Month: October 2016

Trip To Ireland Spurring Olympic Dreams For Wharton Junior

Watching the 2016 Summer Olympics was a real treat for 15-year-old Paul R. Wharton High junior Yasmine Gillespie. It provided a nice respite from the young athlete’s busy schedule, as she got to see martial artists from all over the world compete for gold in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

What the second-degree black belt did not know was that during the Olympics, several new sports were given a chance to be included in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, and making the cut was karate, both kata (one-person forms) and kumite (two-person grappling/sparring).

The former infused instant dreams into the mind of Yasmine, who over the summer found out she would be representing Team USA at the World Karate & Kickboxing Commission (WKC) World Championships in Dublin, Ireland.

In June, she attended the WKC national tournament in Dearborn, Michigan on the University of Michigan’s Dearborn campus.

“The way it works is they call you up, you do your form, they score you, then you go again and it repeats until you eventually get a compiled score,” Yasmine says. “When they called the top four qualifiers up, I didn’t realize that was what it was for, I thought they just called me up to perform again.”

Instead, one of the other girls leaned over to her and said, “You’re coming with us to Dublin. Welcome to the team.”

“I was so shocked,” Yasmine said. “I got the medals and took pictures and I was thinking, ‘Oh, my God. I’m on Team USA. That’s real.’”

From October 30 through November 4, Gillespie will be representing Team USA at the WKC World Championships, where more than two dozen countries will be participating.

yasmine_gillespie_2 Yasmine says she has always wanted to be an Olympic athlete, and she is headed in that direction.

But before 2020 rolls around, she has other goals. She was advanced a grade level when she started public school, and plans to finish in the top 10 of her graduating class academically. She plays Libero on Wharton’s varsity volleyball team, and also is a varsity tennis player.

How does she manage all of this?

“I’m really good with time management,” Yasmine says. “I find time to work on homework after lunch and in that hour between volleyball practice and karate class. It’s hard to fit it in but I make sure and find time; I plan ahead.”

That careful planning and management has helped Yasmine succeed not only academically, but also in her athletic pursuits.

She trains under fourth-degree karate black belt, Master John Augello at Core Martial Arts in New Tampa. While Yasmine cracks the pads and rolls around on the mat with the other students in the adult class, her specialty is one-person forms, called “katas” in Japanese or Okinawan martial arts disciplines.

A form or kata is a series of movement combinations fused together to simulate combat against an imaginary opponent or opponents. Oftentimes, an intense energy/vocal expression called a “kia” is used to punctuate some of the techniques.

“She just has this natural flow,” Augello says, “and you can’t teach that.”

Yasmine competes in both regular kata and classical kata. She started training in martial arts when she was three years old, and advanced quickly, especially in her teenage years. She now competes in the adult class.

“She was just too big and strong for the little guys,” Augello says. “We had to set the bar higher for her.”

Yasmine keeps jumping over that bar.

In July, she earned her second black belt, and also competed in the U.S. Open Karate World Championships in Orlando and won the International Championship in regular kata in the 15-16 age group.

Her brother Sammy, who is 11, also competes and will join her in Dublin.

“My wife and I wanted to get our kids into karate at an early age,” Yasmine’s father Brian said. “And, not just for self defense but also for confidence and having experience getting out and performing at a young age.”

Minerva Indian Restaurant Now Open In The New Tampa Center!

minerva-6-copy Your dining adventure begins as soon as you step inside Minerva Indian Restaurant. Suddenly gone is the bustle outside at the Publix-anchored New Tampa Center at the corner of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. and New Tampa Blvd.

Inhale the fragrance of jasmine incense and come face-to-face with a figurine of the elephant-headed Hindu deity Ganesh.

This initial stimulation of sight and smell will warm up all of your senses to enjoy the wide range of flavors featured on Minerva’s menu, which spans India’s cuisine from south to north, and even includes some Indo-Chinese fare.

Owner Venkat Reddy has gathered the ingredients he needs to offer a taste of Indian home-style cooking to New Tampa gourmands and foodies.

“We have our own recipes from India and all of our spices come from India,” says Reddy, who grew up in Hyderabad, India.

minerva-gn Minerva has only been open since June — in the location previously occupied by Sushi Ko — but it’s already gaining a loyal following of repeat customers, like David Britton, who says he typically eats there once-a-week for lunch.

“It’s got some of the best Indian food in the area,” Britton said. “I can’t always pronounce what I’m eating, but I really like the spiciness.”

