POSH PLASTIC SURGERY

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February 4, 2019

Dr. Sofia Kirk

Posh Plastic Surgery is your premiere cosmetic surgery and aesthetic medicine center serving the greater Jacksonville, FL area. Helmed by Dr. Sofia Kirk, a board-certified plastic surgeon with nearly 20 years of experience in cosmetic surgery and training under some of the most prestigious surgeons in the field, Posh Plastic Surgery offers a treatment experience like no other.

Dr. Kirk is passionate about empowering and boosting her patients’ confidence through tailored surgical and non-surgical treatments for seamless, natural enhancement of their beauty. She combines an artistic eye for detail with unparalleled expertise to deliver amazing results. Dr. Kirk offers a full range of face and body procedures, including:

Mommy makeovers
Breast augmentation and reconstruction
Breast lifts
Body contouring procedures
Face and neck lifts
Rhinoplasty
Jaw contouring, chin implants, skin tightening, and more

Posh Plastic Surgery is staffed by a team of passionate medical professionals, specifically hand-picked to help cultivate a comfortable, empowering patient experience for everyone who enters their doors. With Posh Plastic Surgery, your patient experience is cultivated to be nothing short of exceptional. Their team prioritizes your comfort, well-being, and satisfaction from your initial consultation to the final results.

9066 Cypress Green Drive, JACKSONVILLE, FL 32256
(904) 260-2001
POSHPLASTICSURGERY.COM

LEGACY TRUST COMPANY

By

Jacksonville Magazine

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February 4, 2019

Kristin McLauchlan, Kristi Quick, Holly Tyrrell, Natalie Johns, Susan Tronti, Carol Pochon, Carmen Warner, Debbie Burchette, Jill Lineberger, and Jessica Bui

When I envisioned Legacy Trust over 20 years ago, it was to be a company with a true service heart,” says CEO and chairperson Kristin McLauchlan. “That is truly a shared value among all of us. We approach our business every day not thinking about what the markets are doing or how much money can we make if we do this instead of this, but from the perspective of how do we help our clients achieve their goals? How do we help Jacksonville and our community reach its potential? How do we help each other make this a special workplace?”

The team of women at Legacy Trust Family Wealth Offices brings a variety of backgrounds, from working in nonprofits to careers as fraud investigators. Each path led them to Legacy Trust where they come together as a whole greater than the sum of their parts.

As a Family Wealth Office, their role for its client families is enhanced by each of their own personal experiences. Whether it’s caring for their kids, caring for their parents, taking care of their spouses, or going through divorce, they have not just seen the ups and downs of family life, but have lived them.

4200 MARSH LANDING BOULEVARD, SUITE 100
JACKSONVILLE BEACH, FL 32250
(904) 280-9100 | LEGACYTRUSTCOMPANY.COM

SHEILA POWERS | FOUNDER, TEN SALON

By

Jacksonville Magazine

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February 4, 2019

Sheila Powers Alesch, the visionary CEO of the award winning Ten Salon isn’t about just running a business; she is about fostering a family. With a career steeped in cosmetology expertise and business acumen honed over the last 25 years, Alesch has propelled Ten Salon to the forefront of the industry while instilling a culture of love, support and empowerment within her team of approximately 50 women. “I love our team, and we have grown together over the years, sharing so many of life’s milestones, both personally and professionally.”

A cornerstone of Alesch’s leadership is her unwavering dedication to her team’s well being. She ensures they enjoy exceptional benefits, including health care, PTO, retirement accounts and world class training and education. Ten Salon’s stylists are among the best trained in the business.

Sheila also believes in empowering women to follow in her footsteps and provides clear pathways for advancement, ensuring they have the opportunity to grow and flourish. Ten Salon’s culture emphasizes the importance of passion, dedication and serving others. “Our team and the clients we serve are my inspiration every day to make a positive impact in the lives of those we serve, both within and beyond the salon walls. I want to encourage growth and provide a fantastic place to work, with a fun and healthy environment. It is all about love and – and an amazing salon experience!”

115 PROFESSIONAL DRIVE, PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL 32082
(904) 285-7776 • 630 ATLANTIC BOULEVARD, SUITE 10, NEPTUNE BEACH, FL 32266 | TENSALON.NET

EDWARDS & RAGATZ, P.A.

By

Jacksonville Magazine

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February 4, 2019

Katherine Loper, Katie DeSantis McCranie, and Jennifer Reiber share a passion for justice. The women of Edwards & Ragatz are not only hardworking, talented attorneys but they are devoted mothers, educators and more.

Katherine Loper received her J.D. in 2002 from Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law. She has specialized in plaintiff’s personal injury litigation since she graduated from law school. Katherine has lived in the Jacksonville area for over 30 years, growing up in Mandarin, and is now raising a family in the Julington Creek area. In her free time, she volunteers at her daughter’s school and serves as a religion teacher at her church.

Katie DeSantis McCranie received her Juris Doctorate degree in 2001 from Florida Coastal School of Law. Throughout her 20+ year career, Katie has focused primarily on personal injury cases representing plaintiffs against large corporations and insurance companies. When she is not practicing law, Katie volunteers at her children’s school and with various sporting and theatre organizations in which her children are involved.

Jennifer Reiber received her law degree in 1999 from Florida State University College of Law. She has represented both plaintiffs and defendants throughout her legal career. In addition, Jennifer was a professor and dean at Florida Coastal School of Law for many years before joining the Edwards & Ragatz team. Outside of the office, Jennifer focuses on spending time with her family and serves as an educational surrogate with the St. Johns County School District.

