Category: Featured

New Moffitt At Wesley Chapel Cancer Center Opens

*The new Moffitt at Wesley Chapel will provide a more convenient cancer-fighting experience with the same great care provided by the Moffitt Cancer Center’s main campus in Tampa.*

The long-awaited Moffitt Cancer Center satellite campus in a new building on the site of AdventHealth Wesley Chapel (AHWC) has opened, with a quiet virtual ribbon cutting three days before services started officially being offered on Feb. 15.

Called Moffitt at Wesley Chapel, the new facility fills a major hole in the area when it comes to receiving cancer treatment. As one of only 50 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, the Moffitt Cancer Center has gained national acclaim over the years for its research and patient care.

“I am excited that Moffitt is getting closer to our patients,” said Dr. Tim Kubal, medical director at Moffitt at Wesley Chapel. “This is also a great opportunity to innovate the way clinical care is provided at Moffitt.”

Moffitt’s cancer care will occupy nearly 28,000 square feet of the new, three-story, 100,000-sq.-ft. building, which is located in the Healing Plaza on the south side of the campus of AHWC, near the Shops at Wiregrass.

The facility, which broke ground in May 2019, features 20 exam rooms, 22 infusion chairs, three blood draw stations, two linear accelerators and a CT Simulator.

The TrueBeam linear accelerator above provides image-guided stereotactic radiosurgery and radiotherapy with high precision to treat tumors and lesions in various parts of the body, including lungs, breasts, head and neck. It is a part of the new technology available at the new Moffitt at Wesley Chapel facility .

Patients will be able to access blood draws, infusions, medical oncology, radiation and surgical oncology consultations at the new location, whereas they previously had to drive to Moffitt’s North Tampa campus on Magnolia Ave. for such services.

Diagnostic imaging services also will be available at the new building, with the imaging services provided by AdventHealth, and Moffitt’s team of expert radiologists reviewing the images for interpretation.

Patients can expect to receive the same outstanding cancer care for which Moffitt is highly regarded.

“There are going to be some things that we only do at the main campus, (such as) super complex surgeries and things like that, which are typically going to be done at the Magnolia campus (at USF),” Dr. Kubal says. “But, the bulk of cancer care is diagnosis and treatment. It’s figuring out what’s going on with you, giving you chemotherapy and radiation therapy, and all that can be done here in Wesley Chapel.”

By partnering with AdventHealth in Wesley Chapel, Moffitt has created what is sure to continue being a popular model for health care in the future.

“One of the most exciting new things about this hybrid model of care in partnership with AdventHealth is that with this multi-specialty model, we are able to bring our experience of research closer to the community,” says Dr. Vania Phuoc, one of the center’s lead hematology/oncololgy physicians. “We’re hoping to bring clinical trials out here to Moffitt at Wesley Chapel by the end of the first year after we open.”

The new building’s services include malignant and benign hematology, the full breadth of solid tumor oncology, gynecologic oncology, endocrinology and more. More services will be added in the future, based upon the needs of the community.

The convenience for those fighting cancer, as well as for those who have family members fighting it, is huge, Dr. Kubal says.

“There are a lot of people up here (in Wesley Chapel), and this is an area that is growing very rapidly,” he says. “A lot of younger families and people are moving from up north. They want to transfer their care but don’t necessarily want to live on the USF campus (where the main Moffitt Cancer Center is located). They want to live in the Villages, they want to live up in Wesley Chapel off of Curley Road. So, we’re up here because we want to get closer to the patients without them having to come all the way to us.”

Moffitt Cancer Center also is expanding into central Pasco, recently receiving approval to build an extension on 775 acres at the intersection of the Suncoast Parkway and the Ridge Rd. Extension, which is currently under construction.

Phase 1 of the project will include a $60-million, 125,000-sq.-ft. business park, which will be completed in five years and create nearly 450 jobs.

And, Moffitt also is building a $400 million, 128-bed hospital on 20 acres across McKinley Dr. from Moffitt’s Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation Outpatient Center, a short drive from the original Moffitt campus at USF.

