Nibbles & Bites: Sweet and Savory Comes To Cross Creek!

Fire Up Halal Grill Serves Delicious Mediterranean Cuisine!

Chicken kabobs

Although the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel already has several Mediterranean-themed restaurants (as well as several that have closed for good), there seems to always be room for one more.

That’s especially true in the case of the new Fire Up Halal Grill, located at 10016 Cross Creek Blvd., in the Cross Creek Plaza (in one of the spaces previously occupied by CafĂ© OlĂ©). 

The family that owns and operates the new Halal Grill (which is not to be confused with, or owned by the same people, as the Halal Café, which opened briefly further east on Cross Creek Blvd.) moved here recently from Dallas, Texas, where they operated a couple of Halal restaurants.

The owner, Mustafa, is rightfully proud of the new Fire Up Halal Grill. According to its website (FireUpHalalGrill.com), “Fire Up Halal Grill is home to amazing Halal cuisine. Enjoy our homemade dishes and welcoming space! In case you’re searching for top-notch Halal food, Fire Up Halal Grill is unquestionably one of the spots to go in Tampa. Our menu features your favorite Mediterranean dishes — such as: chicken shawarma, beef kebab, lamb shawarma wrap, falafel, baklava and much more deliciousness!”

All I can say is that after sampling both the chicken kabob entrée and lamb gyro pita wrap sandwich (photo above left, shown without onions and the accompanying sauces, as I ordered it), Mustafa and his family definitely are living up to their promises of delicious Mediterranean food in an inviting space.

The menu also includes beef, chicken and lamb shawarma entrées served over the same delicious rice as shown in the top picture, beef, chicken, lamb and kofta kebab entrées and wraps, plus falafel, hummus, tabouleh and dolma, plus flaky baklava for dessert. They even offer catering and delivery is available through UberEats, DoorDash, GrubHub & Toast. For more info, call (813) 591-1133. — GN

Hello Sweetness Opens In Cross Creek Plaza!

A new dessert place called Hello Sweetness is officially open at 10018 Cross Creek Blvd. (at Kinnan St.) in the Cross Creek Center plaza, between the also-new Fire Up Halal Grill and The Liquor Shoppe. All three stores are helping revive the plaza, which has had vacancies in those spaces for a while.

We never were able to catch up with the owners of Hello Sweetness, but the website HelloSweetnessDesserts.com says the new cafĂ© features gelato, crepes, waffles and coffee. For their most popular desserts you pick a base (such as a crepe or a waffle) and then pick two fruits (strawberries, blueberries, bananas, peaches or raspberries), two sauces (Nutella, white chocolate, caramel, marshmallow, peanut butter or lotus) and two toppings from a variety of choices.

Crepes, waffles and gelato seem to be the stars of the show at Hello Sweetness, but its nice spacious interior and super-friendly staff also make it a nice spot on that end of Cross Creek Blvd. to stop in for a coffee or latte.

For more information, call (813) 575-9003. — GN  

Thousands Flock To KRATE Opening! (Photo gallery, too!)

“It’s a home run.”

That’s how Wesley Chapel’s Jon Kramer described the KRATE at the Grove’s Grand Opening on June 4, while sitting in the shade holding a beer as his wife Faith sipped on a sangria. Their dogs, Marley, a 5-year-old Golden Doodle, and Maverick, a 6-year-old Labradoodle, also enjoyed the shade. 

Developer Mark Gold promised KRATE would be cool. And on June 4, that’s what he delivered.Thousands — maybe 8,000 or so, according to one estimate, but no matter your guess, the number was many more than expected — swept up and down the rows of converted shipping containers. Some sat and listened to music, children got their faces painted and frolicked on the playground, and slowly but surely the large crowd completely drained many of the 18 open restaurants of their tasty contents. leaving the owners and their employees with no time to catch their breath.

Miguel Calvo, who owns Chamo Bites, lives five minutes from the KRATE at the Grove, and had to run home four times to get more food to restock his container. At the end of the day, he was moved, maybe even a little shaken, by the outpouring of support. He called it “life-changing” and showed off an arm full of goosebumps.

It was the kind of festive event that Chappies have been yearning for. 

“This is the best thing to ever happen to this place,” said Jon, who has lived just a few footsteps away from The Grove for 22 years. He has watched what was once nothing but a strip mall sprout from the ground, then wither and nearly die, until Gold showed up and promised to save it.

When Gold and Co. crossed the finish line at the Grand Opening, Jon and Faith were there to celebrate with them.Twice, in fact. The Kramers came in the morning, and then returned again in the evening.