Edwards & Ragatz is known for obtaining several of the largest medical malpractice and personal injury verdicts in the history of Florida and are esteemed for their integrity and dedication. The team of skilled attorneys work to bring justice to their clients. With unmatched compassion and record-setting results, Edwards & Ragatz is honored to serve the people of Jacksonville and throughout the state.

4401 Salisbury Rd., Suite 200, Jacksonville, FL 32216
(904) 399-1609 | EDWARDSRAGATZ.COM

A good way to keep kids’ hands busy: Crochet

By

Staff

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February 4, 2019

Crochet is kind of a lost art, one replaced by modern hobbies like texting or updating one’s Facebook status. In the interest of keeping young hands busy, it’s not a bad habit to instill in kids. At Flow Studio art center in Neptune beach, kids can select their own yarn colors and take on a beginners crochet project—a hair bow—in the Learn to Crochet for Kids class. Future yarn artists will learn how to make a slip knot, chain stitch, single crochet stitch and slip stitch and leave with their very own bitty bow and a printed pattern in hand to practice their new skills at home. The class is open to ages 9 and up and costs $15. The next class takes place February 9, 9-11 AM.

Renovating your home on a $10,000 or less budget

By

Staff

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February 1, 2019

ACCORDING TO A RECENT NATIONWIDE SURVEY OF HOMEOWNERS, the average cost of a multiple room home remodel tops $42,000, with most renovations falling anywhere between $17,000 and $68,000. If this price tag seems high, consider that even a generous renovation budget can snowball into exponentially greater costs if a homeowner happens to uncover problems in the process.

Still, unless you want to move, home renovations are often the best option to personalize or upgrade your space. For many, it’s not a question of “if,” but “when.”

If you don’t have tens of thousands saved up for a mega renovation project but you also can’t stand the thought of living another year with the same outdated kitchen or bathroom, what are your options? We asked Jacksonville-area interior designers to share their tips for the best home updates that can be completed for less than $10,000.

photo by Stew Plemmons, Pierside Studios

Plan it out

When your budget is already tight, hiring a designer to plan and prioritize home renovations may seem counterintuitive. But a one-time consultation could save you money in the long run and ensure you’re happy with the finished product, says Kamila Malewska of Jacksonville’s Level Up Design.

“I like situations where people are honest with me and say, ‘Hey, I have a really tight budget, but I want to make sure we aren’t making a mistake with what we have planned.’ I’ll spend a couple of hours consulting in their house to help them come up with a plan of action, make sure it’s cohesive, and then break it up into stages,” she says. “Then, when the client wants us to continue working, we can just go back to the plans and resume with the next stage.”

If you don’t have much experience with home improvement, a consultation might also help you avoid a costly mistake. “Sometimes people like to focus only on the finishes and on having a beautiful white kitchen like they’ve seen on TV, but I can tell they’re going to have plumbing issues because the home is older,” Malewska says. “If you spend all that money doing renovations and then have a leak or an electrical issue, it can be devastating. I try to first make sure the bones and the structure of the home are good and safe in the beginning, and then we can make it pretty.”

Small change, big impact

If $10,000 won’t allow you to check every item off your renovation wish list, going for an update that makes a big visual change to a large surface can still give the space a bold, fresh vibe.

For big impact in a kitchen, Katrina Hosea, president of BeeTree Homes, recommends installing new quartz counter tops along with a new kitchen sink and faucet, and new cabinet hardware. Other low-cost recommendations include hiring an electrician to install under-cabinet lighting, or a painter to give a fresh look to existing cabinets.

“If it’s a small kitchen, why not remove a few upper [cabinets] and place open shelves? Or, hire someone to retrofit your cabinet doors with glass and wallpaper the backs of the cabinets for a little extra punch of color,” she says.

New artwork or rugs can also change the look and feel of a space with minimal cost. When working on a budget, Malewska recommends choosing timeless wall colors and fixtures and adding personality through lower-cost accessories such as pillows and lamps.

To give a dining room a fresh upgrade, Hosea suggests adding some wainscoting on the walls or tongue and groove on the ceiling. (A good trim carpenter will come in handy for these projects.) Even something as simple as changing out interior door knobs can give a home a quick, relatively inexpensive and noticeable update.

So fresh and so clean

“Something we can all do that helps our budgets go farther, gives us peace of mind and helps local non-profits is to declutter our space,” Hosea says. “It does the mind and soul good. And, if you’re up for the challenge of a do-it-yourself project, shop the local Habitat for Humanity thrift store. There are a lot of bargains to be found from clients who are remodeling and donating their goods.”

Do it yourself

If you’re willing to do some of the work yourself, a simple coat of paint can reinvigorate a space without breaking the bank. Malewska recommends going with a light gray, cream or off-white throughout an entire area to give the illusion that the space is larger than it is.

“Paint is something that, even if you’re not handy, you can do it yourself. It’s not rocket science,” she says. “It’s just your hard work and a little bit of patience, and it can be a fun project to have family and friends over on the weekend and have a little paint party. And YouTube and other online sources provide step-by-step tutorials to make projects like cabinet painting approachable and affordable.”

If your bathroom is looking tired, Hosea recommends changing out the towel bars and fixtures, and considering wallpaper—which can be DIY in some cases, depending on your level of familiarity. “Wallpaper is a great way to add some personality to small spaces. And it’s not your grandma’s wallpaper. There are tons of creative wallpaper designs on the market,” she says.

