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Axios Tampa Bay Thought Bubble

Thought Bubble

A guide to fun things to do in Tampa Bay this weekend.

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Get smarter, faster about what’s happening in your backyard with local reporter Selene San Felice.

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Florida abortion ballot initiative hits threshold for state  Supreme Court review

The group needs more than 800,000 signatures by February to get it in front of voters in 2024.

News

Citing issues with tenure, loss of DEI, Florida faculty members want out

Nearly half of Florida respondents said they planned to find jobs in other states within the year.

Latin tech accelerator seeks Tampa Bay talent

Tampa Bay's Latino and Hispanic population has boomed in the last decade along with the area's tech industry.

Business

Bite club: St. Petersburg's new Azúcar Cuban Café

The menu offers breakfast and lunch, along with an array of desserts and coffee.

Food and Drink

Tampa Bay Watch turns food waste into oyster gardens

Slurping down oysters isn't entirely shellfish.

Climate

Slurping down oysters isn&#x27;t entirely shellfish thanks to a local program.Driving the news: Shells for Shorelines, a collaboration between Tampa Bay Watch, the Gulf Region Oyster Network and local restaurants, has officially launched after a successful pilot run.

Illustration of an oyster platter in a pelican's mouth.

Bite club: St. Pete's hot new sushi spot Nomi Nori

The hand roll temaki sushi and poke restaurant opened in early September downtown on Central Avenue.

We rolled over to St Pete&#x27;s newest sushi spot, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Nomi Nori" data-vars-click-url="https://www.instagram.com/nominori_districtlounge/" data-vars-content-id="aca2bb57-8a41-46d7-ac9e-044657121c6e" data-vars-headline="Bite club: St. Pete&#x27;s hot new sushi spot Nomi Nori" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.instagram.com/nominori_districtlounge/" target="_blank">Nomi Nori</a> at District Lounge, to see what it&#x27;s all about.State of play: The hand roll temaki sushi and poke restaurant opened downtown on Central Avenue in early September.

Azúcar Cuban Café opened in August, bringing guava pastries, ham croquetas and Cuban sandwiches to West St. Petersburg.

A man in a gray shirt and black apron takes the order of a woman in a black top and orange pants orders  at a white counter that says Azucar Cuban Cafe. The walls are bright teal, and purple, white and blue flowers hang from the ceiling.

Bite club: Water Street's Predalina is a great spot for a date night

The restaurant's ambiance is warm and intimate — perfect for an anniversary or special occasion.

My girlfriend, Maya, and I made our way to Water Street to try the latest restaurant venture from the owners of the Oxford Exchange, The Library, the Current Hotel and The Stovall House.The spot: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Predalina" data-vars-click-url="https://predalina.com/" data-vars-content-id="01bcc03d-d084-45a0-9821-c14005f4ccc6" data-vars-headline="Bite club: Water Street&#x27;s Predalina is a great spot for a date night" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://predalina.com/" target="_blank">Predalina</a> is a Mediterranean restaurant named after and inspired by founders Blake Casper and Allison Casper Adams&#x27; great-grandmother. It&#x27;s on the pricier side, but man, the menu is almost impossible to choose from.

Test drive: High tea and history tour at The Vinoy

The historic hotel's tea and history tour experience is $139 for adults, including fees and gratuity.

Things to Do

I come from a long line of Turkish tea fanatics — tea potheads if you will. So my mother and I had to check out the new <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="high tea and history tour" data-vars-click-url="https://thevinoy.com/experiences/history-tour-high-tea/" data-vars-content-id="87c55c43-78b8-4546-8ac5-b3f61bd7f4f1" data-vars-headline="Test drive: High tea and history tour at The Vinoy" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://thevinoy.com/experiences/history-tour-high-tea/" target="_blank">high tea and history tour</a> at <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="The Vinoy" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/tampa-bay/2023/07/30/vinoy-hotel-renovations-st-pete" data-vars-content-id="87c55c43-78b8-4546-8ac5-b3f61bd7f4f1" data-vars-headline="Test drive: High tea and history tour at The Vinoy" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/tampa-bay/2023/07/30/vinoy-hotel-renovations-st-pete" target="_self">The Vinoy</a> in St. Pete.State of play: A docent took us on a tour of the hotel, explaining its history going back to 1925 through its period of dereliction and shut down from the 1970s to 1990s, up to its newest renovations.

Last Meal with Rocca's Chef Bryce Bonsack

The restaurant is a tribute to the family he lived with and worked for during his time abroad in Monforte d’Alba, Italy.

