Tag: New Tampa

Nibbles & Bites: Lotte Plaza Market Could Open By Sometime In September!

The opening of the new Lotte Plaza Market in the former location of a Sweetbay supermarket (next to Home Depot) has been one of the most hotly anticipated in New Tampa.

And, although we still have no official confirmation about when New Tampa’s Lotte Plaza Market is expected to open, my most recent visit to the construction site of the #1 chain of Asian and Korean supermarkets in Maryland and Virginia (with 14 total locations, including one each in New Jersey and Orlando) revealed that not only has a sign finally gone up on the building, but also that the interior renovations to the long-vacant 49,432-sq.-ft. building were actually nearing completion.

Every Lotte location features fresh (and unique) produce, meat and fish departments, as well as a food court serving a variety of cuisine types. On my most recent visit, I met one such food court tenant, who told me that the building had not yet had (or passed) all of its needed inspections before it could open, but that he was hoping our Lotte could open “by late September or October.” — GN

Kabob Café & Grill Replaces Tessa’s Sweet Café In Highwoods

I feel bad that I didn’t know in advance that Tessa’s Sweet Café (located at 18101 Highwoods Preserve Pkwy., across from the AMC movie theater), which was home to some of the most delicious Korean-style fried chicken ever, was closing.

Well, not only did Tessa’s already close, it’s already been replaced by the Kabob Café & Grill, an authentic Pakistani eatery that opened just a few days before we went to press with this issue.

Even though I lived for years in New York City, which has every type of international cuisine, I had never sampled Pakistani food before, so I tried Kabob Café’s chicken kabobs (left photo) and a sparkly mango-peach boba tea (there are 18 varieties of boba teas) and both were tasty. The kabobs were not skewered cubes of meat, but were instead well-spiced (but not overly spicy) sausage-style tubes of ground chicken.

For those who still don’t know where the Kabob Café is located, it was best-known as the long-time home of Sukhothai before becoming Tessa’s.

Although the restaurant’s management is planning to expand the menu, the opening menu features chicken or mutton korma (cooked with yogurt, onions & spices), plus Pakistani versions of several Indian-style dishes, such as chicken tikka masala, butter chicken, chicken or mutton biryani, plus four different vegetarian dishes.

For more info, call (813) 405-8740 and tell them I sent you! -GN

Tristans Amazing Bites — Changing How The World Sees Down Syndrome

Tony Carbone (left) with Tristan Snapp. (All of the photos supplied by Jay Snapp).

New Tampa has a lot of really good restaurants, but not many that specialize in breakfast and lunch and even fewer with as great a story to tell as Tristans Amazing Bites, the local food truck that is “Changing How the World See Down Syndrome, One Amazing Bite at a Time.”

Tristans Amazing Bites, which is based next to the Mobil gas station and Tampa Fire Rescue Station No. 22 on Cross Creek Blvd. every Tuesday-Saturday, 6:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., does more than just serve great food. It also helps tell the story of 26-year-old Tristan Snapp, who has not let being born with Down Syndrome stop him from living his dream of being the “front man” for his own food truck.

Tristan’s father and mother, Jay and Vickie Snapp, weren’t sure he was serious when Tristan first said he wanted to own a food truck. But, while his father admittedly loves to cook and Tristan likes working with people, Jay says that if Tristan showed he was serious about it, he and Vickie would support Tristan’s dream any way they could.

Tristan told his dad, a police officer with CSX Corp. (which is a leading supplier of rail-based freight transportation in North America), that his dad could be the cook and he could handle taking the orders and the cash register and at least help with the food.

*Prime rib, which is available for special events.*

“He seasons the meat, mixes the brownies and prepares the pudding cups,” Jay says.

Tristan received some of his early training at the Pro Kitchen Hub, a shared-use commercial kitchen in South Tampa that is located next door to Guthrie’s Chicken Fingers and provides training for those interested in starting a food service business.

