Wesley Chapel Dining Survey Results: Your Favorite Dessert Place!

Joe Schembri scoops some cookie butter ice cream onto a waffle cone. Schembri spent a year developing his ice cream flavors before opening his first store, and the results have made his Ice Dreammm Shop our readers’ favorite dessert place in Wesley Chapel.

1. Ice Dreammm Shop
6013 Wesley Grove Blvd #101
(727) 495-6730
IceDreammmShop.com


Joe Schembri knows people love the ice cream he makes at his popular Ice Dreammm Shop at The Grove.

But sometimes, he can be surprised, overwhelmed and humbled at just how much the locals love it.

Last week, Schembri received an order from a long-time customer of his original store in Lutz. It was for the customer’s mother-in-law, who was going into hospice. One of her last requests was a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and a scoop of coffee ice cream. The next morning, at 10 a.m., the order was picked up.

Famous for its ice cream, but it has added other dessert favorites like brownies and pies.

It was a surreal moment, one that had Schembri catching his breath.

“I mean, you always want to see customers love what you sell,” he said. “But this, this was crazy. Crazy.”

Schembri’s Lutz location already was among the top choices for best dessert in or near Wesley Chapel, but adding to his legion of fans by opening a Wesley Chapel location has launched him to No. 1 — a runaway victory.

Made with the best, all-natural ingredients he can find, the flavors he spent a year perfecting in his garage before opening his first location continue to satisfy, and Schembri continues to concoct new delights. 

He says his Cookies & Dream flavor is the best seller, and the Cookie Butter is coming on fast. And, don’t miss out on the seasonal Santa’s Cookies and Milk, Sweet Potato Pie and even Coquito ice cream, as well as a dozen other creamy delights, with many new flavors swapped in weekly, and you can even have them made into amazing ice cream pies (below).

And, speaking of new flavors, Schembri has, as he promised when the Wesley Chapel shop opened, added a variety of new baked goods, including fudge brownies, triple-layer peanut butter brownies and more. — JCC

2. TWISTEE TREAT
5258 Village Market
(321) 445-9103
TwisteeTreat.com


Sometimes, you may be in the mood for something other than sitting inside and enjoying a rich, fancy exotically-flavored helping of ice cream. And, when you just want some soft-serve ice cream, Twistee Treat is a super-popular choice.

You can get your ice cream on a waffle taco, brownie boat, between two cookies or as part of a sundae or banana split. But, the most traditional way Twistee Treat serves up its 25 or so flavors might be its most popular — through a drive-thru window on the side of its unmistakable ice-cream-cone-shaped building, twirled on top of a cone of your choice.

And since your car will probably be full of kids, don’t forget to ask for extra napkins! — JCC

3. NOTHING BUNDT CAKES
28354 Willet Way
(813) 536-1447
NothingBundtCakes.com


Since opening at the Shops at Wiregrass in 2017, Nothing Bundt Cakes has been a consistent top choice for favorite dessert.

In 2018, it was voted as the area’s No. 1 Favorite Dessert, and the last three years, including 2021, it has finished in the Top 3 of Wesley Chapel faves.

And why not?

While it doesn’t offer a crazy variety of cakes, this national chain with more than 400 bakeries across the U.S. has mastered its products, which are, hands down, the moistest cakes you’ll find anywhere. You can choose between 10 flavors in different sizes — bite-sized bundtinis, mini bundtlets or special order full-sized bundt cakes — and they’re always a perfect treat to bring to any holiday party. — JCC

The rest of the 2021 Dessert top 10:
(4) Crumbl Cookies
(5) Culver’s
(6) Dairy Queen
(7) 365 Cafe Italiano
(8) Menchie’s
(9) Dunkin
(10) Starbucks

Wesley Chapel Dining Survey Results: Your Favorite Asian/Mediterranean!

General manager Khan Ly (second from left) and his staff have made sure that The Hungry Greek is not only the best Greek restaurant around, but one of the best overall.

