Nibble and Bytes

It’s Raining Berries…And It’s Not What We Thought!

Do you ever drive around Wesley Chapel and wonder what some of the new places will be like that you’ve never heard of before?

No? OK, maybe it’s just me. One of the places that fooled me with its name is the beautiful new Raining Berries, located in the outparcel building set in from S.R. 56 between Earth Fare and Walk On’s Bistro & Bar (at 25595 Sierra Center Blvd.) that also includes two not-not-yet-open businesses — Five Guys Burgers & Fries and Bijous Beauty Bar.

If you’re like me, you were thinking “another frozen yogurt place” (like CherriBerri, MochiBerri, LaBerry, etc.) and you’d be wrong.

I know being able to Google search everything has made mystery mostly a thing of the past but when a first-ever location of a new business hasn’t yet opened and their website wasn’t up (until recently)…but, would you have guessed that Raining Berries’ signature product is (drumroll, please)…ethically and sustainably sourced coffee (and hot and cold coffee drinks) — and really delicious coffee at that? There’s some pretty great-looking baked goods, too.

So, where do the berries come in? Raining Berries does have a variety of açai berry bowls, dragon fruit “pitaya” bowls and coconut bowls, but RainingBerries.com didn’t yet have pictures or descriptions of all of these bowls at our press time. See, still a little mystery!

At any rate, the place itself is very cool modern, but after sampling a most delicious (not sweet) “traditional” (not caramel) macchiato on my first visit, I was very happy knowing that Jannah and I live less than a mile from the place.

For info, call (813) 949-8299 or stop in and try Raining Berries for yourself and tell them I sent you! 

• Managing editor John Cotey says other businesses getting ready to build in the Cypress Creek area include Zukku Sushi, Woofgang Bakery and a Charles Schwab office. These may or may not be located in the same building just west of Bahama Breeze along S.R. 56 as the European Wax Center, which does have its sign up, but look for details next issue. 

Coffee Speaks N’ Tea Talks Opens!

Speaking of delicious coffee, congratulations to our friend Arlene Brooks (on the left in photo above) on the opening of her long-awaited Coffee Speaks N’ Tea Talks at 19651 BBD in the Pebble Creek Collection (behind Kobe Steakhouse, in what was the original location of Las Palmas Cuban Café).

Arlene hosted a North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon-cutting event in November, which was well attended by her friends, neighbors and fellow Chamber members, as well as members of the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel, of which she is a member.

I personally missed the actual ribbon cutting, but have still enjoyed some delicious Ethiopian coffee at Coffee Speaks N’ Tea Talks since then and I look forward to checking out Arlene’s live jazz on Fri. and now Sat. nights (due to demand), especially because she’s a talented entertainer herself. Arlene sings with the Wesley Chapel Rotary’s Strictly Business Band.

“The smell of good coffee reminds me of my mom,” Arlene told us when we recorded a video at her opening for Neighborhood News Online. “She was the inspiration for this place.”

For more information, call (813) 528-8863 or search “Coffee Speaks N Tea Talks” on Facebook. 

Congrats, Ben!

Congrats go out to Ben Hobe (3rd from left, with yours truly, Charmaine George and John Cotey). Ben’s a talented video editor we first were presented by Hands On Educational Services, Inc., a Tampa nonprofit that felt he would be a perfect fit for the Neighborhood News. And, after a no-risk, 80-hour trial run, we happily hired Ben as a permanent employee For more info, visit HandsOnEducation.net. — GN  

Business Study Results Meeting Tonight!

At a July meeting at Compton Park, roughly 75 people showed up to discuss the New Tampa business climate.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor will be on hand as the findings of a New Tampa business climate study by the University of South Florida School of Public Affairs — triggered last year by concerns over the number of businesses closing in our area — will be revealed at a community meeting on Monday, February 3, 6 p.m. 

