I send out many thanks to freelance writer Andy Warrener for also attending this year’s Taste and for his efforts to get a feel for the Taste from the persepective of some of its attendees. The folks on this page all raved about the event and were excited to be part of this feature. — GN
Antoinette and Jerome Lee of Cross Creek in New Tampa found out about the event in the Mar. 23 New Tampa edition of the Neighborhood News. It was also their first time at a Taste event.
“I like it because you can select the vendors you like,” Antoinette said. “If there’s one in particular you like, you can use your cards there or, if you want to try a new restaurant. It’s also nice to meet people in line. You work in the community but there are a lot of people you don’t come into contact with. Here you can do that.”
Antoinette was partial to the Cuban food offered up by La Yuma. Jerome was previously a fan of Texas Roadhouse and said he enjoyed their samplings.
For Arbor Greene resident Jacob, 15, his favorite was Snow Rolls Ice Cream, and for his brother Noah, 6, it was the pizza from Bosco’s Italian-to-Go.
“We actually found out about the event in the Neighborhood News,” said their father Randy. “There are lots of activities in more established communities like downtown and South Tampa but not much going on in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel. This event gives us lots of options to look for and a chance to get out and do things. As the community grows, so will events like this.”
Quail Hollow residents Steve and Virginia Catrombone brought their eight-month old son, Memphis, to the event. They have lived in the Wesley Chapel area the last five years and were attending their first Taste of New Tampa. They had never even been to FHCI before.
“The prices are great and the food is awesome,” Steve said. “It’s a good, community event. The turnout is really nice and it’s well-organized. We’ve been to food truck rallies, local markets and events at the Shops at Wiregrass and this event is great. We’ve seen Wesley Chapel grow so much the last five years.” Virginia enjoyed sampling area eateries that she hadn’t had visited yet. “This is a great event because all these places are local for us,” Virginia said. “And now, we have a chance to see what they have to offer.”
Jeff and Jennifer Pike, who live in Live Oak in New Tampa, brought their twin daughters Liliana and Amalia as well as their son, 12-year-old Carter, to the Taste.
“We found out about the event on Facebook, it’s our first time here,” Jeff said. “The food was the clincher. There’s such a variety with what’s in the neighborhood, we didn’t even know half the places. The event gets people to recognize that there are more restaurants out there than just the major chains.”
Jeff enjoyed the Shepherd’s pie from O’Brien’s Irish Pub, while Jennifer was taken by the flan and rice and beans offered by La Yuma.
“The food samples are the primary reason for coming, also to hang out with friends,” Jennifer said. “It’s a very family-friendly event,” Jennifer said. “The kids are here with their friends and there’s always a new restaurant to discover.”
Did you attend this year’s Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel? If not, why not? If so, what did you like best about it? We’d love to hear from you. Send us a Facebook message (search “Neighborhood News”) or email us at EditorialDept@NTNeighborhoodNews.com!
When the Rotary Club of New Tampa revived the Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel last year, I was proud to be the restaurant guy who procured 46 food and beverage providers and helped promote the 2017 return of my favorite 20-year-old single-day event in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel in these pages and on WCNT-tv (Wesley Chapel & New Tampa Television on Youtube & Facebook).
Rotary Club president and Taste organizer Karen Frashier — who also ran the show last year when an estimated total crowd (including vendors and volunteers) of about 2,000 people helped the club net about $10,000 for its own charitable foundation (more on that below) and about $1,000 to benefit the Greater Wesley Chapel (now North Tampa Bay) Chamber of Commerce (NTBCC)’s high school scholarship fund — was truly stunned at how much bigger and better this year’s Taste was than last year.
“Based on our ticket sales, we estimate the crowd this year at more than 2,000 attendees and close to 2,500 people overall,” Frashier said only three days after the event. “We don’t have final numbers yet, but we definitely more than doubled last year’s net proceeds.”
Whether you chalk it up to the Rotary Club having a year of experience under its belt, the even better restaurants, the even more outstanding entertainment — everyone loved the virtuoso guitar work of Shaun Hopper and taking pics with Zammy the Giant Sheepadoodle — or the even bigger promotional bump the Taste got from our New Tampa issue hitting mailboxes in zip code 33647 only two days before the event (where the preview started on Page 1), Taste 2018 was pure magic.
Superlative Food & Drinks!
