leo’s Cupcakery, Sweet Grass Dairy, Bradley’s Country Store and The Black Fig. Each recipe is pictured and the chapters are loaded with photographs of festivities in progress, so don’t be surprised to find a few friends and neighbors immortalized in the book.

“This is going to ground us to my hometown, what my lifestyle is and what we enjoy doing and trying to story tell that, so they get a sense of who we are,” Laura says. n

Want to live the Happy Everything life?

“The Happy Everything Cookbook” retails for $34.95 and can be purchased at the Coton Colors retail store, coton-colors.com, amazon.com and local bookstores and gift shops.

Nov. 3-5, the store is hosting a “Get Happy Holiday Party” during business hours with tastes from the cookbook, special gifts with purchase and value-added incentives (an attachment with platter purchase). tallahassee

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Eat,

Drink and Be

Happy!

Enjoy Black Friday, gift-wrapping, tree trimming, returning college students, out-of-town guests arriving, college football playoff games … just about any day during the holiday season can be a cause for celebration! Here are just a few of the recipes you’ll find in Laura Johnson and Susie Murray’s “The Happy Everything Cookbook.” With 250 pages of recipes, along with entertaining tips, advice and Tallahassee tales, the cookbook — which retails for $34.95 — is the perfect addition to the kitchen shelf or a gift given with love.

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Grilled Sausage with Arugula Serves 8

8 fresh sausage links 1 bunch fresh arugula, washed and stems removed 1 (8 ounce) package feta or goat cheese crumbles Splash of balsamic vinegar Prepare and light the grill.

Poke a few holes in each sausage so that they won’t burst when grilling. Grill sausages on medium-high heat for 12–15 minutes or until thoroughly cooked.

Remove cooked sausages from the grill and allow them to cool a minute or two before cutting them into bite-size pieces.

Place sausage pieces on platter or in bowl.

Sprinkle with arugula, feta and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Use fingers or toothpicks to eat!

With just four ingredients, this is an easy, flavorful appetizer. Susie and Laura recommend Bradley’s fresh sausage, to give your guests a true taste of Tallahassee.

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Chipotle Pecans Serves 12, Yields 8 cups

2 tbsp olive oil 1/3 cup 100 percent pure maple syrup 1/4 cup light brown sugar 1/4 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice (approx. 1/2 orange) 2 1/2 tsp chipotle powder 4-5 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, minced & divided 1 tbsp kosher salt, divided 2 pounds shelled pecans Vegetable oil

Buttery Pound Cake with Nutella Swirl Serves 8

Non-stick baking spray with flour 4 eggs, room temperature 2 tsp pure vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 tsp baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 12 tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 1 1/3 cups sugar 1 cup Nutella 1 tbsp unsweetened natural cocoa Preheat oven to 325 degrees and adjust oven rack to the middle position. Prepare loaf pan with non-stick baking spray with flour.

In a small bowl, whisk eggs with vanilla and set aside. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into medium bowl and set aside. Place butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat softened butter and sugar until blended. Reduce mixer speed to low and

gradually add whisked eggs. Increase mixer speed and beat until creamy. Add flour mixture a little at a time and mix until just combined.

Pour 1/2 cup of cake batter into a medium bowl, add Nutella and cocoa, and stir until combined. Chocolate will look like thick brownie batter. Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared loaf pan. Crumble 1/3 the chocolate mixture on top of the cake batter in loaf pan.

Repeat with the 1/3 of the batter and the remaining chocolate. Swirl batter and chocolate with a wooden skewer, but do not over mix. Top with remaining batter.

Place in oven, and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.

Turn oven off, and allow cake to sit in oven for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from oven and place on rack to cool for at least 30 minutes.

Remove cake from pan and allow it to cool rightside-up on rack for 1½ hours before serving.

In a large bowl, mix olive oil, syrup, sugar, juice, chipotle powder, 2 tablespoons rosemary and 2 teaspoons salt. Add pecans and toss. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and adjust oven rack to middle position. Grease a large rimmed baking sheet with vegetable oil.

Spread the pecans on baking sheet and toast for 30 minutes, stirring twice. Bake 5 minutes longer or until they are nicely toasted and fragrant. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining rosemary and salt.

Allow to cool and toss occasionally to prevent pecans from sticking together. Store in airtight container.

The combination of sweet and savory make these nuts the perfect snack, says Susie.

Swirls of the creamy hazelnut spread Nutella make this pound cake deliciously unique. Make two — it’s a great holiday gift.

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At Coton Color’s fall company gathering at a South Georgia farmstead, Susie’s Vegetarian Chili won the most votes in a head-to-head contest with a meaty version made by Laura, which now goes by the name of “Second Place” Chili. The hearty stew is perfect when cooking for a crowd during cold weather. “It’s a comforting meal, but it’s not task heavy,” says Susie.

Vegetarian Chili Serves 12

1/2 cup olive oil 2 medium sweet onions, coarsely chopped 4 garlic cloves, minced 2 red peppers, cored and coarsely chopped 3 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch chunks 2 pounds fresh plum tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped 2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes 1 (15.5 ounce) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed 1 (15.5 ounce) can chick peas, drained and rinsed

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NOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2011

WEB EXCLUSIVE! Coton Colors wants you to win their “Happy Everything!” platter pictured on page 106 (a $99.95 value).

To enter, click here and list one ingredient from this Vegetarian Chili recipe on our Facebook status.

2 tbsp chili powder 1 tbsp dried basil 1 tbsp cumin 1 tbsp oregano 1 tsp fennel seeds 1 tsp salt 2 tsp black pepper 1 lemon, halved 1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped For garnish: 1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped 2 cups sour cream 2 cups cheese, shredded 1 bunch green onions, chopped

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook for 7-10 minutes until they are translucent.

Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic, red peppers and zucchini, and sauté 7-10 minutes until vegetables are just tender.

Do not overcook. Stir in tomatoes and beans.

In a small bowl, combine chili powder, basil, cumin, oregano, fennel, salt and pepper. Pour spice mixture into palm of your hand and rub hands together over pot of chili to release flavors or use a mortar and pestle to crush spices before adding them to chili.

Squeeze juice of one lemon into the pot and stir in fresh dill and parsley. Reduce heat to low and cook uncovered for 30-45 minutes only, stirring occasionally. This chili tastes best when the zucchini, tomatoes and beans are tender, but not mushy. It is important not to simmer the chili for a long period of time or overcook it.

Turn off heat to let flavors blend and then reheat when ready to serve. Season to taste with salt and more chili powder, if needed.

Offer sour cream, shredded cheese, green onions, chopped dill and parsley as garnishes.

Note: Keep the chili powder shaker close by in case someone wants extra spice. Some people like hot sauce too!

Pumpkin Seed Cornbread Serves 12-16

Non-stick cooking spray with flour 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded 1/2 cup buttermilk 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen cream-style corn, thawed 2 (8.5 ounce) packages corn muffin mix 1 (4.5 ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained 1 1/2 cups sweet onion (approx. 2 medium), chopped 1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup unsalted pumpkin seeds (pepitas) Preheat oven to 400 degrees and adjust oven rack to middle position.

Prepare one 9 x 13-inch, or two 8 x 8-inch, baking pans using non-stick cooking spray with flour.

In a large bowl, combine cheese, buttermilk, cream-style corn, corn muffin mix, chiles, onion and sour cream. Stir until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter into prepared dish and sprinkle the top with pumpkin seeds. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Susie made this version of cornbread for a dinner party. A friend who was there tweaked the recipe to make it even better.

Susie doesn’t mind, but declares “the pumpkin seeds are a must!” (You can find them at New Leaf Market.)

Potato Tortilla Serves 12

1/2 cup olive oil, divided 2 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold or red potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced 1 1/2 cups onion (approx. 2 medium), thinly sliced 10 eggs Kosher salt & black pepper, to taste Extra-virgin olive oil Place sliced potatoes in large bowl with cool water to prevent them from turning brown.

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large cast iron skillet (10-inch or larger) or oven-safe, non-stick skillet over medium heat. Drain potatoes and place potatoes and onions in hot pan with oil. Generously season potato mixture with salt and pepper and sauté 20 minutes or more until potatoes and onions are soft and tender, but not brown.

In large bowl, whisk eggs and season them generously with salt and pepper. Pour cooked potato mixture in bowl and toss.

Adjust oven rack to the second from the top position and preheat the broiler to high.

Clean original skillet and heat 1/4 cup of olive oil over medium heat. Pour the potato and egg mixture into the hot skillet. Allow tortilla to cook for one minute before covering and adjusting the heat to low. Cook covered for 20 minutes until the tortilla is almost set.

Remove from stove and place tortilla in oven and broil until golden. Remove from oven and allow tortilla to rest for at least 5 minutes. Use spatula to loosen edges and bottom.

Use care when inverting tortilla on serving platter.

Susie discovered the Tortilla de Patatas on a trip to Spain. The thick egg-and-potato omelet is a crowd pleaser served hot for breakfast or at room temperature as an appetizer.

Eat it straight from the skillet or turn it onto pretty plate for a beautiful presentation.

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Bubbly Best at its

We Sniffed, Sipped and Savored Every Drop, All to Bring You Our Comprehensive Guide

to 112

Sparkling Wine

By Wendy O. Dixon

November–December 2011

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W

eddings, anniversaries and New Year’s Eve — these are the most common occasions for breaking out a bottle of bubbly. The pop of the cork, followed by the salute of the glass, sends cheers, best wishes and congratulations like no other wine.

And while sparkling wine sales skyrocket during the holidays, there’s now such a huge variety of reasonably priced fizzy wines that you can — no, you must — try a few, and enjoy the bubbly any time of year.

“There’s a sparkling wine for any occasion, and one that will pair well with any food,” says John Morris, director of wine education at Wine World in Destin and Panama City, and a certified specialist of wine by the Society of Wine Educators. “It’s ideal for our coastal cuisine (seafood) and the wine of choice for sushi. It also pairs well with rich creamy cheeses as a foil to the richness of the cheese, and is the perfect apéritif (a wine used to stimulate the appetite).”

“Champagne is considered anything that comes from the Champagne district in France; anything else would be considered sparkling wine,’ explains Joe Gayhart, general manager at Market Square Liquors. It was in the Champagne

region (north of Burgundy) where sparkling wine was first produced, and it is the most famous. French sparkling wines produced outside of the Champagne region are labeled “mousseux” or “crémant.” Though the French do know their wine, other nations also produce sip-worthy bubbly.

Spain’s version is called Cava. Italy’s is Prosecco or Spumante. German and Austrian sparkling wine is called Sekt.

And American wineries label it as sparkling wine. Because of Champagne’s stellar reputation, it tends to be more expensive than other sparkling wines.

“This has resulted in a misperception that Champagne is better than other sparkling wines,” says Yvette Pavone, wine expert and owner of the Purple Grape wine bar in Panama City. “People who don’t know much about sparkling wine tend to buy Champagne because they think it’s the best, but that’s not true.”

Don’t assume you need to impress your friends with a bottle of Dom Perignon (which retails for around $140), Pavone explains. Other experts agree. Wine guidebook “The Wine Trials 2010: The World’s Bestselling Guide to Inexpensive Wines,” features blind taste tests for wine

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experts and sommeliers who declare Domaine Ste Michelle Brut, a $12 Washington state sparkling wine, to be the winner, beating out Dom, Champagne’s star, two years in a row.

Sparkling wine gets its carbonation from a second fermentation process, which can take place in the bottle or in a pressurized tank. This causes natural carbon dioxide gas to get caught inside, resulting in bubbles.

“Look at the label,” Pavone explains, “If it reads ‘methode champenoise’ you can know it’s been fermented the same way as Champagne, directly in the bottle with tender loving care.”

Other sparkling wines are fermented the second time in a steel tank, which is less costly. “But they are still very good,” says Pavone, who served Barefoot sparkling wine ($9) at her wedding.

An indication of quality is in the amount and size of the bubbles. Tiny bubbles mean better quality, Pavone says. Beyond the bubbles, sparkling wines have different amounts of sugar, resulting in a range of very dry “brut” styles to sweet varieties.

“Brut confuses people,” Morris explains. “because they may think extra dry is dryer than brut, but it is actually less dry.”

Sparkling wines are typically made from either one grape (chardonnay), a blend of two grapes (chardonnay and pinot noir) and sometimes a third grape (pinot meunier). Cava is made primarily from macabeo, parellada and Xarel-lo grapes.

“My favorite sparkling is one that comes from only one grape,” declares Pavone, whose preferred one is made exclusively from chardonnay and is called “blanc de blancs” (white from white). Try Argentina’s Pascual Toso Brut ($16) or California’s Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs ($38), both made with 100 percent chardonnay grapes.

For those who like a little berry flavor in their sparkling wine, try a rosé — a sparkling wine that gets its pink or salmon color from the red grape, most often pinot noir. The color also adds a little romance

Not just for new year’s From oysters to Asian takeout to wedding cake, there’s a sparkling wine suitable for every meal and occasion.

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to sparkling wine, and has notes of cherry, strawberry and raspberry.

Sweet wine drinkers have fallen in love with Italy’s Moscato d’Asti — a crisp, sweet sparkling wine made from the muscat grape, which has become hugely popular in the U.S. It is lower in alcohol than dryer sparkling wines (around 5-6 percent versus 12 percent for dryer wines), and pairs well with sweet foods like fruit salad and desserts. “A common mistake is to pair a brut sparkling wine with dessert,” says Morris.

“Moscato is terrific with wedding cake.”

Try Castello del Poggio Moscato Provincia Di Pavia ($15) or Beni di Batasiolo Dla Rei Moscato d’Asti ($16).

With hundreds of sparkling wines to choose from, it can get overwhelming.

How do you pick a bottle to drink with chicken and rice dinner Tuesday night?

What will you bring to a New Year’s Eve party? What do you serve to hundreds of wedding guests? Most wine stores have an educated staff that can help you decide on the right sparkling wine for any occasion and any budget.

“We help by looking for the price-toquality ratio,” says Chan Cox, owner of Wine World in Destin and Panama City, who suggests French sparkling wine Kraemer Blanc de Blancs Brut ($9) as a go-to sparkling wine. “It’s a terrific wine and by far the best value.”

