Yo Murphy (right) is hands-on when it comes to training athletes trying to get to the next level.
Llewellyn Murphy, Jr., better known as Yo to Tampa Bay Buccaneersâ fans, remembers tearing his quad muscle in 2001. But, with the help of a performance therapist and fitness coach, Murphy was able to get back to playing wide receiver in time to help the St. Louis Rams make it to Super Bowl XXXVI on Feb. 3, 2002, which the Rams lost to the New England Patriots, the first Big Game win for QB Tom Brady.
Murphy, who played seven games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1999 and was an electric kickoff returner, says he didnât have a Plan B at the time, but the rehabilitation experience and how it helped him play four more seasons of professional football crystallized one for him.
âIt showed me how much value that has, and how much impact you can have on someoneâs life when you do this job and focus on what they need,â Murphy says. âI just fell in love with it.â
Murphy ended up becoming the only player ever to play seasons in the NFL, Candaian Football League (CFL), the XFL and NFL Europe. He also is the only player to suit up for the Super Bowl, Grey Cup and World Bowl championship games. Murphy is now a 15-year veteran of the performance training industry, and is expanding from his Westchase location to the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County.
Yo Murphy Performance should be up and running later this month.
At the 11,000-sq.-ft. Westchase location, 38 professional and professional-to-be athletes train as part of his clientele, including Washington Nationals outfielder Kyle Schwarber, Kanasas City Royals first baseman Carlos Santana, 2020 Heisman Trophy winner Devonta Smith (from the University of Alabama) as well as NFL hopefuls getting ready for the NFL combine, like Smithâs teammate at Alabama, DT Christian Barmore and speedy Auburn WR Anthony Schwartz.
While prepping professional athletes for a combine or upcoming season may be a specialty, Murphy says his training center also caters to a few hundred âcorporate,â as well as more than 100 youth athletes.
âWe treat the regular dude like a serious athlete,â Murphy says. âPeople get in ruts when they just go to the gym (to go). The only difference between the athlete and the regular dude is, while in the gym training, athletes have a start and an end date. We are good as humans when we have goals and we have deadlines and we have discipline involved. Thatâs what we focus on. We treat everyone the same.â
Murphy says he was alerted to the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus by his director of basketball, Darryl Hepburn, who Murphy says has held NBA combines but saw a need for a facility with more courts. Once Murphy visited, he saw the Wiregrass Sports Campus, with its 98,000-sq. ft. of indoor space to be âa perfect fit.â
Yo Murphy Performance caters to the serious athlete, whether professional or amateur. The Wiregrass Ranch location, he says, will offer memberships for adults, and even offer 1-on-1 training and combines for those corporate athletes.
Expect a fair share of professional athletes to be sharing that space as well. Murphy said NFL wide receivers like Diontae Johnson (Pittsburgh), Deon Cain (Baltimore) and Auden Tate (Cincinatti and a Wharton High in New Tampa graduate) all live near the facility and plan on training there in the offseason.
Murphy expects a more than two dozen NFL players to make Wiregrass Ranch their training home now that the Super Bowl LV is over.
For additional information about Yo Murphy Performance, visit YoMurphy.com.
This store is located in Rockville, MD, and is the first Lotte Plaza Market. The small chain is now expanding into Florida with an Orlando store, and likely a second location in New Tampa
The long dormant Sweetbay Supermarket property, which has been empty since 2013, has a new owner.
And, it appears that New Tampa may soon be home to a new Lotte Plaza Mart, a small-chain Maryland-based ethnic grocery store focusing on Asian groceries and goods.
John Neukamm, the attorney for the sellers, KNK Tampa, Ltd., confirmed that the sale was completed on Feb. 1, but would not say what the plans were for the site.
He said a âdifferent type of conceptâ was likely heading to the space, one that has not been seen locally.
Neukamm said that he had spoken with the North Palms Village Master Association and that they were âvery excitedâ that the sale of the former Sweetbay had been completed.
