While some women have the drive to succeed from a young age, publishing giant Pamela Fiori says she found her greater ambition as an adult. “Everything I learned about leadership I learned on the job,” she said. But succeed she did, rising to be editor-in-chief of Town & Country for 17 years after serving as executive vice president of American Express Publishing. At this year’s SRQ Women in Business Hear Me Roar Awards and Leadership Luncheon, Fiori, who was awarded the 2016 Trailblazer Award, advised a sold-out crowd to pursue their careers with focus, calm and a sense of humor. And she said to always give credit when due and to raise up those around you. “To take on an ugly competitive spirit—that success lies in somebody else’s failure—is not a good way to go about living a life or going about a business enterprise,” she told SRQ. “It’s toxic.”

Indeed, support served as the underlying theme of this year’s event, and not simply because keynote speaker and Ruby Ribbon founder and CEO Anna Zornosa explained how she made a fortune selling shapewear. She said the company found a niche speaking the language of women to female consumers and investors. “Often in male-dominated fields, investors can’t understand those experiences as well,” Zornosa said. She noted that while women start up companies at 150 percent the rate of men and on average see eight percent more revenue at women-led startups than ones led by men, women typically get just one eighth of the startup funding. The voice of women can be underestimated, she said, but can’t be ignored.

Of course, for many attendees at the event, the climax came with the naming of this year’s Women in Business winners, including: Jennifer Rominiecki, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens; Lorrie Liang, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System; AnneMarie Rizzo, The Law Place; Dr. Sandra Stone, University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee; and Laurie Pike, MPH Hotels.

 “I’m very humbled,” said Stone, chancellor of USFSM. “This inspires me to work harder and keep on making a difference.” Pike, who as director of sales and marketing for MPH’s Florida division has helped bring to market Comfort Suites-Sarasota and countless other Florida hotels, said the award offered a way to set an example for women coming up today. “We really need to start taking [today's youth] seriously and do whatever we can to give them the tools so the world can be a better place,” she said. And Rominiecki, who took over as executive director of Selby Gardens just 14 months ago, said she was excited to be embraced by the community so quickly. “I’m excited to network with other women in business and really to boost all women.”

Other finalists named at the event included: Katherine Moulton, Hospitality Advisory Services; Michelle Bianchi-Pingel, The Players Theatre; Jessica Rood, New College of Florida; Chief Bernadette DiPino, Sarasota Police; Dr. Inda Mowett, Aesthetic Wellness Center; Cynthia Peterson, Center for Architecture Sarasota; and Jonna Keller, First Security Investments of Southwest Florida. 

Photos by Wyatt Kostygan. Above: Anna Zornosa, Pamela Fiori and Adrienne Vittadini.

Area artists have little more than a week to put the finishing touches on their latest landscapes with Art Uptown Gallery receiving submissions next weekend for its first Open Juried Landscape Show, which will hang through the month of May. Area artists of all skill levels are welcome to submit and all 2D media will be accepted, said Art Uptown Exhibition Coordinator Rita Russ, with winners receiving cash prizes and prominent display in the front windows of the gallery. “There are a lot of quite excellent landscape artists in the area,” said Russ. “We’re hoping to curate a fine assortment.”

A jury of three to five member artists from Art Uptown will perform the judging the day of submission, hanging winners, finalists and all accepted artwork accordingly. Judges will of course be looking at composition, style and technique, said Russ, “but sometimes artists don’t realize that presentation is also important.” Taking care to frame and finish the work appropriately can sometimes make the difference.

All submissions will be received Apr. 30 at Art Uptown Gallery on Main Street from 11am to 2pm. Artists must be 21 or over and are limited to two entries with a fee of $25 for the first and $10 for the second. Entries must be priced and available for sale. While all 2D media will be accepted, including but not limited to paint, photography, graphite and pen and ink, submitted work must be primarily landscape in nature. Seascapes will also be accepted, according to Russ. Maybe not in Wyoming, she said, but out here "part of the beauty is the waterways."

