June 2022

the

issue

scenesarasota.com

EDUCATION • TRAVEL • LOCAL AMENITIES

JUNE 2022 $3.95 U.S.

Est. 1987

Cosmetics, Implants and Bite Reconstruction Actual Patients

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• 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

SERVING OUR RISING

SARASOTAMANATEE REGION

With campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee, the University of South Florida is the fastest-rising university in America, according to U.S. News and World Report’s 2022 Best Colleges rankings. The USF SarasotaManatee campus features a unique, personalized learning environment-an inclusive culture in which faculty and staff know and support students as they achieve their career goals.

University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee campus 8350 N. Tamiami Trail | Sarasota, FL 34243

SARASOTAMANATEE.USF.EDU

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contents•features

46

55 42

THE ART OF THE CIRCUS high flying fun at the

42 55

circus arts conservatory

a taste of summer LOCAL RESTAURANTS SHARE THEIR SUMMER SPECIALS

By Lisa Codianne Fowler

46

CHAMPIONING NATURE FOR KIDS

62

leaning in to joy A Merry Band Debuts

(AND EVERYONE ELSE)

Hood at Asolo Rep

at Conservation foundation

By Sylvia Whitman

of the gulf coast

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

50

On the Cover summer staycation Sarasota style!

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

6

SARASOTA SCENE | JUNE 2022

Traveling pooch @MallowFrenchie enjoying the poolside at Marker Key West Harbor Resort.

Photo by Gina Tomasetti.

Artistry.

Passion.

Perfection.

For over 30 years, John Cannon has designed and built homes for families just like yours throughout Florida’s west coast. When you choose John Cannon Homes, you are selecting an award-winning team with the single goal of creating your home just as you envisioned. Build a home that’s customized for you, your family and your lifestyle. Build with John Cannon Homes.

Call 941 361.1300 for your private tour of our Corporate Offices and Design Center today. www.johncannonhomes.com

6710 Professional Parkway, Suite 100 Sarasota, FL 34240 | 941.924.5935

CGCA18551

contents•departments

• socialscene • 16

THE LIST

the find Father’s Day

party pics

By Gina Liga

Asolo Rep’s Annual Gala

25

SMHF Golf Tournament

26

SAM Ambassador Salon

27

Women In Power Luncheon

28

2022 Dick Vitale Gala

29

Community Foundation Giving Challenge Big Reveal

30

32

June Events Calendar

24

Big Brothers Big Sisters

76

spotlight Life as a Journey: Travel Dream Creator Malaka Hilton

By Carol Brzozowski

80

ed matters Studying the Invisible: Dr. Erika Díaz-Almeyda’s Research on Microbiomes

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

Conservation Foundation Nature Talk with Jack Longino

• philanthropy • 36 Love at first sight

40

The Sarasota Ballet’s Crystal Gala

67

scene snaps

with Children First

Readers Share Their

By Lisa Codianne Fowler

Travel Photos

83

restless leg syndrom

By Dr. Federico Richter MD. RPhS DABVLM

• a r t s + c ult ur e • 84 BEST SEATS Performing Arts Calendar

86 art scene Visual Arts Calendar

88 MEET THE ARTIST Susan Cronk

89 literary Scene Three Celebrity Memoirs

Spring Soiree

31

• i n h e alt h •

• insider •

Stephanie and Allen Hochfelder

Released in May 2022

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

Be Informed Be Entertained Be SCENE scenesarasota.com

8

SARASOTA SCENE | JUNE 2022

f r o m t h e • publ i s h e r t’s that time again. Kids, grandkids, and students of all ages are finished with classes and gearing up for some fun and excitement this summer. Even for those of us without school-age children, summer is typically a time for travel and visiting family. But with more people making the Gulf Coast their full-time home, this might be the first Sarasota summer for many. In this issue, we explore some options to help you and your family have fun in the sun without even having to leave town.

One of the most familiar events for foodie fun might be the Annual Savor Sarasota Restaurant Week, which runs June 1-14th and features special menus from dozens of award-winning restaurants. Tickle your tastebuds while exploring these culinary options, and more, in our “Taste of Summer” feature. Ryan Van Cleave, self-proclaimed “grizzled veteran” of Sarasota summers, has also given us a list of some of his favorite spots and recommendations for the ultimate staycation.

Read about the coveted amenities which make Sarasota the cultural coast that it is. Among that list is Myakka State Park, a place where I myself have been frequenting as of late. My visits, more specifically, have been to Triangle Ranch.

Myakka seems a world away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Sarasota, and I have enjoyed every minute of it. More than just a relaxing haven, I have appreciated learning some of the intricacies and culture of cattle ranching, as well as about our fragile natural environment. The Ranch is used by many of our local universities, county organizations, and environmental groups for scientific research, testing, and meetings. In fact, Dr. Erika Díaz-Almeyda, who is one of these scientists, was gracious enough to take the time to talk to us about her Florida Microbiome Project. Read more about her research through New College of Florida in this issue, and how it effects our local lands.

It is important to mention for those who are not from the area to keep in mind the unique ecosystem that Florida hosts while you’re out engaged in summer fun. Not long ago, I was kayaking down the Myakka River. The waters were clear, and it was teeming with fish. I had my eyes out for a four-foot alligator that was known to reside in the area, but had no luck spotting him. Suddenly, when we were getting close to the bank, one of my companions pointed ahead and said, “Alligator!” I was looking towards the water for a pair of eyes, but could not see anything. She kept pointing, but as we floated closer to the bank, I still could not see anything on it. As I was squinting, trying to get a better look, the bank—what I thought had been the bank—moved! This monster slowly slid into the water, and moved on with its day. I started backpaddling frantically once I realized the size of the gator. When I ran into my other companions (seasoned environmentalists), I asked how wide they thought it must have been. Looking at me suspiciously they said, “How many inches from nose to eyes?” When I told them it was about 12 inches, they laughed and said, “Wow, a 12-footer!” They filled me in on the habits of alligators and told me not to worry. Alligators keep to themselves and don’t attack unless they’ve been antagonized. It was very interesting; however, I still gave the area where I had seen the animal a wide berth.

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SARASOTA SCENE | JUNE 2022

H JOHN KNOWLES, PUBLISHER john@scenesarasota.com

SEE FOR YOURSELF Found objects from the aftermath of Hurricane Maria serve as a testament to resilience and community.

Daniel

This exhibition is made possible, in part, with generous support from:

Lind-Ramos Las Tres Marías 4/2/22 — 8/7/22

Daniel Lind-Ramos, María Guabancex, 2018-2022, Assemblage, 110 x 84 x 148 in.

Courtesy of the artist, Photo: Ryan Gamma

Art from across the country exploring themes of Planet, Place, and Self through reflections of our present moment.

State of the Art 2020: Constructs

State of the Art 2020: Constructs is organized by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas.

The national tour of State of the Art 2020 is sponsored by Bank of America with additional support from Art Bridges.

4/24/22 — 9/11/22

Lori Kella, Euclid’s Mirror, 2019, Archival pigment print, Courtesy of the artist

A passion for fiber, thread, and fabric becomes a quest to understand the conflicting roles of women in our society.

Katrina Coombs I M(O)ther: Threads of the Maternal Figure

This exhibition is co-organized by the Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator and Sarasota Art Museum.

5/22/22 — 10/2/22

Katrina Coombs, Oshun’s Glory (detail), 2020, Finger-knitted mixed fibers, Dimensions variable, Courtesy of the artist, Photo: Katrina Coombs

SarasotaArtMuseum.org

1001 South Tamiami Trail Sarasota, FL 34236 941.309.4300

f r o m t h e • publ i s h e r

One of the other perks to the area is the lack of light pollution for any readers interested in star gazing and astronomy. A few weeks later in the same area, I was treated to a star-filled sky. Watching the total eclipse of the moon and seeing all the varied shades of red in these conditions were spectacular.

The following morning, we took a tour of the Ranch—feeding cracker cows, looking for fox tail squirrels and taking in all the symbiotic relationships of the creatures, both wild and domestic. We came across a feisty juvenile alligator. He did not seem to mind visiting for a bit. As you can see, I am warming up to gators—well, sort of.

All in all, Myakka is a mecca for anyone who loves outdoor activities. It truly is a gem right in our backyard and definitely a must-see to add to your summer to-do list. In addition, don’t forget to check out the plethora of educational activities and camps for teens and kids, such as the Next Gen Conservation programs through the Conservation Foundation, or the Sailor Circus Summer Camp where your child can “run off and join the circus.”

Lastly, I want to wish a safe and enjoyable trip to those who will be on the move this summer. For many, it may have been more than two years since venturing out of town. Many friends will be traveling north to visit family, enjoying the less humid weather of the Northeast. Others will be heading west to spend time in the mountains. A great many will be heading to Europe, a destination that has been off limits for a while.

Please enjoy your adventures, but remember that home is where the heart is. And for those who aren’t planning on traveling, consider taking a peek at our Scene Snaps column later in this issue, where readers share photos from some of their own favorite trips.

Elegant Global Dining

Personally, I will be traveling to the Pacific Northwest to Vancouver Island, where we will welcome a second grandson in July. His big brother Swift is anxiously awaiting his arrival.

We will see how long his excitement lasts, but I am sure they will grow up to be the best of friends.

Whether you’re staying local or traveling far, enjoy your summer Scene, wherever it may be.

481GOURMETSARASOTA.COM Open for Dinner Tuesday – Sunday Reservations Suggested Call 941.362.0400 or find us on OpenTable.com 481 N Orange Ave, Sarasota, FL 12

SARASOTA SCENE | JUNE 2022

H JOHN KNOWLES, PUBLISHER john@scenesarasota.com

Bringing a global perspective to local properties.

Longboat Key | A4534425 | $8,950,000 Jenifer Schwell | 941-780-0968

Sarasota | A4533316 | $4,000,000 Joanna Benante & Ann Martin | 941-356-7717

Siesta Key | A4523915 | $4,950,000 Stephen Weeks & Jeff Hinrichs | 941-504-3689

Sarasota | A4532280 | $3,200,000 Michael Moulton | 941-928-3559

Sarasota | A4531554 | $2,850,000 Michael Hays | 941-376-1826

MICHAELSAUNDERS.COM | 888.552.5228 Licensed Real Estate Broker

Locally Owned and Operated Since 1957

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Vol. 65 No. 6

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Publisher/Executive Editor H John Knowles Strategic Partnerships Julie A. Milton Executive Creative Director Darcy Kelly–Laviolette Digital Media & Editorial Content Coordinator Gina Liga Distribution Mike Straffin Accounting Sally A. Bailey Advertising Enquiries Paul McNamara Call/Text 917.751.6506 | paul@scenesarasota.com

Our prime meats and fresh seafood are perfect for your backyard barbecue. Ask about our custom cuts and pre-marinated ready-tocook items. From ribeye steaks and gourmet burgers to wild salmon and whole chickens, trust Morton’s for your summertime cookouts!