How spicy to prepare the food is one of the toughest culinary calibrations a chef can make. According to Reddy, guiding first-time visitors through the menu to accommodate their preferences and tolerances is part of the customer service at Minerva.

“We have a lot of varieties and I’ll ask them first how spicy they like their food,” says Reddy, who also is a New Tampa resident.

While consideration is given to the varied palates and expectations of patrons, Minerva stays true to delivering an authentic Indian dining experience, according to Perry Compton, who lived in India as a religious missionary and learned to cook in the local tradition. He sampled the lunch buffet for his initial visit to the restaurant and vowed to return.

minerva-1 “It’s my first time here but it won’t be my last,” Compton, a Wesley Chapel resident, says. “This food is some of the best I’ve ever eaten.” Compton was particularly impressed with Minerva’s butter chicken. “I make a pretty good one myself, and it takes so many ingredients to make.”

Butter chicken may qualify as comfort food for fans of Indian cuisine, and is a popular item on Minerva’s extensive lunch buffet. The spiciness manifests as a creamy assortment of subtle flavors rather than a searing burn to the taste buds. Allowing diners to savor those flavors is characteristic of the dishes at Minerva, especially the buffet items, which are all prepared in the mild-to-medium range of spiciness.

The lunch buffet is offered seven days a week and is changed daily, offering a good introduction to Indian cuisine. A la carte items can be ordered during lunch as well as dinner hours.

There are no beef or pork dishes on Minerva’s menu, but meat eaters have plenty of chicken, lamb, goat and seafood options. Goat curry is a good introduction to the red meat, which is a staple of diets around the globe, if not so much in the U.S.

The Cuisine For Vegetarians

Vegetarian dining takes on a whole different aspect with Indian food.

minerva-4 Vegetables are often main dishes and are cooked with spices that imbue them with appetizing flavors, such as bagara baigan, which has eggplant as its basis. Even humble lentil beans take on a bold taste when served as the curry dish tadka dal.

Masala dosas, which are thin rice crepes filled with curry-glazed vegetables, also are featured as part of Minerva’s lunch buffet.

Chinese foods like fried rice and chow mein assume an Indian flavor with the addition of ingredients like cumin and chilies. Minerva combines rice and soft noodles with vegetables, chicken and shrimp for the various Indo-Chinese entrees like hakka veg chowmein and mixed fried rice.

Neighborhood News publisher and dining reviewer Gary Nager raves about the Indo-Chinese chicken fried rice. “It has a uniquely peppery, mild spiciness,” Gary says, “and lots of veggies.” Gary also enjoyed the garlic naan bread and the medium-spicy tandoori-style chicken.

Beverages include American and Indian soft drinks, juices, tea, coffee, wine and domestic and Indian beers like Taj Mahal, Old Monk 10000 Super Beer and Kingfisher. There also is a great selection of authentic Indian desserts to sample.

The wine list is actually pretty extensive, ranging from Clos du Bois chardonnay to 14 Hands Hot to Trot red blend.

Minerva offers a spacious and comfortable environment with light, modern decor and instrumental Indian pop music providing the soundtrack. The successful pairing of food and space is key to creating a positive dining experience, and according to the McCoy family of Wesley Chapel, Reddy has put it all together at his Minerva.

“What really enhances the food here is the ambiance,” says Anthony McCoy. His wife Rita also enjoys eating at Minerva, which has helped her become a fan of Indian cuisine.

“I’m trying all the different flavors because this is something I’m going to be cooking with more,” she said.

The McCoys’ son, Shawn, appreciated the low-key spiciness of the buffet.

“This has spice, but it’s within my tolerance,” he said.

Reddy named his restaurant Minerva after a popular cafe chain of that name in his hometown. He says he earned his certificate as a foodservice professional and moved to the U.S. Reddy comes to New Tampa after owning and operating restaurants in Dallas and Temple Terrace.

As word gets around about Minerva, people like Sam Abrahani are coming from as far away as Zephyrhills to dine at his restaurant.

“I drive 20 miles to eat (here),” Abrahani said. “You don’t have to go to India to get authentic Indian food. You can come to New Tampa.”

In addition to the inviting sit-down restaurant, Reddy provides catering services, including onsite food preparation to ensure optimal freshness. But, whether he’s serving a wedding party of a thousand guests at the India Cultural Center or the lunch crowd at Minerva, Reddy says he sticks to basic principles to achieve customer satisfaction.

“Good service, good food and maintain a high-quality of product,” he says.

