Three Generations Of Painters Set Topash Apart

Cole (left) and K.T. Topash of Topash Painting are part of three generations of Topash men who have been painting homes in Wesley Chapel and New Tampa dating all the way back to 1978. (Photos: Charmaine George)

When K.T. Topash of Topash Painting is out working on a job with his son, Cole, it reminds him of when he was younger, painting the exteriors and interiors of local homes and businesses alongside his dad, Paul, before K.T. bought the company from Paul in 2009.

Cole became part owner when he turned 18 and, over the past few years, has grown into a partner his dad trusts to carry on the family name with the same commitment to excellence and customer service that he and his dad built a generation ago.

That’s three generations of Topash men who have been painting homes in Wesley Chapel and the surrounding areas since Paul started the company in 1978.

So much has changed since then, but K.T. and Cole still hold on to the values that have helped them build a business with a stellar reputation and customers who have been loyal to them for many years. 

First and foremost, K.T. and Cole always do the work themselves. When you hire Topash Painting, you know exactly who will be painting your home, and it’s never going to be a subcontractor. 

Typically, both father and son will be on the job site together. But, even if they bring on another employee to help the business, either K.T. or Cole will always be on site with them, and you can be sure their helper will be someone who is trustworthy, reliable, safe and will do the job with excellence.

“So many times in this industry, the customer hires a company, but the company subs it out to someone who has no responsibility,” says K.T. “That’s not who we want to be.”

That’s why Jason Christiano says he continues to hire Topash Painting for all of his painting needs at both his home in Grand Hampton in New Tampa and for his business in Wesley Chapel.

“The work is very high quality and the pricing is fair,” says Jason. “What’s most important to me is who you’re hiring. It’s just K.T. and his son, so I don’t have to worry about my daughters or be concerned with day laborers or background checks.”

Jason was first introduced to Topash Painting close to 10 years ago when he saw the trailer in his neighborhood. He says K.T. painted his house then, and has been his go-to painter ever since. 

Despite rising costs, K.T. says Topash Painting will not skimp on its always-high-quality paints just to save a buck. 

Topash Painting has painted Jason’s home and office, both inside and out. In fact, Jason hired him to paint the exterior of his house again, even though K.T. told him his previous paint job was still holding up and he didn’t need to do it.

“I like to be proactive, so I told him I wanted to get it done,” says Jason.

Jason also says that he has always found Topash Painting’s pricing to be appropriate for the market. “He’s not high, he’s not low,” Jason says. “He’s fair.”

K.T. says that he always tries to give the best possible prices and that he has absorbed many of the cost increases that have happened over the years. However, right now, the cost of materials is extremely high.

“Our paint and materials costs have gone through the roof,” K.T. says, “and we’ve seen at least a 45% increase over the last 18 months or so.”

He says that he keeps costs down as much as possible, but won’t skimp on the quality of the products he puts on (or in) your home.

“A lot of customers don’t know that there’s good, bad, and ugly in the painting product world,” he says. “Even Sherwin Williams offers so many lines of paint, from new construction paint that is cheap and won’t last long, to paint that currently costs $100 a gallon.”

K.T. says his experience means he knows exactly how to purchase the right products and do the work in a way that will allow you to enjoy your paint job for many years to come.

“We use a lifetime warranty paint,” K.T. explains. “If the painter does the prep work right, you’ll never have to worry about the warranty. It’s definitely not enough to just slap some paint on a wall.”

It’s always been hard for professional, high-quality painters such as Topash Painting to distinguish themselves from the guys who just want to get paint on the wall and collect their payment. 

Topash Painting has always distinguished itself by being licensed, insured and bonded, so K.T. and his wife Hollie, who handles the bookkeeping for the business, were shocked when they learned that the state of Florida no longer offers painting licenses. In the past, K.T. had to take a test and pay a fee to be licensed, but now there is no licensing available. That means it’s even harder nowadays to distinguish the true pros from the non-pros. 

Topash Painting continues to carry liability insurance to protect its customers.

“As a consumer, you have to ask those questions,” K.T. says. “Most people’s biggest asset is their home, and it’s in your best interest to protect it.”

