Category: Featured

North Tampa Bay Chamber Helps The Performance Lab Host A Truly Grand Opening!

It’s not every day that we cover the Grand Opening of a business located on N. Dale Mabry Hwy. in Tampa. But, when North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC) president & CEO Hope Kennedy tells me “This is one you shouldn’t miss,” I generally take her at her word.

And, oh boy! The Grand Opening and NTBC ribbon-cutting event for The Performance Lab (TPL) not only included Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper, (as the Lightning have a partnership with TPL), it also unveiled a state-of-the-art, 25,000-sq.-ft. facility “uniting world-class medical care, advanced diagnostics, and progressive rehabilitation under one roof.”

As described by founder Bahir Manios during the Grand Opening event attended by more than 200 people, TPL features top-of-the-line imaging (MRI, X-ray, ultrasound & C-arms) technology, including wide-bore MRIs, more than 25 exam/treatment rooms (including handicapped-friendly rooms and exam tables), multiple procedure rooms for interventional pain management, a dedicated brain health suite equipped with multiple modalities to assess and treat patients, including hyperbaric oxygen therapy (bottom photo), a rehabilitation suite equipped to allow patients of all abilities to progress to complete recovery in a comfortable environment and a unique performance center.

“In other words,” said Manios, “TPL is much more than a medical center. It’s a destination for recovery, performance and total wellness. Whether you’re a first responder, an athlete, a veteran, or just an ordinary person simply seeking strength, clarity and recovery from an ailment, TPL was built for you, and it’s all under one roof. We’ve put together physical medicine and rehabilitation, interventional pain management, brain health and neuro recovery, advanced imaging and diagnostics, sports performance and recovery, and life care planning for long term support.”

The event was as spectacular as the place itself, with a catered lunch outside, the ribbon cutting with (l.-r., top photo) Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, Coach Cooper, Manios and TPL chief revenue & legal officer Shant Melkonian. Once inside, Manios played a short video showing the remarkable technology patients can expect to be treated with, and there was an informative panel discussion featuring (right, l.-r.) executive director of brain & strategic partnerships Marissa McCarthy, MD, executive medical director Michael Lorenz, MD, and chief medical officer Hadi Shah, MD, plus tours of the former (but completely gutted and recreated) Harley-Davidson dealership.

In other words, if you missed it, you really did miss something special.

For more info about TPL (6920 N. Dale Mabry Hwy.), visit TPLTampa.com or call (844) TPL-TAMPA. — GN, photos by Charmaine George

Benito Middle School Welcomes New Principal Jacqueline Enis!

*The new principal at Benito Middle School on Cross Creek Blvd. is Jacqueline Enis, who plans to continue the New Tampa school’s tradition of “A”-rated excellence.* ***(Photo provided by Jacqueline Enis)***

Jacqueline Enis is the new principal of Benito Middle School.

Enis started in the role on Sept. 16, after former principal Brent Williams was tapped to lead Franklin Boys Preparatory Academy Middle Magnet School in Tampa.

It was announced at the school board meeting on Aug. 26 that Williams would begin in his new role on Sept. 2. Hillsborough County Pubic Schools officials then acted quickly to interview candidates and appointed Enis to lead Benito, making the announcement at the School Board meeting on Sept. 9.

Enis joins Benito after six years at neighboring Turner Bartels K-8 School, where she served as the assistant principal of curriculum.

Prior to that, Enis had served as assistant principal of curriculum at Farnell Middle School since 2013. She began her career with Hillsborough County Public Schools in 2001, when she taught ESE language arts and reading and served as a reading coach.

Enis says the transition to taking the reins at Benito has gone smoothly.

“It’s absolutely awesome,” she says. “I love the community and I love what we’re doing for students. I’m happy to continue the legacy of those who came before me.”

Benito has been a strong “A”-rated school for more than two decades. It has only two “Bs” in the school’s history, with the last one coming in 2001, so Enis says she isn’t looking to make a lot of changes on campus.

“The students respect adults and have been very welcoming,” she says. “They tell me that they miss Mr. Williams, but they have embraced me and have made me feel at home.”

Benito PTSA president Rob Taylor agrees with the students’ sentiments. “While we miss Mr. Williams, we are very excited to have Ms. Enis as our new principal,” Taylor says. “She seems on board with our goals of planning fun and exciting activities, events and rewards for students, and doing everything we can for our amazing teachers.”