1. Hungry Greek
2653 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.
(813) 345-8526
TheHungryGreek.com

The Hungry Greek may be known as that fast and casual  Greek place right across the street from AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, but it wasn’t that way when franchise creator George Constantinou originally opened the doors to this first link of his now-10-location mini-chain on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in Wesley Chapel on Oct. 5, 2008.

“It was two lanes and there were cows across the street,” Constantinou says. “It was in the middle of the housing recession, and everyone pulled out and it was just us and a balloon store. My dad looked at me and said ‘I hope this was a good move.’”

As it turns out, it was. It just required some patience.

Now, the Hungry Greek is smack dab in the middle of a booming area with two malls, countless homes, businesses and restaurants, across from one hospital with a second being built a mile or so away. And, as it pretty much always has been, The Hungry Greek is once again the most popular Mediterranean restaurant in Wesley Chapel, according to our readers.

Something of a spinoff of his father’s former Happy Greek restaurant in Dunedin, the Hungry Greek — in 2015 and 2016, it was the No. 2 overall favorite restaurant with our readers — serves up food made from his family’s recipes.

While they did at one time also serve food like burgers, it was a change to a more traditional Greek menu and an emphasis on the things they did best — Greek salads, gyros (gyro platter shown below), chicken souvlaki and tzatziki sauce, to name a few — made with the best ingredients.

The steady hand of local owner Khan Ly has the BBD location humming along as one of the mini-chain’s best, and the local Greek favorite year after year. — JCC

2. Yamato
28347 Paseo Dr., #150
(813) 907-8701
YamatoWesleyChapel.com

As Wesley Chapel’s only teppanyaki (hibachi) table Japanese restaurant, Yamato Japanese Steak House & Sushi Bar’s location in the Shops at Wiregrass mall helped guarantee that people would at least try it, but it is Yamato’s excellent fare and reasonable prices (especially when compared with other Japanese steakhouses) have continued to keep it high on our readers’ list of favorite restaurants year after year.

While Yamato has never finished higher than fifth overall in the Favorite Restaurant in Wesley Chapel (it finished tied for 29th this year), it has always been in the top five favorite Asian restaurants and had we not combined Mediterranean and Asian cuisines in the same category this year, it would have been #1 this year, losing to Hungry Greek by only four votes and finishing a dozen ahead of 3rd place Zukku-San. — GN

3. Zukku-San
25916 Sierra Center Blvd.
(813) 419-1351
ZukkuSushi.com

When it opened in 2020, we were excited by the possibilities of a new and unique sushi restaurant with predominantly Japanese (and some Korean) specialties in what is surely the most beautiful Asian restaurant in Wesley Chapel. 

Zukku-San, owned and operated by Ferdian Jap and his family, also has less formal locations in Charlotte, NC, at Tampa’s Armature Works and coming soon is Ato, which will feature sushi bowls and “burritos” in the KRATE container park at The Grove in Wesley Chapel.

Although many locals choose Zukku-San for the sushi, if you haven’t tried the gyoza dumplings, the super-crispy spring rolls, the chicken and steak yakitori (below), the Japanese fried rice or full-liquor bar, you’ve been missing something special. — GN

The rest of the 2021 Asian/Mediterranean Top 10:
(4) China Wok
(5) Bonsai
(6) Umu
(7) Hibachi Express
(T8) Asian Buffet
(T8) Arroy Thai
(10) Gonna China.

Wesley Chapel Dining Survey Results: Top 25!

1 — NOBLE CRUST
When a new restaurant opens in Wesley Chapel, it typically  become’s a reader’s favorite in its first year, and then gradually fades to the middle of the pack.

Not Noble Crust. A testament to an innovative and delicious menu, maintaining a steady staff in these difficult times for restaurants and focusing on excellence and consistency, Noble Crust has placed third in our Reader’s Survey every year since opening in 2017.

