ATHLETE
Panama City’s Nick Nelson shows his stuff as new member of NY Yankees pitching staff
OPTIMIST
Workforce dean Al McCambry relishes role as champion of small-town underdogs
SCIENTIST
Heart Centered Fitness Trainer Alexis Ware coaches people of all ages to fitness milestones
Eman El-Sheikh leads UWF's cybersecurity initiatives to national prominence
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Contents
FEB/MAR 2021
FEATURES
38
GETTING FIT
For anyone seeking to increase his fitness level, options abound. Some trainers work one-on-one with clients, while others lead group classes. Workout sessions may be tied to sophisticated technologies, or they may rely simply on the trainee’s own body weight as a source of resistance. The right approach is one that leads to the accomplishment of goals, and the right trainer is somebody with whom the trainee enjoys chemistry of a motivating sort. by STEVE BORNHOFT
←
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MAJOR LEAGUER
With three blistering fastballs, Nick Nelson, a product of Rutherford High School and Gulf Coast State College, whiffed the first man he faced in his major league debut at Yankee Stadium versus New York’s longtime rival, the Boston Red Sox. He went on to pitch three scoreless innings and get credit for a win. Mike Kandler, Nelson’s coach at GCSC, says he has the kind of smooth delivery that is easy on the arm and should make for a lengthy major league career. by STEVE BORNHOFT
photography by MICHAEL BOOINI
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February-March 2021
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Contents
FEB/MAR 2021
49 27 21 PERSONALITY
IN EVERY ISSUE
24 EDUCATION
THE WAVE
for 64 disabled adults and recharges on the white sands near her home.
30 WHAT’S IN STORE
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59 EXTERIORS Building
materials now include siding options that offer the low-maintenance advantage of vinyl, plus they are more durable and aesthetically pleasing. Fiber cement and PVC composites present installation challenges, but once in place they are built to last.
Workforce dean Al McCambry relishes role as champion of small-town underdogs
SCIENTIST
Heart Centered Fitness
Eman El-Sheikh leads UWF's cybersecurity initiatives to national prominence
Trainer Alexis Ware coaches people of all ages to fitness milestones EMERALDCOASTMAGAZINE.COM
February-March 2021
frequent appearances in the writings of leading men of letters. In works including The Great Gatsby and The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber, gin is a character sometimes liberating, sometimes complicating.
ABODES
OPTIMIST
» XXXXXXXXXX » XXXXXXXXXX » XXXXXXXXXXXXX
35 LIBATIONS Gin makes
ATHLETE
Panama City’s Nick Nelson shows his stuff as new member of NY Yankees pitching staff
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GASTRO & GUSTO
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whose heavily textured and highly dimensional pieces are prized by coastal art buyers, has begun producing and selling his own line of art supplies. The business is the latest chapter in the evolution of a former chef.
FEB–MAR 2021
27 CITIZEN OF STYLE
PUBLISHER’S LETTER EDITOR’S LETTER DINING GUIDE POSTSCRIPT
49 ART Justin Gaffrey,
Despite the welldocumented impacts of the pandemic on small businesses, new establishments are opening their doors to customers along the Emerald Coast.
PANACHE
As often as she can, Amy Coltharp, the administrator at the Panama City Developmental Center, bleeds off stress associated with caring
EXPRESSION
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EMERALD COAST MAGAZINE
Al McCambry, the dean of workforce development at Gulf Coast State College and the director of its Gulf-Franklin campus, always meant to work in education. Now that he’s there, he’s smiling all the time.
Dr. Eman El-Sheikh is playing a pivotal role in providing the Emerald Coast with a second, high-tech identity, that of the Cyber Coast. She has led the Center for Cybersecurity at the University of West Florida to national prominence.
the danger of frost behind us, it’s time to prepare for horticultural success by brightening landscapes with flowers and putting bedding plants in the ground.
ON THE COVER:
At Orangetheory Fitness at Pier Park North in Panama City Beach, head coach Alexis Ware employs her training and experience, dumbbells and high-tech smart technology to help people of all ages achieve their personal fitness goals. PHOTO BY MIKE FENDER
ILLUSTRATION BY LINDSEY MASTERSON AND PHOTOS BY MICHAEL BOOINI (27), SEAN MURPHY (49) AND PC PHOTOGRAPHY / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS (59)
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68 GREEN SCENE With
THE “BEST GOLF CLUB” IS GETTING EVEN
Better VOTED BY VISIT SOUTH WALTON
A Bill Bergin Golf Design
MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR COURSE RENOVATION COMING 2021 FOR INFORMATION ON OUR RENOVATION, PLEASE VISIT:
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Contents
PROMOTION
FEB/MAR 2021
SPECIAL SECTIONS AND PROMOTIONS
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↑ TRIBUTE CONCERT Nelson,
a duo made up of Matthew and Gunnar Nelson, will perform a tribute concert honoring their father, country rock icon Ricky Nelson, at The Moon on Feb. 23 as part of FSU’s Opening Nights performing arts series.
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WOMEN’S PROFILES Discover the inspirations, motivations and accomplishments of women who have emerged along the Emerald Coast as leaders who are making important differences in their fields of endeavor and in the community at large.
NEXT ISSUE SPRING GIFT GUIDE 10
February-March 2021
HOME FINANCING The
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SACRED HEART FOUNDATION
experienced lenders at Inlanta Mortgage in Destin have a wide range of mortgage products available and work with customers to provide a streamlined, stressfree homebuying experience.
↑ FIRST IMPRESSIONS The millworkers at Southeastern Sash & Door ensure that homes welcome visitors with a look that is classy and impressive. They specialize in custom Gulf Armor doors that are impactrated entry systems. The staff is dedicated to providing quality work and customer satisfaction. BREAST SURGERIES Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. David Chandler of 30A Plastic Surgery works with patients who want to enhance the appearance of their breasts by identifying the most appropriate procedures. Options include breast lifts and augmentations.
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MEDICAL PROFILES
“Stories from the Heart” describes people who have been helped by the Sacred Heart Foundation and the expertise and dedication of the caring men and women who make up the Sacred Heart Health System.
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CALENDAR Upcoming events include Pensacola’s Double Bridge 15K Run, Mardi Gras celebrations, a concert by a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame drummer and theatrical productions.
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CHARM AND PIZZAZZ The Village of Baytowne Wharf, while retaining the vestiges of a fishing village, is alive with boutiques, eateries and events that make it a center of cuisine, couture and culture.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF SOUTHEASTERN SASH & DOOR / CAPTIVISIONS (62), OPENING NIGHTS (52) AND ALEX DOSSEY AND LAYNE LILLIE (70)
The sale of an eight-bedroom Gulf-front home for $15.95 million set a record as the most expensive home sale ever on Highway 30A in South Walton County. Rosemary Beach Realty brokered the deal.
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EMERALD COAST MAGAZINE
VOL. 22, NO. 1
FEBRUARY-MARCH 2021
PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER BRIAN E. ROWLAND
EDITORIAL
FRESH SEAFOOD FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS
EXECUTIVE EDITOR Steve Bornhoft MANAGING EDITOR Jeff Price CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Hannah Burke, Les Harrison, Thomas J. Monigan, Rebecca Padgett, Wynn Parks, Daniel Vitter
CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY Daniel Vitter CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jennifer Ekrut ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR Lindsey Masterson SENIOR PUBLICATION DESIGNERS Sarah Burger, Shruti Shah PUBLICATION DESIGNER Jordan Harrison GRAPHIC DESIGNER Sierra Thomas CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Michael Booini, Chase Alexander Photography Davista Photography, Mike Fender, Steven Gray, Les Harrison, Scott Holstein, Nikki Hedrick, Anthea Le Jardin, Sean Murphy, Bernard Leonard Wilchusky Jr.
SALES, MARKETING AND EVENTS VICE PRESIDENT/CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT McKenzie Burleigh SALES MANAGER, EASTERN DIVISION Lori Magee Yeaton SALES MANAGER, WESTERN DIVISION Rhonda Lynn Murray DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, EASTERN DIVISION Daniel Parisi DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, WESTERN DIVISION Dan Parker ADVERTISING SERVICES SPECIALIST Tracy Mulligan ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES David Doll, Julie Dorr, Darla Harrison MARKETING MANAGER Kate Pierson SALES AND MARKETING WRITER Rebecca Padgett SENIOR INTEGRATED MARKETING COORDINATOR Javis Ogden ADMINISTRATIVE & CUSTOMER SERVICE SPECIALIST Renee Johnson
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forever YOU WILL
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from the publisher
PROGRESSING THROUGH THE PANDEMIC As I write this, the extraordinarily challenging year that was 2020 is drawing to a close. Throughout long and difficult months, we have been battered by the equivalent of a sustained Category 5 event that severely disrupted the economy and dramatically increased anxiety levels. Indeed, the COVID-19 experience has been so weighty that even hurricanes could not much displace it from the headlines. There was a time — call it the “old normal” — when any familiarity with a globally raging pandemic was gained only through history books, old newsreels and Hollywood dramatizations. Of late, we have traded reports about people we know who tested positive or fell ill. Personal and business challenges have come in waves, the result of lockdowns, social distancing and an economy in free fall. Survival has required creativity, persistence and, of course, resilience. When the pandemic became a pressing reality in March, my thoughts turned to the families who rely upon Rowland Publishing for livelihoods, and I resolved to preserve as many of those incomes as I could. Inescapably, however, adjustments and difficult decisions had to be made and made quickly. In those regards, I had good counsel and a leadership team whose members asked good questions and offered thoughtful opinions, but at the end of the day, I had to own the responsibility for making some tough calls. The team of publishing professionals I have the privilege to work with stepped up, took on additional responsibilities, supported one another and assumed leadership roles in ways that astounded me. Like so many other businesses, we assured ourselves that “we have not come
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this far to fail.” Our team pulled together, and today we are stronger, smarter and more cohesive than we have ever been. Along the way, we engaged Guy Harvey Enterprises and the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation as clients and strategic growth partners. Over the past six months, we have redesigned their magazine. McKenzie Burleigh, Dan Parker, Dan Parisi and I have developed an integrated marketing program for Guy Harvey and are working to involve companies with similar core values in the foundation’s mission. Central to it are marine research and the development of K-12 educational programs for use in Florida schools. We are thrilled to be part of this critically important conservation work and will be including some articles from Guy Harvey Magazine in our own titles in months to come. We were fortunate, then, to enjoy a growth opportunity in the midst of 2020’s survival challenges, and we took care, too, to stay in close personal touch with our highly valued established customers. In that connection, my executive editor, Steve Bornhoft, shared with me a conversation he had with Pensacola’s Quint Studer recently, and I am inclined to pass it along here. Studer, a businessman, philanthropist and founder of the Studer Community Institute, said the pandemic has made it especially necessary for businesses to invest in their “emotional bank accounts” by strengthening bonds between themselves and their customers. As an example, he pointed to a holiday basket he received from Hancock Whitney Bank. The basket, Studer said, contained about 10 items, each of
them purchased from a locally owned downtown Pensacola business. By taking a custom rather than an expedient approach to the gift-giving exercise, the bank made Studer feel good about being one of its customers. I hope that as you read this, the worst of the pandemic is over, and we can all start rebuilding our lives and our companies. I hope our new administration can build bridges across the political divide, and we all will find common ground. We have much work to do in changing the world’s perception of the American brand. Wishing you the best, always,
BRIAN ROWLAND PUBLISHER browland@rowlandpublishing.com
PHOTO BY SCOTT HOLSTEIN / ROWLAND PUBLISHING FILE PHOTO
Made stronger by a survival test, we adapt and move forward
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editor’s letter
OLD PASTIME THRIVES ON NEW BLOOD A Panama City kid makes it to baseball’s big leagues
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February-March 2021
get by me retreated, and the typically expressionless pitcher favored me with a nod. My status had risen. For the first time as a member of the Italian Inn team, I had something to lose. I thought back to that catch — my personal equivalent of Willie Mays robbing Vic Wertz — after interviewing Nick Nelson, who graduated Rutherford High School and Gulf Coast State College and last year made 11 appearances as a rookie pitching in relief for the New York Yankees. By how many times would you have to multiply the intensity associated with trying to win over the Italian Inn to get to that of striving to take a place among the New York Yankees? But Nelson seems to have done so with relative aplomb. His is a disarming nature, and he got along well with Yankee veterans, including Gerrit Cole, the ace of the pitching staff. He picked up a win and struck out 18 hitters in 20⅔ innings. Nelson is 25. At that age, Mickey Mantle, a player who so enthralled me as a boy that I became a lifelong Yankees fan, was the American League MVP and a Toots Shor’s nightclub habitué, along with running buddies including Whitey Ford and Billy Martin. Nelson is devoted to his girlfriend and daughter, has an abiding respect for the grandparents who raised him and the coaches who groomed him for success, and looks forward to visiting museums in the city when the pandemic lifts. His coach at Gulf Coast, Mike Kandler, was pleased to learn in November that Nelson was driving the same truck that he had before making it to the big leagues. “That’s smart,” said Kandler, true to
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his conservative, Midwestern, Packerfan, wisdom-dispensing nature. “Save your money.” Baseball writer Roger Kahn, in his classic work about aging onetime Brooklyn Dodgers players, The Boys of Summer, quoted the writer Ed Linn, who observed, “Sooner or later, society beats down the man of muscle and sweat.” Kahn wrote, however, that he was not saddened by his meetings with Dodgers long retired from a boy’s game played by men. Rather, he was renewed by their dignity and hope. I did not come away from my meeting with Nelson saddened by my own advancing age. I was instead renewed by a young man and his resolve and his optimism and by the vitality of a national pastime whose rhythms stir me every spring. Play ball,
STEVE BORNHOFT EXECUTIVE EDITOR sbornhoft@rowlandpublishing.com
PHOTO BY MICHAEL BOOINI
I was new to the Italian Inn softball team, which was captained and sponsored by a future mayor of Panama City and to which I was introduced by a future Bay County commissioner. Of the two, one had the bearing of a public official and was capable, certainly, of mastering the calculus of elective politics. The other was an intelligent but loquacious sort and was helped out because he looked good enough to be mistaken from time to time for the actor David Duchovny. To all of the other members of the team, I was an unknown and unproven interloper to whom it was made clear that acceptance would have to be earned. Especially distant was the pitcher, a dark and mysterious paper mill worker who said little and arrived at games toting a large, stuffed duffle bag from which he never produced anything other than a glove and a favorite bat. You were left to wonder what else the bag contained. If someone were to tell you about the pitcher that he was a pool shark and a bookie who once did 10 years for manslaughter, you would believe it. A shortage of players one night resulted in my getting a start in right center field. I am sure that after taking my position, I looked about in a way that betrayed my nervousness. Here was my chance to make a good impression on the established players who surrounded me. The ball left home plate on a rope, but my jump on it was good and I streaked to my right, stuck out my Mag Plus, Chinese-made glove and, in one of those moments where the game slows down, made the catch. Baserunners who were convinced that the ball would
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Serving Bay and Walton Counties www.capitalcityinvestments.com Securities and advisory services are offered through LPL Financial (LPL), a registered investment advisor and broker-dealer (member FINRA/SIPC). Insurance products are offered through LPL or its licensed affiliates. Capital City Bank and Capital City Investments are not registered as a broker-dealer or investment advisor. Registered representatives of LPL offer products and services using Capital City Investments, and may also be employees of Capital City Bank. These products and services are being offered through LPL or its affiliates, which are separate entities from, and not affiliates of, Capital City Bank or Capital City Investments. Securities and insurance offered through LPL or its affiliates are: Not Insured by FDIC or Any Federal Government Agency · Not Bank Guaranteed Not Bank Deposits or Obligations · May Lose Value EMERALDCOASTMAGA ZINE.COM
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Emerald Coast Magazine is partnering with the Junior League of the Emerald Coast to extend fundraising for the Child Clothing Project (the beneficiary of the Best of the Emerald Coast event) through April. Learn more by visiting EmeraldCoastMagazine.com/best-of-theemerald-coast or by turning to page 33.
@EMERALDCOASTMAG What were you the most proud of in 2020? That home renovation project finally finished? Spending more time with your family? Career growth or change? Share your 2020 highlights with us on Instagram. Don’t forget to tag @emeraldcoastmag for a chance to be featured.
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WELCOME, DERMATOLOGY SPECIALISTS! We are thrilled to partner with Dermatology Specialists of Florida for exclusive beauty and skincare content. Visit EmeraldCoastMagazine.com/ beauty-links to discover what’s new, and don’t forget to read their Q&A with Dr. Chandler of 30A Plastic Surgery on page 32.
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EATERIES Chili’s • Wayback Burgers • Craft Bar: a Florida Gastropub Texas Roadhouse • IHOP • Jersey Mike’s Subs • Zoë’s Kitchen Sweet Frog Frozen Yogurt
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OUTSIDE LIVING OUTSIDE OF ORDINARY. Introducing NatureWalk at the Watersound Origins® Community This gated, new home community is just two miles from 30A and the Gulf, so you can easily get to the beach and then get away from it all.
MODEL GRAND OPENING Learn more at NatureWalkWatersound.com
©2020 Kolter Homes. Prices, features, dimensions, amenities, special offers and product offerings are subject to change without notice. CGC1509406
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December 2020–January 2021 2020
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wave EDUCATION
Cyber-help Wanted
THE
FEB/MAR 2021
A CONSCIOUS, COOL COMPENDIUM OF COASTAL STUFF
→ Dr. John Holdnak, president of Gulf Coast State College, views Al McCambry as a “champion of the underdog.” McCambry relates closely to small businesses as the school’s dean of workforce development.
PERSONALITY
A GLASS THREEQUARTERS FULL Al McCambry finds the positives in people by HANNAH BURKE
↓
photography by MIKE FENDER
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February-March 2021
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THE
wave
↑ McCambry checked up on the nursing program at GCSC’s Gulf/Franklin campus. Nursing coordinator Debbie Brzuska gave the dean an update.
