Johnny C’s Celebrates Two Years Of Delicious Food & Community Service!

If you’ve been reading this publication for any period of time and you still haven’t at least tried owner/Chef Erik Ravenna’s Johnny C’s Italian Eatery…well, let’s just say that I’m a little surprised. Not only does Erik create delicious Italian food — from New York-style pizzas to the largest variety of fresh seafood dishes (like the crispy calamari on this page to the Frutti di Mare, which means “fruits of the sea”) pasta and “comfort food” dishes like Momma’s Lasagna and spaghettini & meatballs — he also is one of the nicest, hardest-working restaurateurs in our area who also donates incredible amounts of food to local causes he believes in, such as special needs children. 

Johnny C’s was actually named for Erik’s former partner Pat Ciaccio’s father Johnny, but he never changed the name, and he also bought out the family of his other partner — the late former Saddlebrook Resort owner Tom Dempsey. Both Erik and Pat previously worked at Saddlebrook. 

Erik, who grew up in New Jersey, says the atmosphere at Johnny C’s is very much like having dinner at the home of a large Italian family, with its open kitchen and a large, dais-like table in the center of the restaurant, with a number of smaller tables around that table. 

“This might be a little noisier dining room than you’re used to,” Erik says, “but it definitely feels like home to me.” 

So, What About The Food? 

Jannah, photographer Charmaine George and I have eaten at Johnny C’s at least a dozen times — not including takeout and catering orders — since it first opened a little more than two years ago, and we always have chosen either our own favorite dishes and/or anything new on the menu. 

This time, however, we asked Erik to make us either his favorite dishes or the dishes that have proven to be the most popular at Johnny C’s. 

And, what a feast he provided! We started with his ever-popular “Johnny’s Own Bruschetta” (above right photo; it just happens to also be Jannah’s favorite appetizer) that combines fresh, diced tomatoes, garlic and balsamic reduction on garlic crostini, served on a bed of tasty greens that also are amazing with the balsamic reduction. 

We also were served a zesty Antipasto Salad — spring mix, with tomatoes, black olives, banana peppers and spirals of ham, capicola, salami and provolone cheese and a house-made vinaigrette — and the aforementioned Calamari Fritti (tossed with banana pepper rings and garlic butter and served with house marinara). Thankfully, I’ve never had my shellfish reaction to calamari because I do love it and Erik’s is excellent! 

We’ve previously also gobbled down Erik’s Italian meatballs, served with fresh Buffalo mozzarella and finished with asiago and basil, and his incredible hand-breaded fried mozzarella. And, while we’re on the subject of his fresh mozzarella, Erik’s Caprese Salad is another favorite of mine, with fresh yellow and red tomatoes stacked high with slices of mozzarella and finished with both balsamic glaze and extra virgin olive oil. 

But, speaking of my accursed shellfish allergy, Erik also wanted us to sample and take pictures of his Frutti di Mare (top left photo) — and Charmaine said it was probably her favorite dish of the evening. It combined nice-sized shrimp, mussels, clams and calamari in a spicy “Fra Diavlo” (which means “Among the Devil,” because of its heat) sauce and served over linguini with kalamata olives and a side, house-made garlic knot. (Note-all of the pasta dishes are served with garlic knot; they’re also available as an appetizer on the menu). 

Other seafood pastas on the menu include shrimp scampi, parmigiana, marinara and Fra Diavlo and my favorite, Erik’s linguini vongolĂ© (with fresh clams, marinara or white wine with garlic butter basil). 

Thankfully, he also decided to serve us his Momma’s Lasagna (top photo), which he says is “Just how you remembered,” but only if you had an Italian momma or nonna (grandmother). The lasagna has more meat and sauce than ricotta cheese and even though it’s not “authentic Italy Italian” because it has ricotta instead of bechamel sauce, Jannah, Charmaine and I all agreed that it was hearty and oh so delicious. 

We also loved his Linguini Alfredo with broccoli and chicken (left photo), which isn’t actually on the menu, so you’ll have to ask for it, but it definitely is a lighter Alfredo sauce than at most places. 

