Emerald Coast Magazine • October/November 2023

SANCTUARY WELCOMES

WILD CATS

ADVOCATE UNITES

HISPANICS

STUDENTS CHOOSE AMERICA

Artful Celebration

Muralists add a new dimension to event honoring top businesses

PROUD PARTNERS OF

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E. F. San Juan’s renowned wood millwork creations are complemented by the highest quality windows and doors. Our craftsmen work seamlessly with the most trusted providers of impact-rated doors and windows, such as Weather Shield®, to create custom homes that masterfully combine security, beauty, and function.

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©The St. Joe Company 2023. All Rights Reserved. Watersound Club®, Camp Creek®, and Camp CreekSM are service marks of The St. Joe Company. The St. Joe Company, through its affiliate St. Joe Resort Operations, LLC is d/b/a Watersound Club. The Club is a private club, with membership subject to application and acceptance, membership dues, and other terms of the Club membership documents, which are subject to change. This is not an offer to sell real property.

Launching November 19

Introducing TSO’s own love letter to our artistic community a book for all ages

T is for Tallahassee

The ABC’s of our Musical City

FEATURES

BEST OF THE EMERALD COAST

For 25 years running, Rowland Publishing and Emerald Coast Magazine have invited readers to support their favorite restaurants, bars, boutiques, service providers and other businesses by casting votes for them in the Best of the Emerald Coast readers poll. The recipe for winning is not easily achieved. Coming by the kind of customer loyalty that translates to votes requires excellent products or services, delivered to customers in ways that make them feel appreciated. This year, winners and the public are invited to join in a Winners Soirée on Oct. 12 at Sandestin’s Grand Boulevard. The event will benefit the Emerald Coast Autism Center, a local nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of children with autism.

compiled by RAEMI CRETEUR

LAND OF OPPORTUNITY

After arriving from Europe, South America and other distant places, students who earn degrees at schools along the Emerald Coast often develop a desire to hang around following graduation. They are as subject to falling in love with the area’s spectacular natural assets, comfortable climate and small-town atmosphere as the snowbird from Indiana who comes for a week and buys a condo. Pensacola, in particular, finds itself welcoming resident students as they graduate from the University of West Florida. The commitment to staying is tested by citizenship systems that are hard to navigate. The road can be long, trying and arduous, but the opportunity to live in the land of the red snapper, blue marlin and white sands keeps them going.

by CARRIE HONAKER

THE NEW MELTING POT

Planned communities are springing up across Northwest Florida — Latitude Margaritaville Watersound and Watersound Origins among them. Common denominators unite new residents of these places, but they may not be as homogenous as a sea of loud print shirts might lead you to believe. People with diverse backgrounds from all 50 states and a couple of foreign countries are landing here. All prove eager to engage in community activities, and any culture shock soon gives way to culture flock. Weekend dances, pools and watering holes all gather crowds of people just happy to be there.

by MIKE FENDER

Black Bear Bread Co.

DESTINATIONS

145 GETAWAYS A writer visits the tiny German village where she grew up, discovers a new sense of belonging and gains a reputation as a woman given to jogging on a winter’s day while wearing next to nothing.

THE WAVE

25 GREAT OUTDOORS

After a career spent in radio broadcasting, Jim Broaddus now spends his time with whiskers rather than listeners. He and his wife Bertie operate the Bear Creek Feline Center, one of nine wild cat sanctuaries in Florida.

30 PERSONALITY Grace

Resendez McCaffery is an advocate for Spanishspeaking communities in Northwest Florida and Alabama. Despite threats on her life, the widowed mother of two remains resolute.

PANACHE

37 CITIZEN OF STYLE

Rachael Pongetti believes art is a living thing to be nurtured and supported. So, too, are her students, who benefit from learning in nontraditional ways.

46 WHAT’S IN STORE

Local shops offer new products for freshening your wardrobe this fall. Destin boutique Kiss

the Sky partners with designer Louise Lynette to bring about refined and elegant style.

GASTRO & GUSTO

51 LIBATIONS Bartenders throughout the region are prepared to stir up potions that sync up with goblin season. The venerated bloody mary becomes topical and dry ice is a thing.

56 DINING IN Those Idaho potatoes may seem inevitable as a staple, but for carbo loaders willing to get out of a russet rut, various root veggies, usually overlooked, are worth a try the next time they go tubering.

60 DINING OUT From dinner to dessert, a husbandand-wife team serves up genuine Peruvian cuisine and an authentic South

145

American atmosphere at their Fort Walton Beach restaurant.

EXPRESSION

73 ART Selected muralists from throughout the Emerald Coast region will supply murals for display at the Best of the Emerald Coast Winners Soirée at Grand Boulevard in Sandestin, the first such event in the 25-year history of the readers poll. The artists will also engage in live painting at the celebration.

ABODES

125 HOME DEFENSE When shopping for a household security system, a smart consumer will want to consider price, reliability, ease of use and compatibility

FASHION Platform heels may have reached their height in the ’60s and ’70s, but they are enjoying a resurgence. It turns out that shoes go up and down like hemlines.

IN EVERY ISSUE

16 FROM THE ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

with other smart devices in the home.

130 EXTERIORS With the cost of housing on the rise, homeowners are staying put and enlarging their heated and cooled living space by converting garages to use as bonus rooms.

140 GREEN SCENE

Invasive weeds can escape detection in your lawn, and armadillos can tear up turf. But on the bright side, a migration of yellow butterflies heads to the Emerald Coast, looking to roost among native pea plants.

18 EDITOR'S LETTER

162 SOCIAL STUDIES

164 DINING GUIDE

170 POSTSCRIPT

ON THE COVER:

Lindsay Tobias’ mural at Palm Folly Hard Seltzer is a flight of fancy characteristic of her lighthearted large pieces. She reserves her forays into abstract art and realism for small canvases.

Tobias will be among artists who will have murals on display at this year’s Best of the Emerald Coast Winners Soirée at Grand Boulevard.

PHOTO BY SEAN MURPHY

GMC

BUICK

34 ↑ AIDING AUTISM Emerald Coast Autism Center and Emerald Coast Learning Center were established to enrich the lives of children with autism and other unique abilities. Discover ways that you can support their mission.

48 SKIN SMOOTHER Dermatology

Specialists and Aqua Medical Spa announce a new procedure, ellacor, for tightening and smoothing skin by nonsurgical means.

58 BOUNTIFUL HARVEST

Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation presents a weekend of fine wines and culinary creations at the Harvest Wine & Food Festival.

142 ↑ IMPROVING LIVES

ERA American Real Estate supports local organizations that improve the lives of families and children through participation in the American Charitable Foundation.

150 CALENDAR

Fall unfolds as a season packed with local events and festivals that showcase the arts, food, wine, beer, fishing, business and more.

158 ↑ LITTLE LIBRARIES

Little libraries popping up along Scenic Highway 30A encourage readers of all ages to engage with the page.

134

64 ← A 25 YEAR VIN’TIJ Grand Boulevard restaurant and wine bar Vin’tij celebrates 25 years of wining and dining its loyal patrons while welcoming new additions to a growing family of fans.

↑ FOR SHOW & SALE

McNeill Palm has opened its second location, a showroom in Grand Boulevard, boasting industry-preferred Hunter Douglas blinds and shades.

NEXT ISSUE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE: Something under the tree for everyone on your list.

160 ↑ ARTY PARTY The Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation celebrates the 28th year of the Festival of the Arts, one of the Southeast’s premier art festivals featuring over 100 artists.

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PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER

BRIAN E. ROWLAND

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

MCKENZIE BURLEIGH

EDITORIAL

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Steve Bornhoft

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Emma Witmer

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Paige Aigret, Kari C. Barlow, Mike Fender, Rebecca Padgett Frett, Les Harrison, Carrie Honaker, Laurie Einstein Koszuta, Al Krulick, Liesel Schmidt, Evgeniya Stetsenko

CREATIVE

VICE PRESIDENT / PRODUCTION AND TECHNOLOGY Daniel Vitter

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jennifer Ekrut

SENIOR ART DIRECTOR Saige Roberts

SENIOR PUBLICATION DESIGNERS Sarah Burger, Scott Schiller, Shruti Shah

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Sierra Thomas

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Alissa Aryn Photography, Boo Media, Brenna Kneiss Photo, Bridges Breeze Photography, Lou Columbus, Emily Butler Photography, Erin Hansen Images, Mike Fender, Zhalman Harris, Jack Gardner Photography, Yuki Jhuo, Alex Lewis, Marc Mauldin, Max Impact Photography, Lori Saczynski, Zech Weaver, Will Hepburn Photography, Nathan Zucker

SALES, MARKETING AND EVENTS

SALES MANAGER, WESTERN DIVISION Rhonda Lynn Murray

SALES MANAGER, EASTERN DIVISION Lori Magee Yeaton

DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, WESTERN DIVISION Dan Parker

DIRECTOR OF NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, EASTERN DIVISION Daniel Parisi

ADVERTISING SERVICES MANAGER Tracy Mulligan

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Julie Dorr

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Darla Harrison, Erica Wilson

MARKETING MANAGER Javis Ogden

SALES AND MARKETING WRITER Rebecca Padgett Frett

ADMINISTRATIVE & CUSTOMER SERVICE SPECIALIST Renee Johnson

OPERATIONS

CUSTOM PUBLISHING MANAGER Sara Goldfarb

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE/AD SERVICE COORDINATOR Sarah Coven

PRODUCTION EDITOR Paige Aigret

PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION SPECIALIST Melinda Lanigan

STAFF BOOKKEEPER Amber Dennard

DIGITAL SERVICES

DIGITAL EDITOR/MARKETING SPECIALIST Alix Black

EMERALD COAST MAGAZINE emeraldcoastmagazine.com facebook.com/emeraldcoast twitter.com/emeraldcoastmag instagram.com/emeraldcoastmag pinterest.com/emeraldcoastmag youtube.com/user/emeraldcoastmag

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CUSTOMER SERVICE & SUBMISSIONS Emerald Coast Magazine and Rowland Publishing, Inc. are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photography or artwork. Editorial contributions are welcomed and encouraged but will not be returned. Emerald Coast Magazine reserves the right to publish any letters to the editor.

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Copyright October 2023 Emerald Coast Magazine Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited.

OPPORTUNITIES UNLOCK POTENTIAL

Autism Center is meeting a growing need

In the United States, 17% of children of ages 3 to 17 have a developmental disability, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control. For reasons not completely understood, that percentage has risen during recent decades. About one in 36 children has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder; that number, too, is growing.

Knowledge and resources are critically important to anyone who loves and cares for a child with disabilities. My heart goes out to parents and caregivers who have to go it alone in areas without support organizations such as the Emerald Coast Autism Center.

My appreciation of the challenges faced by people living with autism, in particular, was greatly enhanced by the time I spent in Tallahassee with an incredibly kind and respectful person, Kevin Graham. Prior to meeting him, what little I knew about autism I had gained from watching a television segment about the disorder on 60 Minutes That piece focused on how digital technologies have improved the lives of people with autism.

In 2016, Graham helped establish Autism Cooks, an initiative that aims to bring people with autism and others together at events offering instruction in skills including baking.

Graham had been working at Lucy & Leo’s Cupcakery, a business located upstairs from the Paisley Café, where Jeri’s Midtown Café is now located. Like a neighbor calling upon a neighbor for a cup of sugar, Graham would occasionally visit Kiersten Lee at the cafe to obtain ingredients needed by the cupcakery.

One day, Lee asked Graham if he would like to cook with her.

For starters, Graham had limited verbal communication skills and lacked confidence, but as months passed, Lee saw Graham grow passionate about cooking while becoming more sure of himself and gaining independence. He began to speak much more clearly and learned his way around a kitchen.

Graham was hired by the Paisley Café and then Jeri’s Midtown Café as a host, and he excels in that role. When I met him, he talked about his love of cooking and how it enabled him to grow and enjoy his life more fully. He invited me to cook with him one afternoon, and I immediately said yes.

I arrived at the kitchen one Sunday afternoon when the cafe was closed. I wore nonslip shoes as Graham had instructed. I was to be his sous chef, and to this day, that was the greatest job I have ever had.

We made lemon zest, basil and parmesan sauce to go with homemade pasta and prepared banana pudding for dessert. As we co-created the meal, he described what he felt he could do to help people, especially children, with autism. His certainty about making an impact was impressive.

Unintentionally, I added tears to the sauce. I had been moved by Graham’s joyfulness and the gratitude I felt for everything he was teaching me about life.

My passion for supporting people with autism was born that day, and I am genuinely delighted to announce that this year’s Best of the Emerald Coast Winners Soirée will benefit the Emerald

Coast Autism Center. See page 86 for the complete list of all the incredible winners in the 2023 Best of the Emerald Coast readers choice poll.

I encourage you, too, to turn to page 34 and learn more about the Emerald Coast Autism Center and its impact in Okaloosa and Walton counties and surrounding areas. All donations made to the organization through the end of the year will be matched by the Dugas Family Foundation.

Please join me in helping autistic children on the Emerald Coast gain the opportunity to learn and grow and to experience independence, passion and joy just like my dear friend Graham has. I thank the Emerald Coast Autism Center for all that they do.

Much love,

MCKENZIE BURLEIGH, ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

P.S. Make your plans to attend our Best of the Emerald Coast Winners Soirée at Grand Boulevard on Oct. 12 as we celebrate our readers poll winners for 2023 and support the Emerald Coast Autism Center. Learn more at EmeraldCoastMagazine.com/bestofec.

The associate publisher’s photos were taken at the beautiful Alys Beach — a place where mind, body and spirit delight in carefully curated amenities. With the finest culinary talents on the coast, shopping suitable for those with distinctive tastes, outdoor activities on an exclusive beachfront, miles of nature trails and a state-of-the-art wellness center, Alys Beach is a seaside town like none other.

BIG FUN ON THE CHOCTAWHATCHEE

Holmes County is starting to find its voice

Perhaps you, too, have heard it. I first encountered a radio advertisement promoting Holmes County while listening to a broadcast of a Yankees baseball game aired by WFAN Sports Radio in New York. There is an algorithm that accounts for that happening, but don’t ask me to explain it.

The highly enticing and effective 30-second spot opens with the call of a bird that is not a pigeon. A babbling brook is heard along with a “Whack!” as a golf club strikes a ball.

“Pretty nice, right?” purrs a soothing feminine voice, sweet as Grandmother’s sun tea and a little bit sensual. “Well, that could be you, right here in Holmes County, Florida, the place where folks come to slow down and recharge.”

The spot positions Holmes County (estimated 2022 population, 19,651) as simultaneously pristine and open armed, suggesting that the natives, even if relatively untamed, are friendly. It is the work of the Kerrigan Agency in Mexico Beach, which responded to a request for proposal and landed the Holmes County account on the strength of its experience in rural Florida tourism marketing.

COVID-19 shut down the Holmes County Tourist Development Council for two years, and when its members regrouped, they decided to go looking for help.

“None of us on the board has the time to run the TDC in addition to our day jobs,” said Lesley Hatfield, who serves the council as its secretary and treasurer. “And as a fiscally constrained county, we just aren’t great at spending money. We don’t have experience in making the kind

of investments that it takes to compete in tourism in Florida.”

Prior to the pandemic, the TDC, working with an intern, had managed to produce a brochure and a website that mirrored that piece. Kerrigan has moved the organization into another era. It started work for Holmes County on Feb. 15. By May 30, it had completely revamped its website, making it much more dynamic and a source of valuable intelligence in the form of analytics. The radio ad and a campaign built around it followed.

“The Kerrigan team has great buying power and expertise in reaching our target market,” Hatfield said. “Our ideal people are those who come to spend a week or two at the beach. They wake up one morning and the kids are sunburned, or there are double red flags or it’s raining. We invite them to breeze up Highway 81 or 79 and come hang out with us in Holmes County. We have our springs and other natural amenities, and it’s not hard to get a tee time at our Dogwood Lakes Golf Course.

“But visiting here, things are unscripted. We don’t have all-inclusive vacation packages. You get to choose your own adventure.”

Hatfield is not a newcomer to either Holmes County or marketing. She grew up in Holmes County, then earned a degree at Florida State University before moving south. After 20 years in the Tampa area doing marketing work for certified public accountant firms, she and her husband decided they would rather raise their kids in the country than a metropolis.

“We renovated my grandparents’ home, and we’re back on the farm,” Hatfield said.

The marriage between the Holmes County TDC and Kerrigan works because both organizations possess a wealth of local market knowledge. They understand one another. They know there’s no place like Holmes.

The radio spot continues …

“Discover natural springs, forests and big fun on the Choctawhatchee. Enjoy good eats, great golf and one of the best rodeos in America, all just north of the Emerald Coast beaches. Discover wild, welcoming, unexplored Florida.”

Holmes County never sounded so good.

“Come join us,” Hatfield extended me an invitation. “Castaways Seafood has great shrimp, any way you like ’em. The M & W Smokehouse has a great menu — really good barbecue. And if you’ve never been to our rodeo, you need to make plans to come. This year will be our 79th, and it’s going to be a big one.”

See Florida first.

Take care,

STEVE BORNHOFT, EXECUTIVE EDITOR sbornhoft@rowlandpublishing.com

GIVEAWAYS

30A Songwriters Festival

Enter to win two general admission weekend passes to the 2024 30A Songwriters Festival, celebrating 15 years of “Hooks, Lines and Singers.” Scheduled for Jan. 12-15, this beloved South Walton happening is co-produced by the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County and Russell Carter Artist Management. Festival-goers will enjoy access to more than 175 artists performing original songs at more than 30 venues throughout South Walton. One of our readers will receive a superior holiday gift when the drawing winner is announced on Dec. 15. Enter to win today at EmeraldCoastMagazine.com/giveaways.

REJUVENATE AND RESTORE

If you are looking to rejuvenate your skin or reverse hair loss, microneedling and PRP injections are two treatments that should be on your radar. Dermatology Specialists of Florida offers platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections and microneedling with PRP through its Hair Transplant and Restoration Center, located inside the Aqua Medical Spa. Read more by visiting EmeraldCoastMagazine.com/ rejuvenate-and-restore.

Enter the NEW Ultimate Hilton Sandestin Beach Resort Getaway

We are again partnering with the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa to give one of our lucky readers a premium staycation! Whether you are looking to celebrate your anniversary or just grab some beach time with someone special, this amazing getaway will provide an escape that is sure to be memorable. Enter to win at EmeraldCoastMagazine.com/ultimate-hilton-getaway.

EMERALD COAST FITNESS FOUNDATION RAISES $84,000

Guests at the the second annual Sip & Splash: An Aquatic Affair, held by the Emerald Coast Fitness Foundation, enjoyed delectable bites, fresh cocktails and an elegant event space created at the Taj Renee Community Aquatic Center in Destin. An impressive $84,000 was raised from a silent auction, ticket sales and sponsorships; all funds go to the foundation for use in managing operation costs and numerous aquatic programs at three community pools in Okaloosa County. Read more at EmeraldCoastMagazine.com/ second-annual-sip-and-splash

Do you love the idea of receiving the Emerald Coast newsletter in your inbox but not sure how to sign up for it? We’ve got you covered right here: EmeraldCoastMagazine.com/connect-with-us.

OCT. 2023

25 – 28

Makers Market

Firkin Fête

Spirited Seminars

Spirited Soirée

Be the Maker

A vibrant festival celebrating craft beer, spirited cocktails, fine food, and skilled makers & craftsmen.

Alys Beach Crafted aims to tell the stories of crafted beverages, culinary experiences, artistry, and workmanship. Crafted will be a weekend of events, a gathering of masters of food and drink and renowned artisans from around the country sharing the process, the inspiration, and the product of their craft.

Bene ting Cultural Arts Alliance

For more information, visit alysbeachcrafted.com Tickets on sale now.

Live the life you’ve dreamed at Latitude Margaritaville Watersound!

Sunshine and cool breezes. Palm trees and margaritas. Welcome to Latitude Margaritaville, a 55-and-better community inspired by the legendary music and lifestyle of Jimmy Buffett, built on food, fun, music and escapism.

Escape to the place where fun and relaxation meet.

Escape to island-inspired living as you grow older, but not up.

Escape to Latitude Margaritaville Watersound, located on Hwy 79, less than 8 miles from the beach.

New homes from the $300s

↗ Dani California, a Florida panther, eyes her food at the Bear Creek Feline Center, a sanctuary where big cats, including mountain lions, servals and jaguarundis, are cared for.

photography by MIKE FENDER

CHAMPION Grace Resendez McCaffery

The mountain lions stir with a low rumble as they rise to be fed.

The big animals gently accept their meals and eat in a way that seems delicate, until you hear the crunch of bones between their powerful jaws.

“Gentle, gentle,” the tour guide calls to the animals as she feeds a puma named Saint, who is positioned in an overhead walkway where he can easily be seen by visitors. “That word makes a big difference.”

The Bear Creek Feline Center (BCFC) is a big cat sanctuary that cares for mountain lions, servals, jaguarundis and more. It works closely with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to provide a permanent residence for wildcats, many of which were

once kept as pets or used as feline celebrities. Others may have been struck by cars and sustained injuries that prevent them from being returned to the wild.

The 20 wildcats residing at BCFC are well cared for and well fed. “Round is a shape,” said Bertie Broaddus, wife of sanctuary founder Jim Broaddus, using a phrase intended to mean that there’s nothing wrong with a fat cat.

I had arrived at the sanctuary about the same time that the Ferlock family of Houston did. Tripadvisor lists the sanctuary as No. 1 on its list of things to do in Panama City, and the Ferlocks’ trip to BCFC provided them sanctuary from the scorching sun and blistering sand.

Bertie explained her role as tour guide and our responsibilities as interns.

↑ Staff member Jared Williams feeds

an African serval at the Bear Creek Feline Sanctuary. Like many cats, the serval is able to purr and may at times cackle, growl and grunt. In the wild, it preys on rats, small birds, hares, frogs, insects and reptiles.

photography

Sheena,

“BCFC is not a zoo, so we don’t offer tours,” she explained. “Today, you are all interns on an educational adventure.”

We were warned to keep our fingers out of cages. “They look like little meat sticks to munch on,” Bertie said. She asked that we call out “Mistake!” if we saw anyone, even owner Jim, violate the finger rule.

“We’ve not had a guest get scratched in more than 20 years,” Jim boasted. Bertie led us to cats, some of which we fed and others that we petted.

We stopped at a cluster of habitats containing four big cats in the puma family: Saint, Takota, Marilyn and Thatcher. Bertie and a couple of volunteers prepared metal bowls filled to suit carnivores. A few chicken legs and some steaks made for Saint’s breakfast.

“This is just a morning snack,” Bertie said. “They eat high quality meat that is USDA certified. Collectively, our cats go through about $400 of the stuff every week.” Saint and Takota are brother mountain lions and retired celebrities. Having served at the start of their lives as ambassadors, they never learned necessary skills to hunt and survive in the wild.

↑ Staff member Chastin Mitchell works with Crockett, a Georgia bobcat. The grocery bill at the Bear Creek Feline Center runs about $400 a week.

↖ The Spirit of Bear Creek, a Siberian Lynx, stares down feline center staff before a morning meal. Birds and big cats may seem to be an odd mix, but center owners Jim and Bertie Broaddus see to it that George and Gracie, a pair of blue and gold macaws, are kept out of harm’s way.

We moved to the next section of habitats, home to the bobcats and one serval. Bertie explained that one of the bobcats would likely remain hidden during our visit. He had been run over along the highway and needed emergency surgery to salvage his hind legs.

Next door was a bobcat that had been smuggled in a pillowcase as an infant to become a pet and was kept in a windowless basement for years. Despite access to a large habitat, she preferred the security of hiding under her raised bed.

A small, enclosed and air-conditioned space made a comfortable home for the jaguarundi, which was about the size of a house cat. She hissed and did her best to make herself appear threatening to our group. We were invited to enter the enclosure, one or two at a time, to observe her.

Bertie explained that jaguarundis are not often interested in physical contact, but this one did allow a sanctuary volunteer to approach and eventually even pet her — a rare experience.

Finally, we were invited inside for coffee and cookies. I enjoyed my share, remembering to be “gentle, gentle” as I ate.

In a den area with a couch, bean bag chair and recliner, Athena, a dog-sized serval, mingled with the guest interns. Unlike the jaguarundi, she was accustomed to the affection we offered and even willing to return it.

Jim, whose background includes years spent in radio, explained that BCFC obtained sanctuary status from the state of Florida in 2021, making it one of only nine such facilities in the state.

Because of the development boom in Panama City, Jim anticipates that the number of wildcat-tohuman interactions will grow. He said anyone encountering a wildcat

BEAR CREEK FELINE CENTER

The center, located off U.S. 231 between Panama City and Youngstown, welcomes visitors by appointment only. Contact it via email at bcfctours@gmail.com or (850) 722-9927.

should back away while facing the animal and give BCFC a call.

The BCFC relies entirely on donations, grants and the work of volunteers. Most volunteers help out purely because they love animals, but some are there to earn hours toward their own license to care for wildcats.

“When I get a grant, a big donation, it goes right into this place,” Jim said. “It goes to the cats.”

← Wildman is one of the newest residents at the center. The bobcat was seriously injured when he was hit by a car. He has undergone surgery and has a metal plate in his leg. His condition will not allow him to be returned to the wild.

I fell in love with the center during my visit. We discussed ways to help get the word out about its work and to increase visibility with potential donors. A livestream feed originating at the habitats may be a way to help raise the nearly $3,000 a month required to care for the 20 cats.

I look forward to returning as a volunteering intern in the near future. EC

↘ Marilyn Munster, a cougar, looks on as staff prepare to feed her. Visitors to the feline center are warned to keep their fingers out of cages. “They look like little meat sticks to munch on,” says Bertie Broaddus, whose husband, Jim, owns the center.

photography by MIKE FENDER

LA COSTA ESMERALDA

Grace Resendez McCaffery safeguards Spanish speakers

by EMMA WITMER

Grace Resendez McCaffery knows that compassion can require courage. She is the founder of the Hispanic Resource Center of Northwest Florida and South Alabama. She is also the publisher of the La Costa Latina newspaper, organizer of Pensacola’s Latino Festival and the operator of a language bank that provides volunteer translation services.

