The new Glory Days Grill will open in 2014 in this former Lee Roy Selmon’s location on BBD Blvd.
By Matt Wiley,
For more than a year, it has been sitting vacant on Doña Michelle Dr., but it looks as if new life is destined for the former Lee Roy Selmon’s location on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in New Tampa, according to a press release from the Selmon’s franchise owners.
On November 8, MVP Holdings — the company that also owns PDQ (which has a Wesley Chapel location on S.R. 56) — announced that their company has entered into an agreement with Virginia-based Glory Days Grill to take over the expansion efforts of the restaurant chain into the Florida market, beginning with the space that previously was rumored to once again become home to Lee Roy Selmon’s.
“We are very excited to have the opportunity to grow Glory Days Grill in Florida,” says Sam Tancredi, president of MVP GDG, LLC. “The Glory Days Grill concept allows us the opportunity to hire over 100 New Tampa residents. We feel this new concept is a perfect fit for the community.”
The press release says that MVP Holdings owners Bob Basham, Nick Reader and Chris Sullivan plan to open Glory Days in the first quarter of 2014. Basham and Sullivan also previously founded the company which is now called Bloomin’ Brands, which owns Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill and Bonefish Grill under the now-Bloomin’ Brands umbrella.
The press release says that the Glory Days concept is a sports-themed, family restaurant that features a variety of dining options for all ages and preferences. The Glory Days Grill slogan, according to the company’s website (GloryDaysGrill.com) is “The Official Food of Hometown Sports” and the menu features everything from chicken fried chicken to great steaks, BBQ ribs and more. The restaurants also feature multiple TVs throughout, with individual speaker boxes at each table so patrons can tune in whichever game or channel they want to watch.
There are 18 Glory Days locations operating in Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, plus two franchise locations, also in Virginia. The New Tampa location will mark the beginning of Glory Days’ expansion into Florida.
12. As dough forms, add 1 cup of raw sesame seeds until completely incorporated.
13. On a floured board, roll out enough dough for a one-inch-wide log. The dough will be sticky, so you can add more sesame seeds to coat the outside of the log.Cut the dough log into diagonals shaped pieces, the pieces should be about 2 inches long each.
14. Place the cut cookies on un-greased parchment paper and baking sheet tray and bake for approximately 30 minutes at 350o F.
KITCHEN TIP – Remember to check your oven temperature, as cooking times may vary stove to stove.
15. Remove the cookies from the oven when they have the proper tannish color. Then, place them on a cooling rack and finally, put them in an airtight container for storage.
[new_royalslider id=”21″]
To use this recipe for biscotti, instead of cookies, follow the above recipe and shape the dough into a rectangular shape about 1 inch thick, 4 inches wide and 8 inches long. Cut the biscotti into logs that are 1 1⁄2 inches wide and bake at the same temperature and for the same amount of time as you did the cookies. Note that the biscotti may spread out some during the baking process.
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all and best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous new year from Private Chef of Tampa! For more recipes or to book a party visit Privatechefnewtampa.com today.
Wharton senior Chase Litton puts in a layup during the Wildcats’ 46-40 loss to Plant High on November 21, the team’s first District 8A-7 loss in more than two seasons.
By Matt Wiley
The season has only recently begun, but both the Freedom High Patriots and Wharton High Wildcats have their eyes set on their respective District tournaments.
Cedric Smith’s Patriots started the season strong at 3-0 (1-0 in District 7A-8) going into the Fall break, with their most recent victory against District rival Gaither High (0-2, 0-1), along with non-District wins against Middleton High (2-1) and the season opener against Robinson (2-1).
“Middleton was a lot better than when we played them last season,” Smith said of the Patriots’ narrow 53-50 home-opener win. “Gaither was good, too.”
The Pats were down 3 points at the half against Gaither, but rallied with 21 fourth-quarter points to seal the 60-47 victory over the Cowboys. Senior shooting guard Michael Keller and sophomore winger Sheldon Odunna led the way with 12 and 13 points, respectively.
“We’ve got a young team,” Smith said. “Our District looks strong. (Despite a slow start), Wiregrass Ranch (1-2, 0-1) always is strong. We’re going to have our hands full this season.”
Although Freedom is off to a solid start, the Pats have managed to do so without key veteran contributors Scott Patchan, the junior center, and sophomore winger Quenden James, who are both out with in- juries until at least late December.
“They’re both key players for us,” Smith explained. “They both have experience and have played under me for two years. These younger guys are having to step up.” Smith said that his point guards and other wingers have to to play well through- out the season, especially junior winger Miguel Rojas (averaging 13 ppg) and Odunna (averaging 12.3 ppg).
