Described as radiant, encouraging, one-of-a-kind, Betsye Kay Finch left an impression on everyone she met. Perhaps most important were the impressions made on her thousands of dance students over her three decades of teaching dance in Lakeland. Now, her daughter, Alexis Rocker is carrying on her legacy by providing an opportunity for young people who share her mother’s love of the performing arts. Born in Fort Meade in October 1926, Betsye started dancing at just four years old. She grew up in Lakeland, where her mother, Gertrude Kay, would drive her to Tampa to study dance. “Some people are gifted with knowing what they want to do when they grow up,” said Alexis. “My mother knew.” At 16-years old, a smart and determined Betsye Kay Finch graduated from Lakeland High School and moved to New York City to further study dance and drama at the Feagin School of Dramatic Art. Though the move would seem bold to most, Betsye was comfortable in the warmth and glimmer of the New York lights. Alex J. Kay, Betyse’s father hailed from Philadelphia. Every summer, she and her brothers would drive to Philadelphia to visit their relatives before moving on to Atlantic City and New York City. “Had it not been for those summers visiting in Philadelphia, Atlantic City, and New York City, she probably would have been a bit intimidated and not gone to New York to study. But she knew that’s where she wanted to be,” said Alexis. The Rehearsal Club, where Betsye lived, was within walking distance of NBC Studios and Radio City Music Hall. The born dancer tried out and made it as a Radio City Rockette. The demanding schedule of upwards of six shows a day led her to step away from the chorus line and focus on her academics, drama, and dance. “She took tap lessons from Ziegfeld Follies choreographer Ned Wayburn and from Bill “Bojangles” Robinson,” said daughter, Alexis. And by the time she left the Big Apple, “She held four coveted union cards: Actors’ Equity, the American Guild of Variety Artists, SAG, and American Federation of TV and Radio Artists.” TEACHING TAP AND OTHER INVALUABLE LESSONS In 1949, the former Rockette moved back to Lakeland for marriage and family. This would not be the end of the line for Betyse’s illustrious dance career. In 1951, she founded Betsye Kay’s School of Dance in Lakeland. Two former students of Betyse’s, Nancy Cook Fisher and Leah Bellotto Lauderdale remember tapping along with their teacher with fondness. “When I was four, I told Mother that I wanted to take dance. I remember looking at this book and it showed somebody on half-toe in a ballet shoe and somebody on pointe,” said Nancy. “I looked at this book for a whole year waiting to go to ballet school.” Nancy continued, “I was so excited when I walked into Betsye’s studio. There was this woman with this fabulous smile and she welcomed me.” Leah described Betsye Kay’s personality as vivacious. “You knew when Betsye Kay was in the room,” she said. “She also had this heightened sense of encouragement, professionalism, and versatility.” Betsye was teaching not only four, five, and six-year-olds, but high school students as well. “She also spoke to who you were,” said Leah. She and her two sisters grew up on a cattle ranch. Betsye would choreograph little cowboy numbers with ballet and tap incorporated just for the three sisters, complete with cowboy boots and getup. “Betsye Kay brought the arts to life,” she said. Betsye’s daughter Alexis took dance with her too. Around 12-years-old, she told her mother that she didn’t think she was cut out for dance. “She looked at me […] and she said to me very dramatically and sweetly, ‘I’m glad that you finally came to realize this.’’’ The humorous moment was a testament to Betyse’s candor as well as an illustration of her grace as a teacher and mother. “What was so marvelous about my mother is that she had me come to that conclusion on my own. It wasn’t forced upon me,” said Alexis. The influence of their dance teacher went beyond the walls of the unairconditioned Lakeland dance studio. Nancy continued to dance into her fifties. “The joy of dance did not leave me because she so influenced my life,” she said. Teamwork, poise, and presence before an audience were only a few of the lessons imparted on Leah by Betsye Kay. The three women also mentioned fellow former dance student, Kay Ruthven Hagan who went on to serve in the North Carolina and United States Senate. “She was a big fan of my mother’s and vice versa,” said Alexis. “Kay was a beautiful dancer. […] She was a brilliant person in many ways,” said Nancy. “She carried her poise into college and her political life.” “All of this influence on these young women has carried over into their adult lives,” said Betyse’s daughter. Throughout her life, Betsye continued to choreograph and take the stage for the likes of Theatre Winter Haven, Lakeland Little Theatre (now Lakeland Community Theatre), Mark I & II Dinner Theatres, and others. She was instrumental in helping to raise funds to restore the Polk Theatre. She was chairman of the 60th-anniversary 1988 production, “Heavenly Daze!” that helped raise funds for the restoration of the landmark theater. A lover of the arts, Betsye was an early champion of the Polk Museum of Art as well. Her creativity surpassed dance, Betsye also hosted a weekly radio program, “Borrowed and Blue,” on WONN and wrote a weekly column for The Ledger about social happenings around the city called “In Lakeland’s Mirror.” Later in life, Betsye was involved at her church, All Saints’ Episcopal Church, as well as substitute-taught at Oscar J. Pope Elementary and Jesse Keen Elementary School after she retired from dance study. “In essence, Mother was always teaching,” said Alexis. As a firm believer in education, Betsye saw to it that her children were well educated and cultured by the world. Alexis remembers traveling to New York City with her mother at the age of five. Betsye continued her dance studies while a caretaker would accompany Alexis to Central Park Zoo and Broadway matinees. Betsye took Alexis and her brother, Al Finch across the world and back – Paris, Milan, Peru. “My mother’s comment was, ‘Travel is educational.’ And indeed, it was.” AN NYC CELEBRATION FOR THE DANCER Betsye Kay Finch passed away on March 3, 2019. On October 25, at Sardi’s, the iconic Broadway restaurant, family, friends, former students, and colleagues gathered to remember the talented dancer and teacher. It would have been her 93rd birthday. The day was celebratory and emotional for Alexis. “To think all of these people traveled such distances to celebrate her and honor her life – it spoke so highly of my mom,” she said. Lakeland native Lindsey Alley shared memories with Betsye. One of which involved the two aboard a plane bound for LaGuardia Airport that had to make an emergency landing. “When the plane eventually landed, on foam and to throngs of emergency trucks, Miss Betsye was giggling as she slid down the emergency chute. I’ll never forget that moment or her joyous zest for life,” recounted Alley. In attendance was famed composer of the Broadway musical, Annie, Charles Strouse whom Betsye met while attending the musical, Bring Back Birdie to see former student Rebecca Renfroe-Borneman. Alexis was overjoyed Strouse came to the celebration. “He appreciated the fact that she made such an impact on her community with dance,” said Alexis. Renfroe-Borneman who was also a guest at the October 25 luncheon, penned and sung a song entitled “Dancing in the Tune” for her childhood dance teacher. In the last stanza of the song, Rebecca belts: Dancing in the tune Watching children fly Dancing through the songs The dancer never dies THE BETSYE KAY FINCH PERFORMING ARTS FOUNDATION In honor of her mother, Alexis started the Betsye Kay Finch Performing Arts Foundation. “I knew right away when my mother passed that I wanted to form a foundation in her honor to continue to help other young people who might not be as fortunate as she was, to have the help that she had to get to New York to study,” said Alexis. “Why not perpetuate in her name, to be able to help other young people go forward to study and pursue their dreams. It is to keep her memory alive. She was adamant about education – helping young people become successful in whatever they did in life.” The scholarship will be awarded amongst the five Lakeland area high schools to deserving graduating seniors pursuing post-secondary education in dance or musical theatre. This will include scholarships toward theatrical institutions and dance academies. “Not every creative soul chooses to go the academic route. We didn’t want to narrow it to only college or university,” said Alexis. Alexis Rocker and six other people who knew Betsye Kay personally are on the board, including Leah Bellotto Lauderdale. Nancy Cook Fisher and Rebecca Renfroe-Borneman are advisors to the Board. The Betsye Kay Finch Performing Arts Foundation will be working with the Polk Education Foundation to receive applicants. The first scholarships will be awarded later this spring and they plan to have their first fundraiser in September. “She was such an influence on my life and continued to be until the day she died,” said Nancy of Betsye Kay. “That woman was just a ray of sunshine.” Betsye Kay Finch was a one-in-a-million person, a dazzling performer with an electric Broadway smile, kind eyes, and a light that shone bright enough to illuminate all who encountered her. If even one of the students who receive a scholarship from her foundation go on to do a fraction of what Betsye did in her lifetime, imagine how the community could be uplifted and enriched. Alexis said of her mother, “She’s still helping young people from Heaven.” To send donations, contact: Betsye Kay Finch Performing Arts Foundation 4798 S Florida Ave, #225, Lakeland, FL 33813 Email: bfkperformingarts@gmail.com Photo by Amy Sexson