She has received death threats twice. The first round came when she worked with emergency management to broadcast a hurricane evacuation order in Spanish.

“I know personally that some people called in speaking Spanish who were headed for a bridge that had broken during the storm,” she said. “We were able to get them off of that bridge and into a shelter. I have no doubt that we saved their lives that day.”

The second batch of threatening messages arrived following publication of the first edition of La Costa Latina, a Spanish language newspaper.

A widow and mother of two young boys, Resendez McCaffery went to the police, who encouraged her to retreat. Stop advertising their work, they advised. Don’t be a public figure. Be quiet.

She was terrified, but resolute. La Costa Latina would continue publishing and Resendez McCaffery would persist in her efforts to protect and support the Spanishspeaking community of Northwest Florida.

Years later, Resendez McCaffery said, police and first responders have come to respect her role and her work.

“Left and right, red and blue. The people who get hurt are the folks in the middle,” she said. “My conscience says I need to fix that. I know their stories. I know how they got here. I know how they’re struggling. I know the work they’ve done in our community. And I know they’re wonderful people. Are they perfect? Not any more than I am.”

Resendez McCaffery moved to Pensacola from her hometown of El Paso, Texas, in 1993. She lost her husband, who died in a car accident, just four months after their second son was born.

“I was widowed at the age of 23,” she said. “Our boys were babies. I was still growing. I hadn’t discovered myself yet at that point. And so it gave me an opportunity to really focus on something other than the hardship.”

She learned Spanish and traced her family origins to the Tarahumara, an indigenous tribe from Northern Mexico. She became part of Pensacola’s Spanish-

speaking community, which grew rapidly following Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

“I was starting my career at the Red Cross when the storm hit,” Resendez McCaffery said. “All of a sudden, there was this shift that I felt coming. I don’t remember why or how, but I remember telling folks things are going to change because I knew that these workers were going to come in.”

Migrant workers poured into the city, rebuilding infrastructure and helping Pensacola to emerge from the storm’s devastation. After the work was done, many remained, finding jobs and making Pensacola their home.

“That’s when I started the language bank,” Resendez McCaffery said. “I had already seen situations where the language barrier really was an issue of life and death for some folks.”

The language bank was a resource much needed by medical professionals, emergency responders, legal professionals and others, but it relied on calls coming in.

↖ Grace Resendez McCaffrey is the founder of the Hispanic Resource Center of Northwest Florida and South Alabama and the publisher of the La Costa Latina newspaper. Despite death threats, the mother of two has persisted in her efforts to support members of the Spanishspeaking community in Pensacola.

NEW LOCATION

“It was very clear to see that we needed to get more information out,” Resendez McCaffery said about language services. “That’s when I really saw the importance of mass communication. Media can save someone’s life just by having information available. That’s where the newspaper came from.”

Resendez McCaffery uses her newspaper to reach Spanish speakers across North Florida and Southern Alabama, but it forms only part of her advocacy work.

She maintains relationships with police and first responders, hosts speakers, works with the Rotary Club and the Red Cross and volunteers with the Border Servant Corps, a hospitality center for refugees released by federal authorities.

Resendez McCaffery has been a vocal opponent of Senate Bill 1718, which invalidates driver’s licenses issued to undocumented persons by other states, creates penalties for transporting undocumented persons across state lines and requires health care providers to ask patients for their citizenship status.

“Living in the Panhandle, we don’t have the federal offices that we need so that people can continue with their process of getting their immigration situation straightened out,” Resendez McCaffery said. “Guess what? You can lose your whole case by missing an appointment. You can go to Birmingham to go to an appointment, but this law says you can’t come back.”

Resendez McCaffery worries that heated political rhetoric puts lives at risk.

“I know a lot of good people,” she said. “I do know that people want things to be better for everyone. They just don’t know how to do it. They don’t know where to pull the courage from to say so.” EC

↑ As part of her advocacy work in support of Spanish speakers in the Pensacola area, Grace Resendez McCaffery maintains relationships with police and first responders, works with nonprofit organizations and volunteers with the Border Servant Corps, a hospitality center for refugees released by federal authorities.

GYMNASTICS | CHEERLEADING | TUMBLING | NINJA

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Emerald Coast Autism Center

Provides Foundations for Brighter Futures

2023 Best of EC Nonprofit/Charity winner connects students with the community

Graduation from Emerald Coast Autism Center begins with speeches given by the graduating students. What differs from the typical ceremony is that many of the students giving speeches at ECAC’s graduation were nonverbal when they first entered the program. After years of working with their families, parents and supervisors, they have developed the vocabulary to express what graduating means to them.

For one previous ECAC student, Noah, that future is still unfolding. Noah was one of the first five students to join ECAC. He then transitioned on to attend high school and work at Publix. Recently, Noah came back to volunteer with ECAC. On his third day, he inquired what it would take to work full time with the organization. Noah will be joining his teachers as a colleague once he graduates from high school.

As Noah said to ECAC founders Heidi Blalock and Staci Berryman, “This is what my mom calls a full-circle moment.”

Emerald Coast Autism Center is a nonprofit school and therapy center serving Okaloosa, Walton and surrounding counties with the mission to improve the lives of individuals with autism and other unique abilities and their families by providing effective treatment and education options from early childhood into adulthood.

“Our hope is that children and their families that come to us know they are loved, cared for and provided the best opportunities possible to grow through our services,” said Heidi Blalock, co-founder and CEO of ECAC and mom to a child with autism.

ECAC was founded in 2009 with a unique approach to teaching that follows the science of applied behavior analysis (ABA) for all instruction and activities. Therapy at ECAC is conducted in a 1-to-1 ratio, with one child assigned to every behavior technician, and focuses primarily on increasing communication and social skills as well as reducing problem behaviors.

Founders Blalock and Berryman realized many students needed additional time before transitioning into a traditional public or private school or pursuing a vocation. They are working to fill this need by opening Emerald Coast Learning Center (ECLC).

ECLC is comprised of academic classrooms as well as specialized vocational training opportunities. ECLC’s academic classrooms welcome first through sixth graders, not only those with autism, but all unique learners looking for a bright future. The school’s location, on

the campus of Northwest Florida State College, offers a 6-to-1 ratio for optimal learning opportunities.

Blalock and Berryman noted that close to 80% of their students will follow a vocational path. For this reason, in 2019, they developed a Transition to Work (TTW) program in partnership with the Florida Department of Education and NWFSC.

The TTW program is offered to older teens as an opportunity to learn vocational skills in the classroom at ECLC and hands-on experience at job sites throughout NWFSC’s campus, including the receiving department, athletic department, culinary program and Mattie Kelly Arts Center. Blalock and Berryman hope to expand these vocational opportunities into the community by connecting with local businesses.

Community members can support ECAC and ECLC by connecting a community partner, by making financial do-

nations and by attending or volunteering at their various fundraising events. This year, The Dugas Family Foundation has committed to matching donations made to ECAC up to $550,000. ECAC’s last significant fundraising effort of the year will be the Sounds of the Spectrum concert held at Mattie Kelly Arts Center. All donations made through December of 2023 will be doubled.

This year, as the winner of Best Nonprofit/Charity, as voted on by Emerald Coast Magazine readers, ECAC will be the beneficiary of all funds raised at the Best of the Emerald Coast Winners Soiree.

“We exist and are here for the kids, because kids can teach us just as much, if not more than we teach them,” said Berryman. “It’s very fulfilling to see these unique, amazing individuals develop language and personalities that emerge with bright futures.”

EMERALD COAST AUTISM CENTER

To learn more, donate or volunteer visit: ECAutismCenter.org.

Students from the Light It Up BREW team serve coffee on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 9–9:30 a.m. Light It Up BREW gives students the opportunity to acquire the job skills they need to prepare for transitioning into the workforce in our community.

CITIZEN

OF STYLE

Planting Seeds

Artist sows creativity in her students →

by KARI C. BARLOW

OCT/NOV 2023

ELEMENTS OF STYLE RANGING FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE MORE SUBLIME

←

Rachael Pongetti values originality and finds it liberating.

“If following trends is what makes you happy, that’s great,” she says, “but I can't keep up with trends and find ways to make things work for me.” Purchasing second-hand clothing, she adds, “gives me the freedom to purchase items I’m a little nervous about wearing.”

photography by WILL HEPBURN PHOTOGRAPHY

Rachael Pongetti doesn’t just teach art. She lives it …

In the hallways of Escambia High School, where her funky black patent-leather Mary Janes and white socks are a low-key nod to the importance of self-expression.

In the East Hill home that she shares with fiance Jamey Jones and fills with colorful collages and tiny sculptures reflecting everything from nature and history to feminism and pop culture.

And at Blue Morning Gallery, the popular Palafox Street co-op, where she volunteers 10 hours a month to keep the fine arts alive, accessible and fun.

For Pongetti, art is a living thing to be nurtured and supported.

←

Rachael Pongetti likes reusing materials. The youngest of five children, she was raised by parents who survived the Depression and strived to use items and materials more than once. “I didn't appreciate that all the time while growing up, but now I understand what they were trying to communicate to us,” she says. Currently, in her classroom, she is experimenting with collage techniques.

“It’s about having a passion and continuing to do it, and you find friends who are continuing to do it,” she said. “I’m here in Pensacola. This is my community. … If we want art to thrive here, we, as the artists, need to appreciate where we are and not want to be somewhere else.”

Pongetti certainly walks the walk. She once spent an entire year photographing Pensacola’s ever-changing 17th Avenue train trestle. With the help of friends, strangers and colleagues, she turned the experience into a book, Uncovering the Layers: The Pensacola Graffiti Bridge Project (Ballinger Publishing).

A big part of her passion is being an art teacher who stands in front of dozens of high schoolers every day, sharing not only her enthusiasm, but also years of knowledge and technique.

If Pongetti had the power, she’d require art in all grades, K–12, so that kids would never lose touch with their creativity.

“It is so important,” she said. “They should take it every year, so that by the time they get into high school, they’re just not stunted.”

Pongetti, who’s taught every age from preschool to college during her career, believes art benefits all students, particularly those who don’t learn in the more traditional ways.

“Art helps you to problem-solve,” she added. “With photography, maybe your battery’s dead. Or maybe there’s a tree in the wrong place. In drawing, maybe your pen made a mark that it wasn’t supposed to. There are constantly visual problems to deal with.”

UNCOVERING THE LAYERS: THE PENSACOLA GRAFFITI BRIDGE PROJECT

Layer by layer, photographer Rachael Pongetti captures the ever-changing surface of the Pensacola Graffiti Bridge as well as the subculture surrounding the local icon with her new book, Uncovering the Layers The book highlights how Rachael becomes more intimate with the bridge and its changing facade over time; what started as getting shots of the bridge from far away turned into focusing on the most minute details of the bridge down to its weathered cracks and crevices. — Ballinger Publishing

EXPERIENCE

Upscale shopping, sophisticated dining options and South Walton’s premier events and entertainment await you Along the Boulevard.

SHOP

Altar’d State

Anthropologie

Arhaus

The Beaufort Bonnet Company

Billabong

Bluemercury

Faherty (Now Open)

Hemline

J.Ji l l

J.McLaughlin

johnnie-O

The Jewel

Hunter Douglas by McNeill Palm (Now Open)

Kendra Scott

KREWE

La Luna

Lilly Pulitzer

lululemon

Ophelia Swimwear

Orvis

Peter Millar

Pottery Barn

Pure Collective Salon

Rose & Co

Seabags

Southern Tide

Stallworth (Now Open)

Sunset Shoes & Lifestyles

Vineyard Vines

Williams Sonoma

AMC CLASSIC Boulevard 10

Grand Fitness

Emerald Coast Theatre Company

Ohana Day School (Now Open)

grandboulevard.com

#GrandBlvd

DINE

Another Broken Egg Café

The Bistro (Located in Courtyard by Marriott Sandestin at Grand Boulevard)

Black Bear Bread Co.

BrickTop’s (Coming Soon)

Cantina Laredo Modern Mexican

The Craft Bar

Emeril’s Coastal

everkrisp

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar

Grimaldi’s Coal Brick-Oven

Pizzeria

Kilwins PF Chang’s China Bistro

Starbucks

Tommy Bahama Restaurant & Bar

Vin’tij Food & Wine

The Wine Bar

...and more!

Courtyard by Marriott Sandestin at Grand Boulevard

Hyatt Place Sandestin at Grand Boulevard

Residence Inn by Marriott Sandestin at Grand Boulevard

← Rachael Pongetti has taught at levels from preschool to college and believes art benefits all students, particularly those who don’t learn well in traditional ways. “Art helps you to problemsolve,” she says. “Maybe your pen made a mark that it wasn’t supposed to. There are constantly visual problems to deal with.”

This school year, Pongetti taught a Drawing I class for the first time and has been delighted by the experience.

“It has been really rewarding to see students draw when they thought that they couldn’t,” she said. “We do this assignment on creativity, which is blind contour. It’s basically where you look at something, and you draw it without looking at your paper. It’s funny. It almost looks like something Picasso would draw, but it also gets them to feel more relaxed and open.”

Art also introduces students to the concept of taking risks.

“Maybe you’ve got everything where you want it, but are you going to go one step further and get out of your comfort zone?” she questioned. “A lot of students can draw, but they don’t want to move into a place beyond their understanding. They don’t go to that higher level of thinking and investigating.”

Pongetti encourages her students to take chances, especially if they have a natural talent in a specific area.

“I’ve been saying to students, ‘You drawing what I tell you to draw or you drawing a copyrighted image, that is low-level thinking,’” she said. “Higherlevel thinking involves original thinking all the time.”

Pongetti pushes herself, as well. Like many people, she made changes during the pandemic. She tried new things and found herself stepping away from photography and into collage work, assemblages and painting found objects. She’s currently completing a body of work that’s rooted in exploring what was happening culturally when her parents were young.

↑ In her personal art, Pongetti uses materials including ribbons, jewelry, photographs and wood to create works that are connected to her childhood and enable her to examine forces that influenced her life.

“If you’re not really looking at your own lineage, you’re missing something,” said Pongetti, who delved into vintage magazines and photographs for material. “You’re missing a huge part of what contributed to you being where you are.”

She’s not sure where the pieces will ultimately take her, but she’s enjoying the journey — and she feels much the same way about her art students.

“The way I don’t get discouraged is I just know I’m planting seeds,” Pongetti said. “I know I am contributing to that person’s overall composite. I’m a piece of that, but what becomes of that isn’t up to me.” EC

FASHION

NOT YOUR OLD-TIMEY ELEVATOR SHOES

Platform styles elevate clothes horses to new heights

by REBECCA PADGETT FRETT

Depending on the decade, a number of era icons come to mind when thinking of platform shoes. Cher and Stevie Nicks strutted stages in the ’60s and ’70s in their highest heels. The Spice Girls revived the platform in the early ’90s. And Lady Gaga donned them as her preferred shoe throughout the 2000s. The trend extends to men too — think David Bowie, KISS and Elton John.

These larger-than-life celebrities elevated their personas with footwear choice.

For nearly 2,000 years people have been wearing platforms to add a few extra inches. In medieval times, those of the higher class wore platforms to showcase their social status and avoid muck produced by the commoner class.

Grecian thespians donned platforms to give themselves a boost when performing and to designate their acting status — the higher the heel, the larger the part. These stage shoes could reach up to 7 inches in height.

While platforms are mostly a style choice these days, they still provide that confidence boost they’ve provided for centuries.

Today’s platform heels first gained popularity in Western countries in the 1930s thanks to designer Salvatore Ferragamo. The shoe reached its height in the ’60s and ’70s as both female and male wearers boogied down at the disco.

As we do with most trends, we see the good ones come back around. Platforms are back in style, and the owner of Sunset Shoes in Destin, Jim Monroe, has a theory about the rising popularity.

“Platform heels, as well as other styles of heels, are becoming popular again because everyone has been wearing sneakers and other comfort shoes for so long because of being stuck at home during COVID-19 lockdowns,” said Monroe.

Monroe further believes that platforms are particularly popular because they have versatility to be styled up or down, unlike other popular heels such as stilettos.

“Platforms are just one of those styles every woman needs in her collection because they are multipurpose,” said Monroe.

Monroe’s go-to platform designers include Dolce Vita, Donald Pliner,

→ Kayna Platform Sandal by Sam Edelman

↑ Marie Esther Black platform boot by Chic Chemin

Chic Chemin, Bernardo and Sam Edelman.

Sunny Mitchell, owner of Kiss the Sky Boutique in Destin, encourages platforms because they give added height without added walking difficulty. This leads to better comfort when worn for extended periods of time versus other styles of heels.

Mitchell does urge customers to consider their comfort level walking in heeled shoes when investing in platforms.

For those on the petite side, platforms often eliminate the need to hem or alter maxi dresses or pants, which are also making a

stylish comeback. Outside of maxi styles, Mitchell suggests styling platforms with a trouser pant or print skirt and blouse or dressed up with a formal evening dress.

The ’90s first brought us the platform sneaker; Gen Z and their love for street style have brought them back. Today, chunky Chuck Taylors, Vans and Adidas are seen sported in almost every city.

Punk rock-inspired pumpedup Doc Martens, combat boots and thigh-high platform boots are favorites in cooler weather and can be styled in warmer months by mixing a feminine sundress with an edgy shoe.

Still, the most common form of the platform is the pump or sandal. Whether seeking a small boost or to stand out among the crowd, there are a variety of platform options available to suit your style and comfort level. Begin with a boosted sneaker and work your way up.

←↙ CHUNKY CHUCKS

The Chuck 70 AT-CX cotton twill Chuck Taylor sneaker from Converse gives wearers ups like never before. Lower photo: Chuck Taylor All Star lift platform canvas shoes take the iconic Chucks loved for generations to a new level.

↑ Tiago Wedges by Dolce Vita come in black and a light natural color. With a 3.4-inch heel and 1.8-inch platform height, they give people a statementmaking but manageable boost.

Insight, Integrity, Innovation.

Any deficiency in a building project can be considered a construction defect, including improperly designed materials, poor workmanship, failure to follow construction codes, defective architectural designs, lack of planning and supervision, and more.

If you are experiencing construction defects in your new or remodeled home, our attorneys will review your situation and evaluate the legal options.

WHAT’S IN STORE?

by REBECCA PADGETT FRETT

Owner Sunny Mitchell’s Destin boutique, Kiss the Sky, is selling a new-to-store line, LOUISE LYNETTE. Elegance meets warmth in this new line for the refined woman looking for a closet makeover with clothing that takes her from office professional to elegant cocktail hour. Having enjoyed her roles as a mother and competitive tennis player, designer Lynette found herself drawn back to her first love — fashion. She sought to create a line that utilized quality textiles that spoke to women in their many stages of life. Kiss the Sky offers Louise Lynette’s beautiful blouses studded with jeweled accents, floral prints, bows and belts.

ART, PLANTS AND MORE

In Detail Interiors of Pensacola

➸ If spring is for cleaning, fall is for decorating, which is just what IN DETAIL INTERIORS OF PENSACOLA specializes in. The pieces at In Detail are not from your typical cookie-cutter catalog. As a full-service interior design firm, they encourage creativity through mohair, cut velvet, fine metals and more. The certified staff is on hand to help you with any interior design project.

If you’re seeking a piece or two, step into the retail showroom. Stock your bar cart with their vintage glass and barware collection reflecting the mid-century modern era. Deck your halls and walls with an original piece of art from the salon-style gallery of mixed art pieces from paintings to sculptures. The season of gifting is near. Shop jewelry, books, candles, home accents, home decor, home-grow kits for flowers and herbs and many more unique gifts.

McCaskill & Company

➸ MCCASKILL & COMPANY is adding stunning new pieces to their jewelry box this season, so you can accent your fall wardrobe with sparkling jewel tones and eye-catching baubles. Pair your fall manicure with a statement ring by OMI PRIVE. Top staff selections include the blue micron ring with tsavorite and diamonds set in platinum and the pink spinel ring with diamonds set in 18k yellow gold. HULCHI BELLUNI stretch bracelets adorn your wrist in the hues of fall — purple sapphire, ruby and diamond set in 18k yellow gold. Whimsical and dainty, the SCOTT WEST “ARGYLE PINK BUTTERFLY” is composed of light pink diamonds, white diamonds, platinum and 18k rose gold, and is beautiful as a layered or stand-alone necklace. The SIMON G PARAIBA tourmaline earrings with diamonds set in 18k white gold make for the perfect Emerald Coast event earring year-round. The turquoise hue is reminiscent of nearby waters.

A roundup of retail happenings throughout the Emerald Coast

THE SALT SHED in Panama City Beach is celebrating five years in business. Located in a former gas station/pool hall/bar, the home and garden center is now an elegant shopping space featuring The Salt Shed’s own merchandise along with art, jewelry, clothing, honey, candles, soap, kombucha and more, supplied by local vendors and artisans. Known for its large inventory of indoor and outdoor plants and garden accessories, The Salt Shed is home to a knowledgeable staff that is equipped to supply gardeners and homeowners with advice and service related to potting and repotting plants, plant-sitting and container maintenance.

Smoother, Tighter Skin — Without Surgery

Aqua Medical Spa introduces new and innovative procedure, ellacor ®

Dermatology Specialists of Florida’s Aqua Medical Spa is known for bringing the latest and greatest in skin procedures and treatments. The spa’s newest offering, ellacor® with Micro-Coring® Technology, is a hotly anticipated, nonsurgical procedure that reduces the appearance of wrinkles in the mid to lower face. Aqua Medical Spa in Watersound Origins is one of the first practices in Northwest Florida to offer this highly anticipated aesthetic treatment.

It is unique because it removes skin without surgery or the use of thermal energy. This treatment differs from any other in-office treatment because it does not elicit any thermal injury to the skin, but instead actually removes the skin. The average treatment removes approximately 7% of the skin.

“This new and innovative technology utilizes multiple hollow needles to remove cores of excess skin,” explained Angela Pearson, nurse practitioner at the Watersound Origins Aqua Medical Spa location. “The treated skin then heals the areas by tightening up and closing the dead space where the empty cores once were.”

FDA-approved ellacor® is used to treat excess sagging skin on the mid to lower face. Aqua Medical Spa also offers this treatment for the neck, arms, knees and thighs where they find their patients could also benefit from some tightening and lifting.

During a consultation, the provider will help assess your needs and treatment plan. On the day of the procedure, for optimal comfort, a topical numbing medication followed by injectable numbing is applied to the area. During the treatment, the average patient has stated a minimal discomfort level of two out of 10.

After the ellacor® treatment, some swelling, redness and bruising is normal. An ointment will be applied for healing, and the patient is advised not to wear makeup or sunscreen until healed. Patients are typically back to normal within five to seven days of the procedure.

Two or three treatments may be needed to achieve maximum results. Patients must wait one month between treatments, with

maximum benefits appearing three months after the final treatment.

On average, 90% of patients showed improvement on the Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale rated by physicians, and 86% of patients report complete satisfaction with their treatment outcomes.

NP Pearson states that ellacor® works in conjunction with other noninvasive procedures also offered at Aqua Medical Spa such as fillers and lasers. For example, she recommends BBL and HALO laser treatments combined, adding in ellacor® one month later. This combo would target hyperpigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles, collagen stimulation, sun damage and remove excess or sagging skin.

If you are interested in learning more about ellacor® and seeing if the treatment may be a good option for you, visit AquaMedicalSpa.com/Treatments-Offered/ Ellacor, or call (850) 387-2010 to schedule a consultation.

With local, experienced boots on the ground, our team is more equipped than any other to manage your vacation home and investment. With expansive marketing and revenue strategies, a sales team dedicated to filling group room nights (for units on the Sandestin® Rental Program exclusively) and more, you can't go wrong!

PLUS, WHEN YOU TRUST YOUR RENTAL PROPERTY WITH SANDESTIN, YOU INVEST IN THE ONLY RENTAL MANAGEMENT COMPANY THAT INVESTS BACK INTO THE SANDESTIN RESORT.

gastro&gusto

HALLOWEEN SPIRITS

Tailor your cocktails to a spooky vibe

BY EVGENIYA STETSENKO →

Halloween looms, and it’s time to start your party planning and looking at ways to impress your guests with creative and spooky libations.

Bartenders find that one of the most popular drinks among customers during jack-o’-lantern season is the bloody mary. This classic cocktail can easily be turned into a spooky Halloween drink. To make a bloody mary, mix tomato juice, vodka, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and lemon juice in a shaker with ice. Strain the mixture into a glass and add a celery stalk as a garnish. Then, to make it a little unnerving, add a few drops of red food coloring to create a truly bloody effect.

“Witch’s brew” combines gin — or vodka, if you prefer — and the beautiful color of blue curacao. To achieve a bonechilling effect, pour blue curacao over crushed ice and lemon juice in a glass with a sugar-crusted rim. Next, add gin and soda water so the ingredients naturally layer. A splash of apple cider vinegar may be used instead of gin.

Using spooky glassware is a great way to add a Halloween vibe to your drinks. Serve cocktails in skull-shaped glasses or cauldron-shaped cups to add an eerie element. Even the classic martini or highball glass can be customized to creep people out. Candy garnishes are a fun and easy way to add a Halloween twist — anything from gummy worms to candy

eyeballs or candy corn. Play around with berries, mint leaves and dried fruit.

“I made a candy corn-infused vodka last year,” said a bartender at Ciao Bella in Bluewater Bay. “We served the drink as a shot or on ice in a mason jar with a jack-o’-lantern face on it. The drink came out the perfect pumpkin orange.”

Bartenders and imbibers may disagree about whether dry ice changes the taste of

a drink. Most prefer to simply add a small piece of dry ice to the drink and watch as it creates a foggy effect. Remember to never touch the dry ice with your bare hands or eat it. Begin sipping after the fog dissipates and the ice has evaporated.

A “poison apple” cocktail usually contains an apple and cinnamon flavored liqueur, a base liquor like vodka or white rum and black food coloring as a

↙ Bartenders find that there is a lot of call for the bloody mary, always popular as a morning-after drink, during ghosts and goblins season.

