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News

New Monthly ArtWalk Series Activates Dania Beach City Center for Family-Fun

Friday, July 6, 2018 - 11:33am

The City of Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency in partnership with Atlantic Studios introduces a new family-friendly event series to Broward’s first city. Dania After Dark takes place on the second Saturdays of every month from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm on SW 1st Avenue between NW 1st Street and Dania Beach Blvd, also known as the City Center. The free monthly festival features a lineup of local art and craft vendors, South Florida food trucks, and live music, which attracted a little over 1,000 people during its inaugural event last month.

“We are really excited to enhance the art and culture scene here in the heart of Dania Beach. We have great things to look forward to regarding our City Center area. Dania After Dark gives a taste of what is approaching,” said Rickelle Williams, Executive Director, Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency.

On Saturday, July 14, 2018 Latin band Catabella Express will spice up the stage and afterwards Whipping Post will take over to rock out to classic tunes.

Food categories include vegan, barbecue, Mediterranean, Caribbean, seafood and more.

Dania After Dark provides a visual and musical experience where community members, art lovers, and visitors also have the opportunity to participate in a self-guided tour at the certified art gallery located inside the City Hall Atrium. Guests will have the opportunity to meet featured art exhibitors and purchase their work. All atrium exhibitors and entertainment are powered by the Dania Beach Creative Arts Council Advisory Board.  

Kid’s activities include interactive art projects and added amusement. All ages are welcome to attend.

Free parking is provided at the City Center parking garage and around the perimeter of the event. A popup bar will present some of the best cocktails and beers for guests to enjoy.

For participation information and vendor inquiries, please reach out to vend@atlanticstudios.com Also, visit www.DaniaAfterDark.com for general inquiries or call 954-924-6801.

Dania Beach Arts and Seafood Celebration Announces Street Art Performance and Chef Showcase

Thursday, May 10, 2018 - 2:06pm

Dania Beach, FL- This year’s 6th annual Dania Beach Arts and Seafood Celebration held on Saturday May 19th from 11AM - 8PM and Sunday May 20th from 11AM – 6PM, is the ultimate destination for friends and families of all ages seeking live art and entertainment. This year’s live performance art curated by Art N Soul will tie into Dania After Dark, a new event slated to take place in the heart of downtown. “Art N Soul enhances environments and enriches communities by curating exhibitions that support the city’s brand and culture. We work with various forms and media to ensure the proper placement, pricing and acquiring of such art while providing knowledge on the media, style and historical context or the art,” states Al Huggins from Art N Soul.

Four talented and local artists will create distinctive art in real time over the two-day celebration,capturing the unique charm of Dania Beach. Once completed, the masterpieces will be installed on various walls in downtown Dania Beach to be viewed as an outdoor gallery and unveiled during the Dania After Darks kick-off event, enlivening the community by connecting people to their surroundings.

Arts-based Placemaking is an integrative approach to community building that will stimulate our local economy and promote  cultural diversity, civic engagement, and community pride . We are excited to launch these pieces in the heart of downtown,” states Rickelle Williams, Dania Beach CRA Executive Director. This year’s performance art brings together four of the area’s most well-known artists to showcase their artistic talent featuring Robert Moreschi, Marco Conde, Stephanie Dorsainvil and Luis Valle.

In addition to live art, this year’s annual Chef Showcase, sponsored by 3 Sons Brewery Co., brings together the area’s most well-known cooks and caterers to showcase their favorite dishes, featuring fourexceptional local Chef’s. These Chef’s will be serving up samples of the classic dishes that put them on the map. Stop by The Chef Showcase tent to receive delectable bites, paired craft beers, and one-of-a-kind recipes by these top chefs. The lineup is as follows:

Saturday May 19th:

2:15PM - Chef Nicolay Adinaguev – 3 Sons Brewing Co
4PM – Chef Patrick Nicholas – Sea Salt
6PM – Chef Jonathan Gar – Brass Tap

Sunday May 20th:

