February 2022

Waves of Excitement for Mote SEA

Great Greens Golf courses + Plant-based fare

2022

City Scenes PHOTO JOURNAL OF OUR TOWN

SMHF • READER GARDENS • HONORING HERITAGE

+ the

scenesarasota.com

Maestro celebrates a Milestone MAESTRO DERENZI'S 40TH YEAR WITH SARASOTA OPERA

FEBRUARY 2022 $3.95 U.S.

Est. 1987

Cosmetics, Implants and Bite Reconstruction Actual Patients

Smile Makeovers and Veneers

Before

After

Before

After

Dental Implant Surgery and Reconstruction

Before

After

Before

After

On-Site Laboratory with Master Technicians to Customize and Control Results Implant Dentistry

Cosmetic Dentistry

Orthodontics

Burr Bakke, DDS

Jill Morris, DMD

Cameron Johnson, DMD

• Fellow of the American Dental Implant Association • Fellow of International Congress of Oral Implantologists • Fellow of the American Academy of Dental Facial Esthetics • Member of American Academy of Implant Dentistry • Post Doctoral Instructor of Full Mouth Reconstruction

• Accredited Member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (only 550 accredited dentists worldwide) • Fellow of the American Academy of Dental Facial Esthetics • Post Doctoral Instructor of Full Mouth Reconstruction • Member International Academy of Oral Biological Dentistry and Toxicology • Practicing dentistry for 33 years

• Member of North American Association of Facial Orthotropics • Member of the American Orthodontic Society • Member of the International Association of Orthodontics • Member of American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine • International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology

(941) 877-6816 | SarasotaDentist.com | 3951 Swift Rd., Sarasota, FL 34231

Advanced Care and Dental Technology at One Location Stay Connected With Us

(941) 877-6816 | 3951 Swift Rd., Sarasota, FL 34231

Luxury Retirement Living On Sarasota Bay

“Sarasota Bay Club gives us the freedom to create our perfect lifestyle and the support to live it well.”

At Sarasota Bay Club, we help you meet all of life’s challenges – from dining and entertainment to transportation and personal care – whatever you need to live your perfect lifestyle.

We are now offering private sales appointments and showings of available luxury residences.

Call Mimi Nowak or Dana Moe To Schedule Your Visit: (941) 552-3284 1301 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota Online at SarasotaBayClub.com

Luxury Condominiums Priced From $500,000 to Over $2 Million

There aren’t a lot of places quite like here.

When it’s time for more space or relocating near a top-rated school, choose the locally-known company that’s best at helping families reach milestones in our little corner of the world.

Nowhere but here.

VENICE | PLANTATION MICHAELSAUNDERS.COM | 941.485.5421 | 941.493.2500 Licensed Real Estate Broker

Sarasota | A4519666 | $10,900,000 Kristina Waskom | 941-266-8658

Longboat Key | A4518073 | $8,500,000 Linda Driggs & Sara Boudarga | 941-374-2920

Nokomis | A4521028 | $2,250,000 Crystal Cosby | 571-230-5013

Longboat Key | A4520114 | $1,400,000 Cindy Fischer & Mark J Baron | 941-465-1124

Longboat Key | A4520104 | $1,195,000 Cindy Fischer & Mark J Baron | 941-465-1124

Bradenton | A4520776 | $949,000 Noel Morton & Mark Boehmig | 941-348-9129

Lakewood Ranch | A4520204 | $865,000 Gloria Bracciano | 941-229-4000

MICHAELSAUNDERS.COM | 888.552.5228 Licensed Real Estate Broker

Unique Finds...

Affordable Luxury We invite you to visit our 20,000 sq/ft showroom featuring one of the nation’s most amazing collections of area rugs, furniture, art, accessories and more!

You'll love our personal touch and we promise you'll be astounded by our incredible prices... the best anywhere!

We guarantee it!

Rugs As Art ...And More!

6650 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 941.921.1900 rugsasart.com

CONTENTS features

56 WAVES OF EXCITEMENT For Mote SEA

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

64

60 CAPTIVATING CUISINE A Celebration Of Plant-Based Dining

By Holly Barbour, MD 64 CITY SCENES A Photo Journal of Our Town

By Nancy Guth 80 40 YEARS OF RUNNING THE SHOW Sarasota Opera’s Maestro, Victor DeRenzi

By Sylvia Whitman

36 10

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

88 GREAT GOLFING On The Gulf Coast

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

56

ON THE COVER Maestro DeRenzi celebrates his 40th Year with Sarasota Opera.

Photo by Nancy Guth.

live. dine. play.

MEMBERS LIVE TO A HIGHER STANDARD An exclusive location is minutes from downtown, world-class accomodations, shoppping and dining; between I-75 and the Sarasota International Airport. Once on the grounds, you’ll feel as though you have been transported to a private enclave.

A championship 27 hole golf course is surrounded by breathtaking native Florida landscape, impeccably groomed and designed for exhilarating play whatever your skill level.

Enjoy contemporary cuisine in a coastal modern venue with expansive lake views at The Park Grille & Café.

Member perks for non-residents are available with Annual, Trial and Summer Memberships. Join us for a distinctive country club experience, universitypark-fl.com.

7671 The Park Boulevard | University Park, FL 34201 | 941.355.3888 | universitypark-fl.com

CONTENTS departments

SOCIAL SCENE 22 THE LIST February Events Calendar SCENE SNAPS 36 Green Thumbs & Gardening

INSIDER

50 THE FIND Valentine’s Day Gifts

By Gina Liga 94 SPOTLIGHT Honoring Heritage: Manasota chapter of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History

By Carol Brzozowski

36

ARTS & CULTURE

98 ART SCENE Gallery Exhibits & Events 100 BEST SEATS Performing Arts Calendar 105 LITERARY SCENE Three Terrific New Mysteries

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

Be Informed Be Entertained Be SCENE scenesarasota.com

PHILANTHROPY

12

98

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

52 HEALTHCARE IS FOUNDATIONAL Mike Valentino and the Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

50

READERS’ CHOICE FIRST PLACE

2021 BEST BUILDER

29 CONSECUTIVE YEARS

SARASOTA MANATEE VENICE

from the publisher

“

Inspiration is an awakening, a quickening of all man’s faculties, and it is manifested in all high artistic achievements.

—GIACOMO PUCCINI

H

HERE IN SARASOTA, WE ARE FORTUNATE TO ENJOY AND CELEBRATE GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS IN ALL THE ARTS. Just one example is our opera house, currently celebrating 40 years under the artistic leadership of Maestro Victor DeRenzi. This month, Sarasota Scene writer Sylvia Whitman introduces us to the man who brings great opera to the local stage.

In this issue, we also explore our city through the lens of Nancy Guth’s camera and gaze into the future with Mote Marine. We explore the greener side of Sarasota—from marvelous readers’ gardens to area golf courses to the region’s plant-based dining renaissance.

The Legacy Trail is now fully accessible from Bahia Vista through to the Venetian Waterway Park, giving us access to 40 miles of safe and picturesque riding on a round trip. I am happy to do the trip at least once each weekend. If you enjoy this wonderful Sarasota amenity, please let the people at Friends of the Legacy Trail know.

They are often stationed in a mini marquee along the route until noon most weekend days.

A word of note to drivers: I use the bike lane on Bahia Vista to access the trail entrance. Please be thoughtful of bicyclists as you drive your cars by them. Sarasota is fortunate to have a bike culture that is, for the most part, very respective of the rules of the road; let’s offer them some courtesy.

This year’s social season continues with a busy calendar of offerings.

We are learning to live with COVID, and the arts have taken a lead in bringing back life quality. I recently attended the opening night of the Asolo Repertory Theatre’s production of Our Town.

Sponsors of the event were treated to conversations with Managing Director Linda DiGabriele and Director Desdemona Chiang and of course Producing Artistic Director Michael Donald Edwards. They shared insights into the play’s themes and selection; however, what Michael emphasized was how safe it is to come to the theater.

At Our Town, the audience, staff, and catering were all masked, tested/vaccinated, and spatially aware when eating and drinking.

But most importantly, everyone there was very respectful of each other. It was truly a very nice evening and everyone felt safe.

14

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

H JOHN KNOWLES, PUBLISHER john@scenesarasota.com

from the publisher Likewise, I attended Temple Beth Sholom’s Cantor Azi Schwartz’ Celebration of Song. What an amazing performance. Azi Schwartz has great range, a wonderful voice, and is a very entertaining guy. We were over 900 at the Sarasota Opera House. Again, the level of respect we extended to each other throughout the event was notable, including shifting the reception to the courtyard and taking pictures outside of the building. These modest everyday accommodations took nothing away from what was a tremendous performance by talented artists and kept everyone feeling safe.

By the time you read this issue, I hope you have your tickets for the Palm Ball and the Catholic Charities Gala; they are sure to be great events. Some tickets may still be available for Party Under the Stars hosted by Florida Cancer Specialists. February offers many wonderful performances. plan to attend at least a few, including The Great Leap and Grand Horizons, two of several shows at Asolo Rep. The Sarasota Opera has Tosca and Sarasota Orchestra has Be Mine / Great Escapes, the Van Wezel has Staying Alive.

Some events postponed in January have been rescheduled for February, March, or April; others could go virtual.

The Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation shifted to virtual in January and was very successful in raising funds for SMH Critical Care Services. However, other organizations may find it tough to hang on to their support if they have to severely modify their events.

It is important that everyone continues to support our fundraising season. If you choose not to attend an event or performance, donate your tickets, and respond to the organization’s fundraising activities. This will be the third season effected by the health crisis. Staying strong, active, and engaged is imperative to maintain our wonderful community.

Stan Writesel & Baylee

Alan Gravley & Beau

Beginning to End Interiors & Blinds 941.924.4481 | www.B2END.com

320873-1

4453 Ashton Road, Unit C, Sarasota, FL 34233

16

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

This February, have dinner, enjoy a show, give generously, and stay safe.

Let’s all make a difference in this community and be Scene.

H JOHN KNOWLES, PUBLISHER john@scenesarasota.com

Locally Owned and Operated Since 1957 Vol. 65 No. 2

Publisher H John Knowles Editor–in–Chief Wendy Lyons Sunshine Strategic Partnerships Julie A. Milton Art Director Darcy Kelly–Laviolette Social Media & Digital Content Gina Liga Distribution Mike Straffin Accounting Sally A. Bailey Advertising Enquiries Paul McNamara Call/Text 917.751.6506 | paul@scenesarasota.com

Everything you need for Valentine’s Day. Elegant food, fine wine, fresh flowers, divine desserts and specialty gift baskets.

Prepared by us.

For you and your sweetheart.

Tom Garriott Call/Text 317.797.8135 | tom@scenesarasota.com Sharon Castellano Call/Text 203.984.7577 | sharon@scenesarasota.com Contributing Designer Selina Bostic Contributing Writers Ryan G. Van Cleave Sylvia Whitman Carol Brzozowski Holly Barbour, MD Contributing & Social Photographer Nancy Guth 1834 Main Street, Sarasota, FL 34236 941.365.1119 | Fax: 941.954.5067 | scenesarasota.com

Serving the Sarasota area for over 50 years Historic Southside Village 1924 South Osprey Ave. Sarasota ∙ (941) 955-9856 MortonsMarket.com 18

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

Subscribe at scenesarasota.com/magazine/shop H John Knowles LLC, dba SCENE Magazine publishes 12 issues a year. Address editorial, advertising and circulation correspondence to the above address.

Sufficient return postage and self–addressed, stamped envelope must accompany all manuscripts, artwork and photographs submitted if they are to be returned or acknowledged. Publisher assumes no responsibility for care of return of unsolicited materials. Subscription price: $12.95 per year, $19.95 for two years. All contents copyrighted. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

The Most Eclectic Lighting Showroom in the Area.

John and JoJo Invite You Experience Unique and Home Accessories John and Furniture JoJo Bradshaw Bradshaw Invite You to to Galore.

Experience the the Breathtaking Designer Fan Selection.

Most Showroom On West Coast Most Eclectic Eclectic Showroom On the the West Coast of of Florida.

Florida. with CUSTOMER SERVICE BEYOND COMPARE!

An An Exhilarating Exhilarating Selection Selection of of Lighting, Lighting, Fans Fans and and Home Home Decor...

Decor...

With Personalized Service Beyond Compare.

You’ve Got To Go…To Know!

With Personalized Service Beyond Compare.

A Designer Showcase of Lighting, Fans, Furniture and Home Decor A Designer Showcase of Lighting, Fans, Furniture and Home Decor 816 Manatee Ave. E. | Bradenton, FL Monday - Friday | 9:30 - 6:00 816 Manatee Ave. E. | Bradenton, FL Monday - Friday | 9:30 - 6:00 941.745.2900 | lyteworks.com Saturday | 10:00 - 5:00 941.745.2900 | lyteworks.com Saturday | 10:00 - 5:00 Take a Virtual Tour of Our Showroom at lyteworks.com Take a Virtual Tour of Our Showroom at lyteworks.com

WHY CHOOSE 301 GRANITE & MARBLE? At

301 Granite & Marble Inc. we offer complete

Kitchen & Bathroom Remodeling. One Stop shopping for Flooring, Cabinets, Countertops and Backsplashes. We are ready to help you get the kitchen you want at a price you can afford. We will work closely with you from choosing just the right style and material to final installation.

Don’t wait to add beauty, value and timeless elegance to your home.

