Butter Chicken is unique amongst dishes in that one does not need to scour crumbling clay tablets or ancient Roman texts to track down the origins of the recipe. Its creator has a name, Kundan Lal Jaggi; its first preparation has a specific location, Moti Majal; and its conception can even be traced back to a specific year, 1947. But, if it lacks the mystique of an ancient origin story, it more than makes up for it with a veritable apothecary of spices that are believed by practitioners of centuries old Ayurvedic medicine to bolster the immune system. And though Curry Station on Clark Road cannot guarantee the medicinal efficacy of the ingredients, their take on the modern dish does guarantee the comfort and flavor that Indian cuisine is known for.

Chef/Owner Narendra Singh Saud trained under all the great masters in India, picking up the nuances of the dish along the way. His YouTube recipe video for the dish showcases his deep understanding of its preparation as well as its complexity, with ramekins of turmeric, cumin, coriander, and chili powders, as well as garam masala (itself a blend of many spices), kasoori methi (fenugreek), garlic, ginger, bay leaf, butter, yogurt, heavy cream, milk powder and honey—an encyclopedia of ingredients. The gravy is comprised of sautéed tomatoes, onions, cashews, kasoori methi, turmeric powder and water, which are all cooked down into a stew before milk powder is added—“it’s my secret ingredient to make it really rich,” he says in the video. Then, the tomato-based stew is pureed in a blender and strained to give the gravy the velvety texture that has helped make the dish so famous around the world. The chicken, which marinates overnight in yogurt and spices, then gets sautéed in butter with a dash of olive oil before being tossed in the gravy to finish cooking. 

Just before plating, honey and heavy cream get drizzled into the sauce and mixed in, contributing the final dash of sweetness and creaminess that makes the dish such a beloved staple of Curry Station’s lunch buffet (currently not operating) and takeout program. “The loss of our lunch buffet has been one of the hardest parts of all this,” says Saud, “but we are very blessed to have such loyal customers that have been so supportive.” Bolstered by the popularity of their Butter Chicken, Curry Station has been able to continue paying its staff and its bills during the restaurant closures that have seen some outfits fold. “I think Butter Chicken is just universally liked,” says Saud, “even kids, who can be picky eaters, love it.” And, as though anyone needs another reason to eat Butter Chicken, it also reheats well.

Curry Station is open Monday through Saturday for lunch from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm and for dinner from 5 pm to 9 pm. Contact-free takeout and curbside delivery is available while sit-down dining is limited.

Photo courtesy of Curry Station, 3550 Clark Road, Sarasota, 941-924-7222

Applications for the City of Sarasota’s small business grant program can be submitted starting at 9am. It’s the latest locally funded recovery program aimed at keeping commerce alive during the ongoing pandemic.

Eligible small businesses can apply for $5,000 grants, which will be funded from $2.28 million in economic development funds. The money will be given out on a first come, first serve basis.

“It is anticipated funds could be awarded and distributed as early as the end of this month,” wrote Rowena Elliott, redevelopment speciality with the city's Office of Economic Development, in an email about the program.

Notably, a similar program funded by Sarasota County and crafted with the help of the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County opened up and had enough applicants in the first hour and 40 minutes to go through the initial funding.

The city program will be open to businesses with physical structures in the city limits and a nmaximum of 25 full-time equivalent employees. More guidelines are available online.

"That is for the ultra, hyper small businesses," said Heather Kasten, president of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. "They're getting ramped up as well. I've been blown away by the efforts and the movement, just the quickness and expeditious method in which that money was deployed."

Applicants must provide a plan on how money will be used, such as unexpected expenditures for face masks, software upgrades, or simply replenishing payroll and rent costs.

Online applications are preferred, but physical applications can be turned in at the Office of Economic Development on Martin Luther King Jr. Way or at City Hall. 

