Whether or not you think you’re craving Caribbean-American cuisine, you should definitely visit the new Tallo (pronounced “Tie-yo”) Restaurant, located in Downtown Avalon Park at 4424 Friendly Way, Ste 105 (next to the also-new Rudraksh Indian Cuisine). Owners Ramon and Kelvin and Chef Juan Soto invite you to enjoy a unique (especially for Wesley Chapel!) dining experience that blends the rich, flavorful traditions of Caribbean cooking and American cuisine, plus great craft cocktails, all in a beautiful, elegant setting.
Tallo’s public Grand Opening is this afternoon at 6 p.m., but the Neighborhood News team already has sampled quite a few delicious items from the restaurant’s “soft opening” menu, including the Asian “pig wings” (bone-in, glazed pork riblets), short rib dumplings, chicken skewers, the “Cuatro Carnes” (four meats) flatbread, the pistachio pesto bucatini pasta, pan-seared salmon and perhaps the best lemon “airline” chicken (a boneless breast with the wing bone attached), with garlic broccolini, I’ve ever tasted.
The public ribbon-cutting and Grand Opening are at 6 p.m. today. But, whether you make it to that event or not, you owe it to yourself to give the delicious new Tallo a try!
For reservations (which are definitely suggested) and more info, call (813) 355-3603, visit TalloRestaurant.com or “@Tallo_Resturant” on Instagram. Also, look for a more complete update about Tallo in the May 27 New Tampa and June 10 Wesley Chapel editions of Neighborhood News!
Owners David Calcador and Deborah Curler invite you to try all of their newest products at Your CBD Store of New Tampa, located in the Pebble Creek Collection, just south of Wesley Chapel. (Photos by Charmaine George)
David Calcador and Deborah Curler own Your CBD Store of New Tampa, a franchised location of the national chain, located less than a mile south of the Pasco County line in the Pebble Creek Collection on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd.
The first Your CBD Store was opened in Bradenton in 2018, and the husband-and-wife team of David and Deborah opened their store just a year later, in 2019.
Now, Your CBD Store is the largest brick-and-mortar CBD chain in the U.S., with more than 600 stores, selling its proprietary Sunmed products, which is a premium, hemp-based line of wellness products tested locally for quality.
Deborah and David are quick to emphasize that they’re not a smoke shop or a cannabis dispensary, but a wellness resource offering solutions to many health problems.
CBD, or cannabidiol, is one of more than 100 cannabinoids that grow on cannabis, of which both hemp and marijuana are varieties. CBD originates from hemp, but contains less than 0.3% of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is the ingredient that causes a “high,” while marijuana has much higher levels of THC.
Most of the products at Your CBD Store of New Tampa are offered as “full spectrum,” which are generally stronger but still contain no more than the legal limit of 0.3% THC, and “broad spectrum,” which have no THC at all.
“CBD can help you with what’s going on in your body,” explains Deborah. “From chronic pain to anxiety, there are so many things it can do for someone.”
CBD comes in both flavored and flavorless tinctures, oils, pills, gummies, weight-loss products, as well as a skincare line, bath bombs, lotions, massage oils, pain creams and even products for dogs and cats.
Deborah and David say that they love educating their customers and clearing up misinformation about CBD. Their CBD products won’t get you high, aren’t illegal, won’t make you impaired and you don’t need a medical cannabis card to purchase them.
Deborah explains that all Sunmed products have a QR code on them that anyone can scan to see detailed information, from where the hemp was grown that was used to make the product (Deborah says the hemp used in her store’s products are all from Oregon and Colorado) to a lab report that explains exactly what’s in the product, as tested by a third party, to ensure quality and safety standards.
New Products
Deborah shares that the store is always offering new products, in addition to the staples they’ve had for years.
For example, full-spectrum water soluble CBD has been available in 900 mg and 1,800 mg versions, but is now also available in 2,700 mg and 5,400 mg, too. Deborah says these products are great for stress, anxiety and panic attacks, as well as general health and wellness.
“Neuro is a special blend for neurological issues and is CBG-enriched for fighting inflammation,” Deborah says. (Note-CBG is another non-psychoactive cannabinoid that also is known as “the mother of cannabinoids.”)
For longer-lasting effects for pain relief, Deborah says tinctures provide up to 10 hours of pain relief and are available in 1,000 mg, 2,000 mg and 3,000 mg.
Your CBD store also offers topical creams, sprays, gels and roll-ons for isolated pain.
The store recently added Nowadays, which is an adult beverage that gives a buzz without a hangover, and Xite Delta 9 milk chocolate and dark chocolate candies and popcorn.
Your CBD Store also carries a variety of edibles such as anytime gummies, all-in-one mushroom gummies, and super greens daily gummies, which help to support daily well-being.
Products For Pets, Too
If your pet suffers from separation anxiety or skin “hot spots,” Your CBD Store of New Tampa has an all-natural product that may help.
A variety of pet products to help dogs and cats also are available at Your CBD Store.
For example, Chillen is a pet treat that can help with issues such as separation anxiety or to help pets relax during fireworks, travel, or any stressful situation.
Other products include a probiotic blend that helps with potty issues, a treat that provides allergy relief, including skin support for pets that experience skin “hot spots,” and Movin’ Easy, which helps pets with joint pain.
“All pet treats are formulated by veterinarians,” Deborah explains.
Amazing Reviews
Deborah and David are proud of their store’s Google reviews, which average 4.9 stars out of 5, based on nearly 200 reviews.
“If you look at our reviews,” Deborah says, “you’ll see people love the products and that they’re changing lives.”
Recently, Florencia Stewart visited the New Tampa store and shared her experience in a 5-star Google review.
“I want to thank the owner! She is amazing,” Florencia writes. “I took my mom to get CBD and [Deborah] was extremely helpful, very patient, and explained everything to us. My mom is pain free!”
She goes on to write, “We love this store! All I can say is thank you, thank you!!! My mom has been able to sleep!”
Other recent reviews cite “exceptional customer service” and say that Deborah and David are both “extremely knowledgeable.”
Whenever you make a purchase, you’ll receive a card you can bring back on the third Saturday of the month to receive a prize. Every card is a winner, whether it’s an additional discount, a free item, or up to a year’s worth of CBD!
If you’re age 55 or older, Your CBD Store offers a 15% discount on all of your purchases, but on Mondays only. And, free local delivery or free shipping is always available for orders over $100.
Your CBD Store of New Tampa is located at 19651 BBD Blvd., Suite B-1. It is open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and 1 p.m.– 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call (813) 994-0599 or visit GetSunMed.com.
The 13,000-Square-Foot, Freestanding Emergency Room Celebrates Its Grand Opening With A Huge, Free Community Event
With Wesley Chapel already known as the largest health care “hub” in Pasco County — with two hospitals open, two or three more (one pediatric) on the way, two major cancer centers, a mental health facility, an assisted living facility with an on-site rehab center and another rehab center under construction — one of the few facilities Wesley Chapel didn’t have was a freestanding emergency room (ER).
Well, you can scratch that one off your list, too, as the AdventHealth Meadow Pointe ER (AHMP ER) celebrated its Grand Opening with a free community event on Apr. 27. The 13,000-sq.- ft. ER opened to the public two days later.
I wondered why an ER in Wesley Chapel is a service of AdventHealth Zephyrhills and not the Wesley Chapel hospital, but I was told, “AdventHealth recognizes the growth happening in East Pasco, and while [AHMP ER] is a department of AdventHealth Zephyrhills, patients will have access to our large network of care in Pasco County and beyond.”
Jannah, photographer Charmaine George and I were proud to be on-hand for the VIP preview, attended by about 100 people, of the new AdventHealth Meadow Pointe Emergency Room (AHMP ER) on Apr. 24, three days before the community Grand Opening event and five days before the AHMP ER actually opened on Apr. 29.
With beautiful food provided by CBK Catering & Events, the VIP preview was hosted by AdventHealth Zephyrhills (AHZ) president and chief executive officer (CEO) Mike Murrill, who first thanked everyone involved with the planning, building and opening of the new ER, including his AHZ chief operating officer William Villegas, as well as the AdventHealth Office of Design & Construction, HuntonBrady Architects, Kimley-Horn Civil Engineering, the project’s general contractor Robins & Morton, as well as the AdventHealth West Florida division executive team, “including my boss, Jennifer Wandersleben (regional CEO for the West Florida Division).”
