Chef Michael Touranjoe Is Redefining The Grill At Morris Bridge’s Menu! 

Photos by Charmaine George

When someone like Frank Gouveia — the owner of The Grill at Morris Bridge, one of the most popular independent restaurants in New Tampa — tells you that he found a new chef he thinks is the “best I’ve had yet. Please come by and check him out!,” it’s almost impossible for someone like me to resist. 

But, Frank is right. New Chef Michael Touranjoe (left) is bringing a unique creativity and panache to The Grill’s already impressive menu and he doesn’t plan to stop revamping and adding new menu items… basically ever! 

“Once I create something new, I have a tendency to get bored repeating the same dishes all the time,” Chef Mike says. “I’m like, ‘I’ve done that. What’s next?’” 

Still only in his 30s, Chef Mike still somehow has nearly 20 years of experience in the restaurant business. He has “worked everything from short-order to 3 Michelin star restaurants, Asian to Italian, and pizza to sushi to make myself well-rounded.” 

He has been a sous chef under Chef/owner Jeannie Pierola at her Counter Culture and Edison: Food + Drank Lab restaurants in South Tampa, and an Executive Chef/trainer for American Cruise Lines. 

“He walked in here to try the place,” Frank says, “and walked out as my new Head Chef!” 

Among the new menu items he’s added to the regular and Bar Bites menus at The Grill include mushroom arancini (balls of crispy fried risotto topped with tomato mayo and sherry aioli); crispy grouper bites with a zesty Old Bay remoulade; pork Milanese (breaded and fried pork cutlet, topped with arugula, pickled red onions, tomatoes, shaved parmesan and grilled lemon); seared Florida grouper atop goat cheese and pea risotto and a confit of baby vegetables; plus homestyle meatloaf on a bed of cheddar whipped potatoes, haricot verts and topped with caramelized onion jus; and my current favorite — the baked rigatoni with spicy Italian sausage, sweet peas, creamy marinara, fresh mozzarella and herbs. All of these new menu items are shown on this page and were absolutely delicious. 

The right photo is the new (and yummy) chicken Marsala (sautéed chicken breast, haricot verts, button mushrooms, Marsala wine and thyme butter sauce atop mashed potatoes). 

Chef Mike also is bringing a new energy to The Grill’s already-popular wine dinners. The event on Apr. 2 featured the pork loin roulade with sweet cornbread & spinach stuffing, corn basil cream and candied pecans as well as the mole marinated hangar steak with gorgonzola whipped potatoes, grilled asparagus, lemon zest and herb beurre blanc shown on the next page. The hangar steak had a nice exterior crusting and was super-tender and absolutely delectable. We rarely save room for dessert, but I loved the salted caramel cheesecake shown below, too! 

We didn’t attend that Stags’ Leap wine dinner on Apr. 2 but Chef Mike included all of the dishes served that night, including his rigatoni Bolognese — which our friend and long-time Tampa Palms resident and The Grill regular Mike Wallace said was “Awesome”— among his new weekly Chef’s Specials. 

The Wine Dinner We Did Attend! 

Jannah and I (and Jannah’s mom Carolyn) attended The Grill’s most recent wine dinner, which was held on Apr. 30 and featured a “reception” sparkling wine, plus three Wilson Daniels Italian wines and a Hungarian dessert wine, each paired with a delicious dish (see below). 

The event was hosted by Frank, Chef Mike and Craig Leslie, the North Florida area manager for Wilson Daniels, who described each of the wines as attendees sampled each course of the outstanding meal, first starting with a Bisol Jeio brut Prosecco “reception” wine, followed by a local Solena burrata with strawberries, assorted roasted beets (which I don’t usually like, but were quite tasty), rhubarb jam, crispy shallots and arugula, paired with a crisp Elena Watch Pinot Grigio that had just enough sweetness for Jannah and Carolyn to enjoy it, too. 

