SRQ MAGAZINE | LOVE LOCAL SARASOTA BRADENTON | MARCH 2020

BRAND STORY

MARCH 2020

ACHIEVA CREDIT UNION

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TRANSFORMING LIVE LOCAL. LOVE LOCAL SARASOTA | BRADENTON L I V E LO C A L | LOV E LO C A L

THEATER MAVEN AND HERMITAGE ARTIST RETREAT DIRECTOR

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TITAN HOMES

SIGNIFICANT ARCHITECTURAL EXPERIENCES AWAIT IN THE ANNUAL 2020 HOME OF THE YEAR REGIONAL AWARDS COMPETITION

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SOUTHERN RENEGADES MAR 2020 | $4.00 US

TRANSFORMING HOW WE LIVE LOCAL SARASOTA | BRADENTON AREA

ANDY SANDBERG

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HOME OF THE YEAR 61

THE ANNUAL SRQ HOME OF THE YEAR COMPETITION INVITES LOCAL ARCHITECTS, BUILDERS, INTERIOR DESIGNERS AND LANDSCAPE ARTISTS TO PRESENT US WITH NEW NOTIONS OF HOME ENVIRONMENTS BY SUBMITTING THEIR RECENT RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS. YEAR AFTER YEAR, THE COMPETITION REDEFINES THE SPACES WHERE WE LIVE AND THRIVE— BROADENING THE DISCUSSION OF WHAT A HOME REPRESENTS AND WHAT IT CAN ULTIMATELY BE WITH TODAY’S BUILDING STRATEGIES, RENOVATION TECHNIQUES AND REGIONAL TRENDS. Produced by SRQ Magazine

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BRANDSTORY FEATURE | SRQ MAGAZINE | MARCH 2020

ACHIEVA CREDIT UNION WH O S AYS YO U NE E D A B A NK TO B A N K?

Above Left: The seven Pinellas County teachers who formed Achieva Credit Union in 1937 RIght: Inside of Achieva Credit Union with their state of the art teller pods

It all started in 1937 when seven Pinellas County teachers were denied a loan from a bank. The teachers soon banded together to form a financial institution of their own – a credit union – with just $99.25. Today, Achieva Credit Union has more than $1.7 billion in assets, and over 160,000 members across 26 branches. 28,000 of those members are right here in Sarasota. Achieva was ranked number 9 on Forbes’ list of Florida’s 10 Best Credit Unions in 2019. And an added bonus — you can bring your dog into any pet-friendly branch.

Credit unions are not-for-profit organizations that have

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the same host of products and services as banks do — but where Achieva differs is that their main priority is on customer service and the well being of all their members. Achieva puts their attention on what matters most — you, your family and your financial well being. Credit unions like Achieva are owned by their members, not outside shareholders. This means Achieva’s profits are returned back to members in the form of reduced fees, lower loan rates, higher savings rates and a more personalized approach to member service.

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A TRU E “CENT S” O F CO M M UNI T Y ADVANCING EDUCATION Since Achieva Credit Union was founded by teachers, it only makes sense to get behind Sarasota schools in meaningful ways.

Achieva has been in Sarasota for 10 years and has been proud to be a GOOD neighbor every step of the way – whether it’s through raising money for schools during their annual Run for Good event at Payne Park or putting their hard hats on with Habitat for Humanity Sarasota at Hammock Place.

BACK 2 SCHOOL BASH Hosted at the Sarasota Square Mall and University Town Center, Achieva handed out free backpacks and schoolsupplies to local students at this event.

Achieva also awarded students for their academic achievements: If they showed their report cards as proof that they made honor roll, they received a $25 bonus when opening an Achieva account.

ACHIEVA RUN FOR GOOD Achieva hosts this annual family-friendly 5K run and walk, kids run, and dog walk to benefit Sarasota schools. (Spoiler alert: The event includes a costume contest for dogs).

WILKINSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Achieva has handed out “good job bucks” to Wilkinson Elementary students for their punctuality, attendance and good grades. The students use the good job bucks to spend at the school’s “Positive Behavior School Store,” which was created to reward students for good behavior. At the store, students can purchase things like pencils, lanyards, and logoed items from their school. Students are also encouraged to save at least $50 worth of “good job bucks” for a special end-of-the-school year bash.

Above: Achieva Run for Good finish line

HERON CREEK MIDDLE SCHOOL GRANT Using funds raised from the Run for GOOD, Achieva awarded a classroom grant to students at Heron Creek Middle School. The money was used for a hands-on activity where the kids learned about bees and beehives – a unique experience Achieva team members were fortunate enough to see firsthand.

SCHOLARSHIPS AND GRANTS Achieva awards annual college scholarships to deserving high school students who plan to major in education. But that’s not all. Working with the Education Foundation of Sarasota County, Achieva has given 120 classroom grants – a total of $200,000 – to deserving Sarasota teachers since the partnership began in 2011.

Below: Dog at the Achieva Run for Good

BRANDSTORY FEATURE | SRQ MAGAZINE | MARCH 2020

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TEACHING FINANCIAL LITERACY

For more information about Achieva Credit Union, visit www.achievacu.com

People often think that financial institutions are just a place to deposit and withdraw money. But that’s not the case. Sure, Achieva can help you open up a checking account, get a car loan, or transfer your high credit card balance to a low-interest card.

But Achieva is also big on helping you achieve your financial goals, whether you’re a renter who wants to be a homebuyer, or a parent looking for money-saving back-to-school shopping tips.

In Sarasota, Achieva has hosted several financial literacy sessions for students and their parents at Wilkinson, Alta Vista, and Ashton Elementary schools. Adults and kids alike learned financial tips like how to budget and ways to save money as a family.

Keep an eye out for upcoming “Cash Classes,” which are financial literacy seminars to teach attendees things like managing their money and how to protect themselves from identity theft.

Visit Achieva’s website or Facebook page for regular updates.

Above: Habitat for Humanity home built at Hammock Place

Above: Two local boys at the 2018 Achieva Run for Good

ADDRESSING AFFORDABLE HOUSING Achieva partnered with Habitat for Humanity Sarasota to help build three homes at Hammock Place, a planned community which will have 40 single-family homes. From painting and flooring to interior framing, the Achieva team was pumped to work in the community alongside the members they serve.

And currently, Liz Watts, branch manager at Achieva’s Bee Ridge location, is out in the community supporting local Habitat families as they go through the program. Working with a committee team, Watts mentors Habitat families to ensure they’re keeping up with their work hours and attending financial literacy classes about homeownership.

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SUPPORTING UNDERSERVED FAMILIES Achieva strives to make the holidays a bit brighter for hundreds of Sarasota families each year. That’s why Achieva teams up with the Salvation Army to host “Angel Trees” at its Sarasota branches – a way to collect gifts like bikes, barbies, and clothing for neighbors in need.

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Left: Starting line at the Achieva Run for Good

A N E IG H B O R WO RT H G E T T I N G TO K NOW THE MYTHS - BUSTED There are certain taboos and erroneous myths associated with credit unions. From “It’s too hard to join a credit union”, to “My money will be hard to access” and “Credit unions don’t have the technology that banks have”, the realty is this: Eligibility is not limited. You don’t have to be a teacher or service worker to become a credit union member. To join Achieva, you just have to live or work in its 15-county area of membership, which includes Sarasota and Manatee Counties.

Your money is not hard to access. You might not see a credit union on every corner, but you’ll still have easy access to your money. That’s because credit unions are part of cooperative networks. In fact, Achieva has 5,000 shared branch locations and 30,000 ATM locations nationwide, so your credit union is local, but not limited.

Credit unions are just as tech-savvy as banks. Achieva offers online banking, a mobile banking app with remote check deposit, membership perks, discount programs and identity theft protection services and a specialty checking account with identity theft protection services and cell phone protection.

OU T WIT H T H E O L D WAYS OF BA N K IN G When you stop by an Achieva branch, you won’t see any oldschool teller lines or stuffy service. You’ll get personal service from real, live humans who know you’re a member of the family – not just an account number. When you walk in to a branch, you aren’t left wondering where to go. You’re always greeted by one of their friendly Branch Ambassadors. Achieva is all about service and making sure all members are well taken care of.

Additionally, Achieva has a full suite of products and services for every stage of your life, including: • • • • • • •

Checking and savings accounts Credit cards Auto, bike, boat and RV loans Mortgage and home equity loans Personal loans Wealth management Business banking and lending

Visit online or stop by a local branch to join Achieva.

3000 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota | 5881 Fruitville Road, Sarasota | 4254 53rd Avenue East, Bradenton | 1485 East Venice Avenue, Venice CHARLOTTE, COLLIER, DESOTO, GLADES, HARDEE, HENDRY, HERNANDO, HIGHLANDS, HILLSBOROUGH, LEE, MANATEE, MONROE, PASCO, PINELLAS AND SARASOTA.

941.907.4000 | www.achievacu.com BRANDSTORY FEATURE | SRQ MAGAZINE | MARCH 2020

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contents

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BRANDSTORY– Achieva Credit Union Annual Localpreneur of the Year Awards Special Section Provisionist DOMICILE – Spring Home

Design Portfolio 105 Nosh Restaurants This page: Funky, yet functional

ottomans and stools, page 51; Circo Taco and Bourbon Joint, page 97; photography by Wyatt Kostygan.

Previous page: Old Grove project by Nautilus Homes; photo by Jessica Glynn Photography. Cover: Bayview Project Home of the Year Overall Home $2 Million and Over winner by Leader Design Studio / SAWA Design Studio; photo by Ryan Gamma Photography.

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The Sarasota Art Museum’s paragon exhibition brings color education, exposure and experimentation for today’s contemporary art. Heather Graham visits Ringling College of Art and Design to weigh in on sexism in Hollywood, cult movies and more.

A cheeky Q&A with Andrew Prince, British jewelry designer for pop-culture celebrities and the Downton Abbey series.

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The Hermitage Artist Retreat finds Tony award–winning leadership in theater maven Andy Sandberg. Has Sarasota birthed yet another museum? Not quite.

Welcome to Lemon Tree Art Gallery.

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An eclectic collection of ottomans and step stools from local shops such as Mid-Century on Central and Art of Living Collective.

Bia Candle Co.’s nature-driven candles fill homey dens with scintillating fragrances and positive vibrations. Wood has a lot to say for those who are listening, and Celeste Gruenstein of Décor Direct is listening.

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Circo Taco and Bourbon Joint rebels against a predictable pairing to cultivate a bourbon and taco scene downtown. The chefs at Maison Blanche, Sage and Element: Modern Mediterrian Grill prepare the classic French omelet, and reveal what makes

them tick. Where to find the best animal-planet-friendly Impossible and Beyond burgers around town.

giving coast 110 CocoTele shares the love with local nonprofits and the programs they are producing.

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An irreverent Q&A with Tree Foundation’s “Canopy Meg,” Margaret Lowman.

flip side

Nobody believed in the potential of a property at the Sarasota– Manatee line when Rex Jensen signed on in 1990. The Lakewood Ranch executive has enjoyed the last laugh for 25 years and counting. Plus: Waterside Place, The Market, farms and polo. srq magazine_ MAR20 live local | 11

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MARCH 2020

CEO / PRESIDENT / EDITOR IN CHIEF

LISL LIANG

ART DIRECTOR / PHOTOGRAPHER

Wyatt Kostygan

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Brittany Mattie DIGITAL CONTENT AND EDITORIAL PROGRAMS ASSOCIATE

Ariel Chates

CONTRIBUTORS | SENIOR EDITORS

Phil Lederer, Jacob Ogles WRITERS Andrew Fabian, Abby Weingarten COPYEDITOR Maude Campbell CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS Chris Leverett, Evan Sigmund, Woody Woodman EDITORIAL INTERN Annelise Adams EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER

WES ROBERTS

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS AND ENGAGEMENT

Ashley Grant ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Ashley Ryan Cannon

SALES AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVES

Suzanne Munroe Julie Mayer Magnifico Rob Wardlaw

CLIENT SERVICES AND MARKETING MANAGER

Ashley Jimenez MARKETING, DIGITAL CONTENT AND DESIGN DEVELOPER

Kelsey Simpson

PARTNER SERVICES AND PROGRAMS ASSOCIATE

Aidee Rodriguez

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GET SRQ DAILY The magazine in your hands offers enormous insight into our community, but the most informed in our community follow our constant coverage of Sarasota and the Bradenton Area in SRQ Daily. The electronic newsletter is a must-read in thousands of inboxes. Check our special editions: the Monday Business Edition, the Wednesday Philanthropy Edition, the Friday Weekend Edition and the much-discussed Saturday Perspectives Edition, featuring a diverse range of opinions from the region’s top pundits and newsmakers. SIGN UP ONLINE AT SRQMAG.COM/SRQDAILY

ORIGINS OF “SRQ” The “SRQ” in SRQ magazine originates from the designated call letters for the local Sarasota Bradenton International Airport.

“SR” was the original abbreviation for the airport before the growth in total number of airports required the use of a three-letter code. Letters like “X” and “Q” were used as filler, thus the original “SR” was revised to “SRQ,” much as the Los Angeles airport became “LAX.” As a regional publication committed to the residents of and visitors to both Sarasota and Manatee counties, SRQ captures the place that we call home.

LOCAL PUBLISHERS OF SRQ MAGAZINE. LIVING LAKEWOOD MAGAZINE. ROCKET KIDS MAGAZINE. MODERN HOME MAGAZINE. SHE ROARS MAGAZINE. LOVE LOCAL MAGAZINE. SRQ DAILY 331 South Pineapple Ave., Sarasota, FL 34236 Phone 941-365-7702 Fax 941-365-0853 SRQMAG.COM

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For immediate access to the digital edition, subscribe directly at our flipbook. Subscribe online at SRQMAG. COM/SUBSCRIBE. Contact us via email at subscribe@srqme.com Vol. 23, Issue 225 Copyright © 2020 SRQ MEDIA. SRQ: Live Local | Thrive Local. Sarasota and Bradenton is published 12 times a year. IMPORTANT NOTICE: The entire contents of SRQ are copyrighted by Trafalger Communications, Inc. Column and department names are property of Trafalger Communications, Inc. and may not be used or reproduced without express written permission of the publisher. SUBSCRIPTION: Subscriptions to SRQ are $36 for 20 issues. Single copies are $4 at area newsstands.

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INSIDE THE BRAND JOIN US—Hear Me Roar Leadership and Awards Luncheon, Friday, May 1 —srqmag.com/hearmeroar

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SAVE THE DATE | HEAR ME ROAR HEAR ME ROAR LEADERSHIP AND AWARDS LUNCHEON, FRIDAY, MAY 1

Follow us @srqmag and join the conversation to see your comments here!

Facebook @Berlin Patten Ebling: Check out our feature in SRQ Magazine’s Tribute to Business section. We are proud of how we’ve evolved and are looking forward to continuing to impact our community. #berlinpattenebling #tributetobusiness @Leaf & Lentil: SRQ Magazine you nailed it! Thank you so much for the awesome article. We feel so fortunate to be part of such a wonderful and supportive community.

SRQ MEDIA WILL BE HOSTING THE HEAR ME ROAR LUNCHEON on Friday May 1, 2020 at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota as a culmination of our year-long Women in Business program. Women in Business works to create a highly-dynamic personal network that catalyzes community leadership through the science and art of mentorship. This year’s ceremony will highlight the achievements of this year’s Women in Business Leadership Circle Class and announce the finalists and winners of our 2020 Women in Business Competition. Recognizing the incredibly diverse women who have greatly contributed to the community, SRQ MEDIA will present the “Hear Me Roar” Trailblazer Award and announce the winners to be inducted into the esteemed 2020 Women In

Business (WIB) Leadership Circle. In continuation of SRQ MEDIA’s dedication to celebrating the importance of building successful relationships between women in our community, we are pleased to announce that applications are now open for this April’s SkillSHARE: Mentoring at the Speed of Life program. Powered by the Women in Business Initiative, SkillSHARE leverages the art and science of mentorship to create a meaningful program that engages insightful interactions between local women professionals in challenging areas while also inviting spontaneous connections. Thank you to partners Seaside Bank, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, Al Purmort Insurance, Hyatt Regency Sarasota and PSAV for your vision!

MENTORS AND SMARTGIRLS CREATE NEW POSSIBILITIES THIS MARCH 13 AT THE SMARTGIRL MENTORSHIP SUMMIT. Part networking, part testimonials from professionals and fully impactful, SMARTgirl is a collaborative effort with the SRQ Women in Business Initiative to set local girls up for success. We invite 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th young women to participate in a “curated networking,” event that includes soft skills training, hands-on workshops and fun-filled development of confidence and personal branding. The leader-mentor luncheon will feature a line-up of local female leaders seated at each SMARTGirl table to provide feedback, advice and encouragement on how to achieve their dreams. SRQ believes that girls can do anything! For more information: SRQMAG.COM/2020/SMARTGIRL

@Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe: Many thanks to SRQ Magazine - especially writer Abby Weingarten and photographer Wyatt Kostygan - for this month’s look inside our newly-renovated theater as well as a look at our 2019-2020 theater season and some of our outreach education programs!

Instagram @philosophyandvines: Thank you @srqmag for supporting us and Sarasota businesses! Love seeing the great photos and content in all of the issues! @books1sarasota: Thanks for including us in your post-love the color matching.

Blue definitely looks good on Sarasota! @530burnsgallery: Thank you so much for featuring our talented artist @lindarichichi! We are so grateful. What a great issue! @joyrandels: So much fun! Great catching up with everyone @srqmag @srqbeats always make events special!

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STORIES ABOUT THE LOCAL PEOPLE, PLACES AND EXPERIENCES THAT DEFINE OUR HOMETOWN

Below: Seeing the spectrum of light and color in Christian Sampson’s Vita in Motu.

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IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

Sarasota Art Museum’s visionary exhibition objectifies the theory of color. Brittany Mattie

PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN.

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srqist UPON ENTERING THE OPEN FOYER of the Sarasota

Art Museum of Ringling College of Art + Design, discover a hidden nook in the corner by the elevator, displaying “the 28 colors of Sarasota” in a ladder of painted pigments and handwritten local touchstones sharing the designated color. From the bold yellow of the lifeguard station at Siesta Key Beach and the rallying orange of Sarasota High School, to the deep green of Selby Gardens and the iconic purple of Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, the display plays perfectly with the top floor’s featured exhibition of Color Theory & (b/w). This is the first installation of an ongoing investigation into the art and science of color, where the museum invites you to pay close attention to the artists’ use of color, relative to their mediums and use of materials. Inspiring contemporary ideas and bringing transformative thinking to the foreground, discover how colors evoke certain feelings or reactions, notice how they can shift from a simple change in perspective, light and reflection.

Down an open hallway with East-facing windows, find Christian Sampson’s Vita in Motu, a durational sitespecific installation. “Sampson has collaborated with the architecture of the building, and with Mother Nature herself, to deliver this awe-inspiring art experience to

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our community,” says Anne-Marie Russell, executive director and curator of the Sarasota Art Museum. The Brooklyn artist experiments with dichroic film, acrylic and glass to curate a head-swiveling experience of solar projection and color motion. Different dimensions, vantage points and times of day all affect the solar projection of the art. The visually stimulating walkthrough pleases, yet confuses, the eye—casting geometric shapes and prismatic shadows of color and light from every angle. The ethereal experience is all thanks to the Florida sun, penetrating through the line of windows at itinerant axle points as the day rises and falls. Depending on whether it’s dawn, high noon or peak sunset, the chromatic intensity of the space creates an ever-changing and surreal space. Some have described it as a spiritual sensation, like “being inside a stained glass cathedral,” while others, more techdriven, imagined its engineering similar to “what it’d be like inside a microchip.” They say art is subjective.

“Vita in Motu invites us to ponder our place in the cosmos,” says Russell. “Witnessing the passage of time, acknowledging that we are on a spinning globe that is orbiting around a great ball of fire, that is determining the structure of our time and seasons, is both humbling and elevating.” SRQ

Below: A site-specific wall painting installation, titled Target

by Dave Lewis.

Also on the top floor of the Color Theory exhibition.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN.

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HOLLYWOOD DOYENNE

This page: Graham channeling her inner Bond girl, while ready to take on new challenging female characters.

Heather Graham Visits Ringling College of Art and Design, Weighs in On Sexism in Hollywood, Cult Movies and More. John Witte.

LIKE MARILYN MONROE BEFORE HER, flaxen-haired movie icon Heather Graham has received a lot of recognition for her on-screen look. But, just like Norma Jean, the sharpest tools in Graham’s toolkit are her impeccable comedic timing and penchant for aesthetic experimentation.

