Although the title may change hands at some point in the future, Wesley Chapel’s first hospital is still its largest and an exclamation point has been added to that sentence following the Nov. 20 ribbon-cutting ceremony and Grand Opening of AdventHealth Wesley Chapel (AHWC) hospital’s “North Tower” upward expansion.
More than 200 hospital staffers, hospital and hospital Foundation Board members, as well as North Tampa Bay Chamber Board members were on hand when AHWC president and CEO Ryan Quattlebaum (left) and chief medical officer Robert Rosequist (with scissors in top photo) cut the ribbon on the 80,373-sq.-ft. expansion. The project adds three additional floors (only the top one of which is open) and 24 more licensed beds, with room for two 24-bed units in the future, as well as 21 additional pre-op and post-op beds, two additional operating rooms, two additional endoscopy suites and one hybrid operating room.
The expansion also gives the award-winning hospital — which has been named one of the top hospitals in the U.S. by Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report magazines, as well as earning an “America’s 250 Best Hospitals” grade by Healthgrades and a 21st consecutive semester Hospital Safety Grade of “A” from Leapfrog — expanded sterile processing and imaging capabilities, including MRI and radiology.
All told, AHWC now has 193 private patient beds, 34 ER beds, 12 operating rooms, three endoscopy suites, two heart catheterization labs, one C-section suite, and too much other robotic surgery and other advanced technology to mention here.
Following an opening prayer, Quattlebaum said, “This expansion project is truly monumental for AdventHealth Wesley Chapel. I am so excited to celebrate with everyone here today because this is truly a celebration for our community.”
Quattlebaum then thanked all of the elected officials in attendance, including District 1 Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley, District 2 Commissioner Seth Weightman (right) and District 5 Commissioner Jack Mariano. He also acknowledged and thanked all of the hospital Board members, medical executive committee members, AdventHealth West Florida Division leaders and fellow Pasco County AdventHealth leaders, as well as all of the companies that participated in building the hospital expansion project.
“The journey at AdventHealth Wesley Chapel is one that reads like a fairy tale storybook, as it relates to health, faith and community,” Quattlebaum said. So, I’ll go back to the beginning — to 2012, when this campus opened (as Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel) with 80 beds and a community that welcomed us with open arms. And, as the community has grown, we have grown with it. And, what that growth really signifies is that we have [greater] access to care.”
He added that when he first heard about AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, “I was in California and I heard about this amazing place where they have these great, quality stores and the team is so engaged. It really speaks to the heart of what makes Wesley Chapel special — our people. A building is a place where people receive care, but it’s delivered by people and the people who work here are truly what makes us unique and special.”
Quattlebaum concluded by saying that when they had orientation for the new expansion, he asked his team members where they came from, where home was for them. “One of them said, ‘I live in Zephyrhills but I remember this spot, this part of Wesley Chapel, as a place where we used to come to watch meteor showers.’ And I thought that meteor showers are moments that reminds us how brilliance is possible. It’s fitting that our hospital stands here today because it symbolizes what brilliance can look like. Our mission calls us to continue to be brilliant for our community every single day and to extend Christ’s healing ministry through healing, comfort and hope. While meteor showers come and go, the light and brilliance that extends at this place endures.”
Next up was Commissioner Weightman, who said, “AdventHealth entered Pasco County in 1985 and the reason for that was that Commissioner Oakley’s dad donated the land that AdventHealth Zephyrhills sits on today. And it’s an honor to sit with him today, as Commissioner Oakley has carried on that legacy by being part of that foundation. And, here we are today in Wesley Chapel, on a road that used to be called the ‘road to nowhere.’ But now, that roads leads somewhere, to the North Tower of AdventHealth Wesley Chapel. How spectacular is that?”
Also speaking at the event were AHWC chief of staff Dr. Kalpesh Patel and Dr. Rosequist, but before the ribbon-cutting and tours of the new wing, Quattlebaum also thanked the AHWC marketing team for putting the event together.
For more info about AdventHealth Wesley Chapel (2600 BBD Blvd.), visit AdventHealth.com or call (813) 929-5000. — GN, all photos except the rendering above by Charmaine George
Noble Crust Is Our Readers’ Favorite Restaurant In Wesley Chapel!