Although I honestly believe that there were at least a dozen other restaurants thatplanned to be at this year’s Taste, including several of last year’s participants who simply couldn’t get themselves together in time, I have no doubt that this year’s food was the best in the 22-year history of the Taste.
Yes, there were the superlative samples of three different bowls served by People’s Choice 1st-place winner Ciccio Cali, the lasagna, meatballs and eggplant parmigiana from 2nd Place Little Italy’s (which had by far the longest lines of any restaurants all afternoon) and the crispy Brussels sprouts appetizer from 3rd Place Noble Crust.
I also thought that Vesh Catering’s potsticker dumplings and chopped salad were both outstanding, as were Texas Roadhouse’s ribs and steak bites. Canterbury Hall at Grace Episcopal Church served delicious salmon mousse cups provided by Rotary Club member Peter Gambacorta of the Private Chef of Tampa. And, Acai Brazil, Bosco’s Italian-to-Go, Cinebistro, Jon’s Nutrition, Union 72 BBQ and Cappy’s Pizza all offered tasty samples, too.
The beverage competition came down to the three beer providers — The Brass Tap, Zephyrhills Brewing Co. (2nd place), and 81 Bay Brewing (1st place), and wine providers PRP Wine, Time for Wine (3rd place), Vom Fass (which also brought, and quickly went through, a giant tray of paella I couldn’t try because of my shellfish allergy, but it looked amazing) and Chuy’s Tex-Mex (see story on pg. 14), which is opening in our area later this month. Chuy’s only served chips with very spicy salsa for food but everyone who sampled the sangria raved about it.
As for the dessert providers, Happy Cow Frozen Yogurt, Blondie’s Cookies, Leann’s Gourmet Cookies, Culver’s frozen custard and Snowrolls ice cream all deservehigh marks, with Snowrolls and Culver’s my favorites, although there were no People’s Choice dessert winners.
Rotary Club of New Tampa president Karen Frashier explained that the People’s Choice food and beverage honors went to the providers who had a combination of the most actual People’s Choice votes and the number of Taste tickets they collected from patrons who sampled their wares. It’s an imperfect, somewhat subjective system, but I have to give major kudos to all 43 of our food and beverage providers who showed up, as well as to Rotary Club members Nikki Smith and David West, who figured a way to donate all leftover food to local food banks and shelters, although there was definitely less food left over than last year.
Thank You, JCs!
I also want to send a big shout-out to this year’s “JC” sponsorship chairs — Rotary Club members James Carner and Jason Contino. Not only did these two hard-working gentleman procure thousands more in sponsorships this year than last, between the two of them, they helped me get about 1/4 of the 40+ restaurants for this year’s Taste.
And, best of all, Carner also lassoed his long-time friend —fingerstyle and percussion-style guitarist Shaun Hopper — into being the headline entertainer for the event. Read more about Shaun on the next page.
When I first heard that guitarist Shaun Hopper was going to be the headline entertainer at the Taste, I honestly hadnever heard of him, even though he’s toured with several major bands.
But now, I know for fact that not only is the guy a gifted guitarist and performer, he also is a truly caring gentleman. Shaun told me that when he saw Zammy the Giant Sheepadoodle (check him out at #ZammyPup on Instagram) lumbering around the insulated floor at Florida Hospital Center Ice, he instantly started writing a song in his head. Not long after Shaun finished performing, he sat with Zammy for a few minutes and played a happy, lilting little guitar melody that Zammy’s owner Todd Pitner will likely use as Zammy’s theme song for his future videos.
I also really enjoyed the performance of the New Tampa Players, who gave everyone a preview of their upcoming production of “Legally Blonde” during the Taste.
Zammy hung out on his grooming table, next to the free photo booth for most of the event. I apologize for not remembering the gentleman’s name who ran the photo booth, but I did see lots of people taking family pics during the event. Also busy all day was the Taste’s kids area.
I also want to thank each and every sponsor who appeared on page 39 of our last issue. I don’t have room to use pics of all of them in these pages, but without the hard work of James and Jason to get them to ante up money to be at the Taste, the event would never have netted as much money as it did.
I also applaud Jason’s daughter Sophia Contino, for bringing her lemonade stand to the Taste, and for making yet another big donation to the Pasco Sheriff’s K-9 Association.
Don’t Miss The 2018 Taste Of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel!