A reception on May 7 will be held at the gallery to celebrate contributing artists. “It’s always fun to see all the artists come our of their studios and get together,” said Russ, and to all the aspiring artists: “Give it a try. Where we live is so beautiful.”

The Art Uptown Gallery Open Juried Landscape Show opens Apr. 30 and runs through May 27.   

Pictured: "Beaufort Marsh" by Joanna Karpay. Courtesy of Art Uptown Gallery.

If you want something done right, do it yourself. Payne Park’s Café in the Park lives and breathes by this motto and the signature sandwich The Roast Beef perfectly reflects the sentiment. Café in the Park’s owner Simone Steiff-Pollux comes in at the crack of dawn every few days to slow-roast a premium cut of Angus sirloin roast beef, filling the sun-drenched café with a deep, woodsy fragrance. “It’s just a beautiful cut of meat,” Steiff-Pollux muses. Though the tender meat is the star of the show, the house-made horseradish sauce ranks a close second. Sourced from local farms and markets, the horseradish is bought in its original root form and then grated to make a creamy topper alongside organic arugula. The warm, crusty house-baked baguette brings the whole thing together. If you are a lover of fresh sandwiches and salads, Café in the Park should be your go-to, not to mention the lush terrace dining area surrounded by the recently spruced-up Payne Park.  

Cafe in the Park, 2010 Adams Lane, Sarasota, 941-361-3032

The chefs at Capital Grille want moms to dine exquisitely this Mother’s Day. The restaurant will offer this dish on its prix-fixe brunch menu on Mother’s Day at the University Town Center location, or you can try your hand at it yourself.  

Seared Citrus Glazed Salmon

Ingredients: 8 oz. salmon fillet; 1 tsp. kosher salt; ¼ tsp. ground black pepper; 2. Tbsp. clarified butter; 2 oz. white wine; 3 Tbsp. citrus glaze; ½ oz. brown butter; ½ cup haricots verts; 2 roasted Cipollini onions; 1 Tbsp. almonds, Marcona (toasted) chopped. 

Season the salmon fillet with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides. Place the clarified butter in a pre-heated skillet. Place the salmon fillet, flesh side down, over the butter in the skillet and sear the fish for four minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Place salmon skin side down in a pie pan with white wine. Brush the crisp side of the fish with one ounce of the citrus glaze and place it in a 400-degree oven. Roast the fish until cooked through, but moist (five to seven minutes depending on thickness). While the fish is roasting, sauté the green beans, almonds and Cipollini onions in a small sauté pan with half of brown butter. Place warm vegetables in the center of a hot plate, with all the green beans lined up in a row. Place the salmon on top of the vegetables. Drizzle the remaining ½ of glaze around the salmon and serve immediately. 

Ingredients (for citrus honey glaze): 1 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed; 1 cup honey; 1 star anise, whole; 2 tsp. cracked black pepper; 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon zest.

Combine the lemon juice, honey, star anise and cracked pepper in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.Reduce the heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow it to steep for ten minutes. While the mixture steeps, prepare the lemon zest. Avoid the white pith under the rind as it will give your dish a bitter aftertaste. Strain anise and pepper from honey lemon mixture and discard solids. Fold in zest and reserve at room temperature. 

The full-service business law firm Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick just launched a blog about legal issues, trends and legislative updates related to the residential and commercial construction industry. The Shumaker Construction Trend blog was the brainchild of Shumaker attorney Christopher A. Staine. 

Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick

The Sarasota Surge Rugby Club, a competitive D3 men's rugby club representing Manatee and Sarasota counties, just won a 29-20 win over the Gainesville Hogs for the 2016 Division 3 Florida Men’s State Championship. The competition was held in Wellington on Saturday and featured multiple divisions from the Men’s State Championship down to the Boys U8. 

Sarasota Surge Rugby Club