In 2000, a massive die-off of lobsters caused financial difficulties for Captain Mike Harden, a Connecticut-based lobster fisherman and Coast Guard Captain. Unable to make a living from fishing alone, Harden needed to find a solution. He tried a variety of ventures, including a dinner cruise and selling lobsters himself. “It was my wife’s idea to take the small amount of lobster that I was still catching and start a food truck,” says Harden. When he opened the LobsterCraft food truck in 2012, selling delicious lobster rolls, the official state sandwich of Connecticut, it was one of the state’s first gourmet food trucks.

“The two things that I’m good at are fishing and cooking,” he adds, “and we were so well received that it was a no-brainer to continue.” Because lobsters are expensive, the best way to profit from a lobster roll company is by vertically integrating the business. This means that the establishment that cooks and serves the lobster rolls also sources the lobsters themselves, instead of purchasing them elsewhere.

LobsterCraft exploded in popularity around Connecticut, expanding from food trucks to brick-and-mortar locations, but Harden saw the potential to grow the business further. “People in New England think lobster rolls are only available in the summer,” he says, “but in Sarasota, the seasons are flipped, and sales of lobster rolls are higher during the winter.” In April of 2022, Harden opened a brick-and-mortar LobsterCraft location in St. Armands Circle. He also runs a LobsterCraft food truck in Sarasota, available to book for events, farmers' markets and catering.

Having been voted the best lobster roll in the country twice, Harden takes pride in his products. His guests’ favorite roll is the Coastal roll, featuring hot buttered lobster on a toasted bun, followed by the Heat Wave roll, lobster finished with a spicy habanero and serrano pepper-infused butter. The Dirty Maynard, a cold lobster salad roll perfect for the Florida heat is also popular, along with the homemade lobster mac n cheese.

“It’s the perfect lobster roll,” says Harden, careful not to give away any of the secrets that make the product stand out, but eager to share it with hungry customers.

LobsterCraft, 28A S. Blvd. of the Presidents, St. Armands Circle, Sarasota, 941-346-6325. 

Pictured: A lobster roll from LobsterCraft brings New England taste to Florida. Photo Courtesy of LobsterCraft.

The results are in from the National Restaurant Association’s “What’s Hot” Culinary Forecast, and comfort fare is making a comeback, landing the number two spot in macro dining trends for 2023. Ford’s Garage, your neighborhood burger and beer joint inspired by the heritage of the Ford Motor Company, invites guests to enjoy a limited-edition Comfort Foods menu featuring unique seasonal dishes with a twist.Available now through April 3, the trendy menu features a selection of comfort food classics for guests to enjoy as they connect with friends and family over the nostalgic vibe and timeless cuisine. Diners can indulge in: Fill ‘Er Up Philly Cheeseburger – Half-pound of grilled Black Angus, Caramelized Onions, Roasted Red Bell Peppers, Tillamook® Pepperjack Cheese and Ford’s Beer Cheese, Apple Bacon Jam Bone-In Pork Chop – 10oz. Bone-in Pork Chop seasoned, seared and topped with Fire Roasted Apple Slices, Bacon Jam and Apple Bumbu Rum Glaze, served with two sides of choice, Checkered Flag Waffle Bites – Crispy Belgium Waffle Bites tossed with Cinnamon Sugar, dusted with Powdered Sugar and served with Caramel Sauce alongside freshly whipped cream for dipping. These new menu items pair perfectly with limited-edition hand-crafted cocktails, including: Tipsy Mechanic – Buffalo Trace Whiskey, Q Ginger Beer, Black Cherry Puree and fresh Lemon Juice, Winding Road – Bumbu Rum, Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey, Pure Cane Syrup and Bitters. 

Pictured: Fill Er Up Philly Cheeseburger is a winning meal at Fords Garage. Courtesy of Fords Garage.

Bijou Garden Café, an iconic downtown restaurant offering fine dining with an elegant and inviting ambiance in the heart of Sarasota’s theatre and arts district since 1986, is debuting a new seasonal menu this week. The culinary team, led by executive chef Christopher Covelli, is introducing new entrees and cocktails inspired by seasonal ingredients. “If I could describe this winter menu in one word, it would be elevated,” said Covelli. “Our lobster bisque isn’t made from a paste. It’s made from fresh lobster, butter and vegetables. You can taste the quality, and we’ve applied that level of detail to all of our dishes.” In addition to the lobster bisque with parmesan-polenta medallion, some of the new seasonal entrees include roasted cippolini and escarole salad with prosciutto and bleu cheese crumbles; crab stuffed onion ring with smoked paprika aioli and frisee salad; honey curry salmon with corn salsa and avocado; lamb ragu over house-made campanelle pasta; chicken schnitzel over spaetzle with braised purple cabbage and crispy onions; and braised bison short rib with demi glace, sauteed mushrooms and red potatoes, among others. The new winter cocktail list offers a number of refreshing alcoholic beverages with names inspired by the restaurant’s proximity to area arts organizations, including the Jazz Hands, made with La Luna mezcal, Aperol, Gran Gala, rhubarb, lemon and kiwi, and Bye Bye Birdie, made with Empress gin, cucumber, raspberry, lime and soda, among others. The restaurant will continue to offer live music in the dining room on Friday and Saturday evenings as well as the successful monthly musical brunches.Bijou Garden Café is open Tuesday through Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m., and Friday through Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. 