Gayhart suggests that sparkling wine novices “might want a little lighter bodied, not as dry, champagne and should consider an extra dry or demi-sec.”

Those with more experience drinking the fruit of the vine should consider the properties of the wine they like in general. “Say you drink cabernets and merlots — you probably have a palate that’s more in tune with a drier wine, so a brut-level champagne” would be a good choice, he advises.

Want to impress your lover with an intimate date? Cox recommends Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut Rosé Champagne ($70), paired with a juicy filet mignon.

“This is an elegant, sexy wine that leaves you feeling good,” agrees Huey Greene, general manager at Wine World Grand Boulevard in Destin. “If you want a nice late-night wine, this is it.”

When considering food pairings, Morris recommends you not stress about it.

“People get awfully hung up on what to serve with certain dishes, and some pairings do have a certain synergy,” he says.

“But the bottom line is to drink what you want with what you eat.”

Whatever sparkling wine you choose, Pavone says to also appreciate the color, the bubbles and the aroma, all important components in the beauty of the wine.

“You must use a beautiful glass,” she advises. “It enhances the entire experience.”

If you haven’t finished your bottle, you can save leftover sparkling wine with a metal champagne stopper, available at most wine stores. The bubbly will last one to two more days.

Whether you’re a serious sipper or a sparkling wine dummy, we’ve got you covered. We procured a crew of wine experts and wine enthusiasts who tried dozens of bottles of sparkling wines from France, Italy, Spain, Argentina and America. Most of the wines are moderately priced. All are recommendable and readily available. It was a tough job, but we wouldn’t want to let you down. So we tasted and tested, sipped and swirled, all to bring you our review of the sparkling wines we tried.

A Comprehensive Guide to Sparkling Wine

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A Comprehensive Guide to Sparkling Wine

America The United States has long produced spectacular sparkling wines. California is a major producer, while Washington state, Oregon and New Mexico also have excellent sparkling wines.

Roederer Estate Brut $22* $

A crisp and elegant wine with complex pear and hazelnut flavors. It is a fresh and lightly fruity wine with great finesse and depth of flavor.

Taste profile:

Food pairing:

Oysters, caviar.

“Very solid with

Tasters’ comments:

good style.”

“étoile” Brut $40* ❤ baked apple, honey and cinnamon flavors meld seamlessly with nutty caramel flavors, and carry through the lingering finish.

Taste profile:

Food

Seafood dishes like grilled scallops prepared with a lemon beurre blanc, or on its own before a meal.

pairing:

Tasters’ comments: “This one has a complex, elegant style.” “I don’t want to be distracted by food when I have this to enjoy, it deserves a solo spotlight in my book.”

Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs $38

A dry, crisp, vibrant wine with creamy lemon and tangy pineapple flavors.

Taste profile:

Food pairing:

Oysters and other shellfish, crab cakes, ceviche, grilled sea bass, lemon chicken, Thai curries or aged Gouda cheese.

“This tastes tropical, I’d love to drink it on the beach at sunset.”

Tasters’ comments:

Appetizers or as a starter to a Thanksgiving meal.

Tasters’ comments: “A moussy fruit component.” “A real crowd pleaser.”

Food pairing:

J Cuvée 20 Brut $26*

The wine opens with crisp lemon peel, honeysuckle and delicate yeast aromas, and tastes of a mix of Fuji apple, grapefruit and a sweet hint of angel food cake with a lingering, warm pear and lush finish.

Taste profile:

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Gruet Rosé $18* $

A rich, fruity palate with strawberry, raspberry and cherry.

Food pairing: Desserts, especially flan and chocolate.

Tasters’ comments: “New Mexico’s cool mountain climate makes this one good.

It has a nice acidity, it’s a crowd pleaser.”

Taste profile:

Schramsberg Brut Rosé $40* ✤

A flavorful, complex and dry wine, making it both versatile with food and delicious by itself.

Food pairing: Barbecue, roast chicken, pizza, burgers, chocolate raspberry tarts and creamy cheeses with summer fruits.

Taste profile:

Tasters’ comments:

“This is a great, allaround wine.” “You can taste that this was made in the French style, so good.”

it’s

Argentina and Spain Argentine sparkling wine (called Espumante) and Spain’s sparkling wine (Cava) both use the champenoise methode, the traditional French method for producing Champagne.

It’s usually less expensive but offers quality similar to Champagne.

Pascual Toso Brut $16

A buttery, toasty quality with flavors of apple and lemon.

Food pairing: Lemon chicken with vegetable and rice.

Taste profile:

Tasters’ comments:

“Crisp, easy to drink; a wonderful wine.”

Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut $12

A light, very modern Cava with refreshing style, created from a special blend of the three traditional,

Taste profile:

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❤ tasters’ favorite | | $ best value | ✤ most versatile indigenous Penedés white grape varieties.

Food pairing:

Freixenet Elyssia Pinot Noir Brut $18

Elyssia Pinot Noir Brut has an intense aroma of raspberries and blackberries with a fresh and fruity mid-palate followed by a lovely, sweet aftertaste and soft acidity.

Food pairing: Fish or poultry with Spanish rice.

Tasters’ comments: “Floral; not too sweet, with a fine creaminess.”

Taste profile:

Smoked fish or Asian takeout.

Tasters’

“The acidity in the wine is a good complement to spicier foods, it’s a good one for someone who is new to drinking sparkling wine.”

comments:

Freixenet Elyssia Gran Cuvée Brut $18

A sophisticated bouquet of roasted nuts, citrus fruit and honey combine with layers of complexity through the palate. Flavors of lemon and melon are followed by a spicy finish.

Food pairing: Sautéed or fried chicken.

Taste profile:

Tasters’ comments:

“I’d use this to make mimosas (cocktail with sparkling wine and orange juice) for Christmas brunch.”

Segura Viudas Brut Reserva $10

The prime feature is its elegant and persistent mousse. The palate is complex and full of flavor, with good acidity and notes of lime and pineapple. It is dry and long on the finish.

Taste profile:

Food pairing:

An ideal Cava to start a meal.

Pairs well with clams, anchovies and pasta dishes with seafood, or a warm quail salad.

Tasters’ comments: “Excellent.”

“I’d drink this to toast to the New Year, or even to relax on a Friday night.”

Segura Viudas Brut Rosé $10

Youthful fruit aromas of strawberry, red currant and grenadine. Refreshing on the palate, full of cherry fruit and a light acidity.

Food pairing: Most appetizers, whether fish or vegetable.

Also with seafood rice, salmon or grilled tuna.

Tasters’ comments: “What is this, the Shirley Temple of wine? I started out not liking it, but ended up loving it.”

Taste profile:

The Evolution of Champagne Stemware The original Champagne glass — a short, shallow saucer — is rumored to have attained its shape when Marie Antoinette, queen of France during the late 1700s, had the glasses fashioned from casts of her breasts so courtiers could toast to her health from them. It was only in the last 30 years that the flute — a stem glass with a tall narrow bowl — became the glass of choice due to its ability to keep sparkling wine’s effervescence for a longer period of time than a saucer.

Segura Viudas Reserva Heredad $25 ❤

The palate is excellent, fruity and full of flavor, with dried fruits, but very elegant, giving the drinker a delightful sense of abundance.

Food pairing: Truffle oil-drizzled pastas, white fish, traditional Mediterranean casseroles or cured hams.

Tasters’ comments: “Smooth, delicate; a beer drinker’s wine.”

“This would be wonderful with a Christmas Eve dinner.”

Taste profile:

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Drink like a celebrity If you want to drink like George Clooney, Beyonce, Leonardo DiCaprio and Oprah Winfrey, try Armand de Brignac (“Ace of Spades”) Brut Gold, an ultra-luxury prestige cuveé that sells for $300.

Produced entirely by hand by only eight people in Champagne, France, and pressed from a balance of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier wine, Armand de Brignac Brut Gold was rated the No. 1 Champagne in the world in a blind taste test, according to Fine Champagne Magazine.

Each opulent metallic Champagne bottle is handcrafted, paperless and features two “Ace of Spades” insignias and four hand-applied pewter labels. The striking bottle is presented in a black, lacquered wooden case embossed with the Champagne’s royal crest. Each case is lined in velvet and fitted with an engraved nameplate, reflecting the splendor and grand style of the Champagne within.

It’s available at Cluster & Hops and Halftime in Tallahassee.

A Comprehensive Guide to Sparkling Wine

France France has been known as the leading wine maker for thousands of years.

Its Champagne is the most famous sparkling wine, which has resulted in the term Champagne erroneously representing all sparkling wines, a name which the French fought to keep for themselves.

They won. No winemaker outside the Champagne region of France can label its sparkling wine as such.

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Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte Brut $35* $

Fresh, fruitful flavors of apples, pears and peaches intermingled with spices (curry and turmeric).

Taste profile:

Food

Lobster with cream sauce, scallops or spicy chicken.

pairing:

Tasters’ comments:

“A real crowd pleaser.”

Louis Roederer Brut Premier $40* ❤

mushrooms, soft cheeses like goat and Gouda.

Tasters’ comments:

“This one has a lot going on, great texture and vibrant mouth feel.”

Moët & Chandon Imperial $50*

Lively and generous broad fruitiness and elegantly mature.

Food pairing: Herbed watermelon, raw or fried oysters.

Tasters’ comments: “Yeasty, minerally. I taste the green apple.”

“A Champagne lover’s Champagne.”

Taste profile:

Complex, lively and frothy with tart lemon, lime and toast flavors and a long finish.

Food pairing: Sole with Taste profile:

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❤ tasters’ favorite | | $ best value | ✤ most versatile

Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut Rosé $70* ❤ Pear, rhubarb and red berry flavors with a note of mineral, followed by a long finish.

Taste profile:

Food pairing:

Filet mignon or any elegant meal.

“A good wine for date night.”

“This one is very special.”

Tasters’ comments:

French Sparkling Kraemer Blanc de Blancs Brut Vin Mousseux $9* $

Soft and creamy flavors combined with fine bubbles.

Taste profile:

Food pairing:

Hors d’oeuvres.

Tasters’ comments:

“This has an oaky, yeasty nose and nice mousse.”

Francois Montand Blanc de Blancs Brut $11* With tastes of freshly baked bread, Golden Delicious apples and Meyer lemons.

Taste profile:

Food pairing:

Ceviche, salads.

Tasters’ comments:

“An easy drinking wine, with the comforting aroma of warm bread.”

Marcel Martin Tête de Cuvée, Crémant de Loire Brut $18* ❤ A nose with notes of white flowers and dry fruits, a well-balanced, lengthy and full-bodied flavor.

Taste profile:

Food pairing:

Alone or with pork or soft cheeses.

“Very elegant style and lingering mouth feel.”

Tasters’ comments:

Francois Montand Brut Rosé $11*

Light bodied, bursting with flavor and lots of bubbles. It has aromas and flavors of dried cherries and raspberries, with a clean finish.

Food pairing: Smoked turkey or chicken.

Taste profile:

Tasters’

“A good everyday wine. It’s more for beginners, but what a great value.” comments:

Italy In many upscale restaurants in Venice, customers are served a complimentary glass of Prosecco as an aperitif to stimulate the appetite.

“The Italians even use it as a palate cleanser the way we use a sorbet,” says Morris. It is also a base for the Bellini cocktail, a mixture of Prosecco and peach purée, one of Italy’s most popular cocktails.

Prosecco Maschio Prosecco Brut D.O.C. Treviso

$13* $

❤

A bouquet of peach and orange blossoms, fruit forward with peach and almond flavors.

Taste profile:

Food pairing:

An excellent apéritif, also pairs wonderfully with antipasto and hors d’oeuvres, light fish dishes, sushi and sashimi, fresh fruit and pastries.

Tasters’ comments: “Nice acidity and white peachy aromas.”

“Very drinkable.”

Zardetto Prosecco D.O.C. Treviso Brut $15*

With scents of acacia flowers, wild strawberries and ripe golden apples, this Prosecco has a delicately soft and harmonic flavor with a clean and pronounced character, which lingers on the palate.

Tasting profile:

Food pairing:

Seafood dishes, pasta.

Tasters’ comments:

“I like the yeast and toast flavors.”

Col de’ Salici Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Superiore $17*

An aromatic, fruity, typical wine, with great elegance and personality.

Food pairing: Prosciutto, stuffed mushrooms, pasta with creamy sauce, almonds.

Taste profile:

Tasters’

“This one is fat and soft with low acidity.”

comments:

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A Sparkling Wine Primer Advice from John Morris, certified specialist of wine:

Store it — Store sparkling wine at 45-55 degrees, or 60-65 degrees if storing for longer than one year.

Chill it — Sparkling wine should be served very cold (40-45 degrees). For the perfect chill, put the wine in an ice bath (ice and water) about 30 minutes before drinking.

Open it — When opening a bottle of bubbly, remove the foil (most bottles have a tear tab), untwist the wire hood to loosen it, but do not remove it. Place a folded cloth napkin over the cork and wire hood. Point the top away from yourself and others at a 45-degree angle, bracing the bottom of the bottle against yourself and twist cork and bottle in opposite directions.

Fill it — To enjoy sparkling wine at its fullest potential, use a flute, which preserves bubbles better than wide, shallow glasses.

Pour it — Slowly pour sparkling wine gently into the flute, about halfway to three-quarters full.

Drink it — Cheers!

SWEET Demi Sec

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DRY Extra Dry

Brut

Extra Brut

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❤ tasters’ favorite | | $ best value | ✤ most versatile

A Comprehensive Guide to Sparkling Wine

Moscato Castello del Poggio Moscato Provincia Di Pavia $15* Taste profile: This

sweet wine, which means “castle on a hill,” is lightly sparkling with notes of apricot and honey.

Food pairing: Salad with mandarin oranges and with a dessert, especially wedding cake.

Tasters’ comments: “Very easy, soft and sweet.”

Beni di Batasiolo Bosc Dla Rei, Moscato d’Asti D.O.C.G. $16* $

A luscious, fruity dessert wine. It is has an intense nose reminiscent of the grape and a full, lingering, sweetly soft flavor with an aromatic aftertaste.

Food pairing: Desserts.

