According to permitting records filed with Pasco County, the popular food-truck-turned-mini-restaurant is planning to set up its ninth Tampa Bay location within a month inside the Tailgate Mart convenience store on the northeast corner of Wesley Chapel Blvd. and S.R. 56, behind the Shell Station.
âWe just finished getting permitting done and are aiming to get that location up and running by September,ââ said Heather Chaudhry, director of marketing and operations, adding that another location in Treasure Island is also set to open around the same time.
The Tailgate Mart, located at 25195 S.R. 54, currently has a deli that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner items, but it will be remodeled to accommodate the latest entry into the busy eatery scene along S.R. 56/54 corridor.
Chaudhry said Taco Bus typically prefers stand-alone locations, but they do make exceptions in high-volume areas, like the intersection of S.R. 56 and S.R. 54/Wesley Chapel Blvd.
âWeâre not looking to do many locations like this,ââ she said. âWesley Chapel is an up-and-coming location, so itâs a very good place to be, with all the development and expansion in that area.â
Taco Bus has achieved something of a cult status since its humble and quirky beginnings in 1996 as a converted school bus operating as a food truck on E. Hillsborough Ave. selling authentic Mexican fare. Â Chef Rene Valenzuela quickly expanded to St. Petersburg, before taking the food truck concept inside and opening a restaurant in downtown Tampa, although he retained the school bus setting and charm.
Taco Bus achieved notoriety in 2011 when it was featured on an episode of Food Networkâs Man v. Food, as well as an episode of Guy Fieriâs Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
The nearest current location to Wesley Chapel is on E. Fletcher Ave. in the University of South Florida area. With its late hours, affordable prices and popular conchintina pibil (slow-roasted pork), el hefe burritos, 99 cent empanadas and $2 tacos on Tuesdays, it is a popular stop for local college students.
âWesley Chapel is not far from many of our other locations,ââ Chaudhry said. âWeâre lucky in that aspect, that we have some exposure in the area. We are always looking to bring the bus experience to our other customers in the area.â
The Taco Bus will be located in the westernmost portion of the Cypress Creek Town Center DRI, directly north and across S.R. 56 from a proposed Aldi store.
Directly west of the Taco Bus is the Brightwork Crossing project, which is expected to bring a Wawa and Burger King to S.R. 54 as well. Representatives from both of those companies have already met with the county to pursue permits.
Burger King is looking to construct a 3,349-sq.-ft. restaurant on S.R. 54, just west of the proposed 5,636-sq.-ft. Wawa.
The long-dormant stretch of S.R. 56 from Wesley Chapel Blvd. to I-75 has been bustling the past two years. On the south side of 56, development has boomed with the Tampa Premium Outlets, Costco, Cheddars, BJâs Brewhouse, Longhorn Steakhouse, Culverâs, Chick-fil-A and others, with more yet to come.
Now, it looks like the Cypress Creek Town Center North development across S.R. 56 is starting to catch up.
According to Pasco County building permit records, at least 10 other businesses â including Tex-Mex restaurant Chuyâs and psychedelic pizza place Mellow Mushroom, are in construction on the more than 200 acres of property on the north side of S.R. 56 owned by the Sierra familyâs Pasco Ranch, Inc.
Wesley Chapelâs second Wendyâs restaurant has opened on S.R. 56, next to Pollo Tropical.
The coming businesses, all of which are located on Sierra Center Blvd. (which runs through the Cypress Creek Town Center North development), will join the recently opened Fordâs Garage, Pollo Tropical and Wendyâs (which opened the day we went to press), as well as the soon-to-open Taco Bell, all on the north side of 56.
Another popular restaurant, Bahama Breeze Island Grill, is planned a little further to the east of Chuyâs. The owners of that restaurant, which specializes in Caribbean-inspired food and tropical drinks, had their pre-application meeting with county planners on Jan. 30. Bahama Breeze is expected to be roughly 8,000-sq.-ft. with an outdoor seating area.
Mellow Mushroom and Chuyâs Tex-Mex will add to the areaâs quickly growing chain food scene. Tennessee-based Hutton Development is building a strip center between the Taco Bell and Bahama Breeze site that will have seven tenants (including Mellow Mushroom).