At Florida Hospital Center Ice, This Sunday, March 25, Noon-4 p.m.!
Bring The Family To New Tampa & Wesley Chapel’s Premier Tasting Event In Just 2 Days, As 45 Local Food & Beverage Providers Will Serve Thousands Of $1-$3 Samples To Raise Money For Local Nonprofit Groups!
NOW, THIS ONE WILL BE FUN!
Considering that we estimated the crowd at the 2017 Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel at just about 2,000 people total, I know a lot of you missed last year’s event. But, that’s OK. Those of you who did miss it but know someone who attended are probably thinking you should be there this time around. And you’d be correct.
Yes, the premier tasting event in New Tampa & Wesley Chapel returns to the cool (but not at all cold, somehow), comfortable confines of Florida Hospital Center Ice today, noon-4 p.m., as the Rotary Club of New Tampa takes its second stab at hosting the Taste. The only difference is that this year, New Tampa’s original Rotary Club (which has been meeting at Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club for more than 20 years) is hosting the event in conjunction with the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce (the new name of the former Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber).
The event itself, which will again have around 45 restaurants and food and beverage providers, will again raise funds to benefit the Rotary Club’s own Foundation, which donates thousands of dollars to about two dozen charitable nonprofits each year, as well as the Chamber’s high school scholarship fund.
As you’re reading this, you can ONLY buy $1 Taste tickets in $25 packs at the door, but visit TasteofNewTampa.org for more infoDon’t kick yourself for missing it this year!
Because we shook up our annual Reader Dining Survey & Contest and it had so many new categories, and it took a little longer for us to tabulate those results, the release of my 2017 Dining Favorites in New Tampa & Wesley Chapel was delayed by an issue.
Dempsey’s porterhouse steak and cheese grits
The only thing that hasn’t changed is just how much I disagree with our readers when it comes to dining in our two distribution areas. Yours truly agrees that many of the new restaurants (yes, gulp…including some of the new chains) that joined our dining scene in 2017 deserve to be at or near the top of my list, but that’s where the similarities end.
I will say that I did change my own format for this year — these are my top-50 favorites in our distribution areas, regardless of whether they’re located in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel.
After the top 30, however, the final 20 include some favorite dessert places and even individual items I found myself addicted to at some of the places that couldn’t crack my top 30 (of more than 100 eateries I considered)!
One thing I can tell you is that I love the feedback — even some of the negative comments we’ve gotten from readers who didn’t participate in this year’s Dining Survey & Contest, but have still taken the time to post some unflattering comments about the choices of the readers who did vote on our Facebook page.
But, while I agree with some of those reader rants, the fact is that while we still don’t have enough top-level mom-&-pop places in New Tampa & Wesley Chapel, we do have a lot more variety from which to choose today than we have in years past. — GN
1. Dempsey’s Steak House at Saddlebrook
I also decided that this year, I would rank my favorite restaurants in order, regardless of price, which meant that only the place with both the best Cowboy ribeye steak (above) and best fresh fish in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel could be voted #1— and that place is Dempsey’s. No, I don’t often feel a compulsive need to plunk down more than $50+ for an outstanding steak (and there are plenty of overpriced steak houses in Tampa for that), but whenever I do, Dempsey’s never disappoints me.
2. Noble Crust
I should really call Noble Crust “1B,” because if you have to take price into account, there’s no better value for the money than this two-location chain — especially considering it’s in an upscale mall. Noble Crust’s constantly changing fish and steak specials (and ambiance) keep me coming back, despite the fact the menu isn’t extensive, but from the fried chicken parm (photo) to the meatballs to the kale Caesar salad to the unique pizzas, this was my favorite newcomer for 2017.
Cafe Ole’s veal shank
3. Café Olé
Although Café Olé was sold towards the end of the year, the two times I’ve been there since the sale, the menu was still pretty much the same and the quality of the fresh fish, special entrées like the beautiful veal chop (right) shown here and unique tapas dishes were still outstanding. I also have to say that I like the way the new owners from Venezuela have transformed one small section of the restaurant into a Venezuelan coffee and dessert place. Muy bueno!
4. Little Italy’s Family Restaurant & Catering
My friends Jessica and Carl Meyers continue to add new items based on customer requests and their addition of the best veal parmigiana in our area (and beer and wine; try Grandma’s sangria) in 2017 was enough to keep them in my top-five in our distribution areas, even though the restaurant is technically in Lutz.