Sparkling Wine Glossary Blanc de Blancs — Literally translated means “white of whites.” Sparkling wines made primarily from chardonnay or other white grapes.

Blanc de Noirs — Literally translated means “white of blacks.” Designated a white or slightly tinted wine made from black grapes, usually pinot noir.

The tint comes from the pigments in the grape skins.

Cuvée — A blend of several still wines designed to become a well-balanced sparkling wine.

Fermentation — The action of yeast on natural grape sugars resulting in alcohol and carbon dioxide gas.

Taste profile:

Méthode champenoise — The traditional French Champagne method for producing sparkling wines, which converts a fully fermented still wine into a sparkling by a second fermentation (or méthode traditionnelle) in the same bottle in which it’s sold.

Tasters’ comments:

“Excellent as an apéritif or with a fruity cheese.”

La Spinetta Bricco Quaglia Moscato d’Asti D.O.C.G. $22* ❤

A fresh, creamy wine that surprises by its remarkable freshness and brilliant peach and honey flavors.

Food pairing: Desserts, but also as an apéritif, or with Sunday brunch.

Tasters’ comments: “This has sparkle, crispness and some acidity.

It appeals to a lot of wine drinkers.”

Taste profile:

Mousse — The ring of foam around the top of a glass of sparkling wine.

Non-vintage — Refers to those sparkling wines whose cuvées or blend contains wine from more than one vintage. Often used to maintain a consistent style.

Reserve wine — Wine from previous vintages added to the cuvée for consistent quality and style.

Vintage — The year in which grapes in a wine are harvested.

Source: chandon.com

*Wines reviewed by Wine World staff: Chan Cox, owner; Huey Greene, general manager of Wine World Grand Boulevard Destin, and John Morris, director of wine education and certified wine specialist by the Society of Wine Educators.

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Travel

China Luxe First-Class Tour Makes Your Visit More Enlightening — and Enjoyable

By Jack Macalevy

Xian Shanghai Hangzhou Lijiang

WHAT A VIEW The towering Park Hyatt Hotel offers a spectacular perspective on the tiered top of the Jin Mao Building and a panoramic look at Shanghai.

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H

Photo courtesy Hyatt Hotels

Beijing

ere’s how I define “a trip of a lifetime”: Successful planning and then a journey to a unique destination where you can experience the culture, the food and the people with a minimal amount of stress and difficulty. And, while there, having the opportunity to see the major sights and cities from a “backstage” perspective — having knowledgeable guides and handlers who will see to your safety and comfort so you can experience everything from as local a perspective as possible.

China — one of the world’s most mysterious and exotic destinations — reopened its doors to international travel in 1974. Even the most seasoned travelers find it very difficult to travel to and within the borders of China because of: the distance — a 13-hour flight

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Photo courtesy Hyatt Hotels

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Travel

and full-day’s time change; the sheer size of the country and the pure challenge of getting around; the extreme difference in language and ability to read and decipher signage. There’s really only one viable option — group travel.

Over the past decade, international tour operators have set up and operated pricey cruise-like tours to the country. Folks are herded in large groups, packed on buses and taken to the doors of many notable sites. It can be nightmarish: hard work for the traveler and a “cattle call” experience that is oftentimes disappointing.

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There is an alternative to the traditional mass experience that, without question, is an enjoyable, once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Beijing-based Imperial Tours has polished and perfected a two-week guided experience of China that from all perspectives is an intimate, in-depth, five-star, first-class, stressless experience.

The company was developed and is owned by Guy Rubin and Nancy Kim, who have been called The Power Couple of Beijing by ChinaDaily. They have assembled a team of travel specialists who — from your first call of inquiry about

Photos Courtesy Amanresorts

IMAGES OF CHINA: On this page, images of Hangzhou’s West Lake and the nearby tea fields, as well as an exterior and interior look at the restful Aman Fayun retreat. The wonders in and around Bejing include (opposite page, clockwise from top left) the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace of Dowager Empress Cixi and the Great Wall of China.

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Photos Courtesy Amanresorts

the trip, to escorting you personally to the departure gate on the day of your return home — will handle every logistical detail and all your personal needs.

Their small group trips are limited to no more than 12 to 14 people to ensure every aspect of your experience is taken care of. Imperial Tours has been written up in prestigious titles such as Travel + Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler and Saveur.

When you deplane from your arriving flight, dazed and confused, an escort meets you at the gate and personally shepherds you to immigration and customs and then through baggage claim. For an additional fee, one can receive diplomatic status and be whisked through a private area of customs with no waiting.

Our 20-day trip would include 36 flights — 30 of them within China alone — and

the tour company’s attention to the smallest details that would make the experience easy and enjoyable.

On flights within China, you are met by a limo driver at the bottom of the plane’s stairs and driven over the tarmac to your next flight rather than boarding a passenger bus and being taken to the terminal. In addition, your bags are taken from your hotel room to the airport — and delivered tallahassee

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to your room at the next hotel. You never have to wait in line for boarding passes; they’re processed in advance and given to you at the airport where you’re escorted through VIP security lines.

Upon arriving at several destinations within China, Imperial Tours secures fullsized 50-plus-seat buses for the entourage of 14 guests and three or four handlers, so everyone can just spread out after the flight. One can also pay an additional fee to be upgraded to first class seating on flights within the country. In addition, Imperial caters special food for your flight so you can avoid airline food.

An invaluable part of the tour is the personal guide who travels with the group for the entire trip. He or she learns your individual preferences and proactively accommodates them. In addition, at whatever city you visit, a local expert guide greets the group at the airport and brings each destination alive with intimate knowledge of the area’s history and culture.

For example, there are two ways to see the Great Wall — you can drive an hour out of Beijing and see it with 5,000 others in a small area filled with souvenir peddlers who constantly surround you. With Imperial, you drive in a luxury bus for two-and-a-half hours and enter the Great Wall in a remote area where you are almost alone as you walk along the wall and gaze out at vistas stretching out for 20 miles. Inside one of the ancient guard towers you’ll find a white-tablecloth luncheon set up for your group with a chef awaiting. The floor and table are sprinkled with rose petals. The food is five-star quality, and the local guide brings the history of the wall alive as you dine and relax in the centuries-old fortress.

Should you decide to make the trip to the other side of the world, might I recommend to go a week early and have Imperial set up an individual itinerary for you. It allowed us to decompress from the trip, relax and adjust to the new time zone and place.

We first chose to go to Hangzhou, called “by far the most glorious city in the world” by perhaps history’s most famous tourist, Marco Polo. We stayed at the Aman Fayun, a peaceful hillside retreat surrounded by tea fields. One of the region’s oldest Buddhist temples was just a 10-minute walk away. We also enjoyed a drive through the tea plantations and were

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Photo of children courtesy Imperial Tours

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Photo of children courtesy Imperial Tours

SIGHTS TO SEE Xi’an is home to the Terracotta Warriors (below). A visit to Guilin included a bamboo raft ride on the Li River (left) was well as glimpses of rural life (opposite page, below) including children and rice terraces.

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BEST EMBROIDERY

2030-1 Thomasville h ill Rd. d (Gl (Glendale d l SSquare) (850) 514-3148 mmmonogramming.com

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guests of honor at a private tea ceremony and tea tasting. Our “take-it-easy” time included a boat tour of the romantic West Lake, featuring pagodas, causeways and landscaped islands.

After three nights in Hangzhou, we flew to the historic city of Lijiang, which 500 years ago was a trading spot on the Tea and Horse caravan route. The small town center is situated on the dry soils of the lower Tibetan plateau and stream water has ingeniously been channeled through its ancient, paved streets.

After our restful idyll, we flew to Bejing to begin our tour in earnest.

Our first day’s itinerary included a visit to one of ancient China’s most sacred sites, the Temple of Heaven, used by the Emperor to mediate affairs between God and man. But a special Imperial Tour treat was a visit to one of China’s largest outdoor antique markets where you could pick up an antique for only a few dollars.

We visited the must-see sights — Tian’anmen Square, the Summer Palace of Empress Dowager Cixi, the Great Wall and the antique Forbidden City. As its name implied, in years past, visitors were not allowed in the Forbidden City, but the tour gave us special access to the emperor’s personal residence, which is normally closed to the general public.

If you want to shop for pearls, your guide can take you on an after-hours visit to a showroom where you’ll see images of their customers — Nancy Reagan, Hillary Clinton, Tony Blair, George H.W. Bush and a long list of Hollywood and international celebrities. They guarantee a 20 percent discount — and coach you through the process of getting it up to 50 percent.

After three days in Beijing, we flew to Xi’an, home to the famous Terracotta Warriors. This underground army guarding the vast mausoleum complex of Emperor Qinshihuang is incredible and usually viewed at a distance from above. Our group was taken down to the excavation site and I was able to stand next to one of the “soldiers” and speak to an archaeologist — just one of so many incredible experiences during the tour.

We then flew to Guilin, where we enjoyed a ride on traditional bamboo rafts along the Li River and had the opportunity to see traditional village life of rural China.

We spent time with the local guide’s parents and watched them make tofu, visited a school during recess and had a private tallahassee

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2011

BEST CHIROPRACTOR

Changing the way people view and manage health, from the inside out.

LEARN THE 5 ESSENTIALS FOR BETTER LIVING! MAXIMIZED MIND

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TAKE CONTROL of your health and your life. PREVENT and REVERSE sickness and disease. CHOOSE a food plan that works for life. LOSE WEIGHT by exercising only 12 minutes at a time in your own home. ELIMINATE toxic exposures that are making you sick.

Dr. Ryan Fenn, Chiropractor 2732-1 Capital Circle NE 850.386.7700 fennchiro.com 130

SPLIT PERSONALITY The city of Shanghai includes the classic natural pleasures found at Yu Gardens as well as the ultra-modern, as seen in this guest suite (below) at the Park Hyatt Hotel.

chat with the “mayor” to ask any political or leadership questions.

From there, we finished up our tour in Shanghai, which was like traveling from the past to the future. Our “in the clouds” accommodations were at the spectacular Park Hyatt Hotel. In a city of skyscrapers, we were above it all, with commanding, unforgettable views of the Pearl Tower and the rest of the city.

We slept on the 90th floor, visited the spa and swimming pool on the 96th floor, dined on the 99th floor and finished up with a nightclub on the 101st floor.

While much of the city is thoroughly modern, we toured Shanghai’s colonial architecture, including the French Concession, whose sycamore-lined boulevards add a distinctive French panache to this “Paris of the Orient.” We learned about Chinese art at the Shanghai Museum and visited the Yu Gardens.

One highlight of my visit was meeting with an 80-year-old Chinese doctor who assessed what was ailing me. He took my pulse and told me I had lower back issues and a chronic overactive acid output problem with my stomach — both of which were right on the mark. He sent me home with a selection of custom-made herbs.

Yes, it is more expensive — a 12-night tour plus airfare to China will cost about $10,000 per person, about 20 to 30 percent more than the usual. If you do the math, that works out to about $250 a day, and the top-notch service is worth every penny. If this truly is a once-in-a-lifetime visit, I promise, your days will be filled with deep, enriching experiences you’ll always remember. n

Photo of Suite courtesy Hyatt Hotels

MAXIMIZED NERVE SUPPLY

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Photo of Suite courtesy Hyatt Hotels

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2011 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

Lofty Pursuits is a perfect way to find your child’s new favorite toy without waiting in the never-ending mainstream toy store lines. There is a wide selection of toys from creative, high-quality manufacturers including Haba, Plan Toys, Folkmanis, Gigamic and Duncan. Lofty Pursuits also offers candy canes and other Christmas candy throughout the season made on its 1800s-era equipment.

Prices from $2 to $20 mean that everyone should check out the toys and watch (and taste) traditional candy making in action.

The change of seasons is a reminder to refresh and renew. Embrace the winter with a personal pampering session at the SPA at Southeastern Plastic Surgery. At the SPA, highly trained, licensed aestheticians skillfully combine spa luxury with best-in-class technology. Their aestheticians can provide a variety of options for customized skin care programs for all skin types including relaxing facials. Give the gift of beauty with a SPA gift certificate.

LOFTY PURSUITS 1415 TIMBERLANE ROAD, #410 (850) 521-0091 LOFTYPURSUITS.COM

THE SPA AT SOUTHEASTERN PLASTIC SURGERY 2030 FLEISCHMANN ROAD (850) 219-2000 SE-PLASTICSURGERY.COM

For a gift that will leave them speechless, why not try reaching for the sky? Helicopters are the perfect way to see Tallahassee and the beautiful nature surrounding it from an angle you can’t get any other way, just a few hundred feet off the ground. Gift certificates can be ordered conveniently online or over the phone and are available for any flight service including breathtaking tours and thrilling introductory flight lessons.

Tempt taste buds with the new Junior League of Tallahassee (JLT) cookbook, “A Thyme to Celebrate” ($27.50). A perfect gift for the busy mom, hardworking dad, college graduate or entertainer on your list, “A Thyme to Celebrate” offers a fresh selection of 230 delicious recipes that are simple enough to whip up after a day in the office, yet tasty enough to impress at a dinner party. An added bonus: Proceeds from the sale of the book benefit JLT and its community projects. Helping others never tasted so good. Available by calling the JLT office or by visiting the website.

TALLAHASSEE HELICOPTERS 3240 CAPITAL CIRCLE SW (850) 841-1111 TALLAHASSEE-HELICOPTERS.COM

JUNIOR LEAGUE OF TALLAHASSEE 404 EAST 6TH AVENUE (850) 224-9161 JLTALLAHASSEE.ORG

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CAKE SHOP BAKERY 1908 CAPITAL CIRCLE NE, UNIT 6 (850) 386-2253 TALLYCAKESHOP.COM

MASSAGE ENVY 2887 KERRY FOREST PARKWAY, #5 (850) 422-3689 MASSAGEENVY.COM

The holidays aren’t complete without a trip to see The Nutcracker, and World Ballet’s multicultural twist presents classic ballet like you’ve never seen it before. Tickets are presented in a holiday-themed envelope with three performances to choose from: December 2 and 3 at 7:30 p.m., or December 4th at 2:30 p.m. $37.50. As a special Gift Guide promotion, your second ticket is 50 percent off retail price.