A
l McCambry wishes he could be cloned. McCambry, the dean of workforce development at Gulf Coast State College (GCSC) and director of its Gulf/Franklin campus, has just wrapped up a groundbreaking ceremony for the college’s new Nursing Simulation Center and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Bootcamp Facility, made possible by Triumph grants totaling about $18 million. A day earlier, he attended a meeting of the college’s board of trustees. Additionally, McCambry serves on boards at the Bay County Chamber of Commerce, the Bay County Economic Development Alliance and at Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center, where he is board chairman. He is an active part of the American Red Cross, the Bay County Chamber of Commerce’s Military Affairs Committee and the Early Learning Coalition of Northwest Florida. “When I pitched the cloning idea to my staff, they agreed that, while
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helpful, it would probably be dangerous,” McCambry laughed. To be sure, the world could use more McCambrys. He’s a man who refuses to believe there’s more bad than good in society. He’s a man of faith in his god and his fellow man. For every dislikable quality McCambry discovers in a person, he’ll find two more reasons to love him. “I truly believe everything happens for a reason,” McCambry said. “I like seeing the possibility of what can be afforded to individuals on both sides of the coin. There are those who have had everything and suddenly see there’s a newer, more rewarding path before them, and those who may have no idea what paths are available to them.” Growing up an Air Force brat, McCambry discovered a passion for education in high school. He envisioned that he would become a teacher. “My dad advised me that, depending on the lifestyle I wanted, I might want to consider doing something more
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lucrative in the private sector and also find ways to work with young people,” McCambry said. “So, that’s the approach I took.” For many years, McCambry was an executive at Comcast in Toledo, Ohio, and Muscle Shoals, Alabama. In 2006, he accepted a general manager position with Knology (now WOW! Internet, Cable and Phone) and moved with his family to Bay County. All the while, McCambry stayed involved in Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Junior Achievement programs, and even landed a seat on the board of the National Council for Continuing Education and Training (NCCET). When WOW! merged with Knology and ushered in their own senior management team, McCambry began to search for new opportunities. His wife requested if, at all possible, they stay in Bay County. As the product of networking, McCambry discovered that GCSC was looking for someone to serve as the director of its Continuing Education Department, a division that bridges the gap between the college’s academic programs and specific skills required for career advancement. McCambry accepted the role, and a year later, he was promoted to the job of dean of workforce development. “In 2019, I ended up picking up responsibility for the Gulf/Franklin campus, which gave me a better understanding of what our college was all about,” McCambry said. “I was able to really see how the credit programs were run and gain a bigger appreciation for some of the occupational degree programs, like our nursing program, which is a huge success at this campus. It’s all worked out well, and I’ve been very blessed.” McCambry sees GCSC as a “conduit of hope that a lot of people need.” The college pledges to deliver lifechanging learning opportunities, and it’s opportunity that makes him smile. Dr. John Holdnak, GCSC’s president, photography by MIKE FENDER
often refers to McCambry as a “champion of the underdog,” a title McCambry wears with pride. “This country was built on small businesses,” McCambry said, “and if I can help the underdog, maybe they’ll end up being one of those small business owners.” McCambry’s parents taught him when he was young that they were no better than anyone else, but there was nothing wrong with the pursuit of self-betterment. “You just have to do what you need to do to always better yourself and realize that if it wasn’t for God’s favor, you could be walking in someone else’s shoes,” McCambry said. McCambry is a big believer in paying the civic rent. “I strongly believe that if you have an idea of what the needs of your community are and you’re actively working to push the community in a direction that will make it better for all of its citizens, you’re able to
give back,” McCambry said. them. This young man made “You just have “That’s important to me.” some mistakes, and he’s having to do what you But no matter how busy, to deal with the consequences, need to do to McCambry always has time but he is going to be all right. always better for his top priority. He has a heart of gold, and he’s For 35 years, he has been very hard-headed! But, he’s yourself and married to Debbie McCambry, coming around.” realize that if it whom he refers to as the “betThrough him, McCambry wasn’t for God’s ter three-fourths” of the relahas gained another grandchild, favor, you could tionship. Together, they have age 6, who calls McCambry be walking in two daughters, a son and a “Pawpaw.” Undoubtedly, Pawsomeone else’s granddaughter. paw is the best title he’s earned. Recently, their family has “People always tell me I’m shoes.” grown even bigger. a glass half-full kind of guy, — Al McCambry, McCambry met a troubled, but I think my glass is threedean of workforce 21-year-old man at church who quarters full,” McCambry said. development at Gulf always called him “Uncle.” “It’s easy to find something Coast State College These days, he said, it’s “Dad.” you dislike about someone “I love this kid to death, it’s else, but look a little harder like I’ve had him my whole life,” McCambry and you’re gonna find something you like. said. “Most of us make mistakes and are The only way we’re going to get to where very fortunate we don’t have to pay for we need to be is if we do it together.” EC
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THE
wave
←
EDUCATION
CYBER-HELP WANTED UWF’s Dr. Eman El-Sheikh leads effort to fill critical jobs by STEVE BORNHOFT
T
he National Security Agency, in October of last year, awarded a $6 million cybersecurity workforce development grant to the University of West Florida, which has been selected to lead a coalition of ı0 colleges and universities in efforts to address a critical workforce shortage. “In the United States, we have 500,000 unfilled cybersecurity jobs,” Dr. Eman El-Sheikh said in November, “and ı,500 of those openings are here in Northwest Florida. We can’t hope to fill those jobs by focusing solely on academic degree pathways.” UWF’s Center for Cybersecurity, which UWF associate vice president El-Sheikh leads, began blazing other trails years ago when it established its
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Cybersecurity for All program, whose mission includes up-skilling and re-skilling individuals for cybersecurity jobs. While other schools were more timid, UWF “took an innovative, bold approach to developing workforce programs, and the NSA grant recognizes our leadership in that area,” El-Sheikh said. “The grant is a huge opportunity for Northwest Florida and a huge honor and responsibility for UWF.” The development of a national cybersecurity workforce program will particularly involve recruiting military veterans — and military personnel and first responders in transition — and preparing them to take on cybersecurity roles. “Many institutions would rather stay in the comfort zone of academic degree programs,” said El-Sheikh, who credits UWF president Martha Saunders with leading the school to do more. “We were interested at UWF in having a bigger impact through strategic partnerships and innovation. We have been willing to do things that involved risk and were experimental, but somebody’s got to go there if we are to stay ahead of threats.” UWF Center for Cybersecurity extra-campus activities have included a partnership with the state Department of Management Services whereby it provided cyber-training across all state
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agencies. The center has worked with elections officials statewide and has conducted cybersecurity camps, funded by the NSA, for students and adults. Via its Cybersecurity Ambassadors Program, it sends top UWF students into the community to promote awareness of cybersecurity issues and the need for good cyber-hygiene. “Threats to cybersecurity grow in numbers and complexity daily,” El-Sheikh said. “The pandemic has created new vulnerabilities because so many people have transitioned to working and learning remotely. Employees may access confidential data or networks without secure connections or may not have a secure network environment at their home.” El-Sheikh said high-speed evolution in the way we communicate and interact with schools and workplaces will bring about permanent parts of a new normal. That, she said, makes creating more secure cyber-environments and communities imperative. About that work there is relentless urgency. “We don’t have time to reinvent the wheel, so we seek out and develop strategic partnerships that will spur innovation,” El-Sheikh said. “We are moving fast, but so are our adversaries. The new tools and technologies that we are employing, such as artificial
PHOTO BY BERNARD LEONARD WILCHUSKY JR. COURTESY OF CENTER FOR CYBERSECURITY AT UNIVERSITY OF WEST FLORIDA
Aassociate vice president Dr. Eman El-Sheikh, the director of the UWF Center for Cybersecurity and a professor in the Department of Computer Science, is playing a role in providing the Emerald Coast with a second identity: Cyber Coast. She is pictured here with students Justin Fruitticher and Caroline Krause.
Born in Egypt to educator parents, Elsomehow gave up Michigan winters for Sheikh grew up substantially in Michigan. Pensacola Beach.” She earned a master’s degree and a doctorEl-Sheikh has been at UWF for nearly ate in computer science at Michigan State 20 years and began there as an assistant University. She is passionate about leadprofessor of computer science. She was ing other women to consider careers in cyattracted in 20ı4 to the opportunity to bersecurity, and the center has established head up the newly established Center a Women in Cybersecurity for Cybersecurity because Florida affiliate and a she had a keen interest in ↓ Women in Cybersecurity helping to address chalstudent chapter. At present, lenges with implications for CYBERSECURITY women hold only about ıı regional economic developFOR ALL percent of cybersecurity jobs ment and national prosperDr. Eman El-Sheikh of in the U.S. ity and security. UWF makes frequent The nature of the Emerald “Many are aware that use of the term “cyber-hygiene” and Coast is a key to attracting Pensacola is the cradle stresses the need for top cyber talent to the reof Naval aviation, but all people to guard gion, El-Sheikh said. they may not know that against breaches, especially with homes “A lot of cyber and dePensacola is also the birthincreasingly becoming fense work takes place in the place of cryptography, workplaces. When Washington, D.C., area, but which is fundamental to cyber-thefts and breaches occur, once those individuals realcybersecurity,” El-Sheikh she emphasizes, ize that they could operate said. “The region has a long the human element out of here, they’re not going history of work in cyberseusually proves to have been the weak link. to go back,” she said. “I was curity, and we are building a perfect example of that. I on that.” EC
intelligence and machine learning, they, too, are employing.” A popular perception to the contrary, cybersecurity jobs are not limited to coding alone at a computer. Cybersecurity, El-Sheikh said, is a team sport that relies on skills such as communication, problem solving and critical thinking that are important to many fields of endeavor. Many of the ı,500 Northwest Florida job openings are tied to the region’s military installations, but important cybersecurity work is also taking place in the private sector. El-Sheikh cited as an example work ongoing at the Navy Federal Credit Union in Pensacola. There are openings for programmers, vulnerability and intelligence analysts, and security managers and administrators. Among cybersecurity students at UWF, many take advantage of the Cybercorps Scholarship for Service program that awards scholarships plus stipends to students in exchange for commitments to work post-graduation for a federal government agency.
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ELEMENTS OF STYLE RANGING FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE MORE SUBLIME
→ In her crocheted cover-up from Venus, Amy Coltharp is no less brilliant than her colorful surroundings.
CITIZEN OF STYLE
FROM RED HILLS TO WHITE SANDS ↓
Amy Coltharp never runs out of compassion by STEVE BORNHOFT
WHAT’S IN STORE photography by MICHAEL BOOINI
Retail Roundup
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H
er father, she tells me, owned a fish market in Jacksonville for many years. “It was called Discount Seafood.” “I’d venture to guess that with a different name, he could have done better,” I suggest. “You hear ‘discount,’ you think the fish may be three days old.” Amy Coltharp laughs, not charitably, but genuinely. She is the kind of person who makes you feel like you know her well before you do and for whom humor is an important de-stressor, one of three she values. The others are visits to the beach and trail running. She once ran the 50mile Tallahassee Ultra Distance Classic at Wakulla Springs State Park. Coltharp is the administrator at the Panama City Developmental Center (PCDC), a residential center that is home to 64 people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. Some of the residents are nonverbal. Many may exhibit hostile or otherwise inappropriate behaviors. A resident, upon learning to brush his teeth, may have arrived at a significant, long hoped-for achievement.
↘
For Coltharp and her daughter Ansley, the beach is a favorite place to play. Since moving to Panama City Beach from Tallahassee, she has assembled an extensive beachwear collection.
↑ Coltharp takes to the sidewalks of Pier Park in Panama City Beach in a sundress from Stein Mart. A math major in college, she is today the administrator at the Panama City Developmental Center.
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photography by MICHAEL BOOINI
↑ Coltharp favors rompers and jumpsuits when not on her job seeing to the needs of 64 residents at the Panama City Developmental Center. Romper is from Venus, Jessica Simpson sunglasses are from Belk and jewelry is from Stein Mart.
Since April 2017, when she arrived at the center, Coltharp has dealt with Hurricane Michael — the storm heavily damaged the facility and necessitated the relocation of residents for six months — and the continuing pandemic. She has around-theclock responsibilities. Her phone can — and does — ring at any hour. “I love the programs we provide, but my main concern is that those 64 residents are safe, and that’s a huge weight on my shoulders, but I knew it was going to be that way,” Coltharp said. “You never know what you will be called about.” Those de-stressors are essential. “I like to visit with the residents and see how they are doing,” Coltharp said about quiet times, noting that she often takes walks with them along a circular concrete path at the center. “Even if they are nonverbal, they want somebody to be with.” A high school dropout, Coltharp rebounded and earned a mathematics degree at the University of South Florida in Tampa. There, she met her future husband, a physics student, and moved with him to Tallahassee where he enrolled in a doctoral program. She, meanwhile, went to work for the state prison system, at first teaching
math to incarcerated men. She then became a special education teacher working with inmates with disabilities before being promoted to administrative responsibility for special education for the overall adult prison system. Coltharp’s marriage was going south when she heard about a job opening in Panama City. Following a lengthy series of interviews, she and her then 4-yearold daughter, Ansley, were on their way to the beach. Ansley attends the Rising Leaders Academy in Panama City, a private nonprofit school near PCDC that emphasizes instruction in languages. She also takes dance lessons and is dying to go to New York City. “My biggest dream is providing for my daughter and giving her everything she needs to be a productive citizen,” Coltharp said. “I want to make sure that she has the tools to become an independent lady.” Coltharp is herself a woman with welldefined tastes. “I love teal, I love sea-foam green,” she
said. “I focus on beachy colors when I decorate.” When not at work, Coltharp favors jumpsuits and rompers. On the job, say when the Agency for Health Care Administration is paying a visit, she favors a crisp black blazer and dress pants. Run into her at the Grand Marlin restaurant, and she is likely to be wearing a form-fitting blouse, skinny jeans and a pair of wedges. On the beach or at the pool, Coltharp has lots of options. “I love my cover-ups and, living as close to the beach as I do, I have 50 bikinis,” she said. “OK, that’s an obsession right there.” She has no regrets about trading red hills for white sands. She departed a familiar place and moved to a town where she knew no one, but she proved resilient. “I work well with stress,” she said. “I left Tallahassee to take a job I didn’t even know I would like, and that was a huge risk, but I am glad I did.” Not that she doesn’t know how to relax. She has 50 bikinis to prove it. EC
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panache Custom Cookeries ➸ Located in Pensacola’s Pot Roast & Pinot, 86 FORKS supplies quick fuel for guys and gals on the go. The DYO (design your own) noodle bar is stocked with custom noodle, broth and protein options for a swift and hearty meal. ↑
The Dothan, Alabama-based boutique is known for its eclectic mix of Bohemian and vintage-style apparel and accessories, ensuring a snazzy find for any occasion. ➸ Last spring, hairstylist and fashionista Rachele Prevatt finally fulfilled one half of her lifelong dream of owning a boutique and salon with the launch of thesaltyspoonboutique.com. This winter, it all came together with THE SALTY SPOON SALON, now serving sassy cuts, color and professional hair treatment in the Destin/Fort Walton Beach area. ➸ Opened last November,
but in need of a pick-me-up? Newly opened LUCKY BEACH NUTRITION in Destin offers a vast menu of loaded teas, meal replacement shakes and lowcalorie coffees in just about any flavor you can dream of.
Get in Gear ➸ New to Panama City Beach
is BURN BOOT CAMP, a lifestyle fitness facility helping members achieve their fitness goals through 45-minute cardio, weight training and highintensity interval training classes. Look the part by shopping at burnbootcamp.com for a branded selection of apparel, accessories and “afterburn” proteins.
↑ WHAT’S IN STORE? A roundup of retail happenings throughout the Emerald Coast by HANNAH BURKE
Sculpt Studio is Santa Rosa Beach’s premier den of zen, offering both fitness and creative studios in which to work out and work in. Whether you’re looking for a rounded, yoga-based fitness class or a quiet place to work remotely, stop by the studio store for yoga mats, hand towels and refreshments to conquer your day. 30
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➸ Missing the water but not quite ready to take the icy plunge into the Gulf? Now available at XL Kites in Fort Walton Beach, the LIFT EFOIL hydrofoil surfboard is the perfect winter watersport, gliding riders up to 25 miles per hour across the sea with its battery-powered motor.
Fresh & Fashionable ➸ Offering hand-picked, sophisticated style for juniors and women of all sizes, DAHLIA’S BOUTIQUE is now open for business at Pier Park in Panama City Beach.
TYE BEAUTY is licensed esthetician and professional makeup artist Tye Hinson’s new makeup and skincare studio in Panama City Beach. Specializing in bridal cosmetics, Hinson also offers in-studio makeovers, facials and an array of her favorite GlyMed skincare products.
Give a Little, Get a Lot ➸ THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF BAY COUNTY THRIFT & GIFT STORE has again opened
its doors at 1354 W. 15th St. in Panama City, selling an array of home and pet goods that directly benefit the county’s only no-kill animal shelter. Stop by and browse the shop’s daily inventory and donate to its pet welfare and fundraising events.
➸ Opened this winter, ANTHEA
LE JARDIN is the latest to join
the family of Shops at the Hub 30A. The European-influenced botanical boutique, full of fine art, fragrances, flowers and jewelry, is sure to inspire a gift for you or someone you love.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF SCULPT STUDIO, 86 FORKS AND ANTHEA LE JARDIN
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February-March 2021
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PROMOTION
Q&A with Dr. David Chandler BOARD-CERTIFIED PLASTIC SURGEON Q: So, what’s the difference between a breast lift and breast augmentation? A: There is no doubt that for many
women, breasts are a defining part of their physique. But we all know that aging, gravity, weight fluctuation and pregnancies can significantly change their appearance over the years. For others with smaller breasts, there is often a desire to enhance the overall size, shape and proportionality of their breasts. So what are your options when it comes to plastic surgery? First, breast augmentations and breast lifts accomplish different goals. For example, breast augmentation increases your cup size and give the breasts a fuller shape (by placing an implant or placing your own fat within the breasts), while a lift raises sagging breast tissue and reshapes the breast to a more aesthetic appearance. In short, breast augmentation focuses on your breasts’ size and shape, while a breast lift focuses on the breasts’ overall position and shape but does not increase volume. Additionally, for women with significant
breast ptosis (sagging), performing a breast augmentation alone usually would not give the desired result, as the augmentation would not lift the sagging tissue.