It’s been called the “Cheers” of Winter Haven where “everybody knows everybody,” according to owner Tim Leopard. It’s a good-time, classic bar off Recker Highway with neon beer signage, pool tables, darts, and some damn good pub food – it’s Apple Lounge. The original building was constructed in 1976 as the Liquor Mart. It was purchased by Ted Shackelford in 1982. Ted was such a fixture of the bar that even now the logo reads “Apple Lounge & Grill Established by Ted 1982”. Ted worked at the Liquor Mart in the 70s and early 80s. When he bought the business in 1982, he changed the name from Liquor Mart to Apple Lounge. Why Apple? Was it a nickname or a nod to a favorite cocktail? None of the above, actually. This was preGoogle, pre-Yelp, during the days of Yellow Pages. Whenever someone thumbed the Yellow Pages looking for a nightclub or bar in Winter Haven, Ted wanted Apple to be first. Ted “got out of the business” in 1990 and sold Apple according to Leopard. He came back to manage the lounge in 1993 when it was purchased by Greg Gay who now owns Old Man Frank’s and Tanners Lakeside Restaurant & Bar. Current owner, Tim Leopard, purchased Apple Lounge in 2005. In 2007, only two years after Leopard took ownership, the lounge had a devastating fire. Flames ravaged the building. “At the moment, it was the absolute worst thing. I thought, ‘How are we ever going to recover from this?’” remembers Leopard. The lounge closed for seven months to rebuild, opening again during the last week of 2007. “We took it down to the block walls and wood trusses. Everything else was basically brand new,” said Leopard. “We called ourselves ‘the newest old bar around.’” What, at the time, seemed like a potentially breaking moment in the bar’s history, actually allowed them to rebuild and upgrade – something they continue to do. “We want to have the cleanest, nicest bar around. We want to maintain our quality of service, our product, our environment – everything from top to bottom,” he said. In honor of Ted Shackelford, who has since passed, Leopard intends to have a plaque made, dedicating the building to the former owner. Somewhere on the plaque it will read, “Ted was, is, and always will be the Apple,” said Leopard. “I’m just running with somebody else’s torch,” he added. “He’s the one that got the ball rolling.” YOU HAD ME AT ‘REUBEN’ AND KEPT ME AT ‘NACHO BAR’ We talked with Apple Lounge & Grill General Manager, Melinda Ross about the food offerings at the pub. The lounge’s modest menu was expanded with the help of retired chef, Jerry Slack. Together, he and Ellen Lewis who has been the backbone of the kitchen at the lounge for 13 years worked up a new and improved menu that keeps the kitchen busy with a loyal lunch crowd. The menu boasts a satisfying variety of pub fare from cheese curds and potato skins to sloppy nachos, wings, burgers, salads and the like. Their best sellers according to the GM are their burgers and wings. Her Apple go-to is the Mango Wango wings. Owner Tim Leopard joked, “My favorite is the chicken wings, but due to my doctor’s finger-wagging, I think my favorite is the chicken quesadilla.” Every Monday and Thursday, Apple offers homemade specials ranging from comfort food staples – meatloaf, mushroom burgers, or chicken mash bowl to their famous Rueben sandwich. That’s what we came for, in fact – in honor of St. Patty’s Day. We’ve been told time and time again “You have to try the Rueben at Apple!” (First and most emphatically by Nando and Sally Del Castillo during a Putt Putt Pub a few years ago.) The Rueben is offered exclusively through March except for making the occasional appearance on their special menu. The sandwich is constructed on marbled rye bread delivered fresh from a bakery in Tampa. High-quality corned beef is hand shaved and topped with house-made thousand island dressing along with sauerkraut and swiss cheese. It is served hot on the nicely toasted rye for every bit of crunchy, meaty, tangy, melty flavor you could want, accompanied by seasoned fries and a pickle. If you ask Ellen Lewis what makes their Rueben special, she’ll tell you it’s love, plain and simple. “She has a lot of pride in what she puts out,” said Ross of Lewis. “Her heart is here, and she cares about what she’s putting out.” “Our quality is first and foremost. I think that’s what makes the sandwich,” Lewis added. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, you can get this bad boy throughout the entire month of March. In addition to their fixed menu and Monday/ Thursday specials, Apple hosts Taco Tuesday including acoustic open mic from 7 pm – 10 pm, and live entertainment on Fridays. If you didn’t know, we’ll let you in a little secret. It involves a nacho bar… Apple caters. Company lunch, corporate event, wedding, whatever the occasion, Apple can cater your event serving up their award-winning wings or an assortment of other options that aren’t on their regular menu like chicken and yellow rice, shepherd’s pie, even a taco bar, pasta bar, chicken sandwich bar, baked potato bar, or nacho bar. Those might be the best kind of bars. That’s the kind of bar you’ll catch me at. Admit it, if someone whispered, “Meet me at the taco bar,” it’s a little romantic. COMMUNITY OUTREACH Complementing its good-time, neighborhood bar atmosphere and stellar grub, Apple Lounge has been known to help those in need. For the last four years, Leopard, Ross and the Apple team have hosted a Christmas food distribution event. The idea started as a way to give in-need families hot, holiday meals. After talking to Grant Piche’, owner of Catering Oasis and “the passion behind” Winter Haven’s branch of Restaurants Against Hunger according to Leopard, the concept shifted. Piche’ told Leopard that much of the need is for families who have the ability to cook, but perhaps not the means to buy the food. Instead of feeding them one meal, Piche’ suggested he could feed them for a week if they provided them with the items to cook. Apple reached out for donations and partnership opportunities with food banks and bulk suppliers. The first year, they averaged 20-25 pounds of food per box and served 300 boxes filled with a protein of some kind, drinks, vegetables, and other goods. The Saturday before Christmas, families drive up and have a box loaded into their cars or volunteers deliver to those without transportation. With a loyal and charitable customer base, Apple is never in a shortage of volunteers. Last year, Leopard said twice as many volunteers as were needed, turned up to lend a hand. “We try to put it out there for people who don’t necessarily have the money to go out and spend that extra for a Christmas dinner,” said Ross. “Tim, he just has that kind of heart.” Leopard noted the tremendous help they’ve received from Farmer Jack’s Produce, Restaurants Against Hunger, CocaCola, and Phoenix Industries. According to Ross, they have also recently partnered with the Angel Care Center in Eloise on a Christmas drive. “We had the privilege of going there this last Christmas on the day that they got to go in and pick one toy for one of their kids,” she said. Teachers have been another focus in Apple’s community outreach efforts. “We understand that police, first responders, school teachers, they’re the backbone of our community. Everybody knows they are under-recognized, certainly underpaid, and overworked,” said the Apple Lounge owner. In response to the need of local teachers, they challenge their customers to donate school supplies and gift cards at the beginning of the school year, which Apple Lounge then matches. “Our customer base, the folks that take care of us, they are always willing to take care of the community. They always jump in and are happy to be a part of it,” said Leopard. IT’S ABOUT THE PEOPLE Lunchtime and late-night patrons alike would agree the Apple Lounge has been a fixture in Winter Haven for decades. What makes it such a beloved spot? Leopard was a bartender at Apple from 1997 through ’99. Now the owner, he said, “I can walk in there today and still see many of the same customers that were fixtures there more than 20 years ago.” “Our oldest customer just passed away last year. He was 92,” said Ross. “You’d see him come in on a daily basis and shoot pool with a young kid. That’s our group – they just mesh together. Our customers are a big part of this. [...] They make it what it is.” “If you’ve ever gone in and sat any amount of time you see the comradery of the clientele. When somebody walks in all of the heads turn. People refer to it as the “Cheers” of Winter Haven – everybody knows everybody,” said Leopard. Apple Lounge & Grill 2803 Recker Hwy, Winter Haven, FL (863) 291-0340 FB @appleloungewinterhaven Photos by Amy Sexson

Grammy-nominated saxophonist and Director of the Jazz Studies Program at the University of South Florida, Jack Wilkins has cultivated an illustrious jazz career in recording, performing, and teaching. Wilkins will be bringing his talents to the Ridge later this month with a concert in tribute to jazz legend, Hank Mobley at the Lake Wales Arts Center. Wilkins grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina. He started playing saxophone in the fifth grade through the Greensboro school district under the direction of celebrated band director Herbert Hazelman. “I was really interested in jazz from the junior high, high school age on,” remembers Wilkins. His band director was also a saxophone player and told him if he wanted to be like the successful jazz musicians that toured with the likes of James Brown and Ray Charles, he needed to listen to the marquee names in saxophone from the classic era – Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, and Sonny Rollins. Additionally, Wilkins began taking lessons from a saxophonist who was also a jazz fan, exposing him to more legends like Hank Mobley. Though he enjoyed soul and R&B music that featured horn players, Wilkins said, “I was drawn to the instrumental side of jazz music.” “At that time, a lot of the big bands were touring,” said Wilkins. At various North Carolina college campuses and venues, acts like The Woody Herman Big Band, Duke Ellington and His Orchestra, and Stan Kenton and His Orchestra would perform. “I probably saw those bands four, five, six times each when I was in high school,” he said. “Not only did I get to hear the great recordings, I got to hear some great musicians play music live and that was always exciting. I kind of had the bug at that point.” Wilkins began playing with groups in Greensboro and from the University of North Carolina while he was still in high school. A promising up-and-comer in the jazz community, Wilkins decided to use college as a stepping stone to play jazz music professionally. He sorted through the best jazz programs in the country, had a few auditions, and landed at the University of Miami. He attended the University of Miami out of high school and finished his undergrad at Appalachian State University back in North Carolina. He did graduate work at the University of Indiana to study with distinguished jazz educator, David Baker. Wilkins has been a professor with the University of South Florida since 1993 where he heads the Jazz Studies program along with professor and accomplished jazz composer, Chuck Owen. In addition to his academic work, Wilkins continues his career as a professional saxophonist and jazz musician with seven albums of his own as well as collaborating on other projects. APPALACHIAN ROOTS LEAD TO CANADIAN ALBUM A particularly interesting album in his seven-CD catalog entitled The Blue and Green Project features his own compositions and arrangements that are “based in American root music and inspired by the culture and environment of the Appalachian Mountains.” Growing up in North Carolina, he was exposed to the bluegrass roots of Appalachia. He recalls going to see renowned bluegrass musician, Doc Watson live, just outside of Boone. “He used to play at the Hilltop Vacuum Cleaner Center. It was a vacuum cleaner store owned by this music fan. He would clear off the floor and move all the vacuum cleaners out of the way and set up chairs and have about 75 people come and hear music concerts,” recalls Wilkins. These country, bluegrass, and mountain musicians inspired Wilkins to put together a unique project crossing genres The Blue and Green Project. The concept for the album, according to Wilkins, is steeped in Appalachian mountain culture, environment, and history – the green and blue of the Blue Ridge Mountains along with American roots music influences from blues and gospel to bluegrass and country. The saxophone isn’t an instrument typically associated with bluegrass music. To merge the two genres, Wilkins penned bluegrass fiddle lines and played the sax along