The January 21 edition of Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News began hitting mailboxes in zip codes 33543 & 33544 on Saturday and everyone in those two Wesley Chapel zip codes will receive their Jan. 21 edition by tomorrow (Tuesday, Jan. 21).
If you live in zip code 33545, however, that portion of our bulk mailing will not hit mailboxes until this coming weekend (Jan 24 or 25). Because of all the growth in the northeastern part of Wesley Chapel, the Post Office suddenly changed many of the carrier routes in zip code 33545 — including adding five brand new postal carrier routes in that zip code — and all of this happened as of Jan. 1.
Unbeknownst to us, these new carrier routes were created by the Post Office by taking away portions of several existing routes that we’ve been mailing to in zip code 33545 — and these new routes do not even show up yet on the Post Office’s Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) system. All I knew was that after a year of unprecedented growth of new homes in Wesley Chapel (more than 5,000 new addresses since Jan. 1, 2024, and one month with more than 1,000 new addresses!), our original direct mail count for the Jan. 21 edition somehow actually went down by more than 3,000 pieces — so I knew something was wrong.
In order for those of you who live in zip code 33545 who have been reading our issues every four weeks to still receive the Jan. 21 edition, I had to do a second printing and mailing to add all five of these new carrier routes and not mail any copies to zip code 33545 until we had the total count correct for this issue.
I apologize for any inconvenience, but this was the only way for me to ensure that everyone in zip code 33545 who is supposed to receive the Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News receives their Jan. 21 edition.
You’ll never feel rushed when you visit Doctor of Chiropractic Edward McNamara of McNamara Health & Wellness in the Summergate Professional Center in Wesley Chapel, who always takes the time needed to get to the root of his patients’ health issues. (Photo by Charmaine George)
If you looking for a chiropractor who really cares about his patients and takes the time to get to know them and their health issues, then Dr. Edward McNamara at McNamara Health & Wellness in the Summergate Professional Center (behind Sam’s Club, on the north side of S.R. 56) in Wesley Chapel is who you want to see.
Dr. McNamara, or “Dr. Mac” as many of his patients and friends refer to him, has been a practicing chiropractor for more than 23 years. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree from Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Dr. Mac obtained his Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree from Life University in Marietta, GA, in 1999. He worked in the Destin and Orlando areas first, before coming to practice in Wesley Chapel in 2015.
“Trust is a big part of my job,” states Dr. Mac. “It’s a touchy-feely business, so if you’re not comfortable with me, you are not going to be receptive to my care. If you want to keep things quick, I can, but I am hands-on and I listen well. Generally, I spend time getting to know all about my patients and they end up hearing everything about me as well.”
Spend five minutes talking to Dr. Mac and you’ll hear some great stories. From originally hailing from Buffalo, NY, to serving for ten years in the U.S. Air Force to working in the ceremonial honor guard at the White House during former President Ronald Reagan’s presidency, Dr. Mac always will put you at ease while he’s taking care of you.
“I believe in being personable, effective, affordable, and family-oriented,” Dr. Mac says. To that end, he is always happy to accommodate patients with evening, weekend, holiday, emergency and same-day appointments, over and above his regular office hours.
In addition to providing full spinal adjustments, Dr. Mac is familiar with a variety of active release and massage therapies as well as exercise rehabilitation. He believes strongly in minimizing the use of drugs or surgery.
“Human beings were not born with too many parts and not enough pills,” says Dr. Mac. “Surgery and medications can help for a while, but then the body can become reliant on them. It’s better to help the body heal itself.”
Some common conditions that Dr. Mac can help with include back, neck and musculoskeletal pain, headaches and migraines, sinus pain, jaw pain (such as temporomandibular joint, or TMJ) pain, whiplash injuries from car accidents, work-related injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome and a variety of sports injuries.
Dr. Mac will do everything he can to help you with your chiropractic needs,, but if you are having issues outside of his scope, he has a wide network of doctors and medical clinics that he can refer you to for further testing, such as X-rays or MRIs, without having to wait three months for an appointment.
Caring For Patients Of All Ages & The Community
Dr. Mac says he first got interested in chiropractic therapy in his youth after getting hurt while playing rugby. He now assists athletes, weightlifters, gymnasts, cheerleaders, dancers and more heal from their injuries faster and can even help increase their athletic performance. He says chiropractic care can improve anyone’s range of motion, flexibility, balance, coordination, reaction times and speed.