The Breast Augmentation
When you’re unhappy with the volume or size of your breasts, breast augmentation may be the right procedure for you. First, we would discuss your goals for the surgery and your desired breast volume. The surgery is then performed by placing an implant in each breast to give the desired volume as discussed in our consultation.
The Breast Lift
Multiple life events and gravity can cause your breasts to sag and lose their round, perky shape over time as your skin stretches and your breasts begin to sag. During a breast lift, excess skin is removed and a repositioning of breast tissue and areolas is performed — moving the areolas higher on the breast and reshaping the breasts to restore a more youthful and fuller appearance.
The Combination — Lift and Augmentation
For some women, either procedure alone may not be sufficient to accomplish their desired goals. Combining the two procedures can often create a desired breast shape that is only achievable by this combination. In general, women who may desire the combined augmentation and lift are those who are unhappy with the degree and sagging of the breasts and are also unhappy with the volume of the breasts, even in a bra. Ultimately, determining which procedure is best for you is a highly individualized decision and only by communicating about your desired goals and understanding your individual anatomy, can we decide upon the best procedure to accomplish those goals. All three procedures typically require a 2-to-4 week recovery with a gradual DAVID return to activity CHANDLER, MD over this period.
DERMATOLOGY SPECIALISTS / AQUA MEDICAL SPA / 30A PLASTIC SURGERY PANAMA CITY | SANTA ROSA BEACH | (850) 608-1833 | 30APLASTICS.COM
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TAKE THE FIRST STEP TO HELPING CHILDREN IN NEED THE CHILD CLOTHING PROJECT HELPS CLOTHE MORE THAN 400 CHILDREN IN NEED EACH YEAR IN NORTHWEST FLORIDA.
You Can Help
2 pairs of pants 1 long-sleeved shirt
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1 short-sleeved shirt A pair of shoes
A package of underwear
•
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A jacket
A package of socks
Toothbrush and toothpaste from an area dentist Assorted school supplies and goodies from the Junior League
B E NE F I T T I N G
2020 of
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BEST TH
Today, this initiative, begun in 1979 by the Junior League of the Emerald Coast, is especially critical given the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Benefitting children receive:
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Best of the Emerald Coast not only celebrates the best of the best each year based on our readers’ choice poll, but it serves as the largest fundraising opportunity for our beneficiary, the Junior League of the Emerald Coast. With our 2020 event not able to happen for safety precautions due to the onset of the pandemic, we launched a fundraising opportunity where our community could donate in lieu of purchasing a ticket for the event. We are expanding that effort today through April 30 of 2021 by partnering with many of the Best of the Emerald Coast winners. They will be contributing to this effort when you shop, dine and hire their services.
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850tix.com/organizations/1127/donate. We appreciate your generous support!
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gastro&gusto FEB/MAR 2021
LIBATIONS
Gin Dandy
DINING, IMBIBING AND LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST
Drink like a literary giant by STEVE BORNHOFT
↓
illustration by LINDSEY MASTERSON
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gastro & gusto Writer Ernest Hemingway served gin martinis so cold that they “stuck to the fingers.” In preparation, he froze cocktail glasses and garnishes.
F
rancis Macomber, horribly chastened, has returned to camp along with his wife Margaret and his guide, the white hunter Robert Wilson. “Will you have lime juice or lemon squash?” Macomber asks of the others. For Wilson, neither will do. “I’ll have a gimlet,” Wilson tells Macomber. “I’ll have a gimlet, too,” says Margaret. “I need something.” “I suppose it’s the thing to do,” Macomber allows. The scene is from Ernest Hemingway’s short story, The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber. The appearance by the gimlet, a simple concoction of gin and lime juice, is consistent with the author’s own tastes for libations. He favored clean and refreshing gimlets on safari when the heat was too much for whiskey. Macomber has disappointed and embarrassed himself. He guts a lion with misplaced shots. The wounded animal gallops off and settles in tall grass. When it hears the guide and his client approach, it charges. Macomber “bolts like a rabbit,” leaving Wilson to dispatch the threat. Margaret, enamored now of Wilson more than her husband, witnesses it all. When Macomber struggles to “clear the lion business,” Wilson prescribes a “spot of the old giant killer.” Perhaps gin will refresh Macomber in more than one way.
The linkage between gin and literature is strong. Too, I associate it with professors I had when studying English as an undergraduate at a small school in Northern Wisconsin. Professor Greg Parks was fond of recalling colleague David Allen’s reaction when the two men entered a juniper wood on a camping trip. “Ah, gin,” Allen said. Parks and Allen and Lee Merrill and Peg Jackson led me through novels and anthologies, helping me to untangle and interpret literature and encouraging me to write. Merrill opened his course on Hemingway by asking that students form an opinion about Papa. Was he legitimately a literary giant or a glorified outdoors writer? Both, I would today
argue, and a prodigious drinker, to boot. Hemingway’s go-to cocktail, according to Food & Wine, was an extra-dry, ice-cold gin martini. By freezing water in tennis ball tubes to making ice cylinders used in pitchers and freezing glasses and the Spanish
Gin Rickey & Golden Purl
Gin Rickey
Golden Purl
➸ Two parts gin ➸ ¾ ounce lime juice ➸ Top with club soda
Ingredients: ➸ 1 cup cider ➸ 1 tbsp maple syrup
In a highball glass:
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Should a cold breeze blow
➸ 1½ ounces gin ➸ 2 dashes orange bitters ➸ orange peel
Heat up the cider until hot and stir in maple syrup until dissolved. Pour into glass mug and add gin. Stir again and top with bitters. Garnish with orange peel. illustrations by LINDSEY MASTERSON
DELIVERY
from your favorites cocktail onions he used as garnishes, the magazine relays, Hemingway made a drink so cold that, in his words, “It sticks to the fingers.” Less chilled, of course, the gin martini is a drink for all seasons. Hemingway was a tennis player and, I will presume, one fond of poaching. Nonetheless, he took care, he told the late journalist Lillian Ross, to let his wife Martha Gellhorn almost win. She did not wish to be beaten badly, and Hemingway told Ross, “If you let her win, she became insufferable,” a condition that the giant killer seems always to inflame and never tame. F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda played tennis, too — lawn tennis on courts at properties at Great Neck, Long Island, owned by Guggenheims and Vanderbilts. It’s hard to imagine Fitzgerald, alternately Macomber-like and unreserved, having to let anyone win. His house on the island rented for $300 a month, and he was to his fabulously wealthy neighbors as Nick Carraway was to Jay Gatsby, but he and Zelda nonetheless were welcome at the most lavish parties. Fitzgerald had a fondness for gin rickeys, a highball made from gin, half of a lime squeezed and dropped in the glass, and carbonated water. When, in The Great Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan on the hottest of afternoons dispatches her husband Tom to make drinks for guests, including Gatsby, Tom returns with gin rickeys that “clicked full of ice.” Gatsby takes up a drink and awkwardly observes the obvious, commenting, “They certainly look cool.” Good thing, Tom suggests, adding, “I read somewhere that the sun’s getting hotter every year.” “First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you,” said Fitzgerald, whose tolerance for alcohol was notoriously slight. He believed about gin that it was undetectable on one’s breath, but he made no effort to disguise his liking for it. The poet Philip Larkin, in Sympathy in White Major, raises a gin and tonic to selflessness. When I drop four cubes of ice Chimingly in a glass, and add Three goes of gin, a lemon slice, And let a ten-ounce tonic void
In foaming gulps until it smothers Everything else up to the edge, I lift the lot in private pledge: He devoted his life to others.
There is a stanza enough to make me knock off early and head for the liquor cabinet. Living where we do — and with the sun getting hotter every year — we need not resort, come winter, to the heaviness of brandy and schnapps and Irish cream. So raise a spot of giant killer light and clear, toast all whom you hold dear, conquer fears, discount the years and celebrate the now and here. EC
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PATHS TO FITNESS Alternative approaches have unique appeals BY STEVE BORNHOF T
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mong people pursuing fitness goals, some will choose to go it alone, to experience the loneliness of the long-distance runner. Most, however, will seek the assistance of a personal trainer or participate as a member of a group in workout sessions at a Crossfit gym or fitness studio. Both options have advantages. A trainer working one-on-one with a client can customize workouts to specifically address goals and weaknesses. People who join in classes enjoy support and encouragement from fellow participants and may engage in friendly competition.
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Workouts led by head coach Alexis Ware at Orangetheory Fitness in Panama City Beach are designed to increase endurance, strength and power.
PHOTOS BY MIKE FENDER (WARE) AND STEVEN GRAY (WORK)
Chris Work of Pensacola has worked as a self-employed fitness trainer since 2009 after previously working for gyms for nine years. He trains diverse clients including middle- and high-school athletes seeking competitive advantages; professionals seeking to balance sedentary jobs with physical activity; and seniors working to maintain mobility and flexibility. In all cases, his relationship with a client begins with a consultation. Drawing upon lessons he learned as a pre-physical therapy student at Pensacola State College, Work explores issues that may include old injuries, back pain, weakness in hamstrings, muscle strength imbalances and the nature of the job a client holds. “For example, I have a client who is a UPS driver,” Work said. “He’s up and down a lot, so I give him a lot of spine-sparing exercises. “People may have muscles in the front that are stronger than those in the back. They may be experiencing joint or shoulder pain. People who work desk jobs are likely to have a lot of muscle tightness.” Work stresses the importance of building or shoring up a foundation for fitness training. “The base may have cracks in it, and we may have some patchwork to do before we can build a highrise on it,” he said. “You can’t just start people out on a deadlift.” Too, Work said, “lingering problems” not uncovered by the initial consultation may become apparent once light workouts begin. Work holds certifications from the Athletics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and has always been fascinated by anatomy and physiology.
Trainer Chris Work of Pensacola works with a range of clients, including seniors who may need help maintaining mobility and functionality or in recovering from joint replacement surgeries. He tailors his workouts for his clients based on their goals and initial consultation.
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needed to fatigue a muscle. Working by yourself, you may have a tendency to back out too early because you are afraid you may not be able to finish on your own. Plus, a spotter can watch your form when you can’t see it yourself.” Work encourages people to take their time when shopping for a trainer. “Look at certifications and experience levels and find someone you are comfortable with and will work well with,” he said. “Be prepared to interview the trainer.” FEEL THE AFTERBURN At the Orangetheory Fitness studio in the North Pier Park shopping mall in Panama City Beach, head coach Alexis Ware likes to say that the studio offers personal training in a group setting. Its full-body, one-hour workouts are based on heart rate and led by a certified coach. “We provide interval training focused on endurance, strength and power,” Ware said. “Members wear monitors that track their heart rate, which is displayed on TV monitors.”
Workouts vary from day to day, but the built-in Orangetheory goal remains the same. Members strive to spend 12 or more minutes at or above 84 percent of their maximum heart rate — termed the orange and red zones — and half the class in the green zone, which is 71 percent or more. By meeting those goals, members achieve excess post-exercise oxygen consumption or EPOC afterburn, meaning that they will continue to burn calories more than they ordinarily would at rest long after their workout is complete. Members don’t know what the workout of the day is until they arrive at the studio, which discourages people from skipping days and interrupting their progress. “If you hate doing treadmill on an incline, you might not come to class that day if you know in advance what the workout is,” Ware said. “But nobody leaves once they get here.” Orangetheory workouts are calibrated so that they are challenging, but achievable, for people of all fitness levels. As to the treadmill, a member may be a power walker, a jogger or a runner. Coaches call out parameters that apply to each level. Similarly, levels are prescribed for exercises conducted on the floor or rowing machines. Ware said members at her studio range in age from 16 to 80-plus and include one with cerebral palsy. Orangetheory studios are located across the country and internationally. For people getting into fitness for the first time or recommitting to fitness, “Orangetheory is a great place to start,” Ware said. “It’s like a family here. Everybody gets to know each other and supports one another.
Head coach Alexis Ware offers encouragement to members at Orangetheory Fitness. In walking, jogging or running on a treadmill, Ware’s charges strive to spend 12 or more minutes at or above 84 percent of their maximum heart rate. Heart rates are displayed on a wall-mounted screen.
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PHOTOS BY MIKE FENDER
He trains his clients at Elite Fitness and Health in Pensacola. His work with seniors, especially people recovering from hip or knee replacement surgeries, makes up a large component of his business. “Older clients want to age gracefully and maintain their mobility and functionality,” Work said. “Many have come through physical therapy and want to keep exercising as they should. They may be dealing with bone density issues, and impact and weight training can help combat that.” Goals among Work’s clients vary and may include weight loss or regaining the ability to engage in activities that clients used to enjoy, such as bicycle riding or even surfing. Because personal trainers work closely with individual clients, they are in a position to ensure their safety, Work said. “We are right there as a personal spotter,” he stressed. “We see to it that you safely mount or dismount a weight and exit a bench or other equipment. And we coach you so that you get the repetitions
At the suggestion of clients, Robbie Hysong added fitness training as a complement to her practice as a certified mental health counselor. In so doing, she earned a personal training certificate from the National Academy of Sports Medicine.
“When you see other people working out hard, you’re going to push yourself. And, working out is more fun with a group.” In an hour, female members will burn between 500 and 600 calories and men may burn up to 1,000. Injuries are not often a problem. “If they occur here at all, they are minor and you may just need to take some rest days,” Ware said. Ware grew up in Bay County, graduated from Mosley High School and earned an exercise sports science degree at the University of South Carolina Aiken, which she attended
on a full-ride basketball scholarship. She holds a NASM personal training certificate and completed Orangetheory Fitness training. While she is thinking about returning to school to get a master’s degree one day, Ware for now is doing what she wants to do. “I enjoy it so much,” she said. “It does not feel like a job.” A HOLISTIC APPROACH Robbie Hysong’s work as a fitness trainer came about as an extension of her practice as a licensed mental health counselor. A self-described “fitness buff,”
she frequently was asked by clients if she would be willing to help them get in good physical shape. She was reluctant to do so because she lacked credentials in that area, but then, in 2011, she earned her NASM personal trainer certification and got comfortable with incorporating fitness into her practice. “I have always been taught that a holistic approach — body, mind and soul — is the way to go,” Hysong said. “Natural antidepressants are the byproduct of exercise, and people want to get the feel-good without relying on pharmaceuticals.” Hysong has personal training clients who have not been therapy clients, but she has found that her best outcomes occur with clients with whom she already had an established therapeutic relationship. “Once we have some rapport and trust going, their openness and willingness to move to a personal training setting is really (continued on page 87) good,” she said.
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NICK NELSON #79
whoa,
NELLIE! Panama City prospect earns his way to Yankee Stadium STORY BY STEVE BORNHOFT // PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL BOOINI
Nick Nelson exited the bullpen, and passing between center fielder Aaron Hicks and left fielder Brett Gardner, trotted toward the pitcher’s mound. The outfielders offered encouraging words — “Go get ’em!” — aware that Nelson was about to make his major league debut. Six days earlier, Nelson, working out at the New York Yankees’ alternate training site in Scranton, Pennsylvania, had answered the knock at his door that he had been working toward since he attended a baseball camp as an 8-year-old at R.L. Turner Field in Panama City.
He was headed to The Show.
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He met up with the Yankees on July 26 in Washington where they beat the Nationals, 3-2, before moving on to Philadelphia. There, they were scheduled to meet the Phillies in a two-game set. Both of those games were postponed due to COVID-19 concerns, and Nelson it seemed, had hurried up to wait. He and his new teammates spent two interminable days sequestered in a Philadelphia hotel room. The Yankees then retreated to Yankee Stadium to get a practice in before traveling to Baltimore for a pair of contests, both won by the visitors, and then it was back to New York for a series against archrival Boston. The Yankees beat the Red Sox, 5-1, on July 31 and were leading, 5-2, a day later when bullpen coach Mike Harkey sent in Nelson. His time had come. Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka had flamed out early, recording only eight outs. Nelson would be called upon to give the Yankees several innings in middle relief. “I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I was gonna be,” Nelson said in October, a day after meeting with his agent in Tampa. “I didn’t really feel any different. There wasn’t a lot of pressure that one might expect there would be, you know, for a major league debut.” Let’s reiterate. Nelson, in Yankee pinstripes, was taking the mound that Mariano Rivera built in the House that Jeter Built against the archrival Boston Red Sox whose fortunes, yes, have vacillated more wildly lately than penny stocks, but still. Under those circumstances, what gave the rookie Nelson such calm? I would puzzle over that for a time.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF NY YANKEES (ABOVE)
← Gulf Coast State College head baseball coach Mike Kandler recognized Nick Nelson’s bigleague potential when, as a pre-teen, Nelson attended youth baseball clinics. → Nelson made an auspicious debut with the Yankees, picking up a win over their rival, the Boston Red Sox.
For Mike Kandler, the experience of Nelson’s first major league outing was far different than it was for the kid, himself. Kandler, the baseball coach at Gulf Coast State College, has known Nelson for most of his life, from baseball camps forward. “It really should have been a great moment, but for me it was almost traumatizing,” Kandler said. “He was extremely confident, and it was amazing to me that he could go out there and pitch in Yankee Stadium against the Red Sox and, sitting in a chair, I couldn’t even watch him.” Nelson wiped out the first man he faced, Boston second baseman Tzu-Wei Lin, on three fastballs — 96, 97 and 98 mph — then walked Andrew Benintendi before causing both Kevin Pillar and Rafael Devers to fly out. Nelson would go on to pitch two more innings. He would face 11 batters in total, surrendering no hits or runs, walking two and getting credit for the win.