Click to apply for the Sarasota Small Business and Safety Assistance Grant Program

While face masks are now part of many restaurant servers' work attire to follow public health and safety precautions, Chef Paul Mattison says that doesn’t mean the masks have to be plain or boring.  All staff at Mattison’s Restaurants are already required to wear their masks, but guests are being challenged to elevate their own protective gear with a "MASK"querade Contest to add a little lightness and fun to an otherwise dire situation. One winner will be chosen every day to receive a $25 Mattison’s Gift Card. Guests can wear their own uniquely decorated mask or Mattison’s will supply them with a mask and markers to decorate while they are dining. Guests can simply post the photos to one of Mattison’s three Facebook pages--Mattison's Riverwalk Grille, Mattison's City Grille and/or Mattison's Forty-One--or tag one of the restaurants on Instagram, to be considered for the prize.

Enter as often as you wish. Winners will be posted each week. 

Photo of a masked Luigi statue, courtesy of Mattison's

Mote Marine Laboratory's Sea Turtle Conservation & Research Program has been nominated for the "Summer Sea Turtle Sustainability Grant," which was set up to provide funding to a nonprofit group providing sea turtle nesting surveys during this time of the pandemic.

You can vote between now and June 1 (one vote per person) and the winner will receive a $5,000 check and one other group will receive a $1,000 check.

Please visit www.seaturtles.org/vote to submit your vote for Mote Marine Laboratory. Then please share this with your friends on social media to support our amazing turtle team.

Mote's Sea Turtle Conservation & Research Program has coordinated conservation of endangered and threatened sea turtles on 35 miles of local beaches for nearly four decades. The program provides vital data on sea turtle nesting to support conservation and management, while conducting scientific studies including tagging sea turtles with satellite transmitters to track their migrations. See weekly nesting numbers and sea turtle friendly tips at mote.org/2020nesting 

Vote for Mote Marine's Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program to receive a grant.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County is thrilled to announce the Florida Youth of the Year title has been awarded to a local Boys & Girls Club member for the third-consecutive year. Marguerite Andrich, a 17-year-old senior at Pine View School, was named the 2020 Florida Youth of the Year on Friday, May 15, 2020, in a virtual competition with 20 other youth candidates from various Boys & Girls Club organizations across the state.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of America Youth of the Year program has celebrated the inspirational journeys of outstanding teens across the nation since 1947. The program recognizes Boys & Girls Clubs members who demonstrate strong leadership and service skills, as well as, academic excellence and dedication to living a healthy lifestyle while fostering a new generation of leaders, fully prepared to live and lead in a diverse, global and integrated world. Eligible teens are encouraged to compete for the prestigious Boys & Girls Clubs of America Youth of the Year title through local, state, regional and national competitions.

Typically, the Florida Youth of the Year Celebration brings all of the candidates together to share their compelling stories with a panel of judges before culminating with a congratulatory dinner to present the title. Due to the current pandemic, the event was transitioned into a virtual competition. Each candidate was interviewed by a panel of esteemed judges from businesses across the state through Zoom. After two rounds of interviews, the panel selected Marguerite to represent the state as the 2020 Florida Youth of the Year. The title and $2,500 was presented to Marguerite by Randy Wilkens, Southeast Regional Director, Leadership, Character & Impact at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

“My Boys & Girls Club is my home. It has kept me safe, it has shown me unconditional love, and it will always be one of the most significant aspects of my life,” said Marguerite. “My Boys & Girls Club means everything to me. This award means everything to me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Marguerite has been an active participant of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County’s programs since 2015, including SRQVolunteen where she found her passion for volunteering and organized service projects for various nonprofit agencies across Sarasota. She also graduated from the organization’s STAR (Students Taking Active Roles) Leadership Training program, which led to serving as a full-voting board member for the Van Wezel Foundation for three terms and interning for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County’s Teen Programs office. While Marguerite gained exceptional leadership skills as a Club member, she also acquired a network of caring mentors and a support system of peers who she says has greatly inspired and empowered her to achieve her goals such as starting her own business, advocating for mental health awareness and earning a perfect ACT score.

Marguerite will advance to the Southeast Youth of the Year Celebration in Atlanta, GA, in September. If she wins the 2020 Southeast Youth of the Year title, Marguerite will go on to the National Youth of the Year Celebration. The national winner will become a role model, ambassador and spokesperson for 4 million Boys & Girls Clubs members across the United States, receive academic scholarships and have opportunities for life-changing experiences such as networking with celebrity alumni, securing internships with national partners, speaking at national conferences and meeting the country’s top leaders and elected officials.

