Kay’s Kitchen Authentic Chicago-Style Fried Chicken Is Now Open! 

Photos by Charmaine George

So, you think you’ve sampled enough fried chicken in our area to last you a lifetime? 

Kay Lee (left photo), the owner of the brand new Kay’s Kitchen Authentic Chicago Style Fried Chicken, located (as we told you last issue) at 2808 E. Bearss Ave. in the Palms Connection plaza, says you haven’t tried the area’s best fried chicken if you haven’t sampled her full-wing fried wings with her signature, authentic Chicago-style mild sauce (top photo). 

And honestly, it’s hard to argue with her. Kay’s batter fries up extra-crispy and although the lemon pepper seasoning salt she adds to the chicken is a little salty, she says she (and her long-time cook, who goes by “DJ Cotton”; he’s an actual R&B DJ for hire, with a DJ booth Kay set up for him upstairs) are always happy to alter the amount of the seasoning to suit your taste. 

All I can tell you is that the chicken is so yummy, it doesn’t need the sauce, but Kay hopes you transplanted Midwesterners will appreciate its authentic flavor. 

Photographer Charmaine George and I also loved the fried grouper (right; this photo was provided by Kay because, she said, the flaky, truly delicious grouper we were served wasn’t “pretty-looking enough”), extra-crisp fries (which were still crispy somehow when I took home my leftovers an hour later), the extra-cheesy mac-&-cheese (below left) and the decadent, homemade Key lime cake (bottom right). 

Kay, who has operated two super-successful Kay’s Kitchen food trucks in the Riverview area, says she has been looking for a brick-&-mortar location for a while now and she is so happy that “God brought me here” to introduce her outstanding, no-frills food — including fried chicken gizzards and livers, shrimp, pizza “puffs,” basa fish, hush puppies, okra and more — to a whole new community. For more info or to place an order, call (813) 893-0415 or visit KaysChickenKitchen.com. — GN 

‘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. — GNÂ