Stonewood.
5. Stonewood Grill & Tavern (Tampa Palms)
Another restaurant that benefited from me picking favorites when price is no issue, Stonewood’s addition of a great lunch menu in 2016, including excellent bowls like bruschetta chicken and tuna poke, moved it up for me last year. Steaks, pastas and fresh fish are a little more pricy for dinner, but Stonewood’s bar service is always top-notch.
6. Ciccio Cali
Get a taste of the California lifestyle at Ciccio Cali, where rice and lettuce bowl cuisine has been elevated to an art form. I love all three of the tuna bowls on the menu, as well as the chicken and baby broccoli str-fry and the thin-crust pizzas. I also enjoy the homemade cookies and desserts (some gluten-free) and nice wine selection.
7. Ford’s Garage
I wasn’t overly excited that we were getting a Ford’s Garage in Wesley Chapel, because I can only eat burgers so often, and the rest of the menu is a little limited. Even so, Jannah and I do crave the ahi tuna appetizer, chop-chop salad, chicken Henry and petite filet.
Acropolis brunch.
8. Acropolis
Acropolis on BBD south of Tampa Palms continues to expand its menu with more and more authentic Greek and Middle Eastern dishes, but my favorites are still the lamb chops (photo), the Athenian fish and the Greek salad with a uniquely creamy Greek dressing.
9. Sukhothai
Although we have added some new (and also delicious) Thai options in our area, Sukhothai’s fresh sushi and combination fried rice are my favorites and I also love the crispy duck with ginger sauce and the shoes-off, below-floor seating.
10. Longhorn Steak House
Another new chain that opened in our area for the first time in 2017, Longhorn’s outlaw ribeye isn’t in Dempsey’s category, but it’s also half the price and delish. We love the bar, the bread, the salad, the sides and the Flo’s filets at Longhorn, too.
11. Thai Ruby
The ambiance is second to none and the food doesn’t disappoint. I love Thai Ruby’s fresh fish specials and the crispy duck with ginger sauce is still the best in our area. This is a great place to start an intimate date night.
12. Grillsmith
Some recent menu additions, including reasonable lunch entrées, have helped keep me coming back to Grillsmith, which now offers a larger variety of tender steaks, a daily fresh catch (we were stunned at how good the wahoo was) and a zesty margherita pasta.
13. Capital Tacos
It’s a fast-casual restaurant with a limited menu, but Jannah and I can’t get enough of the chicken and steak fajita salads at Capital Tacos (which is now opening more locations), and the quality of the food seems to exceed what you pay for it.
Fushia Asian bistro
14. Fushia Asian Bistro
It still makes me crazy when people tell me they’ve never tried or even heard of Fushia, which is located in the same Shoppes at Amberly plaza as Peabody’s and Thai Ruby. But, for authentic dishes like Yan Jian pork, beef with Chinese broccoli and the best combination fried rice in town, you have to try Fushia!
15. Yamato Japanese Restaurant
Although it’s not my favorite sushi place, I do enjoy the fair pricing on quality Japanese teppanyaki (hibachi) fare at Yamato, where the NY strip and filet and even the veggies are my favorites among our local Japanese steakhouses.
16. Liang’s China Bistro
Although my favorite Chinese entrées in our area might be at Fushia, Liang’s has my favorite egg rolls, true New York-style BBQ spare ribs and sautéed string beans in our area and has a great variety of fresh seafood and sizzling steak dishes.
17. Bonefish Grill
Bonefish used to rank higher on my list, but it still has my favorite seared ahi tuna appetizer in our area and is usually reliable for its fresh fish (although I don’t love most of the sauces on the menu) and bar service.
18. 900 Woodfired Pizza (Shops at Wiregrass)
Although owner Steve Falabella’s NY-style pizza is only third on my list (behind La Prima and NY NY), his lasagne, his delicious salads and the best pesto Genovese sauce for his create-you-own pastas helped rank him higher as a restaurant.
19. The Hungry Greek
Still among the most crowded restaurants in our area, especially for lunch, The Hungry Greek has our area’s best gyro and chicken gyro platters, delicious Greek salads and recently added unique bowls to its popularly priced menu.
20. Oakley’s Grille
Featuring our area’s best open char-grilled black Angus burgers and perfect French fries, plus an outstanding Philly ribeye cheesesteak and pastrami sandwiches, Oakley’s would finish even higher on this list if it added some dinner entrées.
