Category: News

Learning Disabled Adults & Families Attend Community Café Preview

*Pat Ciaccio & Nova Mahoney at the Apr. 18 Community Café news conference at the Hilton Garden Inn.* *(Photos provided by Kat Mahoney)*

At least 30 people — including adults with learning disabilites and their families — were on hand on April 18 when former Saddlebrook Resort general manager Pat Ciaccio and his team presented his 501(c)(3) nonprofit passion project — which he calls the Community Café.

The Café, which is scheduled to open on June 15, is located in the 3,200-sq.-ft. former Keeps Carpet Store building on S.R. 54, less than a half-mile west of Morris Bridge Rd. The community/media preview was held at the Hilton Garden Inn Tampa-Wesley Chapel.

“The Community Café will create welcoming spaces and provide workforce training opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” Ciaccio told those in attendance at the media preview. “I know there are other businesses that hire the developmentally disabled, including Publix, but we want to do even more to help them. We want to train them so they can not only have a job, but actually move up to management positions. Nearly our entire staff of 30-35 employees (when it opens) will be people with these special needs who normally find it difficult to find a job.”

The Community Café will be home to a gourmet coffee bar and also will sell ice cream and smoothies and also will feature a retail shop selling T-shirts, coffee mugs and other branded merchandise. The Café also will feature an 1,100-sq.-ft. private event space that will feature artwork (that will be for sale, with all sales proceeds going to the artists) rotating quarterly by physically, intellectually and developmentally disabled professional artists affiliated with Arts4All Florida.

*Sandra Sroka, of Arts4All Florida, which will provide disabled artists’ artwork at the Café.*

Appearing at the news conference was Sandra Sroka, the adult program coordinator of Arts4All, who said that she believes the public will be impressed by the quality of the rotating artwork that will be on display at the Café.

Ciaccio said there also will be entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights featuring performers with special needs. He added that the event space will be available for use by community organizations.

Best of all, each area of the Community Café will have its own “team leader” among the “Shining Stars,” which is what all of the employees will be called. Only Ciaccio himself and the Café’s top management will not have special needs.

One of those special needs folks — who you would never know was even on the autism spectrum and who joined Ciaccio at the news conference — was Nova Mahoney, who admitted that without the help she has received in her life, she’d “never be able to speak in front of a large group of people.” Nova also said that what Ciaccio and those who are helping him get the Community Café kicked off are doing, “Is just so important for people like me that I knew, from when I first met Pat, that I wanted to be part of it.”

Ciaccio also told those in attendance that the Shining Stars will deliver a high-quality food and beverage experience with exceptional guest service in a tranquil, family-oriented, “Team Greater Than Me” environment.

He also said that his goal is to provide cohesive and inclusive workforce training that will offer true advancement opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. “We truly are looking to change the current narrative about special needs adults from awareness to education,” Pat said. “The narrative must be changed.”

Ciaccio isn’t alone in his passion to help those with special needs.

Among the others he introduced at the news conference were Nova’s mom Kat Mahoney of Katbrat Studios (which specializes in digital media and content creation), who has accepted the position of chief operating officer of the Community Café; John Lombardo of Lombardo Coaching & Consulting; and Darlene Hill of The Leyda Group (which specializes in leadership coaching and human resources consulting). In fact, Kat says, “I’m so dedicated to the Community Cafe because it’s everything that drives me forward in both my personal and professional life” said Mahoney. “Every business decision, every IEP school meeting, every educational and mental health speaking engagement I’ve done over 20 years, has led me to the Community Cafe.”

As reported last issue, the Community Café also will be led and mentored by a five-person Board of Directors, including Dr. Alexis Dempsey-Doyle, Jodi Gordon, Wasim Kayal, Seth Ravenna and Dr. Mohamad Saleh.

Ciaccio and his leadership team thanked the Hilton Garden Inn and its GM Charlie Whiteacre for graciously agreeing to host the news conference.

“I also would like to thank all my partners and community members who already have reached out to lend support,” Ciaccio said. “It takes a village but together, I know that we can change the narrative!”

For more information, visit CommunityCafeFL.com.

Another Busy Month For North Tampa Bay Chamber Ribbon Cuttings

There have been no fewer than a half-dozen different North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon-cutting events in Wesley Chapel since the middle of April.

