New Tampa Neighborhood News, Volume 27. Issue 8, April 12, 2019

Volume 27 Issue 9

Inside:

Recapping The 2019 Taste Of New Tampa!

April 19, 2019

See Neighborhood Magazine!

Now Celebrating 25 Years As New Tampa & Wesley Chapel’s Primary News Source!

The Direct-Mail News Magazines Serving New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Since 1993!

For the complete list of the neighborhoods that receive this publication by direct mail in New Tampa (zip code 33647), see page 50!

Get Out & Vote, New Tampa!

On April 23, either Jane Castor or David Straz will be elected the next Tampa mayor.

Page 6

Hunter's Lake Lineup Taking Shape!

By JOHN C. COTEY john@ntneighborhoodnews.com

New Tampa’s first green grocer, Sprouts Farmers Market, is prepping construction on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. across from the main entrance Hunter’s Green, and according to the developer’s listing on its website, it already has some neighboring businesses waiting to move in as well.

Regency Centers, which is developing The Village at Hunter’s Lake project along with Harrison Bennett Properties, shows the 29,257-sq.-ft.

Sprouts as the anchor of the muchanticipated mixed-use project, although there also are 12 other tenants ready to fill the retail shopping strip.

And, six of the retail spaces are still available. A map on the Regency Centers website lists a row of businesses that have apparently already signed leases, ranging from health and beauty businesses to a few places to grab a bite to eat or have a coffee.

The Village at Hunter’s Lake, which in total will have 71,397 sq. ft. of commercial space, will have — not surprisingly — a Starbucks, according to the website.

Three other places in the development will offer food and drink.

Poke Island Plus, featuring traditional Hawaiian dishes of cubed raw fish and other fresh ingredients, is among them.

Poke is one of the hot, trendy food items in the country at the moment, and another similar restaurant, Poke Point, recently opened on the west side of BBD, a couple of miles north of AdventHealth Wesley Chapel.

It won’t be the only eatery offering healthy bowls of food in The Village at Hunter's Lake. Grain & Berry, a quickly growing local chain that hopes to have 100 stores statewide by the end of the year, is also scheduled to lease a location in the commercial project.

Founded in 2017, Grain & Berry has seven locations in the Tampa Bay area (the nearest being on E. Fowler Ave.) and specializes in acai bowls.

Dubbing itself a superfoods cafe, Grain & Berry offers fresh pressed juices, hearty avocado toasts and international coffees, in addition to bowls filled with acai — a purple berry rich in antioxidants — and varieties of different fruits and grains.

But Wait, There's More!

And, if you’re going to be looking for something not quite as healthy, Double Zero Pizza is also listed on the Regency Centers website as headed to

New Tampa.

Other spaces are leased by chains like Pure Beauty Salon, T-Mobile, Heartland Dental, Hair Cuttery, Pink & White Nails and Nationwide Vision Center.

The Coder School, a franchise founded in 2014 and headquartered in Silicon Valley that teaches computer coding to children year-round, also is slated to be located in the The Villages at Hunter’s Lake.

Permit requests also have been submitted to Hillsborough County to build two monument signs and a screen wall, as well as a 3,200-sq.-ft.

Banfield Pet Hospital.

The Village at Hunter’s Lake project, originally approved by the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners by a 7-0 vote in 2014, will be built on an 80-acre parcel that also will include a 30,000-sq.-ft. New Tampa Cultural Center, a dog park and a four-story, 241-unit multi-family project to be called The Haven at Hunter’s Lake.

The project, located in the heart of New Tampa, has long been referred to as a potential “downtown” for our area, as well as the area’s version of the popular and trendy Hyde Park development in South Tampa.

Let's Find A Deal!

Uptown Cheapskate in Tampa Palms offers rows and rows of clothing deals that will fit any budget.

Pages 22-23

Why Are They Smiling?

Jannah & Gary got married & several local businesses helped make the event even more special!

Pages 37-39.

Why I Missed The 2019 Taste & 'Cycling For Vets' Returns April 27th!

An editorial by Gary Nager In case you were wondering why I wasn’t at — or even involved with, other than putting together last issue’s preview section — this year’s Taste of New Tampa, it was because Taste 2019, which was originally scheduled to be held on March 17 (aka St. Patrick’s Day) was rescheduled for March 24, which just happened to be the day I married my long-time fiancée Jannah McDonald (now Nager; see pgs. 37-39 for a wedding recap).

The problem was twofold — we scheduled our wedding day at the beautiful St. Pete Beach Community Center on Boca Ciega Dr. at the Intercoastal Waterway before anyone mentioned to me that the Taste had been rescheduled for the same day.

And sadly, I found out about the new date for the Taste at the November Business Breakfast for the North Tampa Bay Chamber, three weeks after Jannah and I picked the only date available at our chosen locale between Valentine’s Day and sometime in June, which sounded like a 100-degree day and/or a possible hurricane to us. So, even if we had known about the date change for the Taste, I probably still would have decided to back away from it for this year, which meant this was only the second Taste I’ve missed in the event’s 23-year history.

I will say that Taste co-chairs Karen Frashier and Jennifer Cofini and their 20-person committee from the New Tampa (breakfast) Rotary Club still did a great job in my absence by getting nearly 40 restaurant and beverage purveyors to take part in this year’s event (see wrap-up section on pages 41-43), and I was still sorry Jannah and I weren’t able to be there, even though we had a really, really good excuse.

After checking out the pics from this year’s Taste, here are the main course restaurants that I was the sorriest that I missed: • The coconut shrimp (which I couldn’t eat,

New Tampa Neighborhood News Address: 29157 Chapel Park Dr., Suite B Wesley Chapel, FL 33543 Phone: (813) 910-2575 Advertising E-mail: Ads@NTNeighborhoodNews.com Editorial E-mail: EditorialDept@NTNeighborhoodNews.com Publisher & Editor /Ad Sales Gary Nager Managing Editor / Photographer John C. Cotey Correspondents Libby Baldwin • Jarrett Guthrie • Celeste McLaughlin • Andy Warrener Lead Video Producer/Multimedia Specialist Gavin Olsen Photography, Videography & Video Editing Charmaine George • Richard Nasrallah Graphic Designers Georgia Carmichael • Gavin Olsen Advertising Sales & Billing Assistants Janet Levins • Jannah Nager

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but still) & jerk chicken pasta from Bahama Breeze • The ahi tuna poke spoons (photo above

by Charmaine George) and herb-cheese-and-date endive bites from the Hilton Garden Inn • Noble Crust’s fried chicken & waffles • The meatballs, tacos and shrimp ceviche cups (so sad I’m allergic) from Cinebistro • The Shepherd’s pie, mac & cheese and bangers & mash cups from O’Brien’s • The unique hors d’oeuvres served by Vom Fass, which I didn’t even know had food.

The desserts again looked amazing this year, led by the following: • The homemade ice cream from the Ice Dreammm Shop on S.R. 54 in Lutz • The strawberry cake from the new Canterbury Hall Catering at Grace Episcopal Church • Batter & Dough’s dessert waffle cups.

I also was sad to miss out on the rum cocktails from Blue Chair Rum, the variety of items from A Dash of Salt & Pepper, the awesome ice cream from Snowrolls and frozen custard from Culver’s and to sample the pastries from Walkabout Australian Bakery, although Jannah and I did have Taste participant Nothing Bundt Cakes provide our unique wedding cake (again, see pages 37-39).

Meanwhile, At The New Tampa Noon Rotary...

So, even as I'm congratulating the original New Tampa Rotary Club on its continued Taste success, I also wanted to make sure I reminded everyone who owns a bicycle to support the next fund-raising event from the club I actually belong to — the Rotary Club of New Tampa Noon, which meets Wednesdays for lunch at the outstanding Bayscape Bistro at the Heritage Isles Golf Club on Cross Creek Blvd.

Our "small but mighty" group of about 20 Rotarians has been hosting a great bike ride (not a race) through Flatwoods Park from the Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. entrance for several years and it's always a great time in a fun, family-friendly environment — and we're hoping this year's ride will raise more money to support two of our club's favorite nonprofit organizations — the Fisher House at the Haley VA Hospital on BBD and Support the Troops — than ever before.

Due to the unfortunately large number

of troops being treated at the Haley VA Hospital, a second Fisher House was added earlier this year on the hospital's grounds so that more of the families of these injured vets can stay close to their loved ones for free.

Support the Troops is a Wesley Chapelbased nonprofit that sends care packages to active duty service men and women, especially those stationed in Afghanistan.

So, how can you help? If you own a bicycle, go get it tuned up now because, as you're reading this, the Rotary's "Cycling for Vets" ride is only a week away — it will be held on Saturday, April 27, beginning at 8:30 a.m. — and for only $30 per rider, you can choose an easy 4-mile, 18-mile or 39-mile ride beginning from the parking lot for Chili's on BBD and into the nearby Flatwoods Park entrance. Every rider who pays

Running The World 13.1 Miles At A Time!...............4 Castor, Straz Head To Mayoral Finish Line.............6 USF To Lead Study of New Tampa Business..........8 Groundbreaking At New Tampa Rec Center..........10 Hockey Store Begins Construction On S.R. 56.........14 Wesley Chapel Girls The First To Join Scouts BSA...16 New Tampa Community Calendar..............................18

Local Business Updates..............22-27 Bargain Hunters Find Deals At Uptown Cheapskate...22 New Patel Charter High School Set To Open...........24 Karen Tillman-Gosselin Is All About Community.....26

Local School Updates.................30-35

TBK8 Gets Donation & More Awards!.................30 Third Bell Rings As Valedictorian At Wharton..........32 Freedom Valedictorian Sets Sights High..................33 Swimmers Line Up To Race Against Cancer...............34

Neighborhood Magazine

Jannah & Gary Get Married!.......................37-39 Our Exclusive 2019 Taste Coverage!.............41 Neighborhood Nibbles & Business Bytes..........46 New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Classifieds...........48 @NTWCNews

Go Bolts!

Jannah and I unfortunately attended Game 1 of the first-round playoff series where the Columbus Blue Jackets came back to beat our Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena, 4-3. That series could be over by the time this issue reaches your mailbox, but we both believe our President's Cup-winning boys in blue will bounce back stronger than ever and hoist the franchise's second-ever Stanley Cup sometime in early June!

Go Bolts!!!

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3

Running Around The World!

By JOHN C. COTEY john@ntneighborhoodnews.com

In her late-40s at the time and looking for a way to relieve stress and find some solace, Donna Holas bought a pair of running shoes and started with a few steps here, and a few steps there.

She has hasn’t stopped running since.

Last month, in a journey that has taken five years and took her around the world, the 55-year-old resident of The Hammocks, just south of County Line Rd., ran the last leg of a personal challenge in which she completed seven half-marathons on seven different continents.

“It was absolutely wonderful,” Holas says, holding a flowery canvas bag filled

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Donna Holas with the seven medals she earned running half marathons on seven different continents.

with the medals she collected on her trips.

“I’ve seen so many beautiful things.”

Holas completed her five-year, seven-continent journey on March 18, running in the Antarctica Half-Marathon on King George’s Island. It was a long way away, and under totally different conditions, when she took up running in the sweltering Florida heat almost a decade earlier, in 2012.

Looking back, she says it’s nothing she could have ever expected. While she was a high school basketball player in Olney, MD, for Sherwood High and enjoyed working out as an adult, running never really appealed to her.

“I always hated running,” she says.

“Why get all tired and sweaty? I didn’t get it. But, I started with walking and running, just around the block, and eventually

found myself running all the time.”

She joined a running organization, Black Girls RUN!, which has clubs all across the United States, including Tampa, and met other runners. Eventually, she started to experience the “runner's high” and decided to sign up for a 5K race in 2012, even hiring a running coach to help hone her form and make sure she bought running shoes that fit correctly. She doesn’t remember her time that first race, but she says it wasn’t that great.

“But, I was so competitive, every race I ran after that I tried to make it better than the last one,” Holas says. “I just kind of took off from there.”

Holas also ran in several 5K and 10K races, not with the goal of winning but always trying to improve on her previous time. She worked her way up to running half-marathons, which are 13.1 miles and has even run two full marathons, which are 26.2 miles.

“Just to prove I could do it,” she says.

But she found the 13.1-mile distance of the half-marathon to be her sweet spot.

She traveled for work as a healthcare consultant and would run in races wherever she happened to be. Often, she would travel to other states just for a weekend race.

Once she had logged races in more than a dozen states, including Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, New York, North and South Carolina, and Pennsylvania, she thought she might try to run a half-marathon in all 50 states. However, since she had only started running

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in her late-40s, time wasn’t on her side for such a project.

Instead, she heard about a company, Marathon Tours & Travel (MTT), that arranges racing trips all over the world, and they were offering an opportunity to join more than 600 runners who had already joined the Seven Continents Club (SCC).

“I thought, I could do that,” Holas says.

