Gulfshore Life June 2023

FROM THE GULF TO THE ‘GLADES, OUR WATERWAYS

CARRY, NOURISH AND INSPIRE US

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98 / The Butchers’ Environmental Legacy

The first family of Everglades photography shares a frameby-frame close-up of their bond.

Courtesy Clyde Butcher

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Community Advisory Board

Brian Tietz (11); Courtesy Shirlene Elkins, Ellin Goetz, Mark Loren, Sandy Stilwell Youngquist

Elliott H. Singer Managing Director and Founder, Fairview Advisors Trustee, Naples Children & Education Foundation Member-at-Large

Mark Loren Head Jewelry Designer/Owner, Mark Loren Designs 2016 Man of the Year

Gail Markham Founding Partner, Markham Norton Mosteller Wright & Company 2011 Woman of the Year

Rebecca Maddox Owner/Developer, Three60 Market, Three60 Wine and Celebration Park 2019 Woman of the Year

Denise Cobb Chair, Community Advisory Board Trustee, Naples Children & Education Foundation 2000 Woman of the Year

Dwayne Bergmann Principal Designer/ Owner, Dwayne Bergmann Interiors 2020 Man of the Year

Mary Susan Clinton Founder, Gallien Global Vision Inc. Trustee, Naples Children & Education Foundation 2002 Woman of the Year

Ingrid Aielli Co-Owner, Aielli Group 2016 Woman of the Year

Shirlene Elkins Real Estate Professional, John R. Wood Properties Trustee, Naples Children & Education Foundation 2003 Woman of the Year

Brooke Denson Real Estate Professional, Dina Marie Realty Trustee and Treasurer, SWFL Children’s Charities 2019 Woman of the Year

Ellin Goetz President, Goetz+Stropes Landscape Architects 2000 Woman of the Year

David Corban President, David Corban Architects 2020 Man of the Year

Adria Starkey President, Collier FineMark National Bank & Trust Trustee, Naples Children & Education Foundation 2000 Woman of the Year

Sandra Stilwell Youngquist Owner and CEO, Stilwell Enterprises 2006 Woman of the Year

Jennifer McCurry Jewelry Buyer and Curator, G. J. G, Marissa Collections

On the Cover

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Diving In

It’s easy to dedicate an entire issue of Gulfshore Life to water. The subject’s a source of boundless inspiration—for creative fodder, physical motivation and fuel for conservation missions. Locally, we can’t talk about water without discussing the need to protect it.

Environmental doyennes Ellin Goetz (“Chasing Water,” p. 32) and Charlette Roman (“Water Warrior,” p. 40) speak clearly about the Everglades restoration projects underway to restore natural flows and rehab our taxed water supply and ecosystems. They prove that one person can have a big impact.

Photographer Clyde Butcher has long trekked knee-high through swamps to capture images that make us fall in love with the Everglades (“In the Frame,” p. 98). His story is well-documented, but what’s less known is his tribe that has defined his work over the years, including his wife and co-creator, Niki; his daughter, the business mind, Jackie; and his son-in-law and darkroom technician, Neal Obendorf. The Butchers’ landscape

photographs—which they started creating after losing their 17-yearold son—showcase the Everglades in all its watery, marshy glory.

Architect-turned-artist Richard Diedrich has one of my recent favorite examples of aquatic-inspired art (“Work Flow,” p. 48). His paintings are as much about the process as the result, with watercolors and inks flowing and rippling across the canvas, creating a powerful effect. He thinks about humanity’s connection to water and how we’ve always instinctively settled around it as he works.

Then there’s Naples rockstar triathlete Latifah Lowery, who went from being afraid of the water to taking top honors in competitions in two years (“Blue Mind,” p. 144). She learned to swim in her 30s to break generational patterns of fear surrounding water within her family and the Black community, which was long denied access to pools and beaches. When she’s swimming, Latifah feels unstoppable, knowing she’s helping get more people who look like her in the water.

Water also inspires Tim “Dilly” Dillingham, a go-to local source for Gulf fish that’s delivered fresh off the boat (“Gifts from the Gulf,”

p. 56). He and his team rod and reel and spearfish for monster grouper, snapper and rarer species, like porgy. Chefs dig their allotment of Dilly’s whole fish fresh from ice buckets, and the rest sells to the public at Mike’s Bait House in Naples on Fridays. Fort Myers fisher Chanda Jamieson, aka The Fisherman’s Daughter, wrote the piece, capturing the devotion and beauty of the industry.

Through her writing and the rest of these stories, we see how water unites us all—through art, sport and sustenance.

Stephanie Granada Editor in Chief

Anna Gunselman

Chasing Water

Water is everything in Southwest Florida. The Calusa thrived here as one of the most complex nonagricultural societies in the world for thousands of years, thanks in large part to their proximity to the Gulf of Mexico. In the 1800s, our beaches attracted early pioneers to settle here. Today, we have a renewed awareness of how dependent we are on our primary natural resource. The annual seesaw of weather that defines Florida—a dramatic seasonal cycle of dry winter months and tropical wet summers punctuated by the violence of hurricanes and tropical storms—makes us acutely aware of the impact of water.

The salty Gulf may appear to be our primary watery influence, but the fresh drinking water flowing unseen below ground in

aquifers is the actual elixir of our lives. Wetlands are nature’s way of storing rainfall to replenish our aquifers. South Florida is uniquely gifted with America’s Everglades, a 70-mile wide River of Grass wetland that flows slowly from headwaters near Orlando to Lake Okeechobee and eventually down to Florida Bay, providing drinking water for 8 million people.

In Southwest Florida, we’re positioned just east of the Western Everglades and Big Cypress National Preserve, whose flow reaches the Ten Thousand Islands. Our quality of life depends on protecting these sources and ensuring a clean, fresh water supply and pristine Gulf waters. Fishing, boating, tourism, real estate and all the economic drivers that make our state so attractive for us to live and work here are all about water. We need to ensure that the next generation understands the value of water, and engaging our kids is key. That is why eight years ago, The Everglades Foundation launched a free Everglades Literacy Program for pre-K through 12th-grade students, which

started at Lake Park Elementary School in Collier County. So far, the nonprofit has trained more than 5,400 educators in an online curriculum that has reached thousands of students. We want to ensure that understanding water and where it comes from is part of their makeup as young Floridians. This is about so much more than the water we drink—restoring the Everglades and managing our water supply is the balancing act of our lives.

Ellin Goetz President, Goetz+Stropes Landscape Architects 2000 Woman of the Year

Gulfshore Treasures

Our access to clean water starts with the Everglades and its health. That’s why people like Clyde Butcher make it their lives’ work to document and exalt the singular ecosystem. Together with his wife, Niki, and daughter, Jackie, the environmental photographer opens doors for all to experience the beauty that lies within the swamp. We trace the family’s personal journey on p. 98.

Clyde Butcher’s Fakahatchee Strand 3 (1999)

INSIDER / People, places and ideas making waves on the Gulf

Water Warrior

Charlette Roman is a key player in the fight for water quality and conservation in Southwest Florida.

Charlette Roman strolls the grounds surrounding her Marco Island home with the eye of a naturalist. She points to the native plants she’s cultivated over 20 years—gumbo limbo, silver buttonwood, cocoplum. Her treasured orchids live throughout the property. Outside, she’s removed most of the Bermuda grass and put in native ground cover, creating a paradise for wild creatures. The game cameras she’s installed show a steady stream of coyotes, foxes, rabbits, snakes and gopher tortoises. “If you create the habitat, the wildlife will come,” she says.

In 2019, Charlette was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to serve on the South Florida Water Management District Governing Board, which works on flood control, and water supply and quality from the Keys to Orlando. She’s also chair of the Big Cypress Basin Board, which covers Collier and part of Monroe County. Before that, she spent countless hours volunteering with Friends of Tigertail Beach and the Gulf Coast Orchid Alliance, which she helped create, and was recognized by Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve for putting in more than 1,000 hours with the nonprofit. She’s a key player in local environmental issues. Those who know Charlette’s work call her a dynamo in the water conservation space. She’s a hero to many who value the future of Florida’s ecology.

Personalities

By Artis Henderson — Photography by Anna Nguyen

The

This morning, she’s dressed casually in a blue cotton T-shirt and khaki shorts. She has a pair of running shoes on her feet and small gold studs in her ears. Her face is free of makeup, and her hair is pulled back in a clip. She’s warm and engaging and lights up when she talks about the environment. Charlette spent 26 years in the U.S. Army, starting as a private and retiring as a full-bird colonel. She found success within the military framework and finished her career in Fort Gordon, GA, as the garrison commander, a role she likens to being a city manager. Throughout her career, she came to appreciate the value of partnerships and collaboration—ideas that serve her well in her current role as an advisor and connector.

Along the side of her house, Charlette stops to show me her vanilla orchid plant. She caught the orchid bug when she moved to Southwest Florida in 2002. “I set as a goal that one day I would bake a cake with my homegrown vanilla beans,” she tells me. “Twenty years later, I’m at that point.” This is the first time that Charlette successfully harvested a batch of beans. Before that, it had been a series of trials—watching for the flowers that only open one day a year, learning to hand-pollinate, picking the beans at the precise moment they turn the right shade of yellow, then alternating between sweating and drying the beans for weeks.

This year, she’ll make the cake. “It might be awful,” she says, with a laugh. But that doesn’t matter to the friends who’ve followed her

retired U.S. Army colonel spent years volunteering for Rookery Bay, Friends of Tigertail Beach and Gulf Coast Orchid Alliance before being appointed to the South Florida Water Management District Governing Board in 2019.

In her role with the SFWMD and Big Cypress Basin Board, Charlette influences water-related issues in 10 counties, from the Keys to Orlando.

progress. “A lot of folks want a piece of that cake,” she says. “Especially my colleagues on the governing board.”

It’s easy to draw a link between Charlette’s vanilla bean experiment and her dedication to Florida’s water systems. Both are exercises in tenacity. To improve the environment and local waterways, she shows up, day after day, bringing people together, advocating for the cause and achieving results. Since joining the board, she’s been hitting the road two to three days a week, driving from Marco Island to Okeechobee to West Palm Beach (the district’s reach stretches across 16 counties, and Charlette’s area covers 10 of them). Last week, she was in Naples meeting with the crew for the levee being built as part of the $625 million Picayune Strand Restoration Project to help restore sheet flow to the watershed. The week before that, she was in Martin County visiting the Florida

Cattlemen’s Association president about water-related issues while touring his ranch. On any given day, she could be on a boat in Lake Okeechobee with representatives from Clewiston to brainstorm ideas to improve the lake’s health; out with district scientists touring a wildlife refuge and observing bird nesting colonies by helicopter; speaking to a Rotary club about developments in the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Project; or meeting with residents who live along a canal. “I have a lot of early mornings,” Charlette says. “But I love it.”

We meet again on a clear Thursday morning at Naples’ Freedom Park, a successful collaboration between the South Florida Water Management District, the Big Cypress Basin Board, the City of Naples and Collier County. A section of the park has recently been transformed to use the natural wetland on site to filter runoff from Goodlette-Frank Road before it reaches the

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When Charlette is not in the field checking in on Everglades restoration and stormwater management projects, she’s often at home tending to her orchids.

Gordon River. We stroll through the park’s winding path and she names the various heron species we pass along the way—great blue, little blue, tricolored. “I would love to see more of these types of projects in all potential development,” Charlette says. “It protects the wetland and uses it in a function that it was intended,” she says, noting that the land cleans the water before it goes into fragile water bodies like the Gordon River and Naples Bay. She speaks with a calm authority and direct assurance that makes anything seem possible. With her, it is.

We stop on the path, and Charlette gazes out over the canal, intentionally crooked so the stormwater can take its time reaching the wetlands. The sun reflects off the water in ripples of light. Charlette stands with her hands on her hips, admiring what she helped create: “See what happens when everybody works together and nobody’s trying to get their name on it?”

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Work Flow

Naples’ architect-turned-artist Richard Diedrich manipulates paint and canvas to capture the essence of moving water.

Richard Diedrich’s After Georgia (2020), 20x20 inches, mixed media on canvas, photographed by Louis Venne, and Nature Benign, Nature Unleashed (2021), 24x28 inches, mixed media on canvas, photographed by Kelly Jones.

Insider — Artist Profile — By Lauren Amalia Redding

“You make one pour, and that drives the whole painting,” Naples Art District artist Richard Diedrich says, gesturing toward one of his paintings laying on a table. His careful manipulation of poured paint mimics the flow of water and how it coalesces. Richard’s highly abstracted paintings are ephemeral and often moody in color. Their translucent

veils are interspersed with rivulets of texture—a far cry from the tight renderings Richard created during his previous career as a lauded Atlanta architect and instructor at Harvard University Graduate School of Design.

Richard started painting as a graduate student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. “The architecture school

is within the school of fine arts,” he says. “So, we had five years of art with studying architecture. We had a watercolor professor just for the architects. I’d render all my projects in my career in watercolor.”

After 34 years in the field, he sold his architecture firm in 2002 and returned to painting, focusing on the landscape surrounding his home on North Georgia’s

Lake Burton. “I really liked the idea of what happened on the edge of the water,” he says. “You had this architectural necklace of the cottages and boathouses where the water meets the land.”

At first, he used watercolor to depict the lake and shoreline realistically. The more he painted, the more he removed visual details, like buildings and the surrounding mountains, until only water remained. He called the series Man on the Edge, speaking to humanity’s tendency to settle where the water meets the land. “If you’ve seen satellite photographs of the Earth at night, they dramatically show civilization along the

edges of continents,” he says. “I’ve always loved those photographs because it makes that propensity so imminent.”

Richard lays his canvases flat and fluidly disperses paint across the surface to mimic water washing over land. Similar to how he’d adjust the pitch of a roof on a building, he gently tilts the primed canvas so the watercolors and water-based inks stream and ripple, often creating minuscule bodies of water all their own. He’ll then spray the canvas with water or blow across the wet paint, moving the pigments like wind shifting the tides. The finished paintings appear veil-like and

pristine, while the edges reveal layers of thick, iridescent ink over watercolor, each vibrant drip soaking the canvas. Richard moved to Naples in 2015, after visiting for architectural projects over the years, including designing clubhouses at The Club at Mediterra and Grey Oaks Country Club. He found himself captivated by the surrounding waterways. “It goes back to water being a source of travel,” he says. “Before the Tamiami Trail, the only way you could get to Naples was on the water.” To showcase his love for the region, Richard published his fifth book this year, Painting Naples Architecture,

Richard’s paintings reveal layers of thick, iridescent ink poured over watercolor that soaks the canvas. The former architect uses straight edges (blueprint tools that predate computer software) to create faint lines that mimic latitudinal and longitudinal markers.

Kelly Jones (2)

Richard was drawn to water since he quit architecture and started painting in 2002. Over time, his paintings shifted from realist to abstract, removing buildings and trees until only water remained.

Richard Dietrich’s Red Horizon (2019), 36x36 inches, mixed media on canvas, and Gold Sky, Wedge Shore (2020), 36x36 inches, mixed media on canvas. Photographed by Louis Venne. (2)

Richard refined his watercolor skills while studying to be an architect. Today, he combines his love for the two art forms through his paintings and books, such as the recently published Painting Naples Architecture , on historic local buildings.

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which documents significant historic, midcentury and contemporary homes in his dreamy realist watercolor style. The artist is represented locally at Joel Shapses Studio and recently worked with interior designer Judith Liegeois to create works on a larger scale—stretching as tall and wide as 6 feet— for her Naples gallery and showrooms.

Richard’s fascinated by the movement and effects of water on land, at sea and in the skies. His diptych Nature Benign, Nature Unleashed captures two extremes in Southwest Florida. In Nature Benign, washes of paint depict a calm horizon pierced by radiant sunlight—its palette

pastoral and Bahamian. On the other hand, Nature Unleashed is dominated by a hulking, surging silver mass that recalls the region’s summer thunderheads. The physical action undertaken in each painting—the thinness of the pours and subtle tilting of the canvas in Benign versus the thickness of the paint and more aggressive manipulation of its movement in Unleashed—effectively contrasts the waterscapes’ stillness and voracity.