CALL TODAY FOR FREE ESTIMATE! 301GRANITE.COM | 941.360.0301 3800 N WASHINGTON BLVD, SARASOTA #WomenOwned

GRANITE & MARBLE INC.

301GRANITE7

@301GRANITE

Many Many think think that that The The Plumbing Plumbing Place Place is is number number one one because because of of the the amazing amazing products we sell, many think it’s because of the vast selection on display products we sell, many think it’s because of the vast selection on display in our beautiful showroom, and many think it’s because of our passion in our beautiful showroom, and many think it’s because of our passion to provide the best service to our clients. to provide the best service to our clients.

“I “I love love my my countertops countertops but but hate hate my my sink!” sink!”

The The realit realityy is is — — they’re they’re all all right! right!

Now Now there there is is a a clean clean and and modern modern way way to to replace replace your your under-mounted under-mounted sink sink WITHOUT WITHOUT replacing replacing the the countertop. countertop.

In-home In-home installation installation usually usually takes takes just just one one day. day. All All plumbing plumbing fixtures, fixtures, pipes, pipes, and accessories are removed by the installer, then the countertop is trimmed and accessories are removed by the installer, then the countertop is trimmed to to the precise shape and size.

After installing our unique seamless edge sink, all the precise shape and size. After installing our unique seamless edge sink, all plumbing is re-installed and the area is left clean and beautiful. plumbing is re-installed and the area is left clean and beautiful.

� � � � � � � �

Locally Locally owned owned and and operated operated for for 34 34 years years Hundreds Hundreds of of in-stock in-stock items items ready ready for for pick-up pick-up Constantly evolving showroom with the most current products Constantly evolving showroom with the most current products TradiTional TradiTional new SeamleSS, Products available to fit every budget Under-moUnT new SeamleSS, Products available to fit every budget Under-moUnT

YoUr new Sink will YoUr new Sink will UpdaTe YoUr kiTchen UpdaTe YoUr kiTchen rimleSS ink.

Sink wiTh gapS wiThoUT The need To rimleSS ink.

Kitchen Faucets/Sinks • Bathroom Faucets/Sinks • Toilets/Bidets • Accessories • Tubs/Spas •• Showers Vanities Kitchen • Bathroom Faucets/Sinks • Toilets/Bidets • Accessories • Tubs/Spas Showers Vanities Sink wiThFaucets/Sinks gapS wiThoUT The••need To no gapS, mildew Kitchen mildew Faucets/Sinks • Bathroom Faucets/Sinks • Toilets/Bidets • Accessories • Tubs/Spas •Purifi Showers • Vanities Mirrors/Medicine Cabinets • Door Hardware • Cabinet Hardware • Lighting • Steam Systems • Water cation Ventilation Trapping Spend ThoUSandS Mirrors/Medicine Cabinets • Door Hardware • Cabinet Hardware • Lighting • Steam Systems • Water Purification •• Bath Bathon Ventilation no gapS, mildew Mirrors/Medicine Cabinets • Door Hardware • Cabinet Hardware • Lighting • Steam Systems • Water Purifi cation • Bathon Ventilation Trapping mildew Spend ThoUSandS or grime. and grime. new coUnTerTopS. or grime. and grime. new coUnTerTopS.

Visit Visit The The Plumbing Plumbing Place Place for for more more information information on on this this exciting exciting and and new new cost-saving product that will make your kitchen new again. cost-saving product that will make your kitchen new again.

5678 Fruitville Fruitville Road Road 5678 5678 Fruitville Road Sarasota, Florida Sarasota, Florida 34232 34232 Sarasota, Florida 34232 941.378.5678 941.378.5678 941.378.5678 theplumbingplace.com theplumbingplace.com theplumbingplace.com

INSIDE INSIDE THE THE PLUMBING PLUMBING PLACE PLACE INSIDE THE PLUMBING PLACE

Kitchen Faucets/Sinks • Bathroom Faucets/Sinks • Toilets/Bidets • Accessories • Tubs/Spas Kitchen Faucets/Sinks • Bathroom Faucets/Sinks • Toilets/Bidets • Accessories • Tubs/Spas Showers • Vanities • Mirrors/Medicine Cabinets • Door Hardware • Cabinet Hardware Showers • Vanities • Mirrors/Medicine Cabinets • Door Hardware • Cabinet Hardware Lighting • Steam Systems • Water Puri cation • Bath Ventilation Lighting • Steam Systems • Water Puri cation • Bath Ventilation

social SCENE

The LIST FEBRUARY 2022

This month, head over to the Fairgrounds for festive fun or kick up your heels and dance the night away.

22

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

February 3 » Ringling Underground Enjoy local and regional live music in the museum courtyard while up and coming artists showcase their works.

Ringling Museum | ringling.org 5 » Highland Games & Celtic Festival The sound of the pipes, the beating of drums, food vendors, merchandise vendors, dancing and athletic events. A celebration of Scottish heritage that’s fun for the whole family.

Sarasota Fairgrounds | facebook.com/ sarasotagames

GET TICKETS

smhf.org/events/rtr SATURDAY 6:00 P.M.

3.5.22

BENEFITTING WOMEN AND CHILDREN’S SERVICES AT OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM HONORING PATRICIA S. SNYDER, R.N. MANAGER/HEAD NURSE 1985 –1996

#IWantMySMH HEADLINER SPONSOR

PROMOTER SPONSOR

AMICUS F O U N D AT I O N

OPENER SPONSORS

JANIS S. KELLY MEMORIAL FOUNDATION

PRODUCER SPONSORS: BANYAN PEDIATRIC CARE CENTERS • CAN COMMUNITY HEALTH • DANCE FLOOR CUSTOM GREENS FIRST PHYSICIANS GROUP–ADMINISTRATION • FLORIDA FURNITURE RENTAL • GULF COAST COMMUNITY FOUNDATION • NANCY MINA PALM PRINTING • RADIOLOGY ASSOCIATES OF FLORIDA, P.A. • SARASOTA ANESTHESIOLOGISTS, P.A. • USF FEDERAL CREDIT UNION AGENT SPONSORS: APG ENGINEERING • B&I CONTRACTORS, INC. • GOLD COAST EAGLE DISTRIBUTING • HIATUS TEQUILA J2 SOLUTIONS, INC. • KATHERINE M. KEELEY, M.D. • BRITT & NOAH RINER • SARASOTA EMERGENCY ASSOCIATES UNDERWRITERS: THE GRESS LODGE GROUP-RBC WEALTH MANAGEMENT • SOVEREIGN PLASTIC SURGERY

empath

TIDEWELL FOUNDATION

love

Grief is a form of love. Together with Tidewell Hospice, we’re improving patients’ well-being with expressive arts, pet care, and music therapy.

We also provide free grief services to our community, including children who have lost a loved one. Because like love, care is a continuum, and your generosity makes it possible.

Brighten lives today.

TidewellFoundation.org

Tidewell Foundation is grateful to our sustaining annual corporate partners for their ongoing sponsorship of the Foundation’s mission.

Partners in Excellence: Partners in Compassion:

Celebrating

49 YEARS

5 » Conservation Foundation Palm Ball Invest in saving more land and protecting more water along the Gulf Coast for endless generations to come. Proceeds benefit conservation initiatives vital to the beauty and vibrancy of Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Ringling Museum | ringling.org 5 » Catholic Charities Ball Funds raised by this event will support the programs in Region I including Sarasota, Manatee, Highlands, Glades, Desoto and Hardee counties.

The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota | catholiccharitiesdov.org 6 » River Rendezvous Take a trip back in history. This event features living history demonstrations, blacksmithing, old-time games and food and more.

Crowley Museum and Nature Center | crowleyfl.org

SIESTA KEY • 941.349.6644 ST. ARMANDS • 941.388.5239 FEBRUARY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

25

6 » Ski-A-Rees Season Opener Come see Sarasota’s own water ski team at their first show of the season.

Ski-A-Rees Stadium | skiarees.com 10–21 » The Florida State Fair Fair, agriculture, entertainment, food, exhibits and so much more.

Florida State Fairgrounds | floridastatefair.com 11 » Circus Sarasota Don’t miss this international cast of circus artists including local performers Bello Nock and Nik Wallenda. Watch thrilling performances under the big top.

Nathan Benderson Park | circusarts.org

Do you or a loved one need help to stay at home?

Exceptional care, service, and support for all including: • • • • • • • •

Alzheimer’s/Dementia Care Mental Stimulation Bathing, Grooming, and Dressing Errands and Shopping Homemaking, Light Housekeeping Companionship Mobility Encouragement Transportation and more

LICENSED • INSURED • BONDED Ask about our complementary home assessment.

Do you or a loved one need help to stay at home?

Help at Home Homecare

(941) 702-5525 HelpatHomeFL.com/Home-Care-Assistance FEBRUARY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

Exceptional Care, Service, and Support for All

27

THANKS TO YOU...

The Exchange has been a proud supporter of the arts of our community since 1962.

Find your joy Sarasota’s #1 consignment shop    

Find your joy Sarasota’s #1 consignment shop

The joy of shopping The joy of giving The joy of recycling The joy of supporting students and the arts in our community

OP NOW SH AT E M ONLIN O AWEX.C

T SARASckO-up in Store Pi

DONATE SHOP CONSIGN VOLUNTEER

This purchase helped support 23 Art Organizations & 22 Students during fiscal year 2019-2020

539 S. ORANGE | 941-955-7859 | OPEN MON-FRI 9-4 & SAT 10-4 | www.sarasotawex.com

DISNEY’S

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST FEB 25MAR 27 BE OUR GUEST. VeniceTheatre.org | 941.488.1115 28

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

18–20 » Thunder by the Bay Awesome motorcycles, food, fun, live music and more.

Sarasota Fairgrounds | thunderbythebay.org 18–20 » Greek Glendi 38th annual Greek festival. Food and festivities abound from traditional Greek food and pastries to live Greek music and dancing.

St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church | sarasotaorthodox.com 19–20 » Venice Antiques Show Featuring over 50 national and regional exhibitors. Art glass, pottery, fine art, Asian and European antiques, Americana and more.

Venice Community Center | fairsandfestivals.net

Home of the Glass & Mirror Specialists

FRAMELESS EXPERTS Visit Our New Showroom Today for a

19–20 » 34th Annual Sarasota Festival of the Arts Featured are some of the nation’s best artists displaying life-sized sculptures, spectacular paintings, one-of-a-kind jewels, photography and more.

Main St. Downtown Sarasota | artfestival.com 24–27 » Venice Italian Feast & Carnival Enjoy traditional Italian favorites like sausage and peppers, ravioli, lasagna, chicken parmesan and more. Fun, food, rides, dancers, love musi Venice Airport | mustdo.com

FREE Design

Consultation & Estimate

941-927-2535 www.theshowershopfl.com info@theshowershopfl.com 4180 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota FL 34231 30

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

VISIT S C E N E S A R A S O TA .CO M To submit your event for consideration, please send information to scenemagazine@scenesarasota.com

presents

Winter Opera Festival February 12 - March 22, 2022

Puccini’s

Tosca

Donizetti’s

The Daughter of the Regiment

Bizet’s

The Pearl Fishers

Verdi’s

Attila

Tickets On Sale | SarasotaOpera.org | (941) 328-1300

SCENE Magazine advertising made possible through the generous support of the AUDREY ROBBINS / HARRY LEOPOLD Fund of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.

4420 South Tamiami Trail, Sarasota 941.260.8905 www.shellysgiftandchristmasboutique.com

UPCOMING events

Monday - Saturday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

MOON & COMPANY EYEWEAR LUXURY & EXOTIC CUSTOM PRESCRIPTION EYEWEAR

Glasses You’ll

love

Stock up on Valentine’s Day looks at Moon & Company Eyewear!

SHAMIR-EYE-POINT TECHNOLOGY HI DEF LENSES made in ISRAEL. Call Us Today For A Free Consultation!

32

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

MAR 4 | Sarasota Blues & BBQ A new event. Fun, food, arts, crafts and of course live blues music and BBQ. Robarts Arena | paragonartevents.com MAR 5 | Sarasota Spring Art Fest Whether you are an art collector, seek art for your home or office, or merely wish to support the arts, this event has it all.

JD Hamel Park | paragonartevents.com MAR 11 | Sarasota St. Patty’s Fest A celebration of all things Irish, including food, beer, dancing, bands and more.

JD Hamel Park | festival net.com MAR 15 | UTC Jazz Trolley Pub Crawl Hop aboard this rolling jazz party! Visit 10 great venues and listen to 10 great bands as you tour the UTC area’s bars and restaurants.

UTC | eventbrite.com

Transform, Together.

We envision thriving communities with opportunities for all.

GULFCOASTCF.ORG | 941.486.4600 FEBRUARY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

33

thank you to our

2022 sponsors Premier Sponsor

Drs. Joel and Gail Morganroth Helicopter Sponsor

Ambulance Sponsors Ariane Dart

Jonathan & Michelle Mitchell, Mitchell Family Foundation 34

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

Eric and DoreeN Spiegel

firefighter Sponsors M. Beverly and Robert G. Bartner Bonnie and William Chapman Ann and Tom Charters Howard and Eileen Curd Brasfield & Gorrie Douglas Jeep FLAD Gilbane Gresham Smith Deb Kabinoff

LeeSar and Cooperative Services of Florida Lung Associates of Sarasota Barbara and Gary Rodkin Sarapath Diagnostics Shutts & Bowen LLP Michael and Karen Valentino Bob and Angelia Wood Robyn and Melbourne Yull Judith Zuckerberg Family Foundation

Arthur S. Karp Family Foundation

Policeman Sponsors B&I Contractors Boar’s Head Brand Cardiovascular Center of Sarasota and El Shahawy Family Foundation Compassionate Cannabis Clinic of Venice

Holcomb Kreithen Plastic Surgery & MedSpa Katherine M. Keeley, M.D. Kerkering, Barberio & Co. Kosloski Family FoundationS Meisner Electric

CPPI

Rickie and Jana Paley

DeAngelis Diamond

Radiology Associates of Florida, P.A.

