Lots of new restaurants are beginning to build and/or are getting ready to open in and around the Wesley Chapel area and we have updates on many of them in this issue. On this page alone, we’ll tell you about the delayed (but finally happening) Grand Opening of the new Rodizio Grill, the first-ever brick-&-mortar location of Pastelitos Papichy’s, as well as the beginning of construction of both The Cheesecake Factory and Swig soda shop.
Rodizio Grill
Clearly, the opening of the Wesley Chapel area’s first-ever Brazilian steakhouse is big news for our community, as the announcement on our “Neighborhood News” Facebook page that the opening of Rodizio Grill (2802 Grand Cypress Dr., Lutz, behind Costco and in front of Kohl’s by the Tampa Premium Outlets) was delayed from its originally announced opening date of May 28 to Tuesday, June 10, was viewed (at our press time) by a record-breaking (for us) 327,816 people, with more than 1,000 likes and 109 shares! We’ve had a couple of previous posts that reached more than 200,000 people, but this post — without being boosted — has far surpassed our previous record. In other words, you can expect big crowds at Rodizio Grill as this issue is reaching your mailbox. In the meantime, we have a sneak peek first look inside this beautiful, new restaurant (top photo) on this page. We wish franchisee Charlie Haney and his crew lots of luck.
For reservations & more info, call (813) 996-3880, visit Rodizio.com or search “Rodizio Grill – Wesley Chapel” on Facebook.
Pastelitos Papichy’s
Although the Venezuelan food truck Pastelitos Papichy’s (above left) has been stationed near the LA Fitness and Five Guys Burgers & Fries (just south of County Line Rd.& west of Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in New Tampa) a for some time, a sign recently went up at the Grand Oaks Plaza on the under-construction Wesley Chapel Blvd. in Lutz (above right) announcing that Papichy’s will be opening its first-ever brick-&-mortar location in the space previously occupied by the also-Venezuelan Arepa Mia, which sadly closed at the end of 2024.
We haven’t yet been able to speak to anyone who could tell us when the new Papichy’s is expected to open, but you can expect a similar selection of Venezuelan-style empanadas, pastelitos (similar to empanadas, but round wheat dough filled with sweet guava or savory meats and cheeses), tequeños (fried cheese) and more.
For more info, call (813) 576-9970.
The Cheesecake Factory
If our post about Rodizio Grill is record-setting, there’s little doubt that if we’re able to break the story of when The Cheesecake Factory will finally open in the parking lot at the Tampa Premium Outlets, that post could double or even quadruple the traffic Rodizio Grill has generated.
But, while some rumors had Cheesecake Factory opening before the end of this year, that seems pretty ambitious, considering that the area that will one day be home to the full-service restaurant chain and cheesecake bakery (which currently has more than 200 U.S. locations) has only recently been fenced off near the mall’s main entrance. There is some heavy equipment on the site, but the parking lot hasn’t yet been leveled so that the restaurant can actually go vertical.
Swig
This rapidly-growing drive-through “dirty soda” chain featuring seasonal favorites and concoct-your-own sodas, revivers and refreshers, as well as frozen hot chocolate, sugar cookies and pretzel bites, is starting to go vertical just east of PopStroke and west of Academy Sports + Outdoors (photo above), across from the outlet mall.
Wesley Chapel/Lutz will be only the third Florida location for Swig, a Utah-based company which currently has more than 100 locations in 14 states, with agreements for 500 franchise units and plans for more corporate-owned stores. For more info, visit SwigDrinks.com.
Assuming new roles for AdventHealth are Erik Wangsness (above; photo by Charmaine George) and Ryan Quattlebaum (photo below). Wangsness, who had been serving as the president & CEO of Advent Health Wesley Chapel (AHWC), will assume the same position at AdventHealth Tampa.
News continues to be coming from AdventHealth, which has named Erik Wangsness as the new president & CEO of AdventHealth Tampa (located on Bruce B. Downs Blvd., north of E. Fletcher Ave.), which became effective on Dec. 15. Wangsness will report to David Otatti, president and CEO of AdventHealth’s West Florida Division.
