Benjamin S. Brasch's Clips

Bob D’Alessio and Brad Bedson opened Chomps at 5109 NW 39th Ave. on March 1.

Chomps is a sports bar with room to grow into a space for sit-down dining, banquets and wedding rehearsals.

D’Alessio has been in the restaurant business for 25 years, and both he and Bedson have been at Ballyhoo Grill for more than 10 years.

The restaurant, which takes over a location previously occupied by Joe’s Place, offers not only traditional sports bar fare of burgers and wings but also chicken picatta and filet mignon.

D’Alessio said he decided to have a soft opening, which was Feb. 22, to get a better feel for the market, as he had never opened a restaurant that far away from the UF campus.

Red Robin

Red Robin will open at 11 a.m. Monday on the north side of The Oaks Mall, according to a news release from Red Robin.

Red Robin is a 40-year-old restaurant chain based out of Greenwood Village, Colo., that boasts a variety of burger toppings, endless steak fries and a signature drink, Freckled Lemonade.

During opening week, all proceeds from sales of Freckled Lemonade will go to Alex’s Lemonade Stand, a nonprofit organization that raises money for pediatric cancer research.

The Yearling

Robert Blauer is selling The Yearling, at 14531 East County Road 325 in Cross Creek, which he has owned since 1996.

Blauer is asking $695,000 for the restaurant and $195,000 for the multiple rentals near the property, said Rick Cain, commercial Realtor at Coldwell Banker MM Parrish Realtors.

Cain said the business is doing well, but Blauer wants to sell to have more time for his true passion as an antiques dealer.

The Yearling has won the Golden Spoon award from Florida Trend Magazine and serves everything from quail to prime rib.

Original link: http://www.gainesville.com/article/20130320/ARTICLES/130329929

But when he was put down after a stroke, his owners thought enough of the 11-year-old tabby to give him a final resting place.

“When I drive by, it brings back some good memories,” said Judy Roberts, who buried Mars about 15 years ago.

Every day, thousands of motorists drive past the Garden of Love, a cemetery off U.S. 441 in Micanopy. The cemetery is hidden behind a white ranch-style fence, a clump of trees and a wooden sign that reads simply “Pet Cemetery.”

The granite gravemarkers carry names like Foo-Foo, Mac and Jet.

One tombstone with the profile of a horse’s head reads:

“Kuba La Kahn, 1967-1999

My Forever Angel

The spheres you connected created the timelessness of your soul””

The cemetery is owned and operated by Linda McCollough, a veterinarian who also runs Haile Plantation Animal Clinic in Gainesville. The cemetery has been around for 33 years, and has more than 3,500 pets buried there — some without markers. McCollough bought the 7-acre property in May 2002 after its previous owners approached her to take it over. Only about 1 acre is currently used as a cemetery.

“I like every aspect of caring for pets, including this one,” said McCollough, who also runs the Haile’s Angels Pet Rescue.

McCollough added a small parking lot and commissioned a statue for the entrance to the cemetery in memory of Benny, a terrier mix, and Prince, her collie, who are buried at the Garden of Love. The statue shows a crouching angel carrying a kitten, and surrounded by a dog and a horse.

A poem from Lord Byron is inscribed at the base of the statue: “In our gardens repose the remains of those that possess beauty without vanity, strength without insolence, courage without ferocity and the virtues of man without his vices: our pets.”

McCollough said she tried to install a crematorium when she first got the business, but the city of Micanopy denied the request. She works with Crevasse’s Pet Funeral Home for cremations.

Rates for single-pet burials start at $387 for a pet weighing 16 pounds or less, and go to $432 for pets weighing 61 to 90 pounds. The rate includes the casket and a granite memorial. Special arrangements are made for pets that weigh more than 100 pounds.

It’s difficult to keep the property maintained and beautiful, said McCollough, who keeps the buildings there empty because they’ve been repeatedly broken into and the lawn equipment stolen. She has found signs of mischief — empty beer cans and trash — on occasion. Two employees maintain the grounds.