And, get this — in between, they drove to downtown Tampa to have a drink at Sparkman Wharf, the trendy, smaller container park that opened along Channelside Dr. in 2018.

And, while Wesley Chapel may still not be quite as hip as downtown Tampa, it’s clear to Jon that Sparkman Wharf is now officially Tampa Bay’s “other” container park.

“KRATE blows it away,” he says. “They have a few bars and food and nothing else. Here, there is that and local artisans and local shops. It’s just better.”

That will be music to Gold’s ears. On numerous occasions, due to the delays and hurdles, the developer has referred to the nearly three-year KRATE project as “Mission Impossible.” But, he never doubted that once it was completed, it would be a big hit.

A home run, even.

KRATE Balls Of Fire, It Officially Opens Saturday!

KRATE tenants celebrate a successful night at the Friends & Family event June 1. (Photo: John C. Cotey)

The KRATE Container Park at The Grove has opened in bits and pieces over the past few months, but this Saturday, June 4, the park will finally celebrate its Grand Opening.

More than 70 percent of the 94 repurposed shipping containers will be “officially” open for business — although many have been open for months — and the celebration will be marked by live music at a new bandshell, family events and plenty of food and shopping.

The Grand Opening celebration on the 4th is scheduled from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., with nighttime entertainment from 6 p.m.-9 p.m.

A Friends & Family event was held June 1, drawing a sizable crowd that included social media influencers with a total following of roughly four million.

“Opening KRATE was mission impossible,” Grove developer Mark Gold of Mishorim-Gold Properties says. “We did not expect a pandemic, supply chain shortages, and a backlog in permitting. But, we did it and everything we promised we would do has become reality. We are proud of the sense of community we have built here at the Grove at Wesley Chapel and our KRATE park and look forward to providing even more opportunities to bring together friends, families, and neighbors.” 

KRATE is just one part, but perhaps the crown jewel, of The Grove’s transformation, which began when Mishorim-Gold Properties, a partnership between Gold and Mishorim Real Estate, bought the 200+ acres for $62.7 million in 2019. Gold has since poured more than $100 million into renovations, including $20 million or so for a container park he promised would be one-of-a-kind.

KRATE faced a number of obstacles to opening, primarily due to Covid-19 and permitting snags. But little by little, the containers were transformed inside and outside — thanks in large part to artist Whitney Holbourn, whose hand-painted, business-themed murals adorn the exterior of each shop — into an attractive, outdoor shopping park featuring 70% restaurants and 30% retail businesses.

Nickole Davis, who opened All Good Things Gifts in February, says she is excited to see KRATE take another step toward reality. Davis sells a variety of personalized items, like her popular Wesley Chapel-branded home decorations, and says local consumers will be pleased by the variety of different kinds of shops in the KRATE, which include a children’s boutique, a Budget Blinds showroom and a huge variety of different cuisines from around the world, including Puerto Rican, French, Hawaiian, Mediterranean, Venezuelan and Japanese influences and so many more.

“The park is still in its infancy and there’s a lot of room for growth, so I think as more people know that it’s open, it can become something special,” says Davis, who added that her business has been hitting sales goals and doing very well since opening.

She is not alone. Some of the restaurants, like the Bacon Boss HQ, TJ’s Hot Dogs and Mojo Grill Latin Fusion, have been regularly selling out and running out of inventory, a sign that the public is eager for the KRATE.

Portions of the parking area between the various KRATEs have opened, including by the Bacon Boss HQ (nearest the stage at the north end of the park) and other interior parking areas around the other KRATEs, but that parking will be closed for the Grand Opening event on June 4, due to the amount of foot traffic expected in the area. 

There will be plenty of KRATE parking in the lot in front of the big box stores at The Grove, including World Market and Dick’s Sporting Goods. Gold also promises that a separate KRATE parking lot is coming to the south end of the container park (north of the Outback Steak House) that should be done “soon.”

Also Coming Soon…

In addition to KRATE, Gold continues to fill the rest of The Grove property. New businesses slated to open in the near future include: Woodie’s Wash Shack, Five Below, Bealls Outlet/Home Centric, Starbucks, a national rental car chain, a national grocery store and a miniature golf course.

“We are the ultimate shopping and entertainment destination, not just for Wesley Chapel, but for the region and around the world,” Gold says.

Which KRATEs Are Already Open & Which Ones Are Still To Come?

