2 & 2 Restaurant — The ‘2 Minute’ Zephyrhills Tradition Expands To Wesley Chapel! 

(Below left) Owner Kruth (Kurt) Sombutmai thanks everyone for attending the Grand Opening & ribbon-cutting ceremony (above) for the 2&2 Restaurant he owns with his wife, Suzie (also holding scissors) on S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel. (Photos by Charmaine George) 

Unlike most of his already-large contingent of regular customers — many of whom attended the Grand Opening and Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting event on Dec. 12 — I first met owner Kruth (Kurt) Sombutmai and his beloved wife of 48 years, Sa-Ang (Suzie) a few weeks ago, as they were getting ready to open their 2&2 Restaurant on S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel, less than a mile west of Morris Bridge Rd./Eiland Blvd. 

Even so, it’s hard not to love this couple, who have been serving down-home food to the Zephyrhills community for 35 years and are now hoping to attract a lot of new customers in Wesley Chapel. 

The ribbon-cutting event wasn’t your usual show-up-stay-for-a-bit-&-go-home affair. Most of the people in attendance, many of whom were, like Kurt, military veterans, stayed for at least a couple of hours to be regaled by stories of how Kurt moved from California, purchased the Hills Grocery on the Zephyrhills side of the corner of Morris Bridge Rd. and S.R. 54 and became one of that community’s best-known restaurateurs. Sure, they also hung around for the delicious free food buffet that followed the ceremony, but there wasn’t a single long-time customer of Kurt and Suzie’s who didn’t have a story they wanted to share about them. The event was indeed a beautiful tribute. 

In addition to the Chamber folks, Zephyrhills Mayor Charlie Procter and former Pasco Clerk of the Court & Comptroller Paula O’Neil were in attendance for the ceremony and Paula said that Kurt and Suzie are among her best friends. 

“Paula first announced she was running for the Clerk’s office at my restaurant,” Kurt recalled. “She visited me in the hospital when I got sick a few years ago, too.” 

Kurt, Paula O’Neil & Suzie at the Grand Opening. 

If you’re like me, you’re probably wondering where the name “2 & 2” came from. It’s basically a tribute to Kurt’s original restaurant, which often had lines wrapped around it for Kurt’s $1.99 “Eye Opener” breakfast and “all you can eat” fried fish special on Fridays. Whenever anyone asked Kurt how long the wait would be, he’d always hold up two fingers and say, “Two minutes!” The saying became so popular that when Kurt sold his Hills Grocery coffee shop to CVS and opened his location on U.S. Hwy. 301 in Zephyrhills, he called the new restaurant “2 Minutes,” and he decided to call the new place “2 & 2,” meaning that he now has two restaurants with two-minute waits. 

The 2 Minutes restaurant, as well as Kurt and Suzie’s Best Thai & Sushi on S.R. 54 in Zephyrhills, are both still open, too. 

Whether you visit 2 & 2 Restaurant for breakfast, lunch or dinner, not only are you likely to be greeted by Kurt, you’re also guaranteed to see Kurt’s tribute to his idol, the late, great “Duke” himself, John Wayne. You’ll also find homestyle cooking and always fair prices. 

So, What About The Food? 
The Grand Opening included a delicious buffet of free food, although our editor prefers 2&2’s bacon, ham & cheese omelet with crispy hash browns (below right) & garlic pork chops (below left). 

In the few short weeks since 2 & 2 opened, I’ve been able to sample quite a bit of the menu, especially for breakfast because, unlike some other diners, where the full menu is served all day, you can only get breakfast at breakfast time and lunch and dinner from 11:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. 

My favorite breakfast item so far is the cheese omelet, which I got with large chunks of grilled ham and thick slices of crispy bacon inside. And, if you order the hash browns (there’s also home fries and grits and sausage links or patties available as sides) extra crispy, like I do, they really do come out super-crispy. So good. 

