Month: August 2021

New Tampa’s Favorite Florist Relocates To Tampa Palms!

If you live in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve visited my long-time friend Rose O’Berry at her A Special Rose Florist & Event Specialist on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., just south of Tampa Palms.

Well, after 18 years, New Tampa’s favorite flower shop has a new location — at the eastern end of the Shoppes at Amberly plaza in Tampa Palms, next to You Do The Dishes.

Rose says, “I’ve been working with flowers since I was 16 and it was always a dream of mine to open my own shop, so in 2003, I opened A Special Rose on Bruce B. Downs.”

But, because Rose did so well in that location south of our New Tampa distribution area, she started talking to me several years ago about expanding her business to the north, and jumped at the chance to be able to be in a busier plaza to generate more walk-in traffic.

“We bring in flowers from Ecuador, Holland and all over the world fresh every day,” she says, “so we can provide whatever types of flowers you want, from a nice variety of roses, hydrangeas and lilies to tulips and even seasonal flowers.”

A Special Rose also can put together custom-designed gourmet baskets, with hand-dipped chocolates, fresh fruit and other delicacies, plus flowers, plants, plush toys, balloons and other unique items.

When you walk into A Special Rose, Rose, floral designer Erica Daniell or another employee will ask you if you want the flowers you choose wrapped or in a vase, “and we work with them to determine if they have a favorite flower or flowers, and if they want a certain color scheme.”

In addition to weddings, Rose says A Special Rose also does flowers for a lot of corporate events, Christmas parties, memorial services, sweet 16s, quincañeras, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, and will deliver what you need when you need it, “all over Tampa Bay. We also can do nationwide delivery, where we work with other (flower) shops in other states.”

As for what sets A Special Rose apart from other florists (don’t even talk to her about flowers from the local grocery stores), Rose says it’s, “Our experience. I have been working with flowers since I was 16 and have trained Erica since she was 16, so you always get your choice of the freshest flowers arranged the way you want them. We also bring in fresh flowers every day, whereas some shops only get theirs once a week.”

And, A Special Rose always has great specials on flowers, so please call the store or visit ASpecialRoseFlorist.com for this month’s specials.

A Special Rose Florist & Event Specialist is now located at 15353 Amberly Dr. in Tampa Palms. For more information, call (813) 979-9453 or check out our “Lo & Ro On The Go” video on our “Neighborhood News” Facebook page.

florist Rose

New Tampa Family Hopes Site Will Help People ‘Embrace Less Waste’

On what should have been a relaxing day out on the boat, Sheila Haque and her three daughters couldn’t help but notice more than just fish in the water.

They noticed trash.

“And that’s sad,” she says.

It was on that boat that Haque, who lives in Cory Lake Isles, hatched the idea to start a zero-waste, eco-friendly business that would help chip away at the ugly sight of plastic bottles and empty containers slapping up against the hull of her boat and littered alongside roads.

Embrace Less Waste USA is Haque’s plan. It is an e-commerce site (that you can visit at EmbraceLessWasteUSA.com, or on Facebook) that will also have a part-time presence at The Grove’s KRATE container park in Wesley Chapel.

Haque says her site will sell zero-waste products from only the best companies. She will rigorously and thoroughly vet each company, which has to be philantrophic, certified and based in the U.S.

She will include extensive bios with every product from paper-based poop bags for your pets to reusable toothpaste containers to safety razors instead of disposable ones.

“Mindfulness is a big thing for people that are living a minimalist lifestyle,” Haque says. “They want to know where their stuff comes from.”

A few months back, Haque was accepted into the Pasco Economic Development Council (EDC)’s business incubator program, which she described as invaluable. She was able to refine her business concept by meeting with industry experts, and is eager to launch her website.

“They helped me tweak some things and even rethink things,” Haque says. “They make you think above and beyond what you’ve already considered.”

Because of her relationship with the Pasco EDC, she also will have the opportunity to use their container at KRATE, which is expected to open this fall. She hopes to reserve the repurposed shipping container once a month, and she will sell products and host educational workshops there.