Following some training, Jay says Tristan started providing brownie bites and pudding cups for sale at the Bakery Box, a pop-up extension of the Pro Kitchen Hub with a service window next to Guthrie’s. In addition to working on his baking, Jay says, “that’s where Tristan learned how to use a POS (point of sale) system. He kept bringing up the food truck idea to us and we could tell he was definitely serious about starting one of his own.”

That was back in 2020, when all Tristan had was an idea and the name Tristans Amazing Bites. He went to a crowdsource website where people compete to design your logo and Jay says that Tristan received “about 75 entries. He picked the one he liked best, his brother Tim designed his TristansAmazingBites.com website and, in 2021, the new logo was put on a food truck and Trisans Amazing Bites was born.”

Jay says he had to earn his Food Manager’s certification, a four-hour class that Tristan attended with him. In addition to the flattop grill inside the truck, Jay says, “We got a large rectec pellet grill and both Tristan and I earned diplomas from the rectec Academy following an intensive three-day course in Augusta, GA, led by actual TV pitmasters.

*Tristan and Jay Snapp and Tristan got to meet Tim Tebow at a Special Olympics event.*

“Tristan likes to brag that even though we both graduated, he got the MVP award,’ Jay says. “We’ve done prime rib, BBQ ribs and more on the rectec. We can cater pretty large events with it.”

Jay says that he and Tristan originally only brought the truck to special events because, “since I have a full-time job that requires me to travel, so there was no way I could stay on a regular schedule with the truck.”

Before settling in to their current schedule on Cross Creek Blvd., Tristan and Jay brought the food truck to events like the annual fund raiser for Gigi’s Playhouse Down Syndrome Achievement Center on W. Hillsborough Ave., a fund raiser at Lutz Elementary (which caters to special needs children; Jay says, “We catered 1,000 brownie bites for them”) and a school in Brandon that wanted to cater a Teacher Appreciation luncheon.” The truck also recently provided a prime rib dinner at the Live Oak Preserve clubhouse.

Tristan, who also works at the Publix in Wiregrass Ranch, graduated from the two-year “Stages” program at USF, where students learn both the school at HART transit systems. His Special Olympics softball team won a bronze medal at last year’s USA Nationals.

So, How About The Food?

Jay also says that he wouldn’t have agreed to a daily schedule for the truck if he didn’t have someone else who could do the cooking every day. So, when Tony Carbone, the former owner of the Wolf’s Den diner restaurant in Wesley Chapel that closed shortly after things reopened after the pandemic, said he wanted to get back into cooking for people, Jay knew he had found the right guy.

“I was a customer of Wolf’s Den,” Jay says. “And Tony had done just the kind of food we wanted to do.”

And, Tristan was sold on Tony, too. “He told me that although I’m still OK at it, Tony is now the Number One cook and I’m down to his Number Two.”

*Try a delicious freshly made omelet and home fries from Tristans Amazing Bites on Cross Creek Blvd.*

For breakfast, which is served anytime the truck is open, I’ve already enjoyed the fried egg & bacon (or sausage) Breakfast Sandwich and the breakfast burger. I’ve yet to try the omelet breakfast platter or biscuits and gravy, but Jimmy Gouveia, the co-owner of the nearby Grill at Morris Bridge, was picking up his order during my last visit. “I have to get my biscuits & gravy at least once every week,” Jimmy said. “It’s just so good.” The home fries (a huge order for just $4) are served with savory grilled onions and peppers.

There’s also a breakfast bowl, a meat lovers or pulled pork omelet on Cuban bread, a Rocco Jersey pork roll and even a breakfast wrap.

“What’s for lunch,” you ask? If you love BBQ pulled pork, try Tristans Amazing “Big Bite” Burger, with pulled pork and bacon on a delicious burger topped with sweet BBQ sauce. I also enjoyed Tristans Amazing Cheese Steak and the pressed Cuban sandwich.

Other options include regular or bacon cheeseburgers, BLTs on sub or Cuban bread, grilled chicken Philly subs and sandwiches and chicken or beef quesadillas.