Other pasta dishes at Johnny C’s include Chicken Marsala (with mushrooms & Marsala wine brown sauce), Chicken Piccata (with white wine, lemon, basil & capers), Baked Penne (with house Bolognese sauce & mozzarella), Ravioli Pomodoro (cheese ravioli with vine ripened tomato sauce), Penne Vodka (with vodka cream sauce, basil & vine ripened tomato sauce), the previously mentioned Spaghettini & Meatballs and Eggplant or Chicken Parmigiana. Some of these pasta dishes are now available with gluten-free pasta and several of the chicken dishes have a Halal option. Be sure to ask Erik about all of his Halal offerings, also including beef pepperoni and turkey bacon. 

You Say You Want Pizza? You Got It! 

Although we didn’t actually have any of Erik’s pizzas on this most recent visit, we’ve enjoyed plenty of those options over the years. 

Although you can custom-design your own pizza, his varieties named for the five boroughs of New York City and the area known as “SoHo” are all among Johnny C’s most popular New York-style pies. The Brooklyn is a chicken, bacon, ranch pizza with Alfredo sauce and ricotta. The Bronx is your “Meat Lovers” option, with pepperoni, Italian sausage, ham and meatballs. The Manhattan has Hawaiian pineapple and ham, but I personally don’t think he should have named this variety after any borough of NYC. The Queens is your Margherita with light tomato sauce, fresh tomatoes, Buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil and garlic. The Staten Island is another white pizza, with Alfredo sauce, mozz, ricotta, mushrooms and a pesto drizzle. And the Soho is his veggie variety, with marinara, mushrooms, peppers, onion, spinach, olives and broccoli. 

Also super-popular (and delish!) is the “Yea Babe!,” that Erik calls his “Grandpa Bill’s Warm Welcome to You!.” It features vodka sauce, Italian sausage and mozzarella. And yes, Erik still is happy to add Mike’s hot honey to your favorite pizza. “It’s a game-changing extra kick,” he says. 

All of these pizzas, as well as the chicken & broccoli pizza in the right photo above, are available with a gluten-free cauliflower crust — honestly one of the best cauliflower crust pizzas I’ve had in our area. I usually prefer extra gluten myself, but for those who need to be gluten-free and those who enjoy a crisp, different-tasting crust, you should definitely try a cauliflower crust pizza at Johnny C’s! 

I also sometimes enjoy Johnny C’s “grinders” (I call them subs or hero sandwiches), but he offers meatball, eggplant, chicken or sausage parmesan hot grinders and a turkey BLT and Johnny C’s Italian grinder with capicola, salami, ham, provolone, lettuce, tomato, onion, banana peppers and roasted peppers with Italian dressing. 

Johnny C’s also offers a kids menu with spaghettini & meatballs, a slice of pizza (with fries) and cheese ravioli with choice of marinara or Alfredo sauce, each for only $7.95! 

Think you can still handle dessert? There’s a tartufo gelato “bomb” with hot fudge & whipped cream, NY-style cheesecake, tiramisu, chocolate chip or pistachio cannolis and two gluten-free options — a Reese’s pie and a chocolate torte. 

Cooking Classes, Catering & More! 

Also near and dear to Erik’s heart are his “Cooking Classes for Kids” (right photo). He has hosted these classes for special needs kids from Cypress Creek High and other local schools but also offers them as a unique birthday or other party opportunity to anyone whose kid wants to learn how to toss (and catch) pizza dough and make their own pizzas. I wish this was available when my two adult sons were still in school. Jannah and I want to learn how to make pizza like Erik, too! 

And, with the holiday season now just around the corner, you also can’t go wrong with catering from Johnny C’s — for parties large and small and for anything from a single tray of Momma’s Lasagna or Baked Penne to go with your Thanksgiving dinner to a fully catered meal, give Erik a call at the restaurant and talk to him about his many different menu options — from appetizers, pastas and pizzas, to salads, pretty much any type of sandwiches and more — you really should give him an opportunity to do at least some of the holiday cooking for you! 

During our most recent visit, Erik told me that he had an order the next day for a variety of breakfast pizzas, “So, even though I hadn’t ever even tried to make a breakfast pizza, I said, ‘Why not?’ and came up with five different options — fried egg, sausage & cheese; Canadian bacon, hash brown & cheese; biscuit cinnamon roll, a biscuit, gravy & sausage and the scrambled egg, bacon & cheese shown on this page.” 

