For Eyebrows That Don’t Sweat Off, Consider Creative Permanent Makeup By Pam

Creative Permanent Makeup by Pam owner Pam Edmonson says that eyebrows are her favorite.

If you’re tired of drawing on your eyebrows, just to worry you might sweat them off later in our Florida heat, Pam Edmonson says she has a solution for you.

It’s called microblading, and Pam has been providing this popular eyebrow service since she was first trained in the technique in 2014. She uses a small blade and ink to create each individual hair. Her steady hands help draw on an eyebrow which she then microblades, with each stroke adding a more natural look to the eyebrow.

As a State of Florida-licensed permanent makeup artist, Pam has owned and operated Creative Permanent Makeup By Pam since 2011. Last year, she and a business partner opened Serenity Salon & Spa Suites, located off S.R. 54 in the Brookfield Professional Park, about a half-mile west of Morris Bridge Rd. The suites are available to be rented by other small businesses, such as hair stylists, massage therapists, and licensed aestheticians.

“As one of the owners of Serenity Salon & Spa Suites, I love the way that we enable other women to be able to do their own job and be successful at it,” Pam says. “We have an amazing group of women working here!”

After many years of running a business in the manufactured housing industry, in 2009, Pam says she wanted to do something different, so — at age 46 — she became the “oldest student in hair school,” she says.

While she enjoyed hair, Pam says she soon discovered something that interested her even more. “I love detail,” Pam says. “As a detail person, eyebrows are what first drew me into the permanent makeup field.”

In 2010, she studied permanent makeup at the Boca Ta-2 School for Permanent Makeup in Williston, FL, then began providing permanent makeup services in Zephyrhills in 2011. Pam is Florida-licensed as both a cosmetologist and as a tattoo artist.

“Any time that ink is implanted into the skin, it is a tattoo,” Pam explains, “and you must be licensed through the Florida Department of Health.”

The cost of Pam’s permanent makeup services starts at $400. She also offers permanent eyeliner, and is now offering permanent lip color, too. “I used to not like to do lips, but I learned a new technique,” she says. “It’s not as painful and the color stays beautifully. I had mine done, and it looks so natural and full.”

Pam also offers a scalp therapy treatment for women who have thinning hair. She says that the scalp therapy doesn’t seem to work well on male pattern baldness — it’s more effective on thinning hair — but women tend to respond well to it.

She also offers microneedling, which improves the skin by producing a slight injury to the face with a tiny needle. The body naturally grows new collagen at the “injury” site, which plumps the skin in the treated area and produces cell turnover, reducing scarring, fine lines and wrinkles on the face.

Of all of her services, however, Pam says she still gets the most satisfaction out of doing a client’s eyebrows.

“Brows are always my favorite because of the drastic way they change how someone looks,” Pam says. “Our eyes are meant to be framed, and brows definitely complete the face. Some women look so much younger when they have them done.”

Pam says she is committed to continuing education and frequently attends training to learn the latest, most advanced techniques. That’s how she came across a class called “Browmasters” in 2014, when microblading was a newer process and just beginning to take off. Now, as the process continues to grow in popularity, she already has lots of experience in doing it – several hundred sets of eyebrows, she says.

Pam encourages anyone who wants permanent makeup to schedule a free consultation with her. “Do your homework,” she says. “Make sure the person who does your eyebrows does a consultation. They should sit down with you and show you their work before and after.”

Having a set of eyebrows done by Pam takes about an hour. The price includes a free touch-up after the first four weeks, to help deepen the color and make them more permanent. Once completed, clients sometimes don’t need to come back for a year or two, although everyone’s skin is different. Those “touch-up” visits start at just $100.

And don’t worry, she says, she’ll be straight with you. Pam says she isn’t going to take on a client who wants her to do something she can’t, or something Pam doesn’t think should be done.

“Although microblading is my favorite,” Pam says, “it may not be the right answer for a client. There can be a better alternative, depending on the canvas that I am working on.”

Pam treats clients of all ages, and eyebrows of all sorts, from those that need to be reconstructed to some — on blonde- and red-haired people in particular — that tend to fade from view. Young clients come in for the convenience of not having to draw in their own eyebrows, while older ones come in to fill in plucked-over patches or to highlight brows that have faded with age and exposure to the sun.