Tom Garriott Call/Text 317.797.8135 | tom@scenesarasota.com Sharon Castellano Call/Text 203.984.7577 | sharon@scenesarasota.com Contributing Writers Ryan G. Van Cleave Sylvia Whitman Carol Brzozowski Lisa Codianne Fowler Copy Editing Liz Nickson Contributing & Social Photographer Nancy Guth Contributing Photographer Cliff Roles 1834 Main Street, Sarasota, FL 34236 941.365.1119 | Fax: 941.954.5067 | scenesarasota.com Subscribe at scenesarasota.com/magazine/shop

Historic Southside Village 1924 South Osprey Avenue Sarasota ∙ (941) 955-9856 MortonsMarket.com 14

SARASOTA SCENE | JUNE 2022

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.

Resident Shirley Fein:

“There is something for everyone at Sarasota Bay Club!”

“I call Sarasota Bay Club the jewel in the crown of retirement living, and I’ve had nine great years of living here. Our minds and our bodies are nourished with wonderful intellectual programs: concerts, lectures, writing programs and exercise programs – there really is something for everyone. The care of the staff is remarkable and I think it’s the best food in town! This is our home.”

We invite you to make SBC your home!

Schedule a private tour today.

Call Mimi Nowak or Dana Moe (941) 256-2618 1301 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota Find us online at SarasotaBayClub.com

Residences Priced from $500,000 to $2 Million

Luxury Retirement Living On Sarasota Bay

thelist

• socialscene •

JUNE 2022 EVENTS CALENDAR

16

SARASOTA SCENE | JUNE 2022

1–14

SAVOR SARASOTA RESTAURANT WEEK Summer never tasted so good! Home to awardwinning legendary restaurants, there is no better time to explore all the culinary world has to offer. Dozens of local restaurants feature pre-fixe multi-course lunch and dinner menus for $20 and $35 per person.

Various Locations | visitsarasota.com/savor-sarasota2022

2

NEIGHBORS NIGHT OUT + KIDS MOVIE NIGHT AT CINÉBISTRO A neighborhood happy hour in a fun VIP lounge area.

There will be light bites for the adults plus dinner, popcorn and a movie for the kids.

CinéBistro | eventbrite.com

2 0 T H

A N N U A L

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SPONSORS FA I RWAY S P O NS O R

G O L F CA RT S P O NS O R

®

A B OV E PA R S P O NS O RS

941.917.1286 | smhf.org JUNE 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

17

• socialscene •

11–12

17–19

FUSE AT MUSIC ON MAIN Come out and join the fun at this free concert series and block party! There will be food vendors, beer trucks, sponsor booths and activities for the kids. Proceeds benefit a different local non-profit each month.

Lakewood Ranch Main Street | mylwr.com

ANNUAL ST. ARMANDS CIRCLE CRAFT FESTIVAL Festival goers will enjoy works from the state’s best talent of crafters and long-time festival favorites along with the newest names on the contemporary craft scene.

St. Armands Circle | artfestival.com

FREEDOM DANCE FESTIVAL The biggest dance competition from South-East Europe come to US. Join us at Freedom Dance Festival 2022 to see the magic and express yourself.

Van Wezel | allevents.in

5-26

JAZZ AND WINE WITH A TWIST Paint wine glasses while listening to jazz music and having fun with your friends.

Daiquiri Deck St. Armands | starmandscircleassoc.com

3

SARASOTA MUSIC FESTIVAL An intense three-week chamber music experience by the Sarasota Orchestra.

Holley Hall | sarasotaorchestra.org

18

SARASOTA SCENE | JUNE 2022

15

18 DAD’S DAY BLOCK PARTY Featuring 30+ exhibitors representing dozens of services for men. Plus, Sports Player Meet & Greets with former players of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers & Tampa Bay Lightning.

University Town Center | allevents.in

• socialscene •

18 JUNETEENTH COMMUNITY FESTIVAL Observe the national holiday that celebrates the emancipation of enslaved people throughout the United States. Enjoy cultural heritage with music, food, shopping, arts and entertainment.

13th Avenue Dream Center, Bradenton | eventbrite.com

18 CLUB SPORT’S BAR OLYMPICS Relive your glory days and go for the gold Club Sport’s Bar Olympics. Teams of four go headto-head competing in some of your favorite bar games including Flip Cup, Beer Pong, Quarters, Pool and Cornhole.

Evie’s Tavern on the Range | allevents.in

JUNE 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

19

• socialscene •

20–26 ACCTWORLDFEST 2022 A world-wide, week-long community theater festival that includes performances, workshops, fellowship, and more.

Venice Theatre | venicetheatre.org

26 BRADENTON BLUES BRUNCH Enjoy the views and sunshine on the beautiful Bradenton Riverwalk with live music and a delicious brunch menu.

Mattison’s Riverwalk Grille | mattisons.com

20

SARASOTA SCENE | JUNE 2022

26 SPHERES BUBBLE SHOW: EXPAND THE UNIVERSE TOUR Sure to be one of the most unique and amazing visual displays you will ever see. A comedic fusion of art, science and magic for the whole family. The show features gigantic formations of bubbles and foam, high-energy music and lasers.

Stone Hall, Bradenton | tickets.flculturalgroup.org

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 editor@scenesarasota.com

Presented by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County

Thank You! Thanks for your generosity! $16,017,021 Raised

by

46,283 Donors supporting

669 nonprofit organizations serving Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, and DeSoto counties.

Host

strenGtHened by

Informed by the Giving Partner, an online resource for charitable decisions, connecting philanthropy and our community.

foundatIon Partners

addItIonal suPPort ProvIded by:

JUNE 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

21

• socialscene •

FRAMELESS EXPERTS Visit Our New Showroom Today for a

FREE Design

Consultation & Estimate

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

Home of the Glass & Mirror Specialists

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    

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

P O H S W NO AT E N I L N O AWEX.COM

T SARASkO-up in Store Pic

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 22

SARASOTA SCENE | JUNE 2022

u pc o m i n g e v e n t s JULY 2 | Celebrate Sarasota 4th of July Weekend Grab your lawn chairs and enjoy a phenomenal lineup of musical performances, Sarasota’s annual 4th of July parade, and fireworks.

JD Hamel Park | facebook.com/ destinationdowntownsarasota JULY 2-3 | The Suncoast’s Largest Food Truck Festival Featuring 30+ food trucks, a kids zone, and fireworks.

University Town Center | allevents.in JULY 9 | Suncoast Summer Fest: Waves and Wheels Ticket cost includes food stations, open bar, live music, free parking and more. Proceeds benefit Suncoast Charities for Children.

Robarts Arena | eventbrite.com

for a

Tourist day • • An index of local amenities • •

The snowbirds have departed and it’s your turn to take a deep breath and enjoy the many local amenities you missed during the bustle of our season.

RECREATION

RECREATION

DINING

florida suncoast helicopters

discover sarasota tours

cafe gabbiano

SHOPPING

GALLERY

SHOPPING

shelly’s gift & christmas boutique

sarasota salvage

shellysgiftandchristmasboutique (941) 260-8905

sarasota art museum

sarasotaartmuseum.org (941) 309-4300

SHOPPING

GALLERY

DINING

the exchange

ringling museum

grillsmith

floridasuncoasthelicopters.com (941) 355-1259

sarasotawex.com 941.955.7859

discoversarasotatours.com (941) 260-9818

ringling.org (941) 359-5700

cafegabbiano.com (941) 349-1423

sarasotasalvage.com (941) 955-6699

grillsmith.com (941) 259-8383

JUNE 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

23

Co-chairs Chris Voelker, Kathleen France, & Mary Braxton-Joseph with Linda DiGabriele

partypics ASOLO REP’S ANNUAL GALA: AN EVENING IN SHERWOOD FOREST On April 30, guests gathered at The Ritz-Carlton which was transformed into “Sherwood Forest” for an evening of cocktails, a seated dinner, dancing, entertainment, and live auction. The annual gala is Asolo’s largest fundraising event, and proceeds support the artists and performers involved in the season, as well as Asolo’s award-winning education and engagement programs.

Lee & Valerie Shapiro with Gerald & Sandra Biller Ron Kendall & Nikki Sedacca

Sean & Melanie Natarajan

Margaret Wise & Tom Taylor 24

SARASOTA SCENE | JUNE 2022

Charles Wilson with Barbara & Tom Gardner

• socialscene •

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

SARASOTA MEMORIAL HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT This year marks the 20th anniversary of SMHF’s annual golf tournament. Held May 6 at Laurel Oak Country Club, 230+ golfers participated in support of the Physicians Endowment Fund, which provides critical education opportunities to hospital staff. In addition to the tournament, golfers enjoyed lunch, a silent auction, chance drawings and more.

Schedule your FREE consultation today!

941-284-9220 • www.southshorekitchenandbath.com 1333 N Washington Blvd, Unit D Sarasota, FL 34236 JUNE 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

25

• socialscene •

John Meyer, Virginia Shearer, Cristin Tierney & Joe Fig

free range

handmade Larry & Patricia Thompson

local

Mary Ann Meyer with Elaine & Bill Crouse

941.349.1423 | cafegabbiano.com 5104 Ocean Blvd | Siesta Key OPEN DAILY 5PM-10PM

SAM AMBASSADOR SALON Sarasota Art Museum invited their Ambassadors and major supporters to a private salon at a local home. The event featured a discussion with SAM Executive Director Virginia Shearer, Ringling College’s Chair of the Fine Arts Department Joe Fig, and art-world insider and gallerist Cristin Tierney.

Cristin’s roster of established and emerging artists includes Janet Biggs and peter campus, exhibiting artists at SAM in October of 2022.

Page Peterson & Curtis Jordan

Read about local women of impact & inspiration in Sarasota Scene’s special triennial issue.

Visit scenesarasota.com to read Women on the Scene today!

26

SARASOTA SCENE | JUNE 2022

Sandy Lenhart, Jean Martin & Dona Scott

• socialscene • Marilyn Shapo, Phyllis Lasky, & Marion Marshak

Phyllis Lasky, Lauren Brownstein, Cindy Solomon, & Margaret Ellin

Honorees of the Multicultural Action Team

WOMEN IN POWER LUNCHEON

Elyse Gordon, Katressa Wilson, Angela Perez-Garcia, Adriana Perez, Maria Somera, & Teresa Martin

National Council of Jewish Women’s (NCJW) Sarasota-Manatee Section honored “Unsung Heroines” at its annual Women in Power Luncheon. The honorees give their time, energy, and skills to help others by providing childcare, teaching, preparing and distributing food, caring for the homebound, addressing the medical needs of many underserved communities, and so much more. The event marked NCJW’s 40th annual celebration of women who have made a positive impact on the lives of others in Sarasota and Manatee counties.

Dr. Donald Serot & Rosalie Lewis

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27

Enzo Grande with Bryant Young & David Baas

• socialscene •

the perfect

Dick Vitale

Pteridologist

gift

Steve & Stacy Ayers with Emily

2022 DICK VITALE GALA The annual Dick Vitale Gala was held at The Ritz-Carlton on May 6 and hosted several well-know athletes. The event raised over $11 million for the fight against pediatric cancer. Among those honored during the event were NFL superstar Keyshawn Johnson, tennis star Chris Evert, Baylor University’s men’s basketball coach Scott Drew, and ESPN’s Rod Gilmore—like Dickie V himself, a cancer survivor—who received the V Foundation’s John Saunders Courage Award.