Great servers like Bri Small (on the left, holding the rigatoni + short rib ragu) and Josh Salinas (with the bronzed salmon) serving delicious food are a big part of Noble Crust’s win as this year’s Favorite Restaurant in Wesley Chapel. (Photos: Charmaine George)

Not this year, however. This year, Noble Crust has moved up to No. 1.

“That’s huge for us,” says operating partner Danny Autrey. “To be able to stand apart from our other two locations (in Carrollwood and St Petersburg) is great. We pride ourselves on our great staff, and it’s nice to see them rewarded by the community.”

There is much to like about Noble Crust, which is located at the Shops at Wiregrass — the service, the bar, the ambiance and let’s be honest, the place just smells terrific.

Billed as Deep South Italian, Noble Crust combines farm-fresh flavor with unique pairings to create tasty dishes. It is likely so popular with our readers because it does so many things well. You could make the case that it has the best fried chicken (Autrey confesses that it’s so good, he enjoys a piece almost daily), best pizza, best weekend brunch and maybe even the best Italian food around.

The fusion of Deep South and Italian is where it shines, however. Traditional Chicken Marsala is served over four-cheese grits and chicken sausage, the chicken fried chicken parmigiana is country-fried for a more rustic result, the BLT is served with fried green tomatoes, pork belly and pimento cheese and one of its most popular dishes, the bronzed salmon (bottom right), is highlighted by pickled raisins that bring it all together.

And, don’t sleep on the pasta dishes, either, like the super-popular rigatoni + short rib ragu.

Noble Crust’s brunches on Saturdays and Sundays are exceptional, with its popular friend chicken and waffles, lemon ricotta pancakes and steak-and-eggs among the standout favorites.

The service ties it all together. Autrey says his grandfather would never return to a restaurant if a manager hadn’t stopped by see how the meal was, and he has taken that to heart running the Wesley Chapel location. When we stopped by last week, he was busy helping deliver dishes and checking in with customers.

“The personalized experience is important,” he says. “It’s something all of us here strive for, and I think it keeps our customers coming back.” — JCC

2 — TREBLEMAKERS

Rather than resting on its laurels after debuting as our readers’ fourth (and yours truly’s #1) Favorite Restaurant in Wesley Chapel last year, Treble Makers Dueling Piano Restaurant & Bar has continued to upgrade its menu and service under executive chef Kevin Maggard, GM & co-owner Lee Bevan and co-owner Jamie Hess and his family.

In fact, Treble Makers is this year’s Favorite Bar in Wesley Chapel with our readers this year, after adding great new bartenders and entertainment options to go with the popular weekend dueling piano shows.

But, for me, the best thing about Treble Makers is the food. With better fresh fish — like the grilled wahoo to the right — than most seafood restaurants and top-quality steaks, lamb chops, I hope you’ll check out Treble Makers soon.—GN

3 — FIRST WATCH
Located in The Shoppes at New Tampa, Wesley Chapel’s popular breakfast chain is well-known for its long lines (especially on Sundays) as it is for its delicious and healthy breakfast and lunch menu.

We can’t remember a time that First Watch wasn’t the top vote getter for breakfast joints, and it’s third-place overall finish this year is a testament to its terrific food.

The breakfast menu has traditional egg-and-bacon dishes, omelettes, and Floridian French toast (photo) gigantic pancakes, but items like the healthy turkey omelette, superfoods bowls & power wraps set it apart.

Now serving beer, wine and unique mixed drinks, too, First Watch’s all-natural healthy juices and lunch items like a variety of salads and sandwiches (ham and gruyere melt, mmmm) have kept people coming back in droves for more than a decade. —JCC

4. FALABELLA FAMILY BISTRO
Our highest-finishing newcomer has great weekend specials.

5. FLORIDA AVE. BREWING COMPANY
The food might be better than the beer — a big compliment.

6. VALLARTA’S
Wesley Chapel’s Latin favorite has its highest finish ever.

7. BAHAMA BREEZE
Still high among your faves despite all of the new eateries.

T8. KEKE’S BREAKFAST CAFE
Breakfast newcomer finishes in the top-10. 