I also sampled Charmaine’s pancakes when she ordered the Kurtski Breakfast, which you basically could call the “Kitchen Sink,” because it comes with 2 eggs, 2 pancakes or two French toast slices, 3 pieces of bacon and 3 sausage, hash browns or home fries or grits, plus toast AND refillable coffee, all for just $12.99! The pancakes were light and fluffy and even though they’re not on the menu with blueberries, the kitchen added fresh blueberries at Charmaine’s request and all I can say is that it should become part of the menu! 

There also are veggie and western skillets (the western has ham, green peppers & onions with cheese, hash browns or home fries and egg on top). 

For lunch and dinner, appetizers include everything from bacon-wrapped shrimp smothered in honey BBQ sauce and battered gator bites to soft pretzel bites and Philly egg rolls served with beer cheese. Sandwich options include battered or grilled “2 Mins Fish,” a double decker turkey, ham and roast beef club and “Suzie Spicy” chicken sandwich with melted cheddar, tortilla strips, avocado and sriracha mayo. There’s also a fresh salad bar. 

I can vouch for the 1/4-lb. Kurtski burger and you can sub a short rib, brisket and chuck patty for only $1 more. Tasty fries, too. My favorite lunch/ dinner entrĂ©e so far is the grilled garlic pork chops, served with mashed potatoes (you also can choose baked potato or fries), plus your choice of soup or salad, ice cream and a soft drink, all for just $14.99. I plan to try the slow-cooked pot roast, breaded veal cutlet and fried chicken dinners on future visits. There’s also seafood dinners (catfish or haddock, coconut shrimp, fried clams or grilled salmon) for just $15.99. And yes, the All You Can Eat fish fry is available on Fridays only, for just $13.99! 

For info about 2 & 2 Restaurant (33835 S.R. 54), call (813) 355-4829, visit 2and2Restaurant.com or see the ad below. — GN

Tennis Center Adds To ‘Sports Coast’ Brand

As large trucks filled with dirt and tall cranes roll by a flattened lot, local Wesley Chapel tennis guru and businessman Pascal Collard smiles.

The trucks are slowly but surely allowing Pascal’s vision come to life.

The parking lot is there, he says, pointing to his left. Tennis courts, pickleball courts and padel courts over there, surrounding the tennis center.

And, what about way over there, all the way to the right?

Pascal says that will be a 30,000-sq.-ft. indoor training facility with space for both more tennis courts and removable turf for other sports.

“It is beautiful, no?,” Pascal asks.

The Sarah Vande Berg Memorial Tennis & Wellbeing Center in Zephyrhills  (at 6585 Simons Rd.) has broken ground, and is expected to open in late spring or early summer of 2020.

When it is done, the $4.9-million project will feature 11 tennis courts, including a main court with spectator seating, eight pickleball courts — one of the fastest growing sports in America — and four courts for padel, another racquet sport that can best be described as a cross between, well, almost every other racquet sport.

The 7,400-sq.-ft. indoor tennis center will house a fitness and rehabilitation center, a restaurant and cafĂ©, a salt room, cryotherapy, a pro shop and a kid’s club.

The tennis center is another feather in the “Florida’s Sports Coast” cap, joining AdventHealth Center Ice, Saddlebrook Resort and the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County, as the area continues to transform itself from ranches to recreation.

“It fits right in with (our new) Florida Sports Coast vision,” says Adam Thomas, the county’s tourism director. “This will make an impact.”

The tennis complex is a public-private partnership between the City of Zephyrhills, the Sarah Vande Berg (SVB) Tennis Foundation  and Pascal, the president of Tennis P.R.O., LLC, and the director — and driving force — behind the new facility.

It is the hope of Pascal, who ran the renowned tennis program at Saddlebrook Resort from 2003-06 and lives in Estancia, that the SVB Memorial Tennis Center reaches far and wide into the surrounding communities to help bring it to life.

