Sipping a coffee under the slanted glass window in Paramo Cafe and Restaurant, it’s easy to forget that you’re in Sarasota, and not in a mountainside Venezuelan cafe surrounded by fellow travelers. The paramos, or moors, are cool, hilly ecosystems dotted with charming small towns frequented by vacationers, like Adelina Vera and her three daughters. While Vera moved to the United States from Venezuela 24 years ago, the country still holds a piece of her heart. Free time during the pandemic inspired her to channel her lifetime passion for cooking and love for both Venezuelan and American cultures into a new project, Paramo, which she opened in the summer of 2021 and runs as the principal chef.

“The paramo is a beautiful place in Venezuela where everyone is friendly and enjoys good food,” says Vera. Inside the restaurant, guests feel transported to the cozy mountain villages that inspired its name. Tiny houses with ceramic tile roofs, like those found in Merida, a city located in the paramo, decorate the space, adding splashes of color and a welcoming touch to every corner, doorway and shelf. Wooden furniture and warm lighting create a rustic, laid-back asethetic. A world map, also made of wood, runs along the back wall above a display case of mugs from across the globe, a fitting feature for a restaurant specializing in coffee. “I tasted varieties from every country,” she adds, “but I chose to feature coffee from the paramo.” Because the Venezuelan paramo shares a border with Colombia, Vera imports Colombian coffee, which she blends with an American variety to create a more familiar taste for guests. “That’s the point of having the map and wall of mugs from all over,” she says. “Paramo is open for everyone to enjoy.”

Vera’s dedication to embracing global flavors is reflected not only in the restaurant’s decor, but in its menu, which features Venezuelan and American favorites as well as dishes with an Italian, Indian and Japanese flair. The menu reads like a love letter to the cuisines and people that have shaped Vera and her life. While there’s something for everyone to enjoy, she recommends that anyone who’s never tried Venezuelan food order the Venezuelan Party Plate. This appetizer offers a mini sampling of the nation’s most famous dishes, like empanadas with a delectable chicken filling and arepas, cornmeal disks stuffed with tender meat and cheese. The plate also comes with cachapas, a cake made from corn kernels. Fresh cheese is sandwiched between the cakes, which are topped with a yogurt-like sauce, adding an unexpected dimension to the sweet corn. Along with cachapas, the plate includes tequenos, a Venzuelan party staple consisiting of llanero cheese wrapped in dough. This appetizer provides a helpful introduction to the rest of the menu and the country of Venezuela as a whole. “So many people don’t know anything about Venezuela aside from its political situation,” she adds, “and I want to show that Venezuela is a beautiful place.”

Moving to the United States gave Vera and her daughters a wealth of new opportunities, including the chance to open Paramo and share Venezuelan cuisine with others. “Half of my heart is in the United States, and half is in Venezuela,” she says.

Paramo Cafe and Restaurant, 3700 N. Lockwood Ridge Rd., Sarasota, paramorestaurant.com. 

Pictured: The Venezuelan Party Plate from Paramo, Photo by Laura Paquette.

Paramo Cafe and Restaurant

Gather with your family and friends to celebrate Easter Sunday, April 1 st at Mattison’s Restaurants with delicious, chef inspired food and fun, family atmospheres. All three Mattison’s locations will be open for Easter featuring delicious, all-natural, sustainably sourced menu items. Mattison’s Forty-One Easter Buffet returns this year featuring carving stations as well as a variety of delicious starters, specialty salads, cold and hot main dishes, fresh seafood, and house made pastries and desserts. Start with a mimosa, a glass of wine or a specialty cocktail. Buffet available 10 am-4 pm., adults $65++, Kids $25++. Mattison’s Riverwalk Grille in Bradenton and Mattison’s City Grille in Downtown Sarasota will feature a special Easter dinner menu offered all day with additional brunch items available 11-3. If you prefer to host your Easter at home, Mattison’s offers take away and curbside pick-up
options. Add a bottle of bubbly or your favorite wine to your to-go order. For catering, Mattison’s Catering Company offers several packages or can customize a menu just for you and
your guests. Mattison’s has three different locations to dine for Easter: Choose Mattison’s Riverwalk Grille in Bradenton on the beautiful Riverwalk with open-air dining and spring breezes from the Manatee River; Mattison’s City Grille in Sarasota on the corner of Lemon and Main in the heart of downtown Sarasota also offers open-air, al fresco dining with a lively atmosphere; or Mattison’s Forty-One in South Sarasota on Tamiami Trail for casual, elegant dining inside the newly renovated dining room or outside on your choice of two bistro style patios.

Mattison’s Forty-One, 7275 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, Reservations 941-921-3400. 

For full menu click here.

One of St. Armands Circle’s most popular dining destinations is coming to University Town Center (UTC) later this year. Greek restaurant Blu Kouzina is set to open its second Sarasota location in the West District at UTC, adjacent to Ford’s Garage. Blu Kouzina, which was founded in Singapore and entered the St. Armands scene in 2015, is from Greek couple Chef Effie and Dennis Tsakiris. The new location will feature a 3,500-square-foot indoor space designed right out of Santorini, with hanging basket lights, natural textures and Mediterranean pastel color accents. There will also be an inviting outdoor patio that embraces the relaxed Greek lifestyle. The restaurant evokes that family feeling with Greek favorites -- all prepared fresh and made in-house daily -- like spanakopita, mousaka, grilled whole fish, succulent lamb, kalamaki souvlaki (beef skewers) and kotopoulo fourno (roast lemon chicken). Each dish is expertly prepared with the highest quality ingredients, including extra virgin olive oil grown and pressed in The Tsakiris Family Estate in Greece. Bottles of the olive oil, called Green Gold, will be available for purchase. Blu Kouzina is among an exciting lineup of new dining destinations at UTC. Rocco’s Tacos and Tequila Bar recently opened its doors March 1. Other new restaurants opening in the coming months include Yard House; farm-to-fork concept Naked Farmer; Orlando’s famed Foxtail Coffee Co; locally owned Anna Maria Oyster Bar; taproom and restaurant Fat Point Brewing; and The Breakfast Company. Benderson Development’s UTC is a premier mixed-use destination off I-75 and University Parkway on the border of Sarasota and Manatee counties. Spanning over 4 million square feet, the property features more than 250 specialty stores, 80-plus restaurants, three hotels and over 250,000 square feet of premier office space. 

