The Wesley Chapel High volleyball team won its first District title since 2004, won two Regional playoff games for the first time in program history and played in its first-ever Region championship, but fell short of a State finals appearance when the âCats dropped a heartbreaking 25-27, 25-17, 25-23, 25-20 decision to Ocala Vanguard on Nov. 6 in the 5A-Region 2 title game.
But Wesley Chapel, which finished with a 19-6 record and made the playoffs for the second straight year under coach Brittany Collison, will be expecting to better their historic season next year, as they will return the core of the team and the leader in every statistical category.
Junior hitter Chloe Danielson, who set a school record with 375 kills, including 20 in the Region championship match, and is a contender for Pasco County Player of the Year honors, is the biggest piece of the puzzle.
But, the Wildcats also should return junior setter Jenna Ly (631 assists and 46 aces, both team highs), sophomore libero Brooke Ashkenase (school record 367 digs) and sophomore hitters Grace Korta and Lizzy Ekechi, who each had more than 100 kills. Youâll get âem next year, girls! â JCC
Wesley Chapelâs Favorite Restaurateur Upgrades His Bistro With A New Chef & New Menu Items!
(Above, l.-r.) Steve, Giulia and Micaela Falabella. Missing from the pic is Steve and Micaelaâs other daughter, Mavi.Â
Earlier this year, as owner Steve Falabella was getting ready to open his Falabella Family Bistro in The Grove, and started telling me about some of the menu items he was planning, I was already excited about it.
After all, Steve already had one of the best pizza places in Wesley Chapel (which is saying a lot because I think The Chap has a lot of really good pizza) â his 900Âș Woodfired Pizza in the Shops at Wiregrass â and as a true Italian raised in New York, I knew he could create a great bistro experience.
But, when Falabella Family Bistro did open in early June, the only thing I told Steve he could use was a little more diverse menu and maybe to add some fresh veggies.
Just a few short months later, as Steve was reunited with his new Executive Chef Chance Drake (who started with Steve as a dishwasher at 900Âș Woodfired ten years ago but who honed his chef skills at Noble Crust and Lake Jovita Country Club), he promised me that a revamped menu was on the way â and boy has Wesley Chapelâs favorite restaurateur delivered again, in a big way!
Although Chance will continue to offer a weekly special Friday-Sunday only (like the amazing rigatoni with broccoli rabe and sausage), only the most popular of Chanceâs specials and other often-requested dishes have been added to the actual new menu at the Bistro.
Other new âpiattiniâ (small plates or starters) on the menu are the garlic baguette (garlic bread with a pomodoro dip and fresh basil), the broccoli and ricotta toast (with roasted broccoli, whipped ricotta, hot honey and fresh basil) and a ravioli flight I canât sample because it includes lobster in the flight (along with sasuage, broccoli and five-cheese ravioli, all of which I can try).
And of course, among my already-on-the-menu favorites are the Vongole (spaghetti with clams), the classic spaghetti with meatballs, the chicken parmesan, the lasagna (with bechamel, instead of ricotta) the gnocchi Genovese (with house-made pesto sauce) and starters like the bruschetta, burrata caprese, the Caesar and Mediterranean salads and the crispy calamari.
Although I know a lot of Steveâs regular customers go crazy for the antipasto boards shaped like Italy and I do enjoy some of the panini sandwiches (my favorite is the pesto chicken), I honestly havenât sampled many of either because I have so many favorites on the rest of the menu. Iâm sure itâs my loss though.
Donât Skip Dessert!Â
While Jannah and I are usually trying not to eat dessert, itâs hard to skip the decadent desserts available at Falabella Family Bistro, especially knowing that they are supplied by Evelyn Barreno of Seven Layers Bakery. Iâm particularly partial to the chocolate mousse cheesecake, the equally creamy tiramisu, the cannolis and the turtle and triple chocolate cheesecake options. Iâve yet to sample the affogato (vanilla ice cream âdrownedâ with hot espresso) or Macedonia (fresh fruit salad topped with whipped cream) desserts.
I have sampled the Bistroâs outstanding cappuccino and Peroni beer on tap, and Jannah is partial to glasses of pinot grigio and prosecco. And, though his red wine list isnât extensive, itâs also not too expensive, as the Casa Migliaccio Barolo is only $49.95 per bottle and there are two Nero dâAvolas for only $29.95 per bottle. Bottled beers, hard seltzers and wine cocktails and a reasonably priced kids menu are available.
Falabella Family Bistro (6027 Wesley Grove Blvd.) is open for lunch (at 11 a.m.) & dinner (until 9 p.m. Sun.-Thur., 10 p.m. Fri.-Sat.) every day. For more information, visit FalabellaBistro.com or call (813) 428-6957.
All across Tampa, purple (or blue) street lights can be seen amidst rows of white and yellow lights. Take a ride down Cross Creek Blvd. and youâll see almost a dozen of them.