Lori Reiman, who works with McCollough as a veterinary technician, also manages the Garden of Love. Most people tell her they want their pets buried or cremated so they can visit them again, said Reiman, 32.

The property can only be used as a pet cemetery, according to the deed, which means that the pets will stay buried, Reiman said.

“It does give a lot of people peace,” she said. “They never have to worry about their pets having a building on them, or being disturbed,” she said.

Reiman said traditional burials are becoming less popular, and most people are now cremating their pets.

“People are a lot more mobile than they used to be,” she said.

Burial services are respectful events. Every animal receives a service, which includes prayers and poems.

One person left a card by the tombstone of Kirby, a cat. The card has been battered by the elements but is still legible: “My heart, my soul, my being. Rest in peace, little Friendly.”

Where some leave poetry, others leave more behind.

Dave Benton, who was cremated, shares a plot with several of his pets who are buried at the Garden of Love. You can only be buried with your pets if you are cremated, McCollough said.

McCollough, who has been in practice for 18 years, said she has put down about 5 percent of the animals buried in the cemetery.

“You do it because you’re dedicated to the pets,” said McCollough, 48. “It’s a labor of love.”

Judy Roberts thinks of her cat every time she drives by. After Mars was buried, she and her husband, radio personality and WKTK 98.5 deejay Storm Roberts, made a donation for someone else to have their pet buried there if they couldn’t afford it.

“In honor of Mars,” he said.

A boy in a Spider-Man helmet wheeled through finish line on his red bicycle. His time: 38 minutes and 48 seconds. He waved like royalty to the crowd.

Ray Brown was the last to finish. He labored through the final 20 yards. His eyes were fixed on the finish line.

His body betrayed him as he veered right, but he corrected himself and kept pushing. He was surrounded by friends on either side of him, drawing him on amid tears and cheers.

He didn’t stop walking for more than a minute after the race was over. He didn’t crack a smile the last leg of the race.

Brown’s time: 58 minutes and 48 seconds. Not bad for a minor miracle.

An aide had helped Brown get out of his wheelchair and onto his walker, which was scratched up and used, but still worked — just like him.

The University of Florida College of Medicine class of 2014 hosted Race for Ray, a 5K event to raise money to defray medical costs and support one of their own on Sunday, the day before his 32nd birthday.

More than 225 runners started in the Gale Lemerand commuter lot on the UF campus at 8 a.m. The event raised more than $3,200 in registration fees, according to Danielle Cobb, who helped organize the race. She said there were other donations as well.

Brown was a UF medical student before his car hit a semi-truck on the highway coming back from Tennessee last June 21. Brown, the Army veteran, is recovering from the traumatic brain injury and now uses a wheelchair and has difficulty talking.

Two years ago, Brown was cracking jokes in medical classes. Now, his fellow students are here to support him.

“We’re not forgetting him,” said Philip Gilbo, 25, third-year medical student and president for the UF College of Medicine class of 2014.

Gilbo said students become family during their first two years of medical school because of how much time they all spend together, and the whole class was affected by Brown.

He said though it is unfortunate what happened to Brown, the 5K has acted as a homecoming for the busy medical students who could take a break and be together again. Some travelled as far as Jacksonville.

The medical faculty were happy to see so many students there for Brown.

“Being a physician is all about helping others and that includes each other,” said Dr. Mike Good, dean of the UF College of Medicine.

He said his students went the “extra mile” to make this event possible.

After the race, Gilbo and another student gave Brown a present: The sign from the registration desk that people had covered with birthday wishes.

Brown mustered a smile as his sat in his wheelchair equipped with Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires.

“It was great to see all of the people,” Brown said.

The race was also an opportunity for Brown to be on campus again.

“It was weird,” he said.

Dr. David Wymer, Veteran’s Affairs chief of imaging, said this is the most he’s seen a class come together for one of their own.

“It shows the degree of passion we like to see in our budding physicians,” he said.