with them with violinist Sara Caswell and acoustic guitar. “It was fun for me to play fiddle music on saxophone,” said Wilkins. “The thing about bluegrass and jazz is that you have to be really good on your instrument. You have to be a virtuoso technician on your instrument to play bluegrass or jazz because it’s demanding in a lot of notes.” The native North Carolinian described it as fun to turn his roots into a jazz/ Americana music project. Following The Blue and Green Project, Wilkins did a residency at the Banff Centre in the Canadian Rockies. He spoke with the center about his multimedia album The Blue and Green Project which utilized art, film, and music. The Banff Centre, a multi-arts center, was interested in a similar interdisciplinary project based on the history, culture, and environment of the Banff area which Wilkins went on to record and title The Banff Project. Wilkins’ most recent album, The Rundle Sessions, is an extension of his work there. The project, named after Mount Rundle, he described as an international collaboration of sorts with American and Canadian artists featured on the album. Wilkins’s talent on the saxophone has garnered him Grammy contention. Colleague Chuck Owen, professor of jazz composition at USF is a well-respected jazz composer, leading a 17-piece modern orchestra jazz band, Chuck Owen & the Jazz Surge. “We have an amazing group of musicians made up of some of the best musicians in Florida plus some players who come down from New York,” said Wilkins. Together they’ve done six big band albums. The musicianship and arrangement in their catalog of work are well-respected in the jazz community. Chuck Owen & the Jazz Surge’s album Whispers on the Wind received four Grammy nominations, voted into the finals for Best Ensemble, Best Arrangement, Best Composer, and Best Soloist. SOUL STATION LIVE! At 6 PM on March 7, Jack Wilkins will take the Lake Wales Arts Center stage to pay tribute to one of the great jazz musicians of the classic era, Hank Mobley. Wilkins will perform the milestone jazz recording Soul Station by Hank Mobley. The album was released by Blunote Records in 1960 making this performance an anniversary tribute. “Blunote was known for putting out what some people would call ‘meat and potatoes jazz’ in the sixties. It was very mainstream and usually had a little bit of bluesy sound to it and featured a lot of the best musicians of the time who were regular members of other people’s groups,” explained Wilkins. At this point, Mobley was playing with the Miles Davis Quintet with bass player Paul Chambers and American jazz pianist Wynton Kelly. Soul Station features Mobley, Kelly, Chambers, and drummer Art Blakey. “Everybody knows each other really well on this record and you can tell because the music flows,” said Wilkins. That’s one of the great things about jazz, he points out – the musical communication. “It gets conversational and even humorous because they make little questions and answers back and forth.” Completing Wilkins’s quartet for the March 7 concert will be pianist Per Danielsson, bassist Charlie Silva, and drummer Walt Hubbard. “It’ll be a real recreation – a lot of fun for us and I’m sure for the audience as well,” said Wilkins. “I learned quite a bit from Jack Wilkins. His dedication to jazz education is inspiring. It was an honor to learn from him and later perform together,” said executive director for the Lake Wales Arts Council, Andrew Allen. “Jack will truly honor the legacy of Hank Mobley and his contributions to jazz.” Jack Wilkins – ”Soul Station Live!” March 7, 2020 at 6 PM Lake Wales Arts Center 1099 FL-60 E, Lake Wales, FL Tickets: centralfloridatix.com www.lakewalesartscouncil.org

What’s in a name? That which we call a beer A beer by any other name would taste as sweet – Shakespeare … pretty sure, or was it Shakesbeer? (sorry) Just the name Grove Roots evokes thoughts of a good time, seeing old friends, and making new ones. Or, as my editor would put it, “Going to Grove Roots is like putting on your favorite pair of jeans. It’s just comfortable.” The enduring roots of a Polk County orange tree branching out, connecting the community to its heritage also comes to mind. A name can mean a lot. Grove Roots Brewing Company opened in September of 2016. The last three and a half years in business have been a dream for home brewer turned brewery owner, Joe Dunham. In that time, the space itself and the beers they make have become iconic. It’s the people like Joe, and director of operations for the brewery, Morgan Wilson and all of the familiar faces behind the bar and in the brewhouse that makes Grove Roots great. Of course, it’s also the delicious selection of craft beers that they serve across the counter. We talked with Dunham and Wilson about what exactly goes into the etymology of our favorite beers. The next time you order a Seven Saddles or a Talk to me Gooseberry, you’ll know why. FIRST, SOME HISTORY “I started out of my garage,” said Dunham. “I like to cook, and I love craft beer and back then you couldn’t get a beer with twenty ingredients in it.” If he wanted a beer with hints of jalapeno and pineapple, he’d have to make it himself. “I talked my wife into buying $300 homebrew kits […] The hobby grew into about three grand,” he laughed. This wasn’t an out of the blue operation – Dunham has always wanted to own a brewery. In his previous job as a contract administrator in project management at an engineering and construction firm, he would work on his business plan. For a year he put his finance education background to good use, calculating the logistics of this grand beer plot. “I wrote a plan that involved financing, equipment purchases, branding. It was a full sixty, seventy-page, fully-vetted plan,” he said. He pitched it and found a group of individuals willing to invest in his idea. Similar to the naming of their toasted oatmeal brown ale, Toast (more on that later), family member, Morgan Wilson was hired just in the nick of time. Dunham’s attention had been wrapped up in brewing the beer and other aspects of opening a business that two weeks before the grand opening, he realized he had no employees. Wilson has since become Dunham’s right-hand woman, the wizard behind the proverbial curtain, and a fixture at the brewery. Since opening the doors in the fall of 2016, Grove Roots has solidified itself as “Winter Haven’s living room.” The brewery started a popular monthly craft vendor market called Moonlight Market, expanded distribution to restaurants and bars around the county including LEGOLAND, and has produced upwards of ninety different beers. Between 13 and 15 barrels of beer, roughly 465 gallons, come out of the Third Street brewery every week. “It’s been fantastic,” Dunham reflected. “It’s doubled what we thought we would do. The community has really gotten behind us and that’s the coolest part. It’s the organic side of marketing where people talk about this place as if it’s their own.” If you ask many Grove Roots regulars, the brewery feels at least a little bit, like it does belong to them. Morgan Wilson has found a sense of pride and ownership in the brewery as well. “I could fill this entire issue with why this is the best job in the world, but I’ll save you,” she laughed. “Seeing the impact we can have on our community is by far the best,” said Wilson. “I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for giving back and helping others – knowing we have the chance to spread some good and love is humbling. Whether it’s as simple as a mid-week pick-me-up or through the cause and effect chain with non-profits; knowing we helped make someone’s day better, even if it’s just a fraction, has become my drive.” WHAT’S IN A NAME? Ninety plus beers – that’s a lot of names to come up with. The ingenuity behind the beer names at Grove Roots comes from heritage, puns, people, or simply flavor inspiration. Some were carefully thought out and some were titled only minutes before the doors opened. According to the craft beer cognoscente, there is no industry standard for naming beers. “Some people chase heritage, some people chase trendy,” he said. It’s more about the mantra of the brewery that determines the titles on the taps. “Ours is a heritage brand, so we try to focus, at least our main beers off of heritage, Winter Haven culture,” he said. “Grove Roots took me about three months to name,” said Dunham. “I had a list of about 100 names and was trying to decide something that explained what our model is. Our model was always ‘Community-centric and Winter Haven focused.’” He combined the heritage essence of “Grove” and the community connection of “Roots” to represent how he wanted people to feel about the brand. Like the orange grove origins of the brewery’s name, its four flagship beers’ themes are also situated around citrus. Slanted Ladders, a white pale ale, is an ode to the wooden grove ladders tilted against an orange tree to be harvested. Of such importance to the brand, antique slanted ladders are used around the brewery as part of the décor. Dunham described Wakes of Grain as a lifestyle brand. It’s all about life on The Chain, lake days, tubing, and skiing. Rind & Shine, a tasty citrus Wit beer with Valencia oranges, evokes citrus elements with a kiss of the sunshine state. “You’re sitting on the lakes and you’re feeling the lifestyle,” he said of the beer. Their breakfast stout with coffee and chocolate, 6 AM Pickers pays homage to the early risers that would head to the grove to pick oranges. Toast made it on the board last-minute. “It was our grand opening day and I hadn’t come up with a name for our brown ale yet,” remembered Dunham. He thought it could have a double meaning – something to ‘toast’ to and it did have that toasted bread flavor. “That was going to be a placeholder for another name in the future, but the beer took off and we left it the same name that’s it’s always been,” he said. Wilson’s favorite beer backstory is Talk to me Gooseberry. It too was a beer about to hit the taps sans name. “This beautiful beer was an Imperial Wheat brewed with Nelson Sauvin Hops from New Zealand and gave off notes of white grapes and gooseberries,” she said. “The name pretty much slapped us in the face: “Talk to me Goose” from Top Gun, thus Talk to me Gooseberry.” For each of their beer names, there is a corresponding photo, according to Wilson. She told the hilariously charming story behind the Talk to me Gooseberry picture. “Taylor Norrell, our head brewer can officially put down “beer model” on his resume for the number of times I’ve used him as a prop,” she said. “We printed out all of the patches from Top Gun that Goose wore and taped them to a jacket we found lying around in the back. I think we even tried to convince him to shave his beard. That was a hard, ‘My wife will kill me, no.’ After close to 30 minutes of making him pose I got the perfect picture to go with the perfect beer. My mouth is watering just thinking of it.” Seven Saddles, an amber lager, is dripping with Winter Haven history. A story told to him by museum director of The Museum of Winter Haven History, Bob Gernert, inspired the beer’s cowboy culture spirit. As Gernert points out about the frequently told story, it is “More likely folklore, but there’s no one to say otherwise now.” The story of Henry Tandy as written by Josephine Burr in “The History of Winter Haven” goes like this… “It seems that Mr. Tandy liked his liquor as did many other citizens of those days and on Saturday nights the Tandy Store was a gathering place for friends who enjoyed a drink with Henry. One Saturday night, after the crowds had left, Tandy said to his bookkeeper, ‘I know that I sold two saddles tonight but I just cannot recall to whom.’ After much thought they decided to bill several likely customers for the purchases, being sure that whoever did not buy the merchandise would complain at once. To their amazement, of about ten bills sent out, seven paid.” Seven Saddles will be one of the first they bring to market with their new canning line. Dunham loves the tale behind Seven Saddles because it shows off the Central Florida heritage he’s proud of and has made the center of his brand. Dunham and the Grove Roots team have a group chat that has been the birthplace of many a beer moniker. Brewers and bartenders will throw out their wittiest ideas that they then vote on. “A lot of our bartenders are pretty good with puns and it makes it fun,” said Dunham. “We love puns – almost too punny sometimes.” Trappe Queen, for example, is a play on Trappist beers, “an abbey-style of beers that are brewed by monks.” It’s a Belgian Trippel that I will leave up to you to Urban Dictionary the other meaning behind. This is about as risqué as Grove Roots will get with names said, Dunham. You won’t find any colorful language of the four-letter variety, sexual innuendos or dirty double entendres on the Grove Roots beer board. He wants to keep things family-friendly. “We try to keep most everything clean and classy,” he said. One of Dunham’s favorite wordplays is Tropical Dilemma. It’s made with strawberries but comes strong with grapefruit or passionfruit. “That’s why it’s a dilemma, it tastes like tropical fruit but it’s really strawberry,” he said. When filmmaker/ bartender, Jeremy Gardner left to work on his film After Midnight, regular patrons would ask, “Where’s Jeremy?” Dunham said that Gardner is a fan of hoppy pilsners. “We did this hoppy pilsner that ended up being kind of sassy and kind of bitter and we figured, that’s who Jeremy is,” he said. So, they named it the “Where’s Jeremy” complete with a wanted poster. Miss Betty’s Lemonade, a lemon Gose, is named after Dunham’s great aunt who is a big fan of sours. Naming beers, at Grove Roots, Joe says, is all about people, places, lifestyle, and heritage. A CAN-DO ATTITUDE This month, the brewery hopes to launch their first series of canned beers with the investment of their very own canning line. The plan for canning – the “can plan” if you will – is to start with in-house sales to test consistency, quality, and operation. “It will be nice to have a smaller canning line because I can do a lot more variety in-house and get it out to the public,” he said. Dunham has his eyes on eventually getting into places he isn’t already, like resorts in Orlando, Disney, and on the shelves of Publix. “We are going to start with eight branded items and then start doing special releases,” he said. The first eight will include their four flagship beers along with Lip Ripper, Seven Saddles, Tropical Dilemma, and Toast. In other news, doubling its barrel-aging program and embarking on more fruited sours are on the horizon for Grove Roots. Growth is always in Dunham’s sights. “You have to grow up or out and eventually we’ll reach capacity either via the height of our tanks or more tanks,” he said. “The goal right now is to add the canning line, add a couple more fermenters, potentially go after cider production […] If the cans and our distribution network take off as I hope it does, then we’ll have to have a second facility for production.” Grove Roots lovers have no fear, Joe will always keep his downtown 10-barrel system location. Expect big things in the future though. He said, “If we decide to go to the next level, we’ll put something triple or quadruple this size off-site.” Grove Roots Brewing Co. 302 3rd St SW, Winter Haven, FL (863) 291-0700 groveroots.com FB @groverootsbrewing IG @groverootsbrewing Photos by Amy Sexson

It’s been about six months since Colin and Meagan Wells opened their trendy downtown beer spot, Union Taproom. Union debuted as Polk County’s first self-pour taproom concept in August, inviting Winter Haven and surrounding cities to PYOB (Pour Your Own Beer). If for some crazy reason (and it better be a good one) you haven’t PYOB at Union, here’s how it works. Guests present their ID and form of payment at the check-in counter to verify age and start a tab. They are then given an RFID bracelet which is linked to their tab. After grabbing a glass, thirsty patrons can head over to the tap wall. Above each tap is a tablet displaying the price per ounce, location and history of the brew, ABV (Alcohol By Volume), and IBU (International Bitterness Units). Guests pour as little or as much as they would like, using the RFID bracelet to activate the tap. This allows craft beer adventurers to taste before committing to a whole glass of something they may not love. When patrons are ready to leave, they simply return the bracelet and close out the tab. Bring more friends, repeat. WHAT’S UP, UNION? We checked in with Colin Wells to talk about what’s happening at Union six months later and chat all things beer and bites. “Winter Haven has been very receptive to the concept,” said Wells. “We’ve heard a lot of great things from people, the response has been good. People really seem to enjoy it.” Opening Union, which was inspired by The Alley Downtown Taproom in Aiken, South Carolina, has been a blast for the couple. Colin said he and Meagan love to people-watch as regular patrons get the hang of self-pour and come back for more. “It’s been a lot of fun watching people that come in multiple times still getting used to using the wristband,” he said. “We’ll lock eyes with somebody who’s trying to pour beer and it’s not working, and they’ll go, ‘Oh, I forgot to use my wristband!’” ‘What’s on tap’ you ask? Their 40-tap setup has played host to a variety of craft beers, ciders, wine, cold brew coffee, and kombucha. They’ve had some interesting beer flavors from P&J to Oatmeal Raisin Cookie brown ale mixed among a tastefully curated craft lineup. “Believe it or not, one of the most popular flavors we’ve had was a pink lemonade cider,” said Wells. “That crossed all different genders and age gaps – everybody loved it.” This included even the biggest and burliest of blokes, he said. “There are a lot of really good local craft brewers in Florida,” said Wells. “We want to focus on doing some more in-state brewed beers here in Florida to support some of those guys.” They also plan to continue introducing people to beers they might not drink anywhere else. When a new patron walks in and they give them the self-pour rundown and ask what they typically drink to point them in a starting direction, Colin said, “You’d be surprised how many people say, ‘I don’t like beer that tastes like beer.’” “Having 40 taps, we’re able to introduce people to not your stereotypical beers,” he said. “There is something for everybody, it’s just getting them to step outside of their comfort zone and try a few and watching people enjoy things they never thought they would.” The continually rotating taps see five to six new beers a week including seasonal beers. “It’s been a lot of fun tasting them all, I can tell you that,” Colin laughed. Moving ahead, the Union Taproom team will continue to focus on what they do best – offering a tasty, eclectic mix of brews for the community to try out, indulging in old favorites or stumbling upon new ones, in a comfy environment that promotes socializing and making new friends. BEERS AND BITES Along with introducing folks to new beers, they hope to do the same with their rotating schedule of food trucks. Patrons can enjoy unique flavors downtown every Thursday through Sunday. “It’s been nice having the food trucks,” said Wells. “People can come and enjoy beers with food they can’t often get in Winter Haven.” Downtown Winter Haven has its fair selection of upscale restaurants and fast-casual haunts centrally located to the taproom. Guests are invited to order food from downtown restaurants, many of which will deliver to Union. Fire is a frequent go-to for Colin and Meagan. “Their wings are fantastic,” he said. “Beer and wings – you can’t dispute that pairing.” Another downtown meal to wash down at Union are the burgers from Rocco’s according to Wells. Take your beer into your own hands! Stop by Union Taproom to make some new friends and discover some new brews. Until next time – Cheers, Union! Union Taproom 245 W Central Ave #102, Winter Haven, FL uniontaproomwh.com FB @uniontaproom IG @uniontaproom 863-268-4921

1 cup mint chocolate chip ice cream ½ cup Scotch 4 ice cubes Green food coloring (optional) Whipped cream & sprinkles for garnish In a blender, add ice cream, Scotch, green coloring (if using) and ice. Blend until smooth, pour into glass, top with whipped cream and sprinkles. Recipe makes one shake. 21+ please drink responsibly

In the village of York Beach, Maine John and Jeané Gaskins operate a unique restaurant serving up two genres of cuisine that don’t often go together. A 28-seat eatery with concrete floors and wooden shiplap walls, Gaskins Barbecue & Lobster is a summer month staple for the town. John, a Navy veteran served eight years active duty and six years in the Reserves. From 2001 to the end of 2004, he was stationed at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. The family would often vacation in York Beach and fell in love with the area. When the spot where their restaurant now sits came up for sale, they jumped on the opportunity to own an eatery in the idyllic town. They sold their restaurants in Florida, one of which was a 400- seat steakhouse and set to work serving up barbecue and lobster. “I’ll never open up another gigantic restaurant,” said John. “Thirty-five, forty-five seats, I can talk to the customers, I can watch the kitchen, I can watch the dining room.” He and Jeané like the personal aspect and quality control of a more intimate restaurant. “People really embraced us up there like they have here,” said John. They opened Gaskins in York Beach in 2016 as a barbecue restaurant initially – a culinary concept not as readily available in the northeast as it is here. As Maine is renowned for its lobster, the Gaskins’ added a simple, but solid lobster roll to their menu. The space they were in had almost always been a seafood restaurant. Folks would come in and order their former favorite seafood dish without a glance at the menu. To accommodate this long-standing institution, Gaskins introduced a seafood menu including the likes of fried haddock, lobster, and whole belly clams. On December 4, the Gaskins brought their concept to Winter Haven. The town was in a buzz over the barbecue and lobster concept. Jeané, a Haines City native and John, from the Cocoa Beach area, love Winter Haven. The family would live up north tending to their York Beach restaurant during the summer and retire to Florida for the remainder of the year. They knew this was the perfect spot to open a year-round Gaskins. The space is cozy, accented by whitewashed