Evan & Rachel Benderson

4420 South Tamiami Trail, Sarasota 941.260.8905 www.shellysgiftandchristmasboutique.com Tuesday - Saturday 10:00am - 6:00pm

Luca Garza, Kevin McGuier & Luca Garza 28

SARASOTA SCENE | JUNE 2022

• socialscene • Debra Jacobs & Roxie Jerde

Victoria Martinez & Mercedes Soler-Martinez

COMMUNITY FOUNDATION GIVING CHALLENGE BIG REVEAL

Deidra Greene-Larkins & Tianna Boswell-Porter

Within 24 hours on April 26 and 27, donors across the community united with an outpouring of support for the 2022 Giving Challenge, raising $16,017,021 million for 669 participating nonprofit organizations in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, and DeSoto counties. Our generous community has donated more than $75 million over the last decade through eight Giving Challenges.

Joe & Mary Kay Henson with Kirsten Russell

EST. 1946

INTERIOR

DESIGN

JUNE 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

29

• socialscene • Lamar Tart & John Barringer

Michelle & Tim Horning with Karen Medford

BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS SPRING SOIREE Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast held their “Spring Soiree” for 200 guests on April 28 at Lakewood Ranch Golf & Country Club. Attendees enjoyed passed hors d’oeuvres, food stations, specialty cocktails, a bourbon tasting, silent auction and a performance by jazz vocalist, Sarah Santiago. The mission moment was presented by 2021 Big Brother of the Year John Barringer and his Little Brother Lamar. Proceeds benefitted the children served in Manatee County.

Laurie Witt, Susan Flynn, Sherry Suggs, Gina Taylor, Joy Mahler & Ed Benson

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SARASOTA SCENE | JUNE 2022

• socialscene • Dennis & Jennifer Brock

Elizabeth Moore

Karen Koblenz

Bill Johnson

CONSERVATION FOUNDATION NATURE TALK Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast was delighted to host over 200 attendees to hear award-winning naturalist and biologist, Dr. Jack Longino for an engaging nature lecture and luncheon on Wednesday, April 20, at Michael’s On East.

Christine Johnson & Jack Longino

Speaker Jack Longino

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JUNE 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

31

• insider •

1. thefind

By Gina Liga U n i q u e G i f t s t o C e l e b r at e You r da d

32

2.

SARASOTA SCENE | JUNE 2022

3.

• insider •

4.

5.

33

6.

SARASOTA SCENE | MAY 2022

JUNE 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

33

• insider •

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SARASOTA SCENE | JUNE 2022

SRQ022BF SRQ022BF SRQ022BF SRQ022BF SRQ022BF SRQ02S

THE 17TH ANNUAL

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SPONSORS PRESENTING SPONSORS Lightning Foundation | Forest River CELEBRITY PRE-PARTY PRESENTING SPONSOR Constellation Brands Beer Division AFTER PARTY PRESENTING SPONSOR Rick and Leslie Snyder and Family RECEPTION AT VITALE HOME PRESENTING SPONSOR Benderson Development

CORPORATE SPONSORS Bryan Albert | Mike Barger | Tony & Debbie DiMare Eagle Life Insurance | John Eyster Family & Friends Mark and Eloah Fisher | Benjamin Gatzke | Gries Family Foundation | Joel Horn | The Brian and Sheila Jellison Foundation | Moffitt Cancer Center Karen and Jeff Rothstein | Sarasota Memorial Hospital WWE

GALA PATRONS Christopher Alberta | Connors Steak & Seafood First Watch Restaurants, Inc. | Kenny Chesney | Kevin Hart Mike & Tiffany Potillo and Family Schroeder Manatee Ranch | Villanova University

FRIENDS OF V John Calipari | CBIZ | Center For Sight | Larry Fox Mike Kouzelos | The Montag Group | PDQ & Glory Days Grill | Bill and Lisa Powers | Rays Baseball Foundation & Rowdies Soccer Fund | Tampa Bay Buccaneers Texas Roadhouse

AND TO ALL OF OUR SPONSORS THAT SUPPORTED US AT ALL LEVELS, THANK YOU!

PLEASE, SAVE THE DATE! THE 2023 DICK VITALE GALA MAY 5, 2023 THE RITZ-CARLTON, SARASOTA

MARY KENEALY EVENTS JUNE 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

35

• ph i la n t hr o py •

love at first sight Stephanie and Allen Hochfelder with Children First

By Lisa Codianne Fowler • Photo by Nancy Guth

Did you know the word “philanthropy” is a Greek term that translates to “love of mankind?”

uncles, and other relatives that take care of the children because the parents can’t for various reasons.

Philanthropists make a positive impact on people’s lives—community welfare being their key goal. They are altruistic, empathetic, socially aware, have vision and foresight, are problem solvers, and are determined and fiercely passionate.

“Children First has done such a wonderful job in working with children who come from poverty and can raise them so that they are happy children who want to learn,” Stephanie says. “I almost think Children First should be called Children and Families First, because there’s so much work being done with the families of these children and that’s why these kids are learning.”

ABOUT CHILDREN FIRST While philanthropists Stephanie and Allen Hochfelder actively support many causes and charities, Children First captured their hearts. The couple quickly learned that Children First, geared toward aiding impoverished families, has long been recognized for “consistently demonstrating excellence in program management and service performance, and continually supporting the achievement of robust outcomes for at-risk children birth to five years old, pregnant women, families and their communities,” according to Head Start’s Program of Excellence.

Stephanie describes “at-risk” as the babies of teenage women, single parents, and those in the custody of aunts, 36

SARASOTA SCENE | JUNE 2022

How did the Hochfelders find Children First?

“Here’s how it happened,” Allen explains. “When we moved down here full-time (from Chicago) about 12 years ago, someone recommended the Gulf Coast Community Foundation to help us find charities in the Venice and Sarasota area. Kirstin Fulkerson, their Senior Vice President, took us around to a few, not to just make contributions, but to be active in the charity.

Stephie fell in love with what Children First was doing, what their goals were, and what their needs were. Many of the children come from out of the country—Mexico or

phn i la n tohr • ph•i la t hr pyo•py •

Central America—and are from low-income families. So, we just got involved in it. And it’s turned out that we are active in other charities, but this is our favorite. This is our best.”

HEAD START With 15 locations in Sarasota, Children First is ranked in the top 1 percent of all Head Start programs nationwide.

Under the guidance of Philip Tavill, Children First CEO, the organization “has given so much to so many children and families,” Allen says. Tavill was recently honored for 25 years of service to the community and for his dedication to transforming the lives of children and their families.

Stephanie has been volunteering there for 12 years, working with Miss Maria’s class which consists of four- and five-yearolds. “Many of them are bashful and some of them may not speak a lot of English,” Stephanie explains. “You try to get them to participate in activities to learn and they don’t at first. But with the help of psychologists and social workers, the kids eventually become comfortable. I’m not actually teaching speech therapy (Stephanie’s background), but I do indirectly work with the children. And it’s great to see them making friends and socializing with the other children. It’s a phenomenal place for these kids to be.”

“It’s a phenomenal place for these kids to be.”

—Stephanie Hochfelder

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• ph i la n t hr o py •

Stephanie and Allen both received their own “head start” in philanthropy, thanks to their parents who raised them to learn about the importance of giving to the less fortunate. Stephanie graduated from Northwestern University with a Master’s degree in Speech and Language Pathology. She worked with children and adults who suffered from strokes, motorcycle, and car accidents as well as helped foreign students speak and understand English.

While living in Chicago, Stephanie joined the Women’s Board at Lincoln Park Zoo where she was co-chair of the annual fundraiser “Zoo Ball” for several years.

She also helped to start an animal organization called “Pets Are Worth Saving” (PAWS) where dogs and cats facing death row were given a second chance in life.

Allen and Stephanie came to Sarasota for years to visit Allen’s parents during the winter. Stephanie saw how beautiful it was as she says, “the blue skies, dreamy beaches, luscious green grass and colorful flowers in bloom.”

Little did she realize that there was another side to Sarasota—poverty. After becoming familiar with needy children and families, her heart led her to support Children First.

Allen soon followed suit. “My admiration for Children First came from my wife, Stephanie’s involvement as a volunteer in Ms. Maria’s class,” he shares.

“I had much experience with children in the Chicago area from being associated with Young Men’s Jewish Council. We made sure that boys and girls were active after school, as well as during the summer when many of these children went to summer camps. In my business career, I was active in my CPA Society, chairing many committees and was on the advisory Trustee committees of the Chicago Symphony and Chicago Lyric Opera. I was also President and Treasurer of our Co-op and condo associations.”

HAPPILY EVER AFTER The Hochfelders have set up a seven-figure endowment fund to be used when they are no longer here. Since they have moved here, though, they have also been making financial contributions, volunteering, and co-chairing the “Fairy Tale Ball” to support Children First.

“My parents were always active in various charities and instilled this as part of my life,” Allen says. “Stephanie and I feel that while we are living, we should give to charities that are meaningful to us. Let’s do it while we’re here.” Currently, the Hochfelders are funding a $300,000 contribution to be paid over six years.

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SARASOTA SCENE | JUNE 2022

“You have to do what your heart tells you to do,” Stephanie humbly adds, “There are so many people that do so much more, but we’re just happy to fill in the gaps.”

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

about how to become involved with Children First, visit childrenfirst.net.

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The Sarasota Ballet’s

Crystal Gala Marie Monski & Sue Jacobs

Dancers Rick Bertoni, Danielle Brown & Ricardo Rhodes

Gregory Hodge & Frank Martucci

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Ken Abt, Vivian Kouvant & Audrey Robbins

Chairs Betty & Bud Shapiro

Iain Webb

T

he Sarasota Ballet hosted their Crystal Gala on Sunday, May 1. The annual gala celebrated Director Iain Webb’s 15 seasons with The Sarasota Ballet. Guests gathered at the Sarasota Opera House for a reception and special performance from past and present members, a tribute to Webb’s tenure with the Ballet.

Following the performance, guests made their way to the Circus Arts Conservatory for cocktails, dinner and dancing. There, they were met with stunning decor. No detail was left behind, from the icy blue lighting, to the white satin table linens, to the towering white floral centerpieces. The lounge area boasted elegant, contemporary furniture perfectly outfitted to match the event’s “crystal” theme in sleek white and brushed silver. Further executing the theme were vendors Beneva Weddings & Flowers, Made in the Shade, and Sights & Sounds.

Webb took to the stage to thank longtime supporters followed by a paddle raise as the guests sat down for a spectacular dinner and dessert perfectly curated by Executive Chef Jamil Pineda and Executive Pastry Chef Ray Lajoie of Michael’s On East.

The evening concluded with dancing and music provided by Jay Goodley Entertainment Group. Thanks to the evening’s many contributors, supporters, table sponsors and paddle raise participants, The Sarasota Ballet raised $1.2 million for its performance, education, and community programs.

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art The

of

the

circus

HIGH-FLYING FUN AT THE CIRCUS ARTS CONSERVATORY

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BY LISA CODIANNE FOWLER Who doesn’t love the circus? This centuries-old art form provides wholesome entertainment that the entire family can enjoy.

