Pasco County deputies arrested a 23-year-old man Sunday evening suspected in a string of February robberies in Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills.
Robert Dumas, of Wesley Chapel, was stopped for speeding on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. and Eagleston Blvd. As deputies searched the vehicle, they found a gun and a used marijuana joint.
Deputies also found a firearm and mask, along with shoes and clothing that matched the description from a string of recent armed robberies.
Dumas and the vehicle also matched those descriptions, and the Major Crimes division was notified as deputies continued to talk with Dumas until he confessed to the robberies over the course of six days, which started on Feb. 8 with the Citgo Gas Station gas station on S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel.
About an hour later, Dumas also was accused of robbing the Best Western Hotel on Oakley Blvd. in Wesley Chapel, where he fired a gun shot. He also fired a shot during a robbery of the Metro PCS store in Zephyrhills. He also has been accused of robbing B Creative Painting Studio in Wesley Chapel, and a Subway sub shop in Lutz.
Wesley Chapelâs Tammy Knoll-Anderson invents a new yoga pose â The Cuddle â with Chief. Tammy was one of roughly 30 participants in a goat yoga class at FHWC. (Photos by: Andy Warrener)
There are several different disciplines of yoga, from Anada to Yin and many others in between.
But, with apologies to Bikram Yoga, or hot yoga, the hottest thing out there â and definitely the cutest â might just be goat yoga.
Yes, goat yoga. It is as you might expect â yoga and goats, in harmony, and recently, at the Wellness Center at Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel (FHWC).
âIâve taken regular (yoga) classes in the past and when I saw the chance to do this one, I thought, âYeah, Iâm in,ââ Wesley Chapel resident Tammy Knoll-Anderson said after finishing class. âItâs fun to be around and interact with the animals and itâs nice being outside.â
Indeed, modern afficionados have incorporated animals into their yoga practices. Cat and puppy yoga gained popularity for a time, but have been superseded by goat yoga, a craze that is sweeping the country. It has been featured nationally on ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN, and USA Today profiled goat yoga in places like Colorado, Florida, New Jersey and Oregon, the latter of which, the article said, was the birthplace of goat yoga.
Obviously, the goats are not demonstrating or performing a Bharadvajaâs Twist or downward dogs, but they are offering support in the form of their calm nature, and maybe a few kisses along the way.
According to GoatYoga.net, goat yoga is a form of Animal-Assisted Therapy in the context of an instructor-led yoga session. Obviously, the aim is for an outdoor session and the goats donât participate in the exercises so much as provide ambiance.
(L.-r.) Barbara Morris, Jeff Bogue, Amy Bogue, Emma Bogue & Linda Harris at the Feb. 24 goat yoga class at the FHWC Wellness Center.
FHWC just happened to have all the right ingredients available â land (most important) and a desire to be creative, in order to offer a goat yoga class, the morning of Feb. 24.
âAt the fitness center, we talk about thinking outside the box and engaging the community,â FHWC director of community wellness Barbara Morris says. âThe hospital said we could use the pavilion behind the building, and the pieces began to fall in place.â
Morris looked for an instructor willing to teach the class. She found FHWC Wellness Center yoga instructor Rachel Jimenez a willing participant.
The goats themselves came from Fortune Teller Farms in Bushnell. Jeff Bogue, who is the program manager of ambulance services for the hospital, and his wife Amy have operated the farm since 2013.
The Bogues followed their dream, and now own and operate an all-natural, grass-fed beef and pasture-raised pork farm. The nine goats they have are all rescues, and while they do try to harvest milk from some of them, for the most part, they are pets.
When Jeff heard about the goat yoga notion from Barbara, the wheels were set into motion.
âI remember when I first mentioned it to Amy, she laughed, thinking I was joking with her,â Jeff says. âThe next thing I know, Iâm in Barbaraâs office working on an ad for the class.â
Under the shade of the pavilion located behind the main building, the very first goat yoga class was hosted at FHWC on Feb. 24, with roughly 30 participants who enjoyed interacting with a handful of the Bogue familyâs goats during the session.
The Bogues, with help from Morris and fitness program coordinator Linda Harris, put up temporary, plastic fencing around the pavilion to contain the animals, and placed small piles of feed near the yoga participants to encourage the goats to physically interact.
The goats needed little persuasion as they nibbled at clothing, some even jumping up on top of studentsâ backs or bellies. Two-week old Chief was one of the more popular goats, easily perching on students as they negotiated different poses. Jimenez says she was eager to try teaching her first goat yoga class.