Richard’s paintings range in perspective. In some, viewers could be lying at the bottom of a lake, looking up at its murky surface, while others recall the

pulled-back views of aerial maps. The former architect uses straight edges (tools used to draw blueprints in the days predating computer software) to create faint lines running through his pours. “They signify latitude, longitude and that man had to navigate the water,” he says. The viewer could alternatively be looking out toward a horizon, distant and bright enough to distill the water and its adjoining land into chromatic, textural strips. It’s this last point of view that Richard considers most crucial. “The medium is the message,” he says. “It’s really true in my case.”

“literally

“I’m

“totally

Gifts from the Gulf

For Tim “Dilly” Dillingham, of Dilly’s Fish Co., fishing trips are personal homecomings, resplendent with the ocean’s bounty.

The way a fisher catches a fish can illuminate their life. Spearfishing, for instance, is often dubbed artisanal—even archaic— and holds an innate sense of poetry. Whether freediving or in full scuba gear, the fisher moves weightlessly through bands of sunlight and shadow. Their body speaks another language, each gesture filled with music, until the fish is found and the steel flies. A sudden crescendo, then silence.

“The most beautiful things on planet Earth are found underwater,” Tim “Dilly” Dillingham says. The owner of Naples-based Dilly’s Fish Co. experiences these swells and troughs weekly as he leads a commercial boat operation, comprising five vessels that go out on 30-to-40-hour overnight shifts. This ensures the fish are caught and delivered within 24 hours at the height of freshness. But this is not the industry standard. The dangers and difficulties

Insider — Masterclass — By Chanda Jamieson

inherent to an overnight company like Dilly’s (quota, time constraints and ever-present dive risks) force similar companies to fold. The ubiquity of imports contributes, too. Most available seafood is considered ‘refresh’—frozen when caught, then thawed for sale. The grouper and snapper we associate with Florida are often sourced from Mexico. “I just want to do the right thing,” Dilly says. “I want to bring Florida seafood back to Florida.”

Dilly’s venture dates back to 2008, after the mortgage collapse. As a credit services representative for a large bank, he managed accounts throughout the Florida Keys, where he started spearfishing for lobster recreationally. Dilly was hooked and quickly transitioned away from cubicle life. “My 12-year-old self was calling me back to the woods and the water,” he says.

As a child in Michigan, Dilly fished for salmon from the Great Lakes with his dad (“Jurassic Dilly”) and his older brother (“Big Dilly”). He found another respite in Florida, where his grandparents owned a seasonal home. Here, 6-yearold Dilly first tasted saltwater fishing as he caught and filleted mangrove snapper, Spanish mackerel and black drum beneath the bridges of Clearwater Beach, basking in the variety. “I’ve been an outdoorsman since I could walk. And before that, I was probably crawling in the mud,” he says.

Dilly eventually settled in Naples, where he cultivated close ties with area chefs that shared his passion for fresh, local seafood. Most of the fish chef Richard Brumm serves at Bonita Bay Club, in Bonita Springs, is pulled directly from one of Dilly’s coolers. Josh Zeman, of Sea Salt in Naples, calls on Dilly

Dilly leads a commercial boat operation comprising five vessels that go out on 30-to-40-hour overnight shifts. “The most beautiful things on planet Earth are found underwater,” he says.

regularly for Gulf red snapper, which he likes for its sweet, nutty, almost lobster-like flavor that’s unique among snapper varieties. Sails Restaurant, Steamers of Naples and Quail West Golf & Country Club are also Dilly loyalists. Recently, Dilly hired a chef and began eyeing an expansion into catering, but fishing and supplying fresh, whole fish, holds first place in his heart.

Dilly’s trips usually begin at Naples’ oldest restaurant, Kelly’s Fish House, where the team stops to ice down the boat, filling every hatch, before navigating 5 miles offshore to pull pinfish traps for bait. Another 80 miles offshore, they hit their first fishing spot, where they rod and reel or spearfish, depending on how the fish are biting. “When the fish won’t bite the hook, we know they’ll bite the steel,” Dilly says.

Dilly personally delivers his catch to each chef. The fish remain whole, buried in ice. Chefs can pull their stock directly from the cooler, free to examine clear, plump eyes and bright red gills for freshness.

Though spearing requires refined skill and the dangers are inherent, it allows Dilly and his team to remain selective and sustainable, targeting specific species and avoiding bycatch— undersized or wrong fish caught unintentionally. To be an effective blue water hunter, the diver must make all equipment work seamlessly, from the wetsuit to the oxygen tank to the gun: 90 cm of carbon stainless steel with a powerful recoil. Everyone on Dilly’s crew can spear. They take turns diving up to 200 feet in search of scamp, red and yellowedge grouper, red snapper, and triggerfish that get larger with depth. Spearfishermen dream of these giants—200-pound grouper running the length of man—swimming beside them, carrying them toward the sun. Dilly’s team often encounters rare species at larger depths, as well. They catch Kitty Mitchell grouper, known commonly as strawberry grouper for its speckled red hues, and porgy, a grunt-like fish with the meat and flavor of a snapper, decidedly sweet. Each diver strives to spear what they can before their 8 minutes of bottom time are up. Stay under any longer and they risk nitrogen poisoning.

After fishing all day and into the night, the team falls into makeshift beds across the deck of the 27-foot Onslow Bay. They

Dan Cutrona

sleep for a few hours, then turn the boat in one wide swath, a large circle spun around the sun as they fish their way back, glints of gold and fire bouncing from one side of the boat to the other. Two days spent stacking the boat with nearly 1,500 pounds of fish. Two days spent watching the sun melt then rise, bearing witness to the Gulf of Mexico’s bounty, each fisherman a part of it, in awe of it.

The next morning, Dilly personally delivers to each chef. The fish remain whole, buried in ice, so each chef can pull their

stock from the cooler, free to examine the fish’s clear, plump eyes and bright red gills for freshness. He sells what’s left on Fridays at Naples’ favorite Mike’s Bait House. The market opens at noon, though the line forms at 9:30 a.m. Customers raise their filets in the air—each filleted and packed on the spot—in celebration. There is a sense of privilege: a community nourished by fishermen, as it was all those years ago, with fisher folk taking only what was needed to feed their families, triumphant and grateful.

Chefs like Josh Zeman, at Sea Salt in Naples, turn Dilly’s Gulf catches into art. Next up, Dilly plans to expand into catering, led by chef Greg Matthew, a 20-year restaurant industry veteran.

Salt, photographed by Dan Cutrona

Grape Expectations

When looking for a unique sauvignon blanc, Sukie Honeycutt of Sukie’s Wine Shop in Naples suggests this creamy, fruity Merry Edwards Winery’s Russian River Valley wine.

When Sukie Honeycutt first tasted Merry Edwards Winery’s Russian River Valley sauvignon blanc at the Sonoma County winery’s tasting room a decade ago, she was captivated. “Most sauvignon blancs tend to be austere, have high minerality, and are sort of edgy, as I call them,” Sukie’s Wine Shop’s co-owner says. But this one, she found, was richly creamy, full-bodied and aromatic.

As the wine lead at Sukie’s (which she owns with Tony Ridgway), the adjacent Bayside Seafood Grill & Bar, Ridgway Bar & Grill and Tony’s Off Third, the self-taught expert has more than 40 years of experience working in restaurants around Naples and managing their wine programs—so she knows a thing or two about quality vinos. When asked to name a favorite, she often returns to Merry Edwards’ sauvignon blanc. Her appreciation was reinforced during a

Courtesy Merry Edwards Winery

wine dinner in 2019 when she tasted the latest vintage. It had been a few years since Sukie sampled Merry Edwards’ wines, and this one really surprised her. “It’s powerful—it’s like a sauvignon blanc on steroids,” she says.

As one of California’s first female winemakers, Merry Edwards is a pioneer. She consulted for multiple wineries before creating her namesake label in 1997. Over the next decade, she put Russian River pinot noir in the global eye. Now, the roughly heart-shaped Russian River Valley is considered the benchmark for California and New World pinot noir, and other cool-climate varieties.

Merry may be known for terroir-driven, single-vineyard pinots, which hail from 80 acres of estate vineyards. But her

barrel-fermented sauvignon blanc, characteristically creamy and rich, shows her strength and ingenuity as a winemaker. Merry developed her style of sauvignon blanc while working as the founding winemaker of Matanzas Creek Winery in the ’80s. In 2004, she launched her Russian River Valley bottle under the Merry Edwards label. “This is a more serious, structural sauvignon blanc,” current winemaker Heidi von der Mehden says. Merry trained Heidi for three years before announcing her as successor in 2018.

Before joining Merry Edwards Winery in 2015, Heidi was making Rhône and Bordeaux varieties in Sonoma. “I enjoyed it, but I was longing to get to the Russian River Valley,” Heidi says. She was connected to Merry through a mutual friend. “It was Kelly Jones

Sukie Honeycutt has more than 40 years of experience running wine programs at Tony Ridgway’s restaurants. She loves Merry Edwards Winery’s sauvignon blanc for its complexity and richness.

serendipitous; if you’re going to learn, you want to learn from one of the best,” she adds.

For the first three years as assistant winemaker, Heidi listened, learned and absorbed every part of the winemaking process. She visited vineyards with Merry, talked with vineyard managers and ran most of the behind-the-scenes operations. She saw how Merry’s winemaking process starts in the vineyard, selectively pulling leaves so the grapes develop fruit-forward flavors, with floral and tropical fruit aromas. Unlike most California sauvignon blancs, which are aged in steel, Merry’s is aged on the lees in French oak barrels for five to six months and stirred twice weekly to give it more texture and body. The wine

The sauvignon blanc is produced in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley, where the grapes get plenty of sunshine and the wine is aged in oak barrels for a floral profile and creamy texture.

could almost be mistaken for a chardonnay, but the aromas of peaches and melons make it distinctly sauvignon blanc.

Sukie is quick to point out this isn’t a cocktail wine you want to sip: “It’s so rich— it begs for food.” Go for a creamy dish, Sukie says, suggesting a linguine carbonara that can stand up to the wine’s richness.

Sukie carries about 1,500 wine labels between Tony’s Off Third and her eponymous wine shop, including 35 sauvignon blancs from around the world. Merry Edwards’ label is one of Sukie’s few selections from Sonoma, where sauvignon blanc is the second-most popular varietal white wine. As head winemaker, Heidi maintains Merry’s signature style of sauvignon blanc

while continuing to push the winery in a sustainable direction.

In addition to helping the winery earn a title as a California Certified Sustainable Winery, Heidi manages projects by sustainability lead, Nick Nash, to reduce wastewater, generate more than 64 percent of electricity use, and manage pests organically through bluebird and owl boxes. “Every day, we’re making little changes for the better,” Heidi says. She initially wanted to study environmental toxicology but switched to a chemistry degree. “I’ve always had this drive to be more sustainable and aware, and now I have two little boys,” she says. “I need to make sure I help leave them a hospitable place to live.”

Courtesy Merry Edwards Winery

A Stitch in Time

Slinky crochet, mesh and knit pieces keep you cool in the warm, wet summer months.

June days call for breezy ensembles to beat the heat without sacrificing style. Enter your new summertime staple: crochet, bohemian looks with free-flowing, barely-there fabrics. Shield the sun without breaking a sweat in Carolina Socías Beachwear’s hooded, white woven cover-up, paired with bracelets by MCHARMS. Right: Azulu’s colorful crochet number with statement sleeves is perfect when hosting friends on the lanai. Available at Theme Dresser, themedresser.com.

Capittana’s crocheted dress effortlessly blends the carefree boho spirit with a touch of modernity and sultry appeal, thanks to its cut-out silhouette. Julianne wears a vintage headscarf. Available at Theme Dresser, themedresser.com.

Thanks for voting us #1 in service!

Naples, you’ve never seen anything quite like this.

The first thing you notice at Total Wine & More is the unbelievable selection. That’s because everywhere you turn, in every aisle, there’s— well, more. But believe this: A typical store carries 8,167 unique wines—with up to a quarter of a million bottles on the shelves—4,874

Walk through our doors and you won’t believe your eyes. Everywhere you turn there’s more. In fact, a typical store carries 8,167 unique wines, 4,874 unique spirits and 2,693 unique beers. Sure, we have unbeatable selection and prices, but we bet you’ll keep coming back for unrivaled service.

Plan your visit at TotalWine.com.

Black mesh is the star of Theme Dresser’s two-piece set. Delicate floral details on the top contrast beautifully with the lightweight fabric, while the sheer skirt elegantly covers bikini bottoms. Available at Theme Dresser, themedresser.com

1 Laura & Helder Rosa

2 Amanda Macia, Andrew Harrell

3 Ruth Smith, Mary Pat Hussey, Cheryl & Randy Byrnes, Dr. Francisco Smith

4 Paul Fuerst, Tim Habbershon, Shauna Fuerst, Ann Ratner, Nancy Moylan, Allison Murray, Kelly & David Thimmesh

5 Ruth & Jim Otterbeck

6 Greg & Dana Debski, Julia & Paul Kania

7 Aubrey & Tina Ferrao

8 Dancers hit the dance floor

9 Casey & Shera Askar

10 Jennifer McCurry, Monica Kelly

Fabulous Fifties Heart for Education

Attendees donned letterman jackets, polka dots and poodle skirts for Saint Ann’s 1950s-inspired gala. Retro cars set the scene, and guests flocked to the checkerboard dance floor to swing and hand jive to the tunes of the night. The event raised more than $465,000 for student scholarships and teacher programs.

Gala / Hosted at Saint Ann Catholic School in support of Saint Ann School Foundation

Insider — Guest List — Photography by AP Alexander

1 Suzanne Costa, Julie McAlister

2 Jennifer & Paul Drucker, Robert & Alyson Baluchi

3 Laura & Joshua Isley

4 Gary Ralph, Eileen Pitel

5 Ruth Morency, Aniko Brittingham

Storybook Ball / Hosted at Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa in support of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southwest Florida

Fire and hula dancers dazzled at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southwest Florida’s 27th annual gala. Guests paused for photos with Disney princess Moana and battled for live auction items, including a private tour of jeweler Mark Loren’s gallery. By the end of the night, the event brought in more than $256,000 for the nonprofit.

Photography by Nicole Nixon

Photography by Nicole Nixon

1 The Aloha Islanders Dancers

2 Debra & Jamie Pirrello

3 Tamara & Madelyn Holliday

4 Christian & Yesica Niño

5 Lindsey Sablan, Corey Lazar

Storybook Ball / Hosted at Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa in support of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southwest Florida

Bucket List Bash / Hosted at The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón in support of American Cancer Society

The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón set the stage for this blackand-white-themed evening that raised more than $1.1 million for the fight against cancer. Beverly Fanning and Darlene and Don DeMichele chaired the event, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house when Dave Gibbons shared the story of his son’s battle with osteosarcoma. Proceeds support American Cancer Society’s health equity initiatives in Collier and Lee counties.

1 Robin Schiller, L.A. DeRiggi

2 Dr. Shaila Singh, Gisselle Calleja

3 Richard Lublin, Christine Stahl Lublin

4 Amanda Miller, Christine Homan

5 Beverly Fanning, Dave Gibbons, Don & Darlene DeMichele

6 Jennifer McCurry, Kathy & Dan Mezzalingua

7 Guests dine beneath glowing flora and fauna

8 Brian Denney, Chris & Audrey Green

9 Jim & Liz Jessee

10 Chris Marchand, Amanda Hall, Jon Foege

Insider — Guest List — Photography by AP Alexander

Mending Broken Hearts with Hope Luncheon / Hosted at The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón in support of The Shelter for Abused Women & Children

1 Diane McCaw, Barbara Jordan, Mana Holtz

2 Valarie Dabrowski, Mary Lottes, Carolyn Medema, Patti Krupp

3 Patricia Murphy, Elijah Gedeon, Sandy Thellus

4 Kim Koert, Sandi Moran

5 Ingrid Aielli, Linda Meak

Nearly 800 guests showed up to support The Shelter for Abused Women & Children at the annual fundraiser, where survivor Sandy Thellus shared her personal story on the stage, while her son, Elijah Gedeon, watched proudly from the crowd (bottom right). In addition to the luncheon, the event included a two-day designer boutique with chic wares from national vendors and proceeds benefitting the nonprofit’s mission.