She sys she also helps a lot of women who come to her after a mediocre or poor experience with someone else. One such client is Janice, who lives in Wesley Chapel and asked us to only use her first name.

“I had permanent makeup done by another provider about a year ago and was only marginally happy with the results,” Janice says. “It faded, and I had a terrible reaction to the tool that was used on my lips. It took weeks and weeks to heal.”

Janice says she thought long and hard about doing it again, “but the ease of permanent make-up is so great that it superseded my fear. Once you have it, you just think, ‘Man, this is so great for every day.’ After doing my research, I felt that Pam’s method was going to give me better recovery and a better long-term result.”

As it turns out, she was right. Not only did Janice love the spa-like ambiance, cleanliness, and relaxing feeling of Serenity Salon & Spa Suites; she says Pam’s work is “perfect. I couldn’t be happier.”

She adds, “Before, it was just a tattoo. It faded quickly and didn’t look as natural as I wanted it to. With Pam, and microblading, the process was different, and the outcome is superb compared to what I had previously.”

Pam wants to see all of her clients as happy as Janice. “I’m extremely passionate about my work,” she says. “When people tell me what a difference I made in their life and how they feel about themselves, that’s the reason that I love what I do!”

Creative Permanent Makeup by Pam is located at Serenity Salon & Spa Suites, at 33913 S.R. 54, Suite 101. For a free consultation and more info, see the ad on page 39, visit CreativePermanentMakeupbyPam.com, or call (813) 997-6302.

Bay Dermatology’s WC Office Offers Skin Health & Cosmetic Care

Dr. Adam Bennett (right) joined the Wesley Chapel office of Bay Dermatology on BBD Blvd. last year.

When Bay Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery opened its Shoppes of Wesley Chapel office (on Bruce B. Downs {BBD} Blvd. across from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel) last year, it brought local residents the resources of a medical practice that has been taking care of skin, hair and nail maladies throughout the Tampa Bay area for almost three decades.

Bay Dermatology marketing manager Tom Agriesti says the health practice’s mission has been clear since it was established in 1988. It has grown to eight offices, including Homosassa, Spring Hill, Port Richey, Palm Harbor, Largo, St. Pete Beach, Wesley Chapel and N. Dale Mabry Hwy. in Lutz.

“From day one, Bay Dermatology has provided the highest quality care for (our) patients and we’re glad to be able to do that for people living in the Wesley Chapel area,” Agriesti says.

Services and treatments available at Bay Dermatology range from health-preserving therapies and surgeries to appearance-enhancing cosmetic surgery, as well as procedures that are non-invasive.

Bay Dermatology’s Wesley Chapel office treats skin disorders such as acne, psoriasis (a condition in which skin cells build up and form scales and itchy, dry patches) and vitiligo, a long-term skin condition characterized by patches of the skin losing pigment.

The office also offers treatments for eczema and rashes, the removal of moles and warts, as well as skin cancer screening and treatment.

Clinical dermatology treatments for conditions like psoriasis, eczema and rashes such lichen planus, an inflammatory skin condition, characterized by an itchy, non-infectious rash of small, pink or purple lesions, include topical and oral medications. Bay Dermatology also uses XTRAC laser therapy for psoriasis, which uses targeted UVB light to treat the condition without damaging surrounding healthy tissue.

An extensive menu of aesthetic services, such as fillers, facials, Botox, peels and laser hair removal, also are available for consideration. Agriesti suggests having a customized, personal skin care consultation as a good starting point in providing patients with recommendations for treatments and products.

Therapeutic facials offer a way to freshen your appearance and the Bay Skin Care Signature facial treatment brings together the cosmetic benefits of antioxidants, serums, light chemical peel, extraction and facial massage topped off with a mask-treatment application. There’s also a facial geared toward the specific needs of teen complexions, as well as a “Just for Men” routine that aims to ease irritations like razor burn and promote a well-groomed appearance.

Chemical peels include glycolic, vitamin C and therapeutic combinations of salicylic and lactic acids as well as retinol and resorcinol. Generally, peels are intended to minimize the signs of aging, such as wrinkles, but Bay Dermatology’s VI Peel is a deep peel that aims to reduce if not eliminate blemishes such as age spots, freckles and acne scars as well. Many patients use the clinic’s aesthetician services as part of their post-operative care for cosmetic, laser and other surgical procedures.

