SKETCHES, SCRIBBLES & SCRAPS OF
INFORMATION ABOUT PEOPLE, PLACES
& ALMOST ANYTHING ELSE UPFRONT
36 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | MARCH/APRIL 2018
NORAA
The board of directors of Clearwater’s
Ruth Eckerd Hall hosted a dinner in
the hall’s Great Room to report on the
accomplishments of the past year and to
reveal more of its goals for the future. Tom
Free was introduced as a new member of
the board of directors. CEO Zev Buffman
spoke about how the hall is growing and
expanding and changing lives through
the performing arts. He also discussed the
plans for the hall’s new grand lobby, the
cabaret theater for pre-show performances
and a greatly expanded Dress Circle lounge
for members.
This was the 30th annual international
wine competition produced by the
Florida Wine and Grape Growers
Association at the Florida State Fair in
Tampa. Each year, a panel of wine judges
from around the country relies on a host
of Florida volunteers to do the planning,
coordinating, serving and tabulating for
this event. In addition to evaluating the
wines entered, Best of Show wines are
selected in various categories. The Best of
Show wines this year from Florida were
a Carlos from Chautauqua Vineyards in
Defuniak Springs, a Cabernet Sauvignon
from Lakeridge Winery and Vineyards
in Clermont, and a Ruby Port from San
Sebastian Winery in St. Augustine.
GRAM
A Backstage
Celebration
NORAA
NORAA
The Rez Grill at the Hard Rock
The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa held a grand
opening for its newest food and beverage concept, The Rez Grill,
which is helmed by Culinary Creative Director Frank Anderson.
The Rez serves elevated comfort food, ranging from items straight
from the kitchen’s wood-burning grill to handmade pastas. We
especially loved the ribs and fried chicken with waffle platters
that were designed for sharing. This 120-seat American grill has
a bustling bar. Its grand opening was packed with celebrities and
community leaders, as top Seminole Hard Rock executives showed
off their latest creation.
Florida’s Colonial Past
This platter of ribs at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino’s
The Rez Grill is meant to be shared.
Ruth Eckerd Hall CEO Zev Buffman thanked
Geri Trautlein, who has the Capitol Theatre
lobby named in her honor, for her continuing
generosity and support to the re-imagining of
Clearwater’s Ruth Eckerd Hall.
30 Years of Wine Competitions
Bonniejean and Bob Paulish bid
farewell to their many years of being
the coordinators for the Florida
Wine and Grape Growers annual
international wine competition at the
Florida State Fair.
The University of South Florida invited
a group of supportive individuals to
a talk by Professor J. Michael Francis
about Florida’s colonial history. He
fascinated his audience with the report
of how much his “La Florida: Interactive
Digital Archive of the Americas” project
has been able to discover about our
state’s early history. Francis, who was
featured in the PBS documentary Secrets
of Spanish Florida in 2017, researched
numerous Spanish documents from
the 16th and 17th centuries.
J. Michael Francis, chair of Florida Studies
at the University of South Florida,
St. Petersburg, thanked Ken Hamilton for
hosting this gathering at the Hamilton
family’s Palm Pavilion Beachside Grill
and Bar on Clearwater Beach, which
began in 1926.