âI have taken goat yoga but I had never taught it before,â Jimenez says. âThe goats offer some humor and lightness to a session. Thereâs a seriousness to yoga and goats kind of balance that out.â
Goats also have a curious nature and while theyâll eat just about anything, Jeff says they make good candidates for interaction with a yoga class.
âThe goats are ideal for this,â he says. âTheyâre calm, they like to interact with people and theyâre clean, for the most part.â
The nice turnout for the goat yoga class could mean the return of Chief and his friends â the Wellness Center is already planning for a second class at the end of April.
Because we shook up our annual Reader Dining Survey & Contest and it had so many new categories, and it took a little longer for us to tabulate those results, the release of my 2017 Dining Favorites in New Tampa & Wesley Chapel was delayed by an issue.
Dempsey’s porterhouse steak and cheese grits
The only thing that hasnât changed is just how much I disagree with our readers when it comes to dining in our two distribution areas. Yours truly agrees that many of the new restaurants (yes, gulp…including some of the new chains) that joined our dining scene in 2017 deserve to be at or near the top of my list, but thatâs where the similarities end.
I will say that I did change my own format for this year â these are my top-50 favorites in our distribution areas, regardless of whether theyâre located in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel.
After the top 30, however, the final 20 include some favorite dessert places and even individual items I found myself addicted to at some of the places that couldnât crack my top 30 (of more than 100 eateries I considered)!
One thing I can tell you is that I love the feedback â even some of the negative comments weâve gotten from readers who didnât participate in this yearâs Dining Survey & Contest, but have still taken the time to post some unflattering comments about the choices of the readers who did vote on our Facebook page.
But, while I agree with some of those reader rants, the fact is that while we still donât have enough top-level mom-&-pop places in New Tampa & Wesley Chapel, we do have a lot more variety from which to choose today than we have in years past. â GN
1. Dempseyâs Steak House at Saddlebrook
I also decided that this year, I would rank my favorite restaurants in order, regardless of price, which meant that only the place with both the best Cowboy ribeye steak (above) and best fresh fish in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel could be voted #1â and that place is Dempseyâs. No, I donât often feel a compulsive need to plunk down more than $50+ for an outstanding steak (and there are plenty of overpriced steak houses in Tampa for that), but whenever I do, Dempseyâs never disappoints me.
2. Noble Crust
I should really call Noble Crust â1B,â because if you have to take price into account, thereâs no better value for the money than this two-location chain â especially considering itâs in an upscale mall. Noble Crustâs constantly changing fish and steak specials (and ambiance) keep me coming back, despite the fact the menu isnât extensive, but from the fried chicken parm (photo) to the meatballs to the kale Caesar salad to the unique pizzas, this was my favorite newcomer for 2017.
My friends Jessica and Carl Meyers continue to add new items based on customer requests and their addition of the best veal parmigiana in our area (and beer and wine; try Grandmaâs sangria) in 2017 was enough to keep them in my top-five in our distribution areas, even though the restaurant is technically in Lutz.
Stonewood.
5. Stonewood Grill & Tavern (Tampa Palms)
Another restaurant that benefited from me picking favorites when price is no issue, Stonewoodâs addition of a great lunch menu in 2016, including excellent bowls like bruschetta chicken and tuna poke, moved it up for me last year. Steaks, pastas and fresh fish are a little more pricy for dinner, but Stonewoodâs bar service is always top-notch.
6. Ciccio Cali
Get a taste of the California lifestyle at Ciccio Cali, where rice and lettuce bowl cuisine has been elevated to an art form. I love all three of the tuna bowls on the menu, as well as the chicken and baby broccoli str-fry and the thin-crust pizzas. I also enjoy the homemade cookies and desserts (some gluten-free) and nice wine selection.
7. Fordâs Garage
I wasnât overly excited that we were getting a Fordâs Garage in Wesley Chapel, because I can only eat burgers so often, and the rest of the menu is a little limited. Even so, Jannah and I do crave the ahi tuna appetizer, chop-chop salad, chicken Henry and petite filet.
Acropolis brunch.
8. Acropolis
Acropolis on BBD south of Tampa Palms continues to expand its menu with more and more authentic Greek and Middle Eastern dishes, but my favorites are still the lamb chops (photo), the Athenian fish and the Greek salad with a uniquely creamy Greek dressing.