T8. GRILLSMITH
Last year’s No. 1 has been the top choice six of last 10 years.

10. 900º WOODFIRED PIZZA
Your favorite pizza place also makes your top-10 overall.

11. BJ’s BREWHOUSE
Its huge menu and fair prices keep BJ’s near your top-10. 

T12. BONEFISH GRILL
Two-time Reader Survey winner survives moves to S.R. 56.

T12. THE HUNGRY GREEK
Voted as Wesley Chapel’s top Greek restaurant, again.

14. ZUKKU-SAN SUSHI
Your fave Asian has high-end, creative sushi & more.

T15. AMICI PIZZA
Your 4th-fave pizza place also has great Italian food.

T15. ROCK & BREWS
KISS-themed bar with classic American food from scratch.

T15. KING OF THE COOP
Put a little spice in your life with the King’s Nashville hot chicken.

T15. TEXAS ROADHOUSE
This year’s highest-finishing steak place has great prices, too. 

19. RICE-N-BEANS
Your 2nd-favorite Latin choice features Puerto Rican cuisine. 

20. CHUY’S TEX-MEX
Super-fun atmosphere & tasty Tex-Mex specialties.

21. UMU JAPANESE & THAI
Great setting, fresh sushi and the lobster rolls are a hit.

T22. GLORY DAYS GRILL
Quality bar food and one of best places to catch all the games. 

T22. BUBBA’S 33
Another fave for “upscale” bar food & TVs galore.

24. FORD’S GARAGE
A top spot for a classic burger, fries and a craft beer.

25. CAPITAL TACOS
Unique taco/burrito/bowl combinations made fresh for you.

Wesley Chapel Leads The Way To A Tourism Slam Dunk

In 2019, Pasco County hit new records for tourism, but Covid delivered a hit in 2020 that Florida’s Sports Coast director Adam Thomas figured might be tough to overcome.

Turns out that it wasn’t. Not only did the county bounce back from its Covid-plagued 2020 by exceeding last year’s tourism numbers, but it even passed its pre-Covid 2019 numbers as well. 

“It was definitely a revival year for tourism for Pasco County,” says Thomas. “We beat our record-breaking historic year of 2019 by 10.6%. It was amazing,”

In Fiscal Year 2021 (which ran from Sept. 2020 to Oct. 2021), visitor spending in Pasco County generated $721.7 million in economic impact to the county, according to Downs & St. Germain Research. That is an increase of 30.7% above FY 2020, and 10.6% above the 2019 numbers. Direct spending in the county was $511.8 million of that total.

Thomas said an increase in marketing, as well as the state’s openness, allowed tourism to flourish here this year.

“Many other states were still not fully operational,” Thomas says of FY 2021. “That allowed our destinations to attract events throughout the year.”

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore (left) and Tourism Director Adam Thomas pose with the Florida Sports Foundation trophy won by the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus for Florida’s Best Small Market Venue. 

 With the doors to Pasco County wide open this year, people didn’t hesitate to rush through. The numbers don’t lie:

• Florida’s Sports Coast attracted 1,358,200 visitors (41.5% higher than last year, and 30.8% higher than FY 2019)

• Visitors generated 1,419,000 room nights in paid accommodations (32.6% higher than last year, and 16.6% higher than FY 2019)

• Spending by visitors supported 9,254 local jobs (36.3% higher than last year, and 17.6% higher than FY 2019)  

• Tourism generated $231.6 million in wages and salaries for local jobs (55% higher than FY 2020, and 37.8% higher than FY 2019).

• Every 147 visitors to the county created an additional job.

• Visitors staying locally generated $3.6 million in Tourist Development Tax collections (36.3% higher than last year, and 18.4% higher than FY 2019).