Overall during 2020’s truncated, regular season without fans, Nelson logged 20.2 innings, striking out 18 and posting a 4.79 ERA, a stat that was inflated by one bad outing in which he gave up six earned runs in an inning and two-thirds. “The guys he struck out aren’t exactly bad at baseball; they are the best hitters in the world,” Kandler said, noting Nelson’s highly respectable strikeout ratio. Nelson went on to make two postseason appearances against the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Division Series, working two hitless innings and striking out two. Kandler texted Nelson after the first of those appearances, a one-two-three inning, joking that he had saved the best for last by throwing better than he had in the regular season. “It was an entirely different level of intensity,” said Nelson, “and I really wanted to prove that I could throw and be of value in the postseason.” That he did. EMERALDCOASTMAGA ZINE.COM
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A BRAVES FAN FIRST Nelson grew up following the Atlanta Braves. Third baseman Chipper Jones was his favorite player. “As a kid, I hated the Yankees,” Nelson said, “but I love the organization now. I love being a Yankee. Everything they do is professional.” Nelson, open faced and strawberry blonde, was 11 when Kandler first told him that he would probably make his living playing baseball. “That comment was maybe a little bit carried away at the time, but when he was in high school, he really started to develop,” Kandler said. “He was actually a better hitter than he was a pitcher, even through his freshman year in college. “Hitting came to him easily at a young age and that gave him confidence, but when he got to hitting against guys who were throwing 93, 94, he probably realized that this isn’t real easy to hit, so if I throw that hard, it might be difficult
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for other people to hit me, as well. He has so much arm strength, pitching was just a matter of time.” Nelson, who was adopted and raised by his maternal grandparents, Maria and Ronnie Nelson, played three seasons at Rutherford High School for Coach Jon Hudson, who later moved on to Mosley High School. He was sidelined his sophomore season due to a hamstring injury sustained at a players showcase event in Pensacola. “His junior year became his learning year on the mound,” Hudson said. “He had to work on some control issues, but that was really because he hadn’t pitched much. And hard throwers can be like golfers who drive the ball 300 yards. If you’re a little off center, you can wind up in the next fairway.” For as long as he coached him, Hudson thought Nelson’s best chance to make his way through the minor leagues would be as a hitter.
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But Kandler, at Gulf Coast, further groomed him for the mound. Today, Kandler said, Nelson is among a “new breed of guys who throw extremely hard coming out of the bullpen. Nick was a starter all the way through the minors, but I kind of thought he might find his way to the back end.” Kandler likened Nelson to Trevor Rosenthal of the San Diego Padres but said Nelson has arm action that is smoother. It’s said about him that he throws “easy cheese,” achieving great pitch speed without obvious effort. “It’s a clean arm,” Kandler said of Nelson. “Mechanically, he’s doing everything right. Some guys, their action is a little bit erratic, but he has a really pretty throwing motion that minimizes the stress on his arm. With just a little more refining of his command, he’s gonna stay in the big leagues forever. The sky’s the limit, really.”
Nelson quickly learned to respect clubhouse leader Brett Gardner, whom he is comfortable calling Gardy. Yankees manager Aaron Boone ← Nelson spoke with the Gulf Coast tends to employ State College such diminutives. baseball team Thus, catcher Kyle at a fall practice before presenting Higashioka becomes Coach Kandler with Higgy and Nelson a signed Yankees already is Nellie, rejersey. He said he misses the way minding some like me Kandler would give of the great Chicago him a dressingWhite Sox second down when it was warranted. baseman and chewing tobacco huckster Nellie Fox. Nelson shagged batting practice with fellow reliever Adam Ottavino and often chatted up closer Aroldis Chapman in the A STARTING ROLE? bullpen. Nelson, a longtime Gator fan, had planned “We are all really close despite to go to the University of Florida after everything going on in the world,” Nelson Gulf Coast to pursue a degree in sports said. “Boonie cares about everyone in management, but the Yankees got in the the clubhouse, and everybody gets along. way, selecting him in the fourth round of There are no cliques, no differences. It’s the 2016 draft. New York and the Kansas an awesome atmosphere.” City Royals had been serious about Yes, he said Boonie. signing him. No one in New York, Nelson said, “gets Throughout his minor league career, on my ass like Coach Kandler used to, and Nelson was a starting pitcher, and he I kinda miss that. Sometimes, I need that.” believes he may be returned to that role. Let it be said about Kandler that he had Given a 2020 rotation that included the four former players on 2020 postseason likes of Tanaka, J.A. Happ and James rosters: Nelson; Chicago White Sox Paxton, the Yankees may need to reload. pitcher Matt Foster; Atlanta Braves “I have heard them hint that I might pitcher Will Smith; and Los Angeles be a starter next year, and I had lunch Dodgers outfielder Terrance Gore. with my agent yesterday and he thinks This winter, Nelson is working out I’m going to be a starter,” Nelson said in and throwing bullpen sessions at George October. “I hope they will call me soon Steinbrenner Field in Tampa and staying and let me know what the plan is.” in close touch with Kriske and starting Regardless, Nelson will be pleased to be pitcher Michael King. part of a team that has embraced him. A HUMBLE GUY “When I got there, everybody really Kandler and Hudson offer similar loved me,” Nelson said. “I got called up assessments of Nelson, the person. with one of my buddies, Brooks Kriske. “He was never one to ever talk about They were very welcoming and offered himself,” Hudson said. “He may have us congratulations. Everyone was very pitched a shutout and hit two home runs, helpful and told us how things work. but you couldn’t get him to talk about that; Gerrit Cole was the player who helped he would just talk about what the team did. me out the most. I thought that was He is unassuming and doesn’t ever seek pretty cool.” the spotlight. He just wants to play ball.” Yeah, that Gerrit Cole, signed by the In all of that, Hudson said, Nelson Yankees in December 2019 to a nine-year, resembles his adoptive parents. $324 million contract.
“They are really good people,” Hudson said of Marie and Ronnie Nelson. “They were at every game. I think Nick has a lot of their personality. They never told anyone how to coach or how to play. They were there to support Nick and the team. I would go to them and say, ‘Nick had a great game,’ and they would say, ‘He sure did, thank you,’ and that was it.” “Nick is such a good person that you want to stay in touch with him,” Kandler said. “We went down and saw him in Tampa last year. He’s the same guy that he was when he was 9 years old. He never big-leagues anybody; he’d have the time of day for anyone who wanted to talk to him.” The further development of Nelson as a pitcher will largely be up to Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake, who, despite his station, never played in the major leagues. Nelson, 25, recognizes that he needs to work on consistency and command of his pitches. He throws a fastball, slider, curveball and change-up. He considers his change-up to be his best pitch and said he discovered it — like Rivera finding his cut fastball — during his 2018 minor league season divided among Tampa; Trenton, New Jersey; and Charleston, South Carolina. “I kinda just found it and started throwing it, and it became the pitch that it is today,” Nelson said. “I didn’t have much trust in my curveball this past year. I came to the conclusion that I really didn’t need it coming out of the bullpen, so I focused on my other three pitches.” Among relief pitchers, many rely on two pitches, sometimes only one. In 2020, Nelson’s travels within the city were limited to trips between Yankee Stadium and the team hotel in Yonkers. He hopes that this year, he will be able to visit museums and the Statue of Liberty. Now, as to the source of Nelson’s calm. I think I have figured that out. Hudson put me on to the answer when he said about Nelson and his grandparents that they are grateful always for whatever they have. Yes, that’s the key. Gratitude can be an invaluable source of joy, humility and ease. In that, Nelson has a lesson to offer the most grizzled veterans of his game. EC
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EXPERIENCE Upscale shopping, sophisticated dining options and South Walton’s premier events and entertainment await you Along the Boulevard.
DINE
SHOP
Another Broken Egg Café
Altar’d State
The Bistro
Anthropologie
(Located in Courtyard by Marriott Sandestin at Grand Boulevard)
Black Bear Bread Co. (Now Open)
Billabong Bluemercury Hemline
Cantina Laredo Modern Mexican
J. Ji l l
The Craft Bar
J.McLaughlin
Emeril’s Coastal
The Jewel
everkrisp
Kittenish by Jessie James Decker
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
Lilly Pulitzer
Grimaldi’s Coal Brick-Oven Pizzeria
lululemon (Now Open)
Kilwins
Orvis
PF Chang’s China Bistro
Peter Millar
Starbucks
Pottery Barn
Tommy Bahama Restaurant & Bar
Southern Tide (Now Open)
Vin’tij Food & Wine
Sunset Shoes (Now Open)
The Wine Bar
Tommy Bahama
Ophelia Swimwear
Vineyard Vines Williams Sonoma
Courtyard by Marriott Sandestin at Grand Boulevard
Residence Inn by Marriott Sandestin at Grand Boulevard
Hyatt Place Sandestin at Grand Boulevard
Grand Fitness
grandboulevard.com
Emerald Coast Theatre Company
#GrandBlvd
South Walton Beaches Wine & Food Festival Save the Date: April 23-25, 2021
expression FEB/MAR 2021
CREATIVE WORKS LAND ON PAGES, CANVASES AND STAGES
ART
ESOTERIC LEANINGS ↓
Justin Gaffrey grants himself expanded artistic license by WYNN PARKS
↗ Justin Gaffrey is well-established on the Emerald Coast, so much so that his artworks are touted as selling points when Gulf-front manses in the area go on the market.
photography by SEAN MURPHY
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expression
↗ A former studio assistant labeled a chair “Mr. Rogers,” believing in Gaffrey’s dream that he would one day move into a big studio and each morning arrive and, ala Rogers, slip into his comfortable painting shoes.
S
ince 2001, when Justin Gaffrey got his calling as an artist, his signature on a painting has become the sine qua non imprimatur of an exaggerated painting style with the visual appeal — primary colors and decorative piping — of lavish confections. These days, Gaffrey paintings are cited as selling points in descriptions of luxury
WAVES
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homes for sale. Along the Emerald Coast, his creations, both paintings and sculptures, are priced between $3,000 and $11,000. Born in New Jersey in 1970, Gaffrey moved to South Florida as a boy. “I’ve been in the Panhandle since 1980,” he said. “The oyster-shell roads have gone to asphalt. I spent a good few years as a chef around Blue Mountain Beach but finally dropped out of the restaurant scene to be an artist.” Gaffrey attributes his success on the art scene to his work ethic, like a surfboard on 30A’s tsunami of gentrification. “I’m obsessive about production,” he said. “Commercially, you have to be. I want to establish a legacy that will run itself, so I can retire and get more esoteric with my painting.” Gaffrey opened his business as a leap of faith. In the early days, he lived, painted and exhibited his work in a storefront gallery near Seaside.
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By virtue of Gaffrey’s Horatio Alger spirit, he has since added an industrial scale studio — a proper Florentine Renaissance workshop containing separate units for wood and metal work, pigment grinding, paint mixing, plus digital workstations and a photography setup. Except for five or six employees, including a son and daughter, it’s a veritable Fortress of Solitude where the artist can focus, uninterrupted, on the creative process. Then, it’s on to the production line where birch panels and acrylic paint get transmuted into interior decorating gold. Gaffrey’s is a burgeoning legacy, for sure. Consider that not even Michelangelo, for all the Medici family’s patronage, had a billboard north of Choctawhatchee Bay on Highway 331, with a picture of him tossing a bucket of paint onto a picture panel. Gaffrey has now begun producing his own eponymous brand of art supplies, its most symbolic item being the Gaffrey line
← Gaffrey’s daughter Aria works in the family business, filling orders for paints made on-site. ↑In an artistic touch, packages of paints are hand stenciled.
of art paints, packaged in cone-shaped plastic bags. If instead of being filled with acrylic paint, these bags were filled with sheet-cake frosting, one could snip off the pointy end, squeeze, and voila, decorate a cupcake! Gaffrey’s oeuvre would seem to fall into the art brut genre. His approach to the paint itself is based on the impasto technique, characterized by smearing colors onto a prepared surface, traditionally with the flexible blade of a palette knife. Or in Gaffrey’s case, by gobbing on three-dimensional rosettes and arabesques with a piping bag and taking the impasto technique to an extreme somewhere between baroque and bizarre. It’s surprising that Gaffrey’s specialty as a chef was not pastry but seafood. The luscious, sculpted slathering of acrylic paint, would, as butter frosting, assuredly set the hearts of birthday boys and girls racing in hyperglycemic joy! About what sparked his switch from kitchen to studio, Gaffrey said, “As a chef, I was already painting a little. Really into Van Gogh! One day, I decided to do a rendition of ‘Sunflowers,’ and it had hardly dried before somebody bought it for way more per hour than I would ever have made cooking!” photography by SEAN MURPHY
Gaffrey’s 3-D paintings come forth from the surface of the painting somewhat ominously in a manner reminiscent of sci-fi video productions that invade the viewer’s world. While a major portion of Gaffrey’s paintings tend toward the strictly decorative — coastal landscapes, floral fantasies — there is, in others, a creeping sense of surrealism in their dream-like images: a lady plummeting downward toward a bowl of gigantic grapes; a dog about to smash into a wedge
of watermelon; a deer, ankle-deep in an idealized coastal pond, with roosters perched on its antlers. Gaffrey views those surreal leanings as an evolving interest toward which his aesthetic compass is swinging. “So what’s next after Van Gogh?’ I ask. “Justin Gaffrey goes Dali?” At that point, a UPS truck arrives, and Gaffrey goes to see to a shipment of art stuff. He gets real busy, and the question goes unanswered. EC
BEG YOUR PARDON
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PROMOTION
Nelson Pays Tribute to Rockin’ Father
Nostalgic multimedia performance presents story of Ricky Nelson, who ‘grew up in front of everyone’
M
atthew and Gunnar Nelson, sons of a famous heartthrob, were irritated. Their celebrity dad, early rocker Ricky Nelson, had come in off the road and agreed to take the boys to see Star Wars. Ricky stopped at a grocery store to pick up some smokes and was approached in an aisle by a fan. Recalls Matthew: “My dad started talking to him, and Gunnar and I were harrumphing, and my dad gave us a look. He talked to that man for 25 minutes, and then he knelt in front of us and told us, ‘I had never seen that man before and I will never see him again, but he had probably waited a long time to meet me, and talking to him is part of my job. He is our livelihood, he is our priority, and if you ever do what I do, I want you to remember that.’ ” In February, the brothers, known as Nelson, will present “Ricky Nelson Remembered,” a multimedia tribute to their father, his music and the mark he left on the world. The brothers will play Ricky Nelson’s greatest hits and some of their own, accompanied by footage of “one of the most video chronicled men of all time,” Matthew said, “someone who grew up from ‘Ozzie and Harriet’ to ‘Garden Party’ in front of everyone.” Too, the show includes interviews of people who spoke about Ricky. Ricky’s father Ozzie wrote, produced, directed and edited, “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,” which aired for 14 years beginning in 1952, 435 episodes in total. Ozzie Nelson believed that TV was a fad and assumed he’d go back to life as a bandleader after it faded to black. Harriet was a singer, and “Little
Ricky” made numerous appearances on the sitcom. Ozzie Nelson, Ricky Nelson and the Nelsons all have had No. 1 hits on the Billboard charts. “Ricky was good looking and he was sexy, and it worked,” Matthew said. “He loved women, and they loved him.” He recalled a visit made by Gunnar’s girlfriend to a house that the boys shared with Ricky. “My dad let her in, and she came upstairs and she couldn’t breathe,” Matthew said. “She really had an episode, and we had to sit her down and she was hyperventilating. When she could speak again, she said, ‘I just saw the most beautiful man I have ever seen.’ ” Matthew said “Ricky Nelson Remembered” puts his father’s music in a historical and personal context. It concludes with “Just Once More,” a song by the Nelsons about loss. If Matthew had the chance to speak with his father just once more, what would he say? “I would tell him that I love him and have missed him,” Matthew said. “And I’d ask him where the hell he’s been. I’m sure he would have a lot to offer.”
And, he undoubtedly would introduce Ricky to his namesake Ozzie, age 6, Matthew’s son and a future musician who has been banging drums for three years. “Ozzie loves to listen to ZZ Top and will play ‘La Grange’ on an endless loop,” Matthew said. “I once flew from LA to Austin with Billy Gibbons. We talked the whole way about my dad and his music and how Billy grew up listening to it. And now my son is into Billy’s music.” Music, said Matthew, is divine, proof of God. “It comes to me from somewhere outside of myself. I am a vehicle, and it’s a nice ride.”
See Nelson live
Nelson will perform “Ricky Nelson Remembered” on Monday, Feb. 23, 2021, at 7:30 p.m. at The Moon in Tallahassee. Tickets, ranging in price from $45 to $60, are available at OpeningNights.fsu.edu or call (850) 644-7670. For information on all Opening Nights Events, visit OpeningNights.fsu.edu/events.
O P E N I N G N I G H T S AT F S U 2 2 2 S . C O P E L A N D S T. | ( 8 5 0 ) 6 4 4 - 7 6 7 0 | O P E N I N G N I G H T S . F S U . E D U / E V E N T S
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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
WOMEN’S
PROFESSIONAL PROFILES
March is Women’s History Month, which is dedicated to honoring women and encouraging the study and celebration of the vital roles they have played in America’s economic, political and social history. In this edition, Emerald Coast Magazine presents Women’s Professional Profiles featuring individuals who are making important impacts on the Emerald Coast region. These women represent diverse careers, interests, talents and lifestyles, but all have emerged as leaders. Talented, passionate, determined and charismatic, they are bettering their industries and communities. Read on to discover the inspirational stories of these truly wonderful women.
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WOMEN’S
PROFESSIONAL PROFILES
The Junior League of the Emerald Coast (850) 460-8980
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he Junior League of the Emerald Coast has long been united under the tenet of volunteerism. While each woman differs in where they’ve come from and where they are currently in life, they join together to assist their Emerald Coast community. “The Emerald Coast area is so diverse and spread out, but our common goals bring a lot of different women together through volunteerism and leadership opportunities,” said Ann Foster, president of the JLEC. While 2020 limited the ability to meet in person, the JLEC rose to the occasion, adapting their meetings, training, volunteering and fundraising efforts. Even when physically separate, the league remained true to their mission of service. The JLEC’s biggest yearly project is the Child Clothing Project, which provides clothing for over 400 children in Okaloosa and Walton counties. These students in need are driven to a local Target to select a new wardrobe and then have a pizza party. As a result of the pandemic, the latest event
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was not in person, but the children still received clothing. The Child Clothing Project expanded into a yearlong way of giving back by placing Child Clothing Closets in seven schools. If a child comes to school with holes in their clothing, needs a jacket in the winter or just lacks clothes in general, a teacher or guidance counselor discreetly takes the child to the closet to select new clothes. “I think the best part of every year is getting to see the excitement on each child’s face as they experience moments that we often take for granted — such as crossing over the bridge to Target and seeing the beach for the first time or the joy of receiving a new pair of shoes,” said Foster. “Witnessing that what we do truly makes a difference is what keeps us going.” Community members can become involved by giving funds online or becoming a member of the JLEC. One
of Foster’s many goals as president has been making the league accessible to all by catering to individual schedules, encouraging flexibility, creating an inclusive space, and increasing access to leadership opportunities. Each member of the JLEC aims to promote volunteerism, develop their strengths and potential, and improve their communities through effective action and the leadership efforts of trained volunteers. “Being a smaller chapter, we are really able to invest in our members by providing leadership training, networking opportunities and partnering with other nonprofits,” said Foster. “The JLEC allows you to learn new things while growing the strengths you already have. Our involvement stems from the goal of continuously improving our community, and then we end up building deep friendships while we serve.”