9. Sukhothai
Although we have added some new (and also delicious) Thai options in our area, Sukhothaiâs fresh sushi and combination fried rice are my favorites and I also love the crispy duck with ginger sauce and the shoes-off, below-floor seating.
10. Longhorn Steak House
Another new chain that opened in our area for the first time in 2017, Longhornâs outlaw ribeye isnât in Dempseyâs category, but itâs also half the price and delish. We love the bar, the bread, the salad, the sides and the Floâs filets at Longhorn, too.
11. Thai Ruby
The ambiance is second to none and the food doesnât disappoint. I love Thai Rubyâs fresh fish specials and the crispy duck with ginger sauce is still the best in our area. This is a great place to start an intimate date night.
Itâs a fast-casual restaurant with a limited menu, but Jannah and I canât get enough of the chicken and steak fajita salads at Capital Tacos (which is now opening more locations), and the quality of the food seems to exceed what you pay for it.
Fushia Asian bistro
14. Fushia Asian Bistro
It still makes me crazy when people tell me theyâve never tried or even heard of Fushia, which is located in the same Shoppes at Amberly plaza as Peabodyâs and Thai Ruby. But, for authentic dishes like Yan Jian pork, beef with Chinese broccoli and the best combination fried rice in town, you have to try Fushia!
15. Yamato Japanese Restaurant
Although itâs not my favorite sushi place, I do enjoy the fair pricing on quality Japanese teppanyaki (hibachi) fare at Yamato, where the NY strip and filet and even the veggies are my favorites among our local Japanese steakhouses.
Bonefish used to rank higher on my list, but it still has my favorite seared ahi tuna appetizer in our area and is usually reliable for its fresh fish (although I donât love most of the sauces on the menu) and bar service.
18. 900 Woodfired Pizza (Shops at Wiregrass)
Although owner Steve Falabellaâs NY-style pizza is only third on my list (behind La Prima and NY NY), his lasagne, his delicious salads and the best pesto Genovese sauce for his create-you-own pastas helped rank him higher as a restaurant.
19. The Hungry Greek
Still among the most crowded restaurants in our area, especially for lunch, The Hungry Greek has our areaâs best gyro and chicken gyro platters, delicious Greek salads and recently added unique bowls to its popularly priced menu.
Not far behind Yamato among our Japanese steakhouses, Kobe also scores points for its great $5 happy hour food specials at the bar and for adding a pepper-crusted, seared rare tuna tataki teppanyaki dish.
22. Outback Steakhouse
Although itâs never been my favorite steak place in our area, Outback continues to keep itself in the mix by reducing the price points on its quality steaks and recently added a bone-in, natural-cut ribeye.
Amazing wings (try âem blackened), delicious appetizers and even an excellent mahi-mahi sandwich, plus a fun atmosphere, make Fat Rabbit the best new restaurant in New Tampa for 2017. Check them out on St. Pattyâs Day!
For outstanding merluza topped with Russian-style tartar sauce, palomilla steak, pork chops and roasted pork (lechon asado), plus other authentic Cuban favorites, tell my friends Ramses and Ana that Gary sent you.
27. El Pescador Mexican Seafood
Another tasty newcomer in New Tampa, El Pescador has really good fajitas, but the fresh seafood is the main attraction, including the whole fileted snapper and the fresh ceviche, to go with the usual enchiladas and other Mexican staples.
28. La Prima Pizza
In one manâs opinion, the crust and sauce are still the closest thing to true NY-style âza in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel, and itâs all for sale! Owner Willie Lopez has a turnkey pizza operation and a great location (right next to Target), so please call him at (813) 907-2878 if you want to find out more…and please tell him that Gary sent you!
Obviously, I love a great steak and although Texas Roadhouse loses points with me for its line-dancing wait staff, it does offer great values on tasty NY strips, filets and yes, its hefty, 20+-oz. bone-in ribeyes.
The Rest of My Top 50 (in alphabetical order)
Bonsai Sushi: Popular for sushi & Japanese fare
Boscoâs: Try the unbreaded chicken parm!
Brusterâs Ice Cream: My favorite (peanut butter!)
Cake Shop:Amazing cakes, cookies & cupcakes
Cantina Laredo: Pricy, satisfying Mexican fare
Culverâs: Good burgers, amazing frozen custard
Fongâs Sushi: Creative, top-level sushi
Hibachi Express: Best prices for tasty hibachi!