The hand-blown Circle of Friends Vase is designed to celebrate our friends’ unique gifts and to say, “Thank you for being a part of my circle.” Each vase comes with an artist card describing its attributes, so you can match them perfectly to the members of your circle.

Choose from Serenity, Energy, Optimism, Daring, Compassion, Strength, Magic and Loyalty. Vases are $25 each and 5" tall.

WORLD BALLET 2518 CATHAY COURT (850) 553-3315 WORLDBALLETINC.COM

GLASSHOPPER - UNIQUE GIFTS AND ENGRAVING 1419 MARKET STREET (850) 668-5007 GLASSHOPPERONLINE.COM

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Fulfill all your party needs this holiday season with themed cakes, cookies, delectable deserts and signature cupcakes from The Cake Shop. It’s a sure way to delight family, friends, holiday guests and coworkers. Gift certificates for tasty treats or The Cake Shop’s new cooking classes are also available. For details, visit our website.

Give the Gift of Wellness this holiday season! With so many healthy benefits, a Massage Envy gift card is a great idea. Want to keep that special someone stress-free for 3-months, 6-months or even a whole year? Consider a Massage Envy Gift Membership. Open Nights & Weekends — Convenient, Professional, and Affordable. Our customized therapeutic massages provide the relief, rejuvenation, and relaxation your loved one needs!

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2011 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

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2011 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

The executive in your life will enjoy 850 Magazine, the premier business publication dedicated to telling the dynamic story of the region’s exciting emergence in state, national and international marketplaces.

Or, treat yourself to the magazine’s insightful features, in-depth corridor spotlight stories and comprehensive articles on business trends and perspectives. A one-year gift subscription is $30.

Tallahassee’s favorite coffee shop has gifts for coffee lovers.

They can enjoy their java any time with coffee beans ($10.75 per 12 oz. bag) and mugs ($5). There are also T-shirts for $10 for those that like to show off their RedEye pride. Gift cards are also available for any amount. Remember: proceeds from everything you purchase will fund local and global humanitarian efforts. It’s like your gift is giving twice!

ROWLAND PUBLISHING 1932 MICCOSUKEE ROAD (850) 878-0554 850MAGAZINE.COM

REDEYE COFFEE 1122-7 THOMASVILLE ROAD (850) 425-5701

Stand out from the crowd with one-of-a-kind designs from Robert’s Jewelry & Designs. Tranquil pastel blue Aquamarine, lustrous deep green tourmaline, and golden Imperial Topaz rings are just a few samples of the unique quality custom pieces offered at Robert’s Jewelry & Designs.

You’re never too grown up for ruffles! Make our pretty PJs your own with a bold, colorful monogram. Add fun and frilly slippers as a sassy footnote to these ruffled beauties. Four styles and three sizes to choose from. A matching ruffle jewelry case and coordinating wine goblet or tumbler makes your gift complete. PJ pants $28, slippers $22, jewelry case $20, Tumbler and wine goblet $16.50, zebra tote $22.50.

ROBERT’S JEWELRY 1950 THOMASVILLE ROAD, #M (850) 422-1373 ROBERTSJEWELRY.NET

THAT’S MINE MONOGRAMMING 1460 MARKET STREET, SUITE B (850) 668-8300

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Holiday traveling and gifting items can be found at The Cottage Collection at The Grey Fox. The Classic Black Vera Vera Rolling Luggage Collection is shown in the 28” Expandable Upright ($320) and the 17” Roll Along Tote ($220). Accessorize with the new Hat Box Cosmetic ($46), Mini Laptop ($52) and Small Duffel ($69) in the elegant Suzani pattern.

Join Women for FSU (W4FSU) for the inaugural ENCORE Event to The Ringling Museum of Art. Enjoy an educational and fun filled weekend with behind the scene, exclusive access to this remarkable art complex. This ENCORE event includes private gallery tours with museum historians and staff, dinner at the Ca’d’Zan Mansion, wine in the Garden, a performance at the Asolo, and a great group of interesting women. So, if one of your new year’s resolutions is to get involved, learn something new, and make new friends — W4FSU’s ENCORE Event is the perfect present!

THE COTTAGE COLLECTION LOCATED AT GREY FOX 206 E. 6TH AVENUE (850) 576-VERA

WOMEN FOR FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY CONTACT LGLENN@FOUNDATION.FSU.EDU ONE.FSU.EDU/COMMUNITY

SWEET BLUE 6668-13 THOMASVILLE ROAD BEHIND CHICK-FIL-A AT BANNERMAN CROSSINGS (850) 222-2583 MYSWEETBLUE.COM

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M&M Monogramming, voted Best of Tallahassee 2011 for embroidery, is THE place for personalization! From cake takers ($22.50) to cashmere scarves ($26), all kinds of bags ($16-45) and Tyler candles ($6 & up) we have something for everyone on your list. We monogram your items, too…stockings to saddle pads, we can personalize it!

M&M MONOGRAMMING 2030-1 THOMASVILLE ROAD (850) 514-3148 MMMONOGRAMMING.COM

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

For classic, fun and personalized gifts she’ll adore, Sweet Blue is the place to go. With a wide selection of accessories including Trollbeads, Brighton jewelry and handbags, Silver Spoon jewelry and Monica Bonanno sandals, there is bound to be something just right for the woman in your life. Be sure to ask about customized gifts for a personal touch. Prices start at $7. Like us on Facebook!

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2011 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

Enjoy Tallahassee Magazine all year round! Your friends will be in the know with Tallahassee’s premier magazine keeping them upto-date on the life and styles of the capital city. A one-year gift subscription is $30.

Whether seeking the Ivy League look, to classic to adventurous, Cape Harbor is Tallahassee’s newest destination specializing in sophisticated, easy-living apparel, gifts, watches and jewelry for anyone who yearns to escape, explore, live. We offer a broad array of price points and brands such as Reactor Watches, Guy Harvey Jewelry, ORVIS and COAST.

ROWLAND PUBLISHING 1932 MICCOSUKEE ROAD (850) 878-0554 TALLAHASSEEMAGAZINE.COM

CAPE HARBOR 1690 RAYMOND DIEHL ROAD, SUITE 5A NEXT TO OSAKA (850) 629-9933

If you’re trying to find unique clothing and fresh accessories for your favorite woman, try raiding Karla’s Kloset. There’s bound to be something to make her feel fabulous, whether it be casual clothing, cocktail dresses, hats, shoes, a necklace, earrings, a purse — or all of the above. Karla’s Kloset makes it easy to knock her socks off.

Like us on Facebook!

Make your holidays the best ever with truly unique gifts from Tallahassee’s favorite destination for the perfect blend of vintage and trendsetting new items! We have it all — from India Rose doormats ($42) to Medina totes ($72), down-filled Serene Soul pillows ($82), Simpatico scents (candle $30, bubble bath $28) and so much more. Shop Sweet Patina today to fill your home and feed your soul. Also shown are 2 Red Hens Studio prom dress corsage ($36) and Homart nest and eggs ($21).

KARLA’S KLOSET 6668 THOMASVILLE ROAD, SUITE #12 (850) 297-0222

SWEET PATINA 2030-5 THOMASVILLE ROAD (850) 727-4834

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TALLAHASSEE MAGAZINE’S

TOP SALON COMPETITION IS BACK FOR 2012

LOVE YOUR STYLIST?

Pe CO Co

ADORE YOUR SALON? Nominate your salon to compete for the honor of being named Tallahassee’s Top Salon!

At the Top Salon celebration, ten salons will be invited to provide a head-to-toe makeover, which will be revealed at the exciting event. The beautiful results will be judged in a runway show.

The competition is sure to be fierce, but only one establishment will earn the title of “Top Salon”!

Tallahassee’s Top Salon wins an advertising campaign developed by Rowland Publishing and a year-long ad campaign in Tallahassee Magazine. Plus, a portion of the proceeds will benefit the winner’s favorite charity.

Your favorite salon can’t win unless you nominate them.

Nominations must be received between November 1–15. Visit TopSalonTLH.com to nominate.

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Peter Cizdziel and Paul Watts, COO Electronet Broadband Communications

RE AL CUSTOMERS . RE AL ISSUES . RE AL SOLUTIONS .

We have used Electronet for internet access for years, and when we learned that they could bundle voice, data and long distance together, we decided to take a look. With our management ofďŹ ces located off-site from the Club, we had two separate phone systems, making communication between the two very difďŹ cult. Electronet assisted with the purchase of our new phone system and streamlined communication between the two locations. They now provide all our communication needs. If you need reliability, performance and great hometown service, we highly recommend Electronet.

Peter Cizdziel G e n e r a l M a n a g e r, C . O . O .

3 4 1 1 C a p i t a l M e d i c a l B l v d . Ta l l a h a s s e e , F L | 2 2 2 . 0 2 2 9 | w w w. e l e c t r o n e t . n e t

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Capital Regional Women’s Health

welcomes

Kathrine Lupo, M.D. OB/GYN YN

Kathrine Lupo, M.D. has joined Michael Douso, M.D. at Capital Regional Women’s Health.

Dr. Lupo graduated with her medical degree from the Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania and completed her residency at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center. New to North Florida, Dr. Lupo is looking forward to exploring all our great region has to offer, including kayaking, biking and gardening. Dr. Lupo is very excited to work with women in the Big Bend to improve their overall health.

Dr. Lupo provides a complete range of OB/GYN services, including: Gynecology Services:

Obstetrics Services:

t Annual Female Examination

t Pre-Pregnancy Planning

t Family Planning/ Contraception Services

t Full Pregnancy Visits

t STD Testing

t Deliveries provided at Capital Regional Medical Center

t Treatment of pelvic pain

t 3-D Color Ultrasounds

Most insurances accepted as well as cash payments.

Michael Douso, M.D. Kathrine Lupo, M.D.

Same day appointments available.

850-877-5589

2770 Capital Medical Blvd., Suite 110, Tallahassee, FL 32308 | CapitalRegionalMedicalGroup.com 142

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home&

GARDEN

CHECK IT OUT

design | tips

» TIME FOR A CHRISTMAS LIGHT SWITCH

Christmas lights on your house and around the tree are beautiful with multicolored, luminous bulbs shaped like miniature candles. But those suckers burn a lot of juice that can send your December electric bill through the roof.

Plug too many together or leave them on too long, and they can toast an extension cord.

Light emitting diode (LED) lights are fast becoming a favored alternative to their incandescent Christmas cousins.

“In two or three years, incandescent lights will probably be retro,” said Mike Streb, director

of sales at Christmas Lights Etc. Based out of Alpharetta, Ga., the company supplies Tallahassee’s retail stores and other business with holiday lights for commercial decorating. Holiday LED lights are available for indoor and outdoor use and are now being made in motifs such as snowflakes and icicles.

According to Streb, LEDs use 95 percent less energy than incandescent lights with extremely low wattages, which means lower electric bills. Also, the bulbs are plastic, not breakable glass, which makes them more durable.

And each light lasts longer — an estimated 100,000 hours.

Streb said the biggest problem people now have with LEDs is the higher price. Also, some people don’t like the bright, artificial light and vivid colors of LEDs, preferring the warmer, antique shine of incandescents. LED warm whites are the closest you can get to that soft look of traditional lights.

“It’s cooler to the touch and temperature,” Streb said. “It just doesn’t have that candlelight warm glow to it.” — Alexia McKay

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CHRISTMAS IS EVERYWHERE From the French-themed tree in the front hall (this page) to the family room decorated in more traditional colors (opposite page, top), retiree Jan Thomas (opposite page, bottom) has imbued her Killearn home with reminders of the holiday season.

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PhotoS by scott holstein

Habitat

christmas the

The Holiday Spirit is Everywhere at Jan and Hollie Thomas’ Place

By Rosanne Dunkelberger

PhotoS by scott holstein

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house

hen the Thanksgiving festivities are over at Jan and Hollie Thomas’ Killearn home, it begins to look a lot like Christmas — emphasis on a lot.

Every room — bathrooms too — have a Christmas tree and a nativity scene, and pretty much every flat surface features some nod to the holiday.

“I’m big into traditions (and) it’s just fun to pull out the stuff every year,” Jan says. “I’ve always been Christmas crazy.” Hollie, not so much, but he’s a good sport and “the world’s most patient husband,” she says.

“He helps with everything. He helps me get everything down (from the attic) and get the trees up.”

Guests walking in the front door are immediately greeted by a tree decorated with ornaments either from France or with a French theme, a nod to the couple’s vacation home in the south of France about an hour away from the Mediterranean Sea.

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IT’S PERSONAL Despite the abundance of Christmas accoutrements in her home, many of them have special meaning for Jan Thomas, including an ornament she cross stitched for her son (below far left) and her French-themed nutcrackers (below). She made the Advent calendar (top left) out of a mini-muffin tin. Each of its magnetic squares hides a daily treat.

The pair started traveling to France with a trip to Paris in 1993 and, a few years before they both retired, bought a small home on a whim 10 years ago in the twin towns of La Capelle et Masmolene, which have a total population of less than 400 between them.

“It’s very Old World,” with no television, she says of their rural home-awayfrom-home. “For us it’s an escape. Even though we’re retired we’re real, real active and real, real busy. It gives us time to kind of reconnect and be away.”

A display of Santons is a piece of holiday tradition they’ve brought home with them from France. Translated as “little saints,” they are France’s version of the crèche.

When religious displays were banned during the French Revolution, the manger scenes included little clay statues of people who populated the villages of Provence during that time period. So instead of angels and shepherds, you would find a miniature of a fishwife or a scissor grinder gathered around the manger.

“There are hundreds of these little figures, like this is the town baker and the milkman,” she says, pointing to her own collection.

Jan says she decorated her first out-ofthe-living-room tree in her son’s room when he was about two years old. He’s grown now, but the tree still features ornaments that were tied on his packages over the years. The house-wide tree collection didn’t begin until about 18 years ago, after she and Hollie married and combined their households.

“When we moved to this house … there are so many rooms, and I just started doing all these theme trees,” she says. “I think every room should have one because you don’t want to lose the focus.”