Enis says she’s happy to partner with the PTSA and volunteers on campus, and she likes to be accessible to parents.

“I’m waving at them in the car line to make sure they recognize who to go to, whether they have positive things to share about their students, or concerns,” she says.

Enis says her first few weeks at the school have been filled with one-on-one meetings with every employee on campus and that the teachers and support staff have been welcoming to her, as well.

“I want to inspire students to succeed and help my school grow,” she says. “Benito is a place where learning is respected and there is collaboration. I want to continue to build those connections with students, staff and the community.”

Benito Benito Middle School Jacqueline Enis New Tampa principal Principal Jacqueline Enis Rob Taylor

Want To Win Up To $200 In FREE Dining? Enter Our Dining Survey & Contest!

Whether your favorite local restaurant is Lima Peruvian Cuisine in New Tampa or Tallo Caribbean/American cuisine in Wesley Chapel (or anyplace else), you could win up to $200 in FREE dining (or another free dining prize) — to any restaurant in the Tampa Bay area — simply by entering our annual Reader Dining Survey & Contest! But hurry, there are only three weeks left to enter! Click HERE to enter!

2025 Dining 2025 Dining Survey 2025 Dining Survey and Contest Contest dining survey Dining Survey and Contest Lima Peruvian Cuisine Tallo

The New Tampa Players (NTP) Present ‘Oklahoma!’ At The New Tampa Performing Arts Center (NTPAC) Oct. 18-19 & Oct. 24-26!

NTP’s production of ‘Oklahoma!” was supposed to debut tonight (Friday, October 17), but due to male lead Gabriel White Marin leaving the area this week for a his new role in a touring company production of “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” the opening night of “Oklahoma!” had to be moved from tonight to tomorrow night, so that the show’s choreographer Christan McLaurine could properly learn the choreography of the show’s classic fight scene in his new additional role as “Curly.” “It’s never easy to lose a show lead,” Paine says, “but I can’t think of a better reason to lose one! We’re all excited for Gabriel and know he will do great! We also know that Christan will do an amazing job as Curly!”

Note — If you have tickets for tonight’s cancelled performance, NTP producing artistic director and “Oklahoma!” director Nora Paine says you can either have the cost of your tickets refunded or you can exchange them for any of the remaining available performances. Call the New Tampa Players Box Office at (813) 543-6252 if you haven’t already to make your arrangements.

As for the show itself, the heart of the American frontier comes alive on stage as NTP — New Tampa’s community theatre troupe — opens its highly anticipated production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!” at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center.

Directed by Paine (who also directed NTP’s “Singin’ in the Rain” in 2024), G. Frank Meekins (“Grease,” 2023) and Karissa Barber (“Into the Woods,” 2025), the production captures the spirit and charm of this beloved 1943 musical known for its rich score, iconic characters and sweeping depiction of life in the early 20th-century Oklahoma Territory.

A Classic Reimagined For The Community

“Oklahoma!’ is more than just a musical: it’s a celebration of resilience, hope, and love,” Paine says. “We wanted to stay true to the classic while also making it feel fresh and relevant to our community.”

From the opening strains of “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” to the stirring finale, the show features standout performances from a terrific cast of local talent.

The multi-talented Mr. McLaurine, who wowed audiences as James “Thunder” Early in NTP’s production of “Dreamgirls” (he also was the incredible baritone voice of the man-eating plant Audrey II in NTP’s “Little Shop of Horrors”), steps into the role of Curly for Gabriel. Meanwhile, Isabella Ruano, a newcomer to the NTPAC stage, brings strength and warmth to the role of Laurey. The supporting cast — including NTP newcomer Madison DeBrino as Ado Annie, newcomer Tristan Horta as Will Parker, and long-time NTP veteran Michael Neary as the troubled farmhand Jud Fry — bring their roles to life with humor, heart and depth.

The Heart Of The Community, Too!

The production is a true community effort, involving more than 50 volunteers. Leading the team are costume designer Deb Lastinger, technical director Paul McColgan and scenic artist James Cass. Audiences will be especially delighted by the vibrant choreography by McLaurine and ballroom choreographer Erica Holland — a beautiful highlight of the show.

Music directors Rick Barclay and G. Frank Meekins have teamed up to guide this 23-person cast and 14-musician orchestra through a score that will have you humming all the way home, including the title song, plus “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’,” “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top” and many more.

Don’t Miss It!