And for dessert, yes, I also can vouch for Tristan’s brownie bites, although I’ve yet to try his pudding cups — but I’ve heard some of his regulars rave about them.

“The bottom line to me,” Jay says, “is recognizing that everyone has their own talents and abilities, and their own passions, and I am happy to support Tristan’s. If we can make the food truck work, maybe I’ll be able to retire (from CSX) early because I’d really like to be able to do something where Tristan and I can continue to work together. That’s my main goal.”

Tristans Amazing Bites is located at 10865 Cross Creek Blvd. For more information, visit TristansAmazingBites.com or see the ad on pg. 40. Event catering also is available. The truck also is on Instagram and Facebook, so send a message if you have a special order.

Down Syndrome Food Truck New Tampa Tristan Snapp Tristans Amazing Bites Wesley Chapel

“Grease” Cast Reunites For A Cast Party At Joe Whiskey’s Sports Bar!

So, being a small part of six nearly-all-sold-out shows just wasn’t enough for me and the amazing cast of the New Tampa Players (NTP)’s production of “Grease” at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center (NTPAC).

To that end, on the Thursday after the production wrapped its second weekend, yours truly, my wife Jannah and the Neighborhood News hosted a fun post-party for the “Grease” cast and crew.

The event was held at Joe Whiskey’s Sports Bar on S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel, and was attended by more than 40 members of the “Grease” cast and crew, including “Grease” director & musical director G. Frank Meekins, choreographer Sarah Walston and NTP producing artistic director and “Grease” stage manager Nora Paine.

With delicious food provided by owner Pat Ciaccio (at left in photo with yours truly & Jannah Nager) and his Johnny C’s Italian Kitchen on Cross Creek Blvd. and three hours of private karaoke with Joe Whiskey’s own karaoke jock Allan Hudson Brady, the cast party was almost as much fun as the show itself. I did say “almost.”

And, despite the fact that several of the cast members had said previously they didn’t want to do any “Grease” karaoke at the party, everyone who was on hand performed the song-&- dance routines from “Summer Nights,” “Greased Lightning” and other favorites from the show. There may have even been a “Macarena” and other dances that weren’t in “Grease.”

Truly a great time was had by all. It was just our way of thanking all of these talented people for their efforts

Nora said, “That spirit of community everyone was feeling tonight is exactly what community theatre is really all about.” Agreed! — GN

Cast Party Grease Cast Grease Cast Party Grease Musical Joe Whiskey Joe Whiskey's Sports Bar New Tampa

Meet The Unsung Heroes Behind The New Tampa Players’ “Grease!”

The members of the crew behind the scenes of “Grease” were just as important as the cast members. Pictured are (l.-r) Shelley Giles, Mark Weisenmiller, Amogha Kuppaa, Emma Hosking, Jannah Nager, Emily Buonaquisiti, Bella Otte, Kristin Nelson,Tami Carr, Katie Carr, James Cass, Nora Paine, Heather Cleveland & Ereka Morton. (Photo courtesy of Picture This of Palma Ceia).

Nearly everyone knows “Grease,” the iconic musical with toe-tapping tunes, incredible dance moves, and romance and drama at Rydell High. Behind all of the show’s glitz and glamour lies tremendous hard work from a dedicated team making the cast look (and sound) as good as possible.

As the first official New Tampa Players (NTP) performance at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center, “Grease” is no ordinary musical — it’s a high-energy ride through the fabulous ‘50s, complete with a 1957 Chrysler that has to be dollied on and off stage. A hidden army of talented workers ensures the show’s success, working diligently behind the scenes. They don’t often get the spotlight, but the show could not go on without them.

NTP producing artistic director Nora Paine, a homeschool mom of four and the producing artistic director, also manages the stage, with the help of assistant stage managers Kristin Nelson, Emily Buonaquisiti and aspiring playwright Mark Weisenmiller. With her headset on and monitor in place, the company feels secure as Paine calls out cues from a barely lit space backstage. Her techy husband Joshua, “her theatre saint,” and son Sebastian also play vital roles, helping with support and lights (while Keith Eisenstadt designed the lighting).

