Restaurateurs, winemakers and all the area’s foodies that will fit descend this Sunday upon the Ringling Museum courtyard for the 10th annual Forks and Corks Grand Tasting. Produced by the Sarasota-Manatee Originals, a consortium of local independent restaurants in Sarasota and Manatee counties, the yearly event serves as celebration and reminder of the local restaurants that give the region its flavor. “Sarasota-Manatee is a personality that is independent and not just associated with large, chain restaurants, like other areas of Florida,” says Beth Owen-Cipielewski, co-owner of Siesta Key Oyster Bar and co-founder of the Sarasota-Manatee Originals. “By bringing together all these Sarasota and Manatee restaurants, we showcase the best of our community to a very broad audience.” And on this 10th anniversary for the Grand Tasting, it serves as reminder of how far the Originals have come.

Looking back, Owen-Cipielewski remembers an enterprise far from certain, made manifest only by the tireless work of a board comprising local leaders like Michael Klauber, D’Arcy Arpke and former Originals President Angela Rodocker. Another local food festival organized by the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association had just been discontinued—was this a niche to be filled or an example not to be followed? But the Originals marched on, recruiting 30 restaurants to participate and building a now long-running relationship with the Ringling Museum. “Because when we’re banded together it shows that we’re strong,” says Owen-Cipielewski. “Our objective was, and always is, marketing to the community that we’re here and we’re great restaurants.” That first year, they sold tickets at the door.

Ten years later, 1,500 tickets sold out in a record-breaking two minutes for an event bringing a similarly record-breaking 38 winemakers from around the world to pair their wines with offerings from Sarasota-Manatee chefs. “Every restaurant is stepping up their game,” says Owen-Cipielewski. And as turnout increases among the community at large, the event risks actually hitting the space limit for the Ringling courtyard, she says. The only aspect that has not seen great change has been the makeup of the Originals itself. Of current members, 86 percent are either restaurants or proprietors from the founding class. “It shows that we don’t have a high turnover in Sarasota,” says Owen-Cipielewski. “We’ve got really good independents that stick around for a long time.”

This year, the Originals celebrate by bringing Tervis to the party to create special Tervis tumbler wine goblets, but as she looks to future and another 10 years of Forks and Corks and the Originals, Owen-Cipielewski nurtures grander plans. “Sarasota’s already pretty well known for its restaurants,” she says, “but I’d like it to be internationally known for its culinary expertise.” 

Photo courtesy of the Sarasota-Manatee Originals.

As technology and new instruction techniques morph modern classrooms, schools and educators are reevaluating the way information gets conveyed. “We’re moving from the sage on the stage to the guide on the side,” explains Mary Chance, president of the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations. The philanthropic leader gave a keynote address Thursday at the most recent installment of the SB2 series, Good Education: Learning for a Lifetime. Local leaders in education and workforce development also discussed the ways learning must evolve to deal with the job needs of today, and especially the unpredictable market of tomorrow.

In addition to regular SB2 event goers, SRQ Media Group also hosted students from area schools, and panelists kept the needs of those pupils in mind as they discussed the roadmap for education. “We have to prepare students for change,” says Larry Thompson, president of Ringling College of Art and Design. “For the students out there, you will have at least eight different careers in your lifetime—not jobs, careers. Of those, four do not exist yet.”

Mireya Eavey, executive director of CareerEdge Funders, says that the traditional path of students to higher education maybe changing, but that continued education remains vital. The technical track could be an entryway into higher education. Students learn that when they go to get certificates, they move up and can make some more money. Then they think, now we can get a two-year degree.”

Jennifer Vigne, president of the Education Foundation of Sarasota County, says outside philanthropy can help educators experiment with ideas inside and outside the classroom. “We believe we have a lot of opportunity and hope for our future,” she says. “We also know we are sitting locally in one of the highest performing school districts in the state of Florida, but we know good schools are not good enough for where we are moving in a world that is changing at a rapid rate.”

The next SB2 event, Good Culture: Burgeoning Arts, will be held March 30. 

Photos by Wyatt Kostygan. Above: Newgate School's Ben Bogard attends SB2. Top: Mireya Eavey, Jennifer Vigne, SRQ's Wes Roberts, Larry Thompson and Mary Chance.

TGIF, right? Start your weekend off strong with an anti-inflammatory shot from Crop Juice to insure you’ll avoid cold and flu season this year. This zingy combination of lemon, turmeric, red apple and ginger decreases inflammation, strengthens your immune system and relieves pain. Wash away stress from the work week and prepare yourself for a fun-filled weekend, leaving you feeling stress-free, healthy and energized just in time for the madness that is (every) Monday. Take it like a straight up shot (beware it is strong; think of the face you make after taking a tequila shot) or mix into your favorite Crop Juice variation for a more diluted (and sippable) taste. This two-ounce shot of liquid gold may be tiny but it packs in the power and replenishes your body and mind. Bottoms up!  

Photo courtesy of Crop Juice.

Crop Juice, 1605 Main St., Sarasota, 941-954-8728.