Quality still counts

“Even if you have a smaller budget and you know you’ll either be doing things in stages or you can’t afford to do all of it, don’t sacrifice the quality,” Malewska says. “I know people like to get different quotes because everyone is searching for the best price, but sometimes the lowest price is not going to be the best solution and will hurt you in the long run. Take a few items out of your whole list and do them right. You’ll spend your money wisely, do it right the first time, and not have to redo it.”

50 years after the slave trade ban, hundreds of captive Africans were smuggled into Jekyll Island on a ship called The Wanderer

By

Staff

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February 1, 2019

survivors of wanderer — PHOTO COURTESY OF JEKYLL ISLAND AUTHORITY AND THE JEKYLL ISLAND MUSEUM

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ON INDEPENDENCE DAY OF 1858, a luxury racing yacht considered one of the finest vessels of the New York Yacht Club set sail from Charleston, South Carolina, on a voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. When it returned nearly five months later from West Africa to Jekyll Island, Georgia, the prestigious Wanderer carried 487 new passengers on board—each taken against his will to be sold illegally into slave trade, decades after the practice became punishable by death in the United States. The ship was one of the last ever to import slaves onto U.S. soil, and the story of its survivors has been largely underreported despite its important mark on American history. “A lot was known about the ship, its voyage, the conspiracies behind making this illegal trip to import enslaved Africans into the U.S. and the trial, but not much was known about the survivors, who they were, and their experiences,” says Jekyll Island Museum curator Andrea Marroquin.

Tyler E. Bagwell, associate professor of communication at the College of Coastal Georgia, says that he believes most people don’t understand what happened. Bagwell recently filmed a documentary titled TheWanderer.

Two southerners—William Corrie, a member of the New York Yacht Club, and Charles Lamar, who hailed from a prominent family in the South— conspired to purchase the ship and stealthily convert it into a vessel intended to smuggle human cargo. It was reported that many captives were teenage boys and young children. “Some of them were 7 or 8 years old, many of them separated from families,” Bagwell says. “Sometimes, it was entire families.” Historians have said that the Wanderer’s crew opted for the cruel method of “tight packing” slaves on the ship—cramming the captives together in a spoon-like fashion on the planks beneath the ship’s deck.

Not all of the Wanderer’s captives survived; more than 70 slaves perished on the journey. When many of them arrived in the U.S., they suffered from various physical ailments, including intestinal infections and skin diseases, mostly resulting from being on the ship for six weeks, according to a 1908 article published in the American Anthropologist. While they were likely not tortured aboard the ship, as they were regarded as valuable cargo, any slave who fell ill posed a risk to the remainder of the passengers and crew, according to archaeologist Dr. Mark Newell, who studied pottery that was found to be created by survivors of the Wanderer. “In those days, if anyone fell ill, they didn’t know what seasickness was,” Newell says. “They didn’t want any infection to occur in the rest of the crew or the cargo—the slaves—so, they would dispose of anybody who appeared to be ill, which was pretty savage behavior.”

Once the Wanderermade it back to the U.S. from the Congo, those who successfully endured the journey were placed in smaller boats to plantations and slave markets across the South. The slaves were sold off for as much as $700 per person. Survivors included Ward Lee, who was 10 years old when he was taken from the Congo. “He became a potter in Edgefield, South Carolina, and once the Civil War ended, he was able to acquire land and build a large family whose descendants still exist in the area to this very day,” says Newell.

“There was another baby named Lucy Lanham who was sent to a plantation in Edgefield, and today, there are a great many descendants from her,” Newell continues. More than 160 years after the slave ship landed on Jekyll Island, many descendants of the Wanderer’s captives still live on St. Simons Island, Brunswick, and Darien, Georgia. “We have, along the coast here of the southeastern United States, an active living community of descendants from enslaved Africans who have a very rich culture that has contributed to our larger American culture in many ways,” says Marroquin, who has spoken with a number of Wanderer descendants including Ocea Barns, a surviving granddaughter of Ward Lee.

In 2008, the Jekyll Island Museum and the State of Georgia recognized the 150th anniversary of the Wanderer ’s arrival by dedicating a portion of the island to the landing of the ship and its descendants. The Wanderer Memory Trail at St. Andres Beach Park takes visitors along an interactive journey of the story of one of the survivors. “Ocea was at the opening with tears running down her cheeks to be where her grandfather came to the island, and to realize that he’s being honored now for having been a survivor and creating a legacy for others,” says Marroquin.

Bleu Chocolat’s Seven-Layer Chocolate Mousse Cake

By

Contributor

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February 1, 2019

by Chef Erika Cline of Bleu Chocolat

CAKE

1 c. butter
3 eggs
3 c. sour cream
1½ tsp. vanilla
¾ c. sugar
¾ c. flour
⅓ c. cocoa
¾ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
2 c. crushed Oreos

Makes three 8-inch cakes

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter, sour cream, eggs, vanilla and sugar.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
4. Add flour mixture to butter/sour cream mixture.
5. When combined, beat on medium speed for three minutes.
6. Pour the mixture into prepared cake pans.
7. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
8. Once cooled, slice each cake into thin layers. Take one layer of cake and place on an eight-inch cake board.
9. Remove chocolate mousse from the refrigerator and spread each layer with half-a-cup of mousse. Stack each layer to make a chocolate layer cake, and place the cake in the refrigerator for 30 mins to set.
10. Remove cake from the refrigerator and ice the top and sides with a layer of whipped cream (don’t worry if you can see the layers of cake; that’s the fun part). Take the crushed Oreos and sprinkle them over the cake. Slice and enjoy.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

4 eggs
½ c. granulated sugar
5 c. cold heavy whipping cream, divided
12 oz. 65% chocolate

Procedure:
1. Beat eggs and granulated sugar for roughly three minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat one cup heavy whipping cream in a small saucepan until just hot, not boiling. With mixer on low, pour the hot cream into the egg mixture slowly until combined.
3. Add the egg/cream mixture back into the saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly for five minutes, until thickened. Do not boil.
4. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate, until melted. Cover and refrigerate for two hours, until chilled, stirring occasionally.
5. When the mixture is completely chilled and firm, whip the remaining heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Remove chocolate from fridge fold the whipped cream into the chocolate until incorporated and smooth.
6. Refrigerate until ready to use.