shiplap. Fresh food is served on silver trays lined in newsprint parchment as if you’re having a seafood cookout with your family at home. John said, “We want everyone to feel like they’re at home.” The attentive staff, mostly family – including John and Jeané, their son and daughter, nephew, cousin, and aunt – are some of the same people you’re likely to see if you travel to Maine during the summer to indulge in a Gaskins lobster roll. “It’s not just the same food – you’re going to see the same faces,” said John. Gaskins is the kind of place where they remember your name and after a few times probably even your order. It’s a place centered around community and family, something the owners have intentionally cultivated. “A lot of customers have watched our kids grow up,” said Jeané of their York Beach establishment. “We love that,” said John. “We like to be involved in the community and we like the community to be involved with us.” The seafood and barbecue concept means there’s a little something for everyone on the menu. Each dish has been thoughtful conceptualized and executed in the fast-casual eatery. Their barbecue is smoked over oak and hickory every day. Their brisket and pulled pork smoke overnight between 14 and 16 hours and their ribs and chicken are smoked every morning. Gaskins’ brisket is cut-with-a-fork tender with a rich, smoky flavor. If you’re looking for a full-on traditional southern meal for a family, order up their 3 Meat Sampler complete with two of their signature sides. Their ribs have a rich almost candied exterior and won’t put up a fight to slide right off of the bone. Their loaded potato salad is made with a sour cream base and is reminiscent of a delicious loaded baked potato. Even their barbecue beans are noteworthy with a sweet hint of maple. The sampler is served with fresh onions and pickles on the side and a warm, moist piece of cornbread so cakey it could serve as dessert. If you’re in the market for a handheld – two words – Savage Swine. This beast of a sandwich is piled high with pulled pork, kimchi, fresh pickles, and onions and topped off with their signature Gaskins sweet sauce. It offers all the smoke and succulence you could ask for with their pulled pork accompanied by an acidic crunch of kimchi. Exceptional products and consistent preparation are made a focus at Gaskins. All of their seafood is wild-caught, all-natural, chemical and sulfate-free. “It’s simple. There’s not much on our menu that has more than two or three ingredients in it,” said John. “If you use fantastic lobster and you use a fantastic bun, you’ll end up with a fantastic product.” And a fantastic product it is – a thick toasted bun cradling a generously heaping portion of choice lobster served with a side of melted butter. Another fresh take on the lobster roll is Gaskins’ lobster salad roll tossed in a light mayo and celery as to not overpower the sweetness of the dish’s featured ingredient. The family says they are getting customers from all over Central Florida. Customers who’ve dined at Gaskins in York Beach are going out of their way to get it here. “We had a couple the other day that drove three hours,” said John. One gentleman from the northeast stopped by to say that Gaskins has the best fried haddock he’s ever had – a high compliment from a New Englander. Even at 3 pm on a Wednesday, Gaskins was steadily busy. We asked the couple what they think keeps people coming back. “I think it’s the uniqueness,” said Jeané. The initial intrigue got them in the door and the exceptional food has kept their interest. “Most of all,” said John, “we really delivered on what everybody wanted this to be.” “It’s not just about serving food,” said John Gaskins. “It’s about creating a whole community and a family.” Gaskins Barbecue & Lobster 600 Cypress Gardens Blvd, Winter Haven (863) 656-1605 Gaskinsbarbecue.com FB @Gaskinsbarbecue IG @gaskinsbarbecue Photos by Amy Sexson

Whether he’s served you a beer at Grove Roots, told you a joke, or stumped you with a trivia question there’s one thing you know about Thom Bly – he’s a born entertainer. Bly has taken this natural charisma and knack for putting on a show and turned it into a growingly popular full-service live entertainment company in Polk County and across Central Florida. Bly was born in Ohio where his parents stayed until he was two. They moved to San Diego for a few years before moving to Lakeland to take care of his grandmother. He attended school from kindergarten through high school here, graduating from Lakeland High School before attending Florida Southern College. He decided to take a break from school and landed a job as a flight attendant for United Airlines. He lived in Chicago for a few months during training and was based out of New York for several years. He took a furlough from his job to temporarily move back to Florida to help a friend who had just had a baby get settled. “I was planning on going back to New York,” he said. “Then I met a girl and fell in love and got married.” Thom and his wife Ash, a Winter Haven native, have lived here for nine years. He is a programmer by day with some ten years in the IT field and bartends part-time at Grove Roots. It’s his third job though, that is particularly interesting. CATEGORY: THINGS YOUR IN-LAWS SAY “I’ve been going to trivia nights since college,” said Bly. He enjoyed learning about an array of subjects and found himself watching tv shows like Jeopardy and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. He and his wife stumbled upon a trivia night at the former Slyce Pizza Kitchen. “It turned into a weekly family event,” said Bly. He and Ash along with her parents, sister and family friends would get together to outsmart each other on trivia night. The person running the trivia events moved to south Florida, leaving Slyce to find another trivia host. One night, unenthused with their new host, the Slyce owner was talking with Bly and his in-laws. They mentioned wanting to find someone new to host trivia. “My father-in-law slaps me on the shoulder and says, ‘Thom can do it!’” remembers Bly. “I thought about all of the trivia shows that I enjoyed doing over the years and kind of took the best parts of each one of those things and tried to bundle it together into my own thing,” he said. With the material he’d put together Bly put on an audition show for the job and they loved it. This was his first foray into trivia. Triviosity Live Events is the name he gave his new business. “I started doing as many shows as I could because I was having so much fun with it,” said Bly. He would put on trivia events at locations around the county – including Grove Roots, Cob & Pen, Beer Rev (now Craft + Kitchen) to name a few. The bread and butter of his trivia business is general knowledge. The breadth of the topics makes it approachable for anyone sitting at a bar or restaurant when they’re hosting an event without having to know about a single niche topic. Thom curates the shows himself, breaking them down into mini categories. He’s now curated around 200 shows to this point, keeping pace at about four shows written per week. “My way of forcing myself to learn more things that I enjoy learning is to go into that Google rabbit hole,” he said. Where some trivia companies pay for a set of canned questions, Thom spends hours losing himself on the internet exploring categories and subcategories for fun and challenging questions for each show. “I don’t want to do the thing that everybody else does. I want it to be different and unique and fun and exciting for everybody,” he said. With a growing demand for his brand of entertainment, Bly has the help of similarly engaging Triviosity team members to host shows around the county. He described his hosts, Taylor Zaudtke, Austyn Harben, and Kevin Zimmer as amazing hosts and “friendly, outgoing people.” FAQS WITH DJ THOM He started offering his trivia services for corporate events as a reprieve from the typical cocktail party and teambuilding. A corporate client asked if he could DJ for them as well – why yes, yes he could. “That’s kind of how it happens with me,” he laughed. “Someone gives me an idea and I make it happen.” Bly has been called a Jack of All Trades, a real Renaissance Man – he loves to learn new things and pick up new skills whenever he can. He bought a controller and started taking lessons online. He has admittedly always had an affinity for music and had dabbled in the DJ booth during college. He gathered popular songs and songs that he liked to prep for the gig. The event went swimmingly and he added DJing and emceeing to his repertoire. We picked up some tips to elevate the entertainment at your event courtesy of the Triviosity founder. Bly described the process of consulting with a client, saying that he first makes it a point to get to know the client and learn about their event. He’ll ask for a rough timeline of the celebration and what needs and wants the client has so he can let them know which of those he can fill. Triviosity Live Events is a one-stop-shop when it comes to DJing and emceeing. Bly has music, a lighting system, video screens, and projectors to provide an all-inclusive experience for his clients. He gives clients an information sheet on which they can list out the different sessions that they’ll have throughout the event, along with what kind of music they like and any songs they specifically do or do not want to hear. “Not everybody wants to hear ‘Baby Got Back’ at their wedding or their corporate function. Some people really want to hear it, so I give them that option,” he said. “I’m here to make this event whatever you want it to be.” Another meeting is held between one month and one week from the event to go over the information sheet and discuss the plan for the party. With permission from the client, he likes to have a little bit of freedom to play what guests are responding to the day of. Setting the tone of the event via music relies a lot on the type of event. “If it’s for someone’s birthday, you want their personality to come out, if it’s a wedding, you want the couple’s personality to come out,” he said. You also want to keep in mind the taste of your guests and what will keep them entertained. If the hosts agree, the DJ will open it up for requests. At a recent wedding he did, the couple had their guests pre-request songs and made a spreadsheet to give to Bly. He says pre-requesting is something he plans to start doing when possible. Another piece of advice Bly had was to not leave the entertainment as an afterthought. Often, people will book a venue, hire a caterer and a photographer and tend to other details, leaving the entertainment for last when their budget is all but depleted. Unfortunately, you often get what you pay for. “Our big suggestion is don’t always go to someone based solely on price. Talk to several entertainers,” he said. Ask about what they can do to make your event special for you and your guests. “You’ll find a lot of times that you might pay a little more for somebody willing to do all those things, but it makes the event so much better,” he added. For weddings, he recommends booking the entertainment six to ten months or longer in advance and corporate gigs, two to six months. Always keep in mind that the holidays are busy, so booking in advance is preferable. The