Cooper Levey-Baker has written about food, politics, civic issues, the arts, and music in Southwest Florida for 15 years. His work has won multiple awards from the Florida Magazine Association and the Florida Society of Professional Journalists, as well as an honorable mention from the Julia Child Foundation. Follow him on Twitter: @LeveyBaker.

Diner Leagues

New Diner Opens at Westfield Siesta Key Mall

Metro Diner, a burgeoning chain born in Jacksonville in 1992, recently opened its first Sarasota location in a revamped space inside the Westfield Siesta Key mall.

07/06/2017 By Cooper Levey-Baker

SUP?

Everything You Need to Know About Stand-Up Paddleboarding

Explore Sarasota’s beautiful backwaters while torching calories.

06/30/2017 By Cooper Levey-Baker

Best Burgers

The Best Burgers in Sarasota-Manatee

This list—our first-ever ranking of the region’s greatest hamburgers—is a tribute to an American icon.

06/27/2017 By Cooper Levey-Baker

Best Burgers

The Best Burgers in Sarasota-Manatee

Plus chefs’ must-have condiments, a plant-based powerhouse, great burger lore—and more.

06/27/2017 By Cooper Levey-Baker

Best Burgers

We Put a Much-Hyped New Veggie Burger to the Test

Beyond Meat claims its Beyond Burger looks and tastes like fresh ground beef. Does it?

06/27/2017 By Cooper Levey-Baker

Best Burgers

Here's the Secret to Council's Bradenton Recreation's Famous Burgers

Owners and cooks come and go. The grill at Council’s Bradenton Recreation remains.

06/27/2017 By Cooper Levey-Baker

Best Burgers

The Best Burgers in Sarasota-Manatee

From brilliant mash-ups to simple classics, these are the 12 best burgers you can get your hands on right now.

06/27/2017 By Cooper Levey-Baker

There Must Be El Toro in the Atmosphere

10 Bucks or Less: El Toro Bravo

A Sarasota restaurant moves down the road into bigger digs, but its fresh twist on Tex-Mex remains the same.

06/26/2017 By Cooper Levey-Baker

Party City

Sarasota's Catering Business Booms

As Sarasota tourism surges, the catering business booms.

06/07/2017 By Cooper Levey-Baker

Claws Out

A New TV Show Set in Manatee County Tackles Sex, Drugs and Beauty Products

Show creator Eliot Laurence chose to set the Claws in the Sarasota-Manatee area after falling in love with the region during trips here with his mother.

06/05/2017 By Cooper Levey-Baker