WHIPPED CREAM

1 quart whipping cream
¼ c. sugar
½ tsp. vanilla extract

Procedure:
1. Combine the whipping cream, sugar and vanilla; whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Place in refrigerator until needed.

Downtown Jacksonville staple Candy Apple Café replaced with Marcus Lemonis’ MLG

By

Contributor

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January 31, 2019

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MLG has since closed. For information on Sweet Pete’s visit this site.

The historic Seminole Club in Downtown Jacksonville has hosted a number of notable diners, including Presidents Teddy Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy. All three ate at the Hemming Park landmark before it sat vacant for nearly a decade. It seems only fitting that the person to breathe new life into the space would be a more modern sort of celebrity—a reality television star. Marcus Lemonis, of CNBC’s The Profit fame, renovated the property in 2014, turning it into a 23,000-square-foot confectionary emporium that housed candy shop Sweet Pete’s and the Candy Apple Café. Candy Apple closed its doors in August 2018 and, in November, Lemonis’ new fine dining eatery, MLG, took its place.

This is the second location for MLG (the first is in Chicago), whose interior offers a stark, modern backdrop for creative plates of “New American” fare. Chef Rodrick Smith, who previously ran Jax Diner and Mother’s Cafe & Bar, helms the kitchen, offering his take on the Chicago location’s menu. Expect upscale riffs on classic country club fare: a New York strip served with roasted garlic ($25), shrimp scampi with angel hair pasta ($22) and, in a nod to the South, a fried chicken and collard green meal ($18). It might be hard to pass up those heartier dishes but the macadamia nut grouper ($25), with wilted spinach, glazed gnocchi and sun-dried tomato, is the true gem of the entrée offerings. The starters are a bit more disjointed, offering a mash-up of plates that, while trendy enough, don’t necessarily complement the main dishes. Our advice? Bypass the #Hollywood avocado toast ($8 and yes, it comes with a hashtag) and the fried cheese curds ($9) in favor of the wild mushroom flatbread ($9), splashed with truffle oil and a hefty sprinkling of fontina cheese and spinach.

Being that it’s nestled within a sweet shop, desserts aren’t hard to come by. The restaurant’s Key lime pie ($8) is shipped from the Key Lime Pie Co., another of Lemonis’ business ventures. It’s hard to go wrong with Farrell’s Famous Ice Cream Sundae ($7) which, with its three scoops of vanilla ice cream, caramel and chocolate sauces, whipped cream, and cinnamon cookie, will have you feeling like a kid in a candy shop.

Kids Cuisine
The children’s menu features several $6 meals, from the
“I Don’t Care” (mac-and-cheese) to the “I’m Not Hungry”
(mini burgers).

Wallflowers
Lemonis handpicks each
exhibit for the restaurant’s rotating art gallery, with net proceeds from art sales going
to local charities.

Save a Seat
Reservations are
available on OpenTable.

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MLG

400 N Hogan St.
Downtown
mlgjax.com
(904) 300-3122

What do to this February

By

Staff

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January 31, 2019

2/1-16 The Bridges of Madison County
Based off the bestselling novel-turned-film of the same name, Bridges tells the story of a four-day affair between an Italian war bride and a traveling National Geographic photographer who comes to Iowa to shoot the area’s fabled covered bridges. Players By the Sea

2/1-16 Jeeves in Bloom
The peaceful English countryside is shaken up as Bertie Wooster and his unflappable valet, Jeeves, become involved in a scheme. Naturally, it’s left to Jeeves to set things right. Amelia Community Theatre

2/5 Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Farewell Play
When Tyler Perry announced he’d soon be retiring his most beloved character—a mouthy, grey-haired senior citizen named Madea—fans were shocked and dismayed. Fortunately, she’s going out with in true Madea fashion: with a nationwide tour. Perry’s Madea’s Farewell Play Tour comes to Veterans Memorial Arena February 5, and also stars Tamela Mann, David Mann, and Cassi Davis Patton.

2/5 Gaelic Storm
Remember the band that kept playing as the ship sank in Titanic? That was Gaelic Storm, a Celtic group who began touring shortly after that memorable role, and hasn’t really stopped since (seriously: they play roughly 125 days out of the year). This month, they’ll perform at Ponte Vedra Concert Hall.

2/8 G. Love & Special Sauce
The three-member, alternative-meets-hip hop-meets-blues band celebrates more than two decades of music in a 25th anniversary show at Ponte Vedra Concert Hall.

2/9 Jacksonville Icemen
Minor League hockey squad the Jacksonville Icemen take on the Orlando Solar Bears at Veterans Memorial Arena.Can’t make it? They hit the ice a handful more times this month—on the 13th, 20th, 23rd, 24th, and 27th.

2/9 Indigo Girls
Break out your flannel shirts and baby doll dresses for the vocal stylings of these darlings of the early ‘90s, who perform at Ponte Vedra Concert Hall.