↑ “Witch’s brew” combines gin — or vodka, if you prefer — and the beautiful Ty-D-Bol color of blue curacao.

↖

“For Halloween, you can hit the spooky notes by dropping in some dry ice and giving drinks a witch’s cauldron effect,” advises Corey Jordan, a bartender at Shades Bar & Grill on 30A.

↑ BLUEBERRY LYCHEE EYEBALL COCKTAIL

INGREDIENTS

➸ 2 cans lychee fruit, reserve the juice

➸ Fresh blueberries

➸ 8 cocktail skewers

➸ 1 ½ cups vodka (or gin)

➸ 3 ¼ cups blueberry juice cocktail, divided

➸ 1 cup lychee juice

➸ ⅓ cup lemon juice

finishing touch that produces the terrifying poisoned appearance. Apple cider vinegar may be used instead of an apple flavored alcoholic beverage and may add an extra kick to the potion. Consider bloodying the rim of your glass by dipping it in red liquid food coloring.

“For Halloween, you can hit the spooky notes by dropping some dry ice in and giving a drink the ‘witch’s cauldron’ effect as it bubbles and smokes,” said Corey Jordan, bartender at Shades Bar & Grill on 30A. “I also like to use charcoal, as it’s great for turning drinks black in small doses. That’s a cool mind effect — have a berryor citrus-forward drink, but it’s black in color. There are also some cool edible glitters out there that you can use to mimic blood or create green or orange poisonpumpkin potions!”

An easy way to make a ghostly white Russian is to mix together vodka, Kahlua and heavy cream in a shaker with ice. Strain the mixture into a glass and garnish with a ghost-shaped marshmallow.

Halloween is the perfect time to get creative with your drinks. Even the craziest concoction you can think of stands a ghost of a chance. EC

➸ 1 ½ cups club soda

DIRECTIONS

Drain the lychees and reserve the juice. Stuff one blueberry into the hole of 16 lychee fruits. Place them into a shallow bowl. Pour ¼ cup blueberry juice over the lychees and toss to coat each fruit in the blueberry juice. Set aside. In a large pitcher, combine the vodka, blueberry juice, lychee juice, lemon juice and club soda. Fill 8 cocktail glasses with ice. Pour the cocktail mixture over the ice. Thread two stuffed lychee fruits onto the cocktail skewers. Lay the skewers over the cocktail so it looks like eyeballs. Enjoy!

Source: FoodTalkDaily.com

↑ A “poison apple” cocktail usually contains an apple, cinnamon liqueur and a base liquor like vodka or white rum. Black food coloring as a finishing touch makes the drink look especially menacing and dangerous.

PHOTOS BY ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS: CRISTINA ALEXE (DRY ICE), AZURITA (LYCHEE EYEBALL COCKTAIL) AND YULKA3ICE (“POISON APPLE” COCKTAIL)

BEYOND POTATOES

Cousins of the spud take center stage

by EVGENIYA STETSENKO

Potatoes make a regular appearance on the plates of Americans across breakfast, lunch and dinner — hash browns and home fries, potato salad and baked potato soup, mashed potatoes and twice-baked potatoes. There’s no denying their popularity, ranking among the most common ingredients in side dishes across the country.

Potatoes first made their debut as part of the human diet about 8,000 years ago along the west coast of South America before making their way to Europe and eventually finding success as a staple crop in Ireland. With more than 4,000 types of this simple yet versatile root vegetable, the crop became common across countries worldwide.

Today, the commonplace tuber can sometimes result in complacency in the kitchen. If you find yourself stuck in a rut with your potato recipes, consider switching it up for another root vegetable. Many are close relatives of that russet potato most common in cooking, but each brings its own unique flavor to the table.

↘ VITELOTTE Also known as Chinese truffle, this tuber aesthetically pleases with a deep purple flesh and dark blue skin. This violet-shaded potato absorbs oil well during cooking and carries a nutty flavor. It’s said to have increased health benefits the deeper its color.

Also called Peruvian ground apple, yacon can be eaten raw, with a sweet and crunchy texture similar to that of jicama, or cooked into desserts, jams or syrups. This tuber is rich in minerals and vitamins and supports detox of the liver.

JICAMA This crunchy tuber vegetable is known as the Mexican turnip. It has a sweet flavor similar to apples or cucumbers when eaten raw but becomes starchy when cooked like a potato. You can eat jicama raw as a snack, or add it to salads and soups for an extra crunch.

This rhizome rooting vegetable is similar in appearance to ginger root and is native to Southeast Asia where it’s commonly used in curries and stir-fries. The flavor has a slight spicy taste to it. Some define it as citrusy, with an earthy pine flavor.

←

ROOSEHEART

Also known as the watermelon radish, this root vegetable has a dense texture with a crunch and slightly sweet flavor and is closer to a daikon radish than a potato. It’s rich in vitamins, magnesium, minerals and potassium. The colors vary from deep purples to light lilacs, making for impressive dish presentations.

↘ YUCA This starchy root vegetable is native to South America, Africa and Asia. It’s full of potassium, even more than the average potato, and is high in vitamin C. It’s similar in appearance to a sweet potato, but elongated with a bark-like skin, and makes excellent fries!

CELERIAC This root vegetable might look a little bumpy and rough on the edges, but it’s almost a staple in German and Northern European cuisine, as well as in North Africa and Puerto Rico. The vegetable is the root base of a celery variety and can be eaten raw or cooked. Once peeled, it stores best in lemon water. Imagine a delicious silky soup with celeriac and potatoes or French celery remoulade.

Think potato with class. Of the French fingerling variety, ratte is regarded as a gourmet ingredient loved by chefs worldwide. With a nutty flavor profile and smooth-as-butter texture, it’s popularly cooked as mashed potatoes or roasted with herbs.

← LA BONNOTTE Moving from classy to luxurious, la bonnotte ranks as the world’s most expensive potato. Yes, there is such a thing, and this beauty could cost you about $300 a pound. It’s grown exclusively in France on the Isle of Noirmoutier. The close proximity to saltwater shores creates a sandy soil that is fertilized with seaweed, giving a distinct salty flavor. This potato is so delicate, it has to be harvested by hand. The result — notes of walnut with a lemony flavor and salty aftertaste, ideal for gourmet soups, purees and creams.

On your next trip to the grocery store, keep your eyes peeled for these tubers and root vegetables. Try your hand at expanding your palate, and surprise guests with a unique plate. That average russet sitting on your pantry shelf won’t mind taking a night off.

← GALANGA

← RATTE

HARVEST WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL

A wine and dine weekend presented by Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation Brims with Bounty

The harvest season has, for centuries, celebrated gathering in abundance. Some things remain a constant.

The Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation (DCWAF) is hosting their seventh annual Harvest Wine & Food Festival Oct. 19-22 where attendees will gather in WaterColor for an abundance of culinary creations and fine wines.

“Whether you prefer a large-scale event like the Grand Tasting, or something more intimate, we’ve crafted a variety of events to allow our guests to customize their weekend experience,” said Kate MacMillan, director of marketing and communications for DCWAF.

Proceeds from the event will benefit DCWAF’s 17 local partner children’s charities supporting a range of needs including mental health, medical care and homelessness.

The festivities will once again kick off with an array of six celebrity winemaker

dinners hosted in upscale locations throughout South Walton.

This year’s festival offers a new Friday lineup. Mixologist and owner of Better Together Beverage, Christine Tarpey will host an interactive cocktail seminar in WaterColor’s Crimson Park where she’ll lead attendees through the creation of two custom cocktails while testing their knowledge with beverage trivia. The evening will conclude with the highly anticipated Harvest After Dark, beginning at 7 p.m. The debut event invites an intimate crowd to experience an evening of elevated wine selections paired with culinary delights from celebrity chefs from across the Southeast.

Saturday brings the main Grand Tasting event where guests sample hundreds of wines from around the world and nosh on bites from stations ranging from seafood to barbecue.

The weekend concludes with a Polynesian-inspired cocktail brunch hosted by The Henry Haus and 360 Blue featuring craft cocktails by Better Together Beverage and a menu created by chef Nikhil Abuvala, owner of Daytrader Tiki Bar & Restaurant.

“What’s not to love about a weekend of wine and food that’s helping to make a positive impact on the lives of children in need in our local community,” said MacMillan.

To learn more and purchase tickets, visit HarvestWineandFood.com.

Mr. Pig from Lima

Peruvian restaurant serves authenticity

by LAURIE EINSTEIN KOSZUTA

Diners at Doncha Peruvian restaurant in Fort Walton Beach immediately have their senses met with pure Peruvian authenticity. From its eclectic decor to the aromas wafting from the kitchen, the family-owned restaurant is

steeped in the love and devotion of the food they serve.

“We want our customers to truly feel like they are eating a meal in a Peruvian home,” said Mary Williams, a native of Fort Walton Beach who owns Doncha alongside husband Pedro Jose Ramirez Flores.

← Pedro Jose Ramirez Flores and Mary Williams at their Peruvian restaurant, Doncha, in Fort Walton Beach. Doncha is a truncated version of “Don Chancha,” which is Spanish for Mr. Pig. The restaurant has a pig in its logo and pigs are scattered about the restaurant.

The name Doncha is a shortened version of “Don Chancha” — Spanish for Mr. Pig — a nickname given to Ramirez as a child. Ramirez, a native of Lima, used the name for his business, which sold smoked meats to restaurants in Peru.

Doncha first opened in Fort Walton Beach in February 2020 in an unused portion of Chapala Mexican restaurant.

“We were there for just a year,” Williams said. “That was right at the start of COVID-19.”

The restaurant had a rough beginning, but its small size allowed it to prosper through carry-out orders. When the lease ended in March of 2021, Doncha moved to the current location on Perry Avenue.

“One of the first things we had to do when we opened was educate our customers about Peruvian cuisine,” Williams explained. “Many thought it was the same as Mexican food and were surprised when we didn’t serve chips and salsa or tortillas and they couldn’t order margaritas.”

Known for its bold fusion of flavors, Peruvian food consists of Asian and European influences while using indigenous ingredients such as potatoes, with nearly 4,000 varieties of the root vegetable available in Peru. Main staples include sweet potatoes, rice, yellow beans, onions, tomatoes and plantains. Multiple starches, like french fries, Peruvian mashed potatoes and rice, are served alongside beef, chicken or seafood.

↗ Pedro Ramirez got his start in business preparing and selling smoked pork to restaurants in Peru. In Fort Walton Beach, dishes (top photo) include smoked pork drizzled with a sweet sauce and served with rice, fried potato and salad. Art in middle photo depicts a scene in a Peruvian jungle. Servers Harumi Vega, Lilly Menjivar and Valery Mendez, left to right, roll silverware.

“Several hours before the restaurant opens, my husband is in the kitchen prepping and making authentic Peruvian sauces and stews,” Williams said. “He is so picky about getting all the flavors and ingredients just right. When we travel, we seek out other Peruvian restaurants for comparison. If he orders a dish he feels is not authentic, he won’t eat it.”

Doncha’s extensive menu contains more than 12 appetizers and many choices of causa, a cold dish made of a top and bottom layer of mashed potatoes seasoned with lime juice and chili pepper. The middle is filled with meat, such as chicken or tuna, mixed with mayonnaise.

Ceviche is another staple on the menu, with more than 10 choices available. Ceviche, often considered Peru’s national dish, is fresh fish “coldcooked” with fresh lime juice and spices. Mouthwatering picks include Ceviche Clasico

↖ Clockwise from top left: Peruvian beers surround a shot glass decorated with Peruvian art; lomo saltado, a signature Peruvian dish made up of chunks of steak with onion and tomato and served with rice and French fries; ceviche — raw fish and onion cured in lime juice and “leche de tigre” and served with sweet potato and Peruvian corn; Darby Williams making a “Pisco Sour,” Peru’s signature cocktail.

de Pescado, a classic fish served with sweet potato and corn, and Leche de Tigre, a ceviche marinated in spicy lime juice and served with fried corn.

Filling out the rest of the menu are selections of saltados, a stir-fry of meat or vegetables served with french fries and rice; chaufas, fried rice with choice of meat, egg and green onion; at least five types of soups; and some options for kids are available, too.

“We don’t sell anything that is not authentic Peruvian,” Williams said. “All of our bar drinks are made with Peruvian pisco or Peruvian gin. One of our most popular is the Pisco Sour, made with pisco, lime juice and simple syrup, and then shaken with an egg white to create a thick foam on the top.”

Ending a meal at Doncha has everything to do with satisfying a sweet tooth.

“About once a week, I make all of the desserts,” said Williams, who starts the process long before the doors open to have the restaurant kitchen to herself. “Fan favorites are tres leches de cafe, a sponge cake soaked in a sweet milk and coffee mixture and topped with chocolate drizzle and homemade fruit ice cream known as helado de lucuma.”

Truly a family business, servers at Doncha include Williams’ sister, Darby; her daughter, Valery; and Rebeca, one of Ramirez’s daughters.

“We hope to expand in the future,” Williams said with a wink. “We’ll just have to wait and see.” EC

TRES LECHES DE CAFE

HELADO DE LUCUMA

VIN’TIJ CELEBRATES 25 years

When thinking about how to celebrate 25 years of business, Todd Reber, owner of Vin’tij Food & Wine, didn’t envision a grand party that focused on himself. Instead, he wanted to turn the thank you toward his loyal patrons.

For 20 of those years, Vin’tij was tucked into a strip mall on Highway 98 in Miramar Beach. Still, its audience found it. In 2018, an opportunity to relocate to Grand Boulevard presented itself that Reber described as “striking the lottery of locations.” The steadfast supporters followed, and new fans were made with the increased visibility the Grand Boulevard location provided.

“Seeing the same faces walking through the door after 25 years, and knowing how they like their food or what their preferred wine is, is an irreplaceable feeling as a restaurant owner,” Reber said. “Which is why, to thank them for all these years, I like to have personal interactions and acknowledgements of thanks — like sending out wine to toast with or a sampling of a dish they haven’t tried.”

In addition, Reber’s focus on exceptional customer service for the past 25 years has prompted him to recently launch a new online ordering system with curbside pick-up from 11 a.m.–7 p.m. and a special delivery service to the Sandestin Resort. Reber utilizes trained staff members as delivery drivers to ensure his

Grand Boulevard restaurant owner remains thankful to steadfast customer base

patrons receive good customer service and also prompt delivery of high-quality cuisine made by Chef Ignacio Bernal.

Reber’s wife, Sabrina, also works closely with Chef Ignacio to create thoughtfully prepared vegan and gluten-free dishes that are healthy, hearty and flavorful. Their vegan and gluten-free Lucky Bowl has become one of the most requested dishes on their menu. Abundant with a variety of roasted vegetables and seasoned quinoa rice, it is popular with vegans and meat eaters alike. They also work together to make sure they have allergyfriendly options on their seasonal holiday menus, private parties and wine dinners. Sabrina’s creative vegan and gluten-free desserts are also a must try!

While guests to the restaurant keep it thriving, it’s the staff that keep the service exceptional, ensuring people return to repeat the experience. Reber credits his staff, including many who have been with the restaurant over 10 years, for exceeding customer expectations and making it a wonderful place to walk into each day for the past 25 years. Reber specifically credits Chef Ignacio Bernal for being his righthand man, creative counterpart and a driving reason as to why palettes are constantly pleased.

Coinciding with the opening at Grand Boulevard, Bernal joined the Vin’tij team and quickly became Reber’s partnering Chef. Since 2018, he has diversified the menu’s flavor profiles and leaned further into supporting local farmers, food purveyors and Gulf Coast seafood providers.

“I grew up cooking and from a young age sought the freshest ingredients in my work,” Bernal said. “I appreciate that at Vin’tij, I’m encouraged to have freedom and creativity to change the menu seasonally, based on the freshest offerings.”

Being a restaurant that focuses heavily on wine, Bernal and Reber can promise that the menu offerings are paired with intention to the impressive

wine list. Reber has long held an interest in the mingling of food and wine, having worked in the culinary industry for over 35 years.

His restaurant roster includes notable names such as the Governors Club in Tallahassee and Bud & Alley’s in Seaside. It was at the wine and food pairing meetings at Bud & Alley’s that Reber first realized wine was not a separate component, rather an intricate complement to the meal.

This sentiment has carried him through the years as he guides patrons through the food menu, selects their perfect pours and watches their faces alight as they realize he was exactly right.

CHEF JIM SHIRLEY ENTERPRISES

good grits

From casual social gathering spots to new-fashioned southern suppers, fi nd the perfect blend of taste, service, and convenience at any of our fi ve award-wining restaurants — all in the heart of Seaside, Florida.

ChefJimShirley.com

Fish Out of Water

Emerald Coast views complement the coastal, laid-back atmosphere and the elevated, fresh cuisine at WaterColor Inn’s Gulf-front dining venue

Fish Out of Water has long been synonymous with locally inspired, Southern cuisine that celebrates the Gulf Coast’s very best — all served in an approachable setting that’s ideal for a post-beach family lunch, a girls-night happy hour or a romantic date night. Housed within the acclaimed WaterColor Inn, Fish Out of Water is a go-to spot for anyone in a vacation state of mind. As one of 30A’s only large, family-style restaurants and bars overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, Fish Out of Water embodies the spirit of the WaterColor community: coastal, laid-back, elevated and fresh.

Fish Out of Water’s culinary offerings are guided by the world-class expertise of its culinary team and their commitment to authentic cuisine and impeccable flavors. The restaurant boasts impressively varied brunch (8 a.m–2 p.m.) and dinner (4–10 p.m.) menus. Guest favorites include avocado toast on house-made sourdough bread; locally sourced Gulf Oysters; the restaurant’s signature Sweet

Tea Chicken, complete with bourbon glaze and house-made pickles; and an indulgent surf and turf platter of filet medallions and lobster tail — are you drooling yet? Too, Fish Out of Water features decadent desserts, such as the noteworthy Dirt Road Anthem mud pie — yes, please!

Additionally, Fish Out of Water’s daily happy hour menu (2–4 p.m.) provides the opportunity to enjoy the view while sipping on one — or a few — of the restaurant’s drink specials. Choose from inventive cocktails, an eclectic selection of craft beers or select a wine from the restaurant’s extensive on-site cellar — all while enjoying seasonally available live music.

“Inviting and vibrant, Fish Out of Water specializes in coastal, Gulf-sourced cuisine,” said executive chef Blaine Wilkinson. “Our open-kitchen setting also allows our guests to admire their food being prepared in real time by our amazing culinary team.”

At Fish Out of Water, the best seat in the house is always guaranteed, with breathtaking views from every seat. Long after lunch, dinner or vacation has ended, guests can replicate the Fish Out of Water experience with an impressive, well-curated selection of rare spirits, specialty barware, WaterColor-branded merchandise and more from FOOW Package Store, located next to the WaterColor Beach access.

Restaurant Spotlight

Fish Out of Water is open daily, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. (seasonal hours apply). In an effort to seat guests more efficiently, the restaurant does not accept reservations. To-go dining orders may be placed online at FOOW30A.com.

Mimmo La Innusa

Owner of Mimmo’s Ristorante Italiano celebrates 10 years of

People smiling, laughing and sharing stories while gathered around tables where plates are piled high with dishes crafted from family recipes passed down for generations. For 10 years, this has been the scene Mimmo La Innusa, owner of Mimmo’s Ristorante Italiano, never tires of.

La Innusa’s most cherished memories have always revolved around food — Sunday dinners with his grandparents in Sicily, celebrating 10 years of his restaurant’s first location over dinner with friends, and welcoming guests into his second location in Blue Mountain Beach.

“I appreciate all of the support we’ve gotten from loyal diners over these

10 years and how that same love has extended to our new location,” said La Innusa. “When I arrive at the restaurants each day, I feel proud of myself and my wife for what we have done.”

La Innusa’s wife, Meghan Hall, was highly involved and influential in the exterior and interior design of the second location. It had been a dream of the couple’s to be able to build a restaurant from the ground up, and both enjoyed working alongside the architect to design the kitchen, dining space, pizzeria and bar they had long envisioned.

The new location is equal parts modern and Old World with a whiteconcrete facade and rustic warmth

inside. Once seated, you’ll experience the same menu and superior service Mimmo’s is known for.

With 10 years of business and the newest Blue Mountain Beach location steadily attracting new and loyal clientele, La Innusa has decided to invest back into his first love by revamping the original location. The restaurant will be expanding, taking over the location next door, and will receive a design facelift.

“Time goes fast, 10 years has gone fast, but we still continue to grow and look toward what’s next in the future,” said La Innusa. “I have the best support system of customers, staff and family.”

MIMMO’S RISTORANTE

Over the past few years, public art proponents — including Jennifer Steele, the executive director of the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County, and Jayson Kretzer, the executive director of the Bay Arts Alliance in Panama City — have advanced mural initiatives across the region.

Larger-than-life paintings now decorate public buildings, roads, businesses, underpasses, stormwater conduits and boardwalks, connecting cityscapes with our region’s history and wildlife.

This year, the Best of the Emerald Coast Winners Soirée at Grand Boulevard in Sandestin will recognize prominent artists as well as businesses that emerged as winners in an annual poll among Emerald Coast Magazine readers. The event will feature original works by Daniela de Castro Sucre, Sarah Page, Maxine Orange, Lindsay Tobias and Morgan Summers.

Leading up to the Oct. 12 soirée, the five artists have been painting panels, each one related to one of the five senses, that will form parts of a movable mural to be displayed at the event. Homebuilding contractor Luke & Blue’s is building the mobile mural, which will remain on display at Grand Boulevard through Nov. 15 and will be used, going forward, in association with arts organizations throughout the Emerald Coast.

“We’re thrilled to have these murals in Walton County,” said Stacey Brady, director of marketing and communication for Grand Boulevard, which has long been a promoter of public art. “We believe art can improve the fabric of a community.”

THERE ARE TWO PEOPLE LIVING inside Lindsay Tobias’ head. One is a health guru who has dedicated years of her life to improving her clients’ well-being — helping them to get pregnant, reverse symptoms and understand their medications. The other, her artist alter-ego, she calls Doman.

“They are literally different identities,” Tobias laughed. “When you introduce yourself as a functional or holistic nutritionist, you’re like, ‘I am peace. I am zen. I am one with nature.’ And then, when you introduce

yourself as an artist, you’re like, ‘I am freaking crazy.’”

After six fulfilling years as the founder of Keep Your Plants On, a program focused on gastro intestinal health, hormones and the relationship between food and the body, Tobias is selling the business and handing Doman the reins.

“It sounds cheesy, but art is 100% my most authentic self,” Tobias said. “I’ve really missed getting to be wholly that in the last couple of years. About two years ago, I did my first mural and there was no looking back.”

Art is nothing new for Tobias. Her grandmother, a skilled oil painter, taught Tobias how to sketch and create images as a girl, and she has worked as a professional artist for many years doing business as Art By Doman. Tobias’ art pieces on canvas are symbolic, often melding abstraction and realism. Her murals are more lighthearted.

“I think of murals as more fun, like I’m at a rave,” Tobias said. “I’m at a dance party when I’m doing a mural. When I’m in front of a canvas, I feel like I’m standing in the Louvre.”

Lindsay Tobias, Santa Rosa Beach

KNOWN FOR BOLD COLORS and larger-than-life lettering, Morgan Summers has played a huge role in revitalizing the Panama City public arts scene.

Following the devastation of Hurricane Michael in 2018, the Bay Arts Alliance enlisted the help of several muralists who added color to the city as it worked to rebuild. Summers was raised in Panama City but had left years before to pursue a career in Orlando. When she learned that her hometown

was investing in its arts community, she knew that Panama City was where she needed to be.

“I think there’s a lot of mythology around the idea that the only place that artists can make a living is in major metropolitan areas,” Summers said. “So, it really means a lot that my community has embraced its artists and is breaking that stereotype.”

Summers dove into mural work, combining her fine art, design and marketing backgrounds with her love of ’60s sign painters to develop a series

of murals on display in her studio, Uh Beautiful Mes. In so doing, she gained the confidence to join up with the Bay Arts Alliance and create one of Panama City’s most recognizable murals, titled “Greetings From Panama City.”

The postcard-themed painting, located on an exterior wall at the Bay County Chamber of Commerce, exemplifies Summers’ style. She also has produced murals at El Weirdo Taco Pub, First Watch, Beachy Beach Real Estate and the Publix Sports Park in Panama City Beach.

Morgan Summers, Panama City

↓

PHOTO BY LOU COLUMBUS

Maxine Orange, Fort Walton Beach

ONE LOOK AT A DISSECTED CAT was enough to steer Maxine Orange away from studies in anatomy and physiology and back toward her true calling.

“I just decided that I wanted to be an art major, but my mom was like, ‘Okay, you can be an art major, but you have to make sure you’re going to do something where you’re going to be able to get a job.’ That was what led to a major in graphic design and a minor in painting.”

In years since, Orange has succeeded as an assistant art director for Tennis Week

magazine in New York, a graphic designer for Quiksilver in California, a wedding portraitist, handbag designer, muralist, gallery owner and splatter-paint studio owner. She is also the vice chair of the Fort Walton Beach Cultural Arts League.

Orange, a resident of Fort Walton Beach since 2012, has painted murals that grace The Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island, the Fort Walton Beach Landing and businesses along Scenic Highway 30A. She uses her talents to encourage conservation and environmental stewardship.

In 2022, Orange and a group of other civic-minded artists teamed up with Okaloosa Erase the Trace, a nonprofit that mobilized volunteers to help clean up trash-filled areas in Okaloosa County and paint 12 storm drains. The project depicts a variety of colorful marine wildlife and reminds passersby of the impact of litter on coastal ecosystems.

“Murals are a really cool way to both beautify and make a statement and impact the community,” Orange said.

PHOTO BY ZHALMAN HARRIS

SHE CALLS HERSELF AN adventure artist.

“I have mixed passions between art and the environment,” said Defuniak beach muralist Sarah Page. “I like to incorporate a lot of outdoor inspiration. It’s fun to inspire others to love and protect the outdoors through my art.”