Paine jokes that her favorite part of being a stage manager is “going to sound very stage managery, but it’s when a set change goes well. The stage lights go down at the right time. The set pieces move in the choreography that you need them to. Everything slides in. The next set piece comes in. The lights go up, and the orchestra syncs all together.”

Nelson, a medical scribe and first-time assistant stage manager who has performed in some previous NTP productions, says, “My favorite thing has been watching the cast grow. I enjoy getting to be part of the magic behind the scenes. Creating this world was super cool.”

A recent high school graduate, Buonaquisiti adds, “I love working with the actors, especially during set changes making sure everything goes smoothly and safely.”

While the performers spend months perfecting their lines, vocals and choreography, the director and music director are the masterminds behind the magic. In this musical, those roles are handled by the same person.

A computer programmer by day, director and musical director G. Frank Meekins says his favorite moment was when, “we actually got our stage, and the production came to life. We finally had the space to spread our wings.”

Meekins says that wearing both hats for “Grease” required more effort, as his attention was split between the two different roles; however, having true directorial control allowed him the creativity to make the dialogue and music gel. “It’s rewarding when it all comes together,” he says.

Meekins also notes that, “While this show follows the movie that many are familiar with, it’s also a little more gritty and deals with adult situations differently than the movie did. We are actually performing the original Broadway version from 1972. We maintained (most of) the items that would now be considered taboo in keeping the style of society back then.”

Professional dancer, Atlas Modern Ballet founder and HCC professor Sarah Walston provided the choreography for the show’s memorable dance routines. She taught the cast the hand jives, jitterbugs and other energetic dance routines — a new experience for the ballet and contemporary dance choreographer.

“As a dancer, I love ‘Grease,’” Walston says. “The community feel has made a project like this less stressful with all these moving parts. It’s really been a team effort and a great experience for me to learn what can happen in a musical with a great community.”

You can’t have “Grease” without the iconic T-Birds leather and Pink Ladies jackets and authentic ‘50s attire. Retired engineer and current NTP Board of Directors chair Michell “Shelley” Giles and engineer/teacher Heather Cleveland meticulously assembled more than 100 different costumes for the show, going as far as to research if each fabric and pattern would be appropriate for the period. Both women say working with costumes is like solving a satisfying puzzle, especially with an extremely limited budget to purchase the costumes and the materials to make them.

“My favorite part of the job was being able to make some of the dresses,” says Giles, who is a self-taught seamstress. “As a costumer, I enjoy seeing the actors come to life on stage. My hobby is sewing. I sew everything.”

Cleveland adds, “You want everybody on stage to feel fantastic. I enjoy the creativity, starting from nothing and having it blossom into something.” As an example, Cleveland says, “We took Frenchy’s prom dress apart three or four times — a new bodice was made, and we hand-pleated the skirt. I’m pleased with the results of the work that went into that one.”

Behind the curtain, a small army of costume, prop assistants, stagehands and costume “dressers,” including college senior and aerial acrobat Emma Hosking, assist by waiting in the wings to help the actors with quick costume changes and to make sure they all have the props they need for each scene.

“During Freddy My Love,” Hosking said, “we made a tradition of dramatically lip-syncing along to the song. I looked forward to that every performance.”

Among the costume and stage crew, all coordinated by Giles, Cleveland and prop master Tami Carr (the mom of Olivia, who played Sandy, and Sean Carr, who played bass in the orchestra) were Amogha Kuppaa, Ereka Morton, Ryan Pettaway, Bella Otte, Tracy Stemm, Katie Guerra, Jannah Nager and Katie Carr.

Tami Carr, a retired children’s orthotist and prosthetist, is the woman behind all the props. From sourcing authentic ‘50s items to crafting realistic-looking food, this creative wizard turns trash into treasure… literally. She says she created Sonny’s “zipgun” from items she found in the trash.

