Delray Beach Mayor Cary Glickstein holds up a certificate presented by Ron Fairchild (l), the keynote speaker during the kickoff breakfast at the Third Annual Delray Reads Day. The certificate names Delray Beach as a ‘Pacesetter’ community in the National Campaign for Grade Level Reading. More than 275 volunteers took part in the program by visiting a public elementery school classroom and reading to the children. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star
By Thom Smith
The first Boca Raton Bowl is just around the corner (Dec. 23) and the folks at ESPN are already planning camera shots from atop the stadium that show the Atlantic Ocean in the distance. “There’s not another view like this in the country,” event executive director Doug Mosley said.
Even though planning time is short — teams won’t be announced until the second week in December, Mosley isn’t worried. “Once they see how the weather is down here, they’ll be making reservations real quick,” Mosley said.
Boca Bowl has other advantages, too. The teams will stay at PGA Resort and the Boca Raton Resort & Club and attend fan parties in West Palm Beach’s CityPlace and in Delray Beach. Can other bowl cities such as Boise or Shreveport top that?
City and county officials, too, are banking on that exposure, each investing $140,000 in sponsorship money annually for the initial six-year run. Other local sponsors include Bank of America, Duffy’s, FAU, JM Lexus, Papa John’s, People’s Trust, Tenet Health Care, Oxbridge Academy and Tire Kingdom. And while some will pay for suites to entertain clients on game day, others are in it for year-round benefits. For example, Tenet doctors have already conducted sessions on concussions and head injuries for parents of young football players. ESPN predicts a first-year economic impact of about $2.5 million.
“The response has been great considering the short lead-in time,” said Steve Politiziner, who runs ESPN’s West Palm Beach operation. “The community is thirsty for it. They’re excited about the signage during the game or renting stadium suites to entertain clients. Other want to take advantage of vendor areas outside the stadium. But sponsors see the year-round benefits… It isn’t just for the game.”
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As the rest of the nation moved mountains… of snow, Palm Beach County — more specifically Boca Raton and Florida Atlantic University — enjoyed a balmy, sunshiny plug on the Today show. Credit NBC Correspondent Kerry Sanders, a Fort Lauderdale resident, who filed a report on the potential danger of personal drones being flown at spectator events such as football games.
Sanders’ 9 a.m. report began in the bleachers at FAU’s football stadium, then cut away to some video of flying drones. When the live report resumed, Sanders, who once worked at Miami’s WTVJ, was standing on the stadium turf, a large “Home of the Owls” banner in the background.
While the topic addressed the danger of small drones, Sanders was fortunate not to be interrupted by noise from potentially more dangerous corporate jets taking off from Boca Raton Airport a few hundred feet to the east. “He was lucky,” FAU publicist Lisa Metcalf said. “But most of the people who fly in those jets don’t leave that early.”
Metcalf noted that Sanders has used FAU’s facilities and its staff on several occasions. It doesn’t hurt that his wife, Deborah Sharp, author of the Mace Bauer series of humorous mysteries (Mama Gets Trashed is the latest), is an FAU graduate and member of the university’s Alumni Hall of Fame.
Nicky Mill (left) and Alex Mill (right) pose with their mother, Chris Evert, during a gala held as
part of the three-day charity event held at the Delray Beach Tennis Center. The Classic is now
in its 25th year and has raised more than $21 million to fight against drug abuse and child
neglect in Florida. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
It isn’t Davis Cup. It isn’t Wimbledon. Nevertheless, the Chris Evert/Raymond James Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic is special. Despite the lousy weather, the 25th anniversary event the weekend before Thanksgiving offered decent tennis at the Delray Beach Tennis Center and lots of partying, laughs and music at the Boca Raton Resort & Club. Most important, the $700,000 raised this year for programs funded through Florida’s Ounce of Prevention Fund and the Drug Abuse Foundation of Palm Beach County brings the quarter-century total to nearly $22 million.
