Welcome to the neighborhood, Cooper’s Hawk! The winery and restaurant chain, with more than 55 locations in ten U.S. states (including more than a dozen in Florida) began celebrating its Nov. 20 Grand Opening on S.R. 56 a few days earlier with some Friends & Family days and a North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon cutting (photo below left) on Nov. 18.
Photo above courtesy of North Tampa Bay Chamber.
As long-time Cooper’s Hawk Wine Club members who also have eaten at the restaurants in Tampa and Sarasota about two dozen times, Jannah and I were as excited about the Wesley Chapel opening as the rest of the community appears to be.
Founder and CEO Tim McEnery was on-hand for Cooper’s Hawk’s NTBC ribbon-cutting event and, since he opened his first location in Orland Park, IL, in 2005, the restaurant chain’s wines have won hundreds (nearly 600) of awards and the food (some of which is shown on this page) is definitely a cut above what you find at most chain eateries.
In addition, Wine Club members receive a number of outstanding benefits, including two free wine tastings (the “Lux” tastings come with a small upcharge), accumulating points for each time you dine at the restaurant, a credit for free dining on your birthday and much more.
Tasty pan-roasted mahi-mahi
And, even though I used to wonder how a winery located in Woodridge, IL, could possibly offer a wide variety of delicious wines, after eight years of tastings and dozens of bottles that we have both enjoyed ourselves and given as gifts to other oenophiles, I can assure you that a Cooper’s Hawk Wine Club membership is the way to go. The grapes the company imports from every great winemaking region across the globe are blended into everything from Barbera to Zinfandel, with lots of options for both you sweet wine drinkers and for those who prefer a little dust on their palates when they imbibe.
And, if you prefer hard liquor or beer over wine, Cooper’s Hawk has an ultra-premium bar to meet your needs, too.
The best news of all is that although dining at Cooper’s Hawk isn’t a 15-30-minute process, the service we have experienced so far has been super-attentive and on point.
There’s even a private dining area for up to 48 guests that can be divided into two 24-seat private rooms perfect for birthday parties and other special occasions.
Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant (28963 S.R. 56) is open every day for lunch & dinner. For more info, visit CHWinery.com or call (813) 755-4445 & tell GM Joseph McCracken & his staff that we sent you! — GN
Dr. Jacky and Dr. Sharly Saleep of Good Karma Veterinary Therapy, a mobile veterinarian service, are happy to care for your precious fur babies in the comfort of your own home. (Photos by Charmaine George)
There are a lot of reasons why taking your pet to the vet can be stressful, but Good Karma Mobile Veterinary Therapy takes away many of those problems by coming to treat your pet in your home.
Does your big dog have a hard time getting in and out of the car? Does your cat detest being put in a carrier? Is your current vet’s office closed by the time you can get there after work? Do you have a lot of pets that require multiple appointments? Or, maybe, you just don’t like pet fur all over your car?
The husband-and-wife team of Dr. Sharly and Dr. Jacky Saleep, both of whom are Doctors of Veterinary Medicine (DVMs), will see your cat or dog in your home, relieving a lot of the stress a trip to the vet can cause.
The doctors say their practice is “fear-free,” focusing on ensuring that your pet or pets are as comfortable as possible and taking as long as needed to ensure that your fur babies have a positive experience.
“We are completely mobile and do everything in the pet’s house,” Dr. Jacky says. “We never rush and it’s always fun to see pets in their home environments.”
Dr. Jacky is a Miami native who moved to Australia to attend veterinary school at the University of Sydney. From there, she had the opportunity to travel to other countries as part of her studies and, in her final year of vet school, she met Dr. Sharly in Egypt.
He is the son of a large-animal veterinarian in Egypt, where Dr. Sharly grew up. Both Dr. Sharly and his father completed their education in veterinary medicine at Assiut University in Asyut, Egypt. Dr. Sharly graduated with honors in 2010.
He then spent three years working with his father, caring for large animals, such as camels, buffalo, donkeys, cows, sheep, goats, rabbits and turkeys. When he wanted to do more surgeries and work more with smaller animals, Dr. Sharly moved to Hurghada, Egypt.
That’s where he met Dr. Jacky, who was studying abroad, before she graduated from vet school in 2017.
“We almost missed each other,” she laughs, explaining that a paperwork error put her in the same clinic with him for just one week. If the mistake hadn’t been made, they would never have even crossed paths.