earlier, the better is a good rule of thumb. FOR A GOOD TIME CALL The Triviosity team also uses its powers for good, giving back to the community when they can. In December, they collected and combined all of their tips to purchase bikes for children in less fortunate homes who may not otherwise have received presents. They bought eight bikes and scooters with helmets to give away. Grove Roots heard about their initiative and matched the contribution, bringing the total to 16 bikes and scooters. They were donated to the Winter Haven Police Department and went along with them to deliver the gifts to the families. Bly also does events like the WHPD 5K benefiting the Special Olympics for free – something he’s done for two years now. In March, he’ll also be providing the entertainment at CommunityFest hosted by the Greater Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce, free of charge. “I was born in Ohio and I’ve lived in a couple of other places, but Polk County is home for me. It’s treated me mostly well throughout my life and I enjoy being able to give a little something back in any way I can,” said Bly. Entertaining people comes naturally to Thom Bly – he’s been in some form of service or entertainment for twenty years now. As a waiter and bartender, he would perform bar tricks to get guests excited. When he was a flight attendant, he would find his way to the microphone during pre-boarding or safety announcements to make folks laugh. “When I bartend at Grove Roots I do a lot of the same thing – making jokes with people, having fun [...],” he said. “I bring all those years of fun and excitement into our trivia show.” What’s Bly’s favorite part of the job? “Seeing people happy,” he said. “I know it’s cheesy and corny, but, […] at my core I’m an entertainer and that’s what we like to see – we like to see people having a good time.” Triviosity Live Events Triviositylive.com hello@triviositylive.com FB @TriviosityLive IG @triviositylive Photo by Amy Sexson

Polk County born and raised Chef Chad Clevenger’s aptitude in the kitchen has taken him across the world. His culinary roots are intertwined with his southern heritage. This is where it all started, in fact. Clevenger was born and raised in Winter Haven. At 18, his dad told him he needed a job and to go down to talk to Gary Schack at Schack’s Bar-BQue. Clevenger’s father was friends with Schack and they even lived in the same neighborhood. Chad and Gary Jr. were good friends growing up too. “A lot of the kids that we grew up hanging out with at some point probably worked at the restaurant as a dishwasher or busboy or cook,” said Clevenger. He started out washing dishes and traces his professional culinary origins to the Schack’s kitchen. His general love of food began much earlier. Clevenger explained that many of the women in his life – his mom, grandmother, aunts, sister-in-law – are fantastic cooks. Another culinary influence was a woman who used to babysit him – Mama Jewel. From under a year old through kindergarten whether or not she knew it at the time, Mama Jewel contributed to his affinity for food. “I could ask for anything and she would make it,” he said. “She would sit me up on her countertop and I’d eat salted butter out of her cupboard. [She had an] old school southern way of cooking and thinking about food.” “Between her and all those women in my family, that’s kind of where I [learned to] love eating and cooking,” said the chef. CULINARY MILESTONES When he was 21, Clevenger moved to Austin, Texas to attend culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu. This is where his palette for biscuits and cornbread began to shift south of the border. He indulged in Austin’s Mexican and Southwestern scene before moving to Santa Fe, New Mexico for an externship. His resume to intern at the Coyote Café in Santa Fe, under Chef Mark Miller was accepted. He progressed, eventually becoming a cook, then sous-chef and at age 26 was named the executive chef of the Southwestern bistro. His time in Austin and Santa Fe solidified his specialty in elevated Mexican cuisine. With an urge to move from Santa Fe, Clevenger settled on Denver as his next stop. There, he worked for Melvyn Master before the owner decided to close that location and open a few other concepts that didn’t quite fit for the young chef. He asked Clevenger if he’d like to go and cook in France for a friend of his. Clevenger picked up and moved to France for six months to be the private chef for acclaimed composer and lyricist, Leslie Bricusse who penned music for the likes of The Pink Panther, James Bond, and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. After his shift as summer chef, Clevenger returned to Denver to work for Master again. At 29 years old, with the help of his brother, Clevenger purchased the restaurant, aptly named Mel’s. This was in August of 2008, mere months before the housing and loan crisis would ravage the economy causing even the most long-standing reputable restaurants to close their doors under the financial pressure. Even still, Clevenger made Mel’s work for two years before closing it in 2010. His last day at the restaurant is one he will always remember. Clevenger remembers trying to clean up the space and his brother telling him to sit down. “I ended my restaurant and my father died all in the same day,” said Clevenger. Photo by Heidi Geldhauser Before he closed the restaurant, the chef bought a food truck and opened it, post-Mel’s as The Porker. He remembers being only the second or third food truck to pop up in Denver at the time. He served all things pork – from ribs and pork belly with a seasonally changing menu and daily specials of one pork dish and one vegetarian dish. From there he did consulting work for other local restaurants while on the hunt for another culinary position. He picked five major cities that he could see himself living in with a robust foodie scene and began seeking out work in those cities. “I was on Denver Craigslist and I saw this ad: ‘Restaurant group in Atlanta opening new Mexican Restaurant,’” he remembered. He bit, sent them his resume and received a call the next day. Within three weeks he was living in Atlanta. He started in 2011 as the opening chef for Alma Cocina, an upscale eatery boasting modern Mexican fare in downtown Atlanta. Though the chef says he has between five and eight dishes he considers to be signatures, his favorite by a mile is the huitlacoche empanadas. The chef explained that huitlacoche is somewhat of a Mexican truffle. The corn fungus is caused by moisture between the kernels. “Huitlacoche is a delicacy in Mexico,” said Clevenger. “Corn on the cob is, what, four for a dollar in the summer? One pound of huitlacoche is $10.” The executive chef even sources this delicacy not too far from home from a grower in Clermont, Florida. “I like that empanada dish because it’s different – not many people are using huitlacoche worldwide,” he said. He described this mouthwatering dish beginning with the filling comprised of huitlacoche, Oaxaca cheese, charred tomatoes, charred jalapenos, onion, garlic and spices that are then wrapped in empanada dough, fried and served with ranchero sauce and garnished with a chiffonade of a Mexican herb called epazote. A new direction in his career, Chef Clevenger is opening Alma Cocina Buckhead as the executive chef. Alma Cocina Downtown did so well, that the group is opening a second location in the prestigious uptown Buckhead district. “Buckhead is like the Beverly Hills of Atlanta,” he said. “It’s a beautiful restaurant, a much different feel and décor from Downtown.” Alma Cocina Buckhead is set to open on February 4. He will continue to be involved with the downtown location as well as Fifth Group Restaurants’ Chinese cuisine establishment Yum Chao. “Downtown has been home for a while. A huge part of my staff has been there with me since day one,” said Clevenger. Though the move away from his home kitchen and staff is bittersweet, he said, “I’m looking forward to a new challenge, new guests, new equipment, a different feel, and a new team to work with.” UP AGAINST BOBBY FLAY It only makes sense that with the killer empanadas Chef Clevenger makes regularly at Alma Cocina that this would be the dish to defeat culinary heavyweight, Bobby Flay. On Season 19, Episode 2 of Food Network’s Beat Bobby Flay entitled “Take Him to Fresno” our very own Chef Chad Clevenger went up against two opponents. He wowed the judges, Food Network’s Alex Guarnaschelli and actor Ben Rappaport in round one using the secret ingredient, Fresno chilis to compose a Mexican-style sauteed prawn in a Fresno hot sauce. He sent opponent, owner and chef of Yountville, California bistro Protéa, Anita Cartagena home with his thoughtful utilization of the chilis. In round two up against Bobby Flay, the two made pork empanadas. Though Flay put up a good fight, Clevenger’s chorizo empanada with ranchero sauce and cilantro tomato salad sealed the deal with judges. In a two-one vote, Chef Clevenger won! What was the feeling Clevenger had when they called his name as the victor? “It was awesome,” he said. “You’re sitting there while they’re tasting it and replaying all the steps in your head and critiquing things […].” “It was a relief and excitement – there were a lot of emotions going on,” he said. Clevenger was glad to have his wife, Andrea in the audience for support. (Side note: Chad and Andrea have a five-month-old Boxer puppy. She’s named Piper Cub because Andrea liked the name Piper and a Piper Cub is the model of airplane that Clevenger’s grandfather used to own and fly.) Clevenger even saved the sweaty, food-stained shirt and shoes he was wearing on the show as a memento of the occasion. “I got back to the hotel and was in the shower and just started crying,” he said. “I don’t know [why],” he said. “Maybe it was for my parents and that I had accomplished something. […] Something about that day made me tear up.” POLK COUNTY MUST-EATS AND CULINARY ADVICE When Chef Clevenger comes home to Polk County, he has a few go-to restaurants. First, of course, “I’ve always got to go see my extended family at Schack’s,” he said. He and his buddies always make a run to Peebles Bar-B-Q in Auburndale when he’s in town. “I’ve eaten there since I was a kid. My dad used to eat there when he was in his twenties and had stories of being broke and just eating the bread and the barbecue sauce,” said Clevenger. Pizza Connection and Andy’s Igloo are chef-staples and Clevenger said he is impressed as well with what Chef Rojas at Nutwood is doing. From humble beginnings as a dishwasher at Schack’s Bar-B-Que to executive chef at a top Atlanta restaurant, Alma Cocina and winner of “Beat Bobby Flay” – this seasoned chef had advice for anyone reading this with similar culinary aspirations. “This industry is tough,” he said. “If you decide to go the culinary route, it doesn’t so much matter about a fancy culinary school – CIA, Le Cordon Bleu, whatever – it’s what you put into it. And that goes for anything.” He encouraged practicing at home and emphasized the importance of knife skills. “Read a lot of cookbooks, read menus, if you don’t understand an ingredient – Google it,” he said. What it all comes down to is grit, he said, “passion, drive, and taking the initiative to learn a craft.”