Mr. and Mrs. Philip A. Delaney, Jr. Sean Dingle, M.D. FPG Administration GrayRobinson, P.A. Gulf Coast Community Foundation Mary Evelyn Guyton Doug and Carolyn Ann Holder/ Tony and Barbara Franke

Sarasota Anesthesiologists, P.A. Sarasota Emergency Associates Strategic Interests Jim and Charlie Ann Syprett Williams Parker Attorneys at Law The Zelniker Dorfman Carr & Heritage Group

smhf.org FEBRUARY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

35

Scene Snaps This month, readers show off their green thumbs. Delight in their butterfly gardens, edibles and ornamentals, wildlife havens, beautiful blossoms, and more.

zing peciali s n e d r d a ga g rare create s a cludin h in , n e o s g Ty d folia Isaac nts an la p awaii. l a ic from H d in trop e t r po nias im helico

36

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

Sustainers ue of Sarasota ag Le or ni Ju e Th rs and with the teache ng ki or w d ye recently enjo n First to build ners at Childre ar le t ar St d ea H ill t hubs, which w ppermint plan pe e bl na ai st su od and cultural fo kly nutritional ee w in ed us be erman. ed by Evan Ack menus. Submitt

2022

circus is back!

Fri Feb 11 –

Sun Mar 6, 2022 Tickets: $20 - $60

2022

20% OFF Tickets Fri, Feb 11 - Fri, Feb 18 thanks to NEW LOCATION! Under the Big Top at Nathan Benderson Park’s Regatta Island near the Finish Tower

See website for safety protocols.

CircusArts.org | 941.355.9805 FEBRUARY FEBRUARY 2022 2022 || SARASOTA SARASOTA SCENE SCENE

37 37

On a few acr es in north S arasota, Bill his team bri Pischer and ng forth the b o u n ty a t Jessica’s O Farm. Picture rganic d here, rows of baby gre natural mulc e n s g ro wn in h to suppre ss weeds, re and improve duce water soil. use,

m Sorghu ps like o n. r c r e ff seaso r cov o e e v h o t s e soil in ow form nrich th A rainb e t a h t w Peas and Co

Watering th

e nurser

Cutting

op with over cr

ec

back th

y.

tes.

mache

f Lettu

esh as ce, as fr

d Lea ting Re Harves Volunte ers and kids gle donatio aning b n to a fo eets for od bank .

38

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

.

can be

There is a time to stay apart. There is a time to come together.

And there is a time to DANCE!

Enjoy an elegant evening of dining and dancing to the six-piece DeLeon Band. Savor a delicious surf and turf dinner from Pier 22, signature cocktails and craft beer. Take part in a silent auction featuring memorable experiences to benefit SCF students and programs.

Saturday, February 19, 2022, 5:30 p.m.

State College of Florida Bradenton Campus Grand Lawn, 5840 26th St. W., Bradenton, FL 34207 Gulf Coast Chic Attire

Purchase tickets: SCF-Foundation.org/ATF or text SCFAVENUES to 41444.

Thank you to our sponsors: Gold Sponsors

Title Sponsor

Silver Sponsors Insurance Agency

The Morin Family

Timothy and Cindy McCollum Foundation FEBRUARY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

39

SUNCOAST WALKATHON March 5 | Nathan Benderson Park

Gates Open: 9:00 a.m. ~ Let’s Walk! 10:00 a.m. ~ Raffle Drawing: 11:30 a.m.

Join Us for Our Fun, FREE, Dog-Friendly Walkathon & Festival We invite you and your pups to the Southeastern Guide Dogs Walkathon. Enjoy a 3K walk and festival including music, food, vendors, and an exciting raffle. By fundraising, you can make a big impact for people with vision loss, veterans with disabilities, and children with significant challenges.

Sign up online at GuideDogsWalkathon.org M A D E P O S S I B L E BY O U R S P O N S O R S

All donations are tax deductible as allowed by law. A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Division of Consumer Services by calling toll free 1.800.435.7352 within the state. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the state. Registration number CH0475.

At Manatee Square Garden—a par tnership between DOH-Manatee, Manatee County government, and University of Flor ida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Science s—members of the public can stake their own plot. Here, Laurie Desiderio waters tomato es, Amy Buchanan clips lettuce, and Joa nn Spencer plants flowering plants for a but terfly garden.

Submitted by Christopher Tittel.

EST. 1946

INTERIOR

DESIGN

FEBRUARY SARASOTA SCENE SCENE FEBRUARY 2022 2022 || SARASOTA

41 41

Nancy Morr ison, a Sara sota Orchid Carlton Rese Society boa rve. “While I rd member, d lives near th o g ro w my orchids the oaks and e in their native palms on th e h abitat under mesic hamm native planti ock where I ngs which su live, I also fo pport wildlif cus on have surrou e and require nded my ho less water,” m e a sh n d e said. “I patio with b native flowe utterfly and rs and shrub p o lli s. ” Thanks to nator-attract now attracts the milkwee ing Monarchs, Q d she plante u e d, the garde en, and Vice Zebra Long n roy butterflie wings, Yello s in addition w Sulfurs, W to th attracted by h e it e Peacocks, an Tropical Sag d other varie e and Senna ties by a barrier M e xicana. Hun of mesh, ste gry deer are el, and wire kept out around tree s and shrub s.

42

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

OUR TOWN By

THORNTON WILDER

Directed by

DESDEMONA CHIANG

N OW – M A R C H 2 6

GRAND HORIZONS

Members and staff at the Academy at Glengary plant and take care of the ir garden every day.

Midnight snack tomatoes and peppers are among the bounty. Submitted by Dariel Paredes.

By

BESS WOHL

Directed by

CELINE ROSENTHAL

Artwork created by Manuel Gonzalez Ruiz & Mago Atelier

N OW – A P R I L 1

By

LAUREN YEE

Directed by

VANESSA STALLING

FEB 9 - APRIL 2

A S O L O R E P E R T O RY T H E AT R E

941.351.8000 | asolorep.org

Learn more about our safety protocols at asolorep.org/safety SEASON SPONSORS

Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation SHOW SPONSORS

FEBRUARY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

43

20 rror over ial and e tr h it w s s n h varietie eir garde nting wit r built th e a m h ri c e S p t r x s, e nd Stua cross the butterflie Bonnie a blooms a ees and b g g in in m g o a Thai elc coura iana, and es, and w c h s years—en in u o b p l g a n t y ri at 30 fee palms, ro nd flowe w towers nked by of trees a o a n fl t is u b e s , t, ack a fee Their hou row to 8 r. In the b g a e to y seasons. d ry e e s v ppo angoes e pergola. at was su around a elicious m s d f mango th m o o s s s d lo dre rubber vender b ides hun en vines, of tiny la s ld and prov d o n g a , s a u e o illea, petr rner. Plus inds its th bougainv es one co petrea w f c o ra ” g p le -u h rt ng “mas crape my re we!”

A floweri , and so a nd queen y a p , p s a u c h is e it es, hib ds are qu trees, iris , “The bir ie n n o B Says orchids.

444444

SARASOTA SCENE SCENE | FEBRUARY FEBRUARY 2022 2022 SARASOTA SARASOTA SCENE || FEBRUARY 2022

Jon Thaxton of the Gulf

Coast Community Foundation

nurtures a wildlife-friendly

garden in his own yard; shown

here are blooming bromeliads

and crinum lilies. He says, “The

yard/garden has no grass, no

irrigation system, and uses

no pesticides, herbicides or

fertilizers. The soil has been maturing for over 25 years

and together with the canopy,

mid-canopy, and understory,

captures most all rainfall.”

Enjoy a Delectable Pre-Opera Meal with 481 Gourmet $42.00 /person Daily • 4PM – 5:30PM

Starters

Main Courses

Asparagus Soup of the day Meatball Slider

Chicken Florentine Strudel with pesto mornaise

Choice of:

Petite Diane petite filet with roasted herb potatoes

Choice of:

Salads

Choice of:

Stuffed Salmon with smoked tomato, beurre blanc and seasonal vegetables

Traditional Caesar Spinach Salad

Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken, shrimp, or salmon

Dessert Choice of:

Esspresso Creme Brulee Cheesecake

Reservations Suggested Call 941.362.0400 or find us on OpenTable.com 481gourmetsarasota.com FEBRUARY FEBRUARY 2022 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

45

d “I plant vegetables in earth boxes and raise garden beds to better control the soil,” says Carlene Cobb. “ Sarasota County Extension Office Master Gardeners’ advice helps even

the neophyte gardener be successful. We have grown cauliflower, collards, rainbow ine chard, broccoli, green beans, arugula, roma and various leaf lettuces, celery, cucumbers, peppers, squash, basil, oregano, parsley, and much more.”

46

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

Master gardeners Angela and Joh n Antonucci created a butterfly and rock garden for the Child Protection Center. Offering a wat er source, a spot for sunbathing, and plants like Penta, milkweed, salvia, porterweed, Jatr opha, Bush Daisy, it attracts butterfly visitors.

(Monarchs left this chrysalis on the adjacent wal l.) Says CPC’s Shannon Maloney, “This garden is one of the first things children see as they beg in their journey of healing after the trau ma of abuse.”

Everything from budget friendly to the very latest trends in designer flooring.

One Of The Largest Flooring Showrooms In Sarasota!

Call or Visit Our Website to Request a Free Flooring Estimate 941.315.2988 • yourflooringwarehouse.com 3333 N. Washington Blvd, Sarasota, FL 34234 FEBRUARY 2022 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE FEBRUARY

47

Your One-Stop Kitchen & Bath Remodeling Shop Competitive Pricing • Locally Owned

A gorgeous

Golden Sho

wer (Cassia

fistula) tree in’s yard. Be autiful orchid which get ro tated and tie s, d to a tree, re season after b lo o m season. brightens A

udrey Robb

Schedule your FREE consultation today!

941-284-9220 • www.southshorekitchenandbath.com 1333 N Washington Blvd, Unit D Sarasota, FL 34236 4488

SARASOTA SCENE SCENE || FEBRUARY FEBRUARY 2022 2022 SARASOTA

2 Mango n volunteers help clear 80 Limelight Community Garde bles, ed beds for plants, vegeta Ave before preparing rais l provide tely, the urban garden wil herbs, and flowers. Ultima , child-friendly access, and educational opportunities

by Kim Livengood. demonstrations. Submitted

Join us! Enter before February 10 for the theme: High Design & Treasured Collectibles What objects do you treasure, and why? Send photos of your favorite displays and cherished pieces—and share a little about why they’re so precious to you.

Email them to wendy@scenesarasota.com by February 10.

FEBRUARY FEBRUARY 2022 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

49

1.

The FIND Whether you're going out or staying in, these products are sure to make your Valentine swoon.

By Gina Liga

2.

3.

50

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

4.

1. CHAMPAGNE AND ROSES Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut bubbles with finesse and depth, pairing delightfully with a dozen red premium roses for your Valentine.

Beneva Flowers & Gifts $260 for both | beneva.com 2. FALL IN LOVE TOP-HANDLE BAG This stylish and playful beaded bag is an exuberant expression of color and design.

Cupid’s arrow will have you falling in love over and over again.

Foxy Lady $330 | foxyladysarasota.com 3. RED RIBBED BLANKET Cozy up on the couch with your sweetie!

This ultra-plush blanket is machine washable and easy to care for. Perfectly packaged for gift giving.

Molly’s! A Chic and Unique Boutique $92.50 | mollyssarasota.com

6.

7.

4. BALANCING ACT FIGURINE Mixed media. Measures 39 x 32 x 24.

Created by artist Todd Andrew Babb.

530 Burns Gallery $3,500 | 530burnsgallery.com 5. LOVE PILLOW The perfect accent pillow for February with the perfect message. The Love Pillow measures 24” x 16”.

Shelly’s Gift and Christmas Boutique $88 | shellysgiftandchristmasboutique.com 6. PINK DIAMOND RING One-of-a-kind, extremely rare 5.34 ct pink diamond ring, surrounded by 4.19 ct white diamonds and set in 18 kt white gold.

Gold & Diamond Source $1,000,000 | VIP@goldanddiamond.com 7. HANDMADE TRUFFLES From truffle boxes to gift baskets, find choices sure to delight your Valentine.

Banyan Tree Chocolate Box of 8: $50 | banyantreechocolate.com FEBRUARY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

51

philanthropy

52

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

philanthropy

Healthcare is

FOUNDATIONAL MIKE VALENTINO AND THE SARASOTA MEMORIAL HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

For more than 30 years, Mike Valentino and his wife, Karen, lived in New Jersey where he worked in the pharmaceutical industry. After Mike became CEO of a small startup company that eventually launched the hugely successful product Mucinex, they left the cold north to settle in Sarasota. “We loved it from the start, and we never looked back,” he says about that relocation in 2003.

There are dozens of other waterfront communities on the Gulf Coast that boast beautiful beaches and a great climate, Mike explains, but what drew him to Sarasota was the philanthropy. “We’ve got arts and culture and great institutions like the hospital because of philanthropy,” he says. “The community really supports those things.”