She signed up in 2014 for the Rock n Roll Madrid half-marathon and remembers being struck by the beautiful Spanish architecture — “Out of this world,” she says — along the route, like the Royal Palace of Madrid. Because it was her first half-marathon of the seven, she says she was focused on the running and not enough on the scenery, she says, a lesson she learned when one of the runners excitedly asked if she had seen various landmarks at certain mile markers along the route and Holas had to admit that she hadn’t.

“Some people try to set personal records, some walk, but after that I began running and stopping to take pictures,” she says. “I didn’t want to miss anything. I needed to stop and pay attention.”

She ran the New York City half-marathon in 2015, and later that same year ran along the Great Wall of China for a half-marathon there.

In 2016, she says she was humbled by the experience of running in Kenya, Africa, in the Amazing Maasai race, as she was able to visit small villages with no electricity, eating meals cooked over a fire.

“So so beautiful,” she says. “Beautiful mountains, beautiful people.”

Holas says she was ready for any terrain she faced. She trained for many of her races in nearby San Antonio, FL, and at Saint Leo University in Dade City, taking advantage of the hills and sand to prepare.

“It helped,” she says, “but oh my gosh, some of the terrain we encountered (was difficult).”

In 2017 Holas traveled to South America to run in the Rapa Nui Island (better known as Easter Island) half-marathon. The medal from that race is modeled after famous moai (sculptures of oversized heads) that many people associate with Easter Island, which is 2,200 miles west of Chile, and Holas said if she ever needed

Donna Holas' seven-continent adventure has included a run along the Great Wall of China (above), across muddy and penguin-filled terrain in Antarctica and a humbling visit to Kenya where she ran across desserts and through small villages.

to escape from the modern world, that is where she would return.

Holas ran amongst some of the most beautiful scenery she says she has encountered on her journey in the 2018 Air New Zealand Queenstown half marathon — she says that ziplining over some of it during an excursion was “breathtaking” — and concluded her seven-continent challenge last month in Antarctica, which was its own little 15-day journey.

She flew from Tampa to Atlanta to Argentina, spending three days in Buenos Aires. From there she flew to Ushuaia, a resort town at the southernmost tip of Argentina, where she and the other runners boarded an expedition ship— “definitely not a cruise ship,” she says, laughing — for the three-day trip to Antarctica.

Holas said the seas were choppy, but the really bad weather passed the day before the race, which she ran in mostly mud and snow and 30-degree weather.

She found time to take in the beautiful blue ice and snow-covered mountains as she galloped past signs alerting runners to possible penguin crossings. She also took the Polar Plunge — a quick dip into freezing waters — and came face-to-face with a whale on the ship ride over.

“It was all just so amazing,” Holas says. “Everywhere I went was different, and there were so many terrific things about each one.”

In her last run, Holas raised $350 for the Girls on the Run charity, a non-profit that encourages pre-teen girls to develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles through interactive lessons and running games, culminating in a celebratory 5K run.

She is back to running around her New Tampa neighborhood and at Saint

Leo a few times a week, but she is already looking for a new challenge. She will pick and choose her next running expeditions — she’s considering Dubai in December — and is contemplating trying a half-Ironman Triathlon, which would be a 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride and, fittingly, a half marathon run.

She says she is already working on her swimming, which is her weakest leg, and the one that concerns her the most. The challenge, though, makes her feel the same way she did when she first started running.

“As I’ve gotten older, I realize how fear has held me back,” she says. “Now I know if I can run a marathon, there’s nothing I can’t do. If I’m afraid or don’t want to do it, I do it. That’s how I continue to grow.”

JANE CASTOR IS THE LEADER FOR ALL OF TAMPA

ENDORSED BY: Luis Viera,

Tampa City Council

VOTE

APRIL 23rd

Political Advertisement Paid for and Approved by Jane Castor for Mayor of Tampa, Non-Partisan.

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Castor, Straz Head To Final Stretch In 2019 Mayor’s Race

By JOHN C. COTEY john@ntneightborhoodnews.com

Like the rest of the City of Tampa, New Tampa residents definitely went for Jane Castor the first time around.

Will they do it again?

Castor, who won every precinct in New Tampa in the March 5 primary election against six opponents for Mayor of Tampa, will face off against second-place finisher David Straz in the runoff election on Tuesday, April 23.

According to the polls and the pundits, as well as indicated from the primary results in March, where Castor nearly won enough votes (48 percent) to avoid the upcoming runoff, Straz (who received 16 percent of the votes in the primary) has some work to do with voters to make up that deficit.

Instead of focusing on what he would do if elected, Castor says Straz and his campaign have unleashed a series of negative attacks on her 31-year record in law enforcement.

Straz has attacked Castor for a 2015 investigation by the Tampa Bay Times that revealed that blacks had been ticketed for biking violations at a much higher rate than whites. The “biking while black” scandal has dogged Castor ever since.

While she has admitted the one-sided citations were wrong, Straz says she has

Jane Castor (left) and David Straz answer questions after their debate on April 5, the first of three debates between the candidates for Tampa mayor. (Photos: Steve Newborn/WUSF Public Media)

never apologized.

He also has hammered Castor’s campaign claim that crime rates in Tampa dropped 70 percent on her watch as Police Chief, saying that the murder rate, in particular, rose during her tenure, although he has cited dubious sources and has produced no concrete evidence. He also blames Castor for Tampa’s red light cameras, and has accused her of “double-dipping” if she ends up collecting a mayor’s salary along with her pension from TPD. Each candidate was allowed to ask the other a question at their first debate on April 5, which was moderated by “Florida This Week” host Rob Lorei on WEDU-TV Channel 3.

Castor told Straz that since the primary, all he has focused on is negative campaigning, and tossed him a softball —

“What are your ideas to resolve the issues facing Tampa voters?”

As if to make Castor’s point for her, Straz declined to list his ideas and denied he has taken part in any negative campaigning.

“What I am doing is bringing out the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth,” he said. “I want the truth to be known by the citizens of Tampa. Win, lose or draw, this needs to be out on the table.”

A few days after that debate, Straz and his campaign launched a website TheTruthAboutJane.com.

While Straz has attacked much of Castor’s public-life accomplishments, the former bank executive and philanthropist has touted his own business acumen.

In fact, his question to Castor at the first debate was about how many jobs she had created in her career, to which she

simply replied “none.”

“Thank you,” said Straz, and the debate ended.

However, Castor says it is her long career in law enforcement, including running the police department — the city’s largest agency with the largest budget — that makes her more qualified to understand the issues facing Tampa residents.

“I’ve patrolled every area of the city in my 31 years,” Castor told the Neighborhood News. “I am intimately familiar and aware of our diverse neighborhoods and their needs.”

Even in the primary election field of seven candidates, Castor nearly topped 50 percent of the vote. In the first poll after the primary, her lead head-to-head against Straz was 58-24 percent.

Since, she has added the endorsements of Tampa Bay Lightning owner and downtown developer Jeff Vinik, current Mayor Bob Buckhorn and every living former mayor — Dick Greco, Sr., Bob Martinez and Pam Iorio — with the exception of Sandy Freedman. District 7 Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera has also endorsed Castor.

Straz boasts endorsements from local unions such as the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and United Food and Commercial Workers, as well as Spanish newspaper La Gaceta and the Florida Bulletin Sentinel, the state’s only African-American-centric publication.

DINGFELDER ’s eNdorsed by: I am happy to endorse John Dingfelder for City Council. John shares a similar vision in wanting what is best for Tampa and its residents. He has always been respectful during my campaign and has demonstrated that he is willing to show up and listen to all residents of Tampa.

VIbHa SHeVaDe, Recent City Council Candidate - District 3 John and I served together for four years on City Council. He’s fair, openminded and we never let partisan politics get in the way of good governing.

He supported many of my initiatives for New Tampa and North Tampa. John has my vote for this citywide race and I hope he has yours too.

SHawN HarrISoN, Former Tampa City Councilman & State representative I strongly endorse John Dingfelder for the District 3 - Citywide seat, and look forward to working with him.

LuIs VIera, Tampa City Councilman - District 7

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USF School Of Public Affairs To Study New Tampa Business

By JOHN C. COTEY john@ntneightborhoodnews.com

In campaign meetings with New Tampa community leaders and residents, former City of Tampa Police (TPD) Chief and mayoral candidate Jane Castor said the usual concerns were raised by those groups. But, along with traffic congestion, the conditions of roads and the affordability of homes, the topic of New Tampa businesses came up often.

“One of the main issues was concern over a lack of sustained retail along Bruce B. Downs,” Castor says.

Castor’s thought was that while no single reason was given for what might be causing what some see as an exodus of restaurants and retailers — although congested local roads, access and the growth of Wesley Chapel were mentioned — she also says New Tampa’s business climate was worth looking at. “I’m excited about the study,” Castor says.

In a chance meeting shortly thereafter with Karen Kress, the director of Transportation and Planning for the Tampa Downtown Partnership, wheels were put in motion for a study that is now being organized by the University of South Florida’s School of Public Affairs and director Ron Sanders, says Sam Becker, an intern for Kress, who attended one of Castor’s meetings with local groups.

Afterwards, Becker had a discussion with Castor and Kress, and brought up the idea of a study to Sanders, who conducted a poll of graduate students working towards their Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning.

Four students volunteered to conduct the study, which also will Recent business closings may be much ado about nothing, include input from local but some New Tampa residents remain concerned. business leaders, District 7 Tampa City Councilman Too Much Ado About It? Luis Viera and the North Tampa Bay While there are some who feel the Chamber of Commerce. issue is overblown and that the current According to Sanders, the study, outmigration is simply part of a nationwhich is still being defined, will take place al trend that’s the result of the cyclical this summer and in two phases — one will be a “listening tour” that will be con- nature of business combined with the ducted through meetings held with focus ever-changing effect of e-commerce, Viera hopes the study will root out any groups of citizens and business owners, potential underlying issues. and two, there also will be a field study.

As we’ve reported in previous issues, “We’re still trying to find the paramthe Market Square at Tampa Palms plaza eters of the study, but the basic premise has seen HH Gregg, Staples and Bed Bath is to try to look at what is happening in New Tampa, the outmigration of some of & Beyond close; restaurants like Casa the stores, and see if there’s anything that Ramos in Tampa Palms and Ruby Tuesday on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd just north can be done about it,” Sanders says.

District 7 Tampa City Councilman of I-75, also have been shuttered.

Luis Viera has been pushing for some The old Romano’s Macaroni Grill kind of study, and he says he was pleased site has twice been reborn as a Mexican to learn USF would be involved. restaurant that failed both times, and even

non-chain restaurants like the once-super-popular Spanish restaurant Café Olé have shut down.

There are signs of life, however.

The old Dairy Queen on BBD is now a Jamaican restaurant (see ad on page 43), the Beef O’Brady’s on Cross Creek Blvd. is expected to reopen soon as an Italian eatery, and Las Palmas has re-opened in a different New Tampa location after the original location closed in 2018.

Also, The Village at Hunter’s Lake project will bring more than a dozen new businesses to New Tampa when it is completed (see story, Page 1) “I think it is not clear how much (of the business closings) are consistent with national trends, or if it’s cyclical, or part of it is technology,” Sanders says. “If it’s part of a macro trend, or national, it’s not clear how much can be done about it.

But, we’ll also look for local circumstances and conditions that may be driving it.

Those are more addressable.”

Sanders also says the study will be ideal for his students, and that USF wants to be a good neighbor and lend a hand. If the study does produce something concrete, it could lead to the city conducting something “more extensive and sophisticated.”

The study is still being developed, so how long it will take and when results will be published are unclear.

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For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 27, Issue 9 • April 19, 2019 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

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Ground Officially Broken On New Tampa Rec Center Expansion

By JOHN C. COTEY

john@ntneighborhoodnews.com When the official groundbreaking for the expansion of the New Tampa Recreation Center (NTRC) was held on April 12, and a gaggle of local dignitaries and preschoolers dressed as construction workers wearing pink hard hats sent shovelfuls of dirt flying through the air, there was probably no one happier than Heather Erickson.

For the City of Tampa’s manager of aquatics, athletics and special facilities, the 7,285-sq.-ft. expansion of the NTRC is a long-awaited dream come true.

As the gatekeeper of the city’s immensely popular and successful gymnastics and dance programs, which currently includes more than 1,200 students at NTRC, Erickson has had to delay the enrollment of more children than she’d care to remember.

The expansion, however, should allow Erickson to admit roughly 300 additional kids into NTRC programs.

“We’re pretty happy,” Erickson said. “This is going to let us do even more than we already do.”

Those attending the groundbreaking included outgoing Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn (in perhaps his final official act as mayor), City Council members Luis Viera, Mike Suarez, Harry Cohen and Guido Maniscalco

10

and Tampa Palms resident and activist Tracy Falkowitz.

All offered praise for the results the gymnastics and dance programs have produced, and noted the long road to getting the NTRC expanded.