Dr. Adam E. Bennett, MD, PhD, joined Bay Dermatology’s Wesley Chapel office last year.

He earned his medical degree from the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville and continued his education in dermatology at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, completing his dermatology residency at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, Tampa General Hospital, and Florida Hospital Tampa.

Dr. Bennett is Board-certified in dermatology and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology. His Ph.D. was earned at Cambridge University in Cambridge, United Kingdom.

According to Dr. Bennett, even though Bay Dermatology treats patients throughout the Tampa Bay area, it comes down to the one-on-one relationship between the patient and his or her  dermatologist, which he frames thusly:

“What would you do if it was your own family member or yourself?”

“Every single person who comes through the door is treated that way, with the best principles of excellence in medicine applied to their situation,” says Dr. Bennett, who adds that while he isn’t fluent in Spanish, he is competent in “medical Spanish,” meaning he can communicate on medical issues with patients who prefer to speak Spanish.

“We try to give optimal time to our patients when they’re in the room with the doctor and treat all of our patients like they’re members of our own family,” office manager Vanessa Kirschner  says.

Kirschner says that Bay Dermatology accepts a large number of insurance plans and will try to schedule same-day appointments if requested.

Kirschner’s patient-reception colleague, Anntoinette Sheppard, offers advice that will make your introduction to Bay Dermatology more efficient and easier overall.

“If you print out the paperwork (from our website), and have it filled out when you come in, it speeds up the process and I can get you in the back,” Sheppard says.

Dr. Bennett says sometimes a patient’s first visit is a quest for an answer to an internal query, such as wondering if you have skin cancer. “If you have something you’re worried about,” he says, “that’s a great reason to come in.”

Concern over a mole during a skin cancer screening prompted New Tampa resident Katie Floyd to visit Bay Dermatology’s Wesley Chapel office.

“You have to be aware of what’s going on with your body and if you see something that’s grown or changed color it’s a good idea to have it checked out,” says Floyd.

Floyd added that her experience at Bay Dermatology has been a good one, and conveniently located near her New Tampa residence.

The consensus among Google Reviewers about Bay Dermatology’s Wesley Chapel office is positive, with a score of 4.9 out of five possible stars from 11 reviews, among them, Vicki Barnitt’s five-star rating.

“Dr. Bennett was very thorough, friendly, and explained all procedures,’’ she wrote. “Staff are courteous and everything ran smoothly and on time during both of my appointments. Highly recommend Bay Dermatology!”

On The Cutting Edge

In addition to being a resource for personal skin health and cosmetic care, Bay Dermatology is undertaking initiatives that could bring cutting-edge, state-of-the art dermatological and cosmetic treatments and procedures to Wesley Chapel and New Tampa residents.

Dr. Bennett, who says he has a professional interest in research, says that Bay Dermatology is making big investments in research on behalf of its patients in the Wesley Chapel and New Tampa area.

“(Bay Dermatology) just opened our new clinical research center (in Pinellas County) and my goal is to expand it to all offices, including Wesley Chapel,” he says.

By adding research capability, Bennett says Bay Dermatology will be able to ensure the efficacy and safety of the medical grade cosmetics it offers, and also work with national researchers who are developing experimental treatments for skin diseases such as psoriasis.

Bay Dermatology’s Wesley Chapel office is located at 2653 BBD, Suite 120A. For more information or to make an appointment, visit BayDermatology.com or call (813) 514-0823. 

Will You Be At This Year’s ‘Wiregrass Wobble’ 5K?

The Rotary Club of New Tampa, FITNiche at the Shops at Wiregrass and Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel are excited to present the fifth annual Wiregrass Wobble Turkey Trot 5K (and 1-mile fun run), starting at the Shops at Wiregrass on Thanksgiving morning — Thursday, November 23, 7:30 a.m.

This year’s Wiregrass Wobble is presented by the Pioneer Medical Foundation.

With the help of the event’s sponsors and more than 7,000 participants total, more than $110,000 has been raised and distributed to local charities since the inaugural Wobble in 2013.

This year’s event will again feature:

• Race number bibs w/integrated timing chips

• 2017 tech shirt for all runners.

• ‘Ornamedal’ medals for all 5K finishers.

• School team competitions.

• Corporate & Friends & Family competitions

• 1st, 2nd & 3rd place awards for all 5K age groups.

