Super Hot Asian & BBQ Is Open In Former Fushia Location!
For those who have been waiting for something to open where Fushia Asian Bistro closed in the Shoppes at Amberly plaza in Tampa Palms, your wait is over.
The new restaurant is called Super Hot Asian & BBQ, and it also is Chinese/Asian fusion. Weâve only gotten to try a few menu items so far, but we definitely enjoyed the pan-fried gyoza dumplings (served by an actual robot server), as well as the Yangzhou (aka âYoung Chowâ) combo fried rice.
For more info about Super Hot (15317 Amberly Dr.), call (813) 680-4124 or visit https://superhot.kwickmenu.com/index.php. â GNÂ
âUnfortunately, construction is slower than expected, as supply chain delays for large equipment are stalling our progression.â says Nguyen. âWe canât move forward until some of these items are delivered. Unfortunately, we do not have an exact date, but hopefully in a few months if some of these items can be delivered soon.â
Las Palmas Food Truck â Same Great Food, All-New Look!
When last we checked in with our friend Ramses Garcia, the owner of Las Palmas Latin Grill (which was shuttered by a fire in its storefront location on Oct. 11), he had just recently opened the Las Palmas Food Truck, which was just a plain white truck Ramses had renovated so he could continue serving his authentic Cuban cuisine in the same parking lot while rebuilding his popular eatery.
Well, since then, Ramses has added a custom exterior wrap to the truck, complete with a caricature of Al Pacinoâs character and his famous line from âScarfaceâ â âSay Hello To My Little Friend.â
Yes, the revamped truck looks great, but itâs still the food Ramses and his wife Ana serve inside thatâs the most important thing. Whether you crave award-winning Cubans, amazing roasted pork, grilled chicken breast, deviled crab or Anaâs Tres Leches dessert, visit LasPalmasLatinGrill.com to order your favorites today â and please tell Ana and Ramses I sent you! â GN
Wharton High Baseball Primed For Another Big Season
Michael Burgess was content to be an assistant coach on the Carrollwood Day School staff for the 2022 high school baseball season. But, when the Wharton High head coaching job unexpectedly opened up, Burgess figured it was too good to pass up.
âI really just wanted to be a hitting coach,â Burgess said. âBut then, this job just fell into my lap so I thought, why not? Itâs a great opportunity to get some coaching experience and help prepare guys for the next level.ââ
Burgess, 33, takes over for Scott Hoffman, who spent 18 years as the Wildcatsâ coach, winning 267 games, including last yearâs District championship. Burgess inherits a team that went 21-5 and returns several key players. Not that heâs had much time to get to know his players â Burgess was hired only about a month ago and has had to hit the ground running, as the Wildcats are off to a 4-1 start.
Burgess is no stranger to Hillsborough County baseball, however. He was a star outfielder at Hillsborough High and helped the Terriers reach the State championship in 2006. In 2007, after a stellar senior season, he was selected in the supplemental first round of the 2007 Major League Baseball draft by the Washington Nationals as the 49th overall player selected.Â
While Burgess never played in a major league game, he did manage to have a 12-year professional career. He played a total of 1,256 minor league games for four different Major League Baseball organizations (Nationals, Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, and Baltimore Orioles), in the Mexican League as well as the Independent League, hitting a total of 185 home runs before retiring in 2018.
He returned to Tampa, but hadnât gotten baseball out of his system.
âItâs going to be a fun and great experience,ââ Burgess says of coaching the âCats. âIâve been down this road once before in high school. Iâm familiar with all the competition. I canât hit for the guys though. Theyâre always asking me, âHey coach, you think you can beat such and such in a home run derby?â I just tell them, âYâall have no idea what I can do.âââ
Burgess will have several top-notch players returning from last yearâs playoff team as his nucleus.
Senior pitchers Evan Chrest (left) and Ryan Fry.
It starts with the one-two combination of senior pitchers Ryan Fry and Evan Chrest. Both are right-handers who combined to win 14 games last season. Fry, who is committed to University of Miami, was 6-1 with a 1.88 ERA last season, and struck out 12 in six innings to get a 2-1 win in the 2022 season opener. Chrest, a Jacksonville University commit, was 8-2 with a 1.93 ERA last season.Â
So far this season, the Wildcat duo has combined for. awhopping 42 strikeous in 22 innings, and only allowed five earned runs.