While new to the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area, Mellow Mushroom is a chain founded in 1974 in Atlanta, and has more than 150 locations in the U.S., including Brandon, Clearwater and West Tampa.
It serves up a variety of specialty pizzas and dozens of different craft beers while specializing in creating an atypical vibe and unusual decor. It offers vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free alternatives as well. Some have referred to Mellow Mushroom as a âhippieâ pizza place, as many locations pay homage to the tie-dye style.
Chuyâs is a Tex-Mex chain headquartered in Austin, TX, and established in 1982. It now boasts nearly 100 locations nationwide. The nearest to Wesley Chapel is in Kissimmee, one of the restaurant chainâs five Orlando-area locations. It also has locations in Tallahassee and Gainesville, and is building one in Jacksonville.
Chuyâs offers made-from-scratch Tex-Mex inspired dishes, and varies the look of each link in its chain. According to county permit records, the Wesley Chapel Chuyâs will be 8,492-sq.ft., with 605 of those for an outside patio.
While no opening date is available, letâs hope itâs before Jan. 8, Elvis Presleyâs birthday. Each Chuyâs has a shrine to Elvis, and his birthday is celebrated each year at the restaurants with a party…often with an Elvis impersonator.
Many of these new locations appeared on a map produced by leasing agents last year, but one that did appear on that map (that we also ended up showing on our map of the area in our April issues) but is apparently not coming to Cypress Creek Town Center North is Newkâs Eatery. A spokesperson for Newkâs said that the company, based in Jackson, MS, is looking at other options in the Wesley Chapel area, but had no specific locations.
Green Grocer Alert!
And, itâs not just restaurants coming to the north side of S.R. 56.
County permitting records reveal that a Menâs Wearhouse, Great Clips, Mattress Firm and T-Mobile store are on the way, as well as a Five Below discount store, which caters to the pre-teen and teen market and doesnât sell anything more expensive than $5.
Founded in 2002, Five Below has nearly 600 stores nationwide. The nearest locations are in the North Pointe Plaza on N. Dale Mabry in Tampa, and in Plant City. The Wesley Chapel location will be 8,960-sq.-ft.
Permitting also shows a 24,230-sq.-ft. PetSmart and 89,995-sq.-ft. Dickâs Sporting Goods store coming to the Cypress Creek Town Center, as well as a Burlington Coat Factory. We were unable to find out before our press time how the new Dickâs store would affect the sporting goods chainâs existing Wesley Chapel location in The Grove plaza off S.R. 54
If you think the restaurant scene along S.R. 56 is becoming crowded â which is likely to add almost 20 dining choices in a half-mile or so stretch, the grocery store scene may not be far behind.
Hutton also met with Pasco County planners last month to propose a development of 3.84 acres on the northeast corner of S.R. 56 and Wesley Chapel Blvd. that has appeared on our map as âRegency Shopping Center.â That development (west of Fordâs Garage) would encompass a 35,320-sq.-ft. retail center, which will include a 23,820-sq.-ft. grocery â expected to be a green or boutique grocer â and the remaining 11,500 square feet will house general retail stores.
The proposed grocery store would be just northeast (across S.R. 56) from the proposed Aldi store, and east (across Wesley Chapel Blvd.) from a possible 16,000-sq.-ft. grocery store in the Brightwork Crossing project (north and west of Walgreens; look for more about this new development in a future issue).
Even though many locals still wonder if weâll ever have anything other than a Publix or a Winn-Dixie in the Wesley Chapel area, these three new stores and the new Costco means a much more competitive marketplace for your grocery dollar is coming very soon.
New Carnegie Hero Fund Medal winners and West Meadows residents Lisa Missana (left) and Shane Mitchell (right) were awarded their medals from former winner Cash Kaschai on June 29 at Stonewood Grill & Tavern for saving the life of Marla Zick in March 2016.
They have been honored by the Tampa Police and Firefighters, by the City Council and by Mayor Bob Buckhorn.
But, when Lisa Missana and Shane Mitchell were presented with medals from the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, the West Meadows residents who last year pulled a drowning woman from her submerged vehicle couldnât help but be mesmerized by the distinguished bronze medals in the cherry wood cases.