• 1-mile Fun Run with finisher medals.

New in 2016 were our Friends & Family and Corporate Cup team competitions.  Both are based on most participants with the winners being awarded a cup-style trophy. See the team pages for more information and start recruiting your friends, family, and co-workers.

Wiregrass Ranch High won last year’s boys fastest time for the second year ($350) while Wharton High won the girls fastest time, also for the second year ($350).  The Lutz Elementary Lizards had the most participants ($350). The new Corporate Cup team competition (most participants) was won by Advanced Telecom Systems.  The Friends and Family Cup team competition (most participants) was won by Moms/She Runs this Town.

And, stick around for an expanded post-race celebration with the help of The Brass Tap at The Shops at Wiregrass again this year.

All proceeds from the Wiregrass Wobble Turkey Trot events go to local charities, including FITNiche Foundation, Feeding America Tampa Bay, the Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel Foundation and the Rotary Club of New Tampa Foundation, which provides funds for 25 local charities.

For info or to register to participate in the event visit WiregrassWobbleTurkeyTrot.com. To sign up to volunteer for the event, visit signupgenius.com/go/10c054cafae22a7f94-volunteers1 or call Jennifer Cofini at (813) 907-7800.

The Law Office Of Matthew J. Jowanna Serves Clients With Tenacity & Loyalty

Attorney Matthew Jowanna & paralegal Leah Shalna review a case.

Visitors pass by a shin-high stone statue of a bulldog when entering Matthew J. Jowanna’s law office at the Windfair Professional Center, located across Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel. The carved canine reflects Jowanna’s personal appreciation of the breed, which the domestic animal website VetStreet.com, among many, says is, “admired for the qualities of loyalty and determination;” characteristics Jowanna considers to be basic to his firm’s handling of clients’ legal concerns.

“A client hires you to be a champion, and you are for them,” Jowanna says. “The client comes before everybody.”

Jowanna lives in Tampa Palms with wife Camille and a bulldog (who, he says, also serves as a “paw clerk” in his firm) named Angelica “Geli” Bulldog Jowanna. “Angelica’s an ice-breaker,” says Jowanna.

Angelica “Geli” Bulldog Jowanna is both a “paw clerk” and the most adorable customer service rep at the Jowanna law firm.

“Geli” succeeds her sister, Brittany Bulldog Jowanna, as office mascot, after Brittany passed away last year. Our editor says that Angelica is the sweetest bulldog ever, but that alone isn’t reason enough to hire Jowanna.

The law firm handles personal injury cases, bankruptcy filings, family law issues, insurance disputes and coverage representation, as well as estate matters such as writing wills and establishing and managing estates through the probate process. Jowanna says his firm does not handle criminal cases.

Law is a second career for Jowanna, who earned his B.A. in Mass Communications from the University of South Florida in Tampa and worked in the local broadcasting industry as a television news assignment editor and on-air radio personality. His occasional media-related trips through the local courts led him to an observation.

“I saw a lot of 65-year-old lawyers around the courthouse but I didn’t know too many 65-year-old guys on the radio,” says Jowanna, whose transition from broadcast media professional to a second career as an attorney was made smoother by commonalities between the two professions — such as the need for excellent research skills and the ability to communicate and connect with people, such as jurors.

According to Jowanna, anyone interested in practicing law “should be a theatre major,” to be an effective litigator in a process he describes as, “essentially a show of conviction, and convincing.”

While Jowanna already had the delivery and presentation skills of being a lawyer, he needed the academic credentials to take the bar exam, so he earned his J.D. (Juris Doctor) degree from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law in Davie, FL.

Jowanna eventually also received his Master of Laws (LL.M.; Legum Magister) from Notre Dame Law School, in Notre Dame, Indiana.

Before opening his own office in 2006 to serve Wesley Chapel- and New Tampa-area residents, Jowanna worked his way up in the local legal field from associate attorney at a private firm to becoming a partner at another, while learning the ins and outs of personal injury and insurance-related law.

He says that background gave him the tools he needed to serve his clients well in a courtroom when called upon to do so.

“When you go down to that big law firm you see on TV, you’re not going to see that lawyer, they’re going to shuffle you off to a case handler,” says Jowanna. “When you come here, you’re going to meet the lawyer. We give the benefit of a big-firm lawyer with the comfort of being in your neighborhood.”