Irish 31: Great salads & upscale pub grub
Jersey Mikeâs Subs: Best roast beef & tuna subs
Koizi Endless Hibachi: Just below Ginza
Kwan Ming Bistro: Tasty, upscale Chinese
Lanna Thai: Really good food, great atmosphere
Mr. Dunderbakâs: Good schnitzel, great beer!
NY NY Pizza: Try the Grandmaâs Pizza!
OâBrienâs Irish Pub: Burgers, tater tots & karaoke
As a parent, Iâm happy that both of my sons have graduated from both high school and college, because the threat of continuing gun violence, especially towards young people, seems to loom ever larger in this country.
I canât imagine how the families of the murdered students and staff at Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland are feeling. I donât want to imagine it. But, I also canât hide my head in the sand and pray that it somehow all goes away.
Children shouldnât have to be afraid to go to school. Schools shouldnât have to have metal detectors and beefed-up security, but they do.
Iâve never been a gun owner and the few times Iâve shot a gun of any kind, I could feel the death â whether accidental or intended â in my hands…and wanted no part of it.
Even so, Iâve also always had an open mind about both hunting and the need some people I have been close to have felt to have a gun (or guns) in their home in order to feel safe.
The one thing I could never understand was why anyone would own a military-style automatic weapon, other than maybe as a keepsake of someoneâs time in the military. If you hunters out there are using AR-15s or AK-47s or even bump stocks to shoot deer, wild boar or even gators, Iâm guessing thatâs against the rules. But, if itâs not, shouldnât it be? Even though these weapons can get off multiple shots in seconds, are they really the weapon of choice for home protection? Arenât they, when legally kept, supposed to be unloaded and locked up when not in use and therefore harder to load and fire quickly at an intruder?
But, I certainly agree that the guns themselves are not the problem. People are. I therefore think that, in addition to trying to ban these types of weapons, anyone who wants to buy one should have to be evaluated by a licensed mental health professional before they can do so. I also think that the penalties for not only using, but possessing, these types of weapons would also need to be tougher.
And finally, I honestly think that in order to get the most people to be willing to give up these guns of mass destruction, they should be paid to give them back. Pennies on the dollar, but itâs better than having them confiscated or having to illegally hide them if they ever are banned. Even if our government had to buy back every military-style weapon and bump stock in this country, wouldnât the monetary cost alone, much less the cost in human life and suffering be less than what weâve seen in mass shooting after mass shooting?
I honestly believe that if anyone is going to finally bring about change with regards to guns in this country, those surviving students and families from Parkland have the best chance of finally getting it done. I truly hope they succeed because, sadly, we never know whose children (or parents or siblings) could be next.
 Check Out Our Taste 2018 Preview Section!
At our press time on March 2, it was still three weeks out before the Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel was set to return to the (surprisingly) warm and friendly confines of Florida Hospital Center Ice (FHCI) and I know itâs going to be bigger and better than last year.
The Taste, presented by the Rotary Club of New Tampa, in conjunction with the North Tampa Bay (formerly the Greater Wesley Chapel) Chamber of Commerce, will return to FHCI on Sunday, March 25, noon-4 p.m., or two weeks and two days after you received this issue in your mailbox.
As the restaurant coordinator for the event both years, I will say that we had a few (5 or 6) more restaurants secured with paperwork at the same time last year, but close to half of the 32 confirmed eateries and beverage providers we hdid have at our press time this year are newcomers to the event â and most of those that participated last year who donât appear in our Taste preview section on pages 38-41 said they were going to return, we just hadnât received their paperwork by Mar. 2. Since those pages were laid out for the issue, in fact, we have had two more providers â the Zephyrhills Brewing Co. and The Main Ingredient Catering Co. â send in their paperwork as I was writing the final page of our latest Wesley Chapel edition.
In short, I will be stunned if we donât at least match last yearâs 46 food and beverage providers and I wonât be surprised at all if the number ends up at 50 or more.
In fact, there are at least 40 additional restaurants that have expressed serious interest in being at the Taste, so keep visiting TasteofNewTampa.org every day to see what new culinary delights are expected to be added to an already impressive roster.
Please note that this yearâs âPeopleâs Choiceâ winners will have to keep selling tickets past 3 p.m., because the total weight of each food/beverage vendorsâ tickets will…um…carry a lot of weight.