The events in questions include:

• Dietrich & Kelso Orthodontics (in the former location of Abdoney Orthodontics) on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., across from AdventHealth Wesley Chapel on Apr. 13;

• Totally Blu Pools off S.R. 54 near Morris Bridge Rd. on Apr. 20;

• Ann’s Spa & Nails Lounge off S.R. 56 (next to Chicken Salad Chick), also on Apr. 20;

• The five-year Anniversary Celebration for The Beach House at Wiregrass assisted living & memory care on S.R. 56 on Apr. 21;

• The groundbreaking of Blue Heron Senior Living’s skilled nursing facility expansion on Apr. 26;

• The one-year anniversary celebration for the Budget Blinds “inspiration center” at the KRATE container park on May 5;

• The ribbon cutting event for Nuevo Salon & Spa on BBD, also on May 5.

Dietrich & Kelso — With its main office in Lakeland and six total doctors in what is now a five-office practice (and four orthodontists working out of its Wesley Chapel office; photo below left), the new Dietrich Kelso Orthodontics is one of the largest orthodontic practices in our area. Led by Dr. Andrew Dietrich (in light blue short in the photo below) and Dr. Andrew Kelso (with scissors), the office promises outstanding doctors and a friendly staff in a state-of-the-art office that offers a variety of treatments — including Invisalign, clear braces, metal braces and laser gum contouring.

For more information about Dietrich & Kelso Orthodontics (2653 BBD Blvd.), call (813) 921-9211 or visit DKOSmiles.com.

Totally Blu Full Service Pools — Owners Sunil Mohammed and Rashmi Maharaj have owned their highly respected mobile pool service and repair company for years, but their storefront in the Publix plaza off S.R. 54 at Eiland Blvd./Morris Bridge Rd. is their first-ever brick-and-mortar location.

The store has everything you need to enjoy your pool — from chemicals and equipment to toys — and they also are happy to send their mobile unit to your home to service, repair or even remodel your pool, and even offer commercial pool services, too. The same location also doubles as the storefront for the couple’s Totally Green Lawn Services.

For more info about Totally Blu Pools (32781 Eiland Blvd.), call (813) 788-7665, visit TotallyBluH2o.com.

Ann’s Spa & Nails Lounge — Although some people in our area complain about the number of nail spas there are here, people who attended the salon’s ribbon-cutting event (middle photo, right) who already were customers of the new Ann’s Spa & Nails Lounge definitely seem to appreciate the luxury, value and outstanding manicure and pedicure services.

Owner Annie Lam (in light blue in photo) invited attendees to enjoy not only great deals on her spa’s outstanding services, but also some homemade Vietnamese egg rolls, fried rice and more.

Ann’s Spa & Nails Lounge is located at 25032 Wesley Chapel Blvd, Lutz. For more info, call (813) 949-6663 or visit annspanailswesleychapel.com.

Beach House at Wiregrass Ranch — This NTBC ribbon-cutting ceremony was just part of an outstanding five-year anniversary celebration for the assisted living and memory care residence.

The first such facility located in Wesley Chapel, executive director Bonnie Berkman (with scissors below right) invited the Beach House’s residents and guests to enjoy delicious free food and beverages and DJ music and got to check out the immaculate assisted living residence together.

To arrange a tour of your own or for more info about the Beach House at Wiregrass Ranch (30070 S.R. 56), call (813) 508-6677 or visit BeachHouseWiregrass.com.

Nuevo Salon & Spa — Owner and medical practitioner Agnes Ubani, MD, introduced NTBC members to her new spa (in the same plaza as Dietrich & Kelso and The Hungry Greek; photo top of page ), which actually opened in March. The spa features a variety of state-of-the-art clinical equipment and cosmetic procedures — everything from facials and Botox to medical weight loss, body contouring and more — with licensed massage to be added in the future.

For more information or to book a consultation, call (813) 559-9790 or visit NuevoHealthMD.com.

Anns Spa and Nails Lounge beach house senior living Blue Heron budget blinds Dietrich Kelso Orthodontics New Tampa NTBC Nuevo Salon and Spa Riibbon Cutting Totally Blue Pools Wesley Chapel

Touch Nail Spas Invite You To Come Pamper Yourself

As the husband-and-wife team of Timmy Pham and Tiffany Ha celebrate the sixth anniversary of the original Wesley Chapel location of their Touch Nail Spa, they have continued to grow by opening new salons, expanding their services, and remaining committed to providing the best possible customer service to keep their clients raving.

Touch Nail Spa’s Wesley Chapel location is 5,000 sq. ft. — the largest nail salon in the area — and conveniently located on S.R. 56, about a mile east of I-75, in the same plaza as Capital Tacos. That location alone employs 44 people.