Well known for her turn as a Bond girl parody in the oft-quoted Austin Powers series, Graham spent the 1990s racking up an impressive list of cinematic accomplishments, working outside of the Hollywood mainstream with iconic independent filmmakers like Gus Van Sant, Paul Thomas Anderson and David Lynch. Her characters often balance a sense of comic naivete and uncanny intensity that’s made her a favorite in numerous cult movies and big budget blockbusters. In yet another boon for the Ringling College of Art and Design’s numerous film- and production-focused academic programs, Graham visited Sarasota this winter for an “Inside the Industry” presentation. “I’m a huge fan of cult movies,” says Graham.

“I would love to be called a cult actor. I think it’s admirable to find the comedy in dark situations.” She weighed in on a variety of topics, from franchise movies (she doesn’t like ‘em), Hollywood roles written for women (there’s not enough of ‘em), and sexism in the movie industry (it exists). She’s also excited for her newest project, playing Rita Blackmoor in CBS’s upcoming adaptation of Stephen King’s epic-length psychedelic classic, The Stand. Often playing lamb-in-the-woods characters, Rita Blackmoor’s cynical middle-aged socialite is something of a departure for Graham. “It’s a lot of fun getting to play different characters. There’s an obvious way you could play her, but I hope the character is more complicated than that. There are things about her that are dark and things about her that are sympathetic. I hope.” Graham, one of the first actresses to come forward in the movement that came to be known as #MeToo, is no stranger to the specific challenges that women face in show business. The conversation inevitably moved towards her own experiences with sexism, where Graham addressed a stark reality. “It’s so hard to get work as an actress, and when you do get to a place where you have a successful career, you’re still mostly just taking the jobs that you’re offered. I think I’m a feminist, but you’re not always getting those jobs of the strong female character.” SRQ 22 | srq magazine_ MAR20 live local

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN.

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BRITISH BLING

This page: From the red carpet to the big screen, Andrew Prince’s pieces prove to be “large and in charge.”

British historian and jewelry designer Andrew Prince wants to see diamonds from across the room. Brittany Mattie HE HANDCRAFTS SOME OF THE FINEST CRYSTAL JEWELRY IN THE WORLD. He sacrifices finger scarring and nail breakage for the sake of handling precious jewels, stones and metals to forge pieces of showstopping sparkle. He’s been commissioned to create a diamond-studded shoulder piece for Michael Jackson, a choker and bridal veil tiara for Miss Piggy’s wedding, and costume jewelry for singer Shirley Bassey and actress Dame Judi Dench. His diamonds are a model’s best friend, including supermodel Helena Christensen in an editorial spread for British Vogue. Then the creators of the British drama television series, Downton Abbey—set in the fictional Yorkshire country estate between 1912 and 1926—came knocking at his door to ask him to design the show’s collection of tiaras, combs, bands, bracelets, earrings and necklaces. This past January, he graced New College of Florida to speak at a sold-out event for the New Topics Lecture Series. His talk, “From Downton to Gatsby: Jewelry and Fashion from 1890-1929,” covered the extraordinary time period where the great couturiers collaborated with the finest artisans to produce jewels of overt opulence. SRQ sat with the king of crystals, Andrew Prince, to gain insight on the unwritten social rules of British hierarchy and the challenge of designing “in the dark” for a television series.

SRQ: what do you find most interesting about the British imperial era? Prince: The beginning of the 20th century was such a fascinating time because the physical revolutions—as in the fall of the French Monarchies, the Russian Monarchies, all the monarchies throughout Europe—falling after the first World War, the changes that came thereafter, created what we are doing now. Americans and their democratic sensibilities, had the most profound influence on the rest of the world.

How did sovereignty, social class and hierarchy play into jewelry design in this century? The quantity of jewels that you wore showed your importance. Also, coveting historical pieces. American heiresses, they would wear very big, historically important pieces purchased from royal collections. With the older ladies, they would come into a reception and they’d wear Empress Eugénie’s rose brooch, or something like that. That was like walking into a room wearing Elizabeth Taylor’s emeralds—everybody knew what they were. There’s all these things that you have to know about, so fun. And also, so sparkly.

When do you think these cues of flaunting your dominion died out? Things have changed—it’s not so much jewels, it’s handbags. Nowadays, a woman will walk into a room with a red, crocodile Birkin handbag, with 18-carat gold trimmings. That thing is 300,000 GBP (about $390,000 USD). And that would be like walking into a room with a thumping great crown or tiara. In the days past, you would have a vault you’d walk in, and you’d have a showcase with all your jewels. Now, people have wardrobes of walk-in closets. It’s about showing your empire.

How did your extensive knowledge in fashion history and background in the trade help you design the jewelry for Downton Abbey? When working on a series, and certainly working with Downton Abbey, it’s difficult because everything’s very hush-hush. You’re very much kept in the dark—you don’t know the storyline or script, you don’t know who the characters are, you don’t even know what the costumes are. You have almost nothing to go off of. It was often a case of, “We need some tiaras.” “Okay, what is the event

and who is it for?” “We can’t tell you.” “Okay, well is it a ball, or is it a reception?” I said, “Because there are different tiaras for different things. A ball is grand. A reception, it depends who is coming and who’s not.” All these different rules applied back then. Knowing all those different rules though, made it easier.

What other sort of codes that were dictated during this period? Back then, it was all about the different jeweled headgear. You have to know about those nuances because there was a whole unwritten code of what you could wear, what you couldn’t wear. For example, it was considered extremely vulgar to wear a tiara in a hotel. It was simply not done—no matter who you were. The opera, fine, no problem. Palaces? Absolutely fine. Your own private home? Sure, something to keep your hair up in the shower. If the Queen or the Princess was coming to your house for an event, you’re to downplay, you cannot outshine them. But if you’re going to a reception, at somebody else’s place, you can put it on. But, the host must not try and upstage. There are all these unspoken taboos for this sort of thing.

So, being mostly in the dark about which characters you were designing for, how did you manage to retain accuracy of the social scale? I would send a selection of tiaras in, knowing that amongst those, Lady Mary Crawley, Grand Heiress, would be more likely in a bandeau, or noble headband. Cora Crawley would be in a big, brilliant, modern tiara, because she’s the American Heiress daughter. Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, would be pretty grand, old-fashioned as the matriarch. And Edith Crawley would probably be in something frumpy, because poor thing, she was always the dour character. It was like, “Let’s find something small and mimsy for Edith.” Also, working with Caroline McCall, who was the costume and wardrobe designer, and then Anna Robbins, who came into the last two series, and then the film. Both of them have a very strong historical background, so they knew what pieces would have to go with what person.

What crystals did you source? I worked with Swarovski on getting some specific stones to cut. In the old days, you used to have a necklace that basically looked like

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screwed up tin-foil on screen because the camera didn’t pick it up. Now, with today’s high-definition cameras, they pick up every single detail. From a historical point of view, I find it irritating when someone’s wearing a diamond necklace and that stone is 100 years out of date. It’s an incorrect cut for that period. This is what bugs me about a lot of costume dramas—they get the jewelry completely wrong. I got Swarovski to cut me different stones that were specific for that particular period including Georgian-type stones, Victorian-cut stones, and Edwardian-cut stones. When you smell granny’s perfume, and think, “Ugh, that’s old lady perfume.” It’s only an old lady’s smell because it’s set in a particular period, it’s associated with a certain decade. In a way, stones are the same. The cut will change slightly differently, within 20 years.

The princess cut for example, which was very popular in the late 80s to 90s, was a very specific cut of that era.

Were you born in the wrong era? No, I like this—we have deodorant and that sort of thing. I mean goodness, what must it have smelled like making love back then?

What goes into creating a collection like the one for Downton Abbey? It depends how it is made.

Some items I made for Downton were made like the real thing.

All the pieces that actress Maggie Smith wore were made properly, as from the 20th century. They were set in heavy metals, like silver and gold, and using cubic zirconias, cultured pearls, all that sort of thing. If you’re doing one from scratch, it takes far too long—Maggie’s one took six weeks.

Is jewelry design what you dreamed about doing when you were a kid? I’ve made the stuff all my life—the first piece I made was when I was three. It’s a ring that was made for my grandmother, using a wire pulled out from the back of an old television and beads taken from my grandmother’s wedding dress. She was not happy. Didn’t approve of that. Didn’t wear it. When she passed at the beginning of last year, my mother found it amongst the things she kept in a box. I didn’t know she still had it. Cue the waterworks. Anyway, I left school when I was 15—I didn’t go to college or any of that. Instead, I joined the jewelry trade straight away, at 16, and that’s all I wanted to do. I started off with just a string of beads. Being self-taught, I learned in inverted commas, the hard way, how not to make jewelry.

What actually happens in your studio when creating? Appalling fingernails, for one. It is not delicate stuff—you’re using acids, flames and boiling hot water. I strip stones with sulfuric acid. It’s brutal stuff. You’re burning your fingers and you end up with metal spurs. If you’re using copper, sometimes you get thin little needle shards and it can get in your skin. And the tips of your fingers then turn green. It’s not fun stuff. By the end of finishing it, you hate the piece. It looks lovely, but you’ve been putting in 1,500 stones one by one, and you’re just like, “Get rid of this thing.” It’s only when it’s on camera, and you think, “Oh, it is quite pretty.”

Why do you prefer working with costume jewelry? More design has gone into costume jewelry than has ever gone into real jewelry. You pile it on, it’s fun, it moves, it makes memories. I don’t see the point in discreet jewelry, I really don’t. I want to see a pair of earrings from across the other side of the room. I want big, ostentatious, shiny, flashy, fabulous jewelry. The stuff that takes a bit of courage. SRQ

PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN.

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LOCAL PERFORMING AND VISUAL ARTS+CULTURE

This page:

Andy Sandberg at the Hermitage Artist Retreat.

ACT TWO

culture city

The Hermitage Artist Retreat finds Tony Award–winning leadership in theater maven Andy Sandberg. Phil Lederer

PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN.

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culture city

IN ITS FIRST 15 YEARS, a dream became reality for the Hermitage Artist Retreat as a neglected bit of beachfront grew into an exclusive destination for acclaimed artists—the kind who show at Art Basel and win Pulitzer Prizes—all coming to Sarasota to create new work and engage the community. So when the founding Executive Director Bruce Rodgers announced he would be stepping down this past December, the Hermitage kicked off a national search for the right fit for some pretty big shoes. The nonprofit found its answer in Andy Sandberg, a prolific director and playwright on both the New York City and West End theater scenes, and the youngest producer in history to win a Tony Award. Naming Sandberg Artistic Director and CEO, he took up his post as of January 2020. SRQ caught Sandberg after his first board meeting to talk new chapters, big plans and leaving Broadway for the beachfront.

SRQ: After New York City, was Sarasota a hard sell for a young artist? Andy Sandberg: I did not have to be sold on Sarasota; it has an amazing arts community. I directed a workshop at the Asolo about 10 years ago and I’ve been down here various times and I knew what a wonderful community it was for supporting the arts. And the mission of the Hermitage was exciting. Most of my career has been based in the development of new work and new artists, so having the opportunity to help other artists develop their projects and their craft, to give them a life-changing experience, was really exciting to me.

What advantages are you seeing that Sarasota has over New York City? Everyone in this community is engaging in the arts in a way that is quite rare. Even in New York, if I go into a restaurant or coffee shop, not everyone is going to be able to articulate their experiences in the theater or the museum or the opera. Whereas, that is such an institution and part of the culture in Sarasota and part of what gravitates people here above anywhere else. People move to Sarasota and stay in Sarasota because they believe in and want to support the arts.

At this point in your career, why was this the direction to take? I love having an artistic home that I can look at as building something larger than any one project. And that’s particularly exciting about the Hermitage. But I’m still going to keep a foot in the freelance world. One thing I said to the board and the staff is that the Hermitage is my number one priority and I am very eager to take it on, but I am also a working artist who looks forward to opportunities to be in the rehearsal room when I can.

That sounds like quite the juggling act. I always have to now look through the lens of how is this also going to serve the Hermitage in addition to me as an artist.

But I’m excited by that. It means that not necessarily every single project that crosses my desk is something that I’m going to say yes to. I have to be very conscious of

how massive and important a commitment this is. I take it very seriously. But I also think that having my fingers and toes in other aspects of the industry is only good for the Hermitage brand and vice versa.

About the Hermitage Artist Retreat

In what way? It gives me a chance to be an ambassador. I want to be spreading the mission of the Hermitage nationally and internationally. I want our name to be known throughout New York, London, Chicago, LA and every other major arts community that there is.

Now on the National Register of Historic Places, the Hermitage was built in 1907 and was reconceived as The Hermitage Artist Retreat in 1999. Artists and writers live and work here for six-week residencies curated by national leaders in art and literature. We preserve Old Florida beach houses and the ancient native beachfront environment as a place to birth new art, new thought, and the world’s next great masterpieces.

Bruce Rodgers led the Hermitage as executive director. You now lead as artistic director and chief executive officer. Why the change? Part of it was wanting to make it clear that this is a new chapter of the organization and that it was not simply stepping into my predecessor’s shoes. I so admire what he has built with the Hermitage, but I’ve made it clear I wasn’t interested in just coming in and doing things exactly the same way and that’s not what he would’ve wanted either.

Did he give you any advice? Bruce gave me a ton of advice and was incredibly supportive throughout the transition. He made himself available for questions, but also gave free range, saying, “Listen, this is your chapter to write. I’m available as you need me.” I applaud him for everything he’s done with the organization and the way he has allowed this transition to flourish and take shape.

Why do you think the board chose you for this next step? I have always straddled the creative and the business in what I do. I have always been about developing and supporting new works and thinking outside of the box, finding ways to bring projects and artists to audiences. So they know that I value development as much as I value production. My favorite place to be is in that development and rehearsal process. Production is great, but it’s even more fun putting it all together and being there from the nascent stages.

Hermitage Fellows include nine Pulitzer winners; a host of MacArthur “Geniuses;” Grammy, Tony, and Emmy winners. Work created at the Hermitage is shown at New York’s Metropolitan Opera, the Vienna Opera, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Disney Hall, Mass MoCA, MoMA and the MET Museum.

With a mission to inspire the artists of our time, the Hermitage Artist Retreat invites the public to come see and hear cutting edge art, literature, drama and music in Sarasota area venues, and on the Hermitage beach at sunset in a series of free Friday programs.

Above from left to right: Artists this season include musical theater composer

Adam Gwon, composer Evan Premo and poet and editor Lisa Ampleman.

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culture city

What about that business side? I also have an entrepreneurial spirit that I can bring toward a nonprofit arts culture. I so appreciate and admire the organization and how it has been running, but I am looking at it through a fresh lens. Bringing someone in from the outside gives all of us a chance to look at this and raise questions that might not have been raised. I don’t like to use the term disruptor, but I do like to raise every question and open big cans of worms when it helps the conversation. The two phrases that I don’t respond well to are, “the way things are done” or “the way things have been done.” I’m grateful that the board and the staff feel similarly.

What are you looking forward to most in this first year? Mostly, I’m really excited to make sure that people understand that this is a new chapter for the Hermitage, that is going toward writing the whole book. We are here to grow and flourish.

Long term? I want the Hermitage to be recognized as one of the top arts organizations in Sarasota. I am thrilled to be part of a community that

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has thousands of nonprofit arts organizations. I don’t just want to be one of the thousands. I want us to be perceived as one of the top players in the field and I want to make sure that everyone in town and around the world knows who we are, why we’re important and why we’re vital to the artistic landscape. There’s something very special about this community and this campus that allows people to create great art and then take a little piece of Sarasota with them when they go on to Lincoln Center, or the MoMA, or any other major gallery or concert hall around the world. On the national and international landscape, we want artists to be recognizing the importance and significance of the Hermitage. When you hear someone has won a Pulitzer, your eyes open up. There’s no reason we shouldn’t be striving for that.

Last question.

The Greenfield Prize isn’t going anywhere, right?

No, the Greenfield Prize is one of the cornerstones of what we do, we’re incredibly proud of it. SRQ Hermitage Artist Retreat. 6630 Manasota Key Rd. Englewood. hermitageartistretreat.org

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culture city

This page:

A LEMON TREE

A new gallery graces Palm Avenue.

ON ONE WALL, FIND THE WORK OF ACCLAIMED MILANESE PAINTER RODOLFO VIOLA, his canvases alive with color and

texture from palette knife and brush. On another, see the Dalí-esque stylings of Zdenek Janda, the modern Czech painter who uses medieval techniques to create intensely detailed works that have become a point of national pride. (Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis gifted a Janda painting to French President Emmanuel Macron in 2018.)

Take time to circle the sculptures of Pedro Pedrazzini, the Swiss artist who developed his own form of expressionism—“Rustic Gothic”—and uses chemical aging to create the appearance of antiquity. Visitors will even get a glimpse of work by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Salvador Dalí, Gerhard Richter, Cy Twombly and Edvard Munch, as the collection rotates with monthly exhibitions.

Has Sarasota birthed yet another museum?

Not quite. Welcome to Lemon Tree Art Gallery—and there’s no entrance fee.

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Lemon Tree Gallery featured the art of surrealist Natasha Turovsky.

Phil Lederer

restaurant next door, but an unassuming nature belies an impressive collection of international art from 20th-century masters and emerging artists both, and the Lemon Tree Art Gallery looks to be a significant addition to the Downtown Sarasota art community. This could prove particularly true on those First Friday Art Walks, when the new gallery forms a bridge between the Art Ovation scene and galleries like Art Uptown Gallery on Main and Dabbert Gallery further down Palm, attracting eyeballs and foot traffic with live artist demos from painters, jewelers and glass artists.

“It was just logical,” says Paul Sykes, the international art dealer and gallerist who transformed what was The Francis into this local hot spot for artistic celebration, whitewashing the walls for that modern gallery feel and swapping the psychedelic carpet for pure black. “I left it simple so that the color on the canvases comes off the wall,” he says. “With this lighting, the paintings pop.”

This includes the work of Taguhi “Tegi” Barsegian, an Armenian surrealist who has shown in galleries and museums around

the world, including Russia, Ukraine and the Czech Republic, as well as extensive exhibitions across the US, from New York City to Hollywood and from Jersey City to Miami, just recently landing in Sarasota.

“Her palette is amazing,” says Sykes. “She paints somewhere between the colors—not too dull, not too bright—and her technique is Picasso- and Dalí-level. No question.”

Gallery visitors can find two of her large-scale works on display, complicated and dreamlike constructions full of symbols and hidden meaning, but they best move quickly. The pair represents the last of what Tegi refers to as her old style, with the lights and colors of Sarasota ushering in a new phase of her artistic career—a feat that even New York City couldn’t inspire. “Only Sarasota has affected me,” she says.

With a new exhibition each month, January saw a presentation of handmade traditional dresses and costumes from Korea, February brought work by Salvador Dalí to the forefront and this month features the work of surrealist Natasha Turovsky. SRQ PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN.

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SPECIAL AWARDS SUPPLEMENT :: SRQ MAGAZINE :: MARCH 2020

LOCALPRENEUR OF THE YEAR

PUR POSE PASSI ON C OR POR ATE AC UM EN I NNOVATI ON PHI LANTHROPY C OM M UNI TY I M PAC T LEADER SHI P

2020

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JUDGES LOCALPRENEUR OF THE YEAR | 2020

2020 HONOREES

ANDREW FOLEY, New York City Jonathan Rose Companies, Development Manager Andrew lives in New York City and works for Jonathan Rose Companies, a socially responsible real estate developer committed to building affordable and environmentally sustainable projects that strengthen communities. A Sarasota native, Andrew previously owned Sarasota News & Books, an independent bookstore and cafe in Downtown Sarasota, and was a founding board member of the Downtown Improvement District.

Acurata

Key Sailing

Alyssa Gay Consulting

Michael's On East

Ceramic Pro Sarasota

Music Compound

Children's World Uniform Supply

Pineapple Yoga Studio

TREVOR KUNK, New York City

Cornerstone and Co

The Little Beet, Director of Culinary Innovation

Discover Sarasota Tours

Trevor began his career as a dishwasher at First Watch followed by the Summerhouse Restaurant where he worked under Paul Mattison. In early 2001, Trevor moved to New York to attend the Culinary Institute of America. After finishing school, he stopped first at Aureole followed by 10 years at Blue Hill in Manhattan’s West Village. The long winters led Trevor & family to the Napa Valley where he served as Executive Chef & Culinary Director at Press Restaurant and Oakville Grocery. Trevor and family returned to Brooklyn and stopped first at the Breslin located in the Ace Hotel. Trevor is now the Director of Culinary Innovation at the Little Beet. The Little Beet promotes healthier eating & overall wellness through a vegetable driven, gluten free menu.