What many of us are unaware of, though, is that the circus performers are not just clowns! The artists are serious students that have studied and embraced a deep understanding of the principles of science, engineering, art, math, technology, communication, and theater.

LOFTY LESSONS The programs at the Circus Arts Conservatory (CAC) in Sarasota, Florida uniquely instill valuable life lessons through these circus arts. According to CAC Executive Vice President/COO Jennifer Mitchell, the vast studies of the disciplines described above are highlighted by the Circus Science Machine program, which serves more than 35 elementary schools in Sarasota, and two magnet programs founded by the CAC. The Florida Department of Education defines magnet programs as offering a specialized high-level curriculum outside the school’s normal attendance boundaries to elementary, middle, or high school students.

Mitchell explains, “We have one at Booker Middle School, which is part of their Visual Performing Arts Magnet Program, where they have dance, musical theater, and other artistic disciplines. The circus is one

of them. These are both the only kind of programs like it in the country.

We also have a program collaboration with Sarasota High School where students, instead of taking their electives, choose a theater program to audition for to be part of a circus arts performing program. They learn many of the principles of engineering, teamwork, science, history, artistic expression, and creativity. And then, of course, they ultimately gain poise and self-confidence through performance. It’s the only program in the country where high school students are actually earning credit hours doing this. It’s not just an after-school program—they’re electing and being accepted for your program in a way that it will be endorsing their high school diploma and their learning history for graduation.”

THE GREATEST TEAM ON EARTH Mitchell shares that all the education programs and youth training programs include both staff and volunteer coaches of professional, world-class caliber. They’ve all been experienced circus artists or performers in some capacity throughout their lifetime.

“Some of them are now bankers, or teachers, or in other professions, and they coach here. We have a full-time group of staff, and educators, and coaches that are on staff 24/7. The team really works with our students. And JUNE 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

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it’s people like our head coach Miguel Vargas, who is a fifth-generation circus performer himself and has worked more than a decade with Cirque du Soleil.”

There are several other Cirque du Soleil performers and trainers who come in and out of the Circus Arts Conservatory. Not only do the CAC founders have international reputations for being at the top of the field, but the CAC is in Sarasota, which is considered the Circus Capital of the World. It offers a very high level of training and is one of the only circus schools in the country that is connected to a professional circus.

THE WORLD IS CHANGING Mention “circus” and people often think of entertainment, Ringling, or history. But as Mitchell says, the industry is changing. Like anything, it’s evolving. What used to be an art form that was predominantly passed down from family member to family member, has since grown to greater and more significant dimensions. Now you can learn through circus programs like the Sailor Circus Academy or the programs offered at Circus Arts Conservatory.

Mitchell explains that the Sailor Circus was one of only four circus schools in the country in the 80s. There are now over 300. You can find circus activities in gymnastics studios, on America’s Got Talent, you may even see others doing them as a prime form of fitness in their homes.

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It’s emerging as a trendy, eclectic, and interesting meld of artistic creativity and athleticism.

“People recognize the value of the arts, but they haven’t always acquainted the circus with the performing arts field. So that’s been one of our focuses over the last 25 years, the mission of our founders and founding staff,” Mitchell says. “To be sure that we elevated everyone’s experience with the circus arts. I think we’ve done that.

We just hit the surface of how the world is changing and how fast the opportunities are emerging to get engaged in Sarasota. People oftentimes don’t think beyond what we offer in terms of performance.”

FUTURE LEADERS As a leader of the circus artists in the world, the CAC is positioned to create future leaders, no matter their field. For example, Mitchell explains, “If you look at Little League, only a small percentage of those kids go on to the bigger leagues. Similarly, we also have a small percentage that go on to the fields within entertainment at the circus arts. But the real leaders are the kids that are future arts patrons.”

Many of the kids participate in Circus Arts in Health Care, another branch of the CAC, which brings smiles to those in healthcare facilities. Students of the Sailor Circus (absent pandemic) visit in the summertime and do

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a small tour of nursing homes with a show. Many people in these facilities and homes have rich memories of the circus. Clowns, artists, and programs like balloon twisting are meant to bring back memories, but also to help elicit laughter and stimulate good energy.

Submit your best nature photos to the Conservation Foundation's

Mitchell knows that these kids are also future volunteers. She’s seen them going into the industry and working for companies while using the skills that they learn in the circus arts.

Teamwork, good communication, trust, and real inclusivity are innate to this pure art form.

There are many ways to get involved with The Circus Arts Conservatory, whether it is donating, volunteering, or partnering. Visit circusarts.org to learn more.

Conservation

PHOTO BY DIANE SUNER

“I think that’s going to be the skillset that the kids who come out of the circus are really going to impact on the world. I never underestimate that, because I think that’s what gives us hope for the future. We can see that people are gaining life skills so that we can continue to perpetuate goodness in humankind.”

Summer Photo Contest 2022

Win up to $100 gift certificate and 2 tickets to Conservation Foundation’s Annual Conservation Reception with special recognition at the event!

Scan QR Code, visit www.conservationfoundation.com, or email connie@conservationfoundation.com to learn more.

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Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast

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By Ryan G. Van Cleave The last time Sarasota Scene checked in with Environmental Programs Coordinator Sabrina Cummings, it was pre-COVID 2020. She’d been with the nonprofit since 2018 and was at the forefront of all kinds of exciting things happening in terms of program development and community partner building. “Things have obviously changed since then,” she says with a laugh. “One of the things I’ve gotten better at is being more patient.

Another is realizing how important consistency is for kids. A lot of people come and go in life, especially if you’re doing afterschool programs and stuff like that. But if you’re there for them and you show kids that you treasure them, they’ll treasure you back.”

priorities of Conservation Foundation. To Sabrina, one simply doesn’t exist without the other. “One thing that we all stand behind—this motivates all of us on staff—is that we’re in a race against time,” she says.

“Within ten years, all of the land locally is either going to be developed or saved. We’re racing to find and preserve more places that kids of today and the next generation will be able to cherish.” So, she’s always careful to explain their shared conservation priorities and how programmatic priorities are inextricably linked to that. “Personally, but also professionally,” she adds.

Having been in the same role for four years allowed Sabrina to watch kids grow up. While she’s a steady 5’5, some of the kids are growing up by leaps and bounds. “They’re all getting taller than me. It’s very upsetting!” she jokes.

Clearly, a terrific sense of humor is one of her superpowers for engaging with kids. As we all know, if you don’t work to fully engage kids, they won’t tune in, they won’t learn, and—especially for extracurricular academic efforts—they won’t keep coming back. But they do come back because she’s a consistent force for goodness and joy for them and for the environment.

That’s one of many reasons why Sabrina is doing such a marvelous job of getting kids excited about nature via Next Gen Conservation, a free program which includes Youth in Nature and Nature Explorers. The former focuses on underserved middle and high school youth in Manatee, DeSoto, and Sarasota counties. The latter, Nature Explorers, is a youth education program for children in grades K-5. The goal with both programs is to create Wow! moments in nature, which is fairly easy to do since our region has such spectacular parks, preserves, and waterways.

One of the things often overlooked by the public is Next Gen Conservation’s link to the land-saving

One of the changes Sabrina has noticed is that their youth partners are asking for more JUNE 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

47

science-based programming and conservation activism. This leads to Sabrina creating activities and experiences that can be followed with, “Now here’s something specific you can do about water quality at home,” or “Here’s what you can tell your parents and your friends, so they know how to help the seahorse you just saw today.”

What Sabrina likes about these kinds of citizen scientist efforts is that it keeps conservation from being too overwhelming or nebulous of an idea. That’s one of the larger current trends in nature education—hyperlocality, which brings things into a clear regional or local focus that directly impacts the concerns of a community. “A lot of our kids are local, so this is their home. Thinking about big environmental issues on that level helps them care more about what’s happening, and it also helps them feel as if what they do has a bigger impact, which it does.”

Something else Sabrina has noticed is that the kids are becoming more adventurous. When she first arrived in 2018, it was starting from the basics, doing very simple projects and activities that future programs could build on. These days, 48

SARASOTA SCENE | JUNE 2022

­—­Sabrina Cummings

kids are asking all kinds of questions.

“Hey, Miss Sabrina, can we go camping?

Can we have a project where we fix up something locally? Can we take out the kayaks?” As a result, Sabrina is working to give kids—especially preteens and teens—the agency and tools they need to be able to visualize and then carry out the activities they want to do. It’s a pivot away from pure instruction to becoming more of a collaboration where she’s facilitating experiences rather than leading them. “A lot of the time, the kids end up leading themselves and my role is to make sure things are memorable but safe.”

Sabrina is constantly encouraging parents, grandparents, and families to invest in kids’ agency because it makes for more confident adults. It’s also the recipe for kids being more inspired and having more fun, she adds. Plus, the research-proven

benefits—which include cognitive, emotional, social, and educational development—positively affect the whole family.

Perhaps Sabrina’s best educational asset is herself and how she models environmental responsibility and curiosity. For example, during COVID, she got into birding, and now she’s helping kids identify birds such as the painted bunting. “Don’t they look like they belong in a fantasy world with those multiple colors?” she asks them. “The red, green, and blue are just so out of this world!”

It’s also someone like Sabrina who inspires the next generation of good environmental stewards. “When was the last time you stopped to observe and contemplate the shape and color of a flower? When was the last time you really took in the smells and sounds of a pine stand?” Sabrina asks before explaining, “We should all be entitled to the opportunity to stop and just experience the lives of forests, forever.”

Because kids have learned to trust and treasure her, they listen to Sabrina.

And because of that, their lives are forever changed.

For more information about Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast, please visit www.conservationfoundation.com or call 941.918.2100.

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r e m Sum n o i t a c y Sta e l y t S a t o s a S ar Staycation

ave G. V an C le an y R y B

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of new brought a slew ID V O C it— t on. This bt abou for good reas a There’s no dou id or Fl of es sunny shor means a lot people to the ter all. But that af e, liv to ce l pla in a “live is a wonder fu r the first time fo re he g in er ed summ hat can a griz zl of people are vironment. W en old n” ed tio zl ca riz g va other where you e tell them (or m w e lik ho t n ra ou te new) ab old Florida ve for something n ar ye ho w ns Florida vetera cation st yle? ay st up to live it s four categorie g options into in w e. llo er fo th e th o from I’ve grouped sy stuf f and g ea e th ith w t star to help. Let’s Ready?

Ma n a t e e L e vel

Outdoors a.k.a. The Great

BIKE THE LEGA CY TR AIL

This dog-friendl y, multi-use trail is open year-aro (6 a.m. to sunset und ) and takes you fro m the historic Venice Train Dep ot and all the way up to Payne Park in downtown Sa rasota. If that’s to o much walking (more than 15 m iles!), bring a bike or rent one at Pedego, Siesta Ke y Bike & Kayak, Vo ltaire Cycles, or Bicycles Internat ional. Whether yo u’ re biking, skating, or walking, take advantage of th e regular drinking fountains and fre quent shaded st opping points.

