Personal Growth

Sarasota's UF/IFAS Extension Offers Dozens of Ways to Up Your Local Food IQ

Here are some highlights.

03/17/2025 By Lauren Jackson

In Bloom

Everything You Need to Know About Sarasota's Local Food Scene

Hope you’re hungry!

03/17/2025 By Lauren Jackson

Rescue Mission

Julie Morris and Jim Strickland Are Out to Prove That Preservation and Agriculture Go Hand in Hand

With their 1,300-acre Lost Girl Prairie, the couple want to show that business owners and environmentalists can work together to preserve Florida’s dwindling parcels of untamed land.

03/17/2025 By Lauren Jackson

Buzz-Worthy

Gayle Goodfriend Turned a Decade-Long Hobby Into a Thriving Honey Business

Goodfriend works from a five-acre homestead in Manatee County where approximately 400,000 bees feast on nearby saw palmettos, sable palms and Brazilian peppertrees.

03/17/2025 By Lauren Jackson

Straight Off the Boat

Maggie's Seafood Hauls Fresh Catches to Multiple Markets

Married owners Maggie and Gary Balch sell 500 pounds of seafood at both the Sarasota and Venice farmers markets.

03/17/2025 By Lauren Jackson

Hot Pockets

Empanada Girl Has Grown From a Small DIY Operation Into a Massive Farmers Market Attraction

Every week, Stefania Fochi and her team make nearly 5,000 empanadas in 25 different flavor combinations

03/17/2025 By Lauren Jackson

The Smell of Success

The Owner of Nick B’s Chimichurri Wins Over Customers With an Ingenious Marketing Technique

“This year we sold $700,000 in chimichurri around the country,” says Maria Barrajo. “I just love to sell. I could sell you a camel in Miami."

03/17/2025 By Lauren Jackson

Blowing Minds

Bill Nelms Wants You to Know That Mushrooms Aren’t Just for Eating Anymore

“We sell about 400 pounds of mushrooms a week," Nelms says.

03/17/2025 By Lauren Jackson

Grape Expectations

The Sarasota Wine Festival Returns on March 22

The festival—now in its second year—has partnered with the Women's Resource Center and is providing complimentary vendor booths to women entrepreneurs.

03/14/2025 By Lauren Jackson

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler

With Lucky 8, Cajun Cuisine Finally Has a Home in Sarasota

The food comes courtesy of chef and co-owner Mark Majorie, who worked in kitchens in New Orleans for years, and his business partner Edward Zaki, the owner of 1592 and co-owner of Adeline.

03/10/2025 By Lauren Jackson

Flower Power

Flower Child, a Healthy Restaurant Concept, Is Coming to Lakewood Ranch

Flower Child is opening its first Florida restaurant on University Parkway.

03/05/2025 By Lauren Jackson

Unity Awards

Meet the Winners of Our 2025 Unity Awards

Eight people whose commitment to bringing us together will leave you hopeful and inspired.

03/03/2025 By Kim Doleatto, Lauren Jackson, Cooper Levey-Baker, and Megan McDonald

Unity Awards

Kathleen Sullivan Gives a Helping Hand to Children and Families in Need

“When anybody asks me about Head Start, I tell them it changed my life.”

03/03/2025 By Lauren Jackson

Unity Awards

Alison Thomas Is Changing the Lives of People With Developmental Disabilities

“We wanted parents to go to work knowing their children were getting a quality education and could go out and have an independent life after graduation."

03/03/2025 By Lauren Jackson

La Bella Vita

Two Popular Tampa Restaurants Are Coming to University Town Center

Chef-owner Chris Ponte is bringing his On Swann and Olivia to the shopping and dining district.

02/18/2025 By Lauren Jackson

Well Done

University Town Center's New Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar Is Now Open

It's the chain's second Sarasota location.

02/10/2025 By Lauren Jackson

Neighborhood Guide

The Best Restaurants in Downtown Sarasota

From French to Vietnamese, there's something for every palate in downtown Sarasota.

02/06/2025 By Cooper Levey-Baker and Lauren Jackson

The Dish

Alton Brown Brings His Farewell Tour to the Van Wezel on Feb. 16

Brown's shows are famous for their over-the-top shenanigans and creative culinary demonstrations. "It will be an evening of culinary hijinks," he promises.

02/05/2025 By Lauren Jackson

Champagne Wishes and Caviar Dreams

1000 North, a Private Club Co-Founded by Michael Jordan, Will Arrive in Sarasota Later This Year

The 13,000-square-foot club will be led by local hospitality industry veterans Tim Fanning and Alex Elshimy.

01/30/2025 By Lauren Jackson

Los Mejores

Our Favorite Local Mexican Restaurants

Mexican Americans and Mexican immigrants enrich our community in so many ways, and their influence can be seen in the restaurants that punctuate nearly every neighborhood in town.

01/29/2025 By Lauren Jackson

Sarasota Magazine

Lauren Jackson

Sarasota's UF/IFAS Extension Offers Dozens of Ways to Up Your Local Food IQ

Everything You Need to Know About Sarasota's Local Food Scene

Julie Morris and Jim Strickland Are Out to Prove That Preservation and Agriculture Go Hand in Hand

Gayle Goodfriend Turned a Decade-Long Hobby Into a Thriving Honey Business

Maggie's Seafood Hauls Fresh Catches to Multiple Markets

Empanada Girl Has Grown From a Small DIY Operation Into a Massive Farmers Market Attraction

The Owner of Nick B’s Chimichurri Wins Over Customers With an Ingenious Marketing Technique

Bill Nelms Wants You to Know That Mushrooms Aren’t Just for Eating Anymore

The Sarasota Wine Festival Returns on March 22

With Lucky 8, Cajun Cuisine Finally Has a Home in Sarasota

Flower Child, a Healthy Restaurant Concept, Is Coming to Lakewood Ranch

Meet the Winners of Our 2025 Unity Awards

Kathleen Sullivan Gives a Helping Hand to Children and Families in Need

Alison Thomas Is Changing the Lives of People With Developmental Disabilities

Two Popular Tampa Restaurants Are Coming to University Town Center

University Town Center's New Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar Is Now Open

The Best Restaurants in Downtown Sarasota

Alton Brown Brings His Farewell Tour to the Van Wezel on Feb. 16

1000 North, a Private Club Co-Founded by Michael Jordan, Will Arrive in Sarasota Later This Year

Our Favorite Local Mexican Restaurants

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