BESTBets
Backroads of Paradise
A Journey to Rediscover Old Florida
Cathy Salustri took a 5,000-mile road trip
driving her camper on the less traveled roads of
Florida off the interstates from the Panhandle,
across the state, and to the Keys, to urge readers
to discover the wonders of Florida that many
never experience. Salustri followed the routes
originally driven and documented in Florida:
A Guide to the Southernmost State, a travel guide
published in the 1930s as a joint collaboration
between the Federal Writers’ Project and the State of
Florida. This book will remind you why Florida is
considered paradise, just in case you had forgotten.
Backroads of Paradise can be purchased by visiting
University Press of Florida at upf.com.
Evening with the Chefs
The Ryan Wells Foundation holds this annual fundraiser to benefit Pinellas
County students of culinary arts and hospitality. The event features chefs from
Tampa Bay’s top restaurants and resorts
who serve gourmet cuisine with the
assistance of local high school students.
This evening of tastes will be held on
Friday, May 5th at the Sheraton Sand
Key Resort in Clearwater Beach, where
in addition to the food, guests will meet
the foundation’s scholarship winners.
Ryan was an aspiring chef whose early
death is memorialized by this program.
For tickets or to become a sponsor, call
(727) 787-7863 or (727) 643-6710.
40 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | MARCH/APRIL 2017
Floral designs created to correlate to specific
works of art will be on exhibit at the
Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg,
during Art in Bloom.
Art in Bloom
The Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg,
will feature more than 40 floral designs during
its Margaret Acheson Stuart Society’s 20th
annual Art in Bloom event from Thursday,
March 30, through Monday, April 3. James
Farmer, editor-at-large for Southern Living and
author of seven books, will attend a “Flowers
After Hours” party and a special dinner
featuring his signature recipes on March 30. He
also will give a presentation the following day,
Friday, March 31st at the museum’s “Elegant
Farmer Luncheon.” For tickets or to become a
sponsor of these events, visit stuartsociety.org
or call (727) 896-2667, ext. 210.
Shawn Dell
Joyce is the
artist of
Sunset Over
the Marina,
which also
is the theme
for the plein
air festival in
Dunedin.
A group of plein air artists will gather on Sunday, March 19th at Dunedin’s Edgewater Park to paint local scenes during the
inaugural Sunset Over the Marina Plein Air Festival. The event’s organizer, Beach House Gallery, will display the festival’s framed
plein air art, which will be available for purchase from Friday, March 24th to April 15th at its gallery at 638 Skinner Boulevard.
The gallery will host a wine and cheese reception on Friday, March 24th from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, call
(727) 216-6322.
Dunedin Plein Air Festival