Category: Business

Team Bohannon Opens Keller Williams Office

The Keller Williams office of Team Bohannon (l. to r. Dale, Doug & Annette Bohannon, Kyle Williams & Kevin Mize; not pictured are Janneth Santana & Janie Targington) is located in Seven Oaks, off BBD.

By Gary Nager

Congratulations go out to Team Bohannon, the office of the husband-wife-&-son team of Realtors Doug, Annette and Dale Bohannon and their buyer consultants Kyle Williams, Kevin Mize and Janneth Santana and seller consultant Janie Targington.

Team Bohannon had been based at the Coldwell Banker office in the New Tampa Center shopping plaza for the past 18 years, but always had its own staff under the Coldwell Banker umbrella. Now, Doug, Annette, Dale & Co. have opened their own Keller Williams office at 3902 Flatiron Loop, in the professional plaza adjacent to Bright Horizons Childrens Center of Seven Oaks off BBD at Mystic Oak Dr.Continue reading

Sunset Funeral Home & Gardens: A Peaceful Place To Be Laid To Rest

Sunset Funeral Home & Memory Gardens is located on 60 acres off U.S. Hwy. 301 in Thonotosassa, only 20-30 minutes from most of Wesley Chapel.

By Matt Wiley

Planning for your own death — or the death of a loved one — can be an emotionally overwhelming task, especially without proper planning. However, whether planning ahead for yourself in order to spare loved ones the trouble, or if a loved one has suddenly passed, the friendly and comforting staff at Sunset Funeral Home & Memory Gardens is here to help.

Located just a few miles southeast of New Tampa, in nearby Thonotosassa, Sunset Funeral Home & Memory Gardens has everything you and your family need to plan for a proper funeral ceremony, burial or cremation, as well as a staff of 20 with the guidance and expertise to help send your loved ones off with a celebration of their lives, rather than a somber service.Continue reading

Licensed Clinical Social Worker Miriam Innocenti Is Here To Help

By Bonnie Mason

Miriam Innocenti, Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Life is full of difficult transitions, many of which can be too difficult for many of us to deal with alone. Sometimes, you just need someone to talk to about things to ease the stress.

Luckily, there are people like Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) Miriam Innocenti, MSW (Master of Social Work), who can help New Tampa residents manage the stresses of life’s trials, tribulations and transitions. Innocenti offers counseling for adults, older adults and caregivers in her private practice located in the New Tampa Professional Park in the Pebble Creek area of New Tampa, off Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. (behind Pilot Bank).

The Latest & Greatest News About Dining, Shopping, Retail & More In New Tampa & Wesley Chapel!

By Gary Nager | June 8

Best NY Pizza Now Open

We know, we know. Wesley Chapel is suddenly being overrun by true New York-style pizza places, but the new Best New York (NY) Pizza, which just opened at 27429 S.R. 54 less than two weeks ago in the former Drake’s Place spot in the Pinebrook at the Grove shopping center (on S.R. 54 between I-75 and Old Pasco Rd.), is definitely worth checking out.

With delicious true NY-style pizza made famous at a Carrollwood location on N. Dale Mabry Hwy. and two adjoining dining room concepts (one with counter service and the other with a little more formal-looking dine-in area), Best NY Pizza also has one of the best meatball parmigiana heros (photo) and chicken parmigiana dinners (served with salad, pasta and garlic knots) I’ve had in our area.

Please call 994-2200 or stop by and tell Greg, the owner, and his staff that we sent you. Look in our June edition for great coupon specials on a truly FREE lunch or dinner at Best NY!

WingHouse Should Be Open

Although its original scheduled opening was delayed by a week or so during the remodeling of the former Buffalo’s SW Café on S.R. 54 (at 5510 Post Oak Blvd.), Wesley Chapel’s Ker’s WingHouse should be open by June 8.

Hibachi Japanese Express To Open In Village Market

Meanwhile, in the same building as the China Wok restaurant in the Wesley Chapel Village Market at S.R. 54 and Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., just east of I-75, Hibachi Japanese Express restaurant is getting ready to open at least by shortly after you receive this issue. A spokesperson for the company says the sit-down restaurant will feature hibachi/teppanyaki tables, fresh sushi and Japanese and other Asian fare in a comfortable dine-in location.

Buddy’s Hot Dogs Opens Next To Baja Fresh

A little south of S.R. 54, at 2653 BBD, Buddy’s Hot Dogs (600-3138) has opened between the Baja Fresh and the also new Brewhouse Café (all owned by the same people), which opened in the former iCream location.

