Issue #467: Weekend I-275 Closures • Local Talent at Inno Awards • Flavorful Nonna Nights in Ybor • Doja Cat Tour Stop in 2026

9/30/2025

Author

Ted Grellner
30 Sep

Keep your finger on the Pulse!

GOOD MORNING

Dr Ted
USAF Retired


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In this issue of NewTampa | WesleyChapel
Local Pulse

Our Event Calendar 

—> Feel free to post events of interest to our NT|WC Live Events Calendar; its easy to do.

Local News

— Major I-275 Closures at Downtown Interchange This Weekend

— Tampa Bay Inno Awards Packed with USF Talent

Food

— Nonna Nights Bring Generations of Flavor to Ybor City

Entertainment

— Doja Cat to Bring World Tour to Tampa in 2026


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Major I-275 Closures at Downtown Interchange
This Weekend

Drivers in Downtown Tampa should prepare for major detours and delays from Saturday, October 4 through early Monday, October 6 as the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) closes much of the Downtown Interchange connecting I-275 and I-4.

FDOT will close all northbound lanes and all but one southbound lane on I-275 to install steel girders for a new exit ramp from southbound I-275 to eastbound I-4.

“Plan in advance,” urged Andrew Williams, FDOT senior construction manager. FDOT is working with the City of Tampa to adjust signal timing and ease local road congestion.

Detours include:

  • SB I-275 Exit 45A access: Exit at 46A, take Floribraska Ave. to Tampa St.

  • WB I-4 to SB I-275 (Oct 4, 5am–10pm): Detour via Exit 46B → MLK Blvd → Tampa St.

The ramp from SB I-275 to EB I-4 will stay open all weekend.

Electronic signs and posted detours will guide drivers.tent

Tampa Bay Inno Awards Packed with USF Talent

University of South Florida alumni and partners will be well-represented among the 23 honorees at this year’s Tampa Bay Inno Awards, hosted by the Tampa Bay Business Journal on November 18.

Biotech firm Psilera, co-founded by USF alumni Chris Witowski and Jackie von Salm, will receive Deal of the Year for its licensing agreement with Germany-based atai Life Sciences.

In the Partnership of the Year category, awards will go to the Hypathia Collaborative, led by USF alumna Linsey Grove, and a groundbreaking AI collaboration between Tampa General Hospital and Palantir.

In EdTech, USF-connected companies Pikmykid and TeacherServer AI—created by USF Professor Zafer Unal—are among the winners. Pikmykid began in the USF CONNECT Student Innovation Incubator.

Cyber Florida's programs, phaseZero and SOCAP, will be recognized in the Supporter category, both offering training and resources for cybersecurity talent.

Two cybersecurity firms—ConnectSecure and Guardare—round out the honorees, both led by USF Muma College of Business graduates.

Nonna Nights Bring Generations of Flavor to
Ybor City

Editor’s Note: If you recall, I recently went “crazy” when I saw a restaurant in NY using Nonnas to create their dinners, and thought how that was such a great idea! Well…..

Bernini in Ybor City is cooking up something heartwarming—and delicious—during its new Nonna Nights series. Inspired by the film Nonnas, the event features a rotating lineup of Tampa grandmothers sharing treasured family recipes straight from the old country.

Chef Moses works alongside nine Nonnas, including owner Jason Fernandez’s mother, Vivian, who helped lead the effort. Dishes like homemade lasagna, meatballs, and eggplant parmigiana fill the menu, each with a unique touch from the grandmas themselves.

“Being a Nonna comes with traditions,” said participant Marilyn Messina. The kitchen is full of flavor—and fun. “We didn’t throw food like in the movie, but we came close,” joked Vivian.

Nonna Nights have already become a community favorite, filled with hugs, stories, and photos.

Don’t worry, Nonno Nights are next, with events on Oct. 26 and Nov. 13.

Reservations: Call 813-242-9555.

Here’s an astonishing and not widely known fact about grandmothers and cooking:

In 2016, a Sicilian grandmother named Giovanna Bellia LaMarca was the first "non-chef" to receive a James Beard Foundation award for her cookbook Nonna's House, which featured traditional Italian-American recipes straight from her Brooklyn kitchen.

While professional chefs typically dominate prestigious culinary awards, LaMarca—who was not classically trained—won in the "American Cooking" category, highlighting how deeply respected and influential home cooking traditions can be, especially when passed down through generations.

Her win was a major moment for non-professional, home-based cooks, and especially for grandmothers whose culinary mastery often goes unrecognized outside the family kitchen.

Many food historians believe that the depth of tradition, storytelling, and preservation of culture found in grandmother-style cooking is just as valuable as what you'd find in high-end restaurants—sometimes more.

Doja Cat to Bring World Tour to Tampa in 2026

Doja Cat is headed to Tampa as part of her massive “Tour Ma Vie World Tour” in 2026. The Grammy-winning artist will perform at the Benchmark International Arena on November 13, 2026, in what’s being called her biggest tour to date.

The tour follows the release of her latest album, Vie, and will span continents—including Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Australia—before making its way to North America.

Tickets go on sale Friday, October 10, 2025, at 10 a.m. via Live Nation.

Doja Cat rose to stardom with hits like Mooo! and solidified her status with albums like Hot Pink and the Grammy-winning Planet Her. Her genre-blending sound has earned her global acclaim and a loyal fanbase.

Tampa fans can expect an electrifying live performance from one of pop’s boldest voices.

Until then, music lovers can catch acts like Doechii and Renee Rapp at the Yuengling Center this fall.

Read More: thatssotampa.com

Top Things to do in Tampa Bay
9/29 - 10/5
Source: tampabay.com


Things to do Around Tampa & WC
9/25 - 10/1
Source: tampabeacon.com

This Weekend in
Tampa Bay:
9/ - 9/
Source: 

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