Raising Cane’s, the Baton Rouge, LA-based fast casual fried chicken chain founded by Todd Graves in 1996 that serves only fried chicken fingers (also available on a sandwich), crinkle-cut fries, Texas toast and cole slaw, will open tomorrow at 10 a.m. (at 25934 S.R. 54, Lutz, next to Rock & Brews), as previously announced in the print editions of the Neighborhood News. And we know a lot of you are pretty excited about it!
We were invited to attend the restaurant’s soft pre-opening VIP event earlier today and I have to say that we were all pretty impressed. Yes, the menu is simple, but it’s done right — the chicken fingers are lightly seasoned (NOT at all spicy!), super-crispy outside and moist on the inside. The fries are crispy and tasty (and seemingly not seasoned, other than lightly salted, which I appreciate), the Texas toast is legit and the cole slaw is creamy and has just a hint of sweetness.
If you only like spicy chicken, this is not the place for you, as even the Thousand Island-style Cane’s sauce offers no heat at all. But, if you like your chicken extra crispy and tasty, Raising Cane’s is definitely worth visiting!
For more info, stop in tomorrow anytime from 10 a.m.-1 a.m., visit RaisingCanes.com or call (813) 559-3590 — and please tell them the Neighborhood News sent you!
If you’re looking to rent a new office that allows you to host occasional meetings in a full-sized conference room — without the expense of a long-term office lease — you should definitely visit SOAR Co-Working in the Tampa Palms Professional Center. (Photos by Charmaine George)
If you’ve outgrown working from home or miss the camaraderie of being in an office with other people, SOAR Co-Working offers not only affordable workspaces for small businesses and remote employees, but a sense of community, too.
SOAR Co-Working, located in the Tampa Palms Professional Center near I-75, just off of the Bruce B. Downs Blvd. exit, brings workers together in an environment that provides many of the benefits of working in a traditional office, but at a much lower cost, and with some unexpected advantages.
“It’s a quiet, professional, serene space and has a beautiful deck that looks out over Primrose Lake,” says Tampa Palms Professional Center partner Gar Urette. “SOAR is about 4,500 square feet and is probably our premier space in the whole place,” which has a total of 140,000-sq.-ft. of mixed-use office space in 26 buildings.
While many think of the co-working model as shared space where people drop in as needed – and SOAR does offer that option – Gar says this location has turned out to be much more popular for people who want to rent an exclusive space on a monthly basis.
Marketing manager Amber Peterson is happy to show you everything that SOAR Co-Working has to offer, including private cubicles (above), the lakeside outdoor break area (below right) & even the available private offices (below left).
Clients can choose a private office with a door, a cubicle with locking filing cabinets and even a shared “hot space” (with an array of smaller cubicles). The private spaces can be personalized by the tenants for as long as they are leased, which could be for as little as a month or as long as a year, and those leases can be renewed.
That flexibility has created a comfortable office dynamic among people who go to work every day in the same office, grab coffee in the break room together, and ask about each other’s families, while working for different companies and organizations.
“It’s designed for people who want to get out of the house,” says Gar. “as well as for those who get tired of staring at the same four walls working from home and want a sense of community, or for those who have a road job and need someplace to sit and work or conduct meetings with clients, and don’t want to be meeting in their living room or at a Starbucks.”
For Jacey Feiler, an executive assistant for a marketing firm called Grow Nearby, coming to work every day at SOAR has been ideal. With a global team supporting the marketing firm’s operations, Grow Nearby’s U.S. team works out of SOAR.
“It’s way more affordable than renting an entire building,” Jacey says. “There are amenities we don’t have to pay for, like coffee and snacks, a beautiful deck outside, a free printing station, mailboxes, utilities and high-speed internet. All we have to worry about one small monthly payment and everything gets taken care of.”
Tampa Palms Professional Center marketing manager Amber Peterson oversees the co-working space. Jacey says that Amber goes above and beyond to ensure a positive environment.
Amber plans events to build community among the co-workers at SOAR, such as a pizza night or inviting everyone to share their favorite cookies for National Cookie Day.