At our press time, Smith said that the Pats were gearing up for an Orlando tournament Thanksgiving weekend, where they would face Winter Park. “This is going to be our first real test,” Smith said.
Wharton Looks To Get Wild Meanwhile, coach Tommy Tonelli’s Wharton Wildcats (1-1, 0-1 in District 8A- 7) have a reputation to live up to, after making it all the way to the State Semifinals last season and going undefeated in District play the past two seasons. That streak came to an end quickly this season, however, in the ‘Cats’ second game, a tough 46-40 loss to District rival Plant High (3-2, 1-0) on November 21.
“I was pleased with the season opener against Sickles (a 58-43 non-District win), but disappointed against Plant,” Tonelli said. “(Plant) played well and I give them credit. Our defense was good, but we struggled offensively.”
However, Tonelli said that he is still optimistic about the season.
“We’ve only had two practices with the whole team,” he said. “Chase Litton and Auden Tate just finished up football. Once everyone is on the same page, we’ll do well.”
Litton and Tate combined for just 11 points against Plant, while junior John Christian stepped up with 13 points.
Tonelli said district games are always his biggest concern, but that he looks forward to the annual showdown against New Tampa rival Freedom High, which will be on Friday, January 24, at Freedom.
“Freedom has improved a lot,” he said. “They’ve made strides each year. We expect it to be a dogfight.”
Owner Vicky Lysenko of Bliss Facial Spa on BBD at County Line Rd. has everything you need to continue your facial treatments at home, including outstanding products from Image Skincare.
By Lauren Saslow | Photos by Frank Edmondson
The price of living in the Sunshine State is the toll the sun can take on our skin. Those who spend extended time in the sun — at work, at the beach, the pool, or at kids’ sporting events — can suffer short- and long-term skin damage that may include wrinkles, dryness and hyper-pigmentation.
The licensed aestheticians at Bliss Facial Spa (located in front of the Super Target on the northwest corner of Bruce B. Downs {BBD} Blvd. and County Line Rd. in Wesley Chapel) will tell you that, in addition to the necessary preventive care of daily sunscreen use, having regular facials and non-invasive skin treatments can add elasticity and a healthier glow to your face. Regular facials also can benefit teens or adults who suffer from acne.
Bliss offers a wide range of facial treatment options, including LED Therapy, cellulite reduction treatment, waxing services, eyelash extensions, massage therapy and skincare products with competitive pricing.
Owner Vicky Lysenko maintains a spa license for the business and leads her team of five licensed aestheticians — Natalie, Kristie, Brittany, Lauren and Bianca — each with additional product training, and two licensed massage therapists (LMTs) at this 1,400-sq.-ft. spa. While Lysenko does not have a cosmetology license and therefore doesn’t treat clients herself — the Arizona State University (in Tempe) graduate is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) by trade — she is proud that the aestheticians and LMTs at Bliss help her maintain a successful business that, she says, “offers the best technology without being a med spa.”
(Note-A medical spa, or “med spa,” by contrast, is an establishment offering advanced medical treatments, which oftentimes include more invasive and, therefore, more costly procedures, for skin and body beautification that under State law, requires licensed healthcare professionals under the direction of a medical doctor, as well as licensed aestheticians.)
Lysenko says she happened into this business almost by chance. In fact, she claims she never even had a facial before opened Bliss, thinking it was only for “high-maintenance women,” until becoming more educated about the industry. Her daughter, Shayla Herring, a licensed cosmetologist, was working at the front desk of Face Logic, which was a spa franchise in the same location that Bliss Facial Spa now occupies.
“Eventually, the entire Face Logic franchise went defunct,” explains Lysenko. “When we moved from Arizona to Tampa in 2008, Shayla suggested I invest in this spa. I called the bank and negotiated buying the assets of this location and hired two of the existing aestheticians. We opened in August 2010, and now I do the marketing and social networking, while the professional skin care therapists run the day-to-day business of booking appointments and treating clients. We have about 200 members who come every month for services.”
A Soothing Environment
Bliss aesthetician Natalie prepares to administer a facial to client Kristen Jacobs.
Upon entering the spa, clients will find an attractive lounge area across from the reception desk, with comfortable brown leather chairs and modern dark wood furniture. A mix of calming lyrical music plays gently through overhead speakers, while a flat-screen TV loops videos of the spa’s treatment options with before-and-after photos. The walls at Bliss are lined with their various skin care products, so that clients can continue their skin care routines at home. Some “starter” kits for sale include a sampling of several of the products for clients to try.