Minerva Indian Restaurant is located at 19050 BBD Blvd. and is open daily, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. for lunch and 5 p.m.-10 p.m. for dinner. Be sure to check the ad in this issue on page 51 of our latest New Tampa edition for coupons offering 15-percent off your check or $2 off a lunch buffet. For more information, visit MinervaTampa.com or call 978-8586.

Minerva Indian Restaurant

Mobley Homes — A 40-Year Tampa Bay Tradition Now Building In K-Bar Ranch!

Celebrating its 40th year of building homes in the Tampa Bay area, Mobley Homes is a private company that touts its customer-first philosophy and devotion to excellence as the cornerstones of its business. Since 1976, Mobley Homes has been building homes for families in and around Tampa. In New Tampa, the company previously has built 1,000 homes in West Meadows and 400 in Tampa Palms, and has been building in K-Bar Ranch since 2007.

Renée Riordan has worked as a new home specialist for Mobley for 15 years. The company, “feels like a family,” she says.

“Our company is family-owned and run,” says Renée. “Everyone has been with the company a long time. Once you purchase a home with us, you become our family, too.”

She says Mobley Homes works closely with its buyers to customize each home exactly the way a homeowner wants, so they will love their home for many years to come. “Buyers in these higher-end homes want flexibility, and that’s what we offer,” says Renée. “We can move walls, make bigger closets, add a rain shower or a sauna, add a fireplace, or redesign a kitchen. As long as you start with one of our base plans and it fits on the lot, we can do it.”

Renée says that she and the other new home specialists – Neisha Roberts and owner Tim Mobley’s daughter Maureen Mobley Groom – at Mobley Homes enjoy meeting homebuyers’ needs and desires, and matching those up with what works for each person’s budget and the lot size.

She gives an example of a house that Mobley Homes built in K-Bar Ranch. “

We had a customer who is a car collector, so we built a home with a six-car garage,” Renée says. “In fact, we raised the ceiling to accommodate a lift, so he actually keeps about 10 cars in there.”

This level of customization is not unusual for Mobley Homes. “It’s what our clients appreciate,” she says. “This is probably the largest purchase you’re going to make, so as long as the lot can accommodate what you want, we’ll do it.”

Renée adds, “Our homes speak for themselves as far as quality,” explaining that over the years, many of the builder’s models have won numerous awards, including Parade of Homes awards, given by the Tampa Bay Builders Association (TBBA) during its annual event showcasing new homes throughout the Tampa Bay area. She says the homes are always spacious and well-planned by award-winning architects.

Mobley Homes are currently for sale in four communities throughout the Tampa Bay area, including two located very close to Wesley Chapel.

New Tampa

In K-Bar Ranch, Mobley Homes offers a variety of luxurious floor plans in the Bassett Creek subdivision, all ranging from four to six bedrooms. Each floor plan is more than 2,500 square feet, with homes starting in the mid $300,000s and conservation views on most home sites.

Amenities throughout Bassett Creek include a community pool, basketball court and playground.

Stop by to see the model home at 19301 Yellow Clover Dr. (photo above). It’s the builder’s best-selling Briarwood model, a traditional two-story home that’s designed to fit virtually every size family.

“Every once in a while you just have a home that’s so well-designed by the architect that it’s a great use of space and makes sense for the size of the home and the price you pay,” says Renée. The model is a 5-bedroom, 3.5-bath home that also includes a den and a bonus room, plus a three-car garage. In its 3,400 square feet, the kitchen opens up to the family room and the home includes a huge master suite and a sitting room.

“There are endless possibilities with this model,” says Renée, explaining that converting the bonus room to a media room is just the first of many customizations that are offered. “The options are only limited by your budget.”

Land O’ Lakes

The Manors on Lake Padgett, located 15 minutes from most of Wesley Chapel, features eight home sites in a brand new, private, gated subdivision, with home prices starting from the low $600,000s. “These are gorgeous, lakefront home sites, and each has its own private dock with access to a huge ski lake,” says Renée.

Carrollwood

“In New Tampa, you have these big, master-planned communities with a minimum of 1,500 homes,” Renée says. “But in Carrollwood, there are much smaller pieces of land, so a community might only have 15 homes.” She adds that while these homes lack the community amenities of their larger counterparts, they also lack the expense of a CDD (community development district), and people enjoy the fact that everyone in the neighborhood knows each other.

Lakeside Oaks Reserve features 15 home sites in a brand new, gated, private subdivision located in the heart of what is considered “the original Carrollwood area,” off of Orange Grove Blvd. near N. Dale Mabry Hwy. Home prices start in the $400,000s. Many of the home sites are lakefront, so residents will enjoy relaxing water activities and breathtaking sunsets from their backyards.