Welcome our newest doctor,

JAMELL WALKER, MD

Azalea Women’s Healthcare Women taking care of women

Adrienne George, MD Anitra Brown, MD Regina Lewis, ARNP, BS Deborah White, CNM Kimberly Morphet, CNM Erin Schleicher, CNM OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY 1219 Hodges Dr. • Tallahassee (850) 877-5767

JIM SMITH

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RIVALS UNITE Because Jan Thomas earned degrees at Florida, Florida State and Georgia, there are trees honoring each of her alma maters.

Her beach-themed bath has a seashell tree. Her room dedicated to scrapbooking (impressive in its own right) has a tabletop tree adorned with little scissors and photo albums. Last year she added a new dog tree to commemorate the latest addition to the family — a black lab/border collie mix rescue puppy named Sophie.

On a sideboard in the dining room, three trees decorated in the colors of rival universities — Florida State, Florida and Georgia — manage to exist in harmony. “I have a degree from all three,” explains Jan. The focal point of the dining room is a large table set with dishes in Spode’s traditional Christmas Tree pattern. For her twentieth birthday, which is in November, Jan’s mother gave her a set of four mugs in the pattern, which features a Victorian Santa atop a giftladen tree. The next year, she got four dessert plates. Now, many November birthdays later, “I have just about every serving piece, a cookie jar, little candle lamps, vases, candlesticks and service for 12 with all the pieces.”

She breaks out the Spode “at the first of December and we use it the entire month for every meal, because it goes in the dishwasher and it goes into the microwave.” Plates, cake stands and other serving pieces sit on a side table in the formal living room; they’ll be filled with desserts for her holiday houseguests to nibble on during their visit.

That room also houses a pink-and-lace Victorian tree, which coordinates with their antique furniture from the same era. The den houses what Jan calls their “traditional family tree.”

“When my son was little I did lots of needlework, so there’s lots on here,” she says. When Tyler was born, she also started a collection of nutcrackers for him. Each had a special meaning relating to the year it was given — a baseball player when his All-Star team went to the playoffs, a fireman after 9-11. “I told him whenever he wanted them he could have ’em and two years ago he took them, so I had to start over.” The fireplace mantle has been repopulated with

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nutcrackers, many of them paying homage to the couple’s French home.

In addition to houseguests, many others have been able to enjoy the abundance of Christmas cheer in the Thomas home.

When both were working — he was an FSU professor, she was an administrator for the state — they would host back-toback holiday parties for their coworkers, his on Friday and hers on Saturday. “We kind of discovered that a lot of (guests) knew each other, and then we started having both groups at the same time … and then we just threw in a few friends,” for a giant festivity. Jan also invites friends for an afternoon “girlfriends’ tea,” where the small-world-Tallahassee syndrome was also in effect.

“I would invite all my girlfriends from all my different walks of life,” she says.

“It was funny, the first year, how many of them knew each other, but didn’t know the other one knew me.”

Both Jan and Hollie are collectors — he likes furniture and tools, she favors linens and glassware — and they sell the items in a booth at the Traditions antique store in Havana.

“We love to go to auctions, but we don’t need anything,” she says. “Now, when my

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A PERFECT SETTING While Jan Thomas’ extensive Spode Christmas Tree stoneware collection graces the table for the grand holiday feast, she also uses it for all her meals every day in December.

shopping demons are up, I can go shopping and then just sell it.”

In addition to estate sales in Kansas and Missouri, where they visit Hollie’s daughters and grandchildren in the summer, she’s also on the lookout for sales in France. “I buy a lot of hand-knit baby sweaters over there,” Jan says. “Lots of times people will tell me, ‘It’s one that my belle-mere made for my child, and she only wore it once.’” (As an aside, bellemere means “beautiful mother” and usually refers to a mother-in-law.)

One might wonder where all of this holiday décor goes for the other 11 months of the year — and how in the world Jan knows where everything is. “It’s all up in the attic and it’s all stacked along one side,” she explains. “When I take a tree down, it goes into stackable boxes. They’re labeled, so everything that goes on that (tree) is together.”

And there they will stay, patiently waiting in the attic for the next Thanksgiving, when the process starts all over again. n tallahassee

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If You Love Your Christmas Cactus, Let It Be Q

Every year, I get a big, beautiful Christmas cactus as a gift from a relative, and it’s usually a slimy, dying mess by spring. I anticipate getting another one this Christmas and I’d like to keep it alive — and hopefully get it to rebloom for the next holiday season. What have I been doing wrong?

It sounds like you’ve been drowning it, and I suspect you’ve been keeping it too warm, too. Christmas cactus, botanically known as Zygocactus, is really an easy plant to grow, and it’s all too easy to kill it by paying it too much attention.

When you first receive your beautiful plant, put it in a spot with bright, but indirect, light that is free of drafts. The blooms actually last longer if the plant is kept in a cool place, so the fireplace mantel is not the spot for this beauty.

If your plant comes in one of those pots wrapped in colorful foil paper that creates a stand-up collar, get it off as soon as you can. It traps air and moisture and encourages mold, fungus and other nastiness, which ultimately will cause your plant to decline and die. If you don’t like the look of the bare pot, set it inside a decorative one that’s slightly larger.

Keep the plant moist while it’s blooming — once water runs out of the bottom of the pot, it’s had enough — and pick off the spent blooms when they start to wither. Once the Christmas cactus has finished blooming, it’s time for a little benign neglect.

Put the plant in a cool place with indirect, fairly low light and leave it alone. A spare bedroom or even an unheated garage with a window is OK. Do not keep it moist. It will cause it to rot. Let it dry out.

Once the soil is completely dry — and you can determine this by sticking your finger deep into the soil — you can give it a little water, but don’t drench it. Check on it every two or three weeks and see whether it

Bring your plant back indoors when flower buds have formed, place it in a cool, draft-free location and enjoy the show.

Q A

A

Ms. Grow-It-All

By Audrey Post

needs another sip. If you’re not sure, err on the side of doing nothing.

Once the weather warms, move the plant outside to a shady spot. A porch that gets a little morning sun is OK, but midday and afternoon sun are too strong.

Too much sun causes the leathery, green, segmented “leaves” to develop a red tint.

Move it to a shadier location if that happens. If there’s a danger of frost, bring your Christmas cactus back inside. It’s a tropical plant and it can’t take cold.

Water your plant when it’s dry throughout summer; in fall, changes in the light as the days get shorter signal the plant that it’s time to get ready for flowering again. Our climate is really in synch with Christmas cactus’ internal clock, so we don’t have to do a lot of manipulation to force blooms, such as covering with boxes. Remember to bring it inside if temperatures are forecast to drop below 40 degrees Farenheit.

I’d like to plant some citrus trees in my yard. Are there specific varieties for our area?

Yes, most citrus varieties that grow in Central and South Florida will not survive our frosty winter nights. You want citrus that has been grafted onto cold-hardy rootstock, usually a type of trifoliate orange. This keeps the plant dormant in winter, so it’s not as susceptible to freeze damage.

Kumquats and satsumas are the most cold-hardy, but you can find tangerines, oranges, limes, lemons and grapefruits that will grow well here. No matter how cold-hardy, though, all citrus needs to be protected during the first two or three years it’s in the ground. A two-layer system of fabric and plastic works best, but make sure the plastic doesn’t touch the plant or it can “burn” it. And remember to remove the covers the next day as temperatures warm.

If you want to grow tender citrus, consider planting it in pots, which you can move indoors when frost threatens.

Whichever you choose, buy your citrus from a reputable local nursery, where the staff can tell you the tree’s rootstock and preferred growing condition. If a salesperson can’t answer such questions, take your business to someone who can. © 2011 Postscript Publishing, all rights reserved. Audrey Post is a certified Advanced Master Gardener volunteer with the University of Florida IFAS Extension in Leon County. E-mail her at Questions@MsGrowItAll.com or visit her website at msgrowitall.com. Ms. Grow-It-All® is a registered trademark of Postscript Publishing. tallahassee

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Gardening Calendar November-December

Friday, Nov. 4 Friday Brown Bag Lunch Lecture Series “Tried and True: Plants that Thrive in Tallahassee,” presented by Loretta Denes of Loretta Denes Landscaping. Noon to 1 p.m.

Goodwood Museum and Gardens’ Carriage House Conference Center. Free; no reservations required; attendees may bring their lunch.

Wednesday, Nov. 9 Caladium Bulb Sale begins. The Garden Center, 507 N. Calhoun St. Go to tallahasseegardenclub.com for more information.

Thursday, Nov. 17 Plant exchange (9:30 a.m.) and horticulture program (10 a.m.): Colorful Designer Caladiums for Hot, Humid Summer Color. 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. The Garden Center, 507 N. Calhoun St. Free, open to the public and members Thursday, Nov. 17 Fun With Flowers: Holiday Designs. 1 to 2:30 p.m. The Garden Center, 507 N. Calhoun St. Cost is $20 and reservations are required.

Go to tallahasseegardenclub.com for more information.

Thursday, Nov. 17 Fun With Flowers: Traditional Line Mass Design for a Dining Table.

5:30 to 8 p.m. The Garden Center, 507 N. Calhoun St. Cost is $30 and reservations are required. Go to tallahasseegardenclub.com for more information.

Friday, Dec. 2 Friday Brown Bag Lunch Lecture Series: “A Backyard Christmas III,” presented by Master Gardener and flower show judge Lana Arnold. Noon to 1 p.m. Goodwood Museum and Gardens’ Carriage House Conference Center. Free; no reservations required; attendees may bring their lunch.

Tuesday, Dec. 13 Christmas Tea Fundraiser and Holiday Flower Show. 3 to 6 p.m. The Garden Center, 507 N. Calhoun St. Go to tallahasseegardenclub.com for more information.

Your Garden To-Do List » Plant cool-weather annuals such as snapdragons, pansies and petunias; cool-weather herbs, including parsley, cilantro and dill; and winter vegetables such as lettuces, greens (collards, turnips, kale), carrots, kohlrabi, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower in sunny locations.

» Plant trees and flowering shrubs, so their roots will be well established by the time hot weather returns next spring.

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» Plant bulbs for spring bloom; be sure to pre-chill those that need it, such as tulips and hyacinths.

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» Divide daylilies, irises and hostas. » Mulch trees and shrubs to provide a blanket of insulation over the winter, but keep the mulching material 3-4 inches away from the trunk.

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BODY

In Focus

» THE EYEBROWS HAVE IT

Like artwork, your face looks best when it sits in the perfect frame. Often neglected in the beauty regimen, eyebrows have the potential to show off your face beautifully and open up the eyes.

A little time added to your daily routine can completely change the look of your face.

Here are some tips to maximize your eyebrows’ potential from Amber Manasco-White, spa specialist at Tallahassee’s So-Pure Salon and Spa: Thicker brows with a pronounced arch are

definitely “in” right now, while in the recent past it was all about the thinner brow. To make brows look more full, Manasco-White recommends filling in thinner spots with a brush and powder. If you’ve already got strong brows, flaunt them, but be sure to keep them in shape!

Properly shaped brows should “not make it past the nose or past the edge of the eye,” she says. The arch should fall above the outer edge of the iris. To maintain this shape, ladies should get their eyebrows waxed every few

your life | well-being

weeks and pluck stray hairs in between. It is also recommended to use small scissors to trim excess length. Comb brows upward with a brow comb and trim the hairs that reach above the brow line. Just remember: It’s better to err on the side of thickness.

Men should not be shy about getting their eyebrows waxed either. Manasco advises that while the recommended shape varies depending on the man, “he should definitely see an experienced brow waxer.”

— Laura Bradley

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Health

Early Resolution

By Desiree Stennett

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A Little Restraint Through the Holidays Can Help You Avoid New Year’s Remorse I

t’s that time of the year again when most people seem to be stuffing their stomachs — not stockings — with goodies. By the end of the holiday season, Santa may not be the only one having a little trouble making it down the chimney.

After almost 10 months of following last year’s resolution to lose weight, even the most dedicated dieters and gym-goers tend to lose some momentum in the six weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.

The general belief is that most people gain between five and 10 pounds during the holiday season. According to the National Institutes of Health, however, that’s well above average — most people gain about a pound. But don’t get too excited. There’s bad news along with the good.

“The good news is that people don’t gain as much weight as we thought during the holidays,” says Dr. Jack Yanovski, head of the Growth and Obesity unit for the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. “The bad news is that the weight gained over the winter holidays is not lost during the rest of the year.”

That means the extra weight you pick up around Christmas will most likely still be

hanging around when next the Christmas rolls around, when you’ll pick up a couple more pounds.

It’s this cycle that causes many cases of obesity later in life — and those who are obese are more likely to gain extra pounds at the end of every year, according to the NIH. The key difference between this time of year and other food-centric holidays, like Fourth of July barbecues and Halloween candy binges, is the length of the celebration. This is no quick gorge, then back to the workout. Instead, for weeks on end, we’re surrounded with food and drinks that are jam-packed with sugar and fat.

Not only is temptation around every corner in the form of goodies and snacks you wouldn’t even consider the rest of the year (eggnog, anyone?), the stress of finding the perfect gift for the everyone in the family and paying for the airfare to go see Grandma exacerbates. When we’re stressed, we seek comfort foods — and there are plenty of those to go around. No wonder so many people pack on the pounds.

With the odds stacked so high against us, most people might think weight gain is inevitable — but before you give up hope and succumb to piling on the pounds, there are ways to tallahassee

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save yourself. Not only can you maintain your weight, you can keep losing and be the envy of all your friends.

You may only see commercials advertising gym memberships after New Year’s, but many local gyms have deals for the slower holiday season as well. Gold’s Gym offers discounts on their sign-up fees that may entice the stagnant to get moving before the holidays are over.

Finding the free time to even take a breath may seem nearly impossible, but you wouldn’t skip out on work or cancel lunch with a client to get more Christmas shopping in, would you? Give hitting the gym the same priority you give to the other important things in your life.

Schedule time to go to the gym and work out, and don’t break that appointment. This is the time you set aside to take care of yourself. With everything from work to family life, you deserve to be at the top of your own priority list for a few hours a week.

Spark People, an online weight loss aid, also suggests counting calories and keeping track of everything you eat — and they mean everything.

Keeping a food journal of your meals and snacks — on paper or with the help a smartphone app — will help you cut out the fatty foods that would normally be digested before you even realize you put them in your mouth.