Mending Broken Hearts with Hope Luncheon / Hosted at The Ritz-Carlton Naples, Tiburón in support of The Shelter for Abused Women & Children

4

5

1 Amy Brazil D’Amico, Elizabeth Star

2 Susanne King, Kitsi Estrem, Karen Smith, Tracy Pospeck

3 Bette Aymer, Jenny Sutton

Ilkay Turk, Marcia Kane

Linda Oberhaus, Cyndi Fields

Photography by Reagan Rule

Celebrate. Experience. Play. Rejuvenate.

Situated on 40 beachfront acres in the out islands of the Bahamas, the iconic Abaco Beach Resort boasts 96 rooms, suites, and residences, a 200 slip marina, 2 signature restaurants, 2 pools, complimentary water sports, and its unique Bahama Buddies Kids Program. Guests can enjoy access to a variety of land- and water-based activities ranging from island-hopping, fishing, snorkeling, and diving to shopping and local dining. The resort caters to families, couples, friends, and groups looking to escape the crowds of some of the larger islands. The Abacos are so authentically unique!

Opera Naples channeled the Spanish city of Seville with performances led by artistic director Ramón Tebar. Patrons bid for tickets to Italy’s famed Verona Opera Festival and behind-the-scenes tours of New York City Broadway and opera productions. In addition to helping with education programs and future performances, funds raised from this year’s event aid in the rebuilding of the company’s Wang Opera Center after Hurricane Ian.

Insider — Guest List —

Photography by AP Alexander

1 Donna Sterling, Jean Hertzog

2 Brad Heiges, Kim & Jan Kantor

3 Cindy Stegemann, Louise Ost

4 Marybeth Mahoney, Harriet Toadmene

5 Ania Diaz

Seville Soirée / Hosted at Arthrex

One in support of Opera Naples

A S o p h i s t i c a t e d C o a s t a l E s c a p e

T h e G u l f C o a s t ’ s m o s t e x c i t i n g b e a c h s i d e d e s t i n a t i o n o n m i l e s o f u n s p o i l e d s u g a rs a n d y b e a c h w i t h e x c l u s i v e a c c e s s t o t h r e e s w i m m i n g p o o l s & a 1 0 0 - f t w a t e r s l i d e . O u r N a p l e s c o m m u n i t y n e i g h b o r s a r e w e l c o m e t o e x p e r i e n c e o u r p r i s t i n e b e a c h e s , f u l l - s e r v i c e l u x u r y o r g a n i c S p a , 7 d e c a d e n t r e s t a u r a n t s , p r i v a t e p a r - 7 2 g o l f c o u r s e , a n d f i f t e e n t o u r n a m e n t q u a l i t y t e n n i s c o u r t s i n a p r i m e c e n t r a l N a p l e s l o c a t i o n .

1 Connie Leon, Lana Butsky

2 Elizabeth Freher, George & Nan VanSetter

3 Mariana & Russell Beckner

4 Genevieve Schubert, Francois Nguyen

5 Jeanne Binder, Allen Liss

6 Christine & Steve Ross

Seville Soirée / Hosted at Arthrex One in support of Opera Naples

Insider — Guest List — Photography by AP Alexander

Wine & Wildlife / Hosted at Naples Sailing and Yacht Club in support of The Alliance for Florida’s National Parks

When environmental supporters entered Naples Sailing and Yacht Club for this intimate gala, they were greeted by a photo-op with a 4-year-old baby gator. Guests showed their love for our natural surroundings with standing ovations for talks from eco-warriors, such as Niki Butcher. Auction items included a python hunt and a guided flight above Big Cypress National Preserve.

Photography by Nicole Nixon

1 Ema Arbez, Charles Weinrich

2 Frank Scovronek, Sally Wilson

3 Ashlea Hanson, Teresa Bogan

4 Chris Mooney, Sheri Sequin

PA

Wine & Wildlife / Hosted at Naples Sailing and Yacht Club in support of The Alliance for Florida’s National Parks

1 Juan Cueto, Gavin McKenzie, Magnus Sodamin, Marcos Garcia

2 Jamie & Craig Huntington

3 Michelle Hanson, Cindy Kissell

4 Lori Fernandes, Elizabeth Hennrikus

Don’t miss this treasure... we highly recommend it, especially if you have children. Learn more or get involved

In addition to becoming a member - which includes FREE ADMISSION for one year to all of our interactive exhibits - there are many ways to connect with our water, land, wildlife and future through the Conservancy of Southwest Florida!

These interactive exhibits for all ages are just the beginning!

FEATURES / A deep dive into the soulful stories of the region

“He’s one of the few photographers I’ve seen in black and white that both women and men like. I think it’s because they photograph together … So even though he’s behind the lens, she is, too.”

Jackie Butcher Obendorf on her parents, Clyde and Niki Butcher

Millions know and love Everglades photographer Clyde Butcher. This is the story of the tribe behind the man—his wife and co-creator, Niki, and the brains of the operation, their daughter, Jackie.

FRAME THE

BY JENNIFER REED PHOTOGRAPHY BY CLYDE BUTCHER + ANNA NGUYEN

Clyde Butcher's Big Cypress National Preserve 1 (1999)

IN FRAME

Niki Butcher holds a black-and-white photograph at arm’s length against a swampy landscape. We compare the real-life scene to the image her husband, Clyde, the famed Florida wilderness photographer, had taken with his new infrared camera.

“I’m getting excited about this,” Clyde says. The photo is one of about a dozen he’s shot with the device, which measures a wavelength on the infrared spectrum higher than the human eye can see. In this photograph, the whites are so bright they appear glowing, the textures are so pronounced they look 3D. Niki had suggested capturing that spot. “Your eyes are just drawn back there,” she says, gesturing to a distant pop ash tree. Her husband agreed. It was not the first time his wife had detected a thing of beauty and proposed a photograph.

I am happy to see Clyde, at 80 and slowed by a stroke, continue to innovate. But my focus is not on the photograph, the swamp or the techniques Clyde used to capture it. It’s on the couple. Because without Niki, there wouldn’t be a Clyde, and without their daughter, Jackie Butcher Obendorf, there wouldn’t be a thriving business promoting his work, and without Ted, their son lost at 17, the clan might never have ventured into the swamp, discovered its wonders and embarked on a mission to save it. This is a family tale.

“I did not want to have a 9-to-5 life, and since I married Clyde, I have not. Ever,” Niki says.

“She sees the romance in a photo,” Clyde says of Niki.

“She saw that we are not selling a product, we are selling an emotion,” Niki says of Jackie.

“When you guys are out there, you work as a team,” Jackie had said of her parents on a previous afternoon.

At 80, Clyde Butcher continues to innovate with new photo techniques, like his recent experimentations with infrared cameras. His wife, Niki, remains his constant companion and inspiration, often helping with the composition of his shots. "She sees romance in a photo," Clyde says.

Anna Nguyen

Let’s not romanticize, though. The Butchers’ legacy was born of love for each other and the outdoors, but their bonds have been tested many, many times. That’s why they share their story. There are lessons to be gleaned from the family’s success—and their survival.

The home where we meet, the one that inspired Clyde’s best-known work, is nestled in Big Cypress National Preserve, halfway between Naples and Miami. The gallery fronts Tamiami Trail and draws a surprising amount of foot traffic. Their former residence (they live fulltime in Venice now) and a couple of guest cottages are tucked behind it. The forest engulfs the structures—pond apple and pop ash trees, ferns and bromeliads, and scattered cypress, survivors of a century-old logging craze.

It was Niki who chose that location. Its previous owner was an orchid vendor, a recluse whose yard sign invited visitors for a $2 fee but who chased off the burly Clyde with a shotgun, growling that he didn’t trust men with beards. A diminutive-looking Niki returned another day, waving dollar bills in plain sight. The man allowed passage. “I walked to the back where our house is now sitting, and I sat on a log,” she remembers. “There were butterflies and dragonflies fluttering around. It was sort of like a Disney movie.” Niki didn’t know the property was for sale but nevertheless imagined a gallery, a home, a place of solitude to heal herself and support Clyde, who retreated from their home in Fort Myers to the swamps to perfect his photography and mourn his son. A drunk driver had stolen Ted six years before. Niki had long dreamed of living in a forest, though she imagined her native California’s orderly redwoods. Florida’s wilderness, by contrast, is wild, untamed, unpredictable—a little like the Butchers who came of age in the ’60s and embraced the era’s freewheeling ethos. They had fallen in love with the state’s interior a few years earlier, on a chance outing to an old Central Florida roadside attraction that introduced visitors to the beauty of the swamp from the safety of a boardwalk. “It had that amazing feeling that the redwood forest had,” recalls Niki, who had insisted they stop. “That ancient, ancient wisdom.” “Primeval,” Clyde adds. He returned to photograph it a short time later, this time getting his feet wet.

Anna Nguyen

Though the family maintains the Clyde Butcher Gallery in Big Cypress National Preserve, they now live and work primarily out of the gallery in Venice. From left: production team member Casey Finn; Clyde's son-in-law and longtime darkroom technician, Neal

Obendorf; museum director and bookkeeper, Teresa Ziegler; daughter and manager, Jackie; Clyde; Niki; gallery associate Trina Bauer; production team member Paul Tilton.

Jackie always had a head for business. After running a successful retail operation, she joined the family outfit—a move Niki credits for their shift in fortune. Jackie learned the art world and elevated collectors' appreciation for Clyde's black-and-white photography and his conservation mission.

And that is why Clyde said “yes” as soon as Niki discovered the Big Cypress property was on the market. The move to the Everglades was not the first time the couple had retreated to nature. Clyde started his career as a commercial photographer in California, at first pioneering techniques for photographing architecture—his initial field of study—and then specializing in full-color landscapes for mass-produced wall art. Photography wasn’t considered an art form then; he embedded clocks to make the images “functional.” Clyde sold the clocks through retailers such as Sears and J.C. Penney. On paper, the business boomed. The Butchers and their partners managed 70,000 square feet of manufacturing space and more than 200 employees. At one point, the family says, one in 10 households in America owned a Clyde Butcher photo.

The success was an illusion. Clyde’s deep-pocketed partners reinvested their earnings to grow the company; the photographer, who grew up poor, barely scraped by when he tried to match their contributions. The workload was tremendous. Niki was conscripted into management and hated it. “I was lousy. It is not my personality,” she says. Jackie and Ted were preschoolers. “Our marriage was falling apart,” Niki says. “We had a sailboat, and we went out on it one weekend. As we came back, Clyde said, ‘I don’t feel like going back to the apartment.’ And neither did I.” The young family moved aboard, rowing a dinghy to work each morning and sleeping under the stars each night. “It saved our marriage,” Niki says.

They lived that way, on and off, for 10 years without electricity, running water, or the material things that tether so many of us. Jackie and Ted grew up side by side, each other’s company their only constant. They traveled to far-flung photoshoots, once spending a two-month stint in Mexico, until the parents decided their blossoming adolescents needed space and stability. They settled in Fort Myers in 1980. Niki and Clyde’s retelling makes those years sound romantic.

Jackie reflects fondly, too, but she fills in the grim parts: the hostile takeover that forced Clyde out of the clock business, his unsuccessful attempt to start a new company, the family’s bankruptcy, the inconsistency. “I think I went to like 23 different schools before high school,” Jackie says. “My childhood was very chaotic.” Eventually, she would inject order.

It’s not a bad backyard,” Clyde says, as we stare at the swamp. Birds caw overhead, and a light breeze rustles the leaves. It is otherwise quiet. Did they ever feel lonely in those dozen years in the swamp, I ask? They shake their heads. Their relationship was born out of a shared love for nature’s solitude.

Clyde and Niki met while Clyde was a student at California Polytechnic State University and Niki an aspiring photographer. Clyde was dating Niki’s best friend. The pair invited Niki on a double date along with a buddy of Clyde’s. The mismatched couples didn’t last, and Clyde and Niki began seeing

Jackie says the inherent femininity in Clyde's photographs that makes them so ubiquitously loved stems from her mother's influence. Niki's own art of hand-painted photography is cataloged in her first book, Daydreaming , released this year.

Clyde Butcher's Ghost Orchid

1 (1999) and Little Butternut Key 2 (1997)

each other. Niki hated crowds and was happy to find a man who understood that. “Our first date was in the bleachers at Stanford University,” Clyde remembers. “There was nobody there. We just sat and talked.” They enjoyed long treks on the beach and through the woods, and occasional strolls to the movie theater, savoring the walk more than the film. “We bonded with each other and with nature,” Niki says.

They married when he was 21 and she 19. I wondered how they made it, two kids who started a marriage in a trailer. They would go on to endure their business hardships, the loss of their son, Hurricane Andrew’s rampage through Big Cypress, Clyde’s stroke and its aftermath. “I think we were just kind of stuck. We had to make it work,” Clyde says. His eyes twinkle as he says it. Niki bursts out laughing. Their secret is, of course, much more than that. “Every time you go through something in life, it’s an adventure,” Niki says. “It was hard for me to go through a lot of these difficult times in my life, but … I feel very satisfied about having lived a life that took chances and that had ups and downs. That’s what life is all about. It’s not about staying still.”

Except it did once halt. On June 15, 1986—Niki and Clyde’s wedding anniversary and Father’s Day that year—a drunk driver hit 17-year-old Ted's car. Jackie knows the exact moment he died; in her college apartment, she had doubled over in agony so extreme her boyfriend called 911. It was not the first time she had experienced her brother’s pain. They were like twins that way.

At the time of Ted’s death, Clyde and Niki made their living on the art fair circuit, Clyde with his fullcolor photography and Niki with her hand-painted black-and-white photos. Clyde, from the start, had longed to specialize in black-and-white, more so now as he sought to capture the textures and shadows of the swamps. But he worried about paying the bills. “He was about money. If (the photo) sold, it was good. This would sell, that would not,” Niki remembers. “That’s what our business was about.”

After the crash, he retreated to the wilderness, armed with a vintage 8-by-10-inch view camera, determined to pursue his calling and find meaning in tragedy. “I thought everybody has to heal in some way,” Niki says. She, too, was skeptical of black-and-white photography’s marketability. But she assured her husband that she could float the family with her artwork. “I figured he would find out it doesn’t sell, and then he’ll go back to color.” Clyde cuts in, with an I-told-you-so grin, “The best show I ever had was black-and-white—like four times better than my best color show.”

As Clyde fell in love with the Everglades, environmentalists warned that the ecosystem was dying. In 1991, the state passed the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Everglades Protection Act, the precursor to the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan of 2000. Clyde’s large-format photography was a way to take his viewers into the swamps with him and show them what was at stake. “I have talked to politicians that have said without my work, they couldn’t have done that restoration,” Clyde says. “Because before they saw it … they didn’t understand the importance of it, the beauty of it. It was just a swamp.”

Clyde and Niki met in California when he was an architecture student and she was an aspiring artist. After decades of working as a photographer and having a successful clock-art business, Clyde turned to a vintage 8-by-10-inch view camera and retreated to Florida's swamps to mourn the loss of their 17-year-old son, Ted. Niki found the Big Cypress property where the two made their home and workspace for decades.

The Venice gallery showcases some of Jackie's favorite works—most from her parents' days working together in Big Cypress. “My dad is good with space. My mom is good with composition. So, my dad will see a space, and my mom will compose it,” she says.

“Come here, I want to show you something,” Niki says. She leads me to the front of the property and points to a utility pole by the gallery’s facade. She’d first noticed the identification number affixed to it shortly after she and Clyde bought the property. T11786. T = Ted. 1 = their only son. 17 = his age at death. 86 = the year he was killed. The couple dubbed the place “Loose Screw Sanctuary,” their good-humored response to friends who called them crazy for running a business out there. But she knew they had landed right where they were supposed to be.

Jackie always had a head for business. Once the family settled in Fort Myers, she enrolled in Riverdale High School and joined a student entrepreneurship club. The group entered a competition requiring students to conceive a company and write its business plan. She doesn’t remember her invented venture, but she does remember long hours with her dad, discussing matters of profit margins and operating expenses. She advanced all the way to the national championship.

Ted died the summer following her first year of college. Jackie came home. “We let her drift for about six months,” Niki remembers. As the January term neared, Niki urged her to re-enroll. Jackie declined, uncertain of her future. Niki asked her to imagine what she would be doing had she graduated. “Run my own business,” Jackie responded. Clyde interjected, “Then, let’s start you a business!”