For more info, visit Moffitt.org.

St. Patrick’s Day Means It’s Been One Full Year Of Covid-19

The photo of Jannah and me was taken on March 7, 2020, at a friend’s wedding, literally a week or so before the U.S. began to shut down because of the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.

I also remember going to O’Brien’s Irish Pub in Wesley Chapel to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day 2020, and I was already uncomfortable talking too closely to the people we met and especially, with hugging anyone. No one was yet wearing masks — as there was some debate as to whether or not they were effective in preventing the spread of this then-new, still-largely-unknown illness — and I just felt like no one knew how close was too close to be talking to someone in those earliest days of the illness.

Well, St. Patrick’s Day 2021 is now here, which means that the pandemic has been raging in this country for one full year. Thankfully, despite nearly 30 million confirmed U.S. cases and more than a half-million deaths, the number of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths seem to finally be subsiding a bit, thanks to ongoing mask-wearing and social distancing rules, as well as the introduction of millions of doses of three rushed-to-market vaccines. The good news — at least so far — is that those who have been able to receive the Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech or Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccines to date have been avoiding serious illness, hospitalizations and deaths, with minimal side effects for most.

I will admit that those who have been able to receive any of these vaccines once they became available has been a little mystifying to me — I thought it was supposed to be the elderly, true front-line workers in hospitals (doctors, nurses and anyone else with direct patient contact), firefighters and law enforcement officers who were supposed to be first in line to receive them, but I saw many people under age 65 on Facebook who didn’t fit into any of those categories bragging that they had received both doses of the vaccine before my mom was able to get her first dose of Moderna vaccine, which she finally did last week.

But, considering how new all of this is, and how crazy the lines have been at public heath locations just to get a Covid test, I am encouraged by the progress that has been made. I’m also encouraged by the fact that the vaccines all also appear to be effective against the different Covid-19 variants that have been popping up.

I also am hopeful that Jannah and I — who are both under age 65 and in relatively good health — will be able to be included in the next group to be vaccinated, especially once teachers and everyone living or working in long-term care facilities have received theirs. My wife and I genuinely miss going out to crowded bars with live music, but we’ve spent precious few evenings out enjoying dinner and karaoke or to watch a Lightning game since this nightmare began.

I feel fortunate that neither I nor any members of my immediate family have been touched personally by Covid, although at least one Neighborhood News employee did suffer for a few weeks with a relatively mild case. But thankfully, our employees have mostly been working from home and we wear masks whenever more than one of us are in the office together.

Even so, how long Jannah and I will have to continue to wear masks when we go out to eat — something we’ve done far less of the last year, but have started to do a little more of late — remains to be seen. And, I also am concerned that the repeal of mask mandates by the governors of several states may be happening a little too soon, too. The U.S. is nowhere near “herd immunity” yet and I don’t have the same faith in people to wear masks without those mandates that those governors seem to have.

So, while St. Patrick’s Day is one of the holidays I actually have traditionally enjoyed, it will forever be remembered, at least by me, as the holiday when the scourge of the early 21st century first hit home. Stay safe, my friends.

Covid-19 editorial St. Patrick's Day

Whether You Crave Italian Or American Food, Try Frammi!

(Above, l.-r.) Travis Younger, Rachell Reed, Ciara Weiss and Erika, Francesco & Luca Ammirati invite you to check out Frammi, New Tampa’s only restaurant serving both great American and Italian cuisine.(Photos by Charmaine George & Gary Nager)

If your family can’t always agree about what type of food to eat — you want delicious lasagne but your kids are asking for great cheeseburgers — you can both find plenty of favorites at the all-new Frammi American Grille and Italian Food, located in the space previously occupied by the popular Oakley’s Grille on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in North Palms Village.

The restaurant has been owned by Luca and Erika Ammirati since August of 2018, but they kept the name as Oakley’s Grille until about a month ago, and they kept the menu virtually the same, with Luca adding some of his authentic Italian specialties a little at a time.