Neither Mike nor Karen were exposed to philanthropy at a young age. “We grew up with barely enough to keep our families going!” he says. But after joining the Sarasota community, they got involved and quickly met very generous people who modeled philanthropic behavior. “We lived in four or five major communities and never saw one that was built around philanthropy the way Sarasota was,” adds Karen.

The Valentinos realized that when their fortunes turned positive, it became more and more important for them to give back. And that’s what they’ve been doing ever since.

In 2017, Mike eagerly became part of the Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation board because he believes that

outstanding healthcare is the cornerstone of a strong and vital community. This past October, he proudly became chairman of that board. Prior to that Mike joined the board of All Faiths Food Bank and worked with various nonprofits, while Karen became very involved with the Child Protection Agency, first as a volunteer, then a board member, and later as chair of their board.

With his background in the medical field, Mike appreciates more than most what makes a hospital great. He’s quick to point out that Sarasota Memorial Hospital has been repeatedly recognized among Forbes/Watson Health and U.S. News & World Report’s top hospitals, and this year its cardiac and rehabilitation programs ranked in the top 50. It’s also the only hospital in Florida to earn a 5-star quality rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services since the federal hospital rating system launched in 2016. SMH has also received straight A’s since it began participating in Leapfrog’s hospital safety survey in 2016.

“It’s the only local Florida hospital to consistently earn that type of quality award performance,” Mike said. “I don’t think enough people know that.”

For more than 45 years, Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation has been providing meaningful grants to enhance patient care, facilities, technology, and research at Sarasota Memorial, while also supporting good healthcare in the community in general. When asked about recent success stories of the Healthcare Foundation’s efforts, Mike FEBRUARY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

53

philanthropy has plenty of ready examples, such as the Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute. “The idea is that when patients are stricken with cancer, they should be treated in their local community because all the data shows that if you can be around your family, friends, and support network, you do better,” Mike said. “With this new facility, the level of available care rivals that of the country’s best oncology centers, so people can get top-level treatment while staying close to home.

The success of the Healthcare Foundation’s Leading with Care cancer campaign exemplifies how our donors come together to support critically important initiatives at SMH.”

Call Now to Reserve Your Valentine’s Day Dinner 941.349.1423 | cafegabbiano.com 5104 Ocean Blvd | Siesta Key OPEN DAILY 5PM-10PM

Can’t Get Enough of Scene Magazine?

Another Healthcare Foundation-supported success is the opening of Sarasota Memorial Hospital-Venice, a stateof-the-art facility that offers many of the same capabilities previously only available at the main campus. And there’s the planned Cornell Family Behavioral Health Pavilion which will be a 95,000-square-foot facility designed to offer a safe, healing environment for those who struggle with anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. “This is an area that’s often ignored,” Mike says, “It’s a major need not only in our community but in our entire country. This initiative is going to make a real difference.”

For years, Mike and Karen supported dozens of worthwhile organizations, but they worried about their efforts becoming diluted, so they really committed to focusing on the things that meant the most to them. For Mike, it’s the Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation, because he believes that there are few better ways to impact a community than to keep it healthy.

Mike adds that something people don’t always appreciate is that anyone can be philanthropic—it’s not just for people of extreme wealth. “Everybody has the ability to get behind things that are important to them that produce good in the community. Supporting things isn’t always with dollars. A meaningful impact can happen just as well through effort and participation.”

V I S I T S C E N E S A R A S O TA .C O M A N D S U B S C R I B E TO O U R E- N EWSLET TERS + F O L LOW U S O N S O C I A L !

“I’m just a guy trying to do the best that I can in this life,” Mike says. Through his role with the Healthcare Foundation, his best efforts are making a real difference for us all.

F O R M O R E IN F O R M AT IO N

about the Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation please visit smhf.org or call (941) 917-1286.

941. 3 6 5 .1119 • s c e n e s a r a s o t a . c o m 54

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

Presents

4 - 7 March 2022 | FSU Center

Box Office: 941.359.0099 | SarasotaBallet.org

SPARCC

Runway • SRQ2022 • Fashion Show | Luncheon | Boutique Shopping Friday, March 18, 2022 10:00 AM - 1 PM The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota Tickets: SPARCC.NET/EVENTS Presenting Sponsor

Platinum Sponsors

Benefiting:

Susan Erhart & Katie Hayes Joan Castellani

JoAnn Heisen

Diane Muldoon

Media Sponsors

Courtney & Charlie Shrem

*Art by Karen Chandler FEBRUARY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

55

for Mote SEA

By Ryan G. Van Cleave • Photos & Renderings Courtesy of Mote Marine It’s been just over a year since ground was broken for the new Mote Science Education Aquarium (Mote SEA) at Nathan Benderson Park, but the interest and excitement continues to grow. Some of that is financial, and with good reason—Mote SEA is providing an economic impact of $280 million from construction alone, and then almost $30 million annually to the region and the state of Florida. What people are most excited about, however, is the anticipated community impact in terms of culture and education. To make that happen, though, requires a state-of-the-art building that’s coming with the price tag of $130 million—the biggest fundraising campaign our area has ever seen.

Michael Moore, Special Advisor to Mote’s Office of the President, says that potential donors and others

5566

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022 SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

who learn about the project are surprised by how complex it is. “We’ve got big marine exhibits on all three levels, and some of those are two-story exhibits,” he explains. “There’s an incredible amount of complicated engineering needed to keep all the water where it’s supposed to stay.”

One of the best things about Mote SEA is that unlike so many other aquariums throughout the world, there’s no need to house all its functions.

Since this new building is part of the Mote family, things such as administration, business, and fundraising offices already exist elsewhere in one of the six Mote campuses. That means more Mote SEA space can be dedicated to exhibits and education facilities versus support systems. It’s a big space—just shy of 13 acres,

Rendering of Mote Science Education Aquarium habitat

with 110,000 square feet in the building itself—but that doesn’t mean there’s room for waste!

At the heart of this new building is the Oceans for All: Improving Access to Marine Science & Technology campaign. The idea is this: it’s only through exposure, education, and meaningful hands-on experiences that people can truly understand and appreciate marine science. In Sarasota and Manatee Counties, there are 25 Title One schools—because of the challenges these schools, their students, and their families face, the majority of the 24,000 kids who attend those schools don’t always have the opportunity to receive top-level science education. So, Dr. Michael P. Crosby—Mote’s President & CEO— decided that every Title One student would get a day pass for their entire family for Mote each year.

That’s part of what Oceans for All is about—truly making marine science education available to all.

With three STEM teaching labs and four Workforce Development Labs in Mote SEA, the plan is to have 70,000 local students a year participate in on-site education there or engage with Mote through remote learning.

“Our educational folks are designing courses that have classroom work they can do at their school,” Moore says, FEBRUARY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

57

Mote education program.

Photo by Conor Goulding

Rendering of Mote Science Education Aquarium classroom.

“then they can come to one of the STEM teaching labs where they can experience what only a few of the private schools in this area have access to. We want that type of exposure for those who don’t have it available at their school campuses.”

One of the perks of Mote SEA is that it’ll free up so much space at the current Mote aquarium site on City Island. All of the existing exhibit tanks and public areas will be repurposed for marine research pursuits, which have always been going on there and will continue even more so in the future. There’s also a wonderful synergy planned between Mote SEA and Mote’s research efforts.

For example, one of the most exciting projects by Mote scientists is how they’re bringing back coral in the waters around Florida through microfragmenting and outplanting.

To date, Mote scientists have planted 100,000+ corals of multiple native species, and more than 325 genotypes to restore damaged or depleted reefs. Once the Gulf of

58

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

Visitors at Mote Aquarium.

Photo courtesy of Mote Marine Laboratory

Mexico tank is operable in Mote SEA, Combat Wounded Veteran Challenge divers working in the coral restoration project will train right inside that 300,000-gallon tank.

Of course, Mote has lots of local partners, both in terms of donations but also through construction efforts. “Florida Power and Light has been a great partner,” says Moore.

“We’re also in discussion with numerous companies now about naming rights to exhibits or even the entire building, just like they do with sports arenas or university buildings.” Other partners of note include Crisdel Group Construction, Willis Smith Construction, and Ajax Paving, which not only is providing in-kind donations with their supplies, but their owners, the Horan family, offered a six-figure gift out of their family foundation to support the project.

With a planned completion in mid-2024, the excitement for Mote SEA continues to grow, as does the funding.

Visitors at Mote Aquarium, touch habitat.

Photo by Olivia Raney.

Currently, there’s at $90 million of the $130 million goal.

To get a sense of how much eagerness there is for this project; Moore notes that almost 85% of the current gifts came from new donors. “This is a very heavy lift,” Moore says, “and we’re reaching beyond just the Sarasota/ Manatee region because we’re not just a local organization.

We’re regional, national, and international in scope, so this is a complex campaign, but we’re well on our way and feel we’re going to be ready to go by the time we start getting vertical with the building.”

Mote SEA is a legacy project for Mote, but also for the entire region. Situated where it’s at in a nexus spot for Sarasota and Manatee counties next to UTC mall, it’s going to be a destination spot and WOW-level landmark for generations to come.

For more information on Mote SEA or the Oceans for All campaign, please visit www.moteoceansforall.org.

FEBRUARY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

59

Captivating Cuisine

A celebration of plant-based dining

By Holly Barbour, MD It was a glorious day in our own Payne Park for the annual Sarasota VegFest in December. White tents billowed against a cerulean sky, and the ample expanse of lawn was dotted with hundreds of people in bright T-shirts, making for a brilliant visual treat.

A closer look revealed scores of booths offering up delicious plant-sourced yummies to taste and plenty of information to read and stir conversation. Most of all, it was a perfect venue for local plant-based enthusiasts to engage and support each other in living a healthy, sustainable, and compassionate life.

6600

SARASOTA SARASOTA SCENE SCENE || FEBRUARY FEBRUARY 2022 2022

The new question then becomes, “Why not?”

I’ve eaten a plant-based (PB) diet for nearly 50 years, and am amazed to realize how far we’ve come. Back in the Woodstock era, when we would sauté tofu and grill seasonal veggies at home, going out to eat was always a struggle. At restaurants, I had to veer offmenu and whisper in the server’s ear, “Could you please have the chef throw something vegan together?” Out came, quite predictably, a plate of white rice with some rather prosaic steamed vegetables plopped on top. I’d salt it. Fine.

Then a few decades went by, and how things have changed! Virtually every restaurant I visit today has delicious PB options and some even offer a separate plant-friendly menu.

Even better, our lovely Sarasota is home to an impressive array of restaurants specializing in plant-centric selections.

Why the dramatic turnaround? What’s all the kerfuffle about plant-based eating?

The short answer is that more and more people are discovering the myriad benefits of eating this way. They try it for some or all those reasons, and then—epiphany! It’s off

the wall delicious! With accelerating demand, restauranteurs and grocers are stepping up. At home? Cooking this way is not as difficult, weird, or exotic as we once thought. The new question then becomes, “Why not?”

Why not, when you can lose weight without feeling deprived?

Why not when your metabolic levels improve and your risk of serious disease drops?

Moving happily toward your ideal weight is almost surely going to happen with PB eating. That’s because fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains pack a lot of fiber, so not only do you feel full, but these foods have a relatively modest number of calories compared to animal-based products at a comparable satiety level.

We used to think weight loss necessitated cutting carbs, but a traditional Japanese diet had rice and sweet potatoes as staples, which led to more ideal weight and incredibly low rates of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. When the Japanese diet became more “westernized” with more animal products and processed carbohydrates such as sugar and white flour, those health benefits were lost. So “carbohydrate” isn’t a dirty word, but “processed” is.

A plant-centric lifestyle comes with welcome side effects: normalized blood glucose (sugar) levels, lower blood pressure in people with elevated levels, and improved cholesterol

FEBRUARY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

61

The Sarasota-Manatee region ranks in the

TOP 20 of best cities for vegans Source: Rent.com/blog/best-cities-for-vegans

Sarasota VegFest

What about protein?

A plant-based diet can give you all the protein you require without the antibiotics, hormones, and saturated fats that come along with meat and dairy products. You don’t even have to go out of your way to get “complete” proteins. Just eat a variety of plant-based foods—veggies such as broccoli, carrots, peas, and spinach; legumes like lentils, black

profiles. In people with diagnosed diabetes, a PB diet can lower the amount of medication required or even allow people to discontinue it altogether in some cases. All this is aided by the weight loss, so it’s a healthy two-way street. The cardiovascular benefits of plant-centric eating are tremendous and incontrovertible. Additionally, newer scientific evidence demonstrates that a PB diet helps lower the risk of several forms of cancer, such as colorectal and breast cancer.

There is even emerging evidence that a PB diet can decrease the risk of recurrence in survivors.

beans, and garbanzo beans; grains such as oatmeal, brown rice, buckwheat; and seeds like almonds, walnuts, and quinoa (technically not a grain) —and you’re going to get all the amino acids to make the protein you need. Plus, you get a lot of fiber which has numerous health benefits and satisfies your appetite. Remember, some of the largest and most muscular animals on earth—rhinoceroses, giraffes, bison, and elephants—are herbivores!

62

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

This is a small article, and the medical evidence for the benefits of a PB diet could fill volumes, but if you’re interested, it’s easy to find a profusion of resources. Just look for articles that have professional peer-reviewed references, not someone’s opinion, especially if they want to sell you something.

If you’d like to discover how delicious and satisfying PB eating can be, you are absolutely in the right city to find a place you love, whether

it be super casual or truly “fine” dining. Sarasota’s choice of plant-based and plant-friendly restaurants has grown, and even other types of eateries have options for you. A few years ago, I was out with a couple who had made reservations at a high-end steakhouse in Sarasota. I couldn’t rain on their parade so did my little whisper to the server. When the meal was served, out came the most gorgeously presented, beyond delicious entrée anyone could have dreamed of. I was completely

thrilled! The server informed me that the chef actually had a ball creating this. So there you are. Steakhouse?

Not a problem.

My dietary choice almost exactly 50 years ago was all about the animals. Now, we know how a plant-based diet helps us humans and our own beautiful planet survive as well. I encourage you to give it a try. Bet you’ll love it. Here’s to your health, Sarasota!

Considering a plant-based journey?

The Game Changers is a fabulous and entertaining documentary about optimal diet for performance. You will love it! It’s on Netflix and Amazon Prime among others. Visit gamechangersmovie.com.

For an easy and fun way to begin your plant-based journey, download the beautifully constructed and ver y helpful free app from The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine at 21DayKickstart.org. Or visit their website at pcrm.org for a wonderful trove of nutrition information for specific situations like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer survivors.

America’s Test Kitchen perfects recipes down to, quite literally, a fine science. They nail taste, texture, color—everything. Their Vegan for Everybody and The Complete Plant-Based Cookbook are musthaves. My husband is le chef de la maison (I just clean up), and everything he’s made from these cookbooks has left me swooning.

And for a final indulgence, turn to Vegan Chocolate by Fran Costigan.

Her “Bittersweet Ganache-Glazed Chocolate Torte to Live For” is beyond heavenly.

FEBRUARY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

63

CITY

64

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

SCENES Photographer Nancy Guth takes a fresh look at familiar, local pleasures during unusual times.

FEBRUARY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

65

When You’re Downtown

66

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

Downtown Saturday Farmer’s Market

FEBRUARY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

67

From the bottom of our art

Embracing Our Differences

68

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

Art Avenue Grand Opening

FEBRUARY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

69

Made with Love

Rise and Nye 70

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

Downtown Murals

by Brandon Thrift

FEBRUARY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

71

Onward & Upward

72

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

The DeMarcay Residences

FEBRUARY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

73

Some days are Sundays

Ringling Fishing Pier

74

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

The Overton, Downtown Sarasota

Water Tower Park Frisbee Golf

FEBRUARY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

75

View of an afternoon

Bird Key Park

76

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

Bayfront Park

FEBRUARY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

77

Ringling Fishing Pier 78

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

on the town

A Dining Experience Like No Other Portugese & Italian Cuisine

Our New Location — “A Little Gem” “We are pleased to bring to Sarasota our expanded menu featuring Portuguese cuisine from our home country. Please come and enjoy. We still have your Italian favorites!” —Tito & Liana Live Entertainment •Outdoor Dining • Open for Dinner Tues – Sun 5 – 9PM

Ask us about our Dinner for Two Special!

Dine In, To-Go, and Delivery Visit www.meltingpot.com or call 941-365-2628 to reserve your table today!

1949 Ringling Blvd, Sarasota 34236 • Next to McCurdy’s Comedy Club Complimentary Parking

BE SEEN IN SCENE Reach Sarasota Scene Magazine’s affluent audience in both print and digital!

Contact Paul McNamara Call or text (917) 751-6506 or email Paul@scenesarasota.com scenesarasota.com

Open on Valentine’s Day, Reserve Now

Visit www.AmoreLBK.com or call 941-383-1111 to reserve your table or special event today!

180 N. Lime Ave, Sarasota • Free Parking for 150 Guests!

Quick Lunch Specials

Seafood Thai Curry Pad Thai Sexy Man Roll Lobster Roll Lunch & Sun-Thurs 11-10 • Fri & Sat 11- Midnight Dinner Dine In • Take Out • Delivery • Catering

941.955.8404 • 1572 Main St., Sarasota www.DrunkenPoetCafeSRQ.com

Photo by Nancy Guth 8 0 80

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

40

years of

Running the Show

Sarasota Opera’s Maestro, Victor DeRenzi

By Sylvia Whitman Victor DeRenzi will don his tux for photos in honor of his 40th season presiding over Sarasota Opera, but please don’t ask the maestro to pose air-doodling with his baton. “You want to take a picture of a doctor holding a scalpel?” Bosh.

“Here I am holding the stick, which actually doesn’t do anything unless I wave it. And even then, it doesn’t do anything unless somebody’s over there. And even if they’re there, unless they have music and know what I’m doing ….” DeRenzi’s voice trails off, impatient that anyone might mistake the rosewood tool of his trade with a wand à la Harry Potter.

Yet opera aficionados might argue that DeRenzi has performed magic during his four decades as Sarasota Opera’s artistic director and principal conductor. He arrived at age 32 with “a very specific way that I wanted to do opera,” as he puts it, just as the Asolo Opera Company was transitioning from The Ringling grounds into the former A.B. Edwards Theater in downtown Sarasota. A new era occasioned new names: Sarasota Opera and Sarasota Opera House.

FEBRUARY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

81

“To really love opera and love conducting opera, you have to love singing.”

The possibilities tantalized DeRenzi. “I was coming to a city where the old was not applicable in any way and we were going to start from scratch, with a new venue and a new way of doing things,” he says. “I thought this would be good because nobody could say to me, Oh, you can’t do that. We didn’t do it that way.”

For one thing, Sarasota Opera House had greater capacity than the historic Asolo Theater. Thinking big, DeRenzi planned to stage full operas rather than chamber productions and to develop a festival season—in winter, of course, instead of the usual summer opera fests elsewhere. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, two years after DeRenzi’s hire, the opera house was refurbished piecemeal, the orchestra section (around 700 seats) first and the balcony later.

Now at 1,100 seats, the theater remains intimate, but also elegant and functional, thanks to a $20 million renovation completed in 2008.

Along the way, DeRenzi founded a year-round youth opera program and added an apprentice program that serves as a bridge between school and stage.

Apprentices who have recently earned undergraduate 82

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

or graduate degrees in opera train and perform with the company, singing small parts and in the chorus. A separate studio artist program nurtures vocalists farther along in their careers; they take on larger supporting roles and understudy for principals. Both groups do outreach in Sarasota, bringing high notes to local classrooms and senior centers.

“I’ve always felt that opera is about making a community,” DeRenzi says. In any given season, the extended company numbers about 250, about 60% of whom are newcomers.

“We build this community, which is based around a consistent aesthetic, and then we perform for two communities. One is the Sarasota community. The other is the world opera community, people who travel here from throughout the States, but also from Europe.”

The Making of a Maestro Although not exactly a Horatio Alger story, DeRenzi’s journey from a working-class Italian-American family in Staten Island, NY, to the opera stratosphere conjures up the American Dream. His father was a dock worker; his mother, a mother. (“That was her job. She was very good at it.”) Although his father crooned pop songs around

the house, neither of his parents had any great interest in music. But they believed in education for their only child.

“My father said, ‘I don’t care what you do, but you’re not going to break your back for somebody else.’ As long as I got an education, it didn’t really matter what I did.”

operas over and over. “You were a fan of a singer or certain singers, and you went to hear them perform, as well as to see different operas.” His favorite star at the time was Italian soprano Renata Tebaldi. “Opera made me love opera, but she made me love singing.”

DeRenzi’s seventh-grade teacher built sets for a tiny opera company—“the sets he built were pieces of wood that he stapled cardboard to and painted”—and kept asking DeRenzi and friends if they wanted to see a performance. Finally, they said yes. “We thought if we went, we could say we don’t like it, and he would leave us alone,” DeRenzi recalls. “And my friends all said, We don’t like it; leave us alone, and I went back and started helping him with the sets.”

Unlike pop stars, opera singers don’t rely on microphones and amplifiers; they use their voice alone to project lyrics and emotion over an orchestra. “To really love opera and love conducting opera, you have to love singing,” DeRenzi continues. “You can’t separate the two of them.

If you don’t like singing, then there’s no reason you should even show your face in an opera house.”

From then on, DeRenzi attended every opera he could, including at the Met. At first, his father didn’t want him to commute alone into Manhattan, so, promising to buy the tickets, DeRenzi “would lasso some old person” to accompany him. As a teenager he attended three or four shows a week. “You saved all your money, or gave a dollar bribe to an usher, and you got in. I didn’t buy orchestra seats. It was standing room.” He saw the same

DeRenzi majored in music theory at Queens College, City University of New York. He also studied privately—piano, theory, conducting—and at 20, he started conducting with a very small opera company, thanks to a good word put in by a friend. (Looking back, he marvels at his own “arrogance; I thought I knew everything.”) In the late ‘60s, early ‘70s, New York had a number of these companies.

After ten months and 56 performances—“all of them very bad”—DeRenzi moved to a slightly bigger and better outfit, working his way up and out to regional opera FEBRUARY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

83

a Vow to Verdi

Commemorating Verdi (2001)

DeRenzi’s most-publicized accomplishment—the Verdi Cycle—stretched over more than half his tenure. Starting with Rigoletto in 1989 and concluding with Aida and La Battaglia di Legnano in 2016, Sarasota Opera did what no other company in the world had ever done: perform Giuseppe Verdi’s entire oeuvre. Writing as president of the Music Critics Association of North America, former Tampa Bay Times reviewer John Fleming called the Verdi Cycle “a singular achievement” and “DeRenzi’s magnificent obsession.”

Why Verdi?

“There are so many levels to answer that question,” DeRenzi says. “If you’re an audience member, it’s just great theater. If you’re a musician, Verdi over a 60-year period created some of the greatest music that’s ever been written.”

Verdi “grew without trying to be different.” Instead of setting out to compose a new and different opera each time, he found a story and followed its lead.

“Just in terms of the human condition, nobody tells stories like Verdi does,” DeRenzi says. “The choice between duty and desire, or how a community deals with somebody who’s problematic—everything Verdi has written has a message in it.”

All Verdi operas speak to the maestro “in a certain way,” but those about vow keeping speak in a particularly cogent voice. Today, “everybody talks about, Oh, he took an oath, but that’s meaningless.” Vows of celibacy, vows of marriage often don’t last. “We don’t really understand those things in our society, but Verdi helps us remember,” DeRenzi says. In A Masked Ball, for instance, a powerful man falls in love with his best friend’s wife. The drama of the opera lies in these characters’ dilemma, “how they’re affected and how everyone around them is affected by it.”

Don’t expect DeRenzi to repeat this feat with another composer, however.

Although Mozart, say, wrote some great operas, his earliest ones don’t work on today’s stage. To present all of Mozart just for the sake of a can-you-topthe-Verdi-Cycle challenge “is not really theatrically valid, in my opinion.”

84

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

companies in other states until, at age 28, he conducted seven different productions at New York City Opera.

The Making of a Mission DeRenzi took a gamble on Sarasota. “I knew what I wanted to do, but I didn’t know if Sarasota was capable of that as a city…It was not like it is now.”

Despite its reputation as an arts town, Sarasota had no ballet and a thenundistinguished orchestra. DeRenzi wanted “to do opera in a romantic, traditional way,” evoking the wonder he felt as a kid when performances transported him to a different place and time—Egypt, Spain, Paris on Christmas Eve. He also wanted to introduce the community to a broader-than-usual repertoire, historic pieces that may have premiered to great acclaim but had since been overlooked.

Sarasota Opera grew along with its audience and the local arts community.

They nourished each other. In his early years with the company, the maestro continued his freelance conducting, nationally and internationally. “But then I realized, I’m not a multitasker,” DeRenzi says. “I could do what I want do, the way I want to do it, in this company. So, there’s no need for me to be traveling all over and doing opera in a way that I don’t really like.”

And although DeRenzi first imagined

With Stephanie Sundine and Francesca (La fanciulla del West, 1993) reincarnating the winter festival of 250 strong in a summer venue beyond Florida every year, as the company’s reputation soared, he didn’t need to take the show on the road. Far-flung fans were traveling to the Gulf Coast to enjoy Sarasota Opera.

High points? DeRenzi can’t list them all. Certainly, his Verdi triumph stands out: over 28 years, Sarasota Opera performed every work by the renowned Italian composer. “That was a major event in my life, but also in the life of some of the performers along the way,” he says. Italy knighted the maestro for helping spread Italian culture beyond the boot.

Even before that, Sarasota Opera was generating headlines as an “innovative company” with a reputation for “novel repertoire.” In 1995, for instance, the Danish ambassador flew in for the opera’s stage premiere—in Danish—of Carl Nielsen’s Maskarade (1906), about an arranged marriage in Copenhagen.

That made front pages in Denmark. In 2007, when Sarasota Opera featured the 19th-century Polish national opera Halka, by Stanisław Moniuszko, Polish Americans from across the country came and wept through the performances “because they thought they’d never see this in an American theater.”

DeRenzi arranges the programs. He also conducts the fall production and two of the four operas in the winter festival. He studies all the works so that he can weigh in about the many elements that go into each production. A typical day during the opera season? “I wake up. I come to the opera house.

I go home at 10:30 at night.”

The day starts with meetings, followed by rehearsals. DeRenzi’s creative staff sometimes includes his wife, longtime stage director Stephanie Sundine. “We rehearse the music first; then we rehearse the staging in a room.” Orchestra and chorus follow. “There are a lot of pieces that come together, that have to be done a certain way so that we don’t waste time.”