Discover Sarasota Tours Evolve Business Consulting Dollar Donations Euro-Wall Systems, LLC Fly Dance Fitness

Pixie Dust ROBRADY design Second and Seed Teach Me West Coast Swing The Sleepy Tot TTJ Investments, LLC Waddle's Adult Swim Academy

Grapevine Communications

LOCALPRENEUR OF THE YEAR COMPETITION 2020 LEADERSHIP CIRCLE WINNERS ROBERT BRADY ROBRADY DESIGN

ALLISON IMRE GRAPEVINE COMMUNICATIONS

MICHAEL KLAUBER PHIL MANCINI MICHAEL'S ON EAST

JORDAN LETSCHERT TTJ INVESTMENTS

MICHAEL ZURBRIGEN

EURO-WALL SYSTEMS, LLC

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The SRQ Magazine Localpreneur of the Year program recognizes entrepreneurs who are running locally-owned businesses with purpose and passion, and who have earned the respect of their peers in the following areas: corporate acumen, innovation, philanthropy, leadership and community impact. Judges were selected based on their expertise and leadership in their fields, experience as entrepreneurs and connectivity to the Sarasota | Bradenton region. We would like to thank the readers of SRQ magazine for nominating this year's honorees, our judges for setting aside the time to engage with this year's 100+ pages of applications and all of our locally owned businesses that cultivate and engineer the success of our local economy and community each and every day. We look forward to engaging this year's Leadership Circle in future entrepreneur programming.

PRODUCED BY SRQ MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

2/12/20 11:09 AM

2020 HONOREE

ALAN MCKEE ACURATA, CO-FOUNDER AND CEO

“All of us at Acurata have had family and friends who have benefitted from hospice care. We know first-hand how important that care is, and everything we do is driven by the desire to ensure that every patient experiences the best care possible. That’s why we do what we do.”

ACURATA.US HELLO@ACURATA.US 941-500-5131

The hospice industry plays a crucial role in helping patients and their families deal with end of life issues in a dignified and compassionate manner. In the midst of this, hospice organizations must balance the need to provide the best possible care with the harsh realities of rising costs As a so ware company serving the hospice industry, Acurata’s goal is simple - take common, everyday business obstacles and create a so ware platform that automates those processes, allowing clinicians to do their jobs more efficiently. But for the Acurata staff, it goes way beyond that. It’s about helping hospice organizations free up the time and resources needed to provide the best possible experience to patients and their families during this most difficult time.

Alan is a two-time Localpreneur of the Year honoree, having been named a finalist in 2018 as the Founder of Netwurx Technology Group, an IT and telecom company that has been serving Sarasota businesses since 2004.

He and his co-workers are involved with and support several events and organizations in Sarasota, including Tidewell Hospice, Sarasota Film Festival, Sarasota County Schools Science Fair, Sarasota County Adult Education, Sarasota Medical Pregnancy Center, and the Sarasota Citizens Academy.

SPECIAL LOCALPRENEUR OF THE YEAR HONOREE SECTION :: SRQ MAGAZINE :: MARCH 2020

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2020 HONOREE

FOUNDER, DISCOVER SARASOTA TOURS

JOSEPH STERN CERAMIC PRO SARASOTA, PRESIDENT

"The growth and success of Ceramic Pro Sarasota is an alignment of my core values of transparent, honest communication, with mutual respect between business owner, team members and clients, listening promotes creation."

CERAMICPROSARASOTA.COM CERAMICPROSRQ@GMAIL.COM 6029 DEACON PLACE, SARASOTA

Growing up in a family of entrepreneurs, Joseph Sterns' drive and love for hard work and business start-ups led him to start or operate over 15 ventures, he also received countless accolades as an executive with target distribution. Joseph relocated to Florida and accepted the challenge to create what he was told “would never work”: a business that fit clients’ needs and timeframes while maintaining a personalized customer experience. Joseph’s leadership and drive for perfection has led his bootstrapped business, from $20 car washes at local golf courses, to national recognition for his skill set and business acumen. Joseph credits his supportive family, his talented team and tremendous support, advice and loyalty from his clients & friends. His notoriety through social media shows his relentless passion to succeed and believes “Living a few years like most won’t, so that you live the rest of your life like most can’t” is a sacrifice worth making. Celebrating its fi h year, Joseph’s earned an impeccable reputation, growing from a 2,000 sq. . facility, to a 15,000 sq. . facility, employing 12 team members and dozens of local vendors, servicing luxury, exotic and classic automobiles, yachts and planes with services including Mobile Detailing, Paint Corrections, Ceramic Coatings, Paint Protection Film, Window Tint, an Inhouse Auto Body, performance customizations, custom wheels & more. Ceramic Pro Sarasota's highly experienced technicians work at an elite level, utilizing his team you will experience cu ing edge technology, products, outstanding quality and concierge customer service.

SPECIAL LOCALPRENEUR OF THE YEAR HONOREE SECTION :: SRQ MAGAZINE :: MARCH 2020

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2020 HONOREE

MICHAEL ZURBRIGEN EURO-WALL SYSTEMS, LLC, PRINCIPAL

Le to right: Community Outreach Team - Juan Cruz, Ashley Mckinney, Rodney Williams, Rosbeth Enriquez, Jordan Meeks, Lisa Johns, Corey Stanley (Outreach Coordinator), Mike Zurbrigen, Lori Langfang, Sean Alleyne, Ashley Knight, Levi Sare, Jason Hamm.

“We believe our continued success is due to the fact that our number one purpose is to grow people.

People are at the very core of everything we do. ”

Euro-Wall Systems LLC, a privately held $12M revenue company employing 90 people, specializes in designing and manufacturing architectural impact doors for large openings to meet the specific needs of the Florida and Caribbean impact markets. Euro-Wall continually pushes the envelope when it comes to size and design pressure for folding, sliding, stacking and pivot doors for upscale residential and commercial applications. You can find Euro-Wall products being used locally here at Libby’s or across the country at Ripley's Believe It or Not! in San Francisco and in all points in between. We believe our continued success is due to the fact that our number one purpose is to grow people. People are at the very core of everything we do. We are here to serve the needs of our customers, vendors, employees and community. We believe if we focus on growing people, success will follow. Volunteering to work with those in need helps grow both sides of the partnership. We are active with providing food and job opportunities for the homeless, paid internships for high school and college students, and providing job opportunities for ex felons and those recovering from chemical dependency. We focus on service in all of

its definitions. We are now developing a partnership with South Sarasota Habitat for Humanity for a home build project in North Port.

Euro-Wall also pays for and serves food to the homeless twice a month through the Charlo e County Homeless Coalition. Additionally, EuroWall volunteers to bring awareness to the prevention of childhood drowning by donating money for swimming lessons and helping childhood drowning victim families financially with funeral and medical bills through the Live Like Jake Foundation.

MANUFACTURING ADDRESS 2200 MURPHY COURT. NORTH PORT, FL 34289 SHOWROOM ADDRESS 1211 STIRLING ROAD, UNIT 102, DANIA BEACH, FL 33004

SPECIAL LOCALPRENEUR OF THE YEAR HONOREE SECTION :: SRQ MAGAZINE :: MARCH 2020

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5201 PAYLOR LANE, SARASOTA 941-351-0024 | GRAPEINC.COM

“Use your ears twice as much as your mouth. If you listen, you learn, and you’ll find the brightest and boldest ideas come from the most inconspicuous places.” ”

2020 HONOREE

ALLISON IMRE PRESIDENT/OWNER, GRAPEVINE COMMUNICATIONS

It takes an imaginative, active, solution-focused mind to work at an ad agency. According to Allison Imre, the president and owner of local powerhouse Grapevine Communications, it helps to be enthusiastic, conscientious and bold – with a li le bit of crazy – to run one. Imre leads the charge of the agency’s 17 smart-thinking, big-dreaming in-house professionals. They listen to the needs of their clients and put their heads together to develop strategies, campaigns and materials that are designed to make customers click, call and connect. The process is collaborative and ensures that writers, graphic artists, brand strategists and account executives si through ideas and possibilities as a team, coming up with the best possible solution for each client. And business is booming. This past year, the agency hired three more creatively minded go-ge ers to its crew and experienced a 43 percent growth over 2018 – a feat Imre a ributes to the referrals of existing clients who are wowed by Grapevine’s work. For Grapevine, Creative. Strategic. Accountable. isn’t just a catchy tagline, it’s a promise. From print to pixels and everything in between, clients love the fact that Grapevine delivers its entire suite of cross-platform, award-winning marketing, advertising, public relations and social media services directly from its Lakewood Ranch location. They’re convenient, they’re clever and they’re crazy enough to get clients results.

SPECIAL LOCALPRENEUR OF THE YEAR HONOREE SECTION :: SRQ MAGAZINE :: MARCH 2020

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"We are elated with the support our community has shown to us. We immediately fell in love with Sarasota and are honored to give back to charitable organizations."

2020 HONOREES

SAMUEL RAY JEFFREY KARASAWA CO-OWNERS, TSUNAMI SUSHI & HIBACHI As a Millennial from Texas, Samuel Ray is o en asked about how he came to own an award-winning Japanese restaurant in Sarasota.

A er high school, Samuel le for college in pursuit of an architecture degree. It didn’t take long to determine architecture wasn’t the right path. Samuel felt there were two options: move back to his parent’s ranch in Texas or seek his next adventure on his own. The choice was easy, and so, the journey began. During Samuel’s 21st birthday dinner at Kobe Japanese Steakhouse in Austin, he le a large tip to the best server he had ever known, Jeffrey Karasawa.

The two struck up a conversation and Jeffrey offered Samuel a job as a server, which he gratefully accepted. Samuel strived to quickly learn everything about the business. As the Owner of Kobe, Jeffrey’s Uncle took notice of Samuel’s work ethic and a itude, and promoted him to Manager. Within two months, sales doubled.

During this time, Samuel and Jeffrey’s friendship grew and so did their interest for larger opportunities.When Samuel heard about a struggling Sarasota restaurant that needed a “spark” and the right management, he flew to SRQ to explore the opportunity for himself. Six months later, the two budding restauranteurs decided to become partners and purchase the restaurant. The re-invented Tsunami was born, with a dedication to providing patrons with the best Asian dining experience in Sarasota.

100 CENTRAL AVENUE, SUITE 1022 DOWNTOWN SARASOTA, FL 34236 941-366-1033 | TSUNAMI-SARASOTA.COM

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2020 HONOREE

“As the saying goes: success is 5% inspiration, 95% perspiration. At ROBRADY, that perspiration is seen in rigorous testing, research and planning THAT makes sure when clients catch lightning in a bottle it’s more than a flash in the pan.”

2020 HONOREE

“Metaphysical simply means 'the unseen. That includes god. My entire life has been spent looking toward a higher power through the many fascinating forms of belief.”

JOHNNA WHITE

ROBERT BRADY CEO/DESIGN DIRECTOR, ROBRADY DESIGN

For 25 years, ROBRADY design has proved itself as a multidisciplined product design and development studio, garnering many awards for its progressive design, production and capital solutions in robotics, medical, marine, military, industrial and powersports markets. CEO and Design Director, Robert Brady, does more than just design innovative products, he leads the studio fueled by the belief that successful product design requires the ability to humanize user experiences that breathe life into engaging concepts. This belief, accompanied by an innovative team of world-class designers, engineers, fabricators, and creatives dedicated to staying at the forefront of the ever-evolving field of design, is what gives start-ups to fortune 100 companies the “ROBRADY advantage”. ROBRADY makes its mark in all aspects of design, production and capital with their proven research to reality process that begins with investing time and resources into understanding not just the product, but the client and their marketplace as well. In this way, the studio can see beyond the product-picture to the big-picture and measure success, not just by short-term profitability, but long-term sustainability and client relationships. Capabilities include industrial design, mechanical / electrical / so ware engineering, rapid prototyping, graphics / packaging / brand / User Interface / web and eCommerce design combined with overall program management and business strategy.

ROBRADY.COM STUDIO@ROBRADY.COM 941-359-6656

OWNER, PIXIE DUST METAPHYSICAL BOUTIQUE

Johnna White grew up in Kansas, where her father was a farmer. He called himself “a water witch”, a term for dowsers who can find water using copper rods or tree branches. Johnna grew up fascinated by her father's ability to find water for wells and stories of her grandmother's clairvoyance. Her curiosity about these flowered into serious study of the metaphysical.

Johnna holds triple bachelor degrees with graduate work in English Literature. But her real passion has always been the study of metaphysics and comparative religions. She is a certified hypnotist, Reiki Master, certified Angel Card reader, Munay Ki Earthkeeper, and holds numerous other certifications. Her concept was to create a retail shopping environment that offered a place of acceptance for all ideologies, reflecting all the world's major religions in one peaceful place.

On Pixie Dust's shelves, Christian crosses and angel statues sit next to statues of the Buddha, Hindu deities, Greek and Roman pantheon and Celtic statues. Touches of fun and whimsy include fairies, gnomes and mermaids along with standard New Age items such as crystals and incense. The space behind the retail area of the store houses intuitive readers, massage therapy, meditation and energy treatments.

PIXIE DUST METAPHYSICAL BOUTIQUE 1476 MAIN STREET, SARASOTA, FL PIXIEDUSTSARASOTA.COM

SPECIAL LOCALPRENEUR OF THE YEAR HONOREE SECTION :: SRQ MAGAZINE :: MARCH 2020

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TOP ROW Dr. Jack Levin, Joe Mullins, Gelareh Kiazand, Robert Szucs, Matthew Diffee, Ridhi Tariyal. TOP ROW Stephen Wiltshire, Sophie Hollingsworth, Juha Kaakine, Tyler Thrasher, Dr. Shelley Carson and Daniel Houck.

WRITTEN BY JOHN WITTE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN AND EVAN SIGMUND

THE WILDEST YEAR YET Like Sarasota’s original master of ceremonies John Ringling, Anand Pallegar and the team at DreamLarge spent the entire year planning PINC (People Ideas Nature Culture) collecting curiosities from around the globe: professors, artists, wonks, a cartographer from Hungary, a documentarian from Tehran, even a luthier from the far-off land of Columbus, Ohio. Pallegar promises that his audience will leave the Sarasota Opera House totally transformed. Pallegar’s creatures are more than just impressive résumés—like Ringling, half the thrill of Pallegar’s performance comes from the ever-present threat that the show could go off the rails. Will a joke go too far, or will the many discussions of environmentalism and affordable housing resonate uncomfortably with the audience? The danger, of course, is all a part of the show. Like the crystals and opals that artist Tyler Thrasher cultivates as a part of his artistic practice, PINC’s end result is a happy mix of directed chaos and professional showmanship. Genuinely interesting people are rarely predictable, and PINC is undeniably populated with interesting people. There’s a host of these characters, but the patchwork of ideas and experience that one is left with at the end of the day starts to make a certain kind of sense. Creativity can come from a variety of sources: Everyone onstage was defined by a sense of curiosity, open-mindedness and the ability to pay attention to details. Pallegar ends the event by telling his audience that, “together, we’re inspired to dream larger in approaching community problems in new and divergent ways.” The hope of this event’s founders, then, is that the audience will take home many of the same qualities shared by the presenters and disperse their effects in our own Sarasota community.

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Stephen Wiltshire ARTIST

What is the role of an artist? Does the artist express themselves, in an effort to be understood by others, or do they translate a reality only they can see for those who cannot?

In simple terms: Is art for the artist or for their audience? In Stephen Wiltshire, we see this conundrum at its most potent; mute from a young age, Wiltshire could not speak until he was nine years old, two years after he was diagnosed with autism.

He can, however, draw an entire city from memory, after having only seen it once from a helicopter. He’s still not very talkative, so his mother and sister travel with him to help with public speaking and interactions with reporters.

“It’s so nice up there, so beautiful. You can see everything.” There are a few things that Wiltshire definitely enjoys. He likes flights over cities, like the helicopter ride he took over Sarasota before drawing our entire cityscape during this year’s PINC. He likes American cars. He really likes Hollywood movies like Saturday Night Fever and Grease. He loves legendary actors (“John Travolta, he was great!”) because he respects talented people.

But, most of all, Wiltshire loves the feeling he gets when people watch him draw. “I work hard, I love using the pencil and the paper.” It’s important to him that other people see his work. It’s hard to think of a clearer definition of art than that.

Dr. Jack Levin SOCIOLOGIST

“Criminologists aren’t very good at predicting behavior that doesn’t happen very often.

But, that’s the kind of behavior that I study: mass murder, serial killers, hate crimes.” Dr. Jack Levin likes to start his talks out with a couple jokes about his appearance.

He looks like Albert Einstein, David Crosby, Santa Claus—you name it, he’s heard it. Except that none of those people ever offended Charles Manson. “He used to call me Jack the

Jackal. I don’t think he liked me very much.”

In the mid-1980s, Levin coauthored the first book ever written on serial killers. “After that, I couldn’t get out of the business.

I didn’t realize it was a growth industry.” Despite the cultural cache that infamous mass murderers have enjoyed as of late, Levin wants to see them less glamorized in the popular imagination.

Joe Mullins FORENSIC ARTIST

Portraiture is one of the oldest traditions in Western art. An accurate drawing of a person’s face, at the moment they sit down in front of the artist’s easel: It’s a slice of the present tense, a technology for stopping time and revisiting the past. Joe Mullins makes portraits, too, but his portraits show us the past and the future.

What will you look like when you’re 40 years older? What face belongs on this long dead skull? What will my children look like? “There was

a case I worked on—a mother and two children, homicide victims from 1935. What’s the reality that someone is going to identify these people, 80 years later?” Mullins is something of a

modern-day sketch artist. He takes data from existing sources (your current appearance, your parents’ appearance, what you looked like as a kid, your dead body’s appearance) and extrapolates information that might be valuable to investigators.

What does this missing child look like 15 years later? What did these murder victims look like when they were alive?

He’s half scientist, half investigator and all artist. His portraits use data, but are an act of creative interpretation as much as a scientific process.

Gelareh Kiazand DOCUMENTARIAN AND PRODUCER

After college, Gelareh Kiazand returned to Iran, the country where she was born, for an opportunity to study with the famed Tehranian

filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami.

Kiarostami was a part of the aesthetic movement that came to be known as Iranian New Wave cinema, a collection of artists that borrowed techniques from Italian neorealism and experimental documentary to create stories that were imbued with a sense of veracity that was unmatched by traditional narrative filmmaking.

“When I went back to Iran after I finished college, I worked with directors and got to see how they do what they do. There’s so much ‘real’ in that cinema.

I loved that. Stories were told, scripts were written, that took place totally within the mind of the filmmaker.” Kiazand is now well-known for her own on-location documentaries. She’s covered many sensitive topics; from adolescent suicide bombers to the melting polar ice caps, she’s been there to catch it on camera.

Juha Kaakinen CEO OF THE Y-FOUNDATION

Professorial and unassuming, Juha Kaakinen says that people from his region of Finland are renowned for their quiet personalities. The man’s accomplishments speak for themselves: Head of the Y-Foundation—his country’s largest NGO, with a long history of engagement in Finnish public life—his work has helped reduce homelessness in Finland by more than 35 percent. Housing is, in his estimation, central to the creation of a just and functional society.

Kaakinen, a fan of American culture generally (he studied American literature in college), sees an issue developing in our country.

Skyrocketing property values and stagnating wages have created a situation where market forces are no longer enough to determine an equitable chance at housing. “Some say that markets are self-regulating, the markets will take care of themselves, but housing is a special thing, and the markets are not selfregulating in that regard.”

The solution is a commitment to affordable housing that benefits the entire community. “Providing

affordable housing means that there are fewer people that are homeless, and more people can get housing. That’s one issue, the other is that the more you provide affordable housing, the more people have the possibility to pursue their working lives. On top of that, the act of building more housing means providing more work for your community.”

Robert Szucs GIS EXPERT, CARTOGRAPHER AND DESIGNER

Robert Szucs is a computer guy. He takes data and turns that data into a visual representation of space—a modern iteration of the ancient mapmaker. And, like the medieval scribes that would adorn their codicies with cryptic mappa mundi, or world maps, Szucs’ maps are as much artistic artifacts as they are scientific instruments.

When asked if maps create reality or merely reflect it, Szucs will respond with an ironic “yes.” The role of the mapmaker is to create a usable tool, a way to navigate time and space; but maps can also be beautiful, and, more importantly, they can be persuasive. “Maps are basically

just an image, and an image can be very powerful. People have told me that my maps have helped them appreciate nature more, or they were reminded of a stream where they went fishing when they were young. It’s easy to make people appreciate rivers and mountains if you take beautiful photos, but my challenge is to take ones and zeros and turn them into something moving.”