“We are extremely proud of this incredibly talented young leader,” said Bill Sadlo, President/CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County. “Marguerite has worked tirelessly and successfully navigated challenging circumstances in order to get to this moment in her life. She is going to be a wonderful representative of not only our local community, but also the entire state of Florida at the regional competition.” 

For more info.

Punta Gorda Symphony is thrilled to announce a grant award from the William G. and Marie Selby Foundation. The grant of just under $12,000 was awarded in the fall of 2019, and the last of the purchases recently arrived at the PGSymphony offices. Intended for capital improvements to increase organizational effectiveness on stage, this Selby grant enabled Punta Gorda Symphony to acquire instruments and equipment that are often rented or borrowed by smaller orchestras like ours. Among the more noticeable additions will be a glockenspiel, a Roland keyboard, a Pearl drum set, new music folios for our musicians, and a new conductor’s stand and rehearsal chair for Maestro Raffaele Ponti.

“The particular percussion instruments we chose to buy really round out our orchestra,” explains Maestro Ponti. “Before, we would have to borrow these from musicians or substitute a similar instrument with a lesser voice. Owning them means now we can always produce the quality and character of sound our audiences have come to admire.”

Principal Percussionist Dean Anderson is understandably excited about the acquisitions of a new Pearl drum set and a vintage Fall Creek glockenspiel. The glockenspiel, while used, was a great deal for the orchestra since it costs so much more as a new item. Dean had performed on this instrument many times in Boston with different orchestras and loves its sound. “It's a full-toned, long sustain, and perfectly pitched instrument,” he says, “that will upgrade Punta Gorda Symphony’s sound.”

According to Executive Director Craig Badinger, these modest improvements will have a big impact. “Especially the conductor’s chair,” he laughs. “Maestro Ponti leads the orchestra through a total of nine hours of rehearsal before a Sunday evening performance. That’s a long time to go without a comfortable chair!”

This is the second time the organization was awarded such a grant. In 2015 the William G. and Marie Selby Foundation awarded $60,000 to what was then named the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra for capital improvements to the Charlotte Performing Arts Center (CPAC). This collaborative project enhanced audio and technical capability at the CPAC facility, which is owned and operated by Charlotte County Schools, and which benefits the school’s students as well as the many arts organizations that share performance scheduling in what has become a quality community asset.

Punta Gorda Symphony is scheduled to begin its 2020-2021 season on November 22 with a concert featuring Principal Percussionist Dean Anderson on marimba, and successive performances featuring renowned soloists on violin, viola, piano, and voice. While no details are available yet for publication, like many performing arts organizations, Punta Gorda Symphony’s leadership is laying contingency plans in the event COVID-19 social distancing guidelines preclude a normal public concert format. One way or another, the new Selby-funded instruments will be showcased in the coming season for our Charlotte County and regional audiences to enjoy. 

Pictured: Principal Percussionist Dean Anderson with glockenspiel.

We learned that the number reported in the previous release regarding how many children and families have been treated by All Star Children's Foundation since Apirl 1, 2019 was incorrect. The correct number statement is as follows: "Since beginning trauma-informed outpatient clinical services on April 1, 2019, All Star has treated 96 children and their families. We appreciate the team at All Star Children's Foundation follow up to let us know so that we would have the opportunity to publish the correct data. 

The Players Centre for Performing Arts is happy to announce the five finalists in the 2020 Players New Play Festival. This year the festival, running from June 29 through July 3, 2020 at 7:30pm, will be virtual for the first time ever due to COVID-19.

The Players New Play Festival invites local playwrights to submit their brand new, never-before-performed plays. Five plays are chosen then performed in readers-style theater. This year through Zoom, actors under the leadership of a local director will engage in a talk-back following the show to give the playwright some constructive criticism. Jeffery Kin, Managing Artistic Director and Interim CEO of The Players Centre, and Sandra Musicante will once again facilitate the festival and lead discussions.