But, considering that Luca is from Napoli (Naples) in southern Italy and Erika is from a small town outside of Milano (Milan) in northern Italy, the two have a vast wealth of Italian dishes that they love sharing with hungry diners in New Tampa, Wesley Chapel and beyond.

When they were formulating the menu for Frammi, Luca says he and Erika wanted to keep as much of the all-American Oakley’s menu while incorporating an equally extensive selection of truly authentic Italian favorites. To that end, the Frammi menu is American on one side, but flip it over, and you’ll find Italian specialties on the other side.

“There are plenty of places in the New Tampa area serving American food and some serving Italian,” Luca says with his charming accent, “but we wanted to be the only restaurant in the area specializing in both.”

Great Grilled Specialties

Yes, Frammi still has those delicious Oakley’s hamburgers (with a dozen different options, including the popular ghost pepper burger and the bacon, egg & cheeseburger below), “Kars Katch” fried tilapia tenders, Philly cheesesteak and chicken Philly sandwiches, beef, chicken and fish fajitas and some of the best fries in the area.

But, Luca and Erika also have added sandwiches with Boar’s Head meats and cheeses, like the pastrami & swiss sandwich on marble rye bread, as well as a great corned beef Reuben.

And, although it’s not shown on these pages, the fried chicken sandwich also is excellent and is one of a half-dozen chicken sandwich choices, including my favorite, the unique Cajun chicken Cordon Bleu, topped with hot capicola and melted Swiss.

The Ammiratis’ Italian influence also is evident in the variety of hot pressed sandwiches, including the spicy Italian and Uncle Muzzie’s mufaletta.

Now, That’s Italian!

But, to be honest, I was much more interested in Frammi’s all-new Italian side of the menu, especially the incredible variety of pasta dishes.

There are favorites like pomodoro (fresh tomato sauce, Parmesan cheese and basil), two different ragus (not to be confused with the jarred sauce) — one with black angus beef (aka Bolognese) and an incredible ragu di salsiccia, with fresh Italian sausage. Luca says his favorite is the spicy pasta arrabiata and there’s also a puttanesca (with black and green olives, garlic, anchovies, tomato sauce and capers).

But, my favorites are the truly authentic meat lasagne (above), made with creamy bechamel sauce, instead of the more Americanized ricotta), the perfect pesto (which sticks to the pasta better than at most places) and especially, the vongole (tiny, fresh clams in their shells, made with diced tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, white wine, garlic and red chili pepper flakes.

Luca originally introduced me to his authentic fried meatballs more than a year ago, as he says in southern Italy, they don’t serve the meatballs in sauce, they’re served with a side of fresh tomato dipping sauce and garlic bread.

Other Italian specialties include a chunky bruschetta appetizer, a an antipasto Italiano with prosciutto, mortadella (also ham), salami, Parmesan cheese and house-baked bread), a “secondo platto” (second dish) of prosciutto e mozzarella (also with house-baked bread), a fried chicken “cotoletta” (served with fries), an eggplant (melanzana) parmigiana so popular it sells out all the time, fried calamari and several others.

There’s also a variety of freshly made salads and a reasonably priced kids’ menu, with everything from fish sticks to cheeseburger and more — all from $3.49-$6.99.

“Please be patient,” Luca says. “We are not serving fast food here. Everything is made to order — including Erika’s homemade tiramisu (above).”

And, everything I’ve sampled to date has been outstanding. I can’t wait to try more — and neither should you!

Frammi (17631 BBD Blvd.) is open every day, 11 a.m.-8 p.m., and offers delivery with Doordash, Mobile Meals & Uber Eats. For more info, call (813) 523-5075.

Frammi Italian

Ramma-Lamma-Lamma! Singalong With ‘Grease’ On Mar. 13!

When the musical “Grease” hit Broadway back in 1972, my best friend’s Doug’s dad, an investment banker, purchased 10% of the show and basically has been getting paid every time any of the songs from the smash hit show (and yes, even the 1979 movie with the same name, starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John) are performed.