According to city records, the property, located right across Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. from the AMC movie theater and next to Home Depot, was purchased by SW Tampa, LLC, for $7-million.
According to Sunbiz.org, the Florida Division of Corporationsâ online directory of companies in Florida, the owner of SW Tampa, LLC is Sang Min Lee, who also owns Sungwon Orlando, LLC.
Lotte Plaza Market in Orlando. (lotteplaza.com)
The only other Lotte Plaza Mart in Florida is located in Orlando.
Both SW Tampa, LLC (the SW is likely short for Sungwon), and Sungwon Orlando, LLC are registered at the same address in Jessup, MD, as Sungwon Distributors, LLC, which serves as the headquarters of Lotte Plaza Mart.
Marc Bergoffen, the lawyer representing SW Tampa, did not respond to messages. Ross Waters of Atlantic Retail, one of the brokers involved in the sale, declined comment.
If a new Lotte Plaza Mart does materialize at the old Sweetbay site, it will be the second large ethnic grocery store to open in New Tampa since 2019, joining Taaza Mart, a roughly 17,000-sq.-ft., predominantly Indian grocer located in Tampa Palms.
The potential Lotte Plaza Mart location would be more than three times as large as Taaza Mart â at roughly 55,000 square feet.
Founded in 1976, Lotte Plaza Mart is considered to be one of the premier Asian groceries in Maryland and Virginia, where it has 12 locations. The mini-chain also has one location in New Jersey, and opened the Orlando location on W. Colonial Dr. in February 2019.
Like all Lotte Plaza Marts, the location in Orlando â which moved into a 60,000-sq.-ft. space formerly occupied by a Winn-Dixie â has a wide choice of Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese food items and ingredients, an impressive selection of meats and fresh fish and a huge variety of fruits and vegetables not found at your regular American grocery stores.
The store has received online praise for its variety and prices.
Although there are no exact plans available for what a New Tampa location might feature, the Orlando store also has a hair salon, bakery and food court, featuring a handful of Asian restaurants, including Taglish, a Filipino-American concept run by Chef Michael Collantes, who has worked with such notable chefs as Wolfgang Puck.
The nearest location for buying Asian groceries currently is the MD Oriental Market located on E. Fowler Ave., or the A-Green Oriental Market on E. Fletcher, both in the USF area.
If S.R. 56 is now the Restaurant Row of the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel areas, the BBD corridor from Cross Creek Blvd. to Tampa Palms Blvd. might be its supermarket counterpart.
Sprouts Farmers Market, which opened last year, and Aldi, which is under construction and will likely open sometime this year, are within walking distance from the potential Lotte Plaza Mart location, and just south of the I-75 interchange, Taaza is located in Market Square at Tampa Palms.
That stretch of stores is bookended by Publix Super Markets in the City Plaza at Tampa Palms and at the New Tampa Center, giving shoppers of all ethnicities five supermarkets within five miles.
A full bar in available at the Grove Theater, Bistro & Entertainment for a pre-movie drink.
The Grove Theater, Bistro & Entertainment will have a spin room, childrenâs room, acting studio, a comedy club and more, but on Feb. 19, it finally opened to do what it was built to do:
Show movies.
After more than a year of renovations and redesign, the theater debuted its new reclining leather seats and bistro with a showing of movies like âJudas and the Black Messiahâ, âLandâ and âThe Little Things.â
The former Cobb Theater was operating at limited capacity, with only 50 percent seating in checkerboard style, and no one sitting in front of, behind or next to other customers. Only some of the 12 screens were in use, and some of the showings were sold out.
The selection of movies also is limited, as Hollywood has held back on production and releases due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Bistro dining area, which The Grove Theater management refers to as âupscale,â was busy on the weekend nights, with a wide menu of dishes, featuring items like steak, shrimp macaroni and cheese, fish tacos and bruschetta, with crĂšme brulee highlighting its desert options. The chicken parmesan was the most popular menu item, and all could be ordered at Bistro tables, as well as for in-movie dining.
