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The LAKER EAST PASCO EDITION
LAKERLUTZNEWS.COM
JANUARY 20, 2016
In a disaster, she’ll know what to do Kevin Weiss kweiss@lakerlutznews.com
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Vicki Buchanan is a woman who likes to be prepared. In fact, her inherent interest in being one step ahead led the Florida Hospital Zephyrhills nurse supervisor and emergency responder to take part in training offered by the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston,Alabama. The center, which is operated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency, is the only federally chartered Weapons of Mass Destruction training facility in the nation. Buchanan, an employee at Florida Hospital Zephyrhills for 23 years, said the experience was amazing. “People from all across the world came there for training,” Buchanan said. The interactive training allowed her to
COURTESY OF VICKI BUCHANAN
Vicki Buchanan participates in an emergency training drill for first responders at the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston, Alabama.
use skills she had, and to acquire new ones, she said. It helped her to “gain a new appreciation for how multiple organizations work together during a mass casualty incident,” she said. During the training, she and 40 others were placed in realistic scenarios that simulated a wide range of emergencies or disasters, forcing the trainees to effectively handle stressful situations for hours on end. One exercise focused on what to do when a bomb is attached to someone’s body. “While we knew it was an exercise in training, you kept thinking in your mind,‘Is it? Is it really?’” she said.“The pressure was on, and it was absolutely intense.” Before transitioning into the nursing field, Buchanan was the director of the Pasco County Sheriff’s communication ofSee DISASTER, page 13A
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Rebecca’s at City Market offers new fare By Kathy Steele ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
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The phone call came unexpectedly in October. In passing, Curtis Beebe had told the owners of City Market Bistro that if they ever wanted to sell, he and his wife Rebecca might be interested. Within days of the call, Rebecca’s at City Market was signed, sealed and delivered. By November, the Beebe’s were off and running with their third restaurant in four years.And, they were betting on a bright future for downtown Dade City, which is experiencing a renaissance of restaurants and shops. “It’s exciting, and I’m investing in it, obviously,” Curtis Beebe said. Taking chances is nothing new for this couple. They opened their first restaurant – The Pearl in the Grove – on rural St. Joe Road in Saint Joseph, amid kumquats, horses, cows and hayfields. The restaurant recently earned a Golden Spoon from Florida Trend magazine, which praised the originality of its farm-to-table cuisine. LOCAL Public House and Provisions is a gastro-pub in San Antonio with New Orleans flavored comfort food and craft beers. Rebecca’s at City Market, at 14148 Eighth St., in Dade City, is starting with the former City Market Bistro’s menu of soups, salads, sandwiches and pizzas, and slowly introducing new dishes. Each of the couple’s ventures shares the same philosophy.And, as Curtis Beebe put it: “Local is better.” What goes on the plate comes as much a possible from freshly grown and produced locally, including pasture-fed beef. Fish is from a local vendor, bread from an Ybor City bakery, and vegetables from local growers. “It is all custom made,” he said. If Curtis Beebe stands out as the prime
KATHY STEELE/STAFF PHOTO
Rebecca and Curtis Beebe recently opened their third restaurant, and their first in downtown Dade City – Rebecca’s at City Market.
chef in the family-owned restaurants, Rebecca Beebe is just as hands-on behind the scenes. “Rebecca has the ability to taste food and know exactly what it needs,” her husband said. And, she’s been known to toss out recipes that don’t meet her standards. The restaurant that bears her name is no different. She spends her days teaching at Pasco County Middle School and her nights overseeing the details of running three restaurants. That includes menu selections, the menu
design, and pitching in to help with food preparations. In the next semester, she plans to take a sabbatical from teaching to focus more on the newest restaurant acquisition. Downtown Dade City is an opportunity to broaden the customer base. Pearl in the Grove is an off-the-beaten path kind of restaurant. In downtown Dade City, though,“We get way more walk-in traffic.We have the ability to serve a broader range of food. There is See REBECCA, page 13A
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4,000 singers make music together in Rome By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
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INSIDE, PAGE 1B
Singers from a choir from San Antonio were among 4,000 to join voices in Rome in a New Year’s Mass, celebrated by Pope Francis. “It was beautiful to hear all of the singing together,” said 14-year-old Catherine Beard, who belongs to the Saint Anthony Choristers from Saint Anthony of Padua Church. “We were in one place. We were all singing for God, together, from everywhere around the world,” she said. The singers came from 18 countries, and they learned songs in several languages, including French, Latin, English and Portuguese, said Kristin Beard, Catherine’s mom. “When they were in St. Peter’s Basilica on New Year’s Day, they all sang the same music, which was beautiful,” she said. “There were several mini-concerts around Rome, where maybe four or five choirs would sing.They’d perform for their families, friends and people,” she said. Before the choirs joined at St. Peter’s See ROME, page 13A
COURTESY OF JACKIE ROSARIO
This shot, of the entire choir, was taken near the Coliseum, in Rome.Top, from left: Blaise Carson, Sarah Balling, Valeria Merkt, Clare Hernandez, Claudia Vitale, Catherine Beard, Maria Hernandez, Emily Balling, Tierra Carson and Esteban Merkt. Middle, from left: Michael Beard, Donnie Beard and Sandra Lau. Bottom: Lexi Rosario and Adriana Schiereck.