The good news, for a certain young wannabe performer, was that Doug’s family took me to see that show at least six, seven or ten times before the summer camp I attended in upstate New York put on “Grease” as our summer production in 1974.

And, even though I didn’t get to star as Danny Zuko — the role created on Broadway by Barry Bostwick (later, the silver-haired mayor on the Michael J. Fox TV sitcom “Spin City) and reprised by Travolta in the film — despite being the only kid in camp who had memorized every word of every song, I did get to play both Teen Angel (played by Frankie Avalon in the movie) and Johnny Casino, with two solo songs (“Beauty School Dropout” and “Born to Hand Jive”).

Therefore, when I heard that the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel (the club Jannah and I belong to, which meets for lunch at noon every Wednesday at Omari’s Grille in the Lexington Oaks Golf Club) was going to put on a free, socially distanced “Grease is the Word” Singalong event (on Saturday, March 13, 4:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., at Land O’Lakes Heritage Park, 5401 Land O’Lakes Blvd.) — starring deputies from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office against firefighters from the Pasco Fire Rescue department — I knew I had to get involved.

To kick off that involvement, I re-created my role as the Teen Angel (in full costume; photo) at a recent Wesley Chapel Rotary meeting, which was enough to get me an invitation to sing the song again at the “Grease” singalong” event.

I’m obviously pretty excited about the opportunity to be on hand as a part of my childhood is revisited once again, and I hope that at least some of you reading this also will attend — even though my Rotary Club is located in Wesley Chapel and the deputies and firefighters competing (for three prizes; I’m pretty sure I’m not eligible) are from Pasco County, because not only is “Grease” the word — it’s also a heckuva lot of fun!

And, speaking of fun, here are some fun trivia questions about one of my all-time favorite musicals:

1) How many Tony Awards did “Grease” win in 1972?

2) Who played Rizzo in the original Broadway cast and what TV show did she begin starring in 1972?

3) What hit song sung by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in the “Grease” movie was not in the original Broadway show?

Answers:

1) Zero. The original show, which held the record for longest-running Broadway hit (later broken by “A Chorus Line,” was nominated for seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, but did not take home any hardware.

2) Adrienne Barbeau, who played Maude’s daughter Carol on “Maude.”

3) “You’re the One That I Want.”

Grease Rotary

Zukku-San Is Taking Its Place Among Wesley Chapel’s Best!

If you somehow haven’t seen it as you crawl to or from I-75 on S.R. 56, or you haven’t seen the ads (or my previous shorter writeups) in these pages, a favorite from Tampa’s Armature Works has opened in our area.

Zukku-San Sushi Bar & Grill opened towards the end of 2020, next to Crumbl Cookie, and has brought that great Tampa vibe along with it.

But, while the Zukku Sushi location in the Tampa Heights Market at Armature Works is set up (like most restaurants in that space) as a faster-food mix of “curated” sushi, poké bowls and sushi burritos, co-owner Ferdian Jap and his possible future brother-in-law and co-owner/Executive Chef Gia Tran (Ferdian’s girlfriend is Gia’s wife’s sister) have brought the same “works of art” feel to the coolly elegant Zukku-San, which is much more of a sit-down, fine dining restaurant, featuring a super-premium, full liquor bar.

Gia, who spent several years at Sushi Alive in the Westshore Business District, followed by five years at Ocean Prime outside of the International Plaza, says that Zukku-San allows him to get even more into his unique combination of knowledge and love of the freshest sushi and the ability to create more upscale works of art that he learned at Ocean Prime.

In fact, “Zukku” is a canvas commonly used by artists to create their masterpieces and “San” is a title of respect added to a name in Japanese. Amazing food is the art form and the chefs are the artists who use the finest ingredients to create these culinary masterpieces. In fact, there even are large and small sushi and sashimi palettes served on a custom artist’s palette. These folks are not playing around when it comes to food.

If you spend a few minutes with Ferdian and Chef Gia, you can tell just how excited they are about their latest venture together (they also have a Zukku Sushi location in Charlotte, NC) — and they’re not the only ones.