The following shows are this year’s finalists:

The Manager by Douglas Gearhart
Medium Well Done by Jim Moss
Next Wife by Kathryn Powell 
Eco Nevada by Anna Brennan
The Rabbit Test by Walton Beacham

Tickets will be $10 each, these can be purchased over the phone at 941.365.2494 or through our website theplayers.org. If you are looking to witness multiple readings take advantage of these deals by giving the Box Office a call - three nights for $24 or all five shows for just $35 plus handling fee. Be aware, due to the digital nature of this year’s Play Reading Festival, all purchases must be made by noon the day of that reading. This will allow The Players to send out the Zoom link for that play. If you would like to take advantage of the bundled prices, make sure this is done when you initially purchase. This year there is an option to watch recorded readings for a cheaper price if the time does not allow you to attend. Please call the box office with more information on this option. 

Centauri Specialty Insurance Holdings and its subsidiaries are excited to welcome Marcia Lamb as their new Chief Financial Officer. As a key member of the senior executive team, Lamb is responsible for planning, implementing, managing and controlling all financial-related activities of the Company while protecting and preserving the company’s assets for its policyholders. As the head of the company’s financial department, she oversees the production of timely and consistent monthly, quarterly and annual financial reports for both internal and external stakeholders of the Company. She supports and maintains the investment strategy and guidelines to achieve consistent returns. She monitors capital and surplus levels at all times to comply with regulations and meet and surpass rating agency objectives.

Lamb brings 16 years of experience in both public and private accounting. She joined Centauri in May 2020 after leaving as Assistant Vice President of Accounting at the Universal North America group of insurance companies, a multi-line, 17 state property/casualty carrier where she worked for the past 10+ years. She directed the finance team in GAAP and statutory financial reporting and compliance. While there, she served as a subject matter expert in financial planning & analysis, developing and producing key tools to assist in strategic direction and decision making. Lamb began her career in public accounting with Cherry Bekaert & Holland, a top 25 firm, and subsequently Pender Newkirk & Company, a large local firm in the Tampa Bay area specializing in publicly traded companies. She provided assurance and other attestation services to public and private business entities.

Lamb graduated from the University of Florida in 2004 where she was concurrently awarded her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Accounting and earned her Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation in 2006. 

For more info.

The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art and Marie Selby Botanical Gardens are pleased to announce that they will reopen to the public May 27, 2020. The institutions, both of which have been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic since March 17, will resume Phase I operations as they adhere to comprehensive reopening plans that focus on the health and safety of both visitors and staff.

Steven High, The Ringling’s Executive Director said, “We look forward to welcoming members and visitors back to the museum and our beautiful grounds. We have been very busy preparing the museum and grounds and have made the appropriate modifications to ensure the safest experience for our guests.”

“We are excited to reopen alongside The Ringling,” says Jennifer Rominiecki, Selby Gardens’ President & CEO. “Our team has taken the utmost care and diligence in implementing on-site best practices that focus on the safety and well-being of our staff and visitors. We look forward to welcoming guests back to both our Downtown Sarasota and Historic Spanish Point campuses. ”

Both institutions will implement best practices for the Phase I reopening to ensure the safety of staff and guests. Highlights include the following: increased sanitization and cleaning, limited occupancy and the closure of select areas and tours at each property, contactless ticket purchasing and no cash sales and strong encouragement to practice proper social distancing, hygiene and hand cleaning.

For more details on each institution’s safety measures, please visit their websites. www.ringling.org  www.selby.org

The City Commission on Monday voted to reopen Lido Beach to the public. Citizens are advised to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for safe social distancing in public to help stop the spread of COVID-19. City residents are also strongly urged to wear protective masks when leaving home under the City’s local public health emergency declaration. The City’s tennis courts, boat ramps, fishing piers, dog parks and outdoor spaces are open to the public. Arlington Park Aquatic Complex is scheduled to reopen Friday, May 29. City park facilities and amenities, including playgrounds and basketball courts, as well as the Bird Key Park parking lot, remain closed. 

