Category: Business

For Tax Help & Much More, Trust Murtha & Murtha

As tax season heads into full swing, Patrick Murtha, the managing partner of the accounting firm of Murtha & Murtha, LLC, says that even if you’ve always done your taxes yourself, now is the time to reconsider.

“It’s a tough landscape this year,” Murtha says, “and there has never been a more important time to work with a tax professional who really knows what they’re doing and can find deductions and credits that you’ll never identify if you’re just using software to file your taxes — especially if you are self-employed or any kind of small business owner.”

Patrick, his father Tom, and Kyle Flischel run Murtha & Murtha in the Seven Oaks Professional Park off S.R. 56 (near Sam’s Club) in Wesley Chapel. All three are Certified Public Accountants (CPAs). Patrick and Kyle are managing partners, while Tom serves as senior partner for the firm, which handles accounting, bookkeeping, taxes, mergers and acquisitions and related services for its clients.

Together, the trio has more than 60 years of combined experience. Their expertise stretches well beyond tax season, but it is the busiest time of year for any accounting firm.

“We’re anticipating that this year will be a pretty harsh turn back to reality from the last couple of years,” Patrick explains.

After two years of generous credits from the federal government because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Patrick says it’s all coming to a halt for the 2022 tax year.

While all the changes may cause confusion — and people may not get as large a refund as they are used to, or may end up owing money — Murtha & Murtha promises that if you have the firm prepare your taxes, you will always at least understand the issues and exactly why you owe what you owe.

Patrick says communication has always been the top priority at Murtha & Murtha.

“A lot of clients who come to us from another practice say they liked who they were working with, but that they didn’t return calls or answer emails,” he says. “So, our primary goal is to communicate well with our clients.”

And, he says, while some tax firms have a strategy where CPAs meet with clients face-to-face but hire temporary seasonal employees who do the actual paperwork but never communicate with the client, that’s not how Murtha & Murtha does things.

“Whoever you meet with is who is going to actually be doing your tax return,” he explains, whether that’s one of the firm’s three partners, or one of two long-term employees who are taking on their own clients this year.

Those two employees are Kaitlyn Kociba and Kaitlyn Little, who have both been part of the Murtha & Murtha team for the past several years and have finished the education and experience requirements on the track to becoming CPAs.

Of course, they won’t be studying for the CPA exam during tax season, but fully expect to take the exam and be accredited as CPAs sometime in the near future. Meanwhile, they have been carefully trained and have the expertise to manage tax returns to the high standards Murtha & Murtha expects.

Other Services

Although tax season is Murtha & Murtha’s busiest time of year, it’s just part of the services the firm provides.

Patrick says Murtha & Murtha’s “CFO retainer package” continues to attract new clients. With this package, the firm helps businesses and people who are self-employed do monthly accounting and bookkeeping, but also helps with budgeting, and provides an expert for advice when clients have questions about tax planning, mitigating tax bills, or about offering health insurance or retirement plans, for example.

Patrick understands that most business owners are too busy worrying about their primary business to really step back and look at the big picture, so Murtha & Murtha provides its clients with an extra layer of financial planning and analysis for their businesses.

Kurt Dimeler of Tampa Bay Pest Management is a client who says he appreciates what the CFO retainer package has done for him and his business. “Basically, they run everything for me, from budgeting to forecasting, and just keep me updated every couple of weeks, so it’s easy-peasy,” Kurt says. “It frees me up to really focus on what I’m best at.”

He says he used to have to do his own payroll and budget and figure out if financial transactions have any tax liability or benefit, but now, Kyle and Patrick handle that for him.

“It takes so much weight off my shoulders,” he says. “Kyle and Patrick and their staff are just fantastic to work with, and I would recommend them to anybody.”

As of January 1, Murtha & Murtha doubled the size of its Wesley Chapel office, which now occupies a full building in the Seven Oaks Professional Park.

“We’ve expanded and added five offices,” Patrick says, adding that, for the time being, because they don’t quite need that much space for themselves, they have hand-picked a couple of professionals to share offices that also will benefit their clients.