Although fans of Zukku-San pack the place (but please note that there are few eateries better set up for social distancing) for dinner virtually every night, Gia and Ferdian only recently unveiled a new lunch menu, so the lunch crowd is just now building.

But, while you can get the full dinner menu if you go at lunch time, there also are lunch-only items, like excellent tuna and other poké bowls and tender short rib and other bento boxes, all of which include salad, rice, two fried gyoza, or pork dumplings, and Zukku-San’s amazingly fresh and delicious sautéed veggies. The bottom line is that whether you go for lunch, dinner or drinks and appetizers, you really can’t beat the quality — or the artistry — of Chef Gia’s food at Zukku-San.

For Starters…

Jannah and I haven’t always gotten a full meal when we visit Zukku-San because the starters are just so delicious.

But, every dine-in visitor to Zukku-San also receives a towel that puffs up when your server pours hot water on it. But, neither photographer Charmaine George nor I got a picture that really does this magical process justice, so you’ll just have to check it out for yourself, OK?

And, even though Jannah and I aren’t as big on sushi as some Zukku-San diners, the fish is always fresh and excellent, as is the seared ahi tuna tataki. Also outstanding are the fried vegetable spring rolls (served with a unique orange chili sauce), the skewers of beef tenderloin and chicken yakitori (shrimp and scallop yakitori also are on the menu; all are skewered with fresh sautéed onions, peppers zucchini and even broccoli) and the fried pork gyoza.

But, our favorite starters are probably the wide variety of Tempura a la Carte options. Jannah’s favorite is the zucchini and mine are the broccoli, carrot and amazing whole soft shell crab tempura (right). Also on the tempura menu are shrimp, sweet potato, tofu, whole giant squid, avocado, scallops, hamachi (yellowtail) collar, asparagus, onion rings, red and jalapeño pepper and even whole lobster tail tempura.

“Most Japanese restaurants give you an order of tempura that may have some vegetables you don’t like,” Ferdian says. “But, we give you four pieces of zucchini or broccoli or whatever vegetables you like, for only $2.95 per order. At Zukku-San, you pick only the tempura items you want.”

There’s even “Chef’s Features” available, like a tender bluefin tuna appetizer, topped with caviar. Ferdian says that the bluefin appetizer is likely to become a regular menu item in the future, but Gia says other “Chef’s Features” also are coming soon.

There also are soups and salads available as starters, but other than the ginger salad that comes with the entrées, Jannah and I haven’t sampled any of them…yet.

From The Wok & Grill

Just in case you’re still hungry for more than just appetizers, Zukku-San offers mine and Jannah’s favorite chicken teriyaki (above), which is served with those aforementioned sautéed veggies. Also available are dinner portions of those tender, delicious grilled short ribs, plus items we haven’t tried yet, like soy butter glazed baked salmon, miso garlic scallops or tofu, and wok-fired hibachi and udon noodle dishes, all with your choice of protein, or just with veggies.

But, it’s really hard for us to ever pass up the Japanese-style fried rice, which is jasmine rice with egg, peas, carrots and onions and available with chicken, beef, shrimp or fried tofu protein options, but our favorite is the veggie fried rice, which adds red peppers, broccoli, zucchini and amazing baby bok choy. The rice has a nutty flavor that is hard to match.

Zukku-San also has a kids menu, but while the items aren’t cheap, the portions seem adult-sized to us. There’s also a variety of desserts, from triple chocolate cake to matcha green tea cheesecake, fried ice cream and more, but we’ve honestly never had room left over for dessert. There’s also a variety of hot and iced teas, as well as boba milk tea, but Jannah usually gets a wine or hot saki and I usually have either an Asahi Dry or Sapporo beer, or a whiskey.

Zukku-San Sushi Bar & Grill (25916 Sierra Center Blvd., Lutz) opens every day at 11 and is open until 9:30 on weekdays, 10 p.m. on Fri. & Sat. & 9 p.m. on Sun. For more information, visit ZukkuSushi.com, call (813) 419-1351.

chicken teriyaki sushi Zukku-San