Collaborating with Richard Russell, Sarasota Opera’s general director, DeRenzi handles administration, too. Budgets matter. Because of 9/11, and then the financial crisis of 2008, the Verdi Cycle had to be slow-tracked for a few years.

“We have limitations like any other theater,” DeRenzi says. “There’s always

Help make higher education possible.

Cassandra Holmes 941-752-5390 HolmesC@SCF.edu SCF-Foundation.org FEBRUARY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

85

someone who’s saying, Oh, why don’t we do some ridiculous opera that we can’t afford to do. People in America have become used to very big theaters because we have this idea that if it’s bigger, it must be better. But most European theaters are the size of our opera house.” A modest stage means that a grand opera like Verdi’s Aida requires creative workarounds.

notes everywhere for articles and books, one about Verdi, another about the training of singers, “because universities aren’t doing their job in training performers.”

Sarasota Opera aims for classic but accessible. DeRenzi pooh-poohs opera stereotypes—that it’s elitist, for instance, or “a bunch of fat people on stage.” In fact, he points out, today’s opera singers may be more svelte than the average American. As for ticket prices—been to any sporting events lately? Just try sitting close to the action. Sarasota Opera tickets range from $25 to $145. “Baseball games are much more expensive,” DeRenzi says. Thanks to patron support, the company can keep tickets affordable.

For diversity, “look at the performance on our stage. We come from all kinds of backgrounds, all kinds of people.”

For now, though, Sarasota Opera still commands his full intention.

The winter festival launches this month [February] with the maestro conducting Puccini’s Tosca.

Although the pandemic lockdown of spring 2020 qualifies as a low point, it also showed off some of the opera’s finest qualities. The company had to cancel more than a week of performances. Yet, unlike the Met and other companies, Sarasota Opera honored all its payroll contracts. “Richard and I both felt that was important, and we managed to make that happen. It meant a lot to people,” DeRenzi says.

After 40 years, in such tough times, might the maestro be contemplating retirement? Not yet. “I wouldn’t know what to do,” DeRenzi says. Except write, which he does already, especially in the opera off-season. He’s got

As DeRenzi looks back—briefly—he expresses no regrets. “When I was a teenager, I wanted to move to Italy.

But then I wouldn’t have met my wife.

I wouldn’t have my daughter. I have a philosophy that if I left my house 10 minutes later this morning, my whole life could be different. Who knows?”

A great opera may churn with misery and melodrama, but not a great career.

“I don’t want to change things,” DeRenzi says.

a love of song Groups rehearse with the maestro, but DeRenzi also

Stephanie Sundine first met DeRenzi during

coaches individual singers. “It’s how old conductors

her singing years, at a 1977 audition for New

used to work. I don’t just take what they bring and

York Lyric Opera’s Falstaff. She appreciated the

say, That’s great. I try to make them fit into a mold

maestro’s coaching, especially his clarity. “Some

of what opera is supposed to be.”

conductors are very fluid and dramatic in their gestures, but it’s difficult to follow. I always found

86

Some productions “throw a lot around the stage,”

Victor very easy to follow. I understood what he

but DeRenzi prioritizes singing. “We, our music

was saying musically. It wasn’t a guessing game.”

staff, hold people to a standard, but we help them

In her current role as one of Sarasota Opera’s

reach the standard.” If someone struggles with lyrics

stage directors, Sundine also strives for clarity as

in an unfamiliar language, for instance, the staff

she determines how singers enter a scene, their

never gives mispronunciation a pass, but instead

placement on stage and body language. “It’s very

works with the singer. “We make people as good as

important to convey musically, emotionally, and

they can be.”

physically what the character is about.”

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

Great Golfing on the

gulf coast by ryan g. van cleave

Like so many kids of the 80s and 90s, I dabbled with golf as a child, but when the movie Happy Gilmore came out in 1996, I was hooked on golf for good. Now, I don’t take a running start or use a hockey swing in the tee box like Adam Sandler’s character does, but I do appreciate the incredible rush of satisfaction when my Big Bertha driver connects perfectly, and that ball just cuts through the sky like it’s never coming down.

88

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

Lucky for me that my career brought me to Sarasota, where the golfing options are legion, and the courses are terrific. I haven’t yet had the opportunity to play them all, but I’ve been here since 2008 so I’ve gotten to try most of them. Without further ado, here are my some of my favorites (in alphabetical order, not in order of awesomeness or the golf score I got while there).

Founders Golf Club I played in the Carlton Fisk Celebrity Classic here years ago and found this Robert Trent Jones Jr. design challenging—especially on the back tees.

The Old Florida feel of the main golf hall is stunning.

Try the “Nine & Dine” package!

heritage oaks golf & country club The bunkers are fair, and the sand is fluffy. It’s earned a “Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary” designation through the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses, which is endorsed by the USGA. You’ve got to love a golf course that’s committed to valuing the environment.

Laurel oak Country Club A nice pool, loads of well-lit Har-Tru tennis courts, and two golf courses (one designed by Gary Player and the other

by Rees Jones) that include multiple tees to challenge anyone, regardless of their handicap. Enjoy the native wildlife and vegetation that creates a great outdoorsy feel.

FEBRUARY FEBRUARY 2022 2022 | | SARASOTA SARASOTA SCENE SCENE

89 89

The Meadows Country Club This private club got three golf courses (two are par 72, one is par 65), 17 HarTru tennis courts, and a junior Olympic pool. The carts have GPS, which is pretty darn nice. This lovely place would be fantastic for weddings or events.

Misty Creek Country Club

The Palms Golf Club at Forest Lakes

This Ted McAnlis designed par-72 course is set on 730 acres of wetland areas and live oak forests, so it’s incredibly beautiful and peaceful. Just watch out for raccoons—they sometimes sneak up from the vegetation and shadows to go after snacks in your cart! (Somebody owes me half a Snickers bar!)

Since this is mere minutes from the keys (Siesta, Bird, and Lido), this course is ideal for beach-area vacationers. This Gordy Lewis par 64 course is just challenging enough to meet the needs of most golfers. (The longest hole, the par-5 third hole, has water crossing the fairway about 220 yards out, and there’s big water on the left—go straight and long or go SPLASH!)

Sara Bay Country Club Designed by Donald Ross, this private, member-owned course near downtown Sarasota is quite walkable. Enjoy wide fairways that are lined with Florida pines and mossy oaks. (For those who care about such things, I nailed seven pars on this baby pre-COVID. Oh yeah!)

90

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

COMPOUNDING PHARMACY & WELLNESS CENTER Transfer to Sarasota’s Most Trusted

Transfer to Sarasota’s MostHEALTH Trusted & WELLNESS Compounding Pharmacy!

COMPOUNDING PHARMACY && WELLNESS CENTER COMPOUNDING PHARMACY WELLNESS CENTER Compounding Pharmacy!

Transfer to Sarasota’s Most Trusted COMPOUNDING PHARMACY & WELLNESS CENTER We create custom dosages in unique modalities based COMPOUNDING PHARMACY & WELLNESS CENTER Compounding Pharmacy! on patient needs and doctor recommendations Transfer to Sarasota’s Most Trusted COMPOUNDING WELLNESS CENTER Transfer toPHARMACY Sarasota’s Most Trusted We create custom dosages in&unique modalities based Transfer to Sarasota’s Most Trusted on patient needs and doctor recommendations Compounding Pharmacy!

Pain Management • Wound Care •Pharmacy!

Adrenal/Thyroid • Podiatry Compounding PHARMACY & WELLNESS CENTER Transfer Most Trusted WeCOMPOUNDING create customto dosages in unique modalities based Dermatology •Sarasota’s Dentistry • Pediatrics • Veterinary Transfer to Sarasota’s Most Trusted Compounding Pharmacy!

Painon Management • Wound Care •recommendations Adrenal/Thyroid • Podiatry patient needs and doctor

We create custom dosages in unique modalities based Compounding Pharmacy!

Dermatology • Dentistry •in Pediatrics • Veterinary Compounding Pharmacy!

We create dosages unique modalities based on patient needs and doctor recommendations We create custom dosages in unique modalities based Transfer tocustom Sarasota’s Most Trusted Join Our Pain Management • Wound Care • Adrenal/Thyroid • Podiatry on patient needs and doctor recommendations Weoncreate custom dosages in unique modalities based patient needs andPharmacy! doctor recommendations Compounding PainWe Management • dosages Wound Care • Adrenal/Thyroid Dermatology •custom Dentistry • unique Pediatrics •modalities Veterinary Compounding on patient needs and doctor recommendations We create dosages in unique based create custom in modalities based• Podiatry Join Our

$25 OFF Your First Rx Transfer $25 OFF Your First Rx Transfer $25 OFF $25 OFF Your First Rx OFF Transfer $25 $25 OFF Your First RxOFF Transfer $25 OFF $25$25 OFF Your First Rx Transfer

Pain Management Wound Care ••Adrenal/Thyroid • Podiatry Dermatology •Wound Dentistry • recommendations Pediatrics • Veterinary Pain Management •needs Care Adrenal/Thyroid • Podiatry on needs and and doctor onpatient patient doctor recommendations Family! ad for offer Compounding WeDermatology create custom dosages in unique modalitiesMention based •Wound • Pediatrics Pediatrics Veterinary Dermatology • Dentistry Dentistry ••Veterinary Pain Management • Care • Adrenal/Thyroid • Podiatry on patient needs and doctor Pain Management Care Care • recommendations Adrenal/Thyroid • Podiatry Join Our PainFamily!

Management ••Wound Adrenal/Thyroid Podiatry Join Our••Wound Mention ad for•offer Dermatology Dentistry • •Pediatrics • Veterinary Dermatology Dentistry • Pediatrics • Veterinary Dermatology • Dentistry • Pediatrics • Veterinary Ask us about creating a customized medication for you!

Compounding Pain Management • Wound Care • Adrenal/Thyroid • Podiatry Compounding Join Our First Rx Transfer Dermatology • Dentistry • Pediatrics •Your Veterinary Family!

Family!

Mention ad foroffer offer Join Our Mention ad for Compounding Ask us about creating a customized medication for you!

Gummies • Lollipops • Topical Creams Join Our Join Our Drops • Pet treats • and more!

Compounding Sublingual Join Our Family! ad for offer FirstMention Rx Transfer Compounding • Lollipops •Your Topical Creams Compounding Family!

Ask us Gummies about creating a customized medication for you!

Compounding Ask us about creating a customized medication for you!

Your First Rx Transfer Your First Rx Transfer Sublingual Drops • Pet treats • and more!

Family!

Mention ad for offer Family!

Family!

Mention ad for offer Mention ad for offer

Mention ad for offer Specializing in Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Gummies • Lollipops • Topical Creams Ask us about creating a customized medication for Therapy you!

AskGummies us about creating a customized medication for you!

• Lollipops • Topical Creams Sublingual Drops • Pet treats • and more!

Specializing inAsk Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy Ask us about creating a•customized medication for you!

Sublingual Drops •Lollipops Pet •Creams and more!

Gummies •Creating Topical Creams Ask us creating aa customized medication for you!

Gummies •Us Lollipops •treats Topical About a for Ask usabout about creating customized medication you!

Sublingual Drops • Pet treats • and more!

Sublingual Drops • Pet treats • and more!

Gummies • Lollipops • Topical Creams Specializing in Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy Customized for You! Gummies •and Topical Creams Gummies Lollipops Topical Drops•••Lollipops PetMedication treats •• more! Creams FREE Specializing inSublingual Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy Sublingual Drops • Pet treats • and more!

Sublingual Drops • treats • and more!

Specializing in Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy 2075 Siesta Drive • 941.366.0880 • www.sarasotarx.com Specializing in Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy

Ready to Meet the New You? Anti-aging Facials • Body Sculpting • Injectables • PRP • HRT • and more!

SHIPPING

Specializing in Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy

SpecializingininBio-Identical Bio-Identical Hormone Hormone Replacement Therapy Specializing Replacement Serving Sarasota for overTherapy 40 years!

FREE FREE FREE for over 40 years!

2075 SiestaServing Drive •Sarasota M-F 9:30am - 5:30pm SHIPPING SHIPPING 941.366.0880 • www.sarasotarx.com SHIPPING FREE Serving Sarasota for over 40 years!

FREE Gerry Letendre Serving Sarasota for for over 4040 years!

SHIPPING Serving Sarasota over years!

SHIPPING RPh, MBA, CHt

Gerry Letendre

Call 941.893.4688 Request an Appointment Today www.Re3Healing.com 4012 Sawyer Rd, Suite 101-104, Sarasota, FL 34233

358499-1

2075CHt Siesta DriveDrive • M-F 9:30am - 5:30pm 2075 Siesta • M-F 9:30am - 5:30pm RPh, MBA,

Serving Sarasota for over 40 years!

Sarasota for over 40358499-1 years!

941.366.0880 •Serving www.sarasotarx.com 941.366.0880 • www.sarasotarx.com 358499-1

2075 Siesta Drive • M-F 9:30am - 5:30pm Letendre Gerry Gerry Letendre 2075 Siesta Drive • M-F 9:30am - 5:30pm 941.366.0880 • www.sarasotarx.com RPh, MBA, CHt 358499-1

358499-1

RPh, MBA, CHt

941.366.0880 • www.sarasotarx.com

Gerry Letendre

358499-1

Letendre HowGerry Upper Cervical Care Saves Lives

358499-1

RPh, MBA, CHt

RPh, MBA, CHt

358499-1

358499-1

with Dr. Drew Hall If you’re experiencing upper body pains, headaches, sleeping trouble, or even depression, your body could be misaligned. Corrections made with no popping, twisting or pulling.

