New Tampa Players Take First Bows At NT Performing Arts Center!

Producing artistic director Nora Paine (far left) and the New Tampa Players finally got to perform at their new home — the New Tampa Performing Arts Center —  fulfilling the dream of NTP founder Doug Wall. (Photos by Charmaine George)

I can remember the first-ever conversation I had with Graeme Woodbrook and Doug Wall about trying to bring a professional performing arts center to New Tampa. It was the year 2001 and Woodbrook and Wall (the founder of the New Tampa Players) were both on the original organizing committee and both of them told me they believed that one day, their shared vision would bear fruit.

Fast forward 22 years, to the evening of March 25, 2023, and even though Wall — who passed away in 2017 after battling pancreatic cancer — unfortunately didn’t live to see his Players take the stage at the sparkling new, 350-seat New Tampa Performing Arts Center (NTPAC), Woodbrook and I were both on hand to see the Players’ “Prelude & Recognition Performance” at their new home. 

As new NTPAC general manager Keith Arsenault was proud to proclaim to that evening’s packed house, “Mission Accomplished!”


New Tampa Performing Arts Center (NTPAC) GM Keith Arsenault and spoke before the “Prelude & Recognition Performance” by the New Tampa Players at the NTPAC.

Arsenault, who we introduced in our last cover story about the NTPAC, said he has been involved in Tampa’s arts scene for 50 years, since his mother owned a ballet studio near the University of Tampa. He thanked Woodbrook, former Hillsborough County Commissioner (and State Senator) Victor Crist and former Tampa City Council member (and State Rep.) Shawn Harrison, as well as original Players Lydia Macias, Jennifer Barnakow and Janine Hartfield (who is still a member of the theatre troupe today), current Players producing artistic director Nora Paine (“who is everywhere and doing everything,” he said) and, of course, Wall. 

 Arsenault, who called the NTPAC a “state-of-the-art” theatre, also said, “We also would not be here without the continuous efforts of (current Hillsborough County Commissioner) Ken Hagan,” who he then introduced as the evening’s next speaker.

Hagan, who said he has been involved in trying to bring the PAC to New Tampa for, “at least 15 years,” also thanked many of the same people — and especially focused on Wall. 

County Commissioner Ken Hagan both spoke before the “Prelude & Recognition Performance” by the New Tampa Players at the NTPAC.
The future plaque remembering New Tampa Players founder Doug Wall. The orchestra pit at the NTPAC. 

“The theatre was Doug’s heart, soul and light,” Hagan said, quoting Wall’s cousin Neil Berg, himself a Broadway composer and producer. “We wouldn’t be here tonight if not for his efforts. We realize Doug’s dream tonight!” 

Hagan also noted and displayed a photo of a plaque created in Wall’s honor and memory that wasn’t quite finished in time for the “Prelude” performance, and mentioned that until the PAC was completed, the Players were a “theatre troupe without a home.”

Also speaking before the performance was Michelle Giles, the current chair of the Players’ Board of Directors, who presented Paine with a pre-performance floral bouquet.

The “Prelude & Recognition Performance” itself included almost 30 musical performances by the 13 current Players, interwoven with explanations of how the troupe’s shows are chosen, how the audition process works (including for directors and choreographers) and other ins and outs of the community theatre business.

The performances themselves were amazing and I’m sad that I don’t have room here to hit all of the highlights, but here are a few: 

Kyle Fisher’s “One Last Kiss” from “Bye Bye Birdie,” Janine Hartfield’s “No Time at All” from “Pippin,” Bri Filippelli’s “Do Re Mi” and the title song from “The Sound of Music,” Makayla Raines singing “Little Girls” and Olivia Carr’s “Tomorrow” from “Annie,” and “We Go Together” from “Grease” by the entire company. What a great night!

Speaking of “Grease,” that will be the first show produced by the Players at the NTPAC. As shown in the ad below, the auditions will be held at the Uptown Stage at University Mall on Monday & Tuesday, April 24-25, and all performers are welcome to try out at this open audition.

For more information, to volunteer and/or make donations to the New Tampa Players, visit NewTampaPlayers.org.

For questions about the NTPAC, email ArsenaultK@HCFLGov.net.

Original New Tampa Players cast member Janine Hartfield performs a song & dance routine with Jarrett W. Koski-Kohler to “No Time at All” from the Broadway hit “Pippin.”
Kyle Fisher as Conrad Birdie from “Bye Bye Birdie.”
The orchestra pit at the NTPAC
The entire current cast of the Players.
Graeme (one of the original PAC organizers) and Sharyn Woodbrook (front left) enjoying the festivities.

Coffee Drinks & More Take Flight At The Bean Bar Co.!