Jowanna adds that his firm’s eleven years of service have given it a bit of seniority within the local legal community.

“That makes us one of the oldest law firms in Wesley Chapel,” he says, proudly.

Jowanna also says his experience of working at a firm with more than 100 lawyers also taught him what not to do.

“A lot of lawyers tend to be robotic,” he says. “People don’t pay me to follow a checklist; people want a lawyer who thinks and is original.”

Communication The Key To Client Satisfaction

One principle Jowanna abides by is to always keep his clients informed.

“My number-one goal is client satisfaction and the best way to get that is through communication,” he says.

One client who appreciates how Jowanna combines commitment and communication is Glenn Eckoff, who retained the firm for a personal injury case when he was hurt in an auto accident. Eckoff says the experience went well from the moment he met Jowanna for a free consultation to discuss his case.

“He was on time, he welcomed me with a smile on his face and he was straightforward,” Eckoff says. “From that day on, Matthew Jowanna was nothing less than a spectacular representative of my case.”

Eckoff notes that he never had to wait for a return call from the law office, and that Jowanna would personally call him with case updates.

He adds that he also was pleased with how Jowanna handled the legal opposition en route to what Eckoff calls, “a very nice settlement.”

“During the deposition, he was very much on my side; he didn’t let me get bullied and made sure that the other parties were fair,” he says. “Not only did he have a smile on his face, but he was a warrior.”

Working on insurance-related litigation on behalf of consumers and insurance industry clients has given Jowanna a perspective he says helps him deliver outcomes that satisfy whoever he is representing in a particular case.

“Having worked both sides of the fence is an advantage,” he says. “When I represent a carrier, I can give them the insights of what the average “insured” (person) is thinking. When I represent an insured (person), I can give them the insights of how insurance companies really work.”

Family law practice serves client needs such as establishing legal paternal identification of children born outside of a marriage, dealing with divorce, child custody, wills, trusts and probate matters. As his practice has grown, Jowanna has brought on board Elyssa M. Harvey as managing attorney and to handle many of the family law cases.

Harvey, who earned her J.D. degree from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School’s campus in Riverview, FL, says family law can get emotional and legal situations like divorce cases go better when civility can be maintained.

“If people can at least be polite to each other and work together, it can keep things from getting dragged out,” she says.

Whatever the specifics of a case may be, Jowanna has developed a standard that applies to the work his firm does.

“There’s the law and the rules of law, and one must stay within those rules (while still doing) the best for a client,” he says.

Another way Jowanna tries to serve his clients is through a personal injury/accident app that is available via Jowanna.com, with versions for both Apple and Android smartphones.

The Matthew J. Jowanna Accident App was developed to capture and organize basic information from an accident scene, such as photos, video, witness contact information and GPS location, as well as where nearby medical and repair facilities are located.

For readers who may be considering scheduling a free consultation with the Law Offices of Matthew J. Jowanna, the firm’s paralegal, Leah Shalna, recommends writing down relevant questions before arriving to get the most out of the visit.

“Sometimes, they’ll get halfway home and think of something they wanted to ask,” she says.

The Law Office of Matthew J. Jowanna is located at 2521 Windguard Circle, Suites 101 & 102. You can find out more about the firm’s services and schedule a free consultation by visiting Jowanna.com or by calling (813) 929-7300. The firm also has a toll-free number: (855) 2-MJJ-LAW.

‘A Bottle Of Red…A Bottle Of White’ & Veal Parmigiana Come To Little Italy’s!

Those of you who have been reading this publication since the opening of Little Italy’s Family Restaurant & Catering on S.R. 54 in Lutz a couple of years ago know that not only do I love Little Italy’s food, but also owners Jessica and Carl Meyers.

So, I was thrilled when Jessica — aka “The Boss” — and Chef Carl said they were finally getting a beer and wine license. Not that I can’t enjoy a great meal without alcohol, but Italian “comfort foods” like everything I love at Little Italy’s just beg for Billy Joel’s “Bottle of Red…Bottle of White” or an ice cold Peroni beer.

Pasco County had awarded Jessica and Carl their beer and wine license shortly before we went to press with this issue and they should be serving red and white wine (by the glass, carafe and/or bottle) and bottled beers by the time this issue reaches your mailbox.