Murrill also noted that, “Pasco County is growing very rapidly and this is just a testament to our commitment at AdventHealth to grow alongside East Pasco County. This ER is a step in that direction to provide convenient, high-quality clinical care to emergency care to our communities. This freestanding ER is 13,000-sq.-ft., with 12 patient beds, two triage rooms, plus imaging and lab services, as well as a pediatric-friendly room “designed to take care of our littlest of patients. All of these elements help us meet the needs of the expanding community we call home.”
Murrill also introduced Dr. Javier Gonzalez, the Meadow Pointe ER medical director and chief of staff at AHZ.
“The new Meadow Pointe ER joins our eight other freestanding ERs in the Tampa Bay area and our fifth such location in Pasco County,” Dr. Gonzalez said. “This magnificent medical facility is another testimony to AdventHealth’s unwavering commitment to health services, coverage and quality in our communities. Our ER consists of highly skilled and experienced health care professionals dedicated to providing exceptional medical care. We also have an extensive and dedicated EMS fleet of 25 ambulances and th AdventHealth Air Star One medical helicopter dedicated to critical patient transport across the region.”
Dr. Gonzalez then introduced Shawn Whited, the operations chief of Pasco County Fire Rescue (PCFR), who said, “For us in the fire service, this is more than just a new building. It’s a symbol of something deeper — a partnership, progress and purpose. Our job as firefighters and paramedics often begins in the most critical moments. Our goal is always the same — preserve life, provide care, and get them safely to the next level of treatment. That’s where AdventHealth comes in. This hospital is more than just a destination as an extension of the care we give in the field. The relationship we have with AdventHealth is one built on trust, coordination, and a shared mission to serve our community with compassion and excellence. We train together, plan together and starting today, we will continue to respond together with greater speed, better tools and renewed commitment to every life that depends on us.”
Whited closed with, “On behalf of the men and women of Pascal County Fire Rescue, I want to say thank you to Advent Health, to the leadership and the staff of this fine hospital and everyone who made this facility reality.
We look forward to working side by side with you, strengthening in the partnership and delivering the best emergency care possible to our community. Congratulations on this incredible milestone. And welcome to the neighborhood.”
The final two speakers before the tour of the AHMP ER began were Mallory Davis, the director of emergency services for AHZ and Andres Sequera, AHZ’s director of mission & ministry, who led those in attendance in a prayer for the new ER and those who are now working there.
Davis said, “Over the past several months, our staff has undergone extensive training to prepare for the opening of this new location, and we are excited to officially begin starting our community next week. AdventHealth has invested $26 million into this off-site ER. We will open on Tuesday (Apr. 290 with 30 full-time employees. We are grateful the opportunity for to broaden our footprint in Paso County and bring a higher level of care. I’m so proud to work alongside great colleagues, including my CEO colleagues in Pasco County, Shane Bedward from Dade City and Ryan Quattlebaum at AdventHealth Wesley Chapel. We work well together to serve Pasco County as a team and as a network of care.”
Three days after the VIP Preview event, AHMP ER hosted an amazing, free event to show off the new ER to the local community.
Despite temperatures that soared well above 90º, an estimated crowd of more than 1,000 people came to enjoy free food and beverages, provided by four hard-working food trucks, free pick-your-own bouquets of absolutely gorgeous flowers from Tampa Bay Posies (left), free fresh fruits and veggies from the AdventHealth “Farm-acy” (which Murrill himself helped give out), face painting, music provided by Miles DJ Productions, and of course, tours of the new AHMP ER.
It was clear that even though AdventHealth did its usual great job of engaging the community, the organizers of the event seriously underestimated the number of people who would show up.
During the celebration’s check-in (photo right), attendees were each given a punch card that entitled them to one free entrée with side dishes and a drink from either The Taco Boss (below left) or the Tampa Burger Company, one free dessert item from either Nikki’s Sweet Shop or Pineapple Express and a free bucket of lemonade, plus the flowers and the produce.
“We printed 450 cards,” said Katie Duncan, the senior marketing manager for AHZ and AdventHealth Dade City (AHDC). “And we ran out of the cards by 2 p.m. (an hour after the three-hour event began).” Attendees could still get the items promised without the cards, but both The Taco Boss and especially, Tampa Burger Co., had long lines throughout the afternoon and ran out of some of their food items.
Those lines probably also prevented folks (including yours truly) from getting off them to participate in the public ribbon-cutting, which ended up including only Murrill, Davis, AHZ COO William Villegas and Stephen Drake, director of business development for AHZ & AHDC.