I couldn’t sample the actual second course — a grilled shrimp bucatini pasta puttanesca (right photo) paired with a Volpaia Chianti Classico — but Jannah said it was “amazing.” And, Chef Mike substituted the baked rigatoni at the top of the previous page for me and Carolyn, who called the dish “absolutely to die for.” I also loved the chianti so much, I ordered two bottles of it (and two bottles of the prosecco). 

The third course — a parmesan-dusted grilled petit filet mignon (topped with a Super- Tuscan demi-glace) was served with smashed fingerling potatoes and garlic broccoli rabe with semi-spicy Italian sausage — was paired with a Sette Cieli Yantra Super Tuscan red wine. The steak was “like butter” and the bitter broccoli rabe (one of my favorite veggies) was softened nicely by the sausage and garlic. 

And finally, the dessert was a mascarpone-filled tartlet with fresh raspberries, lemon, chocolate, basil and pistachio dust paired with a properly “syrupy” Royal Tokaji ice wine-like dessert wine from Hungary. So good! 

Frank hasn’t yet announced when the next wine dinner will be held, but once he does, you should definitely sign up for it! 

And, Frank says that all three pre-dessert courses will likely end up soon on Chef Mike’s weekly Chef’s Specials, which means that you will probably still have a chance to sample them if you didn’t attend the wine dinner. 

And, by the way, Chef Mike also was featured on a Season 4 episode of The Food Network’s “Chopped” (he’s 2nd from the left in the below photo) back in 2019, entitled “Beef Cake Mistakes.” But, he ended up getting “Chopped” (meaning he didn’t win the competition). In fact, he says, “I didn’t get “Chopped,” I got hammered,’ but it was still a great experience for me.” 

And yes, The Grill still has outstanding craft cocktails, the most extensive wine list in New Tampa, a great bar vibe, as well as its famous bar pizza and many of the other items that have been on the menu since before Chef Mike arrived. 

The Grill at Morris Bridge is located at 10920 Cross Creek Blvd. (next to Publix). It is open for dinner only on Mon. (5 p.m.-9 p.m.); lunch & dinner on Tues. & Wed. (11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.); 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. on Thur. & Fri. & 11 a.m.-10 p.m. on Sat. For more info visit TheGrillatMorrisBridge.com or call (813) 388-5353! 

News About Restaurant Openings & Closings Continue To Increase Our Readership 

Anyone who actually knows me will tell you that even though I don’t love the term, I am a genuine “foodie.” 

Whenever I’m out and about, whether in New Tampa, Wesley Chapel or elsewhere, I’m always on the lookout for signs that new restaurants — whether chains or mom-&-pops — are opening, as well as, of course, those that are closing or have already gone out of business. 

And, I’m obviously not alone in my quest to keep up with openings and closings of places to eat. Jannah and I get recognized a lot when we go anyplace local to eat and people often ask me things like, “What new restaurants are opening?,” “Did you hear about this new place?” and “Whatever happened to such and such place?” 

In this issue ‘s dining section alone, there are stories about the new management and direction of CafĂ© Zorba at the KRATEs, the opening of the new Rudraksh Indian Cuisine in Downtown Avalon Park, the new chef at The Grill at Morris Bridge, the coming-soon Remington’s Steak & Seafood just south of Tampa Palms, the reopening of the super-popular Bagels Plus just west of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. on E. Fletcher Ave., the addition of Breakfast Kitchen & More to the Kabob CafĂ© in Highwoods Preserve and the soon-to-open latest entry into our local fried chicken wars — Kay’s Kitchen Authentic Chicago-Style Fried Chicken (which, I’ll admit, I didn’t know was a thing). 

And yet, there is so much more dining news to tell you about, I couldn’t fit it all at the ever-popular back section of this issue. Hold on tight! 