Page is a lover of hiking and travel whose path to artistry has itself been an adventure. In 2007, the Georgia native moved to Tampa to attend the University of South Florida. She later embarked

on a 10-year career in marketing and graphic design in the nonprofit sector.

In 2018, Page successfully applied to paint a mural for the Shine St. Pete Mural Festival. She was hooked. Six months later, she quit her job and decided to pursue Sarah Page Art full time.

“The courage kind of came along the way,” Page said. “One thing happened, and I got a little more confidence. Then another thing happened, and that boosted it a little bit more. I had a really good job, but when your heart knows, it just knows.”

In 2020, Page moved to the Emerald Coast. Today, her brightly painted pelicans, pirate parrots and radiating sunsets are seen in many Destin, Santa Rosa Beach and Sandestin locations.

“Public art transforms neighborhoods,” Page said. “It creates a sense of safety and community. Of course, I didn’t know that going in. I’m learning that along the way, but it’s like having your own personal billboard, and you get to paint it. What could be better than that?”

Sarah Page, Defuniak Springs

W H E R E T H E B E S T O F T H E B E S T

C O M E T O S T A Y A N D P L A Y !

THANK YOU FOR VOTING US "BEST OF THE EMERALD COAST"

When exploring the 2,400 acre resort, not only will you find your favorite vacation accommodations, you'll also find endless adventure! Perfect your golf swing on one of four championship courses or practice your serve at the award-winning tennis courts. Afternoons spent shopping for the latest trends, paddle sessions on the bay, or days spent relaxing on the emerald shores of the Gulf of Mexico. From restaurants that serve fresh, locally caught seafood and craft cocktails with the most spectacular views to world-class seasonal events and more! Do it all or just come and relax.

PENSACOLA MURALIST

Daniela de Castro Sucre, Pensacola

↓

Daniela de Castro Sucre’s works are often enormous in scale, but each brush stroke is intentional and meaningful. She grew up in Caracas, Venezuela, and began taking art classes while young. At 15, she and her family moved to South Florida and connected with family friend and renowned Spanish realist Conchita Firgau, who took Castro Sucre under her wing.

“It was almost like a master apprenticeship at her studio,” Castro Sucre said. “I studied with her for three years. She basically taught me how to see things.”

As a child, Castro Sucre obsessed over the veins and textures of leaves. Studying under Firgau, she learned to capture such detail in her work. In college, she spent hours bent over microscopes. Castro Sucre’s love of detail is evident in her largescale depictions of plants, animals and hands — a few of her favorite subjects.

Castro Sucre has pulled from many experiences to arrive at her current style. Her studies in graphic design, for example, led to a fascination with saturated color palettes, a departure from her Spanish realism training.

“I used to be more of a miniature painter,” she said. “I painted with tiny, little brushes, and I was happy to do little canvases. Now that I’ve been a muralist for six years, I paint gigantic canvases, because it has affected me that much.”

Be Emer Be st of the Emerald Coast

OCTOBER 12, 6–9 P.M.

VIP EARLY ENTRY STARTING AT 5:30 P.M.

GRAND PARK AT GRAND BOULEVARD

TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLINE:

$75 GENERAL / $125 VIP WEEK OF: $95 GENERAL / $150 VIP

EMERALDCOASTMAGAZINE.COM/ BEST OF EC

#BESTOFEC

The public is invited to celebrate the 25th annual Best of the Emerald Coast Winners as voted by the readers of EmeraldCoastMagazine! This year’s event format has changed. This intimate soirée will be one for the books — all in celebration of 25 years of BEST! Guests will enjoy an evening where all your senses will be stimulated:

MUSIC, VISUAL MURAL ARTISTS, DELIGHTFUL CUISINE AND LIBATIONS

Over 150 winners will be in attendance to celebrate their deserved win. The public is welcome to intertwine and celebrate with the best of the best to mark this incredible accomplishment!

BENEFITING

PLEASE NOTE: This is not a festival event. Only select winners will be on display serving their products or services as sponsors of this year’s event.

FEATURED ARTISTS:

MAXINE ORANGE, LINDSAY TOBIAS, MORGAN SUMMERS, SARAH PAGE, DANIELA DE CASTRO SUCRE

FEATURED CUISINE:

BLACK BEAR BREAD CO., HARBOR DOCKS, MCGUIRE’S IRISH PUB, MARROW PRIVATE CHEFS, TACO 30A, SHUNK GULLEY OYSTER BAR

FEATURED LIBATIONS:

IDYLL HOUNDS, DISTILLERY 98, PALM FOLLY, TIPSY MULE MOBILE BAR, TIMBER CREEK DISTILLERY, TARPON CELLARS, COASTAL COFFEE BAR CO., CANTINA LAREDO MARGARITAS, SUPERB WINES INTERNATIONAL

BY

BEST WOMEN’S BOUTIQUE

Barefoot Princess

Sarah Page’s mural at Grand Boulevard features familiar Florida fauna and flora. Page will be among artists at this year’s Best of the Emerald Coast Winners Soirée.

best of the emerald coast

Across Florida including the Emerald Coast, the developers of planned communities recognize that town centers are integral components of the places they make. These centers mimic the main streets of long ago when the blacksmith, the ferrier, the tooth puller and the wheelwright were located in close proximity. Today’s developers recognize that collections of small businesses complete communities as centers of commerce and connection. They are the hub of the wheel. Small businesses are indispensable, as well, in the largest cities and to the nation as a whole. According to a federal study, 44% of economic activity in the United States is attributable to small businesses. They are a big deal. It’s fitting, then, that every year, Emerald Coast Magazine gives its readers an opportunity to register support for businesses that they admire, patronize and recommend to others by casting votes in our annual Best of the Emerald Coast poll. The results are in, and we are proud to present the “Best” for 2023 on the pages that follow. These outstanding businesses have in common a commitment to quality, a passion for customer service and a grateful nature.

Congratulations to all!

shopping

ANTIQUES

SHOP

De’France Antiques

Offering vintage, shabby chic and repurposed collectibles and furniture for every spot in the antique lover’s home.

Fort Walton Beach

(850) 314-7500 defranceantiques.com

CHILDREN’S CLOTHING

RETAILER

Pink N Blue Avenue

Nurturing children in every stage of development from the crib to the classroom.

Destin

(850) 424-5707 pinknblueavenue.net

CONSIGNMENT/ RESALE SHOP

Second Breath Styles

A top consignment shop run by parents and offering infant, teen and maternity styles.

Fort Walton Beach (850) 374-3252 secondbreathstyles.com

COSMETIC PROVIDER/VENDOR

Pish Posh Patchouli’s

Pish Posh Patchouli stocks skin care products from lotions to balms and everything in between.

Rosemary Beach

(850) 231-2005

patchoulis.com

FURNITURE RETAILER

Stock & Trade Design Co.

Create a space that indulges the mind, body and soul with Stock & Trade Design Co., bringing serenity into every home.

Santa Rosa Beach

(850) 460-8990 stockandtrade.com

JEWELRY STORE

McCaskill & Company

Offering fine jewelry and watches and the most exclusive gems and diamonds for those most special to you.

Destin

(850) 650-2262

mccaskillandcompany.com

LOCALLY OWNED RETAILER

Hub City Soapery

Enjoy handcrafted soap made from high-quality, pure ingredients that soothe the skin.

Crestview (850) 331-3718 hubcitysoapery.com

MEN’S APPAREL/SHOES/ ACCESSORIES

Island Clothiers

With brands including Mud Pie, Vineyard Vines and Southern Tide, Island Clothiers caters to men and women with tastes ranging from classic to trendy. This shop offers designs for people of all ages in apparel, footwear and accessories.

Miramar Beach (850) 351-1806 sandestin.com/shopping/islandclothiers

OUTDOOR FURNITURE

RETAILER

Bay Breeze Patio

Outfit your outdoor dream patio to

make it perfect for grilling, chilling and enjoying great company.

Miramar Beach (850) 269-4666 baybreezepatio.com

SPECIALTY RETAILER

Salty Scents Candle Co.

Made from natural soy wax, candle selections from Salty Scents have the perfect aroma for your home and office.

Fort Walton Beach (850) 502-6331 saltyscents.com

SPORTING GEAR/ PADDLEBOARD RETAILER

Bote

Don’t miss the Bote. It has everything you need for waterplay with high-quality paddleboards, floats, skiffs and more. Destin (850) 460-2250 boteboard.com

WEDDING

SHOP

Margaret Ellen Bridal

A shop that believes every woman deserves a relaxed and intimate wedding experience in a dress that she will always fondly remember.

Santa Rosa Beach (850) 641-0266 margaretellenbridal.com

WOMEN’S ACCESSORIES

McCaskill & Company

Discover the finest dazzling jewelry at McCaskill & Company — from Rolex watches to David Yurman select pieces.

Destin (850) 650-2262 mccaskillandcompany.com

WOMEN’S BOUTIQUE

Barefoot Princess

Shop all things fun, colorful and chic at a boutique sure to have the perfect outfit for any occasion.

Miramar Beach (850) 351-1806 sandestin.com/shopping/barefootprincess

WOMEN’S SHOES

Sunset Shoes & Lifestyles

BEST JEWELRY STORE AND WOMEN’S ACCESSORIES McCaskill & Company

Sunset Shoes & Lifestyles has become the footwear headquarters of the Emerald Coast. Walk right into comfort. Miramar Beach (850) 837-5466 sunsetshoesonline.com

beverage food &

APPETIZER

Bijoux

One of Destin’s top award-winning restaurants since 2002, Bijoux embodies “coastal cuisine with a New Orleans flair.”

Miramar Beach (850) 622-0760 bijouxdestin.com

ASIAN FUSION

Domo Izakaya Ramen + Sushi

Fresh sushi and hearty bowls of ramen await hungry patrons at Domo Izakaya Ramen + Sushi, located near the Destin Harbor.

Destin (850) 353-2096

Facebook: DOMO Izakaya

ATMOSPHERE

The Edge Seafood & Skybar

The Edge Seafood & Skybar offers the freshest seafood, enjoyed dockside with live music as fishing boats bring in their daily catches.

Destin (850) 659-3549 edgeseafood.com

BAKERY

Black Bear Bread Co.

Fresh-baked treats and handcrafted lattes made from local ingredients are the specialty at Black Bear Bread Co.

Grayton Beach*, Miramar Beach, Santa Rosa Beach (850) 213-4258* blackbearbreadco.com

BAR/TAVERN

The Red Bar

South Walton’s most popular indoor destination has a varied menu ranging from chicken to crab cakes and is home to The Red Bar Jazz Band.

Santa Rosa Beach (850) 231-1008 theredbar.com

BARBECUE

98 BBQ

Satisfy your craving for savory at 98 BBQ, home of the “best fries on Earth,” delectable barbecue and scrumptious gumbo.

Santa Rosa Beach (850) 622-0679 98bbq.com

BEER SELECTION/CRAFT BEER

The Craft Bar

This Florida gastropub is as “crafty” as it can get, with 30 beers on tap, artful artisans and handcrafted cocktails.

Destin*, Fort Walton Beach, Miramar Beach, Panama City Beach (850) 460-7907* thecraftbarfl.com

BLOODY MARY

The Red Bar

The Red Bar’s bloody mary is hearty, spicy and full-figured — an experience visitors shouldn’t pass up.

Santa Rosa Beach (850) 231-1008 theredbar.com

BREAKFAST

Ruby Slipper Cafe

Wake up to signature omelets and craft cocktails at the Ruby Slipper Cafe — and save room for dessert!

Destin (850) 388-6248 rubybrunch.com

BREWERY

3rd Planet Brewing

The first craft brewery to sprout in Niceville, 3rd Planet Brewing focuses on high-quality, in-house taproom craft beers in a comfortable environment with exceptional customer service.

Niceville (850) 424-4257 3rdplanetbrewing.com

BRUNCH

Ruby Slipper Cafe

Sleep in, then head over to the Ruby Slipper Cafe for a midday brunch,

complete with mimosas and pancakes.

Destin (850) 388-6248 rubybrunch.com

CAJUN/CREOLE

Louisiana Lagniappe

Bayou-style cuisine from the Louisiana Lagniappe will have your mouth watering with barbecue jumbo shrimp, baked oysters and fresh Gulf grouper.

Destin (850) 837-0881 thelouisianalagniappe.com

CHEF

Marrow Private Chefs

Marrow Private Chefs combine fresh ingredients with creative dishes to create a delicious culinary experience.

Santa Rosa Beach (850) 280-4319 marrowprivatechefs.com

CHINESE

P.F. Chang’s

P.F. Chang’s offers traditional dim sum, hand-rolled sushi, noodle and rice dishes and a happy hour menu of cocktails.

Sandestin (850) 269-1806 pfchangs.com

CRAB CAKES

Reel ‘Em In Fresh Seafood and Gourmet

Reel ‘Em In Fresh Seafood will hook you on their fresh shrimp, stuffed flounder, crab cakes, royal reds, scallops, corn and crab bisque, crawfish, ahi tuna and much more.

Santa Rosa Beach, Seacrest Beach (850) 420-2240 reeleminfreshseafood.com

CRAWFISH

331 Farmers Market

A hub for local produce, 331 Farmers Market is also the place to source fresh-caught seafood and crawfish for a boil at home, or let them do the boiling for you.

Freeport (850) 880-6955 331-farmers-market.business.site

DESSERT

Navarre Bakery & Creamery

The apple fritters and selection of ice creams are a major hit; come for the sweets, and stay for the experience.

Navarre (850) 844-9705 facebook.com/ Navarrebakeryandcreamery

DISTILLERY Distillery 98

Historic Highway 98 brings passersby right to Distillery 98, a place for people to connect and enjoy small batches from locally sourced family-farmed crops.

Santa Rosa Beach (850) 919-2400 distillery98.com

FINE DINING

Gallion’s

Small plates, crafted cocktails and a welcoming atmosphere.

Rosemary Beach (850) 399-4909 gallions30a.com

FRENCH

Bijoux

Bijoux offers New Orleans-inspired cuisine and a French fine dining experience.

Miramar Beach (850) 622-0760 bijouxdestin.com

FROZEN TREAT (ICE CREAM, YOGURT, GELATO, SNOW CONES)

Blue Mountain Beach Creamery

Treat your sweet tooth with ice cream, sorbet and frozen yogurt at Blue Mountain Creamery, a locally owned family business.

Santa Rosa Beach (850) 278-6849 bluemountainbeachcreamery.com

GLUTEN FREE

Got Baked

Got Baked specializes in keto, dairy-free and vegan treats from cakes to donuts and a variety of pastry dishes.

Santa Rosa Beach

Facebook: Got Baked Gluten Free Bakery ashleygotbaked@gmail.com

GOURMET/FOOD SHOP/ SPECIALTY FOOD STORE

Reel ‘Em In Fresh Seafood and Gourmet

Reel ‘Em In Fresh Seafood and Gourmet is an exceptional experience for even the most exacting of diners.

Seacrest Beach*, Seagrove Beach (850) 420-2240* reeleminfreshseafood.com

GROUPER SANDWICH

Shunk Gulley Oyster Bar

Shunk Gulley Oyster Bar offers casual fare, panoramic views and live music.

Santa Rosa Beach (850) 622-2733 shunkgulley.com

Sports to Geaux

Cajun-inspired cuisine takes to the streets with Sports to Geaux, a Freeport-based food truck serving up the best gumbo and fixings. Freeport (850) 520-0429

Facebook: Sports to Geaux LLC Sportstogeaux850@gmail.com

HAMBURGER

McGuire’s Irish Pub of Destin

McGuire’s steakburgers are custom ground from angus steak trimmings with over 25 ways to try it.

Destin (850) 650-0000 mcguiresirishpub.com

HAPPY HOUR

Marina Cafe

In 35 years of providing memorable fine-dining experiences, Marina Cafe has won many awards. Its food is as extraordinary as its harbor views.

Destin (850) 837-7960 marinacafe.com

HARD SELTZER

Palm Folly Hard Seltzer

Palm Folly is inspired by the beaches of the Emerald Coast, and sipping their hard seltzers will take you waterside with your toes in the sand and the ocean breeze in your hair.

Santa Rosa Beach (850) 420-9741 palmfolly.com

GUMBO

BEST BAKERY Black Bear Bread Co.

PHOTOS BY JACK GARDNER PHOTOGRAPHY (INTERIOR) AND ALISSA ARYN PHOTOGRAPHY

HIBACHI

Osaka Japanese Hibachi Steakhouse & Sushi Bar

Osaka Japanese Hibachi Steakhouse & Sushi Bar rolls with the freshest food, entertaining hibachi dinners and hand-rolled sushi.

Destin*, Panama City Beach (850) 650-4688* osakahibachiandsushi.com

ITALIAN Mimmo’s Ristorante Italiano

Bursting with flavor and color, Mimmo’s is Destin’s most authentic Italian restaurant offering the ideal atmosphere and menu to enjoy a small slice of Italy along the Emerald Coast.

Destin*, Santa Rosa Beach (850) 460-7353* eatmimmos.com

JUICE/SMOOTHIE

For the Health of It

For the Health of It specializes in high-quality organic groceries, massage therapy and healthenhancing smoothies.

Santa Rosa Beach (850) 267-0558

MARGARITA

Pepito’s Mexican Restaurant

Agave nectar, fresh limes and tequila come together to form Pepito’s delicious margarita specials.

Destin*, Miramar Beach, Fort Walton Beach, Niceville (850) 650-7734* mypepitos.com

MARTINI

Café Thirty-A

Café Thirty-A is known for its eclectic menu, fine wines and exquisite martinis. Enjoy “Tini Night” on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Seagrove Beach (850) 231-2166 cafethirtya.com

MEDITERRANEAN

Aegean Restaurant

A Greek meal is best enjoyed in the company of family and friends. Enjoy authentic Greek cuisine, beer and wine at multiple locations.

Miramar Beach*, Mary Esther, Shalimar (850) 460-2728* aegeanfl.com

MEXICAN/LATIN AMERICAN Pepito’s Mexican Restaurant

Pepitos serves up authentic Mexican classics, Gulf ceviche and premium cervezas.

Destin*, Miramar Beach, Fort Walton Beach, Niceville (850) 650-7734* mypepitos.com

NACHOS

Cantina Laredo

Cantina Laredo’s nachos are topped with beans and melted cheese with grilled chicken or fire-charred skirt steak.

Miramar Beach (850) 654-5649 cantinalaredo.com

NEW RESTAURANT (6-12 MONTHS)

The Edge

Seafood & Skybar

Enjoy fresh seafood, live music and the sunset while watching Gulf-going boats unload their catches.

Destin (850) 659-3549 edgeseafood.com

ON-SITE CATERING

Marrow

Private Chefs

Bring the restaurant experience home by trusting the cooking

to the culinary masters at Marrow Private Chefs. Santa Rosa Beach (850) 280-4319 marrowprivatechefs.com

OUTDOOR BAR North Beach

Social

North Beach Social is the perfect place to reflect natural beauty and enjoy the sunset overlooking the bay in South Walton while sipping deliciously handcrafted drinks.

Santa Rosa Beach (850) 622-8110 northbeach.social

OUTDOOR DINING

Boshamps Seafood & Oyster House

Overlooking the Destin Harbor, Boshamps serves up an authentic Gulf-to-table experience, “the way it used to be, the way it ought to be.”

Destin (850) 424-7406 boshamps.com

OYSTERS Stinky’s Fish Camp

“With a name like Stinky’s, it better be good!” Visit Stinky’s Fish Camp for oysters that rival any available on the Emerald Coast.

Santa Rosa Beach (850) 267-3053 stinkysfishcamp.com

PIZZA

Merlin’s Pizza

Merlin’s Pizza crafts their pizza with the finest ingredients — local produce, dough and sauce are prepared fresh daily.

Destin (850) 650-3000 merlinspizza.com

RESTAURANT IN BAY COUNTY

Firefly

It’s best to make a reservation. This place fills up quickly and is known as the area’s premier casual fine dining experience.

Panama City Beach (850) 249-FFLY (3359) fireflypcb.com

RESTAURANT IN ESCAMBIA COUNTY The

Fish House

Serving up good times, fresh local fish and grand grits, The Fish House is a favorite of locals and tourists alike.

Pensacola (850) 470-0003 greatsouthernrestaurants.com

RESTAURANT IN OKALOOSA COUNTY

Ivy & Ale

Enjoy a cool pint while surrounded by lush greenery at Ivy & Ale’s boutique plant nursery and beer garden.

Fort Walton Beach (850) 226-2263 ivyandale.com

Facebook: Ivy & Ale

PHOTO BY ERIN HANSEN IMAGES

RESTAURANT IN WALTON COUNTY

Vin’tij Food & Wine

Select a bottle of wine from the Vin’tij wine shop to enjoy while experiencing a menu of seasonal culinary creations.

Sandestin (850) 650-9820 vintij.com

ROMANTIC/SPECIAL OCCASION RESTAURANT Ovide

Ovide’s subtle and classy ambiance makes special occasions all the more special.

Miramar Beach (850) 351-3030 hoteleffie.com/dining/ovide

SEAFOOD MARKET

Destin Ice Seafood Market

Destin Ice Seafood Market is the area’s premier source for ready-tocook meals, wines, cheeses, dips, sauces, seasonings and expert advice on cooking your seafood to perfection.

Destin (850) 837-8333 destinice.com

SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

Boshamps

Seafood & Oyster House

Locally sourced, right-off-thedocks catches served fried, grilled or blackened in a casual setting with two full bars and views of the Destin Harbor.

Destin (850) 424-7406 boshamps.com

SEAFOOD STEAMER

Old Bay Steamer

Locally famous ribs, juicy steaks and quality seafood are the standout stars of Old Bay Steamer in Fort Walton Beach, a classic place for an exceptional evening.

Fort Walton Beach (850) 664-2795 oldbaysteamerfwb.com

SHRIMP DISH

JC’s Gourmet

A chilled blend of fresh shrimp, lime zest and vinegar-soaked cucumber, red onion and sweet pepper, this is shrimp ceviche-style.

Miramar Beach (850) 687-2810 jcsgourmet.com

TIE SPORTS BAR

Shades Bar & Grill

A family favorite since 1994, Shades Bar & Grill is the spot to turn friends into family with classic spirits, famous wings and daily chef features on 30A. Inlet Beach (850) 231-9410 shades30a.com

TIE SPORTS BAR

Austons on 98 Oyster Bar and Grill

The 102-foot bar at Austons boasts a selection of 32 draft beers, fresh raw oysters and jumbo shrimp cocktails. Miramar Beach (850) 842-3200 austonson98.com

STEAKHOUSE Seagar’s Prime Steaks & Seafood

Mouth-watering prime steaks from New York strip to filet mignon are among the specialities at Seagar’s. Miramar Beach (850) 622-1500 seagars.com

SUSHI

Harbor Docks

Harbor Docks uses the freshest of seafood in preparing dozens of tasty hand-rolled sushi creations. Destin (850) 837-2506 harbordocks.com

TIE TACOS

Taco 30a

Taco 30a brings the taco bar to you with their catering service and mobile food truck.

Santa Rosa Beach (850) 420-5614 eattaco30a.com

TIE TACOS

Red Fish Taco

Enjoy crispy street tacos, fresh fish tacos and carnitas. Blue Mountain Beach (850) 994-7443 redfishtaco.com

THAI

Thai Delights Restaurant

From drunken noodles to pad thai, Thai Delights serves up tasty Thai classics.

Destin (850) 650-3945

Facebook: Thai Delights Restaurant

TUNA DIP

Shunk Gulley Oyster Bar

Shunk Gulley’s tuna dip is all the tastier when enjoyed with a water view and live musical performances.

Santa Rosa Beach (850) 622-2733 shunkgulley.com

VEGAN

Got Baked

Boasting an all-keto inventory of pizza crust, sandwich bread and lowcarb confections, Got Baked specializes in dairy free and vegan eats.

Santa Rosa Beach

Facebook: Baked Gluten Free Bakery, ashleygotbaked@gmail.com

WATERFRONT RESTAURANT

The Bay

The Bay offers dining with seating on their deck overlooking the waters of Choctawhatchee Bay.

Santa Rosa Beach (850) 622-2291 baysouthwalton.com

WEDDING CATERER

Townsend Catering

Townsend Catering has elegant and classy cuisine and beverages to make your anticipated event even more memorable.

Santa Rosa Beach (850) 622-0663 townsendcatering.com

WINE LIST/WINE BAR

Wine World

Grab the finest in wines and spirits from the selections available at Chan’s Wine World.

Destin (850) 654-7466 chanswineworld.com

TIE WINGS

Buffalo’s Reef

Offering classic bar food with soul, Buffalo’s Reef is home to “world famous buffalo wings.” Fort Walton Beach (850) 243-9464 buffalosreef.com

TIE WINGS

Buffalo Jack’s Legendary Wings & Pizza

The tender wings and 18 varieties of sauces at Buffalo Jacks will have you picking the bone clean.

Miramar Beach (850) 424-6288 buffalojackslegendarywings.com

Dr. Misha Ratcliff

Dr. Kate

entertainment/ people

ARTIST/ART

Saczynski Gallery

Surfer by day, Andy Saczynski has translated his love of coastal living into more than 1,500 pieces of artwork, using an assortment of recycled materials and objects sourced from nature.

Grayton Beach (850) 502-0072 andysaczynski.com

DJ DJ Vladi

DJ Vladi brings lights, effects, projectors, music and 20 years of experience to your special event.

Panama City Beach (850) 217-4339

Facebook: Dj Vladi djvladi123@gmail.com

EVENT

Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic

Spectators flock to the docks to see magnificent sportfishing yachts and their crews bring big blues and other prizewinning fish to the scales.

Miramar Beach (850) 267-6365 fishecbc.com

GALLERY

entertainment/ people

GOLF COURSE Raven Golf Club

A true test of golf, this 6,900-yard layout requires players to exercise good course-management skills.

Miramar Beach

(850) 267-8155 sandestin.com/golf/ raven-golf-club

KID’S BIRTHDAY PARTY

Urban Air Destin

Where fun takes flight for kids of all ages, including kids at heart.

