Tim Norwood hates eggplant and always has. “It has no place in my world,” he says. But Norwood is a tinkerer and problem solver with a career path that seems like a series of unrelated jobs except for the tinkering and problem solving—municipal architect, yacht designer, automotive engineer, intermittent inventor and, now, owner-operator of Sea Salt Florida, the salt harvesting company he and his wife built as their fun retirement project. It would be safe to assume that no problem exists outside of his brain’s purview, including eggplant. “There’s nothing I ever tried I didn’t feel like I could do,” he says. So, Norwood set out to attack the problem with the same brainy, boyish gusto he applies to all his endeavors and came up with a solution to his eggplant problem.

The recipe begins with four eggplants cut in half along their vertical axes, stems chopped off. Slits are cut into the exposed flesh and stuffed with shredded fontina cheese, about ¾ cup divided amongst the pieces. Norwood then makes a delicious mash that includes some proprietary blends from Sea Salt Florida’s vaults, including two cloves of his house made black garlic and his salt and pepper blend. These are crushed and blended along with 2/3 cup of olive oil and a handful of basil leaves. “You want it kinda runny,” he says, “so it can get down into the slits with the cheese too.” The mash is spread evenly over the eggplants and topped with another drizzle of olive oil before being tossed into a 375-degree oven on a baking sheet. In 20-30 minutes, the cheese bubbles, the eggplant browns and glazes over and the kitchen glows with the mouthwatering smell of garlic, basil and olive oil.

Another bonus for the Norwood household comes in the form of their newly developed black garlic sea salt blend. “Since I have all of my products at my disposal, I actually use that as my table salt.” The result is an over-engineered eggplant dish with the power to change food preferences—sort of. “I still don’t like eggplant,” he jokes, “but made this way it’s actually not bad!” 

Pictured: Tim Norwood peddles his locally-harvested sea salt to farmer's market shoppers. Photo courtesy of Sea Salt Florida.

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Zildjian Catering shares their curbside pick up and delivery menu for this week including Cuban Style Pulled Pork with plantains and oven-roaster yucca with a house cilantro lime and Blumenberry Farm cabbage and kale slaw; Springer Mountain Farm Greek Lemon Chicken; Wild Argentine Shrimp with fresh Florida mango/basil sacue over wild arugula; Maia's " To Die For
 vegan and gluten-free lasagna; Cobb salad; No-Nitrate Roast Turkey with balsamic onion jam on a freshly baked baguette; spring vegetable soup with toasted cheesy croutons on the side; housemad rice pudding; signature lemon hummus; grassfed beef and turkey meatballs; vegan meatballs; and for browniers, energy granola bars, chocolate chunk cookies and apricot squares for dessert.  

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Tom Scholz, of Kool Stuff, Ellenton, Fl., earned the certification of Master Advertising Specialist (MAS) administered by Promotional Products Association International (PPAI; ppai.org), the largest international not-for-profit association for more than 16,000 members of the $24-plus billion promotional products industry. The Certified Advertising Specialist (CAS), Master Advertising Specialist (MAS) and Master Advertising Specialist Plus (MAS+) Certifications are the promotional products industry's premier professional designations. Individuals with a PPAI Certification are industry leaders -- those who have attained a higher standard of professional competence, knowledge and experience. PPAI industry certification is acquired through a combination of dedicated certification classes, demonstrated years of employment in the industry, elective courses, and a successful demonstration of expertise. Certification is maintained through continuing education to ensure current knowledge and leading-edge professional skills. 

On behalf of their thirty-one artists, Dabbert Gallery announced the Provisional Pricing Program. With the generous support of their gallery artists, more than 400 pieces of original artworks are now offered at significant price reductions starting at 20%. Browse the works on their website and contact them to make an appointment at the gallery are in the convenience of your own home.  

Pictured: "Muhlenbergia Burst" by Joe Palmerio, oil on canvas, framed 36"x48"

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 "Never let a crisis go to waste" is a refrain attributed to several politicians. Savvy business leaders are wise to heed this lesson in order to engage employees, reassure customers, and strengthen relationships with other stakeholders. "Re-Opening after the Pandemic - Considerations and Decisions to Make" will offer business leaders a framework for guiding their organizations out of the pandemic crisis. Join speaker Michael Corley Founder of the The Corley Company on today from 9-10am. Webinar offered by The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce as part of the Shumaker Chamber University. 

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Join us for "virtual" coffee with your Chamber President/CEO, Heather Kasten and Guest Speaker Virginia Haley to talk about the future of tourism here locally. Hear updates from Visit Sarasota County and their plans to market our region to potential visitors. Please send in your questions to events@sarasotachamber.com, and we will do our best to cover them in our discussion. There will also be an opportunity for you to submit questions through the chat feature during the Zoom call. 

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 A pandemic is not the time to stand by and remain idle on a hope and prayer. To the contrary, resources should be diverted towards growth. This webinar is all about creating a strategy before belts start tightening so your organization is structured to be more resilient. Join Mike Carroll, EVP of Programs for Lutheran Services Florida, Inc. Offered by the Shumaker Chamber University. Mike joined LSF in 2018 after retiring as the Secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Families ending a state career that spanned more than 28 years within the department. As the Executive Vice President of Programs, Mike is responsible for overseeing a variety of
statewide services including child welfare and juvenile justice programs totaling $60 million with more than 700 employees. As the longest serving Secretary in the department’s history, Mike oversaw one of the biggest social service agencies in the nation with an annual budget of $3.2 billion and more than 13,000 employees.  During his tenure, Mike led efforts to improve outcomes for children and families in the child welfare system, to overhaul service delivery and improve outcomes in the state’s mental health hospitals and streamline the economic self-sufficiency program.  

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