Kraziness At The KRATEs 

The container park continues to be tough to keep up with as, in addition to the new management (and Bosnian cuisine?) at CafĂ© Zorba, the nearly adjacent Tutti Frutti CafĂ©, owned by the same owner (Eddie Nasr), has closed, as has the Indian Street Kitchen, which is owned by the same owners as Persis Indian Grill. This comes on the heels of the two changes we told you about last issue — PeppaJak replacing the Bacon Boss HQ and Grilltopia opening in the former Yummy Tablas spot. 

365 Woodfired Pizza? 

As far back as October of 2024, 365 CafĂ© Italiano owner (at both the KRATEs and the Shops at Wiregrass) Tarek Yordi had announced that 365 Woodfired Pizza was going to “open soon” in the plaza anchored by Abdoney Orthodontics behind the Jammin’ Car Wash on Windcrest Dr., off BBD Blvd. There’s no word yet on when 365 Pizza will open, but someone at the location said “maybe next month” a few weeks ago. 

Even further back, an adjacent spot in that same building also was supposed to be home to a new location of Provisions Coffee &Wine Bar, but not only hasn’t Provisions opened, the space still has a dirt floor and the door is always propped open, with no progress. We were told that Provisions is no longer going in the space. 

Little Caesars In, MOD Pizza Out 

Speaking of pizza, just as the location of MOD Pizza closed in front of the Tampa Premium Outlets, the second Wesley Chapel location (the other is in front of the Super Target on BBD at County Line Rd.) of Little Caesar’s Pizza was just about ready to open (at 5450 Post Oak Blvd., next to Jimmy John’s), and could be open by the time (or soon after) this issue reaches your mailbox. 

Rodizio Grill To Open May 28! 

Just around the interior road from the former MOD Pizza location is the long-awaited first-ever Brazilian steakhouse in our area — Rodizio Grill, which franchise owner Charlie Haney has announced is expected to open on Wednesday, May 28. Until then, visit Rodizio Grill-Wesley Chapel on Facebook by May 20 to win free Rodizio for you and a guest once a month for a year (photo). 

Nice Move, Einstein (Bros.)? 

I was alerted by readers Marisa and Theo Panopoulos to the sign on BBD (in the same plaza as Nutrition Smart) that Einstein Bros. Bagels is getting ready to open. So, I had a nice chat with Kurt, a Wesley Chapel resident who is the general manager of the closest currently open Einstein Bros. location, on E. Fowler Ave., near USF. 

Kurt told me that although the Einstein Bros. corporate entity (both of these locations are corporate-owned, not franchises) was hoping to have the Wesley Chapel location open by the end of May, “It looks like sometime in late July or early August is more likely.” Kurt also said he believes he will end up moving to become the GM at the new store. 

Los Chapos Tacos To Open Soon? 

We have not yet heard of the opening date for the Los Chapos Tacos Wesley Chapel on S.R. 54 in Lutz (in the same plaza as Fazoli’s) but the last announcement we saw had it opening sometime last month, so it should be soon. 

Check our Facebook page every day for updates on these stories and more! Bon appetit! 

Meadow Pointe II & III Residents Sound Off On Proposed Wrencrest Dr. Gate 

The residents of Meadow Pointe II (MPII) and Meadow Pointe III (MPIII) have been down this road before. A gate went up on Wrencrest Dr., the main thoroughfare through the Wrencrest communities which exist in both MPII and MPIII back in 2020 and Pasco County ended up telling MPII that the gate had to come down because it wasn’t properly permitted. 

The residents of MPIII thought that the discussion of a gate at the entrance to MPII on Wrencrest Dr. from the MPIII side was over, but it clearly was not. 

On Apr. 23, the MPII Community Development District (CDD) hosted a “Neighborhood Meeting” at the MPI clubhouse on County Line Rd. — “a neutral location with a much larger meeting room than the rooms at either MPII or MPIII,” according to MPII CDD district manager Jayna Cooper of Inframark Community Management (at microphone in photo above) — where the idea of erecting a new gate, similar to the one where Kinnan St. in New Tampa meets Mansfield Blvd., also in MPII, was again the main topic of discussion. 

