John Dough Bakery on University Parkway is already a local favorite, thanks to the incredibly flavorful soups and artisan sandwiches served daily in the bright, high-ceilinged café. Now, thanks to the talented Chef Walt Murawinski, they’re poised to become the best bakery to turn into a bistro since Savory Street. My brother Gordon has been working at John Dough for the past couple of years whilst pursuing a degree in engineering at USF, and when he raved about the nightly specials served at the new “John Dough Bistro,” I hastened [...]

From renowned food critics to celebrity chefs to restaurant patrons, there is a unifying consensus regarding the source of the world’s best food: Mom. When asked about their choice for a death row meal, most people will name a dish that only their mom truly makes perfectly. My mom’s meatloaf may taste under-seasoned to you, but that’s because your mom makes hers entirely differently—and somehow those first meals are the ones that stick with and comfort us in the long run. It’s difficult to duplicate the taste of home because [...]

I arrive at Cutting Loose Salon wearing no makeup and exhausted from lack of sleep in preparation of the 2012 Sarasota Film Festival Opening Night with my bottle blonde hair and a smile. I am treated to a 20 minute express facial that is so relaxing that I feel tension escaping my pores along with other impurities.    My stylist Sam is fresh from a year spent in Germany training in various salons and perfecting her craft. She truly sees this as an art form and she is passionate about [...]

I feel an instant connection to Kara Shay Thomson. Everyone likes to feel special, and Kara Shay has a way about her of making one feel like the most important person in the room. She comes across as completely sincere, and within seconds we’ve established such a great rapport that I end up taking four pages of notes for my half-page article, and she is rushed away to rehearsal before I feel like I’ve spent enough time with her. Kara is the star of this season’s American Classic, Vanessa by [...]

I had the pleasure of seeing Sean Anderson perform last year in my very first trip to the Sarasota Opera. The show I saw, The Crucible, was part of the Opera’s new “American Classic” series, and Sean played the pivotal role of John Proctor. I was so impressed at Sean’s ability to command the stage. His charisma is unabashed and he has that dreamy leading man quality that usually lends itself to romantic comedies. This year Sean is tackling the role of Iago in Otello and according to June LeBell of [...]

When I sit down with Maria D’Amato in the sunny courtyard at the Sarasota Opera House, I feel as though I already know her. Maria’s name has come up repeatedly in previous interviews and people speak of her with great affection. It’s easy to see why Maria is such a popular figure in opera circles—she is an attractive, effusive, intelligent woman with a passion for life, art and food that stems, in part, from her Italian heritage.     Dining Diva: Where are you from? Maria D’Amato: Shirley, N. Y.—which is [...]