“Seventy-five percent of skin care is what you do at home,” insists Lysenko. “The other 25 percent are the treatments you get at the spa, where facials help to take off the top layer of dead skin to help your skin become healthier. We’re all about taking your skin care to the next level.”
Because some of the treatments require follow-up home skin care in order to maximize the benefits and see more drastic and lasting results, clients are encouraged to try the skin care lines available in the spa, including Image Skin Care, which is the spa’s main product line. Image, founded in 2003, is an international skincare company which designs and distributes scientifically engineered pharmaceutical-grade products.
Lysenko is confident that Bliss offers, “the latest and greatest” in both skin care products and technology, based upon each product’s reputation among the industry colleagues Vicky has met at trade shows, as well as from the feedback she gets from the spa’s customers. She also recommends that you try the sunless tanners at Bliss as an alternative to tanning salons. The Xen-Tan self tanners and bronzers available at Bliss have an olive undertone that appears more natural than many competitors’ brands, which often leave you with that fake orange tint.
Affordable Prices, Too!
Bliss clients are escorted down a hallway — with low lighting, wood laminate flooring, a cool color scheme and soft instrumental music playing overhead — to to the eight treatment rooms, each with its own privacy curtains.
The menu at Bliss Facial Spa offers clients more than ten different types of facials and a dozen upgrades to appeal to each individual’s personal and budgetary needs and time constraints. The Signature Facial, for instance, offers a 50-minute treatment that includes a thorough skin analysis, deep cleansing, exfoliation, steam, extractions, a treatment mask and therapeutic massage of the décolleté (the chest area below the neckline), as well as shoulders, arms and hands.
For those on a time crunch or a tighter budget, the spa also offers a 30-minute Express Signature Facial, whereas the Elite Facial, a one-hour treatment, includes the luxuries of the Signature, but uses stronger Image Skincare products to address specific skincare concerns.
Thirty-minute teen facials, intended for clients ages 13-23, address the needs of young adults battling acne by offering deep cleansing. Lysenko boasts that her teen facial rates are “the best around.” All facials offer optional upgrades to suit the needs of the individual, including the Lightwave blue-and-red-light therapy, a pain-free alternative for treating acne. The blue light kills Propionibacterium acnes or “P. acnes,” a bacterium that colonizes in the skin and hair follicles, and is the primary cause of most acne problems. Those receiving Teen Facials can add this service as an upgrade upon request. The red and infrared lights also can be used to heal and polish the skin after plastic surgery or other skin treatments, in 20-30 minute sessions. Lysenko explains that it is the same technology NASA has used to heal astronauts in space where “the light penetrates deep below the skin level to heal from the inside out.”
During the holidays, the spa offers seasonal facials. In November, this author got to enjoy a unique Pumpkin Cheesecake Facial (which smelled as good as it felt), and for December, Bliss is featuring a “Peppermint Twist” facial, consisting of a cleanse, an orange-berry enzyme mask, a winter mint hydrating mask, an optional upgrade to a microdermabrasion, extraction and a Vitamin C green tea serum.
Another therapeutic skincare treatment offered at the spa is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved Cavi-Lipo, an ultrasound machine that vibrates on the surface of the skin until the fat cells below the skin burst and liquefy, draining through the lymph system, leaving the remaining body tissue unharmed. The term “cavi” comes from cavitation, which is the collapse of a solid surface resulting in the formation of cavities that are commonly known as cellulite. Bliss aestheticians say that Cavi-Lipo treatments are recommended for small, problematic areas on the body, such as cellulite and sagging skin, and can oftentimes result in losing inches in the desired areas. In order for clients to experience maximum results, they must stay hydrated, continue a regular exercise routine before and after the treatment, and return for at least five more follow-up treatments.
Lysenko also reminds potential clients that facials are not only for women. She describes a male military client who recently returned from a tour in Afghanistan. He came into the spa for the first time because he had been exposed to intense sunlight and heat in the desert during his deployment, without the assistance of sunscreen, and was concerned about his skin’s pigmentation.
Photographer Frank Edmondson also experienced his first ever microdermabrasion in November of this year. Bliss aesthetician Kristie — a Licensed Paramedical Aesthetician and Wax Specialist, who earned her credentials from the Florida College of Natural Health in Brandon — offered him a beneficial skincare assessment and educated him about proper skincare routines during his treatment. While hesitant to try a facial at first (Frank didn’t realize it would be beneficial to an African-American male), he now is considering taking a membership at the spa.
As a former University of Florida football player and now a lead vocalist in many of the Busch Gardens shows, Frank explains that playing sports and performing in outdoor venues has caused some variations in skin pigmentation over time.