And, Haque will keep her daughters involved in her endeavor as well. It’s an important part of her business, she says, setting an example for her children as she does her part to help preserve the planet for their future. As a family, they bring trash bags with them on walks to pick up any trash they see along the way.

“I think it’s an incredible thing for kids to see what a difference you can make if you recycle and renew versus just throwing stuff away,” Haque says.

She says she isn’t sure when she will make her KRATE debut, but it should be in the coming months.

“We’re really excited to get the site up, and to show people the products we have when we have the container,” Haque says.

sustainable waste

A Peek At New Tampa’s Fall Prep Sports

Friday, August 27, is the season opener for the Wharton and Freedom football teams, who will open the season against each other.

As if Freedom (1-9 last year) didn’t have enough of an uphill climb against the Wildcats, who won this meeting 50-0 last year, the Patriots also will have to deal with what could be a raucous opponent and fired up crowd as the school also debuts its new artificial turf field, which was installed over the summer, for a regular season game.

Wharton will have more offensive weapons this season so expect more scoring, but the Wildcats defense alone may be worth the price of admission.

The group allowed only 10 points a game last season, and could make a claim as one of Tampa Bay’s best.

Almost every defensive player is back, and the linebackers are outstanding. Senior Daveon Crouch has orally committed to Boston College, senior Henry Griffith led the team with 82 tackles, including nine for a loss, in 2020, and sophomore Booker Pickett, Jr., (pictured) was named a second-team MaxPreps Freshman All-American.

Senior CB Jairon Dorsey led the ‘Cats with five interceptions last season, while junior cornerback Dijon Johnson recently picked up college offers from Boston College, Ole Miss and Florida, and the defensive line is solid.

They say defense wins championships, but Wharton has a few obstacles to overcome if they are going to prove that true, namely, one of the toughest schedules the team has ever faced.

The new District 7A-10 includes perennial powerhouses Armwood and Tampa Bay Tech, plus Wiregrass Ranch, and the non-district schedule includes former State champs Jesuit, Jefferson and Plant.

GOLDEN GIRLS?: If Wharton football isn’t New Tampa’s best fall sports team, then it may be the Freedom girls swim team.

Led by Division 1 signees Michelle Morgan (Univ. of North Carolina) and Carly Joerin (Dartmouth College), the Patriots return just about everyone from the squad that finished seventh at the Class 3A meet last season.

“We were second in the District, second in the Region and seventh at State,” says second-year coach John Olewski. “We expect even better things this year.”

Morgan was the State champ in the 200-yard individual medley and added a silver in the 500-yard free while anchoring the 400-yard freestyle relay that won bronze.

Joerin also swam on that relay, as well as the 200- and 500-yard freestyles. Alexa Valdez-Velez also swam on the brone-medal-winning relay team, and is a key returner.

Olewski says he has 27 swimmers, and every event is covered and then some this season. “We’re definitely looking forward to it,” he says.

SPEED RACER: Brooke Reif has her sights set on breaking Wharton’s cross country record of 18 minutes, 34 seconds in the first meet this season, then getting her times under 18 minutes, and then leading the Wildcats back to the Class 4A state meet as a team after missing out last year.

Luckily for her last goal, she will be counting on the return of the whole team — seniors Alex Frye and Alexi Amer, junior Olivia Hammill and a handful of others.

“We have everyone back,” she says. “I think everyone has improved and we’re much better. State is our goal.”

Reif and Frye could be a formidable top duo this season. They were the only Wildcats last season to advance past Districts, with Reif getting past regionals en route to a 31st place finish at State.

While Reif’s times were nothing special last season in cross country, her track season was so exceptional the experts at flrunners.com think she’ll have a cross country breakthrough. Reif was third in both the 1600- and 3200-meter runs at the Class 4A State Championships, performances that lead flrunners.com to rank her No. 10 in the entire state in their preseason cross country rankings.

HIGH FLYING: While 6-foot-3 senior middle hitter middle hitter Bella Bonatakis (pictured) wants to play the toughest competition out there, you’ll have to excuse her for not shedding a tear when she found out that Wharton was no longer in the same district as Plant.

