Since opening almost a year ago, Back Porch Brewing Company has built up a buzz. Owned by husband and wife duo Sarah and Anthony Tomaselli, the brewery has built up a crowd of devoted locals thanks to their warm, welcoming atmosphere and cool, crisp craft beers. Now there’s another reason to come to the Back Porch--in July, the brewery started serving up craft food made in-house to go along with their craft beers.

“When we opened we had food trucks on-site and that worked out okay,” says Sarah. “But the reality is, they’re not our business. So if they didn’t show up or if they left early, we were without food. We always wanted the kitchen, we just didn’t think it would be year one. But it’s turned out really well.”

Anthony was a chef before he became a brewer, and he designed the menu which is heavily inspired by the Italian heritage he and his wife share. The pressed handheld sandwiches are bright and inventive, like the Casey which is made with mortadella and whipped honey lemon ricotta cheese. You can also order shareable platters like The Board, which is packed with Italian meats (prosciutto, capicola and coppa) and cheeses (saracino and parmigiano) and served with orange calabrian chili jam. And of course, don’t forget to save room for a cannoli. The food pairs beautifully with the beers that Anthony brews (there are up to twelve different varieties available at any given time) as well as with the wine list that has been thoughtfully curated by Sarah.

“We use clean ingredients and we get the best ingredients we possibly can,” explains Sarah. “We make our own sauces. We make our own aioli in-house which is really cool. And people’s number one favorite thing is our pesto. We’re always making that and it’s always super-fresh.”

Back Porch Brewing Company, 3469 Precision Drive, North Venice, 941-218-4156, bpbrewing.com. 

Pictured: A recent pressed sandwich special at Back Porch Brewing featured creamy burrata cheese, salty prosciutto, fresh tomatoes, tangy balsamic drizzle, and housemade pesto on toasted focaccia.

Kick off the weekend with brunch at The Green Orchid by Michael's On East, with produce sourced directly from the Drs. Andrew and Judith Economos Rooftop Edible Garden - mentioned in TIME's World's Greatest Places of 2024! Open Daily 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., No Reservations. Open to Selby Gardens' daytime visitors and members. Downtown Sarasota campus. Brunch Menu available Saturdays & Sundays. 

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Victor DeRenzi, artistic director and principal conductor, and Richard Russell, general director, have announced casting for Sarasota Opera’s 2025 Winter Opera Festival.  The season opens Saturday, Feb. 15, and will feature Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana and Ruggero Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, Gioachino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, and Giuseppe Verdi's Stiffelio. The casts of internationally recognized artists include some company favorites, along with singers making their company debuts. Single tickets for the 2025 Winter Opera Festival go on sale Tuesday, Sept. 3. 

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Nels Matson is Running Across USA! Hometown Send Off Reception will be Sat., Aug. 24th * 4pm to 7pm at New Balance University 315 N. Cattlemen Rd., Sarasota RSVP to Project Campbell's Cal… | Partiful. CROSS COUNTRY TREK Starts Sun., Sept. 8th in San Francisco, CA. Local endurance athlete and accountant NELS MATSON is running across America in New Balance athletic shoes with his eye on the world record for fastest run across the country, which currently sits at 42 days, 6 hours, and 30 minutes. On September 8th 2024 at San Francisco City Hall, Matson will begin his 3,067 mile trek across the United States in honor of Project Campbell’s Call. Nels Matson intends to leverage his cross-country trek to help raise support and awareness for Wounded Warrior Project warriors and their families in order to honor Chris Campbell’s Legacy. Chris Campbell, for whom Project Campbell’s Call is named, was a U.S. Navy SEAL who was killed in a helicopter crash on August 6, 2011 while serving in Afghanistan. Before his death, Campbell included a note with his will, stating a wish for 100,000 people to donate to Wounded Warrior Project®. Tri 4 Number 1 Foundation is excited to share that your support of Project Campbell's Call combined with thousands of other supporters, achieved Chris Campbell's wish for 100K Donors to WWP in early 2024! We will continue to honor Chris Campbell's Legacy by telling his story through the World Record Run attempt, PCC Run 2024, to ensure "HE IS NEVER FORGOTTEN." What YOU can do: RSVP to Attend the send off party on Sat., Aug. 24th RSVP to Project Campbell's Cal… | Partiful. Will you be one of the 100,000 people to give?  

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For the past year, patients in dental pain in the Manatee county area have had somewhere to turn when they couldn’t reach their dentist. Our innovative model of emergency dental care, designed to help patients, dentists, and emergency room staff, has been successfully serving the community. Urgent Dental Care (UDC), based on the model of urgent health clinics, has been providing immediate professional help during unexpected dental emergencies—especially if their regular dentist is closed or booked. UDC also helps ease the burden on hospital emergency rooms where suffering patients may otherwise go to relieve pain.The Urgent Dental Care model also allows dental practices to offer continuity of care to their patients. If an emergency happens after hours, UDC can see the patient to address the immediate issue, and return the patient back to the practice for continuation of ongoing care and treatment. UDC’s facility, located at 1906 59th Street West, Suite C, in Bradenton, employs five dentists, five dental assistants, five support staff, and an office manager in a state-of-the-art 1,500 square foot facility.  

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Alessandro Di Ferdinando brings classic Italian dishes and a fun flair to his new St. Armands location, July/August 2024.

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