“The place is beautiful,” one attendee told me after taking the tour. “But I gotta go get some ice cream and lemonade.”
The AHMP ER is located at 5170 Chapel Commerce Dr. For more info visit MeadowPointeER.com. But, of course, in any emergency, call 9-1-1.
Although Rita’s Italian Ice has been open for a few months now, the first full-service restaurant to open in Downtown Avalon Park Wesley Chapel is Rudraksh (pronounced “Rude-rosh”) Indian Cuisine (4424 Friendly Way, Suite 115), which has really impressed me with its tasty, not overly spicy, different-than-other-local-Indian-places food.
First of all, while I didn’t leave room on these pages for photos of the restaurant, which primarily specializes in Northern Indian cuisine, the place is beautiful, bigger than it looks from the outside and has a spacious, elegant bar area with craft cocktails like a chai tea martini. There’s even a very solid Varchas bourbon-style Indian whiskey.
Rudraksh owners Amit Ghorpade and Manashi Boruah, who also own Rasoi Indian Cuisine in Ybor City, offer diners delicious, authentic food at very fair prices.
For starters, Jannah and I got to sample the first cheese naan bread (at left in above left picture) ever served at Rudraksh. It was thicker than some naans we’ve had and the best compliment I can give it is that Jannah wanted me to bring more of it home when photographer Charmaine George and I went back for a second visit. The potato-&-green-pea-filled samosas (next to the naan) have a spicy kick. And, Charmaine says the Mumbai coastal-style fried Shrimp Koliwada (right) was excellent and not as spicy as she expected. Mine and Jannah’s favorite appetizer so far is the Lehsoni Gobi (top photo) — amazing crispy cauliflower with garlic sauce.
For you vegetarians, Rudraksh manager Dee, who isn’t from India, recommended we try the Malai Kofta (left), which are chewy cheese-&-veggie dumplings in a creamy, light tomato-soup-like sauce. Good choice, Dee!
But of course, I couldn’t walk away from Rudraksh without sampling the perfectly spiced rack of lamb-style lamb chops (bottom photo), which are marinated in fresh ginger, yogurt and Masala and cooked in a clay Tandoori oven. So good. We’ll all definitely be back!
Rudraksh is open every day for lunch (at 11:30 a.m.) & dinner, but closes every day from 2:30 p.m.-5 p.m. For more info, call (813) 355- 3914 or visit RudrakshIndianCuisine.com.
We’re also excited that the Latin Tallo Restaurant & Bar, which looks absolutely gorgeous inside & out, is expected to open next to Rudraksh on May 15! — GN; photos by GN & CG
When someone like Frank Gouveia — the owner of The Grill at Morris Bridge, one of the most popular independent restaurants in New Tampa — tells you that he found a new chef he thinks is the “best I’ve had yet. Please come by and check him out!,” it’s almost impossible for someone like me to resist.
But, Frank is right. New Chef Michael Touranjoe (left) is bringing a unique creativity and panache to The Grill’s already impressive menu and he doesn’t plan to stop revamping and adding new menu items… basically ever!
“Once I create something new, I have a tendency to get bored repeating the same dishes all the time,” Chef Mike says. “I’m like, ‘I’ve done that. What’s next?’”
Still only in his 30s, Chef Mike still somehow has nearly 20 years of experience in the restaurant business. He has “worked everything from short-order to 3 Michelin star restaurants, Asian to Italian, and pizza to sushi to make myself well-rounded.”
He has been a sous chef under Chef/owner Jeannie Pierola at her Counter Culture and Edison: Food + Drank Lab restaurants in South Tampa, and an Executive Chef/trainer for American Cruise Lines.
“He walked in here to try the place,” Frank says, “and walked out as my new Head Chef!”
Among the new menu items he’s added to the regular and Bar Bites menus at The Grill include mushroom arancini (balls of crispy fried risotto topped with tomato mayo and sherry aioli); crispy grouper bites with a zesty Old Bay remoulade; pork Milanese (breaded and fried pork cutlet, topped with arugula, pickled red onions, tomatoes, shaved parmesan and grilled lemon); seared Florida grouper atop goat cheese and pea risotto and a confit of baby vegetables; plus homestyle meatloaf on a bed of cheddar whipped potatoes, haricot verts and topped with caramelized onion jus; and my current favorite — the baked rigatoni with spicy Italian sausage, sweet peas, creamy marinara, fresh mozzarella and herbs. All of these new menu items are shown on this page and were absolutely delicious.