“After just one treatment, my skin felt great!,” Edmondson said. “It’s so smooth. Kristie did a good job removing the ingrown hairs along my beard line with the extractor. It was relaxing and didn’t feel ‘girlie’ at all.”
Rave Reviews!
Wesley Chapel resident Kristen Jacobs boasts of having “tried almost everything on the Bliss menu including: a hydrofacial, a massage, microdermabrasion, peels, facial imaging products, and make-up products.” Jacobs points to her favorite product on the shelf: Ormedic Balancing Lip Enhancement Complex, an all-organic product which she jokingly refers to as “lip crack” because it works to hydrate her lips so well she hates to ever be without it. Even when Jacobs moved to Washington for a period of time, she continued to order skin products from Bliss Facial Spa.
In addition to the skin care products, Jacobs says she remains a loyal Bliss client because of Natalie and the other aestheticians who work there. Jacobs says they have all been accommodating and they always take the time to answer questions and educate her about the products and treatments.
In fact, she enjoys the services that Bliss Facial Spa has to offer so much that she says she asks her husband and best friends for gift cards to the spa at Christmas time so she can use them year-round. She is also a member of Bliss Facial Spa’s Skin Care Club which allows her to save money with exclusive members-only pricing and Spa Reward Points.
“I work full time and have two little people at home,” Jacobs says of her two sons. “I meet my best friend here for ‘girl time’ because it’s the only peace we get.”
In order to give back to the community and create awareness of her spa, Lysenko contributes gift baskets to local schools and nonprofit organizations; one was donated to the New Tampa YMCA as a prize for one lucky participant of the 2013 Wiregrass Wobble Turkey Trot 5K and 1-mile fun run road race. The winner of the basket received a $100 gift card to Bliss Facial Spa, along with other skin care products.
Bliss Facial Spa is located at 1059 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. and is open Mon. –Fri., 10 a.m.–7 p.m., and 9 a.m.–5 p.m. on Saturdays. After-hours appointments are available on Thursdays. For more information, call 428-5991 or visit the spa online at BlissFacialSpa.com.
By Peter Gambacorta, Exec. Chef Private Chef of Tampa LLC.
At this time of the year, as we attend parties and gatherings, we are bombarded by an array of overly sweet and gooey cookies. At this time, I am going to share a part of my culinary history with you. Last week, my sister, Rosemarie Woodward and I began to discuss our childhood Christmas traditions and we decided to try to recreate my mother’s famous sesame cookies.
As a Culinary Institute of America (CIA) trained Private Chef, the challenge was on between us. After much debate and discussion, we agreed on the proper ingredients and quantities for the recipe. So, our journey back to our childhood began in my kitchen.
My mother Claire Terranova Gambacorta’s sesame seed cookies and biscotti are crunchy, nutty, with extra spicy notes of cinnamon, nutmeg and, of course, sesame. These cookies are low in sugar and low in overall fat content and they taste and are exactly as we remembered them. Not bad for our first try at copying Mama Claire.
These food traditions take us back to the cold and snowy days in Buffalo, NY, when we would have large family gatherings every Sunday at our grandmother’s house, with many of our aunts, uncles, and cousins running around everywhere. And, there always was a large pot of red sauce simmering on the stove, with which we smothered the large bowls of spaghetti placed in front of us. I still can remember my white dress shirts dotted with red sauce; and every Italian boy I knew can recall being scolded for this infraction, even when our shirts were covered by napkins tucked into our shirts.
These are the type of cookies and biscotti that go perfectly with coffee, or in lieu of overly sugared cookies — or, as in my family tradition, served with large glasses of red wine from the gallon jug kept under the table.
These cookies are quite easy to prepare for any home cook and the only requirement to make things easier is the use of a stand mixer. To the right is the recipe as we recreated it. Remember that these cookies or biscotti’s are baked low and slow to increase the crunch. I hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed making and sampling them.
I hope you will try this recipe and feel free to post comments about the recipe at NTNeighborhoodNews.com.
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all and best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous new year from Private Chef of Tampa!
Private Chef of Tampa LLC, which is locally owned and operated, can do private parties for 6–75 people in your home. We supply chefs, waitresses, bartenders, vocalists and even local wine experts to make your next party one that is memorable. Our prices are inclusive per person and are generally no more than the cost of a dinner at a nice restaurant. We do all the work and you enjoy your guests and party.
For info, email me at peter@privatecheftampa.com, visit PrivateChefTampa.com or find and “Like” us on Facebook. Or, call 380-4014 to find out more.