Patient Peggy D’Alessandro recalls a positive experience when bringing her daughter to the office.
“So thankful for Dr. McNamara!,” Peggy said in her 5-star review. “My daughter hurt her back while cheerleading. After a few days, I began to worry because she was still in pain, so I brought her in to see Dr. Mac. Her pain was relieved in minutes and completely gone by the next day! It was her first time seeing a chiropractor so she was a little bit nervous, but he was so nice, made her laugh and really put her at ease. We both couldn’t have been happier!”
In addition to adults and athletes, Dr. Mac has patients of all ages — from babies to age 80.
“Being born can be pretty traumatic for babies,” Dr. Mac says. “I help infants with reflux, colic and infant adjustments, which are very different than the adjustments that I perform for adults. School-aged children also need help with pain from those heavy backpacks, ‘cell phone neck,’ minor sports injuries, scoliosis and allergies (sinuses). I’m also available to give sports physicals to students.”
He adds, “Pregnant women often suffer aches and pains and chiropractic care before delivery can help reduce labor time. Seniors come to get relief from basic arthritic conditions.”
Patient Lauren Cione, who was suffering from back pain during her pregnancy, says, “Dr. Mac made me feel so comfortable and adjusted me while I was pregnant. When my son was born, he kept leaning his head to the left side. I knew I could trust Dr. Mac to adjust him when he was only 4 weeks old and he had instant relief.”
Dr. Mac’s “receptionist” Wolverine is really his 8-year-old son Sebastian. (Photo provided by Dr. Mac)
Dr. Mac works alone, so you will always talk to and receive care from him directly. But, on some days, especially Saturdays, you may also see his part-time “receptionist” — his eight-year-old son, Sebastian. Often dressed up as Wolverine (after giving up his Spider-Man persona), Sebastian will greet patients and works hard as the “face of the practice” to get his $1-per-hour paycheck that he’ll cash with his dad later at the bank.
Dr. Mac loves to get involved in the community as well. “My son plays hockey, so I am always supporting sport fund raisers for kids,” he says. “I also am enthusiastic about helping those who are struggling with addiction.”
If you visit the office’s Facebook page, you will see that Dr. Mac loves to help out, from promoting various donation efforts to offering assistance to local families needing extra help during the holidays.
No matter how you interact with Dr. Mac, his patients say he’ll always try to help you.
“The one thing that was a constant in my life was chronic back pain for 20+ years,” says patient Jay Forsythe. “Dr. McNamara is the FIRST to really help me instead of just saying ‘surgery or prescriptions’ and for that I am very grateful.”
McNamara Health & Wellness is located at 27453 Cashford Cir., Suite #101. The office is open Mon.-Fri., 7:30 a.m.-11 a.m., and 2:30 p.m. – 6 p.m., and on Sat. by appointment. For more information, call (813) 343-1680 or visit LutzChiro.com to schedule an appointment today. You also may visit “McNamara Health & Wellness” on Facebook for the office’s latest updates and special offers.
Congratulations to the owners of the new Tous les Jours bakery franchise at 27209 S.R. 56 — in the former location of Capital Tacos.
Like the Tous les Jours inside the Lotte Plaza Market in New Tampa, the Wesley Chapel location offers a large selection of freshly baked croissants, pastries, donuts, breads and more — in both sweet and savory varieties — as well as cakes, coffee drinks, teas, smoothies, lemonades and much more.
Photographer Charmaine George and I have visited the new Tous les Jours twice and the first thing we both noticed is how much nicer and more spacious the new location is than the one in the Lotte Plaza Market food court. There are several tables, as well as couches, for enjoying your purchases inside the shop, which in no way still resembles the old Capital Tacos.
As for the baked goods, among the sweet options we’ve sampled are an almond croissant, a large Mont Blanc pastry (which is like a huge, crispy outside-flaky inside cinnamon roll), a strawberry croissant filled not only with super-fresh strawberries, but also whipped cream, and a mini caramel apple pie. The savory items we’ve tried and enjoyed include a ham-&-cheese croissant, a spinach and feta pastry (which is both sweet and savory), a croque monsieur sandwich (a grilled French-style ham and cheese sandwich) and a sausage onion pastry, which is like a hot dog surrounded by a pastry with onions, cheese and ketchup. There also are several different kinds of milk breads, full bread loaves stuffed with whipped cream and so many more. We haven’t tried any of the cakes yet, but give us time!
