While many Southwest Florida residents will spend the day in their kitchens, several local restaurants will host Thanksgiving celebrations for guests more interested in being served a well-cooked meal than in preparing one themselves.

“We’ve had guests who have been coming here for decades for Thanksgiving,” says Michael Klauber, co-proprietor of Michael’s on East. “It’s just part of the great connection we have here.”

There will be special events at Michael’s Wine Cellar, and Michael’s On East proper will be open from 2 to 8 p.m. today. There will, of course, be turkey available, though Klauber says quite a few guests come in looking for non-Thanksgiving offerings that will be available on a limited menu as well.

At Mattison’s Restaurants locations, staff will be ready to treat guests as well. “We’re happy to be a place where people come to celebrate the holidays with us,” says Caryn Hodge, Mattison’s marketing director.

On Wednesday, she said chefs at Mattison’s Forty-One, Mattison’s City Grille Downtown Sarasota and Mattison’s City Grille Bradenton Riverwalk all were busy preparing for holiday feasts. “You;ve never seen so much turkey and so much activity,” she says.

And it’s not all to handle dine-in traffic. Both Mattison’s and Michael’s have some major take-out orders ready to go. Hodges says 91 “Feast To Go” orders will be filled, and no more orders will be taken. The restaurnts will take walk-ins, though Hodge recommends reservations.  Mattison’s Forty-One will operate from 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Downtown Sarasota will from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Riverwalk will be open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. today.

Staying open for Thanksgiving provides diners a chance to enjoy a spread of high-quality food without sweating in the kitchen before a meal or spending hours cleaning up after. And for those who don’t expect a crowd for Thanksgiving, it’s a way to enjoy great entrees and sides without preparing a meal for 10 to serve to two.

If you feel bad ordering food from people who could be in their own homes, restaurateurs say hours have been set to allow workers a chance to celebrate with their own families as well.

Of course, providing a hospitable and hearty meal in moments of celebration also serves as a primary mission in the restaurant industry.  “I love being in the restaurant on holidays,” says Klauber. 

Just in case you didn’t consume your fair share of cranberry stuffing at yesterday’s T-giving get-down, the good word is that Café Evergreen can and will fill that void. Bringing back its special holiday drink creation, the Cranberry Kombucha Spritzer sits pretty with housemade cranberry juice, infused with a berry kombucha and finished off with slices of fresh Florida orange (insider tip: ask to add Prosecco for a sparkling pick-me-up). You can enjoy this seasonal libation from now until the end of the holiday season at this long-standing organic-centric cafe.

As for those coveted Black Friday deals, we understand the need for extra battery acid to get fueled up for today's hustle and bustle. Today only from 11am to noon, make a pit-stop for a “Buy One, Get One Free” on any of the organic coffee drinks to-go. The BOGO offer is applicable for any brewed, iced, espresso, cappuccino or cafe latte. And the gift of giving's not over—come back to Café Evergreen after your big day of shopping or scouting for your home Evergreen to receive a free mini indulgence dessert when you dine-in after 4pm this evening (simply mention this email).

So as you scour up and down US 41 today for your White Elephant gifts, Café Evergreen will be open and ready with open arms to serve you a clean, healthful meal from locally-sourced earth-to-table ingredients and organic farms. Because somewhere in the midst of all the high-indulgence holiday parties, one's got to detox to retox for the next bout of Last Supper-esque feasting. Cheers and Happy Holidays, SRQ fam!

“To live well, is to eat well.” -Café Evergreen 

801 Tamiami Trail South, Nokomis, 941-412-4334.

Check out Cafe Evergreen's menu here.

When considering the menu at Fins at Sharky’s, most patrons expect to find a varied selection of delicious, fresh seafood and succulent steaks; sushi may not the first thing that comes to mind at the seaside establishment. However, Executive Chef Marc Alton is dedicated to serving only the best of the Japanese cuisine – even if that means a smaller menu. “We have a relatively small sushi bar here, as we’re not a Japanese restaurant,” Chef Alton explains. “We’re a steakhouse and seafood restaurant, but we do an excellent job on the sushi. We keep our menu nice and tight so the rolls we do have really wow.

"Wow" truly is the first word that comes to mind when presented with the Fab Fabio Roll. Rolled shrimp tempura, fresh cucumber and cream cheese are topped with yuzu tobiko, hoisin sauce, pineapple salsa, sweet strawberry, scallions, sesame seeds, and, the pièce de résistance, crispy prosciutto. With just the right amount of sweetness and crunch, Fins at Sharky’s establishes itself as a must-do dinner locale for sushi lovers. 

1600 Harbor Drive South, Venice

The Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation has invested a $90,000 grant in a community-wide Peer Education Program for young adults, as well as high quality, affordable preventative health care for the community, which will be led by Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida (PPSWCF). PPSWCF has been providing care in Sarasota since 1965, working closely with young people in the community under the belief that when they have accurate, honest and straightforward information, they are empowered to make better decisions.

The Peer Education Program will empower teen educators by training them on healthy relationships, sex education and medically accurate resources to share with their friends and classmates, in order to respectfully meet teens where they are with accurate, values-neutral information. The program will train teens to increase family communication around sexual health and healthy relationships, which bridges the gap between parent and/or caregiver and child communication, as well as with siblings; identify and critically analyze media that perpetuates sexual violence and gender inequality; talk about consent and healthy relationships; serve as a respectful resource for everyone regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity; and gain confidence in their communication, leadership and public speaking skills. 

Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida

Caldwell Trust Company’s vice president of marketing and public relations has been named a 2018 Finalist for the national PR People “Marketer of the Year” award by PR News. A seven-year veteran of the trust company, Sheryl Vieira is one of only five finalists nationwide who have been short-listed in this classification. Most recently Vieira has also received the Ginnie Duffey Troyer Award of Professionalism by the Central West Coast Chapter of Florida Public Relations Association, and an ADDY for excellence in advertising byAdFed Suncoast, the local chapter of the American Advertising Federation. A member of the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) and Florida Bankers Association, Vieira was appointed as a member of the RESIDENCE International Marketing Advisory Committee representing this region of the United States and has received The President’s Volunteer Service Award from the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation in conjunction with the National & Community Service and USA Freedom Corps. 

Caldwell Trust Company

One of Florida’s leading club builders, Gates Construction, has been awarded a new clubhouse/recreation project at the Artistry at Palm Beach by Kolter Homes. Located in Palm Beach Gardens, the Artistry at Palm Beach Clubhouse and Recreation Center will consist of an outdoor pool deck, heated pool, cabanas, basketball court and children’s playground. Inside, the Artistry will have a fitness facility with state-of-the-art exercise equipment, an aerobics center and a community room for those looking to host special events. Architectural design will be provided by Affinity Architects. 

Gates Construction