Precise 3D imaging.

Dr. Drew Hall has extensive experience in treating the following conditions: Auto Accidents • Fibromyalgia • Lower Back Pain • Meniere’s Disease • Neck Pain • Sciatica • Post-Concussion Syndrome TMJ • Trigeminal Neuralgia • Vertigo • Whiplash

From ketamine infusions for chronic pain or mental health to medical cannabis evaluations, we offer advanced options for physical and mental relief to those who thought they were out of options.

To learn more about ketamine and medical cannabis for treating chronic pain, mental health, and other qualifying conditions, schedule a consultation with our board-certified physician, Steven Reichbach, MD.

To schedule an appointment, call (941) 909-3084.

Call now for your FREE consultation!

(855) 745-1821 sarasotauppercervical.com 3920 Bee Ridge Rd, Bldg D, Suite 101, Sarasota, Fl 34233

findpainrelief.com

university park country club This semi-private club has 27 holes designed by Ron Garl in a natural paradise setting and the club offers 11 lighted Har-Tru tennis courts. Both the Park Grille and Café and the Lakeside room now boast a contemporary coastal vibe that’s terrific.

Inside the large dining room that overlooks the course and lake, there’s plenty of separation between tables, which is great for one’s peace of mind these days. (The signature hole is #5, which has an intimidating body of water and big bunker between you and the pin. Trust that the wide green will be there for you if you select the right club.)

village green golf club With a lot of par threes (18-hole, par 58), this is an affordable place to get out those irons and practice, practice, practice. I find the pace of play to be pretty fast here, which is a good thing in my book.

“Golfers, get out of your head!

Stop overthinking and be patient with yourselves.” —Ashley Hayden University Park Country Club’s Head Golf Pro, Ashley Hayden, touts how important golf is to our community.

“It generates an incredible amount of revenue by creating jobs and stimulating the economy. It’s also a haven for our members and a one-of-a-kind experience for our guests.” If you’re still struggling to get to—or under!—par, he offers this helpful tip, which has shaved a few strokes off my own game.

“Golfers, get out of your head! Stop overthinking and be patient with yourselves.”

92

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

So, I’ll be working to keep my focus on the fairways and greens and not in my own head as I continue my ongoing task of playing every single course in Sarasota County. If you see me out on the links, come by and say, “Howdy!” Just not during my backswing.

And if you ever see me doing my Happy Gilmore impression in a tee box, just walk slowly away and pretend it never happened.

Siesta Key Eats

Outdoor Waterfront Dining!

Serving Daily 11:30am - 9pm Sunday Starting at $9.99 10am-3pm.

Serving DailyBrunch 11:30am - 9pm

Outdoor Waterfront Dining!

Outdoor Waterfront Dining!

Sunday Brunch Starting at $9.99 10am-3pm.

tdoor

Complete Menu at turtlesrestaurant.com

11:30am - 9pm Complete Serving Menu atDaily turtlesrestaurant.com

Sunday Brunch Starting at $9.99 10am-3pm.

Outdoor Waterfront Dining!

Featuring Daily Specials Too! Waterfront Dining!

Outdoor Waterfront Dining!

Featuring Daily Specials Too!

Daily-at 11:30am – 9pm Menu turtlesrestaurant.com ServingComplete Daily Serving 11:30am 9pm Serving Daily 11:30am - 9pm 8875 Midnight Pass Rd. • South Siesta Key * Following all social distancing & all CDC safety guidelines * Sunday Brunch Starting at $9.99 10am – 3pm Featuring Daily Specials Too! Sunday Brunch10am-3pm.

Starting at $9.99 10am-3pm. ay Brunch Starting at $9.99 turtlessiestakey * Following all social distancing & all CDC safety guidelines * 941-346-2207 Ride the Siesta Breeze turtlessiestakey Trolley from the Village Complete Menu at turtlesrestaurant.com Complete Menu at turtlesrestaurant.com te Menu at turtlesrestaurant.com 8875 Midnight Pass Rd. • South Siesta Key Featuring Daily Specials Featuring DailyToo! Specials Too! turtlessiestakey Featuring *Daily Specials Too! Following all social distancing & all CDC safety guidelines * Ride the Siesta Breeze 941-346-2207 * Following all social distancing & all CDC safety guidelines * Call Now to Join Us for Dinner turtlessiestakey Trolley from the * Following all8875 social distancing & all CDC safety guidelines * Midnight Pass Rd. • South Siesta KeyVillage * Following all social distancing & all CDC safety guidelines *

FO-24748898

FO-24748898 turtlessiestakey

turtlessiestakeyturtlessiestakey FO-24748898

turtlessiestakey

941-346-2207

Ride the Siesta Breeze Trolley from the Village

www.claytonssiestagrille.com 941.349.2800 • 1256 Old Stickney Point Road, Sarasota Contact Clayton Thompson for Catering: 941.349.2800

A FRESH LOCAL CAUGHT SEAFOODS

RELAXED ISLAND DINING

ISLAND BITES & CRAFT BEER Classy Casual, everyday style food made from fresh loCal ingredients

941.349.2323 spearfishgrille.com • (941) 349-1971 1265 Old Stickney Point Rd FOLLOW US:

spearfishgrille

@spearfish_grille

sarasotalobsterpot.com 5157 Ocean Blvd Siesta Key Village Sarasota, FL 34242

SPOTLIGHT

honoring Heritage

Manasota chapter of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History

By Carol Brzozowski

The recognition of February as Black History Month is thanks in large part to

the efforts of Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard-educated son of American slaves who became a noted historian, educator, and author. He founded the organization now known as the Association for the Study of African

American Life and History (ASALH). Today, the national ASALH organization and its local branches, including the Manasota chapter, carry on his work.

94

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

“While many of our members are retirees— given our Gulf Coast location—we actively engage with local Teaching a course on the Reconstruction Era at OLLI

schools and teachers, and we encourage young

David Wilkins, Esq.

people of all ages to embrace our mission.”

—David Wilkins, Esq. Formally chartered in 1996, Manasota ASALH is committed to promoting, researching, preserving, interpreting, and disseminating information about Black life, history, and culture throughout the Gulf Coast community.

Teaching a course on the Reconstruction Era at OLLI

Booker High Students visit the Angola site with Vicki Oldham

“Our mission statement was recently revised as a part of a year-long strategic planning process,” notes Manasota ASALH president, David Wilkins, Esq. “It mirrors the mission statement of the national ASALH organization except for our focus on ‘the Gulf Coast Community.’ While national ASALH seeks to reach the ‘global community,’ we are determined to narrow our focus in hopes of speaking to our unique, regional audience.”

Everyone is welcome to join the organization in its work, Wilkins says. More than 300 subscribed members, including individuals and institutions, come primarily from Bradenton and Sarasota counties. “We have regular contact with members and non-members interested in sharing or gathering information relevant to our mission,” he says.

FEBRUARY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

95

Manasota ASALH's Education Committee host Booker High Students at the African-American Cultural Resource Center at the Betty J. Johnson Library in Newtown

Black Muse Art Exhibit

Manasota ASALH operates through its executive board and board-level committees that support its membership, education and programming, scholarship, fundraising and arts and culture initiatives. Meetings are held on the fourth Saturday of each month, excluding June through August, and are open to everyone.

“While many of our members are retirees—given our Gulf Coast location—we actively engage with local schools and teachers, and we encourage young people of all ages to embrace our mission,” notes Wilkins, who spent decades as a lawyer and human resource leader for organizations such as Dow Chemical Company and the American Red Cross.

Wilkins points out that in 1926, Dr. Woodson initiated the celebration of Negro History Week, which corresponded with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. “In 1976, this celebration was expanded to include the entire month of February, and today Black History Month garners support throughout the country as people of all ethnic and social backgrounds discuss the black experience,” says Wilkins. “ASALH views the promotion of Black History Month as one of the most important components of advancing Dr. Woodson’s legacy.”

The idea of a Manasota ASALH was conceived by Ernestine Harris, who organized a preliminary planning meeting at the Family Heritage House Museum, currently located at State College of Florida in Bradenton, in late 1995. The Manasota chapter of ASALH was formally chartered

A few Lewis Colson

First African-American settler—1884

Leonard Reid

Founded Payne Chapel AME church and helped create Sarasota's first golf course

96

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

local notables:

John "Buck" O'Neil

Robert L. Taylor

Emma E. Booker

Willie Shaw

Negro League and National League baseball player

Principal and educator

Recreation center manager for whom the Taylor Center is named

First African American Mayor of Sarasota

Manasota ASALH visits Tuskegee and "The Oaks" Booker T. Washington's Home

in 1996 and Ernestine Harris became its first elected president. She served through 2000.

Subsequent presidents include James Strawder, Alphonse Carter, Robert Fitzgerald, Lois Watson, Corene Richardson, William Watkins, Mark Jackson, Dr. James Stewart, and now Wilkins. Manasota ASALH, Inc. operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit.

“In our 25 years of existence, Manasota ASALH has brought greater awareness of Black life, history and culture to the Gulf Coast region,” notes Wilkins.

“There is much more work to do and we believe our increasingly engaged membership and our partners are committed to this work.”

To learn more about the Manasota chapter of ASALH and its local activities, visit asalh-manasotafl.org.

For Black History Month this February, national ASALH is running a virtual festival with a focus on health and wellness. Access it at asalh.org/festival.

FEBRUARY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

97

ARTCENTER MANATEE 941.746.2862 / artcentermanatee.org American Watercolor Society 154th International Traveling Exhibit February 8 - March 18

ART CENTER SARASOTA 941.365.2032 / artsarasota.org Gallery 1: Vitus Shell Gallery 2: Javo Gallery 3: Suncoast Black Arts Collabrative Gallery 4: Tom Casmer Through March 5

ART UPTOWN 941.955.5409 / artuptown.org The Imaginarium Through February 25

98

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

Dabbert Gallery— Gustavo Paris

ArtCenter Manatee

FEBRUARY 2022 VISUAL ARTS EVENTS

Art Center Sarasota — Tom Casmer

Art Uptown

artSCENE

State of the Arts Gallery

CHASEN GALLERIES

MARA ART STUDIO AND GALLERY

941.260.5787 / chasengalleries.com Joanne Rafferty, Wonderful World February 3-16 Robert Johnson, A Bird’s Eye View of SRQ February 17 - March 2

941.914.8110 / marastudiogallery.com Duality Opening February 4

CLYDE BUTCHER GALLERY 941.486.0811 / clydebutcher.com Big Cypress Gallery Meet the Artist Meet Clyde & Niki Butcher February 5–6 Venice Gallery Open House Darkroom Tours February 19

DABBERT GALLERY 941.955.1315 / dabbertgallery.com Contemporary Visions February 4-28

EMBRACING OUR DIFFERENCES 941.404.5710 / embracingourdifferences.org Winter/Spring Showcase Through April 10 Bayfront Park, Sarasota

MEG KRAKOWIAK GALLERY & STUDIO 941.400.2478 / megkrakowiakstudios.com Rosy Morning February 1-28

RINGLING MUSEUM OF ART 941.388.7526 / ringling.org From Legend to History: Archaeology of the Underground Railroad in our Backyard Through February 28 Elanor Merritt: Remembrance February 18 - August 21 As long as there is sun, as long as there is light Through August 13, 2023 Rhodnie Désir, Conversations Through April 22, 2022

SARASOTA ART MUSEUM 941.400.2478 / sarasotartmuseum.org Danner Washburn: Effigy Hemric Through May 8

at home

W YO THE AREA’S MOST TRUSTED NAME SINCE 1974 Proudly Serving Sarasota And Manatee Counties.

Wyland Galleries

Chasen Galleries

EMERGENCY SERVICE CALLS

Meg Krakowiak

Judith Linhares: The Artist as Curator Through April 3 Felix Gonzalez-Torres Through May 15 David Budd, Motion Within Stillness Through March 20

THE SOUTHERN ATELIER 941.753.7755 / southernatelier.org See Website for Classes & Studios

STAKENBORG/ GREENBERG FINE ART 941.487.8001 / stakenborgfineart.com Appice Heck Drum City: Virtual Exhibition Current

STATE OF THE ARTS GALLERY 941.955.2787 / sarasotafineart.com PASSION Through February 28

WILLIAM HARTMAN GALLERY

SERVICES WE OFFER: Electrical Panel Replacement and Upgrade Indoor Lighting • Outdoor Lighting Marina Services • Boat Lift Installation and Repair

CALL (941) 926-7278 OR VISIT PAPUPOWER.COM TO SCHEDULE A SERVICE TODAY!

941.955.4785 / wmhartmangallery.biz Art From Nature Current

WYLAND GALLERIES 941.955.4785 / wylandgalleriesofthefloridakeys.com/ wyland-gallery-sarasota-2 Stephen Muldoon February 4-5 Jim Warren February 11-12 Steve Barton February 17-19

T O S UB M I T YO UR EV ENT / EX HI B I T I ON F O R C O NS I D ER AT ION , please send information to gina@scenesarasota.com

Rosalyn Howard Ph.D. & Vickie Oldham M.F.A.