The holiday season has a way of bringing the social butterfly out of the most antisocial hermit. With dinner get-togethers, potlucks and cocktail parties every week, it’s a wonder our pants buttons are closing by Christmas Day. But don’t think that the only way to stay skinny is to stay at home and miss out on all the fun.

Here are three quick tricks to surviving a dinner party and have a great time while keeping your waistline intact:

» Eat before you go. Going to a party on an empty stomach will have you piling your plate higher and make your afternoon workouts pointless. » Bring a healthy dish. It’s hard

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to mind your caloric intake when you don’t know how the food you’re eating was prepared. Bringing a dish of your own ensures that you will have something tasty to eat that you know is healthy.

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difference. Alcoholic drinks are jam-packed with calories, and your waistband will love you for your restraint. If you happen to have a drink or two, don’t forget to jot those down in your food journal too.

Unfortunately, with the number of cookies, cakes and popcorn tins given as gifts, temptation also exists at home. Get those out of the house as quickly as you can or you’ll polish off entire containers while watching “Miracle on 34th Street” or “The Santa Clause.”

If you feel guilty re-gifting these succulent goodies, Spark People suggests you either donate them to a local shelter or bring them to work and leave them in the office kitchen for those who don’t have the same willpower you enjoy.

While you’re out and about picking up gifts, squeezing in family time and planning dinners, one of the most important ways to save yourself this season is to relax.

It may seem easier said than done, but according to WebMD, although stress initially causes a loss of appetite, that is quickly followed by a more-lasting spike in appetite that will likely send your calorie count sky high.

Just because everyone else seems to be throwing better judgment and restraint to the wind as they pile on the pounds they’ll most likely never shed, that doesn’t mean you have to suffer the same fate.

Keeping slim is no problem if you put in a little effort, so make yourself a priority and stay healthy. n

“The good news is that people don’t gain as much weight as we thought during the holidays. The bad news is that the weight gained over the winter holidays is not lost during the rest of the year.”

— Dr. Jack Yanovski

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GUIDE

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first course

» SUPERFOODS

Substitute yogurt for that chicken biscuit in the morning; it can prevent vaginal infections and eliminate dangerous bacteria. Be sure to add some avocado to your salad; it can protect your eyes from macular degeneration.

Call them “superfoods” — high in nutrient content, low in calories and loaded with health benefits. Beans, berries, citrus fruits, low-fat dairy products, dark leafy veggies, fish high in Omega-3s, sweet potatoes, eggs, whole grains and nuts are all considered superfoods that can help stave off or manage a variety of diseases.

“There are millions of ways to make

something really good, but really healthy,” says Leah Gilbert-Henderson owner of Take Care Nutrition Consulting.

It’s even possible to “superfood” your holiday meals. Onions, mushrooms and celery in your stuffing helps prevent cancer and lower your blood cholesterol level. Or garnish your turkey with an unconventional, but tasty, mixture of oranges and apples.

Satisfy your sweet tooth with fruits and vegetables rather than desserts. They contain phytochemicals, vitamins and fiber that help keep your weight down and keep you regular.

“Sugar is just empty calories,” says Gilbert. “(Fruits) have lots of nutrients and fiber that helps to control diabetes.”

But if you don’t want to pass up dessert, consider the classic Southern sweet potato pie.

Sweet potatoes are anti-inflammatory weapons for fighting stomach ulcers and reducing blood pressure.

Wash your food down with a glass of black cherry-cranberry juice. It’s rich in vitamin C and fights urinary tract infections and gum disease.

— Kimberly Dantica and Alexia McKay

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When

Wheat is the

Problem Tallahassee Makes Room at the Table for People With Gluten-Free Diets

By Ana Goni-Lessan

P

eople who can’t tolerate gluten sometimes find eating a challenge, especially when it comes to special events. But now, whether they’re craving cake or pizza, people with celiac disease are finding more food options in Tallahassee.

Celiac disease affects one in 133 people and is most prevalent among those of northern and western European descent.

According to an article published by the Mayo Clinic, diagnoses have increased up to four times since 1950.

Amulya Konda, a gastroenterologist with the Digestive Disease Clinic in Tallahassee, said the rise in numbers may be attributed to doctors now realizing the disease is more common than they thought. “We are recognizing it more,” she said. “It’s not a new disease.”

But primary care doctors and pediatricians now test more frequently for the disease, the media has covered it extensively and local grocery stores like New Leaf Market, Earth Fare and Publix now carry more gluten-free options.

Celiac disease is an auto-immune disorder that affects the small intestine. When someone with the disease ingests gluten — a protein found in wheat, barley, rye and oats — antibodies attack the intestine, causing damage to the lining and making it difficult for the body to absorb nutrients.

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According to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, symptoms may include abdominal bloating and pain, chronic diarrhea, vomiting, weight loss and fatigue, among others. Some victims, however, may not experience any symptoms.

Celiac disease can also run in families, Konda said, and can be diagnosed at any age. Those who have it also tend to have other health problems like Type 1 diabetes, lactose intolerance, thyroid disease and other autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Doctors still don’t know the cause of celiac disease. While it can sometimes be hard to diagnose in its early stages, a simple blood test and an endoscopy can confirm it.

“Tests have gotten better these days. We are catching the disease earlier,” she said.

The hardest part for her patients, she added, is the drastic life change a diagnosis of celiac disease requires.

“It’s not easy to be on a gluten-free diet, and it’s expensive, too,” she said. “You take it for granted that you can just walk into a place and eat.”

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Pick Your Pie Jayme Glusman, owner of Three Guys from NY Pizzeria, shows off a tomto-basil gluten-free pizza in his restaurant.

Many common foods contain gluten.

Unless labeled “gluten-free,” people diagnosed with celiac disease must avoid pasta, bread, beer, cakes and pies, cookies, crackers, sauces and processed lunchmeats, among others. And celiac sufferers have to learn to be inveterate label readers, because wheat products can appear in surprising places, such as root beer, licorice, blue cheese, pickles — even Communion wafers.

Judi McGinnis, 73, baker and owner of Judi B’s Gluten Free, was diagnosed with celiac disease about a year ago when she discovered she had a rash, a rare symptom of the disease.

At first, she was distraught at the limitations her new diagnosis put on her everyday eating habits.

“I was horrified at first,” she said, as she recalled the moment when she realized she couldn’t have her favorite: Carrabba’s bread. “What am I going to do? I’m a bread lover,” she said.

So she began to bake and cook for herself, at first starting with recipes she found and

then experimenting with her own flour mixes. Rice, soy, corn, potato and bean flours can substitute for wheat flour in most recipes.

At first, her experimentation with glutenfree baking was a disaster. “The first loaf of bread I made you could kill someone with,” she said.

But now, with her own mix of flour she’s perfected, McGinnis is able to make crepes, waffles, biscuits and her favorite, French bread.

Currently baking out of a licensed kitchen in her home, she is beyond baking glutenfree options for herself and is in talks with local coffee shops and stores to provide her products. She also will begin teaching cooking classes at Publix and New Leaf.

“It has been a real eye-opener to me. It’s a challenge, and it’s fun,” she said.

Susan Winters, owner of Three Sons Bakery, started her business in 2006 out of a licensed kitchen attached to her home and has been baking and distributing gluten-free products in Tallahassee for two years.

She said the happiness she can provide people with celiac disease by baking their

Photos by Ana Goni-Lessan

Hold the Gluten Susan Winters bakes a gluten-free hummingbird cake for Black Dog Cafe.

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Photos by Ana Goni-Lessan

favorite cake or muffin is what keeps her motivated. “It makes me work harder to be able to provide a really good product,” she said.

Winters has received countless thank you cards and emails, been called an angel and has had a woman cry in happiness in her driveway. “She was just so thankful to have really good chocolate-chip cookies,” she said.

Winters first looked into baking glutenfree when a girl named Melanie approached her at the Lake Ella Farmers Market and brought her a cookbook. Winters started doing research and “that was that. I started experimenting,” she said.

Like McGinnis, Winters agrees learning how to bake gluten-free products is challenging.

“It’s not easy,” she said. “Unlike baking a wheat product, there’s nothing in the flour mix that creates that wonderful lift.”

However, most of whatever she is able to bake normally she can also bake gluten-free.

Orders must be taken 48 hours in advance in order to avoid cross-contamination with other products.

Her most popular gluten-free item is cake. Winters said the first question customers usually ask is if there’s only a choice between chocolate and vanilla because they’re so used to having limited choices.

“Most everything translates fairly easily,” she said.

Her gluten-free products can be found throughout Tallahassee at locations like The Black Dog, New Leaf Market, The HoneyTree, Red Eye, Tomatoland and even Aloft Hotel downtown.

Travel farther down Tennessee Street and find more gluten-free options at Three Guys from New York Pizzeria.

The restaurant offers a gluten-free pizza option. Customers can order any pizza combination off the menu — except for meatballs — and have it made into a gluten-free personal pan pizza. The pizzas are also cooked in a separate oven to avoid cross contamination.

Jayme Glusman, owner of the restaurant, knew he wanted to offer a gluten-free option the minute he took over the establishment in 2008. With a degree in health education from Florida State University and a familiarity with natural foods, Glusman understands the necessity for a glutenfree option.

“I want people to be able to come out and eat with their friends who can’t eat gluten,” he said.

The restaurant even sells gluten-free beer.

Since he started advertising the gluten-

free pizza on the store’s marquee, Glusman said he’s had many people come in and specifically ask for it.

He sells gluten-free pizzas every week and makes a point not to run out of crust.

“I cannot be out of stock,” he said. “I hate the look on their face when we’re out.”

Gluten-free pizza dough does not stretch like regular dough. It needs to be rolled out instead of tossed. “It’s time consuming, and you have to be very precise,” he said.

While he currently orders the crust from another company, Glusman said he is working hard on perfecting his own recipe.

“I have to get to that point where I’m like, ‘Yes, that’s it,’ ” he said.

Glusman prides himself and his restaurant’s ability to accommodate those with restrictive diets, like vegetarians and vegans, and uses mostly local produce, even growing some of the vegetables himself.

“I want to provide products for everyone,” he said. n

Here are some restaurants in Tallahassee offering gluten-free options: » The Olive Garden — Offers gluten-

free menu, including a gluten-free pasta

» Kool Beanz Café — Gluten-

free options on menu and will accommodate any dietary requests

2011

» New Leaf Market — Offers gluten-

free desserts, sandwiches and soups in the deli section

» Mozaik — Gluten-free options

available and will accommodate any dietary requests

» Three Guys from New York Pizzeria — Gluten-free pizza and beer

» 1 Fresh Stir Fry — Offers quinoa and a gluten-free sauce

» Masa — Gluten-free options on

menu and will accommodate any dietary requests

» The Melting Pot — Offers glutenfree fondue

» The Black Dog — Gluten-free desserts » Ted’s Montana Grill —

Offers gluten-free menu and other menu items can be made gluten-free

tallahassee

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come

eat

enjoy

Thank you for making us #1

a modern dining experience 9

HERE, YOU’RE AMONG FRIENDS.

2011

2010

BEST CASUAL DINING BEST LOCALLY OWNED RESTAURANT Best Asian Restaurant/Sushi

847.0003 | 1001 N. Monroe St.

MODERN AMERICAN CUISINE LUNCH: MON–FRI, 11–2:30 DINNER: MON–SAT, 5:30–10 SUNDAY BRUNCH: 10:30-2

921 THOMASVILLE RD. (850) 224-2466 WWW.KOOLBEANZ-CAFE.COM

2011

BEST CAJUN RESTUARANT

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Relax While We Cater Your Holiday Parties!

• Fried Turkeys & Turduckens • Cajun (But not Spicy Hot) • Family-friendly • Coosh Cool • Muffins are back on Saturdays and can be pre-ordered • Former Co-owners of the Mill

Come pass a good time!

850-894-4110 | Cooshs.com 2910 Kerry Forrest Parkway

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dining guide 2011 Best of Tallahassee..........................

Breakfast/Brunch....................................

Lunch......................................................

Dinner.....................................................

Takeout Available...................................

Outdoor Dining......................................

Live Music..............................................

Bar/Lounge.............................................

Reservations...........................................

Credit Cards Accepted............................

Up to $10............................................... $ $10 – $15................................................$$ $15 and up.......................................... $$$

Gourmet Specialty A LA PROVENCE $$$ French. A rich décor and graceful atmosphere create a memorable dining experience, offering French-Mediterranean cuisine, including Crepes De Mer and Escargot de Bourgogne. A complimentary amuse bouche, a bite-size appetizer, allows chefs to show off their culinary skills to guests. 1415 Timberlane Road. Lunch 11:30 a.m.–2 p.m. Mon.–Fri., Dinner 5:30–9:30 p.m.

Mon.–Sat. (850) 329-6870 Andrew’s 228 $$$ American and Italian. A chic urban restaurant serving signature blends of creative American and Italian cuisine in stylish surroundings.

Named one of the Top 20 Restaurants in Florida three years in a row by Florida Trend. Private rooms are available for banquets and meetings. 228 S. Adams St. 6–10 p.m. Mon.–Thu., 6–11 p.m. Fri.–Sat. (850) 222-3444.

Anthony’s Wood Fire Grill $$ American and Italian. After 26 years in Betton Place, restaurateur Dick Anthony has returned in a new location with a new menu featuring grilled chicken, steak, fish and hamburgers. Italian favorites that made the original Anthony’s so popular have returned on the “First Loves Second Chances” portion of the dinner menu. 1355 Market St. Lunch 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Mon.–Fri., Dinner 5–9 p.m. Mon.–Sun., Brunch 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Sun. (850) 224-1447, anthonyswoodfiregrilltallahassee.com Avenue Eat & Drink $$$ A chic restaurant offering a melting pot of flavors fresh from the South, served in scrumptious dining presentations. Sunday brunch is a not-to-be-missed treat. Refine your meal with a glass of wine or a cocktail at the onyx bar.