1PM – Chef Chris Stachowski – Tarpon River Cafe
2:30PM - Chef Nicolay Adinaguev – 3 Sons Brewing Co
4PM – Chef Shanna Benson – Benson Bakery

Chef Nicolay Adinaguev developed a unique taste and love for food at a very early age.  Raised by his loving and supportive mother and grandmother, some of his earliest childhood memories include the summers he spent along the Pacific Ocean, where he and his mother would shuck sea urchins and eat them fresh out of the cold blue sea. A native of Lima, Peru, Adinaguev moved to America in 1990, beginning to work in restaurants at the young age of 14. “My diverse background will guide my direction moving forward as I focus on deep flavors from my Peruvian roots as well as seasonal Florida ingredients. This will be emphasized in the dishes I prepare for the Arts and Seafood Celebration,” states Adinaguev.

Patrick Nicolas is the Executive Chef at Sea Salt Fish Market in Fort Lauderdale Florida. As the Executive Chef at a fish market, he manages the commercial kitchen where he is responsible for the procurement of fresh, local catch and ocean harvest.  Chef Patrick and his team create take-home entrees that showcase the freshest seasonal seafood.  They also serve take-out lunches, smoke fresh fish, prepare dips, salads and sauces. Chef Patrick’s passion for cooking began at an early age cooking with his mother and grandmother. Native to the Caribbean, he learned to value the simplicity of fresh ingredients. Growing up in New York City and traveling the world gave him the opportunity to expand his palate testing global ingredients and flavors. You can catch Chef Patrick on “The Weekly Fisherman Show” on 940WNZ where he is the resident Chef, providing listeners with delicious, easy and unique recipes they can try at home.

Jonathan Garr, the Executive Chef of The Brass Tap in Fort Lauderdale, has spent more than half of his relatively young life (33 years) in the restaurant business. A sous chef from Soyka, one of Miami’s most popular restaurants, was also a line cook at the Mayfair and told Jonathan that they needed another sous chef. Although he lacked the experience, he was given the opportunity and shined. “It was there (Soyka) that I learned one of the most important culinary lessons in my life…” Jonathan stated. ”Chef Louis Lopez told me to never be afraid to break culinary rules because if you don’t break the rules, you’ll never do anything special or different.” This sparked Jonathan’s creativity and he began to develop his own style of cooking. His culinary journey has since taken him to the landmark Hyatt at Pier 66 and the famous Surfcomber Hotel on South Beach. He competed in the Best Chefs of the Americas Competition at the Miami Beach Convention Center and took 5th place overall, receiving a silver medal from the American Culinary Federation. His newest challenge is to develop and oversee the Brass Tap’s first gastropub style concept, which will be located in Ft. Lauderdale, pairing from-scratch food with craft beer and cocktails.  

Shanna Benson’s passion for food and baking began in a tiny dorm room just off campus at Florida State University. Not one to eat cafeteria slop, Shanna got creative and started cooking “home cooked” meals with a forbidden hot plate and toaster oven, concocting everything from steak and mushrooms to brownie a la mode.  Several years later, stressed out and armed with every kitchen gadget known to mankind, Shanna began baking to decompress from the stress of running her own Marketing firm - often baking several hundred cupcakes in one day and bring them to clients to “butter them up.” One Wynwood client was so buttered up, they asked Shanna to enter a charity “cupcake wars” competition on their behalf, and to everyone’s surprise the amateur baker from Broward won the title award for Best Cupcake for her signature Coconut Cupcake, and was featured across the Miami Blogoshere as the underdog who surprised all. Thousands of stress decompressing cupcakes later Benson’s Bakeshop was officially launched as a cottage industry cupcake bakery specializing in homemade goodness. In January of 2017 -thanks to the support of family, friends, coworkers and community Shanna left her job in pursuit of her ultimate dream of owning a brick and mortar shop and plans to open the doors to Benson’s Bakeshop in early 2018.  Benson’s Bakeshop currently carries of 25 flavors of cupcakes that include special dietary needs such as vegan, gluten-free and sugar-free and can accommodate orders from one dozen to 1,000.