Popular ‘Southern Italian’ Eatery At Shops At Wiregrass Reclaims Top Spot From Cooper’s Hawk!
All it took was taking chain restaurants with more than 10 locations off the ballot (while still allowing those who entered the contest to write in any of the chains among their favorites) for last year’s Favorite Restaurant in Wesley Chapel — Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant — to drop from #1 to #17.
Moving back up into the top spot, after dropping to #4 in Wesley Chapel last year (following three years in a row at #1) is Noble Crust, the “Southern Italian” restaurant that has been in the top-5 with our readers every year since it opened. Chief marketing officer Bradley Elia (far right in photo) was so excited to regain the top spot that he decided to include his entire Wesley Chapel team in the picture on this page — and we, of course, were happy to oblige!
But, as usual, this year’s Reader Dining Survey & Contest wasn’t without its own pratfalls. While many more locally-owned, mom-&-pop eateries made it into the Top-25s in both Wesley Chapel and New Tampa, I couldn’t help but notice that the last few categories on this year’s ballot all received far less than the 450+ total votes cast by the readers in both of our distribution areas. The last two categories — “Favorite Bakery in New Tampa (NT) & Wesley Chapel (WC)”and “Favorite Coffee in NT & WC” — each received at least 100 fewer total votes than “Favorite Restaurant in Wesley Chapel.”
To that end, I plan to go back to only one or two categories in the ten WC issues of the paper between February and November of 2026 and allow everyone to vote as many times as they want in each category.
The Readers Have Spoken! Noble Crust Is Your Favorite Restaurant In Wesley Chapel! Stonewood Is Still Your #1 Favorite In New Tampa! But, Did You Win Free Dining? Read On!
The “bad” news is that, despite my best efforts to make it easier for you to enter, fewer of our readers — 450 vs. nearly 600 — entered this year’s Dining Survey & Contest.
The good news, however, is that my intention of having more mom-&-pop, individually-owned restaurants make it to the Top-25 this year — by again not including the names of the chain restaurants with more than 10 locations on the ballots — DID work, especially here in Wesley Chapel.
Case in point: Moving up into the Top- 25 in WC this year were the Happy Hangar Café (#11), Rice-N-Beans Puerto Rico (#14), Brunchies (#16), NY NY Pizza (#21), Latin Twist Café (#23), Burger Monger (#234) and Mama B’s Pizzeria (#25).
Those seven restaurants replaced the following restaurants — all of which are at least mini-chains: the out-of-business Chuck Lager (which was #9 last year), Ford’s Garage (dropped out from #10), Glory Days Grill (from #15), Bahama Breeze (from #17), Bubba’s 33 (from #19), The Hungry Greek (from #22) and First Watch (from #23)
Our readers love Noble Crust’s open kitchen — and the delicious “Southern” Italian cuisine made in that kitchen — enough to vote it as their Favorite Restaurant in Wesley Chapel for the fourth time in the last five years. (Photo by Charmaine George)
Meanwhile, in our New Tampa voting, there were eight restaurants that made it into this year’s Top-25 which did not last year, and all but one of them aren’t chain eateries.
The newest of them was Box of Cubans, which debuted at a solid #9 with our readers this year. Others moving into the Top-25 included: Ha Long Bay (#12), Michi Ramen (#13), Cantina Mexican Restaurant (#18), Zio’s NY Bagel & Deli (#19), Koizi Endless Hibachi & Sushi (#22), The Little Greek (#23 & the only chain among the newcomers) and Bayscape Bistro (#24).
Dropping out of the Top-25 in New Tampa were: EggTown Breakfast & Lunch (#9 last year), Hungry Crab Juicy Seafood (from #13), Fresh Kitchen (from #14), Lima Peruvian Cuisine (from #15 down to #27), Thai Lanna (from #18), Taste of NY Pizza (from #21), Burger 21 (from #22), and Gorkhali Kitchen & Peabody’s (which tied for #25 last year).
