Photo courtesy of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

When your heart beats for hospitality, your table is never short on guests or gratitude. Our local restaurants understand this intimately, embodying how great service goes beyond business – it’s a calling that can transform dining into a community anchor.

John and Amanda Horne of Oysters Rock Hospitality have turned that calling into a way of life. All the more reason why Visit Sarasota County’s Board of Directors and staff were proud to name these longtime advocates the 2025 Voice of Sarasota – our tourism bureau’s top honor, recognizing those who have truly elevated Sarasota County as a tourism destination.

We present this award annually at our National Travel & Tourism Week Celebration, held earlier this week at the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. This year, that event took on special significance as we partnered with the Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureau to make this a regional affair. How fitting it was to welcome the Hornes into the Voice of Sarasota alumni group – which has included Jennifer Rominiecki (2024), Michael Klauber (2023) and Fredrick J. Piccolo (2022) – at the intersection of our two counties!

If you’ve walked into any of their restaurants then you know the Hornes have created a legacy of local flavor while making plates into platforms for change here along Florida’s West Coast.

Not only did John and Amanda expand their flagship concept, Anna Maria Oyster Bar, to North Port, they also purchased Café L’Europe and sustained the 52-year-old St. Armands staple through several tumultuous storm seasons. After the one-two-three punch of Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton, they then revived the 52-year-old staple as the Café on St. Armands – while doing so, they brought together business leaders, government officials, and residents to help facilitate immediate and long-term recovery needs for the Circle.

John and Amanda’s commitment to enriching the experiences of visitors and residents alike makes them a perfect fit for this year’s Voice of Sarasota award. And in the coming month, you’ll be able to celebrate everything the Hornes stand for – collaboration, culinary excellence, and the power of hospitality to invite people around the table – through our annual Savor Sarasota Restaurant Week.

Now in its 20th year, Savor Sarasota has become one of our most anticipated traditions that locals look forward to, and visitors plan trips around. What started as a marketing campaign to boost traffic to our local restaurants during the slower summer months has now expanded to a 20-day celebration showcasing more than 50 restaurants across Sarasota County – from downtown hotspots and neighborhood gems to coastal favorites in Venice, Nokomis, Osprey, and Englewood.

During what we call “the most delicious time of the year,” participating restaurants offer a two-course lunch and a three-course dinner, with many also providing upgrades like wine pairings and curated flights. Going beyond the menu, Savor Sarasota is a platform to tell the stories of our unique restaurants, chefs, and others who make up our culinary community. In that spirit, it’s about more than food (although that’s certainly the fun in it!) – it’s also very much about supporting local businesses and hospitality workers.

You can enjoy this year’s Savor Sarasota from June 1 to June 20. We’ve increased it this year to 20 days to celebrate 20 years! I encourage you to head over to SavorSarasota.com to whet your appetite and make your plan to visit some (or all) of our participating restaurants. There may even be prizes for those who savor the most.

As our Savor Sarasota participants realize with every bite and sip, and as John and Amanda Horne have embodied for decades, the heart of our community beats in the kitchens of our local restaurants. After all, in Sarasota County, we don’t just eat local – we live local, with the secret ingredient always being hospitality.

Erin Duggan, CDME, is President & CEO of Visit Sarasota County.

Photo courtesy of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.