So, while they feel like doing away with licensing just makes it more difficult for consumers to find the best professionals for the job, K.T. and Cole are committed to continuing their family tradition of providing quality paint jobs at the best possible prices for homes and businesses, year after year.

“It’s more important than ever to do your due diligence,” K.T. says. “Check references and be sure the painters are using the materials they say they are. You don’t want to hire some weekend warrior who is just trying to make a buck.”

K.T. says he loves working with Cole, who makes him very proud.

“He is a huge asset to me,” says K.T. “And, it’s a lot of fun.”

K.T. says Cole knows everything about the business and represents Topash Painting well.

“Sometimes better than I do,” K.T. says. “You find out truly who your kid is when you’re working with him. When I see Cole talking with a customer and handling himself the way an adult does, it’s very rewarding.”

For estimates or appointments, call Topash Painting at (813) 780-2511 or e-mail topashpainting@gmail.com. For more info, search for “Topash Painting” on Facebook.

The Fat Rabbit Celebrates Five Years In Tampa Palms!

Congratulations go out to The Fat Rabbit Pub, located at 16029 Tampa Palms Blvd. W. (in the City Plaza at Tampa Palms shopping center) for celebrating its fifth anniversary. Always near the top of the New Tampa rankings in both our Reader Survey and with yours truly, Jannah and I visited Fat Rabbit for its anniversary celebration on July 16.

Executive chef Cole McBride, who has been coming up with the Fat Rabbit’s unique better-than-bar-food dishes from Day One, offered a number of specials for the day, including those top-rated wings topped with “Apocalypse” wing sauce (which has earned an 8/10 on the “heat” scale), a red velvet cake/cheesecake dessert special (photo, bottom, shown with the Rabbit lager special served in a 5-Year Anniversary glass, while supplies last) and a new burger that Cole says is being added to the menu: “The Rabbit 13 (photo below),” which is a short rib and brisket patty topped with tortilla strips, roasted poblano peppers, pepper jack cheese and pico de gallo (shown on the side), topped with a creamy queso cheese sauce and served with your choice of the greatest tater tots in our area, crispy fries or the awesome, super-crisp onion rings shown here for just $1 more.  

Perhaps best of all (at least for me) is that Cole says he should soon be bringing back his weekly fresh fish specials. So good!

For more info, call (813) 252-3004 or visit FatRabbitPub.com. — GN 

Seven of 11 New Tampa schools get As

Despite a number of serious challenges the past few years, New Tampa’s schools continue to be among the best performing in the state.

The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) released its school grades for the 2021-22 academic year, and seven of the area’s 11 schools received “A” grades.

New Tampa’s elementary schools went 6-for-6 when it came to receiving A grades, thanks to two schools that haven’t received the top grade for a while.

Heritage Elementary, which ended a string of four straight years with C grades, received its first A grade since 2012. And, Hunter’s Green Elementary received its first A grade since 2011.

The other four elementary schools — Chiles, Clark, Pride and Tampa Palms — also received A grades, continuing their long-term trends. 

Pride and Chiles have never received less than an A, beginning with their first grades in 2002 and 2003, respectively. Clark has received As every year since 2001, while Tampa Palms incredibly has earned all As since 1999.

Benito Middle School received its 19th straight A, and its total score of 610 was tops among all of New Tampa’s schools. The total scores are determined by adding the testing scores in a variety of categories — including English Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies and others. 

Liberty Middle School got a B grade, down from last year’s A, while Turner-Bartels K-8 School received its fifth straight B.

Both area high schools, Wharton and Freedom, received C grades for the fifth consecutive year.

Grades were up throughout Hillsborough County, which achieved top-20 status among Florida’s 67 school districts following the release of school accountability data, as 100% of the schools that graded F in 2019 improved their grades in 2022.

NOTE: No grades were given in 2020, and 2021 grades were optional.

New Tampa’s Cohn Wants To Make A Difference In Congress

Congressional District 15 candidate and Grand Hampton resident Alan Cohn with his family (l.-r.) wife Patricia, daughter Ann and son Aaron. 

If you’re looking for a political candidate that you can trust to stand up for what is right for you, your family and your neighbor’s family, Alan Cohn says he’s that guy.