Besides medical students, faculty and general runners there was proud mom. “I’m holding the tears back,” said Marlena Block, 55, Brown’s mother.

She said he has always been determined. Within a day of getting back from the hospital, he was trying to walk.

When he started physical therapy, he would hold himself up and lean side-to-side to strengthen his muscles, and now he is walking in front of his friends.

“I’m hoping that when he has his bad days, he’ll look back on today and it will cheer him up,” she said.

The Mexican-inspired fast food staple at 1402 W. University Ave. closed after the Synod of South Atlantic Presbyterian Church, the owner of the building, suggested the restaurant close its doors because the beams supporting the roof were starting to fail.

Though the roof wasn’t fully repaired, it is safe for Randy Akerson, 61-year-old owner of Burrito Bros., to get his crew back cooking.

“I would never have reopened if I had not been assured it was OK to do so,” he said.

He said he lost hundreds of pounds of food and thousands of dollars because of the close. The only food that could be saved was 150 pounds of cheese, he said.

Akerson continued to pay his utility bills, payroll and insurance while the restaurant was closed.

He said he expects the synod, as the landlord, to pay him back.

After multiple calls over the past week, the synod could not be reached for comment.

“It was their responsibility in the first place and their instruction to close us,” he said.

Akerson said he didn’t have to move out, but the church suggested that he do so for the safety of his 20 employees.

“You have to operate ethically if you want to be able to live with yourself and sleep at night,” he said.

Burrito Bros. wouldn’t have found out about the structural problems if it hadn’t been for a possible new neighbor.

The prospective lessee had an engineer check the building for safety. The engineer found that the roof’s beams were failing.

“The project is still in the process of being evaluated,” said John Thomas of Thomas Realty about the new tenants in the building.

Thomas said that if the deal goes through two new restaurants from Colorado will come to the building.

Previous plans for partners to buy the former Presbyterian Student Center and redevelop it under the name U14 have fallen through, said Nick Banks, Realtor at Front Street Commercial Real Estate Group, who was representing the buyers.

Original link: http://www.gainesville.com/article/20130122/ARTICLES/130129912?p=2&tc=pg 

The need to get to know your new gadget is one reason why Santa Fe College’s Community Education class, “Get The Most Out Of Your iPad,” filled up the first day of registration, and nearly 30 people were on the waiting list just as quickly.

With courses in everything from yoga to welding, the Community Education program has offered self-improvement courses since 1972, said Melissa Atyeo, who is the program’s course manager. Atyeo said most courses are designed for people at any skill level.

“They’re still learning and like the interaction from other students,” she said.

The winter term, which normally has the most students enrolled, begins on Saturday. Registration dates vary.

About 600 to 800 students will enroll in about 150 courses during the six-week term, said Jennifer Mullis, who is coordinator of community education at Santa Fe.

“We want to create enrichment-type classes for those of all ages,” she said.

Health and fitness classes are among the most popular thanks to New Year’s resolutions, said Mullis. But Coach Herb Kieklak thinks it is always time to get into shape.

Kieklak, 52, who goes by Coach K, teaches fitness courses, including beginners running, cycling and a Tai Chi class for seniors.

He said many start his courses not only to lose weight or run a mile, but also so they can just keep up with their grandchildren.

“They’re not out there to win trophies at 5Ks,” Kieklak said, “But once they start seeing their first results, that encourages them to keep going.”

Graduates of his courses have lost more than 40 pounds, improved their posture and relieved neck strain, he said. One 60-year-old woman was doing pull-ups after about four months of training, he said.

“They know that as long as they do this, they’ll keep getting better and better, and faster and faster,” Kieklak said.

He said 70 percent of his students re-enroll.

In fact, it is not uncommon for students to enroll in the same class for multiple semesters, Mullis said.

People come back because they like the topic, the instructor or the atmosphere, she said.

“These are all great ways to get out there, do something new, enrich your life and make relationships,” Mullis said.

Original link: http://www.gainesville.com/article/20130116/ARTICLES/13011969
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