2/10 26.2 with DONNA Marathon
The average number of steps required to complete all 26.2 miles in a marathon. Strap on your FitBit for the 26.2 with Donna Marathon, February 10. This year’s event starts in Atlantic Beach and weaves through Neptune and Jacksonville Beach before making its way to Ponte Vedra—and then, of course, back to Neptune Beach.

2/13 The Taj Mahal Trio
American blues musician Taj Mahal (real name: Henry Saint Clair Fredericks) heads this jazz trio, performing at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall this month.

2/14 Keiko Matsui
The contemporary jazz pianist performs a blend of new-age and smooth jazz. Ponte Vedra Concert Hall

2/15 Matt and Kim
This Brooklyn-based indie electronic duo—Pitchfork calls them a ‘quintessential party band’—takes to the St. Augustine Amphitheatre.

2/15 Tom Rush
If you’re a fan of Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne or James Taylor, you might have Tom Rush to thank. Rush is largely credited with ushering in the era of the singer-songwriter, performing songs by artists like those above to help them gain recognition early in their careers. He’ll headline Ponte Vedra Concert Hall this month.

2/15-16 Daphnis and Chloe
Music from Wagner’s final, and by many accounts greatest, opera sets the stage for music from Ravel’s grand ballet in this Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra performance. T-U Center

2/16 PBR: Velocity Tour
Google “How to rope a bull” and you’ll find some 25 million how-to guides—but we’re willing to leave this one to the experts. For one night only, the best bull riders in the world battle the sport’s fiercest bovine athletes in the PBR: Velocity Tour, February 16 at Veterans Memorial Arena. Each rider will face one bull in round one before the ten with the highest scores advance to the championship round. Yeehaw!

2/17 Dave Mason and Steve Cropper
The rock and roll blues icons bring their joint tour to Ponte Vedra Concert Hall.

2/20 Murder By Death
Indie folk rockers Murder by Death and J Roddy Walson & The Business co-headline a concert at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre’s Back Yard Stage.

2/20 The Zombies
Before they were The Zombies, this Brit-pop band called themselves The Mustangs. Unfortunately, there were other groups with that name so one of the group’s members suggested The Zombies. He left the group soon after but the name stuck and 57 years later, they’re still touring. Ponte Vedra Concert Hall

2/21 The Fort Mose Story, The Story That Must be Told
Join the Mandarin Museum & Historical Society for their third Thursday lecture honoring Black History Month. The story of Fort Mose, the first free African settlement to legally exist in the U.S., will be told by Fort Mose Historical Society members decked out in period garb. 12447 Mandarin Rd.

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2/21 Orange Legacy: Florida’s Exotic Fruit
Learn about one of the first orange barons and try a featured cocktail inspired by a popular 18th century drink at this historic and indulgent event held at the Museum of Science and History.

2/21 Toby Mac
The country star takes to Veterans Memorial Arena for his Hits Deep tour.

2/22 LP
The genre-defying singer-songwriter has written songs for a number of big-name artists from Cher to Rihanna. This month, she brings her Heart to Mouth tour to Ponte Vedra Concert Hall.

2/23 Rooftop Champagne Soirée
Music, gourmet eats and champagne by Nicolas Feuillate are the focus at this inaugural event, held on the rooftop of Black Sheep restaurant in 5 Points.

2/23-24 Cat Show
If you suffer from pet dander allergies, you’d be wise to stay far away from the Solomon Calhoun Community Center this month, when it plays host to more than 125 felines during the Ancient City Cat Club’s fourth annual Cat Show. The felines at the event are a mix of pedigreed and household animals, judged on a range of characteristics—though no tricks, as it turns out. Instead, it’s a bit like a beauty pageant, where the four-legged contestants are judged on the symmetry of their features, the size of their paws and, of course, their poise.

2/24 Sarah McLachlan
Adult contemporary crooner Sarah McLachlan takes a break from recording ASPCA commercials for an intimate evening of songs and storytelling at the Florida Theatre.

2/28 The Expendables
West Coast surf rockers showcase their brand of California cool to the St. Augustine Amphitheatre.

3/1 Alabama
Breakthrough country band Alabama takes to the St. Augustine Amphitheater for their 50th anniversary tour.

3/1-17 Old Love
Old Love spans three decades and half-a-dozen meetings between Bud, a salesman, and Molly, his boss’s wife. One of them is smitten from the get-go—the other, not so much, in this clever tale of the never-ending pursuit of love. Theatre Jacksonville

3/5 P!NK
Powerful vocalist? Yes, but the one-named pop diva P!NK is also quite the stunt-person, judging by the feats of physicality on display in her live show (spoiler alert: expect her to sing upside down, from a chandelier). She stages the Jax leg of her Beautiful Trauma tour—a big-budget production that blends her signature mix of pseudo goth and pop—March 5 at Veterans Memorial Arena.

A not-so-typical Valentine’s Day dining guide

By

Staff

-

January 29, 2019

Not everyone is a fan of the high-priced, prix-fixed dinner-and-a-movie come Valentine’s Day.
Plus, Jacksonville’s dining and entertainment scenes have so much more to offer.
Here, we offer a selection of local dining options geared toward every personality type
that might be hitting the town (or, let’s face it, just staying in) come February 14.

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8

Stop at Cline’s Custom Meats to grab ingredients for an over-the-top dinner at home. The San Marco butcher offers a range of specialty cuts, including Wagyu beef filets and marinated kabobs, plus all the accoutrements one expects, such as sauces, seasonings and, occasionally, caviar.