“I feel like we’ve fostered a sense of community here,” Amber says. “I’m working hard to make sure everyone’s comfortable talking with me about issues or requests that come up. We can talk on a professional level, and I like connecting and getting to know people, too.”
There are currently three private offices with windows that overlook the lake, with two more to be added soon. There also are 18 large cubicles referred to as “dedicated desks,” as well as the shared “hot space” for eight more people on a first-come, first-served basis.
There also are two meeting rooms available by reservation, a break room with coffee and tea, bathrooms and the wraparound deck outside, which Amber says is great for taking a phone call or for eating lunch.
“Every membership has mail included with a business address at our space,” Amber adds, “and even our lowest tier includes use of the conference room for a couple of hours a month.”
She says clients love that the month-to-month commitment isn’t a long-term obligation.
But, in the few months since Aug. 1, when SOAR moved into the Tampa Palms Professional Center, Amber says, “We haven’t had anyone leave.”
Prior to the move, SOAR Co-Working had been located just down the road on Commerce Park Blvd., across from Freedom High. When that lease expired and the building’s owner didn’t allow SOAR to renew, SOAR’s founder and former owner retired. Instead of closing, SOAR moved into and became managed by the Professional Center.
It was a move that made sense. The Professional Center previously offered only larger spaces and longer-duration leases, with a minimum of a one-year rental.
“We used to have a symbiotic relationship, where if someone only needed a space for a couple of months, we’d send them to SOAR,” explains Gar, “and if someone at SOAR was growing and needed more space, they would send them to us.”
He adds that his team was already experienced at moving people around Tampa Palms Professional Center, upscaling and downscaling clients as needed, but couldn’t accommodate a part-time desk or monthly lease. That flexibility is available now.
And, of course, as SOAR co-workers’ businesses grow, if they need their own space, they can move seamlessly into the office park.
“I don’t know of any other coworking facility that is able to do that,” Gar says.
While Jacey says the dynamic is friendly and community-focused, it’s also respectful. “Seeing everyone being super passionate about what they do makes me want to work harder,” she says. “We all kind of feed off each other’s productivity.”
She adds that she feels lucky to work in a place where she likes to come to work every day.
And, Amber sees the dynamic in the space every day and wants to keep it that way.
“It’s so much like working in a traditional office,” she says, “but with people working for different companies. Sometimes I walk in and see people from three or four different businesses laughing in one person’s cubicle. It’s very uplifting.”
SOAR Co-Working is located at 17425 Bridge Hill Ct., Suite 100, in the Tampa Palms Professional Center. For more info, visit SOARCo-Working.com or call (813) 498-1932.
Whether or not you were one of the midwestern U.S. natives who lost your minds when it was first announced that Portillo’s Hot Dogs was coming to somewhere near the Tampa Premium Outlets, here’s your chance to check it out in person — at the main entrance to the Outlet Mall on the south side of S.R. 56 west of I-75.
The Portillo’s “Beef Bus” is currently sitting at the mall’s main entrance and it will only be there until 6 p.m. today! When we visited shortly after the Beef Bus first arrived, there were no lines whatsoever, but we’re guessing that will change as the day progresses, especially as our Portillo’s-crazed readers see this post.
Our new friends at the Portillo’s Beef Bus don’t know when or for sure where Portillo’s will open — it, of course, is still rumored to be taking over the space currently occupied by Rock & Brews by May or June of this year — but they have lots of Portillo’s “swag” to give away, including Buy 1, Get 1 Free cards, where if you buy any of the Chicago-based chain’s famous Italian beef, sausage or hot dog sandwiches, plus a drink and a side, you’ll receive one sandwich of equal or lesser value FREE at any of the chain’s Florida locations, including the closest one to us currently at 2102 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa! But, if you can’t make it to the mall today, we were given at least 25-50 of those BOGO cards to give to our readers!
I don’t believe the cards are valid for purchases at the Beef Bus today, but feel free to ask when you visit.
All you have to do is reply to this post “I love Portillo’s!” and we’ll be happy to send you one of these BOGO cards in the mail, while our supply lasts!
For more information about Portillo’s, visit Portillos.com.
Although we found other graphics submitted later by The Cheesecake Factory, this earlier map, which we only found on the Pasco County Development & Growth Updates Facebook page, has the most accurate representation of where the restaurant will be located in the current parking lot at the Tampa Premium Outlets.