Mobley Homes also is building in Cypress Estates in Carrollwood Village, with 16 conservation home sites in a new, gated community. Home prices start in the $500,000s. Renée says this community is selling quickly, with more than half the available homes already sold.

Also in Carrollwood, Mobley Homes is selling villas in a new, private subdivision called The Villas on Twin Lakes. There are 18 maintenance-free homes, so there’s no mowing your own lawn in Twin Lakes. Homes start at 1,600 square feet and are priced in the high $200,000s.

For more info about all of the available homes and communities where Mobley Homes is building, visit MobleyHousing.com. You also can call Renée at 629-3367, Neisha at 629-2921, or Maureen at 695-3628. The model home in Bassett Creek at K-Bar Ranch is open Mon.–Sat., 10 a.m.–6 p.m. and noon–6 p.m. on Sun. Anyone who purchases a “quick move in home” in New Tampa will receive up to $10,000 in closing costs and a one-year membership to Hunter’s Green Country Club.

mobley homes

Wesley Chapel Jazz Festival Moves To Avalon Park West Oct. 15!

The 3rd Annual Wesley Chapel Fall Jazz Festival is coming back to our area, but not to its usual locale.

After two years at the Wesley Chapel District Park on Boyette Rd., the 2016 Festival will be hosted on Saturday, October 15, noon-8 p.m., by the Avalon Park West (APW) community off S.R. 54.

Located at 32659 Coldwater Creek Lp. in Wesley Chapel, Avalon Park West has held a number of successful open-to-the-pubic events, including its Fourth of July celebration, which drew a big crowd estimated at more than 2,000 people.

The Wesley Chapel Fall Jazz Festival, which is free to attend, should be another large gathering at the new development.

“The last one, we had like 5,000 people, so we’re back by popular demand,’’ says Tim Hancock, the president of Jazz Tyme Productions, which is organizing the event.

A lacrosse tournament may have bumped the festival from the District Park, but it’s all good, Hancock says, noting that the jazz festival will be combined with APW’s own Fall Festival.

“They have been trying to get me to bring it over there (to Avalon Park West) for the longest,’’ he says.

Hancock also says that this year’s festival will have bounce houses, face painting, a pumpkin patch and dozens of food vendors. But, the main draw will be the music, which will be highlighted by nationally-known smooth jazz artist Nathan Mitchell — who released his debut album “For All Eternity” in 2013 — and Tampa-based saxophonist Marlon Boone, who also plays with his R&B band City Groove.

“It’s going to be awesome,’’ Hancock says. “It will be live and smooth. This ain’t no backyard BBQ.”

Hancock is estimating a crowd of 3,000-4,000 this time around. Both the Neighborhood News & WCNT-tv will be on-site, too!

For more information, visit AvalonParkWest.com or JazzTymeProductions.com, or call 609-2531.

Wesley Chapel Fall Jazz Festival

Bay Breeze Car Wash & Lube Growing Fast

Moses Pomales, the general manager at Bay Breeze Car Wash & Lube’s “express” location just south of County Line Rd., monitors the traffic through the express wash tunnel.

Setting out on a cross-town, rush hour drive doesn’t have to be an onerous journey if your car is looking good and running right. Bay Breeze Car Wash & Lube can help by cleaning your car’s finish to a spotless shine, detailing the interior to look, feel and smell great and ensuring that all of your vehicle’s life-giving fluids are refreshed, all in one visit.

And, an automotive makeover at Bay Breeze all but guarantees that your view will be through a clean windshield.

Bay Breeze has seven locations in four counties, from Polk to Pinellas, including three that are within minutes of most Wesley Chapel residents.

The company’s flagship location is the full-service operation in the heart of New Tampa on N. Palms Village Pl., off of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., just north of I-75. The second New Tampa location is an express wash and lube operation on Trout Creek Dr., off of BBD, north of Paul R. Wharton High (next to Burger 21). Many Wesley Chapel residents have found the Land O’Lakes express wash and lube facility located a little west of the Tampa Premium Outlets on S.R. 54 at Foggy Ridge Pkwy.

The hands-on detailing provided at the N. Palms Village facility (referred to as the New Tampa location on Bay Breeze’s website) provides bumper-to-bumper, carpet-to-headliner, sidewall-to-sidewall cleaning. Lube services include oil and filter changes and preventive maintenance on cooling systems and transmissions.

