03/30/2017 ISSUE 13

Top Chefs dish up help
for ‘Hope.’ P16

Hospital reports
financial turnaround. P9
Fundraiser shows inspiration
is powerful Answer to Cancer. P20

MY VERO Hotel developer Heaton facing felony charges School leaders
turn strategic
BY RAY MCNULTY plan into farce

Someone in Gifford knows BY KATHLEEN SLOAN
who shot Garry Chambliss Staff Writer

Six weeks after Sheriff’s Dep- George Heaton: Developer of the Vero Beach Hotel & Spa PHOTO BY GORDON RADFORD School Superintendent Mark
uty Garry “Kool-Aid” Cham- Rendell says the five-year stra-
bliss was shot to death while BY LISA ZAHNER on sentence plus millions in tegic planning process under-
standing with a group of neigh- Staff Writer fines and restitution payments way at the district is “transpar-
bors in front of a friend’s Gif- if convicted on nine felony ent,” but it does not seem that
ford home, we still don’t know The developer and owner charges that he, his accoun- way.
who pulled the trigger. of the island’s finest hotel, tant and his title agent made
73-year-old George Heaton, is false statements on mortgage In a typical move, without
But someone does. facing a 30-year federal pris- consulting the School Board,
Someone in the county’s CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 he hired an outside team of
historically black community “experts” to develop the plan,
knows the identity of the gut- leaving it to people not fa-
less, gun-toting thug who fired miliar with the community
the fatal shot from more than to gather input from parents,
100 yards away and inadver- students, teachers and other
tently struck the off-duty cor- “stakeholders” over a brief
rections deputy, robbing two three-day period.
daughters of their father.
Someone either saw the The outside consultant,
shooter, or has talked with him Battelle for Kids, held a grand
about the shooting. Someone total of one meeting open to
is a close friend or relative who
knows what happened on that CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
fateful Friday night and why.
At the very least, someone After big auction sale,
knows somebody who knows new estate up for bid
something – because, accord-
ing to a Sheriff’s Office report, BY STEVEN M. THOMAS
Staff Writer
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
The sale at auction last week
End of an era for Ellie McCabe, of an oceanfront estate in In-
driving force for philanthropy dian River Shores for just over
$10 million has now motivated
BY MARY SCHENKEL the owner of a $12.9 million
Staff Writer home on the southern stretch
of Vero’s barrier island to try to
With wedding crasher Matthew gone, couple ties knot. PAGE 6 Eleonora McCabe, the driving force be- sell his beachfront property
hind philanthropy in Indian River County, the same way, according to
has decided at age 82 to begin winding down Eleonora McCabe. PHOTO BY DENISE RITCHIE Premier Estate Properties bro-
the direct and indirect support she has pro- ker associate Clark French.
vided over the decades to what has become
one of the most generous clusters of chari- CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

March 30, 2017 Volume 10, Issue 13 Newsstand Price $1.00 Ay Jalisco owners
have new plans for
News 1-14 Faith 58 Pets 57 TO ADVERTISE CALL old Long Branch. P14
Arts 39-46 Games 59-61 Real Estate 81-96 772-559-4187
Books 56 Health 63-67 St Ed’s 79
Dining 72 Insight 47-62 Style 68-71 FOR CIRCULATION
Editorial 54 People 15-38 Wine 73 CALL 772-226-7925

© 2017 Vero Beach 32963 Media LLC. All rights reserved.

2 Vero Beach 32963 / March 30, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

My Vero deputy who specializes in commu- that we have a pretty good idea who of loyalty to the shooter, I was told, be-
nity relations, continues to pass along did it. cause they know him and don't want
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 leads. Gifford civic leaders continue to see him go to prison. Others don't trust
encourage cooperation with law en- "But,” he added emphatically, "we the legal system, particularly the Sher-
there was a verbal altercation at the forcement. don't have enough to prove who did it. iff's Office, which, until recently, hadn't
scene, a bottle was thrown at a car and What we need is for someone to say, 'I made much of an effort to embrace the
gunshots were fired in anger, all in the Yet nobody – nobody able to irrefut- saw him do it,' or something close to county's black communities.
minutes and seconds before Cham- ably identify the shooter and willing to it. And we don't have that yet."
bliss went down. testify against him – has come forward There also might be some who fear
to give detectives the evidence they Sheriff's Office detectives don't retaliation from the shooter's friends
Yet, all these weeks later, despite all need to make an arrest. have it because the people most able and relatives. There are others who,
the tears and all the community out- to help them bring Chambliss' killer to despite their love for Chambliss and
rage over the shooting death of a be- "People are providing us with infor- justice have, thus far, refused to do so. sadness over his death, simply can't
loved friend and neighbor, the killer mation via phone calls and text mes- bring themselves to help put another
remains at large. sages, even coming in to talk to us," Their reasons are varied, according black man in jail.
Sheriff's Office spokesman Maj. Eric to my conversations – both on the re-
Sheriff's detectives continue to take Flowers said. "We're also getting tips cord and off – with law-enforcement That's entirely understandable,
calls and work the case. Teddy Floyd, from our contacts in the community, officials, Gifford's longtime civic lead- given the relationship between the
the popular and well-connected and we've gotten enough information ers and members of that community. Gifford community and local law en-
forcement before Sheriff Deryl Loar
Some Gifford residents feel a sense was elected in 2008.

"There's history that both sides have
to overcome," said Tony Brown, presi-
dent of the county's NAACP chapter.
"There's still some mistrust, some
fear, a lack of understanding. That's
because, with previous administra-
tions, there was no relationship with
law enforcement, and there was a lot
of dysfunction.

"Sheriff Loar has worked hard to
reach out to the community and
change that mindset," he added, "but
some people are still in denial."

Brown, who works closely with Gif-
ford civic leaders and pastors of the
black churches in the community,
wants justice for Chambliss. So does
Floyd.

For those who don't know: Both
men are black.

So was Chambliss.
"I remember Victor Hart Sr. saying
that there's no crime committed in
our community in which somebody
didn't see something," Floyd said of
the longtime Gifford civic and civil
rights leader. "There should be 100
people coming forward to tell us what
happened.
"Unfortunately, there are some
people who want to make this about
something else – something other
than accountability, truth and justice."
Not even Chambliss' distant cousin,
who was involved in the earlier dis-
pute that prompted the gunplay and
likely was the shooter's intended tar-
get, would finger the trigger man.
Sheriff's Office reports say Makhail
Chambliss, 21, was arrested and
charged with "felony discharge of a
firearm from a vehicle" after he fired
several handgun rounds into the air
in response to someone throwing a
bottle at his black Chevrolet Camaro.
He fired the shots from the car at
about 9:30 p.m. on February 17 on
the 4400 block of 28th Avenue, where
he stopped and became engaged in a
heated verbal exchange with someone
in the crowd that had gathered across
from the Mount Sinai Baptist Church,
site of a wake earlier in the day.