The auctions at the gala brought in $140,000: donors bid $8,500 for two tickets to any Swissair destination in Europe, $10,000 each for two Wimbledon packages — seats for two and four nights at a London hotel. A one-hour lesson and hitting session with the person responsible for all this — Chris Evert, went for $15,000.
But Evert, at the gala in a stunning Carlos Miele-designed floor-length red gown, turns 60 just before Christmas and knows she’s not playing singles when it comes to the classic: “I have some great friends and great sponsors, And we have great support in South Florida. It’s all about the team around you, and we have a great team.”
Despite the red carpet and photographer corral at the entrance, the event was relatively low key as patrons and celebrities mingled: No groupies screaming to get close to rocker Gavin Rossdale. Today’s Hoda Kotb checking out the silent auction items. A rather unassuming Jon Lovitz posing for selfies with old Saturday Night Live fans, saving his “devilment” for next afternoon’s tennis. As always, the event is a family affair with Chris’ brothers John and Drew and their wives, sister Jeanne, and Chris’ sons Colton, Alex and Nick, already shaping their young adult lives.
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If only the restaurant that bears his name had been open. Instead, Joey Merlino stopped by Havana Nights, a Boca cigar bar, last June, and don’tcha know, he bumped into an old acquaintance, Johnny Ciancaglini. Boca’s a friendly city and Merlino’s a friendly guy, who loves to greet customers at Merlino’s, the new Italian hot spot at the corner of Southeast First Avenue and Royal Palm Road. Some folks in the opertation claim the restaurant actually is named for Rita Merlino, Joey’s mother, whose recipes stock the menu, but regardless Merlino isn’t supposed to say a word to Ciancaglini or anyone else who has a rap sheet.
That’s because Merlino also has a rap sheet, reputed to be the boss of the Philadelphia mob. After a decade in prison for racketeering, he moved to Boca Raton. Last year, he and a group of investors announced plans for the new restaurant serving meals from his mother’s recipes with “Skinny Joey” as maitre d’. Then he bumped into Ciancaglini.
Bam, the feds swooped in and Merlino was soon on a private jet back to Philly for an Oct. 24 hearing before U.S. District Judge R. Barclay Surrick. Two FBI task force members said they saw Merlino talking with Ciancaglini and other felons in a glass-enclosed VIP room at Havana Nights.
A random meeting, “a couple of minutes of chit chat,” Merlino’s lawyer claimed.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Troyer countered it was an obvious “night on the town with his mob buddies.”
The judge agreed and ordered Merlino to surrender within 30 days to serve an additional four months.
After the hearing Merlino brushed any worries aside, telling a Philadelphia reporter, “I could use a good four months. Get back in shape. Get my six pack back.” Then he headed back to Boca Raton, greeting guests at the restaurant through mid-November.
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Big news for Caffe Luna Rosa — from outside and from inside.
First, the outside: The beachside Italian bistro, a Delray staple for 22 years, was honored with the Chamber of Commerce’s inaugural restaurant of the year award. Luna Rosa, a finalist with 50 Ocean and City Oyster from the city’s 350-plus restaurants, was cited for its cuisine, service and atmosphere and especially for its community involvement. The restaurant supports nonprofit groups through sponsorships and donations, and founder Fran Marincola and other partners serve on city boards and the boards of nonprofit organizations.
“We strongly believe in our city, and that is why Caffe Luna Rosa and its partners actively promote Delray Beach as the fantastic destination it is today and will be for many years to come,” Marincola said.
Inside, you would expect a chef to be upset when management decides to remove some seats, but Ernesto di Blasi is thrilled. The seats and a view-blocking wall near the kitchen were removed to make way for a fresh pasta machine and display.
“Pasta is made during dinner service … so the guests can watch,” di Blasi said with a broad grin. “We’re an Italian restaurant. We do pasta … and it’s fresh.”
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The formal name: Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival.The reality: A four-day pigout that would bring big smiles to the faces of Henry Flagler and Col. Bradley. The festival, showcasing chefs of national and local renown, kicks off Dec. 11 with dinners at Buccan and PB Catch, both of which are sold out. Action moves Friday to the Four Seasons, the host hotel, where chefs will play volleyball at 2 p.m. and sing their lungs out at Late Night Rock starting at 11:30 p.m. Tickets are available for both; however, in between, the Chef Welcome Party at The Breakers at 7 p.m. is sold out.