“This is not a CDD meeting,” Cooper told those in attendance as she read the following statement, “Meadow Pointe II’s goal in going through this process is fully focused on safety enhancement and the security of all residents, including in both MPII and MPIII. The goal in submitting an application to the county is to receive approval to construct an emergency gate on Wrencrest Dr. between Blanchard Ct. and Rensselaer Dr. (see photo below) to cut down on the excessive traffic and the speedway this road has become. The road was never intended as a regional framework roadway for regional transportation uses. The policy goal is instead to return its use to as a neighborhood internal roadway we are all paying for as residents while still allowing for emergency access for emergency services.” 

Cooper then introduced Jerry Whited of BDI Engineering, who said, “We did do a traffic study that confirms our findings and proposal that a large volume of the traffic that is coming to the west side of Wrencrest is traffic coming from the MPIII side but also from traffic that is accessing MPIII from outside of the community. It’s being used as a major cut-through for residents who are coming from MPIII who should be accessing Mansfield Blvd. via Beardsley Dr., which is a much more pertinent roadway to be using for this type of vehicular traffic. It is a larger roadway, less narrow and has less pedestrian traffic and no driveways, while there are hundreds of driveways on Wrencrest Dr.” 

Roughly two dozen speakers, mostly from MPII but some from MPIII, were given three minutes each to speak. 

And, while there were a couple of MPII speakers who acknowledged that speeding is happening in both neighborhoods and agreed that installing strategically-spaced speed tables along the full length of Wrencrest Dr. might be just as, if not more effective, most of the MPII speakers mentioned the two MPII Wrencrest residents who were seriously injured and had to be airlifted because of speeders and said that installing the gate was the only real solution to the problem. 

MPII Wrencrest resident Kathy Jimenez read a moving statement written by her neighbor Ray Quinones, who was one of those airlifted after being hit by a car that had passed fellow neighbor Marla Mitchell “doing at least 45 mph” and both expressed sadness over how Quinones had suffered since the accident, writing, “The worst part is the memory loss. Chunks of my life are gone.” 

But, almost all of the MPIII residents who spoke at the meeting said that adding speed tables, narrowing the road and even adding trees along the portions of Wrencrest Dr. with no homes would be a much more effective way to slow down the traffic in both communities. 

In fact, MPIII Wrencrest resident Michael Jenkins said, “It makes no sense to think that the best way to solve the problem is to cut off the community from the main thoroughfare. We can do better than this. The members of the boards of both MPII and MPIII have allowed this to become a spiteful, back-and-forth match between the two CDDs.” 

Updates from the MPII legal counsel were expected to be provided at the MPII CDD Board meeting scheduled for May 7, or two days after this issue went to press, but our phone call to Cooper to ask if the MPII CDD Board would actually vote on the issue at that meeting was not returned before we went to press. 

Even if the MPII CDD Board votes tonight to move forward with approving the gate between the Wrencrest neighborhoods in Meadow Pointe (MP) II & MP III, the final decision would still be in the hands of the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners (BCC), which would have to add the vote to a BCC agenda at a future date.

‘Pieces Of Eight’ Chicago Tribute Band Rocks The Performing Arts Center! 

All photos on this page courtesy of Haley Paige Garcia ‱ @haleypgarciaphotography on Instagram

When a New Tampa resident calls to ask you to check out his eight-piece tribute band for the rock/pop group Chicago at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center (NTPAC), it’s hard to turn him down — even when the group Pieces of Eight’s performance is the night before your New Tampa issue goes to press. 

But, having been a little disappointed when I saw the actual group Chicago in concert with the Beach Boys in either 1978 or ‘79, I wanted to see if long-time New Tampa resident Steve Hollingshead (drummer) and the Pieces of Eight band he helped organize could do as well or even better than the multi-Grammy Award-winning band itself could do. 