Buckhorn, who leaves office in a few weeks, acknowledged the struggle finding the full amount needed — $2.6 million in all — for the project in the years following the 2008 recession.

Viera and Falkowitz, along with others in the New Tampa community, however, worked doggedly Tampa City Council member Luis Viera (left) and Tampa Palms resident Tracy Falkowitz, who led the effort to get funding for the New Tampa Rec together to finally convince the city to put Center expansion approved, are assisted by some of the facility’s preschool — and keep — the rec kids at the expansion’s Apr. 12 groundbreaking. (Photo: John C. Cotey) center expansion in the journey had gone on too long, and the fiscal year 2018 budget. demands were too great and the quality “Thanks, particularly to the advoof the programming was too superb cacy of Luis Viera, who was relentless,” that (why) shouldn’t and couldn’t Buckhorn said. “He was like a pitbull we expand this to give more kids the on my leg to make sure New Tampa opportunity to enjoy the amazing menwas going to be taken care of. And, torship of our Parks & Recreation, and Tracy was absolutely right, that this give New Tampa the amenity that it so

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rightly deserved. We got it through.”

The NTRC expansion is expected to be completed by February of 2020, which is good news for many on the waiting list of 1,400 — 960 waiting to get into gymnastics, the rest waiting to get into the center’s dance programs.

There are three basic components of the expansion, the first of which is adding a room specifically for children ages 5 and under, who currently share space with older kids in the 12,500-sq.ft. gymnastics area.

By giving them their own 50’ x 40’ room, it allows for more older students to be added to the program, and also provides more of a focus on the younger pre-schoolers.

Another 50’ x 40’ all-purpose room for dance also will be added.

And lastly, the expansion will include a 1,760-sq.-ft. “training box,” which will offer a wealth of possible training exercises for a variety of sports, like retractable batting cages, and offer small group fitness classes. The new addition to the NTRC also will have more windows so parents and family can watch the gymnastics and dance programs, as well as six new bathrooms.

One of the bathrooms will even have an electromagnetic lock, so it can be open on the weekends for those using the outdoor areas when the NTRC is closed.

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13

Business Notes: A Hockey Store To Open In Wesley Chapel? Get Out! With more than a million visitors since it opened in 2017, and a wealth of hockey tournaments, AdventHealth Center Ice (AHCI) is booming.

In fact, it’s booming enough that a northern-based hockey retailer is willing to do what pre-AHCI was probably unthinkable — set up a store in Florida.

Pure Hockey, which has more than 50 locations across the country, is building a 7,500-sq.-ft. store in the Cypress Creek Town Center, which could be considered something of a coup for Wesley Chapel and the Tampa Bay area.

The largest hockey retailer in the country, according to its website, is making its first foray into Florida, and building only its second store south of its Kirkwood, MO, location (the other “southern” store is in Dallas).

The hockey shop seems like a golden idea, considering the popularity of AHCI, which hosts thousands of hockey players a year, including high school and adult leagues.

Gordie Zimmermann, the general manager of AHCI, said he was unaware of the plans to build a Pure Hockey about a mile west of his skating facility, which sells hockey equipment in a space it rents out to Rinkside Sports, which also has a location at the Ice Sports Forum in Brandon.

showrooms, which are set up like strips of old-fashioned city streets, with benches and street lamps lining the path.

According to its website, El Dorado Furniture was established in South Florida in 1967 and is the largest Hispanic-owned furniture retail enterprise in the U.S. It also offers same day delivery, and its top-selling brand is Carlo Perazzi, best known for its chic mattresses, chairs and tables.

Can a standalone hockey equipment store survive in the Wesley Chapel area? We’re about to find out, as Pure Hockey is getting ready to build a 7,500-sq.-ft. store on the north side of S.R. 56. (Photo: Yelp)

Otherwise, there aren’t many options for local hockey enthusiasts, and a lot of the hockey merchandise and equipment business is done online, Zimmermann says, who added that it will be interesting to see if such a standalone store can thrive in Florida.

Headquartered in Boston, MA, Pure Hockey sells every hockey product imaginable, from NHL-licensed apparel to hockey sticks, skates, protective equipment and goalie equipment.

arrival of Pure Hockey is good news for the growing local ice hockey community, new homeowners should be getting similar news as the unique El Dorado Furniture works its way through the approval process.

The planned Land O’Lakes/Wesley Chapel store, boasting 70,000 sq. ft. of space, will be located on the west side of Wesley Chapel Blvd., across from the Cypress Creek Town Center. It will be the 13th El Dorado store in Florida.

Instead of the traditional showrooms stocked with furniture, El Dorado promisA DIFFERENT LOOK: While the es a different experience with its Boulevard

NEW STUFF IS OPEN!: The Cypress Creek Town Center continues to round into shape, with department store Burlington, bargain store 5 Below and arts & craft chain Hobby Lobby recently hosting grand openings, and HomeGoods was scheduled to hold its Grand Opening event on April 14, or after we went to press with this issue.

Burlington and 5 Below, which are located right next to each other, both officially opened on March 29.

Five days before opening its doors, Burlington made an impact on the local area by donating $10,000 to Turner/Bartels K-8 school in New Tampa, just south of County Line Rd. (see story on pg. 30).

Formerly known as Burlington Coat Factory, Burlington is headquartered in Burlington, NJ, and has over 630 stores in 45 states nationwide. It has four other locations in the Tampa Bay area: two in Tampa, one in Brandon and another in Clearwater.

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Abrams, who lives in Wesley Chapel, hinted that the newest location may be his favorite. “I’m especially excited to be able to open a store right in my own community,” he said.

The 5 Below chain offers a variety of toys, tech, beauty and sports items, to name a few, all for $5 or less. It has more than 700 stores in 33 states in the U.S., including eight in the Tampa Bay area.

Hobby Lobby held its ribbon cutting on March 18. The Lutz/Wesley Chapel store was the chain’s 865th, and its third location in Pasco County, joining the popular stores located in Zephyrhills and Port Richey.

AND STILL MORE OPENINGS: By the time you read this, the gas and convenience store Wawa should be open and uber-popular fast food chain Chick-Fil-A (photo above) on S.R. 54 at the end of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in Wesley Chapel, should at least have a date set for its opening. The two much-anticipated loca-

tions looked like they were having a contest to see which can be completed sooner, as the progress on both of them has been pretty rapid.

At our press time, both newcomers looked just about ready, with “Now Hiring” signs displayed at both sites.

A Chick-Fil-A spokesman said the second Wesley Chapel location (the other is in the Cypress Creek Town Center on the south side of S.R. 56) would most likely be ready to open around the first week in May. KEEP THE EATERIES COMING: And, for those keeping a watch out for even more new places to eat, there are lots of places still in the permitting pipeline in Wesley Chapel working on final approval, like Bubba’s 33 (going in front of the Ashley HomeStore on the south side of S.R. 56, east of I-75), which had its site plans approved last month.

To the west of Bubba’s 33, just past the I-75 interchange on the TPO (south) side of S.R. 56, Main Event (an entertainment center with bowling and a restaurant), Rock ‘N Brews (created by KISS legends Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley) and Saltgrass Steakhouse have all had their site plans approved and will be built right next to each other.

They will join Longhorn Steakhouse, BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse and Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen along that south side of S.R. 56.

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15

Three Wesley Chapel Girls The First To Join New Boy Scouts Program

By LIBBY BALDWIN

Wesley Chapel just got a serious dose of girl power.

As of last year, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) began accepting girls into its Cub Scouts program, designed for ages 5-10, in the hopes that more families will get involved in the 107-year-old program that fosters leadership and outdoor skills.

The Boy Scouts program that has traditionally served boys 11-17 years of age officially changed its name to “Scouts BSA” in February to reflect the program’s first-ever inclusion of girls, who can now “cross over” from Cub Scouts in February at age 11. The change also allows girls to be eligible to become Eagle Scouts, a coveted title which boosts college applications and offers scholarship opportunities.

Two of the five BSA divisions, Venturing (adventure activities for ages 14-17) and Exploring (career skills for ages 10-20), were already coed, but many parents have been lobbying for their girls’ chance to become Eagle Scouts for years.

“It shows that they have leadership skills, that they can multitask on projects and serve their community,” said Robert Hall, scoutmaster of Troop 33, which operates out of Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church on Collier Pkwy in

16

Katherine Traynor and Paisley Murphy (left and back), both 11 years old, pose with 10-year-old Lexi Zink. The Wesley Chapel residents became members of Scouts BSA in February. (Photo: Libby Baldwin)

Land O’Lakes. “It’s about more than just checking the boxes; they have to be Eagles in their hearts, concerned with others besides themselves.”

Scouts must achieve the Life rank (BSA’s highest rank), earn 21 merit badges and execute a corporate-level service project before getting a chance at Eagle. They are judged by an adult

review board before a final decision is made. Only four percent of all Scouts achieve the Eagle honor.

Hall’s troop of 52 young men expanded by 40 members when another troop, Troop 34, crossed over from Cub Scouts during a formal ceremony in February. Three girls from Wesley Chapel — Lexi Zink, Paisley Murphy

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and Katherine Traynor — were among 11 girls to make history.

“Scouts BSA really empowers our girls to be whatever they want to be, that they’re just as capable as the boys,” said Brandi Zink, Lexi’s mother. “It takes them off of their phones and outside, and in today’s world, the lessons they’re learning are priceless.”

Lexi — whom Hall describes as “scrappy and outgoing” — felt right at home from the beginning.

“It’s not any different for her, because she hangs out with boys anyway,” said Brandi, who serves as assistant scoutmaster in her daughter’s troop.

“She did a lot of this stuff with her brother when he did scouts, and she was always right there with him, digging in the dirt, going on camping trips, etc.”

Zink’s 13-year-old son, Caleb, helped develop Lexi’s fearless attitude, which is readily apparent, despite her unusually small stature. He and several other boys include Lexi in their bike rides to the park, basketball games and other outdoor activities.

“Girls are always just as good as boys,” said Lexi, who plays on a traveling lacrosse team with much older girls and hopes a college scholarship to play lacrosse will help her become a veterinarian. “If there’s something that the boys can do, we can do it, too, and we can probably do it better.”

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Sharing The Spirit Of Adventure

Paisley Murphy and Katherine Traynor, both 11, also are new Troop 33/34 members hailing from Wesley Chapel. Unlike Lexi, they transitioned from Girl Scouts, longing for more adventure.

“Being in Scouts BSA feels better, because Girl Scouts was pretty boring,” said Paisley, whose uncle was an Eagle Scout. “They sing, do arts and crafts, play hopscotch . . . I wanted to do archery, canoeing and horseback riding!”

Paisley invited a friend of hers to join too, but said the friend’s mother wouldn’t allow it.

Brandi Zink says she has received some negative feedback for allowing her daughter to join Scouts BSA. A neighbor down her street disapproves of letting girls do “boy things”; the parents of one of Lexi’s girlfriends asked if Brandi was trying to take a political stand.

“I could care less about making a point; she’s doing this because she’s a natural-born leader and she wants to,” said Brandi. “She likes arts and crafts fine, but she would just rather be doing them outside with a saw and hammer, instead of inside with glitter and glue.”

Katherine, whose dad and uncle were Eagle Scouts, says that other girls who want to make the leap shouldn’t be afraid to follow their dreams.

“In Girl Scouts, all we did was talk

Lexi Zink, second from left, awaits her turn to make a campaign speech to become the first-ever female Senior Patrol Leader of Troop 33/34. (Photo: Libby Baldwin)

about cookies and cookie sales,” Katherine said. “We had a choice between camping for three days and going to Legoland for just one day, and they chose Legoland. It was sad!”

Troop 33/34 is the only one in the greater Pasco County area so far to include girls, and the troop’s weekly Tuesday meeting on March 26 was election night; Scouts BSA meetings are run entirely by the scouts themselves.

Lesser positions, such as historian/ scribe, consist only of the candidates standing at the front of the room and determining the winner by applause.

Two young men competed for historian; one of them, fresh out of Cub Scouts, shook hands after the older one

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was chosen; the younger boy congratulated the winner for a job well done.

“After the Cub Scouts cross over (to Scouts BSA), they leave an adult-run structure and become the decision makers themselves,” said Hall. “We have a patrol leader committee, which will have girls, too, when they get into the swing of things. (The committee) runs the meetings, decides what trips we’re going on, stuff like that.”

The First Female SPL?

The troop’s last decision of the night? Electing a Senior Patrol Leader, also known as SPL. This top-dog position — one for the girls and one for the boys — is the person the group looks

to for leadership, conflict resolution and anything else that may arise.

Normal requirements for SPL are to be ranked first class or above by Scouts BSA and be at least 14 years old; but because this was the first year for the girls, those requirements were waived for them. New SPLs are elected every six months.

Lexi hadn’t realized the rules didn’t apply to her; when she discovered she could run after all, she lit up from the inside, and confidently decided to run, despite no preparation time.