“Erik is a consummate servant leader who I believe will continue to enhance our quality of care, expanding access to services and building on the strong foundation established by the team at AdventHealth Tampa,” Ottati said. “I know that Erik will uphold and build our mission, leading our teams to provide uncommon compassion and whole-person care to each person who walks through those doors.”
Wangsness most recently served as president and CEO of AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, where he guided the development of the facility’s new Graduate Medical Education program and provided oversight of a major expansion project currently under way.
One of his last public appearances as AHWC’s leader was at the North Tampa Bay Chamber breakfast at Pasco Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch on Nov. 5, where Wangsness was the featured speaker (top left photo).
“I am excited and honored for the opportunity to serve AdventHealth Tampa and the surrounding community, working alongside the incredible leaders, physicians and team members to provide whole-person care,” Wangsness said. “Together, we will make a profound difference in the lives of those we serve.”
Wangsness earned his Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Master’s degree in Health Care Administration from the University of Minnesota. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Pasco Economic Development Council (EDC).
Good Luck, Ryan!
Quattlebaum (photo provided by AdventHealth) takes over for Wangsness at AHWC.
Taking over for Wangsness as the new president and CEO of AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, effective Dec. 29, will be Ryan Quattlebaum (right photo). Quattlebaum will report to Jennifer Wandersleben, Heartland Region president and CEO, who also provides market leadership for Hardee, Highlands, Pasco, Pinellas and Polk counties.
“Ryan is a passionate leader, and it is a joy to see him grow and step into this new role. His vision and leadership will be instrumental in driving our continued growth and success in Wesley Chapel, which is one of the fastest-growing communities in the West Florida Division,” Wandersleben said.
Since 2022, Quattlebaum has served as the president and CEO for AdventHealth North Pinellas in Tarpon Springs. Under Quattlebaum’s leadership, the facility earned national accreditation from the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP), the bronze standard – Level 3 Geriatric Emergency Department (GEDA) accreditation from the American College of Emergency Physicians and “A” Hospital Safety Grades from the Leapfrog Group in 2023.
“I’m honored to return to AdventHealth Wesley Chapel and work with dedicated care teams, physicians and leaders who are committed to providing whole-person care,” Quattlebaum said. “As I step into this new role, I look forward to building and strengthening relationships in our Wesley Chapel facility and surrounding community to expand our faith-based care and services.”
Quattlebaum has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) Degree from the Hough Graduate School of Business at the University of Florida in Gainesville and a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from La Sierra University. He’s an active member of his community, serving as a committee member for the workforce improvement committee for the Florida Hospital Association and currently serves on the Policy Council of the Pasco EDC. — GN
Everglow Jewelry in Tampa Palms is owned by Kayla & Derrick Pyke.
When Derrick Pyke and his wife Kayla (top photo) moved from Rio Rancho, New Mexico, to Tampa, Derrick already had years of experience, first working in his father’s jewelry manufacturing business and then in a retail jewelry store they had opened together.
After moving to this area, Derrick first worked “for a few years” as a store manager for another jewelry business in Tampa before going into finance for the last couple of years. “Then, I decided I wanted to get back into jewelry but I wanted to do it my own way again,” Derrick says.
The result is the new Everglow Jewelry, located at 17032 Palm Pointe Dr., in the former location of GPS Pools in The Shoppes at The Pointe plaza in Tampa Palms (at the end nearest to Stonewood Grill &Tavern).
One thing Derrick says that sets Everglow apart from any of its local competition is that other than his own custom-made designs (more on those below), there is only one brand sold in the store — Kendra Scott, which specializes in items for (primarily) $100 or less, making the brand perfect for everyone from young girls to “full-grown women,” he says. “We even have grandmas buying Kendra Scott for themselves, too.”
Kendra Scott is the primary brand of popularly pricedjewelry at Everglow Jewelry in Tampa Palms.
He adds that, “You kind of have to be picked by Kendra Scott to carry the brand. We are one of only two stores in Tampa that carry it.”