And oh boy, did Jannah and I — and the rest of the nearly-sold-out house at NTPAC — end up going home impressed. 

Lead singer and Wesley Chapel resident JC Grigg perfectly hit all of the high notes in Chicago hits like “Make Me Smile,” “Beginnings,” “Saturday in the Park,” “Feeling Stronger Every Day,” “Just You & Me” and my personal favorite Chicago song, “25 or 6 to 4.” 

The spot-on three-piece horn section was led by the super-talented Charlie Phillips on every size of saxophone (including the way cool baritone sax). He also gave everyone chills on the flute part of Chicago’s renowned ‘70s slow dance song “Color My World.” 

Pieces of Eight also has expanded beyond just Chicago, performing songs by Tower of Power, Huey Lewis & the News and Peter Gabriel — and it all combined for a great evening! 

For more info about Pieces of Eight, visit Po8Tampa.com. For upcoming NTPAC info visit NewTampaArtsCenter.org. — GN 

Law Offices Of Matthew Jowanna — Your Local Personal Injury & Estate Planning Firm 

Attorneys Farral A. Haber (left) & Matthew J. Jowanna of The Law Office of Matthew J. Jowanna, P.A., located off Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in Wesley Chapel, specialize in personal injury law & estate planning. (Photo by Charmaine George) 

The Law Offices of Matthew J. Jowanna, P.A., have been serving the legal needs of Wesley Chapel and New Tampa since 2005. The firm, located at the Windguard Professional Center off Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in Wesley Chapel (near The Goddard School), specializes in personal injury, probate and estate planning and administration. 

Attorney Matthew J. Jowanna has been practicing law for more than 30 years and has specialized in personal injury cases since 1994. The firm’s founder, president and managing shareholder, Jowanna says his experience working in large law firms in downtown Tampa inspired him to do things differently. He says his goal since opening his firm has been to make that big downtown law firm experience accessible to people in New Tampa, Wesley Chapel and the surrounding communities. Jowanna wants his clients to know that his is a quality local law firm focused on professional, caring service. 

“I wanted to open a small neighborhood law firm,” Jowanna explains, “where people in the local communities are able to get top-quality legal representation.” 

In order to expand the services Jowanna’s firm offers to clients, he recently added Farral A. Haber as managing attorney for estate planning and probate. Haber has been practicing law for thirteen years, with ten years specifically in trusts and estates. Together, Jowanna and Haber offer a wealth of experience to their clients. 

“We don’t do everything under the sun,” Jowanna says, “but our practice areas now include some of the most common needs in the neighborhood — we’re here as neighbors to help you with the typical legal problems that you and your neighbors may have.” 

When it comes to injury cases, whether someone gets hurt in a car accident, while on vacation or in the workplace, The Law Offices of Matthew J. Jowanna can assist you. Jowanna also helps clients who are having problems receiving their deserved injury benefits from insurance companies. 

Meanwhile, Haber’s estate planning and probate specialization helps clients with creating wills, living trusts, making plans for their estates and probate cases. Regardless of which services you require, Jowanna and Haber make every effort to meet those needs, and also make accommodations for their clients’ financial needs. 

“People shouldn’t have to drive to downtown Tampa for quality legal representation,” Jowanna says. “Every client is important and every case is different.” 

Jowanna earned his Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Broadcasting and Mass Communications from the University of South Florida in Tampa. He worked for several Tampa Bay area radio and television stations for seven years before pursuing his law degree. He then obtained his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale and graduated Summa Cum Laude (with Highest Honors), in the top 2% of his law school class. He also completed a prestigious postdoctoral Legum Magister (LL.M., or “Master of Laws”) degree from the University of Notre Dame, in Notre Dame, IN, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude (with High Honors) and received a perfect score on his LL.M. thesis. 