The long-time Grand Hampton resident is running for the redrawn U.S. Congressional District (CD) 15, which covers parts of New Tampa and Wesley Chapel, and Cohn thinks the voters’ familiarity with his work as a former investigative reporter with ABC News in Tampa (and Sarasota) shows the kind of member of Congress he would be.

“What people have seen from me, from my work on ABC in Tampa, is a guy who has gone out and uncovered political corruption by both Democrats and Republicans,” Cohn says. “While people are skeptical (of politicians), they find in me a candidate who has called it out on both sides and has worked to make the community a better place already.”

This will be Cohn’s third attempt at winning a Congressional seat. He lost in 2014 to incumbent Republican Dennis Ross (60.3 percent to 39.7 percent) and in 2020 defeated Adam Hattersly in the Democratic primary before losing to Scott Franklin (R-Lakeland) 55.5%-44.6%.

However, the new congressional map for this election shifted CD 15 more towards Cohn’s favor as a Democratic candidate, while Franklin is now running in Florida’ 18th Congressional District. The new map doesn’t change CD 15 from being a Republican-favored seat but it’s closer to a 50-50 split than it was in 2020 and encompasses more of Cohn’s home turf.

“This is not the same Congressional District,” says Cohn, who was the last Democrat to enter the five-candidate field. “I waited for the maps to be final and looked very hard at this District. There’s only about 1,000 voters that separate Democrats and Republicans. This is a swing District.”

According to the Cook Political Report’s 2022 Partisan Voting Index (PVI), it also will be Florida’s closest, with whoever the Republican representative ends up being to be a 4-point favorite. The Republican field includes some well-known names in GOP circles, including former Secretary of State Laurel Lee, Sen. Kelli Stargel and Rep. Jackie Toledo and political newcomers Demetries Grimes and Kevin McGovern.

Cohn is running against four others in the Democratic primary — comedian Eddie Geller, political consultant Gavin Brown, third-generation Army veteran Cesar Ramirez and 30-year postal service veteran Bill VanHorn.

The heart of the new CD 15, Cohn says, is New Tampa, where he and wife Patty have raised their family. Their children, Ann and Aaron, graduated from Wharton High; Aaron is now pitching with Class A Stockton in the Oakland A’s organization.

Not only is Cohn recognizable from his time as a television reporter, but he has been a familiar face around New Tampa and Wesley Chapel.

“This is where we are ingrained in our community,” Cohn says. “Most people have seen me on the ballfields. Patty and I have been so involved with the community. It’s such an incredible opportunity to serve now.”

Upon entering the race, Cohn quickly collected several big endorsements from the likes of former Governor and current gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, former State Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, former Florida Education Commissioner and USF president Betty Castor and U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, the co-chair of the Florida Congressional Delegation who also is the co-chair of candidate recruitment for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Cohn told FloridaPolitics.com he raised more than $100,000 in the first 14 days after filing to run on June 16.

“We have worked in this community and have voted in this community and will win because, in the short time I’ve been in the race, I have raised the resources to reach the voters that we need to reach,” Cohn says.

And, he says, those need-to-reach voters are predominantly independents. According to Cohn, how those with no party affiliation break in their voting, especially in CD 15, could determine the results of the upcoming election.

“That’s really our key,” Cohn says. 

The Primary Election will be held on Tuesday, August 23, and the general Election will be held on Tuesday, November 8.

“We have been working with people who are interested in candidates who do reach across the aisle, who are problem solvers. That’s what I aspire to be,” Cohn says. “The fact of the matter is the last 9-10 months I’ve doing a lot of writing on the national level and here in Florida and calling out both parties when it’s been needed to be done.” 

Cohn has a number of issues he is focused on, such as lowering taxes, fighting against rising prescription drug costs, veterans’ issues, investing in education and much-needed improvements to our transportation infrastructure.

And, he thinks he can get other members of Congress on board as well. Despite the frayed nature of this country’s political discourse these days, where sides are taken based solely on political affiliation, and working with the opposition is frowned upon by the fringes of both parties, Cohn thinks his record shows an ability to reach across the aisle to get things done. And, Congress has to be fixed, he believes.

“If we fail, the country is in danger,” he says.