Everything else in the store, Derrick says, “are either pieces I’ve designed and created myself or I can. Our big thing at Everglow Jewelry is custom design. Let me make something for you in the size and color you want, with the metals and stones you choose. When you do that, you don’t need a ton of samples or display cases in the store.”
Derrick notes, however, that if you want something simple and don’t want to have to wait to receive it, “I do have catalogs I can show you or we can look on the internet together so you can find and order pieces that aren’t custom-designed, too.” He adds that even if you see something you like in a catalog or online, “I can usually get you a better price if I custom-design something similar, exactly the way you want it.”
And, best of all, he says, “Unlike most places that do custom, since I do the work myself, I don’t charge a custom-design fee. I price everything as though you found something in a case, loved it and wanted to buy it.”
As for lead time, Derrick says that custom pieces can take “from a few days to several weeks,” depending upon the design, the number of stones, etc. “We usually start with a hand drawing and then a computer-aided design. We can even create it as a 3D-printed wax first for you.”
He also is proud to be one of the only stores in the area to carry a laser welder, “because a lot of colored stones can’t handle the heat of using a torch. It changes their color.”
Everglow also offers laser-welded, “permanent” jewelry, so be sure to ask Derrick about that, as well as his on-site jewelry repairs.
For more info, call (813) 561-0055 or visit EverglowJewelry.com and please tell Derrick that I sent you!— GN
Everglow is a less-packed jewelry store than most in our area.
When AdventHealth cut the ribbon at the new 13,000-sq.-ft. Medical Group office in the AdventHealth Wesley Chapel Wellness Plaza on July 16, the event was much more than just a ribbon cutting, as the hospital announced that the eight Family Medicine residents who cut the ribbon would be the first to participate in the hospital’s new Family Practice residency program that will train eight new residents a year for three years at the new Medical Group location. Check out all of the news about AdventHealth on pages 4-5! (Photos by Charmaine George)
If anyone thought that Advent Health Wesley Chapel (AHWC), the first hospital to open in our area more than 12 years ago, was going to sit back and rest on its laurels and let newcomers BayCare Wesley Chapel and Orlando Health Hospital at Wiregrass take the lead in local health care, they were sadly mistaken.
Not only did AdventHealth cut the ribbon on a new 13,000-sq.-ft. space for its AdventHealth Medical Group in the hospital’s adjacent Wellness Plaza on July 16, AHWC president Erik Wangsness also announced the start of a new Family Medicine residency program in the new space.
As if that impressive new office, with its eight new Family Medicine residents and state-of-the-art technology wasn’t enough, the hospital also broke ground on July 9 on a new freestanding emergency room in Meadow Pointe and also is getting ready to break ground on the expansion of the hospital itself.
In other words, when it comes to AdventHealth in Wesley Chapel, to quote Bachman-Turner Overdrive, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!”
More than 100 people attended the ribbon cutting for the new AdventHealth Medical Group office on July 16, including District 54 State Representative Randy Maggard and Pasco County Commissioners Seth Weightman, Jack Mariano and Lisa Yeager.
(l.-r) County Commissioner Lisa Yeager, State Rep. Randy Maggard, AHWC president Erik Wangsness & County Commissioners Jack Mariano and Seth Weightman.
“I understand we have a County Commission quorum here,” Wangsness quipped. “We genuinely appreciate the support.”
Also on hand were several of Wangsness’ colleagues, including several of the hospital’s Board members, AHWC Foundation Board members, President & CEO of Administration David Ottati, chief clinical officer Dr. Rajan Wadhawan, Family Medicine founding program director Dr. Omari Hodge, Dr. Robert Rosequist, and AHWC CFO Jonathan Fisher, as well as the eight new residents themselves.
The new facility includes an in-house laboratory, procedure room, classrooms and eleven exam rooms, 4D ultrasound, preventive care, minor procedures and chronic disease management, as well as the residents and their supervising physicians.
Dr. Rajan Wadhawan Dr. Omari Hodge
“Each year, we will bring in eight new residents into the program, so in three years, we will have 24 new doctors who will be serving the community in the clinic and in the hospital in outpatient settings and it’s going to be a powerful way to serve the needs of not only this growing community but throughout Florida.”