Ann Foster, president of the JLEC
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WOMEN’S
PROFESSIONAL PROFILES
Jasmine Rizzuto Project: STYLE Salon and Spa
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t 10 years old, Jasmine Rizzuto gave her first hair cut. That first client was her grandmother. Rizzuto can’t recall the reason why her grandmother couldn’t make it to the salon, but she remembers the feeling of scissors in her hands — and the feeling of being trusted by her grandmother with an important task. Rizzuto has been doing hair professionally for 15 years, and in 2012 she opened her salon Project Style Salon and Spa in Panama City Beach. The salon offers cuts, colors, styling and treatments, and the spa specializes in makeup, waxing and massages — all provided by eight licensed professionals. Rizzuto holds education in the highest regard and believes that sets her salon apart. Each year, she attends hair shows and conferences; multiple times throughout the year, educators come into the salon and train the staff on new techniques for cutting, coloring and styling. With the presence of COVID-19, the staff has still made training a priority by attending online classes. “Education and attention to detail are vital to my business, and those aspects ensure each client has the best possible experience,” said Rizzuto. “I work very hard to do my research in order to offer the best products — products I trust and believe in because that’s what my clients deserve.” At the heart of it all, Rizzuto loves her career because she gets to inspire confidence in each person that visits the salon. With that confidence, she also ensures that each client feels comfortable — whether that is going the extra mile to
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understand what the client wants, providing a welcoming environment or adhering to all COVID-19 standards. “From start to finish, the entire salon experience should make my clients feel comfortable and confident because confidence is the most important thing one can wear,” said Rizzuto. “When we feel good about ourselves, that goodness projects out into the world.” When she isn’t behind the chair, she enjoys cooking (she holds a culinary degree), quilting, playing soccer and spending time with her family. “I’m most proud of being a working mom who maintains a business that provides income for other women,” said Rizzuto. “I believe women who work hard toward their goals and do so with good intentions can have a successful career without sacrificing a happy family life. It can all coexist!”
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(850) 588-7771
ProjectStyleSalon.com
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Regina K. Jaquess, Pharm.D.
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Emerald Coast Compounding Pharmacy
hat do pharmacy and water skiing have in common? Regina Jaquess has a passion for both. While the commonalities might stop there, these are two halves of Jaquess’ life that make her whole. She has long called Santa Rosa Beach home, growing up in and on the water. For undergraduate and pharmacy school, Regina attended the University of Louisiana–Monroe. There were three reasons for attending: her sister Renee was already at school there, the pharmacy program was prestigious — and the campus had a water ski team dynasty. The sisters won six college nationals together. Upon graduation, Jaquess opened her own pharmacy — Emerald Coast Compounding Pharmacy. The company addresses a range of medical concerns, including anti-aging, bio-identical hormone replacement therapy, dental, dermatology, gastroenterology, infertility, pain management, pediatric, podiatry, sports medicine and veterinary. “One of the things I’m proudest of and thankful for is coming home to Santa Rosa Beach and being able to open my own pharmacy here where I can personally interact with all of the clients and doctors,” said Jaquess. “Because my pharmacy is so personal and community-centric, I really get to know what works best for each patient and work with them to achieve their prime health.”
1719 S. Co. Hwy. 393
Santa Rosa Beach
Jaquess caters to a triage relationship, in which the patient, doctor and pharmacist all communicate in order to fulfill the patients’ health needs. In 2020, this communication proved especially important as patient safety and health was of the highest priority. The business has remained open throughout the pandemic, expanding to offer curbside services. “This past year, with COVID concerns, it became all the more apparent that patients are the primary and most important focus,” said Jaquess. The commitment to excellence is apparent in another win for Best Pharmacy at the 2020 Best of the Emerald Coast awards, an award the pharmacy has received every year since 2016. Where her pharmacy is thriving, Jaquess is also making major waves in the world of competitive water skiing. She holds 13 world records, 10 world championship titles and countless international and professional wins. “These two parts of my life are totally separate but entwined because of my incredible support system,” said Jaquess. “My family, my friends, my pharmacy team and my ski sponsors are so supportive of both roles. I am grateful to those that got me to this level because I wouldn’t be where I am without them.”
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TRENDS FROM FLOOR TO CEILING, FRONT TO BACK
SIDING BY SIDING COMPARISON Latest maintenance-free options hold up well ↓
PHOTO BY PC PHOTOGRAPHY / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS
EXTERIORS
by THOMAS J. MONIGAN
↖ Siding manufacturers using new materials and processes have arrived at products that are both durable and easily kept up.
GREEN SCENE
Brightening the Spring Landscape
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S
iding is a key element in the overall appearance of a house, and contemporary options are attractive. Doug Speck, the owner of Re-Side Exterior Renovations in Pensacola, and Dave Williams, general manager of MidSouth Lumber Co. of Northwest Florida in Panama City, offer alternatives to traditional materials such as wood, metal, brick and stone. “There are three basic kinds of siding,” Speck said. “You’ve got your vinyl siding, fiber cement siding and a product new to the market, PVC composite.” “Vinyl siding and the PVC composite are both low maintenance,” Speck said, adding that James Hardie fiber cement siding will require occasional painting. Household budgets often dictate decisions about siding, and “plain old vinyl siding is the most budget-friendly product,” Speck said. Unlike vinyl, fiber cement siding is usually created to mimic another
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Home Depot or Lowe’s, and then hit it with a garden hose. The same thing with composite.” ↙ Fiber cement Williams, meanwhile, is a board, pictured proponent of James Hardie here, presents Color Plus. some installation challenges, but “At some point in time typically comes with you’re going to have to repaint a 30- or 40-year Hardie, so vinyl would be the warranty. least-maintenance siding there is,” Williams said, “but the problem with vinyl siding is it’s not windrated, and it’s not really good to put up anywhere near the coast.” So, what’s the alternative? “Hardie, if it’s installed right, has a warranty up to 150 miles an hour,” Williams said. “Color Plus is mildew resistant, so Mother Nature takes care of it. Any time it rains, it washes the house for you. The warranty on it is 15 years unconditional; 15 years later, it should look just like the day you put it on.” When it comes to repainting? Sherwin Williams has a 25-year paint,” Williams said, “so if you put something like that on, you’re going to get 40 years out of the house.” material, typically natural wood. It’s rare Hurricane Michael in 2018 had a to find it taking a form of its own. major impact on the local siding market. A composite, oriented strand board “Now, everybody is more prone to ask (OSB), is made from sawdust with what will hold up in a storm,” Williams a bonding agent for extra strength. said. “Before the hurricane, no one even It resembles natural wood, making it considered that. We had sold vinyl siding a popular option, but OSB may be forever, and our vinyl siding business susceptible to water damage. took a big hit.” Fiber cement board is made of People have discovered that if a storm cement, sand and cellulose fiber. While blows your siding into the street, it’s no durable and aesthetically pleasing, it is longer maintenance-free. EC harder to install than composite siding made of other materials. “The PVC composite is a little tricky to put up, but you’ve got a prefinished product that you don’t have to paint, and most of them have a 30- or 40-year warranty,” Speck said. Regarding vinyl siding, Speck said, “I would likely pressure-wash once or twice a year, depending on whether you live on a high-traffic street and what kind of activity you have going on. Really, ↑ Vinyl siding, once popular because it is so all you need to do with the vinyl is just easily maintained, has proven to be a poor match for powerful storms. spray on some house wash they have at
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Open Up with Custom Style
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cheery bright red, a stately custom-made oak, or paneled with gleaming windows — no matter the style, the front door is the first look any visitor gets of your home. A door is the first welcome any guest will get, and Southeastern Sash & Door specializes in best first impressions. Since 1996, Southeastern Sash & Door has made a name for themselves as a premier millwork company distributing custom-made doors, windows, mouldings and stair parts from their facility in Fort Walton Beach to the Mississippi border. Their specialty and most soughtafter product is their own brand of custom doors titled Gulf Armor, which are Florida-approved, impact-rated wooden entry systems.
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“What sets us apart is we manufacture everything ourselves,” said Bill Peacock, owner of Southeastern Sash & Door. “In doing our own builds, we guarantee the highest quality, a faster turnaround and customizations to your exact specifications. And if there are any issues, we will fix it right away.” Peacock intends for each build to be completed in a timely manner and held to the highest standards of quality, because the staff is experienced and they have the most indemand materials stocked in their 60,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. Within the industry, other companies might take weeks to obtain the materials you desire.
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF CAPTIVISIONS
Quality and customer satisfaction are at the forefront of this company, and Peacock acknowledges that their success in these areas stems from the loyalty of the employees. As a large company with many departments, more than half of the staff has celebrated anniversaries that range from 5 years to 20 years. “The staff are dedicated people that want the work done right the first time and have a strong sense of commitment to making the customer happy,” said Peacock. “Our goal is to be a one-stop-shop for those specialized items they’ve always dreamed of that turn a house into a home.”
SOUTHEASTERN SASH & DOOR FORT WALTON BEACH / PENSACOLA SANTA ROSA BEACH / MOBILE
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GREEN SCENE
BRIGHTENING THE SPRING LANDSCAPE Season of renewal is time for plants of many colors by
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pring is truly the season of renewal on the Emerald Coast, heralding the return of blooms and activities in the garden and about the yard. Now is the time to prepare for horticultural success. At the top of the list for managed landscapes is the installation of annuals and bedding plants. Moderate temperatures will make the work almost a pleasure. Warm season annuals offer an almost infinite variety of color, texture and plant forms that can be used to brighten landscape beds and add a splash of color to a porch, deck or patio if placed in containers. A few also make good cut
AGAPANTHUS
flower selections to enhance interior environments. In North Florida, most flourish for only a single season. These annuals can be damaged by late frosts or freezes, so they should be planted after the potential for frost has passed, but with enough time to reach their peak maturity. March is typically an ideal time to plant bulbs in the home landscape. Some like caladiums can be planted all year but run the risk of damage if not protected from a late frost. Dahlias, crinums and agapanthus are also good candidates.
There are a number of cool season crops that can be replanted for FRUITS AND another round of production. Radishes are almost guaranteed to VEGETABLES have time to produce another crop. Other potential second harvests include kale, cabbage, broccoli and other brassicas. Of course, the yield will depend on the weather remaining cool long enough for the plants to properly develop. While February is too early to prune citrus trees, it is time to get the first round of fertilizer applied. Pruning will stimulate growth that could cause damage to the tree if there is a late frost or freeze. Wait until late March, at the earliest, to prune. This is the month to plant Irish, white or new potatoes, but hold off on sweet potatoes or yams. Potatoes prefer loose, well-drained soil with a slightly acidic pH in the range of 5.0 to 6.0. Care must be taken to ensure the root zone has adequate drainage. Areas of the home garden subject to periodic flooding should not be used for growing this tuber.
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RADISH
Some native trees add to spring’s splendor. Sparkleberries produce hundreds of tiny bell-shaped blooms that give the plant the appearance of a frosty wrap. Sparkleberry (Vaccinium arboretum) is the only North American member of the blueberry genus capable of reaching the height of a small tree. Mature specimens can reach up to 30 feet in height and will take full sun or partial shade. Their bark is thin, flaky and brownish red, and often covered in lichens. The trunk may be multi-stemmed and given to wildly twisting shapes that SPARKLEBERRY offer a distinct contrast to straight trunked trees. The flowering dogwood, Cornus florida, is a subcanopy tree that grows in much of the eastern and southern United States. Blooms are commonly white, but there are pink and DOGWOOD red cultivars. The pink and red varieties are difficult to establish in North Florida. Sub-canopy trees commonly grow under much taller species and thrive in partial shade. Dogwoods reach about 30 feet in height but can handle direct sun. CRABAPPLE These trees are most commonly found in fertile, well-drained soil. They do best in neutral to slightly acidic soil with a pH range of 6.0 to 7.0, and they have a low tolerance for salinity. Local crabapples produce pink blooms with five dainty petals. The southern crabapple, Malus angustifolia, shares many characteristics with dogwoods. These sub-canopy trees reach about the same height, and both bloom at approximately the same time in spring. While usually found under taller trees, they, too, can handle full sun. Both trees provide food for wildlife in the form of their fruit, retaining the product of their blooms well into the autumn. Crabapple fruit has been used as the basis of jellies for hundreds of years but not for fresh consumption. Related to larger apples, the astringent, bitter taste of crabapples eliminates any possibility of it being a snack option.
Les Harrison is a retired University of Florida/ Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Wakulla County Extension Director.
PHOTOS BY LES HARRISON (SPARKLEBERRY AND CRABAPPLE) AND ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS: NAHHAN (AGAPANTHUS), STEPHANIEFREY (DOGWOOD), IRINA_GIRICH (RADISH)
Flowering native trees
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PROMOTION
DEAL ESTATE JUST SOLD
Sale of Gulf-front Home Sets Record Rosemary Beach Realty, Northwest Florida’s premier luxury real estate company, has brokered 30A’s most expensive residential home sale at 88 Paradise by the Sea Court for $15.95 million. Jonathan Clark and Ashlee Mitchell of the Clark & Mitchell Group, together with broker Amanda Hampel, brokered the sale of this off-market property in fewer than 60 days. This four-story Gulf-front home in the gated community of Paradise by the Sea was masterfully designed by architects from A BOHEME Design and constructed by EarthBuild, LLC. The owners selected the highest caliber designers to execute their vision, with landscape architecture design by Kendall Horne and interior design curated by Melanie Turner Interiors of Atlanta.
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALEX DOSSEY AND LAYNE LILLIE
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STORIES from the
HEART INSPIRING STORIES OF PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE The life-changing care Ascension Sacred Heart provides has touched the hearts of many who strive to ensure that this incredible mission of care continues for future generations. Ascension Sacred Heart Foundation is proud to be a partner in this endeavor. Please enjoy these ”Stories from the Heart.”
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STORIES
SPON SPONSORED SORED REPORT REPORT
from the
HEART
STORIES from the
Long-term Care Administrator & Advocate Martha Perez serves as the Administrator/ Vice President of Haven of Our Lady of Peace. She began her healthcare career in 1992, the start of 28 years in the field of long-term care — her purpose and passion in life. Born in Guantanamo, Martha was 2 years old when her family left Cuba and applied for U.S. citizenship. Once that was obtained, they settled in Pensacola, where she grew up and married. Upon her husband’s retirement from the Air Force, they moved
back to Pensacola from Italy, and Martha began job hunting. She spent time as a nursing home receptionist in Gulf Breeze, a temporary position, but she enjoyed it so much that she stayed until a permanent job opened. She was hired and then transferred to a sister facility in Pensacola. After that, she advanced and moved up the ranks: medical records, AP/payroll, business office management, and human resources — all of which she enjoyed. But at that point, Martha
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had succeeded in just about every position available and was left wondering what to do next. Then it occurred to her, “Why don’t I get licensed and run the facility myself?” So, she did. In long-term care, an individual must be federally and state licensed. She applied to the licensing board and got accepted. The next step was serving as an Administrator in Training (AIT) under a licensed preceptor. She completed a year’s internship, took the boards and passed, becoming licensed
S PO NS O R E D R E P O RT
in 1999. She began work as a facility administrator, and that was the start of her tenure in long-term care, a field she will never leave. However, Haven of Our Lady of Peace was the nursing home where Martha most wanted to work, so she kept applying there, year after year. Finally, she was hired as its administrator. She affirms, “This facility truly takes care of its people. It doesn’t just provide a beautiful environment, it is fully stocked with supplies. Just open up the closets and look.” She emphasizes this because she experienced a work environment where the supplies were not adequate to take care of the residents, which greatly troubled her. The Haven was rebuilt and modernized in 2001. Instead of the long corridors associated with traditional nursing homes, its construction features four, homelike living areas or “neighborhoods.” Each room opens to a common dining and activities area and to a central nursing station. Martha lists the services that the facility provides: short-term inpatient rehabilitation, wound care, IV therapy, medication management, diabetes education, hospice care, and a secured Alzheimer’s disease care unit. The care team includes doctors and an ARNP specializing in geriatric medicine, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speechlanguage pathologists, nutritionists, activities and a chaplain. What she finds most fulfilling in her daily work is the opportunity to connect and make a difference. She explains that if she were employed in hospital operations, she would be an administrator thinking about putting processes together and limited to “rounding” on the leadership team. She would never get to know the people she was serving — the patients. While at the Haven, she has the luxury of becoming totally familiar with all the residents and their families. “Every
single day, I interact, walking the hallways, going into their rooms. I know their quirks and routines. If I make a decision, I literally get to know how it affects the end user. Residents can call me, or wheel to my office to complain. This is not something you get to experience in any other healthcare operations’ environment. I’ve got the best of both worlds.” It surprises Martha that a lot of people in this area don’t know that Ascension Sacred Heart has a skilled nursing facility. The Haven is not only a longterm provider but offers short-term rehabilitation as well. She is concerned that in the health spectrum, seniors sometimes get forgotten. Yet their needs are just as important as other segments of the population, and she will always advocate for their care. She adds that it can be a difficult populace to serve, and she understands why many people are reluctant to work with seniors because it involves end-of-life patients. “Yet,” she says, “More than anything, this is an amazing place to work. Senior care can be so rewarding.” When she isn’t working, Martha is an avid runner, enjoys boxing, loves pro football and is a huge Jacksonville Jaguars’ fan. When her son was born in 1996, he left the hospital fully decked out in Jaguars attire, from hat to tiny shoes. Looking to the future, Martha hopes Ascension Florida will look to expand its services to the senior population. The need is there: Pensacola and the Emerald Coast’s communities are significant retirement areas with a huge senior population. She envisions Ascension Florida becoming the foremost provider — in Pensacola — of the best senior care possible. And she would like to see more done to inform the community of what the Haven offers to seniors, as it is an integral part of the compassionate, personalized healthcare provided by Ascension Sacred Heart.