115 E. Park Avenue. Brunch 9:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.

Sat.–Sun., Lunch 11 a.m–4 p.m. Mon.–Sat., Dinner 4–10:30 p.m Mon.–Thurs., 4–11 p.m. Fri.– Sat., (850) 224-0115 tallahassee

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Dining Guide CHEZ PIERRE $$$ French. French and Southern hospitality converge at Chez Pierre. From the signature Crepes Poulet to delicious grilled duck breast and freshground Australian lamb burgers, the restaurant repeated “Best Happy Hour” and “Best Outdoor Dining” honors from the readers of Tallahassee Magazine in 2011. Live music accompanies your meal most nights of the week. Sun.–Thurs.

11 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri.–Sat. 11 a.m.–11 p.m. 1215 Thomasville Rd. (850) 222-0936.

G ourmet Panini Sandwiches • Artisan Breads Global Wines • Imported Italian Pasta & Other Market Items Family Size Meals To Go • Lunch & Dinner Items Tailgating Specials & Catering Available Coming Soon: New Mobile Wood-Fire Pizza Oven Available for Catering 1122 Thomasville Road, Suite 4 | 421.5862 | lunasitalianfood.net Tues-Fri 10am-6pm, Mon & Sat 10am-3pm, closed Sun CASH, MASTERCARD, VISA, AMEX

Cypress Restaurant $$$ New Southern. Voted “Best Fine Dining” and “Best Celebration/Special Occasion” by Tallahassee Magazine readers in 2011. Sophisticated Southern regional dining in a contemporary, metropolitan setting. Menu features chef-cut fish and aged meats, fresh in-house preparations, a comprehensive wine list and full bar. Valet parking available at night. 320 E. Tennessee St. Dinner only Tues.–Sat. Open at 5 p.m. (850) 513-1100.

Food Glorious Food $$$ American. Choose from several savory soups, nearly a dozen salads, and a great selection of sandwiches and pastas with hot entrées that represent a variety of world cuisines.

Heavenly dessert concoctions — voted “Best Dessert” in 2011 by Tallahassee Magazine readers — will please even the most discriminating diner. 1950 Thomasville Road. Lunch 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Mon.–Sat., Dinner 5:30–9:30 p.m. Tues.–Thurs. and Sun., 5:30–10:30 p.m.

Fri.–Sat., Closed Mon. for dinner. Sun. Brunch 10 a.m.–2:30 p.m. (850) 224-9974.

Georgio’s $$$ American. If George Koikos is in the house, you can count on a visit to your table from him during your meal. His hands-on commitment to quality, food, service and a personal touch have kept his restaurants in business for 44 years.

Now with two locations. 3425 Thomasville Road.

Opens 5 p.m. Mon.–Sat. (850) 893-4161 or 2971 Apalachee Parkway. 4–10 p.m. Mon.–Sat. (850) 877-3211.

Kitcho Japanese Restaurant $$ Japanese. Its specialty, sushi, was named the best in Tallahassee in 2006. Step inside Kitcho’s Velvet Lounge for a sip or two of sake as you sit comfortably while waiting for your table. 1415 Timberlane Road. 11:30 a.m.–2 p.m. and 5:30–10 p.m. Tue.–Fri., 5:30–10 p.m. Sat., 5:30–9 p.m.

Sun. (850) 893-7686.

Liam’s Restaurant $$$ American. Located in historic Downtown Thomasville, Ga., Liam’s serves delicious sustainably sourced, natural, organic foods. The menu changes based upon what the owners find to be the best available ingredients from small artisanal producers. Look for a catch of the day along with great tasting beef and pork dishes.

A large selection of cheeses is a specialty here.

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113 E. Jackson St. Lunch 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Tues.– Fri. Dinner 5:30 p.m.–close Thurs.–Sat. European Breakfast 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Sat. (229) 226-9944 The Melting Pot $$$ Fondue. This restaurant offers a variety of fondues including cheese and chocolate dessert.

The Melting Pot earned two “Best of” awards in 2010, for “Best Romantic” and “Best Celebration/Special Occasion” restaurant. 2727 N. Monroe St. 5–11 p.m. Sun.–Thu., 5 p.m.–midnight Fri.–Sat. (850) 386-7440.

Mockingbird Café $$ Fusion. Enjoy hand-cut steaks and Gulf seafood along with American regional, Mediterranean, Asian and Middle Eastern dishes in an upscale refined atmosphere. Food is fresh, locally purchased and seasonal, made from scratch by talented in-house chefs. Diners will also enjoy delicious seasonal desserts, nightly food and drink specials and live music on weekends. 1225 N. Monroe St. Lunch 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Mon.–Sat., dinner 5:30–10 p.m Mon.-Sat. Bar/lounge 5:30 p.m.–2 a.m. Mon.–Sat. Brunch 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m.

Sun. (850) 222-4956.

2011 BEST LUNCH BEST DELI

Specialty A.J. Sports Bar & Grill $ American. This hangout spot — named “Best Sports Bar” by Tallahassee Magazine readers in 2011 — is known for its sandwiches, backyard burgers and flavored wings. Watch sports from one of their 50 flat screens, shoot some pool or play darts, or enjoy happy hour. 1800 W. Tennessee St. 5 p.m.–2 a.m. Mon.–Fri. and noon–2 a.m.

Sat.–Sun. (850) 681-0731

EGG CEPTIONAL Great Friends Warm & Inviting Atmosphere Upscale Tastes at Affordable Prices

Andrew’s Capital Grill and Bar $$ American. Andrew’s, a Downtown landmark for 35 years, is an energetic, casual, see-and-beseen spot. House favorites include a popular lunch buffet, hamburgers, chicken quesadillas, Mediterranean Pasta, Cedar Plank Salmon and Chicken Fiorentina. Downtown delivery. 228 S. Adams St. 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m. Mon.–Thu., 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m. Fri.–Sat.; Brunch 11 a.m.– 2 p.m. Sun. (850) 222-3444/Fax (850) 222-2433.

Tuesday - Sunday 7AM - 2PM

The Egg Café And Eatery $$ American. Made-to-order items using the finest ingredients, cooked to your liking. Voted Tallahassee’s best nine times, including the 2011 awards for “Best Breakfast and Best Brunch.”

In Evening Rose at 5740 Austin Davis Ave. and 3500 Kinhega Drive. 7 a.m.–2 p.m. Tue.–Sun. (850) 907-3447.

3500 35 5 00 0 0 K iinn he h e gaa D r.r . ((88850 5 0 ) 90 50 9 0 77-- E EG G GS G S ( 3447 344 47) 47) 47 FF:: ( 88550) 5 0) 0 ) 9907 0 7 -8 07 - 8 25 258 3 7 40 37 4 0 A us u s ti tin D Daa vvii s A Avv e. e. ( 8 5500 ) 765(850 (8 7 6 576 5 - 07 0 7 03 03 F : ( 8855 0) F: 0 ) 7 65-0 655 -00 7700 6

AZu — a Lucy Ho’s restaurant $/$$ Asian. Serving Tallahassee since 1970, Lucy Ho’s offers Japanese style cooking with Cantonese, Sichuan, Hunan, Peking and Taiwanese influences. After nearly four decades, Lucy Ho’s has

Breakfast, Brunch & Lunch tallahassee

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PRODUCING AND DISTRIBUTING FRESH, HIGH-QUALITY COFFEE LOCALLY

Dining Guide moved back to the Apalachee Parkway, just east of Capital Circle Southeast, to better serve its customers. Diners will also find a full bar and the freshest sushi. 3220 Apalachee Parkway. Weekdays, 11 a.m.–10 p.m.; Sat., noon– 10 p.m.; Sun., noon–9 p.m. (850) 893-4112.

Wake UP your LUCK! WHOLESALE • RETAIL • PRIVATE LABEL • CORPORATE GIFTS • FUNDRAISING

luckygoatcoffee.com | brooke@luckygoatcoffee.com

THE BEST LITTLE STEAKHOUSE IN TALLAHASSEE

2011

BEST STEAKHOUSE

Join us for lunch and dinner at our beautiful new location on Apalachee Parkway.

Our steaks are not only the best in Tallahassee, but USDA choice midwestern corn-fed beef, specially selected, aged to our specifications and cut daily. We also serve fresh jumbo shrimp and fish – grilled, blackened or fried. So please join us for lunch and dinner or just meet up for drinks at our fully-stocked bar.

F

MARIE LIVINGSTON’S STEAK HOUSE

2705 Apalachee Parkway | Tallahassee, FL | (850) 270-9506

$$ Bella Bella Italian. Cozy home-like atmosphere and authentic homemade traditional Italian food made this Midtown dining hotspot the “Best Italian” winner in 2011. Try their famous Bubble Bread and delicious pasta specials. Catering available. 123 E. 5th Ave. Lunch 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Mon.–Fri. Dinner 5–9:30 p.m. Mon.–Thu., 5–10 p.m. Fri.–Sat. (850) 412-1114.

EL JALISCO $$ Mexican. With two–for–one margaritas most nights of the week, where can you go wrong?

And the food, named “Best Mexican/Latin American” in 2011, is great too. Endless chips and salsa complement any menu item; the chicken quesadillas and beef tamales will keep you coming back for more. Mon.–Sat. 11 a.m.–12 a.m.

Sun. 11 a.m.–10 p.m. 2022 N. Monroe St. (850) 878-0800; 2915-301 Kerry Forest Pkwy. (850) 668-1002 and 6497 Apalachee Pkwy. (850) 4020733.

Jonah’s Fish & Grits $$ American Southern. This Thomasville, Ga. restaurant serves good food made fresh daily in an alcohol-free, family friendly atmosphere. Soups, salads, pastas and specialty sandwiches focused on fish and seafood with a Southern twist are featured at lunch and dinner. Dinner also includes a more extensive selection from their wood-burning grill including their signature Gingersnap Salmon. Made-from-scratch Hush Puppies are a house specialty. Low-fat and Kids menus are available. 109 East Jackson St. Lunch 11 a.m.– 2 p.m. Mon.–Fri. Dinner 5–9 p.m. Mon-Fri. Open Sat. 11 a.m.–9 p.m. (229) 226-0508 Kiku $$ Japanese Fusion. With a wide selection of sushi rolls and traditional Japanese dishes, Kiku caters to a variety of tastes. 3491 Thomasville Road Suite 12. Open Mon.–Thurs. 11–2:30pm, 4:30–10 p.m., Fri. 11–2:30 p.m., 4:30–10:30 p.m., Sat. 12–10:30 p.m. and Sun. 12–10. (850) 222-5458.

Kool Beanz $$/$$$ Fusion. As winner of Tallahassee Magazine’s 2011 “Best Locally Owned” and “Best Casual Dining” restaurant, this colorful and casual spot has been serving up gourmet dishes since 1996. Diners can expect delicious modern American cuisine, as well as dishes influenced by the worldwide travels of the kitchen staff. Menus change daily so guests can expect something new with each visit. 921 Thomasville Road. Lunch Mon.–Fri. 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m., Dinner Mon.–Sat. 5:30–10 p.m.

(850) 224-2466.

LUNA’S ITALIAN FOOD $ Italian-American. Gourmet deli sandwiches and

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pasta dishes to take home. Large selection of imported wine, cheeses, sauces and Italian grocery items — plus Italian gelato. 1122 Thomasville Road. 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Tues.–Fri., 10 a.m.–3 p.m.

Mon. and Sat., Closed Sunday. (850) 421-5862.

Masa $–$$ Asian Fusion. This sister restaurant to Lucy Ho’s serves up a creative menu with items such as Chilean Sea Bass with mango salsa, Tropical Fruit, Sweet and Sour Chicken and a Fried Cheese Cake Roll. In 2011, Masa repeated wins in the “Best Asian” and “Best Sushi” categories.

Enjoy an extensive selection of wine, beer and sake in a dark, original and casual dining setting. 1001 N. Monroe St. 11 a.m.–9:30 p.m. Mon.– Fri., Noon–10 p.m. Sat.–Sun. (850) 847-0003.

Moonspin Pizza $ Moonspin offers gourmet pizza and calzones, salads and desserts. Its toppings are fresh from local farms in the South Georgia and Tallahassee area. 113 N. Crawford St., Thomasville, Ga. Lunch 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Wed.–Sun, Dinner 5–9 p.m.

Wed.–Sun. (229) 226-4488 Old Town Café $$ American. Southern hospitality is embedded throughout this family-owned restaurant. Mom’s meatloaf with mashed potatoes and green beans makes you feel like you’re home, not to mention their world famous prime rib, which slowly roasts all day. Timberlane Road. 11 a.m.–9 p.m.

Mon.–Thurs. 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Fri. and Sat. 4–10 p.m.

(850) 893-5741

atmospheres

Masa The Cuisine: For 6 years, Masa has offered

a creative blend of Eastern and Western cuisines with something for everyone to enjoy.

Its signature dish is grilled Chilean sea bass marinated in white miso sauce, complemented with a side of mango salsa made from mango, peppers and onions in a sweet chili sauce.

The Décor: The modern, intimate décor is accented with Asian-inspired paintings and warmed up by the deep burgundy, black and coal color palette. Candlelight completes the interior, rendering it a cozy, inviting space.

We are always changing our menu and finding ways to excite our guests through food.

Measure of Success: “Being able to see the

same faces once a week ordering their favorite dishes, and knowing we provided excellent services and food.”

Masa 1001 N. Monroe St., Tallahassee (850) 847-0003 | masatallahassee.com

ADVERTORIAL

Osaka Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar $$$ Japanese. Knives flash and patrons gasp as talented hibachi chefs “play” with your food while creating delicious chicken, steak and seafood dishes in front of you. Voted “Best Hibachi” by readers of Tallahassee Magazine. 1690 Raymond Diehl Road. Open daily 11 a.m.–10 p.m. (850) 531-0222. Private parties.

Sakura $$$ Japanese. Sleek interior design mixed with amazing dishes equals a spectacular meal experience. This new and exciting Japanese cuisine rewards not only your taste buds but also your eyes with its beautifully prepared dishes of sushi and other traditional Japanese fare. 1318 N. Monroe St. Lunch 11:30 a.m.–3 p.m. Mon.–Sat., Dinner 5–10 p.m. Mon.–Thurs., 5–11 p.m. Fri.– Sat., 4:30–10 p.m. Sun. (850) 222-9991.

THE WINE LOFT Wine Bar $$ American. Enjoy delicious items off the small plate menu and a vast selection of wines in a chic, sophisticated atmosphere downstairs or on the balcony overlooking Midtown. The Wine Loft boasts a generous array of more than 50 wines by the glass and more than 70 by the bottle that earned it “Best Wine List” honors in 2011.