As for beverages, I’ve enjoyed both the vanilla latte and caramel macchiato and Charmaine and I agreed that the fresh, thick, hand-spun mango smoothie (below) was delicious. There also is a huge selection of hot and iced teas available and more!
Tous les Jours is a French-inspired — its name literally means “Every Day” in French) — Korean-owned chain of bakeries with 1,700 locations around the world, including more than 100 (and growing) in the U.S.
The Wesley Chapel Tous les Jours is open every day from 9 a.m.-6 p.m., and although the menu doesn’t include some of the freshly made sandwich items other Tous les Jours stores carry, the hope here is that they’ll add some of those items in the future.
For more info, call (813) 388-5612 or visit tljus.com. — GN
(l.-r.) Jordan Kornberg of Mast Capital, Pasco County Comm. Jack Mariano & Florida Sports Coast exec. director Adam Thomas were among those who took the first swings on the new driving range at Saddlebrook Resort on Dec. 11. (Photos by Charmaine George & Gary Nager)
Since Mast Capital purchased Saddlebrook Resort & Spa from the resort’s late founder and owner Tom Dempsey back in 2022, the Wesley Chapel community has been anxiously waiting to see what Mast was going to do to update and upgrade what was once the jewel of Wesley Chapel.
To that end, on Dec. 11, Saddlebrook and Mast unveiled the resort’s newly relocated golf driving range with a “first drive” ceremony, a champagne toast and a great party that thunder, lightning and the possibility of heavy rain cut short.
With Saddlebrook’s former driving range along S.R. 54 being replaced with apartments, the range was relocated to a portion of the former Palmer Course, one of two Arnold Palmer-designed 18-hole courses at the resort. But, Mast decided to do away with nine of the Palmer Course’s 18 holes and the new driving range takes up about six of the other nine holes.
When the renovations are complete, Saddlebrook will be left with 27 holes of championship golf.
(Above, l.-r.) Saddlebrook managing director Raj Mohan, Kornberg & Mariano all spoke at the event.
Mast Capital chief investment officer Jordan Kornberg promised that the new driving range “is just the beginning. We will be returning Saddlebrook to its former glory.”
Among those joining Kornberg for the ceremonial first drive (complete with exploding golf balls) were the resort’s managing director Raj Mohan, District 1 Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano and Florida Sports Coast executive director Adam Thomas.
Mohan said he was looking forward to the community seeing the changes now in motion at Saddlebrook and Mariano also expressed excitement for the future of the resort.
Attendees were treated to a picnic-style lunch with fried chicken, beef brisket and curried pork with all the trimmings, as well as enough umbrellas for everyone in attendance, as heavy showers were a looming possibility.
For more information about Saddlebrook Resort, visit Saddlebrook.com or call (813) 973-1111.
Despite all of the delays we’ve been reporting, it’s now official — Chicken Guy! will finally open at 25769 Sierra Center Blvd., on the north side of S.R. 56 (across from the Tampa Premium Outlets) tomorrow — Tuesday, January 7, at 10 a.m.
The Neighborhood News was able to attend the Friends & Family event at the new “Cypress Creek” location of Chicken Guy! earlier today and we sampled quite a bit of the menu. My favorite items were the BLAT (Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado & Tomato) sandwich, the mac & cheese side dish and the hand-spun Oreo milkshake. Charmaine loved the pepperoni chicken parm sandwich (with garlic parmesan sauce) and the seasoned French fries, while Jannah’s favorites were the chopped chicken Caesar salad (with grilled, instead of fried, chicken tenders) and house-made Caesar dressing and the chopped cheese & chicken eggrolls. In other words, we each already have a lot of favorites to come back for and enjoy again.
Everything at Chicken Guy! definitely tasted fresh and we appreciate that not everything on the menu is fried — and that it isn’t automatically spicy. The recipes “from the Mayor of Flavortown” himself, Food Network star and restaurateur Guy Fieri, aka “The Boss of Sauce,” features more than a dozen different sauces, so definitely feel free to try them all and pick your own favorite(s).
Although the online ordering system likely won’t be up until the Lutz/Wesley Chapel location opens tomorrow, visit ChickenGuy.com for more information and please tell Trevor, the general manager, that the Neighborhood News sent you!