The tiny tomboy stood tall at the microphone, making up a speech on the spot as to why she was the right one for the job. She answered some very intense, thoughtful questions from the more experienced boys; the process was strikingly similar to a presidential town hall debate.

Despite her last-minute candidacy, Lexi was swiftly elected the troop’s firstever female SPL. “To me, it’s not as if they’re girl or boy scouts; (they’re all) just scouts, and I’m not going to treat the girls differently,” said Hall. “All of our girls want to be Eagles, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they all get there.”

For more information about Scouts BSA Troop 33/34, call Tina Raymond at (727) 858-5885 or visit ladyrosary.org/cub-boy-scouts.

For general information about the national Scouts BSA organization, visit Scouting.org/scoutsbsa/.

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APRIL 2019

am-noon, at Lawton Chiles Elementary (16541 Tampa Palms Blvd W, Tampa).

Saturday, April 20

Bay Chapel Food Pantry - Free food for needy families. Open every Saturday from 9:30am11:30am, behind Christian Brothers Automotive (20300 Trout Creek Dr., off BBD). For more info, visit BayChapel.com/foodpantry.

MAY 2019 Saturday, May 4

“Hats & Horses Kentucky Derby Party” - Presented for the second year by the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel (in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Dade City this year), this is the place to see and be seen wearing your favorite derby attire and, of course, those spectacular Derby Free Community Boot Camp - Camp Gladiator is a fitness movement with dynamic, fun and hats, while you sip mint juleps (and other adult beverages) and enjoy gourmet food, all for challenging workouts. This is 60-minutes of amazing at your favorite place to shop. This Free event is held every Saturday, 8:30am-9:30am at Tampa Premium Outlets (2300 Grand Cypress one price, to benefit the Pasco Education Foundation. The event will be held at the Waller Ranch (17307 Powerline Rd., Dade City 33523). Tickets cost $75 per person in advance or Dr, Lutz). Participants should bring: exercise mat, 1-2 bottles of water, sweat towel, a smile & $100 at the door. To purchase tickets online, visit HatsandHorses2019.eventbrite.com. great attitude. For more Info: email Christine Iloni at christineiloni@campgladiator.com For more information, see the ad on pg. 12 of this issue, call Rebecca Smith at (307) Fresh Market at Wiregrass - the 1st & 3rd Saturday of the month, you can enjoy the Fresh 851-4312 or send an email to: RebeckSmith@gmail.com.

Market at Wiregrass (28211 Paseo Dr, Wesley Chapel) from 10:00am-2:00pm. Shop for Tuesday, May 7 fresh produce, hand crafts, candles, sauces, fresh bread, and so much more. For more MGM Friends Business Connection - Leap into action Monthly with MGM (Meet & Greet info, visit www.tampabaymarkets.com.

Mixers) Friends Business Connection held at USF (3802 Spectrym Blvd, Tampa). First Tuesday of the month, 9:00am-10:15am. Build strong relationships with like-minded business Monday, April 22 professionals with no fees. Open to all businesses looking to make real connections. Hosted Earth Day Sale - Uptown Cheapskate - To celebrate Earth Day, take 20% off all apparel on April 22nd. When you support resale, you’re not just being good to your wallet - you’re giving back to the by Shelomo Solson with Leapcaller. Facilitator: Georgianna Strickland. For more info. go to mgmfriends.com or call 813-477-7306. environment & contributing to an economy that is sustainable & green. Uptown Cheapskate, 16031 Tampa Palms Blvd W, Tampa. For more info. call (813) 287-8696, see the ad on pg. 32 of this issue or visit UptownCheapskateTampa.com Wednesday, May 15 GFWC Junior Woman’s Club of New Tampa - We promote and provide civic, eduational Yoga On The Lawn (The Shops at Wiregrass) - This Free event is held every Monday, 6:30pmand charitable activities, and are dedicated to community improvement through volunteer 7:30pm at Center Court (The Shops at Wiregrass) Weather Permitting. This is Relaxing Beginner to service. We meet monthly at New Tampa Regional Library (10001 Cross Creek Blvd, New Intermediate Yoga, sponsored by Energia Wellness Studio - For more info call (813) 973-7300.

Tampa), 1:00pm-2:00pm. For more info, email womansclubnewtampa@gmail.com.

New Tampa Democratic Club - The Club meets on the 4th Monday of each month, 7:00pm8:30pm at Mulligan’s Pub (10550 Regents Park Dr, at Pebble Creek Golf Club). Guest speakers are featured at every meeting. Come early, eat, mingle or come on time and eat during the meeting. For more info, email newtampademocraticclub@gmail.com.

Wednesday, April 24

Business Networking International (BNI) - Meets every Wednesday, 7:30am, at Mulligans inside Pebble Creek Golf Club (10550 Regents Park Dr.). Call Bill Sullivan 813-994-1143.

Rotary Club Of New Tampa Noon - The New Tampa Noon Rotary Club meets Wednesdays at noon at Bayscape Bistro, inside Heritage Isles Country Club off Cross Creek Blvd. Guests are always welcome. For more info, search “New Tampa Noon Rotary” on Facebook or visit NewTampaNoonRotary.club.

North Tampa Arts League - The mission of the North Tampa Arts League is to develop, nurture, and support the arts and the artists of North Tampa by working in concert with community leaders to make North Tampa a vibrant art community. All are welcome! NTAL meets 7:00pm-9:00pm on the 4th Wednesday of the 1st and 3rd month each quarter (except as noted) at: Compton Park Community Center, Tampa Palms (16101 Compton Drive). For more info. email NTALboard@gmail.com or visit website www.northtampa-arts.com.

Thursday, April 25

North Tampa Veterans Association meeting - All armed forces veterans and associates are invited to a weekly lighthearted Dutch-treat breakfast meeting to get acquainted and tell your tales, new and old. Location: Steak ‘n Shake just off BBD Blvd. (17509 North Palms Village Pl) - every Thursday at 7:30 am. Bring your spouse and your brag sheet.

RGA Network Weekly Meeting - The RGA Networking Group meets every Thursday for networking at GrillSmith at the Shops at Wiregrass Mall. Networking begins at 11:30am; Lunch is Noon-1:00pm. For more info, visit RGANetwork.net.

Friday, April 26

Rotary Club of New Tampa - The Rotary Club of New Tampa meets every Friday for breakfast at 7:00am at Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club (5811 Tampa Palms Blvd.). For more info, including the speaker schedule, contact David Lanigan at 813-760-6548 or dave@ davidlanigan.com or visit NewTampaRotary.org.

• Bite Wounds, Lacerations • Ear Infections • Eye Infections • Itching or Licking • Vomiting, Diarrhea • Coughing and Sneezing • Limping, Torn Nail or Pad • Difficulty Urinating or Defecating

• Not Eating or Drinking • Depression • Fever • Trembling, Whining, Hiding • Toxin Ingestion • Fracture Assessment and Stabilization • Out-Patient Hospice Needs and much more!

North Tampa Bay Chamber: Final Friday Event - Held the last Friday of each month, Final Friday allows business professionals to meet in a ‘not-too-formal’ setting. This months event is hosted by Hilton Garden Inn - Wesley Chapel (26640 Silver Maple Pkwy, Wesley Chapel).

4:00-6:00pm. For more info, call (813) 994-8534.

Saturday, April 27

“Cycling for Vets & First Responders” - See ad on next page!

Lawton Chiles Elementary - 5th Grade Car Wash Fundraiser - Lawton Chiles Elementary 5th Grade students will be holding a car wash in the school’s parking lot , 9 18

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Get Great Deals On Name Brands & Help Save The Planet At Uptown Cheapskate it as a thrift store, because it’s more upscale.”

Angela says the store’s staff members are warm and welcoming, coming out from behind the counter to help her.

“Even after I’d only been there a couple times, they seem to know what brands I like,” she says. “It really shows that they want to take care of their customers.”

Amber says that out of necessity, she shopped at Goodwill and other thrift stores growing up. After high school, she attended West Virginia University on a full academic scholarship, where she studied engineering.

She then worked as an industrial engineer in the aerospace industry for Boeing and Honeywell for 12 years.

She says, “I enjoyed the challenge of it and was proud of what I was working on,” including Chinook helicopters for the military. “But it was always my goal to open my own business, and being an engineer was my stepping stone to get here.”

By CELESTE MCLUAGHLIN

A self-described “lifelong thrifter” who has always wanted to open her own business, Amber Watt’s dream has come true with her upscale resale boutique, Uptown Cheapskate, located in the former Ellen’s Hallmark space in the City Plaza at Tampa Palms shopping center.

Uptown Cheapskate opened on Nov. 8. Since then, the store has been growing in popularity, as men and women discover they can not only buy trendy, brand-name clothes at prices that are 70-90 percent off of retail prices, they also can sell their unwanted clothes for cash or store credit.

The store is part of a national franchise that started in Salt Lake City in 2009, and now has 70 locations across the U.S., including three in Florida. At 4,800 square feet, the Tampa Palms location is larger than most Uptown Cheapskate stores, which are typically about 3,000 square feet.

The large store means lots of inventory for shoppers, and it’s all kept organized and neat, to feel more like an upscale boutique.

And, the way Amber and the store’s nine employees treat customers is boutique-like, too.

“Customer service is our top priority,” says Amber. “We greet every customer and will pull items out of back stock to help a customer find the perfect piece. Our staff continues to receive five-star reviews (on social media) for customer service.”

Angela Tamecki is one customer who

Clothes For A Good Cause Uptown Cheapskate in Tampa Palms owner Amber Watt wants your old clothes before they end up in a landfill. She’ll pay cash or give you a store credit, plus donate anything she doesn’t buy. has taken notice. “I’ve shopped at resale shops for a long time because you get great deals,” says Angela, a Pebble Creek resident who says she used to drive to South Tampa to go to thrift shops, but now visits Uptown Cheapskate more than once a week. “It’s a different environment. I don’t even think of

Amber and her husband Zach have three elementary school-aged children. She says they are all supportive of her dream to own this business. She adds that Uptown Cheapskate is a perfect fit for her, with her love of fashion, experience with resale, and even her passion for caring for the environment.

“North America sends 9.5 million tons of clothing to landfills each year,” explains Amber. “Recycle them to Uptown Cheapskate instead! Even if you buy it used from us and then wear it a couple of times, if it’s

still in great condition, sell it back to us. We don’t want it to end up in a landfill.”

Sell Your Clothes, Too

Uptown Cheapskate accepts clothes for all seasons, all year long. That means you can sell your winter items now, even though no one is interested in buying them. Amber stores them until they are back in season and ready to go out on the sales floor.

Amber also says she is always in need of more clothes, especially men’s clothes. She promises the process is quick, and you can even drop off clothes and come back later for your cash payout or store credit. Sellers receive 25 percent more for their items if they choose store credit instead of cash.

Shoppers can save even more money if they both sell and buy on the same day. Because of tax laws, Amber says if you sell your clothes to Uptown Cheapskate and then use the store credit to make a same-day purchase, you don’t have to pay the 8.5-percent Hillsborough County sales tax.

If your purchase amount exceeds the store credit offer, only the difference will be taxed. Unused store credits remain on your account for three years, but purchases made on future days do require sales tax to be paid on them.

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cent off the rest of the items in the store.

“The deals are amazing,” says Angela.

“They’ve got such a great inventory, including things I couldn’t afford to splurge on in a retail store. I’ve seen everything from mall brands to Prada. I don’t know how many people realize you can get those kinds of deals on things like that.”

Uptown Cheapskate Mon.-Sat.: 10am-8pm Sun: Noon-6pm Walking into Uptown Cheapskate in Tampa Palms, you’ll probably be surprised at how large the store is. Check out the many racks filled with great styles for both women and men — all at bargain prices.

New Tampa community in several ways.

The store has a partnership with the Salvation Army. When you bring your clothes to sell to Uptown Cheapskate, any “no-thank-you items” that the store doesn’t purchase can be donated directly to Salvation Army, and you get a receipt, without having to make a second trip.

Neighborhood News

Amber also notes that Uptown Cheapskate partners with several local schools, including Wharton and Wiregrass Ranch high schools and Chiles Elementary, to offer gift certificates to a teacher or other staff member each month. She also provides gift certificates for a student recognition program at Wharton. Teachers and students also

@NTWCNews

get a 15-percent discount every Monday.

The store’s next popular “fill a bag” sale is scheduled for Friday-Saturday, April 2627. On those days, Uptown Cheapskate will provide a bag for customers to stuff all the specially-marked product they can fit, then take the entire bag home for $15. Anyone who participates in the sale also gets 15-per-

16031 Tampa Palms Blvd. W. Tampa, FL 33647 (813) 287-8696 UptownCheapskate.com Facebook.com/UptownTampaPalms

See the ad on page 32 for more information.

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 27, Issue 9 • April 19, 2019 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

23

Philanthropist Dr. Kiran Patel Opens His Charter High School This Fall

By CELESTE MCLAUGHLIN When school starts back up again this August for the 2019-20 school year, 300 ninth graders will walk the halls of a brand new charter high school being built just off E. Fowler Ave. near I-75.