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Milouda Cline, of Cline’s Custom Meats, offers tips on how to perfectly sear a steak

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Make sure steak is at room temperature. “Never put a cold steak on a hot pan,” says Cline.

Season well. Cline opts for a simple mix: “salt, pepper and olive oil.”

Get the pan (or grill) hot. Really hot.

Sear over medium-high heat until a dark crust has formed (“3-7 minutes per side, depending upon how rare you like it”). Don’t. Touch. It.

Finish in the oven if necessary (thicker cuts might require more time).

Remove from heat source and let it rest, which allows the juices to accumulate within the meat.

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Forgo the pinkies-up, white tablecloth eats in favor of a comfortable, homey meal at Comfort, a Southern Bistro. Start with the biscuit board (assorted biscuits with butter, jam, and other accompaniments) before tucking in to a stick-to-your-ribs entrée, such as fried chicken with sides of cheese grits and stewed apples.

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GIFT IDEA:
It’s hard to go wrong with a dozen long-stemmed red roses (local arrangements are available locally at sources like at Kuhn Flowers for around $70).

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The Fernandina Beach hot chicken at Gilbert’s Underground is the stuff of legend. It’s brined for 24 hours before being battered, fried, and slathered in datil pepper hot sauce. Traditional V-day eats, this is not, but it’s so much more fun.

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Sushi is the perfect thing to share and at Kazu in Mandarin, it’s easy to find rolls to satisfy any seafood lover. Start with a bowl of kimchi soup (brimming with seafood, veggies and lots of spice) and be prepared to share the last udon noodle with your partner, Lady and the Tramp-style.

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Lunch with wine at Avondale’s Barrique may mean you won’t have to fight the crowds for a dinner reservation. And a table outside is just as romantic during the day. Nibble on a cheese and charcuterie plate before sharing a selection of small plates. The roasted oysters, charred octopus and rigatoni bolognese are all crowd favorites.

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GIFT IDEA:
For the wellness-minded, a membership to Camp Gladiator—a bootcamp-style workout that recently made its way to Jacksonville—is the gift that keeps on giving. Hey, sometimes love hurts. (Packages start at $65.)

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Don’t want to fight restaurant crowds on the 14th? Order some takeout, pick up a bottle of wine, and enjoy the evening with your loved one at home. “When it comes to picking a bottle of wine don’t overthink it, just enjoy it,” says Fletcher Martin of Riverside Liquors. He offers the following pairings to go with popular takeout choices.

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Pizza | Chianti
“Chianti is born to complement food,” says Fletcher Martin of Riverside Liquors, who explains the Italian wine is great match for a slice of pizza or a plate of cured meats. His tip for those on a budget is to find a Chianti that isn’t labeled Classico.
Try: Fontaleoni Chianti Colli Senesi

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Tacos | Spanish Red
“The spice and fruit character of Spanish wine goes really well with tacos,” Martin says.
“Spain has the value and the bang for your buck.”
Try: Borsao Garnacha

Burgers | Zinfandel
“The big fruit flavor of zinfandel goes with the big flavor of the burger.
Plus, Zinfandel is an American grape.”
Try: Josh Cellars Zinfandel

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Chinese | Riesling
“The medium sweet of a riesling goes with the monosodium glutamate in Chinese food.
It matches the sweet richness, but it’s not sweet like dessert,” he says.
Try: Gryphon Crest Riesling

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Those who didn’t plan ahead would be wise to order takeout, grab a six-pack of beer, and call it a night. Call in an order to V Pizza, where the Salsiccia pie comes topped with San Marzano tomato sauce, provolone, swiss, spicy Italian rope sausage, bell peppers, red onions and Calabrian pepper oil—just the thing to spice up your night. Swing by 5 Points’ beer joint Ale Wife for a six-pack of crisp lager, which pairs particularly well with spicy foods.

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A picnic in the park is so cliché. A picnic after a two-mile hike is slightly less so. Pack a portable lunch (chips, a sandwich and a chopped salad from Native Sun should do the trick) before hitting the 1.9-mile trail at Tillie K. Fowler Regional Park near NAS JAX.

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Blackstone Grille offers exactly the kind of fine-dining atmosphere that a traditionalist expects on Valentine’s Day. The menu also features standard special occasion fare—lobster ravioli, filet au poivre—plus some more unusual offerings, like tea-smoked duck breast with apricot demi glace.

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GIFT IDEA:
Bold Bean’s Personal Barista Training program ($300) is ideal for coffee snobs, pourover-aficionados and wannabe-latte artists.

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When ranking the best metro areas for millennials Jacksonville gets a C+

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Staff

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January 25, 2019

Millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996) are no longer kids, meaning they are now less concerned with avocado toast and more with schools districts, careers, and mortgage rates. When it comes to selecting a place in which to live, millennials rank a potential new home based on the local job market, median incomes, housing affordability, and more. With that in mind, the data science team at RealtyHop ranked various U.S. cities for their “Best Metro Areas for Millennials” list. Jacksonville didn’t quite make the grade, scoring a C+ and ranking 275 overall, due to factors such as labor participation rate and home value to income ratio. Apparently, we have some homework to do, Jax. —ANDREA DAVIS

Cook for a cure with this DONNA cookbook

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Staff

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January 24, 2019

When Jax native Brookie Brown lost her grandmother to breast cancer, she opted to honor her in an unconventional way—by publishing a cookbook. Most of the recipes in the 100 plus-page Recipes to Celebrate the Finish, are from local celebrities and breast cancer survivors, so expect treats such as Dr. Susan Arnold’s Almond Joy Cookies and Mary Baer’s Under the Oaks Derby Pie. Brown says the idea for the cookbook came as she was promoting the work of Donna Foundation as her platform during the Miss River City Outstanding Teen pageant, which she ultimately won. All proceeds from the book ($25) go toward the Donna Foundation and can be purchased by emailing valerie@breastcancermarathon.com.