Laron, Angel and English Hearst (eating the burger) of New Tampa enjoying a meal at the Grove Bistro.
A full bar serving drinks, as well as a sushi bar, are also part of the Bistro, and the main lobby has 45 video arcade games for pre-movie entertainment.
âPeople are ready to go back to the movies and we are proud to be able to provide them with a safe environment to enjoy a night out with their friends and family,â said Matheus Gold, vice president of operations. âWe are operating at 50% capacity with checkerboard seating and sold out several showings our opening weekend. Our Bistro offers new dishes and the feedback we received is that we are back better than ever.â
The theater is taking lots of Covid-19 safety precautions, with temperature checks at the door and facial coverings required inside. However, with the limited seating, social distancing was easily manageable.
The two-floor, 85,000-sq.-ft. movie theater is being dubbed by developer Mark Gold as the future of how entertainment will be offered to attract families. His plans are for families to come for dinner, leave the kids in a converted-theater Kids Play Place room, and see a movie or comedy show at Side Splitters Comedy Club (which is expected to open this spring).
Then, families can then spend time together cruising the 200-acre complex, which will have a mini-golf course, the much anticipated KRATE by Gold Box container park and a âdowntown villageâ area, all featuring other bars, restaurants and retailers.
The theater renovations are another part of a massive project at The Grove, which Goldâs Mishorin Gold Properties purchased in September 2019 for $62.7 million.
The Grove Theater, Bistro and Entertainment will be open Saturday and Sunday from 4-9:30 p.m., and Sundays noon-7 p.m. Tickets can be reserved at grovetheater.com.
Reverend Mother Adrienne Hymes talks to visitors at the St. Paulâs Episcopal Church of Wesley Chapel ribbon cutting on Jan. 28. (Photo: Charmaine George)
The Wesley Chapel Episcopal Church has been around in some form or fashion since 2017, when four worshippers gathered at the St. Aslemâs Episcopal Chapel Center at the University of South Florida, followed by occasional meetings in conference rooms of various car dealerships in the area.
Led by Adrienne Hymes, a missioner for church extension in the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida, the meetings grew slowly. The church finally leased space a year later in a professional office park, and then moved to another space, and on Jan. 24, celebrated its first Patronal Feast Day and was officially consecrated as St. Paulâs Episcopal Church of Wesley Chapel.
On Jan. 28, an official ribbon cutting was held, and the church, the only Episcopal church in Wesley Chapel, re-intoduced itself to the community.
âHere we are, Wesley Chapel,ââ said Hymes, now the Reverend Mother and Vicar of the church.
The consecration of the church by Bishop Dabney Smith, of the Episcopal Diocese of SW Florida, marked a big and important moment.
âThere are different stages, so today was one of those things where we said yes, we wanted to plant a church and now we have the roots in the ground,â Rev. Hymes said. âItâs taken three years, but weâve been working to get things going.â
Hymes, a Virginia native who recently moved to Wesley Chapel, said she never lost faith, even when the meetings only had a handful of people show up. In fact, the original four members are no longer involved with this particular church but, little by little, Hymes said she used her marketing and public relations background, as well as an energetic and electric personality, to attract more people to St. Paulâs.
The church first leased space in the Redfern Professional Center behind the Shops of Mystic Oak off Bruce. B. Downs Blvd. in Wesley Chapel in February 2018, and Hymes was ordained as an Episcopal priest a few months later. In November, the first mass was held with 22 attendees. Other than spikes on Easter and Christmas, Sunday services attracted between 20-25 members.
In mid-2019, the church moved a short three-minute walk away and converted a personal fitness center in the Renaissance Professional Park into its current location. More than 70 people showed up for the first Holy Eucharist at the new location and masses regularly attracted 50 or so members, until Covid hit. âPre-Covid, we were really growing,â Rev. Hymes said. âIt was really amazing.â
After almost a year of doing virtual services, the church now limits 25 at mass, and also has recently unveiled its new Fellowship Hall â converting the dance theater right next door. The hall is used for socially distant post-mass coffee gatherings and bible study, as well as meetings.