At Stonewood Grill & Tavern in Tampa Palms on June 29, Cash Kaschai of the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission officially presented Mitchell and Missana with their Carnegie Medals, which were announced back in March.
âHe just said this was the highest award a civilian gets in the United States,â Missana said, âand thatâs crazy. That is crazy.â
âThis is kind of incredible,ââ Mitchell said.
The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission was established in 1904, after the Harwick, PA, coal mine disaster that claimed 181 lives. Two of the victims entered the mine after the explosion in a rescue attempt.
Three months after the disaster, Carnegie set aside $5 million for the Commission to recognize civilian heroes while also providing financial assistance to those disabled and the dependents of those killed helping others.
In 113 years, only 9,953 Carnegie Hero Medals have been awarded (from more than 89,000 nominees).
Kaschai said that those awarded Carnegie Medals donât think about dying when they put themselves in danger trying to save others and, in fact, about 20 percent of the medals are awarded posthumously.
The medals, he said, are befitting the heroism and swift selfless action Missana and Mitchell showed in saving 26-year-old Marla Zickâs life last year.
How It Happened…
On March 31, 2016, Zick suffered a seizure while driving her gray Mustang over the Gateway Bridge, linking West Meadows to Tampa Palms, on the way to Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd.
The car, heading east, rolled down the bridge, smacking into the white brick retaining wall and leaving black marks as it scraped against it all the way down.
âEvery time I drive by there, I canât help but look over at the marks on the wall,ââ Mitchell said.
Maurice Rolle was driving behind Zick, and watched in terror as the car rolled past the end of the retaining wall, missed a cement light post and a tree before rolling between two bushes and into the retention pond at the corner of Meadow Pine Dr. and New Tampa Blvd.
Sam Harris was driving toward the bridge when he saw Zickâs car careening out of control. He pulled over, and then got out of his car and ran toward the pond. He called 911.
Mitchell was taking his 7-year-old son to school and was driving down Meadow Pine Dr. when he saw the car slip between the two bushes and into the pond.
The car had yet to sink and Mitchell had a wincher on the front of his truck, so he pulled it up close. He said he thought at the time it would be as simple as hooking up the car in the water and pulling it out. Rolle grabbed the hook at the end of the wincher chain and headed into the water, only to discover, however, that the water was too deep to reach the car.
Missana was a few minutes behind Mitchell on Meadow Pine Dr. and also on the way to drop her son off at school. She saw the car in the pond, and grabbed her phone to start taking pictures. She saw Mitchell and Rolle yelling at an unconscious Zick to get out of the car.
Then, the Mustang started to sink, nose first. Missana remembers three bubbles coming up. Rolle described the scene as total chaos. Mitchell started into the water, and Missana slipped off her shoes and, after briefly flashing back to the times she had seen alligators in the pond, followed him in.
Thankfully, Zick had been driving with her window down. Mitchell and Missana took multiple turns, unsuccessfully, trying to get Zickâs seat belt unclasped. Because the water was green and murky, neither could actually see the car.
Missana screamed for someone to get her scissors. Before she could go back under to cut Zick free, however, Mitchell came up and said he had freed her.
Mitchell and Missana then went back under and, after a few attempts, were able to pull Zick through the open window and to the surface. The Tampa Police Department had arrived and helped them pull Zick to shore, where paramedics tended to her before taking her to Florida Hospital Tampa.
The rescue took all of two minutes, although it felt like two hours to Mitchell and Missana.
âIt felt like an eternity,ââ Mitchell said at the time. âI remember when I stopped to catch my breath, I was just thinking, âOh my God, if I donât get her out she is going to die. I canât stop.â It felt like such a long time, and I dove so many times.â
Mitchell and Missana said that they donât feel like heroes. They didnât think about saving Zick, they just did.
âShe was going to die if we didnât do something,ââ Missana said.
That is the essence of being a hero, Kaschai said.
A former Carnegie Medal honoree himself in 1972, Kaschai was 19 years old when he remembers steering his car into a guardrail to avoid a 110-gallon gas tank flying at him. The tank had come free from a semi-truck transporting tomatoes, which had smashed into an AMC Gremlin on the other side of the road.
