Attorney Ron Weaver Talks…Nudists? 

Retired land use & zoning attorney Ron Weaver (with mic in above photo), formerly with the Tampa-based firm of Stearns Weaver Miller, was the featured speaker at the Aug. 5 North Tampa Bay Chamber Business Breakfast held at Pasco Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch. 

Weaver, showed off his encyclopedic knowledge of how both Hillsborough and Pasco counties developed. He began his presentation with an attention-grabbing look at some of the famous Tampa Bay-area “nudists,” because, he said, “Since 1941, we have been the nudist capital of the world.” He mentioned actress Lauren Hutton, actor Channing Tatum and pro wrestler/ actor John Cena, all of whom have done nude scenes on film, as among our area’s nudists. 

Weaver also talked about how both Hillsborough and Pasco counties were named for British citizens. Wills Hill, the 1st Earl of (or “Lord”) Hillsborough, who was the Secretary of State for the Colonies prior to the American Revolution, which Weaver said Lord Hillsborough caused by ignoring the protests of the Colonists. 

More than 100 years later, Samuel Pasco, who also was born in London but attended Harvard University across the pond, was recruited to help expand education opportunities in north Florida and ended up having a county spun off from Hernando County named for him after he served as Florida’s Speaker of the House. — GN 

Recapping The Hyatt Place’s ‘Jingle Mingle’ 

A lot of local businesses offer “Christmas in July” events, but very few that I’ve been to can match the free “Jingle Mingle” event hosted by the Hyatt Place Tampa-Wesley Chapel hotel (located at 26000 Sierra Center Blvd., just north and west of the S.R. 56 exit off I-75, Lutz) on July 31. 

Sure, lots of places have had Santa Claus himself (bottom photo) on hand and available for free pictures at their events, and some may even have had some free food available, but the Hyatt Place management saw this as an opportunity to introduce the local community to the beautiful ballroom and delicious catering available at the hotel — in case you or someone you know wants to host a holiday event there. 

Among the tasty treats served at the Jingle Mingle were small, plated samples of holiday-inspired dishes — like grilled orange salmon on a bed of tasty rice with fresh asparagus (top), oven-roasted chicken with house-made cranberry sauce and an addictive sweet potato mash and braised short ribs with red wine sauce, accompanied by a baby carrot medley and mashed potatoes. And, all of them were actually as appealing to the palette as they were to the eyes. 

But of course, for yours truly, the highlight was the full-on s’mores station (above left), complete with graham crackers, Hershey’s chocolate bars and your choice of mini or huge marshmallows, plus skewers and “hot flames” to toast those marshmallows. Absolutely decadent! 

Each adult attendee also received a ticket for a free holiday-themed cocktail (e.g., a “White Christmas Margarita,” “Tipsy Reindeer” and more), plus vendors like Florida Ave. Brewing Co. and Thirsty Buffalo gave away free beer samples. And, PopStroke, Main Event and Metro Lagoons were on hand, and there was a free photo booth, other desserts and more. 

The event also helped remind attendees that the hotel also will again host a full-on Thanksgiving buffet and this year, a New Year’s Eve gala that hotel director of sales Lorna Petchey promises will not be cancelled this time. 

For more information about the Hyatt Place, call (813) 803-5600, visit Hyatt.com or email Lorna.Petchey@Hyatt.com to book your own holiday party ASAP. — GN

OddFellows Ice Cream To Open!

It had been a while since I had been to the twice-monthly Fresh Market at Wiregrass, but I decided to visit again when I saw the announcement that the not-yet-open OddFellows Ice Cream was going to be on hand at the July 19 Fresh Market, serving samples of ice cream that I had never heard of before. What do you expect from a true ice cream lover?
Well, OddFellows — which currently has four locations in New York City, where brand founder and co-owner Mohan Kumar lives, plus one in Pittsburgh, one in Woodlands, TX, four in South Korea and one in Tampa’s Hyde Park Village — definitely offers a unique and creamy twist on traditional ice cream. 


