When I visited the Mochinut Korean-style donut and rice hot dog (not a misprint) place at 11401 N. 56th St. in Temple Terrace for the first time — to sample what has been announced as coming to the former location of Mahana Fresh on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. — I got a few surprises.
First of all, the donuts, which are now served at more than 130 locations around the country, and are available in a rotating variety of flavors — from caramel churro (below) to lavender — are light, airy and definitely taste nothing like Krispy Kreme or Dunkin’ Donuts. The rice flour hot dogs sound…interesting…too, although I’ve yet to sample them. The bigger surprise was that not only is New Tampa getting a Mochinut store, so is the Lutz/Wesley Chapel area across from the Tampa Premium Outlets, as Mochinut also is opening soon in the former Pho 54 Vietnamese restaurant/boba tea location in the same plaza as Mellow Mushroom and Astro Craft Ice Cream.
All Mochinut locations also serve a variety of boba teas, by the way. Best of all, both new locations are likely to open by about the first week in October.
For more information, visit or call the Temple Terrace location at (813) 374- 5781 and please tell them that I sent you. Or, visit Mochinut.com.
(L.-r.) Carly and Wendy Hobbs put together a beautiful bouquet of white roses at The Flower Box, located in the Grand Oaks Plaza on Wesley Chapel Blvd. in Lutz, which stocks a great variety of uniquely beautiful flowers. (All photos by Charmaine George).
The Flower Box, located on Wesley Chapel Blvd. in the Grand Oaks Plaza in Lutz, is a locally-owned-and-operated flower shop providing a wide range of floral bouquets and arrangements for any occasion or event.
“We’ve been here for going on 18 years,” says owner Wendy Hobbs. “We’ve been in the community, in the same location, and we help people from all over.”
The Flower Box is a family-run business, with Wendy originally working alongside her mother and now working with her daughter, Carly Hobbs (as well as six other floral experts).
Although Wendy says many customers come looking for flowers for a specific event or occasion, many also stop by to get a “just because” gift for a family member, spouse, or other loved one.
In addition to offering classic floral arrangements, such as white or red roses and boutonnieres for events such as homecoming dances or proms, The Flower Box also stocks arrangements of unique flowers, such as circus (two-toned orange and yellow) roses. Also available is a variety of different orchids, which are easy to care for and provide elegance to anywhere they may be placed.
For those unsure of what floral arrangement they want, as well as those who may simply want to surprise a loved one with an unexpected floral gift, The Flower Box has a “Deal of the Day,” where the customer only has to pick the size of arrangement they want and the florists create a unique arrangement to fulfill that need. The store also offers a similar option called “Designer’s Choice,” where the customer fills out a brief form stating what occasion the arrangement is for, as well as who the recipient will be.
For anyone looking for more than just the usual floral options, The Flower Box also offers gifts such as gourmet chocolates, plush stuffed animals and balloons that can be added on to any arrangement.
Throughout the years, The Flower Box has provided its customers with many unique floral choices. For example, the shop has provided beautiful floral arches for weddings. Anyone looking for an unusual or large floral arrangement for a special event such as a wedding or baby shower can request a consultation on the store’s website (FlowerBoxWesleyChapel.com) under the “Weddings & Events” tab. Wendy says that many people looking to order flowers for their special occasion will come in with pictures found online from websites such as Pinterest for inspiration, and she does her best to duplicate these so the customer can get exactly what he or she wants.
‘Tis The Season, Every Season!
Besides having flowers for special occasions such as birthdays, graduations and anniversaries, The Flower Box also offers flowers that correspond with the specific seasons of the year.
For example, the shop offers a “Springtime Wishes” arrangement that features a variety of colorful tulips and roses in a wicker basket.
For the upcoming fall season, check out the “Harvest Glow” bouquet, which features warmer-toned flowers to correspond with the warmer yellow, orange and red colors seen in the fall. Another fall offering is a Cornucopia arrangement filled with a variety of fall-toned flowers and foliage. Being located in a subtropical area like Florida, specific tropical flowers, such as birds of paradise, also are available.
Wendy says The Flower Box utilizes several growers from the local Lutz/Wesley Chapel area. The shop also receives flowers from larger wholesalers as well. To be able to provide more tropical flower varieties, Wendy and her crew work with a wholesaler from Miami that provides flowers from Argentina and other parts of South America.
Overall, The Flower Box always provides a personalized approach to ensure that each customer receives exactly what he or she wants.
“We try to deal with each customer one on one, whatever their needs are, for all different kinds of events and special occasions.” Wendy says, adding that when working with customers, she first starts out by asking for the particular inspiration they may have and designing an arrangement from there.
Although The Flower Box is located in Lutz, the store delivers flowers and gifts to a wide array of zip codes, including Wesley Chapel and New Tampa, as well as Dade City, San Antonio and Land O’ Lakes. The store even has a network of florists to allow for delivery to many areas and cities nationwide. In case there is a need for a last-minute gift for someone special, same-day delivery is offered at no additional cost.
