Month: December 2018

Recapping The Year In Dining 2018 In New Tampa & Wesley Chapel!

When Charles Dickens wrote A Tale of Two Cities in 1859, there’s no way he could have had our distribution areas in mind.

But, for Wesley Chapel’s already-crowded dining scene, it surely is fair to call 2018 “the best of times,” and equally fair to say that for New Tampa, “it was the worst of times” in terms of its restaurant scene.

Among the new eateries that opened in already-dining-rich Wesley Chapel in 2018 were Bahama Breeze (photo), Mellow Mushroom, Chuy’s Tex-Mex, Batter & Dough, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Umu Japanese & Thai, Pomodoro Pizza, Chipotle, Jake’s Pizza, MOD Pizza, the Gallery Restaurant at the new Hyatt Place Hotel, the Garden Grille & Bar at the new Hilton Garden Inn, the Top Shelf Sports Lounge at Florida Hospital Center Ice, plus new locations for temporarily closed local favorites Amici Pizza and O.T.B. Café and a second Wesley Chapel Culver’s location on S.R. 56.

There were others, but you get the idea.

And, even though Woody’s Pizza & Wings closed in the Wesley Chapel Village Market, a new pizzeria called Fratelli’s Pizza & Café recently opened in Woody’s old spot, and we’ve been told it’s a must-try.

Meanwhile, over in New Tampa, the dining scene took an even uglier turn for the worst in 2018, with favorites like Las Palmas Cuban Café, Café Olé, Ruby Tuesday and Casa Ramos all closing their doors. The only New Tampa newcomers to speak of were the Bayscape Bistro at Heritage Isles Country Club (owned and operated by former Wharton High culinary arts teacher Ed Bujarski) and two restaurants in the Palms Connection Plaza on E. Bearss Ave., just west of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. — Prost Kitchen & Bar and Don Julio Mexican Restaurant.

The good news for New Tampa is that the widening of BBD, which for years has dealt a severe blow to many businesses from Bearss Ave. to the Pasco County line, is for all intents and purpose, Bruce B. Done (thank you for that one, John Cotey).

And, although not many new eateries are expected to open in New Tampa in 2019, there are a few supposedly coming soon, including the Humingbird Jerk House in the former Dairy Queen location on BBD in North Palms Village, the Coffee Speaks & Tea Talks Café in Las Palmas’ former location and hopefully, the return of Las Palmas itself in a new location rumored to be near its old location in Pebble Creek. Also, it appears Chef’s Of Napoli Ristorante Italiano will be opening soon in the old Beef O’Brady’s location in the Cross Creek Commons plaza off Morris Bridge Rd.

But, there’s even more to look forward to in Wesley Chapel in 2019, from Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar to Lutz favorite Rice & Beans (in the former Cody’s Original Roadhouse locale), as well as the Sweetea Café on S.R. 56 and even the deli at the new Earth Fare, which will open in Feb. or Mar., as well as new locations for Chick-fil-A, Dunkin’ Donuts, Steak ’n Shake and Twistee Treat.

So, here are some of our favorite dining experiences at new restaurants that opened in 2018 in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel:

1. Bahama Breeze — Although my opinion is that an “Island Grille” should have more fresh fish options, Bahama Breeze does have some tasty Jamaican jerk pasta and a great bar.

2. Bayscape Bistro — A great place for excellent burgers, sandwiches, salads and specials.

3. Garden Grille at Hilton Garden Inn — Although it’s not open for lunch and I’ve only eaten there once since the hotel’s delicious Grand Opening event, you should check out the Garden Grille for dinner sometime for the ribeye steak and “sticky finger” ribs.

4. Prost Kitchen & Bar — German-style cuisine, including some great schnitzel with broccolini (bottom far right), make this hidden gem on Bearss Ave. a must-try.

5. MOD Pizza — It’s only about 11-inch pizzas and create-your-own salads at MOD Pizza, but the pizzas are great and take only a few minutes to make and serve. Fast casual indeed.

6. Top Shelf Sports Lounge — This is where Jannah and I watch Lightning games, not only because of all the TVs but also for the burgers, dry rub wings and the sautéed veggies.

New Tampa Residents Send Help To Panama City In Michael’s Wake

Susan Harrison (left) rented a U-Haul and delivered 100 gift bags to families in her hometown of Panama City who are still reeling from Hurricane Michael.

While it’s now been nearly three months since Hurricane Michael ravaged Florida’s panhandle on October 10, many of its residents are still homeless and very much in need.

New Tampa resident Susan Harrison’s hometown of Panama City was devastated by the storm and she wanted to do something to help.

Harrison is the wife of former Florida House District 63 Representative Shawn Harrison, who lost his re-election bid in November.