The tuition-free charter school is open to any student who is close enough to commute, including those who live in Pasco County.

“The goal is to provide an option to students who may be limited in the curriculum and extracurricular activities in their present environment,” explains Dr. Kiran C. Patel, a local entrepreneur and philanthropist who is the school’s founder.

The school is officially called Dr. Kiran C. Patel High School, but will be called Patel High. “Simply because you belong to a certain neighborhood should not force you to stay in that neighborhood [for school],” he says. “We are providing a choice.”

Dr. Patel — or “Dr. K,” as he is affectionately called — committed $20 million to launch the school. The Tampa resident’s business enterprises include luxury real estate development, medical software, health care solutions and commercial property acquisition and management. The success of these businesses has allowed him to make impactful contributions on a global scale, which he has done through the establishment of schools, colleges and hospitals on three continents.

P

This rendering shows what Dr. Kiran C. Patel High School will look like when construction is completed on or around June 30. The school’s first 300 students will be ninth graders who will begin attending the school in August.

“Dr. K is the epitome of compassion, community service and humanitarian efforts,” says Ashok Bagdy, a New Tampa resident and a co-founder of the school, along with Bagdy’s wife, Kavita Jain, and Sonali Judd, who is Dr. Patel’s daughter.

“He has made a tremendous impact on the two things that matter most — education and health care. His contributions have been inspirational, transformational and generational.”

Dr. Patel is much more than just a benefactor, as he will be very involved with

the institution that bears his name, hoping to impart some of his personal philosophy to the students who will attend.

“Today’s world is focused on human rights,” Dr. Patel explains, “but nobody is focused on human responsibility. It’s that aspect that’s more important than your rights. What is your responsibility to your neighbor? You may have a right to do anything you want, but is that the responsible thing to do?”

Students at Patel High will learn about responsibility through mentorship programs, opportunities for leadership and social projects

that allow students, “to be contributing members of society at an early age,” says Dr. Patel.

About The School

Patel High’s inaugural class will consist of 300 freshmen. In future years, new freshman classes will be added, with the planned capacity of the school to be just 600 students total in grades nine through 12.

The school will offer an advanced curriculum and focus on the school’s mission statement, which emphasizes up-to-date knowledge and skills, personalized and inno-

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Patel High School founder Dr. Kiran Patel (left) and principal Marlee Strawn are among the innovative thinkers who are bringing Patel High — a tuition-free charter school — to life.

vative instruction, partnerships between the school and the community, social responsibility and leadership.

Mentors from throughout the community will work with students to give them the opportunity to explore potential career interests, community outreach and real-world applications.

Students will experience project-based learning, a teaching method in which they gain knowledge and skills by investigating and responding to complex questions, problems or challenges. Students learn to take initiative, build confidence, solve problems, work in teams, communicate ideas, and manage time.

The school’s lunch period will be called “Power Hour,” where students not only eat, but have extended time and opportunities to participate in open labs, clubs, tutoring, intensive intervention, or other academically enriching choices. They will be able to meet with teachers, catch up on assignments, and collaborate on projects with peers.

Don’t Flip Out!

Patel High School also will use what’s called a “flipped classroom” approach when appropriate, meaning that instructional content is delivered outside of the classroom, often online, while moving other activities into the classroom.

In a flipped classroom, students may watch online lectures, collaborate in online discussions, or carry out research at home.

Then, they interactively engage in concepts in the classroom to clarify and apply that knowledge, giving teachers the opportunity to guide their students to deeper thinking and higher levels of application.

Not only will Patel High be unique in its curriculum, schedule and students’ engagement with the outside world, it also is unique in its space design and flexible seating for students.

“It’s an opportunity for students to be in a brand new school with the most updated security features,” explains Bagdy, “It’s on a beautiful 32 acres, right off of I-75, and will have 67,000 square feet of building, including an 11,000-square-foot gym, for only 600 students.”

He says the school will have world-class facilities, including a gathering place they refer to as a “wow space,” an amphitheater, and innovative touches such as movable walls Neighborhood News

so teams of teachers can adjust how they use their classrooms.

The school also includes a music room, soccer field, baseball field and tennis courts.

As to exactly what sports and music programs will be offered at Patel High, Bagdy says that will be left up to the students.

“It’s a student-driven school, and it’s a blank slate,” he says. “They’ll decide on the mascot, clubs and sports.”

A national search to hire a principal brought in 250 resumes and ultimately led the school’s board to select a candidate from right here in Tampa. Marlee Strawn was most recently assistant principal of curriculum at Bell Creek Academy 6-12 Charter School in Riverview, where she created and implemented a High School Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) curriculum. The Cambridge curriculum also will be used at Patel High.

Students Chosen By Lottery

Students who will be entering the ninth grade next school year and who are interested in attending Patel High must apply online at PatelHighSchool.org. Students are chosen to attend the school through a random lottery process.

“This is a lottery system; anybody can put their name in the hat,” says Dr. Patel.

“We are not selective in identifying a segment of society by color or economic status or anything like that.”

While New Tampa and Wesley Chapel residents are invited to apply to the Patel High lottery, preference will be given to students in Hillsborough County. There are currently seats still available for this fall’s class.

DR. KIRAN C. PATEL HIGH SCHOOL

Opening: August 2019 Apply Online!

10721 Raulerson Rd, Tampa, FL 33637 Learn more and register: visit PatelHighSchool.org or email info@patelhighschool.org.

See the ad on page 30 for more information.

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25

Team Gosselin — Local Realtors Who Are Also Community Leaders about the low price-per-square-foot he paid, and then lists the ways the Gosselins have shown outstanding kindness to his family, from helping him hire a top-notch roofer at a lowest-bid cost, to giving him and his son tickets to a USF football game.

And yes, they also helped him pick paint colors and furniture.

Karen says she first got into real estate when she was working as an interior designer, often staging homes for sale for real estate agents. She’s happy to help her clients make their homes look their best, whether it’s a home they just purchased, or one they want to stage to sell.

By CELESTE McLAUGHLIN

Proverbially, Karen Tillman-Gosselin wears a lot of hats, including serving as the current chair of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce, the membership director of the Rotary Club of New Tampa, and on the board of several other local organizations.

And, she and her husband and real estate partner Renynold Gosselin also have been sponsors of the Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel since their Rotary Club took over hosting the event in 2017.

But Karen, who joined Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Properties Group in 2018, is still not too busy to help her real estate clients with the tiniest of details, even if it’s picking out paint colors and furniture for their new home.

“She’s absolutely remarkable,” says Karen’s client Ken Merrill, who says that’s exactly what she helped him do, as the single dad set up his home in Wesley Chapel.

“She set a new standard for me.”

Ken says he relocated to the area when he bought a local Allstate insurance agency about a year and a half ago, then says he was referred to Karen and Renynold Gosselin, through their mutual Rotary Club.

He describes Karen and Renynold as “tireless,” as they took him and his kids, ages 16 and 13, out to see houses. Ken changed his mind a few times about exactly what he was looking for, and each time Kar-

Award-Winning Service!

After joining Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Properties Group a year ago, Karen and Renynold (pictured here with company CEO/Chair Gino Blefari), became members of the Chairman’s Gold Circle, awarded to the top 2% of Berkshire Hathaway’s 50,000 sales executives worldwide. en and Renynold would simply find more “Now, I absolutely love my house,” homes for them to visit. he says. “When I walk in, a feeling of “Renynold is a virtual encyclopedia of warmth comes over me because of how information about the Tampa Bay area,” much I love it.” says Ken. “He knew every corner, every But, he also says visiting those 55 housdrug store, every market, and knew all the es was just the tip of the iceberg of what the school districts.”

Gosselins did for him.

Ken says it was 55 homes later before “They negotiated an exceptionally he finally found the perfect one. favorable deal for me,” says Ken, who raves

As real estate agents, Karen and Renynold represent buyers and sellers who want to purchase or sell a home. While Karen sells many luxury homes all over the Tampa Bay area, the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel area is her long-time home, and she works with people whose budgets are at any price point, even first-time home buyers and sellers.

The pair joined Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices in July of 2018, which Otis Bass, who is the president and managing Broker of the Florida Properties Group, says recently became the largest real estate company in the United States.

“Thanks to (chairman and CEO) Warren Buffett, there’s a lot of name recognition with Berkshire Hathaway, and it has prestige,” explains Renynold.

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However, Karen says there’s much more to why they chose to join the agency.

“Berkshire Hathaway is a great company with a lot of tools for agents, including a network for referrals from agents around the world,” she says.

More referrals to the Gosselins means more buyers looking at the homes they currently have listed for sale, which is helpful to local sellers.

“Berkshire Hathaway has more resources than other brokers,” says Karen, “and they’re always looking out for the best for their agents. They have created a very positive culture here.”

Recently, the Gosselins were awarded membership to the distinguished Chairman’s Gold Circle, representing that they are in the top 2 percent of the nearly 50,000 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices sales executives worldwide.

Prior to joining Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Properties Group, Karen worked for many years for local offices of Florida Executive Realty, Keller Williams, Casa Fina Realty and most recently, Smith & Associates.

Karen and Renynold both got their real estate licenses in 2000. Reynold worked “behind the scenes” for many years, until he recently retired from a 30-year career with Verizon and became Karen’s full-time partner in real estate.

During her decades-long career in the business, Karen has sold more than $200 million of real estate.

She says she continues to be suc-

Neighborhood News

This beautiful 5BR, 4BA home in Saddlebrook in Wesley Chapel is one of many gorgeous luxury listings by Karen Tillman-Gosselin and her husband, Renynold Gosselin. They use the same impactful photography, marketing techniques and attentive customer service for buyers and sellers at any price point, even those who are purchasing or selling their first home.

also is a big part of their success, and that having great photographs online is key to marketing a home for sale these days.

“Most buyers start on the internet,” says Renynold, “that’s why photography is so important.”

So, Karen and Renynold provide a 3D tour of each home they list. The tour is so comprehensive, it can even be viewed in virtual reality to feel like you’re actually walking through the home.

The 3D tour often is accompanied by Marketing Your Home a separate video walk-through of the home, Karen and Renynold say that marketing

cessful because she is a trusted advisor to clients who refer their friends and family to her and Renynold.

“Having a real estate agent who will listen to your wants and needs and help you find that one house you will make your home is crucial,” Karen says. “That agent needs to put you first, then properly coordinate all aspects — from negotiations and inspections to ensuring that the transaction becomes a reality.”

@NTWCNews

plus drone photography, and photos and video of the community, too.

“We’re selling a lifestyle,” Karen says.

“If you live in a community with a pool with slides, we’ll have photos of that or incorporate that into the video, to show people who want to move here the kind of lifestyle they can have.”

Karen says she and Renynold are by their clients’ side throughout the entire process, paying attention to every detail.

“It can be very overwhelming to sell a house,” she says. “We try to take some of the load off, because we know you’re not only selling, you’re also moving.”

Karen and Renynold’s expertise can make the entire process much easier on buyers and sellers.

Ken Merrill seconds that. “I would refer (them) to anybody,” he says. “It goes way beyond the transaction of real estate.

It’s been an incredible experience, and they’re now family, as far as I’m concerned.”

KAREN TILLMAN-GOSSELIN

To Schedule a free, no-obligation consultation in your home, visit FineHomesOfTampa.com or call (813) 629-1502.

See the ad on page 2 for more information.

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School Notes: Turner Bartels Hits Burlington’s Jackpot & Local Students Win Awards!

By JOHN C. COTEY

and CELESTE MCLAUGHLIN Like most schools, the Turner/Bartels K-8 (TBK8) School hasn’t had enough money available to just give teachers to use in their classrooms.

Until now.

On March 26, the newly opened Burlington store in the Cypress Creek Town Center on the north side of S.R. 56 said hello to the local community it hopes to serve by presenting TBK8 principal Cindy Land with a $10,000 check during a school pep rally as part of the AdoptAClassroom.org program.

AdoptAClassroom.org provides teachers with an online marketplace of nearly 30 school specialty and office supply vendors where they can purchase the materials and tools they need at a discount.

Burlington makes a donation to a local school in each Grand Opening market to celebrate a new store’s location.

“They had one stipulation and that was that the money gets to the kids and the teachers, and it will,” said Land. “There’s not many opportunities for them to have extra cash for their classroom and we want to make this available for everyone.”

Marcus Britt, an ESE Teacher at TBK8 the past five years, said he and most other teachers have had to dip into their own pockets at times to buy the supplies they need.

“Donations, like the one we received today, are incredibly valuable,” he said. “We’re very thankful.”

As in past years, the TBK8 team had a strong showing, taking second place in the state in the middle school division. Of the eight entries from Wharton that placed in the top ten in the high school division, one also made the top three.

Nathaniel Bostic and his wife Rebecca are co-advisors for TBK8’s chapter of TSA, which is a national organization made up of 250,000 middle and high school students in about 2,000 schools.

