Issue #517: From Chicken Coops to Chicago Cuisine | Amish Shop May Shut in 2026 | Local Vet’s Graduation Triumph

12/10/2025

Author

Ted Grellner
10 Dec

Keep your finger on the Pulse!

GOOD MORNING

I wanted to thank all who responded to my “Special Edition” letter last week. I appreciated the positive comments I received, thanks! One interesting thing to share from my latest followup with the hand surgeon who saw me in the hospital, Dr Laurentin-Perez (a very caring and thorough Dr): he saw 4 other cat bite victims in the very same time frame as mine, wow!

Dr Ted
USAF Retired

 
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In this issue of NewTampa | WesleyChapel Local Pulse

Our Event Calendar 

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Local News

— Demolition Clears Way for Chicago Flavor in Wesley Chapel

— Backyard Hens Now Welcome in Pasco—No Roosters Allowed

Of Interest

— Beloved Amish Food & Holiday Decor Store in Lake Alfred May Close After 2026

— ‘Don’t Tell Me I Can’t’: Army Vet Graduates Against All Odds

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Demolition Clears Way for Chicago Flavor in
Wesley Chapel

Rock & Brews, the rock-themed restaurant founded by KISS on State Road 56, has officially been torn down, making way for a new dining destination: Portillo’s.

The Chicago-based fast-casual chain, known for its Chicago-style hot dogs, Italian beef, chargrilled burgers, and famous chocolate cake, will open its third Tampa Bay-area location here, joining branches in Brandon and near USF.

The 6,250-square-foot restaurant will be built near the Tampa Premium Outlets and follow Portillo’s “Restaurant of the Future” concept.

The design includes:

  • Indoor seating for 125+

  • Outdoor patio seating for 40

  • Double drive-thru lanes

  • Grab-and-go & pickup zones

This will be Portillo’s eighth Florida location.

An official opening date has not yet been announced.

Backyard Hens Now Welcome in Pasco—No Roosters Allowed

After 14 years of debate, Pasco County commissioners unanimously approved new rules that make it easier for residents to keep backyard hens.

The updated ordinance allows:

  • Up to 4 hens (no roosters)

  • Owner-occupied properties only

  • Coops in side or rear yards, with size and sanitation standards

  • No commercial use or override of HOA rules

A controversial certification course was removed from the final version after public and commissioner pushback.

“Chickens should be fun and somewhat easy to have,” said Commissioner Seth Weightman.

Commissioners emphasized family-friendly chicken-keeping without adding burdensome red tape.

Egg prices and interest in self-sufficiency sparked renewed support for the change, with comparisons to New Port Richey and Dade City, which already allow hens.

Pasco joins other Florida counties in modernizing urban farming ordinances, aiming to balance freedom with neighborhood standards.

Beloved Amish Food & Holiday Decor Store in Lake Alfred May Close After 2026

The Heavenly Honey Amish Warehouse, known for Amish jams, jellies, and eye-catching LED holiday sculptures, may be closing its doors after next year.

Owner Richard Mazzula, who has operated the shop for nine years, says the landlord may redevelop the site into a strip mall, and rising costs and staffing issues are prompting him to consider retirement.

Mazzula, a longtime Christmas tree vendor, started selling lighted reindeer, angels, and wreaths to draw in customers. The business has since become a holiday favorite for locals.

"It's a happy business," Mazzula said. “People love coming in. They’re smiling.”

While the future is uncertain, clearance sales are expected in 2026, and his wife may open a bakery elsewhere in town.

Customers like Sheree Schafer say they’ll miss the nostalgia: “This is what our childhood was... homemade jams and jellies.”

Read More: fox13news.com — I love the quality of the Amish stores

‘Don’t Tell Me I Can’t’: Army Vet Graduates Against All Odds

At 40 years old, Army veteran Angel Torres will walk across the USF commencement stage to receive a master’s degree in management — something once thought impossible.

Torres overcame abandonment, abuse, poverty, a traumatic brain injury, and doctors telling him he’d never walk again. But he defied every prediction.

Born in Puerto Rico, abandoned at 4, and shuffled through foster homes, Torres eventually joined the U.S. Army, where a devastating parachuting accident left him with reconstructed legs, hips, and jaw.

Through grit, therapy, and a powerful will, Torres now jogs, raises a son, and lives in his first real home.

A chance meeting at USF led to his enrollment at Muma College of Business. He plans to begin deputy training with Pasco County Sheriff’s Office and hopes to work with human trafficking victims.

“I became the person that I needed,” Torres said.

Read More: usf.edu — a very inspiring story!

30+ Free Holiday Events in Tampa Bay for a Festive Date

Source: tampabaydatenightguide.com

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