As for the restaurants that moved up in the rankings from where they were last year in Wesley Chapel, they are Noble Crust, which bounced back from #4 last year up to its fourth #1 ranking in the past five years; Grillsmith (from #3 up to #2), Zukku-San (from #11 up to #4), The Living Room (from #6 up to #5), Señor Tequila (from #14 up to #6), Falabella Family Bistro (from #12 up to #7) Umu Japanese & Thai (from #16 up to #9), EggTown Breakfast & Lunch (from #20 up to #15), Crazy Sushi (from #25 up to #19), Arroy Thai (from #24 up to #22) and this year’s most upwardly mobile WC restaurant — Amici Pizza, which rose all the way up to #10 from #21 last year!
Only a few WC eateries that stayed in the Top-25 actually dropped, with the biggest fall being Cooper’s Hawk Wine Bar & Restaurant — from #1 down to #17, despite how packed the place is every day. Not falling nearly as far were Azteca D’Oro (from #2 down to #3), Los Vallartas (from #5 to #12, Mac’s Custom Meats & Deli (from #7 down to #13) and PizzaMania (from #13 down to #20).
Meanwhile, the New Tampa restaurants that finished lower in the Top-25 this year than last, are: Liang’s Bistro (from #4 last year down to #6), The Grill at Morris Bridge (from #6 down to #8), Johnny C’s Italian Eatery (from #12 down to #14), Cappy’s Pizzeria (from #16 down to #21, Las Palmas (from #2 down to #20), and Thai Ruby from #19 down to #25).
There were two restaurants in each of our distribution areas that remained in the exact same spot they finished last year. Here in Wesley Chapel, the Florida Ave. Brewing Co. remained at #8 and Yamato Japanese Restaurant stayed at #18. Over in New Tampa, Stonewood remained our readers’ #1 Favorite for the 10th year in a row and Mr. Dunderbak’s continued to hold down the #7 ranking.
Changes Coming For 2026
As I said on page 1, one of the trends I couldn’t help but notice was that the deeper into this year’s survey our readers got, the fewer votes there were cast in that category. Nearly all of the 450+ ballots cast included at least some (but definitely not all complete) Top-5 votes in each reader’s distribution area (although not all of the ballots cast were by people who live in, or even close to, New Tampa or Wesley Chapel). Just about 100 of those who entered didn’t vote for a Top-5 at all in the other market, which I’ll admit was a little disappointing for yours truly. I honestly run this contest every year not just to fill space but to really let the restaurants in both of our distribution areas know what our readers think about not only them but also their competitors.
The year that generated the most response, only a few years ago, was when I only put two or, at the most, three categories in each issue and let all of you enter as often as you wanted. That generated more than 1,500 total entries and didn’t give anyone the chance to get bored midway through marking their ballots.
I am seriously considering going back to that format, I would just again only allow either online (on our website) or emailed ballots — the much smaller entry forms were much easier to lose when they came in by U.S. Mail. I also plan to start the balloting earlier in the year, when no one is away on summer vacation and I can fit in more categories. I may even up our Grand Prize to $500 in FREE dining. So, do me a favor and keep an eye out for it!
Anyway, congratulations to the readers who won this year’s FREE, drawn at random (from all correctly-submitted entries) dining prizes (see yellow box at the top of this page) and of course, to all of our ranking restaurants.
But, please realize that if you did win a prize, 1) you have to tell me which restaurant you want a gift card to and 2) I am no longer putting those prizes in the mail, so please call or email me to claim your prize! — GN
Congratulations To This Year’s Dining Contest Winners!
$200 — Gina Murphy, Valencia Ridge
$100 — Alejandro Garcia, New Tampa
$75 — Carol Caruana, Meadow Pointe
$50 — Monica Yap, Cross Creek
$25 — Alberto Ramirez, Heritage Isles
Please call (813) 910-2575 or email ads@ntneighborhoodnews.com ASAP to tell us which restaurant you choose for your FREE gift card.
2025 Dining Survey & Contest — Your #1-#10 Favorite Restaurants In Wesley Chapel!
1. Noble Crust
28330 Paseo Dr., Shops at Wiregrass
(813) 703-2602 • Noble-Crust.com
Even though it was bumped down to #4 Favorite last year by our readers after a three-peat in the top spot, Noble Crust’s “Deep South Italian” fare and always-cool vibe moved it back up into this year’s #1 Favorite in Wesley Chapel ranking with our readers.