The pair got married in Las Vegas in 2018 and moved to Miami. But, in 2020, they decided to come to Wesley Chapel to raise their family. At the time, both were working for corporate veterinary medicine companies.
The doctors have two daughters, ages four and three, and a one-year-old son. They also have two Italian greyhounds, two cats, fish and a dozen chickens.
“Our daughter was diagnosed with autism and needed 30 or 40 hours a week of therapy,” explains Dr. Jacky. But. at that time, their schedules were dictated by a corporation and were not flexible, so they knew they needed to do something different.
Opening their own practice together was something they had talked about for a long time, especially because Dr. Jacky wanted to use her broad range of skills, including in animal acupuncture and laser therapy, which weren’t part of her former practice.
The pair launched Good Karma together in June 2023.
Today, their mobile vet service offers wellness exams, vaccines, laser therapy, acupuncture and treatments for allergies and other common ailments, such as ear infections.
Dr. Jacky says laser therapy is really good for healing, especially for older pets dealing with chronic pain, since the laser penetrates and works at a cellular level. She also offers both traditional acupuncture and laser acupuncture.
While the vets mostly treat dogs and cats, they occasionally do treat exotic pets and also offer acupuncture for horses.
They say their services are perfect for someone who has a lot of pets, who can’t travel, or who is short on time. They even offer some after-hours and weekend appointments, and everything they do is designed to help keep your pet or pets calm and comfortable.
“Let’s say the cat wants to be in the closet,” says Dr. Sharly. “We can actually do the appointment in the closet. I’ve seen cats in bathrooms, too.”
The doctors don’t do surgeries, dental cleanings or handle emergencies, but there are ways they can help if your pet experiences something that causes you to worry.
“Emergencies tend to happen at the worst times,” says Dr. Sharly. “But, our business hours are until 8 p.m., so if you get home from work and your pet is sick, you can call us and we will answer the phone.”
If they are able to see the pet, they can examine and stabilize it before sending it to an emergency facility, if necessary. But, even if they can’t get to the pet, they know the patient and its history, so they can provide guidance and recommendations in an urgent situation.
Dr. Jacky adds, “We really get to know our pet patients because we’re going into their homes. It’s not like a corporate environment where we’re seeing dozens of pets and sometimes can’t remember them.”
Another service offered by the Good Karma vets is euthanasia.
Dr. Jacky says that when you reach a point where there’s nothing else that can be done for your pet, Good Karma can come to your home so your pet will be home and comfortable during his or her last moments.
“It’s an honor to serve families in this way,” says Dr. Jacky. “It’s actually okay for the pets. They get ice cream or treats, get good medicine and then go to sleep. But, a (big part) of euthanasia is actually taking care of the family.”
She says most pets in this case have lived a long, happy life, and she has helped many families get through their grief.
Dr. Sharly with Gunnar, the 100+-lb. “Swissy.” (Photo provided by Good Karma Veterinary Therapy)
Krissy and Matt Hem live in Meadow Pointe and are pet parents to Gunnar, an 8-year-old Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, also known as a “Swissy.”
Since Gunnar weighs more than 100 pounds, he has been having some hip problems as he ages, so Krissy started searching for laser therapy for him.
As a nurse anesthetist, Krissy works long hours at the hospital and can’t always get to a vet’s office while they’re open, so she loves that Good Karma comes to her once she gets home from work.
“They combine the best of both worlds — with both conventional and eastern medicine,” says Krissy, who worked as a veterinary technician before starting her career in caring for people. “I feel like the care is more thorough than a typical veterinary office, and they always call and check on him.”
Krissy and Matt plan to get a puppy soon, and when they do, they will have Good Karma come to their home to check on their new pup. She really likes that she won’t have to take a new puppy, with its vulnerable immune system, into a clinic where it could pick something up from someone else’s sick pet.
“I’m probably a little biased, but as someone who has worked in medicine for both people and animals, I really appreciate the thoroughness and especially the compassion they show.”
To set up an appointment with Good Karma Veterinary Therapy, pet owners can call or text (813) 291-3570, email GoodKarmaVeterinaryTherapy@gmail.com, or fill out a form to send a message at GoodKarmaVeterinaryTherapy.com.