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Tyler Thrasher ARTIST Tyler Thrasher is a friendly guy; quick with a joke, or even a goodnatured rant, he’s fun to be around.

He’s a family man. He’s also a bit of a mad scientist. “I believe that

inspiration comes from one of two places–either nature, or human trauma. I deal mostly with the ‘nature’ end of things.

I find my inspiration in the old alchemists, those crazy old guys doing experiments in their huts in the woods, working with their furnaces.

Sometimes they’d make something cool, but usually they’d die or make nothing.”

Thrasher’s art is an act of guided chaos: crystal formations and, more recently, homegrown opalizations grown on unexpected objects. A dead scarab with stabs of blue on its exoskeleton. A deer’s skull covered with a hairline of limpid pink crystals across its brow. In his home lab, Thrasher grows what looks like living stones on long-dead biological specimens. He says it’s “the most specific job in the world. I don’t think it’s that mystical; it’s actually pretty simple chemistry. What I think is mystical ,is what happens when people see the mix of geological science and art. I think the mystical part is what inspires in them.”

Dr. Shelley Carson RESEARCHER AND INSTRUCTOR

Dr. Shelley Carson did her graduate work at Harvard University, through the department of psychology, and works on the intersection between psychopathology (the study of mental disorders) and creativity. Dr. Carson is, to put it bluntly, a really

smart person. While many people imagine academic psychology to be primarily concerned with the unintentional, instinctual and irresistible forces within the human mind, Dr. Carson deals with a far more complex topic—the very human acts of creation and improvisation. What sets Carson’s theories apart is the fact that she doesn’t consider creativity to solely be a function of cognitive plasticity (a biological function), but to also be a learned behavior. “Taking

a walk defocuses attention.

Cognitive disinhibition is a big part of the creative process, bringing to mind material that’s normally below the level of consciousness.”

Matthew Diffee CARTOONIST AND COMEDY WRITER

Matthew Diffee has a dark sense of humor—that much is obvious from the cartoons he draws for The New Yorker. He loves surreal non sequiturs and pointed absurdity. He enjoys comics like Mitch Hedberg, Demetri Martin, Monty Python and, of course, the late, great Gary Larson. But what you might not pick up on is Diffee’s easy smile and slouching charm. He lives in New York, naturally, but he hails from Denton, Texas. While Denton may be a solidly suburban stronghold these days, it was far greener and far more empty when Diffee grew up in the 1980s. “We

were eight minutes out of town, and eight minutes out of town means pastureland and woods. Weirdly, I lived in a town where all of the dads were professional pilots, so there was a big private airstrip in the middle of town. We’d be playing ‘war,’ and somebody’s dad would come home and we’d pretend that he was strafing us. It was pretty fun.”

Diffee’s life changed one night in middle school, when his parents dragged him to a neighbor’s house for a holiday party. “I remember finding a book of Far Side comics and chuckling my head off.”Now Diffee preaches the power of bad ideas.

Creativity, he says, is impossible without the freedom to have bad ideas, because it opens us up to the absurd and unlikely possibilities.

Let’s hope that freedom includes half as many good ideas as Diffee has.

Ridhi Tariyal CEO, OF NEXTGEN JANE

Ridhi Tariyal has a good idea. For decades, since the invention of the disposable tampon, women have been throwing away tons of genetic data about themselves and their reproductive health. Tariyal wants to gather that data, analyze it and use it to help women take charge of their own reproductive health. “It’s

about taking a product that you would normally treat as trash, that you would throw away, and treating it like it holds profound knowledge about your reproductive health.”

Daniel Houck OCCULTIST AND LUTHIER

When Daniel Houck walked out onstage at this year’s PINC, hat slung low, silk tie tucked into his black-and-white checkered shirt, many people in the audience expected him to share the story of his inspirational journey to Italy.

Houck is a classical music fan and a talented luthier. To create a perfect replica of Niccolò Paganini’s Il Cannone violin—the one that Paganini, by legend, sold his soul to the devil to master—Houck overcame numerous obstacles to get his hands on the original artifact.

Except that Houck doesn’t want to make violins anymore.

“I have begun to use the same methods of invocation and grimoiric magic that I once used to imbue my violins with power to contact the spirits of the dead.”

Houck claims to have contacted Pablo Picasso, Mark Rothko and Claude Monet, as well as many others “who are not yet ready to be announced publicly.” He’s just completed construction on an Enochian—the magical tradition invented in the 16th century to

contact angels—temple in his backyard. He’s still interested in classical music, but his craft has moved beyond musical instruments. He’s going “full steam” into the work of invocation.

When asked if violins have their own individual energy, Houck answers, “Of course! Because they have the energy imparted to them from people playing them for so many years. Everyone has their own sound when they play a violin, and that’s basically their energy being imparted into the instrument.”

Sophie Hollingsworth CULTURE ACTIVIST AND OUTDOOR ENTHUSIAST

Dressed in a wide-brimmed hat, flashing pictures of the Land Rover she drove all the way across the Australian outback and the friendly indiginous groups she met during her travels, it’s hard not to think of a British colonialist when talking to Sarasota native Sophie Hollingsworth. And that’s the point. Hollingsworth is a “modern explorer,” who documents her travels on her blog, “The Sophia Log”. She’s racked up a pretty impressive list of accomplishments by anyone’s standards: the youngest woman to ever earn a captain’s license, a spot on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 and a Fullbright Scholarship right out of her undergraduate at NYU. Her social media accounts are full of exotic locations and enough elephant guns and white linen to drive home the vintage “Van Pelt from Jumanji” vibe twice over. So, what drives her?

“I have the curiosity of a kindergartener and a taste for adventure!” Hollingsworth’s adventures have taken her all over the globe, and given her the opportunity to speak to powerful people about issues that matter to her. She’s an avowed environmentalist, who strives to draw attention to issues of marine pollution, biodiversity and indigenous rights. She currently works for Global Citizen, a nonprofit organization funded

by World Bank, an international financial conglomerate. SRQ

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BOUTIQUE SHOPPING, HOME DESIGN, ARCHITECTURE AND TRENDS

THIS SEAT TAKEN?

Funky, yet functional—put your feet up, or pop a squat, with an eclectic collection of ottomans and stools.

Brittany Mattie, Annelise Adams

NEW WORLD—CONTEMPORARY BENCH SEATS, STYLISH TUFFETS AND MODERN POUFS. Live edge wood swivel stool with foot bar, $249; Sarasota Architectural Salvage, 1093 Central Ave., Sarasota, 941-955-6699, sarasotasalvage.com. Modern tufted grey cushion stool, $65; Art of Living Collective, 2139 Siesta Dr., Sarasota, 941-2608437, @artoflivingcollective. Farran plush faux white fur bench seat with antique gold-leafed hand forged iron legs, $338; Annabel hand woven natural woven textile hassock, $758; Blu Home, 1830 South Osprey Ave., #101, Sarasota, 941-364-2900, @bluhomesarasota. Charles Ghost By Kartell translucent crystal stool, $330; Soft Square, 1506 Fruitville Rd., Sarasota, 941-554-4068, @softsquaresrq.

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OLD WORLD— RECLAIMED FOOT STOOLS, VINTAGE UPHOLSTERY AND BOHEMIAN HASSOCKS. Handmade Morrocan brown leather hassock, $140; Vintage wood trunk ottoman with black metal hardware, $90; Art of Living Collective, 2139 Siesta Dr., Sarasota, 941-260-8437, @artoflivingcollective. Mid-century Modern gold leather cushion stool, $150; Mid Century on Central, by appointment only, contact ctetreault2748@gmail.com or 508-496-9357, @midcenturyoncentral. Upcycled 1970s rainbow tweed pouf with statement tie, $250; McCollins Modern Warehouse, by appointment only, contact mccollinsmodern@gmail.com or 941-993-5371, @mccollinsmodern.

Reclaimed painted boat wood ottoman with sunburst detail, $199; Sarasota Architectural Salvage, 1093 Central Ave., Sarasota, 941-955-6699, sarasotasalvage.com.

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BURN ME ON

Bia Candle Co.’s nature-driven candles fill homey dens with scintillating fragrances. Brittany Mattie

Where to get it.

Find Bia Candle Co.’s candles at local retailers such as The Sarasota Collection Home Store, Molly’s! A Chic & Unique Boutique, Art of Living Collective, Suna Salon & Spa, Creekside Trader, Shore, The Yoga Shack (Sarasota and LWR) or at biacandleco.com.

BRAZILIAN BABE AND MIXOLOGIST OF LIQUID WAX BEATRICE ANTUNES solidifies her artisan candle-making company to bring intensely sensual scents to light up your pad. Upon infusing vegan ingredients, pure essential oils and soy wax, Antunes intently hand-pours each molten mixture into amber glass jars in her Rosemary District studio. “I make them alone with music that calms, or is fun, something that always has a positive vibration,” she says. “I try to transfer those positive emotions to my candles when I pour.” And once match meets wick, Bia’s all-natural blends create a clean, even and slow burn for many a evenings spent horizontal in a tub or on a couch. “Our olfactory sense is very powerful. It transports us in space and time. It brings back memories. It makes us smile.” Newly launched 2020 scents with cheeky innuendos for names include Honeydew Me, a fruity, fresh yet sweet combination of honeydew melon, watermelon, sparkling mineral water and lady apple peel, as well as Smokin’ Cowboy, an aromatic alchemy of Tuscan leather, blue iris, violet, cedar and sandalwood. “This cowboy will blow your mind,” Antunes quips. Gentlemen, take note. To source these telluric fragrances of the earth, Antunes often loses herself in Sarasota’s diverse landscapes—from the Keys and the Bay, to a horse barn east of Interstate and out to Myakka. “I love walking on a beach or through a field of grass. I’m always smelling and noticing nature’s given scents—the sand and salt of Sarasota, trying to find the bush of midnight jasmine when I stroll at night with my pup Duey or when my mare (Brazilian sport horse) Fantastique lets me breathe in the smell of her neck.” Kindling this month, Antunes will debut her first “high“ fashion scent, Lets Get Lit, an herbal, sticky-fresh cannabis flower scent with some smoky undertones. SRQ 54 | srq magazine_ MAR20 live local

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This page: Live edge tables found at Sarasota decor direct.

TREE WHISPERER

For Celeste Gruenstein of Décor Direct, it’s all about the wood. Andrew Fabian

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This page: Caption

THE GRAIN ON A NICE CUT OF LUMBER

tells the timeless story of a tree’s life—its trials and tribulations through drought, fire or pestilence, or its days of health and glory under the sun. To run a hand along its surface is to read its obituary writ wordlessly in the fibers of its being. So, when a good woodworker sets out to make a piece of furniture, the beauty of the final product depends on the ability to read the grain and celebrate the tree’s story. Celeste Gruenstein knows how to read the grain.

“If you listen,” she says, “wood will tell of its past and what it might become.” Her custom furniture outfit, Décor Direct, is as much in the business of listening for these stories as it is in selling beautiful wooden furniture, specializing in live-edge counter, bar and table tops. From two massive warehouses north of SRQ airport, her team of craftsmen mill, trim, sand, polish, stain and seal stunning pieces of salvaged and reclaimed wood that make their way into homes, office buildings and highend restaurants, enhancing these spaces with

their warmth and natural majesty. “We really try to capture the unique soul of the wood’s prior life,” she says. Sarasota locals have likely rested their elbows and eyes on one of these unique souls at Libby’s, Lemon Tree Kitchen or Circo. At Sage, Gruenstein and her team of wood wizards had a hand in many of the wood pieces inside the restaurant, including the hand-carved elephant-themed totem poles in the lobby, the polished cross-section of a lychee tree’s roots in the dining room, and the dark live-edge dining table in the mezzanine. “The owner of Sage really gets it,” she says, “and we’ve built a great relationship out of celebrating the wood.” Another recent commission from Moniomi Design, a high-end interior design firm out of Miami, involved the fabrication of a 12-foot long dining table that made its way into an 8000-square-foot home on Siesta Key. And the wood gets around, too, even being shipped to an estate in Mallorca, Spain just last month. But, it’s never about the bragging rights or the money, it’s always about the wood and the hands that coax its luster.

“We hire people with passion,” she says, “and from all walks of life.” A walk through the showroom allows visitors to gaze upon pieces in all of their stained and sealed beauty, but a tour through the production warehouse feels more like a lovingly curated natural museum.

Here, unfinished slabs rest vertically against the wall, sometimes wrapped in cardboard, other times exposed to the swirl of saw dust that settles on their surface and masks the potential of their polished future. Standing next to these behemoth cross-section slabs of tree trunks, the shape and scale of the tree manifests itself as a triumph of verticality.

“The wood inspires us to create each day,” she says. Whether it’s old barn siding that evokes the passage of time or a live-edge dining table that elicits the deep magic of the forest, wood possesses the infinite variety and charm of the natural world, offering a window into the sublime. “Every piece we make has a touch of Zen,” she says, “and it’s not just an artistic experience, but a spiritual one.” SRQ

Décor Direct Wholesale Warehouse, 2333 Whitfield Park Loop, Sarasota, www.decordirect.com, 941-751-4180 58 | srq magazine_ MAR20 live local

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PROVISIONIST MODERN SOUL OH MY GAUZE

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P R E S E N T S

T H E

2020

HOME

OF THEYEAR

Home remains the most significant architectural place we experience throughout our lives. It represents safety, ownership, privacy, stability and personality. As we continue to investigate the role that homes play in our daily lives, the annual SRQ Magazine Home of the Year Competition invites local architects, builders, interior designers and landscape artists to present us with new notions of home environments by submi ing their recent residential projects. Year a er year, the competition redefines the spaces where we live and thrive—broadening the discussion of what a home represents and what it can ultimately be with today’s building strategies, renovation techniques and regional trends. From seaside to streetside, inside and out, these award-winning domains celebrate and contribute to a growing legacy of innovative home design. COMPETITION PRODUCED BY SRQ MAGAZINE.

2020 JUDGES HUGO MIJARES, MIAMI, FL Studio Hugo Mijares is an award- winning and ideas-focused design practice established by Hugo Mijares in Miami in late 2008. In the same year the practice was selected by the American Institute of Architects for the ‘Emerging Young Architects’ Houses Tour and it has been widely published, both locally and internationally. The practice distills a holistic detail design and process-led approach in the delivery of highly creative and pragmatic solutions that resonate conceptual rigor and material invention. DAVID POORMAN,

NAPLES, FL David Poorman’s childhood was a blend of farm and beach, having moved at an early age from Ohio to Naples, Florida. A er enrolling in the architecture program at St. Petersburg Junior College, he went on to receive a Bachelor of Design from the University of Florida and a Master’s in Architecture from Princeton University. He lived for ten years in downtown Chicago, working and travelling for Perkins and Will and then for David Woodhouse Architects. In 2010, David established David Poorman Architect LLC (DPA) in Naples, an award-winning firm specializing in small-scale residential and commercial projects inspired and informed by Florida’s natural resources and climate. BRUCE SPARANO, NEW YORK CITY, NY Bruce Sparano is a licensed architect in the Untied States. He practices residential, municipal and commercial architecture, in addition to real estate consultation and development. Bruce is a member of the American Institute of Architects, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, the United States Green Building Council, the Preservation League of New York State, and the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation.

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BEST OVERALL HOME — OVER $2 MILLION

BAYVIEW HOUSE L E A D E R D E S I G N ST U D I O/S AWA D E S I G N ST U D I O PL ATINUM

This 3,400-square-foot home is situated on a beautiful Longboat Key bayfront lot. The residents envisioned a warm, modern one-story home designed to capture the dramatic bay views and provide a seamless indoor–outdoor lifestyle. From the street, a series of carefully cra ed terraces gently raise the existing grade to meet the FEMA-required floor level of the house. Visitors approach the home through an open-air courtyard with a sculptural screw pine at its center. The courtyard serves as a backdrop to the main living spaces and non-waterfront rooms look inward upon the courtyard to maintain privacy from the street. The main living spaces and master suite are situated along the L-shaped waterfront facade of the home and have sweeping bay views across an infinity-edge swimming pool. Upon entering the home, visitors are greeted with long views across the infinity-edge swimming pool to the bay beyond. A modest 8-foot-high cypress-clad ceiling compresses the entry space, then cascades upward as you move into the home, reaching a height of 14 feet in the light-filled living room.

Floor-to-ceiling glass and pocketing sliding glass doors face the pool and bay, while clerestory windows ring the living room providing abundant natural daylight from above. The living room opens onto a large covered porch, serving as the perfect perch overlooking the bay.

The porch features an outdoor kitchen, natural cypress wood ceilings and retractable insect screens. A gas firepit, framed by oolite stone benches, sits at the water’s edge. A warm pale e of natural materials is used both inside and out. Natural-finished white oak floors were chosen for their warmth and beauty. Cypress wood detailing, locally sourced Florida limestone cladding and white shell-topped concrete were used on the exterior, providing a rich contrast to the smooth white walls of the home’s interior.

Architect: Leader Design Studio Contractor and Builder: J.M. Meyer Construction Interior Design: Sawa Design Studio Kitchen Cabinets: Sarasota Architectural Woodworking Bathroom: Sarasota Architectural Woodworking Carpets and Flooring: Behr Snyder Group Landscape: Coast Outdoor Services Pool By: Pool Design Concepts Photographer: Ryan Gamma Photography

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BEST OVERALL HOME — OVER $2 MILLION

SARASOTA MODERN RETREAT GOLD

M U R R AY H O M E S

When the owners of the home are an architect and an interior designer, the assembling of the design and construction team becomes a very considered process.

A er careful scrutiny, they chose Guy Petersen and Damien Blume i to design the concept and produce the construction documents and Murray Homes as the contractor. The lot is in a very established, old Sarasota neighborhood and the modern design began to develop around a glorious banyan and oak trees on the lot. The clients’ goal was to build a main house and adjacent guest house positioned on the two separately pla ed lots, connected for livability, but not infringing on the setbacks. The level of planning and implementation in this house was highly critical, as the structure and finish takes much longer to build than a traditional home. This was a truly collaborative effort with collective decision-making between all involved to achieve the very best outcomes. The end result of the home is stunning. From the concrete detailing to the integrated cabinetry, house automation, and overall landscape and hardscape, this home is truly a modern classic.

Architect: Guy Peterson and Damien Blume i Contractor: Steve Murray Interior Design: Damien Blume i Kitchen Cabinets: Campbell Cabinetry Designs Bathroom: Campbell Cabinetry Designs Carpets and Flooring: Weird Science Concrete Landscape: Michael A. Gilkey Pool By: Pool Design Concepts Photographer: Mark Borosh and Ryan Gamma Photography Other: Artwork: Grace Howl

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BEST OVERALL HOME — OVER $2 MILLION

S I LV E R

ORCHID BEACH NAUTILUS HOMES

Nestled in the white sands of Lido Beach, overlooking a 100-acre preserve of Florida habitat, this Colonial West Indies home celebrates the natural beauty that Sarasota is known for. Inspired by the sugar-plantation estates on the island of Barbados, “Orchid Beach” radiates a barefoot elegance.

The family worked with Angela Rodriguez of Space as Art Interior Design and Ryan Perrone of Nautilus Homes to bring their vision to reality. Imported Dominican coral and a red brick paved drive transition to a courtyard with stone and bronze fountains, cedar trellises, gas lanterns and an intricate orchid pergola—creating a calming effect while approaching the home. The old-world materials and cra smanship continue throughout the home, culminating in areas of standout detail, including an English pub–style bar overlooking the preserve, a regal and serene terraced pool deck, and a paneled master bedroom with windows to resemble the stern of an old sailing ship overlooking the bayou. Orchid Beach was designed as a personal oasis for the owners to share the Florida lifestyle with their family and friends. Even the guest suites are fit for a governor. They provide exceptional privacy—having their own “wing,” located on a mid-level—with their own balconies overlooking the beach. The home gives the feel of traveling back in time to a spectacular island estate and promises to become a timeless piece of architecture on Lido Key. Art and cra smanship are the cornerstone of society. Orchid Beach combines an unparalleled level of cra into a living piece of art.

Contractor Ryan Perrone Builder: Nautilus Homes Interior Design: Angela Rodriguez Interiors Kitchen Cabinets: Elite Woodwork Bathroom: Elite Woodwork, Heritage Glass Carpets and Flooring: Oracle Flooring & Design Landscape: Hazeltine Nurseries Pool By: Fox Pools Photographer: Ryan Gamma Photography Other: Sarasota Granite Company, Myers Painting, Engler Window and Door.