Castor was briefed on the results of the study on Jan. 27, and will deliver introductory remarks at the meeting, which will be held at Compton Park (16101 Compton Dr.) in Tampa Palms.

Tampa District 7 City Council member Luis Viera will host the meeting, which he first helped spearhead last year after he said he received phone calls and emails from constituents — as did Castor — who were concerned about the closing of local businesses.

In early 2019, the Neighborhood News, after receiving many of those same calls, addressed the issue of the closings since 2017 of stores like HH Gregg, Staples and Bed Bath & Beyond in the Market Square at Tampa Palms Plaza, as well as restaurants like Casa Ramos in Tampa Palms and Ruby Tuesday on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd just north of I-75, also have been shuttered, and two Mexican restaurants have failed at the site of the one-time Romano’s Macaroni Grill. 

Others, including popular local restaurants like Las Palmas (which reopened in a different location in New Tampa) and Café Olé, as well as former local staples Beef O’Brady’s, Boston Market and Dairy Queen also have shut down over the past few years.

USF’s School of Public Affairs and its director Ron Sanders agreed to take on the project of studying New Tampa’s business climate, along with graduate students working towards their Master’s degree in Urban & Regional Planning.

“The meeting will reveal those findings, and then those in attendance can weigh in,” Viera said. “It will be interesting to see what they found, and if we have a challenge, how to face it.” 

Four students volunteered to conduct the study. At a meeting in July, they heard from close to 100 people who attended a meeting with Viera, District 2 Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan and District 63 State Representative Fentrice Driskell.

While some community members expressed worry, others were confident New Tampa would bounce back, in part due to the sometimes-cyclical nature of business.

Since that meeting, in fact, a number of the local businesses that had been vacated have announced new tenants. The Brunchery (Boston Market), Urban Air Adventure Park (HH Gregg), Taza Market (Staples), Regina Margherita, which was formerly Chefs of Napoli (Beef O’Brady’s) are either open or close to it, while Aldi is looking into taking over the old Ruby Tuesday location.

And, as we reported last issue, even the long-vacant Sweetbay supermarket could have a new tenant signed up by the end of 2020.

 “We have seen some positive changes,” Viera says. “I still think there’s some cause for concern, but at the very least, this is something that tells us about the business markers and growth in New Tampa, and what we need to do to keep the momentum going. We want to make sure our area does not deteriorate.”

Viera says the study also should provide some insight into some of the transportation challenges local businesses face, as well as how the design of New Tampa, especially along BBD, plays into commercial success.

To RSVP to attend the community meeting since seating is limited, you can email brannon.jordanlazo@tampagov.net.

For Great Meals & Events, Try The Hilton Garden Inn!

I’m betting that most Wesley Chapel residents have never eaten an actual meal at the Hilton Garden Inn Tampa-Wesley Chapel, located off S.R. 56, less than a mile east of I-75.

And, that makes me a little sad. 

For those who have never stepped foot inside this beautiful, award-winning (the year-old hotel won the New Business of the Year honors at the North Tampa Bay Chamber’s 2019 Awards of Excellence gala in Nov.), 124-room hotel, much less enjoyed a meal there, I hope this article will help you decide to go.

Even if you don’t have relatives visiting or need a night in a local hotel room yourself, the Hilton Garden Inn’s restaurant — also known as the Garden Grille — serves outstanding food and drinks at great prices and will find its way into my top-10 favorite restaurants in Wesley Chapel when I release my list of favorites for 2019 in our March 13 issue.

I also hope that you’ll sit down with the hotel’s market director of sales Lisa Moore to discuss the possibility of hosting an event for 8-to-200 (and more) people at this contemporary hotel that still has that great new hotel smell.

Lisa, an ambassador with the NTBC who also is a member of the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel, is a fellow New Yawka who will make sure that your event comes off without a hitch and will send everyone home happy afterward.

For example, when my stepdaughter Kristen’s best friend Sami needed an affordable location last month for a bridal shower, Lisa sharpened her pencil for me, knowing that I was planning to write this story shortly afterward.