I asked, “So, what did everyone say?” 

“Everyone loved them,” he replied. I think the biscuit and gravy pie was the biggest hit, though.” 

Johnny C’s serves beer and wine and has dine-in, take-out with online ordering, as well as delivery with Grubhub, Uber Eats, Seamless and Toast. 

As it says on the Johnny C’s website, “Come and visit us at Johnny C’s Italian Eatery, where every bite is a tribute to our family heritage and a celebration of life, love, and good food.” 

But, don’t just take our word for it — Johnny C’s has a 4.8-star (out of 5) overall rating on Google — on more than 600 reviews! As Charlene B. said in her 5-star review: “The food was AMAZING! The owner was great. He came out and talked to us and thanked us for coming. You can tell the heart he put into the restaurant & food. It was my first time coming and I told him I’d be back — two days later! I definitely found my new favorite,go-to Italian food. 10/10 recommend!” 

For more information about Johnny C’s Italian Eatery 10970 Cross Creek Blvd. (at Morris Bridge Rd.), Suite A, is open for dinner only Monday-Friday, 4 p.m.-9 p.m. and for lunch and dinner on Saturday (11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.) and Sunday (3 p.m.-9 p.m.). For more information, call (813) 278-8020 or visit JohnnyCsItalianEatery.com. 

Ziggi’s Coffee Plans Hueland Pond Blvd. Location

Ziggi’s Coffee Drive-Thru has updated its permit application, which previously announced that the growing coffee chain was going to open on Mansfield Blvd. 

But, new plans now show that Ziggi’s will instead open on Hueland Pond Blvd., just south of S.R. 56 and the 76 gas station and Daybreak Market (see map, left). 

The new permit application announcing this different location was just submitted last month. Preliminary site engineering plans have been submitted for Pasco County’s review, which say: 

“The project proposes the development of a new 1,800+/- sq. ft. coffee shop with a drive through, associated parking and drainage improvements.” 

Ziggi’s Coffee currently has about 100 locations in 18 U.S. states, but only one other location — in St. Augustine — currently open in Florida . The company is in a rapid growth phase, however, with more than 200 additional Ziggi’s Coffee locations now in development. For more info, visit ZiggisCoffee.com. — Joel Provenzano & GN 

New York’s Famous H&H Bagels Has Opened On S. Dale Mabry Hwy. In South Tampa!

Photos by Charmaine George

If you’re a fan of the classic sitcom “Seinfeld,” I’m sure you remember the episode when Kramer goes back to work at H&H Bagels (below left photo) after being on strike for twelve years. 

Well, that episode, and H&H’s appearances on “Sex and the City,” “The Office” “Entourage” and other TV shows and movies, helped keep one of Manhattan’s best-known “real New York” bagel shops in people’s memories for years, after being founded in 1972 on the Upper West Side by Helmer Toro and Hector Hernandez. 

Today, H&H Bagels has 13 locations — seven scattered around NYC, plus one in California, one in Washington, DC, one in Knoxville, TN, and three in Florida, including the newest location at 1155 S. Dale Mabry Hwy. in South Tampa (bottom photo). There also are eight more locations coming on-line, including five in the Sunshine State, one in California, one in North Carolina and one in Chicago. 

Yes, the H&H name is growing again, thanks to CEO and Florida State University grad Jay Rushin (top right photo), who worked on Wall St. in Manhattan for 20 years before taking over at H&H eleven years ago (he also has family in Tampa). 

Having lived just a few blocks from the second H&H location on 2nd Ave. in Manhattan, as soon as I heard it was opening here, I knew I wanted to check it out. The company’s kettle-boiled-then-baked bagels in New York were as good as any I had ever had, so I knew I had to sample the location here as soon as it opened. 

“We bake everything fresh here,” Rushin told me during the Tampa location’s soft opening on Sept. 30. “The bagels are made with that famous New York water, boiled, frozen and shipped here. We then bake them every day.” 