“Starting February 1, we’re sharing space with an estate planning attorney and a financial advisor,” he explains. “These are people we know well and trust, so if a client tells us they need to get their will put together or need a financial advisor to plan for retirement, I can walk them over to the office and know they’ll be in good hands.”

Tom Murtha, CPA, earned his Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Management from Long Island University in Brooklyn, NY, in 1976, and his M.B.A. (Master of Business Administration) degree in Accounting from St. John’s University in Queens, NY, in 1981. He has been doing mergers, acquisitions and business valuations since the 1990s.

Patrick, who grew up around tax codes at his father’s business, graduated from the University of South Florida in 2009 with B.S. degrees in both Finance and Accounting. He joined his father in opening a firm in Tampa in 2010, focusing on mergers and acquisitions.

Meanwhile, Kyle Flischel, CPA, is practically family, having gone to school with Patrick at USF.

The firm operates a second office in Zephyrhills, as well, located at 5315 8th Ave., and known as Henson & Murtha.

Murtha & Murtha, LLC, is located at 2236 Ashley Oaks Cir., Suite 101. For more information, visit TampaTaxFirm.com or see the ad on pg. 35. Or, to schedule a free consultation, call (813) 991-1120.

Chicken Boss Opening Highlights Changes at KRATE

When The Grove developer Mark Gold first started filling the many spaces at his KRATE Container Park, most of us realized that not all of the restaurants and retail shops that started out in a KRATE would last very long. Although we may not have known which would succeed and which would fail, you had to know that some wouldn’t make it.

Until recently, only a couple of retail KRATEs had gone the way of the dinosaur. But now, several more changes have either recently taken place or were on the way — and we have an exclusive look at the new and planned moves at the container park.

The first-ever restaurant KRATE to close is Falafel Factory, which shut its doors last month. That set off a couple of changes that, quite honestly, we’re pretty excited to announce.

Falafel Factory’s space between Pisco Express and Palani’s Hawai’i Noodles has been taken over by TJ’s Hot Dogs, which previously occupied the space next to the The Bacon Boss HQ.

And, while TJ’s already is open in its new space, The Bacon Boss owners Josh and Christy Norland quickly followed suit and opened their new concept — The Chicken Boss — this weekend in the former TJ’s location this weekend. The turnout was impressive, say the owners.

Christy says The Chicken Boss’ menu focuses on hand-breaded chicken tenders. And, based on the love The Bacon Boss HQ has received from our readers (it was voted the #1 Favorite KRATE in our 2022 Reader Dining Survey) and from yours truly (it was my #4 favorite KRATE), I’m sure The Chicken Boss will be equally successful — as, I expect, TJ’s also will continue to be in its new space.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Urban Sweets, the currently vacant former location of Center Ed tutoring center will reopen as the second Blush Wine Room at KRATE, but owners Felicia and Nimesh Desai say that the new location will be solely a champagne and wine-based cocktail bar with a dozen slushie machines.

The original Blush location will focus on other wines and, we hope, perhaps expand its current menu of delicious food items, although anything on the Blush menu will still be available at the new location, too. The new Blush will open before the end of March.

Two new non-food KRATEs also recently opened in previously shuttered retail locations, both of which we first told you about in our Dec. 26 issue. The first is 311 Aroma Candle Studio, which is a do-it-yourself candlemaking “bar,” with nearly two dozen different fragrances — from apple & maple bourbon to Froot Loops and many more.

3Eleven owner Shareeka Screen offers classes for beginners and sessions for experienced candlemakers and calls 3Eleven “an interactive experience bringing people and families together to explore and create through the power of creativity.”

Plus, the place smells delicious.

And, Shareeka is the sister of Yuhanna Alahmary of Radiant Wellness Spa, and 3Eleven Aroma, Blush and Mythos will all be on-hand at Radiant’s Health & Wellness Fair on Sunday, March 19.

Speaking of Mythos, it is now open in the former location of The Rebellious Hippie at the KRATEs. Mythos is an eclectic gift shop with cool T-shirts, plush toys, candles and knickknacks for your home and more.