GEOCACHE AT MYAKKA RIVER STATE PARK

If you’re into sight seeing, the unspoiled wetla nds are magnificent an d rich with foliage and cr eatures of all types. But if you like geocaching— using GPS technology to find hidden “tre asures”—this is the mother lode. W ith hundreds of places to find loot , you’ll want to give yourself plenty of time to roam and explore.

A sandy stre tch of beach that wraps around the n orthern tip o f Longboat Key, this smal l island (also kn own as Greer Island ) was create d in the 1930 during the In s tracoastal W aterway dredging. Lo w waves, littl e wind, and lots of manat ees make th is o n e of the best beac hes around fo r relaxing, birding, or lo oking for she lls or sand dollars. There ’s no public b athroom, though, so ke ep that in m ind.

a Maria n n A r e v o Parasa il LO, ny like YO

a s ith a comp or triple a Working w , double, le g in s f y o fl lf u you can ove the G 0 0 feet ab 4 seeing r a d o n s a u h o y at hig th p u g in e s Mexico. B and wave stingrays, , s in h lp o the d ing. breathtak below? It’s

LOUNGE A T

BEER CAN I SLAND JUNE 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

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Fl a m i n g o L e vel

n Spots a.k.a. Destinatio

Enjoy the Wonde the Marietta Musrs at of Art & Whimsy eum It

S ay “C h ee se! ” at C ly de But ch er ’s V en ice Ga ll ery an d S tu di o

Enjoy the stunning (mostly black and white) nature ph otos taken by an internationally known artist who’s sometimes called “th e nex t Ansel Adams.” See his galler y, the darkroom, and plenty of am azing work created by this master ph otographer. Be sure to che ck out the images from Clyde’s visit to Salvad or Dalí’s homeland as well as his dramatic work focusing on the Eve rglades. 237 Warfield Avenu e, Venice

might have lim ited hours (1-4pm Tuesda ys through Saturdays), bu t it’s well wor th the stop. Foun ded in 20 06

by Marietta Le e, the bright, colorful site is home to cool sculptures and truly whimsica l ar twork. Don’t miss the seashell/cr ysta l/bead/pearl/ marble archway !

2121 N Tamiam i Tr, Sarasota

Rev Your Engine at Sarasota Classic Car Museum

Travel back through the history of the automobile in the second-oldest continuously operating antique car museum in the US. The History of Porsche and Ferrari exhibit has been extended through 2022, so that’s a real treat. For extra automotive fun, pop by next door to Vintage Motors and see what’s for sale there. Just don’t buy the 1955 Jaguar XK140SE Drophead Coupe—I’m saving up for it myself.

5500 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota

KET BARGAIN HUNT AT RED BAtioRNn sinFLceEA198M1.AR With

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SARASOTA SCENE | JUNE 2022

in opera This flea market has been 0+ pping space featuring 50 80,00 0 square feet of sho buy, likely to find something to shops and booths, you’re s, hip vintage clothes and good whether it’s fresh produce, at up l fue , ies nch you get the mu shoes, or knick-knacks. If n nto de Bra rts. 1701 1st Street, either of the two food cou

ds at u S l a e Loc wing e r Sampl B s work d family friendly r o t o M og a n ate

Gator L e vel

a.k.a.

Food

and D rinks

is d first-r 014, th ducing o r tion (a p Since 2 n lp Fric bee u s P a h y r t e , or to venu ed IPA e s u re R k a la il M z . k ter. ron beers ee Por PA), G f I f o it C u r f o g ra p e s p re s s nton night E id , Brade t M s e e W th t e th Stre 1014 9

Snack Aw ay at the Donu t Experim ent T

his isn’t your gra ndma’s d s h o p! H e onu t re, each p e r so n g e an order ts sheet wit h three v question ital s: icing fl avor, top and drizz ping, le. Then the mag ha p p e n s ic . Watch the delic treats be ious ma d e b e fore you or put in r eyes, your ord er, walk the pier, along a n d co m e ba c k a later to g half hour et piping h o t ma d order do e -to nuts. 210 C Pine A A n na Ma venue, ria Island

DINE ON T HE R AILS AT

BOB’S TR A IN

Gnosh aotnuts Cha Cha Coc

or hanging of shopping After a day free island ach, the care e b e th t a t ou to beat. here is hard re e h sp o ite, but atm s are dynam co ta r e p u The gro stard sauce e honey mu est don’t miss th me of the b a sauce — so av u e g liv e d th n r o ting a outdoor sea h it W p, ! e d n ke u aro can ut cups you n co co d n a music, fun place. this is a fun, , Sarasota and’s Circle rm A t.

S 7 41

It’s a little tr ick y to find, but Bob’s Tr finding. Take ain is well wo n together, fo rth ur 85 -foot ra make up a re ilroad cars staurant that offers tasty, American fo eclectic od. The vario u s cars from dif periods also ferent serve as a m useum of so history, circu rts for local s history, mili tary history, memorabilia. and sports Of par ticula r note is Joh Ringling’s se n and Mable cond custom -built railway steel unit bu ca r, an allilt for them in 1916. The to menu? The h p item on th omemade p e otato chips th every sandw at come with ich. 2211 Fru itville Road, Sarasota JUNE 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

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Panth er L e vel a.k.a. Nigh tlife

DIVE WINE & SPIRITS Wh

ile this could’ve easily fit in the previous category, it’s got such a vibe that it just belongs her e. During the day, it’s a liqu or shop with all you’d ever want for your dri nk-making needs. At night, there’s a cozy bar ser ving up well-craf ted drinks. Try the tiki cockta ils, but honestly, master drink technician Jam es Dennis won’t treat you wro ng no matter what you order. 2881 Cla rk Road #19/20/21, Saraso ta

ER P U O R G Y L G U THE

tions here rouper op g e th r, a he ese Let’s be cle the Ugly C re a s a , s u g ndo unks. Bein are treme hicken Ch C ly er, g v e U w d o n th Log s a c a n g e t ho it , rs o o o ls a td ’s 10 0% ou Live music cordingly. c a s itting. s rm re e d so ather p e w , y a d ry to wait on tap eve h, so plan g u o th , s n se the atio No reserv usy bec au b e b n a c place rina Drive, a bit! This . 5704 Ma d o o g t a food is th ach Holmes Be

The G at or C lub Whether you want a vast selection of spirits or live music five nights a week, this fits the bill. If you want something more, pick your night for burlesque shows, karaoke, adult bingo, or more.

1490 Main Street, Sarasota

Haunted Sar asota Trolley For a dif fe rent spin Tour on the ide ride on an a of nightl air-condit if e, ta io

ke a 90 -m ned trolle to learn a inute y through bout its m d o o w s t ntown Sara haunted la supernatu sota ndmarks, ral places . With a c spook y are from the T omplimen a s , a nd rolley Cott tary drink age Tiki B guide to re (w in e a o r) r b a n d a ma c count tale eer abre costu s of horro It’s a nigh r, murder, med t to be re and the u membere nexplaine d. 1826 4th d?

Street, Sa rasota 54

SARASOTA SCENE | JUNE 2022

A

Taste of

Summer On the prowl for some foodie fun? Sarasota has no shortage of yummy options to enjoy. Explore cooling cocktails and summer bites of all kinds.

JUNE 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

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Just a short walk from the beautiful beaches of Sarasota, Café Gabbiano brings Italy to Siesta Key. Its serene, casual ambiance imitates that of the paradise surrounding it. With 4,000 square feet to spare, Café Gabbiano offers intimate, private dining in their wine rooms as well as comfortably cool, outdoor seating on our climate controlled patio.

Stop by the bar during happy hour (5–6:30PM) to cool yourself off from the summer heat with a Basil Martini.

Made with Hendrick’s Gin, St. Germain, basil, egg whites, shaken and served up, it is sure to keep you cool in the summer heat. Pair it with a tossed salad or fresh pasta made in-house.

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SARASOTA SCENE | JUNE 2022

Serving their Savor Sarasota menu and other specials all throughout summer is Amore Restaurant, open Wednesday through Sunday from 5 to 9PM. Located on the corner of Fruitville & Lime with more than 150 free parking spaces and outdoor seating, this Portuguese & Italian Restaurant provides a unique, intimate ambiance to your meals. Only minutes away from the theater, Amore is the perfect place to enjoy a pre-matinee dinner. Not going to the show? Enjoy live entertainment at Amore itself, featuring performances every night with the likes of Eddie Tobin, Sinatra Live, and Michelet Innocent.

Feeling daring? Try your hand at one of their most popular Portuguese dish recipes, Salted Cod— Bacalhau Ribatejano. This is a delicious and simple dish that anyone will be able to cook at home to surprise and impress friends and family. You’ll need: • • • • • • • • • •

2-pounds Salted Cod 1/2cup olive oil 1-large fine/halfs sliced onion 1/2cup sliced black olives 1/4cup chopped roasted red bell peppers 1/4cup chopped parsley 1.1/2 cup white wine 1 cup marinara tomato sauce 2lb sliced fried potatoes or regular fries 8 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

Bacalhau Ribatejano

Directions: Bring a large-skillet into high-heat. Add the olive-oil and the onions, let the onion cook 4 to 5 minutes stir periodically. When onions soften, add the olives, bell peppers, parsley and white wine. Let it cook for a couple more minutes add the marinara sauce and the cubed salted-cod. Let cook on medium-heat for 8 to 10 minutes while stirring periodically. Prepair eggs and fries. Add a little more olive oil and white wine to the cod if too dry, but remember there shouldn’t be too much liquid when ready to serve over the eggs and fries.

Then in a big-paller (to serve family style) or individual plates, lay out the fries around the plate and the sliced eggs down the middle. Pour the Salted Cod over the eggs and garnish with one large branch of parsley or a beautiful edible-flower on the top of cod. Sprinkle the plate with some chopped parsley and—Bom-Apetite!

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Grillsmith is an approachable polished casual restaurant celebrating classic American comfort dishes paired with modern wines, whiskeys, and handcrafted cocktails.

Say Hello to Summer with 3 refreshing handcrafted cocktails, part of Grillsmith’s “Hello Summer” cocktail specials: COCONUT MOJITO Coconut rum, fresh mint, lime and pineapple juice, coconut cream, soda PINEAPPLE PEACH MARGARITA Villa One Blanco tequila, muddled pineapple, peach nectar, lime juice, tajin salt rim BLUEBERRY BASIL LEMONADE MARTINI Tito’s vodka, homemade basil lemonade, Giffard elderflower, fresh blueberries

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Located in Sarasota and Bradenton, each Mattison’s restaurant location is unique to its neighborhood, offering Chef Paul Mattison’s signature menu items, outstanding service, and quality ingredients, while supporting the community, regional farmers, and culinary suppliers. Mattison’s Catering is a chef-owned and operated company procuring fresh, natural, and local ingredients.

Kick off your summer eats at any of the Mattison’s restaurant locations. Enjoy their Tuna Poke Tower, made with fresh tuna, mango chayote slaw, avocado, togarashi rice noodles, sweet soy drizzle, and wonton chips (available at Mattison’s Forty-One). Pair it with a Sea Cucumber Cocktail, featuring gin, elderflower liqueur, cucumber juice and lime juice rimmed with tajin.