A Spanish-American War artillery battery in Arlington is now part of the National Park Service

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Staff

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January 23, 2019

A Spanish-American War artillery battery was one of four forts built on St. Johns Bluff in Arlington in 1898. Only one remains. Just barely. When the site of the crumbling fortification was purchased in 2015, historians bemoaned that the new owner wanted to tear it down to build a house. That’s when the North Florida Land Trust stepped in, negotiating with the owner and raising funds to save the slice of Jax history. Through a mix of private and public funds, NFLT raised $400,000 to purchase the site, and in December, ownership of the property was officially transferred to the National Park Service. —PHOTO BY DOUG ENG

Sangria is the latest food fad to be put on four wheels

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Staff

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January 22, 2019

Those who get nostalgic when hearing the cheerful melody of a neighborhood ice cream truck might appreciate the latest food fad to make its way onto four wheels: The Jax-based Sangria Truck puts a decidedly adult twist on the tradition, offering wine-infused cocktails made in an old camper-turned chic- bar. The mobile lounge is available for private party and event rentals. And in true hipster fashion, it’s adorned with plenty of bohemian decor (think artful wallpaper and succulents) and a menu of sangria, bubbly and mocktails.

Southern Living’s 2019 Idea House is coming to Nassau County

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Staff

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January 21, 2019

The newest Southern Living Idea House—a home that showcases the latest household trends, designs and technology— will be just a short drive from Jacksonville, in Nassau County’s Crane Island community. According to Chris Wood, vice president at Riverside Homes, the focus of the 2019 home will be the living room and kitchen, the areas in which families gather most often. “Throughout the design process, we thought of our own families and how we spend time together. This multi-generational home will be a place for parents, grandparents and children to enjoy at various stages of life.” The 4,540-square-foot manse will also include a mudroom, wine bar, and an elevator. The Idea House will be open for public tours beginning in early May 2019. —ALEXIA CARRASCO

A flight line-level inspection of the U.S. Navy’s P-8A

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Contributor

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January 18, 2019

IT WAS ONLY A FEW YEARS AGO that the U.S. Navy was still flying aircraft that dated back to the 1950s. NAS JAX was the Navy’s first to transition its fleet of P3s, a prop plane thats took its inaugural flight in 1959, to P-8As, a militarized version of the Boeing 737. Now, Naval squadrons from across the country come to Jacksonville to transition their own pilots and planes to the decidedly more modern aircraft. The P-8A Poseidon is outfitted with the latest tech and a 123-foot wingspan. The aircraft is similar to what you might board for a flight to say, Cincinnati— except that this plane is outfitted to carry torpedoes and cruise missiles, and conducts anti-submarine warfare. Overall, the Navy plans to acquire 117 P-8As to replace its P-3 fleet, with the first P-8A arriving at Naval Air Station Jacksonville in March 2012. The plane’s primary function is in long-range anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, so it’s capable of detecting, tracking and destroying enemy vessels. More frequently, though, the aircraft is used for less hostile purposes, such as humanitarian aid and search-and-rescue missions.

The aircraft can carry between 40,000 and 80,000 pounds of fuel, depending on the length of a flight. Air-to-air refueling capabilities mean the P-8 doesn’t need to land to take on more gas. “That capability is operational but only certain squadrons are doing that now. Right now we fly about 9- to 10-hour missions. But we’d like to be able to get beyond that,” says Lieutenant Junior Grade Beth Kiernan, a naval flight officer with Patrol Squadron 10.

Though P-8s can be armed, many of the aircraft in the NAS JAX fleet are instead outfitted with search-and-rescue kits including rafts, food and water. “Because of how great our radar is, we can find things on the ocean surface very easily.” Kiernan’s squadron, VP-10, aided in the search for both the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 that vanished in 2014, as well as an Argentinian submarine, ARA San Juan, which went missing in 2017.

The tail fin of a naval aircraft includes a tail number and an insignia related to the squadron that flies the plane. Seen here is the insignia for VP-45, a squadron nicknamed “The Pelicans.”

The P-8A weighs a staggering 188,200 pounds. “It can carry a total of 21 people,” says Kiernan. “It actually has an additional seat behind the pilot—a jump seat—so it could carry 22, technically, but that’s a pretty uncomfortable seat.”

Though it’s built for war, pilots do appreciate the plane’s small luxuries. “It’s hard to believe, but some pilots would actually bring crock pots aboard the P3s,” says Lt. Kiernan. “Fortunately, there are small ovens aboard the P8s. Our go-to in-flight meal is a Hot Pocket.” Yes, there is a bathroom.

One of the largest and heaviest variants of the 737, the P-8A has high bypass turbofan engines that produce 27,300 pounds of thrust per engine. In layman’s terms, that means it is incredibly large, fast, quiet and stays aloft for hours.

“ASW [Anti-Submarine Warfare] is our bread and butter,” says Kiernan. “We shoot sonobuoys, which are buoys that can sense submarines. We’ll go out, we’ll find them and then we’ll track them for as long as we can. We’re the most capable platform for that in the Navy as we have much larger range than the sensors used on ships.”