And finally, next to Life Essentials Refillery, Valiart Designs (which previously was called Valiart Jewelry), will become the Tutti Frutti Cafe, which will sell all things fruit — fresh fruit smoothies and creative fruit desserts.

It is owned by Stacy Esposito and Eddie Nasr, who also own Cafe Zorba. They hope to open the Tutti Frutti Cafe by April. — GN

Bacon Boss

Radiant Wellness Spa Offers Licensed Massage, Facials & More

*The acne and microneedling program at Radiant works wonders for high-grade acne skin, producing amazing results.* ***(Photos: Courtesy of Yuhanna Alahmary)***

Spa Located On S.R. 54 To Highlight Its Many Services On Sunday, March 19!

Willie Williams has played basketball most of his life at a very high level — including playing for the Phoenix Suns’ NBA D-League team — and that grind produced a few injuries along the way that he can still feel today. He was recently in a car accident that has made his body creak and groan more than it should for a man only in his mid-30s.

However, Willie says his body only creaks and groans these days until Yuhanna Alahmary, LMT, MLD-C, CCT, CMT, gets her hands on him.

The owner of Radiant Wellness Spa in the Brookfield Professional Park on S.R. 54 just west of Eiland Blvd., Alahmary has learned plenty of skills over the years related to massage therapy, and Williams says those massages are the only thing, including physical therapy, that can make him feel better.

“She’s the real deal,” he says. “I’ve had massages before, but the way hers make my body feel afterwards is something different. I’ve known her for three years and she has allowed me to get back to moving around, get out of bed and not be limping around the house all the time.”

*Radiant Wellness*
*Spa owner* *Yuhanna Alahmary*

After a decade of working as a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) at a local spa in Wesley Chapel, Alahmary decided to branch out and open her own spa in April 2022.

She may not be new to Wesley Chapel, but her business is, which is part of the reason she is reaching out to the community by hosting a Health & Wellness Fair on Sunday, March 19, noon-4 p.m. (see ad on pg. 25) with a food truck, businesses from the KRATE at the Grove container park (3 Eleven candles, Mythos and Blush Wine Room) and health-related vendors like Florida Pain Medicine, Humana and Double Branch Chiropractic Rehab.

Alahmary says some of the vendors will be doing free health testing, and her spa will offer complimentary 5-minute massages.

More Than Just Massages

Radiant Wellness Spa offers a wide array of spa services, from massages to facials. The massages include the standard Swedish, therapeutic and deep tissue, as well as couples and prenatal massages.

Hot stone and bamboo massages also are available, or try the “Sticks & Stones” massage, which is a combination of both.

Alahmary says she also has a therapist on staff who specializes in oncology massages for cancer patients looking for pain relief and relaxation.

*The friendly staff at Radiant Wellness Spa wants to help you look and feel better, too.*

And, cupping therapy, which decompresses the body’s tissues with suction cups, helps with a host of issues and is one of the spa’s more popular services. In addition to her other titles, Alahmary is a CCP (certified cupping therapist, CMMP (certified medical massage practitioner) and master post-op care provider and body contouring specialist.

When it comes to facials, there are many from which to choose. Alahmary says the enzyme and OxygenGLOW facials are the most popular among her array of offerings, and microneedling (also called collagen induction therapy) continues to be in demand for those seeking to firm and tone their skin, especially the arms and face.

Alahmary says the Circadia brand products used at the spa are high-grade.

Body waxing services and sauna wraps also are available.

Alahmary says that Radiant’s staff aesthetician Tunde used to own her own spa in Budapest, Hungary, before Covid-19 forced her to close down and move to the U.S.

“She has 20 years of experience and she helps with a lot of European techniques I wasn’t really familiar with,” Alahmary says.

Tunde has worked miracles on some of the faces that leave Radiant Wellness Spa with a big smile on them.

If you mention this story, you can receive $15 off your first visit. There are other specials, too — $10 off on Mondays for anyone, and $10 off on Thursdays for teachers, law enforcement, first responders, healthcare and postal workers (with work ID).