Just before the start of the New Year (on Dec. 31), preliminary site plans were submitted to Pasco County for the hotly anticipated The Cheesecake Factory restaurant, which is expected to be located in the current parking lot at the busy Tampa Premium Outlets on S.R. 56 (see map).
We were able to talk with a source familiar with the project (but who asked not to be identified for the story) to get the inside scoop about a few more details with this plan.
Probably the most important piece of information we’re sure everyone is wondering about is “When is The Cheesecake Factory anticipated to finish construction and open its doors?”
Our source said that while the restaurant has not yet received the permits to begin building (so this is still mostly subjective), the restaurant’s ownership/development group is shooting to open during the third quarter of this year, which would likely put it opening just before the holidays — although that seems somewhat ambitious considering it hasn’t even begun building yet.
Even so, when we asked, “Can you really get it done that fast?,” the response was a very confident “Yes!” Our source also said that the company expecting about a three-week turnaround to get comments back from Pasco County, which means that some site work could begin as soon as this issue arrives in your mailbox, if things go according to plan.
In addition, while what was shown in the submittal on Dec. 31 was a building of a little more than 7,500 sq. ft., our source said that the plan has since been updated to be closer to about a 7,700 sq.-ft. building, which indicates that the company is still actively working on perfecting the layout even before getting comments back from the county. In addition to the indoor space, the restaurant’s outdoor seating area is shown to be about 1,500 sq. ft.
What About The Parking?
When asked about the parking situation, our source claimed that the net loss would only be about 20 spaces total for the mall — four of which are handicapped parking spaces that the source said would just be shifted over to the next parking aisle and not actually lost.
But, our detailed review of the proposed construction plan indicates the net loss will be closer to 60 regular parking spaces, with the four handicapped spaces being shifted as explained. So, which parking space loss is correct — 20 spaces or 60? We’ll have to get back to you on that one.
Meanwhile, the mall’s website states there are only about 40 handicapped-accessible parking spaces throughout the entire property, so any loss of handicapped parking would appear to be another problem.
As for how The Cheesecake Factory will be situated in the current mall parking lot, the restaurant is still shown as being located near the “central” pedestrian front entrance of the mall, right off the northwest corner of that entrance’s roundabout, where the primary “Tampa Premium Outlets” sign is located. The main entrance of the restaurant and the outside seating area are both shown as facing that roundabout.
Since the restaurant was first announced, many people have wondered about how a mega restaurant like this could be getting built at this already-packed location.
According to public information on Pasco’ County’s permitting website, this restaurant development still falls within the mall’s total entitlements (the total amount of commercial space that is allowed to be built) that were approved by the county’s Board of County Commissioners in the latest rezoning for the Cypress Creek Town Center Master Planned Unit Development (MPUD) in which the Outlet Mall is located). Those entitlements were approved back in February of 2019.
(L.-r.) Ellie Mental Health of Wesley Chapel clinical director Dina Hargrave and therapists Engy Eskander & Chailee Snyder(photo below).
The New Year, usually celebrated as a time of hopefulness following the joy of the holiday season, also can be especially challenging for those coping with the loss of loved ones, financial hardships and other personal struggles. The clinicians at Ellie Mental Health, located on S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel, recognize these unique emotional difficulties and provide accessible outpatient services to support individuals in emotional need during these times and beyond. The clinic encourages both therapists and clients to be their true selves throughout the therapeutic journey.
“At Ellie Mental Health, the focus is on providing a comfortable, judgment-free environment where clients can be authentic and receive the care they need and deserve,” says clinical director Dina Hargrave. “We want both the clients and the therapists to feel they are in a safe space.”
Ellie Mental Health is a franchise with more than 200 locations nationwide and 20 in Florida, including New Port Richey and Wesley Chapel. The Mendota Heights, MN-based company opened its first franchise in 2022.
Dina is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in both Florida and Utah who has worked with children with significant behavioral concerns and their families for more than 10 years. She brings that experience to her role as the director and supervisor of the Wesley Chapel location of Ellie Mental Health.