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BEST OVERALL HOME — BETWEEN $1 TO $2 MILLION

THE SCHRECTER HOUSE PL ATINUM

S E I B E RT A RC H I T ECTS

The owners asked for a 4,000-square-foot, four-bedroom house that would take advantage of its elevated waterfront location, provide an indoor–outdoor lifestyle and be filled with natural light. The program is organized into two main volumes, with the courtyard, media space and office volumes as both the link and separation between the two. The main spaces in the house are aligned along the waterfront to capture the preferred views and open into the pool cage for bug-free indoor–outdoor living. The glassed-in courtyard brings light, vegetation and sky to interior circulation, where views to the water are not provided. The pool area and waterfront yard are terraced to provide flat outdoor space for activities, children at play and to moderate the transition down to the water. Stepping the site also allows one to see the water’s edge from the interior of the house rather than only distant water views.

The entry to the house transitions up to floor level with a raised entry forecourt let into the house’s massing. The entry foyer floats between the entry forecourt and the interior courtyard. A ention is given to the experience of moving through the house. With the house all on one level, ceiling-height transitions create spatial hierarchy, define boundaries and articulate circulation. Over main spaces, radiused wood ceilings allow natural light to spill in from above and provide an enhanced sense of openness and a lightness of spirit. These curved forms contrast with the more serious rectilinear nature of the design, bringing a lighthearted quality to the house—which is upli ing to its inhabitants.

Architect: Seibert Architects, PA Contractor: Yoder Homes & Remodeling Kitchen Cabinets: Dura Supreme Cabinetry Landscape: Grant’s Gardens Pool By: Water Designs of Sarasota Photographer: Ryan Gamma Photography

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BEST OVERALL HOME — BETWEEN $1 TO $2 MILLION

MYAKKA FARMHOUSE SWE E T SPAR K MAN ARC HI T ECTS

Situated on a working 40-acre ranch, this new home is made up of three primary areas: garage, living area and bedrooms, all unified under one “bu erfly” metal roof. The design pulls apart these volumes to create outdoor living in the interstitial spaces, enabling the relatively small home to feel more expansive and integrated into the beautiful rural landscape. The unifying roof provides a practical benefit to the Florida climate, shading the floor-to-ceiling glass while allowing for daylight harvesting. The home is organized along a primary corridor, which terminates in views of the surrounding pasture. The expansive roof provides the home with more shaded outdoor living area than enclosed air-conditioned space. Deep eaves make these spaces comfortable for year-round use. Offering a reprieve from the hot Florida weather, the open dog-trot breezeways funnel breezes through the open hallways. Locally sourced, carbonized poplar create louver walls to hide fixed screens, connect the spaces visually and create privacy.

Architect: Jerry Sparkman, AIA, NCARB Contractor: Josh Wynne Construction Interior Design: Sweet Sparkman Architects Kitchen Cabinets: Sarasota Architectural Woodworking Bathroom: Josh Wynne Construction Carpets and Flooring: Brewer Carpet One Landscape: JWS collaboration with owner Pool By: Ron Schultz Pools Photographer: Ryan Gamma Photography

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BEST OVERALL HOME — BETWEEN $1 TO $2 MILLION

THE FISH CAMP P E R RO N E CO N ST RU CT I O N S I LV E R

The Fish Camp was built to honor the historic stilt homes that dot the waters of Charlotte Harbor and would serve as dormitories for commercial fishermen during an era where boats only ran several miles offshore and fish were netted by hand. The feeling evoked when arriving at the Fish Camp is that you are 1,000 miles away, detached from the constant of time. There are no cars on the island, and the lush mangroves and tropical native vegetation envelop you like the breeze of salty air. Building on a remote island presents unique building challenges and unusual feats of ingenuity. The vision was to build a family compound, a place where they could unplug and retreat, a place where you could be nothing but in the present. Renowned Architect Paul Konstant designed the structure with a warm, inviting front elevation enticing visitors to stop by for a spell on the front porch— only to discover the expansive master living area inside followed by a cascading row of individual cottages laddering toward the shoreline. Every detail was taken into consideration to create a seamless integration of the exterior and the interior, including pocketing all the doors into the walls to ensure an uninterrupted flow to the outside. Staying true to Florida’s heritage was defining in their careful selection of materials. More than 22,000 linear feet of Florida Southern yellow pine covers the walls and ceilings, complementing the spirit of the architecture. As a final nod to the old fishing dormitories, the owner Rich Perrone, a builder of luxury custom homes, revisited his early days as a carpenter and handcrafted a bunk room outfitted with rustic bunk beds reminiscent of camp.

Architect: Paul Konstant and Konstant Architecture & Planning Contractor/Builder: Perrone Construction Interior Design: Michelle Perrone Kitchen Cabinets: Elite Woodwork Bathroom: Perrone Construction Carpets and Flooring: Legno Bastone Landscape: Hazeltine Nurseries Photographer: Ricky Perrone, Perrone Construction.

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BEST OVERALL HOME — UNDER $1 MILLION AND BEST SUSTAINABILITY | GREEN

PL ATINUM

MIKE’S HAMMOCK J O S H W Y N N E CO N ST RU CT I O N

Eventually, if we are lucky, we all grow old. I designed and built this home for my aging father. My dad adopted me when I was two. He was the hardestworking, most selfless man I have ever known. His whole life he fantasized about retiring to a cabin in the woods. Unfortunately, health issues cut his career and his dreams short. I had to rescue him, but our budget was tight. To keep him close, I found a prime spot on our family farm. I had to evict the pigs from their pen! The pen dictated the building size, as I chose not to remove trees to build the house. I minimized the foundation to protect the palms and maintain drainage. The structure was cantilevered beyond the foundation to keep it light in its location and to allow for the program without removing trees. The rear is set to the west, overlooking an adjacent wetland, where he can watch the birds and the deer with nightly sunsets as the backdrop. The design is intended to be incredibly cost efficient, durable, comfortable, low maintenance, fi ing for its environment and my dad’s love of cabins, and considerate of his unique health issues. The shape is a reflection of standard material sizes, resulting in a waste factor of less than 1 percent. We filled only a 10-yard dumpster in its construction. The cladding wraps the walls and the roof to break the perceived length of the structure and minimize maintenance, with the corrugation matching our 70-year-old barn. Yellow pine cladding runs cohesively through and up the ends of the structure to stretch the perception of space and create visual interest at every moment in the home. White interior dividing walls were intended to be lost visually while still reflecting light. The kitchen is full size, with a hidden pantry, flush microwave and no uppers. The Ikea cabinets feature all full-extension drawers for easy access—and saved my wallet. I used every inch of space. The bathroom is oversize with a walk-in shower, made to fit my dad’s needs. The HVAC system was custom-designed and built by Carrier. It is the smallest variable-speed split system in the US, to help maximize indoor air quality and comfort control. Scraps, small lots and le overs make up the majority of finishes. This home is proof that we can provide be er design, be er construction, be er care and a be er life for our aging loved ones—even on a budget. My dad’s health has improved drastically since he moved in. He loves his home. He’s out tending to the chickens right now.

Architect: Design by Josh Wynne and Jimmy Thornton of Nebula Design Contractor: Josh Wynne Construction Interior Design: Josh Wynne Kitchen Cabinets: IKEA Bathroom: IKEA, Atlas Concorde Carpets and Flooring: Locally Sourced Southern Yellow Pine Landscape: Josh Wynne Photographer: Ryan Gamma Photography

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OVERALL INTERIOR DESIGN

PL ATINUM

BAYVIEW HOUSE L E A D E R D E S I G N ST U D I O / S AWA D E S I G N ST U D I O

The residents of this new home envisioned a warm and modern abode designed to capture the dramatic bay views and provide a seamless indoor–outdoor lifestyle. A natural-material pale e is used both inside and out. Satin-finished white oak floors were chosen for their warmth and beauty. Cypress wood ceilings and regionally sourced limestone-clad walls flow seamlessly from interior to exterior. The kitchen sits in the middle of the open-plan living and dining spaces. The centerpiece of the kitchen is a meticulously cra ed 12-foot-long T-shaped island and integrated eat-in dining table made of river-recovered black cypress. The island is clad in honed Calaca a Altissimo panels with color-matched white quartz counters, providing a durable work surface.

Beautiful ribbed wood doors were salvaged from an existing home on the property and refashioned into an artful backsplash in the dining area. A custom dining table sits center stage, acting as both seating and art. The base is made of curved and tapered walnut wood slats with a white quartz tabletop. A custom blue-and-beige area rug anchors the room. The living room includes a gray-toned sectional sofa positioned to capture the expansive bay views. Playful accent pillows tie into the colors of a painting hung over the sofa, while sheer curtains so en the floor-to-ceiling glass doors. A finely cra ed recessed shelving unit was built to display the clients’ personal touches. The naturalmaterial pale e extends into the bathrooms through the use of natural stone on the walls and custom white honed concrete trough sinks. The master bathroom features a stained wood accent wall to accentuate the sculptural form of the vessel tub. Full-height sheer curtains so en the space. The result is a sophisticated, warm, tropical–modern home that captures the beautiful Sarasota Bay view.

Architect: Leader Design Studio Contractor: J.M. Meyer Construction Interior Design: Sawa Design Studio Kitchen Cabinets: Sarasota Architectural Woodworking Bathroom: Sarasota Architectural Woodworking Carpets and Flooring: Behr Snyder Group Landscape: Coast Outdoor Services Pool: Pool Design Concepts Photographer: Ryan Gamma. Photography

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OVERALL INTERIOR DESIGN Architect: Leader Design Studio Contractor: J.M. Meyer Construction Interior Design: Sawa Design Studio Kitchen Cabinets: West Wood Manufacturing Bathroom: West Wood Manufacturing Carpets and Flooring: Behr Snyder Group Landscape: DWY Landscape Architects Pool By: American Beauty Pools Photographer: Ryan Gamma Photography

CITRUS HOUSE L E A D E R D E S I G N ST U D I O / S AWA D E S I G N ST U D I O

This warm, modern courtyard home was designed to provide its residents the feeling of living in their own private “Selby Gardens.” The inward-focused home meanders across the property and the architectural forms push and pull to define a series of exterior courtyards that are interwoven amongst the interior rooms. Inside, each space is intimately scaled and thoughtfully cra ed to feel distinct, yet open and interconnected. A sophisticated and subtle pale e of warm, natural materials is used throughout the home. Satin-finished white oak floors were chosen for their warmth and beauty, while smooth white walls are carefully planned to feature the client’s contemporary art collection. The light-filled living room features 13-foot ceilings. Floor-to-ceiling glass faces the pool courtyard—bringing the outdoors in—and west-facing clerestory windows wrap over the TV/bookcase wall to capture views of the sunset sky. The TV is set upon a gray porcelain-tile backdrop to minimize the visual impact. White kitchen cabinets wrap the perimeter of the kitchen, while a meticulously cra ed 13-foot-long island, designed for entertaining and eat-in dining, anchors the space. The island is clad in ri -cut white oak and a honed gray quartz countertop, while a Carrara marble backsplash and back-painted glass upper cabinets provide timeless and elegant accents. The master bedroom and bathrooms open to both a meditation garden and the pool courtyard, reinforcing the connection between indoor and outdoor spaces. A den is situated to the front of the home and opens to the entry courtyard and front porch, providing an intimate and peaceful space to relax. The result is a sophisticated, warm, organic–modern home, set into its own tropical paradise.

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OVERALL INTERIOR DESIGN

OLD GROVE N AU T I LU S H O M E S S I LV E R

The Old Grove was brought to life as a forever home for a renowned musician, his former ballerina wife and their two young children. The family, having traveled to orchestral halls around the world, has very distinct architectural taste and expectations. The family purchased the 7 acres of Spanish moss–draped, riverfront landscape over 10years prior to this build. The lot was part of the Gamble Sugar plantation, built in 1840. The family drew their style inspiration from classic and traditional architecture, taking inspiration from Beaufort and Charleston, South Carolina. Designed for airiness and coolness, the “Beaufort style” incorporated elements of Georgian and Colonial architecture as well as those of Greek Revival and semitropical Spanish. They requested a home resembling the longest-standing structures in North America, such as Drayton Hall built in 1747, with the conveniences and open feel of a new build. In preparation for construction, the Nautilus team traveled to visit Drayton Hall to understand the architectural building techniques of the period to ensure the home would hold historic integrity. The home was designed and cra ed to maintain the historic, traditional feel while being filled with playful and creative details such as painted striped floors, swinging diner doors, rolling ladders, antique hardware, gas lanterns, brick floors, reclaimed wood and secret doors. The home features authentic materials, including Loewen windows, Signature entry doors, Timberlane shu ers, coffered ceilings, custom cabinetry and millwork creating elaborate, grand spaces. This home is exquisitely complex, while creating a sense of calm. In a time where simple, clean structures are the trend, we put care in cra smanship and detailing with integrity. The home captures the clients’ character and will stand as a testament to their family and their passion for classical arts.

Architect: William B. Litchfield Residential Designs AIA Contractor: Ryan Perrone Builder: Nautilus Homes Interior Design: William B. Litchfield Residential Designs Kitchen Cabinets: Elite Woodwork Bathroom: Elite Woodwork, Heritage Glass Carpets and Flooring: Paramount Flooring Landscape: Hazeltine Nurseries Pool By: Fox Pools Photographer: Jessica Glynn Photography.

Other: Finishing Touch Custom Painting, LLC.

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BEST KITCHEN

PL ATINUM

BAYVIEW HOUSE LE AD E R D E SI G N ST U DI O / SAWA DES I GN ST U DI O

The kitchen is the heart of the home, si ing at the center of the L-shaped openplan living and dining spaces. The kitchen is purposefully positioned to provide the owners with views across the infinity-edge swimming pool to Sarasota Bay beyond while standing at the island. L-shaped in plan, the perimeter of the kitchen features custom-painted white cabinets with simple quartz counters and backsplash. A clean-lined stainless-steel range hood and back-painted frosted glass upper cabinets provide a crisp, contemporary accent. A concealed appliance garage with pocketing doors, full-height pantry cabinets and integrated paneled appliances help to create a calm and unfe ered backdrop to the living space. A fully concealed wet bar sits below a large picture window and serves as the bridge between the kitchen and living room. The centerpiece of the kitchen is a meticulously cra ed 12-foot-long T-shaped island and integrated eat-in dining table. The island is clad in honed Calaca a Altissimo panels with color-matched white quartz counters, providing a durable work surface. The eat-in dining table and island cabinets are fabricated from river-recovered black cypress wood and visually anchor the space.

To reduce visual clu er, details include recessed finger pulls on cabinets, undercabinet LED strip lights, speakers concealed behind the drywall, flush electrical outlets and 1-inch-square trimless LED lights over the island. The result is an elegant and timeless kitchen that anchors the living space, serves the dining space and provides the perfect backdrop for everyday life and entertaining.

Architect: Leader Design Studio Contractor: J.M. Meyer Construction Interior Design: Sawa Design Studio Kitchen Cabinets: Sarasota Architectural Woodworking Bathroom: Sarasota Architectural Woodworking Carpets and Flooring: Behr Snyder Group Landscape: Coast Outdoor Services Pool: Pool Design Concepts Photographer: Ryan Gamma. Photography

MODERN COVE DSDG ARCHITECTS

A classic contemporary kitchen with an industrial twist, the space is a total flip with top-of-the-line appliances. Part of the kitchen is transformed into a wine room, and in a stunning architectural move, a window was placed on the added wet bar to view into the wine room. A three-panel glass door to the wine room gives the wall a so er look. It’s all in the details with this kitchen. Stunning blackand-white contrast cabinets with added design elements include elevating a contemporary flat panel cabinet with beveled edges.

A panel-ready fridge lends to the well-thought-out details with a set of faux drawers at the bo om and gorgeous large brass handles and a matching set of small brass knobs. Notches down the side of the island wall create a unique faux door with another touch of brass knobs. Contrast black hardware stands out against the bright white cabinets. Perfect symmetry can be seen on the kitchen wall with the cabinets reflecting one another. These are framed in wall-to-ceiling marbled quartz perfectly laid to frame out the window in a seamless mitered edge. The quartz then transitions to countertop from the back wall to the island. With all of this classic modern in the space, the kitchen is given an edge with a concrete-look porcelain tile. The sink boasts a black double faucet with a brass industrial detail on the head. The lights play into the sleekness with a black metal and brass combination.

Architect: DSDG Architects, Mark Sultana Contractor: DTI Construction Interior Design: DSDG Architects, April Ballie e Kitchen Cabinets: Campbell Cabinetry Designs Photographer: Tara Correa.

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BEST KITCHEN Architect: Potvin Design Company, John Potvin Contractor: Voigt Brothers Construction, Michael Voigt Builder: Voigt Brothers Construction, Michael Voigt Interior Design: Point West Designs, Gary Pike Kitchen Cabinets: Contemporary Cabinetry Bathroom: CAB Contemporary Cabinetry Tile:: Tile Market.

Carpet and Flooring: Sticks and Stones Landscape: Tropical Landscape Solutions Pool By: Water Designs Photographer: Ryan Gamma Photography

LIDO RETREAT V O I G T B R OT H E R S C O N S T R U C T I O N S I LV E R

Perched at the merger of New Pass and the Gulf of Mexico, this extraordinary waterfront home dazzles among its peers. Located in the classic Lido Shores neighborhood, the home conveys the rich history of Sarasota through its variety of architectural details. From the elaborate millwork including seven-piece crown molding, three-piece casing and custom base, to the marble floors with brass inlay detail in the Master bath, the residence is a true showcase. Greeting guests upon entry is a giant aquarium while an Oval two-story ceiling detail adds elegance. Exterior rear views captivate the imagination with a terraces outdoor living bonanza. From the massive pool area complete with gro o and firepits, surprises never stop whether inside or out. The homes design offers the owner excellent privacy from the street while at the same time takes ever advantage of the amazing views that the rear of the property offers of the crystal-clear waters of New Pass as it empties into the Gulf of Mexico. These views can be enjoyed from almost every room in the house and the rear porches that have raised the bar for the highest level of outdoor living. The roof line and plantation shu ers give a West Indies feel while the contrast of light and dark is characteristically transitional.

BEST BATHROOM PL ATINUM

THE FISH CAMP P E R RO N E CO N ST RU CT I O N

Architect: Paul Konstant and Konstant Architecture & Planning Contractor/Builder: Perrone Construction Interior Design: Michelle Perrone Kitchen Cabinets: Elite Woodwork Bathroom: Perrone Construction Carpets and Flooring: Legno Bastone Landscape: Hazeltine Nurseries Photographer: Ricky Perrone, Perrone Construction.

The Fish Camp was built to honor the historic stilt homes that dot the waters of Charlo e Harbor and would serve as dormitories for commercial fishermen during an era where boats only ran several miles offshore and fish were ne ed by hand.

The feeling evoked when arriving at the Fish Camp is that you are 1,000 miles away, detached from the constant of time. There are no cars on the island, and the lush mangroves and tropical native vegetation envelop you like the breeze of salty air.

Building on a remote island presents unique building challenges and unusual feats of ingenuity. The vision was to build a family compound, a place where they could unplug and retreat, a place where you could be nothing but in the present.

Renowned Architect Paul Konstant designed the structure with a warm, inviting front elevation enticing visitors to stop by for a spell on the front porch—only to discover the expansive master living area inside followed by a cascading row of individual co ages laddering toward the shoreline. Every detail was taken into consideration to create a seamless integration of the exterior and the interior, including pocketing all the doors into the walls to ensure an uninterrupted flow to the outside. Staying true to Florida’s heritage was defining in their careful selection of materials. More than 22,000 linear feet of Florida Southern yellow pine covers the walls and ceilings, complementing the spirit of the architecture. As a final nod to the old fishing dormitories, the owner Rich Perrone, a builder of luxury custom homes, revisited his early days as a carpenter and handcra ed a bunk room outfi ed with rustic bunk beds reminiscent of camp.

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BEST REMODEL | RENOVATION

COURTYARD HOUSE PL ATINUM

N AU T I LU S H O M E S

The Courtyard House—a classic Sarasota School of Architecture, Jack West home—was designed to be all about the slow reveal. With this idea in mind, a private enclosed courtyard captivated this intrigue at the front entry.

A er its original build as a spec home in 1965, the courtyard was demolished, but in this renovation, the homeowner wanted to pay homage to the original design intent.

In 2019, Echt Architects and Hazeltine Nurseries redesigned the landscaping and additional architectural facade elements to honor that same unhurried divulgence.