“I’ve always had a soft spot for vets and healthcare workers,” Alahmary says. “My dad was impacted by agent orange and nurses really were impacted by Covid.”

What separates Radiant Wellness Spa from other spas, however, may be Alahmary’s own personal specialty: post-op care.

She is certified by the Academy of Lymphatic Studies, which she says makes her a rarity in the Wesley Chapel area.

“So many people drive to South Tampa to get their post-op care done,” she says, “but we have it right here.”

Post-op MLD (or manual lymphatic drainage) care, in Alahmary’s case, often but not exclusively, deals with treating patients who have recently had cosmetic surgery like a tummy tuck or liposuction. As a result, their bodies may be inflamed and they may suffer from lymphatic fluid build up.

A certified MLD-C massage therapist uses specific massaging techniques to help transport the lymphatic fluid from the swollen area to an area that is draining properly.

“If you want to heal right, you need some kind of post-op care,” says Alahmary. “It will cut down on fibrosis build up and help prevent fibrosis, which are those hardening knots in people who don’t get the proper (post-op) care.”

Alahmary also says she has spent hundreds of hours learning and taking tests to learn as much as she can, and earn as many certifications as possible. She has even traveled to Thailand and hopes to incorporate Thai massages into her spa in the future.

Alahmary’s commitment to her craft is something that actually helped prompt Williams to follow her to her new practice. For years at the previous spa where she worked, Williams would listen to her talk about pursuing her dream and perfecting her skills.

“She is a real student of her art,” he says. “She used to fly out to different classes to enhance her skill set, and that is something I really admired about her. She’s an expert.”

Alahmary’s daughter Nylah is a senior at Wesley Chapel High who is working towards her Associate of Arts degree from Pasco-Hernando State College, and helps out at the front desk, making Radiant Wellness Spa a family business. Everyone else who works at the spa has at least 10 years of experience, according to Alahmary.

“I’m not just an owner, I’m a therapist myself,” Alahmary says. “We don’t have memberships, so we’re not trying to sell you anything. And, having my own business lets me do what I love to do, and offer the services that I think will help people the most.”

The spa does not accept insurance, but does accept FSA and HSA payments.

Radiant Wellness Spa is located at 33905 S.R.. 54, Suite 101. The hours are Monday & Wednesday, 3:15 p.m.-8 p.m.; Thursday & Friday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.; and 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, call (813) 715-2099, visit Radiant-Wellness-Spa.com or see the ad on page 25 of our most current Wesley Chapel issue.

Radiant Wellness Spa

Cafe Zorba — The Newest Dining KRATE Serves Delicious Greek Cuisine!

The last of the 29 restaurants to open at the KRATE Container Park at The Grove in Wesley Chapel is Cafe Zorba, which serves delicious Greek and Mediterranean cuisine from the former owners of Acropolis Greek Taverna in New Tampa.

Cafe Zorba owners Stacy Esposito and her husband Eddie Nasr are proud to bring you authentic recipes with unique flavor touches that Eddie says are mainly his recipes from his childhood in the Republic of Cyprus, which is an independent nation on the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea between Greece, Turkey and Syria. Although his parents were Lebanese, Eddie says his Cypriot recipes have been strongly influenced by the cuisine of Greece.

Delicious Starters & Entrées!

On these pages, you’ll find some of our favorite dishes at Cafe Zorba, a name inspired by the novel Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis that earned Anthony Quinn an Oscar nomination for the 1964 movie of the same name.

The top left photo, of course, is the delicious Greek-style calamari, which is delicately crispy and served with a side of marinara sauce and kalamata olives.

“If you visit Greece and you don’t have the calamari,” Eddie says, “it’s like you never visited Greece. There is tons of calamari in the Mediterranean.”

Other starters at Cafe Zorba include tzatziki (Greek yogurt with freshly grated cucumbers, garlic and herbs with olive oil, served with pita), hummus (fresh chickpea spread with garlic and tahini, topped with virgin olive oil and tomatoes), dolmades (grapevine leaves stuffed with rice, lemon juice, olive oil and herbs, topped with crumbled feta) and the crispy and delicious Greek fries with aioli, feta and a side of tzatziki.