Jackie began a wholesale operation selling postcards and greeting cards of her mom’s art. Her company, in time, expanded to include a line of resort wear. She married and settled in Venice, her husband’s hometown. She insisted on putting down deep, immovable roots. From a distance, Jackie recognized Clyde’s growing popularity but did not yet realize his impact. “I knew my dad was famous, and I knew he was doing important stuff, and I would go to the gallery, but I really wasn’t involved in the business,” she says.

By the late 1990s, Jackie’s business had swelled into a workforce of 45. She purchased a building in a Venice industrial district. After becoming pregnant with her second child, she pined for more time at home and butted heads with the big retailers that sold her products. Meanwhile, her dad’s photography business suffered from the logistics of shuttling between the Big Cypress gallery and Jackie’s Venice warehouse, where she’d outfitted a darkroom, and from employees who took advantage of Clyde and Niki’s managerial leniency. “They are really good at being artists. I’m really good at running a business,” Jackie says. She adds, “I grew up with starving artists. And I didn’t want to be that when I grew up.”

She told her parents she wanted out of her business and into theirs. They agreed. “We call her our mother,” Niki murmurs to me one day. Jackie is the firstborn, the daughter, the surviving child. She’s also a master tactician, whom Niki credits for the business’ shift in fortune. Jackie learned the art market and elevated Clyde’s prices, attracting more buyers as serious collectors started taking Clyde Butcher—and

Anna Nguyen

the art of photography—more seriously. She magnified his art’s conservation message by working with her mom, who insisted Clyde publish books, and curating museum exhibitions. One exhibit, America’s Everglades: Through the Lens of Clyde Butcher, includes extended interpretive panels that explain the ecological wonders of the ’Glades and the imperative to restore it. “As I came into the business, I thought, ‘You know, he’s really making a difference.’ This is not just a business,” Jackie reflects.

Jackie was attuned to something else, too: Niki’s influence. “Most black-and-white photographs are either masculine or feminine,” Jackie says. “But he’s one of the few photographers I’ve seen in black and white that both women and men like. I think it’s because they photograph together … So even though he’s behind the lens, she is, too.”

We’re at the Venice gallery, Jackie’s former warehouse. She displays her favorite pieces here, primarily images from her parents’ Big Cypress years. “In that one, they were together,” she says, pointing to an image. “In that one, they were together.” She ticks through several more. “My dad is good with space. My mom is good with composition. So, my dad will see a space, and my mom will compose it.” Or, as Niki puts it on another occasion: “We’ve been married 59 years. We are very good at backseat driving each other.”

Jackie intends for the business to remain in the family. Clyde’s speaking contracts list her as his stand-in should he feel unwell. Jackie’s husband, Neal Obendorf, is Clyde’s longtime darkroom technician—the person behind those oversized, meticulously printed photographs. Their daughter, Kayla, is an aspiring artist; their son, Robert, a tech whiz. Jackie will let them find their own paths, but she suspects in time they will involve themselves in the family cause.

Jackie is studying environmental issues so that she can speak to them with authority, like her dad. “I’m (now) doing things like Facebook Live and putting my face out there. I feel the public needs to know this is a family business,” she says. “I am close to my dad. I love my dad. I love his art. I want to keep this going, so it doesn’t end with him.”

The sun slants lower in the swamp. Clyde had gladly indulged my wish to see the spot of his new infrared image, but now his knees ache. Before she brings her husband back to their cottage, Niki turns to me. “There are two inspirations that I would like this story to have for people. One, that if you lose a child, you choose to honor your child. For us, we honored our child through the environment,” Niki says. The other? To chase a dream, no matter your age. “We did not become a success in doing what we love to do until we were in our 50s. Learn from your trials and just keep working at it. People give up. If you don’t give up, you will be one of three or four people left who succeed.” Clyde overhears us and weighs in: “A lot of people get depressed. They give up on life. We took it and tried to do something positive with it.” A mission accomplished. Together.

over the years, showcasing the beauty within the swamp. "I have talked to politicians that have said without my work, they couldn't have done that restoration," he says. Now, Jackie's taking a more public role and diving deep into her environmental studies to carry on her family's legacy.

Clyde's photographs have propelled Everglades conservation efforts

Anna Nguyen, Clyde Butcher's Whilden's Pond 4 (2002)

Creative Energy

Judith Liegeois designs an artful space for healing in Naples’ Royal Harbor neighborhood.

A home is always more than a place: it bears witness to the lives of its inhabitants. Sometimes, the space itself—and the act of filling it—can be the vehicle for transformation. This Royal Harbor home exemplifies that, with art and furnishings that create a vibrant, healing environment.

Naples interior designer Judith Liegeois came onto this project as the homeowner was transitioning out of a decades-long negative relationship. It would be her first time living on her own. “When I was looking for interior designers, I saw a picture of Judith sitting on a yoga pillow, and I knew I wanted to reach out to her,” the homeowner says. “We met, and Judith just saw me.”

When the designer first walked into the home, it was brandnew, beautifully located and nicely situated, but it felt cold and empty. The furnishings were uninspired. “It was just a sofa here,

a dining table there,” Judith says. But the bones were there: abundant light from the canal off Naples Bay, a striking staircase to the second floor, a modern kitchen and a lovely stone-clad fireplace. “The home had potential; it just felt sad,” she says.

The homeowner had a clear direction for Judith as they embarked on the redesign: “I’m ready to take my power back,” she said to the renowned Naples designer, adding that she wanted the whole home to feel zen and safe. The two collaborated to infuse the residence with thoughtful furnishings that fill the space with positive energy. Much of that came through finding unique pieces by area artists, whose passion for creation extends beyond the frame. “The pieces she chose were full of color; it’s the common thread,” Judith says. “A point of view flows through the entire house.”

Two abstract paintings flank the foyer as you enter the home: Alternate Reality by Naples-raised Mike Browne and I’ll See it When I Believe It by Gisela Miller, a German-born painter who splits time between Washington, D.C. and Naples. Each is calm but optimistic, with a mostly white field punctuated by peppy red, blue and yellow swaths. In an alcove in the foyer, Judith layered a circular mirror on top of a mirrored wall. “That was intentional, a way to expand the space,” she says. She finished the area with an antique sculpture, carved-wood credenza and crystals from the homeowners’ collection.

In the living area, the fireplace creates a striking impression. Judith lined the inside with selenite crystals, which glow by candlelight. An organically shaped custom screen covers the fireplace and plays off the commissioned branch-like chandelier overhead. “The whole house is art, even the fixtures,” Judith says. The homeowner particularly loves the large sofa Judith selected for the room. “There’s plenty of room for the grandchildren, dogs, birds and the cat,” she says. Two abstract paintings, 99 Flowers on the Wall by Mike Browne and Ruby Quest by Katie Ré Scheidt, flank the walls leading to the lanai. The white, blue and coral tones pick up the rich hues of the accent pillows in the mostly neutral room, making the space feel fun and unfussy.

Previous spread: Naples artist Ran Adler’s Currents climbs across the stairwell wall. His work is also seen in a nook near the homeowner’s bedroom (far left). Contemporary art throughout creates a cheery vibe, with subtle color.

Nearby, you transition to the kitchen—a space the homeowner often uses when caring for her grandchildren. Here, My Valentine by Jason Cole Mager further plays off the living room’s hues and has pride of place above an ornate console table.

Upstairs, the home’s more private spaces enlist ethereal photographs for a meditative effect. In the family room, Dahlia and Bud by Karen Shulman pays homage to the wonders of a flower in bloom. In the primary bedroom, Anna, Study #2 by Miamibased photographer Troy Campbell celebrates femininity; on the opposite wall, the digital collage The Poets by Austin, Texas-based visual artist Ysabel LeMay, represented at METHOD & CONCEPT, weaves a romantic environment. Throughout the home, flowers reside in vases Judith designed for her collection. The pebble-shaped vessels have a few holes at the top for easy flower arranging. “You just go to the grocery store, grab some tulips or roses, and plop them in there,” she says.

Fostering a sense of zen and ease was essential to the design, so Judith commissioned Ran Adler—the Naples artist known for his sculptural installations made of organic materials—to create two key pieces in the home. Ran’s installation process is integral to his work, incorporating meditation rituals in the creation. This is evident in Currents, seen over the stairwell. Made from gathered horsetail rush, the sculpture’s meandering, sometimes intertwining lines evoke the changeable pathways of life. Just

The homeowner hired Judith to revamp her home after the end of a decades-long relationship. Everything in the design imbues a sense of peace and power.

“The pieces she chose were full of color; it’s the common thread. A point of view flows through the entire house.”

— Judith Liegeois

The meditation room features antique chairs from Judith’s warehouse and Troy Campbell’s Night Bloom, Study #1 photograph above a Balinese credenza.

outside the primary bedroom, Ran installed Birds in Flight, a collection of gold-dipped acacia thorns, which look like they are winging off into the distance. The piece evokes river currents and birds in flight—fluid, changeable elements and wonders to behold that are deeply connected to the Earth. “Ran is this very zen-like character, a master of calm,” Judith says.

They transformed the office into a space for meditation, health coaching sessions and relaxation. Judith sourced wide and low meditation chairs from her warehouse. They combine with an antique screen and Balinese credenza. Above it is Troy Campbell’s Night Bloom, Study #1, a tonal examination of the ephemeral flower. “We used cooler colors here because we needed it to be calmer,” Judith says. “This is a room where you just need to be quiet.”

Judith and the homeowner slowly added all the art and furnishings over the course of a year. “We didn’t just buy art for a room; it was a process,” the designer says. “Art has to balance a space and speak to the space.” Along the way, the homeowner had a chance to meet some of the artists whose work she gravitated toward: “I had the most amazing experience—not just with Judith but with everyone she introduced me to.”

The connection between the designer and client went beyond simply furnishing the home. It was a healing exercise that left both feeling connected. “It was a wonderful journey; I just loved making her happy. Designing her home was so rewarding,” Judith says. The homeowner adds: “Now, I feel at peace when I walk through the door.”

Home — Talking Shop — By Tate Gunnerson — Photography by Anna Nguyen

Walls that Talk

Informed by her background in fine art, Naples’ Jaima Brown Emmert creates dazzling wallcoverings through her Daisy Bennett brand.

Jaima Brown Emmert looks pensively over thick-rimmed, cat-eye glasses as she points to a panel push-pinned to a linen-clad wall behind her. “Should I do this one in pink, too?” she muses. Visiting Jaima’s studio is like getting a sneak peek into the artist-cum-wallpaper-designer’s exuberant mind.

She’s adamant that wallpapers can do more than elevate a space; they tell a story. Looking at the serene Heron Mural, which debuted this month with

Jaima’s new Anthology Mural Collection, you get a sense of what it’s like to walk around her home’s backyard lake, smelling the gardenia bush as you count turtles bobbing and wading birds fishing nearby. “You take a white wall in a room, add one of my murals, and you will truly feel different,” she says. “It’s like the colors and patterns reach your soul.”

Working at the 12-foot-long table in her studio, located in a private apartment near her home, Jaima paints and

Jaima uses an industrial printer to preview designs on the wall. “I’m neurotic about making sure everything flows right,” she says. “I treat all designs like art to have a balanced composition.”

styles patterns to the tune of classical music. She pulls inspiration from drawers of vintage wallpapers and textiles collected from a lifetime of traveling the world. She may reinterpret elegant chinoiserie with birds found along the Gulf, sourcing the colors of Florida’s sunsets for backgrounds that pop. The wallpaper designer printed the Heron sample from her industrial printer to visualize how the birds play with the floral motif. Next to the mural, she’s tacked pieces of other pink and blue designs she’s created over the decades, each swatch revealing Jaima’s knack for quirky designs.

The Canadian artist, who studied fine art and history at Ontario’s University of Guelph, found her path to the industry through a chance encounter. A friend she met at a silk-screening class invited her to tour Toronto’s storied Sunworthy wallpaper factory, which has operated under many monikers since the late 1800s. Jaima was captivated by the highly skilled artisans mixing colors and painting designs by hand. “I was hooked,” she recalls. The following year, she scored a job as a print designer at Sunworthy, where she created the Magnolia Lane collection, blending Italian motifs with painterly depictions of the fragrant flowers. An instant success,

The Naples-based wallpaper designer has a knack for painterly designs, like this elegant mural with birds found throughout Southwest Florida.

the typography-adorned wallcovering sold 2 million rolls throughout Canada and Europe. She later burnished her credentials as the design director for Chicago’s S. A. Maxwell & Co., one of the oldest wallpaper companies in the United States.

Now, after 20 years working for herself, Jaima expresses total creative freedom through her company, Daisy Bennett— named after her late black lab, who often snoozed on piles of vintage wallpapers

while Jaima worked in her studio. She draws from her family’s English heritage and extensive travels to bring a worldly flair to trending designs. A trip to the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show in England inspired her former Chelsea Lane collection’s bold floral and whimsical butterfly motifs. Once she decides on a composition, the design is scanned into an electronic image and modified so that the pattern seamlessly

Jaima has recently ventured into textiles, pulling from 20 years of wallpaper designs to create coordinating throw pillows, bedding and upholstery.

repeats for a painted-on effect. She then hangs a sample in her studio before the wallcovering goes into production. “I’m neurotic about making sure everything flows right,” she says. “I treat all designs like art to have a balanced composition.”

Where Jaima’s studio offers a look into her creative process, her nearby lakefront abode acts as a showroom for the cheerful designs. In the foyer, birds flit through lemon trees on an iridescent, silver-blue grasscloth mural, which wraps down the hallway to her breakfast nook. There, Jaima outfitted the chandelier’s lampshades with a coordinating blue-spotted print from her collection. Each room features a vibrant covering from her career, including an energizing, undulating blue abstract pattern that mimics a kaleidoscope’s morphed effect. Her most recent endeavor is printing her designs on fabrics to make matching bedding, pillows and the occasional recovered accent chair.

Beyond branching into furnishings and decor, Jaima is excited about her latest line of murals, which banks on innovative digital processes for textured designs printed on grasscloth, ultra-thin cork and burnished metal paper that resembles gold and silver leafing. “New designs are always a gamble, but sometimes I have a real gut feeling,” she says.

Jaima’s lakefront Naples home is a showroom for her designs, with different wallcoverings in each room. In the foyer, birds flit through lemon trees on an iridescent, grasscloth, chinoiserie design.

The New Classics

If you appreciate modern design with clean lines, luxe surfaces and rich textures, you’ll love the work of Naples’ EBL Interiors & Construction. Interior designer Audrey Healey masterfully blends all these elements, with a penchant for fine European craftsmanship and contemporary minimalism. Here are a few of her favorite things.

Fried Egg Chair by Warm Nordic

This asymmetrical armchair is a testament to Danish modernism. Audrey thinks about chairs’ role as a benchmark of design that’s often mused on and reinterpreted by famous architects and designers: “[Chairs] recall fascinating icons, have graceful shapes and are comfort-oriented.” In this 1950s model, midcentury-modern master Hans Olsen created a piece that’s whimsical and practical. From above, the shape resembles a fried egg. The curved armrest provides the ideal perch to prop up your legs. “We love them,” Audrey says about the Warm Nordic brand, which rereleased the chair in 2018.

warmnordic.com

Wall Pillars by Caccaro

Monoliths are so hot right now. And while massive stone structures may not fit through your front door or service elevator, this functional storage system gives you the impressive look of ancient Greek design without impeding on space. Audrey calls the vertical storage units “luxury closets.” Arrange the columns at whim to suit any area and need, with ample room for coat hooks, hat shelves and bag holders. “It offers everything you need to organize an entrance or service area,” she says.

caccaro.com

Courtesy Caccaro

Tau Kitchen by MandiCasa

Why not add a little rouge to the heart of your home? The recently launched MandiCasa fuses aesthetics with engineering to deliver kitchen surfaces that go the distance (think: scarlet cabinetry and marble-like counters that are low-maintenance and modernly stylish). The lynchpin is MandiCasa’s use of Fenix NTM, an extra-matte laminate that’s soft to the touch, fingerprint- and scratch-resistant, and easy to clean (even light scratches can be wiped away). Audrey considers the brand an innovator in the space. mandicasa.com

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Courtesy MandiCasa

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HEALTHY LIFE / Rituals, resources and goods for a balanced life

Blue Mind

By overcoming her fear of water, Naples’ Latifah Lowery became a competitive triathlete, a standout swimmer and a beacon of hope for Black women in the sport.