To learn more information about the chefs and artists visit www.daniabeachartsandseafoodcelebration.com.

About the Dania Beach Arts and Seafood Celebration

Art and seafood enthusiasts! Don’t miss out on a FREE family fun-filled weekend at the 6th Anniversary Dania Beach Arts and Seafood Celebration on May 19th and 20th! Bring your appetites to feast on an array of delicious seafood and specialty treats as you groove to live entertainment all weekend long. Experience hands-on arts & crafts while admiring and purchasing your favorite creations from artist vendors. Witness local artists as they paint masterpieces during live street art performances. Kids can enjoy exciting and fun activities at Dania Beach Kids Funville while watching the 100-ton sandcastle come to life. Plus, get ready for a tasty competition at the 4th Annual Chef Showcase. Dance to live music featuring Hit Tribute Headlining act Jaded Aerosmith and Deep Fried Funk! Admission and parking are free. Parking is located at either the Casino at Dania Beach. Open Saturday, May 19th from 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, May 20th from 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Located at Frost Park 300 NE 2nd St. Dania Beach, FL 33004. Visit daniabeachartsandseafoodcelebration.com or call 954-924-6801 for more information.

Guests are not permitted to bring pets, coolers, or beverage. Thank you, we appreciate your cooperation.

Dania Beach Arts and Seafood Celebration Menu – Local Seafood, Food Trucks and Specialty Treats

Wednesday, May 9, 2018 - 10:32am

Dania Beach, FL- The Dania Beach Arts and Seafood Celebration has announced its full list of vendors slated for this year’s event, being held on Saturday May 19th and Sunday May 20th in Frost Park. 3 Sons Brewery played a major role in curating the culinary artisans for the 6th Annual Celebration. Soon to open their craft brewery in Downtown Dania Beach, they are excited to connect with the community and look forward to providing a unique brewing and culinary experience at the brewery for all Danians and the surrounding community.

“This festival celebrates the bounty of amazing craft beverages and locally made foods that Florida has to offer and we’re excited to report that we will have more vendors and variety than ever before,” said Rickelle Williams, Executive Director of the Dania Beach CRA. Below is the full list of Food Vendors for this year’s event.

Food Trucks:
Red Zeppelin –Rockin’ Fresh Main Lobster Rolls, Lobster Salad, Lobster Bisque
B C Tacos – Fresh Made Tacos - Grilled Mahi, Grilled Shrimp, Fried Shrimp, Braised Short Rib, Buffalo Mahi & Avocado Tacos, Chips & Salsa & Chips & Avocado Salsa
Key West Conch Shack – Conch Fritters, Fried Conch, Jerk Wings, Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos, Mahi Tacos, Cajun Snapper Bites
Latin Fixings – Ceviche’, Fish & Chips, Jalea, Coconut Shrimp, Surf & Turf Burger
Poke Kai – Fresh Poke Bowls, Avocado toast, Avokai, Bao Buns
Mobstah Lobstah  - Maine Lobster Roll, Crab Sliders, Fish & Chips,  Lobster Mac & Cheese, Tater Tots
HipPops – Hand Crafted Artisan Gelato Pops

Culinary Vendors
Big Poppy T’s – Seafood Tray, BBQ Rib Sandwich, Full Slab of BBQ Ribs, Half Chicken, Chicken Sandwich, Hamburgers. 
Historic Dockers – Shrimp Roll, Fresh Crawfish Boil
Farm Fresh Corn Roasting – Fresh roasted corn on the cob
Gypsy Fish – Crabby Mac & Cheese, Ahi Tuna Tacos, Crab Cake Sliders, Lobster Bisque, Lobster Tacos, Hush Puppies
Tarpon River Café/Absolute Catering – Chesapeake Chowder, Shrimp & Avocado Salad, Ceviche, Steamed Mussels or Clams, Fried Fish Sandwich, Crawfish Platter, Strawberry Shortcake
Popso Seafood – Conch & shrimp salad, Dressed Conch, Tropical Conch, Conch Fritters, Fried Conch, Fried Chicken & Lobster,  Lobster Mac & Cheese.
Four C’s – Ribs, Jerk Chicken, Conch Salad, Fried Conch, Snapper
Big O’s BBQ – Ribs, Porkadilla, Pulled Pork, Rib Sandwich, Salmon Sliders, Shrimp Skewers, Sausage Sandwich, Mac & Cheese
El Jefe Luchador/EM Caters – Build your own Taco Bar, Lobster Quesadilla, Fried Seafood basket
Pizza Paradise – Wood Burning Brick Oven Specialty Pizzas
Empanada Envy – Fresh Hand Crafted Empanadas
Sea Salt Fresh Fish Market – Smoked Fish Dip