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 30, 2017 3

NEWS

As Makhail Chambliss and a pas- Most Gifford residents, Brown said, community, but we can't make that relative, it's disgraceful and cowardly.
senger sped away, someone shot from want to live in a safe, peaceful, crime- the foundation for doing wrong." Certainly, Garry Chambliss deserves
a distance – presumably at the Cama- free community in which they can
ro – and the bullet struck Garry Cham- raise their kids and flourish. Many of What happened to Garry Chambliss – better. So does Gifford.
bliss, who staggered 20 feet before col- them, he added, live in middle-class killed for no good reason, at age 50, after "This is a partnership," Floyd said.
lapsing on a driveway. neighborhoods. 27 1/2 years of service to the Sheriff's of-
fice – was about as wrong as it gets. "We, in law enforcement, can't do our
Given that detectives were told the "The good people of Gifford don't jobs without you. There's a reward,
incident was connected to an ongo- want this crime and violence in their Worse, though, is knowing who but, really, we shouldn't need one. It's
ing feud ignited when Makhail Cham- community," Brown said. "Gifford has pulled the trigger and staying silent. time for the people who know who did
bliss was robbed two weeks prior to some issues that are troubling for our this to come forward.
the shooting, it's difficult to believe he That's not only wrong; even if the
doesn't know who shot at him. shooter happens to be a friend or "Justice cries out from the grave." 

"Either he can't tell us," Flowers said Exclusively John’s Island
of Makhail Chambliss, "or he won't."
Delight in waterfront living in this beautifully updated 4BR+Library/5.5BA
My guess is he won't . . . because he retreat sited on .7± acres along serene John’s Island Sound. Enjoy fishing and
can't. And he can't because, for too boating from your own backyard! Set back from the road, this 6,624± GSF home
many young black men in the Gifford overlooks a tropically landscaped pool, spa, boat dock and private reserves.
community, helping the police violates A vaulted beamed ceiling unites the island kitchen with wine bar and family
some street code – some twisted sense room. Additional features include a handsome library with fireplace, refinished
of honor – that puts race over right. wood floors, custom millwork, cabana with bunkroom, and 3-car garage.
250 Coconut Palm Road : $ 3,500,000
It doesn't matter that Garry Cham-
bliss was a good man who was killed three championship golf courses : 17 har-tru courts : beach club : squash
only because he happened to be health & fitness center : pickleball : croquet : vertical equity membership
standing in the wrong place at the
wrong time. Clearly, it doesn't mat- 772.231.0900 : Vero Beach, FL : JohnsIslandRealEstate.com
ter that Gary and Makhail Chambliss
were kin.

"He has to know who he was in an
argument with," Floyd said, adding
that there might even be some gang-
like attitudes that are preventing
those in the know from talking. "We
don't have the Crips and Bloods like
they do in Los Angeles, but we have a
lot of wannabes in our community."

That might explain why Makhail
Chambliss won't say anything, though
it's a pathetic excuse. But what about
the others who know enough to give
detectives the probable cause they
need to make an arrest?

Where's the character to do what's
right? Where's the courage to stand up
to street thugs? Where's the compas-
sion for Chambliss and his family?

I'm told that most of the crime
problems in Gifford are being caused
by young people. That's no surprise.

Nor is this: Many of these young
troublemakers, as well as those who
defend them and offer excuses for
their bad behavior, consider Gifford's
longtime civic leaders and black dep-
uties like Floyd to be out of touch with
life in their community.

"I've been called an 'Uncle Tom'
and a 'sellout,' and that I'm 'not a
real black man,' all because I wear a
badge," Floyd said. "But that's coming
from people who don't really know
me, don't know my story, don't know
the facts.

"Sometimes, it hurts to hear it," he
added. "Sometimes, I see posts like
that on Facebook and it brings tears
to my eyes. Most of the time, though,
it comes from people who want to do
bad, anyway, so I just consider the
source.

"But these people need to under-
stand: It's not about selling out, it's
about standing up for what's right."

4 Vero Beach 32963 / March 30, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Developer George Heaton widely viewed the units as overpriced, price of the condo that the bank used of what had been a Doubletree hotel
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 even before the real estate downturn. in making a mortgage decision more and a motel next door, Aquarius North.
attractive to the buyer.
loan applications for buyers of condo- The ultimate source of that incen- A major construction project that
minium units at his Vero Beach Hotel tive money, however, was omitted from The 18-page indictment handed went on several years saw the former
& Spa. loan application and federal Housing down by the federal grand jury cites one Doubletree totally renovated and a
and Urban Development closing state- count of conspiracy to commit bank new wing rise in the place of Aquarius
Court documents allege those de- ment forms, so it appeared on the forms fraud and eight counts of bank fraud. North, giving the new hotel a total of
ceptive documents led four banks that buyers were putting up large down Each felony carries a maximum penalty 113 guest units – many of them one-
to fund loans of more than $20 mil- payments themselves, when charging of 30 years of prison and $1 million fine, bedroom and two-bedroom suites –
lion “based upon materially false and documents say they were only putting plus five years of probation. as well as two restaurants, Cobalt and
fraudulent pretenses, representations, the money up temporarily, and later poolside Heaton’s Reef, and the White
promises and material omissions,” getting it back from Heaton in a sepa- Heaton turned himself over to fed- Orchid Spa.
and that, as the seller of the condos, rate refund transaction. eral authorities in West Palm Beach on
Heaton made millions in profits from March 1 after a warrant was issued for Even before construction was be-
those transactions. Prosecutors say Oculina Bank, JP his arrest on Feb. 28. gun, Heaton began marketing the
Morgan Chase, Orion (now Iberia) condo units, which could both be
A U.S. Department of Justice state- Bank and Floridian Community Bank According to court documents, Hea- rented out by the hotel operator to
ment said that, from 2006 through 2009, relied upon that information for loan ton posted $100,000 bond and surren- hotel guests and used by the owner to
the defendants “conspired to perpe- decisions. dered his passport as part of the terms put up out-of-town clients or visitors.
trate a complex mortgage fraud scheme of his release awaiting trial. A two- While some of the units had an ask-
against various FDIC-insured lenders Court documents say Heaton refund- week trial was scheduled to begin this ing price of more than $500,000, some
by concealing incentives offered and ed the down payments and other costs coming Monday, but a case status up- sold during the downturn in the low
paid to buyers of condominium units at after closing, “transferring funds used date filed on March 16 states that this $200,000s. There are still units on the
the Vero Beach Hotel and Club,” as the for buyers’ incentives through a bank Wednesday, all parties were to request market for just less than $300,000.
hotel was originally known. account of a Palm Beach County law “a continuance to sometime in late
firm in order to conceal and attempt to 2017, due to the complexity of the case. If all three defendants are convicted
Heaton has pleaded not guilty and conceal the source of the funds.” The on all counts, court documents show
asked for a jury trial. His defense at- refunds were sometimes characterized “The discovery in this case is volu- that they would be required to forfeit a
torney denies that any wrongdoing as payments for “lease-back or profit minous and consists of mortgage loan total of $11.8 million in real or personal
occurred. participation agreements.” files, real estate closing files, bank re- property to represent the proceeds of
cords and emails,” the report said. the alleged fraudulent transactions. He-
The alleged fraud involved “cash-to- In one cited transaction in August aton’s portion of that is not broken out
close” money Heaton provided buyers to 2008, the incentive money allegedly In late February, Heaton and his specifically, but his and Baggett’s forfei-
cover down payments and closing costs transferred between various accounts former accountant, 54-year-old Debo- ture number combined is $8.6 million.
to help make the condos more attrac- to be refunded to a buyer totaled rah Dentry Baggett now of Tennessee,
tive in a skepticalVero Beach market that $250,000 for one condo unit. This were added to a September 2016 in- Heaton’s lead criminal defense at-
would have made the inflated sales dictment of 59-year-old Central Beach torney, Jack Goldberger of West Palm
resident Eric Granitur, who during the Beach, in response to a question asking
years in question, handled title work how the indictment affects Heaton’s in-
and closings for Heaton Companies, terests in the Vero Beach Hotel and Spa
the owner- operator of the hotel. and the remaining condo units to be
sold, issued a statement Monday say-
Court documents say Granitur was ing, “We have entered a not guilty plea,
an attorney and an escrow agent who deny that there was any wrongdoing
operated Live Oak Title LLC. Granitur that occurred and we have requested a
is on file with the State of Florida as trial by jury. These allegations have no
having a null and void CPA license and effect on the units for sale at the Vero
an inactive real estate license. Baggett Beach Hotel and Spa.”
operated a company called Account-
ability Plus, which assisted buyers Heaton is a prominent figure in
with the financing paperwork on the the Vero Beach real estate commu-
Vero Beach Hotel condos, and she nity with two successful subdivisions
owns several of the units now listed nearing completion on the island. The
for resale under the name Vero 8 LLC, Palm Beach headquarters of Heaton’s
according to county property records. development company did not re-
spond to a request for comment. 
The three-acre Vero Beach Hotel and
Club facility opened in 2008 on the site