Tami explains how excited she is for NTP to have a new home, “They do everything with such integrity and excellence. Over the years, it made me sad that people didn’t always see the shows because they didn’t have a consistent place. To have all these sold-out shows, I feel not just happy for the cast of Grease but for everyone. Finally, people can experience and appreciate what they do.”

Assisted by most members of the cast, the set stagehands, led by Paul McColgan, work swiftly and silently, changing scenes with precision and coordination, like ninjas in black. Scenic artists Leiann Klein, Kyle Billington, Tami and Olivia Carr, Olivia’s fellow cast member Dakota Henry, Alex DeJoseph and Joshua Paine gave each piece of built-for-the-show set “furniture” its distinctive ‘50s look.

In addition, sound man John Camacho made sure all 24 of the performers’ microphones not only worked but also had compatible levels of volume before every performance. Stagehand James Cass of Picture This of Palma Ceia also served as the show’s official photgrapher. The orchestra included Meekins, rehearsal pianist Rick Barclay, Stan Martindale (guitar), Todd DuPriest (drums), Josh Hollenbeck and Elliott Domagola (sax) and Sean Carr. Diana Diaz designed the “Grease” program.

Grease Musical New Tampa New Tampa Performing Arts Center new tampa players

‘Grease’ Was The Word At The New Tampa Performing Arts Center!

*Photo above courtesy of Picture This Photography of Palma Ceia. All other photos on these pages by Charmaine George*

The last time I performed in “Grease,” the 1972 Tony Award-winning musical about mythical Rydell High in 1959, I was Teen Angel and Johnny Casino in summer camp.

I auditioned to be Teen Angel in the New Tampa Players production of “Grease” — which missed selling out all six shows in the new New Tampa Performing Arts Center by fewer than 10 seats total — but the role rightly went to the much more talented Trevor Lloyd (more on him in a bit).

Instead, I portrayed radio DJ “The Main Brain” Vince Fontaine and was officially the oldest member of an incredible cast of mostly “kids” ages 15-34 — and loved every minute of it.

With five cast members either still in or having just graduated from high school, NTP’s “Grease” had the look and feel of the Broadway hit and the cast didn’t disappoint. Under the direction and musical direction of G. Frank Meekins, with great choreography by Sarah Walston, these very young performers wowed close to 2,000 people between the six shows.

“We’re season ticket holders at the Straz Center (in downtown Tampa),” one couple told me after the first performance. “And this was a good as anything we’ve seen there.”

Were they kidding or exaggerating? Not in my book. Real-life substitute teacher Dylan Fidler was a powerhouse as Danny, especially his hand jive contest-winning duet dance with Makayla Raines as Cha-Cha DiGregorio, and crowd-pleasing karaoke favorite duet “Summer Nights” with Olivia Carr’s innocent (but later transformed) Sandy. At 17, “Liv” owns her own music business and she and Dylan also got high marks for the Olivia Newton-John/John Travolta duet “You’re the One that I Want” from the hit 1978 movie version of the show.

But, the rest of the cast members were all so talented and fun to work with, too.

Kyle Fisher, who works for USAA Insurance, was perfectly cast as Kenickie. His rendition of “Greased Lightning,” with Walston’s outstanding choreography with both the full-sized 1957 Chrysler and most of the guys in the cast, definitely rocked the house.

Target employee Jake Veit, 22, who was rightfully likened to late-‘50s pop star Ricky Nelson by Broadway World.com reviewer Peter Nason, charmed while singing “Those Magic Changes,” while the duet between 18-year-old Tripp Peavyhouse (as Roger, aka “Rump”) and University of Tampa musical theatre major Anna Jeffries (as Jan) on “Mooning” was so sweet and cute it gave me a toothache every time.

Meanwhile, 22-year-old Heather Rich (Marty), who hopes to be a forensic psychologist after graduating with Psychology and Theatre degrees from the same program at UT as Jeffries, belted out a stirring “Freddy, My Love.”

And, commercial leasing agent Alyson Gannon was another audience favorite as the rough-edged Rizzo, whose sarcastic “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee” was one of the best-received songs in Act 1, and her heartfelt “There are Worse Things I Could Do” was one of the top moments from Act 2.