From upscale and unusual items like pear and burrata pizza (right) and comfort foods like boneless crispy chicken wings (below left) and rigatoni beef ragu (below right), plus the always-happening craft cocktail bar, Noble Crust continues to please the masses in Wesley Chapel.
And, with its seasonally changed menu, there’s probably something new you haven’t tried that should bring you back, especially if it’s been a while since you last visited.
2. Grillsmith
2000 Piazza Ave., #100, Shops at Wiregrass
(813) 907-1900 • Grillsmith.com
Grillsmith has consistently finished in the top-5 among our readers’ favorites every year and moved up one spot from last year’s #3 “Favorite in Wesley Chapel.”
This five-unit mini-chain continues to offer a large menu (photo, right) of quality American cuisine, including always-fresh fish plus assortments of flatbreads, salads, steaks, burgers, chicken (like the lemon feta chicken, right) and pasta options that keep our readers coming back for more.
Like its fellow Shops at Wiregrass staple Noble Crust, Grillsmith also is a popular weekend brunch spot with everything from bananas Foster French toast to chicken & waffles Benedict and always attracts an upscale bar crowd, too.
3. Azteca D’Oro Mexican Restaurant
2000 Piazza Ave., #170, The Shops at Wiregrass
(813) 527-6033 • AztecaDOro.com
Rounding out The Shops at Wiregrass mall’s consistent top-3 is Azteca D’Oro, which has never finished lower than third in WC with our readers.
From the gorgeous ultra-premium bar (with an amazing tequila selection) to upscale, authentic Mexican fare, like the mixed grill known as parrillada (right), plus outstanding appetizer like made-tableside guacamole, Azteca D’Oro aims to please.
4. Zukku-San Sushi Bar & Grill
25916 Sierra Center Blvd., Lutz
(813) 419-1351 • ZukkuSushi.com
Although there are a lot of Japanese and other Asian restaurants in our area, there’s a reason why Zukku-San moved back up into this year’s top-5 faves in WC — consistently fresh sushi that is served on unique art palettes and always-imaginative menu options like the sushi tacos shown here. It also has the best variety of appetizers, including all different kinds of veggie tempura.
Zukku-San also is one of only a handful of Japanese restaurants boasting a full-liquor bar and you definitely need to try its new weekend brunch — especially the fried chicken and ube waffles.
5. The Living Room
2001 Piazza Ave., #100, The Shops at Wiregrass
(813) 934-7911 • TLR.Restaurant
Despite the continuing complaints online about its automatic 20% service charge, there’s obviously a lot our readers like about The Living Room, which moved up to give The Shops at Wiregrass four of the top-5 Favorites in WC this year.
The Living Room definitely brings a creative touch and an ever-changing menu to go with its tasty craft cocktails.
6. Señor Tequila
1640 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Shoppes at New Tampa of Wesley Chapel
(813) 428-5411 • TheSenorTequila.com
Jumping up eight places to its highest-ever finish with our readers is the second Mexican restaurant to crack this year’s top ten — Señor Tequila.
With its huge menu, it can be hard to make a decision, so why not try the Señor Tequila Sampler appetizer shown here?
Also offering great Happy Hour, Margarita Tuesday and Thirsty Thursday specials at its beautiful premium-liquor bar.
7. Falabella Family Bistro
6027 Wesley Grove Blvd., Suite 105 • The Village at The Grove
(813) 428-6957 • FalabellaBistro.com
I’ll admit that I was surprised when Falabella Family Bistro fell out of our readers’ Top-10 in WC last year, considering how delicious and creative its food is — including the creamy cajun trio (shrimp, chicken & Italian sausage) bucatini pasta shown here — the fact that the place is elegant, but comfortable, there are different specials every week, the bar has full premium liquor (and a great wine selection) and the owner is Steve Falabella.
8. Florida Avenue Brewing Co.
2029 Arrowgrass Dr. (at S.R. 56), Wesley Chapel
(813) 452-6333 • FloridaAveBrewing.com
Although Florida Avenue Brewing Co., keeps changing its food menu, one thing hasn’t change — how much our readers enjoy it! With newer items like General Tso’s cauliflower and Gulf Coast mahi & chips, plus standards like Florida Ave. wings and cheese curds (photo), it also has a large, comfortable bar that features not only the in-house brewery’s many beers, ciders and seltzers, but also premium full liquor, it’s easy to understand why Florida Ave. Brewing Co. continues to be among our readers’ favorites.
