This August, Paisano’s Italian Bakery will celebrate its 25th anniversary of serving up Italian comfort food to the Sarasota community. Husband and wife David and Laurie Moretti opened Paisano’s in 1998. David, the son of Italian immigrants, began his career working as a cleaner in a bakery. He gained skills at a variety of different bakeries, with the goal of opening up his own business, a desire echoed by Laurie, who wanted to be self-employed.

Founding Paisano’s not only allowed the pair to pursue their passions but also presented them with an opportunity to combine beloved recipes with culinary techniques learned through years of experience. “David learned to cook with his grandmother,” says Laurie, “and our eggplant calzone is an old recipe from his family, as are our stuffed shells.” Originally from Rhode Island, the couple brought Italian staples, like pizza strips, from New England to Sarasota. Pizza strips are thick rectangles of dough topped with tomato sauce and are popular amongst both New Englanders and Paisano’s patrons. “I remember when my husband threw me a surprise party for my 21st birthday, and on top of the table was a plate of pizza strips,” she adds. “They’re the kind of food that goes with every occasion.”

Aside from savory options, the bakery carries a wide variety of sweets, from delectable cakes and cookies to flaky pastries. Many flavors of biscotti line the display cases, paying homage to David’s previous work in other bakeries. Laurie’s favorite is the chocolate chunk pistachio biscotti, and she credits her team for producing high-quality baked goods. “I have a diverse team of talented decorators,” she says, “including Ritz-Carlton-trained decorators and a baker who used to own a famous restaurant in town.” A quick glance into the shop’s display showcases colorful cookies with vivid details, scrumptious cakes and more.

Laurie hopes that Paisano’s guests will leave having experienced the love that she and her team put into their food, a legacy of Italian culture. “It comes from our hearts,” she adds, “and we are so excited and proud to have served our community for 25 years.”

Paisano's Italian Bakery, 2732 Stickney Point Rd. Sarasota, paisanositalianbakery.com. 

Pictured: The display case at Paisanos Italian Bakery features a plethora of options to satisfy your sweet tooth. Photo courtesy of Paisanos Italian Bakery.

Wellen Park invites the community to an all-day Great American Picnic celebration Saturday, July 1, in Downtown Wellen. The Great American Picnic, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., marks the beginning of the Fourth of July holiday weekend with live music, family friendly activities, a pie bake-off and plenty of food and drinks for everyone to enjoy. The festival will also debut Wellen Park’s new augmented reality experience showcasing the vibrant, playful spirit of Downtown Wellen. Guests will enjoy a new level of entertainment that blurs the line between virtual and realty, including a virtual bike or kayak ride around the Grand Lake, see the blue heron’s come to life on the massive mural wall or be surrounded by a carnival of circling colorful Florida butterflies while taking a selfie with them landing upon your extended arm. By completing the augmented reality experience, guests receive an exclusive prize offer that's most definitely a reality. The festival begins at 11 a.m. and will feature live music throughout the day by Rob Hazen, Derek Lersch Country Band, Queen Kay Duo and the Nightbreakers. Family-friendly activities include a water balloon toss, face painting, carnival games, cornhole and more. Once the sun sets, guests will enjoy a special projection art show at select locations through Downtown Wellen. As a Fourth of July tradition, there will also be a watermelon eating contest. Interested participants must pre-register here. The event will also have a pie bake-off contest, offering both youth and adult categories for contestants of all ages. Contestants must register beforehand here. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs for seating on the Great Lawn and pack their own picnic baskets, or purchase picnic eats from The Yard food containers and restaurants throughout downtown. The event is open to the public. For more information, visit wellenpark.com/events/great-american-picnic. 

Get ready for Music Bingo Friday, June 23rd at Hamlet’s Eatery from 5-8pm. Music Bingo is a fun and exciting take on classic bingo where anyone can play. Hostess Myra Mains will entertain you while you enjoy great food and drinks from Hamlet’s Eatery. Free to play and open to all ages and dog friendly. Hamlet’s Eatery will open at 5pm for food and the games will be begin at 5:30pm. Prizes include gift certificates from The Bazaar on Apricot & Lime, Hamlet’s and more! Hamlet’s Eatery has a great menu including vegan options. They also have craft beer, wine, and Prosecco on tap. Located outside with seating under a covered patio, 821 Apricot Ave in Sarasota. For more information visit www.hamletseatery.com or call 941-445-1938. 