• Visitors in FY 2021 saved every household in Pasco County $385 in state and federal taxes.

And, Thomas says that amateur sports drove those record-setting numbers; primarily, amateur sports played in Wesley Chapel at its trifecta of sports tourism — AdventHealth Center Ice, the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County and Saddlebrook Resort. As far as the county goes, the nearby Sarah Vande Berg (SVB) Tennis Center in Zephyrhills also contributed to Pasco’s big numbers.

“All these record-breaking numbers that we had are basically from our sporting events,” Thomas says.

Following the heightened 2020 Covid concerns, 2021 may have started with a whimper, but is ending with a bang — for example, the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus will host 128 of the best high school girls basketball teams in the state and beyond, as well as 32 boys high school teams, at the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational beginning tomorrow and running through Jan. 1. 

The tournament expects to bring 1,500 coaches and players and 3,000 total spectators for the event, meaning the Sports Campus will be capping its first full year of operation with the equivalent of a slam dunk. “It’s been an awesome year,” says Richard Blalock, the CEO of RADDSports, which operates the Sports Campus in a public-private partnership with the county. “Considering all of the (Covid-related) social issues we encountered, I think it was very successful.”

Crowds at many of the tournaments at Center Ice were the norm in 2021.

Blalock says 2021 has been a challenging year, but one that came with great exposure. In fact, the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus was named Small Market Venue of the Year by the Florida Sports Foundation in November.

“We were fortunate that we’re in a quasi-conservative area where we got support from the local government to be able to operate,” he says. “We just had to figure out what the rules were, come up with protocols and then follow those protocols to be able to operate.”

The Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus hosted a number of large events in 2021. Whether it was current Philadelphia Eagle and Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith preparing for the NFL Draft by working out at the campus, or USA volleyball and USA Gymnastics events, or a myriad of AAU and youth basketball, cheerleading and volleyball tournaments taking place monthly, the new facility was always bustling.

The same goes for Center Ice, which saw more than a million people pass through its doors in FY 2021.

General manager Gordie Zimmermann said his business was up more than 30 percent from 2019. Center Ice hosted an NHL Prospects tournament, burgeoning local adult and youth recreational leagues and a series of hotel-filling tournaments in ice, sled and roller hockey, as well as figure skating.

“It was pretty amazing,” Zimmermann says. “I think Florida handled (Covid) better than anybody, and we have had a lot of people coming here. Plus, hockey is on a growth spurt, and the (back-to-back Stanley Cup champion) Tampa Bay Lightning have certainly helped with that.”

The five-rink facility is one of a kind in the Southeast, and you won’t find many like it in the U.S., Zimmermann says, making it a popular destination for big tournaments.

The biggest sporting event held in Pasco County this year was at Center Ice, according to Thomas — the TORHS (Tournament of Roller Hockey Series) Nationals in June. The tournament runs 8-10 days, had more than 150 teams and generated 2,300 room nights. Thomas says the economic impact to the county of the event was roughly $3 million.

As we head into 2022, could another record-breaking year be in store? Thomas doesn’t see why not.

With the impact created by sports as great as it has been, Thomas and others see only growth.

Wesley Chapel has facilities, like the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus (above), that can host more than 1,000 people over the course of a weekend, providing a boost to the tourism dollars generated in Pasco County. (Photos courtesy of Florida’s Sports Coast)

A recent study commissioned by Florida’s Sports Coast, which was intended to find the gaps in the amateur sports arena, showed that adaptive sports, or sports that are accessible to those who are disabled, is a possible growth area. An aquatics facility is on the radar as well, and private developers have inquired about things like BMX and surf parks, as well as a track & field facility.

Adaptive basketball could be headed to the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus, says Blalock. Thomas says the county also is working on the bringing the U.S. Fencing championships to the Sports Campus, in addition to a large Can-Am competition between first responders from Canada and the U.S.