PHOTOS BY AGNES LOPEZ

Can’t make it to the gym? The gym can come to you.

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Staff

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January 17, 2019

If you can’t bring yourself to hit the gym—and we’ve all been there—why not bring the gym to you? That’s the idea behind services like GYMGUYZ, a mobile personal training outfit that makes working out more convenient by bringing the equipment and coaches to clients throughout the city. Services include cardio, weight and resistance training and no equipment (or gym membership) is necessary. And, since the service is essentially one-on-one, workouts are tailored to specific needs, be it pre- or post-natal, sports conditioning or weight loss and toning.

How technology is transforming classrooms and the way kids learn

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Contributor

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January 16, 2019

Like it or not, we’re now all living in a world with infinite access to information. Machines are outperforming humans at increasingly complex cognitive tasks and companies will soon require employees to work with both digital and human colleagues on increasingly complex projects. Can the teaching methods and standard classroom setting—one teacher, standing in front of a row of desks, instructing a variety of students the same curriculum—prepare students to do that?

For education researcher Gus Halwani, the traditional classroom setting seems antiquated in the modern world. Halwani spent five years at Harvard and MIT studying how targeted training can change a brain over time before coming to Jacksonville to work as director of the middle school program at Discovery School. Through his research, he found that the standard means of educating kids doesn’t always yield the best results.

“Often, in high-performing or prestigious schools, there’s an emphasis on simple kinds of assessment: testing. Assessment is very important but we have to be thoughtful about how we do it. Just because you’re measuring something doesn’t mean you’re capturing information.”

In other words, grading a high-schooler based on how well she can memorize how long the Hundred Years’ War actually lasted might not offer a true assessment of how well she learns.

As Halwani notes, the underpinnings of the modern education system were designed in the early 20th century to meet the needs of an industrial society: teachers convey standard information at a standard pace, with students taking standardized tests to prove the memorization of those facts. Regardless of whether each student shows mastery or fails, the entire class proceeds to the next standard.

In an effort to move away from this one-size-fits-all approach, Discovery partnered with AltSchool, a San Francisco-based tech company that offers a self-directed learning program wherein individual students can learn at their own pace. Think of it as a more sophisticated version of Netflix’s recommendation algorithm— tailoring instruction to individual students by offering up different content and exercises depending on how well they performed on previous exercises. “A teacher can actually assign different learning experiences to different students,” explains Halwani. “This platform allows students to open their computer and see customized learning playlists, which they can proceed through at their own pace.

”The platform has changed the atmosphere of the classroom setting at Discovery, where rooms often feel more like co-working spaces. “Everyone finds a little nook to work in, be it individually or in small groups,” says Halwani. “Every once in a while, we might corral the group together for a group experience.”

Personalized learning is not a new idea, and its value is well established: 2008 research showed that individually tutored students perform two standard deviations higher (better than 98% of) their traditionally taught peers. A pool of better-educated students is good for the country at large, contributing to a more talented workforce and, by extension, a strong economy. Consulting firm McKinsey & Company estimated that if the U.S. had closed the education achievement gap with better-performing nations, the 2010 GDP could have been 8% to 14%—$1.2 trillion to $2.1 trillion—higher than it actually was.

But better performing schools doesn’t necessarily equate to robots and algorithms. In fact, Halwani argues that teachers (real, human, teachers) are more important than ever. “It’s very easy right now to interpret these trends as if tech is offloading responsibility from the teacher. We have opportunities for the human teacher to be even more involved in the process, and more like a coach or a navigator who helps scaffold the journey.”

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg touted his support in a 2015 post, in which he wrote that “building software that will enable personalized learning for all children is a new and exciting challenge for Facebook,” one that would “free up time for teachers to do what they do best—mentor students.”

Halwani offers one such example of the intersection of digital technology and human assisted learning: a group of students who expressed interest in creating a virtual reality app that would immerse users in their greatest fears. “Of course, I told them that would be a really bad idea,” laughs Halwani. “But it allowed us to open up a dialogue about trauma, and how that affects the human body and it led to their doing their own research about fear.” After working on what Halwani calls an advanced, high school-level research paper, the middle schools students discovered that one of the most common phobias was particularly relevant to those in their age group: a fear of public speaking. Five weeks of self-directed research later, the students, used VR to develop an application that would allow other students to practice giving presentations infront of a (virtual) audience. “We used the same sort of software that professionals use,” notes Halwani. “You can adjust the size of the room, size of the audience, and take the speakers’ heart rates to determine how stressed they are.”

The project ultimately demonstrated exactly what Halwani’s research has shown: that students excel when they can create something, rather than simply memorize and regurgitate information year after year. Even better, he adds, is that they worked with both human teachers and digital technology—as they are likely to do once they’re out of school and in the working world—and they actually enjoyed doing the work. “It’s amazing what kids can do when they are really motivated.”

The easiest way to support the Camp Fire Relief Fund? Drink a beer.

By

Staff

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January 15, 2019

Craft brewers pride themselves on the ingenuity of their latest draught, but on Giving Tuesday (the Tuesday after Thanksgiving), local brewers, along with more than a thousand others across the country, brewed the exact same beer recipe to raise money for those affected by this summer’s historic California wild fires. The Resilience Butte County Proud IPA is available locally through the end of January at Bold City Brewing, Southern Swells Brewing, and Atlantic Beach Brewing Company. All of the money raised through sales will go to the Camp Fire Relief Fund to help to rebuild the communities that were most affected. —STEPHANIE WOLFF