NTBC’s Award Winners Include AHWC, Avalon Park WC & Parks Ford 

Congratulations go out to all of this year’s “Excellence in Business” award winners and finalists from Wesley Chapel. The annual honors were presented by the North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC) at its awards gala held at TrebleMakers Dueling Piano Bar & Restaurant in The Grove on Nov. 17. 

Among this year’s award winners were Jennie Yingling of both Spinner Law and the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel, who was honored with the “Community Hero” award; Avalon Park Wesley Chapel, which took home the “Excellence in Innovation” award; and to Parks Ford and AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, which (no pun intended) shared the “Innovation in Collaboration” honors (the first-ever tie for an NTBC award, according to Chamber president & CEO Hope Kennedy). Other winners included Pepin Academy (“Inclusivity”) and SOF Missions (“Integrity”). 

Jennie Yingling (“Community Hero”)
Avalon Park Wesley Chapel (“Excellence in Innovation”)
Parks Ford (“Innovation in Collaboration”)
AdventHealth Wesley Chapel (“Innovation in Collaboration”)
Pepin Academy (“Inclusivity”)
SOF Missions (“Integrity”)

Academy Sports + Outdoors Opens To Cheers & Lots Of Gift Card Winners! 

If I ever open a store, I hope I can do as good a job as Academy Sports + Outdoors, a nearly 300-store chain which opened its newest location next to PopStroke on the north side of S.R. 56, in front of Total Wine & More. 

From Fri.-Sun, Nov. 17-19, the first 150 people to visit received a free Academy Sports + Outdoors gift card valued anywhere from $20 to a whopping $500. According to Academy’s regional marketing specialist for Florida Michael Reynolds, a total of more than $14,000 in gift cards were given away and just the prospect of winning one of the two big $500 cards given away each day certainly had everyone in attendance excited about the Wesley Chapel area’s newest sporting goods store. 

In fact, Jannah, photographer Charmaine George and I were on hand to witness the two $500 winners on Friday, including Kalyn Saliba (top left photo), who said that although she’s not particularly “sporty” herself, her husband and sons had shopped at the Academy store in Louisiana, where they lived for several years before moving back to Florida. 

“But, I’m a big fan of Academy now,” Kalyn said after she posed with her giant gift card and called her husband, who didn’t believe she had really won. “No, really,” she said. “Let’s definitely go shopping here soon!” 

We also heard several $75 and $100 gift cards being given to some of the other early attendees, none of whom won less than $20, and most were quick to make purchases — including yours truly, who scooped a new pair of New Balance running shoes that were already 25% off before taking my $20 gift card into consideration. The athletic shoe department has lots of other options, including Asics, Brooks, Nike and more. 

I don’t know how long the opening 25% off prices will remain in effect, but there’s no doubt that Academy Sports + Outdoors has pretty much everything you need to be outfitted for everything from baseball to volleyball and brand names from Adidas to Yeti — all at outstanding prices. 

The outdoor department is huge and does include camping, fishing, hunting and hiking gear and even grills and turkey fryers. 

Academy Sports + Outdoors (25415 Sierra Center Blvd., Lutz) is open every day except Thur. For more information, call (813) 953-4410 or visit Academy.com. 

Rice & Beans Opens Its ‘Express’ Location On S.R. 54 

Congratulations to owners Cindy and David Cruz and their entire family (photo above) and staff on the opening — finally! — of their Rice-n-Beans Express location at 24726 S.R. 54 in Lutz, a mile or so west of the Tampa Premium Outlets. 

Although there are a few tables inside the new location, Rice-n-Beans Express is much more of a take-out place than the Rice-n-Beans Puerto Rico restaurant on Wesley Chapel Blvd., which has a large formal dining area, a full-liquor bar and live entertainment on the weekends. 

The great news is that the authentic Puerto Rican cuisine at the Express location is just as delicious as at the WC Blvd. restaurant. 

Jannah and I were happy to be invited to the private Friends & Family ribbon cutting event on Nov. 9, which included a great live DJ, free homemade sangria and samples of many of the new restaurant’s many menu items. 

Our favorites included the fritters/ empanadas, which include traditional beef (left photo), chicken and even ham & cheese options, as well as a unique spinach, artichoke and cheese version that had its own delicious flavor. 

We also loved the rotisserie chickens (photo below) that provide the centerpiece of the new Express location, the Cuban sandwiches and yes, both the red and the black beans and rice. 

Since that truly wonderful Grand Opening event, Jannah, photographer Charmaine George and I have sampled quite a few other menu items at Rice-n-Beans Express, including the pernil (roast pork; left) entrĂ©e (which comes with your choice of one or two sides), the sweet plantains, the canoa (a plantain “canoe” stuffed with ground beef & shredded cheese), the yellow rice with pigeon peas, the yucca with mojo sauce and perhaps my favorite menu item at the full-service restaurant, the chichĂ„rrons (fried pork skin; bottom right photo). 

The rotisserie chickens are available in a variety of sizes, from quarter chickens with one or two sides to the “Familia Grande,” which includes two whole chickens, 32 ozs. of rice, 16 ozs. of beans and two additional large sides. There’s also a huge chicken & pork combo meal. 