You can sip 5.5-oz samples of four favorite coffee drinks with the new coffee “flights” at The Bean Bar Co. in Tampa Palms. 
(Photos by Charmaine George).

Few people I know love a good cup of coffee more than I do, so the latest innovation at The Bean Bar Co., located just off the Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. exit of I-75 (in the plaza next to Stonewood Grill & Tavern in Tampa Palms), is definitely right up my alley.

Owner Danielle Henry says that The Bean Bear’s new “coffee flights” definitely borrowed the flight concept from alcoholic beverages, from beer to bourbon and from tequila to wine.

The flights offer customers four 5.5-oz. samples, one each of The Bean Bar’s four customer-favorite “classic” coffee drinks — café mocha, Irish nutcase, café con leche and caramel macchiato. And, Danielle says that since being introduced in January, the flights have really (pun intended) taken off.

“It’s always fun to introduce something new and see how people react to it,” Danielle says. “We’ve sold a lot of coffee flights in just a few weeks.”

In fact, leading up to Valentine’s Day, The Bean Bar offered a flight of four V-Day favorites — raspberry white chocolate, cherry almond, chocolate-covered strawberry and red velvet lattés. “We probably will experiment with other flights,” she says. “Stay tuned.”

For me, it’s difficult to stay away from the Bean Bar, whether anything new is introduced or not. I have continually switched off between the very-authentic-tasting café con leche, made with real Cuban sugar, and the better-than-Starbucks caramel macchiato since the place first opened a little more than a year ago (in Nov. of 2021). But now, I may just have to put the café mocha and some of the other flavors (e.g., toasted marshmallow and peanut butter cup) in my rotation. There also are a number of flavor shots available.

Whatever flavor you choose — even if you just like regular hot or iced — the coffee is always outstanding. Danielle says that all of the coffee is from Naviera Coffee Mills, “an amazing Cuban roast. And, even though people have tried to get us to switch, I don’t believe I ever will.” 

Danielle and her brother Kyle Trina each also operate a Bean Bar Co. food truck (and Danielle says both are new versions of their original food truck, and make regular appearances in Wesley Chapel), and she recently finished a 12-day run at the Florida State Fair. “We have the space (at the fair) right next to Peachey’s (Baking Co. of Sarasota), which sells amazing Amish donuts. It’s a perfect spot for us.”

But, as someone who can take or leave the fair, I’m just happy that The Bean Bar Co. has a brick-&-mortar location so close to where I live. In addition to the variety of hot and iced coffee drinks (including a nitro cold brew), there’s also a large menu of hot and iced tea favorites, from Earl Grey and Florida orange blossom to chai tea lattés.

But, What About Breakfast?

I’m glad you asked. I am  huge fan of The Bean Bar’s breakfast sandwiches — including the croissant egg sandwiches with garlic aioli, to which you can add turkey bacon or real bacon (for just $1 more), and my favorite waffle chicken sandwich with bacon & egg, served with breakfast syrup. So good.

 The quiche Lorraine isn’t house-made, but it’s still fluffy & delicious.

But, even though Danielle says it’s been on the menu for a long time, I only recently sampled The Bean Bar’s light-&-fluffy quiche Lorraine. It isn’t made on the premises, but it’s honestly better than the quiche at most places that do house-bake their own. There also are garlic-&-cheddar and everything-&-gouda bagels and Danielle says mini-sized Dutch-style pancakes (with strawberry jelly, Nutella and other toppings) are being added this month.

If you like your avocado toast a little spicy, try it at The Bean Bar!

And, while I don’t eat avocado toast, photographer Charmaine George says The Bean Bar’s spicy version of it, served on multi-grain bread, is worth a try, too. The sandwiches also are available for lunch, as are tasty beef and chicken empanadas.

Danielle also has brought in new baked goods. The current options include (all shown on the plate below) apple Danish, apple maple and creme brulée muffin tops (think “Seinfeld”), chocolate pastry twists and lemon raspberry and pink & red marble mini loafs. Other tasty treats float in and out (including cream-filled whoopie pies and strawberry-iced scones) — so stop in to check out the latest.

Danielle and her husband Mark recently welcomed their third child — son Hudson (the others are 5-year-old son Peyton and 2-1/2-year old daughter Layne).

The Bean Bar Co. is located at 17018 Palm Pointe Dr. and is open Mon.-Fri., 6 a.m.-5 p.m., & 7 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sat. & Sun. For more info, call (813) 442-7699, visit BeanBarCo.com or on Instagram (#beanbar_co) or Facebook (“The Bean Bar Co.”). Also, see the ad on pg. 37 to save 15% off your entire order.