The Bostics say they will take 18 students to the TSA national competition, which will be held in June in Washington, Turner-Bartels principal Cindy Land, with the D.C. They hope to be able to bring along the $10,000 check donation from Burlington.

Wharton team, which is made up of a pair of As for his portion of the $10,000, Britt the TBK8 TSA chapter’s alumni. says he doesn’t know exactly what he’ll buy “It’s exciting for us to see our former for his classroom but can’t wait to find out. students, now in ninth, tenth and eleventh “I still need to figure out how I’m grade,” says Nathaniel Bostic. “They’re comgoing to spend my portion of the funding,” ing back to work with our kids and mentor he said. “But no matter what, it will be well them, and also grow in their own projects.” spent in a manner that directly affects the Find out more about the TSA chapter student experience.” at TBK8 by visiting TBK8TSA.org.

Land said it was the biggest donation Congratulations to the following stuthe school, which opened in 2014, has ever dents, all of whom placed in the top three in received. Last year, the school received their respective categories: $1,000 from WFLA-TV Channel 8 for being TBK8 First-Place Finishers: Jake picked as a School of The Week.

Dostal, Danielle Arrigio and Simon DuPriest TECH SAVVY STUDENTS: A for Bio Tech; Rajuta Kansara, Antra Sharma, number of students from Turner/Bartels K-8 Emily You and Sophie Tian for Children’s School (TBK8) and Wharton High earned Stories; Riley Hall for Essays on Technology; several awards from the Technology Student Aubrey Glover, Sayeed Azam and Roman Association (TSA) statewide competition LaRock for Mechanical Engineering; Emily held in Orlando beginning in late February.

You and Sophie Tian, Technical Design.

O W!!

N OW Y N L Y P L P P A P A

DR. KIRAN C. PATEL H I G H

• • • • • •

S C H O O L

Wharton High’s TSA 3rd Place winners Rachel Welsh (left) & Tim Norwood.

TBK8 Second-Place Finishers: Aubrey Glover and Sayeed Azam for Challenging Technology Issues; Riley Hall and Ryan Hutchinson for Coding; Ashlynn Costello for Digital Photography; Alexis Cowles, Tyler McDowell, Abigail Welsh and Danielle Arrigio for Off the Grid.

TBK8 Third-Place Finishers: Ryan Hutchinson and Tyler Yee for Electrical Application; Sayeed Azam for Flight; Nyasa Kumar, Danielle Arrigio, Kiara Torres and Arnav A. for Inventions and Innovations; Riley Hall, Julan Carvajal, Alonzo Reroma and Pranav Magaluru for Website Design.

Go to our website for updates

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Whole development of students: academics, social & emotional learning,

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I N S P I R E • E M P O W E R • E D U C AT E • T R A N S F O R M I-75 and S. Fowler Ave., Off of U.S. 301 • Tampa, Florida | patelhighschool.org | info@patelhighschool.org 30

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Exp. 5/31/2019

Wharton Third-Place Finishers: Tim Norwood and Rachel Welsh, 3rd place, Structural Design (photo on previous page).

LIBERTY SHINES AT FBLA: Students from Liberty Middle School (see photo, above) were award winners at the 2019 Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) State Leadership Conference, held in Orlando March 22-25.

Congratulations to Shreya Gullapalli (1st place, Business Etiquette), Uma Panchal (2nd, Business Etiquette), Amulya Ravipati (5th, Business Etiquette), John Madadha (3rd, Business Math and Financial Literacy), Destiny Nieves and Tanvi Chetal (4th, Community Service), Sai Aashrith Kossireddy (3rd, Elevator Speech), Kenzo Cogswell (3rd, Introduction to Business Communication), Keerthi Penumuchu (2nd, Keyboarding), Sofia Murrin (3rd, Keyboarding), Yana Kumar (4th, Keyboarding), Pavan Moturi (3rd, Multimedia & Website

Design), Dante Boin (3rd, Spreadsheet) and Olivia Kurtz (4th, Spreadsheet).

Shreya Gullapalli, the school’s firstplace finisher in Business Etiquette, will be recognized for her achievement at the Hillsborough County Public Schools School Board meeting in May. All of the winners named are eligible to attend FBLA’s National Leadership Conference in San Antonio, TX, this summer.

“We are really proud of all of our chapter representatives, because from 24 competitors, 13 placed at the state level. One of our members placed first in Business Etiquette and she is eligible to attend nationals,” said Sofia Murrin, Chapter President, “and our entire chapter was inspired to continue with FBLA in high school and beyond.”

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31

It’s A Family Affair For 2019 Wharton Valedictorian

By LIBBY BALDWIN

For Wharton High’s 2019 Valedictorian, Victoria “Tori” Bell, being at the very top of her class runs in the family.

Both of Tori’s older brothers, Earl and Jared, were also Wharton valedictorians. Earl is now serving in the military, and Jared is earning his undergraduate degree in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology at the University of Florida in Gainesville.

“It was always assumed that I would follow in their footsteps, but I never felt forced into it,” says Tori, 17, who earned a 9.01 GPA at Wharton by completing several Advanced Placement STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) courses while simultaneously earning an Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree from Hillsborough Community College.

Tori, a National Merit Scholar and member of the Mu Alpha Theta Mathematics Honor Society and the Science National Honor Society, received fully-financed offers from Florida Gulf Coast University and the University of South Florida, but had her heart set on attending UF. “My brothers both went there, and it’s always the school I wanted to go to,”

said Tori, who was awarded the Benacquisto and Presidential Scholarship from UF, which will more than cover her full tuition and living expenses.

Tori says her recipe for success was, “consistency and determination with measured doses of goofing off,” which she did by playing video games, going to the gym, and enjoying lots of movies and TV shows by herself and with friends.

“I absolutely love stories,” said Tori, whose favorites include the Ender’s Game series, Marvel comic book movies, and the British drama hit “Killing Eve.” Tori also is an avid reader who has whiled away many an afternoon at the bookstore, reading Gillian Flynn, Emily Danforth and Agatha Christie.

Her parents, Ed and Diana Bell, teach math and language arts at Wharton; however, her mother says that Tori is very self-sufficient and never asked either of them for help with homework.

Tori plans to major in Accounting, although she says that career choice is not set in stone, and plans to minor in English at UF. She’s also looking forward to living in Gainesville, closer to her brother Jared.

“My parents and family have been absolutely amazing, and I know I wouldn’t be here without them,” she said.

2019 Wharton Top 10 1. Victoria Bell, 9.01 GPA 2. Ashley Joseph, 8.41 3. Aditi Misra, 7.54 4. Katherine Murashkina, 7.25 5. Nikunj Borad, 7.16 6. Yash Patel, 7.04 7. Ridham Patel, 7.02 8. Michele Wishnevsky, 6.86 9. Aidan Chambers, 6.84 10. Deepika Borra, 6.80

Victoria (Tori) Bell is the third member of her family to earn class valedictorian honors at Wharton High.

Salutatorian Also Headed To UF

Wharton’s salutatorian Ashley Joseph, who came in just behind Victoria with an 8.41 GPA, was, like the valedictorian, determined for success from the beginning.

“My parents taught me the importance of education from an early age,” says Ashley, 18, who took additional online and dual enrollment courses as a freshman and sophomore specifically to meet high school

graduation requirements as soon as possible. “From there, I followed my passions and learned continuously.”

Ashley volunteers weekly in the emergency room at AdventHealth Tampa, interacting with patients and helping at the front desk, and works as a tutor at Kumon Math and Reading Center in New Tampa.

“My goal is to become a doctor,” says Ashley, who also will attend UF. “The ability to help others is extremely meaningful and rewarding (to me).”

Wharton High’s 2019 graduation ceremony will be held at the Florida State Fairgrounds on U.S. 301 in Tampa on Thursday, May 30, at 12:30 p.m.

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Family Fuels Academic Success Of Freedom Valedictorian

By LIBBY BALDWIN

When Amir Iranmanesh takes the stage at this year’s Freedom High graduation ceremony to give his valedictorian speech, he won’t be thinking about his 8.65 GPA. The 18-year-old will be remembering his late grandmother, the most influential person in his life.

“Everyone says this about their grandmas, but mine was the purest, most innocent person in the world,” says Amir, who describes himself as very family-oriented. “She was magical — every time I make a decision, I pause to consider what she would do.”

Amir believes his achievement would have been impossible without his parents, who emigrated from Iran before the 1979 revolution that threw their home country into chaos and raised their children to make their own decisions since they were young.

“My parents have always put a lot of trust in me, and gave me enough love to motivate me to want to do good things,” says Amir, who also credits his brother Eamon and sister Elhaam for their support.

Amir says he didn’t intentionally aim for the top rank in his class. He had a “passion for math” and wanted to learn as much of it as possible, so he began

taking dual enrollment courses at Hillsborough Community College as soon as he could.

“Understanding math truly opens a whole new perspective on the world,” says Amir, who especially enjoyed algebra and calculus but also took extra courses in literature, public speaking, visual arts and computer science.

Amir’s strategy was to fill up his school days with homework and extracurricular activities and reserve Fridays and Saturdays for spending time with family and friends.

He competed for Freedom’s swim team for three years, and was a member of the school’s National Honor Society. He also served as an officer in multiple organizations at school, including the Rho Khappa National Social Studies Honor Society, Model United Nations and Future Business Leaders of America.

Amir helped others succeed in the classroom, too. He created a year-long math tutoring club staffed by student and teacher volunteers during their lunch hours, and also collected more than 3,500 book donations for the New Tampa Regional Library.

The future businessman currently serves as the treasurer of the student body-elected Executive Board of the HCC Dale Mabry Student Government Association. He manages a nearly $650,000 budget, votes on how to use the money

2019 Freedom Top 10 1. Amir Iranmanesh, 8.65 GPA 2. Jessica Cao, 8.0 3. Cathryn Boga, 6.8 4. Satvik Borra, 6.78 5. Elizabeth Covias, 6.73 6. Andrew Bates, 6.66 7. Susan Morales, 6.57 8. Michael Valenti, 6.48 8. Morgan Kugel, 6.48 10. Lara McKeown, 6.4

Amir Iranmanesh during weekly board meetings and helps run general student body meetings on Tuesdays.

Although undecided at our press time where he will attend college, Amir says he plans to attend somewhere in Florida to remain close to his family.

Amir says he draws inspiration from his parents -- father Ali, a civil engineer who owns a company with Amir’s mother Parvin, a former social worker.

“I plan to major in business so I can learn everything about how companies

work, then invest in real estate once I have a steady income,” Amir says.

Amir traveled back to his native Iran last month for an extended vacation, exploring new cities and visiting family. He also took time to pay his respects at the grave sites of his three late grandparents and reflect on what he might do someday to alleviate the country’s crumbling economy.

“It’s upsetting to see people from my own city suffer and struggle to pay for food,” he says. “Whatever my journey is, it will surely consist of me giving back to my hometown.”

Freedom High’s 2019 graduation ceremony will be held at the Florida State Fairgrounds on U.S. 301 in Tampa on Thursday, May 30, at 9 a.m.

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Dozens Of New Tampa Swimmers Helping Beat Cancer

By CELESTE MCLAUGHLIN

On Saturday, May 11, Emma Bryan will put on a bathing suit and cap, warm up and get ready to swim, like she’s done most days of her young life. As a 15-year-old competitive swimmer, she spends a lot of time in the pool.

But this day, she’ll be swimming in open water, and she’ll be swimming for her grandmother, her aunt, and her elementary school friend — all people she has lost to cancer.

This year will be the fourth year that Emma, who is a freshman at Wharton High, will participate in the Tampa Bay Swim Across America event, which raises money for cancer research and takes place on May 11 at North Shore Park in St. Petersburg.

Participants can choose the half-mile, 1-mile or 2-mile distance, Kayakers and paddleboarders also may participate.

“Every year I raise around $1,500,” she says, “and 100 percent of that goes to cancer research centers, so I know it’s going to a good place.”

Proceeds from the Tampa Bay event go to the Moffitt Cancer Center and pediatric cancer research at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.

Emma is just one of many kids and teenagers who will participate in the event. They typically swim together as part of the Greater Tampa Swim Association (GTSA), and their coach encourages them to participate.

“It’s great for our kids to help out their community and do things that are outside of themselves,” says Julia Lamb, who is the owner and head coach of the New Tampa branch of GTSA (there also is a South Tampa branch).

“The kids really take ownership of it. They register and create their own page and go out and get donations.”

Currently, about 25 swimmers have joined the GTSA

Swim Across America team, committing to participate in the event and raise money for the cause. Julia hopes others will join in to have at least 50 people on their team by the date of the event. That will help them meet their fund-raising goal of $20,000. So far, the 25 people on the team have raised about $10,000.

Julia says Emma and the event’s team captain, Brooke Harrigan, have done a great job and have really been thinking outside the box to raise money, such as selling bracelets and hosting spirit nights.