A MESSAGE FROM CAROL CARLAN As we settle into this new year, Ascension Sacred Heart Foundation looks forward to continuing its philanthropic tradition of ensuring all are welcome when they walk through our doors — with an emphasis on the poor and vulnerable. The Daughters of Charity would be pleased that their faith-based, charitable Mission has not only survived the past century but also continues to grow. This is made possible by our community partners, volunteers and our remarkable legion of donors. When I think of the difference their support has made to the success of the Foundation, I am immensely grateful. The Studer Family Children’s Hospital at Ascension Sacred Heart offers a 30-by8 foot Mural Wall outside its Pediatric Emergency Department. We feature a Story From the Heart behind teenage artist Lauren Bonner’s inspiration for creating the first kid-friendly painting on the wall. Martha Perez, Administrator/Vice President of Haven of Our Lady of Peace, is determined to provide the very best long-term care for seniors. Her heart-warming account tells us why she is so passionate about this and details the Haven’s services. Our Stories from the Heart also include the outstanding Volunteer Guild at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast, whose willing hearts and helping hands are indispensable to the facility. And we feature foundation board member Kerry Anne Shultz, whose guiding life principle has been “Service Above Self.” May your new year be filled with many blessings.
Carol Carlan President, Ascension Sacred Heart Foundation
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HEART
Lauren Bonner: Artist & Advocate Lauren Bonner was still in high school when she painted the mural that playfully leads the way into the new Bear Family Foundation Center for Hope at the Studer Family Children’s Hospital at Sacred Heart. Always artistic, she had focused more on performing as a 10-year member of the Pensacola Children’s Chorus. Lauren didn’t start painting until her junior year of high school. “I fell in love with everything about it,” she says. “I just knew that’s what I wanted to do.” So when she was asked to create the mural, it was a perfect fit. The granddaughter of Belle and Lewis Bear, Lauren has been working alongside her mother, Cindi Bear Bonner, to raise awareness for childhood cancer since she was a little girl. “I look up to my mom, and I just see the great things she does for kids with cancer, ” she says.
It all started when Lauren was in the fifth grade, and her neighbor, Carolyn Hendrix, was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma at the age of 4. Lauren’s mom helped build the Facebook page Praying for Carolyn, and that is how the Bonners met other families whose children were also fighting childhood cancer. Today, Cindi runs the Pensacola chapter of Rally Pensacola, an extension city for Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research. Lauren has had the opportunity to host events, attend vigils and she even lobbied on Capital Hill in Washington, D.C., to be a light to families in the darkest days of their lives. “People think childhood cancer is rare, but it really isn’t,” Lauren says. “It’s the No. 1 disease killer of children in our country.” That’s why it was so meaningful to her to make the Center for Hope a bright spot in a bleak moment. “I think it’s important to help people smile. We are lucky to have the Children’s Hospital because it gives families
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the ability to stay in Pensacola together during the cancer treatments and not have to travel to other hospitals,” she says. “There are siblings and jobs, and it is important for everyone to have some normalcy at home with their family.” When she started designing the mural, Lauren focused on the innocence and happiness of childhood, tying in the symbolic childhood cancer Gold ribbon and the kite of the hospital logo. (Everyone’s favorite therapy dog Sprout is there, too.) “I wanted to create something that would make every person who walked by it smile. The ribbon traces the wall above children hula hooping, flying a kite and throwing a ball. … I wanted them to see kids playing.” Now in her first year at the prestigious Savannah College of Art & Design, Lauren is proud to have been a part of the Center for Hope — and she hopes to continue mixing her passion for raising awareness and making art.
SPON SORED REPORT
Serving With Heart The Volunteer Guild at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast (ASHEC) is devoted to serving the community through substantial support of the hospital’s mission. The Guild is a Christ-centered organization with values that mirror those of the Daughters of Charity, founders of the original Sacred Heart Hospital. Their vision was to provide healthcare to all with an emphasis on the poor and most vulnerable. Guild volunteers consider it a privilege to help carry on this 105-year-old hospital ministry of hope and healing. Auxiliary volunteers can be found giving personalized assistance with a smile and compassionate reassurance to patients throughout 24 areas of the hospital. Approximately 500,000 hours of service have been donated since the facility opened its doors. The Guild’s presence is acknowledged as a significant factor in ASHEC’S achievement of maintaining patient satisfaction scores ranking among the highest in the nation. Additionally, the Guild has provided philanthropic contributions to the hospital in excess of $800,000, raised through membership dues, donations, the Guild Gift Shop and sponsorship of fundraising events such as the annual
Emerald Coast Duck Regatta. Their charitable giving has helped make new and expanded healthcare services possible to meet the community’s needs. For example, the creation of the Sacred Heart Rehabilitation Center’s SNOEZELEN® Multi-Sensory Environment (MSE) room was funded by the Guild in 2018. It provides therapeutic assistance to individuals with special needs and challenging conditions, such as autism. Young patients can enjoy a vast range of sensory experiences that enhance learning and treatment goals. The Guild also provides scholarships and other funding resources to medical staff members seeking to further their healthcare education. And it assists with prescription funding for patients unable to afford their medicine. Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast was built in response to the healthcare needs of a growing region. When the hospital opened its doors in January 2003, the Volunteer Guild was ready to serve. Twenty-five women attended its first organizational meeting; shortly thereafter, Jane Carron was nominated President and a Board of Directors was formed. Today, the organization consists of eight
Executive Board Members, nine Standing Committees’ Chairpersons and 175 active volunteers. Members of the community are encouraged to join the Guild and lend their volunteer skills to its activities. The Volunteer Guild at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast is dedicated to the support of the hospital and its mission in every way — particularly on the financial needs of various departments in the hospital and the educational needs of the medical team. Guild President Judy Brock states, “Each year, the Guild is focused on fundraising to help fulfill the needs of the hospital. Once funds are raised, it is our honor to have various departments present to us their needs that are not fulfilled through capital projects. And the difficult part of the process is to select the projects we feel most need to be funded to meet the medical needs of our Emerald Coast community. Over the last few years, we have supported cancer treatment needs, rehabilitation services for children, and needs of the Family Birth Place and others. What an honor it is for us to serve Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast.”
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HEART
Service Above Self Kerry Anne Schultz was born in a small Nebraska town, the eldest of six children in a Catholic family whose parents were role models for hard work and heartfelt values. She and her siblings, at very young ages, were taught to be kind to others and help their neighbors. They were also encouraged to think “service above self,” which became Kerry Anne’s guiding life principle. As a high school student, she realized that her parents could not afford tuition for a private college, so planning for a scholarship would be necessary. She entered a pageant and became Miss Nebraska National Teenager on the strength of her essay and talent performance (the latter attributed to serious high school violin study). Winning on the state level meant competing in the national event held in Tennessee, where she placed third runner-up and was awarded the full academic scholarship she had set her sights on. She graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in both history and political science from Oklahoma City University. She went on to attend Western Michigan University’s Thomas M. Cooley School of Law. Kerry Anne is the founder of Schultz Law Group in Gulf Breeze. Kerry Anne became acquainted with Ascension Sacred Heart when she was admitted with life-endangering medical problems leading to the premature birth of her daughter. She says, “We are alive today because of the incredible care and treatment we received as patients. I am forever indebted to that hospital.” When asked to join the Ascension Sacred Heart Foundation as a board member, she saw it as a way of giving back, and she wanted to lend her voice to helping others support the ministry. “My heart has always been in service. When you
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have a goal with a not-for-profit, whether it be fundraising or getting the mission and message of an organization out, when you work towards that goal with others that are like-minded — the organization will receive.” Occasionally, Kerry Anne gets questioned as to how the local geographic region — not being a major metropolitan area — is able to attract world-class providers to the Studer Family Children’s Hospital at Ascension Sacred Heart. Her response is that exceptional physicians are drawn to the area by virtue of its amenities and quality of life. They also see the support that Ascension Florida gives and how much the community believes in the facility’s amazing care and treatment of its pediatric patients. The child that is a patient in the Children’s Hospital is “almost enveloped with services that encompass everything.” Kerry Anne often shares with others the success stories of how providers touched the lives of children and families who entered the hospital’s doors.
SPON SORED REPORT
DESTIN CHARITY WINE AUCTION FOUNDATION Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation (DCWAF), recognized as the fifth largest charity wine auction in the U.S. by Wine Spectator, is pleased to announce the donation of $1.2 million to 16 children’s charities in Northwest Florida following its first virtual auction on Aug. 22. Each charity was awarded its funding in a private check presentation ceremony, adapted to fit social distancing guidelines. Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast received $83,000 to fund Pediatric and Family Birth Place equipment to include Halo Bassinets, Vein Viewer, Bili Lights and GlideScope.
ACE HARDWARE BUCKET DAYS CAMPAIGN: JULY 31–AUG. 2 Customers made a $5 donation to their local CMN Hospital for a limitededition, 5-gallon bucket and received 20% off almost everything that fits inside the bucket. Customers and participating locations helped raise $403 during the campaign.
ABOUT THE ASCENSION SACRED HEART FOUNDATION Since 1915, Ascension Sacred Heart has been at the heart of healing for Northwest Florida and South Alabama. Like our founders, the Daughters of Charity, Ascension Sacred Heart is dedicated to providing quality, compassionate healthcare to the citizens of our regions, regardless of their ability to pay. This steadfast commitment to our community could not have been achieved without the support and generosity of the thousands of individuals, businesses and organizations that have donated to Ascension Sacred Heart Foundation. Through this charitable giving, Ascension Sacred Heart Foundation has been able to provide millions of dollars of free and low-cost healthcare to the poor, uninsured, under-insured and low-income families. With the help of generous donors, we are proud to partner in Ascension Sacred Heart’s mission of care along the Gulf Coast.
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Ascension Sacred Heart Foundation Board of Directors HEART
2020-2021
JUSTIN A. BECK CHAIR
STEVE CLARK VICE CHAIR
MICHAEL BAGGETT SECRETARY
JAMES HOSMAN TREASURER
MICHAEL JOHNSON PAST CHAIR
CEO Beck Partners
CEO New School Selling
Senior Financial Advisor Senior V.P. Wealth Mgmt, Mazenko / Baggett Group
Market President Centennial Bank
Owner State Farm Insurance
FOUNDATION STAFF HOPE BRADFORD DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR Hope.Bradford@ascension.org H. WESLEY “WES” REEDER PAST CHAIR
Managing Partner Emmanuel, Sheppard & Condon
AARON BALL MEMBER
AUTUMN BLACKLEDGE MEMBER
NINA HESS CAMPBELL MEMBER
President Ballpoint Communications Group
Owner Autumn Beck Blackledge, Pllc
Design Associate Aqua Décor & Design
CAROL CARLAN PRESIDENT Carol.Carlan@ascension.org EMILY IOAKIM CMN COORDINATOR Emily.Ioakim@ascension.org JANET PIEPUL DIRECTOR, MAJOR GIFTS / PLANNED GIVING Janet.Piepul@ascension.org
PAMELA S. HEINOLD MEMBER
JUSTIN T. HOLMAN, ESQ MEMBER
SISTER ELLEN KRON, DC MEMBER
JANE LAUTER MEMBER
Broker Associate Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate
The Holman Law Firm
Daughters of Charity
President The Kugelman Family Foundation
CORTLANDT ROCES DEVELOPMENT ANALYST Cortlandt.Roces@ascension.org JENNIFER SABA ANNUAL GIVING COORDINATOR Jennifer.Saba@ascension.org TARRA TALBERT FINANCE SPECIALIST Tarra.Talbert@ascension.org GILLIAN WARD EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Gillian.Ward@ascension.org
RIC NICKELSEN MEMBER
Vice President, Commercial Lending Smartbank
WES PAYNE MEMBER
KERRY ANNE SCHULTZ, ESQ. MEMBER
Partner Schultz Law Group
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MALLORY STUDER MEMBER
Marketing & Branding Manager Bodacious Shops
LISA WAINWRIGHT DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR Lisa.WainWright@ascension.org
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SEASON CALENDAR 2/5/2021
Lords of 52nd Street
Artist
2/13/2021
Stars of Tomorrow
NFSO
2/19/2021
Jeanne Robertson, Humorist
Artist
3/5/2021
Deborah Norville
3/30/2021
Menopause the Musical
4/10/2021
Just Another Variation
NFSO
4/29/2021
That Golden Girls Show: A Puppet Parody
Artist
SpeakerSeries Broadway
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FEB/MAR 2021 For more events in the EC, visit EmeraldCoastMagazine.com and 850tix.com. compiled by JAVIS OGDEN AND
REBECCA PADGETT
FEB. 12–28
Emerald Coast Theatre Company presents
‘POPCORN FALLS’
→ The sleepy town of Popcorn Falls is forced into bankruptcy when a neighboring town threatens to turn it into a sewage treatment plant. Their only hope — open a theater! Two actors play over 20 roles in a world of farce, love and desperation, proving once and for all that art can save the world. Starring ECTC’s producing artistic director Nathanael Fisher and ECTC board president Jason Hedden, this play is sure to provide muchneeded laughs to start 2021.
SOUTH WALTON BEACHES WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL
For more information, visit emeraldcoasttheatre.org.
→ In this interactive concert, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Max Weinberg, best known as a drummer for Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, plays songs selected by audience members from a list of more than 200 titles. Every Weinberg performance combines power, dynamism and versatility in a one-of-a-kind evening of rock and roll.
→ Preparations are underway for the event that USA TODAY named one of the “South’s standout food and beverage festivals.” For three days, wine lovers from around the country will gravitate to Miramar Beach for an encounter with an impressive roster of winemakers, distillers, brewers and chefs at Grand Boulevard at Sandestin. With hundreds of high-quality wines available to sample, this annual awardwinning charity event delivers an experience unparalleled among Northwest Florida wine festivals.
OpeningNights.fsu.edu/events/maxweinbergs-jukebox
For more information, visit sowalwine.com.
REGIONAL MAR. 4
OPENING NIGHTS: MAX WEINBERG’S JUKEBOX
PROMOTION
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Pandemic and social distancing policies may affect gatherings. Check websites to see if the listed events will occur as scheduled.
February-March 2021
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Send an email to sbornhoft@rowlandpublishing.com.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF OPENING NIGHTS, EMERALD COAST THEATRE COMPANY AND SOUTH WALTON BEACHES WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL
APRIL 23–25
BROADWAY ON THE BOULEVARD CABARET FEB. 4-6 Mix, mingle and enjoy live music performed by the Emerald Coast Theatre Company’s talented actors. Meet the local and regional actors that grace the ECTC stage in this intimate cabaret setting. This is an unforgettable limited engagement that you won’t want to miss. emeraldcoasttheatre.org/on-stage
THE LORDS OF 52ND STREET FEB. 5 They are New York’s favorite band, they sold more than 150 million records, they helped establish Billy Joel’s formidable sound and they continue to perform their legendary hits to this day. The Piano Man’s original bandmates Doug Stegmeyer, Liberty DeVitto, Russell Javors and Richie Cannata are The Lords of 52nd Street. mattiekellyartscenter.org/events
ST. ANDREWS MARDI GRAS FEB. 5-7 The St. Andrews Mardi Gras, the official Mardi Gras parade and festival of Panama City, is the most popular and largest Mardi Gras celebration in Bay County. Come see over 14 krewes, over 30 brightly colored floats and participate in a two-day festival that includes a pet parade, kid’s activities and food. standrewsmardigras.com
DOUBLE BRIDGE RUN FEB. 6 The Pensacola Double Bridge Run, presented by Publix, is one of the premier 15Ks in the country. The race will begin and end on Pensacola Beach and will include running over the Bob Sikes Bridge twice and into the city of Gulf Breeze. pensacolasports.org/ doublebridgerun
FLORA-BAMA’S ‘SUPER’ BOWL CHILI COOK-OFF
30A WINE FESTIVAL– INTERMEZZO
DEBORAH NORVILLE
FEB. 18-21
FEB. 6 In the spirit of the Super Bowl, teams will strive to serve up super bowls of chili and impress the judges at the FloraBama Lounge, Package and Oyster Bar in Pensacola. Warm up your winter by sampling the wide variety of entries. Awards will be announced at the end of the day.
Sip and swill at the 30A Wine Festival–Intermezzo, which has been reimagined as an intimate dining series held in the pocket parks around Alys Beach. Intermezzo will embody the rich and diverse coming together of food, wine and community that previous festivals celebrated, but on a smaller, more intimate scale.
Two-time Emmy Award winner Deborah Norville, the anchor of television’s “Inside Edition,” speaks candidly about her health struggles and how she continues to better herself daily in the second President’s Speaker Series event of 2020–2021 season at the Mattie Kelly Arts Center.
florabama.com/chili-cook-off
30awinefestival.com
NFSO: ‘STARS OF TOMORROW/AN EVENING AT THE OPERA’
JEANNE ROBERTSON: HUMORIST
FEB. 13
At 76 years young, Jeanne Robertson continues to charm audiences with her humorous observations about life. The former Miss North Carolina, standing tall at 6-foot-2, has a vivacious personality, big heart and great sense of humor.
The Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra and guest conductor Jeffrey Rink present Stars of Tomorrow/ An Evening at the Opera featuring the winners of the 2019 NFSO-John Leatherwood Concerto Competition: Kye Richardson (violin), Evan Nicholson (cello) and Skyler Covert (violin). Soprano Bevin Hill will dazzle during the second half of the evening with beloved opera arias and melodies, interspersed with NFSO’s performances of popular opera overtures and pieces. Virtual tickets are also available for live streaming. mattiekellyartscenter.org
FEB. 19
mattiekellyartscenter.org/events
SANDESTIN GUMBO FESTIVAL FEB. 19-20 Restaurants and businesses along the Gulf Coast will compete for the title of Area’s Best as they serve up unique creations of a Southern classic dish: gumbo. sandestingumbofestival.com
OPENING NIGHT AT PENSACOLA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
↑ SEASIDE SCHOOL VIRTUAL HALF MARATHON + 5K FEB. 14-28 Run at your own pace and on your own course as the Seaside School’s 19th annual race goes virtual this year. Race times will be tracked via an app, and the registration fee will directly benefit the Seaside School. runseasidefl.com
MARCH 5
mattiekellyartscenter.org
RUSSIAN SPECTACULAR MARCH 6 The Saenger Theatre welcomes the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra performing Prokofiev’s classical symphony Symphony No. 1 in D Major and Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B Minor, Op. 23. pensacolasymphony.com
EMERALD COAST CAC’S GALA AND GOLF TOURNAMENT MARCH 6-7 Help abused, abandoned and neglected children by attending the Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center Gala. This annual, signature fundraising event will include a delicious dinner, dancing, live entertainment and a golf tournament. eccac.org
JUNIOR COMPANY SHOWCASE
FEB. 20
MARCH 9
The music of Copland’s Appalachian Spring and Brahms’s Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77, will fill the Saenger Theatre in Pensacola.