Sam and her fiancé Tyler were definitely on a budget, and they knew they would have roughly 40 people at the shower, so Lisa helped them come up with a nice brunch menu — including a unique French toast casserole, fresh breads and muffins and a mimosa bar, plus fresh fruit, mini-quiches and more. And, best of all was the service — the trays and mimosa bar were all constantly refilled and everything was delicious and well worth the price tag.

The Hilton Garden Inn’s spacious ballroom (above) is easily subdividable to fit the size you need to host a variety of amazing events.

“Just tell me what you need and we can make it happen,” Lisa says. “We have a set menu for dinner, but we have an extensive catering menu and a great chef (Frank Skalitza) on the premises who can make pretty much anything you want.”

Jannah and I were on hand for the Grand Opening of the hotel in October of 2018 and we were so impressed (as was everyone who was there) with the filet mignon carving station and the four different pastas (top right) that also were created in front of the guests that we figured it must have been an outside catering company that was brought in for it.

“Nope,” said Lisa, “that was all in-house. Pretty good, right?”

Actually, I would go so far as to say excellent, and the deliciousness doesn’t end there. Although the Garden Grille only serves buffet and cooked-to-order breakfast (that I haven’t tried yet) and dinner (I wish it was open for lunch), I have to say that virtually everything we’ve sampled there has been delicious.

My favorite appetizers so far are the bruschetta (above), the spicy meatballs with fresh mozzarella and the wings “your way” (my way is extra crisp with the sweet chili & sesame sauce on the side). My favorite entrées so far are the grilled 12.-oz ribeye steak and the fusilli carbonara. The burgers and sandwiches (my favorite is the yummy bistro chicken sandwich) are great, too, as are the variety of flatbreads.

In other words, there’s a good reason why the Hilton Garden Inn Tampa-Wesley Chapel is going to make my Wesley Chapel top-10. The hotel is beautiful and has great amenities (nice pool, fitness center, etc.) and, even though we’ve never stayed there, we have toured some of the beautiful rooms, too.

For info about the Hilton Garden Inn Tampa-Wesley Chapel (26640 Silver Maple Pkwy.), call Lisa at (813) 591-6907 or visit TampaWesleyChapel.HGI.com

Wesley Chapel District Park To Get Street Hockey Rink

The transformation of the Wesley Chapel District Park (WCDP) on Boyette Rd. continues.

Not only is the park getting an indoor basketball gymnasium — hopefully later this year — and not only is it now home to local cricket players, and not only does it have the only inclusive playground for children with disabilities in the area, it also will soon be home to a street hockey rink.

On Jan. 7, Pasco County finalized an agreement with the Tampa Bay Lightning to build two outdoor street hockey rinks in the county, one at the J. Ben Harrill Recreation Complex in Holiday, and the other at WCDP.

“When they first came up here (with the idea), they were going to do one, but our county is so wide and we have such an interest that they were nice to agree to do two,” said District 3 Pasco Commissioner Kathryn Starkey, who was originally pitched the idea.

The rinks will measure 60’ by 120’ feet, and will come with pins for dasher board systems, player benches, a penalty box area and a scoreboard.

Pasco County has budgeted $240,000 from the Capital Improvement Plan Projects Fund for the rinks, most of which will go towards the underlying concrete pads. The Lightning Foundation will take care of the rest.

“It’s obviously exciting anytime you can introduce kids to a new sport,” said District 2 Pasco Commissioner Mike Moore, who has spearheaded the indoor facility, cricket field and inclusive playground at the park. “It’s a positive, nice entry point for kids who can go to a public facility and not have to pay to get on there to learn.”

Jay Feaster, the Lightning’s vice president of community hockey development, told Pasco’s commissioners that the NHL team has donated 106,000 Lightning logo street hockey sticks and balls to children at 503 middle schools as part of their Build The Thunder program. This is the fifth year of the program.