In December 2020, the second Touch Nail Spa opened in The Village at Hunter’s Lake, in the same plaza with Sprouts Farmers Market off Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in New Tampa. It’s a convenient location with abundant parking and now has more than 30 employees.

“When we opened our first location, we had 10 people working,” Timmy says. “We’ve grown so much.”

And now, Touch Nail Spa has expanded again — as a third location has opened in Odessa at 16222 S.R. 54.

But, Timmy and Tiffany say it’s not important that they are the biggest salon in the area. What they really strive for is to be the best.

“We try to give the best customer service we can,” says Timmy. “There are so many nail salons, and they learn from us and copycat what we’re doing.”

Touch Nail Spa offers beautiful, upscale, serene surroundings with high ceilings for better ventilation, rows of comfortable leather pedicure chairs and plenty of manicure stations to minimize the wait time.

A complimentary beverage is offered with any service, including manicures, pedicures, eyelash extensions, waxing, facials and massages. Complimentary beverages include bottled water, soda, or a glass of chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, moscato or sangria, served in a chilled glass (wine is for adults ages 21 and older with proper identification, of course).

Want To Try Something New?

As for new services, the Wesley Chapel location now offers microblading, a semi-permanent treatment to fill in eyebrows, and Timmy is hoping to expand that service to the New Tampa location, as well.

In addition, all three Touch locations now offer eyelash extensions with many options to fit a variety of budgets.

Whether you’re looking for a simple mani/pedi to keep your fingers and toes neat and polished, a relaxing spa experience with luxurious touches, or a skilled technician to provide the latest trends in nail shapes and designs, Touch Nail Spa can accommodate every desire.

Touch offers dipping powder, acrylic nails and all kinds of nail designs, French manicures, gel polish (which lasts longer than regular polish) and more.

Timmy says each location has always had thousands of colors on hand, but has recently added many more, so the salon is now carrying even more colors than it had prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. He estimates Touch now boasts 3,500+ colors.

But, like so many other business owners have experienced, the pandemic left its mark on Touch Nail Spa.

“We’re so glad Covid is gone,” Timmy says. “The pandemic destroyed a lot.”

While some people still wear masks, restrictions have eased. However, the stringent cleaning protocols that were in place prior to the pandemic are still being utilized at Touch, to ensure the health and safety of clients and employees.

“It seems like people are back to normal,” he explains. “They don’t mind sitting closer now.”

Also back are private nail parties. While all three locations will accommodate groups, only Wesley Chapel can provide a private room for the exclusive use of your gathering, whether it’s for bachelorette parties, birthday parties or bridal/wedding parties. Although they didn’t require a private room, Jannah and her daughters Kristen and Lauren, daughter-in-law Caitlin and Kristen’s boyfriend Chaz each enjoyed a different manicure — from Orange Burst to Strawberries & Cream to basic — and everyone raved about their service, relaxing foot massages and nail techs.

Timmy says long-time customers have noticed that the salon had no choice but to change its prices after the pandemic. Just as costs have risen for consumers, he says they have risen slightly for Touch Nail Spa, too. He says supplies cost twice what they did prior to the pandemic.

“It gives me a headache,” he says. “I want to be fair with all of the customers and with the technicians, but everything has changed.”

Touch Nail Spa does offer a rewards program for its regular clients. Be sure to ask about it when you visit any of the salons. Customers sign in with their phone number on one of the spa’s iPads and receive one point for every dollar spent. Points can be redeemed for a discounted pedicure, according to current terms.

Discounted prices also are available for children ages 11 and younger.

Timmy says while he works to keep prices affordable, what he wants most is to please his customers. He promises that at Touch Nail Spa, you will always be serviced by an experienced technician whose goal is to make the customer happy.

“What does the community want us to provide for them?,” he asks. “Come in and tell us what you need.”

Touch Nail Spa offers an electronic gift certificate for all occasions — including Mother’s Day — that can be used at any of its locations. E-gifts are available for purchase at TouchNailAndSpa.com.

The Wesley Chapel (27233 S.R. 56) and New Tampa (8630 Hunter’s Village Rd.) Touch Nail Spas are both open Mon.-Sat., 9:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m., and 11 a.m.–5 p.m. on Sun. To make an appointment with a specific nail technician or for more information about the Wesley Chapel location, call (813) 973-4111. For the New Tampa location, call (813) 536-1003.

manicure New Tampa pedicure Touch Nail Spa Wesley Chapel

TP Blvd. Repaving Nears Completion; Is New Tampa Blvd. Next?

