As the Sarasota Chalk Festival gears up for its second year outside the city of Sarasota, interest has not waned from the international artists who come to Southwest Florida ready to paint the streets. “We are really the most important pavement art festival in the world at this point,” said founder Denise Kowal.  

The event is slated to run Nov. 9-16, but some artists traveling here for the Venice event arrive this weekend. As Kowal navigates hotel reservations, visa approvals and any number of logistical concerns, she is already in crunch time. The event brings a who’s who of street art masters to the region, including repeat guests like Kurt Wenner and Leon Keer, both individuals with strong international followings. Kowal expects some 150,000 to 200,000 attendees at the event, and the event will take on some new projects as well. Artificial walls will be brought in for a Seniors Going Vertical event, running Nov. 13-15, when many attendees will get to add their own work to the scenery. There will still be areas set up for students and small children as well on Nov. 14-15. 

And this year, a stage will be set up for the concurrent Pavement Music Festival, an arm of the chalk festival that brings musical performances back to the event for the first time since relocating from Downtown Sarasota to Downtown Venice. “It’s a performance art event, and we have always partnered with many other artists who do other things,” Kowal said. Acts like David Smash, ShoreDogs and others will perform as street artists continue to create work on the ground.  

Photo of street art by Kurt Wenner

Administrators and representatives from Sarasota Memorial Hospital and the cardiothoracic surgery division of Columbia University Medical School in New York held a press conference yesterday to look back on a fruitful three-years-long partnership and announce the next step in the collaboration, with the introduction of a new specialty in electrophysiology.

Through an outreach program known as HeartSource, Columbia University Medical School partners with community hospitals to maximize service and growth, and results in the last three years with SMH have been fruitful, according to the hospital, with record-setting outcomes despite a statistically older and sicker population. With success comes growth, and SMH has in the last couple of years seen new facilities such as a state-of-the-art ICU and expanded operating rooms.

“Opportunities were there,” said SMH Chief of Cardiovascular Surgery Dr. Jeffrey Sell, who came to the hospital amidst the partnership. The program “just needed a chance to take off,” Sell continued. “Columbia has provided us with continued opportunity to see what we can do better that has been the catalyst.” One change, notes Sell, has been to analyze hospital outcomes and numbers on a quarterly basis, as opposed to the standard yearly schedule, giving physicians and administrators a better look at performance in real-time, with a chance to adjust.

“It’s been a pleasure to watch this grow and I wish I could take the credit,” said Dr. Craig Smith, chair of the Department of Surgery and Surgeon-in-Chief at Columbia University Medical Center, “but it’s in the DNA of the institution.” 

And now with this growth and success, SMH and Columbia look to expand the hospital’s specialties to include electrophysiology, the study of disturbances and irregularities in the rate or rhythm of the heart and the electrical systems of the heart. As much as 95 percent of procedures involve pacemakers and defibrillators, and many hospitals are moving in that direction, said David Patterson, executive director of cardiovascular services at SMH. Teaming up with Columbia will give the hospital the edge to move forward.

“We’re taking a great program and we’re going to make it better.” said Patterson, who expects to perhaps double the amount of electrophysiology work being done at SMH. “Everyone can benefit from taking it up a notch.” 

Although the calendar indicates that the holidays are still in the distant future, some would argue that “the most wonderful time of year” is already upon us. Seafood markets can hardly contain their glee, and lovers of stone crabs have visions of perfectly steamed claws dancing in their heads. Stone Crab season is officially here and markets along the Gulf Coast have packed these brightly colored beauties on ice to sell by the pound. The SRQ Nosh team visited a local seafood institution, Captain Brian’s Seafood Market & Restaurant to get the pinch on this seasonal favorite. 

Harvested daily in the gulf, Captain Brian’s is serving and selling claws at his market that are brought in from Tampa to Naples. “We are easily going through 150 pounds of claws a day from people buying them in our market to take home or stopping in for lunch or dinner at the restaurant,” says Brian Bochan, owner of the restaurant and market located on highway 41 just north of the airport. 

Serving these seasonal claws as home is easier than you’d think. “Plan on one pound per person” says Bochan. “We sell medium, large and jumbo sized claws. Each one is pre-cracked and flash boiled to save you from the extra work of enjoying them.” If purchased pre-cracked, claws should be eaten the next day ensure the freshest flavor. True to his seafaring title,  the good captain shared an insider tip with us that only a seasoned seafood purveyor would know.  “Before you buy multiple pounds to take home, buy just one. Crack it, smell it and then eat it. You’re looking at the freshness of the claw. They should be sweet and a little bit salty with a nice flaky texture.” 

For sides, the captain recommends keeping it simple. “Obviously, the claws should be the star. I would serve them cold with potato salad and cole slaw,” says Bochan. “But the best compliment is mustard sauce, a squeeze of lemon juice and then wash it all down with a cold beer. My favorite is Harpoon IPA.” 

If restaurant dining is more of your scene, Captain Brian’s Seafood Market & Restaurant is serving stone crab claws throughout the season with the promise of new menu items on the horizon. “November is prime season for Cape Cod Swordfish. We will have it on the menu and for sale in the market. I’m most excited about Nantucket Bay Scallops that are only in season for a few months. We’re usually one of the only places in town to find them.” No stranger to Maine lobster and other delicacies like soft shell crab, the menu at Captain Brian’s is full of classic dishes and favorite bites like house made smoked fish dip,  planned and prepped by a local captain that takes seafood very seriously. 

Captain Brian’s Seafood Market & Restaurant is a member of Nosh, the SRQ Magazine content marketing program for local restaurants. 

Captain Brian's Seafood Market & Restaurant | 8421 N Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34243 | 941-351-4492 | CaptainBriansSeafood.com

Manatee County School District teachers and returning paraprofessionals will receive a salary enhancement and neither group will see an increase in health insurance premiums as part of a tentative agreement reached between the Manatee Education Association and the district. The tentative agreement, reached officially on Friday, must be ratified by teachers and paraprofessionals before being presented to the School Board of Manatee County for approval.Under the agreement, School Board contributions to the district’s health insurance fund will increase $4.9 million (including $2.4 million for teachers and $400,000 for paraprofessionals).  

Manatee County School District

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe named Marian Moss as board chair. Moss, who was asked to join the board in 2009, fills the vacancy left when the former board chair Julie Leach was named WBTT’s executive director this summer. Moss has served on various committees, including finance, governance and the search committee, which she chaired in 2015. The organization also named Doris Johnson as a board member. Johnson has been a sponsor and committee member in support of numerous events over the past three years, and was the co-chair for the April Fools’ Fete in April of this year. 

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe

Doctors Hospital of Sarasota announced the institution earned an “A” Safe Hospital Score from Leapfrog Group for the second year in a row. The score is derived from Leapfrog’s key questions and publicly reported data, allowing for the comparison of hospital safety performance nationally. A blue ribbon panel of the nation’s top patient safety experts provides guidance to The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits, to develop the Hospital Safety Score. The Hospital Safety Score is calculated using publicly available data on patient injuries, medical and medication errors and infections. 

Leapfrog Group