“It is something that people want,” says Pascal. “I hear it all the time. It will be a place where mom can do fitness and dad can do tennis, or vice versa, and the kids can do the Kids Club, or daycare. That is huge.”

Pascal says he also is teaming up with Buttermilk Provisions owner Dana Morris for a restaurant at the tennis center as well.

“We think this will be something special and unique,” says Pascal, who never stops smiling as he describes the project.

The tennis center, which is located off Eiland Blvd. just a few miles north of eastern Wesley Chapel, is named for former Zephyrhills High tennis standout Sarah Vande Berg, who died in an automobile accident at the age of 21 in 2015.

It will be equipped to host regional (like college) and even national events like United States Tennis Association (USTA) and International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournaments, and also will provide a place for area residents looking for courts on which to play. Pascal would like to see the area active in USTA league tennis, where Saddlebrook Resort may field an occasional team limited by membership restrictions.

It also will offer instructional tennis for children, and training for the more serious players. 

And, speaking of memberships, Pascal is hoping to sign up hundreds at a price he said will be fair and less expensive than the clubs in the area. Depending on what type of membership you buy, it also could include membership to the Silverado Golf & Country Club, which is adjacent to the tennis complex.

While tennis will be the central focus of the facility, Pascal also has formed the United Global Academy, which will be an online school limited to 32 students from a variety of sports, similar to what IMG Academy in Bradenton offers but on a smaller scale initially. Mark Shepherd, former director of student services at Saddlebrook Prep on the resort’s property, will help run the academic side.

Pascal has reached into Wesley Chapel’s sporting community to help develop those athletes, who will be able to train in the 30,000-sq.-ft. indoor facility, which can accommodate four tennis courts and a synthetic turf soccer field.

“Why not create a sports association?,” he says. “Get all the best ex-athletes in the area to come together once a month to promote sports to kids…kids who cant afford it!”

Athletes will be able to receive training from coaches like former English Premier League Soccer player and local club coach Gary Blissett, former New Orleans Saints lineman Mel Williams, Silverado Golf & Country Club golf pro Sean Klotz and others.

“The vision is to bring the community together by offering a family-friendly experience,” says Pascal, who most recently was the tennis director at Merion Cricket Club, a private club in Haverford, PA, with more than 2,000 members. “There will truly be something for everyone here.”

For more information, visit the SVBTennisCenter.com.

‘Festival Of Flight’ Likely Heading To Zephyrhills

Jessica Warren of American Balloons.
Jessica Warren of American Balloons.

By Gary Nager

After a weekend filled with insane traffic jams, heavy rains and/or the threat of major storms — and sadly, precious little flying, — the abbreviated third annual Festival of Flight (held Sept. 11-13) is likely to be the last one held at the Tampa North Aero Park on S.R. 54 in Lutz.Continue reading

BOCC Submits ‘Letter Of Interest’ For S.R. 56 Extension Lanes

Above is a conceptual rendering of what the four-lane S.R. 56 extension to U.S. 301 could look like. Photo: Kisinger Campo & Assoc.
Above is a conceptual rendering of what the four-lane S.R. 56
extension to U.S. 301 could look like. Photo: Kisinger Campo & Assoc.

By Matt Wiley

It’s said that the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and the old adage has proven true for the extension of S.R. 56, from where it currently dead-ends at Meadow Pointe Blvd. in Wesley Chapel to its future connection all the way to U.S. 301 in Zephyrhills. Continue reading

Overpass Rd. I-75 Interchange Officially Receives Federal Approval

When traffic warrants it, a flyover ramp could be installed at the future Overpass Rd. interchange on I-75, just north of Wesley Chapel.
When traffic warrants it, a flyover ramp could be installed at the future Overpass Rd. interchange on I-75, just north of Wesley Chapel.

By Matt Wiley

Residents of northern Wesley Chapel could have a much easier time heading north or south on I-75 in coming years, as the proposed interchange at I-75 and Overpass Rd. officially has received approval from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).Continue reading