Palms West Monthly • March 2013 • Page 1
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West Palm Edition
Palmss West Wes Loxahatchee
‘Wild Things’ art show benefits charity The art show brought together artists throughout South Florida for a common cause. PAGE 13 Volume 3, Number 3
Monthly
Royal Palm to host 3-day celebration Everyone’s invited to the Village’s grand opening celebration of Royal Palm Beach Commons March 22-24.
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Hello, Jerry … Jerry Seinfeld’s comic genius was on full display for more than 600 guests at the ForEverglades Benefit held Feb. 15 at The Breakers. PAGE 8
THE ACREAGE • LOXAHATCHEE GROVES • ROYAL PALM BEACH • WELLINGTON • WEST PALM BEACH
Vowing that the Palm Beach landmark eatery would rise again, Cynthia Rosa re-opened Hamburger Heaven on Clematis Street.
Irish Fest will take over Flagler Drive at the Meyer Amphitheatre once again for a weekend of Irish food, fun, dancing and great Irish music March 9-10.
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City of WPB in search of volunteers
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Sign up for poker tourney benefiting Special Olympics Cards will be dealt and prizes are waiting for Special Olympics’ 4th annual “Aces for Athletes” charity Texas Hold ’em tournament Saturday, March 16.
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INSIDE Local Happenings ................4, 6 In Brief................................8 Nice and Easy ...................... 10 Arts & Entertainment ......... 12-13 Community Round-Up ............ 14 Manely Speaking....................17 Outside The Neighborhood .......19 Service Directory ..............20-21 Just For the Fun of It ............. 22 Classifieds .......................... 23 PalmsWestMonthly.com
Northwood University’s auto show lures top cars By BRENDA SAVAGE Palms West Monthly
Irish Fest returns to downtown WPB
From hiding Easter eggs to assisting with dog photos, the city’s rec. department needs volunteers to help host an array of spring activities March 30 at Howard Park.
March 2013
Photo by Elizabeth Burks/Palms West Monthly
Fountainista Nazim Bond poses in the dining room of Hamburger Heaven’s new location at One North Clematis St. in downtown West Palm Beach. The restaurant recently moved into its new location after spending more than 60 years in Palm Beach.
BURGERS HEAVEN from
By RON HAYES Palms West Monthly
WEST PALM BEACH — Heaven has a new address. And it’s twice the size. For more than 60 years, Hamburger Heaven served Palm Beachers down-home cooking for the upscale set. Movie stars, politicians and your average, garden-variety millionaires dropped by often for the burgers and fries, banana splits and chocolate shakes. In Palm Beach, Hamburger Heaven was to diner cuisine what The Breakers is to luxury resorts. And then, on June 27, 2012, expectant customers arrived at 314 S. County Rd. to find the door locked and the windows shrouded in white butcher paper. A proposed rent hike had sent Hamburger Heaven to comfort-food purgatory. Owner Cynthia Rosa vowed that her landmark eatery would rise again, and on January 24, it did – with a larger space, an expanded menu, longer hours and a liquor license. Now Rosa is waiting to see if her loyal Palm Beach customers will venture over the Intracoastal Waterway to One
North Clematis Street, and if West Palm residents favor her on a street with several other burger options. “When I bought Hamburger Heaven in 1991, nobody went over the bridge,” Rosa said recently, relaxing after the Valentine’s Day lunch rush had died down. “But over the years, as CityPlace and the Kravis Center opened, our little seasonal town lost the business we had enjoyed when there were fewer alternatives. So I knew the transition would not be impossible. It was just a matter of could I get them out of their comfort zone.” Bob and Mary Krener had no trouble leaving their comfort zone. As Rosa was speaking, they stopped by her table to say hello. “We’ve been coming to Hamburger Heaven for 13 years,” Mary Krener said. “We live in New York and every time we walk in, we just think we’re coming home.”
Back on the island at their Brazilian Avenue home, Bob had asked Mary what she wanted to do for Valentine’s Day. “I want to go to Ham Heaven and see Cindy,” she told him. Bob favors the bacon cheeseburgers, and Mary had the chopped Caesar salad with 1,000 Island dressing. “The food’s always fresh, and Cindy makes it special,” he said. “She’s so friendly and
SEE HAMBURGER HEAVEN / PAGE 15
WEST PALM BEACH — Ford’s first plug-in hybrid, the C-MAX Energi, is just one of the many highly anticipated cars to be featured at the 25th annual Auto Show of the Palm Beaches, to be held March 2-3 at Northwood University. Car enthusiasts also will have the opportunity to inspect the latest luxury models of Ferrari, Maserati, Aston Martin, Rolls Royce, Lamborghini and Jaguar. “The C-Max represents the newest technology from Ford in fuel efficient hybrid technology at an affordable price,” said Timothy Gilbert, chairman of Northwood’s automotive marketing and management department. Teaming 33 car brands with 33 student captains, student chairman Joey Brunn is tasked with organizing the event. “It’s the largest outdoor show of its kind in the South,” said the automotive marketing and management major. “We’ll have upwards of 300 cars on campus.” The student executive board works with 150 students to plan this show that attracts some 20,000 visitors who may browse through an array of exotic, domestic, international and classic automobiles. Response from the automotive industry has been very positive, said Brunn. Attendees at this year‘s show include not only dealers, but companies such as Backdraft Racing, which hand builds roadsters and Horse Power Logic, performance tuning specialists. This year’s silver anniversary spectacular, “25 Years of Innovation” showcases key achievements of the industry’s technology and engineering. “We’ll also have a panorama of exotic vehicles and a major unveiling under the Braman Motors brand umbrella on Saturday afternoon, Gilbert said. The show, which is free to the public, runs 10 to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 11 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Northwood University is at 2600 N. Military Trail in West Palm Beach.