This original objective was reborn by creating a water feature with stepping stones and a singular perfectly placed topiary at the front entry, giving rise to a feeling of serenity before entering the home. From the privacy-protecting Clusia hedges to the Montgomery palm–lined driveway to the earthy wooden ba ens at the front entry, the space feels secluded yet welcoming and spacious for guests. The home never had a pool originally; however, it is married so naturally with the space that it doesn’t seem it could have ever gone without. The crisp white pavers against the Caribbean blue pool are reminiscent of the sands of Siesta Key Beach against the lapping waves of the Gulf. The water is hugged by a flush firepit to create a zen balance of the elements. The pool is surrounded by an outdoor dining area with swaying palms situated to provide shade where needed, a bar for easy outdoor entertainment and a cozy sunken wood-burning firepit area that leads down to the dock. The Sarasota School of Architecture keeps Florida’s subtropical climate and easy indoor–outdoor lifestyle at the forefront. With these upgrades to the iconic Courtyard House, we were able to preserve the historic intent and integrity while creating a modern and mindful experience at the home.

Architect: Echt Architects Contractor: Ryan Perrone Builder: Nautilus Homes Landscaape: Hazeltine Nurseries Pool: Siesta Pools Photographer: Ryan Gamma Photography Other: BMMI, Native Sun Painting, Gator Plumbing, Black Jack Air & Mechanical, Direct Window & Door Supply.

THE ARGUEDAS HOUSE

GOLD

Architect: Seibert Architects, PA Contractor: Ball Construction Inc., Yoder Homes & Remodeling.

Interior Design: Jennifer Masters, NCIDQ, ASID Carpet and Flooring: Slik Crete Photographer: Ryan Gamma Photography

S E I B ERT A RCHIT ECTS

This unique mid-century modern house suffered years of modifications and neglect. Doors and windows between inside and outside and between rooms, including bathrooms, had been removed.

The original carport was closed in and an awkward storage area was added behind the master bedroom. Different flooring materials occurred throughout the house and some of the original stack-bond block walls inside and outside were covered with other finishes while other areas were still exposed. Essentially, the house had become a patchwork of incompatible materials and unfinished ideas, both interesting and ill advised. Fortunately, the unique roof structure made of Picket panels in a “V” formation was still present and was in reasonable condition. The new owners decided not to restore the house to its original condition due to the loss of square footage that this would require. Ultimately, the goal for the renovations was to bring into focus the unique and interesting aspects of the original mid-century design and to bring a cohesive aesthetic and organization to the house.

New windows and doors were installed where missing and as replacements for others. The pool cage was replaced with a taller one that be er related to the main interior space. Extraneous interior and exterior elements were removed and new exterior hardscape elements were added. Bathrooms were reconfigured and skylights placed above showers to introduce natural light into these otherwise small, dark areas. With low ceilings and no a ic space, strategies for air-conditioning the house were integral to the solution for the house. Areas where the stack-bond block walls had been covered with other materials were damaged and unable to be restored. To achieve a consistent aesthetic inside and outside the house, wall finishes were replaced or added as needed. Similarly, floors were covered with concrete topping, and doors and doorjambs added and replaced for consistency.

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BEST LANDSCAPE DESIGN Architect: Sweet Sparkman Architects Builder: Josh Wynne Construction Landscape Design: Borden Landscape Design Landscape Bodhi Tree Landscape Photographer: Ryan Gamma. Photography

PL ATINUM

SEATHRU HOUSE BORDEN LANDSCAPE DESIGN

Oriented to capture the sunsets across Sarasota Bay, this modern gem embodies coastal living. The exterior design concept was based on the modern lines of the home and allows the elegant forms to transfer onto the ground plane. The driveway design and connecting pedestrian paths were formed concrete pads with a simple broom finish, a “piano key” effect with long linear pads in various lengths. The 6-inch gaps between the pads are neatly topped with crushed gray granite and allow rainwater to flow through, minimizing runoff onto the street.

As you approach the front of the home, you’ll enter an almost hidden courtyard, which is bounded by the guest suite and main residence. The pockets of plantings within the courtyard contain sculptural accent plants such as dracaenas, agaves, succulents and some variegated dwarf primrose and ornamental grasses. Native limestone slabs create an elevated path across the space with white beach pebbles between them, adding a whimsical detail. The royal poinciana is placed as an anchoring shade tree that will help cool the space in the summer in a very beautiful way. One of the notable design challenges, as with many homes, is proximity to neighboring properties and balancing openness while retaining privacy. We achieved this by planting a combination of traveler’s palms and podocarpus to screen views outside of key windows along the property line, without the need for any fencing. The crushed stone path along the eastern side is flanked by an a ractive combination of fountain grasses, dwarf fakahatchee grass and native muhly grasses, with an a ractive yellow tabebuia tree outside the main guest window.

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BEST LANDSCAPE DESIGN Architect: Echt Architects Contractor: Ryan Perrone Builder: Nautilus Homes Landscape: Hazeltine Nurseries Pool: Siesta Pools Photographer: Ryan Gamma Photography Other: BMMI, Native Sun Painting, Gator Plumbing, Black Jack Air & Mechanical, Direct Window & Door Supply.

COURTYARD HOUSE NAU T I LU S H O ME S GOLD

The Courtyard House—a classic Sarasota School of Architecture, Jack West home—was designed to be all about the slow reveal. With this idea in mind, a private enclosed courtyard captivated this intrigue at the front entry. A er its original build as a spec home in 1965, the courtyard was demolished, but in this renovation, the homeowner wanted to pay homage to the original design intent.

In 2019, Echt Architects and Hazeltine Nurseries redesigned the landscaping and additional architectural facade elements to honor that same unhurried divulgence. This original objective was reborn by creating a water feature with stepping stones and a singular perfectly placed topiary at the front entry, giving rise to a feeling of serenity before entering the home. From the privacyprotecting Clusia hedges to the Montgomery palm–lined driveway to the earthy wooden ba ens at the front entry, the space feels secluded yet welcoming and spacious for guests. The home never had a pool originally; however, it is married so naturally with the space that it doesn’t seem it could have ever gone without.

The crisp white pavers against the Caribbean blue pool are reminiscent of the sands of Siesta Key Beach against the lapping waves of the Gulf. The water is hugged by a flush firepit to create a zen balance of the elements. The pool is surrounded by an outdoor dining area with swaying palms situated to provide shade where needed, a bar for easy outdoor entertainment and a cozy sunken wood-burning firepit area that leads down to the dock. The Sarasota School of Architecture keeps Florida’s subtropical climate and easy indoor–outdoor lifestyle at the forefront. With these upgrades to the iconic Courtyard House, we were able to preserve the historic intent and integrity while creating a modern and mindful experience at the home.

OSPREY LANDING BORDEN LANDSCAPE DESIGN S I LV E R

This warm, modern home rests is in a canopied Whitfield neighborhood with views of Sarasota Bay. As relaxed as it is sophisticated, the landscape enveloping the residence allows children to play, adults to gaze and visitors to feel truly awed and welcomed into the home.

The great recreational lawn in the rear yard, surrounding the swimming pool and spa, provides not only a great surface for walking or running around on, but also helps to frame the bay’s views as a beautiful flat plane of zoysia grass, reinforced by the graceful native sabal palms and longleaf pines. The front entry gardens, the most welcoming feature of the property, contain a variety of carefully selected tropical plantings, succulents and natural stones along with a pathway that enhances the architectural expression. It serves as a wonderful intermediate experience between the front lawn and vehicular areas to the entrance of the home. Strategically placed trees provide canopy above, and an unusual variety of specimen palms and other plantings provide visual interest.

The expansive linear front lawn is punctuated by a single pink floss silk tree and bordered by a thoughtful composition of pink lantana and lush ground cover.

Closer to the home are a series of dracaenas and giant iris, dramatically lit at night. The panelized concrete walkway contains linear grassed joints that allow the lawn to extend through the concrete and capture rainwater as it flows down the drive during storm events. At the request of the homeowner, large canopy trees and other buffering plant material were provided along the southern edge to shield the side yard from a sometimes harsh summer sun and roadway traffic. The overall composition achieves a stunning series of unique spaces that entices the individual to enjoy every space within the landscape.

Architect: DSDG Architects Builder: Josh Wynne Construction Landscape Design: Borden Landscape Design Landscape: Earth Works Landscape Management Photographer: Ryan Gamma Photography

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auteur / o’tur / author or originator; an artist whose style and practice is considered original and distinctive

PAN O R AM I C R E S I D E N C E S | 3 6 0º LIVI N G

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F R O N T R O W S E AT S O N S A R A S O TA B AY From the creators of Beau Ciel, en Provence, Orchid Beach Club, Aria and Virage comes a luxury tower lifestyle unlike any Sarasota has seen before. Expansive tower residences feature panoramic bay views. Curated interiors, concierge-level services and innovative amenities create an ambiance of uncommon artistry and inspiration. An ideal Boulevard of the Arts location surrounds you with the endless attractions of the new Sarasota Bayfront.

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THE ARTISTIC VISION FOR AUTEUR is framed by fresh, modern architecture with a distinctive coastal flair. Ingeniously designed by the

acclaimed Chuck Jones of Curts Gaines Hall Jones of Tampa, the majestic 19-story tower features an intimate collection of just 56 expansive residences overlooking Sarasota Bay and the dazzling redevelopment of Sarasota’s Bayfront performing arts, culture and recreational district, The Bay. Auteur’s extraordinarily wide-open floorplans feature continuous walls of glass spanning multiple living areas to create panoramic city and bay views. Within this exclusive address, coded-access elevators rise to private foyers that open to spacious, sunlit interiors where soaring 10.5’ to 12’ ceilings add to the stately elegance of contemporary Tower, Estate, and Penthouse residences.

Deep terraces provide year-round outdoor living space with spectacular views, from pastel sunrises over the city to vivid sunsets over Sarasota Bay and the Gulf Isles. Designed for maximum livability, smartly configured residences are pre-wired with the latest smart home technology. Designer-coordinated interiors boast the finest flooring, finishes and features. High-performance kitchens feature Sub-Zero®/Wolf® appliances, Neff® European-style cabinetry, quartz countertops and handcrafted Hansgrohe® faucets.

Lavish Owners’ Suites feature spacious balconies, large walk-in closets, oversized showers, freestanding soaking tubs and premium Kohler® sinks. Each meticulously finished residence comes with a generous selection of premium interior and appliance packages.

Ascentia Development Group’s exclusive Studio ADG, a personalized interior design program, assists owners and their interior decorators with the styling of each home’s finishes, flooring, cabinetry, fixtures and appliances.

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A V I S I O N A RY D E V E L O P M E NT TE A M The latest in a decades-long record of creating standards setting residential and resort environments along Florida’s west coast, Auteur is the result of a partnership between Sarasota’s Ascentia Development Group (ADG) and GDI. “We wanted a lifestyle that fosters vibrant connections to the “New Sarasota,” notes the development team. “The cutting-edge cultural, culinary, fashion, and outdoor recreational scenes that surround Auteur at The Bay, Quay Sarasota, and Downtown are all within walking distance. Auteur’s programming, services and amenities will feature it all.” ADG President & Partner, Jay Tallman says, “The vision for Auteur led us to look beyond the usual resources and recruit the amazing ForrestPerkins to help create interiors, amenities and programming unlike any Sarasota has seen before.”

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C U R ATE D S E R V I C E S & A M E N ITI E S The celebrated interior design firm of ForrestPerkins is at the forefront of the boutique luxury hospitality industry across the country, including flagship hotels for Four Seasons, Marriott and Fairmont. For Auteur, Colletta Conner of the firm’s Dallas office is curating interiors distinguished by a rich palette of services, amenities and concierge-supported programming that foster vibrant connections to city, sea and healthy living. A dramatic, two-story lobby introduces the theme with a staffed reception desk surrounded by fine art and innovative lighting, an approach that continues to express itself with effort-

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less elegance and artisan detail in the amenity areas, both indoors and out. Residents can work out in a fully equipped fitness facility or yoga studio, relax in a poolside cabana or learn to cook in a private clubroom’s Wolf/Sub-Zero® demonstration kitchen and lounge. The foot of the building features adjacent restaurant and retail space. Owners will also enjoy access to select services, amenities and accommodations at the adjacent Hyatt Regency hotel and yacht basin featuring available yacht slips and optional membership in Barton & Gray Mariners Club, the nation’s leading purveyor of personal yachting excursions.

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S A R A S OTA’S N E W B AYF R O NT Auteur overlooks The Bay, the city’s reimagined performing arts district. Home to the iconic Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, the first phase of The Bay includes a magnificent redevelopment of Boulevard of the Arts, from U.S. 41 to Sarasota Bay. Highlights include lush gardens, a park, public art, watercraft launches and bayfront piers, all of which will be completed as Auteur welcomes its first residents. New state-of-the-art performing arts facilities and outdoor amphitheater are also part of The Bay master plan. It all adds up to a Sarasota Bayfront lifestyle as original and distinctive as those with the vision to call it home. “With each new project we’ve committed ourselves to raising the bar and doing something different,” says ADG’s Jay Tallman. “We’re confident that Auteur will exceed everyone’s expectations.”

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Domicile DOMICILE :: SPRING HOME PORTFOLIO | SRQ MAGAZINE | MARCH 2020

TH I S S PR I NG’S TOP HOM E DE S IG N AN D B U I LDI NG TR E N DS.

CHERYL SCURLOCK DESIGN

YODER HOMES

Tip #1 | Start with a Questionnaire At Collins Interiors LLC, each new project begins with a comprehensive trademarked questionnaire developed by the firm’s founder, Barbara Vanderkolk Gardner. By taking the time to understand a client’s taste, style preferences, family routine, budget and lifestyle, the dedicated designers at Collins Interiors are able to ensure that each finished project reflects the unique style of their clients. Treating each project with the same care as if they were designing or renovating their own homes, the Collins Interiors team uses their design expertise to incorporate texture, color and finishes that make spaces stylish and functional. When a project requires something bespoke that cannot be sourced, Collins Interiors takes on the production of custom pieces. Specializing in luxury interior design services, Collins Interiors LLC offers a highly personalized approach to helping clients transform their homes. The firm has designed and created furniture, area rugs, lighting, bedding, window treatments, art and accessories. With over twelve years of experience in the Suncoast region and as the recipient of numerous design awards, Collins Interiors specializes in high-end residences on Lido, Longboat and Bird Key, in downtown Sarasota and within other local waterfront communities. — Collins Interiors LLC srq magazine_ MAR20 live local | 89

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Tip #2 | Build a Palette From Deep Navy Blue “Navy creates a calm and grounding environment and pairs well with pale pinks and soft greens.”

—Cheryl Scurlock Design

What’s hot for 2020? Cheryl Scurlock Design shares that the color blue has been popular recently, so it is no wonder that a deep navy hue has been selected as the ‘2020 Color of the Year’ by Sherwin Williams. Navy creates a calm and grounding environment and pairs well with pale pinks and soft greens—colors that enhance the Floridian practice of blending indoor and outdoor living. Cheryl Scurlock Design also shares that seating that swivels or rocks, and textured hammered surfaces, are hot right now. Acrylic furniture is another emerging trend. Providing the look of glass but durability of steel, translucent acrylic adds a contemporary look to design schemes and often becomes an on-trend, statement piece that commands attention in any room. Focusing on indoor and outdoor residential design as well as light commercial projects, Cheryl Scurlock believes that homes should be both functional and comfortable and that the interior design process should feel effortless. Each design project begins with a complimentary on-site consultation to discuss solutions and ideas based on a client’s lifestyle and interest in color, lighting and decor. The Cheryl Scurlock Design team then presents personalized product options to clients and establishes a full service plan to manage the procurement, delivery, and expert installation of all furnishings and finishes. With connections to an extensive collection of quality suppliers, the Cheryl Scurlock Design team has the ability to source a broad selection of furniture, window treatments, lighting, artwork and both floor and wall coverings for clients. The team of savvy designers also stays in tune with the latest trends to incorporate design elements that are fresh and of the moment. — Cheryl Scurlock Design

CHERYL SCURLOCK DESIGN

COLLINS INTERIORS

M&M WALLCOVERINGS AND BLINDS

Tip #3 | Wallcoverings Gain Popularity M&M Wallcoverings and Blinds shares that wallcoverings are increasing in popularity. From grass weaves to bold, geometric patterns, clients are opting to create focal walls that tie the colors and decorative elements in their rooms together. Also trending for 2020 — tailored draperies and stationary side panels that frame windows by adding texture, pattern and color. Both on trend and now available at a more accessible price point, motorization capabilities have been integrated into the popular Solar Shade style as well as Silhouette, Pirouette, and Duette styles. M&M Wallcoverings and Blinds has been a leader in the sale of high-quality Hunter Douglas blinds, shades and shutters for three decades. M&M’s 3,000-square-foot gallery showcases operable Hunter Douglas window treatments as well as the company’s large display of wallcoverings, custom draperies, valances, upholstery, bedding and pillows. Clients are able to test and operate M&M Wallcoverings and Blinds’ exciting displays of motorized window treatments. The possibilities are wide ranging so M&M offers their expert decorating services, product knowledge, and passion for their trade in the form of in-home consultations, which are always free of charge. A family-owned and operated business, M&M Wallcoverings is proud to have been named a premier Hunter Douglas gallery. This allows for M&M to provide the very highest quality at competitive pricing. — M&M Wallcoverings and Blinds

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—M&M Wallcoverings and Blinds

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FALL HOME PORTFOLIO

“We are a woman-owned business committed to the finest products and quality installations. We truly are passionate about every kitchen or bathroom we help bring to life.”

—Planet Stone

DOMICILE :: SPRING HOME PORTFOLIO

Tip #4 | Facial Recognition is Emerging What’s trending for 2020? SmartHouse Integration shares that while voice control has had a steady growth in popularity, facial recognition is an emerging technology that goes one step further and can function when a client physically approaches a SmartHouse touch screen. As one of the only carriers of true facial recognition technology in the region, SmartHouse Integration can provide the custom solutions that you’ll need to incorporate the amenities of the future into your home today. Offering a complete, one-stop solution for the design, installation and service for home electronics, security, entertainment and outdoor living, SmartHouse Integration is a leader in the custom integration systems industry. How does SmartHouse Integration incorporate the latest, cutting-edge technologies into homes? SmartHouse works one-on-one with their clients to curate and link all aspects of a home’s system through one easy-to-use app. SmartHouse Integration has recently completed a home on Casey Key where all audio/video, security cameras and sensors, indoor and outdoor lighting controls, automated shades, pool control, networking and WiFi, surge suppression and climate control can be accessed from anywhere in the world. Each SmartHouse project is managed from start to finish with a very commonsense and mindful approach to technology. The SmartHouse Integration team is comprised of knowledgeable designers that specialize in interior technology and focus on the user experience. This allows for upgraded technology to seamlessly blend into a client’s existing interior design. — SmartHouse Integration

SMARTHOUSE INTEGRATION

“Each SmartHouse project is managed from start to finish with a very commonsense and mindful approach to technology.”

—SmartHouse Integration

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“Homeowners enjoy living in spaces with clean, modern lines. The Yoder Homes team can work directly with clients from start to finish or can collaborate with a client and their architect.”

—Yoder Homes

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Tip #5 | Be Inspired by Coastal Contemporary Guided by their company core value of “unquestionable integrity,” Yoder Homes specializes in custom-built homes, remodeling projects, room additions and historical renovations. Over the past decade Yoder Homes has built a reputation as a reliable source for homeowners looking to incorporate unique interior features into their homes. Many of these projects involve high-end finishing that requires a superior level of expertise and proficiency. Yoder Homes knows homeowners enjoy living in spaces with clean, modern lines. To implement this trend, Yoder Homes has recently completed a large scale, remodeling project where trey ceilings and soffits were removed to create a flat, one-level ceiling. The complexity of the project was furthered by the task of leveling the room’s floors to remove step-downs in an effort to maximize water views. Yoder Homes understands that these complex renovations, which are often fashioned in a Coastal Contemporary style, require expert planning, design and craftmanship. The Yoder Homes team can work directly with clients from start to finish or can collaborate with a client and their architect to manage the construction side of a project. In addition to home building and renovations, Yoder Homes also offers custom cabinetry, storage solutions, hardware installation, flooring and window coverings. To assist with the design process, Yoder Homes maintains a state-of-the-art showroom to display their wide range of high-quality cabinetry and resources. Whether a client is seeking a new home or looking to renovate an existing one, Yoder Homes is dedicated to incorporating practices that support long term sustainability to projects so integrity and craftmanship can be enjoyed well into the future. — Yoder Homes

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COLLINS INTERIORS

YODER HOMES

SPRING HOME 2020 PORTFOLIO PARTICIPANTS COLLINS INTERIORS LLC 941-383-0131 | COLLINSINTERIORDESIGN.COM CHERYL SCURLOCK 941-400-8176 | CHERYLSCURLOCK.DECORATINGDEN.COM M&M WALLCOVERINGS AND BLINDS SARASOTA 941-925-7800, MANATEE 941-925-9802 MMWALLCOVERINGSBLINDS.COM SMARTHOUSE INTEGRATION SARASOTA 941-404-4470, ST. PETERSBURG 727-551-4944 SMARTHOUSEINTEGRATION.COM YODER HOMES 941-758-4028 | YODER-HOMES.COM

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B U S I N E S S

P R O F I L E

DISCOVER SARASOTA TOURS “Max and I love taking trolley tours in every city we visit! We did not have any city tours here when I arrived so it seemed a perfect opportunity to offer them.”