In an effort to provide residents and their families with a safe and enjoyable activity to take part in while socially distancing, the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (BACVB) is launching a Turtle Trail throughout the destination.

In partnership with Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch & Shorebird Monitoring, the BACVB is encouraging residents and businessowners to put stuffed animals, figurines, statues, photos or illustrations of sea turtles in windows, on mailboxes or in other visible places for families to search for while out on walks together. For those in need of a turtle to display, the BACVB has created a printable coloring page that can be downloaded at https://www.bradentongulfislands.com/turtle-trail.

“Children everywhere now find themselves at home, unable to see family members or attend school with friends, and parents are looking for fun ways to keep them engaged while also following guidelines and remaining safe,” said BACVB Director of Communications Kelly Clark. “Our Turtle Trail is a simple idea designed to raise awareness of the animals we share our shores with and provide an entertaining activity for all. We hope many consider putting a turtle up on display and also heading out to track them down.”

Clark also hopes the initiative will shine a light on the many Bradenton Area non-profits continuing to press on with limited resources during this time.

“AMI Turtle Watch is one of the many non-profit organizations that continues to do all it can to achieve its mission, even during this time of uncertainty. Much like our hotel, attraction and restaurant partners, we must remember to support these groups in order to ensure they too are in a position to continue their good work long after this crisis has passed,” added Clark.

Those who take part by putting a sea turtle on display or heading out with family to follow the trail are also encouraged to share images of their turtles or those they find on Instagram using #BradentonAreaTurtleTrail. Donations to Turtle Watch can also be made at https://www.islandturtlewatch.com/ 

Click here to download the coloring page.

The granting committee of The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee has approved emergency grants to eight community organizations totaling $68,929. These grants were provided as part of the organization’s first phase of Coronavirus support for Food Security and Health/Wellness needs.

Funds were provided to the following organizations: Aviva: A Campus for Jewish Life, Chabad of Bradenton, Chabad of Sarasota, Chabad of Venice, Congregation Kol Haneshama, Jewish Congregation of Venice, Temple Beth Israel and Temple Sinai. Needs ranged from providing “Shabbat in a Box” meals to families for spiritual and physical nourishment, delivering hot meals, groceries and emergency funding for homebound seniors, recently unemployed workers and health care workers, and providing personal protective equipment for staff.

Kim Adler, Chief Operating Officer, said the grants were a result of an outpouring of generosity from the local Jewish community to the Federation’s Stronger Together: Coronavirus Relief Fund. “We were thrilled by the community’s investment in our response and relief efforts. Hundreds of Jewish lives have been touched.”

More grants will be awarded for the operating needs of Jewish organizations. For more information, please contact Kim Adler at kadler@jfedsrq.org. 

For more info.

Walking can have a significant impact on protecting your brain health and reducing the risk of brain illness. What’s more, it’s free and has practically no negative side effects!

Yes, this simple activity that you’ve been doing most of your life is being trumpeted (along with other forms of regular physical activity) as the closest thing we have to a wonder drug. A drug? Indeed, exercise is medicine and that includes walking. Walking increases blood flow to your brain, which is linked to better cognitive function, improved memory, and overall protection against decline. The good news is, walking more is a relatively accessible goal for most people.

Have you ever gone for a walk and ended it feeling full of energy, but also relaxed, focused and calm? Walking has long been recognized as both an effective form of physical exercise, as well as a tool to help gain mental clarity, increasing creativity, productivity and improving your mood. Multiple studies have found that walking is as effective as medication for decreasing depression. It can help improve your sleep and relieve everyday stresses, too. Your tension starts to ease as your mood-elevating, brain healthy endorphin levels increase.

The physical benefits of walking have been known for quite some time now — it’s good for your heart, works your muscles, improves circulation, the list goes on. But what’s becoming more and more prevalent are the positive effects walking can have on brain health. For example, walking helps increase oxygen flow to the brain. Maintaining even a moderate pace while walking raises your heart rate and causes you to breathe deeper. Those deep breaths get more oxygen get into the bloodstream, increase your circulation, and move more oxygen to the brain.