Strategic plan for schools cause we don’t have a strategic plan.”
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Rendell, with no further discussion

the public – which lasted one hour – to with the board, signed a contract with
get input from the community in or- Battelle for Kids for just under $50,000,
der to come up with a plan for the next bypassing the need for the board’s ap-
half-decade of educating children in proval and also relegating it to the
Indian River County. sidelines. (Expenditures over $50,000
typically require board approval.)
The last strategic plan expired in
2010 and the need for a new one came Battelle met with Rendell and his
up while the School Board discussed assistant superintendents twice in
whether it should purchase the 16th early February to establish the “ex-
Street ball fields from the county. Ren- pectations, goals, and the approach
dell and four school board members . . . guiding principles and success
said the district didn’t need the land, criteria” for the plan, charging nearly
but board member Laura Zorc said, $20,000 for this part of the process.
“We don’t know what we need be- The public was unaware of these
meetings and it is not clear that the
School Board knew about them either.

















Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 30, 2017 13

NEWS

Omar Hussamy resigns from Hospital District board

BY MICHELLE GENZ patient care committee but was de- Zudans, who lost his seat in the No- resign from the position to which he
nied, due to what the District’s attor- vember election, said he did not in- was just elected,” said Cunningham.
Staff Writer ney claimed was a conflict of interest. tend to apply for Hussamy’s vacated “He would have brought another per-
Hussamy, who performs surgical pro- position. spective to the board, particularly as
Orthopedic surgeon Omar Hussa- cedures at both Indian River Medical we pursue the strategic assessment
my has resigned his seat on the Indian Center and Sebastian River Medical “I’m not even sure whether losing recently undertaken. I hope he will
River County Hospital District Board Center, recently sold his practice to candidates can apply,” said Suriano. continue to participate and share his
of Trustees just four months after be- the Sebastian hospital. “I’ve had several of those calling me insights. I do understand the demands
ing elected to a four-year term. His already.” of his practice conflicting with the de-
resignation leaves Gov. Rick Scott to Another District Trustee, Barbara mands of the District.”
name a replacement within six weeks. Bodnar, a physical therapist who works Other candidates who lost in Novem-
for Hussamy, was also denied a spot on ber include Bob Savage, a retired hos- Of the seven District Trustees cur-
Hussamy, 54, emailed his resigna- the committee. pital administrator; Eugene Feinour, rently serving, two were originally ap-
tion to the District office last Wednes- an incumbent trustee; Brittany Miller, pointed by Gov. Scott, Ann Marie Mc-
day, citing a more intensive schedule Hussamy was told that because the another employee of Hussamy’s; and Crystal and Allen Jones. Both were
than anticipated for the volunteer po- committee meeting is closed and is Tony Woodruff, the chairman of the subsequently re-elected.
sition, due to the new initiative to con- not open to the public, there could Hospital Foundation board.
sider selling the hospital or otherwise be a conflict “because you’re an em- Whoever is appointed now will
change its existing structure. ployee of another hospital in the mar- Suriano intends to put the word in serve until the next county election,
ket. There could be strategic matters to the governor’s appointments office in 2018; if the appointee is re-elected
There was no hint of discord in his discussed,” said the District’s attorney, that a speedy decision would be ap- at that time, he or she will serve only a
letter of resignation, which simply said Jennifer Peshke. preciated, given the hospital restruc- two-year term, not the usual four.
he could not devote the time the post turing effort underway.
required. Asked by email if his and Bodnar’s Anyone can apply for the post. “It’s
exclusion from the committee had Hussamy came to Vero in 1994, a a lot easier than campaigning and get-
“It has been a pleasure to serve the anything to do with his resignation, year after finishing his residency in or- ting elected,” said Suriano, who will
District in the short time I have been Hussamy replied, “I really can’t say thopedics at University of North Caro- post the opening on the appointments
on the board,” he wrote. “Unfortunate- much more.” lina at Chapel Hill. He earned the Brit- office website; the application is filled
ly I am unable to meet the time com- ish equivalent of the M.D. at Churchill out online.
mitment necessary to perform my re- "I do not think it is appropriate to College of the University of Cambridge
sponsibilities during this critical time be sharing strategic or confidential in- and in the states, earned an M.D. at Once the field of candidates is nar-
for health care in Indian River County.” formation with an employee of a ma- the University of Virginia. rowed and Gov. Scott makes his choice,
jor competitor," said IRMC’s CEO Jeff the appointee will be notified. 
“He has taken on some other things Susi explaining his view of a conflict of “I am very sorry to see Dr. Hussamy
besides just his employment, and so interest. "On a personal note, I believe
has the district since he joined,” says Dr. Hussamy and Ms. Bodner are intel-
the Hospital District’s executive direc- ligent and thoughtful Trustees."
tor, Ann Marie Suriano. “He’s really
conscientious, and you have to be able Now, the choice of who will replace
to commit your time.” Hussamy is left to Gov. Rick Scott, a for-
mer for-profit hospital chain CEO and
Hussamy ran a campaign in strong a vocal critic of the Hospital District
opposition to the hospital’s current concept, and of non-profit hospitals
management, arguing for increased generally.
transparency with regard to finances
and personnel. He vehemently ques- Scott’s last appointment to the
tioned why the emergency department board was Dr. Val Zudans, an ophthal-
was losing money and cited other prob- mologist whose public criticism of Susi
lems. He also believed that as a taxpay- continues today; he recently slammed
er-owned hospital, executive decisions the hospital’s management at an In-
should involve the public and financial dian River Taxpayers Association lun-
matters should be fully accessible. cheon and last week gave a similar talk
at John’s Island. Susi has said he will
Once elected, Hussamy requested retire by the end of this year.
a position on the hospital’s important