The newer, larger location is more convenient for Episcopalians looking for a place to worship. The nearest Episcopal Church is Grace Episcopal in Tampa Palms, nearly 10 miles away.
The next goal is to build a traditional church. Hymes relishes the mission, and seems like the ideal person to lead the charge to such lofty goals.
âEpiscopal churches donât live in buildings like this, Rev. Hymes said, âso the vision is now that we have leadership in place and we are growing, we need to talk about getting land, and then we will build our church.â She added that they will take about six months to breathe, and then form a committee to start looking for land.
Hymes joked that they donât teach integrated marketing at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, where she finished in 2014, but itâs just one of many skills she has to help expand the footprint of St. Paulâs, and one of the reasons she was chosen for the task.
âMy happy place is creation and innovation,â Hymes said. âSo, this is something I really enjoy.â
St. Paulâs holds mass weekly, on Sundays at 10 a.m. For more information, visit SaintPaulsEpiscopalChurch.org or call (813) 803-7489.
1 — TREBLE MAKERS 6034 Wesley Grove Blvd. The Grove at Wesley Chapel (813) 406-4371 When Treble Makers Dueling Piano Bar & Restaurant was getting ready to open in the new Village at The Grove, I didnât know what to expect in terms of the food â that is, until I met with co-owner Jamie Hess and Executive Chef Kevin Maggard.
Then, I couldnât wait for it to open.
Maggard promised delicious, tender steaks (like the perfectly seasoned filet shown in the top photo), fresh fish and seafood and unique, inspired appetizers and in the six months or so that Treble Makers has been open, he has more than delivered on that promise, at least in one editorâs opinion.
His seared, sesame-crusted ahi tuna appetizer (photo, left) is as good as there is in the area, and although it hasnât always been as crispy as the perfect first time I had his sweet & spicy calamari, thereâs no doubt that itâs different than youâll find anywhere else. People weâve spoken with also rave about his imperial crab dip and homemade potato gnocchi appetizers.
In addition to the coconut curry grouper and the filet, definitely also try the seared diver scallops, the tender veal or chicken Marsala and I still plan to try the NY strip and prime rib steak options.
And of course, please also check out the dueling piano shows and other entertainment options at my favorite for 2020!
2 — TROPICS at SADDLEBROOK 5700 Saddlebrook Way (813) 973-1111 When Dempseyâs Steak House at Saddlebrook resort closed for much-needed renovations in 2020, it was a little easier for me to move Treble Makers up to this yearâs top spot in Wesley Chapel, even though much of the Dempseyâs menu is still available at the resortâs The Tropics restaurant. Another factor in dropping the only non-chain restaurant in Wesley Chapel to offer a tomahawk ribeye steak (photo) is affordability. Treble Makers definitely isnât cheap, but The Tropics is still primarily a âbig night outâ kind of meal for almost anyone, especially for a certain news magazine editor.
4 — ZUKKU-SAN SUSHI 25916 Sierra Center Blvd (813) 419-1351 While I donât want to spoil the surprise for you about why I love Zukku-San so much â my full-length review of this elegant, new and delicious sushi-and-so-much-more restaurant located just west of I-75 on S.R. 56 appears in our latest issue â I will tell you that it also is Jannahâs 15-month-old granddaughter Rosieâs favorite place to eat in our area, so weâve been going there a lot. And, itâs definitely not so much about the sushi, which is excellent, as much as it is about creativity. The dish shown above â a semi-spicy raw bluefin tuna appetizer topped with caviar and served with golden grape tomatoes â isnât on the menu, yet…but Iâm guessing it will be soon.