Saturday’s schedule, all at The Four Seasons, includes Kids Kitchens in the morning with Chefs Robert Irvine and Lindsay Autry, afternoon Chillin’ ’n’ Grillin’ with Elizabeth Karmel, Robert Irvine, Mike Lata, Jeff Mauro, Christina Tosi, Fabio Viviani, Four Seasons Exec Chef Darryl Moiles and Marc Murphy, chef-judge on Food Channel’s Chopped. Street Food, with 10 chefs, follows at 7.
The party continues Sunday at Cafe Boulud at 11 a.m. with Daniel (Boulud) and Friends, among them Gabrielle Hamilton, Christina Tosi; and the event closes at 150 Worth with the eighth annual Grand Tasting from 5 to 9 p.m.
For information and tickets, ranging from $45 to $125 with discounts of 15 percent to 20 percent for packages, go to www.pbfoodwinefest.com.
Bon appetit!
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Hope springs eternal. Reality takes a little longer. Some day, perhaps, rudeness at concerts, plays and lectures will disappear completely, but unfortunately, this community remains notorious for its bad behavior. Such was the case Nov. 9 when pop music legends Judy Collins and Don McLean played the Kravis Center. Collins opened; McLean closed, albeit earlier than he planned.
After performing American Pie, he brought up the lights so audience members could dance in the aisles to an updated version of his anthem.
Oops. Lights up, dear, time to go. Mass exodus. McLean left the stage in disbelief. Instead of his encore of Vincent (Starry, Starry Night) and Collins’ classic Both Sides Now, the curtain closed.
“Actually, people have gotten a lot better about leaving in recent years,” Kravis program director Lee Bell said. “To be honest, the show ran too long. It was close to 11 and when the lights came up, they thought it was time to go. With a younger audience for someone like John Legend, they would have still been there at midnight.”
Indeed, Dave Mason (Nov. 19) sold out and the audience — “feelin alright” — stuck around. Of course, the crowd may have been younger. Collins is 75 and McLean 69. Mason is only 68.
Comedian Lewis Black will bring his unique brand of comedy to the Kravis on Dec. 13. He’s 66, and if anyone dares to leave, they’ll likely hear about it from the stage.
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Kelly Slater, undisputed greatest surfer of all time, was spotted enjoying dinner at Buccan in Palm Beach the week before Thanksgiving. When searching for waves, surfers are known to sack out in the back of a station wagon or in a hammock strung between palm trees. However, this time Slater, an occasional visitor to Nomad Surf Shop near Briny Breezes, reportedly had better accommodations: Jimmy Buffett’s beachfront estate.
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Featuring a cast of 25, most with South Florida ties, A Chorus Line opens Dec. 5 for a 10-day run in The Crest Theatre at the Delray Beach Center for the Arts. A joint effort by Crest and MNM productions, the Broadway classic is the first self-produced theatrical show in the center’s 25 years. Director/choreographer Kimberly Dawn (KD) Smith, a member of the original Broadway cast, is one of a handful of professionals annointed by the show’s creator Michael Bennett to stage the show. Tickets are $47 at delrayarts.org or call 243-7922.
Three days later, Elayne Boosler, a cast of one, brings her unique style of comedy to the Crest, and Jason Alexander, the former George Costanza, comes to Boca to direct When You’re in Love, The Whole World is Jewish, at the Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center from Dec. 11 to Jan. 11. For tickets, call 919-7727.
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Jazziz will host The Eve Party on Dec. 24 to celebrate not only Christmas Eve, but also Hanukkah and any other holiday evening. Live music, dancing, dining and no cover with advance reservation at theliveball.com.
December national acts include David Benoit, Dec. 9-10, Ben Vereen, Dec. 16-17, and Jon Secada’s Christmas show, Dec. 23.
Thom Smith is a freelance writer. Contact him at thomsmith@ymail.com.
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