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For a truly memorable dining experience, with cuisine and atmosphere paired as thoughtfully as food and wine, stop by 481 Gourmet. Explore texture, color, and ultimate tastes with the menu of the season. All the ingredients are fresh and carefully selected by the chefs, and can be enjoyed a la carte.

Located next to the Sarasota Opera House, 481 also offers a pretheater menu prix-fixe at $42 per person. Choose your starter, salad, and main course from a menu of delectable dishes such as spinach salad, stuffed salmon with smoked tomato, beurre blanc and seasonal vegetables, chicken florentine strudel with pesto mornaise, petite diane filet with roasted herb potatoes, and more. Reservations are recommended, as the patio can fill up quickly.

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Looking for a waterfront view? Look no further than Turtles Restaurant on Siesta Key. Stop by for brunch, lunch, or dinner to experience their fun, fresh, and affordable menu. Dolphins, manatees, green parrots love to visit too!

Try such menu items as crispy, fried shrimp tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce; a fresh garden salad of tomato, cucumbers, red onions, red cabbage over mixed greens with italian dressing; or a delicious grouper sandwich. Pair it with one of their classic cocktails or daquiris (both traditional and non-alcholic options avaialble).

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Leaning in to

Joy A Merr y Band Debuts Hood at Asolo Rep

By Sylvia Whitman • Rehearsal Photos by Sophia Marquart Some of theater’s big guns have gathered in Sarasota to launch Hood’s June run at Asolo Repertory Theatre.

Prepare for some name dropping. Broadway producer Tom Kirdahy—of Ragtime, Anastasia, Hadestown, and much other fame—describes the comedic musical as a story about “a gloriously diverse company of young theater artists creating something new.” Along the way, they deliver a message about “seizing control over your own destiny and being your best possible self.” Broadway director Mark Brokaw—fresh off of the Tony-Award-nominated How I Learned to Drive— says Hood tries to “light a fire” under the audience.

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Anthony Chatmon II & Zachary Francis Stewart

“What this stor y says is, ever y thing you do, no matter how small, makes a difference.”

— Mark Brokaw

Savy Jackson

The cast within a cast confronts a world of haves and have-nots marked by disinformation and a sense of powerlessness—a world not unfamiliar to all of us who have survived these pandemic years.

“What this story says is, everything you do, no matter how small, makes a difference.”

Strictly speaking, Dallas Theater Center claims the world premiere of Hood. Thinking the musical might have legs, Tony Award winner Douglas Carter Beane, who wrote the book, invited old friend and collaborator Kirdahy to Texas in the summer of 2017 to check out what Beane and lyricist/composer Lewis Flinn had created. Kirdahy and his producing partner Hunter Arnold were interested and later played matchmakers with Mark Brokaw.

That year, Kirdahy also moved from Key West to Sarasota with his late husband, four-time Tony-Award-winning playwright Terrence McNally. They were looking for easier access to water and health care and shorter flights to New York—and they loved the live arts.

“All roads led to Sarasota,” Kirdahy says. So, as he was testing out a revised Hood, he approached Asolo Rep’s producing artistic director Michael Donald Edwards. In August 2019, the musical had a three-week workshop in Sarasota and made it onto the Asolo Rep schedule for production in April 2020.

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Tom Kirdahy, photo by Al Pereira.

Two months before curtain, theaters closed, and Asolo Rep cancelled the rest of the season. McNally died of coronavirus complications at Sarasota Memorial Hospital on March 24, 2020.

One lockdown and two years later, Hood is finally making it to the stage—better, Kirdahy says, for the wait and all the Zoom calls. “I think some of the storytelling is crisper.

I think we’re leaning into joy. People are hungering for joy. We’ve all been through so much trauma. And a lot of the movements have changed. The show has evolved in beautiful ways.”

THE PRODUCER’S TAKE Producer is one of the most difficult words to define, according to Kirdahy, since it differs from producer to producer, and in his case from production to production.

On Broadway, he’s raising money, choosing material, assembling the team. “And I’m handling the press, the advertising, the marketing, all of it.” With Hood, he’s acting more as an enhancing producer, “which means that I am helping Asolo Rep realize their production to the fullest extent possible. And I have an artistic point of view. I’m also giving them money to make sure that we have the bells and whistles that we want to make the show as good as it can be.”

Kirdahy says that someone once called him “an artist whisperer”—one of his favorite compliments. A forever

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Mark Brokaw

theater lover, Kirdahy graduated from law school intending a career in entertainment law. But then the HIV/AIDS crisis hit, turning him into an equal-time activist who provided free legal services to people with the virus. He helped his often “voiceless” clients find the words for what they “didn’t quite know how to say.” That skill set he developed as an advocate “is actually a transferable skill,” Kirdahy says.

Now he coaches theater artists to “use their unique and authentic voices—not telling them what they want to say, but amplifying their voices so that they can most effectively achieve their desired ends.” Living with the gifted Terrence McNally—understanding what he thought and dreamed, how his mind and heart worked—gave Kirdahy “unique insight into the way artists think and behave,” he says. “My goal as a producer is always to create a safe space for artists so they can be their best selves.”

With Hood, Kirdahy has had a hand in everything— reconception, casting, and now rehearsals. He’ll attend every performance, too, listening for the laughs and the scuttlebutt.

He calls himself a “guest” at Asolo Rep, but a guest who’s helping design the house. He minds all the elements, from a joke that’s not landing to dialogue that sounds out of character to dark spots in the set. “Sometimes it’s

Daniel Lopez

Luke Antony Neville, Caitlin Humphreys (back), Savy Jackson & Erin Kei

talking to the book writer and saying, I think the scene is too long, or We’re not achieving our ends. If an actor is not bringing the right color to a scene, I’ll speak to a director and say, I’m not sure that this is exactly what our authors intended.” To assist Brokaw, Kirdahy listens “to every moment of the show, beat by beat, to ensure that we’re doing the storytelling that we want to.”

THE DIRECTOR’S TAKE Directors turn suggestions into action. “The director is at the center of all decisions that are made,” says Brokaw. “That doesn’t mean they’re a dictator. It just means somebody has to be the nexus,” making sure “that everybody is telling the same story at the same time.” The director determines the central struggle, the heart of the story, and then serves as “information central,” making sure that everything from set design to publicity connects. The most successful productions, he says, are the most united, “where everyone is acting as part of one organism.”

What’s central to Hood, says Brokaw, “is the struggle inside all of us to find the bravery to take action when something is standing in front of us that we feel isn’t right.

Everybody has a superpower inside of them. And that superpower is the ability to step forward and use your strength to make things better for those around you.”

The musical presents this challenge through the story of a company of actors. The Hood team “wanted to represent

the diversity of the nation,” according to Brokaw, and in a pandemic twist, Zoom made it easier for lesser known actors outside of New York to answer casting calls.

“What’s been fun about this production is it has a little bit of a DIY quality to it,” says Brokaw. “We wanted it to feel like these actors have put this show together.” The twelve actors play multiple parts, so “they get to display their protean talents. Everything that happens out there is actor-generated. You never see a stagehand.” On stage they’re checking their props, running through a piece of music, chatting with someone in the audience.

A troubadour narrates the play within a play. “It is very much done with the idea that we are speaking to you, you people who are here tonight, to each of you. And we keep reminding you of that.”

Within days of opening a play on Broadway, Brokaw showed up in Sarasota for seven straight weeks of long days. But he finds working on musicals “exhilarating.”

He feeds off the energy of the team, which includes a music director, choreographer, and … puppets. “You’re building a city. And this is a rather large city that we’re building with this one.”

SHOUTOUT TO THE SHOP Both Kirdahy and Brokaw salute their Asolo Rep collaborators, from the FSU/Asolo Conservatory student understudies to the tech crews. “The design and costume JUNE 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

65

Anthony Chatmon II & Billie Aken-Tyers

shops in particular are as good as any I’ve ever witnessed,” says Kirdahy, “and I do this work all over this country, all over the world.” He admits he can be “pretty demanding and exacting,” but “at every step of the way, I’ve been more than satisfied.”

Since the rehearsal hall shares warehouse space with the production shops, Brokaw often sneaks peeks. Sometimes he spends his lunch hour among the painters, drapers, and propmakers. “If I feel tired, I just go down to the shop, and I get excited right away because of all the drops hanging. There’s really an extraordinary group of craftspeople here,” he says.

In May, a serious problem arose with the set. It spans three levels, but the actors couldn’t play on the top one.

With the clock ticking, the budget sticking, the scene shop “came up with three separate artistic solutions to the challenge that had been presented, one of which exceeded anything we ever could have hoped for,” says Kirdahy. “Not only did it solve the problem; it made it better than we had initially anticipated. That only happens when you’re working with real pros.”

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Zachary Francis Stewart & Luke Antony Neville

As director, Brokaw works through opening night and then hands off responsibilities to the stage manager to keep the ship on course. “Our job is to make this be the best production it can be here on the stage at Asolo Rep.” But the big guns acknowledge that Hood is also testing out its possibilities in Sarasota. Does it carry the wallop to warrant further investment? Should it move to bigger cities, perhaps with Broadway in its sights?

Undercover in the audience like some incognito king of yore, Kirdahy will be noting theatergoers’ reactions. “I like them to come as blank slates,” he says. “I can’t wait for the first performance because we’ll learn where the melodies really register with people, where the emotional moments connect.” Even though Kirdahy goes to the theatre roughly five nights a week even when he isn’t actively producing, he tries not to study up too much.

“I need to rely on my nervous system to tell me what I’m experiencing, and my hope is that audiences will come in the same way.”

To book your ticket to Hood, visit www.asolorep.org or call the box office at 941.351.8000.

• socialscene •

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Sarahina and Max enjoy a romantic getaway to the Oregon coast (Lincoln City). Sarahina

notes, “The westcoast beaches are so different and create such a lovely environment to be present with the ones you care about!”

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Read about local women of impact & inspiration in Sarasota Scene’s special triennial issue.

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• spotlight •

Life as a

JOURNEY

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• insider •

Travel Dream Creator Malaka Hilton

By Carol Brzozowski

In 1997, Malaka Hilton and her husband Ryan Hilton founded Admiral Travel International in Sarasota. Since that time, Malaka Hilton has earned distinctions from Travel + Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, and National Geographic Traveler, among others. Ryan Hilton is an accredited Virgin Galactic Space Agent. Malaka Hilton took time to speak with Sarasota Scene about family, the value of travel, and what factors put Sarasota on the map.

Tell us about yourself.

I’ve been in Sarasota since I was five years old, when my family moved here in 1975. I have one older brother who is the deputy athletic director at the University of Georgia.

I am married, for almost 25 years, to my business partner Ryan Hilton. We have two gorgeous kids, Alexandria, 21, who is in her third year at Florida State University (FSU) and Carter, 18, an FSU freshman.

1997, I was ready to open my own. Later that year, I went on a site inspection to South Africa post-apartheid where I went on safari at Londolozi Game Reserve. My then-safari guide is now my husband and business partner.

You have a special affinity for travel to Egypt. Tell us why you love to travel there and why it makes a great destination.

With my father being from Egypt, I went to visit there every year since I was four years old. I am now 51, although I want my COVID years back, so I tend to say I’m still 49.