21. Kobe Japanese Steakhouse
Not far behind Yamato among our Japanese steakhouses, Kobe also scores points for its great $5 happy hour food specials at the bar and for adding a pepper-crusted, seared rare tuna tataki teppanyaki dish.
22. Outback Steakhouse
Although it’s never been my favorite steak place in our area, Outback continues to keep itself in the mix by reducing the price points on its quality steaks and recently added a bone-in, natural-cut ribeye.
23. Ginza Endless Hibachi
Although the quality of the sushi and not-tableside hibachi fare isn’t on a par with Yamato or Kobe, the endless appetizers, Mongolian beef and other entrées for just $12.95 per person for lunch, $21.95 per person for dinner, make it a great value.
Fat Rabbit
24. Fat Rabbit (Tampa Palms)
Amazing wings (try ‘em blackened), delicious appetizers and even an excellent mahi-mahi sandwich, plus a fun atmosphere, make Fat Rabbit the best new restaurant in New Tampa for 2017. Check them out on St. Patty’s Day!
25. Wok Chi
A great newcomer to the dining scene in Wiregrass, try the BBQ Chi-licious ribs, pot stickers and chicken spring rolls. I also really enjoy the create-you-own entrées with chicken, pork or beef and the freshest snow peas and other veggies in a spicy Sichuan sauce.
26. Las Palmas Spanish Café
For outstanding merluza topped with Russian-style tartar sauce, palomilla steak, pork chops and roasted pork (lechon asado), plus other authentic Cuban favorites, tell my friends Ramses and Ana that Gary sent you.
27. El Pescador Mexican Seafood
Another tasty newcomer in New Tampa, El Pescador has really good fajitas, but the fresh seafood is the main attraction, including the whole fileted snapper and the fresh ceviche, to go with the usual enchiladas and other Mexican staples.
28. La Prima Pizza
In one man’s opinion, the crust and sauce are still the closest thing to true NY-style ‘za in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel, and it’s all for sale! Owner Willie Lopez has a turnkey pizza operation and a great location (right next to Target), so please call him at (813) 907-2878 if you want to find out more…and please tell him that Gary sent you!
29. Sushi Café
Quite a few sushi places have come and gone from our area over the past several years, but Sushi Café’s quality and presentation make it the best in our area for my money and it is located in the heart of New Tampa (next to Panera on BBD).
30. Texas Roadhouse
Obviously, I love a great steak and although Texas Roadhouse loses points with me for its line-dancing wait staff, it does offer great values on tasty NY strips, filets and yes, its hefty, 20+-oz. bone-in ribeyes.
The Rest of My Top 50 (in alphabetical order)
Bonsai Sushi: Popular for sushi & Japanese fare
Bosco’s: Try the unbreaded chicken parm!
Bruster’s Ice Cream: My favorite (peanut butter!)
Cake Shop:Amazing cakes, cookies & cupcakes
Cantina Laredo: Pricy, satisfying Mexican fare
Culver’s: Good burgers, amazing frozen custard
Fong’s Sushi: Creative, top-level sushi
Hibachi Express: Best prices for tasty hibachi!
Irish 31: Great salads & upscale pub grub
Jersey Mike’s Subs: Best roast beef & tuna subs
Koizi Endless Hibachi: Just below Ginza
Kwan Ming Bistro: Tasty, upscale Chinese
Lanna Thai: Really good food, great atmosphere
Mr. Dunderbak’s: Good schnitzel, great beer!
NY NY Pizza: Try the Grandma’s Pizza!
O’Brien’s Irish Pub: Burgers, tater tots & karaoke
If you love great Thai food like I do, check out my new friends Tammy (a Tampa General Hospital Registered Nurse) and her husband Michael (an engineer) at the new Palm Thai, which opened recently in the space previously occupied by Orchid Thai in the same Shoppes at The Pointe plaza as Ciccio Cali and Koizi in Tampa Palms.
Palm Thai’s lunch is one of the best deals in town, as my pork with garlic and black pepper sauce (above, left) came with a delicious spring roll, chicken soup and salad, for less than $10! Palm Thai wasn’t open in time for my 2017 “Gary’s Favorites,” but if its crispy duck measures up, it surely will make my list next year!