âI still remember glass raining down all over,ââ he said. âAnd flames 25-30 feet high.â
Inside the car were two paraplegics, Kaschai said. They were on fire, and along with two other men, he helped pull them out and roll them in the dirt to put the flames out.
âIt was kind of cold that day, and I had a t-shirt on under a button-up shirt, and a pullover sweatshirt,ââ he said. âI remember it burned through three different places all the way through to my chest.â
Kaschai said a moment like that stays with you forever. âAnd it will for Lisa and Shane, too,ââ he said.
It was fitting that Missana and Mitchell received their award at Stonewood Grill & Tavern, since thatâs where they came together with Rolle, Harris and Zick for the first time, a week after the pond rescue.
Although they have received dozens of accolades for their actions, including a photo shoot with National Geographic for an as-yet unpublished piece, and a recent appearance on WFLA-TVâs âDaytime,â Missana and Mitchell still feel all the awards and recognition are much ado about nothing.
What they take the greatest joy in, however, is the continuing relationship and friendship they have with those involved.
Mitchell and Missana still talk to Zick, who is now living in New York. When she is in town, they get together for dinner.
âI think the coolest thing was to see Marla graduate from school and move on and be able to live her life,ââ Mitchell said. âThat was the best thing. Weâll always be connected. Sometimes, you need that in your life.â
American Idol auditions are Aug. 12, but you need to sign up Aug. 5.
Those who have always yearned for the chance to be on American Idol, circle Saturday, August 5 on your calendars.
On that day, sign-ups will open at ABCActionNews.com/Idol, with the first 400 registrants given the chance to audition — by performing a short a capella song before a panel of local celebrity judges — at Wesley Chapel’s Florida Hospital Ice Center on Saturday, August 12.
The winner of “Tampa Bay Idol” will receive a âFront of the Lineâ ticket to audition for American Idol producers during their bus tour stop in Orlando on Thursday, August 17.
âPasco County has so much talent and I couldnât be happier Tampa Bay Idol is holding their next tryout (here),â said Pasco County District 2 commissioner Mike Moore, who represents much of Wesley Chapel. âThe ice arena where this will be held is a wonderful facility and we look forward to seeing the talent and the arena featured for the Tampa Bay Idol.â
To audition, local singers must meet all eligibility requirements and download the official rules & local registration which can only be found at ABCActionNews.com/Idol.
Lindsay Rewald works on a craft with her daughters Hayley (left) and Madison. The Rewalds decided to drop in to Go Craft Yourself on Cross Creek Blvd. after a doctorâs appointment.
When she wasnât working as a software salesperson, or in real estate or defense manufacturing, Samantha Harrison says she was working on crafts.
Many of her projects â other than adding an artistic touch to her young daughtersâ rooms and their home â were gifts for friends that always seemed to be a hit. Combined with a Pinterest account burgeoning with projects she was hoping to get around to one day, the road to a crafting career was already in the works.
âYou know, you should do this for a living,ââ her friends would tell her, and one day, Samantha agreed.
In February, in the Cory Lake Isles Professional Center off Cross Creek Blvd., Samantha and her husband Brian opened Go Craft Yourself, a concept that combines crafting with affordability and availability.
While Go Craft Yourself does hold crafting events and themed outings, its scheduling flexibility is one of the things that make it stand out from its few competitors in the Tampa Bay area.
Itâs this simple: Do you want to craft? Then come on in.
Samantha and Brian Harrison opened Go Craft Yourself in February of this year.
âYou can walk in the door anytime,â Samantha says. âYou pick a project and do it, and take it home with you that day. You donât have to make an appointment; you donât have to come to a scheduled workshop. Weâre open every day but Mondays, so weâre pretty much always here.â
Go Craft Yourself is located right across the way from the popular Childrenâs Dentistry office of Dr. Greg Stepanski, and shares the plaza with a number of other kid-friendly businesses where parents are often stopping by so their children can see doctors and dentists and take their music and martial arts lessons.
âIt seems like everybodyâs kids go to the dentist right across the way,ââ Samantha says, laughing.
Thatâs how New Tampaâs Lindsay Rewald discovered Go Craft Yourself. Her young daughters, Madison, 12, and Hayley, 9, were visiting their doctorâs office when they noticed the crafting center.