Dessert Artisans
Bensons Bakery
– Assortment of Fresh Baked Cup Cakes, Cookies and sweets.
World of Fudge – 17 varieties of homemade Fudge
Schweets & Stuff – Funnel Cakes and Fried Oreos

Carts
Alpine Ice
– Fruit Smoothies, Frozen Lemonade and Fresh Squeezed
The Ice Guy - Italian Ice 
Gelato Gourmet - Gelato

“Downtown Dania Beach is the perfect spot for an event like this. It has ample green space, nearby parking, a skateboard park, the Casino at Dania Beach just outside the gates, and it’s in walking distance to a variety of hotels, restaurants, attractions and shops for our attendees to enjoy before and after the festival,” said Williams, adding that the promotion of Dania Beach as a destination is an important part of their marketing for the event.

About 3 Sons Brewery:

3 Sons Brewery is comprised of passionate brewers with a penchant for creative and modern techniques when it comes to their craft. Excited to soon have a home in Broward’s oldest city, this group of eager artisans proudly stands behind their philosophy of brewing the highest quality beers through tried and tested techniques, which have produced flavorful and unique award-winning beers.

About the Dania Beach Arts and Seafood Celebration

Art and seafood enthusiasts! Don’t miss out on a FREE family fun-filled weekend at the 6th Anniversary Dania Beach Arts and Seafood Celebration on May 19th and 20th! Bring your appetites to feast on an array of delicious seafood and specialty treats as you groove to live entertainment all weekend long. Experience hands-on arts & crafts while admiring and purchasing your favorite creations from artist vendors. Witness local artists as they paint masterpieces during live street art performances. Kids can enjoy exciting and fun activities at Dania Beach Kids Funville while watching the 100-ton sandcastle come to life. Plus, get ready for a tasty competition at the 4th Annual Chef Showcase. Dance to live music featuring Hit Tribute Headlining act Jaded Aerosmith and Deep Fried Funk! Admission and parking are free. Parking is located at either the Casino at Dania Beach. Open Saturday, May 19th from 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, May 20th from 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Located at Frost Park 300 NE 2nd St. Dania Beach, FL 33004. Visit daniabeachartsandseafoodcelebration.com or call 954-924-6801 for more information.

Guests are not permitted to bring pets, coolers, or beverage. Thank you, we appreciate your cooperation.

2018 Dania Beach Arts and Seafood Celebration Announces New and Returning Sponsors Dania Beach, FL

Wednesday, May 9, 2018 - 10:26am

The Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (DBCRA) is excited to announce that Kimco Realty Corporation, who is managing the exciting Dania Pointe mixed-use project, as a major sponsor to this year’s 6th Annual Dania Beach Arts and Seafood Celebration. Sponsor of the massive 100-ton Sand Sculpture and the Sandbar Stage, KimcoRealty Corp. is a real estate investment trust and is one of North America's largest publicly traded owners and operators of open-air shopping centers. As of March 31, 2018, the company owned interests in 475 U.S. shopping centers comprising 81 million square feet of leasable space primarily concentrated in the top major metropolitan markets, and has specialized in shopping center acquisitions, development and management for 60 years.