The right photo is the new (and yummy) chicken Marsala (sautéed chicken breast, haricot verts, button mushrooms, Marsala wine and thyme butter sauce atop mashed potatoes).
Chef Mike also is bringing a new energy to The Grill’s already-popular wine dinners. The event on Apr. 2 featured the pork loin roulade with sweet cornbread & spinach stuffing, corn basil cream and candied pecans as well as the mole marinated hangar steak with gorgonzola whipped potatoes, grilled asparagus, lemon zest and herb beurre blanc shown on the next page. The hangar steak had a nice exterior crusting and was super-tender and absolutely delectable. We rarely save room for dessert, but I loved the salted caramel cheesecake shown below, too!
We didn’t attend that Stags’ Leap wine dinner on Apr. 2 but Chef Mike included all of the dishes served that night, including his rigatoni Bolognese — which our friend and long-time Tampa Palms resident and The Grill regular Mike Wallace said was “Awesome”— among his new weekly Chef’s Specials.
The Wine Dinner We Did Attend!
Jannah and I (and Jannah’s mom Carolyn) attended The Grill’s most recent wine dinner, which was held on Apr. 30 and featured a “reception” sparkling wine, plus three Wilson Daniels Italian wines and a Hungarian dessert wine, each paired with a delicious dish (see below).
The event was hosted by Frank, Chef Mike and Craig Leslie, the North Florida area manager for Wilson Daniels, who described each of the wines as attendees sampled each course of the outstanding meal, first starting with a Bisol Jeio brut Prosecco “reception” wine, followed by a local Solena burrata with strawberries, assorted roasted beets (which I don’t usually like, but were quite tasty), rhubarb jam, crispy shallots and arugula, paired with a crisp Elena Watch Pinot Grigio that had just enough sweetness for Jannah and Carolyn to enjoy it, too.
I couldn’t sample the actual second course — a grilled shrimp bucatini pasta puttanesca (right photo) paired with a Volpaia Chianti Classico — but Jannah said it was “amazing.” And, Chef Mike substituted the baked rigatoni at the top of the previous page for me and Carolyn, who called the dish “absolutely to die for.” I also loved the chianti so much, I ordered two bottles of it (and two bottles of the prosecco).
The third course — a parmesan-dusted grilled petit filet mignon (topped with a Super- Tuscan demi-glace) was served with smashed fingerling potatoes and garlic broccoli rabe with semi-spicy Italian sausage — was paired with a Sette Cieli Yantra Super Tuscan red wine. The steak was “like butter” and the bitter broccoli rabe (one of my favorite veggies) was softened nicely by the sausage and garlic.
And finally, the dessert was a mascarpone-filled tartlet with fresh raspberries, lemon, chocolate, basil and pistachio dust paired with a properly “syrupy” Royal Tokaji ice wine-like dessert wine from Hungary. So good!
Frank hasn’t yet announced when the next wine dinner will be held, but once he does, you should definitely sign up for it!
And, Frank says that all three pre-dessert courses will likely end up soon on Chef Mike’s weekly Chef’s Specials, which means that you will probably still have a chance to sample them if you didn’t attend the wine dinner.
And, by the way, Chef Mike also was featured on a Season 4 episode of The Food Network’s “Chopped” (he’s 2nd from the left in the below photo) back in 2019, entitled “Beef Cake Mistakes.” But, he ended up getting “Chopped” (meaning he didn’t win the competition). In fact, he says, “I didn’t get “Chopped,” I got hammered,’ but it was still a great experience for me.”
And yes, The Grill still has outstanding craft cocktails, the most extensive wine list in New Tampa, a great bar vibe, as well as its famous bar pizza and many of the other items that have been on the menu since before Chef Mike arrived.
The Grill at Morris Bridge is located at 10920 Cross Creek Blvd. (next to Publix). It is open for dinner only on Mon. (5 p.m.-9 p.m.); lunch & dinner on Tues. & Wed. (11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.); 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. on Thur. & Fri. & 11 a.m.-10 p.m. on Sat. For more info visit TheGrillatMorrisBridge.com or call (813) 388-5353!