The good news, for Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel staffers (the hospital is directly across BBD from this plaza) and other local business folks looking for different ideas for lunch, is that this same plaza also already is home to the very popular Dickey’s BBQ, Hungry Greek and Latin Twist Café restaurants. The even better news is that Buddy’s offers crispy hand-cut fries.

Vallarta’s To Replace Ciccio’s In Tampa Palms

Although we still couldn’t “officially” confirm whether or not Ciccio’s Lodge was going to move into the former World of Beer location in the Shoppes at The Pointe in Tampa Palms, we do know what restaurant will replace Ciccio’s in the Publix-anchored City Plaza at Tampa Palms shopping center.

Vallarta’s, which of course, has a very successful location in Wesley Chapel, as well as locations in Land O’Lakes, Temple Terrace and two in Tampa, is planning to move into the former Ciccio’s slot and Wesley Chapel Vallarta’s owner Fabian Jimenez promises the Tampa Palms location will feature a similar menu, full liquor bar and a great place to bring the family or hang out to watch a game.

For more info about Vallarta’s, call the Wesley Chapel location at 907-5161 or visit VallartasTampa.com.

Cappy’s Pizza Also Coming To City Plaza

We also had to post a shot on our Facebook.com page last week announcing that a new location of Tampa Bay area mini-chain Cappy’s Pizza is opening in the original, smaller Ciccio’s location in City Plaza by the end of the summer.

Cappy’s already has locations in St. Pete, South Tampa, Riverview and one near to New Tampa at 4910 N. Florida Ave. in Old Seminole Heights and is known for both New York- and Chicago-style deep dish pizzas, calzones, salads and beer and wine.

Call 238-1516 for the Old Seminole Heights Cappy’s Pizza, or visit CappysPizzaOnline.com for more info.

Happy Cow — Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, Gelato & Fresh-Baked Treats!

By Gary Nager | June 8

If you’ve been reading this publication the last year or so, you know just how many frozen yogurt places already have opened in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel — and that there are still more on the way.

So, how does a new frozen yogurt place separate itself from its competition? Well, for University of South Florida grad (and Marketing major) Ray Perez and his aunt and uncle, Connie and Bill Rogers — the owners of the new Happy Cow Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet & Gelato located between First Watch and Bonefish Grill in the Shoppes at New Tampa plaza just north of the Pasco County line on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. — the answer is pretty easy:

Honorary Mayor of Wesley Chapel Troy Stevenson (left) joined Happy Cow Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet & Gelato owners (l. to r.) Connie Rogers, Ray Perez & Bill Rogers at the store’s Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting on May 10.

You come up with a cute cartoon logo and serve a brand of frozen yogurt (plus soft-serve gelato and sorbets) that no one else in the area has, in a brightly-colored, comfortable setting and add truly fresh-baked, decadent brownies (Ray says the brownies, photo right, are intentionally not cooked all the way through, so they retain that perfect, moist chewiness), cookies and waffle cups — and more than 60 toppings!

If that still doesn’t sound ‘different enough’ to you, check out what keeps calling a certain publisher back to Happy Cow. At the far end of the huge toppings bar, you’ll find four large containers with pump tops that allow you to add your choice of hot fudge, hot marshmallow sauce, hot peanut butter and hot caramel fudge to your frozen creation. I can even now put my choice of those hot toppings on yogurt flavors like the new Rocky Road, as well as favorites like cappuccino, birthday cake, peanut butter and tangy fruit flavors like margarita fat-free sorbet and even Italian biscotti gelato.

Toppings galore at Happy Cow including hot and fresh baked brownies and cookies.

“We have our oven right up front, so when we bake fresh brownies, cookies or waffle cups, people walk in and tell us they just love the aroma in here,” Ray, the former manager of the Burger Monger (located just a few doors down in the same plaza), says. “And it only takes 10-13 minutes to bake a new batch if we’re out when you arrive.”

And Happy Cow, which celebrated its Grand Opening with a Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting on May 10, also has frozen quarts of their always-rotating flavors, as well as T-shirts, cooler bags and other cool gear, plus a great loyalty program where you can win free “stuff” and franchising opportunities.

For more information about Happy Cow Frozen Yogurt (1646 BBD), call 428-5929 or visit and “Like” the shop’s page on Facebook.