Brooke is a senior at Brooks DeBartolo High School who lives in Live Oak Preserve. She says she loves participating, in part because she knows that all expenses for the event are covered by sponsors so that 100 percent of the donations made to her and her team go directly to Moffitt and Johns Hopkins.

Moffitt Cancer Center acknowledges on its website that, since 2012, the Tampa Bay Swim Across America event has raised more than $1.1 million to fund Moffitt’s Adolescent and Young Adult Program activities and has supported clinical trials for more than 40 patients with stage 4 metastatic melanoma.

Julia adds that Johns Hopkins just enrolled its first patient in an immunotherapy trial that was specifically funded by Swim Across America.

The swimmers all believe that their fund-raising efforts are making a difference in the lives of those who are affected by cancer.

“When I swim at the event, there’s a list on my arm of who I’m swimming in memory of or in honor of,” says Brooke. “Every year I add to that list. It’s bittersweet to know another person’s been impacted by cancer, but it’s one more person I can impact through this swim.”

Swim Across America is a national organization that started with a single event in Nantucket, MA, in 1987,

Emma Bryan, a Wharton High School freshman, fills her back with the names of people she knows and who have lost their battles with cancer, before participating in Swim Across America. She is one of at least 25 swimmers from Greater Tampa Swim Association who will raise money for cancer research at the event in St. Petersburg on May 11.

and has grown to 20 open water swims and 100 pool swims across the country this year.

To support the New Tampa swimmers who will participate in the Tampa Bay Swim Across America event on May 11, visit SwimAcrossAmerica.org/ goto/GTSA2019 and choose “donate now” to make a financial contribution or “join team” to start your own fund raiser for the group.

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ONE HEART Story by Gary Nager; Photography by Jillian Joseph Photography

To me, the story of my relationship with the former Jannah Johnson McDonald is so much more than just your usual case of boy-meets-girl, boy and girl fall in love and live happily ever after.

Ours is the story of two people who have been through a lot in their lives — although not nearly as much as some people we know and love — but who somehow figured out how to be there for each other and became two stronger, better people because of our mutual respect for and support of each other.

This marriage may not be the first rodeo for either of us — and, quite honestly, neither one of us thought we’d ever get married again — but after knowing each other for as many as eight years and being together for more than four, we both just knew it was the right time for us to make this thing official.

Although we actually met when Jannah was working for the American Cancer Society and was putting on the Wesley Chapel Relay for Life and I was covering it for the Neighborhood News,

we first got together when I walked into the now-defunct Stage Left (the music venue on S.R. 54 in Lutz), the night of my birthday in 2015.

The place was packed. Jannah and I were both members of the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel, so when I heard and then saw a group of women, all of whom also were members of that same Rotary Club, invite me, rather loudly, to join them at their table, I didn’t refuse.

So yes, ours is a match made in Rotary heaven, and we know a few other couples who also met through the world’s largest service organization.

But, enough of that mushy stuff. Because we decided to put on our wedding ourselves, I knew I would have to pull together a lot of the contacts I’ve made through the Neighborhood News in order to put on the kind of wedding we wanted.

I owe these businesses and business owners a lot because only with all of their help, could we have the wedding of our dreams. So, the story that follows is my way of thanking them.

See “The Business Side Of Jannah & Gary’s Wedding” on pages 38-39.

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‘The Business Side Of Jannah & Gary’s Wedding’ — From Page 37 Story by Gary Nager Photos by Jillian Joseph Photography So, when you decide you’re going to get married, the first thing you have to do is pick a location, then set a date that your chosen venue has available. Jannah and I wanted to get married around Valentine’s Day, but once we decided we were getting married at the St. Pete Beach Community Center on Boca Ciega Dr., the closest dates they had to Valentine’s Day were March 24...and sometime in June. Guess which one we picked.

We wanted the band that was playing the night we got engaged — Restless Soul — to play at our wedding, but when front man James Shepherd was going to be out of town that day, we quickly decided on our second favorite “party” band we had seen at Jimmy B’s at the Beachcomber Resort (where Jannah and I have spent many a night dancing). That band is called New Divide, featuring lead singer/ guitarist Colin Hughes.

The third thing we decided was to hire the folks who own our favorite affordable restaurant on Gulf Blvd. — Skidder’s — to cater the event. We also were fortunate to have the Fratelli brothers John and Mario from Fratelli’s Pizza & Café in the Village Market plaza offer to provide a tray of my favorite penne with broccoli rabe and a tray of penne alla vodka as our amazing side dishes.

And, none of our choices let us down.

People who attended our wedding raved about our venue, the food (grouper Francaise, chicken Marsala and rib lamb chops were the main events from Skidder’s) and the music. New Divide played everything from Cheap Trick and Tom Petty to Bruno Mars and Amy Winehouse

Ring photo by Gary Nager

and the band agreed to learn two of mine and Jannah’s favorite Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats tunes so we could sing (and she could play the tambourine) along with them.

But, as we soon figured out, a wedding is about much more than just those things.

Even if you think you can do everything yourself — and Jannah’s job the last four years at the Pasco Education Foundation is largely about putting on events and I’ve been hosting parties for our office for a quartercentury — you still need a wedding planner.

We were blessed to have attended our friends’ Torrie and Keith Weinstein’s wedding in December and long story short, Torrie agreed to help us do our party right.

So, in addition to all of Torrie and Keith’s help, here are some of the Neighborhood News advertisers who provided all of the little touches that made our wedding so special for us: The Rings: Leiva’s Jewelers, New Tampa — Jonathan and his father Transito Leiva (see

ad below right) have been customers of mine for years and “Pop” (as I affectionately call him) is a true craftsman who first designed Jannah’s garnet (my birthstone) and diamond engagement ring, then created a diamond “jacket” for that ring as her wedding band. My picture of our rings above left doesn’t do them justice at all.

Getting in Shape: Samantha Taylor Fitness (her) and Fit 4 Life and the Advent Health Wesley Chapel Wellness Center (me) — Jannah started working out 2-3 days a week at the Samantha Taylor studio in Wesley Chapel in November. She’s lost 17 pounds. I’ve been working out at Fit 4 Life in Tampa Palms with my friends Travis and Fiona Monday for years and also stepped up my saltwater kayaking and

swimming at the Wellness Center to drop almost 20 lbs., although you may not be able to tell it from these pics, but Jannah says she can tell and that’s what matters most to me.

Hair & Makeup: New Identities Salon and Facial Accents by Leanne Carter — Although Jannah’s daughter Lauren curled her hair and did her makeup for the wedding, Jannah has been getting her hair styled and cut

by Tara at New Identities (see ad on page 20) for over a year and she always looks great.

Long-time New Tampa resident Leanne Carter, who is getting ready to open a new studio near the Fetcher Ave. exit off I-75, is an eyebrow expert who did an amazing job with Jannah’s brows.

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Manicures & Pedicures: Touch Nail Spa — I figured I needed a manicure for the wedding and Jannah and Torrie both got perfect pedicures from our friend Timmy Pham and his amazing staff at Touch Nail Spa (see pg. 40).

Spray Tans By Lulu — Jannah and Torrie also had our friend Luisa (see ad below left) give them that perfect glow for our pictures.

Smiles: Pasco Dental — Our friend and dentist Dr. Daniel Hwang at Pasco Dental (below left) has worked on not only myself and Jannah, but also her daughter Kristen, and we can all vouch for what an outstanding and gentle dentist he is.

Flowers: A Special Rose Florist — We didn’t go all out for flowers, as some folks do, but every bouquet and arrangement from A Special Rose on BBD was more than special.

Cake: Nothing Bundt Cakes — O.K., so they’ve never advertised with me, but Jan-

nah and I have loved Nothing Bundt Cakes since the first time they gave samples out at the Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel (see pages 41-43) three years ago. And, after we priced cakes from other wedding cake folks, we knew we made the right decision.

Videography & Editing: Gavin Olsen & Charmaine George — Gavin, my senior Neighborhood News Online video producer, shot the entire wedding and Charmaine edited two videos we showed during the event. You simply can’t do better than these two.

Photography: Jillian Joseph Photography — I have to tell you that Jillian and her husband Joe are consummate professionals who shoot what you ask and then go above and beyond, and their work — as you can tell from just these few pics — is outstanding, And ladies, if you want boudoir photos (see ad below right), I know she’ll make you look and feel beautiful.

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Our Exclusive Recap Of The 2019 Taste Of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel!

By ANDY WARRENER

Photos by Charmaine George

You could still hear the sound of skates skimming across the ice and children making their way around the rinks, but if you listened very closely on March 24, you might have also heard the sound of delighted taste buds.

“Mmmmm.”

Local food and beverage vendors invaded AdventHealth Center Ice (AHCI) for the third consecutive year, offering samples of some of their most popular dishes and drinks at the 2019 Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel.

“I love Taste of New Tampa,” said New Tampa’s Debra Gilreath. “I love the venue, love the neighborhood, love the fact that it’s indoors. The variety of restaurants and vendors that are here is great and it’s easy to buy tickets online and it’s reasonable. Most tastes are two tickets or three tickets.”

The winner of the 2019 Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel People’s Choice Award, which was determined by the weight of the Taste sample tickets collected by each restaurant, was firsttime participant Bahama Breeze, followed

by Noble Crust (up from third a year ago and a top-three finisher all three years at AHCI) and first-time participant the Ice Dreammm Shop.

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According to Frashier, the top 10 restaurants, in alphabetical order, were Bahama Breeze, Chuy’s Fine Tex Mex, Ciccio Cali, Cinebistro at the Grove, Fat Rabbit Pub, Ice Dreammm Shop, Noble Crust, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Pomodoro Pizza and Vom Fass Wiregrass.

The four finalists for the beverage division were Blue Chair Bay Rum, The Brass Tap, Time for Wine and Zephyrhills Brewing Co., which repeated its 2018 win as the favorite adult beverage provider this year..

Although the event has been held in the comfortable confines of AHCI for

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three years, the Taste has been around since 1995, serving tasty morsels while also serving as a fund raiser for local charities supported by the Rotary Club of New Tampa and college scholarships given out to graduating high school seniors by the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce (NTBC).

Held at various locations over its more-than-two-decade run, but since a four-year hiatus beginning in 2013 (following the merger between the New Tampa Chamber of Commerce and the Wesley Chapel Chamber), the event has found a convenient, weather-proof home at AHCI.

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Roughly 2,000 people attended this year’s event, which co-chair Karen Frashier said was stronger than ever and has become the Rotary Club of New Tampa’s biggest fund-raising event. The club also puts on a successful Turkey Trot road race Thanksgiving morning every year.

“Every year in June, the money raised from Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel and the Turkey Trot is given away to the charities we support,” said Frashier, a former president of the Rotary Club of New Tampa. “In 2018, we raised $46,000 (between the events) and donated it to our international foundation, End Polio Now, as well as 36 other local, nonprofit or school-related charities.”

Frashier also said that Rotary Feeds America, Feeding Tampa Bay, Meals on Wheels and the Fisher House residence at the James A. Haley VA Hospital are some of the other charities that will benefit from this year’s event.

A 20-person committee of the 72-member club organized this year’s event that featured 38 restaurants and beverage purveyors and 34 non-restaurant sponsors.

Gilreath and her daughter Asha were enjoying some of the samples outside the rink, and had already decided on one of their favorites.

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‘Taste 2019 Recap’

Continued from page 41 “Noble Crust’s chicken & waffles is my favorite thing so far,” said Asha. “Noble Crust is great because they make everything from scratch.” side the rink, and had already decided on one of their favorites.

“Noble Crust’s chicken & waffles is my favorite thing so far,” said Asha. “Noble Crust is great because they make everything from scratch.”

Noble Crust events coordinator Brad Elia said his crew was hoping to improve on last year’s third-place finish in the restaurant category. The Italian eatery is now the only restaurant to place in the top three all three years since the Taste returned in 2017, and hungry and eager patrons gobbled up their samples as quickly as Noble Crust’s employees could get them on the table.

“The chicken & waffles is one of our signature dishes,” Elia said. “When we opened our St. Petersburg branch, it was one of the dishes we opened with.”

Noble Crust, located the Shops at Wiregrass mall, topped the dish with some micro greens from their sister company Fat Beet Farm.

Last year’s winner, Tampa Palms’ Ciccio Cali, brought the same three items that earned it top honors last year -- a hot & crunchy tuna, a spicy Brazilian (blackened chicken) and a Thai chicken bowl, but did not crack this year’s top three.

There were certainly some other unique culinary merchants at the event. The Main Ingredient, located off Collier Pkwy. in Lutz, isn’t really a restaurant, but more of a cook-to-order specialty grocer that offered samples of their oils and hot sauces over noodles.

“We sell most everything by the ounce,” owner Christina Sweet said. “People can come in with a recipe and get the exact amount they need instead of getting something and it’s sitting in their cabinet for

42

who knows how long. Everything we sell is organic, non-GMO and gluten-free. We also have a line of specialty spices and tea leaves.”