Destin

(850) 398-4729 urbanair.com/florida-destin

MUSICIAN/VOCALIST/BAND Eric Chance Stone

This Texas-born, island-beat performer has toured throughout the U.S. and internationally, singing about marine life, including the humuhumu triggerfish.

Destin

(850) 543-4602 ericchancestone.com

NIGHTLIFE/LIVE MUSIC VENUE

AJ’s Seafood & Oyster Bar

Enjoy fresh oysters and cool libations with nightly live music performances at the waterfront AJ’s Seafood & Oyster Bar. Destin (850) 837-1913 ajsdestin.com

PLACE FOR A DATE

Marina Cafe

This award-winning restaurant offers sensational food, outstanding service, fine wines and breathtaking harbor views from a dining room lighted with candles.

Destin (850) 837-7960 marinacafe.com

PLACE TO TAKE THE KIDS

Emerald Coast Science Center

Delight in the interactive exhibits that teach kids about cutting-edge technology when they are not focused on irresistibly adorable animals.

Fort Walton Beach

(850) 664-1261 ecscience.org

PLACE TO WATCH A SUNSET

Cruisin’ Tikis Destin

Enjoy cool cocktails and water play as the sun plunges into the Gulf at the end of another glorious day.

Destin (850) 200-0573 cruisintikisdestin.com

RADIO PERSONALITY

Scott Mallory, WHWY-FM

Highway 98

Country JVC Broadcasting

Tune in to good music delivered by radio personality Scott Mallory on Highway 98.1 Country. Fort Walton Beach (850) 687-0972 highway98country.com

RESORT Henderson Beach Resort

Sea-to-table cuisine, premium amenities and timeless luxury make

the Henderson Beach Resort an unforgettable experience.

Destin (850) 424-4400 hendersonbeachresort.com

STAYCATION

PROPERTY/RESORT

Henderson Park Inn

Getaways need not be far away. The Henderson Park Inn offers a secluded staycation at a luxurious adults-only resort.

Destin (850) 269-8646

hendersonparkinn.com

TENNIS FACILITY

Hidden Dunes

Tennis and Pickleball Center

A professional staff and 27 acres of masterfully designed courts make Hidden Dunes Tennis and Pickleball Center the premier place in Destin for the racquet sports enthusiast.

Miramar Beach (850) 368-2127, (850) 269-2590 hiddendunestennis.com/resort/tennis

BEST STAYCATION PROPERTY/ RESORT Henderson Park Inn

serviceproviders

BANK Capital City Bank

Capital City Bank supplies friendly and fast service in meeting all of its customers’ banking needs.

Santa Rosa Beach (850) 553-0488 ccbg.com

BARBER SHOP

Barber Kingz

Freshen your look at Barber Kingz with a smooth fade and sharp styles.

Fort Walton Beach (850) 374-3453

Facebook: Barber KingzFort Walton Beach

BUILDER/CONTRACTOR

Luke & Blue’s

Deron Strickman custom builds dream homes along 30A and beyond. Santa Rosa Beach (850) 246-BLUE (2583) lukeandblues.com

CABINETS AND COUNTERTOPS

S&S Granite

Family-owned and operated for 12 years, S&S Granite gives homes a modern and classy look with quality granite centerpieces. Santa Rosa Beach (850) 267-0599 ssgranite.com

CAR/LIMO/ SHUTTLE SERVICE

Emerald Coast Luxury Transportation

ACCOUNTING FIRM Coastal Accounting of NW FL PA

Combining expertise and experience, full-service Coastal Accounting is one of the leading firms in the area.

Destin*, Niceville (850) 654-9235* coastalaccounting.net

ACUPUNCTURE CLINIC Tortoise Clinic of Chinese Medicine

This clinic is the area’s oldest and most decorated holistic health clinic, offering acupuncture, herbal medicine, therapeutic massage and more.

Santa Rosa Beach

(850) 267-5611 tortoiseclinic.com

AESTHETICIAN

Destin Botox, Dr. Amber Wiebe, MAGD

Destin Botox offers cosmetic treatments and a range of aesthetic services to get you looking and feeling your best.

Santa Rosa Beach (850) 267-0777 destinbotox.com

ARCHITECTURE FIRM

Prescott Architects

Delivering stunning designs for residential and commercial buildings each and every time.

Destin (850) 837-6494 prescottarchitects.com

PROVIDER Five-Star Audio Visual, Inc.

AUDIO/VISUAL

Five-Star enhances presentations by helping clients deliver their message effectively.

Fort Walton Beach (850) 275-4242 five-starav.com

AUTOMOBILE DEALERSHIP Step One Automotive Group

Whether looking for a new or used vehicle, Step One Automotive Group will help you get where you need to go.

Fort Walton Beach (850) 904-4800 steponeautomotive.com

Emerald Coast Luxury Transportation has been in the business of treating customers as VIPs for the past 30 years.

Serving the North Florida Panhandle (850) 774-8345 emeraldcoastluxurytransportation.com

CARDIOLOGY PRACTICE

White-Wilson Medical Center, P.A.

White-Wilson Medical Group meets health needs on the Emerald Coast with care and compassion. Fort Walton Beach (850) 863-8100 white-wilson.com

CHARITY/NONPROFIT

Emerald Coast

Autism Center

Provides specialized care from a staff

dedicated to improving the lives of children with autism.

Niceville

(850) 279-3000 ecautismcenter.org

CHARTER BOAT SERVICE (FISHING, DIVING, ETC.)

Destin Charter Service

Making poles bounce by ensuring that anglers fish where the fish are biting.

Destin

(850) 837-1995 thedestincharterservice.com

CHEERLEADING/ GYMNASTICS FACILITY

U.S. Gold Gymnastics & Cheerleading

U.S. Gold Gymnastics’ professional trainers make certain that your little ninja warrior, cheerleader and gymnast practices safely.

Miramar Beach

(850) 654-3124 usgoldgymnastics.com

CHIROPRACTIC PRACTICE

Payne Chiropractic Wellness Center

Payne Chiropractic is a wellness center providing education and welcome relief from symptoms.

Destin

(850) 654-8770 destin-chiropractor.com

TIE CLEANING COMPANY

Maids in Action Cleaning Services

Maids in Action supplies professional cleaners, equipment and supplies and gets the job done right.

Fort Walton Beach (850) 376-6774 maidsinactioncs.com

TIE CLEANING COMPANY

JAN-PRO Cleaning & Disinfecting in Northwest Florida

JAN-PRO Cleaning & Disinfecting maintains sanitary atmospheres for businesses across Northwest Florida. Serving Northwest Florida (850) 460-2226 jan-pro.com/nwflorida

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE GROUP

Somers & Company

Clients benefit from the firm’s

knowledge of market trends and properties from 30A to Destin.

Destin

(850) 654-7777 somerscompany.com

COMPUTER SERVICES/ TECH SUPPORT

CRC Data Technologies

Trusted in all aspects of IT support, CRC Data confidently supplies new technologies and services.

Destin (850) 654-7262 crcdatatech.com

COSMETIC SERVICES (EYELASH EXTENSIONS, NAILS, PERMANENT MAKEUP)

Beachside Beauty

Offering rejuvinating services that will make you look good and feel better from head to toe.

Destin (860) 353-2804 bsbdestin.com

COSMETIC/PLASTIC SURGERY PRACTICE

Destin Plastic Surgery

Dr. William R. Burden has established a world-class plastic surgery facility that attracts people from throughout the Southeast and beyond.

Destin (850) 654-1194 theplasticdoc.com

CREDIT UNION

Eglin Federal Credit Union

Eglin Federal Credit Union makes banking a breeze, from tax scam information to user-friendly online banking and tips to preserve your spending power.

Fort Walton Beach (850) 862-0111 eglinfcu.org

CUSTOM CLOSETS

Closet Solutions

Closet Solutions organizes your wardrobe space with custom designs for drawers, racks and more.

Miramar Beach (850) 714-3851 closetsolutionsflorida.com

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Hotel Effie

A luxury hotel that treats guests to

first-class service from arrival to departure.

Miramar Beach (850) 351-3000 hoteleffie.com

DENTAL PRACTICE

Smileology

Smileology employs stateof-the-art equipment in delivering expert care to entire families. Miramar Beach*, Niceville, Crestview (850) 424-7887* smileology.com

DERMATOLOGY PRACTICE

Coastal Skin

Surgery & Dermatology

With treatments, from BOTOX to varicose and spider veins removal, you’ll be happy in your own skin again. Miramar Beach (850) 654-3376 coastalskinsurgery.com

ELECTRIC CART/GOLF CART DEALERSHIP

Coastal Cars & Carts

Coastal Cars & Carts has a variety of new, used, custom and street-legal golf carts to transport you in style and comfort.

Panama City Beach (850) 999-7733 coastalcc.net

EVENT PLANNING FIRM

Proffitt PR

Proffitt PR is a savvy boutique consulting firm specializing in making you and your brand stand out. Santa Rosa Beach (850) 460-7777 proffittpr.com

EVENT VENUE

Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort

Plan your next event at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, offering lush surroundings, fabulous amenities and outstanding meeting facilities. Miramar Beach (850) 662-1038 sandestin.com

EYE DOCTOR PRACTICE

Okaloosa Eye Care

Take care of your eyes with comprehensive treatment from the experts at Okaloosa Eye Care.

Crestview (850) 683-0221 okaloosaeyecare.com

EYE SURGEON PRACTICE

Eye Center South

Eye Center South provides world-class eye care close to home with an expert team of eye surgeons.

Destin (850) 650-6550 eyecentersouth.net

FAMILY PHYSICIAN/PRACTICE

White-Wilson Medical Center, P.A.

Offering specialty care that you don’t have to wait for — with walk-in and immediate care.

Fort Walton Beach (850) 863-8100 white-wilson.com

FINANCIAL PLANNING/ INVESTMENT FIRM

Krueger, Fosdyck & Associates

Take control of your finances and invest wisely with guidance from Merrill Lynch financial advisor Cory Fosdyck. Destin (850) 269-7003 fa.ml.com/florida/destin/kfa

FLOORING

Renovation Flooring

Offering hardwood, tile, carpet and other flooring treatments with one that suits every taste.

Miramar Beach (850) 460-7295 renovationflooring.com

TIE FLORIST

1920 & Co.

Providers of customized floral arrangements that match the moment.

Santa Rosa Beach (850) 502-0725

1920andcompany.com

TIE FLORIST

Beachy Blooms

Capturing the beauty nature has to offer with aesthetically crafted floral arrangements.

Santa Rosa Beach (404) 606-9535 beachyblooms30a.com

BEST MEDICAL CENTER/ HOSPITAL Ascension Sacred Heart

FULL-SERVICE SPA

Serenity by the sea Spa

For more than 10 years, Serentiy has offered guests a peaceful retreat from everyday life.

Miramar Beach (850) 622-9595 serenitybytheseaspa.com

GYM/HEALTH CLUB/ FITNESS CENTER/STUDIO

Temple Fitness

Find your workout community at Temple Fitness, open 24 hours with options for group fitness courses.

Crestview (850) 398-5672

Instagram: templefitnessnwf Facebook: TempleFitnessNWF

HAIR SALON Eve Salon

Freshen your look with a new style from Eve Salon.

Fort Walton Beach (850) 374-8456

Instagram, Tracy: manelove_tracy Instagram, Kirsten: its.kirsten_

HEATING AND AIR SERVICE

Bluewater

Heating & Air Conditioning

Trust the experts at Bluewater Heating & Air to handle all your

heating and cooling needs no matter how the climate changes.

Pensacola (850) 446-5866 bluewater-cooling.com

HOTEL

Hotel Effie

Hotel Effie is a luxury hotel unlike any other in Miramar Beach, with white sand beaches and the famous emerald waters of the Gulf Coast. Vibrant and elegant, these luxurious rooms are not to be missed. Miramar Beach (850) 351-3000 hoteleffie.com

HR FIRM

SimpleHR

SimpleHR helps businesses run smoothly and efficiently by expertly handling human resource matters.

Destin*, Pensacola, Panama City (850) 650-9935* simplehr.com

INSURANCE AGENCY

Harris Insurance Services, Inc.

Protecting people and property since 1965 by offering business and personal lines of insurance. Fort Walton Beach (850) 244-2111 harrisinsurance.com

INTERIOR DESIGN FIRM

Coastal Design

Creating customized and unique atmospheres in spaces of any type and size. Destin (850) 904-6622 coastaldesignbykim.com

LANDSCAPING/LAWN SERVICE

Danna Outdoor Services LLC

A lawn maintained by Danna Outdoor Services will set a high standard in your neighborhood.

Gulf Breeze (850) 905-8344

LAW FIRM

McNeese Law Firm, PLLC

McNeese Law Firm provides trusted representation with over 50 years of legal experience in all things real estate. Destin (850) 337-4242 mcneesetitle.com

LIGHTING STORE

Beautiful Lights

Based in Destin, Beautiful Lights provides locals with the finest decor from furniture and rugs to lighting, ceiling fans and outdoor arrangements.

Destin (850) 650-9417 beautifullights.com

PHARMACEUTICALS BUILT FOR YOU

REGINA JAQUESS Your Physician’s Compounding Pharmacist

Regina Jaquess, Pharm D, a resident of Santa Rosa Beach since 1998, founded and opened Emerald Coast Compounding Pharmacy in 2010. She is recognized locally as a physician’s compounding pharmacist and works closely to meet the individual needs of each patient by recognizing the importance of their specific medical history. By creating a relationship between the patient, provider, and pharmacist, Regina is able to customize a solution to positively impact ideal therapeutic outcomes. You can also follow Regina’s international water skiing career at her website www.reginajaquess.com.

Regina Jaquess, PharmD; USA Water Ski Team member; 2022 World Games Slalom Champion; Ten time World Champion; World Records in both slalom and overall; member of Daughters of the American Revolution, West Florida Chapter.

serviceproviders

MARINE SALES AND SERVICE

Legendary Marine

Whether you’re in the market to purchase or sell, Legendary’s veteran sales team is fully prepared to assist you.

Destin (850) 337-8300 legendarymarine.com

MARTIAL ARTS/KARATE

Resolute Martial Arts

Using karate to build character, instructors ensure that each student is given the tools to succeed in all areas of life.

Destin (850) 797-4434 resolutemartialarts.com

MEDICAL CENTER/HOSPITAL

Ascension

Sacred Heart

Serving patients by delivering personalized care programs developed on the basis of a careful assessment of needs.

Pensacola (850) 416-7000 healthcare.ascension.org

MEDICAL PRACTICE

Emerald ENT

Treating not just symptoms but the whole person to idenfity and solve issues at the source.

Santa Rosa Beach (850) 812-4174 emerald-ent.com

MEDICAL SPA

Aqua Medical Spa

Offering a range of services to

rejuvinate and restore your skin for a healthy and youthful look.

Serving Northwest Florida (877) 563-3772 aquamedicalspa.com

MORTGAGE LENDER

Capital City

Home Loans

Expertly addresses its customers’ financial matters with personal and business banking services and wealth management expertise.

Santa Rosa Beach (850) 391-0003 cchl.com

ORAL HEALTH CARE SPECIALTY PRACTICE

Smileology

Smileology employs state-ofthe-art equipment in providing personalized care to patients of all ages.

Miramar Beach*, Niceville, Crestview (850) 424-7887* smileology.com

ORTHODONTIST PRACTICE

Sandy Smiles

Orthodontics

Dr. Zwickel and her team put healthy, attractive smiles on their patients’ faces.

Fort Walton Beach (850) 244-3880 sandysmilesfl.com

ORTHOPEDIC SURGICAL PRACTICE

Orthopaedic Associates

The region’s most preferred

practitioner providing expert bone, muscle and joint care. Crestview, Destin, Fort Walton Beach*, Niceville (850) 863-2153* orthoassociates.net

OUTDOOR SERVICE PROVIDER

Boujee Bonfires

A bohemian beachy bonfire experience is safer and easier with smokeless pits from 30A Boujee Bonfires. Serving the Emerald Coast (850) 901-0883 boujeebonfires.com

PEDIATRIC PRACTICE

Coastal Pediatric Group

A decicated team strives to make you and your child feel at home the moment you walk through the door. Santa Rosa Beach (850) 659-6556 coastalpediatricgroup.com

PHARMACY

Emerald Coast Compounding Pharmacy

Specializing in compounding prescription medications to customize each patient’s unique needs. Santa Rosa Beach (850) 622-5800 eccpharmacy.com

PHOTO BOOTH COMPANY

Lumi Pod

Photo Booth

Capture special moments with a fun photo booth experience. Fort Walton Beach (850) 496-6739 lumipod.com

PHOTOGRAPHY

Rachael Hill

Photography

Creating memorable and magical images with elevated photographic processes. Serving the Emerald Coast and beyond rachaelhillphotography.mypixieset.com

PILATES STUDIO

Club Pilates Destin

Offering nutrition counseling and nine different classes to suit a range of fitness levels. Destin (850) 865-6450 clubpilates.com/destin

PLUMBING FIXTURES/SERVICE Williams

Plumbing

Trusted professionals provide solutions with exceptional customer service.

Miramar Beach (850) 974-4213 williamsplumblingfl.com

PR/ADVERTISING AGENCY Sassy

Tangerine

Creative

Giving small businesses an online boost with digital marketing and social media management. Miramar Beach (850) 325-0873 sassytangerine.com

PRINTING/COPYING SERVICES

Copy Systems

Business

Center, Inc.

A full-service business center offering document printing, copying and graphic advertising. Santa Rosa Beach (850) 267-4552 copysystemsonline.com

TIE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT GROUP Sandestin

Property

Management

Leave your property in good hands with the team at Sandestin Property Management.

Miramar Beach (850) 267-4389 sandestin.com/about-sandestin/ rental-management

TIE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT GROUP Newman-Dailey Resort

Properties, Inc.

For more than 35 years, extending warm welcomes to guests and providing a wealth of experience to property owners and homeowners associations.

Miramar Beach (850) 837-1071 newmandailey.com

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE GROUP

Sandestin

Real Estate

Sandestin Real Estate won’t be satisfied unless you love where you live.

Miramar Beach (850) 267-8100 sandestinrealestate.com

serviceproviders

ROOFING

Specialty Roofers, Inc.

One of the fastest-growing roofing companies in Northwest Florida, offering exceptional service to residential and commercial customers.

Northwest Florida (850) 974-ROOF specialtyroofers.com

SOLAR COMPANY

Meraki Solar Destin

Solar energy is made simple with Meraki Solutions, handling everything necessary from start to finish making their company exactly what you need to convert to solar power.

Destin (850) 220-6533 merakisolar.com

SPECIALTY FITNESS STUDIO

Sculpt Studio 30A

Embrace your creativity with mindful exercises from the instructors at Sculpt Studio 30A.

Santa Rosa Beach (850) 231-0010

SPECIALTY PET SERVICE/ DOG TRAINING

Off Leash K9 Training 30A

Teach dogs old and young new tricks with private lessons and behavior consultations.

Santa Rosa Beach (850) 536-8895 30adogtrainers.com

STORAGE FACILITY

John Fayard Self Storage

Protect your belongings with climate-controlled units from John Fayard Self Storage.

Santa Rosa Beach (850) 622-1748 johnfayardselfstorage.com

TENT RENTAL COMPANY Gulf

Coast Tents

Present a comfortable environment at your next outdoor event with tents and products from Gulf Coast Tents. Gulf Breeze (850) 932-3311

TITLE COMPANY

McNeese Title, LLC

McNeese Title brings over 300 combined years of expertise in helping to handle real-estate transactions. Destin*, Seagrove (850) 337-4242* mcneesetitle.com

VACATION RENTAL

COMPANY/SERVICE

RealJoy Vacations

Make planning your next family vacation a breeze with help from RealJoy Vacations. Destin (850) 974-0974 realjoy.com

TIE VETERINARY PRACTICE

Airport Veterinary Clinic

Airport Veterinary Clinic cares for the furry members of the family with in-house laboratory testing, dental care and other services.

Destin

airportvetdestin.com

VETERINARY PRACTICE

Pine Meadow Veterinary Clinic

Pine Meadow Vet Clinic is committed to your pet’s care, utilizing modern medicine with a compassionate approach.

(850) 477-2194 pinemeadowvetclinic.com

VIDEOGRAPHY

Moore Media

Whether documenting a special occasion or crafting the perfect message to reach your audience, Moore Media has videography solutions to meet your needs. Servicing the Panhandle (850) 218-9233 mooremedia.us

WEDDING HAIR SALON

Tease by Natalie Marie

Complete the perfect bridal look with a classy updo or elegant styling from Tease by Natalie Marie.

Destin

(850) 660-8018 Instagram.com/ TeaseBynataliemarie

WEDDING MAKEUP ARTIST

Make Me Up, LLC

Perfect your look and make it last your whole wedding day with help from the artists at Make Me Up. On-site only (850) 776-7939 facebook.com/makemeupfl

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

Rachel Graham

Photography

Rachel Graham Photography captures every special moment of your wedding day with images that will add up to your love story. Northwest Florida and beyond rachelgrahamphotography.com

WEDDING PLANNER COMPANY

Kiss the Bride

Weddings

Offering a full-service wedding planning experience along Scenic Highway 30A. Destin (850) 376-8272 kissthebrideweddings.com

WEDDING/RECEPTION VENUE

Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf

Resort & Spa

Plan the perfect beach wedding with options for an indoor or outdoor ceremony and reception. Miramar Beach (850) 267-9600 hiltonsandestin.com

WEIGHT LOSS FACILITY

Renew

Aesthetics Clinic

Enabling people to get slimmer and fitter with no surgery or downtime. Fort Walton Beach (850) 503-1060 renew-aestheticsclinic.com

WOMEN’S HEALTH FACILITY

Renew Aesthetics Clinic

Offering QWO, the latest advancement in cellulite treatments, and Emsculpt Neo. Fort Walton Beach (850) 503-1060 renew-aestheticsclinic.com

YOGA STUDIO

Roast’d Yoga Bar

Get centered and grab a latte from the cafe along with vegan, plant-based breakfast and lunch menu items.

Destin (850) 687-2413 roastdyoga.com

BY CARRIE HONAKER

The landscape was unrecognizable for Suzi Soldi when she landed in Pensacola. Coming from Milan, Italy — a metropolis studded with imposing cathedrals, prominent opera houses, cuttingedge fashion and one of the biggest stadiums in Europe — Soldi found solace in the relaxing beach and clean air so different from her homeland’s congested traffic and frenetic pace.

Though memories of heaping pans of lasagna layered with creamy bechamel sauce filled her with longing for Italy, Soldi, like many other international students, discovered opportunity here, planted roots and made Florida her new home.

MILAN, ITALY

SUZI SOLDI

HOW DID WE GET TO THIS STRANGE PLACE?

In 2009, with the political and economic situation in Venezuela at dangerous tipping points, Valentina Poggioli came to the United States to pursue her master’s degree. She chose Pensacola State College for its robust program in strategic communications and leadership coupled with a stalwart support system to help international students integrate into life in the U.S.

Others, like Soldi, came for the opportunity to play in women’s college sports. In her home country, softball didn’t get much support — the only way to be on the field was to play for a travel team. But fate intervened.

“When I played on the national team (in Italy), one of my (future) coaches was there watching,” Soldi said. “She gave my dad a card. I called, and they offered me a scholarship to come play.”

Brazilian Patricia Gandolfo also found wider opportunities abroad. A lifelong volleyball player, she followed a friend to the U.S. to play at the collegiate level.

“I ended up at Missouri State University, but I didn’t understand it was a junior college. They won and would pay for my flight round trip — I didn’t grow up with a lot of money so that was a big deal,” Gandolfo said.

Like Soldi, she came from a large city filled with people, traffic and endless stores. West Plains, Missouri, presented a much different lifestyle. “There are 10,000 people and one Walmart, and I loved it.”

A SECOND FAMILY

Jeanne de Simon, international student advisor at the University of West Florida (UWF), often overhears students manning the department’s front desk, helping new students navigate the virgin territory.

“They talk about the best supermarkets, how to get your driver’s license or things professors say that they don’t understand,” de Simon said.

Seen as a hub, the international affairs department helps students find resources to make life easier as they adjust to their

new surroundings. De Simon added, “They’re not alone; we’re here to help them become part of the larger student body, get involved in their department and integrate more smoothly.”

As Gandolfo’s time drew near in Missouri, she realized she didn’t want to leave the U.S. She started paying attention to the brochures and scholarship offers from four-year universities, eventually landing at UWF.

↗ Patricia Gandolfo, a native of Brazil, is entering her third season as the head volleyball coach at Pensacola State College. She graduated from the University of West Florida, where she was an assistant coach for nine years.

PORTO ALEGRE, BRAZIL

PATRICIA GANDOLFO

She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in advertising and graphic design and put feelers out for a job to help her stay; she found one with her coach. She fell in love with coaching volleyball and eventually obtained a full-time position with Pensacola State Athletics.

For many international students, acclimation starts on campus at events like UWF’s Coffee Hour held every Thursday. Some 60–80 students from all over the globe crowd together along with representatives from departments like counseling and psychological services, the African Student Union and the Hispanic Student Association to share a cup of coffee and a serving of fellowship.

“You may not have friends the first week or the second, but you’re going to make some friends,” de Simon said. “It’s a very open, collaborative group that supports one another.”

CHALLENGES TO STAY

Homesickness ranks chief among barriers to staying in the U.S., but the pandemic compounded the stress. Soldi arrived in 2020, just two months before COVID-19 forced foreign students to leave.

“I had to fly back home and stay there for six months,” Soldi said. “I came back to college when they opened the border, but then I couldn’t go back home for Christmas.”

For the first time in 20 years, she spent the holidays without her family.

Navigating the nuances of the English language presented challenges for the students, but not nearly as much as the onerous paperwork that comes with a bid to stay in America. Student visas can be obtained relatively easily, but they require you to be a full-time student and limit work and on-campus opportunities.

After graduation, Poggioli obtained her work visa and, years later, her green card, but full citizenship still eludes her.