As one example, Cohn cites his work with District 12 Republican Congressman Gus Bilirakis in 2010, when Cohn exposed companies charging veterans large illegal fees. The law, however, had no teeth, and Bilirakis saw the report and filed a bill to give the law more of a bite, via criminal penalties.

Cohn, a 1985 graduated of Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY, has a won a number of awards for his investigative reporting, most notably the prestigious 2007 Peabody Award for uncovering that defective parts had been installed on U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters.

“My record stands apart from anyone else’s,” Cohn says. “If you are a Republican, a Democrat or an independent, you’re frustrated and understandably cynical. And I’m a guy who not only wants to get results but has gotten results. Voters are tired of the nonsense they see on TV and read in the newspapers. I’m the guy who they remember getting solutions to real problems in this community, and I think that stands above anything.”

The Living Room Is Getting Ready To Open In Wesley Chapel!

Zach Feinstein, the co-owner of The Feinstein Group, which has opened three successful restaurants in Dunedin (including the original Living Room on Main St.) since the group was established in 2014, says “The Living Room should be open in Wesley Chapel by the first week in August.”

Zach and his wife Christina (pictured above), who took over The Black Pearl on Main St. together when they were just dating (“My friends told me I was crazy,” says Christina. “But obviously, it’s all worked out.”), are not only the proud owners of The Living Room and The Black Pearl, but also the Sonder Social Club, located on Douglas Ave. (off Main St.), and all three restaurants are completely different from each other.

The Sonder Social Club is primarily a cocktail lounge featuring, according to Zach, “some of the best craft cocktails in the Tampa Bay area,” although it does have a few food items, including charcuterie boards and cauliflower-crusted artisan pizzas.

The Black Pearl, which Zach says he and Christina have “greatly upgraded” since taking it over, is the most upscale of the three, with starters like escargot en croute and white truffle lobster risotto and entrĂ©es like Hereford filet mignon, Chilean sea bass Lyonnaise and Maple Leaf Farms seared duck breast. The Black Pearl is ranked #1 of 133 restaurants in Dunedin on Tripadvisor.

But, the Feinsteins say, The Living Room is the most “mainstream” of their three eateries, which Tripadvisor ranks #10 of 133 restaurants in Dunedin. “We’re perfect for a ‘Big Night Out’ or date night,” Zach says, “but our menu pricing is very fair, so we’ll also be a great place to meet your friends for a craft cocktail and some appetizers anytime throughout the week.”

Zach and Christina, who got married in 2017, say they looked at South Tampa and other locations to open their fourth restaurant before they decided to bring The Living Room to Wesley Chapel. “With all of the growth out here near the mall,,” Zach says, “we felt that Wesley Chapel was our best option.”

Although Zach adds that the menu will be similar to the Dunedin location, which has starters like flash fried pork dumplings, beef tenderloin empanadas and tuna pokĂ©, shareables such as a smoked salmon flatbread and Korean BBQ lettuce wraps, and entrĂ©es like brown butter diver scallops (photo to the right), sautĂ©ed red grouper and a spicy pork chop, “our Executive Chef Joshua Rhynes will have a few new surprises on the menu, too.”

The Feinsteins have spared no expense when it comes to their newest restaurant. When you walk in, the first thing you’ll see is a 100-year-old bookcase and hand-carved hostess stand that both came from a historic home in Hyde Park. The bar area, although similar in size and orientation to what used to be in Ciao! at the mall, “is being completely redone,” says Zach, as are the spacious main dining area inside (with a huge wine selection), the expanded (soon to be covered) outdoor patio (with live music), and two interior private dining areas, one with seating for up to about 70 people and the other an almost-speakeasy-like room for up to 12 people that even has its own private entrance/exit door hidden inside a bookshelf. 

“There’s definitely no place like The Living Room in Wesley Chapel,” says Zach. “No one can beat our food or our craft cocktails. And, Christina has outdone herself designing the place. Welcome Home!”    

The Living Room is located at 2001 Piazza Ave., Unit 100, in The Shops at Wiregrass. For more info, visit TheLivingRoomonMain.com, and stay tuned to our “Neighborhood News” Facebook page for the latest updates.