Lake Wales artist Blair Updike draws inspiration from her home. Florida culture, cowboys and Seminoles, even modern-day authors inspire her to illuminate the beauty and history of the region. Two years ago we met in her studio off of Lake Amoret to discuss her work. As her painting exhibition of Florida landscapes is opening later this month at the Lake Wales Arts Center, it seemed fitting to revisit her story. The 8th generation Floridian grew up on The Ridge. Creativity was a natural resource for Updike, even as a child. She was always drawing or painting. Remembering her earliest work, she said, “I’d do these whole scenes where it was the landscape with all different kinds of trees, a waterfall, and squirrels, and otters.” Anywhere there could be an animal, she put one. Updike majored in Art at Stetson University before switching her focus to English. “I put down the painting for years,” she said. She went to work for her family’s company Peterson Industries in Lake Wales. © beau 2020 “When my youngest child was two, I had a picture of her that I thought was really cute and I wanted to make a painting of it,” Blair remembered. She and the canvas were reacquainted and she picked up her brushes once again. The artist now homeschools her two girls and works as the Clerk for Highland Park where she lives and paints. A multi-faceted artist, painting with watercolors and sculpting, her primary medium is oil paints. Her stunning portraits hang on the walls of her studio in handpicked frames – some antique, others custom from a local framer. A palette layered with paint from portraits past rested beside her easel – a piece of art in its own right, it was a colorful testament to the hours of work she puts into her craft. “I mostly do Florida cultural and landscape themes just because I feel like it’s beautiful and the cultural aspect is something that needs a little more attention,” Blair explained. “I’d rather reflect something that’s a little authentic about Florida than just to do pretty scenes.” Blair’s subjects range from her daughters, cowboys, Seminoles, authors, self-portraits, families in commissioned pieces. She’s even captured Mike Osceola, descendant of the war chief, Cheif Osceola who led a Seminole resistance in the Second Seminole War. Blair does many portraits, some commissioned and some that catch her eye, landscapes, sunsets, still life’s – a little bit of everything. She is constantly evolving. When we spoke she was working on painting from memory. In Italy the Spring before, Blair met a group from Boston that she stays in touch with. She said, “I sent four panels up for an event they had last week. Something went wrong with the first two panels.” She improvised and painted the first two panels from memory, without reference. “It kind of set me free to be able to make stuff up,” she said. On her walks every afternoon or evening, Blair would try to remember what she had seen and return to her studio to paint it from memory. “It’s the difference between observing something and finding it [...] in your own head,” she said. This, she said is less about creating and more about learning. “I’m directed by what I’m interested in learning now.” Updike admires many other artists. She noted Quang Ho, David Leffel, and Sherrie McGraw as modern artists that she appreciates as well as Spanish Impressionist, Sorolla as an incredible inspiration. About five years ago, she studied with “modern Rembrant” portrait artist, David Leffel. “From him, I learned the logic behind painting and about composing for the light. I’ve gone to workshops to study with quite a few of our contemporary masters, but the conclusion that I’ve come to is that I know enough by now, and it’s time to practice it,” said Updike. “So now instead of studying with someone, I have painting mentors and I put the most energy into working as opposed to studying.” She’s gone to Tuscany twice with well-known painter, installation artist, and Bostonian Michael Dowling who serves as one of her mentors. “We stay in a Benedictine monastery in San Gimignano and walk out and paint in and around the town,” she said. “Michael’s emphasis is more on just discovery through the work as opposed to trying to control the whole process or think through it. The joy is in the absorbing and creating, not in the controlling.” Updike’s latest project has been a collection of Florida landscape portraits for her exhibit “Orange & Oil” opening February 13 at the Lake Wales Arts Council. She spoke about her inspiration for the series of paintings. “I spent a lot of time out at Tiger Creek, especially around the bluffs. There are a lot of cabbage palms just because I love their form. They’re so sculptural,” said Updike. Clouds also drew interest from the artist. “I cloud-watch when I’m driving the kids around and I get very into studying them as if I could logic them out. There is order to them but it’s as vast as the sky, so my human mind can only grasp a piece of it and then rely on imagination or inspiration for the rest,” she said. Realizing she was painting scenes just to show off the clouds, she decided to make some of them cloudscape instead of a landscape. One single piece doesn’t speak to Updike more than another in the collection. In fact, in true artist fashion, she said, “I alternate between loving and completely loathing the paintings when they’re done. A lot of the time I’ll keep the finished ones in another room so they don’t aggravate me while I’m working.” Updike has enjoyed working on such a grand scale for the show. Though completing six-foot paintings in succession isn’t typical for the Lake Wales artist, she said it was “an intriguing challenge.” She remarked, “I was complaining to Michael a couple of months ago about the investment in such large canvases and he said, ‘You’ll feel better after you butter them.’ And I do.” As you meander through the Michael Crews Gallery, admiring the collective brushstrokes that have come together to create Blair’s unique perspective on the Florida landscape, she leaves it up to the beholder what they choose to take away from her work. Her goals were simply to “reveal the beauty of the scene and make the paint look its best,” she said. “I can’t improve on the Creator’s work, but I can remind people of the beauty that’s there and do it in a way that justifies my medium,” said Updike. “If it’s oil paint, the paint itself needs to look good. I think the technical term is ‘surface quality,’ but all I’m thinking is whether it looks interesting or beautiful on the canvas.” Keep an eye on what’s coming up at the Lake Wales Arts Center this year urged Blair. “The exhibits and musical performers are all fantastic this year and not to be missed. It’s a group that I can be proud to have as my peers.” Blair Updike – “Orange & Oil” Reception When: February 13, 2020 6 PM - 7:30 PM Where: Michael Crew Gallery 1099 FL-60 E, Lake Wales, FL There will be an open bar and food available to all guests. Admission is free to the public. Blair’s paintings will be available for purchase throughout the duration of this exhibit. Artwork purchased during the exhibit will be available to take home after the exhibit concludes. www.bupdikeart.com

It’s a sweet little gesture – get a box for someone you love today, or get one for yourself, or do both! Charlie’s mini donuts are mini, so eating an entire dozen is really only like three or four regular donuts. Right? The first time Charlie’s Mini Donuts & Coffee owner Carlo Bashoura came across the mini donut concept was in Seattle, where he used to live. At the local farmers market was a man with a single machine, serving up piping hot mini donuts. People would grab a cup of coffee from a shop across the street and make their way to the mini donut vendor to pick up a six-pack in a bag. “I used to go there and get his donuts all the time and the idea has stuck in my head since,” said Barshoura. Carlo and his wife Marcel thought South Lakeland could use a good coffee and donut shop and decided to open one of their own. Just like the made-to-order goodies that come out of the shop, “We started Charlie’s Mini Donuts from scratch,” said Bashoura. Carlo and Marcel completely renovated their space off of County Road 540A in South Lakeland. The shop was an empty shell. The Bashoura’s put in everything from the plumbing, new electric and walls, all the way down to the paint. They opened Charlie’s Mini Donuts in July of 2017 and the tiny treats have since become a fixture in the bellies and Instagram feeds of Polk County residents. The donut and coffee cafe is named after their son, Charlie. His sweet face and red ringlets are depicted in caricatures around the shop. Charlie’s cartoon likeness is even the logo for the mini donut brand. “He’s everything we have in our life,” said Barshoura. “He’s the boss, Charlie is the boss,” he smiled. The shop started with 15 flavors and over the years have added on to their now 26 flavors. Through their “Donut of the Week,” Charlie’s tries out a new flavor based on ideas of their own, from customers and employees and even other shops. If the flavor is a hit, they do-nut have any objections to keeping it on the menu permanently To accompany their many unconventional and classic flavors is a cup of Joe just how you like it, from Joffrey’s Coffee and Tea Company in Tampa. Hot and iced coffee, lattes, cappuccinos, teas and smoothies are just a few of the beverage options at the shop. “They’re all made to order – that is what sets us apart from everybody,” said Bashoura. In a world of frozen and reheated or pre-prepared and shipped overnight, the Charlie’s owners pride themselves on the freshness of their products. There are two kinds of donuts – yeast and cake. Charlie’s are moist, crumbly cake donuts. They make their dough on-site and fry the donuts to order. The donuts are then iced, topped, and drizzled if the recipe calls for it. “Even if you came in at 6 pm, you’re going to get hot, fresh donuts,” said Bashoura. One of their top sellers is Maple Bacon – a warm cakey donut with maple icing topped with bacon for a sweet and salty fix. Another is their classic Pink Sprinkle donut which brings to mind Homer Simpson – Mmmmm donuts. Many people keep it traditional with glazed, while other creative offerings include donuts topped with Fruity Pebbles, Pop Rocks, Rice Krispies, Butterfinger and even a S’mores donut with chocolate icing, graham cracker crumbs, and marshmallow drizzle. Carlo said his sweet tooth is partial to their Cinnamon Sugar and Reece’s Peanut Butter Cup flavors. Donut lovers can get customizable with their orders from adding chocolate icing to the top of a raspberry jelly donut, to specific colors for a school or baby shower. “If the customer wants something, we’ll make it happen for them,” said Bashoura. These adorably appetizing treats have even been featured in place of traditional wedding cakes, or as fun additions to the dessert table at baby showers, birthdays, and gender reveal parties. Looking for a larger quantity of these mini delights? Just consult with Charlie’s Mini Donuts at least three days before your event and they can make it happen. “The freshness and the unique flavors that we have,” Bashoura said is what he thinks keeps people coming back for their mini donuts. “We try to serve our best and the best quality and a lot of people like and appreciate that,” he said. For friendly service, seriously cute donuts, and a little something to sweeten up your social media game – stop into Charlie’s Mini Donuts & Coffee. Donut forget to tell them LKLD sent you! Charlie’s Mini Donuts & Coffee 1023 E County Rd 540A, Lakeland, FL (863) 500-1414 charlies-mini-donuts-coffee.business.site FB @charliesminidonutcoffee IG @charliesminidonutcoffee Photo by Amy Sexson