“Maybe it’s a little bit of a relief?,” Bonatakis said with a wide smile.

A little? Wharton has made the District final eight of the last nine seasons, and lost six of those games to Plant. Of all the teams that Wharton has ever played at least five times, it only has losing records against Carrollwood Day School, Bloomingdale and…Plant.

Goodbye, and good riddance.

With Bonatakis (200 kills and 85 blocks last year), senior setter Gabrielle Frye (295 assists) and senior libero Kylie Lauderdale (170 digs) returning, Wharton will be formidable again.

Throw in setter Danielle Galfond to help run the Wildcats’ 6-2 offense, future star Paige Boyd and returning hitter Ja-Niya Lamar, and a deep bench, and — Plant or no Plant — the Wildcats have all the makings of a team that can win that elusive Distrct title.

sports preview

Business Notes: Refillables In WC

The area’s craft beer options continue to grow.

Bru Florida Growler Bar held its Grand Opening last week.

Located in the space previously occupied by Buttermilk Provisions across Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. from AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, Bru Florida Growler Bar had been open with limited hours for about six weeks.

Customers are welcome to come in and enjoy a pint or two of beer, cider, kombucha or even nitro beer and coffee. They also can get all those things to go in 32- and 64-oz. growlers, which owner Christian Brugal says is part of the reason he opened his first Bru Florida Growler Bar in Citrus Park a few years ago — offering the convenience of bringing craft beer home for those who don’t have time (or don’t want) to sit in a bar.

Brugal says that many craft breweries don’t bottle or can their beer and only sell it from kegs.

While getting growlers filled is now available at most bars, it typically involves just filling the growler from the bar’s beer tap. But, Bru Florida Growler Bar is a rarity in that it has three counter-pressure growler stations, which helps extend the to-go beer’s freshness. Bar, manager Ashley Simon (photo on previous page) says a sealed growler can retain its freshness for a month; otherwise, once opened, it only lasts a day or two.

Meanwhile, Brugal says another unique aspect of the new bar is its emphasis on local beer. While other brewpubs and bars carry local and other craft beers, Bru Florida Growler Bar only carries Florida-brewed beers. “We’re the only ones who do that,” says Brugal.

On the day we strolled in, there were 15 beers on tap, from breweries located all over the state, like Jupiter, Royal Palm Beach, Dania Beach, Orlando, Miami and Tallahassee. Also represented were Dunedin, St. Petersburg, Brooksville, as well as Wesley Chapel’s Double Branch Artisanal Ales. New beers from new breweries in different Florida cities are rotated in and out. For more information, visit at BruFL.com or call (813) 328-4721.

FILL ME UP PART II: The Walmart Supercenter is filling its parking lot right off BBD with a new 16-pump fuel center and a 1,605-sq.-ft. convenience store. If stocked like previously built Walmart fuel centers, the convenience store will offer your typical fare of grab-and-go deli items, snacks, cold beverages, a walk-in beer cooler and coffee.

*If you want to reduce your carbon footprint, visit the Lufka Wesley Chapel refillables store in the Cypress View Square plaza on S.R. 56.*

LUFKA IS OPEN!: Speaking of bringing in your own container to get it filled with your favorite stuff, a new concept to Wesley Chapel is now open at the Cypress View Square plaza on S.R. 56 (home to the popular Capital Tacos).

Lufka Refillables Zero Waste Store has taken over the space in Cypress View Square formerly occupied by E’s Barber Shop at 27221 S.R. 56.

Lufka was originally created by Tampa’s Kelly Hawaii and her husband Parosh. They opened their first store in Seminole Heights in the summer of 2019, and their second store in South Tampa in November of 2020.

Wesley Chapel’s Danielle Howard, who also owns The Salt Room in Wesley Chapel (2718 Windguard Cir.) and at the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center in Zephyrhills, co-owns the Wesley Chapel Lufka with her mother Gail Howard. “Danielle discovered it, and I just jumped in,” Gail says. “Now I get to work with my daughter.”