For triathlete Latifah Lowery, being in the water is like being in another world. She loves the freedom, wonder and uncertainty of swimming. “I feel like I’m defying gravity,” she says. “I feel like I’m flying.”

If you would have asked Latifah—who up until adulthood did not know how to swim—if she ever saw herself as a triathlete, the answer would have been a resounding ‘No.’ After all, competitions require anywhere from a 0.5-mile to a 2.4-mile swim. “Growing up, we were never allowed to be around deep water. We were told if the water touches

your knees, that’s when you stop,” the 33-year-old Naples-based athlete says. The reason: fear. For Latifah, water was synonymous with danger, a belief instilled in her by her mother, who was taught the same principle by her mother. This deeply embedded generational fear is not uncommon among the larger Black community. Perhaps because for a great deal of the 20th century, Black people were not granted access to public or private pools. “During segregation periods, [Black] people did try to swim and go to pools, but they were hated. There were

instances where they would get kicked out. People would fight them and throw acid in the water,” Latifah says.

Despite this history, Latifah has always been drawn to the water. She’d often sit and stare at the ocean, mesmerized by its vastness. In 2017, she was introduced to triathlons when she went to support her friend and former pro triathlete Sian Welch at that year’s Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, HI.

“When I saw my [first race], I thought everyone looked so good,” she says. “I was like ‘Wow, I want to try this sport.’”

In 2020, three months after giving birth, Latifah began her quest to become a triathlete. To overcome her fear of swimming, she joined a masters swim club,

which required a 25-meter swim test. Her first moments in the water left much to be desired. “I couldn’t swim one lap,” says Latifah, who only managed to doggy paddle. As her limbs grew tired, she panicked. But her fight-or-flight response kicked in, and she knew that no matter what, she had to make it to the other end. It took Latifah about a month to go from doggy paddling to learning a stroke. And, she still had to master biking and tap back into her running skills from her high school track days.

On January 10, 2021—a day before her son turned 1—she waded into the water at the Sarasota-Bradenton Triathlon Festival. When she finished, she felt like she could do anything. “It was a sense of accomplishment that I’ve never felt,”

she says. “Showing yes, you can start late, you can be a mom, you can be someone who looks different than 99 percent of the sport, and still rise.”

After completing about 20 triathlons in two years, Latifah has gone from being afraid of the water to being an impressive swimmer in races, making it to the podium on more than one occasion—all thanks to her work ethic. Each day, Latifah works on two of the three triathlon disciplines for 2.5 to 3 hours. She balances her training with twice-weekly strength sessions, yoga, foam rolling and sound baths for a dose of spiritual healing. Michellie Jones, an Olympic silver medalist and Ironman world champion, is her coach.

Latifah’s first triathlon was in 2021—one year after she learned to swim. She’s set to compete in the USA Triathlon Nationals in August. “Yes, you can start late, you can be a mom, you can be someone who looks different than 99 percent of the sport, and still rise,” she says.

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Dr. Randold Binns obtained his Doctor in Dental Medicine degree at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and completed a 3-year specialty residency program and received a Masters Degree in Prosthodontics at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2017. Naples is where Dr. Binns wants to be and serve the community.

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Latifah regrets to see she’s still one of the few Black women in the sport, but she wants to change that and be a beacon for others. “Being a part of a shift this big is the most important thing I’ve ever been a part of,” she says. “I love being able to bring such an essential skill as swimming to people who may not have it and then bringing awareness to this beautiful, life-changing sport.”

She wants to ensure that those who come after her aren’t stuck in the shallow end, starting with her 3-year-old son, Apollo, who Latifah introduced to the water when he was 6 months old. “That was important to me because of all of the fear I experienced and the insecurities of not being comfortable in the water. I just never wanted that for him,” she says.

She’s also gotten her mom to embrace the water, getting her into swim lessons. And though her mom remains jumpy around the water, and her grandmother has yet to see her swim, Latifah’s encouraged to know her mom now knows how to float. “I realized how much of a life-saving skill that is that everyone should know,” Latifah says.

As she continues to help her family become more comfortable in the water, she’s also poised to take her passion to a professional level. Her next big race is the USA Triathlon Nationals in Milwaukee, in August. The competition is a qualifier for the World Championships. “I’ve found my calling,” she says. “I’m here to bring the awareness needed. I’m here to be the example. I’m here because I’m supposed to be here.”

Shawky A. Hassan M.D., PhD

Time is of the Essence

You might remember our 2021 article waxing poetic on Dr. Kiran Gill’s curated line of botanical-driven skincare products. Now, her newly reformulated retinol serum has gotten our attention again. On the heels of Naples Aesthetic Institute Boutique Surgery and Skin Spa’s fifth anniversary and a new location slated to open this fall, the doctor revamped her previous age-defying retinol pads with a silky serum that layers beautifully on the skin.

We’re happy to see the disposable wipes go by the wayside and intrigued by Kiran’s new mix of collagen-stimulating retinol with bakuchiol (a plant-derived, gentler retinol alternative), protective licorice root extract, calming green tea and redness-reducing caffeine for the ultimate age-rewind. “All of [the botanical ingredients] help to calm the skin as you apply,” Kiran says.

The new serum comes in strengths 2.5 and 5.0, depending on your skin’s tolerance to retinoids—a group of powerful vitamin A derivatives, which include the anti-aging retinol. Retinoids are all the rage as people seek preventive measures over invasive treatments and surgeries. Kiran, a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon, doesn’t do trendy. She promotes science-backed, doctor-approved products and procedures that make a difference. And retinoids are certainly no fad. The FDA approved them in the early ’70s. Kiran’s new serum combines retinol with ayurvedic-favorite bakuchiol to maximize the formula’s effects on fine lines, wrinkles and uneven skin tones.

The 2.5 serum’s melted-butter consistency is perfect for my at-home evening facial massage. I rub the botanically scented essence into areas I tend to crease—smoothing out smile lines and crow’s feet from lively conversations and furrowed brows from long days squinting at a screen. As with any retinol, Kiran recommends applying it every other night after cleansing, working up to nightly use to allow your skin to adapt to the powerhouse ingredients.

I was surprised to see my pores slowly appear smaller and fine lines start to fade after a few weeks of using the botanical blend. And, unlike many harsh retinol formulas that cause redness or dry skin, this one left my face glowing and smooth, even after moving up to a nightly routine. Something tells me I have the serum’s calming caffeine and green tea to thank for helping me save face, keeping redness and peeling at bay.

Naples surgeon and skincare guru Dr. Kiran Gill launches a reformulated retinol serum for smoother, younger-looking skin.

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TASTE OF THE GULF / Flavors, philosophies and institutions shaping our culinary scene

154 Raise a Glass: Wicked Dolphin’s Floridian rum

160 Dining Guide: 150-plus essential restaurants

Christina Bankson

That’s the Spirit

When JoAnn Elardo and her husband, Robert, retired to a Cape Coral home on the Caloosahatchee River, dolphins seemed to taunt their labrador retriever. One night, JoAnn woke to hear the dog growling. “I think someone is trying to break in,” she told her husband. “It’s just that damn wicked dolphin,” he sighed.

That quip inspired the name of their Wicked Dolphin Distillery, and more than 10 years later, the Cape Coral brand is among the most recognizable producers in the state. Inside the turquoise building off Pine Island Road, rows of medals, including top honors from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the Miami Rum Renaissance Festival, hang on the necks of bottles behind the bar. Tour groups regularly move through the distillery, where Florida sugarcane and local fruit are infused into 13 different rums and spirits. The space includes a new, laid-back tiki bar—aptly named the Wicked Tiki—which JoAnn opened last year. “This was supposed to be my retirement,” JoAnn says, with a laugh. “But we just kept growing.”

As an international entrepreneur, it’s no surprise JoAnn’s retirement didn’t go as expected. Years before moving to the Gulf Coast, she opened Amer Sports in Poland, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and grew the sporting goods company into a major distributor of American activewear in Europe. In 2008, she sold the company and retreated from the cold winters to Southwest Florida, where her parents lived on Pine Island. “At the time, Cape Coral was growing. It had a hometown feel,” she says.

Taste of the Gulf — Raise a Glass — By Justin Paprocki

Cape Coral’s Wicked Dolphin Distillery embraces Florida ingredients to make awardwinning, small-batch rums.

Brian Tietz, Christina Bankson

Wicked Dolphin Distillery matches that vibe. A life-sized dolphin statue greets you at the entrance, and folks playing oversized Jenga, cornhole and Connect 4 games populate the exterior. At the bar, the staff line up rum samplers: mango, coconut and Key lime. (When in Florida, right?) You might order a cocktail, like the Vanilla Sunrise, with its dangerously deceptive sweet and smooth mix of vanilla bean rum, orange juice and grenadine.

Like any good, new Florida retiree, JoAnn first sat back and enjoyed the rum-soaked drinks she sipped on the beach. Over time, she started to get the itch for entrepreneurship again. After reading a story on Florida’s sugarcane industry and realizing the farm-to-table movement was gaining momentum, she recognized the potential at her fingertips (Florida accounts for about half of domestic sugarcane production). So in 2012, she set out to make a true Floridian rum with ingredients from producers in her new home state. She brought on West Virginia master distiller Eric

Watson—who works with distilleries worldwide, including the award-winning San Antonio’s Rebecca Creek Distillery and Privateer Rum in Massachusetts—to consult for a year.

JoAnn’s entrepreneurial instincts have also paid off for her community. As Wicked Dolphin Distillery has grown, JoAnn’s become more involved with organizations like SalusCare, Pace Center for Girls and Captains for Clean Water, and she’s been instrumental in the development of the Cape Coral Animal Shelter. She’s also made a mark on the state’s spirits industry. The year Wicked Dolphin opened, JoAnn was part of a group that successfully lobbied to allow distillers to sell directly to the public in Florida. More than four dozen distilleries have opened in the state since the decision. “I can really see rum, vodka and lots of liquors exploding in Florida,” she says. “We have so many great ingredients grown here.”

Wicked Dolphin’s award-winning, six-year aged rum—JoAnn’s favorite—begins with filtered water, Florida molasses and sugar,

JoAnn Elardo opened Wicked Dolphin Distillery in 2012 to create a decidedly Floridian rum. Most of the sugarcane comes from Florida farms and spirits are infused with local flavors.

Christina Bankson (3)

which is distilled in 750-gallon copper stills and then aged in American oak barrels that once held Kentucky bourbon. Other smallbatch rums and spirits start similarly and are flavored with local ingredients. Honey from North Fort Myers’ Walker Farms lends a subtle sweetness to the spiced rum, while seasonal strawberries and blueberries from Plant City are the fruity punch in the smooth and aromatic RumShines. JoAnn found inspiration for the highpower RumShines on a trip to the Everglades, where she learned how migrants were paid to clear the swamp for farmland in the era of prohibition and moonshine. The history prompted her to create the 100-proof rum, RumShine.

In celebration of Wicked Dolphin’s anniversary last December, the distillery tapped barrels of their 10-year-aged rums

made with Florida brown sugar, which gives the spirit hints of butterscotch and caramel. The limited-edition rum is so popular that JoAnn can’t keep it in stock long enough to get it to distribution. She’s also in the middle of launching her first rhum agricole, a Francophone Caribbean spirit made of fresh-pressed cane juice instead of molasses. The style results in an earthier, more savory flavor. Also in production: a botanical vodka that relies on native beautyberries, lemongrass and saw palmetto (the latter sourced from Perkins Nursery in LaBelle) for a bright, crisp flavor. “We love to experiment with new products,” JoAnn says.

For all the zeal and growth, the Cape distiller keeps her operation homegrown and focuses primarily on Florida distribution. “We want to make this really concentrated on Florida,” she says.

Last year, JoAnn debuted a tiki bar at the distillery, where locals and travelers gather for tropical cocktails and rums flavored with ingredients like pineapple, mango and Key lime.

IF YOU CAN DREAM IT, WE CAN DO IT

From a classic breakfast to a completely out of the box cocktail reception, our team of creative culinarians is here to make your event shine bright.

Christina Bankson (2)

DINING GUIDE

The Dining Guide is crafted each month based on editorial discretion and may include restaurants that advertise regularly (denoted by an asterisk). All phone numbers are area code 239 unless otherwise specified. Please email diningout@gulfshorelife.com to report changes in a restaurant’s location, prices or menu.

At Bonita Springs’ A Table Apart , chef Jarrod Davis unites flavors from around the Pacific Rim and beyond. Prime example: his seared triple tail snapper on a bed of asparagus and citrus beurre blanc.

MARCO ISLAND

Ario

400 S. Collier Blvd., 642-2695. arioatjwmarco. com. At the JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort, Ario has striking Gulf views, elevated culinary offerings and an impressive bar program. $$$$ STEAK

The Oyster Society

599 S. Collier Blvd., 394-3474. theoystersociety. com. At this chic locale, the raw bar has more than eight

oyster selections daily, as well as sushi and fresh catches.

$$$$ SEAFOOD

Sale e Pepe

480 S. Collier Blvd., 393-1600. sale-e-pepe.com. A gem with Italian dishes, a formidable wine cellar and a waterfront patio in the Marco Beach Ocean Resort.

$$$$ ITALIAN

NAPLES

THIRD STREET SOUTH

Barbatella

1290 Third St. S., 263-1955. barbatellanaples.com. Casual Italian cuisine from the team behind Sea Salt. Meet up at the trendy wine bar or on the relaxed patio.

$$$ ITALIAN

The Bevy 360 12th Ave. S., 228-4220. naplesbevy.com. Enjoy craft cocktails and varied influences at this locale off Third Street.

The open-air setup with a retractable roof is nothing short of grand.

$$$ MODERN AMERICAN

Campiello/ The Club Room

1177 Third St. S., 435-1166. campiellonaples.com. A favorite for its contemporary Italian cuisine and courtyard. During season, The Club Room, a restaurant within, has its own menu and live music most nights. $$$$ ITALIAN

D’Amico’s

The Continental 1205 Third St. S., 659-0007. damicoscontinental.com. Experience top-quality cuts of steak from all over, enhanced by stylish decor.

$$$$ STEAK

Jane’s Cafe on 3rd 1209 Third St. S., 261-2253. janesgardencafe.com. Come for the lobster Benedict and stuffed French toast; stay to sit around the lovely koi fountain on the sunny patio.

$$ CAFE

Ridgway Bar & Grill

1300 Third St. S., 262-5500. ridgwaybarandgrill.com. A quintessential Old Naples restaurant. $$$

MODERN AMERICAN

Sea Salt

1186 Third St. S., 434-7258. seasaltnaples.com. Loved for sophisticated seafood and accompaniments, this spot offers monthly wine dinners and events

$$$$ MEDITERRANEAN o p v

Mediterrano 336 13th Ave. S., 261-7498. mediterrano-naples.com

Bright decor and a lush patio complement robust dishes and decadent desserts.

$$$$ SEAFOOD

FIFTH AVENUE SOUTH

Bha! Bha! Persian Bistro* 865 Fifth Ave. S., 5945557. bhabhabistro.com.