Curiosity about why these lights have randomly popped up has led to a number of television stories and a few Reddit and NextDoor.com threads.
And, even a few conspiracy theories. So letâs clear the air:
* The purple lights are not a super secret crime deterrent.
* The lights are not a super duper light pollution fighter.
* The light are not there to make it harder for heroin users to find a spot to shoot up.
* They are not collecting your vital information through some new technology.
* They are not an homage to Prince on the fifth anniversary of his death last April, and Tampa Electric just hasnât gotten around to replacing the lights.
(Sorry, the last one was our own conspiracy theory)
Nope, nothing like that.
The purple lights are just, well, good lights gone bad.
According to TECO spokesperson Cherie Jacobs, the lights have merely fallen prey to a manufacturerâs defect that turns them from white to purple.
âWe are almost done, but we are replacing all of our street lights with new energy-efficient LED technology,â Jacobs says. âThe model that was made in 2019 had a manufacturing defect, and that has affected a small percentage of the lights.
âBut, they are very noticeable.â
Indeed they are. The lights cast a purple hue across the road, and turn everything under the light poles a purple color. It has been explained in other stories that each light contains red, yellow and blue filters, but the yellow filters are the ones that have been malfunctioning, and the red and blue filters then create a definite purple tint.
The lights are so noticeable that Jacobs jokes that she is getting as many media requests for explanations than just about anything else these days. Concerned residents are calling television stations to get answers â News Channel 8 WFLA-TV and WTVT-TV Fox 13 recently did stories on the lights â and weâve even received a few emails about the them.
âWe are working with the manufacturer,â Jacobs says. âThey are under warranty and we are replacing them as we are learning about them.â
Considering that we are living in the age of crazy conspiracy theories, it should be no surprise that those purple lights have sparked a few, including this doozy â the lights are used to identify if you have been vaccinated against Covid-19, making you glow, and therefore keeping you out of FEMA camps that the government will be setting up for the unvaccinated where you see the lights.
No, not true. At least we donât think so.
And, the purple lights arenât just a Tampa thing, or a TECO thing. All across the country, purple lights have been popping up in South Carolina, Tennessee, Massachusetts and Wisconsin, drawing the same kind of scrutiny from residents.
Just a few days after this story went to press, Jacobs informed us that TECO is patrolling its entire system and will replace all purple lights. It should take several months, she wrote, so after originally setting up a web page for residents to report the location of the purple lights, no need to report the lights anymore.
“See a purple light? No further action is required of anyone,” Jacobs says. “Weâll fix it as soon as we can.”
ampa Palms Blvd. has been labeled a failing road, and is getting repaved starting sometime next year, but bigger plans to reduce it to two lanes and add roundabouts have been shot down. (Photo Charmaine George)
Plans to convert four-lane Tampa Palms Blvd. â which circles through the Tampa Palms community â into two lanes have been soundly rejected.
After revealing its preliminary Complete Street Project plan at a Sept. 28 virtual presentation and Q-&-A session, the city received near-unanimous opposition from residents. They filled out hundreds of questionnaires for the city demanding that Tampa Palms Blvd. not be downsized to accommodate things like bike lanes, additional school pickup lanes for Tampa Palms and Chiles elementary schools, roundabouts and other safety features, some of which they felt could be accomplished with four lanes.
âI read in total disbelief what the City of Tampa has proposed for Tampa Palms Blvd,â said one questionnaire. âTo quote former tennis icon John McEnroe: âYOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!ââ
Tampa planners heard the complaints and have decided to change course.
âWe are preserving the four lanes,â says City of Tampa chief traffic management engineer Vik Bhide, âand we will make (smaller) modifications.â
The $3-million repaving of Tampa Palms Blvd., currently funded in next yearâs city budget, will go forward in two segments â the south loop (or Segment 1), which runs from the north intersection of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. to the south intersection through Tampa Palms Areas 3 and 1), and the north loop, or Segment 2, which runs from the south intersection of BBD to Ebensburg Dr. in Tampa Palms Area 2.
Some of the modifications mentioned by Bhide include narrowing the lanes in an effort to lower driving speeds, and making improvements at some of the intersections by installing Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs), also known as pedestrian-activated warning devices.
Bhide also says that more pedestrian crossings will be introduced, and there will be an effort to address the traffic challenges around the schools during the busy morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up.
Roundabouts, which cost about $800,000 and arenât funded at the moment, âare off the table,â as residents seemed extremely opposed to them.
Asked if he was surprised at the quick repudiation of the initial plans, Bhide said it was all part of the process.
âWe tried to work with the community and what the community provides with their feedback,â Bhide says. âAnd we also rely on hard facts and data.â
That data, according to Cal Hardie, P.E., the City of Tampaâs capital projects manager, indicated that both segments of Tampa Palms Blvd. being repaved are great candidates for a âroad diet,â due to the number of daily trips on the road.