Saddlebrook Resort may host the 2022 American FootGolf League national championships in 2022. The relatively new sport is like golf but is played with feet and a soccer ball instead of clubs and a golf ball. 

“We are thinking outside the norm,” Thomas says.

Center Ice will launch the Sunshine Cup this summer, a week-long tournament that will feature teams from the U.S., Canada, Denmark and Europe. The mid-July event is expecting more than 3,000 visitors and would eclipse the TORHS event as the largest tournament hosted by the facility.

“We’ve always considered ourselves to be a player in the sports tourism industry,” says Thomas. “People are starting to notice our success, and they want to be a part of it. We’re excited. We’re an amateur sports hot spot, and we have some great opportunities for growth.” 

Clean Up Your Life With Toxin-Free Products At Lüfka



When you visit Lüfka Refillables Zero Waste Store on S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel, you’ll meet co-owner Gail Sickler, herbalist Megan Davis and co-owner Danielle Howard. (Photos by Charmaine George)

Lüfka Refillables Zero Waste Store, a new store specializing in natural, chemical-free, refillable, zero-waste products, is more than just a business for owner Danielle Howard.

It’s a way of life.

After growing up with a number of maladies, Danielle says she set out on a journey to find a way to live cleanly. That led to her owning two Salt Room businesses — one in Wesley Chapel and the other at the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center in Zephyrhills — and now Lüfka Refillables Zero Waste Store, which is located on S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel, a few doors down from Capital Tacos.

While Danielle says The Salt Room Wesley Chapel and the Salt Room at SVB specialize in halotherapy, which involves breathing salty air in order to help respiratory conditions like asthma, bronchitis and allergies, Lüfka Refillables Zero Waste Store takes a more expansive approach to the benefits and solutions of keeping one’s body and home environment clean.

“I can help them from the inside out,” Danielle says. “Lüfka helps their cleaning, and their laundry, and all the stuff they put on their bodies. This is for people who want to make a difference and are also conscious of what those chemicals are doing.”

Whether it’s better choices for toothpaste, hand-crafted soaps, deodorant or laundry detergent, skin and after-shave lotions and even cleaning sprays, she says, Lüfka offers the healthiest options made with the best ingredients. 

And, while they can help make you healthier, they help the environment as well. Most Lüfka products come in glass containers, and you are encouraged to bring them back to have them refilled. Customers also are encouraged to bring containers of their own.

It’s no accident that when you first walk in the store, a table of both air and body sprays is one of the first things you see. Room deodorants are one of the biggest offenders when it comes to containing hazardous toxins, so Danielle and her co-owner and mom Gail Sickler are quick to point out safer alternatives that aren’t afraid to show exactly what they are made of to customers.

The five glass jugs of spray deodorants — Autumn Wood, Vanilla Bean Spice, Cranberry Orange Spice, Pumpkin Apple Butter, and Lavender & Tonka — all have labels listing all of their ingredients.

“This is the perfect example of our products,” Gail says. “You can use them to spray the room you are in, spray bedding if you are having guests over or, if you like it, you can use it as your body spray for the day. Just spray and walk through and it can land on your skin and doesn’t hurt anything because there’s nothing in there to hurt you.”

While perhaps more expensive than what you would get at a major store, Danielle says the products are worth every penny.

“If you do some research on a good, organic, clean, multi-functional spray, you’re looking at anywhere from $20-$40, and people will pay that,” she says. But, if you’re looking primarily for the cheapest stuff — say Glade Spray Air Fresheners that might be BOGO at Publix — Danielle says, “Well, we can’t help you. We can just let you know that this is something completely different.”

How It All Got Started

Lüfka Wesley Chapel is only the third Lüfka Refillables Zero Waste store in the Tampa Bay area. 

The concept was originally hatched by Kelly and Parosh Hawaii, who opened the original Lüfka in Seminole Heights in 2019, and a second store in South Tampa in November 2020.