The safety of our children and families is a high priority, not only for the residents of New Tampa, but also for our District 7 Tampa City Council member Luis Viera, who always is looking for ways to make the City of Tampa — and especially, the community where he lives — safer.

To that end, Viera helped the city secure a grant to pay for not only the repaving of the circular portion of Tampa Palms Blvd. that winds its way through Tampa Palms Areas 1 & 3 (on the east side of Bruce B. Downs, or BBD, Blvd.), but also is already providing for the installation of eight traffic-slowing speed tables on Tampa Palms Blvd. from the southern intersection of BBD (near Florida Executive Realty (bottom left gold logo on map above) all the way around the 2.91-mile stretch to Tampa Palms Blvd.’s northern intersection with BBD, near Lowe’s Home Improvement (see map above).

Above is an example of an RRFB (Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon) like the ones on back-order for the Tampa Palms Blvd. repaving project. At right is one of the eight speed tables being installed to slow traffic on the roadway.

The construction of the $4.9-million project already has begun and, when it is fully completed — which Viera and Lara Bouck, the city’s chief production engineer for mobility, believe should be by August or September of this year — the project also will add two sets of three (six total) Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (or RRFBs), which will provide rapidly flashing beacons at marked crosswalks. They believe the RRFBs definitely will enhance pedestrian and bicycle safety at those intersections. There also will be Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant ramps installed as part of the project and Bouck says the crews from the project’s contractor — CW Roberts Contracting — currently are installing the speed tables and signs and revising the permanent pavement markings.

Unfortunately, Bouck says, there currently is a 12-20-week wait on the RRFBs. “The latest we heard is that the (RRFB) bases will be shipped to the contractor by the end of July.” However, Bouck says that the bulk of the remaining construction of the project should be completed by May of this year.

“We got the funds for Tampa Palms Blvd. from a combination of ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) and Local Option Gas Tax funds,” says Viera. “I have to thank U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (who represents Florida’s 14th Congressional district) for helping us secure the ARPA funds.”

And, although there was some discussion about narrowing the travel lanes to provide for additional traffic calming through this area, Bouck says, “Travel lanes were not narrowed as a part of this project.”

Is New Tampa Blvd. Next?

Viera says that he is equally concerned about implementing speed-calming improvements on New Tampa Blvd., the main thoroughfare through the West Meadows community.

“New Tampa Blvd. is number one on my priority list for New Tampa for repaving, as I believe it’s long overdue,” Viera says. “So, it’s on the list as next and we have begun seeking some design funding for it, but nothing is concrete yet. However, while we have had (I believe) design forwarded for this for funding, most construction projects for mobility have been put on hold, if they were connected to the penny sales tax and that includes this one.”

Bouck confirms that the New Tampa Blvd. project is not currently funded in the city’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP), but Viera says, “We continue to pursue funding (grants, etc.) to address the resurfacing backlog throughout the city.”

Of course, voters across Hillsborough County passed a 1-cent sales tax referendum (with 57% of the voters voting for it) to fund its capital improvements in 2018, only to have the referendum shot down in court due to ballot language issues. A similar referendum on the Nov. 2022 ballot was not passed by the voters, but millions in 2018 sales tax funds were already being collected. It is now up to the state to decide how those funds should be distributed. Once that issue is resolved, however, Viera is hopeful that the city will receive enough of the money to fund the improvements for New Tampa Blvd. We’ll keep you posted.

construction New Tampa new tampa blvd. tampa palms Blvd.

HOSA Team Places First In The State!

Congratulations go out to Strawberry Crest High sophomores — and New Tampa residents — Elizabeth Chettipally, Aditi Nair, Anika Prasad and Netra Vijay (photo), who placed first in their category at the Health Occupations Students of America (aka HOSA-Future Health Professionals) State Leadership Conference held at Orlando Apr. 13-16.

The girls of “Project Pink” will next be representing Florida at the HOSA National Leadership Conference in Atlanta in late June.

The quartet’s project was an attempt to increase breast cancer awareness in our local community and obviously, their presentation at the Conference was effective, as they placed first in the “Community Awareness — Teamwork” category.

Strawberry Crest High, located in Dover, has an International Baccalaureate (IB) program attended by many New Tampa residents and is one of 30 Florida high schools with more than 100 HOSA members. Several other Strawberry Crest students also won awards at the State Conference, including a “Creative Problem Solving” team that also took home first place honors. I apologize that I did not have all of the other winners’ full names at our press time, or I would have mentioned them here, too.

high school HOSA New Tampa Project Pink Strawberry Crest High