SRQ DAILY Feb 1, 2022
Tuesday Dining and Food Edition
"We are ready to launch our next phase in realizing a new Sarasota Performing Arts Center to serve the region, state and nation for generations to come, and we look forward to working closely with the city of Sarasota, Sarasota County, our public partners and stakeholders on this iconic civic asset."
The Savoie region of Southeastern France is home to a long and ancient history of dairy farming and cheesemaking. Situated in the French Alps, its culinary contributions include herbal liquors, dry-cured sausages, and fondue savoyarde, a mixture of melted Alpine cheeses. The emphasis within the cuisine is heartiness, a requirement that in the past sustained the mountain men and women through bitter winters, and today sustains the mountain men and women who are part of the region’s booming steel and aluminum industries.
An example of the region’s hearty sustenance comes courtesy of C’est La Vie. Their savoyarde crepe comes stuffed with a creamy, cheesy sauce slathered over ample slices of salty prosciutto. These two on their own combine into an explosion of umami reminiscent of a parmesan cream reduction in Italian cuisine. When wrapped in a rich, nutty, gluten-free buckwheat crepe, the savoyarde makes for a lasting impression of fullness. If you need a bit more energy, get it with the pan-fried potatoes, though the assorted sliced breads that come with a sit-down meal certainly make the side salad a perfectly reasonable choice for us low-country folks—even if we wince at temperatures below 70 degrees.
C’est La Vie, 1553 Main Street, Sarasota, www.cestlaviesarasota.com
Pictured: Savoyarde Crepe. Photo courtesy of Andy Fabian.
JFCS of the Suncoast announces the appointment of Nelle S. Miller to the interim CEO role effective February 1, 2022. “Nelle is a strong community leader who seeks out ways to collaborate and build impact within our nonprofit community. We are thrilled to have Nelle’s business acumen and human service focus in the role of JFCS interim CEO”, stated Kathie Roberts, Board Chair. Nelle is the immediate past Chair of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, and held recent Board Chair positions with Glasser Schoenbaum Human Services Center, All Faiths Food Bank, and The Sarasota-Manatee Jewish Federation. She is currently on the Education Foundation of Sarasota County Board of Directors, the Boxser Diversity Initiative Advisory Board, and serves as the Community Chair of the Life and Legacy Program of the Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee. Nelle brings to JFCS an extensive background in non-profit leadership, and a deep passion for creating and supporting philanthropic engagement. Her proven track record as a board and governance leader with a focus on social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion mirrors the mission of JFCS in its extensive and inclusive outreach to our communities. With strong core competencies in collaboration, operations and finance, she comes prepared to steady the helm, delivering our continuation of services and programs, and upholding the organization’s identity and reputation. With an Interim CEO in place, JFCS will shortly begin its national search for the ongoing President/CEO. The search is expected to be completed within 6-8 months.
Six local high school students are finalists for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties 2022 Youth of the Year title. This prestigious honor will be presented to the selected candidate at the organization’s annual Steak & Burger celebration on Friday, February 4, 2022. Since 1947, Youth of the Year has been the premier recognition program of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America that fosters a new generation of leaders, fully prepared to live and lead in a diverse, global and integrated world economy. The program celebrates the extraordinary achievements of Club members across the nation. The following teens have exemplified the Boys & Girls Clubs’ mission and are proof to the impact the Clubs make in transforming lives: Mykayla G. is a 15-year-old sophomore at Booker High School and attends the Roy McBean Boys & Girls Club; Francisco H. is a 19-year-old senior at North Port High School and attends the Gene Matthews Boys & Girls Club; Jaliyah L. is a 14-year-old eight-grader at DeSoto Middle School and attends the Louis and Gloria Flanzer Boys & Girls Club; Bernadette N. is a 17-year-old senior at Riverview High School and attends the Lee Wetherington Boys & Girls Club; D’Kai S. is a 17-year-old senior at Booker High School and attends the Newtown Estate Park Boys & Girls Club; and Ashley V. is a 16-year-old senior at Venice High School and attends the Robert and Joan Lee Boys & Girls Club. The 2022 Youth of the Year will have a chance of becoming the 2022 State of Florida Youth of the Year and opportunities to win academic scholarships, speak at national conferences and meet elected officials.