Pictured: Blu Kouzina will be bringing wholesome Greek cooking to UTC later this year.

To learn more, visit

The community is invited to join Temple Sinai for both its intergenerational Passover Seder as well as its Family Seder for young families. The traditional Passover seder will be held on Wednesday, April 5 at 6:00 p.m. Guests will enjoy beautiful music led by Chazzan Cliff Abramson and the inspiring story and prayer led by Rabbi Geoff Huntting and traditional Passover food (and seder plate) catered by Mattison’s. The seated and served dinner will include gefilte fish/horseradish, matzo ball soup, and a choice of Chicken Marsala or Vegetable Torte. Sides include asparagus and tzimmes. Dessert will be either a flourless chocolate almond cake or a vegan option. Chair Barbara Pollack says, “It is a tradition to invite guests to the seder. Many people will invite travelers, neighbors and friends, both Jewish and not Jewish. One of the best-known lines of the traditional Haggadah is, ‘Let all who are hungry, come and eat.’ Passover is a time to share our blessings with others.” Cost for Temple Sinai members: $75/adult, $25/child (12 and under). Cost for non-members: $85/adult, $25/child (12 and under). On Thursday, April 6 at 5:30 p.m., Temple Sinai will hold its Family Seder for young families and grandparents. The Seder will feature a mini-Passover play in costume performed by Chazzan Cliff Abramson, Bethany Leinweber, Director of Youth Education and Family Engagement, and Laura Freedman, Director of Early Childhood Education, and singing with families. The specialfoods of the Seder will be enjoyed, the four questions asked, an Afikomen scavenger hunt with prizes awarded and a passage through the red sea will top off the special evening. Cost for Temple Sinai Members is $20/adult, $5/child. Non-members cost: $25/adult, $8/child. For both events, please register at templesinai-sarasota.org. Temple Sinai is located at 4631 South Lockwood Ridge Road (enter only from Proctor Road). For more information, call 941-924-1802. 

Most people who rely on local food pantries aren’t homeless or out of work. They’ve just endured a financial setback or need a little help to stretch their paycheck. In fact, many work in some of the area’s most affluent neighborhoods. Now through March 31, city halls and fire stations along the barrier islands will open their doors to donations. Longboat Key, Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach, and Anna Maria are all participating. The food drive culminates on Saturday, April 1, at the Roser Church Food Pantry at 512 Pine Avenue in Anna Maria, where donations can be dropped off between 9 am and noon.Donors may bring non-perishable food or make cash donations. Most pantry guests have pets, and donations of non-refrigerated dog and cat food will also be welcome. The Mayors’ Feed the Hungry Program is organizing the food drive. Key residents are invited to share with people who live and work on the islands. 

To learn more, visit

After a successful inaugural concert in 2022, UnidosNow is bringing their second installment of Noche Unidos - a visionary evening that fuses celebrated Old and New World music by combining the dynamic exuberance of traditional mariachi with the emotional power of a classical symphony - right to the Van Wezel stage. As UnidosNow’s flagship fundraising event, presented by Gulf Coast Community Foundation and Czaia Law, the event guarantees attendees a worldly evening of inspiring, creative, and captivating performance on a stage with over 80 professional musicians, including the globally recognized Mariachi Cobre group combined with the 72-piece Venice Symphony. Tickets for this year’s event are now on sale and can be purchased online at www.vanwezel.org/boxoffice/noche-unidos-2023-presented-by-unidosnow/

All funds raised will benefit UnidosNow to further empower the growing number of Hispanic/LatinX community members in our region through education, integration, and civic engagement to achieve the American dream.The experience begins at 7:30 pm on Friday, April 28 at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall (777 N Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34236). For more information, visit www.unidosnow.org/nocheunidos-2023 or contact Julia Groom at julia@dreamlarge.org or by calling 941-786-8732. 

For ticket information click here

Join Alliance Française de Sarasota for their Spring 2023 Open House with wine and cheese, some gourmet delicacies, friends, and interesting conversations. Long-time member, Marlene Valerga, will present an exhibition of portraits. Marlene studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome. She became a successful and avid portrait painter and has had numerous personal and group exhibitions internationally. Next Sunday, Alliance Française de Sarasota will also present updated information on their move to a new location. Au secours! They kindly ask for volunteers to help pack up thier wonderful and beautifully organized library. Sign-up sheets will be available for 2-hour sessions on upcoming Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays. They would also much appreciate small packing boxes for the books so please request a few at your favorite shop and bring to the Open House or drop them off at the office. Merci d'avance et à dimanche prochain!

Alliance Française de Sarasota, 715 North Washington Boulevard, 3:00pm - 5:00pm, $20 per person. 

To register click here

HOW TO FOOD TRUCK | Lessons learned from six of the area's most memorable mobile eateries, March 2023. 

Read Here!