OPEN RESTAURANTS & BARS:

Blush Wine Room Caramel Martini
Palani’s Roast Pork Bowl
SubZero nitrogen bowl
Tacos El Patron chicken taco

Please note that we will have full reviews of each of the following open & planned eateries in future issues. But, where else but the KRATE Container Park can you find all of these cuisine types?:
• Tasty Ramen
• El Prince Mediterranean
• Shake-A-Salad 
• The Fryroom
• La Creacion Express
• Mojo Grill Latin Fusion
• Provisions Coffee & Kitchen
• The Bacon Boss HQ
• TJ’s Hot Dogs
• Tacos El Patron
• Chamo Bites Venezuelan Cuisine 
• Subzero Nitrogen Ice Cream   
• Blush Wine Room 
• Urban Sweets
• Palani’s Hawai’i Noodles
• Brew Bar
• Yummy Tablas
• Rhythm Pon Jamaican Grill

OPEN KRATE RETAIL SHOPS:
• The Rebellious Hippie
• Maeberry Co.
• Katie Beth’s Boutique
• Pasco EDC’s Smart Start
• All Good Things Gifts
• We Rock Rocks
• Gadgets Emergency Room
• Tonella’s Flower Shop
• Budget Blinds
• Center Ed

RESTAURANTS STILL TO COME:
• Boba Mac’s Tea & Eats 
• Falafel Factory
• Pisco Peruvian Chinese 
• Ato Japanese
• 365 Café
• Bakery X
• Bebo’s Cheesesteaks
• Sugar Pop!
• Flipn’ Fries
• Higher Flour
• Café Zorba

KRATE RETAILERS STILL TO COME:
• Insane Vape & Smoke Shop
• The Toy Jungle
• Grove Cigars 
• 2 Extreme Tattoos
• Valiart Jewelry Designs
• Life Essentials Refillery

Green Files Countersuit In Pebble Creek Battle

Saying she will not be silenced by a lawsuit filed against her by Pebble Creek Golf Club (PCGC) owner Bill Place, Pebble Creek resident and activist Leslie Green is firing back with a counterclaim lawsuit of her own.

Denying all of Place’s allegations in his lawsuit, Green filed her countersuit on May 11, suing Place for defamation.

In his lawsuit, Place alleged that Green had personal and selfish motivations when it came to fighting against development of the golf course, and conducted a smear campaign by reaching out to developers, city, county and state officials and others in order to stop him from securing a so-called brownfield designation and selling to a developer who would build homes on the land. 

She “made things personal and pervasive,” according to Place.

“I never felt it was personal,” Green told the Neighborhood News. “I was merely trying to save our greenspace and keep our zoning what it is. That’s all it was to me.”

Green, who has lived along the 10th hole at PCGC for nearly 30 years, has been a vocal critic of Place’s efforts to sell the 54-year-old golf course and clubhouse, which he shut down on July 31, 2021.

She originally started the “Save Pebble Creek” Facebook page in March 2019 to rally residents when Place sought the brownfield designation to offset the costs of removing pesticides and other chemicals from the property, a requirement before he could sell the 150-acre property for development.

The application was denied, but Green continued her efforts as Place attempted to woo developers. She denies, however, that she ever used “blatant falsehoods” to sway KB Homes and Pulte Homes to back out of deals to buy the property to develop homes on it.

There are roughly 1,400 homes in Pebble Creek, and 130 of them border on the golf course. But, far more residents than just those living on the golf course are opposed to development, claims Green.

Green’s countersuit claims that Place’s lawsuit “can only be construed as revenge for expressing and encouraging others to express their constitutionally protected right to freedom of expression.”

The counterclaim suit accuses Place of disparaging Green by asserting she was “immoral, selfish, dishonest, and acted with animosity” resulting in damage to Green’s “integrity, character and professional competence amongst the general public.”

Her suit also alleges that “Mr. Place published false statements about Ms. Green…intentionally and with malice, having knowledge of the falsity of the statements and/or with reckless disregard for the truth or falsity of the statements…and was intentional, knowing, malicious, and with callous disregard of Ms. Green’s rights.”

As a result, Green “has suffered, is suffering, and will continue to suffer severe and irreparable harm and substantial damages in an amount to be proven at trial.”

Green is seeking damages for “lost income and business opportunities, litigation costs and expenses including attorney fees, and other actual damages, including irreparable and quantifiable harm to Ms. Green’s personal and professional reputation amongst her residential community and the public at large.”

Place has 20 days to respond, but has already received a requested extension.

A virtual court date has been scheduled for Nov. 7.

Place is currently negotiating with GL Homes, which has already presented a preliminary development plan to some residents. A recent meeting with GL Homes on May 18 drew a small protest by those opposed to building more homes in Pebble Creek, which Green attended.