This exciting showcase featuring group and solo works by talented teens will include classic and contemporary musical theatre pieces, improv, and comedic and dramatic selections. Don’t miss this one-night-only event that will be fun for the whole family.
in dungarees. This fun concert will feature Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, Eroica. pensacolasymphony.com
THE LISTENING LOUNGE MARCH 25 Come on out and enjoy a glass of wine or beer while listening to some of the best local musicians in the area. A unique evening of music at the Emerald Coast Theatre that you won’t want to miss. emeraldcoasttheatre.org/on-stage
MKAC GALLERIES: ARNIE HART JURIED STUDENT EXHIBITION & ARTS FACULTY EXHIBITION MARCH 26 A guest juror will judge the annual exhibition for the Visual Arts Department of Northwest Florida College. mattiekellyartscenter.org/events
GULF BREEZE CELEBRATES THE ARTS FESTIVAL MARCH 27-28 The City of Gulf Breeze and Gulf Breeze Arts, Inc. (GBA) will present the 27th annual Gulf Breeze Celebrates the Arts fine arts festival at Gulf Breeze High School. The juried festival will bring together quality local, regional and national artists. gulfbreezearts.com
‘MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL’ MARCH 30
Pensacola’s Comic Con returns to the Pensacola Bay Center and Pensacola Grand Hotel with many celebrity authors, artists and actors participating.
emeraldcoasttheatre.org/on-stage
MARCH 20
Four women at a lingerie sale have nothing in common but a black lace bra — and memory loss, hot flashes, night sweats and more! This hilarious musical parody set to classic tunes from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s will have you cheering and dancing in the aisles! See what more than 17 million women and fans worldwide have been laughing about for 19 years.
pensacon.com
Imagine the great composer
mattiekellyartscenter.org/events
pensacolasymphony.com
PENSACON FEB. 26–28
BEETHOVEN AND BLUE JEANS
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PROMOTION
SOCIAL STUDIES Destin Charity Wine Auction NOV. 5–7 The Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation hosted the fourth annual Harvest Wine & Food Festival — with a social-distancing twist. In lieu of their annual grand tasting in Cerulean Park, the festival featured several micro-events along the coast.
Emerald Coast Magazine hosted one of these wine dinners with Revana Vineyard at Cuvee 30A. Guests enjoyed a four-course meal prepared by chef Tim Creehan and expertly paired with each wine presented by Revana.
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1 Terri Levin with Crystal Collins Spencer and Brian Spencer 2 Savannah Reber and Melissa Eager 3 McKenzie Burleigh and David Hester 4 Jennifer Creehan, Glenda Palmore and Jack Wilson
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5 Carli Harman and Maria White 6 Shelly Brown and Laura Quick 7 Patt Ladd 8 Tanna Massar and John Russell 9 Kendall and David Kapitanoff
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SOCIAL STUDIES The Listening Lounge: Featuring Longleaf Drive NOV. 17 Emerald Coast Theatre Company’s Second Stage launched a new series — the Listening Lounge — with local bluegrass band Longleaf Drive. Guests took in an exhibit of local artworks by members of the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County and enjoyed the “fresh Florida plinkin” of the featured band. The next Second Stage event, “Broadway on the Boulevard Cabaret,” is scheduled for February.
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PHOTOS BY NIKKI HEDRICK OF EDWARD A. MCGRATH PHOTOGRAPHY
1D on and Donna Albright, Carol Messina with Diana and John Ward 2 Longleaf Drive band 3 Janet Rappazini, Donna Stuart, Myra Williams and Linny Delahoussaye 4 PJ and Tara Padgett
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GulfPower.com/Together
At Gulf Power we are working together with the communities we
serve to make Northwest Florida an even better place to raise a family and do business.
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Happenings at The Village of Baytowne Wharf
he Village of Baytowne Wharf is reminiscent of a fishing village with its charming wooden buildings and ideal location nestled alongside Choctawhatchee Bay. While the Village foments a sense of ease and relaxation, it’s not exactly a sleepy fishing town. Instead, The Village of Baytowne Wharf is home to locally inspired boutiques and galleries, coastally influenced eateries, a pulsating nightlife and a bustling schedule of events fit for everyone. While the Village hosts events and activities throughout the year, they are most known for the four signature
events — the Sandestin Wine Festival, Sandestin Gumbo Festival, Baytowne Beer Fest, and Sparkling Wine & Holiday Lights. Each of these events gives back to the community by supporting local nonprofits. In 2019, over $55,000 was raised for local charities. The first event in 2021 will be the 32nd annual Sandestin Gumbo Festival Feb. 19–20. This event always gets crowds jazzed up with the signature tastes of New Orleans. Guests sample a variety of gumbos featuring light and dark roux, chicken, sausage and seafood. Attendees will have the opportunity to vote for “People’s Choice,” and a cast of celebrity judges will announce
the area’s best gumbo. The event will also feature another coastal crowd pleaser, bloody marys. Sip to your heart’s desire on bloody marys from some of the area’s finest bars and restaurants, and one will be awarded with the title of “Best Bloody Mary at the Beach.” Throughout the event, listen to the jazzy and soulful sounds of Dikki Du and the Zydeco Krewe. With an array of activities and amenities in a scenic and inviting setting, visitors and locals alike seek out The Village of Baytowne Wharf, whether it’s a day perusing shops, an evening dinner with a date or a weekend of events for the whole family.
THE VILLAGE OF BAYTOWNE WHARF LOCATED IN SANDESTIN GOLF AND BEACH RESORT | (850) 267-8180 | BAYTOWNEWHARF.COM PROMOTION
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PATHS TO FITNESS
Workouts led by head coach Alexis Ware at Orangetheory Fitness in Panama City Beach are designed to increase endurance, strength and power.
Alternative approaches have unique appeals BY STEVE BORNHOF T
mong people pursuing fitness goals, some will choose to go it alone, to experience the loneliness of the long-distance runner. Most, however, will seek the assistance of a personal trainer or participate as a member of a group in workout sessions at a Crossfit gym or fitness studio. Both options have advantages. A trainer working one-on-one with a client can customize workouts to specifically address goals and weaknesses. People who join in classes enjoy support and encouragement from fellow participants and may engage in friendly competition.
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PHOTOS BY MIKE FENDER (WARE) AND STEVEN GRAY (WORK)
A
Chris Work of Pensacola has worked as a self-employed fitness trainer since 2009 after previously working for gyms for nine years. He trains diverse clients including middle- and high-school athletes seeking competitive advantages; professionals seeking to balance sedentary jobs with physical activity; and seniors working to maintain mobility and flexibility. In all cases, his relationship with a client begins with a consultation. Drawing upon lessons he learned as a pre-physical therapy student at Pensacola State College, Work explores issues that may include old injuries, back pain, weakness in hamstrings, muscle strength imbalances and the nature of the job a client holds. “For example, I have a client who is a UPS driver,” Work said. “He’s up and down a lot, so I give him a lot of spine-sparing exercises. “People may have muscles in the front that are stronger than those in the back. They may be experiencing joint or shoulder pain. People who work desk jobs are likely to have a lot of muscle tightness.” Work stresses the importance of building or shoring up a foundation for fitness training. “The base may have cracks in it, and we may have some patchwork to do before we can build a highrise on it,” he said. “You can’t just start people out on a deadlift.” Too, Work said, “lingering problems” not uncovered by the initial consultation may become apparent once light workouts begin. Work holds certifications from the Athletics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and has always been fascinated by anatomy and physiology.
Trainer Chris Work of Pensacola works with a range of clients, including seniors who may need help maintaining mobility and functionality or in recovering from joint replacement surgeries. He tailors his workouts for his clients based on their goals and initial consultation.
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February-March 2021
“The women I work with may be highly anxious, and they aren’t big fans of gyms. They can be triggered by that environment.” Hysong, weather permitting, prefers to conduct her fitness training outside at a walking park kittycorner from her office on 11th Street in Panama City. Workouts tend to be weightless. That is, they involve primarily dips, lunges, squats and abdominal work. She emphasizes breathing techniques that are helpful both in fitness training and as relaxation techniques. “There is something to the old saying about taking a deep breath,” Hysong said. Hysong said that in her nearly 30 years as a mental health counselor, she has never seen the collective anxiety level in Bay County as high as it has been since the pandemic arrived. “It’s off the charts,” she said. “Hurricane Michael definitely brought it on, and the pandemic has exacerbated things and made it impossible for people to get the services they need. We absolutely do not have the mental health resources that we need under the circumstances.” Political turmoil and divisiveness have been additional stressors, Hysong said. Three days a week, Hysong starts her day at 6:46 a.m. at the Emerald Coast Behavioral Hospital where she leads a boot-camp style class for military personnel — active, reservists and retired — who are dealing with substance abuse and mental health issues. Ninety percent or more have been affected by post-traumatic stress disorder, she said. Hysong otherwise works out with weights, goes for long walk/runs and takes yoga classes. As a trainer, she especially likes teaching people what they can do with their own bodies, thus avoiding any need to go to a gym or consult a trainer. “People say to me, ‘If you teach them all of these things they can do without you, aren’t you working yourself out of a job?’ “And I say, ‘Yes, that’s the point.’ Just like therapy. I teach people strategies and techniques and let them put them into play.” EC
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dining guide
Sunset Bay Café’s Chicken ’n’ Waffles
Pandemic developments and social distancing policies and protocols may affect restaurant operations. Check websites for the latest information.
and Cajun seafood gumbo. Open daily from 4 pm. 775 Gulf Shore Dr., Destin. (850) 837-0881. $$ D
THE BEACH HOUSE
Casual, beach-front dining. Open daily 11 am–10 pm. 4009 S. Sandestin Blvd., Miramar Beach. (850) 267-4800. $$ L D
BUFFALO’S REEF ★
Hot wings and cold beer. Tues–Sat open at 10:30 am, Sun open at noon. 116 Eglin Pkwy., Fort Walton Beach. (850) 243-9463. $ L D
THE CRAFT BAR ★
Craft brews on tap along with artisan cocktails and elevated bar fare. Open daily 11 am–midnight. 4424 Commons Dr., Destin. Also in Grayton Beach and Pensacola. (850) 460-7907. $$ L D
DHARMA BLUE
Atmosphere and service match an expansive menu including everything from sushi to pork tenderloin. Lunch Sat–Sun 10 am– 1 pm. Dinner daily from 5. 300 S. Alcaniz St., Pensacola. (850) 433-1275. $$ L D
EMERIL’S COASTAL ITALIAN
Located at Grand Boulevard in Sandestin, the famed chef’s first restaurant in Northwest Florida combines Italian cuisine with the variety of fresh Gulf seafood and local ingredients. Sun–Thur 11:30 am–10 pm, Fri–Sat 11:30 am–10:30 pm. 435 Grand Blvd., Miramar Beach. (850) 608-7040. $$$ L D
EVERKRISP ★
Farm-to-table salads, rice bowls and other health-focused American bites in modern, brick-lined digs. Open daily 10:30 am– 9 pm. 4463 Commons Dr. W. #10a, Destin. (850) 460-8881 and 625 Grand Blvd., Miramar Beach. (850) 842-4504. $$ L D
FIREFLY ★
Fresh Gulf seafood, steak, sushi and signature cocktails. Open daily at 5 pm. 535 Richard Jackson Blvd., Panama City Beach. (850) 249-3359. $$$ D
GEORGE’S AT ALYS BEACH
Seafood, burgers and sandwiches. Open daily 11 am–3 pm and 5–9 pm. 30 Castle Harbour Dr., Alys Beach. (850) 641-0017. $$ L D
GREAT SOUTHERN CAFE ★
This all-day cafe puts a new spin on classic with a mix of international cuisines, Southern cooking and local food and produce. Open daily for breakfast: 8–10:45 am, lunch: 11 am–4 pm and dinner: 4–9:30 pm. 83 Central Square, Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 231-7327. $$ B L D
JACO’S BAYFRONT BAR & GRILLE
Waterfront restaurant serving burgers, salads, seafood and brunch daily. Open Mon–Wed 11 am–9 pm, Thurs–Sat 11 am–10 pm and Sun 10 am–9 pm. 997 S. Palafox St., Pensacola. (850) 432-5226. $$ L D
LOUISIANA LAGNIAPPE ★
A taste of New Orleans hits the coast through Louisiana-style favorites like shrimp and grits
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LOUIS LOUIS ★
This sister restaurant of The Red Bar has great American fare with a Gulf twist. 35 Mussett Bayou Road, Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 267-1500. $$ D
VIN’TIJ WINE BOUTIQUE & BISTRO ★
Seafood, salad, chef specials. Open daily 11 am–midnight. 10859 W. Emerald Coast Pkwy., #103, Miramar Beach. (850) 650-9820. $$ L D
ASIAN
LULU’S
Lucy Buffett’s funky hangout features cocktails, burgers and seafood, plus allergy-friendly menus. Open Sun–Thur 11 am–9 pm, Fri–Sat 11 am–10 pm. 4607 Legendary Marina Dr., Destin. (850) 710-5858. $$ L D
MAGNOLIA GRILL
Steak, seafood, pasta, soups, salads and desserts. Lunch Mon-Fri 11 am–2 pm, dinner Mon–Sat from 5 pm. Closed Sun. 157 SE Brooks St., Fort Walton Beach. (850) 302-0266. $$ L D
MARINA BAR AND GRILL
Seafood, po’ boys, burgers and salads. Open Sun–Thurs 11 am–8 pm, Fri 11 am–10 pm, Sat 8 am–10 pm. Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, 9300 Emerald Coast Pkwy. W., Miramar Beach. (850) 267-7778. $ B L D
MARINA CAFÉ ★
Gourmet pizzas, Creole and American cuisine. Open daily 5–10 pm. 404 E. Hwy. 98, Destin. (850) 837-7960. $$$ D
NICK’S BOATHOUSE
Serving a wide variety of seafood, steaks and flatbreads by the waterfront. Open daily for lunch and dinner from 11 am–9 pm. 455 W. Main St., Pensacola. (850) 912-8775. $$ L D
RESTAURANT PARADIS ★
Restaurant and lounge offers rich coastal flavors in its innovative dishes. Open Sun–Thur 5–9 pm, Fri–Sat 5–10 pm. 82 S. Barrett Square, Rosemary Beach. (850) 534-0400. $$$ D
SHADES BAR & GRILL ★
A 30A mainstay for over 20 years, Shades features 17 high-def TVs plus a menu of salsas, steaks, sandwiches and fish tacos. Open daily 11–1 am. 10952 E. County Hwy 30A, (850) 231-9410. $$ L D
SUNSET BAY CAFÉ
Chef-inspired twists on classic dishes. Breakfast, lunch, dinner or cocktail. Open daily 7 am–2 pm. Tiki Bar open noon to sunset. Linkside Conference Center, 158 Sandestin Blvd. N., Miramar Beach. (850) 267-7108. $ B L
THE RED BAR ★
New and improved and now reopened; get classic meals at one of the area’s most renowned locations. 70 Hotz Ave., Grayton Beach. (850) 231-1008. $$ L D
TOMMY BAHAMA RESTAURANT, BAR & STORE ★
Savor the fresh, island-inspired fare or unwind with one of their signature cocktails. 525 Grand Blvd., Miramar Beach. (850) 654-1743. $$$ L D
EMERALDCOASTMAGA ZINE.COM
BASMATI’S ASIAN CUISINE ★
Serving fresh seafood, sushi and vegetables on Scenic 30A for more than 20 years. 3295 W. County Hwy. 30A., Blue Mountain Beach. (850) 267-3028. $$$ L D
OSAKA ★
Known for its sushi but serves a variety of dishes, including chicken, steak and seafood. Lunch 11 am–2:30 pm, dinner 5–10:30 pm. 34845 Emerald Coast Pkwy., Destin. (850) 650-4688 or (850) 650-4689. $$ L D
P.F. CHANG’S ★
Asian-influenced “farm to wok” chain offers madefrom-scratch dishes such as dim sum, sushi and Chinese food favorites. Mon, 11 am–9 pm; Tue– Thur, Sun 11 am–10 pm; Fri–Sat 11 am–11 pm, 640 Grand Blvd., Sandestin. (850) 269-1806. $$ L D
SUSHIMOTO ★
This creative sushi bar offers up a variety of rolls and Japanese fare. 12889 U.S. Hwy. 98, Ste. 103B, Miramar Beach. (850) 424-5977. $ D
THAI DELIGHTS
Traditional dishes in a casual atmosphere. Open daily 11 am–9 pm. 821 Harbor Blvd., Destin. (850) 650-3945. $$ L D
THAI ELEPHANT AUTHENTIC THAI CUISINE ★
Serving traditional Thai favorites that were voted the area’s best. 3906 Hwy 98, Ste. 5–6, Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 660-6711. $ L D
BBQ 98 BAR-B-QUE ★
Award-winning barbecue, gumbo, sandwiches and salads in a casual atmosphere. Dine in, take out, catering. Mon–Sat 11 am–8 pm. 5008 Hwy. 98, Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 622-0679. $ L D
BLUE MABEL ★
This local smokehouse features made-fromscratch dishes and is stocked with everything from smoked meats to homemade sauces. 2260 W. Scenic Hwy. 30A, Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 744-0040. $$ L D
BREAKFAST/ BRUNCH/BAKERY ANDY’S FLOUR POWER CAFE & BAKERY
Lively brunch/lunch destination known for
its French toast, rolled omelets and cheery ambiance. Open Tues–Sat 7 am–2 pm, Sun 8 am–2 pm. 2629 Thomas Drive, Panama City Beach. (850) 230-0014. $$ L D
ANOTHER BROKEN EGG CAFÉ
Breakfast all day, plus sandwiches, patty melts, specials, soups, salads and desserts. Open daily 7 am–2 pm, closed Mondays. 979 E. Hwy. 98, #F, Destin (Also in Miramar Beach, Panama City, Pensacola, Sandestin and Grayton Beach). (850) 650-0499. $ B
BLACK BEAR BREAD CO. ★
Contemporary cafe for craft coffee, housebaked breads, pastries and sandwiches and all-day breakfast. 26 Logan Lane, Grayton Beach. (850) 213-4528. $ B L
BON APPETIT FRENCH BAKERY AND CAFE ★
Delicious made-from-scratch French pastries, croissants and crusty breads, along with soups, salads and sandwiches. 420 Mary Esther Cut Off NW, Fort Walton Beach. $ L
DONUT HOLE BAKERY CAFE ★
Eat breakfast all day with fresh-baked donuts and hearty comfort food. Open daily 6 am–10 pm. 635 Harbor Blvd., Destin (also in Inlet Beach and Santa Rosa Beach). (850) 837-8824. $ B
MAMA CLEMENZA’S EUROPEAN BREAKFAST Old World family recipes. Multiple award winner. Brunch Wed–Sun 8 am–1 pm. 2273 Emerald Coast Pkwy. W., Miramar Beach. (850) 424-3157 and 8 am–1 pm on Sundays at 75 Eglin Pkwy, Fort Walton Beach. (850) 243-0707. $$ B
DESSERT BLUE MOUNTAIN BEACH CREAMERY ★
Family-owned dessert shop serves delicious ice cream, yogurt and sorbet treats. 2129 S. County Hwy 83, Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 278-6849. $
GREEK AEGEAN RESTAURANT ★
Authentic Greek restaurant. Breakfast 8–11 am, lunch 11 am–4 pm, dinner 4–9 pm. 11225 Emerald Coast Pkwy., Miramar Beach (and Shalimar). (850) 460-2728. $$ B L D
ALA BABA GRILL CAFÉ
Casual spot for familiar Turkish and Greek recipes offered à la carte and at a buffet, plus beer and wine. 10 am–9 pm. 550 Mary Esther Cutoff, Fort Walton Beach. (850) 986-5555. L D
YIOTA’S GREEK DELI
Traditional Greek food made from family recipes. Order at counter. 10 am–5 pm. 130 E. Miracle Strip Pkwy., Mary Esther. (850) 302-0691. $ L
PHOTO BY CHASE ALEXANDER PHOTOGRAPHY
AMERICAN
IRISH JOHNNY MCTIGHE’S IRISH PUB
Easygoing pub providing Irish and American eats, a game room for kids and deck seating. 11 am–2 am. 2298 Scenic Hwy. 30A, Blue Mountain Beach. (850) 267-0101. $$ L D
MCGUIRE’S IRISH PUB ★
Burgers and pub grub and the famous 18-cent Senate Bean Soup. Open daily 11 am–2 am. 33 Hwy. 98, Destin (Also in Pensacola). (850) 650-0000. $$ L D
ITALIAN/PIZZA AMICI 30A
Offering authentic Italian cuisine with a flair for celebration. Open daily 11 am– 11 pm. 12805 U.S. Hwy. 98 E., Suite R101, Inlet Beach. (850) 909-0555. $$$ L D
Baja-style Mexican food, including tacos, burritos, quesadillas and more. 201-B Miracle Strip Pkwy, Fort Walton Beach. (850) 226-8016. $ L D
CANTINA LAREDO ★
A gourmet twist on Mexican favorites. Sun–Thurs 11 am–10 pm, Fri–Sat 11 am– 11 pm. 585 Grand Blvd., Miramar Beach. (850) 654-5649. $$ B L D
CRAB ISLAND CANTINA
Latin-inspired Mexican cuisine. Mon– Thurs 11 am–10 pm, Fri–Sat 11 am–11 pm, Sun 1 am–9 pm. 2 Harbor Blvd., Destin. (850) 424-7417. $$ L D
THE TACO BAR AT BUD & ALLEY’S
Baja fish tacos, homemade guacamole, burritos and top-shelf margaritas. Open daily from 11 am (in season). 2236 E. County Rd. 30A, Seaside. (850) 231-4781. $$ L D
SEAFOOD
ANGELINA’S PIZZA & PASTA
Authentic homemade pizza pie and Italian dishes in a casual atmosphere. Lunch and dinner daily 11 am–9:30 pm. 4005 E. Hwy. 30A, Seagrove Beach. (850) 231-2500. $ B L D
THE BAY SOUTH WALTON ★
CLEMENZA’S UPTOWN ★
This family-friendly waterfront restaurant overlooking Choctawhatchee Bay features Gulf Coast cuisine, sushi, a 12-draft beer system, plus wine and crafted cocktails. Open daily 11 am–9:30 pm. 24215 Hwy. 331, Santa Rosa Beach, (850) 622-2291.$$ L D
FAT CLEMENZA’S
Fresh seafood in a casual atmosphere; family bundles now available for carryout. 4447 Commons Drive E., Destin. (850) 650-3161.