5 — ROCK & BREWS 26000 S.R. 56 (813) 537-6016 Directly across S.R. 56 from Zukku-San is Rock & Brews, which is owned in part, and inspired, by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of the rock group KISS. But, Rock & Brews is a really delicious restaurant offering everything from âsweet heatâ chicken (photo) and a really good 8-oz. filet mignon, to crispy calamari, unique Brews-chetta, blackened redfish, wings, blackened chicken pasta and even the âfront rowâ pizzas. And, even though it also opened during the pandemic, it seems that a lot of local people agree with me when it comes to the made-from-scratch food, the atmosphere and the live music on weekends (please call about availability). Jannah and I love the covered outdoor bar.
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6 — OMARI’S GRILL Lexington Oaks Golf Club 26133 Lexington Oaks Blvd. (813) 907-7270 Omariâs Grill at the Lexington Oaks Golf Club is still (sadly) one of Wesley Chapelâs best-kept secrets. And, even though you can only get co-owner/chef Anass El-Omariâs perfect grilled mahi-mahi topped with mango salsa (above), crispy, but tender chicken parmigiana and filet mignon with cream sauce as Friday night dinner specials, the regular golfer-oriented menu for lunch and dinner is delicious, too. From burgers and grilled chicken sandwiches to salads and wings, everything is made from scratch and it shows. You can even give it a try for free as a first-time visitor to a Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel meeting on Wednesdays at noon.
7 — FLORIDA AVENUE BREWING CO. 2029 Arrowgrass Dr. (813) 452-6333 When you think about craft beer breweries, you may not think of delicious food, but in the case of Florida Avenue Brewing Co.âs location in the former Sports + Field building on S.R. 56, youâd really be missing out on something yummy. With small plates like perfectly sesame-seared, Szechwan ahi tuna, excellent Chinese sticky ribs, Buffalo cauliflower and the jumbo lump crab cakes shown above (with zesty remoulade sauce), a variety of flatbreads, Korean-style bibimbap bowls, braised short ribs and Gulf grouper fish & chips, Florida Ave. has great chef-created food to go with a unique variety of craft beers and hard ciders and seltzers.
8 — BUBBA’S 33 26340 Silver Maple Pkwy. (813) 522-5090 Bubbaâs 33, which is an entirely different concept restaurant from Texas Roadhouse, features sports bar prices with restaurant-quality food. Delicious starters include the crispy wings in a variety of sauces and dry rubs to unique items like âBig Oâ(onion) Rings, crispy fried pickles, Bubbaâs fiesta dip (with bacon, ground beef and refried beans), plus tasty hand-tossed pizzas, excellent bacon grind bacon burgers (photo), plus everything from California grilled chicken to Southern fried chicken and chipotle chicken & shrimp pasta. Thereâs even two different Texas Roadhouse-quality grilled and marinated signature ribeye steaks and outstanding drink prices.
9 — LONGHORN STEAKHOUSE 2647 Creek Grass Way, Lutz (813) 909-0003 When Jannah and I feel like a delicious filet at a fair price, with great sides included, Longhorn is the first place we both usually think of â and not just because itâs the closest steakhouse to where we live. From the tender Floâs filet (photo) to the NY strip or the recently added bone-in âoutlawâ ribeye, Longhornâs steaks are always done to perfection and if youâre somehow ever not happy, the management will always make it right. We love the salad, the crisp-crust bread and always-fresh veggies, too. Jannah also loves the parmesan-crusted chicken. And, although we wish the bar area was a little bigger, the bartenders and drink prices are outstanding.
10 — AUSSIE GRILL 25340 Sierra Center Blvd. (813) 261-0140 You have to hand it to Bloominâ Brands, the parent company of Outback Steakhouse, for coming up with this fantastic fast-casual concept. Even though it opened in the middle of the pandemic, the new Aussie Grill â ours is the first freestanding unit â with its super-easy drive-through and order-ahead pickup options, was the right concept at the right time. The food is Outback-quality â from the topped, grilled chicken (photo) and seared beef tenderloin large plates, to the bacon âbombâ burger and braised brisket sandwich and more â Aussie Grill has been a welcome addition to our local dining scene. With a larger menu, it could have finished even higher on this list.