And yes, the bagels are pretty great. I, of course, had to have a toasted, scooped-out sesame bagel with cream cheese, Nova Scotia salmon and I was surprised and thrilled to be able to add a shmear of real whitefish salad, plus a slice of tomato. Just yum! 

Jannah also loved her bacon, egg and cheese on a scooped-out, toasted whole wheat bagel (right) and Charmaine said the avocado on her avocado, egg and cheese on an asiago cheese bagel was just “so fresh and delicious.” Also available are sausage and Jersey-style Taylor ham, egg and cheese sandwiches, plus an egg white and avocado option. 

H&H carries 13 varieties of fresh bagels (above photo) — from standards like onion, everything and cinnamon raisin to egg, blueberry and even jalapeño cheddar options. 

And, unlike other bagel places that offer a Baker’s Dozen — 13 bagels for the price of 12 — when you buy a dozen at H&H, you pay for ten bagels and get the last two free. 

“It’s just another one of our different ways of doing things,” Jay said. 

In addition to that perfect house-made whitefish salad, H&H also makes its own tuna, egg and chicken salad, and offers deli sandwiches with roast beef, roasted turkey, Black Forest or Taylor ham and also sells the salads, the deli meats, the Nova and even cheddar, American, pepper Jack and provolone cheese by the pound. Also available are to-go tubs of plain, flavored and even tofu cream cheese, plus lox spread, butter, jelly and peanut butter. 

Also baked in-house are chewy brownies, chocolate chip cookies (photo above), croissants, muffins and chocolate and cinnamon streusel cake slices. 

And, while H&H doesn’t sell cappuccinos, lattes and other “fancier” coffee drinks, Jay says the hot coffee is a private H&H blend roasted in Wisconsin by Ruby’s Coffee Roasters, which was named for founder Jared Linzmeier’s grandmother, Ruby Szitta. Also served are iced and cold brew coffee, a variety of hot teas, iced sweet tea, green teas, apple and orange juice, chocolate milk, lemonade, sparkling water and even Mexican Coca-Cola. 

“We’ve looked for more locations in the Tampa Bay area,” Rushin told me, “including in Wesley Chapel, but the market is tough. We need 1,400 to no more than 2,000 square feet.” 

So, go give H&H Bagels a shot. You’ll put a smile on Jay’s face — and on Kramer’s! For more info, visit HHBagels.com or call (813) 214-7010. You also can order pickup from Grubhub, Seamless, DoorDash, Postmates or Uber Eats. — GN

Try The Fresh Flavors At Kini’s Home Style Icecream On E. Fowler Ave.!

Photos by Charmaine George

If you’re looking for fresh ice cream with everything from exotic fruit flavors, — like mango, custard apple and jackfruit — to traditional favorites like Oreo Delight and even vegan options, you should definitely take a ride down to E. Fowler Ave., a few blocks west of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., to try Kini’s Home Style Icecream. 

Owners and Wesley Chapel residents Srinivas and Gauri Kini make all of their tasty ice cream flavors (there’s always about a dozen available at any time) right in their small store. Srinivas, who prefers to be called Kini, says that Gauri’s family back in India (they are both from Mumbai) was in the ice cream business and when she started making ice cream at home, many of their friends and neighbors told them they had to open a store. 

They started bringing their uniquely creamy creations to local farmer’s markets, including the twice-a-month Fresh Markets at the Shops at Wiregrass. 

“But, even though we make our ice cream in small batches, we realized we needed a commercial kitchen,” Gauri says, adding that they first started renting time at a commercial kitchen before looking for a small space where they could put an ice cream machine — and, about six months ago, Kini’s Home Style Icecream was born. 

Even though I’ve never really been a fan of most fruit-flavored ice cream other than banana and maybe peach, Kini and Gauri had photographer Charmaine George and I sample every flavor in the shop, including rose petal pistachio and Kesar Pista (saffron pistachio), Kaju Draksha (cashew raisin) and Shahi Anjeer (“royal fig”), all of which Charmaine loved, plus Sapota/ Chikoo, an evergreen fruit in India which tasted a little like caramel. 