Authors of Newtown Alive: Courage, Dignity, Determination

Dr. Harriet Moore

Educator and current Innovation & Equity Director for Sarasota Public Schools

Family Owned Since 1986 25 Year Workmanship Warranty 241 Interstate Court Sarasota, FL 34240 Florida State License CCC1325654

arts&culture

ASOLO REPERTORY THEATRE 941.351.8000 / asolorep.org The Great Leap February 9 - April 2 The Paradox of Education February 28

Best SEATS PERFORMING ARTS CALENDAR FEBRUARY 2022

ARTIST SERIES CONCERTS OF SARASOTA 941.306.1200 / artistseriesconcerts.org Rick Costa Quartet February 9 Luca Stine Jazz Ensemble February 17 Nexus Chamber Music February 20 Emerging Stars of Sarasota February 24

1 00

FLORIDA STUDIO THEATRE 941.366.9000 / floridastudiotheatre.org America In One Room Through February 27 The Play That Goes Wrong January 19 - March 13 Friends in Low Places Through March 27 KEY CHORALE 941.921.4845 / keychorale.org A.D. 387 February 11 -12 Tomorrow’s Voices Tonight, Student Soiree February 28 MANATEE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 941.749.1111 / manateeperformingartscenter.com The Temps, Tops, Supremes & Gladys: A Motown Revue February 10-11 Jeff Allen Comedy Night February 18 Neil Diamond Tribute February 19

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

MCCURDY’S COMEDY THEATRE 941.925.3869 / mccurdyscomedy.com Bobby Collins February 4 - 5 Jim Breuer February 7 - 8 Dennis Blair February 9 - 12 Helen Keaney February 16 - 17 Jon Lovitz February 18 - 20 THE PLAYERS CENTRE FOR PERFORMING ARTS 941.365.2494 / theplayers.org Beehive February 16 - 18 SARASOTA CONTEMPORARY DANCE sarasotacontemporarydance.org Raychel Ceciro & Eugenia Titterington February 11 - 12 Karim Manning & Monessa Salley February 25 - 26 SARASOTA ORCHESTRA 941.953.4252 / sarasotaorchestra.org Beethoven & Tchaikovsky February 4 - 6

at home

Your New Patio Awaits.

Bull® Grills • Custom Outdoor Kitchens • Fabulous Outdoor Furniture Free Pool & Spa Water Tests • Free In-Home Patio Design Commercial & Residential Pool Equipment and Chemicals • Chlorine!

Call or Visit Us Today!

(941) 896-6342 • lanailifestyles.com

941.922.2626 BeeRidgeLighting.com

9712 State Road 64 E, Bradenton, FL 3

3909 Bee Ridge Rd.

Supporting Local Businesses

Sarasota, FL 34233

Storewide Sale!

Sexy by Day, Reclinable by Night

Call Now For A Free Estimate, and Begin Your Lighting Journey Today!

3909 Bee Ridge Rd, Sarasota, FL

STOP IN TO OUR SHOWROOM TODAY FOR QUALITY LEATHER FURNITURE!

(941) 993-1057 • www.leathergallerysarasota.com 5251 S Tamiami Trail • Sarasota, FL 34231 FEBRUARY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

101

arts&culture

URBANITE THEATRE 941.321.1397 / urbanitetheatre.com The Smuggler Through February 20 VAN WEZEL PERFORMING ARTS HALL 941.953.3368 / vanwezel.org An American in Paris February 2 - 3 Paul Nicklen February 7 A Tribute to Aretha Franklin February 9 Audra McDonald February 11 The Simon & Garfunkel Story February 12 The Four Phantoms in Concert February 14 Gladys Knight February 15 Dancing with the Stars Live!

February 17 Paul Anka Greatest Hits February 20 Ronan Farrow February 21

1 02

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

Celtic Thunder February 23 Stayin’ Alive February 24 Englebert Humperdinck February 28 VENICE INSTITUTE FOR PERFORMING ARTS 941.218.3779 / veniceperformingartscenter.com Little Women February 10 - 11 ZZ’s Best with Maiden Cane February 12 Here Comes the Sun February 13 Meatloaf Tribute February 18 Venice Concert Band, Bach to Broadway February 21 Bruce Springsteen Tribute February 27 VENICE THEATRE 941.488.1115 / venicetheatre.org Little Women February 10 - 11

ZZ’s Best with Maiden Cane February 12 Here Comes the Sun February 13 Meatloaf Tribute February 18 Venice Concert Band, Bach to Broadway February 21 WESTCOAST BLACK THEATRE TROUPE 941.366.1505 / westcoastblacktheatre.org Ruby Through February 27

V IS IT S C EN ES A R A S O TA . C O M To submit your event for consideration, please send information to scenemagazine@scenesarasota.com

Photo: Diane Broda

Your Musical, Comedy, Drama and Live Music Destination!

ManateePerformingArtsCenter.com 502 Third Avenue W | Bradenton Box Office (941) 748-5875 FEBRUARY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

103

ECH

All Doors 20% OFF

ii plastpro

®SIMONTON

�StormBrealier Plus•

PLUS

FREE

Super Solar High Performance Glass Not valid with any other offer Offer Expires 2-28-2022

In 1989 I purchased “Eco-Conscious Dry Cleaning”

Carlson Cleaners.

At 23 years old I worked

tirelessly as any young

ENTREPRENEUR

would do to grow their business.

I have learned the ins & outs

of running a smooth operation.

I think you will see this in our

QUALITY & SERVICE. Sincerely,

Don Carlson Sr. 3115 Southgate Circle Sarasota, Fl. 34239

(941) 275-4647

5193 Clark Road Sarasota, Fl. 34233

1 04

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

arts&culture

LITERARY Scene

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

THREE TERRIFIC NEW MYSTERIES

whose dedication to justice after undergoing personal trauma (her son died) is equally powerful.

THE SORORITY MURDER (MIRA, December 2021)

by Allison Brennan While New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan might be best known as a writer of romantic thrillers, her newest novel, The Sorority Murder, is set on the campus of Northern Arizona University and follows the death of Candace Swann, a senior nursing student who was also a popular sorority member. Yes, there are a number of common tropes happening here (missing diary, dual timeline plot, podcaster working on a cold case, etc.), but Brennan handles them all fairly deftly.

What helps make this story memorable is Regan Merritt, a former U.S. Marshal who’s visiting her father in Flagstaff. She’s invited onto the case

by Lucas Vegas, a student who was so affected

by Candace’s death that he made his senior project a podcast dedicated to solving the murder. Because he knew the victim, he’s got a powerful stake in the case, as does Regan,

The pair of sleuths determine that there’s a missing week between Candace being last seen at an annual sorority party and when her body was discovered. What happened during that gap? The podcast grows in popularity as the details emerge, and tips begin to come in that help draw them closer to the answer. Candace was clearly ridden with guilt, but about what? And why? Before long, Regan realizes that Lucas has his own secret, and nothing is quite as it seems.

The book is well-plotted and leads to a harrowing final showdown that gives Lucas the answers he seeks and helps Regan find purpose in her endless pursuit for justice. This is the launch of a new series, so fans of Regan Merritt will see her return in a 2022 book, no doubt having been affected by the dark affairs in this book.

RYAN’S RATING: www.allisonbrennan.com

Over the decades, Keigo Higashino has become one of bestselling novelists in Japan, and his latest novel, Silent Parade, is the fourth entry in the popular Detective Galileo series. Good news—I haven’t read the first three (many of his books aren’t translated into English yet) and that didn’t stop me from appreciating this story on its own.

SILENT PARADE (Minotaur Books, December 2021)

by Keigo Higashino

Detective Galileo (whose real name is Manabu Yukawa) isn’t part of any police force. He’s simply a physics professor with a fantastic mind who is called on by a police officer friend (Chief Inspector Kusanagi) to bring extra brainpower to seemingly impossible cases. This time, he’s been asked to help

out with a cold case—a girl who disappeared without a trace three years ago has been found in a burned-out house. There’s a clear suspect, but without ample evidence, no arrest is made—just like when this same person was suspected of killing a young girl twenty years before. It’s time to solve both cases, says Kusanagi.

More improbable murders follow, and it’s up to Detective Galileo to solve the unsolvable.

In no way does this feel like a translation—translator Giles Murry did an admirable job there. Plus, Higashino has created a level of plotting that will satisfy every puzzle-loving reader. Equally fun is how Detective Galileo’s mind FEBRUARY 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

105

arts&culture spins off hypothesis after hypothesis in response to each new clue in the growing mountain of data.

It’s a slow-burn book, without a doubt, but it’s interesting and has lots of keen insight into Japanese food, holidays, and the legal system. The cast is quite large, too, though there is a list of names at the front of the book that is quite helpful.

If you like intricate puzzles and Golden Age of Mysteries (of which there are numerous clear shout-outs in this book), this book will surely please you.

RYAN’S RATING:

A HISTORY OF WILD PLACES (Atria Books, December 2021)

by Shea Ernshaw A History of Wild Places is an eerie new thriller by Shea Ernshaw that’s set in a secluded northern California community that was founded in the 1970s by people who sought a simpler way of life. It’s simply called Pastoral.

The story begins with Travis Wren, who has a knack for locating missing folks because he can touch items and get a glimpse of the past. He’s been hired to find the missing popular children’s author Maggie St. James, who vanished without a trace five years earlier. The trail leads Travis to Pastoral, where he himself goes missing.

The focus then shifts to the residents of Pastoral, but mainly Theo, his wife Calla, and her sister, Bee. Like the others who live there, they all fear contamination from the outside world in the form of a disease called The Rot. That fear is an ongoing sense of unease that pervades every aspect of their lives. We’re told the story from each of their perspectives, at times, and piece by piece, readers begin to see a connection just below the surface.

Some disturbing scenes follow.

I won’t say more for fear of spilling too many plot secrets, but this story is along the lines of M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village, though the conclusion is a bit less satisfying. Still, it’s a fun read and the plot twists and turns in interesting ways. I wouldn’t be surprised if this ends up being a Netflix series.

RYAN’S RATING: www.sheaernshaw.com 1 06

SARASOTA SCENE | FEBRUARY 2022

SAV

Exclusive preferred

the

WINTER REFRESH event New year, new look! From closets to mudrooms, it’s a perfect time to refresh storage space in your home. Right now, you can save up to 15%* when you upgrade to a premium finish, including our exclusive, Italian-inspired woodgrains.

Choose from a range of rich colors and textures designed to complement any room.

Schedule a complimentary design consultation today to get started.

727.573.0700

californiaclosets.com

*Valid 11.01.19 through 12.31.19 at participating locations only. Applies to shelves and partitions only. Finishes may vary by location. Savings not to exceed 20% of install value. Offer valid on new purchases only. Cannot be combined with other offers.

californiaclosets.com

SARASOTA StCompany, TAMPA 2606 WEach Kennedy Blvd ST PETE 1001 4th St N ©20191411 California1st Closet Inc. All rights reserved. franchise independently owned and operated. *Save to 15% shelves, partitions,backing, backing,fillers, fillers,top toptreatments treatments&&countertops countertopsmade madeofofour ourmaterial materialonly onlyfrom from01.01.20 01.01.22 through atat participating *Save up up to 15% onon shelves, partitions, through02.28.22 02.29.20 participating locations only. Savings not to exceed 15% of installed value. FInishes may vary by location. Excludes Paxton and the Everyday System. Cannot be combined with other offers. locations only. Savings not to exceed 15% of installed value. FInishes may vary by location. Excludes Paxton and the Everyday System. Cannot be combined with other offers.

Offer valid on new purchases only. ©2020 California Closet Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Franchises independently owned and operated.

Offer valid on new purchases only. ©2020 California Closet Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Franchises independently owned and operated.

As the ye close, we our thank loyal cust limited ti up to 20% your next From the office to t have the p to maxim every roo Start by b design co

FRIE F

DREAMS

DON’T RETIRE.

Live Richly. You’ve Earned It. �

Benjamin Franklin wrote: “wealth is not his that has it, but his that enjoys it.” At Integrity Wealth Management (IWM), we want to help protect and grow the wealth you’ve worked hard to achieve so you can do just that. IWM specializes in assisting with long-term, low-risk investments, wealth preservation, reducing tax burdens and other personalized strategies. We’re committed to upholding the values of integrity, honesty, competency and stewardship and putting you on the right path to live the life you so richly deserve.

Live Richly. You’ve Earned It.

Private Wealth Management For Select Individuals.

941-955-2700 | iwmfl.com

�

Benjamin Franklin wrote: “wealth is not his that has it, but his that enjoys it.” At Integrity Wealth Management (IWM), w protect and grow the wealth you’ve worked hard to achieve so you can do just that. IWM specializes in assisting low-risk investments, wealth preservation, reducing tax burdens and otheryou personalized strategies.

We’re committ We encourage to enjoy the wealth the values of integrity, honesty, competency and stewardship and putting you on the right path to live the life you so

you’ve worked so hard to build while helping to protect it at the same time.

941-955-2700 | iwmfl.com After all, true wealth is not about the money; it’s about experiencing the

Private Wealth Management For Select Individuals.

richness of life.

Integrity Wealth Management, Inc. is registered as an investment advisor with the state of Florida.

Registration as an investment advisor does not constitute an endorsement of the firm by securities regulators nor does it indicate that the advisor has attained a particular level of skill or ability.

Private wealth management for select individuals.

Samuel L. Cione To learn more, call us at 941.955.2700 or visit www.iwmfl.com

Samuel L. Cione

Integrity Wealth Management, Inc. is registered as an investment advisor with the state of Florida. Registration as an investment advisor does not constitute an endorsement of the firm by securities regulators nor does it indicate that the advisor has attained a particular level of skill or ability.

Samue