Jowanna’s first job out of law school was for an insurance defense firm, which helped him realize that insurance defense wasn’t where he wanted to spend his career. 

“It’s the opposite of what I do now,” he explains. “Doing that made me realize that I was on the wrong side of the fence, and I would prefer to be on the plaintiff side to help someone in their claim against a big insurance company.” He says he is appreciative of the knowledge he gained from seeing the other side, and that it has given him added insight when working with clients who are going up against insurance companies. 

Jowanna and his firm have been included in U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of the Best Lawyers and Best Law Firms in the U.S. He also is included in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, a unique guide to the legal community’s preeminent professionals who have received the highest ratings, according to the prestigious Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory. 

Tampa is ranked in the top-10 worst cities for drivers. Therefore, if you drive regularly in the Tampa Bay area, you have most likely witnessed an accident, its aftermath, or have possibly been involved in a collision yourself. Jowanna shares the following advice as to what to do if you find yourself in that situation. 

“I tell every client to take care of yourself first,” says Jowanna. “Your injuries obviously come first; the legal claim will be there afterwards. If you get into your typical fender bender and still have your wits about you, you should take photographs. A picture is worth a thousand words. Document, document, document!” 

Clients truly appreciate the way the firm advises them and goes above and beyond, even in the most challenging scenarios — as evidenced by its 4.9-star (out of 5) overall rating on Google on more than 50 reviews. And, while it is a neighborhood practice, the attorneys and legal staff can assist you even when you are far from home. 

In a five-star review on Google, Alexander Hunter says, “They handled my accident claim with incredible patience, even though I had to process everything from overseas. The team took the time to explain every step in detail and negotiated on my behalf when issues arose with different medical providers. Their professionalism and commitment to my case made a stressful situation so much easier.” 

The Estate Planning Side 

Helping folks during difficult and emotional times is an aspect of the work that Haber says she finds most rewarding. Working in probate and estate law, Haber helps clients both prepare for their own futures, as well as wrap up the affairs of someone who has passed. She helps clients with the process of figuring out exactly how an estate is to be administered, locating assets, discerning whether a court needs to be involved, as well as explaining what paperwork needs to be filed. 

Haber earned her Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Psychology from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Cum Laude (with distinction). She was the Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She then earned her Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree, Cum Laude, from the University of Florida, Levin College of Law. 

While in law school, Haber received the Book Award for the highest grade in Trial Practice; she also was the Executive Articles Editor for the UF Journal of Law & Public Policy and was a Certified Legal Intern with the State Attorney’s office. She is licensed to practice law in Florida, Virginia and the District of Columbia. 

While Haber initially started out as a litigator, after a few years, she chose to focus on estate planning and probate. “What I love about estate planning,” she says, “ is that it is something that everybody needs, and yet it is so easy to put off. I enjoy demystifying the process for folks and explaining things, making it approachable and customizing it to what a client actually wants, then seeing those goals put into practice.” 

Haber adds that she encourages people to plan ahead of time, and to not be afraid of the process. “People avoid it or dig their head in the sand because they don’t understand what it entails,” she says. Her goal is to make estate planning more approachable for clients and to help them get something in place, even if it is a step-by-step process that takes a few years. 

Jowanna says Haber’s talents are a great addition to the practice. “We are simply thrilled to have Farral joining us,” Jowanna says. “I hope the clients are as thrilled with her as we are.” 

While both Jowanna and Haber say they see growth of the firm as a goal, they are clear about what they want that growth to look like. “I never want to get so big that I don’t remember a client’s name and I don’t remember their file,” explains Jowanna, to which Haber adds, “I certainly want to assist as many folks as I can, but I never want to sacrifice quality.” 

The Law Offices of Matthew J. Jowanna, P.A., are located at 2521 Windguard Cir. For more information, call (813) 929-7300 or visit LetMattDoThat.com.Â