Don’t miss your chance to experience “Oklahoma!” like never before and get ready to be swept away by the beauty, music and magic of this unforgettable production.

Buy your tickets now, before NTP sells out the rest of this six-performance run! Performances of “Oklahoma!” will be Saturday, October 18, at 8 p.m., Sunday, October 19, at 3 p.m., Friday & Saturday, Oct. 24-25, at 8 p.m., and Saturday & Sunday, October 25-26, at 3 p.m. Tickets are available at NewTampaPlayers.org and cost $22-$40. Also, see the ad below for more info.

Christan McLaurine Isabella Ruano Musical New Tampa New Tampa Performing Arts Center new tampa players Nora Paine NTPAC

Azteca D’Oro Unveils New Menu Items — So Of Course, We Had To Try Them All!

When Azteca D’Oro co-owner Victor Ramos told me he wanted to highlight his new menu items in his next ad (about a month or so ago), I definitely wanted to check out the new items the authentic Mexican restaurant in The Shops at Wiregrass would be bringing to the table (pun intended).

But, when I saw the photos of those new items he sent me to put in that new ad, I knew Jannah, photographer Charmaine George and I had to try them — all of them, that is!

Already one of the Wesley Chapel area’s favorite restaurants (based on Azteca being named our readers’ second favorite restaurant in Wesley Chapel in our annual Reader Dining Survey & Contest each of the last two years — the first two years it’s been open here), I also knew that Azteca was due for its 2025 Dining Feature, so I figured the new menu items were a great way to tell you more about the restaurant this year. And yes, we were all impressed with the new options.

We started with the Azteca Dip Sampler (left photo), which includes nice-sized cups of non-spicy esquites (Mexican street corn), queso, spiced bean dip and Azteca’s already-famous, house-made guacamole. We all liked the esquites the best, but the queso, bean dip and guacamole were all pretty tasty, too.

We also took the plunge by ordering the huge, 55-oz. “Big Azz Margarita,” served “Grand Vida Style” — topped with two small bottles of Grand Marnier orange liqueur. It certainly was big enough for all three of us (and maybe a fourth person) to share. But no, I had the great idea to also order a regular-sized (16-oz.) Grand Vida Style margarita, so we could show just how much bigger the Big Azz Margarita is by comparison (right photo). Azteca’s full premium liquor bar has lots of top-shelf tequilas if you want to truly make your margarita your own or add a shot to it, as well as my Jameson and a nice variety of Mexican and other beers.

We all also agreed that our favorite of the new menu items was the birria “pizza” (top photo), which layers melted cheese and a unique combination of lamb, pork and beef between two large flour tortillas (like a quesadilla), garnished with fresh cilantro, pickled onions and lime and served with a cup of birria consommé that is plenty large enough for dipping every delicious piece of the “pizza.”

We did also enjoy the huge 12-taco Taco Sampler Platter (left photo), where you can select up to three different proteins (four tacos of each) from: pollo adobato (chunks of chicken marinated in flavorful adobo sauce, made from dried chiles, vinegar, garlic & spices), pastor asada (pork with chiles and spices), carnitas (crispy pork chunks), chorizo sausage, shrimp, lengua (beef tongue) or tripa (beef tripe).

Since I couldn’t eat the shrimp, we chose to have four chicken, four carnitas and four of the crispy fish tacos and all were yummy. My favorites were the crispy fish tacos, served with a semi-spicy chipotle ranch sauce. Jannah preferred the chicken tacos, which also had their own zesty sauce, and Charmaine liked the carnitas the best. Being able to sample at least one of each was fun, too!

And of course, Azteca still has upscale favorites you can’t find at most other Mexican places, like pescado frito (whole fried snapper), grilled salmon and molcajete d’mar (snow crab, clams. mussels, scallops, shrimp & octopus), as well as Mexican standards like fajitas, quesadillas, enchiladas, vegetarian dishes and more.

And, don’t skip dessert! Try the deep fried ice cream, churros, tres leches, flan or the cream cheese-filled mini empanadas (right) we had for the first time. All delectable ways to finish a meal!

Azteca D’Oro (2000 Piazza Ave., Unit 170) is open every day for lunch and dinner, from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. (and until 11 p.m. on Friday & Saturday). For more info, call (813) 527-6033 and visit AztecaDoro.com.

Azteca Azteca D’Oro Azteca D’Oro Mexican Restaurant Wesley Chapel