Co-owners Jeff Cofini (left) & Nick Cignarella of Zio’s NY Bagel & Deli Co. in the Pebble Creek Collection. (Photos by Charmaine George)
Although I have known Zio’s New York Bagel & Deli Co. co-owner Jeff Cofini for a number of years, I warned him when he first told me that he was opening a New York-style bagel place in New Tampa that, as a native New Yawka and self-proclaimed bagel aficionado, if his bagels weren’t “legit,” we could have a problem.
But, while it took a lot longer than planned for Cofini and his nephew and partner Nick Cignarella (in fact, “Zio” means “uncle” in Italian), to open their Zio’s NY Bagel & Deli Co. in the Pebble Creek Collection, there’s no doubt — in my eyes, at least — that it was well worth the wait.
Smoked salmon and cream cheese on an everything bagel, anyone?
Zio’s may not have the best bagels I’ve ever tasted, but they are the first legitimate, best NY-style bagels ever sold in New Tampa. I can say, in all sincerity, that anytime I have a hankerin’ for a fried (or scrambled) egg, bacon and cheese or smoked salmon and cream cheese on a sesame or everything bagel (which I get often), with an extra-crisp hash brown patty on the side, my car already seems to know to take me to Zio’s.
But, Zio’s offers more than just great bagels. Jannah and I (as well as photographer Charmaine George) all already have our own favorites.
The steak, egg & cheese wrap.The Melvin sandwich (shown with a crispy hash brown patty.
For breakfast, while Charmaine is partial to the steak (grilled Boar’s Head roast beef, actually), egg and cheese wrap or omelette, Jannah prefers Zio’s homemade chicken salad as a melt (with cheddar cheese) on a toasted, scooped-out Asiago cheese bagel.
The All Jacked Up sandwich.
And for lunch, while I have consistently enjoyed The Melvin (grilled Boar’s Head pastrami and corned beef, with melted Swiss and cole slaw on grilled rye or pumpernickel bread), I also found the All Jacked Up sandwich (with grilled Boar’s Head deluxe roast beef, melted pepper jack cheese, sautéed onions, lettuce and tomato with spicy brown mustard, mayo or thousand island dressing) on a hoagie roll to be outstanding, too.
And, although she always asks for just two slices of bread, instead of the usual three it comes with, Jannah loves the Double Decker, featuring Boar’s Head Ovengold turkey, with Boar’s Head cheddar (instead of the American cheese it comes with), crispy bacon and lettuce on grilled pumpernickel bread.
The Harvest salad features Boar’s Head Ovengold turkey & Swiss cheese pinwheels.
Charmaine enjoyed the smoked salmon bagel sandwich, as well as the Harvest Salad (with crisp romaine lettuce, tomato, cucumber, shredded carrots, sweet dry cranberries and walnuts, topped with pinwheels of Boar’s Head Ovengold turkey and Swiss), as well as Zio’s grilled cheeseburgers and crispy fries.
Jeff says that although many of the items mentioned so far are among his top-sellers, “We sell more of the Italian Combo than any other sandwich for lunch.” The Italian Combo is piled high with Boar’s Head Capy hot ham, Genoa salami and pepperoni and is topped with provolone, lettuce, tomato, red onion and Italian dressing. He says the Taylor ham, egg & cheese dominates breakfast, and breakfast and lunch are both served whenever Zio’s is open, so you can have your breakfast favorites for lunch and vice-versa — and the prices definitely are fair.
A catering tray of bagels, spreads, salads & muffins.
Zio’s also has fresh-baked muffins in a variety of flavors and delicious gourmet gavina coffee. Catering is a specialty if you have a meeting, party or event coming up. In fact, Zio’s provided a beautiful spread of bagels, butter and cream cheese (including a sweet maple walnut cream cheese) for the Neighborhood News-hosted North Tampa Bay Chamber coffee meeting last month and everyone raved about the bagels.
Zio’s New York Bagel & Deli Co. is located at 19651 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. It is open Monday-Friday, 6 a.m.-3 p.m.; and 7 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. For more information, call (813) 388-9498 or search “Zio’s New York Bagel and Deli Co.” on Facebook.
What began in 2021 as the second location of Lufka Refillables Zero Waste Store has officially been transitioned to Sustain M.E., which offers a similar variety of “green” & refillable products.
Co-owners Gail Strickland & her daughter Danielle Howard, who have stocked the store with an all-new, locally sourced variety of eco-friendly products, held their North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon cutting on Nov 14.
Look for the story in the Nov 28 edition of Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News!