Asolo Repertory Theatre proudly presents the third and final show of its 2022 winter repertory season – Lauren Yee’s The Great Leap. Vanessa Stalling returns to direct the comedic drama, which was days away from its first performance when it was cancelled because of the pandemic in March of 2020. The Great Leap begins previews on Feb. 9, opens on Feb. 11 and runs through April 2, in the Mertz Theatre, located in the FSU Center for the Performing Arts.
The play’s title refers to both the athleticism of basketball and the Communist Party of China’s Great Leap Forward campaign in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Born in the United States but inextricably tied to far off and forbidden China, Manford Lum finds his home on the basketball courts of San Francisco’s Chinatown. As fast-talking as he is athletically skilled, Lum wisecracks and dazzles his way onto a college team headed for a “friendly” exhibition game in Beijing. As the story bounces between 1989 and 1971, past relationships collide with present day revelations right up to the final buzzer. Smart, feisty and hilarious, The Great Leap is about family, history and learning that every game is a second chance.
The Van Wezel Foundation (Foundation) held its 20th annual Inspiration Gala on Thursday, January 27, 2022, raising more than $1.7 million. This level of funding makes the 20th annual Inspiration Gala the most successful fundraising event in the Foundation’s history. During the gala, it was also announced that the first $20 million in private funding for the future Sarasota Performing Arts Center was committed by the Foundation Board. The evening kicked off with a cocktail reception and was followed by an elegant dinner, live auction, and inspiring program, complete with a surprise appearance by Harry Connick Jr. himself, and the honoring of local educators, Maria Schaedler-Luera, the recipient of the 2022 Appleton Arts Integration Award, and Jillianne Abbott and Talia Casey, the recipients of the 2022 Van Wezel Foundation Merit Scholarships, all with beautiful Sarasota Bay as the backdrop. The evening concluded with a spectacular performance from Grammy® and Emmy® Award-winner Harry Connick Jr. in the storied Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Susan Travers and Kathy Martella served as co-chairs for this year’s Inspiration Gala alongside a host committee of dedicated benefactors. “We are ready to launch our next phase in realizing a new Sarasota Performing Arts Center to serve the region, state and nation for generations to come, and we look forward to working closely with the city of Sarasota, Sarasota County, our public partners and stakeholders on this iconic civic asset,” said Cheryl Mendelson, Foundation CEO.
The Bobby City Golf Club Nature Trails will close to the public starting Tuesday, Feb. 1 to accommodate renovation of the City’s historic municipal golf course. The 18-hole Donald Ross golf course will be restored, and a new 9-hole adjustable course will be constructed. In addition, a player development center, large driving range, short-game practice area and clubhouse featuring a restaurant will be built. Under the current construction timeline, the Donald Ross course restoration is expected to be completed and open to the public for play as early as this November and the 9-hole adjustable course finished in January 2023. It is anticipated the Nature Trails will reopen when the golf course construction is complete. The City Commission unanimously approved the renovation plans earlier this month following extensive discussion and public input over the past five years. The reconstructed golf course will be downsized from 45 holes to 27 and will include the framework for a 150-acre nature park designed to greatly improve regional water quality. The Southwest Florida Water Management District approved a $1.5 million grant for a wetlands and water quality improvement project on the site. The City Commission approved up to $20 million for the golf course renovation. The City Commission also unanimously approved a conservation easement for the 261-acre Bobby Jones property in partnership with the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast. The agreement means the City-owned property will remain a protected, preserved green space in perpetuity.
In an effort to enhance the lives and care for families on the Suncoast and beyond, Sarasota Memorial Hospital-Sarasota is among select hospitals participating in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Perinatal Improvement Collaborative. The collaborative includes many of the nation’s leading hospitals caring for diverse populations in all 50 states, using real-time data, analytics and performance improvement methodologies to improve care for mothers and babies across the country. SMH is the leading provider of maternity services in the Suncoast region, delivering more than 4,000 babies at SMH-Sarasota and SMH-Venice in 2021. The HHS Perinatal Improvement Collaborative will test interventions and protocols to reduce preventable deaths and complications among mothers and their babies. The program aims to quickly generate solutions for safer obstetric and neonatal care that can be implemented nationwide. The effort will be guided by an external advisory panel comprising more than 20 expert clinicians and thought leaders, and patient partners from MoMMA’s Voices, a coalition of advocacy organizations focused on leading causes of maternal mortality and morbidity.