Hardie said anything under 10,000 is considered a great candidate for reduction, and 10,000-15,000 is considered a good candidate, and Tampa Palms Blvd. currently falls in that range.
But, the residents were clear â âDo not take away any of our lanes!â
With its restaurant open for a year already, Florida Ave. finally opens what may be the stateâs largest craft brewery!
I honestly donât know if Florida Ave. Brewing Co., located in the former location of Sports + Field on S.R. 56, is now the largest craft brewery in the state, but itâs not for lack of trying to find out on my part.
The long-awaited Grand Opening and North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon cutting of Florida Ave.âs brewery at its 34,000-sq.-ft. S.R. 56 location was held on Oct. 8, where CEO Anthony Derby and his family (and partners, including company president Joe Redner) unveiled their huge (for a microbrewery) brewing warehouse, complete with gigantic, stainless steel beer kettles â big enough, Derby says, to produce up to 50,000 barrels per year of Florida Ave.âs huge variety of beers.
Pasco County District 2 Commissioner Mike Moore called it the largest family-owned brewery on the west coast of Florida. But, when I tried to do some research of my own into the largest craft breweries in the entire state of Florida, the largest I could find was the unrelated Florida Beer Co., which is based in Cape Canaveral and reportedly produced nearly 33,000 barrels of its variety of beers in 2018. I couldnât find similar numbers for 2019 or 2020, but while Florida Ave. likely wonât get close to producing its 50,000-barrel capacity this year or next, it certainly could challenge Florida Beer Co. for the largest craft brewery in the state sooner than later.
Either way, itâs been a long and difficult, more-than-two-year journey for Anthony, his mom (and company CFO) Toni and the rest of the Derby family just to get the brewery open, even though the adjacent restaurant and its huge outdoor patio and indoor private event spaces have been open and successful for more than a year.
Anthony says the Covid-19 pandemic caused a lot of the delays for the brewery, as many of the important pieces of equipment, especially in the canning line (top left photo on next page), as the machines and parts had to come from Italy, where everything ground to a halt in 2019. Once the equipment finally made its way over here nearly two years later, Florida Ave. had to get it all put together, up and running and inspected by multiple agencies before the brewing process could begin â which wasnât until May of this year. Derby says it takes at least two weeks to actually make beer, but the equipment all had to be tested again and again in order to re-create the beers that Florida Ave.âs Seminole Heights factory â which produces about 7,000 barrels per year â has been brewing for years and has been providing for the restaurant since it opened last year.
Anthony admitted that there have been a lot of challenges but he is confident it will all end up being worth it â and he thanked both North Tampa Bay Chamber president Hope Allen and Moore for their help in getting the project to this point.
Moore said that when he first heard about the project in 2019, he said, âDo you have a time machine? If not, can you get it open by tomorrow?,â and called Florida Ave. a âbeautiful asset to the county.â
Florida Ave. Brewing Co. currently employs more than 120 people at the S.R. 56 location alone, with about 20 other employees out in the field. And yes, now that it is officially open, you will soon be able to tour the state-of-the-art Florida Ave. brewery.
What About The Food & Beer?
Even though I havenât been able to give you the full story about the brewery, Iâm just about officially out of space to tell you about all the great beers, hard seltzers and full liquor bar, the comfy bar stools and the delicious chef-created food at Florida Ave., but some of my favorite dishes appear on this page, including the Korean bibimbap beef bowl, the Chinese-style sticky ribs, the specialty burgers, the crab cakes and sesame-seared ahi tuna appetizers and the perfect Florida Ave. wings.Â
But of course, for most of you, the stars of the show at Florida Ave. Brewing Co. will be the beers. My favorites are the most basic â the lager, Dead Parrot light lager, and the brown ale, but I also enjoy the âYouâre My Boy, Blueâ fruit beer, the Rollinâ Dirty Irish red ale and Jannah likes the Key lime hard cider, the tangerine splash and other fruit-flavored beers and hard seltzers at Florida Ave.
Based on both the crowds we see there whenever we go for dinner or to watch a Lightning game there, as well as all of the votes it already has received in this yearâs Reader Dining Survey for Favorite Restaurant and for Favorite Bar in Wesley Chapel â a lot of you already enjoy the place, too.
So please, do me a favor â please visit Florida Ave. Brewing Co. and tell anyone who works there that you read about them in the New Tampa Neighborhood News!
Florida Ave. Brewing Co. is located at 2029 Arrowgrass Dr. and is open every day at 11 a.m. for lunch and dinner. Happy Hour is Mon.-Fri., 3 p.m.-5:30 p.m.For more information call (813) 452-6333 or visit FloridaAveBrewing.com. Reservations are accepted for parties of eight or more only.