9. Umu Japanese & Thai
2653 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., #120A • Wesley Chapel
(813)591-6121 • UmuJapanese.com
There’s no doubt that Umu Japanese & Thai continues to grow in popularity (jumping seven places this year to #9) because people love the restaurant’s amazing selection of fresh sushi, both standard and exotic, at its beautiful sushi bar, plus “From the Kitchen” favorites like Umu Teri (with marinated chicken or NY strip steak), Chilean Seabass Misoyaki and Pad Thai. The restaurant also is elegant and intimate and offers imported and domestic beer, wine and sake.
10. Amici Pizza
26602 Wesley Chapel Blvd. (CR 54) • Lutz
(813) 973-9734 • Amici-Pizza.com
Even though Amici didn’t win for Favorite Pizza Place in NT/WC (it finished third), the long-time local favorite soared to its highest-ever “Favorite restaurant in WC” finish in our Reader Survey with its 10th-place finish this year.
Yes, our readers love the NY-style pizza, but also the real Italian favorites like chicken, eggplant or shrimp parmigiana, chicken Marsala, linguine with clams, meatball and Philly cheese steak subs and so many more. The Mannino brothers are great people serving delicious Italian food.
Your Favorite Pizza Places In Wesley Chapel & New Tampa
Both of last year’s Favorite Pizza places repeated as the favorites in their distribution areas, even though we didn’t divide the competition this year into New Tampa & Wesley Chapel. Via Italia again got the most votes overall, with NY NY second.
1. Via Italia (photo)
2. NY NY Pizza
3. Amici Pizza
4. PizzaMania
5. (tie) Taste of NY Pizza
5. (tie) Mama B’s Pizzeria
Your Favorite Burger Places In Wesley Chapel & New Tampa
After not having a Favorite Burger category last year, we brought it back this year and Burger Monger snuck past Fat Rabbit Pub by only two votes.
Burger 21, Culver’s and Mac’s were all several votes behind the two leaders, but I think the burger category is back to stay.
1. Burger Monger (photo)
2. Fat Rabbit Pub
3. Burger 21
4. Culver’s
5. Mac’s Custom Meats & Deli
Your Favorite Chicken Places In Wesley Chapel & New Tampa
Four of the top-5 finishers in this category legitimately specialize in chicken — Raising Cane’s for its tenders and Fat Rabbit, locally famous for its wings, took the top two spots, with Chick-fil-A and Chick’n Fun close behind those two.
1. Raising Cane’s (photo)
2. Fat Rabbit Pub
3. Chick-fil-A
4. Chick’n Fun
5. Grillsmith
Your Favorite Steak Places In Wesley Chapel & New Tampa
This was perhaps the most competitive new category we had, at least for places 2-5, as Stonewood dominated the vote to take the top spot. Grillsmith and Grill at Morris Bridge were within a couple of votes of each other for 2nd & 3rd, as were Roadhouse & Kobe for 4th & 5th.
1. Stonewood Grill & Tavern (photo)
2. Grillsmith
3. The Grill at Morris Bridge
4. Texas Roadhouse
5. Kobe Japanese Steakhouse
Asian Restaurants In Wesley Chapel & New Tampa
Congrats to Liang’s Bistro, but this was probably my biggest fear about this year’s contest — and it proved prophetic.
Because so many of our readers in previous years have skipped voting for Favorite Chines, Favorite Japanese, Favorite Thai and Favorite Indian restaurants, I lumped them all into one category, which I will not do again. The separate categories will return next year, even if many people skip them. No Indian places made this year’s Top-7, with Minerva finishing 8th and only Umu making the top-5 among Thai places, with Thai Ruby finishing 6th, Arroy Thai 7th and Palm Thai 8th.
1. Liang’s Bistro (photo)
2. Zukku-San
3. Umu Japanese & Thai
4. Kobe Japanese Steakhouse
5. Sushi Café
Your Favorite Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt In Wesley Chapel & New Tampa
With locations in both NT and WC, Twistee Treat again grabbed the top spot over Ice Dreammm Shop, and by a wider margin this year. Surprising. Coldstone jumped up from #6 last year to #3 this year and 365 Caffé and Bruster’s both joined the Top-5 after missing the top-8 last year, with Le Macaron down to 8th.