1240 Thomasville Road. Open 5 p.m. Mon–Thu., 4 p.m.–2 a.m. Fri. and Sat. (850) 222-9914. thewinelofttallahassee.net tallahassee

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Dining Guide

Family/Casual Chick-fil-A $ No, there’s not a farm in the back of their restaurant, but one could easily assume it with the fresh, crispy taste of their famous chicken.

Voted “Best Fast Food,” Chick-fil-A’s chicken sandwiches, salads, wraps and nuggets are an on-the-go treat for the ready-to-roll eater. Four locations, 8:30 a.m.–9 p.m. Mon.–Sat., closed Sundays.

Coosh’s Bayou Rouge $$ Voted “Best Cajun,” Coosh’s Bayou Rouge offers the best of Louisiana with its signature crawfish, po’boys, gumbo, muffalettas and jambalaya. 2910 Kerry Forest Parkway, 11 a.m.–10 p.m.

Mon.–Fri., 9 a.m.–10 p.m. Sat., 11 a.m.–3 p.m.

Sun. (850) 894-4110 The Crepevine $ French Fusion. Delicious signature crepes are stuffed with fillings that make them savory or sweet. You can order from the menu, or create your own. Breakfast-style crepes are served all day long. The menu at this casual bistro also includes salads and yogurt bowls. 2020 W. Pensacola St., (850) 562-7373; 1304 N. Monroe St., (850) 329-6754. thecrepevine.com

Earley’s Kitchen $ American Southern. For 33 years, Earley’s has been dishing up “good ole Southern” country cooking for breakfast and lunch at its restaurant inside Henry’s Meats. A second location now open in SouthWood serves fried chicken, pork chops, made-from-scratch vegetables, desserts and more, as well as a few extra Savannah-style dishes like shrimp and grits. The SouthWood restaurant also serves a Sunday brunch buffet. At the 1812 S. Monroe St. location: Mon.–Fri., 6:30 a.m.–3 p.m.; Sat. (breakfast only) 7 a.m.–noon. (850) 224-7090. The SouthWood location at 3196 Merchant’s Row Blvd.: Mon.–Sat. 7 a.m.–3 p.m.; Sun. 7 a.m.– 1 p.m. (850) 692-3491.

and more. Voted “Best Deli” and once again voted the best place to have lunch by the readers of Tallahassee Magazine in 2011. 1660 N. Monroe St. and 1415 Market St. 11 a.m.–9 p.m.

Mon.–Fri., 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Sat. (850) 386-4258, (850) 668-0311.

five Guys BURGERS & Fries $ Burgers. Five Guys was a quick hit with the readers of Tallahassee Magazine, who named its burgers the best in 2010 and 2011. Serving up made-to-order burgers and hot dogs with your choice of Cajun or home-style fries, it’s no wonder this restaurant has customers coming back for more. 1872 Thomasville Road. Mon.– Sun. 11 a.m.–10 p.m. (850) 597-7514

One Fresh Stir Fry $ PB&B Burger Choose your cooking style, pick your starch, pick the meat and vegetables and finish up your bowl with sauce and garnish. Toss it in a pan and you have a tasty stir-fry meal, One Fresh style. They also offer a variety of hoagies, sushi, burritos, tacos and barbecue. Three locations, 11 a.m.–9:30 p.m. Mon.–Sun.

Hopkins’ Eatery $ American. Sandwiches, salads, delicious sweets

9

MOMO’S $ Pizza. Boasting the largest pizza you’ll find in Tallahassee — and possibly the Southeast — Momo’s offers big flavor that’s gotten a “Best of” award in 2011. Fill yourself up with a slice for yourself or order a pie to share. Now with two locations: Sun.–Thurs. 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Fri.–Sat. 11 a.m.–10 p.m. 1410 Market St. (850) 412-0222 and 1416 W. Tennessee St. (850) 224-9808.

VooDoo Dog’s

Pepper’s Mexican Grill & Cantina $ It’s a fiesta every day at Pepper’s. Enjoy ma-

2010

Authentic Mexican Restaurant

2011

BEST MEXICAN RESTAURANT

2 FOR 1 MEAVREGRAYDRITAYA!S (850) 878-0800 2022 N. Monroe St.

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(850) 668-1002

2915-301 Kerry Forest Pkwy.

Photo Courtesy Newk’s Express Cafe

NOW THREE LOCATIONS NEW LOCATION!

(850)) 402-0733 6497 Apalachee Pkwy.

November–December 2011

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Newk’s Shrimp Po’Boy

riachi music as you chow down on fajitas, enchiladas, quesadillas and other Mexican specialties served with their homemade sauces. 1140 Capital Circle S.E. 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Mon–Thurs., 11 a.m.–10:30 p.m. Fri.–Sat. 11 a.m.–9 a.m. Sun. (850) 877-2020 Red Elephant PIZZA AND GRILL $ American. Enjoy a fresh, fast and filling meal that will satisfy your taste buds and your wallet. The casual atmosphere is perfect for social gatherings with friends and family, say readers of Tallahassee Magazine, who voted Red Elephant “Best Casual Dining” and “Best Family Friendly” restaurant. 2910 Kerry Forest Pkwy Suite C-3., Sun.–Thu. 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Fri.–Sat. 11 a.m.–10 p.m. 1872 Thomasville Road Suite A., Sun.–Thu. 11 a.m. 9:30 p.m., Fri.–Sat. 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Kerry Forest (850) 668-7492. Midtown (850) 222-7492.

Sonny’s Real Pit Bar-B-Q $ Barbecue. Enjoy Sonny’s “feel good” barbecue and special sauces. Voted “Best Barbecue” in 2011. 3101 Dick Wilson Blvd., 2707 N. Monroe St. and 1460 Timberlane Road. All locations 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Sun.–Thu., 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Fri.–Sat. Dick Wilson Blvd. (850) 878-1185, N. Monroe St. (850) 385-2167, Timberlane Road. (850) 906-9996. Catering available.

Wing Stop $ Wings. Named “Best Wings” winner in 2011, Wing Stop offers freshly made wings sauced and tossed in a choice of nine flavors. Savor something sweet with the Hawaiian sauce or something zesty with the Hickory Smoked BBQ. 1964 W. Tennessee St., 3111 Mahan Drive, 6668 Thomasville Road. All locations 11 a.m.– midnight Tennessee St. (850) 574-9464, Mahan Dr. (850) 942-9464, Thomasville Road (850) 219-9464.

Photo Courtesy Newk’s Express Cafe

VILLAGE PIZZA AND PASTA $$ Pizza/Pasta. Made-from-scratch New Yorkstyle pizza is a favorite at this casual Italian spot, but its mouthwatering pastas with secret marinara sauce are close behind. One of its most popular choices, the Village Special, includes enough fresh toppings such as pepperoni, sausage, broccoli and mozzarella, to satisfy any pizza lover. Not to mention homemade garlic rolls. 1400-33 Village Square Boulevard. 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Mon.–Sun. For catering call (850) 893-9001.

Steak/seafood BONEFISH GRILL $$$ Steak/Seafood. Although a chain, Bonefish works hard to make each restaurant—and each meal—unique with an array of seafood and sauces that can be mixed and matched to diners’ tastes. The restaurant earned 2011 “Best of Tallahassee” honors for its appetizers (Can you say Bang Bang Shrimp?) and the star of its menu, seafood. Mon.–Thurs. 4–10:30 p.m., Fri.–

food bites APPETIZER | Masa

Start your sushi dinner off right with one of the best appetizers in town! Masa’s Edamame with Spicy Black Bean Sauce is sure please all with its savory and spicy notes. This delicious start to your meal is best accompanied by Wild Strawberry Saketini. $7

BEVERAGE | Firehouse Subs

Well, this is a first. It’s not food and the coolest thing about Coca Cola Freestyle is actually the dispenser. It’s not much bigger than a refrigerator, but it offers more than 100 drink choices — all your favorite Coke products are here (plus Sprite, Dasani, Minute Maid, Barq’s, Powerade, and lots of low-cal options), and some mash-ups you might not have thought of. Orange Diet Coke, anyone?

Sat. 4–11:30 p.m., Sun. 4–10 p.m. 3491 Thomasville Rd. (850) 297-0460.

Harry’s Seafood Bar & Grill $$ Cajun. A New Orleans dining experience you won’t soon forget! Delicious Creole cuisine, fresh seafood and steaks, rich pastas, sensational salads and more. “Great Food, Great Service; Good Value, Good Times.” 301 S. Bronough St. 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Thu.–Sun., 11 a.m.–11 p.m. Fri.–Sat. (850) 222-3976.

Marie Livingston’s Steakhouse $$$ Steak. This restaurant specializes in steak — named Tallahassee’s “Best Steakhouse” once again in 2011 — but also serves seafood such as

In the midst of all the holiday hustling and bustling, sit yourself down, relax and have a little something to eat. Here are our suggestions:

LUNCH | Newk’s Express Cafe

A welcome addition to the local dining scene, Newk’s (next to Stein Mart) offers a great pick-two lunch combo. You decide between a half sandwich, salad or cup of soup.

We tried a Shrimp Po’Boy and the Red Beans and Rice. The sandwich featured a generous helping of broiled shrimp with olive oil, lettuce, tomato, sliced red onion, pickles and a tasty cocktail sauce on the side $7.95

APPETIZER | 101 Restaurant

The Italian Eggplant Stack is a colorful tower of breaded eggplant slices, roasted red pepper, tomato, sweet basil and fresh mozzarella. The plate is finished with a balsamic vinegar reduction. And it tastes just as good as it looks. $8.99

shrimp and fish. Marie Livingston’s has moved to a new location with a sophisticated decor, but the quality and value remain the same. 2705 Apalachee Parkway. Lunch 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Mon.– Fri. Dinner 5 p.m. daily (850) 562-2525.

Shula’s 347 $$$ Steak. The legendary Miami Dolphins’ head coach brings his philosophy for winning football games — the quest for perfection — to the dining table at his namesake restaurant, located in Hotel Duval. Keep it light and casual with Premium Black Angus Beef burgers or a gourmet salad or opt for one of their signature entrées — “Shula Cut” filet, New York strip or Cowboy steaks. Reservations are suggested. Sun.–Thurs.

5–10 p.m.; Fri.–Sat. 5–11 p.m. 415 N. Monroe St. (850) 224-6005 n tallahassee

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The Last Word

ANOTHER GOODBYE

Putting a Restless Father to Rest, Eight Years Later

By GINA DAVIDSON

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discover he was renting a room in our hometown after a stint at the Salvation Army. She made it to his doorstep before fear took hold; Tara froze, turned and walked away. Roy would go into a coma just two months later.

His ashes were sent to me after he died.

I had visions of ceremoniously spreading them somewhere with my siblings, but I was in Florida and they were in Wisconsin. So my dad stayed in a duct-tape-sealed plastic brown box in my closet for nearly eight years.

This summer, I decided it was finally time to return home. So my family — including my dad — took a road trip to my hometown of Sheboygan, Wis. We met up with my siblings in nearby Manitowoc, where my parents began their life together in 1964, and decided to do lunch first — at Late’s, a local diner. When we arrived, Elvis’ “The Wonder of You” greeted us from the outdoor speakers. I knew we were doing the right thing.

Despite the lack of a concrete plan for spreading the ashes, we all went across the street after lunch to the shore of Lake Michigan. We wandered away from the beachgoers toward a secluded area. Our children waded out to a pair of boulders. I thought what a nice picture that would make — and it gave me an idea.

I nodded to my siblings, and within

IMPROMPTU FAREWELL The four children of Roy Earl Wilsing — who hardly knew each other — share a comforting hug after spreading his ashes in Lake Michigan.

minutes we were waist-deep in the water headed for the biggest boulder.

Tara suggested we sit in birth order. I recounted memories of the dad I knew. Cliff cried first. We all closed our eyes and held hands. Clint said a prayer.

Even at this moment I wasn’t yet ready to say goodbye. For a few more minutes, I wanted to remember the dad I loved.

The one who sang Elvis songs and made me laugh.

As I took my turn slowly pouring the tiny pieces of his life into the great lake, I was thankful for the simple air and water that would give him a better life than the complicated one he’d had. And I was grateful for the four of us, and our children, whom he had never met.

I saved a little of him to pour in Lake Michigan in Sheboygan. And because I only got through scattering a cup of the remaining ashes in Graceland before a wild-eyed security guard ran me off, a couple teaspoons of him made it back to my lantana garden in Tallahassee. He’s in the dirt and in the flowers and on the feet of butterflies. And he is in all of us. n

Photo by LAWRENCE DAVIDSON

T

he first time my three siblings and I were in the same place together was eight years ago, at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, when we jointly decided to take our comatose father off life support two weeks before Christmas.

Before that decision, I hadn’t spoken to my dad for seven years, and my younger sister hadn’t seen him since age 4 ­­— and she had never met our two brothers. In his 59 years, Roy Earl Wilsing had three wives and four children and, in the end, kept none of them.

I was four when he and my mom divorced, 12 when he left his second marriage and 16 when he divorced his third wife. He allowed his boys from the second marriage to be adopted by their new father when they were toddlers. He gave up rights to my sister when she was in elementary school. And that’s when my dad — the one I remember telling silly jokes, and loving Elvis, and singing to me while strumming his guitar — just wasn’t the same in my eyes anymore, and we began living separate lives.

The boys, Cliff and Clint, grew from toddlers to teenagers before they saw him again. When they finally met, years of alcoholism had worn Roy down. The first thing he did was offer them each a beer.

Tara was 21 when curiosity led her to November–December 2011

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TALLAHASSEE Volume 33 Number 6

Time to Celebrate!

HOLIDAY ENTERTAINING

Break Out the Bubbly and Gather Friends and Family — All Year Long

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Finding a Family She Never Knew Celiac Sufferers Can Have Their Gluten-Free Cake — and Pizza, Too When it’s Time to Let Your Youngster Quit a Sport NEW! Gardening Advice From Ms. Grow-It-All

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2011

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For These Superfans, it’s a Nole Thing $3.95

NOV-DEC 2011

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