I was surprised at how much I liked the custard apple, which wasn’t custard made from apple, as I expected, but an actual type of apple the “meat” of which has a consistency a little like custard. Neither Charmaine nor I could really tell a difference between the regular and vegan mango flavors. There’s also a tasty vegan Nutty Delight, with almonds, cashews, pistachio and fig. 

My favorites were the Oreo Delight, the bold espresso-flavored Coffee Walnut and the Chocobite, a creamy chocolate ice cream with chunky bits of chocolate. 

Other rotating flavors include Matcha Green Tea, Pink Guava, Blueberry, Honey Lavender, Chai Biscuit, Tender Coconut, Mango Passion Fruit, Vegan Pina Colada and Vegan Strawberry. All of the flavors are available in cups, cones and sundaes and four to-go sizes. There’s also a To-Go case (right) with a variety of pre-packed pints. 

Gauri says you also can always call the store to find out what flavors are available when you plan to come in and you can even request flavors you want if they aren’t available when you do visit. 

“We make fresh ice cream every day using only top-quality, real ingredients, with no artificial flavors or colors,” Gauri says. “Our customers tell us they can really taste the difference.” 

All I can add to that is that you definitely should sample flavors you wouldn’t normally order. You just might end up being surprised! 

Kini’s Home Style Icecream (2017 E. Fowler Ave.) is open Mon.-Fri., 4 p.m.-9 p.m., and noon-9 p.m. on Sat. & Sun. For info, call (813) 728-8430 or visit KinisIceCream.store. 

Spotlight On The Middle Place Accounting & Clean-it!

Donna Ray of The Middle Place (photo provided by Donna Ray) 
The Middle Place Accounting 

Donna Ray, the owner of The Middle Place Accounting & Consulting Services, and I have a friend in common — Paula Nuñez, the owner of the Tampa City Dance Center and the founder of the Tampa City Ballet. 

“I used to be the executive director of Tampa City Ballet,” Donna says, “and they are currently still one of my clients. I still handle their bookkeeping and accounting.” 

Donna says she first launched The Middle Place during the pandemic, “while I was still the executive director of the ballet, because I have two children and their school was closed, so I needed to home school them and work from home. I also was taking care of my father, who has since passed away, so it just made sense to be as independent as I could be based on the needs of my family.” 

She adds, “I sent out a big email blast at that time to people I’ve known around the Tampa Bay area for a very long time that my services were available and that seemed to be all that it took.” 

The idea for her company didn’t just come out of nowhere, however. Donna has a total of 30 years of experience working in accounting. 

After a decade of working in the Cayman Islands as an IT director with Cox Lumber Co. and Senior Accounting and later as project manager with Fidelity Group of Companies, she returned to the U.S., which was still recovering from the financial crash of 2008. She enrolled at the University of South Florida and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Women’s and Gender Studies. 

After that, Donna says, “I found myself working for nonprofits for the first time. I accepted a job at the Helen Gordon Davis Center for Women as director of the Women’s Business Center in Hyde Park, where I worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs at all levels of experience and with a variety of needs — from writing business plans and building financial projections to accessing capital. That’s where the Tampa City Ballet found me.” Both nonprofits also extended Donna’s skills with grant writing, reporting and building relationships with community stakeholders and corporate partners, as well as with city, county, state and federal funding authorities. 

She adds that since then, she has served, “a lot of female entrepreneurs, helping them either launch or with their business. But, my focus was on finance and accounting, and that was sort of my specialty, helping people build business plans, financial statements and projections.” 

A Diverse Range Of Experience 

She brings all of that experience with her to The Middle Place, “and I’ve been really lucky because I have a wide variety of clients. Some are in for-profit industries, some are nonprofit. I also work with a law firm and some retail companies.” 

Donna says she provides a professional level of service that goes beyond just bookkeeping. 

“I focus a lot on software implementation,” she says. “One nonprofit contract [I have] right now was implementing seven different unique technology stacks for them, and implementing Quickbooks Online and payroll and basically automating their entire organization.” 

Originally from Chicago, Donna moved to the Tampa Bay area in the 1980s. She grew up as an aspiring young dancer, “but I had a very practical father who said, ‘If you break your leg, you need to have a backup.’ So as a teenager, she started out in business administration and, at age 19, as a legal secretary at a law firm in Clearwater. 