SEE SARASOTA IN STYLE! Since it opened in October 2019, Discover Sarasota Tours has helped thousands of people to understand, appreciate and enjoy Sarasota’s history, fascinating people, and quirky mix of interesting cultures. All entertaining 90 minute tours are hosted by 13 local performers who offer insights into the most interesting people, intriguing places and amazing stories that shaped Sarasota’s rich cultural past. “We are very fortunate to have so many talented actors, history buffs and talented story tellers in Sarasota so finding my cast was easy!” Discover Sarasota Tours embark from the downtown Trolley Cottage at 1826 4th Street with FREE parking located behind The Breakfast House. Visit the Vintage Sarasota Gift Shop inside the cottage for fun treasures and souvenirs or enjoy a treat from The ChillMobile, our vintage 1979 ice cream truck while you wait to board. Tours are provided an air-conditioned enclosed trolley and great for groups!

ABOUT TAMMY HAUSER, CEO As CEO and Founder of Discover Sarasota Tours, Tammy

Hauser was charmed by the history, quirky cultures and fascinating characters who helped create Sarasota when she moved here five years ago from Minneapolis.

DISCOVER SARASOTA TOURS

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Discover Sarasota Tours has a tour for every taste! Now offering 18 different air-conditioned narrated daytime nighttime and holiday tours including: Amish Experience, Art Crawl Trolley, Boutique & Bubbles, Brew HAHA, Circus History, Dine Along Trolley, Haunted Sarasota, Holiday Tours, Infamous Sarasota Happy Hour, Psychic Sundays, Public Art, Rainbows & Unicorns, Sports History, The City Sightseeing Tour, Tiki Trivia Trolley Tour

1826 4th Street Sarasota, FL 34236 | 941-260-9818 DiscoverSarasotaTours.com | tammy@discoversarasotatours.com

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forage LOCAL EPICUREAN ADVENTURES AT THE TABLE

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The Ahi Poke Wonton Taco.

SOUTHERN RENEGADES

Circo rebels against a predictable pairing to cultivate an unorthodox bourbon and taco scene downtown. Brittany Mattie

SLIDING INTO THE EVOLVING SECTOR of Second Street establishments, Tableseide Restaurant Group’s newest addition, Circo, brings an

unexpected combo to the table. The taco and bourbon joint integrated a niche of artisan tacos—paired with something other than tequila.

With a notable whiskey following in the area, including the members-only group known as the Sarasota Whiskey Society and many local bars focusing on their selection of bottled batches, CEO Joe Seidensticker took note of an opportunity. Focusing on rare and interesting bourbons, Circo creates riffs off classic tequila drinks, swapping the spirit for a twist of traditional Mexican tacos. Circo also pivoted in a different direction to offer more funky craft tacos instead.

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Left to right:

The Margarita Jug with Mexican street corn, the edamame falafel taco paired with the Bourbon Renewal cocktail; chicken and biscuit taco and Mongolian beef taco.

Circo. 1435 2nd St., Sarasota, 941-2530978, circosrq. com, @circosrq.

THE MENU ASSEMBLED by Executive Chef Francisco Alvarez hosts an Epcot of aroundthe-world artisanal tacos from the Thai Shrimp, tempura flash-fried shrimp with Napa slaw, mango salsa, pickled peppers, cilantro, honeysambal aioli and tempura scallion threats, to The Cubano, filled with mojo pork, lettuce, cheddar cheese, house pickles, pickled peppers and a honey mustard dijonnaise. The Korean Pork reps some kimchee slaw, pickled fresno’s and an “angry” crema, while the Mongolian Beef fills the tortilla with shredded beef, hoisin BBQ, sambal sesame slaw, scallion threads, cilantro and toasted sesame seeds. A Hawaiianinspired Ahi Poke taco trades the flour tortilla for a crispy wonton shell and packs in fresh raw tuna, cucumber, wakame, masago, wasabi crema, inamona jus and sesame seeds, while a Middle Eastern–inspired Edamame Falafel hosts tzatziki, arugula, tomato, avocado slices, pickled peppers, onion and cotija cheese. And whether you think the British have good food or not, the Fish & Chips taco does the trick, with beer-battered tempura cod, malt-curry mayo, Napa slaw, pea tendrils and french fry crisps. Quite possibly, the most hyped taco on 98 | srq magazine_ MAR20 live local

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the menu is the Southern draw of the Chicken & Biscuit “taco.” Diversifying the typical shell or wrap of a standard taco, this fella comes served in a heated buttermilk biscuit with hand-breaded/flash-fried tenders, cheddar cheese, dijonnaise, pea tendrils, pickled red onion and a hot honey drizzle. So as not to forget where the sacred origin of the creation of tacos even came from, Circo dedicates its dessert to Mexico, with Homemade Churros, served with an apple caramel filling and a mole chocolate fondue for sinfully sweet dippage. A flavor-packed Mexican Street Corn also makes its way onto the menu, juiced with lime aioli then rolled in cotija cheese and hot smoked paprika for a roundhouse kick to the mouth.

Shaking up the house margarita a bit, Circo incorporates Four Roses Bourbon instead of tequila—though guests who like their agave-based spirit can definitely still order a traditional margarita. With Cazadores Blanco, fresh hand-pressed lime and orange juice, take advantage of margaritas “by the jug,” which serves five glasses worth of cocktail in a prefixed personal jug container.

For a lip-puckering salted rim, choose from

either a pink Himalayan, sriracha smoked or a chili lime salt rim. And in true renegade spirit, Harrison Sherry, general manager of Circo, advises not to be shy getting up from the table to find the sacred black binder— adorned front and back with stickers and filled with pages of high-end bourbon, tequila and mezcal options that’ll surely test your decision-making skills. Among other books arbitrarily laying around the cozy lounge to grab and flip through, eclectic and random titles span from Whiskeypedia and The Little Book of Senior Moments, to 3,000 Would You Rather Questions and Dad Jokes. Tabletop pool, UNO cards and a Deadpool arcade machine also tempt guests to indulge in some youthful game time. Meanwhile, 90s hip-hop plays throughout the livened room of rustic wood furnishings, metal cactus statues and a damn good time. “It’s not just a place to eat,” says Seidensticker, “but a place to meet and socialize, watch a game, read a book, listen to music, play pinball, all while enjoying unique beverages and chef-crafted food.” SRQ

PHOTOGRAPHY BY WYATT KOSTYGAN.

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BocaKitchen

Jack Dusty

Island House

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE The next generation of America’s favorite fast food, the impossible burger and beyond burgerplant-based meat substitutes are on their way to becoming staples. Time to take a bite.

Lemon Tree

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Gulf Gate

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Umbrella

TOP ROW: OMG BURGER Impossible burger, bibb lettuce, aged white cheddar, pickled onions, tomato and sweet relish aïoli; Boca, 19 S. Lemon Ave., Sarasota, bocasarasota. com, @boca.kitchen. BEYOND BURGER Plant-based vegan patty, brie, caramelized onions, tomato jam and garlic aioli; Jack Dusty, 1111 Ritz-Carlton Dr., Sarasota, ritzcarlton.com, @jackdustysrq. BEYOND BURGER Marinated beefsteak tomato, hydro lettuce, purple onion and spiced avocado on a toasted rosemary bun; Island House Tap & Grill, 5110 Ocean Blvd., Sarasota, islandhousetapandgrill.com, @islandhousetapandgrill. CENTER ROW: AN IMPOSSIBLY VEGAN BURGER Lettuce, tomato, avocado, shaved onion, gluten-free roll and cashew ranch dressing; Lemon Tree Kitchen, 1289 N. Palm Ave., Sarasota, thelemontreekitchen.com, @thelemontreekitchen. HOLLYWOOD HERBIVORE Impossible burger, pecan’d goat cheese, arugula, pickled radish and sliced tomato; Gulf Gate Food + Beer, 6528 Superior Ave., Sarasota, eatfooddrinkbeer.com, @gulfgatefoodandbeer. BOTTOM ROW: BEYOND VEGGIE BURGER Lemony kale, house pickles, tomato, red onion and mayo; Oak & Stone, 4067 Clark Rd., Sarasota, oakandstone.com, @oakandstonerestaurants. BISTRO BURGER Beyond Burger, gouda, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato and bistro sauce, served on a rosemary focaccia roll; Veg, 2164 Gulf Gate Dr., Sarasota, vegsrq.com, @vegsrq.

IMPOSSIBLE BURGER Plant-based vegan burger with wasabi aioli; Umbrellas, 1296 1st St., Sarasota, umbrellas1296.com, @umbrellas1296. SRQ WRITTEN BY ARIEL CHATES. 100 | srq magazine_ MAR20 live local

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THE CHEF INSIDE THE EGG

Three executive chefs prepare the classic French omelet and reveal what makes them tick. Andrew Fabian AMONG THE MANY ACCOMPLISHMENTS of Jacques Pépin’s illustrious career was the publishing of La Technique, the cookbook that would codify the tricks of the kitchen trade and cement him as one of the most skilled chefs of the 20th century. Many of his recipes and techniques set the standard for classic French cuisine, and one of those recipes would go on to serve as a diagnostic tool among classically trained chefs, though it would surprise the uninitiated what that dish is. It is not a Béarnaise sauce or boeuf bourguignon, not coq au vin or Baked Alaska—it is the classic French omelet. And with only four core ingredients, the dish relies almost entirely on the skill of its maker to ensure the perfect preparation.

“It’s very simple and complicated at the same time,” says Chef José Martinez of Maison Blanche, whose French accent seems

to bolster his credibility, almost as much as the Michelin star awarded to his former Parisian restaurant. The technique begins with three or four eggs, preferably farm fresh to ensure consistency in texture and color.

The expert chef cracks the eggs on a flat surface (not the edge of the bowl) and beats them until there are no striations. A pinch of salt and pepper join the mix, and Pépin allows for herbs like chives, chervil, tarragon or parsley. It all seems rather simple up to this point, but when egg meets pan, master chefs are separated from acolytes.

Over medium-high heat, a tablespoon of butter (olive oil works as a substitute) melts but does not burn its way into beurre noisette.

Then the eggs are poured in. Now, the pan must remain in constant motion as the chef continues stirring the eggs, ensuring no large

curds form and that the omelet does not brown. The delicate dance requires unbroken attention. “It’s definitely not something you want to walk away from,” says Chef Nils Tarantik of Element, another local legend and a graduate of Johnson & Wales University.

Once the seasoned chefs determine the pan side of the omelet has had enough, they grab the pan’s handle from underneath, remove it from the stove and tilt it over the plate on which it will be served. The omelet is carefully folded into a half-moon, with expert care given to the integrity of the delicate outer layer.

Finally, the almond-shaped loaf of fluffy eggs comes to rest in all of its pastel yellow glory.

“The French omelet is how I determine who to hire,” says Chef Chris Covelli of Sage, who immediately built a reputation as one of the most inventive chefs in Sarasota’s fine-

Left to right:

Omelets from Sage Restaurant and Element Restaurant.

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Clockwise from the top to bottom: Chef Nils Tarantik of Element Restaurant sets up his prep area and beats the eggs.

Chef José Martinez of Maison Blanche adds freshly-ground pepper. Fluffy eggs in a pan at Element. Chef Chris Covelli of Sage Restaurant prepares a mix of fresh vegetables and pours the egg mixture into the pan.

dining scene. “Don’t even think about boiling water if you can’t cook an egg,” he says. Each chef prepares the omelet in roughly the same way, with small variations in utensils or in seasoning, but their final platings all share the essential elements prescribed by Pépin— uniformly yellow all the way through, creamy in the center with a paper-thin outer layer and tapered on the ends. And any additional seasonings (or lack thereof) showcase a bit of each chef ’s personality.

It might not surprise anyone that Martinez prefers his omelet archetypal. “For me, it’s the best,” he says, “but we are all different.” He sees the simple, classic version as the perfect symbol of his belief that if great ingredients are used, they should not be hidden behind an ostentatious use of herbs and spices. “I want to really taste the egg,” he says. For Tarantik, who paid homage to his Swedish roots by garnishing his French omelet with dill, the dish epitomizes his entire aim with Element’s menu. “There’s no hiding behind smoke and mirrors,” he says, “it’s just simple elegance, which is how I approach everything.” Covelli, though well-versed in the strictures of classic French cuisine, is a bit more playful. Wellknown for his blending of food genres, he may find himself unable to resist the urge to unseal a pouch of white truffles picked less than 24 hours ago in Italy’s Piedmont region, shaving a bit onto the omelet for a punch of pungent decadence.

The classic French omelet presents an interesting window into the ethos of elite chefs. If the ingredient list is small, the margin for error is smaller—so, technique becomes the priority to get the perfect consistency, consistently. Though their menus are drastically different, the omelet exposed the three executivechefs as a special subspecies of human with a predisposition for culinary perfection, the pursuit of which borders on the fanatical. But, for Martinez, Tarantik and Covelli, preparing a meal for their guests is more than just an obsession. “There is a lot of darkness in the world,” says Martinez, “so it’s nice to be able to make something beautiful, even if it’s a simple omelet.” SRQ Sage, 1216 1st St, Sarasota, 941-445-5660, www.sagesrq.com; Element: Modern Mediterranean Grill, 1413 Main St, Sarasota, 941-724-8585, www.elementsrq.com; Maison Blanche, 2605 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key, 941-383-8088, www. themaisonblanche.com

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nosh CROW’S NEST MARINA RESTAURANT 1968 Tarpon Center Dr., Venice, 941-484-9551. CASUAL FINE DINING The Crow’s Nest is a casual fine dining restaurant, serving fresh seafood, steaks and other traditional Florida favorites. Located on the Island of Venice and nestled between the Gulf of Mexico on the west and the Intracoastal Waterway on the north and east, Crow’s Nest has become a waterfront fixture for surf ‘n’ turf. M–W 11:30am-10pm. Th 11:30am–11pm. F-Sa 11:30am–12:30am. Su 12–10pm.

DUVAL’S FRESH. LOCAL. SEAFOOD. 1435 Main St., Sarasota, 941-312-4001. SEAFOOD Duval’s Fresh. Local.

Seafood. is excited to announce: Duval’s Free. Local.

Shuttle! Your experience at Duval’s should be what you’re expecting. For dinner, try the Chef Selected Fresh Catch, an offering of the freshest fish in the market, and fillet your fresh catch in-house. Featuring a 3-5-7 Happy Hour and late night. M–Th 11am–9pm.

F–Sa 11am–10pm. Su 10am– 9pm.

ELEMENT 1413 Main St., Sarasota, 941-724-8585. MODERN MEDITERRANEAN In the heart of downtown Sarasota, you don’t want to miss the upscale Mediterranean grill, Element. Try their Sambuca shrimp with bacon crème, crisp prosciutto, tomato fennel compote and pine nuts. For dinner, their 12 oz. bone-in center cut porcini-encrusted veal chop is delectable. For a large party, order the table an entire roast suckling pig; which serves four to six guests and is cooked with apples, figs and shallots. Equipped with an extensive wine list and an enticing array of craft cocktails, dining at Element is a must-try experience. M-Th 4:30pm-10pm. F-Sa 4:30pm11pm. Su 10:30am-2:30pm, 4:30pm-10pm. F-Sa. GECKO’S GRILL & PUB 6 convenient locations. Serving AMERICAN PUB FOOD WITH A GOURMET TWIST Fresh fare, smooth spirits & exceptional hospitality since 1992.

Locally owned and operated, Gecko’s polished casual atmosphere, fantastic food, service-forward culture and specialty cocktails make it an enduring community gathering place. Serving Lunch, Dinner & Late Night and a favorite of Locals and visitors alike. Voted “BEST SPORTS BAR.” Featuring daily Happy Hours, weekly Chef’s Specials, locally sourced seasonal produce & beef from our farm and ranch partners, all your favorite sporting events, award-winning Kids Menu and teams of friendly hospitality professionals.

GROVE 10670 Boardwalk Loop, Lakewood Ranch, 941893-4321. CONTEMPORARY GOURMET DINING GROVE Restaurant, Patio and Ballroom is the newest offshoot of PIER 22, the award-winning waterfront destination headed by restaurateurs Hugh Miller and Greg Campbell. A full-service restaurant and events venue offering contemporary gourmet dining. The menu is elevated yet approachable and locally inspired. Housemade dishes emphasize fresh seasonal ingredients as well as innovative cooking methods, and with 27,000 square feet of dining space including an elegant 400 person ballroom there’s room for everyone at the table! M-Th 11:30am-10pm, F-Sa 11:30am-12am, Sun 11am-10pm.

LEMON TREE KITCHEN 1289 North Palm Ave., Sarasota, 941-552-9688. HEALTHY CASUAL DINING Lemon Tree Kitchen’s all day menu highlights American Classic dishes that lift the body and mind while providing a comforting meal that will appeal to the everyday diner.

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LOCALLY SOURCED

Content Marketing Restaurant Channel

ALWAYS IN SEASON

With wholesome clean ingredients and hand-crafted dishes that meet every lifestyle choice, Lemon Tree Kitchen uses locally-sourced ingredients. Open daily for lunch and dinner. M–Su 11:00am–9pm.

LIBBY’S NEIGHBORHOOD BRASSERIE 1917 South Osprey Ave., Sarasota, 941-487-7300. CASUAL FINE DINING Libby’s serves bistro classics and seasonal New American cuisine. Named after the restaurant’s unforgettable family matriarch, Libby, this modern American brasserie evokes style and uniqueness with a welcoming warmth. Start with the Brasserie Tartare or the Crispy Brussels. Entrees include the Double Brined Porkchop, served with yukon gold mashed potatoes and Steak Au Poivre, a wood grilled NY Strip steak. Indoor, bar, and outdoor seating is available at this Southside Village favorite. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Su–Th 11:00am–9pm. F-Sa 11:00am–10pm.

MARINA JACK 2 Marina Plaza, Sarasota, 941-365-4232.

SEAFOOD, STEAKS AND PASTA The Sarasota landmark offers its customers exceptional food and great atmosphere while dining on the water. Come to the dining room on the second floor and try some new items on the dinner menu. Start with braised mussels in a chorizo broth or short rib tostadas, which feature Gouda cheese and pulled slow-braised short rib. Open daily for lunch and dinner. M–Su 11:15am–11pm.

MATTISON’S - 3 Locations: Mattison’s City Grille, 1 N. Lemon Ave., Sarasota, 941-330-0440/ Mattison’s Forty-One, 7275 S. Tamiami Tr., Sarasota, 941-921-3400/ Mattison’s Riverwalk Grille, 101 Riverfront Blvd., Bradenton, 941-896-9660. AMERICANN, EUROPEAN, PROVINCIALLY SOURCED MENU ITEMS Chef Paul Mattison, executive chef and proprietor of Mattison’s, operates a successful culinary group on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

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. Each Mattison’s location offers outdoor dining, happy hour and live music. Mattison’s Catering Company is an award-winning, chef-owned and operated company. Hours vary by location.

ers a culinary adventure where dishes are approached as works of art. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Su–M 11:00am–5pm. Tu–Sa 11:00am–8pm.

OAK & STONE - 2 Locations: University Park, 5405 University Pkwy., Sarasota, 941-225-4590/ South Sarasota, 4067 Clark Rd., Sarasota, 941-893-4881 PIZZA AND CRAFT BEER At Oak & Stone, artisanal wood-fired pizzas are handcrafted and diners can select to B.Y.O.P. (build your own pie) or choose from the menu’s many custom craft pizza options. The standard tavern fare is elevated with options such as Smokey Gouda Mac n’ Cheese and Pretzel Crusted Tuna. Fresh offerings such as delicious salads and hummus plate round out the menu. Oak & Stone boasts the largest RFID technology self-serve brew wall in the region, with 56 taps that showcase local and American craft breweries, self-pourable by the ounce. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Su–Th 11:00am– 11pm. F–Sa 11:00am–12am.

OPHELIAS ON THE BAY 9105 Midnight Pass Road, Siesta Key, 941-349-2212. FINE DINING With indoor and outdoor dining options boasting incredible waterfront views of Little Sarasota Bay, Ophelia’s On The Bay is the perfect place to relax and enjoy a delectable meal. From their PEI mussels presented in a saffron-anisette broth to incredible cocktails such as the Pink Lady, you can’t go wrong. Happy Hour M–Su 5pm–6pm. Dinner M–Su 5pm–10pm. Sunday Brunch 11am–2pm.