The New Tampa Players will return with new performances and guitar afficionado Shaun Hopper (right) will be the dayâs entertainment headliner, known for his âfingerstyleâ and percussive technique.
I give big kudos to FHCI owners Gordie Zimmermann and George Mitchell for being so happy to welcome the Taste back to the largest skating complex south of New York state, with an amazing floor covering one of the complexâs 17,000-sq.-ft., NHL-sized rinks. Gametime indoor temp? Right around 72 degrees (F.). Seriously.
I also congratulate New Tampa Rotary president Karen Frashier, her awesome team of âJCsâ â James Carner and Jason Contino â who already have brought in more sponsors and sponsorship dollars for the event this year than last, logistics guru Matt Palmer, our beer & wine license expert (and Private Chef) Peter Gambacorta, entertainment chair Bob Thompson, volunteer coordinator Dr. Colin Beach, marketing whiz Craig Miller, the always-helpful Lesley Zajac and Debby Amon, and new Taste committee member Nikki Smith, who has made sure that any food that isnât sold during the event this year will be donated to local food banks immediately following the Taste.
For more info about the 2018 Taste, including how to pre-buy tickets or volunteer, visit TasteofNewTampa.org. And, check out our Taste Preview Section on pages 38-41 in our latest issue and look for exclusive WCNT-tv Taste preview segments on Facebook, too.
For years, he was a squeaky-voiced kid who sang quietly in the church chorus, who ran the lights at his familyâs Dreamhouse Theatre, a kid happy to work behind the scenes in the midst of his song-happy family of performers.
Then one night, at the age of 15, he called his family into the living room of their Seven Oaks home.
âMom and Dad, I want you to hear something,â he told them.
Sensing something dramatic was about to happen, Darci, his mother, pulled out her phone and started recording.
Zach started singing. Frank Sinatraâs âThe Way You Look Tonight.â
Everyoneâs world changed that night.
âWhen I heard his voice like that, I started bawling, just crying,â Darci says.
His sister, who was in her room, heard her brother sing and started screaming, and came rushing into the living room.
âIt was like, whaaaaaaat?,â says Bryan, his father.
Zach has always been afraid of what people would say if he sang for them. He told his parents he wasnât sure he should share his voice.
âYou need to share this with the world,â Darci tearfully told him.
And he has, from one âAmerican Idolâ audition to the next, from Wesley Chapel to Orlando to New York.
But, how about Hollywood? Well, no one is saying.
Zach DâOnofrio is good at keeping secrets.
Zach and Darci, before he entered the room to sing for the celebrity judges.
Once Americaâs hottest television show, âIdolâ is back for the start of its comeback season this Sunday. March 11 , 8 p.m., on ABC-TV (WFTS-TV Channel 11 locally).
At the DâOnofrio home, friends and family will gather in that living room again, this time sharing Zachâs voice with the world. Everyone will see the audition for the first time, including Zach.
âI am kind of nervous about how Iâll look,â he says, sitting under a green shade at the Starbucks on S.R. 56 near the Shops at Wiregrass, surrounded by a caffeinated crowd that has no idea that, possibly, the next âAmerican Idolâ sits among them.
A junior at Wiregrass Ranch High, Zach was one of the hundreds to audition for âIdolâ at Florida Hospital Center Ice back in August 2017. He was one of 25 to continue on to auditions in Orlando two weeks later. And, he also was one of 16 who flew to New York City in October for a chance to sing in front of this seasonâs âIdolâ judges â pop/soul legend Lionel Richie, country star Luke Bryan and perky pop performer Katy Perry.
âI can post about it now (on Facebook) that I auditioned, and can tell people that I have gone to New York for the show,â Zach says. âA lot of kids know that, like my close friends, but they donât know anything past that. Some kids sitting next to me in classes donât know. People donât know that I danced with Katy Perry.â
* * *
WaitâŠwhat?
His father just shakes his head and smiles. Yes, it really happened. It only took 10 seconds of âThe Way You Look Tonightâ to drop open the jaws of the judges, and another 10 seconds after that, Perry was dancing her way towards Zach. Richie stood and danced as well, and Bryan couldnât help but join in.
Zach maintained his poise, and continued singing, even as he and Perry danced together.