I have probably been to Egypt close to 100 times. With having as many relatives there as I do, it’s always fun to go back and visit them. It’s such a diverse country. So much has happened in recent history that every time I go, I am truly fascinated to learn something new each time.

When it comes to Egypt, it’s always truly magical, which is

I started at ATI in 1997 and am celebrating 25 years this year.

I am passionate about everything I do, whether it comes to my family, friends, or career. I enjoy creating travel dreams. I love champagne and wine dates with my girlfriends. When there is time, I love to get away with my husband on a boat to anywhere our gorgeous state of Florida allows us to.

What led you to pursue a career in travel?

My father is Egyptian and my mother is Slovenian.

They met in the mid-1960s in Austria while my dad was in medical school at the University of Vienna.

Although my brother and I were born in the U.S., my parents were still very European. The European way was always—and to date, still is the way—to pull your kids out of school and travel the world. I had been through three passports before I was a teenager. I fell in love with travel. My older brother was the opposite, he just didn’t enjoy it as much.

For me, it led to a major in hospitality at FSU, where I graduated in the class of 1993. My original goal was to work in hotels, but once I interned at a few of them, I realized I hated it. One day after graduation, someone asked me why I wasn’t in the travel field. I thought, ‘Yeah, why am I not in travel?’ In 1994, I applied for a job at a now-defunct travel agency in Sarasota and by

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• insider •

something I can’t say that about many other destinations.

I light up when talking about it.

memories that they may not have been able to make by not meeting me.

What makes the Sarasota area an ideal place for you to live and work?

I’ve traveled the world and there is truly no place like Sarasota, Florida. The weather—yes, even in the summer—is perfect. It’s a great place to raise a family. I went to school here and my kids have gone to school here. Inasmuch as it’s changing a lot, it still has a small hometown feel. We love to work downtown and just invested in one of the new condos going up. Now that we’re empty-nesters, to be able to live downtown is really going to be exciting.

What impact does travel have on our lives?

I met my husband through travel. My kids, who have gone through three passports, are true global citizens. They have been able to learn about the world through travel in a way that classrooms simply can’t teach. They are worldly and understand the world through their global travel perspective.

That has made them true leaders amongst their peers.

Sure, I’d like to say that their dad and I are the reason and perhaps a bit of that is true, but travel has made a strong impact in their lives to help mold them into the amazing young adults they are now.

You have received many accolades. What does that mean to you?

It means taking chances and thinking outside the box to create true once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences for my guests hasn’t gone unnoticed. I took the chance to charter ATI Skye—formerly known as Crystal Skye—three times now so my guests could have an opportunity to experience the luxury of the non-stop flights from SRQ on that 777. It also allows others who don’t live in our Sarasota world to find me through Conde Nast or Travel + Leisure magazines, since I’m recognized by both, so that I can make some sort of impact in their lives by working with them to create

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Where do you see yourself five years from now?

We just bought a home in South Africa in the bush close to the Londolozi and Singita game reserves, so we will start to split time between Sarasota and South Africa. We have started a new business as well, with a focus on adventure/ wildlife/Africa, so in five years we anticipate growth, and perhaps one of our kids will have taken it over. That will allow us to still be involved in travel, and selling many more ATI Skye journeys, but we hope to also be enjoying some slower down-time and enjoying some champagne from our balcony in our new Sarasota downtown condo.

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• insider •

educationmatters STUDYING THE INVISIBLE: DR. ERIKA DÍAZ-ALMEYDA’S RESEARCH ON MICROBIOMES

By Ryan G. Van Cleave If you’re a scientist and you ask Assistant Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies at New College Dr. Erika Díaz-Almeyda what she does, she’ll likely give this answer: “I am a microbial ecologist with research interests at the nexus of symbiosis, climate change, and indigenous and sustainable practices. I study how host-associated microbiota are affected by climate change, and the relationships between microbial diversity and land/water management. My projects are embedded in frameworks of community- and place-based research to advance social equity by including local stakeholders, particularly in Indigenous and sustainable managers.”

If you’re a non-scientist like me, however, she’ll give you the layperson’s answer: “I pay attention to the little invisible things that nobody sees. I’m very interested in understanding how human activity affects microbes—those little things that we don’t see, but they’re everywhere.”

While that makes some sense to me, I can’t help but wonder… what IS a microbe? Of course, she’s got a terrific answer. “The easiest definition is that microbes are living things that are too small to be seen with the naked eye.” Okay, THAT makes sense to me. But if you like examples, here’s the follow up. “This includes bacteria, protists, and some fungi. It includes viruses, too, but that’s an area I don’t work in. My area of interest is bacteria and protists that are 10 to 100 times larger than viruses.”

How small are we talking about? “Some of the symbiotic algae I work with are 7 micrometers—really, really small, 10 times smaller than a grain of salt.” For those of you who aren’t scientist-fluent

The health of our coastal ecosystems depends on how we manage the land. Adding fertilizers, pesticides, and other chemicals to our soils impacts the health of ecosystems and ultimately the health of the bay. Students from New College of Florida document the biodiversity of microbes in sustainably managed ecosystems collecting cores of soil. One cup of healthy soil can have up to 50 billion bacteria, 2 billion actinomycetes, 100 million fungus, 50 million of protozoa and more!

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Dr. Erika Díaz-Almeyda

• insider •

The health of coral reef ecosystems depends on their photosynthetic microbe living inside the animal cells, called Symbiodiniaceae.

This microbe provides nutrients to the coral, product of photosynthesis. These microbes are highly susceptible to high temperatures.

in the metric system, a single micrometer is a millionth of a meter. Think much smaller than the width of a single cotton fiber in your shirt. Yeah, we’re talking about invisible to the naked eye.

Dr. Díaz-Almeyda isn’t the first person to care deeply about these unseen things. Since the invention of the microscope (around 1590), people started paying attention to them because once you start looking, you quickly realize there are more microbial species than there are known stars in the universe. Small wonder then that we don’t fully know the names of each one, or what their function is. “One thing we’re very good at,” explains Dr. Díaz-Almeyda, “is distinguishing which microbes are bad.” The reason why is simple enough—though the microbes themselves go unseen, their effects are easily seen, such as a person dying or an ecosystem collapsing.

When we see those outcomes, scientists study and study until they find the root cause.

The good news is that fewer than 1% of microbes fall into the “bad” category. The rest do good things for us, such as help us digest food or fight pathogens, which are the main focus of her research. Microbes are key to our health, just as they contribute to any ecosystem. For example, in water, microbes (phytoplankton) generate more than 50% of the oxygen we breathe. “There are microbes in the soil that break down the leaves of fruit to create soil as part of the giant food web, too,” says Dr. Díaz-Almeyda. “When we see a shark or a terrestrial

top predator like a lion, they’re just the result of all these microbes that make food available from the grass up to the next level and on and on in the food web until we reach the level where we can see something big with our own eyes.”

Born and raised in Mexico, Dr. Díaz-Almeyda has been interested in education and science from her earliest years. It all came together into a career plan in her first semester of college, though. A professor took her class to a pond on campus where they collected water and examined it under a microscope. “I was amazed by all the living things I could see,” she says about that experience.

“I loved it. I could spend hours just with one drop. I knew I wanted to do this for the rest of my life.”

To help her study those unseen things, she came to the United States—where better technology and resources to help her pursue her research. “Mexico had places to do that work, but not at the same scale. In the US, the latest DNA sequencing technologies are affordable.”

With the resources she now has at her disposal, Dr. DíazAlmeyda studies how the two main narratives of climate change relate to our management of soil and water. One narrative is that we’re causing so much damage to nature that there’s nothing we can do about it. Then there’s the other narrative, which is the one she prefers. Through seeing how human activities—such as how we design cities or how we treat our lawns—affect the microbiome,

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she can uncover pathways forward that are more aligned with our long-term interest as humans.

One of her favorite areas of study is the intersection of microbes and social equity.

“Even though most of us who work with microbes are biologists, we’re starting to see that it’s a social issue. The way we build cities, we’re not having adequate exposure to healthy microbes. There are biases, there are unintended consequences here that matter.”

Scientists of yesterday studied microbes in natural environments, but younger ones such as Dr. Díaz-Almeyda are much more interested in studying microbes in indoor places, such as hospitals, schools, and homes. They also examine how different people have different microbes in their body depending on their level of stress or the level of access to food. “This is a new way of looking at these problems,” Díaz-Almeyda says. “For me, it’s pointing at some of the human consequences our actions as a species have on microbes, which is what we need to figure out solutions for.”

Since 2019, Dr. Díaz-Almeyda has led the Florida Microbiome Project, which explores how unseen microbial communities support livelihoods and habitat health throughout Sarasota and the state of Florida. This project has the support of people like conservationist Elizabeth Moore—a Florida House Institute board member and president of TREE Foundation—who’s financially backing the Project’s efforts because she knows that we’re all connected at the macro and micro level. In Moore’s mind, more research should be done to create better awareness of its impact on our land and our lives.

That’s something even non-scientists like me can appreciate.

FOR MOR E IN F ORMATI ON

about the microbiome project, please visit erikadiaz.org or contact Dr. Erika Díaz-Almeyda at 941.487.4385 or ediazalmeyda@ncf.edu.

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New College Student Cara Ruhnke, and Alumni Marcela Prado Zapata and Elliott Schenker, work on the Florida Microbiome Project

• i n h e alt h •

WHAT IS RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME?

By Dr. Federico Richter MD. RPhS DABVLM

Do you feel the urge to move your legs that is often accompanied by uncomfortable sensations? You might be suffering from Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS).

Restless Leg Syndrome is a condition marked by unpleasant leg sensations at bedtime and can frequently lead to insomnia. Some words used to describe these sensations include creeping, itching, pulling, creepy-crawly, tugging, cramping or gnawing.

The cause of Restless Leg Syndrome is unknown in most individuals, but many conditions have been associated with it, including low dopamine in the brain and/or iron insufficiency. This condition often responds rapidly to Endo Venous Laser Treatment (EVLT) and sclerotherapy, a procedure that includes injecting a sclerosant solution to close the veins. Both treatments consist of outpatient procedures with no down time.

RLS is also common in patients with both saphenous and reticular varicose vein disease (unsightly veins). This subpopulation of RLS sufferers should be considered as a possible cause to undergo a phlebological evaluation of venous insufficiency.

Correctly diagnosing vein disease involves a review of the patient’s history of symptoms, physical examination, and a duplex ultrasound of the veins. The duplex ultrasound exam can help identify the presence of reflux and its location, as well as determine the patency of the deep and superficial venous systems. The leg is examined from the groin down to the ankle.

“Often, when you send a patient for an ultrasound evaluation for venous disease, the technician mistakenly has the patient lie down. This occurs because many technicians are trained to look for deep vein disease; however, this positioning will result in an inadequate exam,

“Interventional pain physicians treat everything from back and neck pain to cancer-related pain, and even pain from arthritic joints that interfere with your day-to-day activities.”

and superficial venous insufficiency won’t be diagnosed.

It’s important to send patients to a specialized vein center, as their sonographers and doctors are trained to detect venous insufficiency and can diagnose it with more accuracy.”

Furthermore, correction of the vein reflux provides longterm and likely permanent relief of symptoms before being consigned to chronic drug therapy with potential side effects.

