Saturday afternoons in Bradenton’s Village of the Arts have evolved into a mini ritual, bookended with gemstone shopping and taco scarfing. After a stop at The Village Mystic for selenite wands, a walk over to Birdrock Taco Shack for Baja-style fare is the flavorful finale.

At this eclectic little hideaway—which just shifted locations (still in the same neighborhood, in a century-old cracker home with patio room for Grateful Dead cover bands)—there are folded-up, savory bites for every palate.

One of the stars is the avocado bahn mi taco with pickled vegetables, pico de gallo, cilantro and lime on a corn tortilla (a twist on the Vietnamese recipe without the typical baguette). Birdrock’s chef and restaurateur Dave Shiplett actually pickles the veggies himself and scores his avocados from the local flea market.

This taco is exemplifies his belief that “food should be appreciated for its simplicity and the natural perfection of good ingredients,” says Shiplett, who is a classically trained French chef. “What makes a signature dish is some kind of simplicity in the preparation so it can be created again and again with the same high-quality, more complicated dishes.”

And simplicity is the common menu thread at Birdrock. To start things off, check out the avocado smash guacamole with tomato, lime and radish—confident enough in its perfect simplicity to be “nearly famous,” as the menu suggests. There is a slew of meaty and vegan options on the taco front—from the beef tamale corn husk, steamed with cilantro and chile butter; to the coldwater lobster nachos with Baja sauce; to the beet and goat cheese taco with sriracha and sunflower seeds. Burrito-wise, the pork carnitas with rice, beans, cabbage and pico is as crave-able as the Asian barbecue short rib with pepperjack queso and fried onion pico.

Each dish is reliably filling and easy on the finances. Seriously, a single $5 taco at Birdrock goes a long way when it’s jam-packed with protein. So wrap up a take-home taco for later, along with the aforementioned mystical finds. Both are good for the soul.

Birdrock Taco Shack, 1213 13 th Ave. W., Bradenton, 941-545-9966. birdrocktacoshack.com 

Pictured: Avocado bahn mi taco with pickled vegetables, pico de gallo, cilantro and lime. Photo by Peter Acker.

One of the area’s best food trucks, Florence and the Spice Boys has found a permanent place to park. The owners – Carl Kolber and husband and wife team Florence and Steven Schmitt -- are bringing their signature modern Mediterranean and middle eastern flavors to a brick-and-mortar location at The Landings in Sarasota. The Spice Boys joined the Sarasota food truck scene in 2019 and quickly gained a loyal following for its bold, unique flavors. The business was recently rebranded Florence and The Spice Boys to include head chef Steve Schmitt’s wife, Florence, who is the talent behind the menu’s hand-made drinks and desserts.

By late summer, fans can find Florence and the Spice Boys seven days a week in beautifully renovated space on the south end of the retail center, located on U.S. 41 south of Proctor Road. Similar to the bright tropical truck, the restaurant will feature lush greenery and a mix of bohemian and eclectic décor, weaving rattan and neon to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Outside, the restaurant will offer plenty of patio seating that will overlook a new greenspace that is being added to the property. The restaurant menu will be served in a fast-casual setting and feature all the creative classics, like the turmeric fried chicken sandwich, vegan falafel pita taco, and chicken shawarma taco topped with pickled slaw, egg, banana peppers, tahini and zhug sauce. Now with a bigger kitchen, the owners plan to expand the menu with some new, soon-to-be favorite dishes, a variety of vegan options, more desserts and shareable family-style platters.

The Benderson-owned The Landings is being reimagined and remerchandised with an exciting lineup of new businesses, including Spice Boys, Crumbl Cookies and Mantra Fitness. Other retailers in the center include Tripletail Seafood & Spirits, Apollonia Grill, Vampire Penguin, EoS Fitness and a newly renovated Publix that is scheduled to open this summer. 

For the Month of February, 340,465 passengers traveled through the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, compared to 159,772 passengers in February 2021. This is an increase of 113% and is the
highest number of passengers for the month of February in the history of SRQ. Record-breaking growth at SRQ has continued in 2022 with a new airline, Avelo, starting service to New Haven, CT on January 13th, Allegiant Air starting service to Akron-Canton, OH on March 3rd and to Appleton, WI on March 11th, and another new airline, Breeze Airways, announcing service at SRQ
with nonstop flights to Hartford, CT starting June 4th. “It is amazing to see the passenger growth that has occurred at our airport over the last few years. Just four years ago SRQ had 6 airlines and 12 nonstop destinations. Today we have 11 airlines providing nonstop service to 53 destinations. All this growth could not have happened without the support of the community and our airline partners. We are so grateful and appreciative for all this new air service and the low fares and convenient travel options it brings,” stated Rick Piccolo, President, CEO of the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport. 

Rosemary Art & Design District businesses and others are coming together to host RADD for Ukraine, a fundraising event in support of Ukraine. This free, outdoor event will be held on Saturday, March 19 from 6-11pm in the DreamLarge Yard (600 Central Avenue) and includes a supply drive, lineup of live music from local artists, food trucks, and both RADD and Ukrainian vendors.
Designed to provide a platform for the community to gather, raise funds, and give their support for Ukraine, 100% of ALL proceeds donated will go to support humanitarian and emergency
response work in Ukraine and its neighboring nations. 100% of every dollar contributed will go to support those in Ukraine. The supply drive will be  accepting any tangible donations including: first aid kits, toothbrushes/toothpaste, bed sheets, towels, blankets, socks, diapers, and more. A complete list of acceptable items can be found at www.RADDforUkraine.org.

“With many of us feeling powerless from this unjust attack on Ukraine, and uncertainty on how to help, RADD for Ukraine will provide an opportunity for the community to do just that,” says Anand
Pallegar, Founder of DreamLarge. “Together with our partners, we are bringing the community together during these trying times, giving them the chance to offer their aid and support, while
also elevating support to our Ukrainian neighbors that are right here in our local community.” 

For more information click here

The Child Protection Center, Inc. (CPC) was awarded a generous grant in the amount of $25,000. This funding was provided by The Hurlburt Foundation, Inc. in support of the treatment of child abuse through CPC’s Therapy Programs. CPC’s Therapy Programs consist of the Sexual Abuse Treatment Program (SATP) and the Kid Kindness Program (KKP), both designed to serve children who have been physically and/or sexually abused, those children exhibiting problematic sexual behaviors, and their non-offending caregivers and siblings. These pivotal programs provide free mental health support with the goal of restoring health, development, and safety among victims and their families as they heal from the trauma of abuse. This grant provides essential resources necessary for expanding the nonprofit’s Therapy Programs and meeting the growing needs for services throughout the county. The Child Protection Center is the only provider in Sarasota County with a specialized focus on the physical and sexual abuse of children and is consistently among the top scores in the state of Florida for the Department of Health’s Clinical Monitoring of Sexual Abuse Treatment Programs. In the program’s most recent Clinical Monitoring, 100% of interviewed clients reported improvements in coping because of services received at CPC.

 

Pictured: A CPC therapy session.

To learn more, click here

While high school students typically associate Spring Break with trips to the beach or a week of relaxation, 40 teens will join Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties for the 8th Annual Alternative Spring Break (ASB) March 14-18 and dedicate hundreds of hours of community service to 9 local nonprofit organizations and community sites. ASB is a free opportunity offered each year by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties for teens to experience, discuss and understand community issues in a meaningful way while earning community service hours. 

To learn more click here