Joining friends and family and community – Lakeland’s first food hall, The Joinery is serving up some of the city’s most unique food finds. A laundromat, a skate park, a brewery, the building at 640 E. Main Street has had many lives. Over the last year, new life has been breathed into the space in the form of a collective of food vendors and a large communal dining space to accommodate Lakeland foodies. The Joinery owners Jonathan and Sarah Bucklew had a vision for the city. Instead of moving away to find concepts they loved, they wanted to bring them here. When Sarah Bucklew’s family moved back to Florida from El Paso, Texas – she wasn’t sold on the idea. Her dad had attended Southeastern University in the 1970s before moving the family to El Paso and Mexico to do mission work. They had family in the Orlando area and Sarah’s father wanted to finish his degree, so they moved back to Lakeland. Sarah remembered with a laugh that she used to say she “Dreaded being a Dreadnaught,” in high school. She eventually moved to attend school in Orlando and then to Denver. She met Jonathan Bucklew who had lived in Lakeland since he was nine years old and loved the city. The couple settled in and decided to give life in Lakeland a shot. “I started to really see the beauty in Lakeland and appreciate it,” said Sarah. Traveling for her job as a software consultant took her to trendy cities and tiny towns, making her appreciate home even more. Both traveled frequently for work – Jon with his band, Copeland and Sarah as a software consultant – and even when they weren’t working. “We both loved traveling,” said Jon. “We became foodies from traveling, we became design enthusiasts from our travels.” They had encountered food hall concepts around the country. “One of our original inspirations was The Source Hotel + Market Hall in Denver,” said Jon. As their travels wound down, they longed for some of the food and design destinations that had captivated them. “Rather than thinking, ‘Where should we move to have more of that,’ we tried to shift our perspective to Lakeland as fertile ground to be a part of bringing some of that here,” said Jon. That initial spark was about three and a half years ago. The couple makes high-end modern industrial furniture with their company Seventeen20. The furniture company was “born out of necessity,” explained Sarah. The two were remodeling their house while striving to be debt-free. When they didn’t have funds in the budget for a piece they envisioned, they would make it – dining table, concrete counters, sinks and the like. Jon is the fabricator with a focus on understanding how pieces should be constructed. “Growing up, I was always more comfortable with tools in my hand than crayons or a basketball,” said Jon. The ever-creative Sarah is heavily involved in the design side of Seventeen20. Her keen eye for style and design has also carried over to The Joinery. They built a successful business on Etsy and even have a shop of their own with three full-time and two part-time employees. Sarah expressed that her software job fulfilled her in many aspects, just not on the creative side of things. She wanted to work more with Jon on Seventeen20 so that she could express that side of herself. The pair began trying to find a space that could be a shop, showroom, and home. The idea grew into thoughts of having other artisans also in the space with shops and showrooms. They would, of course, need food, and coffee and the concept began to take shape as an artisan showroom and food hall near Haus 820. They went strong with the concept before it fell through in 2018. Then, the old Lakeland Brewery became an attractive option, though it wasn’t suited to be a shop and showroom and food hall. They paired down the idea to a stunning, craft food hall – the first in Lakeland. The Joinery is still somewhat of a showroom for their fine craftsmanship though. A look around the food hall has Seventeen20 craftsmanship on just about all of the metal and wood elements – tables, benches, bar top, and bathroom sinks. “We’ve had some unique life experiences and opportunities that all converged to set us up to be able to seize an opportunity like this,” said Jon. THE SPACE The decal from the Lakeland Brewing Company can still be seen on the polished concrete floor where the front entrance used to be. Sarah kept it because she sees it as a testament to the building’s rich history. The entrance is now on the side of the building facing the parking lot. The owners did this to keep the patio outside facing Lake Mirror as a more chilled out space with less traffic. The 12,000 square-foot space embodies modern industrial style with soaring ceilings accented by a network of black steel rafters, stark white walls with black-framed spacious windows and polished concrete floors. The hall is host to eight vendors, some in spaces built out and others in sleekly repurposed shipping containers. Each façade is decorated uniquely to each vendor. The commercial kitchen behind what used to be the taproom is a solid infrastructure they wanted to preserve and now serves as the vendor hub for the food hall. A feature unique to The Joinery is the fountain drink station. Where many food halls only serve bottles and cans which can lead to room temperature beverages when demand is high, at The Joinery patrons will be able to buy a cup from any of the vendors and help themselves to ice and a fountain drink. When we toured the space, Sarah was working on art to decorate The Joinery. She flipped through several enlarged retro photos. “They’re all postcards of Lakeland that I love,” she said. Partial to the clean and linear simplicity of modern design, vintage esthetics also call to Sarah. Growing up, her family would visit from El Paso to see her grandparents, aunts, and uncles in the Sunshine State. “I feel like it has a smell, it has a feel,” she said of Florida. The postcards of a mid-century scene at the Lake Wire Inn, Lake Crystal, and Lake Hollingsworth make her think of that distinctly Florida feel. “I wanted to have the color and the vintage quality mixed with the harshness of concrete and steel. The contrast of those things is interesting to me,” said Sarah. Even the fiberglass trays for the food come in funky colors like orange, turquoise, light peach, and olive green have the same retro quality about them. The back-patio space pays homage to this marriage of simplicity and vintage with a geographically correct line of a warm ombre sunset created by umbrellas covering seating outside. “They make me think of drive-ins or the beach,” said Sarah. The space is also complete with a fire pit area with chairs. The berm along the back of the rear patio presented a landscaping challenge for them at first. The Bucklew’s sought out the help of The Nectary, a retail nursery specializing in Florida native plants. “She prescribed all these plants that grow in beach sand,” said Sarah. This way, they would not only survive but thrive in the less than ideal sandy ground along the track. The goal, she explained, is for these plants to creep and take over the space. They plan to put stakes in the ground with a description and QR code so guests can find out what type of plant it is and buy it for their own lawn. The jet-black water tower adjacent to the sunset rainbow of umbrellas the owners plan to brighten up with local artwork as well. The lawn is planned to be the home of corn hole games and eventually shuffleboard. As the entire backyard is theirs, they have plans for more lounge space and outdoor games. Sarah said, “The city is putting in a dog park right at the end of our parking lot so we want to take advantage of that and have some more outdoor space.” THE FOOD “We started by looking at the food. What kinds of food are missing in Lakeland or maybe not represented in the same way that we’ve found in other cities that we love,” said Sarah. They wanted to balance the food and offer fresh things you couldn’t get everywhere. They reached out to the local restaurant community and received general encouragement and even connections with some of the vendors that occupy The Joinery now. The initial concept for the vendor lineup took shape differently than they thought, but Jon said, “We’re overwhelmed with how great it all came out.” “What was encouraging to me is when some of these restaurateurs from Tampa came here and saw it and started to buy into the vision and see the community,” said Jon. He sees that these outside concepts are finding what Sarah and Jon love about Lakeland. From their close circle of friends who have helped pitch in, to the people brimming with excitement for these concepts to come to Lakeland, Jon said of the vendors coming from outside of the city, “I think they are starting to see that and catch the vision for this town that the LEDC is cultivating and with Catapult and the CRA and what we’re doing here – the push to be forward-thinking and a design focus and cool development focus.” The deliciously eclectic line-up includes coffee, beer and small bites courtesy of Tampa-based King State, elevated ice cream from Mayday Ice Cream out of St. Augustine, and craft wood-fired pizzas by Ava, also from Tampa. Sabu Ramen is the first of its kind in Lakeland by Chef Ryan Neal situated next to the gourmet street taco stylings of Gallito Taqueria by Chef Ferrell Alvarez. Chef Alvarez, also of Tampa’s Rooster & the Till acclaim, is one the Bucklew’s favorite chefs. Sarah recalls having to work up the courage to ask if they would put their concept in Lakeland and was ecstatic to have them come in. Across the dining space from Ava are “funky fresh blooms” by Bloom Shakalaka. The only retail vendor in The Joinery, Bloom has a card wall, flower bar, ready-made bouquets and according to the Bucklew’s will eventually be a hub for fullservice floral. Ato, a burritos and bowls concept by Zukku Sushi at Armature Works in Tampa will offer a selection of curated sushi and poke bowls. Rounding out the eats is Super Duper Spot with hamburgers, to-die-for chicken sandwiches, and hand-cut fries. THE BAR A central point of the space is the 24-tap bar butted up to large brewing tanks. The majority of the taps will be reserved for beer from breweries around the state with a couple of taps dedicated to kombucha, matcha, and wine. The Joinery isn’t yet brewing but hopes to be by the end of March. The plan is to be a facility to host brewers from around the state – their recipes, their beer, their name, just at The Joinery. Sarah says they would like to have a brewmaster to be, “proactively seeking out craft brewers from around the state and bringing them in and showcasing them – that’s our initial vision.” We may even see brews from the food hall’s very own King State. At the bar, The Joinery will offer four to six reds and four to six whites with a focus on biodynamic wines. The cocktail keeps with the same vintage Lakeland spin as the rest of the space. Drawn to the mid-century, Sarah said their goal was to create craft cocktails in the same vein of classics, keeping the drinks light and bright. They have six standard drinks, two of which offer variations. The Northside and Southside Royale being one such drink gives patrons the option to opt for rum to rep the northside or gin to side with the southside. The His & Hers Old Fashioned can be ordered with gin which Jon is partial to, or mezcal and tequila like Sarah prefers. The floral garnishes featured in some of their drinks are edible flowers from Happy’s Place Farm. RISING TIDES The Joinery had several soft openings throughout mid-January before their public soft-opening on January 20, 2020. “I’m a firm believer that rising tides lift all boats. I’m looking forward to being a part of the growth in this area of our community,” said Jon. The Bucklew’s think The Joinery will add to the cultivation of the area. “I think this is going to help bring more people to the area and I think it’s going to help Lakeland become more of a destination.” Sarah has a ton of plans and ideas for the space and cannot wait to see her vision realized. “I’m excited to see how each concept does and how people receive it,” she said. Managing a team of people is new to Sarah, but she is looking forward to building a community with them. “I love the process of building a team and everybody working in concert together – that’s beautiful to me.” The Joinery 640 E Main St, Lakeland, FL www.thejoinerylkld.com FB @thejoinerylkld IG @thejoinerylkld Mon-Thurs 11am-10pm Fri & Sat 11am-11pm Sunday 11am-8pm Photos by Amy Sexson