1. Twistee Treat (photo)
2. Ice Dreammm Shop
3. Coldstone Creamery
4. 365 Caffe
5. (tie) Bruster’s Real Ice Cream
5. (tie) Ice Ssscreamin’
5. (tie) Culver’s
Your Favorite Bars In Wesley Chapel & New Tampa
Every time I post the Favorite Bar winners, I get comments like “Those are all restaurants, not bars.” Yes, I know, but with only three actual bar-only bars — The Brass Tap, Linkster’s and Joe Whiskey’s (see ad on pg. 53) — in NT & WC, and Jannah and I doing most of our dining at the restaurants with bars, I personally have no problem with Fat Rabbit Pub at #1 and any of these five taking down the top spots. Joe Whiskey’s did finish 7th and Brass Tap 8th in this year’s voting.
1. Fat Rabbit Pub (photo)
2. Florida Ave Brewing Co.
3. Peabody’s
4. Stonewood Grill & Tavern
5. O’Brien’s Irish Pub
Your Favorite Bakeries In Wesley Chapel & New Tampa
This category was almost all newcomers, as the new Paris Baguette easily grabbed the top spot and Bakery X moving up from #3 to #2. But, I was surprised Publix got so many votes, beating out the two locations (one inside the Lotte Market) of Tous Les Jours and Moschella’s beating out Zio’s for #5, with Brooklyn Water Bagel dropping to #7 and The Cake Shop in at #8.
1. Paris Baguette (photo)
2. Bakery X
3. Publix
4. Tous les Jours
5. Moschella’s
Your Favorite Breakfast Places In Wesley Chapel & New Tampa
All six of the breakfast places on the list below jockeyed for position as the votes came in this year, with Keke’s dropping from #1 last year to ties for 5th this year and EggTown’s two area locations ascending to the top spot, with First Watch, also with one location in NT and another in WC, jumping up to #2 after missing the top-8 last year. Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. finished 7th.
1. EggTown Breakfast & Lunch (photo)
2. First Watch
3. Happy Hangar Café
4. Brunchies
5. (tie) Zio’s NY Bagel & Deli
5 (tie) Keke’s Breakfast Café
Your Favorite Coffee Places In Wesley Chapel & New Tampa
This year’s Top-2 didn’t make the Top-5 last year, as Coffee Latitudes (8th last year) and Sorbo (6th) grabbed the most votes this year. Provisions and Macondo stayed close behind, but dropped from #2 to #3 and #3 to #4, respectively. The biggest surprise in this category was that last year’s top vote-getter, The Bean Bar, Co. dropped all the way to #6, behind Starbucks & just ahead of Bad Ass Coffee & Raining Berries.
Whenever I hear a number like $92 million being thrown around, especially to completely redesign a clearly dated resort like Saddlebrook — which had been the jewel of Wesley Chapel since the early 1980s (and the only “attractor” bringing people to the S.R. 54 Exit 279 off I-75) for more than three decades — I know what I was picturing (and hoping for) in my head. Even so, I had no idea what to really expect from new owner Mast Capital.
But, now that I have attended the “Media Preview Day” for the fully revamped Saddlebrook Resort on Nov. 20, it’s obvious that Mast is putting every penny of that $92 million into bringing resort founder Tom Dempsey’s Saddlebrook back to its old glory. Knowing Mr. Dempsey as I did, I’m a little sad he’s not still here to see it reborn.
I’ve already been telling you about the restaurants that are both already open and coming soon — the delicious RARE 1981, which is located in the space previously occupied by The Tropics off Saddlebrook’s beautifully reimagined lobby (left photo), the also-open BREW coffee and breakfast counter, the opening soon (in early 2026) sports bar in the former Dempsey’s Too space adjacent to RARE 1981, and the hotly anticipated (at least by yours truly) revamped pool bar at the resort’s fabled Super Pool.