He added, “Across Florida, there’s a dearth of physicians. This new residency program is a way that we can bless this community through health care. And, we hope and believe that many of them will choose to stay here when they complete their three-year residencies and continue to serve this growing community.”
Dr. Wadhawan mentioned that the new family medicine program, “is one of three GME (graduate medical education) programs we launched this year in our West Florida division. On July 1, 2024, we had 40 new doctors join these programs as trainees.”
Dr. Hodge, who will be in charge of the resident program, said he was hired by AHWC two years ago. “I took a drive out to one of the beautiful Pinellas beaches and told my wife, ‘I think I can do this.’” He also said he was excited to be starting this program with an outstanding crop of young residents.
So, with still three weeks left before the end of the sweltering summer and your younger kids have to go back to school, where can you take them for a fun day — any day — in air-conditioned comfort?
I suggest a trip to the Glazer Children’s Museum, located in the heart of downtown Tampa’s Arts District, right near the Straz Center for the Performing Arts and the Tampa Museum of Art.
If your kids love The Very Hungry Caterpillar and other books by Eric Carle, the Glazer Children’s Museum in downtown Tampa is hosting the traveling “Very Eric Carle: A Very Hungry, Quiet, Lonely, Clumsy, Busy Exhibit” through September 8.
I had two reasons for wanting to visit the Glazer Museum. The first was that Jannah and I were going to be babysitting our young grandchildren — 4-1/2-year-old Rosie and her 15-month-old brother Gio — for five days and there’s only so much pool, TV/screen and dining out time this Grammie and Grampa can handle without having something to do and Gio isn’t old enough yet to sit through a movie, much less Busch Gardens or (gulp) Disney.
The second motivation was the fact that the museum was hosting a new traveling, temporary exhibit that first opened in May — the “Very Eric Carle: A Very Hungry, Quiet, Lonely, Clumsy, Busy Exhibit.” Even my sons, now both in their 30s, grew up being read, and then reading themselves, Carle’s most famous book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and when I saw the promotional photos for the exhibit, with giant versions of each page that kids can walk through, I thought the opportunity was too good to pass up — especially at only $18 per person.
But, while Rosie enjoyed the Carle exhibit — especially standing in front of the butterfly wings of Carle’s transformed caterpillar and tromping through the tall grass like the author’s The Very Clumsy Click Beetle — Gio was too young to appreciate it and even Rosie found almost everything else at the museum to be more interesting — and fun!
Even before you get inside, your kids will know a big, fun time awaits them! Your kids will love tromping through the tall grass like Carle’s The Very Clumsy Click Beetle. Gio thinks shopping carts are just so much fun, whether they have food in them or not!
Something For Every Young’n!
While I refuse to call them “littles,” there’s no doubt that if you have children from toddler age up to at least 6-8 years old and maybe as high as age 10, there truly are many things all of them will enjoy at the Glazer Children’s Museum.
On the first floor of the Glazer Children’s Museum, there are fun activities that involve water, lights and sound. In addition to the Eric Carle exhibit, the second floor has a fun “working farm” among its many exhibits that is perfect for kids from toddlers to at least ages 6-8. But, the excitement gets even bigger when you venture up to the third floor.
On the first floor, your journey begins with “Tugboat Tots,” where the kids get to steer a mini tugboat, “fish” off a mini-pier and play “I Spy” with an ocean mural. There also is an open play space for kids ages 3 and under that Gio loved, especially the “tasty” blocks (photo left). Rosie put on a smock and played not only with gliding boats through the water, but also with light and sound on the colorful “Light Cloud” piano, which also is on the first floor.
But, the second level was probably both of the kids’ favorite. It started with a visit to a farm, where Rosie sat on a pig statue’s back and bottle-fed it and got to “milk” a cow statue (with fairly life-like udders), while Gio gathered tomatoes and oranges in a wheelbarrow and walked around with them.