“Right now, 75 percent of the structures in Panama City have been destroyed,” Susan says. “It’s the weirdest thing to have to use my GPS to get around my hometown. I don’t recognize anything.”

Right after the storm, Susan collected about 100 blankets and sleeping bags from friends and neighbors and delivered them directly to the schools that were being used as shelters.

At that time, she says she and her sister looked at all the kids who are now homeless — she says 3,800 school kids are still living in tents in the panhandle — and said to each other, “We need to get these kids some Christmas.”

Susan says she believed there were people back in New Tampa who would like to help, so she decided to reach out to them.

When Susan shared her idea with her Bible study and posted it on Facebook, she says the idea took off.

Her friends and fellow New Tampa residents Sharon Kaelin, Tracy Guice and Lori Bleckley all jumped in to help, and their efforts spread exponentially.

“So many people have come together to donate things to make this happen,” says Susan. “Probably 60-70 people have donated and made it what it is.”

“We had 100 bags filled to the brim,” she added, and delivered them to Panama City just before Christmas.

They packed large shopping bags full of both essentials and things people would want. There are some for women, some for boys and some for girls, including babies, toddlers, kids and teenagers.

“Each one had a blanket, socks, hat, gloves, toothbrush and toothpaste,” she says, “and then the kids’ have toys such as soccer balls, baby dolls, footballs and cars, while the women’s bags have makeup, lotion and soap.”

Lori’s Bible study, called Community Bible Study, which is held at St. James United Methodist Church, donated a devotion book and wrote Bible verses and tied them to the outside of the bags for encouragement.

Sharon came up with the idea to ask kids from the Young Life club at Wharton High to donate candy bars, so that people of all ages had a hand in contributing gifts to the kids of Panama City. About 100 candy bars were donated by high school students from Wharton for the effort.

Making The Connection

To distribute the bags to those in need, Susan connected with an organization in Panama City that typically helps pets. When the storm hit, the organization’s founder, Lisa Jackson, quickly found homes for many pets whose families could no longer care for them because they lost their homes.

Once she had the animals settled in temporary homes while their owners tried to re-build their lives, Lisa realized that the only way to get the pets home was to help the people.

“Lisa has so many great connections and got people to come from all over to come and take the dogs and cats out,” Susan explains. “She has a big storage unit she usually uses for dog food, but now she’s using it to help get people back up and running, so the dogs and cats can go back home.”

Susan says the devastation in Panama City is a truly long-term problem that will need attention in the months to come. She explains that even families who have insurance on their homes may be stuck, as their jobs have disappeared and they can’t afford the deductible to rebuild their homes, which can easily cost $10,000 or more.

At least during the holidays, though, many of those families were brought a little Christmas cheer, thanks to the generosity of people who live more than 300 miles away.

“It’s an opportunity for people to realize that Christmas is really about giving, and that people are hurting,” explains Susan. “As hard as life as can be for us, there are people who are without basic needs, people who did everything right. Mother Nature is Mother Nature. She came through and she doesn’t discriminate.”

After receiving bags for her family, a mom in Panama City sent Susan a text message that said: “Thank you so much for the gift bags. There’s definitely something for everyone in them. I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate what you’ve done for my family, so thank you again from the bottom of my heart.”

MP II Purchase May Lead To Additional Amenities

The Meadow Pointe II pool could be expanded as a result of the CDD’s recent acquisition of a parcel of land near the clubhouse.

When developers first looked into buying a parcel of land on the southeast corner of Mansfield Blvd. and County Line Rd. with the thought of getting it rezoned and putting a 7-Eleven gas station and convenience store on the site, they probably didn’t expect the uproar that purchase would create.

An effort to rezone the parcel was scuttled. A year later, the developers have moved on.

And, the Meadow Pointe II Community Development District (CDD) has made sure there will be no repeat — the CDD has purchased that piece of land.

According to treasurer John Picarelli, the CDD closed on a deal on Nov. 15 to purchase the 2.05-acre parcel for $850,000. The asking price was $960,000, and while the CDD was able to negotiate a lower purchase price, the cost was still more than the property’s appraised value of $641,806.

But, it’s well worth the price, says Picarelli, because it will allow for additional amenities for Meadow Pointe II residents, which he says are lagging behind some of the other communities known as Meadow Pointe.

“We were very limited,” Picarelli said. “Of all the Meadow Pointe communities, we have the smallest amount of land for expansion.”

The availability of the land coincided with a bond purchase by Meadow Pointe II for some other capital improvements, including $3.5 million for improving some of the roads and replacing the gates leading into many of the communities.

The bond also will allow for the purchase of the land and includes a line item for the development of new amenities on the property.

