After reading some of the not-so-nice online comments about the new Kohlβs (and Sephora) store located at 1854 Sun Vista Pl., behind the Tampa Premium Outlets, next to At Home, I have to admit that I wasnβt expecting too much.
Whereas some commenters in local online communities railed that Kohlβs was less of a βdepartmentβ store than they remembered and more like a Ross or TJ Maxx, what I found was very much more like a Macyβs or Dillardβs but with lower prices. The menβs department is many times larger than any discount retailer, with large selections of brands from Nike and Under Armour to Columbia, Izod, Dockers and many more.
And, the prices (with Grand Opening specials throughout the store) were more reasonable than I expected, too β especially when you sign up for a Kohlβs membership or credit card (or both). I ended up buying an Apt. 9 sports jacket for myself for less than $100, a nice silk tie to go with the jacket for around $20 and a V-neck T-shirt for less than $10.
The womenβs department was even larger (and the Sephora beauty supply area was bigger than I remember at the JC Penney at the Shops at Wiregrass) and the departments for kids and babies (I bought some Bluey and Spider-Man pajamas for the grandkids) were as large or larger than what Iβve seen at, say, Target. There also was a selection of Halloween-themed merchandise (and clothing) available in several departments. And, again unlike Ross or Marshallβs, everything is well organized and clearly marked.
Is Kohlβs the department store of my dreams? Maybe not. But, considering how close Jannah and I live to it and the prices Iβve already found, I think weβll both be visiting regularly.
For more information, call (813) 501- 2601 or visit Kohls.com. And, please tell them I sent you! β GN
As much as most of our readers say they want them, itβs just never easy to be successful with unique concept restaurants in our distribution areas β there is always just too much competition from other chain restaurants β so you need all of the little factors to come together to βmake it,β including location, quality, demand for the product, management and more.
Thatβs why it wasnβt much of a shock to me that the Mochinut βMore Than Just A Donutβ location on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. just north of I-75 (in the small plaza located north of Glory Days Grill) made the announcement shown lower left on Instagram a week or so before we went to press with this issue that the New Tampa location had closed, even though the Mochinut locations in Citrus Park, Temple Terrace and on the north S.R. 56 (near Mellow Mushroom) were staying open.
Whether or not Mochinutβs light-and-airy Korean-style donuts were a hard sell for folks raised on Krispy Kreme and/or Dunkinβ Donuts, the location of the New Tampa Mochinut (the second eatery to fail there; Mahana Fresh was the first) is extremely difficult to find and get to for a lot of people, even though it is visible from BBD.
Enter: Box Of Cubans!
I happened to stop by the already-closed Mochinut location to take the exterior photo to your left when I was able to see two people sitting inside the vacant eatery. They were Marcos and his wife Onelia (βOniβ) Silverio β the owners of the Box of Cubans restaurant in Riverview, who were waiting for contractors to come in to help them get the former Mochinut location ready to become their second fast-casual Cuban eatery.
βOur Riverview location was named the Best Restaurant to Eat At in Tampa Bay by Yelp for 2023,β Marcos told me. βWeβre famous for our authentic Cuban sandwiches and empanadas.β
The empanadas come with a variety of fillings, from traditional chicken or beef and cheese to bacon, ham or sausage, egg & cheese, Empanada Cuban and even cheeseburger and lasagna options and more.
The βanatomyβ of a Box of Cubans Cuban sandwich. (Source: BoxofCubans.com)
There also are black or red bean & rice Cuban bowls with one of four house proteins (Lechon, Palomilla Steak, Chicken, or Picadillo), served with three pieces of Cuban bread garlic toast made and three sweet plantains.
He says Box of Cubans also has a cool story to tell. Marcos, who is Cuban and a lifelong Tampa native, and Oni both left other jobs to open the original Box of Cubans together in a BP gas station in Brandon in 2017. They were able to stay open and continue serving their community during Covid because the gas station was considered to be an βessentialβ business. Their son βMJβ (Marcos, Jr.) joined the team as COO and GM in Jan. 2023 and were looking to open a second location when the Mochinut spot became available. βWe hope to be open by the end of October or the first week of November,β Marcos says. βWe know the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area will love our food!
Congratulations to the amazing Pasco County Development & Growth Updates (PCDGU) Facebook page for another scoop that has many people in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel excited β the announcement that plans for a new Cheesecake Factory restaurant have been submitted to Pasco County (below).Β
According to the initial site plan, the nearly 8,000-sq.-ft. restaurant is expected to have 201 seats inside and room for an additional 78 seats outside at the Tampa Premium Outlets on the south side of S.R. 56.
