Recapping The Sarah Vande Berg Foundationโ€™s โ€˜Raise A Racquetโ€™ Fund Raiserย 

The 2024-25 SVB Tennis Foundation Ambassadors.

Congratulations to executive director Nick Walton and everyone involved with the Sarah Vande Berg (SVB) Tennis Foundation, which hosted its 4th annual โ€œRaise A Racquetโ€ gala at the SVB Tennis Center (located on Simon Rd. in Zephyrhills) on Nov. 9. This yearโ€™s gala raised more than $63,000 to support the Foundationโ€™s ongoing efforts to provide tennis racquets, lessons and the opportunity to play the sport at no cost to kids who would not otherwise be able to afford them. Among the 12 school partner programs, impacting more than 350 students, are Watergrass and New River elementary schools. 

Foundation exec. dir. Nick Walton (left) with Board chair Mike Avadikianย 

The Foundation also provides opportunities for high school students to serve as the Foundationโ€™s Ambassadors, where they are taught by adult mentors the proper way to coach younger kids. 

โ€œBy teaching our Ambassadors how to lead and coach,โ€ Walton said, โ€œweโ€™re not only building skilled athletes but also role models who guide our youngest student-athletes with enthusiasm and heart.โ€ 

Walton also noted that, thanks to the fact that the Ambassador program had more applicants than ever this year, the Foundation has added a Junior Ambassador group, โ€œgiving future leaders as young as the third grade the chance to shine.โ€ 

Among the Foundationโ€™s 14 Ambassadors for 2024-25 are three Wesley Chapel-area high school students โ€” Amya Ramsey, a junior at Wesley Chapel High; Dalton Oโ€™Donovan, a freshman at the Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation; and Treye Hochstetler, a junior at Kirkland Ranch Academy. 

Emily Vande Berg (left) presents the SVB Memorial Character Award to Jenna Goodman.ย 

The winner of this yearโ€™s Sarah Vande Berg Memorial Character Award, given each year to one of the Foundationโ€™s Ambassadors, was Zephyrhills High senior Jenna Goodman. Jenna was presented the award by Emily Vande Berg, the sister of Sarah Vande Berg. Sarah and Emilyโ€™s father, Todd, also spoke at the event. 

Sarah, of course, was the Zephyrhills High tennis star for whom the Tennis & Wellness Center was named. She was continuing her career at the University of South Carolina Upstate when she was tragically killed at age 21 โ€” with three other of the schoolโ€™s athletes โ€” in a car accident in 2015. 

Nearly 200 of the Foundationโ€™s supporters attended this yearโ€™s gala, where attendees raised a provided tennis racquet during live auction โ€œbiddingโ€ on gifts for the participating students โ€” from $18 for one racquet for one kid up to $5,000 for 30 kids to receive 8 weeks of after-school programming at one of the Foundationโ€™s partner schools. 

For more info about the SVB Foundation, visit SVBTennisFoundation.org. For info about the SVB Tennis Center, call (813) 361-6660 or visit SVBTennisCenter.com. โ€” GNย 

Nibbles & Bytes!

Have You Seen Our Latest Dining Videos?
If youโ€™re looking for updates on all of the new restaurants in Wesley Chapel (and New Tampa โ€” and even beyond), look no further than our โ€œNeighborhood Newsโ€ page on Facebook. 

Because so many new eateries keep opening in our distribution areas, we have increased the number of dining-oriented videos weโ€™ve been releasing, including my latest โ€œNeighborhood Dining Newsโ€ segment, which was shot at the getting-ready-to-open Falabella Family Bistro, but also includes sneak peeks at the coming-soon Ice Dreammm Shop and Bluefin Sushi, plus food pics from the now-open Omnivorous kitchen inside Double Branch Artisanal Ales. All of these newcomers are located in the ever-expanding Village at The Grove, but there also are updates on the new Token Ramen at the Shops at Wiregrass, as well as from the new Seรฑor Tequila (see story, left) in the former Bonefish Grill location on BBD.

Another well-received recent dining video was a look at the truly delicious Vesh Bistro at the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center, even though itโ€™s in Zephyrhills. Itโ€™s my pleasure to keep you informed, both in print and online, about all of these new places because I truly love sampling them โ€” almost always on my own nickel.

Pick Of The Week: Vesh Bistro At SVB! 
I remember when I first met Mark Vesh of Vesh Catering. It was at a groundbreaking event for AdventHealth Wesley Chapel and I remember being so impressed with the food being served, I asked to meet him. Since then, I have enjoyed Markโ€™s delicious finger foods at any number of local events, but until recently, I had never had a complete meal created by him and his staff.