Essentially, Lufka (Polish for “Barrel”) is where you can bring in your empty containers of household cleaning, bathroom and laundry products, to name a few, and have them refilled at the store, which bills itself as Tampa’s first “refillable, eco-friendly and sustainable bath, body, kitchen and D.I.Y. supplies company.”

The store has everything from laundry detergents to shampoos and conditioners, and from after-shave lotions to facial scrubs and from body lotions to a variety of soaps. Most of the products are organic, but all of them are healthier than the alternatives you usually buy in traditional stores, and come without a long list of chemical ingredients.

Lufka encourages reducing your carbon footprint by reusing and refilling containers with eco-friendly products.

Although it is currently open, Lufka Wesley Chapel is hoping to schedule a Grand Opening later this month.

For more info, call (813) 596-9376 or visit Lufka.com.

MORE BOWLS?: Also moving into Cypress View Square is Green Market Café, which is taking over the old Batter & Dough space at 27225 S.R. 56. Green Market Cafe offers a variety of healthy bowls, salads and wraps, as well as soups and frozen yogurt, all of which is locally sourced and affordable. It already has locations in Trinity, Clearwater, Seminole and Oldsmar. For more information, visit GreenMarketCafé.com.

craft beer Lufka

Saying Goodbye to Bobby Bowden

Even though I graduated from the University of Florida and the late, great Bobby Bowden coached our in-state rivals, the Florida State Seminoles, I definitely felt a sense of loss when I heard he had passed away at the age of 91.

Gary Nager Editorial

I transferred to UF from the Division III State University of New York at Albany before the start of the fall semester in 1979. That year, the Gators finished the season with a record of 0-10-1, including the final 27-16 loss at home to FSU, which was undefeated and ranked fifth in the country at the time. It was Bowden’s fourth season as the coach of the ‘Noles, after six mostly succesful years as the head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers.

My roommates and I were among the 58,000 in attendance at that 1979 game, and we were encouraged to only be trailing 10-0 at halftime. Then, we were downright giddy when the Gators tied the game at 10-10 before the end of the 3rd quarter. But, Bowden completely outcoached rookie Gators’ coach Charley Pell the rest of the way to complete our winless season, still the worst in Florida’s history. We were happy that Bowden’s unbeaten team was dominated by #5 Oklahoma 24-7 at the 1980 Orange Bowl.

The Gators were better the following year, finishing the season with an 8-4 record, including a 35-20 win over the Maryland Terrapins in the Tangerine Bowl, and as the 19th-ranked team in the country, in Pell’s second season.

But, the last of those four losses came at the hands — and brilliant football mind — of Bowden and his ‘Noles, a game my roommate “Squiggy” and I drove to Tallahassee to see.

And, even though we sat in what seemed like a sea of garnet & gold, Squig and I were enjoying the game well into the third quarter, as Pell’s Gators somehow led #3 FSU 13-3. But, the defense of the coach later known as the “Riverboat Gambler” for his amazing trick plays, dominated us after halftime, when we seemingly had negative yards rushing (we averaged less than 2.5 yards per carry for the game). And, 53 of our 160 total yards passing came on one first-quarter TD pass from QB Wayne Peace to WR Tyrone Young, as the Gators ended up losing 17-13.

Squig and I knew that win sent the 10-1 ‘Noles back to the Orange Bowl for a rematch with #4 Oklahoma and also-legendary coach Barry Switzer. The Sooners were favored by less than a touchdown and rallied to win the game 18-17 in the fourth quarter on an 11-yard TD pass from QB J.C. Watts to WR Steve Rhodes and a two-point conversion pass to TE Forrest Valora with only 1:33 remaining. Even so, Bowden’s team gave it the ol’ college try, but the comeback (and PK Bill Capece’s 62-yard FG attempt) fell short.

But, even though I celebrated that FSU loss and virtually anything bad that happened to the ‘Noles after that, I still have a profound respect for this amazing coach. RIP, Mr. Bowden.

Bobby Bowden