The photo to the left is the traditional Cypriot fried halloumi cheese, which is made from a semi-soft brined cheese with a high melting point, so it’s perfect for deep-frying. The halloumi rectangles are served with pita bread, fresh tomatoes and cucumbers.

The bottom photo on this page is, of course, the crispy spanakopita, or light and flaky phyllo pastry dough, stuffed with spinach and feta, served with a side Greek salad. Speaking of Cafe Zorba’s Greek salad, it is served with a similarly zesty, creamy Greek dressing to what you might remember from Acropolis.

My favorite entrees at Cafe Zorba are the lamb gyro wrap (also available with chicken — and the daily lunch special from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. gives you a gyro, fries and drink for only $15) and the chicken, pork or beef souvlaki platters, which are served with what may be the best, most savory orzo rice I’ve had in this area (or those crispy fries), as well as a Greek salad. The photo above is the chicken souvlaki platter.

Other entrées include the Zeus burger (topped with sautéed mushrooms, onions and feta); the tasty fish sliders (lightly breaded, pan-fried fish filet, topped with vegetable slaw, garlic aioli, onion and tomato on slider buns), the fried kibbeh platter (kibbeh are cracked wheat dough shells stuffed with seasoned beef, sautéed onions and pine nuts, served with fries, hummus and pita), and shrimp skewers. The shrimp are sauteed in lemon, garlic and butter sauce and served with pita.

All of the entrées are just $12-$18 and Stacy says, “We’re proud to be the only dining KRATE with all five-star reviews on Google. The reviews say our food is delicious and our portions are huge!”

Dessert, Beverages & More

Save room for dessert, as the options include regular baklava, baklava cheesecake, chocolate-covered baklava, tiramisu, Eddie’s homemade rice pudding and my favorite — the Zorba chocolate bombe filled with creamy milk and white chocolate mousse.

Cafe Zorba also sells a variety of beers, including Mythos from Greece, Almaza from Lebanon and many other imported and domestic options, as well as Greek and other delicious wines, plus coffee, soft drinks and Frazil shaved ice beverages.

And, the fun doesn’t end when you walk outside of Cafe Zorba, as there are nearly 50 flavors to enjoy with hookah pipes. Gypsi (photo, right), an exotic belly dancer, performs on Friday evenings, beginning at 7 p.m.

Even though it was only open for a couple of weeks when the voting ended, our readers named Cafe Zorba their fourth favorite Greek or Mediterranean Restaurant in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel and I placed it in my top-5 Favorite KRATEs.

Cafe Zorba is located at 5804 Grand Oro Lane, at the southern end of the KRATE container park. It is open Mon.-Thur., 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. on Fri. and Sat.; and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. on Sun. For more info, call (813) 388-5987 or visit Cafe-Zorba.com.

PopStroke Ready To Open!

Tiger Woods has made it official — PopStroke Wesley Chapel/Tampa is opening at noon on Friday, Feb. 17.

The golf legend announced the opening via his Twitter account Thursday morning.

Located just north and east of the intersection of S.R. 56 and Wesley Chapel Blvd., PopStroke is co-owned by Woods and Craig Bartoli. TGR Design, which is Woods’ golf course design company.

The Wesley Chapel location will feature two 18-hole courses — one will be harder than the other — featuring synthetic turf greens designed to mimic putting on real golf courses. The courses lack the usual mini-golf obstacles, instead focusing on a more realistic experience with undulated greens designed to challenge golfers of all ages, as well as fairways and sand traps.

The mini-golf is complemented by a 10,000-sq.-ft. restaurant and kid’s playground. The restaurant will feature premium food and drinks, as well as 24 different flavors of ice cream. Golfers can see their scores displayed on a large scoreboard, and even order drinks, via an app, that will be delivered to them on the course.

“It’s one of the only concepts I know of anywhere in world, really, where you can find a 3-, 8-. 27- and 80-year-old enjoying it to the same extent,” Bartoli said at the February 2022 groundbreaking.

PopStroke tiger woods