Iranian-Michael Mir serves homeland’s indulgent flavors in a jewel box of a dining room. $$$$ MIDDLE EASTERN o p

Casa Neri 382 Fifth Ave. S., 963-9060. casanerinaples.com. This boutique eatery from Molto Trattoria and La Pescheria owners Francesca and Andrea Neri highlights creative dishes and a curated wine list.

$$$$ ITALIAN

Bistro 821

821 Fifth Ave. S., 261-5821. bistro821.com. An open kitchen and menu filled with creativity, including its Original Neapolitan pasta and seafood dish. $$$

MODERN AMERICAN o p

Chops City Grill

837 Fifth Ave. S., 262-4677. chopscitygrill.com. An elegant, Baroque-inspired steakhouse. $$$$ STEAK o p

Del Mar 494 Fifth Ave. S., 350-0134. delmarnaplesrestaurant. com. Cameron Mitchell’s two-story, fine-dining eatery draws from various Mediterranean cuisines.

$$$$ MEDITERRANEAN b o p

The French Brasserie Rustique 365 Fifth Ave. S., 315-4019. thefrenchnaples.com. From chef Vincenzo Betulia, expect exquisite escargot and steak tartare in a buzzworthy atmosphere. $$$ FRENCH b o p

HobNob Kitchen & Bar

720 Fifth Ave. S., Unit 101, 580-0070. hobnobnaples. com. Updated takes on American cuisine in a cool, contemporary dining room.

$$$$ MODERN AMERICAN o p

Ichi Togarashi

800 Fifth Ave. S., Unit 102, 228-5945. togarashinaples. com. This is a favorite for its authentic takes on dim sum, seafood and 20 types of ramen. $$$$ ASIAN

Ocean Prime 699 Fifth Ave. S., 430-0404. ocean-prime.com. Cameron Mitchell presents surf and turf, an elegant dining room and highly attentive service.

$$$$ MODERN AMERICAN v

Osteria Tulia/Bar Tulia 466 Fifth Ave. S., 213-2073. osteriatulia.com. Go for Sicilian-inspired fare in a rustic-chic setting or craft cocktails at the Bar Tulia gastropub. $$$ ITALIAN o p

Pazzo! Cucina Italiana 853 Fifth Ave. S., 434-8494. pazzoitaliancafe.com. Beautiful

presentations and twists on Italian favorites.

$$$$ ITALIAN o p

Pizzata Pizza + Aperitivo 1201 Piper Blvd., 631-1021. pizzatanaples.com. The lauded Philly pizzeria lands in Naples with its famed sourdough pizza and Italian bites.

$$$ ITALIAN o p

Sails Restaurant 301 Fifth Ave. S., 360-2000. sailsrestaurants.com. This establishment is famous for its raw bar and weekend Champagne brunch.

$$$$ SEAFOOD b o p v

Sushi Thai Downtown 898 Fifth Ave., 430-7575. sushithaidowntown.com. Find sushi and Thai dishes throughout Collier and Lee counties.

$$$ ASIAN o p

Truluck’s

698 Fourth Ave. S., 530-3131. trulucks.com. A fine-dining locale touting seafood from the Gulf and beyond.

$$$$ SEAFOOD v

Veranda E 290 Fifth Ave. S., 659-3466. hotelescalante.com. A courtyard setting serving Asian and French influences in Hotel Escalante.

$$$$ MODERN AMERICAN o p

The Vine Room

465 Fifth Ave. S., 316-1202. vineroom.com. Behind an ivy-shrouded door, this cocktail lounge crafts drinks with flair, plus small plates.

$$$$ COCKTAIL LOUNGE

Yabba Island Grill

711 Fifth Ave. S., 262-5787. yab baislandgrill.com. Enjoy surf and turf, and seasonal stone crab on the patio.

$$$ SEAFOOD

DOWNTOWN NAPLES

The Claw Bar

221 Ninth St. S., 231-3912. theclawbar.com. Southern charm, the best oysters and exquisite seafood are served inside the Bellasera Resort.

$$$$ SEAFOOD

PJK Neighborhood Chinese 835 4th Ave. S., 367-0300. pjkchinese.com. The latest from restaurateur Paul Fleming, indulge in elevated takes on Americanized Chinese fare, like the decadent lobster rangoon.

$$$$ CHINESE

Grappino 90 Ninth St. N., 331-4325. grappinonaples.com. This

Aielli Group eatery offers a fine selection of charcuterie, as well as build-your-own pasta dishes. $$$ ITALIAN

La Colmar Bakery & Bistro

80 Tamiami Trail N., 315-4303. lacolmar.com. Find some of Naples’ top bread and pastries, plus sandwiches and salads. $$$$ BAKERY

The Lake Park Diner

944 Seventh Ave. N., 228-6351. thelakeparkdiner. com. This casual spot serves healthy, organic fare with many vegan options, plus modernized diner classics.

$$ MODERN AMERICAN o p

Nosh on Naples Bay 1490 Fifth Ave. S., 384-9208. noshonnaplesbay.com. Chef Todd Johnson crafts a menu of haute small plates.

$$$$ ECLECTIC o p v w

The Rooster Food + Drink

600 Goodlette-Frank Road N., Unit #101, 228-5973. theroos ternaples.com. Comforting breakfast, lunch with dinner Wednesday-Friday in season.

$$ AMERICAN b o p

Seventh South Craft Food + Drink

849 Seventh Ave. S., 2314553. seventhsouth.com. One of Naples’ best—food and drink earn equal acclaim.

$$$ MODERN AMERICAN b o p

BAYFRONT

Industry Beer & BBQ

449 Bayfront Place, 331-4160. industrybeerandbbq.com. The team behind LowBrow Pizza & Beer takes on slow-smoked ‘cue and craft beers.

$$ BARBECUE

CRAYTON COVE

Bleu Provence

1234 Eighth St. S., 261-8239. bleuprovencenaples.com.

Channel southern France with food and select from Naples’ only Grand Award-winning wine list. $$$$ FRENCH

Chez Boët

755 12th Ave. S., 643-6177. chezboetnaples.com. French staples pair with an impressive Scotch list. $$$$ FRENCH

The Dock at Crayton Cove

845 12th Ave. S., 263-9940. dockcraytoncove.com. This laid-back spot serves Florida seafood on Naples Bay.

$$$ SEAFOOD o p w

EAST NAPLES

21 Spices by Chef Asif

4270 Tamiami Trail E., #21, 919-8830. 21spicesdining. com. Authentic cuisine from an award-winning chef.

$$$ INDIAN o p

Z’s Music Kitchen*

12655 Tamiami Trail East, 304-9552. zsmusickitchen.com.

Hearty bites, a full bar and live entertainment. $$$ MODERN AMERICAN o

Carole’s House

8793 Tamiami Trail E., 331-8003, caroleshouse.com.

French pastries with a robust breakfast and lunch menu.

$$ BAKERY o b

Celebration Park 2880 Becca Ave., 316-7253. celebrationparknaples.com

From the owner of Three60 Market, this waterfront food truck park has a lively bar scene and boat-up slips.

$$ ECLECTIC o p w

Kareem’s Lebanese Kitchen

4270 Tamiami Trail E., 315-4167. kareemskitchen.com. Try seven types of hummus, salads and chicken with za’atar potatoes. $$$ MIDDLE EASTERN o p

Lima Restaurant 5047 Tamiami Trail E., 280-0167. lima-restaurant.com. Authentic Peruvian cuisine and a wide selection of pisco are the calling cards. $$ PERUVIAN

LowBrow Pizza & Beer

3148 Tamiami Trail E., 529-6919. lowbrowpizzaand beer.com. Creative woodfired pies are served with craft brews in a fun, art-filled space. $$ ITALIAN

Rumba Cuban Café

1265 Airport-Pulling Road S., 659-2996. rumbacubancafe. com. Classic Cuban cuisine with fun twists and attentive service. $$$ LATIN AMERICAN o p

Old Vines Supper Club

2795 Davis Blvd., 417-4466. oldvinesnaples.com Refined yet unpretentious, find rotating tasting menus and gorgeous decor in this East Naples hideaway.

$$$$ MODERN AMERICAN

Tacos & Tequila Cantina

4834 Davis Blvd., 732-8226. tacosandtequilanaples.com. Tacos with lots of clever spins, plus margaritas aplenty. $$ MEXICAN

Three60 Market

2891 Bayview Drive, Naples, 732-7331. three60market. com. The popular spot features a breakfast and lunch cafe with gourmet flair, a specialty market and an impressive wine shop.

$$ MODERN AMERICAN

The Med

3929 Bayshore Drive, 307-4755. themednaples. com. Artfully plated dishes showcased intimately.

$$$$ MEDITERRANEAN

MIDTOWN

Alexander’s Garden Restaurant

4077 Tamiami Trail N., 262-4999. alexandersnaples. com. Menus filled with seafood and flavors from around the world presented in a modern cafe and lush garden atmosphere. $$$

MODERN AMERICAN

Andre’s Steakhouse

2800 Tamiami Trail N., 263-5851. andres steakhouse.com. If you’re a fan of New York’s iconic Peter Luger chophouse, opt for this tiny joint founded by one of its former chefs.

$$$$ STEAK

The Franklin Social 5926 Premier Way #100, 316-1200. franklinsocialclub. com. A spin on the social club. Relaxing vibes, live entertainment and craft cocktails.

$$$ MODERN AMERICAN

Café Nutrients

3080 Tamiami Trail N., 919-8732. cafenutrients.com. At this organic, plant-based

cafe, owner Ming Yee sources ingredients from local farms and producers. $$$ VEGAN

Cibao Grille

814 Neapolitan Way, 434-6653. cibaogrille.com. Dishes from the owners’ native Dominican Republic mix with American classics.

$$$ MODERN AMERICAN o p

Dorona 2110 Tamiami Trail N., 529-2819. doronanaples.com. The Aielli’s chic steakhouse has a diverse menu, with seafood, pasta and prime cuts.

$$$$ STEAK o p

Escargot 41 4351 Tamiami Trail N., 793-5000. escargot41.com. This traditional spot features a page of escargot specials alone. $$$ FRENCH o p

Fernández the Bull 3375 Pine Ridge Road, #101, 653-9097. fernandezthebull. com. Authentic Cuban dishes, like picadillo a la criolla and ropa vieja.

$$ LATIN AMERICAN o p

Food & Thought

2132 Tamiami Trail N., 2132222. foodandthought.com. An organic grocer and cafe with raw and vegan options.

$ CAFE o p

Fujiyama

2555 Tamiami Trail N., 261-4332. naplesfujiyama.com.

Japanese master chefs prepare dinners with flair at your hibachi table. $$$ ASIAN

FUSE Global Cuisine/ FUSE BBQ

2500 Tamiami Trail N. #114, 455-4585. fuseglobalcuisine. com. Cuisines from around the world at fine-dining FUSE; stellar barbecue next door.

$$$ ECLECTIC o p

Harold’s Place 2555 Tamiami Trail N., 263-7254. naplesharolds place.com. This chickee bar serves a winning charbroiled burger. $ AMERICAN o

Hogfish Harry’s 600 Neapolitan Way, 776-7623. hogfishharrys.com. The menu sources 90 percent of its seafood from local fishers. $$$ SEAFOOD o p

Hyde N Chic 923 Creech Road, 404-3065. hydenchicrestaurant.com.

In his artfully appointed dining room, chef Andy Hyde guides you through inspired tasting menus from Africa, Europe and the Americas.

$$$ MODERN AMERICAN

Jimmy P’s Charred 1833 Tamiami Trail N., 643-2427. jimmypscharred.com. A casual

steakhouse specializing in Wagyu beef from Naples’ longtime trusted butcher.

$$$$ STEAK

Komoon Thai

Sushi & Ceviche

Multiple locations in Lee and Collier counties. komoonthai. com. A fun mix of Thai, Japanese and Peruvian fare in a contemporary locale that often hosts live music.

$$ ASIAN

Lamoraga Restaurant

3936 Tamiami Trail N., 331-3669. lamoragarestaurant.com

Contemporary upscale

twists on Spanish dishes, plus inventive vegan fare.

$$$$ SPANISH

Le Indya

975 Pine Ridge Road, 591-5156. leindya.com. The authentic cuisine includes plenty of vegetarian and vegan dishes. $$ INDIAN

The Local 5323 Airport-Pulling Road, 596-3276. thelocalnaples.com.

A farm-to-table restaurant with locally sourced, healthy cuisine. $$$ MODERN AMERICAN

Martin Fierro

13040 Livingston Road, 3004777. martinfierrorestaurant. com. At this Argentinian and Uruguayan parrillada, you’ll find grass-fed beef and tango music.

$$$ LATIN AMERICAN

Moura Bistro

3369 Pine Ridge Road, 7388883. mourabistro.com. Flavorful Lebanese fare, like falafel, tabbouleh and shawarma.

$$$ MIDDLE EASTERN

Shula’s Steak House

5111 Tamiami Trail N., 430-4999. shulasnaples. com. Late NFL Hall of Fame coach Don Shula’s classic steakhouse. $$$$ STEAK

Swan River Seafood & Fish Market 3741 Tamiami Trail N., 403-7000. swanriverseafood. com. Find Cape Cod-style seafood and a market with fresh catches, wine and more.

$$$ SEAFOOD

USS Nemo

3745 Tamiami Trail N., 261-6366. ussnemorestau rant.com. Masterful fresh seafood creations from a classically trained chef.

$$$ SEAFOOD

Ziggy D’Amico’s Whiskey Bar & Diner 4691 Ninth St. N., 430-0955. ziggydamicos.com. This D’Amico & Partners spot emphasizes whiskey.

$$ AMERICAN

b o p

THE VILLAGE SHOPS ON VENETIAN BAY

Bayside Seafood

Grill & Bar

4270 Gulf Shore Blvd. N., 649-5552. baysideseafood grillandbar.com. Dine on more than 200 feet of waterfront.

$$$$ SEAFOOD o p w

MiraMare Ristorante

4236 Gulf Shore Blvd. N., 430-6273. miramarenaples. com. Enjoy classic Italian fare on the waterfront patio overlooking Venetian Bay.

$$$ ITALIAN o w

Fish Restaurant 4360 Gulf Shore Blvd., 2633474. fishrestaurantnaples. com. Find seafood and a waterside breeze overlooking the bay. $$$$ SEAFOOD

M Waterfront Grille

4300 Gulf Shore Blvd. N., 263-4421. mwaterfrontgrille. com. Organic meals served with bay views.

$$$$ MODERN AMERICAN b o p v w

T-Michaels Steak & Lobster House

4050 Gulf Shore Blvd. N., 261-0622. t-michaels.com. Steakhouse dining on the water, featuring USDA Prime meats and Maine lobster.

$$$$ STEAK v w

WATERSIDE SHOPS

True Food Kitchen

5375 Tamiami Trail N., Suite 15, 431-4580. truefoodkitchen. com. The menu caters to flexitarians but has plenty of options for vegetarians and vegans. $$$ CAFE

b o p

NORTH NAPLES

BALEEN

9891 Gulf Shore Drive, 5985707. laplayaresort.com. A wraparound terrace sets the stage for creative cuisine.

$$$$ MODERN AMERICAN b o v w

The Bay House

799 Walkerbilt Road, 5913837. bayhousenaples.com.

Southern-inspired menus and a raw bar star in the spot with panoramic mangrove and water views. $$$$ SEAFOOD

v w

Black Forest Restaurant

2366 Immokalee Road, 592-4784. blackforestnaples. com. Find classic German and Austrian fare like traditional sauerbraten. $$$ EUROPEAN

Bone Hook Brewing Co.

1514 Immokalee Road, 631-8522. bonehookbrewing. com. A microbrewery with a taproom and a full kitchen. $$ BAR BITES o p

Café Gourmand

9853 Tamiami Trail N., 260-7109. cafegourmand.net. Here, find crepes by day and formal dinner service by night.

$$ FRENCH o p

Côte d’Azur

11224 Tamiami Trail N., 597-8867. cotedazurrestau rant.com. Old World French cuisine in a cozy Provençal setting. $$$$ FRENCH

The Crust 8004 Trail Blvd., 244-8488. thecrustpizza.net. A sports bar with stellar pizza

$$ ITALIAN

Deep Lagoon Seafood & Fish Market

8777 Tamiami Trail N., 880-3337. deeplagoon.com.

The family behind Pinchers owns this popular eatery.

$$$ SEAFOOD o p

Dusk

280 Vanderbilt Beach Road, 598-6644. ritzcarlton.com. This stylish sushi lounge in The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, has a patio overlooking the Gulf. Closed until further notice. $$$$ ASIAN o p v

Fernández the Bull

1201 Piper Blvd., Unit #10, 2549855. fernandezthebull.com.

Authentic Cuban dishes and daily happy hour.

$$ LATIN AMERICAN o p

Grain De Café

8803 Tamiami Trail N., 594-8081. frenchcafenaples. com. The pain au chocolat, quiches and crepes are worth it.

$$ FRENCH b o

The Grill

280 Vanderbilt Beach Road, 598-6644. ritzcarlton.com. This elegant steakhouse at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, evokes the ambiance of a private club. Closed until further notice. $$$$ STEAK

Jimmy P’s Burgers & More 1833 Tamiami Trail N., 1201 Piper Blvd., #11, 514-1800. jimmypsburgers.com. Superior meats from the longtime trusted butcher.

$$$$ AMERICAN o p

Naples # 1 Lifestyle Club

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Naples Bay Club 1800 Tamiami Trail East. Naples FL 34112 naplesbayclub.com | (239) 530-1199

Namba

8847 Tamiami Trail N., 5924992. nambanaples.com. Enjoy a remarkable selection of ramen, sushi and small plates. $$$ ASIAN

New York Pizza & Pasta

11140 Tamiami Trail N., 5943500; 8855 Immokalee Road, 597-3800. nypp.com. Go for hand-tossed pies. $$ ITALIAN o p

Parmesan Pete’s 7935 Airport-Pulling Road, 992-3663. parmesanpetes. com. Order huge portions of Parmesans, meatballs and lasagna. $$$ ITALIAN o p

Two Fillets

10395 Tamiami Trail N., 788-0222. twofillets.com. The latest surf-and-turf restaurant and market from the folks behind Pinchers. $$$ AMERICAN o p

Zen Asian BBQ 10823 Tamiami Trail N., 260-7037. eatatzen.com.