For more info about Palm Thai (17022 Palm Pointe Dr.), call (813) 252-3534, visit PalmThaiTampa.com, or see the ad & 10%-off coupon on pg. 40 of our latest New Tampa issue!
Oakley’s Grille Sold!
Those of us who have loved the hamburgers and sandwiches at Oakley’s Grille — located at 17631 Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. (next to Supercuts) — since it opened in 2011 — will be happy to learn that even though owner Keith Oakley recently sold his popular burger-and-sandwich restaurant, everything about the place is expected to remain the same under its new ownership, at least for the foreseeable future.
Oakley’s Grille, which has received first place burger and/or sandwich honors from yours truly every year since it opened, was purchased by first-time restaurateurs Heather Woodall and Ladesha Stoudemire, who are excited about their new venture.
“We heard Oakley’s was for sale through a business broker, who took us there for lunch,” Heather says. “And, we just loved the quality of the food, the way the staff knew and treated the customers and the entire operation. It was a no-brainer for us.”
Heather and Ladesha agree that while they might try to add menu items in the future — by customer demand — they promise the same amazing burgers (above, center), fries and sandwiches done the same way by the same people.
For more info about Oakley’s Grille (17631 BBD), call (813) 523-5075 or visit OakleysGrille.com.
And, if you mention this write-up when you order, you can buy one ribeye or chicken Philly sandwich with fries and a beverage and receive a second Philly sandwich of equal or lesser value FREE with the purchase of fries and a beverage. And, please tell Heather, Ladesha and their crew that the Neighborhood News sent you.
Prost Kitchen & Bar Opens
In another one of those locations that has seen a progression of restaurants come and go, the German-inspired Prost Kitchen & Bar has openedin the space most recently occupied by Big Papa’s Pit in the Palms Connection plaza at 2802 E. Bearss Ave., just west of BBD.
The space was first home to Garofalo’s Pizza more than two decades ago and also has been a Beef O’Brady’s and one or two other places I can’t remember.
Prost, with its 20 craft beers on tap and full-liquor bar, already has been packed for Sunday brunch, but I really enjoyed not only the super-crispy, but moist inside Jagerschnitzel pictured above, but also the candied broccolini flambé and homemade spaetzle it was served with on my first visit.
For more info, visit ProstKitchen.com or call (813) 466-5249 and please tell owner Cody Jay of Jay Hospitality Group and his staff that we sent you!
Top Shelf’s Grand Opening
So, it’s never easy opening a new business, much less a restaurant, but I’m excited to say that the Top Shelf Sports Lounge at Florida Hospital Center Ice (FHCI) has (finally!) now been for a few weeks and has celebrated with a North Tampa Bay (formerly the Greater Wesley Chapel; see pg. 3) Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting ceremony on Feb. 2.
The 2,500-sq.-ft. restaurant, which overlooks three of the five ice surfaces at FHCI, serves a nice variety of burgers, wings, wrap sandwiches, salads and entrées like beef brisket and potato poutine skillets (a Canadian delicacy).
Best of all, Top Shelf will be participating in this year’s Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel at FHCI on Sunday, March 25, noon-4 p.m. (see pg. 3), after not being able to get open in time for last year’s event.
Co-owner Keenan Cottle, who will be serving beer from his 81Bay Brewing Co. in South Tampa at the Taste, thanked FHCI owners Gordie Zimmermann and George Mitchell of ZMitch, LLC, for opening “this amazing rink” during the ribbon-cutting.
Top Shelf co-owner Joe Boyd said that the partners are excited to be part of the Wesley Chapel area and are looking forward to more great events at Top Shelf.
The Top Shelf Sports Lounge is located on the second floor of FHCI (3173 Cypress Ridge Blvd.). For more info, stop in or call (813) 953-1032 or visit TopShelfTampa.com.
Antoinette and Jerome Lee of Cross Creek in New Tampa found out about the event in the Mar. 23 New Tampa edition of the Neighborhood News. It was also their first time at a Taste event. 
Quail Hollow residents Steve and Virginia Catrombone brought their eight-month old son, Memphis, to the event. They have lived in the Wesley Chapel area the last five years and were attending their first Taste of New Tampa. They had never even been to FHCI before. 
Jeff and Jennifer Pike, who live in Live Oak in New Tampa, brought their twin daughters Liliana and Amalia as well as their son, 12-year-old Carter, to the Taste. 