Helping out at the Main Ingredient table was 11-year-old Sophia Contino, who knows a little about convincing people to try samples, as she has garnered a lot of media attention (including in these pages) for raising money for the Pasco Sheriff’s K-9 Unit.

Contino said she really liked The Main Ingredient’s noodles and hot sauce.

Cinebistro at the Grove doled out samples of soft tacos, meatballs and ceviche-style seafood dishes. The Hilton Garden Inn’s chef Frank Skalitza gave out ahi tuna poke spoons and herb-cheese-and-date Endive Bites.

Other food/restaurant vendors included Vom Fass in the Shops at Wiregrass, offering samples of not only their vinegars, oils and sangria, but also some of the chain’s new gourmet prepared foods. Vom Fass did not have a sign telling you what they were serving, but there were four different unique appetizers, one

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 27, Issue 9 • April 19, 2019 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

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@NTWCNews

with prosciutto, bruschetta with strawberries and more. The foods were provided

by Vom Fass in conjunction with Kaixo, a local caterer with a food truck, and Walkabout Bakery Café in Lutz, which served a unique-looking Australian pastry.

Taste attendees Ashvin and Kitty Maharaj got a brief respite from their duties— Ashvin as a Rotary volunteer and Kitty with the All County Alliance Property Management table — and used it to sample some of the fare.

“This is a huge benefit for small businesses and it’s a great community event,” Ashvin said.

All County Alliance Property Management sponsored the cruise that was given away as one of the 50-50 raffle prizes.

Kitty said one of the best things about the event was that it introduced local residents to some places they may have previously not heard of, like Ava’s Low Country Cuisine, which provides private chef service, catering and classes and doled out samples of macaroni and cheese, cupcakes and rice bowls. “Ava’s doesn’t even have a store front, and I hadn’t even heard of Walkabout,” she said.

The Schoolfield family of Tampa Palms enjoyed offerings from all of the aforementioned providers.

Jake Schoolfield works at the CenterState bank in downtown Tampa, which was one of the event’s sponsors. His favorite offering was Ciccio’s crunchy tuna.

“An event like this brings awareness to local owner/operators,” Jake said. “You drive past all these places how many times in

□

a week? I hope that it translates into more business for them. It’s also fun to see your neighbors out here.”

Dessert items were high on the list of favorites, too. Nothing Bundt Cakes, which was third in 2017 before it even had its current Wesley Chapel location in the Shops at Wiregrass, handed out samples of strawberry, lemon, chocolate and white chocolate raspberry bundt cakes.

The strawberry cakes, however, were the most popular of the day, according to manager Crystal Cadet. Also serving amazing strawberry cake was Canterbury Hall, the new catering/banquet hall at Grace Episcopal Church in Tampa Palms.

Adult beverage purveyors were also once again on hand at this year’s Taste, including 2018 beverage winner Zephyrhills Brewing Co., which took first place beverage honors again this year, secondplace finisher The Brass Tap, and Time for Wine and Blue Chair Rum, which finished in a tie for third this year.

Other than playing music, some of Freedom’s marching band members worked on navigating a gigantic ‘Operation’ game brought in by AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, the event’s primary sponsor, which also offered chair massages. And, sponsor Pinot’s Palette, which combines the love of wine and painting, gave the kids some fun art activities to participate in (but no wine!).

Ashley McKibbin of Tampa brought her friend, Amber Cherry, all the way from Jacksonville to enjoy the event.

“I love it, it’s a great event, fun, family-friendly,” said McKibbin.

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Nibbles & Business The Latest & Greatest News In Dining, Shopping & Business In New Tampa & Wesley Chapel!

Check Out Al-Sham Palace!

In my Nibbles & Bytes column last issue, I told you about a new Jamaican restaurant with authentic cuisine. This time around, I’m going to let you in on one of New Tampa’s bestkept secrets if you love truly authentic Middle Eastern food.

It’s called Al-Sham Palace, located at 19651 Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., in the Pebble Creek Collection, the plaza behind Kobe Japanese Steakhouse. Al-Sham Palace, which has been open for around a year or more, is owned and operated by Hadil

Simreen, who says that her restaurant’s cuisine features authentic Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian-style versions of classic Middle Eastern dishes that are usually “Americanized” (my word, not hers) at most other places.

So, whether you like authentically spicy beef or chicken shawarma sandwiches (photo, left) with tahine or tzatziki sauce, or delicious steak kababs with nicely grilled onions, falafel, fried kebbie, hummus or tabouleh, Al-Sham Palace is your place!

And, with the coupon in the ad on the next page, you can get $5 off any purchase of $30 or more (restrictions do apply)!

For more info, see the ad on page 47, search “Al-ShamPalace” on Facebook, stop in or call (813) 907-8233 and please tell Hadil that I sent you!

Las Palmas Goes Back-To-Back!

Even though I personally still prefer their amazing merluza a la Russe (crispy fish with “Russian” sauce) and lechon asado (roasted pork), if you’re looking for the Best Cuban Sandwich in Tampa, it’s hard to argue against

the still-new Las Palmas Latin Grill, located next to Five Guys at 6431 E. County Line Rd. (across from LA Fitness and Winn-Dixie).

Co-owner/chef Ramses Garcia and his wife Ana (photo above) were thrilled to have been awarded the title of “World’s Best Historic Cuban Sandwich” — for the second year in a row — at the 8th annual International Cuban Sandwich Festival, again held in historic Ybor City.

In other words, no matter what Cuban fare you prefer, you can’t go wrong at the new Las Palmas Latin Grill!

For more info, see the ad on page 36, stop in or call (813) 803-3903 and please tell Ana and Ramses that I sent you!

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Smallcakes Is Open!

Are you looking for a new and delicious dessert place? Smallcakes has opened in the Shoppes at The Pointe in Tampa Palms.

Located at 17010 Palm Pointe Dr., between Ciccio Cali and our friends at the Palms Pharmacy (pg. 32), Smallcakes features 12 signature flavors (photo above) of full-sized cupcakes, special flavors daily, plus homemade ice cream, and the brother-and-sister co-owners Justin and Marissa Dewdney are Freedom High grads. And, although they both live about an hour away, they say they chose the Tampa Palms location because they had sampled Smallcakes in a couple of other places and felt that our area would love it.

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For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 27, Issue 9 • April 19, 2019 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

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or visit SmallcakesCupcakery.com and please bring them those receipts!

Here & There, This & That...

Established in Kansas City, MO, in 2008, Smallcakes now has more than 200 stores (many in Texas and Georgia), including the closest ones to us, in Oldsmar and Lakeland.

As of this writing, I had only sampled the awesome hot fudge cupcake (with a cherry on top), but was probably going to try at least a couple of others at our “Gary’s 25 Years of Neighborhood News” Celebration held last Friday (see next issue), as Marissa and Justin had donated two dozen Smallcakes for our guests and I can assure you that there weren’t going to be any left over from that event.

Marissa and Justin also say that anyone who thinks that “print is dead” doesn’t realize the power of the Neighborhood News, as they have had “dozens of people” telling them that they heard about Smallcakes from my recent small writeups in this column. And, considering that Smallcakes is located in the same area as Ciccio Cali, Koizi, Palm Thai, Stonewood, Olive Garden and Red Lobster, I told the Dewdneys that they should offer a special cupcake deal to anyone who brings in a receipt from any of the aforementioned eateries!

For more info, call (813) 442-4938

Neighborhood News

• I mentioned last issue that it wasn’t very long ago when there were as many as three frozen yogurt shops in New Tampa alone, but today there is just one, La Berry Yogurt Café, which we incorrectly reported as closed in our Mar 22 New Tampa issue, although it is has been under new ownership for a little over a month. Please go and try La Berry and tell them that I sent you!

• Although I personally enjoyed the German specialties (schnitzel!) at the former Prost Kitchen & Bar in the Palms Connection Plaza at 2802 E. Bearss Ave. (between BBD and Livingston Ave.), the owners of the pub decided to take it in a different direction.

Only open under its new name — Bearss Tavern & Tap (although the outside sign says “Bearss Kitchen & Bar”) — for a week or so at our press time, the redesigned restaurant has retained some of the old menu (including an artisan grilled cheese sandwich, served with tomato bisque), but has added many new items I am excited to try. The one sandwich I did sample when I stopped in — a pesto grilled chicken sandwich (photo above) on crispy sourdough bread — was excellent. I also look forward to trying the chargrilled chicken penne pasta, the artisan pizzas and the flatiron steak frites. Stop in, call (813) 466-5249 or visit BearssTavern.com and tell them I sent you!

• Sadly, while I thought that the new Rice n’ Beans was set to open in the former Cody’s Roadhouse space on WC Blvd. shortly after our last issue came out, it still wasn’t open as I went to press with this issue. The Lutz Rice n’ Beans closed two months ago. — GN

@NTWCNews

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For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 27, Issue 9 • April 19, 2019 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

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For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 27, Issue 9 • April 19, 2019 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

49

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9115 Canberley Dr.

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COMING SOON

8202 Sparrow Perch Way

JUST LISTED

4 Bed | 3 Bath | 2,959 SF | 2 Car Garage | Tile Roof 2014, Stainless Steel Appliances, Granite, Bar with Wine Cooler, Plantation Shutters, Transom Windows, Hardwood and Tile Flooring, Leaded Glass Front Door | Pavered Lanai, Screened Pool | Offered for $469,000

5 Bed | 3.5 Bath | 3,397 SF | 3 Car Garage | Upgraded Throughout, New Interior Paint, High End Appliance Package, Architectural Designs, Transom Windows, Tray Ceilings | Outdoor Kitchen, Pool/ Spa Package, Outdoor Kitchen | Pond Views | Offered for $575,000

5 Bed +Bonus | 4 Bath | 3,029 SF | 3 Car Garage | Model Perfect, Newer AC, Hardwood Flooring, New Carpet, New Light Fixtures, 42” Maple Cabinetry, Custom Closets, New Landscaping | Large Pavered Screened Lanai Beautiful Over Sized Conservation Lot | Offered for $400,000

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5 Bed | 3 Bath | 3,067 SF | 2 Car Garage | Built 2006 | Upgraded Throughout, Granite, Maple Cabinetry, Custom Tile Back Splash, Stainless Steel Appliances, Crown Molding, Wet Bar, Tile Roof | Screened Lanai, Pavered Courtyard | Oversized Lot With Pond / Conservation Views Offered for $369,000

5 Bed | 3 Bath | 3,329 SF | 3 Car Garage | Built 2001 | New Roof, New Exterior Paint, Remodeled Throughout, Kitchen and Baths Remodeled with Granite, Travertine, New Cabinets, Hardwood Floors | Pavered Lanai, Heated Pool/Spa, Large Fenced Rear Yard Offered for $400,000

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18106 Courtney Breeze Dr.

15906 Farringham Dr.

5011 Londonderry Dr.

4 Bed +Office | 3.5 Bath | 3,070 SF | 3 Car Garage | New Interior Paint, Newer AC 2016, Tile Roof, Remodeled Kitchen and Baths, Custom Back Splash, Granite, Stainless Steel Appliances | Pool/Spa | Deep Conservation Lot Offered for $450,000

4 Bed | 3 Bath | 2,347 SF | 3 Car Garage | Remodeled Kitchen and Baths Designer Back Splash, Custom Lighting, Granite, Stainless Steel Appliances, Two Sided Fireplace, Mature Landscaping | Large Screened Lanai | Over Sized Lot | Offered for $339,000

4 Bed +Office | 3 Bath | 2,828 SF | 2 Car Garage | Gated Village| Tile Roof Updated Kitchen w|Granite and Refinished Cabinets, Stainless Steel Appliances, Laminate Wood Flooring, Newer Carpet | Over Sized Pool and Lanai, Tranquil Pond Views | Offered for $450,000

11721 Gail Dr.

18103 Courtney Breeze Dr.

16026 Penwood Dr.

JUST LISTED

SALE PENDING

SALE PENDING IN 5 DAYS

4 Bed | 3 Bath | 2,680 SF | Office| 3 Car Garage | Tile Roof| Turn Key Condition | Laminate Wood Floors in Office, Master and Family Room Custom Built-Ins in Office | Plantation Shutters | Travertine Pool Deck, Pool/Spa, Large Lot on Cul-de-sac | Offered for $389,000

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52

SALE PENDING IN 3 DAYS

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For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 27, Issue 9 • April 19, 2019 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

Neighborhood News

Expansive Grounds With The Ultimate In Privacy | 5 Bed +Office +2 Bonus Rms | 6.5 Bath | 6,700 SF | 6 Car Garage | NEW ROOF, Custom Upgrades Throughout, Wood Flooring, Plantation Shutters, Designer Paint, Custom Tile Back Splash | Pavered Lanai, Heated Pool/Spa | Over Sized, Private Conservation Lot | Offered for $1,099,000

@NTWCNews