Chef Bryce Bonsack is fresh off a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Michelin star" data-vars-click-url="https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/florida/tampa/restaurant/rocca" data-vars-content-id="653c8f0b-bf90-4713-99d0-68632b7f1c50" data-vars-headline="Last Meal with Rocca&#x27;s Chef Bryce Bonsack" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/florida/tampa/restaurant/rocca" target="_blank">Michelin star</a> for his Tampa Heights Italian restaurant, Rocca. The restaurant is a tribute to the family he lived with and worked for during his time abroad in Monforte d’Alba, Italy.<ul><li>We asked Bonsack for his perfect meal which, of course, included some pasta. But Bonsack isn&#x27;t cooking any himself.</li><li>&quot;When I taste my own food I just look at it from an analytical perspective,&quot; he told Axios. </li></ul>

Photo illustration of a place setting shaped like a skull and crossbones containing a photo of Bryce Bonsack.

Bite Club: The Chattaway's new breakfast buffet

The buffet is $16.95 per person, a good deal for unlimited food.

One of St. Pete&#x27;s oldest restaurants has added a new meal to the mix.What&#x27;s happening: The Chattaway, founded in 1951 and known for its burgers and quirky garden patio, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="rolled out a weekend breakfast buffet this month" data-vars-click-url="https://www.facebook.com/thechattaway/posts/pfbid0ZMRAiMPhL4DF4whRH1XyQTZaCKK5uteYRQPpPD6S1DVq5vnu6Q3m6qR3ep8wdegzl" data-vars-content-id="c3091d7d-5352-4220-a851-52b4af472391" data-vars-headline="Bite Club: The Chattaway&#x27;s new breakfast buffet" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.facebook.com/thechattaway/posts/pfbid0ZMRAiMPhL4DF4whRH1XyQTZaCKK5uteYRQPpPD6S1DVq5vnu6Q3m6qR3ep8wdegzl" target="_blank">rolled out a weekend breakfast buffet this month</a>. I gave it a try.

A table with five silver chafers in a brick courtyard near a picnic table painted purple and green.

Last Meal with Café Clementine's Paulina Gervasi

Here's Gervasi's perfect last meal, in her own words.

Even if you haven&#x27;t had the chance to try the pastries at <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Café Clementine" data-vars-click-url="https://mfastpete.org/visit/cafe-clementine/" data-vars-content-id="1f7b7649-dc24-4ab2-9d99-fd4da44fd8df" data-vars-headline="Last Meal with Café Clementine&#x27;s Paulina Gervasi" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://mfastpete.org/visit/cafe-clementine/" target="_blank">Café Clementine</a>, you&#x27;ve probably seen them on Instagram. <ul><li>The beautiful and delicious treats are the work of Paulina Gervasi, who opened the shop last year in the Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg with her husband, Vince. </li><li>Here&#x27;s Gervasi&#x27;s perfect last meal, in her own words:</li></ul>

Last meal with Wade Tatangelo, Florida dining editor for USA Today Network

Tatangelo would start with the Original "1905" Salad and Sangria de Cava at Columbia Restaurant.

Before <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Wade Tatangelo" data-vars-click-url="https://www.heraldtribune.com/staff/5525887002/wade-tatangelo/" data-vars-content-id="e99e0be5-b8b4-4b94-9203-d28b00688c1f" data-vars-headline="Last meal with Wade Tatangelo, Florida dining editor for USA Today Network" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.heraldtribune.com/staff/5525887002/wade-tatangelo/" target="_blank">Wade Tatangelo</a> joined the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and became Florida regional dining and entertainment editor for the publication&#x27;s USA Today Network, he grew up eating Italian food at his family&#x27;s restaurant, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Lucy&#x27;s Cafe" data-vars-click-url="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy%27s_Cafe" data-vars-content-id="e99e0be5-b8b4-4b94-9203-d28b00688c1f" data-vars-headline="Last meal with Wade Tatangelo, Florida dining editor for USA Today Network" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy%27s_Cafe" target="_blank">Lucy&#x27;s Cafe</a>, in Hershey, Pennsylvania.<ul><li>&quot;But then my family moved to Tampa when I was 12,&quot; he said, &quot;and I fell in love with local seafood and Cuban cuisine, so my last meal would have to include my favorite Florida foods along with my family’s most famous dish.&quot;</li></ul>Here&#x27;s Tatangelo&#x27;s perfect last meal in his own words:

Photo illustration of a place setting shaped like a skull and crossbones containing a photo of Wade Tatangelo.

Bite club: Gambling with our stomachs at Sunda New Asian

The menu warns customers that the Gambler is "dangerously spicy." We didn't listen.

I could scarf down enough sushi to make an all-you-can-eat buffet cringe, so when I heard about Midtown Tampa&#x27;s new Southeast Asian restaurant, I had to check it out. The spot: My girlfriend, Maya, and I booked a reservation at Sunda New Asian last Thursday. The restaurant is known throughout Chicago and Nashville for its modern Asian cuisine.

Food and Drink 🍽