And moving more oxygen to the brain is a very good thing. Your brain uses about 20 percent of the body’s total oxygen supply, so if it is not getting enough oxygen, it’s easy to feel a mental fog, unfocused, with decreased energy, creativity, and mood. On top of that, about a third of the brain is made up of blood vessels, so it’s no wonder that substantial blood flow is important to brain health. In fact, increased blood flow to the brain is linked to better cognitive function, improved memory and attention, and overall protection against decline in performance.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY TO PROTECT YOUR BRAIN HEALTH

Go for a walk.

Take a hike.

The Physical Activity Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommend all adults to get 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week (for example, 30 minutes on each of five days) or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity. Depending upon your speed and intensity, walking can be classified as moderate or vigorous.

The guidelines provide a good target, but there is plenty of research that shows walking has benefits even if you don’t hit the recommendations. As they say, some is always better than none, but more is better than some. Particularly when it comes to reducing your risk for heart disease or brain illness,  walking longer or faster lowers your risk more than shorter walks or walking at slower paces. And the faster you walk as you age, the more you may increase your lifespan.

Join the next Brain Health Boost Forum

Wednesday, May 20 from 11am to 12pm

Brain Health Boost:  Love in the Time of COVID.

One of the most significant impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic is its effects on relationships. COVID-19 has created an environment that has changed and often strained relationship dynamics. Yet, people need relationships, and the support they bring, more than ever. In this Forum, Dr. Joanne Davila will discuss challenges that people face and skills they can use to navigate relationships during this difficult time.  This Forum features Dr. Joanne Davila, Professor & Associate Director of Clinical Training, Department of Psychology. 

Click for more details on the forum.

On Wednesday, May 20th at 6:00 pm ET, Ashley D. Bell, SBA Regional Administrator and Entrepreneurship Policy Advisor for the White House Opportunity & Revitalization Council and Tip “T.I.” Harris, rapper, entertainer, and entrepreneur will kick off a call for minority entrepreneurs across the South. The 100,000 Strong call will highlight resources available to small business owners in the wake of COVID-19; protecting jobs and continuing economic growth.  Speakers on the call include John Hope Bryant, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of nonprofit Operation HOPE, Bishop Kevin L. Adams, Sr., senior pastor of Olivet Baptist Church (OBC)Labriah Lee Holt, Founder, Sweetroots of Atlanta, John Lewis, Executive Vice President, The Harbor Bank of Maryland, Dhani Jones, Advisor to LCA Bank Corporation, Keita Joy, EdD., M.S., CEO, Success Uncensored Coaching, Brandon Comer of Comer Capital, Corey Holeman, Chairman of the Northern VA Black Chamber of Commerce, Paul Wilson, Area Director of the Small Business Development Center at Georgia State University, and Eddie George, Retired NFL Player/Entrepreneur. 100,000 Strong has an elected and community leader host committee who will be participating on this call. Included on this host committee from Florida are Oliver Gilbert, Mayor of Miami Gardens and Tanisha Nunn Gary, Esq., President of the African American Chamber of Commerce Central Florida. 

Click to watch the livestream broadcast on Wednesday, May 20 at 6pm EST.

The Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County (Alliance) is currently selling “Support Local Art” t-shirts and bags to support the John Ringling Tower Fund. The Alliance awards four grants annually to local individual artist in visual arts, literary arts, and performing arts and historic preservation projects form this fund. Shirts and bags are $20.00 each and will be for sale on the Alliance website until Friday, May 29. Products will be available for pick up in the parking lot of the Center for Arts and Humanity (1226 North Tamiami Trail) from 10 am – 3 pm on June 5, 2020. 

Click here to order bags and shirts.

ALSO Youth celebrates the students in the graduating class of 2020. While they would typically host an end-of-the-year celebration at the center, COVID-19 has put a halt to in-person gatherings of this size. So, they are going to applaud the hard work of all students especially the graduating seniors at their ZOOM youth party on Friday, May 29th at 7pm. Featuring special guests and gift card giveaways. 

For more info.