“As Bruce Springsteen once said, I realized after I put all them people in all them cars, I had to figure out someplace for all them to go,” Feaster said.

So, after three years of distributing equipment as part of the Build The Thunder program, the Lightning now have the Connect The Thunder Initiative, with the team committed to building 10 outdoor street hockey rinks in nearby counties.

“We realized we had to have someplace for the youngsters to play,” Feaster said.

In addition to building the street hockey rink at WCDP, Feaster said the Lightning also will provide former players to help assist in the Grand Opening as well as programming throughout the year. 

“We’re pretty excited about it,” he said.

Wesley Chapel already is home to AdventHealth Center Ice (AHCI), the largest skating facility south of New York in the United States. AHCI is being rightfully credited with increasing the popularity of ice skating in the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel areas, and has been drawing more than a million visitors each year of its existence. 

The outdoor street hockey rink will open the door for more people who might not be able to afford hockey equipment to be introduced to playing the sport.

“I think we have more kids that play hockey around here than anywhere in Florida,” Moore says. “The Bruce B. Downs corridor (down through New Tampa) has a lot of kids who play, and this will only help give (more) opportunities to others.”

Urban Air Adventure Park Opens!

Dear New Tampa Families with Young Kids:

You may not have to go to Brandon for all of your birthday parties anymore!

On Jan. 25, Urban Air Adventure Park opened in the Market Square at Tampa Palms plaza on Commerce Park Blvd., Filling a pretty significant and long-standing void for those who have families in the New Tampa community. 

While New Tampa has never lacked for good neighborhoods with community parks, good schools and just enough youth sports programs and restaurants to keep you busy on a weekend, one standard complaint has always been: There’s nowhere to take your kids for fun.

Now, there is.

“I think this will be a hit,” said assistant general manager Chris Schade, a Live Oak resident. “It’s a great concept, especially for the New Tampa area.”

The Dallas-based adventure center is owned by Sarasota businessman Michael Tucci, who says he has a number of relatives that live nearby. He said he was always drawn to the area, and when he decided to buy two franchises, Tampa was a definite destination.

“This is a great spot,” Tucci said. “We knew there was nothing else like it in the area and thought it would be the perfect fit.”

The indoor attractions feature really cool Flip Zone and Spin Zone bumper cars, a high-wire ropes course, a Sky Rider, a Warrior Course, Battle Beam, dodgeball courts, rock walls, trampolines and areas for younger kids. 

There are six rooms for hosting parties, food and drink and various pricing plans (Basic to Ultimate) and park memberships (which can be charged monthly).

Schade said he was happy to see a dormant, 28,000-sq.-ft. building that had been closed for a couple of years, after HH Gregg went out of business, spring back to life.

“We feel like we’re helping to revitalize the New Tampa area,” he says. In fact, in 2019, Urban Air announced it was taking over a number of old HH Gregg sites — in Augusta, GA; Akron, OH; Montrose, CO and Wellington, FL, in addition to Tampa Palms, to name a few.

It was unofficially announced in September that Urban Air would be opening a New Tampa location, and it only took a few months to renovate and redesign the old HH Gregg before opening. At a pre-opening VIP event on Jan. 23 that we attended, workers were still hurrying to put on a few final touches. 

Sarah Tengali, who drew high fives from employees after completing the difficult Warrior Course without falling into the ball pit below, and her son Rocco, rushed from attraction to attraction, laughing and working up a sweat. Sarah’s favorite was the Sky Rider, where riders strap in and twist and turn as they fly above (and all around) the adventure park.

Rocco said his favorite was The Wipeout, where you have to jump over or duck under large swinging arms. “Everything,” Rocco said, “is awesome.”

Urban Air Adventure Park is located at 6250 Commerce Palms Dr. For more info, visit UrbanAirTrampolinePark.com or call (813) 522-5401. And please be sure to tell Chris and the staff that you read about them on Page 1 of the New Tampa Neighborhood News!