The excitement of the announcement that Cheesecake Factory could be coming to our area has been tempered somewhat by the fact that the new restaurant is planned to go on what has previously been part of the already-limited parking on the west side of the mall off Grand Cypress Dr. β basically where the often-stressed valet parking station has been located (see map, also provided by PCDGU, above).
Some of the nearly 700 comments (at our press time) on the PCDGU post also lamented about yet another chain coming to the area around the outlet mall (and the Wesley Chapel area in general), while others said that if this popular chain, with nearly 350 locations in the U.S. and Canada (and 34 more licensed internationally), has to come to our area that the currently-vacant potential restaurant sites around the new Cooperβs Hawk Winery & Restaurant east of the Shops at Wiregrass mall on the north side of S.R. 56 would be a better β and less overcrowded β fit.
Of course, this is just a pre-application submission and definitely subject to many potential changes. In fact, Kelly Gilroy, the PCDGU admin, told the Neighborhood News that she assumes, βThe county will allow the Outlets to alter the minimum parking standards first,β which would be necessary for the restaurant to be able to proceed in this location.
Among the chain restaurants already on the south side of 56 near the mall are Chedddarβs, BJβs Brewhouse, McDonaldβs, Longhorn Steakhouse, Rock & Brews, Main Event, Culverβs, Starbucks, MOD Pizza, Panda Express, Zaxbyβs, Shuckinβ Shack, Chick-fil-A, Millerβs Ale House and the under construction Raising Caneβs and Rodizio Grill.
Hurricane Helene has been upgraded to a Category 3 storm, with sustained winds of up to 120 mph. That’s the bad news, especially for Tallahassee and the rest of the Big Bend area of Florida. The good news for people living in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel β 25-30 miles or more from the nearest coastline β is that as of 4 p.m., Helene has been a non-event for us.
But, please β don’t assume that the storm is over or that our area isn’t going to suffer any effects from it. We already have had wind gusts of 40 mph or so and not only has the storm not yet come close to bypassing us, it also is HUGE!, with tropical storm-force winds extending out more than 300 miles from its center. As Helene passes our latitude 100+ miles out in the Gulf, we are definitely going to get hit with strong tropical storm winds (up to 73 mph) and periods of strong rain that likely will knock out power in at least some of our communities. Thankfully, Helene is moving quickly (at 20 mph or more), so it won’t be a huge rain event for us (like Debby was), but there will still be enough water to cause significant flooding in areas prone to pooling water. And yes, the storm’s path can still tick a little to the east, which would increase our area’s possible impacts.
You also should be aware that unless you know how deep the water is on a road if you are driving through it, you need to please proceed with extreme caution, especially if you’re in an electric vehicle β as the batteries can catch fire. If you lose power and have a portable generator, please never run that generator inside your home or garage. And of course, as with any major storm, beware of downed trees and especially power lines. We have seen this kind of damage in the past, without one of the largest hurricanes ever to hit the Gulf going by, so please continue to be mindful of possible local impacts from this storm.
Photo is a screenshot from meteorologist Denis Phillips of ABC Action News.
As we reported last issue, K-Bar Ranch is getting a 60-acre City of Tampa park and one that District 7 Tampa City Council member (and New Tampa resident) Luis Viera (photo, left) has said he hopes will include a cricket pitch as one of its amenities.Β
At that meeting with about 50-60 residents (most, but not all of whom live in K-Bar Ranch) on Aug. 7, Viera said that he hoped and expected that the funding for the design of the park to be included in the cityβs Fiscal 2025 budget.
Well, on Sept. 5, the City Council did approve the roughly $1 million needed for the parkβs design upon first reading of the cityβs budget and Viera is thankful not only for the item passing its first muster, but also for the support of District 67 State Representative and State House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell (who also attended the resident meeting on Aug. 7). Leader Driskell wrote a letter (in the far right column) to the City Council members on Sept. 3 to let them know that she is βin strong support of the FY25 budget design money for the K-Bar Ranch Park.β
Viera then went on his Facebook page to thank Driskell βfor your advocacy in supportβ of the park design funding. βRep. Driskell has been on the front line advocating not only for this park in the budget, but for a cricket component to this park…Thank you, Rep. Driskell for your advocacy for this budget item.β
And of course, Viera also noted in his Facebook message that, βWe have about 60 acres available β with a great deal of conservation space and a park, as well as potentially a fire-station long-term,β even though Tampa Fire Rescue Fire Chief Barbara Tripp has yet to express her support for a full fire station in K-Bar, at the park site or otherwise.
At the Aug. 7 resident meeting, Brad Suder, the superintendent of the cityβs planning design natural resources division, said that once the design money becomes available β most likely sometime in late November β the city will be able to hire a consultant to work with and the public participating in the design process could begin. The second reading of the budget is scheduled for Thursday, September 19 β or a couple of days (or so) after this issue arrives in your mailbox.