14 Vero Beach 32963 / March 30, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

NEWS

Ay Jalisco owners plan Caribbean cantina for old Long Branch

BY KATHLEEN SLOAN Huitron and Nevarez purchased the and Italian Mediterranean food,” said Patricia and Dennis Silver owned
Staff Writer Long Branch building on March 6 for Nevarez, who is a chef. “We’ll serve a the Long Branch Saloon for 30 years,
$600,000, and are already at work re- few Mexican dishes too. Why not?” but decided to shutter the popular
Gloria Huitron and Pedro Nevarez, modeling it. neighborhood bar and restaurant last
the couple who own the popular Ay Live country and other types of mu- August after running into trouble with
Jalisco Mexican restaurants, have pur- “We’re still working on a name, but sic will be offered, as well as Karaoke, the law for illegal gambling activity.
chased the Miracle Mile building that the furnishings will definitely have a continuing the Long Branch’s tradi-
long housed the Long Branch Saloon Caribbean theme,” Nevarez said. tion of having one of the few dance “I’ve had a good run,” Dennis said at
and plan to turn it into a Caribbean- spots in Vero Beach and the only one the time. “It’s time for a younger per-
themed restaurant with live music and The new place will offer an inter- in Miracle Mile. “We’re going to make son to come in here and take over.”
dancing tentatively called “Tahinos.” national menu, all from hot climates. the dance floor look real nice,” Neva-
“We would like to bring a fusion of Pe- rez said. Huitron and Nevarez own several
ruvian, Columbian, Spanish, Cuban Ay Jalisco! Mexican restaurants locally,
as well as a Mexican grocery store on
Highway 60 and Agave Fresh Mex in
Ormond Beach.

Nevarez does most of the booth,
table and partition design and wood-
work in his restaurants.

Silver used specialty woods for the
bar and much of it will be retained, he
said.

Lambert Commercial Property
agent Billy Moss, who specializes in
brokering restaurants, represented
both sides in the transaction.

“Selling a restaurant can get very
emotional,” Moss said, “but in this
case all the feelings were good. It was
one of the nicest transactions of my
career. The owner was ready to pass
the torch, but he was selective about
who would buy his place. He wanted
it to go to someone who would bring
it forward.” 

Another estate goes up for bid
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

and can bid just slightly over the pre-
vious offer.

French agrees with Lawless that
home auctions are becoming more
acceptable to both buyers and sell-
ers. “The stigma is gone,” he says.
“For years, auctions have been the
preferred way to sell fine art, classic
cars and other high-end goods, and,
increasingly, they are being seen as
a smart way to sell luxury real es-
tate.”

That seems to be the opinion of the
seller at 2470 S. A1A whose home will
go on the block at the end of April.

Built by Beachlen Development in
2013 to the highest luxury standards
on a 1.6-acre lot with 155 linear feet
of ocean frontage, the house has eight
bedroom suites, a guesthouse, 5-car
garage and huge resort-style swim-
ming pool.

When built, it was listed for $17.9
million. The current owner purchased
it for $9.3 million in May 2015. It is
currently listed at $12.9 million and
will be sold at an absolute auction
with no reserve. 



16 Vero Beach 32963 / March 30, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Competition sizzles as Top Chefs dish up help for ‘Hope’

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF
Staff Writer

The gauntlet has been thrown

down! Seven chefs gave it their all

at the ninth annual Vero’s Top Chef

Qualifying Event last Monday eve-

ning, the first of a two-part fundrais-

ing competition to benefit the Hope

for Families Center.

More than 150 gourmands tasted

their way through tapas-style dishes at

chef’s stations set up at the Bent Pine

Golf Club before casting their votes in

chefs’ hats to select their favorites of

1 the night. Most made more than one

pass at the dishes as they at-

tempted to pick their fa- 121 Tapas’ entry.
vorite and there wasn’t

a bad choice among Vero Beach Yacht Club’s entry.
them. Chefs brought

their “A” game, pulling

tricks out of their hats less families.

as a magician would and “With the community’s

tempting taste buds with help and support through

hints of lemongrass, ponzu, donations and attending our

jerk and mojo. events, we are able to keep the shelter

Four of the seven chefs will now ad- available for all those families in their

vance to the Vero’s Top Chef Challenge time of most need,” said Grossi, not-

Finale on April 3, also at Bent Pine Golf ing that each room requires $2,000 per

Club, vying for the title of Vero’s Top month to operate.

2 Chef 2017. The four finalists are Chef Bireley, who has participated in Top

A Friache Note’s entry. Cassandra Lynne of A FraÎche Note, Chef since opening Osceola Bistro six

3 Bent Pine’s own Chef Sarah Wills, years ago, said, “We made it to the fi-

Chef Chris Bireley of Osceola Bistro, nals the first two or three years, and

and Vero Beach Yacht Club’s Chef Bill we’ve taken second, but we’ve never

Narhi. Chefs from the Cuisine Ma- brought home the gold. It’s really

chine, Costa d’Este and 121 Tapas on about the shelter. We see what an im-

The Water also competed. pact it has in the community.”

Lynne lured with her Thai beef ten- Dale Jacobs, vice president of phi-

derloin atop coconut jasmine rice and lanthropy for Grand Harbor Commu-

spring vegetables, served with a pal- nity Outreach, said homelessness is

ate cleansing coconut, lemongrass, one of the social issues they have sup-

ginger sorbet. Wills impressed with a ported over the years.

flat-iron roulade enhanced by pesto, “We are pleased with the direction

Manchego cheese and tomato jam, the Hope for Families board is taking,”

with purple Peruvian scalloped pota- said Jacobs. “It’s such an important

toes and a truffle Mornay sauce. Bire- organization in Indian River County.

ley served up his signature Southern- We have very few facilities for home-

style shrimp and grits, with fontina less families and their facility pro-

and parmesan cheese grits, sautéed vides an important service we all need

Florida gulf shrimp and spicy sausage to support in a big way. They’ve gone

crumbles. Narhi tempted taste buds through some transition, and they’ve

with a tuna and avocado tartare with made some very important changes.”

lime ponzu, fried wonton, Sriracha Tickets are still available for the five-

and cilantro sour cream. course meal at the Top Chef Challenge

“It was a wonderful evening with on April 3. Additionally, a new Flavors

talented chefs and the community of Indian River event will make its de-

coming together to support the Hope but at the Indian River Fairgrounds

PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 18 4 for Families Center,” said Diana Gros- April 29 and 30. A celebration of food,

si, executive director. “All proceeds wine and music, the event will show-

TOP CHEF CAPTIONS from this event will go toward our op- case local chefs as well as a food truck

1. Mariclare Beggy, Dr. William Cooney and Diana Grossi. 2. Tracy Harweger, Colette and John Henry, Matt erations.” zone.

Harweger, Jamison Gant and Jessica Joseph. 3. Sherry Eisert and Marie Healy. 4. Sandy Divine and Terrie The largest of its kind on the Trea- For more information, visit HopeFor-

Smith with Ken and Margaret Watson. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE sure Coast, the center has 21 rooms FamiliesCenter.org or TheFlavorsOfIn-

providing a clean, safe place for home- dianRiver.com. 



18 Vero Beach 32963 / March 30, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16 5 6

Osceola Bistro’s entry.

78

The Art & Science
of Cosmetic Surgery

SPECIALTIES INCLUDE:
• Minimal Incision Lift for the
Face, Body, Neck & Brow
• Breast Augmentations & Reductions
• Post Cancer Reconstructions
• Chemical Peels • Botox
• Obagi Medical Products • Laser Surgery
• Liposculpture • Tummy Tucks
• Skin Cancer Treatments

Celebrating Over 25
Years in Vero Beach

3790 7th Terrace
Suite 101

Vero Beach, Florida

772.562.5859

www.rosatoplasticsurgery.com

Ralph M. Rosato
MD, FACS













Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 30, 2017 25

PEOPLE

Brooke Wadsworth and Jessie Kruse.
Stacey Miller and Melinda Kanuka.
Richard Honeck, Mike Kanuka, and Ron Forman.
Bob McClain, Kristen Racine and Wayne McClain.

26 Vero Beach 32963 / March 30, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

Sing their praises: Met stars’ recital helps Vero Opera

BY STEPHANIE LaBAFF Matthew Rose, Kendra Haines, Vlad Iftinca and Hugo Mahieu. PHOTOS: DENISE RITCHIE in Vocal Arts/Performance or Music
Staff Writer Education. The piano scholarships
year with an offer to do a fundraiser to do this here is very special. I didn’t enable students showing talent, com-
Guests at a private gathering at the for the Vero Beach Opera. love opera until I met Matthew. It’s mitment and financial need to study
home of Kendra and Roger Haines last become very special for me, and I love with Dr. Marcos Flores.
Wednesday evening were treated to a “Matthew has been a dear friend of being part of the piano scholarship
private special performance featuring my family for many years. He’s very program.” Joan and Román Ortega-Cowan,
Metropolitan Opera stars Matthew involved in trying to help young sing- Vero Beach Opera president and ar-
Rose, bass, and pianist Vlad Iftinca in ers achieve,” said Haines. “This is his Vero Beach Opera scholarships are tistic director, respectively, said they
a Pre-Carnegie Hall Recital to benefit rehearsal for his Carnegie Hall recital, awarded to local college-bound high were thrilled to have such high-cal-
the Vero Beach Opera Vocal and Piano so it’s very important to him. For him school or college students majoring iber performers share their talents.
Scholarship programs. Joan also noted that soprano Deborah
Voigt would be returning in 2018 for
Rose, accompanied by Iftinca, will the Deborah Voigt Vero Beach Opera
make his Carnegie Hall debut in New Foundation International Vocal Com-
York on March 25, performing pieces petition.
by Purcell, Loewe and Schubert, and
provided guests with an exclusive pre- Rose studied at the Curtis Institute
view. of Music before joining the Young Art-
ist Program at the Royal Opera House,
After performing two works by the Covent Garden. He received the John
17th century English composer Henry Christie Award for his role as Bottom
Purcell and one by German compos- in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and
er Carl Loewe, the duo devoted the has performed at the Glyndebourne
rest of the recital to Franz Schubert’s Festival, Santa Fe Opera, Opéra Na-
“Schwanengesang” (Swan song), a tional de Lyon, Houston Grand Opera
collection written at the end of his life and the Metropolitan Opera, among
that was published posthumously. others.

Kendra Haines said the British- Iftinca, who serves on the Met-
born Rose had approached her last ropolitan Opera assistant conduc-

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 30, 2017 27

PEOPLE

Sally and Dick Brickman with Sarah Beth Smith. Karl Steene, Louis Lawson and Román Ortega-Cowan. Paul and Susan Gauthier with Joan Ortega-Cowan and Eric Asplundh.

Marcos Flores with his daughter, Diana Flores.

Román Ortega-Cowan and Sasha Fradin.

tor roster, attended the Reina Sofia
School of Music in Madrid and the Jul-
liard School and has performed at the
Frankfurt Opera, Auditorio Nacional
in Madrid, Max-Joseph-Saal in Mu-
nich, Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall,
Los Angeles Opera and numerous oth-
er international venues.

The Vero Beach Opera was origi-
nally established in 1988 as the Vero
Beach Opera Guild to offer a platform
for local performers. In 2003 they
made changes to their programming
and, along with a name change, began
to focus on a more professional plat-
form presenting grand opera.

The nonprofit’s mission is to “en-
rich the cultural lives of our commu-
nity through fully staged professional
opera productions, concerts and in-
ternational vocal competitions of the
highest quality, which promote an
increased awareness and deeper ap-
preciation of opera to expanding and
diverse Florida audiences of all ages.”

For more information visit Vero-
BeachOpera.org. 

28 Vero Beach 32963 / March 30, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

‘Hope’ for the homeless?
Go right to The Source

Congratulations! Janean Barrows and Fe Domenech.

Vero’s Top Chef Challenge Final Four BY CHRISTINA TASCON to provide three months’ rent and
The following four Chefs were chosen clothes for job searches, and led
Correspondent her to a position at the Lemon Tree,
to compete in Vero’s Top Chef Challenge which he co-owned. The security of
Finale on Monday, April 3rd at At last Monday evening’s annual knowing her family was safe and that
6:00 p.m. at Bent Pine Golf Club Night of Hope hosted by The Source she was dressed professionally for an
at Northern Trust Bank, generous interview at the beachside eatery fu-
Chef Chris Bireley - Osceola Bistro donors to the organization were eled her confidence; enough that she
• thanked for opening their wallets could earn the position on her own
and hearts to help the county’s need- merit.
Chef Cassandra Lynne - A Fraiche Note iest population – our local homeless
• citizens. “We need people to not only do-
nate funds but also who encourage
Chef Bill Narhi - Vero Beach Yacht Club The event was the culmination of our people to know that they are all
• a fundraising push to support Source the way supported,” said Executive
programs such as the Dining with Director Robin Diaz.
Chef Sarah Wills - Bent Pine Golf Club Dignity ministry, which serves cli-
ents restaurant-style meals. Addi- Shinn’s choice to support The
TICKETS FOR THE TOP CHEF tionally, a new Safe Serve program Source was an easy one for him,
CHALLENGE FINALE ARE ON SALE NOW! focuses on educating and training sharing that he also had to struggle
clients in a 12-week class on personal and work hard to make ends meet af-
FINALE TICKET OPTIONS hygiene, kitchen cleanliness and how ter his father died when he was just 8
to work in a commercial kitchen. years old.
INDIVIDUAL TICKET
“Anyone can come to The Source Mike Lyster and Susan Chenault
5 Course Tasting Meal includes and get a meal, use the showers or cook meals at St. Mark’s Anglican
Two Drink Tickets - $185 per person use our laundry facilities without Church which are served at The
any charge,” said board member Jan Source, feeding between 50 and 100
V.I.P. TABLE Lauffer. “But our Safe Serve program people on the third Friday of every
is about empowering them, and the month, and say it reminds them of
Seating for up to 6 people within earshot of judge’s dais way to get out of homelessness and just what they have in their lives.
5 Course Tasting Meal, Two Drink Tickets per person, being poor is to get a job. We have cli-
ents who work at many of the restau- “I never know if the numbers going
Bottle of Red & White Wines rants around town now.” up or down are a good or bad thing
Complimentary Valet Parking, Goody Bags since I know we are not ending the
Businessman and philanthropist homeless problem yet, but they are
$1500 (Limited availability) George Shinn was asked to speak be- all so grateful for what help we can
cause of his dedicated support of The give,” said Chenault. “It reminds me
Tickets may be purchased at EventBrite.com, Source from the first moment he ar- to be grateful, too.”
by calling The Hope for Families Center rived in Vero Beach. His initial effort
at (772) 567-5537 or by signing on was to get the air conditioning func- “The overall well-being to help
to hopeforfamiliescenter.org tioning once again at the complex, somebody that is really thankful
and later he assisted individuals di- for getting that help just gives you
rectly who needed the support of his a nice warm, fuzzy feeling,” said
Foundation. Lyster. “It also makes me and my
children feel gratitude for what we
When a single mother was going have. They can see that things are
through an exceptionally difficult tough for some and so it is a good
time, Shinn donated enough money thing that we can help.” 

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 30, 2017 29

PEOPLE

Jim Crockett, Robin Diaz, George Shinn. Tuny Hill, Fr. Richard Murphy, Jan Lauffer.

Carolyn Mac Evoy and Doug Bernard. Renee Lambert and Catherine Lambert.

Donald and JoAnn Houpt. Gerri Rorick and Dave Melick.

Zeke Motta and Cindy O’Dare. PHOTOS: GORDON RADFORD Jeanine Harris and Catalina Pines. Vic and Andrea Lombardi, Dena and Sam Lombardo. Bernadette Emerick and Molly Griffeth.

The Food Pantry of IRC volunteers & the residents they serve would like to express

Food Pantrytheir heartfelt thanks to Vero Beach and surrounding IRC communities for the

continued support received over the past 30 years. In 2016 alone, approximately
350,000 pounds(175 tons) of food was provided to an average of 850 households
a month. The Food Pantry of IRC which operates out of a space provided by the

First Baptist Church of Vero Beach continues to operate as a 100% volunteer
staffed organization. While it isn’t possible to list all our supporters, the following

list includes not only key supporters over the years, but also indicates the wide
community support we have received:

• First Baptist Church of Vero Beach • Community Church of Vero Beach
• Holy Cross Church of Vero Beach • The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

• Temple Beth Shalom

•••••••
In addition to broad financial support, The Food Pantry of IRC wouldn’t be

able to supply the community needs at current levels without the volume
of food donations received, primarily from:

• Publix Charities • The Consignment Gallery • Numerous Faith Based Churches
• Pepperidge Farms • Shining Light Gardens • Several area Schools, Civic & Religious Institutions

This Ad has been paid for by the Pantry Volunteers

30 Vero Beach 32963 / March 30, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

McCabes’ philanthropic vision honored at Legacies lunch

BY MARY SCHENKEL with a few of our treasured funding
Staff Writer partners and valued colleagues, al-
lowing us once again to recognize
“This is an exciting yet bittersweet the amazing work you are doing for
day for Bob and me,” said Ellie Mc- the betterment of our beloved com-
Cabe, chairman of the Robert F. and munity.”
Eleonora W. McCabe Foundation, at
a Luncheon and Legacies celebra- The luncheon served a dual pur-
tion at the John’s Island Club last pose: to announce the April 11 dis-
Friday. “It is first and most impor- solution of the McCabe Foundation
tantly a celebration of philanthropy (see story in news), and to bequeath
special gifts totaling $670,000 to sup-

Lenora Ritchie with Bob and Ellie McCabe. Bob Burr, Sara Smith and Mike Mandel.

port organizations holding a special ident. “You are simply spectacular.”
place in their hearts. Seed money was provided through

“And as Bob and I step away from the Indian River Community Foun-
organized philanthropy, we are dation for an endowed fund to which
confident the roles we filled – that others can contribute, The Fund for
of convener, capacity builder and Better Mental Health in Indian River
champions – are in very capable County, to support organizations,
hands; yours and others like you,” programs and projects aligned with
said McCabe. the county’s mental-health contin-
uum of care. Fund distribution will
A grant awarded to the Environ- be determined by the Mental Health
mental Learning Center will en- Collaborative governing board.
able them to refurbish the existing
outdoor gazebo and greenhouse “It’s a pleasure to be able to say
structure for use with nature-based thank you for the work that you’ve
therapy programs, and train the done to start this effort,” said Jeff
programs’ staff and volunteers. Pickering, IRCF President/CEO. “On
behalf of the entire board of the
“This is huge for us,” said Molly Community Foundation, I want to
Steinwald, ELC executive director. say thank you very much for your vi-
“This was a big vision that we had sion, your foresight and most impor-
and your belief in our vision and tantly for your generosity.”
being able to carry this out is enor-
mous for our organization and also “We are so thankful to Ellie and
a great message to the community Bob McCabe for their continued sup-
that we’re going in the right direc- port of mental-health providers and
tion.” treatment in our community,” said
Brett Hall, MHC executive director.
The Humane Society of Vero “I’m here on behalf of the dozens of
Beach and Indian River County will providers and thousands of people
establish a Robert F. and Eleonora in this community that have been
W. McCabe Fund for Animal Wel- helped over these past decades be-
fare Training endowment to support cause of your dedication, support
professional development and staff and your passionate advocacy for
training. the treatment of persons experienc-
ing mental health issues.”
“The more training we have the
better it is for our animals,” said Mi- In upstate New York, where Bob
chael Mandel, HSVBIRC executive McCabe was raised, a grant to the
director, noting that they are work- Frederic Remington Art Museum in
ing to make training the centerpiece Ogdensburg will fund a permanent
of their culture. “So when the Mc- new Sally James Farnham exhibit.
Cabe Foundation suggested a train- The Antique Boat Museum in Clay-
ing development, it fit perfectly into ton will permanently endow a fund
what we were doing; we’re very ex- to support professional develop-
cited about it.” ment, and the Robert F. and Eleono-
ra W. McCabe Professional Develop-
The Visiting Nurse Association ment Award will be given annually.
and Hospice Foundation grant will
go toward the VNA Hospice House “Once again, I thank you for join-
Endowment Fund to support servic- ing us today to celebrate the legacy
es provided at the hospice residence of our family foundation and mark
to anyone needing end-of-life care, this point in history,” said McCabe.
regardless of their ability to pay. “Bob and I aren’t going anywhere so
we respectfully request you to keep
“When the McCabes speak, people in touch. We know you will have
listen. And when the McCabes get plenty of good news to share.” 
engaged, others take note,” said Ker-
ry Bartlett, VNA & Hospice vice pres-













Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 30, 2017 37

PEOPLE

Linda and Sam Kouns with Laura Moss. The Humdingers. PHOTOS CONTINUED ON PAGE 38
Chris and Jennifer Hedeen, Mike and Christine Monti, and Cayson Ellsworth.

Doy Demsick and Tabitha Miller.
Lynne Mueller-Nissen and Ed Nissen.

Nikki Piombino with Nick and Dawn Piccione.

38 Vero Beach 32963 / March 30, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

PEOPLE

PHOTOS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 37 Prudence Meads, Jay McKinniss and Lisa Binkley. Bonnie Clark with Jason and Marcie Patzer.
Richard Colston Jr. with Amanda Saunders and Patrick Zagorski.

Melissa Starling.
Michael and Renee Zickert with Erin Fagan and Chris Hampel.

Tom Michaels and Elizabeth Morales.

FOR FIRST-RATE DRAMA, RIVERSIDE’S
‘THE CHRISTIANS’ KEEPS THE FAITH

40 Vero Beach 32963 / March 30, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

ARTS & THEATRE

For first-rate drama, ‘The Christians’ keeps the faith

BY MICHELLE GENZ God agrees, coming to Paul – while he made his beliefs known while all the P HOTOS BY HOLLY PORCH
was sitting on the toilet – to tell him the fundraising was going on? And what
Staff Writer flames of hell are a fiction; hell is al- about free will? No one can stop parish- she demands to know how her husband
ready here, on Earth. ioners from following associate pastor could have held from her such a secret
When I moved to Vero in the 1980s, Brother Joshua (compellingly played by as this rejection of hell. Her trust erod-
I used to joke there were more of those With that resolved, Paul informs his the elegant Ryan George). The notion ed, she can’t stay with him any longer.
pun-filled changeable church mar- congregation of the change, as if he of justice and punishment appeals to
quees per capita than anywhere in the were writing a memo on eternity leave Joshua, even though his stance meant The mild-mannered elder, played
world. policy. Serenity around him begins to dooming his own mother at her death- by Mitch Tebo, seems to be support-
shatter in slow motion. bed, at least by his own faith – or imagi- ing Paul. But it’s he who finally breaks
Since then, the town has seen its nation. down and asks the real-world question:
share of schisms, from run-of-the-mill One by one, the waxen expressions Were parishioners swindled in this
two-timing to doctrinal shifts, as when melt in reaction to the preacher’s rev- Even Pastor Paul’s wife is outraged, deal, having bought into a church they
the local Episcopal church fractured elation. In a well-wrought, unmocking her sudden strength revealed by actress thought included damnation?
over, among other things, gays entering portrayal by Brian Myers Cooper, who Vanessa Kai as she rears up off her pew
the priesthood. returns to the Waxlax after his role ear- like a lily opening in speeded-up video. And then, from the side of the Wax-
lier this season as Claude in “An Empty We’ve thought of her as a passive beau- lax audience, rises a modestly dressed
Schism would seem to be the theme Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf,” the ty until then, Paul having fallen in love young congregant, played by Sebas-
of “The Christians,” the excellent pro- pastor faces a mutiny. at first sight of her, the most beautiful tian’s impressively talented Jewel
duction on Riverside Theatre’s Waxlax woman he had ever seen, he says. Now Blakeslee. This was Blakeslee’s profes-
Stage. In fact, the play runs deeper than The church’s rapid rise now comes sional debut; a performance appren-
sin or doctrine, and cuts to religion’s es- under suspicion; would the pastor have tice at Riverside, she graduated from
sence: the tether of faith. Florida Southern College in acting

Turns out that tether isn’t as secure as
it may seem in the sanctuary we share
with the five Christians on stage. The
increasingly talked-about playwright
Lucas Hnath (pronounce Nayth) has
masterfully scripted a work that builds
to great emotion when the safe haven
of a megachurch sanctuary, celebrating
its first Sunday debt-free, blows up over
the preacher’s sudden rejection of hell.

The sermon begins calmly enough.
Handheld mike in hand, Pastor Paul re-
peats a missionary’s tale of a boy dying
to save his sister from a burning build-
ing. At first, he used that preacherly ba-
dum-pum cadence that gives show-biz
piety its punchlines. Now, though, he is
genuinely moved, anguished even, and
pulls back from what we expect will be
some standard-issue parable. Instead
he delivers a reasoned zinger at the
missionary who witnessed the tragedy
and said, How sad that he couldn’t have
converted the boy first so he could go
to heaven.

But no. This boy could not be con-
demned to the flames of hell, Paul
counters. He didn’t deserve it. Even

Certified Collision
Repair Center

VeArou’tsoPbroedmy!ier All Insurance
Accepted!

Go to GOTPERFECTION.COM for an ONLINE ESTIMATE!
(772) 978-1351 • 463 4th Place SW • Vero Beach, FL

Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™ Vero Beach 32963 / March 30, 2017 41

ARTS & THEATRE

and technical theater. Apart from the ROBOT LOVE: A ‘WEEKEND OF AMAZING’
cheer that went up at her curtain call,
you would never have known this was BY PAM HARBAUGH Chandler said. “Understandably so. “Much of society is organized into
a debut at all with a strong and moving The name itself is a reference that tidy cubicled definitions: artist or
performance. Correspondent started out tongue in cheek. But I can scientist, left brain or right, on and
say with confidence that there is no on,” he said. “We are all about ag-
Riverside’s Allen Cornell, the produc- It’s back. other event or activity that provides gressively crossing the streams – art
ing artistic director and CEO, consis- And if it’s anything like earlier in- such a unified interest throughout mixed with tech, music mixed with
tently delivers serious plays well in this carnations, Robot Love 2017 is set to this community’s media outlets and dance, every combination we can
intimate space. be quite the artsy thing to experi- residents.” stir up.
ence this weekend.
He also designed the set, which con- Organized by a team of four pro- It became a cultural grassroots “The startup industry buzzword
veys a certain menace in its sharp an- fessional artists – Derek Gores, Mar- success story because of its broad for that now is ‘radical inclusivity.’
gles and ’80s gold-rimmed glamor that ty Mercado, Cliffton Chandler and appeal to something very human – It’s about getting the gems from di-
includes a tackily back-lit cross. Ryan Speer – Robot Love is, despite the urge to create, Gores said.
its planning, a happening. CONTINUED ON PAGE 42
Though he’s now in New York and “Robot Love is a playground, an
writing prolifically, Hnath’s roots are outlet for raw, individual creativity,” SEE THESE AND OTHER FINE THINGS AT VERO’S FINEST
here in central Florida. Raised in Or- Gores said. COLLECTION OF AMERICAN-MADE ART AND JEWELRY
lando, he was a member of an Assem- Held this year in a 30,000-square-
blies of God congregation and went to foot industrial space on U.S. 1 in THEL AUGHINGDOGGALLERY.COM 2910 CARDINAL DR.
Christian schools. He won’t say now Melbourne, Robot Love invites peo- VERO BEACH, FL
what his beliefs are, according to a New ple of all ages to come see the exhib- 7 72 . 2 3 4 . 6711
York Times profile in 2015; it followed its, listen to music, maybe climb a
Charles Isherwood’s very positive re- wall or two, get inspired and engage
view. And he says the play’s lead char- with others who like their art sprin-
acter Paul could have just as easily been kled with a liberal amount of imagi-
inspired by Creon in “Antigone” as the nation.
controversial ministers in the news The two-day event has at its heart
then. But he did say he conferred on the visual and performance art and
challenges of leading a flock with an enough energetic music to give any-
old high school friend, now the minis- one a contact cool. There will also
ter at Maitland Presbyterian Church. be modern dance performances and
demonstrations of an unlikely duo –
In fact, his own mother became a technology and climbing. You even
minister during his childhood, and the can find a fashion boutique (don’t
Times says he thought about doing the you dare expect Eileen or Hugo).
same. Instead, Hnath studied dramatic And, yes, plenty of craft beer and
writing at Tisch School of the Arts at food trucks to please every taste.
New York University, earning both a BA
and an MFA. Now a resident playwright “There’s something unexpected
at New Dramatists, he teaches at NYU. at every turn,” said Robot Love en-
He received a Guggenheim fellowship thusiast Joan Crutcher of West Mel-
and last year won an Obie award in bourne. “Not your normal art show
playwrighting for “Red Speedo,” which setting. Fantastically creative mix
also won an Obie for performance. of art, music, high tech and art that
makes you think, music that makes
“The Christians” premiered in 2014 you move, quirky people that turn
at a new play festival in Kentucky; it your head. Like nothing else in Bre-
was subsequently staged off-Broadway vard. A party within a party.”
in 2015 and in Chicago last year. It was
nominated for two 2016 Drama Desk Speer, in charge of the event’s
awards, one for the play and one for its “propaganda,” rightfully calls this
lead, Andrew Garman. event “the legendary culture mash-
up.”
Next week, Hnath makes his Broad-
way debut with a new play, “A Doll’s Indeed. It bubbled up over eight
House: Part II,” his imagined sequel to years ago in the imaginations of
the Ibsen play. Chandler and Gores and has been
marinating, adding flavors ever
Like Hnath, Cornell knows his audi- since.
ences. While both believers and non-
believers will appreciate this play’s Having launched pop-up galleries
themes, it’s fair to note those church in Atlanta, Chandler itched to do the
marquees are getting more and more same thing in Melbourne, where he
scarce. had moved. He approached Gores,
a very successful Melbourne-based
Census figures show that while the artist who has sold big work to many
number of church-goers in Indian Riv- big names, including the Orlando
er County barely changed from 2000 to Magic, the Kentucky Derby, Prada
2010, the number of people saying they and a host of others.
had no religious affiliation more than
doubled, and now stands at 52.7 per- The two of them came up with the
cent. That’s even with a sharp rise in edgy idea of Robot Love.
the number of congregations, from 81
churches to 121. Somehow they must “At first glance an event named
not having much marketing success. Robot Love may seem eccentric,”