A pan-Asian joint with fresh sushi, ramen, bar bites and Korean barbecue. $$$ ASIAN o p

MERCATO

Bar Tulia

9118 Strada Place, #8150, 438-1031. bartulia.com. The second location of this Italian gastropub features expertly crafted cocktails.

$$$ ITALIAN b o p

The Hampton Social 9114 Strada Place, 202-2038. thehamptonsocial.com.

A chic, rosé-all-day bar scene complemented by great seafood. $$$ SEAFOOD b o p

Rocco’s Tacos 9123 Strada Place, 500-8226. roccostacos.com. Go for the roughly 500 selections of tequila and mezcal.

$$$ MEXICAN o p

The 239 Naples 9108 Strada Place, 631-1902 the239naples.com. Local ingredients from seafood purveyors, farms and more.

$$$$ MODERN AMERICAN o b

THE PAVILION

KC American Bistro 885 Vanderbilt Beach Road, 566-2371. kcamericanbistro. com. Seasonal, American cuisine from chef Keith Casey.

$$$$ MODERN AMERICAN o p v

Tacos & Tequila Cantina 8971 Tamiami Trail N., 254-8226. tacosandtequila naples.com. Inventive tacos and margaritas abound.

$$ MEXICAN o p

GALLERIA SHOPPES

AT VANDERBILT

Alpine Restaurant 2355 Vanderbilt Beach Road, 325-9499. alpineofna ples.com. The best of German, Slovak,

Czech, Polish and Hungarian fare. $$$ EASTERN EUROPEAN b o p

Real Seafood Co. Naples 8960 Fontana Del Sol Way, 591-3523. realseafoodcorestaurant.com. Fish from New England, the Great Lakes and the Gulf pair with local produce.

$$$$ SEAFOOD

The Cave Bistro & Wine Bar 2343 Vanderbilt Beach Road, 513-0095. thecavenaples.com.

A magnificent selection of wines and small plates.

$$$ WINE BAR o p

Mister O1

Extraordinary Pizza

2355 Vanderbilt Beach Road, 631-6844. mistero1.com. Extraordinary isn’t hyperbole; try the star-shaped pizza with ricotta-stuffed crust for proof.

$$ ITALIAN o p

BONITA SPRINGS

Angelina’s Ristorante 24041 S. Tamiami Trail, 390-3187. angelinasofbon itasprings.com. This fine Italian restaurant has plush banquettes, live piano music and an award-winning wine list.

$$$$ ITALIAN v

The Bohemian 27975 Old 41 Road, 451-9619. thebohemianbonita.com.

From the team behind Downtown Coffee and Wine, enjoy a globally inspired menu and low-ABV cocktails.

$$$$ ECLECTIC o

Chops City Grill

8200 Health Center Blvd, 992-4677. chopsbonita.com. The sister restaurant to Naples’ elegant steakhouse was recently renovated, including a new menu and cocktail list. $$$$ STEAK o p

C Level Bistro & Wine Bar

4450 Bonita Beach Road, 221-7046. c-levelbar.com. This intimate locale is dependable for steak au poivre. $$$$

MODERN AMERICAN o p

Coconut Jack’s Waterfront Grille 5370 Bonita Beach Road, 676-7777. coconutjacks.com. A perfect stop for quick bites with water views.

$$$ SEAFOOD o p v w

DeRomo’s Gourmet Market & Restaurant

26811 S. Bay Drive, #140 and #148, 325-3583. deromos.com. This restaurant with a big-city vibe is part and parcel of an Italian market.

$$$$ ITALIAN o p

Downtown Coffee & Wine Company

27546 Old 41, 272-6068. downtowncoffeeandwine company.com. Light bites accompany specialty coffee and more than a dozen wines by the glass. $ CAFE o p

El Basque Vin & Pintxo Bar

25245 Chamber of Commerce Drive, 301-4973. elbasque.com. Spanish and French influences merge at this tapas-style wine bar.

$$$ BASQUE

Figs Grille 25987 S. Tamiami Trail #109, 390-1700. figsgrille.com. Find a refreshing fusion of Spanish, Turkish, Moroccan, Lebanese and French cuisines.

$$$ MEDITERRANEAN o p

Jimmy P’s Charred

25301 Tamiami Trail S., 390-0301. jimmypssteaks. com. The trusted butcher serves superior meats and shareable plates.

$$$$ STEAK

Lapa’s Costa Rican Bistro

26251 S. Tamiami Trail, Suite #9, 221-7016. lapascr.com. A reliable spot for authentic plates such as arroz con pollo, gallos and tostadas.

$$ LATIN AMERICAN

Olde Florida Chop House

3401 Bay Commons Drive, 948-4400. oldefloridachophouse.com. Waterfront dining serving Florida-style dishes.

$$$$ MODERN AMERICAN

The Other Side Bistro

24630 S. Tamiami Trail, 992-7433. othersidebistro. com. Chef Brian McCarley serves comfort dishes with modern flair. $$$$ MODERN

AMERICAN

Malinche Mexican Cuisine

3250 Bonita Beach Road Southwest, 301-2902. malinche bonitasprings.com. Brothers Jorge and Antonio Salazar dish traditional Central and Southern Mexican flavors like cochinita pibil. $$$

MEXICAN

Petar’s Restaurant

3300 Bonita Beach Road, #120, 249-4064. petarsestaurant.com. Chef Petar Al Kurdi has developed a strong following for his deftly prepared cuisine. $$$

MODERN AMERICAN

Roy’s Restaurant 26831 S. Bay Drive, 498-7697. roysrestaurant.com. Enjoy celebrity chef Roy Yamaguchi’s Hawaiian and Pacific fusion fine dining. $$$$ ASIAN

A Table Apart

4295 Bonita Beach Road, 221-8540. atableapart.com. Fusion influences from the Pacific Rim and beyond.

$$$ ECLECTIC

Wylds Café

4271 Bonita Beach Road, 9470408. wyldscafe.com. Three chefs join forces for a fine-dining experience.

$$$$ MODERN AMERICAN

Divieto Ristorante

23161 Village Shops Way, #101, 390-2977. divietor istorante.com. Its famous fettuccine Alfredo is prepared in a hollowed-out Parmesan wheel. $$$ ITALIAN

El Nido

23161 Village Shops Way, SUITE #113 319-1900. elni doeats.com. A contemporary joint using local ingredients for housemade sauces and a modern spin on Latin dishes.

$$ MEXICAN o p

The Saloon 23151 Village Shops Way, 9492583. thesaloon.net. A taste of the Old West with grilled steaks, barbecue, and original cocktails.

$$$ AMERICAN o p

Tacos & Tequila Cantina

10952 Eagle Village Drive, 330-8226. tacosandtequi lanaples.com. Tacos with clever spins, plus margaritas.

$$ MEXICAN o p

FORT MYERS

SOUTH FORT MYERS

Artisan Eatery

8951 Daniels Parkway, 887-4844. artisaneatery.com. Look for outstanding specials at this stamp-size favorite.

$$ MODERN AMERICAN

Flock Wine Bistro

9405 Cypress Lake Dr., 2457105. flockwinebistro.com.

Inspired by Rome’s hipster Monti neighborhood, this wine bar offers curated vinos and obsession-worthy small plates. $$$ WINE BAR

Coldwater Oyster Market

5611 Six Mile Commercial Court, 220-5918. coldwa teroystermarket.com. Coldwater seafood from the North Atlantic and Pacific Northwest. $$$ SEAFOOD o p

Ember 7091 College Parkway, #9, 771-8818. emberfortmyers. com. A gem with tabletop barbecue, fusion dishes and sushi. $$$ ASIAN

Fancy’s Southern Café 8890 Salrose Lane, #101, 5612988. fancyssouthernca fe.com.

Southern favorites in a casual atmosphere.

$$ MODERN AMERICAN b o p

Harold’s 15250 S. Tamiami Trail, 849-0622. haroldscuisine.com.

Chef Harold Balink’s cozy, farmto-table bistro.

$$$ MODERN AMERICAN

La Trattoria Café Napoli 12377 S. Cleveland Ave., 9310050. latrattoriacafenapoli.com. Known for paella, this Spanish restaurant also features tapas and seafood.

$$$ MEDITERRANEAN

Liberty 12995 S. Cleveland Ave., #112, 689-5528. eatliberty.us

Chef Bob Boye’s dinner-only gem features artfully presented progressive menus.

$$$ MODERN AMERICAN Osteria Celli

15880 Summerlin Road, #308, 267-1310. osteriacelli.com. Fresh pasta is a highlight.

$$$ ITALIAN

The Saucy Meatball 12401 Commerce Lakes Drive, 800-7172. saucymeatball.com

Industrial-chic pizzeria with crave-able entrees.

$$ ITALIAN

Viet Village

16571 S. Tamiami Trail, 208-8368. This spot is famous for its rare-beef pho and rice specials cooked in a clay pot.

$$ ASIAN

BELL TOWER SHOPS

DaRuMa Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Lounge

13499 S. Cleveland Ave., 344-0037. darumarestaurant. com. Enjoy the Teppan-style tableside cooking, tempura and sushi. $$$$ ASIAN o p

CENTRAL FORT MYERS

El Gaucho Inca

4383 Colonial Blvd., Fort Myers, 275-7504; 22909 Lyden Drive, Estero, 4941564. elgauchoinca.com. A mix of Argentinian and Peruvian dishes.

$$ LATIN AMERICAN o p

Ginger Bistro

4650 Cleveland Ave., #8, 689-3113. gingerbistrousa. com. Traditional dim sum and Cantonese barbecue are highlights. $$ ASIAN

KJ’s Steakhouse

10950 S. Cleveland Ave., 275-4745. kjsfreshgrill.com. They pride themselves on aging and searing.

$$$ MODERN AMERICAN

MCGREGOR CORRIDOR

Azure

15301 McGregor Blvd., 288-4296. azurefortmyers. com. Enjoy modernized French classics with a Southern flair.

$$$ FRENCH o

Blanc

13451 McGregor Blvd., 887-3139. blancentertain ment.com. Chef Jean Claude Rogé’s restaurant mixes global flavors. $$ FRENCH

Cibo

12901 McGregor Blvd., #5, 454-3700. cibofortmyers.com. This Italian spot serves stellar food and wines.

$$$ ITALIAN p

Crave Restaurant 12901 McGregor Blvd., 466-4663. cravemenu.com. From-scratch comfort food.

$$$ MODERN AMERICAN

Deep Lagoon Seafood & Oyster House

14040 McGregor Blvd., 689-5474. deeplagoon.com. A waterfront spot with a raw bar. $$$ SEAFOOD

Roadhouse Café

15660 San Carlos Blvd., 4154375. roadhousecafefl.com. Try a wide range of dishes (including steak).

$$$$ MODERN AMERICAN

DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS

Bullig Coffee & Bites

1815 Fowler St., 738-8582. Pair espresso drinks with savory or sweet waffles.

$ CAFE

Izzy’s Fish & Oyster

2282 First St., 337-4999. izzysftmyers.com. A raw bar with New England-style seafood. $$$ SEAFOOD

King’s Kitchen 2150 W. First St., 208-8518. kingskitchenandbar.com. Go for the warehouse vibe, beer garden and global comforts.

$$ ECLECTIC

The Silver King Ocean Brasserie*

2200 Edwards Drive, (833) 918-1512. luminary hotel.com. Inside Luminary Hotel & Co., this restaurant

serves fine coastal cuisine. The hotel also houses riverfront Oxbow Bar & Grill and the rooftop Beacon Social Drinkery. $$$$ SEAFOOD

The Standard Restaurant

1520 Broadway, 219-6463. thestandardftmyers.com. From-scratch eats and craft cocktails. $$$ MODERN AMERICAN

The Veranda 2122 Second St., 332-2065. verandarestaurant.com. Fort Myers’ grande dame provides top-notch service.

$$$$ MODERN AMERICAN

SANIBEL ISLAND

Note: Many restaurants on Sanibel and Captiva were affected by Hurricane Ian. Call for the latest info.

Bleu Rendez-Vous

French Bistro 751 Tarpon Bay Road, 565-1608. bleurendezvous. com. This restaurant is lauded for authentic French fare, like coq au vin and cassoulet.

$$$$ FRENCH

Cielo

1244 Periwinkle Way, 472-5555. cielo-sanibel.com.

Elevated island fare.

$$$$ MODERN AMERICAN

Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille

Locations throughout Lee County. docfords.com. Seafood, mojitos and a namesake rum bar. $$$ SEAFOOD

MudBugs Cajun Kitchen

1473 Periwinkle Way, 472-2221. mudbugssanibel. com. Find Crescent City classics. $$ MODERN AMERICAN

Sweet Melissa’s Café 1625 Periwinkle Way, 472-1956. sweetmelissascafe. com. Sanibel’s first James Beard Award semifinalist. Closed until further notice.

$$$ MODERN AMERICAN

T2 Bistro & Wine Bar

2340 Periwinkle Way, 558-8919. t2traders.com. Retro-chic joint serving French- inspired cuisine. Closed until further notice.

$$$ MODERN AMERICAN

CAPTIVA ISLAND

Keylime Bistro at Captiva Island Inn

11509 Andy Rosse Lane, 395-4000. keylimebistrocap tiva.com. Colorful island spot with a full bar. Closed until further notice. Meanwhile, visit the Boca Grande location.

$$$ MODERN AMERICAN b o p

The Mucky Duck

11546 Andy Rosse Lane, 4723434. muckyduck.com. A British pub with seafood platters, beer and live music.

$$$ AMERICAN o p w

RC Otter’s Island Eats

11506 Andy Rosse Lane, 395-1142. captivaislandinn.com.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner with live music. Closed until further notice. $$ AMERICAN b o p

Sunshine Seafood Cafe and Wine Bar

11508 Andy Rosse Lane, 4726200. captivaislandinn.com. Sophisticated beachy cafe. Closed until further notice.

$$$$ SEAFOOD

CAPE CORAL & PINE ISLAND

Cork Soakers Deck & Wine Bar

837 SE 47th Terrace, 542-6622. corksoakers.net. An irreverent tone shows in the decor and on the menu.

$$ MODERN AMERICAN b o p

Fathoms Restaurant & Bar

5785 Cape Harbour Drive, 5420123. fathomsrestarant.com.

Modern cuisine with international influences.

$$$ MODERN AMERICAN o p w

Fish Tale Grill By Merrick Seafood

1229 S.E. 47th Terrace, 257-3167. fishtalegrill.com. With an adjacent fish market, many items earn nods.

$$$$ SEAFOOD b o

Gather

5971 Silver King Blvd., 673-9939. gathercape.com.

Celebrated chefs blend Mediterranean flavors with classics. $$$

MODERN AMERICAN

Next Door

5971 Silver King Blvd. #114, 984-2453. nextdoorcape.com. From the team at Gather, Next Door elevates small dishes with focused flair. $$$$ ITALIAN

Ginger Bistro

2366 Surfside Blvd., #101, 558-8865. gingerbistrousa. com. Authentic Chinese fare and traditional Cantonese barbecue. $$ ASIAN

Jungle Bird

Authentic Tiki

1520 Lafayette St., 471-4111. junglebirdtiki.com. Clever Pacific Rim dishes and signature house rum. $$$ ASIAN

b o p

Marker 92 Waterfront Bar & Bistro/ Nauti Mermaid

5961 Silver King Blvd., 541-5016. marriott.com. Bay views and entrees from these two restaurants at The Westin Cape Coral.

$$$ SEAFOOD

b o p w

Point 57 Kitchen & Cocktails

3522 Del Prado Blvd. S., 471-7785. point-57.com.

A critically acclaimed menu from one of Lee County’s best.

$$$ MODERN AMERICAN b o

Sip & Dine

4820 Candia Street, 540-6800. slatescapecoral. com. New Orleans evoked through its dishes and jazz lounge. $$$

MODERN AMERICAN b o

Tarpon Lodge

Restaurant 13771 Waterfront Drive, Bokeelia, 283-3999. tarponlodge.com. Dine in a 1920s fishing lodge. $$$$ MODERN AMERICAN o w

Hats in the Garden 2023 Paris in the Springtime

Naples Botanical Garden wishes to thank the Sustaining Leadership Council for their longtime commitment to the Garden, and for their contribution to the success of the 2023 Hats in the Garden. We would also like to thank our sponsors, underwriters, and guests for helping us to raise record funds for Protecting Paradise.