Sarasota Orchestra has announced a change of conductor and soloist for the closing concert of the 2023 Sarasota Music Festival this Saturday, June 24. Due to illness, Jeffrey Kahane will be replaced by conductor Nicholas McGegan and piano soloist Robert Levin, for the concert formerly titled “Kahane Plays Beethoven.” The concert will retain the same program and is now entitled “Beethoven and Schumann.” Conductor Nicholas McGegan—long hailed as “one of the finest baroque conductors of his generation” (The Independent) and “an expert in 18th-century style” (The New Yorker)—leads the final Festival orchestra performance of the season. The orchestra is joined by Robert Levin as the soloist in Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto. Levin has been a SMF faculty artist since 1979, Festival Director from 2006-2017, and is an internationally celebrated pianist and scholar. The unchanged program features Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4, Emily Cooley’s Argo and concludes with Schumann’s joyous “Spring” Symphony. Other changes include pianists for the Thursday, June 22 “Fairy Tale” Artist Series concert. Festival Associate Faculty Artist Jean Schneider will replace Levin on the Schubert Trout piano quintet. Associate Faculty Artist Michael Adcock will replace Kahane on the scheduled performances of Falla’s Spanish Dance No. 1 and Kreisler’s Liebesleid. Tickets are available for both concerts at www.SarasotaOrchestra.org/Festival or by calling the Box Office at (941) 953-3434. 

Due to overwhelming audience demand, Florida Studio Theatre (FST) is extending the run of its Summer Mainstage opener, Shear Madness, for a third time. Critics write that FST’s production “Keeps the laughs coming” and is “A delight” (Sarasota Herald-Tribune), saying “It would be madness to miss FST’s Shear Madness” (Venice Gondolier-Sun). Written by Paul Pörtner, Shear Madness is a comedic murder mystery where the audience helps solve the crime. FST’s production of Shear Madness will now run in FST’s Gompertz Theatre through July 9, 2023. Tickets are now on sale at FloridaStudioTheatre.org or 941.366.9000. Audiences are raving about FST’s production of Shear Madness, calling it “Fabulously funny and quick witted,” “Delightfully hilarious,” and “The funniest show we have seen in all the years we have attended FST.” Audience member Nancy B. said of Shear Madness, “It’s a laugh-out-loud-a-minute show. Very well performed as well—no one should miss this!” 

On June 5, at our community resource center, LaunchPad4U, we welcomed in youth-serving organizations, licensed mental health professionals, district student support staff, teachers, students, and volunteer community members to identify solutions in strengthening resiliency in students through a creative problem-solving approach. Led by volunteer and design-thinking expert Len Brzozowski, it was the final workshop after a three-month period in which the community conducted extensive research and interviews and problem solved collectively and creatively, helping to guide our work to support students and teachers. It was the culmination of three months of inspiring, collaborative work. A huge thanks to everyone involved! Interested in making a difference with the Education Foundation? There are many ways to get involved. 

For the month of May, 342,837 passengers traveled through the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, a 3% increase compared to 332,431 passengers in May 2022. The 12-month activity through May 2023 totals 4,123,848 passengers, an 8% increase compared to 3,820,705 passengers for the 12 months through May 2022. SRQ has seen a 15% increase in passengers for the calendar year to date as compared to the first 5 months of 2022. “As we enter the summer season, we continue to see strong travel demand at our airport. Future airlineflight schedules show additional seats and flight availability through the remaining calendar year. With COVID now behind us, and passengers eager to travel, we expect our passenger counts to maintain a positive trajectory for the foreseeable future,” stated Rick Piccolo, President, CEO of the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport. Upcoming New Service July 2, 2023 Providence (PVD) – Breeze Airways. 

Manatee County is seeking public input for a new set of proposed impact fees, a one-time charge the County imposes on new development to cover the costs of providing public services to the new development. Manatee County collects impact fees to pay for multimodal transportation (including new roads), parks and natural resources, law enforcement and public safety equipment and libraries. Impact fees are restricted to funding growth-related capital improvements and may not be used for replacing infrastructure, maintenance or operations. A draft copy of the Manatee County Impact Fee Update Study can be downloaded from mymanatee.org/impactfees. The County's current impact fee schedule and the study those fees are based on from 2015 can also be found on this Webpage. The Florida Impact Fee Act and Manatee County’s Land Development Code require the county impact fee administrator to recommend whether any changes should be made to the Impact Fee Schedule. The Impact Fees Act also requires that impact fees be based on the most recent and localized data. A Manatee County consultant recently completed a local impact fee study documenting the data and formulas used to calculate a new set of proposed impact fees. As part of the update study process, citizens are encouraged to review the proposals and offer feedback as appropriate. Manatee County will host an online public comment period from June 19 through July 19. After the public comment period, the proposed impact fee schedule will be discussed by both the Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioners. Public comments or questions can be emailed to nicole.knapp@mymanatee.org or sent to Nicole Knapp, Impact Fee Administrator, PO Box 1000, Bradenton, FL 34206, or call her at (941) 748-4501, ext. 7824. For more information about Manatee County Government, visit mymanatee.org or call (941) 748-4501. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @ManateeGov. 

Following The Footprints | Eric Bendick on Path of the Panther, the documentary about the Florida panther, May/June 2023. 

Read Here!