Speaking of Act 2, Lloyd, who previously wrote for another local publication and who currently writes for Savvy Dealer automotive websites, was a super-cool Johnny Casino on “Born to Hand Jive” and a true show-stopper as the Teen Angel on “Beauty School Dropout.” Oh, how I wish I could match Trevor’s falsetto. “Dropout” also featured most of the female cast members in pyramidic hair curlers providing comic relief. Props also go out to Chelsea Orvis, an ensemble player who not only rejects my Vince character at the dance but who also sang “It’s Raining on Prom Night” as a beautiful duet with Sandy — even though Chelsea was off-stage for the entire song, as it was supposed to be coming from a radio in Sandy’s lonely bedroom.

As for the cast members who didn’t have solo songs or duets, whether featured players or members of the ensemble, their backing vocals were always outstanding and their dance moves were super-impressive. One such standout was Michael Figueroa as the crude Sonny, who spent as much time being battered around the stage by Kenickie, Danny and even stay-at-home mom Suzanne Bainbridge’s Miss Lynch character when he wasn’t turning cartwheels or other athletic dance moves (which he says he learned how to do from the Just Dance! video game; who knew?).

Ariyonna Thomas, who manages two local Join Chiropractic centers, was super-cute as the high school and beauty school dropout Frenchy, who loves her friends but can’t pronounce anyone else’s name correctly.

Although they’re also really good singers and dancers as part of the ensemble on most of the musical numbers, Starbucks barista Cassidy Haberland was great as Patty, the peppy cheerleader who’s sweet on Danny, while young substitute teacher Zach Smith provided lots of laughs as the bumbling class valedictorian Eugene. Meekins, Walston and NTP producing artistic director (and “Grease” stage manager) Nora Paine also did a great job of picking their ensemble players.

Not only was Raines, a behavioral therapist who works with special needs kids (including as one of the on-stage mentors during NTP’s Penguin Productions), amazing as Cha-Cha, her voice was as impressive as her dancing and her acting was spot-on, too.

Dakota Henry, at 15, was the youngest cast member. She is just starting her sophomore year at Pasco High, but she already is an accomplished singer who also has professional dance credits and is a standout in every ensemble dance number. Also fantastic was credit card processor Zane Sanrsour, who also learned how to dance from Just Dance!, but who somehow knew not only his own dance steps, but everyone else’s, too. I told Zane I would give him a much-deserved “assistant choreographer” credit for his efforts.

The remaining ensemble players also all had beautiful singing voices and auditioned for bigger roles, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t just as important to the success of the show, as they were the people most responsible for moving and locking down the brakes on the big, rolling set pieces between every scene.

Michael Neary, a remote IT tech for Stavvy in Boston, was Paine’s go-to guy for making sure everything was in its proper place on stage. He also earned laughs for his over-the-top solo hand jive during the dance contest.

Amanda Schapiro, a high school math teacher; Wesley Santana, who works for GTE Financial; and youngsters Mia De Choudens, a 17-year-old Wharton High senior; and Cypress Creek high junior Julian Rebelo, 16 (who also works at Sbarro at the Tampa Premium Outlets); rounded out the cast.

Yes, I was by far the oldest of the performers and had the smallest of all the speaking parts, but I can’t imagine that anyone had more fun on stage in “Grease” than I did. I even got my first-ever stage review from BrodwayWorld.com’s Nason, who raved about the show as a whole and called me “such a fun presence.” Thanks, Peter!

‘Shrek’ Is Next!

Although the cast had not yet been announced at our press time for NTP’s production of “Shrek, the Musical” (with shows Oct. 20-22 & 27-29) the auditions already were held and I chose to not try out, after seeing what a huge commitment it was to perform with this community theatre troupe. I can’t thank Nora, Frank, Sarah and the entire cast and crew (again, see pg. 28) for making me feel so at home. For “Shrek” tickets and more info, visit NewTampaPlayers.org.