Burgess expects left-handed seniors Vijay Wadhwani and 6-foot-7 Jaythan Wilson to provide relief for his two starters.Â
âWeâve got two horses coming back,ââ Burgess says. âThey have a dog mentality on the mound and throw a lot of strikes. Weâre going to ride those guys all season. We have some guys who are going to come in on the back end and close out some games.ââ
Offensively, senior Elijah Dukes is primed for a breakout season, and opened the 2022 season with a homer after leading the team last year with four (to go along with 24 RBI). Through five games, Dukes is hitting .429 with two homers.
The son and namesake of the former Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Hillsborough High standout, Dukes is a 5-foot-11, 240-pound prospect who can play the infield or outfield.
Burgess has known Dukes since he was born and has watched him grow up.
âI keep an eye on him and help him with his swing,ââ Burgess says. âHis swing is very similar to mine. Iâd say almost identical. I can really help him stay under control.
âHeâs got some high expectations. He has pop to all fields. He can run. Heâs not as fast as his dad, but he can run. He has good hands. Weâre going to try to get some great things out of him this year.ââ
Dukes wonât be the only bat to deal with for Wharton. Fellow seniors Billy Eich, a 6-6 first baseman and the Wildcatsâ leading returning hitter after batting .360 last year, Quentin Meadows (14 RBI last year. andalready batting .538 this year) and David Limbach (who is on pace to better last year’s .315 BA and 20 RBI) are all expected to provide offense. With 11 seniors on the roster, expect the Wildcats to make a lot of noise in Class 6A for the next three months.
 âWeâre just looking for a couple of guys to step up,ââ Burgess said. âOnce those couple of guys step up itâs going to be a great season.ââ
Evan Mobley
FREEDOM BASEBALL PREVIEW
COACH: Tripp Merrell (fourth season)
LAST SEASON: 12-13 (5-4, third place in Class 5A, District 6)
BREAKOUT STAR: In his first game as a member of the Patriots, Evan Mobley threw a shutout in a 6-0 season-opening win over Alonso, and hasn’t allowed an earned run in two appearances. The Tampa Bay Tech transfer certainly got off to a good start and will be counted on to eat up innings this season. He also will play the infield when not on the mound. Mobley hit a team-best .340 for the Titans in 2021.Â
OUTLOOK: This is the fourth season for Merrell, which means this will be the first class he has coached from freshmen to seniors. The Patriots are already off to one of their best starts ever at 4-1.
There are eight seniors on the roster and plenty of depth in the lineup, and his top five returning offensive players are top hitter Raul Olivera (.430, 34 hits, 13 RBI, six doubles â all team bests in 2021). Through the first five games, freshman Bryce Nanns, junior Gio Mendoza, senior Lucas Richardson, Olivera and Mobley all have four RBI each.
In addition to Mobley, senior Michael Morrison, junior Joey Wey and senior Marshall Chastain (who has 12 strikeouts in 10.2 innings this season) should provide pitching depth.Â
One of the difficulties for the Patriots almost every season is the competition. District 5A-6 includes perennial Tampa powers Jesuit, Jefferson and Hillsborough. But, with a veteran roster, Freedom has as its best chance in recent memory to compete with those top-tier teams.
COACH SAYS: âThere is a lot of optimism going through this program right now. Weâve got seven of our nine offensive starters returning, weâve got a deep pitching staff. If we can improve on what weâve been working on during the offseason then we should be in pretty good shape. Our district is very tough, but thatâs Hillsborough County baseball. Itâs a challenge every year.â â Freedom baseball coach Tripp Merrell
BREAKOUT STAR: As the only returning pitcher with any experience, senior Riley Collins will be heavily relied upon. She threw 104 innings as a junior and had a 3.62 ERA. She struck out 40, so she will have to increase that total this season. Collins, who also hit .244, will be asked to throw strikes and should have a better defense behind her this season. She was 6-11 as a junior, but she could easily completely flip that record this season.