While her extensive professional career was focused on accounting, IT, project and nonprofit management, Donna continued to study and dance with a local Tampa dance company and also performed with the Cayman Islands National Dance Company, where she also taught ballet and Gyrokinesis, a movement therapy specifically designed for dancers. After returning to Florida, she taught at the Patel Conservatory for Next Generation Ballet summer program. 

Donna was thrilled when Paula Nuñez approached her needing help for the Tampa City Ballet. “I thought, ‘This is a perfect opportunity to work in an industry I love and provide my business expertise to help TCB grow and to help professional dancers in Tampa,’” she says. 

She also works with Diaz Shafer, P.A. an immigration law firm in Tampa that was on Quickbooks Desktop but wanted to switch to Quickbooks Online, “so I did that for them.” 

Donna also has done contract work for Davis College in Rwanda, Africa, as well as for Drong Ngur Jangchubling, a Tibetan Buddhist Center in Wesley Chapel, and Skate Park of Tampa: She’s also the Board treasurer of Dance Tampa Bay, led by Shana Corrada, E.D. 

Donna provides full-service monthly accounting services for businesses of all sizes and industries, including payroll, sales tax filing and software integrations. “A lot of clients first come to me to handle their bookkeeping,” Donna says, “But I also do software implementation, financial projections and can help you grow your business by offering financial advice from a unique perspective. For more info, call (813) 391-6890 or visit TheMiddlePlace.com.—GN 

Celly De Freitas Of Clean-It! 
Photos by Charmaine George

Clean-it owner Celly de Freitas has been cleaning homes and businesses in the New Tampa, Wesley Chapel and surrounding areas for the last 26 years. 

But, she says, that wasn’t always the plan. She was a teacher in her native country of Brazil and planned to continue that career when Celly and her husband, RogĂ©rio Buchner de Freitas, moved to the Tampa Bay area, “but it was very hard for me to go to college (USF) here, because I didn’t speak English as well then as I do now,” she says. “I ended up leaving USF to go to school for the skin care business.” 

In order to help pay for that schooling, she started cleaning houses and, even though she did end up opening a skincare spa, “I was making a lot more money cleaning houses, so I let the spa go after about two years,” Celly (above left) says. 

Today, not only does this Wesley Chapel resident speak and understand English (as well as Spanish, Italian and her native Portuguese) fluently — despite still having a fairly thick accent — she has a team of twelve Brazilian women working with her, all of whom also speak and understand English, Spanish and Portuguese. 

“I tell everyone who works for me that they have to be able to communicate with clients in English,” Celly says. “You have to be able to understand what the clients want and do whatever they ask when it comes to cleaning their homes.” 

She says she usually uses a “team” approach, sending at least two and sometimes three members of her team to each job. “It’s much more efficient this way,” she says. “We can clean a lot more places when we work together.” 

Celly, who has been an American citizen for about 20 years, isn’t usually actually working with the teams — she’s the one coordinating the schedules and checking up on all of her employees to make sure they are getting to each location on time (and calling or texting the clients when one of “my girls” is running late). “But, when I have someone out sick or they’re stuck someplace, I will still go and help out,” she says. “And, I try to be as flexible as possible when a client needs to change their schedule, too.” 

The Covid-19 pandemic definitely took a toll on Celly’s business, but says she was able to survive because she received a PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) loan from the government, “and continued to pay all of my employees who didn’t go back to Brazil, even though they weren’t able to work for several months. Without that money, I might have lost all of my clients.” 

Clean-it offers (and is licensed to provide) residential and commercial (“We are licensed to do medical and dental clinics, but not hospitals,” Celly says) cleaning services, including monthly, bi-weekly and weekly services, one-time cleans and move-in and move-out cleans. “We have amazing references, too.,” she says. 

Most of Clean-it’s clients are in Wesley Chapel, New Tampa, Lutz and Land O’Lakes, she says, “but we do travel a little further for some clients, especially those one-time cleaning clients.” 

She adds, “We really specialize in those move-in cleans. We usually end up getting the [new homeowners] as clients because we do such a great job.” 

For more information about Clean-it and/or a free job quote, call (813) 505-0431. — GNÂ