The three of them walked right in, found a project they liked, and started crafting.
âItâs a great concept,ââ says Rewald, who was stenciling the family name over the letter R onto a rectangular piece of wood she planned to hang in the family room of their home. It is Go Craft Yourselfâs most popular project, Samantha says.
Madison and Hayley were working on a similar project, painting their first names to hang in their bedrooms.
âItâs fun,ââ Hayley said.
âAnd, we will definitely be back,ââ her mom added.
One of the things Rewald says she liked about Go Craft Yourself is the workspace. The shop is more than 3,000 sq. ft., with a half dozen or so large, square wooden tables set up to handle large groups.
While the Harrisons looked around for the right studio, more expensive locations right on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. didnât fit their needs. For a better price, they chose a far more spacious locale.
âThe space is one thing that definitely makes us different,ââ Brian says.
The Harrisons made the distinct, dark wood tables in the studio themselves, as well as the front counter and the wood-slatted wall behind it.
There is a childrenâs area in one corner, with chalkboard walls, and in another corner is a work area. On Fatherâs Day, children were able to fill a squirt gun with different colored paints and then fire away at a stencil, creating a unique gift for their dads.
Most of the crafts offered are wood-oriented, like signs, custom serving trays, planter boxes and wall decorations, although the studio also has painting for kids and various other crafts. Pricing is per project and varies depending upon the project.
Though you can walk right in and start crafting, Go Craft Yourself also offers workshops for serious crafters ages 18 and older, and is available for private events.
Go Craft Yourself is currently running âChristmas in July,â where crafters can come in and make gifts for the upcoming holiday, or festive decorations for the home and tree. With Halloween and Thanksgiving quickly approaching as well, crafting season is about to kick into full gear and the art shop plans to offer a number of season-themed activities.
âWe are versatile,ââ Brian said. âWe had a whole bridal shower come in one time, and they wanted something that we typically donât offer. But, we showed them something else, and they ended up making really nice custom-designed pieces for the wedding.â
Samantha said that as the business grows, it will offer kid camps, with room to handle 70 budding artists at a time. She also is hoping to work with nearby schools on projects. She is already working with Benito Middle School, where currently, students can come in and decorate pavers for $10, which will then be used for a pathway at the school.
Samantha was born and raised in Melbourne, FL, and studied business and religion in college at Stetson and Liberty universities. However, the jobs that followed, she says, lacked a connection for her.
âThey werenât very creatively-driven jobs,â she says.
Two years ago, the Harrisons moved to West Meadows for Samanthaâs new sales job. However, since college, she says she has always imagined herself as a CEO or owner of a company, leading to Go Craft Yourself.
âI just never knew what that looked like, until we figured this out,ââ she says. âThis fulfills that desire.â
Samantha says that while there are similar crafting studios in Tampa Bay, there arenât any this area. And, there also arenât any where you can walk in, sit down and begin crafting something special at a momentâs notice.
Go Craft Yourself definitely has an artistic feel to it, and even includes a sitting area with coffee and Wi-Fi for those taking a more leisurely approach to their project.
âPeople love the atmosphere,ââ Samantha says. âThereâs no time limit, no pressure, you can sit here all day if you want. We try to provide a calm, relaxing environment.â
There also is the convenience factor, she adds. Instead of buying crafting supplies that you will use a few times and then store away until you end up with bottles of dried paint and crusty brushes, itâs more pragmatic to use what you need. No storage, no clean up.
And, itâs cheaper.
âWe make it easy,ââ she says.
Go Craft Yourself is ideal for a girls night out, birthday parties and team-building events, Samantha says, adding that her customer base has expanded every month.
âWeâve grown significantly since we opened in February,ââ Samantha says. âIâve really enjoyed getting to know new people. We get a lot of repeat customers, and I see a lot of them with the same passion for crafting I have.â
Go Craft Yourself is located at 10311 Cross Creek Blvd., Suite A, in the Cory Lake Isles Professional Center, and is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m., and 2 p.m.-7 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call (813) 345-8498, visit GoCraftYourselfFL.com or see the ad on pg. 32 of this issue.
The Taco Bus is rolling into Wesley Chapel.