Originally from Georgia, Dina earned a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) degree and a Master’s degree in Psychology from the University of Georgia in Athens. Her education continued at Utah State University, where she received advanced training as an Educational Specialist in Psychology (EdS).
Having previously lived in Tampa, Dina feels a connection to the region and is passionate about making a difference here.
“This opportunity was unique,” she explains. “I enjoy managing people and helping them grow to their full potential. It’s rewarding to see both the clinicians and clients thrive, so when this position became available, I quickly said ‘Yes.’”
Ellie Mental Health offers a wide range of therapeutic counseling services to meet diverse mental health needs provided by two Registered Mental Health Counselor Interns (RMHCIs). An RMHCI is an individual who has completed requirements for becoming a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) but still needs to have supervised experience to meet the requirements for state licensure.
Those requirements include a Master’s degree or higher in mental health counseling, a minimum of 1,000 hours of supervised fieldwork and a minimum of 1,500 hours of face-to-face psychotherapy work under the supervision of a qualified LMHC with a minimum of 1,000 hours of that being direct supervision.
RMHCIs must pass the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination (NCMHCE) and participate in continuing education. After fulfilling the internship requirements and passing the NCMHCE, an application for licensure as an LMHC in Florida can be submitted.
At the Wesley Chapel office of Ellie Mental Health, RMHCI Rebekah “Chailee” Snyder received her Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Psychology from the University of South Florida in Tampa and her Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a Trauma Certificate from Antioch University. Chailee works with children as young as age two. She also works with adults.
Fellow RMHCI Engy Eskander received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from USF Tampa and her M.A. degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. Engy focuses on clients ages 15 and older and she provides couples counseling, including services in Arabic.
The Wesley Chapel office offers play therapy for children as young as age two, plus therapy for adolescents, adults, couples and families, including Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). The clinicians also work with people with autism and those suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
Also offered are Psychoeducation and Psychological Testing for kids, gender-affirming care, as well as faith-based counseling, which is available upon request. Dina says she currently is working on hiring more therapists so the available services can be expanded.
The Right Fit For Your Care
“We don’t offer a one-size-fits-all approach,” Dina emphasizes. “If a therapist isn’t the right fit for a particular client or lacks the necessary specialty, we can easily connect them with someone else, which ensures personalized care.”
She adds, “Wesley Chapel was a natural choice for the clinic’s location. The area’s rapid growth and the rising demand for mental health services made it an ideal spot. And so far, we’ve received positive feedback from the community. People are glad we are here because there aren’t many options like us in this area.”
Dina also has been communicating with the Pasco County School District and says she looks forward to working with the District’s schools in the near future. She says she hopes to be able to offer services not only to the school children but their families as well.
She also says that having flexible hours available for clients and therapists is a feature that makes this Ellie Mental Health office stand out. If the clinician is willing to work during the hours requested by the patient, Dina says those hours will be approved. Once the sessions start, if the clinician is not sure where the problem lies, a psychological test can be used to help provide clarity in diagnosing and treating complex issues.
The team also ensures a secure and confidential environment for clients. “All communication is HIPAA-protected,” Dina explains, “and even during training, we don’t use real names to maintain confidentiality.”
Even though Ellie Mental Health Wesley Chapel only opened in September, the clinic has already seen several success stories. Dina says one client made significant progress in just three sessions, while another, after six sessions, left with renewed hope despite having to relocate.
“These are the moments that remind us why we do this work,” Dina says.
Ellie Mental Health accepts most insurance plans, including Medicare, and Dina says, “We are working to finalize our Medicaid contract to better serve children and people with disabilities.”
Recognizing the importance of accessibility, Dina says the clinic also offers online therapy services. This allows clients to receive care from the comfort of their homes, breaking down barriers such as transportation issues or time constraints.
But, Ellie Mental Health is more than just a clinic — it’s a place of understanding and acceptance. With its commitment to authenticity, diversity and personalized care, Ellie Mental Health is not just helping individuals but transforming the way the community views mental health.
Ellie Mental Health (30792 S.R. 54) is open Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-6 p.m., with other hours available upon request. For more info or to schedule an appointment, visit EllieMentalHealth.com/locations/wesley-chapel-fl or call (813) 701-5250.
