SKETCHES, SCRIBBLES & SCRAPS OF
INFORMATION ABOUT PEOPLE, PLACES
& ALMOST ANYTHING ELSE UPFRONT
Daniel Lipton, Opera Tampa’s artistic
director and conductor, is looking
forward to a very exciting season.
Opera Tampa
2017-2018 Season
The Straz Center’s Opera Tampa
has announced its sixth season
with artistic director and
conductor Daniel Lipton. This
season will feature works by Rossini,
Mozart and Verdi. In February, they
will perform Rossini’s The Barber
of Seville. In March, they will do
Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro,
and they will conclude in April
with Verdi’s Macbeth. Judy Lisi, the
general director of Opera Tampa,
says these powerhouse operas
should thrill opera lovers and the
growing fan base of newcomers
to these classic performances. For
tickets, call (813) 229-STAR (7827)
or visit operatampa.org.
38 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | JULY/AUGUST 2017
Evening with the Chefs
Evening with the Chefs is a benefit of the Ryan Wells
Foundation that honors Ryan Wells, who died in
2005 while he was in high school with the dream
of becoming a chef. The foundation seeks to improve
the culinary arts and hospitality education of Pinellas
County students through scholarships for postsecondary
education and support of high school and
vocational culinary programs. The fundraising event
features food tastings from chefs such as Doug Bebell
of Mystic Fish, Scott Bebell of Guppy’s, Chris Ponte
of Cafe Ponte, Jim Scherer of Island Way Grill, Steve
Jordan of Caretta on the Gulf and Bill Brown of William
Dean Chocolates. 9
Carrie Wells,
Ryan’s mother,
and her daughter
Ashley Giasone,
the executive
director of the
foundation, are
proud of the
difference the
organization has
made in so many
students’ lives.
Zonin Wines at Restaurant BT
William Dean Hosts
Big Storm Brewing
Chef Bill Brown loves teaching others about
chocolate and what can be done with it.
Chef Bill Brown, the chief chocolate
officer at William Dean Chocolates,
and Chef Tim Brown hosted a tasty
evening at their Belleair Bluffs store. The
event featured food items they had created
using various craft beer products from
Clearwater’s Big Storm Brewing, such as
Tropic Pressure Ale. Guests tasted the
wide-ranging menu items paired with Big
Storm brews. Bill encouraged them to also
make their own candy bars to take home by
topping white, dark or milk chocolate with
their favorites from the more than a dozen
nuts, fruits, sweets and other selections.
Francesco Zonin, the executive vice
president of Zonin 1821, challenged
sommeliers to a blind tasting of
Italian and French wines. The guests
were asked to name the country
and region that produced the wine,
determine which varietals or blends
were needed to make the wine, and
then state the vintage. It was amazing
how well this group of enologists were
able to identify each of the wines that
were poured during the meal that was
prepared by Chef BT Nguyen at her
Restaurant BT in Tampa. Zonin 1821
is the largest family-owned winery
in Italy and also owns Barboursville
Vineyards in Virginia.
Chef BT Nguyen served this artistic plate of Kobe
beef on a hot stone during the Zonin wine tasting
for a knowledgeable group of experts.
NORAA
NORAA
NORAA
/operatampa.org