Classic Italian. Wood-fired pizza, private dining, cooking school. Multiple award winner. Lunch Mon–Fri, dinner Mon–Sat. 75 Eglin Pkwy., Fort Walton Beach. (850) 243-0707. $$ B L D Classic Italian. Wood-fired pizza, specialty desserts, fish Fridays. Multiple award winner. Lunch Mon–Fri, dinner Mon–Sat 5–9 pm. Holiday Plaza, Hwy. 98, Miramar Beach. (850) 650-5980. $$ L D
MIMMO’S RISTORANTE ITALIANO ★
Italian dishes. Open Mon–Fri 11 am–10 pm, Sat–Sun 5–10 pm. 979 Hwy. 98, #5, Destin. (850) 460-7353. $$ L D
PIZZA BY THE SEA ★
BONEFISH GRILL ★
$$ L D
BOSHAMPS SEAFOOD & OYSTER HOUSE ★
Gulf-to-table Southern cuisine. Open daily from 11 am. 414 Harbor Blvd., Destin. (850) 424-7406. $$ L D
BROTULA’S SEAFOOD HOUSE & STEAMER
With an emphasis on fresh ingredients and a family-friendly environment, Pizza by the Sea offers handmade pizzas and other Italian favorites. Open daily 11 am–8 pm. Multiple locations. (850) 650-0015. $$ L D
Fresh steamed and boiled seafood dishes. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Sunday brunch. Destin Harbor, Destin. (850) 460-8900. $$$ B
PAZZO ITALIANO
Sea-to-table dining, serving fresh seafood, steak and vegetarian dishes. Open Mon– Fri 11:30 am. Roof bar open in summer 11:30 pm–2 am. 2236 E. Hwy. 30A, Seaside. (850) 231-5900. $$$ L D
Destin’s newest Italian restaurant offers authentic Italian cuisine such as wood-fired pizzas, pasta, calzones, salads, chef specialties and nightly specials. Mon–Thur 11 am–9 pm, Fri 11 am–10 pm, Sat 4–10 pm, Sun 4–9 pm. 34904 Emerald Coast Pkwy., Suite 114, Destin. (850) 974-5484. $$ L D
THE PIZZA BAR AT BUD & ALLEY’S
Artisan cheese, fresh salads, antipasto dishes, homemade soups, seasonal vegetables, hearty pastas and homemade wood-fired Neapolitan pizza. Open daily from 11 am. 2236 E. County Rd. 30A, Seaside. (850) 231-3113. $$ L D
TRATTORIA BORAGO
Pork tenderloin or pan-seared grouper from the open kitchen. Open daily from 6 pm. 80 E. Hwy. 30A, Grayton Beach. (850) 231-9167. $$ D
MEXICAN BURRITO DEL SOL ★
This Mexican restaurant serves fresh
BUD & ALLEY’S WATERFRONT RESTAURANT ★
CAPT. ANDERSON’S RESTAURANT
Since 1967, offering traditional seafood items, flavorful salads and soups with a view of the marina. Open Mon–Fri at 4:30 pm, Sat–Sun
at 4 pm. 5551 N. Lagoon Dr., Panama City Beach. (850) 234-2225. $$$ D
DEWEY DESTIN’S HARBORSIDE ★
Award-winning seafood in a quaint house. Open daily 11 am–8 pm. 202 Harbor Blvd., Destin. (850) 837-7525. $$$ L D
DEWEY DESTIN’S SEAFOOD RESTAURANT & MARKET ★
Outdoor setting, fresh seafood. Open 11 am–8 pm. 9 Calhoun Ave., Destin. (850) 837-7575. $$ B L D
THE GULF – FORT WALTON BEACH ★
Seville Harbor. Open daily from 11 am. 600 S. Barracks St., Pensacola. (850) 470-0003. $$ L D
Locally inspired food and beverages in a beautiful waterfront setting, alongside a curated vinyl record collection. 284 Marler Ave., Fort Walton Beach. (850) 387-1300.
FOOW RESTAURANT
Southern coastal cuisine with an Asian flair. Open daily 5:30–10 pm. Located in the WaterColor Inn, Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 534-5050. $$$ D
$$ L D
JACKSON’S STEAKHOUSE ★
HARBOR DOCKS
High-end steakhouse cuisine with fine wines. Local seafood is hand-selected and artistically prepared to perfection. Lunch Mon–Fri 1 am–2 pm, brunch Sat–Sun 11 am–2 pm, dinner Mon–Sun 5:30–10 pm. 400 S. Palafox St., Pensacola. (850) 469-9898. $$$ D
A surf-and-turf restaurant. Breakfast, lunch and dinner and great sushi. Open daily 5 am–11 pm. 538 E. Hwy. 98, Destin. (850) 837-2506. $$ B L D
JACKACUDA’S SEAFOOD & SUSHI
MARLIN GRILL ★
Seafood, sushi, salad and sandwiches. Open daily from 11 am. Sunday brunch at 10 am. 56 Harbor Blvd., HarborWalk Village, Destin. (850) 424-3507 and 36120 Emerald Coast Pkwy., Destin. (850) 360-2909. $$ L D
$$$ D
OLD BAY STEAMER ★
RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE
RUNAWAY ISLAND
SEAGAR’S PRIME STEAKS & SEAFOOD ★
Seafood, steaks, salads and appetizers. Open nightly from 5 pm. The Village of Baytowne Wharf, Miramar Beach. (850) 351-1990.
The perfect place for quality steamed seafood, outstanding steaks and incredible ribs. 102 Santa Rosa Blvd., Fort Walton Beach. (850) 664-2795. $$ D
Steak and seafood. New Orleans-inspired. Mon–Sat 5:30–10 pm, Sun 5:30–9 pm. Silver Shells Resort, 1500 Emerald Coast Pkwy., Destin. (850) 337-5108. $$$ D
Crab, oysters and grouper sandwiches in a casual beach bar and grill with steps onto the sand. Open daily at 11 am. 14521 Front Beach Rd., Panama City Beach. (850) 634-4884. $$ L D
SHUNK GULLEY OYSTER BAR ★
Premium steak, fresh seafood and caviar. Open daily from 6 pm. Hilton Sandestin, 4000 S. Sandestin Blvd., Miramar Beach. (850) 622-1500. $$$ D
SLICK LIPS SEAFOOD & OYSTER HOUSE
This seafood and casual fare restaurant features classic coastal cuisine and genuine Southern hospitality plus live music daily inside the panoramic bar. Open daily 11 am–9 pm. 1875 S. Hwy. 393, Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 622-2733.
Family-friendly seafood spot located in The Village of Baytowne Wharf — with the freshest local Gulf-caught seafood and 1855 certified Angus steaks. Sun–Thur 11 am–9 pm; Fri–Sat 11 am–10 pm. 140 Fisherman’s Cove, Miramar Beach. (850) 347-5060. $$ L D
$$ L D
STINKY’S FISH CAMP ★
This seafood and wine mainstay promises Gulf-fresh fare. 5960 W. County Road 30A, Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 267-3053. $$ L D
TAKE OUT 30AGRUB2GO
STEAK & SEAFOOD BEACH WALK CAFE
Located at the Henderson Park Inn, this awardwinning fine dining establishment features a range of favorites including grouper Vince, pepper-crusted yellowfin tuna and seafood pasta Rockefeller. Open daily 5:30–9 pm. 2700 Scenic Hwy. 98, Destin. (850) 650-7100. $$$ D
BIJOUX RESTAURANT & SPIRITS ★
Fine dining coastal cuisine with a New Orleans flair, Gulf seafood, prime steaks. Open daily 4–10 pm. The Market Shops, 9375 Emerald Coast Pkwy. W., #22, Miramar Beach. (850) 622-0760. $$$ D
CAFE THIRTY-A ★
Offering the best in steaks and Gulf fare, Café Thirty-A is also available for weddings and special gatherings. Open daily 5–9:30 pm. 3899 E. Scenic Hwy. 30A, Seagrove Beach. (850) 231-2166. $$$ D
CAPTAIN DAVE’S ON THE GULF
Inspired by traditional waterfront dining, Captain Dave’s features American seafood cuisine infused with a contemporary Gulf Coast twist. Wed–Mon 4 pm–close. 3796 Scenic Hwy. 98, Destin. (850) 837-2627. $$$ D
Fast delivery of all the high-quality cuisine that 30A has to offer. Download their app on Google Play or the Apple Store, or visit 30agrub2go.com to get started. (850) 260-3139.
DESTIN ICE SEAFOOD MARKET & DELI ★
Fresh fish and seafood items, pastas, salads and side dishes, Buckhead meats, decadent desserts, wines, cheeses, spices and more. Open daily 8 am–7 pm. 663 Emerald Coast Pkwy., Destin. (850) 837-8333. $$ L D
JC'S GOURMET ★
A chilled mix of fresh shrimp, lime zest and vinegar-soaked cucumber, red onion and sweet pepper, this is shrimp ceviche-style. 4621 Highway 98 W., Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 687-2810
KETO KREATIONS ★
Low-carb, ketogenic baked goods for the dieting sweet tooth. 114 Logan Lane, Suite 2, Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 517-6379. $$
MODICA MARKET ★
Find delicious lunch specials and brews at this gourmet specialty food store. 109 Seaside Central Square, Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 231-1214. L
THE FISH HOUSE ★
Fresh seafood cuisine and Southern specialties in a setting overlooking Pensacola Bay and the
THE KEY Visit our comprehensive, searchable dining guide online at EmeraldCoastMagazine.com/Restaurants.
★ Best of the
Emerald Coast 2020 Winner
The restaurants that appear in this guide are included as a service to readers and not as recommendations of the Emerald Coast Magazine editorial department, except where noted. B L D
Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Outdoor Dining Live Music $ Inexpensive
EMERALDCOASTMAGA ZINE.COM
$$ Moderately
Expensive
$$$ Expensive
February-March 2021
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postscript
RESCUED BY A RESCUE
Adopted dog inspires owner who strayed from good habits by DANIEL VITTER
I
had no idea at the time, but the 8-month-old, big, gray dog we were heading to Tampa to adopt would lead me down a path to fitness. That is, the rescue, a Weimaraner named Roxy, would make my Apple Watch’s built-in fitness app relevant. The app consists of three rings you try to close every day by achieving goals you set for yourself. The move ring (red) is a goal based on calories burned, which I set at 860 a day. The exercise ring (green) is preset at 30 minutes per day, which is where I left it. The stand ring (blue) tracks whether you stand and move at least a minute per hour during at least 12 hours in a day. Fitness goals had never been much of a priority for me in the past, but with Roxy, sedentariness would not be an option. Roxy demanded we exercise her, frequently. She is sculpted from the most stubborn dog clay. She has to be worn out every day if we are to enjoy even 30 minutes of uninterrupted time. In such a way, a fitness streak was born. Next thing you know, I had closed all three rings daily for a month. I was feeling better and made a conscious
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decision to eat healthier foods or at least more appropriate portions. I set and reached a goal of 100 consecutive three-ring days. Maybe I could reach a full year! Was that crazy? I didn’t think so. Was it realistic? Probably not. But heck, 2020 was a year like no other. Maybe I could flip the craziness on its head and do the unthinkable stick with an exercise goal and see it through. I was almost desperate to close those three little rings every day. It felt important, and it was something I could control during a time when so many things seemed out of our control. And, it wasn’t as if Roxy ever would be inclined to take a day off. I had hoped at the time of writing this story that my fitness streak would still be intact. Unfortunately, it came to an end in November when I was consumed by the process of buying a home. I went to bed exhausted one night, and before dropping off to sleep, I noticed that the red ring wasn’t quite closed. I told myself the watch would record the calories I would burn while sleeping, but no. I missed my move goal by 26 calories. Twenty-six.
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Imagine drawing a circle, but before you connect the ends together you stop short, leaving the ends ever so slightly apart — as if only a sheet of paper could fit in the gap. When I discovered the next morning I missed my daily move goal by such a tiny margin, I blurted out a few savory words and spent the remainder of the day sulking. I felt sick. Strangely, something that never meant much to me at all was now tearing me up inside. The psychological impact of closing those rings was more than I ever would have thought possible. A curse on Apple! The good news is, I lost 15 pounds during a stressful time period in which I was on track to gain the “quarantine 15” due to poor eating habits and a lack of getting out of the house. I now know that I can sustain a fitness challenge simply by going on long walks and jogs with Roxy. And on rainy days, I substitute workouts in the garage using my Bosu ball and some small weights. With Roxy as my fitness partner, I will definitely be starting up a new streak again soon. The rings must be closed. EC illustration by SIERRA THOMAS
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4895 W County Hwy 30A
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Offered at $7,650,000 This gorgeous Gulf-front residence located on 30A is a must see! Designed by Stackable Mracek, and built by Corestruction, this home is truly one of a kind. An ideal floor plan creates a relaxed flow, while large windows and doors provide an abundance of natural light throughout the main home and carriage house. The main house features four bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, two large game/bonus rooms, two half bathrooms, a massive main living space complete with open kitchen and dining area, an outdoor living space, elevator, and much more. The carriage house features a full kitchen, open living space, bedroom with ensuite bathroom and laundry. Below the carriage house is a two car garage with a golf cart bay.
Seagrove
81 Santa Clara Street
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