2022-2023 SUSTAINING LEADERSHIP COUNCIL

platinum

Cortney L. Beebe

Jane Purdy Berger

Mary Ann E. Bindley

Joanne Brown

Eleanor B. Chabraja

Joan E. Clifford

Parker J. Collier

Grace Evenstad

Donna S. Hall

Nancy H. Hamill

Cordia Harrington

Amy M. Heuerman

Barbara J. Hills

Jerrilyn M. Hoffmann

Manisha D. Kapani

Kathleen Kapnick

Ann Khan

Linda Koehn

Jody B. Lippes

Geren W. Fauth

Leslie K.S. Fogg

Melissa Keiswetter

Joan T. Loos

Gloria P. Messey

Barbara L. Morrison

Beverly G. Neal

Donna D. Nelson

Linda Orlans

Kathleen C. Rooney

Patrice Schoonmaker

F. Annette Scott

gold

Paula J. Malone

Katherine R. Pallas

Wynnell Schrenk

Susan Stielow

Karen M. Scott

Lynne Shotwell

Mary S. Smith

Vicky C. Smith

Shelly Stayer

Carol A. Walter

Shirley Z. Welsh

Nancy White

Kathryn E. Woods

Jenny W. Sutton

Connie Vandenberg

Linda G. White

2023 hats in the garden chair | shelly stayer

HATS OFF TO THE FOLLOWING SPONSORS AND UNDERWRITERS FOR THEIR SUPPORT

presenting sponsor

runway show partner

Oscar de la Renta

beauty sponsor

Dr. Kiran Gill of Naples Aesthetic Institute

jewelry sponsor

Van Cleef & Arpels

magazine sponsor

Gulfshore Life

runway show sponsor

Marissa Collections

supporting sponsors

METHOD & CONCEPT | Simone and Scott Lutgert

Thomas Riley Artisans’ Guild

underwriters

Balayage Boutique | Bayview Dental Arts | Bentley Naples

Kate and Rob Edwards | Jerri and David Hoffmann

Naples Princess | The Paper Merchant | Sea Salt

Shelly and Ralph Stayer | Mr. and Mrs. John E. Vandenberg

In Southwest Florida, more people get their news from WINK News than any other source.

ARTS + CULTURE / Movements, creatives and experiences to spark imagination

178 Agenda: Top events for the summer

SUMMER FUN GUIDE

Fill your calendar with art exhibits, live music and inclusive cultural events throughout Southwest Florida. As events may change, we recommend you check with the organizations for the latest information.

JUNE

Pride Month Parties

Celebrate and support Southwest Florida’s LGBTQ+ community throughout the month. Kick things off with The South Cape PRIDE Trolley Tour on June 3, when drag queens act as tour guides for a loop through town, stopping at bars and restaurants for food and drink specials (southcapeentertainment.com). Naples Pridefest returns to Cambier Park on June 10 (naplespride.org). Benefiting Naples Pride Center, the annual celebration draws thousands of revelers with music, family-friendly entertainment, food vendors and exhibits. The Pride Crawl Fort Myers on June 17 caps the month’s festivities

with a crawl through five downtown bars and a drag show. crawlwith.us

Through June 4

Murder at the Howard Johnson’s at Joan Jenks Auditorium, Naples A love triangle turns deadly in The Studio Players’ production of this comedy-thriller set in Howard Johnson’s Motor Lodge. thestudioplayers.org

Through June 9

Bits and Pieces: The Realm of Creation at Alliance for the Arts, Fort Myers Florida abstract painter Margaret Schnebly Hodge exhibits new works exploring memories and imagination through mark-making, colors and forms. artinlee.org

Artist Joanne Rafferty uses vibrant colors to create mixed-media abstract depictions of dreamy horizons, on view at Naples’ East West Fine Art starting June 18.

Joanne Rafferty’s Walking in Sunshine 40x60 inches, on display at East West Fine Art.

Prison Nation, at Artis—Naples, The Baker Museum from July 1 to Sept. 17, reveals snapshots of life within American prisons, including this handprinted image transfer an inmate created using soap and playing cards.

Through July 3

The Artist’s Question

Answered in Fiber at Marco Island Center for the Arts

Quilts are the canvas for this interpretive exhibit featuring elaborately stitched designs selected by Studio Art Quilt Associates. marcoislandart.org

Through July 28

Paul Arsenault’s Reflections of Collier County:

Celebrating 100 Years of Our Waterfronts at Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center, Naples

Naples’ favorite alfresco painter debuts new works from his For the Love of Water series alongside vintage pieces depicting the area’s historic waterways and locales. The artist gifts a portion of proceeds from pieces sold to Friends of Rookery Bay. rookerbay.org

Through Aug. 5

Queen of Marco and the Creation of Collier County at Marco Island Historical Society

As part of Collier County’s centennial celebration, this

Jesse Krimes (American, b. 1982). Purgatory (detail), 2009. 292 hand-printed image transfers, prison-issued soap and playing cards.

Courtesy of the artist.

Photograph by Joseph Hu. On display at Artis—Naples, The Baker Museum.

exhibit explores the life and impact of late Marco Island resident Tommie Barfield, dubbed Queen of Marco for her countless contributions—including helping Barron G. Collier plead his case to Tallahassee to establish Collier County. themihs.org

June 2-29

My Family AntiAutobiography at Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center, Fort Myers

A working artist and adjunct professor at Miami International University, Natalya Kochak reexamines the trajectory of her dynamic family history in this show. sbdac.com

June 3

Trey Kennedy Grow Up Comedy Tour at Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, Fort Myers

The social media sensation and host of the popular Correct Opinions podcast performs a stand-up set. bbmannpah.com

June 8-11

Jim Breuer at Off

The Hook Comedy Club, Naples

Prolific Saturday Night Live comedian and Naples resident Jim Breuer performs a series of intimate shows as part of his 2023 Freedom of Laughter tour. offthehookcomedy.com

Following the release of Disney’s live-action reproduction of The Little Mermaid , Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre presents an on-stage rendition, July 7 to Aug. 12, with lively performances of “Under the Sea” and “Kiss the Girl.”

Courtesy Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre

June 11

Dat Phan at Arts Center Theatre, Marco Island

The winner of NBC’s Last Comic Standing returns to Southwest Florida with more sharp comedic insights about growing up as a Vietnamese immigrant in America. marcoislandart.org

June 11

Festival of Great Organ Music at Artis—Naples

The grand, 3,604-pipe Casavant-Frères organ in Hayes Hall takes center stage during this annual concert, featuring compositions by Bach and Mendelssohn performed by members of the American Guild of Organists. artisnaples.org

June 18 – July 18

Joanne Rafferty at East West Fine Art, Naples Artist Joanne Rafferty’s mixed-media abstracts reveal water, sky and horizons in vibrant color. eastwestfineart.com

June 22-24

Rondell Sheridan at Snappers Comedy Club, Fort Myers

The Chicago native, best known for his role on the Disney original series That’s So Raven, returns to his stand-up roots. snapperslaughin.com

June 30

Lady A: Request Line

Tour at Barbara B. Mann

Performing Arts Hall, Fort Myers

Nashville’s Grammy

Award-winning country music group plays their hits along with music from their latest album, What A Song Can Do. bbmannpah.com

JULY

Fourth of July Festivities

Salute the red, white and blue with fireworks and festivals celebrating Independence Day. In Naples, the fanfare starts early with the annual parade along Fifth Avenue South at 10 a.m., followed by fireworks in the evening near the Naples Pier (naplesgov.

com). Nearby, Sugden Park hosts a late afternoon festival with entertainment and food trucks, culminating in its annual fireworks display (collierparks.com). Marco Island’s fireworks are launched offshore near Tigertail and South Marco beaches (cityofmarcoisland.com). In Bonita Springs, the party runs all day, starting with a morning parade downtown, then evening fireworks and a laser light show in Riverside Park (cityofbonitasprings.org).

The Fort Myers River District hosts an annual Freedom Fest with live music, food vendors and fireworks (myriverdistrict. com). In Charlotte County, Punta Gorda hosts its own Freedom Fest, capped by fireworks in Laishley Park (puntagordafireworks. com). Cape Coral’s Red, White and Boom is the region’s largest event; for prime viewing, nab tickets in the Boom Zone near the Cape Coral Bridge (capeboom.com).

To celebrate Collier County’s centennial, Naples painter Paul Arsenault presents a mix of new and archived paintings of the area at Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center through July 28.

Paul Arsenault’s Birdlife, Keewaydin Island , 48x48 inches, on display at Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center.

Discover an established country club honoring time tested traditions while embracing the modern expectations of membership today. Here neighbors are not only friends but tennis and golfing partners. Woven through 300 acres of cypress, pine, and palm trees is a hidden enclave of only 460 doors. Become one of the few and fortunate that call Eagle Creek home.

(239) 793-0500 joineaglecreek.com

July – October

Naples Invitational at Naples Art Institute

Check out the work of talented local artists in this exhibit at the institute’s gallery near Cambier Park. naplesart.org

July 1 – Sept. 17

Prison Nation at Artis—Naples, The Baker Museum

Archival photography captures snapshots of life within American prisons over the decades, including wellknown institutions like San Quentin and Rikers Island. artisnaples.org

July 7-27

Sculptures & Drawings at Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center, Fort Myers

Influenced by the modernist movement in his native Cuba, Mario Almaguer renders sculptures in smooth steel. sbdac.com

July 7 – Aug. 12

The Little Mermaid at Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, Fort Myers

Following the revolutionary live-action Disney flick (the first rendition to star a Black woman as the leading mermaid), the stage version of the beloved Disney classic features many of the film’s iconic songs, including “Under the Sea” and “Kiss the Girl.” broadwaypalm.com

July 10 – Aug. 1

Sticks and Stones and 1 Painter at Marco Island Center for the Arts

This joint show juxtaposes oil painter Christy Noonan’s Florida landscapes with sculptor Cori Cracium’s organic, wooden pieces. marcoislandart.org

July 12 – Aug. 12

Murder in Paradise at Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, Fort Myers

Theatergoers take part in this interactive murder-mystery dinner, assuming an assigned identity to help solve a fictional crime. broadwaypalm.com

July 14-16

David Koechner at Off The Hook Comedy Club, Naples

The raunchy comedic actor, best known for his roles in Anchorman and The Office,

Naples woodworker and president of Naples Pride, Cori Craciun, showcases her natureinspired pieces alongside painter Christy Noonan’s landscapes during Marco Island Center for the Arts’ Sticks and Stones and 1 Painter starting July 10.

performs a stand-up set. offthehookcomedy.com

July 22

Eddie Montgomery at The Ranch, Fort Myers

Though fellow Montgomery Gentry co-founder Troy Gentry passed away in 2017, Eddie Montgomery continues to tour, playing the CMA Award-winning duo’s hits, plus songs from his solo album. theranchfortmyers.com

July 27 –

Aug. 6

The Odd Couple: Female Version at Centers for the Arts Bonita Springs

Gender roles are flipped in this reimagining of the Neil

Simon play-turned-film. artcenterbonita.org

AUGUST

Aug. 2-24

A New Beginning at Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center, Fort Myers

Artsemble Underground co-founder Brian Weaver exhibits a series of paintings inspired by seminal moments throughout his life. sbdac.com

Aug. 4

Counting Crows at Barbara B. Mann

Performing Arts Center

Adam Duritz’s band has been charting hits like

“Mr. Jones” for nearly 30 years. They’re touring now with fellow throwback act Dashboard Confessional. bbmannpah.com

Aug. 4-20

The Cemetery Club at Joan Jenks Auditorium, Naples Playwright Ivan Menchel explores friendship in this dramedy about three Jewish widows dealing with loss. thestudioplayers.org

Aug. 7 – Oct. 3

One Endless Voice to Enhance our Traditions at Marco Island Center for the Arts

Island artists depict their personal history and cultural

traditions in this exhibition. marcoislandart.org

Aug. 24

Jason Aldean at Hertz Arena, Estero Hard rock influences the country superstar’s unique sound. He’s produced seven certified-platinum albums. hertzarena.com

Aug. 26

South Cape BaconFest Trolley Tour, Cape Coral Hop aboard for the Cape’s 9th annual tour, with stops serving bacon-themed drinks and appetizers. southcapeentertainment. com

Marco Island Historical Society’s exhibit celebrates Collier County’s centennial with glimpses into pivotal moments, such as Barron G. Collier signing the county into law, through Aug. 5.

Courtesy Marco Island Historical Society

Recurring Events We

Love

With live music on the streets, nibbles at local galleries and shops, and other fun diversions, these monthly events keep us coming back.

June 1, July 6

Music Nights at Mercato, Naples Mercato presents two concerts: Funk- and pop-influenced dance band The Sound Machine takes the stage on June 1, followed by jam band Moonstone Riders on July 6, playing covers of popular hits. experiencemercato.com

June 2, July 7, Aug. 4

Fort Myers Art Walk at Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center, Fort Myers Downtown Fort Myers’ growing arts scene is on full display on the first Friday of each month. Don’t miss the accompanying rooftop party at SBDAC, which hosts the event. sbdac.com

June 3 – Aug. 26

Naples Jazzmasters at Norris Center, Naples

The Naples Jazz Society moves its Saturday concert series indoors for the summer, bringing swinging, Dixieland-style tunes to the Norris Center.

naplesjazzsociety.com

June 10

Music in the Garden at Naples Botanical Garden

The Garden wraps its open-air concert season with Havy Rodriguez & the Miami Splash Band’s fusion of Latin music and American jazz. naplesgarden.org

June 8, July 13, Aug. 10

Evening on Fifth in Old Naples

The shops stay open late, restaurants offer dining specials and live music fills historic Fifth Avenue South on second Thursdays. fifthavenuesouth.com

June 14, July 12, Aug. 9

Night Market at Alliance for the Arts, Fort Myers

The arts institution holds

a pop-up market on the second Wednesday of the month, featuring local farmers, artists, food trucks and musicians. artinlee.org

June 16, July 21, Aug. 18

Fort Myers Music Walk in the River District

Enjoy live music by local and regional musicians in the streets of Fort Myers’ downtown on the third Friday of the month. myriverdistrict.com

June 28

Art After Hours at Artis— Naples, The Baker Museum

It’s the last call of the season for free, after-hours admission to The Baker Museum’s current and permanent exhibits, accompanied by live music and light bites at Heidi’s Place in Norris Garden. artisnaples.com

Youth Haven provides Home, Hope, and Healing for abused and neglected children and teens in Southwest Florida. Our therapeutic campus in Naples is a sanctuary where their healing can begin. Please join us at an upcoming event!

Pictured: Principal Pops Conductor Jack Everly; Tina — The Tina Turner Musical, photo Pari Dukovic; Artistic and Music Director Designate Alexander Shelley, photo Rémi Thériault; The Nutcracker; Naples Philharmonic; James Ehnes, photo by Benjamin Ealovega; Megan Hilty

Offshore Life

When summer rolls around, there are few better ways to beat the heat in Southwest Florida than by going out in the water and getting the Gulf breeze flowing through your hair. This group of 1975 Gulfshore Life readers knew this well. Russell De Young, onetime president of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, and his wife, Lois, liked to sail their 39-foot Small World out from their Moorings Bay dock through the tricky Doctors Pass and into the Gulf, where they often cruised around with friends. That’s the summer spirit we’re looking forward to indulging in this month.