Save room for dessert because the Puerto Rico Desserts case in the Express offers vanilla and Nutella tres leches and three varieties of flan. Decadent! 

 For more info, call (813) 428-5077 or visit “Rice N Beans” on Facebook and please tell them I sent you! -GN

Looking Back At The NTBC Ribbon-Cutting Events in November!

Sustain M.E Ribbon Cutting

The North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC) stayed busy in November, with its annual Excellence in Business awards gala at Treble Makers on Nov. 17 (which we featured in our Nov 28 Wesley Chapel issue), as well as three ribbon-cutting events that didn’t make it into our print editions.

On Nov. 2, the Wesley Chapel Contract Postal Unit (CPU) on S.R. 54, which has been open for a few months now,  celebrated with an NTBC ribbon cutting. Owner Jevon Willians provided free food and beverages for about 40 guests and introduced attendees to the CPU’s many services, all of which are available at regular U.S. Post Office prices. For more information, call (813) 994-7522.

On Nov. 8, the StoreRightSelf Storage facility, located on Crystal Grove Blvd. (near the intersection of U.S. Hwy. 41 and Sunset Lane) in Lutz, introduced attendees to its 749 storage units, most of which are climate-controlled. Store Right also is opening a similar-sized storage facility the second week in December next to the new El Dorado furniture store near the intersection of S.R. 54, Wesley Chapel Blvd. and S.R. 56 in Land O’Lakes. For more info, call  (813) 567-8100 or visit StoreRight.com.

And, on Nov. 14, owner Gail Sickler’s Sustain M.E. on S.R. 56 (in the same plaza as Capital Tacos & Touch Nail Spa) officially finalized its re-branding of the store that previously was a location of LĂŒfka Refillables Zero Waste Store with its own NTBC ribbon-cutting event. The revamped refillables and health & beauty products store features a similar variety of all-natural products as did LĂŒfka, but with new products that are all locally sourced. For more info, call (8130 812-8219 or visit SustainMotherEarth.com.

‘Grand Hampton The Movie Series’ Premiered ‘Anthology’ At Tampa Theatre 

Antony Capers and Grand Hampton kids perform a pre-movie dance number. (Photos by Charmaine George) 

Congratulations to local artist and filmmaker Antony Capers (photo, below) for the splashy Oct. 18 premiere at the historic Tampa Theatre (in downtown Tampa) of his YouTube horror serial “Grand Hampton The Movie Series.” 

What started as a pandemic project with his family and neighbors in their New Tampa neighborhood has grown into a multi-year endeavor with a loyal cult following. The series takes place in Capers’ upscale Grand Hampton neighborhood that — the viewer soon discovers — was built by “The CONNECTED” solely for the purpose of housing citizens within the government’s witness protection program. 

Capers was excited to pose in front of the Tampa Theatre’s marquee before the premiere.

The community has been experiencing some very odd occurrences, and — even more alarming — extraterrestrial beings have been seen roaming the quiet neighborhood’s streets. 

Beginning with Season 3, the series began branching out to discover the dark stories of so many of Grand Hampton’s residents. And, as someone who attended the premiere of the “ANTHOLOGY” of new chapters that bring three of these stories to life, I have to say that I came away impressed with Capers and his talented, all-volunteer cast’s efforts. 

Jannah, Charmaine, her boyfriend Brendan and I were on hand to find out what happens in the world’s craziest house in “ABBY.” Then, we witnessed the bond being broken between two brothers as they became part of an experiment in “PLACEBO.” And finally, we get to play a game of “SPIN THE BARREL,” where the winner actually loses. 

Members of the cast of ‘ANTHOLOGY” answer questions after the new trilogy of “Grand Hampton The Movie Series” episodes was premiered at the historic Tampa Theatre.

After the screening, Capers, the “Grand Hampton” creator, and members of his cast stuck around and discussed the project and answered audience questions. Capers said that Grand Hampton is a community where, “anything can happen and I believe ‘ANTHOLOGY’ proves that.” 

“ANTHOLOGY” is part of the historic — and reportedly haunted — Tampa Theatre’s annual “A Nightmare on Franklin Street” film series, which concludes tonight (Oct. 31) with a showing of the original “Halloween.” 

“Grand Hampton The Movie Series,” which participated in the Orlando International Film Festival (OIFF) in July, has been at the Tampa Theatre before, as Capers and his crew of talented actors not only got to present his “Super Vita” movie-length episode but also film a portion of it there. 

Among those who have provided cameos in the series to date include New Tampa’s District 7 Tampa City Council member Luis Viera and former Tampa Bay Bucs offensive lineman and local radio/ podcast host Ian Beckles, who was chilling and cool in “SPIN THE BARREL.” 

The premiere of “ANTHOLOGY” also included lengthy “commercials” from Capers’ sponsors, including EmployEZ, UES-United Employment Solutions, Done Deal Promotions and “Aliens of the Metaverse,” as well as a dance number with Capers and about a dozen Grand Hampton kids, ages 6-12. 

All “Grand Hampton The Movie Series” episodes are available on YouTube.Â