Legacy At Highwoods Preserve Celebrates Vets, Centenarians & More

The day after Presidents Day, The Legacy hosted a North Tampa Bay Chamber  ribbon-cutting event to celebrate the assisted living & memory care facility’s Grand Reopening.

Congratulations to The Legacy at Highwoods Preserve (18600 Highwoods Preserve Pkwy.) — which was the first full-service assisted living and memory care residence to open in New Tampa when it made its debut more than a decade ago — for hosting a couple of great recent events. 

On Presidents Day (Feb. 21), The Legacy hosted a unique celebration to honor its three residents who are all at least 100 years old — Grace Forsythe (age 101), Mary Carbonara (100) and Holocaust survivor Nat Ross (also 100). As part of the celebration, The Legacy executive director Mitchell Edelstein  unveiled a unique wall mural adorned with the U.S. flag, an American bald eagle and photos of all ten Legacy residents who also are U.S. military veterans.

The next day, Edelstein and the entire staff at The Legacy hosted a North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon-cutting event in honor of its Grand Reopening, with amazing food by Chef Josh. For more info about The Legacy at Highwoods Preserve, call (813) 375-9858 or visit LegacyPreserveTampa.com. 

Tampa City Council member Luis Viera celebrates the lives of the three 100-year-old residents at The Legacy at Highwoods Preserve (l.-r.) Grace Forsythe, Nat Ross & Mary Carbonara.
A new wall mural honoring all of the U.S. military vets at The Legacy also was unveiled on Presidents Day

Chicken Boss Opening Highlights Changes at KRATE

The Chicken Boss opened this weekend to big sales.

When The Grove developer Mark Gold first started filling the many spaces at his KRATE Container Park, most of us realized that not all of the restaurants and retail shops that started out in a KRATE would last very long. Although we may not have known which would succeed and which would fail, you had to know that some wouldn’t make it.

 Until recently, only a couple of retail KRATEs had gone the way of the dinosaur. But now, several more changes have either recently taken place or were on the way — and we have an exclusive look at the new and planned moves at the container park.  

The first-ever restaurant KRATE to close is Falafel Factory, which shut its doors last month. That set off a couple of changes that, quite honestly, we’re pretty excited to announce.

Falafel Factory’s space between Pisco Express and Palani’s Hawai’i Noodles has been taken over by TJ’s Hot Dogs, which previously occupied the space next to the The Bacon Boss HQ.

And, while TJ’s already is open in its new space, The Bacon Boss owners Josh and Christy Norland quickly followed suit and opened their new concept — The Chicken Boss — this weekend in the former TJ’s location this weekend. The turnout was impressive, say the owners.

Christy says The Chicken Boss’ menu focuses on hand-breaded chicken tenders. And, based on the love The Bacon Boss HQ has received from our readers (it was voted the #1 Favorite KRATE in our 2022 Reader Dining Survey) and from yours truly (it was my #4 favorite KRATE), I’m sure The Chicken Boss will be equally successful — as, I expect, TJ’s also will continue to be in its new space.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Urban Sweets, the currently vacant former location of Center Ed tutoring center will reopen as the second Blush Wine Room at KRATE, but owners Felicia and Nimesh Desai say that the new location will be solely a champagne and wine-based cocktail bar with a dozen slushie machines.

The original Blush location will focus on other wines and, we hope, perhaps expand its current menu of delicious food items, although anything on the Blush menu will still be available at the new location, too. The new Blush will open before the end of March. 

3Eleven owner Shareeka Screen

Two new non-food KRATEs also recently opened in previously shuttered retail locations, both of which we first told you about in our Dec. 26 issue. The first is 311 Aroma Candle Studio, which is a do-it-yourself candlemaking “bar,” with nearly two dozen different fragrances — from apple & maple bourbon to Froot Loops and many more. 

3Eleven owner Shareeka Screen offers classes for beginners and sessions for experienced candlemakers and calls 3Eleven “an interactive experience bringing people and families together to explore and create through the power of creativity.”

Plus, the place smells delicious. 

And, Shareeka is the sister of Yuhanna Alahmary of Radiant Wellness Spa, and 3Eleven Aroma, Blush and Mythos will all be on-hand at Radiant’s Health & Wellness Fair on Sunday, March 19.

Speaking of Mythos, it is now open in the former location of The Rebellious Hippie at the KRATEs. Mythos is an eclectic gift shop with cool T-shirts, plush toys, candles and knickknacks for your home and more.

And finally, next to Life Essentials Refillery, Valiart Designs (which previously was called Valiart Jewelry), will become the Tutti Frutti Cafe, which will sell all things fruit — fresh fruit smoothies and creative fruit desserts.