After a long, expensive, stressful process, she plans to apply in 2024. It’s been even more difficult for Soldi who wants to move on from her student visa and find

permanent employment that will afford living wages. Gandolfo also cited the paperwork as her biggest challenge to continuing her life in America.

“Coming as a student, it’s easy, but once you’re done studying, that’s hard. (Luckily), UWF agreed to (sponsor) my work visa,” Gandolfo said.

Once obtained, it lasts three years and can be renewed once.

“It took forever, but I got my renewal approved,” Gandolfo said. “Now, because I’m married, I’m in the process of getting a permanent green card, but that also is taking forever. It’s almost like you can’t take a deep breath until you get final approval. As soon as I get mine, I will take a deep breath and then apply for citizenship.”

A NEW HOME

Some, like Poggioli, find other international students with the same dreams as them. Her now husband came from Venezuela to study as well, they met at college and decided to make a life together in Pensacola.

“I love the sense of honesty and hard work people from the USA have,” Poggioli said. “It motivates me to be part of this culture and contribute as a professional.”

Soldi’s parents recently visited their daughter’s adopted home to see why she loves it so much. They ventured out to New Orleans and Tallahassee, and she took them to Pensacola Beach where they saw the clearest water they’d ever seen. They were convinced.

Gandolfo’s friends and family felt the same.

“The opportunity to coach volleyball opened the door for me to stay in the United States,” Gandolfo said. “My best friend came to visit, and when he went back home, he told my mom he understood why I love it — now he wants to move to Pensacola.

“I just can’t see myself ever going back to Brazil.” EC

VALENCIA, VENEZUELA

VALENTINA POGGIOLI

↑ Students at the University of West Florida gather for weekly International Coffee Hour sessions where they share laughs and compare experiences.

Joey and Linda Guillot (couple at center), both 66, sold their home in Texas and moved to a cottage at Latitude Margaritaville Watersound last December. The couple joins new friends at the community’s concert venue for dances. Bands and DJs keep the community hopping on Friday and Saturday nights. For the Guillots, Margaritaville feels like home; they’ve been Jimmy Buffett fans since the 1970s.

St. Joe developments are attracting buyers from across the country

ince moving from New Orleans into the new Latitude Margaritaville Watersound community, Bill and Janet Niles have made more than a few friends from more than a few places.

S S BLENDED BLENDED Communities

There are Joey and Trina from Tennessee, Cliff and Janice from Texas, Blake and Teri from Canada and Barb and Ed from Ohio. And don’t forget Jackie from England and Leo who lives across the street. Leo moved from Denver but is originally from Switzerland.

Welcome to the new “Melting Pot,” or maybe in this new tech-driven world we should call it “Melting Pot 2.0.”

History remembers the melting pot theory with affection. Immigrants from all over the world came to America to settle. Their food, music, religion and distinct cultures would slowly merge to form the American culture we have today.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY MIKE FENDER

New communities in Bay and Walton counties are replicating the melting pot at a frenzied pace. Neighborhoods like Watersound Origins and Latitude Margaritaville are attracting new residents from just about everywhere.

The Latitudes community has attracted buyers from 49 states so far, according to Rhea Goff, senior vice president and chief administrative officer for The St. Joe Company. “The Origins community has brought in new residents from 26 states through May.”

Who’s missing from Latitudes you might wonder? “We’re only missing Oregon,” Goff said.

The St. Joe Company is the developer for the Origins project and a partner with Minto Communities USA and Margaritaville Holdings for Latitudes. Goff says that Origins started sales

in 2007 and is planned for over 1,500 units in the first phase. The Latitudes community has sold over 1,000 homes since sales started in 2021 with plans for 3,500 homes in the first phase. Both communities have plans for even more homes in the future.

Historically, Goff notes that most people moving into new Northwest Florida communities were primarily from the Southeast. She first noticed people moving to the area from all corners of the country as a side effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. Goff also credits other factors like the weather and beautiful natural surroundings.

“With these communities in particular, we really create a whole ecosystem that supports the lifestyle that these people are looking for,” Goff said.

These ecosystems offer miles of trails, abundant green spaces, entertainment venues and activities like movie nights. The new Town Center opened in June at Latitude with indoor and outdoor pools, a fitness center and restaurants all overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway. The Beach Club is one of the popular attractions at Origins.

The new communities are designed so that pretty much everything you need is within walking or golf cart distance.

When Cameron Hemphill moved his family of four from Utah last year, his arrival at Origins was partly COVID-inflicted and partly a lucky left turn.

Hemphill, 38, was looking for a beach vacation destination with his wife and two young daughters. He said COVID-19 restrictions in California and Hawaii,

“With these communities in particular, we really create a whole ecosystem that supports the lifestyle that these people are looking for.”

RHEA GOFF, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER FOR THE ST. JOE COMPANY

Rhea Goff, senior vice president and chief administrative officer at The St. Joe Company, inspects amenities at the Camp Creek community. Stays at the 75-room Camp Creek Inn, inset photo, entitle guests to access to a wellness center, tennis and pickleball courts, sprawling pool complex, and three private dining venues. Immediately nearby is the highly rated Camp Creek Golf Course.

his usual choices, caused him to consider the Florida Panhandle as an alternative.

“We started Googling ‘best beaches in the United States,’ and this area kept popping up,” he said.

“We came down to check it out, and when we found (Scenic Highway) 30A, we were like, wow!” Hemphill said the beaches, the restaurants and the people were nothing like they had experienced before.

“It might be cool to live here,” he thought.

So Hemphill, who played golf in college, said he took a left onto Watersound Parkway and passed the Camp Creek golf course. His next stop was the Origins sales office where they bought a lot.

“If I didn’t take that left I probably wouldn’t be here,” he laughed.

Hemphill said his first year in the community has been special. “This is a different world,” he said, noting that in Salt Lake City, they were surrounded by people they had known their entire lives.

“Here, it’s different,” he said. “Everyone has moved here and most very recently.”

He said the cool thing is that it’s very easy to get injected into the community because people are trying to meet people, find kids for their kids to play with and people with whom they have hobbies in common.

“It was really easy to find likeminded people who are fun to hang out with,” Hemphill said. “If you move to Utah and try to break in, good luck. The cliques are already established.”

For Bill and Janet Niles, the sense of community sprung up fast. Theirs was the 14th home built in Latitude, and Janet said they made friends quickly. They had the third golf cart in the community. Everywhere you drive, people wave at each other. Their golf cart is champagne colored.

“I tell everyone I have a champagne golf cart on a beer budget,” Bill said.

“We all came here to do things, not just sit on the couch and watch television all the time.”

BILL NILES

Bill and Janet Niles, opposite page, moved to Latitude Margaritaville Watersound from New Orleans, as attested to by a wall decoration at their new home. Above, they speak with their neighbors Trina and Joey Jackson, who moved to the rapidly developing community from Tennessee.

Transplanted Texans Joey and Linda Guillot have named their cottage at Latitude Margaritaville Watersound “Stars on the Water” — the name of a song recorded by Jimmy Buffett in 1981 as well as George Strait in 2001. “No one seemed to come around the house (in Texas) anymore, and the kids had moved out, so we decided to go to where we loved being all the time,” Joey said.

Fifty people attended the first party that the Niles threw at their new home. They play euchre with their Canadian neighbor.

“When he comes to our house, we play American rules, and at his house we play Canadian,” he said with a chuckle.

Bill said Latitude residents share an outlook.

“We all came here to do things, not just sit on the couch and watch television all the time.” Janet was quick to add, “It’s a bunch of old people here acting like they are 15.”

And yes, Janet and Bill are Parrotheads. The devoted followers of late performer Jimmy Buffett, whose song Margaritaville is the inspiration behind Latitude Margaritaville, are everywhere.

“I’ve been a Parrothead since Day 1,” Janet said. When she moved from New Orleans to Latitude, she brought along signed posters of Louis Armstrong and Fats Domino. But her prized possession is one signed by Buffett. It now hangs in her living room.

Joey and Linda Guillot, both 66, are Parrothead Club members, too. The couple moved to Latitude in December from Mauriceville, Texas, and they are proud to be Buffett fans.

“We go way back to the ’70s,” Joey said. Linda recalls first seeing Buffet in

a concert with the Eagles in Houston. The couple named their new Latitude cottage Stars on the Water after a song recorded by both Buffet and George Strait, a popular Texas performer.

The Guillots first vacationed along Panama City Beach in 1986. Joey said when they saw the Latitude community being built, they decided to make a move after living 43 years in Texas.

“No one seemed to come around the house anymore, and the kids had moved out, so we decided to go to where we loved being all time,” Joey said.

At their first neighborhood party, Joey made up a Boudin dip from Texas to go along with Linda’s Texas accent. The couple counts people from California, Tennessee, Chicago and of course, Texas as new friends.

“You just go outside, and you are going to see someone you haven’t met yet,” Joey said. “All it takes is a wave, and next thing you know you are carrying on a conversation.”

At the opening of the new Town Center, the Guillots and their new friends kept repeating the same words in describing their new resort-style lives. Next to the new Texas-sized, zero-entry pool with Tiki huts and waterfalls, Linda kept saying over and over in disbelief, “We live here.”

“We live here.” EC

“You just go outside, and you are going to see someone you haven’t met yet. All it takes is a wave, and next thing you know you are carrying on a conversation.”

JOEY GUILLOT

In 1604, English judge and jurist Sir Edward Coke declared, “The house of everyone is to him as his castle and fortress as well for defense against injury and violence.”

Over time, Coke’s phrase became simplified to “a man’s (or woman’s) home is his (or her) castle.” Now, if one’s home were, indeed, an actual castle, history informs us that its protection would be supplied by such things as high walls, ramparts, moats, drawbridges, flanking towers, battlements, machicolations (stone boxes that projected from the walls of castles and had holes in the floors for dropping stones or boiling oil on attackers), as well as the portcullis, the spiked wooden or metal barrier that helped protect castle doors from fire and battering.

While today’s modern homes may be relatively safe from marauding hoards or medieval monarchs, they are still the targets of burglaries, break-ins and forceful entries. In fact, in the United States, a home burglary occurs every 15 seconds, and the FBI estimates that one in every 36 homes in America will experience a break-in at some time — and not by swords, arrows or catapults, but rather by common household tools: pliers, screwdrivers and hammers.

While virtually every American home has doors that lock, and many have

dogs that bark, only about 30% of U.S. households have installed modern security systems, the first of which was invented by Marie Van Brittan Brown, an African American nurse from Queens, New York. She and her husband Albert, an electronics technician, received a patent for their unique contraption in 1969.

Its features included a closed-circuit television, multiple peepholes, a sliding camera, two-way microphones and emergency buttons.

Mass manufacture of the Browns’ system was too complicated in that era, but home security technology has more than caught up since then. Modern systems can contain any or all of the following components: a control panel that oversees the entire system and may or may not be connected to a home security company or police and/or fire department; door and window sensors; presence simulation, which may include light and shadow effects at night or sound simulation in the daytime; surveillance cameras, which can stream to users’ phones or computers; motion sensors; glass break detectors; and high-decibel alarms.

Doorbell cameras allow users to talk with visitors while they’re at home or even when they’re away. And some systems have

smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors and flood sensors, as well.

Today’s home security systems are also highly customizable and available as DIY kits or as more complex setups that include professional installation and monitoring. Thus, pricing is highly dependent on what features one chooses. Equipment costs average about $300, with installation costs running up to almost $200. Average monthly monitoring costs range from zero to a few dollars for self-monitored systems and $25 to $50 for professionally monitored systems.

When shopping for any system, a smart consumer will want to consider price, reliability, ease of use and compatibility with any other smart devices in the home. Homeowners should also consider which companies are highly rated by industry insiders and respected periodicals. Companies that often appear in Top 10 lists include: ADT, Vivint, SimpliSafe, Frontpoint, Abode, Cove, Ring Alarm, Wyze, Brinks, Link Interactive, Deep Sentinel and Comcast Xfinity.

Today, the home security industry is growing rapidly. Revenue for U.S. companies should reach $5.43 billion by the end of 2022. With a projected annual growth rate of 11.55%, the projected

↑ Ring’s popular video doorbell enables users to see, hear and speak to visitors from anywhere. It supplies a clear picture with high-definition video and a night vision feature.

market volume should approach $8.41 billion by 2026, with the number of active households expected to amount to 57.6 million users.

Main growth products are smart locks and smart security cameras. Companies from several different industries compete in this market. Along with traditional security companies and tech startups, media companies and connectivity providers also play an important role due to the high amounts of data that need to be transferred, especially in the video surveillance sector.

Going forward, more and more home security systems are going to be linked with other “smart home” components. Keypads that control door locks and alarms also can allow users to turn lights on and off, control thermostats, open and close garage doors, and even manage and monitor other home appliances and electronics. Alternatively, voice control apps, such as Alexa and Google Assistant, are increasingly able to augment, or even replace, keypads so that all one need do is give commands via a smartphone, tablet or smartwatch. Safety has never been more user-friendly.

So, to protect your castle, your family and your possessions, you don’t need to arm the ramparts, ready the crossbows or load the machicolation with boiling oil anymore. By installing a modern home security system that suits both your needs and your budget, you can keep the barbarians outside the gates. EC

↑ The base station is the brain of SimpliSafe systems. It communicates with all of a user’s SimpliSafe devices and relays alarm signals to a 24/7 monitoring center.

MOVE OVER, CHEVY

by EMMA WITMER

Garages and carports have never been just for vehicles. Sure, they are great for keeping pine sap off of the paint and leaves away from your windshield wipers, but before long, they assume other roles: storage, workshop or home gym.

With the cost of housing on the rise, homeowners are investing in garage renovations now more than ever as a way to maximize their space without upgrading to a larger home.

“I think it’s just an evolution,” said Brittany Isham, realtor with Coldwell Banker in Crestview. Most often, she’s seeing garage spaces being transformed into home gyms.

“Ever since COVID, I think garage gyms have become huge. Just because

people accumulated so many things over that COVID period to where they were able to workout at home.”

Second to storage and gyms, Isham frequently encounters garages being used as extra entertainment space. She had a buyer recently purchase a home where the previous owners had transformed the space. They carpeted the floor, removed the garage door track and drywalled over the door, walls and ceiling, blocking off but not removing the garage door.

“From inside the house, you had no idea it was a garage. But on the outside of the house, they still had the garage doors.”

While this type of remodel sounds achievable for most homeowners, Isham warned that concerns arise in closing off the garage door.

Homeowners devote garages to highest and best uses

Many homeowners have devised creative ways to utilize the space, transforming it into workshops, art studios or storage rooms.

abodes

“One of the big things I was kind of shocked about was that the garage space had no windows. As a safety concern that’s a huge red flag because if there’s a fire, you can’t get out of that room.”

Adding on a gym or rigging a man cave may seem a simple project to tackle, but start considering doorways and windows, and you may find yourself digging in the couch cushions for extra cash to enlist a contractor.

Isham advises would-be garage renovators to consider the exterior of their home when looking to install windows and doors. Poured concrete and cinder block homes won’t have studs, making it difficult to find placement for windows and doors. Brick, concrete and cinder block can be difficult materials to cut into when opening those spaces.

While most garages come equipped with one or more electrical outlets, Isham noted that, depending on the lengths of your garage transformation, more indepth wiring may need to be done. Structural changes or the addition of plumbing can present challenges.

Isham emphasized the importance of seeking out a professional for tasks beyond the average DIYer’s scope. But the process of coordinating with an engineer and getting plans drawn up takes a contractor’s time and effort, and that’s not free. Even without these complications, a contractor cannot always provide a firm estimate for renovation without some leg work.

Alternatively, homeowners might opt to maintain the bones of the garage, incorporating easier alternatives to make the space comfortable.

Portable air conditioners can be used, and couches, game tables, TVs and decor can be added to make for extra living space without going through the expense of contracted renovation. Isham said that many DIYers may be able to install sheetrock and even epoxy their own floors with some help from the internet or an instructional kit.

Keep in mind that if you’re looking to add technical square footage in your garage renovation, Isham said that permits will be necessary and an appraisal will be needed after completion to verify the measurements. EC

Paige Aigret

Portable air conditioners can be used, and couches, game tables, TVs and decor can be added to make for extra living space without going through the expense of contracted renovation.

McNeill Palm Opens New Showroom

Window Covering company has you covered at Grand Boulevard location

McNeill Palm is in the business of making people feel at home in their home. After more than four decades, McNeill Palm is welcoming clients and browsers alike to their Hunter Douglas by McNeill Palm showroom at Grand Boulevard.

For 30a, Miramar Beach, Destin and the entire Emerald Coast, McNeill Palm is a trusted industry leader in indoor and outdoor custom shades, draperies, and specialty coverings that promote both style and function.

The Grand Boulevard showroom offers the same service and professionalism but with an increased focus on the proprietary Hunter Douglas designs and options.

“Many of our Hunter Douglas clients also frequent Grand Boulevard,” said Brenda Hamrick, managing director of McNeill Palm. “That makes Grand Boulevard a perfect choice for our new presence.”

As a Hunter Douglas Centurian Gallery, McNeill Palm has access to all proprietary Hunter Douglas products and has most of them on display in the showroom where homeowners, designers, and architects can peruse. Those who stop in the showroom have the sensory experience of interacting with the products and envisioning them in their own home.

Whether you come in as a homeowner or with your designer, the process begins with a consultation in which the McNeill Palm team listens with the sole intent of learning your wants and desires for your personal space.

With your vision at the forefront, the McNeill Palm team takes the lead, listening to your ideas and then walking you through the functions, styles, technology, and price point of each product. With many options on full display, you can operate and touch the products before purchase.

The final step is installation, which is conducted by the company’s highly skilled professionals who are certified in Hunter Douglas installations, service, and maintenance.

“The superior customer service continues after the point of sale,” said Hamrick. “Because Hunter Douglas has the

With your vision at the forefront, the McNeill Palm team takes the lead ...

best customer service in the industry, they support our goal of providing superior, long-term customer care for the life of the product. This is backed by Hunter Douglas’ outstanding warranty.”

In addition to the Hunter Douglas showroom, McNeill Palm’s new location has an exceptional fabric and trim studio featuring finer design options. Guests can select from

beautiful fabrics that align with their home’s style for draperies, shades, and specialty items. “Customers have enjoyed the introduction to all the options available in both designs and technologies,” said Hamrick. “It’s a special experience to be able to walk around and introduce each person to the array of innovative, versatile options available, all the while getting great new ideas for their own home.”

McNeillPalm @mcneillpalmllc mcneillpalm.com

GRAND BOULEVARD AT SANDESTIN HUNTER DOUGLAS BY MCNEILL PALM

CGC1530272

GRASS INVADER

Doveweed hides out in lush lawns

by LES HARRISON UF/IFAS EXTENSION AGENT EMERITUS

Doveweed (Murdannia nudiflora) is an exotic, invasive annual weed species and a member of the dayflower family (Commelinaceae).

This weed has become a significant problem over the last decade, especially in residential lawns. Doveweed rapidly overcomes warm-season grass species, and few herbicides are capable of effectively controlling it.

It blends well with popular turfgrass species, so identifying doveweed in small infestations is difficult for most people. This plant has a leaf width similar to St. Augustine grass and centipede grass, both popular lawn selections.

Doveweed’s leaves are thick with a shiny, rubbery texture. They are attached to lowgrowing, creeping stems which are capable of producing roots from each node or joint.

This characteristic allows doveweed to be propagated from stem sections broken or torn off of viable plants. Mowers may inadvertently spread stem pieces that become lodged in the equipment.

Unlike St. Augustine grass and centipede grass, doveweed has small, but easily seen flowers. This species’s bloom has three purple — occasionally blue — petals that starkly contrast to the green leaves.

Blossoms produce a spherical-shaped fruit, usually holding three seeds which are dispersed by moving water, birds and lawn maintenance equipment. Doveweed seeds germinate in spring when soil temperatures reach 65 F to 70 F. After sprouting, growth will slow if temperatures fall below 70 F.

Doveweed grows aggressively in wet areas. Drainage issues or overwatering will favor the environment and advance this pest’s hold on territory. Excessively damp conditions also limit turfgrass growth, creating the perfect conditions for doveweed displacement.

It is rare to eliminate a doveweed problem in a single year, especially when the population is well established and plant numbers are high. Doveweed seeds can survive in the soil for several years making its removal at least a two- to three-year effort.

Cloudless Sulphur Migration

A butterfly common to Emerald Coast landscapes is currently migrating. The cloudless sulphur (Phoebis sennae) is one of the most common native butterflies and is particularly prominent during its autumn migration south.

Cloudless sulphurs can be seen well under their 10-foot migrationaltitude ceiling. Fluttering closer to the ground, it is easier for them to identify the autumn blooms which contain nectar, their high-carbohydrate meal of choice.

Red flowers seem to be the preferred bloom for these late-season travelers. They frequently dine on the nectar of red morning glories, scarlet creeper, cypress vine and scarlet sage.

At night and on dark, cloudy days, adult cloudless sulphurs roost alone on leaves — they are very particular about which leaf they choose to settle on.

When preparing to roost, an adult makes an erratic flight around a potential tree or shrub, stopping briefly at times, then flying about some more and typically coming to rest on clusters of reddish or yellow leaves.

Although the adults are brightly colored and easy to see when flying, they disappear quickly against similarly colored leaves in the shade. The roost site is commonly low to the ground in shrubs with lots of foliage.

Interested gardeners can cultivate native plants for roost sites that attract the cloudless sulphur butterflies. The best plants to host larvae are in the pea family with options including partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata), sensitive partridge pea (Chamaecrista nictitans) and privet senna (Senna ligustrina).

In the first light of morning, residents of suburbia may awaken to random pockmarks in what had been the perfect lawn the previous evening. The usual offender is an armadillo, sometimes called a “Florida speed bump” or a “possum on the half shell.” Armadillos eat adult insects and larvae. They incessantly dig holes in lawns and landscapes in their search for food, many times uprooting entire plants. Their holes are approximately 1 to 3 inches deep and 3 to 5 inches wide. While not a guarantee, using insecticides to decrease the armadillo food supply may help reduce the digging. In cases where there is a large — and always ravenous — armadillo population, this reduction of food may increase digging activity as they search more diligently for a smaller food supply. In extreme cases, when trapping becomes necessary, there are techniques designed to capture them as they emerge from their burrows. These traps should be applied late in the afternoon and checked several hours after dark.

Les Harrison is a retired University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Wakulla County extension director.

GREEN SCENE

SavetheDate! EggsontheBeach CookingCompetitionOct.14

Beach Craft, Berlin Gardens, Brown Jordan, Jensen Leisure, Lane Venture, Lloyd Flanders, Sunset West, Polywood, Ratana, Seaside Casual, Summer Classics, Telescope, Tommy Bahama, Tropitone, and Winston

AOG, Big G reen Egg, Broilmaster, DCS, Delta Heat, Fire Magic, Memphis Grills, MHP Products, TEC Grills, Twin Eagles, and Wilmington Gril l

FOCUSING ON COMMUNITY

ERA American Real Estate has been supporting the community for over 40 years. In 2012, the ERA American Charitable Foundation was founded to expand the company’s community support efforts. Through donations from their agents, staff and the community at large, the foundation is able to fulfill its mission of supporting local organizations whose focus is on improving the lives of families and children.

“Though the ERA American Charitable Foundation was officially founded in

2012, agents and staff have been giving to charitable causes through payroll and commissions since the late 1980s,” said Gloria Frazier, Broker and Founder of ERA American Real Estate. “The company has sent close to $1,000,000 into the local community.”

The ERA American Charitable Foundation has a long-standing endowed scholarship at Northwest Florida State College and supports local public and private schools. Over the years, the foundation has financially supported countless organizations who are making a difference in our communities.

“As a resident of Santa Rosa County, I love being able to see the money we raise throughout the year go right back into the community,” said Lorie Coogle, Realtor with ERA American Real Estate. “The Santa Rosa Kids House has such a positive

impact on the lives of children in our area, and we were honored to be a part of presenting the team with a donation from the foundation for our efforts last year.”

To increase contribution efforts in the community, ERA American Real Estate will match all foundation donations up to $5,000 during the Week of Giving, Nov. 27–Dec. 1, 2023. This year, organizations including The Arc of the Emerald Coast, Santa Rosa Kids House, and Matrix COC will be the primary beneficiaries of the Week of Giving movement. Additionally, in partnership with the national brand ERA Real Estate, each ERA American Real Estate office will serve as drop-off points for Toys for Tots.

To donate to The ERA American Charitable Foundation, visit Facebook.com/ ERAAmericanCharitableFoundation.

CINDY FRAKES, GLORIA FRAZIER, KEITH WOOD AND NIKKI SEGRAVES WOOD PRESENT DR. DEVEN STEPHENSON OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA STATE COLLEGE WITH $100,000 TO ESTABLISH A NEW SCHOLARSHIP FOR OKALOOSA AND WALTON COUNTY STUDENTS.

REBECCA HENSEL, HEIDE ISAAC AND LORIE COOGLE PRESENT A CHECK TO SANTA ROSA KIDS HOUSE.

ERA American Real Estate’s charity foundation partners with local organizations to improve lives

JUAN C. ZARATE, MD, FACC, FSCAI Interventional Cardiologist

ANTHONY S. AL-DEHNEH, DO, FACC, FSCAI Interventional Cardiologist

GEORGE A. YOUSSEF, MD, FACC, FSCAI Interventional Cardiologist

SHADY HENIEN, MD, MBA, FACC, FSCAI Interventional Cardiologist

JOHN B. DUDLEY, MD, MPH, Interventional Cardiologist

ANGEL D. MORROBEL, MD, FACC Invasive Cardiologist

PROVIDING EXPERTISE AND PATIENT TAILORED THERAPY IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS:

INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY

Diagnostic coronary angiogram | Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) with coronary stents

High risk PCI with Impella and intravascular lithotripsy balloon | Stress tests | Nuclear cardiology

STRUCTURAL

Transcatheter mitral valve replacement | Tranacatheter mitral valve edge-to-edge repair (i.e. MitraClip)

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) | Watchman for stroke reduction risk

Atrial septal defect (ASD) closure | Patent forman ovale (PFO) closure

PERIPHERAL & ENDOVASCULAR

Carotid angiogram and stents | Peripheral stents in leg vasculature

Aneurysm repair | Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) for abdominal aortic aneurysm

GOING HOME AGAIN

The rolling green hills seem to stretch into forever, and there’s something enchanted about the farming village where I lived the first five years of my life.