When I rented a condo in the Saddlebrook community (not in the resort itself) when I first moved to Florida with my family in 1993, that pool bar served the best grilled hamburgers and hot dogs in town. It also had a nice, full-liquor tiki bar that was a great place to have a drink as my kids played in the Super Pool. Well, the pool bar is all-new and now open (photo, below right), and will have an upgraded food menu from the “good old days.” The “lagoon-style” Super Pool itself and especially, the patio around it (left photo below), also has been completely revamped, with dozens of umbrellas and a number of beautiful cabanas that will make hanging by the Super Pool a pleasure once again.
But, for those who are wondering what’s happening with the building that previously was home to Dempsey’s Steak House, it is being completely repurposed as a clubhouse for Saddlebrook’s members that will be unveiled in 2026.
As we’ve mentioned in multiple previous stories, the resort’s twin 18-hole, Arnold Palmer-designed Saddlebrook and Palmer golf courses have been replaced by three 9-hole courses and an on-site golf driving range and practice area, which will make getting ready to play a lot more convenient than the driving range’s old location near the resort’s S.R. 54 entrance.
I haven’t played (and most likely won’t ever play) any of the golf holes, but District 5 Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano (who was on hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Nov. 20, as was District 2 Commissioner Seth Weightman) has played all 18 of the holes that are already open and he praised the golf course’s redesign during the ribbon-cutting ceremony (see top photo).
Commissioner Mariano also participated in a pickleball clinic (he’s shown returning the ball in the photo below), which allowed Media Day participants to check out the eight gorgeous new pickleball courts for themselves.
The Media Preview began with the aforementioned ribbon-cutting ceremony and was led by Saddlebrook’s managing director Jeff Mayers, who thanked Mast Capital for its huge investment to bring the resort back to life, before introducing Commissioner Weightman, who said “The round of applause really has to go out to Mast Capital. The names Saddlebrook Resort and Pasco County go together — they’re synonymous. Saddlebrook put Pasco on the map before it became the popular place it is today. I couldn’t be more excited to be a small part of the journey to help bring Saddlebrook back to life.”
He then introduced Commissioner Mariano, who said, “I am so thrilled with what Mast Capital has done. I was concerned about whether or not the golf course would be long enough, but they brought in Rees Jones, who specializes in renovations, and this is now a great golf course. You can now host any type of golfers at any level and have a great tournament. And what you’ve done with the lobby…spectacular, right? The pool? Incredible. Every chair is now a great place to sit, with all those umbrellas. It’s all top quality. You’ve done a phenomenal job here. Thank you, Jordan and Mast Capital for over-delivering on your promises.”
Next up was Mast Capital’s chief investment officer Jordan Kornberg, who said his firm’s goal was to, “honor the incredible legacy that Saddlebrook has had, while breathing new life into this place. And, we are really proud of the product that we’ve delivered. At the end of the day, it’s not about us, it’s about our employees, our members and our guests. And, the feedback we’ve gotten so far from the community, in just a few weeks, has been so positive, which we really appreciate.”
He also thanked all of the people who helped make it happen, “especially our on-property team. We couldn’t have made this a reality without all of you.”
We then toured a couple of the guest rooms (above photo) and all I remember saying was, “Wow, what a difference.” The dated, worn furniture and musty smells are all gone and the furnishings are modern, bright and cheery. Jannah and I now look forward to staying once again at the all-new Saddlebrook Resort.
For reservations and more information about Saddlebrook Resort, visit Saddlebrook.com or call (813) 973-1111.
Prior to its “Avalon Aglow ” event on Saturday, December 13, Downtown Avalon Park Wesley Chapel and ISI Elite Training hosted the “Frosty 5K” run through the streets of the Avalon Park community. Fun was had by all, including Avalon Park developer Beat Kahli.
Congratulations again to our friends Cindy and Kent Ross of RP&G Printing, whose annual “Build-A-Bear for a Cause” held on Nov. 25 at the Build-A-Bear store in The Shops at Wiregrass ended with 179 bears being built for children in need at Quail Hollow, Chester Taylor, Wesley Chapel, Seven Oaks, Veterans, Double Branch and Wiregrass Ranch elementaries — as more than 70 people attended and 17 others made donations to this worthy cause. We are proud to call Kent and Cindy our friends — they are truly amazing people who love giving back to their community! For all your printing needs, visit rpandg.com or call (813) 949-5700 and please tell Kent, Cindy & their staff that we sent you!