As the $250 million-plus Dania Pointe project broke ground in 2016, the 102-acre premier mixed-use development will have almost 1 million square feet of retail in addition to 500,000-1,000,000 square feet of prime, Class A office space, 300 hotel rooms in the two hotel towers, approximately 1,000 planned luxury apartment units and public event space, making it Broward County’s preeminent lifestyle destination. The project is anticipated to bring in upwards of $20 million a year in tax revenue to the City.

“This transformative project will revitalize Dania Beach to become a world-class business and entertainment center and provide a place to enjoy experiences.,” said Rickelle Williams Dania Beach Community Redevelopment Agency’s Executive Director. “I am very pleased that KimcoRealty and Dania Pointe have partnered with us this year and am highly enthusiastic about forging a continued partnership for years to come.”

A newly added contributor this year is the Meyer’s Group, sponsor of the Treasure Cove Artist Area. The Meyer’s Group is a privately owned multi-family and mixed-use real estate firm focused on strategic investments, expert development, quality construction and comprehensive property management. Their feature property is The Residences of Dania Pointe, which will feature 264 units in an eight-story concrete block building, with an elevator serviced garage.

3 Sons Brewing Co. has also graciously contributed to this year’s event and is sponsoring the Chef Showcase. “When we heard news of this highly anticipated event, we couldn’t miss the opportunity to get involved and intensify our community presence and brand recognition to thousands of visitors, especially since we will be opening our doors in the heart of Dania Beach.” states Joe Artanis, Co-Founder. 3 Sons Brewing Co. is comprised of passionate brewers with a penchant for creative and modern techniques when it comes to their craft. Excited to soon have a home in Broward’s oldest city, this group of eager artisans proudly stands behind their philosophy of brewing the highest quality beers through tried and tested techniques, which have produced flavorful and unique award-winning beers.

The Casino at Dania Beach has been a major contributor the last three years and has stepped up to the plate again this year. Named VIP Hospitality Sponsor, the casino is no stranger to publicizing their live entertainment venues and is highly successful in their endeavors. “The Arts and Seafood Celebration is a great event, and we are thrilled to be a part of it again this year. We had a great experience in previous years and look forward to the fun and excitement once again,” states Nataly Hayes

Kimco Realty Corp., Dania Pointe, The Meyer’s Group, 3 Sons Brewery and continuing sponsor The Casino at Dania Beach, join the long list of new and continuing sponsors to this year’s Dania Beach Arts and Seafood Celebration including:

Calvin, Giordano and Associates
Florida Power and Light
Tobacco Free Florida
Waste Management
RentHollywood.com
ASA College
Gangrel’s Wrestling Asylum
Quarterdeck
Economos
Hotel Morrison
Big Mouth Girlz
Florida Home-Improvement Associates
T-Mobile
and more!!

This award-winning event attracted over 20,000 attendees in 2017 and is anticipated to be even larger this year. The Dania Beach Arts and Seafood Celebration takes place on Saturday May 19th from 11AM – 8PM and Sunday May 20th from 11AM – 6PM in Frost Parklocated at 300 NE 2nd Street.

For more information about becoming a sponsor for the 2018 Dania Beach Arts and Seafood Celebration, contact Kisha Payen at 954-924-6801. Visit daniabeachartsandseafoodcelebration.com for more information.

South Florida finally attracting investors for startups

Thursday, April 12, 2018 - 4:23pm

Magic Leap’s extraordinary funding of $2 billion aside, South Florida entrepreneurs have historically had difficulty raising startup capital.

That’s because the tricounty region wasn’t recognized among the nation’s innovation centers.

But that has begun to change and, as a result, startup capital — the hardest to find — is becoming more accessible. Investors from Silicon Valley are seeing innovation in South Florida, more funds are being raised in the region for startup capital and angel investors continue to seek early entry to the next big thing.

Miami entrepreneur Brian Brackeen said when he was seeking capital for his facial recognition company Kairos in 2012 and 2013, “it was pretty early in the innovation economy. Mostly angels were here, and there was limited to zero venture capital.”

Read the article here.