Danielle was turned on to the store by a friend, and immediately fell in love with it. She recommended it to all of her clients at her Salt Rooms. The clients raved about the products, and in turn raved about Danielle, who was helping them at the Salt Rooms, to Kelly and Parosh. 

While they had thought of franchising before deciding against it, Kelly and Parosh liked Danielle enough — practically vetting her via all the clients she sent to their store — to suggest she open her own Lüfka store.

“Parosh told me he had been watching me, and saw that I was changing lives, and said he wanted me to open a place in Wesley Chapel,” says Danielle, who just happened to be thinking about opening another retail business at the time. “I started looking for places the second I left there.”

Danielle asked her mother if she wanted to be her partner and, in September, Lüfka Wesley Chapel held its North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon cutting.

“We love it and it goes with everything we do,” Danielle says. “I really felt like Wesley Chapel needed this.”

What’s In A Name?

So, what is a Lüfka? A wash cloth, which is handmade in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and has been around for thousands of years. Parosh is passionate about sharing ancient handmade Kurdish products with the world, hence the name of the store.

The women who weave the Lüfkas from Babylonian willow bark fibers receive all the proceeds from their sales at Lüfka Refillables Zero Waste Store. 

A Lüfka looks like a kitchen mitten, but serves as a wash cloth and can be opened so you can wash your back. Not only does it clean, but it also exfoliates the skin. Danielle says her skin is “as soft as a baby’s butt” when she’s done with hers, and Gail says the same.

Danielle takes the education part of her job seriously. While the average person is likely to think all natural products are more expensive and less effective, Lüfka has hundreds of products that work just as well as their chemical-filled counterparts and are priced competitively, according to Danielle. 

You aren’t just choosing with your wallet, however. The laundry detergents at Lüfka, for example, have just a handful of chemical-free ingredients, compared to the 200 or so ingredients, mostly chemicals, in regular detergents.

The same goes for Lüfka’s regular soaps and shampoos, toothpaste, body and facial lotions and deodorant.

“There are so many chemicals that you put on your body for the whole day, and your skin absorbs all of it,” Danielle says. “Everything in here is better for you than what you are probably using, and it’s better for the environment, too.”

For people with autoimmune diseases and sensitive skin and/or sense of smell, the distinction between Lüfka products and those that aren’t chemical- and toxin-free is significant.

While deodorant is the store’s best seller, pet products also are very popular. Pet soap is a big one, due to skin issues, as well as other products, such as food-grade diatomaceous earth, which is a safe alternative to anti-flea products, which are some of the most toxin-filled products on the market.

Gail says local hikers come in to purchase the toxin-free bug spray (which lacks the chemicals that give regular bug spray its stickiness) and there is all-natural sunscreen as well as the ingredients needed (like apple cider vinegar, olive oil and vegetable glycerin) for those who want to make their own cleaners and soaps.

Megan Davis is Lüfka’s herbalist, and can help explain the uses and combinations of the herbs and other ingredients that line one wall of the store — like combining the bladderwrack and sea moss into an apple sauce-like paste that can be consumed and contains 102 trace minerals that your body needs.

However, no one at Lüfka is able to provide medical advice, and they do not sell food, although they might recommend some spirulina or turmeric for your morning smoothie.

Danielle hopes to send customers out on the same journey she is on — to eliminate the chemicals her body is ingesting in regular daily products.

There is some trial and error, she says, and everyone is different. But, for many of the things that ail you, like sores or rashes or just malaise, there might be a healthy option to solve it.

“It can change your life,” Danielle says. “It has definitely changed mine.”

For more information, look up @LüfkaWesleyChapel on Facebook, where you can find specials, candle-making classes and even private shopping events if you’re interested in transitioning to healthier products. Lüfka Refillables Zero Waste Store is located at 27221 S.R. 56. and is open Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday and it is closed on Sunday and Monday. To find out more, call (813) 596-9376 or visit Lüfka.com.