It is owned by Stacy Esposito and Eddie Nasr, who also own Cafe Zorba. They hope to open the Tutti Frutti Cafe by April. — GN   

Cafe Zorba — The Newest Dining KRATE Serves Delicious Greek Cuisine! 

The last of the 29 restaurants to open at the KRATE Container Park at The Grove in Wesley Chapel is Cafe Zorba, which serves delicious Greek and Mediterranean cuisine from the former owners of Acropolis Greek Taverna in New Tampa.

Cafe Zorba owners Stacy Esposito and her husband Eddie Nasr are proud to bring you authentic recipes with unique flavor touches that Eddie says are mainly his recipes from his childhood in the Republic of Cyprus, which is an independent nation on the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea between Greece, Turkey and Syria. Although his parents were Lebanese, Eddie says his Cypriot recipes have been strongly influenced by the cuisine of Greece. 

Delicious Starters & Entrées!

On these pages, you’ll find some of our favorite dishes at Cafe Zorba, a name inspired by the novel Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis that earned Anthony Quinn an Oscar nomination for the 1964 movie of the same name.

The top left photo, of course, is the delicious Greek-style calamari, which is delicately crispy and served with a side of marinara sauce and kalamata olives. 

“If you visit Greece and you don’t have the calamari,” Eddie says, “it’s like you never visited Greece. There is tons of calamari in the Mediterranean.”

Other starters at Cafe Zorba include tzatziki (Greek yogurt with freshly grated cucumbers, garlic and herbs with olive oil, served with pita), hummus (fresh chickpea spread with garlic and tahini, topped with virgin olive oil and tomatoes), dolmades (grapevine leaves stuffed with rice, lemon juice, olive oil and herbs, topped with crumbled feta) and the crispy and delicious Greek fries with aioli, feta and a side of tzatziki. 

The photo to the left is the traditional Cypriot fried halloumi cheese, which is made from a semi-soft brined cheese with a high melting point, so it’s perfect for deep-frying. The halloumi rectangles are served with pita bread, fresh tomatoes and cucumbers.

The bottom photo on this page is, of course, the crispy spanakopita, or light and flaky phyllo pastry dough, stuffed with spinach and feta, served with a side Greek salad. Speaking of Cafe Zorba’s Greek salad, it is served with a similarly zesty, creamy Greek dressing to what you might remember from Acropolis.  

My favorite entrees at Cafe Zorba are the lamb gyro wrap (also available with chicken — and the daily lunch special from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. gives you a gyro, fries and drink for only $15) and the chicken, pork or beef souvlaki platters, which are served with what may be the best, most savory orzo rice I’ve had in this area (or those crispy fries), as well as a Greek salad. The photo above is the chicken souvlaki platter.

Other entrĂ©es include the Zeus burger (topped with sautĂ©ed mushrooms, onions and feta); the tasty fish sliders (lightly breaded, pan-fried fish filet, topped with vegetable slaw, garlic aioli, onion and tomato on slider buns), the fried kibbeh platter (kibbeh are cracked wheat dough shells stuffed with seasoned beef, sautĂ©ed onions and pine nuts, served with fries, hummus and pita), and shrimp skewers. The shrimp are sauteed in lemon, garlic and butter sauce and served with pita. 

All of the entrées are just $12-$18 and Stacy says, “We’re proud to be the only dining KRATE with all five-star reviews on Google. The reviews say our food is delicious and our portions are huge!”

Dessert, Beverages & More

Save room for dessert, as the options include regular baklava, baklava cheesecake, chocolate-covered baklava, tiramisu, Eddie’s homemade rice pudding and my favorite — the Zorba chocolate bombe filled with creamy milk and white chocolate mousse.

Cafe Zorba also sells a variety of beers, including Mythos from Greece, Almaza from Lebanon and many other imported and domestic options, as well as Greek and other delicious wines, plus coffee, soft drinks and Frazil shaved ice beverages.

And, the fun doesn’t end when you walk outside of Cafe Zorba, as there are nearly 50 flavors to enjoy with hookah pipes. Gypsi (photo, right), an exotic belly dancer, performs on Friday evenings, beginning at 7 p.m.

Even though it was only open for a couple of weeks when the voting ended, our readers named Cafe Zorba their fourth favorite Greek or Mediterranean Restaurant in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel and I placed it in my top-5 Favorite KRATEs.

  Cafe Zorba is located at 5804 Grand Oro Lane, at the southern end of the KRATE container park. It is open Mon.-Thur., 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. on Fri. and Sat.; and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. on Sun. For more info, call (813) 388-5987 or visit Cafe-Zorba.com.