The CDD approved the purchase after resident Chris Dillinger surveyed other Meadow Pointe II residents and asked if they were willing to buy the land even if it meant paying more in fees. Dillinger says of the 150 or so respondents, “an overwhelming amount of them” were in favor of buying and maintaining the land.”

And, more great news — Picarelli says that CDD dues might not even need to be raised, due to the retirement of some of the CDD’s other debt and costs. Meadow Pointe II already has paid off its original CDD bond.

It was Dillinger who initially started the petition — which garnered more than 1,000 signatures from those opposed to the 7-Eleven development — that led to the original project stalling.

“I thought 7-Eleven was a worst-case scenario, building a gas station right next to (Kids R Kids Learning Academy), so it was a huge sense of relief to stop that,” Dillinger says.

Picarelli, who has been on the CDD Board of Supervisors for two years, says the idea of buying the parcel of land catty corner from the Meadow Pointe II clubhouse area — which has a covered playground, swimming pool, three tennis courts, two basketball courts and two shuffleboard courts — has long been bandied about by previous CDD boards.

Now that the land is in the CDD’s hands, the community will have to decide what to do with it. Picarelli says a number of possibilities have been suggested, from creating a community or athletic center to building a dog park.

Most likely, he thinks, something from the clubhouse area will be relocated to the new land, allowing the clubhouse to expand and add something like a lap pool, or even a splash pad, which he says is probably the most popular request so far.

“As demographics change, the community is becoming younger and younger, and you have to keep property values up by offering things that can compete with the other communities around here,” Picarelli says, pointing out that Meadow Pointe I is currently building a water slide at its pool. “Whatever we do, we’re going to have to be strategic.”

MP II

S.R. 56 Interchange To Begin Building In January

In what could be considered an early Christmas gift to local holiday shoppers, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) decided to hold off on beginning construction of the diverging diamond interchange (DDI) planned for the intersection of S.R. 56 and I-75.

Construction of the three-year, nearly $40-million project was originally supposed to kick off in November.

“In my opinion, it was a good idea,” said Ryan Forrestel of American Consulting Engineers (ACE), the design project manager for the project. ACE holds the patent on the diverging diamond design.

Although he adds that he wasn’t involved in the decision to delay the project, “it was a good idea to avoid the holiday.”

The delay may have saved shoppers this month, but in January, the project will begin in earnest and drivers can expect to begin experiencing slowdowns, Forrestel said.

The DDI was originally slated to begin in 2024 before getting moved up, so the delay is minor by comparison.

With its crossover pattern, switching traffic lanes and timed lights, the DDI is expected to ease congestion at the busy intersection, which is near the Tampa Premium Outlets and a dozen or so restaurants, while also serving as primary gateway for those heading to, or home from, Tampa.

DDIs are growing in popularity nationwide, and last year one opened to great reviews in Sarasota, the first DDI in Florida.

There are also plans to build one at the I-75 and MLK Blvd. interchange in Tampa.

DDI

Wesley Chapel’s Girls’ H.S. Soccer Teams All Off To Hot Starts

Wiregrass Ranch High senior forward Kat Llanos jumps into the arms of teammate Christie Faddoul after scoring on a header against Wesley Chapel High on Dec. 4.
(All photos by Andy Warrener).

When it comes to local high school soccer, the Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH) boys have been the Wesley Chapel-area standard bearer, with a sterling 108-17-11 record the past five years, including a Class 4A State semifinal appearance in 2015.

But, in the early going this season, Wesley Chapel’s three girls high school teams are making some of their own headlines. Combined, Cypress Creek (CCH), Wesley Chapel (WCH) and WRH have a combined 26-9-1 record, boasting solid defenses and players who can put the ball in the back of the net.

Although area teams have always had to pass, unsuccessfully, through Mitchell, Pasco or Land O’Lakes when it comes to playoff time, they might just be on their way to finding the right path to do so.

Here’s a look at the local girls teams:

Wiregrass Ranch High

Last season: 12-8-3

This season: 9-3, 3-1 in Class 5A-7.

The Skinny: The Bulls have been the best of the three Chapel-area teams. They got off to the best start in school history, winning their first eight games, and have topped their arch-rival WCH Wildcats twice — once by a 3-1 score in the preseason, and by a 3-0 score on December 4.

Alhrough it looks like the Bulls struggled heading into Christmas break, despite losing three of their last four matches they were closes defeats to some of the best teams around — Palm Harbor University and Land O’Lakes (by 1-0 scores) and Wharton (by 2-0 score). Still, the Bulls have outscored their competition by an eyepopping 46-6, thanks to 20 goals from junior forward Avery Damjanovic, who transferred in from Wharton High in New Tampa after scoring 10 goals last season.

