Not all that glitters is gold, and Dr. Richard and Barbara Basch have set out to prove as much each year with an annual exhibition featuring selected works from their extensive glass collection. Opening January 9 in the Basch Gallery at Ringling College of Art and Design, this year’s exhibition, entitled Glass Masters of Venice Featuring La Famiglia Salvadore, presents the work of famed Italian maestros such as Lino Tagliapietra and Davide Salvadore and his two sons. The occasion also marks the debut of a sizable wall installation of glass and metal created by the elder Salvadore and for the Basches.

Born in Murano—a Venetian island famed for its glass artists—both Salvadore and Tagliapietra grew up surrounded by studio glass and their lives became molded by it. Salvadore came into the fold as a young boy helping his grandfather build kilns and quickly began working with acclaimed glass artists such as Alfredo Barberini and Loredano Rosin before moving on to collaborate with fashion houses like Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent. Tagliapietra apprenticed at the age of 12 and earned the title maestro at only 21, working in various Muranese glass factories before coming to the US to teach at the Pilchuck Glass School and bring the Old World lessons and techniques to a crop of young American artists.

And the command of the medium by both is on display in Glass Masters of Venice. Ringling College Curator of Exhbitions Mark Ormond agrees. This is the eighth exhibition from the Basches collection that Ormond has curated, but the enthusiasm has not waned. “To spend time with these objects in the Basch Gallery during the next two months is to not only marvel in the imagination of their creation,” he says, “but also be dazzled by the technical skill and prowess required to turn glass into an art form.”

From the visibly complex creations where Salvadore brings to bear murine and blown glass in great glittering representations of fanciful mandolins and lutes looking like something out of Greek mythology to Tagliapietra’s more abstract and amorphous artifacts covered in intricate carvings and interior patterns, each represents studio glass at peak artistry, evincing a number of techniques brought to form. For some of the largest pieces, Salvadore’s two sons, Mattia and Marco, glass artists in their own right, enter the equation and make the art a family affair.

Opening January 9, Glass Masters of Venice runs in the Basch Gallery through March 25 with weekly Wednesday tours led by Barbara Basch. In addition, Ringling College faculty will host talks in the gallery on January 12, February 2 and February 16, led by Shawn Petterson, Vicky Randall and Mark Anderson respectively. And March 13, international artist and former Dale Chihuly collaborator Richard Royal will lead his own discussion in the gallery. 

Pictured: Untitled by Davide Salvadore. Photo courtesy of Ringling College.

After a tough day of all-out shopping at the UTC mall, or even an ordinary afternoon when you just need that little extra pick-me-up, stop into Pastries by Design just off of Lakewood Ranch's Main Street for a wickedly good morsel. Specifically the chocolate turtle cupcake. This little chocolate devil is crammed with cocoa and drizzled with sticky caramel, topped with a twirl of buttercream frosting a crunchy nut. Gooey and decadent, one is all you need to hold you over (although it may be hard to resist scooping up a second for the road). For the gluten and dairy intolerant, Pastries by Design often features vegan and gluten-free delights in their cooled cabinet.  

Photo courtesy of Pastries by Design.

Pastries by Design, 10667 Boardwalk Loop, Lakewood Ranch, 941-907-8222.

Adapted from the heavy, multi-course cocido madrilène stew of Spain, Columbia Restaurant founder Casimiro Hernandez, Sr.’s version catapulted the restaurant into foodie fame. His simplified Spanish Bean Soup incorporates elements of the original feast—meat, potatoes and garbanzos—into one bowl. Now, you can make the signature warming medley in your own kitchen.

Ingredients: ½ pound garbanzo beans (chickpeas), dried; 2 quarts water; 1 Tbsp. salt; 1 ham bone; 1 beef bone; ¼ lb salt pork, cut in thin strips; 1 onion, finely chopped; 2 potatoes, peeled and cut in quarters; ½ tsp. paprika; pinch of saffron; 1 chorizo (Spanish sausage), sliced in thin rounds. 

Wash garbanzos. Soak overnight with 1 Tbsp. salt in enough water to cover beans. Drain the salted water from the beans. Place beans in four-quart soup kettle; add two quarts of water and the ham and beef bones. Cook for 45 minutes over low heat, skimming foam from the top. Fry salt pork slowly in a skillet. Add chopped onion and sauté lightly. Add to beans along with potatoes, paprika and saffron. Add salt to taste. When potatoes are tender, remove from heat and add chorizo. Serve hot in deep soup bowls. For a thicker soup, stew it longer. Serves 4. 

Photo courtesy of Columbia Restaurant.

Columbia Restaurant, 411 St. Armands Cir., Sarasota, 941-388-3987.

If pizza is all that comes to mind when you think of delivery, it's time to elevate your thinking. Ashley's Food Delivery makes delivery available from over 45 area restaurants, greatly expanding your delivery horizons. Think slow-cooked Tandoori chicken. Think handmade ravioli. Think sushi. Yes sushi, delivered!  We recommend the Lion King Roll from Tsunami Sushi & Hibachi Grill, located downtown. Ashley’s Food Delivery will hand-deliver this unique sushi roll, described as a spicy, warm explosion of flavor that melts in your mouth. Created by Chef Samuel Ray, The Lion King Roll is loaded with spicy escolar and avocado, topped with fresh salmon sashimi and smothered in spicy mayo. Finally, the whole roll is sent to the oven to bake. To get this roll, or any of Tsunami’s creative sushi and hibachi offerings delivered, order online at AshleysFood.com or download the Ashley’s Food Delivery app.  

Ashley's Food Delivery

Aviva: A Campus for Senior Life, Sarasota’s only independent living, assisted living, memory care and rehabilitation rental community has appointed Jay Solomon as interim chief executive officer as Heidi Brown takes the helm as Chief Executive Officer for Jewish Family and Children Service of the Suncoast. Solomon has an extensive background in healthcare and senior living. In his 30-year career, he has served in executive leadership roles at four major New Jersey not-for-profit health care organizations and has successfully built healthy, dynamic partnerships with local communities and leading for-profit partners. Starting January 9, he will assume the role as interim CEO to build upon Aviva’s recent rebranding and repositioning in the market and to provide leadership, superior service and support to residents and their families. 

Aviva: A Campus for Senior Life

IberiaBank a 129-year-old subsidiary of IberiaBank Corporation, has named Michael Beitzinger as vice president, business banking relationship manager for Sarasota and Manatee Counties. Beitzinger joined the company in 2009 as vice president, branch manager for IberiaBank’s Downtown Sarasota office. In this new role, he will work closely with small to medium-sized business owners to provide integrated financial solutions for their credit and deposit needs. Beitzinger started his banking career over a decade ago after relocating to Florida. He previously served as the assistant director of economic development for the city of South Bend, Indiana for 14 years. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame where he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics. 

IberiaBank

Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida CEO, Sue Stewart, has announced that she will step down from her position effective March 31, 2017. Stewart, a dedicated champion of the community, has led the $3.5-million-dollar girl leadership development organization for the past seven years and will be pursuing new projects and opportunities in the not-for-profit and healthcare sectors. A board task group will be working with Evergreen Executive Source, LLC to identify a new Chief Executive Officer. 

Girls Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida