My editor sat in a bar across from a new friend a year ago. When she asked about his hobbies, he rattled off a few and added, “...and I write poetry.” That comment sparked a ‘secret poet’ monthly feature in the magazine. Each month since, this private poet has submitted work to be published in the magazine. We’ve heard guesses that this poet was someone on our staff, a local business owner, or a community leader. Haven Magazine’s secret poet, who goes by The Lost Words of a Trying Poet on Instagram, is none other than Austin Tharp. Tharp was born and raised in Winter Haven. The 25-year-old is a financial advisor, co-owner, and Vice President at Aventail Wealth Management. When he isn’t working, the VP likes to travel, read, cook, do CrossFit… and write poetry. A TRYING POET “Someone gave me my first poetry book two years ago,” Tharp said. The book was Charles Bukowski’s “Love is a Dog from Hell.” He’s since read about six of Bukowski’s poetry collections. “I like his writing because he really does put it all out there on paper. He doesn’t hold back. He says what he has to say. He says what needs to be said. The world isn’t all sunshine and roses, and he addresses that. I try to stay in line with realism when I write because I feel like being real with yourself can be the most beautiful thing in the world.” Inspired, Tharp began writing poetry about a year and a half ago. After the conversation with Haven’s editor, Amy Sexson, he decided to create a social media platform for his writings. The name of his Instagram account and what he signs his Haven poems with, The Lost Words of a Trying Poet, is an ode to his year-long anonymity. “These poems I write just come from a nobody, a starving poet, a poet that is just starting. And these are my lost words, the lost words of the nobody poet, the words that I would never have thought to be put out there in public,” he said. “I first suggested he do something like Orange Blossom Poems […], but he was not interested,” said Sexson. “You wanted me to wear a bow-tie, and I said, ‘I don’t know…,’” Tharp laughed. “I guess it’s not my style to be ‘out there.’ I write for fun. Every now and then – it’s very rare – I write one for someone, like a friend.” Tharp discussed fellow poet and the beautiful mind behind Orange Blossom Poems (and regular poet in our LKLD Magazine), Dr. Diana Álvarez-Hughes, saying, “I don’t know if I could do what she does because she does a very good job, right there on the spot.” Tharp lauded her ability to see the joy or pain in others’ lives and commit it to paper. HOPELESS ROMANTIC So, how does the Trying Poet get inspired? “Alcohol,” he laughed. “A lot of it is [written] under the influence.” Jokes aside, many of his ideas come to him as he lays in bed. “Something will hit me, and you can’t turn it off. You have to put it on paper, or you’ll forget it,” he said. Tharp keeps notes in his phone and a big red notebook full of poetry. As a single guy and self-described ‘hopeless romantic,’ Tharp writes from his experiences. His themes cover “the ups and downs of the dating world [and] the journey of finding your forever person.” “At my age, there is a lot of pressure on you. ‘Are you dating anyone yet? When are you going to get married? How are you single? Do you want a family?’ I hear it constantly. I feel like I use some of my writing as an outlet for some of that stuff,” he said. Love isn’t the Trying Poet’s only muse. “Some of it represents just everyday life – how hard it can be on you even if you are the strongest one in the room. It doesn’t matter who you are – even kings have bad days. Some of the poems help remind me to stand tall no matter what. We honestly live in a world that tries to bring you down every day. It can be a close friend, your job, or even a stranger. But in the end, I tell myself to ‘stand up, smile, and don’t stop.’” Of all the poems he’s written, Tharp cited “Behind Every Smile” as one of his darlings: It breaks you The fights The battles Little by little Piece by piece The brick starts to crumble The glass starts to crack And that’s okay Let it take you But not completely Hold on to what you can There will always be a give and a take For after the battles The fights When the dust settles You will survive You will see another day After the scars heal A part of you will make it But of which part? For that is for you to figure out We are not created to quit or give up It’s an instinct We all have it Near the end of every battle you may face You will feel the thing that keeps you going It’s that instinct It will keep you alive for many struggles For we all face many battles and challenges every day There is something that makes us all one and the same And it’s the intuition to survive To keep going To push past the cruelness that this world may produce I wish I could help you with your battles But I have my own May not be as big as yours But we will push through We all must For there are better days to come and to see Sunrises to catch And new air to breathe He revealed that this poem “hides a secret battle. […] It talks about the constant battles people face every day. The battles you can’t see. But in that poem, I explain that after every battle leaves a scar behind, a scar that reminds you that you’ve faced a lot in life, but in the end, you will get through it and become stronger after every fight.” ‘ONE TRUE SENTENCE’ AND 100 POEMS Though he didn’t show anyone when he first started writing, Tharp’s end goal was to pen a poetry book. He’s been working on this project over the last year. “I’ll have two poems on my phone, three in my book, and I have to transfer them all onto this one long Word [document] that I have,” he said. When we spoke, Tharp was at 65 poems and counting with a goal of 100. “I already have an idea of how it’s going to look. I think I have a title in mind,” he said, adding that he hopes to selfpublish in the next few months. “I’m not making millions from it. It’s one thing I want to do for myself because I said I was going to do it.” To other shy poets just starting to dip their toes in the water, or put pen to paper rather, Tharp encouraged, “Write, write, and write some more.” He also suggested being selective with whom you choose to share your writing. “Not everyone will understand it and automatically shoot down every poem you tell them. I recommend an open-minded person. Or maybe a stranger at a bar. One motto that I follow is from the great Hemingway himself, ‘All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.’ That has really helped me. After that sentence, the rest will follow.” The Lost Words of a Trying Poet IG @thetrying_poet Photography by Amy Sexson

Fourth-grade teacher and Fire Light Reggae frontman Eddie ‘Smoke’ Jackson uses music to make a positive change in his classroom and community. The drummer and vocalist grew up in New Haven, Connecticut. In 2003 he and his wife Jaime decided they needed a change. He told his boss at the Guitar Center that he and his wife would travel down the east coast, and he’d transfer jobs wherever they landed. They stayed with family in Winter Haven towards the end of their trip. “We liked the area. We realized that it was a place we could affect some change. We saw some bits of progress popping up and thought, ‘We can be a part of this and help push it forward,’” said Jackson. He and Jaime have lived here for 18 years and have two daughters, Juliana, 16, and Jalah, 15. Jackson is a fourth-grade math and science teacher at Sikes Elementary School. Jaime, a jewelry and fiber artist, owns a local business called Jaime Jay Handmade. TAKING CENTER STAGE Music has been central to Jackson’s life. The soundtrack to his childhood was plentiful with Jamaican reggae music from the likes of Bob Marley and Barrington Levy. As a teen in the mid- to late90s he jammed out to Super Cat, Buju Banton, Garnett Silk, and Morgan Heritage who he said “were creating some of the best reggae and dancehall music at the time.” “They started to influence the way that I played and the way that I wrote. Those were some of my big influences on the reggae side, but I also grew up listening to Gospel, to punk rock music,” said Jackson. “One of my favorite artists of all time is Prince. His work ethic and ability to play every instrument and touch on every type of genre of music and make it his own influenced the way I approach and appreciate music. He’s my biggest influence.” He played drums and sang in the church choir as a kid, eventually singing and performing in high school. Jackson penned his first original song during his senior year. His high school drama teacher, Hope Hartup, had perhaps the most profound impact on his early musical life. Jackson remembers playing Conrad Birdie in his senior production of “Bye Bye Birdie.” “That was probably the first time I was front and center entertaining in that way,” he said. “She saw something in me that other people didn’t and encouraged it.” One of the most significant opportunities Hartup gave Jackson was a spot on a drama club trip to London when another student had to back out. “She said, ‘Eddie, there’s a ticket, there’s room for you. [...] You’re going to come on this trip with us.’” Jackson described the transformative trip abroad as “absolutely amazing.” He remembers, “We went to theater productions in London, got to take a train trip out to Stratford-upon-Avon. [...] I got to explore the city and ride the Underground. My last day there was a completely free day.” Hartup told her students to walk around, have some fun, and explore on their last day in London. “And I did. It was one of the best experiences of my life.” Jackson lit up as he talked, his energy filling up the room. As his high school career came to a close, teachers and guidance counselors nudged Jackson to go to school for writing or journalism. “But it wasn’t what I wanted to do. I wanted to be involved in music,” he said. Hartup connected him with a personal friend of hers, a drum instructor who waived lesson fees for the promising young musician. Hartup’s husband was a professional musician, giving Jackson marimba lessons so he could ace his melodic instrument auditions. Though he didn’t end up going to school for percussion, Jackson said, “She was right there supporting me, no matter what I wanted to do.” Jackson and his high school drama club teacher remain friends. Mrs. Hartup even attended his wedding. Her influence reached beyond his time as a student and into his work as a teacher himself. “She let me know teachers have to connect, and they shouldn’t be afraid to do it. So, I try to make those kinds of connections with my kids as often as possible.” FIRE LIGHT FRONTMAN Following high school, Jackson attended the Recording Workshop in Chillicothe, Ohio, where he studied studio engineering. After his studies, Jackson’s love of reggae transferred into a ska band. “We had a nine-piece group, full horn section, enthusiastic kids jumping around stage in these crazy shows at the local punk rock clubs,” he said. Using his studio engineering background, at just 19-years-old Jackson recorded, engineered, and produced his band’s album. After the younger kids in the band graduated and went off to college, he was recruited for a reggae band in the area called Holy Smoke. The band eventually went their separate ways, and Jackson began DJing with Thomas Dubee (who later started record label, Upsetta Records, for whom Jackson has recorded) for the few years leading up to his move from Connecticut to Florida. “I packed up my drums, packed up the house, packed up my records. Jaime packed up all her jewelry supplies, and we hit the road.” When the couple arrived and settled in Polk County, Jackson was one of the few people DJing reggae music in local bars and clubs. Tanner’s then-owner Debbie Tennick gave Jackson his first gig. When he formed The Burn Dem Band, she invited them to play there as well. The Burn Dem Band, led by frontmen Eddie ‘Smoke’ Jackson and Everton ‘Aqua’ Hill, would play throughout Lakeland and Ybor City. “We were super high-energy. On any given night, you probably see one of us jumping up on a table or running across a bar and getting people hyped up,” said Jackson. Fire Light Reggae, Jackson’s current band, ‘ignited’ from The Burn Dem Band. Able to sing and play drums, he and keyboard player Pablo Mastodon would book smaller venues and private parties as a duo. The name Fire Light alludes to the scaled-down version of the original band. Eventually, they started doing all their gigs as a duo, adding members here and there for larger sets. Fire Light’s current iteration consists of Eddie ‘Smoke’ Jackson, Pablo Mastodon, and female vocalist Syreeda Battle. The vocalist and drummer acknowledged his appreciation for his Fire Light bandmates for the chemistry they share both on stage and off. Fire Light Reggae is a “roots reggae band with influences from soul, hip hop, and dancehall all mixed together,” according to Jackson. “Some of the songs I write don’t always fit right into that reggae vein because my influences are so varied.” Like the alternative rock-influenced song “Wannabe a Star” with ten tracks of arranged guitar playing throughout. Making music is a collaborative effort for the band. Jackson will start with lyrics and melody at his home studio. “In my free time, I’m able to work out the skeleton of a song, and I’ll send it to Pablo and see what ideas he has for it. He’ll record a bit at his place, send me the files back, and it’ll bounce back and forth until we can see each other again and really flesh out the songs.” After scaling back on where and how often they perform in response to the pandemic, Fire Light looks forward to more shows. The reggae band has a steady set at the Poor Porker on the second Saturday of each month. “We’ve tried to make it not just a reggae night, but more of a reggae and Jamaican cultural night,” said Jackson. Part of that experience is modern Jamaican fare prepared by Our Noire Kitchen. Jackson, who raved about their jerk chicken and mango slaw, met these pop-up culinary artists at a Buena Block Party and hooked them up at his Poor Porker gigs. “That’s one of the things we were looking forward to doing here in Lakeland – finding other people who were doing different things and seeing how we can help them along. It sounds kind of cliché these days, but we really are stronger together. […] When you see potential in an area, you can’t just sit back and say, ‘It looks cool, and it’s probably going to grow.’ You can’t let things try and grow organically. If you want to see change happen in an area, you’ve got to put yourself out there, you’ve got to take some risks, and try and make that change happen. […] Because if you want some kind of change, the odds are that there is somebody else who just needs a little bit more push who wants that same thing.” MUSIC IN MATH CLASS His career trek into teaching was spurred by a class he taught while working at the Guitar Center in Tampa. They started a ‘Recording Made Easy’ course where Jackson would teach beginners how to use recording software. Jackson’s penchant for teaching shone through as the class grew from five or six to 25-30 students at a time. One of his music students, a veteran teacher in Hillsborough County, took note of Jackson’s abilities in the classroom and asked why he wasn’t teaching in the school system. Jackson asked himself the same question, and it stuck with him. “Both of my daughters are autistic and having to navigate the public school system, trying to make sure that they got the services they needed, making sure that they got everything possible out of the education they could in Polk County – it opened my eyes to some of the struggles other parents were going through. Knowing that I had the aptitude to teach, knowing I had the patience for young kids, and that a lot of other people needed help – that pushed me over the edge to try and get into teaching,” said Jackson, now in his fourth year in the classroom. He taught second grade before moving into his current position as a fourth-grade math and science teacher at Sikes Elementary School. “I love seeing the kids learn. When they can make that connection between what I’m teaching and something in the real world, and that light clicks on in their head like, ‘Oh, I’m not wasting my time, I’m not here being babysat. This person is not just speaking at me. They’re trying to connect and help me learn,’ It lets me know that I’m in the right spot and I’m doing the right thing,” said Jackson. “When I get messages from kids I taught a few years ago and from their parents saying, ‘He’s doing so well. He hated school before you were his teacher, and now, he’s getting As and Bs, and he’s engaged in class.’ Hearing stories like that definitely lets me know I’m in the right place.” One way Jackson engages his students is through music. He writes and performs songs for the kids and uploads them to YouTube so they can go home and share them with their parents. “When the kids come in, in the morning, there’s music playing to set the mood,” he said. His choice of music depends on the demands of the day or the face of the first student to walk in. “If we need to get the energy up, then I might play some more lively jazz. Sometimes I’ll play the instrumentals from the “Hamilton” soundtrack.” His classroom reverberates with the classical versions of pop songs from the show “Bridgerton” and songs from his reggae roots like a little Bob Marley or Jamaican jazz pianist Monty Alexander. “I always try to expose them to something different,” Jackson said. “During the different cultural celebration months we have – like Hispanic Heritage Month – I made sure I canvassed the different kids in the class and pulled music from their backgrounds. This year I’ve got kids from Colombia, kids from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua. I pulled music from their cultures and had that playing when the kids came in.” Not only do those children recognize it and respond to it, he said, “It gets the other kids asking where’s this from, where’s that from, do you have any more of this?” Jackson even encourages parents to engage with their children about what they are learning or listening to in the classroom to “open up those cultural windows just a little bit more.” #REALITYVIBES Jackson is currently deep in the trenches of producing a new Fire Light Reggae album titled “#realityvibes.” Inspired in a roundabout way by the hollow ‘Good Vibes Only’ message on shirts, bumper stickers, and social media posts, Jackson’s album title urges the listener to pay attention to the reality of a situation, good and bad. “I’m not here to tell you it’s sunny when it’s raining on your head, but I will tell you what that rain is going to bring you. Enjoy the reality of the moment that you’re in. Respect the reality of the moment that you’re in,” Jackson said. “For instance, it’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day. There are celebrations going on to celebrate his life. At the same time, we can’t get voting rights reform passed in congress. You can’t gloss over what the man stood for by offering entertainment. You’ve got to dig in and see what work we still have to do.” He related “#realityvibes” to his work in the classroom and as a parent navigating the school system. “I can have successes with some kids, but I know when I have to dig in and help those kids who might get overlooked. On paper, you can see that you’ve got an 80-90% success rate on this test or this skill. I’m not worried about that 90% right now. It’s that other 10% who are still falling behind that I’ve got to grab and pull up. [...] It’s kids and parents dealing with disabilities at school who don’t know how to navigate the system to get services for their children. That’s where “#realityvibes” comes from. You’ve got to put out a vibe, but it’s not good vibes only.” Follow Fire Light on social media for information on a GoFundMe to support the artwork and finalization of the audio and vinyl printing for “#realityvibes.” Fans who donate a certain amount will get a vinyl record once it is printed along with a bonus album mixtape called “Reignited,” which will take some of the band’s favorite songs and reimagine them in reggae. Upon release, the album will be available for download and streaming, and on custom USB drives with music and artwork. Jackson, unfortunately, lost his mother in December. “I couldn’t sing without breaking down crying for a couple of weeks. It was really rough,” he said. After taking some time to grieve, he is diligently back to work on the album’s production and expects to release it in April. Fire Light Reggae FB @FireLightReggae IG @firelightreggae YouTube www.youtube.com/user/smokeddie Soundcloud: SoundCloud.com/Edward-d-Jackson (Searchable as Fire Light Reggae) Bandcamp firelightreggae.bandcamp.com/releases

Florals, frills, and a quiet elegance permeate the atmosphere at Lavender ‘n Lace Tearoom & Restaurant in Lake Alfred. The family-owned tearoom is a whimsical world all its own. An ancient oak with twisted, wide-reaching limbs shades the side lawn. The outdoor garden blooms with flowers of every color and variety and a shimmering koi pond by which to reflect. The brick-lined courtyard furnished with bistro tables is a paradisal place to listen to the garden’s wind chimes and enjoy a dish from their curated menu. Each room in the historic former residence is themed. Perhaps the most requested table is in the corner of the solarium, with sunlight pouring in through the wall of windows that overlook the lawn and white picket fence. A LIFESTYLE DESTINATION We spoke with Tabina Bajwa, daughter of Lavender ‘n Lace owners Sehar and Hafeez Bajwa. You could say Tabina’s unofficial title is ‘wearer of many hats.’ She has a deep appreciation for what her parents have created and is joining them to put her touch on the tearoom. Tabina’s father, Hafeez, was a nautical captain in the merchant marines. He and his wife, Sehar, sailed the world, living in places like London and Djibouti before immigrating to the United States and settling in Polk County in 1989. According to Tabina, the family started from scratch in Lake Alfred. “My mother joined a partnership with a lady that owned the original Lavender ’n Lace at another location,” she said. When that location burned down, the Bajwa’s kept the name and restored the current space, a 1915 folk Victorian home, into a proper tearoom. One of the oldest buildings in Lake Alfred, the home previously belonged to a packing house owner, then a dance teacher, and became a funeral home before its tearoom transformation. “Our family has always had a deep appreciation for the arts and rich cultural imports of world cuisine. [...] Like [Anthony] Bourdain says, ‘Food is everything we are. It’s inseparable from our personal history.’ The tearoom, more specifically, is an instinctive mix of my family’s petitioning for a better life and their love for creation. And hospitality and food service have been our way of demonstrating that while cherishing community and delivering honesty in a peaceful and idyllic setting,” said Tabina. Born and raised in Polk County, Tabina went on to study neuroscience and history at Columbia University in New York, then spent time at Parsons School of Design. She spent a decade traveling before returning to her Lake Alfred home. “To come back has been a great opportunity for me to bring my personal vision and seeker’s joy into promoting the development of our family business and tearoom brand.” Described as a “lifestyle destination,” the tearoom offers a relaxed-pace meal and tea service, a specialty gift shop, and a garden to explore. House florist Teresa Burr creates centerpieces, wreaths, and floral displays throughout the tearoom. She’s fashioned a world of flowers dripping from teacup chandeliers and women dressed in greenery gowns. The gift shop supports artisanal craftsmen, jewelers, florists, and unique designers and makers, with a varied and everchanging selection of loose-leaf teas, teacups and teapots, home goods, cards, jewelry, cookbooks, children’s toys, and more. A DREAM THAT BECAME REAL “I don’t want to be self-aggrandizing and say it’s a slice of heaven or Polk County’s best-kept secret. But I do believe running a family-style business where deep love and honesty is the artistic imperative sets this place apart from the banality of it being our day job,” said Tabina. “It’s mostly a dream that became real and inspires dreamers daily, versus selling someone a dream. At the heart of it all is the Rumi quote, ‘Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.’ My mother has a gentle approach and ability for drawing out beauty in the simplest of things. Her natural style, elegance, and attention to detail were at the heart of the tearoom’s transformation, evolving over the years into the strong ethos maintained today. Love is still at the root of all her hard work. Manager and baker Cecily Arbuthnot said, “It’s unlike anywhere I’ve ever been. The staff is very connected.” The tearoom team considers each other family. They often have dinner together after hours, celebrate birthdays, and go on outings together. Many Lavender ‘n Lace staff have been with the restaurant for nearly 30 years, like chief/head of operations Ricker and Carleen, the in-house coordinator. YOU HAD ME AT LEMON CHIFFON Cecily Arbuthnot grew up visiting the tearoom. “I’ve been baking since I was very small with my grandmother,” she said. The baker drives from Orlando at 4 am each day to prepare their desserts, including 11 from-scratch cakes. A guest favorite is the Hummingbird Cake, a spice cake with pineapple, banana, and pecans dressed with layers of cream cheese frosting. Tying for top dessert spot with the Hummingbird Cake is a recipe written entirely by Arbuthnot, the Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake. “It’s a three-layer cake. The top and the bottom layer are lemon chiffon, and the middle is a whole blueberry cheesecake, and it’s got cream cheese frosting. That’s my favorite one to make,” she said. In addition to the scones, chocolate cakes, and tortes regularly on the menu, Cecily makes seasonal treats too. For Valentine’s Day, she whips up truffles and cookies to sell on the shelves. Where a typical tearoom might offer tastes in miniature, with small bites and dainty treats, Lavender ‘n Lace has a full menu with substantive comfort and cross-cultural offerings. “Our menu is inspired by southern nouvelle cuisine and backstreet culinary influences from the Mediterranean and Caribbean,” said Tabina. Each item is prepared in-house using fresh ingredients. “Our chefs and hospitality team at Lavender ’n Lace push beyond the conceptualization of a traditional tearoom — surprising guests with sheer dedication and creativity. We are constantly reinventing and reimagining the guest experience here,” said Tabina. For the full Lavender ‘n Lace experience, Tabina recommends starting with a soup, like their signature cream of asparagus. Tea is a must, and Tabina suggests an iced Bella Coola or hot creamy earl gray. The tea is served in a teapot with a strainer atop the cup and dish to rest it on. “You’ll notice a difference with loose leaf tea. It’s much fresher,” said Arbuthnot. Their tea list is extensive, with black teas, herbal teas, green teas, and more. For lunch, Tabina suggests the curry or pan-seared salmon in a lemon caper sauce served with basmati rice and finishing with a slice of hummingbird cake or a chocolate ganache torte for dessert. “There’s a lot of versatility with our menu, just between texture and ingredients alone,” she said. “Our family and core staff have been cultivating this space for 30 years, so our livelihood is pretty much an expression of self. Drawing upon travels and diasporic experiences within an English garden setting, it’s a testament to community and the trade of artists and visionaries,” said Tabina Bajwa. Lavender ‘n Lace Tearoom & Restaurant 430 N Lake Shore Way, Lake Alfred (863) 956-3998 www.lavenderandlacetearoom.com FB @lavendernlacetearoom IG @lavendernlacef Photography by Amy Sexson

The first thing you notice once arriving at Winter Haven’s new eatery, V&M Bakery and Café, is the warm, cozy, good-vibes feeling that envelops you as you walk in the door. It could be the scents of decadent fresh-baked pastries and scrumptious savory meals that fill the air or the aweinspiring artwork adorning the walls. It could be the cool music exciting your eardrums or just the comforting thought that you have opted for a healthy vegan lunch today. The truth is, it’s the friendly smiles on the faces of the owners and staff that combine with each of these things to create a truly unique and welcoming atmosphere. Owners Mika Altidor and Victor Muñoz, partners in life and business, give new meaning to “feel-good food” and do so with a passion and generosity of spirit that will nourish your soul as well as your body. V&M Bakery and Café, located at 371 3rd Street NW in Downtown Winter Haven, opened on October 1, 2021, and while it’s the couple’s first brick-and-mortar, Victor and Mika have been excelling in the vegan food world for years. They started selling their vegan treats at the Winter Haven Farmers Market, where they built a strong following. They’ve created media buzz with innovative recipes like vegan churros, croissants, and vegan cannoli. They won Best Vegan Food by Haven Magazine readers in 2021. And in 2020, they published a vegan cookbook called “Chasing Vegan” (available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble) that features delicious vegan recipes and shares the inspirational story of Mika’s initial conversion to the vegan lifestyle. The journey began when Mika was diagnosed with some health issues while working as a successful and sought-after jewelry designer in South Florida. Although she was born in Michigan, she was raised in Central Florida and considers it home. She decided to leave the jet-set lifestyle, started researching the benefits of a plant-based diet, and moved back to her “roots” here in Winter Haven. Her mother introduced her to Victor, who had moved here from Chicago years before to help out with his family’s fruit stand, and the two eventually started running the fruit stand together. Mika attributes her recovery to her decision to go vegan, and once Victor followed suit, they began baking vegan goodies to share with their customers. The couple knew they wanted to “inspire communities to welcome the idea that healthy is tasty with plant-based foods,” and Victor and Mika’s Bakery was born. They’ve already made history with their vegan pastries, but now that they have their first brick-and-mortar, this dynamic duo is taking it to the next level with a café that offers savory fare like pizza rolls, burgers, and street tacos. Mika’s sister, and culinary chef at V&M, Maggie Thames, constantly strives to add new timeless and trendy foods. At the same time, her boyfriend and V&M manager, Kevin Barcelona, sings her praises with a kind and welcoming smile. Last week they added “Better than Meatloaf,” complete with candied yams, greens, mac n’ cheese, and cornbread, and it will make you question everything you think you know about meat. The “Be Better Buddha Bowl,” their most popular item, consists of sautéed cabbage, bell peppers, spinach, onions, and carrots served over a bed of Caribbean rice. The rice is a family recipe created by Mika’s mother, Francoise Roger, who also helps out at the café. Everything on the menu is vegan, and more than half of the menu is gluten-free or can be made gluten-free. Mika stresses that menu items can be customized to suit all kinds of dietary needs. She says of their menu, “There’s something here, literally, for everyone. If someone wants a burger, there’s a burger. If someone’s gluten-free, there’s gluten-free food here. If there’s someone that’s dairy-free or egg-free, there’s baked goods and foods here for them. If someone is vegan or just wants darn good food, there’s something here for everyone where they can grab and go or dine in and enjoy.” V&M Bakery and Café resides in the same space once occupied by Bambu Café, a juice bar, and eatery owned and operated by Jennie P. Harrison. Victor and Mika look forward to their new endeavor in a space already associated with healthy eating. “We loved the café and what she left for the community, so it’s definitely home.” says Mika. “And we get to share that with the community, to be here and be able to provide healthy options, vegan options, right here in the heart of Downtown Winter Haven. Nothing better than that.” These days, Victor works behind the scenes, giving Mika time to focus on the café, and it’s exactly where she wants to be. While she has always enjoyed baking, the “reaction to receiving” that people give her when she shares her delicious food with them is priceless. She gets emotional when talking about what she loves best about owning V&M. “I get to put in all of my heart and soul,” she says. “I think that’s the best part of owning because there’s no other way all of that gets unleashed. All of that passion.” After a quiet, affecting pause, Mika adds, “There are people that come in, and they don’t know I’m the owner, and I like that because I get to have a human connection, and I get to serve them. And the way people react when they come in and love the music, and they love the ambiance here, and they love the artwork, and they love the food. All of that feels great, because to be able to give that to them whether they’re vegan or not, it just feels good to see someone enjoying it. Sunday, there was a couple here, and they were here for three hours just enjoying. They sat right there and were just enjoying everything. And even though I’m working, to see them being able to feel so comfortable and feel so good, it’s like this is better than a paycheck. Right?” Right. That might be why you get such a good feeling when you open the door to V&M. Not only do they want to show you that healthy is tasty, they are happy and honored to do so. So drop in. Be amazed. Be nourished. Relax. After all, that’s what everyone at V&M wants you to do. V&M Bakery and Café 371 Third St. NW, Winter Haven 863-734-9148 victormikabakery.com FB @Victor & Mika’s Bakery IG @victormikabakery Photography by Amy Sexson

For ten years, Lakeland nonprofit Gospel Inc. has provided resources, fostered community, and helped find purposeful employment for homeless folks across the city. Founder Brian Seeley knew more could be done to serve this vulnerable population. Seeley, along with his Gospel Inc. team, volunteers, and community leaders, have worked together to secure sustainable and affordable long-term housing for the city’s chronically homeless. On February 3, 2021, property on E. Lemon Street, formerly Royal Oak Estates, was purchased, and renovations began for what was to become Gospel Village. Many considered chronically homeless remain so due to mental or physical disabilities. Gospel Village offers permanent housing and dignified work for Lakeland’s chronically homeless. The tiny-home community currently has 35 units with plans to break ground on an additional 24 units in 2022. The nonprofit’s goal is to complete 150 units over the subsequent two phases of its project. Gospel Village is currently home to 40 residents. HOME SWEET HOME During a November 3 “Friendraiser” for Gospel Inc., volunteer Hailey gave us a tour of Gospel Village. An intern at Together Church, Hailey volunteers weekly at the village as a part of the ministry program called Lead Florida. Sprawling oak trees provide canopy above paths dissecting rows of newly remodeled units and community gathering spaces. We entered one home that had been renovated entirely, including new windows, paint, cabinetry, plumbing, lighting, appliances, and furnishings. Gospel Inc. partnered with local artist Jenna O’Brien to design the interior, “helping create a happy space, which we believe will positively affect their mental health. We also have partnered with local mental health experts and volunteers to host events here on-site so our residents can walk outside of their homes and participate,” according to our tour guide. Gospel Village’s Restore Workshop Director, Robbie Lathrop said, “We believe that our residents need three things. They need to be in a relationship with Christ, they need community, and they need housing. This addresses the housing component of that. [...] When we bought the park in February, we knew there would be a number of these units that we needed to remodel. They are basically an extreme makeover.” Gospel Village invites residents to be active participants in the interior design process. Next, we moved to the outdoor kitchen, gathering space, and farm. The Village hosts a community dinner every Thursday night for residents. Gospel Village offers community groups and bible studies to bolster that sense of community, which is at the core of its mission. Down another pathway, a community fridge and pantry are stocked with donations of fresh produce and pantry goods from local community groups and churches. A form of therapy, dignified work, and farm fresh eggs, a chicken coop is situated adjacent to the community pantry. “It’s a powerful tool for those suffering from anxiety and loneliness while providing a work opportunity for those in our housing programs. For those who can’t work elsewhere, they can work here and help in areas like this to receive permanent housing,” noted a volunteer during the tour. The tour concluded with the opportunity to buy handmade and sewn items from RePurpose Art Studio. The studio is a coffeehouse gathering spot for homeless women in the morning, with devotions and prayer available to those who stop by. The art studio receives donations of clothing, food, and craft items that are repurposed into aprons, jewelry, candles, and the like. Donations towards items at RePurpose Art Studio support the women who make them. A LIFE’S CALLING TURNED COMMUNITY “This is our ten-year anniversary as a corporation,” said Brian Seeley as he took the stage at the Friendraiser luncheon. The significance of that milestone has given him pause to reflect on “the journey that has brought us to this beautiful place.” Seeley came to Lakeland in 2008 to attend Southeastern University to pursue a ministry degree. “I was a brand-new Christian, and God put a call on my life to work with the homeless. It was something that was really strong in my heart,” he said. He began making friends with other college students and discussing how they could engage and better get to know the homeless. “We began to spend every single day with homeless folks all around the community. They became our best friends.” Seeley and his friends eventually moved into the Parker Street neighborhood. They rented two houses and invited their homeless friends to stay with them. “What started with two people turned into 40 people living on our property,” Seeley said. The Gospel Inc. founder described that period as “one of the greatest experiences of my life,” but also “one of the most chaotic experiences in my life and not at all sustainable.” Police visits were usual occurrences at their Parker Street residence, so much so that Seeley would have dreams about them showing up and clearing everyone out. One night, the police were called to the home and had everyone on the ground with hands on their heads, including Seeley. They asked if he allowed all these people to live there, shining a flashlight on each head. He answered yes. They asked if he realized that the City of Lakeland could have him evicted for having so many people there. Seeley thought, “Who’s the City of Lakeland?” He hadn’t thought about the impact he had on his neighbors. He was thinking about his mission to help the homeless. “I’m blessed by the City of Lakeland and the community leaders here that walked alongside me,” Seeley said. In 2017, the City hired a consultant to help them think through and work towards resolving the issue of homelessness, particularly chronic homelessness, in Lakeland. Seeley was invited into that conversation. He learned that most chronically homeless people couldn’t gain employment for mental or physical health reasons. Their disability checks weren’t enough to afford rent, and many had no family or support systems. “I started grappling with this issue and started to dream of what we could do to provide a home and a community for people here,” he said. Looking across the nation for best practices in providing long-term housing for the chronically homeless, they found Community First! Village in Austin, Texas. Seeley, Lakeland mayor Bill Mutz, executive director of Parker Street Ministries, Tim Mitchell, and other community leaders traveled to Austin. Community First! Village created a sustainable model with their 51-acre planned community and 1,200 homes dedicated to the chronically homeless. Seeley was blown away, calling Community First! Village “the Disney World of what we’re doing here.” He and his team began training to learn how to bring that model to Lakeland. “As we were envisioning what we wanted to do here, we came up with four pillars that were based on the model in Austin,” said Seeley. “We believe a relationship with God is critical to a person’s growth,” he said of the first pillar. “It changes their lives. […] It’s an invitation that we extend of the gospel to the folks that we’re serving here. Our hope is that they know God. […] We believe God is at the center of it, and it’s his hand that is sovereign over this ministry to carry it through and accomplish the mission that we’ve got here.” The second pillar is community. “What I discovered is that just having a roof over your head isn’t enough. […] People need a support system. In Austin, they say that the greatest cause of homelessness is the catastrophic loss of family. […] Community is so important, and we’re blessed by the community they provide us. We learn so much from the people that we’re serving.” The third is a place of permanence – home. “A place that you can put down roots and settle,” said Seeley. “This is a permanent home. You don’t have to leave.” He noted that transitional housing programs don’t work for the folks that Gospel Inc. serves because they’re often unable to get or maintain full-time employment and their disability checks aren’t enough to sustain housing. “A place you can stay – there’s so much peace in that,” he said. “Then you can start to focus on your basic needs, things you can’t do when you’re out there on the street in survival mode.” The final pillar Seeley discussed is purpose. “We provide work opportunities for everyone who is housed through our program. Everyone that we’re housing works for us, on our payroll, and that helps them contribute towards rent, and it puts money in their pocket.” SUZIE’S STORY During the Friendraiser luncheon, Gospel Inc. case manager Murray Lathrop took the stage to tell the story of one resident whose life trajectory changed entirely because she now has a place to call home. Lathrop runs the coffee shop in the morning at the art studio. “I met Suzie there. She was very consistent and quiet. [...] She would always go sit at this one table in the same chair,” she said. Gradually, Suzie shared her story with Lathrop. “A lot of these women are filled with trauma. They’re hurting. They have stories of wrecked lives. Each one has their own story, and they need to share it,” said the case manager. Though diagnosed with learning disabilities in school, Suzie managed to earn a high school diploma. She also had health issues that have continued throughout her life. Suzie lived with her parents until they passed away with cancer. She went on to marry and have a daughter. Her husband left, and Suzie found herself unable to hold down two full-time jobs and raise a child with autism. Through this series of unfortunate life events and the loss of family, Suzie became homeless. “She ended up in a shelter and in my coffee shop,” said Lathrop. Lathrop talked Suzie into participating in their sewing program. She did, reluctantly. After 16 weeks of hard work – she graduated. That allowed her to put money aside and secure housing at Gospel Village. She was one of the first women to move into the Village. After moving in earlier this year, her exhusband became ill and was hospitalized. He could no longer care for their daughter, and she, too, became homeless. But, because Suzie had secured long-term housing, her daughter could move in with her at Gospel Village. Lathrop called Suzie a “hard worker” and a “sweetheart.” She brought her on stage to speak. Suzie said, “Thank you for giving myself and my daughter a safe place to live.” A BIG ANNOUNCEMENT Polk County Commissioner George Lindsey made a big announcement at the November Friendraiser. He explained that due to the pandemic, the County was the recipient of $126M to help those affected by COVID-19. “We pushed out a lot of money to people who lost their jobs, who had their hours cut back, businesses who were devastated. We gave $9M to the school system so they could buy laptops. We gave money to every Chamber of Commerce so they could help their members get through this mess. It was an enjoyable, necessary process,” Lindsey said. Following those funds, the County received some $30M to help the community with rent and utilities. “Recently, under the ARP (The American Rescue Plan) money, we were notified that we’d get an additional $140M,” he said. That money was divided into two $70M sections. “Since we spent most of the money last time on social programs and helping people in their daily lives, the Board made a commitment that we were going to spend most of this part of the money for capital assets that will long last beyond our time in service here. So that it creates an asset for the community – roads and bridges and sidewalks.” The commissioner continued, “But we still want to carve out money for ‘social infrastructure’ as I call it – things that have a social element but still have lasting life. We earmarked $10.5M for that purpose.” After announcing this to the community and requesting applications, they received 179 applications totaling just under $80M in three weeks. In a collaborative effort, the list of applicants was whittled down to 42. Gospel Inc. received one of the largest allocations. Commissioner Lindsey said, “I’m proud to announce [...] Gospel Inc., through this program, will be awarded $824,000. That puts a knot in my throat. […] Your County Commission and your City Commission are very much behind the passion that you have here today, and this is just the beginning. […] We’re still in Genesis, and there’s a long way to go.” Brian Seeley announced that they would be purchasing the property next door to the current Gospel Village and building new units with that capital. “We’re going to be building 24 brand new units on this property. […] Our goal is 50 units over there,” Seeley said. Before concluding the Friendraiser in a prayer, Mayor Bill Mutz said, “We are so grateful for the Board’s work on this, for Brian’s vision, for the County’s support, and for the ability to be a part of this and watch this grow, and to have solutions for people instead of ignoring them. That is what Christ called us to do. If we are to seek people and love unconditionally as a matter of course of our life to be able to live the gospel – this is what you do.” Gospel Inc. (863) 940-9001 www.gospelinc.org FB @gospelinclkld IG @gospelincministries Mailing Address: P.O. Box 3278 Lakeland, FL 33802 Photography by Amy Sexson

If teamwork makes the dream work, Winter Haven is living the dream. The last decade has been transformative for the Chain of Lakes city, especially its downtown, thanks in no small part to a collaborative approach to community investment and development. Outgoing President and CEO of the Greater Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce, Katie Worthington Decker, credits collaboration as the city’s ‘secret sauce’ regarding growth and success, a sentiment echoed across both the private and public sectors. “About ten years ago, we were in the beginning of the renaissance triggered by the public investments the City made in the mid-2000s,” said Worthington Decker. “Investors were starting to come back from the mortgage-crisis recession, but it was still very much the recovery phase. Since then, thanks to individual investors as well as larger groups like Six/Ten, Winter Haven has seen a complete transformation of the downtown core to one that professional, retail, and food and beverage businesses seek out.” PRIVATE SECTOR INVESTMENT “Private business owners and real estate investors have played a key role in their willingness to take a risk investing in the community, especially 10-15 years ago when there were no guarantees. That has attracted others to invest,” said Worthington Decker. Winter Haven-based private developer Six/Ten owns and manages 675,000 square feet of commercial property and is invested more than just financially in transforming the city. Six/ Ten CEO Bud Strang has lived in Winter Haven most of his life. His commitment and that of fellow Six/Ten leadership, Kerry Wilson and Joe Bogdahn, to Winter Haven’s revitalization stem from a passion for the city. “It’s been a pretty dramatic change in ten years,” said Strang of the city’s incremental but substantial transformation. A decade ago, no one was living downtown, the workforce was about a third of what it is presently, and dining options could be counted on one hand, Strang said. “Our partners and investors – almost everyone lives here.” Strang notes there are many ways to invest, “but if you can invest in your hometown – where you live, where you work, and play – you get the added satisfaction. You want it to be a good investment, but you’re fixing up your own place. […] We joke that some of the Six/Ten business plans [were made because] we’re getting old and lazy and don’t want to drive to Tampa or Orlando for something fun to do or to go to a nice restaurant.” The city’s revitalization started quite a bit earlier than a decade ago. The first buildings Six/Ten bought were in the mid-90s. “There was no plan. We didn’t think, ‘We’re revitalizing or redeveloping downtown.’ It was in 2012 when we really took a pause. We said, ‘We’ve got quite a few properties here. Maybe we should be a bit more intentional in terms of how we’re doing this.’” That’s when Six/Ten started looking at downtown as one project from Lake Silver to Citi Centre Plaza and First Street to US Hwy 17. “It’s a mixed-use development from the inside out, and this is the area that we’re going to focus on,” said Strang. Earlier on, Six/Ten aimed to attract business downtown. They bought up commercial buildings and even started businesses to bring employees to the city’s core. Though still working to bring new businesses to Winter Haven, Strang said Six/Ten’s primary focus has shifted from business recruitment to creating more residential space downtown. According to design professionals, one feature that makes Winter Haven’s downtown unique is the city’s grid. “We’ve got one of the most walkable downtowns anywhere. […] I think we can leverage that,” Strang said. “We may end up at 600-700 dwelling units Downtown. Some of those may be condominiums. A lot of them will be apartments.” Strang described residential offerings as “the piece we were missing” and called the housing component “the biggest change going forward” for downtown, drawing even more residents to the city. A market study for the Six/Ten residential project RainDance Apartments, currently under construction on Avenue C SW, estimated 30% of future RainDance residents don’t live in Florida today. Another 3% don’t live in Polk County today. “You’re going to see a lot more people living downtown. I think you’re going to see more restaurants, bars, and things to do,” Strang predicts. Additionally, Winter Havenites can anticipate more events. “Things like the Farmers Market have been a great development,” Strang said. The Six/Ten CEO recalls hearing a developer at a conference once say, “We’re developers. We look at the buildings. With a lot of these projects, it’s what happens in between the buildings that determine whether it’s going to be successful or not.” Strang hopes to see more things to do “between the buildings” like the Slow Roll and Ski Show, Winter Haven Farmers Market, and Main Street Winter Haven’s many events. ‘PRO-COMMUNITY’ POLICYMAKERS Worthington Decker notes that economic development organizations like Main Street Winter Haven, the Greater Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce, and the Winter Haven Economic Development Council “understand the pieces they play in the puzzle but also share a common vision of where we want to see Winter Haven go.” “Perhaps most importantly,” she went on, “the policymakers – our City staff and City Commission have had a pro-business, pro-community enhancement attitude, trying to balance the demands of growth with the desire to remain authentic to who Winter Haven is.” Eric Labbe, Economic Opportunity and Community Investment Director with the City of Winter Haven heads the Economic Worthington Decker believes Winter Haven has become an attractive community for industry because of its growth and strong workforce. “We have aimed to maintain the authentic, neighborly feel. We are also an inclusive community. One that is not afraid to acknowledge the mistakes and biases of our past and learn, grow and improve to ensure that everyone feels like they can find a place here, open a business here. That is a constantly evolving side of any community, but one that leadership in this community has put at the highest priority. We also try to do everything in our power to make it easy for someone to invest here. Our City government is investing in people and platforms to help streamline a business’s (and citizen’s) interactions with the City.” A decade ago, Winter Haven’s primary industries were agriculture, healthcare, and business and professional services. “Today, healthcare still remains a high growth and leading industry with the expansion of Baycare, Bond Clinic, Gessler, and now AdventHealth. Numerous other healthcare businesses have opened in the last ten years as a result of the increasing demand of the area,” Worthington Decker said. She noted that though citrus is no longer a dominant industry, companies like WG Roe continue to invest in the area and expand. “The shift in ag has been towards agribusiness and not such growing for food, but for food flavoring and extracts.” “Thanks to CSX, logistics has become a more predominant targeted industry, and although it has taken almost eight years, we now see Florida Can Manufacturing and Coca Cola around the ILC (Intermodal Logistics Center),” she said. Worthington Decker thinks the City and economic development organizations would like to see more manufacturing in the area over distribution. “Business and professional services remain a core industry as well as data management and storage.” TOURISM REVITALIZED “Tourism in Polk County was at the start of recovery with the opening of LEGOLAND on October 15, 2011,” said Katie Worthington Decker. The theme park built for kids celebrated its tenth birthday on October 15, 2021. Winter Haven Mayor Brad Dantzler attended the event to present a proclamation naming October 15 ‘LEGOLAND Day.’ During his speech, the mayor praised LEGOLAND for building on the rich history of Cypress Gardens and went on to refer to them as “ideal corporate citizens.” He noted that the resort provides over 1,000 jobs to the city, sends employees to college through a partnership with Polk State College, cleans up the lakes, invests in solar, and treats their employees with respect. “Winter Haven could not be more proud and more happy to have them as part of our community,” said Mayor Dantzler. LEGOLAND’s success has inspired the renaissance of Polk County’s tourism industry first brought to the area by its predecessor and the state’s first commercial theme park, Cypress Gardens. Over the ten years that LEGOLAND Florida Resort has been open, the park has welcomed millions of families from across the world to Winter Haven – families who dine and shop at local businesses during their visit. The resort’s parent company, Merlin Entertainments, continues to invest through new attractions, the expansion of hotel properties, and the world’s first Peppa Pig Theme Park, slated to open this February. “That commitment to growth and expansion for LEGOLAND Florida Resort I think has benefited the community at large through not only direct employment, [...] but also the indirect economic impact that visitors to LEGOLAND then have within the broader community,” said LEGOLAND Florida Resort president and managing director for the North America LEGOLAND Resorts, Rex Jackson. Relationships at the government level with the City and County, in addition to many other community organizations and businesses like AdventHealth, Polk State College, and Grove Roots Brewing Company, have been instrumental to LEGOLAND Florida Resort’s auspicious decade. Jackson said, “Over the past ten years [...] LEGOLAND Florida has been able to embed itself into the community [...] because of the open arms that the community has had. [...] I think that has contributed to the success LEGOLAND Florida has had, which then also contributes to the success of the community.” DOWNTOWN – THE ‘HEARTBEAT’ OF ECONOMIC IMPACT Winter Haven’s downtown district has received considerable attention from the private and public sectors. Eric Labbe called downtown our “identity” and the “heartbeat” of economic impact within the community. “From a value per acre standpoint, properties are valued higher in the downtown core. So, communities get more ‘bang for their buck’ in the downtown,” he said, adding that growth in the core “helps to solidify your economic base within the community.” The City has purposefully set up land development codes and regulations to encourage downtown’s mixed-use environment of citizens living, working, and deriving entertainment there. According to Labbe, a robust downtown also helps the traffic situation by reducing vehicle trips on adjacent roadways and makes providing municipal services more efficient than in sparse residential suburbs and on the outskirts of the city. “Twenty years ago, in Winter Haven, there wasn’t much there,” said Labbe. People across all industries have been working for years to change that. “That’s from private developers that are investing time and capital downtown to community partners like the Winter Haven Economic Development Council, the Chamber of Commerce, Main Street Winter Haven, City folks in our department, and other departments who are working and want to see downtown thrive.” The synergy between public and private investment in Winter Haven has encourage growth across the community. Six\ Ten’s Bud Strang called public investment “really important.” From moving the Winter Haven Public Library downtown to streetscaping and maintaining public parks, he said that investment of public dollars makes it “very attractive for the private sector to come in behind them and do the for-profit [projects].” Eric Labbe notes that data consistently shows public investment in infrastructure incentivizes private sector investment. “We have seen that locally through the years with our investments in complete street projects, water and sewer infrastructure, and recreational amenities,” he said. BURSTING AT THE SEAMS “If you look at growth trends across the county [...] Winter Haven has been growing somewhere between 4-5% annually for the last five or six years. Lakeland, in comparison, is growing at about 1%. When you see statistics that the Lakeland/Winter Haven metropolitan area is the second-fastest-growing MSA (Metropolitan statistical area) in the nation – one of the fastestgrowing counties in the nation – the east side of the county, Winter Haven particularly, is driving a lot of that,” said Labbe, referring to census data showing the Lakeland/Winter Haven metro area tied with Boise City, Idaho for second-highest rate of growth between 2019 and 2020. As Winter Haven swells with new residents, the City prioritizes projects to accommodate that growth. Labbe detailed investments that the City of Winter Haven is making, including new fire stations and public safety units. They are working with FDOT and Polk County on transportation improvements. Phase II of the Chain of Lakes Complex project is funded, which will entail a complete rehab and redevelopment of the baseball fields and more utilization of the Lake Eloise lakefront, along with Phase II of the Lake Maude Park project, adding multipurpose and baseball fields, as well as the construction of a brand new Northeast Recreation and Cultural Center which will replace the aging center on Martin Luther King Boulevard. Construction on a trail around Lake Elbert reminiscent of Lakeland’s Lake Hollingsworth Trail is set to begin within the year. Several hotel projects are slated for downtown, and the City is working with affordable housing providers to bring multi-family projects to Winter Haven, as well as with private developers in the downtown area where apartment units are already under construction. Labbe noted that the City would continue its work on utility improvements in water and wastewater. Labbe anticipates the trend will continue with an estimated 3-5% annual growth. Ten years from now, “We will likely be a community somewhere around 65,000 to 70,000 people. [...] I think that a lot of people throughout Florida and throughout the nation are recognizing what Polk County and Winter Haven have to offer – and it shows in our growth.”

A year since its founding, Facebook group Grace Giving for KidsPACK is just shy of 500 members. Its founder and administrator, Lakeland real estate agent Debbie Miller was recently presented with the 2021 Lakeland Realtors Good Neighbor Award. She says it’s the Grace Giving group that earned it, expressing gratitude for members’ unending support totaling thousands of dollars of in-kind food donations to the Lakeland charity, kidsPACK. “When I started Grace Giving, I really believed it was something that had a positive impact for everybody. Not only the group to feed hungry kids, but I think it gave people a good feeling that there’s something positive in the world,” said Miller. KidsPACK is a nonprofit organization that was started in 2011 by Randy Browning. It operates with the sole mission to feed homeless or under-served students when school is not in session. By working directly with teacher liaisons in schools throughout Polk and Hillsborough Counties, kidsPACK fills the gap for disadvantaged children by providing discrete backpacks with enough food for three meals a day over the weekends. The food in each pack is child-centric and easy to open and prepare as many of the kids they serve do not have access to running water or a microwave. “I’ve been working with kidsPACK since they started, volunteering with them,” said Debbie Miller, who serves as the auction chair for the Gone Country for kidsPACK fundraising event. Food insecurity and child hunger in the community may seem unfathomable if you or someone you know directly has never been without food. Miller says this is an invisible problem desperately in need of attention and action. When kidsPACK founder Randy Browning first spoke with Miller about child hunger in the community, she remembers thinking, “Who knew that there are this many hungry kids in our community? If you don’t feed the kids, they can’t learn, they can’t focus, and they’re the future of our country. We’ve got to take care of these kids.” Miller ramped up her volunteering efforts amid the coronavirus pandemic when kidsPACK struggled to secure items in bulk to put into their packs. When we spoke with kidsPACK Executive Director Patty Strickland and Program Manager Amy Royal in August 2020, they were dealing with the temporary loss of 17 packing facilities. The most pressing issue for the Lakeland nonprofit, however, was a suspension of buying power. The nonprofit would typically buy in bulk but no longer could. They scoured Publix, Walmart, Sam’s Club – anywhere they could find bulk items. “Instead of a child’s lunch being $6, it went to being $9.20,” said Strickland last August. They reached out to the community for financial and purchasing help, requesting folks pick up ten cans of Chef Boyardee, Pop-Tarts, or applesauce when they were grocery shopping. “Our community stepped up,” Strickland said. Miller said, “They were having a hard time getting Chef Boyardee bulk which is the staple food on the kidsPACK every week; there’s two of them on each child’s pack.” She recalled seeing a Facebook group in which members would choose another member at random and send them a gift. Brainstorming ways to help kidsPACK, she wondered if the model could work towards the charity’s advantage. Over coffee with a friend, she decided she would start her group, Grace Giving for KidsPACK. Miller went home that afternoon in August 2020, started the group, and began inviting friends to join. The group took off with membership and donations. “We had a 4000 [Chef Boyardee] cup goal for the quarter, from August to the end of the year, and we got 4000 cups in a couple of weeks,” said Miller. “Then we set a higher goal to get 16,000 cups, and guess what – we exceed that by December 31, 2020.” A month after creating the group, Miller posted in Grace Giving for KidsPACK that they had already delivered over 6,300 cups of Chef Boyardee to KidsPACK. “We are 9,674 cups away from our 12,000 cups by 12/25/2020. All of you are so awesome, and we are so grateful you are part of this Grace Giving for KidsPACK. Blessings to all,” the September 25, 2020 post read. Awesome indeed. By the end of that October, they had collectively given over $21K in-kind food to kidsPACK, and by November 9, 2020, they were approaching a new goal of 16,000 cups of Chef Boyardee, which they would go on to surpass. This year Grace Giving for KidsPACK set quarterly goals and has exceeded them all. The most recent in-kind food figure was reported on September 23, 2020. Miller wrote in part, “I wanted to let everyone know since I created Grace Giving for KidsPACK on Facebook on August 25, 2020, during the pandemic, our group and all the donors have given nearly $40,000 in-kind food to hungry kids in our community, and we are helping to control hunger. We have met and exceeded each goal each quarter because of all of you. There are not adequate words to express my gratitude to each and every one of you who is a part of this amazing group of individuals in our community. Our group is making a significant impact on helping to control hunger in our Elementary Schools. I want to personally thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart.” Miller encourages everyone to spread awareness of childhood hunger and the kidsPACK mission to friends, colleagues, churches, and loved ones. She quoted Mother Teresa, “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.” Donating one box of Pop-Tarts, one cup of Chef Boyardee, one fruit cup is a step toward eliminating food insecurity and child hunger in the community. “We want them to be aware that there are people out here that will help you – there is help. […] Our goal is to eventually conquer hunger in our county,” Miller said. Bridge the gap of food insecurity in Polk County by sponsoring a child through kidsPACK. For $300 a year, or $25 monthly, you can feed a child in our community for an entire year. Ask your friends, coworkers, family, and church to join you! Grace Giving’s current fourth-quarter goal is to donate 10,000 packs of crackers by the end of the year. Consider joining Grace Giving for KidsPACK on Facebook to make a difference in the lives of local under-served children. To donate, use the Amazon link listed under ‘Announcements’ in the group to order and ship to an approved address or order from Sam’s Club with Debbie Miller listed as the pick-up person. Donations can also be dropped off at United Title Group located at 2000 E Edgewood Dr., Suite 107, Lakeland, FL, 33803. Grace Giving For KidsPACK administrator Debbie Miller can be reached at (863) 581-7817. Miller noted a quote in the group’s ‘About’ section to drive her point home. “Child hunger is a significant issue that requires active participation to combat its effects on our child population. By our Grace, we can help out kidsPACK by putting into perspective the prevalence of child hunger in our county and community.” FB: Grace Giving For KidsPACK Debbie Miller (863) 581-7817 kidsPACK 3725 Frontage Rd N #1, Lakeland (863) 272-7927 FB @KidsPACKinc IG @kidspackinc www.kidspack.org

“Some of the best modern Southern rock around today.” - RIFF Magazine “After 20 years, they still make songs that make you want to boogie your troubles away… they have established themselves as the torchbearer of modern Southern rock” - PopMatters “Their best album in years… brings the rock back to Southern rock in a big way.” -Gary Hayes Country “Blackberry Smoke is still on fire… a testament to that tenacity and an unapologetic ode to an insurgent attitude and tradition. That’s evident in practically every note and nuance.” - American Songwriter Blackberry Smoke has been making Southern rock albums for over 20 years. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, their roots still run deep. Their newest album You Hear Georgia, has critics raving about their musical talent. This album culminates the feel of Georgia by honoring the people, places, and sounds of their home state. The album already has entered at #1 on Billboard’s Americana/Folk Albums chart, #4 on the all-genre Top Albums chart, #5 on the Top Country Albums chart, and #7 on the Top Rock Albums chart. Produced by Dave Cobb, this album has critics praising their Southern rock sound. Now, the band is officially going on tour for You Hear Georgia, with a stop in Lake Wales this December. Blackberry Smoke is Charlie Starr (vocals, guitar), Richard Turner (bass, vocals), Brit Turner (drums), Paul Jackson (guitar, vocals), and Brandon Still (keyboards). Lead Singer of the band Charlie Starr shares, “We can’t wait to come out and play our new songs from You Hear Georgia LIVE! We are long overdue to get out to these great places and see some friends, family, brothers, and sisters that we have really missed. It’s going to be extra special playing these big rock n roll shows again!” The band members have come so far together, and they rely on one another for support and creative direction. “Having played music together for so long, it does become sort of a telepathic thing, where we all are nodding our heads at the same time, like, “A-ha, I know what this feels like, or what it should feel and sound like,” Starr says. You Hear Georgia features a narrator who is misunderstood because of his outward appearances and misguided stereotypes, which is the theme of Starr’s lyrics as it relates to the band’s own Southern roots. “Lyrically, the song is about the South being misunderstood. It’s obviously a rough and tumble world, and there’s a lot of bad people. But there’s a lot of good people too. It started with the idea of how people might have a preconceived opinion of you because of a thick Southern accent, then expanded into the reality of how some people just seem to have such a hard time getting along, thanks to political or religious views, or simply what part of the country you come from.” With that in mind, the songs of the album started to really come together. Many of the songs describe characters that are restless and prone to seeking out a change of scenery, in hopes of finding a place where they belong. Amidst their newest album receiving so much praise, NPR Music noted that their album “pushes the envelope while providing that famous Blackberry Smoke autonomy, delivered with soulful vocals, haunting harmonies, and kickass songs.” This tour is all about honoring the many southern music influences that made their sound what it is today. The upcoming shows add to a special milestone year for Blackberry Smoke, whose 20th anniversary as a band is this year. Rolling Stone hailed that their sound is “part of a lineage that shares a love of Petty, the Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Hank Williams Jr., able to ride an Americana vibe or peel off a stomping riff and tie it all together without a hint of pretense.” Since forming in 2001, the band has continued to tour relentlessly, building a strong and loyal following. Their music has also been prominently featured in the television show, “Yellowstone” and they’ve performed on Stephen Colbert, Conan O’Brien, and Last Call with Carson Daly. In addition to their work as musicians, Blackberry Smoke remains committed to charitable work and has raised nearly $500,000 benefiting children’s cancer research. Watch Blackberry Smoke perform live at the Orange Blossom Revue on December 4th at 8pm. Polk County fans can watch their southern roots-inspired music at the Lake Wailes park in Lake Wales.

Each month, hundreds of local families visit the Social Services office and Food Pantry for The Salvation Army of East Polk County. The organization offers social services, including financial assistance with rent, food distribution, and operates a homeless shelter. We met with Diana Woodhead, Social Services Director for The Salvation Army Winter Haven Offices serving East Polk County, and Commanding Officer Captain Dominic Blanford to discuss what they do and how the community can help. SOCIAL SERVICES AND HOMELESS SHELTER The organization works with several grants to provide this assistance, including the Tampa Electric Company Share program. The Salvation Army provides a food pantry for families in need. “Once a week, we provide food to families in our community. It can be anywhere from 50 to 100 families that come in a day depending on the time of month,” said Diana Woodhead. The organization stocks its food pantry with donations from many sources, like Feeding Tampa Bay, part of Feeding America, a nonprofit dedicated to ending hunger. Every week, The Salvation Army picks up meat close to its expiration date that has been frozen, produce nearing its sell-by date, and items with damaged packaging from Harveys Supermarket, Save A Lot, and ALDI Grocery Store. The faith-based food pantry receives leftover items from the Auburndale and Winter Haven Wawa through the Harvest Program. Last month they received nearly 4,000 items from donuts to breakfast sandwiches. Once a month, they pick up at least four pallets of damaged items from a Publix warehouse in Lakeland and receive milk, eggs, cheese, butter, and dry goods through The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). Donated food is stored and sorted in their on-site warehouse and then shelved and packed by volunteers in a pantry across the hall to be picked up by families in need each Wednesday. In the kitchen, a cook prepares community meals every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. “We feed anyone who comes – no questions asked. We just take a first name to log the meal,” said Woodhead. The number of families in need fluctuates. In September, 287 cases or 1,013 people utilized their food pantry, shelter, and rent/ utility assistance services. That doesn’t include the weekly meals they serve, 473 in the same month. These numbers often swell around the holidays. The back of the facility houses their women and children’s shelter with dorms for single women, a handicapped-accessible dorm, and one for mothers with children. The shelter has a children’s playroom, dining hall, television area, bathrooms and showers, and a laundry room. The shelter is closed Monday through Friday from 8 am to 4 pm, with exceptions for illness and inclement weather. “We can help the moms that have children of daycare age get daycare through the Early Learning Coalition. We work closely with The Hearth Project, which is part of the Polk County School Board that specifically caters to homeless families with children,” said Woodhead. The shelter’s caseworker, Dreamalee Lamberti, works closely with its tenets. Woodhead said of Lamberti, “She’s got a lot of knowledge that she can use to help the ladies. She has applied herself since she’s been here to working individually with every person we have in the shelter to put them on the right path and give direction.” THE ANGEL TREE PROGRAM AND RED KETTLE CAMPAIGN Corps Officers for Salvation Army of East Polk County, Captains Dominic and Ivelisse Blanford took leadership in Winter Haven last year. “My wife and I have both worked with the Salvation Army for over ten years now,” said Dominic Blanford. The two met at “Camp Keystone,” The Salvation Army’s Camp in Starke, Florida, and married in 2010. The Blanfords are both ordained ministers for The Salvation Army and pastor at its local church. With the help of longtime staff and volunteers, including social services director, Diana Woodhead who has been with The Salvation Army for over twenty years, Blanford said, “Our goal is to enlighten the community of what we do and what they can do to help support the cause.” In addition to the shelter, food pantry, and social services, The Salvation Army has a number of programs benefiting the underserved in our community. The Salvation Army Family Store is a volunteer-run thrift store where folks often donate second-hand clothes and household items. Blanford notes that all proceeds earned at The Family Store stay local, supporting their other programs. A popular program benefiting families who can’t afford Christmas gifts is the Angel Tree Program. “The Angel Tree Program has been in existence since the 80s,” Blanford said. “It gives individuals, families, organizations, and businesses the opportunity to adopt Angels.” According to saangeltree.org, “Once a child or senior adult has been registered and accepted as an Angel, their Christmas wish list is shared with donors in your community who purchase gifts of new clothing and toys. The gifts are distributed to the family to place under their family Christmas tree.” Distribution of gifts will be done at their administration and worship center on December 15 as a drive-through. ‘Angel’ families can drive up, and volunteers will load the gifts into their vehicles. “We like to follow up with those families too,” Blanford said. “We like to check on them and see how they’re doing. They aren’t just numbers to us – they’re people. Of course, we’re a religious organization, and they’re God’s children. We want to ensure they’re not statistics to us.” The Salvation Army Commanding Officer noted this is where they can connect families with their other services if needed. The Angel Tree Program is especially meaningful to Blanford. Growing up in Orlando, he remembers one Christmas when things were a little tight for his family, and his mother applied for the Angel Tree Program. “Now I have the opportunity to be on the other side of it and participate in helping families,” he said. And of course, who hasn’t seen volunteers ringing the bell outside of grocery stores around the holidays? The Salvation Army is currently gearing up for their signature Red Kettle Campaign. East Polk County has around 20 Publix and Walmart red kettle locations across Winter Haven, Auburndale, Lake Wales, Haines City, and Davenport. Donations made in East Polk stay here to support their programs, says Blanford. “It doesn’t go to Washington D.C. or Los Angeles. It stays in your local community.” “We like to encourage individuals, families, businesses, civic clubs, schools, churches – anyone who’s able to come out for a couple of hours – to take a couple of shifts,” he said. “We have great support here in this community.” This year, the East Polk Red Kettle Campaign will go from November 27 through December 24, daily from 10 am to 6 pm. Those interested in volunteering for the Red Kettle Campaign can sign up at www. registertoring.com. Helping hands are always needed both during the holidays and the day-to-day operations of the food pantry and Family Store. “We’re in great need of volunteers,” said Blanford. “COVID has played a role in our decrease in volunteers.” The Salvation Army Captain understands the concerns with COVID and assures they provide gloves and take necessary precautions to keep volunteers safe. EXPANDING SERVICES Blanford says he would like to offer more services to the community in the future, an endeavor they are actively working towards. “That breaks our heart, especially when I have single men who come, and I have no shelter for them. Or the situation where we have a family come, but dad can’t stay here, so we have to send them to Lakeland. We’re exploring what we can do to expand services where we can focus on not only families but single men and single women. We may approach the county, the cities, to see what we can do to expand our services,” he said. The Salvation Army of East Polk County has partnered with TriCounty Human Services and Heart for Winter Haven to mitigate homelessness in the community. “We’ve all come together because we all want the same thing for this community,” said Blanford. “We’ve collaborated to see what we can do to come up with a solution of maybe providing stable housing for families through intensive case management to promote self-sufficiency, alongside this particular building, which we’d like to see become a single women’s and single men’s shelter.” To sign up to be an Angel or adopt a family in the Angel Tree Program, volunteer for the Red Kettle Campaign, Family Store, or food pantry, or more information on other programs including youth camp and character building and the CAN-U-CARE drive, visit the website or call the phone numbers below. www.salvationarmywinterhaven.org FB @SalArmyWinterHaven Angel Tree, Red Kettle Campaign, Camp, Character building Programs/CAN-U-CARE Drive: (863) 294-7493 Family Store: (863) 401-3583 Social Service/Food Pantry: (863) 291-5107 Photography by Amy Sexson

On September 17, at the Marines Toys for Tots National Training Conference in Washington, D.C., David Waller, Polk County coordinator, accepted the Coordinator of the Year for Civilian Volunteer Campaigns. Polk County Toys for Tots was recognized as well for having the top campaign of 2020. Waller, a retired law enforcement officer of 36 years, appreciates the recognition but says it’s the campaign that won. “It’s all the volunteers that make it happen,” he said. Toys for Tots began in 1947 with Diane Hendricks, wife of Marine Corps Reserve Major Bill Hendricks. That year, under his wife’s instruction, to start an organization serving children in need, Major Hendricks and the Marines in his reserve unit collected and distributed 5,000 toys. Toys for Tots became a national community action program of Marine Reserve Sites in 1948. Hendricks, who served as a Director of Public Relations at Warner Brother Studios, enlisted the help of many of his celebrity friends for the program, including Walt Disney, who designed the organization’s first poster, now their logo. The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity in 1991. Today, the organization distributes an average of 18 million toys to 7 million children, according to their website. After retiring from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, David Waller started his own business, Waller Pavers. He eventually sold the business, grew bored with retirement, and looked for another endeavor to fill his time. “Being a cop back in the day, I worked on Christmas mornings, and you could tell a kid that got a toy from a kid that didn’t get a toy,” said Waller. “I was familiar with Toys for Tots because we had just helped get them some toys, but I really didn’t understand how it worked.” He read a local newspaper article seeking help to run the program and reached out. In 2016 he interviewed with former Polk County Toys for Tots coordinator Dorothy Dunlap and longtime volunteer George Overstreet who agreed Waller was a fit for the nonprofit. He began volunteering at the warehouse that Thanksgiving to learn the ropes and was named coordinator the following year. A COMMUNITY EFFORT According to Waller, the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, headquartered in Triangle, Virginia, has approximately 813 programs throughout the United States. About 165 of those campaigns are run by actual Marines, including one in Tampa and Orlando. The Polk County Toys for Tots campaign is an LCO, or Local Community Organization made up of dedicated, unpaid volunteers. Since he took over as coordinator in 2016, Waller has focused on changing community perception of the program to that of an LCO. “It is a community effort,” he said. “We need the community’s help, the community to come volunteer, the community to donate toys – so that the community prospers.” “What we’ve done the last few years is to continue to foster community support – businesses, volunteers, clubs, government agencies,” said the Polk County coordinator. “We have a fantastic partnership with all of our law enforcement, and the sheriff is one of our biggest supporters.” Local businesses support the charity through donations, offering storage trailers for toy inventory, warehouse space for campaign operations, and becoming toy drop-off locations. Some 450 donation boxes are posted in business around the county, waiting to be filled to the brim with new toys. Waller named LEGOLAND, Publix Supermarkets, Publix Charities, Saddle Creek Logistics, Rooms to Go, CWI Logistics, Inc., and Central Tavern (part of the Linksters and Paddy Wagon Pub chain) as but a few of their invaluable campaign supporters. The program is volunteer-driven, with a core group of between 20 and 30 volunteers serving throughout the year. That number climbs to over 250 during the holidays, especially on distribution day. Toys for Tots collects new, unwrapped toys to provide nonprofits and families in need over the holidays. Families and nonprofits apply online. Donated toys at their Auburndale warehouse are bagged and taken to distribution spots around the county. The family receives an email with details about when and where to pick up their toys, volunteers give them their items, and they are on their way to light up the holidays for a little one that might not have otherwise received a gift on Christmas morning. Contests among high schools and government agencies have proven a reliable driver for donations. The first challenge involved area high schools competing to raise the most toys. Mulberry High School won three years running, with Lake Region High School taking the top spot last year. Waller said, “My goal was to get the high school students to learn a little bit about those less fortunate than themselves, learn about helping others, a little comradery, leadership, and competition.” For years, the Polk County campaign spent donated funds to purchase batteries to include with toys. Waller had an idea. “I’m having to spend people’s donated money on batteries, and I don’t want to do that. I want to spend that money on toys,” he said. Thus the Battery Bucket Challenge in which the community can donate batteries to Toys for Tots was born, saving them hundreds of dollars on batteries over the last two years. THE 2020 CAMPAIGN At the beginning of 2020, Waller and his team met to discuss whether or not they would carry on with a campaign amid the pandemic. “Our decision, and one that we strongly believed in, is we were going to have a campaign.” They continued with the 2020 Polk County Toys for Tots Campaign and adjusted as needed. For volunteers unable to work in the warehouse, Waller and his team found ways to keep them involved with the program from home with tasks like putting labels on tags. The 2020 campaign didn’t only manage to get by and meet needs; it thrived thanks to Waller, Toys for Tots volunteers, and the community at large. Through their signature donation boxes and community challenges, the Polk County Toys for Tots campaign distributed 57,716 toys to just under 15,000 children and raised over $70,000 in monetary donations. “While we are under the foundation, every penny that gets donated to our campaign is spent on our campaign. It does not go to pay a foundation salary. It doesn’t pay a salary for any of us. Every penny stays right here in Polk County,” Waller said. “Anytime you donate money to an organization, you want it to stay locally, and we’re very proud of that.” This community support and generosity, paired with creative challenges and campaign adjustments surrounding the pandemic, earned the Polk County Toys for Tots team the designation of the top campaign for 2020 and David Waller, Coordinator of the Year for Civilian Volunteer Campaigns. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Registration for this year’s Polk County Toys for Tots campaign opened on October 11. Asked how 2021 is shaping up thus far, Waller said, “We’ve been preparing upfront.” To mitigate any toy shortages or shipping bottlenecks, Waller and his team began purchasing toys in June – fishing poles, dollhouses, books, bikes, and the like. Waller encourages the community to donate earlier in the holiday season so that toys can be prepared for their December 11 distribution day. A list of drop-off sites is available on the Toys for Tots website listed below. On the website, families and nonprofits can also apply for toys, businesses can sign up to be a toy drop box location, or folks can sign up to volunteer. Waller says volunteers are their most significant need at the moment, with a particular need for route drivers to deliver donation boxes and service them as they fill up. “It’s a fantastic program for our community. I cannot say enough about the support that we get from the community, from law enforcement, particularly our sheriff,” the Polk County Toys for Tots coordinator said. As we concluded our interview, Waller offered a final sentiment, “Every child deserves a Christmas.” Marines Toys for Tots toysfortotsusa.org FB @PolkCountyToysForTots (863) 292-8687

In the bright yellow building on Avenue A, formerly Bryant Home Gallery Marketplace, Bao and Lena Nguyen bake ‘a lot of happiness’ by way of fresh bread and authentic Vietnamese recipes to make their ‘Dang Good’ bami (banh mi). The couple lives in Lakeland, where they moved from California two years earlier. “We originated from Vietnam, so we’re very familiar [with banh mi]. In California where we lived, there’s banh mi all over the place,” said Bao, adding that five or six banh mi shops would compete within one city. “When we came to the Lakeland/ Winter Haven area, we were quite surprised because there’s no banh mi here,” he said. So the couple decided to open a Vietnamese sandwich shop in Polk County. When they set out to open their banh mi or ‘bami’ shop, Bao said, “We want to make it exactly the way Vietnamese people make it.” One distinction between a traditional Vietnamese banh mi and the Western version is the bread. Here, many shops offer a baguette bun, which according to Bao, is not how the Vietnamese make it. “We took a trip back to Vietnam right before COVID. We took classes over there to try to understand the beauty of why they’re making it and what makes it so popular. We brought the recipe over here,” he said. Bao and Lena first looked to open their Vietnamese sandwich shop in Lakeland, closer to where they live. “Lots of our friends recommended the Downtown Winter Haven area,” Bao said. “We heard a lot of good things about the area, and the price is better as well. So, we decided to go with our first shop over here.” Throughout 2020, they tested recipes and offered catering to businesses, taking in feedback and improving their product along the way. Bao and Lena started renovations on their Downtown Winter Haven sandwich spot in January 2021. “We were hoping to get to Winter Haven sooner, but it took us a while to get the place done. Finally, we got done in August,” Bao said. They began a BL Sandwich soft opening on August 18 and hope to have a grand opening in mid-November. BL Sandwich is short for the establishment’s full title, Bách Lac Bakery. Bao said, “In Asian Vietnamese meaning, Bách means ‘a lot’ and Lac means ‘happiness.’ So the name basically means ‘a lot of happiness.’” The B and L also stand for the couple’s initials – Bao and Lena. “We wanted to bring a little bit of everything,” Bao said of their menu. The traditional and most popular among Vietnamese folks is their number one, Combination Bami. The special Vietnamese style sandwich is served with Vietnamese jambon, pork roll, head cheese, pate, daikon radish, pickled carrot, cucumber, cilantro, and jalapeno. “In Vietnam, they don’t have green jalapeno like we have it here. They use a tiny Vietnamese chili that’s super spicy. I didn’t want to introduce it just yet because I’m afraid it’s too spicy.” Bao says iron-palate customers curious about the piquant pepper can request it on their BL Sandwich to enjoy it the way the Vietnamese do. The recipe for this sandwich hails straight from Vietnam, and Lena does all the cooking. According to Bao, the banh mi is a French-inspired sandwich of which the Vietnamese adapted the French baguette baking style for a lighter, more airy bread with a crispy outer crust. “The outside needs to be grilled crunchy and stay crunchy for a while. The inside not only has to be soft but also needs to be fluffy,” he said, adding that Vietnamese people continue to develop different shapes and forms of this bread, which BL plans to introduce to their customers in the future. “When you open the bread, there’s steam coming out, and that’s how Vietnamese people developed it that makes it stand out from other bread. It’s a challenge to replicate that bread,” Bao added. He and Lena make their bread fresh, in-house, and from scratch every day. They stay in touch with their culinary teachers in Vietnam, with whom they have regular video calls to continue improving the craft. The BL Sandwich menu has a little something for everyone. If a Combination Bami isn’t your speed, they offer grilled pork, grilled chicken, meatball, Char Siu (barbecue pork), sardine, and vegan bami sandwiches. “We have special sauces for each of them as well. We have a special meat sauce for grilled pork, grilled chicken, and for the meatball, we have our own sauce too,” Bao said. “We bring in some creativity with it like the sausage and egg, which is my favorite.” The Nguyen’s stay up to date on the culinary goings-on of Vietnam to bring new styles and recipes into their shop. “In the future, we’re looking to bring more specialties, which is one of the things other shops won’t have. That’s because we actually go back there [to Vietnam], and the bami in Vietnam is constantly evolving, and they’re bringing new recipes every day.” One such specialty is roasted pork with crispy skin. “Until now, I didn’t know of any shop in Florida that did it, but we’ll bring it as a special,” he said. In addition to their bangin’ bami, BL Sandwich offers pastries, snacks, and beverages like Tiger Sugar Milk with Boba, Lychee Tea with Boba, and Vietnamese Coffee with Condensed Milk. The BL Sandwich shop owners have utilized their first few months of a soft opening as a learning and growing period. “We always ask for feedback, and the more we improve it, we see the more positive a customer responds to it,” said Bao of their food. The couple pride themselves on listening to customer feedback and working to improve their food constantly. One change they made per customer feedback was increasing the size of their fresh buns. When we spoke, Bao and Lena were working on their website, ordering app, menu, and reward program to further elevate the customer experience. “I know life is busy, and people need a quick grab and go, and something fresh, nice, and delicious as well. We want to make it easier for people,” said Bao. Follow BL Sandwich’s social media for details on a grand opening date, specials, and more! BL Sandwich 260 Ave A SW, Winter Haven (863) 229-5507 blsandwich.com FB: BL Sandwich IG @blsandwichf Photography by Amy Sexson

Even with your head in the books, it would be hard not to appreciate the art on the walls of Downtown Lakeland’s independent bookstore, Pressed Books & Coffee. Each piece is the work of a local artist, presented by Vakti Gallery, an online art gallery started by Lakelander Olivia Overholt. Through the online gallery, monthly pop-up shows, and wall space at Pressed, the Vakti Gallery owner and gallery director aims to connect the community to fine art. The gallery’s mission is “To provide a space where local artists can be recognized and where the quality and power of their creations can be felt.” Overholt was born and raised in Lakeland. After graduating from Lakeland Christian School, she attended Anderson University in South Carolina, majoring in graphic design. Overholt moved home after college at the height of the pandemic. Though Overholt majored in graphic design, she is an artist at heart. She enjoys the hands-on, messy aspect of creating something like her woodblock prints, carved out entirely by hand. “It’s good to not stare at the screen for a while,” she laughed. The artist also has an affinity for acrylic paint and charcoal. “If my hands aren’t dirty at the end of it, it’s not worth it for me,” she said. Back home in Lakeland, she began looking for a place to sell her art but couldn’t find one. Unable to find an accessible art scene, Overholt decided to open her own gallery – with a bit of a twist. “I was looking for a place to sell my art but couldn’t find one,” she said. “When I decided to open the gallery, I wanted to do it for other artists who needed a place to sell their art.” She had the community in mind too. “I wanted to make sure that people who do come in – whether it’s for college or because it’s not cold here, or to be closer to the beach – whatever reason they move here, that they have an easier way of finding that art scene,” she said. On December 1, 2020, Overholt launched her online art gallery, which she named Vakti Gallery. Of the endeavor, Overholt smiled and said, “When I was in college, I used to look at the painting majors and think they were insane because they were going to spend their whole life trying to sell art. Then I graduated, and now I’m doing the same thing.” The gallery director spent quite a bit of time choosing a name for the digital and pop-up space to represent local artists. “I chose Vakti because it does have a root word that means something. It comes from the Sanskrit root word for ‘speech.’ I believe that all art is a way to express yourself. Even if it’s abstract and you think it doesn’t mean anything, it does. [...] I decided that all art, more than being a part of you, is what you’re saying.” For the artist and gallery owner, Vakti in name and practice is “listening to local artists, not just using their art for decoration.” In Vakti Gallery’s infancy, Overholt connected with her high school art teacher Kari Clever for advice. “There’s only so much I know, and I was willing to admit that,” Overholt said. She learned about sourcing artists, pricing, shipping, and other art gallery ins and outs. One of the first to join Vakti Gallery was fine artist Seungdo Hyun. “I was super excited because he’s well known,” said Overholt. “I was very appreciative.” Another artist early to Vakti’s digital gallery and a valuable resource for Overholt was former high school classmate, Rebekah Firmin who creates art and illustrations as Mockingbird Artist. “I was able to talk to her and use her as a resource because she has been in Lakeland selling art since before I moved back from college. It was good to find someone who does sell art and knows which avenues work and don’t work,” said the gallery director. Vakti Gallery currently has around 150 pieces of art, photography, sculptures, and mixed media online and available for purchase. The gallery represents 22 artists, including Olivia Overholt, that are based in Central Florida from Lake Wales, Orlando, Winter Haven, Clearwater, and Lakeland. Vakti brings fine art by local artists before the community through an online gallery medium, pop-up shows, and a rotating selection of art at Pressed Books & Coffee. “It’s good here for exposure,” Overholt said of the Pressed gallery space. “The amount of people who have come up to me while I’m working and said, ‘Hey, who do I talk to about art on the walls?’ It’s been insane.” What’s next for Vakti Gallery? “I would love to have a physical location,” said Overholt. “But in the meantime, in the next few years, the pop-up shows are fantastic. I love having them. It’s so much fun.” The next pop-up show will be on November 20 from 5-9 pm at LKLD Live, followed by a Christmas Show at a local residence on December 11 from 5-8 pm. Check the website for address details for the December show. The next time you’re in Pressed or shopping Vakti Gallery’s website and a piece of art speaks to you, keep Vakti’s meaning in mind, and listen. Vakti Gallery vaktigallery.com FB @vaktigallery IG @vaktigallery Photograph by Amy Sexson