But for me, that’s not the big news at Little Italy’s, which also got a makeover a few months ago. The delicious news is that Jessica and Carl — thanks to multiple customer requests (not just from me) — have now added tender, delicious veal parmigiana to the menu, as well as veal saltimbocca and piccata, plus a couple of new shrimp dishes I can’t try because of my (ugh!) shellfish allergy.

Even so, I always include a couple of seafood pics from Little Italy’s on these pages because so many of you love shrimp, clams and mussels (I’ve never gotten my reaction from clams, for some reason, and Little Italy’s linguine with white clam butter sauce is among my favorites in our area).

But, let’s focus on the veal for a second. Jessica and Carl don’t pound their veal (“It breaks down some of the natural flavor and texture of the meat,” says Chef Carl), but it still cooks up nice and tender and the flavor? Well, let’s just say that for my money, there is no chicken parm that tastes as delicious as good veal parm — and Jessica’s red sauce and outstanding mozzarella definitely put Little Italy’s new veal dishes at the top of my list among all Italian restaurants and pizza places in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel.

And, even though I can’t eat shrimp, Little Italy’s new grilled shrimp appetizer features extra large-to-jumbo-sized shrimp that got some rave reviews during mine and Jannah’s most recent visit last week.

Another new menu item at Little Italy’s which I haven’t sampled yet, but can’t wait to try, is Jessica’s homemade potato gnocchi, which you can order with Alfredo sauce and shrimp, meat or marinara sauce.

“Gnocchi was another big request we’ve been getting,” says Jessica “And everyone who’s tried it so far has raved about it to us.”

Other starters we love at Little Italy’s are the bruschetta, the garlic bread, the homemade meatballs that made Jessica and Carl’s former food truck famous, and the crisp, but tender calamari.

My favorite salad is the Caprese salad, with beautiful, sliced tomatoes layered with slices of fresh mozzarella, all topped with a balsamic glaze reduction that isn’t as sweet as some balsamic reductions I’ve tasted.

As I’ve mentioned many times in these pages, I’ve never been the biggest calzone fan, but Little Italy’s calzones are so huge that most people who order them end up not only taking pictures of them, but also taking a large portion of their calzone home with them.

And, although Little Italy’s isn’t a “pizza place” per se, the homemade Sicilian-style pizzas are great for sharing for three or four people because no human being could possibly eat an entire rectangular pie by themselves.

As for the main courses we love, in addition to the veal and chicken parm and the linguine with clams, the spaghetti with those aforementioned (but worth mentioning again) meatballs, the chicken piccata, the baked penne, the so very yummy lasagne, as well as Jessica’s awesome eggplant rollatini or parmigiana. If you’re looking for something vegetarian, substantial and delicious, you can’t beat her eggplant. I also highly recommend the meatball parm “grinda” sandwiches, served on some of the best Italian bread in the area.

Seafood lovers also will go crazy for Little Italy’s fresh cioppino (with mussels, shrimp and clams), as well as the authentic New England “Lobsta” ravioli.

Little Italy’s For The Holidays?

Little Italy’s also is famous for its catering, including for virtually every Neighborhood News/WCNT-tv party since I first walked into this nondescript looking place a couple of weeks after Jessica and Carl first opened.

Jessica says you can rent the entire restaurant out for up to 35 people for your holiday office parties and large family events. “We’re also going to be open Christmas Eve day (Sunday, December 24), noon-5 p.m., so you can pick up your order that can be baked for your Christmas Day festivities,” she says. “Italian people also have to have lasagne or ziti and definitely meatballs with their Thanksgiving meals — doesn’t everyone? — so please order early.”

Little Italy’s, which also has a nice “Little Goombas” menu, also will be featured on an upcoming episode of “90 Day Fiancé” on The Learning Channel (TLC). “I can’t give more information about the show until it airs,” she says. “But it was pretty cool.” Jessica and Carl also were featured on a recent episode of WCNT-tv with yours truly.

Little Italy’s (24436 S.R. 54, Lutz) is open every day (except Mon.) for lunch (at noon) & for dinner. It stays open until 8 p.m., on Sun. and Tue.-Thur., and until 10 p.m. on Fri. & Sat. For more info, visit LittleItalyFamily Restaurant.com or their Facebook page or call (813) 909-2122.