Photo courtesy of SMH-Sarasota Mother Baby Unit.
The Ramos Center for Interventional & Functional Pain Medicine is starting off 2022 by welcoming Nationally Certified Physician’s Assistant, Joshua Beasley, to their already comprehensive and diverse team of advanced practicing providers. Joshua Beasley will be treating Ramos Center patients in their Sarasota and Port Charlotte locations. Beasley earned his Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Cell Science from the University of Florida in 2012. Upon completion of his undergraduate degree, he stayed in Gainesville, Fl and attended the School for Physician Assistant Studies at the University of Florida College of Medicine. After his graduation from PA School in 2015, he moved to the west coast of Florida and began his career working in Infectious Disease, diagnosing and treating acute and chronic infections in both outpatient and inpatient settings. Following his time working in Infectious Disease, Beasley began specializing in Orthopedic conditions which evolved to a focus on Interventional Pain Medicine during the past four years in Venice, Fl. His diverse experience has given him a passion for the senior community, specifically those who suffer from chronic pain.
An outdoor guided workout of gentle exercises combining yoga, martial arts, and dance. Immerse yourself in nature, overlooking Little Sarasota Bay, and increase energy, flexibility, balance, and physical wellness. Wear comfortable clothes and lightweight shoes; bring water and a towel for the final stretch. Any age/fitness level welcome. General admission to HSP included. Drop-ins encouraged. For ease of transaction, drop-in payments should be made in cash. Please check-in 15 minutes before for your class at the Welcome Gazebo. Fitness in the Forest will take place on Wednesdays from 10:15am to 11:15am: February 2, 9, 16, and 23. Class fee: Members $20 / Non-members $30. Class Size: 50 Students. Instructor: Kathy Oravec.
This program presents two captivating young stars to Sarasota on Thursday, February 3 at 8pm, Friday, February 4 at 8pm, Saturday, February 5 at 8pm, and Sunday, February 6 at 2:30pm. Grammy Award-winning violinist Augustin Hadelich performs Beethoven's serene, yet astoundingly difficult Violin Concerto. Maestro Yaniv Dinur has a reputation for dynamic and passionate performances. Opening the concert, Gabriella Smith's Field Guide features rhythms and sounds of the natural world. The program concludes with Tchaikovsky's iconic Symphony No. 4, one of the Russian master's most exhilarating works.
Enjoy live music, art and atmosphere in the Museum of Art Courtyard during Ringling Underground 8pm to 11pm. This event features an eclectic mix of local and regional live music. Check out up-and-coming artists displaying their work in the Museum of Art Courtyard. Note: Wearing a face mask is strongly encouraged. Upcoming dates are February 3, March 3, and April 7.
After a stint as an editor early in her career, American writer Toni Morrison understood the publishing industry better than the ordinary writer—but she refused to be defined by the establishment. She wrote her books from a vital, underrepresented point of view. Morrison was one of the few who wrote for an African American audience, and she understood the way language could operate as an oppressive or uplifting force—she refused to let her words be marginalized. After years of fighting to be heard, Morrison was awarded a Nobel Prize for her writing, and her novels are now taught in schools around the world. Through a trove of archival material, evocative works of contemporary art, and interviews with Oprah Winfrey, Angela Davis, and Morrison herself, we revisit her famed books and learn about the inspiration for her writing. The Pieces I Am will show on February 4, 2022 at 6:30pm at the Historic Asolo Theater.
Save the date for the 13th Annual Signature Luncheon hosted by the Tidewell Foundation benefiting Tidewell Hospice with Featured Speaker Henry Winkler. The event takes place on February 4th, 2022 at 11:30am at The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota. All proceeds from this event will help Tidewell Hospice provide care, comfort, and compassion to more than 10,000 patients and families each year. During the event, a raffle for a chance to win a two night stay at the world-class Ritz-Carlton Sarasota & one round of Golf for Two at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club will also be held. There is a maximum of 500 raffle tickets available, and they are first-come, first-serve.