There are nine “Classic” flavors (like cookies & cream and the option I can’t wait to try, peanut butter s’mores), plus “Limited Time” flavors, like vanilla blackberry blondie, matcha strawberry, banoffee pie, miso peanut butter brownie and the Brooklyn blackout and mango sticky rice flavors Charmaine and I sampled that day — and they both had delightfully different tastes. There’s also vegan options for those of you who insist.


OddFellows’ Ian Heim (at right in photo above) didn’t know exactly when the shop will open in Wiregrass, but he said it’s expected to be by the end of this month. Keep checking our “Neighborhood News” Facebook page for updates. 
When it opens in Wiregrass, OddFellows will be located at 2001 Piazza Ave., Suite 125, next to The Living Room. For more info, visit OddFellowsIceCream.com

Haraz Coffee Coming Soon?!

I was excited to see a sign posted next to Fine Ink Studios (the former location of Pinot’s Palette) that Haraz Coffee House was “Brewing Soon” at 1722 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., in the Publix-anchored Shoppes at New Tampa of Wesley Chapel plaza. 

I’ll admit that I’d never heard of Haraz before, but any coffee shop that isn’t Starbucks that opens in our area is definitely worth a try and Haraz’s website says that the brand and founder Hamzah Nasser are “on a mission to share the rich heritage of Yemeni coffee with the world. By sourcing the finest beans and honoring traditional craftsmanship, we bring the bold, authentic flavors of Yemen to every cup. As we expand across the U.S., we’re committed to creating unforgettable coffee experiences that connect communities and celebrate culture.” 

Since starting off in Detroit in 2021, Haraz has grown to 31 locations in 13 states (with the closest one to us, and the only one in Florida, in Orlando), with 185 more “in the pipeline.” 

Whether you like traditional lattes or cappuccinos or prefer Turkish, Saudi, French Press or cold brew coffee, or even coffee with cardamom, ginger or other spices, Haraz has got you covered. 

There’s also hot chocolate, green and matcha tea and pistachio and saffron lattes. Haraz also features milk cakes, cheesecake & cinnamon rolls, and sells items like coffeemakers and bulk coffee. 

I called the Orlando location but they said the Wesley Chapel shop is owned by another franchisee, so they had no idea when our Haraz is expected to open. Of course, we’ll keep you posted, both in these pages and on our Facebook page. 

For more information, visit HarazCoffeeHouse.com. — GN 

Double Branch Artisanal Ales’ New Owner!

When I read on Facebook that Double Branch Artisanal Ales, located at 5956 Wesley Grove Blvd. in  The Village at The Grove, was under new ownership, I was excited to meet the new owner and learn about his plans for the place — even though I’ve never been a big beer drinker.

Well, after meeting the new owner, who goes by Dee (shown here with his friendly bartender/team member Jenna), and seeing how he’s already opened up Double Branch’s interior, including creating a window into the sizable working brewery, added more TVs (including a 190” projection screen) and upgraded the entire look of the place, I have to say that Dee is on the right track.

He’s also added several more beer taps (with a rotating selection of excellent craft beers and “a new commitment to sustainable brewing practices”), with live entertainment, trivia nights, brewery tours and fun community events all coming up soon. 

Dee also says that although you can bring in food from The Grove’s restaurants and enjoy them with his tasty beers, seltzers, ciders and white, red and rose wines on tap, he plans to bring in “maybe 20-30 total items” from Falabella Family Bistro across the way sometime in the future. In the meantime, he also plans to host a Grand Opening event sometime later this month, but had not yet announced it as we went to press with this issue, so check our “Neighborhood News” Facebook page for that announcement soon.

For more info about Double Branch Artisanal Ales, which is open every day except Monday (although Dee says he does plan to open Mondays for Monday Night Football games), call (813) 492-880 or visit DoubleBranch.beer — and please tell Dee I sent you!Â