Customers love The Flower Box, too: “The ordering process was so easy and smooth,” said Ashlyn Hartford in her recent Google review. “They have a massive, stunning variety to choose from with affordable prices…the arrangements are all gorgeous. (I) ordered a bouquet for delivery as a surprise & I couldn’t be happier with how (it) turned out.”
In another Google review, customer Kathy Hershelm praises The Flower Box for its excellent service:
“The flowers are always fresh and the arrangements are beautifully done. I have ordered for weddings, anniversaries, birthdays and funerals and the flowers are always stunning!”
Wendy says The Flower Box also has supported the local community by providing floral arrangements for several area schools.
The Flower Box is located at 26302 Wesley Chapel Blvd., Lutz. For more info, call (813) 907-1916, visit FlowerBoxWesleyChapel.com or see the ad on pg. 30. The shop also can be found by searching @flowerboxwc on Instagram.
City of Tampa Natural Resources Division superintendent Brad Suder (right) accepts the Karen Jacobs Award on behalf of the city at the 33rd annual Americans with Disabilities Act awards celebration hosted by the Hillsborough County Alliance for Persons with Disabilties on Aug. 4. (Photo provided by the City of Tampa).
Congratulations to the City of Tampa and to everyone involved in the creation of the All-Abilities Playground at the New Tampa Recreation Center in Tampa Palms, which was named the winner of the 2023 Karen Jacobs Outstanding Accessible Place award by the Hillsborough County Alliance for Persons with Disabilities earlier this month.
The award, named for Karen Jacobs, a University of South Florida grad, paraplegic wheelchair athlete and advocate for the disabled who passed away in 1996 after a battle with colon cancer, also was won by the city in 2022 for the expansion of Freedom Playground in MacFarlane Park in West Tampa.This year’s Karen Jacobs Award was accepted by Brad Suder, the superintendent of Planning & Design in Tampa’s Natural Resources Division, who played an integral role in the creation of the All-Abilities Playground.
Dist. 7 Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera, who proposed the creation of the All-Abilities park in his district (which includes all of New Tampa), applauded the award.
“I was thrilled to see our All-Abilities Playground win this meaningful award,” Viera said. “This park stands as a moral statement that people with disabilities are a part of our Tampa community and family. For me, being the youngest brother of a man with an intellectual disability, this issue is very personal.”
Councilman Viera said that growing up with older brother Juan and watching his parents struggle to give Juan as “normal” a life as possible was a big influence in his life.
(l.-r.) State Sen. Jay Collins, State Rep. Fentrice Driskell & Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera at the Grand Opening of Tampa’s All-Abilities Park in Tampa Palms on Dec. 21, 2022. (Photo by Charmaine George).
“I just knew that I wanted to help other families living with similar situations,” Viera said. “I am very proud that the members of the City Council and Mayor (Jane) Castor agreed to fund and build this park.”
Raquel Pancho, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) coordinator for the City of Tampa, was one of the people who nominated the All-Abilities Park for this year’s Karen Jacobs Award:
“I am thrilled to nominate The New Tampa All-Abilities Playground for the Outstanding Accessible Places Award. (The park) is a state-of-the-art,10,000+-sq.-ft. playground that is designed for children with a wide range of physical, cognitive, sensory, and neuro-diverse abilities. It fosters wonderful opportunities for children with and without disabilities to seamlessly and effortlessly engage with each other.”
Pancho’s nomination also noted that, “The All-Abilities playground also includes a sensory area geared towards children with autism, as well as an interactive art installation called “Wild Florida Parade,” which has tactile components so individuals who are blind or low vision can also enjoy the art component.”
Sherisha Hills, Director of Tampa Parks & Recreation, said, “This playground has truly set a new standard for inclusivity and accessibility that we continue to strive towards throughout our entire Tampa Parks system.”
On Saturday, the Zephyrhills Museum of Military History hosted an event in remembrance of 9-11 where Wesley Chapel resident and retired New York City EMT Stephen Spelman, Dist. 2 Pasco County Commissioner Seth Weightman, Lt. Col. Perry Blackburn (from the movie “12 Strong”), FDNY Lt. Michael Basignato and Zephyrhills Mayor Melonie Bahr Monson were among the many guest speakers. There also was a Pasco Sheriff’s Office fly-by and multiple sky divers who landed in a nearby field as part of the event.
Read the full story of this 911 event and others in the Oct. 3 edition of Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News!
Locals have been asking for a while what, if anything, is coming to the closed Wendy’s restaurant (photo below) on the north side of S.R. 56 (next to Taco Bell).
We now know that the shuttered former Wendy’s will become the second Tampa Bay-area location of Shake Shack (the photo above is an already popular location in Midtown Tampa), a chain with more than 300 units in 32 U.S. states and more than 170 more everywhere from Mexico City to Singapore.
Started in 2004 at a hot dog cart in New York City’s Madison Square Park, Shake Shack serves Angus beef burgers, crispy chicken, hand-spun milkshakes and house-made lemonade. Beer and wine also are served at most of its locations.
Unlike the Midtown location, the Lutz/Wesley Chapel Shake Shack will be in its own freestanding building. We had no additional information about when it is expected to open at our press time.