On Friday, February 4th, downtown Sarasota will glitter with twinkling eyes as love and romance are celebrated like never before at Five Points Park from 7pm to 10pm. The first-Friday event organizers invite couples to apply for a chance to be married or renew their wedding vows at Five Points Park by City of Sarasota mayor, Erik Arroyo. In addition to the public ceremony, the couple selected will also get an assortment of wedding support from downtown merchants, including jewelry, hair/makeup, wardrobe, and a private reception for friends and family—all complimentary. Interested couples should send an email to freshfridays@next-mark.com with their names, a brief introduction, and why they think they should be the ones to get married at Five Points Park for LOVE IN THE AIR. Deadline is Wednesday, January 19. Like previous events, LOVE IN THE AIR will feature free signature party favors, free light bites, free roses for the first 500 guests, free entertainment, and the opportunity to enjoy an adult beverage al fresco. Though the wedding ceremony is the marquee moment, the event is designed to celebrate love and romance for all attendees.
Rene Izquierdo will play at Riverview Performing Arts Center on Saturday, February 5, 2022 at 7:30pm. Rene Izquierdo graduated from the Guillermo Tomas, Amadeo Roldan Conservatory and Superior Institute of Art in Havana. In the United States, Mr. Izquierdo earned a Master of Music and an Artist Diploma degrees from the Yale University School of Music, where he studied with Benjamin Verdery. While at Yale he represented the university in an exchange program with the Conservatoire National de Musique et de Danse du Paris and worked with guitarists Olivie Chassain and Roland Dyens.
Sarasota's largest and longest running charity music event returns for 2022. Giving Hunger The Blues will take place on Sunday, February 6 from 11:30am to 9:30pm at Nathan Benderson Park. With nationally-acclaimed headliners and a full day of live music, food, and our most spacious venue yet, Giving Hunger The Blues promises to be an unforgettable event all for a great cause: the Mayors Feed The Hungry Program of Sarasota-Manatee.
The most ambitious and expansive exhibition to date of contemporary artworks created with augmented reality (AR) technology will premiere at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, opening on September 25, 2021 and ongoing through August 31 2022, as one of 12 participating gardens across six countries. Seeing the Invisible features works by more than a dozen international artists such as Ai Weiwei, Refik Anadol, El Anatsui, Isaac Julien CBE, Mohammed Kazem, Sigalit Landau, Sarah Meyohas, Pamela Rosenkranz, and Timur Si-Qin—including several artists’ first work in AR. Visitors will engage with Seeing the Invisible via an app designed for the exhibition downloadable to smartphones and tablets. Forging new links between botanical gardens located in diverse biomes around the globe, the exhibition fosters collaboration between institutions, artists, and audiences, highlighting the power of art to connect people around the world.
The Russian National Orchestra with pianist Alexander Malofeev will perform on Tuesday, February 8 at 7:30pm at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Ukrainian conductor Kirill Karabits leads the Orchestra in Beethoven’s Overture to Fidelio and Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5. Nineteen-year-old piano sensation Alexander Malofeev will join the Orchestra for Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1.
A longstanding community outreach program, Music Matinees feature accomplished area-based musicians who perform an array of musical styles. Concerts take place on Wednesdays from noon to 1 pm in David Cohen Hall, Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center. Sun-Young Gemma Shin, violin, and Avis Romm, piano will take place on February 9. Dr. Shin is an internationally sought-after performer on both baroque and modern violin as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestra leader. She is the concertmaster of the Chamber Orchestra of Sarasota. Avis Romm dazzles audiences as a soloist, chamber musician, and collaborative pianist. She has worked extensively with the Sarasota Opera, both as a musical/vocal coach and pianist/conductor and she performs regularly with internationally renowned soloists.
Musician, vocalist and composer Damien Sneed toured with Aretha Franklin, developing a strong mentee relationship with the soul legend. In A TRIBUTE TO ARETHA FRANKLIN: THE QUEEN OF SOUL, Sneed pays homage to the icon with fresh renditions of the beloved hits including “Respect,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Think,” “Until You Come Back To Me,” “Daydreaming,” “Natural Woman” and more. Featuring an all-star cast of jazz, gospel and soul musicians and vocalists, Sneed’s multi-media tribute will honor the life of an iconic industry titan on February 9 at 8pm. Four-time Grammy® winner, gospel music legend and multiple Stellar and GMA Dove Award winner Karen Clark Sheard joins the tour with her signature, multi-octave vocal range.
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