And, to date, I have not been disappointed. From appetizers like the ahi tuna bruschetta and specialties like the cauliflower crust caprese & pesto flatbread and some of the best chicken salad in town on a baked-in-house croissant and so much more, the food at the Vesh Bistro is always on-point. Thereโ€™s even an all-you-care-to-eat Sunday brunch buffet with an omelet station, perfect candied bacon and a rotating menu of lunch favorites.

The Vesh Bistro is at the SVB Tennis Center (6585 Simons Rd., Zephryhills). Call (813) 517-0707, visit VeshCatering.com or watch the video on our Facebook page.

Checking Out The New Seรฑor Tequila!
Iโ€™m pretty confident that our โ€œNeighborhood Newsโ€ Facebook page was the first to tell anyone (on May 25) about the opening of Seรฑor Tequila in the former Bonefish Grill location in the Shoppes at New Tampa plaza on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., just south of S.R. 56.

Very little seems to have been changed inside the new Mexican restaurant, the fourth link in a local chain which has existing locations on N. Dale Mabry Hwy. and in Westchase, as well as Winter Springs, and after sampling a few menu items, the food and service are both pretty good.

Jannah and I enjoyed the sizzling fajitas for two on our first visit and photographer Charmaine George and I also gave thumbs-up to the steak tacos, the steak Tampiqueรฑo (ribeye steak grilled with onions) and the pollo ranchero (grilled chicken breast with sautรฉed onions, tomatoes, jalapeรฑos and cilantro). Also try the house-made chips with semi-spicy salsa and the full liquor bar with an impressive tequila/margarita selection.

Wesley Chapelโ€™s Seรฑor Tequila is located at 1640 BBD Blvd. For more info, visit TheSenorTequila.com or call (813) 428-5411 & please tell them I sent you.

Batter & Dough Closes Storefront!
So, while scrolling through Facebook, I noticed that Batter & Dough, the unique dessert and breakfast place located on S.R. 56, in the same Cypressview Square plaza as Capital Tacos, announced that it had closed its storefront location to concentrate on catering. The Facebook post I saw said, โ€œWe thank you for all the memories you created with us. Words cannot express our gratitude to the love and support we have received. We have closed our location but we will continue to make large catering orders. You can contact us through IG, FB or at Thebatterandough@gmail.com.โ€

While I will miss their waffle ice cream sandwiches, I may have to order some of their great desserts like this Chocolatey Peanut Buttery Pie (photo) โ€” and others โ€” sometime soon.


Estancia Day Coming To SVB

If you live in Estancia and haven’t had a chance to check out the new Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center in nearby Zephyrhills — or even if you have — Saturday might be for you.

SVB will hoist Estancia Residents Day on Saturday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. The event will feature a free brunch and allow residents to try pickleball, tennis and padel, a free hour of yoga on the lawn and a free hour of fitness with former NFL player Melvin Williams, free promotional tent space for Estancia residents and a goody bag and raffle.

“We want everyone to see the new facility,” says SVB CEO Pascal Collard, an Estancia resident himself. “This is an event we hope to repeat with other communities, like Hunter’s Green, Tampa Palms, Seven Oaks and others.”

The event is limited to the first 75 families. To attend, email marketing@svbtenniscenter.com with your name, phone number, address and age of children attending. RSVPs are required for each guest attending, including children.

First Tennis Tourney Goes Off Well For SVB

Matthew Segura and Anastasia Nefedova waited out the rain and took home the menโ€™s and womenโ€™s singles titles at the first SVB Open, held Feb. 11-14 at SVB.

The event featured $10,000 in total prize money and was sponsored by the CELSISU fitness drinks and world-famous tennis coach Nick Bollettieri, who was on hand and provided some tips and instruction for those who attended.

The event was the first of many Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) and Internationals Tennis Federation (ITF) events hoped for in 2021 at SVB, which opened in 2020.

Segura, the great-nephew of Tennis Hall of Fame legend Pancho Segura and the Openโ€™s top seed, had to survive three-set matches in the first two rounds before taking out Benjamin Kittay, who only lost six total games on his way to the final of the 64-player field.

โ€œHe was hurting me a lot with his serve and volley; he started out pretty crisp and sharp,โ€ said Segura. โ€œBut then, in the second set, I was starting to find my game and figure him out. All around, I had a great time.โ€

Nefedova, 22, and ranked No. 532 in the world by the Womenโ€™s Tennis Association (WTA), steamrolled Sarasota teenager Sofia Rojas 6-3, 6-0 in the womenโ€™s final.

โ€œI felt good, I was just trying to work on my game throughout the tournament,โ€ said Nefedova. โ€œIt feels pretty good getting the win.โ€