Pictured: Honey curry salmon. Courtesy of Bijou Garden Cafe.

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The district’s School Choice process requires that an online application be completed. Beginning Wednesday, February 1, parents and guardians can complete and submit their online applications using a computer, tablet, or cell phone. If assistance is needed to access and submit an online application, parents and guardians may contact the Office of Accountability and Choice at 941-927-9000, ext. 32258. Parents and guardians will be notified via email of choice assignments in April. If awarded a choice seat, parents and guardians must formally accept the assignment by following the directions in the email, or their choice seat will be forfeited. Available seats at some of the schools that are open to School Choice may be limited to certain grade levels if those schools are at, or near, their enrollment capacity for those grades. The complete list of schools and grade levels open to School Choice is available on the School Choice/Controlled Open Enrollment (COE) Overview webpage under the “downloads” heading: www.sarasotacountyschools.net/Page/2502. School Choice/COE assignments will be determined by a random lottery process, rather than on a first-come, first-served basis. Students living in Sarasota County who are applying for an assignment through the School Choice/COE process will not be displaced by the applicants living outside the county. A School Choice/COE assignment does not guarantee acceptance into a magnet or special program at a school. Schools that are open to School Choice/COE for the 2023-2024 school year may host open houses or other family information events. Parents and guardians are encouraged to visit the websites of schools on the “open” School Choice/COE list, or contact those schools directly, for more information. All school websites are accessible via the “Schools” button located at the top of the district’s website (www.sarasotacountyschools.net). Please note: This application is intended only for families wishing to have their child attend a school other than their assigned district school. Applications for new student registration and existing student re-registration for the 2023-2024 school year will open in April. If your child is already attending a school utilizing School Choice/COE and they wish to continue attending the same school, you will not need to fill out another School Choice/COE application. Educational choice options – such as charter schools, magnet schools, or magnet programs – also do not require the completion of a School Choice/COE application. Families interested in these district School Choice options should directly contact the school or program. Parents and guardians whose children receive their choice school through the School Choice/COE process will be responsible for providing transportation to and from school. Any additional questions may be directed to the Office of Accountability and Choice by visiting www.sarasotacountyschools.net/schoolchoice. 

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens recently welcomed Dr. John L. Clark to its staff as a full-time research botanist. Affiliated with Selby Gardens as a research associate since 2009, Clark has spent his professional career discovering and documenting plant diversity. His work concentrates on the plant family Gesneriaceae, or gesneriads, an important focus of Selby Gardens’ botanical research and a notable component of its living plant collection. An evolutionary biologist as well as a botanist, Clark studies plant systematics, evolution, and biodiversity, focusing on the identification, classification, phylogeny, and taxonomy of neotropical gesneriads. Gesneriads serve as scientific models for understanding broad patterns in the evolution, pollination, and diversification of plants. About a third of gesneriads are epiphytes (a type of plant that grows on another plant without harming it), and Clark’s expertise will advance Selby Gardens’ research mission. The Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus is the only botanical garden in the world dedicated to the display and study of epiphytic orchids, bromeliads, gesneriads, ferns, and other tropical plants. Since the late 1980s, Clark has spent extensive time exploring South and Central America and the Caribbean to research its flora, including six years as a resident botanist in Ecuador. He has published more than 150 species names and collected more than 17,000 plant specimens, including the discovery of hundreds of species of plants. As a research associate for Selby Gardens prior to his full-time hiring, Clark collaborated with staff scientists and added significantly to the Gardens’ collections. He brings an exceptional body of photography and additional plant specimens to Selby Gardens that will further enhance its research collection. Clark came to Selby Gardens from The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey, where he was the Aldo Leopold Distinguished Teaching Chair in the science department. There he directed annual research expeditions to Ecuador and Cuba, where students and faculty explored remote regions to document and study plant biodiversity. Collections from those expeditions yielded new species to science and species thought to be extinct. Clark’s earlier career was at The University of Alabama, where he was curator of the herbarium and associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. Clark continues to serve as a research associate with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Clark earned his doctorate in biology from The George Washington University and his bachelor’s degree in forest biology from the University of Vermont. His interest in gesneriads was sparked while serving as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador, where he lived from 1994 to 1998 and worked as a field botanist with the National Herbarium of Ecuador and the Jatun Sacha Foundation. Clark lived in Ecuador again in 2002 as a Fulbright scholar, and he continues to return annually while directing student-run programs in ecology and systematics. 

Pictured: Dr. John L. Clark. Courtesy of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.