Bay Breeze’s express wash and lube facilities offer quick, efficient, hands-free, machine-operated cleaning as well as basic upkeep. A free express wash is included with each oil change and express washes include free customer use of vacuums to clean their interiors and air to inflate their tires.

The family that owns the business has made being the Tampa Bay area’s premiere car wash and lube destination its goal. VP of operations Scott Barone says achieving that means making a strong commitment to customer service.

“We like to say ‘above and beyond,’” Barone says. “That means the place looks good and things are operating at the Bay Breeze level of quality.”

Keeping Customers Satisfied

Barone identified five areas the company emphasizes when conducting business: “Quality, service, cleanliness, friendliness (being easy to do business with) and safety.”

Abiding by these high standards has earned Bay Breeze recognition from readers of the Tampa Bay Business Journal, who voted the company “Best in the Biz” for the years 2012, 2013 and 2015 in the Favorite Car Wash & Detailer category.

There’s also praise from locals like Pam Cazes, who has been a longtime Bay Breeze customer and whose entire family of six drivers also use the New Tampa locations.

“We take our cars there for detailing and oil changes,” says Cazes, who lives in Cory Lake Isles. “The service is excellent and they treat the cars with respect.”

At the Trout Creek express location (called the Bruce B. Downs store on Bay Breeze’s website), general manager Moses Pomales is responsible for providing customers an optimal Bay Breeze experience. Pomales came up through the ranks of the company, starting out as a lube greeter and working in a succession of supervisory positions over nine years before assuming his current position.

Pomales says his approach is to always put customer needs first.

“I walk the facility and interact with customers to see what they need,” the Cross Creek resident says. “We’re here to give them the best experience they can have, from beginning to end.”

That experience starts as soon as a customer enters a Bay Breeze driveway, with a greeter providing directions to the appropriate service area. If maintenance is on the agenda, the car’s VIN is scanned on an iPad and its service history is available to the technicians.

The customer waiting area is decorated and maintained like a bank lobby in terms of cleanliness and comfort. But, Barone says, it’s not as if express lube customers have a lot of time to settle in for a long stay.

“As soon as we start working on a car, our goal is 15 minutes or less for an oil change,” Barone says.

Bay Breeze acquired the Trout Creek location about a year ago. The company closed the facility down for a few weeks to re-configure the express wash tunnels and make other improvements. Barone invites people who had been customers of the previous business to check out the changes.

“Come on back and see us,” he says.

For drivers who like to maintain their cars in spotless condition, Bay Breeze offers monthly VIP package memberships that save frequent customers money.

“We get customers who come in every morning to get a car wash,” Pomales says.

Bay Breeze also offers discounts to members of the military and the law enforcement community.

Since opening in North Palms Village in 2004, Bay Breeze has grown to its current seven locations and about 100 employees, according to Barone. The full-service New Tampa location is the largest facility, with 55 employees.

Achieving that growth means investing in people and technology, as well as real estate for locations. The company has an established training program for new employees who may be new to the car wash and lube industry, including certification for technicians through the Automotive Oil Change Association.

Computers track everything from traffic flow through the wash tunnels and chemical usage to sales of wiper blades. That information is even available via mobile devices, so Bay Breeze managers aren’t tethered to a computer to stay on top of things and can be available to maintain the company’s high level of customer service.

When it comes to the actual cleaning of their cars, customers benefit from the latest car wash technology, especially when it comes to protection from the harsh environment of Florida’s sunshine and thunderstorms. Various sealants and protectants are available, including a new Nano-polymer protective sealant. Barone credits using the premium product with keeping his car’s appearance at its best.

“I personally have not had my vehicle hand-waxed in over two years, but because I use our Nano product an average of once a week, it still looks like I just drove it off the showroom floor,” he says.

Barone adds that people need to wash their cars more often in the summer to combat the effects of both the sun’s ultraviolet radiation and the wearing effects of rain on a car’s finish.

While Bay Breeze provides car wash and lube services, Barone says what the company really is offering its customers is actually much more valuable.

“It comes down to time,” Barone says. “Time is something you can’t get back. I can take 30 minutes in my driveway or three minutes in a car wash.”

Bay Breeze Car Wash & Lube is open daily, with hours varying by location. You can learn more by visiting BayBreezeCarWash.com or contacting one of the following locations: New Tampa – 17501 N. Palm Village Pl., 615-1333; Bruce B. Downs – 20306 Trout Creek Dr., 973-0033; Land O’Lakes – 24124 S.R. 54, 949-7297.

Bay Breeze Car Wash