From there, Gio spent a lot of time checking out the “Safety Village,” where he could put groceries at the Publix supermarket in a shopping cart (he thought the empty cart, above, was super-fun, too!), sit in a fire truck at the firehouse and play with stuffed animals at the “Vet Clinic.” Rosie first checked out the Eric Carle exhibit and then flew off to the two-story-tall, fully-enclosed “Water’s Journey Climber,” where she climbed way up high (tentatively at first, but she caught on fast) and then loved the journey back down even more!
Rosie also got very into the “Family Play Project” area, where she cut and pasted different paper and fabric swatches to create a unique artwork.
Both kids enjoyed the “Twinkle Stars Theater,” where Rosie tried on costumes and Gio loved banging the buttons that controlled the lights and sound on the theater’s stage.
Rosie then found the “Vet Clinic,” where she looked at pretend X-rays of some stuffed animals and then took time to properly groom them with a blow drying hose.
Rosie also felt like a big girl while sliding down the fire pole at the firehouse and watching her skeleton move along with her on “Skelevision” at the “Hospital” sponsored by St. Joseph’s Hospital.
Among her favorite exhibits on the second floor, though, were the “Pizza Place” — where she created and “cooked” a pizza of her own design in the oven that looks hot, but isn’t — and the “Ice Cream Parlour,” where she made a two-scoop cone for Grampa and a cup of ice cream with toppings for Grammie.
On To Big John!
The third level of the Glazer Children’s Museum is where you’ll find “Big John,” purported to be the “world’s largest” triceratops. The 66-million-year-old fossilized dino, which is on loan for three years from Tampa-based businessman Siddhartha Pagidipati, is the focal point of the museum’s dinosaur exhibit. Big John was reportedly reconstructed in less than a week upon his arrival to the museum.
Gio had a blast playing with the plastic dinosaurs and popping out of a dinosaur egg, while Rosie properly matched bone shapes to a small version of Big John’s skeleton. Both kids also got a kick of weighing themselves against Big John’s 10-ton weight.
Of course, by now, the children had to visit the cute store back on the ground floor, where we bought them a mini-copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and a transparent car filled with plastic dinosaurs.
The museum also has a great private room for hosting kids’ birthday parties.
Hop On The Pirate Water Taxi!
Of course, after this three-hour romp, the kids were tired and hungry and, since we parked in the lot next to the museum, we were able to walk down to the Hillsborough River at the adjacent Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park and catch a ride on the Pirate Water Taxi that took us upstream to Armature Works — only one stop away. Because we’re Florida residents, adults can stop at all 16 of the Pirate Water Taxi stops all day for $26, while children ages 2-12 can ride all day for $16 (those under age 2 ride for free). Rosie thought it was so cool that she was riding a boat since her parents were on a cruise while we were watching them!
More About The Glazer Museum
The 53,000-sq.-ft. Glazer Children’s Museum opened in 2010 after a $22-million capital campaign, with construction beginning in 2009. It was named in honor of the Glazer Family Foundation, which donated $5 million. The Foundation, at that time led by Edward Glazer and his brother Bryan, was founded by their father, the late Malcolm Glazer, who was the owner and president of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Manchester United Football Club.
The Glazer Children’s Museum dates back to Tampa’s original Safety Village, located in Lowry Park, which opened in 1965. According to the museum’s website, the museum’s Mission is to “create and foster engaging, impactful PLAY experiences for children and families to learn and thrive.” Its Vision is “a community that values PLAY as the foundation for the learning and development of families across generations.”
All I can tell you is that it is a super-fun place and a great way to spend a day with your children or grandchildren.
The Glazer Children’s Museum is located at 110 W. Gasparilla Plaza in downtown Tampa. A “Playmaker Membership” costs just $250 ($55 tax deductible) and includes 12 months of play for up to six members, access to members-only events and other discounts. For more information, including everything about memberships and donations, call (813) 443-3861 or visit GlazerMuseum.org. For the Pirate Water Taxi, visit PirateWaterTaxi.com.
Rosie had so much fun creating and then “baking” her pretend pizza in the oven at the museum. “Don’t worry, Grandpa,” she told me. “It only looks hot. It’s not really.”