Damjanovic has scored hat tricks against Zephyrhills and Sunlake, and found the back of the net seven times in the win over Pasco. She also scored in the 3-0 wins over Plant and Wesley Chapel. Not seen on the stat sheet is a weather-postponed game against River Ridge where Damjanovic scored three goals in the first 13 minutes. So, she’s really sitting at 23 goals and five assists to start the season.

“Last year, we didn’t really have a striker, it was more midfielders playing up top,” WRH coach Edwin Costa says. “They finished the season with 14 goals. Avery already has more than that. Now, we can attack with five midfielders. It gives us the ability to score goals.”

Merrick Rees has four goals for the Bulls, while Kay Llanos was three.

Costa also is excited about his defense. He’ll ration time in goal between senior Mackenize Spurling and sophomore Lara Esen, but he’s particulary hopeful for his three-girl back line. Senior captain Ysa Novak, senior Marin Yeagle and junior Nisa Cahoon form a trio that is not only a solid rear guard, but a springboard for offensive forays.

“We can attack with seven or eight,” Costa says.

Cypress Creek Middle High

Last year: 3-13

This year: 7-3, 1-3 in Class 2A-9.

The Skinny: The Coyotes have already won more than twice as many games than they did all of last season, which was their first year as a school. They also already boast a victory over nearby rival WCH, defeating the Wildcats 3-2 last month after trailing 2-0.

Two losses suffered by the Coyotes have been respectable ones — 4-1 to an undefeated Clearwater Central Catholic team, and 3-0 to traditional Hillsborough County power Berkeley Prep.

Coach Jennifer Richardson, who started the CCH program last year, is building some rapport with her young group, which only includes two seniors. The roster has grown significantly in talent since last year.

“We had new players, good players, girls that play soccer, come out this year,” Richardson says. “Our freshman class brought in a lot of talent.”

Of the 16 players on the varsity roster, eight are freshmen. Freshman striker Emily Dominguez has already logged nine goals in as many games, including a pair of hat tracks, and Cypress Creek is 6-0 when she scores or assists on a goal.

Richardson says that freshman midfielder Sofia Ibata has been great and forms a strong tandem up top with junior Raegan Bourne, who led the team with 15 goals last season and leads them again so far with 10, including a hat trick Dec. 11 in a win over Fivay. However, if the Coyotes are going to come out of the 2018-19 season with a winning record, a goal for Richardson, it’s going to have to come from the experience they’ve developed.

Despite the lack of seniors this season, the Coyotes do have some veteran leadership. Bourne, who has scored five goals thus far, is a leader, as well as senior sweeper Katelyn Leavines, who plays a key role in the backfield. Junior keeper Alina Vizza also is a steady hand in goal.

Wesley Chapel midifielder and co-captain Kaylei Koschman

Wesley Chapel High

Last year: 17-5-2

This year: 10-3-1, 8-1 in Class 3A-7.

The skinny: The Wildcats won the first girls soccer district title in school history last season, and started this season with 10 players returning from that roster, including sophomore defender Sydney Bauer, sophomore midfielder Kaylei Koschman and senior defender Emily Esquinaldo. All three serve as co-captains.

While the Wildcats’ only two losses so far this season have been to CCH and WRH (twice), they have defeated Land O’Lakes 1-0 (for the first time); the Gators have been ranked in the state’s Top 30 each of the past three seasons.

No one was hotter heading into winter break as the Wildcats went 5-0-1 in their final six games, outscoring th opposition 20-3.

“We had 18 different goal scorers last season,” says second-year coach Mark Leonard, “and we have 15 players on the team this year, and 10 already have goals.”

Senior attacking midfielder Heather Sefton leads the group with 15 goals in the first 12 games. She played the second half of last season after returning from an injury, when she scored seven goals in eight games. She obviously has picked up right where she left off.

Junior midfielder Gaby Cardenas has 10 goals thus far his season. Cardenas has a great left-footed shot and can move between forward and midfield. Koschman played right midfielder as a freshman for Wesley Chapel and returns to the midfield, albeit in the center, for 2018-19.

“(Koschman) is a smaller kid but she mixes it up with everyone,” Leonard says.

Junior Morgan Herndon is another fast, physical midfielder in Leonard’s talented rotation.

On defense, Leonard is high on Bauer. In fact, the coach is really excited about the whole left side of the formation, from Sefton to Cardenas to Bauer, even all the way back to sophomore keeper Madison Holcombe.

Holcombe won the starting job last season as a freshman but a knee injury shelved her until the district playoffs, where Leonard says she, “was huge for us during that run.”

Holcombe is tall and has a good wingspan. She registered three shutouts in the first seven games of the season (the team has six total) and kept the 3-0 loss to Wiregrass Ranch from being a blowout with some heady play.

girls soccer