âI just kept going,â he says. âWe were dancing. I twirled her, I dipped her, things like that. Kept singing.â
âDipped her,â says Zachâs dad, shaking his head and beaming proudly, with maybe a tinge of jealousy. âMy man!â
If it wasnât his voice that prompted Perry to dance with Zach, maybe it was his âsocks appeal.â Socks are kind of Zachâs thing. He has a collection of 50 pairs or so of uniquely designed footwear. He brought pairs for each judge â American flag socks for show host Ryan Seacrest, skulls for Richie, roosters for Bryan.
For Perry, her socks depicted cats sitting on rainbows shooting lasers from their eyes, which sounds like a description of some of her videos. It was, Zach says, the perfect choice, and she wore them on her hands while she danced with him.
âIt broke the ice,â Zach says. âIt definitely made things easier.â
* * *
It is only natural that Zach would discover his talent for singing.
Bryan and Darci met at a concert at the Happy Gospel Center in Bradenton. Bryan was in a band with other family members called Southern Praise, and they were the headliners that day. He was the eligible bachelor of the group, and his sister joked to the crowd that, âif you can feed him, you can have him.â
Darci thought Bryan was a wonderful singer. When it was her turn to sing later that day, she was nervous thinking he might be watching. She wrote him a letter afterward, he wrote back, and one year later, they were married.
Zach and his older sister, Taylor, were born into music. Taylor embraced it, performing and singing at a young age, and Zach remembers singing âOh, Holy Nightâ with his family at a Christmas church service when he was eight.
Bryan, Taylor, Zach and Darci before a Dreamhouse Theatre production.
But, for the most part, he hung back and mostly played youth soccer, even making the junior varsity team at Wiregrass Ranch High.
Four years ago, his parents, who both work full-time at North Tampa Behavioral Health on S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel, started the Dreamhouse Theatre. They performed shows at various locales before settling at their current location in Lutz.
Zach was working the lights for a production of the âLittle Shop of Horrorsâ in October 2016, when he was struck by how much fun all the performers seemed to be having. He decided afterward he would surprise his family with a Frank Sinatra song in the living room that night.
After that, Zach took his first role as Benjamin in âJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.â Bryan played Joseph, and Darci and Taylor also were in the production.
âOh my gosh, it was so exciting seeing him getting into it,â Bryan says. âHe had a solo in the show, and just nailed it. I was so excited to see him shine.â
Zach took on roles as one of the three little pigs in âShrek,â and played Lord Farquaad in âShrek The Musical Jr.,â sitting on his knees the whole show. âThat was probably my favorite,â he says. âI wondered why I waited so long to do this.â
At Wiregrass Ranch, he joined the chorus this school year, ready to refine the talent he had unleashed the year before. His teacher originally thought by the sound of his speaking voice that Zach would be singing tenor, until he showed off the rich, deep sound that surprises so many.
âHeâs very talented, but it wasnât something I heard from the very, very beginning,ââ says Wiregrass Ranch fifth-year choral director Solangi Santiago. âEvery now and then, though, we could see that this kid had something special.â
Then, one day, a friend sent Zach a link to sign up to audition for âIdolâ at Florida Hospital Center Ice, where he took his first steps in the hope of becoming the next big thing.
* * *
Given a choice of audition spots after getting through the Wesley Chapel and Orlando stages of the audition process, Zach selected New York, an obvious pick, considering his crooner style and affection for Sinatra, which he developed after buying old vinyl records of the legend on shopping excursions with his father.
It was Darci, however, who got to go on the Sunday-through-Wednesday trip with him, the first trip to New York for both of them, and they stared wide-eyed at everything around them for three days. They visited the Statue of Liberty and the 9-11 Memorial, Facetiming the best moments with Bryan and Taylor.
âI made him sing âNew York New Yorkâ in the middle of Times Square,â Darci says.
Outside the judges room at the Hotel Pennsylvania in midtown Manhattan, Darci was all nerves, while inside, her teenage son was taking a giant bite of the Big Apple â dancing with a pop princess while impressively, considering the circumstances, remembering all the words to his song.
âI didnât faint,â Zach joked.
For three minutes, Darci strained to hear her son sing. The television cameras were trained on her, and she looked at them and asked: âHave you ever had a mom pass out before?â
What little she says she could hear of Zach, she liked.
âHe sounded incredible, like never before,â Darci says.
Afterward, he told her he thought it was his best audition yet.
Did he have a golden ticket in his hand when he told her?
âYou have to tune in March 11,â he says, smiling. âYou may see me on the show.â