Studies show that the treatment of venous insufficiency often relieves symptoms of Restless Leg Syndrome.

According to a study in the journal of Phlebology, among patients experiencing Restless Leg Syndrome and venous insufficiency, 98% of them experienced relief from Restless Leg Syndrome symptoms by treating their venous insufficiency, and 80% had long term relief.

Florida Vein Center Federico Richter MD. RPhS DABVLM 6050-A 53rd Ave E Bradenton, FL 34203 (941) 907-3400 floridaveincenter.com JUNE 2022 | SARASOTA SCENE

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asolo repertory theatre 941.351.8000/asolorep.org Eureka Day Through June 4 Hood June 3 - 26

Oliver!

June 7 - 8 Disney’s The Jungle Book June 6 - 17 Born to Swing June 24

florida studio theatre

mccurdy’s comedy theatre

941.366.9000/ floridastudiotheatre.org Laughing Matters Through June 19

lemon bay playhouse 941.475.6756/lemonbayplayhouse.com Savannah Sipping Society June 8 - 26

manatee performing arts center 941.749.1111/ manateeperformingartscenter.com Reflex on the Wild Side June 4

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941.925.3869/mccurdyscomedy.com Humor Institute Class Performance June 1 Thai Rivera June 2 - 5 Michael Mack and the Faces of Rock June 15 - 19 Keith Alberstadt June 24 - 25 Beneva Fruitville’s Drag Queen Bingo June 25 Open Bar Comedy June 28 Humor Institute Class Performance June 29

the players center for performing arts 941.365.2494/theplayers.org Rabbit Hole June 8 - 19

sarasota contemporary dance company 941.260.8485/ sarasotacontemporarydance.org In the Round June 17

sarasota opera 941.328.1300/sarasotaopera.org Schmidt Vocal Arts June 4 - 5

sarasota orchestra 941.953.4252/ sarasotaorchestra.org Darkness to Light June 9 Reunion June 10

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Art Center Sarasota—KathySimon-Macdonald

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JUNE 2022 |

Women Contemporary Artists

Art Uptown

Women Contemporary Artists

State of the Arts

VISUAL ARTS CALENDAR

530 burns

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941.951.0620 / 530burnsgallery.com Teresa Mccue, Arleen Joseph, and Matt Levinson Through June 3

941.746.2862 / artcentermanatee.org All Creatures Big & Small Through June 24

941.955.5409 / artuptown.com Small Works Through June 24

alfstad & contemporary

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dabbert gallery

941.365.2032 / artsarasota.org Faces & Places June 2 - August 6

941.955.1315 / dabbertgallery.com Summer Showcase June 3 – September 30

art ovation

florida maritime museum

941.316.0808 / artovation.com Tribute to Andrés Valerio Through September 6 Ana Albertina Delgado: The Human Mysteries and the Indifference of the Universe Through September 6 Alexander Solotzew: Life in Colors Through September 6 The Rainer Hildebrandt Collection: Original Painted Slabs from the Berlin Wall Through September 6

941.708.6120 / floridamaritimemuseum.org Caught in the Storm: 100 Years of Florida Hurricanes Temporary Exhibit

941.366.6400 / alfstadand.com Unfixed by Laine Nixon Through June 29 Christophe von Hohenberg, Warhol’s Last Party: Pictures from the Memorial Through August 24

art avenue 440.227.4592 / artavenueflorida.com International Art: Dali, Picasso, Turovsky Current Local Artists: Vicki Chelf, Richard Moravits, Elin Li Current

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mara studio gallery 941.914.8110 / marastudiogallery.com Vivid: Summer Art Collection June 7–July 31

• a r t s + c ult ur e •

Sarasota Art Museum—Katrina Coombs

Wyland Gallery—Jim Warren

Meg Krakowiak­

meg krakowiak gallery & studio 941.400.2478 / megkrakowiakstudios.com Sizzling Summers

June 1 – 30

ringling museum 941.359.5700 / ringling.org As long as there is sun, as long as there is light.

Through August 13 Eleanor Merritt: Remembrance Through August 21 Metadata: Rethinking Photography from the 21st Century Through August 28 Ballroom Florida: Deco & Desire in Japan’s Jazz Age Through September 25 The Marvelous Marbling of Matsui Kosei Through September 25

Dabbert Gallery—Yuqi Wang

ArtCenter Manatee—Frank Spino

ringling college of art & design

state of the arts gallery

941.359.7563 / ringling.edu/galleries Women Contemporary Artists Spring Exhibition June 3 - 24

941.955.2787 / sarasotafineart.com Some Like It Hot Summer 2022

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941.330.8091 / susancronkart.com Susan Cronk Original Art: Pure, Figurative & Still Life Current

sarasotaartmuseum.org Katrina Coombs: Threads of the Maternal Figure Through October 2

the southern atelier 941.753.7755 / southernatelier.org See Website for Classes & Studios

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wyland gallery 941.388.5331 / wylandgalleriesofthefloridakeys.com Stephen Muldoon June 3-4 Jim Warren

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T O S U B M IT YO U R EV EN T / EX H I BI TI O N

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Stephen Harlan

June 24-26

F O R C O N S ID ER AT IO N , editor@scenesarasota.com

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meet the artist

SUSAN CRONK Susan Cronk is an American figurative abstract expressionist who began painting at a very young age. Growing up in New York City and the northeast, she was exposed to and fully immersed in the burgeoning, post-modern art scene of the day. She continued to study art privately while simultaneously pursuing a degree in journalism from Boston University.

Primarily a self-taught artist, she has managed to keep a working studio while moving over 30 times and raising five very active children. She hopes Sarasota will be her last destination, and marks her first attempt at opening her studio to the public as a gallery/studio experiment.

Her work encompasses a wide range of media with inspiration sourced primarily from her imagination, and keen sense of color, form, line, and texture. The connection between realism and abstraction remains a constant presence in her work. “I do not paint from photography, real object still life, or models, but rather from ideas that emerge and evolve as I paint.” These imaginations more often than not will speak to the human condition; the struggle and achievement, the sorrow and the joy, but most notably the optimism that must endure in order to sustain life.

Visit susancronkart.com to view more of Susan’s art, or stop by Studio on 5th in the Rosemary District.

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• a r t s + c ult ur e •

LITERARYScene

By Ryan G. Van Cleave THREE CELEBRITY MEMOIRS RELEASED IN MAY 2022

MEAN BABY: A MEMOIR OF GROWING UP (Knopf, May 2022)

by Selma Blair I confess—the reason I wanted to read this book was because Selma Blair captured my heart in Cruel Intentions, Legally Blonde, and The Sweetest Thing. (Okay, okay—Hellboy and Hellboy II as well!). To me, she was always a sweetheart, but apparently, she was known from the start as a “mean baby” because she had a snarling expression and basically just seemed ticked off. Like kids with an unfair rap, she decided to live up to it by behaving as poorly as possible— biting her sisters, lying about everything, and getting drunk on Passover wine (at age seven).

In this memoir, she has a surprisingly keen eye for detail that really helps make key moments in her life come alive on the page as she plays any number of roles both on screen and off. Daughter, sister, mother, celebrity, addict. Throughout her life, she felt a sense of darkness that plagued her, so she drank to escape, and she punished her body with an eating disorder. Eventually, she was diagnosed as having MS. Instead of it being yet another terrible thing in a life full of terrible things, the illness clarified a lot of issues for her and served in many ways as a pathway to salvation.

Mean Baby is an interesting read that reveals some well-earned truths about friends, family, and self. It’s also funny as often as it is heart wrenching.

RYAN’S RATING:

WE WERE DREAMERS: AN IMMIGRANT SUPERHERO ORIGIN STORY (William Morrow, May 2022)

by Simu Liu The son of a Chinese mother and Indian father, Simu Liu has made quite a career as a writer, stuntman, and actor. But he’s best known for being the first Asian Marvel superhero (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), and We Were Dreamers is his own origin story.

Semi-spoiler—it’s a pretty good one.

At age four, Simu’s parents took him from China to Canada and it wasn’t a terrific situation. They found him hard to relate to and they considered him emotionally distant. Still, Simu did all he could to please them.

Behaving well. Earning top grades. Winning math competitions. They were increasingly proud, but he was feeling less and less like himself.

When Simu got canned from his first job at age 22 (accountant), he figured he had nothing to lose, so he put himself on a pathway into the acting world without really knowing what he was doing. But he had his own superpower—a massive chip on his shoulder from not being popular

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or especially good at sports as a kid to being an actor of color who got overlooked at every possibility. That chip kept him going despite landing terrible (sometimes offensive) roles, such as a caricature-ish Japanese mob boss or Scared Asian Guy in front of a computer.

Before Simu hit it big with Marvel, he auditioned four times for Crazy Rich Asians, and he still admits that it was hard not to get the gig. Did it hurt him? Yes. But it also served as more motivation that helped him keep pushing to the eventual success he found. He was able

to shift his focus to support his culture and to make good art instead of seeking approval of others.

In clear, relatable prose, We Were Dreamers captures all this and more in a humorous, inspiring manner. Yet it still has insight into how someone grows up in and between cultures, and it’s also about finding one’s family.

The future is bright for Simu Liu as a writer.

RYAN’S RATING:

MISS MEMORY LANE: A MEMOIR (Atria Books, May 2022)

by Colton Haynes I wasn’t going to review this book until I saw that Colton himself reviewed it on Goodreads, saying, “I wrote this book…but I’m so excited to read it again.” With memoir, a lot of people get it all out there, and then want to move on. His fully committing to his own story and remaining excited about it in a seemingly genuine way? It worked for me.

The first chunk of this story has such hard-hitting family drama you might need to stop and remind yourself it’s real.

Growing up in a teensy Kansas town, Colton discovered sex way too early in life such that he developed an unhealthy relationship with it. He’d also come out as gay as a teen prior to embarking on a modeling career, but when he launched an acting career, Colton was forced back into the closet. His people told him to lower his voice and tone down his mannerisms so people wouldn’t realize he was gay. It’s not surprising that Colton being unable to live his authentic life led to alcohol, sex, and drug addiction.

Add in eating issues and the loss of his mother, and it’s impossible not to feel for this person who clearly felt worthless and alone despite seemingly having a lion’s share of success.

When Colton woke up in a hospital, he knew this was it.

He’d lost the sight in one eye, nearly ruptured a kidney, and had two seizures. Not yet thirty, he had to change or he wasn’t going to make it.

Colton decided to change his life, and this book is part of that. He owns his past in the way one must for them to ever have a shot at a different future. If you come to this book

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wanting behind-the-scenes stories from Teen Wolf, Arrow, or American Horror Story: Cult, you’ll be disappointed.

If you come to the book wanting an interesting memoir that reveals what it’s like to be a young LGBTQ+ actor in Hollywood, then you’ll find what you’re looking for.

The writing is as raw as the content, and most readers I know who’ve picked this up read it in one shot. There’s an honesty here which is so refreshing—it helps readers through the darkness, even when Colton lays everything in his life so bare. A friend of mine who read the book called Colton’s life “a freaking beautiful disaster.” That’s not a bad alternate title.

RYAN’S RATING:

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