That should not be the case with Riv-
erside. “The Christians” plays through
April 9. 















Exclusively John’s Island

NEW PRICE

Luxurious Mediterranean-Inspired 4BR/4BA “Smart Home” Elegantly Renovated, Classic 4BR/4.5BA On JI Sound Uniquely Designed 3BR+Library/5.5BA Retreat
5,394± GSF, Cul-de-sac, Expansive JI Sound Views, Pool 6,522± GSF, Spectacular & Private Water Views, Pool 6,922± GSF, Outdoor Living, Unmatched Lake Views
Indoor/Outdoor Living, Custom Finishes, Boat Dock Custom Millwork, Gourmet Island Kitchen, Boat Dock
331 Palmetto Point : $6,550,000 .7± Acres, Pool, Awaiting Your Personal Touches!
400 Coconut Palm Road : $4,500,000 180 Sago Palm Road : $2,550,000
NEW CONSTRUCTION
NEW PRICE

Masterfully Designed 4BR+Office, Private Cul-de-sac Uniquely Designed 3BR/5.5BA 2-Story Retreat Desirable 2BR/2BA Oceanfront Condominium, Pool
7,138± GSF, Captivating SE Lake Views, Pool/Spa 6,922± GSF, Generous Outdoor Living Areas, Pool 1,590± SF, Brilliant Ocean Views, Near Beach Club
Custom Built-Ins, Open Kitchen, Washer/Dryer, Wet Bar
Courtyard Entry, Gourmet Island Kitchen, 3-Car Garage Handsome Library, Unmatched Lake Views
791 Shady Lake Lane : $3,900,000 180 Sago Palm Road : $2,550,000 500 Beach Road #209 : $880,000

Beautifully Updated 2BR/2BA Golf Cottage 777 Sea Oak Drive : 1-Car Garages, Private Pool & Tennis Island House – Two-Story, 1BR/1BA Studios
1,910± SF, Private Multiple Fairway Views #719 : New Price - 3BR/3BA, 1,900± SF : $495,000 590± SF, Next To Beach Club, Courtyard Pool
Open Living Areas, Conveniently Near Club #703 : New Price - 2BR/2BA 1,500± SF : $375,000 Kitchenettes, Full Baths, Private Beach Access

173 Silver Moss Drive : $675,000 400 Beach Road : $199,000 - $399,000

772.231.0900 : JohnsIslandRealEstate.com
luxury estates : condominiums : homesites : townhouses : cottages

It’s your lifetime. Spend it wisely.

50 Vero Beach 32963 / March 30, 2017 Your Vero Beach Newsweekly ™

INSIGHT COVER STORY

BY JOHN PEET | THE ECONOMIST 2002. Although, like him, she will probably lose, she France. Public debts across the union remain large,
will come closer to winning than he did. And if she and progress on liberalizing structural reforms has
The European project has sometimes given the loses, it may be to Emmanuel Macron, who is run- largely stalled. The euro zone has a partial banking
impression of being in perpetual crisis. Indeed, its ning as an outsider with an untried political party. union, a centralized bail-out fund and a European
spiritual father, Jean Monnet, saw this as the best Central Bank (ECB) prepared to act as a lender of last
way to advance to his preferred goal of “ever closer Then in September Germany will go to the polls, resort, but its architecture remains incomplete and
union,” arguing that “Europe will be forged in cri- and the anti-euro Alternative for Germany party is there is little agreement over how to finish the job.
ses, and will be the sum of the solutions adopted for likely to win its first seats in the Bundestag. Although
those crises.” Angela Merkel may yet remain chancellor, her new Migration remains a huge issue. The numbers en-
Social Democratic challenger, Martin Schulz, is run- tering the EU from the Middle East and Africa have
Yet as the union last Saturday celebrated 60 years ning close behind her in the polls. Were he to replace come down a lot, but mainly because of a question-
since its founding treaty was signed in Rome on Mrs Merkel, the shock to a European project that she able bilateral deal with Turkey that could fall apart
March 25, 1957, it is in deeper trouble than ever. has largely led for 12 years would be profound. at any moment to close the main transit route into
Greece. Hundreds of would-be migrants still take to
A big reason for this is the politics in EU member Italy must also hold an election by early 2018; two leaky boats across the Mediterranean every week.
countries. Crucial elections loom in many this year, of its leading parties have at different times called
and populist parties opposed to the European proj- for a referendum on the country’s euro membership. The distribution among EU countries of those
ect and in favor of referendums on membership of refugees who have got through has created serious
the euro, the EU or both are likely to do well. One reason for the likely success of populists tensions, with Germany particularly angered by the
against incumbents is that Europe’s economic mood refusal of central European countries to take more
In the Netherlands, Geert Wilders’s anti-European is so glum. Although growth has returned and the than a few. Work to strengthen the union’s external
Freedom Party gained seats in an election on March euro zone has stabilized, growth rates are still low borders has been fitful at best. Internally, the Schen-
15th, though fewer than many had feared. In France, and, notably in the Mediterranean, unemployment gen frontier-free system is troubled and several bor-
Marine Le Pen of the National Front is expected to (especially among young people) is punishingly high. der controls have been reintroduced.
win a place in the second, run-off round of the presi-
dential election in early May, just as her father did in Greece remains a basket-case on the edge of de- The deteriorating geopolitical environment
fault, and the markets are nervous about Italy and