Set in the Rhineland-Pfalz, Eifel region of Germany, Peffingen is pastoral — and tiny. I’d estimate that less than 200 people live there, a fraction of the number of cows, chickens, sheep and horses in the town. Given the bovine influence, there is a certain acrid odor in the fresh country air, but it’s one that I got used to as a child and have missed for most of my life.

Decades had elapsed since I last visited Germany. When I booked my flight to Luxembourg, I was staring down the barrel of a 25-year reunion with people who had once been as close as blood relatives. The Webers — husband and wife Friedbert and Friedburg, along with their daughter Carmen and son Axel — had been our landlords from 1982 until 1988. We rented the upstairs apartment in their duplex on Im Kreuzfeld. They’d been there when I was born and when I was baptized. Carmen and Axel had essentially been my brother and sister.

But time and distance had separated us, in more ways than one. Stepping off the plane, I was nervous at seeing all of them. We had grown older and lived entire lives apart. Carmen, now a mother of two, had married, divorced, and remarried and was living down the street from her parents. Axel had moved into the apartment we’d once called home and was raising a teenage daughter as a single father. Friedbert and Friedburg had aged and retired from the work they’d been doing when we’d seen them last — he, in the local dairy; she, at a cosmetics factory in Luxembourg.

The nervousness I felt at reuniting after so long, combined with my lack of fluency in German, dissipated almost instantly and was replaced by an almost overwhelming feeling that I hadn’t expected. I was home.

That weeklong trip in September was filled with adventures: a scenic and breathtakingly beautiful hike on the Mullerthal Trail in Luxembourg; a 33-mile e-bike ride through the countryside; a day trip to Bernkastel and the ruins of Burg Landshut, the Roman fortress that once stood guarding the Mosel River; afternoon

runs through the hilly village that tested every muscle in my legs; and countless hours of sitting around the table for coffee or a meal, just talking and reconnecting.

When it was time to leave, I thought seriously about extending my stay. In the end, I got on the plane promising that I would be back.

Six months later, I returned for two weeks.

In September, I had worn shorts and short-sleeved shirts for the entire week, but March was cold and gray on many days. Even so, when I got to the house after more than 14 hours of traveling, I laced up my running shoes and ran through the village that I’d been dreaming of since my last trip.

The familiar smell of the fields, the quietude of the village and the sound of the Prüm River all welcomed me home. Over the next two weeks, I ran 6 to 10 miles from Peffingen to Bettingen and back by way of training for an upcoming half-marathon in Washington, D.C.

← The Cochem Memorial Castle overlooks Cochem, Germany, a community of 5,000 people on the Mosel River.

→

A hiker and his best friend pause along the Mullerthal Trail in Luxembourg. The 112-kilometer route passes through rock formations, forests and the city of Echternach.

← A town square in Bernkastel, Germany. ↑ The ruins of a Roman fortress that served as a lookout on the Mosel River.

I braved insane hills and the 30-something temperatures in nothing more than a tank top and running shorts and gained a reputation as “the crazy girl who runs naked through the village.” Not that I was actually without clothing, but to all the people who saw me run by scantily clad while they were wearing heavy coats, gloves and hats, it was close enough.

In that two-week trip, I was introduced to one of Carmen and her husband’s favorite haunts in the nearby village of Mettendorf. Owned by a Turkish expat named Mammet, Bistro Enjoy was a local hot spot for watching football (soccer) and post-work drinking. Its cast of characters was also something to behold, Mammet being chief among them.

Rumored to have ties to the Turkish mafia, Mammet owns many of the businesses up and down the main commercial street in Mettendorf. Then there was Karlheinz, who worked in the school system and had apparently, at 60-odd years old, never had a girlfriend. Pöppel (given name Thomas Pöppelreiter) works in mechanical engineering, wears the kind of hat that Crocodile Dundee favors and has piercings that run the length of his ears, silver skull rings on most of his fingers and leather cords wrapped multiple times around each wrist. Add to that a black tracksuit with a full-length skeleton emblazoned on the front, and you’ve got a clear picture of the man who often sits on a stool at the bar nursing a short glass of Bitburger pilsner. Short in stature and big on personality, Eddie is from Portugal and has lived in Germany for more than a decade. I also met a crematorium/cemetery

worker, a gardener and a few other people who added to the unique atmosphere.

By the end of my two weeks, I’d made new friends, had interesting conversations and raised more than a few glasses of beer, wine and cocktails whose ingredients I can’t recall. Being an American and a woman, I raised eyebrows sky-high when I slammed back shots of schnapps. This, like the “naked” running, gained me notoriety and fans at the bar.

Despite apprehensions, I had successfully gone home again. I had reunited with a beautiful land that provided me with a sense of belonging. EC

↑ The scenic rural town of Peffingen, Germany, with a population of just 200 people is surrounded by rolling country and pungent pastures. For a runner, the setting is a great place for logging a few miles.

↑ The village of Mettendorf is home to the Bistro Enjoy, said to be owned by a Turkish expatriate with ties to organized crime. Undeterred by such reports, locals gather at the watering hole to throw back pilsners.

OCT. 14

THE MARKET SHOPS 8TH ANNUAL BLOODY MARY FESTIVAL

→ Eat, Drink, and B. Mary at The Market Shops’ eighth annual Bloody Mary Festival on Saturday, Oct. 14, from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Benefiting Habitat for Humanity of Walton County, the event offers unlimited bloodies prepared by local bars and restaurants, local food, live music, a DJ, craft beer, Bubbly Bar, shopping, SEC football and much more!

Tickets are on sale now at TheMarketShops.com.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

OCT/NOV 2023

For more events in the EC, visit EmeraldCoastMagazine.com and 850tix.com

compiled by ALIX BLACK, SARAH COVEN, RAEMI

CRETEUR, JAVIS OGDEN and REBECCA PADGETT FRETT

NOV. 4

Sinfonia Gulf Coast Gala

Experience the electrifying energy of Grammynominated Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue live in concert. This event benefiting Sinfonia Gulf Coast will be held at Hotel Effie in Sandestin and begin with a reception at 6 p.m. followed by a gourmet dinner in the Juniper Ballroom curated by executive chef Matthew Krueger. Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue energize audiences with a unique combination of funk, soul and R&B.

Tickets are $250 per person and include valet, reception, dinner and live performance. VIP tables for 10 are also available. Proceeds benefit Sinfonia Gulf Coast and its education and community outreach engagement initiatives throughout Northwest Florida. Visit SinfoniaGulfCoast.org for more information.

Times and dates for events are subject to change. Check websites to see if the listed events will occur as scheduled.

HAVE AN EVENT YOU’D LIKE US TO CONSIDER? Send an email to sbornhoft@rowlandpublishing.com or promote an event at EmeraldCoastMagazine.com/things-to-do at no cost.

JUNIOR LEAGUE TOAST ON THE COAST

→ The Junior League of the Emerald Coast presents an unforgettable afternoon of coastal indulgence at the beautiful Henderson Beach Resort in Destin. The event, which benefits League programs, is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 15, beginning at 2 p.m. (1 p.m. for VIPs). Tickets include unlimited samples of incredible food and beverages. A DJ will supply music, and a silent auction will be held. For more information and to register, visit JLEC.org/events/toast-on-the-coast.

OCT. 27–29

28th Annual Festival of the Arts

→ The Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation’s Festival of the Arts is one of the Southeast’s premier juried art festivals. This year’s annual celebration of art, food, music and family fun begins on Friday, Oct. 27, at 6 p.m. with the Arty Kickoff Party at Henderson Beach Resort. More than 100 artists from across the United States and Europe will display their work at the Cultural Arts Village in Destin on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The festival will feature live artist demos, live music, an art drawing, hands-on creative children’s activities, street performers, a keepsake “masterpiece” photo booth, food truck fare, beer and wine garden beverages and more. Participants will be encouraged to cast their votes for the People’s Choice Award on Saturday. Proceeds benefit MKAF and its ArtsReach community outreach education initiatives. Visit MKAF.org for more information.

NOV. 8

Sounds of the Spectrum Charity Concert

→ This must-see event features world famous operatic tenor Lawrence Brownlee and internationally acclaimed trumpet soloist David Spencer, accompanied by the Northwest Florida Symphony and Chorale. The concert will include music from opera and musical theater along with gospel and Americana selections. Performers will also include young artists from the Pensacola Opera and the NWFSC Unified Gospel Choir. This event is presented by Mattie Kelly Arts Center benefitting Emerald Coast Autism Center. To learn more, visit ECAutismCenter.org/news-events/events.

75TH ANNUAL DESTIN FISHING RODEO

OCT. 1–31

The Destin Fishing Rodeo, held each October, features nightly weigh-ins at the docks behind A.J.’s Seafood & Oyster Bar, where a family atmosphere prevails and big prizes are awarded. Rodeo events are free and open to the public. destinfishingrodeo.org

KILLER QUEEN: A TRIBUTE TO QUEEN

OCT. 4

You’ll be the champion when you get to experience the awardwinning “worldwide best tribute band,” Killer Queen. Travel back in time to the ’70s and ’80s, both visually and vocally. pensacolasaenger.com

BAYTOWNE WHARF BEER FESTIVAL

OCT. 6–7

The Village of Baytowne Wharf presents its 15th annual festive beer tasting featuring over 200 domestic and international beers, food samples, live music and more. Taste local brews while chatting with the brewers themselves. baytownebeerfestival.com

DESTIN SEAFOOD FESTIVAL

OCT. 6–8

The Destin Seafood Festival presents the freshest catches the Gulf has to offer. Seafood lovers won’t want to miss this opportunity to dine and shop your way along the historic Destin Harbor and Harbor Boardwalk while

enjoying live music, arts and crafts and children’s activities. destinseafoodfest.com

PIRATES OF THE HIGH SEAS AND RENAISSANCE FEST

OCT. 6–8

Ahoy, mateys! In celebration of the marauders who once sailed the Gulf, pirates will invade Panama City Beach for a weekend of activities, including a big parade, a kid’s parade, a treasure hunt, a costume contest, live music, food vendors, fireworks and more. visitpanamacitybeach.com

DISNEY JUNIOR LIVE: COSTUME PALOOZA

OCT. 12

Mickey, Minnie and their pals are getting ready to throw a huge costume party, but mysterious weather keeps interrupting the fun in a show that offers an immersive, interactive concert experience. Singing, dancing and 3D special effects are all part of it. Renowned director John Brady supplies acrobatics with cirquestyle performances including incredible trampoline routines. pensacolasaenger.com

HARVEST WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL

OCT. 19–22

Epicurean excellence awaits at this festival, which merges fine wines and culinary creations. The weekend features wine dinners, vendor tents, a silent auction and a grand tasting with over 400 wines from around the world. dcwaf.org/harvest-festival

Have you fallen in love with Sandestin®? We know the feeling!

If you're ready to make Sandestin® your home, choose the real estate experts who know it best ... because we are the best! Our agents specialize in single-family homes, condos and lots for sale, not only in Sandestin®, but from the 26-mile stretch of scenic beaches along 30A to Destin and everywhere in between. Need a Long Term Rental? We do that too!

ENTRECON BUSINESS AND LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

→ The Studer Community Institute’s annual business, leadership and entrepreneurship conference is back. With vision, commitment, intentionality and the right resources, EntreCon helps participants move past whatever is holding them back. EntreCon 2023 will encourage people to redefine what success means to them and chart a course forward.

For additional information and to register, visit EntreConPensacola.com.

25TH ANNUAL THUNDER BEACH AUTUMN RALLY

OCT. 25–29

Motorcycle enthusiasts from across the country will converge on Panama City Beach for a rally that features demos, vendors, custom bike shows, rides, workshops and a free concert to kick off the event. thunderbeachproductions.com

HALLOWEEN ON THE BOOLEVARD

OCT. 31

Bring your little ghouls, goblins, ghosts and princesses to trick or treat throughout the Town Center of Grand Boulevard. The event is open to the public and free of charge. grandboulevard.com

TRICK OR TREAT STREET

OCT. 31

Calling all trick-or-treaters to The Village of Baytowne Wharf for a spooktacular extravaganza. This Halloween, trick or treat along Village streets and visit merchants for your favorite treat. A DJ will play frighteningly good tunes on the main stage. Face painting and balloon artists will

be on hand. End the night with a spooky fireworks display. baytownewharf.com

10TH ANNUAL FOO FOO FESTIVAL

NOV. 2–13

Foo Foo Fest is big fun, featuring events of high artistic and cultural caliber, all delivered with a hefty dose of Southern sophistication. From opera to graffiti, a variety of culturally inclined events will take place at locations throughout Pensacola. foofoofest.com

TRIBUTE WEEKEND

NOV. 3–5

Rock out the weekend enjoying live music from tribute bands. Bring your blankets and lawn chairs for a weekend of musical talent and vendors at The Village of Baytowne Wharf. baytownewharf.com

BROADWAY IN PENSACOLA MEAN GIRLS

NOV. 6 & 7

Pensacola’s Saenger Theatre welcomes Broadway to the coast with Tina Fey’s Mean Girls, a hilarious

OCT. 12

Best of the Emerald Coast Winners Soirée

→ The Best of Emerald Coast event is transitioning to become the Best of the Emerald Coast Winners Soirée, which will take place at Grand Boulevard at Sandestin in Miramar Beach. Unlike the festival-style events of previous years, winners will not be displaying or serving their products or services. Instead, the public is invited to attend an intimate gathering of the best businesses in the region as voted by the readers of Emerald Coast Magazine. Attendees can expect an evening of entertainment, heavy hors d’oeuvres and, most importantly, celebrating this year’s winners. This year’s event will benefit the organization voted as Best Charity/Nonprofit in our 2023 readers choice poll.

For more information and to purchase your tickets, visit EmeraldCoastMagazine.com/bestofec.

musical performance that tells the story of a girl’s uphill battle to find her place in a new town. pensacolasaenger.com

EMERALD COAST CRUIZIN

NOV. 8–11

View thousands of hot rods, muscle cars, trucks and classics. Events include cruise-ins, car vendors, concerts, parades and food. emeraldcoastcruizin.com

JUNIOR LEAGUE OF PANAMA CITY BEACH HOLLY FAIR

NOV. 9–12

Deck your halls with boughs of holly and other home goods thanks to Holly Fair, presented by the Junior League of Panama City Beach. Over

90 vendors will be selling apparel, jewelry, crafts and more. Proceeds from this holiday tradition help fund the Junior League’s many community projects. jlpanamacity.org/hollyfair

JIM BREUER: SURVIVAL WITH LAUGHTER

NOV. 16

A veteran of Saturday Night Live and Comedy Central, Jim Breuer delivers his new special, “Survival With Laughter,” live at Pensacola’s Saenger Theatre. Prepare for an evening of energetic and zany stand-up. pensacolasaenger.com

THE NUTCRACKER

NOV. 17–19

Join the Northwest Florida Ballet at the Mattie Kelly

Holiday Magic!

Cirque de Noel

→ Escape the ordinary with TSO’s Holiday Magic! Featuring Crique de la Symphonie, this show features your favorite holiday music with jugglers, tumblers, aerialists and more!

Get your tickets today at TallahasseeSymphony.org.

Arts Center on Nov. 17 and 18 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 19 at 2:30 p.m. for the 44th annual production of The Nutcracker. As the only full-length version of this classic holiday fairytale in the area, NFB’s The Nutcracker features a cast of more than 140 performers, including

international guest artists and over 100 local children.

Visit NFBallet.org/the-nutcracker for details and ticket information.

SPARKLING WINE & HOLIDAY LIGHTS

NOV. 18

This sparkling event will feature more than

Our goal is to help you pursue yours.

It’s that simple.

30 champagnes and delicious appetizers at featured Village of Baytowne Wharf restaurants. Carolers supply sounds of the season, and the event offers a sneak peek of the first tree lighting of the season.

baytownesparklingwinefest.com

At Merrill, we’ll help you get ready for the future with a financial approach that’s designed for you.

At Merrill, we’ll help you get ready for the future with a financial approach that’s designed for you.

Krueger, Fosdyck & Associates

Krueger, Fosdyck & Associates

Merrill Lynch Wealth Management 34990 Emerald Coast Parkway Suite 400 Destin, FL 32541 850.269.7003

Merrill Lynch Wealth Management 34990 Emerald Coast Parkway Suite 400 Destin, FL 32541 850.269.7003

fa.ml.com/kfa

fa.ml.com/kfa

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (also referred to as “MLPF&S” or “Merrill”) makes available certain investment products sponsored, managed, distributed or provided by companies that are affiliates of Bank of America Corporation (“BofA Corp.”). MLPF&S is a registered broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, Member SIPC and a wholly owned subsidiary of BofA Corp.

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (also referred to as “MLPF&S” or “Merrill”) makes available certain investment products sponsored, managed, distributed or provided by companies that are affiliates of Bank of America Corporation (“BofA Corp.”). MLPF&S is a registered broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, Member SIPC and a wholly owned subsidiary of BofA Corp.

Investment products: Are Not FDIC Insured Are Not Bank Guaranteed May Lose Value

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Tarpon Cellars is a Napa Valley winery with Southern roots, crafting wines that tell the story of a particular place, vintage and moment in time.

A Little Library Goes a Long Way

Tiny libraries spread the joy of reading along 30A and beyond

What’s better than reading a book at the beach? Finding and sharing them in the most unexpected places, like a small library box filled with the favorite reads of people passing through, looking for that next good story to dive into.

This is what Victoria Sellers had in mind when she approached the Walton County Tourism Department about establishing her first book exchange at the Visitor Information Center.

“I love literacy, and there are so many benefits to these tiny libraries … they’re great for all ages!” Sellers said.

The concept is easy and free: Take a book and/or leave a book. Sellers said all books are welcome — though they must fit in the 15-by13-inch space — and she especially encourages sharing children’s and family books.

Sellers, who is passionate about her Santa Rosa Beach community, moved to the area from nearby Niceville two years ago with her three children.

“I love it here. It’s beautiful,” she said. “I love the beach and the people.”

Passion spurred motivation soon after when, last summer, a chance conversation with an elderly man inspired her to create the tiny libraries. As she chatted with the man about newspapers and magazines, he confessed to Sellers that he couldn’t read. She was both surprised and saddened.

“It put a mission on my heart to put some of these little free libraries out there,” she said.

Sellers and her 9-year-old daughter, Olivia, got to work creating the small book exchange, aiming to share the joy and accessibility of reading. She bought some sheets of

plywood, searched online for plans and began construction of her first tiny library box. She needed help with the tiny roofs, which BelMac Roofing was happy to provide. The first books were supplied from her home collection and donations from Butler Elementary School and Habitat for Humanity ReStore. The next decision was a location — and the Visitor Information Center at the corner of U.S. Highways 331 and 98 was a top choice.

“My daughter loves going to the tourism center,” said Sellers.

“Immediately we thought it would be a fantastic location for a tiny library, where visitors and residents come in and out,” said Christy Gibson, Visitor Information manager. “What a great opportunity for someone traveling by plane or car who wants to grab a book for the journey.”

In March, Sellers added a second tiny library by the bicycle rack at AJ’s Grayton Beach. Just recently, a third tiny library opened at the Santa Clara Regional Beach Access in Seagrove, with two more beach access locations planned, supported by Walton County Tourism Beach Operations.

Sellers checks her libraries twice a week and estimates around 1,000 books have been distributed so far. She is thankful for support from Habitat for Humanity ReStore and Caring and Sharing of Walton County in refilling her libraries.

Sellers’ goal is to have tiny libraries all along the South Walton scenic corridor that she and her family love. The book-sharing movement is not new, and there are other small, free public libraries located around South Walton.

As she loves the yellow, sugar-covered bunny confections popularized at Easter, Sellers decided Peeps to be a fun way to promote the library locations. She drop cards listing the “30A Peep Show” at various 30A hot spots and challenges cardholders to find the “Peep family traveling 30A,” along with their favorite books.

The card features a little yellow bunny sporting a glittery gold bikini — “because we’re at the beach,” Sellers emphasized. Inside each tiny library is a yellow bunny cut-out.

Many of Sellers’ tiny library books feature a stamp inside each front cover with a bumblebee and 30A graphic.

“People come from all over the world to vacation here,” she noted. “A book stamped with 30A will remind them of the interesting times they had.”

WALTON COUNTY TOURISM DEPARTMENT

Check out the tiny libraries on social media by searching #TinyLibrary, #30ATinyLibrary and #30APeepShow. If you’d like to help these small libraries grow, email Sellers at victoriasellers7@yahoo.com.

(Left) Close-ups of the exterior and interior of the new tiny library at the Walton County Tourism Department Visitor Center.

(Right) Troy Kimbrell, Victoria Sellers, Walton County Tourism Department Director Matt Algarin, Christy Gibson and Norma Jean Umble posing with the new tiny library at the Visitor Center.

Even More Art, Music, Food and Fun

MKAF celebrates 28th annual Festival of the Arts

Get ready to immerse yourself in a true celebration of creativity, community and culture at the 28th annual Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation (MKAF) Festival of the Arts. With a record number of artist entries, fun new interactive experiences and expanded food and beverage offerings, this year’s event is sure to be a true celebration of art, music, food and fun!

The festivities start early this year with an Arty Kick Off Party on Friday, on Oct. 27 at 6 p.m., at the Henderson Beach Resort in Destin. The weekend exhibition follows on Saturday, Oct. 28, and Sunday, Oct. 29, in the picturesque MKAF Cultural Arts Village in Destin.

One of the Southeast’s premier art festivals, the two-day signature event features exhibits by more than 100 artists from across the U.S. and showcases a diverse palette of artistic styles in 17 different art mediums from oil, watercolor and glass-art paintings to clay pottery, ceramics, metal sculpture, mixed media, jewelry art and more.

This year’s poster art features Flamboyant, created by Canadian artist Roger Van Lieshout, now residing in Cape Coral, Florida. The 36-by-36-inch painting, brought to life with oil on canvas, pictures a vibrant and whimsical flock of flamingos,

capturing the essence of Van Lieshout’s colorful, free-spirited artistry.

Attendees can witness the magic of plein air artists capturing landscapes live, watch artists demonstrating their techniques in their tented booths and experience a handson mini workshop by special guest artist Justin Gaffrey of Gaffrey Art.

Stroll through the Collaborative Art Exhibit, a must-see feature, to view the showcased work of 85 student and adult artists displaying up to three pieces each in competition for the McIlroy Award.

Beyond the visual arts, the Dugas Pavilion will feature two days of continual live music by six local and regional musicians and bands.

The festival celebrates the art of dining, too. Foodies will enjoy samplings of savory cuisine and sweet bites from local food trucks along with adult beverages in the Wine Bar & Beer Garden. Gather with family and friends to enjoy your meal seated at tables al fresco and in the festival scene while listening to the stellar music lineup.

New this year, the interactive Creation Station invites young art enthusiasts to suit up and unleash their creativity — and paint! — in a Splatter Studio courtesy of artist Maxine Orange. Entertaining street performers, lively art drawings and the sale of colorful keepsake

souvenirs keep the party going and create a family-friendly festival feel.

Art industry judges will award $12,050 in artist prizes in the juried and collaborative art categories. On Saturday, festivalgoers are invited to vote for the People’s Choice Artist Award by casting a ballot located at the main festival entrance.

Festival producer Deb Nissley says 2023 is a banner year in the making.

“The interest in coming to our festival was so strong, we had a waiting list!” said festival producer Deb Nissley, noting 2023 to be a banner year in the making. “More than 100 talented artists cannot wait to share their beautiful artwork with our community. We hope everyone comes out with friends and family to enjoy the art, music, food and, of course, plenty of fun!”

The festival is open to the public on Saturday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Daily admission is free. Proceeds from MKAF cultural events help fund ArtsReach — MKAF’s arts-education community outreach programs serving K–12 students, children and adults with special needs, and the Emerald Coast military community.

For more details, follow MKAF on social media channels and visit MKAF.org.

MATTIE KELLY ARTS FOUNDATION 4323 COMMONS DRIVE W., DESTIN | (850) 650-2226 | MKAF.ORG

SOCIAL STUDIES

Emerald Coast Blue Marlin

Classic

JUN. 21–25 In its 21st year, the Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic attracted 80 sportfishing yachts whose captains and crews competed for shares of a $1.8 million purse. The fleet released 62 billfish (29 blue marlins, 15 white marlins, 18 sailfish) and weighed 33 wahoo, 16 tuna and 25 dolphin. The 22nd annual Classic is slated for June 19-23, 2024.

