2024 has somehow flown by and felt eternal. After an exhausting fall season, with hurricane after hurricane, it was hard to remember anything else that happened this year. But after perusing this year's many food stories, I was delighted to be reminded about great new openings, bittersweet closings and the indelible mark the hospitality business has left on the Sarasota community—and my own life.

Here are my favorite stories from this year.

'Outback Steakhouse Shaped My Career as a Food Writer'

Back in 2001, I knew some of the older girls who worked as hosts at Outback and asked my mom for a ride to the restaurant to fill out an application. I was 15 years old and had a penchant for designer duds that my parents were unwilling to pay for—including two Fendi purses; loads of Saks Fifth Avenue dresses, tops and skirts; and, ultimately, a white Volkswagen Cabrio, which was fully funded by Outback earnings and gave me the autonomy to get into as much trouble as possible. If I hadn’t worked at Outback Steakhouse, I probably wouldn’t be a food writer today.

Are Tampa's Michelin-Starred Restaurants Worth the Drive?

Since Tampa is just 50 miles away, I wanted to evaluate these Michelin-starred restaurants myself. Or maybe I just wanted to get a taste of some of the food the Michelin judges deemed worthy of those coveted stars. Either way, I couldn’t help but wonder: Is the food good enough to justify a long drive to Tampa just for dinner?

Sarasota's Best Under-the-Radar Restaurants

When a restaurant has a whole building all to itself or a prime spot in one of our city’s main dining districts, it starts off with a serious advantage over its competitors. But to find the real hidden gems that make a neighborhood special, you have to dig deeper. You have to visit strip malls.

A Morning Baking Bread at Focaccia Sandwich + Bakery

I spent a long time working in kitchens during and after culinary school—in fine dining restaurants, at university in a large hospital kitchen and, most recently, in private catering during the Covid-19 pandemic, when so many of us found ourselves without work. I love the tactile nature of food preparation: putting my hands to work, starting and finishing complicated projects in one go. I’ve periodically left culinary work when my body started to ache, but I suspect I’ll never be too far away from my next kitchen job. So, I dusted off the old Dansko kitchen clogs that I talked myself out of donating for four hours of early-morning baking at Focaccia Sandwich + Bakery.

Chinese Hot Pot Debuts in Bradenton

I’ve been dreaming of hot pot for years. The Chinese style of cooking—in which diners dunk huge varieties of meats, seafood, vegetables, noodles and more into flavorful broths—has become common in bigger American cities and pervasive on social media but remained absent in the Sarasota area. At least until last year, when Hong BBQ & Hot Pot opened in Bradenton. 

Our Food Editor Shares Her Favorite Food Paintings at The Ringling

A restored painting has made its way back into the collection at The Ringling Museum of Art. Watermelon Regatta is an early 18th-century Italian painting that has undergone significant restoration over the last seven years and hangs in Gallery 12. Painted by an unknown artist identified as “Master of the Fertility of the Egg,” crustaceans and other animals race watermelon boats through a canal, while onlookers cheer them on. It’s filled with food, fun and plenty of absurdity. That led me to wonder what other fabulous food art The Ringling has to offer.

After 67 Years, the Hob Nob Has Closed

Whether you heard it from a friend, saw it on social media or found out in person, rumors about the Hob Nob Drive-In Restaurant closing wafted like steam from a fryer back in May. During one final visit the day before it shuttered, the restaurant ran out of burgers at 12:30 p.m., right as mine was set in front of me. Did I eat Hob Nob's last burger?

At Buffet City, Food Is Fun Again

It’s bright, it’s bustling and it’s overflowing with food. No, I’m not talking about a weekend farmers market. I’m talking about Buffet City, which opened in a shopping plaza on the corner of Bee Ridge and McIntosh roads in February. I first heard about it at a luncheon for the Boys & Girls Clubs, where Alvin, a club member, sang its praises. A pan-Asian buffet restaurant with a build-your-own hibachi station, a sushi bar and Chinese food, where you can eat as much as you want for just $18.99? I had to check this place out. 

Eat These Colorful French Cookies as an Ode to the Paris Olympics

Le Macaron owners Audrey Guillem-Saba and her husband, chef Didier Saba, opened the first Le Macaron shop here in 2009. They moved to the U.S. from Provence, France, and wanted to introduce Sarasotans to the multi-colored, multi-flavored world of macarons. At Le Macaron's massive Sarasota production facility, which churns out 30,000 cookies every day, each macaron is scratch-made from beginning to end.

HL Asian Market on South Tamiami Trail Is Officially Open, and It's Awesome

This one snuck in under the radar, and we couldn't be happier. South Sarasota residents and passersby watched as the property that was formerly The Devyn was transformed into an enormous Asian market. Prior to the start of construction, a sign was placed on the property’s front lawn alerting the neighborhood that HL Asian Market would be coming soon. Everyone’s interest was immediately piqued. As of Dec. 15, it's finally open—and it's amazing.

After Back-to-Back Hurricanes, the Local Tourism Industry Focuses on Recovery

In the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, residents and business owners have scrambled to assess damage and work through their recovery efforts. 
The area’s barrier islands and coastal areas suffered unprecedented storm surge and wind damage, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in local damages and hundreds of billions of dollars in damages nationally. Many of the businesses hit hardest are in the tourism sector, a foundational economic driver in Southwest Florida. While some businesses have been swift to get back on their feet, others will take weeks, months or even years to rebuild. But what they all have in common is a collective sense of community spirit and resilience.