PIER 22 1200 1st Ave W, Bradenton, 941-748-8087. CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN Pier 22 takes waterfront dining to a new level. On the mouth of the Manatee River, the picturesque setting is relaxing and the perfect backdrop for any outing. With over 26,000 square feet of space, Pier 22 also offers catering and space for events.

They focus on fresh, homemade fare and unique twists on everyday dishes. For lunch, try their soft-shell crab sandwich with jalapeno tartar sauce, with a side of poutine. While watching the sunset on the patio, dine on their fresh game of the day, sourced from around the world and always a surprise. M-Th 11:30am – 10pm. F-Sa 11:30am-10:30pm. Su 11am-10pm. Happy hour daily 3pm7pm and Sunday Brunch 11am-3pm.

MORTON’S GOURMET MARKET 1924 South Osprey Ave., Sarasota, 941-955-9856. GOURMET GROCER It’s the place where you can spend a lazy Sunday morning sipping coffee and breaking off pieces of a scone, a frenetic Friday evening collecting rare cheeses, meat and wine for Saturday’s soiree or a quick lunchtime bite to go. For the latter, Morton’s fresh-made sushi, salad bar or ready-to-go tea sandwiches are longstanding local faves. M–Sa 7am–8pm. Su 9am–6pm.

SHARKY’S ON THE PIER 1600 Harbour Dr. S, Venice, 941-488-1456. SEAFOOD After just one visit to Sharky’s On the Pier, Fins at Sharky’s or Snook Haven, you’ll understand why all three restaurants have become Venice-area landmarks, smack-dab on the water. Boasting unparalleled views of the 720-foot long Venice Fishing Pier and Gulf of Mexico for over 30 years, Sharky’s has made a name for itself as Florida’s No. 1 Beach Bar with complimentary live music and entertainment, family friendly fun and a whole lot of ocean. M–Th 11:30am– 10pm. F–Sa 11:30am–12am. Sun 11:30am–10pm.

MUSE AT THE RINGLING 5401 Bay Shore Rd., Sarasota, 941-359-5700. CONTEMPORARY CASUAL DINING Upscale local cuisine with international flair is the inspiration for Muse’s concept and development. Muse at The Ringling provides a comfortable and contemporary dining experience in a magnificent, artistic setting. Muse creates menus with an eye for presentation, using fresh and high­quality products. Intriguing combinations and variations on cuisine anchor the innovative menu. The ideal dining spot to complement a day in the galleries or a night at the theater, Muse offers din-

TSUNAMI SUSHI & HIBACHI GRILL 100 Central Ave, Suite 1022, Sarasota, 941-366-1033. ASIAN FUSION In the heart of downtown Sarasota Florida, Tsunami Sushi and Hibachi Grill stands alone for creative sushi, fresh sashimi and a new spin on asian fusion--all at remarkable prices. FRESH SUSHI- Made fresh before your eyes by their talented chefs. FULL BAR- They feature a full bar, with specialty cocktails like the Hibiscus Rose, Japanese Julep and Shinsu Sour. ASIAN ENTREES- Fresh and flavorful with the unique taste of Japan. M-F 11amClose; Sat/Sun 12pm-Close; Closed Daily 2:30-4:30pm.

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STORIES FROM OUR PHILANTHROPIC COMMUNITY

giving coast

All Faiths Food Bank receives $108,000 in Grants

All Faiths Food Bank recently received grants from the following foundations: $73,100 from The Selby Foundation in support of the purchase of a truck for the DeSoto Food and Resource Center, $10,000 from the Harold C. and Jacqueline F. Bladel Foundation in support of Cooking Matters and $25,000 from the Schoenbaum Family Foundation in support of the Backpack and School Pantry programs. The expansion of the DeSoto Food and Resource Center through the purchase of a truck increases food distribution in remote areas. Cooking Matters teaches people how to shop for, and cook, healthy low-cost meals.

Backpacks provide students with nutritious snacks over the weekends and holidays, and School Pantries provide fresh produce, meats and groceries to families in need at schools allfaithsfoodbank.org

Local charter school raises $82,000 through Donor Match Campaign In December, cadets from Sarasota Military Academy (SMA) received an opportunity from a donor, Ms. Phyllis Siskel, to earn $50,000. Siskel, a long-time supporter of SMA, announced plans to match all contributions to the Academy up to $25,000. However, when $41,000 was collected, Siskel decided to match the additional funds for a total of $82,000 raised. When Siskel brought this unique opportunity to raise $50,000 with her $25,000 match, SMA staff and cadets began raising awareness through social media and email campaigns. The original goal of matching Siskel’s donation was achieved before the end of 2019, and the goal was quickly surpassed. Her donations have assisted in providing classroom materials, opportunities for extracurricular activities, cafeteria equipment, and more. sarasotamilitaryacademy.org

SMART Receives $3,415 Donation from the Living Lord Lutheran Chruch Sarasota Manatee Association for Riding Therapy, Inc. (SMART) has received an unrestricted gift of $3,415 from the Living Lord Lutheran Church of Lakewood Ranch. “Support like this from the Living Lord Lutheran Church makes such a difference in the lives of the children, adults and veterans who participate in our programs. Their continued support through the years helps us

keep our commitment to changing lives forever.” said Melissa Spillenkothen, interim executive director of SMART. Living Lord is a community of people with varied backgrounds and experiences who are sharing life together. They are a family who supports and encourages each other on a lifelong journey of faith. smartriders.org

Spotlight on The Limelight District The City of Sarasota has officially recognized The Limelight District, an area which consists of businesses north of Fruitville down Lime Avenue through 12th street. District President Kim Livengood is with The Bazaar on Apricot & Lime, an indoor indie market, and spearheaded the idea. It came to fruition with the help of Robert Livengood, Jenny Townsend, Brad Bierman and Howard Davis. Joining them to make up The Limelight District official board is Barbara Brant, Steve Rowe, and Debra Bartlett. The Limelight District hosted quarterly membership meetings and established a board with the help of Sarasota Planning Director Steven Cover and City of Sarasota Neighborhood Planner Nancy Kelly to make this a reality. limelightdistrict.com

The Ringling Presents Wine Walk to Ca’d’Zan The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is pleased to announce the return of Wine Walk to Ca’d’Zan. The annual event will be held Friday, March 20, 2020, 6 pm-10 pm, on the grounds of the beautiful Ringling estate. Wine Walk has become one of Sarasota’s most popular events with proceeds going to the Ca’d’Zan preservation fund.Guests at this year’s Wine Walk will receive a commemorative wine glass in a specialty bag.

As they stroll through the estate grounds, they will enjoy pairings of wine, delectable cuisine and entertainment at each station, eventually arriving at the Ca’d’Zan terrace where the air will be filled with live music. ringling.org

Conservation Foundation on Fast Track to save Orange Hammock Ranch Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast is launching a campaign to raise $1.5 million by June 1 in order to permanently protect the 5,777-acre Orange Hammock Ranch. The Florida Cabinet voted to purchase Orange Hammock Ranch contingent on Conservation Foundation’s pledge.

Florida Forever funds will contribute $19.5 million toward the purchase. Conserving Orange Hammock Ranch has been a major priority for

the Conservation Foundation for more than 10 years. The Foundation was successful in getting this property added to the Florida Forever list in 2013, and has worked to build public and political support since then. conservationfoundation.org

Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation Board approves $4.9 Million in Grant Funding Recent funding from Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation continues its focus on mental health, education, and creating intergenerational cycles of opportunity for families. The Foundation granted to support the Here4Youth Mental Health Initiative, Safe Children Coalition, New College Foundation, the Sarasota Housing Authority and Sarasota County’s Sustainability Department, the Suncoast Rapid Rehousing Program with St. Vincent de Paul at Gulf Coast Community Foundation, JFCS of the Suncoast, First Step of Sarasota, the Museum of Science and Industry of Chicago, Voices for Florida, Sarasota County School District, Southeastern Guide Dogs, Truly Valued, and an additional $1.6 million in funding was awarded to provide annual support and sponsorships for partner organizations. barancikfoundation.org

Tales Under the Tree Join The Bishop’s new Mosaic Backyard Universe every weekend for Tales Under the Tree, a story time especially for children and their grownups.

Gather under the Mighty Oak for the story, then join in the family fun with a craft, game, song or cool natural object such as a fossil or shell.

No reservations are required and Tales Under the Tree is included in the price of admission.

Takes place 3pm every Saturday and Sunday. bishopscience.org

SMH One of Nation’s Highest Rated Hospitals Just 45 hospitals have earned the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ highest 5-Star rating for overall quality and safety since its inception. The federal government released new report cards for the nation’s hospitals and Sarasota Memorial is the only hospital in the region to receive the top 5-star quality rating for overall performance. SMH is the only hospital in Florida to earn the highest possible rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in every reporting period since the program began in 2016. medicare.gov/hospitalcompare SRQ

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RSVP | CALENDAR MARCH 2020 COMMUNITY EVENTS SPONSORED BY SRQ MEDIA

SILL LECTURE SERIES JANUARY–MARCH Sarasota Institute of Lifetime Learning (SILL) is preparing for its 49th year of popular global issues lectures and musical conversations. Speakers of global issues lectures are well-known and highly experienced experts. sillsarasota.org

PAWS IN MOTION DOG WALK FUNDRAISER HUMANE SOCIETY OF MANATEE COUNTY

SWAC LECTURE

MARCH 7 Annual Paws in Motion Dog Walk Fundraiser is March 7, 2020 at Caddy’s Bradenton.

The walk is a one mile stroll along the Manatee River starting and ending at Caddy’s Bradenton at 801 Riverside Drive E. The event includes Vendor Village, music, great food and prizes. Humanemanatee.org

MARCH 23 Join the Sarasota World Affairs Council for a Special Event at Selby Gardens, “The Rising Tide: Increasing Demand for Climate Action,” featuring Loren Blackford, President of the national Sierra Club. Ms. Blackford will discuss the rising demand for climate action worldwide and the implications for Florida? sarasotawac.org

HANDLE WITH CARE FLORIDA STUDIO THEATRE

ART OF PERFORMANCE: COMPANHIA URBANA DE DANÇA

MARCH 8 Florida Studio Theatre is proud to produce Handle With Care. A young woman from Israel, Ayelet, reluctantly joins her grandmother on a trip to the United States. Circumstances both absurd and tragic bring Ayelet, who has li le command of the English language, together with Josh, a young American man who has li le command of romance. Is their inevitable love an accident? floridastudiotheatre.org

MARCH 26-28 Companhia Urbana de Dança brings its dancers’ identities, testimonials, and a itudes to the stage with an upbeat, Afro-Brazilian accent. The group is firmly positioned in the most contemporary urban dance scene in Brazil and internationally, and choreographer Sonia Destri Lie’s boldly original mix of contemporary Brazilian dance and hip-hop infuses both forms with new rigor, meditative one moment, explosive the next. ringling.org

SUNSHINE FROM DARKNESS: INSPIRING HOPE DINNER

WOMEN OF MEDICINE | SMH FOUNDATION

FLORIDA STUDI THEATRE: LIGHT MY FIRE FEBRUARY 5 - JUNE 14 Florida Studio Theatre is proud to produce Light My Fire. There was one constant in America in the 1960s: change. New musicians, writers, and artists inspired a cultural revolution across the country. With hits by Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and more, Light My Fire celebrates the musical soundtrack of one of America’s most turbulent and electrifying decades. floridastudiotheatre.org

ASOLO REPRETORY’S INTO THE BREECHES FEBRUARY 12 - MARCH 21 “We Can Do It!” said Rosie the Riveter, and so say the women of Sarasota, Florida in this vibrant new comedy. It’s 1942. World War II is on and the leading men of Sarasota’s local playhouse are off at war. But the show must go on and a group of passionate, but inexperienced performers rally together to produce their season opener, an ambitious all-female production of Shakespeare’s Henry IV and Henry V. asolorep.org

SARASOTA OPERA: THE ELIXIR OF LOVE FEBRUARY 22 - MARCH 21 Love is Intoxicating.

Nemorino’s love is unwavering, but Adina won’t give him a second glance. All is saved by Dulcamara’s love potion—or is it? Come watch “The Elixir of Love” at the Sarasota Opera House. sarasotaopera.org

CAT DEPOT WHISKERS AND WAVES GALA MARCH 6 The Cat Depot’s upcoming Whiskers & Waves gala is taking place March 6, 2020 at Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium. This special evening will be a magical celebration under the sea! Guests will enjoy entertainment, hand-cra ed cocktails, delectable bites prepared by awardwinning Zildjian’s catering, delicious desserts and our best silent auction to date. catdepot.org.

MARCH 14 Lee & Bob Peterson Foundation present Sunshine from Darkness Inspiring Hope Dinner.

The dinner benefits the mental health services of Coastal Behavioral Healthcare and First Step of Sarasota as well as funding much needed mental health research. Featuring three celebrity speakers: Steve Ford, actor, mental health advocate and son of former President Gerald Ford and First Lady Be y Ford, Kathy Cronkite, mental health advocate, author and daughter of broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite, and Ron Suskind, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of “Life Animated.”

ART OF PERFORMANCE: DALHAK BRAITHWAITE MARCH 13–14 Addiction, religion, and the law intersect in a court-ordered drug rehabilitation program. A timely exploration of the American criminal justice system, this multidimensional play blurs the line between hip-hop and dramatic performance. Dahlak Brathwaite (writer/performer) weaves through the autobiographical and the fictional, music and monologue, to examine his place in what appears to be a cultural rite of passage as a young Black male. Ringling.org

MARCH 27 This year marks the 8th Anniversary of Women & Medicine and will feature informative presentations and lively interactive discussions by Sarasota Memorial physicians. To date, Women and Medicine has raised more than $415,000 to support various programs and departments at the Sarasota Memorial Health Care System. This year’s proceeds will benefit Orthopedics and Rehabilitation at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. SMHF.org

SARASOTA FILM FESTIVAL MARCH 27 - APRIL 5 The 22nd Annual Sarasota Film Festival returns again this year, bringing filmmakers, celebrities, and guests from all over the World to gather and celebrate film at its finest. sarasotafilmfestival.com

HEAR & NOW AND ALL THAT JAZZ EAR RESEARCH FOUNDATION MARCH 29 True to Founder & CEO Dr. Herbert Silverstein’s passion for hearing health and jazz music, the Ear Research Foundation combines the two to celebrate the foundation’s 41 years of research, education and community care programs. earrf.org

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S R Q S TO R Y P R O J E C T PA R T N E R F E AT U R E : : S A R A S OTA C U B A N B A L L E T S C H O O L

SHARING OUR STORY The Sarasota Cuban Ballet School (SCBS) was founded in 2011 by Cuban-born husband and wife team, Ariel Serrano and Wilmian Hernandez. They trained at the Escuela Nacional de Ballet de Cuba and performed internationally before joining the Sarasota Ballet in 1993 as principal dancers. After retiring from the Ballet, they decided to give back to the supportive community that they had grown to love. As Co-Directors of SCBS, Ariel and Wilmian teach students that hail from all over the world ranging from age three to adult. While SCBS has a global presence, students are made to feel part of the local community and instilled with a strong dedication to giving back.

On stage, SCBS engages the Sarasota community with four major performances: seasonal favorite, The Nutcracker, a Springtime Triple Bill, an End Of Year Performance, and On Stage which features SCBS Summer Intensive students and professional alumni.

The School has been invited to perform for community groups and events including the Arts Alliance of Sarasota County’s Inspire

Sarasota, Selby Garden’s annual Orchid Evening, Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s Key to the Cure, among many others. Students have won multiple awards in international ballet competitions and have gone on to perform with some of the top ballet companies in the world including the Royal Ballet, Boston Ballet, & San Francisco Ballet.

Behind the scenes, SCBS students actively volunteer within the community, engaging in hurricane relief efforts through the CAN Community Health supplies drive for example. Ariel and Wilmian have also worked tirelessly to build an outreach program for students in Sarasota’s Title 1 Elementary Schools. After seven years of planning, their effort became a reality in 2019 as ‘Dance for a Future’ was born with the support of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. Through Dance for a Future, local students have the opportunity to learn that ballet is a fun, athletic art form and the SCBCS offers scholarships to area students who demonstrate interest, potential, and an enthusiastic spirit for movement.

SARASOTA CUBAN BALLET SCHOOL 501 N. Beneva Rd, Suite 700, Sarasota, FL 34232 Call us at 941-365-8400 | srqcubanballet.com

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last flight who is 33 and has a very successful startup company in Boston.

When you were a kid, you dreamed of . . . Someday meeting a woman scientist.

Your guilty pleasure . . .

Eating Oreo cookies in the treetops while working as an arbornaut (aka, explorer of canopies).

Thought you had driving to work today. Today I “flew” to work, to Singapore, which took 23 hours of flying. My thoughts were twofold: Can I successfully mentor girls in this amazing country? Will I succeed with a Southeast Asian UNESCO world heritage nomination site to conserve an important Malaysian rainforest?

“CANOPY MEG” IN THE TREETOPS WITH SCIENTIST MARGARET LOWMAN. Brittany Mattie

The elusive arbornaut reps titles such as the director of the TREE Foundation, National Geographic explorer, research professor and science advisor to Earthwatch. An avid rainforest-saving advocate and an eco-conscious mentor for young generations, she shows her love for nature with a sizable tarantula tattoo on her forearm, and by rocking hiking boots over high heels. Find Canopy Meg either cleaning the house to rap music, checking in on her grown boys in Boston and San Francisco, or swinging across canopy bridges in the treetops while devouring Oreo cookies. a recent day in the life?

Get up early and make strong coffee, sit on the lanai to watch pelicans, eagles, herons and the other birdlife that make Southwest Florida so special. Answer 100 emails that accrue overnight ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS LEVERETT.

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from around the world, many of which are kids wanting to know how to save the rainforests (or currently, Australian wildlife after the bushfires), or schools wanting a “meet the scientist” lecture. Participate in conference calls ranging from designing a new canopy walkway in Mozambique to writing a cover review for a new book, to seeking funding to save the forests of Ethiopia. Spend time writing, usually about saving forests or inspiring kids about STEM. Pleasure breaks—cook for friends, call my two sons and elderly mom, exercise, and watch a few more birds. End of day consists of reflecting on whether my daily actions made the world a slightly better place for my kids: Eddie, who is 35 and works tirelessly on clean energy policy in the Bay area, and James,

For what fault have you been the most tolerant? American consumerism. It is the biggest and blindest cause of rainforest clearing. Because we do not label our products, most people too often buy products that cause clear-cutting of tropical forests, such as oil palm, soy, beef, tropical timbers and others.

Your favorite virtue . . .

Taking kids into nature, not just my own kids but especially others who are less able to find nature in their daily lives.

In our hometown, we do too much cement and too little tree canopy. Big trees (not small ones) are like gold and very precious in terms of what they do for humans.

Your last supper would include . . . E.O. Wilson, Bob Ballard, Jane Goodall and a handful of other notable friends who have mentored my career. And the guest of honor would be my mom, who gave me my values and sense of loving life.

Your favorite musical artists . . . Queen and Enya. And I actually like rap—I heard Snoop Dogg at a live concert once with my boys, and we laughed all the way through because of his crazy body gesticulations. But it is really

great music to clean the house to or exercise. I turn on rap music when I need to be energized, but admittedly I don’t hear the words (ugh!) or usually don’t know the artists, but it sure energizes an otherwise quiet day!

Villains of today . . . Pepsi and Coca-Cola. They are some of the world’s biggest plastic polluters, and they need to do better.

Funniest thing you remember as a kid . . . I still have the same three best friends from age three, so we have endured over six decades of laughing and crying. They are one of my best gifts in life.

Would you rather have a rewind button or a pause button . . . A pause button, to be sure, and to stop and sniff the flowers instead of working tirelessly every minute to save them.

Your talk show would feature . . . Oprah, Rachel Carson and Harriet Tubman.

Your scariest feat? Being the world’s first global arbornaut— climbing that first tall tree with my homemade gear was downright terrifying.

Your favorite food of the moment . . . Grilled garlic Brussels sprouts.

Your T-shirt motto? “Climb.”

If you could snap your fingers and appear somewhere else . . . I would love to wake up in Bora Bora tomorrow— no trees to study and gorgeous water to swim.

Song that describes your life right now? “We Are the World” by U.S.A for Africa.

Biggest fashion faux pas?

Buying too much and too often.

Americans use a disproportionate amount of resources, especially clothes, and we need to think harder about our kids. Re-wear and regift and visit the Women’s Exchange! SRQ

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