Strawberry season is here. That means it’s time to make strawberry shortcake with homemade whipped cream. …

Indigenous is one of Sarasota’s newer restaurants, having celebrated its first anniversary in late September. Even though it is young, the restaurant’s style, character, culinary concepts and overall dining experience is making an impact on Sarasota foodies. I recently chatted with Indigenous chef and owner Steve Phelps to get the backstory on how Indigenous came to be and where it might be going. Here is what I learned. JLQ: Although many people may know your background, many more do not. Can you share with us how you started in the culinary world? [...]

  Casting a vote is the most powerful form of peaceful demonstration provided to U.S. citizens. If you haven’t registered to vote in the Nov. 6 election, you still have time. Tuesday, Oct. 9 is the last day to register. It is you, the voter, who will decide who serves as our next president, congressman, U.S. senator, state representative, state attorney and District 3 county commissioner. It is you who will decide the fate of 11 state amendments that pertain to federal health care, tax breaks, women’s reproductive rights, how the [...]

I value citizenship—the ability we each have to make a difference through our actions around something we care about, in the company of others. Yet, from over at least a decade of witnessing people trying to make the world a better place in one form or another, I find the thing that seems to plague most “do-ers” is that ugly phenomenon called “burnout”: A person who’s passionate about something takes on more and more responsibility, becoming isolated in and consumed by that responsibility. Eventually, they give up, heartbroken and alone in [...]

Who lives around me? What makes them amazing? How could knowing that be useful? This is what I’ll be exploring in a new series of blogs called “Amazing Neighbors.” My first interview is with someone I’ve admired since we first talked years ago: Don Hall, founder and Executive Director of Transition Sarasota, who lives about five blocks from my house off the edge of beautiful Gillespie Park. Don is a friendly guy about my age with bright blue eyes, sandy hair, and a wide smile. We met several years ago [...]

It’s always a thrilling feeling for me to hear about a local Sarasota band that’s taking on that infamous next step that  is, apparently, part and parcel of serious musicianship: THE TOUR. Last Friday, I sat down with Carmela Pedicini and David Brain of Sarasota’s own folk band Passerine, which is about to take on that great leap with a 17-day tour across four states in early August. As a fan of music with no actual experience myself, I’m terribly curious about what that experience must be like, as well as what it’s [...]