PHOTOS BY MAX IMPACT PHOTOGRAPHY AND ZECH WEAVER

1 Team Lifeline

2 Jason Draughn, Tournament Director, and Casey Draughn

3 Jonathan Boone, Assistant Tournament Director, and Thomas Boone

4 Savannah, Hattie and Cody Garland

dining guide

AMERICAN

BUFFALO JACK’S LEGENDARY WINGS & PIZZ A ★

Catch the game and enjoy legendary wings, pizza, burgers and Italian dishes with a New Orleans flair. 11275 Emerald Coast Pkwy., Miramar Beach. (850) 424-6288. $$ L D

COMMELFÓ RESTAURANT

American dining; enjoy steak and eggs for breakfast, a Southeast Cuban sandwich for lunch or lobster ravioli for dinner, among many other options. 10859 Emerald Coast Pkwy., Miramar Beach. (850) 353-2991. $$$ B L D

DHARMA BLUE

Atmosphere and service match an expansive menu including everything from sushi to pork tenderloin. 300 S. Alcaniz St., Pensacola. (850) 433-1275. $$ L D

EMERIL’S COASTAL ITALIAN

Located at Grand Boulevard in Sandestin, the famed chef’s first restaurant in Northwest Florida combines Italian cuisine with the variety of fresh Gulf seafood and local ingredients. 435 Grand Blvd., Miramar Beach. (850) 608-7040. $$$ L D

FIREFLY ★

Fresh Gulf seafood, steak, sushi and signature cocktails. 535 Richard Jackson Blvd., Panama City Beach. (850) 249-3359. $$$ D

GALLION’S ★

Elevated small plates, chef-inspired dishes and specialty craft cocktails in a sophisticated, relaxed setting. 104 N. Barrett Sq., Unit C, Rosemary Beach. (850) 399-4909. $$$ L D

GEORGE’S AT ALYS BEACH

Seafood, burgers and sandwiches. 30 Castle Harbour Dr., Alys Beach. (850) 641-0017.

$$ L D

GEORGE BISTRO + BAR

Husband and wife owners are driven by a passion to create exceptionally humble, ingredient-driven food, coffees and cocktails while treating guests like family. 6205 N. 9th Ave., Pensacola. (850) 912-4655. $$ L D

GREAT SOUTHERN CAFE

This all-day cafe puts a new spin on classics with a mix of international cuisines, Southern cooking and local food and produce. 83 Central Square, Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 231-7327.

$$ B L D

IVY & ALE ★

A boutique plant nursery and beer garden offering a selection of shareable apps, sandwiches and entrees along with wine, craft beer and spritzers. 222 Staff Dr. NE, Fort Walton Beach. (850) 226-2263. $$ L D

JACO’S BAYFRONT BAR & GRILLE

Waterfront restaurant serving burgers, salads, seafood and brunch daily. 997 S. Palafox St., Pensacola. (850) 432-5226. $$ L D

THE KEY

LOUISIANA LAGNIAPPE ★

A taste of New Orleans hits the coast through Louisiana-style favorites like shrimp and grits and Cajun seafood gumbo. 775 Gulf Shore Dr., Destin. (850) 837-0881. $$ D

LULU’S

Lucy Buffett’s funky hangout features cocktails, burgers and seafood, plus allergyfriendly menus. 4607 Legendary Marina Dr., Destin. (850) 710-5858. $$ L D

MAGNOLIA GRILL

Steak, seafood, pasta, soups, salads and desserts. 157 SE Brooks St., Fort Walton Beach. (850) 302-0266. $$ L D

MARINA BAR AND GRILL

Seafood, po’ boys, burgers and salads. Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, 9300 Emerald Coast Pkwy. W., Miramar Beach. (850) 267-7778 $ B L D

MARINA CAFÉ ★

Gourmet pizzas, Creole and American cuisine. 404 Harbor Blvd., Destin. (850) 837-7960. $$$ D

NICK’S BOATHOUSE

Serving a wide variety of seafood, steaks and flatbreads by the waterfront. 455 W. Main St., Pensacola. (850) 912-8775. $$ L D

NORTH BEACH SOCIAL ★

Favorites include the Great Southern Café’s famous Grits a Ya Ya, the Bay’s Bomber Burger, fresh raw oysters, and tuna poké bowls. 24200 U.S. Hwy 331, Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 622-8110 $$ B L D

OVIDE ★

Located inside the new Hotel Effie, acclaimed chef Hugh Acheson brings together classic Gulf Coast flavors and impeccable classic French technique. 1 Grand Sandestin Blvd., Miramar Beach. (850) 351-3030. $$$ D

RESTAURANT IRON

Buzzy, stylish locale serving gourmet, reimagined takes on Southern cuisine, plus clever cocktails. 22 N. Palafox St., Pensacola. (850) 912-4655. $$ D

RESTAURANT PARADIS

Restaurant and lounge offers rich coastal flavors in its innovative dishes. 82 S. Barrett Square, Rosemary Beach. (850) 534-0400. $$$ D

SHADES BAR & GRILL ★

A 30A mainstay for over 20 years, Shades features 17 high-def TVs plus a menu of salsas, steaks, sandwiches and fish tacos. 10952 E. Hwy. 30A, Inlet Beach. (850) 231-9410. $$ L D

SPORTS TO GEAUX ★

Food truck meets sports bar and grill. Serving up American food with a Cajun flare and bringing the party to you. Rotating location schedule. (850) 520-0429. $

SUNQUEST CRUISES SOLARIS YACHT

Enjoy a fusion of ambiance, food and live music

aboard the SOLARIS yacht offering three decks of indoor and outdoor spaces. 9300 Emerald Coast Pkwy., Miramar Beach. (850) 650-2519.

$ D

THE BODACIOUS CAFÉ

This coffee house and eatery specializes in handcrafted espresso, lattes and cappuccinos. For breakfast, try their omelets and acai bowls; for lunch, salads, wraps and flatbread pizzas are on the menu. 407 S. Palafox St., Pensacola. (850) 434-6300. $ B L

THE CRAFT BAR ★

Craft brews on tap along with artisan cocktails and elevated bar fare. 4424 Commons Dr., Destin. Also in Grayton Beach, Fort Walton Beach and Pensacola. (850) 460-7907. $$ L D

THE RED BAR ★

New and improved and now reopened; get classic meals at one of the area’s most renowned locations. 70 Hotz Ave., Grayton Beach. (850) 231-1008. $$ L D

THE WINE BAR

A gathering spot for lunch or dinner, plus daily happy hour specials. Destin and Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 269-2902. L D

VUE ON 30A

Fine New American dining in a modern, cream and beige waterfront spot with bar, lounge and views. 4801 W. Hwy. 30A, Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 267-2305 $$$ L D

VIN’TIJ FOOD & WINE ★

Award-winning boutique wine shop and restaurant offering seasonally inspired culinary creations paired with high-quality wines. 500 Grand Blvd., Suite 100K, Sandestin. (850) 650-9820. $$ L D

ASIAN

BAMBOO SUSHI AND HIBACHI

Offering fresh Japanese cuisine like sushi, tempura and hibachi dishes, plus a sake bar. 117 W. John Sims Pkwy., Niceville. (850) 678-0771.

$$ L D

DOMO CAFÉ

This Asian kitchen offers dozens of sushi options, including vegetarian, signature, fried and baked rolls. 1823 Hurlburt Rd., #3, Fort Walton Beach. (850) 226-6412.

$$ L D

DOMO IZAKAYA RAMEN + SUSHI ★

Expansive sushi options and ramen, noodle and rice bowls in an authentic, modern atmosphere. 753 Harbor Blvd., Destin. (850) 353-2096.

$$ L D

OSAKA JAPANESE HIBACHI

STEAKHOUSE & SUSHI BAR ★

Known for its sushi but serves a variety of dishes, including chicken, steak and seafood. 34845 Emerald Coast Pkwy., Destin. (850) 650-4688 or (850) 650-4689.

$$ L D

P.F. CHANG’S ★

A Chinese restaurant serving Mongolian, Thai, Korean and other Pan-Asian dishes. 640 Grand Blvd., Sandestin. (850) 269-1806

$$ L D

SUSHIMOTO

Family-owned casual eatery with a sushi bar offering up creative rolls, plus other Japanese fare. 12889 Hwy. 98, Ste. 103B, Miramar Beach. (850) 424-5977. $$ L D

THAI CHIANG RAI

Soups, curries and specials including Papa’s Crab Meat Fried Rice. 4942 U.S. Hwy. 98, Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 213-3972. $$ D

THAI DELIGHTS RESTAURAN T ★

Thai soups, curries and rice and noodle dishes in a variety of meat, seafood and veggie options for dining in or takeout. 821 Harbor Blvd., Destin. (850) 650-3945. $ L D

BARBECUE

98 BAR-B-QUE ★

Award-winning barbecue, gumbo, sandwiches and salads in a casual atmosphere. Dine in, take-out and catering. 5008 Hwy. 98 W., Ste. 1, Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 622-0679. $ L

BLUE MABEL

This local smokehouse features made-fromscratch dishes and is stocked with everything from smoked meats to homemade sauces. 2260 W. Scenic Hwy. 30A, Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 744-0040. $$ L D

BREAKFAST/ BRUNCH/BAKERY

ANDY’S FLOUR POWER CAFE & BAKERY

Lively brunch/lunch destination known for its French toast, rolled omelets and cheery ambiance. 2629 Thomas Dr., Panama City Beach. (850) 230-0014. $$ L D

BLACK BEAR BREAD CO. ★

Contemporary cafe for craft coffee, housebaked breads, pastries and sandwiches and all-day breakfast. 26 Logan Lane, Grayton Beach. (850) 213-4528. $ B L

DONUT HOLE BAKERY CAFE

Eat breakfast all day with fresh-baked donuts and hearty comfort food. 635 Harbor Blvd., Destin (also in Inlet Beach and Santa Rosa Beach). (850) 837-8824. $ B

GOT BAKED ★

Whether gluten free, low carb, vegan, no sugar or dairy-free, this bakery has the right bite for any dietary restriction. 80 Mc Davis Loop #1110. Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 598-7438. $

MAMA CLEMENZA’S EUROPEAN BREAKFAST

Old World family recipes. Multiple award winner. 273 Emerald Coast Pkwy. W., Miramar Beach. (850) 424-3157, 75 Eglin Pkwy., Fort Walton Beach. (850) 243-0707. $$ B

NAVARRE BAKERY & CREAMERY ★

Goodies fresh from the oven: bagels, kolaches, scones, cinnamon rolls and more; sandwiches for lunch. 9914 Navarre Pkwy., Navarre. (850) 844-9705. $ B L

RUBY SLIPPER CAFE ★

A New Orleans-inspired brunch spot offering classic takes, signature Southern specialties and eye-opening cocktails. 34902 Emerald Coast Pkwy., Destin. (850) 660-7100. $$ B L

SUNSET BAY CAFÉ

Casual and outdoor dining overlooking Choctawhatchee Bay, featuring locally sourced ingredients and sustainable seafood. 158 Sandestin Blvd. N., Miramar Beach. (850) 267-7108. $$ B L D

DESSERT

30A COOKIES & CREAM

Treats from Great American Cookies and Marble Slab Creamery make for an irresistible combination. 174 Watercolor Way, Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 231-2552. $

BLUE MOUNTAIN BEACH CREAMERY ★

Homemade ice cream, yogurt and sorbet at The Creamery and milkshakes, coffee and donuts at the Shake Shop. 2129 S. Co. Hwy. 83, Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 278-6849. $

cuisine, featuring fresh local seafood and decadent creme sauces. 233 Alconese Ave. SE, Fort Walton Beach. (850) 244-3550. $$ L D

GREEK

AEGEAN RESTAURANT ★

Authentic Greek restaurant. 11225 Emerald Coast Pkwy., Miramar Beach (and Shalimar). (850) 460-2728. $$ B L D

ALI BABA GRILL CAFÉ

Casual spot for familiar Turkish and Greek recipes offered à la carte and at a buffet, plus beer and wine. 550 Mary Esther Cutoff, Fort Walton Beach. (850) 986-5555. $$ L D

YIOTA’S GREEK DELI

Traditional Greek food made from family recipes. Order at counter. 130 E. Miracle Strip Pkwy., Mary Esther. (850) 302-0691. $ L

IRISH

JOHNNY MCTIGHE’S IRISH PUB

Easygoing pub providing Irish and American eats, a game room for kids and deck seating. 2298 Scenic Hwy. 30A, Blue Mountain Beach. (850) 267-0101. $$ L D

MCGUIRE’S IRISH PUB ★

Burgers and pub grub and the famous 18-cent Senate Bean Soup. 33 Hwy. 98, Destin (Also in Pensacola). (850) 650-0000. $$ L D

ITALIAN/PIZZA

AMICI 30A ITALIAN KITCHEN

Offering authentic Italian cuisine with a flair for

celebration. 12805 U.S. Hwy. 98 E., Ste. R101, Inlet Beach. (850) 909-0555. $$$ L D

ANGELENA’S ITALIANO

In the heart of downtown, nationally renowned Chef James Briscione’s menu serves up rustic-yetelegant plates with an Italian coastal vibe. 101 E. Intendencia St., Pensacola. (850) 542-8398. $$ D

CLEMENZA’S UPTOWN

Classic Italian. Wood-fired pizza, private dining, cooking school. Multiple award winner. 75 Eglin Pkwy., Fort Walton Beach. (850) 243-0707. $$ B L D

FARM & FIRE SOUTHERN PIZZERIA

Featuring a clean-burning coal oven to impart a unique, full flavor to their pizzas, whole fish, steaks and roasted chicken. 24200 U.S. Hwy. 331 S., Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 622-3871. $$ D

FAT CLEMENZA’S

Classic Italian. Wood-fired pizza, specialty desserts, fish Fridays. Multiple award winner. Holiday Plaza, Hwy. 98, Miramar Beach. (850) 650-5980. $$ L D

GRIMALDI’S PIZZERIA

Pizzas and calzones baked to perfection in their signature coal-burning oven, delivering an experience not possible from conventional ovens. 780 Grand Blvd., Ste. 100, Miramar Beach. (850) 837-3095. $$ L D

MIMMO’S RISTORANTE ITALIANO ★

Authentic Italian dishes bursting with flavor and color. Located in Destin and Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 460-7353. $$ L D

PAZZO ITALIANO

Destin’s newest Italian restaurant offers authentic Italian cuisine such as wood-fired pizzas, pasta, calzones, salads, chef specialties and nightly specials. 34904 Emerald Coast Pkwy., Ste. 114, Destin. (850) 974-5484. $$ L D

THE PIZZA BAR AT BUD & ALLEY’S

Artisan cheese, fresh salads, antipasto dishes, homemade soups, seasonal vegetables, hearty pastas and homemade wood-fired Neapolitan pizza. 2236 E. Hwy. 30A, Seaside. (850) 231-3113.

$$ L D

TRATTORIA BORAGO

Enjoy classic Italian cuisine and favorites like pork tenderloin or pan-seared grouper from the open kitchen. 80 E. Hwy. 30A, Grayton Beach. (850) 231-9167. $$ D

MEXICAN

BURRITO DEL SOL

This Mexican restaurant serves fresh Bajastyle Mexican food, including tacos, burritos, quesadillas and more. 201-B Miracle Strip Pkwy., Fort Walton Beach. (850) 226-8016. $ L D

CANTINA LAREDO ★

A gourmet twist on Mexican favorites. 585 Grand Blvd., Miramar Beach. (850) 654-5649.

$$ B L D

PEPITO’S MEXICAN RESTAURANT ★

Serving award-winning authentic Mexican food with the finest ingredients available since 2000. Multiple locations: Destin, Niceville and Fort Walton Beach. $$ L D

PEPPER’S MEXICAN GRILL & CANTINA

Casual eatery with familiar Mexican dishes, including seafood and vegetarian options, plus a full bar. Five Emerald Coast locations: Niceville, Crestview, Panama City, Shalimar, Fort Walton Beach. (850) 353-2625. $ L D

RED FISH TACO ★

Featuring fresh takes on classic fare, such as street tacos, burritos, taco salads and quesadillas. 2052 W. Hwy. 30A, Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 994-7443. $$ L D

TACO 30A ★

Food truck and catering service dishing up authentic street tacos, burritos, quesadillas and more. Weekly rotating location schedule. $ D

THE TACO BAR AT BUD & ALLEY’S

Baja fish tacos, homemade guacamole, burritos and top-shelf margaritas. 2236 E. Hwy. 30A, Seaside. (850) 231-4781. $$ L D

SEAFOOD

THE BAY SOUTH WALTON ★

This family-friendly waterfront restaurant overlooking Choctawhatchee Bay features Gulf Coast cuisine, sushi, a 12-draft beer system, plus wine and crafted cocktails. 24215 Hwy. 331, Santa Rosa Beach, (850) 622-2291 $$ L D

BOSHAMPS SEAFOOD & OYSTER HOUSE ★

Gulf-to-table Southern cuisine. 414 Harbor Blvd., Destin. (850) 424-7406. $$ L D

BROTULA’S SEAFOOD HOUSE & STEAMER

Fresh steamed and boiled seafood dishes. Destin Harbor, Destin. (850) 460-8900. $$$ B

BUD & ALLEY’S WATERFRONT RESTAURANT

Sea-to-table dining, serving fresh seafood, steak and vegetarian dishes. 2236 E. Hwy. 30A, Seaside. (850) 231-5900 $$$ L D

CAPT. ANDERSON’S RESTAURANT

Since 1967, offering traditional seafood items, flavorful salads and soups with a view of the marina. 5551 N. Lagoon Dr., Panama City Beach. (850) 234-2225. $$$ D

DEWEY DESTIN’S HARBORSIDE

Award-winning seafood in a quaint house. 202 Harbor Blvd., Destin. (850) 837-7525. $$ L D

DEWEY DESTIN’S SEAFOOD RESTAURANT & MARKET

Outdoor setting, fresh seafood. 9 Calhoun Ave., Destin. (850) 837-7575. $$ B L D

DOWN ISLAND GULF

SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

A modern casual restaurant serving Gulf South cuisine; chef-owned and family-operated. 2780 Hwy. 98, Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 777-3385. $$ D

FOOW RESTAURANT

Southern coastal cuisine with an Asian flair. Located in the WaterColor Inn, Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 534-5050. $$$ D

HARBOR DOCKS ★

A surf-and-turf restaurant. Breakfast, lunch and dinner and great sushi. 538 E. Hwy. 98, Destin. (850) 837-2506. $$ B L D

JACKACUDA’S SEAFOOD & SUSHI

Seafood, sushi, salad and sandwiches. 36120 Emerald Coast Pkwy., Destin. (850) 460-2909. $$ L D

PESCADO SEAFOOD GRILL & ROOFTOP BAR  ★

Dining room, inside bar and outside rooftop bar overlooking the Gulf of Mexico; extraordinary service and cuisine by Chef Brendan Wakeham. 74 Town Hall Rd., Ste. 4B, Rosemary Beach. (850) 213-4600. $$$ L D

RUNAWAY ISLAND

Crab, oysters and grouper sandwiches in a casual beach bar and grill with steps onto the sand. 14521 Front Beach Rd., Panama City Beach. (850) 634-4884. $$ L D

SHUNK GULLEY OYSTER BAR ★

This seafood and casual fare restaurant features classic coastal cuisine and genuine Southern hospitality plus live music daily inside the panoramic bar. 1875 S. Hwy. 393, Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 622-2733. $$ L D

STINKY’S FISH CAMP ★

This seafood and wine mainstay promises Gulffresh fare. 5960 W. County Road 30A, Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 267-3053. $$ L D

THE CRAB TRAP

Beautiful views of the Gulf of Mexico and fresh local seafood processed in the restaurant’s own facility. 3500 Hwy. 98 E., Destin; 1450 Miracle Strip Pkwy., Fort Walton Beach; 16945 Perdido Key Dr., Pensacola. (850) 654-2722. $$ L D

THE

FISH HOUSE ★

Fresh seafood cuisine and Southern specialties in a setting overlooking Pensacola Bay and the Seville Harbor. 600 S. Barracks St., Pensacola. (850) 470-0003. $$ L D

STEAK & SEAFOOD

AUSTONS ON 98 OYSTER BAR AND GRILL ★

Home of the 102-foot bar, specialties include littleneck clams, raw oysters, clam chowder and jumbo shrimp cocktail. 125 Poinciana Blvd., Miramar Beach. (850) 842-3200. $$ L D

BEACH WALK CAFE

Located at the Henderson Park Inn, this awardwinning establishment features grouper Vince, pepper-crusted yellowfin tuna and seafood pasta Rockefeller. 2700 Scenic Hwy. 98, Destin. (850) 650-7100. $$$ D

BIJOUX ★

Fine dining coastal cuisine with a New Orleans flair, Gulf seafood, prime steaks. The Market Shops, 9375 Emerald Coast Pkwy. W., #22, Miramar Beach. (850) 622-0760. $$$ D

CAFE THIRTY-A ★

Offering the best in steaks and Gulf fare, Café Thirty-A is also available for weddings and special gatherings. 3899 E. Scenic Hwy. 30A, Seagrove Beach. (850) 231-2166 $$$ D

CAPTAIN DAVE’S ON THE GULF

Inspired by traditional waterfront dining, Captain Dave’s features American seafood cuisine infused with a contemporary Gulf Coast twist. 3796 Scenic Hwy. 98, Destin. (850) 837-2627. $$$ D

THE EDGE SEAFOOD & SKYBAR ★

Located at the Destin Harbor, fresh catches soon land on plates at The Edge. Head up to the adultsonly Skybar fOr great views and live music. 302 Harbor Blvd., Destin. (850) 659-3549. $$ L D

THE GULF – FORT WALTON BEACH

Locally inspired food and beverages in a beautiful waterfront setting, alongside a curated vinyl record collection. 284 Marler Ave., Fort Walton Beach. (850) 387-1300. $ L D

JACKSON’S STEAKHOUSE

High-end steakhouse cuisine with fine wines. Local seafood is hand-selected and artistically prepared to perfection. 400 S. Palafox St., Pensacola. (850) 469-9898 $$$ D

NOLA BOILING CO.

From crawfish and crab legs to chicken to sausage, these classic Creole and Cajun boils are perfect for groups and catering jobs. 47 Talon Court, Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 672-2847. $$

THE OCEAN CLUB

Storied restaurant serves fresh Gulf seafood and the finest steaks. Enjoy live music, great service and a full bar. 8955 US 98 W. 107, Miramar Beach. (850) 267-3666. $$–$$$ D

OLD FLORIDA FISH HOUSE

Nestled beside Eastern Lake, find your retreat for oysters, fresh seafood fare, sushi and other classics. 33 Heron’s Watch Way, Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 534-3045. $$$ L D

RUTH’S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE

Steak and seafood. New Orleans-inspired. Silver Shells Resort, 1500 Emerald Coast Pkwy., Destin. (850) 337-5108 $$$ D

SEAGAR’S PRIME STEAKS & SEAFOOD ★

Premium steak, fresh seafood and caviar. Hilton Sandestin, 4000 S. Sandestin Blvd., Miramar Beach. (850) 622-1500. $$$ D

SLICK LIPS SEAFOOD & OYSTER HOUSE

Family-friendly seafood and oyster bar featuring locally caught fare and nestled in picturesque Baytowne Wharf. 140 Fisherman’s Cove, Miramar Beach. (850) 347-5060. $$ L D

TAKE OUT

DESTIN ICE SEAFOOD MARKET & DELI ★

Fresh fish and seafood items, pastas, salads and side dishes, Buckhead meats, decadent desserts, wines, cheeses, spices and more. 663 Emerald Coast Pkwy., Destin. (850) 837-8333 $$ L D

EMERALD COAST CATERING & GOURMET TO GO

Offering full-service catering and prepared gourmet meals to go. 3906 Hwy. 98 W., Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 585-5979. $$ L D

MARROW PRIVATE CHEFS ★

Marrow takes the hassle of planning out of fine dining, offering private chef, meal delivery and catering services to South Walton and 30A areas. 3906 Hwy. 98, Ste. 20, Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 280-4319 $$$

REEL ’EM IN FRESH SEAFOOD AND GOURMET ★

Delivering fresh Gulf seafood — fish, shrimp, crab and more — from Miramar Beach to Panama City. Santa Rosa Beach. (850) 420-2240. $$

TRANSATLANTIC EDUCATION

Love of learning led a Russian girl to a life in the U.S.

by EVGENIYA STETSENKO

You have been approved for a visa to the United States,” the representative of the Student Work & Travel agency said. “You will be going to Florida for the summer and will return in time for your next year at the university.”

It was 2003, I was in Russia and not everyone got approved. Every piece of paperwork had to be in order, and your school grades had to be deemed satisfactory. I was ecstatic until fears of flying for the first time and going to an unknown place set in. I could barely focus enough to pack, but there was no turning back.

I was mentally prepared for an exciting journey, but I was hopeful, too, that the universe would look after me as I took a big leap.

Several years passed. Life happened. I wanted to stay and explore America and discover more about myself in the process.

It seemed like suddenly I was a single mom with a 3-year-old and working two jobs. I was deeply lost. Amid confusion resulting from working a lot and a traumatic four years of marriage during which my confidence was almost destroyed, I went back to school. I needed a degree, and I needed to finish what I started back home, before my kid graduated.

You only need one goal to constructively challenge your energies, even if that goal may seem a little insane for starters.

In Russia, I was surrounded by books. My parents were readers, and I became an avid reader as a child. Oftentimes,

my mom (who still lives in Russia) and I talk about what we are currently reading when we connect on video chat; those are the best conversations!

At Florida State University Panama City, I chose to major in the subject that was the most interesting to me — professional communication. It was exciting to learn about it, write and, of course, read a lot. I thought about law school — I heard they read a lot there, too — but life was taking me on the journey that I had in mind when I first came to the United States, and I grabbed its hand, trusting that it would lead me to success.

After four long years of taking classes, working multiple jobs and raising my daughter, I finally earned a college degree, graduating cum laude. From the time I started at the university in Russia to graduating from FSU, I had spent 15 years working toward my bachelor’s degree in professional communication with a minor in Russian literature.

I could not believe that I was finally done. People congratulated me, celebrated my achievement and said they were proud of me. I had some mixed feelings, though. I was glad that there were no more due dates and that I could now read whatever I wanted for pleasure. But I was scared about trying to find a real job that would enable me to use what I had learned in school.

← Evgeniya Stetsenko, as she appeared on her first day in America in 2003. “That photo was taken in New York when we were about to board the Greyhound bus on our way to Florida,” she recalls.

↑ Upon graduating from Florida State University Panama City with a bachelor’s degree in communication, Evgeniya Stetsenko enjoyed a sense of great accomplishment and, too, she was relieved to be done with classes and projects. In celebrating her achievement, she was joined by her daughter, who had served as a source of motivation and inspiration as she pursued her degree.

I was sad that I had missed so much time with my daughter while she was growing up, even though I mostly studied at night. I felt fear and resentment when I started applying for jobs and realized I was missing some skills, but I kept reading and learning on my own time.

I have no regrets about moving to the United States when I was 19, going through really difficult times and going to school. I have now paid off all my student loans, and I have an amazing job in my field. Every day, I feel grateful for the people I’ve met in the past 20 years while living in America. And I am excited for whatever is to come. EC