OUTLOOK: Lamb, who missed the Covid-shortened 2020 season due to maternity leave, had a hard time fielding a team in 2021. But, at least she fielded one â this year, Freedom High will not have a softball team, due to a lack of players.
Although Lambâs best player, Tieley Vaughn, is now at USF after rewriting much of the school record book, the roster is fuller and Lamb says she has depth and has improved at just about every position. Junior Lexi Cowles may have been overshadowed, but she was outstanding last year, leading the team in doubles (7) and RBI (28); she also was second in hits (27), runs (20), triples (3) and home runs (3). She is off to a hot start this season, hitting .562 with two doubles and home run in the early going.
Senior infielder Isabella Rittle is hitting .417 and already has two homers, the first of her varsity career.
Lamb says she also is very impressed with freshmen Lopez and Leyva, and Loomis could pick up some innings to give Collins a breather.
COACHâS QUOTE: âThere is definitely optimism this season. We had so many more girls try out this season than last season. We were so scarce on numbers. But now, itâs very encouraging. We are trying to win the District (6A-6). That is definitely a goal.ââ âWharton softball coach Amber Lamb
A potential recreation center at Cross Creek Park near Pride Elementary would likely be modeled after the Northdale Park & Recreation Center (above), Northdale, with indoor basketball/volleyball/pickleball courts and meeting rooms, as well as outdoor courts and a splash pad. (Photos: Charmaine George)
New Tampa does not lack for amenities, but if you donât live in one of the many gated communities, your chances of actually using them usually depends upon an invite from someone who does.
Aside from being a member of the New Tampa YMCA or living in Cory Lake Isles, Arbor Greene, Hunterâs Green, Pebble Creek, Tampa Palms or West Meadows, it can sometimes be tough to find a place to play.
If District 2 Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan gets his way, however, there will be another option available.
The county is about to begin, according to the commissioner, the process of building the first public gymnasium at Cross Creek Park in New Tampa, adjacent to Pride Elementary and just off Kinnan St.
While New Tampa has a YMCA (which requires a membership to use) and the New Tampa Recreation Center (which is tailored towards dance and gymnastics), there is no indoor gym or recreation center that caters to basketball, volleyball and pickleball players, to name a few sports that Hagan envisions being played in the new facility.
âWe have the Y, we have some school gyms and the city has the gymnastics center, but this will be the first gym thatâs open to the public,â Hagan says. âThis would fill a much-needed void that exists in New Tampa.â
The facility would be modeled after the other gymnasiums built by the county, and Hagan says it would likely compare to the Northdale Park & Recreation Center in Carrollwood. It would include multipurpose indoor courts and meeting rooms.
Currently, Cross Creek Park has a playground, a small pavilion area, two basketball courts that are showing their age, and two baseball fields that have not been manicured in years â the dirt on the fields is mostly overgrown with grass. There are no bathrooms (one portable potty, sometimes two, fill that need) or water fountains. It remains, popular, however, on the weekends.
The entire park would be upgraded. The baseball fields might be built over, and a new playground and updated outdoor basketball courts could be part of the package.
âWeâre looking at doing a splash pad there as well,â Hagan says. âAnd the parking lot would be upgraded, which would improve access to the school.â
Hagan said while the facility would also provide morning programs for seniors, open basketball and volleyball play in the evenings and plenty of league play as well, the proximity to Pride also would open the center up for after-school and summer programs.
Hagan says one of the park directors with the county told him, âTrust me, it will be at capacity the day it opens.â
Hagan says he has secured $1.5 million for the project, and is looking at the rest of the funding to come from the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) federal funding. Hillsborough County received $285 million from the federal program.
âI anticipate it being fully funded this year and ideally breaking ground in the summer or fall,â he said.
The county could begin community outreach and virtual public meetings about the project sometime this month or next.
The events of the past few weeks have really left me shaking my head. While I still was able to enjoy the Winter Olympics, the political overtones and the disgrace of the Russian figure skater who was allowed to compete, despite testing positive for a banned substance a couple of months earlier, definitely put a damper on the festivities for me â even though it didnât keep me from watching many hours of the Beijing Games.