Time to stock up on teddy bears and diamond rings—Valentine's Day is right around the corner. Take your honey to the Table Creekside for a très romantique waterside dinner, or make the Spiced Java-Crusted Bison Tenderloin from Chef Pedro Flores' special V Day menu on your own (careful, it's a little ambitious). Either way, it's bound to be unforgettable. 

Spiced Java Rub Ingredients: 3 oz. toasted ground Jamaican coffee; 2 oz. toasted ground black pepper; 2 oz. toasted ground coriander; 1 oz. toasted ground cumin; smoked paprika to taste; Himalayan pink sea salt to taste.

Combine all ingredients, mix and set aside. Coat 8-oz. bison tenderloin with mixed rub. Sear in clarified butter to desired temperature.

Candied Bosc Pear Ingredients: 1 Bosc pear, peeled; 4 oz. agave nectar; 8 o.z Pinot Noir; 1 cinnamon stick; 1 vanilla bean, insides scraped; .Raw sugar to taste

Mix ingredients together and simmer with peeled pear for 45 minutes. Set aside in refrigerator to chill. After cooling, sear pear in unsalted butter and deglaze with a touch of agave. 

Yukon Gratin Dauphinoise Ingredients: 1 cup heavy cream; 1 cup milk; 4 oz. salted butter; ½ cup white cheddar cheese; 2 Yukon gold potatoes, sliced ¼ inch thick; Sea salt to taste. 

Simmer potatoes in mixture until al dente. Layer in baking dish, pour simmered mixture on top. Sprinkle with white cheddar cheese. Bake for 20 minutes uncovered, at 300 degrees.

Bone Marrow Gastrique Ingredients: 1 lb bone marrow; 6 oz. celery, roughly chopped; 6 oz. onions, roughly chopped; 6 oz. carrots, roughly chopped; 6 oz. thyme, roughly chopped; 6 oz. garlic, roughly chopped.

Roast all ingredients together on sheet pan in oven for one hour at 300 degrees. After roasting, move contents into pot on stovetop and deglaze with red wine.

In a pot, add 16 oz. beef stock, 1 orange, zested, 1 Tbsp. brown sugar and salt to taste. Simmer for one hour. Strain and scoop out bone marrow gelatin to add to sauce. Put sauce on a plate, place bison filet on top. Add pear and potatoes to plate, enjoy! 

The Table Creekside, 5365 South Tamiami Trl., Sarasota, 941-921-9465.

Sheriff Tom Knight presented several awards during a ceremony Thursday to recognize employees who demonstrated exemplary service to the community. Among the designations were the Life Saving Award and the Heroic Achievement Award. Recipients of the various awards were:  Lieutenant Joseph Giasone, Deputy Brian Bercaw, Deputy Michael Nickerson, Deputy David Miller, Deputy Christian Murphy, Deputy Patrick Schurr, Deputy Tracy Murtaugh and Deputy Michael Schermock. 

Sarasota Sheriff

With the help of its Ambassadors—community members who have made a commitment to share the mission of Goodwill with the greater community—and Goodwill team members, Goodwill Manasota has launched its 2017 “I Am Goodwill” marketing campaign. The campaign videos and print materials feature local supporters affirming their support for and dedication to the organization. More than 100 local celebrity Ambassadors appear in the campaign, including Goodwill Manasota board chair Rob Morris, 92.1 CTQ radio personalities Lulu and Maverick, Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida CEO Susan Stewart, Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee CEO Maribeth Phillips, Trish McConnell of United Way Suncoast, 45-plus year volunteer Jo Rita Stevens, Re/Max Alliance Group co-owner Peter Crowley and Youth Ambassador and Sony/ATV recording artist Christopher Eisenberg. Goodwill is also inviting members of the public to submit their own photos and reasons why they support the organization. The grassroots campaign will take place on social media and the organization’s website.


 

Goodwill Manasota

Neal Communities broke all previous company sales records in 2016, ending the year with 1,109 sales and 1,129 closings in communities spanning from Hillsborough to Collier Counties. This marks a 13 percent increase in closings from 2015, totaling over $430 million in closings. Neal Communities opened six new communities in 2016 and hired 31 new team members, continuing its seventh consecutive year of steady growth. Key Florida markets contributed to the firm’s 2016 record-breaking success, including Lakewood Ranch, Hillsborough County, south Sarasota County, and Lee and Collier Counties.  

Neal Communities

The Francis was full of inspiring people, compelling discussions and students eager to learn yesterday at SRQ MEDIA’s SB2: GOOD EDUCATION Learning for a Lifetime symposium. Keynote speaker, Mary Chance of the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations and panelists Jennifer Vigne of the Education Foundation of Sarasota County, Dr. Larry Thompson of the Ringling College of Art and Design and Mireya Eavey of CareerEdge dove into the adaptations in innovative thinking for K-100+ learning. Thank you to our keynote speaker, panelists, the 56 students and faculty representing NewGate School, Community Day School, Out-Of-Door Academy, Visible Men Academy, Bay Haven Elementary, Wilkinson Eelementary, Booker Midddle, McInstosh Middle, Booker High, Riverview High, series sponsors CS&L, Sarasota Bradenton International Airport and the Resort at Longboat Key Club and all who attended yesterday’s motivating event.

Visit clicksrq.com for event photos.  

Click SRQ