But, speaking of Russia, the situation in the Ukraine is just horrifying and definitely has me fearful for the world my young grandchildren will inherit. As of the date of this editorial, the undeclared war in Ukraine appeared to not be going as planned for Russia and its President Vladimir Putin and, while itâs impressive how well the Ukrainians have done at defending their homeland and their young democracy, Putinâs obvious instability has made the threat of what might still be to come in eastern Europe even scarier.
I donât know how the war for Ukraine will turn out â it might even be over, I suppose, before this issue reaches your mailbox â but seeing how the world has supported the Ukrainians willing to fight for their freedom reminded me again how lucky we are to live in what is still the greatest democracy in the world, despite our own issues here at home.
I pray for a reasonable resolution for the people of Ukraine and for all of us, but I am more fearful than I ever have been for the safety of this world.
Meanwhile, In Dade City  Â
Speaking of shaking my head, I honestly canât believe that 79-year-old Curtis Reeves was acquitted of all charges after shooting and killing 43-year-old Chad Oulson eight years ago in what was then known as the Grove 16 movie theater in Wesley Chapel.
Curtis Reeves
I couldnât understand how the trial didnât come to pass for eight long years. I thought our criminal justice system was supposed to guarantee the âright to a speedy trial,â but Reevesâ defense team basically engineered the delays â all with their client on house arrest, instead of being held in a jail cell as he waited â apparently to great effect.
I have many problems with Reevesâ acquittal, especially through the eyes of a father. I can only imagine my son Jake texting with my grandsonâs babysitter during the previews of a movie and being told to turn off his mobile phone by a gruff elderly man and, if he didnât do so right away, having the man return from a trip to the theater managerâs office to engage my son again. I donât think Jake would throw the manâs popcorn at him, but I could see him getting angry enough to at least get in the manâs face (he is his fatherâs son, after all). What I canât imagine is him being shot and killed because some guy in a movie theater didnât like the way he was being spoken to or treated.
And please, donât get me started about whether or not Oulson threw his cell phone at Reeves. Not one witness corroborated that testimony, nor was there any video evidence of it, and honestly, who throws their $1,000 phone at anyone for any reason? Reeves clearly made up an excuse to shoot Oulson, and then gave his âIâm an old man who feared for his lifeâ excuse that somehow played on the minds and feelings of the six jurors enough for them to acquit him of all charges â but after only 3-1/2 hours of deliberations?
I donât believe for a second that Reeves â the former Tampa Police Captain who surely faced significantly worse situations without shooting those who were mean to him â feared at all for his life. He didnât like being told to get out of a younger manâs face and clearly shot him without due provocation.
In my opinion, Reeves should be spending the rest of his life in prison for destroying a young family, but now, my fear is that others will be emboldened enough by this sham of a jury decision to take the same action â and also get away with it.
Score one for the bad guys.
But, Speaking Of Good Guys… Â
Speaking of fathers, I was moved to tears by the news that Christoph âChrisâ Trina (photo), age 58, passed away after a heart attack and multiple strokes while on vacation with his family in Wisconsin. I reconnected with Chris as I became acquainted with his daughter Danielle Henry, the owner of The Bean Bar Co. in Tampa Palms, who has since become an advertiser of ours.
What I didnât remember, without Chris reminding me, was that he also had advertised with us about 20 years ago, when he co-owned KMD Modeling in Tampa Palms. He always said such nice things about me and the Neighborhood News and I know that Danielle and her brother Kyle and their entire family are still suffering the after-effects of this sudden â and devastating loss.
âHe raised us as a single dad for 12 years and he literally didnât put up with any nonsense,â Danielle says. âWeâre successful at a young age because he knows he didnât let us do any less than our best.â
Chris was a passionate sports coach and cheerleader for his family and was loved by many â a wonderful man taken too soon.
Chicken, Chicken & More Chicken? The Wesley Chapel area isnât exactly lacking for chicken-oriented restaurants, considering the recent openings of Chickân Fun, Zaxbyâs and King of the Coop, as well as the now-under-construction Chicken Salad Chick. And, donât forget chicken places that have been established in Wesley Chapel for years, such as PDQ, Popeyeâs and Wing Stop.
But, it appears that weâll still have to make room for another.
According to Pasco County permitting records, Slim Chickens met with county planners on Feb. 8 at a pre-application meeting, which generally allows prospective applicants to meet and discuss the specifics of their proposals.
A âquick look planâ presented to the county shows the 2,400-sq.-ft. restaurant (with 42 parking spaces) would be located on the southeast corner of Old Pasco Rd. and Wesley Chapel Blvd., west of Advance Auto Parts, and less than a 1/2-mile from Chickân Fun.
The plans also include a 1,406-sq.-ft. auto service center, which would be in between the Slim Chickens and Advance Auto Parts.
Slim Chickens is a fast-casual chain that specializes in chicken tenders, wings, sandwiches, salads, wraps and chicken & waffles, as well as other items. It is headquartered in Fayetteville, AR, and has more than 100 locations in more than 30 states. The only location near Wesley Chapel is on N. Boundary Blvd. near Macdill Air Force Base in South Tampa, and there are three other locations in the Florida panhandle. For more information, visit SlimChickens.com. â JCC
Woodieâs Wash Shack Hosts A Spectacular Grand Opening! If you missed the Grand Opening and official Ribbon Cutting ceremony for the new Woodieâs Wash Shack-Cypress Creek (located at 24749 S.R. 54 in Lutz, about a mile west of the Tampa Premium Outlets) on Feb. 4, you missed one of the best North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon cuttings weâve attended in years.
First of all, there was free Tampa Bay Buccaneers gear being given away, appearances by a variety of Pasco County Sheriffâs Office (PCSO) vehicles and K-9 officers (bottom photos), delicious, free food from Bubbaâs 33 and Honeybaked Ham and, perhaps best of all, free car washes for every vehicle that came to the party and unlimited top-level monthly wash memberships for just $9.99 per month for the first three months.
But, the even bigger news of the day was that Woodieâs owner Don Phillips (who says he based his growing local chain of four wash shacks on the California surf era of the late 1950s and early 1960s) and local franchisee Harry Jenkins also presented a $10,000 check to Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco for his K-9 Officer program. Phillips even mentioned that the money will go, in part, to the training of a new K-9 officer, appropriately named Woodie.
And, for those who have seen the sign at The Grove at Wesley Chapel that another Woodieâs location is coming soon, Jenkins says that location will likely open in the next 6-7 months. For more information, stop by or visit WoodiesWash.com. â GN
Carrabbaâs Italian Grill Goes Vertical!
Even though weâve previously reported (multiple times) that Carrabbaâs Italian Grill would be opening between Aussie Grill and Bonefish Grill on the north side of S.R. 56, weâve seen some recent comments on Facebook indicating that some of you still donât know what is being built in that area.
Well, now that Carrabbaâs has gone vertical and posted a sign (photo), there is no need for additional speculation. The Bloominâ Brands-owned Italian eatery, originally founded in Texas by Johnny Carrabba and Damian Mandola, already has 220+ locations in 29 states, and is expected to open this 69th Florida location (and second with a Lutz zip code) within the next 3-6 months. â GN
Kumquat Pie Is Now Pascoâs âOfficialâ Pie!
Congratulations to the little known and oft-overlooked Kumquat Pie, which was recently declared the official pie of Pasco County. The Pasco Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved the resolution to honor the pie on Feb. 8, after the Tourist Development Council for Experience Floridaâs Sports Coast voted the make the pie the official pie.
âKumquat pie is an iconic dish in Pasco,â said District 2 commissioner Mike Moore, âand itâs only appropriate itâs now our official pie.âÂ
Key lime and apple have filed protests, but they never had a chance against the mighty kumquat. It may look like a misshaped baby orange, but the grape-sized fruit has found a place in Pasco Countyâs heart, dating back to the late 1800s. And of course, Pasco is well-known for its annual Dade City Kumquat Festival, which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. â JCC
